TVSquad

Moonlight is not going to just go away quietly and join that long list of one-and-done shows. People keep saying it's over, but apparently not everyone is listening. The latest rumor, from Nikki Finke's blog, has the show landing at the CW. And how would that work, considering that the CW has already made their schedule? I'm glad you asked.

You may recall a post from a few days ago about the network throwing in the towel on Sunday nights. That has now been confirmed with their upfront announcements. Sundays have now been outsourced. Moonlight comes back into the picture as a possibility to fill one of those two hours for Media Rights Capital, the new programmers for Sunday nights. If they could get even 60 to 70 percent of the show's viewers to make the move with them, it could be the most watched show on the network. Something that sounds very plausible given the loyal following the show has developed. It's still firmly in long-shot territory, but has the makings of quite a story.

Will it be the magic again? You've gotta hope so... According to Watch with Kristin on E!online, there's a good chance that the Veronica Mars team of Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas will be working together again.

In a recent chat with Kristin, Kristen (that's Ms. Bell -- check the spelling) has been talking with Rob about the possibility of another series. It would be great if they were talking about bringing Veronica back, but that's apparently not meant to be. Only fans like us, we see that that is what we'd want most of all, but it ain't happening.

Is that a throne Rob Thomas is sitting on? Seems like he's quickly becoming King of TV! The prolific scribe is quite literally sitting in the catbird seat. ABC has just greenlit another Rob Thomas pilot, that's his third -- but who's counting? It follows ABC's resurrection of Cupid and a Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff for the CW. The latest Rob Thomas opus is an import based on the New Zealand TV series Outrageous Fortune.

Outrageous Fortune is a one-hour dramedy is about a family of criminals. When the father is jailed for four years, the matriarch declares that it's time for the family to go straight. Thomas has written the pilot and will act as executive producer, along with John Barnett, Michael Larkin, Michael Goldstein, Bruce Cervi and John Lansing.

Schools in! For 11 seasons, Beverly Hills 90210, was a ratings hit and trend-setting youth soap opera for Fox. Now, a mere eight years later, the CW will spin-off Beverly Hills 90210, coming up with a contemporary version of the well-loved, if corny, teen drama.

The original, executive produced by the late Aaron Spelling, and created by Darren Star (Cashmere Mafia). The new CW version is not connected to Star. Rob Thomas, who created Veronica Mars, has been approached to take on the project.

The coffee at Luke's Diner is perking again. Well, sort of. The WB television network is being resurrected it as a new web site. The WB, tentatively called wb.com, will offer free streaming episodes of Gilmore Girls, Everwood and What I Like About You, to start.

Those are all shows that were WB-produced during 1995-2006, before the WB merged with UPN to become the CW. It has yet to be determined if other series, including Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Felicity and Dawson's Creek are slated for the wb.com stream. Like other online streaming venues that allow people to watch for free, the shows will be paid for by ads. In addition to the shows, the site is also going to create new, short (approximately five minute) vignettes targeting the old WB audience, primarily women 12-34.

Early pickups are always happy news -- especially if your favorite TV shows are among those getting the renewal. So, today's announcement that Smallville, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, America's Next Top Model and the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris are all returning to the CW next season is a reason to smile.

Tyra Banks, star hostess of America's Next Top Model, will be back for cycles 11 and 12. One Tree Hill will be back for a sixth season; and Gossip Girl will start season two. Women, that all important 18-34 demographic, are faithful viewers for these three shows.

It's not the first time an Internet campaign has saved a show. This time, Friday Night Lights, on the brink of cancellation due to poor ratings, might be returning.

NBC is in talks with a number of other networks including the CW and TNT to discuss the possibility of having FNL appear on more than one network in the same week. Naturally, it would be broadcast on NBC first and then would be re-broadcast elsewhere.

The CW decided to hop on the bandwagon and send out a list of when its veteran shows are scheduled to return, and how many episodes each show will have left. The list is after the jump.

The "big" return week will begin on April 21, with the return of Gossip Girl, Reaper and Supernatural. The interesting part of this announcement is that the network was beginning to air new episodes of some of their shows; the eps were shot before the strike and it looked like the network wasn't going to hold them back and air them after the walkout was over. Now, it looks like they are. So, those of you who were starting to get used to the idea of new Smallville and Supernatural episodes, for instance, are going to have to watch some more reruns for a while.

By the way, if you're wondering where the network's longest-running show, Girlfriends, is on this list, the network decided to cancel it.

Never fear all you wrestlemaniacs. While WWE has abandoned renegotiations with The CW to bring Smackdown back to the network, it has announced that it is already in negotiations with other networks to carry the long-running Friday night staple. Smackdown has delivered solid ratings for The CW (and UPN before it) since 1999, but has at times been an awkward fit for the demographics and perception the network has wanted to put out there.

Considering the dearth of new scripted programs, I can't help but wonder why the networks aren't streaming more episodes of their shows online. Why just the last three to five episodes? With a prolonged break between new episodes inevitable, wouldn't it make sense to have more of the existing episodes available online. Especially for shows like Journeyman and Bionic Woman, who haven't exactly lit up the ratings but haven't officially been canceled yet.

But NBC.com has up the last four to five episodes of each. And considering the linear nature of some aspects of the show, especially Journeyman, why not give bored TV fans the opportunity to watch the entire series online? You've already proven you're going to fill up the airwaves with reality dreck.

In the latest twist on reality competitions, The CW presents Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, in which mothers and daughters compete as pairs for a top prize of $100,000. The show premieres Wednesday, December 12, 9/8c. Let me preface by saying that I have enjoyed such twisted programming as Joe Millionaire and The Swan, so was hopeful that I could find something to appreciate here. While it has potential, and I do have favorite contestants already, this first episode has some serious problems.

I can only hope that more editing will be done before the final cut makes it to air as there was a likely unintentional but glaringly racial imbalance in the introduction of the teams. Not to mention painfully obvious attempts to fake tension and drama where there really isn't any. Things might grow more intense as egos clash, but for now things are fairly bland. Even the first challenge was boring. They really needed to step it up to try and encourage viewers to stick around for the entire eight week run, and I don't think they did. More and minor spoilers after the jump.

Used to be, the summer season was where cable channels could air their shows without the staggering competition of network fare. But more and more they've been pushing their series into the fall and spring sessions. So it only seems fair that, considering the current strike, the broadcast networks are considering pushing the current season into the summer months. According to this TV Week article, executives are open to the idea, on a case-by-case basis.

Factors to determine if it is worth doing include how many episodes have already aired, how long it takes to produce new episodes and how much it might push production into the start of the 2008-2009 production schedule. Also they seem more willing to push a serial show (like Lost) into the summer months than a procedural (like House), as avid viewers of serials feel they must watch every episode while it is not as important with procedurals, and besides they play better in reruns.

How many of us wish we could just blur past four years of our lives as if they never happened? I know a couple people from college who did just that and aren't sure to this day if they ever attended college or not.

When the gang from One Tree Hill left us last year, they were finally graduating high school and heading off for college, with new babies and careers on the horizon for some. These are some pretty important and pivotal times in a young person's life, but when the CW drama returns with its two-hour premiere on January 8, 2008 according to Zap2It.com, it'll be four years later and these moments have passed.

(S07E08) First, I need to make a confession to you, dear reader. I steadily watched Smallville until the end of season two. I stopped because I'm a big Superman fan and felt the show was lacking. However, upon getting assigned the steady gig of Smallville reviewer, I familiarized myself with the history and how it diverges from the comics that I read as a youngster (and still read nowadays).

Now, on to the episode review...

(S01E07) "In the end, it all comes down to endorphins and genitalia." -- The Devil.

What's this? Even more cat and mouse back and forth between Sam and Andi? AHHH! That sound you might have heard echoing across the country was my head exploding. Nothing to worry about. I got everything back together without too much hassle. An ear here, nose goes about here ... we're all set! Then Booger from Revenge of the Nerds stepped onto the screen as "The Russ Man," and everything went haywire again. Kabluey.

Now, before I say anything else about this episode, I sure hope they give Curtis Armstrong a recurring spot on the show. That way I can get a dose of Booger and The Devil all in one shot. What more could you ask for from a television show? Not much my friends, not much.