Tag Archives: renewed

NBC announces midseason schedule

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Parks and Rec is coming, Parks and Rec is coming!  Sorry, I can hardly contain my excitement for the return of Leslie Knope and the entire Pawnee gang.  Today NBC announced its midseason schedule, which includes the return of The Biggest Loser, Minute to Win It, Parks and Recreation, and The Marriage Ref and Who Do You Think You Are?, four series premieres (The Cape, Harry’s Law, Perfect Couples, America’s Next Great Restaurant), and some program shuffling.  The biggest shakeup?  Starting January 20 NBC’s Thursday night comedy lineup will include six–count ’em–six comedies in the extended 8PM to 11PM block.  It’s the first time since the 1991-92 season that NBC is pulling such a stunt.  The lineup includes Community, Perfect Couples, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Outsourced.  Other scheduling shifts: Parenthood moves to Monday, Law & Order: Los Angeles to Tuesday, Chase to Wednesday, and Law & Order: SVU to 10PM on Wednesday.  In related news, NBC renewed 30 Rock for a sixth season.  Jump after the break to review the full sched.  Click here to preview the new NBC shows.

[Via Deadline] Continue reading NBC announces midseason schedule →

FOX renews ‘The Simpsons’ for Season 23

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Shocker, right?  Next September FOX will air the 23rd season of The Simpsons, the longest running comedy in TV history.  During the next season the animated show will hit a major milestone–500 episodes aired.  In fact, the series will reach episode 515 when it closes out its next season in May 2012.  But its still got a ways to go if it wants to become the record holder for most episodes aired; it’ll have to surpass Gunsmoke‘s 635 episodes!

“Like many 22-year-olds, The Simpsons is extremely happy remaining at home, on Fox, and hopes it doesn’t have to go out into the real world for many years to come,” said executive producer Al Jean.

[Via Deadline; IGN]

AMC renews ‘The Walking Dead’

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As a series reaching more adults 18-49 than any other show in the history of cable television, it doesn’t come to much surprise that AMC has greenlit The Walking Dead for a second season.  While the first season includes just six episodes, season two will pack 13 of ’em!  AMC prez Charlie Collier had this to say about the renewal: “The ‘Dead’ has spread!  No other cable series has ever attracted as many Adults 18-49 as ‘The Walking Dead.’  This reaffirms viewers’ hunger for premium television on basic cable.  We are so proud to be bringing back ‘The Walking Dead’ again, across the globe.”  Dead aired on FOX International Channel, and it was the highest-rated original series premiere ever to air on FIC simultaneously worldwide.  If you want to read some more impressive stats, look after the break for the full PR.

If you haven’t been sucked into the Dead universe yet (comic books or otherwise), you need to starting watching this show!  It’s not too late to play catch-up.  Head over to AMC’s website to watch the pilot episode in its entirety, and episode 2 is already available on iTunes (AMC also airs it multiple times throughout the week).  Catch the fever, that is if you’re not of the faint of heart.

[Via Deadline] Continue reading AMC renews ‘The Walking Dead’ →

HBO’s ‘Bored to Death’ & ‘Eastbound & Down’ coming back for third season

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HBO’s current Sunday night lineup is safe.  Boardwalk Empire was picked up for a second season a month ago, and today HBO ordered additional seasons of comedies Bored to Death (starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and Ted Danson) and Danny McBride’s Eastbound & Down.  The former averaged 1 million viewers this past Sunday and the latter 1.44 million.  This is great new for fans of funny things.

[Via Deadline]

Childrens Hospital renewed for third season

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Actress Malin Akerman hinted at it a while back and now it’s official.  Cartoon Network has ordered a third season of Rob Corddry’s web series-turned-TV show Childrens Hospital.  The hilarious ensemble cast, including Malin Akerman, Lake Bell, Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Ken Marino, Megan Mullally and Henry Winkler, are expected to return when the third season picks up sometime next year.  Childrens Hospital airs Sunday nights at midnight on Adult Swim.  The season 2 finale is slated to air this November.

[Via IGN; TVGuide]

HBO renews Boardwalk Empire for a second season

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A mere two days after its smashing series premiere, HBO has renewed the Scorsese/Winter production Boardwalk Empire for a second season.  The debut of the Prohibition-era drama averaged 4.8 million viewers, making it HBO’s most watched premiere since 2004’s Deadwood.  Says Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming: “All the ingredients aligned for this one, from Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson’s initial pitch, to Martin Scorsese’s enormous contributions as director and executive producer, to the genius of Terry Winter and the expertise of Tim Van Patten, to a stellar cast led by Steve Buscemi.  The response from the media and our viewers has been nothing short of amazing.”

Boardwalk Empire airs Sunday nights at 9PM on HBO.

[Via EW]

The Cleveland Show gets picked up for a third season

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Well would you look at that?  Following in Glee‘s footsteps, FOX has decided to green light a third season for its hit animated program The Cleveland Show.  Yes, there’s a solid reason why the Family Guy spin-off got renewed for a third season so early in the game: it was the highest rated new scripted half-hour program among the 18-34 demographic.  Voice of Cleveland Brown/co-creator/executive producer Mike Henry on the early pickup: “Thanks to FOX for their continued support.  I’m thrilled to keep my multiracial existence going for another season.”  Renewal news comes as a big relief for Henry and co. since the turnaround time for animation creation is very time intensive.  Henry: “It’s about a ten month process from start to finish.  But we don’t really try to be too topical and…I think it works to our advantage because hopefully in five years the episodes will still be as funny as they are now.”

Season 3 is so far out.  Want some details about what’s planned for season 2?  Will.I.Am, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West (to reprise “Kenny West”), Tony Hawk, Carl Reiner, and the cast members of Glee are planned to lend their voices to the series; a Family Guy crossover episode is planned that’ll land Peter, Joe and Quagmire in LOCALE; and in the finale episode the Browns will journey to Comic Con.  Says Henry: “[In the finale] the whole family goes to Comic-Con for summer vacation.  Co-creator Rich Appel: “I think it’s safe to say that the nerds on our staff will not disappoint the nerds in our viewing public.”  The Cleveland Show is here to stay, folks.

[Via IGN, here & here]

Glee renewed for season three (already!)

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You might be wondering why Mr. Will Shuester is giving us that smirk.  Maybe it’s because FOX has gone ahead and renewed Glee for a third season!  Though this news does come early, it is definitely not a surprise.  The numbers say it all: Glee is the number one new scripted series among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, and has averaged 9.4 million total viewers, according to EW.  Here’s what some people had to say about the early pickup.  Peter Rice, the Fox Networks Group Entertainment Chairman: “In just one year, Glee has transcended the television landscape and emerged as a global pop culture phenomenon.”  Kevin Reilly, Fox Entertainment President: “Everything about Glee – from the concept to the characters to the marketing – has been innovative and risky, but with [series creator] Ryan Murphy tapping into the zeitgeist, the risk has paid off with this truly remarkable series. Glee has one of the most active, devoted fan bases I’ve ever seen, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give Gleeks a third season of their favorite show.”  Creator Ryan Murphy: “It’s been a whirlwind year – from shooting the pilot to performing at the White House to the concert tour that began last week – and yet we all feel like we’ve just begun this amazing musical journey. We think our Gleeks worldwide are going to love what we’ll have in store for them in seasons two and three.”  So in other words…Glee isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  Gleek out!

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider]

HBO renews How To Make It In America for a second season

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YES!  Now that the excitement is out there let me tell you what it’s about: HBO has renewed How To Make It In America for a second season!  HTMIIA, produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, and Rob Weiss (Entourage), follows 20-somethings who are trying to make it big in the fashion industry in New York City.

Although it attracted an average of less than 1 million viewers at its Sunday night spot, HBO obviously still believes in its potential, and so do I.  Though the plotlines are nothing to rave about, it’s the character developments and relationships that get you invested in the show.  Main protangonists Ben (Bryan Greenburg) and Cam (Victor Russek) play believable characters set in a real world environment and situation.  The show uses the streets of NYC to its advantage by injecting a big shot of realism into everything that goes down around the characters.  By the end of the 8-epsiode run I was really pulling for Ben & Cam and I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for them (the same goes for Cam’s cousin Rene, played by Luis Guzman).  I’m glad we haven’t seen the last of Rasta Monsta!  The rest of the ensemble, including Rachel (Lake Bell), Kaplan (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Domingo (Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi), make for a great supporting cast.

How To Make It In America is expected to return to HBO sometime during summer 2011 with another 8-episode run.

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider; LATimesBlog]

FOX picks up Fringe for a third season

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What’s that you’re pointing at, Walter?  Is the parallel universe telling you something?  FOX decided to renew Fringe for a third season, huh?  YES!

Despite the recent drop in ratings due to its competitive Thursday night time slot, FOX is reassuring its rabid fans that Fringe will return next fall for a third season.  Fringe proved itself a worthy contender this season when its audience numbers were up on nights when its competition (CSI, Grey’s Anatomy) aired repeats.  Along with a good amount of DVR recordings, what this proves is that Fringe still has a strong viewership; it’s just that it isn’t priority number one against other high profile shows.  The renewal comes at a good time; Fringe is on hiatus right now, so the guarantee of another season puts the writers in a comfortable position; they can plan ahead and not worry about the fear of wrapping story lines up too quickly.

Fringe returns with all new episodes Thursday, April 1 on FOX.

[Via EW; IGN]

Glee, Modern Family renewed; what about Fringe, Heroes, FlashForward, 24, & V?

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It’s great to be a fan of TV these days.  So many great shows to watch and discuss.  This past week the TSA (Television Critics Association) Press Tour brought out TV’s stars, showrunners, and executives who talk to the press about what’s to come in the future.  Below is a list of a handful of shows and clues to how their futures will pan out.

Gleeks rejoice!  Glee has been renewed for a second season.  FOX’s President of Entertainment, Kevin Reilly: “We’ve loved Glee ever since it was a pilot script, so it’s been an incredible thrill to watch the show take root and see audiences embrace these characters in such a huge way this season. The show is a true and rare gem in television. We couldn’t be more proud of what Ryan Murphy and the Glee team have created so far, and can’t wait to see what they come up with for Season 2.”  In related news, the Glee execs will be holding a nationwide audition to fill in three new roles for season two.  “Auditions will be open to amateur individuals as well as professionals between the ages of 16-26, and all hopefuls will be able to submit auditions online.  Additional details will be announced soon [via] fox.com/glee.”  Reilly adds that “the winners will be revealed in the first episode of the season.”

Glee returns Tuesday, April 13 on FOX.  (Celebrate the news by watching a Glee flashmob after the break.)

Modern Family, the funniest new comedy of the season, has been given the green light for a second season!  ABC also renewed Cougar Town and The Middle.  Ugly Betty, Better Off Ted, and Scrubs are still in limbo.  ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson says “I’m not going to lie.  The numbers are not encouraging.”

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9PM on ABC.

What’s going on with Fringe?  Last we heard ratings dropped due to its competitive timeslot.  It airs at the same time as Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, The Office, 30 Rock and Supernatural.  FOX’s Reilly on the matter: “I wish the ratings were higher, but frankly, we’re going to keep it right where it is, because it’s doing a job for us.”  On the future of this season: “We’re going to bring on Past Life, give this a breather, then going to play I think ten episodes in a row in the back half of the season, to really try and blast this when the other guys are in repeats.”  So he definitely feels a good vibe around the show.  But what does the future hold beyond season 2?  “They’re in a creative groove with it. We have a great relationship with the producers.  They’re delivering a quality show and it’s got an audience…The audience hasn’t entirely left it behind; they’re just watching it on their DVR.  So I don’t know.  We’ll just have to see what happens in May.”  Fringe resides in the wait-and-see category, but I have a strong feeling it will be coming back for many more seasons.

Fringe returns Thursday, January 14 on FOX.  (Look after the break for an exerpt from an IGN interview with Fringe creator J. J. Abrams.)

Oh, Heroes.  Season 1 was fantastic.  I even enjoyed watching seasons 2 and 3 on DVD.  Unfortunately most of its original audience lost interest by season 2 due to lack of creativity, among other criticisms.  Though the outlook for a potential season 5 looks bleak, Greg Grunberg (Heroes’ Matt Parkman) is very confident that the show will get renewed.  “We wrapped yesterday and the [final episode] is nowhere near a series finale.  It is cliffhanger-y and exciting, but it is nowhere near an end to a series that people are so invested in. It does not tie everything up in a neat bow… I don’t have any doubt that the show will be back.”  He adds, “We will wrap it up properly in the next season and get to 100 episodes.  At least that’s what I would like to see happen.  They take so much care in writing the show that I would hope we get the chance to end it right.   Lost announced an end [date] and I think that helped both the people working on the show and the people watching it.  They see the finish line and I think it gives them something tangible to invest in and be excited about.  It’s like it’s a movie and they want to see the end of it.  That’s what I hope happens with our show.”  Heroes is one of two “DVD shows” for me.  I watch every season on DVD when it comes out.  It’s the DVD sales and the international popularity of the show that keep it alive, so we will wait and see how it all plays out soon.

Heroes airs its season finale February 8 on NBC.

FlashForward’s long hiatus has just gotten a little longer.  Its return is being moved from March 4 to March 18 so that it does not have to compete with TV juggernaut American Idol.  When it does return it will air back-to-back episodes in a two hour event.  It will run straight to its finale on May 27 with new episodes every week.  Note that the finale will also be two hours in length.  And we are all looking forward to the April 29 episode, aren’t we?

FlashForward returns March 18 on ABC.

As we all start getting pumped for 24 season 8 to begin, talk about a potential season 9 is already making waves.  Keifer Sutherland (24’s Jack Bauer) told reporters that he is  “absolutely open” to making another season if the fans want it.  Sutherland: “I’ve always said that as long as people wanted us to make it , and people were really interested in watching it, I would be interested.  There are a lot of components involved.  Right now my focus is on finishing season 8.”  FOX’s Reilly: “Collectively, we just made a decision to launch the season [first] and then sit down in the next four to six weeks.  But my sense is Kiefer will want to keep it going.”  Executive producer Howard Gordon: “The way I’ve looked at it is that every single season [finale] could have been a series ender.  We just want to take it across the line credibly and then let the [other part] take care of itself.  As long as Jack’s not dead, anything is possible.”  Hell yeah!  Sounds like season 9 is a definite possibility.  And don’t forget a 24 movie is in the works after the show ends.

24, Day 8 premieres Sunday, January 17 on FOX.

As for the future of V…no one knows yet.  ABC’s McPherson was not keen on running such a short first “pod” of episodes this past fall, but due to production issues the show was forced to limit itself to four initial episodes.  ABC plans on airing uninterrupted episodes of V starting in March which will run to its finale in May so that they can “turn [it] into an event.”  As long as there’s more Ana, I’m hooked!

V returns March 30 on ABC.

Check back here for the latest news in popular network TV series; I’ll make sure to update when they are renewed or cancelled and when their premieres and finales are televised.

[Via EW, here, here, here, here & here; IGN, here, here, here & here]

Continue reading Glee, Modern Family renewed; what about Fringe, Heroes, FlashForward, 24, & V? →