Kathryn Hahn on 'Free Agents' cancellation: 'We saw it coming'

Kathryn Hahn on 'Free Agents' cancellation: 'We saw it coming'

Kathryn Hahn has spoken out about Free Agents' short time on television.

Hahn starred with Hank Azaria as two public relations executives who become attracted to each other on the NBC sitcom, which was cancelled in its first season.

"We all kind of saw the writing on the wall," Hahn told New York Magazine. "Tonally, it was such an interesting show and group, and it takes a second for a show to get its legs anyway. And I don't feel like, for various reasons, we could afford the time to give us that space."

When asked how she dealt with the show's cancellation changing her plans, Hahn said: "It's so hard, because I'm such a control freak. But in this business you just can't [be one]. This, and parenting. You can't control anything. It's just a game.

"As soon as you take a deep breath, you have the rug pulled out from you. Once again, bulls**t is coming out of my mouth, because it's very difficult to live this kind of life. I'd love to get to a point where I could just be independent, not care about tomorrow."

Hahn will return to NBC as a political operative in the sitcom Parks and Recreation.

'Fringe' to return for shorter fifth and final season?

'Fringe' to return for shorter fifth and final season?

Fringe could be renewed for a fifth and final season, reports suggest.

It is possible that the sci-fi drama will return to Fox for a shorter run, composed of just 15 episodes, according to TVLine.

The current fourth season of Fringe has seen the show struggle in the ratings, with midseason premiere 'Back to Where You've Never Been' pulling in just 2.87m viewers.

Last week's (February 17) instalment 'A Better Human Being' rose slightly to 3m.

Series star Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) recently hinted that the series could continue "off network" if Fox declines to recommission it.

"I think there's a possibility that if people just watched the show on the day and date, and if the numbers came back, [renewal] is a possibility [on Fox]," he said. "[But] the TV landscape is a different place than it used to be, so [cancellation on Fox] might not be death."

Fringe continues on Fridays at 9/8c on Fox. Sky1 airs the show on Wednesdays at 10pm in the UK.

'Wild at Heart' could face axe by ITV following falling ratings

'Wild at Heart' could face axe by ITV following falling ratings

Wild at Heart's ratings have fallen and the show may be axed, according to tabloid reports.

The long-running ITV1 drama series about vet Danny Trevanion (Stephen Tompkinson) in South Africa has fallen to under 6 million in Sunday night's ratings, a considerable drop-off for a show which has previously attracted over 10 million.

A slump in Dancing on Ice ratings on Sunday nights and the success of Call the Midwife on BBC One appear to have affected the series.

"Everyone involved knows it's expensive to make and it's not as popular as it used to be so it's not rocket science," a source told The Mirror.

"The cast and crew love making it, but all good things come to an end and we've had a good run."

An ITV spokesperson insisted that any talks about the show's future were "pure speculation" and that Wild At Heart was still doing "good business" for the broadcaster.

'The Voice's Tony Lucca wants to duet with Christina Aguilera

'The Voice's Tony Lucca wants to duet with Christina Aguilera

The Voice contestant Tony Lucca has said he wants to duet with his former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Christina Aguilera.

Lucca kept his past with Aguilera secret during his blind audition on The Voice and even opted to work with Adam Levine when he was asked to chose between the four judges.

Aguilera did not realise Lucca was her former Mickey Mouse Club co-star until after he'd left the stage, but the two later reunited and shared stories of their childhood backstage.

Lucca has now told Us Weekly that even though he didn't choose Aguilera as his mentor, he would love to duet with her on The Voice.

The 36-year-old singer commented: "It's one thing to rub elbows and be cheeky on TV together, but to actually put some time in rehearsal and share the stage once again would be really cool.

"I think the world of her as a talent. I think she's phenomenal, and it would certainly elevate my game a bit."

Lucca recently said that he has enjoyed reconnecting with Aguilera on The Voice: "Everything will be a little bizarre in front of a camera - let alone six or seven! - but I couldn't be happier with the way it went down and I'm grateful for her being so gracious and flattering."

The Voice airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC.

'Glee' Max Adler: 'Storyline is brave, honest'

'Glee' Max Adler: 'Storyline is brave, honest'

Glee star Max Adler has praised his recent storyline on the show.

In last night's winter finale, Adler's character Karofsky attempted suicide after being bullied about his sexuality.

Adler has now revealed that he was "thrilled" with the direction the story took.

"I really think it's incredibly brave and honest and it's treating the character with the integrity that he deserves," he told TV Line. "I think you can't truly appreciate [the good side of high school] without experiencing the other side, which is the fear, the anxiety, and the struggle that teenagers go through identifying themselves."

Adler suggested that Glee fans "have a connection" to Karofsky, adding: "What I'm so happy about with this episode is that it gives that really amazing, powerful message to victims of bullying and to people who are or have contemplated suicide that there is hope; there are people who accept you for who you are, and you don't have to change yourself for what society tells you to be."

However, Adler admitted that he is not sure whether he will return to Glee in the future.

"It could end here," he said. "But my personal thought is that there might be something else down the line to show where Karofsky goes post-hospital. But that's all up to the writers. They've done everything amazingly well and treated this character with incredible consistency and honesty and integrity. Whatever they do, I think it will be genius."

Glee returns with a new episode on April 10 on Fox.

'Inbetweeners' Simon Bird, Joe Thomas comedy 'Chickens' to air on Sky1

'Inbetweeners' Simon Bird, Joe Thomas comedy 'Chickens' to air on Sky1

The new comedy written by and starring Simon Bird and Joe Thomas from The Inbetweeners has been ordered to series by Sky1.

Chickens, a sitcom about three men in a world full of women after they remain home during World War I, was originally piloted at Channel 4 but the broadcaster later chose not to commission a full run.

Bird, Thomas and co-writer and fellow cast member Jonny Sweet will start filming the six-part show this December with a planned air date of summer 2013.

Thomas, Bird and Sweet said: "We're delighted to be joining the Sky family to be making a series of our First World War sitcom Chickens. It was the war to end all wars, and we hope this will be the comedy to end all comedies."

Sky's head of comedy Lucy Lumsden, who commissioned the series, added: "We have fallen in love with those naughty Chickens and think our customers will do too. We are delighted to give such a talented bunch a home on Sky 1 HD."

In Chickens, Thomas plays George, described as a conscientious objector, while Bird portrays army reject Cecil. Sweet plays Bert, an "amoral philandering scaredy cat".

'The Voice' Is Top-Rated Show of the Season -- Can 'American Idol' Regain Lead?

'The Voice' Is Top-Rated Show of the Season -- Can 'American Idol' Regain Lead?

Smart scheduling, tough challengers for "American Idol," and even an oddity in the way Nielsen ratings are recorded have helped make NBC's "The Voice" the top-rated series of the season so far.

But you won't catch NBC, the fourth-place network, publicly bragging about "The Voice" beating "American Idol" in the ratings -- especially not so early in their seasons, when so much can change. Fox's veteran "Idol" has spent a stunning eight years as the top-rated network in the advertiser coveted 18-49 demographic. And it could still rebound to win this season as well.

"Idol" also holds big financial advantages over its upstart competitor: Thanks to its near-decade of dominance, it can charge more than twice what "The Voice" does for a 30-second ad. "Idol" also typically airs two new episodes a week, compared to one for "The Voice." That means twice as many twice-as-expensive ads.

Still, "The Voice" ratings lead -- for however long it lasts -- is a huge morale booster for NBC as new entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt tries to lead it past ABC to third place. (Fox leads the networks in ratings in the demo, and CBS in total viewers.)

The singing competition's second season ratings growth reminds at least one observer of "American Idol's" second season.

"It just to me points out this is a real contender," said Horizon Media senior vice president of research Brad Adgate. "It's not like the show has plateaued in year two. It's increased. It's always a good sign for a TV show when the ratings improve in the second season compared to the first."

It remains to be seen whether the midseason hit -- which debuted in April 2011 and returned for a second season this month -- can fare as well when it moves to the fall for season three, as TheWrap has previously reported it will do.

It also remains to be seen whether NBC can use the success of "The Voice" to launch other hits. So far, the musical drama that follows it, "Smash," has earned only decent ratings while losing much of its powerful lead-in.

"The Voice" owes much of its success to a plum post-Super Bowl timeslot for its season-two premiere on Feb. 5. But the show is still faring well against the aging "Idol" even with that episode factored out.

The Super Bowl episode and the three episodes that have aired on the Monday nights since have averaged a 7.7 rating/19 share in the demo and 19.8 million total viewers. Without the Super Bowl episode, "The Voice" has averaged a 6.2/16 and 16.7 million total viewers.

Since its season 11 premiere in January, "Idol" has averaged a 6.1/17

and 18.8 million total viewers. That includes an average 6.5 rating/17 share in the demo and 19.9 million viewers overall for Wednesday episodes, a 5.4/15 and 17.4 million for Thursday episodes, and one Sunday episode that aired in January.

Because "The Voice" doesn't air directly against "Idol," it can't claim to have ever beaten the more established show in a direct matchup. The older show now competes against two thriving comedies -- ABC's "Modern Family" on Wednesdays and CBS's "Big Bang Theory" on Thursdays -- which have cut into its ratings and helped "The Voice" earn its recent advantage.

Not that "The Voice" has had easy competition -- it has won three consecutive Mondays for NBC against a CBS lineup including "Two and a Half Men" and "2 Broke Girls" that looked bulletproof in the fall.

One draw for "The Voice"? It's newer. As buzz about it grows, more viewers check it out for the first time. This was never more true than after the Super Bowl.

"American Idol" doesn't have the same shiny quality. But it has proven, over 11 seasons, that it has staying power, and that reliability means a lot to advertisers.

"The Voice" pulls in $206,500 for each 30-second ad, compared to $503,000 for the Wednesday "Idol" and $468,000 for the Thursday edition, according to AdAge's annual survey of primetime advertising costs.

"American Idol" and NBC's "Sunday Night Football" -- which averages $512,000 per ad -- are the most expensive shows for advertisers. If "The Voice" numbers hold up, look for its ad rates to climb as well.

By piggybacking "The Voice" second-season premiere on the Super Bowl, NBC also benefited from a Nielsen oddity.

Networks are generally required to count a show as a "special" when it airs after the Super Bowl rather than count its ratings toward its overall seasonal average. But when a show has not aired earlier in the season in a different time slot -- as was the case with "The Voice" premiere -- its ratings are counted toward its overall average.

The singing competition's success is something few imagined in December 2010 when NBC announced that it would premiere a new show tentatively titled "The Voice of America" the following spring. That meant the competition show would leapfrog Fox's long-planned "X Factor," which had been in the works for years and was slated for fall.

"The Voice" became the biggest hit of the 2010-11 season when it premiered in April. "X Factor," while successful, earned roughly half the ratings "American Idol" does, and may have contributed to viewer exhaustion with singing contests. Viewers who ordinarily would have waited through the fall for the midseason premiere of "Idol" instead satisfied their singing jones with "X Factor."

When making its 2010 "Voice" announcement, NBC noted that the Dutch show on which "The Voice" was based, "The Voice of Holland," had surpassed the Dutch versions of “The X Factor” and “American Idol” as the top talent competition show in the Netherlands.

As if that could ever happen here.