The Year in TV: September 2010

The start of the fall season brought a lot of new shows to television, but there were also cancellations and other news events.

TV-related news takes a serious turn, as a deranged man created a hostage situation at the Discovery Communications Building. He threatened network employees with pistols and a explosive device until policemen shot and killed him.

 

Here’s the new series that the major networks offered us this month:

The CW: Hellcats and Nikita.

 

NBC: The Event, Outsourced, Chase, Undercovers, Law & Order: Los Angeles, and Outlaw.

 

FOX: Raising Hope, Running Wilde, and Lone Star.

 

CBS: Hawaii Five-O, $#*! My Dad Says, Blue Bloods, The Defenders, and Mike and Molly.

 

ABC: No Ordinary Family, Better With You, Detroit 1-8-7, The Whole Truth, and My Generation.

 

Within the month, FOX’s critically praised Lone Star and ABC’s critically panned My Generation become the first two new fall series to be cancelled for low ratings.

 

Reality TV shows were still in full swing, with the following shows starting new seasons: ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, CBS’ Undercover Boss, Survivor: Nicaragua, and The Amazing Race, NBC’s The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, and School Pride, The CW’s America’s Next Top Model, FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen, A&E’s Hoarders, and TLC’s Sister Wives.

 

PBS airs The Tenth Inning, focusing on the developments and events in professional baseball that happened from 1994 to 2009. It was a continuation of Ken Burns Emmy Award-winning original documentary series.

 

With its 10th season scheduled to air in January 2011, American Idol announces that Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, singer/actress Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson will be their judges. Also, former judge Kara DioGuardi alleged that she wasn’t officially notified about being dropped from the show, but heard the news from her father, who heard it on the radio.

 

CBS’ As The World Turns ended after 54 years on air. It was the second longest-running TV soap opera and the last series entirely produced by Procter and Gamble.

 

During a press conference, Apple announces plans for their second version of Apple TV. The device streams iTunes rentals and other video files and has 8GB of flash storage, in a smaller size and a lower price than the original.

 

The voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Billie Mae Richards, writer/producer Stephen J. Cannelli, McCoy’s Tony Curtis, Checkers & Pogo’s Morgan White, announcer Art Gilmore, producer David Dortort, Rhoda’s Harold Gould, broadcaster John Kluge, actor Kevin McCarthy Love, Sidney’s Marilyn Cantor Baker, comedian Greg Giraldo, and director/producer Arthur Holch were some of the television personalities we lost this month.