‘Great Band’ will follow ‘Idol’ format
Not content merely with finding the next great pop star, the producers of “American Idol” are looking for the country’s great undiscovered band.
“The Search for the Next Great American Band” (the sure-to-be-changed working title) is seeking musical ensembles of all stripes and genres, apparently without age limits or other restrictions (bands must include at least two people and can’t be a cappella).
The yet-unannounced judges will narrow the field down to 10 semifinalists before treating those groups to the full “Idol” treatment – live audiences, wacky theme weeks and voting by the American people.
“If you thought ‘American Idol’ was intense, wait until you see what a band must go through for its shot at fame,” the producers said in a statement.
No timetable for the show has been announced.
“Wedding” crashes
The black hole that is NBC’s 10 p.m. Monday time slot has claimed another victim.
The network has pulled its unscripted series “The Real Wedding Crashers” from the time period. For the remaining two Mondays of the season, new episodes of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” will air in the post-“Heroes” spot; those episodes will then repeat in the show’s usual Tuesday home the following night.
For those keeping score at home, “The Real Wedding Crashers” is now the third casualty of the time slot on NBC this season. Aaron Sorkin’s backstage drama “Studio 60” and Paul Haggis’ “The Black Donnellys” had previously occupied the hour, and both fell victim to lackluster ratings.
“Studio 60” is scheduled to return May 24 at a new time, Thursdays at 10 p.m.
“L&O” to TNT?
If “Law & Order” continues into an 18th season next year, one possible scenario has it doing so on cable.
TNT, which owns the rights to the “Law & Order” library and airs multiple repeats of the show each day, has proposed that if NBC opts not to pick up the series for 2007-08, it could take over original episodes of the show.
NBC, TNT and a representative for “L&O” executive producer Dick Wolf all say it’s “premature” to comment on the future of the venerable crime show, which is on track to hit 400 episodes next season
The broadcast networks will announce their fall seasons next week in presentations to advertisers.
The fate of both the main “Law & Order” and its youngest spinoff, “Criminal Intent,” has been the subject of heavy speculation in recent weeks. Both shows have suffered ratings slides this season, and neither one comes cheap for NBC, which is looking both to raise its flagging standing in the Nielsens and cut costs.
The third and highest-rated of the “Law & Order” troika, “SVU,” has already been renewed for next season.
More ‘Mars’ likely
“Veronica Mars” just might get a chance to grow up after all.
The fan-favorite drama is nearing a fourth-season renewal from the CW network, thanks to a reworking of the formula featuring the titular petite private eye, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
If the new season gets off the ground, the show will have fast-forwarded to a few years in the future, when Veronica (Kristen Bell) is studying at the FBI Academy.
The CW’s cancellation of “Gilmore Girls” and “7th Heaven,” which will leave the network with a little wiggle room for the fall, also may help “Mars’ ” chances.
Endless ‘Entourage’
HBO has been known to let the better part of two years pass between seasons of its original series. But that will emphatically not be the case with “Entourage” this summer.
The show’s current season is scheduled to come to an end June 3. It will then be off the air for all of 14 days before a new season kicks off on June 17, where it will anchor a Sunday lineup that also features two new shows: David Milch’s drama about a Southern California surfing family, “John From Cincinnati,” and the comedy “Flight of the Conchords,” about a pair of musicians from New Zealand trying to make it in New York.
HBO has also set a premiere date for the second season of “Big Love,” which will migrate to Monday nights starting June 11.