House Hunters
For reality-TV fans, the revelation that not every aspect of a show is legit is like learning there's no Santa Claus. They move on and enjoy the presents.
But the curtain on "reality" is getting pulled back more and more. Last spring, HGTV acknowledged that the home viewings on House Hunters are done for the cameras after buyers have already chosen their properties. In his recent wrongful-dismissal suit, former Storage Wars star David Hester charged producers with planting valuable items in the bins up for...
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Krysten Ritter and James Van Der Beek
ABC is moving out of Apartment 23.
With eight episodes left to air in its sophomore season, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 has been pulled from the schedule, TVGuide.com has confirmed. In its place, ABC will air back-to-back episodes of Happy Endings.
ABC boss on fall failures, revitalizing Dancing and looking forward to S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC ran additional episodes of the Tuesday night comedies on...
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Shirley Maclaine, Maggie Smith
Downton Abbey survived World War I. But can the country manor weather the latest skirmish, a below-stairs battle between those scheming servants O'Brien and Thomas?
That's just one of the many entertaining questions and diverting dilemmas presented by the long-awaited — and well worth the wait — third season of this Masterpiece Classic addiction, which returns like a delicious if bittersweet bonbon. (And how I hope you've kept the blinders on regarding the many spoilers issuing from across the pond during the recent U.K. telecast.)
"No family is ever what it seems from the outside," muses the formidable Dowager Countess (the peerless Maggie Smith) during one of the many crises that beset the Crawleys and their loyal servants over the next seven Sundays (PBS, check tvguide.com listings).
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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
CBS topped Tuesday night with some help from Gibbs, Rudolph and some Angels.
The network's annual broadcast of The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was the highest-rated program of the night ...
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Charlie Hunnam, Dayton Callie
The price of power sits heavy on the shaggy head of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the prince-turned-leader of a troubled biker kingdom on FX's Sons of Anarchy, wrapping its fifth and best-yet season tonight with a super-sized 90-minute finale (10/9c). A few weeks ago, in a moment worthy of this series' Shakespearian ambitions, Jax told his disgraced, dethroned evil stepfather Clay (Ron Perlman): "I'm tired of being crushed under the weight of greedy men who believe in nothing."
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Shark Tank
American workers haven't had it easy these days, as they deal with high unemployment rates and home foreclosures. What better way for them to escape their economic woes than to watch a reality show where the stars are a bunch of one-percenters?
That's why they're tuning in to ABC's Shark Tank, which has quietly grown into a hit with close to 7 million viewers each week. The show...
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Malibu Country
ABC is probably saying "TGIF." The network was No. 1 Friday night in all six half-hour slots, scoring season highs in total viewers and the adults 18-to-49 demographic.
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Kaitlyn Dever, Tim Allen
I'm a sucker for tradition, and there are probably worse ideas than ABC reviving the "TGIF" concept of family-friendly sitcoms on Friday night. Depending on your generation, you may find yourself thinking nostalgically of watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family with the babysitter, or growing up with the Full House-Family Matters-Boy Meets World-Perfect Strangers brand of ABC comedy. Hold on to those memories, because unfortunately, there are few shows this season worse or more grating than tonight's Malibu Country (8:31/7:31c), where the beachfront corn grows awfully and annoyingly high.
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Portia de Rossi and Mason Cook
NBC's Mockingbird Lane enjoyed a respectable premiere Friday night. The expensive pilot-turned-Halloween special was watched by 5.44 million viewers and earned a 1.5 in the key adults 18-to-49 demographic. Unfortunately, Kitchen Nightmares' premiere only earned a 0.9, down from last season's premiere (1.6).
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Fringe
The networks still aren't lighting up Friday nights. Attempts this fall to reclaim the night with original scripted programming were over before they even began: Fox punted Touch to January; NBC yanked Whitney and Community at the very last minute; and the first cancellation of fall was CBS' Friday drama dud Made in Jersey.
"It all comes back to a lot of changing viewership habits," says Andy Kubitz, ABC Entertainment Group's executive vice president of program planning and scheduling. "People aren't staying around to watch TV on Fridays."
Viewership on the night has grown fragmented...
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