TVSquad

I used to be a huge ER fan. Back in the good ol' Dr. Doug Ross days, I wouldn't miss an episode. It was the first medical drama that I had ever really watched, and I paid attention to it like I was watching an educational video in med school.

This came in handy several years back when I was on a flight to Scotland. It was a long flight and I was trying to sleep when I heard a commotion. A middle-aged man a few rows ahead of me appeared to be choking. However, it quickly became apparent that he was having an allergic reaction that was causing his throat to close up. It was bad news all around, but luckily, there had been an episode of ER that dealt with a very similar situation. So what did I do? I grabbed a pen, took it apart, and jammed the tube into his throat, opening his airway and saving his life. True story.

Okay, none of that actually happened -- because HOSPITAL SHOWS ARE NOT REAL. Apparently, however, Italy doesn't think its residents understand this.

The marriage of the internet and television production continues to mature. The latest entry, launching this week, is Gemini Division. While it's too early to tell how the 50 episode saga is going to ultimately be received, it's still worth talking about. Gemini Division is another big step for the future of internet-based productions.

The show is being produced by NBC Universal Digital Studios, which, among other things, means a much larger budget. Something evident in the cast which includes the star of the show, Rosario Dawson. That's a pretty big name for what is ultimately another experiment in the medium. She's joined by Justin Hartley, Danny Woodburn, John Kapelos, Kevin Alejandro, Fransois Chau, and Elizabeth Bogush, among others. It's not exactly Ocean's 11, but those are all pretty recognizable actors.

As I type this, there are 11 court shows currently in first-run syndication, with Judge Judy leading the pack. These shows have become one of the more stable franchises for stations across America, as original programming has made way for pre-packaged fare. With the market seemingly saturated by the amount of court shows, you would think that the studios would be holding off in producing any new series.

Hello! It's television -- the obese glutton of the media world!

Four new series are being worked on right now. Three of these will make their first appearances as the fall season officially begins in a few short weeks. The fourth may not appear until 2009. However, when it does, it may push Judge Judy out of the top spot its held for several years. According to TV Week, former Minnesota governor and pro-wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura is currently in negotiations to host a court show aimed at the daytime television audience. Should the negotiations work out, Jesse could be presiding over some type of court cases by the fall of next year.

Industry staple magazine TV Guide will be co-opted by the Walt Disney-owned ABC network for its August 25th issue. The issue will have 21 ad pages, all of which will be promoting ABC. It will also contain a DVD with a sneak-peak at ABC's fall shows.

To me, this willingness of TV Guide to prostitute itself out for an issue is an example of how print media is in decline and how desperate TV Guide must be for advertising dollars. On the other hand, TV Guide is released with such frequency that people will likely forget such an advertisement onslaught by a single network by the following week. If CBS wanted to do the exact same thing the following week, I doubt TV Guide would say "no."

If you're an ABC fan, this issue could become something of a collectible. If you're not, then it'll probably just be annoying. With the existence of the Internet, does anybody even subscribe to TV Guide anymore?

That question in the title may be a bit unfair, and slanted, given that I haven't actually seen the new 90210 yet. I could have just as easily titled this, "Is the new 90210 like totally awesome?" What I couldn't do is actually give you an opinion one way or the other, because The CW isn't going to let anyone see the show before the September premiere. Get a look at the message that drifted into TV Squad HQ from The CW.

"The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen "90210" for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see
it at the same time."

Nostalgia still reigns supreme on television (along with a lack of original material). The 60's/70's icons The Banana Splits are now getting their own show on Cartoon Network.

I'm old enough to remember when The Banana Splits were on television (from reruns. I'm not THAT old) and I'm curious about how whomever now controls their fate will translate the show for newer audiences. The original show was very much a staple of the hippie culture from back then. It would be disappointing if the show went from hippie to hipster. The original show most notably launched the careers of Sid and Marty Krofft who went on to make such iconic 70's children's fare as H.R. Pufnstuff and The Bugaloos among others.

The most memorable part of The Banana Splits was their theme song "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)". However they modernize that song, whether it becomes a rap or a High School Musical-style pop song, I can only say right now that it will be inferior to the original.

NBC couldn't have asked for a better Olympian than Michael Phelps. His chase after Mark Spitz's record has been a huge draw for viewers. So, it came as no surprise when I saw that Saturday night, with the record breaking 8th gold, did huge numbers, clocking in with 31.1 million viewers. What did come as a surprise was the big event from 18 years ago that topped Phelps reaching his goal. Surely it had to be something like a big sporting event, a dramatic news special, or something of the sort, right?

Not quite. Saturday, Feb. 24, 1990, 31.4 million viewers tuned in to watch Empty Nest. Wow. That says much more about the growth of cable TV and how the big networks have abandoned Saturday than it does about the success of the Olympics. At a time when half that number is the stuff of a hit show, it seems strange to think that 31 million people were watching Empty Nest.

The Survivor producer is probably not the only person wondering that, but Burnett is getting a little more specific.

Mandel was nominated for his hosting gig on Deal or No Deal in the "Best Reality Host" category. Now, I'm just as surprised as you are to see that DOND is considered a reality show and not a game show (I think it's the amount of time they focus on the contestants and the family members on stage and the tears and the personal stories that tip some primetime game shows into the reality realm). Burnett doesn't think it's fair that you have someone like Jeff Probst, who hosts an unscripted (?) show like Survivor put up against people who host talent shows and game shows.

Gas is at an all-time high and people are trying to save money, and ABC has a solution: stay at home and watch television.

The network has named the week of September 21st "National Stay At Home Week." It's the week when many of their shows (including Grey's Anatomy, Opportunity Knocks, and Ugly Betty) premiere for the fall season and they think it's a perfect time to stay home, save gas, and catch up on your favorite shows (and new ones). It also happens to be the day of the Emmys. The network starting to show promos for the special week (check out one of them after the jump).

Of course, these returning shows and new shows are on in primetime, and viewers still have to work during the day, so they'll still be using that gas. Unless ABC is telling people to stay home all day and night that week and also watch Good Morning America, The View, and All My Children.

We here have been celebrating this week for years. Every week and every month.

After years of reaching US audiences as only a series of forwarded video clips and teh internetz, the original Channel 4 British sitcom The IT Crowd is finally coming to American TV. The IFC Channel has picked up the series and will begin airing it September 29.

I had to make an extra point to specify that this is the UK IT Crowd and not the NBC remake starring original cast member Richard Ayoade and Joel McHale. No, no, that project is still dead. As much as I love Ayoade and McHale, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved that the show didn't take off. I'd rather get my fix from Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and The Soup than see them attempt to tip-toe through that dangerous territory of American remakes.

Are you available Saturday, November 8th? Will you be in Parker, Texas? If the answer to these questions is yes, then maybe you'll head out to Southfork Ranch for a reunion with cast members of the classic CBS mega-hit Dallas. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the primetime soap, several actors from the show -- those still around -- will gather for a huge celebration. J.R. -- Larry Hagman -- will be the unofficial host, with Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy) also confirmed. No, this is not a dream. It's a real anniversary get together!

And what's really terrific about this event, if you ask me, is that it's not a private party. You can buy a ticket and take part. Tickets go on sale August 22 and will cost between $100 and $1,000. And for that money there will be a chance to ask questions of the stars, enjoy a concert of country music, tour Southfork and watch a fireworks display. Presumably that will not be a re-enactment of "Who shot J.R.?"

Last month we told you about a contest being held by The New York Television Festival and The People's Choice Awards. They wanted you to come up with spinoffs for your favorite shows. Well, they've narrowed it down to three finalists, and it's time for you to vote at the PCA site.

Contestants had one minute to give a video pitch for their spinoff. The first finalist is The Halftime Show, a spinoff of Friday Night Lights that focuses on the people who play in the school bands that perform at football halftime shows. Married...with Children, 10 Years Later (I think that's the name of it anyway) has Al no longer married but becoming rich and starting to date again. The East Wing is a spinoff of The West Wing, and centers on the goings-on with The First Lady (estranged from her husband) and her staff.

After many years, NBC has finally updated the suits that their pages wear to guide visitors around the NBC studios. But you know what? I like the old ones.

Take a look at the new suits on the right. Sure, they're Brook Brothers and they're sophisticated, but they just look like regular suits. There's nothing that stands out about them. It's as if people put on regular nice suits and then added some pins and badges to them. Doesn't look right, in the same way you sometimes see guys wearing three piece suits with a baseball cap.

Now after the jump, take a look at the one Kenneth wears on 30 Rock.

So we all know that Conan O'Brien is taking over for Jay Leno next year, and that when he does Leno might go some place else, perhaps ABC, which might bump Kimmel to 12:35am. But what about the other late night player in all of this, Nightline?

The long-running news show will probably be dumped and its employees out of jobs if ABC pays Leno a bunch of money to come over to the network to host a show at 11:35pm and go up against David Letterman. Even though Nightline's ratings are good (they often beat Letterman) and it's makes money, they'll make more with Leno.

Over the past few days it has once again become quite apparent that they have yet to invent an Olympic sport that I won't watch. Really. Fencing, Women's Air Rifle, Badminton... I'll watch it all. I spent my weekend traveling between the various channels, internet streams, and the occasional visit to my Slingbox in Boston. As far as the games go, they're as good as they've ever been. The coverage from NBC though, unfortunately, is still not nearly what it should be.

I'll admit, they got me. When I read about the plans for more live coverage, and how they were going to make use of all the other NBC/Universal properties, I thought this would be the year, the Olympic nirvana that always could have been. It's really not panning out that way. More than anything else, the word that keeps coming to mind for the NBC coverage is annoying. After the jump, some notes for NBC.