Cynopsis

05.15.09

Good morning. It’s Friday, May 15, 2009, and this is your first early morning briefing.  

Tonight’s Premiere:
BBC America: Don’t Tell the Bride at 8p

Tonight’s Finales:
ABC: America’s Funniest Home Videos at 8p
The CW: The Game at 8p
CBS: Ghost Whisperer at 8p; Flashpoint at 9p; Numb3rs at 10p
FOX: Prison Break (series finale) at 8p

Saturday’s Premieres:
BBC America: Primeval at 9p
Animal Planet: Beverly Hills Groomer at 10p

Saturday’s Finales:
FOX: MADtv (series finale) at 11p; Talkshow with Spike Feresten at 12a

Sunday’s Premiere:
DIY Network: Sarah’s House at 11a

Sunday’s Finales:
ABC: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition at 7p; Desperate Housewives at 9p
CBS: Survivor: Tocantins at 8p
FOX: The Simpsons at 8p; King of the Hill at 830p; Family Guy at 9p; American Dad at 930p Animal Planet: River Monsters at 10p
HBO: Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices at 10p

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM GSN

FOX handed an order to Warner Bros. TV for its reincarnation drama, Past Life. The plot is about a team of detectives who use regression therapy and reincarnation to solve crimes. This drama joins previously announced FOX pick-ups including Human Target, Sons of Tucson, Cleveland and Glee.

As Jay Leno nears his final The Tonight Show episode on NBC May 29, he announced Conan O’Brien, who takes over as host starting June 1, will be his last guest. This will mark O’Brien’s 17th appearance on The Tonight Show. Other guests during Leno’s final week include: Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wanda Sykes, and Billy Crystal, who was Leno’s first guest in 1992.

ABC may keep the comedy Scrubs around for a ninth season, reports THR, as star Zach Braff signed a deal to appear in six episodes to transition the show to its new format which is still being hashed out. Other cast members signed to come back for six episodes is Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn. For the ninth run, ABC and series creator Bill Lawrence have indicated the show could continue with a combination of original cast members and some of the interns introduced this season. The network is also considering having Scrubs switch from a single- to a multi-camera format.

ABC, as part of a renewal condition, asked producers at ABC Studios, the production company behind the Christina Applegate sitcom, Samantha Who? to change the series for its third season from single- to multi-camera. 

NBC solidified its late-night lineup by renewing Last Call with Carson Daly for a ninth season, cites B&C. Last Call with Carson Daly, airing nightly at 135a, had its budget cut back and production company, Universal Media Studios, will stick with the new format it recently launched where many of the segments are shot out of studio, though Daly will continue some interviews in-studio.

In anticipation of the season four premiere of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, Oxygen launched new online fan content at Oxygen.com this week. Fans of Tori and Dean can find new online content added daily prior to the on-air debut of the series May 26 at 10p. Examples of content include photo galleries, videos, blogs, bios, message boards and games.

TV Azteca will premiere season three of its fantasy/adventure game show Asgaard tonight on Channel 7 at 9p. Targeting a more youthful viewer and produced by TV Azteca, Asgaard takes four contestants and tests their strength and knowledge as they traverse challenges where they battle each other and the evil “Mork” whose goal is to spread chaos and destruction. The game is also populated with other fantasy characters such as fairies, elves and other magical beings. The final winner of the game is the person who has collected the most silver coins.

2009-2010 Development Slate: Comedy Central

In announcing its development slate, Comedy Central approved a new 30m animated comedy in addition to confirming premiere dates for several previously announced new series.

New series pickup:

• Ugly Americans (wt) – Animated half-hour set in an alternate universe New York City where creatures from horror, fantasy and sci-fi live among us. The plot centers on human social worker, Mark Lilly, who works for the Department of Immigration helping new citizens, normal and otherwise, adapt to living in the city. David Stern (The Simpsons) developed the series and will also executive produce. The concept was created from an original idea by illustrator Devin Clark who will also be a producer. 

Previously announced new series include:

• Tosh.0 – Features a look at popular and obscure blogs, vlogs, videos and more found on the web each week. Premieres June 4 at 10p.
• Michael & Michael Have Issues – Series stars Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter in a different twist to the narrative and sketch comedy format where both host a fictitious sketch show. The show-within-a-show will also offer viewers a glimpse into the issues, big and small, that plague both Michaels about each other. Premieres July 15 at 1030p.
• Secret Girlfriend – Each episode will include two back-to-back 11-minute scripted mini-sodes about a guy who juggles multiple girlfriends trying to keep them secret from each other. Produced by FremantleMedia North America. Premieres October 14 at 1030p.
• Untitled Jeff Dunham Series – Following the success of Dunham’s Christmas special, Comedy Central is developing a series starring Dunham that is a mix of stand-up comedy and pre-taped segments. Slated to debut October 2009.

Comedy Central pilots/presentations (all titles are working titles):

• Untitled Ron White Show – Half-hour comedy show featuring the unique personality of Ron White. From New Wave Entertainment.
• Ghost/Aliens – Cast-contingent pilot about two slacker guys who decide to discover the truth about ghosts and aliens.
• Untitled Andy Dick Project – Sketch comedy show with digital shorts, sketches, man-on-the-street segments, in-studio bits starring Andy Dick.
• Midwest Teen Sex Show – Weekly comedy show explaining sex through a variety of sketches. From Principato-Young and Double Feature.
• The Fuzz – Procedural cop series where puppets and humans co-exist. A puppet detective and his human partner work to rid their corrupt city of crime. Series was also approved to air five webisodes later this year on Comedy Central’s digital network, Atom.com.
• Workaholics – Based on the web series on 5thyear, this series is about three friends who live and work together post-college. From 5^th Year, Avalon and Gigapix Studios.

Comedy Central also has several script/paper projects in development (all titles are working titles):

• Jamie Foxx Animated Project – 30m animated comedy based loosely on Foxx’s Sirius/XM satellite radio show, The Foxxhole.
• Gypsy Cab – Animated show starring Judah Friedlander (30 Rock) as a crazy gypsy cab driver who tries to out-do everyone around him, including trying to pick up celebrity cab fares from the likes of Sarah Silverman, John Mayer and more.
• The Invadersteins – Animated project about a family of aliens who survived invading the world and the subsequent battle against humans where most of the aliens perished. From Avalon Entertainment.
• The Life – Written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh about a surprise one-hit-wonder musical talent from Los Angeles. From Cube Vision.
• The Sklar Brothers Sports Comedy Show – Starring Randy and Jason Sklar, this single-camera, 30m workplace comedy is about two brothers who own a trading card company that is being taken over by a sports marketing giant.
• Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down – Based on the film of the same name, this project will offer a how-to guide for twentysomethings living in the city.
• Best Buds – A new twist on the stoner comedy where two best friends decide to follow the American dream in a new way.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TENNIS CHANNEL

#1 – Tennis is the fastest growing sport & more players are tuning into Tennis Channel than ever before
       *USTA/SGMA 2008 Sports & Fitness Participation Report vs. 2000
#1 – Our viewers are more engaged with Tennis Channel than any other sports network
           *OTX Research Survey of 750 Tennis Channel viewers
#1 – Tennis Channel has the most affluent audience in television
              *Based on Median HH Income Simmons NCS Fall 2007

.

Digital Rights Group made a deal with BBC America involving the reality series Don’t Tell The Bride produced by Renegade Pictures. The series, not before seen in America, offers a twist on wedding planning where all the control is given to the groom instead of the bride. The format is already a hit in New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Denmark and BBC America acquired the first and second seasons of the series which debuts tonight at 8p. Season three is currently in production.

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  In tough economic times TVs and gadgets aren’t high priorities, particularly ones priced above the competition. Japanese electronics giant Sony registered its first annual loss in 14 years, reporting a $1 billion loss for FY2008 and predicting further losses for the coming year. Sony is losing on so many fronts to (often lower priced) competitors, including Nintendo in gaming, Vizio in the flat-screen TV market and the iPhone in the mobile phone space. The company plans to weather the storm by shuttering factories, laying off more than the 16,000 workers previously announced and taking a hard look at its line of high-end electronics. (Perhaps Microsoft’s “but we’re cheaper” ad campaign makes sense after all; the company began pitching the Zune as a cheaper alterative to the iPod this week because its monthly subscription eliminates the need to purchase tracks.)  Full edition: CYN DIGITAL. 

CYNOPSIS KIDS – TODAY’S TOP STORY:  Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation expand their relationship with their second CG animated series co-production, Kung Fu Panda: The Series (26×30).  The new series comes on the heels of the launch of the first Nick and DreamWorks’ CG animated series co-production The Penguins of Madagascar, which launched on March 28, 2009.  Based on DreamWorks Animation’s movie Kung Fu Panda (June 2008), the new series will follow the adventures of Po (the panda), his mentor as well as his pals, as he works to protect the Valley of Peace from evil.  Executive produced by Cheryl Holliday (King of the Hill, Still Standing, Father of the Pride), Kung Fu Panda: The Series is being produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank.  No word yet on the voiceover cast for the series. Full edition: CYN KIDS. 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA

Wednesday – A18-49 Analysis:  FOX led solidly in the A18-49 demo Wednesday night at 5.7/16, according to final national ratings from Nielsen Media Research. FOX was the leader at 8p as the season finale of Lie To Me delivered a 2.6/8 followed closely by ABC’s Lost repeat at 2.5/8. Also this hour, the CBS sitcoms Rules of Engagement/Old Christine averaged a third place showing at 2.0/6 and the season finale of America’s Next Top Model on The CW ranked fourth overall with 1.9/6. FOX eclipsed the competition at 9p with American Idol winning with an 8.7/22 and the first half of ABC’s Lost season finale finding a second place slot with 4.4/11. Through 10p, the majority of viewers stayed tuned to ABC and the Lost finale at 4.4/12 with CBS’ CSI: NY following at 3.2/9.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 (May Sweep Day 21) time period averages. Source: NTI Galaxy, as dated. Live+SD.

FOX: 9.7/16       Lie To Me [f] 5.2/9, American Idol 14.0/22

CBS: 6.8/11         Rules of Engagement 4.0/7, Old Christine 4.2/7, Criminal Minds 8.4/13, CSI: NY 7.9/13

ABC: 5.2/9           Lost [r] 4.2/7, Lost [f] 5.7/9

NBC: 4.0/7           Law & Order: CI 3.7/6, Law & Order: SVU [r] 3.1/5, Law & Order 5.3/9

UNIV: 2.1/4         Cuidado El Angel 2.0/3, Manana para Siempre 2.5/4, Don Francisco Presenta 1.8/3

CW: 1.8/3           America’s Next Top Model [f] 2.9/5, 90210 [r] 0.7/1

MNT: 0.7/1          World’s Funniest Moments 0.8/1, World’s Funniest Moments [r] 0.5/1

TELE: 0.7/1         Dona Barbara 0.7/1, El Rostro de Analia 0.7/1, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso 0.7/1, El Cartel 0.7/1

ION: 0.3/1          Reba 0.3/1, Wednesday PM Movie: Presumed Innocent 0.3/0

A18-49: FOX 5.7/16, ABC 3.7/10, CBS 2.9/8, UNIV 1.6/4, NBC 1.5/4, CW 1.2/3, TELE 0.6/2, MNT 0.4/1, ION 0.1/0

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) elevated Thanda Belker to EVP/Pay Television where she will supervise domestic hotel and residential Pay Per View and VOD licensing and marketing efforts in addition to domestic Pay TV licensing and promotional activities.

Michael O’Connor joined Horizon Media as Director/National Broadcast, coming from ZenithMedia where he managed national television buying for Fox Filmed Entertainment.

Friday Fun Fact:  More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

This day in History:    1926 – The New York Rangers were officially granted a franchise in the NHL. The NHL also announced that Chicago and Detroit would be joining the league in November.

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  On Friends, what did Phoebe specifically promise to give Chandler if he never smoked again?  $7000 – the money she won in the settlement for the thumb in the soda can Kudos to: Kevin Day-Zenith Media/NY; Elizabeth Ford-NBC Universal/NY; Melissa Carrion-The Jeffrey Group/NY; Meredith Fields-Cmedia/Philadelphia; Cynthia New-Charter Media/Cape Girardeau, MO; Lauren Grady-Brand Media, The Richard Group/Dallas; Rachelle Graham-Continental Television Sales/Chicago; Brooke Romagnano-WGNO/New Orleans; Rachel Serfaty-Icon Media Direct/Van Nuys, CA; Chip Beaman-Soundelux Design Music Group/Hollywood; Stacey Ferdinands-Film Wellington/Wellington, New Zealand

Today’s Trivia Question:  Where and when was this question asked and by whom:  “Where the hell are the dancin’ cats?”  (Email
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
05.15.09

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JOB OPENING: SR PRODUCER/SOAPNet.com/Burbank: Lead site-wide development initiatives for mobile, community & viral digital mktg. 8yrs exp. web/entertainment www.disneycareers.com REQ 195331 (5/21)

JOB OPENING: ONLINE CONTENT MGR/Discovery/MD: Seeking Mgr w/ strong online prod exp. TV exp pref’d, proj mngmnt exp a must. Solid relationship building/negotiation skills; Int’l exp pref’d; Apply: www.discovery.com/careers job 8954 (5/20)

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JOB OPENING: SR MANAGER, INTEGRATED MARKETING/Nickelodeon/NYC: 5+yrs mrktng/sales exp. in mrktng/ad agency in Ent/Media, Strng Acct Mgmt exp, Stng Project Mgmt/Negotiating/Time Mgmt skills EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (5/19)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY: MKTG INTERN/MTVN/NY: Provide support for intl format sales & mktg of localized productions of MTVN programs; be TV/media savvy w/ strong writing & research skills. Please send resume to:
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PROGRAMMING DEVELOPMENT INTERN/Los Angeles: a television production company is looking for summer interns to help with several projects; be creative, organized and eager to learn. Email resume:
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  WEB INTERN/NJ: Assist w/ video streaming of TV news on company website. Open to Comm. majors. Must know HTML, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, FrontPage, Flash. Email resume: 
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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  TV RESEARCH/Warner Bros.TV/Burbank:  Monitor Nielsen broadcast schedules, Prog. test scores; Attend focus groups, prep questionnaires/PC/Resumes:
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SITUATION WANTED: AVAILABLE NOW: 15-year LOS ANGELES Audio Post supervisor/editor/sound-designer/mixer CREATIVE with ProTools and series television, national radio, corporate and feature film credits.
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SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER (LA) Reality-TV, Film, Commercial, Documentaries & Corporate. Creative & Flexible. Seeking Freelance or Staff Position, Remote or In-House. Reel & Contact Info: www.ChaztizedMedia.com (5/20)

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT –  FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009

ABC:  America’s Funniest Home Videos [f ], 20/20
AZTECA: Lo Que Callamos Las Mujeres Edicion Especial, Extranormal de Impacto, Al Extremo
CBS: Ghost Whisperer [f ], Flashpoint [f ], Numb3rs [f ]
CW:  The Game [f ], America’s Next Top Model [r]
FOX: Prison Break [f ]   
ION:  Reba, Movie: Presumed Innocent
MNT: WWE Friday Night Smackdown
NBC: Howie Do It [r], Howie Do It [r], Farrah’s Story (OTO)
PBS: Washington Week, Now on PBS, Bill Moyers’ Journal
TELE: Dona Barbara, El Rostro de Analia, Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso, El Cartel
UNIV: Cuidado con el Angel, Manana es para Siempre, Rosa de Guadalupe   

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