Welcome to CraveOnline's Idiot Box Updates, where we run down all the latest TV news and separate the facts from the rumors and nonsense on and about the small screen.
Here's a list of the top 20 prime-time network shows by viewership numbers, compiled by Nielsen Media Research for January 4-10. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. “NFL Playoff: Philadelphia vs. Dallas,” NBC, 32.12 million.
2. “BCS National Championship Game: Texas vs. Alabama,” ABC, 30.78 million.
3. “NFL Playoff Pre-Kick: Philadelphia vs. Dallas,” NBC, 26.98 million.
4. “NFL Wildcard Post-Game: Green Bay vs. Arizona,” Fox, 25.18 million.
5. “NCIS,” CBS, 21.37 million.
6. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 18.07 million.
7. “BCS Championship Pre-Game,” ABC, 17.28 million.
8. “The Simpsons,” Fox, 14.62 million.
9. “Desperate Housewives,” ABC, 14.03 million.
10. “The Good Wife,” CBS, 13.98 million.
11. “Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Boise State,” Fox, 13.82 million.
12. “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 11.95 million.
13. “The Biggest Loser,” NBC, 11.74 million.
14. “Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special,” Fox, 11.43 million.
15. “The Mentalist,” CBS, 11.01 million.
16. “Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa,” Fox, 10.88 million.
17. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 10.87 million.
18. “People’s Choice Awards,” CBS, 10.81 million.
19. “Law & Order SVU,” NBC, 10.59 million.
20. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” ABC, 10.55 million.
Well isn't this a mess? The brass over at NBC have tied themselves into an inescapable knot with the entire late-night situation between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, finding a way to hopelessly screw Conan in the process. The latest news is that Leno is heading back to the "Tonight Show," after Conan refused to follow Jay at 12:05, as had been suggested. Fox is interested in picking up the pieces, but so far no formal offers have been made.
Either way there's a hell of a lot more to this story, and we've got a lot of ground to cover. So check out more of our Conan/Leno late-night coverage, and enjoy a nice clip of Conan taking both Leno and NBC to task last night for this debacle:
"Dexter" star Michael C. Hall is fighting his own killer: cancer. The actor was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. His condition is considered highly treatable with the potential for full recovery. Craig Bankey, a spokesman for the actor, said the cancer is in complete remission and Hall's treatment will continue as planned. Bankey said Hall will return to production on the drama's fifth season later this year.
"I feel fortunate to have been diagnosed with an imminently treatable and curable condition, and I thank my doctors and nurses for their expertise and care," Hall, 38, said Wednesday in a statement.
The brand-new FX animated series "Archer" is aiming to rewrite the rulebook on spy-genre shows, and we've got a hunch it's going to kick some serious ass. It's created by Adam Reed, the same mind behind Adult Swim's "Frisky Dingo" and the legendary "Sealab 2021" series. If that's not promising enough, here's the full official synopsis:
Archer is set at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), a spy agency where espionage and global crises are merely opportunities for its highly trained employees to confuse, undermine, betray and royally screw each other.
The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) as suave master spy “Sterling Archer,” whose less-than-masculine code name is “Duchess”; Jessica Walter (Arrested Development) as his domineering mother and boss, “Malory Archer”; Aisha Tyler (Talk Soup, 24) as his ex-girlfriend and current co-worker, “Agent Lana Kane”; George Coe as his aging-but-loyal butler, “Woodhouse”; Chris Parnell (30 Rock) as ISIS comptroller and Lana’s new love interest, “Cyril Figgis”; Judy Greer (Arrested Development) as Malory’s lovesick secretary, “Cheryl”; and Amber Nash as “Pam,” the director of human resources for ISIS.
"Archer" premieres tonight on FX!
The late-night shuffle over at NBC been ugly and brutal, and it's not likely to get any better for quite some time, but there's a silver lining to the ugly cloud in the Conan/Leno war: New and veteran NBC dramas and a comedy produced by Jerry Seinfeld will take over the bulk of the prime-time slots that Jay Leno will leave after four miserably failed months in the 10pm slot.
NBC announced Thursday that the freshman drama "Parenthood" and the relocated "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victim Units" will fill three slots in the network's weekly lineup. Comedy panel series "The Marriage Ref" from Seinfeld will fill another day, while "Dateline NBC" will fill another 10 p.m. EST slot.
The new lineup will debut after NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics from Feb. 12-28. Don't expect to see Conan on NBC after that.
JJ Abrams will executive produce and direct the pilot for NBC’s next spy show, "Undercovers". After a network bidding war for the project, details of the show were scarce. But now we know that NBC will air the show, which reportedly has a romantic comedy angle.
Austrian-born Boris Kodjoe is attached, who we’ve seen in "Boston Public" and Soul Food. Head to ComingSoon for more info.
Ben Stiller's comedy pilot for Fox just received two new additions: Carla Gallo and Jose Zuniga have landed co-starring roles on "The Station". The project centers on covert CIA operative Eric (Justin Bartha) and his associates, on a mission in Central America to install a new dictator. Stiller is executive producer on the project.
A recasting is underway on the show, which was ordered during the last development cycle. Gallo ("Bones," "Californication") will play the smart but loopy director of operatives who oversees the undercover field officers in the Central America outpost and has feelings for Eric. Zuniga ("Twilight," "CSI") will play a trained field officer who runs the import/export cover office but is angling for a position inside the station.
Dark Starz drama "Crash" reportedly won't be renewed for a third season. The cable network declined comment Wednesday beyond noting that new president and CEO Chris Albrecht began work just three days ago and is still getting the hang of his new title, but it's expected that one of the first programming decisions made by the former HBO honcho will be the axing of "Crash".
Starz recently renewed the period drama "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" for a second season ahead of its Jan. 22 premiere. "Crash," which was of course based on the Oscar-winning 2005 film of the same name, premiered in 2008 and changed considerably in its quest to win viewers between the first and second seasons. Series star Dennis Hopper was hospitalized in September while promoting the second season, and has no plans to return to showbiz for the time being.
MTV Networks is working with George Clooney on a telethon for Haitian earthquake relief, planned for Jan. 22. No further information is available thus far, but with tens of thousands dead after the massive earthquake, the Caribbean island nation desperately needs aid. Stay tuned for more info.
TNT's Ray Romano show "Men of a Certain Age" has been renewed for a second season with a 10-episode order, and it's barely halfway through its first season. The show has been successful, averaging 4.4 million viewers through its first five episodes. It started off big, drawing 5.4 million viewers for its December 7 launch.
The witty drama, starring Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula, explores male friendship among three men entering their midlife crisis age.
Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has planned a TV documentary on the rebuilding of New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the September 11 2001 attacks. "Rebuilding Ground Zero" will be shown in 2011 on the Science Channel, with Spielberg executive producing the six-part documentary series.
"The rebuilding effort at Ground Zero is a compelling story of remembrance and renewal," New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "The facts that Steven Spielberg -- one of the great filmmakers of our time -- will produce a documentary on it ensures that the story will be brought to life for people around the world for generations to come."
Science Channel said the series would use 3D, time-lapse cameras, computer modeling techniques and other high technology methods to bring the story to life.
