Pilot/Renewal Updates

UPDATED Thursday with links to CW’s schedule!

As we head into the most infamous week in Network scheduling, the UpFront week, I, like many other bloggers, think now is the time to update everyone on where our favorite shows stand as of end of day yesterday.


ABC has the interesting distinction of almost all of their new dramatic offerings this season being failures, so they’re looking to start fresh.

Officially renewed: CASTLE, COUGARTOWN, THE MIDDLE, MODERN FAMILY, V, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, DANCING WITH THE STARS, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, GREY’S ANATOMY, PRIVATE PRACTICE
Probably renewed: THE BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE

Officially canceled: BETTER OFF TED, FLASHFORWARD, SCRUBS, HANK, EASTWICK, UGLY BETTY, ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED, THE DEEP END, THE FORGOTTEN
Officially ending (not canceled): LOST
Possibly/probably canceled: HAPPY TOWN

Pilots given series orders (follow the jump for more):

  • BODY OF PROOF – Dana Delaney stars as a brilliant neurosurgeon who turns her skills towards a life of solving murders.  She has a reputation for being difficult to deal with.
  • OFF THE MAP – the latest from Shondaland, Jenna Bans wrote this script about a group of three med students who head into a tropical location to offer their medical skills and get over some personal struggles.  Personal favorites Caroline Dhavernas, Enrique Murciano, and Valerie Cruz (as well as Mamie Gummer, Martin Henderson, José Julián, and Jason George) star.
  • MR SUNSHINE – Matthew Perry stars alongside Andrea Anders and Allison Janney as the owner of a failing sports arena in this comedy. LOVED LOVED this script!
  • HAPPY ENDINGS – Elisha Cuthbert is a bride who breaks up with her groom the alter in this comedy.
  • BETTER TOGETHER – this comedy stars Joanna Garcia as one of two sisters who are at different stages in their romantic lives.
  • MY GENERATION (fka GENERATION Y) – this drama from the creator of THE UNUSUALS tells the story of a group of students who graduated in 2000.  Told in documentary format, the show flips back and forth between then and now to show how lives have changed.  LOVED this script!
  • NO ORDINARY FAMILY – Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Autumn Reeser, Kay Panabaker, Romany Malco, and Jimmy Bennet stars in this drama about a family who wakes up one day with superpowers.
  • THE WHOLE TRUTH – a legal drama that covers the build up of a case from both sides of the court.  Rob Morrow stars, which should signify officially that NUMB3RS is dead on CBS.
  • DETROIT 187 – Michael Imperioli is back on the case, this time without the moustache in this comedy/drama.

CBS on the other hand suffers from having too many shows that are performing well enough.

Officially renewed: THE AMAZING RACE, THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE GOOD WIFE, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, NCIS:LA, SURVIVOR, TWO AND A HALF MEN, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI, CSI: MIAMI, THE MENTALIST, NCIS, MEDIUM, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, CSI: NY

Officially canceled: THREE RIVERS, COLD CASE, NUMB3RS, MIAMI MEDICAL, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, GARY UNMARRIED, GHOST WHISPERER, NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

Pilots given series orders:

  • SH!T MY DAD SAYS – the William Shatner lead comedy is a go but without the star of the pilot, Ryan Devlin.  Does that mean Smith can come back to COUGARTOWN?  I’m okay with that!
  • CRIMINAL MINDS 2.0 – no word on what this will be called, but this spinoff premieres closer to midseason.
  • HAWAII 5-0 – the remake of the classic TV show stars Alex O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, Scott Cahn, and Grace Park.  Confession time: I’ve never seen the original, but that won’t stop me from watching this one.
  • DEFENDERS – Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell star as two charismatic Las Vegas defense attorneys who go to the mat for their clients.
  • BLUE BLOODS (fka REAGAN’S LAW) – Tom Selleck stars in a show that centers on a family of multi-generational law enforcement officers.  When it was shot, Donnie Wahlberg played one of Selleck’s sons.  No word on whether he’ll stay with the show!
  • MIKE AND MOLLY – this Chuck Lorre comedy is about a couple who meets in a weight loss group.

FOX is taking the most adventurous leap this season with really exciting new pilot orders.

Officially renewed: AMERICAN DAD, BONES, THE CLEVELAND SHOW, FAMILY GUY, FRINGE, GLEE, THE SIMPSONS, HUMAN TARGET, LIE TO ME, AMERICAN IDOL, HOUSE
Officially canceled: 24 , DOLLHOUSE, PAST LIFE, ‘TIL DEATH, BROTHERS

Pilots given series orders:

  • BOB’S BURGERS – new animated series
  • TERRA NOVA – from Steven Spielberg, Brannon Braga, Peter Chernin, and David Fury, follows the tale of an ordinary family that is sent back in time 85 million years, as a part of a massive experiment to save the human race.  Kyle Chandler was in talks when the show was first announced, so here’s hoping they can snap him up!
  • RIDE-ALONG – this show from THE SHIELD creator Shawn Ryan, tells the story of a renegade Chicago cop and the first female Superintendant of the Chicago PD as they try to make Chicago a better place (starring Showtime alums Jason Clarke and Jennifer Beals).  LOVED this script!
  • LONESTAR (fka MIDLAND) – the story of a man with two lives, two wives, and trouble everywhere he turns.  John Voight and Adrianne Palicki are just two of the standouts in the cast.  It’s a big step for FOX – very out of the box, not their typical “procedural.”
  • RAISING HOPE (fka KEEP HOPE ALIVE)- this comedy is from Greg Garcia (MY NAME IS EARL) and tells the story of a 25 year old who is suddenly in charge of raising an infant.
  • MIXED SIGNALS (fka TRAFFIC LIGHT) – another comedy, this time about three friends at three different stages in life.  David Denman (Roy from THE OFFICE) is one of the friends.
  • RUNNING WILDE (fka WILDE KINGDOM) – stars Will Arnett as a wealthy Beverly Hills playboy who falls for Keri Russell’s (KERI RUSSELL IS BACK) humanitarian

NBC is in dire need of something amazing to pull them out of their post-Leno slump.  They appear to have had a fantastic development period as they came out swinging with a bunch of renewals AND series pickups.

Officially renewed: 30 ROCK, CHUCK (CHUCK YOU GUYS!!), COMMUNITY, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, THE OFFICE, PARENTHOOD, PARKS AND RECREATION, LAW AND ORDER: SVU, THE BIGGEST LOSER, CELEBRITY APPRENTICE
Officially canceled: LAW AND ORDER, MERCY, TRAUMA, HEROES

Pilots given series orders:

  • SCHOOL PRIDE – Cheryl Hines’s production company brings us the show about people who fix up old schools in need of repair.
  • THE PAUL REISER SHOWNBC picked up 6 episodes of Paul Reiser’s semi-autobiographical comedy.
  • HARRY’S LAW (fka KINDREDS) (midseason) – Kathy Bates stars as a former patent lawyer named Harriet who faces disbarment and ends up practicing out of a shoe store.  David E Kelley created this midseason show that was originally written with a male central character!
  • OUTLAW (fka GARZA) – Jimmy Smits plays Cyrus Garza, a high ranking supreme court justice who abruptly quits and returns to private law.  Joining him in the cast are Carly Pope, Jesse Bradford (love that kid), Ellen Woglum, and David Ramsey.
  • LOLA (fka LAW AND ORDER: LOS ANGELES) – The long and short of it?  LAW AND ORDER in LA.  No casting decisions have been made yet.
  • FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS – Ryan Hansen and Daneel Harris star as best friends who turn to each other for moral and physical support while they wait for their true loves.  Fran Kranz, Jessica Lucas, and Ian Reed Kesler also star as their group of friends.
  • THE CAPE – David Lyons stars as Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who is framed for murders and then presumed dead.  He and his family are forced into hiding, and he soon takes the law into his own hands as THE CAPE, his son’s favorite super hero.  Also starring Jennifer Ferrin, Dorian Messick, James Frain, Summer Glau, and Keith David.
  • OUTSOURCED – a comedy that follows an American novelty salesman as he heads to India to head up their outsourced call center
  • UNDERCOVERS – a drama from JJ Abrams about a married ex-spy couple who are brought back into the spy world to help with a special mission.  Stars Boris Kodjoe, Gerald McRaney, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and I recently got some scoop about someone I love comingo n board, so stay tuned for that!
  • LOVE BITES – a vignette series that follows best friends Annie and Frannie, but that also follows two other love-related stories each week.  Stars Jordana Spiro and Becky Newton.  Didn’t love this pilot, but we’ll see!
  • PERFECT COUPLES – a comedy about three couples – the perfect married couple who took all the classes, the fiery couple that are intense no matter what they’re doing, and the calm normal couple.  Stars Olivia Munn, Christine Woods (late of FLASH FORWARD), Kyle Howard, Mary Elizabeth Ellis (the waitress from IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY), Dave Walton, and Hayes MacArthur
  • CHASE –  Kelli Giddish (PAST LIFE) stars as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run.  Amaury Nolasco, Rose Rollins, Jesse Metcalfe, and Cole Hauser round out the cast.
  • THE EVENT – Jason Ritter stars as a man investigating the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée and he begins to unwittingly unravel a government cover-up.

THE CW has renewed just about everything, and they have some very “different” pilots lined up.

Officially renewed: 90210, AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, GOSSIP GIRL, SMALLVILLE, SUPERNATURAL, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, LIFE UNEXPECTED, ONE TREE HILL
Officially canceled: MELROSE PLACE, THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (yeah remember that one?)

Pilots given series orders:

  • NIKITA – the remake of a remake of a remake or whatever point we’re at in the history is a go at the network with Maggie Q in the lead role.
  • HELLCATS – stars Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale as college cheerleaders

Other network information:

TNT has picked up the latest law dramedy, starring Mark Paul Gosselaar – he and costar Breckin Meyer will play streetwise lawyers recruited by a fancy firm in FRANKLIN AND BASH.

TBS has picked up 8 episodes of GLORY DAZE – centering on a group of friends who are trying to navigate college life in 1980s Wisconsin.  The show stars Kelly Blatz, Callard Harris, Matt Bush, Drew Seeley, Hartley Silver, Julianna Guill, and Tim Meadows.

MTV has officially picked up 10 episodes of the British hit SKINS, albeit a US version which probably means that these teens will get away with much less.

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