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Sharknado 2: The Second One still throwing an after-party

The national Nielsen and social media numbers are in for Wednesday night’s Sharknado 2: The Second One on Syfy channel. And yeah, it was pretty much a monster. Details are on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark

FX bangs the drums softly for sitcom starring Kelsey Grammer, Martin Lawrence

It’s been a week since the annual Television Critics Association summer “press tour” in Los Angeles. And near its end, the FX network’s 12 onstage interview sessions came and went without any attention paid to Partners. Starring a couple guys named Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence, its premiere is now just around the corner -- on Monday, Aug. 4th. And seriously, it’s nowhere near the equivalent of leprosy, even if FX is kind of treating it as such. Our review is here.

Plus, the latest TV Bulletin Board collection highlights NBC’s announcement of a new Peter Pan for its holiday season successor to last December’s The Sound of Music.
Ed Bark

There's no summertime escape with Sundance TV's The Honorable Woman

After launching early this month on the BBC, The Honorable Woman gets its American TV premiere Thursday, July 31st on Sundance TV. The eight-part, Middle East-set drama series features a bravura lead performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal and superb support from stalwarts such as Stephen Rea and Janet McTeer. Expect to be challenged, though. This is no walk in the park. Our review is here.

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

CW pulls fast one with Penn & Teller: Fool Us

Penn & Teller promise a performance with them in Vegas (at the Rio hotel and casino) for magicians who can confound them with their illusions. But the trick in large part is on viewers of The CW’s “new” Penn & Teller: Fool Us, which launches on Wednesday, July 30th. You can see why on our Network News & Reviews page.

Also, ABC’s all-night season finale of The Bachelorette mostly won out against fairly formidable counter-programming Monday night. The local ratings are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page, along with a note on CBS11 reporter Teresa Frosini’s departure from the station during the time your friendly content provider was on “press tour” in California.
Ed Bark

It's nearly upon us: Sharknado 2: The Second One

SyFy’s Sharknado 2: The Second One premieres on Wednesday, July 30th after last summer’s original became a Tyrannosaurus Rex on Twitter. Stars Ian Ziering and Tara Reid return amid a big gaggle of cameos, with New York City on the receiving end this time. Recommendation: go ahead and give in to it. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Manhattan gives WGN America a big blast from the past

WGN America’s second original scripted drama, Manhattan, blasts off on Sunday, July 27th. It’s far better than the network’s first -- Salem. And our review is here.
Ed Bark

Heading West again for network TV "press tour" (but not before leaving behind a slew of reviews)

It can be both a break and a backbreaker. But who’s complaining? Your friendly content provider will be landing in Southern California on Tuesday, July 8th for the annual summer edition of the Television Critics Association “press tour,” which runs all the way through July 23rd.

Included is the 30th annual TCA awards ceremony. I was a presenter at the very first one in 1985. So here we go again.

I’ll be writing periodically but exclusively for the New York-based tvworthwatching website during my time out there. But I’ll also be tweeting frequently on breaking developments and other oddities. The Twitter address is @unclebarkycom.

In the meantime, the unclebarky.com website has posted eight reviews of upcoming new series, beginning with the Wednesday, July 9th premiere of CBS’ Extant and ending with the Thursday, July 17th launch of FX’s You’re The Worst. In order of their air dates, here are the shows and the links to our reviews:

Extant (Wed., July 9th on CBS) -- Review is here.
Welcome to Sweden (Thurs., July 10th on NBC) -- Review is here.
Working the Engels (Thurs., July 10th on NBC) -- Review is here.
Masters of Sex, Season 2 (Sunday, July 13th on Showtime) -- Review is here.
The Strain (Sunday, July 13th on FX) -- Review is here.
Matador (Tues., July 15th on El Rey Network) -- Review is here.
Married (Thurs., July 17th on FX) -- Review is here.
You’re The Worst (Thurs., July 17th on FX) -- Review is here.

Hope these are enough to tide you over. See you in a few weeks.
Ed Bark

CBS11 names Mike Garber as news director

CBS11’s new news director, Mike Garber, will be making a significant jump in market size when he joins the D-FW-based station later this month. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Suzie Humphreys comments on why she's leaving KTXD-TV's The Broadcast at the end of July

Veteran television/radio personality Suzie Humphreys has decided to leave KTXD-TV’s (Ch. 47) The Broadcast at the end of July. The program announced her departure on its Facebook page and now she tells unclebarky.com the reasons why. See the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

NBC goes for post-Fourth funny with Welcome to Sweden and Working the Engels

Two new NBC comedies, both worth sampling, join the Peacock’s summertime lineup on Thursday, July 10th. Our review of Welcome to Sweden is here and our review of Working the Engels is here.
Ed Bark

CBS' Extant returns from outer space, grounds itself in intriguing storytelling

CBS hopes to replicate last summer’s big success story, Under the Dome, with another 13-episode “high-concept” drama. Extant, starring Halle Berry and backed by Steven Spielberg, premieres on Wednesday, July 9th. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

U.S. men's World Cup bow-out a big ratings draw in D-FW, but smallish compared to Mexico's exit

The spine-tingling overtime match Tuesday between the U.S. and Belgium ended with Belgium advancing and the U.S. going home. Ratings were strong in D-FW on ESPN/Univision23. But Mexico’s exit two days earlier easily took the gold among World Cup soccer matches. All the details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark