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[12/15/11 - 12:28 PM]
USA Network Names Melanie Frankel Vice President, Original Comedy Series
Frankel was most recently director of comedy for ABC Studios.

[via press release from USA]

USA NETWORK NAMES MELANIE FRANKEL VICE PRESIDENT, ORIGINAL COMEDY SERIES

LOS ANGELES - December 15, 2011 - Melanie Frankel joins USA Network as vice president, original comedy series, it was announced today by Bill McGoldrick, senior vice president, USA original scripted programming. Frankel will focus on comedy development and production, reporting directly to McGoldrick.

"As we aggressively expand our scripted portfolio to include half-hours, this is the perfect time to add an experienced comedy executive to our team," said McGoldrick. "We feel lucky to have found someone with Melanie's keen instincts, depth of experience and collaborative spirit as we create our own distinctive brand of comedy with the most talented minds in the genre."

Frankel was most recently director of comedy for ABC Studios where she was the primary studio executive for overall/script deals with Mark Gordon Company, Warren Littlefield Company, Stu Bloomberg, Mandeville, Coquette, Little Engine, Sally Bradford, Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley, Laurie Zaks/Beacon and Jennifer Weiner. She was also involved with developing and overseeing pilots ("Great State of Georgia," "How To Be A Better American," "This Little Piggy") in all aspects of production and served as the current executive for the CBS multi-cam comedy "Gary Unmarried." In addition, Frankel developed and set-up scripts at ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC Family. Prior to ABC Studios, Frankel was at Grammnet Productions, where she served as manager of development and current, where she developed both comedy and drama pitches which sold to CBS, Comedy Central and CW. Frankel graduated with a BS from Syracuse University.

As part of the network's expansion into comedy, USA greenlit two pilots - THE UNTITLED DOUGLAS MCGRATH PROJECT and PAGING DR. FREED. Nathan Lane, Cheyenne Jackson, Ken Jenkins and Caroline Rhea will star in THE UNTITLED DOUGLAS MCGRATH PROJECT, a half-hour single camera comedy about an unlucky actor forced to move back home to take care of his dad. Lane and Douglas McGrath will executive produce the pilot from Universal Cable Productions, with a script from McGrath. In PAGING DR. FREED two brothers take over the reins of their father's medical practice after his untimely death. The half-hour comedy, from Fox 21, is written and executive produced by Michael Feldman. Katy McCaffrey and Brad Johnson will serve as producers.

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.





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· GARY UNMARRIED (CBS)
· HOW TO BE A BETTER AMERICAN (ABC)
· LOCAL TALENT (USA)
· PAGING DR. FREED (USA)
· STATE OF GEORGIA (ABC FAMILY)
· THIS LITTLE PIGGY (ABC)





[02/11/25 - 01:15 PM]
FOX "Super Week" Kicks Off, Breaking Records with "The Floor" as Season's #1 Entertainment Series Telecast and New Survival Competition "Extracted" Off to a Wild Start
For six consecutive seasons, FOX has delivered the highest-rated unscripted entertainment series telecast.

[02/11/25 - 12:28 PM]
HBO Announces the End of Filming for the Second Season of "City of God: The Fight Rages On"
The second season, consisting of six episodes, was filmed in several locations in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

[02/11/25 - 12:00 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Feb. 3: "Kinda Pregnant" Delivers, "The Night Agent" Holds Strong in Top 10
Fans also basked in the Southern charm of Season 4 of "Sweet Magnolias," which debuted at No. 4 in English TV (4 million views), and flocked to the Australian limited series "Apple Cider Vinegar" (No. 5 in English TV, 3.8 million views).

[02/11/25 - 11:38 AM]
FOX Sports' Presentation of Super Bowl LIX Delivers Most-Watched Super Bowl of All-Time with 127.7 Million Viewers Across All Platforms
Philadelphia's big win in the bayou peaked at 137.7 million viewers in the second quarter (8:00 PM - 8:15 PM ET), per Nielsen Media Research.

[02/11/25 - 11:24 AM]
TNT Sports to Showcase NBA All-Star 2025 Across TNT, TBS, truTV, Bleacher Report & Max, Feb. 14-16, from San Francisco Bay Area
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game - TNT's 23rd consecutive year airing the event - will feature a new mini-tournament format, with the 24 NBA All-Star selections divided evenly into three teams and the fourth team composed of the Castrol Rising Stars champions.

[02/11/25 - 11:08 AM]
Karl Ravech, David Cone, Eduardo Perez and Buster Olney Return for Fourth Season as ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" Broadcast Team
The 36th season of "Sunday Night Baseball" begins on March 30, when the San Diego Padres host the Atlanta Braves at 7 p.m. ET.

[02/11/25 - 11:04 AM]
Paramount+ to Exclusively Premiere "Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party" on Tuesday, March 11
The news marks the first time the fully restored version of the classic '80s documentary from legendary and Academy Award-winning director Cameron Crowe will be widely available to a global audience.

[02/11/25 - 11:01 AM]
"The Day of the Jackal" Becomes Peacock's Most-Watched New Original Drama Series
Viewership of the series in its first 75 days has surpassed that of any other original drama series in the same timeframe.

[02/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: Starz Releases Gripping Trailer for Season Four of Its Hit Series "Power Book III: Raising Kanan"
Season three of "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" averaged over 9M viewers per episode, hitting a high compared to the prior season.

[02/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
"Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood," An "Entertainment Tonight" Five-Part Behind-the-Scenes Special, to Air Monday, Feb. 17 Through Friday, Feb. 21 on CBS
The five-part news special, hosted by Kevin Frazier and comedian and television host Sheryl Underwood, airs in the week leading up to the series premiere, Monday, February 24 (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; 1:00-2:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+.

[02/11/25 - 09:56 AM]
Amy Adams Joins Javier Bardem in "Cape Fear" - A New Series Coming to Apple TV+
The duo will star in Nick Antosca's adaptation of the classic thriller.

[02/11/25 - 09:39 AM]
First Look and Date Announcement: "Jessica Kirson: I'm the Man"
The special will premiere on Friday, April 25 and is the sixth original special in Hulu's new stand-up comedy initiative, Hularious.

[02/11/25 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Deli Boys" - Official Trailer - Hulu
When their convenience store-magnate father suddenly dies, a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers (Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh) lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Baba's secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld.

[02/11/25 - 09:31 AM]
Dave Chappelle Named President's Award Recipient for "56th NAACP Image Awards"
Previous recipients include Usher, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade, Rihanna, LeBron James, Kerry Washington, Spike Lee, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, and Ms. Lauryn Hill.

[02/11/25 - 09:18 AM]
Showtime Original Series "Dexter: Resurrection" Adds Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Peter Dinklage
Dinklage will play the series regular role of Leon Prater, a billionaire venture capitalist.