Author: Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg

July 30, 2016 9:57am PT by Michael O’Connell, Lesley Goldberg

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Casey Bloys first visit to the TCA also touches on returns for ‘Deadwood’ (maybe), ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm (eventually) and ‘True Detective’ (possibly without Pizzolatto).

HBO might have had one of the most-anticipated executive sessions from this summer’s gathering of the Television Critics Association. Untimely demises (Vinyl), looming endgames (Game of Thrones) and questions over talent deals (Jon Stewart, True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto) have been sources of industry speculation for months. What’s more: newly minted programming chief Casey Bloys would be fielding those questions in his first TCA appearance.

Bloys answered those and more questions Saturday morning during his time in front of the press that had no shortage of news. The exec also found himself on the defensive, as he was hammered about the pay cable network’s inclusion of sexual violence against women in its dramas — specifically Game of Thrones and its upcoming reboot of Westworld. He also offered as much clarity that he currently has about Larry David’s upcoming revival of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Game of Thrones Will End With Season 8
Bloys confirmed that Game of Thrones would wrap with the yet-to-be-announced eighth season of the show. “They have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do,” he said, referring to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. “We take their lead.” Bloys also said that episode count and production start times were decisions entrusted to the co-creators. “The exact number for season seven is locked at seven [episodes], the eighth season is not sure yet,” he added. “They know we’ll take as many as they want to give us.” And while he was quick to note that HBO would still be the network with the most Emmy nominations, even without Game of Thrones — a consolation now that the show is out of the running for 2017 race.

Jon Stewart Is Getting Animated
Stewart’s post-Daily Show move should arrive this fall. Though Bloys would not commit on an official premiere date, he did express a hope for September or October (i.e. before the presidential election). “I talked to Jon before this,” said Bloys, confirming he had the comedian’s blessing to clarify the plans. “He is establishing an animation studio. He wants to get material out on a daily basis. The idea is that it’s an animated parody of a cable news network in an Onion-like portal. It will be his voice, in his actual voice, and his tone.” “Onion-like,” Bloys later clarified, means that there will also be a written component. And, down the line, a half-hour effort on the linear network.

Violence Is an Equal Opportunity Plot Device
Five reporters pushed Bloys on the HBO dramas’ penchant for including rape, murder and other violence (particularly against women) as plot devises, as the conversation about an opening scene in Westworld and Thrones’ track record nearly hijacked the entire panel. Bloys, who was visibly frustrated by the repetitive line of questioning, pointed to the fact that men are frequently victims of violence on Game of Thrones — but none of his responses seemed to satisfy the crowd. “I think the criticism is valid,” he concluded. “It’s something that people to take into account. It’s not something we’re wanting to highlight “

Vinyl‘s Cancellation — Decoded
One of Bloys’ first decisions on the job was to reverse course on a second season of 1970s music drama Vinyl. The decision, which came after showrunner Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) was replaced, wasn’t an easy one, Bloys said. “It didn’t land I think as we would have liked it, as you [critics] would have liked it or as producers would have liked it,” he confessed, noting that he didn’t think the retooling was worth the producers’ time if it would only move the needle a little bit. “With a little bit of distance, thinking about what we want to do going forward, it really becomes about priorities. … If I have limited resources, there are other things I want to do.” Vinyl joined The Brink, Luck and Tell Me You Love Me as other series that HBO ultimately abandoned after announcing a second season renewal. Bloys noted that the “creative process is a messy one” and said he’d “like to not have to do that again.” “If anything, going through this with Vinyl, we will more carefully consider [things] going forward,” he said. “It’s not something that I’d like to do or relish doing going forward.”

Don’t Expect Curb Your Enthusiasm Anytime Soon
Larry David has committed to doing another season of his beloved comedy, but that’s about all HBO knows at this point. “I think possibly this fall and on air sometime in [2017],” said Bloys of a start date. “That could slide, but he’s gearing up for it.”

The Deadwood Movie Is (Slowly) Moving Forward
Among the many projects currently gestating at HBO is the long-rumored Deadwood TV movie follow-up. While a high priority under former programming president Michael Lombardo, Bloys could not confirm that it would indeed be moving forward — though he was optimistic. “David [Milch] is writing the script. We haven’t read it. I imagine it will be very good but I’ll let you know when I see the script. I feel good about it but I can’t tell you for sure,” he said.

Breaking True Detective Update
After a critically adored freshman run and panned sophomore season, Bloys said that the anthology from creator Nic Pizzolatto “is not dead.” With Pizzolatto under an overall deal with HBO through 2018, Bloys remained committed to the franchise. He noted that Pizzolatto does not have an idea for a third season and is busy working on other projects, though it’s not imperative for the showrunner to pen the third installment. “We’re open to someone else writing it with Nic supervising it; it’s a really valuable franchise for us,” Bloys said, noting the show’s average viewership of 11 million viewers. “It’s not dead; I’m just not sure we have the right take for a third season — yet.”

Television Critics Association Game of Thrones True Detective

January 13, 2016 3:39pm PT by Michael O’Connell, Lesley Goldberg

Jessica Jones  Courtesy of Netflix

“This is in beta,” NBC Universal Alan Wurtzel admitted of the data, though he did call the numbers valid.

TV exec research presentations tend to be a little dry, but NBC Universal’s Alan Wurtzel bucked that trend on Wednesday — outing the viewership of several Netflix series to the delight of many reporters.

Data gathered from a sample of 15,000 users, by San Francisco tech firm Symphony, paints Jessica Jones as an especially strong player for the streamer. Based on audio recognition data, covering the months of September, October, November and December, a slide showed that an average 4.8 million viewers in the adults 18-49 group watched an episode of the Marvel drama. (The demographic, it should be noted, likely doesn’t matter very much to Netflix on account of the absence of advertising.)

Following Jessica Jones was Master of None (3.9 million adults 18-49) and Narcos (3.2 million adults 18-49). And in Narcos’ defense, the sample mentioned missed the first few days of the show’s release. Speaking of outside the premiere window, Wurtzel also cited that Orange Is the New Black, which premiered back in June, was still averaging 644,000 adults 18-49 two months after its third season kicked off.

“It’s a very different business model,” Wurtzel said of Netflix. “Their business model is to make you write a check next month. So not every program on Netflix is a broad appeal program…. I don’t believe there’s enough stuff on Netflix that is broad enough and is consistent enough to effect us in a meaningful way on a regular basis.”

Netflix was not the only streamer to see its numbers dished. Wurtzel also cited 2.1 million adults 18-49 watching Amazon’s Man in the High Castle in the months around its premiere. After the presentation, Wurtzel expressed confidence in the numbers — even though they were based off of such a small sample.

“This is in beta,” he said. “I think they’re valid. They give you a sense of what the size is — whether it’s 4.4 million or 4.2 million, I don’t think [it] matters.”

TV Ratings Television Critics Association Netflix

April 15, 2015 3:00pm PT by Michael O’Connell, Lesley Goldberg

From smaller critical hits ‘The Mindy Project’ and ‘Agent Carter’ to aging procedurals ‘Bones’ and ‘CSI,’ these are the shows that really could go either way.

Spring isn’t a time of new beginnings and unfettered optimism for all. For producers and stars of middle-of-the-road TV shows, the season brings a lot of staring at the phone while the broadcast networks clean house, sticking the proverbial fork in dozens of series deemed too low-rated or too expensive to move on.

North of 50 broadcast shows are already locked to return, with many more just waiting on the t’s and i’s to get their respective crosses and dots and others long-resigned to inevitable cancelation and already moving on. But for the comedies and dramas stuck in the purgatory of bubble status, both options remain on the table as the deadline for decisions looms in early May.

More than a few new and veteran shows fall into the category this year, so The Hollywood Reporter is taking a look at 13 of them that still could go either way — and the cases likely being made in favor of each option.

The Mindy Project (Fox)
The Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina comedy may be a critical darling but the series, which concluded its third season in March, hails from an outside studio (Universal Television) and was part of former network president Kevin Reilly‘s niche comedy brand. While new Fox bosses Dana Walden and Gary Newman have taken a broader approach to its comedy pilot offerings (see family comedies Perfect Stanleys, 48 Hours ‘Til Monday) Mindy’s 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.2 million total viewers may only be welcomed back if broad comes in bad. At the same time, Kaling left the door open for a fourth season with a , indicating the series could be shopped elsewhere. Kevin Reilly and TBS to the rescue?

Bones (Fox)
Rounding out its tenth season on Fox, Bones may be hitting ratings lows (an average 2.2 rating in the key demo and 8.4 million viewers every week) — but its consistency makes it of show of particular value to fourth-place Fox. It also doesn’t hurt that the procedural has carried its audience over a half-dozen scheduling moves and remains a favorite of Walden and Newman, who’ve been it from the start at 20th Century TV and now decide its fate as heads of the broadcast net. So what’s the hold up? Stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel are again renegotiating their contracts, and the price tag on a veteran drama lead can be problematically high.

Nashville (ABC)
ABC’s country music drama earned an eleventh-hour renewal for last season after prolonged negotiations with co-producers Lionsgate Television. The Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere starrer has been a solid performer on Wednesdays at 10 p.m., pulling a respectable 2.3 in the demo and 7.8 million total viewers — plus bringing in ancillary revenue from original music downloads and multiple concert tours. More importantly, ABC topper Paul Lee considers the series perfectly on brand for the female-driven network, which could opt for a compromise and order a truncated 13-episode season of the soap.

State of Affairs (NBC)
NBC’s big drama swing for the fall wrapped its short order with an average 1.9 rating with adults 18-49 and 8 million viewers. That’s not so hot, especially considering Katherine Heigl‘s buzzy comeback vehicle had the post-Voice time slot that previously worked so well for The Blacklist, but it certainly beats the network’s middling midseason newcomers (The Slap, Allegiance, American Odyssey). Should it come back for round two, it would almost definitely replicate the first season’s 13-episode model.

Revenge (ABC)
The only net to stay mum on renewals and cancelations until the bitter end of the season, ABC did drop one eyebrow-raising hint that the end may be near for the low-rated Revenge. Recent promos tout “the final four episodes,” with the all important “of the season” not mentioned. Network reps say there’s nothing to be read into the spots — but they follows weeks of the series started pulling as low as a 0.8 rating with adults 18-49 in same-day showings. And in the event that the Emily VanCamp-fronted drama does indeed live to seek another season of vengeance, it would almost be a short run to wrap up any lingering loose threads.

CSI and CSI: Cyber (CBS)
Could CBS really have a season without a CSI? It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. The procedural granddaddy saw its episode order shaved to just 15 this season, where it languished at series low ratings on Sunday nights. Further complicating matters is the fact that star Ted Danson is off contract — and already working on the second season of FX’s Fargo. A more probably, though certainly not guaranteed, renewal would be for recent offspring CSI: Cyber. Its average 2.5 rating with adults 18-49 and 12.5 million viewers is nothing to shrug off in a time when franchise spinoffs have proven increasingly hit-or-miss, and the cachet of star and Oscar winner Patricia Arquette is something any network would envy.

Agent Carter (ABC)
The Captain America spinoff starring Hayley Atwell represented Marvel’s first female-driven entry and served as a bridge series while Agents of SHIELD was on its holiday hiatus. The period drama collected 7.6 million total viewers and a 2.4 rating in the demo — down a smidge from ABC’s flagship series — but enough to keep the lights on during the low-rated months. A renewal for the critical and fan favorite series would keep the network in business with showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters — who have expressed interest in a second run — after sophomore drama Resurrection failed to live up to its name. Of course, ABC could look to another Marvel property to fill its SHIELD gap.

Hart of Dixie (The CW)
Sure, it seems almost unfathomable for a show that’s been publicly eulogized by its cast and creator to possibly come back after a closure-filled finale, but the CW has yet to officially call it a day on dramedy Hart of Dixie. But the modest performer, which wrapped its season with a mere 0.7 rating among adults 18-49, was never exactly a hit for the network. Another shorter order season is not yet out of the question.

Castle (ABC)
Produced in-house by ABC Studios, the procedural has been a sturdy performer for the network on Mondays at 10 p.m. and still pulls 12.7 million viewers on a weekly basis. Much like Bones, the delay has a lot to do with leads. Stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic have yet to sign new deals for season seven, with the former rumored to be ready to move on. One solution: you guessed it, a 13-episode abbreviated season to wrap up the fan favorite.

The Mysteries of Laura (NBC)
Fall’s critical punching bag that just didn’t care, The Mysteries of Laura ended up being a stable (albeit older-skewing) procedural that paired nicely with Law & Order: SVU. Its average viewership of 9.4 million viewers bested any other new entry on the network this season. And even though it hails from Warner Bros. TV, not NBCUniversal, star Debra Messing (Will & Grace, Smash) is a NBC standby and a favorite of entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt.

Secrets & Lies (ABC)
It didn’t wow critics the same way that fellow midseason entry American Crime did, but it certainly one-upped its ratings. The Ryan Phillippe mystery has given ABC a stable Sunday companion to Once Upon a Time, pulling an average 2.3 rating in the key demo and actually growing its live-plus-three scores in the weeks subsequent to the premiere. And with How to Get Away With Murder the only freshman that’s locked for a sophomore return, its fate may be decided by how drama pilots shape up.

The Following (Fox)
On the eve of its third season finale, it can’t be said that The Following‘s diminished, ahem, following demands another pickup — but don’t underestimate the influence of star power from both Kevin Bacon and creator Kevin Williamson. Also in its corner is a continually robust time-shifting. It nearly doubles its episodic ratings after a week, even as same-day stats sink to series lows. The Following‘s prospects would be much brighter if it were homegrown at 20th TV and not an import from Warner Bros.

The Middle (ABC)
The veteran series has turned into the network’s secret weapon on Wednesdays, setting the stage for ABC’s two-hour family comedy block, which after multiple attempts, has locked in a winning lineup with The Goldbergs, Modern Family and rookie Black-ish.  Working against a renewal for the series — which will see star Charlie McDermott focus on CBS’ Super Clyde if that gets the pickup — is ABC’s comedy pilot crop, which is filled with diverse family fare including semi-autobiographical half-hours from Ken Jeong, Fortune Feimster, Dan Savage, Johnny Knoxville and Jermaine Fowler, as well as its buzzy Uncle Buck remake, which could prove to be an ideal companion for Blackish.

*All ratings data, unless otherwise noted, are latest live-plus-seven day averages from Nielsen Media.