Upfronts!

May 12, 2008 at 2:10 PM
12 comments

ETA: About two minutes after I posted this, Kristin updated her site stating that Moonlight was suddenly trending negative -- according to reliable sources, CBS is high on a number of its new drama pilots and so there's not much room for the uneven Moonlight. I'm glad I was never that sold on it in the first place.

The Upfronts are taking place as I type this, so I'll be posting tidbits about next season, such as cancellations, renewals, the new shows being greenlit by each network, etc.

The following is incomplete and has been cobbled together from preliminary reports from Kristin and Ausiello:

Renewals:

The Sarah Connor Chronicles, FOX (yay!)
Friday Night Lights (on DirecTV, with NBC getting the rerun rights)
Chuck, NBC (More Zach Levi. Yum.)
Pushing Daisies, ABC (More Lee Pace. Yum.)
Heroes, NBC (I am so close to not even caring anymore)
Eli Stone, ABC (woohoo!)
Boston Legal, ABC (although with a drastically reduced cast, ala the The Practice firings)
Miss/Guided, ABC (can't bring myself to watch anything involving Ashton Kutcher)
The Unit, CBS (but it's being moved to Fridays at 8 -- could spell trouble for Moonlight)
Gossip Girl, CW (I'm so glad I stopped watching, especially after seeing the previews for tonight's -- Serena's too great of a character to be ruined by these cheap soap opera-ish plotlines)
Smallville, CW (Lex and Lana are gone, and rumor is that Chloe's on her way out now -- hasn't Lois and Clark already been done?)
Supernatural, CW
One Tree Hill, CW (seriously? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but...seriously? Could this show get any more horrible?)
Everybody Hates Chris, CW
The Game, CW
America's Next Top Model, CW
'Til Death, FOX
Scrubs, ABC
Reaper, CW

Cancellations:

Scrubs, NBC (that's right, you read correctly -- NBC canceled Scrubs, but ABC picked it up.)
Women's Murder Club, ABC
Aliens in America, CW
Pussycat Dolls, CW
Beauty and the Geek, CW
New Amsterdam, FOX
Back to You, FOX (although there's talk of CBS picking it up)

On the Bubble:

Moonlight, CBS
The New Adventures of Old Christine (although ABC will probably scoop it up if CBS passes)
How I Met Your Mother, CBS

New Pickups:

90210, CW (And Jennie Garth has signed on to reprise Kelly Taylor, albeit in a recurring role)
Surviving the Filthy Rich, CW (formerly known as How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls: it's another Gossip Girl. Without Josh Schwartz or Blake Lively. Joy.)
Stylista, CW (yet another Tyra Banks reality show. Contestants compete for an editorial job at Elle.)
The Mentalist, CBS
Game Show in My Head, CBS (yet another Ashton Kutcher reality show)
Sit Down, Shut Up (new animated show from Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz and featuring the voices of AD alums Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler, among others.)

New Pickups that I am ridiculously excited about:

Dollhouse, FOX (Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, etc., etc. Will be a mid-season show.)
Fringe, FOX (from the awesome JJ Abrams; pilot cost $10 million to make; very X-File-ish; can't WAIT)
Eleventh Hour, CBS (from Jerry Bruckheimer; more X-File-ish stuff; awesome)

12 comments

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[this is good]

yay! i love this list. well, most specifically the good shows being renewed (ie, Sarah Connor chronicles and Heroes - i'm still giving it a chance), and the new pickups that you're ridiculously excited about. so exciting. my TiVo is going to get full, fast.

If they streamline the storytelling more and get it more like Season 1, I'll stick with it. But seeing as how Kristen Bell was next to the only character I cared about last year besides Claire's dad, and she's only sticking around for a few episodes, I'm not that optimistic.

[this is good]

Ah! What would I do without you to keep me informed of the goings on of television? I had heard a rumor that Scrubs was getting picked up by ABC, so yay. Actually, I've got mixed feelings on it... at the beginning of this season I was glad it was the last, since I felt they were losing something, but after the strike I didn't want the show to end as unceremoniously as it seemed it might. I'm still not caught up on post-strike episodes, so maybe I should watch those before deciding how I feel, eh?

In other news, I'm also not caught up on post-strike Office or LOST, and I'm someplace with iffy Internet until June. What's wrong with me!?

[this is good]

Wait, did I read that right!? 90210?! Uhm, Whoa.

I think Heroes was just hurt really bad with the writer's strike. That's what I choose to believe. If what they put out there for Season 2 was on purpose, then I really don't see myself jumping into season 3, even if Kristen Bell is there. :)

Quadruple yee-haw for Sarah Connor! I'd have been surprised if FOX hadn't renewed it, but networks have done stranger things.

Seriously, does anyone have any interest in Ashton Kucher whatsoever? I really question the culture that would support two shows from him. Ugh.

So how does the Friday Night Lights thing work? I think I might be happy to have just gotten DirecTV! Is it being picked up where it is or will DT show it from the start?

Same here.

From what I understand, the DirecTV episodes will pick up with Season 3, and then NBC will be allowed to re-run them -- but I'm not sure if they have to wait until DirecTV has shown all of the original episodes, or if they can start a couple weeks afterwards, which is how USA aired episodes of Law and Order: SVU and CI.

Oh, and yeah, it's a revival of sorts for 90210, with new characters. Except I think characters like Erin Silver, and Hannah Zuckerman, etc., will be making appearances, along with some of the old gang. Jennie Garth is the only one signed on officially, although Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering have both said they're willing, too.

[this is good]

Thanks for the great news, Jen! I’m mighty excited that Scrubs is coming back. I watched the finale last week and thought it to be a weak series finale. I didn’t realize until you mentioned. Good for ABC.

Sooo glad to hear that Dollhouse is going ahead... OH, I just reread what you wrote! Amy Acker too?! This can’t help but be a great show. Wonder how many of the Scoobs will make appearances...

Good list -- I'm also excited about Dollhouse and Fringe -- though I hadn't heard of Eleventh Hour. Cool. And has our (collective) interest ever evaporated in something as quickly as Heroes?? Mediocre writing, trite plotting, and the writers' strike hasn't helped.

SO happy to hear that scrubs was picked up! It's a great show. I haven't been watching it lately, I will admit, but knowing there are new episodes being creating, means potential for more awesomeness! Congrats Scrubbers!

I also heard that Lost has been picked up for at least 2 more years, though I could certainly be wrong. Your sources sound better than mine! ;)

Yeah, there's a great interview that Mike Ausiello did with Bill Lawrence, who rips NBC a new one and explains a lot of what went on behind the decision to move to ABC. I'll probably post it tomorrow, but you can get it at his page on TV Guide. It's really good stuff.

And yeah, ABC gave Lost the green light to finish as they see fit, which will be a total of five seasons. I'm glad they're letting them end it when the story ends and not stretching it out till it becomes awful.

Upfronts!

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