Fox TV has ordered a third season of its series The O.C. (Warner Bros. TV/Wonderland Sound and Vision), which airs Thursdays, 8-9p.  The O.C. has improved ratings for the network across the board compared to Thursday’s time period average last season, building by +86% in Teens as well as +111% in Adults 18-34 and +72% in Adults 18-49.

Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and his Bad Boy Entertainment has signed a production deal with MTV for new first run programming, exec prods by Combs. The deal does not necessarily call for Combs to appear in any of the projects from the deal.  Currently, Combs is exec producing and starring in the MTV series Making the Band 3. He also has a previously forged development deal with MTV Films.

ABC has ordered six episodes of the US version of BBC’s series Strictly Come Dancing, per Variety.  The show takes eight celebrities and pairs them with professional dancers, and after learning how to dance “properly”, they compete in a live ballroom dancing competition, sequins, feathers and all.  BBC Entertainment will produce. The project, which will be renamed for US audiences, is on target to join the schedule this summer. 

Meanwhile, Dick Clark Productions and Simon Fuller are working on a somewhat similar project for Fox called Dance Nation, also per Variety.

ABC:

• Untitled Freddie Prinze Jr. project (Warner Bros. TV), a comedy about a young man who was raised in a house full of women, now lving on his own and and successful, and the women come move in with him, has added Brian Austin Green to the cast.
• The Catch (Touchstone TV) from exec prod JJ Abrams, about a pair of bounty hunters played by Orlando Jones and Greg Grunberg, has added Don Rickles and Kym Whitley.  Rickles will play Grunberg’s grandfather, Whitley a new partner in the company. Other cast members include Joanne Kelly and Daylia Wallace. 
• Adopted (20th) has signed Kevin Wheatley to the cast, joining Christine Baranski, Bernadette Peters and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, in this comedy about a 20-something writer (Wheatley) who first learns he is adopted and then tries navigate life under the influence of two mothers (Baranski and Peters).  Ted Wass is set to direct.  Originally Andrew Walker has been cast in the lead role, and at this point its not really clear if he has been replaced by Wheatley, or has been recast in the role of the brother.

CBS:

• Everything I Know About Men (Touchstone TV) has signed Hugh Bonneville, Lauren Tom, and Rea Seehorn to the cast which already includes Jenna Elfman and Brady Smith. The Comedy is based on the BBC series According to Bex about an ad agency exec (Elfman) and what she knows, and doesn’t know, about men.
• Untitled Susie Essman project (20th/Paramount Network TV/Watson Pond) about Essman’s life as a surrogate mother to four kids, has cast Stacy Keach as the father of Essman’s character.

NBC:

• Early Bird (NBC Universal/3 Arts Ent), about an out of work writer (Timm Sharp) who now lays low in a retirement village, has cast Bill Macy and Larry Hankin.

WB:

• Nobody’s Watching (NBC Universal/Doozer) a comedy about two guys who win a reality show and are given the opportunity to create their own sitcom, which they do while locked inside a sound stage (not knowing they are, of course, the living sitcom) – has added Mircea Monroe and Zach Braff to the cast, which already stars Paul Campbell and Taran Killan as the two winners and Paul Adelstein as the studio head.  This show was mistakenly listed under NBC in yesterday’s edition.
• Evolution of Man ((Warner Bros. Television/Bruckheimer Films) from Ross McCall and Aaron Peters about three young men who seek the help of a life coach to assist them with their female relationships, has cast the three men:  Eric Lively, Josh Braaten and Max Greenfield.  George Wendt was previously cast.
• Sisters (Warner Bros. TV/Class IV Prods), formerly known as The Untitled Liz Tuccillo Project, now has a name, Sisters. The drama isa bout four adult sisters in living in Manhattan. Cast as the four sisters are Laura Breckenridge, Lizzy Caplan, Jennifer Esposito and Laura San Giacomo.
• Twins (Warner Bros. TV/KoMut Prods) is the new name of the Sara Gilbert Project, and has signed Molly Stanton to play the sister opposite Gilbert. The comedy is about fraternal twins who are polar opposites.

HBO:

• Kachinga (Mark Gordon Co.), a 30m sitcom in development at HBO from exec prod Mark Gordon.  The project is about a Native American family who make it big in the casino business.  Chuck Sklar is writing the pilot script.

At its pre-upfront press briefing yesterday, Hallmark Channel announced it has ordered a second season of its Friday Night Mystery Movie franchises — Mystery Woman, McBride and Jane Doe, to begin airing in June.  In its first season, the Mystery Movie increased its 4th qtr time period average by 52% among national HH numbers.  To date, the nine movies that have aired this season have averaged a 1.3 HH national rating, 213,000 W25-54 and 351,000 A25-54.  The network plans to bring as many as 25 new films to the channel in the upcoming season.  This season, Hallmark 10 Entitlement Movies this season – that is movies with limited commercials (4m/hr) and single sponsorship – through its Sponsorship Solutions unit.  In the upcoming season, the network will again offer Entitlement movies, as market demands. According to Bill Abbott, EVP/National Sales, Hallmark is predicting it will take in $110 million at the 2005/06 upfront, an increase of 40% over last year’s take, and post double digit CPM increases.  And finally, Hallmark announced it will begin reporting its ratings to the ad sales community (and the press) in national numbers, not cable universe numbers, to put it on parity with the broadcast networks. 

New Line Television has cleared its movie package New Line 11 in 83% of the country, including all of the top 30 markets.  Top 10 clearances:  WNYW/NY; KTTV/LA; WFLD/Chicago; WTXF/Philadelphia; WFXT/Boston; KTVU and KICU/San Francisco; KDFW/Dallas; WTTG/Washington DC; WUPA/Atlanta; WKBD and WWJ/Detroit. The barter package includes 21 titles including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Notebook, and John Q.  Avails begin in 2007. 

Animal Planet’s original special Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real delivered just over 3.0 million viewers for its premiere airing on Sunday night (8-930p), making it the 5th most watched program among total viewers on ad supported cable in prime that night. Among A25-54, Dragons delivered a 1.3 A25-54 rtg (1.3m viewers).

The second season premiere of WE’s McLeod’s Daughters on Saturday night at 10p earned delivered 113,000 W18-49 and 139,000 W25-54, the series’ highest prime time ratings in the time period.
 
Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among Total Viewers for the week of 3/14-20/05:
Primetime       (000)   Total Pgm Day   (000)
TBS              2436     NICK              2173
USA              2357     NAN*              1539
TNT              2347     CARTOON 1397
NAN              2000     TNT               1343
COMEDY  1833     TBS               1194
CARTOON 1820     LIFETIME         1111
LIFETIME         1721    USA               1093
SPIKE TV         1710    FOXNEWS  857
FOXNEWS 1617     COMEDY  828
SCIFI            1345     SPIKE TV        770
Source Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes
* = Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Primetime listing only includes those networks broadcasting more than 51% of the primetime hours (M-Su 8p-11p)

Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Network Rankings among A18-49 for the week of 3/14-20/05:
Primetime       (000)   Total Pgm Day   (000)
TBS              1434     TBS               719
COMEDY  1118     TNT               688
TNT              1073     NAN*              637
USA              971      USA               518
SPIKE TV         883     LIFETIME         514
LIFETIME         716     COMEDY   512
MTV              691      NICK              507
SCIFI            665      SPIKE TV        418
FX               657      CARTOON 384
DISCOVERY        620     FX                378
Source Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research Data.
All ratings based on Total U.S. Television Universe of 108,400,000 homes.
* = Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24 hour day. Primetime listing only includes those networks broadcasting more than 51% of the primetime hours (M-Su 8p-11p)

Top 10 Broadcast Network Programs among A18-49 for the week of 3/14-3/20/05:
Fox      AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY         11.5/30
Fox     AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY  10.8/26
CBS     SURVIVOR: PALAU WED SP       6.9/19
Fox      HOUSE                                          6.8/17
Fox     SIMPLE LIFE 3                               5.8/14
NBC      MEDIUM                                         5.7/15
ABC     DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES       5.2/12
NBC     APPRENTICE 3                             5.1/13
CBS     AMAZING RACE: 7                         5.0/12
Fox      24                                                   4.9/12
Source:  Nielsen Media Research, Galaxy Explorer – week of 2/28-3/6/05

Casting Note:  Here’s a reality show with real money – and some of it will be yours.  Risky Business (a working title) features three pairs of millionaires and three pairs of dreamers, and three teams competing for the big bucks.  Have you ever had an amazing idea for a business and wished you could get a very successful entrepreneur to partner with you in creating it?  This is your chance. The show follows three teams as they attempt to turn a business idea into a million dollar company within six months.  Each team of two real people (like you), wildly ambitious risk takers, are paired up with a millionaire who will mentor them in getting their business off the ground. Here’s part of the Risky part – each team chosen to participate will have to come up with $50,000 for start-up seed money for the new company; the millionaire puts up the other half. A team can be two friends, relatives or business partners.  Interested?  Email Sandra at:
.

The International Channel (Comcast Corporation) will rebrand itself as AZN Television starting next week.  The English-language network has been trimming back its other multicultural offerings in order to focus itself on Asian Americans.  Peilin Chou was named as SVP/Programming and Production for AZN.  He was previously VP/Original Programming for Spike TV.  AZN will center on drama, anime and movies. 

The National Geographic Channel has upped Liz Jasper to Director/Program Marketing on the Consumer Marketing Team, and Christos DeVaris has been named Design Director/Creative, for NGC.  Jasper will spearhead all aspects of the consumer marketing initiatives, including strategy, messaging, media planning and creative development, reporting to Laura Galietta, VP/Marketing. Christos will oversee the network’s graphic design efforts, reporting to Dawn Rodney, VP/Creative.

3 Roads Communications has added three new staff members: Gerry Liss as Director/Sales and Marketing; Cynthia Scott-Johnson as Director/Public Relations; and Robert Nielubowski as Operations Manager.  3 Roads Communications is a television programming, video production, and strategic communications firm with offices Frederick, MD, and New York City.

INdTV chairman Al Gore and CEO Joel Hyatt announced that Corey Silverman has been named SVP/Advertising Sales.  Based in New York, Corey will report to San Francisco-based Anne Zehren, President/Sales and Marketing for the independent television network scheduled to launch in Fall 2005. Most recently Silverman hails from Rainbow-Media/Fuse network as SVP/Ad Sales. At its launch INdTV will be available in an initial 20 million U.S. homes through existing carriage agreements with DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

Mercury Media has named Mark Biglow as Director/Business Development.  He will acquire new business.  Mark joins Mercury Media from TMP, a full service consulting agency that works closely with the Direct Response Industry, where he worked for the past three years as an Account Executive, managing clients and selling their services or products. 

Brien Kennedy has been named President/GM of Viacom’s WFOR and WBFS in Miami, and WTVX/West Palm Beach. Brien was most recently Station Manager for the West Palm station.  In his new position, he succeeds Michael Colleran, who was recently promoted to Pres/GM Viacom’s Philadelphia duopoly.  The position of VP/GM of WTVX/West Palm Beach will now report to Kennedy. An announcement on that position will be forthcoming.

Sabrina Sanchez-Ayala has been elevated to VP/Sales and Marketing at CABLEready, the international program development and distribution company. Sabrina is responsible for:  sales in Asia, Pacific Rim, Latin America, the Middle East, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Israel and French-speaking Canada; the gathering and analysis of research/ratings material related to CABLEready’s programming and key clients; and the overseeing of all marketing, promotion and public relations on behalf of CABLEready’s programs and program suppliers

Monday – A18-49 Analysis:   CBS was in front on Monday night among A18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research, posting an overall 4.9/13 in primetime.  Fox was a close #2 with a 4.2/11, followed by NBC 3.6/9, ABC 2.4/6, UPN and WB 1.2/3.  At 8p Fox’s Nanny 911 easily won the time period with a 3.7/10, ahead of both CBS and NBC, both posting a 3.2/9 share. CBS and Fox duked it out at 9p: CBS’ sitcoms delivered a 5.1/13 for Raymond and a 5.1/12 for Two and a Half Men; Fox’s 24 earned a 4.7/12. The big winner at 10p was an original episode of CSI Miami (CBS) with a 6.5/17 over an original Medium (NBC) with a 4.5/12.

FINAL HOUSEHOLD Ratings:  Monday, March 21, 2005, for all Networks – program averages.  Source: Nielsen Media Research. 

CBS     9.6/15   Still Standing 6.6/11, Listen Up 6.2/10, Raymond [r] 9.9/15, 2-1/2 Men 10.4/16, CSI: Miami 12.3/20

FOX     6.4/10   Nanny 911  6.0/9, 24   6.7/10

NBC     6.2/10   Fear Factor [r] 5.0/8, Las Vegas [r] 5.7/9, Medium 7.8/13

ABC     4.5/7    EM: HD How’d They Do That? [r] 4.1/6, Extreme Makeover [r] 4.1/6, Supernanny 5.4/9

WB      2.3/4    7th Heaven [r] 2.5/4, Summerland 2.0/3

UPN     2.1/3    One on One [r] 2.1/3, Cuts [r] 2.1/3, Girlfriends [r] 2.1/3, Half & Half [r] 2.0/3

A18-49                CBS 4.9/13, Fox 4.2/11, NBC 3.6/9, ABC 2.4/6, UPN and WB 1.2/3

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TV LAND

Chasing Farrah, a reality series.
Premieres Wednesday March 23, 10 PM ET/PT on TV

Watch the new reality series Chasing Farrah and you’ll see: she’s an icon, a sculptor, a centerfold, a mother and an actress, but she’s definitely no angel. For a sneak peek and information on how you can win a chance to meet Farrah, go to TVLand.com.

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1794 – The first U.S. patent is issued. It goes to Josiah Pierson, who has invented a “cold-header” – a riveting machine.
 
Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  The actual house of this sitcom home is the Villa Marre museum, in Little Rock, Arkansas.  It’s a Victorian style home built in 1891 by Angelo and Jennie Marre.  The house is just down the street from the Governor’s Mansion. The exterior shot of this mansion was used in what TV sitcom?   DESIGNING WOMEN.  Kudos to: Josh Kane-equation entertainment/NY; Tom Calato-WKMG/Orlando; Al Tucker-Advantage Media/New Albany; Julie Coln-Stephanie Benedict Advertising/Daytona Beach; Richard Farrester-KATV/Little Rock; Wil Allmendinger-Tribune Media Services/Chicago; Shenean Frazier-Carat USA; Kenny Mueller-Comcast Spotlight/Dallas; Edward Moskowitz-ELM Ltd/Van Nuys; Eddie Land-Painless Prods/LA; Art Davie-WOW Prods/Hollywood; Kate Bacon-Well Dunne!/Beverly Hills.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s Trivia Question:  What was the first western to be shown in color?  (click here with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

Later — Cyn
03.23.05   5:28am

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT:  MARCH 23, 2005:

ABC              Lost [r], Alias, Vacation Swap (OTO)
CBS              Survivor (OTO), CSI (OTO) [r], CSI: NY
FOX              That 70’s Show, Simple Life, American Idol, Life on a Stick [p]
NBC              American Dreams, West Wing, Law & Order [r]
PAX              Doc, Sue Thomas F.B.Eye, Diagnosis Murder
UPN              Top Model, Kevin Hill
WB               Smallville [r], Smallville [r]
TELE             La Mujer en el Espejo, Gitanas, La Ley del Silencio
UNIV             Apuesta por un Amor, La Madrastra, Don Francisco Presenta