Posts Tagged ‘Showtime’
 

 

THE SKED SUNDAY SCRIPTED CABLE SCORECARD – 7/1/12

  We speculated yesterday that HBO might have carefully timed its renewal of THE NEWSROOM not to coincide with the show’s Episode 2 ratings, and we may have been right. HBO:  The Newsroom took a substantial hit from...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Weeds”

  WEEDS:  Sunday 10PM on Showtime   WHERE WE WERE:  After a season largely concerned with a battle for supremacy in the New York drug trade, both within and outside the family, there seemed to be a moment of compara...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Episodes”

  EPISODES:  Sunday 10:30PM on Showtime   WHERE WE WERE:  Sean and Beverly Lincoln (Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig) are a married pair of British television writers who’ve had a modest success with a low-key ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “The Big C”

The problem with making a show about someone dying of cancer is that no one really wants to watch a show about someone dying of cancer.  Viewers will roll along with the dark and disturbing, but by and large they draw the line...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Nurse Jackie”

After 3 seasons of telling more or less the same story, Season 4 of Showtime’s NURSE JACKIE took a leap that revitalized the show.  Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco), having successfully concealed her drug addiction, her adulte...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: Showtime’s New Dramas

HOMELAND is the first Showtime drama to earn serious (which is to say HBO-level) acclaim (and very likely Emmy consideration) beyond the acting categories, as well as strong ratings, and the network is hoping to build on that s...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S SUNDAY SCRIPTED CABLE SCORECARD – 4/22/12

> VEEP, properly enough, was #2 on HBO’s Sunday ticket. HBO:  VEEP premiered with a fairly strong 0.6 in 18-49s on its initial Sunday airing, plus another .14 for its repeat later that night (remember, HBO ratings re...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S SUNDAY SCRIPTED CABLE SCORECARD – 4/1/12

> There’s almost an embarrassment of riches on Sunday night cable, enough good shows to overload a DVR.  Since many of these series are among the most talked-about (and honored) on all of television, we’re goin...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “House Of Lies”

> After a full season, it’s still not clear just what HOUSE OF LIES is. The season finale, written and directed by series creator Matthew Carnahan, centered on what became the show’s main storyline in the latter par...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Shameless”

> The second-season finale of Showtime’s SHAMELESS was unusually low-key for the rambunctious series, the result of having to deal with the aftermath of last week’s Thanksgiving dinner, where bipolar mom Monica (Chl...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Californication”

> CALIFORNICATION lost a step this season, which is what often happens when a series of limited scope reaches Year 5.  Unlike other Showtime series like Weeds and Dexter, Californication has never had the appetite for seas...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: Another Toke of “Weeds”

> Showtime has announced that the network’s stalwart WEEDS, now in its 8th season (and, honestly, probably a bit past its prime) and relative newcomer EPISODES will return to the schedule on Sunday July 1, running in the ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED: The Return of “Homeland” (and “Dexter”)

> Showtime announced today the return of 2 of its signature dramas:  both DEXTER and HOMELAND will begin their new seasons on Sunday, September 30. Not coincidentally, this is exactly 1 week after the year’s Emmy Awa...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: It’s Not HBO; It’s Showtime

> Showtime is having a very good season.  Subscriptions are up, HOMELAND has, for the first time, put the network in HBO’s orbit of prestige, and the reburbished Sunday night line-up of SHAMELESS, HOUSE OF LIES and C...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “House of Lies”

> Previously… On HOUSE OF LIES:  Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) and his “pod” of associate management consultants (Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson) travel the country, putting out fires for their high-p...
by Mitch Salem