Tag Archives: Under the Dome

Status update #1 on your favorite new and returning shows

We’re nearly one month into the 2015 fall TV season, so there’s no better time than now to check on the status of your favorite shows, new and old. I’ll break it down by network.

At CBS, its summer fare was taken under the microscope and only one series made it out alive. Zoo, the animal-themed thriller based on the James Patterson novel starring James Wolk, is coming back for a second season next summer. Sci-fi dramas Extant and Under the Dome are ending after two and three season runs, respectively. The Halle Berry starrer underwent a creative reboot in season 2 and simply couldn’t drum up the ratings needed to continue. Dome, based on Stephen King’s novel, ran out of steam fast as the show quickly exhausted its source material.

NBC is the first network to grant a new fall series a full-season order. Blindspot, starring Jaimie Alexander as an amnesiac Jane Doe who’s covered head-to-toe in mysterious tattoos that are connected to a larger conspiracy, will live on to air a full 22-episode first season on the Peacock network. The FSO follows a pickup of nine additional scripts ordered more than a week prior. Elsewhere, Debra Messing and her crime procedural The Mysteries of Laura has been awarded five additional scripts as its second season aims to go the distance (read: May sweeps).

Fox is showering its Animation Domination fans with love by renewing cult comedy Bob’s Burgers for a seventh and eighth season. As far as new programming is concerned, and in a fairly surprising move, Fox is handing out a full-season order to the Morris Chestnut crime procedural Rosewood before making decisions on higher profile offerings like Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens and sophomore The Last Man on EarthRosewood‘s FSO comes a week after Fox ordered three additional scripts for it. Elsewhere, things are looking up for new sitcoms Grandfathered and The Grinder. The John Stamos and Rob Lowe comedies have both been tasked to pump out six additional scripts apiece. Monday night sci-fi drama Minority Report, on the other hand, reports a gloomy forecast; due to low ratings, the network has cut three episodes from its original 13-episode run. Episode 10, which was written as a fall finale, will now serve as a season (or series) finale, according to Deadline.

More updates from ABC, The CW, FX, and AMC after the break. Continue reading Status update #1 on your favorite new and returning shows

TV reminder: 8 premieres to look out for in June

We’ve officially entered the month that welcomes back summer. Typically, a TV draught takes place after the big finales in May and avid viewers are forced to twiddle their thumbs until the new season kicks into high gear in September. That has all changed. We’re living in the Golden Age of TV, after all, and the sheer amount of creative content isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The summer months are packed with great programs you simply cannot miss; the broadcast and premium cable networks, as well as streaming giant Netflix, have a number of exciting new series debuting this very month. To see what June has to offer, jump after the break. Continue reading TV reminder: 8 premieres to look out for in June

AMC renews ‘The Walking Dead’, CBS renews ‘Under the Dome’ & ‘Extant’ [Update: ‘TWD’ record ratings]

Days before AMC premieres the fifth season of its ratings juggernaut The Walking Dead, the network renews the zombie drama for a sixth season. It’s no surprise, really, since the show continues to perform spectacularly in the ratings and its popularity never seems to die down.

“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement released this past Tuesday. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”

At last, it seems as if the series has found a showrunner it’s sticking with. Following the abrupt exits of Frank Darabont and Glenn Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple is here to stay. Season 5 premieres this Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9pm.

Elsewhere, CBS is bringing back its summer dramas Under the Dome and Extant for a third and second season, respectively.

“We’re committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling,” said CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler in a statement today. “We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models, and passionate television audiences.”

Update (10/13): Following tradition, the Walking Dead season premiere opened to record recording on Sunday: 17.3 million viewers tuned into it (11 million of which are part of the 18-49 demo), making it the most watched episode to date. The previous record holder was the season 4 opener which drew 16.1 million viewers (10.4 million in the 18-49 demo). These are huge numbers for cable; not only do they rival network TV viewership, they exceed it. AMC might as well renew Dead, at this point, for life.

TV reminder: 6 premieres to look out for in June

The summer months are upon us and though many of your favorites series are taking a break until September there are quite a few new and returning ones that premiere in June. See what’s coming up and worth checking out after the break! Continue reading TV reminder: 6 premieres to look out for in June

CBS renews ‘Under The Dome’ for a second season

Under The Dome is coming back for a 13-episode second season and Stephen King, the author whose 2009 novel the CBS drama series is based, will pen the premiere episode when it returns in Summer 2014.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler on the renewal: “We’re excited to tell more stories about the mystery of the dome and the secrets in Chester’s Mill, and are thrilled to have the master storyteller himself, Stephen King, tell the first one of next season.”

In all, 17.8 million total viewers tuned into the series premiere in June and the show also proved its worth in the adults 18-49 demo landing a 4.6 rating. Though those numbers have dropped since, they still remain elevated at a level strong enough to warrant a second season; the most recent episode attracted a sizable audience with 11.4 million viewers and a 2.8 rating in the coveted demo. The show is performing solidly internationally and on Amazon where CBS has an exclusive deal enabling Instant Video subscribers to stream episodes four days after they air. In fact, Dome is the most watched series ever on Amazon’s streaming service.

All in all, Under the Dome is proving to be great summer fare and it’s showing the other networks that scripted TV can work outside the traditional September-to-May window. (FOX enters the fray next summer with new drama Gang Related and the return of 24.) The show’s got some kinks to work out (the character Angie, for example, drives me up a wall with her terrible decisions…and what exactly are Junior’s motives?) and the pacing and character development need to be accelerated. But the overall mystery of the dome and the secrets being spilled inside it have me intrigued enough to want to see more. I gladly accept a series renewal.

Under The Dome airs Mondays at 10 on CBS.

TV reminder: ‘Under the Dome’ premieres Monday, June 24 at 10PM on CBS (extended trailer inside) [Update: big ratings]

It’s finally here: a series premiering on network TV over the summer that is worth watching.

From executive producer Steven Spielberg and showrunner Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) comes Under the Dome, a series based the 2009 Stephen King novel that is the story of a small New England town named Chester’s Mill that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s residents need to survive the deteriorating post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from, and how to make it go away.

Under the Dome stars Mike Vogel (Bates Motel), Rachelle Lefevre, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Natalie Martinez, Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle), Alexander Koch, Colin Ford, Nicholas Strong, Jolene Purdy, and Aisha Hinds. And for you Lost fans, you’ll spot Frank Lapidus himself, Jeff Fahey, too.

Though CBS is touting it as a “mini-series event,” Vaughn and his creative team envision the story expanding to multiple seasons if ratings allow for it.

Is the dome an act of terror or an act of God? The mystery unravels starting Monday night at 10PM on CBS. Jump after the break to watch a new extended trailer hyping Under the Dome. And don’t forget to take in the touching key art posted above of a boy separated from his dog.

Update (6/25): You wouldn’t think we were in network TV off-season if you looked at the big numbers CBS’ Under the Dome took in last night. Check it: 13.1 million viewers tuned into the buzzy Stephen King adaptation and it scored a solid 3.2/9 rating in the 18-49 demo. It’s the most watched summer debut on network TV since NBC premiered The Singing Bee in 2007 and CBS’ most watched summer series premiere since Big Brother in 2000. In the coveted 18-49 demo, it ranks as CBS’ highest rated summer debut since some show called Fire Me…Please circa 2005. And get this: Under the Dome goes head-to-head with some of last season’s most popular dramas that premiered in the fall and midseason; it ties Fox’s The Following as the second-highest-rated drama premiere of the 2012-13 season behind NBC’s Revolution. I predict a ratings climb next week; but even if the numbers were to remain steady here, it won’t be long before the Eye announces a second season. As it stands, the Dome is a bonafide hit. Continue reading TV reminder: ‘Under the Dome’ premieres Monday, June 24 at 10PM on CBS (extended trailer inside) [Update: big ratings]

First look: CBS’ ‘Under The Dome’

From executive producer Steven Spielberg and showrunner Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) comes Under the Dome, a series based the 2009 Stephen King novel that is the story of a small New England town named Chester’s Mill that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s residents need to survive the deteriorating post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from, and how to make it go away.

In this first look clip you’ll hear from King and members of the cast including Mike Vogel (Pan AmBates Motel), Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), and Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle). Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) directed the pilot. “Under The Dome is going to be an innovative, exciting 13-week event. It is going to be riveting TV,” exudes King.

The series begins its summer run June 14 on CBS. Watch a second promo after the break. Continue reading First look: CBS’ ‘Under The Dome’

Super Bowl XLVII: the not quite record ratings and the commercials

Power outage and all, Super Bowl XLVII proved to be an exciting game after all. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the game early on and the San Fransisco 49ers used the approximately 35 minutes of dark downtime to reenergize and make an unexpected comeback that nearly ended the game in their favor. When the fourth quarter came to a close, however, it was the domineering Ravens and MVP Flacco on top besting the 49ers 34 to 31.

Unlike previous years, last night’s Super Bowl did not break ratings records to become the most watched telecast in history. 108.41 million people tuned into the big game making it the third most watched TV program behind Super Bowl XLVI (111.3 million) and Super Bowl XLV (111 million). (And if you’re curious, the hyped post-Super Bowl episode of Elementary attracted 20.8 million viewers with a 7.8 rating in the 18-49 demo. These numbers are huge for the CBS freshman procedural, but they do not match the 37.6 million viewers that tuned into The Voice‘s post-game telecast last year.) Maybe we’ll see another record-breaking explosion in eyeballs next year?

Moving onto the ‘mericals. This year companies had to fork over a whopping four million dollars for a 30-second spot. I’ve posted a bunch of my personal favorites after the break, including those from Volkswagon, Oreos, Doritos, and Taco Bell and trailers for anticipated movies like Iron Man 3 (see the extended cut!), Star Trek, and Fast and Furious 6. You can rewatch nearly all of them at YouTube’s Ad Blitz center. Which are your favorites? Continue reading Super Bowl XLVII: the not quite record ratings and the commercials

TCA 13: CBS’ Nina Tassler hopes for more ‘HIMYM’, ‘Two and a Half Men’, promotes summer schedule that includes Spielberg/King drama ‘Under the Dome’

Today CBS was the last of the big four networks to take the stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler didn’t spend much time talking about her network’s ratings and overall fall performance. Everyone knows that the Eye attracts the most eyeballs in terms of total viewers. After NBC’s Bob Greenblatt gloated about ranking #1 in attracting viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic, Tassler responded with this. “I wouldn’t say there’s been much slippage [among 18-49],” she said. “We’re not a niche broadcaster. For us it’s still about getting everybody. Our advertisers are very pleased with our 25-54 numbers as well.” For the remainder of the panel, Tassler discussed the futures of long-running sitcoms How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, she commented on the subject of violence on TV (a hot topic these days), and she announced CBS’ summer schedule which includes a mysterious drama called Under the Dome from Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. By now you should know where the bullet-points begin: after the break. Continue reading TCA 13: CBS’ Nina Tassler hopes for more ‘HIMYM’, ‘Two and a Half Men’, promotes summer schedule that includes Spielberg/King drama ‘Under the Dome’