NBC has added 3 more series to its 2013-14 dance card, whether for fall or midseason we don’t yet know. CHICAGO PD is a spin-off of Chicago Fire, and it’s a remarkable sign of where network TV is right now that a series with a 1.8 season average is getting a spin-off.  On the […]

  AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is The Big One, not just for ABC but for any network this fall.  A spin-off of one of the most successful movies ever made (and part of a gigantically successful ongoing franchise), co-written and directed by the film’s director himself–who just happens to be a brilliant TV auteur in his […]

  The mini-est of broadcast networks blew up its schedule in a big way, with changes for CW on every one of the 5 nights per week it programs.  Let’s see what it’s done: MONDAY 8PM:       HART OF DIXIE 9PM:       BEAUTY & THE BEAST Two of the network’s bubble shows are paired on a night […]

  Welcome to Upfronts week, when the broadcast networks (or what’s left of them) announce their Fall schedules and attempt to generate billions of dollars worth of excitement from advertisers.  It’s harder than ever to authoritatively analyze the thought process that goes into a broadcaster’s cancellation, renewal and pick-up decisions, because network ad revenues directly […]

  A TO Z:  Thursday 9:30PM on NBC THE FACTS:  The title refers to Andrew (Ben Feldman) and Zelda (Cristin Milioti), who both work at an online dating company, and who, since this is a rom-com, are of course fated for each other.  The series creator is Ben Queen, whose first series this is, and […]

  One of FOX’s big moves for the fall is revamping its Tuesday 8-9PM comedies, shifting sharply in tone from last falls soft duo of Raising Hope and Ben & Kate to a more guy-oriented tone.  Seth MacFarlane’s Dads has the responsibility for kicking off the night, and then the cop comedy BROOKLYN NINE-NINE is […]

  As part of today’s Upfronts presentation, NBC has released full trailers of its new series.  Now, it’s absolutely unclear to judge a TV series from its trailer–even more than it’s unfair to judge a movie by one–because apart from the fact that you’re only seeing a few carefully selected and edited moment, TV shows […]

  CRISTELA:  Friday 8:30PM on ABC THE FACTS:  The Hollywood American Dream:  Cristela Alonzo is a Latina comic who wrote (with Kevin Hench) a family comedy pilot script loosely inspired by her own life, about a young woman living with her sister and brother-in-law as she tries to become a lawyer.  ABC passed on the […]