Here are the top trending TV news stories for Friday, November 2, 2018…
After a previous slight dip in ratings following the second episode of ABC’s “The Connors” without Roseanne, which occurred in a week where the show had to compete with the World Series in its timeslot… The third episode saw ratings make a climb, reaching 7.7 million viewers and a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49, inching up 1/10 of a point from last week. The bump up in ratings shows stability for the series, which has once again finished second place in its timeslot/demo against NBC’s “This Is Us.”
The negotiations an NBC concerning the exit of Megyn Kelly are growing more intense and increasingly complicated. The attorney for Kelly has now called for the NBCU CEO to get involved in her exit talks. This comes after Kelly’s attorney criticized NBC for revealing facts of the negotiations to the public.
“Despite my efforts to handle this process confidentially, NBC News is allowing the media to run with completely false and irresponsible reports that disparage Megyn by erroneously claiming she has ever asked for more money than her contract requires,” Kelly’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement. “If NBC News is not the source then they have a responsibility as a news division to correct these false claims.”
“If Andy Lack [NBC news chairman] has lost control, my hope would be that Steve Burke [NBC Universal CEO] can step in and not permit blatant lies about our discussions to remain uncorrected,” Friedman asserted.
Showtime is launching a spinoff of its drama series “Penny Dreadful,” under the title of “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.” Production is projected to begin in 2019. Reportedly, none of the cast members from the original Penny Dreadful series will be involved or will be returning. The sequel series will be set in 1938 Los Angeles, invoking Mexican-American folklore, and exploring supernatural elements intertwining with the reality of the time period.
The forthcoming episode in Dolly Parton’s Netflix anthology series “Heartstrings,” titled “Jolene,” will star Julianne Hough in the eponymous role. The episode focuses on the character of Jolene, who is a flirtatious and free-spirited girl who harbors aspirations of escaping her small hometown of Coventry, Georgia in the pursuit of fulfilling her dream toward becoming a successful singer-songwriter. The episode will also star Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Dallas Roberts, and Dolly Parton herself.
