ABC welcomes “Scrubs”
A reader asked if it was unusual that ABC picked up the canceled NBC series “Scrubs.”
Not really, considering that ABC Studios (previously known as Touchstone Television) has produced the series since it debuted on NBC in 2001.
“Scrubs” concluded its seven-season run on NBC on May 8, and it is scheduled to make its ABC debut at midseason.
Here’s a list of shows that will and won’t return to ABC in 2008-09, as well as info on new ones to look forward to in fall.
►Will Return: According to Jim (midseason), America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor (midseason), Boston Legal, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing With the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost (midseason), Primetime (mid-season), Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?, Supernanny, Ugly Betty, 20/20, Wife Swap.
►Won’t Return: Big Shots, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia, Cavemen, Men in Trees, Miss-Guided, Notes from the Underbelly, October Road, Oprah’s Big Give, Women’s Murder Club.
►New Series (descriptions provided by ABC):
Life on Mars (ABC Photo above): Jason O’Mara (“In Justice”) stars as a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective.
The Goode Family (midseason): A new animated series from Mike Judge (“King of the Hill” creator) about a family obsessed with doing the “right” thing, whether it’s environmentally, politically or socially. Unfortunately their efforts often have unintended comic consequences.
Opportunity Knocks: A new show that breaks the mold of typical game and reality shows by showing up on America’s doorstep and testing how well people know their family.
Scrubs (midseason): Zach Braff stars as a medical resident, who continues on his healing career in a surreal hospital, crammed full of unpredictable staffers and patients.
Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project (midseason): A beauty pageant unlike any viewers have ever seen, from executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks.
— Penny TV
Program Planner: May 18-24
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes the 44-page full-color and full-of-information TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of May 18:
SUNDAY
►“Aliens in America,” (7:30 p.m. on CW): First-season finale.
►“American Dad” (8:30 p.m. on Fox): Third-season finale.
►“Chic & Easy” (9:30 a.m. on Food Network): Series premiere.
►“Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m. on ABC): Fourth-season finale.
►“Everybody Hates Chris” (7 p.m. on CW): Third-season finale.
► “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (6 p.m. on ABC): Two-part season finale. Australian vocal group The Ten Tenors will perform their song “Here’s to the Heroes.”
► “Family Guy” (8 p.m. on Fox): Sixth-season finale.
► “The Game” (8 p.m. on CW): Second-season finale.
► “King of the Hill” (7:30 p.m. on Fox): Eleventh-season finale.
► “Metalocalypse” (11 p.m. on Cartoon Network): Second-season premiere. This animated series follows Deathklok, the heaviest hitting metal band in the universe. A live version of the band will hit the road June 2 for a 28-city tour, with show creator Brendon Small as the lead performer.
► “The Simpsons” (7 p.m. on Fox): Nineteenth-season finale.
► The 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (7 p.m. on CBS): Kenny Chesney leads the way with 12 nominations, including entertainer of the year, whose winner will be chosen by fan votes.
► “Mystery of the Crystal Skulls” (8 p.m. on SCI FI): The special tells the real story of the search for the legendary Crystal Skulls, 13 quartz crystal human skulls discovered amid ruins of Mayan and Aztec societies.
MONDAY ►“The Bachelorette” (8:02 p.m. on ABC): Fourth-season premiere.► “The Big Bang Theory” (7 p.m. on CBS): First-season finale.► “Bones” (7 p.m. on Fox): Third-season finale.
►“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): Sixth-season finale.
►“Gossip Girl” (7 p.m. on CW): First-season finale.
►“House” (8 p.m. on Fox): Fourth-season finale.
►“How I Met Your Mother” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): Third-season finale.
►“One Tree Hill” (8 p.m. on CW): Fifth-season finale.
►“Paradise Hotel 2” (8 p.m. on MyNetwork TV): Second-season finale.
►“Rules of Engagement” (8:30 p.m. on CBS): Second-season finale.
►“Two and a Half Men” (8 p.m. on CBS): Fifth-season finale. Susan Blakely (“Rich Man, Poor Man”) guest stars.
►“Sex: The Revolution” (11 p.m. on Sundance): New four-part documentary series that looks at the sexual revolution and how it changed
►“Shark” (9 p.m. on CBS): Second-season finale. Billy Campbell (“The 4400”) guest stars.
►“El Cantante” (7 p.m. on Cinemax): A 2006 biopic starring Marc Anthony as Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe, who reigned as the king of salsa music in the 1960s and ’70s but struggled with heroin addiction. Jennifer Lopez, Anthony’s wife, plays Lavoe’s spouse, Puchi.
WEDNESDAY
►“American Idol” (7 p.m. on Fox): Seventh-season finale. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will supply renewable energy for the live event at the Nokia Theatre.
►“Boston Legal” (8 p.m. on ABC): Fourth-season finale.
►“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): Third-season finale.
►“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): Fourth-season finale.
►“Law & Order” (9 p.m. on NBC): Eighteenth-season finale.
►“MI-5” (8 p.m. on BBC America): Fourth-season finale.
►“Mind of Mencia” (9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central): Fourth-season premiere.
►“Depression: Out of the Shadows” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Offers a comprehensive look at depressive disorders. The 90-minute documentary is followed by a half-hour panel discussion hosted by Jane Pauley (“Today”).
THURSDAY
►“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): Fourth-season finale.
►“Last Comic Standing” (8:30 p.m. on NBC): Sixth-season premiere. Richard Belzer (“Law & Order”), Steve Schirripa (“The Sopranos”), Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) and Fred Willard (“Back to You”) scout for talent at auditions.“
►“So You Think You Can Dance” (7 p.m. on Fox): Fourth-season premiere.
►“Ugly Betty” (7 p.m. on ABC): Second-season finale. Lindsay Lohan (“Mean Girls”) and Naomi Campbell (“Prisoner of Love”) guest star.
FRIDAY
►“Yo Gabba Gabba!” (10:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon): Musical group The Shins perform the original song “It’s OK, Try Again.”
►Singer Alanis Morissette performs live during the
SATURDAY
►“Final Approach” (7 p.m. on Hallmark): New 3-hour thriller that revives the big-budget all-star disaster genre. Stars include Dean Cain (‘‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”), Anthony Michael Hall (“The Dead Zone”), Lea Thompson (“Jane Doe”), Tracey Gold (“Growing Pains”), Ernie Hudson (“Miss Congeniality”) and William Forsythe (“The Rock”).
–Penny TV
Daytime Emmy opportunities
Want to attend The 35th annual Daytime Emmy Awards? How about appear on the live telecast?
Both opportunities are available for those interested. You have to buy your ticket to be there, however, but you don’t have to be there to be on the broadcast.
Tickets, which range from $60 to $150, are available from all Ticketmaster locations. Airline tickets to get to the event, which will air live at 7 p.m. June 20 from Hollywood’s famed Kodak Theatre, are a bit more.
For a chance to appear on the awards show, all you have to do is answer the following question: “How has your favorite daytime show changed your life?” OK, it’s not quite that simple.
Producers of the event are asking viewers to send in stories of how their favorite network or cable daytime shows — be it drama, talk, court or children’s programming — have had a significant impact in their lives, whether through characters, story or a particular show host.
Select stories will be showcased during the ceremony. The stories should be 250 words or less and can be submitted via www.ABC.com or www.SOAPnet.com. Deadline for stores is May 23.
“The Young and the Restless” is the favorite among Emmy voters, as the CBS series received 17 nominations. Tied with 13 nominations are “The Guiding Light” (CBS), “One Life to Live” (ABC) and “Sesame Street” (PBS).
For a complete list of nominees, click on www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_35th_nominations.html.
— Penny TV
Program Planner: May 11-17
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes the 44-page full-color and full-of-information TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of May 11:
SUNDAY
►“Brothers & Sisters” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): Second-season finale.
►“Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites” (7 p.m. on CBS): Who will win the show’s 16th installment? My pick is Cirie Fields (far right in CBS Photo above), who helped organize the elimination of Ozzy.
►“Design on a Dime: Top 35 Secrets” (7 p.m. on HGTV): Counts down the show’s 35 best makeovers.
►“America at a Crossroads” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): Profiles five Muslim-American comics who use their stand up routines to break down sterotypes and misconseptions about Islam and Muslims, Comecis featured are Ahmed Ahmed, Tissa Hami, Dean Obeidallah, Maysoon Zahid and Azhar Usman.
►“Teleflora Presents America’s Favorite Mom” (6 p.m. on NBC): Thousands of moms were nominated online, and the winning mom will be crowned by Donny and Marie Osmonds and take home thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.
MONDAY
►“American Gladiators” (7 p.m. on NBC): Second-season premiere. New Gladiators, too.
►“House” (8 p.m. on Fox): Part one of two-part season finale.
►“Medium” (9 p.m. on NBC): Fourth-season finale.“
►Samantha Who?” (8:32 p.m. on ABC): First-season finale. Kiele Sanchez (“Lost”) guest stars.
►“American Experience” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Profiles President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from his privileged childhood through his political career.
►“Nightly Business Report” (6 p.m. on OETA-13): Launches a year-long series of reports called “Get Your Finanaces Ready for Retirement.” The reports will air two Mondays each month.
TUESDAY
►“According to Jim” (7:30 p.m. on ABC): Seventh-season finale.
►“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m. on NBC): Ninth-season finale.
►“Women’s Murder Club” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): First-season finale. Gerald McRaney (“Jericho”) guest stars.
►“Nova: A Walk to Beautiful” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Profiles three Ethiopian women who face lifelong ostracism because of obstetric fistula, a complication of childbirth that leaves them incontinent and unable to have more children.
►“The Zen of Bobby V” (8 p.m. on ESPN): Two-hour film that focuses on former Major League player and manager Bobby Valentine and his current job managing one of Japan’s premiere baseball teams, the Chiba Lotte Marines.
WEDNESDAY
►“Back to You” (7:30 p.m. on Fox): First-season finale.
►“Til Death” (7 p.m. on Fox): Second-season finale.
►“The Adirondacks” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Offers a tour of this national park in New York that is home to more than 100,000 people. About half its 6 million acres are privately owned.
►“Deal or No Deal” (7 p.m. on NBC): Features two contestants playing the popular game show in Johannesburg,
THURSDAY
►“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” (7 p.m. on Fox): Second-season finale.
►“Crime 360″ (9 p.m. on A&E): Series premiere.
►“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): Eighth-season finale.
►“Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (8 p.m. on Fox): Second-season finale.
►“My Name Is Earl” (7 p.m. on NBC): Third-season finale. Alyssa Milano (“Wisegal”) guest stars.
►“The Office” (8 p.m. on NBC): Fourth-season finale. Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”) guest stars.
►“Without a Trace” (9 p.m. on CBS): Sixth-season finale. Linda Hunt (“Kindergarten Cop”) guest stars.
►“Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey” (7 p.m. on Cinemax): Short film by Douglas Gayeton that chronicles the adventures of his character in the online world known as “Second Life.”
FRIDAY
►“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7 p.m. on ABC): Eighteenth-season finale.
►“Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m. on CBS): Third-season finale.
►“Moonlight” (8 p.m. on CBS): First-season finale. Claudia Black (“Stargate SG-1”) guest stars.
►“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): Fourth-season finale.
►“Mobile Home Disaster” (8 p.m. on CMT): Series premiere. Comedian John Caparulo hosts the new home renovation show that finds families living in less desirable mobile homes and gives them the home makeover they desperately need.
►“Survival Guide: Boomerangst” (8 p.m. on CNBC): Looks at the boomer generation that isn’t saving enough money and can’t count on company pensions or social security.
SATURDAY
►“Mad TV” (10 p.m. on Fox): Thirteenth-season finale.“Talkshow With Spike Feresten” (11 p.m. on Fox): Second-season finale.“
►America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back” (8 p.m. on Fox): Features the 1,000th capture credited to the series, now in its 21st season.
►“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (8 p.m. on ION): Contemporary take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic mystery and stars Dougray Scott (“Desperate Housewives”) and Tom Skerritt (“Picket Fences”).
►The Women’s National Basketball Association tips off its 12th season at 2:30 p.m. today with the Los Angeles Sparks (featuring rookie sensation Candace Parker) taking on the defending champion Phoenix Mercury.
►The 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes will air live at 3:30 p.m. on NBC. –Penny TV
Tulsa contender for “Bachelorette”
Twilley, a 33-year-old software programmer from Tulsa (pictured at right), is among the 25 bachelors who will vie for DeAnna Pappas’ attention on the new season of “The Bachelorette.”
The fourth edition of the show begins at 8:02 p.m. May 19 on ABC. “The Bachelorette” will move to its regular time at 7 p.m. Mondays beginning June 2.
Pappas, 26, was the one of the final women remaining on last season’s installment of “The Bachelor.” But Brad Womack didn’t select any woman — a first in “Bachelor” history.
This time around, Pappas gets to chose among the bachelors in her bid for true love. And she will hand out 15 “first impression” roses on the season premiere episode.
Fans of the show have already posted their “first impression” picks on www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/bachelor. Twilley from Tulsa is among them.
— Penny TV
Send Mom greetings from “Brothers & Sisters,” “Desperate Housewives”
ABC Press Release:
It’s the 100th Anniversary of Mother’s Day, so make it special by sending Mom an E-card from one of her favorite ABC characters.
Are you “Lost“ without Mom? If so, send her a special greeting from Claire.
Dr. Bailey from “Grey’s Anatomy“ has the right prescription to wish Mom a happy Mother’s Day.
Or remind Mom that she looks like a million bucks from “Dirty Sexy Money’s“ Letitia Darling.
Other memorable mothers from ABC shows waiting with a special message on her special day include — (“Desperate Housewives”), — (“Samantha Who?”) and — (“Ugly Betty”).
For more card selections from “According to Jim,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?” and “Ugly Betty,” go to www.abc.go.com/community/cards/motherhood.
Program Planner: May 4-10
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes the 44-page full-color and full-of-information TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of May 4:
SUNDAY
►“Cold Case” (7 p.m. on CBS): Fifth-season finale.
►“Family Guy” (8 p.m. on Fox, Pictured above in Fox Photo): Sixth-season finale.
►“Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music” (7 p.m. on TCM): This 1965 special kicks off a monthlong festival of his movies hosted by his children, Tina, Nancy and Frank Jr.
►“Masterpiece: Cranford” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): A new three-part miniseries based on the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell. Lisa Dillon stars as Mary Smith, who moves to the picturesque Victorian village of Cranford to stay with two single friends (Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins).
►“Shameless” (10 p.m. on Sundance): Second-season finale.
►“This American Life” (9 p.m. on Showtime): Second-season premiere. National Public Radio host Ira Glass presents human interest stories through the eyes of those who experienced them.
MONDAY
►“American Experience: George H.W. Bush” (8 p.m. today and Tuesday on OETA-13): Traces the public and private lives of the 41st president from his wartime service and early political career to his tenure in the White House.
►“Deal or No Deal” (7 p.m. on NBC): Features two contestants playing the popular game show in Estonia.
►“Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman” (8 p.m. on Sundance): First two installments of six-part documentary series.
►“Life’s a Trip” (10 p.m. on Travel Channel): Series premiere.
TUESDAY
►“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Fashion” (8 p.m. on Sundance): Looks at how environmental consciousmess has hit the fashion world.
►“Bud Greenspan: The Heart of the Games” (8 p.m. on ESPNs): Tells the most defining stories and moments in the life and work of Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan.
►“Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m. on ABC): This marks the show’s 100th taping. Mario Lopez and his Broadway cast of “A Chorus Line” will perform.
►“Independent Lens” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): Presents the new documentary ‘‘Na Kamalei: Men of Hula.” It celebrates the 30th birthday of the all-male hula school that Robert Cazimero opened in the 1970s.
WEDNESDAY
►“American Masters: Marvin Gaye” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Profiles the Motown singer’s unique style and a musical legacy that includes some of the most sensuous love songs ever recorded. Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Mos Def are among the fellow artists weighing in.
►“Audition: Barbara Walters’ Journey” (9 p.m. on ABC): Features the grande dame of television interviews talking to ABC News anchor Charles Gibson about her life, career, family and the many memorable people she has interviewed.
►“Cash and Treasures” (9 p.m. on Travel Channel): Second-season premiere.
►“Deal or No Deal” (7 p.m. on NBC): Features two contestants playing the popular game show in the Philippines.
►“Secrets of the Dead: Doping For Gold” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): Explores the tragic truth and aftermath of the greatest Olympic steroid scandal in sports history.
THURSDAY
►“Hear and Now” (7 p.m. on HBO): Profiles Paul and Sally Taylor, deaf since birth, who decided to get cochlear implants after living in silence for 65 years.
►“Live From Lincoln Center” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Presents a new semistaged production of “Camelot” starring Gabriel Byrne (‘‘The Usual Suspects”) as King Arthur and Marin Mazzie (‘‘Still Standing”) as Guinevere.
►“One Life to Live” (1 p.m. on ABC): Rapper Snoop Dogg will perform two songs from his new album “Ego Trippin.”
►“Scrubs” (7:30 p.m. on NBC): Finale on NBC, possibly will return on ABC in fall.
►“Terminal City” (8 p.m. on Sundance): First-season finale.
►“30 Rock” (8:31 p.m. on NBC): Second-season finale. Matthew Broderick (“War Games”) and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”) guest star.
►“Tougher in Alaska” (9 p.m. on History): Series premiere.
FRIDAY
►“Crossroads” (8 p.m. on CMT): Features multiplatinum-selling country singer Sara Evans sharing the stage with the Grammy-winning pop band Maroon 5.
►“TV’s All-Time Funniest” (7 p.m. on ABC): Will reveal who fans picked as the funniest characters in eight categories, including funniest father (Cliff Huxtable and Homer Simpson were in the running) and funniest mother (Lucy Ricardo and Marion Cunningham were among the choices.
SATURDAY
►“An American Crime” (8 p.m. on Showtime): A 2007 docudrama starring Ellen Page as Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old who was tortured by her caregiver and others in 1965.
►“Big Girl’s Blouse” (8 p.m. on Sundance): U.S. television premiere of Australian sketch comedy series.
►“Mean Green Machines” (7 p.m. on Discovery): Sneak peek, series premieres in June on the Discovery Home channel that is being renamed Planet Green.
–Penny TV
