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TNT gives Dallas a Season 3 in face of Hagman's death, ratings dropoff

It wasn’t as easy a call this time around. But TNT announced Tuesday that it’s pulling the trigger on a 15-episode Season 3 of Dallas. Details on the renewal announcement are on our Network News & Reviews page.

Also, Good Day co-anchor Lauren Przybyl of Fox4 had her first baby Tuesday.
Ed Bark

ABC's Family Tools hardly nails it

Family Tools, the last new Big Four broadcast network sitcom of the season, premieres on Wednesday, May 1st. Our review is here.

Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings again are an aria for The Voice and some low-down blues for Revolution.
Ed Bark

Emptying the mailbag on reader reactions to WFAA8's virtual bypass of West, TX memorial service

Readers had pointed reactions, and not all of them negative, to WFAA8’s decision to largely ignore Thursday afternoon’s West, TX memorial service while rivals Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11 covered it live from start to finish. A big helping of comments is on the Uncle Barky’s Mailbag page.

Plus, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings are posted.

Also, please ignore that “Bandwidth Limit Exceeded for unclebarky.com” thing at the top of the Google search site. It was a mess-up on Macdock’s part after they “upgraded” a week or so ago. Their error has been remedied, and the site has been fully operational again since mid-Monday morning. Slowly but surely, the “Bandwidth Exceeded” header will move toward the bottom where it belongs. I hope.
Ed Bark

Rangers feel a draft, but . . .

Day One of the TV season’s climactic May “sweeps” ratings period was much bigger than unusual Thursday.

We break down all of the numbers on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page, including the prime-time matchup between the first-place Texas Rangers’ win at Minnesota and the first round of the NFL draft. Also spotlighted: dueling D-FW coverage of both the George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication and the West, TX memorial service (although WFAA8 mostly sat out the latter).
Ed Bark

Perplexing: WFAA8 alone in mostly sitting out West, TX memorial service

WFAA8 very surprisingly mostly took a pass on live coverage of Thursday afternoon’s West, TX memorial service while rivals Fox4, NBC5 and CBS11 covered it from start to stop. We take an in-depth look on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. But it’s still a head-scratcher.
Ed Bark

Blanket local live TV coverage of Bush Presidential Center dedication

Fox4, NBC5, WFAA8 and CBS11 all preempted their regular entertainment programming Thursday morning for continuous, commercial-free live coverage of the George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication.

They were joined by C-SPAN and the three cable news network, although one of them was surprisingly tardy. A brief wrap-up and the day’s most enduring picture are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings are in, with the TV season’s climactic May ratings “sweeps” getting an early start on Thursday, April 25th.
Ed Bark

Netflix's Hemlock Grove: a review based on consuming all 13 recurringly gory episodes

Netflix’s second original 13 episode series, following the very well-received House of Cards, went up last Friday. Our review of Hemlock Grove, after watching its entire Season One, can be found right here.

Also, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark

Another hit/miss ratings Monday for NBC

NBC’s The Voice continues to dominate Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings. But its followup act, the serial drama Revolution, may have been irreparably damaged by the Peacock’s decision to give it a more than four-month rest. The latest numbers are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, my New York Times review of Top of the Morning, the new book by NYT media reporter Brian Stelter, is in today’s editions. Or you can read it online here.

Also, traffic reporter Tammy Dombeck is getting a new vehicle at CBS11.
Ed Bark

Instant classic? Sundance Channel's Rectify convincingly makes its case

Rectify, billed as Sundance Channel’s “first wholly owned original scripted series,” makes a smashing two-hour debut on Monday, April 22nd. That’s already enough to take viewers one-third of the way through its six-episode first season. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Covering the tragedy in West, Texas

D-FW’s four major TV news providers, Fox4, NBC5, WFAA8 and CBS11, all offered continuous, sustained coverage of Wednesday night’s devastating fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. Our overall review and some pictures are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

The latest local Nielsen ratings “snapshot” also shows which station’s coverage had the most viewers.
Ed Bark

Last call for Pat Summerall

Pat Summerall, who both played in the NFL’s signature “Greatest Game Ever Played” while announcing dozens of other classics, has died at the age of 82. A remembrance and illustrative video are on our Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark

HBO's Mary and Martha: a formulaic, G-rated film that nonetheless delivers

Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn star in HBO’s cause-driven Mary and Martha, which premieres on Saturday, April 20th. Strong performances and an unwavering objective combine to make it memorable. Our review is here.

Also, Monday’s’s D-FW Nielsen ratings are posted, with an emphasis on the day’s breaking news coverage of the tragedy in Boston.
Ed Bark

Five minutes and counting: on the phone with Robert Redford

Unclebarky.com and Robert Redford recently ran a five-minute drill in connection with the upcoming Discovery Channel film All the President’s Men Revisited. But at least it was just the two of us. To see how it went, go to the Network News & Reviews page.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings include a breakdown of Sunday evening’s Masters drama.
Ed Bark

Louis C.K. remains in forefront with HBO's Oh My God

Louis C.K. is taking an extended hiatus from the pressures of producing, directing, writing and starring in FX’s Louie. But he’s still got time for standup, and no one’s doing it better at the moment. Louis C.K.: Oh My God premieres Saturday, April 13th on HBO. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Syfy's Defiance a visual A-lister, but . . .

Syfy channel hopes to make a big splash on Monday, April 15th with the simultaneous release of Defiance as both a futuristic TV show and compatible video game. Our review is here.

Also, NBC’s second episode of Hannibal is out to lunch in Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

Starz's Da Vinci's Demons flaunts a strapping, chest-baring "Leo"

Da Vinci’s Demons premieres Friday, April 12th on Starz. Any resemblances to the heavily bearded “Renaissance Man” of later years are very intentionally missing in action. Our review is here.

Also, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings highlight a clash of prime-time titans.
Ed Bark

20 years in a rear view mirror: a look back at media coverage of the Branch Davidian cult standoff in Waco

Twenty spring seasons ago, local and national media swarmed Waco to document the 51-day standoff between federal law enforcement officials and Branch Davidian cult followers of David Koresh.

It did not end well. Our Back Channels page reprises two articles from those times. The first is a visit to the media encampment in Waco and the second a post-mortem on the financial and mental tolls taken. The articles are bridged by video of an excellent recent report by Fox4’s Richard Ray, one of a handful of remaining D-FW television reporters who covered the standoff first-hand.

Plus, Monday’s D-FW ratings “snapshot” has complete Nielsen numbers for the clash between CBS’ NCAA basketball championship game and NBC’s The Voice.
Ed Bark

Annette Funicello: R.I.P.

Annette Funicello, most famous of the original Mouseketeers, has died of complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Our appreciation and assessment of her impact are on the Network News & Reviews page.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” spotlights some big sports events and how well they did.
Ed Bark

Anxiety abounds as Mad Men starts Season 6

AMC’s Mad Men begins its second-to-last season on Sunday, April 7th. Its misery index is on the rise. Our review is here.

Also, Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings are posted. And go here if you’d like to see my cnn.com commentary on the role “social media” skills are playing in the Tonight Show segue from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon.
Ed Bark

Leno's Tonight death knell officially sounded (And how big a draw was Yu's near perfect game?)

It’s official now. Jay Leno is leaving unwillingly and Jimmy Fallon will be succeeding him gladly in spring of next year. We assess the move while also wondering whether conventional TV ratings are now bowing to social media prowess. Check it out on the Network News & Reviews page.

Also, how did Yu do in the D-FW ratings during the climactic stages of his achingly close perfect game Tuesday night? All the numbers are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, a review of DirecTV’s first original scripted series, the crime land drama Rogue.
Ed Bark

What's for dinner? NBC serving up Hannibal

Serial killing series seem to be in vogue right now. And NBC soon will have Hannibal on its plate, staring with its Thursday, April 4th premiere. Our review is here.

Also, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings are posted.
Ed Bark

ABC goes long with How to Live With Your Parents (etc.)

This may be the longest sitcom title ever. And if so, its prospects already look dim. ABC’s new How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) premieres on Wednesday, April 3rd with an accomplished cast and a laborious feel. Our review is here.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” houses all kinds of big-ticket attractions. The blow-by-blow numbers, including how the Texas Rangers season opener fared against the Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead, are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, it bears repeating once a month. Unclebarky.com will always be a free-of-charge website. But if you like what you see -- or at least find some of the information useful -- you can help out a little by first clicking on any of the amazon.com ads before making the purchases you were going to make anyway. That way, a small percentage of whatever you buy is kicked back to your friendly content provider.

In other words it doesn’t cost you a nickel to make what in essence is a donation. And every effort on the part of readers is much-appreciated. Thanks again for your readership and support!
Ed Bark