"Fringe" Premiere & "90210" Week #2 Ratings

Has all the hype paid off? "Fringe" series premiere ratings have arrived, along with week #2 of "90210" and the series premiere of CW's new soap "Privileged."

The 90-minute premiere of "Fringe" pulled in 9 million viewers, generating a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49.

Although that is a somewhat decent start for the series, I do believe FOX expected higher figures. Even 2005 premiere of "Prison Break" did a little better with less hype.

The ratings should however improve in the coming weeks with FOX's #1 scripted hit "House" giving the new drama a little lead-in push.

Over on The CW, one third of viewers who watched last week's premiere of "90210" were gone, as the redux took a big plunge from 4.9 to only 3.3 million viewers, with a very modest 1.7 rating among adults 18-49.

Perhaps CW executives should have waited before boasting about its record-breaking figures last week. Given the original show's cult status, last week's solid sampling was a sure shot.

Finally, the new soap "Privileged" got a modest 2.9 million viewers for its 9pm series premiere, leading out of "90210."

Perhaps, CW prexy Dawn Ostroff (a.k.a. Everwood-killer) was not on the mark with her strategy of programming similar shows every day after all. Then again, there's always a way to spin everything.

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Gay Romance on ABC Sundays

Remember when back in the 1980s "Dynasty's" Steven and Luke (who recently reemerged here) were the only gay couple on prime time TV who got to give each other a hug once in a blue moon? Well, things have certainly changed since then, as gay couples on ABC soaps today not only get to kiss and have sex, but also wed and parent children.


Following rumors of their split and coupling of one of the men with Wisteria Lane's naughty gay teen Andrew Van De Kamp, Bob and Lee on "Desperate Housewives" are still together when the show leaps to 2013 and they are now raising a little girl. Shawn Pyfrom's character will meanwhile become Bree's Machiavellian PR manager.



Over on "Brothers & Sisters," out actor Luke MacFarlane and his Welsh co-star Matthew Rhys are now both regulars on the show. Their characters Kevin and Scotty will face new challanges after their wedding in May, including Kevin's radical career changes and Scotty's attempt to reconnect with his homophobic parents.

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"Desperate" Spoilers: Gabrielle's New Family

Wisteria Lane's self-centered materialistic vixen played by Eva Longoria is getting two overweight daughters when she and her castmates time jump to 2013 on an all-new season of ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

Fans are eager to see whether these bold changes will ruin the beloved Sunday night soap, or if the writers and actors manage to pull it off and keep the show fresh and at the top of its game.



Richardo Chavira, who plays Longoria's husband on the show, has in the meantime become proud father again, welcoming his second child, a daughter named Belen Elysabeth. He says the experience has made him extra protective of the 2 young girls hired to play his daughters on the show.

In an interview with TV Guide, Chavira said he was not sure whether 'Desperate Housewives' should be making fun of child obesity, when the problem is spiraling out of control in North America.

An upcoming storyline features Gaby, a former model, noticing her girls are not living up to her strict standards of physical appearance and discussing the matter with her husband Carlos who is still blind and now a little grey, too.



The plan is for Carlos to regain his sight in the course of the 5th season. In the meantime, he will try to earn some extra cash by working out of his home as massage therapist.

Surprisingly, Gaby who herself appeared somewhat bloated and overweight in last May's finale, appears in top shape in the new episodes. Perhaps Mrs. Parker was unhappy with her character's physical changes and had Marc Cherry scrap them for her.

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VIDEO: Gossip Girl's Chace C. on Regis/Kelly

Texas-born beauty Chace Crawford who plays "Gossip Girl's" cougar-loving prep boy Nathaniel Archibald made an appearance on the syndicated talker "Regis and Kelly" earlier this week to promote his CW show and talk about his own high school shenanigans.

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Spoilers: Justin & Rebecca Heat Up ABC's "Brothers & Sisters"

Their relationship had been in the making since it was first rumored in the summer of 2007. This fall, Rebecca (Emily Van Camp) and Justin (Dave Annable) finally get to consummate their controversial relationship on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters."



Initially, the show's fans who followed rumors and spoilers witnessed what seemed like an accident in slow-motion.



Their fears of the alleged coupling of Justin and Rebecca, by way of unmaking Van Camp's character a Walker sibling, after all the trouble she went through coming to terms with her identity in season 1, slowly came true by the time the show reached climax of its strike-abbreviated 2nd season.

After all the boos and eeews and overemotional vows to stop watching the increasingly soapy show, some fans actually learned to enjoy the storyline, especially given Van Camp's moving performance.



Now, Justin and Rebecca try to hide their true feelings for each other, but secrets can't be kept for a long time in the Walker family, and theirs will come out as well. How will the family deal with it?

The twist may have been one of the reasons, the show's original creator Jon Robin Baitz expressed frustration with the direction of the series, which ultimately led to his departure. Time will tell if the viewers follow suit.

Personally, I couldn't care less how they got where they are now. I find them to be a really cute couple and I am eager to see what the future holds for Justin and Rebecca.

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HotPix & Spoilers: Gale Harold Gets 'Desperate'

"Queer as Folk" star Gale Harold got only 5 seconds in last May's 4th season finale of ABC's international blockbuster "Desperate Housewives." But they were the final 5 shocking seconds of the episode. Sunday, September 28, he gets a lot more action with Teri Hatcher as an "even juicier" season of "Desperate Housewives" begins.

Those who managed not to confuse Harold with actor Nathan Fillion, who guest starred last season as Dana Delany's cheating but protective husband, realized he played a new character, who romances Susan Mayer (Hatcher) in 2013, the year the show is infamously leaping to in the upcoming season.



Questions were being asked about Mike's (James Denton) fate. Why is Susan kissing an unknown man in her house, having married Mike in 2007 and given birth to their son the following year? Did something awful happen to the loving plumber, who battled addiction to painkillers this year?

***SPOILERS***

According to early spoilers, Susan will try to hide her relationship with Gale Harold's character, whose name is Jackson, but the truth will of course soon come out. Those who are worried about Mike will be happy to know he and Susan are only divorced and James Denton will be back as regular.




The storylines will deal with Jackson's and Susan's relationship and how it affects her raising her son MJ as well as Mike trying to be involved in his son's life. Jackson will have a secret of his own.

As for the divorce, according to unconfirmed rumors (therefore do take this with a grain of salt), Mike may have accidentally killed someone, leading Susan to a painful decision about her marriage.

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"Lipstick Jungle": Season 2 Premieres 9/24

The winner in the battle of "Sex and the City" knock-offs, NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" is coming back for more steamy action on Wednesday, September 24 at 10/9c on NBC.

Ironically, Lucy Liu who lost the war of the suds with her ABC series "Cashmere Mafia" may get to strike back, as the show she joins this season, ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money," airs directly opposite season 2 of "Lipstick Jungle."



Of course, had last TV season not been so brutally impacted by the writers' strike, perhaps "Lipstick Jungle" would never even have gotten a second chance to capture ad-friendly female demos.

In other words, averaging 6.97 million viewers is nothing to write home about. But "Cashmere Mafia" did a little worse (6.13 million) and there were not enough new shows lined up for fall.



So, what's ahead for the ladies of "Lipstick Jungle"?

Mary Tyler Moore guest stars in the season premiere episode "Pandora's Box" as Wendy Healy's (Brooke Shields) mother; dreamboat Kirby Atwood (Robert Buckley) returns for more 6-pack action; and Rosie Perez ("Fearless") also guest stars.




***SPOILERS***

Nico (Kim Raver) is haunted by her infidelity when Charles (Chris Cousins) gives her a photograph that Kirby (Robert Buckley) took of her during their affair. Overcome with guilt, she debates whether she should tell Charles the truth and decides to go to extreme measures to save her marriage.



Wendy (Brooke Shields) decides to cut back on her hours at the office and spend more time at home after she finds her under-age daughter, Maddie (Sarah Hyland), at a bar. Her transition into domestic life is not an easy one especially when her opinionated mother (Moore) unexpectedly comes to the city for a visit.



Finally, Victory (Lindsay Price) finds it difficult to avoid Joe (Andrew McCarthy) who is desperate to get her back. Trying to move on from their personal relationship, she hires a publicist Dahlia Morales (Perez) to help brand her business and find a retail space.



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FOX's "Fringe": Best New Show of Fall 08?

With only 14 new shows premiering on broadcast TV this fall (down from an average of 30), a handful of premieres such as last week's "90210" on The CW or tonight's "Fringe" on FOX have generated quite a bit of pre-air buzz. Do they live up to the hype?

Most critics agree "Fringe" certainly does with many calling it the best new show of the fall. Created by JJ Abrams, the man behind such genre gems as "Alias" and "Lost," "Fringe" is a crime show solving science-based mysteries.



It all begins tonight with a 95-minute pilot in which an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport with no signs of life.

An unlikely trio of FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv); brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble, "Lord of the Rings"); and his scheming, reluctant son Peter ("Dawson Creek's" Joshua Jackson) uncovers a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realizes they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern.




Unlike other Abrams hits which struggled to build ("Alias") or maintain audience ("Lost), "Fringe" is expected to do well as it may be easier to follow.

The show is a blend of horror, science fiction and thriller involving conspiracies and extended car chases, all artfully packaged with abundant special effects.



As always, 13 episodes have been ordered, the first 4 air before the MLB playoffs. Encore telecast of tonight's pilot airs Sunday at 8.

The show will then air Tuesdays at 9:00pm, after an all-new "House."

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Ratings: Monday (September 8, 2008)

Did week #2 of "Gossip Girl" live up to its strong season premiere? Was the return of "Sarah Connor" a success? And did FOX's "Prison Break" get better or worse after last week's dismal return? Monday night results are in.

Good news for The CW; not so good news for FOX. The 20th episode of the teen soap scored 3.16 million viewers, down from 3.38 million it lured to the netlet for last week's Hamptons-based premiere.

The episode was however 2nd best ever in key demos and it built its 18-49 audience from a year-ago telecast by as much as 45%. I'm sure Parents Television Council will be thrilled about that.

As for FOX's "Sarah Connor," the Terminator series was back with only 6.34 million viewers, down from 7.98 million it pulled in for the 2-hour 1st season finale on March 3.

The show did win its timeslot among adults 18-49. Will it do equally well when NBC's "Chuck" gets back into the prime time mix?

Finally, Terminator's lead-out "Prison Break" actually managed to build a little on these numbers and tie CBS sitcom repeats in adults 18-49.

But with only 6.48 million viewers tuning in, the show is still down a million from last year and down 3 million from season 1. This may indeed be the final year for "Prison Break", especially if "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" do well.

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"Supernatural" Hotties Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles @ Vancouver Soap Box Derby

TV's sexiest siblings, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles who play the ghost-busting Winchester bros on The CW's "Supernatural" took part in Red Bull Soap Box Derby in Vancouver on Sunday afternoon.

50 teams of riders in human-powered soapboxes vied for victory in the all-adult speed-plus-style star-studded international competition which hit Vancouver for the very first time.

Jensen appears to be struggling in the background as Jared crosses the finish line. The actors are back for a 4th season of their CW horror series on Thursday, September 18 after an all-new "Smallville."

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