No more reruns … soon
Are you ready for some new episodes of your favorite TV shows?
The wait won’t be much longer. However, some fans will have to wait until fall to catch new episodes of “24,” “Heroes,” “Pushing Daisies” and a few others.
Shows that may or may not return at all are “Big Shots,” “Bionic Woman,” “Cane,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Journeyman,” “Las Vegas,” “Life Is Wild,” “Prison Break,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “The Unit.”
Here’s a breakdown by network of when shows will return with new episodes.
ABC: “Boston Legal” (April 8); “Brothers & Sisters” (April 20); “Desperate Housewives” (April 13); “Dirty Sexy Money” (fall); “Grey’s Anatomy” (April 24); “Lost” (April 24); “Men In Trees” (Feb. 27); “Private Practice” (fall); “Pushing Daisies” (fall); “Samantha Who?” (April 7); “Ugly Betty” (April 24); “Women’s Murder Club” (TBA).
NBC: “30 Rock” (April 10); “Chuck” (fall); “ER” (April 10); “Heroes” (fall); “Law & Order” (April 23); “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (April 15); “Life”; “Medium” (currently airing); “My Name Is Earl” (April 3); “The Office” (April 10); “Scrubs” (April 10).
CBS: “The Big Bang Theory” (March 17); “Cold Case” (March 30); “Criminal Minds” (April 2); “CSI” (April 3); “CSI: Miami” (March 24); CSI: NY” (April 2); “Ghost Whisperer” (April 4); “How I Met Your Mother” (March 17); “Moonlight” (April 11); NCIS” (April 8); “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (currently airing); “NUMB3RS” (April 4); “Rules of Engagement” (April 14); “Shark” (TBA); “Two and a Half Men” (March 17); “Without a Trace” (April 3).
Fox: “24” (Jan. 2009); “Back to You” (April 16); “Bones” (April 14); “House” (April 28); “’Til Death” (currently airing).
CW: “Aliens in America” (March 2); “Everybody Hates Chris” (March 2); “The Game” (March 2); “Girlfriends” (one-hour series finale is being discussed); “Gossip Girl” (April 21); “One Tree Hill” (currently airing); “Reaper” (currently airing); “Smallville” (March 13); “Supernatural” (April 24).
Cable: “Army Wives” (June on Lifetime); “Battlestar Galactica” (April 4 on SCI FI); “Burn Notice” (July on USA); “The Closer” (summer on TNT); “Greek” (March 24 on ABC Family); “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (spring on USA); “The Riches” (March 18 on FX).
– Penny Soldan, TV Editor
Maximum Exposure
Of course, there are more television channels out there than are listed in The Oklahoman’s TV Week. The print would be awfully small if room was made for all of them.
TV Week, however, does list programming schedules for 76 channels in the Metro book (distributed in the Oklahoma City area) and 78 channels in the Tulsa/State book (although 15 of them are local affiliates for ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS). That’s more channels than most TV books offer.
But still, some good ones are left out. Encore Westerns, WE, SoapNet, ESPNU, TV One, Science Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Outdoor Life, Toon Disney, Gospel Music Channel, not to mention the digital channels such as OETA-Okla, KTBO’s Church Channel and KOPX’s QUBO Kids.
So in this space, special announcements from the networks not listed in TV Week will be made. We don’t want you to miss anything good.
– Penny Soldan, TV Editor
“Celebrity Says!” 9 p.m. Feb. 25 on TV Guide Network
(4 on Cox Cable, 117 on Dish Network, 237 on Direct TV)
Dave Holmes (MTV’s “Say What Karaoke”) hosts this new game show in which contestants try to finish celebrities’ sentences, guessing everything from stars’ favorite movies to their favorite kind of pie. The winner of the four rounds then competes for the grand prize of $5,000.
“Allure Backstage: Hottest Beauty Trends,” 8 p.m. March 3 on Style Network
(115 on Dish Network, 235 on Direct TV)
“Ultimate Style” host Daisy Fuentes and Allure Magazine’s Linda Wells take viewers backstage at top fashion shows around the world to reveal behind-the-scenes secrets of the newest hair and makeup trends.
“Download: The True Story of the Internet,” 8 p.m. March 3 on Science Channel
(101 on Cox Digital, 193 on Dish Network, 284 on Direct TV)
The founders of eBay, Yahoo, Amazon, Netscape, Google and others go on camera and tell the behind-the-scenes stories of how they went from being geeky, computer-obsessed nerds to 21st century visionaries who launched information-sharing and e-commerce companies that took over the world. Four-part series concludes with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. March 4.
“High School Confidential,” 9 p.m. March 10 on WE
(128 on Dish Network, 260 on Direct TV)
This new eight-episode documentary series takes an unprecedented four-year look inside the lives of 12 teenage girls to capture the truths behind the real high school experience.
‘Rider’ ready …. almost
NBC will be fine-tuning the new “Knight Rider” movie right up to the airdate.
The modern-day sequel to the 1980’s television series is scheduled to premiere with a 2-hour movie (that will serve as the series pilot) at 8 p.m. Feb. 17.
What with all the special effects involved with creating the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) car capable of shifting shape and color, it’s understandable that things will need to be tweaked until the last possible second.
But another setback surfaced when Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”), who was to be the new voice of KITT, had to back out because of his verbal endorsement work for General Motors. KITT, after all, is a Ford Mustang.
Arnett had already completed the voice-overs for the movie. But reports surfaced Thursday that Val Kilmer (“Comanche Moon”) will replace Arnett as the voice of KITT.
Also starring in the new “Knight Rider” are Justin Bruening (“All My Children”), Deanna Russo (“The Young and the Restless”), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (“Veronica Mars”) and Bruce Davison (“Close To Home”).
Russo plays Sarah Graimen, who is following in the footsteps of her father, Charles (Davison), who invented KITT. When Charles goes missing, Sarah enlists the help of her best friend, Mike Tracer (Bruening), and an FBI agent (Poitier) to find him and discover who’s behind the attempt to obtain KITT.
Viewers can obtain a KITT-like car of their own by answering questions pertaining to the movie during its broadcast. Go to www.nbc.com/knightrider to answer the questions for a chance to win one of four new high-tech Ford automobiles — the grand prize being a 2008 Ford Shelby GT 500 KR with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $79,995.
— Penny Soldan, TV Editor
What’s Happening!!
Here’s the latest news from the networks concerning series premieres, renewals and acquisitions, followed by a list that will be continuously updated to keep viewers in tune with what’s going on with their favorite TV shows.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
- “America’s Prom Queen” — Series premieres March 17 on ABC Family (six episodes).
- “The Baby Borrowers” — NBC series originally scheduled to premiere on Feb. 18 will move to a later date to be announced.
- “The Celebrity Apprentice” — First-season finale airs March 27 on NBC. Second season premieres in January 2009.
- “Click & Clacks As the Wrench Turns” — Series premieres in summer on PBS (first animated primetime series inspired by Tom and Ray Magliozzi’s radio show “Car Talk.”
- “Crash” — Series premieres in sometime in 2008 on Starz (13 episodes based on Academy Award-winning film “Crash”).
- “Dear Genevieve” — Series premieres in 2009 on HGTV. Hosted by popular design personality Genevieve Gorder.
- “Deion & Pillar: Prime Time Love” — Series premieres April 15 on Oxygen. Sneak peek Sunday during Super Bowl halftime show.
- “Flashpoint” — CBS has ordered 13 episodes of this new police drama inspired by true stories of an elite big city Strategic Response Unit. Production will begin in April.
- “Gordon Ramsay’s F Word” — BBC America has acquired season 3, premiere date is TBA.
- “Last Restaurant Standing” — Series premieres Feb. 12 on BBC America.
- “Legally Blonde: The Search for the New Elle Woods” — New reality series premiering in spring on MTV. It follows the search for a talented singer/actress/dancer to take over for Broadway star and current lead Laura Bell Bundy.
- “Mary Queen of Shops” — BBC America has acquired seasons 1 and 2, premiere date is TBA.
- “My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad” — Series premieres Feb. 22 on NBC.
- “Raising the Bar” — Latest legal drama series from Emmy winner Steven Bochco scheduled to premiere in 2008 on TNT. Stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (“NYPD Blue”), Gloria Reuben (“ER”) and Jane Kaczmarek (“Malcolm in the Middle”).
- “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” — Season 4 premiered Jan. 24 on BBC America.
- “Rescue Chef” — Series premieres March 1 on Food Network.
- “Survivor” — CBS has ordered two more editions to be broadcast during the 2008-09 season. These will mark the 17th and 18th editions of television’s longest-running hit reality competition series.
- “Top Gear” — Season 10 premieres Feb. 25 on BBC America.
- “UFO Hunters” — Series premiered Jan. 30 on History Channel.
- “Your Mama Don’t Dance” — Series premieres Feb. 29 on Lifetime (eight episodes, season finale Apil 18). Hosted by Ian Ziering (Dancing With the Stars”).
NETWORK NEWS
- “Big Brother” – Ninth season premieres Feb. 12 on CBS.
- “Dexter” – Showtime drama debuts Feb. 17 on CBS with the pilot episode.
- “Eli Stone” – Series premieres Jan. 31 on ABC.
- “Jericho” – Second season premieres Feb. 12 on CBS.
- “Lipstick Jungle” – Series premieres Feb. 7 on NBC.
- “Lost” – Fourth season premieres Jan. 31 on ABC.
- “The New Adventures of Old Christine” – Third season premieres Feb. 4.
- “Power of 10″ – Pulled from CBS schedule, expected to return in summer.
- “The Price is Right” – Coming to prime-time Feb. 22 on CBS for first of six hour-long episodes.
- “quarterlife” – Series premieres Feb. 26 on NBC.
- “Survivor: Micronesia” – Sixteenth season premieres Feb. 7 on CBS.
- “Welcome to the Captain” – Series premieres Feb. 4.
CABLE COMMENTS
- “Brotherhood” – Renewed for eight-episode third season on Showtime.
- “Cities of the Underworld” – Second season premieres Jan. 28 on History Channel.
- Clinically Wild Alaska” – Series premieres Feb. 8 on Animal Planet.
- “In Treatment” – Series premieres Jan. 28 on HBO.
- “Jericho” – CBS drama debuts Feb. 11 on SCI FI with a four-episode marathon.
- “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” – Renewed for fourth season on Bravo. Scheduled to return sometime in 2008.
- “Pinks” – Fifth season premieres Feb. 20 on Speed Channel.
- “Tori & Dean … Still Inn Love: – Renewed for eight-episode third season on Oxygen. Scheduled to return in summer 2008.
- “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” – Series premieres Feb. 17 on Food Network.
SYNDICATED STUFF
- “The Martha Stewart Show” – Renewed for a fourth season.
- “The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet” – Renewed for a second season.
Grammy goodness
Good news! The Writers Guild of America has announced that the 50th annual Grammy Awards will not be picketed.
Better news! Carrie Underwood is among the first group of artists committed to perform during the ceremony that will air live at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 on CBS. The two-time Grammy winner is also nominated this year for best female country vocal performance and best country collaboration with vocals (with Brad Paisley). Other artists scheduled to perform during the 3-and-a-half hour telecast are Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna. Foo Fighters will perform as part of this year’s “My Grammy Moment” 2008 segment, in which 15 unsigned musicians will play with the group as part of an orchestra. Franklin and Blige will take part in a Gospel segment that will also include The Clark Sisters, Israel & New Breed, the Madison Bumblebees and Trin-I-Tee 5:7. – Penny Soldan, TV Editor
What’s happening!!
This has nothing to do with the 1970’s ABC sitcom, although that was a funny show. Raj and Dwayne and Rerun, not to mention Dee and the late great Shirley Hemphill as sassy waitress Shirley.
But enough about that. This will be an on-going column that will be updated every time a network renews a series or announces a premiere date or pulls the plug on a show (not that networks let that be known through a press release).
In any case, this should help keep viewers in tune with what’s going on with their favorite TV shows.
— Penny Soldan, TV Editor
NETWORK NEWS
- “Big Brother” — Ninth season premieres Feb. 12 on CBS.
- “Dexter” — Showtime drama debuts Feb. 17 on CBS with the pilot episode.
- “Eli Stone” — Series premieres Jan. 31 on ABC.
- “Jericho” — Second season premieres Feb. 12 on CBS.
- “Lipstick Jungle” — Series premieres Feb. 7 on NBC.
- “Lost” — Fourth season premieres Jan. 31 on ABC.
- “The New Adventures of Old Christine” — Third season premieres Feb. 4.
- “Power of 10” — Pulled from CBS schedule, expected to return in summer.
- “The Price is Right” — Coming to prime-time Feb. 22 on CBS for first of six hour-long episodes.
- “Survivor: Micronesia” — Sixteenth season premieres Feb. 7 on CBS.
- “Welcome to the Captain” — Series premieres Feb. 4.
CABLE COMMENTS
- “Brotherhood” — Renewed for eight-episode third season on Showtime.
- “Cities of the Underworld” — Second season premieres Jan. 28 on History Channel.
- “Clinically Wild Alaska” — Series premieres Feb. 8 on Animal Planet.
- “In Treatment” — Series premieres Jan. 28 on HBO.
- “Jericho” — CBS drama debuts Feb. 11 on SCI FI with a four-episode marathon.
- “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” — Renewed for fourth season on Bravo. Scheduled to return sometime in 2008.
- “Pinks” — Fifth season premieres Feb. 20 on Speed Channel.
- “quarterlife” — Series premieres Feb. 18 on NBC.
- “Tori & Dean … Still Inn Love: — Renewed for eight-episode third season on Oxygen. Scheduled to return in summer 2008.
- “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” — Series premieres Feb. 17 on Food Network.
SYNDICATED STUFF
- “The Martha Stewart Show” — Renewed for a fourth season.
- “The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet” — Renewed for a second season.
This just in from CBS …
Reality television star and actress Paris Hilton visits “Late Show With David Letterman” Friday, Feb. 1 (10:35 p.m. on KWTV-9).
This will be Hilton’s sixth appearance on “Late Show” and her first visit back to the CBS late night broadcast since Sept. 28, 2007.
Hilton was recently named Harvard Lampoon‘s “Woman of the Year,” and will visit Harvard University to accept the award on Feb. 6. Her new film, “The Hottie and the Nottie,” hits theaters Friday, Feb. 8.
