This Week in TV:
Judge Judy gets renewed through 2017; Anna Camp returns as Sarah Newlin to True Blood for season 6; Syfy announces a new plane crash drama pilot; AMC unveils an updated logo, tagline and orders unscripted pilot Geek Out.
This week, CBS Television Distribution inked a new deal with Judge Judy Sheindlin that will have her presiding over TV daytime cases until 2017. The new contract will ensure that Judge Judy reaches its 21st season.
The renewal is not a shock considering Judge Judy, even in its 17th season, continues to draw an average of 9+ million viewers daily, which is more than any other show on daytime television. Even with other court shows cropping up in past years, Judy has continued to dominate, as her show has spent the entirety of its run - an amazing streak of 860 consecutive weeks - as the number one rated half-hour syndicated court show on TV.
Needless to say, CBS has been thrilled with the show's impressive run and as long as daytime viewers continue to tune in to see Judge Judy's rulings, we can reasonably expect she'll be presiding over daytime television for years beyond her current deal.
Source: THR
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With True Blood season 6 returning to HBO this summer, we are learning that Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp) will be returning as well.
Camp's character is set to return for a guest spot in season 6, but judging by how much has changed since we saw Sarah last, she may be busy enough to warrant a recurring role in the upcoming season. Now that Sarah's ex-husband Steve - the former leader of the anti-vampire church Fellowship of the Sun - has come out as a gay man and vampire, it may be Sarah's turn to finally take over the reigns of the organization.
Though we're not exactly sure what role Sarah will play in season 6, we do know that the mysterious vampire Warlow will have a major impact on the proceedings and that the season itself will be condensed to 10 episodes for what creator Alan Ball called "economic" reasons. Nevertheless, with so much yet to be revealed, there's no question that series fans are eagerly awaiting the show's return.
Be sure to catch True Blood's season 6 premiere on June 16 on HBO.
Source: TV Line
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The Syfy network has ordered an untitled drama pilot from television writer Alfonso H. Moreno (NCIS).
Moreno's spec pilot begins with a meteorite striking a plane and centers on the only two survivors of the resulting crash, who awake with no memory of their actions. While on the run from the government, the two must then figure out what happened and prove their innocence.
While somewhat intriguing, the pilot's premise combines several familiar story elements - including main characters suffering from amnesia and the inciting incident of a plane crash - while adding the twist of the meteor. Since it's being developed by Syfy, we can imagine there may be some otherworldly explanations for the events that occur.
We'll have to wait and see what the network thinks about the pilot episode and we'll let you know if Moreno's project receives a series order.
Source: Deadline
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Known for its critically-acclaimed dramas, AMC is rebranding with a new logo and tagline in an attempt to set it further apart from its cable network competitors.
The network unveiled its new facelift during The Walking Dead's season 3 finale, replacing the old "Story Matters Here" tag with "Something More". It also added a shiny gold box to the logo to signify "premium quality" and "popular appeal".
Here's what execs had to say about the change:
"AMC: Something More further refines our focus on- and off-air and speaks to our promise to viewers to provide an experience that is unexpected, unconventional and uncompromising,” AMC marketing vp Linda Schupack said in a statement. "However we express the brand, we want to give our audience something deeper, something richer, something more."
Few are questioning the quality of AMC's programming, but with Breaking Bad coming to a close this year and with Mad Men ending after season 7, the network will have to continue to engage audiences with fresh ideas.
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Speaking of fresh ideas, AMC has ordered unscripted pilot Geek Out from Fanboys writer Ernest Cline.
Cline will co-host the show, which will bring on a special super-fan guest each episode to discuss that fan's particular obsession, whether it be comics, a television series, a film series, video game, or other pop culture fascination. As the network explained this week, the show aims to celebrate fandom and geek culture, while rewarding each guest with an unforgettable surprise moment tied to their passion.
"Geek Out is really a wish-fulfillment show that features touching stories with stakes so real to the person involved that the audience will become engrossed in their journey and want to see their dream come true," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's executive vice president of original programming, production and digital content.
The network is currently casting a co-host for Cline and although there's no guarantee Geek Out will be ordered to a series, we here at Screen Rant definitely hope it happens.
Source: THR