Saturday’s Premieres
Animal Planet: The Vet Life at 10p
Cartoon: Total Dramarama at 9a
OWN: Family or Fiance at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres
DIY: Building Alaska at 9p
HBO: The Outsider at 9p
MeTV: Collector’s Call at 9:30p
PBS: Howard’s End on Masterpiece at 8p, Sanditon at 9p

Sunday’s Finale
FOX: Bless the Harts at 10:30p

IN THE NEWS

American Horror Story will continue to terrorize viewers through Season 13, with a renewal for three more runs. “Ryan [Murphy] and Brad [Falchuk] are the undisputed masters of horror TV, having created the anthological limited series with American Horror Story and sustaining its success for nearly a decade as FX’s highest-rated series,” said John Landgraf, Chairman, FX Productions and FX Networks. “We are grateful to them and Dana Walden and our studio partners for committing to another three years.”

In other “Horror Story” news, Sarah Paulson will be back for Season 10. Although the actress doesn’t have any details on the anthology series’ theme or who she’ll be playing, when she asked at Winter TCA if she’d be a series regular, she responded, “I should hope so.”

FX Networks announced midseason premiere dates for its new and returning FX, FXX, and FX on Hulu series at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena on Thursday.
– Breeders: Monday, March 2 at 10p on FX; – Tuesday, March 3 on FX on Hulu
– Dave: Wednesday, March 4 at 10p on FXX; Thursday, March 5 on FX on Hulu
– Devs: Thursday, March 5 on FX on Hulu
– Better Things: Thursday, March 5 at 10p on FX; Friday, March 6 on FX on Hulu
– Cake: Thursday, March 5 on FXX; Friday, March 6 on FX on Hulu
– The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Friday, March 6 at 10p, Saturday, March 7 on FX on Hulu
– Mrs. America: Wednesday, April 15 on FX on Hulu
– What We Do in the Shadows: Wednesday, April 15 at 10p on FX; Thursday, April 16 on FX on Hulu
– Fargo: Sunday, April 19 at 10p; Monday, April 20 on FX on Hulu
– Archer: Wednesday, May 6 at 10p on FXX; Thursday, May 7 on FX on Hulu

FX’s American Crime Story: Impeachment won’t air before Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, as originally announced. FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf said the postponement is due to creator Ryan Murphy’s “availability and the timing of the production.” Landgraf added that production can’t begin “until March 21 of this year, and we won’t physically be done until October.”

HGTV is heading to Italy as a free-to-air channel on February 2, and will also air in 11 Central European markets, including Romania, Hungary and Serbia, during 1Q10. The home and lifestyle channel will also be available on Italy’s streaming entertainment platform, dplay. The launches will increase the reach of HGTV to more than 100 million people across EMEA. HGTV bowed in Germany and South Africa in 2019; Home is rebranding to HGTV in the UK on January 21.

Authors Stephen King and Don Winslow promised to donate a total of $200,00 to St. Jude’s charity, if White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham holds a one-hour press briefing in the White House briefing room. The last briefing was on March 11 and was held by Grisham’s predecessor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Both King and Winslow have been critics of President Donald Trump.

Game of Thrones alum Charles Dance has been tapped to narrate Netflix’s Rise of Empires: Ottoman, reports Deadline. Formerly titled Ottoman Rising, the docu-drama telling the story of Mehmed the Conqueror drops January 24.

Gamut has signed a new multi-year agreement with Nielsen for use of Nielsen Marketing Cloud’s Data Management Platform. Gamut will use Nielsen’s DMP to help advertisers achieve a better understanding of consumers, target audiences and drive improved business outcomes.

Today’s the last day to take advantage of Cynopsis’ 2020 yearly package to attend both of our major conferences being held in New York City. For your $2,020 investment (a savings of about $275), you’ll receive: One, 1-day pass for Measurement & Data Conference (June); one, 2-day pass to That Big TV Conference (September 23-24); and a chance to be entered into a drawing for two tickets to the Broadway play Hamilton or Moulin Rouge. For questions, or to sign up for this offer, please contact Cynopsis’ Marketing Director Jenn Ocampo by 3pm EST.

REGISTER HERE

John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, GUERRILLA) is joining the untitled musical drama series at Showtime as executive producer, writer and director. Project centers on an emotionally complex family that spans generations and threatens the fabric of the community in present day Milwaukee. Alicia Keys serves as EP along with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who will also contribute music.

HBO is in negotiations for a limited series based on Bong Joon Ho’s feature film Parasite. Bong and Adam McKay will create the TV adaptation, from CJ Entertainment, the studio behind the film, McKay’s Hyperobject Industries, and Dooho Choi’s Kate Street Picture Company.

Synchronicity Films optioned the rights to Craig Russel’s Lennox book series to adapt for television. Set in Glasgow in the 1950s, project is being developed as a returning period crime series and will be written by Robert Murphy (Invisible, DCI Banks, Inspector George Gently).

A+E Networks and OZY Media stuck a strategic first-look production deal that encompasses multiple projects per year across multiple platforms. It includes original series based on stories OZY Media has uncovered and could also include live events and podcasts.

Imperative Entertainments podcast division and Broken Harts creator Justine Harman are collaborating on The Baron of Botox. The new, 10-part weekly series centers on Dr. Fredric Brandt, “dermatologist to the stars,” following his rise from a small dermatology practice in Miami to being Madonna’s personal skincare consultant.

Turner Sports, Telemundo, Bleacher Report, ESPN, FOX Sports, DRL, Granity Studios, MLB Network, NASCAR, NBA, NBCUniversal, and SHOWTIME Networks are just a handful of the winners from last year’s sold out Cynopsis Sports Media Awards (view all 2019 winners here). With new categories (including sports betting categories sponsored by SeventySix Capital) combined with the epic year we’ve seen in sports, the 8th Annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards is on track to be our best year yet. View categories here and enter your team’s content, campaign, or individual before January 28.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Oxygen debuts Up and Vanished on Saturday, February 15 at 7p. Based on the Payne Lindsey podcast, series features Lindsey and his investigative team searching for answers to help the families of missing individuals gain a sense of closure.

The Soup is heating up at E! The comedy franchise returns with new host Jade Catta-Preta on Wednesday, February 12 at 10p.

Call for submissions: To be included in the Cynopsis Upfronts Guide, the go-to resource for buyers and planners during the 2020 Upfronts season, please submit the dates/times/locations of upfront events (if no events are planned, include a tagline or up to 25-word mission statement) and logo by March 1 to [email protected]. For sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected].

COMING UP

Antenna TV celebrates the 45th anniversary of Barney Miller with a 45-episode marathon on the date of the classic sitcom’s premiere, Thursday, January 23.

Oprah Winfrey guests on Tamron Hall on Monday, January 12 to discuss her personal journey to wellness and mission to promote health, transformation and triumph. Check local listings for time.

Urban One Honors premieres Monday, January 20 at 8p on TV One. Co-hosted by Urban One Founder and Chairwoman Cathy Hughes and actor Chris Tucker, the event celebrates the 40-year legacy of Radio One and honors talent in film, television and music. In addition to the telecast, TV One will air Represent: 40 Years of Nurturing Change with Cathy Hughes, sponsored by Lexus, immediately preceding the show at 7p.

STREAMING SNIPPETS

Instagram’s Omar Raja, who founded House of Highlights, is heading to ESPN, reports Variety. The 25-year-old will serve as a digital and social content commentator, and devise strategy for social programming. Raja’s debut is slated for Monday, January 13 on Countdown to the CFP Championship, the college football pre-game show.

TECH TALK

Twitter is making some conversations-related changes in 2020. Among them: allowing users to limit who can reply to their tweets and a new setting that blocks all replies. Twitter’s Director of Product Management, Susan Xie, presented the changes at CES, noting that the social platform is adding a four-option setting for “conversation participants” on the compose screen. The options are “Global,” which lets anyone reply; “Group,” for people the tweeter follows and mentions; “Panel,” for people specifically mentioned in a tweet; and “Statement,” which stops all replies. While Twitter is still researching the feature, it will test mockups in the first quarter and is expected to launch sometime in 2020.

A new control will allow users to see fewer political and social issue ads on Facebook and Instagram. “This feature builds on other controls in Ad Preferences that we’ve released in the past, like allowing people to see fewer ads about certain topics or remove interests,” said Product Management Director Rob Leathern, Facebook, in a post, noting that the political ads control will be deployed in the U.S. “early this summer” and expanded to other locations over time.

AWARDS UPDATES

Nominees for the 51st NAACP Awards were announced on Thursday. Netflix led the TV category with 30 mentions, with series When They See Us receiving nine noms. The streamer also garnered 12 motion picture category nominations, with Dolemite Is My Name receiving seven. Universal topped in motion picture categories with 15 noms, led by Us and Queen & Slim. Two-hour live televised ceremony airs Saturday, February 22 at 8p on BET.

Judd Apatow is returning to host the 72nd annual DGA Awards, a job he last took in 2018, while Don Mischer will serve as Awards Chair for the third year in a row. Ceremony takes place Saturday, January 25 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Los Angeles.

ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir will receive the RTDNF First Amendment Award, presented to a radio or television journalist or news executive who has made a major contribution to the protection of First Amendment freedoms.

The American Society of Cinematographers is awarding Werner Herzog with its Board of Governors Award. The tribute will be made at the 34 the Annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement on January 25 at Hollywood & Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom.

GOING GLOBAL

All 10 episodes Castle Rock, the psychological horror series from Stephen King, will launch on Starzplay in the UK on Thursday, February 13. Also coming to Starzplay is Perpetual Grace, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, on Thursday, February 6.

The series premiere of was A&E’s America’s Top Dog was the network’s best non-crime launch in over three years in Total Viewers (1.2 Million) and A25-54 (507,000).

Bravo achieved its highest ranking ever in 2019 as the #4 cable entertainment network among both P18-49 and P25-54. The network is up two spots, from #6 in 2018.

Live + Same Day Viewers AA (millions) Wednesday, January 8 time period averages
Source: Nielsen Live+SD
NBC: 7.45 million
Chicago Med 7.41, Chicago Fire 7.91, Chicago P.D. 7.03
ABC: 6.84 million
Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time 14.82, Modern Family 6.40, Single Parents 3.40, Stumptown 2.73
CBS: 4.45 million
Undercover Boss 4.23, Criminal Minds 4.66
UNI: 1.57 million
Ringo 1.69, Amor Eterno 1.72, El Dragon 1.29
FOX: 1.22 million
Flirty Dancing 1.42, Almost Family 1.01
TELE: 0.91 million
Decisiones: Unos Ganan, Ostros Pierden 0.83, La Dona 0.81, El Senor de los Cielos 1.09
CW: 0.42 million
Riverdale 0.41, Nancy Drew 0.42

Wednesday A18-49 Rating
ABC 1.3/6, NBC 1.1/6, UNI 0/9/2, CBS 0.7/3, FOX 0.3/2, TELE 0.3/1, CW 0.1/1

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Kathryn Busby joined TriStar Television as Executive Vice President. The former Sony TV executive is filling the void left by TriStar head Hannah Minghella, who left in October 2019 to become head of J.J. Abram’s Bad Robot.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network hired Robyn Lattaker-Johnson as head of OWN Unscripted Development, Programming & Specials. She had been Head of Content and Development at Sean Combs’ Revolt Media & TV.

Discovery Channel upped Josh Kovolenko to Senior Vice President of Marketing for Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel. He had been SVP, Marketing Strategy and Operations.

Jupiter Entertainment appointed Chris Spry as Vice President of Development. He last served as SVP of Production and Development at Hudsun Media. The company also promoted Harrison Land and Todd Moss to Senior Vice Presidents.

Newsmax TV hired Elliot Jacobson as Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer. He had been EVP and Chief Content Officer for the Comcast-backer Boomer Network RLTV.

Mehmet Gunduz joined Sinking Ship Entertainment as Manager of TV Sales for LATAM and CEEMA. The position is newly created.

This Day in History
1980 – The final episode of The Rockford Files aired on NBC.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What was the title of sitcom Private Secretary (1953-1957) changed to when it was released in syndication? Susie. Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing, Inc./NYC; Charles Lore/NYC; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; John Krongard-Wonderama/NYC; Randall Bosley-Studio Talent Group/Santa Monica, CA; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, CA; David Garber-Loyola Marymount University, Playa Vista, CA; Susan Nessanbaum Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/Los Angeles, CA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/Los Angeles, CA; John Ferlazzo/London, UK.

Today’s Trivia Question
How was Mildred the maid’s absence explained when Nancy Walker opted not to return for the final season of McMillan & Wife (1971-1977)? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four.)