UPDATED POST:

This week the TV networks will be announcing their new fall line-ups.

Up first is NBC. ( I will post FOX’s new line-up later today after it is announced.)

After last fall’s disasterous “Jay Leno at 10PM experiment, the Peacock is going to launch 14 new shows in September. Wow! Talk about starting over.

But in order for that to happen, some shows got the ax. Most notably, after 20 seasons ”Law & Order” is cancelled and out of a job. And the once hugely popular… but then it wasn’t show, “Heroes.”

But “Law & Order” fans take heart. There will be plenty of “L&O” spin-offs airing on NBC including a new one set in Los Angeles.

NBC UNVEILS 2010-2011 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

5 NEW COMEDIES, 7 NEW DRAMAS, AND NEW ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM.

The new Fall Schedule features all-drama lineups on Mondays and Wednesdays, and all comedies on Thursdays, plus unscripted programming into compatible dramas on Tuesdays and Fridays. The series include new comedies such as “Outsourced,” Love Bites,” “Perfect Couples,” “Friends With Benefits” and “The Paul Reiser Show.” The new dramas are “The Cape,” “Harry’s Law,” “Outlaw,” “Undercovers,” “The Event,” “Chase” and “Law & Order: Los Angeles.”

The new series “The Cape,” “Friends With Benefits,” “Perfect Couples,” “Harry’s Law” and “The Paul Reiser Show” will premiere later in the season along with a new version of “The Apprentice” “The Marriage Ref” and the new series “America’s Next Great Restaurant” — starring chef/restaurateur Bobby Flay.

NBC will also broadcast a 35th anniversary “Saturday Night Live” special that will celebrate the iconic late-night series’ long and eventful run on NBC since 1975. “Parks and Recreation” will return to Thursdays later in the season to give the night more original programming. Sundays beginning March 2011, the competition series “Minute to Win It” returns (8-9 p.m.) followed by “The Celebrity Apprentice” (9-11 p.m.):

MONDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Chuck”

9-10 p.m. — “THE EVENT”

10-11 p.m. – “CHASE”

TUESDAY

8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser”

10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

WEDNESDAY

8-9 p.m. – “UNDERCOVERS”

9-10 p.m. – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

10-11 p.m. – “LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES”

THURSDAY

8- 8:30 p.m. – “Community”

8:30-9 p.m. – “30 Rock”

9-9:30 p.m. – “The Office”

9:30-10 p.m. – “OUTSOURCED”

10-11 p.m. – “LOVE BITES”

FRIDAY

8-9 p.m. – “Who Do You Think You Are?”/”SCHOOL PRIDE”

9-10 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

10-11 p.m. – “OUTLAW”

SATURDAY

Encore programming

SUNDAY

7- 8:15 p.m. — “Football Night in America”

8:15-11:30 p.m. — “NBC Sunday Night Football”

SUNDAY (beginning March 2011)

7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”

8-9 p.m. – “Minute to Win It”

9-11 p.m. – “The Celebrity Apprentice”

2010-11 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Dramas

‘THE EVENT’ — “The Event” is an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter, “The Class”), an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer, “Disturbia”), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Golden Globe nominee Blair Underwood, “Dirty Sexy Money”); Sophia (Emmy Award nominee Laura Innes, “ER”), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind. Ian Anthony Dale (“Daybreak”) and Emmy winner Željko Ivanek (“Damages”) also star in the ensemble drama. “The Event” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Steve Stark Productions. Stark (“Medium,” “Facing Kate”) serves as executive producer, Nick Wauters (“The 4400,” “Eureka”) is creator/co-executive producer and Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights,” “Trauma”) is the director/executive producer; Evan Katz (“24”) also is an executive producer. http://www.nbc.com/the-event/

‘UNDERCOVERS’ – Acclaimed writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek,” “Fringe,” “Lost,” “Alias”) serves as co-writer, executive producer – and also directs – his first direction of a TV series pilot since “Lost” in “Undercovers” with executive producer/writer Josh Reims (“Brothers and Sisters”). “Undercovers” is a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership. Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,” “Soul Food,” “Resident Evil: Afterlife”) and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Doctor Who,” “Bonekickers”), are a typical married couple who own a small catering company in Los Angeles and are helped by Samantha’s easily frazzled younger sister, Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy, “Smallville”). Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre, “American Heiress”) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, “Deadwood”) to locate and rescue Nash. The pair is thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe — and Steven and Samantha realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing. Also starring is Ben Schwartz (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”). “Undercovers” is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was written by J.J. Abrams & Josh Reims and directed by Abrams. Abrams, Reims and Bryan Burk (“Fringe,” “Lost, “Alias”) are the executive producers. http://www.nbc.com/undercovers/

‘THE CAPE’ – “The Cape” is a one-hour drama series starring David Lyons (“ER”) as Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who finds himself framed for a series of murders and presumed dead. He is forced into hiding, leaving behind his wife, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin, “Life on Mars”) and son, Trip (Ryan Wynott, “Flash Forward”). Fueled by a desire to reunite with his family and to battle the criminal forces that have overtaken Palm City, Faraday becomes “The Cape” his son’s favorite comic book superhero — and takes the law into his own hands. Rounding out the cast are James Frain (“The Tudors”) as billionaire Peter Fleming — The Cape’s nemesis — who moonlights as the twisted killer: Chess; Keith David (“Death at a Funeral”) as Max Malini, the ringleader of a circus gang of bank robbers who mentors Vince Faraday and trains him to be The Cape, Summer Glau (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) as Orwell, an investigative blogger who wages war on crime and corruption in Palm City; and Dorian Missick (“Six Degrees”) as Marty Voyt, a former police detective and friend to Faraday. “The Cape” is a Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun production from executive producer/creator Thomas Wheeler (“Empire”), executive producer/director Simon West (“Con Air”), the executive producing team of Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun (NBC’s “Mercy), and executive producer Gene Stein (“Accidentally on Purpose”). http://www.nbc.com/the-cape/

‘CHASE’ – “Chase” is a fast-paced drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”) that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America’s most dangerous fugitives. Kelli Giddish (“Past Life”) stars as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run. Cole Hauser (“K-Ville”), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Rose Rollins (“The L Word”) and Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”) also star as members of Frost’s elite team. “Chase” is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc., in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Cold Case”) and Johnson serve as executive producers, while KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer. David Nutter (“The Mentalist,” “Without a Trace” “The X-Files”) directed and is executive producer of the pilot that was written by Johnson. http://www.nbc.com/chase/

‘OUTLAW’ — Starring Emmy Award winner Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing”), “Outlaw” is a new drama from executive producer John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “Felicity,” “Playmakers”). Cyrus Garza (Smits) is a U.S. Supreme Court justice who abruptly quits the high-level position. A playboy and a gambler, Garza had always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law until he realized the system he believed in was flawed. Now that he’s quit the bench and returned to private practice, he’s determined to represent “the little guy” and use his inside knowledge of the justice system to take on today’s biggest legal cases — and he’s making plenty of powerful people unhappy along the way. Jesse Bradford (“The West Wing”), Carly Pope (“24″), Ellen Woglom (“Californication”) and David Ramsey (“Dexter”) also star. “Outlaw” is a Universal Media Studios production along with Conaco productions. Eisendrath is executive producer along with Terry George (“Hotel Rwanda,” “Reservation Road”), Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger (“Andy Barker, P.I.”). “Outlaw” is written by Eisendrath and directed by George. http://www.nbc.com/outlaw/

‘HARRY’S LAW’ – Emmy Award-winning creator David E. Kelley (“The Practice,” “Boston Legal”) brings his unique storytelling to “Harry’s Law,” a series about fate and the people it brings together, starring Academy Award winner Kathy Bates (“Misery,” “About Schmidt”). Harriet (Bates), Matthew (Ben Chaplin, “Me and Orson Wells”) and Malcolm (Aml Ameen, “Kidulthood”) couldn’t be any more different. Harriet is a curmudgeonly ex-patent lawyer who, having just been fired from her cushy job, is completely disillusioned with her success and looking for a fresh start. Her world unexpectedly collides with Malcolm’s — a young man trying to figure out life. When he finds out Harriet is a lawyer, he begs her to represent him in an upcoming criminal case. Matthew, a dreamer at heart and also recently fired from his job as a high school teacher, is introduced to Harriet through Malcolm, a previous student of his. When these three cross paths, they realize they’re all looking for a fresh start. Now, the most unlikely of people are starting a law practice in the most unlikely of places–a rundown shoe store. “Harry’s Law” also stars Brittany Snow (“Hairspray”) as Harriet’s assistant, Jenna Backstrom and Beatrice Rosen (“Dark Knight”) as Eve, a high school French teacher. “Harry’s Law” is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with David E. Kelley Productions and Warner Bros. Television. David E. Kelley (“Boston Legal,” “The Practice”) and Bill D’Elia (“Boston Legal,” “The Practice”) serve as executive producers. D’Elia also is the director. http://www.nbc.com/harrys-law/

‘LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES’ – The new “Law & Order: Los Angeles” is a procedural crime drama that will follow the theme and storylines similar to the “Law & Order”-brand series on the streets of Los Angeles. The series, from executive producer Dick Wolf and Blake Masters “(“Brotherhood”), is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Media Studios. Casting and pre-production work are continuing. http://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-los-angeles

New Comedy Series

‘PERFECT COUPLES’ — “Perfect Couples” depicts the misadventures of three engaging couples as they struggle to find out what makes the ideal relationship — and how to maintain it through humorous trial-and-error. The series explores their heroic journey in search of the perfect relationship without destroying each other in the process. Dave (Kyle Howard, “My Boys”) and Julia (Christine Woods, “Flash Forward”) are the relatable, normal couple, but Julia’s hope of remaining the cool, low-maintenance chick is tested by Dave’s attempts to keep both his wife and his needy best friend Vance (David Walton, “Heist”) equally happy. Vance, along with the neurotic Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other. The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, “She’s Out of My League”), a reformed party guy, and, and his wife, Leigh (Olivia Munn, “Attack of the Show”), who considers herself as the group’s mother hen. Believing that they are relationship experts, Rex and Leigh have attended every class and seminar on relationships — and regard themselves as the “perfect couple.” Jon Pollack (“30 Rock”) and Scott Silveri (“Friends”) are the executive producers while Andy Ackerman (“Seinfeld,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is the director. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios. http://www.nbc.com/perfect-couples/

‘OUTSOURCED’ – “Outsourced” is a comedy where the Midwest meets the exotic East in a hilarious culture clash. The series centers on the all-American company Mid America Novelties that sells whoopee cushions, foam fingers and wallets made of bacon — and whose call center has suddenly been outsourced to India. Todd Dempsy (Ben Rappaport, off-Broadway’s “The Gingerbread House”) is the new company’s manager who learns that he’s being transferred to India to run the operation. Overwhelmed, Todd discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are to understand the U.S. product line and ramp up sales from halfway around the world. But as strange as America seems to his eclectic sales team, Todd soon realizes that figuring out India will be more than a full-time job. Rizwan Manji (“Privileged”), Sacha Dhawan (BBC’s “Five Days II”), Rebecca Hazlewood (BBC’s “Doctors”), Parvesh Cheena (“Help Me Help You”), and Anisha Nagarajan (Broadway’s “Bombay Dreams”) also star as members of Dempsy’s off-shore team; Diedrich Bader (“The Drew Carey Show”) and Jessica Gower (Network Ten’s “The Secret Life of Us”) additionally star. “Outsourced” is produced by Universal Media Studios. Robert Borden (“The Drew Carey Show” and “George Lopez”) is executive producer/writer. Ken Kwapis (“The Office”) developed the project through his company, In Cahoots, and serves as executive producer/director. Alex Beattie serves as co-executive producer. http://www.nbc.com/outsourced/

‘THE PAUL REISER SHOW’ — “The Paul Reiser Show” is a new single camera comedy from Emmy and Golden Globe nominated comedian-author-producer-actor Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”) and writer-producer Jonathan Shapiro (“Life”). The show stars Paul Reiser as…Paul Reiser. It’s been a few years since Paul’s hit TV series went off the air. Since then, he’s been enjoying the quiet life at home with his lovely wife and kids and generally minding his own business. Lately, however, Paul has been thinking that it’s time he did something new, something meaningful. As to what that next thing might be, he has no idea. In his quest to figure it out, Paul is helped and hindered by his new “friends.” Like most men his age, Paul didn’t choose these friends. They’re the husbands of his wife’s friends, the dads of kids that his boys go to school with. Thrown together by circumstance, Paul and his friends form an unlikely comradeship — and a horrible basketball team. In addition to Reiser, Ben Shenkman (“Angels in America”) stars as Jonathan, Omid Djalili (“The Infidel”) as Habib, Duane Martin (“All of Us”) as Fernando, Andrew Daly (“MADtv”) as Brad, Amy Landecker (“A Serious Man”) as Claire, Brock Waidmann as Zeke and Koby Rouviere (“Greenberg”) as Gabe. The pilot is executive produced and written by Reiser and Shapiro, produced by Craig Knizek (“Mad About You”), Merri Howard (“Cold Case”) and Peter Safran (“Heist”), and directed by Bryan Gordon (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”). “The Paul Reiser Show” is a production of Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Nuance Productions and Warner Bros. Television. http://www.nbc.com/the-paul-resier-show/

‘FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS’ — From Oscar and Emmy winner Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Arrested Development”), “Friends With Benefits” is a half-hour comedy revolving around a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. Ben Weymouth (Ryan Hansen, “Party Down”) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who meets his unique set of standards, while his best friend, Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris, “One Tree Hill”), is just looking for a man to settle down with and raise a family. Ben and Sara have fallen into the habit of turning to each other for moral and physical support as they wait for Mr. and Ms. Right to arrive. Their friend Aaron (Fran Kranz, “Dollhouse”), a romantic at heart, doesn’t approve of Ben and Sara’s complicated friendship, but he, along with womanizer Hoon (Ian Reed Kesler) and straight shooter Riley (Jessica Lucas, “Cloverfield”), are all distracted with their own dating trials and tribulations. David Nevins (“Lie to Me,” “Arrested Development”) joins Grazer as executive producer for Imagine Television. Also serving as executive producers are David Dobkin (“Wedding Crashers”), who directs the pilot, writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“(500) Days of Summer”), and Jeff Kleeman. “Friends With Benefits” is a production of 20th Century Fox Television, Imagine Television and Big Kid Pictures. http://www.nbc.com/friends-with-benefits/

New One-hour Comedy Series

‘LOVE BITES’ – From Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Cindy Chupack (“Sex and the City”), “Love Bites” is an hour-long romantic comedy anthology series featuring three loosely connected, modern stories of love, sex, marriage and dating. Each episode contains multiple vignettes, all illuminating the theme of love with an edgy, irreverent spin. Becki Newton (“Ugly Betty”) stars as Annie and Jordana Spiro (“My Boys”) stars as Frannie, the last two single girls standing after all of their friends get married. Annie is an infectiously bubbly optimist and Frannie is an always-a-bridesmaid realist. Their story will anchor the series, while other romantically-challenged characters will come and go each week. The pilot’s guest cast includes Jennifer Love Hewitt (“Ghost Whisperer”), Greg Grunberg (“Heroes”), Craig Robinson (“The Office”), Jason Lewis (“Sex and the City”), Lindsay Price (“Lipstick Jungle”), Larry Wilmore (“The Daily Show”), Charlyne Yi (“Knocked Up”), Pamela Adlon (“Californication”), Stacy Galina (“Hidden Hills”), Brian Hallisay (“Privileged”), Kyle Howard (“My Boys”) and Steve Howey (“Bride Wars”). “Love Bites” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Working Title Television, which is a new division of Working Title Films (the U.K. production company behind box office hits including “Love Actually,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral”). Chupack is creator, executive producer and writer. Emmy Award-winning producer-director Marc Buckland (“My Name Is Earl”) also is executive producer and directs the pilot. Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan and Shelley McCrory from Working Title Television are executive producers. “Love Bites” is Working Title Television’s first U.S. commission. http://www.nbc.com/love-bites/

New Alternative Series

‘SCHOOL PRIDE’ – From executive producers Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Denise Cramsey (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “True Beauty”), “School Pride” is a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restores its sense of value and school pride. The cameras follow students, teachers and parents as they roll up their sleeves and rebuild their own schools, concluding with the unveiling of a brand new, completely transformed school. They are motivated by a quartet of community organizers and personalities — SWAT Commander Tom Stroup, interior designer Susie Castillo (“House of Payne”), comedian and former substitute teacher Kym Whitley (“Til Death”) and political correspondent Jacob Soboroff (“AMC News”). Together, the team of experts will lead the community through the makeover process. Months later, cameras will revisit the school to discover the lasting effects of the transformation — a renewed sense of school pride and an increase in student achievement scores. “School Pride” is produced by Horizon Alternative Television.

FOX  ANNOUNCES THEIR NEW LINE-UP, TOO!

Looks like “Glee” is moving to an earlier time period to launch sitcoms at 9pm on Tuesday. But will move back to 9pm when “American Idol” returns. Interestingly, they only have the “Idol” results show at 30 minutes. I bet that changes once the new season starts up and shows start dropping.

FOX FALL 2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE

9:00-10:00 PM LONESTAR (new)

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM GLEE

9:00-9:30 PM RAISING HOPE (new)

9:30-10:00 PM RUNNING WILDE (new)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM LIE TO ME

9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM HUMAN TARGET

9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD GUYS

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

FOX MIDSEASON 2011 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

 MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE

9:00-10:00 PM LONESTAR (new) / RIDE-ALONG (new)

 TUESDAY

8:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL Performance Show

9:30-10:00 PM RUNNING WILDE (new) / MIXED SIGNALS (new; spring)

 WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM RAISING HOPE (new)

8:30-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL Results Show

9:00-10:00 PM GLEE

 THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

 FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM HUMAN TARGET

9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

 SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM COPS

8:30-9:00 PM COPS

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

 SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (encores)

7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (new)

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW

Leno with Michele Obama

The late night talk show wars just keep on giving.  

This weekend Jay Leno was the emcee of the Washington correspondent’s dinner. This is the annual dinner where politicians, celebrities and comedians make jokes about the President and politicians.

Even though Leno was the host, I thought President Obama had some one of the best jokes of the night.

The President pointed out Leno as “the only person whose ratings fell more than mine.” He followed that up by saying he was glad he was appearing before Jay took the podium…”because we’ve all seen what happens when you take the time slot after Leno” in reference to the whole Conan O’Brien time slot/ratings fiasco!

Rimshot! Bam!

Conan tells his side on "60 Minutes"

Sunday night, Conan O’Brien appeared on “60 Minutes” for his first interview about the whole “Tonight Show” debacle. Conan said if the roles had been reversed, he would have never acted like that toward Leno.

You know what? I believe Conan. He’s a stand-up stand-up.

But hey, O’Brien got paid $30 million in a buyout. And he’s going to have a new show on TBS. Hard to feel too sad for him (though he looked pretty depressed about the whole thing.)

Leno took more flak when David Letterman, appearing on “Live with Regis and Kelly,” piled on with even more dismissive shots at Leno. Dave’s rants were very pointed and direct; if you ever hoped that Dave and Jay may have decided to be friends again, you can forget it. Letterman is still seething about the whole affair, how Conan was treated by NBC and by Leno.

Why so angry?

Because its exactly what NBC and Leno did to Letterman so many years ago. Letterman is especially angry after Leno went on “Oprah” and said both he and Conan “got screwed by NBC.”  Like Dave says, how exactly did Leno get screwed?

Leno just wants everyone to like him.

And you know what, since he’s moved back to the 11:35pm timeslot, his ratings have mostly returned, knocking Letterman back again.

I’m not a Leno fan.

But I think its time for Letterman to shut up about his late-night rival. It’s beneath him to keep ragging on the guy. Especially with the ratings swing, it makes Dave look like a sore loser.

And Dave is so much better than that.

Hopefully we'll see you in September, somewhere

A RANT – The Late Night Battle over “The Tonight Show.”

 

I’ve found  the shots Conan O’Brien has taken at NBC executives hilarious. As you might guess, I’m with  Team Coco.

Letterman, you’ve got the lead at 11:35p. So when Leno takes back “Tonight” don’t blow it.

ANOTHER RELATED RANT – NBC’s Intellectual Property Claims

In his deal to leave NBC, the network is reportedly claiming “the intellectual property rights” to bits and routines the comic has used on his network shows over the past several years. Meaning that if and when Conan pops up on another network or cable outlet with a new show that he can’t take signature bits like “In the Year 2000,” “Triumph the Insult Dog,” and the masterbating bear.

Like Conan himself said the other night on his show, the fact someone is calling those routines “intellectual property” is the biggest joke yet.

NBC, you ARE the Biggest Loser!

A RAVE – Craig Ferguson is a Hoot!

Forget all the other late night drama, this guy following Letterman is the real deal. Funny, insightful, even sometimes hilariously profound. But I did say Funny first cause this Scot (now an American citizen) is one wickedly funny comic. 

A RAVE – The Ultimate Trailer Show on HDNet

An entire show of new movie trailers. In HD. It’s cool. And to top it off, they throw in an old trailer from a classic movie at the end.

A RANT – 3D is not for Me.

The push for 3D is the next big in technology?

Not for me. I like the super-sharp HD images…not blurry three dimensional imagery. Thanks but no thanks.

A RAVE – 1,000 Ways to Die

Yep, it’s what it sounds like…a show that  features vignettes about people dying in various and unusual bad ways. It’s a Spike TV favorite. Grim reenactments that feature people doing stupid things that ends with someone dying. Who knew dying could be so much fun…kinda like those “Darwin lists” that come out each year, this is gruesome but funny viewing. Especially the animations that showcase how the person died. Crude and funny at the same time.

So NBC is pulling the plug on the Jay Leno Show primetime experiment.

NBC pointing fingers at their two stars?

And in typical NBC fashion, the network has effectively screwed up two of the best things that it has going for it –  Leno and Conan O’Brien.

Listen, I’m not gonna cry for a couple of guys that are guaranteed millions of dollars a year. But they do deserve better.

I’ve always found Conan hilarious. But Jay’s humor over the past decade has been a little soft.

Getting mistreated by NBC may make him funnier.

Remember when David Letterman, working at NBC, tried to offer his new GE bosses a gift basket? He and his camera crew were escorted from the building! It was great TV…and hilarious.

Cranky Dave has always been funny, but his humor got a helluva lot sharper (and better) when he went after the goofball bosses at NBC. 

Last week Leno took some uncharacteristic but hilarious shots at NBC when word got out that his show was going to be yanked from primetime. I thought it was some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen from him in years. It was GREAT!

Maybe Jay can learn from Letterman. A cranky Jay is a funnier Jay.

*****

BTW, if NBC is pulling Jay Leno out of prime…what the heck are they gonna put at 10pm? Can they do three hours of “The Biggest Loser” Monday through Friday?

*****

Did you see the Cowan family from Bunker Hill, Indiana on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” on Sunday night?

I had the chance to talk to mom Heather Cowan last week by phone. Sweet lady and a very deserving family.

If you didn’t get to see it, you should be able to watch it on the ABC Video Player on-line at TheIndyChannel.com.

Desperate Housewives

I got a call from a viewer the other day that asked why Sunday’s episode of “Desperate Housewives” did not feature previews of the next episode.

Unfortunately, I had to deliver the bad news…”Desperate Housewives” will not be back with a new episode until next year!

Don’t worry, it sounds worse than it actually is.

“Housewives,” like most other TV series will return with new episodes - in January.

It’s the TV series winter hiberation period. You’ll notice when a show produces and airs a “Christmas” or holiday episode, that’s a sure sign the show is going into re-runs, or the less offensive “encore episode” mode.  (In “Housewives” case, a big disaster/cliffhanger usually proceeds a break.)

Because of the staggeringly high cost of producing TV shows (millions of dollars for a single episode!) the TV networks generally only produce about 22 episodes, sometimes only 18 eps of some shows, per year. These episodes are then spread out to air from late September through late May.

New episodes will run in the four weeks of Nielsen “Sweep” periods when Nielsen monitors who’s watching what shows. Those “sweeps” air in November, February and May.

So when you do the math you can figure out pretty quickly that you need to schedule the shows with repeats built in. 

And since TV viewing is affected by holiday schedules and vacations, it seems pretty logical to schedule blocks of repeats throughout the month of December.

So if you have a bunch of shows saved on your Tivo, the holiday season will be a great time to catch up!

***** 

The cast of "V"

I also heard some groans when ABC aired teasers for “V” and ”FlashForward” announcing the final episodes of the year. Same deal. Except these two terrific shows will not return in January but in March. 

By waiting until March to bring back new episodes of “FlashForward” and “V,” it will allow for both shows to air uninterrupted through the end of the season. ”FlashForward” will return on Thursday, March 4, 2010 (8:00-9:00 p.m), and “V” on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 (10:00-11:00 p.m., moving to its new timeslot following “Lost” (which debuts in early February!!!) 

That’s good news. I was wondering if ABC was going to subject “V” to the American Idol juggernaut at 8pm on Tuesdays. That’s good. Replacement programming for the current time periods will be announced shortly.

BTW, “Glee” on FOX will be taking an extended break. I understand that it will not return until APRIL!

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A new job for Cuomo?

Following up on the ABC News post I did earlier this week, apparently ABC NEWS will make JuJu Chang the newsreader on Good Morning, America.

It’s reported that Chris Cuomo is moving up to co-anchor “20/20″ with Elizabeth Vargus on Friday nights.

That’s a good gig for Cuomo as “20/20″ has grown into the #1 show in the Friday at 10pm time period.

Part of the reason for the news magazine’s success? Jay Leno’s failure.

Jay Leno is driving viewers away from NBC.

Ouch!