steve mcpherson

In the "big surprise" department, we have this item: ABC has made the shocking move to pick up the Kate Walsh-fronted spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, tentatively titled Private Practice.

According to the New York Post, the show may get a new title (ya think?), and the network was very happy with the ratings for the Grey's episode that introduced the spin-off, despite the mixed reaction from the show's fans.

Of course, our snideness comes from the fact that we already knew the show was going to be picked up, for many reasons. Heck, even Walsh knew, as she got a "you're in pretty good shape" from ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson last week on the Ellen show.

On today's edition of Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres decided to take it upon herself to find out if Private Practice, the working title of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh, is going to be picked up for the fall. With her guest, Walsh, looking on a bit sheepishly, DeGeneres decided to call ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson and ask him to cut the suspense and tell Kate and the audience whether the show was getting picked up.

For his part, McPherson was a good sport, and ended up telling Ellen and everyone that Kate is in "pretty good shape," meaning that the show's almost assured of a pick-up. Once Kate got on the phone to say hello to McPherson, the executive uttered a line that was at once funny and painful for him to say -- "This is going to be an interesting contract negotiation" -- meaning that the lovely and leggy Walsh might be in for a very good payday pretty soon. Video is after the jump.

[via the TV addict]

The first session of yesterday's ABC presentation started bright and early at 9 AM with a Q&A with network president Steve McPherson. He was cheekily introduced with a video showing the rehearsals of a "new cast member" of Dancing with the Stars. It turned out to be McPherson, at a scene that looked like it came from either a previous press tour or an upfront presentation. Everyone laughed but me, mainly because I wasn't grizzled enough of a TV veteran to get the inside joke.

Anyway, some of the information he gave at the Q&A after the jump.

After the TCA Lost session, the gathered reporters tried to get some one-on-ones with the stars and producers, but I decided to skip that and go straight to lunch (the closest I got to a one-on-one was when I saw Matthew Fox exit the bathroom as I was on my way in. Me: "Havin' fun?" Fox: "Yeaaaah." It was in a tone that told me that he'd have rather gotten a full-cavity body search at the airport than sit for that panel). So, there I was, sitting at a big empty table with an AOL colleague, innocently eating and chatting, when ABC President Steve McPherson sat down with two reporters in tow.

It seems that little bombshell the Lost producers dropped about an "endpoint" had the reporters all atwitter, as the two were peppering him with questions about it. Before we knew it the table was jam packed with reporters, asking McPherson if he knew about this endpoint and when it might be. When he speculated it might be after a seventh season, one reporter chimed in that "they said it might be after five." But McPherson was smooth throughout, telling everyone that he's been talking with the producers about an endpoint almost since the beginning of the series, and he didn't seem to be that concerned about it.

As the conversation turned from Lost to other shows, I decided to throw him a question about my favorite fall disappointment, The Nine.

The biggest news to come out of the pre-lunch session with the creators and most of the cast of Lost? Uh, nothing much, just that the producers see an endpoint to the show and are have been talking about such an endpoint to the network for some time now.

Interesting, huh? Executive producer Carlton Cuse let the news slip, when asked about whether they've planned on a closed end to the show, that they are in discussions with ABC to pick an endpoint for the show. No real timetable was confirmed -- speculation ranged from two more to four more seasons -- but the producers want to make sure the show doesn't overstay its welcome. "We don't want to be to the point where we're doing the stalling show," explained co-creator Damon Lindelof. He then joked by giving such an example: "We're building sand castles this week!" He cited The X-Files as a show that was great but went on "two seasons too long," and that once they've determined when the endpoint will be, they will announce it right away.

At lunch, reporters surrounded ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson (more on that later to day) about this little tidbit. He didn't know that the producers had mentioned this, but didn't seem to be surprised, as he told the group that they had been talking with the show's producers about an endpoint almost from the beginning of the series. I'm sure we'll hear more of this later.

More tidbits and some funny lines after the jump.

Hey, folks. I'm in Pasadena, at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Thanks to Kevin Kelly for doing Friday's session as I was flying in from New Jersey. After a night's sleep and a tour of "beautiful" Hollywood (including a stop at legendary hot dog haven Pink's, where I waited for an hour in 45 degree cold to get a chili dog. Yes, I'm one of those guys), I'm refreshed and ready to go.

Anyway, today was the first of the broadcast network presentations, and we started with an announcement: the new season of Dancing with the Stars will be start on Monday, March 19th. Why Monday instead of the previous season's Tuesday timeslot? Two words, according to network president Steve McPherson: American Idol.

When Anna reported on CBS's schedule changes yesterday, she also mentioned that ABC is pushing back the premiere of the highly-anticipated comedy The Knights of Prosperity from its planned premiere on Oct. 17. Now, according to ABC, the show might not appear until mid-season, perhaps as late as January.

So the show must be having problems, right? Wrong, at least not according to the network. ABC thinks the show is so good that they want to promote it outside the craziness of this crowded fall season. "You really need to focus, you need to spend money and you need to surround the audience with these openings," ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson told the Los Angeles Times.

ABC released its 2006-07 prime-time schedule this morning during a press conference conducted by Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment (at 8 AM no less... those executives like to catch the early news cycles, don't they?), which I sleepily attended by phone. The changes in brief:

Returning: Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Boston Legal, The Bachelor, Supernanny, What About Brian, According to Jim, America's Funniest Home Videos, American Inventor, George Lopez, Wife Swap, 20/20, Primetime (limited specials).

Out: Invasion, Sons & Daughters, Less Than Perfect, Hope & Faith, Rodney, Commander-In-Chief (although that may return as a two-hour movie), Freddie, In Justice, Emily's Reasons Why Not, Crumbs, Hot Properties, Jake in Progress, Alias, The Evidence, Miracle Workers.

New: Betty the Ugly, Big Day, Brothers & Sisters, Day Break, Help Me Help You, In Case of Emergency, Greg Behrendt's Wake-Up Call, Just for Laughs, Let's Rob..., Men in Trees, The Nine, Notes from the Underbelly, Set for the Rest of Your Life, Six Degrees, Traveler, ABC Saturday Night College Football.

Moving: Grey's Anatomy (to Thursdays at 9), Dancing with the Stars (to Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8), According to Jim / George Lopez (to Wednesdays at 8 when Dancing isn't on).

Detailed descriptions of the new shows (and some notes on the schedule) after the jump.