A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM VH1

With hit shows like Surreal Life, Celebrity Fit Club, Strange Love and Best Week Ever, it’s no wonder 1Q05 was VH1’s highest-rated quarter ever.*

*Source: NHI Explorer, 1Q05 vs. all other quarters, P18-49 cvg. rating, M-Su 11a-3:30am

CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis

05/19/05

Good morning.  It’s Thursday, May 19, 2005 and this is your first early morning briefing.

CBS Official Fall 2005 Schedule:

Monday: King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, 2-1/2 Men, Out of Practice,  CSI: Miami
Tuesday:         NCIS, Amazing Race, Close to Home
Wednesday:      Still Standing, Yes Dear, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY
Thursday:        Survivor, CSI, Without a Trace
Friday:          Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, NUMB3RS
Saturday:        Crimetime Saturday, 48 Hours
Sunday: 60 Minutes, Cold Case, CBS Movie

What’s Not on the Schedule:  60 Minutes Wednesday, Joan of Arcadia, and Judging Amy, Listen Up

Quick descript of new series:

• Ghost Whisperer (Touchstone/Paramount Network TV):  Inspired by James Van Praagh, this drama stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a young newlywed who talks to dead people, and helps them relay messages to the living.  Jennifer Love Hewitt stars along with David Conrad and and Aisha Tyler. 
• Threshold (Paramount Network TV):  In the world of ETs (no, not Ent. Tonight), this drama focuses on a team of experts assembled when the Navy discovers an alien spaceship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  This drama rec’d a resoundingly positive response from the crowd at the upfront yesterday. Stars Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton, Brian Van Holt, Robert Patrick Benedict and Brent Spiner.
• Close to Home (Warner Bros. TV/Bruckheimer):  A legal drama, not in a major metropolitan city, but in a small town where a young prosecutor (Jennifer Finnigan) tries criminal cases.  Also stars Kimberly Elise, John Carroll Lynch, and Christian Kane
• Criminal Minds (Touchstone TV/Paramount Network TV):  Mandy Patinkin stars in a suspense thriller set inside the FBI and a team of elite profilers who concentrate their efforts on the most twisted criminal minds.  Thus the title.  Also starring are Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gubler, and Lola Glaudini.
• How I Met Your Mother (20

^th):  This comedy is told in flashback, narrated by Bob Saget.  Ted is looking for a lifelong relationship, and enlists his buddy Barney to help him find it.  He meets Robin, believes he’s found Mrs. Right, though destiny plays a hand.  Series stars Josh Radnor as Ted, Neil Patrick Harris as the best friend, and Cobie Smulders as Robin.

• Out of Practice (Paramount Network TV):  This comedy marks Henry Winkler’s return to primetime, along with Stockard Channing, Christopher Gorham, Ty Burrell, and Paula Marshall.  A family of doctors who other than their titles, don’t have a lot in common. 

Midseason:

• Everything I Know About Men (Touchstone/Paramount Network TV):  Jenna Elfman stars as a secretary who sets out to learn everything she can about men, and why women continue to be interested in them, despite how they behave.  Also starring are Brady Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Rhea Seehorn, Lauren Tom and Dabney Coleman.
• The Unit (20th):  Special forces operatives fulfill missions around the world, while their wives keep the homefires burning and try to keep their husbands’ jobs a secret.  Making up the cast are MaDennis Haysbert, Scott Foley, Robert Patrick, Regina Taylor, Max Martini, Michael Irby, Demore Barnes, Abby Brammell and Amy Acker.

On tap for today: UPN this morning, Fox this afternoon.

Tonight’s Season Finale:
CBS:     CSI at 8-10p
NBC:    The Apprentice at 9p
WB:     Blue Collar TV at 8p

Rumors that The WB has been considering shifting out of its M-F Kids’ WB! programming have been circling for over a year. So what’s new?  Reliable sources now tell Cynopsis: Kids! that this time it may actually happen — to wit: There has been talk with key affiliate groups, and there’s a potential start date of 1st qtr 2006.  CynKids contacted the network via phone and email yesterday and at press time had not received a response. Reportedly the network has been taking the temperature of some of its biggest and arguably most influential affiliate station groups, including Tribune, Acme and Sinclair, about replacing the Kids’ WB! M-F (3-5p) with Warner Bros. off-net programming to compliment the stations’ M-F (5-7p) lineups.  No change in The Kids’ WB Saturday morning block (8a-12n), except for the possibility of expanding it by an hour or so.  Our sources say that Tribune, Acme and Sinclair have agreed to the change for Jan 2006, and presumably the network is in ongoing discussions with other station groups.  It goes without saying the depth of the WB library can support just about any demo according to station needs and thus provide affiliates with a steady build into their evening blocks.  It also goes without saying there is an enormous upside in potential revenue for both affiliate stations and the network with WB off-net programming in lieu of kids programming in early fringe. More on this as it become available.  — Gwen Billings, Editor, Cynopsis: Kids!

FX has ordered a fifth season of The Shield (13 eps), per Hollywood Reporter, though not confirmed by FX.  Thus far this season, The Shield has averaged 3.2 million total viewers on Tuesdays at 10p, and 2.0 million A18-49, both stats up from last year.

David E. Kelley’s reality show The Law Firm (Renegade 83/David E. Kelley Prods/20th) is scheduled to debut on NBC on July 28, Thursday, at 9p.  The show features 12 young and hungry attorneys, all vying for a cash prize of $250,000.  They will try real cases with real clients in front of real judges, and the outcome of their cases will be legally binding.  Roy Black, trial attorney and legal analyst, will be the Managing Partner of The Law Firm and will decide, in a Trump way, who gets sent home every week.

Discovery Channel launches a new series on October 1 called Pop Nation: America’s Coolest Stuff (8 eps) from Tiger/Tigress Prods.  Between now and October, Discovery wants to see what you have in your attic – a favorite Partridge Family lunch box (with thermos of course), or that Davy Crockett coonskin cap.  Think Antiques Roadshow, but only for pop memorabilia.  Discovery will tape four appraisal events where owners have a chance to find out if their stuff is worth any serious bucks, and then decide if they want to keep it, sell it or auction it off online. Gather your stuff and meet them in Baltimore on June 4; Austin TX on June 18; Long Beach CA on July 2; or July 9 in Portland Oregon. You gotta preregister yourself and your trinket – go to www.discovery.com/popnation for more information.
 
VH1 will debut two new series on May 29:  Kept starring Jerry Hall who is in search of her ideal best kept man, among a group of 12.  She will transform as needed to fit the bill, and he will be a kept man for one year.  In addition to being Hall’s houseboy, he will receive a six figure allowance.  Doesn’t sound so bad to some of you, now does it?!  The other premiere is called Strip Search, also set for a May 29 debut.  Again all guys, this time 15 of them, all vying for one of seven openings in a male revue dance troupe in Las Vegas.  A weekly elimination process culls the group down to those who can learn the dance the fastest, take direction and are serious about wowing a crowd.   Kept premieres at 9p and Strip search at 10p.  Thereafter, they will air in their regular time periods beginning June 2 at 9p and 10p respectively.
 
Frank Gorshin, known best to many as Batman & Robin’s The Riddler, has died from lung cancer at the age of 72.  Gorshin credits his Batman & Robin days as a catalyst for his latter success – most recently he played George Burns in a one man show on Broadway called Say Goodnite Gracie. His final television performance will be in tonight’s season finale episode of CSI.  His list of credits include such films Bells are Ringing (1960) and Hot Rod Girl (1956); and numerous television roles and appearances including General Hospital, The Munsters, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Murder, She Wrote, The Fall Guy, Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels and Police Woman.

Tom Watson has been named VP/Advertising Sales for MTV Network’s newest network, Logo. In this position, Tom will be responsible for developing advertising deals with partners and finding and expanding new revenue within emerging consumer avenues.  The announcement was made today by Lisa Sherman, SVP/General Manager, Logo; and Hank Close, EVP/Ad Sales, MTV Networks’ Music and Comedy Group, to whom Tom reports.
 
National Geographic Ventures (NGV) has named Matthew White to the newly created position of EVP/Digital Markets for National Geographic Digital Media.  Reporting to Chris McAndrews, President/Digital Media, Matthew will direct National Geographic’s worldwide digital video businesses serving the stock footage, education, wireless, broadband portal and videogame markets. He will also be responsible for the management of National Geographic’s video archive and for all of Digital Media’s business development activities, including those for nationalgeographic.com.
 

Tuesday- A18-49 Analysis- May Sweep Day #20:   Fox led the way on Tuesday night with an overall 8.6/23 A18-49 rating according to fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen Media Research.  CBS pulled in a 3.7/10, followed by NBC 3.4/9, ABC 2.4/6, WB 2.1/5, UPN 1.5/4.  At 8p American Idol racked up a 10.1/29, while CBS’ first hour of the ACM Awards was a distant #2 at 2.7/8.  House on Fox won the 9p hour, earning a 7.0/18, again well ahead of CBS’ 2nd hour of the AMC awards (4.1/10).  The premiere of UPN’s Britney & Kevin: Chaotic earned a minor 1.8/4 A18-49, but picked up considerably and expectedly among W18-34, posting a 3.6/9, in a 3-way tie with CBS and WB, behind Fox.  At 10p NBC stepped up with an original L&O: SVU delivering a 5.5/14, ahead of CBS’ final hour of awards (4.3/11).

Fast Affiliate Ratings: Tuesday, May 17, 2005, for all Networks – time period averages.  Source: Nielsen Media Research. 

FOX      12.7/20    American Idol 14.5/24, House 10.9/17

CBS      7.7/12     American Country Music Awards  7.7/12

NBC    7.1/11    Outrageous TV Moments [r] 3.8/6, L&O:SVU [r] 6.6/10, L&O: SVU 10.9/18

ABC      4.5/7           My Wife & Kids 4.1/7, George Lopez 4.2/7, George Lopez 5.0/8, According to Jim 5.4/8, Blind Justice 4.3/7

WB       3.2/5      Gilmore Girls 3.7/6, One Tree Hill 2.7/4

UPN      2.2/3      Next Top Model (clip show) 2.0/3; Britney & Kevin: Chaotic [p] 2.4/4

A18-49           Fox 8.6/23, CBS 3.7/10, NBC 3.4/9, ABC 2.4/6, WB 2.1/5, UPN 1.5/4

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM COMCAST SPOTLIGHT

Comcast Spotlight enables advertisers to demographically segment their markets through Adcopy. Adcopy lets you simultaneously run different commercials in the same market allowing you to talk to different people differently. And with Adcopy, advertisers can be more targeted than they could ever be on broadcast. Comcast Spotlight – Spot cable finally delivers. For more information click here.

The History Channel presents This Day in History:
1960 – The man who coined the term “rock ‘n’ roll,” disc jockey Alan Freed, is arrested on charges of pay-for-play commercial bribery­otherwise known as “payola.”
 
Answer to Yesterday’s trivia question:  If one was to lie down on a couch at 15 Robin Hood Lane, in whose psyche’s care would one be?
DR JASON SEAVER  ON GROWING PAINS   Kudos to: Teresa Conant-Blitz Media/S Natick MA; Lansing Palmer-Millennium Sales & Marketing/Boston; Jose Rolon-Court TV/NY; Russ Camelot-CNBC/NY; Terry Austin-Starz Entertainment/Englewood CO; Sally Shireman-Weigel Broadcasting/Chicago; Ray Misti-KSTU/Salt Lake City; Rebecca Evantash-Burger King Acct Services/LA; Jill Allison-Nielsen Station Index/LA; Jennifer Mutchnik-PHD USA/LA.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM COURT TV

Today’s trivia question:  The 1963 movie The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen showed many famous motorcycle scenes.  Where else would you find this same motorcycle on camera? (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
05.19.05  5:21am
Cynopsis Ad Sales – Barbara Shapiro – 203-583-1224 /

Classified Ad Sales – Cynthia Turner – 203.381-9096 /

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT: Thursday,  May 19, 2005

ABC              NBA Conferences Semi -Final
CBS              CSI [finale], Without a Trace
FOX              The O.C.,  American Idol World’s Worst Auditions
NBC              Will & Grace, The Apprentice [finale], ER
PAX              Young Blades, Diagnosis Murder
UPN              WWE Smackdown
WB               Blue Collar TV [finale], Blue Collar TV [r], Jeff Foxworthy: The Early Daze 
TELE             Amarte Asi (7p), Los Plateados, La Ley del Decisiones
UNIV             Inocente de ti, La Madrastra, Aqui y Ahora