Sneek Peak: NBC's Day One

Post-apoc blog Quiet Earth managed to get a hold of the Day One trailer NBC used for upfronts last May.

The trailer, apparently consisting of temporary visual effects and music, was a bit surprising in the fact that the series seems to be more than just the post-apocalyptic tale DVR Life had been expecting. A female character in the trailer seems to have not only been through this already (I just want to save these people from suffering the way we did."), but has the power to choose who she wants to surround herself with on her second go-round ("I choose each and everyone of you.". An alien come to save planet earth from what-or-whoever destroyed her planet, perhaps?

Day One is set to premiere sometime after the Winter Olympics in early 2010 on NBC.

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NBC & ABC 2009/2010 Schedules

It's only day two of upfronts week but we pretty much know all the major network schedules for next season already. ABC has only delivered it's fall schedule, with no word yet on the winter/spring months. NBC on the other hand has rolled out both. Now that all the networks have revealed their schedules, the fun part now is wondering how long they'll hold up before shows start bombing and needing to be replaced.

There's not that many surprises on NBC's lineup. They have broadcast rights for the Winter Olympics, so the season is pretty much cut in two with many shows that begin in the fall making room for new ones.

I was expecting the original "Law & Order" to be paired up with it's better rated sister show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", but the "mother ship" has been banished to Friday evenings. More surprising is the fact that they only order 16 episodes but plan to stretch it from fall to spring.

I was also a bit surprised by the split of "Chuck" and "Heroes". I would think the two would be stronger together but with Heroes losing viewers and "Chuck" being kinda low rated as is, neither will be very strong partners for the new shows they are being paired with.

One baffling item on the peacock schedule is the lack of "Friday Night Lights" in it's usual Friday 9pm slot for mid season. The official schedule distributed by the network shows "Southland" airing Fridays at 9pm in both the fall and mid season schedules. The fact that the network only ordered 13 episodes of the series' second season leads me to believe someone made a mistake while typing up the press release, especially because, unless some sort of major disaster took place between NBC and DirecTV, the show is guaranteed for atleast the next two seasons.

(Updated:5/19/09 7:22pm: Friday Night Lights will not be broadcast until Summer 2010. Just another one of NBC's stupid choices for next season. In my opinion, of course)

On the ABC schedule, one surprise for me was slotting "Flash Forward" Thursdays at 8pm before "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice". According to Variety it was a pretty big struggle in the network, too, but memories of "Lost" debuting in an 8pm slot won the battle.

If the network pulled "Samantha Who?" (by the way, the remaining 7 episodes will run this summer) a few weeks ago because they didn't think it made enough of a lead-in for their beloved "Grey's Anatomy", I don't really see the thinking behind this scheduling move. There will be, of course, plenty who tune in for both, but I don't see the hardcore sci-fi crowd falling in love with "Grey's Anatomy".

(Speaking of "Grey's Anatomy", both T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl are signed on for next season, though that's no guarantee that their characters will be there)

NBC 2009/2010 Schedule (minus the daily 10pm Leno Show)
FALL:

Monday
8pm "Heroes"
9pm "Trauma"

Tuesday
8pm "The Biggest Loser"

Wednesday
8pm "Parenthood"
9pm "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

Thursday
8pm "SNL Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30pm "Parks and Recreation"
9pm "The Office"
9:30pm "Community"

Thursday (after "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" ends)
8pm "Community"
8:30pm "Parks and Recreation"
9pm "The Office"
9:30pm "30 Rock"

Friday
8pm "Law & Order"
9pm "Southland"

Sunday
7pm "Football Night in America"
8:20pm "Sunday Night Football"

MIDSEASON:

Monday
8pm "Chuck"
9pm "Day One"

Tuesday
8pm "The Biggest Loser" 9:30pm "100 Questions"

Wednesday
8pm "Mercy"
9pm "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

Thursday
8pm "Community"
8:30pm "Parks and Recreation"
9pm "The Office"
9:30pm "30 Rock"

Friday
8pm "Law & Order"
9pm "Southland"

Sunday
7pm "Dateline NBC"
8pm "The Marriage Ref"
9pm "Celebrity Apprentice"


ABC 2009 Fall Schedule
Mondays
8pm "Dancing with the Stars" ("The Bachelor" after "Dancing")
10pm "Castle"

Tuesdays
8pm "The Shark Tank"
9pm "Dancing with the Stars" ("Scrubs" and "Better Off Ted" after "Dancing")
10pm "The Forgotten"

Wednesday
8pm "Hank"
8:30pm "The Middle"
9pm "Modern Family"
9:30pm "Cougar Town"
10pm "Eastwick"

Thursday
8pm "Flash Forward"
9pm "Grey's Anatomy"
10pm "Private Practice"

Friday
8pm "Supernanny"
9pm "Ugly Betty"
10pm "20/20"

Saturday
8pm College Football

Sunday
7pm "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8pm "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9pm "Desperate Housewives"
10pm "Brothers & Sisters"

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Fox 2009/2010 Schedule

Fox had it's upfront today and announced it's official Fall 2009 and Winter/Spring 2010 schedule. There's some ups, some downs, some really stupid, possibly show-killing moves, and not many surprises.

Good news is that "Lie To Me" will be paired up with "House" in the fall, which could be a decent boost for the show. The most awful move, in my book, is putting JJ Abram's sci-fi phenom "Fringe" up against wildly popular, more ingrained shows like "CSI", "The Office", "30 Rock", and "Grey's Anatomy". Talk about throwing a toddler into the swimming pool...Which is full of blood thirsty sharks.

No surprise, "Dollhouse" is sticking to it's Friday post but is being paired up "Til Death" and a new comedy. That certainly won't do a damn thing for ratings, but it won't hurt, either.

I was really hoping the networks new reincarnation/detective series, "Past Life", would be paired up with "Fringe", but no luck there. The Rich Schiff starring sci-fi series may get a boost from American Idol, though I don't think that really happened for "Fringe" this year. Seems like people either tuned into "Fringe" or not, no matter if AI was on. Those of us who did tune in (and despise AI as much as humanly possible) where driven near mad multiple times when the show was cut off on our DVR's by AI.

Fox fall 2009 schedule:

Monday
8pm "House"
9pm "Lie to Me"

Tuesday
8pm "So You Think You Can Dance" (two hours)

Wednesday
8pm "So You Think You Can Dance"
9pm "Glee"

Thursday
8pm "Bones"
9pm "Fringe"

Friday
8pm "Brothers"
8:30pm "Til Death"
9pm "Dollhouse"

Saturday
8pm "Cops"
9pm "America's Most Wanted"

Sunday
7pm Football OT
8pm "The Simpsons"
8:30pm "The Cleveland Show"
9pm "Family Guy"
9:30pm "American Dad"

Winter 2010 schedule:

Monday
8pm "House"
9pm "24"

Tuesday
8pm "American Idol"
9pm "Past Life"

Wednesday
8pm "American Idol"
9pm "Human Target" / "Glee" (returns in spring)

Thursday
8pm "Bones"
9pm "Fringe"

Friday
8pm "Brothers"
8:30pm "Til Death"
9pm "Dollhouse"

Saturday
8pm "Cops"
9pm "America's Most Wanted"

Sunday
7pm Animation repeats
7:30pm "American Dad"
8pm "The Simpsons"
8:30pm "Sons of Tucson"
9pm "Family Guy"
9:30pm "Cleveland Show"

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CBS Renews Cold Case

CBS squared up the rest of it's 2009 season today. They officially renewed long-runner "Cold Case". Though the series has been a hard worker for the network since 2003, there was some question as to whether it would return for a seventh year. The series has been paired up with "Without A Trace" in the past and, lately, with "The Unit", both of which will not be returning next season.

The show premiered in the Sunday 8pm timeslot way back in ought three before moving to it's current Sunday 9pm slot in the 2006 season, so I assume it'll probably stay in place next season. It's a shame, though, as I pointed out with The Unit, shows airing on Sunday evenings are given a hard time when afternoon sports broadcasts run late. It's the reason a good show like "Cold Case" is no longer set to record on my DVR.

There's only so many times I'm willing to press play and find annoying reality TV competitions in Detective Lilly's place before removing a series from my record list.

The network also picked up another drama, a fast paced medical drama called "Miami Trauma". It may just be me, but I tend to find series with a city name in the title to be pretty lame and to be an absolutely terrible representation of what a city is actually like. Hopefully they won't take the cheap-skate, lame production way out and film it in L.A. with canned location shots. Knowing CBS and it's geriatric audience, I'm assuming this show will be less entertaining than NBC's planned "Trauma" but will slaughter it in the ratings anyway.

There is one light in the tunnel, though: word is the network is looking at drama titled "House Rules" about freshman politicians in the U.S. Congress. I'm a sucker for political shows.

CBS will have it's upfront this Wednesday. I'm looking forward to final word on "The Unit" as well as the just mentioned "House Rules".

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CBS Pickups Three Pilots (Updated: Four)

With so many posts about the other big networks, one may wonder where the heck is CBS in all of this. Well, today Variety reported the eye network picked up three new dramas for next season, "Three Rivers", "The Good Wife" and an NCIS spin-off starring LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell.

"The Good Wife" stars Juliana Margulies as a lawyer (and I'm assuming, mother) who has to go back to the office when her husband, a politician, goes to jail. I've been a fan of Juliana Margulies since her short stint as a nutso mistress on The Sopranos, so I'm glad to see her returning to weekly TV. The Scott Brothers, Tony and Ridley, are producing, so here's hoping. Come to think of it, The Scott Bros tend to like non-traditional families in their series, so perhaps she's not a mom? (On a side note, anyone catch the season finale of "Numb3rs" on Friday - great episode. I'd like to pat the Scott Bros on the back for that one.)

The show also stars Matt Czuchry as a Harvard graduate junior associate at Margulies' law firm named Cary. I know many will be elated to find the young heart throb back on TV. While his unfortunately short stint as religion-boy and crush object for Lila on "Friday Night Lights" was memorable, especially for the scenes starring both he and Tim Riggins with poor little Lila stuck in between, his three season run as Rory Gilmore's well-to-do but not such a big jerk as she originally thought boyfriend Logan Huntzberger on "The Gilmore Girls" really cemented him as not only a heart throb, but a pretty decent actor, too.

"Three Rivers" is about organ donors, according to Variety. With only that bit of info I'm reminded of TNT's failed Treat Williams starred organ donor drama "Heartland" due to the related premise and the folksy, midwest-y name.

The NCIS spin-off...well, I couldn't really care less about that. LL Cool J has decided to walk in Ice T's path and maybe it'll work out just as well for him. I do remember snickering upon first hearing of T's casting on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" but I whole heartedly take that back now as he's a good addition to the show. As for Chris O'Donnell, I've never really been a fan of his, though I have nothing against him. The last part I can even recall him in is Robin from one of the Batman movies. Besides not being a fan of his, I don't particularly care for NCIS, either.

As I said in an earlier post, I think the show is popular for three reasons: It's timeslot, the fact that it's so...unspecial, non-stylized, etc. and that it's on CBS, meaning the network's older skewing audience likes early time slots and unspecial programming.

Still no word on "The Unit", "Cold Case" or "Without A Trace". I'm guessing "Cold Case" in, "Without A Trace" out and no idea on where "The Unit" lies...I'm hoping they keep it with a better timeslot.

As for CBS sister network, The CW, they have picked up "Vampire Diaries" and the Melrose Place spin-off.

According to Futoncritic, Vampire Diaries is "drama about a tragic young heroine who is the object of passion for two vampire brothers - one good, one evil - who are at war for her soul and for the souls of her friends and family."

Updated 5/17/09 8:38pm
CBS also picked up another comedy. "Accidentally On Purpose" stars Jenna Elfman, the description says "comedy about a san francisco movie critic who finds herself accidentally pregnant after a fling with a much younger man, and the unconventional family that ultimately results".

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ABC's 2009/10 Season Coming Into Focus

Seems as if ABC has decided to leave few surprises for their upfront this week. Word is out about much of their 2009/10 slate after a day long buying binge yesterday. In all, there's five new dramas and three new comedies. With all the newspaper and blog articles about the rise of comedies next season I expected more than only three half hour comedy pickups, so maybe there are a few more surprises yet to come.

I briefly mentioned new drama pickup "Happy Town" yesterday but had no info on it at the time, so the official description is below. Glad to hear the producers of "October Road" are at it again. I thought "October Road" was funny and charming and I really enjoyed all the actors and characters, the writing and the visual aspects.

I am a bit disappointed they've left the New England locale for Minnesota, and sort of surprised that they're looking towards the darker side of small town life. I'm a sucker for small towns, which is one of the reasons I so loved "October Road". The show was full of beautiful fall foliage shots and small town quirk. The fact that the main storyline of "Happy Town" centers around kidnappings and murder leans toward the idea that small town Minnesota won't be quite as charming as small town Massachusetts.

Other new dramas that were picked up late last night that I haven't mentioned before are "V", which will be a limited-run series and, I'm assuming, is based on the original sci-fi series of the same name, a legal ensemble called "The Deep End", a Jerry Bruckheimer detective series called "The Forgotten" and "Eastwick" based on a movie of (apparently) the same name that I can't quite recall.

On top of these new dramas they also officially picked up two more comedies. I've talked about all of these in various posts and announced "Cougar Town's" official pickup last night but since then they also gave the go-ahead to Patricia Heaton's new comedy about a midwest mother called "The Middle" and Kelsey Grammer's new one about a business bigwig that loses his fortune and goes back to his family, which seems to be a popular topic these days (see "Eastbound and Down" on HBO or Fox's upcoming "Brothers"). Depending on who you ask it's either called "Awesome Hank" or just "Hank".

So here it all is quick and easy for you:

New Dramas (including dramedies, cop shows, sci-fi, etc): Happy Town, V, Eastwick, The Forgotten, Flash Forward, The Deep End

New Comedies: Modern Family, The Middle, Hank & Cougar Town

Renewed Dramas (including dramedies, cop shows, sci-fi, etc): Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Lost & The Unusuals

Renewed Comedies: Better Off Ted & Scrubs

Still Unknown: Samantha Who?


Descriptions:

The Deep End
The fact that the characters name is 'Sterling Law' is pretty lame...

Sterling Law is one of L.A.'s most prestigious law firms. Each year it recruits four new young lawyers from the finest law schools worldwide. It will nurture, guide and shape these recruits into the best damned lawyers they can possibly be or else. This year the lucky four are Dylan, a blue collar kid made-good; Addy, a sweet mid-Westerner with a lethal legal mind; Beth, a brilliant Brentwood babe; and Liam, an Australian with serious drive. Sterling Law is under the control of ruthless senior partner Cliff Huddle (Billy Zane), aka "The Prince of Darkness." But when legendary partner Hart Sterling returns to the firm after a long hiatus caring for his dying wife, he's ready to shake things up. The only way for these first years to survive being caught in the middle of this major power struggle is to support each other, even as they compete against one another in the cutthroat arena of corporate law. They discover unlikely allies in their mercurial recruiter Rowdy and litigating whirlwind Susan, who is Cliff's icy, but talented wife. Dylan also manages to make a deeper connection with an ace paralegal named Addy, but every alliance at Sterling is complicated. Addy is drawn to Dylan, but it seems she hasn't quite broken off her affair with Cliff. The complex personal and professional lives of Grey's Anatomy's interns combine with the high-stakes world of L.A. Law in this sharp dramedy from David Hemingson, co-executive producer of How I Met Your Mother. Greed, betrayal, illegal acts; it's all a part of being a first year associate at Sterling Law. Law school definitely didn't prepare them for this.

Eastwick
The Witches of Eastwick? Was that the movie? Let's hear it for John Updike and X Files producers. (Update: I did mean that as a joke but I was actually right - show is based on The Witches of Eastwick. I was actually thinking of the wrong movie when I wrote that, though.)

Single-handedly, housewives accomplish astonishing things... and together, watch out. In the seaside village of Eastwick, this might just be evidence of their inner-witch rising to the surface. Until today, Roxanne, Kat and Joanna didn't get along because of their preconceived notions of each other. Roxanne was the flaky artist, Kat was a doormat wife and mom, and Joanna the uptight local reporter. But after a weird encounter in the park coupled with a few margaritas, these three have suddenly become fast friends. Now, a mysterious stranger's arrival in town will bring them even closer and test them in ways they'd never imagined. Daryl Van Horne is an irresistible package of wealth, charisma and bad boy sex appeal. If he's not buying up a local business, he's attempting to seduce one (or all) of these ladies, physically and professionally. What's even more dangerous, he's unleashing their supernatural powers. But by igniting their heart's desires, he might just be opening Pandora's box. This small New England town will be turned upside down by these witches coming into their own. Though bad for a few locals, it's still the best thing to happen in Eastwick in centuries. The X-Files director/producer David Nutter and writer Maggie Friedman (Once and Again) conjure up a devilish blend of Desperate Housewives and Charmed that explores the hidden depths of women. Based on John Updike's celebrated best-seller and the hit movie, Eastwick is brimming with romance, mystery and wicked charm, offering a tempting vision of the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy.

The Forgotten

Gone but not forgotten. That's what they say. But what if a killer took your life and your name? Every city has its share of unidentified murder victims. When standard police procedure fails to give them a name, that's when the Identity Network steps in. A group of dedicated, amateur detectives, the members of the Identity Network attempt to reconstruct the pieces of these John and Jane Doe's lives from what little evidence is left behind. Each episode is narrated by a "body" who watches the team as they pursue the tantalizingly difficult challenge of figuring out who this victim once was. Why would anyone volunteer for such a grim task? As new recruit Tyler Davies quickly discovers, each of the members of the team has his or her own reasons for volunteering for the Network. Alex Donovan is a former cop, whose 11-year-old daughter was kidnapped and has never been found. Linda Manning, the woman who runs the network from her home, is a virtual recluse whose husband is a convicted murderer. Walter Bailey does stake outs when he's not blowing his cover. Candace Butler hates her day job. She also happens to have a special gift for putting people at ease even the prickly Tyler, a talented sculptor with a background in forensics. Follow these committed amateur investigators as they race against time to piece together the stories of these dead people's lives and ultimately, hopefully, their murders. The Forgotten is an evocative and powerful new procedural combining the victims' flashbacks with the team's emotional drive to bring them justice. Together with writer Mark Friedman, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Danny Cannon (CSI) deliver the most mesmerizing crime drama of the season.

(Awesome) Hank

Sometimes scaling back is the best way to get ahead. Wall Street legend Hank Pryor (Kelsey Grammer) and his wife Tilly have been living the high life in New York City. That is until Hank is forced out of his CEO job and has to move his family back home to the small town of River Bend. A self-made man, Hank is used to running the show, but now that he's lost almost everything, can he learn how to hang with his family? The Pryors have had to seriously downsize their lives even their king-sized bed won't fit in their modest new home. Tilly's not too pleased to be back in the same zip code as her family especially her badgering brother Grady. Hank's offbeat son Henry worries about fitting in with a new crowd and his daughter Maddie would rather talk on her cell phone than be anywhere near her Dad. But every great businessman knows that the key to success is to turn setbacks into opportunities. Hank has big plans to get ahead in business... and to reconnect with his family. It may take a while for an industrial giant to figure out how to mingle with the little people like his family but Hank's up for the challenge. Like that smaller bed... Turns out that wasn't such a bad idea after all. Starring Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), this hilarious family comedy mixes genuine, heart-warming moments with Grammer's trademark blustery humor. The series is written by Everybody Loves Raymond's three-time Emmy Award-winner Tucker Cawley, and co-executive produced by Grammer along with The Life & Times of Tim's Mike Clements and Tom Werner. After many years of living the so-called good life, the Pryor Family is about to discover that downsizing just might be the key to living it up!

Happy Town.

For the past seven years Haplin, Minnesota's lived up to its nickname, Happy Town. Even the air is sweet with the smell of bread from the industrial bakery. Unfortunately, everything is about to change. Seven years ago, an unknown psycho, nick-named "The Magic Man" kidnapped seven children before Sheriff Griffin Conroy chased him away. But the discovery of a local's gruesome murder and the disappearance of a new child have everyone whispering the Magic Man is back. Now, Mayor Haplin has ordered Deputy Tommy Conroy to replace his father as Sheriff whether he wants the job, or not. Tommy knows better than to cross the town royalty, whose bakery employs half the town, including his wife. As Tommy begins investigating, his friends and neighbors become suspects and the quiet small town life he's always cherished begins to sour. But Tommy's not the only one investigating Haplin. A mysterious young woman has just arrived in town, and she's quietly searching for answers about her family's history with the residents of Happy Town. From the executive producers of October Road and Life on Mars,comes the enthralling new drama, Happy Town. In the sleepy little hamlet of Haplin, Minnesota, not all secrets have been put to rest.

The Middle

Forget about athletes, movie stars and politicians. Parents are the real heroes but Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton), well she's some kind of superhero. A loving wife and mother of three, she's middle class in the middle of the country and is rapidly approaching middle age. Frankie and her husband, Mike, have lived in Jasper, Indiana their whole lives. A man of few words (every one a zinger), Mike is a manager at the town quarry and Frankie is the third-best used car salesman (out of the three) at the local dealership. She may not be a high-powered career woman, but when it comes to her family, she'll go to just about any length. And with kids like these, she had better. There's Axel, her semi-nudist teenage son conceived with Guns N' Roses playing a significant role; Sue, the awkward teenage daughter who fails at everything with great gusto; and their seven-year-old son Brick, whose best friend is his back-pack. From executive producers/writers Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline (How I Met Your Mother, Committed, Murphy Brown) comes a single-camera comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations.

Modern Family

When the Pritchett-Delgado-Dunphy family agrees to be interviewed by a documentary crew, they have no idea just how much they're about to reveal about themselves. Family patriarch Jay Pritchett met the stunning Columbian Gloria Delgado when she bartended in a bikini at the pool party he threw for himself the day his wife left him. Now Jay and Gloria are married and Jay tries hard to keep up with his much younger and hotter wife and her passionate teenage son, Manny. Jay's daughter, Claire, is having a hard time raising her own family. Her husband Phil is great, except for the fact that he thinks he's "down" with their teenage kids, much to their embarrassment. Claire's brother Mitchell and his enthusiastic partner Cameron have just adopted Lily, a precious little baby girl from Vietnam. But when everyone gets together, things are bound to get awkward. Especially after Claire and Mitchell hilariously bag on everyone else in the family while they change the baby's diaper. Oops! Too bad they forgot about Lily's baby monitor. But that's the thing about family: no matter how badly you behave, hopefully they'll forgive... or maybe even forget. In the tradition of The Office, this engaging new comedy offers a 'mockumentary' view into the complicated, messy, loving life of a modern day super-extended family. Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me) and Christopher Lloyd (Frasier) invite you into the sometimes warm and sometimes twisted embrace of someone else's family.

V

Today, the world woke up to find spaceships over every major city. The Visitors claim to have come in peace, bringing gifts of medical miracles and technological breakthroughs. They promise to do no harm. They're lying. Most people believe the aliens have arrived just when we needed them most. We're eager to embrace their generous offers of help, but while tracking a terrorist cell, Homeland Security agent Erica Evans stumbles upon something far more sinister. When her partner tries to kill her, Erica discovers that the aliens have plans to infiltrate our governments and businesses, planting seeds for their plot to control mankind. Convincing anyone of the truth will be impossible because the Visitors have two powerful weapons. First, they've given the people faith with their reassuring presence and gifts. Second, they've rallied our youth. Thousands of teens, including Erica's son, have been recruited as 'Peace Ambassadors' but they're actually serving as unwitting spies. Erica's violent introduction to the truth thrusts her into the resistance movement, where she joins forces with Ryan, a rogue alien driven to save humanity. She'll have to balance her covert activities with her job, and her role as a mother, fighting to protect her son Tyler even as he joins forces with the enemy. From executive producer Scott Peters, Emmy-nominated creator of The 4400, comes a bold re-imagining of the sci-fi classic. Let the invasion begin.

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ABC Picks Up Cougar Town

A quick update to yesterday's post "Lot's of Upfront News".  Since this is an email update, I'm not giving much info just yet but will follow later with a more proper post when at a computer I can use to update the blog (that's a no-no at work).

 

ABC announced today that they picked up the new Courtney Cox comedy "Cougar Town", which I wrote extensively about.  They also picked up a murder-mystery series called "Happy Town" which I had neglected to post about.  That once kinda came out of nowhere to surprise me. 

 

Other ABC related rumors is that "The Unusuals" won't be returning, which is bad news as the show has really found itself lately.  The pilot episode was kind of annoying, I thought, but producers and writers worked out the kinks and have put together an enjoyable and quirky cop show, a real rarity.  ABC's other new cop show, "Castle" is really on the bubble but apparently has a better chance of returning than "The Unusuals".

 

Word is CBS will not be renewing "The Unit", which is not a surprise but a shame.  It's a good show but running after football has really killed it.  There's not many people looking to watch a special ops drama until 11:15 or so on a Sunday night after a late ending to whatever game was on.  I think the show would be doing fantastic if it were paired up with "NCIS" and it's early prime time slot.  In my opinion, "NCIS" is the weaker or the two and only flourishing because of it's good time slot.  That's the luck of the draw, though.  The better show gets a bad time slot and suffers while the lesser shows gets high ratings and a spin-off.

 

NBC let it be known that "Day One", which I posted a clip of previously, is only a limited run, mid season player.

 

As previously posted, Fox picked up a half hour comedy called "Sons Of Tucson", which I'm not holding out hope for.  They also picked up another half hour comedy called "Brothers" starring real football people (I am not a sports fan, obviously) in a show about an ex-football star that returns home to Texas to rejoin his disabled brother and get his life back on track.  Sounds like a lame version of HBO's trashy but funny "Eastbound And Down". 

 

And in completely shocking news: "Til Death" has not only not been canceled, but it's been renewed for 22 episodes next season.  Color me surprised.  I hadn't heard a peep about this loser in quite some time and figured it had been buried with the other lame comedies it premiered with (I can't even remember their names...one was about cocktails or something...).

 

In good Fox news, Variety says the network is getting real close to renewing "Dollhouse".  Plans are apparently to leave the show in it's Friday night slot where it's been getting super low but consistent ratings while it blows up on the internet.

 

 

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Lot's of Upfront News

There's tons of rumors and guessing surrounding the network upfronts and what shows will be brought to life, which will be killed off and who will get a reprieve, so here's a bunch of small news bits that don't necessarily require a full post but I wanna make note of:

ABC is working hard to save "Samantha Who?" and word is they're looking to cut costs by turning the show from a single-camera to multi-camera, which would apparently save a bunch of money. I tend to enjoy single-cam comedies better, but if they can keep the quality, not have a studio audience or (God help us) laugh track, what ever works should be done. The network is also trying to put together a ninth season of "Scrubs". They're apparently just waiting to see if the cast accepts the offers that have been put on the table.


ABC shot down Lauren Graham and Jeffrey Tamboor's pilot, "Let It Go", which I posted about here. As for pickups, the network chose "Copper", which is a split US/Canadian production. The official description sounds decent enough:

COPPER is a youthful, heartfelt, one-hour, character-driven workplace drama about five rookie cops plunged into the high stakes world of big city policing - a world where even the smallest mistake can have life-or-death consequences. The series follows them just out of the police academy where they bonded together, fought together, drank together, worked together and slept together. And now they're on the job together. They're kids with guns, learning firsthand the hardest kind of policing there is. They are first responders and they are about to learn that no amount of training prepares you for life."

They also grabbed "Modern Family", a half hour comedy in the mockumentary style (getting old, I know) about an older man, his younger wife and teenage son and are still looking at a couple of other half hour comedies with some recognizable names. "Romantically Challenged" stars Alyssa Milano, "Awesome Hank" starring Kelsey Grammer, a buddy cop comedy starring Cedric The Entertainer called "The Law", "Cougar Town" starring Courtney Cox and "The Middle" with Patricia Heaton. All are are well known names, but I'm not holding out much hope for any of them to be good.

Maybe Alyssa Milano will take after Christina Applegate: They're both pretty hot and both starred in crappy 80's sitcoms ("Who's The Boss"/"Married With Children"), so it would be good to see Milano join a funny, witty show in the new century like Applegate did with "Samantha Who?". As for Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, neither have been in a decent show in years, though "Cheers", "Frasier" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" all ruled. Let's not forget, though, their awful Fox loser "Back To You".

I'll admit Courtney Cox's previous series on FX, "Dirt", had it's short comings, but I thought it was pretty good. The problem with this new series is that the premise, overly tanned, middle-aged single moms trying to be sexy, aka cougars, is getting kinda tired. The series is based in a small town in Florida where the high school football team is the center of society and Cox plays a reluctant cougar. She's 40 recently divorced and wants to avoid the pathetic ways of cougars, but finds it hard to find a man her age.

Problem is, though, as someone that has traveled nearly every square inch of this swampy hell-hole called Florida, I have yet to find a small town obsessed with high school football ala "Friday Night Lights" Dillon, Texas. I'll fully admit that cougars will fit right in with the swamps but I don't buy the football premise.

CBS is thinking about moving "The Mentalist" to a 10pm slot on either Tuesday or Thursday nights, which would be great for the show. Word is the eye net picked up "The Bridge", a cop procedural about an officer who is also the head of the police union, based on the life of a real cop/union head from Toronto. Sounds like it could be a companion to CBS' Canadian hit "Flashpoint".

The network is also looking to save "How I Met Your Mother."

Fox picked up a series called "Past Life" about an ex-NYC homicide cop and a psychologist who help the re-incarnated solve "past-life traumas and present-day crimes" starring one of my favorite actors, Richard Schiff. He's best known as Toby Ziegler from "The West Wing" and I'd be very happy to see him return to prime time television.

Fox also picked up a series titled "Human Target". Official description says "drama revolves around mysterious freelancer Christopher Chance, who takes on a different identity each week to help those in need". This is apparently a remake of a failed 1992 series based on a story from DC Comics. Here's hoping it sticks this time. With the advances in technology and fantasy-based television, I'd say it has better chances this time. Fox has been doing very well with such fare, ala "Fringe", though stumbling with others like "Dollhouse" and "Sarah Connor Chronicles", both of which are hugely popular in the online blogging realm but not doing much on air.

Finally, Fox picked up "Sons of Tucson", a comedy about three rich brothers who hire a hustler to act as their father while their real dad is in prison for a white collar crime. The premise doesn't make much sense and Fox has not come up with a decent comedy in years (see note on Back To You above) so I'm not holding out much hope.

As for Fox's returning slate, "House", "Bones", "Lie To Me", "24" and "Fringe" will all definitely be back on the network and even "Dollhouse" still has a chance.

"House" will, of course, be a full season, "24" will return in January again and the fact that "Lie To Me" only received a 13 episode order means it will probably be a mid-season show, too.

At The CW it seems like the "Melrose Place" remake is gonna make it to air. Let's just hope it doesn't suck as much as their "Beverly Hills 90210" remake. The network is also going to pickup "Vampire Diaries", which I'm sure is getting a lift from all the "Twilight" hoopla. Hopefully they'll do a good with that.

NBC still has not said anything about "Medium", "Chuck" or "Law & Order", but most assume all three will return and things are still looking really bad for "My Name Is Earl", though it ain't over til it's over.

I previously posted about "Legally Mad" and "Lost & Found" here. NBC has confirmed that David E. Kelly's "Legally Mad" was not picked up but no word yet on Law & Order creator Dick Wolf's "Lost & Found". The "Legally Mad" decision was probably not made lightly as it was a put pilot, so the network has to pay some major penalties.

As I previously posted, NBC has officially picked up a number of series: "Community", "Trauma", "100 Questions", "Parenthood" and "Day One". Other than "100 Questions", I'm looking forward to all of them.

And finally, there's a tiny update to the Summer Schedule post about a new series on Fox premiering this summer called "Mental", though there's no date announced yet.

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Officially Canceled: Life

It was announced today that NBC's Life has been officially canceled. No surprise there. Ratings were low and truthfully, I was surprised it received a second season.

The show actually did pretty well in it's Friday slot but being moved to Wednesdays against Lost was the death of the show.

It's a shame, really, as it was a pretty strong show - good writing, great actors portraying interesting characters and impressive production values.

Other peacock network shows still on the bubble include Medium (grrr), Law & Order, Chuck and My Name Is Earl, though I'm pretty sure Earl is dead and the other three will probably make it through.

Other network shows on the bubble are Fox's Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and ABC's Samantha Who?

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NBC Is Screwing With Our Heads

The NBC upfront (infront...whatever)this morning gave few answers and a little bit of confusion. First, and most important, they gave absolutely no word on their bubble shows and, worse yet, returned Medium to the bubble.

The net had already warned news outlets that a decision on Chuck would not be made until next week at the earliest, so we expected that. Medium, though, was said to have been renewed as of Sunday morning, but there was no mention of it at the presentation, so all assume it's back on the bubble.

We didn't even hold out much hope for getting word on My Name Is Earl but today's announcement of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday Edition's return pretty much nailed the coffin on that one. Not quite sure why Weekend Update is returning in a non-election year but I don't really mind. Seth Myers is a favorite of mine. I'm wondering if this means they'll finally announce a replacement for Amy Poehler.


Also no word yet on Law & Order's 20th season yet. I'm guessing a shortened mid-season debut like this year.

As for their new series, they officially announced pick ups of Trauma, Parenthood, Mercy, Day One, Community and 100 Questions.

I previously posted about Trauma, a paramedic series from Friday Night Lights head Peter Berg, and Mercy, another medical series based on nurses starring Michelle Trachtenburg. I guess her return on Gossip Girl is going to be short lived. Parenthood, I mentioned, halted production when an NBC executive died on location while playing basketball during a break. Word is the show has been picked up even though a pilot hasn't been completed. I had originally thought it would be a comedy but apparently it's being billed as a family drama. Again, I say this sounds better suited to ABC Family than NBC.

Also mentioned earlier is Community, a comedy featuring Clark Griswold...I mean Chevy Chase, about a community college and the weird students who attend. Chevy's guest appearances on shows like Law & Order, Chuck, Brothers & Sisters, et al have been pretty great so many are looking forward to his full time return to television.

Finally, I posted about 100 Questions and it's lack of premise but we now know the show is about a female in New York taking a 100 question compatibility test for an online dating site. Each question bring up a story from her past and she'll relate the tale to her friends.

A series I hadn't posted about is Day One. It's being called "an event series" that will air after the Winter Olympics. The premise is one I'm fond of - apocalyptic events destroy the world's infrastructure and a group of neighbors must rebuild their lives. I'm a sucker for such fare and I'm sure the world's Jericho fans are looking forward to this one.

Here's some previews:

100 Questions

From this preview I am really not holding out hope. It seems like a cheesy Friends remake only with a set storyline based on answering the 100 questions. The ridiculous amount of canned laugh tracks really turn me off, too.

Community

Now this what it's all about. True, it's only a four and a half minute clip but I laughed out loud repeatedly and am looking forward to this one.

Day One

It's just a behind the scenes clip so you can't really tell much.

Mercy

Looks pretty slick and full of attitude but also the requisite amount of drama. Could be a pretty decent rival for Grey's Anatomy.

Parenthood

Until now, including earlier in this post, I was pretty down on this show but after seeing this clip I'm ready to say I hope I am so wrong about this one. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are well known for their brilliance. Throw in a writer of Friday Night Lights and a great cast and I think this could actually be the next Friday Night Lights - low ratings but a vicious fan base with high incomes that will keep the show coming back year after year.

Trauma

A pretty big step away from Peter Berg's usual fare. The beginning of the clip rivals the plane crash scene from Lost's pilot. NBC is billing it as a high-octane medical drama and I can see that - plenty of action in this clip.
Glad to see Peter Krause revived from the death of Dirty Sexy Money.

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