Category Archives: Television

HBO renews ‘Game of Thrones’ after a decent debut in the ratings

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Well that was quick. Just two after its series premiere, HBO has gone ahead and renewed fantasy series Game of Thrones for a second season. The next season will bow next year (a specific timeline has not been worked out yet), and it will be based on George R.R. Martin’s next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings.

Michael Lombardo, president of HBO: “We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin’s amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers. This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership.”

No matter how the show did in the ratings it was destined to return for at least second season. Adapting Martin’s vast world of Westeros is a huge undertaking, there’s no way it all would have been squandered after just one hack at it. It did, however, fare decently in the ratings. 2.2 million viewers tuned into the 9PM premiere; for comparison’s sake this is down 54% from the Boardwalk Empire premiere which drew 4.8 million viewers in September. HBO was smart to air the premiere in three time-slots and across their various channels Sunday night. They picked up an additional 1.2 million and 800,000 viewers for the second and third telecasts, respectively. All together, a solid 4.2 million people watched the Game of Thrones premiere that night, and we’ll have to wait and see how these numbers hold up come next Sunday. Whatever the case, fans of the book series can rejoice in knowing that so much more is in the works.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9PM on HBO.

[Via EW, here & here]

Cancelled FOX show ‘Running Wilde’ to conclude its ratings-deprived debut season later this month on FX

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So FOX has officially cancelled the short lived Mitch Hurwitz comedy Running Wilde. No surprise there. After just nine episodes aired the network decided to cut it from the schedule in November. The lingering questions remained: what’s going to happen to the additional four episodes produced? will they ever see the light of day? The answer, I am excited to say, is yes! FOX is allowing its sibling cable channel FX to air the remaining four episodes starting April 28 at 10PM. Wilde fans, mark your calenders and anticipate the brief return of Steve, Emmy, and Puddle…and then prepare to say goodbye once again.

[Via Deadline]

HBO finally gets it, brings HBO Go service to iOS, Android

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HBO first unveiled the HBO Go service in February 2010, promising subscribers access to their favorite premium TV shows and movies inside their browser. It never really caught on. Today HBO revealed its plan to bring the on-demand service to the mobile front, and I’ve got a feeling this will get the motors revving. Come May 2, HBO subscribers will have instant and unlimited access to every episode of every season available through HBO on their mobile devices. Featured content includes “HBO original series, blockbuster hits, sports, specials and more.” The company has specified it’ll be coming to iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad as well as Android-powered ones. The service is free for (paying) HBO subscribers and it’ll work over WiFi and 3G. The interface mimics the one they’ve been using inside the browser and it’s pretty slick; check it out in the video above.

[Via Engadget]

A taste of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ season 8

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Larry’s headed to the great city of New York in the next season of Curb Your Enthusiasm and he’s bringing a boat load of special guests with him. They include Ricky Gervais, Michael J. Fox, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael McKean, Ana Gasteyer, and Bill Buckner. Get a behind the scenes sneak peek at the upcoming season above!

Curb season 8 begins July 10 on HBO.

New ‘Fringe’ teaser hints at the return of…

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The newly renewed Fringe returns with an all-new episode this week and as far as this fresh teaser is concerned…(spoiler alert?) Leonard Nimoy will be back, in some form or other. Episode 319 is “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide”; this is the psychedelic drug otherwise known as LSD. Whether or not it plays a role in the William Bell rebirth that has yet to be determined. You’ll have to tune into FOX this Friday at 9PM to find out.

I’m trying my best to come up with a theory here. Following his epic contributions to the Fringe season 3 finale, Nimoy publicly announced his retirement from acting. Over the course of the last couple episodes, Bell’s consciousness has found a home in Agent Olivia Dunham but soon it will have to find a new host. In all likelihood it will not be in the form of Bell but perhaps someone else, someone from the Fringe universe we’ve encountered before. I don’t know why I’m thinking this, but I can’t turn my mind away from Mark Valley’s John Scott who last appeared in season one. I’m well aware that he was proclaimed dead after the car crash, but reanimation is not a foreign term in Fringe land. Thoughts?

Update (4/15): Well there goes my theory. In an interview with EW, Fringe producer Jeff Pinkner shed some light on what’s to come regarding Belly’s return. “Leonard retired from acting at the end of our season finale. He was very sincere about that. But Joel and I and Akiva [Goldsman] were talking about the notion that William Bell would inhabit Olivia’s mind, and we came up with what we thought was a really cool idea. We called Leonard, and he just started laughing and said, ‘Okay, I’m in. How do you want to use me?’” Without giving much away, he says that “He’s participating in the show. It’s more than just giving us license … William Bell is present in the next episode, and he’s present in way that gives new meaning to alternate reality. But it’s very much Leonard Nimoy.” Hm, interesting. Perhaps he’ll appear in animated form (with his actual voice in tact), just like he did in the musical episode “Brown Betty.” All we know for sure is that this question will be answered tonight.

History picks up ‘Pawn Stars’ spinoff ‘American Restoration’

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If you’ve ever watched a marathon of Pawn Stars on the History Channel surely you’ve encountered Rick’s go-to guy for restoring antique items. The man’s name is Rick Dale, and History has decided to create a spinoff show that takes us inside Rick’s Restorations.

AMERICAN RESTORATION features Rick Dale and his crew of loose screws at Rick’s Restorations in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they take rusty, beat-up items and restore them to their original glory. Whether it’s a giant gas pump from the 1940s or a Hopalong Cassidy bicycle from the 1950s, every restoration is a high-stakes business project where worthless rust is transformed into a valuable collectible. However, these restorations aren’t easy. Every project presents unique challenges for Rick and his team [including his younger brother and son], who develop inventive processes to finish each job flawlessly and on time. From old gas carts to timeless slot machines, the items Rick restores are part of the fabric that makes up American culture. Things just aren’t made like they used to be, but at Rick’s Restorations, old becomes new again.

American Restoration premieres Friday, April 15 at 10PM on History.

[Via EW; History]

HBO renews ‘The Ricky Gervais Show’

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Can’t get enough of Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington? Well good because HBO recently greenlit a The Ricky Gervais Show for a third season. The animated program is based on a podcast with the same name and it brings to life the seemingly random yet fascinating conversations between Gervais and his comedic pals. Though the show is no ratings boon for the premium cable network it fits right in with HBO’s lineup and demographic. The season 2 finale airs this Friday, April 15 at 9PM.

[Via Deadline]

Arnold Schwarzenegger gets animated in this three-minute trailer for ‘The Governator’

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Now that he’s no longer the Governator in real life, Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to become Stan Lee-backed superhero The Governator in an upcoming animated TV series. Apparently Ah-nuld is prepared to bring this character to which he lends his voice not only to television but also to comic books and and film (and in 3D, mind you). Figure out whether or not you’ll be following Schwarzenegger’s career post-Terminator/political figure.

Lionsgate grants Netflix access to all four seasons of ‘Mad Men’, streaming near you this July

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Exciting news, fans of stellar television! Today Netflix has nabbed exclusive rights to off-network reruns of the one of the most highly acclaimed shows on television. Mad Men is produced by Lionsgate TV, and according to Variety, Netflix has agreed to pay a license fee upwards of $1 million per episode to bring the show to its streaming subscriber base. All four seasons of Mad Men will hit the streaming service on July 27.

And in case you haven’t heard, AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner recently struck a deal to produce three more seasons of the period drama. Seasons five, six, and seven won’t find their way onto Netflix until their seasons have run their full course on the cable network.

[Via Variety]

HBO makes known summer 2011 premiere dates

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Let’s get right to it, shall we? True Blood season 4 (known amongst fans as “Season of the Witch”) premieres Sunday, June 26 at 9PM; there will be 12 episodes in all. Curb Your Enthusiasm season 8 premieres Sunday, July 10 at 10PM; 10 episodes in all, some of which will take place in New York. The eighth and final season of Entourage premieres Sunday, July 24 at 10:30PM; after the shortened 8-episode run, watch out for the theatrical adaptation to follow.

[Via TVLine]

‘Parks and Rec’ gag reel is f–kin’ hilarious!

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Oh, what more can be said about the Pawnee gang? The all-star cast that makes up NBC’s Parks and Recreation is delightfully genuine and wickedly hilarious. If you don’t watch the show this 15-minute blooper reel should still leave you in stitches. But if you do watch it the reel will shine a new light on these characters for you (literally tons of profanity are contained within) and at the same time remind you why you fell in love with them in the first place. Also, April (Aubrey Plaza) smiles! Now that’s a first. The Parks and Rec season 2 gag reel rests above.

New episodes return April 14 at 9:30PM on NBC.

Update: Looks like NBC took it off YouTube. Found another copy at Perez!

Stephen Colbert sings “Friday” with The Roots

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I know, this is starting to become Rebecca Black overload. But this here video must be shared amongst Internet dwellers. Last night Stephen Colbert made a special appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to sing the world’s most hated song ever, “Friday.” But why, you ask? Recently Colbert auctioned off a painting of himself for $26,000 to benefit DonorsChoose.org, then last week he said that Jimmy would match the donation. Thing is is that Jimmy had no idea about Colbert’s announcement until earlier this week. Instead of brushing aside the false fact, Jimmy asked his friends, family, and fans to help raise enough money to match Colbert’s donation. And guess what–we beat it by $46. In total, Colbert, Jimmy, and NBC Universal (which doubled Fallon’s number) raised $86,000. Woo! And because Jimmy was able to raise the money, Colbert agreed to come on the show and celebrate by singing “Friday.” Double woo! (That would be a woo woo!) Watch Colbert’s rendition of the track you love to hate; The Roots back him up, Black Thought does some rapping, and Jimmy joins in, as does a couple of surprise guests!