renewal-related stories
Posted Oct 30th 2009 9:33AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
The Fox network cannot risk pissing off Seth MacFarlane. If they do, they run a good chance of suddenly finding most of their entire Sunday night line-up sucking eggs. At least, that's one possible reason for the renewal of
American Dad for a sixth season. That pickup gives MacFarlane the renewal trifecta for Sunday nights.
Actually, of MacFarlane's three series,
American Dad is the best one (although I'm finding
The Cleveland Show inching closer to first place). As opposed to
Family Guy, the storytelling is more linear than the other two and the jokes actually have some relevance to the plot or characters (I'm on Team
South Park regarding that "feud").
The Cleveland Show is also better at linear storytelling and jokes than its predecessor, but it's still not up to the standards of
American Dad. Sadly,
American Dad will likely live in the shadow of
Family Guy and
The Cleveland Show for years to come. At least MacFarlane has three chances with Fox to keep on working.
Posted Oct 25th 2009 9:03AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
It looks like HBO is so in love with Gabriel Byrne's turn as Dr. Paul Weston that they're willing to go into uncharted territory with him. While the Isreali series
BeTipul, on which it was based, only went two seasons,
HBO has ordered a third round of In Treatment.
This is significant because the series remained incredibly faithful to the original series through both of its first two seasons. For this new third season, the writers will have to create all new patients, stories and drama for our beleaguered psychotherapist. Gabriel Byrne is already attached to continue his role, of course. It wouldn't be a show without him. I hope they can secure Dianne Wiest again as Paul's mentor and therapist, Gina.
Continue reading HBO booking a third season of In Treatment
Posted Oct 6th 2009 9:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Top Chef
Amid the real housewives and matchmakers, millionaire real estate brokers and house flippers, there is one unscripted series that has been top shelf on Bravo. With
Project Runway not on Lifetime, the best of Bravo's reality is
Top Chef. In the five seasons past and the current season playing out,
Top Chef has been a winner for the cable net, so it's not a big surprise that today
Bravo renewed Top Chef for a seventh season.
If I were a drinker, I'd drink to that.
Top Chef is in the midst of season six, which is shaping up to be one of the best yet. The location, Las Vegas, has opened up a lot of options for challenges, including a
French food episode that might have been one of the most intense ever on the series.
Continue reading Bravo bringing back Top Chef for seventh season
Posted Sep 1st 2009 3:28PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men
This should come as no surprise to even the most casual of TV Squad readers.
Mad Men has been picked up for a fourth season, assuring that Matthew Weiner's engrossing and demanding tale of Don Draper and the people at Sterling Cooper will be played out for at least another year.
When a show like
Mad Men comes along, not unlike
The Sopranos in quality and pop culture appeal, the question usually isn't whether the network will stand behind it for the duration, but whether or not the creative team envisions a long run.
Continue reading Mad Men renewed for fourth season
Posted Aug 4th 2009 8:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, OpEd, Law and Order, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free, Burn Notice
Things are really cooking at the USA Network. Not only has the new show
Royal Pains been renewed for a second season, but
Burn Notice is also coming back for a fourth.
Law and Order: Criminal Intent is on the verge of being re-upped, and now
In Plain Sight has just gotten a pick-up for Season Three.
Wow! Talk about a winning formula. This part of the Universal family, as opposed to NBC, seems to have figured out how to make dramas work and work well.
Continue reading USA signs up for more In Plain Sight
Posted Jun 10th 2009 11:09AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Mere hours after the series premiered on the cable net,
Showtime has renewed Nurse Jackie for a second season. Why so fast, you might wonder? Well, Showtime could point to the biggest premiere since 2004, but because it was on pay cable the total number of viewers is less than two million. Those are the kind of numbers that would get it canceled on USA or TNT, not to mention ABC or CBS, but for Showtime it's excellent.
Excellent is also what a majority of TV critics and bloggers -- including
Jane -- had to say about the Edie Falco dark comedy. Some were more effusive than others, but for all intents and purposes, the press was pro-Jackie from the get-go. But not everyone loved the show.
Nurses complained loudly about the depiction of their profession.
Continue reading That was fast! Showtime gives Nurse Jackie second season pickup
Posted Jun 2nd 2009 6:33PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Comedy Central has
renewed Important Things with Demetri Martin for a second season. If you haven't seen the show, here are some clips from the "Games" episode (every episode has a theme that dominates each sketch and joke). Martin can also be seen in Ang Lee's new film
Taking Woodstock this summer and also the film version of
Moneyball next year.
Continue reading Demetri Martin's show renewed
Posted May 3rd 2009 2:23PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Pickups and Renewals, Upfronts, Chuck, Reality-Free
To me, this should be a no-brainer. NBC should renew
Chuck for a third season, even if it only commits to 12 episodes, it should bring the show back. However, I'm not one of the geniuses in
Jeff Zucker's world; you know, those mental giants that have committed five hours of prime time to Jay Leno starting next fall and recently signed up for more
Donald Trump celebrity/reality BS. No, I'm just a loyal
Chuck viewer who has seen a show improve from week to week culminating with a superb final two episodes in 2009.
Well, there were rumors that on Monday at NBC's "infront" -- a preview for the "upfront" -- that
Chuck would get a pick up.
TV Guide says that's not the case. On Friday,
Chuck star Zachary Levi told a reporter that Josh Schwartz, the
Chuck exec producer, had emailed him that
NBC's decision about Chuck was on hold. The pick up, if it comes, won't be for a couple of weeks.
Continue reading Renewal for Chuck? Not just yet...
Posted May 2nd 2009 3:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Really, this isn't a huge surprise.
NBC has
renewed the new Thursday night police drama Southland for another 13 episodes. The reason why I don't think this is a big surprise is because the show is getting some attention (though the ratings aren't as good as they were when the first episode debuted) and because it's a John Wells, show, and if there's anyone who is going to get a thumbs up from NBC its Wells, who also did
ER,
The West Wing, and
Third Watch for the network. I guess it's interesting that it's 13 episodes and not a full season, but that order could be upped later (or maybe this will become more of the norm, renewing shows with a shorter episode order).
Now, NBC, when you announce which shows you've picked up and which shows aren't coming back on Monday, could you please renew
Chuck for another season? Thanks.
Posted May 1st 2009 5:40AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, NCIS, Chuck, Reaper, Reality-Free, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten, Dollhouse
Last week,
TVSquad readers made our "
Which shows are renewed, canceled, or on the bubble?" post the most viewed and most commented of the week. Most of the commenters voiced their opinions as to which show should be renewed, and since I also watch loads of TV, it's with no surprise that I wanted to chime in, as well. (Look for my "Series that I think should be canceled" post later this week.)
Here I present you, the 10 shows I think should be renewed. Note that I did not include in this list shows that have been confirmed as renewed by the network (such as
Gossip Girl), nor those that have been officially canceled (bye bye
Pushing Daisies).
If you just want the list, click here.Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Series that should be renewed
Posted May 1st 2009 5:40AM by Isabelle Carreau
10 -
Dollhouse, FOX
9 -
Better Off Ted, ABC
8 -
NCIS, CBS
7 -
Castle, ABC
6 -
The Mentalist, CBS
5 -
Privileged, The CW
4 -
Bones, FOX
3 -
Chuck, NBC
2 -
Reaper, The CW
1 -
How I Met Your Mother, CBS
Want to see the pictures or leave a comment? Click here.Posted Apr 28th 2009 1:02PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Scrubs, Watercooler Talk, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
(Update: Bill Lawrence himself responds to my plea in the comments.)Oy, not again.
First we heard, straight from Bill Lawrence's mouth, that
Scrubs could get a ninth season. Then we heard
it was definitely done at the end of this current eighth season. Now,
The Hollywood Reporter is hearing that
talks to renew the show are back on, with Lawrence and company trying to figure out how to bring back most of the cast, at least in a recurring fashion.
They have to be recurring, since
Zach Braff has vowed that he's done with the show, and Neil Flynn, John C. McGinley, and Donald Faison are all attached to new pilots, with
Scrubs being a second option in case they're not picked up. Heck, even Lawrence is busy on the new Courteney Cox show
Cougar Town.
I'm here, as one of the show's biggest fans, to beg ABC and Lawrence to let the show die. Please. It's the best thing they can do for it.
Continue reading Memo from a Scrubs fan: please let the show die
Posted Apr 8th 2009 6:05PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
I didn't expect to be charmed by a show about a dude who snorts blow off a loaded rifle.
HBO's
Eastbound & Down turned out to be my favorite new comedy of the year. The show, produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, seemed like a one-note joke at first. It stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a deluded and self-obsessed former baseball star forced to move back to his hometown and work as a middle school gym coach.
Surprisingly, this thing got funnier and more addictive with every episode. Danny McBride is great as the extremely vulgar Kenny Powers, and the show has a lot more going for it than most of Ferrell and McKay's juvenile big screen comedies.
Eastbound & Down had an abbreviated first season – only six episodes – but HBO just
renewed it for a second season.
Continue reading Anyone else looking forward to season two of Eastbound & Down?
Posted Apr 2nd 2009 9:45AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Pickups and Renewals, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
Yesterday was a sad day for many TV fans.
Guiding Light was cancelled after 72 years of continuous broadcasting (radio and TV). Even people I know who don't watch soaps, were upset by the end of this program.
That said, it's with some real glee that I tell you that
AMC has picked up Breaking Bad for a third season. It's not just that the Vince Gilligan's show is one of the best dramas on television – it might be the best! – it's the fact that renewing the program for year number three restores my faith that idiosyncratic, unusual stories like
Breaking Bad can find a place to thrive and survive on the tube.
Continue reading Breaking Bad is renewed for a third season
Posted Feb 13th 2009 12:09PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Programming, Rescue Me, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Rescue Me fans have been waiting far too long for this news. It was announced yesterday that the FX trademark drama will finally begin airing its 22-episode fifth season on Tuesday, April 7th at 10PM ET. And yes, the season will air uninterrupted, with the finale scheduled to air on September 8th.
Season four, which finished back in September 2007, received some of the drama's poorest critical reviews of the series to date. Season five, which has been delayed by over a year because of the WGA Strike, promises to be much better.
FX President John Landgraf said that, "...the quality of episodes...are some of the best they've ever produced," and when I spoke with Denis Leary by phone last June, he said the opening six episodes of the new season was some of the best stuff they'd written yet.
Excited? I sure as hell am. Keep reading though because the news gets even better.
Continue reading Rescue Me gets a premiere, a renewal, and a comedy tour
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