Author Archives: Roger Catlin

PBS Fall Schedule Includes ‘Midwives’

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 15, 2012
Amid the excesses of the network upfronts in New York this week (musical numbers! Britney Spears live! A monkey!), PBS would like you to know that they’ll have some fall programming as well. In addition to the previously announced new Ken Burns documentary, “The Dust Bowl,” there will be a second season for “Upstairs Downstairs” [...]
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ABC Adding 10 Shows

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 15, 2012
The new ABC schedule for the 2012-2013 TV season adds six new dramas and four comedies, moves around a few of its returning shows – “Revenge” to Sundays,  and “Last Man Standing” to Fridays, reinstating a family-friendly TGIF night. Of the new dramas, “666 Park Avenue,” regarding a mysterious New York building, stars Terry O’Quinn [...]
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Tuesday TV: Kids vs. School Lunch, Several Finales

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 15, 2012
The hard-hitting series “The Weight of the Nation” (HBO, 8 p.m.) concludes its two day event tonight, with some hopeful news about how kids took it upon themselves to improve the luches they receive at schools. The fried, fast-food style takeover of cafeterias has been caused by profit considerations — not nutrition or health. That [...]
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Howard Stern Enlivens ‘America’s Got Talent’

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
On a day when the role of judges on network talent competitions came into focus, as Britney Spears and Demi Lovato were called in as new judges on “The X Factor,” Howard Stern made his much bally-hooed debut on the season premiere of “America’s Got Talent.” Immediately, he set a tone of honesty generally absent [...]
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Britney, Demi Joining Forces with Simon, L.A.

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
As if to underscore how ineffectual and indecisive Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were as judges of “The X Factor” in its first season, two new pop singers turned vocal judges were named to replace them Monday. Britney Spears and Demi Lovato were unveiled as new judges for the singing show for their season starting [...]
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Sixteen New Shows from NBC

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
In an attempt to kickstart something at its long struggling network, NBC announced a whopping 16 new shows for its 2012-2013 season – six comedies, five dramas and four new reality shows. It also said its one hit of the current season, “The Voice” will be returning again in the fall, though most reality competition [...]
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Three New Comedies, Two Dramas from Fox

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
It’s the crush of network upfronts this week in New York, with the broadcast networks announcing what their fall slates will look like to potential advertisers. It’s when new shows are announced (and more quietly it becomes clear which shows won’t be returning). While rumor and unofficial word has been flying for weeks, Fox was [...]
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Monday TV: Here’s Johnny …And Howard

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
The man who made late night TV what it is for 30 years, now nearly forgotten by younger audiences, is given his due in a fascinating and thorough biography on “American Masters” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings). “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night” was made with lots of incisive interviews with one of his [...]
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Kim Wins ‘Survivor,’ Of Course

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 14, 2012
Thin and charming Kim Spradlin took her calculating plans of “Survivor” success right to the winner’s circle Sunday, winning both the $1 million and the $10,000 prize voted by viewers. She won immunity the final two challenges – earning four individual immunities overall this season. Not that anyone in the show’s first all female final [...]
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An End to Housewife Desparation

By Roger Catlin | Published: May 13, 2012
“Desperate  Housewives” (ABC, 10 p.m.) creator Marc Cherry knew how his series would end almost since it began. “The last act which I’ve had in my head for seven and a half years is absolutely what we’re going to do,” he told TV critics last winter. “What was cool was the day that I shared [...]
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