TVSquad

Between the sessions for So You Think You Can Dance and Fringe, FOX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly happily took answers from the gathered critics. Perhaps the most interesting piece of news he unleashed on us was that the network is officially going to have two development seasons: the traditional one that ends in May with the upfronts, and a new one that ends in December, which will position the network to air pilots in the January/February time frame, a time Reilly called the network's "high season." (Which it is, of course, given the presence of the BCS and American Idol).

In fact, Reilly has eight pilots currently in development for consideration in December, far more than he had for this past May, due to the writers' strike and other reasons. Other interesting bits after the jump.

Can you write? Do you think you know what makes people laugh? Have you ever tried banging out a sitcom script? If the answer to these questions is yes, yes, and yes, you might want to read on. Fox TV is teaming with the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) in creating a Comedy Script Contest. Wannabe writers are invited -- hell, encouraged! -- to enter an original comedy pilot for a potential Fox sitcom series. The winner (or winning team if you collaborate with someone) will be awarded $25,000 and a development deal with Fox to turn the pilot into real, honest-to-God TV show.

Considering the pitiful pros passing as live action comedy on Fox these days -- Til Death, Back to You, Unhitched -- you might think this contest was an act of desperation. It's not.

Recently, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly dropped a little nugget regarding Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that should make fans of the show sigh a little more in relief.

In the interview, Reilly mentions that Sarah Connor and Back to You are the "lead candidates" for returning for a new season, adding that they've "already started staffing" the show.

We already mentioned the high likelihood that the show would be returning before; several times, even. Is it because of Fox's track record with canceling shows, seemingly so quickly, that's got everyone so nervous about Sarah Connor's return? At this point, after hearing all of the rumors and mumblings that the show's safe, it would be extremely cruel for them to bring the axe down during the upfronts next month. Die hard fans are probably already planning a backup plan, thinking of what kind of crap they're going to send Fox studios to beg for the show to return. Any suggestions?

Bernie Mac has signed a deal with FOX to star in a new sitcom.

Starting Under will be about a divorced, opinionated guy who not only finds himself living with his son but also working for him. The show has been giving a large episode order - seven episodes, which I guess is large nowadays - and the deal was finalized just before all this strike stuff happened.

Just because there's a writers strike doesn't mean the networks aren't buying new shows!

Just before the strike announcement, NBC made a deal for a new drama titled Kings, which is described as "a contemporary soap loosely based on the story of King David, the Biblical king of Israel." There's really something funny about that description.

Production of one of the more highly anticipated shows on the NBC schedule, Heroes: Origins, has been put on hold. Apparently, due to fears of a pending writers' strike. Or, maybe not.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the Heroes spin-off will not be receiving its six-episode run, which was to begin in April of 2008. While NBC hasn't officially said that the series is canceled producers have not been given a date when it would be put on the schedule. During the network upfronts held last May it was mentioned that Origins would be spelling its older sibling during a late-season hiatus.

Earlier last month Kevin Reilly, former NBC entertainment prez, landed the same gig over at Fox. Now the new chief has just landed his first major development deal after a serious bidding war with CBS.

Reilly's inaugural project is The Oaks by writer David Schulner, who has written for Everwood and Desperate Housewives. The high-concept drama will be helmed by Dexter director Michael Cuesta, with Cuesta, Schulner and Shield creator Shawn Ryan serving as the pilot's executive producers.

Just when I thought it was another field trip.

Rather than load all 200 plus members of the TCA on a plane to New Orleans, Fox decided to have a N.O.-themed party at Les Deux, a trendy restaurant in Hollywood in honor of its new series K-Ville, which has cast Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as cops in a post-Katrina Louisiana.

There was only man who could give me the full scoop on this series and what it will mean to New Orleans -- Times Picayune TV columnist Dave Walker

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly answered inquiries from TCA members on Sunday about a big name exiting the network -- only the network was NBC and the departure was Reilly's own.

Reilly poked fun at the standard reasons found in press releases that are used to explain a person's leaving a top gig. "No one is ever really fired in Hollywood are they," he rhetorically asked, adding, "You can pick whatever trade euphemism you want [to explain my exit from NBC]. 'I segued.' 'I thought about it over the holidays.' I want to spend more time with my family, which I did for three days.'"

Then, Fox hired him to work with Peter Liguori, the network's entertainment chairman.

Fox Broadcasting Company gets its turn today to go in front of the TCA membership at the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom.

You can bet Kevin Reilly, president, entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, is going to be asked a few questions about his exit last spring from NBC.

Once those inquiries get out of the way, Reilly, and Peter Liguori, Fox's chairman, entertainment, will tout Fox's upcoming TV shows.

After the executive session, CBS continued immediately with its jam-packed day of press tour, introducing four new shows and taking a look at returning hits Shark and How I Met Your Mother.

First up, the all-star cast of Cane, a prime time soap that's been compared to The Sopranos and Dallas, starring Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno, takes the platform.

Smits, who also serves as co-executive producer, stars as Alex, a man who's married to his "sister" (Alex is adopted), prompting executive producer and perpetual funnyman Jonathan Prince to call creator/e.p. Cynthia Cidre -- "Woody."

Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, Co-chairs of NBC Enterainment and Universal Media Studios, start off their first TCA executive sessoin by reading some programming changes.

Deal or No Deal is moving to Friday night at 8, providing a nice lead in for critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas, which has Tom Selleck joining its cast.

Isaiah Washington is going to join The Bionic Woman. He'll be in five of the first eight shows.

Not even two months after NBC booted Kevin Reilly out of his job as entertainment president, Fox has picked him up and placed him in the exact same position for that network. During Reilly's time at NBC, ratings didn't budge much, but he was also a champion for quality programs like Friday Night Lights.

Reilly is reuniting with former co-worker, Peter Liguori, who has been promoted to entertainment chairman at Fox. The two teamed up when they worked at FX and brought edgy shows such as The Shield and Nip/Tuck to that network. Fox evidently wants some of that mojo.

Reilly's first challenge is to get people to watch some of Fox's new shows, none of which he chose. I'm hoping he'll give a little love to Unhitched, the Farrelly brothers comedy that is by far the best thing Fox has going for it in the fall.

Following this spring's upfronts presentation and lackluster response from advertisers, NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker fired entertainment president Kevin Reilly. But, it appears Reilly will not be out of work for long. Various reports today say that he is in final negotiations to join Fox, under his former FX boss Peter Liguori.

This is a smart pairing for Fox. Liguori and Reilly brought mega-hits to FX including The Shield and Nip/Tuck. And, judging from this spring's upfronts presentation from Fox, the network could use some edgier programming. There's no doubt that Reilly has an eye for quality programming (Friday Night Lights), but his downfall with NBC was his inability to bring the network out of fourth place.

Reuters is reporting that NBC and Donald Trump have agreed to bring back The Apprentice for one more season, and possibly two. During this spring's Upfronts presentation, The Apprentice was left off the NBC schedule. The network didn't officially cancel the reality show, but Donald Trump opened his big yapper and announced that he had no plans to return for another season. Then, less than two weeks later, he told Larry King that he did want another season. Since then, NBC has hired a new entertainment president and that may be the reason The Apprentice is back on the table.

According to this afternoon's report, NBC will announce the return of The Apprentice during a summer presentation to television critics on July 16th. NBC isn't confirming the report, but I imagine we'll hear something from Trump's camp soon.