Here’s a quick roundup of the day’s television announcements:
–ABC has set an airdate for "Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon," the American Cinematheque’s annual gala event honoring a midcareer film artist, recorded live March 27 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The hourlong special will air Thursday, May 27, at 9 p.m., following the season finale of "FlashForward."
Stars who paid loving (and mocking) tribute to Damon include Jimmy Kimmel, Don Cheadle, Clint Eastwood, Sarah Silverman and Ben Affleck.
–The Hollywood Reporter says Shawn Ryan has told Fox he won’t continue as showrunner on "Lie to Me" if the show is picked up for next season. The Tim Roth starrer returns June 7 with a dozen new episodes.
–Discovery, home of Shark Week, is celebrating Anniversary Week — its 25th — from June 13-19 with special episodes of franchises including "Dirty Jobs," "Mythbusters" and "Man vs. Wild." The channel launched on June 17, 1985.
Starting Sunday, June 13, at 9 with "25 Years of Discovery," the week of specials continues with "4D Atlas Hawaii" at 10 p.m. June 13; "Dirty Jobs: The Dirty Truth" (9 p.m. June 14), "After the Catch" (10 p.m. June 15), "Mythbusters: 25 Best Busted Myths" (9 p.m. June 16), "Scariest Moments at Sea" (9 p.m. June 17), "Discovery Saved My Life" (9 p.m. June 18) and "Man vs. Wild Top 25" (9 p.m. June 19).
Also in June, Discovery will premiere new series "Ultimate Car Build Off" (formerly "Garage Wars") at 9 p.m. June 21; "Heartland Thunder" at 10 p.m. June 21, about Friday night dirt track racing in Kansas City; and "Stranded," at 10 p.m. June 11, featuring Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin being dropped into various scenarios and demonstrating what it takes to stay alive.
–This week’s episode of "The Real Housewives of New York City" was the highest-rated non-reunion episode of the entire series among all key demographics, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode delivered 1.57 million adults 18-49 and 2.25 million total viewers, up 18 percent across the board from the previous week. It’s on a pace to be the highest-rated season for the series, averaging 1.27 million viewers in 18-49 and 1.87 million total viewers through 10 episodes.
–USA’s "Psych" returns as part of the network’s summer weekday block of original series starting Wednesday, July 21, at 10 p.m. Guest stars this season will include John Michael Higgins and Emmy winner Jean Smart.
–IFC announced premiere dates for some of its returning comedy series. "The Whitest Kids U Know" kicks off 10 new scripted half-hour episodes on Friday, June 11, at 10 p.m. "The IT Crowd" returns Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 10:30 p.m.; the first three seasons of the show are running now on IFC.
On Aug. 20, it’s the reunion of the original five Kids in the Hall for "The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town," an original eight-episode "gothic comic murder mystery." Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson play nearly all 20 of the new characters in their trademark gender-bending style.
IFC also said it’s in production this summer on "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" for an October premiere. The show, created and written by and starring David Cross ("Arrested Development") follows an American pathological liar who bluffs his way into a senior marketing job in the London office for Thundermuscle, an "awesome new energy drink." Will Arnett co-stars, with guest appearances by Spike Jonze and Amber Tamblyn.
–ABC News’ eight-part limited series "Boston Med" premieres Thursday, June 24, at 10 p.m. and will run on Thursdays through the summer. Picking up where the Peabody Award-winning medical documentary series "Hopkins" left off, "Boston Med" takes viewers inside three hospitals in a city known for its medical excellence: Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital. Over four months, ABC cameras had unparalleled access to hospital staff and patients, from operating rooms to end-of-life meetings.
