A year ago, the former stars of the WB and UPN found themselves uncomfortably mingling on one stage for the first upfront of the new CW network. They looked like the kids at the wedding of two single parents.This year, the CW took a step toward developing its own personality, shedding the aging Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars (the longest-running unsuccessful show in prime time) and All of Us (the weakest link in its lineup of urban sitcoms). The network is even taking the teen out of teen-angst drama One Tree Hill. When that show returns in mid-season, the characters will have been fast-forwarded to their lives after college.The network is replacing All of Us with Aliens In America, a comedy about a Muslim exchange student coming to live in Wisconsin. It looks funny and a little provocative. Who would have thought the CW would have the first sitcom to deal with post-9/11 attitudes?Tuesday at 9 pm brings Reaper, about a slacker whose parents sold his soul to the Devil, played with a br...
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Tyra Banks courtsy The CW
The question that has been keeping no one I know on the edge of their seat: What’s next for the CW, coming off its mostly dismal freshman year, in which the biggest news was made by posting closing notices on shows that had long ago peaked or lost much of their buzz (7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, the latter still apparently having an itty-bitty chance of midseason resurrection). A year in which the closest thing to a new breakout hit that didn’t originate on either the WB or UPN was an insipid Pussycat Dolls reality show—slated for a midseason return, begging the question: How many Pussycat Dolls do we really need?It took the CW long enough to get busy in the reality game, which is actually rather puzzling considering its target demographic of young females has been weaned on the format on MTV, VH1, as well as the bigger networks. America’s Next Top Model has long been a signature show, first for UPN and now CW, and now the network is getting serious ...
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This Sunday's ratings in a nutshell:8 pm/ETOpposite the first half of the Survivor: Fiji finale (which averaged 13.54 million total viewers across its two-hour run; see related TV Guide News Report), Ty Pennington's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (10.22 mil) dropped 1.4 mil week-to-week. The CW's 7th Heaven (3.37 mil) surged 570 thou to say goodbye to its biggest audience since February 18.9 pmDespite slipping 1.1 mil to a new series low, Desperate Housewives (15.75 mil) bested the back half of Survivor.10 pmBrothers & Sisters (11.93 mil) was up 700,000 and won in the key demos, yet fell shy of Survivor's reunion special (12.06 mil) in total viewers.
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Question: After reading your comments in the 4/23 mailbag on the lack of an end to Gilmore Girls (don't worry, this isn't a Gilmore Girls question), I realized that there may be no big network series finales at all this May. I know The Sopranos is ending, but I don't get HBO and that is a different animal considering its unusual scheduling. Can you remember the last time that happened? It seems like every year there's at least one decent-size finale, whether it be a cult classic like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2003), a huge one like Friends (2004), a pretty big one like Everybody Loves Raymond (2005) or even just a moderately big one like That '70s Show (2006). All of those shows were on for at least six years. This year we've avoided an ER finale and appear to have avoided a Gilmore Girls one as well. 7th Heaven would've been considered big... if it hadn't already happened last year. What do you attribute this to? Is it just a random coincidence, or is it more symptomatic of the fact ...
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Lost uncorks a shocker — or several — in May.
Finales! Guest stars! Crossover episodes! Mark your calendars now so you don't miss your favorite shows!
Monday, April 23On 24 (9 pm/ET, Fox), Jack goes rogue in a desperate attempt to save Audrey from the Chinese. Wait, isn't he already rogue?
Tuesday, April 24American Idol (8 pm/ET, Fox) lays witness to the rarely seen softer side of Simon Cowell in the two-part "Idol Gives Back" charity special. Part 2 airs tomorrow, 8 pm/ET. On ABC, boxer Oscar de la Hoya mixes it up with George Lopez (8:30 pm/ET).
Wednesday, April 25Sun's babydaddy is revealed on Lost (10 pm/ET, ABC).
Thursday, April 26The season's best new sitc
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Question: The latest episodes of 7th Heaven seem to point to a spin-off with Beverley Mitchell. Am I crazy, or is someone pitching a new show called "Crossroads"?
Answer: You're crazy. Whaddaya say we let this show die with what zero dignity it has left.
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Haylie Duff
As kid sis Hilary welcomes MTV fans into her pop-star world with a new reality show, Haylie Duff is having a hard time sleeping. In the Lifetime movie Nightmare, premiering Saturday, April 7 at 8 pm/ET, Duff takes on a "smarter" role in a thriller that steers her away from the sweet, maternal character she plays on 7th Heaven (which, it was announced this week, will air its series finale on May 13). TVGuide.com caught up with Duff during her much-needed break to talk up her scare-filled segue as well as get a gander at Heaven's finale. Plus, find out which shows she'll be watching when she's not busy working.
TVGuide.com: Tell me about Lifetime's Nightmare.Hayl
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When 7th Heaven (once again) wraps up its storied run, the May 13 series finale will tie things in a neat little bow, yet also offer hope for the future. As Haylie Duff tells TVGuide.com, "There is a lot of resolution, and a lot of new beginnings, as well." Though she was only with the Aaron Spelling creation for two of its 11 years, Duff — who stars in the April 7 Lifetime movie Nightmare — says it was an honor to be a part of "a show that will go down in history," noting, "Everyone's experience was so wonderful and we took away from it everything we wanted to, which I think is special and important." — Additional reporting by Megan Cherkezian
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You could get whiplash trying to keep track of shows’ comings and goings during a network mid-season as chaotic and badly managed as this one is turning out to be. Some thoughts about the latest news, much of which surfaced in the trades and some of which has yet to be confirmed by the networks:First, the no-brainer: 7th Heaven is officially being laid to rest. Again. The family-friendly drama, which was brought back from cancellation a year ago when the new CW decided it needed to launch with as many familiar franchises as possible, is now gearing up to say goodbye to the Camdens once more, when the 11th season wraps May 13. This was hardly unexpected. The show went decidedly under the radar when the CW moved it from Mondays to Sundays, where it was stranded amid a sea of repeats and second-runs of shows like America’s Next Top Model. It was time to go a year ago. This is just sad.Now on to this spring’s roster of mid-season losers. Hope you didn’t get too attac...
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The longest-running family drama on television, 7th Heaven, will bow out after 11 years on the air and broadcast its series finale on May 13, the trades are reporting. The series previously (while on WB) aired its "final episode" last May, but was granted a reprieve when the CW gave it a last-minute pickup. But since Everwood isn't around to slight again, this particular finale will probably stick.
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