CBS’s primetime coverage of two Elite Eight March Madness matchups averaged a hair under 6 million total viewers along with a dominant 1.5 demo rating. On NBC, The Voice (6M/0.7) was down from last Monday’s lows, but juuuust barely edged out basketball for the night’s largest audience.
Sharon Osbourne got a payday of up to eight figures from CBS as she left The Talk last week amid allegations of racist behavior, according to a source. “Sharon is walking away with a $5 to $10 million minimum payout and was able to spin that it was her decision [to leave the show],” the source said. A different source said that, under her departure agreement, Osbourne is not only getting big bucks, but she is free to speak out.
Exclusives
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC resumed Season 2, in its new/old Sunday time slot, with just 1.1 million total viewers and a 0.2 demo rating, down sharply from its Tuesday averages (2.5M/0.5) to mark series lows.
The major media companies Hollywood are ready for a post-pandemic return to theatrical releases, familiar business models, a normal awards season, and most importantly, a hybrid streaming future that still does most of what studios have done for 110 years.
OTT streamers seem to be waiting until the last minute, or maybe not at all, to hammer out deals.
Sharon Osbourne has exited The Talk following an internal review over on-air comments about racism and allegations of racially insensitive behavior behind-the-scenes. “The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” CBS said in a statement.
The first five days of NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament — Thursday through Monday — witnessed viewership 18% lower to an average 2.5 million Nielsen-measured viewers. In 2019, an average 3.04 million viewers per game was registered through the second round. Last year’s NCAA March Madness event was canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An Ally McBeal limited series revival is in the early stages of development, with titular leading lady Calista Flockhart being eyed to reprise her iconic role. The series’ creator, David E. Kelley, would be involved in the potential sequel series an an exec producer, but a female auteur would likely take the showrunner reins, as Kelly himself previously hinted.
Fox is building on its success in Lego with a new knock-em-down competition series featuring dominos. The network has ordered Domino Masters from its own nascent production studio Fox Alternative Entertainment. The series will premiere in the 2021-22 season.
Judge Judy has brought down the gavel on her own $22 million countersuit against talent agent Richard Lawrence and Rebel Entertainment Partners, and it’s because of CBS.
ABC’s Owned TV Stations division has launched a new race and culture content team that will oversee an expansion in the group’s coverage of underrepresented communities. The new initiative launched with the docuseries Our America: Living While Black, and has since staffed up to expand its output with several more specials in the works.
In Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show and dozens more novels and screenplays, he offered unromantic depictions of a long mythologized region. The CBS Lonesome Dove four-part miniseries won seven Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes in 1989. McMurtry was 84.
Fox’s yet-to-be-renewed Call Me Kat closed out Season 1 with 2.02 million total viewers (its third-smallest audience) and a 0.5 demo rating, dipping a tenth week-to-week. On NBC, Superstore‘s double-episode series finale averaged a hair over 2.5 million viewers (its second-largest audience of the season) while matching last week’s 0.5 demo rating.
Jessica Walter, the award-winning actress whose career spanned five decades, passed away in her sleep at home in New York City on Wednesday, March 24. Walter’s career included everything from a standout turn in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut, Play Misty for Me to The Flamingo Kid to her Emmy-nominated turns on Trapper John M..D. and Streets of San Francisco. For her performance as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, Walter earned yet another Emmy nomination and two SAG nominations. Walter won an Emmy for Amy Prentiss. She also voiced Malory Archer on FXX’s animated series Archer.
ABC’s The Conners on Wednesday drew 3.3 million total viewers and a 0.5 rating, slipping to its second-smallest audience yet and a new demo low. Call Your Mother (2.1M/0.3) similarly matched its demo low. On CBS, SEAL Team (3.9M/0.5) and S.W.A.T. (3.6M/0.5) both ticked up to match their season highs in the demo.
TV awards go to Schitt’s Creek, The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit, Hamilton, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Carpool Karaoke.
Filming on NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime has been suspended following a positive Covid-19 test in Zone A, which includes the cast and those in direct contact with them. It is not clear yet how long the production shutdown will last.
Warner Bros. Television launched a probe after a writers’ room revolt over how the CBS legal drama dealt with issues of race and gender.
The network has given the green light to FBI: International, its second spinoff of Dick Wolf’s burgeoning franchise. Additionally, FBI and FBI: Most Wanted have been renewed for next season.
Jack Hanna is the focus of Hearst-owned Litton Entertainment’s second free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, The Jack Hanna Channel, launching Wednesday on Vizio SmartCast devices in the U.S., Litton said today.
