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‘Modern Family’ & ‘Hawaii Five-0′ Top DVR Ratings; ‘Supernatural’ & ‘Fringe’ Gain

Michael Crider — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:50:50 +0000

Television’s busiest number-crunchers at TV by the Numbers have released their list of the most-recorded shows in America, with ABC’s Modern Family leading the pack. Shows like House, The Event and Supernatural got a significant bump in addition to first-run ratings.

Recorded episodes are making up a bigger and bigger chunk of the television audience, and the trend has been consistent for the 2010-1011 season.

For example, Modern Family scored an average of 11.2 million viewers for every live episode, plus 3.5 million DVR viewers – a whopping 31% increase.

The landscape of television continues to shift as more and more homes are equipped with place-shifting DVRs. While most of the shows in the top 20 aren’t in serious danger of cancellation, the ratings bump from DVR viewers in ...

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‘NCIS’ Season 8 Finale Review & Discussion

Michael Crider — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:42:02 +0000

The eight season of CBS’ Navy cop show NCIS concludes tonight. Does the season finale “Pyramid” live up to those of past years?

NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service has been following an uncharacteristically intense multi-episode arc as of late. It centers around the infamous “Port to Port” serial killer, who the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has been looking into for the last four episodes. The CIA, via Ziva’s boyfriend Agent Ray Cruz (Enrique Murciano), is also assisting in the investigation. E.J. Barret (Sarah Jane Morris, Brothers & Sisters) is a guest field agent who’s been tracking the killer for months.

Considering this is the finale review, expect spoilers for ‘NCIS’ Season 8 as well as the finale. Read on at your own risk.

At the conclusion of last week’s episode, we learned the identity of the Port to Port ...

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‘NCIS’ Creator Bellisario Sues CBS Over ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’

Kevin Yeoman — Sun, 01 May 2011 02:43:30 +0000

The venerable collaboration between television hit-maker Donald P. Bellisario and CBS TV Studios may be over after Bellisario filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit regarding his lack of involvement in, and subsequent compensation for, NCIS: Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuit, NCIS: Los Angeles, the offshoot of Bellisario’s creation, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, falls under his contract with CBS TV Studios, which stipulates the creator has the first rights to any sequels or spin-offs and that he would be afforded the opportunity “to participate creatively and economically in the creation of such programs.”

Bellisario is making the case that since he first created JAG, which would later spawn NCIS, he would have to be considered the defacto creator of NCIS: Los Angeles because “the show scrupulously replicates that which has made ...

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2011 TV Season Finale Schedule

Anthony Ocasio — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:39:22 +0000

Ready your DVR and replace the batteries in your remote (and, no, switching them around doesn’t count), because it’s that time of year again – to say goodbye to many of your favorite television shows.

While most, if not all, of your favorites shows will be returning this fall, there happens to be a select few series that are signing off for good – even if they’re not yet aware of it. The most notable television show coming to an end this year is Smallville. After 10 years on the air, fans will finally see Clark Kent embrace his destiny and become Superman.

Even though Smallville isn’t the only series coming to an end, it is one of the only shows to have officially scheduled its series finale. As many other series finales ...

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Mark Harmon to Star in ‘Certain Prey’ for USA

Kevin Yeoman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:09:08 +0000

Mark Harmon, star of television’s highest rated program, will be stepping out briefly to headline a new two-hour movie, Certain Prey, for USA Network.

The NCIS star has signed on for the network’s first original movie since the 2005 flick Three Wise Guys. In Certain Prey, Harmon will play Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Lucas Davenport, who is on the trail of a hit-woman, all the while being hunted himself by a crazed killer. Certain Prey is the tenth book in a series of Lucas Davenport-led Prey novels by author John Sanford.

The script for Certain Prey was written by Chris Gerolmo (Citizen X, Mississippi Burning), and will be produced by Harmon, Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein. Harmon’s role as producer and star is no doubt a suitable perk linked to his recent resigning with his top-rated CBS drama ...

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TV Ratings: ‘NCIS’ Ties ‘Glee’; ‘No Ordinary Family’ & ‘V’ In Trouble [Updated]

Michael Crider — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:03:46 +0000

[ UPDATE: Fox reached out to us and provided updated Nielsen ratings where it shows that NCIS & Glee actually tied each other in the 18-49 demo.]

CBS won Tuesday night’s ratings race as usual, but the long-running NCIS beat tied Glee in the all-important 18-49 demographic – something that hasn’t happened in quite some time. Additionally, science fiction shows No Ordinary Family and V are floundering on ABC.

The NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service and NCIS: Los Angeles lineup is a hard one to beat in overall numbers. The original show has averaged 20 million viewers a week for its eighth season, while its western cousin has averaged 16.5 in its second.

But the most impressive number from Tuesday isn’t the totals, it’s the 18-49 demographic. The Navy-themed cop show ...

Click to continue reading TV Ratings: ‘NCIS’ Ties ‘Glee’; ‘No Ordinary Family’ & ‘V’ In Trouble [Updated]

Mark Harmon Signs For More ‘NCIS’

Kevin Yeoman — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:43:29 +0000

There will be no long, drawn out negotiations for NCIS star Mark Harmon. With his current deal set to expire in May, the actor has made many a television fan happy with his new two-year agreement that will guarantee a ninth (and probably tenth) season for CBS’ top-rated show.

Not long ago, the expiration of Harmon’s current contract and the subsequent questions surrounding the future of NCIS were the topic of much discussion. CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler addressed those concerns by saying, “We are very confident Mark will continue on with the show. He’s very happy, and we’re thrilled to have him.”

As it turns out, Tassler’s statement couldn’t have been more accurate. Given the ratings success NCIS has been for CBS, Harmon could easily have pulled his own version of LeBron James’ The Decision. However, instead of turning ...

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2011 People’s Choice Awards Winners

Anthony Ocasio — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:45:07 +0000

For 37 years, the People’s Choice Awards has been celebrating the fan favorites in film, television and music. In preparation for tonight’s awards ceremony, over 35 million votes were cast by the American public in hopes that their favorite film, television series, actor or musician will take home this coveted award.

For the second year in a row, the multifaceted Queen Latifah will be serving as host of this fanatical gala. With over 43 separate categories having to fit within the given timeslot, something tells me that Queen Latifah is going to be forced to move things along at a swift pace in order to fit each category within the 2-hour time-limit.

Fortunately, no matter what happens, Screen Rant will here with as many of our writers as possible to participate in a live chat of the People’s ...

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Complete Guide To 2010 TV Season/Series Finales

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:14:44 +0000

It’s that time of the year when we must once again bid adieu, albeit temporarily (except for Lost, which is gone forever), to our favorite television shows. Over the next four weeks, over 60 shows will be on hiatus until this fall.

While that means your summer viewing schedule will be completely open, you better get your DVR’s ready, because the month of May is going test your television watching ability.

Luckily, Entertainment Weekly has helped put some order to all this television madness by putting together a comprehensive list of all the upcoming season/series finales.

Check out the list below to see when your favorite TV show finale airs. While you’re at it, you better check it twice because there are many overlapping finales. For instance, the two-hour series finale of Lost is on at the same time ...

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Complete List Of Winter Premiere & Return Dates

Anthony Ocasio — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:57:18 +0000

As we all know holidays can be hectic and the last thing you want to worry about is when your favorite TV show is coming back on the air. So, to make sure you’re not left in the dark (like with Fringe and the World Series), we’ve broke it down – geek style – and put together a handy list of Winter premiere and return dates.

The list is organized by network, so all you have to know is where you’ve seen your favorite shows before and you should be able to find them again pretty easily (we made it nice and alphabetical for ya!)

ABC
Better Off Ted (ABC), 9:30 p.m. – Tuesday, Dec. 8
Grey’s Anatomy returns (ABC), 9 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
Lost (ABC), 9 p.m. – Tuesday, Feb. 2
Private Practice returns ...

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Ratings For The Week Ending September 13

Bruce Simmons — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:40:43 +0000

Since the Fall TV season has kicked off with new series starting up, I thought I’d start paying attention again – but the numbers were rather disappointing for the week ending September 13th.

Football dominated the top 25 in ratings, taking spot numbers 1-4, 6 & 11.

Glee premiered at 18th with 7.5 million estimated viewers.

The highest ranked scripted drama in the top 25 was a repeat of NCIS on CBS. It landed 8th in the list with 11.2 million estimated viewers.

What were the top 7 shows? All I’m going to say is that the “reality” of the ratings charts can be rather sobering.

Source: TV By The Numbers

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Netflix Alert: Some Shows Are Leaving The Service

Bruce Simmons — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:12:35 +0000

I know quite a few folks that enjoy their Netflix subscription. I know a few who swear by it. Yet they might want to start rethinking their allegiance, from what I’m seeing today.

It looks like NBC shows are being pulled from the Netflix schedule, and if your guess is as good as anyone’s guess, it could be due to Hulu’s push to generate income via their ad supported traffic scheme as more shows are headed there.

The shows that have been noted as disappearing are 30 Rock, Heroes and the newer Office episodes.

We’ll also be seeing some CBS content sliding off the Netflix schedule but for the moment, NCIS looks to be sticking around.

I wonder if Disney’s bucketload of money is behind this when they invested in the service? In what I’m seeing, ABC and NBC nets have the most ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – August 13th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:31:26 +0000

In today’s Weekly TV Wrap Up, we’re going to talk about Fringe realities, Supernatural & Smallville news & True Blood setting records.

We’re then going to touch on some news from Fox’s House, and wrap things up with an NCIS tidbit and some more summer time ratings.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

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Fringe

Despite the possibility of there being multiple realities, the showrunners for Fringe are only going to torment the viewers with one alternate reality at a time. Thank god. I have enough trouble with my own reality as it is!

As they put it, there’s “over here” and the alternate reality referred to as “over there,” where William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) lives.

The upcoming season will take place mostly “over here,” but what occurs “over there” will have a great impact on what ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – July 16th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:24:54 +0000

In this weeks TV Wrap Up, I’ve found casting news about Stargate Universe, Supernatural, Psych, Friday Night Lights, Smallville, Criminal Minds and Stephen King’s book-turned-tv-series, Cell!

As usual, I have a ratings recap at the bottom, but it’s the Summer Lite edition being as how we’re in repeat mode for the Summer (except for the reality drabble that is intertwined throughout the chart).

Let’s “git ‘er done“, shall we?

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Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe is looking to cast a “name actress” to play the wife of Robert Carlyle’s character.

These will be flashback scenes since she will be dead by the time we see her.

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Supernatural

The CW’s Supernatural is adding a recurring role of a possessed mechanic named Raphael. He’s supposedly going to be possessed by one of the ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – July 9th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:03:35 +0000

Today’s Weekly TV Wrap Up covers information about ABC on Hulu, a new developing tidbit on Smallville, NCIS casting bits, CSI Miami does time travel and some Lie To Me & The Mentalist casting news.

We also have a trailer for season 2 of Sons Of Anarchy, a bit about David Tennant’s next acting role and some information on 2 new shows coming at us, The Forgotten and Gravity.

There’s also a bit of a change up to the Ratings table this week. I apologize ahead of time.

ABC on Hulu

Now that Walt Disney has become an equity partner with Hulu.com, we are going to start to see ABC projects showing up on the online video site.

Grey’s Anatomy was the first and will be followed by Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, I Survived a Japanese Game Show and Superstars.

I thought I ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – June 25, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:48:12 +0000

Welcome to my weekly TV Wrap Up.

This week we’re chatting about the NCIS cast, Chuck season 3 insights, a bit of Fringe cast news and I ask a question about a character from Lost. I’m also going to touch on yet another alien invasion show from TNT. Also have some details on the DVD / Blu-ray release of season one of Lie To Me.

I wrap it up with my usual look at how shows did in the ratings from last week.

Let’s get on with it.

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NCIS Spin-off Adds Cast

Linda Hunt will be joining the cast of the NCIS spin-off as a hard-nosed former film industry technician who oversees the “backroom” support staff.

Of note, Louise Lombard was let go from the staff, as the cast seems to be constantly evolving.

Is it me, or will we have a hard time getting past the ‘ghosts’ from ...

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2009 CBS Fall TV Line Up: No ‘Eleventh Hour’

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:20:47 +0000

With the CBS 2009 season, we have a few favorites coming back, a show that changed networks and night and a huge gamble that paid out less than the California lottery.

The shows that got the digital advertisers ax were Eleventh Hour, Harper’s Island, The Unit, Without a Trace and Worst Week.

I’m bummed The Unit was cut and surprised by Harper’s Island lack of viewers. Harper’s was well written compared to some but I guess viewers just don’t have the patience for murder-mystery dramas. I have to admit, my first reaction was flat to the idea but I gave it a chance, got hooked and now, got disappointed. Grr.

One of the most expensive television shows ever produced,
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Weekly TV Update – March 27th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:20:38 +0000

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, the digital dog ate my homework. Or, I had to write this article twice! The digital dog just sounds more light-hearted than what the second line implies. Enough about my woes with technological gremlins.

There wasn’t a ton of news to report or snark on this week, so I had to dig up enough to make this yet another interesting read. Well, at least I think it is! I do have a few snippets that might be spoilers for The Office (Guest appearance) and Lost (Possible finale shoot notes).

Shall we get on with it?

Big Reminder:

The DVD movie, Stargate Ark of Truth will be on Friday night on The Sci-Fi Channel! Don’t forget!

Viewer Numbers From Last Week

As of Wednesday, these are some of the viewer estimates from some shows we like, and some we think you may follow.

The top ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – March 12th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:39:34 +0000

So what’s happening this week with some of our favorite television shows? I’ll fill you in on the vaporizing ratings for Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and others. I touch on some Supernatural & NCIS casting news and a season ending story development. I then sprinkle some CSI:NY bits and round it out with some Lily cast updates.

Let’s check it out.

Ratings Notes

A sad ratings note: The completely non-advertising supported set of repeats of Jericho on The CW scored a 0 in ratings. A zero. Of course they are Nielsen families, so that means none of them made any sense of it the first time around and they don’t want to deal with it a 2nd time.

Though it hasn’t been officially announced, inside sources are saying Heroes will be renewed for another 18-20 episodes next season.

Knight Rider, on the ...

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Weekly TV Wrap Up – February 19th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:02:07 +0000

As we all know, ratings weren’t too hot for Dollhouse and Sarah Connor Chronicles. Dollhouse did better than expected, while The Sarah Connor Chronicles did suffer the consequences of the dreaded Friday night time slot. That’s an ouch. But I also touch a little on what I saw on Battlestar Galactica, have a bit of Smallville cast news and more cast has been hired for the NCIS spin-off that everyone waiting for. And a few other tidbits & dribbles along the way.

Dollhouse

I think we need to chalk up ratings to a very narrowly focused group of people. With the blinders on, the advertisers trust in them pretty blindly considering how the viewing technology has changed. Why am I yet again (like I always seem to do), bashing the ratings system? Because even though Dollhouse underperformed in its Friday ...

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