 |
||
|
|
||
|
Thanks for Playing! |
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | WEEKEND | PRIMETIME | SCHEDULE | ARCHIVES: 30 90 | WLTI | STATE OF PLAY | ABOUT |
  |
 90-Day Archives |
|
"Hit List" #8 |
|
Popular BBC One music quiz The Hit List, which sees teams compete for £10,000, will return to screens for an eighth season. Hosts Rochelle and Marvin Humes will be returning to preside over pairs of contestants as they try and name hit songs and artists from the last seven decades as quickly as possible, plus will of course once again be inviting viewers at home to play along too and shout their answers at the telly. Competing contestants will be vying to to show off their music knowledge and make it all the way to the final chart rundown to be in with a chance of walking away with £10,000. But can they tell their Beastie Boys from their Spice Girls when there's a possible cash prize at stake? In addition to the eighth season, The Hit List will return with six celebrity specials which were recorded as part of the seventh season. Each episode will see six celebrities competing in three teams to win up to £10,000 for their chosen charities. Transmission details will be announced in due course. Neil McCallum, Commissioning Editor for the BBC, previously commented: “It’s been amazing to see the success of the Hit List over the years and it is marvellous to have it come back... "Marvin and Rochelle are amazing hosts, their energy really shines through and creates the upbeat atmosphere that viewers love to tune into on Saturday evenings.” The Hit List airs on BBC One with previous episodes available on BBC iPlayer. |
posted 12/20/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Max is teasing the new TV special Fast Friends. The streaming service shared a trailer for the show Tuesday featuring actress and comedian Whitney Cummings. Fast Friends is a four-part game show hosted by Cummings and celebrating the 30th anniversary of the NBC sitcom Friends. The special was filmed at The Friends Experience: The One in New York City and features competing pairs of Friends superfans. "From racing through Rachel and Monica's apartment to darting across Joey and Chandler's bachelor pad and grabbing a coffee at Central Perk, fans will re-live their favorite moments while being put to the test with trivia, puzzles, and games that will keep even the most die-hard Friends fans on their toes. The quickest team will win the title of The Ultimate Fast Friends Champion," an official synopsis reads. Fast Friends is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon. The series premieres Dec. 19 on Max, with subsequent episodes to be released Thursdays. |
posted 12/19/2024 |
|
|
|
|
CBS Media Ventures is launching The Perfect Line, a new syndicated game show hosted by Deborah Norville that is set to premiere next fall with the CBS stations as the anchor group. The Perfect Line promises “a new, visual take on trivia.” Contestants will play a series of games where they test their knowledge by arranging events, items, or people in the correct order to create “the perfect line.” Each round contestants are eliminated, leaving the last person standing to play the final round for a grand prize. The format will tackle a broad range of topics from world events to pop culture moments. “This year we launched the game show Flip Side and found the daytime audience continues to have a huge appetite for and engagement with game shows,” said Wendy McMahon, President and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures in a statement. “We’re building on that success by bringing The Perfect Line’ to the marketplace, with a host everyone already knows and admires. Deborah is a natural hosting this show – her wit and charm resonate with audiences. We are confident The Perfect Line will be the perfect fit for stations’ lineups.” “I grew up watching way too many game shows and have always wanted to do one,” Norville continued in a statement. “With The Perfect Line, I’ve found the right format. The show is a fast, fun, smart take on trivia and pop culture with tidbits of stuff you didn’t know – and it’s played in a way that you’ve got a chance to win even if you’re just guessing. Plus, as a journalist, I love that I get to share fun facts you’ll want to pass along to your friends!” Norville is best known for anchoring Inside Edition. She joined the show nearly 30 years ago, making her the longest-serving anchor on American television. She has previously served as an anchor and correspondent for CBS News. |
posted 12/19/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Hallmark is no longer just producing love, it’s making it happen in the channel’s upcoming show. TheWrap has your exclusive first look at the trailer for “Small Town Setup,” the brand’s first foray into the world of dating reality shows. The Hallmark+ original will be hosted by Ashley Williams, who is best known for her roles on “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Jim Gaffigan Show” and “Good Morning Miami.” All six episodes of “Small Town Setup” will be available Jan. 2 on the streamer. “We’re going on an adventure with heart, hope and a hefty dose of small town magic,” Williams teases in the trailer for the upcoming series. |
posted 12/19/2024 |
|
|
|
|
On the heels of the legendary 40th season of The Challenge, the hit reality competition franchise brings its fan-favorite rivals twist to The Challenge All Stars. In a series first, the new season pairs up memorable power players and redemption seekers with their biggest rivals. The Challenge All Stars: Rivals will premiere Wednesday, January 29 at 8PM ET/PT on MTV. The stacked roster and rivals' duos include: |
posted 12/18/2024 |
|
|
Grace for "Celebrity MasterChef" |
|
Restaurant critic Grace Dent has been appointed as the new judge for “Celebrity MasterChef,” stepping into the role vacated by Gregg Wallace following his departure amid historical misconduct allegations. Dent, who has been a regular guest on the BBC cooking competition for over a decade, will join John Torode on the judging panel for the show’s upcoming 20th series. The announcement comes during a turbulent period for the franchise, which saw the BBC pull its Christmas specials following Wallace’s controversial response to misconduct allegations. “I’ve been watching ‘MasterChef’ since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa,” Dent said. “My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me.” Torode added: “I have loved working with Grace on ‘MasterChef’ over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.” Dent brings significant culinary credentials to the role, including an award-winning restaurant review column for The Guardian and nine seasons hosting the celebrity food podcast “Comfort Eating.” She previously competed in “MasterChef: Battle of the Critics 2023” and has authored more than 20 books. The BBC’s head of entertainment, Kalpna Patel-Knight, called Dent “the perfect choice,” citing her established presence on the “MasterChef” team and reputation as a “world renowned food critic.” The appointment follows Wallace’s step-back from the show after BBC News investigated allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who worked with him across five shows between 2005 and 2022. Production company Banijay U.K. is conducting an investigation into the claims, which Wallace’s lawyers say are “entirely false.” The new season of “Celebrity MasterChef” with Dent is set to air in 2025. |
posted 12/18/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Peacock has dropped a new trailer for The Traitors Season 3 as the game of secrets and lies gets ready to premiere on January 9. “Come friends, come foe, come one, come all to the Highlands to see who lives and who falls,” host Alan Cumming says in the trailer, which you can view in the video on top. The new season of the Emmy-winning competition series amps up the competitiveness as Bob the Drag Queen says in the preview, “To get the job done, I’ll stab you in the back. I have a thirst for blood.” The Traitors is produced by Studio Lambert with Stephen Lambert, Mike Cotton, Sam Rees-Jones, Rosie Franks, Jack Burgess and Tim Harcourt serving as executive producers. |
posted 12/18/2024 |
|
|
|
|
TBS sets the premiere date for "The Joe Schmo Show," the reality hoax comedy for Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 9:00PM ET/PT. Hosted by five-time Emmy Award nominee, Cat Deeley, the show-within-a show takes aim at the absurdity of reality TV by making Ben, an electrician from Baltimore, believe he is competing for a chance to win $100,000 on a popular game show when he is, in fact, surrounded by a cast of highly skilled improv comedians. "The modern revival of The Joe Schmo Show is the perfect complement to TBS' best-in-class comedy lineup," said Jason Sarlanis, President, Turner Networks. "Filled with heart and hilarious reality game show hijinks, the series will completely immerse our audiences in the ruse, taking them on a wild ride and keeping them rooting for our protagonist week to week." Each of the series' ten episodes provides a groundbreaking, behind-the-scenes look as the actors and entire working crew scramble to keep Ben from discovering the hoax, something made more difficult by the increasingly over-the-top format of the show. With each challenge, the stakes grow higher as production is forced to pivot storylines, and castmates, who Ben sees as competition, improvise strategies to pave the path to his victory. Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using #JoeSchmo and following @TBSNetwork. MTV Entertainment Studios and Fly On The Wall Entertainment produced "The Joe Schmo Show" for TBS with creators Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, ("Deadpool") alongside Executive Producer and Showrunner Dave Kneebone. |
posted 12/18/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
· The "Deal or No Deal Island After Show with Boston Rob," will be hosted by Season 1 islander and reality competition all-star "Boston" Rob Mariano. The aftershow will premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Episodes of the aftershow will be available to stream on Peacock, NBC's YouTube channel and NBC.com every Wednesday following new episodes of "Deal or No Deal Island," which will air on its regular timeslot Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC beginning Jan. 14. Each week Rob will sit down with eliminated players to break down gameplay, talk drama on the island and share never-before-seen footage from the show. "Boston" Rob Mariano made his television debut more than 20 years ago and quickly became a reality TV legend and fan-favorite, known for his appearances on "Survivor," "The Amazing Race," the inaugural season of "Deal or No Deal Island" and the upcoming third season of "The Traitors." In addition, he has appeared on and hosted a number of other shows and developed and produced a wide variety of projects over the years. Besides his devotion to the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Celtics, and, of course, the Red Sox, Mariano loves playing poker, cooking, home renovation projects and raising his four beautiful daughters.. |
posted 12/16/2024 |
|
|
Netflix Looks for Another "Boyfriend" |
|
Japanese reality dating show The Boyfriend is coming back. The groundbreaking gay dating show’s first season broke out in Japan after launching on July 9, spending six weeks in Netflix‘s local series charts, and made international stars of several characters. The renewal comes as a Japanese high court ruled the country’s ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional, as support for legalization grows stronger. The new season will introduce a new group of young men, who share their stories of sexuality with each other while living in a house called ‘The Green Room.’ In each episode, one man is selected to run a food truck. He selects another to join him and they spend the day learning about each other. Hosts Megumi, Chiaki Horan, Thelma Aoyama, Durian Lollobrigida and Yoshimi Tokui will return to guide viewers through the experiences of the men during their time together. “Thanks to the love from our viewers, it is exciting to return for a new season,” said Dai Ota, producer at Netflix. “Being the first same-sex romance reality show in Japan, we paid careful attention to ensure that the story is an authentic portrayal of these relationships. In Season 1, we showed not just romance, but their friendship and meaningful connections with one another, which I believe touched the hearts of fans around the world. “In Season 2, we will continue to showcase their compassion and stories of growth, with more unique perspectives and backstories. Please look forward to a new season with new participants, a new Green Room, and new storytelling.” |
posted 12/16/2024 |
|
|
"Strictly" Make History |
|
Comedian Chris McCausland, Strictly Come Dancing's first blind contestant, has been crowned this year's winner. The 47-year-old beat JLS singer JB Gill, actress Sarah Hadland and former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri to lift the glitterball trophy in Saturday's live final on BBC One. McCausland, who was the bookmakers' favorite to win, performed three dances with partner Dianne Buswell. He said his win was for her, "and for everyone out there who's got told they couldn't do something or thought they couldn't do it". "It just shows with opportunity and support and determination, anything can happen," he added. As usual, one of the dances in the grand finale was chosen by the judges, one was their own favorite dance from the series, and the other was a show dance. The judges gave advisory scores but the public made the final decision. |
posted 12/16/2024 |
|
|
Murray Hill to Host His Own Drag Race |
|
“Somebody Somewhere” actor Murray Hill will host the first drag king competition reality series. “King of Drag” will stream on LGBTQ+ platform Revry. “I’m so excited to be working with Revry as the host of ‘King of Drag,'” Hill told Variety in a statement Monday. “I started performing in 1995, so it’s long overdue for the kings to take center stage. This vibrant community deserves to be in the spotlight, and I’ll be their biggest hype man. I can’t wait to work with the kings and introduce them to the biggest audience possible, thanks to Revry. That’s showbiz.” Season 1, with six episodes premiering in the spring, will feature eight of America’s top drag king performers as they compete for the title of King of Drag. “Rather than rehash the format of other drag competition shows, the series’ producers will showcase drag king’s unique talents including comedy, unconventional performances, and timely commentary on masculinity, which has been part of the drag king subculture for decades,” reads a press release announcing the show. “In each episode, we will learn more about the individual king’s backstory, what motivates them, and their goals for kinging.” “’King of Drag’ is one of the most ambitious original programs we’ve ever developed,” Revry co-founder and chief content officer Christopher J. Rodriguez said. “We’re going to give the drag competition format a run for its money and give audiences something fresh and original.” He added, “We are overjoyed to have Murray Hill host the series and introduce a new world of drag to global audiences. His comedy, wit, and experience will be a perfect match for a series that platforms a passionate group in the LGBTQ+ community who are blazing their own trails and carving new paths within the entertainment industry.” |
posted 12/16/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOX Entertainment has renewed the dating competition series Farmer Wants a Wife for a third season, it was announced today by Michael Thorn, President, FOX Television Network. The all-new season of love is set to premiere Thursday, March 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Actor and author Kimberly Williams-Paisley will join the show as host, stepping in as the new resident cupid, guiding these four young farmers and daters as they look for real connections and true love. "I enjoyed being myself in this show, which was a new experience for me with my first unscripted series. Because I'm a city girl who embraced the country life when I married my husband twenty-one years ago, I related to the allure of a farmer for these ladies. I really appreciate how dedicated this show and its producers are in helping these hopeful farmers and women find love," said Williams-Paisley. "We are thrilled to have Kimberly Williams-Paisley take the reins as our new host," said Thorn. "Given her wonderful presence as a talent and person, not to mention her unique love story, Kimberly is a perfect fit for this role and our network." Farmer Wants a Wife is the most successful dating show in the world, airing in 34 countries and resulting in 226 marriages and 565 children (with four on the way). Last season's farmers Mitchell Kolinsky and Nathan Smothers remain happily in love in their relationships with Sydney Errera and Taylor BeDell, respectively. |
posted 12/11/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Katy Perry is ready to tuck into Season 17 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” now that MTV has released the star-studded list of extra special guest judges — and the trailer! As seen in the Thursday teaser, joining the pop superstar in early 2025 will be Quinta Brunson, Sandra Bernhard, Paul W. Downs, Tracee Ellis Ross, Doechii, June Diane Raphael, Hunter Schafer, Jerrod Carmichael, Whitney Cummings, Julia Schlaepfer and Sam Smith, while Law Roach, Adam Lambert, Betsey Johnson and Jamal Sims are all returning to the mainstage as well. Additionally, the “RPDR” trailer also reveals the rules for the new twist, The Badonka Dunk Tank (which explains the wet promo theme). MTV today ru-vealed the cast for Season 17 of the Emmy(R) Award-winning global phenomenon, RuPaul's Drag Race, which returns Friday, January 3rd at 8:00 PM ET/PT with 90-minute episodes. This season, 14 dazzling new queens enter the Werk Room to compete for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" and a cash prize of $200,000 for the winner, sponsored by TodayTix, the theater ticket app. In the premiere episode, the new cast of queens will compete in "Drag Queens Got Talent" and this season will bring back the gag-worthy "Rate-A-Queen" scoring system, but with an all-new twist. RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, the Emmy(R) award-winning aftershow, will premiere immediately following at 9:30 PM ET/PT on MTV. Untucked gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the backstage drama as the queens anxiously await their fate in the competition. Today, fans will be able to "Meet the Queens" more in-depth on the RuPaul's Drag Race YouTube channel, with individual interviews from each new queen and the official Season 17 images. "RuPaul's Drag Race" sponsors include ViiV Healthcare. The 14 new queens include: |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
A "Love Is Blind" Gamechanger |
|
A complaint against Netflix dating show Love Is Blind could open the door to widespread unionization in the unscripted television world, hastening a reality reckoning. The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Kinetic Content, the company behind the hit show, and its subsidiary Delirium TV. The filing came from Jennifer Hadsall, regional director of the board in Minnesota. It was filed after complaints from contestants including Renee Poche and Nick Thompson and has demanded that the producers “reclassify all ‘participants’ since January 19, 2023, as employees and notify them in writing that they are employees for purposes of the Act”. In the claim, the NLRB said by not doing so contestants were “deprived” of their workers’ rights. In January, Season 5 participant Poche took Delirium and Netflix to court to put the brakes on the multi-million arbitration action the producers took against her in November 2023 over violations of the NDA she signed as a part of the reality romance series. Lawyer Bryan Freedman, who represents Poche, said that the “reality reckoning is alive and well”. “Mark Geragos and I, along with our legal teams, have been working closely with the NLRB for over a year and are thrilled that this collaboration has resulted in a monumental filing that promises to change the reality TV industry forever. The practices identified by the NLRB in its complaint against Delirium are ubiquitous in this space. Make no mistake, the reality reckoning is alive and well. This is not the last shoe to drop. Standby,” he said. The move comes ahead of season eight of Love Is Blind, which is set to premiere in February. |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
HGTV Flips Us Off |
|
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack built a home-flipping empire and top HGTV series with Flip or Flop - but it all came crashing down after their much-publicized divorce. Now, Tarek and Christina are back in the network's new highly anticipated series The Flip Off, a throwdown competition which premieres Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. ET/PT to see which ex can find, buy, renovate and flip a house for the biggest financial gain, earning the chance at ultimate bragging rights and a first-class vacation paid for by the loser. With nearly 1,000 flips to his credit, real estate expert Tarek runs a successful flipping business with his new wife and on-screen partner, luxury real estate agent Heather Rae El Moussa, while design expert Christina spent a decade flipping homes alongside Tarek and is adept at creating dream homes with high-end style for clients. As The Flip Off begins, Christina will start the competition against Tarek and Heather alongside her husband, but a sudden life change will bring a shocking twist. With even more to prove on her own, Christina will turn to her trusted team, stopping at nothing to silence Tarek's endless bragging and beat him at his own flipping game. "Tarek, Heather and I have all been through a lot of stuff together, and we are all highly competitive," said Christina. "Tarek is the self-proclaimed 'best flipper in the world,' but, honestly, give me a break. I can't wait to smoke them at their own game." "When it comes to distressed real estate, I own the space and Christina doesn't stand a chance," said Tarek. "It all comes down to this - who's going to rise higher from the ashes of everything that we burned to the ground?" "I come from high-end real estate, and now I've been flipping houses with Tarek for the last few years," said Heather. "It's my time to show how hard I've worked on my designs, and, more than anything, I want to prove that we can beat Christina." |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
Spinning Off the Shield |
|
Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans Thursday to separate its linear TV from studios and streaming companies to create “two distinct operating divisions,” a strategy that will give WBD more room to pursue sales and acquisition maneuvers. Warner Bros. Discovery’s new corporate structure aims to bolster its “strategic flexibility and create potential opportunities to unlock additional shareholder value,” David Zaslav said in a release. The CEO hopes to complete the reorganization by mid-2025, with two new divisions to be called Global Linear Networks and Streaming & Studios; the latter will house HBO despite its linear TV roots. “Our new corporate structure better aligns our organization and enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities across an evolving media landscape, help us build on our momentum and create opportunities as we evaluate all avenues to deliver significant shareholder value,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
Up the Ladder We Go! |
|
Prepare to lace up your quiz boots this winter season, as Ant & Dec return to their popular quiz series, Limitless Win, for a fourth season. ITV has confirmed that Limitless Win will be returning to screens on Saturday 4th January 2025 at 8:30pm. Last season saw one couple take home a record prize of £1 million! Prior to that, the maximum amount anyone had earned from the series was £500,000, proving essential viewing for those at home. Now, the stakes are higher than ever before, as new contestants prepare to take on the limitless ladder and climb their way to a fortune. Airing in primetime, "The groundbreaking format with a never-ending money ladder allows contestants to win the world's first unlimited jackpot." Viewers in the states can catch the first three seasons right now on Prime Video. |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
Gerry Turner Diagnosed with Cancer |
|
Gerry Turner, star of ABC‘s The Golden Bachelor, is opening up about his cancer diagnosis. In an interview with People magazine published Wednesday, the 72-year-old reflected on his divorce from Theresa Nist, whom he got engaged to on the finale of the Golden Bachelor and got married to during a wedding broadcast on ABC in January 2024. Just three months after getting married, Turner and Nist announced their decision to divorce during a joint interview on Good Morning America. Though at the time they cited not being able to settle on a place to live together as the reason, for the first time Turner revealed what else was going on behind the scenes. “As Theresa and I were trying very hard to find our lifestyle and where we were going to live and how we were going to make our life work, I was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer,” he shared. After getting a shoulder injury while teaching a pickleball class three years prior to going on the show, Turner said it was when he finally got around to going to the doctor for it when he learned his diagnosis. He recalled the orthopedic surgeon saying, “‘Yeah, Gerry, there’s not much we can do for your shoulder, but there are some unusual blood markers here.’ And so an orthopedic surgeon went to my family doctor, my family doctor referred me to an oncologist, and now I’m working with a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne.” Turner was diagnosed with a slow-growing “bone marrow cancer” called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, he revealed. “Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make,” he said. “It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.” His oncologists first told him that he had a “blood disorder” but Turner said he “pretty much” knew it would be cancer. After sharing his blood disorder with Nist, Turner underwent additional testing, including a bone marrow biopsy, which is when his diagnosis was confirmed. Turner then said he decided to tell Nist “what I knew and I explained the situation to her.” “Certainly, it was hard for me. But the conversation was brief and I think [she was] a little bit awestruck by the news. So understandable,” he said. “I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believing that as normal as possible more meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, my granddaughters,” he said. “And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.” “When you are hit with that kind of news and the shock wears off after a few days or a few weeks and you regroup and you realize what’s important to you, that’s where you start to move forward,” he added. “And I hope that people understand in retrospect now that that had a huge bearing on my decisions and I think probably Theresa’s as well.” |
posted 12/12/2024 |
|
|
Thursday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After seven days of viewing (including linear playback) on ABC, Disney+, Hulu and digital platforms, the "Dancing with the Stars" season 33 finale shot to 7.95 million Total Viewers and a 1.55 rating in Adults 18-49, growing +25% in Total Viewers (7.95 million vs. 6.36 million) and +36% in Adults 18-49 (1.55 rating vs. 1.14 rating) over the show's record-setting Live+Same Day audience. The finale represented the show's highest delivery in multiplatform viewing for any "Dancing with the Stars" telecast in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 in three years - since the show's season 30 premiere on 9/20/21. Looking at all finales, the show's season-ender marked "Dancing with the Stars"'s highest finale episode performance in multiplatform viewing among Total Viewers in five years (since 11/ 25/19) and in Adults 18-49 in seven years (since 11/21/17). On linear, the finale was ABC's highest-rated primetime entertainment telecast in Adults 18-49 (1.23 rating) this season and the best since the post-Oscars(R) "Abbott Elementary" special on 3/10/24. The spectacular three-hour finale, which culminated in Joey Graziadei and his partner, Jenna Johnson, winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, also broke voting records, garnering over 32 million votes for the teams. "Dancing with the Stars" was the No. 1 most social TV program across broadcast and cable on 11/26/24 and the No. 1 most social episode of any entertainment series season to date. |
posted 12/11/2024 |
|
|
"X Factor Italia" Takes It Outside |
|
Pay TV broadcaster Sky Italia will remain the exclusive home of the X Factor format in Italy after it signed a new two-year contract extension to its current deal with the show’s distributor Fremantle following the finale of the 2024 edition. This new deal with Fremantle means Sky will broadcast two more X Factor editions, produced by Fremantle, on Sky, NOW and TV8. The 2024 edition reached the highest ratings in the last four years, with an average of 1,765,000 viewers. The Naples final crowned Mimì Caruso as the winner, with a special live performance from Robbie Williams. |
posted 12/11/2024 |
|
|
|
|
The Amazing Kreskin, whose clever, occasionally self-deprecating and always good-humored mentalist routines made him a talk show favorite of such hosts as Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, David Letterman and Howard Stern, died Tuesday, December 10, in New Jersey. He was 89. His death was announced by family on his official X page. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of The Amazing Kreskin, born George Kresge, at the age of 89. Performing for all of you brought immense joy to his life, and it was something he deeply cherished. The family kindly asks for privacy during this difficult time.” Though he eschewed the terms and concepts “psychic,” “medium” and the occult, putting him closer in style to the skeptical illusionists like James Randi and Penn and Teller than spoon-bender Uri Geller, Kreskin nonetheless dazzled audiences with an uncanny ability to locate objects – including his paycheck – hidden by audience members. Kreskin explained his ability to perform such feats, as well as card tricks and apparent mind-reading, was due not to supernatural abilities but rather well-honed sensitivity to body language and other subtle cues. “Basically,” he explained on occasion, “I apply the power of positive thinking which may be mankind’s ultimate tool.” Born George Joseph Kresge Jr. on January 12, 1935, in Montclair, N.J., Kreskin had barely entered his teens when he began entertaining audiences with his seemingly magic routines. In the decades that followed, Kreskin performed his act for presidents, royalty and on hundreds and hundreds of television appearances. According to an official bio, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson dozens of times, as he did on two of the period’s other popular talk programs The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show. He conducted a seance in 1997 on The Howard Stern Show that last over two hours. His popularity continued well into the late night era of David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon. From 1972-75, he hosted his own TV series The Amazing World of Kreskin, and appeared in numerous syndicated specials over the years. Like skeptic James Randi, who offered rewards to anyone who could prove psychic ability, Kreskin often offered money to any hypnotist who could prove the existence of a “hypnotic trance” under scientific conditions. No one ever collected on this challenge. In game shows, Kreskin appeared on two episodes of Nickelodeon's game show/variety hybrid "What Would You Do?". Information on survivors was not immediately available. |
posted 12/10/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Game Show Network, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, has announced Valerie Bertinelli as the host of BINGO BLITZ(R), a new show based on the world's most popular free to play Bingo app*, Bingo Blitz. The half-hour original series is scheduled to premiere Spring 2025. In the BINGO BLITZ game show on Game Show Network, two contestants compete in a dynamic blend of trivia and bingo. The ultimate game of knowledge, strategy and luck, contestants answer trivia to earn bingo balls and points. In addition to numbered bingo balls, players also receive gold balls they can strategically place on their cards to increase their chances of making a bingo. Bingos earn the players bonus points, and special 'power-ups' on the players' cards earn them extra points, bingo balls and prizes. After three rounds, the player with the highest score advances to the fast-action Blitz round, where making a bingo in 60 seconds or less awards them $10,000. Valerie Bertinelli's long and celebrated career includes being an equally beloved actress, Emmy(R) Award-winning host, New York Times best-selling author, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. A two-time Golden Globe(R) winner, Valerie landed her big break at age 15 as Barbara Cooper on One Day At A Time, Norman Lear's 1975 acclaimed series. She helped develop, produce, and star in many highly rated TV movies and mini-series and for six seasons starred as Melanie Moretti in TV Land's hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland. In August 2012, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Valerie has also written several best-selling memoirs and cookbooks and has hosted two of her own shows on the Food Network. Her best and favorite production is her son, Wolfgang, who achieved his own fame as the bassist for the legendary rock group Van Halen on its 2007-2008 North American Tour and for his own Grammy-nominated band, Mammoth WVH. In September 2024, Valerie joined The Drew Barrymore Show as a lifestyle expert. Valerie will soon be heard in Disney Jr's new animated series, RoboGobo. As a category leader, Bingo Blitz, the free-to-play app by Playtika, has been celebrating bingo moments for over a decade! Get in on the action and play alongside the show by downloading the app for free in the App Store, Google Play Store, or online at www.bingoblitz.com. BINGO BLITZ is a Game Show Enterprises Studios production with Rane Laymance as executive producer and Sabrina Hybel Snow as co-executive producer. Playtika Santa Monica, LLC serves as executive producer. Virtual studio technology is by GameChanger Ltd. with Yaron Yashinski, Nimrod Harel and Roy Even Tov serving as executive producers. |
posted 12/10/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Michael Cole, who starred as Pete Cochran on the hit counterculture drama Mod Squad and later played Harlan Barrett on General Hospital during a 50-year acting career, has died. He was 84. His reps at BMF announced the news, but did not provide details. Born July 3, 1940 in Madison WI, Cole was one of the three young hippies-turned-cops alongside Julie (Peggy Lipton) and Link (Clarence Williams III) in Mod Squad, which debuted in September 1968 on ABC. “One White, One Black, One Blonde” read the promo materials for the series, which was aimed at a youthful audience during a turbulent time. The trio was given a choice: fight crime or be sent to jail themselves. They chose the former, under the tutelage of Capt. Adam Greer (Tige Andrews). Executive produced by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, Mod Squad tapped into the zeitgeist of the late ’60s, portraying a positive image for the counterculture of the moment by tackling such issues as the Vietnam war, racism and social justice. Linc, Julie and Pete blended into the scene, using stealth to track and capture their targets. It aired for five seasons through May 1973. Cole continued to work steadily in TV and film, making guest appearances on shows and exploring roles in theater. He had an arc for several months on General Hospital in 1991, playing Harlan Barrett, the crooked chief engineer for Barrett Industries who hooks up with a cartel and is hired to kill Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers). Instead, he is shot dead by Bill Eckert (Anthony Geary), who was protesting his friend Scorpio. He also guest-starred in dozens of television series throughout his career, including ER, 7th Heaven, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Gunsmoke, which was first major television credit in 1966. In game shows, Cole appeared on episodes of It's Your Bet, The Hollywood Squares, Celebrity Bowling, and The Dating Game. In 2009, Cole published his memoir, I Played the White Guy, a candid and heartfelt account of his experiences in Hollywood and his personal journey, offering readers an intimate look into his life and career. Michael Cole is survived by his wife, Shelley; his children; and extended family. |
posted 12/10/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Freelance television announcer Tomoaki Ogura, who served as host of a popular morning show for 22 years, died of bladder cancer at his home in Tokyo on Monday, his talent agency said Tuesday. He was 77. Born in Akita Prefecture, Ogura joined then Television Tokyo Channel 12, now TV Tokyo, as an announcer after graduating from university and turned freelance in 1976. Ogura became famous for his unique narration style featuring his trademark high-pitched voice in Tokyo Broadcasting System Television's quiz show "Sekai Marugoto How Much," which was launched in 1983. He took the role of presenter of Fuji Television Network's morning show "Tokudane!" from 1999 to 2021, gaining popularity for his frank comments. He was also well-versed in sports and reported on Olympic Games from the venues. Ogura engaged in activities such as giving lectures on his treatment experience for diabetes, a condition he developed in his 30s. He announced in 2016 that he had bladder cancer. Ogura continued to work until recently amid his struggle with the disease, which spread to other organs, including his lungs. His condition deteriorated suddenly this month. |
posted 12/10/2024 |
|
|
|
|
She didn’t appear on screen in the Star Trek Universe, but she left her mark all over the franchise and beyond. Costume and jewelry designer Maggie Schpak died June 23 from cancer, as announced by a friend on Facebook. She was 80. Her career began over fifty years ago, when she thought at first she wanted to act, following the footsteps of her father, Millard Mitchell. She soon realized that she preferred the technical side of things and ended up going into costuming at Western Costume. Her passion, though, would turn out to be metalwork and jewelry. She opened Studio Art Metal Shop with a partner in 1962. Schpak worked closely with Robert Fletcher on the first three Trek films, producing such items as the Kohlinar necklace from The Motion Picture and Khan’s necklace in The Wrath of Khan. She and her studio would eventually work on all thirteen films and four of the original spinoff series. She even created items in bulk for sale through Roddenberry Entertainment. Schpak also created items for such films as Rocky, Rambo, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She received a Distinguished Service Award from the Costume Designers Guild for 2017. Schpak was a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Sherlock Holmes society, and one of her fellow members (who announced her death) said, “She was kind, generous, smart, funny, and creative to say the least. A better friend could not be had.” Another BSI friend, Monica Schmidt, whom we interviewed recently, said, “I was a very lucky recipient of an emerald tie-pin from a certain gracious lady, and today the world lost a woman who was as kind as she was talented.” And her niece called Schpak “a force of nature, brilliant and thoughtful." Schpak was also a regular on the game show circuit, appearing in the pilot of "Press Your Luck" as well as its spiritual predecessor "Second Chance". |
posted 12/10/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Ryan Seacrest Wants to Give The Big One for the Big 50 |
|
Ryan Seacrest is looking ahead at Wheel of Fortune's 50th anniversary. Seacrest took over as host in September following Pat Sajak's retirement. Speaking with Good Morning America at the 2024 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Los Angeles on Friday, December 6, the 49-year-old TV personality shared his plans for the momentous occasion. "I plan to walk out and give away a lot of money to celebrate the 50 years. Hopefully we give away a million dollars. I want that million dollar wedge to make it to the end so somebody gets to win that," he said. He explained that's one of his favorite parts of the hosting job, gushing that he was "surprised" by how "genuinely excited" he gets every time someone wins on the show. "I knew I'd be excited, but I love it when someone wins a big amount of money or a car, and it's just a life-changing half hour for people," the American Idol host told GMA. Prior to Seacrest stepping in as host, Sajak helmed the popular game show for 41 years. He announced his retirement in June 2023, and hosted his last show on June 7 the following year. |
posted 12/9/2024 |
|
|
WWE to A&E: "LFG" |
|
WWE LFG is coming to A&E in early 2025. The cable network announced the new series, which will join WWE Rivals on the network. WWE’s Greatest Moments is also set to premiere on the network in the new year. A&E revealed more about the new arrivals in a press release. “A&E and WWE today announced an expansion of its programming partnership which will include the debut of “WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats),” a new competition series that features in-ring matches along with a behind-the-scenes look at rising talent vying for a coveted WWE contract while being mentored by WWE Legends such as Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Booker T. "Additionally, WWE & A&E will launch “WWE’s Greatest Moments,” a series that will provide fans a front-row seat to relive the iconic events that have shaped WWE history. A new season of the hit-series “WWE Rivals” will also complement this winter’s WWE programming slate on A&E, which will add more than 180 hours of original content over the next three years. “Literally filled with blood, sweat, and tears, there’s never been a series that combines in-ring action, behind-the-scenes reality, high-stakes drama, and some of WWE’s greatest icons all in one package. From total unknowns to legends, ‘LFG’ will give viewers a raw, ground-up, 360-degree view of what it truly takes to make it in the WWE,” said Rob Sharenow, President of Programming, A+E Networks. “Our collaboration with WWE has clearly struck a chord with audiences, and we’re excited to continue producing premium content that resonates with a diverse viewership.” “A&E has proved to be an excellent home for WWE content, and we’re excited to partner with their fantastic team on these new show concepts and the latest season of WWE Rivals,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “WWE LFG” will offer viewers an inside look at the rigorous training process, featuring iconic WWE Legends such as Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Shawn Michaels and weekly regular coaches Undertaker, Booker T, Mickie James and Bubba Ray Dudley as they mentor a new generation in weekly matches on their quest to become the next WWE Superstars. Executive producers for WWE are Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Shawn Michaels and Jeremy Borash. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as Executive producers for A&E. |
posted 12/6/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Comedian Kabir Singh, a semifinalist on season 16 of America's Got Talent, has died. He was 39 years old. Singh died on Wednesday, Dec. 4, his fiancée confirms with PEOPLE, adding a broken heart emoji. TMZ was first to report. A toxicology was conducted to determine how he died, per the outlet. Insiders told TMZ that Singh had been dealing with health concerns and authorities suspect he died of natural causes. The comic was said to be in San Francisco at the time of his death. Singh's friend, Jeremy Curry, mourned the loss on Facebook Thursday, Dec. 5. He shared a picture of the two smiling together and wrote that the late comedian "passed away peacefully in his sleep." Curry also told fans Singh's funeral services will be held on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 14, in Hayward, Calif. He continued by asking for thoughts and prayers for Singh's loved ones and his fiancée, ending his tribute with, "I Love you bro." Aside from appearing on America's Got Talent in 2021, Singh was also featured on Comedy Central, Family Guy and the BBC, per his Instagram bio. His profile also noted he was still performing standup, as recently as Nov. 2, in Manteca, Calif. |
posted 12/6/2024 |
|
|
A Bridge to the Gates |
|
It will be a hard goodbye for The Talk when the CBS talk show airs its series finale Dec. 16. While departing daytime talk shows whose finales air in May often stay in repeats through the summer until they are replaced in the fall, that won’t happen with The Talk. CBS will run repeats of its daytime staple, game show The Price Is Right, in The Talk’s time period (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; 1:00-2:00 PM) for two months, until the slot is taken over by the network’s new daytime soap Beyond the Gates, set to premiere Feb. 24. The Talk is ending its run after 15 seasons and 2,993 episodes. The Price Is Right, hosted by Drew Carey, is currently in its 53rd season. Beyond the Gates, currently in production in Atlanta, is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside Washington, D.C., one of the most affluent African American counties in the United States. |
posted 12/5/2024 |
|
|
And The Post-Oscar Goes to... |
|
ABC will once again use the Oscars to give a platform to one of its regular series. The network has scheduled a preview of American Idol to air after the Academy Awards on March 2, a week ahead of the show’s official season premiere on March 9. The preview will air at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT following the live Oscar telecast. It will not, however, be a full-blown episode of Idol, which usually run two hours. Instead, the half-hour preview will give viewers a first look at new judge Carrie Underwood — whose season four victory on Idol kickstarted her music career — and a few of the auditions from the early rounds of the competition. Underwood is taking the judge’s seat vacated by Katy Perry, who departed Idol at the end of last season after seven years (the show’s entire run on ABC to that point). Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are returning as judges, and Ryan Seacrest continues as host. |
posted 12/5/2024 |
|
|
TUESDAY: The Feds Come a-Knockin' |
|
Without Dancing with the Stars in the mix, CBS dominated the primetime lineup on Tuesday. CBS (5.343m viewers; 0.4/5 in the demo) offered up the original FBI (6.7m/0.4), then International (5m/0.4), then Most Wanted (4.4m/0.3). Coming in second were NBC (3.148m/0.3/4) with St. Denis Medical (2.7m/0.3), Night Court (2.3/0.3), The Voice (4.5m/0.3), and The IRrational (2.4m/0.2). ABC (2.5m/0.2/3) loaded up on special CMA Country Christmas (3.9m/0.3) and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (2.1m/0.2). Fox slotted in an entire night devoted to Accused (1.364m/0.2/2). Rounding out the night on the CW was WWE NXT (593k/0.1/2). On cable... |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
MONDAY: Holiday Game Night |
|
Out of everyone not watching Bo Nix give the Browns what for on MNF, NBC's The Voice was the top draw. NBC (4.5m viewers/0.4/4 in the Demo) lined up the semifinals of The Voice (5.4m/0.4) and Brilliant Minds (2.8m/0.3) . CBS (4.4m/0.3/4) narrowly came in second with THe Neighborhood (4m/0.4), Poppa's House (3.4m/0.3) NCIS (5.6m/0.4), and NCIS Origins (3.8m/0.3). ABC (2.1m/0.2/3) went all-in on holiday game shows with special episodes of Celebrity Family Feud (3.1m/0.3) and Press Your Luck (1.8m/0.2). Fox (1.7m/0.2/2) aired 9-1-1 Lone Star (2.6m/0.2) and TMZ's Merry Elfin' Christmas (791k/0.1). Rounding out the night on the CW was the series finale of Superman & Lois (507k/0.1) and a special Trivial Pursuit (284k/0.0). On cable... |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
Rai Commissions 99 to Beat |
|
Italian broadcaster Rai has greenlit a local version of the popular Belgian gameshow format 99 to Beat. The Italian adaptation, titled 99 da Battere, will debut on Rai2 in January 2025 as a six-episode series produced by Endemol Shine Italy. Originally created by Belgian networks VRT and De Chinezen, 99 to Beat has travelled to 10 international markets since its 2018 premiere on VRT. The show’s premise sees contestants trying to avoid finishing last in a series of 99 games to stay in the competition. The format has already been adapted in Germany (Sat.1), the Netherlands (SBS), Norway (Warner Bros Discovery), Sweden (Kanal 5) and Poland (TTV). Upcoming versions are also set to launch in the UK (ITV1) and France (M6) in 2025. Simone de Pruyssenaere, director of sales and acquisitions at the format’s Belgian distributor Primitives, said: “We are thrilled to bring 99 to Beat to the Italian audience with Endemol Shine Italy. This collaboration continues the format’s incredible international journey and success.” |
posted 12/5/2024 |
|
|
Thursday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Byron Allen's Multibillion Dollar Lawsuit Going to Trial |
|
A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by media entrepreneur Byron Allen seeking $10 billion alleging racial discrimination by fast food giant McDonald’s can proceed to trial. United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin found in what he termed a “close call” that Allen’s claims that the fast-food chain promoted “racial stereotyping” by not advertising with Black-owned media ought to be addressed by a jury. “At a minimum, this is the type of case where the ‘trial court is permitted, in its discretion, to deny even a well-supported motion for summary judgment, if it believes the case will benefit from a full hearing,’” Olguin said in a 25-page order. Allen had alleged that his Entertainment Studios and Weather Channel were denied ad dollars spent by McDonald’s as part of its large budget for general-market advertising and instead relegated to an “African American tier” that vies for consideration with a significantly smaller much smaller ad budget, denying the media outlets millions of dollars in potential annual revenue. “We have overwhelming evidence against McDonald’s — who has been sued by its Black executives, Black franchisees, and their global head of security — for racial discrimination,” Allen said in a statement. “It is time for the McDonald’s Board of Directors, stockholders, and civil rights organizations nationwide to call for the resignation of CEO Chris Kempczinski, who was caught sending racist text messages about Black and Hispanic people.” McDonald’s said in a statement that In a statement that the decision reflected the fact that neither side met the high standard for dismissal at this stage of the proceedings. “We are prepared to show that this case is utterly baseless. McDonald’s invested in media properties that aligned with the company’s business strategy and, like any other rational business, declined to invest in those that had low ratings or failed to reach the company’s target audiences,” McDonald’s said. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2021. |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
|
|
The BBC is pulling its “MasterChef” Christmas specials following the allegations made against presenter Gregg Wallace, the latest escalation in an episode that has dominated U.K. headlines. Wallace stepped aside from presenting the U.K. edition of the cookery show last week following a BBC News investigation in which numerous allegations of historic inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behavior were made against him. His lawyers have denied he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature, while Banijay — which produces “MasterChef” — has launched an investigation. The BBC’s decision to remove the Christmas specials from its programming marks a U-turn for the broadcaster, after it said on Monday that all “Masterchef” episodes — including two festive editions — would air as planned. “The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances we have decided not to broadcast them,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday. On Monday, Wallace apologized for comments made over the weekend that sparked further controversy. In a video posted to his Instagram account on Sunday, he said the accusations came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” His response was condemned by many, including the British government, with an unnamed Downing Street spokesperson describing them as “inappropriate and misogynistic.” “I want to apologize for any offense that I caused for my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people,” Wallace said in a video on his Instagram Story. “I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion. I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway. I hope you understand and I do hope that you will accept this apology." John Torode has described the recent allegations of historical misconduct involving his MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace as “truly upsetting”. Shared this afternoon on Instagram, Torode said in his statement that he hadn’t spoken publicly about the allegations until now because he had been “away filming MasterChef overseas.” Torode’s statement added: “The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear. Torode continued to write that he would not speak any further about the matter as the official investigation into Wallace continued. |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Today, Prime Video released the official trailer and key art for the highly-anticipated new series Pop Culture Jeopardy!, which will premiere Wednesday, December 4 on Prime Video with three episodes, followed by three new episodes weekly. The 40-episode Amazon MGM Studios Original series, hosted by Colin Jost, will be available exclusively on Prime Video in the US, UK, Mexico/LATAM, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. The new show will be part of Prime Video's Winning Wednesdays programming, joining a fun-filled lineup that includes Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?, Buy It Now, and Amazon Wish List Games. Pop Culture Jeopardy! Is a brand-new twist on the classic quiz show's "answer-and-question" format that combines the academic rigor of Jeopardy! with the excitement and unpredictability of pop culture. Contestants, playing in teams of three, will need to be experts in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers; Broadway to MMA; Gen Z to Zendaya as they compete in a tournament-style event for the grand prize of $300,000 and ultimate bragging rights. Pop Culture Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Prime Video. Eight-time Emmy(R) Award winner, Michael Davies, serves as executive producer. FOLLOW PRIME VIDEO Social Media Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, Facebook: @PrimeVideo Follow Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Instagram: @popculturejeopardy #popculturejeopardy” |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
|
|
The celebrity captains joining Mel Giedroyc for the brand new series of ITV’s Pictionary have been announced, alongside afirst-look at what audiences can expect. Produced by Whisper North, for ITV1 and ITVX, Pictionary (25x30) will feature two Christmas specials set to air in December with captains Denise Van Outen vs Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and captains Jeff Brazier vs Scarlett Moffat, perfect for festive family viewing. The brand-new series will then launch in January with more celebrities competing across the series. Taking on the role of team captains throughout the series run are television presenter Angela Scanlon, actor and comedian Brian Conley, Dancing on Ice skating professional Dan Whiston, actress and singer Denise Van Outen. Plus comedian and Strictly Come Dancing star Eddie Kadi, actress Hayley Tamaddon, former Olympian and broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye, TV presenter Jeff Brazier, TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and TV favourite Scarlett Moffatt. Inspired by Mattel’s popular board game of quick-fire sketches and hilarious guesses, each episode will see two celebrity team captains lead their team of contestants on a mission to draw images that match a word or phrase from a specific category. Meanwhile, their teammates will have to guess correctly to score with the chance to win an incredible prize. Mel Giedroyc says: “I’m so delighted to be kicking off the festive season by bringing a family favourite to ITV with the incredible celebrity team captains. Filming the series was a barrel of laughs throughout, even more so when things got competitive. I really hope viewers laugh and play along - we had so much fun making the series!” |
posted 12/4/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peacock is in conversation with ITV America over a third Love Island spin-off, David George has revealed. The boss of ITV America said chatter about another new version of the popular reality series demonstrates the importance of the Peacock brand following Comcast’s move to spin off a number of its cable nets and news networks. ITV America already makes Love Island Games and Love Island: All Stars for Peacock, along with the original U.S. version, which has been airing on the streamer since 2022 and previously ran on CBS. ITV Studios created the original Love Island, which has sold around the world and still airs in the UK. George said the Comcast split shows that “Peacock is the future,” further evidenced by the fact Comcast is holding on to Bravo, which “supplies tonnes of content into Peacock.” “We are keeping a close eye on it,” he added. He didn’t elaborate further on the Love Island spin-off but the Games and All Stars versions have been performing well for the streamer. Peacock declined comment on the third spin-off. |
posted 12/3/2024 |
|
|
"Shout" Out |
|
ITV have shelved Saturday night gameshow In With A Shout, where contestants are challenged to shout at the TV to win a fortune, for a third series, TV Zone understands. The series will not air in its usual Spring slot next year, but could be back in the future. The fast paced game show saw see two families battle against each other in a game with a uniquely challenging twist. With an impressive prize of a whopping £20,000 (US$25,200), the contestants will have to answer questions hidden within a montage of moving images. To win the cash, the contestants have to shout the answers displayed on TV screens. For every category that they get right they move further up the money ladder but the pressure is on, as the families will have to bank as much cash as possible and avoid crashing out altogether. With the chance to quadruple their prize pot, the stakes are high for the winning family who will have just 60 seconds to successfully answer questions correctly to turn off the TV’s. If they fail to turn off all ten tellies within the timeframe, they walk away with nothing. |
posted 12/3/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Fox Gets "Extracted" |
|
Fox is sending more contestants into the wild. The network has handed Extracted, a survival competition series, a midseason premiere date and has launched the show’s first trailer. The show will launch on Monday February 10 at 8pm, the day after the Super Bowl, which will air on Fox, and leading in to Rescue: HI-Surf, which was set to air after the big game but has been since replaced by The Floor. Watch below for the trailer for the show, which unlike Fox’s other survival series Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, features civilian contestants rather than celebrities. It features 12 untrained competitors attempting to survive extremely grueling conditions, perilous terrain, and the threat of fearsome predators in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness. Meanwhile, some miles away, their family members are locked down at a secluded headquarters watching them navigate their dangerous surroundings alone via a 24/7 live feed. The fate of each untrained contestant in the wilderness lies in the hands of their family members back in HQ. Each amateur survivalist’s family has the power to decide whether their loved one has what it takes to brave the elements and fight to be the last one standing, or whether the family will push the ominous “Extract” button and remove their loved one and their whole family from the competition. Extracted asks the question: how far will their loved ones let them go for a chance for their family to win $250,000? It comes from Sony Pictures Television’s B17 Entertainment, Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions and Fox Alternative Entertainment. Rob Buchta, exec producer of Running Wild with Bear Grylls, serves as showrunner and exec produces alongside Rhett Bachner, Brien Meagher, Sylvester Stallone, Braden Aftergood, Lauren Taylor Harding and Dan Bree. |
posted 12/2/2024 |
|
|
Roku Clashes with Cookbooks |
|
Join comedian Phoebe Robinson and cookbook author and culinary historian Max Miller as they put cookbook-obsessed chefs to the test with legendary cookbook-inspired challenges. Cookbooks are the cornerstone of how the average person has learned to cook for hundreds of years, testing the technical and creative skills of home cooks. In this competition, chefs from across the country take recipes from the page to the plate by cooking from history's greatest and the world's toughest cookbooks. Premiering on Roku December 6, "Clash of the Cookbooks" is produced by ITV. Executive Producing are Jonty Nash, Christopher Potts, Jordana Hochman, Alyssa Hastrich, and Phoebe Robinson. |
posted 12/2/2024 |
|
|
Proud to Be a Voice |
|
Thailand will launch The Voice Pride in 2025, the first LGBTQ+ edition of the global talent competition The Voice. Aimed at celebrating the diversity and artistry of the LGBTQ+ community, the show is set to premiere during Pride Month in June 2025. The Voice Thailand has also been renewed for a 10th season and will air on Thailand’s Channel One HD in 2025. The Voice Pride is commissioned by Exit365, which also produced previous seasons of The Voice Thailand. |
posted 12/2/2024 |
|
|
Putting the "Sing" in Singapore |
|
We listen and we don't judge. Unless you're a contestant in Mediacorp's upcoming music game show I Can See Your Voice that is. The highly anticipated programme is an adaptation of the popular South Korean show of the same and now, we know when it will air. Mark your calendars for Jan 13, 2025, and join resident celebrity detectives Benjamin Kheng, Gurmit Singh, Najip Ali and Xixi Lim every Monday as they determine the good and bad singers out of 60 mystery contestants. Hosted by Joakim Gomez and Munah Bagharib, I Can See Your Voice features 60 mystery singers – both good and bad – having to prove their singing prowess or conceal their lack of vocal talent every week. Celebrity contestants must deduce the mystery singers’ musical capabilities and weed out the bad singers across multiple rounds, working towards the ultimate goal of retaining a good singer as the last person standing. Regardless of the outcome, the final mystery singer will walk away with a S$10,000 (US$7,430) cash prize. All 10 winning mystery singers throughout the season will also stand a chance to drive away in a brand-new Nissan Leaf car. |
posted 12/2/2024 |
|
|
"Project Runway" Is In.... Africa |
|
Africa is getting its own Project Runway. A new edition of the hit fashion design competition show, Project Runway Africa, is set to launch next year, showcasing emerging African designer talent from across the continent. Takeout Media and What Network will produce the African version of the show through their single-purpose vehicle Take Two Media, which licensed the format from global producer and distributor Fremantle. “This isn’t just a television show, it’s a cultural moment,” said Project Runway Africa co-executive producer Chichi Nwoko, saying the show would highlight Africa’s rapidly evolving fashion ecosystem and present designers with an opportunity for expert mentorship. “Africa’s fashion industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world, fueled by a dynamic, young audience and rich cultural influences,” said Nwoko. “With Project Runway Africa, we’re creating a platform that celebrates the continent’s boundless creativity, empowering designers to bring their visions to life and share their unique voices with viewers across Africa and beyond.” Added co-executive producer Elijah Affi: “We’re creating a platform to showcase how African designers reimagine global fashion through their unique perspectives and cultural richness. This is more than television; it’s about amplifying African voices in the global fashion conversation and creating pathways for our talented designers to reach new heights.” The competition will be open to African designers aged between 21 and 40. Details of the first season, including the shooting location, are being kept under wraps. For further details, visit www.projectrunway.com.r. |
posted 12/2/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"What's My Line?" That was the first show ever broadcast on a new cable network on December 1, 1994. That network was the Game Show Network, a project of Sony Pictures Television, owner of the Griffin, Stewart, Barry & Enright, and Barris libraries. Thirty years of history - both bad and... well, dark - later, it's time to celebrate as television's first all-game-show channel marks its 30 year anniversary. Game Show Network, a project of Sony and United Video Satellite Group, was first announced as "Game Show Channel" in May 1992. Later that year, Sony acquired the Barry/Enright library and secured a 10-year licensing deal with Mark Goodson Productions for their library of over 20,000 episodes. Two years later, at 7pm ET on December 1, the inaugural schedule of game show classics began running. Over time, it expanded its acquired library rights to such franchises as Let's Make a Deal, Hollywood Squares, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Deal or No Deal, and, starting in 2025, The Wall. The objective was always to be profitable enough to create its own productions, which it did starting with interactive playbreaks and branching out to originals like Super Decades, Burt Luddin's Love Buffet, Extreme Gong, Inquizition, Hollywood Showdown, and Throut & Neck. They would later spin off their own unit, Game Show Enterprises, which would serve as both an in-house production house and a clearinghouse for syndication with series like Flip Side, People Puzzler, and America Says. than a month after Sony whacked CBS with a breach of contract lawsuit over blockbuster game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, the soon to be Skydance-owned broadcaster is slamming Sony as a bad actor looking to snag the shows for next to nothing. Currently, Game Show Network offers Split Second, Switch, Beat the Bridge, Flip Side, America Says, Catch 21, Master Minds, Common Knowledge, Chain Reaction, and People. Coming in 2025 are new-to-network series The Wall and original series Tic Tac Dough. |
posted 12/1/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Wayne Northrop, the actor known for roles on Days of Our Lives and Dynasty, has died. He was 77. Northrop died Friday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, publicist Cynthia Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago. “He took his last breath in the arms of his family,” Northrop’s wife and fellow soap star, Lynn Herring Northrop, said in a statement. “We wish to thank the most caring and amazing place, the Motion Picture and Television Home, for taking such great care of him. Wayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit. A husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many.” Northrop appeared on more than 1,000 episodes of Days of Our Lives, first as Detective Roman Brady and then as Dr. Alex North. On Dynasty, he played Michael Culhane, chauffeur of oil tycoon Blake Carrington. On Port Charles, he portrayed the manipulative Rex Stanton. Northrop also appeared on such other series as L.A. Law, Hotel, You Are the Jury and Cold Case. In game shows, Northrop appeared on episodes of Go, Just Men!, and the Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour. Survivors also include his stepmother, Janet. |
posted 12/1/2024 |
|
|
TUESDAY: Going Out with a Bang |
|
"Dancing with the Stars" concluded its spectacular season 33 as the top program of the night, delivering record-breaking audience in both Total Viewers (6.36 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.14 rating) - the best Total Viewer audience since the show's season 29 finale on 11/23/20 and the best Adults 18-49 audience since the season 29 premiere on 9/14/20. In addition to wins among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, the extravagant three-hour finale, in which Joey Graziadei and his partner, Jenna Johnson, took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, swept additional key demographics including Adults 18-34 (1.27 rating), Women 18-49 (1.61 rating), Women 18-34 (1.90 rating) and Men 18-34 (0.65 rating), among others, while also pushing ABC to a win for the night. "Dancing with the Stars" delivered double-digit gains in both Total Viewers (+16% - 6.36 million vs. 5.50 million) and Adults 18-49 (+70% - 1.14 rating vs. 0.67 rating) compared to its year-ago season finale (12/5/23), turning in its best Adults 18-49 season finale performance in 7 years - since 5/21/18. "Dancing with the Stars" led its closest broadcast competitor, NBC's "The Voice," by +226%, more than tripling its Adults 18-49 performance (1.14 rating vs. 0.35 rating). Additionally, the season 33 finale was the highest-rated Adults 18-49 regularly scheduled entertainment telecast in primetime since NBC's "This Is Us" finale (1.28 rating on 5/24/22). Season to date, "Dancing with the Stars" stands as the No. 1 entertainment series among Adults 18-49 (0.77 rating) - the first time for the show to take the top spot for the broadcast season in its entire history. The show once again broke voting records, garnering over 32 million votes for the teams during the very competitive finale. |
posted 12/1/2024 |
|
|
Weekend Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV’s “Love Connection,” for which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds,” a two-fingered signature dubbed the “2 and 2.” In 1984, he hosted TV’s “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting two game shows on TV until 1990. “Love Connection,” which aired long before the dawn of dating apps, had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date. Other career highlights included hosting the shows “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as hosting the short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of TV’s “Melrose Place.” Woolery became the subject of the Game Show Network’s first attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003. It shared the title of the pop song in 1968 by Woolery and his rock group, the Avant-Garde. It lasted six episode and was panned by critics. Woolery began his TV career at a show that has become a mainstay. Although most associated with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, “Wheel of Fortune” debuted Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC with Woolery welcoming contestants and the audience. Woolery, then 33, was trying to make it in Nashville as a singer. “Wheel of Fortune” started life as “Shopper’s Bazaar,” incorporating Hangman-style puzzles and a roulette wheel. After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Merv Griffin asked him to host the new show with Susan Stafford. “I had an interview that stretched to 15, 20 minutes,” Woolery told The New York Times in 2003. “After the show, when Merv asked if I wanted to do a game show, I thought, ‘Great, a guy with a bad jacket and an equally bad mustache who doesn’t care what you have to say — that’s the guy I want to be.’” NBC initially passed, but they retooled it as “Wheel of Fortune” and got the green light. After a few years, Woolery demanded a raise to $500,000 a year, or what host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin balked and replaced Woolery with weather reporter Pat Sajak. “Both Chuck and Susie did a fine job, and ‘Wheel’ did well enough on NBC, although it never approached the kind of ratings success that ‘Jeopardy!’ achieved in its heyday,” Griffin said in “Merv: Making the Good Life Last,” an autobiography from the 2000s co-written by David Bender. Woolery earned an Emmy nod as host. Stafford posted the following statement... “Our deep friendship continued after our time on the show. He was an original. There was no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same warm caring genuine person offstage as he was on. He was very spiritual and we shared a true love for God which made it even more worthwhile. So grateful to know I will see him again.“ Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served in the U.S. Navy before attending college. He played double bass in a folk trio, then formed the psychedelic rock duo The Avant-Garde in 1967 while working as a truck driver to support himself as a musician. The Avant-Garde, which tourbed in a refitted Cadillac hearse, had the Top 40 hit “Naturally Stoned,” with Woolery singing, “When I put my mind on you alone/I can get a good sensation/Feel like I’m naturally stoned.” After The Avant-Garde broke up, Woolery released his debut solo single “I’ve Been Wrong” in 1969 and several more singles with Columbia before transitioning to country music by the 1970s. He released two solo singles, “Forgive My Heart” and “Love Me, Love Me.” Woolery wrote or co-wrote songs for himself and everyone from Pat Boone to Tammy Wynette. On Wynette’s 1971 album “We Sure Can Love Each Other,” Woolery wrote “The Joys of Being a Woman” with lyrics including “See our baby on the swing/Hear her laugh, hear her scream.” After his TV career ended, Woolery went into podcasting. In an interview with The New York Times, he called himself a gun-rights activist and described himself as a conservative libertarian and constitutionalist. He said he hadn’t revealed his politics in liberal Hollywood for fear of retribution. He teamed up with Mark Young in 2014 for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and soon became a full supporter of Donald Trump while arguing minorities don’t need civil rights and causing a firestorm by tweeting an antisemitic comment linking Soviet Communists to Judaism. “President Obama’s popularity is a fantasy only held by him and his dwindling legion of juice-box-drinking, anxiety-dog-hugging, safe-space-hiding snowflakes,” he said. Woolery also was active online, retweeting articles from Conservative Brief, insisting Democrats were trying to install a system of Marxism and spreading headlines such as “Impeach him! Devastating photo of Joe Biden leaks.” During the early stages of the pandemic, Woolery initially accused medical professionals and Democrats of lying about the virus in an effort to hurt the economy and Trump’s chances for reelection to the presidency. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it,” Woolery wrote in July 2020. Just days later, Woolery changed his stance, announcing his son had contracted COVID-19. “To further clarify and add perspective, COVID-19 is real and it is here. My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for of those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones,” Woolery posted before his account was deleted. Woolery later explained on his podcast that he never called COVID-19 “a hoax” or said “it’s not real,” just that “we’ve been lied to.” Woolery also said it was “an honor to have your president retweet what your thoughts are and think it’s important enough to do that.” In addition to his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and his daughter Melissa, Young said. |
posted 11/27/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Less than a month after Sony whacked CBS with a breach of contract lawsuit over blockbuster game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, the soon to be Skydance-owned broadcaster is slamming Sony as a bad actor looking to snag the shows for next to nothing. “Sony is attempting to obtain in court what it could not get at the bargaining table: the rights to the Series for free, by finding any excuse it can muster,” CBS’ outside lawyers Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP put it to now defendants Sony Pictures TV Studios, Jeopardy Productions and Califon Productions in a cross-complaint filed Tuesday. In other words: Think hard before you try to pull out of these deals and mess with us. It’s worth noting that CBS in its first response to Sony’s October 31 suit cited the “billions of dollars of revenue” its long-standing deals for Wheel and Jeopardy! generated for the company. Billions of dollars will surely be the mantra for this case going forward, on both sides. Today, CBS painted Sony as simply too heavy handed, and too greedy. “Needless to say, CBS is disappointed by Sony’s decision to turn its back on the Parties’ longstanding relationship, to attempt to renounce the decades’ worth of efforts that CBS has invested into distributing and arranging for the distribution of the Series, and to attempt and escape the bargain it willingly made,” reads the complaint that went into the Los Angeles Superior Court docket today. “Therefore, through these claims, CBS seeks to hold Sony to the Agreements, and CBS remains committed to continuing to occupy its mantle as Sony’s trusted partner and distributor of the Series for the next four decades and beyond.” As expected in a case like this, CBS is seeking a variety of damages from Sony. CBS also wants a court order explicitly saying that Sony “cannot terminate the Agreements based on any alleged breach of the best effort clause and covenant of good faith and fair dealing.” On the flip side, it is that very notion of fairness that Sony said back on October 31 pressed it to take CBS to court. “CBS’s failures and pattern of financially self-interested behavior — which at bottom come down to putting its own business interests over its contractual obligations to Sony Pictures — are straightforward breaches of the agreements’ express best-efforts clauses and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing,” the 19-page jury-seeking complaint that kicked off the court battle said last month. |
posted 11/27/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Earl Holliman, an actor with scores of credits spanning a half-century that ranged 1950s films Forbidden Planet and Giant to Police Woman and popular ’70s and ’80s TV dramas and starred the first episode of The Twilight Zone, died Monday in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 96. His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, announced the news on social media, writing in part: “His dream at 5 years old of becoming a movie star came true, more than he ever could have imagined.” Holliman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame won a Supporting Actor Golden Globe for 1957’s The Rainmaker and was nominated for the short-lived early-’90s ABC sitcom Delta, starring Delta Burke. He was a series regular on the latter, playing the understanding owner of a bar where aspiring country singer Delta Bishop (Burke) worked while trying to make it. Born on September 11, 1928, Holliman began his screen career with roles in 1950s movies including the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet and James Dean’s final film Giant among many others. He co-starred opposite Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker as Jim Curry, the randy brother of Hepburn’s spinster Lizzie. Holliman had done several guest-starring roles on 1950s TV before making history as the focus of the first episode of The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s landmark anthology series that put ordinary people in extraordinary situations. The October 1959 episode “Where Is Everybody?” opened with Holliman’s Mike Ferris wandering in a deserted town, which appears to be populated — coffee is boiling, a jukebox is playing, a cigar is burning — but no one is seen. The unsettling scenario continues to build to a wildly unexpected climax that would be the still-loved series’ signature. Around that time, Holliman landed his first starring role on the CBS western Hotel de Paree. He toplined as Sundance, who accidentally had killed a man in Colorado town but returned after a long prison term. When he got back to town, the hotel was being run by two of his victim’s relatives (Jeanette Nolan and Judi Meredith). Sundance got a job as a strongarm and peacekeeper. Among his stocks in trade were shiny discs in his hatband that could blind any rivals. The series failed to catch on in a three-network universe where half of the Top 20 series were westerns, and it aired just one season min 1959-60. Holliman continued to guest on TV before landing a second series-regular role on Wide Country, starring as a champion bronc buster who made the rodeo-circuit rounds while trying to keep his younger brother (Andrew Prine) from following in his footsteps. The NBC western also lasted a single season in 1962-63. After that show ended, Holliman toured the U.S. as lead Curly McLain in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! He also would appear in numerous local and touring stage productions into the 1980s, including in such beloved shows as A Streetcar Named Desire, A Chorus Line and Arsenic and Old Lace. Holliman returned to guesting on such popular 1960s and ’70s dramas as Bonanza, The Virginian, The Fugitive, Marcus Welby M.D., It Takes a Thief, Ironside, The Rookies, Medical Center, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco. and Police Story. The latter led to his signature role. Holliman was cast to star opposite Angie Dickenson in Police Woman, NBC’s 1974-78 drama centered on LAPD undercover cop Sgt. Pepper Anderson and her vice squad team that reported to Holliman’s Lt. Bill Crowley. The show was an initial hit, finishing in the Primetime Top 15 in 1974-75, but couldn’t hold that momentum and ended in 1978. Holliman continued to work in films and TV during the 1980s, notably playing a Georgia gubenatorial candidate in the 1981 Burt Reynolds-directed and -led actioner Sharkey Machine alongside Charles Durning, Bernie Casey and others. He would land a fourth TV-regular gig in 1991, this time co-starring in CBS’ P.S. I Luv U. Connie Sellecca and Greg Evigan played ex-NYPD partners-turned-fake spouses in a witness-relocation program in Palm Springs. The “couple” worked for a private-security firm run by Holliman’s Matthew Durning — the only person who knew their true identities. The drama also lasted just a single season, ending in 1992. Holliman worked steadily through the 1990s, guesting on episodes of the smash Angela Lansbury drama Murder, She Wrote, recurring on NBC’s Lea Thompson sitcom Caroline in the City and appearing as himself on Garry Shandling’s revered late-night talk-shop sendup The Larry Sanders Show. He would land a final series-regular role on the syndicated NightMan in 1997. He starred opposite Matt McColm, whose Johnny Domingo becomes the title superhero after a lightning strike. Holliman played his ex-cop dad who appeared in two dozen episodes before being killed off in the Season 2 premiere. Holliman also was a regular presence on TV game shows including The Hollywood Squares and multiple interations of the Pyramid game. He made more than a dozen appearances as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and visited several other talk shows hosted by Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore, John Davidson and Chuck Woolery, who died over the weekend. Holliman also had a brief side career as a singer in the late ’50s and early ’60s. That included a label deal with Capitol Records in 1958, where he covered “I’m in the Mood for Love” and other songs, but none hit the national charts. |
posted 11/18/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Helen Gallagher, who won Tony Awards for Pal Joey and No, No, Nanette before starring as Maeve Ryan in all 13 seasons of daytime soap Ryan’s Hope, died November 24. She was 98. Playbill confirmed the news on social media. Born on July 19, 1926, in New York City, Gallagher already was a singing, dancing and acting veteran of numerous Broadway shows when she was cast as Gladys Bumps in the Chicago-set 1952 musical Pal Joey. Starring opposite Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal, she won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She went on to appear in such Golden Age Broadway musicals as The Pajama Game, Mame, Finian’s Rainbow and Sweet Charity, earning a second Featured Actress Tony nom for playing Mickie alongside Gwen Verdon and Ruth Buzzi. She also performed in revivals of such classics as Guys and Dolls and Brigadoon. In 1970 she was cast as the original Lucille Early in Broadway’s No, No, Nanette, earning a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The show ran from January 1971-February 1973 at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre). She returned to Broadway in the 1972-73 production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing before landing her biggest screen role. Gallagher was cast as the patriarch of an American Irish family in New York City in the ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope, which debuted in July 1975. Her Maeve Ryan and husband Johnny (Bernard Barrow) owned Ryan’s Bar across from a hospital and had five children. They were the cornerstone of the daytime drama that wrapped in early 1989, with Gallagher singing “Danny Boy” in the final episode, as she had many times before on the show. She won back-to-back Daytime Emmys as Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 1976 and 1977 and added a third 11 years later. She also scored two other nominations in the category in 1979 and 1981. Gallagher guested in episodes of several other daytime dramas including Another World, All My Children and One Life to Live. Her other TV credits include Law & Order, The Cosby Mysteries, several episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show, talk shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and variety and game shows including Pyramid and Stump the Stars. Gallagher also appeared on the big screen in 1960’s Strangers When We Meet, alongside Kirk Douglas, Kim Novak, Ernie Kovacs, Barbara Rush and Walter Matthau, and later in director James Ivory’s Roseland (1977) and the Manhattan-set Neptune’s Rocking Horse (1997). She also was a longtime member of the faculty at Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan. |
posted 11/26/2024 |
|
|
Christmas on the BBC |
|
The BBC has snubbed a popular TV show as the broadcaster revealed its Christmas 2024 schedule with no sign of the star-studded program. Michael McIntyre's The Wheel game show will not air on BBC One on Christmas Day. In 2020, The Christmas Wheel aired on December 27, before it was bumped up the schedule to air on Christmas day for 2021. But in 2022 and 2023, it was knocked off the prime time Christmas day spot, airing on December 29 instead. While "The Wheel" will not return, these favorites will... |
posted 11/26/2024 |
|
|
"The Traitors" Goes Live in London |
|
An immersive experience based on hit game show “The Traitors” is set to open in London next year. “The Traitors: Live Experience” will enable fans to take a seat at The Round Table, have a go at missions and attempt to uncover the Traitors in their midst. Tickets cost £29.50 per person ($37) and will go on sale in early 2025 with the experience set to open in the spring. “In this high-stakes game of deception, strategy, and teamwork, players will find themselves at the centre of the experience, sitting at ‘The Round Table’, collaborating on missions and forming alliances – but the question is, who can they trust?” promises the synopsis for the event. “Guided by a dynamic live host, players will work to uncover the Traitors hidden amongst them with thrilling missions that are guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable experience complete with intrigue, competition, and camaraderie.” |
posted 11/26/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
FAST & Free on DirecTV |
|
Television content producer Fremantle Nov. 25 announced that it is licensing a line-up of free ad-supported game show and reality TV content to DirecTV’s new branded curated streaming platform, MyFree DirecTV. While Fremantle has long been known for producing television shows such as “America’s Got Talent,” “The Price Is Right,” and “Family Feud,” the company also continues to tap into the growing demand for streaming content by launching and managing its own dedicated channels. “This new collaboration underscores Fremantle’s [goal] to expand its reach across new digital platforms in the ever-evolving streaming landscape,” Trey Durst, VP of U.S. Distribution, International, Fremantle, said in a statement. Channels coming to the platform include: |
posted 11/25/2024 |
|
|
FRIDAY: CBS Swims with Sharks |
|
In the latest TV show ratings, CBS easily won the night in total viewers thanks to its drama lineup. Rounding out the night on the CW were reruns of Bob <3 Abishola (282k/0.1). |
posted 11/25/2024 |
|
|
THURSDAY: Don't Call It A Comeback |
|
In the latest TV show ratings, NBC dominated anything not named Thursday Night Football. Fox's Hell's Kitchen (1.7m/0.3) and Crime Scene Kitchen (1.1m/0.2) were steady. Rounding out the night on the CW were Scrabble (405k/0.1) and Trivial Pursuit (403k/0.1). On cable... |
posted 11/25/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CNN has renewed Have I Got News For You for a second season that will air early next year as part of CNN's Saturday primetime lineup. The American version of the long-running UK comedy series is hosted by Roy Wood Jr. along with team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. Produced by Hat Trick Productions for CNN Originals, Have I Got News for You concludes its ten-episode freshman season on Saturday, November 23 at 9pm ET/PT on CNN. Season one of CNN's Have I Got News For You was declared by The Telegraph as "cheerfully competent" and "nowhere near the embarrassment it might have been." Always relevant and topical, the series serves up a smart and edgy take on the news of the week, as the comic trio led by host by Wood Jr. guides a rotating collection of guests through an array of comic games and quick-witted panel conversations that test their knowledge of current events. "For its inaugural season, Have I Got News For You has been a welcome and lively extension of the CNN brand, and our viewers continue to show enthusiasm for comic relief on Saturday nights" said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development. The series premiered on September 13 and joined CNN's encore presentation of Real Time With Bill Maher as part of the network's revitalized Saturday primetime offering, marking CNN's investment into topical entertainment programming. "We're thrilled that Have I Got News For You has made an impact with the CNN audience and can't wait to come back next year," said Executive Producer Jimmy Mulville. "I think we'll have plenty of news to poke fun at! Notable guests from season one of Have I Got News For You included Robin Thede, Andy Richter, Mark McKinnon, Ana Navarro, Larry Wilmore, Adam Kinzinger, Anthony Scaramucci, Bomani Jones, Representative Tim Burchett, and more. Journalist and host Kara Swisher will join as guest in the finale of season one this Saturday, November 23. Have I Got News For You is executive produced by Jim Biederman, Jimmy Mulville and Richard Wilson for Hat Trick Productions. |
posted 11/21/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Lucky 13 has proved unfortunate for those involved in making the ABC game show. Several sources said hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Gina Rodriguez — as well as equipment and services firms and individuals who worked on the series — are cumulatively owed at least $500,000. Deadline revealed last week that Lucky 13 would not be renewed for a second season after its unusual financing model turned sour. UK producer Studio 1 pre-funded Lucky 13 in return for a share of ABC’s advertising and product placement sales, but revenue fell well short of projections. Studio 1 is now being chased for the unpaid cash after effectively going bankrupt. An ABC source said the Disney-owned network is working to ensure O’Neal and Rodriguez, who doubled as executive producers, receive payment. A rep for the presenters has been contacted for comment. ABC had no comment. Contractors out of pocket include Funicular Goats, which has worked on projects such as Disney’s Elton John Live, and UK production management firm Nest Productions. Others impacted include kit firm Luna Remote Systems and Suite, a post-production company. All declined to comment. Two sources told Deadline that the money owed could be closer to $1M, though this was downplayed by others familiar with the matter. Either way, contractors have been chasing payment for months. The series wrapped in June and contractors would usually expect to be paid within 30 days. “It’s a nightmare,” said the founder of one company impacted by the issue. Another added: “We’ve been strung along quite a bit by the producers. They’ve told us over the past couple of months that payment was coming and they were picked up for Season 2. The story we got was that one of the financiers dropped out and they were reconnecting with a new source of financing.” Sources said Studio 1 pulled together a number of financiers for Lucky 13. A person who worked on the show said it was an audacious “gamble” that has not worked out for Studio 1, which was founded by the team that developed Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Lucky 13 Holdings and Studio 13 Entertainment, the special purpose companies Studio 1 set up to house Lucky 13, are subject to an administration process in the UK as creditors chase their debts. UK accountancy company Menzies is overseeing the administration. Menzies said it was too early to comment on the process. Studio 1 declined to comment. |
posted 11/14/2024 |
|
|
A Show for Those Who Didn't Wanna Grow Up |
|
Toys “R” Us is getting into the reality television business. The toy store is developing a competition series Toys “R” Us Family Faceoff – with Fox Alternative Entertainment. The company is working on the project via its Toys “R” Us Studios division and has teamed up with Known Originals, which is behind Netflix’s Jeen Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy and Amazon’s McDonald’s All-American Games as well as the unscripted production arm of Fox Entertainment Studios. The series will seek families competing inside a “larger-than-life” toy store and will integrate a range of nostalgic and popular trending toys and games from classic toy brands. |
posted 11/21/2024 |
|
|
Second Deal |
|
The bets are bigger and the stakes are higher in the ten-episode return of Wildcard Kitchen, Food Network's exclusive late-night culinary card game where all-star chefs bet, bluff and backstab for cold hard cash and bragging rights. In each episode, host Eric Adjepong welcomes three chefs who know each other well to the test kitchen after-hours for three hands of his underground poker game. With scores to settle and lots of smack talk, each chef brings $5,000 to the game where the luck of the draw determines dishes and cooking time - while Eric throws his own unexpected challenges into the mix. "Anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to hang out with their favorite Food Network chefs for an outrageous late-night card game can experience it on Wildcard Kitchen," said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. "Eric really amps up the gameplay this season with bigger stakes, bigger challenges and bigger twists to keep both his guests and the audience guessing at every turn." Chefs also playing against each other include food legends Alex Guarnaschelli, Rocco DiSpirito and Andrew Zimmern; culinary titans Michael Symon, Esther Choi and Marcel Vigneron; James Beard-award winners Karen Akunowicz, Stephanie Izard and Jonathan Sawyer; Chopped judges Tiffani Faison, Amanda Freitag and Geoffrey Zakarian; competition sharks Tiffany Derry, Mei Lin and Brian Malarkey; comfort food connoisseurs Eddie Jackson, Damaris Phillips and Molly Yeh; frenemies Carlos Anthony, Kelsey Bernard Clark and Crista Luedtke; restaurant queens Antonia Lofaso, Ayesha Nurdjaja and Claudette Zepeda and a top-secret trio of returning Wildcard winners. Viewers can follow Food Network's social pages to get Eric's exclusive cocktail recipes and join him on set as he plays Truth or Dare with the chefs. Plus, fans can check out each judge's Wildcard food hacks using the trickiest cards from the show. |
posted 11/21/2024 |
|
|
TUESDAY: Another Recordbreaker |
|
Dancing with the Stars Season 33 sashayed its way to a ratings win ahead of the finale. Audiences are clearly chomping at the bit to see which of the five remaining stars will take home this year’s mirrorball trophy, because Tuesday night’s semifinals grew over the 500th episode celebration the week prior to reach a season-high 5.2M same-day viewers, according to Nielsen data. That’s also up from the 5.1M who tuned in to last season’s semifinals, which is certainly a win for the series, which returned to ABC last year after a one-season exclusive run on Disney+. In terms of the key demos, the Dancing with the Stars semifinals were the top program of the night among adults 18-49 with a 0.75 rating, as well as among all key Women demos including Women 18-34 (1.10 rating), Women 18-49 (1.04 rating) and Women 25-54 (1.27 rating). CBS was the overall winner with its combination of FBI (6.6m/0.4), International (5.2m/0.3), and Most Wanted (4.8m/0.3). NBC offered a new St. Denis Medical (3.1m/0.3), the season premiere of Night Court (2.5m/0.3), The Voice (3.7m/0.3), and Defying Gravity: Wicked (1.7m/0.2). Fox served up Murder in a Small Town (2m/0.2) and Accused (1.3m/0.1). Rounding out the night on the CW was WWE NXT (672k/0.4). On cable... |
posted 11/21/2024 |
|
|
Thursday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) today announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company comprised of a strong portfolio of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets including Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and Sports Engine, through a tax-free spin-off. The well-capitalized independent company ("SpinCo") will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. SpinCo will be an industry-leading news, sports and entertainment cable television business with a focused strategic direction. SpinCo's stable of marquee brands will provide a diverse and differentiated content offering that will reach approximately 70 million U.S. households. "When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth," said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast. "With significant financial resources from day one, SpinCo will be ideally positioned for success and highly attractive to investors, content creators, distributors and potential partners." The planned spin-off will also strategically position NBCUniversal with its leading broadcast and streaming media properties, including NBC entertainment, sports, news and Bravo - which all power Peacock - along with Telemundo, the theme parks business and film and television studios. "This transaction positions both SpinCo and NBCUniversal to play offense in a changing media landscape," said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast. "Taken together, the entirety of NBCUniversal will be on a new growth trajectory, fueled by our world-class content, technology, IP, properties and talent - all working in concert with each other as an integrated media company." As a global media and technology company, Comcast will be well-positioned to continue to invest in its strategic core growth businesses across its Content & Experiences and Connectivity & Platforms businesses, including residential broadband, wireless, business services, streaming, studios and theme parks. The transaction is expected to be accretive to revenue growth at Comcast and approximately neutral to Comcast's leverage position. The company does not anticipate any change to its credit profile or ratings as a result of this transaction.” |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
|
|
The CW has announced its midseason premiere dates for new and returning scripted and unscripted series. We’ll see a special sneak peek of All American Season 7, starring Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou and Bre-Z, on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 8 pm, before the hit series moves to its regular 8 pm timeslot on Monday, Feb. 3. According to the official logline: “Season 7 is taking it back to where it all began: Beverly Hills High and South Crenshaw High. It’s the same heart, same NFL dream, same crosstown rivalry, same messy hormones, ushered in by a new generation of LA teens, a new Beverly Coach and our OG vortex fam, who are surprised to find they’re supposed to be the responsible adults now.” Wild Cards, starring Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti, returns for a second season on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 8 pm. The new comedic drama series Good Cop/Bad Cop premieres Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 9 pm. Leighton Meester and Luke Cook star as sibling detectives who don’t always see eye-to-eye, working together to solve crimes – and the strained relationship with their police chief father (Clancy Brown). Police 24/7 returns for Season 2 on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 8 pm, followed by the Season 2 premiere of true crime series Crime Nation at 9 pm, from Candle True Stories. Penn& Teller: Fool Us is back for Season 11 on Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 pm followed by the Season 11 premiere of Masters of Illusion at 9 pm. The new documentary series The ’90s Boy Band Room debuts on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 pm. |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
Amazon Wish List Games Delivered |
|
Prepare for some gamified corporate synergy — Prime Video’s newest game show “Wish List Games” debuts Wednesday. The five-episode holiday special event is hosted by Nick Cannon, who has proven his hosting chops on shows like “Wild ‘n Out,” “The Masked Singer” and “America’s Got Talent,” and Lele Pons, the YouTuber, actress and singer who currently has over 18 million subscribers. Each episode of the special will feature real Amazon customers competing for items from their actual Amazon Wish Lists. Prizes can range from everyday household items to aspirational purchases, and contestants have the opportunity to win up to $25,000 in goods from Amazon. Players will be pulled from the studio audience and asked to play in a rotating series of games that have yet to be disclosed. Then, in the final round, one contestant will play a game where, if they win, everyone in the audience will be able to take home a prize. Alycia Rossiter (“The Bachelor”) serves as the showrunner and executive producer for “Amazon Wish List Games.” Other EPs include Cannon, Amy Powell, Sean Kelly, Steve Hughes, Jessie Binkow and Susan Janis-Mashayekhi. The move continues a trend for Prime Video, which has been expanding more into the unscripted space. The streamer already premiered its first game shows this year with the Travis Kelce-hosted “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” and the JB Smoove-hosted entrepreneurial reality show “Buy It Now.” |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
Kids Baking Championship Is About to Get Wild |
|
Animal inspiration abounds in a new season of the Emmy-nominated Kids Baking Championship, which returns to Food Network on Monday, January 6th at 8pm ET/PT, and streams next day on Max. Hosts and judges, Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown, welcome a new field of talented kid bakers to the kitchen for challenges inspired by creatures big and small, including a few fluffy, furry and feathery friends who drop in to the kitchen for live appearances over the course of the season. From sea creatures to jungle dwellers to farm animals and more, the twelve kid bakers must craft creative and delicious animal-themed treats for a chance at winning the grand prize. "Kids Baking Championship is a celebration of the amazing things kids can do in the kitchen, not only with their baking and decorating skills but also in how they support each other even while competing," said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. "With animals as the inspiration the creations are adorable, and the kids are exceptional in the most heartwarming way." |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
We Wish You a Merry LEGO... |
|
Host Will Arnett returns alongside Brickmasters Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard as judges for the third installment of the holiday-themed event special LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular, airing Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Tuesday, Dec. 17 @ 8:00-10:00PM ET/PT on FOX. The two-night event series, airing over two weeks, will coldly go where no snowman has gone before, with unpredictable twists and surprises. Special celebrity guests include Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill, Chicago P.D.), Holly Robinson Peete (Queens Court, Meet the Peetes), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, The Other Black Girl) and Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Harold and the Purple Crayon) pairing up with fan-favorite former contestants - Christine Blandino (Season 3), Stephen Joo (Season 3), Aaron Newman (Season 1) and Corey D. Samuels (Season 1) - to compete in jaw-dropping holiday-themed challenges for charities of their choice. In the end, one team will earn the title of LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular champions and leave with the coveted trophy. Raise a glass and make a mistle-toast to the holiday season! Fans of LEGO Masters can watch anytime on Hulu, Fox.com, On Demand and FOX Entertainment's streaming platform, Tubi. On Demand episodes are available for customers of Cox Contour TV, DIRECTV, DISH, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, XFINITY, YouTube TV and many more. |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
The 1% Club to Return.... to ITV |
|
Quiz fans, get ready, because The 1% Club is returning for four brand new episodes next month, before the show gears up for its Christmas special. The episodes will air nightly from Monday 9th through to Thursday 12th December at 9pm on ITV1, so fans have plenty of Lee Mack's hilarious presenting duties to bask in. The quiz show has proven a success among viewers, with the series scooping the award for Best Quiz Game Show at the 2023 National Television Awards. |
posted 11/20/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Following another Premiere Week win and a strong fall, NBC heads into 2025 with the launch of new dramas, including the highly anticipated "Suits LA" from creator Aaron Korsh; "The Hunting Party," starring Melissa Roxburgh ("Manifest"); and "Grosse Pointe Garden Society," a soapy mystery from Jenny Bans and Bill Krebs, as well as the launch of the spectacular new 10-part special event nature documentary "The Americas," narrated by Tom Hanks with music by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. Returning to the NBC lineup, to the excitement of its immense fan base, is #OneChicago, TV's highest-rated drama franchise. The Windy City trifecta begins Wednesday, Jan. 8 with "Chicago Med" at 8 p.m., following by "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." Reba McEntire's "Happy's Place," one of the new hits of the fall season, and "Lopez vs. Lopez" continue to bring the laughs on Friday, Jan. 3 at 8 and 8:30 p.m., respectively. Funny business continues Tuesday, Jan. 14 with freshman sensation "St. Denis Medical," starring Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier and Allison Tolman, and "Night Court," starring Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette, at 8 and 8:30 p.m., respectively. Rock superstar and longtime coach Adam Levine returns to his swiveling red chair, to be joined by country phenom Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Bublé and John Legend, when the new season of "The Voice" returns Monday, Feb. 3. The show remains a reality juggernaut and is the most-watched alternative series for the sixth consecutive fall. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Jeopardy! TOC Format Revealed |
|
Jeopardy! has unveiled the lineup and format for its iconic Tournament of Champions. It features a twist borrowed from 2022: the top three players automatically advance into the semifinals, all three-day champs in the mix like 2024, and something blue (the set). The stage is set for what fans expect to be a buzzworthy showdown. Producer Sarah Foss and (retired) champion Sam Buttrey announced the 2025 ToC details on Monday’s Inside Jeopardy! podcast. They prefaced that Lisa Ann Walter, who won Celebrity Jeopardy! and was expected to compete like Ike Barinholtz, is out because of scheduling conflicts with Abbott Elementary. “A bit of disappointing news,” Foss shared. “But we have extended the invite for next year.” The 2025 ToC will consist of 21 players, the top 20 champs from last April until December, and the winner of a 15-contestant Champions Wildcard. Also, like in past years, the ToC will immediately follow a Second Chance Competition for non-winners and a Wildcard for brief winners who didn’t make the cusp. The postseason airs in one chunk starting on December 30, 2024 until early February, 2025. The ToC will premiere on January 27, 2025, and last around two and a half weeks. Like the 2022 ToC, the top three players, Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch, and Drew Basile, will be seeded directly into the semifinals, with the dynamic trio also playing an exhibition game that airs on TuneIn Radio. “We will have six quarterfinal matchups, those winners and the three seeded players will go onto our semifinals, that will give us nine players, Foss shared. “They will each play one of three semifinal games. One will advance and that will give us our finals.” Once more, the finals will be a first-to-three wins format. The prize is $250,000 and a berth into Jeopardy! Masters. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Beast Games Finally Has a Date |
|
Today, Prime Video announced the release date of the highly-anticipated series, Beast Games. The competition series is set to debut weekly on Thursday, December 19th on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. From the groundbreaking mind of MrBeast comes a new, record-breaking competition series. A staggering 1,000 contestants compete in nail-biting, physical, mental, and social challenges, for a chance to win a whopping $5 million dollar cash prize. Week by week, contestants will use their strength and wit to stay in the game, with the hope of being the multi-million-dollar winner. Beast Games is hosted by co-creator and executive producer, Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast), alongside co-creators and executive producers Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, and Mack Hopkins, in addition to executive producers Michael Cruz, Matt Apps, Charles Wachter, Keith Geller, Joe Coleman, Rachel Skidmore, Chris Keiper, and Joshua Kulic. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Netflix Favorites Go Global |
|
Netflix shared what’s coming next in terms of its global offerings, with the company highlighting its diverse slate at its first international showcase held Monday morning at its Los Angeles office. The streaming giant used the showcase to reiterate its strategy behind original global content, and also took the opportunity to announce a slew of new titles and significant renewals. “Many people assume that the easiest way to program for such a huge audience is to make global hits that everyone can enjoy,” Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria told the audience. “Once in a rare while, that’s the goal, but mostly it’s not,” Bajaria continued, emphasizing that Netflix’s goal remains making films and shows that resonate with the content’s home country first. International success is still very much part a secondary focus — Bajaria shared that more than 70 percent of all viewing on Netflix is either done with subtitles or dubbed audio. The U.S., a notoriously hard market to break into for non-local content, saw an uptick in the success non-English content. Netflix says that last year more than 13 percent of hours viewed on the platform in the U.S. were non-English titles, with content from Korea, Spain and Japan brining in the biggest audiences. Korean content has proven to be an all-around heavy hitter for the platform globally. Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s VP of content in Asia, shared that over 80 percent of the platform’s members around the world consume Korean content, whether it be films, scripted series or unscripted series. Kim announced that hit Korean competition show Physical 100 had been renewed for a third season, which will feature contestants from across Asia for the first time. The show was Netflix’s first non-English unscripted show to hit the top spot on its global top 10. Love is Blind, the reality dating show which Netflix has spun off in 10 countries, added France to its country lineup, Netflix’s VP of India content Monika Shergill announced. Love is Blind: France, which started production in October, is slated to be released on the platform sometime in 2025. The streamer emphasized that each version of the show has been changed to fit different cultures. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Bet on a Reboot |
|
ITV has confirmed that the reboot of iconic challenge show You Bet! will air its first episode on Saturday 7th December at 8:15pm. Presenting duo Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern will reunite to host the show, which is the first of two specials previously revealed in August. Based on the original format Wetten Dass?, the show sees members of the public use their unique abilities to pull off the most outrageous challenges imaginable, all for the chance of winning a whopping cash prize. The studio audience and a celebrity panel are given the chance to predict if each contestant can complete the extraordinary challenges they are faced with, with points added to the celebrities' scores if they guess correctly. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
|
|
This is a rare last-minute switch of the Super Bowl lead-out program. In announcing its midseason premiere dates this morning, Fox revealed that The Floor Season 3 premiere will follow Fox Sports’ presentation of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. It is taking over the slot assigned in May to freshman lifeguard drama Rescue HI-Surf. Because of the late timing, the special post-Super Bowl episode of the John Wells-produced Rescue HI-Surf already has been produced. It will now air the following night, Feb. 10, in the drama’s regular Monday 9 PM berth after substantial promotion during the Big Game. The Floor‘s viewership has been similar to Rescue Hi-Surf‘s with stronger pull in younger demos and family audiences, which Deadline's ears-on-the-ground Nellie Andreeva hears played a role in the Super Bowl decision as did host/executive producer Rob Lowe’s clout at Fox. Lowe, also star and exec producer on Fox’s outgoing drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, has a deal with the network and has emerged as one of its top talents — active both on and off-screen, including on the promotional circuit. Additionally, The Floor is fully owned by Fox; Rescue HI-Surf comes from Warner Bros. TV, which is co-producing with Fox Entertainment. Ultimately, Fox brass decided the Super Bowl would be a better platform to launch the new season of The Floor, trying to bring in untapped family viewers to the show while keeping Rescue HI-Surf‘s regular schedule. Fox has announced the rest of its midseason premiere dates, which includes the series finale of “9-1-1: Lone Star.” It was reported in September that “Lone Star” would be ending with its fifth season at Fox. Now, that season is scheduled to resume on Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. ET followed by “Rescue: Hi Surf.” “Lone Star’s” series finale will then air on Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. ET. Fox’s midseason launches will officially kick off on Jan. 2 with the return of “Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen” at 8 p.m. ET. That is followed by the Season 3 premiere of the Joel McHale comedy “Animal Control at 9 p.m. and the new Denis Leary military workplace comedy “Going Dutch” at 9:30 p.m. ET, establishing a new Thursday comedy block at the broadcaster. On Jan. 7, the new Fox medical drama “Doc” will premiere at 9 p.m. following “Kitchen Nightmares: Road to Super Bowl LIX.” “Doc” was originally ordered to series at Fox in 2023. Fox will then debut Season 3 of the reality competition series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” on Jan. 8, airing from 8-10 p.m. Fox will air Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, with the official broadcast beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. That will kick off what is being dubbed “Fox’s Super Week.” Season 13 of “The Masked Singer” will debut on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. That will be followed by the time period launch of “The Floor” at 9 p.m. Finally, on Feb. 13 Gordon Ramsay launches Season 4 of “Next Level Chef” at 8 p.m., followed by “Animal Control” and “Going Dutch.”. |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Daytime's Biggest Lineup Gets Even Bigger |
|
CBS, the ratings leader for decades in daytime television, has opened the 2024-25 broadcast season with audience growth across its daytime dramas and game shows in L+7 viewing, according to VideoAmp data. CBS will further expand the daytime audience with BEYOND THE GATES, the new daytime drama series and debut project from the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, which premieres Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, and will air weekdays (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; 1:00-2:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+. This marks the first-ever one-hour Black daytime soap and the first daytime drama to premiere since "Passions" in 1999. THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT has also retained its #1 status with a 16% increase in total viewers vs. last year. #1 Daytime Network Line Up with the Top Three Shows CBS Daytime Broadcast Audience Growth |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
THURSDAY: Fly Eagles Fly! |
|
In the latest TV show ratings, CBS dominated anything not named Thursday Night Football. CBS was the most-watched broadcast network with its combination of Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (6.4m viewers, 0.5 demo rating), Ghosts (5.4m/0.4), Matlock (6.2m/0.4), and Elsbeth (4.3m/0.3). ABC and NBC fought tooth and nail for second with ABC edging out thanks to 9-1-1 (4m/0.3), Doctor Odyssey (2.6m/0.2), and Grey's Anatomy (2.1m/0.2). NBC's combo of Law & Order (3.4m/0.3), SVU (3.3m/0.3), and Found (2m/0.2) held steady. Fox's Hell's Kitchen (1.7m/0.3) and Crime Scene Kitchen (1.1m/0.2) were steady. Rounding out the night on the CW were Scrabble (378k/0.1) and Trivial Pursuit (353k/0.01). On cable... Food Network's Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking kicked off the network's holidays in spectacular fashion with ratings worth celebrating. The new series launched on Thursday, November 14th, and posted a 0.57 P25-54 / 0.74 W25-54 L3 rating, more than doubling prior six-week benchmarks (+148% and +124% respectively) and is on pace to be Food Network's highest rated freshman series of the year. It ranked as the #2 non-news/sports cable program of the night among both P/W 25-54 and drove the network to its highest Thursday night prime rating since 2021, with the two-hour premiere already reaching more than 5.2 million total cross platform viewers (across linear, Max and discovery+). |
posted 11/19/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Super-Supersized Survivor |
|
How’s this for a “Survivor first”: The Season 47 finale will not only be a two-parter, but will air over two weeks, TVLine has confirmed. Part 1 of the Survivor 47 closer will run two hours and is set to air Dec. 11 at 8/7c on CBS. But in order to find out who wins, you’ll also have to tune in the following Wednesday, Dec. 18 — same time, same place, same episode length. Like all of the other seasons in the new era, the crowning of the new champ will immediately be followed by an aftershow that was filmed directly after the votes were read on location. Survivor’s recent supersizing trend began with Season 45 when its episodes were expanded from 60 to 90 minutes, partly due to the simultaneous actors’ and writers’ strikes of 2023. Since then, the show maintained its XL format, with the occasional two-hour episode sprinkled in throughout. However, never has the finale stretched to four hours and two weeks, which means this season will run for a total of 14 weeks versus its typical 13. In the latest installment, former Lavo tribe member Sol was blindsided by a plan masterminded by his former ally Genevieve. He became the second member of the jury, leaving nine players still in the running for the million dollars and title of Sole Survivor: Gabe Ortis, Teeny Chirichillo, Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, Andy Rueda, Caroline Vidmar, Kyle Ostwald and Sue Smey. EW was first to report the news. |
posted 11/18/2024 |
|
|
FRIDAY: Knocking Out My Signal |
|
"60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson! The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes." So sayeth the streamer on its X formerly known as Twitter. CBS was the most-watched broadcast network with its combination of SWAT (4.1m viewers/0.3 in the demo), Fire Country (4.3m/0.02), and Blue Bloods (4.7m/0.2). ABC took the silver with Shark Tank (2.7m/0.2) and 20/20 (2.5m/0.2). NBC reloaded on St. Denis Medical in the middle of the night. Meanwhile bookends Happy's Place (2.9m/0.2), Lopez vs. Lopez (1.6m/0.2), and Dateline (1.3m/0.1). Fox encored an episode of Rescue: HI-Surf before seguing into their Big Ten coverage (UCLA vs. Washington (1.3m/0.2). Rounding out the night on the CW were rerun premieres of Bob Hearts Abishola (268k/0.0). On cable... |
posted 11/18/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Former Super Jeopardy! winner Bruce Seymour, who won a total of $305,989 on the iconic game show, has died. He was 77. According to a Legacy.com obituary, Seymour passed away on September 18, 2024, following a seven-week battle with a COVID infection. He was described as been in “excellent health” prior to his infection. Long-time Jeopardy! fans will remember Seymour for his appearance on the show back in 1987, where he won four consecutive games. He later returned for the 1988 Tournament of Champions, losing in the quarter-finals. He appeared again in 1990 for Super Jeopardy!, a one-time summer-long tournament involving 36 former champions. Seymour won the Super Jeopardy! championship prize of $250,000. This victory brought his overall Jeopardy! prize money winnings to a massive $305,989, which, at the time, was the most any contestant had won. The prize money allowed Seymour to research his interest in the life of 19th-century stage performer Lola Montez. After traveling the world in pursuit of that research, Seymour released a book, Lola Montez, A Life, in 1996. He also wrote several articles on travel and opera for various publications. Born in Indianapolis, Seymour attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he was editor-in-chief of The Lawrentian and assistant general manager of the college radio station. He graduated with a major in political science in 1968 before enlisting in the Air Force, where he served as a supply officer at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, Montana. He received an early discharge in 1972 at the end of the Vietnam War and began traveling the world. He returned to the U.S. in 1973, where he started law school at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. He graduated and was admitted to the California bar in 1977. Seymour briefly practiced law with his brother before setting off on a driving journey around the U.S. to visit the graves and libraries of every president. After returning to California, he accepted an offer from an old law school classmate and his wife to become a live-in jack of all trades at their newly purchased 70-year-old home in Piedmont. In 2007, Seymour moved on to the Peace Corps, where he was assigned a position in Ukraine. He was medically discharged by the Peace Corps after developing cataracts. Seymour returned to San Francisco and worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services until he retired in 2016 and continued his passion for traveling the world . “Throughout his life and wherever he traveled, Bruce made many friends with whom he continued to communicate until his death,” the obit reads. “Although he never married, perhaps disappointing some of his lady friends, he realized that his desire to continue traveling as long he was able, at the lowest cost and with the fewest possible belongings were unsuited to any stable commitment. He was determined to do it his way, and he did until the end.” Seymour is survived by his older brother, James, and his wife, Carol King; his younger sister, Katherine, and her husband, Scott Ward; his family, Bruce, Ellen, Brian, and Emily Gilmore; Brian’s wife, Leslie, and their five children; and many, many friends throughout the world. |
posted 11/18/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
They're in Fox's Army Now |
|
The third season of FOX's ultimate celebrity social experiment, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, returns for a special five-week event starting Wednesday, January 8 (8:00-10:00PM ET/PT). Each week, the two-hour super charged episodes will feature household names enduring some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process. This time around, the recruits will be training in Wales, the home of British Special Forces Selection, and will endure the harsh reality of ocean warfare. The recruits must learn the art of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable as they are faced with training challenges across the country's vast terrain of both land and sea, including a high pressure hostage rescue, a treacherous ladder crossing between steep cliffs nearly 100 ft above the sea, a boat dunk drill where they will be submerged into the frigid ocean and tasked with performing essential survival duties, a surf immersion where they will have to control their panic in an exercise that takes them to the brink of drowning, and much more. In this experiment, there are no votes and no eliminations - just survival. These celebrities, who are so used to being in the spotlight, will quickly learn the meaning of "no guts, no glory" - and no glam. Selection for the Special Forces is a test unlike any other. Sixteen celebrities from all genres and walks of life, will take on, and try to survive, demanding training exercises led by Directing Staff (DS) agents Rudy Reyes, Mark "Billy" Billingham, Jason "Foxy" Fox and Jovon "Q" Quarles, an elite team of ex-special forces operatives. In this unique series, the only way for these recruits to leave is to give up on their own accord, through failure or potential injury, or by force from the DS. Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is the ultimate test of physical, mental and emotional resilience - revealing these celebrities' deepest and truest character. Who will survive, who will fail? Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is produced by Minnow Films. Becky Clarke, Liam Humphreys and Alicia Kerr serve as Executive Producers. Meet the 16 celebrity recruits joining Special Forces: |
posted 11/15/2024 |
|
|
The Battle Between Bad and... REALLY Bad |
|
Food Network kicks off the New Year with a brand-new roster of stars who shine everywhere but the kitchen in Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains, premiering Sunday, January 5th at 8pm ET/PT. Returning mentor Chef Jeff Mauro welcomes newcomer Chef Antonia Lofaso to transform these culinary disasters into cooking masters with each leading their own team of meal-making misfits. This season's cast has survived the cutthroat world of reality television where they earned their reputations as heroes or villains, and now they will find out if they have what it takes to succeed in culinary boot camp. From a comic book themed Flavor City challenge to a royal food inspired Games of Scones, the challenges are as creative and outrageous as the competitors. After weekly eliminations, only the most-improved star left standing at the finale wins $25,000 for the charity of their choice and bragging rights for their team leader. Hero recruits are Sebastian Bach (singer Skid Row), Cheryl Burke (Dancing with the Stars), Frankie Grande (actor, dancer, Big Brother 16), Adam Rippon (Olympic figure skater, Stars on Mars) and Trinity the Tuck (RuPaul's Drag Race), and reality villains are Wes Bergmann (The Challenge), Bartise Bowden (Love Is Blind, Perfect Match), Corinne Olympios (The Bachelor), Tiffany "New York" Pollard (Flavor of Love, I Love New York) and Rachel Reilly (Big Brother, Amazing Race). "This season's celebrity recruits all have reputations that precede them - and their larger-than-life personalities are front and center in the kitchen," said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. "Jeff and Antonia have their work cut out for them to mentor these stars, but the transformations are impressive and the laughs constant. |
posted 11/15/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Season 2 of "Deal or No Deal Island," the fully immersive twist on the beloved game show, will debut Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC with a special two-hour premiere event. The series will move to its regular timeslot at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 14. All episodes will be available to stream next day on Peacock. Joe Manganiello returns as host and the Banker's ultimate game master. Manganiello also executive produces alongside Howie Mandel. COMING UP THIS SEASON In "Deal or No Deal Island," briefcases are hidden around the island with more than $200 million in prize money split between them. In each episode, players compete in daring challenges to secure the briefcases that will be used in that night's game of "Deal or No Deal." The player who snags the highest-value case gains immunity and gets to choose a fellow player to enter "The Temple." The chosen competitor must then play a classic game of "Deal or No Deal." If the player makes a "bad deal," they are immediately eliminated. If the player makes a "good deal," the power is in their hands and they get to select who to eliminate. The winnings from each game of "Deal or No Deal" will be added to a group pot that will grow to an exponential value throughout the season. The last player standing will face the Banker to potentially win the biggest prize in "Deal or No Deal" history. Season 1 found winner Jordan Fowler playing for $13,857,000. However, the devious Banker is always watching and raising the stakes with tests of strategy and greed. Manganiello acts as an intermediary between the Banker and contestants - overseeing gameplay and helping to navigate them through tough, life-changing decisions. Season 1 of "Deal or No Deal Island" is streaming on Peacock. |
posted 11/15/2024 |
|
|
WEDNESDAY: And They Lived Golden-ly Ever After |
|
In the latest TV show ratings, NBC’s Chicago Med was Wednesday’s most-watched program, while CBS’ Survivor dominated in the demo. ABC's yet-to-be-renewed Golden Bachelorette‘s season finale delivered 3.5 million total viewers and a 0.4 demo rating, marking season highs. Abbott Elementary (2.2 mil/0.3) in turn hit a season high in audience while putting up a fourth straight 0.3 rating. C CBS's Survivor (4.4 mil/0.7) dropped a few eyeballs, while The Summit (2 mil/0.2) was steady. NBC's Chicago Med (6 mil/0.4), Chicago Fire (5.7 mil/0.4) and Chicago P.D. (4.3 mil/0.3) all dipped in the demo. Fox's The Masked Singer (3 mil/0.4) was steady, while The Floor (2.2 mil/0.3) tied a season high in viewers. Note about The Floor: Wednesday night’s episode was the most-watched since the second season premiered in September, drawing 2.2M total viewers, according to live + same-day Nielsen data. In fact, the episode tied with the premiere for the season’s largest audience to-date. But, where Fox is really seeing a promising performance is in the delayed numbers. The Floor is currently the top game show across broadcast and cable after seven days of viewing. The Floor Season 2 premiere is up 123% from its live+same-day audience after 35 days of multi-platform viewing, indicating that the game show is still finding an audience well after its original broadcast airing.. Rounding out the night on the CW were Sullivan's Crossing (401k/0.04) and Inside the NFL (199k/0.02). On cable... |
posted 11/15/2024 |
|
|
Happy Friday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
BBC Not Finished Yet! |
|
It’s been confirmed that Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene are returning to BBC One with a third series of their hit daytime quiz show, The Finish Line. The format sees contestants compete across a series of qualifiers and head-to-head races for the chance to win a cash prize as they battle to reach the finish line before their rivals. Produced by Potato, part of ITV Studios, the new series will film in Belfast in early 2025. Kemp said: “We’re back, and I couldn’t be more delighted to be returning to Belfast. We’re looking forward to seeing what the next round of contestants have to offer and witness some more thrilling racing action.” Greene added: “Roman and me we love this show: the photo-finish suspense, the giggles and the heroic determination of our guests. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back for Series 3 of The Finish Line!” Executive Producer Martin Scott said: “We’ve loved being in Belfast for two series and can’t wait to return for a third. “Working alongside our fantastic partners – Nice One TV, Northern Ireland Screen, Kaboom!, Blackstaff Studios, BBC Daytime – has been brilliant, and we’re thrilled to reunite the dream team Roman & Sarah to put contestants through their paces.” Alex McLeod, Commissioner for BBC Daytime, added, “I’m thrilled that The Finish Line is so popular with our audience and delighted to bring back its irresistible mix of jeopardy, nostalgia, and play-along fun for a third series. And of course, Roman and Sarah make a great team.” |
posted 11/14/2024 |
|
|
"Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!" |
|
OUTtv has expanded its reach in New Zealand by launching on Prime Video as an add-on subscription and co-commissioning Winner Winner Chicken Dinner with TVNZ. The new game show, hosted by New Zealand drag queens Kita Mean and Anita Wigl’it, sees three unsuspecting members of the general public invited into the queens’ living room to go up against each other in a range of chicken-themed games. At the end of each episode, the Loser Loser Chicken Snoozer is banished to the coop while the other two competitors share a winner’s chicken dinner together. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is being produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand. “We have a growing audience in New Zealand, and it’s exciting to have both a new place for them to find our incredible, queer content—but also for us to double down on our commitment to the territory with a new commission,” said Philip Webb, COO of OUTtv. “Kita and Anita are a dream duo, and Winner Winner Chicken Dinner promises camp excellence we know our viewers the world over are going to love.” Anita Wigl’it commented, “I am beyond excited for Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! It’s almost like for millions of years planet Earth has been heading to a chicken-themed reality TV show, hosted by drag queens with no clear winner. This is a monumental moment not only for television but for humankind as a species!” Kita Mean added, “If you’re looking for some cutting edge, nonstop drag drama with gripping storylines and jaw-dropping twists and turns, boy, are you in the wrong place. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is the perfect storm of two chaotic best friends throwing chickens at strangers for nothing but fame and… glory? Get ready for a daft laugh and a good old noggin scratch. Bokurrrrr!” |
posted 11/14/2024 |
|
|
LOL to Return in Francophone Canada |
|
Prime Video announced today the all-new lineup of comedians set to participate in the third season of LOL: Qui rira le dernier? Hosted by Patrick Huard, this season will continue to test each comedian's ability to make their opponents laugh, while trying not to laugh themselves. The full lineup of comedians includes Jean-Michel Anctil, Réal Béland, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, Jo Cormier, Korine Côté, Mona de Grenoble (Alexandre Aussant), Maude Landry, Mélanie Maynard, Dominic Paquet and Erich Preach. This year, Prime Video will premiere all six episodes as binge on January 10, 2025 globally. Season 3 of LOL: Qui rira le dernier? is the latest season of the adaptation of Documental, the successful Japanese Amazon Original series created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto and owned by Yoshimoto Kogyo, where Matsumoto leads 10 comedians in an anything-goes "battle of laughter behind closed doors." Using 45 cameras to catch all of the hilarious action during the unpredictable six-hour competition, the series follows the select group of established comedy stars and up-and-coming talent who bring various styles to the table, including stand-up, character, improvisational, and physical comedy - all to win the grand prize of $100,000 for a charity of their choice. The fan-favorite format spawns' local versions in South Africa, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, India, and more. Local celebrity hosts include Trevor Noah, Graham Norton, Eugenio Derbez, Fedez, Michael "Bully" Herbig, and Rebel Wilson. LOL: Qui rira le dernier? comes from Amazon Studios, commissioned by Attraction. The series continues the investment in French-language content by Prime Video, including Elisabeth Rioux: Sans Filtre, Nuit Blanche and Pour un Soir Seulement, and is part of the Prime Video slate of content developed in Canada including I AM: CELINE DION, Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, Saving Sakic, Faceoff: Inside The NHL, The Kids in the Hall, Three Pines, LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith and upcoming series The Sticky. |
posted 11/14/2024 |
|
|
We'll Take Pub Quiz Night for $2000 |
|
"Jeopardy!" will soon be coming to your local bar. The iconic quiz show has teamed up with Geeks Who Drink, the nation's top bar trivia operator, and TimePlay, a leader in interactive entertainment technology, for the launch of "Jeopardy!" Bar League, Sony Pictures Television announced Monday. The partnership will adapt the beloved game show, celebrating its 60th birthday this year, to a social and live setting for bar trivia nights across the country in a limited capacity this December. It will roll out nationally in 2025. Winners of future "Jeopardy!" Bar League tournaments will have the opportunity to qualify to become contestants on the television version which is hosted by Ken Jennings. "Powered by TimePlay's cutting-edge technology, 'Jeopardy!' Bar League will allow teams of quizzers to engage with the game in real time, using their mobile devices to respond to clues, track their scores, and see live leaderboards within their bar, and subsequently across the nation next year," according to a press release. The press release continues, "Experienced, energetic hosts from the Geeks Who Drink network will guide teams through a wide range of real 'Jeopardy!' clues and categories, ensuring that players enjoy the same high-energy and professional experience they've come to expect from Geeks Who Drink trivia nights." "Bringing 'Jeopardy!' out of the studio and into the real world is a major focus for us at the show," executive producer Michael Davies added in a statement. Suzanne Prete, president of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, called this "the next step in the evolution of the 'Jeopardy!' format." |
posted 11/14/2024 |
|
|
|
|
ABC, the No. 1 entertainment network among Adults 18-49 for five consecutive years, announced today its 2025 midseason premiere dates, featuring a slate of laugh-out-loud comedies, high-octane dramas and fan-favorite unscripted series. The network delivered a fall schedule full of ratings hits, including this season's, "High Potential," which was ABC's most-watched series premiere in nearly four years, in recent MP35 data. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" makes its long-awaited return to ABC with all the feels beginning Thursday, Jan. 2. The new iteration, hosted by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin± - co-founders of the global lifestyle brand The Home Edit, will be followed by the exclusive broadcast premiere of season two of the Emmy(R) Award-nominated Hulu Original comedy "Only Murders in the Building." "Will Trent" premieres Tuesday, Jan. 7, followed by the midseason return of "High Potential" and a new season of "The Rookie." Tim Allen and Kat Dennings star in new comedy series "Shifting Gears" premiering Wednesday, Jan. 8, followed by the highly anticipated "Abbott Elementary" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" crossover episode, which kicks off the Emmy Award-winning series' midseason return. New episodes of "Celebrity Jeopardy!," hosted by Ken Jennings, and "What Would You Do?" round out the evening. On Monday, Jan. 27, Grant Ellis begins his journey on "The Bachelor," followed by the exclusive broadcast debut of season one of Hulu's most-watched unscripted season premiere this year, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." ABC News' "Scamanda" and Hulu's "Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini" will air beginning Thursday, Jan 30, before the fan-favorite drama series "9-1-1," "Doctor Odyssey" and "Grey's Anatomy" return to the iconic Thursday night lineup on March 6. The search for a superstar begins when "American Idol" premieres Sunday, March 9, on ABC, with Carrie Underwood joining Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest a remarkable 20 years after she claimed the title. "The $100,000 Pyramid" has been renewed for season eight and will join the Sunday night lineup following "Idol." The farewell season of "The Conners" will return in March 2025. "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" and "Press Your Luck" will also return in the new year. Airdates to be announced at a later date. |
posted 11/12/2024 |
|
|
Thursday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
The NXT Big Thing in Trivia |
|
WWE stars Trick Williams, Lola Vice, Wes Lee and Roxanne Perez have been announced for an upcoming episode of the Trivial Pursuit game show. Starting with the October 1 episode, WWE NXT has aired live on The CW Network. With their new association with The CW, the brand has established an association with other shows on the network. During the November 12 edition of NXT, a commercial aired for Trivial Pursuit on The CW featuring WWE stars. NXT Champion Trick Williams, Lola Vice, Wes Lee and NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez will be guest appearing on the LeVar Burton-hosted game show’s November 14 episode. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like A Hollywood Handshake |
|
Hosts Casey Wilson and Zach Cherry welcome five celebrity bakers into the iconic tent for a spectacular holiday special. Emmy nominee Anthony Anderson, comedian and host Rob Riggle, SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer, award-winning host Loni Love, and actor Susie Essman compete for the coveted winner's cake stand and "star baker" crown. As they whisk, bake, and fake their way through three holiday-themed challenges, will they do enough to impress Baking Show legends Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith? The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday streams for free on the Roku Channel November 21. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
More on "Wish List Games" |
|
Today, Prime Video released the official key art and trailer for the new holiday special Amazon Wish List Games. All five episodes of the special are set to debut on Prime Video on November 20th. A shoppable version of the special will also be available on the Amazon Live FAST Channel starting Wednesday November 20th at 7pm, with a new episode airing every Wednesday at 7pm (PT and ET), plus encore replays throughout the weekend for customers to watch and shop with. Simply open the Amazon App on your phone while watching, and type Shop the Show to shop along. Amazon Wish List Games, a multi-episode holiday event, is produced by MGM Alternative. Content creator Lele Pons will join Emmy-nominated host Nick Cannon on this high-energy, half-hour game show where contestants play for the chance to win everything on their Amazon Wish Lists, totaling up to $25,000. Every episode, contestants are pulled from the audience to play a rotating series of fun and fantastical games. It all builds to the final round, where one contestant plays to win a prize for everyone in the audience. Alycia Rossiter is showrunner and executive producer of Amazon Wish List Games along with Cannon who serves as Executive Producer. Sean Kelly, Steve Hughes, Jessie Binkow and Susan Janis-Mashayekhi are co-executive producers of the series. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Breaking records 33 seasons into a series isn’t an easy task. But it’s one “Dancing With the Stars” has done three times this season. And on Nov. 12, the reality competition series will hit 500 episodes. Since its 2005 debut, the series has featured 51 professional dancers and 394 stars and taken home 21 Emmys. Still, it’s hitting new milestones. During Season 33, the show has broken voting records three times, with the latest episode seeing more than 19 million votes. It’s the No. 1 entertainment program on broadcast in adults 18-49 with a 0.69 rating in Live+Same Day. The show has grown significantly in Live+35, with this season’s premiere currently at 8.1 million viewers and a 1.54 rating, up over 60% in total viewers and over 100% in the key demo compared to its Live+Same Day performance. “What was magic about the show in its heyday is back,” says Rob Mills, executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television. “The lesson we learned this season is the same one we learned the first season, which is what the magic in the show is: the cast. Get people in, then give people a reason to stay … You have to look for either the people everyone’s going to know and want to see, or the person who, two weeks from now, you were going to understand why we picked them.” In the latest TV show ratings, CBS’ FBI was Tuesday’s most-watched program, while ABC’s Dancing With the Stars dominated in the demo. NBC's St. Denis Medical debuted to 3.8 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating, and a second episode retained 3.1 mil and a 0.5 — ranking No. 2 in the demo for the night, and up versus the averages for both Night Court Season 2 (3 mil/0.3) and Extended Family Season Only (2.6 mil/0.3). Leading out of that, The Voice (4 mil/0.4) was up in the demo from its last Tuesday outing, while The Irrational (2.2 mil/0.2) was steady. Dancing With the Stars (5.1 mil/0.7) added a few eyeballs with its 500th episode. High Potential (3.4 mil/0.3) was also up in audience, heading into its hiatus. FBI (6.3 mil/0.4) and Most Wanted (4.2 mil/0.3) added eyeballs, while International (4.9 mil/0.3) dipped in the demo. Back from a two-week break, Fox's Murder in a Small Town (1.7 mil/0.2) drew its second-smallest audience yet, while Accused (1.2 mil/0.1) hit and matched series lows. The CW's WWE NXT (631K/0.2) was up in both measures compared to its previous outing (opposite the World Series). On cable... |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
More on "Pop Culture Jeopardy!" |
|
Pop Culture Jeopardy!, hosted by Colin Jost, is fast approaching its big premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Fans are excited about the more niche subject matter, new host, and team aspect, but haven’t been clued into the actual gameplay. Now, Jeopardy!’s social media has finally given a full breakdown. In a post on November 13 titled “Pop Culture Jeopardy! 101,” Jeopardy! announced the format: 81 teams, three finalist teams, and a $300,000 grand prize. The spinoff will feature a tournament structure and introduces a new twist to the franchise—a hidden feature on the game board called a Triple Play. Here’s how it works: “Each game features three teams of three,” the post read. “Just like regular Jeopardy! there are three rounds of gameplay: Jeopardy! round, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy. Any player can buzz in, but they cannot discuss their response with their team. Teams are allowed to collaborate on Daily Doubles.” “In addition to Daily Doubles, there is a BRAND-NEW element hidden on the board called a TRIPLE PLAY. Triple Plays are EXCLUSIVE to Pop Culture Jeopardy!,” the post continues. “A Triple Play gives teams a chance EARN TRIPLE the clue’s value if each team member of the team can correctly provide one of three possible responses. Incorrect responses allow another TEAM TO STEAL.” It would seem that the Triple Play will function like a Daily Double but the team is only rewarded the big bucks if all three players answer the three-pronged clue correctly. Knowing ambitious Executive Producer Michael Davies, it will all make sense once fans see it in action. The post also explained Final Jeopardy: “Players collaborate on their Final wagers and what they think the correct response is. The team with the most points advances to the next round of the tournament.” And finally, the format and schedule was announced: “Out of 81 teams, only three will advance to the final to compete for the $300,000 grand prize and the first-ever title of Pop Culture Jeopardy! champions.” Lastly, there will be three episodes dropping every week starting with the series premiere. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
More Games, More Frontiers |
|
The faces of It’s a Knockout in the UK once included royals such as Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. In France, however, the most memorable participant was Rosa, a particularly angry cow. She was the most famous of the aggressive young cows that used to charge at competitors as they tried to carry buckets of water, climb greasy poles or stand upright on boxes in the French version of the television game show that had a cult following across Europe in the late 20th century. Now France Télévisions, the state broadcaster, will relaunch the show, but without the cows that were the most notable element of the slapstick games. Pop Culture Jeopardy!, hosted by Colin Jost, is fast approaching its big premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Fans are excited about the more niche subject matter, new host, and team aspect, but haven’t been clued into the actual gameplay. Now, Jeopardy!’s social media has finally given a full breakdown. In a post on November 13 titled “Pop Culture Jeopardy! 101,” Jeopardy! announced the format: 81 teams, three finalist teams, and a $300,000 grand prize. The spinoff will feature a tournament structure and introduces a new twist to the franchise—a hidden feature on the game board called a Triple Play. Here’s how it works: “Each game features three teams of three,” the post read. “Just like regular Jeopardy! there are three rounds of gameplay: Jeopardy! round, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy. Any player can buzz in, but they cannot discuss their response with their team. Teams are allowed to collaborate on Daily Doubles.” “In addition to Daily Doubles, there is a BRAND-NEW element hidden on the board called a TRIPLE PLAY. Triple Plays are EXCLUSIVE to Pop Culture Jeopardy!,” the post continues. “A Triple Play gives teams a chance EARN TRIPLE the clue’s value if each team member of the team can correctly provide one of three possible responses. Incorrect responses allow another TEAM TO STEAL.” It would seem that the Triple Play will function like a Daily Double but the team is only rewarded the big bucks if all three players answer the three-pronged clue correctly. Knowing ambitious Executive Producer Michael Davies, it will all make sense once fans see it in action. The post also explained Final Jeopardy: “Players collaborate on their Final wagers and what they think the correct response is. The team with the most points advances to the next round of the tournament.” And finally, the format and schedule was announced: “Out of 81 teams, only three will advance to the final to compete for the $300,000 grand prize and the first-ever title of Pop Culture Jeopardy! champions.” Lastly, there will be three episodes dropping every week starting with the series premiere. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Mr. Piffles, the canine sidekick for Las Vegas headliner Piff the Magic Dragon, has died just shy of his 17th birthday, according to a publicist. "For over fifteen years I've had the privilege and the pleasure of being upstaged and outshone night after night by Mr Piffles," Piff, real name John van der Put, said in a statement. "He came into my life when I had nothing, and set me on the path to a career I could only dream of. In the beginning, I may have rescued him, but in the end, he rescued me." Described as a pedigree Chihuahua, Mr. Piffles joined Piff the Magic Dragon's act as they performed on the British comedy club circuit. They appeared on the 10th season of "America's Got Talent" and made it to the final round. Their appearances on "AGT" catapulted them into fame, and Piff became a resident performer at Flamingo Las Vegas, where the theater was renamed in his honor. Flamingo will lead a special ceremony at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, to open the dog-friendly space "Mr Piffles' Magical Playground" in his memory. A publicist says Mr. Piffles will be succeeded by Mr. Piffles the Second, a 2-year-old "genetically identical clone," to continue the act. |
posted 11/13/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It’s official — free, ad-supported video on demand streaming service Amazon Freevee, the home of such originals as Jury Duty, Bosch: Legacy and Judy Justice, will be phased out over the coming weeks. Its content, which already has migrated and is available on Prime Video, will remain there, with new episodes of Freevee shows, including Judy Justice, Neighbours, Tribunal Justice, America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation and Bosch: Legacy as well as older originals including Jury Duty, High School, Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis and Primo, staying in front of the paywall and available to non-Prime customers. The update will be deployed in the territories where Freevee is currently available, the U.S., UK, Germany and Austria. Going forward, the content currently labeled as Freevee will be designated for non-Prime customers as “Watch for Free” on detail pages. No layoffs related to the move are expected. As part of previous restructurings, Freevee’s content team already had been integrated into Amazon MGM Studios; its business team has been part of Prime Video. With the consolidation, Amazon is leaning into Prime Video already being a hybrid destination for both Prime members and non-members. |
posted 11/12/2024 |
|
|
MONDAY: Knockout! |
|
"The Voice" returned Monday night with the Knockout Rounds...and that's exactly what the show did to the competition. NBC's night barely edged CBS, who slotted The Neighborhood (4.23m/0.40), Poppa's House (3.46m/0.33), NCIS (5.26m/0.37), and NCIS Origins (3.90m/0.26). Without the additional competition from NFL Monday Night Football simulcasts on ABC, Fox came in third with 9-1-1 Lone Star (2.76m/0.27) and Rescue: HI-Surf (1.51m/0.14). Rounding out the night on the CW was Superman & Lois (440k/0.08). On cable... |
posted 11/12/2024 |
|
|
Blake Shelton, Taylor Sheridan to Hit "The Road" |
|
CBS announced today the new singing competition series THE ROAD (working title) has been ordered to series for fall 2025. From executive producers Blake Shelton, Taylor Sheridan, Lee Metzger and David Glasser, the docu-follow format trails a headlining superstar (to be announced) on their journey to discover the next big artist. Singers will join the headliner on tour, performing as opening acts in venues across the country. They will compete to win over local fanbases to secure a spot in the next city and remain on the tour. The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, Glasser's 101 Studios with Shelton and Metzger's Lucky Horseshoe Productions. Taylor Sheridan and David Glasser serve as executive producers. Blake Shelton and Lee Metzger serve as executive producers for Lucky Horseshoe Productions. "I'm a big fan of Taylor's incredible work, and I'm excited to team with him and my long-time collaborator, Lee, on THE ROAD," said Shelton. "I know a thing or two about singing competitions and what it's like to chase a music dream and live life on tour. I'm looking forward to discovering new talent and giving them this platform." "There is a revolution taking place in country music. Building a platform with Blake for the next leaders of that revolution is an incredibly exciting venture," said Sheridan. "No more shiny floors and studio audiences. This is where the rubber meets the road - literally. Get in the van, go to the next town and win the crowd. Do it enough, and you become the next leader. Simple as that." "This project has been a true labor of love that Taylor, Blake, Lee and I have been talking about for some time now," said Glasser. "I can't thank CBS enough for supporting us on this journey to bring an incredible project to audiences everywhere." "Blake and I have been working together a long time and now joining forces with Taylor and David is literally the kind of team you dream about to bring something of this scale to country music fans," said Metzger. THE ROAD offers viewers a backstage pass into the gritty and unforgiving life of a touring artist. With exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes workings of the music industry, viewers will see what happens when some of the best up-and-coming performers pile into a tour bus and tackle a grueling schedule in pursuit of their dreams.. |
posted 11/12/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
FRIDAY: Police, Fire, More Police |
|
CBS took its place in the Winners' Circle on Friday. Among the broadcast networks, CBS was first with new episodes of SWAT (4.25m viewers/0.31 in the demo), Fire Country (4.46m/0.35), and Blue Bloods (4.85m/0.28). Fox opened its night with a rerun of Accused before seguing into its Friday night Big 10 coverage (Iowa at UCLA) (1.89m/0.35). Rounding out the night on the CW were new episodes of Inside the NFL (228k/0.03) and Joan (151k/0.01). |
posted 11/11/2024 |
|
|
What Is Streaming? |
|
Ken Jennings has revealed that Jeopardy! will finally be hitting streaming platforms for the first time in the show’s history. After years of fans begging for past and current episodes of the beloved game show series to be available on a streamer, the host confirmed the news in an off-camera confession. A source who was in the audience of a recent Jeopardy! taping exclusively told The U.S. Sun that Ken, 50, made an announcement that the modernized change would be coming in early 2025. “It is happening, indeed,” Ken said when asked when the 41 seasons of the Emmy-winning program would be hitting one of the platforms. The 74-time-champ then said “early 2025” is when fans can expect to catch up on past seasons - adding that it will end up “most likely on Hulu or Prime.” Fans have been up in arms about having the entirety of the trivia show, including the beloved years hosted by the late Alex Trebek, be available on one of the streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Paramount+ or Disney+. The call for a modern change only intensified over the Summer when Pluto TV - which was the only way for fans to watch the syndicated show outside of cable - abruptly ended its service in July. |
posted 11/11/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has taken time to remember his predecessor and icon Alex Trebek on the anniversary of his death, sharing memories of his last time visiting the former host on the set of the game show. “Today on the anniversary of his passing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the last time I ever came here to watch him host,” Jennings began in the video posted to Jeopardy!‘s social media accounts. “It was shortly before the pandemic and he had announced his cancer diagnosis. And he actually asked if I would come backstage.” “I was a little apprehensive about this,” he admitted. “I’d never been to his dressing room, you know, as a contestant.” Ultimately, what Jennings recounted of the meeting was that Trebek hadn’t been in the best shape behind the scenes of the quiz show. “He wasn’t feeling great that day—often he would look and sound fantastic while doing the show but he wasn’t in the best shape backstage—but he greeted me warmly and I asked how he was doing,” he continued. What impressed the current host most was Trebek’s ability to keep his composure, as well as the emotional state he’d reached as fans sent their love in his direction. “I was really touched by how emotional he was about the outpouring of love he was getting from Jeopardy! fans. You would not believe just the tens of thousands of letters and notes and afghans and emails and everything that poured in and he went through and read everything.” When it came to that particular day on set, Jennings remembered Trebek had told him, “‘Ken, you know most people don’t get to hear the nice things about themselves because people don’t say it until after they’re gone. You know they say those things at the funeral… I got to hear all those things while I’m still here.'” In other words, Trebek knew how loved he was by viewers and Jennings got to see first-hand how it impacted the legendary game show host. “It was just sweet how genuinely thoughtful and grateful he was for that opportunity,” Jennings added. “It struck me then that maybe he had never thought much about how much he meant to people as kind of a light entertainer, a quiz show host. He didn’t realize how important he was to people who watched Jeopardy!.” Jennings recalled that he gave Trebek a hug backstage, even though he wasn’t sure that Trebek was a hugger, and noted that it was nice to see the host’s reaction to the love and support fans sent his way. “He didn’t realize what he meant to us, which was everything,” Jennings concluded. |
posted 11/8/2024 |
|
|
THURSDAY: How About Those Ravens |
|
CBS took its place in the Winners' Circle on Thursday. CBS takes the night handily with new episodes of Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (6.15m/0.42), Ghosts (5.31m/0.41), Matlock (5.98m/0.34), and Elsbeth (4.25m/0.22). Fox cooked up fourth with Hell's Kitchen (1.53m/0.25) and Crime Scene Kitchen (981k/0.14). Rounding out the night on the CW were new episodes of Scrabble (374k/0.06) and Trivial Pursuit (352k/0.06). On cable... |
posted 11/8/2024 |
|
|
More on "Wizards of Baking" |
|
“Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” has been acquired by Prime Video for the U.K and Ireland . The show, which features pairs of bakers whipping up magical Potter-inspired creations in a competition format, is set to air in the U.S. on Food Network and Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platform Max from Nov. 14. New episodes will drop weekly. It will be available on Prime Video in the U.K. from Dec. 17 with the sixth and final episode premiering on Christmas Eve. Internationally, “Wizards of Baking” will be on Max in territories where the streamer is available. |
posted 11/8/2024 |
|
|
HAppy Friday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Fulwell 73, Springhill to Merge? |
|
Fulwell 73, the company behind Hulu’s The Kardashians, and The SpringHill Company, which was founded by NBA legend LeBron James, are in talks to merge. Deadline has confirmed the news, broken by Bloomberg, which would see the two companies come together with an expanded programming slate. Fulwell 73 is behind projects like Adele: One Night Only, Friends: The Reunion and Carpool Karaoke as well as documentaries including Hitsville: The Making of Motown and Sunderland ‘Til I Die. It previously produced The Late Late Show with James Corden, whose host became a partner in the business, which was founded by Gabe Turner, Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman and Ben Winston. The SpringHill Company was founded by James and Maverick Carter in 2020. It is behind Disney+’s The Crossover, Netflix’s Rez Ball and Space Jam: A New Legacy. Together, the company was responsible for bringing The Wall to TV. |
posted 11/6/2024 |
|
|
More on "Junior Taskmaster" |
|
Channel 4 is giving us a first taste of "Junior Taskmaster", the preteen spinoff set to launch Friday on the network, with worldwide properties going to YouTube on Saturday. Rose Matefeo takes on the responsibilities of the big chair, with Mike Wozniak taking on the assistant role… if the children can remember his name! With some very colorful contestants, it looks as though the junior version will be giving the parent show a run for its money. The series runs for eight weeks, beginning at 8pm on Friday 8th November. The series begins on Friday 8th November at 8pm on Channel 4, with the contestant line-up comprising 25 children between the ages of nine to eleven year olds. Greg Davies and Alex Horne make way for a new presenting team: the Junior Taskmaster is comedian Rose Matafeo, with Mike Wozniak as her assistant. Both have form with show, starring in series 9 and 11 of the main show, respectively. Despite the shift to non-celebrity pre-teens, Junior Taskmaster promises all the bizarre chaos we’ve come to expect. There’s a new Taskmaster house, with a shed, a caravan and a laboratory. Plus, zebras, a sandcastle pedestal and, of course, a revolving top hat spinning wheel! The series plays out across five heats, which lead to two semi-finals before a Grand Final. At its conclusion, the victot will take the title of Champion, as well as a golden trophy of the Junior Taskmaster’s head. The show begins its eight-part run on 8th November and wraps up on 27th December. |
posted 11/6/2024 |
|
|
It's TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME! |
|
Ring in the holiday season and tune in to ABC during the most wonderful time of the year. Programming highlights include a one-hour holiday event of the Emmy(R) Award-winning series "Abbott Elementary" at a special time; The Wonderful World of Disney presents "The Sound of Music," "Home Alone" and "The Santa Clause"; holiday-themed episodes of fan-favorite shows including "Press Your Luck," "Celebrity Family Feud" and "Shark Tank"; and a new season of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" returns, along with news of a season 13 pickup for 2025. ABC News celebrates the 60th anniversary of the beloved classic "Mary Poppins" with "The Untold Story of Mary Poppins: A Special Edition of 20/20," and the following evening The Wonderful World of Disney presents "Mary Poppins" will air. Dazzling specials, including "CMA Country Christmas" from Nashville, "The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular," "The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade," the "iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2024" special, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," and "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony" round out the holiday schedule wrapping up on New Year's Day. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: "Chance the Rapper, Dionne Warwick and Lil Jon" (December 2): Celebrity contestants spin to win for charity on this special holiday episode with Chance the Rapper (SocialWorks), Dionne Warwick (North Jersey Community Research Initiative) and Lil Jon (Open Paths Counseling Center). Pat Sajak and Vanna White host. |
posted 11/6/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quincy Jones, who distinguished himself over the course of a 70-year career in music as an artist, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer, has died. He was 91. Jones died Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to a statement shared with Variety by his rep Arnold Robinson. A cause of death was not disclosed. “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the Jones family said in the statement. “He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.” Jones’ eminence in the entertainment community was so great that he went by a one-letter handle: “Q.” Bred in the world of jazz, Jones became one of pop music’s most formidable figures. He collected six of his 28 Grammy Awards for his 1990 album “Back on the Block” and was a three-time producer of the year honoree. To many, he is probably best known for his production collaborations with Michael Jackson, which began in 1979 with the singer’s breakthrough solo album “Off the Wall,” which has sold an estimated 20 million copies internationally. Its chart-topping sequel “Thriller” (1982) — for which Jones took album of the year honors, plus a record of the year trophy for the track “Billie Jean” — remains the bestselling album of all time, with worldwide sales estimated in excess of 110 million. Jones went on to work with Jackson on his No. 1 1987 release “Bad.” In 1985, Jones made international headlines as the producer of USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” the single devoted to African famine relief; Jackson co-authored the song with Lionel Richie and led its all-star cast of vocalists. Jones was the first African American to pen the score for a major motion picture, 1964’s “The Pawnbroker,” and went on to receive seven Oscar nominations for best original score and song. In 1995, he received AMPAS’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, another first for a Black artist. He made his mark on TV as executive producer of the ’90s NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which brought rapper Will “Fresh Prince” Smith to prominence as an actor. In addition to the 2022 reboot of “Bel-Air,” he later exec produced the comedy skeins “In the House” and “MadTV”; the 10-hour 1995 documentary “The History of Rock ‘N’ Roll”; the 2014 documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On”; and the 2023 adaptation of “The Color Purple” directed by Blitz Bazawule. Jones received a Tony Award nomination in 2006 as producer of the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.” In the publishing world, he founded the respected hip-hop magazine Vibe, which spawned a TV spinoff in 1997. In recognition of the vast array of causes to which he contributed, Jones was named Variety’s philanthropist of the year in 2014. In game shows, his compositions were used on two game shows - "Soul Bossa Nova", which would later go on to be the theme music to the "Austin Powers" series of films, was used as the theme to the Canadian game show "Definition", while "Chump Change" was used for both versions of "Now You See It". Jones received the Recording Academy’s Legend Award in 1991 and Trustees Award in 1989. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and the National Medal of the Arts from President Obama in 2011. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 as the winner of the Ahmet Ertegun Award together with Lou Adler. Jones released his autobiography “Q” in 2001; an audio version of the book received a Grammy as best spoken word album in 2002. Married and divorced three times, he is survived by a brother, two sisters, six daughters including actor Rashida Jones, and a son. |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
Sting, Jennifer Hudson Named Mega Mentors |
|
17-time Grammy Award winner Sting and EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson will serve as mega mentors on season 26 of the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series "The Voice," airing Mondays (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) and Tuesdays (9-10 p.m. ET/PT) on NBC and next day on Peacock. In an exciting first for "The Voice," two legendary musicians come aboard as mega mentors. Hudson joins Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire while Sting joins coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to mentor the remaining artists as each team prepares for the Knockouts, beginning Monday, Nov. 11. The uber-competitive three-way Knockouts are back. The artists are paired against two other teammates, but this time, they will select their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Alongside the coaches, genre-bender Sting and vocal powerhouse Hudson will bring their years of experience to guide the artists into their strongest performances yet. Coaches alone choose the winner from their team to advance to the Playoffs, the last round before the Live Shows. Each coach has one save and one steal in this round. As one of the world's most distinctive artists, Sting, managed by the Cherrytree Music Company, has earned 17 Grammy Awards, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a Tony nomination, Billboard magazine's Century Award and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. A member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, American Music Award of Merit and Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded honorary doctorates of music by the University of Northumbria (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University at its 250th commencement ceremony (2018). Throughout his illustrious career, he has sold over 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist. Entertainment icon Jennifer Hudson is a Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy-winning artist. Over her highly acclaimed career, Hudson has been named one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World," received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, received NAACP Entertainer of the Year, performed at the Super Bowl, sang for world leaders and even has a day named after her in her beloved city of Chicago. Hudson's nationally syndicated talk show, "The Jennifer Hudson Show," which launched its third season in September, is the recipient of 10 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and two People's Choice Awards nominations. The show, which continually features an impressive lineup of guests, earned her the AAFCA We See You Award, GLAAD's Excellence in Media Award and the NAACP Image Award for Best Talk Show Host. Hudson was also a coach on seasons 13 and 15 of "The Voice." On Oct. 18, Hudson released her highly anticipated first holiday album, "The Gift of Love," which features genre-defying, world-class collaborations on classics and original songs. "The Voice" remains the most-watched alternative series for its sixth consecutive fall and is having its best season on Peacock. |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
CBS Not Joining Any "Reindeer Games" This Year |
|
Big Brother Reindeer Games Season 2 will not be held this year, and the reality competition’s producers are explaining why. In a new interview, Big Brother producers Rich Meehan and Allison Grodner revealed why the Christmas-themed competition will not return in 2024. “Because we started so late this season and CBS’ fall schedule starts so late this season, everything just pushes back,” Meehan told Entertainment Weekly about the CBS schedule being the main reason the special didn’t get made. “So if there’s not airtime, there’s not much you can do for that.” Viewers of the CBS competition were hopeful that a second season would premiere this fall, especially after Julie Chen Moonves announced something was happening inside the house during the Big Brother Season 26 finale. This led some fans to believe that Jankie had something to do with the new season’s theme. “I think people really expected when Julie said, ‘Oh wait, there’s something in the house,’ that it would be that,” Grodner said. Grodner noted that she saw “some amazingly creative people online pitching” ideas about the potential second season. Although Big Brother Reindeer Games will not air in 2024, producers are hopeful that a second season will air in the future. Grodner says, “It holds a special place for both Rich and me. We loved doing the show. We thought it worked out really, really well. It’s a great way to bring back alumni in a unique manner. While it’s not happening this year, it could resurface.” Meehan continued, “Hopefully, we’re in a new year and everything looks like it’s going to be smooth sailing and everything’s worked out, so hopefully, maybe next year. That’s the goal.” |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Sony Pictures Television is suing CBS, claiming that the latter has failed to live up to its contract to distribute Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in syndication. Sony produces the two long-running game shows, which are perennially among the most-watched syndicated programs on broadcast TV. The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that CBS hasn’t held up its end of a contract to distribute the two shows to local TV stations in the United States and entered into unauthorized distribution deals overseas. “As stated in our complaint, CBS has been egregiously undercutting the value and profitability of these shows in favor of its own self-interest,” Sony said in a statement. “CBS has pocketed millions in distribution fees from unauthorized deals, licensed the shows domestically well below market value, and favored its wholly-owned shows in advertising sales and distribution, among other things. Further CBS has gutted the teams responsible for fulfilling its contractual obligations, requiring us to step in at our own expense. After repeated attempts to resolve this matter amicably, we are left with no choice but to take legal action today.” In a statement of its own, CBS said that “For more than 40 years, CBS and its predecessor company King World have been accomplished distribution partners and thoughtful stewards for Wheel and Jeopardy! in the syndication market. This work has helped build shows into franchises, transform popular series into cultural icons and deliver Sony billions of dollars of revenue. Our contract is clear that we hold the distribution rights to these series in perpetuity. We strongly refute any claims by Sony that we did not use our best efforts in distributing the programs or otherwise failed to abide by our obligations under the agreements. Sony’s claims are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago. We look forward to vigorously defending this lawsuit in court.” Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have each been airing in syndication for more than 40 years, and Sony’s distribution agreements with CBS and its predecessors (CBS bought the shows’ original distributor, King World, in 1999) date back to the early 1980s as well. Under the deal, CBS’ syndication arm, CBS Media Ventures, licenses the shows to local stations and sells national advertising spots in exchange for 35 percent to 40 percent of receipts. Sony claims that CBS has failed to live up to its contractual duty to make its “best efforts” to make those receipts as large as possible. The complaint states that CBS has licensed the shows at below-market rates and failed to max out potential ad revenue from the two shows. Sony also alleges that CBS entered into unauthorized distribution agreements in Australia, New Zealand and other international territories that exceeded the contractual limit of two years — and says CBS Media Ventures admitted as much in 2023 — but hasn’t turned over any receipts from those agreements. Sony, which is seeking monetary damages, also says that recent layoffs at CBS parent Paramount Global have adversely affected the units tasked with distributing, marketing and ad sales for the two game shows, further restricting CBS’ ability to hold up its end of the contract. |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
Who's Getting a Second Chance? |
|
Jeopardy!’s next postseason, culminating in the 2025 Tournament of Champions (and a potential Adriana Harmeyer/Drew Basile rematch), is officially on the horizon. The starting gun is the 2025 Second Chance Competition, with 18 non-winners from the past year back with a vengeance over the course of two weeks. The Second Chance Competition sees the most deserving players who lost upon arrival since the last ToC get one last shot at glory. These players were either fan favorites, nearly won, and/or put up ferocious fights against super-champions. 2025 Second Chance field (combining players from the tail end of Season 40 and the ongoing Season 41) was announced via press release and on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast on Monday (November 4). The press release states, “Second Chance features select contestants who didn’t become Jeopardy! in their initial appearances returning to the Alex Trebek Stage for the chance to change their destinies. The players who advance out of Second Chance will compete in the Champions Wildcard Competition for the opportunity to play in the 2025 Tournament of Champions.” 2025 Second Chance consists of two week-long competitions. It premieres on Monday, December 30, 2024, and the next competition occurs immediately after on Monday, January 6, 2025. The two Second Chance winners will advance to Champions Wildcard: with one ToC spot up for grabs. After Second Chance, Jeopardy! goes straight into a brief Wildcard (for one and two-day champions), followed by the main event: the ToC. The players returning for the Second Chance Competition, an emphasis seemingly on the players who lost to the past year’s biggest winners, are as follows: |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
FRIDAY: No Baseball... |
|
Now that the Dodgers have won the World Series, it's back to business as usual on Friday. CBS takes the night handily with new episodes of SWAT (4.55m viewers/0.32 in the demo), Fire Country (4.60m/0.37), and Blue Bloods (5.10m/0.33). NBC narrowly takes the silver with new episodes of Happy's Place (3.48m/0.25), Lopez vs. Lopez (1.99m/0.18), and Dateline (2.37m/0.24). ABC battled the Peacock to a dead heat with Shark Tank (2.61m/0.25) and 20/20 (2.27m/0.24). Fox was in reruns mode with replays of The Masked Singer (910k/0.13) and The Floor (990k/0.14). Rounding out the night on the CW were new episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (470k/0.05; 450k/0.06) and Joan (180k/0.02). On cable... |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
Money List to Return... to Ireland |
|
Get ready for weekend thrills and high stakes with The Money List on Saturday and Sunday nights Baz Ashmawy returns with a weekend bonanza of his hugely addictive gameshow, The Money List. The series will air across the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday nights each week, kicking off on Saturday 2nd November at 9.20pm and Sunday 3rd November at 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Once again, two teams of complete strangers are challenged to fill in missing answers on a list. The more lists they complete, the more money they win. The lists can be about anything, from ‘Presidents of the USA’ to ‘Madonna Hit Singles’. The Money List presenter Baz Ashmawy commented: “I’m so excited that The Money List is back! The fact that it’s going to be on every Saturday and Sunday night really adds to the excitement, with up to €30,000 (about $32,000) up for grabs each night. Once again this season, we have an amazing selection of contestants, lucky strangers from all around the country who have a chance to win some staggering sums of cash. It’s going to be brilliant!” The first team to win two lists gets to play for €15,000 (about $16,000). Every correct answer on the list is a step up the money ladder to that top cash prize. As the champions progress, they can bank their money or keep going, but one wrong answer will lose them everything. As the winning team progresses on The Money List, if they keep on winning, they can keep on earning until another team of contestants knocks them out. |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
May the Dice Be Nice... |
|
Five Mile Films are piloting a new gameshow where participants use dice to make all decisions in their life - big and small. Casting is now open for people who want to braver and more decisive in their lives. The Sun reports that the format, which is based on a similar idea to that explored in Luke Rhinehart's novel The Dice Man and Danny Wallace's book Yes Man where decision are taken out of your hands and determined by something else, is in development for Channel 4. More details will be announced in due course. |
posted 11/4/2024 |
|
|
More on "The Traitors" Season 3 |
|
Peacock has set January 9 for the Season 3 premiere of Alan Cumming-hosted reality competition series The Traitors. Cumming himself revealed the news this morning on Today. The Traitors is a competition series where contestants, known as the faithful, work together on missions to win a prize of up to $250,000 while trying to uncover the secret players working against them to try and banish them from the game. The third season will feature 21 celebrities, at least three of whom will be selected by Cumming to be a Traitor, while the rest will be Faithfuls. Fans will find out the identity of the “Traitors” in the season premiere. The Traitors Season 2 became the No. 1 unscripted series in the U.S. across all streaming platforms during launch week, according to Nielsen. Season 1 took home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program. Season 3 will continue with the formula casting all reality stars and celebrities, including Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser, Bob the Drag Queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Chanel Ayan from The Real Housewives of Dubai, Chrishell Stause from Selling Sunset, Dorinda Medley from The Real Housewives of New York City, Gabby Windey from The Bachelorette and Tom Sandoval from Vanderpump Rules, among many more. The full list... |
posted 10/31/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alan Rachins, the actor known for his roles on L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg, has died. He was 82. The Golden Globe and Emmy nominee died early Saturday morning after experiencing heart failure in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his wife Joanna Frank told The Hollywood Reporter. In addition to his performance as Douglas Brackman on the NBC series L.A. Law, which ran from 1986 to 1994 and earned him Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, Rachins was known for playing Dharma’s (Jenna Elfman) hippy father Larry on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg, which ran for five seasons from 1997 to 2002. Rachins also appeared in such films as Thunder Run (1986), North (1994) and Showgirls (1995), as well as shows like The Golden Girls, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Stargate SG-1 and Rizzoli & Isles. In game shows, Rachins featured on episodes of "Hollywood Squares" and "To Tell the Truth". Born Oct. 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rachins moved to New York to study acting, where he was among the original Broadway casts of After the Rain and Hadrian the Seventh. He was also a writing/directing fellow at the American Film Institute. Rachins wrote episodes of Hill Street Blues, Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy, and he directed a 1980 episode of the CBS procedural Paris, starring James Earl Jones. Along with his wife, Rachins launched Allofit Productions to adapt books and original screenplays into feature and television projects. Rachins is survived by wife Joanna Frank and their son Robert.. |
posted 11/2/2024 |
|
|
More on "Rhythm+Flow" Season 2... Finally |
|
The competition is back and bigger than ever! �� From coast to coast, the hottest up-and-coming rap talent battles it out for a life-changing prize - $250,000 �� and the chance to be crowned the next hip-hop sensation. �� No gimmicks, just raw talent. Who has what it takes to rise to the top? With celebrity judges bringing the heat, jaw-dropping performances, and real stakes on the line, this season promises unforgettable moments and career-defining wins. �� Watch the drama unfold as passion meets skill, and only one artist emerges victorious. Today, Netflix announced the contestants for season 2 of Rhythm + Flow. Global superstars Ludacris, DJ Khaled and Latto search for the next hip hop sensation in Rhythm + Flow, Netflix's hit music competition show. The series brings together industry legends across a multi-city search to find raw talent and help undiscovered artists pursue their come up. Season two was filmed in Atlanta, hip hop epicenter and hometown to two of the judges. Rhythm + Flow, Netflix's hip hop music competition hosted by a panel of industry heavy hitters ready to discover the next generation's rap star. This competition will feature contestants from all over the country who are hungry and ready to prove themselves to see if they have what it takes to take home the grand prize of $250,000 and the title of hip hop's newest star. Season 2 of Netflix's Rhythm + Flow kicks off November 20 with the first four episodes, followed by three new episodes the week after, and the final three of the season the week after that. |
posted 11/1/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Regina Hall is getting into the unscripted TV business. The Best Man: Final Chapters and Girls Trip star, via her Rh Negative production company, has signed a first-look deal with MGM Alternative, the unscripted division of Amazon MGM Studios, to develop and produce shows across a range of unscripted genres, including game shows, true crime and docuseries. The first project under the deal is called Squad Games, a competition loosely inspired by Girls Trip that will feature “celebrities and their real-life BFFs on an exotic getaway where they compete in wild challenges.” “I’m so excited for this new partnership with MGM,” Hall said in a statement. “I’m positive that the relationship between Rh Negative and their team will be an incredibly supportive and productive one and I’m thrilled about what we have in the works.” Said Barry Poznick, general manager of MGM Alternative, “Ever since we saw Regina Hall co-hosting the Academy Awards two years ago, we knew she had something special that would resonate with reality fans. Her humor, honesty, creativity and style of storytelling make her a perfect partner as we continue to expand MGM Alternative’s slate of premium unscripted programming.” The deal with MGM Alternative represents Rh Negative’s first foray into unscripted programming. Hall was a producer of her feature film Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul and an executive producer of the psychological thriller Master, which streamed on Amazon’s Prime Video. She was also a producer on Showtime’s Black Monday, where she starred opposite Don Cheadle and Andrew Rannells.. |
posted 10/31/2024 |
|
|
Halloween Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Looking for Mr. Christmas |
|
As far as Jonathan Bennett is concerned, “there are two types of people in the world: people that watch Hallmark movies and liars,” the actor tells TVLine. Bennett has starred in his fair share of those Hallmark movies, often taking part in major LGBTQ moments on the network, and now he’s passing the baton, so to speak. As the host and co-creator of Hallmark’s first reality competition series, Bennett is hoping to discover the network’s next holiday hunk in Finding Mr. Christmas (premiering Thursday, Oct. 31, exclusively on Hallmark+). Below, Bennett breaks down what you need to know about the show and the eventual movie starring the winner. “Hallmark has become such a part of the pop culture zeitgeist in the entertainment industry that every single one of my actor friends are always asking me, ‘Hey, how do I get involved in the Hallmark Channel? How do I get involved in those movies?'” Bennett says. As a former contestant on Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing With the Stars, as well as a frequent host on Food Network, Bennett thought, “What if we took my expertise in the reality competition space and brought the audience in on the journey of finding the next Hallmark star?” Each episode features a Festive Faceoff, like making an ugly Christmas sweater or building a snowman blindfolded, that tests the hopefuls’ holiday spirit while also allowing the judges and viewers to get to know the guys’ backgrounds and personalities. That’s followed by the Star Quality challenge, “where we take the tropes of each of the Hallmark movies and turn them into a different challenge and then we gamify them,” Bennett previews. “The first episode is the meet-cute, so we put them in a scene with a real Hallmark leading lady, and they have to perform a scene that they only had about 10 minutes to learn. But since it’s a reality competition, we have two guys in the scene meeting the girl at the same time and now they have to compete to get the leading lady’s attention.” Other Star Quality challenges feature the men having to learn the Christmas waltz and being put in the hot seat by an E! News reporter. “So everything that it takes to be a Hallmark leading man, from what you have to do on-camera to what you have to do off-camera,” Bennett notes. As a Hallmark vet, Bennett gave the contestants some simple advice: “I said, ‘Just be yourself.’ It’s really about being yourself and letting that shine through, because at the end of the day, America is going to fall in love with who you are, and that’s exactly what they do with the Hallmark stars. The Hallmark stars pretty much just play versions of themselves. Like, I don’t go into a Hallmark movie and reinvent the wheel of who Jonathan Bennett is.” |
posted 10/30/2024 |
|
|
TUESDAY: Dodgers 3, Yankees 1 |
|
The audience for the 2024 World Series just keeps growing. Game 4, which saw the New York Yankees upset the Los Angeles Dodgers to extend the Series, drew 16.7M viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming. That’s the biggest audience for this World Series so far. It’s also up quite significantly from the previous two games, which managed about 13M each. Game 1 averaged just over 15M, but it makes sense the anticipation would be growing now, as it typically does in the second half of the Series. With just over 16M viewers on Fox alone, Tuesday night’s matchup was the network’s the most-watched World Series Game 4 in eight years, since Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago Cubs to the tune of 16.7M viewers on the broadcaster. Viewership peaked with 18.2M viewers around 10:15 p.m. ET, when the Yankees began to really run up the score in the latter half of the game, after Anthony Volpe hit a history making grand slam at the bottom of the third inning that put them in the lead. Elsewhere... ABC served up Dancing with the Stars (4.5m/0.7) and High Potential (3.1m/0.3). CBS offered up FBI (5.6m/0.4), International (4.7m/0.4), and Most Wanted (3.9m/0.3). NBC was on the map with a recap episode of The Voice (3.1m/0.3), a new Battles episode (4.3m/0.3), and a new Irrational (2.3m/0.2). On cable... |
posted 10/30/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled other health problems in recent years, underwent an operation in January 2007 to repair an aneurysm. The actor, who was sometimes credited as Terri, Terry or Terry Ann during her long career, seemed destined for show business from her childhood. Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comedian; her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dance lessons at 6 and by 14 was dancing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies. She was 16 when she joined the road company of “West Side Story” in Los Angeles, and as early as 1963 she began appearing in bit parts in films. She recalled in a 1988 interview how she won the “West Side Story” role. After being dropped from her first audition, she returned a day later in different clothes and was accepted. From there, the blonde, statuesque Garr found steady work dancing in movies, and she appeared in the chorus of nine Presley films, including “Viva Las Vegas,” “Roustabout” and “Clambake.” She also appeared on numerous television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance T.A.M.I. and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.” Her big film break came as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in 1974’s Francis Ford Coppola thriller “The Conversation.” That led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who said he would hire her for the role of Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in 1974’s “Young Frankenstein” — if she could speak with a German accent. “Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once recalled. The film established her as a talented comedy performer, with New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael proclaiming her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.” Her big smile and off-center appeal helped land her roles in “Oh God!” opposite George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife) and “Tootsie” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and learns that he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career. (She also lost the supporting actress Oscar at that year’s Academy Awards to Lange.) Although best known for comedy, Garr showed in such films as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “The Black Stallion” and “The Escape Artist” that she could handle drama equally well. “I would like to play ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ but I never got the chance,” she once said, adding she had become typecast as a comic actor. In game shows, Garr featured on episodes of The Weakest Link, Hollywood Squares, and Jeopardy!. She was also one of the four panelists on Oxygen's run of "I've Got a Secret". |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Three's Company |
|
The recently completed season 26 of Big Brother was a truly unique installment of the CBS reality show. For one thing, it was the rarest of birds — a controversy-free season of a program in which controversy is almost impossible to avoid due to the presence of a 24-hour live feed beaming every single word said to a national audience. For the producers, not having to put social media fires out along the way was a welcome change of pace. “When we're able to just focus on the show and the creative of the show and all of those things, it really is much more fun than dealing with all the outside stuff,” executive producer Rich Meehan tells Entertainment Weekly. “It was lovely,” adds fellow executive producer Allison Grodner. “It was really nice. And overall, the reception from our usually very critical fan base was really positive, so it was a nice summer.” |
posted 10/29/2024 |
|
|
SUNDAY: Dodgers 2, Yankees 0 |
|
The San Francisco 49ers’ 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last night ranked as NBC Sunday Night Football’s most watched Week 8 game on record, averaging 23.9 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital platforms and NFL Digital platforms, based on live plus same day custom fast nationals from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. NBC Sports’ audience peaked at 26.4 million viewers in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET). Cowboys-49ers is SNF’s most-watched Week 8 game ever and topped viewership for last year’s Week 8 game by 43% (16.7 million for Bears-Chargers). NBC Sunday Night Football is averaging 22.4 million viewers across all platforms – the series’ best average audience through Week 8 since 2015. Elsewhere... ABC served up America's Funniest Home Videos (3.5m/0.3), The Wonderful World of Disney (1.6m/0.2), and a Halloween spectacular on Press Your Luck (1.2m/0.2). CBS offered up NFL overrun (24.9m/6.1), followed by 60 Minutes (11.2m/1.3), Tracker (8.5m/0.5), and The Equalizer (5.2m/0.3). Fox's Animation Domination was on par with The Simpsons (1m/0.5), Universal Basic Guys (721k/0.2), Bob's Burgers (714k/0.2), and Krapopolis (559k/0.1). On cable... |
posted 10/29/2024 |
|
|
Deborah Norville Delivers "The Perfect Line" |
|
“Inside Edition” anchor Deborah Norville is ready to play some games. Variety has learned that Norville has signed on to host “The Pefect Line,” a first-run syndicated game show that CBS Media Ventures is planning to shop in the coming year. CBS Media Ventures declined comment, but it’s believed that a pilot for “The Perfect Line” was shot in August, and that the distributor is eyeing a fall 2025 launch for the new series. CBS Media Ventures already is behind the syndicated gamer “The Flip Side,” hosted by Jaleel White; that show, which premiered this fall, could likely be a companion piece to the new “The Perfect Line.” According to insiders, “The Perfect Line” is trivia game that includes questions about from world events, pop culture, sports, science and other topics. Contestants are given a category and then arrange events, items or people order — such as arranging six actors in the order of their worldwide box office gross. Winners are able to create “the perfect line” via that correct order, and try not to be eliminated after every round. The last person standing plays a final round for a chance at $10,000. |
posted 10/29/2024 |
|
|
Tuesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A talent show featuring Liam Payne is now on hold until Netflix has spoken to the singer’s family in the wake of his tragic death. The former One Direction star wrapped filming on Building The Band in August — just two months before his fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Liam was a mentor on the show with former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland from Destiny's Child, helping 50 singers compete for a chance to form a band. A source said: “It is too soon to make a decision, but the show has definitely not been shelved. “Filming was completed at the end of summer. “Netflix will sit down with Liam’s family when the time is right to speak about the series and when it could be released. “Everyone involved is devastated and their heart goes out to his family. “There is no rush or pressure to release the series. “It would simply be a beautiful tribute to Liam and capture him at his best in the months before his death.” The competition — hosted by Backstreet Boys star AJ McLean — culminated in three live shows that were filmed in the summer at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. |
posted 10/28/2024 |
|
|
America's Got Budget Cuts |
|
America’s Got Talent is losing one of its longest-tenured talents. Jason Raff, who has served as showrunner of the long-running NBC hit for 19 seasons, has left the show. After 482 original episodes including 140 hours of live episodes, Raff told Deadline that he was informed that he was being let go the day after season 19 finished at the end of September due to budget cuts. Raff also developed and served as showrunner for all of the show’s spinoffs including America’s Got Talent: The Champions, AGT: Extreme, America’s Got Talent: All-Stars and America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League. Sam Donnelly, who has served as showrunner alongside Raff, will continue as solo showrunner on Season 20, which is produced by Fremantle and Syco Entertainment, and will likely air in May 2025. Raff told Deadline that nearly 20 years ago, he was handed a DVD of a presentation for British broadcaster ITV called Paul’s O’Grady’s Got Talent. The UK network had passed but NBC picked it up to air in June 2006. Raff, who had previously worked in news and on NBC’s Dateline before serving as a supervising producer on early NBC reality show Average Joe, had an overall deal with NBC at the time. He started on the show in 2006 as a co-exec producer, alongside showrunner Ken Warwick, who also worked on American Idol, before Warwick left and Raff become executive producer. “I was offered two shows in the same week. One was a celebrity cooking show and the other was Got Talent. It had Simon Cowell, who was pretty big at the time. It was a variety show and I could juggle and ride a unicycle, so I was like that looks good,” Raff told Deadline. |
posted 10/28/2024 |
|
|
FRIDAY: Dodgers 1, Yankees 0 |
|
Fox‘s coverage of the 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees is thus far averaging 14.6 million total viewers (across Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming services), marking the Fall Classic’s best numbers since 2017. Friday night’s Game 1 drew 15.2 million viewers — the most-watched World Series opener since Astros-Dodgers 2017 (which delivered 15.3 mil) — and had a peak audience of 17.8 million from 11:30 pm ET to its gut-punch of a conclusion. Elsewhere... ABC served up Shark Tank (2.4m/0.2) and 20/20 (1.9m/0.2). CBS offered SWAT (3.8m/0.3), Fire Country (4.3m/0.3), and Blue Bloods (4.6m/0.3). NBC was on the map with Happy's Place (3.5m/0.3), Lopez v Lopez (1.8m/0.2), and Dateline (2.1m/0.2). And over on the CW, it was all about Whose Line Is It Anyway (312k/0.1), a nightcap (347k/0.1), and Joan (172k/0.0). |
posted 10/28/2024 |
|
|
THURSDAY: Honeymoon's Over |
|
In the latest TV ratings, CBS‘ Matlock this week was Thursday’s most-watched program, while CBS’ Georgie & Mandy and Ghosts tied for the nightly demo win. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage drew 6.4 million total viewers and a 0.5 rating, retaining 98% of its premiere audience and holding steady in the demo. Ghosts (5.6 mil/0.5) was steady, the already-renewed Matlock (6.5 mil/0.4) ticked up in audience in its second Thursday outing, and Elsbeth (4.5 mil/0.3) dropped a few eyeballs. ABC's 9-1-1 (4 mil/0.3) and Doctor Odyssey (2.6 mil/0.2) both dipped across the board, while Grey’s Anatomy (2.2 mil/0.2, read recap) added some eyeballs. NBC's Law & Order (3.3 mil/0.3) was up a tick in audience, while SVU (3.4 mil/0.4) and Found (2.1 mil/0.3) rose in both measures. Fox was on the map with Hell's Kitchen (1.5 mil/0.4) and Crime Scene Kitchen (1 mil/0.2). |
posted 10/28/2024 |
|
|
Sony Accused of Discrimination |
|
Two former executives on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have accused Sony Pictures of engaging in unlawful race, gender, and age discrimination and retaliation against them. Shelley Ballance Ellis, a Black woman, and her Latina colleague Monique Diaz have filed complaints with California’s Civil Rights Department and the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Sony’s management terminated them and other workers in retaliation for collectively opposing harmful discrimination and toxic working conditions on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. The pair have spent close to 50 years combined working on the shows. Ballance Ellis was Executive Director, Licensing and Clearance at Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Diaz also worked in the department. The pair were terminated in April. They are claiming they were terminated because they objected to racial discrimination in the workplace, the pay inequity Diaz experienced, the glass ceiling and other bias Ballance Ellis faced as an older Black woman, the airing of inappropriate footage of Southern plantations on Wheel of Fortune, racist comments and jokes made in Wheel of Fortune’s control room about Black women on the show, and the dismissal of workers’ concerns about racial bias in the Jeopardy! game questions . The CRD and the federal NLRB will investigate the allegations over the coming months. The pair are represented by Hillary Benham Baker of Benham-Baker Legal and Peter Romer-Friedman and David Berman of Peter Romer-Friedman Law PLLC. Ballance Ellis pointed to comments from Maya Angelou in 1995 where she said she was boycotting Jeopardy! for its lack of diverse contestants, and Vanna White’s pay dispute with Wheel of Fortune in the claims. “As the highest-ranking Black production executive on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune… I had a front row seat as I watched and experienced this racial bias and insensitivity.” Diaz highlighted an incident where she and other colleagues expressed discomfort over “plantation” shots for Wheel of Fortune. “It was clear that Sony knew there was discomfort with this. My team and I were uncomfortable with having to negotiate footage, location, and photo agreements with representatives of plantations,” she said. She also accused Wheel of Fortune producers about racist and sexist comments made about comedian Leslie Jones and other women of color about their hair.” “Sony Pictures Entertainment takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously. Earlier this year there was a broad reorganization of our game show group that resulted in the elimination of several roles to address redundancies and evolving business needs of a 40+-year-old operation. Those eliminations were business efficiency decisions and not retaliatory. Further, the past few years have been a time of significant transition and internal reorienting for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, driven by a new leadership team who are profoundly dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect. We are anchored to these values as we usher in a new era for our game shows with tenacity and circumspection,” a Sony spokesperson said. |
posted 10/28/2024 |
|
|
Monday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
Happy Friday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jack Jones, the Grammy-winning singer of popular music fare such as “Lollipops and Roses,” “The Impossible Dream,” “Wives and Lovers” and, perhaps most famously, the theme to TV’s The Love Boat, died Wednesday, October 23. He was 86. A resident of Coachella Valley, California, Jones, who had been diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, died at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California last night. His family announced the news today to KESQ News Channel 3 of Palm Springs. Born into a show business family on January 14, 1938, John Allan Jones was the son of singer Allan Jones and actress Irene Hervey. He would become one of the most popular singers of the Adult Contemporary, or Easy Listening, style in the 1960s. He scored Grammy Awards in 1962 (for “Lollipops and Roses”) and 1964 (for the Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition “Wives And Lovers”), just several years after his 1959 album debut This Love Of Mine. Even as rock music increasingly displaced the crooning, Great American Songbook style favored by Jones, he would continue to score hits throughout the 1960s including “The Race Is On,” “The Impossible Dream (The Quest,)” and “Lady.” The show, which also filmed in Central America and Mexico, premiered in September 1966, and Ely had to perform his own stunts during the two-season, 57-episode run. (Since he was wearing hardly any clothing, it was hard to find a look-alike stunt double, he said.) While continuing to perform in Las Vegas and on nightclub stages, Jones broke through to a new and wider audience in 1977 when he sang the theme song to the immensely popular TV show The Love Boat. The song, officially titled “Love Boat” and composed by Charles Fox and Paul Williams, would prove popular with both listeners and parodists, and was released by Jones as a single in 1979. Jones’ version of the theme song would be used for the first eight seasons of the show, with a Dionne Warwick rendition used for the ninth and final season. Post-Love Boat, Jones continued performing on concert stages and nightclubs, celebrating his 80th birthday with a concert at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. Though known primarily as a singer, Jones was an occasional guest starring actor on such 1970s TV series Police Woman, McMillan & Wife and, of course, The Love Boat. He poked some fun at himself by appearing as a lounge singer in Airplane II: The Sequel in 1982. In game shows, Jones was on episodes of The Juke Box Jury, The Object Is, The Celebrity GAme, What's This Song?, Oh My Word, What's My Line?, PAssword, It's Your Bet, Tattletales, The Hollywood Squares, Match Game, Mindreaders, Password Plus, Just Men!, Super Password, and Strictly Come Dancing. Married six times, including to the actress Jill St. John from 1967 to 1969, Jones is survived by wife Eleonara, daughters Crystal and Nicole, stepdaughters Nicole and Colette, and three grandchildren. |
posted 10/24/2024 |
|
|
WEDNESDAY: Chicago vs. Fiji |
|
#OneChicago continues to score for NBC. In a night dominated by a town hall featuring VP Kamala Harris, NBC won the total viewers, while CBS took home the demo. NBC (3.37/11 households; 5.571m viewers; 0.39/5 in the A18-49) was up a tick with the combination of Chicago Med (3.6/11; 6m; 0.4/5), Chicago Fire (3.6/11; 5.9m; 0.4/5) and Chicago PD (2.9/10; 4.8m; 0.4/5). CBS (1.83/6; 3.179m; 0.43/5) rose a tick with Survivor (2.5/8; 4.4m; 0.6/8) and The Summit (1.2/4; 2m; 0.2/3). Fox (1.39/4; 2.413m; 0.33/4) stayed a steady third with new episodes of The Masked Singer (1.6/5; 2.8m; 0.3/5) and The Floor (1.2/4; 2m; 0.3/4). ABC (1.46/5; 2.212m; 0.25/3) was a close fourth with The Golden Bachelorette (1.9/6; 2.9m; 0.3/3), Abbott Elementary (1.3/4; 1.9m; 0.3/3), and What Would You Do? (0.9/3; 1.4m; 0.1/2). Rounding out the night on the CW were Sullivan's Crossing (0.3/1; 443k; 0.1/1) and Inside the NFL (0.12/0; 179k; 0.02/0). Cable numbers (total/A18-49) |
posted 10/24/2024 |
|
|
Australia Gets on the Floor |
|
Channel 9 has announced that The Floor is coming to Australia with Rodger Corser fronting the ultimate trivia showdown. Come down and step onto The Floor, the biggest, most exciting new format in the world right now. In this spectacular battle of brains, 81 Aussies will face off on a colossal, futuristic floor, all competing for a life-changing grand prize of $200,000. Already a smash hit in multiple countries, The Floor is now ready to light up Australia. Here's everything you need to know ahead of The Floor's 2025 debut: Combining intense strategy, high-stakes trivia, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, The Floor promises a gripping game of wits and endurance that every member of the family can play along with at home! The game is simple: each player begins with one tile on the floor, representing their subject of expertise. Their aim is to challenge and win their neighbours' tiles and steal their area of The Floor. Whoever wins the entire floor will rule all and claim the grand prize. The Floor is like no other show you've seen before. Beloved Aussie TV actor and personality Rodger Corser will be the front man of The Floor. You probably best know him for his portrayal of Dr. Hugh Knight in the drama series Doctor Doctor or for playing Detective Senior Sergeant Steven Owen in the crime mini-series Underbelly.. |
posted 10/24/2024 |
|
|
So Poland Thinks It Can Dance |
|
So You Think You Can Dance is body-popping its way back to Poland after nearly a decade. This marks the first remake deal for the format since Sony Pictures Television took over distribution upon acquiring a majority share of production company Industrial Media, which owned So You Think You Can Dance maker 19 Entertainment, in 2022. The Sony Pictures Television format was last on air in Poland in 2015, but will now return to TVN, where it had run for nine seasons. “This iconic show has long been a cherished part of our programming, and we are eager to showcase the remarkable talent and creativity that our contestants will bring to the stage,” said Lidia Kazen, TVN Television Channel Director. “We are confident that this revival will captivate both loyal fans and new viewers, and we look forward to witnessing the magic unfold once again.”. |
posted 10/24/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ron Ely, the hunky and handsome Texas native who portrayed the Lord of the Jungle on the first Tarzan series for television, has died, his daughter Kirsten told Fox News Digital. He was 86. He died Sept. 29 at the home of one of his daughters near Santa Barbara, The New York Times reported. Ely also hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981, stepping in for longtime emcee Bert Parks, and presided over a syndicated game show called Face the Music around that time. The 6-foot-4, blue-eyed Ely had appeared opposite Clint Walker in The Night of the Grizzly and with Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die in films released in 1966 when he was hired to don the loincloth in a new NBC series executive produced by Sy Weintraub. Ely was offered the Tarzan gig after former NFL linebacker Mike Henry, who had played the Edgar Rice Burroughs creation in three ’60s films, abruptly quit after he was bitten in the jaw by a chimp. (He would go on to sue over unsafe working conditions.) “I met with [producers] on a Monday, and when they offered me the role, I thought, ‘No way do I want to step into that bear trap. You do Tarzan and you are stamped for life.’ Was I ever right!” he recalled in a 2013 interview. “But my agent convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So on the [next] Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot the first episode.” The show, which also filmed in Central America and Mexico, premiered in September 1966, and Ely had to perform his own stunts during the two-season, 57-episode run. (Since he was wearing hardly any clothing, it was hard to find a look-alike stunt double, he said.) After Tarzan, he did several films in Europe, portrayed Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges’ character) on a 1987 syndicated revival of Sea Hunt and worked on other TV shows like The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Wonder Woman, L.A. Law and Sheena. In the 1990s, he played a retired Superman on Superboy and a big-game hunter in the syndicated Tarzan the Hunted and had published two novels that featured private eye Jake Sands. “My father was someone that people called a hero,” his daughter Kirsten said. “He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader. He created a powerful wave of positive influence wherever he went. The impact he had on others is something that I have never witnessed in any other person — there was something truly magical about him.” Survivors include his other daughter, Kaitland. |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
TPIR Gets Haunted |
|
The stars of the CBS‘s daytime TV shows are having a great time getting into the spooky season spirit. The Price Is Right, Let’s Make a Deal, and The Bold and the Beautiful have all released photos from their upcoming Halloween episodes, and the costumes from the hosts, contestants, and stars are delightful. The Price Is Right photos reveal that Ghosts stars Danielle Pinnock and Devan Chandler Long will “come on down” to join host Drew Carey for the special themed episode. Here’s what to expect in each of these upcoming Halloween installments, all of which are airing on Thursday, October 31. The Price Is Right becomes “The Price is Fright” when players “come on down!” to a ghostly haunted house, with host Drew “Keeper of the House” Carey and announcer George “Graveyard” Gray. Stars of the hit CBS comedy series GHOSTS, Danielle Pinnock (“Alberta”) and Devan Chandler Long (“Thorfinn”) join as special guests, alongside models Miss Alexis “Spiritual Advisor” Gaube, Rachel “Dolly” Reynolds, and James “O’Ghoul-oran” O’Halloran, to present bone-chilling great prizes. On Let’s Make a Deal, dealers in the best Halloween-themed attire have a chance to win spine-chilling experiences valued at over $130k, including an immersive trip to the Parisian catacombs, a luxurious trip to New Orleans including a gothic cemetery tour, a haunted hayride, and $10,000 in cash hidden in a coffin. Host Wayne Brady and cast deliver frights and delights with their signature improvisational and musical stylings, but watch out for the scariest trick of all, the dreaded Zonk! |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
TUESDAY: When You Wish Upon a Dance... |
|
On a night dominated by the start of the NBA season, it was Dancing with the STars and the FBI franchise that led the way in broadcast. CBS's FBI was the most watched program at 8p (3.5/11 households; 5.9m viewers; 0.4/5 in the demo), followed by International (2.9/9; 4.8m; 0.4/4) and Most Wanted (0.3/4; 4.2m; 0.3/4). On ABC, it was Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars (2.9/9; 4.9m; 0.7/8), followed by a new High Potential (2.3/8; 3.6m; 0.3/4). NBC led off with a rerun of Happy's Place, followed by round 2 of the Battles on The Voice (2.8/8; 4.6m; 0.4/5) and The Irrational (1.6/6; 2.4m; 0.2/3). Fox had fresh installments of Murder in a Small Town (1.2/3; 1.9m; 0.2/2) and Accused (0.9/3; 1.4m; 0.2/2). Rounding out the night on the CW was its coverage of WWE NXT (0.4/1; 702k; 0.2/2). Cable numbers (total/A18-49) |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Buy It Now Coming to India |
|
Buy it Now, the entrepreneur format from The Traitors UK maker Studio Lambert, has been pitched successfully in India. Mumbai-based Rose Audio Visuals has struck a deal with formats rights holder All3Media International to make an Indian version of the show, which was initially for Channel 4 in the UK and was then adapted for Prime Video in the U.S. earlier this year. No streamer or network is attached at this point. Sabrina Duguet, EVP APAC at All3Media International, said the new U.S. edition of the show, hosted by JB Smoove, “has reinvigorated interest in this positive and dynamic series and we are confident that that Indian platforms and audiences will embrace its energy.” |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Christmas Cake? |
|
Netflix has ordered a special holiday edition of its hit baking competition series “Is It Cake?,” hosted by “SNL” star Mikey Day. Consisting of four episodes launching Nov. 28, “Is It Cake? Holiday” will feature the return of nine “All Star” bakers from across the first three seasons of “Is It Cake?” for a holiday showdown. The contestants will “craft tasty replicas of ice skates, wreaths, nutcrackers and more in this holiday spin on the mind-bending baking competition” and try to “baffle the celebrity judges with their festive and delicious deceptions and fight their way to the ultimate grand prize.” Guest judges for the season include Rachel Bloom, Wayne Brady, Sebastian Maniscalco, Hannah Berner, Tiffany Haddish, Devon Walker, James Austin Johnson, Chris Witaske, Sasheer Zamata, Terry Crews, Punkie Johnson and Randall Park. |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Meet the Queens of the North |
|
Buzzer?! I don't even know her! The Queen of the North herself, Brooke Lynn Hytes, is coming back for another lap of Canada's Drag Race alongside mainstay judges Brad Goreski and Traci Melchor. This series kicked off 2024 with the crowning of Venus, aired its second edition of Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World that crowned Lemon as the Queen of the Mother-Puckin' World, and is set to take over the holidays (and beyond!) with Canada's Drag Race season 5. With a fierce lineup of 11 new competitors, the time has come to meet the queens! - Helena Poison (32; Toronto; @thehelenapoison) |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Trivial Pursuit Goes Global |
|
Talpa Studios, founded by “The Voice” and “Big Brother” creator John de Mol, has launched “Trivial Pursuit,” a quiz show format based on the Hasbro trivia game, at TV market Mipcom in Cannes. Talpa is working in partnership with Hasbro Entertainment, the entertainment company that leverages Hasbro’s collection of brands to develop and produce premium film, television, animation and digital content. “Trivial Pursuit” premiered on The CW Network on Oct. 3. It is a question-packed entertainment format hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and podcaster LeVar Burton (“Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Reading Rainbow”). Maarten Meijs, CEO of Talpa Studios, said: “We love game shows, and Hasbro Entertainment is a pioneer in this domain. This partnership allows us to bring one of the most iconic board games of all time to life as a television format. The promising premiere demonstrates the strength of this show, and we look forward to expanding its reach internationally.” |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Millionaire Returns for the Holidays |
|
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Jeremy Clarkson returns with a run of celebrity specials this Winter on ITV. The show has also been renewed for another series of 16 episodes to air in 2025. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is back with a series of brandnew celebrity specials for the New Year - with some wonderful surprises for Millionaire fans, this promises to be the best celeb series yet. Each brave celeb is playing for their chosen charity - who will crumble, who will shine when they face Jeremy Clarkson and the hot seat, and can anyone better Richard Madeley’s £125,000 from the last series? |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
|
|
Mimi Hines, who along with her comedy and musical partner (and husband) Phil Ford was a staple of late-night talk shows and variety shows of the 1960s before making a name for herself on Broadway as the replacement for Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, died peacefully of natural causes on Monday, October 21, at her home in Las Vegas. She was 91. Her death was announced by her longtime attorney Mark Sendroff. Born July 17, 1933, in Canada, the singer and comedian Hines met Ford in 1952 at the Last Chance Saloon in Anchorage, AK, and began performing as a duo. They were invited to appear on The Tonight Show on August 28, 1958, where Hines’ performed of the Meredith Willson song “Till There Was You.” Legend has it that the performance brought host Jack Paar to tears, and soon the duo Ford and Hines were an in-demand booking, with appearances on The Garry Moore Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and many others. Their success carried over into nightclubs and showrooms, and in December 1965 Hines made her Broadway debut with a task that few thought carried the possibility of success: She replaced the immensely popular Streisand in the starring role of Funny Girl when the original star left the production. Hines was an immediate success, and stayed with the show for 18 months. Following Funny Girl, Hines starred in national touring companies of I Do! I Do!, Prisoner of Second Avenue, Sugar Babies and Hello, Dolly! Hines also appeared in productions of Anything Goes, Never Too Late, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, No, No Nanette, Sugar, On The Twentieth Century and Nite Club Confidential, frequently with husband Ford. She also recorded several albums. In 1999, Hines appeared in the Frasier episode “Taps At The Montana” as Mrs. Latimer, and in the late ’90s joined the Broadway replacement cast as Miss Lynch in Grease. In 2007, she was cast as Hattie Walker in the New York City Center’s Encores! production of Follies, stopping the show with her rendition of the audience favorite “Broadway Baby.” In game shows, Hines featured in episodes of Play Your Hunch, I've Got A Secret, Password, Hollywood Squares, The Game Game, You Don't Say, It's Your Bet and Celebrity Bowling. |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Answer Yes or No |
|
Asianet, a malayalam television channel, has announced the launch of a game show, ‘Enkile Ennodu Para’, which is set to premiere on October 26. Enkile Ennodu Para is a guessing game where guests have to rely on their instincts and answer either "yes" or "no" to win. Three participants will compete over the course of three rounds, with each round presenting new challenges. By the end of each round, the guest with the lowest score will be eliminated, leaving the final contestant to compete for the grand prize. At the end of each round, the winner will receive a prize, but with a twist. A comedy character will present two boxes—one containing real money and the other empty. The anchors, along with the comedy character, will try to convince the winner to choose the correct box. The first episodes will feature film personalities such as Surabhilakshmi, Miya, Prayaga Martin, Tini Tom, Gayathri Suresh, Prasanth, Kottayam Nazeer, Azeez, and Nobi. |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
BBC Studios Focus on Games |
|
Kate Phillips, director of unscripted at the BBC, and Sumi Connock, creative director of formats at BBC Studios, showcased trends in the vibrant game and quiz formats sector at a MIPCOM session this morning, where they were joined onstage by the producers of some of the company’s latest launches. Connock highlighted the importance of game shows to most broadcasters’ schedules. “It’s the most adapted format genre ever,” she said, “with the top three most adapted formats of all time coming from game show. We’ve seen significant growth over the past 12 months. In 2023, a quarter of new format adaptations were game shows. This year, that number has grown to a third. To date, five of the six top traveling formats are all game shows, including our own The 1% Club.” On the demand for the genre, Phillips noted, “TV is going through a tough time. Quiz and games, first of all, are cost-effective. We can record four or five episodes a day. You could literally record a series in two days if you wanted to. Also, it gives you a bit of certainty: They are your blocks in the schedule, and you know the audience you’re aiming at. Particularly with daytime, it can be a habit-forming thing. In these uncertain times, quiz and game give certainty.” On programming across daytime, access and prime, Phillips said, “usually daytime would develop their quizzes separately from entertainment; now, they look at it together. Daytime can be the kind of nursery slopes to prime time. When we’re developing in daytime, we’re always looking at if it would have the potential to go prime.” Referencing the competitive environment, Phillips said she has her eye on “a really simple USP of the quiz, with great production values, a great talent and could be ramped up to prime time as well. And play-along is really important. I want the questions after, like, three minutes. You want lots of questions, lots of answers. You want play-along. You want speed.” |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
The Hits Just Keep On Coming |
|
The last time Fremantle and the Netherlands’ NewBe teamed up, they created Netflix’s Heartbreak High reboot. The pair have now reunited and teamed with toy firm Jumbo Group to adapt a music party game into a game show. The trio are working up Hitster, which is based on a party game that has caught on with Millennials and Gen Zs billed as a “fun-filled journey down memory lane.” The rules are simple: simply guess if a song was released before or after other songs in your music timeline. The player with the most cards on the correct timeline is the winner. Unlike Heartbreak High, which was made through Fremantle Australia, the superindie’s Dutch wing, Fremantle Netherlands, will lead on production alongside NewBe. Fremantle will hold the international production and distribution rights. “Having already achieved huge international success as a game, Hitster’s universal themes and mix of interactive music play create an instant party at home that we’re confident will transfer and be enjoyed on TV screens,” said Vasha Wallace, EVP, Global Acquisitions & Development at Fremantle. “We look forward to developing and bringing this highly entertaining format to global audiences.” “For the first time, a party game has become the center of watercooler conversations, something previously only TV shows could achieve,” added Jeroen Koopman, founder and CEO at NewBe. “After playing the game, hearing the inspiring story of its founder, Marcus Carleson, and meeting with the team at Jumbo Group, we were confident it had the makings of a TV hit. Partnering with Fremantle, the leader in this genre, felt like the natural next step.” Isa Lana, Chief Marketing Officer at Jumbo Group said the game has launched in 30 countries and achieved bestselling game status in Germany and the Netherlands this year. “This accomplishment is a testament to how much our consumers enjoy and engage with the game,” she added. “What truly matters most is how we’re bringing them moments of fun and shared experiences.” |
posted 10/23/2024 |
|
|
Wednesday Lightning Round |
|
|
|
|
|
posted 12/23/2024
Friends of GSNN
·
FlashGames
·
Bother's Bar
·
About.com Game Shows
·
QWIZX.com
·
The Futon Critic
·
Reality TV World
·
Hollywood Junket
·
Hal Boedeker: the TV Guy
·
F*** Yeah Game Shows @ Tumblr
·
GSNtheKnow
·
Gay Geeks of New York
Copyright Statement
ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1999-2024 GAMESHOWNEWSNET.COM. All rights reserved.
No infringement of copyright is intended by these fan pages;
production companies of shows this site covers retain all
rights to the sounds, images, and information contained
herein. No challenge to copyright is implied.
Web design by Jason Elliott. Logo by Chico Alexander.
Full Copyright Statement
Powered by 1&1 Internet