TV Zone
News, scoops, reviews and more from TV land.
Ratings: The 67th annual Tonys reverse long slide
Pretty good news for last night's Tonys' telecast on CBS: After a long drought, the show ticked up once again in total viewers. In fact, CBS points out that last night's audience for the 67th annual awards ceremony was the largest since 2009.
In the scheme of things, no, this was not a huge number - 7.2 million - but at least the number is heading in a different direction for...
Read more »'The Sopranos' tops Writers Guild of America list of 101 best-written series
Photo credit: HBO
In one of those lists expressly designed to create debate -- or dissent -- the Writers Guild of America has released its 101 best-written series compilation topped by (no surprise) "The Sopranos."
It's unclear what constitutes "best written," so one must assume a certain degree of subjectivity has crept in here -- subjectivity and conventional wisdom -- for where is it written that a show that lands in 57th place is all that better than one that lands in 58th? And so on.
Nevertheless, the list is a fun one, and it's certainly safe to say that the top choices here are very well-written indeed... though really surprised "The Simpsons" didn't land in the top 10. Recount! (It's at number 11.)
Other oddities: "The Daily Show" of course gets a top billing (17) and should, but not even the slightest mention of Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" anywhere on this? Recount! Oh wait, I've already asked for one of those.
And David Letterman's "Late Night" barely makes the top 100, but no mention of "Late Show?" And how can you do a list about great TV writing without at least one tiny mention of "The Ernie Kovacs Show," since we're talking "Late Night" -- so deeply inspired by Kovacs?
Honestly, I'm mostly bugged about the Carson no-mention and the ridiculous passover of Letterman's "Late Show." (Which brings to mind that old Bob Hope joke at the Oscars -- "what's Oscar night in my house? Passover..." Ba dum.)
See? The debate has begun even before I finished this post. The WGA doesn't explain methodology, but I am assuming this was thrown open to membership to vote...
I have more quibbles, but let's get to the list... Here's the top 10 and if you want to read the full 101 go here. (Have patience with the page - it takes a while to load as it loads up all the cookies on your computer, but it's worth the wait... )
1. The Sopranos (HBO), Created by David Chase
2. Seinfeld (NBC), Created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
3. The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959), Season One writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell Jr., Rod Serling
4. All in the Family (CBS), Developed for Television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight
5. M*A*S*H (CBS), Developed for Television by Larry Gelbart
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS), Created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns
7. Mad Men (AMC), Created by Matthew Weiner
8. Cheers (NBC), Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows
9. The Wire (HBO), Created by David Simon
10. The West Wing (NBC), Created by Aaron Sorkin
CBS's 'Brooklyn DA:' Well, an 'infomercial?'
Photo credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Maybe you've heard of the forthcoming CBS reality series, "Brooklyn DA:' It's got some notoreity in the midst of a campaign for DA, with some charging that it's an infomercial. Here's my take, in next week's Newsday:
THE SHOW "Brooklyn DA" WHEN | WHERE Tuesday night at 10 on CBS/2 WHAT IT'S ABOUT This six-part series goes inside the nation's largest urban District...
Read more »CBS re-signs with Tonys through 2018
Photo credit: AP
CBS's long and happy relationship with the Broadway League and American Theatre Wing continues: The network will continue airing the prestigious awards show through 2018, continuing a tradition that goes back to '78 when CBS first starting airing them.
The awards themselves are about to have their 67th annual awards ceremony on June 9 -- this time at Radio City after a couple of years at the Beacon. The ratings are never huge, but as mentioned, the awards themselves are prestigious and CBS does a terrific job mounting them -- in my humble opinion, those little AMPAS awards -- the Oscars -- could take some pointers from this show.
CBS's 'Under the Dome' gets a first look
Photo credit: Shane Leonard
"Under the Dome," one of the events of our TV summer, arrives June 24 on CBS, but the trailer arrives right now. Check it out. I think this'll be good - who doesn't love anything by Stephen King (this was adapted from the 2009 novel)? - but I simply can't help but think of "The Simpsons Movie" whenever I think of this...
CBS fall lineup: Video
And here they are...CBS's newcomers. Mostly comedies...
Ozzy Osbourne on 'CSI': The clip!
Photo credit: Getty Images
Reason # 749 in the ongoing list of "Why Covering TV can be both Strange And Exhilarating and Vaguely Disturbing, All at the Same Time": Ozzy Osbourne just might do a cameo some day on a CBS crime procedural.
And it's happened! Ozzy Osbourne will do a cameo on tonight's "CSI." Amazing, and we do have a brand new clip. Needless to say, tonight's "CSI" finale is not one to miss . . . Ozzy is in the house.
Quick overview of this cliffhanger: D.B. (Ted Danson) and team must go undercover, and by undercover we mean a Black Sabbath concert.
Taylor Swift on 'New Girl,' plus more to expect from TV's season finales
Photo credit: AP
The end is near, at least for these series, as the 2012-13 wraps. Yup, it's May 6 and we've already missed a few major endings so far, and without wasting your time, here's your handy scorecard of what basics to expect and when over the next few days/weeks... (And by all means, do check back as I'll add more details and shows - no spoilers - as I learn 'em):
May 9
"Glee"...
Read more »'NCIS:' Tony, Ziva share a moment ... a bad one
Photo credit: Richard Foreman/CBS
Well, this '"NCIS" clip featuring Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) was the prime time event last night -- and that includes anything you might have seen on "Dancing with the Stars" or "The Voice" or even Ke$ha's new train derailment of a reality series on MTV. This was it . . . No spoilers so don't watch if you don't want anything spoiled. But it is quite dramatic. As a set up, they're in Berlin to find her father's killer.
Boston Marathon bombing coverage: What did the TV networks learn? Anything?
Photo credit: CNN
It may have taken a weekend to process, but April 19 does now appear to have been the most dramatic day for network television news since Katrina's destruction of New Orleans. It was a roaring blast of images, facts, speculation, gossip, dead-ends, loose ends, wild conjecture, ferocious street reporting, and, at moments, a wild throw-caution-to-the-wind melee that had news crews rushing to the source...
Read more »
