Author Archive
 

 

THE SKED Series Premiere Review: “Hello Ladies”

  HELLO LADIES:  Sunday 10:30PM on HBO HBO sure loves it some Ricky Gervais-ian British comedy.  Apart from his stand-up specials, over the past few years the network has aired Extras, Life’s Too Short and The Rick...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Eastbound & Down”

  EASTBOUND & DOWN:  Sunday 10PM on HBO EASTBOUND & DOWN is an acquired taste that, to be honest, I’ve never quite acquired.  Not that the show hasn’t made me laugh, not that I fail to recognize the g...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Cable & Network Ratings Scorecard – 9/29/13

  For one last glorious night, Walter White truly was The One Who Knocks. AMC:  Ratings for the finale of BREAKING BAD smashed through even the huge expectations.  The show was watched by 10.3M people in its 9PM airing.�...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

PREMIERING TONIGHT: THE SKED Pilot Review – CBS’s “We Are Men”

  Read All Our Fall Pilot Reports here and Midseason Pilot Reports here. WE ARE MEN:  Monday 8:30PM on CBS – Change the Channel It hasn’t been a great fall for new sitcoms.  On CBS, WE ARE MEN (which could ha...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Homeland”

  HOMELAND:  Sunday 9PM on Showtime The obsessive charts are back up on Carrie Mathison’s living room wall, and while that may not be good news for Carrie, it’s great for the rest of us.  After a divisive sec...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “The Good Wife”

  THE GOOD WIFE:  Sunday 9PM/9:30PM (depending on football) on CBS THE GOOD WIFE lost a step in an uneven fourth season that included botched characters (Kalinda’s husband, the friend/foe played by Maura Tierney) a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Revenge”

  REVENGE:  Sunday 9PM on ABC REVENGE went off the rails last season, both creatively and in the ratings (its Season 2 finale managed just a 1.7).  When it was over, series creator Mike Kelley found himself bumped off hi...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Series Finale Review: “Breaking Bad”

  As the respect and stature given to TV drama has increased, so has the pressure to deliver a perfect ending.  Series finales are not only expected to satisfyingly end the major storylines and round out the lives of the ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Once Upon A Time”

  ONCE UPON A TIME:  Sunday 8PM on ABC The Season 3 premiere of ONCE UPON A TIME didn’t step foot in Storybrooke, nor did it feature any flashbacks to pre-curse incarnations of the protagonists.  Whether this was a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

PREMIERING TONIGHT: THE SKED Pilot Report – ABC’s “Betrayal”

  Read All Our Fall Pilot Reports here and Midseason Pilot Reports here. BETRAYAL:  Sunday 10PM on ABC  – If Nothing Else Is On… BETRAYAL is certainly on brand for ABC.  Its pilot, just like the one for Reve...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

BEHIND THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 9/29/13

  OPENINGS:  Once it became clear that the predicted $40M wasn’t going to happen, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (Sony) badly wanted to claim a $35M opening, and so it did.  Actually hitting that number will ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SERIES PREMIERE REVIEW: “Masters of Sex”

  MASTERS OF SEX:  Sunday 10PM on Showtime – Potential DVR Alert After the macho angst of Ray Donovan and–notwithstanding its excellence–the heavy going of Homeland, Showtime smartly changes pace with MA...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Saturday Night Live” with Tina Fey

  After almost 4 decades (!) on the air, it’s a little silly to describe any given SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE episode, or even season, as “critical” or “vital.”  Nevertheless, this is a big transiti...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

BEHIND THE FRIDAY BOX OFFICE – 9/27/13

  OPENINGS:  CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (Sony) had an even softer Friday than the early numbers claimed with $9.3M.  That’s barely ahead of the first Cloudy‘s $8.1M, and sequels tend to be more front...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED Network Ratings Scorecard – 9/27/13

  Nothing hit a 2 rating on the first Friday of the new season. CBS:  HAWAII 5-0 had an underwhelming Friday debut with 1.5, down 0.3 from last year’s Monday start.  It was even with the premiere of UNDERCOVER BOSS...
by Mitch Salem