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Dive-bombing TV pilots: A select list of notables that were judged unfit for viewer consumption on new network schedules

NBC passed on a second coming of Roseanne Barr and John Goodman while ABC said no to Ellen DeGeneres. We've rounded up a select list of star-driven pilots that didn't make the cuts for next season on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Take a look at the Network News & Reviews page for more of what you'll be missing.
Ed Bark
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CBS' new fall lineup marked by two big shifts, a sundown and the pairing of Dennis Quaid/Michael Chiklis

CBS, a runaway first in total viewers, is adding four new series to its fall arsenal, including an eye-catcher co-starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis. But the bigger news for many may be its two transplants and the demise of a CSI. All the details are on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
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Harry's Law didn't deserve to be a goner

No, I didn't watch it much. But a lot of viewers, most of them older, watched NBC's Harry's Law to the point of where it will end up being NBC's third most popular series of this season. Yet it was canceled, once again disenfranchising millions of viewers who dared to be out of the advertiser-desired 18-to-49-year-old demographic. This decision really grated on me, so I thought I'd vent with the full knowledge that it's very uncool/unhip to do so. The case for Harry's Law is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
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ABC drops Dallas-set GCB but still goes back to drawlin' board

ABC unveiled its new fall and midseason series Tuesday, with GCB among the axed. But Reba McEntire and Connie Britton will be in play as country strong women in two separate series. Get all the details on our Network News & Reviews page.

Plus, how did a very mild Howard Stern do ratings-wise with his America's Got Talent debut Monday night? The latest D-FW "snapshot" is ready for ya.
Ed Bark
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Fox's new series announcements are one-third the size of NBC's

Fox unveiled its notably trim list of new fall and midseason series Monday morning. It was a breeze compared to all the stuff NBC threw out there on Mothers' Day.
Ed Bark
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Campos officially re-ups at WFAA8, but no more 6 p.m. anchoring after this summer; Rangers rock weekend D-FW ratings

Veteran anchor Gloria Campos has inked a new deal with WFAA8. But she'll be cutting back. Details are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. Also, the weekend Rangers-Angels series dominates the D-FW Nielsens, with nothing else really even close.
Ed Bark
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No joke: NBC accentuates comedy for the fall while canceling its fourth most popular series for age-old reasons

NBC chose to get a Mothers' Day jump on its competitors by announcing a new fall season that will have 10 new comedies on an expanded four different nights. But it canceled Harry's Law despite the legal drama being far more popular than any of its six returning sitcoms. Drawing an older audience continues to be a capital crime on broadcast TV, even when only NBC's Sunday Night Football, The Voice and Smash (just barely) had more viewers than the Kathy Bates-led hour. Our full report is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
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Johnny Carson rides again, but 20 long years after the fact

PBS and filmmaker Peter Jones long wanted to do a Johnny Carson film under the American Masters banner. But he had absolutely no interest. And after his death, his estate waited five more years before granting approval. So he-r-r-r-re we go with "King of Late Night," premiering Monday, May 14th. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
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Howie and now Howard on America's Got Talent

NBC's biggest summer season splash, America's Got Talent, hopes to make an even bigger one with the arrival of Howard Stern as a judge. Season 7 launches on Monday, May 14th, and Stern promises to be a good boy without being one of those American Idol sycophants, as he puts it. He did a media conference Thursday, and our account is here.

Also, Thursday's D-FW Nielsen numbers are in.
Ed Bark
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Former KXAS-TV anchor Dave Layman on drinking, driving -- and putting on the brakes

Former KXAS-TV (Ch. 5) anchor Dave Layman has been out of the D-FW market for 30 years. But the news of Jane McGarry's DWI arrest reached him in Rhode Island and prompted him to express his thoughts on her situation and how typical it is in the oft-intoxicating world of TV news. His candid comments can found on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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USA serves up another pastry with Common Law

USA brings its patented soft-serve approach to Common Law, even though its a police "procedural" with gun fights and homicides. Our review is here.

Plus, the latest "Local Nielsen Ratings Snapshot" also brings you up to speed on the local news races at the halfway point of the May "sweeps."
Ed Bark
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Jane McGarry: Is she or isn't she a public figure?

Well, of course she is. Try telling her she isn't. We touch a lot of bases on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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Hamilton home run spree not that much of a (ratings) hit in D-FW

Josh Hamilton's four home runs, with a double thrown in, made Tuesday night's Rangers-Orioles game a historic occasion. But judging from the D-FW Nielsen ratings, word of mouth must have spread slowly on a night when other powerful hitters flexed on broadcast networks. The complete numbers are here.

Also, BBC America's new six-episode White Heat drama, launching on Wednesday, May 9th, blends mystery with an impromptu college reunion. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
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News anchor Bill Ratliff dies: first came to prominence as co-host of WFAA8's PM Magazine

Bill Ratliff, who three decades ago hosted WFAA8's version of PM Magazine with Leeza Gibbons, has died at age 63. He went on to become a household name in Tampa, Florida, where he anchored for 27 years. We remember him here.
Ed Bark
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New Girl's Jake Johnson talks up the show, flexes his sports muscle

Fox's breakout Season 1 hit, New Girl, has its season finale Tuesday (May 8th). Co-star Jake Johnson recently did Dallas while on hiatus. Our interview is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
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NBC5 anchor McGarry to be off the air indefinitely while "the company looks into" her DWI arrest

NBC5 finally "confirmed" longtime anchor Jane McGarry's arrest Monday afternoon and said she'll be off the air while the wheels of owned-and-operated corporate justice turn. Details are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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Mavs bow out as ratings loser, too

Saturday night's eviction notice of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks fared poorly in the D-FW Nielsen ratings as well. But at least TXA21 is a just a bit upbeat after the homegrown telecast thrashed its cable network competitor for the first time. Complete details are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, a new English language news and lifestyles network aimed at Hispanic viewers is announced by ABC and Univision. Expect a bureau in D-FW when the as yet unnamed venture launches sometime next year. Our Network News & Reviews page has the story.
Ed Bark
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Mark Hayes makes live wire early morning debut at NBC5

NBC5's latest early morning news addition, new co-anchor Mark Hayes, dawned bright and chuckly on Monday's waker-upper. For a closer look, see the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry's DWI arrest so far is news on WFAA8 but not on NBC5

Veteran NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry is free on bail after being arrested early Sunday morning on a DWI charge. Her station is still "looking into the matter" while rival WFAA8 publicizes her mugshot on its website and McGarry herself has a very brief cell phone encounter with unclebarky.com. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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Holmes back in homes on PBS' Sherlock

Sherlock delighted many a PBS viewer when it first launched in fall 2010 with three 90-minute whodunits. Now it's back as good as ever with another finely tuned trio, starting on Sunday, May 6th. Our review is here.

Plus, the TV Bulletin Board page has a wealth of new developments, including Fox's summertime effort to twit NBC's The Voice with a swivel-chaired blind dating game called The Choice.

Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are in, including the dwindling numbers for Thursday night's Dallas Mavericks' home court humiliation at the hands of Oklahoma City. They're on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. But I can't provide a link here due to continued publishing problems that were detailed in the previous post. Some have been resolved and the rest should be fixed over the weekend. They're relatively minor, but are still affecting the archives on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
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New month, recurring publishing problems

Maybe I just need a new computer, because this 2006 IMAC has taken a tremendous beating from unclebarky.com since being pressed into service in September 2006. It's now running on a backup hard drive after the first one blew its transmission.

Still, it's kind of like your first car. Hate to trade it in.

So here's why the website is a bit "off" at the start of May.

A new month always requires re-publication of an entire page's files, with the old month being archived. On the most-posted pages, Dallas-Fort Worth TV and Network News & Reviews, those files respectively are close to 2,000 and a bit over 1,300.

Using the Rapid Weaver publishing system, this usually means that everything will go through during non-peak Internet usage hours. But that hasn't happened this time, despite an all-nighter Tuesday.

End result so far: the archives links don't work on both of the aforementioned pages. But you can still access a story of interest by going to google or yahoo and typing in the subject matter and my name -- either Ed Bark or Uncle Barky.

The two pictures also are missing on the first Network News & Reviews entry for May. They're always the last to re-publish for some reason.

Anyway, I'll persist in getting this resolved, and may simply have to reduce the total number of files by deleting some of the really old ones.

Thanks for your support and patience. Publishing quirks are commonplace on websites large and small. This is something of a one-person tin can operation, but we'll get it worked out.

In the meantime, the latest D-FW ratings and another new local post for May are viewable as usual on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. And you can continue to support unclebarky.com by first clicking on one of the Amazon ads on any page before making the purchases you were going to make anyway. A small percentage of your total shopping bill then makes its way back to your friendly content provider.

Thanks again, and "Follow" Uncle Barky on Twitter if you'd like on @unclebarkycom.
Ed Bark
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