CBS Upfront 2008-09: Fall 2008 Schedule; ION Television June 2008 Line-Up

Your first look at CBS's official line-up!

CBS 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Cold Case
10:00PM The Unit

Mondays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM How I Met Your Mother
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Worst Week (NEW!)
10:00PM CSI: Miami

Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Mentalist (NEW!)
10:00PM Without a Trace

Wednesdays
8:00PM Old Christine
8:30PM Project Gary (NEW!)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY

Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Eleventh Hour (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM The Ex List (NEW!)
10:00PM NUMB3RS

Saturdays
8:00PM-10:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery


Mid-Season:

Coming off the bench in mid-season is returning sitcom Rules of Engagement and new drama Harper's Island.

Discuss CBS's 2008-09 line-up here.



Less than two weeks ago we gave you details on ION Television's upfront presentation. ION announced their fall schedule then, but they mentioned ER and The Dead Zone would launch before the fall season starts. Both are launching in June! ER joins the line-up with a four-night, eleven-episode marathon the week of June 9 in primetime! The eleventh episode in the marathon will lead into the ION premiere of The Dead Zone on June 12 at 10pm. ER marathon is 8-11pm June 9-12, except 10pm on June 12 is The Dead Zone premiere.
Then starting June 16, both The Dead Zone and ER will join the primetime line-up and air back-to-back from 9-11pm from Mon-Wed. Quantum Leap will slide over from 9pm to 8pm, replacing Mama's Family which is leaving the line-up. There are no other changes in the line-up, which means The Drew Carey Show is also gone. Now Drew is listed in the tentative Fall schedule for weekdays at 6pm that we gave you two weeks ago. So it will return likely, unless that Fall schedule changes a bit. Boston Legal, M*A*S*H and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper come to the schedule in the Fall as well. Again, check out the Fall schedule if you haven't seen it yet.
Back to ION June, besides the ER marathon and the primetime changes, ION still has Thursday movies and RHI Fri-Sun movies. Classic Warner Bros. movies will air on Thursdays such as The Point of No Return, Dirty Harry and Chisum. RHI movies include the 2006 The Ten Commandments, the 2007 Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and the world premiere of ION's The Summit!
For complete details on ION Television June 2008, click HERE!

ABC and The CW 2008-09 Upfronts: Fall 2008 Schedules; Fans Create Save Back to You Campaign

Your FIRST look at ABC's official line-up!

ABC 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters

Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
9:30PM Samantha Who?
10:00PM Boston Legal

Tuesdays
8:00PM Opportunity Knocks (NEW!)
9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
10:00PM Eli Stone

Wednesdays
8:00PM Pushing Daisies
9:00PM Private Practice
10:00PM Dirty Sexy Money

Thursdays
8:00PM Ugly Betty
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Life on Mars (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Wife Swap
9:00PM Supernanny
10:00PM 20/20

Saturdays
8:00PM College Football


Mid-Season:

New series for midseason include Scrubs (Tuesdays at 9 in January), The Goode Family (Tuesdays at 9:30 in January) and Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Reality Project (Mondays at 8 in January).
More new mid-season series will be announced at a later date, likely in July during the TCA Tour.
Other returning series include According to Jim, The Bachelor, Lost and ABC News' Primetime: What Would You Do?
5:30PM UPDATE: So, I just watched the actual ABC Upfront Presentation. Good stuff. Clips of Opportunity Knocks, Life on Mars, The Goode Family, were shown. View my thoughts here, which includes an outline of what happened in the presentation that started at 4:08pm and lasted through 5:17pm ET.
Other Notes: This is Boston Legal's last season and the series will have 13 episodes. Series finale will be two-hours in early December. Oprah's Big Give would have been back, but Oprah decided one season was enough. Another Oprah project is in the works still. Here Come the Newlyweds and Dance War will likely return for second seasons either in mid-season or next summer. For those wondering, According to Jim joins Scrubs with 18 episode seasons, as mentioned Scrubs will air Tuesdays at 9 starting in January. During the upfront Steve McPherson stated that ABC has 17 shows in development for mid-season. So the mid-season will be like a fall season this year, as we could see a handful of those make it on air. The shows in development are: Sitcoms - Bad Mother's Handbook, Five Year Plan, Never Better, Roman's Empire, This Might Hurt, Fourplay, Single With Parents (previously My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemmas), with Alyssa Milano) and In the Motherhood (based on an internet series). Clips of Fourplay and In the Motherhood were shown at upfront, though nothing from the actual pilots, since they are not shot yet. Dramas - Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, Castle, Cupid, Finnegan, Good Behavior, Prince of Motor City, Untitled David Hemingson Project, The Unusuals and Section 8.

Discuss ABC's 2008-09 line-up here and also you can view complete program information.



The CW 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00-11:00PM MRC Block (NEW!) (TBA at a later date)

Mondays
8:00PM Gossip Girl
9:00PM One Tree Hill

Tuesdays
8:00PM 90210 (NEW!)
9:00PM Surviving the Filthy Rich (NEW!)

Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM Stylista (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Supernatural

Fridays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM The Game
9:00PM America's Top Model Encore

Mid-Season:

Reaper will return air on Thursdays in mid-season replacing Smallville, which will end its run by then.

Discuss The CW's 2008-09 line-up here and also you can view complete program information.


Fox has canceled freshman sitcom Back to You, as we reported a few days ago, and now fans right here at SitcomsOnline.com have created a campaign to bring back the show! While I'm certainly not a fan of the show, I'm always willing to help to save a show needed to be saved, especially a sitcom. And the way fans think of how to save a show is the most important thing. Sure, an online petition is a good way to gather fans, but I know for a fact that they don't really help. Online petitions are usually ignored by networks. However, really creative ideas do work. We all know that because CBS executives last year canceled freshman drama Jericho after one season, and fans were outraged and they sent "nuts" to the CBS offices. To make a long story short, CBS was pleased how the fans reacted and brought the series back from the dead...but it didn't really help as the show is once again canceled after this season do to low ratings. I don't think nuts will work again.
Fans of Back to You on our message boards were outraged by the cancelation and created a petition. I told them that wouldn't really work...something more creative is needed. So I suggested they come up with one. We recently were all for a fan campaign to bring back October Road, a personal favorite of mine. Some fans from abc.com's message boards contacted me and I was very intrigued by their campaign that I even did a story on it right here on the blog. Basically that campaign was going to help local libraries, which is always a good cause. There was also another campaign to save MEN IN TREES, where fans helped to plant trees to save trees. Another good cause. They don't always work though, as both of those series have been canned, but it is better than not trying.
Well, anyway, the fans took my suggestion and brainstormed a few ideas and came up with a pretty funny (and good) one. Their idea is to send Fox (or even CBS) bottled water! Why bottled water? Because on the last episode that aired, fan TJL (who came up with this idea) says, "as part of the new station manager's cost cutting initiative, she eliminated some things, parking spaces, vacations, and free bottled water in the fridge." So what better way to save costs for Fox (since they canceled Back to You to save costs), then to give free bottled water to Fox.
A leader has emerged on this fan campaign and her name is Julie Somoski. She is big fan obviously and posts on our message boards daily. She has created a webpage for this campaign and you can find all the details there, such as where to send the bottled water and what note to put on it so they know what this is for. So check out her web campaign. She has an address for CBS but not Fox (she should add it on there I think)...I think fans should send bottled water to BOTH networks. CBS should get actual water filled bottles (since fans are trying to persaude them to buy the series), while Fox gets empty water bottles just for canceling the show...since they don't deserve free water! Don't forget to include the note, because I doubt CBS would know what this means, since the show is not on their network. A local Pittsburgh newspaper also published this campaign.

NBC Upfront 2008-09; Yet More Upfront Rumblings; More ABC Summer 2008 Series

NBC has already announced their Fall 2008 schedule early last month, along with Mid-season 2009 and Summer 2009 schedules, for some reason, but they still made some announcements at its upfront presentation today.
- NBC has identified the last piece in its late night succession plan, naming Jimmy Fallon as the new host of Late Night when Conan O'Brien moves to The Tonight Show in 2009. The premiere date for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will be announced at a later date.
- NBC will introduce Momma's Boys, a new reality series to be executive-produced by Ryan Seacrest and Andrew Glassman centering on a group of mothers who must help choose the perfect bride for their complacent sons -- and ultimately, the series poses the question: "Who is really the most important woman in every man's life?" The series will premiere on the heels of NBC's All-American Summer and the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

We will announce more on NBC's upfront, if anything else noteworthy comes out of it.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the Fall line-ups for ABC and The CW!

As for more upfront rumblings, CBS has picked up four new dramas and two new sitcoms, as of now. Dramas are: Eleventh Hour & The Mentalist for the fall and The Ex List (AKA: Mythological Ex) & Harper's Island for mid-season. The Ex-List could be shared with Moonlight on Fridays, which could be benched until mid-season. And the two sitcom pick-ups are Worst Week and Project Gary (starring Jay Mohr), both likely for the fall. There could be another pilot or two picked-up (Tower or sitcom My Secret Public Journal), but right now slim chances. Single White Millionaire with Fred Savage has no shot now. The Unit looks like will be back for another season, possibly on Sundays or Fridays in the fall, while Shark has been killed most likely. CBS announces its line-up on Wednesday.
On the Fox front, animated comedy Sit Down, Shutup has been renamed to Class Dismissed. They have also officially canceled New Amsterdam & Canterbury's Law, which I didn't think had a chance anyway. Fox is shopping canceled sitcom Back to You and the animated pilot The Pitts for new homes, along with the drama pilot The Oaks. None are likely to be bought.
The CW has for sure brought back sitcom The Game, while drama Reaper will be back...but for mid-season (13 episodes). The CW also announced new reality series, Stylista (also from Tyra) will air after Top Model this fall. Filthy Rich Girls joins 90210 as a new drama series order.
On ABC, no surprises so far, Eli Stone has been renewed for 13 episodes, while October Road has been canceled. Life on Mars finally officially got picked-up. Miss Guided is still set to return this fall.

Moving on to ABC summer news, we have more news. We announced ABC's summer slate already, but there is a bit more to announce. Before the NBA Finals begins, ABC Tuesday will feature According to Jim (new on May 27), Samantha Who, and Boston Legal repeats from 8-11pm on May 27 and June 3 (and June 17 if NBA Finals Game 6 is not necessary)
Friday, June 6 and Friday, June 13 from 8-10pm will be repeats of AFV and According to Jim from 8-10pm.
The NBA Finals begins Thursday, June 5 and will air Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays through June 19, if necessary. So up to 7 dates. The NBA Finals starts at 8:30pm ET each night, leading into them will be Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 8pm ET. Join Jimmy in primetime for up to seven times! On Sundays when the NBA Finals airs, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition repeats will air at 7pm instead.
After the NBA Finals, starting Sunday, June 22 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will air two-hour encore episodes from 8-10pm, leading into Desperate Housewives at 10pm, which will be its new summer time slot. High School Musical reality series starts on the night on Sunday, July 20 at 8pm.
Effective Tuesday, June 24, all-new Primetime: Crime will air Tuesdays at 10:00PM until further notice. The premieres of Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show launches from 8-10pm on the same night.
Effective Wednesday, June 25, all-new Primetime: The Outsiders will air Wednesdays at 10:00PM Et/PT until further notice.

Week 33 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did; More Upfront Rumblings

Week 33 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: CBS 7.7/12.4, Fox 7.4/11.8, ABC 7.3/11.7, NBC 4.8/7.7, The CW 1.8/2.8, MNT 0.8/2.2
Total Viewers: Fox 12.25 million, CBS 12.01 million, ABC 10.92 million, NBC 7.32 million, The CW 2.66 million, MNT 1.12 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox 4.4/12.0, CBS 3.3/9.0, ABC 3.3/8.8, NBC 2.4/6.0, The CW 1.2/3.2, MNT 0.4/1.2

Analysis: Week 33 is a three-way race so far, with CBS, Fox and ABC all neck-and-neck through Thursday. CBS leads in households by a slim margin over Fox and ABC, with Fox on top in viewers by a slim margin just nipping CBS and ABC. Fox has a wider lead in 18-49, with CBS and ABC battling for second. NBC is fourth in everything in a disastrous season. Last week, week 32, CBS edged ABC for number one in HH once again and CBS edged both ABC and Fox in total viewers as well. It was a very close race in HH/viewers between CBS, ABC and Fox once again. Fox had the lead in 18-49. ABC was second. CBS was third in 18-49, while NBC was an uncompetitive fourth in everything. 2.0 18-49 rating for NBC in sweeps?
On Monday, ABC was on top with Dancing with the Stars doing 18.11 million for 92 minutes, on par with the week before. The hit sitcom Samantha Who did 9.89 million, up a tad from the previous week. The Bachelor: London Calling followed with 6.57 million, down from the previous week. CBS started with sitcoms and leading it off was The Big Bang Theory at 7.38 million, down week to week, a new How I Met Your Mother followed and built on that and did 8.36 million...but also down from previous week, #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men followed with 13.61 million ... up from previous week as the CSI writers stunt worked. Closing the sitcom block was Rules of Engagement at 10.39 million, up a tad from previous week. A new CSI: Miami did 14.11 million...up a bit from previous week. Fox aired a new Bones to start off the night and it did a 8.23 million, down a lot from the previous week (seems up and down lately) and following at 9pm was House doing 13.48 million, down over a million week to week. Not as strong of a show without Idol. NBC was led by yet another special two-hour Deal or No Deal at 8.49million, down again week-to-week (this show is getting tiresome) and Medium closed the night off with 9.57 million, down a tad from previous week. The CW had a new episode of Gossip Girl doing 2.12 million, down from previous week and a new One Tree Hill at 2.29 million, down from previous week.
On Tuesday, Fox was on top thanks to Idol at 21.76 million at 8pm, but that was nearly down 4 million week to week...wow. At 9pm Fox aired a new Hell's Kitchen and it did solid with 11 million...down less than a million though from previous week. ABC was next with a special Dancing with the Stars: Judges' Top 10 Dances doing 10.58 million, so that is why Idol must have been down. Then at 9pm, the 100th episode of Dancing with the Stars: The Results did a solid 18.38 million, up from previous week as Mario shockingly got the book. ABC closed the night at 10pm with a new Women's Murder Club 8.02 million, up from previous week but still Boston Legal does better than this. CBS was next with a new episode of NCIS at 14.04 million, down from previous week, followed by on the bubble Shark with 10.05 million, but the 2.1 18-49 is not good...both down week to week a bit. A special CSI: Miami repeat followed at 10pm with 7.41 million. NBC was bad again from 8-10pm as a new Most Outrageous Moments at 8pm did just 4.01 million, down a bit from previous week and a repeat followed with 4.0 million. A repeat of Law & Order: SVU followed with just 3.86 million at 9pm, while a new Law & Order: SVU at 10pm drew 10.53 million ... down like 2 million from the previous week. The CW aired a new Beauty & The Geek at just 1.66 million, down a tad from previous week and a new Reaper did 2.51 million, also down just a tad week to week.
On Wednesday, it was Fox on top again. American Idol Results seemed to do lower that usual once again as maybe those sitcoms are the reason, anyway from 9-10pm it did 22.87 million...but up a bit from previous week. From 8-9pm Fox aired sitcoms 'Til Death and Back to You doing lower than the previous week at 6.03 (up from previous week) and 6.95 million (down from previous week). More concerning is the drop of Back to You's 18-49 at only a 2.1 rating...won't cut it, as Fox has canceled this show now. CBS started with Price is Right Primetime at 8pm and did 7.43 million and Criminal Minds and CSI: NY were all-new and they did 12.88 and 12.73 million...the latter went up week to week. NBC was next with Deal or No Deal starting the night off with just 7.27 million for another two-hour episode...down from previous week (too much of this show) and the original Law & Order followed 8.85 million, also down from previous week. ABC was next with new episodes of Wife Swap and Supernanny at 6.95 and 5.24 million...latter was down week to week. Closing the night for ABC was the special Audition: Barbara Walters' Journey at a so-so 7.47 million...this should have aired on another night. Boston Legal returns this week. The CW had an all-new Top Model at 4.02 million, down a tad week-to-week, and new series Farmer Wants a Wife did 2.13 million, downp from the previous week. MyNetworkTV aired a new Under One Roof starring Flavor Flav and it did 900,000 viewers...first time below 1 million.
On Thursday, CBS and ABC shared leadership. For CBS Survivor: Micronesia started the night off with 12.62 million and a new CSI followed with 18.07 million while Without a Trace closed the night off with an above average 14.67 million. ABC started the night off with a new Ugly Betty at 7.98 million, a new Grey's Anatomy did 16.03 million but won the 9pm hour with a 6.4 18-49 rating. Lost was next as the show did 10.78 million and a solid 4.7 18-49 rating. Fox was next with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? doing 7.82 million and Don't Forget the Lyrics! followed with 6.16 million, seems below normal. NBC was next, with an all-new My Name is Earl doing just 6.06 million and Scrubs finale on NBC did just 5.26 million. The Office did 7.16 million as it is now doing below normal numbers lately. A new 30 Rock did just 5.45 million as this show needs serious help and a new ER did just 7.55 million. CW aired a new Smallville at 3.99 million and Supernatural was new too at 2.54 million.
Like usual, no Friday finals yet. CBS won though with new episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and NUMB3RS. ABC was next as the special TV's All-Time Funniest helped ABC. NBC was led by a two-hour Dateline. Saturday ratings were not available to us.
Tonight will be a battle between ABC and CBS, but ABC's Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the GREAT season finale of Brothers & Sisters (I saw it already...very good!) will probably be enough to beat CBS. CBS will be a solid second with 60 Minutes & the season finale of Survivor from 8-10pm on a special night. NBC has a Mother's Day Special at 7pm, which will likely do bad and four repeats of The Office will do terrible from 8-10pm...maybe worse than the USA Network stuff? Fox will have new episodes actually of its animated comedies from 8-10pm (except Family Guy), so they will beat NBC probably.
As for the week, I believe it will be like week 32... a toss-up in HH & viewers, as CBS, ABC or Fox can win it. CBS is my bet. Fox has 18-49 locked I think, with ABC second. NBC will be 4th in everything as its struggles continue.
This coming week sees quite a few series having its season finales such as CSI/Without a Trace on Thursday and Desperate Housewives next Sunday.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 28-May 4)

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - All-new episode did 1.25 million, down a bit from the previous week. The CW won't program Sundays next season as Media Rights Capital will program the Sunday 7-11pm block this fall with two sitcoms and two dramas.
  
• Aliens in America (The CW) - A new episode did 1.02 million, also down a bit from week to week.
  
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did 1.45 million, downp a bit from the previous week.
  
• Girlfriends (The CW) - A repeat did 1.27 million, slightly down from previous week...all the CW sitcoms were down week to week.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - A new episode did just 6.28 million...what is up with this show lately? Earlier at 7:30 a repeat did only 3.58 million....down from previous week.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 7pm did just 2.3 million, down from previous week. A new episode at its normal time of 8:30 did 5.71 million...down from previous week.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - Season finale did 7.69 million, down from previous week's 8.42 million...not too good.
• American Dad (Fox) - Just 6.28 million for a new episode...down about a 1/2 million week to week.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.38 million tuned in for a new episode...down from previous week, as it goes below 8 million again
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.36 million...down from previous week...will it see a rise when Britney comes again?
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.61 million for a new episode, as CSI writers cross-over helped.
  
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 10.39 million...up a bit from previous week.
  
• Samantha Who (ABC) - A new episode did 9.89 million...up a bit from previous week.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• 'Til Death (Fox) - 6.03 million for a new episode, up from previous week...and Fox has renewed it for next season.
  
• Back to You (Fox) - 6.95 million for a new episode...down a bit week to week, but the 2.1 18-49 rating was not good at all, down from the 2.6 the week before...doesn't matter I guess since Fox canceled it on Friday. Series finale this week.
  
• Under One Roof (MyNetworkTV) - Just 900,000 viewers...first time under 1 million. Should be doing better.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 6.06 million is not good at all.
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - Just 5.26 million for the NBC finale, down week to week. Not good.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 7.16 million, as CSI/Grey's is killing it.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - Just 5.45 million as this show can't even take advantage of The Office lead-in.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are a mix of new and repeats of sitcoms on The CW from 8-10, and Fox's animated comedies are new from 8-10 (repeats 7-8p and 9p). NBC has a special The Office repeats from 8-10pm.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, Samantha Who?, & How I Met Your Mother were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (The Office, The Big Bang Theory) or just plain old terrible (Scrubs, 30 Rock).

Yesterday we reported our latest rumblings. We have more to add. Boston Legal has been picked-up for a fifth season on ABC and another David E. Kelley series, the new Life on Mars will be picked up (with or without Kelley). While Eli Stone and Miss Guided (from Ashton Kutcher) could also be picked-up for second seasons on ABC. I believe ABC will pick up the 8 episode reality/game series Opportunity Knocks from Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks. Sitcom wise Bad Mother's Handbook looks almost a firm go. While still no word on Alyssa Milano's comedy, but casting looks great as Beau Bridges and Annie Potts will play her dad & mom, while Amanda Detmer will play her friend. Eric Winter also stars. It is probably for mid-season if picked-up.
For CBS, it seems Exit 19 with Geena Davis is now out of contention, and they will pass on it, but things are looking good still for Eleventh Hour and The Mentalist. CBS could also pick up Mythological Ex, while that could be shared with Moonlight's slot for mid-season maybe. Still new CBS sitcoms are question marks, but the Jay Mohr comedy looks like it is the first to be picked-up.
As for Fox, since Fringe was picked-up for the fall, Dollhouse will be picked up for mid-season. Fox will likely pick up drama Inseparable likely for mid-season from Shaun Cassidy (Invasion), which is a surprise. However the Sara Rue single camera comedy Spaced, based on a British series, will be passed on. And no surprise, Cleveland joins animated comedy Sit Down Shutup for mid-season. So, The Pitts is dead.
And a no surprise here, The CW has picked up 90210 officially.

That's all as of now. Stay tuned tomorrow for any further rumblings and let's see what NBC will announce, since they already announced their 2008-09 schedules last month. They said they won't change it tomorrow, but we'll see.

Upfront Rumblings; Mini-DVD Review: JAG Season 6 (May 20)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Saturday blog for an update on the network upfronts. This is probably the busiest TV weekend of the year--the weekend before the network upfronts start. Latest buzz on scripted series:

ABC:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Life on Mars.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: Bad Mother's Handbook, The Goode Family.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Good Behavior, Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, The Prince of Motor City, Castle, The Unusuals
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: This Might Hurt, My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemmas)
No Shot: The More Things Change, Cedric
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Eli Stone, Boston Legal, Scrubs (from NBC)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: MEN IN TREES (confirmed), Women's Murder Club, October Road
Comments: ABC will probably add just 1-2 new shows in the fall and load up in mid-season, because of the strike causing pilots not to shoot a pilot. The only pilot to shoot so far was Life on Mars, and word is ABC will re-shoot it but it will be picked-up. They have a lot of buzz on more dramas, but they haven't been shot yet. The scripts sound very good on most of those, like Good Behavior, Extraordinary Atlas and Prince of Motor City. Sitcom wise, ABC is very high on Bad Mother's Handbook, but other than that it is very quiet on what could make it. The Goode Family, an animated comedy, has a 13 episode commitment for 2009, so that will likely air. Mix reviews so far for Alyssa Milano's comedy My Brother's Hot (or is it known as Nuclear Family), but I bet it will be picked-up. No word on Cupid yet, the remake of the short lived comedy...ABC would be wise to pick it up...it could be Love Boat style as it will be an hour this time. Word is ABC has passed on Cedric's comedy, so there goes a chance of multicamera comedies returning to ABC. As for current series, ABC has officially axed MEN IN TREES (remaining episodes will air starting May 28) and the word is Women's Murder Club will also get the ax. Meanwhile Eli Stone fans will be happy that the word is it will indeed return. Boston Legal's chances are better to return than to be axed. No news on October Road, but ABC is shopping it. Maybe MRC can get it for that Sunday block on The CW? Scrubs will likely come to ABC in the fall it seems, and According to Jim is taping at least 6 episodes this month and in June, so maybe that will be available earlier this year than the previous two seasons.

CBS:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Eleventh Hour, Mentalist.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Single White Millionaire, Worst Week
No Shot: NY-LON
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: The Unit, Old Christine, Moonlight, Rules of Engagement
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Jericho, Shark
Comments: CBS is very high on Eleventh Hour and The Mentalist, so expect them to be picked-up for sure. CBS also is eying Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower and possibly Harper's Island. Sitcom wise, the picture is not that clear, but CBS seems to have liked quite a few like My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl, and Single White Millionaire. Worst Week seems to have picked up steam and is also in the running with another sitcom or two also possible.
Current series wise, The Unit seems to have gained traction and could return now. Moonlight and Rules of Engagement has a better shot to return, while Shark could be on its way out. Old Christine is tough to figure. It'll be back next season...either on CBS or if CBS cancels it, ABC could pick it up. So maybe CBS will pick it up so ABC can't.

FOX:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Fringe (confirmed), Dollhouse
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: The Inn (confirmed), Sit Down Shutup (confirmed), Cleveland
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Courtroom K
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Spaced, Starting Under, The Pitts
No Shot: The Oaks
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: 'Til Death (confirmed)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Back to You (confirmed)
Comments: Fox is very high on Fringe and Dollhouse. Fringe will be their main show to push as it has been picked-up for the fall, while Dollhouse could come mid-season. Courtroom K is another Fox drama that could be picked-up. Fox has passed on drama The Oaks, and they are shopping it to other studios. Sitcom wise, they have officially picked up The Inn, and a mid-season pickup for animated sitcom Cleveland (Family Guy spinoff) is almost certain. Sitdown Shut Up has been picked up for sure for mid-season. So maybe The Pitts will be passed on now. And another sitcom or two like Spaced or Bernie Mac's Starting Under. Boldly Going Nowhere is also picking up steam. Because of the pick-up of The Inn, the sitcom Back to You is canceled! After a bad performance this past week, it really sealed that deal. The cost of the show is also high as it has two sitcom veterans and the producers/director are also costly. Meanwhile, 'Til Death survives once again for the second straight year for a third season. So Back to You is canceled and 'Til Death is renewed. No word when or if the four unaired episodes of Back to You will air or not. Series finale is this coming week.

The CW:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: 90210, Filthy Rich Girls
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: None
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Austin Golden Hour
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: None.
No Shot: N/A
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Reaper, The Game
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Aliens in America, Girlfriends (both confirmed)
Comments: 90210 is almost certain to be picked up now that Jennie Garth will indeed reprise her role as a recurring character. Filthy Rich Girls is another drama that will be picked-up for the fall, while Austin Golden Hour could be for mid-season. No new sitcoms at all, but they have canned Aliens in America and we already knew Girlfriends was ending. So it looks like Chris and The Game will be the only sitcoms on The CW, possibly Fridays 8-9pm. The CW has given up on Sundays, and will let MRC program from 7-11pm: The CW is aligning with Media Rights Capital to program its Sunday night primetime programming block for the 2008-09 broadcast television season. The strategic alliance between the two companies will take effect in Fall 2008 and feature four new programs--two comedies and two dramas--from top producers and creative talent.
As for returning shows, Reaper will be back most likely. Gossip Girl could be paired with 90210.

Check back periodically as we get more updates all-weekend long! I don't sleep during upfronts week!

Join us all next week (May 12-15) bright and early for the fall schedules. I assure you we will be among the first ones to post the fall line-ups for each network. NBC will be first on Monday, but they have already announced their schedule...so nothing new. No changes are expected either on Monday for NBC's schedule.


And now back to our regularly scheduled blog programming:

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews! Today we have we take a look at CBS DVD's 6th Season of JAG. JAG was a huge hit for CBS. If you are a fan of Navy NCIS, you know that NCIS is a spin-off of JAG. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of JAG - The Complete 6th Season:

JAG - The Complete 6th Season (CBS, $55.98) is coming to DVD for the first time on May 20! Enjoy this long running Donald Bellisario classic on DVD -- and I've got great news. If you didn't notice already, the MSRP for this season set has dropped by $9, from $65 to $56. In addition, the SRP for seasons one through four (as of this writing) have dropped significantly. Seasons 1 and 2 are now $30, Seasons 3 and 4 are now $39. Those of you who've read these reviews know that the SRP was EASILY my biggest gripe against the JAG sets, and now the first four sets are available for under $40 -- the first two for just under $30, with the price of the sixth season starting at a lower base. This is great for fans of the show who might have hesitated at the price point.
I'll be completely honest here -- this is around the point in the original run of the show that I lost interest -- about 2/3 of the way through the season to be specific. It wasn't the show itself so much as I just found other things to watch, and sort of drifted away. I didn't begin watching again until the final season. So this IS the first time I've seen a good third of the season. The season starts off with the great two-parter, "Legacy," which once again involves Harm's family life -- this time taking place in Russia. The fifth episode of the season, "JAG TV," is an interesting one. The JAG office has its first televised court martial -- resulting in a circus, not surprisingly. The episode features Lawyer Celebrities Gloria Allred and Johnnie Cochran, plus Mary Hart and then-host of the Late Late Show, Craig Kilborn. The season finale is, of course, a cliffhanger. The episode is titled "Adrift," and I won't reveal much of the plot...but it's a surprisingly good episode. Can't believe I missed it first time through.
Moving to the technical side, packaging is, thankfully, a mere outer box plus slim cases. Many CBS DVD titles are moving to those horrible translucent plastic cases with the fragile disc holders in the center. The number of discs involved with a drama such as JAG makes this a bit prohibitive, a fact of which I'm thankful. Video is presented nice and clear in anamorphic widescreen. The video, being shot in HD, has no defects that I can detect. Audio is great, and I once again have to just say I LOVE the show's theme and how good it sounds here. . The “disclaimer of doom” does appear on the back of the box, indicating possible edits, but honestly I think this is standard operating procedure for CBS DVD. There weren't any glaring edits that I could find, but I don't have original broadcast OR syndication copies to compare to -- and like I said, I stopped watching midseason. The episodes generally run 43:30-44:30, probably on par with the normal 2000-01 shows. There are, unfortunately, no special features that I could find.
I wish I’d kept on watching back then, as there's still quality story for the series left to tell -- the episodes I missed, and the season as a whole, is quite good, and I wholeheartedly recommend the set -- and go back and pick up the earlier seasons now that the prices have gone down.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
JAG TV.com Page

Sitcom Time Changes on WE tv; Programming Reminders for This Weekend

Starting this Monday (May 12), WE tv will switch the timeslots for sitcoms Kate & Allie and Hope & Faith. Kate & Allie was airing weekdays from 12-1pm (sometimes it would be extended a bit longer, too) and will now move to 10-11am weekdays where Hope & Faith was airing. And yes, Hope & Faith will move to 12-1pm (and sometimes it will be extended a bit beyond that, too). Dharma & Greg will remain in the middle from 11am-12pm.
Remember WE tv also has reruns of Girlfriends, Golden Girls and Ghost Whisperer coming in 2009.

Yes, MTV Networks (TV Land, Nick at Nite, etc) had their upfront yesterday, but as of now, still no press releases or anything from TV Land. I do know that Chris Rock was on hand at the upfront for Everybody Hates Chris, which comes to Nick at Nite in 2009.
At its 2008 upfront presentation, MTV Networks united its leadership, talent and marketing partners to showcase innovative partnerships, programming and platforms across its brands. The presentation highlighted "return on innovation" -- the value for marketers in MTVN's reinvention of how audiences experience content and advertising on every screen. The event was highlighted by special guest appearances by some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Ashanti, Taylor Swift, Lauren Conrad, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, George Foreman, Dr. Drew Pinsky, as well as exclusive musical performances by John Legend, Sarah Silverman, JabbaWockeeZ from MTV's Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew and the cast of hit Broadway musical Legally Blonde.
Yeah, nothing major at all. We will let you know if there is anything announced today or whenever.

This weekend has a lot of nice programming for everyone. We have mentioned all of these already, but we are going to remind you again. Tonight ABC will air the two-hour special TV's All-Time Funniest...sitcoms of the past and present are featured from Married with Children to I Love Lucy to The Office. Tune in from 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC! Must see for sitcoms fans.
Then we mentioned a few Mother's Day stunts. They will all of course air on Mother's Day, this Sunday (May 11). Airing on BET from 12pm-5pm is a sitcom marathon of Thea. The short-lived ABC sitcom starring Thea Vidale and Brandy Norwood. Watch Thea take care of her four kids and work two jobs...how does she do it? Tune in! On Boomerang this Sunday from 12pm-7pm, there will be Wilma themed episodes of animated sitcom The Flintstones. Finally, Nick at Nite has a nice primetime block featuring "Hot Moms." Tune in starting at 9pm for "Hot Moms" like Jill Taylor, Angie Lopez and Vivian Banks! The marathon will be hosted by one of the hot moms themselves, Constance Marie (Angie on George Lopez)!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: Fox; Flintstones Mother's Day Marathon on Boomerang

Fox's weak spot of the season is usually the fall line-up, but they could be better next season. They will probably go with stable shows with just a few new shows in the fall and more news shows for mid-season, when American Idol and 24 return.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Starting Under (sitcom) and Fringe (drama)
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Dollhouse (drama), Spaced (sitcom) Sit Down Shutup (animated sitcom) and Cleveland (animated sitcom)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM King of the Hill
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad

Mondays
8:00PM Prison Break
9:00PM Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Tuesdays
8:00PM Fringe (NEW!)
9:00PM House

Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You
8:30PM Starting Under (NEW!)
9:00PM Bones

Thursdays
8:00PM The Moment of Truth
9:00PM Kitchen Nightmares

Fridays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Comments: It'll be once again a tale of two seasons within a season for Fox. Look for their mid-season line-up probably to be a lot different from fall, since 24 and American Idol come in January. Sarah Connor and Prison Break will air Mondays I think in the fall, with both possibly taking a break in January when 24 comes, and Fox can launch Dollhouse, another promising drama they have. That will probably run for 6-9 episodes or so, and then they could being back Sarah for its final batch of episodes from like March-May, paired with 24. I don't think Prison Break will return after the fall ends...it doesn't really deserve to...maybe the potential spin-off could be introduced in an episode sometime in the fall. As for Tuesdays, I think the J.J. Abrams drama Fringe will likely be paired with Fox's House. If it hits, I wonder where Fringe will go in January when American Idol comes? Maybe Thursdays? More on that later. On Wednesdays, I think they will start with two comedies. Right now their best bet is Back to You and the new Bernie Mac comedy Starting Under...with 'Til Death likely a goner or saved for mid-season. I personally wouldn't bring back Back To You, but Fox really doesn't have anything good in the sitcom development, except animated comedies and some single camera comedies. I think Bones could be asked to air at 9:00pm. It could work, too. When January comes, we can expect American Idol's Results Show at 9 and possibly Bones moving down an hour to 8 or the comedies (perhaps one of the mid-season sitcoms in there)? Can they move Bones once again by January? Fox is hard to figure. Thursdays I think Fox will remain reality, but maybe something different. I'm not sure if they have more episodes of The Moment of Truth by the fall, since new airings are coming this summer, but that would be good for the fall at 8 followed by Kitchen Nightmares, which is coming back in the fall for sure. Now by January, if Fringe is indeed a hit, they might move it to Thursdays paired with maybe Bones? I think Fox will have comedies at 8 (maybe a traditional sitcom in The Inn or single camera ones like Spaced or Outnumbered could be aired here with either Back or Under) before Idol or maybe Moment of Truth, if it is not available in the fall. 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics could be on the move to Fridays for the full season. As for Sundays, animation domination will continue, with the same shows in the fall, but perhaps as much as two new animated comedies will come by mid-season, for sure Cleveland, the Family Guy spin-off, and another new one such as The Pitts or Sit Down Shut Up...I hope the latter. They will likely replace King of the Hill and American Dad! for awhile, if not the rest of the season.
As a recap, for Fox January, I'd do: Sundays: Animated Repeats, The Simpsons, Sit Down Shut Up, Family Guy, and Cleveland; Mondays: Dollhouse/Sarah Connor and 24; Tuesdays: American Idol and House; Wednesdays: Sitcoms/The Moment of Truth and American Idol Results; Thursdays: Bones and Fringe; Fridays: 5th Grader and Lyrics.
And so many series are goners next season: K-Ville, Nashville, Search for the Next Great American Band, New Amsterdam, Canterbury's Law, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched, & possibly 'Til Death. I think Hell's Kitchen could likely return sometime in the season or next summer.
So, it looks like Fox will be decent year-round. Will American Idol fall more next season? It might. But before that, let's see how Fox does in the fall. I still think CBS and ABC will share leadership for the fall in viewers/18-49, and Fox will have to rely on mid-season again, but maybe it will be a bit better next season.

Remember, next Thursday (May 15) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Thursday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for the official fall line-ups for all the networks...will NBC edit anything on upfront day? We shall see. Also, we will try to give you all latest pilot rumblings on Saturday, so you will want to check with us! See if we have any inside buzz on this very slow development season.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

TV Land is having their upfront today...so if they announce anything later today, you can check here. If it is bit late then we will have a write-up for you tomorrow. So check back either way!

Throughout time, mothers have been revered for their love, nurture and support...not to mention their hard work. To celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 11, Boomerang (Cartoon Network's 24-hour commercial-free sister network) gives birth to a 7-hour tribute to that modern Stone-Age matriarch, Wilma Flintstone. During the Wilma Flintstone Mother's Day Marathon, which airs from 12-7 p.m. (ET), viewers will see Wilma Flintstone through the years-as she and Fred first court, during her pregnancy, as a new mother and, finally, as she becomes a grandmother. The holiday marathon kicks off with five and a half hours of Wilma-centric escapades from the original The Flintstones animated series and concludes with the 90-minute animated feature Hollyrock-A-Bye Baby (1993).
To see the episodes, click HERE! Wilmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to the TV special TV's All-Time Funniest airing 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC! It should be a fun special for all sitcom/comedy fans of all eras. I suggest you tune in!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: CBS

CBS continues to be the network that will have the least amount of changes to its fall schedule. I think we will see a few moves and some cancellations though.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com CBS 2007-08 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Eleventh Hour (drama), The Mentalist (drama), Single White Millionaire (sitcom), My Secret Public Journal (sitcom) and Exit 19 (drama).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Tower (drama) and Exit 19 (drama)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Can Openers (NEW!)
10:00PM Cold Case

Mondays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM How I Met Your Mother
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Single White Millionaire (NEW!)
10:00PM CSI: Miami

Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Mentalist (NEW!)
10:00PM Without a Trace

Wednesdays
8:00PM Rules of Engagement
8:30PM My Secret Public Journal (NEW!)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY

Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Eleventh Hour (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM Moonlight
10:00PM NUMB3RS

Saturdays
8:00PM Crime Repeats
9:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery

Comments: CBS will probably have one new show each from Sun-Thurs. Their Monday sitcom block will likely have one new comedy, Single White Millionaire starring Fred Savage seems like it would hold most of Two and a Half Men's numbers. As for Tuesday, there could be a shake up to this night. The Unit has been MIA since the strike, and it probably won't return...so CBS will try something new at 9 following NCIS, like The Mentalist? Exit 19 starring Geena Davis could also be an option (in her old Commander in Chief slot, but that was ABC) ...if not, for mid-season then. The cursed 10pm slot could go to a proven player like Without a Trace, which would move for the third time in three seasons if it were to move. Wednesdays 9-11pm will likely remain intact, but the 8pm hour CBS has had difficulty with. I think two sitcoms are the best option, possibly a returning one like Rules of Engagement paired with a newbie like My Secret Public Journal. CBS Thursdays will have to change if Without a Trace leaves from 10pm, CBS will likely add the Jerry Bruckheimer drama Eleventh Hour following CSI. Fridays will likely remain the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost Whisperer or NUMB3RS move to another night, like Sundays. Moonlight is doing OK, but maybe CBS could pick up new drama Mythological X, as that sounds like it would skew younger after Whisperer. And as for Sundays, CBS always gets screwed with the sports run-over (especially in the fall with the NFL) and they usually are in 30-40 minute delays or even more for the entire country except the west coast. I suggest they just shorten 60 Minutes, or it will kill a new show if they launch one on Sundays, which I think they will. Maybe a medical drama like Can Openers which would skew younger than the normal CBS show probably, especially out of the Amazing Race. I think Amazing Race will be back at 8pm...maybe for two cycles this year. As long as they don't bring back Big Brother in the regular season! What a disaster that was. Cold Case could be on the move to 10pm to better close the night.
Series canceled or will be include The Unit, Shark, Cane, Power of 10, Viva Laughlin, Kid Nation & Jericho. I think CBS will bring back Old Christine for mid-season in case one of the comedies fails. If not, then ABC will sure pick it up...so don't worry fans. Jericho is gone for good...send all the nuts you want, it won't work again. Price is Right will likely return in primetime for some specials...I doubt they would air it as a weekly series. I don't think they will pick-up any new mid-season sitcoms, especially since Jennie Garth is no longer in the My Best Friend's Girl pilot.

Remember, next Wednesday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out CBS's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Wednesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on Fox's upfront.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

Slow news day so far...if we have anything (which I'm sure we will have SOMETHING), we'll post it, so check back!