The 2014 FOX Fanfront Event

Today, as I was already in New York, I attended the FOX Fanfront. It's similar to the official Upfront presentation because it takes place a little earlier/at the same time, is held adjacent to the Beacon Theater where the advertisers and press journalists were watching, and showcased much of the same talent.

Jonathan Bredemeyer

But, it's also a very different experience. Rather than a cushy theater, you're under a tent in the heat.

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

The bulk of the time, it's just the "red carpet" portion before any event - actors answer questions for reporters as they make their way in, cast by cast. But, it's 2014, so each celebrity was encouraged to tweet about being there, and they were also taking selfies with audience members and signing autographs for the fans. There were a few special presentations, including a three-song concert performed by American Idol contestant Jessica Meuse (who came in 4th in the currently-running season).

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Then, another triple treat from Glee's Darren Criss. 

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Pitbull was also around, and although we cheered for him, it seems he just went straight to the "real" event. Honestly, the best pre-event part was actually watching an episode of Riot, which was really pretty amusing. But, more on that another time.

If you weren't in the first couple of rows, or even in the first section of bleachers (which was mainly filled with those who camped out overnight or were waiting since at least 6:30am), you couldn't really interact with the talent, nor even see them that well, as FOX wasn't utilizing their screens to help others see what was going on in the very warm room. At least we were kept happy with bottled water and snacks, including a soft pretzel that was just perfect. Others were busy going gaga over the various actors coming in...

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

One surprising negative was that the room didn't even quiet down when trailers for the new series were shown. Now, I'm more of a Marvel fan than DC, but I would have appreciated being able to hear the Gotham trailer. A plus, though, is that this is the second time FOX has let the public attend such an event - the Upfronts are so advertiser-focused that TCA members don't even get invitations. Actually, I'm kinda intrigued with how a single journalist might cover the Upfronts when two networks present on the same day, as this morning's NBC presentation was at the Javits Center was two miles from the Beacon. In LA you just drive it, but in NYC, that's either a multiple-subway trip, a 40-minute walk, or a cab ride that could potentially take 15 minutes, given how traffic seemed this morning. But, I digress. All in all, it was interesting to attend, and I'm glad I have some pictures to share with all of you. I mean, where else would you see this guy?

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Jonathan Bredemeyer

We'll actually weigh in on the new series of FOX and the other broadcast networks in the near future, so look forward to that as well.

Oh, and a random bonus shot... walking back to the hotel we came across this taking place...

Jonathan Bredemeyer

Fun Friday: Character Demographics This Season

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

For seventeen years now, GLAAD has been tracking the number of LGBT characters in scripted programming. You can see their entire report here, which is full of fantastic facts and figures. I wanted to share some highlights, though, as the numbers are pretty interesting.

Their estimate for the 2012-2013 television season (defined as any show premiering 6/1/12-5/31/13) is that 4.4% (of 701, meaning 31) of all regular characters (on new shows and returning shows) on the five major networks are LGBT. An additional 19 recurring characters are LGBT as well. Cable adds another 35 regulars and 26 recurring.

Where We Are On TV 2012-2013 Season
http://www.glaad.org/files/whereweareontv12.pdf

For comparison, they counted only 1.1% of all regular characters on network programming being LGBT in 2007.

Some other facts from the report that stood out to me:

- Women make up 45% of television characters this season.

- Of the network LGBT characters, 61% are gay men, 20% are lesbian women, 14% bisexual women, and 4% bisexual men. On cable, 49% are gay men, 27% are lesbian women, 15% are bisexual women, and 8% are bisexual men. Of the cable LGBT characters, 4% are transgender, a category not addressed yet this year on network TV.

- Glee and True Blood tie for the highest number of LGBT characters at six each!

- Showtime has 12 regular LGBT characters, the highest of any cable network.

- The CW only had one LGBT character at the start of the 2011 season, but now they have four. Speaking of The CW, 83% of their characters are white. (For comparison 72% of NBC's characters are white.) Latinos are specifically under-represented, with only 4% of the characters on network programming being Latino, despite the US being 16% Latino!

- Last year, only five LGBT characters were "people of color," (POC) but this year there are 14.

- The only network shows this year to have LGBT POC are Bones, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, Emily Owens, MD, Glee, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, The LA Complex, Malibu Country, The Office, Smash, and Suburgatory. Four are Latino, three are Asian/Pacific Islander, and seven are Black.

- On cable, LGBT POC can be found on Anger Management, Army Wives, Enlightened, House of Lies, Major Crimes, Pretty Little Liars, Single Ladies, Superjail!, Teen Wolf, True Blood, and White Collar.

- The number of disabled characters (a population we've looked at before) decreased this year, to just four - one on each of the four largest networks. GLAAD counts characters with "non-apparent disabilities such as cancer or HIV/AIDS" (as does the ADA). [Because the number is so low, I'll name them for those interested: Dr. Robbins on Grey's Anatomy is an amputee, CSI has a character using prosthetic legs, Parenthood has a character with Asperger's, and Artie on Glee uses a wheelchair. Dr. Robbins will be one of only two LGBT characters with disabilities, the other is the diabetic Thor on Nurse Jackie.]

How do these numbers compare with what you thought they were or where you think they should be? 

For starters, I know that I was surprised to see there were shows featuring six LGBT characters, and I'm surprised at how many of the depicted LGBT characters are white.  

News Roundup: End of March 2012

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
BBCAmerica's Being Human will return for a fifth season of six episodes.

FOX's Q'Viva: The Chosen is being shortened from two hours to ninety minutes... and it's moving to 11pm instead of 8pm on Saturday nights. Cops and Bones will fill the gap.

The CW's The LA Complex (which doesn't premiere in the US until April 24th) will expand its first season from six episodes to nineteen. The new episodes will air over the summer.

FOX has renewed Bones for an eighth season.

Animal Planet has renewed Pit Boss, My Cat from Hell, and Pit Bulls & Parolees.

MTV renewed The Challenge for a 23rd season and The Real World for a 28th season.

Nickelodeon will present Dora's Easter Adventure for the first time this Wednesday, April 4th at 10am ET/PT.

TLC has yet another reality competition show in the world. Craft Wars will being its 10-episode run on June 26th, hosted by Tori Spelling.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Jason Alexander will have a role on an upcoming episode of Two and a Half Men.

Lindsay Lohan and Whoopi Goldberg will both guest on Glee this season.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Netflix has decided to pass on Terra Nova after all, so consider it gone for good.

FX is looking at potentially making Fargo into a television show.

You may have known that you can watch the pilot for Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 early on ABC's website and on Hulu, but the second episode will also be available on April 2nd, a full nine days before the official debut.

NatGeo's Bid & Destroy will "give viewers an unprecedented look into the cutthroat, rough and demanding world of demolition." Twelve episodes are expected later this year.

Way back in October, Scott Baio was cast as the lead in Daddy's Home, an original show for Nick at Nite, but the network has ordered 20 episodes, to start filming later this year.

FX will have six installments of the untitled late show with Chris Rock & W. Kamau Bell, premiering this summer.

NBC is launching "NBC Kids" on Saturday, July 7th. This three-hour block will help meet the development needs of 2-5 year-olds.

Disney finally beat Nickelodeon in "average number of total daily viewers." If took them nearly 17 years to do so.

News Roundup: lots of cancellations, a few renewals, a bunch of orders

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Big Brother got renewed for Summer 2012.

ABCFamily's The Nine Lives of Chloe King and State of Georgia were canceled. [we hardly paid any attention to the former, so not upset there. The latter only had a few truly "good" episodes, and was just straying too far from the premise to work.]

ABCFamily did renew Make It or Break It. And, The Lying Game received an order for the back 12 episodes of the first season.

Momster of the Bride premiered this past Sunday on Style. It looks at mothers who try to control their daughters' weddings. Look for this half-hour show Sundays at 10pm.

Style also renewed Tia & Tamera for a second season.

USA renewed Covert Affairs, Royal Pains, and Necessary Roughness, each for 16 more episodes.

Bones had another four episodes ordered... which will either run over the summer or be part of an eighth season should one happen. It's really a tiny mini-season. I can't recall something like this ever happening before...

Hung returns to HBO on October 2nd. This third season will have ten episodes.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Frances Bay, the actress who played Aunt Ginny on The Middle, has passed away. She was 92 and had appeared in more than 100 film and television roles. You may remember her as the grandmother on Happy Gilmore or as the Marble Rye Lady on Seinfeld.

Charlie's Angels, which hasn't even premiered yet, has changed the order in which the second and third episodes will run. Interesting idea, and many are skeptical of possible continuity issues and publicity stunts.

The Price is Right is celebrating 40 years on the air. Episode 7500 will air on the 28th. A special celebrity week will start January 2nd, 2012, and will feature Neil Patrick Harris, Snoop Dog, and Jenny McCarthy. I know I'm looking forward to that!

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
CBS is developing a Sherlock Holmes series. I know one of TheTalkingBox's writers will be thrilled to hear that!

ABCFamily is developing several new shows, including Intercept, which will be a drama about college students fighting crime, and Strut, about a Vegas Showgirl who marries a Texan and moves to a small town. Other shows coming up for them include Village People, Baby Daddy, and Bunheads (which might be the same as Strut, from what I can tell).

Downton Abbey, in addition to winning a ton of Emmys this week, has also been awarded a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records under "highest critical review ratings for a TV show."

FX ordered an animated comedy to be called Unsupervised, about two teenage friends with no parental supervision. So... Rugrats with older kids?

Would you watch an all-Simpsons channel? That's the hot question on the internet lately, as apparently it's a possibility...

MTV has ordered six new shows - and only two are going to be scripted. But neither of those two are really standing out yet - one is about a guy fresh out of HS, the other is about a group of friends a year out of college.

Nicholas Sparks has sold a drama to ABC.

Looking forward to Holiday Specials already? FOX is! On November 24th, they will air Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas and Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. I know I'm in for both!

News Roundup: Breaking Bad, Roseanne's Nuts, Bones, etc.

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Breaking Bad has come back from the dead, with 13 episodes to air on FOX.

Good Luck Charlie was renewed by the Disney Channel for a third season.

White Collar was renewed for a fourth season.

Roseanne's Nuts is being moved to Fridays at 10pm for the remaining three episodes. Repeats of Dance Moms will take the old Wednesday slot.

FOX has passed on Locke & Key. I guess it's a good thing that I skipped out on seeing the pilot at Comic-Con (it was on my original plan), otherwise I might be among the many who are upset at the moment. 

Cast & Plot Updates:
Ben Savage (of Boy Meets World fame) will guest on Bones.

Did you realize that the new season of House will pick up a YEAR after last season's finale left off? House is in jail, alongside Jaleel White.

OtherFun Stuff:
Want a good laugh? Go read some predictions as to what the Rugrats characters are doing now that they're 20.

Speaking of old NickToons, Hey Arnold! and Rocko's Modern Life have been added to the late night 90s programming block on TeenNick. Look for them starting September 6th.

Did you hear about how Paul Rudd hitchhiked to the airport? He wanted to offer his savior something big, which ended up being a walk-on role during an interview.

Absolutely Fabulous will be doing three specials for its 20th anniversary.

TiVo isn't doing so well. In fact, they lost 33,000 subscribers last quarter, bringing their overall subscriber total to the numbers they had in 2004! I predict we'll see a similar drop next month when Netflix inflicts its price hike.

Royal Wedding Info, Renewals, Etc.

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Just in case you wanted to hear more about William & Kate's wedding (you know, since I haven't talked about it since Sunday), there's been a lot of coverage of the Royal Wedding in the past week. And, that makes sense, quite frankly. Some of it has been pretty interesting... on the "50 Things you Should Know about the Royal Wedding," I learned some cool facts, like the fact that it would take Kate four minutes to walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Two of Kate's exes were invited; four of Will's were. The Obamas did not receive invitations. Fergy wasn't invited, either. Kate's ring (formerly Diana's) is an 18-carat sapphire. There are some crazy items out there for the wedding, including a book on knitting replicas of those involved. The wedding is rumored to be costing $30 million, most of which will be the Queen's responsibility, though the Middletons are shelling out $100k, and Prince Charles is covering the evening reception. Diana and Charles' wedding (adjusted for inflation) was $70 million. And, Kate and Will are 12th cousins already, once removed. Oh, and here's the itinerary from the big day.

VH1 has a new hour-long scripted series coming out, entitled, Single Ladies. There will be a movie to premiere the idea on May 30th, and the series begins June 6th.

Two and a Half Men is being rebooted without Charlie Sheen. 

The triple crossover for FOX's Animation Domination didn't happen. In light of the devastating tornadoes across the country, FOX opted to pull the hurricane episodes that linked Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. No new date has been given yet.

USA's Fairly Legal got renewed for another season.

Army Wives also got renewed. 

FOX's Bones did, too. and, it was announced via Twitter.

Jamie OIiver's Food Revolution didn't have as good an outcome... it's been pulled for the month and will burn off Friday nights in June.

Coal Miners on TV & Other News,

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

ABCFamily's Friday Night Lights was canceled due to ratings.

CBS is really banking on Twitter. A THIRD show is now in development based on a twitter account. This one is being produced by Ashton Kutcher and will be called The Girls, based on things a guy overhears from his upstairs female neighbors.

SpikeTV has a Coal Miner reality show coming up in April. It's set in West Virginia, and was apparently underway before the Chilean mishap. It's gonna be called, Coal.

Angus T. Jones is now making $300k per episode of Two and a Half Men.

Jason Priestley and Luke Perry (aka Brandon and Dylan from Beverly Hills, 90210) are doing a TV movie together. It's called Goodnight for Justice and it's going to be on the Hallmark Channel eventually. Brandon is directing and Dylan is acting and exec-producing.

Bones spin-off planned by FOX.

I've never heard of The City, but apparently it's a spin-off of The Hills. Anyway, it got canceled.

Speaking of Paris Hilton, there's a new holiday tv-movie on the block: The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation. Doesn't sound thrilling, but yes, Paris voices a poodle in the flick. It'll be on November 28th at 8pm.

Better With You and No Ordinary Family both got the full-season go-ahead.