This month I joined Adam and Jere on my favorite HTPC podcast – HTPCentric. We covered the ins and outs of SageTV (yes the good AND the bad) and discuss what’s new and coming for one of the most popular HTPC software programs – SageTV.
If we missed anything you wanted us to cover let me know in the comments.
During the recording of the HTPCentric podcast we discussed the frequency of software and firmware updates from SageTV. I knew it was pretty frequent, but I wasn’t honestly sure how often they came along. So I looked back over the past year which presumably also included many private beta’s we don’t see – especially with the move to SageTV 7. Even with that the updates are amazingly often!
With SageTV 7.0 we’ve had nine public betas in the past four months. That’s a lot of bugs getting squashed and feature improvements being added.
Add to that the roughly nine firmware updates for the SageTV HD300 and you get the picture – these SageTV developers are a busy bunch of folks.
It’s October already which means the high-profile premieres have already happened and some shows begin to get canceled. But there are still plenty of new premieres and finales this week so read on. Something to keep in mind for the more popular shows – this is Nielson’s “Sweeps” month where they aggregate more detailed TV viewership data during Oct. 29nd - Nov. 25th. So these weeks should be the best content from each series.
Each week GeekTonic covers the TV scene with a complete listing of premieres, finales and specials for the week. This week is pretty much the busiest premiere week of all. There is a LOT of TV beginning which means this is basically the official start of the Fall 2010 TV Season.
Note: I’ve added a quick PDF Guide to TV this week for those that want to take it with you.
Don’t miss these other GeekTonic Fall 2010 TV Season Features:
Check out the complete list of finales, premieres & specials below.
Above is a trailer for the premiere of “The Resistance” a new online web series. First episode airs on SyFy Monday and then moves to online distribution channels for the remainder of the season.
NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change
A downloadable PDF version of this “GeekTonic TV This Week Guide” is available now
America’s Funniest Home Videos (7pm on ABC) Season 21
Ice Road Truckers (9pm on History – Available in HD) Season 4 finale
The Next Iron Chef (9pm on Food – available in HD) Season 3 premiere hosted by Alton Brown
American Dad (9:30pm on Fox – Available in HD) Season 6 premiere begins with episode number 100
CSI: Miami (10pm on CBS – Available in HD) Season 9 premiere
IRT Deadliest Roads (10pm on History – Available in HD) New reality series spinoff from Ice Road Truckers hence the IRC in the shows title. Brave drivers tackle some the most dangerous roads on earth in brutal weather conditions.
The Glades (10pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 1 finale
Law & Order: UK (10:30pm on BBC America – Available in HD) The series premiere is aired in the U.S. for the first time. This is the British version (with wigs) that aired across the pond in early 2009. If you’re a Law & Order fan you may as well check this one out as well. Moves to 9pm on Fridays after this premiere.
Scare Tactics (8pm on SyFy) Season 5 premiere
Parker Spitzer (8pm on CNN) A new, news talk show on CNN with Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer…
Lie to Me (9pm on Fox – Available in HD) Lie to Me has its season 3 premiere a bit earlier than expected thanks to the failure of Lone Star.
Real Housewives of Atlanta (9pm on Bravo – Available in HD) Season 3 premiere
American Masters (9pm on PBS – Available in HD) This episode focuses on the career of controversial filmmaker Elia Kazan famous for “On the Waterfront” as well as the House Un-American Activities Committee. This episode includes comments from director Martin Scorsese
Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory (9:30pm on MTV) Season finale
Disappeared (10pm on ID – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere
Southern Fried Stings (10pm on TruTV) – Season premiere. This reality show follows a former state trooper and his team as they intervene when people commit illegal acts.
The Resistance (10pm on SyFy) – This is a test-run of science fiction action thriller “The Resistance” by Starz Digital Media. The show was originally meant to be a web-series and they decided to test the waters and push it with a multi-platform launch. This premiere will be an hour-long on the SyFy channel and then will be released the next day (October 5th) as a multi-episode web series for purchase on iTunes, XBOX Live, Amazon Video and The PlayStation Network. The trailer for the series is at the top of this post. More info at their website
Making History (9pm on National Geographic – Available in HD) New series where National Geographic historians and three filmmakers come together using one camera and a green screen re-create historical events using different forms of technology.
I Hate My Kitchen (9:30pm on DIY) A new home improvement series where James Young, contractor and electrician, hosts. They present economical and clever kitchen design ideas for homeowners.
Harry Loves Lisa (10pm on TVLand) New reality series that goes inside the marriage of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin as they juggle Hollywood careers while being parents to their two daughters.
House of Glam (10pm on Oxygen) New series that follows a group of trendsetters and stylists working for B. Lynn Group, a styling agency for the entertainment industry.
Underbelly: Into the Mystic (10pm on DirecTV) Season 2
Michael Feinstein's American Songbook (8pm on PBS – Available in HD) A new three-part documentary series exploring the history and great icons of American music
Dog the Bounty Hunter (9pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 7 premiere
South Park (10pm on Comedy – Available in HD) Season 14 premiere
Steven Seagal Lawman (10pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere
The Challenge: Cutthroat (10pm on MTV) Season premiere
Ugly Americans (10:30pm on Comedy – Available in HD) New animated series. Synopsis: New York is overrun with extraterrestrials (zombies, demons, aliens) attempting to assimilate into society alongside humans.
The Promise (9pm on HBO – Available in HD) A documentary about the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album
Dog Whisperer (8pm on National Geographic – Available in HD) Season 7 premiere
Real Housewives of DC (9pm on Bravo – Available in HD) Season 1 finale
Swamp Loggers (9pm on Discovery – Available in HD) Season 3 premiere
Fatal Attractions (9pm on Animal Planet – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere. It’s about deadly animals – not people this time :)
Gigantic (10pm on Teen Nick) This show is set in Los Angeles and focuses on the fictional lives of the children who live in the shadows of their celebrity parents.
Monsterwolf (9pm on SyFy – Available in HD) A made-for-TV movie. Synopsis: Terror strikes when an oil crew unwittingly unleashes a Native American animal spirit.
Auctioneer$ (10pm on TLC – Available in HD) New series gives a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most busiest auction houses in America.
10 Killer Weekend Projects (7pm on DIY) New home improvement series
Sweat Equity Top 10 (8pm on DIY) New home improvement series
Look (Midnight on Showtime – Available in HD) A new R-rated series that probably belongs on Showtime…
Hardcover Mysteries (9pm on Investigation Discovery) New series where America's most popular authors of thrillers give their thoughts on real-life mysteries. The first episode features well-known author David Baldacci
Texas Quints (10pm on TLC – Available in HD) Series premiere
If you follow GeekTonic for the TV Premieres and news, you’ll want to click here if you would like to get a regular e-mail for GeekTonic TV Premieres & News.
MediaPortal, one of the more popular open-source and free HTPC software programs released the 1.1.1 version of MediaPortal 1 this week.
The final version of 1.1.0 was released in July and the team now has a little update that offers several bug fixes for users of MediaPortal.
photo by brykmantra “Lubbock Heart Hospital”
As we move into October, it’s time to check the pulse of various TV Series. Here’s my take so far on the shows that have been cancelled already and those having a rough time of it:
Ratings wise, Fox had two major stinkers in their new show lineup. “Lone Star” and “The Good Guys” ratings were as bad as they get. The Fox shows that are excelling in the ratings: “Raising Hope”, “The Cleveland Show”, “House”, “Family Guy” and “Glee”. “Glee” and “The Cleveland Show” are even confirmed to be renewed for another season.
Lone Star - “Lone Star” didn’t make it very long – cancelled after only two episodes aired. I liked what little I saw of “Lone Star“, but the odds were stacked against the show in a tough Monday timeslot. While it received some positive critic attention, many viewers weren’t impressed. The premiere brought in 4.06 Million viewers and the second episode had 3.2 Million viewers. That was enough for Fox to pull the plug for good. “Lie to Me“ will premiere it’s third season earlier than planned this Monday in Lone Star’s place.
The Good Guys – “The Good Guys“ ratings have been even worse than “Lone Star.“ Which to me signals this show is about finished.
Fringe – One of my favorites, “Fringe“ hasn’t had the best of ratings. Fortunately it looks like it will survive this season. Renewal is definitely a question though.
Running Wilde – Much like “Fringe“ this one should make it through this season, but renewal is in question.
ABC has three shows that should be cancelled one of which already has been. Shows doing well on ABC include: “Modern Family“, “Grey’s Anatomy“, “Desperate Housewives“, “Cougar Town“ and “Private Practice.“ A notch below those are “Brothers and Sisters“, “The Middle“ and “Better with You.“
My Generation – Treated much like “Lone Star“, ABC yanked the drama “My Generation” after only two episodes. I didn’t see any full episodes, but the clips I did see didn’t impress me. Much like “Lone Star“, the show averaged 3.9 Million viewers this week. They haven’t officially declared this one cancelled, but they might as well have.
The Whole Truth – Another new one on ABC, legal drama “The Whole Truth” hasn’t fared much better in the ratings with its first two episodes. I haven’t heard of cancelation yet, but I’m betting its only a matter of time.
Detroit 1-8-8 – The ratings for this one haven’t been good – but not as bad as “My Generation” or “The Whole Truth” and since ABC has mostly been stinking-it-up in the ratings anyway, I expect this one to make it through it’s full season even if on life support. Just don’t expect to see a second season.
NBC has some stars – shows like “Law & Order: SVU”, “The Office“, “Outsourced“ (yes it’s doing quite well) and even “The Event” which I’ll now be watching thanks to the ratings. Also doing pretty well are shows like “Chase”, “Parenthood” and “30 Rock.” But there are a few on the edge and one cancelled already:
Outlaw – Almost cancelled. Ratings are terrible and my guess is it won’t last much longer
Chuck – Let me start by saying both MrsGeekTonic and I watch and enjoy “Chuck.“ It’s a fun, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously spy-comedy with some good characters driving the show. Now for the rest of the story – the ratings… well they kinda stink. Chuck was on the brink last season but survived to see this season. This season hasn’t been better – last week “Chuck“ was the lowest rated, Sunday through Thursday scripted show on NBC. Ratings are holding from episode to episode which may cause NBC to keep it around at least through Christmas and possible even through the spring. But I give it zero chance of seeing another season ever. Sorry.
Undercovers – ratings have been disappointing since NBC had high hopes, but they are better than some.
Community – much like “Undercovers”, this series is treading water but hanging in there
On CW things aren’t looking too bad ratings wise. “Nikita“, “Smallville“, “Supernatural“ and “Vampire Diaries“ are all doing very well.
Life Unexpected – Ratings are going from bad to worse for this series and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one cancelled.
CBS seems to be doing well. Shows I thought were stinkers like “$#*! My Dad Says” and “Blue Bloods” did quite well in the ratings. “Hawaii-Five-0” is doing very well thank you as are most of CBS’s scripted shows.
Medium – CBS’s show getting the lowest ratings is “Medium” but don’t worry, this shows ratings are still better than the average shows on the other networks and it should survive this season.
That’s my take on the Fall 2010 big network status. What do you think? Any surprises?
