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 […]

  NBC has struck first in releasing the dates of its fall premieres.  Most of its new shows will launch during the official Premiere Week starting Monday September 22, but there are a few exceptions (new series are in ALL CAPS): Sunday Sept 7:  NFL Sunday Night Football Thursday Sept 11:  The Biggest Loser Monday […]

  Jon Stewart is becoming positively Lorne Michaels-ian in his influence over comedy culture far beyond his own show.  It was announced today, to no one’s great surprise, that his colleague and protege Stephen Colbert will take over the helm of CBS’s late-night talk show when David Letterman retires next year.  (Once it was revealed […]

    HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER:  Thursday 10PM on ABC THE FACTS:  The new wing to the Shonda Rhimes Thursday that’s about to be a cornerstone of the ABC line-up.  In case that name wasn’t enough, try this one:  Viola Davis, starring as a brilliant, enigmatic criminal defense attorney who teaches a law […]

  Other Nielsenwar Network Report Cards:  ABC, FOX, NBC Tried and True is starting to look more tried. Full Season To Date (thru May 3) 18-49 Rating Average:  1.81 (down 4.1% from last season)–note, however, that last season didn’t include Thursday Night Football. Grade:  B What Happened: Sunday:  Madam Secretary and The Good Wife are […]

  CW announced a set of sensible changes for its midseason schedule today, cutting its losses on the shows that aren’t working and trying to save its flailing Mondays. The adjustments will phase in over a month or so.  On Monday, February 17, HART OF DIXIE begins a roughly 5-week hiatus, and the new STAR-CROSSED […]

  NBC has perfected the art of releasing bits of information each day throughout pre-Upfront week, and today’s nuggets introduced a trio of additional new sitcoms.  It appears that at least 2 of these will be given small midseason runs of 6 episodes to see if they catch anyone’s fancy before potentially expanding. MISSION CONTROL:  […]

  The big news at CBS is that the network is reducing its Monday comedy block to 1 hour, while leaving 2 sitcom hours on Thursday.  Consequently, the network is adding only one new half-hour in the fall.  (There was no last-minute pick-up for How I Met Your Dad, which until last week was regarded […]