Adapted for television by Damon Lindelof, The Leftovers is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, who also serves as executive producer on the series. and tells the story of a Rapturous event occurring and those who were left behind in a suburban community. To be the fourth new HBO series of 2014 following True Detective, Looking, and Silicon Valley, The Leftovers stars the likes of Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy, Reign), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and Ann Dowd (Compliance).

True Blood’s conclusion is the first of three planned series finales for HBO in 2014. After the Emmy-nominated horror series takes its final bite this coming fall, both Prohibition drama Boardwalk Empire and Aaron Sorkin vehicle The Newsroom will end their five and three season runs, respectively. HBO has already made the first steps toward replacing their considerable roster by picking comedies The Brink and Ballers and drama Utopia up to series for bows in 2015.

You can check out the first teaser for True Blood‘s seventh season below.

How do you think True Blood will end? Will The Leftovers be a solid match for the expiring vampire series? Should The Leftovers stick more closely with the events of the novel or should it forge its own path after a while?

The post HBO Announces Premiere Dates for True Blood and The Leftovers appeared first on TVHackr.

This week on TVHackr, we talked about a LeBron James sitcom, the final episodes of Siberia, and the first episodes of Back in the Game and Trophy Wife, while the internet touched on the most anticipated fall TV, what just hit Netflix, and TVs that were designed for outdoor usage.

NBC: Watch the Primetime Preview Special Here
NBC has released its annual Primetime Preview, a look at its upcoming fall schedule with assorted clips, which Sean Hayes and the cast of Sean Saves the World host this year.

Comedy Central to Livestream “Roast of James Franco”
Comedy Central provided fans with additional ways to watch its roast of James Franco, aired on Labor Day.

Fox Sports 1 Up, Then Down In Opening Week
Just how did the new FOX Sports Network do during its first full week on the air? We have the verdict here.

CBS and Time Warner Cable Reach Agreement
CBS and Time Warner ended the month-long blackout and restored service to its customers this week. Did you stick with TWC during the entirety of the CBS blackout?

Mistresses Season Finale Preview: Savi Finds Out the Paternity Results
While Savi finds out who the father of her unborn child is, April makes a decision about Richard and Karen faces off with Elizabeth one more time.

Siberia Finale Spoilers: Who Will Make It Out Alive?
Coming up on Siberia, the two groups of contestants are reunited after quite some time apart, but what is the latest danger threatening their lives?

Siberia 1.10 Preview: Where are Sabina, Neeko, and Miljan?
On the next episode of Siberia, the three contestants at the settlement are taken to their next residence, while those at the facility find evidence of experimentation.

True Blood to End After Season 7 in 2014
True Blood‘s seventh season, which will air during the summer of 2014, will be its last, HBO confirmed this week.

LeBron James Developing Starz Sitcom
NBA champion LeBron James has broken into the world of television, as he’s developing a comedy for Starz with Tom Werner and Maverick Carter.

American Idol finalizes judging panel for 13th Season!
The American Idol judging panel has been confirmed as consisting of Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. for the show’s next season.

American Horror Story: Coven Poster: The Snakes of Wrath
American Horror Story had its third season key art released by FX and it pointed at just how sinister the coven the season will be following is.

Trophy Wife: Watch the First Episode of the Upcoming ABC Comedy Early
ABC released the first episode of Trophy Wife, which stars Malin Akerman as a former party girl who marries a man with two ex-wives and three children.

Back in the Game: Watch the ABC Comedy Pilot Early Here
ABC released the first episode of Back in the Game, an upcoming comedy that follows a former softball star moving back home with her father.

The Goldbergs: Watch the First Episode of the Upcoming Comedy Here
ABC released the first episode of family comedy The Goldbergs, set in 1985 and starring Jeff Garlin and Wendi McLendon-Covey.

Dancing With The Stars Season 17 Cast Revealed
The cast for the venerable ABC reality competition has been revealed. Who do you think is the favorite to take home the trophy?

Baby Daddy Season 2 Finale Recap: Happy Birthday, Miley
While Riley’s surprise birthday party doesn’t go quite as planned, Ben is in for a surprise of his own when he finds out that Emma’s mother is back in town.

Johnny Galecki a.k.a. Leonard ventures into Production
Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki has gotten into the production side of the television industry with a series in development at FOX.

True Detective to Premiere This January on HBO
The upcoming HBO crime drama, which stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, will premiere this January, along with the third season of Girls.

CBS Puts Entire Seasons of Selected Shows Online and On-Demand
CBS has made full seasons of The Good Wife, The Mentalist, Elementary, and Hawaii Five-o available before their fall 2013 premieres.

News Roundup: Women Making Strides on Television
According to a study by San Diego State University, women have been making incremental gains both in front of and behind the camera, though female characters are still outnumbered and tend to be younger than their male counterparts.

Defiance: William Atherton and Anna Hopkins Join Season 2
The Syfy drama has added two new characters for its second season: an E-Rep higher-up and a documentarian who gets involved in a passionate love triangle.

Tyrant: Jennifer Finnigan Joins the Cast
Jennifer Finnigan has joined the FX drama pilot as the matriarch of the family that the series will be following.

Patrick Dempsey – Racing Le Mans: “Actor/Racer” Review
The Grey’s Anatomy actor took on the 24-hour French race in a four-part series for Velocity.

What’s New on Netflix Streaming This Month: September 2013 (Vulture)
Vulture has compiled a list of everything that hit Netflix this month, which includes the second season of Scandal.

A Television Designed for the Outdoors (The New York Times)
Ranging in price from $1,500 to $7,000, SubBrite TVs are made from moisture-resistant parts and enclosed in a weather-resistant plastic case, per The New York Times.

Africa set to deploy digital television – As 47 Sub-Saharan African countries agree on frequency coordination for digital switch-over in 2015 (Newstime Africa)
Digital television will come to 47 Sub-Saharan African countries in 2015, according to Newstime Africa.

TV.com’s 10 Most Anticipated New Shows for Fall 2013 (TV.com)
TV.com counts down the 10 new fall shows that they’re most excited about. Did your most anticipated series make the list?

Will the fall TV season be less gay? (CNN)
After a slew of gay-friendly series were canceled this past season, the fall of 2013 will be decidedly less diverse, ironically at a time when support for same-sex marriage is rising, per CNN.

The true stories behind 9 iconic TV production logos (The Week)
Want to know how Bad Robot, Mutant Enemy, and Ubu decided on their production logos? The Week has you covered.

How to End It All (Interview)
Interview brought together Vince Gilligan, Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, and Alan Ball to talk wrestling with expectations, making television in the so-called Golden Age, and figuring out how to say goodbye.

The post The Week in Television Wrap August 31-September 6 appeared first on TVHackr.

“I feel enormously proud to have been a part of the True Blood family since the very beginning,” said showrunner Brian Buckner, who took over last season. “I guarantee that there’s not a more talented or harder-working cast and crew out there, and I’d like to extend a personal heartfelt thanks to them for their dedication and tenacity over the years, especially this past year, as I stepped into a larger role. Thank you also to HBO for their unwavering support and of course to Alan Ball, whose genius enabled all of us to share in this incredible journey. Finally, a huge thank you to the most passionate fans in television. As we take a final walk through Bon Temps together, we will do our very best to bring Sookie’s story to a close with heart, imagination and, of course, fun.”

It should be interesting to see what HBO decides to do now that its former flagship series will be off the air this time next year. While it still has the mighty Game of Thrones, still growing in the same way that True Blood did in its early seasons, Boardwalk Empire will never be a huge live ratings player, Treme is quietly ending its run with a short final season, and The Newsroom is at the mercy of creator Aaron Sorkin’s hectic schedule, not to mention that they only have one drama in the pipeline (anthology True Detective) set to debut in the coming year vs. three comedies. It’s too early to worry about the state of HBO drama, considering the shows they have in development and the power they have in the creative community, but if they don’t find either an instantaneous replacement for the supernatural series or a drama with enough upside to withstand a down year or two, it could make for some long summers for the network in the near future.

Do you think that True Blood should be ending after next season? How would you like to see the show wrap up? What elements of the novel series’ end should the show try to use for its final stretch of episodes?

The post True Blood to End After Season 7 in 2014 appeared first on TVHackr.

-ABC Family will be running the five episodes of reality series The Vineyard on Monday, August 26th from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. The series focuses on locals and “wash-ashores” on Martha’s Vineyard and the relationship drama that follows them.

-Do you like FX? Want to know if you will have FXX come September 2nd, the day the network will officially launch? You can check out GetFXX.com to see if you’ll be able to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell live. The network will reportedly be available in 72 million homes upon its debut.

–Oprah’s Lifeclass has officially won the Primetime Emmy for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Social TV Experience, a category voted on by a jury of professionals in the relevant peer group. The series finds millions of students all over the world interacting with Winfrey on-air, online, and via social media as they listen to an expert meant to help them live more fulfilling lives. OWN has also doubled the episode order for Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor, bringing the comedy up to 52 episodes for its first season, and while ordering four more installments of Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots and moving Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse over from TBS beginning Wednesday, September 18th at 9:00.

–True Blood star Stephen Moyer has signed on to star in NBC’s production of The Sound of Music as Captain Georg Van Trapp. The three-hour live event, also starring country music star Carrie Underwood, is set to air December 5th.

-ABC Family has ordered three comedy pilots: Mystery Girls, starring Tori Spelling as a former TV star forced to solve crimes with her mystery TV series co-star; Work Mom, which follows digital marketer Heather as she gets a promotion and hires her mother; and Young & Hungry, about a tech entrepreneur who hires a food blogger as his personal chef. A decision about whether any of these will be picked up to series and join the network’s comedy roster, which includes Baby Daddy and Melissa & Joey, will come early next year.

-Kendrick Lamar leads the way with 14 nominations at the BET Hip Hop Awards, which will air October 15th and be hosted by Snoop Dogg. Other major nominees, which you can see here, include J. Cole, Drake, and Wale.

-Comedian Dave Attell has landed a weekly late-night stand-up series. Yet to be titled, the eight-episode first season will feature comedians performing uncensored and unfiltered sets, with new faces mixed in with familiar favorites. He previously had travelogue Insomniac with Dave Attell on the network, which ran from 2001-2004 and inspired several one-hour specials during its run.

-History has greenlit production on a scripted miniseries based on famed magician Harry Houdini. Starring Adrien Brody and Kristen Connolly, Houdini follows the man as he “finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin.”

-Upcoming ABC Family drama Ravenswood will be given a special new promo during the summer finale of Pretty Little Liars, airing Tuesday. Also, the network will initiate the #RavenswoodReveal challenge, as star Tyler Blackburn will tweet a portion of a photo that holds clues to the series. Once it reaches 1022 retweets, in honors of the show’s October premiere date, one of his four co-stars (Nicole Gale Anderson, Brett Dier, Britne Oldford, and Merritt Patterson) will tweet another part of the photo, looking for 1022 retweets, and so on.

-Syfy has put a new reality series from the producers of Face Off into development. Camera Ready will put ten aspiring costume designers through challenges in creating wardrobe for television, film, and music videos. They’ll be evaluated by Oscar-winning costume designers, cutting-edge directors, and avant-garde fashionistas, with the winner taking home $100,000.

-On September 7th at 9:00, Animal Planet will be holding a countdown of the Top 20 Kitten Moments, with regular interruptions scheduled for glimpses at the Animal Planet L!VE’s Kitten Cam. If you can’t wait, the network has set up an exclusive live stream of the second annual Walker Art Center Internet Cat Video Film Festival, set to begin August 28th at 8:30 p.m. on AnimalPlanet.com/CatVidFest. A butter sculpture of a cat will also be revealed during the hour.

-The CW has set its summer finale dates, as well as ordered one-hour special Colin & Brad: Two Man Group (with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood) and a one-hour Arrow recap special titled Year One. The schedule is as follows:

–Renewals: NBC has ordered a 10-episode second season of Hollywood Game Night, while TBS has renewed Men at Work for a 10-episode third season, Sullivan & Son for a 13-episode third season, and Deal with It for a 10-episode second season. Deon Cole’s Black Box remains the only TBS original with its fate up in the air.

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The post News Roundup: Syfy Announces Casting for Bryan Fuller’s High Moon appeared first on TVHackr.

Miss any of the news that came from Comic-Con? TVHackr has compiled every trailer (featuring new footage) and news item that was released during 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, which came to an end yesterday. The post doesn’t include special panel videos, the panels themselves, series highlight reels, or trailers that have already been posted.

There will be two additional new faces joining Arrow this season, as Kevin Alejandro (True Blood) and Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite) are set to play vengeful alderman Sebastian Blood (aka Brother Blood) and Ben Taylor, a claw-wielding assassin otherwise known as the Bronze Tiger, respectively. The latter will also be forming an alliance with China White.

-Amy Acker (Angel) has been promoted to a series regular on Person of Interest, where she’s portrayed Machiavellian cyber-hacker Root in seven episodes. There’ll also be an opportunity for fans to join in the series with the Person of Interest Social Photo Opportunity, which will give the show’s fans on Facebook the ability to submit photos for a chance to become a “person of interest” at some point during season three. Information will be released in the coming weeks on the Person of Interest Facebook page.

-AMC has announced that Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick will be anchoring Talking Bad, its recently announced Breaking Bad aftershow that will air every Sunday at 11:00 beginning August 11th. Like Dead, Talking Bad features Hardwick recapping that night’s Breaking Bad episode, taking questions and comments from viewers, and interviewing those associated with the show (actors, producers) and TV experts alike. The final eight episodes of Breaking Bad will premiere earlier that night at 9:00.

-A balloon of Finn and Jake from Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time will fly in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28th. It marks the first time the Emmy nominated animated series will be featured.

–Per TVLine, Supernatural executive producer Bob Singer confirmed that a spin-off of the show is in the works. Reportedly to be centered on a new character via a backdoor pilot later in the season, the series is said to be more “citified” than its mothership. The ninth season of Supernatural is set to premiere Tuesday, October 15th at 9:00.

–Revolution has added Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) to its cast for the second season. The veteran actor will be playing Rachel’s father, according to TV Guide.

-A Simpsons/Family Guy crossover will be airing in the fall of 2014, according to FOX. “The Simpsons Guy” finds the Griffins ending up in Springfield and being fully embraced by the Simpson family. Also in Family Guy news, the show is having a contest for those who think they have the best Stewie Griffin impression around. Fans can send in their best Stewie on the I am Stewie section of FamilyGuy.com, with the winner (selected by producers) having their voice featured in the upcoming season premiere and earning a three-day/two-night trip for two to attend Family Guy Live at the Just4Laughs Festival in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013.

-As reported by Entertainment Weekly, guest stars for the upcoming season of Family Guy include Peter Dinklage, Liam Neeson, Dennis Farina, Ashton Kutcher, Conan O’Brien, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Daniels, Jon Cryer, and Adam Levine, while American Dad will be seeing the likes of Mariah Carey, Ellie Kemper, Zooey Deschanel, Mark Cuban, Stanley Tucci, Olivia Wilde, Alison Brie, Sinbad, Mae Whitman, T.J. Miller, Alan Thicke, and Pete Holmes.

–Once Upon a Time in Wonderland has cast Lost alum Naveen Andrews as Jafar, the evil Royal Vizier of Agrabah first seen in Aladdin, according to TV Guide.

-USA has revealed the winner of the Psych fan-voted storyline contest. The network gave the show’s fanbase the chance to decide on a storyline for an upcoming season eight episode and the winner turned out to be “A Nightmare on State Street,” an episode that will feature Gus in dream therapy to understand the cause of his recent night terrors. Also announced was a two-hour musical episode, set to air Sunday, December 15th; Gus and Shawn will have to track down a playwright deemed criminally insane and eventually get led back to someone from Shawn’s past.

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The post Comic-Con News and Trailers: Once Upon a Time, Arrow, Bones, Family Guy, and More appeared first on TVHackr.

This week on TVHackr, we talked about what’s coming up on Zero Hour, Scandal’s early syndication, and the 2013 Emmy nominations, while the internet pontificated on a TV landscape that has gradually been filled with deeper roles for actresses and a potential Turkish TV takeover.

Magic City Recap: Pray That Nobody Gets Killed
While Vera’s opening night doesn’t go quite as planned, Ike approaches Sy about cutting a deal and Danny goes along on an arms raid that will change him for good.

Hit the Floor Renewed for Season 2 by VH1
VH1’s dance team drama will return for a second season of scheming, side eyes, and sex appeal. Will Jelena get a leg up on Ahsha?

True Blood Renewed for Season 7 by HBO
After averaging about 10 million viewers per episode this season, True Blood will return for a seventh season in the summer of 2014.

BET to Broadcast Scandal’s First Two Seasons This Summer, Season 3 in Fall
The first two seasons of Scandal will be broadcast on BET later this summer, while season three episodes are set to encore eight days after their initial ABC run.

The Fosters Recap: He Told Me I Was Special
Callie reveals the extent of the ways Liam hurt her, Lexi goes missing after being threatened with boarding school, and Mariana may have gotten herself into a situation that she can’t talk her way out of.

Zero Hour Series Finale Spoilers: Can Hank Save the World?
Will Hank be able to stop both the Pyrates and the Shepherds from acquiring the True Cross and changing the world as we know it?

Renewal Notice: Lying Game Canceled, Ray Donovan Renewed, American Dad Moving
While The Lying Game has been canceled after months of no information about its renewal status, Showtime’s Ray Donovan has been renewed for a second season and FOX’s American Dad will be moving to a new network beginning in late 2014.

ABC Announces Fall 2013 Premiere Dates
When will the next seasons of Scandal, Revenge, and Nashville premiere? What dates will we get to see the first episodes of Agents of SHIELD and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland?

2013 MTV Video Music Award Nominations
Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the way in the 2013 VMA nominations, while Bruno Mars, P!nk, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and 30 Seconds to Mars all scored multiple nominations.

News Roundup: Sharknado Gets a Sequel and You Get to Name It
Syfy has given social media phenomenon Sharknado a sequel movie, which will be named using suggestions from Twitter. Have you sent in your awful pun yet?

2013 Primetime Emmy Award Nominations Announced
Who was nominated for an Emmy this year? We have the major categories, where the likes of House of Cards, Modern Family, and Breaking Bad did quite well for themselves.

The Fosters Summer Finale Spoilers: Who Gets Married?
On the summer finale of The Fosters, someone’s getting married and there’s news that could shake the family to its core. What could potentially rip the Foster family in half?

Twisted Spoilers: Is Karen the Potential Weak Link?
Of all the problems that Danny has had to worry about threatening his freedom, it turns out that his biggest threat may live in the same house.

Mistresses 1.08 Preview: April is Stunned From the Latest Revelation About Paul
April has to come to terms with what she found out about Paul, while Joss looks to redefine her relationship with Alex and Savi fights to save her marriage, regardless of whether the baby is Dom’s.

Casting News: Billy Campbell Joins Syfy’s Helix; Karine Vanasse to Guest on Revenge
Billy Campbell has become the first actor cast in Syfy thriller Helix, while Pan Am alum Karine Vanasse will have an arc on Revenge as someone from Daniel’s past.

The Fosters 1.08 Sneak Peeks: Ana Won’t Stop Contacting Mariana
Ana crosses the line by calling Mariana at home, Brandon can’t seem to please his demanding piano teacher, and Jesus takes matters into his own hands.

Twisted 1.07 Sneak Peeks: Is Lacey Sending Danny Mixed Signals?
Danny grows frustrated at receiving conflicting messages from Lacey, Rico attempts to come to terms with his feelings for Jo, and Kyle sets his sights on cracking Karen.

Teen Wolf Winter Season Premiere Set for January 6th
The second half of Teen Wolf‘s third season is set to premiere Monday, January 6th. Catch a trailer for the next set of episodes at the link above.

A Good Time for TV Ladies (Slate)
Slate examines a television landscape that has become much kinder to actresses, considering the rise in complex female roles in recent years.

TV Dramas From Turkey Draw Hollywood’s Eye (The Hollywood Reporter)
Could Hollywood be heading for an explosion in Turkish television adaptations? The Hollywood Reporter looks at what could be the next trend to watch out for.

Google said to weigh supplying TV channels (The New York Times)
According to the New York Times, Google is said to be one of several tech giants trying to license TV channels from an internet cable service.

Mugabe to cripple ‘invader’ television station (The Africa Review)
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has shut down a television station that was expected to begin broadcasting from South Africa, per The Africa Review.

Emmys 2013 winners and losers: 30 Rock, Homeland, The Office (Hitfix)
Hitfix analyzes the 2013 Emmy nominations, including the surprises that could lead to even more surprising victories and the snubs that stopped promising shows in their tracks.

The post The Week in Television Wrap July 13-19 appeared first on TVHackr.

Also yet to be confirmed is whether or not next season will be True Blood‘s final season. Cast contracts have been said to be seven seasons, so if ratings are strong next season and their drama development proves to be disappointing, HBO could opt to bring it back for an eighth season, an usually high number for a drama on the network. That would mean having to renegotiate, though, and could result in the series being too expensive to continue, should there be pay raises and a lack of significant deaths in season six.

The latter of which, according to Today.com, might not be a worry, as the notably death-averse genre show will be killing off one of its major players later this season. Could the show already be positioning itself for at least two additional seasons? Who do you think will be the important character who bites the dust sometime during season six?

True Blood airs Sundays at 9:00 on HBO.

What have you thought about this season of True Blood? Do you think the show benefits from trimming its episode count from 12 to 10? Would you like for next season to be the final season?

The post True Blood Renewed for Season 7 by HBO appeared first on TVHackr.

True Blood 

The series follows what happens after vampires are introduced into everyday society and Sookie Stackhouse, a fairy, her family and friends fall in and out of love with and get into all kinds of trouble with all manner of supernatural characters in their hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana.

At the end of Season 5, Bill had transformed into Lilith (is he Lilith, is he dead or is he another version of himself?), Luna (recently seen as McKenna on Arrow) may or may not have bit the dust, elder Vampire Russell, after years of will he or won’t he finally said the big goodbye and Sookie is on the radar of some smoky dude named Warlow – whoever that truly is.

We also had the rockin’ kiss between Sire Pam and her child Tara, a bit incestuous but finally bringing to light a storyline for Tara nearly everybody could get behind. And in front of, and to the side….

The Season 5 finale was also the final episode wherein Alan Ball, creator of the series, was the showrunner. The new showrunner, Brian Buckner, has been with the show since the start, so I’m not too concerned we’ll fall far off the beaten path set by Ball. The worst news is True Blood was cut from it’s normal twelve episode order to only ten for the 2013 season.

There have been little in the way of spoilers for Season 6, but that’s not unheard of for True Blood and if we knew what was coming it wouldn’t make it as exciting for us to jump in front of our television sets every Sunday night to watch it live, now would it?

Today we have a date. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

The post True Blood Season 6 Alert! Mark Your Calendars… appeared first on TVHackr.