INTRIGUING SENTINEL STARS - Jan 8

People Magazine Online have released the results of their online poll which compliments their annual "25 Most Intriguing People" print issue. After last year's Top Ten ranking for Garett Maggart (No.8) Sentinel fans again achieved great success voting Richard Burgi into No.10 position and Garett Maggart in at No.11.

As a Top Ten place winner, Richard Burgi was featured with a photo and write-up while Garett was also featured. (see below)

Paramount TV   1275 Votes     Richard Burgi, 40, plays the psychic Lt. Detective Jim Ellison on the UPN series Sentinel. The actor's own second sense told him "fans had a great influence keeping (the show) going" after more than 10,000 of them called to protest the show's one-time imminent cancellation. He also credited the studio and the second-tier TV network for keeping the show alive. As Burgi revealed to PEOPLE Online recently, he married kind of late in life -- just over three years ago, at age 37. (A former girlfriend was Ellen DeGeneres' current partner, actress Anne Heche.) He and his wife Lori, who teaches yoga, have a son, Jack, born in 1996, and the Burgis divide their time between Vancouver, British Columbia, where the show is shot, and Los Angeles, which they call home. In his spare time, Richard pursues his love of music. 1251 Votes     Garett Maggart, 29, a New York City native, wanted to grow up and play wise guys, "the De Niro and Pacino roles," he told PEOPLE Online last year. He's happily settled for playing Blair Sandburg, the scientist sidekick of the Richard Burgi (No 10 Most Intriguing) character on UPN's The Sentinel. He lives in Los Angeles, with his three-year-old dog, Lola.

RE-ARRANGING THE DECKCHAIRS AT UPN - Jan 7

From Variety
By Jenny Hontz

UPN mulls No. 2 to Valentine

Some executive changes may be in the works at UPN. Sources say the netlet is considering bringing in a new, high-ranking exec to oversee such areas as affiliate relations, finances and possibly marketing. The executive could receive the chief operating officer title, serving as the new No. 2 person under CEO Dean Valentine.

Insiders say UPN has had preliminary talks with Adam Ware, who on Monday confirmed that he's leaving Barry Diller's USA Broadcasting when his contract expires this spring (Daily Variety, Jan. 6). As an executive VP at USA Broadcasting, Ware helped Diller's stations transition from home shopping to the localized "CityVision" format, and he was a top network distribution exec under Preston Padden at Fox. Also hot on the rumor list is Playboy Entertainment president Tony Lynn.

It's unclear how any new hires would affect the fate of existing UPN execs in business affairs, marketing an affiliate relations.

 

(Thanks Kat)

TV GUIDE PRINT ARTICLE ALSO ONLINE - Jan 7

The Winter Issue of TV Guide is now online and features the write-up about the show's return and cast photo (shown at left). The non-spoiler part of the write-up features a mention of the fan campaign: The Big News: Intense fan support helped bring back this fantasy-action hour The remainder of the article features spoilers for those who are sensitive to that sort of thing. You can find The Sentinel column under "Returning Series"

BRUCE A YOUNG INTERVIEW - Jan 4

From TV Gen Sci-Fi News
By John Walsh

Young Is Back on the Sentinel Watch "I had had some inkling that the show was popular," says The Sentinel's Bruce A. Young. "I'd run into people on the street, and they'd have kind things to say about it." But Young had no idea how loyal his fans were until the show, about a cop with super-senses, disappeared from UPN's lineup last fall. "I hadn't thought there'd be such a vocal contingent," Young laughs. Sentinel fans organized a phone, fax and mail campaign to lobby for the show's return, "and the support was quite heartening," he says. The effort worked: The Sentinel will return Mon., Jan. 18 (9 pm/ET), with a rerun of the series pilot. Regular episodes begin Feb. 1. Young was surprised at first to learn that the show's fan base was so overwhelmingly female. "I thought we'd appeal more to teenage boys - you know, we tend to blow things up - but women seem to have responded to the relationships among the characters." Whatever the reason, he says, "I'm glad they were there!" (Thanks Beth and Jean)

TV'S MIDSEASON OFFERINGS - Jan 4

From New York Daily News
By Richard Huff
Daily News Staff Writer

A Big Midseason's Greeting to Viewers
Networks bolster lineups with winter blast of new series

So, you finally feel familiar with the nightly lineups, do you? Well, think again, because the start of the so-called midseason is rushing at us.

Between now and mid-March, the six broadcast networks will premiere at least 15 series that are either new or have been on the shelf since last spring or earlier.

You can sort of think of these shows as the cavalry being called in to reinforce the programs that have been fighting the Nielsen battle since September. And not only might these shows help in the short run, the networks might even find themselves with a few series strong enough to carry their flags into the 1999-2000 season.

Such success has struck in many a midseason past. Among the examples: Laverne & Shirley, One Day at a Time, Happy Days, Just Shoot Me, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Seinfeld, The Simpsons and, most recently, Dawson's Creek, which has helped to fuel the WB's rapid growth.

"The benefit of a show premiering in midseason is that it tends to have a better chance of surviving," said Marc Berman, an analyst with Seltel, which advises stations on program choices. "If it does premiere in midseason, it gets a little more promotion."

Late entries have another advantage, as well.

"Most of the time [the midseason shows] are replacing low-rated programs and, by comparison, they're going to do better," said Steve Sternberg, senior partner at ad buyer TN Media. "It's also less likely that something good might get caught in the [frenzied fall launch] shuffle."

Viewers might find the process disruptive to their newly learned TV routines, but the midseason would seem to be a necessary evil. Networks order just 22 episodes of most series, which they then must spread over the 36-week season, which leaves 14 weeks of dreaded repeats, give or take a special here and there. Also, inevitably, some shows launched in the fall just don't make the cut. Remember Fox' Costello or NBC's Wind on Water? How about CBS' Brian Benben or ABC's The Secret Lives of Men? The need for backups is obvious.

Here are some of the new shows that will hit the small screen in the coming months:

CBS

Turks, a one-hour drama starring William Devane as the patriarch of a family of Chicago cops. Debuts Jan. 21 at 9 p.m.

Magnificent Seven, a one-hour Western making its second midseason run on CBS. Ron Perlman (Beauty and the Beast) is one of the Seven. Debuts Friday, 9 p.m.

60 Minutes II, the highly anticipated spinoff of the pioneering newsmagazine will feature Charlie Rose, Vicki Mabrey, Bob Simon and Dan Rather as correspondents. Debuts Jan. 13, 9 p.m.

NBC

Providence, a new drama starring Melina Kanakaredes (NYPD Blue) as a Los Angeles plastic surgeon returning home after her mother's death. Debuts Fridayat 8 p.m.

Lateline, a half-hour comedy (from last midseason) built around a fictional late-night news series. Al Franken (Saturday Night Live) and Robert Foxworth star. Debuts Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Fox

The PJs, a half-hour "foamation" comedy set in a big-city housing project featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy. Debuts Sunday at 8:30 p.m.; to air Tuesdays at 8:30 starting Jan. 12.

Family Guy, a new animated comedy from creator/star Seth McFarlane. Debuts after the Super Bowl, Jan. 31.

Futurama, a half-hour animated series set in the future from Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. Debut date to be announced.

ABC

It's Like You Know . . ., a comedy about a gritty New York journalist who goes to California to write a book about Tinseltown. It stars Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and A.J. Langer (My So-Called Life). Debut TBA.

Strange World, a one-hour drama about a young man dying from a strange disease who goes to work for an agency that deals with science run amok. Debut TBA.

UPN

Dilbert, a half-hour animated comedy based on the comic strip about inanities of office life. Daniel Stern (Wonder Years), Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) and Chris Elliot (There's Something About Mary) provide voices. Debuts Jan. 25, 8 p.m.

The Sentinel, an hour drama about a psychic cop starring Richard Burgi and Garret Maggart. It aired on UPN last season, but missed fall cut. Debuts Jan. 18, 9 p.m.

Family Rules, a sitcom about a widowed father and four daughters, starring Greg Evigan (My Two Dads). Debut TBA.

Home Movies, a new animated series from the creator of Comedy Central's Dr. Katz, with Paula Poundstone as one of the voices. Debut TBA.

RedHanded, a new reality series in which folks are caught on tape committing one of the seven deadly sins. Debut TBA.

WB

Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, an ensemble comedy about N.Y. teenagers. Debuts Jan. 17 at 9 p.m.

Movie Stars, a new family comedy from Aaron Spelling, starring Harry Hamlin (L.A. Law). Debut TBA.

Rescue 77, about a paramedic team, starring Richard Roundtree (413 Hope St.). Debut TBA.

(Thanks Noon)

MORE ON THE RETURN OF THE SENTINEL - Jan 4

From TV Guide (Jan 9-15)
Under "Returning Series" (p 31)

Warning: Below information contains spoilers!

THE SENTINEL
Mondays, debuts January 25 9 PM/ET, UPN

BIG NEWS - Intense fan support helped bring back this fantasy-action hour. LOVE CONNECTION - Stacey Haiduk plays a former lover of Ellison's (Richard Burgi) who's now married to his onetime best friend. TWISTS AND TURNS - Ellison heads to Mexico to track down nemesis Alex Barnes (guest star Jeri Ryan). The NBA's Clyde Drexler, Muggsy Bogues, Kurt Rambis and Malik Sealy appear in an episode in which a sports arena is held hostage.

 

(Thanks Pam and Sue)

LOOKING OUT FOR THE SENTINEL - Dec 30

The Jan/Feb 99 issue of Cinescape (with Buffy and Angel on the cover) features a four page full color article on the campaign for The Sentinel. The article features interviews with Danny Bilson, Richard Burgi and SOS. As it contains spoiler information and photos from upcoming episodes we have not posted it to the main news page, but you can view the whole article and pictures here. (Thanks to Gena and Sherry for sending us the article so quickly)

SENTINEL ONLINE TRIVIA QUIZ - Dec 28

Visit the Rock Mall website at: http://www.rockmall.com/ and take The Sentinel Trivia quiz.

Not only can you test your Sentinel knowledge, you can also devise and submit questions to be added to the trivia quiz.