TNT

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 3:02pm on Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Noah Wyle will star in an upcoming pilot on TNT to be produced by Steven Spielberg, Turner Broadcasting announced on June 26, 2009:

Noah Wyle (ER, TNT’s The Librarian movies) has been cast in the lead role in the pilot for a new TNT series from DreamWorks Television and Steven Spielberg. Wyle will play the leader of a rag-tag group of soldiers and civilians as they struggle against an occupying alien force.

The untitled project will be executive-produced by Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, is writing the script for the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg.

The pilot opens shortly after aliens have wiped out most of the human population. They are now going about the task of rounding up the few survivors.

“Noah Wyle is an incredibly talented actor and also an extraordinary person, so we’re proud to work with him again,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “It’s also great to collaborate with an amazing production team headed by Steven Spielberg on what is certain to be a compelling and provocative series.”

Eric Kallgren    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 4:51pm on Monday, February 9th, 2009

On February 9, 2009, Media Life magazine reported that the new TNT ad agency drama is in trouble:

"Perhaps viewers already have their fill of ad agency hijinks with “Mad Men,” or maybe “The Closer” is an incompatible lead-in. Whatever the reason, TNT’s new drama “Trust Me,” about a pair of pals who work in advertising, is slumping.

The show, which airs tonight at 10 p.m., averaged 3.4 million total viewers in its premiere two weeks ago. Last week, that dwindled to 1.9 million viewers, down 44 percent from its debut.

That big drop came despite a strong lead-in from “Closer,” the hit drama that remains cable’s most-watched original show. “Closer” has averaged roughly 6 million viewers in those outings, meaning “Trust” is holding barely a third of that audience.

“Trust” generated mixed reviews from critics, who generally agreed there was little of note about the show, despite two likeable leading men, “Will & Grace’s” Eric McCormack and “Ed’s” Tom Cavanagh. “Men” is better written, and, with its smarmy-guy-vibe, “Trust” doesn’t fit well with “Closer’s” female focus."