TCA Tour Yields End of 'Sex' And a Bumper Crop of Reality

Cable World, Jan 13, 2003

Byline: SHIRLEY BRADY

The biggest news from last week's Television Critics Association press tour marked the end of an era.

HBO's buried-in-the-press-kit announcement that Sex and the City's upcoming sixth season would be its last made next-day headlines as far away as Taiwan. HBO chairman Chris Albrecht also said Sopranos creator David Chase has not committed beyond its upcoming fifth season this fall, much to the dismay of the more than 130 TV critics gathered at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.

Participating for the first time in the cable portion of the semi-annual tour were Fine Living, Black Starz, Tech TV and Trio.

Discovery also demonstrated its high-definition HD Theater while the NCTA released figures showing that cable systems providing HD channels now pass one in three U.S. television households.

A few other announcements made at TCA:

A&E: British series MI5 (this summer).

ABC Family: Reality series My Life Is a Sitcom (Jan. 20); The Last Resort (nine couples in rocky relationships go on vacation); its first original movie, The One (Feb. 9).

AMC: The Wrong Coast, an animated movie spoof (Apr. 2); The AMC Project, a monthly documentary series (June).

BBC America: U.K. series The Office (Jan. 23).

Court TV: Al Roker Investigates: The Farmingville Incident special (Feb. 12); Andrea Thompson hosts Psychic Detectives (Feb. 27).

Discovery Networks: Pet Stars (Animal Planet, Jan. 31); a new documentary strand (Discovery Vision) on Discovery; diginet Discovery Times channel launches on Mar. 25.

E!: Promoted teen host Michael Essany's new late-night talk show.

ESPN: New series, Bill Walton's Long Strange Trip (Feb. 2); Jim Rome hosts a weekly talk show (May).

Fine Living: Announced a distribution deal on Comcast's digital tier in Philadelphia (along with sister net DIY); two new shows, Tricks of the Trade (Jan. 27) and Sheila Bridges: Designer Living (Jan. 28).

Game Show Network: First documentary, Big Buck: The Press Your Luck Scandal (Mar. 16).

Hallmark: Original movie, King and Queen of Moonlight Bay (June).

HBO: The Rolling Stones' first-ever live concert for TV (Jan. 28); Bill Maher's 20-episode series (Feb. 21); original movies Normal (March) and My House in Umbria (May); Six Feet Under's second season begins Mar. 2.

Lifetime: Erin Brockovich hosts reality series Final Justice (Jan. 17); original movies Homeless to Harvard (May) and Breaking Through.

National Geographic Channel: Surviving Everest special (Apr. 27).

Sci Fi: Tremors: The Series and three-part miniseries The Children of Dune, both in March.

Showtime: Two new series, Dead Like Me and Out of Order; original movies Good Fences (with Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover) and Deacons for Defense air during February's Black History Month.

Starz: Original documentary Last of the Mississippi Jukes (on Black Starz!).

TechTV: New series Wired for Sex and Spy School, both second quarter.

Trio: Series TV Out of the Box (Jan. 22); a nightly documentary block, 9 Sharp (Jan. 27); Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen (Feb. 14).

Turner: TNT original movie Monte Walsh, aka "The Last Cowboy" (Jan. 17-19).

USA: Original movies Ann Rule Presents: The Stranger Beside Me (Mar. 21), Rudy! a biopic of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, (Mar. 30); new development deal with Whoopi Goldberg.

WE: TV and the Single Girl special (March).