The first half of Mad Men‘s final season will begin its run on Sunday, April 13 at 10 PM.  One week earlier, on April 6, the network’s new Revolutionary War drama Turn will get a 90-minute premiere at 9 PM.

Better Call Saul, which focus on Saul Goodman before he became Walter White’s attorney on Breaking Bad, will debut some time in November – a specific date has yet to be determined.

The Chris Hardwick-hosted talk show The Talking Dead, which airs following new episodes of the network’s hit, The Walking Dead has unsurprisingly been renewed for a fifth season after delivering a series high among total viewers with the first half of its fourth season.  Hardwick told critics earlier this week that he’d continue hosting the series as long as AMC would have him.  Both The Walking Dead and The Talking Dead will begin their new seasons in October, with a concrete premiere date likely to be announced at this year’s Comic-Con.

Freshman series Halt and Catch Fire, which revolves around the personal computing era in the early 1980s will launch this summer- a specific date to be determined.  Hell on Wheels will also return later in the summer. The unscripted  Game of Arms will premiere Tuesday, February 25 at 10 PM, followed in May by the returns of Freakshow and Small Town Security.

“We are extremely excited about the 2014 lineup,” AMC president and General Manager Charlie Collier said.  “Both the returning and new series reflect our commitment to serving passionate audiences with compelling, character-driven storytelling.”

What are you most excited to see from AMC this year?

The post AMC Announces Premieres of ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Better Call Saul’; Renews ‘Talking Dead’ appeared first on TVHackr.

Netflix scored two slots on the list with House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, while other new entries included FX spy drama The Americans, Showtime period drama Masters of Sex, ABC political soap Scandal, and HBO political comedy Veep, the latter of which is coming off Emmy wins for Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale. The rest of the AFI Top 10 of 2013 list was made up of the most recent seasons of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Good Wife, and Game of Thrones.

It’s been a particularly award-heavy time for the TV industry, as the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, and International Press Academy have all announced nominations for their respective awards in recent weeks. Freshman series that have made noise include Masters of Sex and Orange is the New Black, both of which stand a reasonable chance of breaking into Golden Globe, SAG, and Emmy races later in the season.

Do you think that AFI made good selections for its list this year? Are you surprised that Homeland and Modern Family aren’t represented this year? If you could remove one program and replace it with another, what would it be?

AFI Top 10 Programs of 2013
The Americans
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Mad Men
Masters of Sex
Orange is the New Black
Scandal
Veep

The post Scandal, Veep, Game of Thrones Among AFI Top 10 of 2013 appeared first on TVHackr.

This week on TVHackr, we talked about early Emmy winners, change at the top of Rizzoli & Isles, and the possible series finale of Siberia, while the internet touched on television costume designers, a revolt over dubbing, and what sophomore shows could struggle this season.

American Horror Story: Coven Key Art: Acupuncuture Wound
FX released more key art from the upcoming third season of American Horror Story, which is set to premiere Wednesday, October 9th.

Spartacus Saga: Uncut Coming to Starz October 26th
Starz will begin airing all four seasons of Spartacus starting this October, only the episodes will be extended.

Tamaro to Step Down as Rizzoli & Isles Showrunner
Rizzoli & Isles showrunner Janet Tamaro has officially stepped down from her position, though she”ll remain as a consultant on the TNT hit series.

HIMYM: The Return of William Zabka…and Robin Daggers?
The final season of How I Met Your Mother will see the return of William Zabka after first appearing late last season.

The White Queen Episode 5 Recap: Dead Once, Damned Twice
While Edward fights to retain control of England, both Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville suffer major losses.

Broadway Stars to Light Up Elementary
Several prominent Broadway figures will be popping up on Elementary this season. Who will they be playing?

ABC Project The Thirteen Reimagines History
ABC has put a project in development that imagines the world as it would be if the United States hadn”t won the Revolutionary War.

SNL Taps Cecily Strong to Co-Anchor Weekend Update
Saturday Night Live has added Cecily Strong to the Weekend Update desk, joining outgoing anchor Seth Meyers for his final months on the show.

Sleepy Hollow Series Premiere Sneak Peeks: What Does the Headless Horseman Want?
The series premiere of Sleepy Hollow find both Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horsemen resurrected 250 years following their deaths.

Sleepy Hollow Series Premiere Spoilers: Ichabod Crane Meets the 21st Century
Coming up on Sleepy Hollow, the mystery deepens and Ichabod continues working with Abbie to vanquish the evils lurking in the town.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Series Premiere Sneak Peeks: The 99th Gets a New Captain
The series premiere of Brooklyn Nine-Nine introduced Captain Ray Holt to the 99th precinct, a tough, no-nonsense leader who clashes with Detective Jake Peralta.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Series Premiere Spoilers: Meet the Captain
Coming up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Holt and Peralta continue to butt heads, while Gina”s psychic friend gets inside Charles” head.

Ravenswood Promo: Secrets in the Whispers
ABC Family mystery Ravenswood had another promo released, this time showing the five strangers pulled together by a devastating curse on their town.

AMC Developing Walking Dead Companion Series
AMC announced that a companion series for The Walking Dead has been placed in development with an eye on a 2015 series premiere.

Penny Dreadful Adds Billie Piper, Helen McCrory, Danny Sapani, and Simon Russell Beale
Showtime psychosexual thriller Penny Dreadful continued filling out its cast by announcing four additions, including Doctor Who veteran Billie Piper as an Irish immigrant.

CBS: Watch the We Are Men Pilot Here
Ahead of its September 30th television premiere, the first episode of CBS comedy We Are Men has been released online and through the CBS app.

HBO Orders The Leftovers Adaptation to Series
HBO has given a series order to The Leftovers, an adaptation of the Tom Perrotta novel of the same name. Lost“s Damon Lindelof will act as showrunner.

Emmy Awards 2013: Dan Bucatinsky and Carrie Preston Honored
Among the winners at the Creative Arts Emmys this year were Dan Bucatinsky and Carrie Preston, honored for their guest roles in Scandal and The Good Wife, respectively.

Stage and Screen Stars Join NBC’s Sound of Music Telecast
NBC”s production of The Sound of Music, airing December 5th, has added three Tony winners in Christian Borle, Audra McDonald, and Laura Benanti.

Siberia Season Finale Recap: Did the Contestants Make It Out of Siberia?
On the season finale of Siberia, the two groups of contestants were brought back together, but did they figure out a way to get out of the Siberian wilderness?

Iggy Pop Joins Once Upon A Time In Wonderland
The punk icon replaces The Who singer Roger Daltrey as the voice of The Caterpillar on the upcoming ABC spinoff, which premieres October 10th.

Mad Men Receiving Two-Year Sendoff, To End in 2015
AMC has announced that critical darling Mad Men will be airing its final season in two parts, each consisting of seven episodes.

American Horror Story: Coven: Watch Every Teaser to Date Here
Here”s a collection of every American Horror Story: Coven teaser released thus far, ranging from voodoo to snakes and creepy houses in New Orleans.

Syfy Acquires Canadian Werewolf Drama Bitten
Syfy will be airing the 13-episode first season of Canadian werewolf drama Bitten, which stars Laura Vandervoort as the lone female werewolf in existence, sometime next year.

TV Icon Carl Reiner is back on Two & a Half Men
Reiner is set to appear in multiple episodes of the CBS comedy this season, reprising his role as producer Marty Pepper.

Sopranos Alum Joining NCIS As Possible Replacement For Ziva
NCIS has potentially found a replacement for the departing Cote de Pablo. Which actress might be joining the team and who will she play?

Watch here: Extended Promo of Supernatural Season 9
The CW has released an extended promo for the ninth season of Supernatural, premiering early next month.

Copper Cancelled by BBC America After Two Seasons
BBC America has cancelled period drama Copper after two seasons, with the series finale airing September 22nd.

Devious Maids Season Finale Preview: All Questions are Answered
Who killed Flora Hernandez? Find out on the season finale of Devious Maids.

TNT Orders Steven Bochco Drama Murder in the First to Series
From NYPD Blue“s Steven Bochco, Murder in the First stars Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson.

Costume Designers for TV Have a Big Impact on Fashion (The New York Times)
The New York Times interviewed several television costume designers about the freedom their job provides vs. the same position in the film world, the impact of their work on everyday life, and how the recognition from their work on television has aided their career.

(The Wall Street Journal)
The Wall Street Journal examines how an increasingly fractured television market has made the competition for original series that much more intense.

(Vanity Fair)
Vanity Fair took a stroll around New York City to check out television advertisements and the common themes present in this fall”s new programming.

Sophomore TV Shows: Which Will Surge and Which Will Slump? (The Daily Beast)
The Daily Beast tries to predict which shows entering their second years will take steps toward a breakthrough and which might stumble enough to face cancellation.

TV may reinforce stereotypes about men in nursing (Reuters)
Dr. Roslyn Weaver, an adjunct fellow at the University of Western Sydney School of Nursing and Midwifery, led research into how male nurses are portrayed on television, with Reuters reporting the results.

Witches and Fall Television 2013 (Patheos)
If you like witches, you”ll find plenty of them on television this fall, as the likes of Sleepy Hollow and American Horror Story will prominently feature witchcraft.

Students fight against film dubbing on television (Prague Daily Monitor)
A group of Czech students are fighting for less dubbing and more English on television, arguing that it robs them of an easy opportunity to naturally learn the language.

The post The Week in Television Wrap September 14-20 appeared first on TVHackr.

Mad Men

Per The Huffington Post, AMC will be splitting Mad Men‘s 14-episode seventh and final season into two pieces.  The first 7 episodes, titled as a group “The Beginning,” will air in spring of 2014, and the second, ‘The End of an Era” will air in spring 2015.

“We plan to take advantage of this chance to have a more elaborate story told in two parts, which can resonate a little bit longer in the minds of our audience,” said the show’s creator Matthew Weiner in a statement.  “The writers, cast and other artists welcome this unique manner of ending this unique experience.”

AMC has followed a similar strategy with Breaking Bad, successfully, and also airs The Walking Dead in split seasons for fall and spring.

Mad Men premiered on AMC in 2007, and has been the winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series four times.

The post Mad Men Receiving Two-Year Sendoff, To End in 2015 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.

Coming Up on Game of Thrones: “The Rains of Castamere” [link]
While Robb presents himself to Walder Frey, Jon faces his hardest test yet and House Frey joins House Tully.

Orphan Black Season Finale Preview: Something’s Wrong with Cosima [link]
After already losing Katja and Beth, Sarah and Alison are in danger of losing Cosima, who has developed mysterious nosebleeds.

The Fosters: Spoilers for the First Three Episodes [link]
The ABC Family drama, about a foster family that takes in a troubled teenage girl, premieres Monday, June 3rd at 9:00 following the series finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Defiance 1.07: A Razor Rain Storm is Coming [link]
A Razor Rain keeps the citizens of Defiance indoors, forcing interactions and conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise, and Irisa’s visions lead her to the Spirit Riders.

The Fall: Available Today on Netflix [link]
Gillian Anderson’s five-episode BBC drama The Fall made its Netflix debut this week. The show has already been renewed for a second series.

News Roundup: Cassadee Pope to Return to The Voice on June 4th [link]
Among stray headlines this week are The Voice‘s season three champion returning to the site of her victory, Rob Lowe signing on to play John F. Kennedy, and the first sneak peek of BET’s Being Mary Jane being released.

Baby Daddy Season 2: Spoilers for First Three Episodes [link]
The love triangle between Ben, Riley, and Danny gets even more complicated, while there are endorsement deals and new jobs to deal with.

Orphan Black Marathon to Air Saturday, June 1st [link]
All nine episodes of the BBC America sci-fi drama will be aired prior to the season finale.

The Killing Season 3 Sneak Peeks: Holder Pays Linden a Visit [link]
After 18 months apart, Holder and Linden are back together again. But will things be exactly the same as they were before?

Hannibal Renewed for Season 2 by NBC [link]
Weeks after their upfront presentation, NBC renewed Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal for a second season, which will air no later than midseason. The drama’s season finale is set for June 20th.

The CW Releases Extended Trailer for Star-Crossed [link]
Fantasy romance Star-Crossed, starring Amy Teegarden and Matt Lanter, had its first full-length trailer released this week. The show will premiere sometime midseason.

Revenge: Ashley Madekwe Won’t Return for Season 3 [link]
Ashley Davenport is no longer a part of the Hampton social scene, as Ashley Madekwe’s option for season three was not picked up.

Hit The Floor 1.02 Sneak Peeks: What Does It Take to Be a Devil Girl? [link]
Ahsha may have made the Devil Girl squad during the series premiere of Hit The Floor, but the hard part is just now beginning.

More Mad Men Theories: Who Is Bob Benson and What Does He Want? (Vulture) [link]
Just who is Bob Benson, really? Vulture offers several theories as to his true identity and intentions this season on Mad Men.

Funeral Plans for Network TV Freshman Casualties (Hitfix) [link]
Say goodbye to the shows that didn’t make it to a second season. There sure were a lot of ’em.

The TV Doctor: The Voice Season 4 and Blake Shelton (We Love TV More) [link]
Is Blake Shelton responsible for The Voice‘s lower ratings?

TV’s Hits and Misses (TVGuide) [link]
Which shows during the 2012-2013 TV season either built an audience or debuted to boffo numbers? And which were the biggest disappointments of the season and will be limping into 2013-2014?

The post The Week in Television Wrap May 25-31 2013 appeared first on TVHackr.

When the million seconds are over, the four remaining in the house will battle it out for the cash prize, which could grow to as much as $10 million.

There’s no word yet on how the show will be scheduled.

–Mad Men star Jon Hamm is set to host the ESPYs, ESPN’s awards show honoring the past year in sports, on Wednesday, July 17th. Past hosts have included Rob Riggle, Seth Meyers, and Justin Timberlake.

-Bravo has announced that the second season of Chef Roble & Co. will premiere Tuesday, June 4th at 10:00. You can check out a sneak peek at the new season here. Meanwhile, Life Below Zero debuts on Nat Geo Sunday, May 19th at 10:00. The show follows six Alaskans living off the land and off the grid in an extreme climate.

-For the second season of King of the Nerds, TBS has added “The People’s Nerd”, a way for fans to vote one of their own into the house. From now through May 24th, hopefuls can upload a video the the official King of the Nerds Facebook page; voting will narrow the field down to 10 and from May 25th through May 31st, there’ll be another vote, this time getting the number down to three. In July, the Top 3 nerds will be flown to Los Angeles to meet with the producers, who will then choose at least one of them to be “The People’s Nerd.”

-ABC Family has picked up drama Chasing Life to series. The show, starring Italia Ricci as a young journalist diagnosed with cancer, begins production in July for an early 2014 premiere date. Other upcoming ABC Family dramas include mystery Twisted, blended family drama The Fosters, and Pretty Little Liars spin-off Ravenswood.

-The two-hour series finale of Smash is set to air May 26th beginning at 9:00. Here’s the official episode description:

“The Nominations”/”The Tonys”
It’s a crucial moment for both shows as Tony nominations loom, but keeping your eye on the prize can be hard. As Tom (Christian Borle) crosses an influential Tony voter and Ivy (Megan Hilty) copes with some very distracting news, Derek’s (Jack Davenport) past has repercussions for the entire “Hit List” team. On Tony night, the awards might not provide the answers everyone is looking for. As Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan) faces a final reckoning, Tom (Christian Borle), Julia (Debra Messing), Derek (Jack Davenport), Karen (Katharine McPhee), Ivy (Megan Hilty), and most of all, Eileen (Anjelica Huston) wait to see if the ceremony will confirm their place in the Broadway pantheon once and for all. Rosie O’Donnell, Cheyenne Jackson, Ron Rifkin, and Bernadette Peters guest star.

The post News Roundup: The Million Second Quiz, The People’s Nerd, and Chasing Life appeared first on TVHackr.