*** Television Winter 2010 ***

[CourtasanSatine]

Anything for Doctor Who beyond Tennant's last 2 epsiodes?

 

[bicker]

In the UK, the end of Tennant's run is a very big deal, and so the production company and network are making the most of it. I think they're downplaying the "what comes next" news (though they are responding to direct questions, of course, in interviews), at this point, so it doesn't distract from the hoopla, and so that they can make a big splash, afterward, when they start talking more about the Matt Smith episodes.

They have been filming episodes, so we know they'll be broadcast (at least in the UK) in 2010 (because they wouldn't sit on them too long regardless).

 

[bicker]

Updates this morning... they've announced the start dates for Survivor and The Amazing Race, and announced that they're going to burn-off Scrubs and Better Off Ted before Lost returns, and then Lost encores will fill the 8PM time slot before Lost's new episodes.

There is also a new reality show listed for CBS: Undercover Boss.

Also added the start date for the apocalyptic BBC America drama Survivors.

 

[bicker]

Saturday, January 2
Season Finale of Doctor Who (BBC America)
Series Premiere of Demons (BBC America)


Next week:
Finales of Football Night in America, Sunday Night Football,
Premieres of Durham County, The Bachelor, Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, The Biggest Loser, Life After People, Nip/Tuck
Syndication Premiere of Supernatural, Goode Family

 

[torinsmom]

I am excited for Day One! When we were at Universal this summer, we were able to view the pilot, green screens and all. It was really good, and both DS15 and I said we will watch it when it comes out. It was supposed to start in fall, but looks like it will start in late winter or early spring.

 

[bicker]

Genre series, like Day One ("V", Dollhouse, Virtuality, Defying Gravity, Kings, Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Moonlight, The Middleman, New Amsterdam, Day Break, Jericho, Invasion) really have had a very hard time justifying the resources that have been directed toward producing, promoting and presenting them.

The sheer volume of such shows, over the past few years, is actually interesting, because throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, such shows were few-and-far-between. For example, in the Fall 1992 schedule, the only shows that would qualify were The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and Quantum Leap (and maybe Dinosaurs). By comparison, this past fall offered Heroes, V, Eastwick, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward, Supernatural, Smallville, Fringe, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, and Dollhouse.

Perhaps the market for such shows simply was never as big as some thought, or the market for such shows has radically compressed in recent years. Or... perhaps the folks who are attracted to shows like that are among the lesser valuable viewers -- folks who either are technically-inclined enough to skip commercials, or are perhaps supicious of advertising more so than the average person, either way resulting in the their eyes ending up offering much less value to advertisers.

Day One will eventually be broadcast, as a four hour mini-series. Who knows? Maybe it will be lucky enough to attract enough viewers to get picked up for a series of episodes after the mini-series. I hope so. I think, though, that the next few years are going to see a correction, with regard to genre programming. Perhaps cable will keep us flush with enough to feed our interest (none of the shows I listed above were cable programs). Given that "genre programming" generally includes science fiction, fantasy, and historical dramas, we've seen that premium cable is willing to feed the dragon (pardon the pun), with The Tudors, Deadwood, and Rome; not to mention True Blood, and Six Feet Under. And, of course, there is Syfy, offering three Stargate series, Battlestar Galactica and its sequel Caprica, Sanctuary, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Tin Man, Alice, etc.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

So Heores isn't done when Chuck begins??? Oh Merry Christmas to ME!!!!!

I love Chuck but wasn't ready to give up Heores. I know it's totally dropped from favor but it remains my favorite show and was really bummed that it would be ending in January.

I didn't look close enough to see if you mentioned this (I was too excited about Heroes!), but I was at the movies today and Regal Cinemas always does that "First Look" thing before the previews starts.... they did a feature on Southland, which has been picked up by TNT. I never watched it, but I know it had a loyal fan base, so I'm happy for those who will be able to keep watching it

 

[chirurgeon]

Bicker, do you have any word on the return of Eureka on SyFy? And could Jaime Ray Newman be coming back since Eastwick appears to be biting the dust?

TIA,
Kim

 

[bicker]

So Heores isn't done when Chuck begins???

The season premiere of Chuck is January 10. The season finale of Heroes is on February 8, right before the Winter Olympic Games take over NBC for three weeks.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

That makes me so irrationally happy

 

[bicker]

Bicker, do you have any word on the return of Eureka on SyFy? And could Jaime Ray Newman be coming back since Eastwick appears to be biting the dust?

Yes. And no.

Yes: Eureka returns this summer, 22 episodes.

No: Newman is available, as you pointed out, but there is no word on any possible return for her to Eureka.

 

[gometros]

More of an end of 2009 question, but when we came back frmo a cruise in the beginning of December, I noticed that there were new episodes of The Closer. I thought I missed just one while we were away, then all of a sudden they were showing the season finale. Did I miss more episodes than I thought?

 

[bicker]

TNT reserved three episodes of Season 5 of The Closer (most of which was broadcast this past summer) for presentation in December. So if you saw three episodes, then you've seen them all.

 

[gometros]

TNT reserved three episodes of Season 5 of The Closer (most of which was broadcast this past summer) for presentation in December. So if you saw three episodes, then you've seen them all.

Thanks, bicker. That's what I was hoping.

 

[bicker]

Sunday, January 3
Season Finale of Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football (NBC)
Season Premiere of Duham County (ION)
Season Premiere of Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)

Monday, January 4
Premiere of Supernatural in Syndication (TNT)
Season Premiere of Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Season Premiere of The Bachelor (ABC)
Return of Heroes (NBC)
Winter Premiere of Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family)
Winter Premiere of Make It or Break It (ABC Family)

Tuesday, January 5
Season Premiere of The Biggest Loser (NBC)
Season Premiere of Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America)
Series Premiere of Wild Recon (Animal Planet)
Season Premiere of Life After People (History)
Series Premiere of Maneaters (Animal Planet)

Wednesday, January 6
Season Premiere of Nip/Tuck (FX)
Return of Ugly Betty (ABC)

Friday, January 8
Return of Shark Tank (ABC)


Next Week:
Simpsons special
Battlestar Galactica movie
Season Premieres of Big Love, Chuck, Masterpiece, Iron Chef America, Madhouse, Anthony Bourdain, Diners Drive-Ins & Dives, Fantasia for Real, American Idol, Leverage, Our Little Genius, Monsterquest, Ace of Cakes, Archer, Manhunters, Project Runway, Models of the Runway
Season Finale of Sanctuary

 

[bicker]

Saturday, January 2
Season Finale of Doctor Who (BBC America)
Series Premiere of Demons (BBC America)

We caught the premiere of Demons after Doctor Who. Many of the bloggers on the web were bad-mouthing the show, but I think they're way off-target. It is on-par with Primeval.

I think sometimes some folks insist on trying to take things too seriously, but this is television -- it's supposed to be entertaining, that's all. Anyway, if you are so inclined, check out Demons on BBC America.

 

[bicker]

Sunday, January 10
Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special (Fox)
Season Premiere of Ax Men (History)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Syfy)
Season Premiere of Big Love (HBO)
Season Premiere of Chuck (NBC)
Season Premiere of Iron Chef (Food)
Season Premiere of Masterpiece (PBS)
Season Premiere of Madhouse (History)

Monday, January 11
Season Premiere of Anthony Bourdain (Travel)
Season Premiere of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Food)
Series Premiere of Fantasia for Real (VH1)

Tuesday, January 12
Season Premiere of American Idol (Fox)
Syndicated Premiere of Southland (TNT)

Wednesday, January 13
Season Premiere of Monsterquest (History)
Winter Premiere of Leverage (TNT)
Series Premiere of Solving History (Discovery)

Thursday, January 14
Series Premiere of Archer (FX)
Season Premiere of Ace of Cakes (Food)
Season Premiere of Manhunters (A&E)
Season Premiere of Project Runway (Lifetime)
Season Premiere of Modes of the Runway (Lifetime)

Friday, January 15
Full Season marathon including Season Finale of Sanctuary (Syfy)
Season Premiere of The Singing Bee (CMT)


Next Week:
Premieres: Human Target, 24, Life Unexpected, White Collar, The Deep End, Burn Notice, Caprica, Spartacus: Blood & Sand
Finales: The Jacksons, Dollhouse

 

[bicker]

Updated some of the first few messages in this thread, separating out the descriptions of the new shows for this winter, from what's coming this spring or summer.

 

[bicker]

The week of January 24 is shaping up to be a week of reruns and pre-emptions, as the networks try to figure out how they'll arrange 22 episodes across 39 weeks, this time around. Just among the shows I record:

1/24/2010 Brothers and Sisters (preempted)
1/24/2010 Desperate Housewives (rerun)
1/24/2010 Simpsons (preempted)
1/25/2010 How I Met Your Mother (rerun)
1/25/2010 Accidentally On Purpose (rerun)
1/26/2010 Good Wife (rerun)
1/26/2010 NCIS (rerun)
1/26/2010 NCIS: Los Angeles (rerun)
1/27/2010 Mercy (rerun)
1/28/2010 Grey's Anatomy (rerun)
1/28/2010 Mentalist (rerun)
1/28/2010 Private Practice (rerun)
1/29/2010 Medium (rerun)
1/29/2010 Numb3rs (rerun)
1/29/2010 Smallville (rerun)

Among other shows, I can't really see preeptions, but I do see reruns:

1/24/2010 America's Funnies Home Videos (rerun)
1/24/2010 Cold Case (rerun)
1/24/2010 CSI: Miami (rerun)
1/25/2010 Two and a Half Men (rerun)
1/25/2010 Big Bang Theory (rerun)
1/25/2010 CSI: Miami (rerun)
1/27/2010 Old Christine (rerun)
1/27/2010 Gary Unmarried (rerun)
1/27/2010 Criminal Minds (rerun)
1/27/2010 Gossip Girl (rerun)
1/27/2010 L&O: SVU (rerun)
1/27/2010 CSI: NY (rerun)
1/28/2010 Community (rerun)
1/28/2010 Parks & Recreation (rerun)
1/28/2010 CSI (rerun)
1/28/2010 The Office (rerun)
1/28/2010 30 Rock (rerun)
1/29/2010 Ghost Whisperer (rerun)

This will resemble the second half of February, when we can also expect loads of reruns (and for NBC, preemptions) during the Olympic Games.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Wow, thank you for the list of all the premieres- that is awesome! As a TV addict I fully appreciated this!