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NBC programming keeps going down South

NBC programming keeps going down South

So, I woke up this morning with another news that symbolized the continued downfall of the Peacock network.

“Southland” has been cancelled after a quick run in the spring, and while it was scheduled to return in the Friday slot of death in just 2 weeks.

Today, TV commenters are dumbfounded by the decision, which was prompted, according to sources, by a content deemed “too gritty” for 9 p.m. viewers. Some people call it “the first casualty of Jay Leno”; others “the end of NBC’s commitment to excellence in drama”. They’re absolutely right. But I also think it shows tragic misdirection in NBC’s management of their development slate.

“Southland” premiered in the Thursday slot left vacant by “ER”, which was run by John Wells, who also produces this show. The ratings were surprisingly solid, which was seen as a “tour de force” in an otherwise bleak season. But, as we all know, Jay Leno would take all the 10 p.m. slots in the fall. NBC sure wanted to stay in business with Wells, so they decided to renew the show, but put it on Fridays at 9.

Usually, if a show had a gritty content, execs would ask to lighten up the tone of the stories somewhat. Not the case here: they waited until six episodes were completed, and decided it was inappropriate to show on Fridays. This comes after news that Amaury Nolasco was leaving the show, the premiere was pushed back a month…

And there was still a slot on Sundays at 10 pm on midseason.

Oh, wait. That’s “The Apprentice” time.

As we all know, apart from “Law and Order SVU” and its comedy block (with modest ratings compared to the Must-See TV days), nobody even bothers watching the fiction programming anymore. “The Biggest Loser” apparently does fine, and, coming October, “Dateline NBC” will do fine….especially for NBC, who produces the program in-house rather than buying an expensive and “dark” John Wells production for a hefty price tag.

Nikki Finke also reported that “Trauma” could be next to face the axe, with less than 6 million viewers. Barely surprising. And I also bet that the new JJ Abrams project, as well as a few other shows, will be fast-tracked for midseason, once all the drama slates are left vacant.

In conclusion, an interesting analysis from a NPR specialist.

Back in bold

A few NBC news stories surfaced today, such as the networking ordering Madagascar and Monsters vs. Aliens specials from DreamWorks Animation.

NBC will air its “Monsters” half-hour special on Oct. 28, with voices by Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland and Rainn Wilson. “Merry Madagascar” will air Nov. 17, with voices by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cedric The Entertainer, Carl Reiner and Andy Richter.

There was also this spec pilot by Felicity’s J.J. Abrams & Josh Reims which got sold to the highest bidder, the peacock. Reims is most known for his work on family-centered dramas such as Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money.
The still-untitled show sounds like a Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Series: Spy Edition. Indeed, it centers around two spies, husband and wife. Not much else is known though.

There’s also some business news with Comcast supposedly on the verge of acquiring NBC Universal, even though both parties are currently qualifying these “rumors” as “inaccurate.”

Chez FX, unsurprisingly both Terriers and Lights Out just got their 13-episode series orders.
We’ve already seen what both those series entailed, though if you have a short memory span, just know that the former, by Shawn Ryan and Ted Griffin, stars Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James as an ex-cop and his BFF hot-shot starting their own unlicensed PI business.
As for Lights Out:

[It centers] around a former heavyweight boxing champion with pugilistic dementia (a disorder slowly leading to complete memory loss) struggling to support his family, including his wife, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. The boxer is also forced to become a debt enforcer.
The pilot was co-written by The Bucket List’s Justin Zackham and Phillip Noyce and the show described as more family-centered à la Sopranos than The Shield.

Holt McCallany plays the leading man, Patrick “Lights” Leary.
Terriers and Lights Out are respectively scheduled for a summer and late 2010 premiere.
By picking up all of its six pilots this season, FX is trying to regain its lost momentum by introducing a new wave of original programming.

In other TV news, Melissa Joan Hart is returning to television (well, besides her dancing with the stars).
ABC Family has greenlit an untitled series by Bob Young & David Kendall, with Joseph Lawrence as a co-star. Joan Hart will play “Hailey, a political dynasty wild child-turned-politician who takes in her teenage niece and pre-adolescent nephew when her sister goes to prison and her brother-in-law flees. She turns for help to Jack (Lawrence), who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes the family’s many.”

There’s also Spider-Man/Milk/Pineapple Express’ James Franco who is joining for two months the ABC soap drama General Hospital.
What the hell is he doing on a soap? Perhaps the pot finally got to his head.
Also, I thought he was in college. Does he have that much free time? Or does he need money?
Quick, someone give him a loan or something!

And finally, some good news:
Christopher Nolan’s Inception will come out on July 16, 2010 in IMAX!
Hell yes.

This day in TV news

Alright, folks. So, since Lex is working on something special, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on recent TV developments.

As you may know, ABC has launched last week a new block of comedies, with really strong ratings and favorable reviews. At least, for the 2 that aired last week, and the ones ABC put the most marketing moolah on: “Modern Family” and “Cougar Town”, with Courteney Cox. But, as the remaining 2 premiere tonight, critics are less than favorable.

“Hank” and “The Middle” both star the leads of FOX cancelled sitcom of 2007-2008, “Back To You”: Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. Though it seems that “The Middle” is a carefully subtle rehash of “Malcolm in The Middle”, though with more Janitor, critics have it in for “Hank”, starring Grammer as a fired CEO who tries to bounce back.

As it stands, the show may very well suck, though it can still improve from the pilot, if the audience gives it some slack (and don’t tune out). But one baffling review came from Tim Goodman, from SF Gate:

What makes no sense about “Hank” – beyond the fact that it even exists – is that the sitcom is an old-school, multicamera affair with that intrusive laugh track. The three sitcoms that follow it are all single-camera comedies with no laugh track. “Hank” sticks out – and not in a good way.

OK, first of all, who put into the critics’ brain this moronic idea that multicamera sitcoms are “old-school”? Almost all of CBS comedy block are multicamera, and they are among the most-watched shows on network television. Moreover, with “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Big Bang Theory”, CBS makes the impossible weekly: attracting younger viewers every Monday. Now, Becky, 15, from Illinois, will rather watch Ted, Barney and Robin than Heroes season 4. And laugh track never was the matter. The matter should be whether the show is funny or not. If “Hank” has to stick out like a sore thumb out of ABC’s comedy block, it will be because it’s just not funny. Not because a so-called 1987 way of shooting a sitcom.

In other comedy news, BBC2 and Showtime announced a new partnership to produce a 6-episode series called “Episodes”. Apparently, it revolves around a couple of Brits whose comedy creation gets adapted for the American market. Behind it are David Crane (one of the creators of “Friends” and “The Class”) and one of the “Mad About You” producers. And it’s starring….Matt LeBlanc. Yup, Joey from “Friends” in a dumbed-down version of himself.

OK. There’s so much to process from this news, where do I get started.

1) So, what’s the idea for Showtime? Get its own version of “Entourage” or its own version of “Extras”? Hollywood satire can be plain boring. Or bland, as can attest the 6 seasons already produced of “Entourage”. (Just a personal opinion here.)

2)Out of all the “Friends”, you pass on Matthew “Motherfucking” Perry but settle for Matt LeBlanc? What is wrong with you?

3) In a weird case of art-imitating-life, no less than three UK sitcoms were adapted into American pilots in the past season: “The IT Crowd”, for NBC, with David Guarascio and Moses Port from “Aliens In America”…uh…fame?; “Absolutely Fabulous”, and “Spaced”, both for FOX. The latter two were welcomed with nails-on-chalkboard reactions from the original fans.

4)Will the show revolve around adapting a British settling into an American joke, with very different writing and boundaries? And if so, how is it a great idea?

5)Earlier this year, Showtime passed on ALL of its pilots in contention. And they decide to restart their development slate with THIS?!?

That’s all for today.