>The broadcast week just concluded (July 18-24) had virtual parity between the four major broadcast network.  A mere two-tenths of a rating point separated first from fourth place, continuing a trend we have seen all summer as high-rated sports programming and NBC’s The Voice left the air.  Weekly Network Averages — Adults 18-49 ratingWeek of     [...]

>With the help of some online bookmaking sites, we have the latest “official” odds for tonight’s Emmy Awards.  Let’s take a look about what they say about the conventional wisdom, and make some adjustments where they don’t make sense. BEST DRAMA Bookie Odds: Mad Men – 1:2 Boardwalk Empire – 11:4 The Good Wife – [...]

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and [...]

> The news was mostly good for the networks last night–except for the one show whose news was fatal. FOX:  If anything, FOX seems to have been the victim of its own hype this fall.  Like The X-Factor, TERRA NOVA is looking like a solid hit–just not the blockbuster the network foretold.  Its 100% retention [...]

> ENLIGHTENED – Mondays 9:30PM on HBO – If Nothing Else Is On… As a writer, Mike White is drawn to stories of delusion.  Even though their tones (and commerciality) are widely divergent, his screenplays from Chuck & Buck to The School of Rock, The Good Girl to Nacho Libre share protagonists who are firmly [...]

>The CW station in Miami, WSFL, will carry the Miami-New York Jets Monday Night Football game locally in primetime tonight.  So the fast nationals for Gossip Girl and Hart of Dixie will be inflated Tuesday morning.  We will have to wait until later in the day to get a clear read on the two dramas in [...]

> Another night of atypical FOX programming as we head to the World Series endgame(s). ABC:  The real test for the network’s new sitcoms will be next week when Glee returns, but ABC can’t be happy with the preliminary results:  the very expensive, hugely-promoted LAST MAN STANDING is a passable sub-3, while MAN UP! is [...]

>It’s rare that a Saturday night has a huge impact on a sweep race, but last night featured a college football pairing between the #1 and #2 teams in the country on CBS.  In an SEC matchup for the ages, #1 LSU defeated #2 Alabama in overtime 9-6, earning a 6.4 Adult 18-49 rating in [...]