A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Cynopsis
10.18.12

Good morning. It’s Thursday, October 18, 2012, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Tonight’s Premieres:
Investigation Discovery: The Will: Family Secrets Revealed at 9p
Food Network: Sweet Genius at 10p

Tonight’s Finales:
GSN: The American Bible Challenge at 8p
Lifetime: Project Runway at 9p

Tuesday night’s 2nd Presidential Debate drew an average of 65.6 million people, according to Nielsen.  The town-hall style debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, which aired live from approximately 9p to 1045p, was down 2% from the first presidential debate earlier this month though it delivered +4% compared to the second presidential debate between President Obama and Sen. John McCain in 2008.  Twelve networks carried Tuesday’s debate: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, PBS, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, Current TV and CNBC.  Among the broadcast networks, NBC led with 13.8 million total viewers, followed by ABC with 12.5 million, CBS at 8.9 million and FOX with 4.6 million.  On the cable news networks, FOX News tallied the most at 11.1 million with CNN next at 5.8 and MSNBC at 4.9 million.

Animated series, Family Guy on FOX hits its 200th episode milestone on November 11 at 9p.  The one-hour episode event also features a behind-the-scenes look at the comedy’s most outrageous moments, interviews with creator Seth MacFarlane and voice actors Mila Kunis, Alex Forstein and Seth Green and a glimpse inside the cast and crew’s 200th episode party in Los Angeles.  Family Guy is a 20th Century Fox Television production.

On October 24, Lifetime debuts the new docu-series The Houstons: On Our Own with back-to-back episodes starting at 9p.  The series follows those close to the late Whitney Houston including her daughter Bobbi Kristina (Krissy); Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager; Pat’s daughter Rayah; Whitney’s brother Gary; mother Cissy Houston; and family friend Nick Gordon as they try to go on after the music icon’s sudden death.  The 14-episode half-hour series is produced by Jarrett Creative for Lifetime.

In mid-November, MTV rolls out a new series, Catfish: The TV Show which follows the success of Rogue Pictures and Relativity Media’s 2010 documentary-thriller, Catfish.  The series, premiering November 12 at 11p, delves into the mystery and complexities of the online dating world.  Catfish: The TV Show is produced for MTV by RelativityREAL and Catfish Picture Company LLC.

A second season of Doomsday Preppers returns to National Geographic Channel’s schedule beginning November 13 with double episodes at 9p and 10p.  The series follows people who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it whether they believe the Mayan calendar that ends on December 21, 2012, a mega tornado or earthquake or an economic collapse.  The first season of Doomsday Preppers will also premiere on Spanish network, Nat Geo Mundo on November 16 at 9p.  The series is produced by Sharp Entertainment for National Geographic Channel (NGC).

Hallmark Channel serves up a bundle of holiday original movies and specials with the centerpiece being the 12 New Movies of Christmas along with five Hallmark Channel Original Specials and holiday-themed episodes of the network’s new lifestyle series Marie and Home & Family.  Hallmark Channel will deliver to viewers 1,100 hours of holiday programming under the banner The Heart of Christmas.  The 12 New Movies of Christmas launch November 3 at 8p with the world premiere of Christmas Song starring Natasha Henstridge and Gabriel Hogan followed by the world premiere of Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 4 at 8p starring Autumn Reeser, Antonio Cupo and Ben Cotton and continues with new movies each weekend.  Other holiday movies include The Wishing Tree premiering November 10 at 8p; Matchmaker Santa debuting November 17 at 8p; It’s Christmas, Carol! premiering November 18 at 8p; Naughty or Nice bowing on November 24 at 8p; Hitched for the Holidays debuting November 25 at 8p; A Bride for Christmas premiering December 1 at 8p; The Christmas Heart premiering December 2 at 8p; Come Dance with Me launching on December 8 at 8p; Help for the Holidays premiering December 9 at 8p; Baby’s First Christmas debuting December 15 at 8p; along with the Hallmark Channel premiere of Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve on November 12 at 7p; the Hallmark Channel Original Animated Special, Jingle and Bell’s Christmas Star on November 23 at 7p; as well as The Hollywood Christmas Parade airing on December 10 at 6p, Countdown to the 124th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1 at 10a followed by The 124th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1 from 11a to 1p.

Sundance Channel set the premiere date for its original miniseries Restless on December 7 at 9p with part two airing December 14 at 9p.  Restless is based on the novel by British novelist William Boyd and is about the story of a daughter who discovers her mother was recruited as a spy during World War II.  The miniseries, produced by Endor Productions in association with Sundance Channel for BBC One, stars Hayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell, Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, Michael Gambon and Charlotte Rampling. 

New series My Shopping Addiction premiered on Oxygen last Monday at 11p and delivered 657,000 total viewers as well as 432,000 among A18-49, according to Nielsen. 

The season two debut of Too Cute! on Animal Planet from last Sunday pulled in the network’s most-watched Saturday 2012 telecast to date with close to 1.4 million total viewers in addition to 427,000 A25-54 viewers.

Call for Submissions: Cynopsis is producing a Holiday Programming Guide which comes out November 27 and will be sent to all Cynopsis and Cynopsis Kids subscribers. If your network has holiday-themed programming airing December 1-31, 2012, please send your listings to Lisa Ball, Editor at [email protected] no later than Friday, November 16. Please include the following information: type of program (i.e. series, special, documentary, movie or holiday-themed episode), title, dates and times of all airings (please indicate when the show first premieres and when subsequent encores will air). A confirmation email will be sent following each submission from Lisa (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).

The nomination deadline for Cynopsis’ Most Intriguing People Awards will be here before you know it! Nominate those you feel are making significant (and sometime head-turning) contributions to the business!

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CBS ordered a new alternative series, Bake Off (wt) based on the UK format The Great British Back Off.  The series will premiere next year and will feature skilled amateur Americans competing in baking challenges with one being crowned the winner.  Richard McKerrow is the EP on the series which is produced by Love Productions USA.

TNT ordered a new untitled period series from executive producers Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption), Michael De Luca (The Social Network, Moneyball) and Elliot Webb (Tall Time Tales).  The project, based on the book, L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City by John Buntin tells the story of a decades-long conflict between the LAPD and criminals led by Mickey Cohen and set during the 1940s and ’50s amidst the glamour of Hollywood.  TNT ordered six episodes produced by TNT Originals. 

Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel announced the network’s first-ever primetime series, Cedar Cove received approval to head into production in Vancouver under the helm of show runner Carl Binder.  Cedar Cove is based on a series of novels by Debbie Macomber and actress Andie MacDowell will star in the series along with Dylan Neal.  Dan Wigutow, Caroline Moore and Michael Scott will all serve as EPs on the series, the team behind Hallmark Channel’s Original Movies Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle (2009), Debbie Macomber’s Call Me Mrs. Miracle (2010) and Debbie Macomber’s Trading Christmas (2011).  Hallmark Channel will air an exclusive two-hour sneak peek of Cedar Cove on January 19 at 9p before the series joins the network’s weekly schedule in early spring.

NBC handed script orders to Maddox a high-concept family drama from Moira McMahon, per THR.  McMahon will write the script about a family that moves to an idyllic community where medicine and technology is the closest thing to Utopia, until they realize that something dark lurks underneath.  Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan will serve as EPs on Maddox which will be produced by Universal Television and TBD Productions.  Lisa Zwerling is also on board as a supervising producer. 

An untitled family comedy received script orders from CBS, cites THR.  The multi-camera comedy centers on a young couple that decide to end their marriage and part ways but also end up staying in each other’s lives as stepbrother and stepsister after her father and his mother elope.  Mike & Molly writer/producer Julie Bean is involved to write the script which is inspired by the life of Adrienne Brodeur who wrote Man Camp and founded literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story with Francis Ford Coppola.

ABC’s upcoming new cooking competition series, The Taste has tapped culinary experts Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey to join Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain as mentors.  The eight-episode, one-hour alternative series from Kinetic Content is set to premiere in 2013 on ABC.

Dylan McDermott will rejoin American Horror Story: Asylum during the second season which just premiered on FX.  There is no word yet what role McDermott will play.  

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 10/1-10/5/12 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Judge Judy (CTD)                                           6.7 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB)                               6.6 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CTD)                                   6.4 AA
Jeopardy (CTD)                                              5.6 AA
Two and a Half Men (WB)                                4.8 AA
Family Feud (2/T)                                           4.1 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CTD)                            3.7 AA
Family Guy (2/T)                                            3.4 AA
Law & Order: CI (NBU)                                     3.2 AA
Dr. Phil Show (CTD)                                        3.0 AA
Inside Edition (CTD)                                        3.0 AA
Source: NSS Galaxy Explorer, Live+SD

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of 10/1-10/5/12 ranked in order by A18-49 Rtg
The Big Bang Theory (WB)                                3.8 AA
Two and a Half Men (WB)                                 2.3 AA
Family Guy (2/T)                                             2.3 AA
Judge Judy (CTD)                                            1.9 AA
How I Met Your Mother (2/T)                             1.6 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CTD)                                    1.4 AA
Jeopardy (CTD)                                               1.4 AA
Family Feud (2/T)                                            1.4 AA
Maury (NBU)                                                   1.2 AA
King of the Hill (2/T)                                        1.2 AA
Seinfeld (SPT)                                                1.2 AA
Source: NSS Galaxy Explorer, Live+SD

Tuesday A18-49 Analysis:  NBC won the A18-49 viewers’ vote Tuesday at 4.5/12, according to final primetime national ratings from Nielsen.  NBC did best during the 8p hour with The Voice at 4.6/13 followed by ABC’s Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars Results Show at 2.0/6.  In the 9p hour, most broadcast networks aired the 2nd Presidential Debate with no ratings data available.  However, The CW premiered its new series Emily Owens M.D. at 9p delivering a 0.5/1.  Then at 10p, NBC came back to win with its Decision 2012: Post-Debate Analysis at 4.0/10 and ABC came next with its Vote 2012: Post-Debate Analysis at 2.5/6.

Live + Same Day Household Ratings: Tuesday, October 16, 2012  time period averages.  Source: NTI, Galaxy as dated. Live+SD.

ABC: 8.1/12            Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars Results Show 8.8/13, Presidential Debate, Vote 2012: Analysis 6.2/9

NBC: 7.1/11             The Voice 7.2/11, Presidential Debate, Decision 2012: Analysis 7.0/10

CBS: 5.2/8               NCIS: Los Angeles [r] 5.4/8, Presidential Debate, Campaign 2012: Analysis 4.5/7

FOX: 2.1/3               Raising Hope 2.4/4, Ben & Kate 1.7/3/3, Presidential Debate

UNIV: 1.8/3             Por Ella Soy Eva [7p start] 1.8/3, Camino Al Mundial: Mexico vs. El Salvador 1.8/3

CW: 1.0/2               Hart of Dixie 0.9/1, Emily Owens M.D. [p] 1.1/2

ION: 1.0/1              Criminal Minds 8P 1.0/2, Criminal Minds 9P 1.0/1, Criminal Minds 10P 1.0/2

TELE: 0.7/1             Rosa Diamante 0.7/1, Corazon Valiente 0.8/1, Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal 0.9/1, El Rostro de la Venganza 0.6/1

TF: 0.3/0                World Cup Qualifier: USA vs. Guatemala [r 7p start] 0.4/1, Cineplex 2 Tue [r] 0.3/0

A18-49:  NBC 4.5/12, ABC 2.2/6, UNIV 1.7/4, CBS 1.5/4, FOX 1.5/4, CW 0.6/1, ION 0.5/1, TELE 0.5/1, TF 0.2/1

Shana C. Waterman advances to SVP/Current Programming at FOX where she continues to report to Marcy Ross, EVP/Current Programming.  In her new role, Shana will take on more senior level duties in overseeing production and serving as the main creative adviser for FOX’s new and returning series.  Shana specifically works on Glee, Fringe, Family Guy, American Dad, Raising Hope, House and The Mindy Project.

New York-based, reality production company Leftfield Pictures behind the cable franchise Pawn Stars, is expanding its operation by opening an office in Los Angeles.  Leftfield Pictures tapped Rob Hill to become VP/Development for the new L.A. office.  Rob joins from Pilgrim Studios where he was VP/Development.

Island Def Jam Music Group upped Akinah Rahmaan to VP/Marketing.  Based in New York, Akinah will head marketing campaigns on behalf of her roster of IDJ artists.  She will report to Chris Atlas, SVP/Marketing.

Starz has promoted three in its affiliate sales team: Megan Reeder-Holman, who has been with the company 13 years will become VP/Affiliate Sales; Jamie Dosher was promoted to Senior Director/Point of Sale; and Leslie Toepfer was elevated to Senior Director/Affiliate Sales.  All three are based at Starz Entertainment’s corporate headquarters in Englewood, CO. 

Hearst Television named Bruce Barkley as News Director of the company’s WYFF 4, the NBC affiliate in Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson-Asheville.  Bruce succeeds Justin Antoniotti who has moved to Hearst’s WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh as News Director.  In addition, Ben Hart was named News Director at 16 WAPT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Jackson, MS also owned by Hearst Television.  Ben succeeds Bruce Barkley in this position.

This day in History: 1822 – British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) forms.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question: In the show Gunsmoke, what was the name of Matt Dillon’s horse? Buck. Kudos to: Linda Grillo-Viacom/NYC; a del Rey, CA; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Jerry Jones-A La Carte Communications/San Francisco; Dan Harberer-Creo Entertainment/Play.

Today’s Trivia Question is sponsored by Destination America, a network celebrating all things US: What town did the TV show Northern Exposure take place in? (Email [email protected] 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 —
Lisa Ball
Editor
10.18.12

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WHAT’S ON TONIGHT – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012

ABC: Last Resort, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal
CBS: Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Person of Interest, Elementary
CW: Vampire Diaries, Beauty and the Beast
FOX: The X Factor, Glee
ION: NUMB3RS, NUMB3RS, Criminal Minds
NBC: 30 Rock, Up All Night, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Rock Center with Brain Williams
PBS: Frontline, POV
TELE: Premios Billboard de la Musica Mexicana
UNIV: Por Ella Soy Eva; Abismo de Pasion, Amor Bravio

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