2012 Mid-Season Premiere and Return Schedule

JANUARY

Sunday, January 1
8:00 Mob Wives (VH1)
9:00 Mama Drama (VH1)
9:00 Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off (Food)
10:00 Angry Boys (HBO)

Monday, January 2
8:00 The Bachelor (ABC)
8:00 Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
8:00 Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
8:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
8:30 2 Broke Girls (CBS)
9:00 The Lying Game (ABC Family)
9:00 Hoarders (A&E)
9:00 Two and a Half Men (CBS)
9:30 Mike & Molly (CBS)
10:00 It’s a Brad, Brad World (Bravo)
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
10:00 Intervention (A&E)
10:00 Wife Swap (ABC)

Tuesday, January 3
8:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC)
8:00 Switched at Birth (ABC Family)
8:00 NCIS (CBS)
8:30 Work It (ABC)
9:00 Jane by Design (ABC Family)
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
10:00 Body of Proof (ABC)
10:00 Jamie’s American Road Trip (BBCA)
10:00 Parenthood (NBC)
10:00 Unforgettable (CBS)

Wednesday, January 4
8:00 The Middle (ABC)
8:30 Suburgatory (ABC)
9:00 Dog the Bounty Hunter (A&E)
9:00 Modern Family (ABC)
9:00 Nova (PBS)
9:30 Happy Endings (ABC)
10:00 Steven Seagal: Lawman (A&E)
10:00 Revenge (ABC)

Thursday, January 5
8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)
8:00 Wipeout (ABC)
9:00 The Secret Circle (CW)
9:00 Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime)
9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
10:00 24 Hour Catwalk (Lifetime)
10:00 Jersey Shore (MTV)
10:00 Private Practice (ABC)
12:00 Delocated! (Adult Swim)

Friday, January 6
8:00 Nikita (CW)
8:00 A Gifted Man (CBS)
9:00 Supernatural (CW)
9:00 CSI: NY (CBS)
10:00 Merlin (Syfy)
10:00 Portlandia (IFC)
10:00 Blue Bloods (CBS)

Saturday, January 7
8:00 COPS (FOX)
11:30 Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show (BBCA)

Sunday, January 8
8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)
8:00 Once Upon a Time (ABC)
8:30 The Cleveland Show (FOX)
9:00 Family Guy (FOX)
9:00 The Firm (NBC)
9:00 Shameless (Showtime)
9:00 Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9:00 The Good Wife (CBS)
9:30 American Dad (FOX)
10:00 House of Lies (Showtime)
10:00 Cajun Pawn Stars (History)
10:00 CSI: Miami (CBS)
10:00 Pan Am (ABC)
10:30 Californication (Showtime)

Monday, January 9
9:00 First Week In (Discovery)
10:00 Castle (ABC)
10:00 Caged (MTV)

Tuesday, January 10
10:00 The Game (BET)
10:30 Let’s Stay Together (BET)

Wednesday, January 11
8:00 One Tree Hill (CW)
8:00 Whitney (NBC)
8:30 Are You There, Chelsea? (NBC)
9:00 People’s Choice Awards (CBS)
9:00 Ghost Hunters (Syfy)
10:00 Face Off (Syfy)
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Thursday, January 12
8:00 30 Rock (NBC)
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
8:30 Rob (CBS)
8:30 Parks & Recreation (NBC)
9:00 The Finder (FOX)
9:00 The Office (NBC)
9:00 Person of Interest (CBS)
9:30 Up All Night (NBC)
10:00 The Mentalist (CBS)

Friday, January 13
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares (FOX)
9:00 Fringe (FOX)
9:00 Grimm (NBC)
10:00 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Saturday, January 14
9:00 Miss America Pageant (ABC)

Sunday, January 15
8:00 Golden Globe Awards (NBC)
8:00 Undercover Boss (CBS)
8:30 Napoleon Dynamite (FOX)
9:00 Leverage (TNT)

Monday, January 16
8:00 Gossip Girl (CW)
8:00 Alcatraz (FOX)
9:00 Being Human (Syfy)
9:30 Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (NBC)
10:00 Lost Girl (Syfy)

Tuesday, January 17
8:00 Glee (FOX)
8:00 90210 (CW)
9:00 Remodeled (CW)
9:00 New Girl (FOX)
9:30 Raising Hope (FOX)
10:00 Southland (TNT)
10:00 Justified (FX)
10:00 White Collar (USA)

Wednesday, January 18
8:00 American Idol (FOX)
9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS)
9:00 Remodeled (CW)
9:00 Mistresses (BBCA)
10:00 CSI (CBS)
10:00 Royal Pains (USA)

Thursday, January 19
10:00 Archer (FX)
10:30 Unsupervised (FX)

Friday, January 20
8:00 Shark Tank (ABC)
9:00 Primetime (ABC)
9:30 On Freddie Roach (HBO)

Sunday, January 22
8:00 American Idol (FOX)

Monday, January 23
12:30AM Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole (Adult Swim)
8:00 House (FOX)
9:00 Hart of Dixie (CW)

Wednesday, January 25
9:00 Touch (FOX)

Thursday, January 26
10:00 Fat Chef (Food)
11:00 Inside Comedy (Showtime)

Friday, January 27
10:00 Spartacus: Vengeance (Starz)

Tuesday, January 31
9:00 Ringer (CW)
10:00 Tosh.0 (Comedy)
10:30 Key & Peele (Comedy)

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 2
11:00 I Just Want My Pants Back (MTV)

Friday, February 3
8:00 Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC)

Sunday, February 5
10:00 The Voice (NBC)

Monday, February 6
10:00 Smash (NBC)

Tuesday, February 7
9:00 The Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo)
9:00 The River (ABC)

Sunday, February 12
9:00 The Apprentice (NBC)
9:00 The Walking Dead (AMC)
10:00 Secret Stash (AMC)

Sunday, February 19
12:00 Tight Bros (Adult Swim)

Wednesday, February 22
9:00 Ghost Hunters International (Syfy)

Sunday, February 26
8:30 Academy Awards (ABC)

MARCH

Tuesday, March 6
8:30 Breaking In (FOX)
9:00 Fashion Star (NBC)

Wednesday, March 7
10:00 Monster Man (Syfy)

Sunday, March 11
8:30 Bob’s Burgers (FOX)

Wednesday, March 14
10:00 South Park (Comedy)

Thursday, March 15
12:00 Eagleheart (Adult Swim)

Saturday, March 31
11:30 Peep Show (BBCA)





Lovingly compiled by these folks

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They Do Run Run

The Hollywood Reporter has a series of Emmy Roundtable videos with actors and showrunners. The drama showrunners roundtable features Frank Darabont ("The Walking Dead"), Jason Katims ("Parenthood"), John Wells ("Southland" and "Shameless"), Mike Royce ("Men of a Certain Age"), Graham Yost ("Justified"), Kurt Sutter ("Sons of Anarchy"), and Terence Winter ("Boardwalk Empire"). Most of the conversation revolves around issues of running a show and isn't exactly writing related. The later part is a little more interesting. I usually like these types of videos and getting a glimpse into the minds of writers and the creative process; but this one left me a little flat. You can watch the comedy showrunner roundtable here (Warning: this does contain spoilers for some of the showrunners respective series.)

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Summer Season 2011

When the idea of a Summer television season was first introduced a few years ago I was less than thrilled. Maybe I was locked into the notion that TV happened from September-May and the Summer was a time to catch up on missed episodes or go see a Blockbuster.

The initial offerings were weak; mostly reality dreck, show's that didn't make the Fall line-ups and some experiments. Then some shows started to emerge; "The O.C." was an early Summer scheduled breakout, premiering August 5, 2003 on Fox.

Now things are flipped upside down. The starting of the TV season used to be an event for me; I would buy TV Guide's Fall Preview issue — I used to love that thing - and excitedly thumb through it, eager to discover all the new shows. (Side note: those issues are great to look back on years later. Seeing which shows failed, just how long some have been on the air and those you can't even remember. I came across one cleaning up and found a show with Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway and a much different cop show featuring "Psych's" James Roday.)

These days I find myself more interested in the Summer shows than the Fall's new offerings. We're talking "Breaking Bad", "True Blood", "Warehouse 13", "Burn Notice", "Drop Dead Diva" and a boat load more. Enjoy your Summer... TV.


MAY
Monday, May 23
The Bachelorette (ABC) Season Premiere

Thursday, May 26
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) Season Premiere

Saturday, May 28
CHAOS (CBS) Return from Hiatus

Monday, May 30
The Bachelorette (ABC) Season Premiere
Gettysburg (History) Special Presentation
Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (ABC) Series Premiere
Platinum Hit (Bravo): Series Premiere

Tuesday, May 31
America's Got Talent (NBC) Season Premiere

JUNE
Wednesday, June 1
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) Timeslot Premiere
Franklin and Bash (TNT) Series Premiere
Man v. Food Nation (Travel) Series Premiere (This is Man v. Food re-branded)
Love in the Wild (NBC) Series Premiere
Men of a Certain Age (TNT) Summer Premiere
Haunted Collector (SyFy) Series Premiere

Thursday, June 2
Loves Bites (NBC) Series Premiere
NY Ink (TLC) Series Premiere
Children's Hospital(Adult Swim) Season Premiere

Friday, June 3
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC) Return from Hiatus

Saturday, June 4
Niecy Nash's Wedding Bash (TLC)

Sunday, June 5
MTV Movie Awards (MTV) Special Presentation
Teen Wolf (MTV) Series Premiere/Special Night & Time
The Next Food Network Star (Food) Season Premiere
The Glades (A&E) Season Premiere
The Real L Word (Showtime) Season Premiere
Sister Wives (TLC) Mid-Season Premiere
Freaky Eaters (TLC) Series Premiere
Finding Bigfoot (Animal Planet) Series Premiere

Monday, June 6
Master Chef (FOX) Season Premiere
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family) Season Premiere
Switched at Birth (ABC Family) Series Premiere
Last Man Standing (Lifetime)
My Yard Goes Disney (HGTV)
House Hunters On Vacation (HGTV) Series Premiere
HGTV'd (HGTV) Series Premiere

Tuesday, June 7
White Collar (USA) Season Premiere
Covert Affairs (USA) Season Premiere

Wednesday, June 8
CMT Music Awards (CMT) Special Presentation
Locked Up Abroad (NatGeo) Season Premiere

Saturday, June 11
2011 Guys Choice Awards (Spike)

Sunday, June 12
The Glee Project (Oxygen) Series Premiere
The Protector (Lifetime) Series Premiere
Bridezilllas (WEtv) Season Premiere
Ice Loves Coco (E!) Series Premiere
Cool Tools: Consumer Electronics Show 2011 (DIY)
Cool Tools: The Builders Show 2011 (DIY)

Monday, June 13
Nora Robert's Carnal Innocence (Lifetime)

Tuesday, June 14
Cupcake Wars (Food) Season Premiere
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) Season Premiere
The Nine Lives of Chloe King (ABC Family) Series Premiere
Memphis Beat (TNT) Season Premiere
Hawthorne (TNT) Season Premiere
Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E) Season Premiere

Wednesday, June 15
Hot in Cleveland (TV Land) Summer Premiere
Happily Divorced (TV Land) Series Premiere
Rocco's Dinner Party (Bravo) Series Premiere

Saturday, June 18
Outcasts (BBC America) Series Premiere
The Inbetweeners (BBC America) Season Premiere
Come Fly With Me (BBC America) Series Premiere

Sunday, June 19
The 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (CBS) Special Presentation
2011 Miss USA Pageant (NBC) Special Presentation
Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) Season Premiere
Falling Skies (TNT) Series Premiere
TV Land Presents: The AFI Award Honoring Morgan Freeman (TV Land) Special Presentation

Monday, June 20
Hoarders (A&E) Season Premiere
Intervention (A&E) Season Premiere

Tuesday, June 21
Wipeout (ABC): Summer Premiere/Special Night
101 Ways to Leave a Game Show (ABC): Series Premiere
Combat Hospital (ABC) Series Premiere
Staten Island Cakes (WEtv) Series Premiere
History Detectives (PBS) Season Premiere

Wednesday, June 22
Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV) Season Premiere

Thursday, June 23
Wipeout (ABC) Timeslot Premiere
Burn Notice (USA) Season Premiere
Suits (USA) Series Premiere
Expedition Impossible (ABC) Series Premiere
Futurama (Comedy) Season Premiere
Rookie Blue (ABC) Season Premiere
Wilfred (FX) Series Premiere
Louie (FX) Season Premiere

Sunday, June 26
True Blood (HBO) Season Premiere
Leverage (TNT): Season Premiere
Falling Skies (TNT) Timeslot Premiere
The Marriage Ref (NBC) Season Premiere
37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (CBS) Special Presentation

Monday, June 27
Weeds (Showtime) Season Premiere
The Big C (Showtime) Season Premiere

Tuesday, June 28
I Kid With Brad Garrett (TLC) Series Premiere

Wednesday, June 29
Love In The Wild (NBC) Series Premiere
Royal Pains (USA) Season Premiere
Necessary Roughness (USA) Series Premiere
Melissa and Joey (ABC Family) Season Premiere

Thursday, June 30
Ugly Americans (Comedy) Season Premiere
Extreme Chef (Food) Series Premiere

JULY
Sunday, July 3
Ultimate Crash: House, Bath, Yard (DIY)

Monday July 4
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (CBS) Special Presentation
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (NBC) Special Presentation

Tuesday July 5
Teen Mom (MTV) Season Premiere

Thursday, July 7
Big Brother (CBS) Season Premiere
An American Family (PBS)

Friday, July 8
Torchwood: Miracle Day (Starz) Series Premiere

Sunday, July 10
Big Brother (CBS) Timeslot Premiere
Masterpiece Mystery: Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Series V (PBS)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Season Premiere

Monday, July 11
Warehouse 13 (SyFy) Season Premiere
Eureka (SyFY) Summer Premiere
Alphas (SyFy) Series Premiere
The Closer (TNT) Season Premiere (Final Season)
Rizzoli and Isles (TNT) Season Premiere
Bad Girls Club (Oxygen) Season Premiere
HGTV Design Star (HGTV) Season Premiere

Tuesday, July 12
MLB All-Star Game (FOX) Special Presentation
Rescue Me (FX) Season Premiere (Final Season)

Wednesday, July 13
Ghost Hunters International (SyFy) Season Premiere
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants (Showtime) Series Premiere
Damages (Directv) Season Premiere

Friday, July 15
Great Performances: Rigoletto From Mantua (PBS)
Haven (SyFy) Season Premiere
Man Caves: Bert The Conqueror (DIY)

Sunday, July 17
Zen (PBS)
Breaking Bad (AMC) Season Premiere

Monday, July 18
Hell's Kitchen (FOX) Season Premiere
Degrassi (Teen Nick) Season Premiere

Tuesday, July 19
Web Therapy (Showtime) Series Premiere
Ludo Bites America (Sundance) Series Premiere

Wednesday, July 20
Hollywood Hi-Tech (DIY)

Sunday, July 24
Same Name (CBS) Series Premiere
Entourage (HBO) Season Premiere (Final Season)
The Venture Bros (AdultSwim) Special Presentation

Wednesday, July 27
Are We There Yet? (TBS) Season Premiere

AUGUST
Tuesday, August 2
Take the Money and Run (ABC) Series Premiere

Saturday, August 6
Friday Night Dinner Series Premiere (BBC America)

Monday, August 8
The Bachelor Pad (ABC) Season Premiere
Karaoke Battle USA (ABC) Series Premiere

Monday, August 15
The Lying Game (ABC Family)

Sunday, August 28
The 28th Annual Video Music Awards (MTV)

Monday, August 29
Showcase Showdown (HGTV) Series Premiere

Tuesday, August 30
Quirky (Sundance) Series Premiere





Assembled from these sources. Let me know if there is anything missing 'cause I'll probably want to watch it too.

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Access Granted

The 2011 Writer Access Project honorees have been selected and posted on the WGA site along with their scripts. (This year with class photos of the writers as well. Is it just me, or does the blonde in the first pic look like she played a psychic a few years on NBC?)

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A-Team Leader

Those of you who don't know the name Stephen J. Cannell (shame on you) may nevertheless be familiar with his classic end credit vanity card which featured Cannell himself typing on an old typewriter before pulling the page out and tossing it into the air, where it becomes animated, floating down to form his production company logo.

And certainly you're familiar with the shows that end card was attached to. Cannell's real claim to fame is as a creator, writer, producer of classic, enduring 80s/90s television. "The A-Team," "21 Jump Street," "The Rockford Files," "The Greatest American Hero," "The Commish" and "Wiseguy" among many others.

On his site Cannell gives you insight into how he writes so prolifically in a great, free "online writing seminar":
Part One - The discipline of writing
Part Two - How to choose your story
Part Three - Creating characters
Part Four - The three act structure
Part Five - Other things to think about

Cannell's older works seem to be in vogue at the moment. With the "The A-Team" getting the big screen treatment, NBC recently pursuing a new version of "The Rockford Files" and a "21 Jump Street" movie in the works. What will we see resurrected from Mr. Cannell's oeuvre next? An updated "Greatest American Hero," (this show has evaded my viewing over the years, though I did discover -and love- the theme song long before I knew it was attached to a show) "Renegade" re-imagined?




Buy a laptop already:

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Summer Season

TV, I love you. But won't you give me a little break? Guess not; here are the chock-full Summer offerings from network and cable:


MAY
05/19/10 – Wednesday
The Good Guys (FOX) – Series Premiere

05/24/10 – Monday
The Bachelorette (ABC) – Season Premiere

05/27/10 – Thursday
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) – Season Premiere
100 Questions (NBC) – Series Premiere

05/28/10 – Friday
Past Life (FOX) – Returns from hiatus

05/29/10 – Saturday
The Special Relationship (HBO) – Original telefilm premiere

05/31/10 – Monday
Cake Boss (TLC) – Season Premiere
True Beauty (ABC) – Season Premiere


JUNE
06/01/10 – Tuesday
America’s Got Talent (NBC) – Season Premiere
Losing It With Jillian (NBC) – Series Premiere
Wipeout (ABC) – Special Presentation
Hell’s Kitchen (FOX) – Season Premiere

06/02/10 – Wednesday
Happy Town (ABC) – Returns from hiatus
Are We There Yet? (TBS) – Series Premiere
Tosh.0 (COMEDY) – Season Premiere
Half Pint Brawlers (SPIKE) - Series Premiere

06/03/10 – Thursday
Burn Notice (USA) – Season Premiere
Royal Pains (USA) –Season Premiere

06/04/10 – Friday
Flashpoint (CBS) – Season Premiere
Miami Medical (CBS) – Returns from hiatus
The Neistat Brothers (HBO) – Series Premiere

06/05/10 – Saturday
Three Rivers (CBS) – Returns from hiatus

06/06/10 – Sunday
Sons of Tucson (FOX) – Returns from hiatus
Drop Dead Diva (LIFETIME) – Season Premiere
Next Food Network Star (FOOD) – Season Premiere
The Hard Times of RJ Berger (MTV) – Series Premiere
MTV Movie Awards (MTV) – Special Presentation
Ice Road Truckers (HIST) – Season Premiere
Top Shot (HIST) – Series Premiere

06/07/10 – Monday
Lie to Me (FOX) – Returns from hiatus
Last Comic Standing (NBC) – Season Premiere
Persons Unknown (NBC) – Series Premiere
Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC FAMILY) – Season Premiere
Dance Your Ass Off (OXYGEN) – Season Premiere
Neighbors From Hell (TBS) – Series Premiere

06/08/10 – Tuesday
Pretty Little Liars (ABC FAMILY) – Series Premiere

06/09/10 – Wednesday
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist (BRAVO) – Series Premiere
The Singing Bee (CMT) – Summer Premiere

06/10/10 – Thursday
Bethenny’s Getting Married? (BRAVO) – Series Premiere
Penn & Teller: Bullshit (SHOWTIME) – Season Premiere
Green Room with Paul Provenza (SHOWTIME) – Series Premiere

06/13/10 – Sunday
True Blood (HBO) – Season Premiere
Design Star (HGTV) – Season Premiere
Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami (E!) – Season Premiere

06/14/10 – Monday
Warren the Ape (MTV) – Series Premiere

06/15/10 – Tuesday
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (BRAVO) – Season Premiere
Double Exposure (BRAVO ) – Series Premiere

06/16/10 – Wednesday
Top Chef (BRAVO) – Season Premiere
Man Vs. Food (TRAVEL) – Season Premiere

06/20/10 – Sunday
Real L Word, The (SHOWTIME) – Series Premiere
Leverage (TNT) – Season Premiere
The Gates (ABC)- Series Premiere
Scoundrels (ABC) – Series Premiere

06/22/10 – Tuesday
Wipeout (ABC) – Season Premiere
Hawthorne (TNT) – Season Premiere
Memphis Beat (TNT) – Series Premiere
Downfall (ABC) – Series Premiere

06/24/10 – Thursday
Rookie Blue (ABC) – Series Premiere
Boston Med (ABC) – Series Premiere
Futurama (COMEDY) – Season Premiere

06/27/10 – Sunday
Hung (HBO) – Season Premiere
Entourage (HBO) – Season Premiere

06/28/10 – Monday
Huge (ABC FAMILY) – Series Premiere
Make It or Break It (ABC FAMILY) – Season Premiere
Intervention (A&E) – Season Premiere

06/29/10 – Tuesday
Rescue Me (FX) – Season Premiere
Louie (FX) – Series Premiere

06/30/10 – Wednesday
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (TBS) – Season Premiere
The Real World (MTV) – Season Premiere


JULY
07/01/10 – Thursday
Ace of Cakes (FOOD) – Season Premiere

07/06/10 – Tuesday
Warehouse 13 (SYFY) – Season Premiere

07/07/10 – Wednesday
The Choir (BBCA) – Series Premiere

07/08/10 - Thursday
Big Brother (CBS) – Season Premiere

07/09/10 – Friday
Eureka (SYFY) – Season Premiere
Haven (SYFY) – Series Premiere

07/10/10 – Saturday
The Bridge (CBS) – Series Premiere

7/12/10 – Monday
The Closer (TNT) – Season Premiere
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) – Series Premiere

07/13/10 – Tuesday
White Collar (USA) – Season Premiere
Covert Affairs (USA) – Series Premiere
The Glades (A&E) – Series Premiere

07/14/10 – Wednesday
Psych (USA) – Season Premiere

07/23/10 – Friday
The Pillars of the Earth  (STARZ) – Mini-Series Premiere

07/24/10 – Saturday
Being Human (BBCA) – Season Premiere

07/25/10 – Sunday
Mad Men (AMC) – Season Premiere
My Boys (TBS) – Season Premiere

07/27/10 – Tuesday
Masterchef (FOX) – Series Premiere

07/29/10 – Thursday
Jersey Shore (MTV) – Season Premiere

AUGUST
08/01/10 – Sunday
Rubicon (AMC) – Series Premiere

08/03/10 – Tuesday
Shaq Vs. (ABC) – Season Premiere
Big Lake (COMEDY) – Series Premiere

08/04/10 – Wednesday
Dark Blue (TNT) – Season Premiere

08/09/10 – Monday
Bachelor Pad (ABC) – Series Premiere
Dating in the Dark (ABC) – Season Premiere

08/11/10 – Wednesday
Hard Knocks: New York Jets (HBO) – Season Premiere

08/16/10 – Monday
Weeds (SHOWTIME) – Season Premiere
The Big C (SHOWTIME) – Series Premiere



This list was yoinked from here.

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It’s hard at the to-- in the middle.

I wrote before about the WGAW Writer Access Project. It's a diversity program for writers with television staffing experience. The 2010 honorees have been posted. Again writer's spec scripts and original pilots have been uploaded.

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Recommended Reading 2

Here is the list of books that the CBS Writers Mentoring Program suggest to improve your writing.


Writing for Episodic Television From Freelance to Showrunner edited by John Wirth and Jeff Melvoin.

Writing the Television Drama Series by Pamela Douglas

Making a Good Script Great 2nd edition by Linda Seger

How to Make it In Hollywood 2nd edition by Linda Buzzell

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A Writer Lost

With the return of "Lost" for its final season in less than a month, now is the time to look back at its beginnings. Not the pilot script but the script that never made it to air.

Before "Lost" was "Lost" it was "Nowhere;" a realistic island survival pilot written by Jeffrey Lieber. Lieber was given the boot and the project was handed over to JJ Abrams and company and the rest is history. I never heard about any of this till my friend e-mailed me a link to the script. You can read about the story in this article.

"Lost" is one of my favorite shows but after reading "Nowhere" I can say I would have watched and enjoyed this show as well (given its ultimate execution.) Since it was a jumping off point for "Lost" there are a lot of similarities. Though they don't last long. "Lost" has many sci-fi and supernatural elements I personally enjoy. However, I also appreciate entertainment on the flip-side of this aesthetic. "Nowhere" has a very realistic tone. Lieber wrote the hell out of this script.

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Pick A Side

'Sides' are sections of scripts used for casting. They usually run one or two scenes long.

When you spec a show you want to know it inside and out, especially that shows particular script format. It can be hard to find scripts for some shows. While the sides are only excerpts they can provide insight.

A selection from SpoilerTV:

Bones - Episode 5.11 - The X In The File - Casting Sides

Vampire Diaries - Episode 1.14 - Casting Sides

Grey's Anatomy - Episode 6.08 - Casting Sides

Legend of the Seeker - Episode 2.13 - Casting Sides

The Mentalist - Episode 2.02 - Scarlet Letter

90210 - Episode 2.17 - Casting Sides

CSI: Miami - Episode 8.14 - In the Wind - Casting Sides

How I Met Your Mother - Episode 5.11 - Last Cigarette Ever - Casting Sides

Psych - Episode 4.11 - A Very Juliet Episode - Casting Sides

CSI: NY - Episode 6.14 - Sanguine Love - Casting Sides

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Spec Scripts and Pilots

Even after you've gotten your first job or your fourth, television writers always have to have current scripts. This page on the WGA site features spec scripts by diverse mid-level television writers.

Better than the specs, there are also sample pilots. Maybe a future hit series is among these scripts.

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Micah Wright

Micah Wright is a film, television, comic and video game writer.

He has a great site with information on his work. For those interested in comic writing there is a collection of scripts from Micah's run on StormWatch.

Some of Micah's coolest work has never been produced, including an animated show described as "Deadwood with vampires, Frankenstein monsters, werewolves and zombies." Yeah, that sounds awesome to me too.

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Recommended Reading

The WB Writers’ Workshop recommended reading list to help you with writing those spec scripts.


Craft of Comedy Writing by Sol Saks

Teleplay: An introduction to television writing by Coles Trapnell

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field

Robert McKee Story Structure by Robert McKee

Comedy Writing: Step by Step by Gene Perret

Successful Sitcom Writing by Jurgen Wolff

101 Plots Used and Abused by James N. Young

The 101 Habits Of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider's Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers by Karl Iglesias

The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate "How To" Guide by Judy Carter

The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not by John Vorhaus



You can also find this list here, sans the snazzy graphics.

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Tim Minear

I could never figure out whether or not this is Tim Minear's official site. Either way the site provides the latest news on the professional television writer. Minear has written for "Angel," "Firefly," "Wonderfalls" and "Dollhouse."

Most importantly the site features scripts from "Firefly," "Drive" and all the episodes of "The Inside." The best way to learn script format is by reading scripts.

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ABC Daytime Writer Development Program

For those of you interested in writing for the soaps.

From the site:

"ABC Daytime Writer Development Program was created over 10 years ago as a means of identifying and cultivating writers specifically interested in the daytime television genre."

Lean more about the program here.

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Creative Screenwriting Magazine

Creative Screenwriting Magazine covers all the latest film and television screenwriting news. On their site you can read excerpts from articles in the current issue. They also have their own screenplay contest and host seminars and sell DVDs devoted to screenwriting. You can also sign up for their weekly email magazine.

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Amanda the Aspiring TV Writer

On her blog, amateur screenwriter Amanda dispenses advice on a plethora of screenwriting topics, answers reader questions and chronicles her rise to the top.

Her infectious can-do, never-say-die attitude will inspire you.

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Cosby Writing Fellowship

"The fifteen-week intensive workshop was designed with a two-fold purpose:

To assist writers in the completion of a film or television script. To deepen the participants appreciation for and comprehension of African American history and culture."

Learn more about the program here.

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NBC Diversity Initiative for Writers

All of the major television networks offer programs to help new and diverse writers gain access to the industry.

From the NBC site:

"In order to further encourage diversity among our writing staffs, NBC provides funding for a diverse Staff Writer position, open to all scripted NBC Primetime Series."

Learn more about the program here.

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Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship

All of the major television networks offer programs to help new and diverse writers gain access to the industry.

From the Nick site:

"Developed to broaden Nickelodeon's outreach efforts, the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship is designed to attract, develop and staff writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences on Nickelodeon Network productions."

Learn more about the program here.

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