Extant hasn’t had the steadiest of scheduling since it premiered last month; following two consecutive weeks of drops from an already underwhelming premiere number, CBS pushed the drama back an hour and gave it a Criminal Minds encore as a lead-in rather than the Big Brother lead-in it had for its first few episodes. Granted, the show’s numbers look better now that they’re occurring at a later hour and behind an encore, but Extant is currently no better than a toss-up for renewal, given how expensive it is and how CBS has already ordered a drama for next summer in Zoo. While it could very well gain ratings momentum during its final run of episodes, especially since it doesn’t have a two-hour finale during premiere week to deal with anymore, it’s hard to look at the doubling up of episodes as a wholly positive sign for the show’s future, despite its Amazon streaming security blanket.

Created by newcomer Mickey Fisher, Extant stars Oscar winner Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) as an astronaut who returns to Earth after a year-long mission. Once she returns, though, she finds that she’s mysteriously pregnant and begins a search for answers as to how that’s possible and what exactly happened up in the air. The series also stars Goran Visnjic (Red Widow), Hiroyuki Sanada (Helix), Grace Gummer (Zero Hour), Camryn Manheim (Ghost Whisperer), and Pierce Gagnon (Wish I Was Here).

Extant airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on CBS. The season finale is set to air Wednesday, September 17th.

Have you been watching Extant? Do you foresee CBS renewing the show, despite the underwhelming ratings and decided lack of critical buzz? Will CBS continuing pursuing genre programming if Extant doesn’t make it to a second season?

The post CBS to Air Back-to-Back Episodes of Extant August 20th and 27th appeared first on TVHackr.

As a result of the change, the network will be airing 90-minute episodes of its reality heavy hitters on September 24th, with the season premiere of Survivor running until 9:30 and leading into the season finale of Big Brother 16. The move makes sense considering Extant‘s time slot downgrade and the fact that they might not want to use the Survivor lead-in on something that was already underperforming. More importantly, Survivor and Big Brother should make for an especially strong night during Premiere Week, something that’s bad news for NBC’s lineup, which premieres the week prior, and FOX’s lineup, which premieres September 10th. CBS would rather risk damage to Extant and inflict its own damage on the competition rather than give Extant a boost that might not get it to renewal status and allow the likes of Red Band Society and The Mysteries of Laura to gain an audience in the absence of huge competition.

You can check out the CBS fall schedule here, as well as the CBS fall premiere dates here.

Have you been watching Extant? Who do you think is the favorite to win Big Brother? What would you like to see from Survivor this coming season?

The post CBS Shifts Extant Finale, Extends Survivor Premiere appeared first on TVHackr.

Big Brother will be premiering early again this summer, with the controversial reality-competition series set to debut Wednesday, June 25th at 8:00. The live eviction show, which airs on Thursdays, bows the following day at 9:00, while the Sunday broadcast premieres June 29th at 9:00. Said Sunday broadcast will lead off a night of new programming, as legal drama Reckless premieres at June 29th at 9:00 and crime drama Unforgettable returns to the schedule at 10:00 the same night. Taking place in South Carolina, Reckless tells the story of a police sex scandal that brings a Yankee litigator and southern attorney together. The series stars Cam Gigandet (Easy A), Anna Wood (Chronicle), Shawn Hatosy (Southland), Adam Rodriguez (Ugly Betty), and Kim Wayans (In Living Color).

CBS will be adding to its genre stable with sci-fi drama Extant. Executive produced by Stephen Spielberg, the series stars Oscar winner Halle Berry as an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family after returning from a year-long mission. In addition to Berry, Extant stars Goran Visjnic (ER), Camryn Manheim (The Practice), Hiroyuki Sanada (Helix), Grace Gummer (Zero Hour), and Michael O’Neill (Transformers). Extant joins fellow genre series Under the Dome on the CBS summer schedule, with the Stephen King adaptation to premiere its second season Monday, June 30th at 10:00.

CBS Wednesday, Effective June 25
8:00-9:00 PM              Big Brother (Wednesday Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM            Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CBS Thursday, Effective June 26
8:00-8:30 PM              The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9:00 PM              The Millers
9:00-10:00 PM            Big Brother (Thursday Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM          Elementary

CBS Sunday, Effective June 29
7:00-8:00 PM              60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM              Big Brother (Sunday Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM            Reckless (Series Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM          Unforgettable (Third Season Premiere)

CBS Monday, Effective June 30
8:00-8:30 PM              2 Broke Girls
8:30-9:00 PM              Friends with Better Lives
9:00-9:30 PM              Mike & Molly
9:30-10:00 PM            Mom
10:00-11:00 PM          Under the Dome (Second Season Premiere)

CBS Wednesday, Effective July 9
8:00-9:00 PM              Big Brother
9:00-10:00 PM            Extant (Series Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM          Criminal Minds

The post CBS Announces Premiere Dates for Under the Dome, Big Brother, and Extant appeared first on TVHackr.

The move toward providing more scripted programming in the summer, and something of a year-round schedule, is something that the broadcast networks have been moving toward over the past couple of years, but thus far, none have had anywhere near the success that CBS had with Under the Dome. Despite the novel’s reception, it was still something of a shocking performance, considering that the show is outside the network’s content comfort zone and put up numbers during the summer that many shows during the season would kill to hit or even come near. As such, it makes sense that CBS would want to strike while the iron’s hot and continue delving into limited-run drama programming, but the decision to keep Under the Dome at 10:00 and not use it to give Extant a boost is a curious one; they may not sound like sister shows or anything, but when you get this once in a blue moon type of success, you use it to foster other success and then worry about expanding nights.

Under the Dome will have its second season premiere, which promises the deaths of two series regular characters, penned by Stephen King, whose novel provided the inspiration for the series. This past summer, Under the Dome became summer’s #1 program, averaging 15.06 million viewers and 3.9/11 in adults 18-49, ranking as the most-watched scripted summer series in 21 years.

One of the hottest properties of the development season, Extant tells the story of a female astronaut (Berry) who has to adjust to life on Earth after spending the last year in space. Also attached to the series, created by Mickey Fisher (The King of Iron Town, Summer Nuts), are Camryn Manheim, Pierce Gagnon, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Will you be watching Under the Dome next season? Do you think that Extant can find the same type of audience as Under the Dome? Are you surprised that Extant is the type of show that Halle Berry came to television for?

The post CBS Announces Premiere Dates for Under the Dome and Extant appeared first on TVHackr.

This week on TVHackr, we talked about the latest in ABC comedy development, The CW having confidence in their new fall dramas, and NBC picking up its first freshman series, while the internet touched on flawed female protagonists, TV lies, and keeping up a TV home.

Bean, Longoria and Walsh team up for Indie Drama, Any Day
Sean Bean, Eva Longoria, and Kate Walsh will be starring in upcoming indie movie Any Day, where Bean’s character, an ex-fighter, undergoes a transformation due to spending time with his nephew.

Extant: Halle Berry to Star in CBS Drama
The Academy Award winner has signed on to play an astronaut who returns to Earth following a year-long space mission in the next CBS summer drama.

The Simpsons Renewed for Season 26 by FOX
FOX has renewed The Simpsons for a 26th season, which is set to begin in the fall of 2014. The show currently airs Sundays at 8:00.

The Blacklist Picked Up for a Full Season by NBC
NBC has given out its first back order of the season and picked up The Blacklist, which stars James Spader, for a full 22-episode season.

Harry Connick Jr. Comedy Pilot Finds Home at Fox
The American Idol judge and recording artist will play a singer attempting to strengthen his relationship with his daughter in the comedy pilot.

The White Queen Episode 8 Recap: You Will Never See Me Crowned
When Edward falls ill, Elizabeth finds herself struggling to survive, while Margaret and Anne take steps to secure their futures.

Grey’s Anatomy 10.03 Review: “Everybody’s Crying Mercy”
The doctors throw a benefit gala for the hospital, while the interns are forced to become surgery sharks and Bailey gets stuck between two patients.

Bob’s Burgers Recap: Congratulations, You’re a Robot
It’s Halloween and while the Belcher children get stuck in a fort, Bob and Linda continue working on the group costume: a Chinese dragon with a napkin box for a head.

Betrayal 1.03 Preview: Connie Fears for Her Life
On the next episode of Betrayal, Connie fears for her life after getting T.J. arrested, Sara attempts to resist the pull of her affair, and Drew squares off with Jack.

ABC Developing Sofia Vergara Autobiographical Comedy
ABC has put a comedy in development based on the relationship between Modern Family star Sofia Vergara and her 21-year-old son.

Castle Review: “Need To Know”
While Castle insinuates himself into a murder investigation led by Ryan and Esposito, Beckett becomes conflicted at the ethical sacrifices she’s expected to make as a part of her new job.

Witches of East End 1.02 Preview: Ingrid is Tasked with Saving Freya and Wendy
On the next episode of Witches of East End, Ingrid is tasked with saving Freya and resurrecting Wendy, while Joanna is questioned regarding her involvement in Bill’s murder.

TNT Renews Cold Justice for Second Season
TNT has given docu-drama Cold Justice, which follows a former prosecutor and a former crime scene investigator as they solve small town murders, a second season.

Helix: Star Trek: Voyager’s Jeri Ryan Joins the Cast
Jeri Ryan has joined the upcoming Syfy thriller, executed produced by Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald Moore, as the COO of a shady corporation.

Murder Police Canceled by FOX Before It Airs
FOX has decided to pull the plug on animated comedy Murder Police before it airs due to dissatisfaction with the creative direction of the show.

Six Million Dollar Man back after 35 years!
The Six Million Dollar Man will be getting a sixth season of sorts as Dynamite Entertainment is set to publish monthly comics picking up on the original series’ continuity.

Fox Orders Unscripted Celeb-Driven Comedy from Steve Carell
FOX has ordered Slide Show, an unscripted comedy that pits celebrities and comedians against one another in a series of songs, dances, and sketches.

HIMYM 9.04 Review – The Broken Code
As Barney works through his anger at Ted on How I Met Your Mother, Marshall Skypes in and Lily realizes she’s Robin’s only girlfriend.

CBS Cancels We Are Men, Moves 2 Broke Girls to 8:30
CBS has officially canceled We Are Men after two episodes, shifting 2 Broke Girls to 8:30 and scheduling Mike & Molly to premiere November 4th.

Kate Walsh Joins the Cast of FX’s Fargo
The Private Practice star has joined FX’s miniseries adaptation of the 1996 Coen brother movie, where she’ll be playing a trophy wife and mother of twin boys.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Gets Back Nine Episodes
ABC has given Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD a back nine, bringing the first season episode total to a standard 22. The series airs Tuesdays at 8:00.

Bert Kreischer to feature in self-inspired NBC Comedy
Comedian Bert Kreischer has a comedy in development at NBC, to be written by The Goode Family‘s Franklin Hardy and Shane Kosakowski, based on his life.

The CW Orders Additional Scripts for The Originals, The Tomorrow People, and Reign
The CW has ordered three additional scripts for each of its new fall offerings: Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals, British adaptation The Tomorrow People, and historical drama Reign.

Revenge 3.03 Preview: Conrad and Emily Confront Their Sins
On the next episode of Revenge, both Conrad and Emily confront the sins that got them to where they are, while Nolan’s housewarming party features a surprise guest.

Witches of East End: Enver Gjokaj to Recur
Dollhouse alum Enver Gjokaj has signed on for a major recurring role on Witches of East End. He’ll be playing a mysterious novelist on the supernatural drama beginning in November.

The Tomorrow People Preview: Watch the New York Comic-Con Sizzle Reel Here
The CW has released a sizzle reel featuring footage from the first eight episodes of The Tomorrow People, which aired its series premiere this past Wednesday.

Orphan Black: Michiel Huisman, Peter Outerbridge Among Season 2 Additions
Currently in production, the second season of Orphan Black has added Michiel Huisman, Peter Outerbridge, and Ari Millen.

The Fosters Renewed for Season 2 by ABC Family
Ahead of the show’s return in January, ABC Family has renewed The Fosters for a second season.

The 10 Biggest Lies TV Told Us (The Huffington Post)
Have you ever felt lied to by television? The Huffington Post has and they list the 10 biggest lies that they’ve come across.

GLAAD: Gay depictions slip on network TV (Entertainment Weekly)
According to a study by GLAAD, FOX is the most inclusive broadcast network, while HBO has the most LGBT characters with 11 and 50% of ABC Family’s programming hours contain LGBT images.

The real cost of upkeep for a TV show home (Marketplace)
Marketplace took a look at the prices for upkeeping homes featured on Downton Abbey, Modern Family, and Big Love.

TV’s Strongest Female Characters Share One Stupid Flaw (TIME)
TIME writer Eliana Dockterman that while female protagonists are stronger and more capable than ever, they share one common flaw: men.

Why Facebook and Twitter Are Fighting Over Your Television (The Atlantic)
The Atlantic profiles the steps that Facebook and Twitter have taken to adapt to the change way we watch television.

The post The Week in Television Wrap October 5-11 appeared first on TVHackr.

This week on TVHackr, we talked about the end of Magic City, the debut of The White Queen, and the first trailer for Homeland’s third season, while the internet touched on breaking the fourth wall, the infamous Netflix algorithm, and violence on MTV.

Magic City Season 2 Recap: Know Your Local Butcher
While Ike’s ties to Vic are damaged by the Havana deal, Klein vows revenge and Sy arrives in Miami after the bolita disaster.

Maura Tierney Cast in Showtime Drama Pilot The Affair
The Emmy nominee will be playing the wife of Noah (Dominic West), who finds out about him cheating with Alison (Ruth Wilson), a waitress at a pancake house.

2013 TCA Award Winners
Among the winners at the 2013 Television Critics Association awards were Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, The Americans, and Parks and Recreation.

Mistresses 1.10 Preview: Richard Confronts Paul Over April
On the next episode of Mistresses, Richard finds out about Paul still being alive, while Joss tries to impress Olivier and Savi faces the idea of her marriage being over.

ABC Announces Midseason Premiere Dates, Split Season Return Dates
To combat viewer erosion, ABC will be airing its serialized dramas in two chunks, with the second half of Scandal, Revenge, and the like set to premiere starting in late February.

Awkward Renewed for Season 4 by MTV
MTV has renewed high school comedy Awkward for a fourth season and installed new showrunners to replace creator Lauren Iungerich, who left the series at the end of the third season.

Magic City Canceled by Starz
After 16 episodes, Starz has pulled the plug on Magic City following modest ratings and little critical attention.

The Fosters Summer Finale Recap: The Church of the Three Stooges
On the summer finale of The Fosters, Stef’s wedding makes her reflect on the impact her father’s words about her sexuality have had on her mindset, while Callie makes a rash decision after being confronted by Jude.

Low Winter Sun: Watch a 5-Minute Sneak Peek of the Series Premiere Here
You can watch the first five minutes of Low Winter Sun, the AMC cop drama starring Mark Strong and Lennie James that premieres this coming Sunday, here.

The White Queen Spoilers: The Rebellion Against Edward Grows
Coming up on The White Queen, the rebellion against Edward grows, while Elizabeth feels the wrath of Lord Chadwick and George sails to France.

News Roundup: Downton Abbey to Return Sunday, January 5th
While Downton Abbey will be premiering on PBS this January, Bravo has greenlit a scripted pilot from Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and ABC names its next Bachelor.

Bates Motel Adds Paloma Kwiatkowski for Season 2
Bates Motel has added the newcomer as Cody, a small town party girl who befriends Norman and convinces him that acting out to dull his inner pain is a good thing to do.

Tyrant Adds Justin Kirk and Sibylla Deen
The FX drama, about an American family that gets drawn into the inner workings of a Middle Eastern nation, added Justin Kirk as an American diplomat and Sibylla Deen as a young bride.

CBS Greenlights Sci-Fi Drama Extant for Summer 2014
After an intense bidding war between networks, sci-fi drama Extant has landed at CBS with a 13-episode order and a production commitment from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television.

The Red Road: Tom Sizemore Joins the Upcoming Sundance Drama
Tom Sizemore becomes the latest to join upcoming Sundance drama The Red Road, where he’ll play an unpredictable drug dealer and the father to a Native American ex-con.

Jordana Spiro Joins FX’s Tyrant
The My Boys alum is set to play a cultural attaché and the wife of Justin Kirk’s character on the FX drama pilot, from the producers of Homeland.

Twisted 1.10 Sneak Peeks: Danny Faces an Impending Expulsion Hearing
On the next episode of Twisted, Danny faces the possibility of being expelled, while Rico rushes to stop the spread of the video he was anonymously e-mailed.

The White Queen Series Premiere Sneak Peeks: Edward Proposes to Elizabeth Woodville
The series premiere of The White Queen finds Elizabeth Woodville fielding a proposal from King Edward, the man who killed her husband, and discovering her clairvoyant abilities.

Masters of Sex Trailer: The Study of Sex vs. the Study of Science
On the first trailer for Showtime’s upcoming period drama Masters of Sex, sexuality researcher William Masters might have met his match in Virginia Johnson, who initially interviews to be his secretary.

Siberia Spoilers: The Contestants Deal with an Early Winter
Coming up on Siberia, the group gets split into two by the first snow of the competition, while one contestant has to be tied down and another begins to feel their sanity slipping away.

Twisted Summer Finale Spoilers: Tess Becomes Involved in the Investigation
Coming up on Twisted, Tess reveals just how much she’s connected to Tara’s murder, while Danny and Archie have a confrontation at a soccer team party.

Homeland Season 3 Trailer: Where in the World is Nicholas Brody?
Showtime released the first official trailer for the third season of Homeland and in it, everyone is still reeling from Brody’s disappearance and the bombing that killed several key governmental officials.

Magic City Series Finale Recap: You Really Don’t Know Me At All
The gambling bill is decided and the fallout impacts everyone on Magic City, even those who backed the “right” man out of Ike and Ben. Who ended up biting the dust?

The White Queen Series Premiere Recap: Is He Really the King?
Elizabeth meets newly crowned King Edward IV and instantly becomes attracted to him, to the point where she agrees to marry him despite being from two different houses and drawing unwanted attention (and danger) to herself.

The Science Behind the Netflix Algorithms That Decide What You’ll Watch Next (Wired)
Wired interviewed Carlos Gomez-Uribe, VP of product innovation and personalization algorithms, and Xavier Amatriain, engineering director, about what goes into Netflix’s recommendation algorithm.

Violence on MTV: Why Did Producers Stop Intervening on Real World? (Variety)
Variety looks at the increasing freedom that producers of Real World are participants on the show and how violent it has become in comparison to earlier in its lifespan.

The Follow-Back: Understanding the Two-Way Causal Influence Between Twitter Activity and TV Viewership (Nielsen)
According to Nielsen, live tweeting raised the ratings in 29% of television episodes, with competitive reality programming (e.g. Top Chef, Project Runway, The Voice) seeing the greatest rise.

The Most Fourth Wall-Breaking Moments in Television History (io9)
Do you like your shows to know that they’re television shows? i09 looks at several different categories of fourth wall-breaking, including fake interviews, people playing themselves, and a TV show within the actual show.

How to Make a TV Drama in the Twitter Age (The New York Times)
The Times talked to several showrunners, including Shonda Rhimes, Carlton Cuse, and Terence Winter, about how social media impacts their writing, how they integrate/address social media within their shows, and how they avoid becoming defensive about criticism.

30 best TV shows to binge-watch (Newsday)
Need a new show to binge? Newsday has some suggestions.

The post The Week in Television Wrap August 3-9 appeared first on TVHackr.

“Extant is a very original concept with layers of humanity, mystery and surprise that reveal itself throughout the script,” said Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment. “Our partnership with Amblin for Under the Dome showed that viewers respond to high-quality event programming in the summer.  We look forward to building on that with Extant and offering CBS audiences another high-concept, unique event for summer television.”

It’s strange to see CBS, a network that’s become a patchwork of crime dramas and multi-camera comedies, get into the genre television game with such gusto, but after Under the Dome broke records with its massive premiere and stabilized at a very high rating, it makes sense for them to go with what works. The Eye has shown to be the most conservative network of the Big Four and while that can lead to unexciting schedules and similar tones throughout their programming, it works extremely well when they capture lightning in a bottle like they did with the Stephen King adaptation, already renewed for a second season. Combine the momentum from Under the Dome with Gravity, the Sandra Bullock/George Clooney movie about a female astronaut who gets lost in space, and Extant might be able to find a niche next summer.

Do you think that Extant could find similar success to what Under the Dome has saw thus far? Are you surprised that CBS seems to be leaning into genre programming to fill its summer schedule? What type of summer programming would you like to see on the air this time next year?

The post CBS Greenlights Sci-Fi Drama Extant for Summer 2014 appeared first on TVHackr.