Howie Mandel by Adam Taylor/NBC Photo
Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel has signed on to star in and executive-produce a new sitcom for NBC. Hoping to make use of Mandel's ad-lib comedic abilities, NBC has given the nod to Howie Do It, an unscripted weekly laffer. — J.R. Whalen
read more
Deal or No Deal by Adam Taylor/NBC
Two contestants will need the Force with them in a special, Star Wars-themed, winner-take-all edition of Deal or No Deal airing April 28. Deal will be transformed into a Mecca of Star Wars characters and themes, complete with models dressed as Imperial storm troopers and Princess Leia.Contestant Elyse McCrillis will also get some help from none other than Carrie Fisher — the original Princess Leia — who will make a special cameo. Other faves from the franchise — Chewbacca and R2D2 — will also be on hand for some surprise arrivals. Of course, no Star Wars scene would be complete without Darth Vader: The bad guy steps in as the show's villainous banker.Ready to tune in to your inner, space-savvy dealmaker? The two-hour event airs Monday, April 28 (NBC, 8 pm/ET). — Anna Dimond
read more
Howie Mandel by Trae Patton/NBC Photo
"Deal, n'est-ce pas?" For a May-sweeps stunt, NBC's Deal or No Deal is taking the show on the road, into the air and maybe even on a catamaran or two, taping shows in some of the foreign locales that produce their own sometimes "tweaked" versions of the hit program. Setting up shop on Deal sets in Estonia, the Philippines and South Africa, Howie Mandel will guide American contestants through any special foreign rules, while a bevy of indigenous suitcase models fill the stage. "It's been a fun internal thing when we watch clips from the foreign versions," executive producer Scott St. John tells the Reporter, "so we decided we're going to explore the way they do it."Oh goody. I won 1,000,000 kroons.
read more
Skeet Ulrich in Jericho by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Just a thought: If the strike lasts much longer, do you think CBS' Big Brother house has room for all of us? I joke, of course, but I also fear that if things don't get resolved soon, it's going to be a long, cold winter indeed for fans of good old everyday regular non-reality TV.In the last few days, we’ve seen cliff-hanger episodes of Desperate Housewives and Heroes that felt like season finales, and for all we know, that’s what they might be, if production doesn’t resume early in the new year for the back half of their seasons. For the first month of the writers’ strike, viewers didn’t feel much pain (except for fans of late-night comedy, the first casualty) because we were in a sweeps month chock-full of original episodes. Life went on as usual. That’s about to end. There are scattered episodes of many series yet to air in December, and a few leftovers for early 2008. But come the new year, the TV landscape’s going to start looking mighty diffe...
read more
Michelle Ryan in Bionic Woman by Carol Segal/NBC Photo
Sci Fi is pulling the plug on its Bionic Woman repeats and USA is cutting short its run of Life encores after this week, according to the thefutoncritic.com.... But the news isn't all fatalistic for Life. NBC has scheduled the first of a two-part arc for Dec. 3 at 10 pm/ET, following Heroes' fall finale. (And if that doesn't breathe some life into the ratings.... ) Part 2 will air in the show's regular time slot, on Dec. 5.... Forget Deal or No Deal, this is more like "Making a Killing or Overkill." The briefcase-picking game show will "treat" us to two-hour episodes on Dec. 10 and 12, and just for good measure, NBC is squeezing in yet another hour-long installment on the 11th. — Ben Katner
read more
Even as host of the most glamorous of Hollywood shows such as the Oscars and the Emmys, Ellen DeGeneres opted to sport beautifully tailored velvet or silk tuxedos instead of the more conventional gown. For that matter, it's been a very long time since fans have seen DeGeneres in a dress — but that may all change in January.A good friend of Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel (who in turn has been a frequent guest on Ellen), DeGeneres will be his game show's first celebrity spokesmodel. That's right: DeGeneres will be one of the 26 briefcase-toting, elegant, sparkly dress-wearing women who may or may not be holding the million-dollar bag. "Ellen is a great supporter of the show and we were looking for our first celebrity model. Who better to do that than Ellen?" says Libby Hansen, NBC's vice president of alternative series and specials. DeGeneres' appearance will be shot on Nov. 9 and air sometime in January 2008.Ellen fans will get an early preview of the show, since DeGeneres wi...
read more
Deal or No Deal host, Howie Mandel by Trae Patton/NBC Photo
NBC Universal has cleared for next fall a syndicated weekday version of Deal or No Deal, with Howie Mandel on board to perform double duty as host. Tweaks to the half-hour daytime edition include a $250,000 prize cap and faster-paced, self-contained episodes. Asked about the possibility of Millionaire-esque ubiquity, the president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution tells the Reporter, "We waited... to make sure the show was going to hold up, and it clearly has. [So] there's really no fear about overexposure." 'Cept when it comes to the models' skimpy dresses.
read more
Question: Are you surprised the network didn't ask for a two-hour pilot for Bionic Woman rather than a one-hour pilot? I thought that both Journeyman and Bionic Woman left a lot unexplained in terms of development. We barely know much of Jaime's life before the auto crash. I would have wanted five or ten more minutes of the pre-bionic Jaime. Also maybe five or ten more minutes of when she is held in the secret lab. Plus, we don't know much about the other characters, like Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer). Instead they have to premiere Deal or No Deal and Life. Couldn't they have waited a week to premiere Life?
Answer: These days, I'm almost surprised when a network orders up a full pilot at all, let alone a two-hour treatment. As a cost-saving measure, some networks are moving toward buying projects (like CBS' anemic Moonlight) based on presentations rather than full pilots, figuring they can tweak, recast and refine along the way to the premiere. For NBC to invest in a two-hour movie
...
read more
Question: As thrilled as I am that NBC is giving the stellar Friday Night Lights another chance, I've become even more excited about the show's new time slot, Fridays at 9 pm/ET. I know many have bemoaned the fact that Friday is a TV graveyard where quality shows are sent to die, but unless I'm missing something here, this new slot could work in the show's favor for three very big reasons. First, there’s the aforementioned reputation Friday has as a low-viewership night. Thus, the expectations probably aren't as high as they were when the show was on Tuesdays. Second, instead of being asked to kick off a night, Lights will have a lead-in (Deal or No Deal) that generates a fairly sizable audience. Doesn't it stand to reason that at least some Deal viewers will stick around — and, hopefully, like what they see from Lights? Both shows, while different, are programs families can watch together. And third, every other show the networks have scheduled against Lights in that slot is a new ...
read more
NBC Universal is telling potential buyers that the syndicated version of the red-hot Deal or No Deal will only be a half hour, and the top prize will be a "mere" $250,000 (as opposed to a full mil). Variety also reports that while Howie Mandel is continuing on as host, the bevy of suitcase-toting hotties will be narrowed down from 26 to an as-yet-undetermined number. The Banker has also been instructed to start talking faster.
read more
