TV Hot Spot: News

Summer Begins in May at NBC!

Review by: Sal


Source: Zap2It


Summer officially begins on June 20 this year. Except at NBC, which will roll out some of its summer programming more than a month earlier.

The network has set up a summer schedule that begins Monday, May 12 -- two weeks before Memorial Day -- with the return of "American Gladiators." Two other shows, "Last Comic Standing" and the horror/suspense anthology "Fear Itself," are also set for May premieres, with four more, including "America's Got Talent," to follow in June.

NBC is getting more shows on the air in part to clear the decks for the Olympics, which will take over the schedule for two-plus weeks in August. It also plays into the network's desire to have original programming on the air year-round.

Starting summer series in May borrows a page from the FOX playbook, which in recent years has used "American Idol" to help launch "So You Think You Can Dance" (which has worked well) and the filmmaking contest "On the Lot" (not so much).

In addition to starting earlier, several shows will run longer. "American Gladiators" will have a two-hour premiere and 90-minute weekly episodes; "Last Comic Standing" and "Nashville Star," which is moving over from USA, will also run 90 minutes.

Most of NBC's summertime shows will wrap up before the Olympics open on Aug. 8. One exception will be "America's Got Talent," which is scheduled to premiere June 24. The Simon Cowell-produced competition has added a "talent search" element to the early part of the season, with the show's judges seeking out prospective contestants in several cities.

The show will run through July, take a break for the Olympics and return in late August, leading into NBC's fall programming.

Premiere dates for NBC's summer shows are:

Monday, May 12: "American Gladiators"
Thursday, May 22: "Last Comic Standing"
Thursday, May 29: "Fear Itself"
Monday, June 9: "Nashville Star"
Wednesday, June 11: "Celebrity Circus"
Tuesday, June 24: "America's Got Talent"
Wednesday, June 25: "The Baby Borrowers"


Take care,

Sal

TV Hot Spot: News

'Gladiator' Co-Star Investigates A&E Pilot!

Post by: Sal


The A&E pilot "Danny Fricke" has landed Connie Nielsen as its lead.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, adding Nielsen lifts the cast contingency hold on the pilot and only came after lengthy negotiations.

Nielsen will play the eponymous character, a detective who isn't to be confused with her similarly named "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" role of Detective Dani Beck. Fricke is sleeping with her boss, which may or may not have something to do with her new promotion or her posting on a high profile murder investigation.

The "Gladiator" veteran is the fourth prominent star booked for an A&E pilot this fall, as the cable network makes a move back into the scripted drama department. Benjamin Bratt is toplining "The Cleaner," while Patrick Swayze and Henry Thomas will have the leads in "The Beast" and "Under," respectively.

Most recently seen on the big screen in "The Ice Harvest" and "The Great Raid," Nielsen finished work on "Battle in Seattle" and "Tonight at Noon."



Take Care,

Sal

TV Hot Spot: News

'American Gladiators' Rise in January!

Post by: Sal


NBC has put another piece of its midseason schedule in place, slating the update of "American Gladiators" for Sunday nights in January.

The remake of the syndicated 1990s syndicated series will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 6, the network announced via an ad in Monday's episode of "Heroes." As of Monday morning, a formal premiere announcement hadn't followed.

That means we don't yet know which of the three shows NBC initially announced for Sunday nights in January will be bumped to make way for "Gladiators." In May the network set a midseason Sunday lineup of "Law & Order" at 8 p.m., "Medium" at 9 p.m. and new show "Lipstick Jungle" at 10.

The network could shuffle any of those pieces to other nights; NBC has picked up new series "Chuck" and "Life," but "Bionic Woman" and "Journeyman" are still in limbo. If the network opts to let either of them fall by the wayside, that would open up an hour on the schedule for one or more of the originally scheduled Sunday shows. One or more shows could also be held until later in the season in the event of a prolonged writers' strike.

Pro-wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and boxer/"Dancing with the Stars" contestant Laila Ali will host the show, in which amateur athletes take part in combat games against a set cast of "gladiators." The show will feature a number of the competitions from the original series, with amped-up special effects and some other new elements.

The show is produced by MGM Television, which also produced the original series, and Reveille, the company started by current NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman.

Take Care,

Sal

TV Hot Spot: News

Laila Ali Steps in 'Gladiators' Ring

Post by: Sal

Laila Ali is one busy woman these days.

The undefeated boxer and ex-"Dancing with the Stars"
"Laila is a gladiator in her own right," NBC alternative-programming chief Craig Plestis says of Ali. "Her fierceness in the ring is matched only by her charisma and authenticity. There is no competitor -- male or female -- who she can not relate to on a personal and competitive level."

Ali will join pro-wrestling legend Hulk Hogan as host of the new "American Gladiators," which is scheduled for a midseason launch. The show is an update on the 1989-97 syndicated series that featured amateur athletes facing off in a series of competitions against a regular cast of "gladiators."

The new series will keep the same format and add a few new wrinkles to the competitions, like special effects and water-based games.

Earlier this week, Ali was named host of "Student Body," a show on The N that will encourage teenagers to become physically fit. Both it and "American Gladiators" are produced by Reveille.

Sal