The new season return will see Patrick Jane (Simon Baker, pictured) in prison for killing his nemesis Red John (special guest star Bradley Whitford) and has to prove that the man he shot really was the elusive serial killer. It returns at 8:30pm.

‘The Mentalist’ return will be followed by all new ‘CSI: Miami’ from October 3^rd at 9:30pm. Now in its 10^th season, the South Florida team of forensic investigators continue to use cutting-edge scientific methods and old-fashioned police work to solve crimes. Homicide detective Horatio Caine (David Caruso) returns.

All New ‘The Mentalist’ and ‘CSI: Miami’ return Monday October 3rd on Nine.

Source: Nine Network

The promotion features the remake of ‘Charlie’s Angels’, comedy ‘Two Broke Girls’, crime series ‘Person of Interest’, ‘Unforgettable’ and ‘Prime Suspect’. Returning programs featured include new ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘CSI’, ‘The Mentalist’, ‘Survivor: South Pacific’ and ‘Two and a Half Men’.

‘Charlie’s Angels’ 2011 TV remake soon on Nine

‘Two Broke Girls’ coming soon to Nine

Source: Nine Network, LSK Nine

‘Dancing with the Stars’ is becoming Sunday’s hottest show at the moment with an impressive 1.6m watching the reality hit over almost three hours on Sunday evening. Controversial new judge Joshua Horner, Brynne Edelsten’s second performance and the elimination of cricketer Nathan Bracken saw the hit dancing series increase week-on-week in ratings following last week’s 1.5m debut.

With ‘Dancing’ attracting such strong figures and hype, the once always dominant ‘MasterChef Australia’ was left with only 1.4m, coming fourth for the night in total figures. It did however win all three key demographics during its broadcast time of 7:30-8:30pm.

In other ratings, ‘Seven News’ came first for the night with 1.75m ahead of ‘Nine News’ with 1.44m. ‘Castle’ performed strong with 1.1m watching from 9:15-10:15pm then 750k from 10:15-11:15pm.

‘In their Footsteps’ stayed constant following last week’s premiere with 1.06m. This left ‘Merlin’ in third place at 6:30pm with 887k viewers. ‘The Mentalist’ rated 813k while Hawaii Five-O got 712k.

SBS ONE will be pleased with the Eurovision final, which saw Azerbaijan win, with 503k watching.

How with the highly anticipated series premiere of ‘The Amazing Race Australia’ perform tonight?

For more TV ratings, visit TV Central Ratings.

Cancelled

• Accidentally on Purpose (TEN)
• Cold Case (Nine)
• Gary Unmarried (Seven)
• Ghost Whisperer (Seven)
• Miami Medical (Nine)
• The New Adventures of Old Christine (Nine)
• Numb3rs (TEN)
• Three Rivers (TEN)

Renewed

• 48 Hours Mystery (TEN)
• 60 Minutes (TEN)
• Criminal Minds (Seven)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Nine)
• CSI: Miami (Nine)
• CSI: New York (Nine)
• How I Met Your Mother (Seven)
• Medium (TEN)
• NCIS (TEN)
• NCIS: Los Angeles (TEN)
• Rules of Engagement (TEN)
• Survivor (Nine)
• The Amazing Race (Seven)
• The Big Bang Theory (Nine)
• The Good Wife (TEN)
• The Mentalist (Nine)
• Two and a Half Men (Nine)
• Undercover Boss (TEN)

New Shows

• Blue Bloods (TEN)
• Criminal Minds Spin-Off (Seven)
• Defenders (TEN)
• Hawaii Five-O (TEN)
• Mike & Molly (Nine)
• $#*! My Dad Says (Nine)

New Series

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods

“Blue Bloods” is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement.  Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the New York Chief of Police and patriarch of the Reagan brood, which he heads as diplomatically as he does the force, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry (Len Cariou), during his stint as Chief.

A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a seasoned detective, family man and Iraqi War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases.

The sole Reagan woman in the family, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), is a N.Y. Assistant D.A. and newly single parent, who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father.

Jamie (Will Estes) is the youngest Reagan, fresh out of Harvard Law and the family’s “golden boy.”  However, unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and is now a newly minted cop, a career change seemingly supported by his beautiful girlfriend, Sydney Davenport (Dylan Moore), a first year lawyer. Jamie’s life takes an abrupt turn, however, when he’s asked to become part of a clandestine police investigation even his father knows nothing about, and one that could impact the family’s legacy.

Emmy Award winners Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green and Leonard Goldberg are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Criminal Minds Spin-Off

Criminal Minds Spin-Off

“Criminal Minds” Spin-Off stars Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker in a drama about an elite team of agents within the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit who use unconventional methods of investigation and aggressive tactics to capture the nation’s most nefarious criminals.

Unit chief Special Agent Sam Cooper (Whitaker) is a mentally and physically fierce natural leader who is not afraid to put his career on the line in order to stand by his convictions.

Cooper strives to avoid political bureaucracy and has handpicked an eclectic group of profilers to work outside the confines of Quantico:  Former British Special Forces soldier Mick Rawson (Matt Ryan), confident and handsome, works as a highly-skilled marksman with an undiluted eye for rooting out evil; John “Prophet” Sims (Michael Kelly), a former convict with a street-smart edge and a calm, Zen-like presence, who is determined to make amends for past sins; and Gina LaSalle (Beau Garrett), an attractive, tough agent armed with a cunning sense of perception.  This exceptional group of FBI operatives is strong in their beliefs and steadfast in their mission to bring the country’s most dangerous criminals to justice.

Chris Mundy, Edward Allen Bernero, Mark Gordon and Deborah Spera are executive producers for ABC Studios in association with CBS Television Studios.

The Defenders

The Defenders

“The Defenders” stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell in a comedic drama about two colorful Las Vegas defense attorneys who go all-in when it comes to representing their clients.  Nick and Pete are the local go-to guys with an eclectic client list who are still looking to hit their own jackpot.

Leading the law firm of Morelli & Kaczmarek are Nick Morelli (Belushi), an earnest, hard-charging attorney who represents his clients to the best of his ability, no matter how big or small the case, and his partner, Pete Kaczmarek (O’Connell), whose passion for the law is matched only by his love of fast cars, beautiful women and expensive clothes.  Joining them in their growing law practice is new associate Lisa Tyler (Jurnee Smollett), an enthusiastic young attorney looking to put her exotic dancing days behind her; and their young assistant, Sophie (Tanya Fischer), a spunky and sweet ingénue who is eager to please her bosses.

As Lady Luck shines on their legal careers, the partners have their hands full when it comes to their personal lives.  While Pete is busy cruising the Vegas Strip for his latest romantic conquest, Nick is focused on repairing his fractured marriage to his estranged wife, Jessica (Gillian Vigman), while remaining present in the life of their young son.  No matter the offense, Nick and Pete aim to prove that when the stakes are high they’re willing to bet the house on the clients they defend in Sin City.

Carol Mendelsohn, Niels Mueller and Kevin Kennedy, Joe and Harry Gantz, and Davis Guggenheim are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Hawaii Five-0

Hawaii Five-0

“Hawaii Five-0″ is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches.

Detective Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father’s murder and stays after Hawaii’s governor persuades him to head up the new team: his rules, her backing, no red tape and full blanket immunity to hunt down the biggest “game” in town.  Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan), a newly relocated ex-New Jersey cop who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but is committed to keeping the Islands safe for his 8-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), an ex-Honolulu Police Detective wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol, who is also a former protégé of McGarrett’s father.  Chin’s cousin, Kono (Grace Park), is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department’s elite.

McGarrett vows to bring closure to his father’s case while the state’s brash new FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.

Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Mike & Molly

Mike & Molly

“Mike & Molly” is a comedy from Chuck Lorre (“Two and a Half Men,” and “The Big Bang Theory”) about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

Officer Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) is a good-hearted cop who sincerely wants to lose weight.  Mike’s partner, Officer Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson), is a thin, fast-talking wise-guy, who despite his teasing encourages Mike on his road to slimness and romance.  While speaking at an O.A. meeting, Mike meets Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy), an instantly likeable fourth-grade teacher with a healthy sense of humor about her curves.

For Molly, focusing on smart choices isn’t easy because she lives with her sexy older sister, Victoria (Katy Mixon), and their mother, Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz), both of whom flaunt their healthy appetites and slender figures.  Mike also faces temptation at the diner he and Carl frequent, where they’ve become friends with the Senegalese waiter, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi), who finds trying to eat less a foreign concept.  For Mike and Molly, thanks to their mutual love of pie and the desire to resist it, finding each other may have been worth the “weight.”

Chuck Lorre and Mark Roberts are executive producers for Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

$#*! My Dad Says

“$#*! My Dad Says”, based on the popular Twitter feed by Justin Halpern, stars Emmy Award winner William Shatner as Ed Goodson, a forthright and opinionated dad who relishes expressing his unsolicited and often wildly politically incorrect observations to anyone within earshot.

Nobody is immune from Ed’s rants, including his sons, Henry, a struggling writer-turned-unpaid blogger; and Vince (Will Sasso), the meek half of his husband/wife real estate duo with domineering Kathleen (Nicole Sullivan).  When Henry finds he can no longer afford to pay rent to his pretty roommate — and secret admirer — Sam (Stephanie Lemelin), Ed reveals a soft spot and invites Henry to move in with him. Henry agrees, knowing that the verbal assault will not abate and now there will be no escape.  Describing their father/son relationship is tricky – but Ed will easily come up with a few choice words.

Emmy Award winners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.   Emmy Award winner James Burrows directed.

New Series Previews

Blue Bloods

The Defenders

Hawaii Five-0

Mike & Molly

$#*! My Dad Says

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be held January 17, 2010 -- hosted by Ricky Gervais.

The nominations for the 2010 Golden Globe Awards are in.

Ten’s underdog musical comedy ‘Glee’ leads the pack with 4 nominations — Best Television Series Comedy or Musical, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Lea Michele, Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Matthew Morrison and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Jane Lynch.

Aussies Simon Baker, Rose Bryne and Toni Collette all received nominations for Best Actor/Best Supporting Actress/Best Actress for their respective series — ‘The Mentalist’, ‘Damages’ and ‘United States of Tara’.

Usual suspects ’30 Rock’ and ‘Mad Men’ continue their nomination streak, with 3 nods each.

For a full list of all the film and television nominees, visit the Hollywood Foreign Press Association website.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

• BIG LOVE (HBO) – Anima Sola and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
• DEXTER (SHOWTIME) – Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions
• HOUSE (FOX) – Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry
• MAD MEN (AMC) – AMC
• TRUE BLOOD (HBO) – Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –DRAMA

• GLENN CLOSE – DAMAGES
• JANUARY JONES – MAD MEN
• JULIANNA MARGULIES – THE GOOD WIFE
• ANNA PAQUIN – TRUE BLOOD
• KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

• SIMON BAKER – THE MENTALIST
• MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
• JON HAMM – MAD MEN
• HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
• BILL PAXTON – BIG LOVE

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• 30 ROCK (NBC) – Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.
• ENTOURAGE (HBO) – Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• GLEE (FOX) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• MODERN FAMILY (ABC) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• THE OFFICE (NBC) – Universal Media Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• TONI COLLETTE – UNITED STATES OF TARA
• COURTENEY COX – COUGAR TOWN
• EDIE FALCO – NURSE JACKIE
• TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
• LEA MICHELE – GLEE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
• STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
• DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
• THOMAS JANE – HUNG
• MATTHEW MORRISON – GLEE

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• GEORGIA O’KEEFFE (LIFETIME TELEVISION) – Sony Pictures Television
• GREY GARDENS (HBO) – Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films
• INTO THE STORM (HBO) – Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films
• LITTLE DORRIT (PBS) – Masterpiece/BBC Co-production
• TAKING CHANCE (HBO) – Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association with HBO Films

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• JOAN ALLEN – GEORGIA O’KEEFFE
• DREW BARRYMORE – GREY GARDENS
• JESSICA LANGE – GREY GARDENS
• ANNA PAQUIN – THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER
• SIGOURNEY WEAVER – PRAYERS FOR BOBBY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• KEVIN BACON – TAKING CHANCE
• KENNETH BRANAGH – WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND
• CHIWETEL EJIOFOR – ENDGAME
• BRENDAN GLEESON – INTO THE STORM
• JEREMY IRONS – GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• JANE ADAMS – HUNG
• ROSE BYRNE – DAMAGES
• JANE LYNCH – GLEE
• JANET McTEER – INTO THE STORM
• CHLOË SEVIGNY – BIG LOVE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• MICHAEL EMERSON – LOST
• NEIL PATRICK HARRIS – HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
• WILLIAM HURT – DAMAGES
• JOHN LITHGOW – DEXTER
• JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE

NOMINATIONS BY TELEVISION NETWORK

• HBO – 17
• FOX – 6
• SHOWTIME – 6
• NBC – 5
• CBS – 4
• LIFETIME TELEVISION – 4
• ABC – 3
• AMC – 3
• FX NETWORKS – 3
• PBS – 3
• TNT – 1

NOMINATIONS BY TELEVISION SERIES OR PROGRAM

• GLEE – 4
• 30 ROCK – 3
• BIG LOVE – 3
• DAMAGES – 3
• DEXTER – 3
• GEORGIA O’KEEFFE – 3
• GREY GARDENS – 3
• INTO THE STORM – 3
• MAD MEN – 3
• ENTOURAGE – 2
• HOUSE – 2
• HUNG – 2
• THE OFFICE – 2
• TAKING CHANCE – 2
• TRUE BLOOD – 2
• CALIFORNICATION – 1
• THE CLOSER – 1
• COUGAR TOWN – 1
• THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER – 1
• ENDGAME – 1
• THE GOOD WIFE – 1
• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER – 1
• LITTLE DORRIT – 1
• LOST – 1
• THE MENTALIST – 1
• MODERN FAMILY – 1
• NURSE JACKIE – 1
• PRAYERS FOR BOBBY – 1
• UNITED STATES OF TARA – 1
• WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND – 1

Source: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Gossip Girl – Season 3

The Vampire Diaries – Season 1

The Mentalist – Season 2

The Big Bang Theory – Season 3

Fringe – Season 1

Supernatural – Season 3

Friends – Season 10

The Olympics move to Nine in 2010, after several consecutive games on rival Seven.

The Nine Network have announce their official 2010 programming line up, here’s what you can expect to see next year on the Nine Network.

New Local Drama

• Cops L.A.C
• Wicked Love – The Maria Korp Story (Telemovie)

New Local Series

• AFP (Australian Federal Police)
• Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand
• First and Last
• The Real Hustle: Australia

New International Series

• Community
• The Forgotten
• Gordon’s Great Escapes
• Human Target
• The Middle
• Past Life
• The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show
• Romantically Challenged
• Untitled Jo Frost Project (Supernanny)
• Send in the Dogs
• You’re Nicked
• V
• Who Do You Think You Are?

Special Events

• 2010 Ashes Series
• 2010 TV Week Logie Awards
• 2011 Rugby Union World Cup
• AFI Awards
• Australian Masters Golf
• EJ Whitten Legends Game
• NRL Grand Final
• NRL State of Origin
• Oscars
• Rugby League Four Nations
• Summer of Cricket
• Twenty20
• Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games
• Wimbledon

Returning Local Series

• 20 to 1
• 60 Minutes
• A Current Affair
• Australia’s Funniest Home Videos
• The Apprentice: Australia
• CUSTOMS
• Domestic Blitz
• Farmer Wants a Wife
• Getaway
• Hey Hey It’s Saturday (Specials)
• Money for Jam
• Random Acts of Kindness
• Rescue: Special Ops
• RPA
• Sea Patrol
• Test Australia – The National IQ Test
• Today
• Top Gear Australia
• Underbelly: The Golden Mile
• Wide World of Sports
• What’s Good For Yuu
• Who Wants to be a Millionaire

Returning International Series

• The Big Bang Theory
• Cold Case
• CSI
• CSI: Miami
• CSI: NY
• Ladette to Lady
• The Mentalist
• Survivor
• Top Gear
• Two and a Half Men

*Incomplete/subject to change

'The Vampire Diaries' coming soon to The CW and GO!

The season will kick-off with The CW’s sophomore drama ‘90210’. You might remember that ‘90210’ premiered to The CW’s biggest numbers in history (4.65M, A18-49: 2.6/7) but those viewers abandoned it in droves with the finale only mustering a little more than half that audience (2.49M, A18-49: 1.3/3). This is a make or break season for the remake and if it continues to shed viewers it will not only damage The CW’s brand but will have a detrimental effect on the heavily promoted freshman drama ‘Melrose Place’ 2.0. The CW is pinning their hopes on ‘Melrose Place’ and their other fall freshman ‘The Vampire Diaries’, which was inexplicably added to their Thursday line-up at the expense of The CW’s highest rating drama ‘Smallville,’ which has now been bumped to Fridays. If both ‘Melrose’ and ‘Vampire’ fail, it may well be the final year for the struggling network as CBS and WB cannot continue to run a network at a loss in this sort of climate. Elsewhere, Tuesdays will be a little dull with procedurals occupying CBS and reality on ABC, NBC and Fox. However, recently the alphabet made a late change noticing a chance to pounce in that timeslot, by pushing mid season sci-fi drama ‘V’ forward for a November 3 start.

The following night sees the fall premiere of summer reality show, ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’  Fox’s decision to air a second cycle of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ was quite bizarre, the show captures a solid but not spectacular audience during the summer and who’s to say airing it twice a year won’t damage the franchise? Fall has always been the achilles heel for the News Corp. Network and no doubt ‘Dance’ will improve on past year offerings, but will viewers return for future seasons? The decision to move ‘Dance’ to fall was to provide some lead-in support for freshman drama ‘Glee,’ which squandered its ‘Idol’ lead in when Fox aired a sample episode behind one of Idol’s final 2009 episodes, in the ended it averaged only 9.62M, A18-49: 4.4/11.

The aforementioned ‘The Vampire Diaries’ has its series premiere on Thursday, September 10 and it will be partnered with The CW’s other sci-fi drama ‘Supernatural’. The CW greenlighting ‘Diaries’ was no surprise as they wanted to capitalise on the ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ hype. Even though ‘Diaries’ has generated a lot of negative press, initial sampling will be large but the million dollar question is how long will the audience give it? The following Thursday sees the return of JJ Abram’s latest demo hit ‘Fringe’. ‘Fringe’ will have its work cut out going up against heavyweights, ‘CSI’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which both return on September 24. ‘Fringe’s’ departure from a solid lead in indicates the confidence Fox has in the sophomore drama, however in comparison to Abram’s previous projects, ‘Fringe’ focuses less on mythology and more on individual episodes which should make it easier to follow but less intriguing to the dedicated fans. Another huge Thursday development is the movement of last year’s freshman hit ‘The Mentalist’ to 10/9c following CSI. CBS is grooming it as the next CSI, which I might add has lost a lot of steam since the departure of William Petersen, however the timeslot is somewhat of a bogey one for CBS as nothing has remained there for more than one year.

Thursdays also see the return of ‘Survivor’ for its 19th season, the 6th season of the Office, the 2nd season of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and the debut of critical darling ‘Community’ which all premiere on September 17. For those waiting for ’30 Rock’ it returns on October 15. The biggest premiere to Thursdays is ‘Flash Forward’, which is being promoted by ABC as the new ‘Lost.’  ‘Flash Forward’ looks to be the biggest show to come out of the states since ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ and it comes with a lot of buzz. Just recently, the directors noted, they will need at least three seasons to complete the arc they have planned. In a nutshell, ‘Flash Forward’ follows the life of an FBI agent who investigates the reason for a mysterious event, which sees everyone blackout for two minutes and seventeen seconds, travelling six months into the future.

The following two Mondays see the return of ‘WTF’ (No, not What The Beep, but Watch This Fall) drama ‘Gossip Girl’ and veteran ‘One Tree Hill’. This fall, Dawn has decided to do a switcheroo with the two, moving her baby ‘Gossip’ to a higher household viewing time and avoiding direction competition with ‘House’. The aforementioned ‘House’ and the trouble ridden ‘Heroes’ both return with two hour premieres on September 21. It has been quite a steep fall for ‘Heroes’, if Kring can’t stop the bleeding, this might be the end of the one season wonder. The following Monday sees NBC launch their new high-octane medical drama ‘Trauma,’ a number of photos/clips for this show have being doing the rounds on the internet, so expect a large initial sampling. ‘Lie to Me’ will occupate the post ‘House’ slot as Fox tries to groom this as a replacement for ‘House’. Over at CBS, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ has been moved to 8/7c providing some lead in support for the dead on arrival ‘Accidently on Purpose’. ‘Two and a Half Men’ remains, but ‘The Big Bang Theory’ moves to the post ‘Men’ slot. ‘Bang’ was trialled in the slot late last year or early this year and maintained close to 100% retention, so look for ‘Bang’ to reach series highs again.

Wednesdays will be interesting for a number of reasons, ABC has a completely new line up with critical darlings ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’ occupying the key 9/8c and 9:30/8:30c timeslots. ‘Cougar Town’ follows Jules (Courtney Cox), a recently divorced single mother exploring honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture, while ‘Modern Family’ explores the complications that come with being in a family in this day and age. The entrees ‘Hank’ and ‘The Middle’ debut the following week. ‘Eastwick’ a cross between ‘Valentine’ and ‘Sex and the City’ also debuts in the same week as ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’, but things don’t look good for the romantic drama.

The landscape for Fridays has completely changed; networks are finally getting aggressive with their programming. There is less reality from the other three networks which might finally give CBS’ combo of Ghost Whisperer, Cold Case and Numb3rs some headaches. Fox kicks off with a comedy hour with waiting to be cancelled ‘’Til Death’ and ‘Brothers’ followed by the ever improving and surprise renewal ‘Dollhouse’ which all premiere on September 25. The CW veteran ‘Smallville’ has been yanked to Thursdays along with the ever fading ‘Ugly Betty’.

Nothing much has changed on Sundays, with ABC’s ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ starting on September 27. Fox has shuffled their line up knocking out the every reliable – ‘King of the Hill’, for Seth McFarland’s new, albeit belated project ‘The Cleveland Show’. ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad’ all return for their 21st, 8th and 5th season respectively. ‘The Cleveland Show’s’ pilot has been leaked for a while and it doesn’t look too different to ‘Family Guy’ or ‘American Dad’.

Finally, the biggest news this fall is Jay Leno moving to primetime, which begins daily from September 14, 10/9c. All eyes will be on the ratings for ‘The Jay Leno Show,’ but NBC isn’t expecting much, as long as it remains profitable, NBC will be satisfied. Jay Leno recently said he doesn’t expect his show to beat first run CSI, but hopes to push CSI repeats to the limit. The format of the show is: Leno will begin with a 10 second opening sequence which leads into a monologue. He will have at least one special guest a night and music will come from multiple acts. Jaywalking and newspaper headlines will be held until the end of the show to give News affiliates a strong lead in. Leno also gave us a snippet of the ‘Green Car Challenge’ where you can see, as Leno puts it, “who is faster, Shaquille O’Neal or Cameron Diaz.” There will be pre-recorded segments from D.L Hughley and Rachel Harris.As always, this is will be an interesting fall, with networks trying something different.

I hope everyone enjoys the fall TV season and wish for everyone’s favourite TV show to survive.

Premiere Dates

• ‘90210’ 2nd Season Premiere September 8
• ‘Melrose Place’ Series Premiere September 8
• ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Fall Premiere September 9
• ‘Glee’ Series Premiere September 9
• ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Series Premiere September 10
• ‘Supernatural’ 5th Season Premiere September 10
• ‘One Tree Hill’ 7th Season Premiere September 14
• ‘Gossip Girl’ 3rd Season Premiere September 14
• ‘The Jay Leno Show’ Series Premiere September 14
• ‘The Beautiful Life’ Series Premiere September 16
• ‘Bones’ 5th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Survivor’ 19th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Parks and Recreation’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Fringe’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘The Office’ 6th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Community’ Series Premiere September 17
• ‘Heroes’ 4th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘House’ 6th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘How I Met Your Mother’ 5th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Accidently on Purpose’ Series Premiere September 21
• ‘Two and a Half Men’ 7th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘The Big Bang Theory’ 3rd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Castle’ 2nd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘CSI: Miami’ 8th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘NCIS’ 7th Season Premiere September 22
• ‘The Goode Wife’ Series Premiere September 22
• ‘The Forgotten Series’ Premiere September 22
• ‘Mercy’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Criminal Minds’ 5th Season Premiere September 23
• ‘Modern Family’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Cougar Town’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Eastwick’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Flash Forward’ Series Premiere September 24
• ‘The Mentalist’ 2nd Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 6th Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Brothers’ Series Premiere September 25
• ‘Smallville’ 9th Season Premiere September 25
• ‘Dollhouse’ 2nd Season Premiere September 25
• ‘The Amazing Race’ 15th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Simpsons’ 21st Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Cleveland Show’ Series Premiere September 27
• ‘Desperate Housewives’ 6th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Brothers and Sisters’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Family Guy’ 8th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘American Dad’ 5th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Lie to Me’ 2nd Season Premiere September 28
• ‘Trauma’ Series Premiere September 28
• ‘Hank’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘The Middle’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘Private Practice’ 3rd Season Premiere October 1
• ‘Ugly Betty’ 4th Season Premiere October 9
• ‘30 Rock’ 4th Season Premiere October 15
• ‘V’ Series Premiere November 3
• Cable Premiere Dates
• ‘Dexter’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Californication’ 3rd Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Stargate Universe’ Series Premiere October 2
• ‘Sanctuary’ 2nd Season Premiere October 9

Nine axes 'Drop Dead Diva' from Monday Nights.

The Nine Network has axed the new drama series ‘Drop Dead Diva’ from its Monday night schedule.

With only one episode played in Sydney and Brisbane, none yet in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Nine have decided to axe the show after losing by more than six percent to channel Seven in the ratings on Monday night.

The Monday 9:30 time slot is now replaced with repeats of ‘The Mentalist’ staring Australian actor Simon Baker from August 10th on Nine.

 Update: Nine decide now not to axe ‘Drop Dead Diva’, leaving in Monday 9:30pm after ‘The Farmer Wants a Wife’.

Sunday, February 1
Cricket – One-Day International: Australia v New Zealand

Monday, February 2
7.30pm – Two and a Half Men – ALL NEW
8.00pm – Big Bang Theory – ALL NEW
8.30pm – Movie: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Tuesday, February 3
7.30pm – WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA: SNEAK PEAK, ALL NEW
8.30pm – Two and a Half Men (adults only)
9.30pm – The Allan Border Medal: Special Presentation

Wednesday, February 4
7.30pm – Domestic Blitz: SPECIAL PRESENTATION
(returns to its regular slot of 6.30pm Sunday on Sunday, February 15)
8.30pm – The Mentalist: ALL NEW
9.30pm – Flashpoint: ALL NEW
10.30pm – Cold Case: ALL NEW

Thursday, February 5
8.30pm – Adults Only 20 to 1: ALL NEW
9.30pm – Kitchen Nightmares USA: ALL NEW

Friday, February 6
Cricket – One-Day International: Australia v New Zealand

Sunday, February 8
Cricket – One-Day International – Australia v New Zealand

Monday, February 9
8.30pm – PREMIERE OF UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES  (2-HOUR TELEMOVIE)

Tuesday, February 10
Cricket – One-Day International: Australia v New Zealand

Wednesday, February 11
7.30pm – THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE: Series 3 PREMIERE
8.30pm – The Mentalist: ALL NEW
9.30pm – Flashpoint: ALL NEW
10.30pm – Cold Case: ALL NEW

Friday, February 13
Cricket – One-Day International: Australia v New Zealand

Saturday, February 14
6.30pm – Australia’s Funniest Home Video Show: 2009 Series Return

Sunday, February 15
6.30pm – Domestic Blitz: ALL NEW (regular timeslot)
7.30pm – Cricket – Twenty20: Australia v New Zealand (final game of season)

Monday, February 16
8.30pm – UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES (regular timeslot)
9.30pm – PREMIERE of AUSSIE LADETTE TO LADY: ALL NEW
10.30pm – CIA: Crime Investigation Australia

Sunday, February 22
6.30pm – Domestic Blitz: ALL NEW
7.30pm – 60 Minutes: 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
8.30pm – CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: ALL NEW SERIES RETURN

• TiVo Australia announces free online movie downloads (via Blockbuster) and online interactive features.

• Showtime renews Californication for a 12-episode third season.

• ABC announces mid-season replacements Cupid, Castle and The Unusuals.

• CBS announces mid-season replacements Harper’s Island and Game Show in My Head.

• Reaper returns March 17 on The CW.

• The Office scores post-Super Bowl slot on NBC.

• The Mentalist (3.8/9) beats Fringe (3.7/9) in target demo for the third week in a row.

Sources: Variety, The Australian

What an interesting fall it has been, with a number of good performances from The Mentalist, Smallville, Supernatural and Gossip Girl to name a few and many casualties in My Own Worst Enemy, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, Do Not Disturb, Lipstick Jungle, The Ex-List, Easy Money, Valentine, In Harm’s Way and Til Death. Here is how I rate each show.

Winners

The Simpsons: Back for its 20th season, The Simpsons has been Fox’s Sunday night stable mate pulling in an average of ~9M viewers this season. Couple this with the highest rating Treehouse of Horror episode in five years. Simpsons is definitely a winner for Fox even though the jokes seem to be recycled over and over again.

Family Guy: Has not dropped out of the weekly top 10 in the 18-49 bracket and dominates the 18-34 demo against the likes of Desperate Housewives and NFL. Has a number of years left in it.

Desperate Housewives: Now into its fifth season, the housewives seem to never age. Viewership has diminished due to a lacklustre third season (?), nevertheless it is Sunday’s night top scripted drama in total viewers and 18-49 demo.

Chuck: Against some tough opposition, Chuck managed to remain around the 6.5M mark and over the 2 rating in key demos in the fall.

Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother: Continually defies the critics, occasionally winning the timeslot in the key demos and has slowly built an audience over the fall season.

Two and a Half Men: Veteran CBS comedy which defies logic and reaps in excess of 14M viewers every week.

CSI: Miami and CSI: NY: The two spin-offs constantly pull in the masses and in Miami’s case building on its lead in.

Gossip Girl: Season 2 has been somewhat of a break through season for the teen drama, hitting series high numbers and providing a suitable and beneficial lead in for One Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill: After falling below the 3M mark during its 3rd, 4th and 5th seasons, One Tree Hill has bounced back nicely, regularly rating in the mid to low 3M range.

House: The move to 8/7c hasn’t helped its numbers, but it is taking one for the team as Fox continue to develop Fringe. Still pulls in massive demos for the news corp. network.

The Mentalist and NCIS: Against the House and Dancing juggernauts these two dramas have performed admirably, especially The Mentalist which does particularly well for the eye in the demos.

90210: Was off to a flying start, but numbers have settled around the 3M mark. Occasionally out-rates CW’s other teen dramas in One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl.

Criminal Minds: Behind the CSI franchise, it is CBS’s best rating demographic show amongst all the crime procedurals.

30 Rock: Has been nurtured nicely and off the back of the US election and Tina Fey’s extra exposure, numbers have soared to series highs.

The Office: The peacock’s best rating show in the fall, challenges the likes of Grey’s Anatomy, House and Desperate Housewives for the 18-49 crown.

ER: In its final season and still pulling in the viewers left, right and centre. Also defeats the likes of lead in assisted shows Life on Mars and Eleventh Hour in the key demos. One of NBC’s top rating shows of the fall.

CSI: Still pulling in the masses in its ninth season, also stays competitive in the demos against the demo king Grey’s Anatomy.

Grey’s Anatomy: Numbers have died down for the once ratings juggernaut, but it is still the week’s top rating demo show.

Supernatural and Smallville: Are up year-on-year and ratings can not be better with Supernatural soaring to series highs. Well deserved winners.

On the Bubble

King of the Hill: The recently cancelled animated comedy just misses out on the winners list. Regularly winning its timeslot in the 18-34 demo and hovering around the 6-7M mark week in week out. What were the execs at Fox smoking when they swung the axe?

American Dad: My favourite animated comedy of them all, does well in the demos but poor retention out of Family Guy has it a bee’s d**k away from a winner.

Amazing Race: Has slipped significantly in the demo, sometimes even dropping below the 2 rating in the 18-34 demo.

Cold Case: Solid numbers for veteran CBS, but its demos aren’t what CBS are looking for. If not for NFL overrun, CBS would be dead last in the demos on Sundays.

Brothers and Sisters: Averages 10M every week and a 4 rating in the demos, but losing a third of a compatible lead in is not good enough. Anymore it would’ve been a loser.

Heroes: Has lost a lot of steam, in previous seasons in has dominated the demos with nothing coming close to it, but this season Two and a Half Men constantly beats it in the key demos.

Prison Break: Has been stable across the fall season and regularly clears the 2 rating in the demos.

Old Christine and Gary Unmarried: Numbers for a relatively easy timeslot are soft, but CBS haven’t had another comedy block outside of Mondays, so this deserves a little credit, only just.

Samantha Who?: Just makes it into this list, retention out of Dancing with the Stars is a paltry 50 odd percent, but nothing else has done better out of Dancing. My judgement on Samantha Who? might change when the ratings for last night are released early tomorrow morning our time.

Boston Legal: After surviving the culling last year, Boston Legal continues to out perform a number of the alphabet’s other shows even though it is in its final season.

Fringe: Still a work in progress and if it weren’t for a House lead-in would be in the trash by now. Nevertheless, does well in the demos and is Fox’s best rating drama since House itself.

Law and Order SVU: Has tumbled to series low numbers, but still a consistent performer for an otherwise struggling network.

The Biggest Loser: Constantly slides under the radar for NBC, it is one of NBC’s best performers in demos.

America’s Next Top Model: Initially numbers were soft but has built as the season progressed, with the finale pulling in 4.8M and was the night’s top rating program amongst the 18-34 demo.

Private Practice: Best of a bad bunch on a Wednesday night, numbers will improve once it proceeds its sister show, Grey’s Anatomy.

Ugly Betty: Hasn’t reached the highs of its inaugural season, but still one of ABC’s better shows.

Life on Mars and Eleventh Hour: Poor retention out of lead in, but numbers have been acceptable.

Survivor: The reality veteran continues to kick off CBS’s Thursday night with a bang.

Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs: Solid but not spectacular Friday night performers.

Everybody Hates Chris and The Game: Numbers are down on Smackdown, but approx 1.5-2M isn’t a bad effort for The CW.

Losers

The Unit: Moving it from Tuesday night to Sundays has sugar coated some flaws but retention out of Cold Case is good, however demos are a worry.

In Harm’s Way, Easy Money and Valentine: all lasted less than 6 weeks, could only muster 1M or so viewers and couldn’t even crack a point in the demo.

My Own Worst Enemy: The recently cancelled drama had a lot of potential, but numbers just didn’t stack up.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Continues to bleed viewers from its series premiere, with its last airing netting less than 5M viewers. It might have a core fan base, but that is where it ends.

Privileged: Even though its one of my favourites of the new fall season, numbers have been poor out of a compatible 90210.

Eli Stone: Poor retention out of Dancing which eventually led to its cancellation.

Without A Trace: No longer appeals to the masses, but averages reasonable numbers for procedural kings CBS.

Pushing Daisies: Struggled in a relatively easy slot, with figures slipping below the 5.5M mark and 2 rating in the demo.

Dirty Sexy Money: Another sophomore drama culled due to ABC’s stupidity, however ratings were poor and cancellation was justified.

Stylista: What were The CW thinking here? Project Runway, Shear Genius to name a few.

Knight Rider: Exciting show which hasn’t caught on to the masses.

Life: Has lost its oomph factor from its freshman season and even with the shift to a more viewer friendly timeslot, numbers have been poor.

Lipstick Jungle: Numbers have headed south since its season two premiere.

Do Not Disturb and Til Death: Should have never green lit these two shows.

Deal or No Deal: Viewer fatigue has finally set in for this once stable performer.

My Name is Earl: Novelty is wearing off this once funny comedy.

Kath and Kim: Hasn’t worked out for NBC, but has the potential to be a good comedy.

Kitchen Nightmares and Hole in the Wall: Down year-on-year in that timeslot.

The Ex-List, Crusoe, Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader and Don’t Forget the Lyrics: Crusoe and Ex-List both couldn’t crack it on Friday, averaging ordinary numbers. The shift to Fridays for 5th Grader and Lyrics hasn’t worked out with both pulling less than its Thursday numbers.

Worst Week: Poor retention out of Two and a Half Men.

Fox were a close second in the 18-49 demo but took the crown in the 18-34 demo with House and Fringe (more House than Fringe). House finished with 12.49M; A18-49: 5.0/14 and A18-34: 4.9/15. While Fringe may be a work in progress, its numbers aren’t promising (8.73M; A18-49: 3.9/10; A18-34: 3.6/10) and loosing nearly 3M from its first half hour (first five minutes of the first half hour includes the last 5 minutes of House).

Over at CBS, NCIS managed 18.16M; A18-49: 3.7/10; A18-34: 2.1/6. The Mentalist which followed continues to be the highest rating freshman drama (15.91M; A18-49: 3.6; A18-34: 2.3/6) with Without a Trace completing the night, 10.37M; A18-49: 2.5; A18-34: 1.6/5. CBS’s Tuesday line-up has held up well against the Dancing with the Stars juggernaut and ratings are sure to improve once Dancing is out of the way.

Capping off the night, NBC had a two hour special of The Biggest Loser netting an unusually low 6.77M; A18-49: 2.6/7; A18-34: 2.2/7. Numbers might have been down last night but it deserves more credit for its 2008 performances given NBC’s troubles this year. However, Law and Order: SVU is loosing steam with a series low rating in the demos (8.55M, A18-49: 3.2/9; A18-34: 2.9/8)

Meanwhile on Cable:

Star Wars: Clone Wars (Cartoon Network, 9pm Friday) 2.775M
Sons of Anarchy (FX, 10pm Wednesday) 2.457M
Mythbusters (Discovery, 9pm Wednesday) 2.348M
South Park (Comedy Central, 10pm Thursday) 2.255M
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 10pm Thursday) 1.297M
True Blood (HBO, 9pm Sunday) 2.4M
Entourage (HBO, 10pm Sunday) 2M

Sorry no Summer Heights High numbers

Source: Nielsen TV Ratings

As TVAUS is down, here’s a special ratings report for those missing their daily ratings fix.

Wednesday Night finished as follows:

ABC: 18.4
Nine: 24.5
SBS: 4.4
Seven: 31.1
Ten: 21.5

It might have been a better performance by Network Ten but they still finished fourth behind the alphabet (19.1 to 21.1) in Sydney and were beaten by Network Seven in their coveted 18-49 demo. But the story of the night goes to Ten with their medical drama House picking up steam. House (Ten) managed 1.02M with 594k in the 25-54 bracket and a night topping 440k in the 16-39 demo. In comparison, Criminal Minds (Seven) netted 1.379M (A25-54: 625k; A16-39: 295k) and Christmas with the Kranks (Nine) pulling a paltry 692k* (A25-54: ~ 360k; A16-39: ~230k). So, you may ask, why the sudden spike in ratings for House? Here’s what I came up with:
i) The absence of Spicks and Specks and Nine’s poor attempt at scheduling (dumping The Mentalist even though they had an episode available)
ii) The special 65 minute episode

I would think the former was the reason for the sudden spike as last week House couldn’t even manage 900k with a 1.3M lead in.

The 9:30pm hour saw under-rated shows Life and The Unit pick up some ground. Here’s how that hour panned out:

Life (Ten): 889k; A25-54: 499k; A16-39: 324k
The Unit (Seven): 839k; A25-54: ~422k; A16-39: ~220k
Christmas with the Kranks (Nine): 692k*; A25-54: ~378k; A16-39: ~240k

Earlier in the night, Nine dominated the 7:30 hour, here’s the breakdown:

Two and a Half Men (Nine): 1.246M; A25-54: 641k; A16-39: 396k
Big Bang Theory (Nine): 1.001M; A25-54: 508k; A16-39: 353k
Air Crash Investigation (Seven): 1.14M; A25-54: 475k
Futurama (Ten) 1 hour average: 667k; A16-39 295k

Over on the ABC, The New Inventors finale garnered a respectable 1.01M with Summer Heights High averaging 449k.

Other notable figures include:

Prison Break (Seven): 446k
Newstopia (SBS): 142k
Late Show with David Letterman: 153k

*Two hour average for Christmas with the Kranks
Note: Some of my 16-39 and 25-54 figures are calculated

All data sourced from Oztam

CBS crime drama, The Mentalist, which stars Australia’s Simon Baker, has been given a full season order. It’s the first new CBS series to be given a back-nine order.

Locally, the Nine Network can finally rejoice, it looks like this season wont be a complete bust. After several years of picking up US series which were cancelled within the first 13 episodes, they finally have a couple in the bag which ought to gain a second season, provided the US ratings stay strong.

The Mentalist joins fellow Nine Network drama, Fringe and The CW’s 90210 on the freshman full season order conveyer belt.

Gossip Girl Extended

Meanwhile, The CW’s Gossip Girl has been given a two-episode extension to it’s full season order, bringing the total to 24 episodes. The additional episodes are to make up for the shortened previous season, due to the writers strike. The extension comes as the teen drama continues to reach series highs for the green network.

The Mentalist stars Simon Baker and will air 8:30pm Sunday, October 5 on Nine.

I guess I’ll have to switch over the channel Seven to find out when the Olympics are over in order to find out when The Mentalist starts. What’s wrong with giving us a good old fashioned date? Hrrm?

The Mentalist also stars Robin Tunney (Prison Break), Owain Yeoman (The Nine), Tim Kang (The Unit) and Amanda Righetti (Reunion). 

See Nine’s promo below.

The Mentalist premieres September 23 on CBS and will be fast-tracked by the Nine Network.