Mar 2011
The Killing gives AMC another booster shot
03/31/11 05:16 PM
From the network that really knows drama, here's another compelling one. The Killing premieres Sunday night on AMC, with developments and arrests down the line. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Here comes The Kennedys -- on ReelzChannel
03/31/11 02:45 PM
Some have it, many don't. But ReelzChannel is the venue for The Kennedys, which begins unfolding on Sunday, April 3rd after executives for the History Channel decided they didn't want it after all. From the vantage point of actually watching all eight hours, they acted rather childishly. Our full review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Investigator Byron Harris wins another Peabody, adds to WFAA8's haul
03/31/11 11:00 AM
It's pretty safe to assume that Dallas-based WFAA8 has more prestigious broadcast awards than any other other local TV station in the nation. It added to its cache Thursday, with investigator Byron Harris winning another George Foster Peabody award. The details are here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
CBS brings Chaos to Friday night lineup, as an appetizer for the network's usual suspects
03/30/11 03:05 PM
CBS occasionally tries something other than procedural crime/legal dramas in prime-time, but hasn't had any luck with them in recent seasons. Chaos marks another effort to live by something other than corpses 'n' courtrooms. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Camelot gives Starz a medieval leg-up on royal wedding overkill to come
03/30/11 12:20 PM
Pip, pip, Starz offers yet another take on "Arthurian legend" in its 10-episode Camelot, which premieres Friday with Joseph Fiennes as Merlin. Our review is here, as we start knocking off five new series being launched over the weekend.
Plus, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings spotlight a big first outing for ABC's Body of Proof crime drama.
Ed Bark
Plus, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings spotlight a big first outing for ABC's Body of Proof crime drama.
Ed Bark
Troy Bush taking flight to another venue, ending tour as HD Chopper 8 pilot/reporter
03/29/11 11:52 AM
Lack of air time at Dallas-based WFAA8 has prompted helicopter pilot/reporter Troy Bush to opt for alternative flights. Get all the details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Plus, Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are a night-long victory march for ABC/WFAA8.
Ed Bark
Plus, Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are a night-long victory march for ABC/WFAA8.
Ed Bark
White men in blackface: In Spike TV's Coal, it's part of everyday life
03/28/11 06:45 PM
Producer Thom Beers, architect of gritty workplace reality series such as Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers, gives miners their day in the sun by going underground with them in Coal. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Vietnam will get another going over -- this time by Ken Burns
03/28/11 02:33 PM
Esteemed PBS filmmaker Ken Burns finally has Vietnam in his sights. He's planning a 10-12 hour documentary on America's second most divisive war. Get the details, and some other small-screen tidbits, on our TV Bulletin Board page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
DOA? ABC ready to roll with long-delayed Body of Proof
03/28/11 12:31 PM
Announced for last fall, but delayed in transit, ABC's Body of Proof finally checks in on Tuesday night with Dana Delany as a tart-tongued corpse examiner. Our review is here.
Plus, we have the D-FW Nielsen ratings for both the weekend and the previous Thursday.
Ed Bark
Plus, we have the D-FW Nielsen ratings for both the weekend and the previous Thursday.
Ed Bark
No more Sams club at D-FW's CBS11
03/24/11 05:49 PM
Scott Sams' four-year tenure as CBS11's early morning co-anchor is over. Get another free-of-charge unclebarky.com exclusive on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. (Hey, we gotta blow the "exclusive" horn once in a great while -- just like the TV stations do.)
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
HBO's first-rate Mildred Pierce takes its namesake novel to heart
03/23/11 05:51 PM
Unlike the 1945 Joan Crawford starrer, HBO's Mildred Pierce stays very true to the 1941 novel. In other words, there's no dead body, but still lots of life. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Legendary Liz will get 24-hour TCM salute
03/23/11 01:33 PM
Screen great Elizabeth Taylor, who died on Wednesday at age 79, will be remembered via many of her signature films in an April 10th Turner Classic Movies marathon. Get more details -- plus a look at her latter day TV movie career -- on our Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
WFAA8 shakes up mornings by hiring Ron Corning for Daybreak, sending Chris Flanagan to GMT
03/23/11 10:53 AM
Dallas-based WFAA8 hopes to brighten its morning ratings pictures with a new male co-anchor on Daybreak and the transfer of incumbent Chris Flanagan to Good Morning Texas. Get all the details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. The Monday and Tuesday D-FW Nielsen ratings also are in.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Even Mavs-Spurs can't light a ratings fire locally
03/21/11 01:02 PM
Both sides again played hardball in Friday's last regular season encounter between the Dallas Mavericks and the arch rival, championship-laden San Antonio Spurs. Still, the game pretty much clanked in the D-FW Nielsens. Our latest ratings "snapshot" is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
The Chris Farley Show: a book that's a bargain -- and that hits close to home
03/21/11 11:44 AM
Although published in 2008, The Chris Farley Show harkens to a certain "warlock's" current addictions. For me, the book also resonates personally. Get our take here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Sheen doing Dallas, too
03/18/11 12:50 PM
Just shoot me. Oops, wrong show. But let me be among the last to tell you -- by design -- that evicted Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen will be bringing his "Violent Torpedo of Truth" show to Dallas on April 27th. More details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page, plus an array of comment options.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Now you, too, can see Pee-wee's Playhouse on Broadway
03/18/11 11:28 AM
The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway, set entirely in his Playhouse, ended its limited run in early January. HBO brings it home Saturday night, and our review is here. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings aren't all that rim-friendly to opening day of the NCAA b'ball tournament.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
NBC will say welcome back to three Thursday night comedies
03/17/11 04:20 PM
We're getting close to the time when networks decide what to add and subtract for next fall. NBC tends to tip its hand in advance, and did so again on Thursday by announcing the returns of a trio of that night's comedies. Get the info plus other tasty tidbits on our TV Bulletin Board page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
ABC's Good Christian Bitches would draw a big bitch from WFAA8 if it dared to use that title
03/17/11 03:14 PM
Dallas-based WFAA8 says it would "strongly protest" any attempt by ABC to air the prospective prime-time series Good Christian Bitches with that title intact. The station's response to complainants also emphasizes that the network has only committed to producing a pilot with that working title, with shooting scheduled to begin in Dallas next week. Read more of what WFAA8 has to say on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in the house.
Ed Bark
Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in the house.
Ed Bark
TNT doing Dallas in Dallas
03/17/11 12:10 PM
TNT's previously announced pilot for a Dallas re-do at last officially has a home in Dallas. The Dallas Film Commission has happily put the word out, with production set to start in late April. Details are here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
D-FW anchor dean Clarice Tinsley caught amid vintage love fest with TV hand puppet :)
03/16/11 02:13 PM
It required something of an archaeological dig. But at last we've unearthed a 1978 promo for Milwaukee's WITI-TV that has glimpses of Fox4's Clarice Tinsley in her last year at the station before heading here. WITI also was the longtime home of Albert the Alley Cat, a wisecracking hand puppet who worked the weather segments before later segueing to sports. See the video here, complete with a climactic, festive dinner table scene in which Tinsley breaks bread with her fellow WITI personalities, including slap-happy Albert.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Megan has A Moment
03/16/11 01:05 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
ABC has a throwback-flavored fall season coming, with the returns of The Muppets and Don Johnson plus a new biblical series.
The network also will dust off Uncle Buck for midseason after its previous go-arounds as a successful feature film and a failed 1990 CBS sitcom.
Five newcomers are due in the fall, with two apiece set for Tuesdays and Sundays. Thursdays again will house the Shonda Rhimes-produced trio of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with the Murder. Mondays and Wednesdays also stay the same.
ABC’s cancellation corral isn’t nearly as crowded this time. Here’s the relatively brief roll call: Cristela, Forever, Selfie, Resurrection, Revenge, Manhattan Love Story and The Taste. First-year series getting sophomore seasons are Fresh Off the Boat, black-ish, Beyond the Tank, Marvel’s Agent Carter, How to Get Away with Murder, American Crime, Secrets and Lies and the surprise returnee, Galavant. If you’re counting, that’s eight renewals and just seven cancellations, even though some of the freshman series getting reprieves are hardly blockbusters -- or even peripheral hits.
Another series announced last fall, The Whispers, is getting a Monday, June 1st premiere.
Here are ABC’s five new fall series.
The Muppets (comedy) -- They’re back with what ABC calls a more adult, “contemporary, documentary-style show,” with the fuzzy wuzzys’ personal lives uncovered.
Dr. Ken (comedy) -- Former Community co-star Ken Jeong tops the cast as a brilliant doctor without much tact. He’s also married with two kids.
Oil (drama) -- Don Johnson, 31 years removed from the premiere of Miami Vice, has another go as a “ruthless tycoon” named Hap. He’s bent on bedeviling young ‘uns Bill and Cody Lefever (Chace Crawford, Rebecca Rittenhouse), who have come to North Dakota to strike it rich in “The Bakken,” site of the “biggest oil discovery in American history.”
Of Kings and Prophets (drama) -- King Saul (Ray Winstone) presides over an “epic biblical saga of faith, ambition and betrayal.”
Quantico (drama) -- Only the best and brightest recruits are invited to train at the FBI’s Quantico base. But could it be that one of them masterminded the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11?
Here is ABC’s night-by-night fall prime-time lineup.
MONDAY
Dancing with the Stars
Castle
TUESDAY
The Muppets
Fresh Off the Boat
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Quantico
WEDNESDAY
The Middle
The Goldbergs
Modern Family
black-ish
Nashville
THURSDAY
Grey’s Anatomy
Scandal
How to Get Away with Murder
FRIDAY
Last Man Standing
Dr. Ken
Shark Tank
20/20
Saturday
College football
SUNDAY
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Once Upon a Time
Oil
Of Kings and Prophets
ABC also has five new series awaiting midseason berths. Here they are.
Uncle Buck (comedy) -- It’s an African-American cast this time, headed by Mike Epps in the title role.
The Real O’Neals (comedy) -- Surprising truths unfold within a “seemingly perfect Catholic family.” Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) heads the cast.
The Catch (drama) -- It’s Shonda Rhimes to the rescue again, with a thriller about a fraud investigator (Mireille Enos as Alice Martin) who’s about to be a fraud victim of her fiancé.
The Family (drama) -- A prominent politician’s young son was presumed dead for more than a decade. But he isn’t. Or is he? Joan Allen stars.
Wicked City (drama) -- A 1982 L.A. murder case is dissected. The cast is made up of mostly unknowns, although Erika Christensen (Traffic) might ring a bell with some.
Email comments or questions to: unclebarky@verizon.net
CW33's 9 p.m. news finally bottoms out with no measurable audience Tuesday in key demos
03/16/11 11:47 AM
Hey, we all live by traffic, whether driving in it or in the media's case, trying to increase it.
So it's a big kick and a punch to the lower regions if you're Tuesday's 9 p.m. newscast on Dallas-based CW33. Because Nielsen Media Research says that no one watched it among the younger viewer demographics targeted by the station. We dissect and assess in the latest "Local Nielsen Ratings Snapshot."
Ed Bark
So it's a big kick and a punch to the lower regions if you're Tuesday's 9 p.m. newscast on Dallas-based CW33. Because Nielsen Media Research says that no one watched it among the younger viewer demographics targeted by the station. We dissect and assess in the latest "Local Nielsen Ratings Snapshot."
Ed Bark
ABC might find itself in hell's kitchen if it sticks with Good Christian Bitches
03/15/11 03:31 PM
Based on a potboiling book, ABC's Good Christian Bitches is scheduled to begin filming its pilot episode in Dallas next week. Would the network even consider keeping the title? Or is it just enjoying all the free pub? We take a closer look here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Peacock prevails at 10 despite thorn in side from The Bachelor
03/15/11 01:51 PM
Rosy ratings for all three hours of ABC's The Bachelor gave WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscast a more than even playing field Monday night. But NBC5 instead is serving the jumbo shrimp after its late nighter topped the D-FW field. The latest local Nielsen ratings are here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Race for Dallas mayor finds Mike Rawlings looking like top cop in first TV ad
03/15/11 07:24 AM
Businessman Mike Rawlings, who's running for mayor against former Dallas police chief David Kunkle, has a top cop look about him in his inaugural TV ad. Coincidence? Umm, probably not. Get our take here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
WFAA8 anchor/reporter Shon Gables cited for contempt of court, wanted back in Detroit
03/15/11 07:15 AM
Shon Gables, who both anchors and reports for Dallas-based WFAA8, has a judge-ordered bench warrant out for her arrest after losing a slander suit filed against her and allegedly twice failing to appear in a Detroit area courtroom. The details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Lost but found at last: those "JaM" ads for the now defunct NBC5 anchor team of Jane McGarry/Mike Snyder
03/14/11 03:11 PM
Courtesy of their maker, who just posted them, NBC5's mid-1990s "JaM" spots can be seen anew. Once upon a time they were the station's principal selling points for anchors Jane McGarry and Mike Snyder. See what you think of them now, along with two other eye-catching NBC5 ads that are also included on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Plus, we feel compelled to report that Charlie Sheen somehow is still rolling along. And the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings again show relative indifference toward the Mavs, even for their really big Saturday night collision with the Lakers.
Ed Bark
Plus, we feel compelled to report that Charlie Sheen somehow is still rolling along. And the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings again show relative indifference toward the Mavs, even for their really big Saturday night collision with the Lakers.
Ed Bark
Fox4's Next a social media experiment with a two-car garage look
03/11/11 03:09 PM
Dallas-based Fox4 launched its experimental Next program at lunch time Friday. So far there are no guarantees there'll be a next one. But if so, some work needs to be done. Our review is here. Also, Thursday's D-FW Nielsen ratings provide more windfalls for two of network TV's biggest shows.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Still coming to Dallas: the Heart Attack Grill without its dead-at-29, 570-pound spokesman
03/10/11 02:11 PM
Nightline's lead story Wednesday updated viewers about goings-on at Arizona's Heart Attack Grill, which so far has just one eatery but previously announced the June opening of a second one in Dallas. The latest angle: Heart Attack's Quadruple Bypass Burger-eating spokesman went down for the count last week at age 29. Get our take here. Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Site set for X Factor auditions in Dallas
03/10/11 09:13 AM
Simon Cowell's The X Factor, set to premiere next fall on Fox, now has both a site and a date (which was previously announced) for its Dallas auditions. Five other U.S. cities also are in the mix. Get the details here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Historically bad and getting worse: NBC's prime-time woes just won't quit
03/09/11 02:38 PM
And now, for a change of pace, let's look at another network's problems. CBS has just one show to worry about. NBC's predicaments run far deeper than that. How bad is it? We survey the damage.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Uncle Barky diversifies brand by doing CNN -- twice
03/09/11 11:47 AM
Your friendly content provider is still capable of providing for others, too. So Wednesday brought both a cnn.com opinion piece -- upon request -- and a mid-morning tie-in appearance on CNN teevee. The topics? Um, er, ahem -- Charlie Sheen and whether he can be replaced on Two and a Half Men. Sorry about that, but the media marketplace is still buying, and it gave me a chance to drive all the way downtown amid typically snarled traffic on I-30 while listening to "The Ticket."
My home away from home, locatetv.com, also has a new emission from yours truly. And it's not about the tiger blooded Warlock. And on my long-running first love, unclebarky.com, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are ready for your inspection.
Ed Bark
My home away from home, locatetv.com, also has a new emission from yours truly. And it's not about the tiger blooded Warlock. And on my long-running first love, unclebarky.com, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are ready for your inspection.
Ed Bark
Next please? Dallas-based Fox4 testing new show with Fiona Gorostiza, Steve Noviello
03/08/11 06:06 PM
Fox4, rolling in the D-FW ratings and in an experimental mood of late, will test-run Next this week. Its stars are two incumbent news staffers, Fiona Gorostiza and Steve Noviello. Get the details here on free-of-charge unclebarky.com. Plus, a new TV Bulletin Board is loaded with new TV tidbits. And Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings highlight the two-hour return of NBC's The Event.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
University of diversity: the sequel changes it up by looking at on-air racial/gender makeups of D-FW's late night newscasts
03/07/11 04:12 PM
What you see if what you get get on D-FW's late night local newscasts. So we've taken a look at two weeks' worth to see who's actually out there reporting. Our University of Diversity update is here.
Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings spotlight the performances of new and returning Sunday night "reality" series.
Ed Bark
Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings spotlight the performances of new and returning Sunday night "reality" series.
Ed Bark
Cuban courts Sheen for unscripted series on HDNet
03/05/11 03:15 PM
Having once given a weekly TV series to Dennis Rodman, Dallas Mavericks and HDNet owner Mark Cuban hopes to walk on the wild side anew by doing a deal with Charlie Sheen. Get the details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Three new Sunday series shift Uncle Barky into overdrive
03/04/11 11:27 AM
A pair of competing reality hours and a new A&E scripted series about cons chasing escaped cons are arriving in prime-time Sunday. Unclebarky.com's got reviews of all of 'em. Namely, ABC's Secret Millionaire, NBC's America's Next Great Restaurant and A&E's Breakout Kings. Hey, we like to watch.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
CBS11 makes station history with doubleheader ratings "sweeps" win while Fox4 paces demo derby
03/03/11 02:00 PM
The four-week February "sweeps" ratings are history, with CBS11 and Fox4 the only stations entitled to wear party hats while WFAA8 tries on a dunce cap and NBC5 again comes away with nothing. We've got the complete historic results here. Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsens also are in the house.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Idol alternatives: PBS is musically inclined Wednesday night with specials on 1970s "Troubadours" (Taylor, King, etc.) and Harry Connick, Jr.
03/02/11 11:18 AM
PBS hits a number of high notes Wednesday night with two 90-minute specials -- Troubadours: Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter and Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway. Our melodious reviews are here. Plus, big ratings in D-FW Tuesday night for Charlie Sheen's latest discombobulations raise the question of who's enabling him more -- the networks or his viewers.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
It only takes one: Life-defining photos for the late Jane Russell, Suze Rotolo
03/01/11 01:22 PM
Obituaries for Jane Russell and Suze Rotolo ran side-by-side in Tuesday's edition of The New York Times. That was fitting, because each woman leaves behind a singular still photo. We ruminate here.
Plus, Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings chart the void left by another Two and a Half Men repeat and CBS11's topsy turvy approach to its 10 p.m. "Crisis in the Classroom" special.
Ed Bark
Plus, Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings chart the void left by another Two and a Half Men repeat and CBS11's topsy turvy approach to its 10 p.m. "Crisis in the Classroom" special.
Ed Bark
New image campaign for NBC5's early morning team; new cast for Dancing
03/01/11 05:16 AM
Fort Worth-based NBC5, still a solid if unspectacular No. 2 in the early mornings behind Fox4, has launched a series of new 30-second spots on behalf of its four waker-uppers. This time it looks distinctly homegrown rather than hatched from afar by the station's parent corporation. Plus, ABC has a new set of celebrity (and semi-celebrity) hoofers for its 12th edition of Dancing with the Stars.
Also, as a new month comes into view, please remember to make any amazon purchases you might have in mind by first clicking on one of the ads on any unclebarky.com page. Your independent-minded provider -- me -- gets a small percentage of all sales. Click on our other advertisers, too, and take a quick look at what they're offering. It all helps to keep this free-of-charge site among the living.
Thank ya.
Ed Bark
Also, as a new month comes into view, please remember to make any amazon purchases you might have in mind by first clicking on one of the ads on any unclebarky.com page. Your independent-minded provider -- me -- gets a small percentage of all sales. Click on our other advertisers, too, and take a quick look at what they're offering. It all helps to keep this free-of-charge site among the living.
Thank ya.
Ed Bark