ABC Plans 13 New Series for 2011-2012

Posted May 17, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated May 17, 2011 at 12:34 PM

ABC announced today that it will add 13 new shows including an update of “Charlie’s Angels” and a swinging, high flying drama “Pan Am,” set in the 1960s.

The network is keeping its current hits, too, including “Castle,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Modern Family,” “The Middle,” “Cougar Town,” “Desperate Housewives” and its reality shows - from “The Bachelor” to “Dancing With the Stars.”

Seven of the new shows ABC has ordered will premiere in the fall.

Mondays will see a return of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Castle”

Tuesdays adds “Last Man Standing” with Tim Allen as a manly man with a wife (Nancy Travis) and three daughters.
It will be followed by “Man Up” about three metrosexuals trying to become manly.

Wednesday has Jeremy Sisto starring as a single father who takes his surly teen daughter from New York to the suburbs in “Suburgatory.”  Also new at 10 p.m. is “Revenge,” a soap set in the Hamptons where Madeline Stowe plays a woman out to get even with those who have wronged her in the past.

Thursday: “Charlie’s Angels” will lead off the night followed by “Grey’s” and “Private Practice”

Friday gets “Extreme Makeover,” “Shark Tank” and “20/20.”

Saturday is reserved for repeats of stuff that aired during the rest of the week.

Sunday will start off with “Once Upon A Time,” a fantasy about a woman (Jennifer Morrison, of “House” who may be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She goes back and forth between the fariy tale world and the real world. Robert Carlyle plays Rumplestiltskin; Raphael Sbarge is Jiminy Cricket. 

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Actor from Tampa Bay area, Patrick Wilson, Gets CBS Series

Posted May 17, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated May 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM

Broadway and film star Patrick Wilson, who grew up in Pinellas County, is getting a CBS drama series.

Wilson, son of WTVT, Channel 13, anchorman John Wilson, will star as an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle, “The King’s Speech”) dies and her spirit begins teaching him what life is all about.

Julie Benz (“No Ordinary Family”) co-stars. CBS is expected to announce this one officially tomorrow.  Wilson received back-to-back Tony nominations for “The Full Monty” (2001) and “Oklahoma” (2002).

Wilson’s most recent Broadway appearance was in “All My Sons” in 2008. He has also received an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for his role as a tormented Mormon in HBO’s adaptation of “Angels in America” and also starred in the film adaptation of “Watchmen” and other films including “The Alamo.”

The CBS series, directed by Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”), will tape in New York where Wilson and his wife and child reside. His brother Mark Wilson is also an anchor at WTVT.

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Fox Banks on X Factor and Terra Nova in the Fall

Posted May 16, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated May 16, 2011 at 08:51 AM

  Fox is banking on Simon Cowell’s new singing competition “The X Factor” to carry the network in the fall along with a Steven Spielberg dinosaur thriller “Terra Nova.”

The network announced its 2011-2012 season today. The network adds four new comedies, three dramas, one unscripted series for 2011-12 TV season.

Most of the newcomers were reported last week.  Of note is a new animated series “NAPOLEON DYNAMITE” coming to Sundays at mid-season.

Based on the hit film, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE is about a 16-year-old awkward teenager and his quirky family and friends in rural Idaho. The original cast from the film – Jon Heder, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino, Sandy Martin, Jon Gries and Diedrich Bader – will voice their characters in the series.

FOX FALL 2011 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

*New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   TERRA NOVA    
9:00-10:00 PM   House

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   Glee
9:00-9:30 PM   NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM   Raising Hope

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:30 PM   THE X FACTOR Performance Show
9:30-10:00 PM   I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER    

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   THE X FACTOR Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM   Bones’

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   Kitchen Nightmares
9:00-10:00 PM   Fringe

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM   Cops
8:30-9:00 PM   Cops
9:00-10:00 PM   Encores/America’s Most Wanted (specials)

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM   The OT (NFL post-game)
7:30-8:00 PM   The Cleveland Show
8:00-8:30 PM   The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM   ALLEN GREGORY
9:00-9:30 PM   Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM   American Dad

FOX MIDSEASON 2012 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   House
9:00-10:00 PM   ALCATRAZ    

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   Glee
9:00-9:30 PM   NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM   Raising Hope

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:30 PM   American Idol Performance Show
9:30-10:00 PM   I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   American Idol Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM   THE FINDER / Bones (spring)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM   Kitchen Nightmares
9:00-10:00 PM   Fringe

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM   Cops
8:30-9:00 PM   Cops
9:00-10:00 PM   Encores/America’s Most Wanted (specials)

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM   Animation Domination (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM   The Cleveland Show
8:00-8:30 PM   The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM   NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
9:00-9:30 PM   Family Guy

“THE X FACTOR” marks the return of Simon Cowell who along with Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Cheryl Cole and Paula Abdul will judge the U.S. version of the international TV hit.  Singers will compete for a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music to the next global superstar or breakout music group.

The adventure series “Terra Nova.” executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Brannon Braga (“24”) stars Jason O’Mara (“Life On Mars”) and Stephen Lang (“Avatar”). It follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race.

Also debuting this fall are the half-hour comedies “NEW GIRL “(working title) and “I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER” (working title).

Comedy “NEW GIRL” stars Zooey Deschanel as Jess, an offbeat girl who – after a bad breakup – moves in with three single guys and essentially sets a bomb off in their lives.

Comedy “I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER” stars Emmy Award winner Jaime Pressly (“My Name Is Earl”) and Tony Award winner Katie Finneran (“Wonderfalls”) as single moms, life-long friends – and former nerds – who fear their privileged and overly indulged daughters are turning out to be just like the girls who picked on them in high school. 

Joining the Sunday night lineup is “ALLEN GREGORY,” an animated comedy created by and featuring the voice of Jonah Hill (“Get Him to the Greek,” “Superbad”). It’s abut an extremely pretentious 7-year-old about to embark on his greatest challenge yet: leaving the safety of homeschooling and attending elementary school with children his own age.

Fox announces “AMERICAN IDOL” will kick off midseason with a special premiere event Sunday, Jan. 22 immediately following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

Two new dramas set to launch in midseason are “ALCATRAZ” and “THE FINDER.”

From executive producer J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Star Trek”) and writer Elizabeth Sarnoff (“Lost”) and starring Sarah Jones (“Sons of Anarchy”), Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) and Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”), “ALCATRAZ” is about prisoners and guards from America’s most infamous jail who time travel from the 1960s to present day.

Created by Hart Hanson, the executive producer and creator of “BONES,” “THE FINDER” is a new procedural drama starring Geoff Stults (“She’s Out of My League”) as an Iraq war vet with an extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable.

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Man Vs. Tampa: Travel Channel Spotlights Skippers Smokehouse

Posted May 12, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated May 12, 2011 at 08:05 AM

  Travel Channel’s champion eater Adam Richman kicks off a new series “Man Vs. Food Nation” on June 1 at 9:30 p.m.  with stops by Skippers Smokehouse to try alligator ribs and hits up Ybor City to taste the traditional Cuban sandwich at Aguila’s Sandwich Shop.

Lastly, Adam guides pro-wrestler Jerry “Nasty” Sags to victory in his attempt to extinguish the Davy Jones Challenge- a scorching hot platter of 10 wings loaded with habaneros and capsaicin extract Rapscallions in Land O’Lakes.

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Bristol Palin Gets a Reality Series

Posted May 11, 2011 by Walt Belcher

Updated May 11, 2011 at 02:01 PM

Not since Brooke Hogan had a reality series have we been so excited.

The BIO channel (formerly Biography) has ordered ten half-hour episodes of an untitled Bristol Palin reality series. 

The daughter of Sarah Palin will move from Alaska to seek fame and fortune (like she doesn’t already have it) in Los Angeles.  She has young son Tripp, age 2, with her.  She moves in with her good friends Chris and Kyle Massey and works for a small charity.  She can only hope that mom will drop by to help with ratings.

There’s no date for this but filming is under way.

BIO notes that “she’s the most famous single mother in America.  And she became a national media darling during her odds-defying, ratings record-breaking run on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ ,”  So therefore she’s worthy of a reality series.

While on “Dancing,” Bristol became extremely close with fellow contestant, actor Kyle Massey.  Since the show, Bristol, Kyle, and Kyle’s brother, actor Christopher Massey, have become best friends; so much so, that since Bristol and Tripp have to move to Los Angeles for her new job, she decides to move in with the Massey brothers who are also about to realize how much their lives are about to change. 

“Bristol is the kind of personality BIO is drawn to,” say BIO officials in a prepared statement. “Her personal life has been playing out in the media for several years but this will be the first time she’s opening up her real life, with her son and her friends the Massey Brothers.“

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