Beware, Beware the Hiatus ‘Til March: NBC’s Chuck Returns…in 2010

Beware, Beware the Hiatus ‘Til March
Chuck Returns…in 2010
When Chuck was officially renewed a few days ago, I didn’t end up writing a piece about it: it wasn’t that the show wasn’t deserving of praise, or that I wasn’t excited by the announcement, but unlike the Dollhouse renewal it felt like a foregone conclusion, with every [...]

Upfronts Analysis: ABC Fall Schedule 2009-2010

ABC Fall Schedule 2009-2010
May 19th, 2009
ABC is the one network this year whose strategy appears to be “let’s order a ridiculous number of new shows,” which is really quite interesting in this economic climate. The network isn’t in a bad position, per se, but its been through a rough development patch where this past year [...]

The Imprint Lives On: FOX bets on Dollhouse Season 2

The Imprint Lives On: Dollhouse Renewed
May 15th, 2009
After rumours earlier in the day were flying about via James Hibberd over at The Hollywood Reporter, the idea of a second season of Dollhouse actually became a probability as opposed to a pipe dream. Sure, the first season ended on a stronger note than it started on, [...]

Upfronts Analysis: FOX 2008-2009 Fall Schedule

“A Subtle Improvement”
FOX 2008-2009 Fall Schedule
In the past, I’ve complained a lot about FOX’s scheduling practices – rather than using their biggest shows to produce strong lead-ins for new shows that need attention, they have instead chosen a path wherein they waste it on reality shows or (what I consider to be) derivative comedies. And [...]

Upfronts Analysis – CBS Cancels ‘Moonlight’

Ladies and gentlemen, Les Moonves has a death wish.
There is no question that there is justifiable reason to cancel Moonlight, just as there was justifiable reason to cancel Jericho – they both suffered from low ratings, and in Moonlight’s case it never reached the early highs of Jericho’s run. The show was in creative turmoil [...]

Upfronts Analysis: ABC 2008-2009 Fall Schedule

“No Alarms and No Surprises”
ABC 2008-2009 Fall Schedule
Of all of the major networks, one could say that ABC is playing it safest when it comes to this year’s upfronts. The only drama pilot to make it onto their fall schedule is one that was technically completed for last season’s pilot group, and they are the [...]

Cultural Learnings’ 2008-2009 Network Upfronts Analysis

Last year, Cultural Learnings produced a lot of hits (And perhaps a few new readers) during its coverage of the Network Upfronts, a process wherein each network reveals the shows that will make it onto their Fall or Winter schedules the following year. There were a lot of surprises last year: Jericho’s cancellation and subsequent [...]