TV Tidbits Networks reveal which shows will be on their schedules this fall

By: Tim Clodfelter | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: May 22, 2009

This week, the broadcast networks introduced their fall lineups, emphasizing what new shows they are adding to their schedules.

NBC already announced its new shows two weeks ago, but finally revealed its schedule.

My Name is Earl, Kath & Kim, Kings, Life and Medium all failed to make the final cut, but CBS snapped up Medium for next season. Chuck was also in danger, but a fan campaign convinced the network to bring the show back, though for a shortened 13-episode season. Deal or No Deal is not on the network's fall schedule but may return as occasional specials.

Greg Garcia, the creator of My Name is Earl, told the Los Angeles Times that "it's hard to be too upset about being thrown off the Titanic," referring to NBC's low ratings. Fans of Earl have started a petition on Twitter to save the show. Check it out at twitter.com/EarlTwitition. The producers of the show are now shopping the show to Fox, which produces Earl, and ABC.

Among other cancellations:

ABC canceled Samantha Who?, The Unusuals, According to Jim, In the Motherhood and Cupid.

CBS canceled The Unit, Without a Trace, Eleventh Hour and Harper's Island. Shawn Ryan, the producer of The Unit, already has a new job. He is taking over the Fox series Lie To Me.

CW canceled Reaper, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game and Privileged.

Fox canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, King of the Hill, Mad TV and Sit Down, Shut Up. Many industry observers expected the network to also drop its Friday-night drama Dollhouse, but the network chose to keep it. Six episodes of King of the Hill remain unaired, but it is unclear if Fox will air those.

Among new shows announced:

ABC has V, an updated version of the 1980s science-fiction series about aliens taking over Earth; Eastwick, a new version of The Witches of Eastwick; and the returns of popular stars of previous shows in new sitcoms, with Courteney Cox in Cougar Town, Patricia Heaton in The Middle, Ed O'Neil (Married… With Children) in Modern Family and Kelsey Grammer in Hank. There's also The Forgotten, about amateur detectives solving old murder cases, and Flash Forward, in which everyone on Earth briefly experiences a flash-forward of what their lives will be like many years in the future.

CBS has the spinoff series NCIS: Los Angeles, with Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J; Three Rivers, a medical drama about a transplant team; Accidentally on Purpose, a knockoff of Knocked Up with Jenna Elfman as a woman who gets pregnant after a one-night stand; and The Good Wife, with Julianna Margulies as an attorney who is the wife of a disgraced politician.

CW has Melrose Place, an updated version of the hit 1990s Fox soap; Vampire Diaries, a romantic drama; and Beautiful Life, about a group of models.

Fox has Glee, a high-school spoof that was previewed earlier this week; Brothers, a sitcom starring NFL veteran Michael Strahan; and The Cleveland Show, a spinoff of Family Guy.

Well, that didn't take long. The day after 24 concluded its seventh season, the season came out on DVD and Blu-ray. The boxed set, 24: Season 7, follows Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as he takes on a conspiracy involving a shadowy group of government contractors. It includes deleted scenes, commentary and featurettes.

Another new release available on either DVD or Blu-ray is the first season of HBO's edgy drama True Blood, which is set in a world where vampires have become a recognized minority group in society. Both the DVD and Blu-ray versions include commentaries and documentaries. The Blu-ray also has an exclusive "Enhanced Viewing Mode" with pop-up trivia during the episodes.

Also new on DVD this week are the second seasons of sitcoms Sister Sister and 8 Simple Rules and the third season of Friday Night Lights, which NBC has picked up for two more seasons.

■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal

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