TV/STREAMING . . .
Wife Swap Returns With Witches, Flat Earthers and Professional Wrestlers. It's back! New decade, new drama for Wife Swap. The reality series, which originally aired on ABC from 2004-2010 and with celebrities from 2012-2015, was revived by Paramount Network in 2019 and returns with 20 new episodes. E! News has your exclusive first look at the 20 new episodes premiering Thursday, Feb. 13 on Paramount Network. From the looks of the trailer, it's going to be quite a season. After all, the trailer starts out with a giant snake and kids saying their new mom "should expect torture." "Hours and hours of torture," the young boy promises. There's a circus family, professional wrestlers, a family that "specialize in casting out devils," a witch, a gun-toting child and flat Earthers. "It was just mind boggling that this child is holding these weapons," a mom says as she watches her Swap son at a shooting range. For those who need a Wife Swap refresher, here's the lowdown. Each week, two spouses switch families and at first, they must adhere to the same rules and lifestyles of the spouses they replaced. That means taking care of the house, kids, chores, hobbies, careers and all that of the spouse they swapped with. But then the tables are turned, and each swapped spouse gets to introduce their own beliefs into their new households. At the end of the swap, the two couples meet face-to-face to discuss what they learned and share how the new experiences may shape their lives and homes in the future. Wife Swap returns with 20 new episodes on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. on Paramount Network. (Eonline)
How Will Shameless End? Will Emmy Rossum Return? If Shameless executive producer John Wells has his way, there will be a Gallagher family reunion for the show's final season. In an interview with TVLine, Wells said he would love to have Emmy Rossum return to help say goodbye to the series, but understands her schedule is packed. "I'm very hopeful that her schedule, which is very busy because she's wonderfully talented and doing many things, will align with our being, at least, able to get her back for a little bit," Wells said. "But if not, it won't be because she doesn't love us. It'll just be because she's got too much else that she's committed to, which is exciting and great, and we're all happy for her. I've told her all along that I hope that when we end [the show] that it'll work out, that she can come back, and at least do a little bit for us." Rossum, who starred as Fiona Gallagher in nine seasons of the show, previously revealed she found out the show was ending via Twitter. Showtime announced Shameless would return for an 11th and final season at the 2020 Television Critics Association winter press tour. "I'm unbelievably thankful for all of the years of support from Gary Levine and everyone at Showtime that's allowed us to make Shameless," Wells said in a statement. "It's been a fantastic experience and all of us in the cast and crew have had a wonderful time following the lives of the Gallagher family and friends. It's been a pleasure!" In the season 10 finale, Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) tied the knot, Debbie (Emma Kenney) faced statutory rape charges and Lip (Jeremy Allen White) went back to the bottle. Expect the final season to continue the family theme and address all the finale happenings, Wells told The Hollywood Reporter. The executive producer also has an ending in mind. "The final scenes I have written in my head a bunch of times because I always thought we'd be ending sooner. I have some thoughts about what it should be. Some of it will be once we get all the stories lined up. But it's a family and the thing that has worked best about the show -- beyond being able to satirize things and have some laughs and have some dramatic moments -- is that these people care about each other and depend upon each other. And, in some way, the show will end with them still being that family. No matter how screwed up they are, we all wish we had them as a family. They're supportive, care for each other and always ready to punch each other but they are always going to be together, surviving together," he said. Look for the final season of Shameless to return summer 2020 on Showtime. (Eonline)
This Is What Makes Below Deck So Wildly Entertaining (And Addictive). With more than 500 original TV shows out there, it's pretty easy to miss a gem or two -- even when your job is to write about and watch TV. And sadly, that's what happened with Below Deck. Yes, Below Deck has been around for seven seasons since July 2013. Yes, it's one of Bravo's highest-rated shows. Yes, there have been countless memes and headlines. And I missed out. Until now. Recently I stumbled upon a marathon of Below Deck season seven. Out of curiosity and laziness, I put down the remote. And then there was no turning back. I was hooked almost instantly. Below Deck is a near-perfect reality show. It's a joy to watch, but not in the "this will make your heart swell with hope and happiness," rather in a "this is really messy, I can't believe they just did that" way. The best kind of reality TV. What makes Below Deck so appealing? It takes a tired and a true format, assemble a group of personalities together in tight quarters and film everything, and mixes it with many other solid reality TV structures. There are elements of Road Rules with the tight quarters and The Real World by filming this group of conflicting personalities as they live and work together. There's elements of The Real Housewives here too, with the usually lavish parties and sometime cattiness. The cast is often sent out into the wild after a charter, it's there they consume copious amounts of alcohol. That's when things generally get explosive. All the frustration from living and working together comes out... or they hook up. It's a delightful experience for a TV viewer who loves drama (me). Below Deck's format borrows from beloved reality franchises, which all blend together to make an extremely watchable show, but the Bravo series takes it a step further with a rotating cast of villains. Sure, sometimes the charter guests aren't awful people with insane demands. But when they are, it's wonderful. The guests tend to give the cast something to unite against. Kate and Kevin aren't on the best terms because he has issues with how she runs service? At least they can agree on how awful that one woman was! Reality TV like Below Deck needs villains and train wrecks. With just two episodes (generally) per charter guests, it's just enough of a personality taste. The guests don't get their own arcs, which is perfect. They're around for just enough of a taste and an injection of an x-factor to test the main cast, like a party planner and/or psychic on Real Housewives or a sibling on 90 Day Fiance. Guests are an asset to the show, but not the show. Well, except for season seven's Brandy. We need to see all of the footage of her from her (intoxicated) time aboard Valor. Below Deck is a perfect combination of the reality shows that came before it. The Real World walked so Below Deck could run. It's a soapy, fascinating look at life aboard a luxury yacht without the seasickness, one that I gladly committed hours of my precious time to -- and will continue to do so. Below Deck airs Mondays, 9 p.m. on Bravo. The second spinoff, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, premieres Monday, Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. (Eonline)
Comcast's Sky to Launch Documentary, Nature Channels. "Factual shows are now the second most popular genre after drama," Sky said about the spring launches, citing research. Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky on Monday unveiled plans to launch two new factual channels in the U.K., Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature, in spring. The company in October started Sky Crime and Sky Comedy to expand its lineup of content offerings, including original programming. The two latest channels will be available to Sky customers at no extra charge through linear and on demand. They will also be available on Sky's streaming service Now TV as part of the Now TV Entertainment Pass. "Research shows that documentaries are rising up the popularity stakes with Sky customers, factual shows are now the second most popular genre after drama," Sky said. "The two new channels will offer hundreds of hours of factual programming, providing an unmissable mix of premium, original commissions and acquired content, including extensive on demand libraries." Sky Documentaries will be "the home of world-class, real life stories from award-winning film makers, including HBO and Showtime documentaries and new Sky original documentaries," the firm said. "With a mix of feature-length documentaries and series that will challenge, provoke and entertain, the channel will explore a broad range of topics from sport and real-world controversies through to biographies of some of the world's most famous and infamous people." New Sky originals on the service will include Tiger Woods: The Comeback, in addition to HBO's McMillions from executive producer Mark Wahlberg and fake news doc After Truth directed by Andrew Rossi, as well as Showtime's The Kingmaker, directed by Lauren Greenfield, which explores the legacy of the Marcos regime in the Philippines. Sky Nature, meanwhile, is described as the "home to breath-taking natural history programming, dedicated to exploring the beauty and wonder of the natural world and inspiring us all to do more to look after it." The channel will feature such Sky original series as its collection of David Attenborough programming. New Sky originals on the service will include Extreme Animals: One Wild Day and Extreme Animals: Life's First Steps. Said Zai Bennett, managing director of content at Sky: "Premium documentaries and nature series are increasingly important to our customers, with them wanting to get to the shows they want as quickly as possible. That's why we're launching two new content brands, Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature. These new channels will offer our customers an unrivaled destination for brand new, world class documentaries and nature programming as well as an extensive on demand library of the world's best factual programs." (Hollywood Reporter)
TV Ratings: Grammys Down a Little in Early Ratings. CBS' broadcast mirrors declines for the Golden Globes in January. As they usually do, the Grammy Awards ruled Sunday's ratings -- although they were down a little year to year. The 62nd annual awards, airing on their earliest date since 2013, drew 16.54 million viewers and a 4.7 rating among adults 18-49 in the fast national ratings, the earliest -- and least accurate -- figures available at publication time. Those numbers are down about 8 percent and 6 percent from the comparable figures for the 2019 awards. This post will be updated with more accurate numbers later in the day. Last year's ceremony ended up with 19.88 million viewers and a 5.6 in the 18-49 demographic. The small downturn for the Grammys mirrors that of NBC's Golden Globes broadcast in January: It was down by a slight 2 percent in viewers and 10 percent in adults 18-49. Sunday's Grammys broadcast is on track for its smallest audience since 2008 (17.18 million viewers) or 2009 (19.04 million). The all-time low in viewers came in 2006, when 17 million people tuned in. Only a handful of first-run shows aired opposite the Grammys. An ABC News special on the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant drew 2.46 million viewers and a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic. NBC's American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. the World averaged 2.16 million viewers and a 0.4 in adults 18-49. The CW's Batwoman and Supergirl (both 0.2 in the demo) were both steady. CBS easily led Sunday's 18-49 rankings with a 4.1 rating, pending updates. ABC finished second with a 0.7. NBC and Telemundo tied for third place with 0.4. Fox and Univision also tied, with 0.3, and The CW trailed with a 0.2. Bookmark THR.com/Ratings for more ratings news and numbers. (Hollywood Reporter)
How Will Shameless End? Will Emmy Rossum Return? If Shameless executive producer John Wells has his way, there will be a Gallagher family reunion for the show's final season. In an interview with TVLine, Wells said he would love to have Emmy Rossum return to help say goodbye to the series, but understands her schedule is packed. "I'm very hopeful that her schedule, which is very busy because she's wonderfully talented and doing many things, will align with our being, at least, able to get her back for a little bit," Wells said. "But if not, it won't be because she doesn't love us. It'll just be because she's got too much else that she's committed to, which is exciting and great, and we're all happy for her. I've told her all along that I hope that when we end [the show] that it'll work out, that she can come back, and at least do a little bit for us." Rossum, who starred as Fiona Gallagher in nine seasons of the show, previously revealed she found out the show was ending via Twitter. Showtime announced Shameless would return for an 11th and final season at the 2020 Television Critics Association winter press tour. "I'm unbelievably thankful for all of the years of support from Gary Levine and everyone at Showtime that's allowed us to make Shameless," Wells said in a statement. "It's been a fantastic experience and all of us in the cast and crew have had a wonderful time following the lives of the Gallagher family and friends. It's been a pleasure!" In the season 10 finale, Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) tied the knot, Debbie (Emma Kenney) faced statutory rape charges and Lip (Jeremy Allen White) went back to the bottle. Expect the final season to continue the family theme and address all the finale happenings, Wells told The Hollywood Reporter. The executive producer also has an ending in mind. "The final scenes I have written in my head a bunch of times because I always thought we'd be ending sooner. I have some thoughts about what it should be. Some of it will be once we get all the stories lined up. But it's a family and the thing that has worked best about the show -- beyond being able to satirize things and have some laughs and have some dramatic moments -- is that these people care about each other and depend upon each other. And, in some way, the show will end with them still being that family. No matter how screwed up they are, we all wish we had them as a family. They're supportive, care for each other and always ready to punch each other but they are always going to be together, surviving together," he said. Look for the final season of Shameless to return summer 2020 on Showtime. (Eonline)
This Is What Makes Below Deck So Wildly Entertaining (And Addictive). With more than 500 original TV shows out there, it's pretty easy to miss a gem or two -- even when your job is to write about and watch TV. And sadly, that's what happened with Below Deck. Yes, Below Deck has been around for seven seasons since July 2013. Yes, it's one of Bravo's highest-rated shows. Yes, there have been countless memes and headlines. And I missed out. Until now. Recently I stumbled upon a marathon of Below Deck season seven. Out of curiosity and laziness, I put down the remote. And then there was no turning back. I was hooked almost instantly. Below Deck is a near-perfect reality show. It's a joy to watch, but not in the "this will make your heart swell with hope and happiness," rather in a "this is really messy, I can't believe they just did that" way. The best kind of reality TV. What makes Below Deck so appealing? It takes a tired and a true format, assemble a group of personalities together in tight quarters and film everything, and mixes it with many other solid reality TV structures. There are elements of Road Rules with the tight quarters and The Real World by filming this group of conflicting personalities as they live and work together. There's elements of The Real Housewives here too, with the usually lavish parties and sometime cattiness. The cast is often sent out into the wild after a charter, it's there they consume copious amounts of alcohol. That's when things generally get explosive. All the frustration from living and working together comes out... or they hook up. It's a delightful experience for a TV viewer who loves drama (me). Below Deck's format borrows from beloved reality franchises, which all blend together to make an extremely watchable show, but the Bravo series takes it a step further with a rotating cast of villains. Sure, sometimes the charter guests aren't awful people with insane demands. But when they are, it's wonderful. The guests tend to give the cast something to unite against. Kate and Kevin aren't on the best terms because he has issues with how she runs service? At least they can agree on how awful that one woman was! Reality TV like Below Deck needs villains and train wrecks. With just two episodes (generally) per charter guests, it's just enough of a personality taste. The guests don't get their own arcs, which is perfect. They're around for just enough of a taste and an injection of an x-factor to test the main cast, like a party planner and/or psychic on Real Housewives or a sibling on 90 Day Fiance. Guests are an asset to the show, but not the show. Well, except for season seven's Brandy. We need to see all of the footage of her from her (intoxicated) time aboard Valor. Below Deck is a perfect combination of the reality shows that came before it. The Real World walked so Below Deck could run. It's a soapy, fascinating look at life aboard a luxury yacht without the seasickness, one that I gladly committed hours of my precious time to -- and will continue to do so. Below Deck airs Mondays, 9 p.m. on Bravo. The second spinoff, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, premieres Monday, Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. (Eonline)
Comcast's Sky to Launch Documentary, Nature Channels. "Factual shows are now the second most popular genre after drama," Sky said about the spring launches, citing research. Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky on Monday unveiled plans to launch two new factual channels in the U.K., Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature, in spring. The company in October started Sky Crime and Sky Comedy to expand its lineup of content offerings, including original programming. The two latest channels will be available to Sky customers at no extra charge through linear and on demand. They will also be available on Sky's streaming service Now TV as part of the Now TV Entertainment Pass. "Research shows that documentaries are rising up the popularity stakes with Sky customers, factual shows are now the second most popular genre after drama," Sky said. "The two new channels will offer hundreds of hours of factual programming, providing an unmissable mix of premium, original commissions and acquired content, including extensive on demand libraries." Sky Documentaries will be "the home of world-class, real life stories from award-winning film makers, including HBO and Showtime documentaries and new Sky original documentaries," the firm said. "With a mix of feature-length documentaries and series that will challenge, provoke and entertain, the channel will explore a broad range of topics from sport and real-world controversies through to biographies of some of the world's most famous and infamous people." New Sky originals on the service will include Tiger Woods: The Comeback, in addition to HBO's McMillions from executive producer Mark Wahlberg and fake news doc After Truth directed by Andrew Rossi, as well as Showtime's The Kingmaker, directed by Lauren Greenfield, which explores the legacy of the Marcos regime in the Philippines. Sky Nature, meanwhile, is described as the "home to breath-taking natural history programming, dedicated to exploring the beauty and wonder of the natural world and inspiring us all to do more to look after it." The channel will feature such Sky original series as its collection of David Attenborough programming. New Sky originals on the service will include Extreme Animals: One Wild Day and Extreme Animals: Life's First Steps. Said Zai Bennett, managing director of content at Sky: "Premium documentaries and nature series are increasingly important to our customers, with them wanting to get to the shows they want as quickly as possible. That's why we're launching two new content brands, Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature. These new channels will offer our customers an unrivaled destination for brand new, world class documentaries and nature programming as well as an extensive on demand library of the world's best factual programs." (Hollywood Reporter)
TV Ratings: Grammys Down a Little in Early Ratings. CBS' broadcast mirrors declines for the Golden Globes in January. As they usually do, the Grammy Awards ruled Sunday's ratings -- although they were down a little year to year. The 62nd annual awards, airing on their earliest date since 2013, drew 16.54 million viewers and a 4.7 rating among adults 18-49 in the fast national ratings, the earliest -- and least accurate -- figures available at publication time. Those numbers are down about 8 percent and 6 percent from the comparable figures for the 2019 awards. This post will be updated with more accurate numbers later in the day. Last year's ceremony ended up with 19.88 million viewers and a 5.6 in the 18-49 demographic. The small downturn for the Grammys mirrors that of NBC's Golden Globes broadcast in January: It was down by a slight 2 percent in viewers and 10 percent in adults 18-49. Sunday's Grammys broadcast is on track for its smallest audience since 2008 (17.18 million viewers) or 2009 (19.04 million). The all-time low in viewers came in 2006, when 17 million people tuned in. Only a handful of first-run shows aired opposite the Grammys. An ABC News special on the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant drew 2.46 million viewers and a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic. NBC's American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. the World averaged 2.16 million viewers and a 0.4 in adults 18-49. The CW's Batwoman and Supergirl (both 0.2 in the demo) were both steady. CBS easily led Sunday's 18-49 rankings with a 4.1 rating, pending updates. ABC finished second with a 0.7. NBC and Telemundo tied for third place with 0.4. Fox and Univision also tied, with 0.3, and The CW trailed with a 0.2. Bookmark THR.com/Ratings for more ratings news and numbers. (Hollywood Reporter)
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