‘The Big Bang Theory’ Gets 3 More Seasons; ‘Raising Hope’ Renewed

CBS has picked up its hit comedy The Big Bang Theory for whopping three year deal, landing it a safe spot on the network’s lineup until 2014. In other comedy news, Fox has granted freshman sitcom Raising Hope a second season after extending its first season run to 22 episodes in October.

The Big Bang Theory has been steadily growing in the ratings since it premiered in 2007. For the 2009-2010 season the show averaged almost 15 million viewers an episode, and viewership was down only slightly last fall. The Big Bang Theory was secured in a two-year deal in 2009, and the extension means that at least seven seasons will be produced.

It gets a lot of play for its depiction of geeky twenty-somethings, and often features commendable fan-service to the same group. In addition to consistent nerdy humor arising from its socially awkward, rocket scientist male leads, the show regularly recruits sci-fi staples like Summer Glau and Wil Wheaton as guest stars.

The extension granted to The Big Bang Theory further cements its place as one of CBS’ biggest comedies. The show has roughly the same amount of viewers as Two and a Half Men, now in its seventh season and scheduled for at least two more. In 2010 The Big Bang Theory was successfully moved to Thursday night to spread CBS’s comedy viewers around, and has remained steady.

Fox has once again gone to its dysfunctional family comedy niche with Raising Hope. The show centers around a 23-year-old single father raising his daughter after a one-night stand. Beside the off-kilter comedy (not unlike Malcolm in the Middle or Arrested Development), the reversal of traditional gender roles has endeared it to fans. The show has averaged more than six million viewers in its initial episodes, and was nominated for Favorite New TV Comedy in the 2011 People’s Choice Awards. Raising Hope lost to the Twitter-inspired $h*! [Bleep] My Dad Says, which follows The Big Bang Theory on CBS.

Fans of Raising Hope can breathe a sigh of relief at the news. Fox is notorious for their ruthless attitude towards new shows, and comedies The Good Guys and Running Wilde were dropped earlier this week at the Winter TCA. Fox announced Raising Hope‘s renewal at the same event.

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The Big Bang Theory airs Thursday nights at 8:00 PM on CBS. Raising Hope will return to Fox’s Tuesday night lineup on February 11th.

Source: Deadline Hollywood, The Futon Critic

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‘The Event’ Promises World-Changing Surprises at Season’s End

The Event will air a mid-season finale on November 29th that promises to teach viewers more about Sophia and her people, how they’ve integrated so far and how many of her kind there really are. This cliffhanger episode will even reveal what power Sophia holds over them, offering viewers several more answers.

TV Guide reported today that The Event is going to deliver some world-changing and shocking twists as the season ends. The show’s writers and producers are hoping the twists will be exciting enough to capture our attention and get us to want more in a second season.

Executive producer Evan Katz teases that this season will end with a huge revelation that will change the entire world:

“Major large-scale, potentially world-changing events will end every season.”

A new villainess will enter the picture too. Deadline Hollywood reports that the show has been in talks for former Friday Night Lights star Connie Britton to play a “major recurring role.” Could this be the villainess character…?

In the more “down-to-Earth” realm, Blair Underwood’s character, President Martinez, will be faced with serious military decisions and Sean & Leila continue to search for Leila’s sister, Samantha.

Necar Zadegan in The Event

The Event is one of those series that began with such promise, with an enviable all-star cast, a mysterious premise and more promotion than a series should be allowed. But the ratings have been steadily declining anyway. We reported in early October that the show lacked excitement and wasn’t living up to the hype and the ratings reflected the audience’s loss of interest as they’ve continued to slip. The most recent episode was only watched by 5.7 million viewers.

The show’s producers have been preparing, just in case, for the season finale as an ending to the story. They have been collecting short film cuts that can be used to wrap up the storyline, if necessary. But they remain optimistic that the show will be renewed, in spite of the dismal ratings. After all, many people time-shift The Event and watch it later than its air time on their DVRs.

What do you think of the series so far? Will you continue to watch?

Sources: TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, Deadline Hollywood

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