Tag Archives: series premiere

2013 Fall TV Schedule: ABC

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Much like NBC, the Alphabet network is premiering most of its shows during the official premiere week of September 23. A few shows enter the ring before that week: Reality series Dancing with the Stars kicks off Monday, September 16 and on Friday the 20th Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing returns along with The Neighbors and Shark Tank. Enter premiere week: Tuesday the 24th introduces four brand new shows–sitcoms The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife sandwiched between buzzy drama Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Lucky 7; Wednesday the 25th is home to The Middle, new Bad News Bears inspired sitcom Back in the Game with James Caan and Maggie Lawson, the one-hour season premiere of Modern Family, and Nashville. ABC’s sudsy Sunday night lineup premieres the following week on September 29 with Once Upon A Time, Revenge, and new marital drama Betrayal. Three shows won’t make their mark until October: the new Rebel Wilson half-hour Super Fun Night (Wednesday, October 2), Shonda Rhimes’ red-hot Scandal (Thursday, October 3), and the spinoff Once Upon A Time In Wonderland (Thursday, October 10).

Click here to preview the new shows. Browse the gallery below for key art.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule.

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2013 Fall TV Schedule: CBS

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Not including Survivor (returning Wednesday, September 18 at 8), almost every show on CBS will start on premiere week. On Monday, September 23 buzzy drama Hostages headlined by Dylan McDermott and Toni Collette premieres along with Chuck Lorre’s latest sitcom Moms, 2 Broke Girls, and How I Met Your Mother (the final season kicks off with a one-hour premiere). Person of Interest gets comfortable in its new timeslot on Tuesday the 24th at 10PM following the NCIS‘. On Thursday the 26th buzzy new comedy The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar is bolstered by two new back-to-back episodes of The Big Bang Theory; Two and a Half Men and Elementary enter the fold that night as well. Hawaii Five-0 airs on Fridays this season starting Sept. the 27th and on Sunday the 29th The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, and The Mentalist return. New sitcoms We Are Men starring Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn, and Jerry O’Connell and The Millers starring Will Arnett and Margo Martindale come to the sked Monday, September 30 and Thursday, October 3, respectively. Sci-fi action drama Intelligence with Josh Holloway and Marg Helgenberger is being held until Monday, February 24 when it will replace Hostages in the 10PM slot.

Click here to preview the new shows. Browse the gallery below for key art.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule.

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2013 Fall TV Schedule: The CW

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Just like last year, The CW is letting the big four networks premiere their fall lineups ahead of its own October debuts. CBS’ sister network begins the fall season on Thursday, October 3 by airing The Vampire Diaries and that show’s spinoff The Originals back-to-back from 8-10PM (The Originals moves to its regular Tuesday at 8 timeslot on October 8). The week of October 7 sees the premieres of new series like The Tomorrow People and Reign.

Click here to preview the new shows. Browse the gallery below for key art.

Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule.

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NBC to preview new comedies ‘Go On’ & ‘Animal Practice’ during Olympics

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NBC is taking advantage of its exclusive Olympics coverage by stuffing previews of two upcoming fall sitcoms smack in the middle of it. Tomorrow, on August 8, viewers will get a sneak peek at the premiere of the latest Matthew Perry vehicle Go On. A few days later on Sunday, August 12 the already easy-to-pan Animal Practice starring Justin Kirk and Crystal the monkey from The Hangover Part II will screen its pilot. Both episodes will premiere following the Olympics broadcasts on their respective days and will return to NBC’s primetime schedule in September.

To learn more about Go On and Animal Practice, refer to NBC’s Upfronts report. And Grimm fans, note that your show returns earlier than most, premiering on Monday, August 13 at 10PM; new episodes will air on three consecutive Mondays and then during their regular Friday at 9PM timeslot beginning September 14.

TV reminder: ‘Awake’ premieres tonight at 10PM on NBC

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From creator Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and executive producer Howard Gordon (24) comes an inventive new series starring Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) as Michael Britten, a detective who lives a double life in two separate realities. In tonight’s pilot episode, Britten will survive a tragic car accident while his wife played by Laura Allen (Terriers) and son Dylan Minnette (Lost) will go on to distinctly define the alternate realities Britten experiences after the crash.

If this sounds confusing to you, after you watch the pilot things should become clearer. Recently at the Winter TCAs Gordon casually explained the concept: “[Britten]’s a guy who goes to sleep, wakes up, he’s with his wife, goes to sleep, wakes up, and he’s with his son. And he’s a cop who sees clues and details that crossover from one world to the next, and he uses that insight to solve crimes.” There you go. In each reality Britten has a different partner–Steve Harris (The Practice) in one and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show) in the other; and he also sits down with a therapist in each reality (Cherry Jones, 24 & BD Wong, Law & Order: SVU) to deal with the ramifications of his dual existence.

Killen has confirmed that the show will not be taking the easy way out and wrap up by saying “it was all a dream.” One (or potentially both, or neither?) of these realities is in fact real and over the course of the series the mystery behind that pivotal car crash will reveal itself.

I say take a chance and tune into the series premiere of Awake that airs tonight (3/1) at 10PM on NBC.

Reminder: ‘Breakout Kings’ premieres tonight on A&E [Update: Strong ratings!]

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I consider the 2005-2009 FOX series Prison Break to be one of the most thrilling and entertaining serialized programs produced for television. The Break writer/producer team Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora is ready for a second outing in a familiar setting. Tonight is the series premiere of Breakout Kings, an ensemble drama following an unconventional partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run. “It takes a con to catch a con” is the show’s slogan–sounds like a fun concept. If you’re a loyal Break fan then obviously you know what to expect from Olmstead and Santora; namely edge-of-your-seat action sequences and smart, witty dialogue. Though Kings will play out more like a procedural (the show will focus on a new criminal each week), it is being described as a character-based show so the relationships and personalities that form amongst the ensemble cast of cops and convicts will play an integral part in the show’s development. If you need a solid reason to tune in each week here it is: Break’s Robert Knepper will be reprising the brilliantly sinister Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell later this season in a four episode arc!

Breakout Kings begins its 13-episode season tonight at 10PM on A&E. Check out stills from the pilot below, and click here to read more about show.

Bonus! Click here to watch the producers discuss the round table writing process.

Update: The Breakout Kings premiere received the highest demo numbers for an A&E drama series–1.5 million adults 18-49 and 1.6 million adults 25-54. That’s up 25% and 14%, respectively, from the network’s previous ratings record holder The Glades (which premiered in July 2010). In terms of total viewership, Kings‘ 2.9 million viewers did not beat out The Glades‘ undisputed record of 3.6 million. Says Bob DeBitetto, President and general manager of A&E and BIO: “Breakout Kingsis a smart, action-packed drama with great storytelling and authentic well-drawn characters. Clearly the series has struck a chord with the younger viewers.” Yes, yes it has.

[Images via IGN; Deadline]

TV Reminder: ‘The Walking Dead’ premieres tonight! [Update: the ratings are in…]

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After many years of anticipation, tonight zombies will invade our living rooms like never before.  The Walking Dead, a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman and adapted for television by Frank Darabont, follows a group of survivors dealing with a world overrun by zombies.  The collaboration between Kirkman, Darabont, producer Gale Anne Hurd, and makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero promises to result in a frightening drama about the human psyche featuring the best looking and most convincing zombies made for television.  The 6-episode season one arc begins tonight at 10PM on AMC.  The series premiere runs an hour and a half in length, so set your DVRs accordingly.  And if you plan on celebrating Halloween night outside the home, don’t forget to record it!  Happy Halloween!

Look in the gallery below for character profiles and spooky stills from the premiere.

Update: The Walking Dead premiere was a record-smashing success!  The 10PM showing attracted 5.3 million viewers–the largest audience for an AMC original series ever.  Want another record-breaking stat?  In the 18-49 demo, the show netted 3.6 million viewers making it the highest rated cable series debut in 2010.  The adults 25-54 and 18-34 demos netted 3.1 million and 2.1 million viewers, respectively.  AMC aired the premiere two more time during the night (at 11PM and again at 1AM), so if you take those showings into account, the premiere garnered a grand total of 8.1 million viewers.  Says Charlie Collier, AMC president: “It’s a good day to be dead.  We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached.  As the network dedicated to bringing viewers the best stories on television, we are so pleased to have the opportunity with The Walking Dead to raise the bar within this popular genre and continue our commitment to being the home of premium television on basic cable.”  So Mr. Collier, how about renewing this flipping success for a second season, hm?

[Images via IGN; Deadline; EW]


How To Make It In America premieres tonight on HBO

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How To Make It In America, the new series from writer Ian Edelman and executive producers Mark Wahlberg (Entourage), Rob Weiss (Entourage), and Stephen Levinson (Entourage) — premieres tonight (2/14) at 10PM on HBO.  It’s a story that “follows two enterprising Brooklyn twentysomethings as they hustle their way through New York City, determined to achieve the American Dream.”  Since a handful of the staff comes from Entourage you can expect the show to have a similar vibe but with stark differences; it’s set in New York City, the main set of characters start at the bottom and work their way up to success and fame, and instead of dealing with the entertainment industry, this seres is grounded in the fashion scene.  To learn more about the show, check out my previous two posts.

Look after the break for a ton of HTMINA content, including a new trailer, a conversation with stars Bryan Greenberg and Scott “Kid” Mescudi, and a behind-the-scenes ‘making-0f’ video.  HBO collaborated with with Kid Cudi, DJ Green Lantern, and Broke Mogul to create a HTMINA official mixtape.  It includes tracks from Dan Black, Chromeo, Lupe Fiasco, Styles P, and Phoenix.  Click here to listen to and download the (free) mixtape, and look after the break for the track listing.

UPDATE:  If you missed the premiere episode you can watch it in its entirety at YouTube.  WATCH IT HERE.

[Via YouTube; KanyeBlog]

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ABC’s V to arrive sooner than expected

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The reimagining of the 1980’s classic mini-series “V” is coming to a TV near you much sooner than expected.  Instead of premiering as a mid-season show, “V” is set to start on November 3, 2009.  Cast members include Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell and and Firefly’s Alan Tudyk.

Executive producer Scott Peters: “We’ve got [the story] all mapped out and pretty solid direction for everything. We certainly know where we’re going for the first season and second season and we have a really solid plan the whole way through.”  Producer Jeffrey Bell, “We know what the end is. We know where we’re going. Whether that’s three years, four years or beyond that, it’s gravy. There is a plan and we’ll stick to that.”  President of ABC Steve McPherson stated that V will run for four seasons, depending on the show’s success, of course.  Aliens are invading planet Earth.  Sci-fi fans rejoice, it’s going to one hell of a show.

[Via IGN]