Blog Posts by Dave Nemetz

With March Madness in full swing, we decided to do a TV-themed bracket of our own: a no-holds-barred tournament to determine the best TV theme song of all time. After lots of heated debate, we've selected and ranked 32 of the most memorable TV theme songs ever, pitting them against each other in a winner-takes-all bracket. Over the next few weeks, we're asking you to vote for your favorite theme songs until we get a winner -- and a few songs stuck in your heads.

(1) "Friends" ("I'll Be There For You")

"Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA…" It's nearly impossible to think of the Central Perk gang without hearing the jangling guitars and infectious handclaps of The Rembrandts's "I'll Be There For You," which leapt off the TV screen to top the pop charts throughout the summer of 1995. And much like the "Cheers" theme, this song's peppy portrait of lifelong friendship strikes a chord that goes beyond TV, that lets us know that whatever else goes wrong in our lives, Ross Read More »from 'Friends' vs. 'The Dukes of Hazzard': Vote for the Best TV Theme Songs

With March Madness in full swing, we decided to do a TV-themed bracket of our own: a no-holds-barred tournament to determine the best TV theme song of all time. After lots of heated debate, we've selected and ranked 32 of the most memorable TV theme songs ever, pitting them against each other in a winner-takes-all bracket. Over the next few weeks, we're asking you to vote for your favorite theme songs until we get a winner -- and a few songs stuck in your heads.

(1) "Cheers" ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name")

You didn't have to be Cliff Clavin to know this was going to be a top seed: Is there a more distinctive musical cue in TV history than the first seven notes of the "Cheers" theme song? Driven by chiming piano and boozy nostalgia, the Billy Joel-esque "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo doesn't just set up the warm, good-natured comedy that follows. It captures why we keep coming back to the same TV shows each week: to spend time with old

Read More »from 'Cheers' vs. 'The Greatest American Hero': Vote for the Best TV Theme Songs

The official poster for the upcoming Season 6 of "Mad Men" (shown above) is very cool… but not as cool as the story behind it.

Since AMC's Emmy-winning drama is set in the world of 1960s advertising, creator Matthew Weiner often looks back at ads from that era for inspiration. And to create this new poster, he eventually turned to an artist from that era: 75-year-old English illustrator Brian Sanders.

As first reported in Sunday's New York Times, Weiner wanted the Season 6 poster to replicate the feel of vintage TWA flight menus he remembered from his youth. But AMC's marketing team couldn't quite get it right. "Finally, they just looked up the person who had done all these drawings that I really loved," Weiner says. "They said: 'Hey, we've got the guy who did them. And he's still working. His name is Brian Sanders.'"

Sanders was in disbelief when AMC came calling; in fact, he's a fan of the show, having lived through those times himself. (His response to seeing "Mad Men" for the

Read More »from 'Mad Men' Hires '60s Illustrator For Its Season 6 Poster [Photo]

The current TV season is far from over, but Hollywood is already hard at work on next season. Right now, the TV industry is abuzz with the annual tradition known as "pilot season," as production companies cast and film dozens of pilots that are hoping to become one of the new TV shows you'll be watching this fall.

Of course, just a small fraction of these pilots will actually make it on the air. (CBS, for instance, has ordered a whopping 26 pilots this year, but only has about three or four slots to fill next season.) But looking at the talent involved and each network's individual needs, we have a pretty good idea which pilots have the best chance at scoring a pickup. Here are ten we're expecting to see on this fall's primetime schedule.

Untitled Michael J. Fox comedy (NBC)

Get ready for a dose of NBC nostalgia: This much-anticipated comeback vehicle for TV icon Michael J. Fox has already been picked up for a full 22-episode season. (Although that might say more about NBC's

Read More »from The 10 TV Pilots You're Most Likely to See Next Fall

Season 3 of “Downton Abbey” just ended a few weeks ago (and we’re still in mourning, by the way; RIP, Matthew), but lots of casting changes are already underway for the hit British drama’s much-anticipated fourth season. In fact, the front door of Lord Grantham’s estate might as well be revolving, with all the “Downton” cast members coming and going these days.

With no new episodes arriving here for another year or so (filming on Season 4 just began in the U.K.), we have plenty of time to speculate wildly about what all of these changes mean. So here’s a quick rundown of which “Downton” stars won’t be back next season… and which fresh faces will take their place.

Who’s Out

Dan Stevens (Matthew)
Millions of viewers let out a collective gasp when Mary’s loving husband Matthew Crawley was killed at the very end of last month’s Season 3 finale. (The ones who didn’t read online spoilers, anyway.) Stevens has swiftly moved on, though, making his Broadway debut opposite Jessica

Read More »from 'Downton Abbey': Who's in and who's out for Season 4

Actress Bonnie Franklin, known to TV fans as divorced mom Ann Romano on the '70s sitcom "One Day at a Time," has died at age 69. Her family says her death was due to complications from pancreatic cancer, which Franklin revealed she was battling back in September.

Her longtime manager, Robert Malcolm, confirmed Franklin's death to Yahoo!: "Bonnie died this morning at home, surrounded by her family. She had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in August 2012 and tried everything they could, but nothing worked." A private memorial service is planned for Monday in Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, her family is asking for donations to CCAP, a nonprofit founded by Franklin that brings great American plays to inner-city schools.

[Related: Co-Stars and Fans React to Bonnie Franklin's Death]

Franklin earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her lead role on "One Day at a Time," the groundbreaking 1975-1984 comedy from producer Norman Lear which tackled hard-hitting issues like sexual

Read More »from Bonnie Franklin, star of 'One Day at a Time,' dead at 69

Three decades ago, Ricky Schroder was a child star on TV's "Silver Spoons." Today, he's back on the small screen... and he's bringing his family with him this time.

Schroder wrote, directed, and stars in "Our Wild Hearts," a family drama set to debut next month on Hallmark Movie Channel. And he already knows his lead actress pretty well: Ricky's 16-year-old daughter, Cambrie Schroder, makes her acting debut as Willow, a headstrong teen who moves from Malibu to a dusty horse ranch in the mountains to live with her father Jack (played by Ricky).

In the exclusive behind-the-scenes clip above, Ricky talks about stepping into the role of director: "I love being on set, because I've basically grown up on a set. And now I love to contribute as a director and help steer the ship, if you will." Plus, Cambrie credits her dad with helping her develop the role of Willow: "I'm learning how to get emotions out... I'm learning a lot from him."

The family connections don't stop with Cambrie.

Read More »from Ricky Schroder directs his daughter in new Hallmark TV movie [Exclusive video]

"The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco has found herself in the middle of a big media feud -- all over a single tweet.

According to The Wrap, who first broke the story, it all started when Cuoco tweeted out this paid endorsement for satellite-TV provider Dish's new Hopper DVR to her 1.2 million Twitter followers:

Plenty of celebrities leverage their massive Twitter followings to endorse products, so that's no big deal. The problem? CBS, which airs "Big Bang," is currently locked in a nasty lawsuit with Dish over the Hopper DVR, which allows viewers to automatically skip commercials during primetime shows. So this tweet could be seen as Cuoco taking sides against her own network.

Cuoco's tweet has since been deleted, and her representatives aren't commenting, so it looks like this was just a simple misunderstanding on her part. But the war of words rages on between Dish and CBS.

[Related: 'Big Bang's' Kaley Cuoco Gets Back in the Saddle After a Bad Accident]

When the tweet came

Read More »from Did CBS censor 'Big Bang' star Kaley Cuoco's tweet?