CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves this afternoon addressed what went down with Charlie Sheen on the CBS hit Two and a Half Men earlier this year by issuing this easily-understandable two-word assessment: “Shit happens.” Featured in conversation at the Hollywood Radio and Television Society Newsmaker Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Moonves elaborated that what happened to the show was “unfortunate” and “wasn’t fun. There’s no good when there are lawyers involved with a television show.” But he is encouraged to find that Men’s ratings are up from what they were a year ago with Ashton Kutcher having replaced Sheen in the cast. He added, “I’m happy that Charlie has a show with a very good showrunner and a very good studio in Lionsgate. We wish him well. We’re more than happy with how well Ashton has done other than his comments about Penn State (condemning via Twitter the firing of head coach Joe Paterno). But I’m glad (Two and a Half Men) is a chapter that’s closing, and with these numbers I’m hoping this show will last for many, many years.” Moonves wouldn’t commit, however, to a multi-year renewal of the show going forward.
Les Moonves On Charlie Sheen ‘Two And A Half Men’ Debacle: ‘Shit Happens’
UPDATE: No Ruling On NFL Lockout At Hearing; Judge Offers Federal Mediator
2ND UPDATE, 3:35 PM: A federal court said it could take weeks before it decides whether to grant an injunction sought by NFL players to stop a league-imposed lockout. That’s because the judge wants both sides to agree to federal mediation to help resolve an impasse in finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement, according to Bloomberg. “Both sides are at risk. This is a good time to come back to the table,” the judge said. “This is really a matter to be resolved, in my view, with the services of the federal court.” Today’s hearing in St. Paul lasted five hours. Read More »
TCA: ‘Sopranos’ Alums Burgess and Green On Switching To A Show About Heroes
At the panel for CBS’ new cop/family drama Blue Bloods, the show’s writers-executive producers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess were asked about departing the anti-hero drama genre they mastered on HBO’s The Sopranos to take on the CBS series starring Tom Selleck.
“We did the anti-hero for all those years, it … Read More »
The Network Builder: Former War Reporter Paul Lee Goes For a Three-peat At ABC
There is one element in Paul Lee’s background that in my opinion makes him well equipped for his new job as ABC Entertainment Group president. It’s not his 6-year tenure as president of ABC Family, he will find soon enough … Read More »
EMMYS: Nominee List Helpful In ATAS’s Efforts For New Deal With Broadcasters
The leadership at the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences must be breathing a sigh of relief after last week’s Primetime Emmy nominations. As the awards show’s future hangs in the balance, the Academy probably couldn’t have asked for a much … Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: NBC Win With ‘Talent’
NBC’s America’s Got Talent dominated Wednesday night, which featured only one other first-run program, Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. Talent at 9PM averaged a 3.4 rating/11 share among adults 18-49 and 12.8 million viewers overall, down 3% in the demo from last week. SYTYCD’s two-hour performance show (2.2/7, … Read More »
The CW Announces Fall Premiere Dates
The CW today became the first broadcast network to announce premiere dates for its fall lineup. As usual, the CW will roll out the bulk of its schedule ahead of the traditional fall premiere week, starting on September 8 with the debut of new drama Hellcats.
On Wednesday, September 8, Cycle 15 of AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (8:00-9:00 p.m.) kicks-off the 2010-2011 season, followed by the series premiere of new drama HELLCATS (9:00-10:00 p.m.). HELLCATS is a drama about a young pre-law student (Aly Michalka) whose world is turned upside-down when she loses her scholarship and has to join the college’s competitive cheerleading squad. Ashley Tisdale also stars as a young woman who is totally committed to the cheerleading squad to realize her dreams.
RATINGS RAT RACE: Ratings Drop Across The Board Tuesday With ABC Hardest Hit
Ratings were in downfall last night, and nowhere was this more evident than with ABC’s new reality series Downfall (1.4/4), which was down 26% from its soft premiere last week and lost almost half of its Wipeout lead-in. Wipeout (2.6/9) was also down, 16%, from its season premiere last week, … Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘The Bachelorette’ Gains & Wimbledon Coverage Up
ABC’s The Bachelorette continued its impressive summer run with a 3.1 rating/9 share among adults 18-49 last night, up 15% from last week. But its lead-out, True Beauty (1.7/5) continues to move in the opposite direction, down 15% from last week for its lowest-rated telecast this summer. NBC’s Last … Read More »
Steve Carell Hasn’t Changed His Mind… (Still Planning To Leave ‘The Office’ Next Year)
NBC’s The Office without Steve Carell is now a reality. First, he let it slip while promoting Date Night that he was considering an exit when his contract expires at the end of the upcoming 7th season. Now Carell confirmed his plans to reporters while promoting his next feature Despicable Me. … Read More »
ABC Family Orders More ‘Pretty Little Liars’
ABC Family has picked up 12 additional episodes of Pretty Little Liars, three weeks into the newcomer’s promising freshman run. That brings the show’s total first season order to 22 episodes. Pretty Little Liars launched as ABC Family’s No. 1 series debut ever in several key demos, including adults 18-34 … Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: Promising Start For ABC Drama ‘Rookie Blue’
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. After a slew of new dramas opening in the 1.3-1.5 rating range among adults 18-49 this summer, ABC’s Canadian import Rookie Blue last night emerged as the most promising new off-season scripted prospect with a 2.0 rating/6 share in 18-49 and a solid 7.3 million viewers overall for its premiere. Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: Fox & NBC Split Wed
Fox, the only network to offer all-original programming on Wednesday, won the night among adults 18-49, while NBC, the only other network to feature any first-run fare, was tops in total viewers. Fox aired a two-hour So You Think You Can Dance (2.5 rating/8 share among adults 18-49, 6.3 million … Read More »
TV Broadcast vs Cable: Enough Ad Dollars?
For Deadline today, freelance journalist Diane Haithman covered the Hollywood Radio and Television Society’s Newsmaker luncheon at the Beverly Hilton:
What will the TV industry have left to buzz about after fallen NBC talk show host Conan O’Brien’s new 11 PM show launches in November on TBS? And the world finally finds out whether his young, hip, Twitter-happy fans will follow him from NBC to cable? Once again, NBC and Conan launched the discussion at yet another industry gathering. O’Brien’s choice to sign with TBS instead of Fox after the “fairly catastrophic” NBC debacle (as FBC’s Kevin Reilly called it) was used as a starting point for a discussion about whether cable TV represents the television industry’s sweet spot in 2010. Oprah Winfrey’s move from syndication to starting her own cable network got a mention, too, but that was announced way back in 2009 — and she’s just not as much fun to talk about as Conan.
On the panel billed as “a post-upfronts look at the business of the business”: O’Brien’s attorney Leigh Brecheen, partner and head of television at the law firm Bloom Hergott; Paul Lee, president of ABC Family; Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television; Kevin Reilly, president of Fox Broadcasting Company; Chris Silbermann, president of ICM; and Tim Spengler, president of Initiative USA.
Well, time will tell whether cable is good to Conan – but what about everybody else? The rest of the discussion revolved around whether 2010’s promising upfronts mean that traditional, scripted broadcast TV series are back on top – and whether the networks can exist in happy harmony with cable channels, online TV options and VOD. Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: Good News For Fox, Mixed Bag For NBC, Bad News For ABC
NBC’s America’s Got Talent and ABC’s Wipeout were the main attractions in primetime last night. America’s Got Talent (3.3 rating/10 share, 11.4 million viewers overall) was the top-rated program of the night, up 10% from last week. However, its lead-in, Losing it With Jillian (1.4/4) hit a series low, down … Read More »
Apostle In Cable Deal With Fox TV Studios
EXCLUSIVE: Denis Leary and Jim Serpico’s Apostle has inked a two-year overall deal with Fox TV Studios to develop and produce new cable series. Additionally, the company is in negotiations with CBS TV Studios for a deal that would cover broadcast … Read More »
It’s Official: Top NBC Marketing Exec John Miller To Exit At The End Of The Year
EXCLUSIVE: End Of An Era: NBCU Top Marketing Executive John Miller To Step Down
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – June 21, 2010 – After one of the longest and most successful careers in entertainment marketing, John Miller, Chief Marketing Officer and President of The NBC Agency, will now transition to a new role within NBC Universal. Miller, who will remain the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of NBC Universal Television Group, will be working full-time on the NBCU Comcast integration.
RATINGS RAT RACE: Big Finish For U.S. Open, Soft Start For ‘Scoundrels’ & ‘Gates’
NBC is expected to win Sunday night with the conclusion of the U.S. Open golf tournament featuring both big draws Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. But ABC’s new original series Scoundrels and The Gates didn’t get a lot of traction in their debuts, landing in the 1.3-1.5 demo range that has been reserved for premieres of new scripted dramas so far this summer. Read More »
A.J. Cook Could Make Brief ‘Minds’ Return
Criminal Minds fans launched a massive campaign to bring back co-star A.J. Cook, whose option for next season wasn’t picked up, including setting up an online petition that has gathered more than 35,000 signatures and mailing thousands of lipsticks and … Read More »
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