Programming

The 55th annual ACM Awards, normally held in April in Las Vegas, were delayed this year and moved to Nashville for the first time. But while other music award shows have tried a hybrid of virtual stages, music video-style performances or at-home shows, the ACMs will be broadcast on CBS from three indoor stages in Nashville.

The spectacle will be broadcast as usual from 9 a.m. to noon ET on NBC and will include both live and recorded elements, Macy’s officials said.

SoFi Stadium was devoid of fans on last night’s Sunday Night Football due to the coronavirus pandemic, but full of victory for hometown heroes the Los Angeles Rams. Sadly that winning feeling wasn’t reflected in the ratings for NBC and the NFL.

The renewal comes as the long-running syndication staple launches its 12^th season today.

ABC will begin adding a handful scripted offerings to its wonky coronavirus-compromised fall rollout next month. The network has announced that its entire Wednesday night sitcom block — which will now consist of The Goldbergs, American Housewife, The Conners and Black-ish — will be back in late October.

NBC Sunday Night Football‘s Thursday-night NFL kickoff game between the Chiefs and Texans averaged 17.1 million total viewers and a 5.5 demo rating in fast nationals, down about 12% from the preliminary numbers for last year’s season opener. Among regularly scheduled Thursday fare, CBS’ Big Brother (3.9 million/1.0) dipped week-to-week but led the pack; lead-out Love Island (1.7 million/0.4) was also steady.

As Drew Barrymore prepares to launch her syndicated talk show, she cites both men who became media stars through their comedy — ironic for Letterman, crude for Stern. Yet each man, as their careers lengthened, became particularly skilled at disarming guests to get beyond stilted “what have you been up to lately” conversations.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has battered the live sports industry, including broadcasting and cable networks, creative minds have been working on a variety of new cross-platform opportunities to attract fans and advertisers.

The sketch comedy series has set Oct. 3 for its season premiere, once again airing live across the country at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT. NBC says the show will return to its home base in Rockefeller Center’s Studio 8H to kick off the season. The premiere will mark the first in-studio edition of SNL in nearly seven months.

The veteran distribution and marketing executive moves from The Weather Channel to become VP of network distribution at the Allen Media Group division.

CBS’s Big Brother delivered 3.9 million total viewers and a 1.0 demo rating, ticking down week-to-week yet still dominating Wednesday in the demo. Leading out of that, Love Island did 1.7 million and a 0.4, followed by the 48 Hours: Suspicion premiere’s 2.4 million/0.3.

English actress Diana Rigg starred in The Avengers alongside Patrick McNee’s bowler-hatted John Steed. The pair were an impeccably dressed duo who fought villains and traded quips in a show whose mix of adventure and humor was enduringly influential. Rigg also starred in 1967 James Bond thriller On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the only woman ever to marry Agent 007. She was 82.

MIPCOM organizer Reed MIDEM has cancelled the physical edition of its TV market, which was due to take place next month in Cannes, citing ongoing coronavirus-related uncertainty. Instead, it will take place entirely online as MIPCOM ONLINE+, a digital platform that will host various events Oct. 12-16.

Following a months-long coronavirus-imposed production hiatus, the venerable syndicated game show will be back on the air with original episodes beginning Monday, Sept. 14. Among the COVID-related changes: The show’s signature Wheel has been redesigned to allow for six feet of space between host Pat Sajak and each contestant. Additionally, each player is given their own spinning cap — which Sajak has apparently dubbed, “The White Thing.” The cap fits over each spoke so contestants can spin the Wheel without actually touching it.

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the virus’ effect on Hollywood is becoming more pronounced. Television development has slowed considerably across broadcast, cable and streaming in recent months. The reason: With production still largely shut down, why would networks and studios buy more projects to develop when they’re unable to produce the shows they are already working on? The result is something of a logjam that will likely persist until production can safely resume on the majority of shows.