Hell's Kitchen by Greg Gayne/Fox
Tuesday's tallies:8 pm/ETIdol (23.97 million total viewers) rebounded from last week's sizable dip by gaining 2.7 mil, and actually was up four percent from last season's Top 3 performance night. NCIS (14.7 mil) added 900 thou. Beauty and the Geek wrapped up its (final?) season with a typical 1.53 mil.9 pmDWTS slipped 1.5 mil yet of course topped the hour (with 16.6 mil). Hell's Kitchen delivered an all-time best 12.4 mil. The truly penultimate episode of Shark did 10.2 mil, while renewed Reaper dropped 470K, to two mil.10 pmSVU's season-ender delivered 11.32 mil, while the Women's Murder Club series finale scored 8.45 mil, down 230 thou week-to-week.
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Question: I am extremely happy that ABC has decided to put Women's Murder Club back on this season. I'm not really happy about the time slot, but I can always record SVU. Club has the best writing of all the new shows this past season, the chemistry is great and I'm just a huge Angie Harmon fan. Will ABC be picking it up for next season?
Answer: Depends on how these next three episodes do, creatively as well as in the ratings. The experiment starts this Tuesday at 10 pm/ET — unfortunately, it's going head-to-head with a high-profile Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode featuring Robin Williams. In its favor, ABC would love to have a weekly procedural crime drama, and with James Patterson's name attached as well as Harmon's fan base, this still could be the network's best shot, if they're patient with it ...
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James Tupper and Anne Heche in Men in Trees by Michael Courtney/ABC
Some head-scratching is in order upon looking at ABC's latest round of midseason shuffling. On one hand, I get why the network would try to give Women’s Murder Club some exposure on a night that isn’t Friday. But in announcing its return with three new episodes on Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET, starting April 29, you can’t help but wonder if the show is being given a favor after all. This scheduling puts it head-to-head against NBC’s powerful Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which you’d think targets much of the same audience. Not only that, but April 29 is the night SVU airs its 200th episode, featuring Robin Williams as a guest villain. (And it has been previously announced that Mariska Hargitay will be getting a steady boyfriend in Bill Pullman, adding even more juice to this already potent franchise.)Quick check of tea leaves. Yep. SVU is going to murder Club first night out.The return of Women’s Murder Club shifts Boston Legal to Wednesdays at 10 pm/E...
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Women's Murder Club by Gale Adler/ABC
ABC has set an April 29 return date for Women's Murder Club, which has three fresh episodes to burn off. WMC's Tuesday-at-10 time slot effectively bumps Boston Legal to Wednesdays at 10 as of April 30, which in turn trims Men in Trees from the network's schedule for several weeks. Trees is expected to resume its oft-resuming second season on Wednesday, May 28.What's your take? The same sad story for Trees, or did it not have any "momentum" to lose?Check out our Returning Favorites guide for previews, photos and videos of more than 40 shows!For more on ABC's scheduling decision, read the Roush Dispatch.
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Gerald McRaney by Lester Cohen/WireImage.com and Angie Harmon by Andrew Southam/ABC
Fallen Jericho patriarch Gerald McRaney has been cast as the estranged pop of Angie Harmon's Lindsay on Women's Murder Club, sources confirm to me exclusively. Dad is described as a dirty ex-cop who has few friends on the force — and that includes his daughter. The two have been estranged for seven years, and his mere presence gives her the creeps. She even refuses to call him "Dad," which is never a good thing (unless you're a Simpson). McRaney's onboard for one of this season's three post-strike episodes, although he could reappear next season — if there is a next season. Fleshing out Lindsay's personal life appears to be a top priority for new Club boss Robert Nathan. In addition to a dad, Harmon's bloodhound will be getting a new love interest in the form of The 4400's Joel Gretsch (Ausiello Report 3/17).
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Returns Tuesday April 29 at 10 pmET ABCNumber of new episodes 3Where we left off The Kiss-Me-Not killer set his sights on Det Lindsay Boxer Angie Harmon who got protection from a hunky FBI profiler Stargate Atlantis Joe Flanigan while ADA Jill Bernhardt Laura Harris was ditched by her boyfriend for cheatingWhats next In an effort to save the faltering series the network brought in veteran producer Robert Nathan Law Order to do some tweaking The crime stories will be more serious and relevant Nathan vows so all four women will be emotionally challenged A figure from Lindsays past will pop up to reveal why the detective is so obsessed with her workLove is murder Enter a hot new beau Joel Gretsch for Lindsay We want to see her fall in love and be happy Nathan says Plus Jill will choose a shocking bedmate
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Question: Thanks for the scoop about the awesome Joel Gretsch from The 4400 playing Angie Harmon's love interest on Women's Murder Club. Anything else you can share about this underrated show?
Answer: In addition to a boyfriend, Harmon's Lindsay is also getting a dad, and an estranged one at that. Apparently father (a former cop) and daughter haven't spoken in seven years.
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Angie Harmon by Bob D'Amico/ABC; Joel Gretsch by Alan Zenuk/USA Network
The 4400's Joel Gretsch has been tapped to play Angie Harmon's new love interest on Women's Murder Club, sources confirm to me exclusively. His character, a charming hotel builder, bumps into Lindsay at the Hall of Justice and, as you might've guessed, it's lust at first sight. As you also might've guessed, he's harboring a humdinger of a secret, the specifics of which I'll get into in this week's Ausiello Report vodcast. Look for that tomorrow at around 10 am/ET.Gretsch is slated to appear in all three of Murder Club's post-strike episodes.In the meantime, help this non-4400 zealot out: Is Gretsch a good match for Harmon? Judging by the pics above, I'm inclined to say yesssiiirrreeebob!
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Question: What's the buzz on the new-and-improved Women's Murder Club?
Answer: The buzz is that new show-runner Robert Nathan is on the prowl for a new love interest for Angie Harmon.
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Question: I'm dying for more Dollhouse scoop! BTW, I loved the story you and Ben Katner did pitching actors for the show.Answer: I'll be curious to see if Joss takes any of our suggestions. I'm sure it's a long shot, especially in light of what he told me back in November when Dollhouse was just announced. "My first instinct is to probably [cast] new people [in Dollhouse], because I'm already reuniting with Eliza and I don't want it to seem like a house party," he said. "I want to make sure people get a fresh feeling from it. But behind the scenes, I will be chasing many writers that I have worked with before because they're the people I trust." Hence Whedon's decision to snap up former Angel scribes Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain the moment they parted ways with Wome
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