Author Archive
 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Once Upon A Time”

  When a show that’s clearly been losing its way creatively suffers in the ratings, like Revenge, it’s understandable.  But ONCE UPON A TIME has run out of steam this season much faster than ABC likely anticip...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Revenge”

  Heroes probably still sets the bar for disastrous second seasons of initially enjoyable TV shows, but this year’s REVENGE came uncomfortably close.  ABC more or less acknowledged that fact when it (in a genteel, c...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: NBC Promo – “The Blacklist”

  Wasting no time, NBC has already issued the promo for its fall Monday 10PM drama THE BLACKLIST: At first glance, it appears to be a mash-up of 24 and Silence of the Lambs, with James Spader as the show’s ersatz Han...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: CBS Picks Up “Friends With Better Lives”

  CBS continues to trickle out its new series orders, and the latest to be announced is the sitcom FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES, about friends who each envy the others, with a cast that includes James Van Der Beek, Brooklyn D...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: The New NBC Schedule(s) – Instant Analysis & Grids

  NBC’s formal Upfront presentation isn’t until tomorrow, but the network has already released both its Fall and Midseason 2013-14 schedules.  Let’s dig right in. FALL MONDAY:  8PM:     THE VOICE 10...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

BEHIND THE WEEKEND BOXOFFICE – 5/12/13

  Mothers Day made for a happy holiday at the multiplex. OPENINGS:  The Marketing department did its job extremely well, and THE GREAT GATSBY (Warners) overperformed to the tune of $51.1M for the weekend.  However, the 9...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: “Late Night” To Be With Seth Meyers

  Perhaps the worst-kept secret in recent network history is one no longer, as NBC officially announced today that it will be fellow former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update host Seth Meyers who will take over from Jimmy ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: CBS Picks Up “Reckless”

  The latest CBS drama pick-up for 2013-14 comes a bit out of left field:  RECKLESS, a legal soap about an illicit romance between a defense attorney (Cam Gigandet) and a prosecutor (Anna Wood) against the background of a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED REVIEW: SNL With Kristen Wiig

  Watching the parade of Kristen Wiig’s Greatest Hits that marked her return to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE as tonight’s host, you could be forgiven for wishing you missed her more.  For all her great talent, Wiig had...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SERIES FINALE REVIEW: “Vegas”

  There was a sequence late in the one and only season of VEGAS that suggested what the show could have been.  It wasn’t a big deal:  deputy sheriff Dixon Lamb (Taylor Handley) needed a favor from the entertainment...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

BEHIND THE FRIDAY BOXOFFICE – 5/10/13

    OPENINGS:  THE GREAT GATSBY (Warners) opened about as well as Warners could have hoped with a $19.8M Friday (including Thursday night).  Mothers Day is traditionally a big ticketselling day, especially for femal...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S FRIDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 5/10/13

  Last night was Battle of the Canceled Shows. CBS:  Even though UNDERCOVER BOSS was up a robust 0.4 to 1.6 as a lead-in, the last episode of VEGAS only managed to hold even at 0.9.  The season finale of BLUE BLOODS was ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SERIES FINALE REVIEW: “Touch”

  If there was a way to turn its premise into a TV series worth watching, TOUCH didn’t find it.  The show tried very different approaches in its two seasons, but FOX’s cancellation notice this week closed the ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Person of Interest”

  The all-knowing Machine at the heart of PERSON OF INTEREST turned positively chatty in last night’s Season 2 finale, providing real-time advice and assistance via phone and text services to just about anyone who as...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED 2013 UPFRONTS: ABC Pick-Ups

  ABC is in need of a lot of help next season, and it’s ordered a ton of product for its shelves, with 5 new comedies and 7 dramas on tap.  (The network also renewed The Neighbors, Nashville and Suburgatory among th...
by Mitch Salem