For the second time this week Univision on Tuesday moved to the top of primetime ratings, tying with CBS for No. 1 in adults 18-49 for the night and outranking all other networks in adults 18-34. Univision’s Una Familia Con Suerte (A Lucky Family) continued as a particularly solid performer in the younger demo and matched or outperformed repeats as with NCIS on CBS, and other weaker programming on competing networks. On Monday night, Univision was the highest rated network in adults 18-49 on the strength of the two-hour finale of the telenovela La Fuerza del Destino (The Strength of Destiny) which averaged 5.4 million viewers overall and and trailed only a rerun of Two and a Half Men on CBS in the 18-to-49 category for that time period.
Tag Cbs
Univision Ratings Shine Over Rival Reruns
Talker ‘Jeff Probst’ Boosts Station Count
CBS Television Distribution has sold its syndicated first-run Jeff Probst to stations in more than 70% of the country ahead of its fall 2012 launch. The new one-hour talk show starring the Survivor host is now in 22 of the top 25 markets. New sales include to station groups CBS, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Gray Television, Raycom Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Hearst Television.
‘A Gifted Man’ Gets 3-Episode Back Order
CBS has ordered 3 additional episodes from modestly rated A Gifted Man, bringing the medical-ghost drama’s freshman season to 16 episodes. It is not clear what CBS plans to put in the low-trafficked Friday 8 PM time slot after A Gifted Man ends its run. The network is yet to schedule midseason drama The 2-2, but, judging by how A Gifted Man and Chaos struggled there, CBS will probably think twice before slotting another newbie in the hour. A Gifted Mam was the only new CBS series this fall that hadn’t heard about its fate via an episodic/script order or cancellation. A Gifted Man has been averaging a low 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 in the Friday 8 PM slot. But in total viewers, the series starring Patrick Wilson has been solid, most recently drawing 8.3 million viewers, more than double the audience of its nearest competitor in the hour. Of the other 4 freshman CBS series this fall, 2 Broke Girls, Person Of Interest and Unforgettable have been given full-season pickups, while How To Be A Gentleman was canceled.
CBS Buys Dramas From Niels Mueller, Krista Vernoff; Closes Deal For Jon Favreau Pilot
CBS has bought two drama projects with spiritual elements: a procedural from The Defenders co-creator Niels Mueller and producer Aaron Kaplan and Maybe Angels, a legal drama with a supernatural twist from former Grey’s Anatomy executive producer Krista Vernoff and 
producers Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly. Both projects hail from CBS TV Studios. Additionally, CBS has closed the pilot order deal for Tweaked, a half-hour, single-camera spec written by Iron Man director Favreau. Favreau is executive producing and directing the pilot, which chronicles life and dating among single parents in Santa Monica. The pilot, from CBS TV Studios, is already casting.
The untitled Niels Mueller project centers on an ordinary man making an extraordinary impact on people’
TV Script Sales: CBS Buys 2 Comedies, ABC Goes For Witch Drama
In an interesting twist, sitcom veteran Chris Case, who was in contention to write the new Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management, has sold a sitcom project to CBS, the network where Sheen was a star on Two and a Half Men for 8 seasons. Case, creator of TV Land’s comedy series Retired at 35, is co-writing the untitled comedy — about a recently separated father of two who attempts to move on with his life — with Joey Gutierrez (Still Standing). CBS TV Studios is producing with Mindy Shultheis and Michael Hanel’s Acme Prods.
This is a project a lot of my colleagues can unfortunately relate to: CBS has bought multi-camera comedy script Malled, written by Bill Kunstler (Accidentally On Purpose). It centers on a career journalist who, after getting laid off from her job at a newspaper, takes a retail job in a clothing store at a mall. CBS Studios and studio-based Tennenbaum Co are producing, with Kunstler, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum exec producing.
From thugs to witches. Jason Richman, creator of gritty cop drama Detroit 1-8-7, has sold a second project to ABC this season through his overall deal with ABC Studios. Wicked Good, which ABC Studios is co-producing with Mandeville, centers on a family of witches, soldiers in an eternal battle between good and evil, which … Read More
Ladies Who Attended The Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards
Photo Credit: Wenn
The 2011 Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards took place last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Hosted by Melissa McCarthy, the event honored Annette Bening, Katie Holmes, CBS President Nina Tassler, director Pamela Fryman and cinematographer Reed Morano. In addition, the late Elizabeth Taylor was honored for her humanitarian work. Women in Film is a non-profit organization aimed to help women succeed in the entertainment industry.
Making her site debut is Daya Vaidya. She stars as Nina Inara in Poppy Montgomery’s new CBS series The Remeberer; it’s basically another police drama for the network.
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CBS Interactive Snags Starz Digital Guru
Marc DeBevoise has jumped to CBS Interactive where he’ll run the unit’s entertainment division which includes CBS.com, TV.com, and Clicker.com. It’s a big loss for Starz: DeBevoise was the company’s digital guru who oversaw some of its most important digital initiatives to promote new series as well as the company’s relationship with Netflix. One fact not mentioned in CBS’ press release: DeBevoise is a co-founder of the New York hamburger rating site Burger of the Month. Here’s the announcement:
SAN FRANCISCO ‘
CBS Orders New Pilot, Backup Scripts For Rob Schnieder Comedy, Recastings Pending
EXCLUSIVE: CBS has solidified the midseason chances of the untitled Rob Schneider comedy pilot with an order for a new pilot as well as a number of additional scripts. The multi-camera comedy, which Schneider co-wrote with Lew Morton based on the actor’s real-life experience, stars Schneider as a confirmed bachelor who has just married into a tight-knit Mexican-American family. I hear CBS liked the concept and Schneider, who tested very well, but wants to make some tweaks. A number of actors who played members of the family will be recast. By ordering backup scripts, CBS puts the project on track for midseason. If the network likes the new pilot, the comedy will be able to go into production right away for a midseason launch. Back in May, CBS didn’t order any midseason comedy series, leaving that decision for after the upfronts. The Rob Schneider project, from CBS TV Studios and the Tannenbaum Co., was one of two pilots left in contention, along with the Sony TV-produced Peter Knight half-hour.
CBS has a history of ordering second pilots and recasting projects that its executives like but feel their original pilots are not quite there. The practice worked out well for The Big Bang Theory and Numbers, which went on to have successful runs on the network.
Wow! Ashton Kutcher set to replace Charlie Sheen on Two And A Half Men
(HMG Celebrity News) – Time was running out for CBS, if they were going to find a replacement for Charlie Sheen on ‘Two And A Half Men.’ With just a week before CBS presents its new 2011-12 program line-up to advertisers in New York, Hugh Grant, was “deep into negotiations” to replace Sheen on the [...]
'Hallmark Hall Of Fame' Ends On CBS
After ABC, NBC and CBS dropped their Sunday movie franchises several years ago, the only vestige of the old glory days of TV movies on broadcast TV was Hallmark Hall of Fame on CBS. That now is gone too as CBS has opted not to renew its deal with Hallmark, that included 3 movies a season for the past 16 years. There was no chance CBS would continue the once prestigious showcase that now drags down its Sunday averages. The most recent and now last) Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on CBS, Beyond the Blackboard, managed a meager 1.3/3 in adults 18-49 two weeks ago. ‘
The Katie Couric Dilemma: Is She ABC-Bound Or Is CBS Bluffing?
As Katie Couric tomorrow enters the 30-day matching window with CBS News, during which her soon-to-be-former employer can match any offer from another company, it appears that the ex-CBS Evening News anchor has no offer on the table at the moment. That doesn’t mean that she won’t have a deal for a daytime talk show on June 5 when her deal with CBS News formally expires. But after possible suitors had been whittled to two — CBS and ABC — CBS TV Distribution pulled its offer for a syndicated daytime talk show with her over a week ago, before Couric officially announced her exit from CBS Evening News last Tuesday. Meanwhile, talks between Couric and ABC, which was the last major player to enter the fray, are ongoing as ABC is finalizing its offer. That offer is expected to include a syndicated talk show, which would give Couric the ownership and potential financial windfall she had been seeking, and not a network talker as some had speculated, so there will be no alienated soap opera fans who would blame Couric for the cancellations of One Life to Live and All My Children. Additionally, there will be a role for her at ABC News, including possibly pieces on primetime newsmagazine 20/20 but probably not the prominent role in the network’s coverage of the 2012 presidential elections as some have speculated. As … Read More
'NCIS' Cote De Pablo Stays Put For 2 Years
EXCLUSIVE: This is the news NCIS fans have been waiting for. After lengthy negotiations, NCIS co-star Cote de Pablo just closed a new two-year deal with series producer CBS TV Studios to continue on the flagship CBS drama. She was the last NCIS cast member without a deal, meaning that the entire cast of the show is now locked in for next fall.I hear de Pablo is getting a significant salary bump to about $120,000 per episode, which puts her on par with the show’s other female cast member, Pauley Perrette. She is also getting a sizable cash bonus.
Because de Pablo joined NCIS in Season 3, her contract expiration dates are on a different schedule than fellow NCIS co-stars Sean Murray, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette and David McCallum, who all re-upped last year after talks dragged well into the summer. Star Mark Harmon signed a new two-year deal in February.
Behind-the camera, CBS Studios last week signed 3-year deals with NCIS executive producers Shane Brennan and Gary Glasberg, with Glasberg set to take over for Brennan as the day-to-day showrunner for next season.
MORE TURMOIL: 'Blue Bloods' Creators Exit
EXCLUSIVE: This is why so many Hollywood creatives don’t understand the decisions of the networks and the Big Media corporations who run them. Because here’s a show that’s doing well in its primetime slot. And just a few days ago, freshman drama Blue Bloods was praised by Armando Nunez, president of CBS Studios International. ‘
For Katie Couric, Leaving 'CBS Evening News' Does Not Mean Exit From CBS News
While Katie Couric’s June exit from the anchor chair of CBS Evening News after five years appears a foregone conclusion, a departure from CBS News is far from that. With CBS aggressively pursuing Couric for a daytime talk show, if she chooses to go with CBS TV Distribution, she is expected to stay at CBS News until the fall 2012 launch of her talk show, continuing her gigs on 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. (There will be a similar provision to work in the news division of NBC if she decides to set her syndication show there, and at CNN, in what now appears a more unlikely scenario of Couric signing with Time Warner’s Telepictures Prods. for her talker.) As for Couric’s potential replacement at CBS Evening News, early speculation seems to be focused on 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.
Dylan Walsh To Star In CBS Cop Drama Pilot
EXCLUSIVE: Former Nip/Tuck star Dylan Walsh has been tapped as the male lead opposite Poppy Montgomery in CBS’ untitled Ed Redlich/John Bellucci pilot. The project, which will be directed by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo helmer Niels Arden Oplev, centers on Carrie Wells (Montgomery), a former detective and now a volunteer at a nursing home. She possesses the special ability to remember everything, which turns out to be a gift and a curse. Walsh will play Detective Al Burns, the chief of a crack team of NYPD detectives. Back in Syracuse, Al worked with Carrie, the best cop he’d ever met and the love of his life. However, Carrie’s unique ability effectively destroyed their relationship. Now engaged to another woman, Al runs into Carrie when her neighbor is murdered outside their apartment building and eventually enlists her as an expert “consultant” for the department. The setup and dynamic between the characters is reminiscent of that between Simon Baker’s Patrick Jane and Robin Tunney’s Teresa Lisbon on CBS’ The Mentalist. Walsh signed on for the Redlich/Bellucci pilot after fielding multiple offers. The project hails from CBS TV Studios, Sony TV and Timberman/Beverly Prods. It reunites Walsh with CBS, the two studios and producers Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly. Last year, Walsh starred in the CBS drama pilot The Line, from Sony TV and Timberman/Beverly. Earlier this development season, he … Read More
The Katie Couric Sweepstakes
After spending the last couple of weeks trying to get rid of its wild sitcom star Charlie Sheen, top CBS brass will spend the next few trying to keep in the fold its news star Katie Couric. The pending June 4 end of Couric’s contract with the eye network has launched a flurry of speculation about her future similar to the frenzy surrounding her switch from NBC to CBS 5 years ago. Back then, Couric opted for the new experience of becoming the first solo female anchor of an evening newscast on a broadcast network over her cushy job at NBC’s top-rated morning program, the Today Show. Sources indicate that Couric is once again leaning towards a change, and this time it involves her following in Oprah Wifrey’s footsteps as producer and host of her own syndicated talk show. What she is bringing to the table is her 2 decades of experience as an anchor and interviewer, a likable persona and a very strong online presence. What she is looking for is a solid syndication partner. But also key for her is to align herself with a company that would provide her with opportunities to work between June, when her current contract with CBS News expires, and September 2012, when her potential syndication dhow would premiere. According to sources, Couric has no intention of sitting on the sidelines for … Read More
CBS Renews 'How I Met Your Mother' For 2 More Seasons
Be prepared to not find out who the mother of Ted’s kids is for another 2 years. CBS and How I Met Your Mother producer 20th Century Fox Television have closed a deal to pick up the relationship comedy from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for 2 additional seasons, through May 2013. I think this is the earliest HIMYM has been renewed; the underrated series usually gets the nod just before CBS’ annual upfront.
With the show continuing to grow in its sixth season and the future of CBS comedy tentpole Two and a Half Men uncertain, I hear 20th TV got nice coin for HIMYM: a new license fee of about $3.3 million per episode. The cast – Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobbie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan – are all set to return.
HIMYM started off as a cult favorite with great online following but soft ratings. Then something happened in the spring of 2008, right after the show came back from the writers strike. Fueled by a well cast and promoted guest appearance by Britney Spears, HIMYM took off in the ratings and never looked back. Later that year, 20th TV inked rich syndication deals for the show.
The two-year pickup for HIMYM follows CBS’ recent three-year deal for comedy The Big Bang Theory. CBS, of course, also has Two and a Half … Read More
Charlie Sheen threatens $320m lawsuit against CBS
[HMG Celebrity News] – As you might just have heard Charlie Sheen and CBS are in the midst of a war. CBS closed ‘Two and a Half Men’ for the rest of the season, but Charlie is set to strike back with a $320-million lawsuit for ‘mental anguish.’ The suits at the network closed down [...]
Gun, Foot, Shoot
CBS cancels Two and Half Men Looks like CBS has had enough of Charlie Sheen’s shit. After his epic interview on The Alex Jones Show today (see here), CBS canceled the rest of Season 8 of Two and a Half…
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RATINGS RAT RACE: 'Amazing Race' Starts Slow On Slow Presidents Weekend Sunday
Fox’s comedy block edged out competition on a quiet Sunday night, which was probably impacted by viewers’ Presidents Day weekend-related activities. It was a photo finish demo race, with Fox averaging a 2.4/7 in 18-49, ABC a 2.3/7 and CBS a 2.2/6. With no football, NBC was a distant fourth with a 1.6/5 (It aired Dateline and an SNL special). In total viewers, CBS was once again far ahead with 10.4 million viewers.
The spring cycle of CBS’ The Amazing Race (2.4/7, 9.1 million) was down 14% from the February season premiere last year. It was tied in the 8 PM hour with another reality veteran, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2.4/7, 9.5 million), which was up a big 50% from last week’s low against the Grammy Awards. CBS’ Undercover Boss (2.6/7, 10.6 million) was down 21% from its most recent original on Jan. 16 when the show aired against NBC’s Golden Globes but CBS’ lineup benefited from a football lead-in that night. CSI: Miami (2.2/6, 10.5 million) was down a tenth in the demo from its most recent original on the same night, Jan. 16.
After hitting two consecutive series lows with its two most recent originals that aired against the Golden Globes (3.1/8) last month and the Grammys (2.6/6) last week, ABC’s Desperate Housewives (3.1/8, 10.5 million) rebounded 15% from last week to match its second lowest-rated telecast. Brothers … Read More