October 2010
10/31/2010
Which Scripted Series Are Thriving, Ailing or In Between?
In finicky TV Land, where executives strive to please advertisers with high ratings numbers, no TV show can consider itself truly safe. Most vulnerable are the newest shows, which haven't had much time to draw audiences in. But long-running hit shows can also slip quickly out of favor, once they start showing some wear and tear. Even a great first year for a series doesn't guarantee a second or third one (witness NBC's Heroes).
On the other hand, lots of smart, well-written shows do manage to find their footing and entertain us year after year. Sometimes, they're overshadowed by newer, trendier series -- but that doesn't mean they're going anywhere. You may not hear a lot about ABC's Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy, or NBC's Parenthood, but they're still attracting viewers in large enough numbers to keep them going.
The networks have offered a standard commitment (they'll order a full season's worth of episodes) to several new fall shows. Among those with a healthy pulse are CBS's Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, Mike & Molly, The Defenders and $#*! My Dad Says; NBC's Outsourced, The Event and Law & Order: LA; Fox's Raising Hope; ABC's No Ordinary Family and Better With You; and The CW's Hellcats and Nikita.
NBC's Community doesn't have much buzz, and its morning-after ratings numbers are dismal. But once you factor in DVR numbers, the show holds its own, coming in just below the most popular comedies on TV, like The Office and Modern Family.
At ABC, neither Undercovers nor Detroit 1-8-7 was a hit out of the gate. But the network has given each of these relatively strong shows a little more time to wow viewers (and more importantly, advertisers). And Fox is allowing Human Target to hang in there a little while longer; it just ordered two more scripts.
The CW's Life Unexpected, which is in its second season, didn't make the list when the network announced its full-season pickups. Fox's Running Wilde and The Good Guys are in the same boat: The network hasn't mentioned them despite announcing its decision to pick up a full season of Raising Hope. And CBS has cut back on its episode order for Medium, from 22 to 13 episodes. That's usually a death knell.
These four shows have already been put out of their low-ratings misery: ABC's My Generation, The Gates and The Whole Truth; and NBC's Outlaw.
Tony Romo Twista Tyler Perry Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Williams
Beyonce's Mom Denies Pregnancy Rumors
Tina Knowles tells Ellen DeGeneres that her daughter is not pregnant.
By Gil Kaufman
Beyoncé and Tina Knowles
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images
Not so fast. By now, the Knowles family is used to the constant rumors about Beyoncé's reported pregnancies. But in an unusual move, the singer's mother, Tina Knowles, is slated to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday to refute the latest claims.
The latest round of whispers started earlier this week when Us Magazine, citing an unnamed source, reported that the 29-year-old star was expecting her first child with hubby and fellow mogul Jay-Z.
But according to a clip of Thursday's show obtained by gossip site TMZ, Tina Knowles flatly denied those stories. "I heard that, but I'm here to clear the rumors up. The truth is it's not Beyoncé that's pregnant, it's me," she jokingly told Ellen. "No, it's not true. Not right now. I'm looking forward to it. With all the rumors, by now I should have about five or six grandchildren."
Tina does have one grandchild so far, 6-year-old Daniel Julez Smith, the son of her youngest daughter Solange.
Before the denial, Us reported that a source said, "B was shocked. She loves kids, but she wasn't ready to be a mother just yet ... She really wanted to get her album done and tour the world again." Another unnamed source claimed the singer was in her first trimester and that she considered the pregnancy "a gift from God and she's so happy."
This is the second time this year that a rumor has surfaced about Beyoncé being pregnant. In March, her representatives quickly shot down reports that Beyoncé was pregnant.
The couple, who married in 2008, have always kept their private life private, but Beyoncé has been open to talking about motherhood. Earlier this year, she spoke to Allure about the prospect of being a mother. "I definitely want to have a child, but I know from my nephew it's a lot. I hope that those things will just happen naturally. I still haven't had time to relax," she said.
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