> After a hiatus so long that it seemed as though CW had found its own witchcraft to create more repeats of THE SECRET CIRCLE than there’d been original episodes to start, the series finally returned to original episodes. WHERE WE LEFT OFF:  The major revelation of the fall finale was that heroine Cassie (Britt […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC;  Game 4 of the NBA FINALS was at 3.23, down four-tenths from 2022’s Game 4. CBS:  Reruns at 0.20/0.16/0.14. NBC:  Reruns at 0.19/0.30. FOX:  WWE SMACKDOWN dropped 0.13 to 0.60. CW:  After a rerun at 0.05, WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY dipped 0.02 to 0.05, and GREAT AMERICAN JOKE OFF was […]

> Disclaimer:  Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall.  Pilots are often reedited and rescored, and in some cases even recast or reshot.  So these critiques shouldn’t be taken as full TV pilot reviews, but rather as a guide to the general style and content […]

> Not all shows premiere like Smash. ABC:  In recent years, viewers have flocked to horror series from True Blood to The Walking Dead to The Vampire Diaries, and at the multiplex, “found footage” thrillers like Paranormal Activity, The Devil Inside and Chronicle sell tickets like crazy, so… So this is why the entertainment business […]

  The BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS carried the night. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis […]

> Did PARENTHOOD buy itself another season? NBC:  Creatively, PARENTHOOD‘s season finale wasn’t the show at its best (too many storyline conclusions crammed into too little time).  But its 1.9 rating built on last week’s increase, and “tied for 1st place” isn’t a phrase NBC gets to hear very often these days in reference to […]

  A season finale that actually ticked up from last year. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of […]

> Showtime announced today the return of 2 of its signature dramas:  both DEXTER and HOMELAND will begin their new seasons on Sunday, September 30. Not coincidentally, this is exactly 1 week after the year’s Emmy Awards on September 23, at which Showtime will be hoping that both shows–but particularly the dazzling and widely-acclaimed Homeland–will […]