HBO’s ‘Deadwood’ renewed for 3rd year
The outside world has begun to impinge on “Deadwood” this season, but apparently the camp’s characters aren’t willing to give up control of their lawless little kingdom just yet.
HBO has renewed the gritty, profane Western series for a third season. Production on a dozen new episodes will begin later this year, with the third season slated to premiere in 2006.
The show, which follows life in the notorious Deadwood camp in the late 1870s, garnered 11 Emmy nominations following its first season, winning two (for director Walter Hill and for best sound editing). Star Ian McShane won a Golden Globe earlier this year for his performance as saloon owner Al Swearengen.
“Deadwood” also draws a steady audience for the premium-cable channel. Through four airings this season (Sundays at 8 p.m.), the series is averaging about 2.9 million viewers.
Fox multiplies ‘24’
Fans of Fox’s “24” will have three opportunities to see the political thriller next week.
Monday’s regularly scheduled episode will run against CBS’ telecast of the NCAA men’s basketball final in most of the country. So the network has scheduled repeat showings at 9 p.m. on Friday and again on April 10.
The strategy is similar to what Fox did with “24” in its first season, when repeats helped keep the series alive when it struggled in early episodes.
In the episode, further details of a terrorist plot will come to light, including the “most momentous and potentially devastating target” of the complex plan.
Win-lose for ‘Lost’?
Good news for “Lost” fans: The first-season finale, originally planned as a 90-minute episode, is expanding to two hours.
Bad news for “Lost” fans who also watch “American Idol”: The season finales of both shows are now scheduled for the same night.
ABC will air the two-hour “Lost” finale, which will answer at least some of the questions about the plane-crash survivors and the mysterious island on which they’re stranded, on May 25.
It’s also the night that Fox plans to air the two-hour finale of “American Idol.”
When “Lost” aired opposite the two-hour Wednesday premiere of “Idol” in January, it drew more than 19 million viewers (to 26.7 million for “Idol”) – one of its biggest audiences of the season.
Original episodes of the two haven’t run directly opposite each other since then, with “Lost” airing at 8 p.m. and “Idol” at 9.
‘Kojak’ licks ‘em all
Who loves ya, baby? Apparently, several million people do.
The special two-hour debut of USA Network’s “Kojak” update drew 4.5 million viewers last week, making it the most-watched premiere of a new series on ad-supported cable so far this year.
The series, starring Ving Rhames as lollipop-loving New York detective Theo Kojak, begins its regular weekly run on Sunday night at 10.