Showing Out

Want a glimpse into the future of NBC’s new programming? Here’s the winning ticket. The peacock network just released the trailers for their batch of a dozen new shows slated to air on the network (via THR’s Live Feed). The above trailer is for a show that’s already caught our attention, if you’ve been diligently reading the site (we know you have, it’s all good). The J.J. Abrams-created series is called Undercovers starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe “as a married couple who are re-activated as CIA agents after years of retirement.” Below the cut, you can get a close look at the other 11 trailers for new series slated to premiere on the network. Hit the jump and prepare to take a peek at what NBC has in store.

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Looks like NBC isn’t showing any mercy to a few shows on its network. According to THR’s Live Feed, Mercy and Trauma are the most recent shows to get the ax today, following NBC’s earlier cancellation of Law & Order. Mercy, which debuted last September, is getting shut down after it received a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49 in the 9 p.m. hour - a staggeringly low rating for any show. And on top of that, Trauma, which was already canceled once this season, was also averaging around a 1.7 rating in its twilight era, a disappointing number by anyone’s standards. At least the cuts weren’t as harsh as they were over at ABC, but yeesh, NBC. Get it together!

Damn! Not even the long-standing shows can survive sweeps. Though news that this was coming broke last night, it’s been made official: Law and Order has been canceled. According to THR’s Live Feed, NBC has put the nail in the coffin for the series, which has been on the air for a whopping 20 seasons. But for those of you who enjoy the spin-offs, there’s some good news here, too: NBC renewed SVU and ordered another series dubbed Law & Order: Los Angeles, so there’s no need to cry those eyes out. But unfortunately, there won’t be anything along the lines of closure for fans of the series, as the May 24th finale has already been shot without tying up any loose ends. At least you’ll still have TNT re-runs to help relive the glory days.

For those of you that tuned in to watch Betty White host Saturday Night Live this past Saturday, you’ll be comforted to know that you weren’t alone. In fact, the official numbers were just released, and you had lots and lots - and lots - of company. According to NYTimes’ Media Decoder blog, the episode was seen by a staggering 12.1 million viewers, the highest viewed ep of the show since the season premiere back in 1994 (excluding special politically-hosted eps). And on top of that, it scored a 4.9 rating among 18-49-year-olds, the most coveted age group in television ratings. So is it safe to say that Betty White should be nominated for the 2012 presidency? Obviously.

OK, so if you didn’t watch Betty White host Saturday Night Live this weekend, you seriously missed out on the funniest show the series has seen in years. Real talk. And apparently, the ratings pretty much confirm our suspicion that this was the best episode in a long time. According to THR’s Live Feed, the ep earned an 8.8 household rating, the highest rating that the show has received in over 18 months. To celebrate, we’ve posted three of the online exclusive clips that Hulu posted to its site that feature Betty White, who could very well be the candidate for our favorite 88-year-old working actress. Hit the jump to see the other two clips, and prepare to laugh.

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Back in November, J.J. Abrams announced that he’d begin work on his new series Undercovers, fresh off the heels of his wildly successful Lost series coming to a close. Then, he picked Boris Kodjoe to star in the show. And now, there’s another development worth noting. According to THR’s Live Feed, NBC has picked up the drama for their fall slate, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe starring “as a married couple who are re-activated as CIA agents after years of retirement.” “We have tremendous confidence in this promising series and feel this is a great way to kick off our upcoming Upfront development announcements,” said Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment. “J.J. has delivered another signature series along with our partners at Warner Bros and we couldn’t be happier.” Yeah. We’re sure they couldn’t be happier that Abrams didn’t head over to another network.

Just what we needed in our lives. More trailers. ComingSoon.net just posted a few new trailers from the upcoming big screen adaptation of SNL’s MacGruber (Ryan Phillipe just hosted the late night sketch comedy show to push the movie). The film, which hits theaters April 23rd, follows MacGruber (played by Will Forte) ten years after his fiancée was killed, getting back into the spy biz after he’s needed to get back a nuclear warhead stolen by Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer). MacGruber soon assembles a team consisting of Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig). Not so sure how we feel about this one, but there’s no harm in trailer posts. Hit the jump to see the second trailer.

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Southland has been on quite the ride. After getting the boot from NBC and getting picked up by TNT back in November, things are looking pretty good for the cop drama. According to THR’s Live Feed, TNT has renewed the show for a third season, picking up another order of 10 eps that will start airing in January 2011. The show, which was canceled by NBC right before the start of its second season, has been doing surprisingly well at its new home, having gained 50% more viewers through DVR time shifting, a pretty nice accomplishment for a show that was once doomed. “’Southland’ is a challenging, visceral show that engages viewers with its immersive style, provocative storylines and complex characters,” said Michael Wright, head of programming for TNT. “These qualities have made ‘Southland’ a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience.” Pop a bottle.

Gabourey Sidibe is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend with MGMT as the musical guest, so it only makes sense that she would do some sort of promo in anticipation of the show. And let’s just say there are a few laugh-out-loud moments right in this promo clip above. Standing next to Andy Samberg, the Precious star commands him to take off his pants while comforting him, brandishing a gun in his face, brandishing a gun to the camera and just being the cute little Gabby we’ve come to love! Tune in this Saturday to NBC to watch her get her host on. Judging by her great comic timing and sense of humor, she’s going to do a much better job than last week’s guest Ryan Phillipe. Unfunny to the max.

Well that was fast. Yesterday, band leader of The Tonight Show Kevin Eubanks took a seat next to host Jay Leno to announce that, after 18 years of faithfully playing on the sidelines for the late night talk show, he would be calling it quits. Now, they’ve already got a replacement lined up. According to THR, American Idol music director Rickey Minor will replace Eubanks after he leaves the show on May 28th, with Minor to come on board beginning on June 7th. “We couldn’t be more excited,” said Debbie Vickers, Tonight executive producer. She said the show “has a long tradition of acclaimed musicians in this role, and it’s great to now include Rickey alongside Kevin and Branford (Marsalis).” Give this man a round of applause.