Set Your DVR: Bachelorette Programming This Weekend

A preview of Monday night's Bachelorette.

Don't forget to watch or record The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ABC, if you're so inclined.  

Monday night at 8p.m. is the grand finale of the program during which UPenn dental student Ashley Hebert is expected to choose and become engaged to either winemaker Ben Flajnik from Napa or construction manager JP Rosenbaum from Roslyn, Long Island.  

Watch for lots of lame interviews and footage leading up to the only two or three minutes at the end of the program that mean anything.  Although, the producers have teased some drama that plays out between Ashley and her sister (who appears to have a full body tattoo).  I follow this show for some reason, but I admit it's similar to a professional basketball game.  Only the last few seconds count.

Immediately after The Bachelorette comes After the Final Rose featuring Ashley's view of the season and the big debut of the new couple, their first public outing together. 

During the course of Sunday and Monday ABC will air five hours of Bachelorette program.   OMG.

News & Notes: CHAOS Off the Air, Kudos for Shows, What's Wrong with Morning Joe?

A CBS spokesperson confirmed to me today that CHAOS, the CIA comedy-drama, has not been renewed for a second season.  That's a disappointment since the show was both interesting and funny.  In my opinion, the network did not give it a fair chance.  They placed it on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. when virtually no one is watching TV, particularly during the summer.

ABC's Rookie Blue has turned out to be a pretty good show.  Despite my initial review, I now find that there is good character development and semi-believable plot lines - for a cop drama.  Though it doesn't compare to some of the greats, the writing is solid and the stories involve interesting issues.  I will say that it strains credibility that so many of the cops in the precinct are involved with each other personally.

More kudos for Necessary Roughness on USA.  What a great show and a breath of fresh air.  No dead bodies.  Great writing.  And multi-dimensional characters in the very entertaining sports arena - not a single lawyer or cop among them.

The recent change of executive producers at Morning Joe on MSNBC seems to have led to a new dynamic on the set, and not a good one.  While host Joe Scarborough  has always been the dominant talker, there has been even less air time for co-hosts Mika Brzezinsky and Willie Geist.  Mike Barnicle seems also to have been relegated to a lesser role.  During today's extremely loud and boisterous debate (really a shouting match) about the budget battle in Washington, Lawrence O'Donnell, Grover Norquist and Scarborough dominated. Brzezinksy was silent and Geist was nowhere to be found.  Later, Scarborough asked Brzezinsky if something was wrong.  She started to give an answer, but decided against it.  What's up here? Is Joe taking a larger role with the consent of new EP Alex Korson?  I tried to get an answer from Korson today, but he didn't respond to my e-mail or phone call.  Thoughts?

The Entourage Swan Song: If the Series is Failing, How Can the Movie Succeed?

Entourage returned to HBO last night after more than a year off for its final season of eight episodes, but the wait was hardly worth it.

Nothing happened in the first episode which detracts from any anticipation there might have been for the next seven entries, and particularly for the full length feature film now promised.

As the season begins, Vincent Chase, movie star, is leaving rehab where he spent the last three months weaning himself from cocaine.

His boys are tripping over themselves - and each other - preparing for his return.   

Eric and the newest boy blunder, Scott Lavin (Scott Caan), need to impress him for his business, though Eric is pumping the friendship angle.  Johnny Drama (the only character who seems to be growing) is clearing the house of alcohol and drugs.  Turtle claims to be helping, but he’s still too immature to go a few hours without smoking a joint.  Uber agent Ari Gold is consumed with his family problems – his wife threw him out – but is still so attached to his career that he, too, has to join the Vincent Chase welcoming party.

What follows throughout the episode is a repeat of hijinks from the past seven seasons.   

The guys throw what is supposed to be a dry party for Vince that, of course, gets so out of control that the fire department arrives with lights and sirens.

Weaved into the action is Vince's desperation to produce a new film whose topic doesn't excite anyone, but they're too sycophantic to tell him.

Also, Ari tries to woo his ex and Eric has moments with Sloan.  Their engagement is kaput over a disagreement about a prenup.

[Sigh]

I’m almost ready to stop watching Entourage, but I’ve hung in this long and would like to see the series through to its conclusion, which should arrive with some maturation among these young men.  Though maybe we’ll have to wait for the movie. 

Memo to Mark Wahlberg and the other producers: everyone has to grow up sometime.  And mature people can be interesting, too.  If you do make the movie, let’s see these guys evolve and behave less like frat boys.

Cable Doing Pretty Well vs. Broadcast for the Summer: A Trend?

The America's Got Talent Judges

Their Show is #1 in the Rating

A look at the TV ratings for last week shows that the broadcast networks have bailed on presenting new programs, with the exception of reality shows.  And they are being given a pretty good run for their money by the cable outlets that have stepped up to bring viewers original programs for the summer.  Shockingly, the repeats and reality win out overall, but that won’t continue as Internet television grows and more people watch programs via their electronic devices.

There are tons of viewers for America’s Got Talent, The Bachelorette and Big Brother and, unbelievably, a good number for repeats of NCIS, CSI and only one sitcom, Big Bang.  But there are also millions of people being drawn to The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Burn Notice, True Blood, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs and the newest USA entry, Suits.

Kudos to USA and TNT.  They’re producing good, solid programs that, as they say in their promos, are character-driven.  And they are blazing trails by admitting that people do watch television during the summer.

I’m only surprised that White Collar, Necessary Roughness and Hot in Cleveland are not cutting it.  Those are show I highly recommend.  It’s also interesting that Rescue Me, which debuted during the week of July 17, isn’t even in the top 25.  It seems Denis Leary and his co-executive producers have lost their ability to bring anything new to that program.  And, as Verne Gay of Newsday said last week, how many times can you go back to the September 11 angst for stories?

It’s possible that there are many households out there who still do not have cable (the current number of those with cable is estimated at 85%), or who do not venture beyond the channels that they're used to, but I’m sure this trend away from the broadcast networks will continue to evolve.  In a few years, the Big Four (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) may be way behind, particularly as watching online continues its upward trajectory.  You’d think they’d be making plans to catch up by now.

Broadcast TV Ratings: Week Ending July 17, 2011

Time	Network	Show	#Viewers	Rating	Share
1	NBC	America’s Got Talent (Tues)	14 mil	7.8	13
2	NBC	America’s Got Talent (Wed)	11.4 mil	6.8	11
3	FOX	FOX MLB All-Star Game	11 mil	6.9	12
4	CBS	NCIS (R)	8 mil	5.8	10
5	CBS	60 Minutes	8.7 mil	5.6	11
6	FOX	FOX MLB All-Star Game (Pregame)	8.2 mil	5.2	10
7	ABC	The Bachelorette	8.1 mil	5.4	9
8	CBS	NCIS: Los Angeles (R)	7.5 mil	4.9	8
9	CBS	CSI (R)	7.4 mil	4.8	8
10	CBS	Big Brother 13 (Wed)	7.3 mil	4.4	8
11	NBC	America’s Got Talent (R)	7.2 mil	4.4	8
12	CBS	Big Brother 13 (Sun)	6.9 mil	4.1	7
13	CBS	Criminal Minds (R)	6.6 mil	4.3	7
14	CBS	Big Brother 13 (Thurs)	6.6 mil	4.0	7
15	ABC	Wipeout (Thurs)	6.5 mil	3.7	7
16	CBS	The Mentalist (R)	6.4 mil	4.0	7
17	CBS	CSI: NY (R)	6.3 mil	4.1	8
18	CBS	The Big Bang Theory(R)	6.3 mil	4.1	8
19	CBS	Blue Bloods (R)	6.3 mil	4.0	8
20	NBC	America’s Got Talent (R)	6.1 mil	3.9	7
Nielsen Ratings (rounded to nearest 100,000)

 

Cable TV Ratings: Week Ending July 17, 2011

Time	Network	Show	#Viewers
1	ESPN	Japan/USA Women’s Soccer	13.4 mil
2	HIST	Pawn Stars	7.5 mil
3	TNT	The Closer	7.2 mil
4	HIST	American Restoration	6.7 mil
5	ESPN	2011 HOME RUN DERBY	6.6 mil
6	TNT	Rizzoli & Isles	6.3 mil
7	HIST	American Pickers	6.3 mil
8	ESPN	WORLD CUP LIVE	5.9 mil
9	NICK	SpongeBob	5.7 mil
10	USA	Burn Notice	5.4 mil
11	HBOM	True Blood	5.1 mil
12	USA	Royal Pains	4.9 mil
13	NICK	SpongeBob	4.6 mil
14	TNT	Sprint Cup Racing/Loudon	4.5 mil
15	USA	WWE Entertainment	4.5 mil
16	NICK	SpongeBob	4.4 mil
17	USA	Suits	4.3 mil
18	NICK	SpongeBob	4.3 mil
19	NICK	SpongeBob	4.2 mil
20	USA	Covert Affairs	4.2 mil
Nielsen Ratings (rounded to nearest 100,000)

      

The Real Journalism: Emmy Nominations for News & Documentary Announced

I’d like to give a nod to those who are nominated for Emmy^® Awards in the news and documentary areas as the list includes outstanding journalists who work tirelessly to deliver information and to preserve the Fourth Estate as it should be, with solid reporting and investigatory journalism. (Not via those other methods, like hacking phones.)

CBS leads the pack for programs broadcast in 2010 (with 60 Minutes as a standout), followed closely by PBS and then NBC, National Geographic, HBO and CNN.

The News and Documentary Emmy^® Awards will be presented Monday, September 26th at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City’s Time Warner Center.  This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to icon Larry King who spent 25 years at CNN as host of Larry King Live.

With apologies to those in the creative categories (editing, cinematography) and to those in specific areas like science and nature, below is a list of the major areas of programming and reporting preceded by a breakdown of the various news entities and the number of nominations received by each.  For the full list, please visit: www.emmyonline.tv

CBS	34		MediaStorm	2
PBS	32		NPR	2
NBC	19		Smithsonian Channel	2
National Geographic	15		Airshowbuzz.com	1
ABC	12		Council on Foreign Relations	1
HBO	12		Detroit Free Press	1
CNN	8		Los Angeles Times	1
Discovery	7		San Jose Mercury News	1
CNBC	6		Yahoo!	1
BBC America	4		(Planet Green)	1
HD Net	4		Science Channel	1
MSNBC	4		Showtime	1
A&E	3		Sundance	1
New York Times	3		VH1	1
Animal Planet	2		Washington Post	1
History Channel	2

OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC), Tragedy at the Mine

ABC World News, Nightline, Good Morning America (ABC), The Printer Bomb Plot

AC360 (CNN), Haiti in Ruins
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Earthquake in Haiti

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Iraq:  The Long Way Out

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

BBC World News America (BBC America), Haiti's Earthquake

BBC World News America (BBC America), Victims of the Flood: Pakistan in Need

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Afghan Bomb Squad
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), The War Next Door

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

BBC World News America (BBC America), Inside the North Korean Bubble

BBC World News America (BBC America), The Harsh Lives of Kabul's Street Children

Good Morning America (ABC), Taylor's Heart

Sunday Morning (CBS), Gift of a Lifetime

Sunday Morning (CBS), Jan's Story

Sunday Morning (CBS), Where's Molly?

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric  (CBS), Ethiopian Adoption Scams

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Photocopiers Hidden Dangers

Nightline (ABC), Brian Ross Investigates:  CIA Shoot‑Down ‑ 10 years later

World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC), Cord Blood Investigation

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Follow the Money
PBS NewsHour (PBS), Cubans Grapple with Challenges and Promises of Economic Change
Street Signs (CNBC), Transammonia:  An American Business in Iran

Sunday Morning (CBS), Paving the Way

Sunday Morning (CBS), The Money Issue
Sunday Morning (CBS), The New Normal

OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

60 Minutes (CBS), Haiti
60 Minutes (CBS), The Blowout

Dateline (NBC), The Passenger in Seat 19A

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A  NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

60 Minutes (CBS), A Relentless Enemy
60 Minutes (CBS), The Lost Children of Haiti

Dateline (NBC), Father's Mission
Dateline (NBC), America Now: Friends and Neighbors

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

20/20 (ABC), 7 Going on 70 ‑ A Barbara Walters Special

60 Minutes (CBS), Derek
60 Minutes (CBS), Football Island

60 Minutes (CBS), Stand Down

Dateline (NBC), Hurricane Katrina: The First Five Days

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

20/20 (ABC), Brian Ross Investigates: Make‑A‑Wish Swindle

60 Minutes (CBS), 21st Century Snake Oil

60 Minutes (CBS), Blackwater 61

Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), Spiritually Bankrupt

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
60 Minutes, (CBS), Brazil

60 Minutes (CBS), Davos
Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), Home Loans From Hell

Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), The Mysterious Case of Kevin Xu

OUTSTANDING NEWS DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

Education Nation (MSNBC), Teacher Town Hall
MSNBC Special Presentation (MSNBC),Beyond Borderlines
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC), Good Morning, Landlocked Central Asia

This Week with Christiane Amanpour (ABC), Holy War:  Should Americans Fear Islam?

Washington Week ((PBS)), Mid‑Term Election Coverage

OUTSTANDING LIVE COVERAGE OF A CURRENT NEWS STORY – LONG FORM     

ABC News Special Events (ABC), Vote 2010
AC360 (CNN), Crisis in Haiti

Decision 2010 (NBC), Election Night

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY – LONG FORM

FRONTLINE (PBS), The Quake
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Wounded Platoon

HBO Documentary Films, (HBO), War Don Don
Independent Lens (PBS), A Village Called Versailles

Restrepo:  Afghan Outpost (National Geographic Channel)

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM – LONG FORM

Client 9:  The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (A&E)
FRONTLINE (PBS), Law & Disorder
POV (PBS), Presumed Guilty

POV (PBS), The Oath

OUTSTANDING INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING – LONG FORM

FRONTLINE (PBS), The Confessions

HBO Documentary Films, (HBO), Monica & David

HBO Documentary Films (HBO), Reporter
POV (PBS), Food Inc
POV (PBS), Off and Running
POV (PBS), Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING – LONG FORM
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Spill
Houston We Have a Problem (Planet Green)
POV (PBS), Good Fortune

The New Recruits (PBS)

OUTSTANDING INTERVIEW                

60 Minutes (CBS), Facebook
60 Minutes (CBS), Medal of Honor          

CNN (CNN). The Odd Couple
Dateline (NBC), Rescue on the High Seas
Investing in America:  A CNBC Town Hall Event with President  Obama (CNBC)

BEST STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Afghanistan:  From the Front Lines to the Home Front
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC). Desperate Days:  The Floods of Pakistan
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Earthquake in Haiti
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), The War Next Door:  Mexico Drug Violence
TODAY (NBC), The World's Most Dangerous City

BEST REPORT IN A NEWS MAGAZINE                                                     

60 Minutes (CBS), 21st Century Snake Oil
60 Minutes (CBS), Endless Memory
60 Minutes (CBS), The All American Canal
60 Minutes (CBS), The Blowout
60 Minutes (CBS), The Lost Children of Haiti

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Client 9:  The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (A&E)
HBO Documentary Films (HBO), A Small Act

POV (PBS), Food Inc
POV (PBS), Presumed Guilty      

POV (PBS), The Oath

Restrepo:  Afghan Outpost (National Geographic Channel)