Exclusive: Community Hires Two New Series Regulars
What's That Song? A Roundup of This Fall's TV Themes
TV theme songs remain a rarity in primetime, with most shows settling for a quick title card and short instrumental burst. (Witness this fall's no-frills openings on shows like Jane the Virgin.) But a few new shows are still keeping the form alive. That includes Showtime's new steamy relationship drama The Affair, which commissioned an original piece from Fiona Apple.
Watch My Show: Newsreaders' Jim Margolis and David Wain Answer Our Showrunner Survey
Adult Swim's TV newsmagazine parody Newsreaders is back for Season 2 with more absurdity and a new host, Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory). Guest stars this season include Malin Akerman, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jenna Fischer, Danny Pudi, Rob Riggle and David Hasselhoff. Executive producers Jim Margolis (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart) and David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) filled out the TV Guide Magazine showrunner survey to explain why Newsreaders is worth the headline.
Watch My Show: Marry Me's David Caspe Answers Our Showrunner Survey
It might not be Happy Endings, but it's close. Fans of that canceled sitcom can take solace in creator David Caspe's follow-up, the freshman NBC comedy Marry Me. Caspe's real-life wife (and Happy Endings alum) Casey Wilson is back, and the jokes come just as rapid-fire. But where Happy Endings had an ensemble cast, this time there's a couple at the heart of the comedy: Wilson and Ken Marino play Annie and Jake, a couple experiencing the bumpy road towards marriage. Caspe filled out our TV Guide Magazine showrunner survey to explain why Marry Me is worth the engagement.
Showrunners Documentary Chronicles the Rise of TV's Top Creators
For TV fans, showrunners like Joss Whedon, Damon Lindelof, Kurt Sutter and J.J. Abrams are just as famous as the stars on their shows. A new documentary, available Friday on iTunes and Video On Demand (and in select theaters), takes an inside look at their jobs and what it takes to make a hit series.Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show is the brainchild of Irish filmmaker Des Doyle, who spent more than four years shooting the documentary. "It was borne out of the fact that I'm a huge, über TV fan," Doyle says....
Why TV is Looking to the Big Screen For New Ideas
In Hollywood, familiarity breeds content. That's been especially true in recent weeks as TV writers and executives raid film libraries, looking to adapt movies into primetime series. Among projects now in development: CBS' take on the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker buddy-cop comedy Rush Hour (this time from Cougar Town's Bill Lawrence) and a comedy based on Paul Weitz's 2004 feature In Good Company. NBC is rebooting two comedies, Real Genius and Problem Child, as well as creating a sequel to Marley & Me.
First Look: HBO's Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown Highlights the Music Legend's Activism
Papa's got a brand new documentary. HBO's Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown chronicles the singer's journey from his early days at the Apollo Theater to his height as...
First Look: Patty Duke Doubles Up on Disney Channel's Twins Sitcom Liv and Maddie
They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike. You can lose your mind: Veteran actress Patty Duke is once again playing it twice, this time on Liv and Maddie, the Disney Channel comedy about identical twins.
Watch My Show: The 100's Jason Rothenberg Answers Our Showrunner Survey
The CW's The 100 returns this week for Season 2 with more post-apocalyptic tales and a new focus, as the teens exiled to an irradiated Earth are joined by their parents. The show ended its freshman season with plenty of cliffhangers and all sorts of villains — as well as the mysterious place known as Mount Weather. Executive producer Jason Rothenberg filled out TV Guide Magazine's Watch My Show survey to explain why there are hundreds of reasons to catch up with The 100.
Watch My Show: Manhattan's Sam Shaw Answers Our Showrunner Survey
WGN America's critically acclaimed drama Manhattan, about the birth of the atomic bomb, presumably ends its freshman season this Sunday with at least a metaphorical bang. The show, which just landed a second season order, hails from executive producer Sam Shaw, who's become a bit of an expert when it comes to period pieces.
The CW Developing The Illusionist As a TV Adaptation
The CW is conjuring up a TV adaptation of The Illusionist, the 2006 film starring Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel.
Former NBC Exec Garth Ancier Responds to Seth Rogen About Freaks and Geeks' Cancellation
Former NBC Entertainment (and ex-The WB) president Garth Ancier was visiting the Saturday Night Live writers' room last weekend when he ran into another guest: Seth Rogen. Ancier was the NBC exec who canceled critical fave Freaks and Geeks in 2000 after 12 episodes (18 were actually produced in total) due to low ratings. Freaks and Geeks went on to cult status ...
Chrisley Knows Best's Todd Chrisley on Raising Kids, Those "Toddisms" and His "Cray Cray" Family
Whether or not Todd Chrisley really knows best, he does know what's best for TV. The Atlanta family man's reality show, Chrisley Knows Best, struck a chord with viewers in Season 1, making it USA Network's first breakout reality hit. Chrisley Knows Best is back for Season 2 on Tuesday, Oct. 14 (10/9c), and USA is looking at ways to capitalize on the show's success as it expands into more reality TV.
WGN America Renews Manhattan For Season 2
Explosive news from WGN America: The cable network has just renewed Manhattan, its dramatic chronicle of the atomic bomb's birth, for a second season. "Manhattan represents the kind of high-quality original series we aim to deliver at WGN America," says Matt Cherniss, president and general manager of WGN America and Tribune Studios. Manhattan joins Salem as WGN America's second original series to score a renewal this year. Manhattan has struggled to find a wide audience, but earned a great deal of critical acclaim, including from TV Guide Magazine's Matt Roush, who calls the show a "surprise obsession."
Q&A: TV's Power Producers Probe Primetime
Most TV producers dream of finding one hit series. But for a handful of successful production company chiefs, one just isn't enough. These overachievers not only oversee several new and returning shows, they're currently developing and pitching another batch for next season. Meet some of this fall's power producers and what they're currently working on...
MTV Picks Up Fifth and Final Season of Awkward
Well, this is Awkward: MTV has picked up a fifth season of the critically acclaimed comedy series, but also confirms it will be the show's last.
Exclusive: Peter Fonda To Guest Star on NBC's The Blacklist
Get your motor running: Iconoclastic actor Peter Fonda has signed on to guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's The Blacklist. Fonda will play Geoff Perl, a CEO and philanthropist who funds millions of dollars for animal rights groups. Producers are mum on the character beyond that, but hint that he's not on Red Reddington's list. The episode will air Monday, Oct. 27 at 10/9c.
Watch My Show: Town of the Living Dead's Steven Weinstock and Glenda Hersh Answer Our Showrunner Survey
Even reality TV isn't safe from the zombie invasion. On Syfy's new unscripted series Town of the Living Dead, filmmakers in tiny Jasper, Alabama, enlist residents to help complete their zombie apocalypse movie Thr33 Days Dead. They've struggled for six years to finish the film, but with the spotlight now on it, the moviemakers hope to finally achieve a final cut — and persuade Syfy to air the end result. Executive producers Steven Weinstock and Glenda Hersh, who run True Entertainment, filled out TV Guide Magazine's "Watch My Show" survey in the hopes that they might scare up a few viewers.
Nick Offerman on His The Simpsons Guest Stint, and Why It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Parks and Recreation
Ron Swanson, the gruff character Nick Offerman plays on Parks and Recreation, would admire the actor's work ethic. Sitcoms and woodworking aside, Offerman has recently become an in-demand voice actor, voicing the title character on Fox's Axe Cop and also lending his skills to Disney XD's Gravity Falls and this year's box office smash The LEGO Movie.
Analysis: Why Your Cable Bill is So High
Think your $150-plus monthly cable bill has gotten out of control? You're not alone. Earlier this summer, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) launched a website for consumers to share their TV billing horror stories. Within 10 days, her office received 428 responses, mostly complaints about the rising cost of TV and broadband services. Several people criticized inconsistent charges, unexpected bill increases and new fees for services they didn't want.
Exclusive: Yvette Nicole Brown Departs Community
Shirley, Community fans are going to be disappointed with this news. But alas, it's true: Yvette Nicole Brown is departing the fan favorite comedy after five seasons. Brown — who has played Shirley Bennett since the 2009 launch of Community — confirms to TV Guide Magazine that she has asked to be released from her contract for personal reasons. Sony Pictures TV and executive producers Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna have honored her request. The actress says the change was necessary in order to take care of her ailing father. "My dad needs daily care and he needs me," Brown says. "The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad."
Exclusive: En Vogue Reunites for Lifetime Christmas Movie
Hold On: En Vogue is reuniting to star in a new holiday movie for Lifetime. In An En Vogue Christmas, the funky divas will play themselves, reuniting to perform a benefit concert to save the nightclub where they got their start. An En Vogue Christmas opens with members Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Rhona Bennett having all gone their separate ways. But when the club that made them stars is forced to shut its doors, the trio organizes a Christmas-themed concert to raise money for the venue.
