Reality Renewals: ‘Gladiators’, ‘Bachelorette’, ‘Nashville Star’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, NBC, American Idol, Renewals,
Now that fans have confirmed interest in its return, NBC has officially decided to renew American Gladiators for a second season. (This anti-climactic announcement comes as a big relief to the naive contestants; they had already been led to believe they could be a Gladiator.) No timeline has yet been announced for the show’s next round. The current season will finish its run in February.
After choosing to dust off The Mole, ABC has set its sights on another old friend. This time it’ll be The Bachelorette seeing the light of day. The series, which will premiere sometime this summer, had been (surprisingly) dormant for a whole three years already. The last woman to hand out the roses was Jen Schefft (Andrew Firestone’s ex) back in 2005. No details on who the next Bachelorette-to-be have yet been revealed. Meanwhile another Bachelor installment is preparing for a March 17 debut.
Click to continue reading Reality Renewals: ‘Gladiators’, ‘Bachelorette’, ‘Nashville Star’
Variety
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Monday Ratings: Howie Mandle Takes on the ‘Terminator’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Games, Music, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Everybody Hates Chris, Medium, Prison Break, Ratings,
It was highly doubtful that Terminator could maintain its monster-sized numbers from Sunday, but I don’t know if many expected what happened last night. It wasn’t a group of Gladiators that brought the show down to size, but rather a comedian and his bevy of suitcase-toting ladies.
8pm
- American Gladiators (4.6/12 in 18-49) muscled in 10.7 million.
- Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (10.5 million, 2.9/7) came in a close second.
- The Big Bang Theory* (8.2 million, 3.2/8) was up almost 2 million from last week; How I Met Your Mother* (7.3 million, 2.7/7) saw a 1 million bump.
- A new Prison Break (7.9 million, 3.3/8) gained about 700,000 from its last episode.
- About 2 million were lovin’ Everybody Hates Chris* (0.9/2); Aliens in America* (1.31, 0.5/1) didn’t fare as well.
9pm
- Deal or No Deal (15 million, 5.0/12 in 18-49) was the biggest show of the evening.
- Even Two and a Half Men* (11.5 million, 3.8/9) outperformed the futuristic robots.
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (10.1 million, 4.2/10) saw a 45% decline from Sunday’s audience.
- The Rules of Engagement* (8.5 million, 2.7/6) was slightly up from last week.
- Notes from the Underbelly (4.8 million, 1.7/4) didn’t deliver spectacular news.
- Both Girlfriends* (1.32 million, 0.6/1) and The Game* (1.62 million, 0.7/2) remained fairly steady.
10pm
- About 14.7 million watched David Caruso and the showgirl on CSI: Miami (4.2/11 in 18-49).
- Medium (9.5 million, 3.3/9) was basically even with last Monday.
- About 4.9 million traveled down October Road (2.0/5).
*denotes repeat
(You can review last Monday’s ratings here.)
Sunday Ratings: FOX Terminates the Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Animation, Award Shows, Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Specials, Sports, ABC, Cable, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Amazing Race, The, Family Guy, Ratings,
The tail end of the Dallas Cowboys/ NY Giants game combined with the debut of Terminator gave FOX an indestructible evening.
8pm
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (18.3 million, 7.6/18 in 18-49) had the best demos for any scripted debut in three years.
- Approximately 11.6 million wished Jen Happy Birthday/Goodbye on The Amazing Race (3.8/9).
- The first of two Extreme Makeover: Home Editions (3.8/9) built a 10.8 million-sized audience.
- A two-hour Dateline special (4.4 million, 1.1/4) went barely noticed.
9pm
- The first of three Comanche Moon installments (3.3/8 in 18-49) wrangled up 15.7 million.
- Part two of Extreme Makeover (13.9 million, 5.6/13) grew 3 million from the first hour.
- Family Guy (11.5 million, 5.6/12) and American Dad (8.6 million, 4.1/9) had a nice lead-in to thank.
- NBC’s coverage of the Golden Globes (5.8 million, 1.7/4) was hardly something to celebrate.
- One Tree Hill* (0.4/1) averaged 1.2 million over two hours.
10pm
- A new episode of Brothers & Sisters (4.2/11 in 18-49) returned to 10.9 million fans.
- American Gladiators* (1.9/5) took down 4.7 million.
*denotes repeat
Hollywood Reporter
Monday Ratings: ‘Dance War’ Edges Past ‘American Gladiators’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Sports, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Everybody Hates Chris, Medium, Ratings,
Although Dance War came nowhere near Dancing With The Stars numbers, the premiere episode (barely) surpassed the second Gladiators episode in viewers.
8pm
- FOX was the night’s most watched network. Its BCS football coverage drew 21.6 million viewers (7.6/18 in 18-49) for the evening.
- Approximately 11 million watched the debut of Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (3.0/7).
- American Gladiators (10.91 million, 4.8/12) beat the ABC show in the demos.
- How I Met Your Mother* (2.0/5) scored 6.18 million; The Big Bang Theory* (2.2/5) pulled in 6.36 million.
- Everybody Hates Chris* (0.9/2) turned in 2.18 million while Aliens in America* (0.6/1) coughed up 1.53 million.
9pm
- More people watched Two and a Half Men* (11.6 million, 3.9/9 in 18-49) than the original shows.
- Deal or No Deal (3.6/8) sucked in 10.7 million.
- Rules of Engagement* (8.1 million, 2.8/6) lost part of its lead-in.
- Girlfriends* (0.6/1) attracted 1.41 million; The Game* (0.7/2) did only slightly better with 1.61 million.
10pm
- The season premiere of Medium (3.3/8 in 18-49) lured in 9.6 million.
- CSI: Miami* (9.14 million, 1.8/5) came in a close second.
- October Road (5 million 1.8/4) lost about 680,000 from its last original episode.
*denotes repeat
Variety
Debut Review: American Gladiators
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Prime Time, Reality, NBC, Renewals,
Zap. Nitro. Lace. Gemini. I’m not just being random here, I’m naming the original American Gladiators. For those of us whose memories stretch back that far, American Gladiators was a great show to watch - and it‘s even better to remember. Original, inspiring and chock-full of muscle-bound beauty, Gladiators ran from 1989 to 1996 and won viewers from a wide range of demographics. Young, old, scrawny or buff, everyone likes to see a single contestant best all the power that strength has to offer.
But I have to make a confession: when I heard NBC was bringing this one back, I rolled my eyes and made a crack about this network’s sheer desperation to find programming. (Frankly, I stand by and maintain I’m not far from wrong. We are talking, after all, about the network which brought back Bionic Woman and Knight Rider…I mean, come on).
But I was wrong. There, I said it. I’ll give this one - just this one - to NBC. It was a good idea to bring back American Gladiators, and after Sunday night’s two-hour debut I’m already hooked. Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali are the perfect hosts, both personable and professionally known for their musculature, and the new gladiators are just as ripped and menacing as the former muscle-bound group who once sent challengers toppling.
Click to continue reading Debut Review: American Gladiators
NBC
This Week on TV (1/7-1/13)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Award Shows, Comedy, Daytime, Drama, Food & Home, Games, Late Night, Mini Series, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Sports, Talk Shows, ABC, Bravo, Cable, CBS, NBC, Syndication, The CW, Daily Show, The, Medium, My Name Is Earl,
(Reminder: You can view the whole Revamped TV Programming Schedule here.)
MONDAY (1/7)
- The View (ABC, check local listings): Elisabeth Hasselbeck returns from maternity leave. I’d gladly sacrifice her to the union gods for an end to the writers’ strike.
- Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (ABC, 8pm): Here’s our chance to see if the DWTS judges can actually teach what they preach.
- American Gladiators (NBC, 8pm): “In the men’s competition, an engineer takes on a radiation-control technician.” The year of the nerd has now officially spilled over into 2008.
- Medium (NBC, 10pm): Season four premiere. “Allison has creepy visions of a boy being kidnapped from a toy store.” I never did trust that Geoffrey Giraffe.
- Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel, 10pm): Anthony travels to Singapore for his latest season premiere. I don’t like traveling with crusty people, but I love watching them venture on TV.
- The Daily Show/The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 11:30pm): Tonight Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will crank out their versions of a writer-less show. God love ‘em for trying.
Click to continue reading This Week on TV (1/7-1/13)
This Week on TV (12/31-1/6)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Drama, Games, Late Night, Music, Prime Time, Reality, Specials, Sports, Talk Shows, ABC, Cable, CBS, FOX, HBO, MTV, NBC, Showtime, Apprentice, The - Donald, Desperate Housewives, ER,
(Reminder: You can view the whole Revamped TV Programming Schedule here.)
MONDAY (12/31)
- Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008 (ABC, 10pm): Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will co-host the event. Is Miley Cyrus old enough to be associated with a drinking holiday?
- New Year’s Eve Live (FOX, 11pm): Idol alums Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis will perform. In just a few short weeks, we’ll start caring about a new batch of idols.
- Tila Tequila’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade (MTV, 11pm): NYC masked ball will include Kid Rock and Mary J. Blige. Has it already been a year since we were forced to watch Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo kiss?
- NBC’s New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly (NBC, 11:35pm): Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz will be performing. This may be the first time in a while someone has stayed awake to watch Daly’s show.
Click to continue reading This Week on TV (12/31-1/6)
Upcoming Television Premiere Dates
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Games, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Hell’s Kitchen, Apprentice, The - Donald, Prison Break,
Thanks to the writers’ strike, the Fall TV Programming Schedule I put together many months ago will now have to be burned. Reality shows and mid-season replacements are now being brought in earlier than expected.
Here’s a list of the TV premieres announced so far. TV Envy will be publishing a revamped programming schedule as soon as more dates are released.
- 12/12 - Crowned (CW)
- 1/2 - Law and Order (NBC)
- 1/3 - Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)
- 1/6 - American Gladiators (NBC)
- 1/7 - Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (ABC)
- 1/8 - One Tree Hill (CW)
- 1/9 - Law and Order: CI (NBC)
- 1/11 - 1 vs. 100 (NBC)
- 1/13 - The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)
- 1/14 - Prison Break (FOX)
- 1/15 - American Idol (FOX)
- 1/23 - The Moment of Truth (FOX)
- 1/28 - The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Click to continue reading Upcoming Television Premiere Dates
Hulk Hogan Scheduled to Host ‘American Gladiators’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Reality, Sports, NBC,
As I reported several weeks ago, NBC will be introducing an updated version of American Gladiators. At the time, I said the classic series reminded me of Iron Chef+Battle of the Network Stars+WWE. Well, apparently wrestling wasn’t such an original analogy; word has it a former wrestler will now be hosting it.
According to TV Week, Hulk Hogan has been tapped for the emcee duties. The
WWE celebrity and Hogan Knows Best star is reportedly committed to the project and is currently finalizing the deal. As for the Gladiators who will terrorize the naive competitors, those roles are still being cast.
Be looking for the reality competition sometime mid-season.
Read More 
| TV Week
NBC Revisiting ‘Knight Rider’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Sci-Fi/Horror, NBC,
You gotta wonder if the network responsible for resurrecting American Gladiators and Bionic Woman is simply brilliant or desperate for ideas. It has just been announced that NBC will be dusting off another classic show for today’s audience: Knight Rider. A two-hour movie will air later this season; if viewers respond, it will most likely serve as a new series’ pilot. (The original show, starring David Hasselhoff, aired from 1982-1986.)
Why Knight Rider? Well it seems the success of Transformers has given the Peacock execs millions of (unoriginal) ideas to play with. What if K.I.T.T. could also change shapes? What if there were ‘evil’ versions of the K.I.T.T. mobile?
While I’m tempted to write this movie off altogether, the film is being produced by Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity). (Those of you who regularly watch the FilmCrunch reviews already know how much I love his directorial work.) So with hesitance, I admit I’ll be watching the remake—if only to see Michael Knight’s retooled leathers.
Read More | Variety
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