The Panthers live. Universal Media Studios, Imagine Television and DirecTV have closed a deal to produce 26 more episodes of “Friday Night Lights,” the critically hailed drama about a small-town football team. The newly ordered episodes will almost certainly be the final batch produced, with writers...
“Friday Night Lights” remains, by most accounts, one of the finest shows on TV. So maybe it’s time for it to die. Before you Panther fans start pelting me with manure-covered footballs, hear me out. Like any card-carrying member of the Television Critics Association, I’ve been a supporter of underdog...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Fri, Mar 13 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, CBS, NBC, Scrubs, Chuck, Print Edition, Kings, Friday Night Lights, Dick Wolf, Law & Order: SVU, CSI: NY, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI
Channeling Larry King once again… CNBC's Rick Santelli Rick Santelli, the CNBC blowhard who moronically lashed out at President Obama’s mortgage rescue plan last week in a much-publicized rant , certainly had every right to speak his mind as he did. And I have every right to never watch CNBC again...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Fri, Feb 20 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Fox, Dollhouse, DTV, NBC, SAG, Chuck, Print Edition, Lost, Friday Night Lights, American Idol, Rick Santelli, Patric Verrone, Craig Ferguson
The broadcast networks are making Friday nights a little more interesting this season. Once home to some of TV’s biggest shows—think “Dallas” or ABC’s “TGIF” comedy hits—Friday has fallen out of favor at the networks in recent years. The night has become home to cheap reality fare, newsmagazines and...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Feb 15 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Fox, Dollhouse, ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW, Deal or No Deal, Life, MyNetworkTV, Flashpoint, Friday Night Lights, Preston Beckman, Moonlight, Lipstick Jungle, Crusoe, TV Ratings, The Ex List, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, WWE Friday Night Smackdown, Howie Do It, Pring Edition
TV critics and Emmy voters don’t always see eye to eye, but when it comes to the delights of Don Draper, the two camps are completely copacetic. Avoiding any signs of a sophomore slump, AMC’s “Mad Men”—which in September snagged the drama series Emmy—soared to the top of TelevisionWeek ’s semiannual...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Jan 4 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, FX, Showtime, ABC, HBO, NBC, The Office, Pushing Daisies, Mad Men, AMC, Chuck, 30 Rock, Print Edition, Friday Night Lights, Comedy Central, The Shield, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, True Blood, Dexter, Critics Poll
I should know better. A year ago at this time, while working for Daily Variety, I joined my colleague Michael Schneider in coming up with a list of eight predictions for 2008. Among our in-print forecasts: The Olympics would be a pop-culture bust, fans of “Lost” would revolt over an absence of answers...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Wed, Dec 31 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, DTV, CBS, NBC, The CW, Print Edition, Conan O'Brien, Guiding Light, Big Brother, Friday Night Lights, Reality, Warner Bros., Oprah Winfrey
For television, there seem to be more questions than answers as 2008 comes to a close: How many industry pros will lose their jobs? How long will the recession last? How badly will the advertising market that is TV’s lifeblood falter? Wave after wave of anxiety-provoking headlines don’t help matters...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Dec 14 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Digital, Fox, Emmys, DTV, Advertising, CBS, NBC, YouTube, Google, Viacom, Syndication, MSNBC, The Doctors, Katie Couric, CBS Evening News, Print Edition, Ben Silverman, Web Video, TV Ads, CNN, Kevin Martin, Project Runway, Friday Night Lights, Dr. Oz, DirecTV, American Idol, Dr. Phil, Oprah, Bill O'Reilly, Sumner Redstone, Chris Matthews, Rosie Live, Larry King, Oscars, Subchannels, Grammys, Harvey Levin, Ellen DeGeneres, John Roberts
NBC hopes to weather the hurricane that is "American Idol" by pumping up its reality offerings in January. The network will go all-unscripted on Monday and much of Tuesday during the first month of 2009, according to a new schedule announced today. Mondays will be devoted to the recently announced...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Tue, Nov 25 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Chuck, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, SNL, Law & Order: SVU, Momma's Boys, Medium, The Last Templar, Superstars of Dance, Howie Do It?, The Biggest Loser: Couples
“Friday Night Lights” will be the centerpiece of the fall season on DirecTV’s original programming service, The 101 Network. A critical darling challenged by low ratings on NBC, “Friday Night Lights” returns for a third season with original episodes that will be seen first on DirecTV beginning Oct. 1...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Tue, Sep 23 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Cable, NBC, Friday Night Lights, DirecTV, Starz, Crash, The 101 Network, Live From Dillon, Supreme Court of Comedy, Rock & A Hard Place
It was easy to tell the difference between broadcast and cable executives during the recently concluded TV Critics Association press tour. The cable guys were the ones bouncing around the Beverly Hilton with big ol’ grins on their faces. Critics couldn’t stop kvelling over their shows. Every other day...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Jul 27 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, HBO, CBS, NBC, The Office, 30 Rock, Print Edition, Column, Josef Adalian, Swingtown, Big Brother, Friday Night Lights