Vote for comedy on public television in 2012!

BBC Syndication Showcase 2011 postcript As we close the book on the third annual BBC Syndication Showcase, PBS stations across the country leave BBC West (New Orleans) armed with an incredible number of potential choices for programming of all genres to acquire for broadcast in their individual markets. Science, Natural History, Drama, Factual and Comedy. […]

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Blackadder the Fifth – Any thoughts?

When Rowan Atkinson put Teddy to bed for the last time recently, he did offer up, in exchange, that he’d be up for the possibility more Blackadder brilliance someday in the not-too-distant future. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, there’s this little issue of generating equal interest amongst the likes of writer, Richard Curtis, and other cast […]

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Case Histories – New PBS Masterpiece tonight!

There’s a new sheriff in the PBS Masterpiece town. Actually, depending on who you talk to, there’s either a maverick ex-cop or a private investigator in town. In either case, he goes by the name of Jackson Brodie and is played brilliantly by Jason Isaacs. Isaacs, who’s most recent gig was as Lucius Malfoy in […]

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BBC Showcase – program highlights

As day one of the 2011 BBC Syndication Showcase in New Orleans has come and gone, I can honestly say to everyone that, as viewers of your local PBS station, you are in for a treat given what we saw today. This is the third annual showcase whereby BBC Worldwide Americas gathers PBS station programmers […]

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New Orleans becomes BBC West this week

It’s that time of year again, where Tellyspotting, along with 100+ colleagues from PBS stations around the country, descend upon New Orleans to work very, very hard on your behalf. Ordinarily, as television programmer’s, we like to say that our main function in life is to watch bad television so you don’t have to. However, […]

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Goodbye Free Agents, Hello Suburban Shootout?

Goodbye, Free Agents The news this week out of Hollywood of the cancellation of the U.S. remake of the Channel 4 comedy, Free Agents, sadly, was not unexpected. I guess, however, in the grand scheme of American commercial television remakes of British comedies, it should be considered a mild success. After all, it did make […]

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Blackadder – should the series with the perfect ending return?

Rumors circulated across the internet in recent weeks concerning a possible return of the greatness of Blackadder for another season. Seems as though when Rowan Atkinson recently announced that Mr. Bean (and Teddy) had officially retired, he quietly hinted that he’d love to see ‘the band get back together’ for another Blackadder series. Of course, […]

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Downton Abbey: Are you more upstairs or downstairs?

Ever since Downton Abbey premiered on ITV1 in the UK and PBS in the States, some of the most interesting pub talk centered on the question of ‘what character do you identify with more’, those who occupy the upstairs or the downstairs of Downton Abbey? While many fashioned themselves as a closet Dowager Countess or […]

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Christmas cliffhanger = Downton Abbey 3?

As the UK inches towards the conclusion of the highly-anticipated and delivering on every moment second series of Downton Abbey, the States are still in the highly-anticipating mode as the second set is not scheduled to premiere until Sunday, January 8, 2012 as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series. Whether you are in the ever-patiently waiting […]

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Early pics from AbFab, Sherlock 2

Ready for some AbFab, sweetie darling? When filming began recently, it was as if they had never left the limo-riding, shopping, boozing lifestyle. Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Edina (Jennifer Saunders) are back, better than ever, for three new Absolutely Fabulous specials targeted for a 2012 transmission. Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we get an exclusive sneak […]

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