I'm mostly posting this particular quote-age for "Julia's" benefit, but none of the networks are immune according to Ms. Finke...
Here's why I know networks are preparing for the worst: because bosses like Les Moonves and Jeff Zucker keep telling business reporters that their companies are "so much more" than just primetime. As for CBS' prospects, their sked looks better than NBC's but far from great. CBS thinks I'm selling their fall line-up "a little short. The comedy Worst Week is easily the most critically acclaimed new comedy of the season; the Simon Baker drama The Mentalist, is getting good advance notices; and test audiences have been excited about Jerry Bruckheimer's new drama Eleventh Hour, which the press will see for the first time next week." Nice spin, but I still think the network entertainment team there is past its expiration date.
At troubled stepsister The CW, other media inexplicably haven't fussed over the dramatic falloff of 90210's follow-up to its Tori Spelling-less opener -- but I will. When 90210 can't beat in its 2nd original airing what the old WB's Gilmore Girls got in its reruns, it's time for Moonves to fire UPN-turned-CW boss Dawn Ostroff.
Read the rest on Deadline Hollywood Daily.
Heh, thanks for this. The thing about Ostroff is that we’ve been hearing rumors that she’s days away from being fired since the end of CW’s first season. She was allowed an entire second season of failure and the rumors continued. But nothing happened, and it looks like she’ll be allowed to have a third consecutive season of falling numbers.
On the other point Nikki made, anecdotally, everything I’ve heard agrees with her. No one I’ve spoken to has been really excited or even slightly interested in any of the new shows on any of the networks, with the exception of Fringe and Dollhouse.
Moonves (and by all accounts, CBS is the managing partner of this network) has said he is a patient man, and given the whole Katie Couric thing, it’s hard to argue with his patience. I think CW/and Dawn Ostroff will claim this is the first season where they really are pushing the 18-34/12-34 year old female sector. There may be some truth there but it amounts to only a couple of more shows really (90210 and Privileged) and only Mon-Weds really. They sold off Sunday nights, Thursday is “throw our token males a bone night” — and givent the Thursday night competition it would struggle to have success with young women that night so it sort of makes sense. Fridays seems to be “token comedy night”. I’m not expecting EHC to perform well among young women, but it will be interesting to see how The Game does in the vast Friday night wasteland.
Forget patience! Dawn Ostroff is Moonves’ self-proclaimed protege – as long as the two remain butt-to-cheek, she will be the head of the CW network.
just sack her!! the CW needs a whole re-think!
I have nothing but dislike for Dawn Ostroff, the CW looks like it is run by monkeys!
Isnt the Mentalist a serious version of the show Psych