With CBS renewing the bulk of its prime-time schedule Thursday, I reached out to “Mom” creator Chuck Lorre to gauge his reaction on his sitcom being picked up for a second season. And, as you might imagine, he was quite pleased.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Lorre told me. “I love this show. I love this cast.”
The freshman sitcom, starring Allison Janney, Anna Faris and Nate Corddry, is averaging 8.5 million viewers in its Monday-night timeslot (and a solid 2.5 rating in adults 18-49). “It’s been an amazing first year and I’m deeply grateful we get to carry on,” Lorre said.
In this Monday’s episode (9:30 p.m./Ch. 2), Regina (Octavia Spencer) gets an emotional farewell from Christy (Faris), Bonnie (Janney) and Marjorie (Mimi Kennedy) before she heads to prison. The episode also features another visit from guest star Kevin Pollak.
In other network show news, kiddie TV titan Dan Schneider (“iCarly,” “Drake & Josh,” “Victorious”) has struck again — selling a new live-action show, “Henry Danger,” to Nickelodeon, which also announced series pickups of live-actioners “Bella and the Bullfrogs” and “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.”
“Henry Danger,” created and written by Schneider and Dana Olsen, received a 20-episode order. It follows 13-year-old Henry (Jace Norman), who lands a part-time job as Kid Danger, the sidekick-in-training to crime-fighter Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) — and has to keep his job a secret from his friends and family.
Nick ordered 12 episodes of “Bella and the Bullfrogs” — about a Texas cheerleader (Brec Bessinger) who becomes quarterback of her school’s football team — and greenlit 13 episodes of “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn,” about a 10-year-old quadruplet (Lizzy Greene) and her three brothers. Allison Munn and Brian Stepanek will play the parents.
Last, but not least . . .
“PIX11 Morning News” anchor Sukanya Krishnan will receive a 2014 Above and Beyond Award from City & State magazine (covers NYC politics, policy and personalities) March 24 (Broad Street Ballroom).
AMC Networks’ streaming movie service, YEAH!, is making “This Is Spinal Tap” available to iPad users and via the Web (yeahtv.com/spinaltap) through April 11 to commemorate the movie’s 30th anniversary. Did they make it the 11th because it’s “one louder”?
Hallmark Movie Channel will morph into Hallmark Movies & Mysteries later this year. If they stop airing “Perry Mason” reruns, they’ll have to answer to me.
Out March 25 on DVD: Britcoms “William & Mary” (Martin Clunes, Julie Graham) and “Mapp & Lucia” (Prunella Scales, aka Sybil from “Fawlty Towers”).