Hi Amber, recently at our weekly Tuesday breakfast meeting of our Couch Potato Lodge, two burning questions came up and created quite a discussion. Why do network programmers (mostly cable networks) feel it is advantageous to air episodes of the same show back-to-back? All this does is burn off the episodes twice as fast and brings the inevitable reruns on sooner. Why not spread 20 episodes over 20 weeks and not 10? The second burning question is what happened to Carlo Rota on Little Mosque on the Prairie? Is he coming back or is it bye-bye Yasir? (Well, they were burning questions to us. What did you expect? We're TV geeks.) – Ralf

Amber: Let’s go with the second question first, shall we? Carlo Rota did fewer episodes this season because he had other commitments he wanted to explore, such as guest stints on Castle and CSI: NY. If you follow the show, you know that Yasir’s exit was logical, and unfortunately he won’t be back this season as his commitment to Mosque was only for 10 episodes. If — and this is a big if — Little Mosque returns for another season, it is still unknown whether he will reprise his role.

Now for your meatier question – that has a multi-faceted answer. Sometimes a network will commit to airing a specific number of episodes of a show, but when the show doesn’t perform up to standards, back-to-back instalments are aired to burn through the order. This happened most recently with Better off Ted and Scrubs. Other times a network banks on a show’s success to draw ratings, and offers too much of a good thing, hoping to win key demos throughout the night. In a way, we’re seeing this right now with Modern Family on ABC, which airs a repeat of the show in Hank’s vacated 8 p.m. timeslot (rather than Scrubs or Better off Ted) before a new instalment airs at 9 p.m. There are so many variables it’s hard to pin down, but those are some of the considerations programmers deal with. However, if you notice, usually it’s the half-hour shows that double up, rounding out schedules.


Hi Amber, how have the ratings for Chuck been north of the border? Thanks. – Mike

Amber: Not good, to be honest. The première didn’t even muster half a million viewers, and subsequent numbers have been just as dismal. To add some perspective, in the U.S. the third season started off strong with about 7.7 million viewers, but that number has since dropped by roughly a million. Interestingly, Subway Sandwiches is faring much better — it was just named the No. 1 franchise of 2010 by Entrepreneur magazine.

Hi Amber, is Ugly Betty really cancelled? Do you know when the last episode will air? Also, is Rules of Engagement coming back? Thanks! – Nadia

Amber: Sadly, Betty is done. The stars are all in high demand for upcoming pilots, but I will mourn the final episode and then go into denial. With chocolate-chip ice cream. And perhaps some peanut butter cups.

As for Rules of Engagement, that returns March 1 at 8:30 p.m. to the CBS Monday night comedy block. This program change shifts freshman series Accidentally on Purpose to Wednesday nights to round off a comedy hour with The New Adventures of Old Christine, and replaces Gary Unmarried — the unfunny show that is finished its sophomore order and probably won’t see a third season.

We really enjoy your insider information and I find your personal opinion hits the mark! I started watching a new show called Crash and Burn. I was surprised at the quality of the filming, the interesting storylines and the fact that it is about Hamilton, a real Canadian city. Has the network announced if a second season has been ordered? – Anonymous

Amber: The first season actually wraps up this week on Thursday, but it’s also available online at Showcase.ca. While the series does have surprisingly good production values for a Canadian show (sad, but true), no decision has been made yet on a sophomore season.

There is a rumour going around that the 2010 Olympic hockey games will air on TSN, not CTV. I have tried looking on various websites to see the schedules, but cannot find anything about this. If this is the case, there will be a lot of disappointed fans who don’t have cable and won’t be able to see the hockey games. Do you know where the games will be shown? Best regards. – Stephen

Amber: Lucky for you, TVGuide.ca has a comprehensive, day-by-day, station-by-station, hour-by-hour grid that you can access right here: http://tvguide.ca/Special_Features/2010_Olympics/Olympics. Hockey is just one of the many sports being shown across various platforms, so all Canadians can “believe.” Ugh. Are you as sick of those commercials and promos as I am?

Hello Amber, any info on when CTV will air Season 2 of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…. I see it is airing on Sundance in the U.S. Info is always appreciated. – Mitchell

Amber: Well, the network says it plans on unveiling the rest of the sophomore run sometime in midseason, which could technically be any time now. But since CTV is busy with the Olympics (and isn’t even advertising its two new comedies and new drama airing the week after), I don’t know how high of a priority the show is right now. Keep in mind the first season aired last April, so it hasn’t even been a year yet.

Hi Amber, I always dig your "Ask" columns! The sleeper hit of the year is Castle and many of my friends agree. One of the things that isn't mentioned often is that both lead stars are from Canada. I've heard Beckett's from Hamilton and Richard's from Edmonton. – Fred

Amber: Heck yes, both those leads are Canadian. I must say you have very good research skills, Fred. Nathan Fillion, who portrays Castle, is from southern Edmonton (the Mill Woods area) and Stana Katic, who plays Beckett, is from Hamilton — her parents immigrated to Canada from Croatia.

What was the name of the show that was based in Chicago, the parents were named Bill and Judy, and the kids were two girls, Tina and Lauren, and a boy (we can't remember his name)? Bill's mother was played by the same actress who played Gloria on All in the Family. — David and Marilyn

Amber: You’re thinking of Still Standing, which aired from 2002 to 2006 on CBS and starred Mark Addy as Bill, Jami Gertz as Judy, Jennifer Irwin as Linda, Renee Olstead as Lauren and Taylor Ball as Brian. Oh, and Sally Struthers is the actress from All in the Family you’re thinking of — she played Bill’s mum, Louise, for 10 of Still Standing’s 88 episodes.

Hello Amber! I was happy to find your forum since I am getting really frustrated. Eastwick’s been cancelled and now I can't find Lie to Me. Please tell me what is going on with this show? And do you have any insight on why TV networks keep all the boring reality shows and don’t give other ones a chance? I like to get AWAY from the world when I watch a show, not deeper in someone else's misery. Anyway, thanks for answering any of the above! — Loccobella

Amber: No worries, while you may be suffering from Eastwick withdrawals, Lie to Me is scheduled to return on Fox in late spring — the network still hasn’t decided. It’s way cheaper for a network to air a reality series straight through than a drama or comedy, which takes longer to produce and is often still shooting while the series airs. Reality shows are often completed in their entirety before you ever see an episode. Essentially, it has to be really bad to be yanked … like Pirate Master.

That's all for this week!

What's your question? amber@tvguide.ca

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Make sure to check back Mondays at www.tvguide.ca to see if your questions have been answered!

 

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A TV junkie, Amber will watch just about anything – once. One of her biggest pet peeves is when networks bounce shows around their schedule, leading to an eventual cancellation. While current gems include The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Dexter, True Blood, House, Lost and The Mentalist, she’s still crying over the cancellations of Kitchen Confidential and Pushing Daisies.

Now Amber devotes her time to analyzing the current state of TV and helping readers dissect complicated schedules. She’ll answer a variety of questions about past and present shows, spoilers and casting: anything is — and should be, up for discussion.

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