FOX’s cancellation of THE X FACTOR means that it starts next fall knowing that it has 3 hours of primetime to fill.  The network isn’t going to want much more than that on its plate–for marketing reasons, if nothing else–which today proved to be good news for some of its bubble shows.  Both BROOKLYN […]

  CBS was, for the most part, very CBS in its choice of new series for next season, with a pair of spin-offs, some additional procedurals, one retread sitcom and another that fits right into the network’s multi-camera family comedy sweet spot.  The biggest surprise was the omission, at least for now, of How I […]

  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 […]

  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:  […]

  GRACEPOINT:  Thursday 9PM on FOX THE FACTS:  David Tennant repeats his role as the lead detective in a US adaptation of the hit British miniseries Broadchurch, about the murder of a child in a small seaside town and what the investigation reveals about the inhabitants.  He’s joined by Anna Gunn in what had been […]

    BLACK-ISH:  Wednesday 9:30PM on ABC THE FACTS:  Anthony Anderson plays the head of an African-American family that lives a prosperous life in a mostly white neighborhood, and he tries to hold onto some part of his culture even though his assimilated kids, wife and father mostly couldn’t care less.  The series creator is […]

  CBS is the most stable of the major broadcast networks, and honcho Les Moonves had stated last week that he expected to launch only around 2 dramas and 2 comedies in the fall, so unsurprisingly, the network has followed its 3-year deal to renew THE BIG BANG THEORY and its agreement to bring back […]

  With the need to replace The Colbert Report now that its host will be leaving for network pastures when his contract expires at the end of 2014, and knowing that since that show is built entirely around Stephen Colbert’s particular character, the new series would necessarily be very different, Comedy Central had a very […]