NBC has announced an unusually robust slate of scripted programming for summer 2014–although, since 3 of the shows were originally ordered for airing during the regular season and didn’t make it onto the schedule, and NBC hasn’t exactly been flooded with new hits this year, the cynical may surmise that quantity in this case […]

  WAYWARD PINES:  Midseason TBD on FOX THE FACTS:  M. Night Shyamalan is the marquee producer of this neo-Twin Peaks-ian limited series.  (He also directed the pilot.)  It concerns Secret Service agent Ethan Burke, who travels to the small, strange town of Wayward Pines in search of two missing agents.  The people he encounters there […]

  Other Nielsenwar Network Report Cards:  FOX, NBC Most improved. Full Season To Date (thru May 3) 18-49 Rating Average:  1.61 (#3), down 1.9% from last season Season Grade:  B+ What Happened: Sunday:  Once Upon A Time had a strong Frozen-fueled Fall, but lagged in its Spring cycle, and if that trend continues, it could […]

  NBC has little enough to brag about these days, so it’s understandable that the network would want to claim victory for its breakout drama THE BLACKLIST as quickly as possible.  There’s no practical benefit in renewing a series in December for the following fall, but after last night’s extremely impressive fall finale showing, with […]

  One more drama for ABC:  the murder-driven soap SECRETS & LIES, which had a high-profile deal that would have required the network to pay a large penalty if it hadn’t ordered the series (it has a 10-episode order, which may tag it as more likely for midseason than fall).  It’s based on an Australian […]

  FRESH OFF THE BOAT:  Midseason TBD on ABC THE FACTS:  Based on the memoir of chef Eddie Huang, it’s the story of a Chinese-American family that moves from Washington, where there’s a thriving Asian community, to Orlando, Florida, where there isn’t one.  The focal point is young Eddie, but the heavy lifting comes from […]

  CBS has won the competition to carry 8 fall NFL games on Thursday nights.  Price wasn’t disclosed, but the network is believed to be paying in the neighborhood of $300M for the games, or about $37.5M per game.  (All the broadcast networks and several cablers bid for the rights, as reportedly did Google.)  In […]

  THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA:  Wednesday 8PM on NBC THE FACTS:  Laura Diamond (Debra Messing) is an NYPD homicide detective who also has to juggle her responsibilities to her young twin sons and her issues with her estranged cop husband (Josh Lucas).  The series creator is Jeff Rake, a veteran writer/producer (everything from The Practice […]