Sienna Films: The difficulties of 'Combat'

'Combat Hospital'When ABC nabbed Kandahar-set medical procedural "Combat Hospital" at the begining of 2011 and asked for summer time delivery, Sienna Films' Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny faced jason bourne. "We'd no writing room, no cast, no set, no production team," recalls Kawaja, who's created indie features (Sundance gamers "New Waterford Girl" and "How She Move"), Canadian telefilms (Gemini-winning "One Dead Indian") and provocative docus with Sereny for 25 years.Sienna boarded "Combat" following the show's designers Jinder Oujla-Chalmers and Douglas Steinberg pitched the idea to Global TV, which required it to Sienna. Show was created with Oujla-Chambers and Steinberg in 2008. The timing was perfect. "We'd never centered on TV but, because the marketplace transformed, we had how brave pay as well as network TV had become and began creating a slate," Kawaja states.Extensive story research started as Sienna -- well experienced in co-production financing -- go about constructing the 13-parter like a co-production with fellow executives from U.K's Artists Studio and Lookout Point.Three several weeks after ABC's greenlight (The new sony Pictures Worldwide Purchases has privileges outdoors The United States), showrunner Daniel Petrie Junior. was leading his troops, Elias Koteas and Deborah Kara Unger were in costume and cameras were moving on the huge indoor/outside set (in line with the real NATO Role 3 hospital Canadians went 2006-10). The show's June preem hit a couple million-plus Canadian aud, and grew to become a rankings champion for Canada's network Global, posting a typical 1.86 million audiences per episode.Repped by 3 Arts' Barbara Stein, Sienna is really a minority producer on Julian Guys-scripted small "Titanic" and it has a complete development slate: about the TV side, the 12-part worldwide co-production "The Heretics" about the feature front, Randall Cole and Elyse Friedman's "A Vibrant Tragic Factor," an adaptation of Karen Connelly's Burma-set novel "The Lizard Cage" along with a comedy from "New Waterford Girl" scribe Trisha Seafood. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

The Office's Greg Daniels Adapting Another British Comedy

Greg Daniels Greg Daniels is at it again. Daniels, the man behind the US version of Ricky Gervais' The Office, is developing another British comedy for NBC, Deadline.com reports. A fan of The Office or Parks and Recreation? Add Greg Daniels' shows to your Watchlist now and never miss an episode Friday Night Dinner chronicles the Shabbat dinners of a traditional Jewish family, who aren't necessarily devout. The British version airs on BBC America and was renewed for a second season earlier this year. It's unclear what Daniels' involvement on the new series will be. This would mark another British adaptation on NBC. The Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn-starring comedy Free Agents also hails from Big Talk Productions, which is the company behind Friday Night Dinner.

Hurricane Irene Propels Weather Channel to Friday Cable Ratings Win

The Weather Channel's coverage of Hurricane Irene gave it a ratings win in the 25-54 demographic Friday night among cable channels.our editor recommendsHurricane Irene Bumps Up Ratings, Web Traffic for The Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel Recruits Bret Michaels as Guest CorrespondentBox Office Report: Hurricane Irene Takes $25 Mil Bite Out of Box OfficeBroadway Takes 36% Hit in Weekly Box Office Amid Hurricane Irene Show CancellationsRelated Topics•Hurricane Irene The channel averaged 2.45 million viewers during primetime, according to TV Newser, with 1.1 million of those viewers belonging to the 25-54 demo. Coverage hit a high point ratings wise at the 9 o'clock hour, when it averaged 2.58 million viewers. The channel was No. 1 in both total viewers and the demo throughout the day. Fox News Channel ranked second with 1.421 million total viewers (386,000 in 25-54 demo), followed by CNN (952,000 total, 334,000 in 25-54 demo) and MSNBC (475,000 total, 25-54 demo 155,000) Additionally, the Weather Channel's registered its highest pageview level associated with a hurricane (99 million) on Aug. 25. As previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the Weather Channel Social initiative saw an increase in weather-related Tweets. Significant weather events can generate more than two million Tweets on Twitter, a rep told THR. Last week, the Weather Channel ranked No. 1 among television news competitors over a three-day period (8/21-8/23) among viewers 25-54, according to Nielsen Media Research. TWC mobile web saw more than 9.7 million page views on Wednesday and 8.1 million on Tuesday. Related Topics Hurricane Irene

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TV Rankings: Fox's 'Buried Treasure' Begins Out Soft, 'Big Brother' Slips

David Lang/FOX "Hidden Treasure" Fox opened its new reality series Hidden Treasure on Wednesday -- also it didn't exactly hit with audiences. Hidden Treasure (3.six million total audiences, 1. rating in grown ups 18-49 demographic), located by siblings Leigh and Leslie Keno, placed 4th within the ad-coveted demo in the 8 p.m. time slot, beating just the CW's repeat of America's Next Top Model. Hidden Treasure was then a home encore, putting Fox at No. 4 for that evening one of the adult demo having a .9 rating. NBC's America's Got Talent (10.7 million, 2.8), up 12 %, tied with CBS' Your Government (7.7 million, 2.8) because the top-ranked program from the evening, however with a powerful showing of Minute to Win It (5.7 million, 1.5) at 8 p.m., up 15 %, NBC wound up winning the evening overall within the key demo having a 2.. Though lower 10 %, Your Government won it is time slot handily. An authentic episode of ABC's Happy Being at 9:30 p.m. -- it is time slot come fall -- averaged 3.a million along with a 1.4 rating. The CW broadcast repeats. NBC -- 2. · Minute to Win It: 1.5, 5.7 million · America's Got Talent: 2.8, 10.7 million · Law & Order: SVU (R): 1.6, 5.4 million CBS -- 1.8 · Your Government: 2.8, 7.7 million · Criminal Minds (R): 1.3, 5.two million · CSI (R): 1.3, 6.a million ABC -- 1.4 · The Center (R): 1.2, 4.3 million · Modern Family (R): 1.5, 4.six million · Modern Family (R): 1.9, 4.8 million · Happy Being (R): 1.4, 3.a million · Primetime Nightline: 1.3, 4.3 million Fox -- .9 · Hidden Treasure: 1., 3.six million · House (R): .8, 2.5 million CW -- .4 · America's Next Top Model (R): .4, 1.a million · America's Next Top Model (R): .4, 881,000 TV Rankings America's Got Talent Your Government

A Glorious Mess (Messies: Ein schoenes Chaos)

A Fair & Ugly presentation in association with SRF, 3Sat. (International sales: Fair & Ugly, Bern.) Produced, directed by Ulrich Grossenbacher. Written by Thomas Moll, Grossenbacher, Nadia Fares.With: Arthur Santschi, Trudi, Karl, Elmira, Thomas, Gerhard. (German dialogue)Four people who can't stop themselves from amassing stuff are observed with compassion and amusement in Swiss-made "A Glorious Mess," helmer Ulrich Grossenbacher's second feature docu. Topically similar to the American reality series "Hoarders" but with less emphasis on therapy, this slow-burning but rewarding study revolves around a quartet of packrats who swim doggedly against the current in a nation often characterized, some might say stereotyped, by its obsession with neatness and order. This crowdpleaser should carve a tidy niche for itself on upmarket cable stations. Farmer Arthur Santschi's unwieldy collection of rusting equipment has spread out over his estate, bringing down the wrath of his neighbors and an especially persnickety bureaucrat named Gerhard, who's determined to clean up the eyesore. Karl's stuff is literally pushing his wife Trudi away from him. Elmira has to pick her way around an apartment piled with tapes she's made of radio programs. Seemingly the most pragmatic, Thomas recycles stuff he finds to make interesting inventions. Helmer/lenser/co-writer Grossenbacher consistently coaxes revealing observations and expressive moments, like a near-final shot of Gerhard meticulously rolling up a discarded lead tube.Camera (color, HD), Grossenbacher; editor, Maya Schmid; music, Resil Burrl. Reviewed on DVD, London, Aug. 23, 2011. (In Locarno Film Festival -- Critics' Week.) Running time: 117 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Fox Confirms Jennifer Lopez Will Return to Idol, Announces Premiere Date

American Idol It's finally official: Jennifer Lopez will return to American Idol, Fox announced Wednesday.Is American Idol on your Watchlist? Add it and your other favorites now and never miss an episode"Having both Jennifer and Steven [Tyler] return to Idol in 2012 alongside Randy [Jackson] is such a positive reflection on what was a wonderful and hugely successful season last year, and everyone is delighted," creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said.Lopez, who said in June she was "on the fence" about returning, had been in contract negotiations as late as two weeks ago. Last week, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed that Lopez will be back on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. Seacrest, of course, will also return as host.Nigel Lythgoe confirms Jennifer Lopez will return to IdolSeason 11 of Idol will premiere Sunday, Jan. 22 at 10/9c following the NFC Championship Game on Fox.

Grave Encounters

Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital, where unexplained phenomena has been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and begin a paranormal investigation, capturing everything on camera. They quickly realize that the building is more than just haunted - it is alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave. They find themselves lost in a labyrinth maze of endless hallways and corridors, terrorized by the ghosts of the former patients. They soon begin to question their own sanity, slipping deeper and deeper into the depths of madness, ultimately discovering the truth behind the hospital's dark past...and taping what turns out to be their final episode.