Programming

Fox’s coverage of the World Series Game 2 averaged 8.9 million total viewers (and a 1.8 demo rating), down a bit from the opener’s preliminary numbers. On CBS, Survivor (5M/0.8) slipped yet still led Wednesday’s non-sports fare in the demo.

Who’ll be the last one standing in Succession? Is The Good Place heaven or hell? These are the audio companions to keep the conversation going around some of your favorite shows.

The controversy surrounding the team, fueled by recent emails that resulted in Jon Gruden’s resignation, has prompted some owners to signal concerns with how the situation has been handled. Above, Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, leaves the NFL owners meeting in New York on Wednesday. (Adam Hunger/Associated Press)

Naomi Bulochnikov, Erin Weir, Barrie Gruner and Aaron Goldman will all expand their responsibilities under Shannon Ryan, president of content marketing for Hulu and general entertainment.

Sony Pictures fiscal 2Q profit dipped to 31.6 billion yen ($278 million), a decline of 3.7% from the same period a year ago when its profit amounted $299 million. On the bright side, revenue was up in the pictures unit, rising 35% in U.S. dollars to $612 million.

WWE is the latest entertainment company to catch NFT fever. The wrestling entertainment producer inked an exclusive, multiyear deal with Fox Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs to launch an NFT marketplace for licensed digital WWE tokens and collectibles.

Fox’s broadcast of the World Series opener between the Braves and Astros averaged 10.5 million total viewers and a 2.3 demo rating, up sharply from the preliminary numbers for last year’s shortened-season Dodgers/Rays Game 1 but shy of Nationals/Astros 2019.

The winner of last week’s network derby was NBC, home to two football games that landed in the top 10. It averaged 5.79 million viewers in primetime, followed by CBS with 5.11 million. Fox had 4 million, ABC had 3 million, Univision had 1.3 million, Telemundo had 1 million and Ion Television had 970,000. With a lift from the baseball playoffs, TBS topped the cable networks in primetime, averaging 3.1 million viewers.

“Every comedian who is not doing wife jokes has to thank him for that,” actor-comedian Albert Brooks told The Associated Press in 2007. “He really was the first, even before Lenny Bruce, in terms of talking about stuff, not just doing punch lines.”

Co-president Jason Clodfelter, working with established showrunners including Shawn Ryan, hopes the program provides emerging writers with the practical experience they need to run their own shows.

The yet-to-be-titled series from Utopia Originals will include unseen materials and dive into the history, music catalog and legacy of the characters, as well as the actors behind them and the friendship they shared.

The two Wednesday comedies will extend their runs by nine episodes apiece.

Despite the pandemic that stymied Hollywood production, there were varying measures of growth in the hiring of people of color — and women — in on- and off-camera jobs, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a new report. In return, audience enthusiasm for shows such as creator-star Issa Rae’s Insecure and the miniseries Watchmen with Emmy-winning actor Regina King proved that inclusion pays business as well as social dividends, said Darnell Hunt, dean of the school’s social sciences division. Above, Robin Thede (r), the creator, star and executive producer of the HBO comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, and executive producer Issa Rae pose together for a portrait during the 2019 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.

Running a close second in the week ending Oct. 17 was Family Feud, separated by only two-tenths of a ratings point.

On Monday, The CW’s 4400 debuted to 540K — the CW time slot’s largest audience since Dec. 28, 2020 — and a 0.1 demo rating. NBC’s The Voice (6.9M/0.9) ticked up week-to-week and dominated Monday in both the demo and total audience.

The move is designed to let publishers measure channel content on Roku devices within Nielsen Digital Content Ratings.

Dave Chappelle has spoken out about the controversy over his Netflix special The Closer in a new stand-up video, saying that he is willing to meet with transgender Netflix employees or other members of the trans community, but won’t bend “to anybody’s demands.”

‘Client discretion’ is the reason HBO Max shows aren’t included in the research company’s weekly ranker, an insider says.

Adweek’s annual TV Hot List wrapup includes Bridgerton, The Crown, Ted Lasso, Casey Bloys, Courtney A. Kemp, Sterlin Harjo, Tucker Carlson and Stephen Colbert.

Warner Bros. Television on Monday took aim squarely at former Batwoman lead Ruby Rose’s recent allegations about her onetime TV dad, Dougray Scott. It also reiterated that it did not pick up Rose’s option to continue as the series’ star in Season 2 “because of multiple complaints about workplace behavior that were extensively reviewed by the Studio.”

David E. Kelley is getting into business with another streaming service. The prolific writer and producer has scored a series order at NBCUniversal’s Peacock for a drama titled The Missing. The eight-episode mystery, based on The Missing File by Israeli author Dror A. Mishani, centers on an NYPD detective named Avraham Avraham, who begins to question his humanity when a seemingly routine investigation turns upside down.

CBS’s The Equalizer this Sunday drew 7.5 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating, ticking up in both measures week-to-week. Opening CBS’s night, 60 Minutes (10.1M/1.4) scored Sunday’s best non-NFL numbers. NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage averaged 12M and a 3.3, down from last week’s prelim numbers.

The company hopes a new court show starring the straight-talking judge will help turbocharge its free, ad-supported streaming platform, IMDb TV.