-Like to talk about television? Bravo has announced a new half-hour unscripted series titled The People’s Couch, which features real people watching and commenting on popular shows and news from the past week. The three-episode limited series will premiere Sunday, October 6th at 11:30.

–Community will begin its syndicated run on Comedy Central Sunday, September 15th with a 10-episode fan favorite marathon beginning at 11:30 a.m. The series, which is set to premiere its fifth season sometime midseason, will then move to its regular slot of Fridays at 9:00 beginning September 20th.

-Will Arnett, Margo Martindale, Jimmy Kimmel, Andre Braugher, Alec Baldwin, Bryan Cranston, Claire Danes, and Sofia Vergara have been named presenters at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards, CBS announced. They join Diahann Carroll, Matt Damon, Emily Deschanel, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Douglas, Anna Faris, Tina Fey, Allison Janney, Amy Poehler, and Kerry Washington.

-National Geographic telefilm Killing Kennedy, starring Rob Lowe as President John F. Kennedy and Ginnifer Goodwin as Jackie Kennedy, will premiere Sunday, November 10th to mark the 60th anniversary of John and Jackie’s wedding. The film will then be released in 171 countries and 48 languages, timed to the 50th anniversary of the assassination.

-GSN has greenlit eight episodes of Skin Wars, a reality-competition series focused on finding the best body painter. The series will air sometime in 2014 and should be the second body painting-focused series on television, following the fall premiere of Syfy’s Naked Vegas.

-For its upcoming 13th season, American Idol has brought back Nominate an Idol, where friends and family members can submit videos of their loved one singing for a chance of a surprise audition. From now through September 20th, videos are being accepted on americanidol.com.

-MTV has greenlit two new drama pilots: Finding Carter, about a girl who finds out that the woman she thought was her mother abducted her as a toddler and must now return to her biological family, and Eye Candy, centering on a tech genius who uncovers a potential serial killer in Manhattan through online dating. Finding Carter is from Emily Silver (Bones) and Terri Minsky (Sex and the City), while Eye Candy comes from Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) and Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight).

-Renewals/cancellations: We TV’s LA Hair has made it to a third season after becoming fourth most popular reality cable show in primetime and increasing its total viewers by nearly 60%; TLC has ordered another 10 episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?, executive produced by Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky; TruTV reality series Container Wars will have a second season; BET has canceled Reed Between the Lines and given the second season go-ahead to Being Mary Jane, whose first season doesn’t premiere until January.

-The CW has acquired Canadian comedy Seed from leading independent studio Entertainment One. The series, which debuted this past February and follows a single bartender who becomes a sperm donor, will premiere sometime this season.

-Mekhi Phifer and Eliza Coupe have joined the cast of Showtime comedy House of Lies in recurring roles. Phifer is set to play a successful entrepreneur who calls on Marty to help with his business, while Couple will portray a wild-child heiress to an internet fortune.

-Lifetime has picked up a personal shopping-themed reality series called Million Dollar Shoppers, where three personal shoppers try to meet the fashion needs of their clients. The series premieres October 10th at 10:30 before moving to 10:00 on October 24th, where it will follow the season premiere of Project Runway All Stars.

-Nickelodeon animated series Sanjay & Craig has been renewed for a second season, the network announced Thursday. The tale of an excitable 12-year-old boy (voiced by Maulik Pancholy) and his snake best friend (voiced by Chris Hardwick), the series will have 20 episodes in its second season. Additional voices in the cast include Linda Cardenelli, Matt Jones, and Tony Hale.

-EPIX will air Schooled: The Price of College Sports on October 16th at 8:00. The documentary, narrated by Sam Rockwell, takes a look at issues surrounding the business of college sports and the NCAA’s treatment of its athletes.

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The post News Roundup: Big Brother Renewed for Season 16 by CBS appeared first on TVHackr.

-The CBS Fall Preview Special is set to air Thursday, September 12th at 8:30 and will be hosted by We Are Men“s Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O”Connell, Kal Penn, and Chris Smith. The special will feature behind the scenes looks at each new fall show on the network this year, as well as cast interviews, and will be available on-demand through September 29th.

-Anne V and Lydia Hearst have joined Oxygen modeling competition The Face, where they”ll act as coaches to teams of aspiring models looking to become a brand ambassador for a well-known, national brand. They replace Coco Rocha and Karolina Kurkova, who coached during the first season, and join Nigel Barker, who will have an expanded role this season.

-WGN America has ordered 13-episode original drama Manhattan to series. Set to premiere in summer 2014, the series will be the network”s second original series launch in the coming year, following supernatural drama Salem, and will begin production in New Mexico this winter. From Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex), Manhattan follows a group of scientists as they attempt to build the world”s first atomic bomb and keep their mission a secret from the ones they love. No casting has been announced as of yet.

-An original song by country music legend Charlie Daniels will appear in the next episode of AMC western Hell on Wheels. Titled “Hell on Strings,” the instrumental will be featured in a scene where Bohannon and Louise Ellison dance in a local saloon.

–Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale is set to guest star on an episode of ABC Family comedy Baby Daddy. Set to shoot this November, the episode will be a part of the show”s third season in 2014.

-The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards have named four pairs of presenters for the September 22nd ceremony: Kerry Washington and Diahann Carroll; Amy Poehler and Tina Fey; Zooey and Emily Deschanel; and Allison Janney and Anna Faris. They join previously announced presenters Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.

-Casting: Annie Ilonzeh and Blair Redford will appear on Beauty and the Beast, with the former playing a high school friend of Catherine”s and the latter an Army buddy of Vincent”s who becomes a threat to the beast; Alexander Dreymon is set to recur on American Horror Story as a handsome man who moves next door to the coven”s academy; Downton Abbey“s Dan Stevens will voice biological computer TIM on The Tomorrow People; Josh Groban  a friend from Sydney”s past on The Crazy Ones; Keith David has joined Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and will voice the Cheshire Cat; and Smash alum Will Chase will appear on Nashville as Luke, a potential love interest for Rayna.

–Mistresses star Alyssa Milano has been tapped to host the third season of Project Runway All Stars on Lifetime, following one-season stints for model Angela Lindvall and model/actress Carolyn Murphy. Meanwhile, guest judges will include the likes of Abigail Breslin, Nick Cannon, and Debbie Harry. Premiering October 24th, the season will feature the following designers vying for another shot at the prize package, which features a spread in Marie Claire, a one-year position at Marie Claire as Contributing Editor, an all-expenses paid trip to Southeast Asia,  professional hair styling and photography for all of the designer”s upcoming fashion shows throughout the year, and an entire year”s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows as well as professional makeup artist services for their debut show, among other perks for coming out on top this season.

Jeffrey – Season Three (Winner)
Mychael – Season Three (Fourth Place)
Korto – Season Five (Runner-up)
Irina – Season Six (Winner)
Seth Aaron – Season Seven (Winner)
Ari – Season Eight (Third Place)
Viktor – Season Nine (Third Place)
Melissa – Season Ten (Third Place)
Christopher – Season Ten (Fourth Place)
Elena – Season Ten (Sixth Place)
Daniel – Season Eleven (Fourth Place)

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The post News Roundup: Women Making Strides on Television appeared first on TVHackr.

-DirecTV’s first original scripted series Rogue, starring Thandie Newton (Crash), has been renewed for a second season of 10 episodes. The show follows undercover police officer Grace Travis as she works to bring down a criminal enterprise.

-Alfonso Ribiero will be the host of ABC Family’s upcoming game show Spell-Mageddon, the network announced Tuesday. The series uses distractions to try and break its contestants concentration as they are faced with spelling increasingly difficult words. Spell-Mageddon debuts Wednesday, June 26th at 9:00.

-WE tv has renewed Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? for an eight-episode fourth season and Braxton Family Values spin-off Tamar & Vince for a ten-episode second season. The former will debut in early 2014, while the latter is set to bow Thursday, September 5th at 9:00.

-Among those slated to perform on the June 18th season finale of The Voice are Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera (who returns as judge for season five), Pitbull, Florida-Georgia Line, Nelly, and Cher. Mars will perform his next single “Treasure” and there will be two duets (Aguilera/Pitbull on “Feel This Moment” and Nelly/Florida-Georgia Line on the remix to “Cruise”) before the fourth winner of the NBC ratings juggernaut is announced.

-Cartoon Network has renewed Teen Titans Go! for a second season after it has continued to build on its lead-in and become the #1 program (excluding movies) on Tuesday on all TV among kids 2-11, 6-11 &  9-14 and boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14. The show currently airs Tuesdays at 7:30.

-OWN has ordered six new episodes of Iyanla: Fix My Life, which will debut Saturday, July 20th at 9:00, as well as 10 new installments of Kym Whitley’s Raising Whitley and 12 of La Toya Jackson’s Life with La Toya. The latter two will have their finales on June 15th and June 22nd, respectively.

-Due to disappointing ratings, ABC Family has shifted Dancing Fools to Fridays at 7:00 beginning this week, making room for two episodes of Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy tonight. The former will air at 8:00 and 9:30, while the latter has back-to-back new episodes at 8:30 and 9:00. Here are the official episode descriptions:

Melissa & Joey – “Inside Job” (8:00)
Joe paints Mel into a corner, forcing her to get him a job at City Hall with fellow City Council member Paul (guest star Alimi Ballard). Once there, Joe gets wrapped up in another potential financial scandal, leading to all sorts of headaches for Mel. Meanwhile, Lennox is torn between her boyfriend Zander (guest star Sterling Knight) and her hot co-star in the school play, Archer (guest star Blake Michael).

Baby Daddy – “The Wheeler and the Dealer” (8:30)
Ben brokers an endorsement opportunity for Danny with a new brand of Japanese  energy drinks. Against Bonnie’s advice, Ben convinces Danny to sign the deal, but he must pick up the pieces when things go haywire at Danny’s commercial shoot. Meanwhile, Riley takes an interest in volunteering and accepts a job as a  candy striper at the hospital. She doesn’t feel like she’s really making a  difference, until a friend shows up in need of a little mouth-to-mouth.

Baby Daddy – “New Bonnie vs. Old Ben” (9:00)
Bonnie sets up her new bachelorette pad across the hall, and Ben and Tucker will do whatever it takes to force her out. They throw a huge party that threatens to  damage more than Bonnie’s new apartment. Meanwhile, Danny seeks Riley’s advice on how to break up with Milena. Instead he ends up in a compromising position, which Milena mistakes as a marriage proposal.

Melissa & Joey – “Can’t Hardly Wait” (9:30)
After a back injury lands Joe at the hospital, he asks out his cute chiropractor (guest star Marla Sokoloff). Joey thinks this could be really special and wants to take things slow, but even he doesn’t anticipate her revelation that she’s always taken things very slow. Meanwhile, Zander (guest star Sterling Knight) and Ryder decide to collaborate on a graphic novel together, but their fun is ruined when Lennox takes over as editor.

-Reelz announced that they’re getting into pop culture coverage, as The Big Picture, a weekly look at the world of entertainment hosted by Lauren Sanchez and Alex Cambert, will debut Thursday, June 20th at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT and repeat Fridays at 1 a.m. ET/ 10 p.m. PT, Saturdays at 10 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. PT, and Sundays at 2 p.m. ET/  11 a.m. PT.

-HBO has released teasers for the next seasons of Boardwalk Empire and Eastbound & Down, as well as the series premiere of Hello Ladies. You can find out when they all premiere here.

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The post News Roundup: Miguel Gomez Joins Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain appeared first on TVHackr.

New feature alert! We here at TVHackr want to give you a weekly recap of our activity, as well as a few choice links from around the web of TV blogging. Every Friday, we’ll be posting a roundup of everything we published during the past seven days and selecting a handful of interesting links from various websites. Hope you enjoy.

Family Tree 1.03 Sneak Peeks: Tom Looks Into the Life of His Grandfather
Tom continues his look into his family history by tracking down information on his grandfather, a boxer who competed in the 1948 Austerity Games.

The Killing Season 3 Sneak Peeks: Sarah Linden’s Blast from the Past
Though she thought she was out of the force for good, a case that Holder works brings Sarah Linden back into the fold. Just how much of a connection does an old case she thought was closed have to his current dilemma?

Dominic West To Star in Showtime’s The Affair
The show follows two married couples and one affair that has major reverberations for all involved.

We’ll Be Live from the ATX Festival Later This Week! Arrested Development Featured Opening Night
TVHackr will be at Austin’s ATX Festival and provide you content, including pictures and articles about panels we attend.

Episodes: Chris Diamantopoulos To Guest Star in Season 3
The Office alum is set to play the new head of the network, meaning that Merc doesn’t get rehired and Carol refuses the opportunity.

Critics’ Choice TV Awards Name Most Exciting New Series
The honorees include Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Fosters Series Premiere Recap: You’re Not Worthless
What happened during the first episode of ABC Family’s The Fosters?

The Secret Life of the American Teenager Takes an Awkward Bow Out
The ABC Family drama aired its series finale this past Monday.

Mistresses Series Premiere Recap: All I Wanted to Do Was Hold Him
During the first episode of the ABC soap, someone cheated, someone died, there was an illegitimate child, and someone thought about hooking up with the same gender.

The CW Releases Full Trailers for The Originals, Reign, The 100, and The Tomorrow People
Two weeks after its upfront presentation, the network released extended previews for four of its five upcoming dramas.

Magic City: Watch the First 5 Minutes of Season 2 Here
The second season of Magic City premieres Friday, June 14th at 9:00 on Starz.

Devious Maids: Lifetime to Release the Series Premiere Early
This marks the first time that a series premiere has been released early in two different languages.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 20 to Premiere August 2nd on The CW
The 20th cycle will feature both male and female models for the first time.

NBC Renames The Family Guide to Growing Up Fisher
Growing Up Fisher will premiere sometime this midseason.

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot to Develop Rod Serling’s Final Screenplay Into Miniseries
The Stops Along the Way has yet to have any details released about its plot or characters.

Magic City Redband Trailer: You’ve Got One Move Left
At the end of this season of Magic City, will Ben Diamond or Ike Evans be the King of Miami?

The Borgias To End After This Season
The series finale of the period drama will air Sunday, June 16th.

Californication: Mercedes Masohn to Guest Star in Season 7
The actress, who recently starred in ABC’s canceled supernatural soap 666 Park Avenue, will play a TV actress who puts Hank in an uncomfortable position.

Hit the Floor 1.03 Sneak Peeks: Sloane Thinks Pete Told Ahsha Her Secret
Now that Ahsha knows who her father is, how will she handle herself?

The Fosters 1.02 Sneak Peeks: Jesus Covers for Mariana
While Jesus may be doing the honorable thing in protecting his sister from a likely severe punishment, what will not taking his pills mean for his health?

Twisted Series Premiere Sneak Peeks: Natural Born Killer?
Danny Desai’s past comes back to haunt him when he’s accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Or did he?

Orange Is the New Black Trailer: Netflix Goes to Prison
Netflix released the first trailer for comedic drama Orange Is the New Black, adapted by Weeds showrunner Jenji Kohan.

Nurse Jackie Renewed for Season 6 by Showtime
The dramedy will return for a sixth season in 2014, with production beginning in New York this fall.

Twisted: Spoilers for the First Three Episodes
What is supposed to happen during the first three episodes of ABC Family’s Twisted?

HBO Announces Premiere Dates for Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, and Hello Ladies
While Boardwalk Empire’s fourth season premieres September 8th, it won’t be joined by two comedies until September 29th.

FXX Picks Up First Original Series in Animated Comedy Chozen
The show tells the story of a gay white rapper who emerges from prison with newfound motivation to do good in his life.

Family Tree 1.04 Sneak Peeks: Tom Goes to a Derbyshire Farm
Tom, Bea, Pete, Keith, and Luba go to the Chadwick alpaca farm in Derbyshire and family truths are revealed in the process.

Mistresses 1.02 Preview: Savi Looks for Guidance from Karen and April
How should Savi proceed after what happened with Dominic? Karen and April have two very different opinions of what she should do.

ABC Gives Straight-to-Series Order to Bryan Singer’s The Black Box
The series, written by Mystic Pizza‘s Amy Holden Jones, follows a neuroscientist who struggles with mental illness – and the secret’s she’s keeping from her family.

NBC Releases Official Siberia Trailer
Premiering July 1st, Siberia centers on a reality show taping gone horribly wrong.

The Best of Streaming: What You Should Watch on Netflix, Hulu, and Other Sites (Vulture)
Bored online? Here are suggestions of what you could be watching.

Government’s data-mining was anticipated by TV dramas (Hitfix)
Television forewarned about events like the recent NSA controversy.

Embrace the mystery: Is repeat viewing the best way to approach complex TV? (The A.V. Club)
The A.V. Club talks complex television and which manner of watching is most conducive to understanding, appreciating, and enjoying it.

4 Shows from Norway’s crazy, successful slow TV experiment (The Week)
Among the highlights of Norway’s unusual TV craze are programs about a single interview and a sea cruise.

The post The Week in Television Wrap June 1-7 appeared first on TVHackr.

Boardwalk will air by itself until Sunday, September 29th, when it will be joined by a pair of comedies. At 10:00 will be the final season of Danny McBride’s Eastbound & Down, which last aired in April 2012. The show was canceled following its third season only to be resurrected for the upcoming eight-episode fourth season, which is set to pick up several years following the events of the third season finale and finds Kenny living the American Dream with his family – in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, 10:30 will see the debut of Hello Ladies, a new eight-episode comedy starring Stephen Merchant as a gawky Englishman looking for love in Los Angeles, only to find that he’s not quite as charming and dashing as he thinks he is. In addition to Merchant, the show stars Christine Woods, Nate Torrence, and Kevin Weisman. HBO currently has another comedy about an Englishman in Christopher Guest’s Family Tree, which airs alongside Game of Thrones and Veep.

The five-episode final season of Treme, which aired with Boardwalk last fall, has yet to have a premiere date announced, though it could squeeze in after the comedies are finished with their runs in November. If it doesn’t, then it’ll get pushed to January 2014 and a pairing with Girls, seeing as how HBO has yet to slot a drama to air in the slot that Luck gave up in 2012.

Which HBO shows will you be watching this fall? Would you like to see Treme air its final season this fall or can you wait until early 2014? Are you already overwhelmed at how crowded Sundays this fall will end up being?

The post HBO Announces Premiere Dates for Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, and Hello Ladies appeared first on TVHackr.