As I mentioned in my previous blog, we haven’t done one of these in over six months so much of it is not really “news”. We already covered my comments about what shows got renewed and canceled. So this is just miscellaneous news, tidbits, links of a different nature. Because I’m so far behind, this particular installment covers January through May. I will post another blog soon to get caught up from June through the present.
Here is a link to a chart showing the new fall schedule. We will probably do a separate blog to talk about some of the new shows before they air and we will endeavor to write reviews of most if not all of the new shows once they do air.
Fall TV Schedule 2018: What’s on When? And Versus What?
In the links below read…
Stan Lee has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against his former company Pow! Entertainment.
Postmortem interview with stars of “Once Upon A Time” about the series finale.
Postmortem interview with producers of “Once Upon A Time” about series finale.
Postmortem interview with producers of “Agents of SHIELD” about season finale and exiting characters.
Postmortem interview with producers of “Madam Secretary” about season finale.
Postmortem interview with producer of “Blue Bloods” about season finale.
Article about new pilot series that did not get picked up. You always hear about what got canceled, what got renewed, but not about what didn’t make it in the first place. Here are a few.
Postmortem interview with producer of “Lucifer” about the season finale.
Interview with producer of “This Is Us” about season 3 and long-term plans for the show. Even though the series is likely to run for years he reveals they’ve already shot the series finale scene.
Postmortem interview with Chris Carter X-Files about the season finale.
Postmortem interview with producers of “The Good Doctor” about the season finale.
Not linked but also of interest…
Freeform has ordered a spinoff series of “Pretty Little Liars” to be called “The Perfectionists” and will run for 10 episodes. Created by the same people who make “Black-ish”.
Cast members of Game of Thrones are speculating that multiple endings to the series are being shot because they don’t trust the actors to keep quiet. It’s more likely they just haven’t decided which ending playwright best.
Kevin Bacon will star in a new crime drama “City on a Hill” for Showtime set in 1990s Boston produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Jordan Peele is going to reduce a new series for Amazon Studios titled “The Hunt” said in 1977 about a group of Nazi hunters living in New York City. 10 episodes have been ordered.
MTV has suspended production of its series “Catfish” because of sexual abuse allegations against its harvest.
Jennifer Aniston will play POTUS and Tig Notaro will play her partner as the first lesbian couple to occupy the White House in a film click called “First Ladies” for Netflix.
We previously reported are Agents of SHIELD had been renewed for season 6. We now know that it will be just 13 episodes and will not premiere until summer 2019. Executives insist this has nothing to do with the timing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe release of Avengers 4 in May. They also say that just because it’s a short season doesn’t mean it’s the end of the series. They seem to like they have a strong fan base and think that summer run will actually help keep the series going.
Pauley Perrette implied in a series of tweets that she left NCIS as a result of “multiple physical assaults” but she refuses to “spill the beans”. Nobody knows what that means.
ABC executives said that the cancellation of “Designated Survivor” was not only because of poor ratings but concerns on what creative direction the show would be going in the future. They had three different show runners into seasons so the show underwent a lot of turmoil behind the scenes.
Epix cable network has ordered a 10 episode series titled “Pennyworth” about Alfred Pennyworth famous butler to Bruce Wayne. It will explore his origins as a former SAS soldier who opened a security business with Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas Wayne in 1960s London. Although produced by Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller, it is not set in the same “universe” as Gotham and will not have Sean Pertwee who currently plays Alfred on Gotham. He is obviously too old to play the part.
RIP actress Patricia Morrison complained in the original Broadway production “Kiss Me Kate” opposite Yul Brynner. She was 103 years old.
NBC is the winner of the average rating for the season helped a bit by the Super Bowl and Olympics although if you filter out live news and sports events for all networks NBC still comes out on top.
CBS will have a new drama for 2018/19 titled “The Red Line” staring Noel Wyle. It’s about a white Chicago cop who mistakenly suits and kills a black doctor. Wyle plays the husband of the doctor.
NBC announced there will be “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” this coming winter. It will feature fan favorites from the American version plus other acts from “Got Talent” editions around the world.
RIP actress Margot Kidder known for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the Superman movies in the 70s/80s. She was 69.
Connie Britton will not be returning to “9 -1-1” next season. Jennifer Love Hewitt will join the cast as a new character.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus River receives the “Mark Twain Prize” for American humor at the Kennedy Center in October.
HBO is developing a series based on the “Watchmen” graphic novels.
NBC’s next live musical will be “Hair” to be performed and broadcast live in front of a live audience. Scheduled for spring 2019.
Andrew Lincoln will appear in only six or so episodes of season 9 of The Walking Dead before leaving the series for good. No word on if he will be killed but surely so.
Sesame Street is suing the producers of a raunchy R-rated Melissa McCarthy film “The Happytime Murders” in which she plays a detective who teams up with a puppet to solve puppet murders. They lost when a judge refused to grant an injunction against the film.
Helena Bonham Carter has joined the cast of the Netflix series “The Crown”. She will play Princess Margaret in season 3.
TBS has announced that the Conan O’Brien show will be shortened to a half-hour and will feature fewer celebrity guests.
RIP actor Robert Mandan who played Chester Tate on the classic ABC sitcom “Soap”. He was 86.
Kathy Bates is returning to American Horror Story this season and we are very happy.
RIP Frank Avruch the original Bozo the Clown dead at 89
Anson Mount will play Capt. Pike in season 2 Star Trek Discovery. He was recently in “Hell on Wheels” and “Marvel’s Inhumans”.
Game of Thrones recently spent 55 days shooting one battle scene on three locations for season 8.
RIP actor Harry Anderson from “Night Court” died at age 65. No cause of death was released.
RIP actor Verne Troyer who played “Mini-Me” in the Austin Powers movies. He was 49.
Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff is to star in a Netflix sci-fi drama “Another Life” about an astronaut on a mission alien intelligence. We can’t wait.
RIP TV chef Anthony Bourdain suicide at age 61.
RIP season 3 winner of America’s Got Talent Neil Boyd who was an opera statement. Died at age 42 part failure, kidney failure, and liver disease.
This month’s Chris Young’s “Sure Sign of the Coming Apocalypse Award” goes to a new animated film featuring the Spice Girls that is in production.
RIP producer writer Stephen Bosco who created NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues. Age 74
RIP director Milos Forman who directed “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Age 86
RIP actor R. Lee Ermey who famously played the drill sergeant in “Full Metal Jacket” age 74. Probably one of my favorite character actor performances of all time. I can watch that scene over and over again.
Steven Spielberg is set to direct DC comics film “Blackhawk”.
RIP composer and musician Bob Dorough who created “Schoolhouse Rock”. Age 94
Brad Pitt and Leonard DiCaprio are set to star in Quentin Tarantino’s new film “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” based on a Charles Manson murders.
Allison Mack who played Chloe on Smallville has been arrested and charged in a sex trafficking case. It sounds like a tabloid headline but apparently it’s true.
The Simpsons has surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running scripted TV series in history. Meet The Press is the longest-running TV series of any kind.
RIP Larry Harvey founder of the Burning Man Festival age 70
RIP director Michael Anderson who directed “Logan’s Run” and “Around the World in 80 Days” age 98
Jurassic World 3 is scheduled for June 2021 release. Let me guess dinosaurs get loose and a bunch of people. I should be a screenwriter 🙂
RIP actor David Ogden Stiers known for playing Maj. Winchester on M*A*S*H. Age 75
Renée Zellweger will play Judy Garland in an upcoming biopic titled “Judy”.
RIP actor Jerry van Dyke brother of Dick van Dyke. Age 86
Rock icon Eric Clapton reports he is slowly going deaf.
Neil Diamond has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and is retiring from touring
Thursday Night Football is moving from CBS to Fox this year with a five year deal from the NFL.
Stan Lee files suit against former company
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. EPs Talk About Season Finale’s Emotional Exits
Madam Secretary Finale: EPs Break Down Elizabeth’s Monumental Decision
Blue Bloods Boss Breaks Down Finale Twist, Family Dinner’s Surprise Guest
DOA Pilots: What Didn’t Get Picked Up?
The end of ‘This Is Us’ is already in the works