Filed under: Industry, Scrubs, Interviews, Celebrities, Reality-Free

As I found out when I first spoke to Bill Lawrence last year, it doesn’t take much to get the creator of Scrubs going. All it might take is a swift question and he’ll go off on a monologue that’s not only funny, but has a lot of good information as well.

That’s what I got from him when I spoke to him earlier this week. Yes, we went over what happened with NBC after the writers’ strike and how his show was able to make the shift to ABC. But, since he already spoke about that at length, we talked more about why NBC treated the show enjoy it did, what creative shifts he’s going to make to the show this year (expect to see less baby and relationship stuff this year, and more of the medical drama and comedy that got people hooked on the show). And, of course, he also dropped the mini-bombshell that I posted about earlier in the week, that there might be a ninth, “next generation” season of Scrubs.

I’ll warn you right now, this is a long transcript, which is why we’re splitting it into three parts. But it’s got a lot of good information, and if you’re patient, you’ll find some interesting spoilers about what’s going to happen next year on the show (production on eighth season should be wrapped up by August, according to Lawrence). So, buckle up and enjoy the ride…

Continue reading Bill Lawrence of Scrubs: The Television Squad Interview

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Filed under: Industry, Programming, Video, Commercials, Reality-Free

One of the many problems facing broadcasters as we move into the future is the proliferation of DVRs and their fantastic ability to grant people to blow right through all of those bill paying commercials. In the continuing effort to thwart swift fingered viewers, networks are turning to live commercials.

The idea being that the live commercial offers something different enough that it will be worth your time, while your 300th viewing of Cisco welcoming you to the human network no longer even registers. The New York Times has a good article on how this latest incarnation of what’s a very old idea is being implemented. They speak about spots that Kimmel and Leno have done and also give a peak at Spike’s plans for a live three-minute game show that would run during commercial breaks.

Continue reading Will live commercials slow your FFWD finger? - VIDEOS

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Filed under: Industry, The Simpsons, Reality-Free

State it ain’t so, Ho. Homey, that’s is. According to Variety, even though Fox has given The Simpsons a renewal for season number 20, the voice talent that make the show have not been re-signed. Julie Kavner, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Yeardley Smith, Nancy Cartwright and Harry Shearer — the actors who are as integral to the success of The Simpsons as the writers and animators — are looking for a new deal. The group make approximately $360,000 per episode. They want a raise to $500,000 per. While that sounds like a lot of money — and it is! — when you take into account how much Fox and company are making off The Simpsons franchise, like the new ride at Universal Orlando, the talent have every right to anticipate their piece of the pie.

Continue reading Trouble brewing on The Simpsons

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Filed under: Industry, OpEd, The Closer, Reality-Free

When I got a knock on the door yesterday morning from the FedEx guy, I got all excited because I thought it was a pair of Cubs tickets that I bought for an upcoming trip I’m taking to Chicago. But when I looked down, I saw a black box. When I turned it over, the box had the label you see above. It’s a press kit for TNT’s returning hit The Closer, and it shows star Kyra Segdgwick guiltily nibbling on a bunch of cookies. The tag line on the label is “Everyone has something to confess…” Hmm. Interesting. Obviously this label held some strong clues as to what I would find in the box. So I cut the sealing tape, opened it up, and found what suspected would be in the package…

Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: TNT’s The Closer

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Filed under: Industry, Reality-Free

This one just struck me as a bit odd. HBO has signed long time NY Times columnist Frank Rich on as a creative consultant. The two are tight-lipped about what projects he may or may not be working on already, but his new position is described as contributing to original program development. Apparently there will also be the opportunity for Rich to become a producer of projects that he helps with.

He’s going to keep his gig at the Times while working with HBO, although he’ll avoid writing about the network, or their corporate overlords (and ours), Time Warner. Hiring creative consultants isn’t the usual modus operandi for HBO, and programming group president Richard Plepler added that “it is not something the network is looking to do on a regular basis.” Odd as it sounds on the surface, Rich did spend 13 years as the Times‘ chief theater critic, so he has some background for the gig. And anything that gets us closer to Jay Black, creative consultant to The CW, has to be a good thing, right?

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Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, Programming, Celebrities

The Style Network is taking on obesity issues with its newest reality series. The channel behind reality shows like Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane just ordered episodes of a new series called Ruby. Ruby will tell the story of Ruby Gettinger, an obese woman from Georgia, as she attempts to lose weight. Gettinger weighs five hundred pounds and is under doctor’s orders to lose a significant amount of weight.

Actress Brittany Daniel, a personal friend of Gettinger’s, will act as the show’s consulting executive producer. She is also going to appear on the show occasionally. Style has ordered nine episodes of Ruby, a one-hour premiere and eight half-hour episodes. The reality series will air this fall.

Continue reading Style gives weight loss the spotlight in new series

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Filed under: Other Reality Shows, News, Industry

As A&E’s Dog the Bounty Hunter begins filming it’s fifth season, Boris Krutonug sues the network for royalties, salary and other compensation for season four. The actor who appeared in The Hunt for Red October and Air Force One filed papers in Manhattan at the state Supreme Court and said he’s the shows creator and co-executive producer. Furthermore, he wants $5 million in damages. Krutonug says that David Hout and his companies Hybrid Films and D&D TV Productions breached contract with him.

Apparently, in 1995, Krutonug introduced himself to Dog and, believing Dog’s life and work would make a great film or Television show, signed papers for exclusive rights. According to the court papers, Krutonog developed the show between 1995 and 2003. And to get permission to produce and air the show, A&E agreed to pay Boris Krutonog as a co-executive producer for the duration of the program. Dan Silberman, the spokesperson for the network, stated he couldn’t comment at this time.

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Filed under: Industry, Programming

Mark Burnett is no longer exclusively making reality Television shows. He has crossed over into animation and has signed a deal with the popular on the internet animation site Liquid Generation to develop cartoon Television comedies.

Burnett is ideal known for creating the reality shows Survivor and The Apprentice. This would be his first venture into animation. Considering how much money he’s made from reality TV, I don’t think it’s that much of a risk for him.

Continue reading Mark Burnett crosses over into animation

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Filed under: Industry, PVR Wire, The Daily Show, Web, South Park

Comcast-owned internet media portal Fancast is expanding its content library through a partnership with Viacom. The upshot is that for the first time, you’ll be able to catch full length episodes of two of Comedy Central’s most popular shows: The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. While you can currently find clips of each show on the program’s website, there’s no way to watch a single episode from begin to complete over the web.

Fancast will also be adding South Park and choose content from other Viacom properties including MTV Networks, Nickelodeon, and BET Networks. You can already find a wide range of Television shows and movies on Fancast thanks to partnerships with CBS and Hulu.

Continue reading Fancast scores full length Daily Show, Colbert Report, South Park episodes

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Filed under: Industry, Programming, Ratings, TiVo, Reality-Free

I was going to title this post “What are the most DVR’d Television shows?” but wasn’t sure if DVR’d is a real word or not. And did I even spell it right?

Anyway, the list of the top 15 recorded shows for the past year has been released, and there are tiny or no surprises on it. Grey’s Anatomy tops this list with 3.78 million viewers, while the Tuesday edition of American Idol comes in a close second with 3.73 million. Full list after the jump!

Continue reading What are the most recorded TV shows?

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