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[07/13/06 - 12:00 AM]
HBO Sacks 'Rome,' Delays 'Sopranos' Until March, More
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- HBO has firmed up its plans for the coming year as the network outlined its programming highlights for the 2006-07 season at the TCA Summer Press Tour on Wednesday.

The biggest news: the second season of "Rome" will likely be its swan song, despite solid ratings for its freshman go around. HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht indicated its production budget - reportedly as high as $100 million - will be the biggest factor in its decision. The network currently shares the cost with its production partners, the BBC and Italy's RAI, who are only signed through its second season, which will launch on Sunday, January 7. Nevertheless, Albrecht said it's very possible the show could continue, telling reporters: "we may decide that the food in Rome is so good and figure out a way [to continue]."

Also announced:

-- HBO will try shifting movie premieres from Saturdays to Sundays this fall, ending a 15-year tradition. Said fall package, which includes "Fantastic Four," "Doom" and "Domino," will bump the fourth season of "The Wire" - set to begin on September 10 - from 9:00/8:00c to 10:00/9:00c. Albrecht however said the movie schedule will likely revert back to normal once "Rome" bows in January.

-- Also being tested: new episodes of "The Wire" and the revived "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" will be available six days before their premieres on the network's HBO on Demand service.

-- Production on the final "The Sopranos" episodes has been delayed a few weeks to accommodate co-star James Gandolfini's knee surgery. Said development will push the installments from a January to a March start.

-- January is being targeted as the return date for "Extras," whose new season includes cameos David Bowie, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen while next summer will see the return of "Big Love." Joining "Big Love" in June will be "sexLife," a new relationship drama from Cynthia Mort. Beyond the summer, HBO is close to giving series orders to David Milch's "John From Cincinnati" and Alan Ball's "True Blood," based on Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampire" book series. No launch date however was given for the back half of "Entourage's" third season.

-- Albrecht also noted that a sixth season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is "pretty close" to being a done deal with the new season being targeted for late 2007.

-- Saturday, February 3 will see a new concert featuring pop star Kelly Clarkson, live from Wembley Arena in London.

-- And finally, HBO has teamed with Cingular Wireless to offer full-length episodes - segmented into chapters - of early episodes of "Entourage," "Sex and the City," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Dane Cook's Tourgasm." Original mobisodes of "Entourage," focusing on Kevin Dillon's character, are also on tap, acted, written and produced by the cast and crew of the regular series.





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· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO)
· DANE COOK'S TOURGASM (HBO)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· EXTRAS (HBO)
· JOHN FROM CINCINNATI (HBO)
· ROME (HBO)
· RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS: DEF COMEDY JAM (HBO)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· SOPRANOS, THE (HBO)
· TELL ME YOU LOVE ME (HBO)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· WIRE, THE (HBO)





[06/08/26 - 10:55 AM]
Production Begins on Season Two of CBS' "Marshals" - The #1 New Broadcast Series
Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the series averaged 20.4 million multiplatform viewers for the first eight episodes.

[06/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Bear" - Season 5 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX
The final season premieres June 25.

[06/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Rocket, Groot, Mr. Fantastic and Silk Join "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" Season 5, Premiering July 13
This season will introduce a new "Rescue-Webs" story arc in which Team Spidey is able to tackle even more daring rescues with their new Spidey-themed firetruck and rescue gear.

[06/08/26 - 09:16 AM]
"Lupin" Part 4 Will Premiere on October 23rd on Netflix
Omar Sy reprises his iconic role as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief, in these new eight episodes alongside Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard.

[06/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of "Instant Italian" Premiering Monday, June 29 on FYI Network
Season 2 of "Instant Italian" joins chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass back in the kitchen as she shares fresh takes on beloved Italian dishes.

[06/08/26 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched WCWS Finals on Record; Game 2 Delivers Most-Watched College Softball Game Ever
Game 2 averaged 2.5 million viewers across ESPN/ESPNU, delivering the most-watched college softball game on record.

[06/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "The American Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the new five-part documentary series The American Experiment reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the revolution: Can a people govern themselves?

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Roku Originals Celebrates the Greatest Women in Sports with "Gamechangers: America's Top 25 Female Athletes," Executive Produced by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, and Peyton Manning
This hour-long special, which is the second iteration of Roku's "Gamechangers" anthology series, will feature interviews with star athletes, sports media voices, and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of 25 of the greatest female athletes in American sports history.

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Announces "Hercule," Starring Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie's Legendary Detective Hercule Poirot
The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...

[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for High-Octane Series "Ride or Die" Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham
A Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios production, the fast-paced series will debut all eight episodes on Wednesday, July 15, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[06/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Teaser for "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Drops Down the Rabbit Hole, Debuting July 16 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
A new teaser was revealed today, along with the premiere date, poster art and casting news confirming that critically acclaimed actress and comedian Awkwafina will step into the twisted world of Wonderland as Chessy the Cat.

[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Meet Scooby-Doo! Netflix Reveals Live-Action Take on the Iconic Canine
This marks the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise that the character of Scooby-Doo will be portrayed by a real dog.

[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Disney's Andscape Debuts Trailer for "They Fight," Starring Andre Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley Ahead of the Film's World Premiere at Tribeca
The film follows a reformed ex-con who finds purpose mentoring young boxers at a Washington, D.C. youth gym as they pursue their dreams in and out of the ring.

[06/08/26 - 07:00 AM]
National Geographic's Fin-Favorite Summer Event Returns with Even More Shark-Filled Fun, Kicking Off with Marquee Special "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Additional fin-tastic programming will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

[06/06/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: New Teaser - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2 Return
The UK original returns this November on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US and Disney+ internationally.