Last Comic Standing: NBC Series Returns May 22nd
NBC has announced that Last Comic Standing will return for a new season on Thursday, May 22nd, at 9pm. The network has ordered 13 one-hour installments.
Produced by Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz, the show will be hosted by JB Smoove. This time around, the judges will be Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Russell Peters.
Here are the details from NBC:
“LAST COMIC STANDING” RETURNS TO NBC MAY 22 WITH JUDGES ROSEANNE BARR, KEENEN IVORY WAYANS AND RUSSELL PETERS, ALONG WITH NEW HOST JB SMOOVE
Wanda Sykes Will Be Executive Producer for Emmy Award-Nominated Series Set for 13 Episodes
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – March 21, 2014 – America’s most compelling comedy competition is back Thursday, May 22 (9-11 p.m. ET) when NBC’s Emmy Award-nominated series “Last Comic Standing” returns with three new celebrity judges – comedy icons Roseanne Barr and Keenen Ivory Wayans, along with international comic sensation Russell Peters – as well as dynamic new host JB Smoove.
The series will air Thursdays (10-11 p.m.) following the premiere.
Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz (“Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious,”), who are producing partners at Push It Productions, will executive produce the season’s 13 one-hour episodes, along with Javier Winnik (“The Marriage Ref”).
“We are ready to bring back the funny with this relaunch of ‘Last Comic Standing,’ and can’t wait to discover the next great stand-up,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. “With Keenen, Roseanne and Russell set as our new judges, JB as host and Wanda, Page and Javier at the helm, there will be plenty of laughter all summer.”
“Last Comic Standing” resumes its search for the funniest comic in the country with innovative format changes, surprise celebrity guests and unexpected twists. The season will open up with hilarious auditions, this time by invitation only.
The top 100 comics in America will vie for 20 spots. These 20 will then compete in a semifinal round and the best of the best will emerge, with the top 10 moving into the compelling challenge rounds. In this phase, they will compete in different comedy disciplines, such as sketch, improv and stand-up, proving themselves both individually and in teams.
Then the funniest of all will take the coveted title of “Last Comic Standing,” winning a prize package that includes an NBC talent deal and a half-hour scripted project to be developed by Universal Television.
Roseanne Barr began her career in stand-up comedy, turning her experiences as a wife and mother into a “domestic goddess” act that audiences couldn’t resist. She went on to star in and produce her own hit sitcom, “Roseanne,” which ran for nine seasons and averaged approximately 30 million viewers each week. The role earned Barr an Emmy Award as well as a Golden Globe, a Kids’ Choice Award and multiple American Comedy Awards. In recent years, she guest-starred on “The Office” and “Portlandia,” and her earlier TV credits include “My Name Is Earl,” “Futurama,” “The Nanny,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Barr also had her own talk show, “The Roseanne Show,” which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination as outstanding talk show host. Her big-screen credits include “She Devil,” “Freddy’s Dead,” “Blue in the Face” and “Meet Wally Sparks,” and she voiced characters in “Look Who’s Talking Too” and “Home on the Range.” She has written three books: “Roseanne: My Life as a Woman,” “My Lives” and, most recently, “Roseannearchy: Dispatches From the Nut Farm.” The series “Roseanne’s Nuts,” which she also executive produced, followed Barr as she ran a nut farm in Hawaii.
Keenen Ivory Wayans is a multi-talented writer, director, producer and entertainer, perhaps best known for his groundbreaking series “In Living Color.” His uncanny eye for talent was proven with “In Living Color,” where he helped launch the careers of Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez and members of Wayans own talented family, including Kim, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
After collaborating with comedian Eddie Murphy and earning writing credit on the star’s concert film “Eddie Murphy Raw,” Wayans then partnered with actor/director Robert Townsend and had his first hit film with “Hollywood Shuffle.” He made his directorial debut with “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” in which he also starred, and went on to direct the record-breaking summer blockbuster “Scary Movie” and its sequel, “Scary Movie 2.” He also wrote, directed and starred in “A Low Down Dirty Shame” as well as directing “White Chicks” and serving as producer, writer and director of “Little Man.” Additional movie credits include “Dance Flick,” “The Glimmer Man” and “Most Wanted.” Wayans is currently set to write and executive produce a single half-hour comedy pilot and to launch a national stand-up tour with his brothers next year.
Russell Peters is an international comedy sensation who regularly sells out arenas all over the world. His tours have set attendance records globally and Peters was ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the top 10 highest-grossing comics, earning nearly $21 million in 2013 and garnering legions of enthusiastic fans. Peters has sold out some of the biggest venues in the United States, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Barclays Center and the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
He has performed with Dave Chapelle and George Carlin and his comedy performances on YouTube have had more than 100 million views. Peters’ comedy DVDs include “Outsourced,” “Red White and Brown,” “The Green Card Tour: Live From the O2 Arena” and his latest special, the first original comedy special for Netflix, “Notorious.”
Perhaps best known for his breakout role as Leon on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” JB Smoove is a writer, comedian and actor who currently stars in the TV comedy “The Millers.” His feature-film debut was in the cult classic “Pootie Tang,” with Chris Rock, and since then he co-starred opposite Adam Sandler in “Mr. Deeds,” and also appeared in “Date Night,” “Hall Pass,” “The Sitter,” “We Bought a Zoo” and “The Dictator,” opposite Sacha Baron Cohen. He was a writer for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” a cast member on the sketch comedy program “Cedric the Entertainer Presents,” the host, co-creator and producer for the stand-up series “Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus” and he had his own Comedy Central special called “How I Dooz It.”
Additional credits include “Tough Crowd,” “Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza,” “Saturday Night Live” sketches, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Til Death,” “Bent” and “The Real Husbands of Hollywood.” He just launched season two of his show “Four Courses with JB Smoove” on the MSG Network, and is also a partner in the entertainment company Converge Media Group.
Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America.” Her stand-up specials include “Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious” and the Emmy-nominated programs “I’ma Be Me” and “Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired.” Her big-screen credits include “Evan Almighty,” “Monster-in-Law,” “Over the Hedge,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “Rio,” “Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps” and “Pootie Tang.” She can currently be seen on the Amazon Prime show “Alpha House,” created by Gary Trudeau, about a group of Republican senators who share the same D.C. rental house. For five years she co-starred on the comedy “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”
Sykes spent five years as a performer and writer on the critically acclaimed “The Chris Rock Show,” for which she won an Emmy. She also won three Sports Emmys in 2002, 2004 and 2005 for her work on “Inside the NFL” for outstanding weekly studio show.
Additional credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Crank Yankers” and her late-night talk show “The Wanda Sykes Show.”
In 2012, Sykes joined forces with veteran producer Page Hurwitz to form Push It Productions, a production company dedicated to creating quality, comedy-based programming for network and cable television outlets. The company’s diverse slate of projects include sketch comedy, concerts, reality, talk/variety and competition formats. Their first set of specials, “Herlarious,” aired in summer 2013 and January 2014 on OWN and was the recipient of a 2014 Gracie Award. In just its first year, Push It has made a first-look production deal with NBC, has a new series on OWN, and has shows currently in development with NickMom (Comedy Camp) and Comcast.
“Last Comic Standing” is produced by Universal Television and Push It Productions.
What do you think? Do you plan on tuning in for this new version of Last Comic Standing?
As previously reported, USA has decided to renew White Collar for a sixth season of six episodes. They haven’t confirmed that this will be the final season and will likely announce it closer to the show’s finale, as they did with Psych.
In addition, the cable channel has ordered two new series — Rush and Complications. Each will have 10 installments.
Here are the official details:
USA GREENLIGHTS TWO NEW DRAMA SERIES AND RENEWS “WHITE COLLAR” AS IT CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS POWERFUL SLATE OF ORIGINALS
Series Pick-Up Comes for RUSH from FOX21 and Producer Matt Nix Returns to USA with COMPLICATIONS from Fox Television Studios
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – March 21, 2014 — USA Network announced today that it has picked up FOX 21′s RUSH, written and produced by Jonathan Levine (“Warm Bodies”) and Fox Television Studios’ COMPLICATIONS, from creator and executive producer Matt Nix (BURN NOTICE) to series. Both of the dramas are slated for 10-episode runs, including the pilots. The network also announced that it has renewed fan-favorite WHITE COLLAR for a sixth season. The series, from creator and executive producer Jeff Eastin (GRACELAND), has been picked up for six new episodes.
The announcement comes on the heels of two recent drama pick-ups for the network. This summer, USA will launch the Untitled Sean Jablonksi series starring Matt Passmore (“The Glades”). In late 2014, the network will also premiere the event series “Dig,” starring Jason Isaacs (“Awake”) and Anne Heche (“Save Me”), from creators Tim Kring (“Heroes”) and Gideon Raff (“Homeland”).
“We are excited to usher in the next generation of USA dramas, alongside our signature returning originals that continue to attract a large and loyal fan base,” said Chris McCumber, president of USA Network. “This year USA will be showcasing more hours of original programming than ever before, including an unprecedented 6 new series and 6 returning shows.”
RUSH (working title), stars Tom Ellis (“Miranda and Gates”) and is from writer/director Levine (“Warm Bodies,” “The Wackness”) along with Fox 21 and Little Engine’s Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo (“The Gates,” “Missing”). It is a fast paced Hollywood drama centered around Dr. William Rush (Ellis). Rush is not your average on-call doctor, he’s highly discreet no matter what the ailment, as long as the client can pay his cash-only premium, and the doctor can party with the best of them. He has no desire to change his life or how he lives it, until an old flame and his conscience begin to stir things up.
After wrapping seven seasons of the hit series BURN NOTICE for USA, Nix brings a high-octane drama to the network with the gritty medical series COMPLICATIONS (working title). The project centers around John Ellis, played by Jason O’Mara (“Vegas,” “Terra Nova”), a disillusioned suburban ER doctor who finds his existence transformed when he intervenes in a drive-by shooting, saving a young boy’s life and killing one of his attackers. When Ellis learns the boy is still marked for death, he finds himself compelled to save him at any cost, and discovers that his own life – and his outlook on medicine – may never be the same.
WHITE COLLAR ended its fifth season with a spectacular cliffhanger that left fans speculating on the fate of their beloved con artist. The series, which generates an average of four million viewers each season, stars Matt Bomer (“Magic Mike”), Tim DeKay (“Tell Me You Love Me”), Tiffani Thiessen (“What About Brian”), Willie Garson (“Sex and the City”), Sharif Atkins (“ER”) and Marsha Thomason (“Lost”). The series centers on the unlikely partnership between charming con artist Neal Caffrey (Bomer) and straightforward FBI agent Peter Burke (DeKay), who partner to catch other elusive white collar criminals. Created and executive produced by Jeff Eastin, the series comes from Fox Television Studios. Nick Thiel and Jeff King also serve as executive producers.
The #1 network in all of basic cable for an unprecedented eight straight years, USA Network is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. USA is a leader in scripted programming with a powerful stable of originals, spectacular live television and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, a broad portfolio of acquired series and entertainment events. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. The award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com.
What do you think? Will you tune in for the final season of White Collar? Do the new shows sound interesting?
Many of FOX‘s series have already been renewed for another season. What does the future hold for the rest of their TV shows? Cancelled or renewed for 2014-15? We’ll have to wait and see.
FOX shows this season (so far): Almost Human, American Dad!, American Idol, Bob’s Burgers, Bones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Dads, Enlisted, Family Guy, The Following, Glee, Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef Junior, The Mindy Project, New Girl, Rake, Raising Hope, The Simpsons, Sleepy Hollow, and The X Factor.
How does FOX decide what to cancel or renew? They look at a lot of different factors but the ratings play a very large role. The higher the ratings, the better chances a show has of surviving. Here’s how the network’s shows are doing so far:
Check the other networks’ season rankings: ABC | CBS | The CW | NBC
If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see them here and here.
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are therefore supposedly harder to reach.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking.
The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make room for something else?
Some of NBC‘s shows have done well while others have really struggled. Which will be cancelled and which will be renewed? Stay tuned!
NBC shows this season (so far): About a Boy, Believe, The Biggest Loser, The Blacklist, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Community, Crisis, Dateline, Dateline Saturday Night Mystery, Grimm, Growing Up Fisher, Hannibal, Hollywood Game Night, Ironside, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Michael J. Fox Show, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Revolution, Sean Saves the World, The Sing-Off, The Voice, and Welcome to the Family.
There’s lots of data that NBC looks at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but the ratings are typically the biggest piece. Here’s how the network’s shows are doing.
Check the other networks’ season rankings: ABC | CBS | The CW | FOX
If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see them here and here.
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking.
The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make way for something else?
Of the five networks, The CW has the fewest hours of primetime to fill but they’re not finding it any easier to find hits. Most of their returning shows are way down year-to-year and some of their new series are struggling. Which will be cancelled or renewed? Stay tuned!
CW shows this season (so far): The 100, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, The Carrie Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Nikita, The Originals, Reign, Supernatural, The Tomorrow People, and The Vampire Diaries.
How does The CW decide what to cancel or renew? They look at a lot of different factors but the ratings play an important role. The higher the ratings, the better chance a show has of surviving. Here’s how the network’s shows are doing so far:
Check the other networks’ season rankings: ABC | CBS | FOX | NBC
If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see them here and here.
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are therefore supposedly harder to reach.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking.
The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays or Saturday, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make room for something else?
CBS is still the most-watched network but almost all of their established shows are down year-to-year. Plus, none of their new shows can really be considered hits. Which will be cancelled or renewed? Stay tuned!
CBS shows this season (so far): 2 Broke Girls, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, The Crazy Ones, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Elementary, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, Hostages, How I Met Your Mother, Intelligence, The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, The Millers, Mom, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Survivor, Two and a Half Men, Undercover Boss, and We Are Men.
There’s lots of data that CBS looks at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but ratings are typically the biggest piece. Here’s how the network’s shows are doing so far.
Check the other networks’ season rankings: ABC | The CW | FOX | NBC
If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see them here and here.
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking.
The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make way for something else?
The alphabet network hasn’t had much luck launching successful new shows. What’s more, a lot of their existing shows are down year-to-year. Thankfully, the execs can’t cancel everything.
ABC shows (so far): 20/20, 20/20 Saturday, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Assets, The Bachelor, Back in the Game, Betrayal, Castle, Dancing with the Stars, The Goldbergs, The Great Christmas Light Fight, Grey’s Anatomy, Killer Women, Last Man Standing, Lucky 7, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, The Middle, Mind Games, Mixology, Modern Family, Nashville, The Neighbors, Nightline Prime, Once Upon a Time, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Primetime: What Would You Do?, Resurrection, Revenge, Scandal, Shark Tank, Super Fun Night, The Taste and Trophy Wife.
There’s lots of data that ABC execs looks at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but ratings are the major ingredient. Here’s an updated listing of all of their current primetime shows.
If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also view them here and here.
Check the other networks’ season rankings: CBS | The CW | FOX | NBC
A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach.
Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking.
The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.
What do you think? Are you surprised by any of the ratings? Which shows should be doing better? Which one do you think will be cancelled next?
As Harvey and Mike work to win cases for their clients, USA hopes that Suits will continue to win over viewers and bring in solid ratings. Will the TV series be cancelled or renewed for a fourth season? Time will tell.
Suits typically airs on Tuesday nights and there are 16 new episodes once again this season. The cast includes Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Gina Torres, Sarah Rafferty, and Meghan Markle.
Below are the TV show’s ratings for season three, the best way to tell if it will be cancelled or renewed for season four. These figures will be updated as the weeks progress so you can check back to see how things are going.
10/24 update: The show has been renewed for a fourth season.
Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view it here.
Reference point: Season two of Suits averaged a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 3.60 million total viewers.
Note: These ratings are collected by the Nielsen company and are the final national numbers. These are different from the fast affiliate numbers which are just estimates of the actual ratings and are reported on by most other outlets. The final nationals are typically released within 24 hours of the programming or, in the case of weekends and holidays, a couple days later.
What do you think? Do you like the Suits TV series? Do you think it should be cancelled or renewed for a fourth season?
Will the ratings for improve in season two or, will they fall even lower than they did in season one? We’ll have to wait and see.
Revolving around an anger management therapist (Charlie Sheen) who has issues of his own, the cast also includes Selma Blair, Shawnee Smith, Daniela Bobadilla, Michael Arden, Noureen DeWulf, Derek Richardson, and Martin Sheen. The second season airs Thursday nights on FX.
The comedy’s ratings are typically the best way to tell if Anger Management would be cancelled or renewed for another season however, 90 episodes were ordered for season two as part of a syndication deal. Those will last for awhile and may or may not be the end anyway.
These figures will be updated as the weeks progress so be sure to bookmark and return to this page:
If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view it here.
Reference point: The first season of Anger Management averaged a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 2.98 million viewers. (You can see the week-by-week numbers here.)
Cable ratings are typically released within a day or so of the show’s airing, except for in the case of weekends and holidays. They are sometimes harder to locate so there may be occasional delays or gaps.
What do you think? Do you like the Anger Management TV series? Do you think that it should be cancelled or renewed for even more episodes?
ABC has ordered another spin-off of their popular reality series, The Bachelor. THR reports that Bachelor in Paradise will air this summer for six episodes.
The network says that the series will “feature new twists, shocking surprises, unexpected guests and some of the most unlikely relationships in Bachelor history, plus all the usual romance, drama and tears we’ve come to expect from the Bachelor franchise.”
As you might expect, Bachelor in Paradise, will be hosted by Chris Harrison.
Though further details haven’t been announced, producer Mike Fleiss seemed to indicate that the show will be similar to previous spin-off Bachelor Pad which ended in 2012. He tweeted, “You ready for Bachelor PAraDise???” However, Harrison tweeted that it will be very different.
What do you think? Do you plan to check out Bachelor in Paradise?