ABC’s Alex Inc., starring Zach Braff, is an adaptation of Gimlet Media’s first podcast, and I asked its producer about how much of the real-life podcast will make it to TV.
ABC
Encore, Kristen Bell’s reunion of high school theater classmates, needs to be a full series immediately
High school classmates reuniting after 20 years to once again put on a production of Into the Woods in their high school auditorium, mentored by Kristen Bell and a team of Broadway talent: Why isn’t this already a full series? It was a special that aired last night on ABC called Encore, and turned out to… continue reading
The Toy Box has improved in its second season
A review of season two of ABC’s The Toy Box, which has a new format, new judges, and less Noah.
Battle of the Network Stars’ cast of 100 classic and current TV stars
A full list of the full cast of ABC’s revival of Battle of the Network Stars, which will have 100 former and current TV stars competing with each other.
The Toy Box: kids have finally ruined a reality show
A review of ABC and Mattel’s new reality competition series The Toy Box, on which toymakers pitch their toys to kid judges, who ruin everything.
“Hey Jimmy Kimmel, I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy” is not funny, it’s sick
For the sixth year, Jimmy Kimmel Live has featured a segment during which parents lie to their kids and cause them emotional pain for our entertainment.
All four of ABC’s game shows will return next year
ABC has renewed Match Game, The $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, and To Tell the Truth, all of which are doing well in the ratings.
What ABC’s game shows can teach reality TV—and Hollywood
The simple genius of ABC’s rebooted game shows—Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid, and Match Game—have lessons for reality TV and Hollywood.
Steve Harvey is broadcast reality TV’s savior
NBC and ABC have found unscripted success thanks Steve Harvey, whose charisma and humor led to ratings hits Little Big Shots and Celebrity Family Feud.
The surprises of ABC’s Great Holiday Baking Show
When I learned that ABC was planning a baking competition with Mary Berry as a judge, I did not expect that what would end up on television is The Great British Bake-Off. But The Great Holiday Baking Show really is that. As some kind of holiday miracle, the show and format have not been Americanized; The Great Holiday Baking Show is almost exactly the original… continue reading
Details about ABC’s The Great Holiday Baking Show
ABC’s The Great Holiday Baking Show, judged by The Great British Bake-Off‘s Mary Berry, now has a debut date (Nov. 30), hosting team (Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez), and second judge (Johnny Iuzzini). A week after I first reported that Mary Berry would judge an ABC holiday baking competition, ABC released details about the show, which debuts Nov. 30, airing… continue reading
Mary Berry will judge an ABC holiday baking competition
The Great British Bake-Off judge Mary Berry has signed with ABC to judge a holiday baking competition, I’ve learned. Last month, British press reported that Berry would be filming an American version of GBBO. That’s not the case. Several years ago, CBS aired a version of the show that Berry’s fellow judge, Paul Hollywood, judged; it didn’t do well enough… continue reading
New York hospitals ban filming patients without consent
Bruised by criticism after a reality TV show surreptitiously recorded and aired a man’s death, New York City hospitals will no longer allow patients to be filmed without getting prior consent. The Greater New York Hospital Association, an umbrella organization that represents all of New York City’s hospitals, has asked its member institutions to put… continue reading
The pretend Muppets reality show is more exciting than reality TV
As a child of the 1980s, I’m predisposed to love the all things Jim Henson, especially the Muppets. Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock were must-watch shows, and The Muppet Christmas Carol is still my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. I did not, however, like either of the two recent films. They seemed like alternate… continue reading
Turning a talk show bit into a show = ratings success
Two talk show bits turned into half-hour unscripted programs have managed to draw decent numbers of viewers. Spike’s Lip Sync Battle, based on a segment from Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, started strong, as did the expanded version of a bit from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, ABC’s Repeat After Me, though it has declined in… continue reading
BattleBots is coming back to TV
“It’s robot fightin’ time!” because ABC is resurrecting Battlebots, the early-2000s series that had robots battling each other in an arena. This is totally awesome. The new, six-episode, single-elimination series version will air this summer. The “reimagined take of the killer robot combat sport,” as ABC called it, is being produced by its original creators, Ed Roski… continue reading
Take the Money and Run: a surprisingly smart show with echoes of The Mole
ABC’s Take the Money and Run debuted last week, and is the first worthy successor to ABC’s awesome early 2000s, Anderson Cooper-hosted series The Mole. While ABC reality shows often tend to be glossy, cheesy, and overproduced, like The Bachelor, this show feels fresh, new, and real. It’s an intriguing game, and is basically similar… continue reading
Los Angeles schools reject Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution; show now wants to help families
The Emmy-winning ABC reality series Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is now searching for families to be cast on the show after the school system in Los Angeles rejected the show’s request to help make over its cafeterias, as the chef did during the first season in West Virginia. A Los Angeles Unified School District director… continue reading
Supernanny Jo Frost quitting after this season
The seventh season of ABC’s Supernanny debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET with an episode about out-of-control teenagers, and marks the beginning of the show’s last season, as its star wants to move on to other things. Jo Frost said she’s leaving to focus on having a family of her own. “I have decided to… continue reading
ABC renews, renames its obesity reality series Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
ABC has changed the name of its upcoming weight loss series Obese to Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, which has already been renewed for a second season. The name change connects the show to the network’s other feel-good makeover series, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and to the original, now-cancelled version that gave people plastic surgery…. continue reading