NBC pickup news

Great news for Friday Night Lights fans, the drama that is about “so much more than football” has been renewed for a second season. I wonder if ITV will continue to air it, bearing in mind some of the disatrous ratings the show has received in its short time on ITV4. I will be watching it all this summer, safe in the knowledge that all my viewing isn’t in vain.

In other news that will interest every UK network, NBC have picked up Bionic Woman, starring none other than the charming Michelle Ryan, or “er off of Eastenders innit”, as the nation will be saying when they see her on TV early next year. I expect Bionic Woman to be highly sought after next week at the upfronts. And personally, I would like five to get it, because they really need a drama success that doesn’t follow the medicine, law or order format. But then Channel 4 would give it some sweet E4 spot as long as it’s not too violent. Hard to say until I’ve seen it really. (Cue me going over to search mininova)

Friday Night Lights ratings horror

The premiere of Friday Night Lights fell way below even the lowest of expectations. According to Media Guardian, the show was watched by just 26,000 people on ITV4 Wed night. I know more people than that. The abysmal figure can be attributed to live football (or Soccer as Americans like to call it) on Sky Sports, a great game between Barcelona and Liverpool, taking away what would be the core audience of the show. Which begs the question, why was it scheduled at that time in the first place? ITV know that the Champions League will have people hooked from now until May, why did they schedule a sports drama against sport? Do they like to waste money? Apparently so.

I was thinking that a couple more weeks of those kind of figures, and it would be moved to some graveyard slot to die. But ITV4 is a graveyard channel, how much worse can it get? If you haven’t watched it, do so. I promise you won’t regret it. Do I have shares in NBC Universal? Maybe.

What I’m Watching Tonight…

I will be out of the house, but tonight is the night. Friday Night Lights. One of the best pilots I have seen. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the subject matter, there is so much more happening. It is set in a town where the only thing that matters is American football, but there is so much more going on. Don’t even worry if you don’t have the greatest attention span in the world and struggle to follow things for long periods. This show delivers it’s message loud and clear, it doesn’t need spelling out. Fantastic. ITV4. 8pm. Be there, or be some sort of oblong. (I am so comfortable hyping this up, safe in the knowledge that it really is that good. How smug am I???).

Friday Night Lights delayed in the UK?

I thought that this superb drama was starting on ITV4 in the UK this Friday. But it seems that is not the case. I checked the schedules for Friday, and nothing. I heard rumours about Feb 23rd, but I don’t know who to believe. One thing I do know is that I have been doing more promotion for the show than ITV.

Friday Night Lights

a tale of two kinds of Friday Night Lights, the movie and bars in London at the end of the working week, all intertwined. Earlier this week, I watched the movie that the TV show is based on, and I was blown away. I have no shame in admitting that I cried. In front of my other half. At a movie! Only one other film has made me shed a tear, and that was Schindler’s list which we all know isn’t the happiest tale.

Friday Night Lights marathon on Yahoo!

I watched the pilot of this show a few months ago now, and thought it was really well put together. I didn’t know the book, and I didn’t know the movie, I had just heard really good things about it and I thought I would give it a go, even though I care very little about that sport that Americans call “Football”.

Too much too young?

I was planning to write something about the TV I’ve been watching the last week, but its that “November Sweeps” time of year, when there are new episodes of everything, and its all getting a bit much. Shows are blending into each other and I’m not laughing any more, or feeling anything much.