'Hung' on HBO opens Big, 'Castle' Novel Coming Soon, ABC Picks Up New Series Billed as a "Greys Anatomy " only in Space

Hello everyone. I'm back. I have been sick and so haven't really blogged about much of anything. On the good side, being sick gives me the excuse to just lay back and be lazy watching TV. When I could (because I do have my son to look after) I did. Two whole days of bed rest , however, has left my house a mess and my blog neglected. No worries, I'm back on track today.


So, what is going on in the world of TV? In case you missed it , HBO premiered a new series 'Hung' and it opened huge. It was seen by 2.8M viewers and if you include re-broadcasts it actually grew to 3.7M. 'True Blood' in the meantime is HUGE for HBO drawing, with DVR viewing , rebroadcasts etc. , to 10.8M viewers per episode. I have not watched 'Hung' yet and will watch it on my ON Demand. If you don't know what the series is about, it is a comedy about a man with a talent..well the name says it all. I mean just look at the star of the show and that is motivation enough to watch! I really so badly want to watch 'True Blood' but I refuse to watch season 2 without having watched season 1 so I must rent it on DVD. It's on my to do list!

Are you a 'Castle' fan? The series , from ABC, is about a mystery author that follows a detective around to gather material for his novels. I'm a fan. Well ABC, in a move to promote their new second season episodes this fall, are going to publish a novel by the character Castle. Starting August 10th the first half of the book will be published at the website a chapter a week for 10 weeks. The full novel will be printed Sept 29th with Disney sister company Hyperion. Well, apparently the network teamed with Hyperion for the 2006 'Lost' tie in "Bad Twin" and "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" which tied into the ABC miniseries 'Rose Red' and they sold well. I'm at a loss because I never heard of either publication nor the mini series 'Rose Red'. I consider myself a very mainstream consumer, and I didn't hear of either in the mainstream. Am I not as mainstream as I think , or could they have done a better job of informing the public of these publications? If it sold well, imagine how much better it could have done had they gotten to people like myself. Maybe the only way I'd ever hear about the Castle novel publications is because I dig on the net for TV news. Come on networks, you have an AWESOME tie in here and you need to get it out to even more people. I love TV and I love to read. If you're not hitting the people like me you are missing out. And, given the new online way of tracking fans, this is truly a great tool. I'll be interested and will read the chapter a week starting Aug 10th. I'll be sure to post links on my blog.

Speaking of 'Lost', the final season will gain 1 hour. Filming is starting on the final season and there is one more hour added to the time already slotted for the series finale. Ooooh... this should be so good. Wrapping it up, getting some answers. But it will be sad at the same time. Lost will be no more but a memory of good TV that has passed.

ABC is dominating my blog today, but there is one more bit of news for sci-fi fans. A 13 episode series 'Gravity' was picked up by ABC. It has been pitched as a 'Grey's Anatomy' only in space. That has me intrigued already. If it is received well there will be more seasons of the show . Apparently the creators have three seasons blocked out already and an ending to the series. I kind of like this new trend in TV shows where the creators know where they are taking it and so it has a definite conclusion (ala Lost). Hopefully, if we get hooked on it, we'll actually get to see the ending.

Well, that is all for now. I am still scanning P2P's for any leaked pilot episodes of new shows this season. So far, nothing. But as soon as I find one, you'll all be the first to know.

MORE BREAKING GREY'S NEWS: George is Dead

Yes, it was officially confirmed today by ABC. George O'Malley is dead, according to THR.com. The following is a quote from T.R Knight on his departure ;

"Leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' was not an easy decision for me to make," Knight said in a statement. "I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much. I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm."

As I blogged yesterday, it's no surprise that it was officially confirmed. And, it makes me even more certain of my former- 'Lost' -cast- member -coming- to- the- show theory. Oh.. I can't wait for the new season!

The O'Malley character will be missed. He is the adorable guy. The sweet sensitive counter to Alex's insensitive jerk. How fitting that George exits as a hero. For the record, if George O'Malley had smiled at me at the bus stop I would have smiled back and not looked around for a hotter guy. If you watch the show, you know what I mean.

R.I.P George O'Malley and the best of luck to T.R Knight. I'll be looking to see what show /shows you pop up in next!

In true fan fashion, if you have a favorite memory of the George O'Malley character, post it here in the comments and share. I don't have one particular favorite, I just generally liked the character.

CW Vampire Diaries - Preview Video, Cast Information and Some Early Reviews

With all the hub bub about the Twilight Movies and the success of 'True Blood' on HBO, it's no wonder that there will be a TV series coming this Fall to a major network that has to do with Vampires. And CW is the perfect home for such a show. The same station that is home to Melrose, 90210, One Tree Hill and other heavy teen demo'd shows. From the early preview posted above, Vampires should do well and make a perfect fit.

If you are unfamiliar with 'The Vampire Diaries' as I was until now, the show is based on a series of young adult fiction books by L.J Smith. The first three books in the series were released in 1991. Below is the networks description of the show

Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood") are still trying to cope with their grief and move on with their lives. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her sadness from the world. As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Army Wives"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, and Elena has no way of knowing that Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans, while his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost") is the embodiment of vampire violence and brutality. Now these two vampire brothers - one good, one evil - are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek," "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), Julie Plec ("Kyle XY," "Wasteland"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged") and Bob Levy ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged"). Marcos Siega ("Dexter") directed the pilot.

Obviously this show isn't geared toward my age group. That's okay. I think I will still watch it. I do watch 90210 and I will be tuning into Melrose Place. Perhaps these shows appeal to me because it seems to take what happens in any one's adult life but applies them to H.S. What appeals to me in the preview is the entire back story of where Stefan came from, how he became a vamp and why does Elena look so much like a girl from Stefan's past. I think those are elements that we can all find interest in, regardless of the age of the characters. By the way, guys were NOT that hot in High School. Ah.. only on TV.

Early reviews of the pilot are mixed. The Futon Critic (thefutoncritic.com) feels that he would not watch it but that it will find it's audience. One review I read said that it was like a Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Dawson's Creek, if I am remembering what I read correctly. I believe that this is a cleaner version of a vampire show perfect for the teen demographic they are going for. If you've seen 'True Blood' you know that that is not a show for kids, so this allows them to have their version of the adult hit and an extension of what they love in the 'Twilight' movies.

'True Blood' Hits Record, 'I'm A Celebrity' Commentary, TNT's 'Hawthorne, '24' Adds New Cast Member , CW Premiere Dates & More

I have been watching 'I'm a Celebrity' although not with any regularity. It's more like when I have nothing else to watch I'll watch it. I am interested in how it all ends, so that is what is keeping me slightly interested. The viewing public is not really having a love affair with the show either, as it is only pulling in 4.7M viewers on average (as of last showing). Not so great.

While I was watching 'Celebrity' last night I kept going back to my first week impression of how the camp looked like it was on a sound stage a lot of the time. I couldn't help but note some very distinct differences between 'Survivor' and 'Celebrity' particularly when they showed the "ninjas", as Patty called them, coming into camp in the middle of the night (3am actually) to wrangle a snake that had wandered into the campsite. Captions for the crew read "On-site security". I wondered to myself, do the 'Survivor' camp members have on site security to wrangle wild and potentially poisonous animals off in the middle the night? Because they never do show such a thing. And why show such a thing? Are you trying to convince us that you are really in the jungle or that our "celebrities" are facing dangers and conditions well beyond what they would ever experience in their celebrity life? Kind of a little over dramatization. Trying too hard perhaps? It just seemed very "campy", no pun intended. There is just something about this entire show that really lacks in how genuine it is. 'Survivor' feels genuine. This show just doesn't. Even if they are in the jungle, I wonder how much they are really roughing it. Even with the food challenges, the losers still get rice and beans. The contestants on 'Survivor' get nilch if they can't fend for themselves. Not that this needs to be like 'Survivor' exactly, but when you have a show like 'Survivor' and you put a bunch of celebrities into camp with far more luxuries than the 'Survivor' contestants could ever dream of, it's just lackluster. It's like the cheapened version of an excellent show. I think that is one of the reasons the American public is just not buying it. It's lame in comparison.

Last night I DVR'd and then watched Hawthorne on TNT. I liked it. There is a lot there and it held my interest about exactly who Hawthorne is, what happened to her husband (why did her daughter say she let her dad die?). It opened well with solid ratings of 3.83M viewers. Looking good for Hawthorne. It was followed by the third season of Saving Grace, which I also watched and is one of my faves. Holly Hunter is a genious in that role. It retained 97% of the audience out of Hawthorne and it's average viewers last night was higher than it's second season overall average. Looks good for Saving Grace.


While I was watching 'Hawthorne' I couldn't help note the differences (and some of the similarities) between 'Hawthorn'e and 'Nurse Jackie'. Obvious differences are it's tone. 'Nurse Jackie' is a darker feel, more gritty (language and overall bluntness) than most medical series on TV. 'Hawthorne' is , of course lighter. But, then Showtime can take more liberties in their story telling than TNT can. One similarity is the student nurse that is obvious and present. In the fall we will be getting a third medical show that follows nurses with 'Mercy' from NBC (which I blogged about back in May when reviewing the up coming medical shows from the networks this fall). Just a little note, 'Nurse Jackie' ratings were up 8% this week.


'True Blood' from HBO premiered it's second season. I blogged awhile back about how I wanted to add HBO to my cable package. Funny thing is, I got a call the other day offering me HBO and Cinemax for 6 months for $6.95! They must have read my mind. Unfortunately I didn't catch all of season 1 of 'True Blood' in time before they yanked the season 1 from the On Demand list. So, I haven't watched the episodes from Season 2 yet. Good news is that I can catch season 1 on DVD and I will because the episodes I did see of season 1 were excellent. It averaged 3.7M viewers and was the most watched series on the network since the 'Sopranos'. I have to catch up because I'm missing some good TV by not being in the loop!



In other news, '24' has gained actor Clayne Crawford in the role of a bad boy from Dana Walsh's (Katee Sackhoff) past. She is the character I blogged about a few weeks back who will be the expert CTU analyst involved with Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character. Rick Worthy (Battlestar Galatica) is in negotiations to join the 'Heroes' cast.

And the last bit of news for the day; the CW will launch it's fall season starting on September 8th. Premiere dates are ;


Tuesday, Sept. 8
8:00-9:00 p.m. "90210" (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. "Melrose Place" (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 9
8:00-10:00 p.m. "America's Next Top Model" (2-Hour Season Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 10
8:00-9:00 p.m. "The Vampire Diaries" (Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. "Supernatural" (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 14
8:00-9:00 p.m. "One Tree Hill" (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. "Gossip Girl" (Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 16
8:00-9:00 p.m. "America's Next Top Model"
9:00-10:00 p.m. "The Beautiful Life: TBL" (Series Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 p.m. "Smallville" (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. "America's Next Top Model" (Encore Episodes)

Don't forget 'Wipeout' tonight followed by ' I Survived A Japanese Game Show' and ' So You Think You Can Dance'. BTW.. my predictions of who would go home last week were right on.

New Social Experiment TV from CBS, 'The Beast' Canceled, 'Royal Pains' a rating Gem & More Fun TV News

Well.. this looks very interesting. CBS is going to be airing a reality TV show tentatively titled "Block Party". Apparently, families on one block will live behind a 20 foot walls for 3 weeks and will compete for cash prizes against each other. They will not be able to have access to anything outside of those 20' walls. It's like Big Brother only it's families in their own houses cut off from the world. Very interesting. Kind of like the real life version of the Simpson's Movie where the town was in an impenetrable bubble.

Ryan Seacrest productions is bringing us a reality series on ABC that stars British chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver will make over entire towns by using local resources to get the citizens eating healthier. Like this concept. As he puts it Americans are fat. We need a change of habits. 'Biggest Loser' has been such a successful series because it shows that we CAN change ourselves as long as we adapt new habits. Now, we have a focus on foods. He'll visit the unhealthiest places in America (I'm sure areas with the highest percentage of overweight people).

Here are Fox's fall premiere dates:

Saturday, Sept. 12
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT COPS (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 16
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT GLEE (Series Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 17
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT BONES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT FRINGE (Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 18
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT BROTHERS (Series Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT ‘TIL DEATH (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT DOLLHOUSE (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 21
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (2-Hour Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 27
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THE SIMPSONS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT FAMILY GUY (Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICAN DAD (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT LIE TO ME (Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 29
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HELL’S KITCHEN (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesday, Oct. 27
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)

Saturday, Nov. 7
11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (wt) (Series Premiere)

In other TV news the A&E show 'The Beast' has been officially canceled after 1 season. As I'm sure you are aware, it starred Patrick Swayze who has been battling Pancreatic Cancer. It received an average of 1.35M viewers, not enough to be a ratings grabber for the network, and so it was canceled. However, considering that other cable shows have received similar ratings leaves me to wonder if the true reason is Patrick Swayzes health and his ability to actually finish a second season. I wish I would have watched it because I heard it was a good series. I really do hope that Swayze wins his fight with cancer but I think the reality of it is that he is not going to make it. It's very sad.

Remember that show 'I Get That Alot' that aired on CBS a few months back? It was such a hit that they ordered a few more episodes. It was fun! It won't be weekly (which is nice, too much of it would take away it's charm). So we can look forward to a quarterly role out of that show this coming TV season.

'Kings' on NBC magically turned up on my DVR this weekend. It was an unexpected surprise since I haven't seen anything anywhere about it being on not even on the network itself. But then again it was canceled and so they are airing the last of the episodes filmed and will give it a quite exit I guess. It was really a great series that just didn't catch on. Shame. It had only 1.5M viewers this past Saturday. Not surprised, most people didn't even know it was on. Myself included. But that is what is so good about DVRs and the "season pass" feature (or first run only recording feature depending on your service). That is why , even if a show has been canceled sometime during the year , you should keep it on your recording list. You never know when those last episodes will start running on TV during the summer months or regular programming hiatus time.

FYI, it was announced last week that 'Earl' will not be on TBS after all. According to the reports it just couldn't be done within TBS budget without sacrificing the artistic integrity of the show. Sorry 'Earl' fans, it's gone for good.

The 'Listener' on NBC on Thursdays is not fairing well in the ratings with only an average of 4.39M viewers. 'Royal Pains' on USA is actually beating out 'The Listener' in it's time slot. Doesn't look good for the Canadian shows renewal prospects. Shame, I like it. There is something a little weird about it, I noticed (but I like it) Everything on the show is generic. It's location , hospital.. etc. If you noticed their EMT shirts have no city, police have no identifiable city. It is because it is a Canadian show, but it's just a little thing I picked up on. Not a criticism at all. After all, I do really like the show and I hope NBC gives it a shot in a fall/winter time slot.

And some final last good news for the day. If you are a fan of 'Royal Pains' on USA, the shows second episode stayed at a steady average of 5.6M viewers and grew in the demo of 18-49 year olds.

Well.. happy DVR'g this evening. Don't forget to watch or DVR 'The Closer', 'Raising the Bar' on TNT and 'Nurse Jackie' on Showtime tonight.

Yeah Cougar Town!! ABC Preview - Courtney Cox is Back!!

Today I decided to throw in yet another review of the short preview of the upcoming 'Cougar Town' coming to ABC this fall (Wednesdays at 9:30).

I LOVE IT!! I've always been a fan of Courtney Cox who is playing a 40 year old divorcee pushed out into the dating world by her friends and meets a man 14 years her junior. It looks fun, feisty and gives us the Courtney Cox we've all loved from her 'Friends' days. Oh, and the Cougar is the local H.S Mascot.

It's got a lot of material to work with, her neighbor, her friends, dating younger men and the hot fellow divorcee across the street from her with his string of young college co-eds always leaving his residence (at least that's the impression I get from the preview).

I really do hope that this show does well. It looks like a lot of fun. I only wonder why this show is 1/2 hour long because I think I will want a lot more. This one looks like a winner and I hope it's as good as its preview.

Preview for ABC's 'The Forgotten' , My Name is Earl Moving to TBS, New 24 Cast Member & More

In continuing with my review of upcoming shows this fall today I looked at 'The Forgotten' that is slated for ABC Tuesdays at 10pm. The series stars Reiko Aylesworth (24), Rochelle Aytes, Michelle Borth, Anthony Carrigan, Rupert Perry-Jones, Grace Olivo and Bob Stephenson . Although, I hear from another review site that the two leads played by Reiko Aylesworth and Rupert-Perry Jones will be recast.

The premise of the story is not unfamiliar. Person found dead and unknown. You need to find out who she is, why she's dead and who killed her. The only difference between this and other cop shows is that the actual people doing the investigation are not cops but are regular average crime fighting citizens. The group calls themselves the Identity Network.

I've read two early reviews of the shows and according the them the show needs retooling. As one critic eluded to, it's predictable and if you watch enough shows like this it will be easy for you to figure out who did it.

I have to say I do not much like predictable. I like when a show kind of surprises me. Last nights episode of 'The Closer', one of my favorites, BTW, was disappointing last night. I immediately picked up on a few things and pretty much figured it out way early. The only excitement I got was watching how "right" I was about where the story was going. The Closer is usually NOT that predictable. If 'The Forgotten' is predictable without any twists to keep you guessing it won't be much fun to watch at least for me.

The show also looks a little grim and depressing. It's up against the new entry "The Good Wife" on CBS. If I had to chose (which fortunately I do not thanks to the DVR) Good Wife would be more appealing to me than yet another crime show.

As another little note, it is quite hard to review upcoming shows without actually seeing the full preview. Their job at the networks is to make the shows look good, and so far they are doing a good job.

In other little tidbits for today, I have some DVR catching up to do. For one, I'm still behind on 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here'. Honestly, it's not holding my interest enough. It's like the show that sits on my DVR and I'll watch it when I have nothing else to watch. I've been a little busy . Heidi and Spencer annoy me anyway and it's cheesy, really. In the ratings, it's holding at an average of 5.18M viewers.

I also haven't watched Nurse Jackie yet and tonight after I put my little boy to bed I'll cozy up on the couch and watch it. With all the hype, I hope it's good. I have to watch the Tony Awards that I recorded the other night too, because theater is a lot of fun and so I expect it will be fun to watch.

Raising the Bar was good last night. Mark Paul Gosselar is yummy. Speaking of, I caught a clip of him on the Jimmy Fallon show at EW.com. If you have a moment go and watch it. He appeared and interviewed with Fallon as his character Zack from 'Saved By The Bell'. Yes, I did watch that show and I'll admit it... LOL. I'm sure a lot of you did too ! You know you did! Anyway, the interview was hysterical and what a good sport he is. He's excellent on 'Raising the Bar' on TNT which is in its second season.


My Name Is Earl, cancelled from NBC's line up, is in talks to move to TBS. If sucessful it will be the second TV network show that was picked up by a cable network after a major network cancellation (Law & Order Criminal Intent was picked up by USA last year). The talks are in its early stages and so nothing is definate, but if you are an Earl fan ( I never got into that show) keep your fingers crossed.

And, my last bit of news today is that Kate Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) is joining the cast of 24 as an expert CTU analyst with a secret past that is romantically involved with Freddie Prinze Jr's character.

Tonight looks like a good night to catch up on that DVR build up. Not much in the way of new programming on. I you are looking for something interesting, however, and you get BBC you might tune into the Apprentice UK. Jimmy Kimmel Live is on at 8pm on CBS and I may tune into the Real Housewives of NJ on Bravo, since I'd never seen the show but heard good things about it.

SPOILER ALERT: Lost Mystery Solved..ABC Promo Video has Monaghan .. What does it mean?

Spoiler alert: 'Lost' mystery solved!

Shared via AddThis

The above article was taken from EW Online. I had not seen this promo video yet that the article speaks about. But , had I seen it I might have thought that indeed a 'Lost' character was returning from the dead.

As it turns out, according to the piece, Monaghan is joining another hour long series on ABC this coming fall as a full time cast member but ABC wants to keep it a secret and make it a BIG surprise. According to the source at EW it WILL be a surprise and although she knows what it is, she agreed not to spill. I posted the cool little promo from ABC on the side of my blog.

So, my theory is that Monaghan is going to be joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy. I LOVE the idea, if that is indeed the case. I mean think about it. Where is ABC going to take Grey's now? I mean Grey and McSteamy are getting married and are together with less drama (at least for now) and , as the season finale leads us to believe, George and Izzy are , well most likely dead (although Heigl's and Knights exit from Grey's was never confirmed and only rumored so we don't know for sure). But if Knight is really leaving, then we need a George like character to take his place. TV shows tend to do that, or so I noticed. They'll always replace a certain type of character with a different character of the same type. Take , for example, the exit of George Clooney (Dr. Doug Ross) from E.R.. That same year we got Goran Visnjic as Dr. Kovac. I kind of felt like they were the same very handsome dark hair, dark eyes and mysterious single guy character.. like Kovac brought similar elements to the show that Dr. Ross had (although Kovac wasn't as much of a womanizer).

Oh boy.. I'm so excited. I just think that is it. We'll have to wait till fall to see if I'm right. I can't see him on Desperate Housewives and I know it must be one of ABC's top shows as that is why they are keeping it so hush hush. Feel free to leave a comment and share your theories below!

My Take on the Four Medical Dramas Coming This Fall and Their Preview

It's Looking Ugly for Ugly Betty, Southland and Medium - Friday Night Death Slot

Friday night in the television industry is notoriously known as the Friday Night Death Slot. No joke, if you google it, it has an entry in Wikipedia.

ABC, in releasing their new schedule, has moved Ugly Betty from it's 8pm time slot on Thursday to Friday at 9pm. The show, a ratings grabber in it's first few seasons, has been declining in its ratings and so ABC has decided to put it on its death march! It will be replaced by the new show Flash Forward followed by , of course, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

Ugly Betty isn't the only show being moved to Friday. NBC has not renewed Medium. Fortunately for us Medium fans, it was picked up by CBS and will air after Ghost Whisperer on Friday nights at 9pm. This could actually be good for Medium because it will follow a similar themed Ghost Whisperer (I happen to be a fan of both of them) . CBS Friday night line up has actually been an exception to the Friday night death slot rule in having been mildly successful with Ghost Whisperer and Numbers (if these shows received the ratings they have received on any other night against other more popular shows, they probably wouldn't have lasted). The Ex List, a newcomer last season that filled the 9pm time slot, didn't survive and was canceled. I'm really hoping Medium holds it's own. I would hate to see it canceled. It is so very good.

Probably the most disappointing move to Friday for me is the new show Southland. It originally took over the ER slot on Thursdays. Apparently it started out strong in the ratings, but then fell off and so was moved to the 9pm hour between Law & Order (also moved to Fridays) and the Jay Leno Show. I think a new show starting the fall season on Friday is, well not so great for it's future. It's a shame. It really is a good show with lots of grit. Keeps me waiting for something to happen and on my toes. Kind of reminds me how ER used to make me feel when it was really good (it's been boring the last 2 or 3 seasons but I've stuck with it out of loyalty).

So.. my Friday night DVR will be recording:
8pm - Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
9pm - Medium (CBS) , Ugly Betty (ABC) & Southland (NBC)
10pm - Jay Leno (NBC)
Missing from Friday nights is Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles which has been canceled (bummer.. I loved that show too). Another example of a victim of Friday night time slots. I personally can't believe that Dollhouse was renewed. I thought the show was terrible. I don't think it will last very long and may be finished by the 2009-10 fall season end.

As further evidence that Friday night can signal the death of a TV show, the following shows were successful until they were moved to Friday night:

• Diff'rent Strokes
• 8 Simple Rules
• Life with Bonnie
• Step by Step (actually moved to CBS and put on Fridays and was it's last season)
• Family Matters (suffered same fate as Step by Step)
• Jag

Other Friday night failures included:

• Robbery Homicide Division
• Close to Home
• Moonlight (great show that no one was watching)
• Dr. Vegas
• Swingtown
• The Ex List

Evidence of how Friday night time slots for new shows affect a shows ability to capture an audience; at the start of Everybody Loves Raymond in 1996-97 season it aired on Fridays to low ratings. CBS kept the show, moved it to Mondays and, well, we all know how well that show has done (9 seasons). CSI also started on a Friday, performed poorly and was moved to Thursday and has been one of the most successful CBS shows catapulting CBS into the #1 watched network (knocking NBC from that slot).

All in all , if you are an Ugly Betty Fan, Medium Fan and you enjoyed Southland, it could very well be that they may not be around for much longer. Let's hope that that is not the case, but if TV history is any indication well it doesn't look good. I'll be watching the Nielsen numbers to see how they are holding up and whether they will be able to stick it out to stick around and of course I'll be blogging about it.