Housewives Star in Critical Condition After Motorcycle Accident; Will Production Be Halted?
matt.mitovich
Ratings: NCIS Eyes New High, Eli Stone Keeps the Faith
Tuesday's ratings tally: 8 pm/ET NCIS continued its streak as the night's most-watched program, delivering 17.86 million total viewers — a 14 percent week-to-week surge and quite possibly its biggest audience of the season-to-date; we'll know for sure later. Nonethless, it was the military drama's best performance in the 18-49 demo since Nov. 6, 2007. (Thanks, Papa Walton! And g'night, John-Boy!) House inched up 160K, to 12.82 mil, followed by Biggest Loser (which averaged a typical 7.45 mil). 9 pm The Mentalist again bested Dancing with the Stars' results show, 14.86 mil to 14.37 mil. Fringe (9.53 mil) placed third, dropping 500K from its last outing, but topped the hour in demos. 10 pm Without a Trace toppled some 13 percent yet still led the pack with 10.99 million viewers. SVU was No. 1 in demos, but slipped 800 thou to 9.4 mil. ABC's Eli Stone was welcomed back by an audience of 8.82 mil, a 44 percent increase over its Season 1 finale.
Amy Sedaris Inks Sitcom Deal, Guest Gig on The Closer
Strangers with Candy alum Amy Sedaris is set to bring her oh-so-special brand of funny back to television, having signed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV to create, write and star in her own sitcom project, says the Hollywood Reporter. Hmm, Tina Fey 2.0? The as-yet-untitled series is being fleshed out by Sedaris and writing partner Paul Dinello, but the premise is based on an idea Sedaris came up with six years ago. Dinello will direct the single-camera show, and no less than Sedaris BFF David Letterman's Worldwide Pants will co-produce. But first, Sedaris will lens a two-episode arc on TNT's The Closer, playing Fritz's sister. (His psychic sister, TVGuide.com has learned.) Master interrogator Brenda Leigh might get a psychic for a sister-in-law? I smell a zany buddy comedy! Additional reporting by Joyce Eng
Mega Buzz on DWTS, Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights & More!
Senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your questions. On Dancing with the Stars, are the celebrities paid for participating in the show? Are the pros? Do either get paid more the further they advance in the competition? — Barb Mickey: Barb, how dare you taint the pleasure that is Dancing with the Stars by suggesting that it's a commercial enterprise! Obviously, the celebrities' only motivation is their sincere love of the dance… and publicity. Also: Yes, they are totally paid! A source close to the production tells me that both the pros and celebs receive a weekly stipend. (Aside: Celebs are paid several times what the pros get. Discuss.) The catch: Once you're eliminated, the paydays cease. Harsh, right? I am absolutely in love with Justin and Rebecca as a couple this season on Brothers & Sisters. How much trouble will Holly and Ryan be for them this season? — Kelly Matt: Ryan? Not so much, as he won't even surface until midseason at soonest. As for Holly ...
Who Wants to Get 30 Rockin' a Week Early?
Perhaps to best capitalize on the white hotness that is Tina "Don't Call Me to Play Sarah Palin After Nov. 4" Fey, the Peacock will unfurl the season premiere of 30 Rock a week ahead of its ridonkulously tardy Oct. 30 broadcast date, on NBC.com. Some of the cliffhangers you can expect to be addressed in Season 3's very first outing...
Ratings: TV's Worst Night Delivers Better Numbers
Is TV's best night also now its Worst? OK, I'm having too much funny with that confluence of show names. On with the ratings! 8 pm/ET Dancing with the Stars this week averaged 17.68 million total viewers, dipping six percent week-to-week. CBS' comedy combo of Big Bang (9.36 mil, up a hair) and the not-quite-as-funny-as-it-used-to-be Mother (9.14 mil, up 200K) placed second — and nipped at Dancing's heels in the demos. Trailing the first hour of Fox's baseball coverage, Chuck did six mil, showing a slight increase, while Gossip Girl slipped 200 thou, to 3.34 mil. 9 pm CBS' Men topped DWTS in the demos, and delivered 14.57 million viewers, a 630 thou increase. Come 9:30, Samantha Who? seized the lead, returning to an audience of 11.7 mil (up six percent from its last original episode). That bested the Eye's Worst Week, which at 9.78 mil was actually up 11 percent. Heroes (8.6 mil) rebounded from its slide with a 420K bump, while Tree Hill held steady at 3.43 mil. 10 pm Despite Worst Week's betterment, CSI: Miami still seems handicapped, dropping 620K (to 13 million). Similarly, losing Dancing as a lead-in cost Boston Legal (8.18 mil) 12 percent of its audience. NBC's My Own Worst Enemy premiered to 7.3 million viewers, a 1.5 mil improvement on Life's last Monday audience. (And it bested Boston in the demos).
DVR Playback: Grey's Thrives Most from Live + 7 Ratings
Better light is being shed on the ratings for the week of Sept. 22 — widely considered to be the official launch of this TV season — now that Live + 7 Nielsen numbers have come in. (Whereas the fast nationals reported every morning capture live viewing plus same-night DVR playback, Live + 7 includes any recorded show watched up to a week later.)Get the full story — including how greatly Grey's Anatomy, House and Heroes benefit from DVR playback — after the jump.
Not-So-Easy Money: Two CW Shows Put on Hiatus
Media Rights Capital, the third party firm which was given the task of producing the CW's Sunday-night programming, has shut down production on the scripted series Easy Money and Valentine. A spokesperson for MRC tells TVGuide.com the break is "a planned hiatus," noting that writers and producers have been working non-stop since July. Both shows, says the rep, are expected to complete their original 13-episode orders. As detailed in this Sunday's ratings recap, Valentine dipped a bit from its already tepid premiere numbers (to just over a million viewers), while Easy Money plunged nearly 30 percent from its debut, to 753,000. The unscripted In Harm's Way, which this week delivered 729K, remains out of harm's way, while the dysfunctional family comedy Surviving Suburbia (the fourth of MRC's initial offerings) isn't set to premiere until early 2009.
Exclusive New Details: NCIS Gets Sexy
On Emmys night, at TV Guide's after-party, Michael Weatherly teased the casting of a Sex and the City star on NCIS. (Watch the video here, at the 1:00 mark.) Now, after much diligence, I have secured an actual name. David Eigenberg — aka Steve Brady, he of the singular... love for Miranda — is the Sexy guy who will be visiting the high-rated military drama, sources confirm for me exclusively. Eigenberg will be playing a former NSA Analyst who was suspected of mishandling classified information, and thusly lands smack dab in Gibbs' crosshairs. Crave scoop? E-mail Matt and Mickey at megascoop@tvguide.com.
Mega Minute: Deadly Sexy Money Scoop and More
Now playing in this week's Mitovich Mega Minute: • Another Dirty Sexy death is on the way! • A trio of 30 Rocking teasers from the first new episodes • SVU casts an Outkast and a castaway. Click here and enjoy!
Ratings: Football Tackles the Sunday Night Demos
Sunday's ratings summary: 7 pm/ET The CW's In Harm's Way surged eight percent from its premiere to deliver 729,000 total viewers. 8 pm Extreme Makeover eked out a W, scoring 11.26 million viewers to the first hour of Sunday Night Football's 11.16 mil. The onset of Fox's baseball coverage (9.5 mil) edged out Amazing Race (9.17 mil), while Episode 2 of the CW's Valentine (1.01 mil) felt only slightly less love than its debut. NBC's coverage of the Patriots-Chargers game averaged 11.2 mil through 11 pm, and topped everyone except the Housewives in the demos. Baseball averaged 8.5 mil over its first two hours. 9 pm Desperate Housewives dominated with 15.3 million, more or less on par with a week ago. Cold Case gained 200K to place third with 10.9 mil. The CW's Easy Money (753,000) saw 30 percent of its premiere audience cash out. 10 pm Football sneaked past Brothers & Sisters (10.1 mil), which was down 500 thou. The Unit (9.12 mil) dropped 14 percent.
"I Do" Redo: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Renew Vows
Jennifer Lopez and her husband of four years, Marc Anthony, capped a night of club-hopping and show-catching by renewing their wedding vows. Find out where and why they said "I do" all over again, after the jump.
Melissa McCarthy: What's New with Samantha Who?
TV's most affable amnesiac is back, and she is, I suppose you could say, "forgetter than ever." But what exactly is new with ABC's Samantha Who? Melissa McCarthy, who plays Dena, the angel on Sam's shoulder (to Jennifer Esposito's gin-swilling devil), shared with us a peek at Season 2's possible catfights and very special guest stars. Plus: McCarthy hails series lead Christina Applegate as "a tough cookie" who didn't let breast cancer get the best of her. Read on for our full Q&A.
Lisa Marie Presley Gives Birth to Twin Girls
It's a double (baby) album for singer Lisa Marie Presley, 40, who on Tuesday gave birth via Caesarean section to twin girls. Though the lasses' names have not been released, one weighed in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces, the other at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. "The babies and mom are happy and healthy and resting at home," says Presley's rep in a statement. The daughter of the King/Elvis and actress/former Dancing star Priscilla, Presley is married to music producer Michael Lockwood. She has two children — a 19-year-old daughter, Riley, and a 15-year-old son, Benjamin — by her previous marriage to Danny Keough.
Ratings: Ex Listless While 'Nanny Supes Up
How Friday's fare fared: 8 pm/ET Ghost Whisperer gained 150K from its premiere to top the night with 9.45 million total viewers. 5th Grader placed second with 5.79 mil, followed by Wife Swap (4.29 mil) and America's Toughest Jobs (3.95 mil). The CW's Chris dipped 240 thou, to 1.76 million, while lead-out The Game held steady at 1.9 mil. 9 pm Deal or No Deal (6.53 million) this week trumped The Ex List (5.7 mil), which plunged 17 percent from its debut to only retain 60 percent of Love's love. Supernanny (five mil, up 20 percent) and Lyrics (4.87 mil, up 12 percent) both saw gains. 10 pm Despite Ex's listlessness, Numbers only dipped 100K, to eight mil. 20/20 followed with seven mil, while NBC's Life (4.92 mil) lost 530K week-to-week.
Knight Rider, Terminator Are Given a Bit Extra Gas
On the heels of CBS' The Mentalist, which thus far is the TV season's biggest freshman hit, getting an order for a half-dozen additional scripts, two other new-ish series have received perhaps-significant votes of confidence. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, technically a second-year show but one still anxiously awaiting a back-nine order, has been given the go-ahead for two more scripts — this in the wake of increasing ratings in its fifth week. Knight Rider, meanwhile, has been given the green light for four more scripts. Of note, the NBC reboot has been trumping critical darling Pushing Daisies, one of its Wednesdays-at-8 rivals, in the Nielsens. To date, the freshman series Fringe and 90210 have received full-season pick-ups. Crave scoop? E-mail Matt and Mickey at megascoop@tvguide.com.
Exclusive: Housewives Bad Boy Makes Trouble on 90210
Josh Henderson, who on Desperate Housewives played Edie's motorcycle-riding, Julie-tempting nephew, is joining the CW's 90210, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively. Henderson will first appear during November sweeps, when the P.I. who's been on the prowl for Harry's son by Naomi's mom, Tracy, turns up a real charmer named Sean. The new kid on the palms-lined block won't wow everyone, however. Dixon, for one, will feel displaced by his Dad's biological boy, while a wary Debbie elects to keep her hubby's illegitimate offspring at arm's distance. Crave scoop? Email Matt and Mickey at megascoop@tvguide.com
Salma Hayek Will Rock Jack Donaghy's World
She who produces and once guest-starred on ABC's Ugly Betty now has landed a plum gig on another Thursday-night series. Get details on Salma Hayek's 30 Rockin' role, after the jump.
Ratings: Death Becomes CSI, Mars Shows Life
Thursday's ratings rundown: 8 pm/ET Survivor: Gabon this week topped the hour (and demos) with 13.3 million total viewers, up 450K. In second, Ugly Betty held steady at 8.48 mil. NBC's Earl matched last week's 7.1 mil, while brand-new lead-out Kath & Kim added 360 thou to that count. Smallville inched up 130K, to 4.08 mil. 9 pm CSI returned to an audience of 22.99 mil, down seven percent from its previous opener, and bested Grey's Anatomy in the 18-49 demo for the first time ever. Grey's dropped 20 percent from its premiere, with 14.54 mil. The Office did a typical nine mil, then SNL's new Thursday showcase built the audience to 10.6 mil. (Yeah, that’s the ticket!) Supernatural slid 430 thou, to 3.14 mil. 10 pm It was neck-and-neck for dueling newbies Life on Mars (11.6 million) and Eleventh Hour (11.59 mil), though ABC came out on top in the demos. As a Grey's lead-out, Mars improved on Big Shots' year-ago performance by three million. Eleventh Hour, meanwhile, showed 50 percent retention of CSI's premiere audience, whereas Without a Trace delivered 67 percent last September. At 9.35 mil, ER surged 18 percent from its season premiere.
Rapists of the Lost Ark: Did South Park Go Too Far?
Matt Stone and Trey Parker still know how to get people talking. Wednesday night's South Park outing pushed the envelope and then did all kinds of god-awful things to it, with a recurring riff in which uberproducers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg repeatedly ...
Ex List Marks the Spot for Hunky Guest-Stars
While Elizabeth Reaser and her femme pals provide plenty of eye candy for passerby male viewer, The Ex List's most eye-catching calling card may come in the form of the fellas it trots out. Reaser gave TVGuide.com a sneak peek at the faces – some handsome, some cute, one who's McTreemy, and maybe even one female – to cross paths again with Bella. Plus: What did the future hold for Grey's Anatomy's Alex and Ava, had Reaser not scored her own show? Read on for our complete interview!
Ratings: Daisies Wilts, as Christine Looks Better
Wednesday's ratings wrap-up: 8 pm/ET Bones gained 520K week-to-week to top the hour with 10.34 million total viewers. CBS' comedy combo of Old Christine (7.64 mil, up 11 percent) and Gary Unmarried (7.43 mil, up 450 thou) placed second. Knight Rider dipped to 7.56 mil but still drove past Pushing Daisies (5.55 mil), which dropped 12 percent. Top Model did a typical 3.88 mil. 9 pm Criminal Minds was up nearly 10 percent, to 15.9 mil, while Private Practice (7.26 mil) slipped 743K. Behind Biggest Loser (6.56 mil), a pair of 'Til Deaths averaged 4.47 mil. 10 pm CSI: NY dominated with 15.86 million viewers (up eight percent). The thoroughly frothy and enjoyable Dirty Sexy Money tragically plunged 16 percent from its season premiere, to about six mil. Lipstick Jungle (4.77 mil) dropped 10 percent.
