THE WHISPERS:  Midseason TBD on ABC THE FACTS:  Something is taking possession of American children and making them do very bad things–like “kill your parents” bad things.  They may be on their way to launching an all-out attack, and Lily Rabe is the government agent tasked to stop them.  The series creator is Soo […]

  BAD JUDGE:  Thursday 9PM on NBC THE FACTS:  Rebecca Wright (Kate Walsh) is given to hard drinking and sex in the office (among other places).  She’s also a criminal court judge in LA.  Further complicating her life:  the 8-year old son (Theodore Barnes) of a couple she sent to jail, who’s become her new […]

  Nothing so far today matches yesterday afternoon’s high-profile pick-ups by NBC and FOX, but there’s nevertheless some news as we approach next week’s Upfronts: FOX Amid speculation that the network will cut back on its comedy commitment next season, FOX cleared its shelves of bubble sitcoms, officially canceling DADS, ENLISTED and SURVIVING JACK.  Jack […]

  CW had a successful season in 2014-15. launching the smash hit THE FLASH and the critical darling JANE THE VIRGIN.  There wasn’t reason to change much, and the network didn’t.  Here’s a look (new shows are in ALL CAPS, new timeslots are in italics): MONDAY 8PM:  CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (trailer here) 9PM:  Jane the Virgin […]

  BACKSTROM:  Midseason TBD on FOX THE FACTS:  Rainn Wilson plays your basic difficult-but-brilliant homicide detective in a procedural based on a series of Swedish mystery novels, adapted for television by Hart Hanson, the creator of Bones.  Backstrom is grumpy and dismissive of his colleagues, and unhealthy in his eating, drinking and general living habits, […]

  ABC, unlike all the other networks, didn’t renew all its sure-thing returning shows weeks ago, so it had a lot to announce today.  Most of these aren’t surprising, but the following series will be back next season:  SCANDAL, GREY’S ANATOMY, MODERN FAMILY, ONCE UPON A TIME, RESURRECTION, REVENGE, CASTLE, AGENTS OF SHIELD, THE GOLDBERGS, […]

  We’re taking these last days before the broadcast networks’ midseason begins to scrutinize how those still-powerful dinosaurs fared during the fall.  Yesterday we looked at ABC, and today it’s the turn of what was called (although not recently) the Tiffany Network. CBS Fall Primetime 18-49 Average (through December 28):  1.93, down 3.6% from Fall […]

  THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA:  Wednesday 8PM on NBC starting September 24 (premieres 10PM on September 17) – Change the Channel PLAYERS:  Star Debra Messing, and central co-stars Josh Lucas and Laz Alonso.  The Spanish TV series on which it’s based.  US series creator Jeff Rake, who’s worked on an assortment of shows over the past decade […]