Netflix and NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution today announced an agreement through which current episodes of the network’s top-rated prime time series, Heroes, can be watched online by Netflix subscribers the day after their network airings. The deal follows NBC Universal’s announcement with G4 and Mojo as the off-network cable homes for Heroes and makes Netflix the exclusive SVOD outlet for the series and the third arm of the studio’s syndication deal.
In addition, Netflix also offers prior season episodes of other popular NBC series including 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights and The Office. For these shows, Netflix subscribers will have the option of enjoying them on DVD or watching them instantly on their PCs at Netflix.com.
Bruce Davison, Wayne Kasserman and Greg Ellis have joined the cast of NBC’s upcoming two-hour movie/pilot Knight Rider, says The Hollywood Reporter. Knight Rider is a sequel to the 1980s series and centers on Mike Tracer (Justin Bruening), Michael Knight’s (David Hasselhoff) son who never knew his dad. Tracer is recruited by his childhood best friend, Sarah Graiman (Deanna Russo), and her eccentric physicist father, Charles (Davison), to join the Knight Foundation, a group committed to counteracting and preventing the damage done by private, covert military contractors.
To assist their missions, Charles creates the second-generation KITT, an artificially intelligent car. A shady millionaire approaches Charles to commission a KITT car, and when Charles refuses, he hires a military contractor to murder him and steal the car. Ellis will play Welther, one of the bad guys. The role is considered guest-starring, with a potential to continue if Knight Rider goes to series. Kasserman plays Dylan, Mike’s loyal roommate, friend and race car mechanic who joins the Knight Rider team.
Ron Shelton has been set by HBO Films to direct a movie about San Francisco Giants home run hero Barry Bonds that will air on HBO, says Variety. Bonds ended a season in which he broke baseball’s all-time home run record only to be indicted on federal charges for perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying under oath when he told a grand jury he had never used performance-enhancing drugs.
HBO Films has acquired rights to Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports, a book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the San Francisco Chronicle reporters who broke numerous stories about the nutrition company accused of distributing illegal steroids to athletes including Bonds, Oakland A’s and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and Olympic gold medal sprinter Marion Jones. Shelton will write the script with his Tin Cup writing partner John Norville as soon as the writers strike ends.
NBC’s new dramedy Lipstick Jungle, based on the best-selling novel by Candace Bushnell who wrote the book Sex and the City. The show stars Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan), Kim Raver (24) and Lindsay Price (Beverly Hills, 90210) and will premiere on Thursday, February 7 (10-11 p.m. ET). The announcement was made today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, as well as by the starring trio who appeared during NBC’s live broadcast of “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” special on November 28.
It’s a jungle out there. Dress accordingly. Based on the best-selling book by Candace Bushnell, the enticing new dramedy follows three high-powered friends as they weather the ups and downs of lives lived at the top of their game. Nico (Raver), editor-in-chief of a hot fashion magazine, has her eye on becoming CEO. Movie exec Wendy (Shields) does everything she can to balance career and family. And free-spirited designer Victory (Price) longs to make her dreams come true, and maybe find Mr. Right along the way. Armed with humor and strength, these three modern New York women support one another through the triumphs and tears that are all part of making it big in the Big Apple. Also starring are Andrew McCarthy (The Joy Luck Club), Julian Sands (24), David Alan Basche (United 93), David Norona (Frasier) and Paul Blackthorne (Big Shots).
ER will continue in the Thursdays (10-11 p.m. ET) time slot through January when the series completes its current run of original episodes.
Katee Sackhoff talked to TV Guide about comments attributed to her about her status with Bionic Woman and issues with Bionic Lead Michelle Ryan. “I have no plans to leave Bionic Woman, and Michelle Ryan” — who fills the title role — “is doing a great job. There’s not one ounce of bad blood between us.” Sackhoff, whose flamboyant turn as Sarah Corvus has overshadowed Ryan on the struggling NBC series, says that she absolutely did not diss either Bionic Woman or its star at a recent convention. (News of the alleged cattiness came from a blogger who attended the sci-fi event.) “It’s sad,” says Sackhoff, “because you want to connect with the fans, and then they throw it in your face in a negative light.”
Sackhoff confides she’s meeting with producers “to discuss my involvement in the show, which was pretty limited this year” — pre-strike, she was slated for seven episodes — “because of my obligations to Battlestar Galactica.” Making clear she’s “contractually obligated to a six-year deal” on BW, she insists she’d be “happy as a clam” to stay that long. “It’s fun and it’s a physical role, and god knows that’s what I love to do.” That said, “If they want to cut my involvement, that’s totally fine. I understand that it’s called the Bionic Woman, not Women. It would be nice to actually do a pilot season.”
NBC hasn’t called for additional episodes of Bionic Woman, as it has done with other freshman shows Chuck and Life, so there’s talk that last night’s episode may have been an unexpected finale.
Welcome to the Spoiler Roundup, the most comprehensive weekly spoiler wrapup on the internet. We scour the web for all the best spoilers on some of the most popular shows on the air. Catch it here every Wednesday at The TV Remote.
This week: 24, Aliens In America, Battlestar Galactica, Bones, Brothers and Sisters, Chuck, CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, ER, Friday Night Lights, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, House, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, Lost, Moonlight, October Road, Psych and Pushing Daisies.
Continue reading The Spoiler Roundup 11.28.07
Hallmark Channel has completed one of its biggest series acquisition deals, nabbing rights to 7th Heaven, Cheers and I Love Lucy along with additional episodes of Matlock and Touched by an Angel, all from CBS Television Distribution. The deal also includes rights to 12 holiday movies, including Finding John Christmas, Town Without a Christmas and When Angels Come to Town. 7th Heaven will be the first of the three newly acquired series to come available to the network, where it will be ready to launch as early as January, while Cheers will become available later in 2008 and Lucy in January 2009.
The deal includes rights to all episodes of all three series. Hallmark senior VP acquisitions and programming Michelle Vicary said the plan is to run the three series in Monday-through-Friday strips. Executives also are considering weekend runs. Vicary said the shows will appeal to Hallmark’s regular viewers - the baby boomer audience - and attract the “occasional” viewers who tend to tune in primarily for the network’s original movies. She added that the shows will complement Hallmark’s other acquired series, including M*A*S*H, Little House on the Prairie and Murder, She Wrote.
ABC put Big Shots on hiatus for November sweeps, but it will be back this Thursday. Big Shots still has a few episodes in the can including one guest starring Charisma Carpenter. Her episode is scheduled to air December 13.
Alex Graves is set to direct Fringe, the drama pilot from J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci for Fox. Production is set to begin in February on the two-hour pilot for Fringe, which is about paranormal mysteries, as seen through the eyes of a research scientist, his estranged son and a female FBI agent. Fox has given a series commitment to the project, which comes from Warner Brothers TV and Abrams’ Bad Robot. The budget for the pilot is in the $10 million range. Graves will also serve as an executive producer on Fringe, joining Abrams, Kurtzman, Orci and Bryan Burk. Graves has previous directed episodes of Journeyman, The Nine, The West Wing, Boston Public, Gideon’s Crossing, The Practice and Ally McBeal.
NBC has given freshmen series’ Chuck and Life full season orders. What Chuck and Life have lacked in ratings might, they’ve more than made up for in buzz. Chuck is holding its own in a tough Monday timeslot. Life, meanwhile, is showing signs of improvement Wednesdays at 10 pm.