Jeff Pfeiffer, Author at StayTuned Magazine

ReelzChannel remembers Robin Williams with two specials

August 14, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

This Friday, Aug. 15, ReelzChannel will pay tribute to Robin Williams — the legendary actor and comedian who died of an apparent suicide on Monday — with two specials looking back at his life and work. Robin Williams Remembered— Aug. 15 at 8pm ET. This half-hour special celebrates the life and legacy of Robin Williams, including a look back at his standup comedy career and his work with Comic Relief and other charities throughout the years. Robin Williams ScreenLife — Aug. 15 at 8:30pm ET. A look back at Robin Williams’ onscreen career, from his early work as the alien Mork […]

On set with the cast of WGN America’s “Manhattan”

August 13, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Back in June, we were among a group of reporters invited out to the New Mexico set of WGN America‘s new drama Manhattan (airing Sundays at 10pm ET). It was a fascinating experience, and WGN America was kind enough to record the interviews that we did with cast members Katja Herbers, Harry Lloyd, John Benjamin Hickey, Olivia Williams, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Zukerman, Michael Chernus, Alexia Fast, Daniel Stern, Christopher Denham and Eddie Shin, as well as creator Sam Shaw and director Thomas Schlamme. Interviews are below, held at various locations on the World War II era-designed Manhattan set. Be sure […]

ABC airing “Frozen” behind the scenes special

August 13, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

It was a box-office smash, won two Oscars, and annoyed many a parent whose kids may have incessantly sung “Let It Go” around the house. Yes, the Disney animated film Frozen quickly took over public consciousness, and now ABC is airing a behind-the-scenes special about the film on Sept. 2 — The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic, hosted by Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf in the film. An ABC release says that along with interviewing stars Kristen Bell (voice of Anna) and Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa), as well as the directors (Chris Buck and Jennifer […]

ID brings back daytime “soap” block, featuring soap stars past and present

August 12, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Once more trying to prove that reality can be more unbelievable than even the most ridiculous soap opera plotline, Investigation Discovery (ID) is tying the two themes together for the return of its “soap” block of programming. This daytime stunt will air 1-4pm ET daily for four weeks, beginning Aug. 25. Soap stars from past and present will host the programming blocks, which feature encore showings of ID series like Wives With Knives, My Dirty Little Secret and others. Things kick off Aug. 25-29 with Sinful Secrets Week, hosted by Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe on General Hospital) and Kin Shriner […]

AXS TV becomes official U.S. broadcast home for “The X Factor UK”

August 12, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

If you’re an American who misses Simon Cowell and his show The X Factor, the American version of which was canceled by FOX last year, you’ll have your chance to enjoy the original incarnation of the singing competition series when the new season of The X Factor UK begins airing on AXS TV starting Aug. 31. This marks the first time that the flagship version of the show will air in the United States. Season 11 of The X Factor UK will feature a pair of famous faces that will be instantly recognizable to American audiences, as Simon Cowell makes […]

Shark Week 2014 breaking viewership records for Discovery

August 12, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Just a a day into its annual Shark Week event, Discovery Channel announced yesterday that Shark Week 2014 broke viewership records, pulling in the highest ratings in its 27-year history on Aug. 10, the day the weeklong event started. Discovery reports that on Aug. 10, Shark Week 2014 programming earned a historic 2.27 P25-54 rating, and delivered 3.64 million total viewers P2+, the highest-rated evening ever for Shark Week to date, and the network’s 13th highest-rated primetime evening ever. The network says that the biggest year over year gains came from Women 25-54, an increase of 18%. Looking specifically at […]

Nat Geo Wild’s Sharkfest returns to try to take a bite out of Shark Week

August 7, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Last year, Nat Geo Wild must have looked at Discovery’s Shark Week ratings and decided to join the feeding frenzy among viewers to watch all things “shark,” as the network debuted the similarly themed Sharkfest. In 2014, Sharkfest is back for its second installment on Nat Geo Wild, beginning Aug. 10 (same day as Shark Week). One promising element of Sharkfest versus Shark Week is that, per Nat Geo Wild’s press release, they promise no mockumentaries: “… scare tactics and mockumentaries are best left to others,” the release states (a nice shot at Discovery, which received some flak last year […]

7 Deadly Sins with Morgan Spurlock

August 1, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

When talking about sin, you can’t help but get dark, and executive producer Morgan Spurlock’s (Super Size Me) new Showtime documentary series, 7 Deadly Sins, does lean toward the dark side, both in its stylish presentation, and through some black humor. That wryness comes from both the choice of stories that populate the seven episodes (each one devoted to one of the titular sins), and from Spurlock’s role as host, introducing each segment. Spurlock tells us that the inspiration for having him host in such a manner came from him “having a fantastic, twisted childhood, watching lots of Twilight Zone […]

WGN America goes nuclear with new drama “Manhattan”

July 24, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Fueled by mystery and suspense, Manhattan is set in the 1940s in a town whose very existence is classified. Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey, The Big C) and his team of brilliant but flawed scientists have been recruited to work on a project even they could know nothing about until their arrival. Once inside “The Hill,” a middle-class bubble on a dusty foothill in the New Mexico desert, they begin to sense that this is no ordinary assignment. In fact, they are living in a town with the world’s highest concentration of geniuses, yet it can’t be found on any map. The series […]

FX is bringing back “Fargo”

July 21, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Today at the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press tour, CEO of FX John Landgraf announced the second installment of the critically acclaimed and popular hit Fargo. The new chapter will feature an all-new cast of characters (and new actors), a new time period and a new “true crime” story that will unfold over 10 episodes. Executive producer and writer Noah Hawley is again the creative force. “We could not be more proud of Fargo,” said Landgraf. “Noah’s audacious, bordering on hubristic riff on my favorite Coen brothers film earned 18 Emmy nominations – the most for a single program […]