or


[01/14/11 - 03:43 PM]
Showtime at TCA: Kennedys, Gigolos, Oh My!
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "My goal from day one was to have fresh A level programming on the air every week of the year," David Nevins, Showtime's President of Entertainment, said was his mantra for the pay channel.

The executive-turned-producer-turned-executive once again - who's been behind such series as "Friday Night Lights," "24," "Parenthood" and "Arrested Development" - kicked off Showtime's executive session at the TCA Winter Press Tour touting its recent successes, whether it be subscribers ("now approaching 19 million"), awards ("we earned a record eight Golden Globe nominations, the most for any network"), ratings ("we got what our promo guys have been calling [this past Sunday], with all due humility, the biggest Sunday ever") or big name development (Claire Danes-led "Homeland" and Don Cheadle-led "House of Lies" are in or are about to begin production).

Nevins also announced the renewal of "Californication," return dates for "Nurse Jackie" and "United States of Tara" (Monday, March 28), a two-hour launch for "The Borgias" (Sunday, April 3) and a new reality series about the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants with MLB Productions.

Outside its tubthumping and press release fare, Nevins revealed Showtime is working on "Gigolos," a reality series about a group of guys who are male escorts in Las Vegas. "I actually find the show quite fascinating, and I think it's that's it's not new territory for Showtime, but I think we are doing it in a way that really complements, sort of, the sophisticated stuff that we do with our with our comedies and dramas."

As for its future plans, Nevins gave a few estimates on the return dates for "The Real L Word" ("we are going to air it in the summer, sort of pretty close to where we aired it last year") and "The Green Room ("we haven't set it, but we are not far away from setting a premiere date") as well as the start of the Lisa Kudrow-led "Web Therapy" ("it's probably going to be in the second quarter, roundabouts there... we may do it in the summer").

Furthermore Nevins said there will be a few changes on "Real L Word" this season. "I think there's an interesting version of that show that we didn't quite get at last year," he said. "We're going to focus it somewhat around Whitney and her friends, which I found were the most, sort of, authentic, you know, young 20 something lesbians in Los Angeles. I think we can do a better job of, sort of, capturing that subculture and go deeper."

And finally, Nevins addressed his decision to pass on History's much-ballyhooed mini-series "The Kennedys." "I looked seriously at it, and I thought it was well-acted, well-made, and very watchable. And just what it really came down to is it didn't really feel Showtime. It didn't really feel, to me, premium cable. And I have, you know, great respect and love for Joel Chernoff, who I've known for many years. And it's got a great cast, but it just didn't fundamentally feel us."

The executive added that Showtime's focus is original, "renewable" series rather than short-form projects like "The Kennedys" ("series are renewable resources, and you give up that focus at your peril") and its purported right wing perspective "wasn't a factor in our rejecting it."





  [january 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 24 (FOX)
· ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
· BORGIAS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
· FRANCHISE, THE (SHOWTIME)
· FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DIRECTV)
· GIGOLOS (SHOWTIME)
· GREEN ROOM WITH PAUL PROVENZA, THE (SHOWTIME)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· HOUSE OF LIES (SHOWTIME)
· KENNEDYS, THE (REELZ)
· NURSE JACKIE (SHOWTIME)
· PARENTHOOD (NBC)
· REAL L WORD, THE (SHOWTIME)
· UNITED STATES OF TARA, THE (SHOWTIME)
· WEB THERAPY (SHOWTIME)





[03/17/25 - 03:46 PM]
ABC News Studios Announces "Last Days of Gene Hackman: ABC News Special," Airing Tuesday, March 18, on ABC
The one-hour film takes a deep dive into the last days of beloved actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, after they were mysteriously found dead in their New Mexico home.

[03/17/25 - 03:45 PM]
ABC Audio Launches New, True Crime All the Time Podcast Slate in Partnership with "20/20"
The new content strategy establishes ABC Audio as a news and true crime destination for listeners, with the announced titles joining "Start Here" and "20/20," The Walt Disney Company's top-performing podcast.

[03/17/25 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "Hyper Knife" - Official Trailer - Hulu
A medical thriller series that centers on Seok, a genius neurosurgeon who is reunited with Deokhee, the professor who ruined her life long ago.

[03/17/25 - 01:08 PM]
CNBC's "CNBC Sport: On the Record" to Premiere Saturday, March 29 at 3PM ET/PT
Each week, the biggest names in sports - from league commissioners, team owners, influential media executives and top athletes - will give an insider's perspective on the strategies, deals, and stories shaping sports and business.

[03/17/25 - 12:05 PM]
Video: Official Trailer - "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" - Prime Video
Jacob Elordi and Odessa Young star in the five-part series, due on April 18.

[03/17/25 - 11:31 AM]
Bobby Moynihan Joins the Cast of the Untitled Tracy Morgan Project
He'll play Gator, Reggie's (Tracy Morgan) loyal former teammate who has always stuck with him even when things went sideways.

[03/17/25 - 11:11 AM]
NBC Picks Up Its Third Comedy Pilot of the Season with the Untitled Ornelas, Keliiaa and Wilson Project
In the ensemble comedy, set at a Native community center in Oakland, California, the employees hustle to keep the lights on while lifting up those in need.

[03/17/25 - 11:08 AM]
"The Way Home" Finishes Thrilling Third Season as #1 Most-Watched Program on Entertainment Cable Among Women 25-54
The riveting finale was the #1 most-watched program on Friday with Women 18+, leaving viewers eager to dive back into the time-traveling pond filled with rich family history and spellbinding mystery.

[03/17/25 - 10:41 AM]
FOX Sports' Milestone 30th Season of Major League Baseball to be Called by Celebrated Lineup Featuring Game's All-Time Greats
Entering their fourth season together, and fresh off calling an unforgettable World Series in front of the biggest television viewing audience in nearly a decade, analyst John Smoltz, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and lauded play-by-play announcer Joe Davis call FOX Sports' top regular season and playoff games.

[03/17/25 - 09:41 AM]
Hit French Series "bref.2" Streaming March 26
Launched in 2011, "bref." instantly left its mark with its ultra-short format, punchy humor, and groundbreaking narrative style.

[03/17/25 - 09:12 AM]
Dennis Quaid Returns! New Season of "Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid" Premieres April 14 on The History Channel
The series will continue to dig deep into the remarkable stories and the unforgettable adventures to uncover the truth behind some of history's most enduring legends.

[03/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Blippi's Job Show" - New Series Trailer - Netflix Jr
Blippi and Meekah are on a mission to learn about all kinds of jobs, from driving a monster truck to making pizzas, there's no job too big or too small!

[03/17/25 - 09:00 AM]
Game Show Network Premieres Two New Shows Monday, April 14: "Tic Tac Dough" Hosted by Brooke Burns, and the All-New "Bingo Blitz," Hosted by Valerie Bertinelli
Both shows will air back-to-back at 7:00/6:00c and 7:30/6:30c, respectively.

[03/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Acorn TV's Gritty Fan-Favorite Crime Drama, "The Chelsea Detective," Returns with All-New Episodes Monday, April 7
Season three's remaining three episodes will air weekly on the service with SAG Award-winner Alex Kingston guest starring as US Ambassador Emily Morgan in the debut episode, "Deadlock."

[03/17/25 - 07:46 AM]
AXS TV Presents the Ultimate Homage to Vinyl Records with an Exclusive "Vinyl Obsession" Marathon, Airing in Honor of National Record Store Day on Saturday, April 12
The exclusive block is an homage to the timeless allure and historical importance of vinyl records and the collectors who love them.