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TV News Roundup – December 2009 – Week 3

BSG is the top timeshifted program of 2009
Nielsen, those TV ratings people, just came out with their Top 10 lists of 2009, and surprise, surprise … while sci-fi shows couldn’t crack the “Top 10 TV Programs,” Battlestar Galactica is the number-one “timeshifted” prime-time TV program of the year, with increased viewing of a whopping 59.4 percent.

Nielsen’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2009
Here’s Nielsen’s list of Top 10 TV shows, Top 10 single telecasts and Top 10 time-shifted programs for 2009. Note the measurement company is using household ratings here, a lesser-used measurement for primetime programing that suggests the overall percentage of households that tuned into the show (as opposed to the number of viewers or number of adults 18-49). The DVR list is probably the most interesting, it’s a total geek-fest. We don’t often see such lists that include cable programs, and this puts “Battlestar Galactica” and other Syfy shows into the top 10 when using a percentage-gain basis.

HBO’s ‘Flight of the Conchords’ to halt run
“The Flight of the Conchords” is officially dead. After months of speculation, the quirky HBO comedy series’ co-creators Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement and James Bobin broke the news on their Web site. “We’ve noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won’t be returning for a third season,” they wrote. “We’re very proud of the two seasons we made, and we like the way the show ended.”

CBS hears ‘Murmurs’
Smilovic, Goldsmith-Thomas behind time-travel drama
CBS is hearing “Murmurs,” teaming with writer Jason Smilovic and producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas for the time-travel drama. The project, from CBS Studios, is set in a world where time travel is a reality and centers on the Commission, an agency that detects and corrects alterations in time called murmurs, ensuring that history remains unchanged.

10 Questions with Chuck’s Zachary Levi
Tell us about Chuck’s new love interest in Kristin Kreuk.
Kristin may well be one of the most adorable girls in the world. She’s a, super nice, and b, really talented. It’s tough when you only have one thing to go off of when you’re watching somebody to get a feel for what their acting level is. It’s only Smallville—and not to downplay Smallville— but she’s got more range than you can even see from her previous stuff. I saw a whole different color and shade to her when she came in to play Hannah on the show. Last, but not least, just gorgeous. She’s Dutch and Chinese, so I guess that’s how you make ‘em. Wooden shoes and chopsticks…both wooden, though! So I guess it’s a wooden thing. Also, her and Rachel Bilson, just put me in your pocket small. She did a great job and I felt like we had a great chemistry.

History greenlights ‘Kennedys’ miniseries
Joel Surnow’s miniseries marks net’s first scripted effort
The cable network has greenlighted “The Kennedys,” an eight-hour miniseries about the iconic American clan. The project, slated to begin production in the spring for a 2011 premiere, hails from “24″ co-creator/executive producer Joel Surnow.

Syfy renews ‘Stargate Universe’ and ‘Sanctuary’
Syfy is expanding its commitments to “Stargate Universe” and “Sanctuary,” granting both shows another season. Both Friday night shows have commenced production on their next seasons in Vancouver and have received 20-episode orders.

Broadway star joining ‘Glee’ cast
Meet Will Schuester’s new rival. Broadway star Idina Menzel is in negotiations to recur on Fox’s “Glee.” Menzel, who may appear in all of the remaining nine episodes of the season, will play the coach to glee club Vocal Adrenaline, McKinley High’s glee club’s main competition. She won a Tony for her role on “Wicked.” Her co-star on the show, Kristin Chenoweth, guest starred on “Glee” this season.

BBC America grabs more ‘Gavin’
U.K. series gets third-season airing in U.S.
BBC America acquired the third season of halfhour “Gavin and Stacey” from sibling producer BBC, to air in the second quarter of 2010. The cabler also announced it will air the hourlong “Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special” on Dec. 24. ABC has ordered a script for a U.S. adaptation of “Gavin & Stacey.” The network said it will decide early next year whether to go forward with a pilot.

Fringe to answer the question: Is Peter’s mom too young?
The erstwhile Mrs. Bishop will appear in an episode early next year: Irish actress Orla Brady—you may remember her as James Woods’ ex on Shark—has nabbed the pivotal role of Walter’s other half and mother to Peter, sources confirm to me exclusively. The character—described in the initial casting breakdown as strong, smart, and likable—will debut in early ‘10.

ABC cuts V, FlashForward episodes, but not by much
Newcomers “V” and “FlashForward” are set to film 12 and 24 total hours, respectively, both one episode shy of numbers reported earlier this fall. Come 2010 then the Alphabet will have eight new episodes of “V” (returning March 30) while “FlashForward” (returning March 4) will offer up 14 fresh installments.

‘True Blood’ barfly becomes a regular
Kristin Bauer might get a meaty story line in Season 3
Kristin Bauer, who plays blonde vampire Pam, Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgard) wingwoman at vampire bar Fangtasia, has been promoted to a regular on the HBO series. Bauer had guest starred on Alan Ball’s vampire drama for the first two seasons, appearing in a total of 11 episodes. Ball recently hinted that may have a meaty story line in store for Pam for Season 3 when she may get into a lesbian relationship.

NBC’s midseason schedule announced
“Parenthood” on Mondays paired with “Chuck … “The Marriage Ref” on Sundays paired with “Celebrity Apprentice” … “Heroes” is off the grid because its season finale will air Feb. 8 (shorter 19-episode, no-repeat run this season) … Still no premiere date for apocalyptic miniseries “Day One,” or comedy “100 Questions”  …”Friday Night Lights” will most likely return in the summer …

Study: Interest in TV viewing on the rise
35% of Americans cite TV as favorite medium, up from ‘08
When Americans are asked to choose, they prefer TV by a wide margin, so much so that they increased their TV viewing by two hours this year over last to 17.8 hours a week. And not only are they still enamored with television, they also remain influenced by its advertising. Asked to rate the effectiveness of ads across media, TV was first with 83%, followed by magazines at 50%. The rest were, in order: online, newspapers, radio, billboards, in-theater, DVDs, mobile phones and video games.

Showtime eyes ‘Vanderbilts’
Fellowes to write show for cable network
Having previously explored “The Tudors,” Showtime is now zeroing in on 19th century royalty with “The Vanderbilts.” Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park”) has signed on to write the project, a period piece that follows the family behind the Vanderbilt railroad and shipping empire, starting with Cornelius Vanderbilt, once one of the wealthiest men in the world.

But Wait, There’s More…

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

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About The Author

Scott From LA

Scott is an art director, writer and comics creator living in Los Angeles. He has been a pop culture maven from a very young age. His very first job was as a manager of a comic book store. He spent several years working in a video store, and yes, we are talking VHS tapes. A student of literature and Writing, he brings his obsessive love of comic book trivia, movie history and science fiction/fantasy writing to bear on the work he does for CoolShite.

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Article Information

  • Posted: Saturday, December 19th, 2009
  • Author: Scott From LA
  • Filed Under: News, TV News
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