FOX has ordered an additional nine episodes of the critically acclaimed thriller FRINGE, bringing the series to a full season order of 22.
FRINGE has captivated audiences this fall, winning its Tuesday time period weekly among key demographics and ranking as the No. 1 new series in primetime among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Teens.
Third quarter ratings highlights for Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.
The CW network has greenlit a pilot based on Batman sidekick Robin's early days, called THE GREYSONS, per VARIETY. Clark Kent's pre-Superman days have been explored for the past eight years on SMALLVILLE, and the Robin-centered project could replace it eventually.
SMALLVILLE exec producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson and SUPERNATURAL exec producer McG, under his Wonderland Sound and Vision label are behind THE GRAYSONS. It is also the latest DC Comics franchise turned into a TV show by sibling Warner Bros. TV.
HIT Ent. has launched a yearlong campaign in the U.K. to mark the 10th anniversary of BOB THE BUILDER, the successful and popular preschool property. Bob's 10th anniversary campaign will feature DVD specials, events, new ranges of consumer products and a highly anticipated follow up album and music video.
2009 will also herald a new programming look as BOB moves into CG animation for the first time and is set for broadcast in late 2009.
Cartoon Network will feature exclusive content during commercial breaks from the premiere of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, the first weekly television series from Lucasfilm Animation. Walden Media and EA will both utilize the high profile night of programming to promote their upcoming properties through two custom promotions.
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS premieres on Cartoon Network Friday, October 3 at 9 p.m. (ET, PT) with a limited commercial, one-hour presentation that anchors the network’s all-new night of fantasy, action and adventure.
Following the successful premieres earlier this year of THE MR. MEN SHOW on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and Five in the U.K., Chorion's broadcast partners have committed to a second season of the animated sketch show. A further 52x11 minutes are in production for broadcast in 2009, bringing the total number of episodes available to 104.
Sci Fi Channel has acquired the U.S. television rights to the two STARGATE films STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH and STARGATE: CONTINUUM, which will mark their U.S. television premiere on the channel. Both films are set to air in spring 2009.
The world premiere of Disney-Pixar's "Cars Toons," a new animated short series directed by Academy Award-winner John Lasseter, and starring Lightning McQueen's rusty but trusty friend Mater, will be presented on Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Family beginning Monday, October 27.
When SpongeBob is struck with amnesia and drifts from Bikini Bottom, his friends fear that they've lost their pal forever, in an all-new, half-hour television special, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS' "WhoBob WhatPants?," premiering Monday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. SpongeBob wanders the ocean, a stranger in his own pants, until he encounters the leader of the dangerous Bubble Poppin' Boys, voiced by Ray Liotta (GOODFELLAS), and accidentally becomes a hero. Prior to the special, Nickelodeon will present a four-hour SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS marathon from 4-8 p.m. (ET/PT).
Australian production company Sticky Pictures and Scottish animation studio Red Kite Animation have kicked off production on the new animated comedy series DENNIS & GNASHER (26x24/52x12).
DENNIS & GNASHER is an action-packed comedy series about a mischievous boy Dennis and his ever faithful dog Gnasher aimed at children ages 6 to 11. The series is based on the iconic U.K. children's strip DENNIS THE MENACE published in The Beano comic by DC Thomson.
Sci Fi Channel has greenlit production on the new original drama series WAREHOUSE 13, ordering 11 hours including the previously produced two-hour pilot.
FLASH FORWARD, a spec script by David S. Goyer and STAR TREK vet Brannon Braga is close to a pilot order and series penalty at ABC, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
If the deal closes, ABC could finally have a companion show to LOST in 2009, which also utilizes the flashback and flash forward. ABC Studios is in negotiations to produce.
To revamp Disney-ABC Domestic Television's game show WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE, Blue Room updated the show packaging and game play graphics including logo and in-show graphic effects. The format changes will debut this fall with host Meredith Vieira, premieres its seventh season in national syndication on September 8, 2008.
Australian production company Ambience Ent., creator of ERKY PERKY, GO GO STOP and THE POP PUPS, is in production on a new children's property, LARRY THE LAWNMOWER.
LARRY THE LAWNMOWER (65x30) will be broadcast on the Seven Network in Australia and is a unique live action pre-school series that uses five colorful friendly puppets based on everyday garden tools.
Sci Fi Channel's newly-acquired series LOST scored in syndication with audiences Monday night averaging a 1.0 HH rating and 1.266 million total viewers (P2+) across the 7-11 p.m. stack in Live + Same Day Nielsen data. In addition the telecast delivered 719,000 P25-54s and 658,000 P18-49s.
--In 8-11 p.m., Sci Fi was the #6 cable entertainment network for P25-54s and ranked #8 for P18-49s.--The 8-11 p.m. prime average of 653,000 P18-49s is the Network's best Monday prime performance with series programming since January 1, 2007.
Jeff Foxworthy, already a FOX staple with game show ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER, got an animation pilot greenlit from the network about a dysfunctional NASCAR family, per VARIETY.
Twentieth Century Fox TV will produce the pilot, which is yet untitled, from the comedian and Nancy Hower and John Lehr (10 ITEMS OR LESS), who will write and exec produce. Parallel Ent.'s J.P. Williams will also exec produce.
Nickelodeon has ordered 26 episodes of FANBOY AND CHUM CHUM, a new CG animated comedy series spinning off from the upcoming Nicktoons Network anthology series Random! Cartoons.
BabyTV extends its reach in Africa with a launch on DAARSAT in Nigeria on October 7.
DAARSAT, a new satellite DTH in the region, will be launched by Daar Communications who currently operate major terrestrials, Africa Independent Television and Ray Power Radio Station.
DAARSAT will be the first satellite pay TV platform offering service in Nigeria and operating wholly from Nigeria and will commence with 40 channels, amongst them BabyTV. BabyTV is already available in Africa through MyTV and TrendTV.
Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group will go off the air and offline on Saturday, September 27, from 12 to 3 p.m. (ET/PT), across all its TV properties and related web platforms for its signature Worldwide Day of Play.
Nine Network Australia has commissioned the first season of Ettamogah Ent.'s animated children's program WAKKAVILLE.
WAKKAVILLE follows the adventures of Jaz: a city girl, Buzza, a wannabe surfer who's afraid of water, Martin, a farm boy with dreams of being a NASA engineer and Flick, Buzza's high octane little sister, as they explore their country town of crazy locals, solve mysteries and right wrongs.
Disney is looking at Latin America as a place of possible growth for the Disney Channel, per VARIETY. As it gets harder to earn money in Europe, execs predict that Latin America will be the place to be.
President of Disney Channels Worldwide, Rich Ross, in talking to reporters during a visit to London for the Disney Channel movie premiere of CAMP ROCK, said, "In the next five years Latin America is going to be an economic powerhouse for us. Poland and Australia are other growth markets for us."
Nicktoons Network will air RANDOM! CARTOONS episodes on Saturdays and Sundays this December, starting December 6, according to CARTOONBREW.com.
RANDOM! CARTOONS is 39 shorts for kids, all with different characters and stories and all seven minutes long. A mix of traditional, CG and Flash animation and created by Fred Seibert, the series has been delayed by Nickelodeon several times.
Shorts include ADVENTURE TIME (Pendleton Ward), GARLIC BOY (John R. Dilworth), GARY GUITAR (Bill Plympton), HORNSWIGGLE (Jerry Beck) and SOLOMON FIX (Doug TenNapel).
Production for Joss Whedon's DOLLHOUSE for FOX has been temporarily shut down, per VARIETY.
Twentieth Century Fox TV shut down the show Wednesday, but plans to resume shooting September 25, giving Whedon his requested time to tweak the show's fourth script. Whedon had been directing the first two episodes, keeping him out of the writer's room. As a consequence, the studio, network and Whedon agreed the show's fourth episode needed re-writing, also allowing the writers to get ahead on the next few scripts.
Digital animation and visual effects studio Keyframe Digital Productions is co-producing and creating 3D animation for 26 new half-hour episodes of PINKY DINKY DOO for the second season of the animated preschool series produced by Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza.
Keyframe co-founder Clint Green is also producer and production manager for Keyframe. Keyframe co-founder, Darren Cranford, is directing all 26 episodes, which include 52 segments and 104 games. JoEllyn Marlow is overseeing production for Sesame Workshop.
IFC will air all 26 episodes of the popular anime supernatural thriller series HELL GIRL from Aniplex starting September 30, 2008 at 8 p.m. ET/PT as part of IFC's new Tuesday night AUTOMAT programming block.
