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Top 1980s and 1990s comedy writer-producer David W. Duclon, who created Punky Brewster and co-developed Silver Spoons, died Wednesday morning, January 15, after a long illness. He was 74.

Born Warren David Duclon in Rockford, Il, Duclon started his career as a writer on classic 1970s sitcoms such as The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons and Diff’rent Strokes.

His first writing credit was on a handful episodes of the The Odd Couple alongside Garry Marshall, who took him under his wing and taught him how to be a showrunner while Duclon worked on his hits Happy Days and spinoff Laverne & Shirley.

Over the next decade, Duclon went on to create a slew of sitcoms of his own. He developed CBS’ 1979 comedy Working Stiffs starring James Belushi and Michael Keaton; co-developed the 1982-debuting Silver Spoons, which ran on NBC for four seasons and another in first-run syndication; and...

The following contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" season 1, episode 4, "Can't Say I Remember No At Attlin."

Neel (voiced by Robert Timothy Smith) on "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" might look like a cute "Star Wars" mascot character archetype, but the plucky blue alien keeps subverting the odds and is well on his way to establish himself as the series Mvp. In episode 4, titled "Can't Say I Remember No At Attlin" after Sm-33's (voiced by Nick Frost) surprisingly meaningful favorite saying, Neel's courage saves Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and Kb (Kyriana Kratter) from certain death. Meanwhile, his pacifism and honesty manage to impress future Troik clan chieftain Hayna so thoroughly that his charm may inspire her to become a peaceful ruler -- thus potentially ending the cycle of violence that has plagued At Achrann for who knows how long.

The tough but thoughtful Hayna is deftly played by Hala Finley.

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Billy Gibbons is many things. He's one of the core members of the band Zz Top, a wildly popular rock band that has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and is known best for their hit "Sharp Dressed Man." Gibbons himself is easy to recognize thanks to his very distinctive look, which includes a beard that instantly makes him stand out (even to those who aren't particularly big Zz Top fans). He's also an actor, on occasion, perhaps most notably on the TV show "Bones."

Fox's procedural "Bones," starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, was wildly successful, airing for 12 seasons. While Deschanel's Brennan and Boreanaz's Booth, among several others, helped anchor the show during that long run, there were also quite a few memorable guest stars along the way. Gibbons first entered the fold in the season 1 episode "The Man in the Fallout Shelter.

Bill Cobbs, a prolific film and TV actor with memorable performances in Night At The Museum, Brother From Another Planet, Oz The Great And Powerful, The Sopranos and dozens of others, died surrounded by family Tuesday, June 25, of natural causes at his home in Inland Empire, California. He was 90.

His death was announced by family members on Facebook, and confirmed to Deadline by his publicist Chuck I. Jones.

“We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs,” wrote brother Thomas G. Cobbs. “On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones. As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”

Said Jones, “Bill...

Bill Cobbs, the convincing character actor who had pivotal turns in such films as The Hudsucker Proxy, Sunshine State and Night at the Museum, has died. He was 90.

Cobbs died Tuesday night at his home in Riverside, his publicist, Chuck I. Jones, told TMZ.

A native of Cleveland who excelled at comedy as well as drama, Cobbs portrayed Whitney Houston’s manager in The Bodyguard (1992), the older brother of Medgar Evers in Rob Reiner’s Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), a jazz pianist in Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! (1996) and the Master Tinker, builder of the Tin Woodsman, in Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

He also played the wise coach who put a basketball-playing dog into the Timberwolves lineup in Air Bud (1997).

On television, Cobbs stood out as the sardonic bartender The Dutchman on the Dabney Coleman-starring The Slap Maxwell Story, the bus driver Tony on The Drew Carey Show,...

We’ve all been there: You’re ready to call it a night and be alone, but a guest can’t seem to take the hint that you’d like them to get going. Over the years, many television shows have featured a houseguest who, for one reason or another, just won’t leave. Coined “The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave” on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s, the trope can commonly be spotted in sitcoms like Friends, Schitt’s Creek, and Yes, Dear. The guest often remains oblivious until the host finally snaps — like when Arthur’s D.W. famously quips, “Can I ask you a question? Why don’t you go back to your own house and stop bothering us?!” Usually the guest is grating, but harmless, and the whole thing is played for a laugh.

Extended Family — Pictured: (l-r) Donald Faison as Trey, Abigail Spencer as Julia, Jon Cryer as Jim — (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC) Extended Family, a new sitcom from creator Mike O’Malley, tells the story of a divorced couple who decide to maintain an unusual post-parting relationship, with their kids staying at the family’s home, and the parents taking turns living there with them. Former Scrubs star Donald Faison complicates matters when he becomes engaged to the mother, setting up an interesting dynamic between him and Cryer. But regardless of how the characters may feel about each other on the show, Faison says getting to work with Cryer has been absolutely amazing. (Click on the media bar below to hear Donald Faison) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Donald_Faision_Jon_Cryer_Extended-Family-_.mp3

Extended Family premieres December 23 on NBC, and episodes will start streaming on Peacock the day after they air.

Bob Barker, longtime host of daytime game show “The Price Is Right”, has died at age 99.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest Mc who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us,” Barker’s publicist Roger Neal said in a statement, as reported by Today.

According to TMZ, who first broke the story, Barker died in his L.A. home on Saturday, of natural causes.

Barker launched his broadcasting career in 1950, hosting radio’s “The Bob Barker Show” before venturing into the then-new medium of television.

Read More: Bob Barker Joins PETA In Slamming ‘Zoo’ For Use Of Wild Animals

In 1956, he was tapped to host “Truth or Consequences”, NBC’s TV version of its popular radio game show. The show became a hit, going into syndication in 1966. Barker continued to host until it went off the air in 1975.

Meanwhile, in 1972 he began hosting...

If you've seen Rose McIver or Utkarsh Ambudkar on Stephen Colbert, CBS Mornings, or various other stops on the press circuit lately, it's because they are now the stars of a big TV show in Ghosts.

Adapted from a British TV show by Joe Port, many viewers might not have had a lot of hope for the show considering the mixed history of British TV spin-offs and the fact that it was dumped onto network TV rather than an edgier network.

However, the show was network television's highest-rated new comedy last year.

It has also continued to build its audience after its first season success: Variety reported that Ghosts was the network's top comedy on both live viewing and the Paramount Plus streaming site, and the show has helped lift the slate of CBS sitcoms above the competition.

But why has this show broken through from such a disadvantaged start?...

NBC has given a series order to an untitled comedy pilot written by Mike O’Malley.

The multi-cam series follows Jim (Jon Cryer) and Julia (Abigail Spencer), who, after an amicable divorce, decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when Trey (Donald Faison), the owner of his favorite sports team, enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart.

Also starring are Finn Sweeney and Sofia Capanna as Jim and Julia’s kids, Jimmy Jr. and Grace, respectively.

O’Malley and Cryer both serve as executive producers along with Tom Werner, Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari and George Geyer. Lionsgate TV and Universal Television co-produce the series.

O’Malley is best known as an actor, with roles including Jimmy Hughes in “Yes Dear,” Burt Hummel in “Glee” and most recently,...

America is full of inequalities, and most of them have been amplified since Covid-19 arrived. Oxfam reports that 99 percent of the world’s income fell in 2020, while the Earth’s 10 richest men saw their fortunes more than double. Underpaid essential workers toiled while white collar workers bought dumb shit online and worked at home in sweatpants, and 70 (70! It’s a lot!) congresspeople were caught dumping stocks before the rest of America really learned how bad Covid was about to get. It’s a fucked up system, and sometimes, it seems like there’s really no legit way out of it.

All of that is certainly considered in “Sprung,” the new Amazon Freevee series from “Yes, Dear,” “My Name Is Earl,” and “Raising Hope” creator Greg Garcia. The show’s 10 episodes follow three ex-cons released early because of Covid, who are promptly (and unceremoniously) dropped into society. Jack (Garret Dillahunt) spent...

Kate Walsh has joined the cast of “Sprung,” an upcoming original comedy series from Emmy-winning writer Greg Garcia and Amazon Freevee. Camden Garcia and Andre Jamal Kinney have also been added to the cast, which includes Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt, Shakira Barrera, Phillip Garcia, Clare Gilles and James Earl.

“Sprung” follows a group of formerly incarcerated people who decide to use their criminal expertise for good. The show centers on Jack (Dillahunt), who has nowhere to live after being released from more than two decades in prison. He moves in with former cellmate Rooster (Phillip Garcia), Rooster’s mother Barb (Plimpton) and Jack’s former prison girlfriend Gloria (Barrera). The group decides to use their skills to right the wrongs of society, targeting those who take advantage of others during the pandemic.

Walsh will play Congresswoman Paula Tackleberry, who is targeted by the group for using insider trading secrets to...

Natalie Desselle Reid, a series regular on early 2000s Upn TV series “Eve” and an actress is several “Madea” movies, has died following a battle with colon cancer. She was 53.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning from colon cancer,” a statement on Desselle Reid’s Instagram page reads. “She was a bright light in this world. A queen. An extraordinary mother and wife. Her diverse career touched so many and she will be loved forever.”

“Naturally, we are grieving and processing this profound loss and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time,” the statement continued.

Holly Robinson Peete, whose mother Dolores Peete managed Desselle Reid’s career, broke the news shortly before on Twitter.

“Just absolutely decimated by this news… Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning. I...

TV writer Greg Garcia grew up obsessing over sitcoms and comedy — which is why it’s fitting that he wound up in the profession, creating such memorable hits as “My Name Is Earl,” “Raising Hope,” “Yes, Dear,” and his current TBS anthology series, “The Guest Book.”

But he’s still a fan first and foremost, which is why he couldn’t wait recently to finally meet one of his idols, Jerry Seinfeld. It didn’t go as well as he had hoped.

As a kid, Garcia would sneak a peek at “The Tonight Show,” when he was supposed to be asleep, in the hopes that he’d catch Seinfeld as a guest. “I kept watching his career going on, and felt this bond with this person whom I had never met in my life,” he told IndieWire.

When Garcia recently found himself backstage after a Seinfeld show, he couldn’t...

Jerry Van Dyke, the famed younger brother of Dick Van Dyke, has died TMZ has learned. Jerry's wife, Shirley, tells us he died Friday afternoon at their Arkansas ranch with her by his side. She says they were involved in a car accident over 2 years ago and Jerry's health had deteriorated since. We're told Dick visited them at the ranch over the Christmas holiday. A beloved comedian just like his brother, Jerry pursued stand-up as a young man and performed at military bases around the world. He made his acting debut on "The Dick Van Dyke" show and followed that up with appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" before becoming a regular on "The Judy Garland Show." Jerry's best known for his role on "Coach," where he played Asst. Coach Luther Van Dam alongside Craig T. Nelson. He also had major roles on "Yes, Dear" and most recently, "The Middle." He was 86. RIP...

Alan Kirschenbaum died on Friday, his agency, CAA, has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 51 years old. The TV vet spent over three decades writing for various sitcoms, starting with work on Everything's Relative and Dear John in the late 1980's. He later wrote for Coach and Everybody Loves Raymond, then served as co-exec producer and writer on Stark Raving Mad and Yes, Dear, the Anthony Clark-Jean Louisa Kelly CBS comedy that he also co-created.

More recently, Kirschenbaum was a consulting producer on NBC's My Name is Earl and

read more...

My Name Is Earl executive producer Bobby Bowman has inked a new two-year overall deal with series producer 20th Century Fox TV.

Under the seven-figure pact, Bowman will continue on Earl, where he runs the writers' room and manages the show's writing staff, serving as an executive producer alongside creator Greg Garcia and director Marc Buckland. He also will develop new projects for the studio.

Bowman has spent the past eight years at 20th TV, working on Family Guy, Yes, Dear and Earl.

The studio's continuous collaboration with Bowman is "no coincidence," 20th TV chairman Gary Newman said.

"He can do it all -- animation, multicamera, single-camera," he said. "He's as versatile as it gets, and that's particularly important to this studio, which prides itself on being adventurous in our comedy development."

Bowman also joked about his "monogamous relationship with 20th."

"They do exciting shows and have great executives," he said. "Sure, I would prefer it if 20th were monogamous in return, and didn't feel the need to have multiple partners. But they're not going to change."...

CBS announced a flurry of midseason changes to its schedule Wednesday. The eye is giving The New Adventures of Old Christine the Monday 9:30 p.m. slot after Two and a Half Men beginning March 13. Christine, which stars Julia-Louis Dreyfus, will mark the third sitcom in that slot this season, following Out of Practice and Courting Alex. Beginning March 22, those two sitcoms will move to Wednesday from 8-9 p.m., replacing the pairing of Yes, Dear and Still Standing. Neither of those series is being yanked early; both will have fulfilled their episode orders for the season. Also new to the CBS schedule is the new drama The Unit, which starts Tuesdays at 9 p.m. beginning March 7. On Tuesday, NBC declared its intent to keep the lights on at The Office through the rest of the season. The peacock reconsidered its intent to end the sitcom's current season March 30, scheduling the season finale for May 11.

American Idol mowed down everything in its path Wednesday, but ABC made it a horse race at 9 p.m. with Lost squaring off against the premiere of Fox's Skating With Celebrities. Idol opened up the second night of its fifth-season premiere with no less than 31.7 million viewers and an eye-popping 13.0 rating/33 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. The rest of the 8 p.m. competition combined couldn't match Idol's oomph; UPN's new drama South Beach (1.7 million, 0.7/2) and NBC's E-Ring (7.9 million, 1.9/5) in particular took a drubbing. At 9 p.m., however, Skating (18.7 million, 7.2/17) slipped to No. 2 against Lost (19.1 million, 8.0/18), which was a feat for Lost given Skating's lead-in advantage. CBS' Criminal Minds (14.1 million, 4.0/9), which has performed well against Lost in recent weeks, felt the pinch but still managed to spike from its 8:30 p.m. Yes, Dear (7.1 million, 2.2/5) lead-in.

Let's get Lost -- that's what 20 million fans did Wednesday night as the network served up its first fresh episode of the drama series since Nov. 30. Lost pulled in 20.5 million viewers and 8.4 rating/20 share in the adults 18-49 demographic at 9 p.m., according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. At 8 p.m., a Lost clip special dubbed Lost: Revelation garnered a healthy 13.5 million and 5.0/13 in 18-49. ABC's momentum ebbed at 10 p.m., however, as rookie drama Invasion (9.6 million, 3.8/10) plunged from its Lost lead-in. CBS' Criminal Minds (15.8 million, 4.8/11) performed well against Lost in the 9 p.m. hour and posted a growth spurt from its 8:30 p.m. lead-in, comedy Yes, Dear (9.1 million, 3.2/8). At 10 p.m., it was a tighter race between CBS' CSI: NY (13.1 million, 4.3/11) and NBC's Law & Order (12.9 million, 4.0/10), which spiked from its 9 p.m. lead-in, The Biggest Loser (6.6 million, 2.7/6).

The number of product placements on network primetime television jumped about 30% in 2005 to 106,808, up from 82,014 the previous year, according to Nielsen Media Research's product placement tracking service Place Views. The total duration of product placements on network primetime rose 22%, from 157 hours in 2004 to about 191 hours last year. Visual onscreen placements increased 33.5%, from 64,920 to 86,668, while brand mentions rose 24%, from 19,876 to 24,723. The 10 TV shows with the most product placement in 2005, measured in terms of total duration, were The Contender (NBC), Fear Factor (NBC), American Idol (Fox), The King of Queens (CBS), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), The Apprentice (NBC), The Amazing Race Family Edition (CBS), What I Like About You (WB Network), The Amazing Race (CBS) and Yes, Dear (CBS). Contender, from reality and brand integration maven Mark Burnett, scored a total of 7,514 brand occurrences in just 15 telecasts, compared with American Idol's 3,497 occurrences in 43 telecasts and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's 3,318 occurrences in 73 telecasts.

CBS is planning to infuse more fresh blood into its schedule next season than it had last year. The network will add at least eight new series: three comedies and five dramas. The dramas picked up for 2005-06 range from CBS' bread-and-butter crime procedurals (American Crime, Quantico) to the supernatural (Threshold, Ghost Whisperer) to the military-themed The Unit, starring Dennis Haysbert. After years of total domination of the male point of view on CBS' comedies, the network is going for a more balanced approach next season with its new sitcoms Everything I Know About Men and Flesh & Blood. Another comedy, the Julia Louis-Dreyfus starrer Old Christine, is a subject of last-minute negotiations between CBS and producer Warner Bros. TV for a midseason order. As of Monday night, the two sides were still apart on several key terms. Meanwhile, the midseason drama Numbers was poised to return for a second season, with the comedies Still Standing and Yes, Dear also looking good to come back.

Comedy writer-producer Bobby Bowman has inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. Under the seven-figure pact, Bowman will develop new half-hour projects for the studio and likely will join an existing 20th TV series. Bowman is no stranger to 20th TV, having worked on two studio comedy series in the past several years -- first on Family Guy and most recently Yes, Dear, on which he rose through the ranks to co-executive producer. The deal with Bowman is one in a slew of overall pacts 20th TV has inked in the past few weeks. It is part of the studio's strategy to "get ahead of the curve" and do "advance planning" ahead of the competitive writer market in June, 20th TV president Dana Walden said.

The West Wing perked up for NBC in its season finale Wednesday while Yes, Dear delivered another strong performance for CBS. Fox took the nightly bragging rights as usual with a half-hour injection of American Idol, which brought in 23.2 million viewers and 9.9 rating/25 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. ABC opened the night on top with 8 p.m. drama Lost (16.5 million, 5.7/17), which was a little off its usual game but dominated the hour nonetheless. At 9 p.m., West Wing delivered its highest poll numbers since January with its sixth-season closer averaging 11.5 million viewers and 3.5/9 in adults 18-49.

Lost packed 'em in again for ABC on Wednesday, but it was slower going for the 10 p.m. debut of the network's midseason drama Eyes. Fox won the night overall in the key adults 18-49 demographic on the strength of 9 p.m.'s American Idol, which brought in 24.9 million viewers and a 10.6 rating/26 share in the demo, according to Nielsen Media Research. The network's new 9:30 p.m. comedy Life on a Stick (9.5 million, 4.4/11) had little luck in capitalizing on its lead-in. Stick slipped behind ABC's 9 p.m. drama Alias (10.8 million, 4.4/11) and NBC's The West Wing (9.9 million, 3.0/7) in total viewers. CBS' The King of Queens (9 million, 2.8/7) was pounded by Idol at 9 p.m., but the eye network's fortunes perked up some at 9:30 p.m. with Yes, Dear (9.7 million, 3.5/9).

Lost packed 'em in again for ABC on Wednesday but it was slower going for the 10 p.m. debut of the network's midseason drama Eyes. Fox won the night overall in the key adults 18-49 demographic on the strength of 9 p.m.'s American Idol, which brought in 24.6 million viewers and 10.5 rating/26 share in the demo, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. The network's new 9:30 p.m. comedy Life on a Stick (9.4 million, 4.3/11) had a hard time capitalizing on its lead-in. Stick slipped behind ABC's 9 p.m. drama Alias (11.1 million, 4.5/11) and NBC's The West Wing (9.8 million, 3.0/7) in total viewers. CBS' The King of Queens (9.1 million, 2.8/7) was pounded by Idol at 9 p.m. but the eye network's fortunes perked up some at 9:30 p.m. with Yes, Dear (9.8 million, 3.5/9).

Alan Kirschenbaum, co-creator/executive producer of CBS' comedy Yes, Dear, has inked a two-year overall deal with Paramount Network TV. Under the seven-figure pact, Kirschenbaum will develop new projects for the studio. If Yes, Dear -- a co-production between 20th Century Fox TV and CBS Prods., which was folded into Paramount last year -- is picked up for a sixth season, Kirschenbaum will continue to run the series with co-creator/exec producer Gregory Thomas Garcia while developing for Paramount. Yes, Dear, which marked its 100th episode this week, returned to the CBS schedule in February with a 13-episode fifth-season order.

NEW YORK -- American Idol came up big again Wednesday night, plowing through the competition at 9 p.m. Fox's Idol averaged 26.1 million viewers and an 11.5 rating/27 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. Its performance was more than double its nearest rival, ABC's Alias (10.5 million, 4.2/10) and better than NBC's West Wing (10.2 million, 3.1/7), CBS's comedy duo of King of Queens (10.4 million, 3.4/8) and Yes, Dear (9.3 million, 3.1/7) as well as WB's Jack & Bobby (2.3 million, 1.0/2) and UPN's Kevin Hill (2.4 million, 1.0/2).

Two comedy projects have received cast-contingent pilot orders at NBC and Fox. NBC has given a thumbs up to My Name Is Earl, while Fox's is betting on The War at Home. Earl, from 20th Century Fox TV and Yes, Dear co-creator/executive producer Greg Garcia, centers on a low-rent crook who, after winning the lottery, decides to use his limited yet oddly effective intelligence to right the wrongs he has made in his life. CAA-repped Garcia wrote the pilot and is executive producing. War at Home, from Warner Bros. TV and studio-based Acme Prods., revolves around hypocritical parents who struggle to maintain dominance over their kids. Rob Lotterstein, who penned the script, is exec producing with Acme's Mindy Schultheis and Michael Hanel. Lotterstein most recently co-created and exec produced with Schultheis and Hanel the WB Network comedy project Sixteen to Life. He is repped by BWCS.

Chris Noth and Mike O'Malley are set to play opposite Hilary Duff in The Perfect Man, which Mark Rosman is directing for Universal Pictures. The story centers on a teenager (Duff) who is trying to find the best mate for her single mom. Noth plays a friend of the family who, unbeknownst to the women, just might have all the qualities they are looking for. O'Malley is one of the potential suitors. The role of the mother has yet to be cast. Marc Platt, Susan Duff and Dawn Wolfrom are producing. Holly Bario and Drew Crevello are overseeing for the studio. Production starts April 29 in Toronto. Noth is best known for playing Mr. Big on HBO's Sex and the City and Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order. The UTA-repped actor recently starred in the TV movie Bad Apple. O'Malley stars on CBS' Yes, Dear and has appeared in such features as Pushing Tin and Deep Impact. He is repped by CAA.

TBS Superstation has acquired multiyear syndicated rights to the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear from Twentieth Television. Dear will join the cable network's Non-Stop Comedy Block beginning in August. TBS is guaranteed up to six seasons of Dear, which is in its fourth season on CBS. Meanwhile, Twentieth continues to lock clearances for Dear in local syndication, which would begin its run in September mostly at Fox-owned stations. Dear is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and CBS Prods.

Twentieth Television has sealed its first wave of off-network sales for the 20th Century Fox TV-produced CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, which will bow in syndication this fall. Twentieth has cleared the show on Fox O&Os and other stations covering 67% of U.S. TV households, including Fox-owned stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The domestic comedy, revolving around two young couples with children who live together but have very different parenting styles, is being offered to stations on an all-barter, no-cash basis for a two-year license term. Yes, Dear, starring Anthony Clark and Mike O'Malley, bowed as part of CBS' Monday sitcom block in fall 2000. "Every time 'Yes, Dear' has been asked to perform, it's done well, and now it's successfully leading off CBS' pivotal Monday night comedy lineup," Twentieth president and chief operating officer Bob Cook said. "Sitcoms run for many years (in syndication), play in multiple dayparts and deliver a high concentration of adults 18-49."...

NBC's Fear Factor and CBS' CSI: Miami were the standouts on Monday despite tougher-than-usual sports competition from the one-two punch of ABC's Monday Night Football and Fox's coverage of the Boston Red Sox's win against the Oakland Athletics to clinch their American League playoff berth against the New York Yankees. ABC was poised to win the night on the strength of MNF, but Fox's baseball coverage likely sapped some viewers away from the gridiron action as the MNF numbers took a dip from recent weeks, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates. (Reliable estimates for ABC's and Fox's live game coverage won't be available until later today.) NBC won the opening hour of primetime with Fear Factor bringing in an average of 13.2 million viewers and 5.7 rating/16 share in the adults 18-49 demographic. CBS' 8-9 p.m. comedies Yes, Dear (10.3 million, 3.3/10) and Still Standing (11.7 million, 3.8/10) were a little soft against Fox's baseball competition, as was CBS' 9 p.m. tentpole Everybody Loves Raymond (17.9 million, 5.9/15).

Despite persistent scrutiny of network and studio hiring practices by the DGA, directing opportunities on top TV series continue to be few and far between for women and minority directors, according to a new DGA study. The study, which examined the hiring practices of the top 40 TV series airing on the Big Four broadcast networks in the 2002-03 season, revealed that for a third consecutive year, Caucasian male directors helmed more than 80% of the episodes of top comedy and drama series airing on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. "Once again, the producers and networks have failed to fulfill their contractual good-faith obligation to hire more women and minority directors," DGA president Martha Coolidge said. "We are prepared to use all available resources at our disposal to change this unacceptable situation and are exploring all options to ensure that the good-faith effort to increase diversity in hiring practices called for under the (DGA) basic agreement is demonstrated through action, not words." In the 2002-03 season, the DGA study found that 13 of the top 40 series did not employ any minority directors, 10 of the top 40 shows did not hire any female directors, and three of the top 40 -- Fox's "24" and CBS' CSI: Miami and Yes, Dear -- did not use any female or minority directors. Of the 860 total episodes studied in 2002-03, Caucasian males directed 705 (82%), women directed 92 (11%), blacks directed 43 (5%), Latinos helmed 14 (2%), and Asians directed eight (1%). The only demographic cohort to have achieved even slight increases during the past three seasons is black directors, up from 3% of total episodes directed in the 2000-01 season to 5% in the most recent season.

The eye network wouldn't blink or even wink Tuesday when it came to guarding details about its 2003-04 season scheduling moves, to be unveiled today at a presentation to advertisers at New York's Carnegie Hall. CBS brass were adhering to chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves' edict to keep a viselike grip on information about the scheduling fate of new and returning series. Even producers and studio executives are traditionally kept out of the CBS loop at this time of year, and this upfront week has been no exception. Despite the gag order, sources said it was looking very likely that CBS would shake up its Monday comedy block. The King of Queens, which has held the Monday 8 p.m. slot since 1999, is rumored to be headed to 8 p.m. Wednesday to anchor a comedy hour filled out possibly by the sophomore season of Still Standing or newcomer The Stones. Yes, Dear is expected to shift to Queens' old slot, shifting up a half-hour from its current 8:30 p.m. berth. Everybody Loves Raymond is widely expected to stay put at 9 p.m., and the conventional wisdom in town has been that the new Charlie Sheen starrer, Two and a Half Men, gets the plum 9:30 p.m. slot.

The eye network wouldn't blink or even wink Tuesday when it came to guarding details about its 2003-04 season scheduling moves, to be unveiled today at a presentation to advertisers at New York's Carnegie Hall. CBS brass were adhering to chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves' edict to keep a viselike grip on information about the scheduling fate of new and returning series. Even producers and studio executives are traditionally kept out of the CBS loop at this time of year, and this upfront week has been no exception. Despite the gag order, sources said it was looking very likely that CBS would shake up its Monday comedy block. The King of Queens, which has held the Monday 8 p.m. slot since 1999, is rumored to be headed to 8 p.m. Wednesday to anchor a comedy hour filled out possibly by the sophomore season of Still Standing or newcomer The Stones. Yes, Dear is expected to shift to Queens' old slot, shifting up a half-hour from its current 8:30 p.m. berth. Everybody Loves Raymond is widely expected to stay put at 9 p.m., and the conventional wisdom in town has been that the new Charlie Sheen starrer, Two and a Half Men, gets the plum 9:30 p.m. slot.

CBS, which boasted the two most successful new dramas this season, is loading up more one-hour programming with five drama pickups as well as nods to two comedies. The drama selections range from David E. Kelley's small-town family drama The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H. and the modern-day Joan of Arc tale Joan of Arcadia to the law enforcement-themed Street Boss, The Unsolved and the untitled JAG spinoff. On the comedy side, the network is betting on two family sitcoms -- the Charlie Sheen starrer Two and a Half Men and The Stones. The veteran Ted Danson comedy Becker is understood to also be in contention for the fall schedule or a midseason backup. CBS will unveil its new lineup Wednesday. Two and a Half Men, from Warner Bros. TV, is expected to get the cushy post-Everybody Loves Raymond Monday 9:30 p.m. slot, with Still Standing moving to 8:30 p.m. and Yes, Dear anchoring the night at 8 p.m. (HR 5/12).

Monday was another big night for CBS' CSI: Miami and another bad night for Fox's new David E. Kelley drama "girls club." CBS won the night by a wide margin, despite having a repeat of Everybody Loves Raymond at 9 p.m. and even as NBC's Fear Factor (12.5 million, 5.4 rating/14 share in adults 18-49) narrowly beat the eye's 8-9 p.m. comedies, The King of Queens and Yes, Dear, in the adults 18-49 demo. CSI: Miami dominated the 10 p.m. hour (18.6 million, 7.1/18), leading CBS to take the night with 17.1 million viewers and 6.2/15 in adults 18-49, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. At 9 p.m., NBC's two-hour Third Watch episode lost a good portion of its Fear Factor lead-in, finishing with an average of 11.9 million viewers and 4.7/11). For Fox, the second outing of 9 p.m. drama girls club fared even worse that last week's premiere. The show drew 5 million viewers and 2.2/5 in adults 18-49 -- down 16% from its premiere and down significantly from its Boston Public (10.2 million, 4.3/11) lead-in. National ratings for ABC's Monday Night Football won't be available until later Tuesday, but preliminary estimates indicate a lackluster primetime rating for the gridiron action.

As the season lurches toward the November sweep, CBS is giving its rivals plenty to worry about. While NBC still won the week ending Oct. 20 in the key 18-49 demo, the eye network has been closing the gap. Season to date, CBS is up 8% in the demo compared with the same period last year, while NBC has dipped 4%. (ABC is down 7%, while Fox is unchanged.) Among total viewers, CBS has climbed 10%, compared with a 3% decline for the peacock. Last week, in fact, CBS took its fourth consecutive win in total viewers (12.7 million average) -- the first time CBS has won the first four weeks of the season since the advent of People Meters in 1987, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. The network has developed formidable power on Mondays and Thursdays, led by such hits as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and Everybody Loves Raymond. But it also has a full complement of veteran second-tier shows that, while perhaps not sexy to TV mavens, continue to appeal to a broad range of viewers: JAG, Yes, Dear and Judging Amy.

CBS' Everybody Loves Raymond and CSI: Miami sealed another nightly win for the network Monday. CBS led all half-hours on the night in total viewers and adults 18-49 but the 8:30-9 p.m. half-hour when the second part of NBC's Fear Factor (13.2 million viewers, 5.8 rating/14 in adults 18-49) prevailed over CBS' Yes, Dear (14.8 million, 5.3/13) in 18-49, according to early Nielsen estimates. Raymond (20.6 million, 7.3/17) at 9 p.m. and CSI: Miami (18.7 million, 7.2/18) at 10 p.m. were the top programs for the night, for which CBS averaged 17.2 million viewers and a 6.3/16 in 18-49. ABC scored 12.4 million viewers and a 5.0/12, with Monday Night Football and 20/20 stepping in to replace The Drew Carey Show and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" which are moving to Friday. NBC (11.7 million, 4.6/11) was third, while Fox's lineup was preempted for baseball coverage.