anything you can do, I can do BETTER!. . .'Raising the Bar' most watched cable premiere EVER & sneak peek of 5 NBC shows

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .ad-supported cable series premiere ever. . .


TNT has reclaimed the "most-watched ad-supported cable series premiere ever" title with the debut of the Steven Bochco-produced legal show Raising the Bar.

About 7.7 million people tuned in to Monday night's premiere, breaking the previous record of 7.4 million held by The 4400 in 2005. (Raising the Bar was seen in 5.7 million households, breaking the previous series-premiere mark of 5.26 million held by its lead-in, The Closer.) The courtroom drama, which stars Jane Kaczmarek and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, was easily the most-watched show on the air at 10 p.m., when the broadcast networks all covered Hurricane Gustav and the limited schedule at the Republican National Convention.


2. NBC will give sneak peak of 5 shows on Hulu.com a week before they air. . .


Speaking of 30 Rock, it will be one of several NBC series whose season premieres stream on Hulu a week before their on-air debuts. The video site, which NBC Universal co-owns, will offer early looks at five shows (all produced by Universal) on the network's fall lineup.

In addition to 30 Rock, whose premiere will debut on Hulu Oct. 23, the premieres of newcomer Knight Rider (Sept. 17) and second-year series Lipstick Jungle (Sept. 17), Chuck and Life (both Sept. 22) will be online before they're on traditional TV.

[rgG]

I watched the first half of "Raising the Bar" and it was so bad that I had to do something else for the last half hour. It had a good cast, but the script was awful, just awful.

[jdc]

they kept knight rider too -- even after the 1000 plot holes and other stupid stuff it did...

maybe they could have made knight rider a chick with a pink beetle instead?

[AlphaDog]

[quote rgG]I watched the first half of "Raising the Bar" and it was so bad that I had to do something else for the last half hour. It had a good cast, but the script was awful, just awful.
I didn't even bother looking for anything else; I think I made it to 10:25 before beginning to gag. I'd been looking forward to it, too. Mark Paul-G (I can't remember how to spell his name) needs a haircut. I had to check the credits before I recognized him. Some guys look good with long hair, but, to me, he's not one of them. I'll try it again a time or two, but it better get better fast.

[rgG]

I too didn't recognize Mark-Paul Gosselar at first; that may be close to the spelling of his last name but you get the idea. Anyway, I think he looked a lot better on NYPD blue than now. I too think his hair looks rough and I usually really like long hair on a nice looking man, but him, not so much. The character of the judge played by Jane Kazmarick (sp?) was just soooooooo fake it was unbearable to watch.

I doubt I'll give it a second chance unless my husband insists. If it is as bad as this time I can always check in here, while he watches.

[ka jowct]

They were trying way too hard. I heard an interview on Court TV with the lawyer who was involved in creating the show, and it sounded promising. The interviewer was very interested in the judge character, who is based on some of the "difficult" judges this lawyer and other public defenders had encountered.

Court TV recently followed a case involving a judge in Nevada who'd alienated a lot of people; was also accused of falling asleep during cases, asking her bailiff to rub her feet, etc.

"On Monday, Halverson, who had oxygen tubes in her nose, faced her former bailiff, who testified that the judge made him rub her feet, ordered him to microwave her meals in a bathroom after she used it, and had him spy on other judges and court staff, the Review-Journal reported."



The article mentions that Halvorson is on oxygen, but tactfully does not mention that she is morbidly obese.