NBC's Games-manship is working for new series so far

NBC leaned on the record-setting Summer Olympics to gain traction for its new fall lineup — and so far, so good.

'Animal Practice,' starring Justin Kirk, left, as a veterinarian, reached an average of 12.8 million viewers in a special airing during the Olympics' closing ceremonies.

In its perennial quest to escape the ratings cellar, the network previewed two new sitcoms on Olympics nights, and opened a reality show and Season 2 of fantasy drama Grimm the day after closing ceremonies.
"Given where we are, we felt it was imperative to take advantage of the Olympics performance," says NBC entertainment president Jennifer Salke.

DVD Extra: Get up to speed with NBC series 'Grimm'

Homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) always seemed more intuitive than usual, even for a cop. As it turns out, the title character of the NBC series Grimm has the inherited ability to see mythical creatures, hiding in plain sight and, often, committing crimes among humans. Scott Green, NBC
Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), left, and partner Hank Green (Russell Hornsby) investigate paranomal crimes in 'Grimm.'
Scott Green, NBC
Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), left, and partner Hank Green (Russell Hornsby) investigate paranomal crimes in 'Grimm.'
The second season premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET, and the five-disc Grimm: Season One (2011-12, Universal, not rated, $60; Blu-ray, $70) is out on home video just in time to catch up on his story so far. Burkhardt comes from a long line of Grimms, who are tasked with keeping the multitude of supernatural beings collectively known as Wesen in check. Nick gets help from his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby), who, like Nick's girlfriend, Juliette Silverton (Bitsie Tulloch), is unaware of his true calling.He also gets assistance from good friend Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), a reformed creature with insight into the supernatural community. Among other prominent characters are Capt. Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz), Nick's boss and, secretly, a powerful Wesen; Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee), a colleague of Nick and Hank's; and Rosalee Calvert (Bree Turner), who runs a Wesen spice shop.Nick's Aunt Marie (Kate Burton), who revealed to him his heritage, left him a trailer crammed with all manner of ancient weapons, devices and artifacts to aid him in keeping the evil beasts at bay. The creatures take a variety of forms with a wide range of traits and powers. For example, some use powerful pheromones to seduce victims, while others emit fatal ear-splitting sounds. There are some that harvest human organs from still-living victims, and there's a black-widow type that maintains their vitality by sucking the life out of young men.The eerie show, from the producers of Buffy the VampireSlayer and Angel, draws inspiration for both stories and creatures primarily from the Brothers Grimm (Wilhelm and Jacob), who published more than 200 German folk tales in the early 1800s. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Nightingale, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and The Pied Piper are among the stories given scary, modern twists. The 22 episodes also draw upon British, American, Japanese and Latin fables.Grimm, which is filmed on location in and around Portland, Ore., earned its first Emmy nomination (outstanding stunt coordination) with the season-closing episode The Woman in Black. Bonus features include deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, a guide to the fantasy world of Grimm, a behind-the-scenes look at the makeup and special effects, audition tapes and Grimm collector cards. The Blu-ray set also has an interactive book with information about various creatures on the show.On Monday's premiere episode, titled Bad Teeth, Nick has to deal with the unexpected arrival of his believed-to-be-dead mother and find a way to wake Juliette from her coma.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
View the original article here

AP: Michael J. Fox returning to series TV

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Michael J. Fox is planning a return to series TV, more than a decade after he left to concentrate on fighting Parkinson's disease. AP
Sources tell AP that Michael J. Fox will star in a comedy that's in development for 2013.
AP
Sources tell AP that Michael J. Fox will star in a comedy that's in development for 2013.
The actor, who first gained fame in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties and later headlined Spin City, will star in a comedy that's in development at Sony Pictures Television for 2013, according to people with knowledge of the project.The people spoke to the Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they lacked authority to publicly discuss the matter.The project has drawn strong interest from the major networks, they said.The actor's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sony declined comment.Fox, 51, who starred in the hit Back to the Future movie franchise, is working with Will Gluck, director of the film Easy A, and writer Sam Laybourne, whose credits include Cougar Town and Arrested Development, the people said.The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, left Spin City in 2000 and said he intended to focus on helping find a cure for the disease. He started a foundation, which bears his name, to fund research toward that goal.Although he reduced his workload because of Parkinson's, Fox has made guest appearances on TV series including Rescue Me, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Wife.In May, Fox told ABC News that a new drug regimen has helped him control the tics that are a result of the disease and allowed him to take on more acting roles.The new Sony project was first reported by the entertainment website Vulture.Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
View the original article here