The Primetime Dish

With the fall/winter line-up now complete, what (if any), new shows are you looking forward to?

I’m definitely interested in the CW’s Tuesday night, the 90210 remake and the show that follows (the rich girl show).

I’m interested in CBS’ “The Mentalist” mainly because it’s more psychic TV, and I like the two current shows that deal with that stuff (”Medium” and “Ghost Whisperer”).

“Dollhouse” on Fox looks to be good, as does “Fringe.” However “Fringe” just looks a little too much like “Lost” in a way, and I’m already lost on that show!

CBS ANNOUNCES NEW 2008-2009 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

Five New Series Added: Two Comedies and Three Dramas

CBS Expands Comedy Lineup, Adding New Block on Wednesday 8:00-9:00 PM

Two New Dramatic Series to Launch Backed by “NCIS” and “CSI” Lead-Ins

New Series That Blends Comedy, Drama and Romance Joins Fridays Top-Rated Lineup

Eighteen Current Series Return to the Schedule

New Murder Mystery “Harper’s Island” Ordered for Mid-Season

CBS announced today its 2008-2009 Fall Primetime Lineup, featuring five new series - two comedies and three dramas - and the launch of a new comedy block on Wednesdays.

The new series include ELEVENTH HOUR, a dramatic thriller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer about a special advisor to the government who investigates scientific crises and oddities; THE MENTALIST, starring Simon Baker as a former celebrity psychic-turned- detective who uses his gifted skills of observation and expertise at “reading” people to solve crimes; THE EX LIST, a sexy comedic drama about a 30-something woman who searches her past relationships to find her future husband; and the comedies PROJECT GARY, starring Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall as dueling ex-spouses and parents trying to move forward with new relationships; and WORST WEEK about a good guy who is always trying to do the right thing, yet something always goes wrong - especially when he’s around his girlfriend’s parents.

“We’ve been looking to expand our comedy lineup, and we now have the depth and development to make the move,” said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. “Monday is already television’s signature night for comedy and we think we can make the case that CBS is the signature network for comedy overall.”

Added Tassler, “Our new dramas put a character twist on the highly successful procedural form with two exciting new leads in Simon Baker and Rufus Sewell. And, rounding out the new slate is a very unique series with a dynamic young actress (Elizabeth Reaser, “Grey’s Anatomy”) that blends comedy, drama and romance in a concept that will have everybody thinking about their personal ‘ex list.’ ”

The freshman series will join 18 returning programs on the current CBS lineup.

CBS will return network television’s Number One drama franchise - CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION; CSI: MIAMI, CSI: NY - the Number One comedy, TWO AND A HALF MEN; the Number One news magazine, 60 MINUTES; and two franchise reality series -SURVIVOR and the five-time Emmy Award-winning THE AMAZING RACE.

Also returning are: THE BIG BANG THEORY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, NCIS, WITHOUT A TRACE, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, CRIMINAL MINDS, GHOST WHISPERER, NUMB3RS, COLD CASE, THE UNIT, 48 HOURS MYSTERY and CRIMETIME SATURDAY.

The new 2008-2009 schedule is:

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THE CW ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR 2008-2009 SEASON

BUILDING THE POP CULTURE BUZZ, NEW SEASON LAUNCHES SEPTEMBER 1 WITH SCHEDULE FEATURING RETURNING HITS “GOSSIP GIRL” AND “AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL,” ALONG WITH HIGHLY ANTICIPATED “90210″

Monday Night Features Winning Team of Hit Dramas “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill”

New Neighbors Move in Tuesday Night: “90210″ Ensemble Features Original Cast Member Jennie Garth in a Guest Starring Role, Followed By New Drama “Surviving the Filthy Rich”

Top-Rated “America’s Next Top Model” Leads Into New Fashion Reality Series “Stylista” on Wednesdays

Fan Favorites “Smallville” and “Supernatural” Return on Thursdays

Friday Night Gets a Counter-Programming Comedy Makeover With “Everybody Hates Chris” and “The Game,” Followed By An “America’s Next Top Model” Encore

Three Hours of Original Programming on Sunday From Media Rights Capital

The Devil Returns on “Reaper” for Midseason

May 13, 2008 (New York, New York) The CW Network announced a fall launch date of September 1 and unveiled the schedule for its 2008-2009 season today at a presentation and party for advertisers, affiliates and national media in the Tent at Lincoln Center. The announcement was made by Dawn Ostroff, President of Entertainment, The CW.

“With shows that everyone is talking about, from ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model’ to our upcoming ‘90210,’ our new lineup has the best Monday-Friday schedule flow we have ever had at The CW,” said Ostroff. “We are zeroed in on our target demo of young women 18-34 with both new and returning series, and each programming block provides a strong promotional platform for the following night. We’re confident that the quality of our shows for the fall season will make The CW the destination for young women.”

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ABC UNVEILS 2008-09 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

New Series Include “The Goode Family,” “Life on Mars,” “Opportunity Knocks,” “Scrubs” And “Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project”

Returning Series on the Fall Schedule Include “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20”

Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment, today outlined ABC’s plans for next season and unveiled the network’s 2008-09 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

Scheduled to debut this fall are new drama “Life on Mars,” and new alternative series “Opportunity Knocks” from executive producer Ashton Kutcher.

Returning series on the fall schedule are “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.”

In addition, “Saturday Night College Football” will return for a fourth season.

New series for midseason include “The Goode Family,” “Scrubs” and “Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project.”

Other returning series include “According to Jim,” “The Bachelor,” “Lost” and ABC News’ “Primetime: What Would You Do?”

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ABC ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER SCHEDULE WITH THE PREMIERE OF EIGHT ORIGINAL SERIES

ABC announces its summer schedule with the premiere of eight original series, including the return of “The Bachelorette” on Monday, May 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), following the performance show finale of “Dancing with the Stars”; “The Mole” on Monday, May 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Wipeout” on Tuesday, June 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” on Tuesday, June 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.); ABC News’ “Hopkins” on Thursday, June 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Dance Machine” on Friday, June 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “High School Musical: Summer Session” on Sunday, July 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); and “Wanna Bet” on Monday, July 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.).

Read On For Show Details
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CBS to Present Nearly 90 Hours of Original Programming, Including Three New Reality Series, Two New Dramas, a Summer Edition of “Big Brother,” Two Mixed Martial Arts Live Events, “The Tony Awards” and a New Chapter in its “AFI’s 100 Years” Series

“Greatest American Dog” (Working Title) Premieres Thursday, July 10, 8:00 PM

“Million Dollar Password,” Hosted By Regis Philbin, Premieres Sunday, June 1, 8:00 PM

“Jingles,” (Working Title) from Executive Producer Mark Burnett, Debuts Sunday, July 27, 9:00 PM

“Big Brother” Returns with Three Weekly Editions Beginning Sunday, July 13

Mixed Martial Arts Comes to Primetime Network Television for the First Time with Two Live Events, Saturday, May 31 and Saturday, July 26

“Swingtown” Premieres Thursday, June 5, 10:00 PM (NEW PREMIERE DATE)

Original Drama Series “Flashpoint” Debuts Friday, July 11, 10:00 PM

“The American Theatre Wing’s 62nd Annual Tony Awards” to be Broadcast Sunday, June 15, 8:00 PM

“AFI’s 10 Top 10″ to Air Tuesday, June 17, 8:00 PM

New Summer Time Periods for “Without a Trace,” “Numb3rs” and “Cold Case”

CBS today unveiled its 2008 summer schedule comprising nearly 90 hours of original programming, including three new reality series (GREATEST AMERICAN DOG, MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD and JINGLES), two new dramas (SWINGTOWN and FLASHPOINT), summer stalwart BIG BROTHER, two live mixed martial arts events (CBS ELITE XC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS), THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 62ND ANNUAL TONY AWARDS and AFI’s 10 TOP 10.

The summer lineup will also see rebroadcasts of WITHOUT A TRACE, NUMB3RS and COLD CASE moving to new time periods.

Read on for show descriptions and schedules . . . .

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NBC has revealed its new 2008-09 line-up a month early instead of during the normal “upfront” week in May. The following is an official press release, detailing the new schedule as well as descriptions of their new shows. Reminder: NBC already renewed a few shows such as “Chuck,” “Life” and “Heroes.”

NBC REVEALS COMPLETE 52-WEEK PROGRAM STRATEGY, EARLIER THAN EVER, THAT GIVES ADVERTISERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE UNIQUE MARKETING SOLUTIONS

STAGGERED LAUNCHES AND PREMIERES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF NBC’S ‘SUPER SEASON’ OF EVENTS INCLUDING THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES AND SUPER BOWL XLIII

WITH ITS EXPANDING COMMITMENT TO YEAR-ROUND ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING, NBC DELIVERS ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH FIRST-RUN ENTERTAINMENT AS THE NETWORK BROADCAST 10 YEARS AGO

FALL, WINTER AND SUMMER SCHEDULES FEATURE NEWCOMERS ‘THE OFFICE’ SPINOFF, ‘MY OWN WORST ENEMY,’ ‘KATH & KIM,’ ‘KNIGHT RIDER’, ‘CRUSOE’, ‘KINGS,’ ‘THE PHILANTHROPIST,’ ‘MERLIN,’ ‘THE LISTENER,’ ‘SHARK TAGGERS,’ AMERICA’S TOUGHEST JOBS,’ ‘CHOPPING BLOCK’ AND MINISERIES ‘THE LAST TEMPLAR’ AND ‘XIII’

RETURNING SERIES FOR NBC’S 2008-09 TELEVISION SEASON INCLUDE THE ACCLAIMED DRAMAS ‘ER’ — IN ITS 15TH AND FINAL SEASON — ‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS,’ ‘LIPSTICK JUNGLE’, ‘MEDIUM,’ ‘LAW & ORDER’ AND ‘LAW & ORDER: SVU’

NEW YORK - April 2, 2008 - NBC today unveiled its new Fall lineup for the 2008-09 television season, introducing a schedule earlier than ever that combines some of the most acclaimed and popular returning series on television with four new programs that will join the schedule in the opening weeks of the season, including “Kath & Kim,” “Knight Rider,” “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Crusoe.”

Among the critically hailed series returning to the NBC schedule next season will be “ER,” the most-nominated series in Emmy Award history, returning for its 15th and final season on NBC’s Thursday night lineup, and the acclaimed “Friday Night Lights,” slated to re-join the Friday schedule in February as part of a unique broadcast partnership between NBC and DIRECTV.

Additionally, the most highly anticipated comedy of the upcoming season, “The Office” spinoff, from Executive Producer Greg Daniels, will get the highly coveted premiere timeslot post Super Bowl XLIII following a special original telecast of “The Office.”

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ABC released its summer line-up of shows. Reality TV lovers may want to take note that “The Mole” is returning!

ABC ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER SCHEDULE WITH THE PREMIERE OF EIGHT ORIGINAL SERIES

ABC announces its summer schedule with the premiere of eight original series, including the return of “The Bachelorette” on Monday, May 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), following the performance show finale of “Dancing with the Stars”; “The Mole” on Monday, May 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Wipeout” on Tuesday, June 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” on Tuesday, June 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.); ABC News’ “Hopkins” on Thursday, June 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Dance Machine” on Friday, June 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “High School Musical: Summer Session” on Sunday, July 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); and “Wanna Bet” on Monday, July 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.).

Keep reading for the show descriptions.
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For those BSG fans out there, the saddness that is the upcoming final forth season gets a little brighter with basically an “origins” spin-off.

SCI FI GIVES ‘CAPRICA’ THE GREENLIGHT

Two-Hour Backdoor Pilot for ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Prequel Series To Begin Production this Spring

NEW YORK - March 18, 2008 - As the Peabody and Emmy-winning original series Battlestar Galactica heads into its fourth and final season, SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on Caprica, a two-hour Battlestar backdoor pilot prequel from executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Production on Caprica is slated to begin in Vancouver this spring.

“We couldn’t be more excited to see this long-anticipated project get off the ground. It’s an amazing script, and, though clearly inspired by the Battlestar mythology, it is not just a pale spin-off. This is a smart, thought-provoking, emotional, and compelling character drama in its own right,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming.

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families - the Greystones and the Adamas - as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, family conflict and hardcore action that always leaves Galactica fans begging for more.

“I’m thrilled with the chance to expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story we’ve been telling,” said Moore. “It’s also great to have a chance at doing a completely different kind of science fiction series, one that’s even more character-oriented and doesn’t rely on pyrotechnics to carry the story.”

“While Caprica will have its own personality, it will carry on Battlestar’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, and we’re thrilled that SCI FI has seen fit to giving us another opportunity to tell character-driven stories in challenging ways,” added Eick.

“We’ve assembled a true dream team to produce this exciting project,” said Universal Media Studios president Katherine Pope. “Building on the brilliance of SCI FI’s Battlestar Galactica, we all know Caprica will be a critical and commercial success.”

Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) and Remi Aubuchon (24), Caprica is co-written by Moore and Aubuchon, and will be directed by Jeff Reiner (Friday Night Lights). Universal Media Studios will produce.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where “what if” is what’s on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 93 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

CBS will introduce two new dramas this summer, premiering SWINGTOWN on Thursday, May 29 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) and FLASHPOINT in July (Date and Time TBA).

SWINGTOWN, from the director of “Big Love” and “Rome,” peeks into the shag-carpeted suburban homes of the culturally transformative ’70s to find couples reveling in the sexual and social revolution that introduced women’s liberation and challenged conventional wisdom. During this heady era of provocative change, Susan and Bruce Miller move their family to an affluent Chicago suburb where they’re confronted with personal choices, experimentation and shifting attitudes, all against the backdrop of a changing social climate defined by its unforgettable music, fashion and style.

FLASHPOINT is an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops in the SRU (inspired by Toronto’s Emergency Task Force). It’s a unit that rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens. As they race against the clock to determine what brought these people to their respective breaking points, members of this highly skilled team use their training in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect’s head to diffuse the situation to try to save lives.

SWINGTOWN is produced by CBS Paramount Network Television. Mike Kelley, Alan Poul and Carol Barbee are executive producers. Jack Davenport (”Pirates of the Caribbean”), Molly Parker (”Deadwood”), Grant Show (”Melrose Place”), Miriam Shor (”The West Wing”), Lana Parrilla (”Boomtown”) and Josh Hopkins (”Brothers and Sisters”) star.

FLASHPOINT was originally developed by CTV, Canada’s largest privately owned English language broadcast network, and Toronto-based Pink Sky Entertainment. For the series, Pink Sky has joined forces with Avamar Entertainment, in association with CBS Paramount Network Television and CTV. The series, which will also be broadcast on CTV, is executive produced by Anne Marie La Traverse, a former executive producer at Alliance Atlantis, and Bill Mustos, former drama chief at CTV. The series was created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. Enrico Colantoni, Hugh Dillon and David Paetkau star.