While some networks plan a summer snooze, the FX people will offer some counterpoint.
They’ll have major shows in June (“The Bear”), August (“Alien: Earth,” shown here) and September (Ethan Hawke in “The Lowdown”).
All three are produced by FX; two will be on FX and Hulu, with “The Bear” only on Hulu. Details are: Read more…
After decades of expansion, the TV world is throwing itself into reverse.
NBC is now the second network to announce a September schedule with no new scripted shows. Fox had done the same.
For NBC, at least, there are some redeeming steps:
— Two spots remain vacant. In November, they’ll apparently go to new comedies, nestled behind “St. Denis Medical” and “Happy’s Place” (shown here), on Mondays and Fridays.
— Seven scripted shows will return Fox only has two, except for cartoons. Read more…
Can the droll charm of an English village be transformed into an American TV series?
We’ll find out next season, when Fox tries a new version of the “Doc Martin” series. Josh Charles (“The Good Wife,” “Sports Night”) will star as the displaced doctor.
This version will be produced by Ben Silverman, whose best success has been with U.S. versions of overseas hits. That has included “The Office,” “Ugly Betty” and “Jane the Virgin.”
In this case, he’s adapting a show (shown here) that had a thoroughly English flavor: Read more…
CBS will put some familiar shows in unfamiliar places next season.
It will also try two new reality shows and four spin-offs, one of them with strong potential to be a hit: Kayce Dutton (the honest one on “Yellowstone,” played by Luke Grimes, shown here) gets his own series, as a U.S. marshal.
That series — tentatively called “Y: Marshals” — won’t arrive until mid-season. In the fall, viewers have some schedule shifts to worry about: Read more…
The too-short lifespan of “The Equalizer” (shown here) says a lot about current TV.
Here was one of the heroes of the pandemic. When TV was at its low point, it leaped to No. 2 in the ratings.
Now, after a modest five seasons, it’s been canceled. The season-finale (10 p.m. Sunday, May 4, on CBS) has also become the series-finale.
“Equalizer” had exactly two flaws: It’s expensive and it’s from the wrong company. TV is like that these days. Read more…
After pausing for a sports-stuffed June, ABC will start its summer line-up in July.
It will be a trimmed-down one, though, with no “Bachelorette.”
Instead, there will be two nights of game shows — including Martin Short hosting a “Match Game” revival — plus “Bachelor in Paradise” (shown here in a previous season). There will also be lots of room for reruns, plus Disney movies on Sundays. Read more…
Here’s a double dose of good news. Two of TV’s best shows are finally returning, less than a month apart.
It will be:
— “Poker Face,” May 8 on Peacock. It has three episodes that first day, then seven more on consecutive Thursdays.
— “Resident Alien,” at 11 p.m. — yes, 11 p.m. — Friday, June 6 on both Syfy and USA Read more…
America’s smallest sports conference will again have a big-time TV deal.
The Pac-12 currently has, despite its name, two teams. (They’re shown here.) But a deal with the CW network will put nine football games on national TV this fall.
That will hold things for a year, until the Pac-12 adds six teams, nudging it to two-thirds of its name. Read more…
The Fox network will stuff its summer with reality shows in general and Gordon Ramsay in particular.
We kind of thought it would. But Fox will also offer a surprise – new cartoon episodes (including “The Great North,” shown here) every Thursday, starting May 29 Read more…
After a two-week pause, the 50th “Saturday Night Live” season is ready for its big finish.
Beginning May 3, it will have new episodes hosted by Quinta Brunson, Walton Goggins and Scarlett Johansso (shown here). Details include: Read more…
