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Next project for J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams next television project, Undercovers, centres around a husband and wife who are spies.
Not quite Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the lighthearted series is said to be co-written by Abrams and Josh Reims, who worked together on Felicity and What About Brian, with the pilot to be directed by Abrams.
The husband and wife are named Samantha and Steven (Bewitched homage anyone?), who run a catering company, having left their roles as spies. But they have now been called back into service. Unlike Mr. and Mrs. Smith, they will be a happy, …
The theatre of Andrew O’Keefe
After 1250 episodes he still gets excited, even shamelessly flamboyant, at the prospect of opening yet another briefcase. But how does Andrew O’Keefe muster up the enthusiasm he propels into Deal or No Deal?
“I enter the studio with a different agenda to the contestant,” he explains to TV Tonight.
“For them it’s about winning some cash, for me it has nothing to do with how much they win, it’s about keeping people’s eyes glued to the box. A large part of that has to do with the money but the mode of …
Vale: Henry Gibson
US character actor Henry Gibson, best known for his role in Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973, has died. He was 73.
Gibson died at his home in Malibu after a short battle with cancer, said his son Jon.
Gibson was an original cast member of Laugh-In alongside Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson and Jo Anne Worley. More recently he played the cantankerous Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.
George Schlatter, executive producer and creator of Laugh-In, said Gibson, “brought a wonderful warmth and whimsy and a charm to …
Hot Seat’s bewitching week
For the second week running Nine’s ratings enjoyed a boost from GO! that blurs its performance. While all networks enjoy share from their secondary channels, in the case of Nine figures for its titles included viewers that watched shows on GO! On three nights Hot Seat beat Deal or No Deal, but how many of them were viewers for Bewitched? All will be revealed this week when the figures break out from today.
Seven won Week 34 with 28.3% ahead of Nine’s 26.6% and TEN’s 20.8%. The ABC had 16.5% and SBS …
More details ready to GO!
More information emerged on GO! in the last week when critic Andrew Mercado told MediaWeek about some of the programming plans he had seen as part of his chat for A Current Affair.
Sunday night is sitcoms and movies, Monday includes male-skewed reality such as Dog the Bounty Hunter and Bad Lads Army; Tuesday is female-skewed reality such as Survivor, The Bachelor and Bachelorette; Wednesday night is Sci-Fi; Thursday is Gossip Girl, The Hills; Friday and Saturday is aimed at CSI when the target audience is out.
The programming is designed to …
9HD breaks out with Jeannie
From today 9HD begins break-out programming in daytimes, with a mix of movies, sitcoms and repeat screenings of its network brands.
Beginning at 11am today Nine has Charlie’s Angels and Elvis movies and from Monday its Just Shoot Me, Seinfeld, a Brooke Shields movie, Domestic Blitz, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie ending at 4:30pm. Breakout programming resumes at 10:30pm.
The afternoon trend continues through to Friday adding repeats of RPA, What’s Good For You and Getaway.
Saturday will remain a simulcast.
Nine is expected to launch an entertainment brand on Channel 99 around October …
Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation
Panel shows are all the rage. When they really fire -as many have on the ABC- they become good audience pullers and make economic sense. No expensive location or top heavy script departments here.
Commercial television hasn’t always managed to hit the magic formula. Todd McKenney and You May Be Right anyone? Glenn Robbins and Out of the Question anyone? It’s a sad but true state of affairs.
Good News Week, which was born on the ABC, and the now defunct The Panel, are two commercial exceptions, both TEN brands, along with Nine’s …
TV: The Bush Legacy
Entertainment invariably reflects its social and political times. Movies and television shows are products of their generation. When Clinton was in office there was a flood of movies depicting the US President as an action hero –something writers could never have done while crusty old Ronnie Reagan or George Bush Snr were in power. The West Wing also emerged under the Clinton reign.
So as George Dubya Bush now steps down and makes way for a change in the US, what is his television legacy?
What television shows were a response to his …
Bewitched pilot on Nine
Here is one for true fans of television.
On Sunday you can see the very first episode of Bewitched in Melbourne & Hobart at 11:30am.
The classic sitcom ran for eight seasons from 1964 to 1972, with the wonderful talents of one Elizabeth Montgomery. Together with Agnes Moorehead, Dick York Dick Sargent, David White, Alice Pearce, Paul Lynde and Marion Lorne it was TV gold.
On Sunday the Nine Network screens the very first episode, “I, Darrin, take this witch Samantha.”
You can even see him break the “fourth wall” by talking direct to camera, …