FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 5/14/18)
PBS: Royal Wedding Watch (Premiere) at 10pm
CBS: Superior Donuts (Finale) at 9pm
FOX: Lucifer (Finale) at 8pm
FOX: The Resident (Finale) at 9pm
SCIENCE: The Planets and Beyond (Finale) at 9pm
It’s been a busy few days, as broadcast nets announced pick-ups and cancellations – and in some cases, pick-ups of cancellations – in advance of this week’s final spate of Upfronts.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC came to the rescue of Brooklyn Nine-Nine hours after its cancellation by Fox. “Ever since we sold this show to Fox I’ve regretted letting it get away, and it’s high time it came back to its rightful home,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment. NBC sister studio Universal Television produces the Andy Samberg starrer, which got a13-episode season six order to launch midseason. Tweeted Seth Meyers of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine save and his fellow SNL alum, “Good news: Andy is back on NBC!!! Bad news: Andy has SO many unpaid NBC parking tickets!!!”
(Source: Cynopsis)
As for rumors that NBC is reviving its 2005-2013 hit The Office, during an Upfront call NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt wouldn’t say one way or the other – just that NBC would make an announcement when there is something to announce.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fan response also led to the pickup of Last Man Standing, canceled by ABC last year, by Fox. “Last Man Standing ended too soon and the outcry from the fans has been deafening,” said Gary Newman and Dana Walden, chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group. “We’ve wanted to put the show back together since its final taping a year ago, and Tim never gave up hope either.” Said Allen, “When I heard the offer to create more episodes of Last Man Standing, I did a fist pump so hard I threw my back out.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox’s cancellation of Lucifer caused a commotion on social media, with #SaveLucifer the #1 trending topic. Tweeted showrunner Joe Henderson to fans, “We created a season finale with a huge cliffhanger so that there was no way Fox could cancel us. Instead, we’re going to frustrate the hell out of you.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Last Man on Earth has also seen its last days on Fox, which canceled the Will Forte series after four seasons. Last Man averaged just under 2 million total viewers and .8 in the A18-49 demo this season. Animated series Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy will return (both are in production), for seasons nine and sixteen.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Workplace comedy Great News, exec produced by Tina Fey, was canceled by NBC after two seasons, while soft-rated high school musical drama Rise got the axe after one. The Blacklist was picked up for a 22-episode sixth season.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Shondaland dramas Station 19, For the People and How to Get Away With Murder were renewed for seasons two, two and five, respectively, at ABC. Also renewed at the alphabet net: comedies Fresh Off the Boat and black-ish for fifth seasons, American Housewife for a third, and newcomer Splitting Up Together for season two. Speechless was renewed for season three. “HA! Brilliant. Couldn’t be happier,” tweeted series star Minnie Driver. The comedy averaged a 1.1 rating and 4.3 million viewers this season.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Scratched from the ABC sked are Designated Survivor after two seasons and Quantico after three.
(Source: Cynopsis)
And ABC’s The Goldbergs spin-off has a name: Schooled. The comedy from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios will star Tim Meadows, Bryan Callen and AJ Michalka as teachers at the William Penn Academy.
(Source: Cynopsis)
iZombie is off the bubble – The CW’s undead drama was renewed for season five.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Kevin Can Wait was canceled by CBS after a second season that saw a ratings decline from the comedy’s strong debut. “I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world,” tweeted series star Kevin James. “Okay, maybe a season 3.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
CBS also canceled drama Scorpion after four seasons and comedy Superior Donuts after season two, but will bring back comedies Man With a Plan for season three and Life in Pieces for season four, as well as dramas Criminal Minds for a 14th season, Elementary for a seventh season and Instinct for a second. Franchise extender Celebrity Big Brother will also return, for its second outing. Freshman series 9JKL, Me, Myself & I, Living Biblically and Wisdom of the Crowd got official notice they will not make it to sophomore year.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Expanse will end with season three on Syfy. “Everyone at Syfy is a massive fan of the series, and this was an incredibly difficult decision,” said Chris McCumber, president, entertainment networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. The well-reviewed space drama is averaging 1 million total viewers and 400,000 among A18-49 in Live+3 ratings on the net, which only has first-run linear rights in the U.S. Alcon Television Group said it plans to look for a new home for the series.
(Source: Cynopsis)
TBS renewed The Detour, from Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, for season four. That gives the net a 100% renewal rate since rebranding in 2016.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Karen Carter of Tucson, Arizona, a self-proclaimed fan of Chopped, Cake Wars, and Barefoot Contessa, won the inaugural Food Network Fantasy Kitchen Giveaway. Carter’s name was randomly drawn from nearly 25 million entries to win $250,000 toward the kitchen of her dreams.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ABC picked up The Kids Are Alright, an ensemble comedy set in the 1970s centered on a traditional Irish-Catholic family, as well as dramas The Fix, from Marcia Clark, Whiskey Cavalier and Eva Longaria-produced Grand Hotel. Ensemble comedy Single Parents, from JJ Philbin and Liz Meriwether and 20th Century Fox Television, also made the cut.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CBS ordered four drama pilots to series, including the reboot of Magnum, P.I. starring Jay Hernandez as Magnum; God Friended Me, centered on an atheist “friended” by God on social media; The Red Line, starring Noah Wylie; and The Code, with the roles originally played by Dave Annable and Mira Sorvino recast. CBS also picked up comedy The Fam, starring Nina Dobrev as a woman whose life is upended by her train wrecks of a father and half-sister.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The CW ordered reboots of Charmed and Roswell (this time around named Roswell, New Mexico), as well as In the Dark, about a blind woman and her guide dog, supernatural drama Legacies, and All American, following young high school football player from South L.A. recruited to play for Beverly Hills High.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Opera singer Placido Domingo and Fulwell 73 are at work on remake of a Hungarian classical music format, Virtuosos, for the U.S. and UK. “I have been incredibly impressed by the talent discovered in Hungary alone and am sure this will be repeated in other countries as the format finds new audiences and new lovers of classical music, presented in a contemporary way,” said Domingo.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Kelly Clarkson will return for season 15 of NBC’s The Voice, along with fellow Voice alum Jennifer Hudson. They join perennial coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Season 14 continues tonight at 8p with live performances by the top 8.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The most memorable acts from series history will compete on NBC’s America’s Got Talent: The Champions, during a winter 2018-19 edition of the series that will include favorites from around the globe. The 13th summer season launches Tuesday, May 29 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
IFC Center announced a lineup for the second annual Split Screen Festival that includes conversations with Jeffrey Wright (Westworld); Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul); David Costabile (Billions); Jean Smart (Legion) and Thomas Haden Church (Divorce); and a post-finale debrief with The Americans showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields. Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) will pick up the Vanguard Award during the event, taking place May 30-June 3 in NYC.
(Source: Cynopsis)
NBC unveiled its fall schedule on Sunday. “Once again, we are coming into the season from a place of strength and stability, which makes us bullish about a scheduling strategy that delivers top-notch original programming not just in the fall, but year round,” said Robert Greenblatt. New drama Manifest landed Monday’s plum post-The Voice timeslot, and New Amsterdam will follow This Is Us on Tuesdays. Wednesday houses Dick Wolf Chicago procedurals – Med, Fire and P.D. – with Law & Order: SVU moving to Thursday at 10p. Comedy I Feel Bad is also set for Thursday, with a Will & Grace lead-in.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home premieres with a week of four new episodes Monday, June 25-Thursday, June 28 at 9:30a. Following debut week, new eps premiere Tuesday and Friday mornings.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ID’s Extreme Measures makes its debut Thursday, May 24 at 10p. Series follows victims’ loved ones going to extremes to help the police get justice.
(Source: Cynopsis)
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Avengers: Infinity War – $61.8 million
Life Of The Party – $18.5 million
Breaking In – $16.5 million
Overboard – $10.1 million
A Quiet Place – $6.4 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
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