August 19th, 2009 | 1 Comment
Lifetime has ordered a second season of Drop Dead Diva. The network has ordered 13 new episodes of the freshman series, from Sony TV, creator Josh Berman and executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, to air in 2010. Drop Dead Diva, which premiered in July as Lifetime’s best original drama series debut since the 2007 launch of Army Wives, has become the first scripted series since to earn a second-season pickup. It has averaged 2.6 million viewers, hitting series highs in the women demos last Sunday when the series, about a dead shallow model reincarnated in the body of a brilliant plus-size attorney, drew more than 3 million total viewers.
August 10th, 2009 | 4 Comments
TNT has renewed freshman medical drama Hawthorne for a second season. The network has ordered 10 additional episodes of the show starring and executive-produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and created by John Masius. For its first season Hawthorne is averaging 3.8 million viewers. The second season is scheduled to air in 2010. Hawthorne, produced by Sony TV, co-stars Michael Vartan, Suleka Mathew, David Julian Hirsh, Christina Moore and Hannah Hodson. Pinkett Smith, Masius, Glen Mazzara and Jamie Tarses are executive producing.
August 3rd, 2009 | 0 Comments
USA Network has ordered a third season of In Plain Sight, which stars Mary McCormack as a U.S. marshal for the witness protection program. In Plain Sight has been picked up for 16 episodes, the same order the network recently gave to Burn Notice and Royal Pains. The network hasn’t decided yet whether In Plain Sight will continue to be partnered with Law and Order: Criminal Intent. It might also move from 10:00 PM/ET to 9:00 PM/ET to launch a new series the way the third season of Burn Notice was used to launch breakout hit Royal Pains.
Additionally, the network is finalizing a deal to renew Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
July 30th, 2009 | 0 Comments
HBO announced the renewal of freshman comedy Hung, veteran comedy Entourage and hit vampire drama True Blood. Hung will get a second season, True Blood a third and Entourage a seventh. The new seasons will debut sometime next year, with True Blood firmly planned for summer 2010.
Next year HBO intends to air Big Love in January and roll out its highly anticipated World War II miniseries The Pacific in March. The war epic will eventually serve as lead-in for Treme, the New Orleans drama from David Simon. Flight of the Conchords will also likely return, with executives making a third season sound very probable.
Continue reading HBO Renews True Blood, Entourage And Hung »
July 29th, 2009 | 2 Comments
TLC has ordered a second season of Cake Boss. The show follows the antics inside a Hoboken, N.J. Italian bakery run by Buddy Valastro. The second season is expected to launch this fall as production has already begun on the new batch of shows. Cake Boss first launched on May 25, and has averaged 2.3 million viewers since its launch. The show has been helped by its lead-in, Jon & Kate Plus 8, particularly given the media frenzy surrounding episodes of that show earlier this summer. Cake Boss became the top-rated food show on cable by the end of July.
Cake Boss finishes up its first season on August 17. TLC will launch another cake-themed series, the competition Ultimate Cake Off, in the 10:00 PM/ET slot on Mondays starting August 31.
July 29th, 2009 | 1 Comment
USA Network has renewed its flagship action drama Burn Notice and breakout freshman hit Royal Pains. The pickups follow both series leading USA Network cable’s most-watched network after finishing first during the second-quarter ratings race. In recent airings, Burn Notice (now in its third season) pulled in a robust 7.3 million total viewers, while freshman breakout Royal Pains drew an equally strong 7.1 million.
Burn Notice, starring Jeffrey Donovan, is being picked up for a fourth season. The show it helped launch, the Mark Feuerstein-starring medical soap Royal Pains, is being renewed for a second season.
