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Networks

The President of ABC Explains His Decision to Cancel 'Happy Endings'

by | May 14th, 2013

"I do think Happy Endings is absolutely on brand. What we found was it was just too narrow. It was a very hard decision because, as you know, I love that show and I found it very hard to make that decision. On the same token, I think Super Fun Night and Mixology are broader shows that will bring in a wider audience. So, hard decision, not happy at all to see it go, but we feel it was on brand and so is [Super Fun Night] and Mixology."

- ABC President Paul Lee when asked by a journalist today why he canceled Happy Endings and picked up Super Fun Night and Mixology, two other single-camera [...]

Networks

CBS Won't Be Adding Many New Shows This Fall

by | February 15th, 2013

It looks like CBS's fall 2013 schedule will be lacking in new series, according to network head honcho Les Moonves, who told analysts yesterday, "We aren't going to need very much … my guess is there aren't going to be a lot of new shows." Ratings are so high on most of the network's shows that a vast number of replacements won't be needed next season, and that definitely applies to comedies.

For the past few seasons, CBS has had a two-hour-long comedy block on Mondays and one hour of comedies on Thursdays, and so far, the freshman series Partners is the only sitcom that the network won't [...]

Networks

NBC President Talks Comedy Changes: 'The Farm,' 'Parks and Rec,' 'Community'

by | November 14th, 2012

This has been a transitional season for NBC's comedy department, with the network seemingly abandoning developing hip young shows like Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, and Community to focus on more traditional, broadly-appealing sitcoms like Go On and The New Normal (with much better results, ratings-wise). NBC Entertainment Jennifer Salke spoke to TV Guide today about the changes to the network's comedy strategy:

"We just want a different brand. We don't want a narrow brand in the sense of some of those shows that we inherited here, which we're huge fans of, [but] have a very narrow audience… It would be easy if we hated those shows, but we actually [...]

Networks

FX Is Officially Launching the All-Comedy Channel FXX in September, Anchored by 'Always Sunny' and 'The League'

by | March 28th, 2013

Cable network FX officially announced today plans to start up a new channel focused on comedy programming called FXX this fall, anchored by its longest running comedies It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League. FX has renewed Always Sunny, The League, and Legit for a tenth, sixth, and second season, respectively, with the already-announced upcoming ninth and fifth seasons of Always Sunny and The League set to debut on FXX in the fall. Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell will be airing five nights a week on FXX.

As far as FX (and not FXX) stuff goes, the network announced that the fourth season of Louie will debut in May [...]

Networks

Fox Is Planning to Split FX Into Two Networks: FX and FXX

by | January 17th, 2013

Fox executives are planning to split Fox's cable network FX in two this fall. If the arrangement goes through, FX will stay where it's at, but a new channel called FXX will debut, with an emphasis on broadcasting comedies are aimed at young people, Broadcasting & Cable reports. FX's comedies, like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League, are expected to move to FXX, while dramas, like Justified and Sons of Anarchy, will stay on the original channel.

Networks splitting their comedic and dramatic programming between two cable channels is nothing new. Turner does it with TBS (comedy) and TNT (drama), and AMC broadcasts drama with comedic content airing [...]

Networks

NBC Indefinitely Delays the Premiere of 'Community' (And 'Whitney' Also) and More 'Community' News

by | October 9th, 2012

NBC is still continuing to find new depths to how much it can torture Community fans. In the past, the Peacock Network has put the show on hiatus, fired creator Dan Harmon, and gave it a late premiere for its truncated fourth season in the "Friday night death slot," but apparently, that's not enough. Vulture reports that NBC has decided to delay the new seasons of Community (and Whitney) indefinitely. Both shows were set to premiere next week on Friday, October 19th, but they've been taken off the schedule, with NBC releasing the following statement:

"Given the success we’ve had for the past four weeks… we’ve [...]

Networks

ABC Starts a Campaign to Save 'Happy Endings' from ABC

by | March 22nd, 2013

The ABC sitcom Happy Endings has been in ratings trouble for two seasons despite a ton a critical acclaim, and now ABC itself has started the "Save Happy Endings" movement, using the slogan in their latest ads for the show. This is a first – a network launching one of these "save our show" campaigns instead of the fans – and it's pretty strange considering that ABC is asking fans to save Happy Endings from the ABC executives who will decide whether it gets canceled or renewed in the next couple months.

After two months off the air, Happy Endings is returning with back-to-back episodes each Friday night beginning next week on [...]

Networks

Mitch Hurwitz Explains Why 'Arrested Development' Didn't Jump to Showtime When Fox Canceled It in 2006

by | January 10th, 2013

Way back in 2006, when Fox canceled Arrested Development, the press reported that Showtime had made an offer to continue the show but that creator Mitch Hurwitz has turned it down. Now, talking yesterday at Netflix's presentation for television critics, Hurwitz shed some light on why he said no:

Well, at the time, you have to remember that we were not successful. The Showtime offer, as it was presented to me, was half the money for half the show. I was not interested, at that point, in doing a smaller cast and a more simplified Arrested Development. I felt like I would lose the one thing we had, [...]

Networks

The 25 Greatest Fox Comedies In Their 25 Year History

by | April 4th, 2012

Tomorrow will mark the 25th anniversary of the Fox network. In all likelihood, Fox will be drunk on that day, looking into the not too distant future where they will be celebrating late twenty birthdays, which can only lead to the dreaded big three-oh. Managing to convey through tears that they're too damn old to be relevant anymore, CBS, NBC and ABC will roll their eyes, feel jealousy that the CW's fake ID didn't work, and consider the possibility that they might have to clean up vomit very shortly.

To celebrate (and to get out of buying an actual gift), here is a rundown of the twenty five greatest [...]

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