A week before Super Bowl Sunday, two sporting events delivered milestones for Fox and ESPN, respectively.

Fox's broadcast of the Pro Bowl drew 13.4 million viewers overall — despite the NFC jumping out to a 42-0 lead on its way to a 55-41 victory. That's the most viewers the exhibition has attracted since 13.5 million tuned in for the 1997 game. Sunday's 7.7 rating (4.7 in 18-49) and 12 share was the highest since 2000.

Earlier in the day, the Lakers-Celtics NBA game that offered a rematch of June's NBA Finals scored a 5.0 overnight rating, tying ABC's record for a non-Christmas Day regular season game. The rating was 14% higher than the comparable Lakers-Celtics matchup on ABC last season.

Watch the full episode. See more Masterpiece.

With its Screen Actors Guild win for ensemble cast Sunday, "The King's Speech" marched farther down the path to Oscar glory, or at least very close to it. And yet, on the very same night, there was evidence that this potential Oscar winner wasn't even the best entertainment offering to come out of the U.K. this past year.

That's because Sunday also marked PBS' broadcast of the final installment of the first season of "Downton Abbey," a project befitting the pubcaster's Masterpiece moniker in its mesmerizing whirlwind of romance, drama and social commentary. (The final scenes are posted above.) Nothing against "Speech," which for all its so-called made-for-Oscar qualities was my favorite film of 2010, but "Downton" made its story seem utterly small. (Note that you can still catch 'Downton' online at PBS through Feb. 22.)

Obviously, "Downton" benefited from having in the neighborhood of six hours to tell its stories — not to mention a second edition that is scheduled to begin production in March. Nonetheless, if you can make a convincing argument that the best in cinema is topped by the best of the smallscreen (putting aside the fact that other TV projects might be considered superior to 'Downton'), can you not make yet another argument that the Emmy is due for recognition as the ultimate screen honor?

As Maggie Smith's Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham would say in a fit of pique, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

CBS College Sports Network has rejected the above advertisement from the NFL Players Assn. advocating a settlement to the labor dispute between the players and owners that threatens the 2011 season.

"I tried to have my team contact CBS to try to understand exactly what happened, but apparently they said they didn't want to get involved with the labor negotiations," NFLPA assistant exec director of external affairs George Atallah told Rich Thomaselli of Ad Age.

In the latest issue of weekly Variety, Maury Brown offers a look at how the dispute through the eyes of the television networks, who are in the awkward position of having to continue to pay rights fees even if games are postponed.

How many millions watched Betty White on Sunday night? Many, many millions.

In addition to the crowd who watched White win for lead comedy actress on the Turner networks' broadcast of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, 14.5 million viewers saw White in CBS' broadcast of "The Lost Valentine."

From Rick Kissell of Variety:

... ("Lost Valentine") averaged a 2.3 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 and 14.5 million viewers overall. Once a reliable ratings getter for CBS, the Hallmark Hall of Fame has fallen off in recent years, but "Valentine" drew the largest overall aud for the franchise since "Valley of Light" in January 2007, peaking with 15.7 million in its final half-hour Sunday. And in demos like 18-49 and 25-54 (3.4/8), "Valentine" drew the best scores for a HHOF movie since "Front of the Class" in December 2008. ...

After her late night at the SAGs, the 89-year-old White was scheduled to be back at a table read for "Hot in Cleveland" this morning.

Despite premiering its second season against competition that included MTV's "Jersey Shore," Fox animated series "Archer" topped its freshman average by 41%.

Thursday's season premiere drew 1.5 million viewers overall and just shy of a million in the 18-49 demo. Among men 18-34, "Archer" improved 75% on its "Two and a Half Men" syndicated lead-in.

On the down side, "Archer" was down from its series premiere a year ago, which hit the bull's-eye with 1.8 million viewers. "Archer" averaged 1.0 million viewers in its first season. But an additional 678,000 viewers watched an 11 p.m. encore of Thursday's episode.

Meanwhile, FX drama "Lights Out" is trying to find a foundation after a rocky start. The third episode of the boxing-themed series Wednesday punched 819,000 viewers, compared with 921,000 the previous week. In December, FX canceled "Terriers" after that series averaged 746,000 viewers over its 13 episodes.

Geoff Stults has been cast as the lead in Fox's pilot for a "Bones" spinoff alongside the previously announced Michael Clarke Duncan.

Stults ("7th Heaven," "October Road") will play Walter Sherman, a former military policeman who can find anything. He joins Michael Clarke Duncan, who was cast last week.

"Bones" on Thursday recorded its highest audience in nearly four years, drawing 12.2 million viewers with an episode that followed "American Idol."

CNN, the only network to carry the launch of the space shuttle Challenger live on January 28, 1986, today posted uncut footage from its broadcast of the explosion with this story.

You can see that CNN commentator Tom Mintier was either too confused or too shocked to immediately convey verbally what was happening live on camera, then talks about everyone "holding their breath" in response to the "huge fireball in the sky." NASA initially termed the event a "major malfunction" before, more than a minute later, confirming the report that the "vehicle had exploded" and "checking with the recovery forces to see what can be done at this point."

Within a few more seconds, Mintier announced the "major catastrophe."

Syfy had its best reality series premiere in more than six years among adults 18-49 with the launch of "Face Off," which drew 896,000 viewers in the demo.

Not since "Ghost Hunters" premiered in October 2004 has a new reality project debuted so well on the cabler. "Face Off," which is a competition series for aspiring special-effects whizzes, drew 1.4 million viewers overall in its 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot.

McKenzie Westmore hosts, with experts Ve Neill, Glenn Hetrick and Patrick Tatopoulos as judges. Dwight D. Smith and Michael Agabian exec produce for via Mission Control Media.

Meanwhile, A&E had its own ratings achievments to crow about. "Storage Wars" hit series highs with 3.3 million viewers overall and 2.0 million in the demo at 8 p.m., making it the night's No. 1 original cable program.

Then at 9 p.m., the 200th episode of its longest-running original series, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," had its best showing in nearly five years with more than 3.0 million viewers overall and 1.8 million in 18-39.

Thanks to the shows, A&E was cable's No. 1 network Wednesday in 18-49.

CBS has ordered a workplace comedy pilot from Peter Knight.

Show centers around a group of young employees at a high-powered venture capital firm.

Knight, who created the Comedy Central skein "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire," will exec produce with Doug Robinson, from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison shingle.

Sony Pictures Television is producing with CBS Television Studios.

Ross Lynch, Laura Marano and Raini Rodriguez — the latter the sister of "Modern Family" boy wonder Rico Rodriguez — have been cast in the Disney Channel comedy pilot "Austin & Ally," which will shoot in February.

Lynch will play Austin, an extroverted singer who teams up with Marano's Ally, a shy songwriter. Lynch has been appeared in Disney XD's short-form series, "Moises Rules" and is one of five siblings in the musical group R5. Marano has been seen in "Without a Trace," "Back to You" and "The Sarah Silverman Program."

Rodriguez, who plays Trish, best friend of Alex, previously recurred on Disney XD comedy "I'm in the Band" and also has had roles in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" (as the daughter of Kevin James' lead character) and the upcoming "Prom."

Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert ("Good Burger," "Keenan & Kel") are the project's creators-exec producers.

Fans of "Deadwood" and anticipators of "Luck" will be eager to learn about showrunner David Milch's next project: an adaptation of videogame "Heavy Rain" into a feature film. Dave McNary of Variety has details:

... ."Rain" is being developed via Unique's first-look deal with Warner Bros., which is fast-tracking the project. Milch will start writing "Rain" once he's finished work on the first season of HBO's horse-racing series "Luck," on which he's creator and exec producer.

"Heavy Rain," based on the Sony Computer Entertainment game released last year, spans four days of mystery and centers on the hunt for a murderer known as the Origami Killer. Four characters, each following his own leads and with his own motives, take part in a desperate attempt to prevent the killer from claiming a new victim, with each character's decisions affecting the plans of the other three. ...

HBO will turn Broadway's “Colin Quinn Long Story Short” into a special that will air on the paybler in April. Quinn frontlines the one-man show, which Jerry Seinfeld directed.

Show, which offers a 75-minute satirical history of the world from Antigone to Snooki, opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre in November and recently had its run extended.

Quinn, Seinfeld, Brian Stern and Sandy Wernick will be exec producers of the TV special, with John Moffitt directing.

By SAM THIELMAN

Despite the thick blanket of snow covering Manhattan, it was a busy day at 30 Rock as CEO Steve Burke addressed the employees of the newly-merged Comcast/NBC Universal.

Company morale was clearly a priority: Employees received a gift box with a book on the newly merged company, 25 shares of stock, a pass for four to Universal Studios and a blank journal labeled "The Big Idea Book," as well as an open letter from Comcast topper Brian L. Roberts and a copy of this credo:

We are in business to create and deliver content so compelling it entertains, informs, and shapes our world.

We believe that the talent, creativity, and diversity of our people are our greatest resources. We emphasize teamwork because we are smarter, more dynamic and better together.

We believe in doing the right thing and treating people the right way. We think integrity and honestly are the foundation of a productive working environment. We take our business seriously, but do not take ourselves too seriously.

We are passionate about what we do and take pride in what we create. We have a pioneering spirit and are willing to take risks and embrace new technologies. We like to keep score and win.

As we grow our businesses together, we will not just anticipate the future, but rather create, invent and deliver it.

The new corporate strategy also decorated the elevator banks in the form of lobby cards with the text in white copy on a purple background.

Corporate also endeavored to drum up some excitement for Burke's address by holding a lottery for live attendance at the town hall (most people watched from their desks) or via in-house TV channels at the various NBCU properties. Not everything went as planned — new IDs were meant to be handed out today, but were put off until later due to last night's thunderous snowstorm.

The following is Roberts' letter to NBCU staff:

Dear Colleague:

Today marks the birth of the new NBCUniversal. Together, Comcast and NBCUniversal are poised to become the greatest media company in the world, delivering quality content to a global audience on every conceivable platform

We are incredibly excited about this opportunity. We're humbled, too, since we are keenly aware that NBC and Universal both have tremendous legacies, reaching back nearly a century.

Although only half as old, Comcast also has a proud history, having grown from a single system cable operator to the largest video and residential Internet service provider in the country.

As we embark on this adventure together, it seems like a good time to reflect on how we got here. That's why we put this book together. We hope you enjoy it and will be proud to be a part of what we've become.

The book is just one element of a gift package marking this occasion. Included is a certificate entitling you to 25 shares of stock in Comcast Corporation. Our hope is that you share ownership of this company and what we accomplish together.

You’ll also find a free pass for you and your family to one of the Universal theme parks — because we want you to get to know all our businesses, and have some fun, too.

And we’ve included what we’re calling “The Big Idea Book.” We’re a company founded on and driven by big ideas, and this gives you a place to record your own.

Last but not least, you’ll see a copy of the NBCUniversal Credo. This is, quite literally, what we believe. We hope you’ll agree, and come to see these as not just words but the distillation of a company culture that defines who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

NBCUniversal and Comcast are remarkable companies. Together, we will be even better.

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation

Steve Burke, CEO, NBC Universal

ABC has ordered the pilot "Other People’s Kids."

Multicam comedy is from writer Hunter Covington, with Stacy Traub and Peter Traugott exec producing.

Show, produced by ABC Studios and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, is about a 32-year-old guy with no responsibilities who suddenly finds himself with an insta-family. He falls in love with an older woman who has two children, an ex-husband and ex-in-laws.

Will Ferrell will reunite with former "Anchorman" co-star Steve Carell for a multi-episode story arc on "The Office" that leads into Carell's farewell from the series.

Ferrell will play a branch manager from the home office who shares some of the inappropriate traits of Carell's Michael Scott. Deadline.com first reported the news.

"We found Steve Carell when he was nothing but a movie star and we turned him into a television star,” joked executive producer Paul Lieberstein. “We are proud to continue ‘The Office's’ tradition of discovering famous talent, and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they'll see what we see: tremendous raw sexuality.”

Fellow "Anchorman" alum David Koechner has already recurred on "The Office" as salesman Todd Packer since its earliest days.

"The Talk" will keep talking for CBS next season.

The daytime gabber featuring Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini has been renewed for 2011-12.

Since replacing "As the World Turns" in October, "The Talk" has averaged 2.21 million viewers — and has come in at 2.4 million over the most recent two weeks measured in January.  It draws a 1.1 rating among women 25-54.

"After only a few months on the air, 'The Talk' has delivered creative and ratings growth and established a strong profile in daytime," CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler said.

The show bowed with Marissa Jaret Winokur as a sixth contributor, but it was announced this month that she would be departing.

Gilbert exec produces the series with Brad Bessey and John Redmann.

BBC Worldwide Prods. has given the go-ahead to a 10-episode order for “Gigi: Almost American,” its first original online series.

BBC Worldwide will co-produce with website My Damn Channel ("Wainy Days") and comedy troupe The Lost Nomads, which features series creator and star Josh Gad (“Love and Other Drugs”). The Lost Nomads also include Tyler Clancy, Ida Darvish, Kevin Larsen and Tyler Moore.

“Josh Gad is a tremendous talent and his comedic gifts, along with those of his fellow Lost Nomads troupe members, make Gigi an inspired and innovative series, in line with the quality programming viewers expect from the BBC,” said BBC Worldwide Prods. topper Jane Tranter.

“Gigi” is a comedy about a loveable foreigner who wants to blend into U.S. society, despite his many hurdles to doing so.

“We’ve been developing Gigi with BBC Worldwide Prods. for the past year,” Gad said, “and it is truly a passion project for the me and the Nomads. My Damn Channel’s commitment to top quality comedy programming made it the ideal place to showcase the series, and we’re thrilled to have found the perfect home for it.”

CBS is so in love with “Mad Love” that it’s premiering the comedy a week early.

Laffer about a quartet of New Yorkers will now debut on Feb. 14 — a day some women refer to as Valentine’s Day. Eye marketers figure the tie-in might bring some viewers who might not ordinarily tune in.

Show stars Jason Biggs, Sarah Chalke, Tyler Labine and Judy Greer and is from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios.

“Mad Love” will air at 8:30 p.m. Mondays following “How I Met Your Mother.”

ESPN has signed newscaster Hannah Storm to a multiyear pact.

Storm, who co-hosts the morning edition of “SportsCenter” with Josh Elliott, will now travel to high-profile events — including the Super bowl, NBA Finals, Wimbledon and USA Open — for on-site duties.

“Hannah brings a wealth of experience, hard work and professionalism into every assignment,” said Norby Williamson, exec VP of production. “She will continue to help drive the success of the morning ‘SportsCenter’ and her added presence will strengthen our big event coverage.”

Storm also produced “Unmatched,” the one-hour doc as part of the cabler’s “30 for 30” series.

Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone today launched a web-only project, “The Three Minute Talk Show,” running on LStudio.com, the content arm of car-maker Lexus.

The first edition is actually six minutes long, but it still breezes through the talkshow format with Barry Sobel as host, Fred Willard as sidekick, Ben Lee as bandleader and Hanks and comedian Charles Viracola (who gets one joke in a five-second appearance) as guests. A second segment with Bryan Cranston guesting is also online today.

Future guests are scheduled to include Jon Cryer, Johnny Knoxville, Stephen Moyer, Wilmer Valderrama, Ginnifer Goodwin, Cedric the Entertainer, Joe Jonas, Mike O’Malley.

“‘The Three Minute Talk Show’ is exactly the type of content we strive to showcase on LStudio,” said Dave Nordstrom, Lexus’ Vice President of Marketing. “Our goal has been to create an online destination with high-quality, thought-provoking material that consumers would want to return to again and again. Playtone’s innovative and entertaining content is the perfect fit and represents the next big step in establishing LStudio as a premiere, branded entertainment site.”

Content for LStudio.com is produced and distributed by Intelligent Life Productions in collaboration with Team One Advertising for Lexus. Ron Qurashi and Diane Charles exec produced. Creative Artists Agency brokered the deal for “The Three Minute Talk Show” with Intelligent Life Productions.

L Studio is also the home of "Web Therapy," the Lisa Kudrow starrer that is being adapted into a Showtime series.

Those of you wonder why James Franco was chosen to co-host the Oscars — and Franco himself might be among that group — might have found an answer in last night's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart," in which Franco showed his lighter side in a bit that easily could have found its way into the Academy Award broadcast.

It won't change your life, but it'll serve to remind you that Franco has his playful, outgoing side that might work on the big stage.

NBC is moving foward with "S.I.L.A."

The network will explore another drama set in the L.A. via a pilot with the full title of "Special Investigations L.A."

Former industry execs Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope are exec producing with Stephen Gaghan, who is writing and directing the pilot. The drama is said to resemble Gaghan's Oscar-winning script for the movie "Traffic" in depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics.

The Oprah Winfrey Network has shut down an untitled daytime talkshow in development that was to be exec produced by Mark Burnett.

Decision was made by network topper Christina Norman, who gave no specific reason for the cancellation except to say the cabler was focusing more on its primetime slate. The hourlong talker was designed to have multiple hosts, similar to ABC's "The View" and CBS' "The Talk." OWN was eyeing a March launch.

Burnett already works with OWN as exec producer on reality competish skein "Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star."

"We have to be really smart about what goes on our air and when," said Norman, who added there are approximately 40 shows currently in development.

OWN's current daytime sked includes "The Best of Trading Spaces," "Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love" and "The Gayle King Show," which launched just two weeks ago.

Behind a large publicity push, ratings for the net started strong following its Jan. 1 debut -- 1 million viewers for the opening weekend -- but have since softened.

Net is planning to premiere a handful of shows in February, including "Our America With Lisa Ling," which debuts Feb. 16.

Among the new series OWN is adding to its sked in the coming months is newly greenlit skein "Home Takeover With Simon & Tomas," an hourlong with a six-episode order.

Scandinavian interior designers Simon Davies and Tomas Cederlund will frontline the series, scheduled to premiere March 28. OWN chief creative officer Lisa Erspamer said the pair has a "unique sense of style."

"The duo are not only skilled interior decorators, but their over-the-top personalities also make them fun to watch as they perform their design magic and literally move into the homes they are helping," Erspamer said.

Chris Cowan, Ray Giuliani and Jean-Michel Michenaud are exec producing for OWN via Angel City Factory.

Also, with Winfrey's revelation that she has a half-sister, Monday's "The Oprah Winfrey Show" averaged a 9.6 household rating. That's the highest rating since Feb. 28, 2005, the day following the Oscars in which she some of the previous night's winners as guests.

(Jon Weisman contributed to this report.)

Episode two wasn’t kind to "Skins."

MTV’s racy teenage drama drew 1.6 million for last night’s episode, less than half than the 3.3 million who tuned in a week ago. That one had the benefit of an original "Jersey Shore" lead-in.

The network was hoping the controversy raised by the Parents Television Council would actually help draw viewers, but that wasn’t the case. So far, the show has lost a handful of advertisers, including Schick, General Motors, Subway, H&R Block, Taco Bell and Wrigley.

In the 18-34 demo, the numbers all fell precipitously as well. While the skein garnered a 2.7 rating a week ago, last night’s episode generated only a 1.

Bravo is primed for the upcoming 90-minute, season-three finale of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” now that its most recent episode has drawn the series' biggest audience.

The 10 p.m. Sunday airing swept up 3.43 million viewers overall and 2.3 million in the 18-49 demo, giving Bravo a timeslot victory across cable.

Meanwhile, Bravo's "Watch What Happens: Live" with guests Lawrence Washington of "RHoA" and RuPaul nabbed 2.2 million total viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49.

ABC's daylong pilot order parade continues with "Poe," an hourlong drama from exec producer Dan Lin and writer/supervising producer Chris Hollier via Warner Bros.

Like "Pan Am," "Poe" takes us back in time, in this case to 1840s Boston, where Edgar Allan Poe works as a detective using unusual methods.

Hollier got his start working as an assistant to J.J. Abrams on "Alias," eventually co-writing one episode. He then went on to write for "Kyle XY."

ABC kept the Warner Brothers multicam bandwagon rolling today. Shortly after ordering 'Work It' to pilot, the Alphabet net confirmed it had given the go-ahead on comedy pilot "Lost and Found," along with drama pilot "Pan Am."

"Lost and Found" comes from actress Marisa Coughlan and centers around a New York bartender and party girl who has her life upended when the 18-year-old son she gave up for adoption (and who happens to be conservative - Alex P. Keaton, anyone?) finds his way into her life.

"Pan Am," set in the 1960s in the glamour (if more sexist) era of airline travel, had already received a pilot commitment, so this just makes things official. Series comes from Sony Pictures TV, with Jack Orman writing and Thomas Schlamme directing. Both will exec produce along with Nancy Ganis, whose husband Sid will co-exec produce.

The next new series greenlit by OWN will be primetime skein “Home Takeover with Simon & Tomas,” an hourlong with a six-episode order.

Scandanavian interior designers Simon Davies and Tomas Cederlund will frontline the series, scheduled to premiere March 28.

“Simon and Tomas will take America by storm with their unique sense of style,” OWN chief creative officer Lisa Erspamer said. “The duo are not only skilled interior decorators, but their over-the-top personalities also make them fun to watch as they perform their design magic and literally move into the homes they are helping.”

Chris Cowan, Ray Giuliani and Jean-Michel Michenaud are exec producing for OWN via Angel City Factory.

ABC has ordered halfhour multicam pilot "Work It" from Warner Bros. TV.

Written by "Friends" alums Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen through WBTV, the comedy recalls 1980s ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" in putting men in women's clothing to help them get back on their economic feet.

The leads will be two out-of-work car salesmen — both husbands and fathers — who dress as women by day to get jobs working as pharmaceutical reps. At night, they hang out at their local bar, where they can be themselves.

Reich and Cohen most recently worked on ABC's shortlived Alyssa Milano starrer "Romantically Challenged."

ABC Family's presentation of "Mean Girls 2," the made-for-TV sequel to the Lindsay Lohan-Amanda Seyfried-Rachel McAdams-Lizzy Caplan-Lacey Chabert-Tina Fey starrer of 2004, became the most-watched movie of the 2010-11 season in the 12-34 demo, as well as among females 12-34.

Airing at 8 p.m. Sunday, "MG2" drew 2.0 million viewers in the 12-34 demo — approximately 80 percent of them female. It was cable's most-watched program from 8 to 10 p.m. in all key demos and No. 2 in overall viewers (3.4 million).

Meaghan Martin, Maiara Walsh, Jennifer Stone, Nicole Gale Anderson, Claire Holt and Diego Boneta toplined the cast. Melanie Mayron directed.

NBC has bought a comedy script from writer Jenifer Rice-Genzuk.

Titled “Black & Right,” plot is based on Rice-Genzuk’s life and centers around a young, hip liberal African-American couple who lose everything and are forced to move in with their die-hard Republican pundit mother and her white conservative husband.

Rice-Genzuk, repped by APA and New Wave Entertainment, is a writer on “The Game,” which recently had a boffo premiere on BET. She will exec produce “Black & Right” with Brian Volk-Weiss and Michael Pelmont.

Other New Wave projects in development include Matt Lawton’s “Buddy System” with CBS, Dan Levy’s “Several Children” at NBC and the CBS multicam laffer “Murses” from Jake Lentz and David Weinstein.

MTV just released this statement from "Skins" creator Brian Elsley:

"Skins" is a very simple and, in fact, rather old-fashioned television series. It's about the lives and loves of teenagers, how they get through high school, how they deal with their friends, and also how they circumnavigate some of the complications of sex, relationships, educations, parents, drugs and alcohol. The show is written from the perspective of teenagers, reflects their world view, and this has caused a degree of controversy both in the U.K. and the USA.

In the U.K., viewers and commentators very quickly realized that although there are some sensational aspects to the show, "Skins" is actually a very serious attempt to get to the roots of young people's lives. It deals with relationships, parents, death, illness, mental health issues, the consequences of drug use and sexual activity. It is just that these are characterized from the point of view of the many young people who write the show and has a very straightforward approach to their experiences. It tries to tell the truth. Sometimes that truth can be a little painful to adults and parents.

Consequences do flow from incorrect or selfish behavior but in the show, these are shown to be unexpected, hard to predict, and more to do with the loss of friendship than anything else, which in any context, is a disastrous outcome.

We proceed from the idea, not that teenagers are inherently likely to misbehave, but rather that they are intensely moral and disposed to make judgments on their own and others' behavior. Sometimes, but not always, they get things wrong. In this teenagers are remarkably similar to adults. Their morals may not be the same as those of their parents and teachers, but they are nevertheless, highly developed and active in their world.

When viewers have taken the time to watch the show in a little more depth, they are less concerned about the behavior of the characters. Teenagers can be loyal, supportive, dedicated, focused, and capable of making informed value judgments about their lives. In the pilot episode of "Skins," it's possibly easy to overlook the story wherein a young boy sets off to a party to sell drugs and have sex, but ,in fact, does neither of these things, because, he senses that he has been manipulated by friends and does not feel ready to have sex with someone he does not know properly.

"Skins" is a traditionally made television series which has won countless international awards and gained a worldwide audience for stories about the joy, misery and challenges of being a teenager. The show has been used in anti-drug campaigns, has drawn praise for its portrayal of mental health issues and explorations of bereavement, sexuality, bullying and gender stereotyping.

I have lost count of the letters we have been sent by viewers who tell us that they have been able to approach their parents or teachers with their difficulties after watching the show. It is something that we take a great deal of pride in and which can unfortunately be eclipsed by some of the negative attention.

Our approach is not careless. We've created a supportive and protective environment for everyone working on the show. And, of course, abide by the law, and give respect to our work colleagues who in this case, are young energetic and exciting people with so much to offer to an imperfect world.

ABC's "Shark Tank" returns from a hiatus of more than a year when it bows on ABC in the 8 p.m. Friday timeslot beginning March 25.

Mark Cuban and Jeff Foxworthy are among the featured guests during the coming eight-episode run. Mark Burnett, Clay Newbill and Phil Gurin exec produce the series, which is based on Japanese format “Dragons’ Den,” created by Nippon Television Network.

"Shark Tank" premiered as a summer show on ABC in 2009, airing on Sundays for six episodes before moving to Tuesdays for four more segs. Four more episodes aired on Fridays in early 2010.

Above: What seems to have been the William Hung of "Shark Tank" moments.

The initial airing of "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" drew 1.1 million viewers Friday for Starz, 66% more than the series premiere of the series it spun off from, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

An additional 753,000 viewers watched an encore presentation Friday of the prequel series, boosting the cumulative total to 1.85 million.

If you can't tell your Kardashian TV series without a scorecard, rest assured that fans of the family seem to be having little trouble keeping up.

Sunday's E! premiere of "Kourtney & Kim Take New York," the second spinoff of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," drew more than 3 million viewers, more than a 10% increase over last year's season premiere of "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami."

Among women 18-34, the improvement was 27%. "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" nearly doubled the E! average in that timeslot over the previous four weeks.

The season-two premiere of "Holly's World" roped in more than 2 million viewers, a 7% boost from the series premiere.

By Cynthia Littleton

Bob Greenblatt was busy on Friday as he takes hold of the reins of NBC.

Greenblatt ordered a pilot for a new take on "Wonder Woman" from David E Kelley and Warner Bros. TV.
He also gave the greenlight to "A Mann's World" from Michael Patrick King and WBTV.

At the same time, NBC has backed away from itscommitment to a WBTV drama project from Josh Schwartz, and he rolled a commitment to J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner into next year's development cycle.

With Greenblatt taking over at NBC at the midpoint of pilot season, the shuffle on the creative choices is not so surprising.

Earlier on Friday, Greenblatt greenlighted an hourlong musical project, "Smash," from Steven Spielberg, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron that he had previously developed at Showtime. He also gave the nod to a laffer, "I Hate that I Love You," from Jhoni Marchinko.

"Mann's World," which King penned and will direct, revolves around a celebrity hairstylist in L.A. and the challenges he faces in running his business and staying relevant in a fast-moving biz. Kelley's spin on "Wonder Woman" finds Diana Prince leading a double life as a high-powered corporate executive.

CBS has ordered multicam comedy pilot “Vince Uncensored” from writer Phoef Sutton.

From Warner Bros. Television and Conaco Prods., story examines a man who takes a more honest approach to his life, work and family after a life-changing experience.

Sutton, who was most recently a scribe on FX’s “Terriers” and ABC’s “Boston Legal,” exec produces with Conan O’Brien and David Kissinger. On the sitcom side, Sutton wrote for several years on “Cheers.”

Earlier Friday, the Eye gave a greenlight to cop drama “Rookies” from CBS TV Studios. From writer Richard Price and Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca banner, show revolves around six NYPD rookies struggling to balance their personal lives with the struggles of learning their beat in Manhattan.

The Writers Guild of America will honor TV vets Diane English, Seth Freeman, Susannah Grant and Mike Scully at the WGA Awards on Feb. 5.

English, the creator of "Murphy Brown," will recieve the 2011 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, honoring lifetime achievement for outstanding television writing. The series received a total of 18 Emmys (three for English) and 62 Emmy nominations. English has been a WGA member since 1977.

Freeman, creator of ABC Family's "Lincoln Heights" and the writer of more than 300 hours of television over a four-decade career, will join screenwriter Susannah Grant (whose TV credits include "Party of Five") in receiving the 2011 Valentine Davies Award, for their contributions to the entertainment industry and community at large. “Beyond the social and cultural impact their often topical bodies of work have made, Seth and Susannah’s ongoing personal service has made a real difference to many in the entertainment industry, our community, and the world,” WGAW President John Wells said.

Scully, a longtime writer for "The Simpsons" who has since moved on to "Parks and Recreation," earned the lifetime achievement award for animation writing from the guild's animation writers caucus.

It's partly a marketing gimmick, but who can argue with the subject matter? In celebration of what would have been the 92nd birthday of Ernie Kovacs, Shout! Factory is asking fans of comedy to salute the comedian's legacy by posting birthday remembrances online at his commemmorative Facebook page and by tweeting in his honor with a hashtag #itsbeenreal (Kovac's signature farewell).

Earlier this month, Shout! and Ediad Prods. (which manages the archives of Kovacs and his late wife Edie Adams) announced the six-DVD release of "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" would come April 19.

Above: a rare 1952 kinescope from "Kovacs on the Corner."

Now he's nationally famous for his role on CBS frosh comedy "Mike and Molly," but Billy Gardell shows he hasn't forgotten his standup roots with a new Comedy Central special, "Billy Gardell: Halftime," that will debut Feb. 5.

To show that Gardell is no overnight success story, above is a Comedy Central clip of Gardell performing from 10 years ago.

Rosie O'Donnell, who already has an emponymous talkshow in the works for this fall on OWN, has joined the OWN Documentary Film Club, for which she will help select films and also host specials.

O'Donnell will begin her onscreen work with the OWN DFC by fronting a one-hour special following the May premiere of "Becoming Chaz," a documentary from Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato about Chaz Bono.

Subsequent OWN DFC original offerings include “Extraordinary Moms,” “One Last Shot,” “Seven Suicides” and “Tent City, USA.” In addition, OWN has acquired docs “65 Red Roses,” “Family Affair,” “Life 2.0,” “Louder than a Bomb,” “Most Valuable Players,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “One Lucky Elephant” and “Sons of Perdition.”

Wendy Williams has been tabbed to host new strip series “Love Triangle” on GSN.

With the first of 32 half-hour episodes skedded to begin April 18, the show will feature a man or women dating two people. By the end of each program, they will have to settle on one for an exclusive relationship.

“Love Triangle” is produced by 3 Ball Prods. JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson and Brant Pinvidic are exec producers.

Williams syndicated self-titled talkshow is distributed by Debmar-Mercury and airs on Fox stations in several major cities around the country, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

“We’ve had great success with our dating and relationship game shows ‘Baggage’ and ‘The Newlywed Game,’” said GSN senior programming VP Kelly Goode. “‘Love Triangle’ will follow in that vein and Wendy will bring a strong voice, personality and sense of humor to the show.”

Well, the first "American Idol" kicked off sans Simon and the verdict is...not bad, actually.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler each have their own set of reasons why they can hold their own as judges, but they also both make for interesting TV. While they lack the inane rantings and mean-spirited humor of Paula and Simon, the new trio seem to have a good rapport with each other. Let's face it, Simon and Paula hated each other and it showed..and it was awesome. This year, not only to the judging trio seem to enjoy each other's company, but I can actually picture Steve, J-Lo and Randy going out together and splitting an Awesome Blossom. Unfortunately, it does play off a little bit as Good Cop, Good Cop and Good Cop.

As for the actually judging, they handled the task at hand with the ease of seasoned vets...to a degree. When it came to the bad news, Jen seemed at odds with crushing the hopes and spirits of teens and twentysomethings. Just wait, Jen. Once you get to the fiftieth bikini chick looking for a little TV time, the novelty of destroying lives wears off.

Steven fared a bit better than Jen. He was fine with saying no and had the humor needed to deal with the lunacy of the contestants, because let's face it folks, dem folks can be friggin' crazy. But in the end, the audition rounds lacked the malicious humor most folks tune in to watch.

This is the new era of "Idol," kids. The nicer "Idol." An "Idol" filled with rainbows, kittens and comfy sweaters.

I miss Simon.

-- Erin Maxwell

The executive producer of "Undercover Boss" is behind a Sundance documentary looking at how the 2008 financial kaboom kaboomed.

Stephen Lambert of Studio Lambert is exec producing "The Flaw" with Christopher Hird of Dartmouth Films and Luke Johnson. Directing the doc, which will have its North American premiere at Sundance while competing in the World Cinema Documentary category, is David Sington, who won the fest's 2007 audience award with "In the Shadow of the Moon."

Interviews with economists, bankers, borrowers and brokers will be seen throughout the documentary.

“'The Flaw' is a terrific film, intelligent and persuasive, but also entertaining, witty and at times moving," said Matthew Taylor, former head of strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, London. "Most fascinating to me was its core thesis — that the biggest driver of the crisis was wage and asset inequality."

"Project Runway" creator Eli Holzman is head of the U.S. operation for Studio Lambert, which has also generated "Wife Swap" and "Secret Millionaire" among other programs.

USA Network, continuing to expand its ever-burgeoning drama slate, has picked up two pilots to series.

“A Legal Mind” which stars Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht (right) and Meghan Markle, centers a young hotshot lawyer who doesn’t have a law degree but, with the help of a corporate attorney, uses his street smarts to serve justice and save both their jobs.

Creator Aaron Korsh wrote the pilot. Doug Liman and David Bartis exec produce for Universal Cable Prods.

“Necessary Roughness,” created by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro, focuses on a Long Island divorcee who gets a job as a therapist for a professional football team and struggles to find a balance between her personal and professional lives. Callie Thorne, who has had a recurring role in FX’s “Rescue Me” since 2004, plays the lead.

Sony Pictures Television and Universal Cable Prods. produce.

Including the pilot, both shows have received 12-episode orders and are scheduled to launch in the summer. Each will debut with a 90-minute premiere.

Jeff Wachtel, USA’s president of original programming, said while the net remains No. 1 in total viewers and in the 18-49 demo in cable, his job is make sure the programming doesn’t fall into a creative rut and can move beyond viewer expectations.

“We have a desire not to be just one thing. The hidden risk of success is trying to do what you did before,” Wachtel told Daily Variety. “‘Necessary Roughness’ has a bit of an emotional slant and the approach on ‘A Legal Mind’ is a little edgier, plus the lead isn’t particularly likeable. We’re certainly pushing out and appealing to a younger audience.”

Even with the two greenlights Wednesday, NBC Universal cabler still has four drama pilots on the shelf in which Wachtel and network topper Bonnie Hammer need to make decisions: “Eden,” “Wild Card,” “Over/Under” and “Common Law.”

With original skeins such as “Burn Notice” and “Psych” getting up there in age, Wachtel said it’s important to keep looking forward in order to keep the lineup fresh. He also added that comedy, reality and event programming will be a priority in 2012.

Net is actively looking to hire a reality exec to head its incoming nonscripted fare.

USA Network launches its newest drama, the Sarah Shahi-starrer “Fairly Legal,” Thursday night. Shahi plays a San Francisco mediator dealing with the death of her father and a stepmother as a boss.

Jimmy Fallon and the casts of “Community” and “White Collar” are among those set to be feted at the upcoming William S. Paley Television Festival.

The full two-week fest lineup — set for March 4-17 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills — is heavy on shows currently on the air. An evening dedicated to the Judd Apatow series “Freaks and Geeks” and
“Undeclared” is the only program that will take a look back.

Other series receiving the Paleyfest treatment that had not been previously announced include “Hot in Cleveland” and the fest closer, “Raising Hope.” Shows already announced are “True Blood,” “Supernatural,” “American Idol” and “The Walking Dead,” which opens the fest.

Ticket packages go on sale today, while individual ducats go on sale Friday to Paley Center members only. The general public can buy seats Sunday.

Paleyfest moved to the Saban last year following a turn at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.

CBS daytime topper Barbara Bloom is exiting the network.

Bloom, whose contract was set to expire at the end of January, had been at the Eye for eight years, arriving from ABC where was co-head writer on the Alphabet sudser “Port Charles.”

CBS’ daytime lineup has been dominant for decades. Sudser “The Young and the Restless” averages 5.2 million viewers, leads in the 18-49 demo and has been the No. 1 daytime drama for 22 years. “The Bold and the Beautiful” is No. 2 in total viewers and chatfest “The Talk,” which launched in the fall, averages 2.3 million.

A network spokesperson said there is no timetable to hire a replacement.

“With CBS daytime teed up for success and stability for many years ahead, the timing feels right for me to make a change now and seek something different,” Bloom said in a prepared statement. “The dramas have multi-year renewals, ‘The Price Is Right’ has great momentum with Drew (Carey), ‘Let’s Make Deal’ with Wayne Brady is firmly established and ‘The Talk’ is a growing franchise. I’ve been a writer, a producer and a programming executive, and now I’m excited to see what the next chapter has to offer.”

Said CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler: “Barbara artfully led CBS through several key transitions in her eight years here. She helped usher in a new era on ‘The Price Is Right’ with Drew Carey and guided delicate programming changes from two daytime dramas to successful game and talkshows while maintaining CBS’ leadership position in the daypart. All of these efforts have positioned CBS very well for the future.  Daytime is successful, profitable, refreshed creatively and has more variety of programming for our audience. We wish Barbara tremendous success wherever her talents take her.”

NBC is feeling good about “Parenthood,” giving the family drama the 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot.

Move comes at the expense of “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” which has undergone casting changes, including shifting Alfred Molina’s character from a district attorney to a LAPD detective. Skeet Ulrich is gone, as are regulars Regina Hall and Megan Boone.

“LOLA,” which didn’t launch until late September, was set to return to the timeslot Feb. 8, but the Peacock has been very happy with both the creative content on “Parenthood” as well as its ratings and didn’t want to take it off the air until it was supposed to return in March on Mondays. Skein, from Universal Media Studios, scored a 2.2 rating/6 share in the 18-49 demo last week. That was only a fraction below CBS’ popular Juliana Margulies drama “The Good Wife,” which scored a 2.3/6.

“The Good Wife,” though, handily outperforms “Parenthood” in total viewers — 12.2 million vs. 5.6 million — while both have proved too tough for ABC’s entry, “Detroit 1-8-7.”

NBC gave “LOLA,” which has been a ratings disappointment, a full 22-episode order but only eight have aired. “Parenthood” will likely finish its run before May and “LOLA” might return to the timeslot when “Parenthood” signs off. Either way, the net will find a place for “LOLA” before the season ends.

Reshuffling could be good for "Harry's Law," which was supposed to run six consecutive Mondays before taking a hiatus. David E. Kelley's skein starring Kathy Bates opened respectably this week with a 2.1/6 and 11 million viewers and now may go a full 13 episodes in a row before signing off.

On the reality front, NBC said it’s not ready to go ahead with the second season of “The Marriage Ref.” Show, created by Jerry Seinfeld, was supposed to begin March 6 with a few creative changes, including bring the couples into the studio, but its return date is now on hold.

Instead, “America’s Next Great Restaurant” will debut March 6 at 8 p.m. From “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” shingle Magical Elves, skein gives contestants a chance to see their new-restaurant ideas come to fruition.

Acting as both mentors and investors are chefs Bobby Flay and Curtis Stone, Chipotle founder Steve Ells and restaurateur-chef Lorena Garcia.

In the wake of Idris Elba's success returning to the U.K. for "Luther" — which later found a Stateside home on BBC America — another alum of "The Wire" is taking a similar route, in an even darker role.

Dominic West will portray real-life serial killer Fred West (yep, same last name) in "Appropriate Adult," a new drama for ITV that focuses on how Fred West and his wife Rosemary West (played by Monica Dolan) were brought to justice.

Also co-starring is Emily Watson, who plays Janet Leach, a voluntary worker who sat in on his police interviews.

Neil McKay is writing, with Julian Jarrold directing, Jeff Pope exec producing and Lisa Gilchrist producing.

“Our intention is to produce a sober and thought-provoking drama based on a true story," Pope said. "We have developed the script over the past three years, and it provides a unique insight into the police investigation which led to the conviction of Fred and Rose West and the crucial role Janet Leach played as the ‘appropriate adult.’”

Production on two 90-minute episodes begins in February.  "Appropriate Adult" follows two other dramatizations of notorious murder cases (BAFTA-winning "See No Evil: The Moors Murders" and "This is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper") produced by ITV Studios and written by McKay.

NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation” and HBO’s politically incorrect laffer “Eastbound & Down” have been added to the William S. Paley Television Festival calendar.

Full lineup will be unveiled tomorrow morning. Shows already announce are “True Blood,” “The Walking Dead,” “Supernatural,” “American Idol” and a revisit with Judd Apatow’s “Freaks & Geeks” and “Undeclared.”

PaleyFest is being held March 4-18 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. The event was moved there last year following a turn at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.

Ticket packages will go on sale Wednesday, while individual tickets go on sale Friday to Paley Center members only. The general public can buy seats Sunday.