by Kennedy Ryan Garry Marshall, legendary TV and film producer and writer known for
shows such as “Mork and Mindy,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,”
as well as films including, “Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries,”
“Beaches” and “Runaway Bride,” died Tuesday in Burbank at the age of 81,
his representatives said. Marshall died at 5 p.m. from complications of pneumonia following a stroke, according to a statement released by his publicist. “He loved telling stories, making people laugh and playing softball,” the statement read. The New York native was born Garry Kent Maschiarelli on Nov. 13, 1934, according to IMDB. Marshall’s sister, actress and director Penny Marshall, starred as Laverne DeFazio in “Laverne & Shirley.” Other well-known TV shows Garry Marshall worked on included “Angie,”
“Love, American Style,”
“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Odd Couple” and
“Gomer Pyle: USMC.” Funeral services for Marshall will be private, but a memorial was
being planned for his birthday on November 13, according to the
statement. Instead of flowers, the family was requesting donations be made in
Garry Marshall’s name to The Saban Community Clinic, formerly known as
the Los Angeles Free Clinic, The Intensive Care Unit at Providence St.
Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank and the Northwestern University
Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.
When you run The New York Times, you immediately have enormous influence. When the Times becomes as political as it has in recent years, you also become one of the biggest political players in the country. Dean Baquet, the Pulitzer-prize winning Executive Editor for the paper, has been weathering stormy political seas regarding everything from coverage of Hillary Clinton to Israel. His decision not to reprint the Charlie Hebdocartoons depicting the prophet
Muhammad created a national controversy and despite the lofty perch of
the Executive Editor title, Baquet can still take the gloves off. This
year he called a USC Professor on Facebook an “asshole” in a vigorous, and very public, debate on that very decision. [image via screengrab]
#4 – Matt Drudge
Matt Drudge is probably the person
on this list that our readers personally know the least about, and
that’s likely more than fine for the long time conservative-leaning news
aggregator whose wildly successful Drudge Report continues to have a
large-scale impact on American politics and media. Aside from the rare appearance at something like a Republican debate,
Drudge goes largely unseen, but his impact on national politics remains
undeniable. A story just becoming a Drudge headline often becomes news
in and of itself. It is still safe to say that almost everyone in media
checks Drudge at some point. By all accounts, Drudge seemed to also have
originated that whole bizarre Leo-DiCaprio-got-raped-by-a-bear-in-The-Revenantrumor that basically broke the internet for a while so if THAT doesn’t scream influence than we really don’t know what does. [image via Twitter]
#3 – Jeff Zucker
It’s got to be sweet justice for Jeff Zucker
to see his success and influence skyrocket after a not-so-sweet
separation from his long time employer NBC Universal. CNN suddenly finds
itself in a comfortable second place in all of cable news after
surpassing a beleaguered MSNBC, and primed to be a major a player as any
for the 2016 presidential election. With their debates and political
coverage bringing in record numbers, it is hard not to singularly credit
Jeff Zucker for that incredible turnaround. CNN has shown the most growth of any cable news network under his tenure and even its morning show now has surpassed MSNBC’s Morning Joe. To his credit, Zucker also managed to fire off a pretty good retort to the Bernie Sanders claim that the Senator could do a better job as CNN President. [image via CNN]
#2 – Chuck Todd
By sheer virtue of the fact that arguably no one is on television more to discuss politics than Chuck Todd,
he is close to the top of our list of the most influential in political
media. In addition to weekly hosting duties for the venerable Meet The Press, Todd makes appearances all over MSNBC and NBC News almost every day to discuss the latest from the campaign trails and the 2016 election. In September the network announced that Todd would also host MTP Daily,
providing a sort of Beltway nerdism that makes the day’s important
stories both enjoyable but also insanely informative. Todd is no
exception to many on this list who show equal-opportunity-grilling chops
and is respected on both sides of the political aisle. He has had several well-recorded run-ins with Donald Trump this year, and also grew visibly frustrated with Obama-appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch recently. [image via screengrab]
#1 – Roger Ailes
Undisputed top dog for our list? Roger Ailes.
Again. The Chairman and CEO oversees the Fox News machine that
continues to dominate cable news viewership and has remained arguably
the most important channel for conservative viewers. The boss has found
himself in the somewhat public position of discussing (debating?) the network’s coverage with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump this year, and Ailes even had to angle himself in the feud between Trump and Fox favoriteMegyn Kelly. While some may argue that cable ratings aren’t as dominating as they once were, Fox News is still a powerhouse––they end 2015 as the second-most-watched basic cable network in primetime and third-most in total-day viewership––and Roger Ailes is still
firmly the massively successful force behind it. He remains the most
influential person in political news media today. [image via Fox News]
“We are trying to be the light in the darkness of Hollywood,” says
Chloe Sebest, 14, at a seminar hosted by Actors, Models & Talent for
Christ. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
They are aspiring actors, models and
singers of all ages and backgrounds, and they've gathered at the
DoubleTree hotel in Orange for an intensive weekend of show business
training.
But first, they will pray.
"Heavenly father, we thank you God for bringing us all here today,"
said group leader John Montes, as some of the 43 participants closed
their eyes and raised their hands. "Let us become one, and let us
understand, God, that we are here for a bigger purpose than ourselves."
As people scramble to find ways into Hollywood, they
are increasingly looking for an edge. This has helped spur a cottage
industry of academies, workshops and conventions that promise actors
insider knowledge.
And it's not just acting. There are seminars on
directing, screenwriting, editing, makeup — name the craft, and there
is a program for it. The groups that put on the events can usually point
to a few success stories, but industry experts caution that talent,
luck and persistence are the key ingredients for making it in Hollywood.
"I
think a lot of the instruction some of these entities offer can be
rather dubious," said Zino Macaluso, an executive with SAG-AFTRA, the
actors union. "If anyone is asking you, in a high-pressure environment,
to take out a checkbook and write a four-figure check for some future
benefit that may or may not come to fruition, we would urge you to
proceed with extreme caution."
The
weekend talent seminar at the DoubleTree seeks to set itself apart in
two ways. One, it's aimed at Christians. Two, it's run by a nonprofit
group — Actors, Models & Talent for Christ, based in Atlanta. The
group contends that film, TV and pop music have an outsize influence on
the culture, and that Christians need to be full participants.
"There
is no better way to go out to all the world than through media and the
entertainment industry. ... It's where all the role models are at," said
AMTC Executive Director Adam She. "[Hollywood] is a mere reflection of
the world it portrays. The darkness is not just [in] Hollywood. It's the
whole world."
Over the course of the weekend, AMTC trainees will
learn some show business basics, including how to read lines in an
audition and how to walk down the runway.
While some training
seminars have gotten a bad rap for trading in outdated information, She
pointed to several AMTC graduates who have found success in Hollywood,
including T.C. Stallings and Ben Davies. Both appeared in this year's
Christian drama
"War Room" from TriStar Pictures, which grossed about
$67 million against a budget of about $3 million.
AMTC has its
roots in a secular talent search company, which was known by several
names, including American Model and Talent Convention. In 2010, a few
years after owner Carey Lewis became a religious Christian, the company
changed its name to Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.
It
became a nonprofit in 2012, and since summer of that year more than
4,000 people have gone through the program. It employs about 30 people
full time and uses about 100 part-time instructors who work with the
performers.
She, who had his own religious awakening in 2008 and
is married to Lewis' daughter, pointed to the group's nonprofit status
and his own annual salary — he said he makes $60,000 — as evidence of
its good intentions.
"It's clear moneymaking is not a top priority," he said. At
the time of the Orange County seminar, AMTC employed a policy it dubbed
"pay what you pray," which asked performers to pray for guidance on how
much they should pay for a host of services. Most contributed in the
$3,000 range, She said.
"I did pray about it, actually, and I
wound up paying $1,300," said Alex Stovall, 20, a student at Arizona
Christian University in Phoenix. "From my experience with life, if God
puts you in a position and you don't have a doubt you should go for it."
But
the voluntary pay plan didn't make financial sense, she said. Starting
next year, participants will pay $5,245 for a package that includes,
among other features, up to four weekends of classes and admission to a
talent showcase held in Orlando, Fla., twice a year.
For some, the
program is less about prepping for a career in showbiz than it is about
learning some skills and having fun — in a morally sound environment.
"It's
good to be around people that have good morals and are doing things for
a good reason," said Lori Sebest, who paid $2,500 for her daughter
Chloe's training. "When Chloe is with this group, she is with her
people. They all have the same interests and it's not weird. It's such a
blessing that she can be around people who are like her."
Participants don't have to be Christian, but many say the faith component is crucial.
"It's
a little more secure," said Vanessa Flores, 14, of Sacramento.
"Especially in this business — a lot of people go off edge. And I think
if I keep my head stable with God in it, everything will be good."
Chloe Sebest, 14, said that she hopes Christians who are trained by AMTC can spread God's word in Hollywood.
"We
are trying to be the light in the darkness of Hollywood," she said. "We
are trying to shine the light on what Christianity should be — what it
really is, how it is this accepting religion. … Right now, I think
Christianity has a bad rep. I want to show again that we 'love thy
neighbor.'" The
morning prayer over, the mostly teenaged and twentysomething
participants at the DoubleTree seminar were divided into three groups.
For
the rest of the day, the performers — including a mohawked woman in a
jumpsuit, a 6-year-old boy who clung to his mother, and a girl toting a
scuffed guitar case — cycled through three classes.
In one, they learned how to audition, reading lines in front of their peers.
During
the training, instructor Mark Daugherty — an actor whose credits
include the ABC Family show "The Fosters" — taught the performers how to
use emotional recall while auditioning to bring the appropriate
feelings to the surface. In one case, he told the participants to think
about "the coolest or hottest person at church."
In
another class, the performers learned how to deliver lines on camera.
In the third, they received modeling training. (The handful of singers
on hand received separate coaching from music industry professionals.)
The workshops were designed to teach
real-world skills that could be applied immediately in the participants'
show business quests, but also prep them for AMTC's semi-annual six-day
conference in Orlando that began this week.
In the class focused
on delivering lines, Derrick Edwards, 21, sat in the back of the room as
Stovall worked on a monologue. Edwards met Stovall in the Army and came
to the event in support of his friend. "Me, I'm religious, but I am not like him," said Edwards, who wore
camouflage shoes and sported a tattoo on one arm of a cross and the word
"faithful," and on the other a vixen toting a machine gun. "All he
talks about is God. He's going to go far."
Instructor JoAnn Smolen, a talent manager, praised Stovall's performance, eliciting an approving "Hooah" from Edwards.
In
one of the modeling classes, instructor April Baker asked the group of
20 to stare at a teenage girl in the center of the room. The 15-year-old
squirmed uncomfortably at the attention. Baker said the point was to
show how a performer's emotions could be conveyed without words.
After
a lunch break, the performers gathered in a meeting room for an
exercise called a "redirect," which teaches actors how to deal with
curveballs during the audition process. Participants were given lines to
read in front of the group, and after delivering their performances,
Daugherty and Smolen would call out other ways they wanted the dialogue
read: "Do it deadpan." "Do it shy." "Do it like Donald Trump."
After
the session ended, Erika Jester, who began working for AMTC earlier
this year, sat on the edge of a sofa in the DoubleTree lobby. Jester,
39, said her Hollywood pursuits began in 2013 after she had a religious
vision while attending church. It led her to seek a career as an actress
and ultimately a role with AMTC.
"What I saw, it was complete
blackness, and pings of light started going off," Jester said. "And then
that's when I heard God say, 'You are to go be a light in the darkness
of Hollywood.'"
Stephanie Webb performs during a workshop hosted by Actors, Models & Talent for Christ. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks
Photo:
Frank Micelotta/Associated Press
Streaming outlets, cable networks fuel record number of original TV shows
ByJoe Flint
There were a record 409 scripted television shows on broadcast, cable
and streaming services this year, according to research by FX Networks. The
rise in scripted shows has been both a blessing and a curse for the TV
industry and viewers. On the one hand, more shows mean more
opportunities for actors, writers and producers as well as more choice
for TV fans. Conversely, the glut of scripted shows is making it
harder for any one show to break through the clutter. Ratings at the
broadcast networks and many big cable channels including FX and TNT are
down this year, in large part because of the fragmentation of the
viewing audience. FX Networks Chief Executive John Landgraf has
bemoaned the growth in scripted content, saying that there is not enough
creative talent to maintain current levels. “The bubble has
created a huge challenge in finding compelling original shows and the
level of talent needed to sustain those stories,” he said earlier this
year. FX Networks is a unit of 21st Century Fox, which until 2013 was part of the same company as Wall Street Journal-owner News Corp. The 409 series, which don’t included unscripted shows,
movies, mini-series, news or sports, are an increase of 9% from 2014
when there were 376 series. Since 2009, the number of scripted series
has grown by 94%, according to FX. Driving the increases are cable networks and streaming services, which have been spending heavily on original content. Netflix has indicated recently it has no plans to slow down on creating
content and Hulu has also stepped up its commitment to original fare.
LOS
ANGELES — In 87 years of Oscar history, it has only happened once. Only
one studio, United Artists, with “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,”
“Rocky” and “Annie Hall,” in the 1970s, has released a best picture
winner three years in a row.
But 20th Century Fox, for better or worse, is taking a run at the record books.
In
a year of tangled Oscar prospects at multiple studios, Fox has at least
four films with a credible shot at a best picture nomination. They are “The Revenant,”
a frontier-era tour de force directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu; “The
Martian,” Ridley Scott’s 3-D blockbuster; “Joy,” starring Jennifer
Lawrence as the inventor of the Miracle Mop; and “Brooklyn,” a period
romance showcasing Saoirse Ronan.
It is an embarrassment of riches — especially considering that Fox, through its art house label and partnership with New Regency Productions, had the Oscar-winning best picture earlier this year, with Mr. Iñárritu’s “Birdman,” and the year before, with Steve McQueen’s blistering “12 Years a Slave.”
Matt Damon in “The Martian.”Credit
Aidan Monaghan/Twentieth Century Fox
But
the strong slate of contenders also has the makings of a monumental
headache. Fox now faces the delicate task of making each child feel
equally loved.
Sibling
rivalry is already festering under the surface, with some people
connected to “The Revenant,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, worrying
that Fox will find subtle ways to favor “The Martian,”
in part because of the studio’s long relationship with Mr. Scott. (Fox
declined to comment for this article, along with New Regency, which
produced and financed “The Revenant.”)
Other
studios face a similar challenge. At Universal, for instance, “Straight
Outta Compton” has unexpectedly moved ahead of “Steve Jobs” as the
great awards hope. But nowhere is the jockeying as pronounced as it is
at Fox.
Is
Fox taking out equal “for-your-consideration” ads in Variety for each
film? Did “Joy,” directed by David O. Russell, get better hors d’oeuvres
for its event than “Brooklyn,” directed by the relatively unknown John
Crowley? It may sound petty, but teams of producers, agents and
publicists are paying meticulous attention, and they will scream bloody
murder if they feel slighted. In some ways, it is a fight about money;
Oscar campaigns cost millions of dollars.
“Fox
is one of the savviest studios when it comes to winning Oscars, but
simultaneously managing multiple best picture campaigns — not to mention
four — can be enormously complicated,” said Sue Fleishman, the founder
of September Media, an entertainment-focused communications consultancy.
Ms. Fleishman, a former Universal and Warner Bros. executive, added,
“You have to figure out how best to support each contender without
damaging the others.”
It is too early, of course, to say whether one of the Fox films will end up a winner on Feb. 28, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
hands out its little gold statues in a ceremony broadcast on ABC.
Voting does not begin until Dec. 30, and some major films have still not
been widely seen, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which some
awards strategists think could shake up the race when it arrives on Dec. 18.
Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy.”Credit
Francois Duhamel/Twentieth Century Fox
“Spotlight,”
about the Boston journalists who exposed the local Catholic
Archdiocese’s cover-up of child sexual abuse, is currently the film to
beat, according to the Oscar prognosticators followed by Gold Derby,
an entertainment honors site. But most handicappers have “The Revenant”
and “The Martian” hot on its heels, with “Joy,” which has still not
been widely shown, and “Brooklyn,” which has taken in roughly $8 million
in relatively limited release, not far behind.
Adding
to this year’s awards complexity for Fox, which also has a best
animated film candidate in “The Peanuts Movie,” none of its potential
best picture nominees have the same strengths and weaknesses.
“The
Martian,” which has taken in more than $545 million worldwide since its
release in October, is certainly an audience favorite. Starring a
convivial Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut, “The Martian” was also a
critical success, scoring a powerful 80 on Metacritic.com, a site that compiles film reviews.
Popularity
and perhaps an underlying sense that the film will reap honors for its
technical achievement have helped push “The Martian” toward the front of
the pack. But few Oscar experts list Mr. Damon as their top prospect
for an acting statuette, an obvious soft spot for the film.
A
greater advantage for “The Martian” may lie in a vast pool of film
industry respect, if not quite love, for Mr. Scott. At the age of 78, he
has directed about two dozen feature films, including
“Gladiator,”
which was named best picture in 2001. But he has never personally won an
Oscar, despite three directing nominations — and Hollywood’s urge to
make good for that sort of oversight helped push both “The Departed” and
its director, Martin Scorsese (who had never won), to Oscar victories
in 2007.
Mr.
DiCaprio has never won an Oscar, either. His largely silent performance
in “The Revenant” as a severely wounded frontiersman, will almost
assuredly bring him a sixth nomination — and very likely an ultimate win, Oscar diviners agree. (Contrary to Internet rumor, Mr. DiCaprio does not get “raped by a bear” in the film, which arrives in limited release on Christmas Day.)
Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn.”Credit
Kerry Brown/20th Century Fox
“The
Revenant,” which has a SWAT team of publicists and awards consultants
working on its behalf, is a visually arresting film that some Oscar
forecasters have compared to
“The Tree of Life,” Terrence Malick’s critically adored 2011 drama.
Despite the gore in Mr. Iñárritu’s movie — a horse is disemboweled,
among other bloody sequences — New Regency sees “The Revenant” as an
audience pleaser, attracting multiplex crowds of men and women alike.
But
even blockbuster ticket sales, visual wizardry and Mr. DiCaprio’s
performance may not be enough to beat the odds. According to Libby
Wertin, a researcher at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, no
director has ever had a film win back-to-back best picture Oscars. “Of
course, these days, few directors besides Woody Allen manage to have
films released in consecutive years with any regularity,” Ms. Wertin
noted in an email.
For
the moment, Oscar prospects for Mr. Russell’s “Joy” are murkier. Mr.
Russell is known for some of the best-received films in recent years,
including “The Fighter,’’ “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American
Hustle.” So he is in some ways competing against his own very strong
track record. How does “Joy” stack up? Only finished recently after
heavy re-editing (test audiences did not like the initial third act),
the feel-good “Joy” has been receiving good-but-not-quite-great tastemaker buzz.
The
film’s chances may ultimately rest on good will for Ms. Lawrence, who
won a best actress Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook.” Because of its
story, “Joy” may also resonate strongly with female voters. At a recent
screening for awards voters, Ms. Lawrence said the film acknowledges
“women who are the unsung heroes of their households.”
Fox
is invested in doing right by “Joy” on the awards circuit, in part
because of its long relationship with John Davis, one of five credited
producers. (Mr. Davis’s “Garfield” and “Predator” series have been major
moneymakers for Fox over the years.)
As
with Sony’s “Concussion,” about a Nigerian-born doctor who takes on the
National Football League, “Brooklyn” and its cagey backers from Fox
Searchlight have been looking to connect with something grand — the
nation’s soul-searching over immigration — while delivering more than
just white male leads at a time when critics have become wary of them.
“Brooklyn” is about a young Irish woman’s quest for love and a better
life in America of 60 years ago.
That
might be enough to land “Brooklyn” among the final slate of eight or
nine best picture nominees. Winning is a long shot, but Fox’s specialty
division is ceding nothing. (In fact, the unit also believes that Paolo
Sorrentino’s meditation on aging, “Youth,” which opens on Friday in New
York and Los Angeles, also has a shot at a best picture nomination.)
In
recent days, entertainment journalists received for-your-consideration
booklets for “Brooklyn” that carried glowing comments from 22 critics.
“This Year’s Most Stirring Film,” it started.
Those involved with “The Martian,” “Joy” and “The Revenant” may disagree, of course.
It's unclear whether Sylvester Stallone will have an on-screen role though he will executive produce the drama.
Hot on the heels of Rocky box office follow-up Creed, Fox is targeting a reboot of Rambo with Sylvester Stallone. The network is teaming with the franchise's star for Rambo: New Blood, a potential TV series based on the Rambo feature films with Stallone on board to exec produce, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. It's unclear whether Stallone will have an on-screen role in the drama, which revolves around Rambo and his son. Written by Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, The Fugitive), the Rambo TV
series hails from Entertainment One and Avi Lerner's Millennium Films.
The project explores the relationship between Rambo and his son, J.R., a
former Navy SEAL who has never been featured in any of the Rambo movies. Rambo would be a central character in the potential series, a change from CBS' one-time Beverly Hills Cop reboot that centered on Axel Foley's son, with star Eddie Murphy only attached for infrequent appearances.
The deal comes two years after eOne and NuImage/Millennium Films
signed a deal to develop and co-produce a TV series based on the Rambo property.
At the time, the companies said they were in negotiations with Stallone
to be involved both on-screen and as part of the creative team, though a
Stallone representative told THRat the time that he wouldn't reprise his famed role as John Rambo. The potential TV series comes as the fifth installment in the Rambo film series, Rambo: Last Blood, had been put on hold. For Fox, meanwhile, the Rambo revival arrives as the network also is developing a limited series based on the Stallone-starring Expendables franchise. Fox's Rambo will be produced by eOne, Millennium Films with
Stuart, Stallone and Lerner on board to exec produce. eOne exec vp
Carrie Stein will oversee. Rambo becomes the latest movie-to-TV revival as broadcast,
cable networks and streaming services look for known properties in a bid
to break through the cluttered original scripted programming
marketplace. NBC is readying a series based on Taken, and revivals of features including Lethal Weapon (Fox), Behind Enemy Lines (Fox), Training Day (CBS) and My Best Friend's Wedding (ABC) are also in the works. Key to their success is having the original producers involved, which Rambo has in spades with Stallone.
As
you’ve probably heard, broadcast television is suffering through its
Lowest Ratings Ever this fall. But that doesn’t mean every show is a
goner (networks have to air something — even if it is Dr. Ken).
We looked at the ratings to date and spoke to industry insiders to get a
sense of which shows are likely to stick around for awhile, and which
are in serious jeopardy. Here’s how the field currently stands (ranked
from the highest to lowest based on average 18-49 demo ratings for the
season including seven days of DVR playback when available):
Blindspot (NBC) — Now tats the way you do it: The fall’s biggest new success story is Blindspot with 12.8 million viewers and a 3.8 rating (why, it’s matching ABC’s Scandal). Having a lead-in from The Voice helps significantly, but last fall’s short-lived State of Affairs proved a show can flop in this slot regardless of having that front-loaded boost. Now here’s the shocking part: Blindspot,
which stars Jaimie Alexander as Jason Bourne-like operative, is really
the only outright new hit in the 2015-16 season so far; it’s the one new
title among the Top 10 shows when measuring either adult demo or total viewers. Most other freshman series doing well-ish still don’t come close to Blindspot’s average even with a lot on DVR playback added. Like see here in the No. 2 slot…
Quantico (ABC) – It’s Shonda Rhimes karaoke that worked: ABC’s soapy thriller has a 2.8 rating thanks to doubling its numbers with DVR.
Supergirl (CBS) — Kara’s next mission should be to
rescue her slipping Nielsens. Averaging 2.8 for the season, sure, but
started big and recently hit a new low. Still, Supergirl should receive a full-season order any day now.
Life in Pieces (CBS) — A comedy that snagged it’s
full season order and has a 2.5 rating that every other new comedy would
envy. But it’s losing more than half of the huge Big Bang Theory lead-in. We suspect CBS will give some other series a chance after Big Bang later this season instead, and then we’ll see if Life in Pieces can stay intact.
Limitless (CBS) — Picked up for the season — it’s
doing well enough — but could still use some of that magical NZT for
its ho-hum numbers (2.5 rating), or at least some generic Adderall.
Heroes Reborn (NBC) — A high-profile limited series
reboot with a 2.3 rating. The “evos” are not supposed to return, but we
suspect NBC at least wants this title in its arsenal of options for
consideration after seeing its pilots this spring, just in case the
network wants to do another round (Heroes Reborn Again?).
The Muppets (ABC) — One of fall’s biggest launches
felt a few bumps (2.3 average). ABC is changing showrunners and gave the
series a mere three more episodes and called it a “full season” pickup
(nine episodes is the tradition, especially for broadcast comedies,
albiet it’s a standard that’s increasingly being ignored). ABC wants to
make The Muppets better, and we suspect the show will have yet another chance next season.
Rosewood (Fox) — Finally, a Fox show makes the list. Rosewood is like The Mysteries of Laura last
season — a Wednesday night procedural most expected to perform
poorly that surprised by doing slightly better than poorly (a 2.1
rating, to be exact). It scored a full season order and has good odds to
stick around beyond that given the rest of Fox’s lineup.
Scream Queens (Fox) — The most stunning
disappointment of the fall (2.1 average), given the show’s
high-profile cast, producers and pre-premiere polling data. Still, the
scuttlebutt around the network is Fox will keep Ryan Murphy’s campy
horror comedy for a re-launch next season with a new premise and a few
surviving cast members (the rumor is it will become Scream Queens: Summer Camp).
Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris (NBC) —
Broadcast’s only new show this fall that wasn’t a traditional scripted
drama or sitcom. Sadly for many this did not fulfill its stated promise
of delivering the best time ever (1.7 rating). Feels done, but it’s fate
is currently unclear.
Code Black (CBS) — CBS threw five more episodes at
this medical drama to finish out its first season (1.7 rating), but its
season 2 survival odds are on life support.
Dr. Ken (ABC) — Got a full season. Since Dr. Ken is (almost) matching lead-in Last Man Standing on tough Friday nights, and because ABC has had such a brutal time filling this slot in the past (Cristela, Malibu Country, etc), we’re hearing the doctor is more likely to keep sticking around than not despite its 1.6 rating.
Grandfathered and The Grinder (Fox) — Fox’s news hows are in rough shape, but the network has to have some content and some stability. Tuesday night’s Grandfathered and The Grinder
are considered ad-friendly shows with promotable stars (John Stamos,
Rob Lowe) and they’re sticking around even though nobody is happy with
the numbers. Grandfathered is doing a 1.6 rating and Grinder has a 1.4.
Blood & Oil (ABC) — A bust: Don Johnson’s return saw its order cut and the title is off ABC’s midseason schedule after coming up dry in the ratings (1.5).
The Player (NBC) — With that 1.3 average, Wesley Snipes’ game was over weeks ago.
Minority Report (Fox) — Like Scream Queens, a surprising outcome given the auspices (in this case producer Steven Spielberg) and brand (based on the 2002 film). And like The Player and Blood & Oil, this hasn’t been officially canceled, but given it’s numbers (a 1.2 rating), and it’s production cut-down, you don’t need to be a Precog to figure out Minority Report’s fate.
Wicked City (ABC) — Wicked City managed the seemingly impossible: In a season where nothing is being officially canceled, it got officially canceled (0.8 average).
Truth Be Told (NBC) — Another Not Officially Dead
Yet show that saw its order cut. The negative reviews and a nearly
negative Nielsen rating (0.7 average) for a Friday night comedy that
makes Dr. Ken look like The Big Bang Theory.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) — Squeaked out an order
for a five more episodes this week. But with a 0.3 average it’s tough
to see even occasional broken-toy hoarder The CW keeping this
show instead of trying something fresh next season.
