michael.schneider

New Girl Finds Its New Man --- and Here's How It Happened

Fox's highly anticipated Zooey Deschanel comedy New Girl has finally solved its Damon Wayans, Jr. problem. Newcomer Lamorne Morris has joined the cast as Winston, a former basketball player who returns to town — and to the apartment that bears his name on the lease. Winston kicks out Wayans' character, Coach, who had been subletting the room. Morris is stepping in to fill the void left by Wayans, who had to drop out of New Girl because he was already starring in ABC's Happy Endings, which received a surprise second season renewal. Executive producer Liz Meriwether admits that...

Fri, Jul 8, 2011

New Girl Finds Its New Man --- and Here's How It Happened

Networks Put in Short Orders for Next Season

That old showbiz adage "leave 'em wanting more" might apply to the TV networks next season. Several of primetime's most anticipated new dramas, including Fox's Terra Nova and Alcatraz, plus NBC's Smash and Awake, will likely air just 13 episodes during the 2011-2012 season. When successful, series on the broadcast networks usually run at least 22 episodes from September to May. But next season some of primetime's biggest new entries are being held until January or later, limiting their run. (Mid-season shows rarely get more than 13 episodes.)...

Fri, Jul 8, 2011

Networks Put in Short Orders for Next Season

Networks Prep Another Batch of Superhero Shows

The networks are still holding out for a superhero. While comic-book films Thor, X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern all hit No. 1 at the box office recently (with mixed staying power), TV has been slower to cultivate a new generation of caped crusaders. But have no fear, citizens of TV land: Help is on the way. Super-heroes play a role in...

Tue, Jul 5, 2011

Networks Prep Another Batch of Superhero Shows

Ron Howard Teams with The Amazing Race Producers for TNT Reality Show

The executive producers of The Amazing Race will help Ron Howard and Brian Grazer stage The Great Escape at TNT.

Fri, Jul 1, 2011

Ron Howard Teams with The Amazing Race Producers for TNT Reality Show

Exclusive: Joe Rogan to Return as Fear Factor Host

Joe Rogan has officially signed on to return as the host of NBC's Fear Factor revival. Rogan, who hosted the show's original run from 2001 to 2006, will be on hand when production begins at the end of July."It doesn't seem real," Rogan tells TV Guide Magazine. "It seems like some sort of bizarro dream world. But I'm looking forward to it. The idea of sitting at home and watching someone else host it would have driven me crazy."NBC has ordered eight episodes of the reborn Fear Factor, which producers say ...

Wed, Jun 29, 2011

Exclusive: Joe Rogan to Return as Fear Factor Host

Exclusive: First Look at New Deadliest Catch Spin-off Special

Two of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch captains are trading crab fishing for a different kind of prey: Sea monsters. Brothers Johnathan Hillstrand and Andy Hillstrand have signed on to star in the special Alaskan Monster Hunt, which airs next month.

Wed, Jun 29, 2011

Exclusive: First Look at New Deadliest Catch Spin-off Special

Exclusive: Science Channel Pays Tribute to Final Space Shuttle Launch

Discovery's Science channel will mark the final Space Shuttle launch this Friday with a brand-new TV special. Last Shuttle: Our Journey will air Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. ET — just hours after the shuttle Atlantis lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center. The special will include footage from that day's Atlantis launch, as well as interviews with the last Atlantis flight's crew — Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.

Wed, Jun 29, 2011

Exclusive: Science Channel Pays Tribute to Final Space Shuttle Launch

Exclusive: The Playboy Club Lands New Home in Salt Lake City

NBC has found a new home for The Playboy Club in Salt Lake City. KMYU, the Utah capital's My Network TV affiliate, has agreed to pick up the drama and air it in its regular Monday nighttime slot this fall. KMYU grabbed the keys to The Playboy Club after Salt Lake City's NBC affiliate, KSL, told the network that it refused to air the show. "We respect the position of KSL and are pleased that KMYU can provide a home for...

Tue, Jun 28, 2011

Exclusive: The Playboy Club Lands New Home in Salt Lake City

Los Angeles Loses Out as Primetime Moves to the Big Apple

Start spreading the news, they're filming today. The TV networks want to be a part of it, New York, New York! An unusually high number of new primetime dramas will be filmed in the Big Apple next season, as tax incentives and other perks attract studios and networks looking to save money while giving shows a more authentic New York backdrop. At CBS, the shift to the East Coast is quite pronounced: All four of the network's new hour-long series will be shot in New York. That includes...

Tue, Jun 28, 2011

Los Angeles Loses Out as Primetime Moves to the Big Apple

Exclusive: CMT Checks Into the Swanderosa

CMT is getting into the event business. The country-fried cable network has ordered eight episodes of Swanderosa, a docu-series about a family that runs a wedding and event planning business in San Antonio.The show will follow the exploits of the Swan family, who run their business at an 18-acre estate they've dubbed the "Swanderosa." Daughter Ashley runs the business, with her dad as a ...

Tue, Jun 14, 2011

Exclusive: CMT Checks Into the Swanderosa

Gene Simmons' Family Jewels Gets Real

Gene Simmons wants to rock and roll all night and party every day, but Shannon Tweed has had enough of it. As the Gene Simmons Family Jewels cameras were rolling, Tweed finally took Simmons to task for his womanizing — giving the show a jolt of drama as it entered its sixth season.Viewers will see how that conflict plays out as ...

Tue, Jun 14, 2011

Is It the End for These Primetime Dramas?

If you believe all of those doomsday predictions, the world is set to end in 2012. But the broadcast networks are bracing for a different kind of apocalypse next year, as several prime-time staples appear ready to call it quits. Aging favorites like House, CSI, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Law & Order: SVU are all nearing the end of their lifespans, with ratings declining and costs rising. Furthering these shows' slides are the seismic casting shifts that rocked the industry in recent weeks. CSI's Laurence Fishburne, SVU's Christopher Meloni and...

Tue, Jun 14, 2011

Is It the End for These Primetime Dramas?

Exclusive: TLC Picks Up Series Pilot About Sweepstakes Addicts

Move over, Extreme Couponers. TLC is going after another quick money subculture: People obsessed with entering sweepstakes. TLC has ordered the hour-long special High Stakes Sweepers, which follows passionate sweepstakes players as they spend their days and nights filling out contest entries in the hopes of striking it big. The new project comes fresh off the successful run of surprise hit Extreme Couponing, which has averaged nearly 2 million viewers and become a pop culture phenomenon.

Wed, Jun 8, 2011

Exclusive: Cash Cab Host Ben Bailey Lands New NBC Game Show Gig

Ben Bailey, the Emmy-winning host behind Discovery Channel's hit Cash Cab, is driving over to primetime. NBC has tapped Bailey to host Who's Still Standing? — the network's new trivia game show. Based on the Israeli series Still Standing, the new game show centers on contestants who battle each other in a series of comedic challenges...

Fri, Jun 3, 2011

Exclusive: Cash Cab Host Ben Bailey Lands New NBC Game Show Gig

Exclusive: Raising Hope Gives Cloris Leachman a Promotion

Make room for more Maw Maw. As Raising Hope starts planning for Season 2, Cloris Leachman — who plays the show's confused octogenarian — has been elevated to series regular status on the Fox comedy...

Wed, Jun 1, 2011

Exclusive: Raising Hope Gives Cloris Leachman a Promotion

Why Isn't TV More Diverse?

To paraphrase NBC's marketing slogan, has prime time become "less colorful"? Looking at the casting of this fall's new TV series, the groups that monitor TV diversity think so. Unlike last year, when at least nine new shows boasted leading roles for black, Latino and Asian-American actors (including NBC's now canceled Undercovers and Outlaw and The CW's returning Nikita), next year most minority characters are supporting roles. The networks are also airing more comedies next fall — and in recent years, half-hour sitcoms have been less diverse than dramas. That's why there's concern that the...

Wed, Jun 1, 2011

How Two and a Half Men Landed Ashton Kutcher

It all came down to the wire, yet CBS, Warner Bros. TV and creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre pulled it off: Two and a Half Men will be back in the fall, and with a new star: sitcom veteran Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher is set to take the Carnegie Hall stage on May 18 as CBS presents its post-Charlie Sheen plan to advertisers. It's a major coup for the show, as CBS wasn't about to announce the return of Two and a Half Men without a plan firmly in place.

Tue, May 17, 2011

How Two and a Half Men Landed Ashton Kutcher

Behind NBC's Sing-Off Decision

NBC's decision to turn singing competition The Sing-Off into a weekly series might be the biggest surprise of the new fall season. But it was a move that came only after intense debate inside the Peacock network over how and when to air a second ...

Mon, May 16, 2011

Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly Discusses His Fall Strategy

TV Guide Magazine: There was some concern that Terra Nova might be pushed back again, given the previous delays on the show. Is it ready to go, and why did you decide to kick off Mondays with it?Kevin Reilly: We've been sitting on this show, producing it for a while and it's been a big undertaking. It's ...

Mon, May 16, 2011

Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly Discusses His Fall Strategy

NBC Chief Robert Greenblatt Explains His New Fall Schedule

TV Guide Magazine: You resisted temptation to rush The Voice back for fall, but surprised us by turning The Sing-Off into a weekly series. How did that come about?Robert Greenblatt: The whole goal here is the long-term rebuilding of this network, as opposed to just taking the assets...

Sun, May 15, 2011

NBC Chief Robert Greenblatt Explains His New Fall Schedule

Exclusive: Phil Keoghan Signs New Deal, Sticks With The Amazing Race

It's another non-elimination round for Phil Keoghan, who has just signed a new deal to continue for several more years as host of CBS' The Amazing Race. Under the new deal, Keoghan has now been named a co-executive producer of the Race (an acknowledgement that he's already deeply involved with the show's production). "Most of what I do [on Race] is behind-the-scenes," Keoghan says. "My energy has been consumed with other duties besides just being in front of the camera. I've always enjoyed that side of it."

Wed, May 11, 2011

Exclusive: Phil Keoghan Signs New Deal, Sticks With The Amazing Race

How The Voice Found Its Singers

America's got talent, but not everyone is lining up to audition for TV's growing number of singing competition shows. That's where Michelle McNulty, the casting director for NBC's new hit series The Voice, comes in. McNulty and her team spent months tracking down performers in clubs, at rehearsal studios, on YouTube and via personal contacts in order to find the right contestants. TV critics have been impressed with the caliber of talent on The Voice, particularly in the premiere episode — and credit much of the show's early success to those performances. "We were looking for singers that might not audition for American Idol or any of those other competition shows," McNulty says. "We were looking for real artists"...

Tue, May 10, 2011