WHY 8PM IS NOW THE CUSHIEST SLOT FOR MAJOR U.S. NETWORKS |
For decades, TV schedulers were trained to look for self-starters to open the nights at 8 p.m. without having to rely on a lead-in. It was considered a challenging assignment that only the strongest shows could accomplish. Over the years, mega hits like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Survivor and Dancing with the Stars have held the anchor position, tasked with generating momentum for the rest of the lineup.
Meanwhile, 10 p.m. was considered the marquee drama slot, with such iconic series as ER, Law & Order (the original), The Practice, NYPD Blue and, more recently, Blue Bloods, calling the hour home.
As the bulk of entertainment fare consumption has shifted to on-demand streaming, live viewing for the programming the local stations carry in the Prime Access 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. hour leading to networks’ primetime — featuring syndicated game shows, news magazines and comedy and drama repeats as well as local news — has remained surprisingly resilient, generating lead-ins stronger than the ones most current primetime series can provide. Suddenly, 8 p.m. is the cushiest time slot on television for the major broadcast networks except Fox. >>>Strong Live Viewing Numbers |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
Buffy's New Blood - Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) has landed the lead opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. Armstrong will play the new slayer in the untitled project, which Gellar executive produces in addition to reprising her signature role as Buffy Summers. >>>Pilot Order At Hulu
'Grey's Anatomy' EP On Finale - In an interview with Deadline, Grey’s Anatomy executive producer showrunner Meg Marinis, who wrote the finale, discusses Season 21's fiery cliffhanger finale and whose lives are in danger. >>>Q&A
'South Park's New Address - Paramount’s $500 million exclusive streaming licensing deal with HBO Max for South Park is set to expire on June 30, allowing the new 27th season, along with the rest of the South Park library, to stream on Comedy Central’s Paramount sibling Paramount+. >>>Another Deal Possible
Luhrmann's Joan Of Arc Co-Pilot - While he hasn’t yet found the actress who’ll play Joan of Arc in his epic Jehanne d’Arc, Baz Luhrmann found an exceptional young voice to help him unlock the screenplay. That would be Ava Pickett, a playwright who wrote the script with Luhrmann. >>>"She's The Best"
A24 Making 'Point' - In a seven-way bidding war, A24 has landed landed Trigger Point, a drama series spec by writer Harrison Query (JonBenet). Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge) is attached to direct and executive produce the project. >>>Big-Name Actors Circling
Sun Screenings - The LA Screenings are returning, with hundreds of TV program buyers flying into Hollywood to see the latest from the studios. How are the buyers and sellers working together to make clever deals amid a complicated global market, Donald Trump's tariff plan and top-level M&A? >>>Slates Ready |
Here, the singer discusses why he felt the new Andrew Dominik-directed documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender was the right vehicle for telling his story and why, after U2 christened The Sphere in Las Vegas with sensory overload-level performances, it was important to him to help push the envelope on a more intimate technology. Mostly, though, this is a discussion about Irish families, and fathers and their sons. >>>Q&A |
| Exclusive Five-time Emmy winner Michael J. Fox is returning to acting with a major guest-starring role on the upcoming third season of Apple TV+’s hit comedy series Shrinking, toplined by Jason Segel and Harrison Ford. Exclusive Kelli Giddish is returning to the venerable NBC crime drama Law Order: SVU full-time, reprising her Amanda Rollins role as a series regular for its upcoming 27th season. Exclusive Netflix has set a July start date in Vancouver for Voicemails For Isabelle, an original romcom written and to be directed by Leah McKendrick and starring Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson. Latter’s deal is being wrapped up. |
More News 🤝 Mel Gibson has found a studio partner for The Resurrection of the Christ, the long awaited follow-up to his 2004 smash hit The Passion of the Christ. Lionsgate will join Gibson and Brucey Davey’s Icon Productions to mount a follow to the movie which long held the mark as the biggest domestic-grossing R-rated film of all time.
🧪 From Ecstasy to MDMA to opiates, GBH and more, there was a lot of drug use during Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura’s self-described “toxic relationship.” In fact, a jury heard yesterday that in early 2012 Combs overdosed and ended up in an L.A. hospital after a party at the Playboy Mansion.
🎟️ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has been cleared for a May 30 release in China. The film has passed censorship and been dated despite the China Film Administration’s recent announcement that it would “moderately reduce” the number of U.S. films imported.
🎙️ CNN will air the penultimate performance of George Clooney's Broadway hit Goodnight, and Good Luck live from the Winter Garden Theatre on June 7. This marks the first time a Broadway performance has been televised live.
|
BY THE NUMBERS
$35M+ - Early tracking for the opening of Lionsgate's 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' |
Obituaries
🕯️ Joe Don Baker, the actor who in the 1973 vigilante film Walking Tall carried a big stick to mete out his own Tennessee brand of justice, died May 7, his family has announced. He was 89. 🕯️ Charles Strouse, the musical composer for such Broadway hits as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and Annie, films including Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and for the TV series All In The Family , died at his home in New York City on May 15. He was 96. 🕯️ Jane Bright, the Survivor: Nicaragua fan favorite, has died. She was 71. The Season 21 contestant’s daughter said her mother's body was discovered in her North Carolina home. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery |
On the Radar Fri - Disneyland's 70th birthday celebration begins
Sat - Netflix's FYSEE: LA kicks off; Scarlett Johansson hosts SNL
Mon - Tom Cruise on Fallon
Thu - Epic Universe opens |
Lady In Black - Nicole Kidman attends the Season 2 premiere of Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers. |
|
