Idiot Box Updates is back! Here's where we run down all the latest TV news for the week, 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 shows by viewership numbers, compiled by Nielsen Media Research for October 5-11:
1. "NCIS," CBS, 20.7 million viewers.
2. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 16.35 million viewers.
3. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.31 million viewers.
4. "Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis at Tennessee," NBC, 16.02 million viewers.
5. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 14.9 million viewers.
6. "The Mentalist," CBS, 14.7 million viewers.
7. "60 Minutes," CBS, 14.54 million viewers.
8. "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 14.13 million viewers.
9. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 14.05 million viewers.
10. "House," Fox, 13.74 million viewers.
11. "The Good Wife," CBS, 13.69 million viewers.
12. "CSI: Miami," CBS, 13.43 million viewers.
13. "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 13.42 million viewers.
14. "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 13.3 million viewers.
15. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 12.52 million viewers.
16. "CSI: New York," CBS, 12.43 million viewers.
17. "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 12.42 million viewers.
18. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 12.32 million viewers.
19. "Survivor: Samoa," CBS, 11.69 million viewers.
20. "The Amazing Race 15," CBS, 10.52 million viewers.
Finally! E! Online is reporting that "Heroes" fans will witness the death of a major character this season, and “this is not one that will go unnoticed by even the most casual fan.”
There's some well-informed rumors going around as to just who's getting the axe, but we won't spoil the fun for you. Apparently it won't be another "temporary" death like Nathan's was last season, either. No word on when exactly it will happen, but they're sure to milk the hype for all it's worth. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of the new characters on "Heroes," and what we can expect this season.
Two months Comedy Central cut off their own legs by cancelling "Reno 911!," series star/co-creator Thomas Lennon is headlining a new comedy project at NBC.
The network has committed to a pilot for a comedy that Lennon will write with Robert Ben Garant, his "Reno" co-creator/co-star and creative collaborator. The new show's premise is being kept under wraps, but Lennon will star, just as he did as Lt. Jim Dangle on "Reno". Garant will once again play a supporting role.
The comic duo have already made a considerable impact on Hollywood by writing the two "Night at the Museum" films, "Reno 911!: Miami," "Balls of Fury" and "The Pacifier." They also have several film projects lined up for the near future: "How to Survive a Robot Uprising" at Paramount, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "The Devil You Know" at Fox and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" for Universal and Imagine.
ABC has given a full-season greenlight to "FlashForward," just days after doing the same to the fledgeling comedies "Modern Family," "The Middle" and "Cougar Town." Check out our Five Reasons You Should Watch Flash Forward.
The mystery-drama has done well for the network in its competitive Thursday-night time period and has been favored by critics. Its premiere was the first regular scripted series since "Friends" to beat CBS' "Survivor" in its time slot.
Fox announced details of its planned Nov. 8 "Family Guy" special variety show, including a working title and an exclusive sponsorship with Microsoft - which is hilarious, given how much fun the show has made of Microsoft in the past.
The half-hour "Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show" will air Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. and star MacFarlane and co-star Alex Borstein. The special will air commercial free - well, sort of. Rather than traditional ads, the show will feature a creeping invasion of Microsoft Windows 7-branded programming that, the press release assures, will "blend seamlessly with show content."
“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with Windows 7 on such an exciting, highly collaborative marketing campaign featuring the very unique talents of Seth MacFarlane as he overhauls the old Hollywood tradition of the sponsored variety show by marrying Windows 7 messaging with content,” said Jean Rossi, executive vp of sales for Fox.
Ultimate Fighting champ Chuck Liddell has been knocked out — of "Dancing With the Stars," that is. After being eliminated from the ABC dance competition Tuesday, Liddell had the following to say:
"It's hard to do. I made a shot at it."
"You not so much danced but raided the two-step," judge Bruno Tonioli said. "You bring carnage and mayhem to everything you do."
Ten celebrity contestants remain on the ABC dance-off. Each is set to perform two dances on Monday. I'm sure you'll be all over it.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker has been embroiled in a debate with "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien over the general terribleness of his terrible city over the past two weeks, with each man banning the other from their local airports in a pissing contest that will culminate this Friday, when the 40-year-old mayor will appear as a guest on O'Brien's show.
The back-and-forth had been pretty relentless, until Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the nation's top diplomat, playfully broke up the spat Oct. 8.
"I look forward to our summit," O'Brien said in a statement. "My apologies for bumping Brad Pitt."
Green Arrow will be getting a sidekick on this season of "Smallville," and now we know who landed the part: Elise Gatien (In the Land of Women) will play Mia/Speedy, a street-smart chick who Oliver (Justin Hartley) will train to be his bow-and-arrow-toting partner.
Gatien will make her appearance as a guest-star on Smallville season 9’s sixth episode, entitled “Crossfire”. The episode is scheduled to air on October 23, 2009 @ 8pm on the CW.
NBC's cop drama "Southland" took a swan dive off the cancellation bridge last week, despite critical acclaim and good numbers in the ratings.
NBC brass considered the six new episodes, intended to launch the second season of the show, to be too dark and gritty for broadcast TV -- especially now that the network's 10 p.m. week-night dramas must air an hour earlier to accommodate "The Jay Leno Show."
Leno's show is wreaking havoc on the prime-time slates of all the major networks, resulting in boycotts and outspoken criticism by fans and celebs alike. The sad part is that even if Leno does horribly, his show is so cheap to produce that NBC will still turn a profit. Can the tide of influence push Leno out after a season run? Many in the industry are counting on it - their jobs are depending on it. Read more on our thoughts about the Jay Leno boycott.
Matthew Perry is returning to TV with a yet-untitled comedy that he will star in, co-write and executive produce. Oh, and it was his idea.
Chandler Perry will play the self-absorbed manager of a second-rate sports arena who starts to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday. Is it coincidence Perry turned 40 in August? I think not!
Perry will write the show with "Rules of Engagement" co-executive producers Alex Barnow and Mark Firek, and it's being pitched to networks this week.
Hey "Dexter" fans! Time to get your animation on. Showtime has just announced plans for their new animated web series, Dexter: Early Cuts, that will premiere Sunday, October 25 on Sho.com.
Presented in a similar styling to Warner Bros. recent motion comics, Dexter: Early Cuts will cover all new, never before told, stories from three of Dexter’s previous “victims.” The series will be total twelve episodes (one each week) with each victim receiving four one-to-two-minute episodes.
The premiere of MTV's DJ AM reality series "Gone Too Far" pulled only 500,000 viewers Monday night. That's a bottom-scraping tally for the network, which decided to air the series despite DJ AM's recent death from a drug overdose. An MTV spokesperson said the network plans to keep the show in the slot. We'll see how long that lasts.
