Tom Comi | Channel Guide Magazine

Veep Season 2 returns April 14 on HBO

April 12, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

It’s said that the second term for a politician tends to run much smoother than the first, and that can only bode well for the already popular show Veep — which returns Sunday at 10pm ET for a second season on HBO. Political shows have been a tough sell to viewers since The West Wing dominated the ratings many years ago, as witnessed by the canceled USA series Political Animals and the now-struggling NBC sitcom 1600 Penn. Veep, however, hit all the right buttons in its initial campaign for a number of reasons. First, it cast the brilliant Julia Louis-Dreyfus, [...]

Shakira and Usher join “The Voice” for Season 4

March 25, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

Shakira and Usher join The Voice for Season 4 tonight, March 25, as short-term replacements for Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, and we should learn right away if they can match the chemistry previously created with Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, who return as musical coaches. Carson Daly is also back as host. The hit NBC singing competition returns March 25 at 8pm ET, airing Mondays and Tuesdays, and fans are anxious to see how the changes affect The Voice. There should also be plenty of new viewers who will tune in to see how Shakira and Usher fare [...]

Arnold Palmer Invitational is special for Tiger Woods

March 21, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

UPDATE: Sunday’s weather postponed the final round to Monday. GOLF CHANNEL will air the conclusion of the tournament beginning at 10am ET. From GOLF: Golf Channel will air final round coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard live on Monday beginning at 10 a.m. ET through the tournament’s conclusion. Immediately following the conclusion of the tournament, Golf Channel will switch to live coverage of Day One of the Tavistock Cup at Isleworth Golf & Country Club, where the 16 players not playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational will be in competition. Live coverage will air until 5 p.m. [...]

2013 LPGA schedule features most TV coverage ever on Golf Channel

March 14, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

Riding the growing popularity of women’s golf around the world, Golf Channel announced that its 2013 LPGA schedule will include 300 hours of original coverage in 2013 — including a 22 percent increase of tournament coverage from a year ago. The unprecedented airtime includes all North American weekend telecasts aired live and in high-definition, as well as features designed to spotlight the stars on the LPGA Tour. The domestic schedule begins this week with the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix. The LPGA Tour has seen a 68 percent ratings increase over the past two seasons of domestic tournaments, and [...]

World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship draws 49 of the top 50 golfers

March 8, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

The World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship features 49 of the top 50 golfers on the planet, which can only mean one thing: The Masters is right around the corner. And while the Masters (April 11-14) is one of the premier events in all of sports, don’t think for a minute that the golfers who teed off in the first round Thursday in Doral, Florida, were looking ahead. Played at the TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral, the 7,334-yard, par-72 course can present many challenges, and the winner will not only be battle tested but $1.5 million richer. The Golf Channel and NBC [...]

Golf Channel on pace for record viewership in 2013

March 4, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

Golf Channel’s ratings continue to surge, and network executives say it is a combination of live tournament coverage and original programming that is already putting it on pace for its best year ever. In fact, coming off 2012 as the most-watched year in its 18-year history, Golf Channel has brought that momentum into this year with its best first two months. The network said 123,000 average viewers per minute were tuned into Golf Channel in January and February, representing an 11-percent year-over-year increase compared to the same time period a year ago. Last month, Nielsen Company said Golf Channel served 15.96 [...]

Rory McIlroy withdraws from Honda Classic, Tiger Woods lags behind

March 1, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

It’s often said that a golf tournament can’t be won on the first day, but it can certainly be lost if a competitor digs a big enough hole. And while Tiger Woods is by no means out of contention at the Honda Classic after shooting par yesterday, he certainly has some ground to make up today and into the weekend. Perhaps the biggest news coming out of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, this morning was that Rory McIlroy had decided to withdraw after shooting the same score as Woods yesterday. After starting today’s round an abysmal 7-over par, McIlroy walked off [...]

“Smash” Season 2 brings changes, Jennifer Hudson

February 4, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

When the second season of Smash premieres on NBC Tuesday night (Feb. 5, 9pm ET), fans of the first season might feel like they are watching an entirely different show. And with new producers, actors — including Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson — and the addition of a second musical within the plot, that feeling wouldn’t be too off base. Don’t fret, though, because most of the changes appear to be for the better. Even diehard fans complained last year that some of the storylines and characters became ridiculous, which explained why the drama was hemorrhaging millions of viewers as the season went [...]

5 best Super Bowl halftime shows ever

February 1, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

Where will Beyonce’s halftime show at Super Bowl XLVII rank among the all-time greats? Based on my list of the 5 best Super Bowl halftime shows ever, she’s got some tough acts to follow. A couple of provisions before we get started: First, I only wanted to include one member of the Jackson family, so you won’t find the 2004 Nipplegate performance involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake (although he does make our list with his band); second, please feel free to chime in on the comments section if you disagree or want to talk about your favorite act. #5: [...]

Beyonce Super Bowl halftime show has tough acts to follow

February 1, 2013 | By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuideTom

Beyonce Super Bowl halftime show airs during the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, Feb. 3. The Beyoncé Super Bowl halftime show is being anticipated by millions of fans across the world, especially after her controversial decision to sing the national anthem with a backing vocal track at last month’s presidential inauguration. Beyoncé is a brilliant singer who will undoubtedly put on an incredible performance — she has assured everybody that she will be doing the vocals live — but only time will tell where her show will rank in the list of all time great Super Bowl [...]