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[07/27/12 - 11:20 AM] ABC at TCA: Lee "Optimistic" About "Modern Family" Negotiations By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "We're in the middle of negotiations at the moment," ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee told reporters at the network's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour about its much-publicized talks with the cast of "Modern Family" and producer 20th Century Fox Television. "And we're hopeful, we're optimistic that we'll be able to resolve it." The word "optimistic" was used four times by the executive in response to various attempts by reporters to get specifics of the negotiations. Not surprisingly - and understandably - Lee stuck to the script of avoiding comment beyond "it's a wonderful show" and "we are optimistic about it."
Ultimately, Lee only let one piece of hard news slip during the session: the network is re-piloting "Kings of Van Nuys," its attempt to import the U.K. comedy "Only Fools and Horses." John Leguizamo, Christpher Lloyd, Wendi McLendon-Covey, B.J. Bales and Dustin Ybarra starred in the original pilot shot this past spring from writers Brian Bradley and Steven Cragg. Lee would later add that no recastings are planned. "We're going to give it another crack," he told me in the post-session scrum. "It's one that I have a little glint in my eye for."
Lee likewise affirmed his intentions to re-pilot CBS castoff "Super Fun Night," starring Rebel Wilson. "We're likely to make that show a single-camera [comedy], which I think is perfect for us," he said. "If we can get that right she could be a great compliment to our comedies."
As for other topics:
-- On why "The Neighbors" and "Suburgatory" were swapped on Wednesday nights: "I think 'The Neighbors' sits better in the 8:00 hour than the 9:00 hour. And you know what? Candidly, there's so much pressure at 9:30 after "Modern Family." I wanted to make sure that people started to enjoy the show because I want it to be on the air for a very long time." Adding, "'Suburgatory' is such a good show, we think that's going to be a really good bridge for 'Modern Family' through to 'Nashville,' maybe a better bridge than 'Neighbors.' And we think 'Neighbors' is going to be a better bridge from 'Middle' through to 'Modern Family.'"
-- On if "Rookie Blue" could work in season rather during the summer: "We have not made a decision to put it in the season. We think it is a really strong player for us, and we are actually looking for next summer to do more plays like that."
-- Lee hasn't passed on a second season of "Duets." "I mean, look, we haven't made a decision about it yet," he said. "You know, I think our cast was fantastic, and we love the twist that you actually had Jennifer Nettles or Kelly Clarkson getting up there and doing a scene, not just being the judges. You know, reality is hard because it's very much more difficult now to find the shock of the new." As for fellow summer entry "The Glass House," Lee admitted that the network's legal dust up with CBS "was totally worth it... we were right in the lawsuit, and that lawsuit is over."
-- On why they passed on "Gotham": "We were super excited by some of the shows that we had... so it's a very high bar to meet. And we had less needs this year than we did last year. You know, if you remember, I would think there were something like seven new shows that we brought out. So, look, in the end, it didn't quite make it."
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[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM] "Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July "Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
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[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM] "Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.
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[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM] 51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.
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[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM] All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.
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[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM] Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.
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[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM] Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.
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[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM] "Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24 When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
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[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM] Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.
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[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM] "Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026 Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.
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[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM] Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.
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[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM] Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S. Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.
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[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM] Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM] Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.
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[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM] Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.
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[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM] A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.
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