When it comes to TV “viewers”, well over 1 billion people around the world watch TV every single day! In fact, according to a report done by Nielsen ratings the US is one of the highest locations of people that watch TV and next to that is Japan! This is why it makes total sense when you look on TV and there are so many different shows in different categories about different things. There has to be in order to make everyone happy! It doesn’t matter if you like comedy and watch shows like 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother or The Office or you like Drama and your addicted to shows like Lost, Prison Break and 24, there is going to be something very fun and exciting you should be looking for when it comes to spending time online.

Recently I found some really nice sites online that are all about television shows and I wouldn’t doubt it if they even had some of your favorites! They have things like preview videos, out takes, TV show descriptions, and TV show schedules. One of my favorite things about sites such as these is the fact that they are so diverse, its crazy! Not only will you find all of your favorite shows, but you can also find shows that you haven’t ever seen before but always wanted to know a little bit more about. For example, I haven’t ever watched 30 Rock, not because I dint want to but because its on the same time as one of my shows. But I hear that it is absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately when it comes to repeats, they just aren’t available yet.

So the next best thing? Websites like this! I can find video reels, a synopsis for the show and even character biographies! So, even though I have never watched the show before, I know all about the show and honestly I wish it was on when one of my other shows wasn’t on. Well hey, at least I can look forward to the summer time when all the televised repeats come on! Then I can finally be in the “loop” when it comes to all my friends - they all are 30 Rock freaks not Grissom (CSI) or Ziva (David from NCIS) freaks! If you want to check up on your shows for scheduled viewings, new preview videos or information about some of your favorite celebrities from the show or if you want to check out something different altogether, these sites are definitely your best bet for information, entertainment and pure fun!

MEDIA METROPOLIS 

NBC’s lineup in prime time is good. Their shows are watchable, enjoyable and have that touch of quirky that audiences are looking for but something keeps the NBC show schedule from dominating the ratings game. Not even Jay Leno and the perennial Tonight Show could dominate after the news spot. NBC hopes moving the extremely quirky Conan O’Brien to the Tonight Show time slot will help the Peacock TV Network beat the once quirky but now cranky David Letterman. They may be right.

Courtesy of NBC

The Super Bowl pushed their ratings to the top but this secular holiday only comes, like Christmas, once a year and unfortunately NBC doesn’t get to be Santa Claus every year since the Super Bowl is shared with two other networks. All in all, their lineup for each evening is good but it is “watchable good” or “DVR good”? If there was a network with the most shows on a DVR then NBC might win.

NBC brought back Knight Rider with celebrity stars so hot they melt the pixels on the HDTV. Deanna Russo makes us glad that HD has arrived but her piercing eyes can’t beat the all-time favorite, American Idol. The DVR needs to work overtime to get both shows on it.

NBC’s biggest winner is The Office and rightfully so. It is well-done and a sign that a great sitcom can make it against the toughest of odds. 30 Rock fits into the same mold of an excellent sitcom. Both have critical acclaim and both have and will endure. In order for NBC’s line-up to lead the ratings it needs to see what America wants to watch. Heroes started strong and has influenced movies, books and even comics. Plot twists and the lack of character underpinning makes it difficult to follow. It too is a top DVR choice simply because it goes head to head with the best drama on TV in Fox’s 24 and it takes several viewings to understand the latest twists.

What does NBC need to do to grab the ratings? It certainly isn’t producing better shows (so My Own Worst Enemy could have used some tweaks). It does quirky better than most with My Name Is Earl and Kath and Kim but is quirky enough to win the ratings race? Both shows are like watching Jerry Springer sneaking through a trailer park with his candid camera.

One of the NBC Schedule’s highest rated shows is The Biggest Loser. Why is it so popular? It is simple, we are an obese nation obsessed with food that wants to desperately lose weight while we eat pizza and watch people on TV struggle to lose weight. It is a vicarious weight loss that allows us to be a part of it while feeling none of the pain from it. The Biggest Loser is reality at its secondhand best. And isn’t that way TV is all about?

MEDIA METROPOLIS

Entertainment Weekly has answered the question on everybody’s mind (ok - it’s on my mind).  Now that the writer’s strike is over, when will my show come back, and how many new episodes can I expect?

Of note (again, to me, maybe not you)

• 24 - Early ‘09 - 22 episodes (just kidding, of course 24)
• 30 Rock - April 10, 5-6
• Bones - April 14th, 4+
• CSI: Miami - March 24, 8
• Desperate Housewives - Late April, 4-5
• Heroes - Fall 2008
• House - TBD, 4-5
• How I met your mother - March 17, 9
• Lost - They’ve got 10 episodes done, will take a break in mark and finish up the 16 episode season in 13 episodes
• The Office - April 10, 5-6

What about Supernatural?  Hoping they don’t cancel it, like Prison Break.

Courtesy of ABC

ABC has the series monster lineup tonight starting at 8pm:  Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice.  

Well, this more compelling American adaptation of the series elucidates usual flip flops of individual office staff in a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In certain, with compare to the British version, Steve Carell [Michael Scott] as boss, failed to imprint the footprints as Gervais was done in its British version. Steve Carell here is a soundly con and rudely numb chief who plant his own whirl on company plans and make everyone pretend his care for subordinates. 

The Office (Courtesy of NBC)

David Brent [Ricky Gervais] is the general manager of the Slough offices of the Wernham Hogg paper merchants; Tim Canterbury [Martin Freeman] is a sales rep with a funny and natural humor; Gareth Keenan [Mackenzie Crook] is Tim’s oblivious associate and arch-rival with a somber and less striking persona; Dawn Tinsley [Lucy Davis] is a pretty looking front office babe who habitually has to put up with Brent’s attempts at hilarity and social interaction.

The office is equipped this time with a number of vibrant characters who blend with situations and honk more misery and fun that results bone tickling office humor and numerous laugh sequences. Like many shows, it has its own slipups however it is worth recommend for everyone who is curious in mingling with a gifted bit of humor.

Although it is completely crafted in a fictional and scripted manner, the presence of the camera is openly acknowledged by every character of the series that put every extra effort to make the series able to tickle your funny bone.

MEDIA METROPOLIS 

As I watch several different episodes from multiple channels, trying to provide fun information, I can’t seem to get over the amount of commercials.  Obviously, the time of day brings larger and smaller audiences, respectively.  From a marketing perspective, I think of the people watching each show - or the demographic.  As an example, NBC’s “30 Rock“, targets the 18-49 year old group as does “The Office“, “CSI”, etc. 

Knowing each demographic and when they are watching is important to advertisers.  It is also very expensive.  A specific ad placed randomly throughout the day will be less expensive than primetime tv at a specific time, such as 7:00pm for CBS’s, “60 Minutes”.  According to Wikipedia, there can be as much as 15 minutes per one-hour episode of commercials.  If each commercial is 30-seconds to 1-minute, then we are witnessing 15-30 commercials an hour!  When the SuperBowl comes around, and we hear those amazing statistics about cost per ad, such as $2 Million for each commercial in the 1st quarter, I will let you know how many are for the sporting event. 

What is your opinion of having so many ads per episode?  Do you find most of them useful?  How do you view the new interactive ads asking viewers to watch an episode, find a clue, then go to their Web site and enter the answer resulting in a reward? 

In my opinion, I think that is good marketing.  Reward the viewer for enjoying not only the tv show and episode, but sitting around for the ads as well.  Everyone wins in that picture!

MEDIA METROPOLIS

NBC, in its recent announcement unveiled its stirring fall lineup for the 2008-09 television seasons with some of its highly cherished and popular series and a number of new attractions altogether. In its stunning Monday schedule Chuck [8:00PM] has made its place that scripts about a retail hacker who sells computers, become a hunted man with a computer in his brain; with My Own Worst Enemy [10:00PM] where Christian Slater plays a man with two identities. In addition returning of The Biggest Loser [Tuesday 8: 00 PM] where overweight contestants are competing to win $250,000 by losing the highest percentage of their starting body weight, is also adding a gem in the schedule.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit [Tuesday 10: PM] needs a big mention here that secures a large audience group with its unique presentation style where Law & Order franchise records the life and crimes of the elite Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department. NBC also filled Wednesday with complete thrills and actions with Knight Rider [8:00 PM] and Deal or No Deal [10:00 PM]. The entire schedule adorns the Thursday with The Office [9:00 PM] that manipulates the daily interactions of a group of idiosyncratic office employees at paper company; and My Name is Earl [8:00 PM] narrates the tale of a young Earl gets his heart broken by the babysitter and swears revenge on her and her boyfriend.

Worth bring up the name of Friday Night Lights [Friday 9:00 PM] and Life [Friday 10:00 PM] that sticks the audiences with their bedroom carpets. Saturday itself shows its importance with some fabulous stuffs worth watching like Dateline NBC [8:00 PM] that depicts the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles. Last but not least, on Sundays you can enjoy a sea of football broadcasts with Football Night in America [7:00 PM] if simply watching a great game of football isn’t enough for you!

Officials at NBC very much assured that the schedule may create passion among the audience with all new interesting and amazing programs at your own television.

I am looking forward to this new season!

MEDIA METROPOLIS