Programming

Buck Henry, the legendary screenwriter behind The Graduate and What’s Up, Doc? who also co-created Get Smart and was a regular presence in the early years of Saturday Night Live, died Wednesday night of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Health Center in Los Angeles. He was 89.

While it’s not quite fourth down and long for broadcast networks, lackluster scripted-programming ratings and cord-cutting woes are weighing heavily on the industry’s collective consciousness. So it’s particularly good news that one broadcast mainstay seems to have regained its mojo: live football. After a bumpy year or two, the 2019 NFL regular season grabbed an average of 16.7 million TV and digital viewers, according to the league, marking 5% growth from the prior year.

The executive, now a year into her job as the network’s entertainment president, also discussed the benefits of having a mega-studio filled with talent, the strength of the Disney brand and her pitch for an Emmys host: “Baby Yoda!”

While treatment for pancreatic cancer is taking a toll, Alex Trebek said he’s not ready to retire from hosting Jeopardy although he’s mulled it in recent years. He spoke during a panel promoting Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time with top contestants Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, The primetime contest is airing this week on ABC.

ABC has given a pilot order to thirtysomething(else), a sequel to the iconic 1980s TV drama thirtysomething, the network announced today. Though plans are still coming together, ABC is aiming for a fall premiere.

ViacomCBS said today it reached a new carriage agreement with Comcast that includes retransmission consent for 23 CBS-owned TV stations, including CBS-owned CW affiliates. The deal covers CBS’s cable properties and will make the streaming service CBS All Access available to Comcast customers via the Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms later this year.

The series following the extended Pritchett-Dunphy clan was an immediate sensation upon its 2009 debut. It holds the record with Frasier of five consecutive Emmy Awards as television’s best comedy.

The network said Wednesday it will air Young Frankenstein Live!, the stage version of Mel Brooks’ 1974 film classic. The cast and air date were not revealed.

In a generally low-rated holiday frame where only a handful of first-run shows were able to avoid often steep loses Live with Kelly and Ryan managed to lead the talk genre for the second time in five weeks.

The primetime tournament delivers the second-largest same-day audience for any nonsports program so far this season.

Howard Kurtzman, the longtime president of business operations at the now Disney-owned studio, is set to retire in June, with Carolyn Cassidy named the lone president at 20th TV. A new head of business affairs, who will report directly to Cassidy, will be announced shortly.

Headed into NATPE this month, signs are looking good for first-run syndicated shows. More than half a dozen of last year’s debuts are returning and new fare from Drew Barrymore and Nick Cannon is poised to launch with a big push.

The CW is kicking the new year off with a (renewal) bang, picking up additional seasons of 13 current series — basically its entire lineup.

New streaming services are competing for kids’ eyeballs not only from each other but also from shows on YouTube and traditional broadcast channels. Often the safest way forward is piggybacking on established titles that parents already know from their childhood and leaning into the nostalgia.

Fox said Tuesday that it is joining with Ellen DeGeneres to produce The Masked Dancer, a celebrity competition show based on The Masked Singer and a segment that DeGeneres originated on her talk show.

The Bachelor scored very promising ratings for its season premiere Monday, opening well ahead of last season’s debut and giving ABC a victory among adults 18-49 in primetime. America’s Got Talent: The Champions, while still solid, came in lower than last year on NBC.