News Roundup: USA Dates, New Shows, & More

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
FOX's Hell's Kitchen will have 11th and 12th seasons... the 10th season begins Tuesday, May 29th at 8pm ET/PT.

BET has renewed The Game for a sixth season, Let's Stay Together for a third season, and Reed Between the Lines for a second season.

TLC renewed My Crazy Obsession for a second season.

VH1 renewed Stevie TV for a second season.

Discovery has canceled Cash Cab. I never got into the show much, but we did a feature on it as part of our Game Show series.

HBO has canceled (for a second time) The Life & Times of Tim.

BBC canceled Upstairs Downstairs after two seasons.

Discovery's Auction Kings returns on Wednesday, April 25th at 10pm ET/PT.

A&E's Monster In-Laws will begin its second season on Monday, May 28th at 10pm ET/PT.

CBS has Dogs in the City beginning Wednesday, May 30th at 8pm ET/PT. It's a reality show where a NYC dog guru will resolve "issues between canines and their owners."

USA has given summer start dates to many of its shows. Check out Royal Pains and Necessary Roughness returning on Wednesday, June 6th, Burn Notice and Suits coming Thursday, June 14th, and White Collar and Covert Affairs on Tuesday, July 10th.

When Arrested Development debuts its fourth season next year, all ten episodes will premiere on the same day via Netflix streaming. There have also been talks about possible fifth and sixth seasons as well. Oh, and Bob Loblaw is also scheduled to return as well.

Remember when the cancelled Breaking In was brought back? Well, FOX has pulled it from their schedule and will air the final three episodes at some point in the future.

Many people were looking forward to Seth MacFalane's The Flintstones reboot next year, but the man is just too busy... so it'll be put off.


Cast & Plot Updates:
The Rock will star in The Hero, overseeing contestants in this "global action reality series."

Amber Tamblyn will be on the House finale, May 21st, reprising her role as Martha Masters. There are also rumors of Kal Penn returning as Kutner for the finale.

Have you even had time to miss Rosie O'Donnell yet? She's going to be back on television soon, joining Star Jones and Donny Deutsch on Today's "The Professionals" panel in the 8am hour.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
NBC's 13 Mockingbird Lane (which I think is just going to be called "The New Munsters" by everyone) now has some artwork available, and they've mentioned that the costumes are going to be "almost the Real Housewives of Transylvania" and will feature animal textures. Lily's wardrobe "comes from nature," for instance.

If you want to catch Girls or Veep and don't subscribe to HBO, you can catch the pilots for free until the middle of May on HBO.com, DailyMotion, YouTube, TV.com, and some Free-On-Demand platforms.

Is Smash not enough Marilyn Monroe for you? If so, you're in luck - Finding Marilyn will feature twelve women vying for a chance to become "the next great American icon."

BET has ordered four new shows, including Generation Wayans (Craig & Damien + four nephews), House Husbands (based on the skit from the BET Awards), The Mathis Project (criminal docu-reality series), and Don't Sleep with TJ Holmes (late-night).

Disney has Dog with a Blog coming to the small screen - "a family sitcom from the pet's point-of-view" where parents buy step-siblings a dog "to encourage them to get along." Turns out, the dog can talk... AND BLOG. Interesting, huh?

NBC will have a new matchmaking show this winter, called Ready for Love, which will use Facebook to get things started.

Go On, the NBC comedy starring Matthew Perry, has a series order. Perry plays a sportscaster who is in mandatory group therapy.

If you use Chrome, you can add the "My Episode Guide" extension to track when your favorite shows have new episodes coming up.

December 15th Holiday Recommendations

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Welcome to our third set of recommendations for our 12 Days of Christmas programming! Again, for a full listing, check out our Holiday Programming Schedule, but here are the highlights for Thursday, December 15th! As always, times are Eastern and Pacific to the best of our knowledge (except when noted otherwise), but it's always good to double-check with your own provider.

5am & 4pm (PT): A Flintstones Christmas Carol (Boomerang)
- Fred Flintstone has portrayed many personalities through the years, and his role as Scrooge is one of the better ones. (he's both playing Scrooge in a community theatre show AND being a Scrooge.) It's a bit different from the earlier Flintstones Christmas specials (this one was made in the 90s), but it really is heart-wrenching when you see Wilma get upset at Fred and he realizes that it's more than just acting. (she "fills in" for ill actresses.)

6:30am & 5:30pm (PT): Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper (Boomerang)
- This one I've got set to record because it sounds good, though I've never seen it. However, the other Yogi Christmas Special is one of my all-time favorites, so I've got my hopes up on this one. The idea is that Yogi and BooBoo escape Jellystone and wind up in the city. Yogi dresses as Santa to blend in, and he ends up showing a little girl the true spirit of Christmas.

6pm (PT): The Wonder Years "Christmas" (HUB)
- This is an early episode in The Wonder Years, and, as you might imagine, partially centers around Kevin searching for the perfect gift for Winnie. Well, it starts with her unexpectedly getting him a present, and it just starts snowballing from there. The other big part to the episode is Wayne and Kevin hinting at and pestering their father for a color television. Well, Kevin manages to screw things up a bit with Winnie, and the family doesn't upgrade their entertainment center, but it's a good, nostalgic program.

8pm: Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC)
- It's a shame that the majority of airings for this special are heavily edited. However, it's still a wonderful special that really puts me in the holiday spirit. I'm not sure if it's Linus' speech or Charlie Brown's open-minded and childlike innocence, but it's just beautiful. The scheduling actually looks like this will be the one airing of this special this year that is full-length, so if you want to give it a try, now's the time!

Cancellations all Around!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

ABC canceled Brothers & Sisters, No Ordinary Family, V, Detroit 1-8-7, Better with You, Mr. Sunshine, and Off the Map.

FOX canceled Lie to Me, Human Target, The Chicago Code, Breaking In, and Traffic Light.

Hugh Grant was yet another name that was thrown out to replace Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. But, Ashton Kutcher got the role in the end!

Jenelle from Teen Mom 2 went to rehab. She may be "clean" and just wanting to get her life together, but who knows.

Matthew Perry is also in rehab. Maybe it's needed because his show got canceled, LoL.

House will move to 9pm on Mondays in the fall, to make room for Terra Nova at 8pm. But, it will be without Cuddy, who chose not sign a less-money-than-previously contract.

Seth MacFarlane is going to reboot The Flintstones. Don't get too excited... we're looking at Fall 2013.

If you want to take a look at everything that was canceled and renewed, try here.

Top 10 TV Character Adoption Stories

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Quite some time ago I was flipping through the channels late at night and caught the episode of The Flintstones where Fred and Wilma have Pebbles. It really is hilarious if you haven't seen it. I saved it to my DVR and later showed a friend. He asked if the same thing happens when Bamm-Bamm is born, and I pointed out that Bamm-Bamm was adopted. He didn't know that, and I think that many people probably don't. So, I wanted to take some time to draw attention to some of the great adopted characters on television. I'm specifically looking at adopted characters whose stories are told or addressed in the show.  

10. George Camden from 7th Heaven. Although not a major character, George is adopted by Eric's parents, the Colonel and Ruth. In the same episode, Eric and Annie also consider adopting the child, which would have been interesting since the Camden kids did not particularly take to him. His real father shows up later in the series, and after some strife, gets along with everyone.

 

9. Arnold Jackson (and Willis) from Diff'rent Strokes. Mr. Drummond's housekeeper was the boys' mother, and after she died, he took them in. It's a real rags-to-riches story, and while the fact that the boys weren't Drummond's biological children popped up from time to time, it wasn't a big issue for arcs at a time.

8. Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls. I didn't know that Rose was adopted until I had seen thirty or forty episodes of the show. Turns out, her mother died in childbirth and her father was a monk who chose to return to the monastery (weird, huh?). She lived in an orphanage until she was 8, then was adopted by St. Olaf's favorite dairy-farming couple, the Lindstroms. There's an amusing storyline about Rose thinking that Bob Hope was her biological father, too. 

7. Natalie Green, from The Facts of Life. She grew up knowing that she was adopted, and while she was at the boarding school she decided that she wanted to meet her birthmother. Blair (who had the money and the connections) tracked down the woman, but Natalie ended up not showing to meet her, deciding that she was grateful for the parents who raised her. Later in the series she does meet her birthmom, but ultimately decides that she's very thankful for her adoptive parents. 

6. Skippy Handleman from Family Ties. Skippy accidentally found out he was adopted when he saw the papers in his mother's drawer. Skippy is determined to meet his birthmother, and brings Alex to see her. Skippy and his mother have a lot in common, and Skippy is excited to being a long-lasting relationship... only to have his mother tell him that she doesn't think that they should see one another again, and that he reminds her of a painful past. Skippy returns home to his loving parents, who have been heartbroken about the whole matter at the Keatons' home.

5. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville; Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor Miller from Alvin & the Chipmunks. Going off of the cartoon stories of the chipmunks' & chipettes' origin, the guys were placed in a basket and their mother left them on Dave's doorstop. Dave struggled with them at first, but as soon as they got him a job with their recording of "Witch Doctor," all was well. The Chipettes, on the other hand, came from an orphanage in Australia, where they were a pet of a girl named Olivia. When Olivia was adopted, the chipettes were about to be exploited by the woman running the orphanage, but they ran away in a kangaroo's pouch, then stowed away on a ship to America. They lived in the park and worked in a restaurant, then rode a bus to California and got a singing job. They moved into a treehouse, but when they went to school, the school was upset that they had no guardian... so Dave's neighbor, Mrs. Miller, adopts the girls.

4. Steve Sanders from Beverly Hills, 90210. So this is a tricky one. He doesn't know he's adopted until the end of the first season. He went crazy trying to find his "real" parents, only to find just his mother's father, as his birthmother had died. Later we find out that his adoptive dad is his real dad as well, and only his mother, actress Samantha Sanders, was not actually a blood relative.

3. Punky Brewster from Punky Brewster. Her father abandons the family, then her mom leaves Punky and her dog (Brandon) at a shopping mall, never to return. Punky takes shelter in an empty apartment, but is found by the building's manager, who ends up jumping through a lot of hoops to adopt her. He fosters her for a while, she gets sent to an orphanage, but eventually the two live happily, and his curmudgeon ways disappear.

2. Bamm Bamm Rubble, from The Flintstones was the very first adopted child on television. He was left in a basket (as an orphan) at the Rubble's house, with a note revealing his unique name. Betty and Barney Rubble want to adopt him,and head to the Child Welfare office to make it official... only to discover they have to wait a week while their application is processed. They end up being denied, since someone was ahead of them on the waiting list. Betty and Barney take the other couple (rich folks) to court. Turns out, the woman from the other couple is pregnant, so they let the Rubbles have Bamm-Bamm.  In case you've never seen this one, I've added a couple clips:

cropped with SnipSnip

1. Albert Ingalls, from Little House on the Prairie. Charles wanted a son so badly, but a biological one just wasn't in the works (the only son Caroline birthed, died). They find Albert living on the streets when they live in Dakota Territory, and he comes back to Walnut Grove in the end. His biological father does come back into the picture for a short time, but it is ultimately the Ingalls who love the boy despite his faults... like burning down the school for the blind with his niece inside, getting addicted to morphine, having the town believe that he was an illegitimate father, and ultimately dying of cancer before he could achieve his dream of becoming a doctor.

I know I'm missing another dozen or so adopted characters, but I really enjoy these stories (I mean, wasn't Webster just a copy of Diff'rent Strokes, LoL?). What adoption stories come to your mind? 

The Latest

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Hugh Laurie was on Ellen to talk about his naked scene on the season premiere of House.

Matt LeBlanc is to play Matt LeBlanc in Showtime's upcoming co-production with the BBC, "Episodes."

NBC has new holiday specials this year. Halloween special for Shrek coming up on October 28th and a Christmas special for Kung Fu Panda on November 24th.

Oprah is having a The Sound of Music cast reunion... 45 years later! Tune in October 29th.

White Collar, Royal Pains, and Psych all got renewed for another season.

ABCFamily has ordered three new hour-long drama pilots: Nine Lives, based on a girl with superpowers after she turns 16. Strut, where a showgirl has to help out a Texas high school drill team. Switched at Birth, where a rich girl and a poor, hearing-impaired girl find out they were switched at birth, so their families deal with living together.

My Generation has been canceled after just two episodes. I had considered it, but never tried it. I guess that's for the better. Similarly, Lone Star also got the ax after two episodes. However, it was running up against the powerhouses Dacing with the Stars and Two and a Half Men, and also some other promising new shows. Even if you go from 4.1 million viewers to 3.2 million, I think 2 episodes is still too short to call it.

Since the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones was this past week, there's been a lot of "fun facts" thrown around the internet.

There are rumors that The Munsters is being brought back to life. NBC ordered the pilot, and it's said to shoot for a mix of Modern Family and True Blood. Count me out.

Highlights in October television include: American Dad 6th season premiere on the 3rd. The Glades first season finale on 3rd. The third season of Lie to Me premieres on the 4th. Cake Boss mid-season premiere on the 11th (TLC didn't really do a good job telling us it was on mid-season hiatus...). Mad Men 4th season finale is on the 17th. The holiday special Scared Shrekless is on the 28th.

John Stamos will appear in the "Rocky Horror-themed episode" on Glee. He will both sing and dance in the episode (link not working anymore...)

New Gossip

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

As I mentioned in this week's television commentary, I really like the new show Better with You. Here's a little video of Joanna Garcia & Jennifer Finnigan talking about the show.

Glee is having a Rocky Horror-themed episode, set to air October 26th. Barry Bostwick (Brad) and Meat Loaf (Eddie) are set to appear. I am gonna have to watch this one, as much as I dislike Glee.

Oprah is doing a few episodes from Australia.... bringing some of her biggest fans with her to tour parts of the country. It's costing Australian taxpayers almost $3,000,000, but the former tourism minister believes that the publicity is worth every penny.

Grad student (in Computer Science) Roger Craig won $77,000 on a single episode of Jeopardy!. This beats Ken Jennings, whose highest one-day total was $75,000. This was the fifth time in his life that he's tried out for the show, but the first time he's made it.

There are a bunch of celebrities who are afraid of flying. In particular, Ben Affleck recently told his story on Jay Leno.

The fact that a bunch of episodes in last season's How I Met Your Mother don't really fit a larger arc was because they weren't meant to. They also know bits and pieces about how the series is going to end, but no hints there. They have written a new Robin Sparkles song. Wayne Brady is coming back as Barney's brother.

Hulk Hogan is going to be hosting a new kids' show. The first season is ordered for 26 half-hour episodes where Hogan is a referee of sorts for kids' arguments.

Last week I mentioned that Penny on The Big Bang Theory had broken her leg and was missing a taping. Well, she's going to be missing several more, the the point where the show is on production hiatus.

Boardwalk Empire got picked up for a second season a mere TWO DAYS after it premiered.

The Flintstones turned 50 this month. To celebrate, Boomerang will air the original episode this Thursday, September 30th, at 8:30pm, which is the same slot the pilot occupied in 1960. Then two more episodes, The Man Called Flintstone, and a 24-hour marathon the following day.