‘Millionaire’ returning to prime time
ABC is reviving “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” this summer, complete with host Regis Philbin.
A decade after “Millionaire” became a smash hit, it will return to prime time as an 11-night event, the network says. It premieres Aug. 9, concluding Aug. 23.
The quiz show burst on the U.S. scene in August 1999, with Philbin coining an instant catch phrase by asking his contestants: “Is that your final answer?”
Ratings slid when ABC aired the show too often, and it was canceled as a series in 2002. But renewed interest has been signaled by “Slumdog Millionaire,” this year’s Oscar-winning drama about a young contestant on a version of the show in India.
A syndicated daytime version has aired in the U.S. since 2002, with Meredith Vieira as host.
‘Runway’ struts again
“Project Runway” finally has a date to reunite with fans after sewing up its legal battle: The show’s sixth season will start Aug. 20.
Lifetime, the new cable TV home for the designer-competition series, announced the season premiere along with a new companion series, “Models of the Runway.”
“Project Runway,” hosted by model Heidi Klum and once part of the Bravo channel lineup, had been tied up in legal action involving NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, the Weinstein Co. and the Lifetime channel.
Lifetime says “Models of the Runway,” which looks at the reality competition from the models’ viewpoint, will follow “Project Runway.”
‘Betty’ back early
“Ugly Betty” fans will be happy to learn that ABC has decided to bring it back one week earlier than had been planned.
The show will return April 30 with Betty (America Ferrera) still having a crush on Matt, and Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) wondering if William is her biological son.
The move means that “Samantha Who?” – which has been struggling in the ratings since the writers strike – will go off the air indefinitely, along with the new comedy “In the Motherhood.”
ABC announced the renewals of 12 series Thursday, including “Ugly Betty,” but “Samantha Who?” was not among them.
VH1 gets more real
The VH1 cable channel has given renewal orders to five reality series: “I Want to Work for Diddy,” “Brooke Knows Best,” “Gotti’s Way 2,” “Tool Academy” and “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.”
The latter series won’t be the only one with Dr. Drew Pinsky. VH1 also has ordered eight episodes of “Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew,” about a group of people in Los Angeles struggling with sex addiction. It’s due to premiere this fall.
BET grows up
BET, the leading network tailored for black teens and young adults, will be joined by a new channel aimed at an older black audience.
Named Centric, it’s scheduled to debut in October.
Viacom, which owns BET, says Centric will serve black viewers in the 25- to 54-year-old range. It will premiere with an expected reach of 45 million cable homes.
The younger-skewing BET, which signed on in 1980, is available in 89 million homes.
Fox hunting Obama?
Nearly three in 10 Americans say Fox News Channel has been too critical of President Barack Obama.
Pollsters for the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 44 percent of Democrats say Fox has been too tough on Obama, while only 18 percent of Republicans agree.
Either way, Fox News has a winning formula: It has solidified its hold on first place in the ratings since Obama took office, with Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck’s shows doing particularly well.
Although MSNBC has positioned itself as a left-leaning network in prime time and CNN says it tries to be nonpartisan, an identical 16 percent of Americans each found those networks too easy on the new president.