Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
BBC Drama Unfreezes Development Money; … 
Lionsgate Board Rejects Icahn's $6/Share 
Is Betting On Box Office Good For Films? 
Marvel Still Looking For Captain America 
'Sopranos' Creator To Film Rock Drama 
LIVE-SNARKING THE 82ND OSCARS... 
'ALICE' IS A MONSTER! $116.3M Blows Past … 
Oscar Not-So-Thriller: Diller Mogul Picnic 
'Precious' Sweeps 25th Indie Spirit Awards 
Howard Stern Won't Be Next 'Idol' Judge 
Justin Theroux Readying 'Zoolander 2' For … 
Mickey Rourke Wooed For Two Big Roles, … 
CBS Reups Les Moonves Through 2015 
MONDAY UPDATE: ABC Sends Shonda Rhimes' 'In The Box' Into Redevelopment
9TH UPDATE: ABC is not renewing The Unusuals.
8TH UPDATE: ABC has ordered EASTWICK. And, after some negotiating with Twentieth Century Fox TV, ABC has now ordered 13 episodes (up from 5 + pilot) of THE ASSOCIATES (formerly the UNTITLED DAVE HEMINGSON LEGAL SHOW).
7TH UPDATE: ABC has officially picked up Jerry Bruckheimer's pilot THE FORGOTTEN to series.
6TH UPDATE: I'm told ABC just picked up THE MIDDLE with a 13 episode order. The pilot starring Patricia Heaton had come on strong in the final days. Same with the pilot that Kelsey Grammar was exec-producing and starring in, AWESOME HANK (formerly The Pryors), which ABC also picked up tonight.
5TH UPDATE: I just heard that ABC offered to pick up 6 episodes of V -- but Warner Bros has not accepted. Either a heavy negotiation will take place, or this will be a limited event series. ABC also has ordered the hour-long HAPPY TOWN.
4TH UPDATE: ABC has officially renewed Better Off Ted.
3RD UPDATE: I've just learned that ABC has picked up to series the UNTITLED DAVE HEMINGSON LEGAL SHOW (which may now be called THE ASSOCIATES). The network is offering five plus pilot. But my sources say Twentieth Century Fox TV has not accepted the order yet though I hear it's probably a go.
2ND UPDATE: I'm told that no other comedies beyond what I've already reported (including below) will be picked up today by ABC, and likely not before upfronts. Or so my sources have been told.
ABC TV Studios pilots still in the mix: UNTITLED JEFF STRAUSS, THE LAW with Cedric The Entertainer, THIS LITTLE PIGGY.
ABC has officially passed on these ABC TV Studios pilots: CANNED, BEST THING EVER (formerly The New 20) with Eric McCormack, NO HEROICS, PULLING.
UPDATE: The comedy COUGAR TOWN starring Courtney Cox is an ABC TV Studio and Doozer/Coquette production. As I previously reported, it was always considered one of AMC's hotter pilots. It was expected that ABC would renew its ABC TV Studios production Scrubs after taking over the veteran sitcom after NBC didn't renew it last season. Appealing newcomer Castle won a second season from ABC.
- ABC Skeds 'Cougar Town', Renews 'Scrubs' and 'Castle'
- Fox Gives Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' 2nd Season
- Fox OKs 'Brothers'
- 'Past Life' On FBC; 'Maggie Hill' Maybe Midseason; NBC Renews Carson Daly
- 'AbFab', 'Eva Adams', 'Two Dollar Beer' All Dead At Fox
- Network TV Upfronts Party Schedule
- Latest Network-By-Network Update On Renewals/Pickups
- Is This NBC's Fall Schedule? (Hmm... Chuck & Southland on Friday)
- 'Sons Of Tucson', 'Human Target' Ordered, 'Lie To Me' Renewed
- New Fox Hot List; 'Sons Of Tucson' & 'Human Target' Join 'Glee' On Sked
- New CBS Hot List; 'The Good Wife' & 'NCIS' Spinoff OKed
- New ABC Hot List; 'Modern Family' Picked Up
- New CW Hot List; Yes To 'Melrose Place', No To 'Gossip Girl' Spinoff
- NBC Cancels 'Life', Renews 'SVU' & 'Medium', Horsetrades 'Chuck' & 'Earl'
- NBC "Infront" Primetime Sked
- NBC's Hot List: 'Trauma' And 'Parenthood' All But Picked Up
- Primetime Pilot Panic: The Hot List
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Be nice if they had a show with a person of color in the lead on network TV, but guess we’ll only see that during the State of the Union.
Scrubs, really? It was one of the best sitcoms of the last decade but we’ve seen young residents come-of-age and learn to be competent doctors. Do we need to see it again?
What’s going on with Inside the Box?
Best comedy pilot this year!
Yeah, listen to Randy! That dude is smart!
Agree with Randy. Whoever came up with this concept is genius. Absolutely hilarious pilot.
HOOOOOORAY COUGAR TOWN!!!!
Any New’s on Eastwick or The Forgotten ?
Any word on Happy Town? Anyone, anyone?
finally something about the JEFF STRAUSS PILOT. LOVED IT!!
V???????????????
Any word yet on “V” from ABC?
I’m wondering of these pick-ups which are multi-cams? It seems ABC has stated a desire to bring back the multi-cam – or are they thinking making “Scrubs” and “Samantha Who?” multis counts for that?
Happy Town was picked up
what is the Latest on The Unit and 3 Rivers?
Thank You,
Robin
Don’t see official pass on Solving Charlie…is it still in play?
help, i can’t tell if everyone is being sarcastic or not!
To david,
Happy Town has a very good actor, Robert Wisdom. ABC just picked it up.
Better Off Ted and Castle, nice! The only two new shows from this putrid past season that I actually enjoyed.
Warner Bros. rejected ABC’s offer for V? So what does that mean now?
Better Off Ted stinks.
Yay! Castle rocks.
Thank you ABC for giving “Better Off Ted” a chance. It’s the most original comedy since “Arrested Development.”
Hasn’t “The Middle” been kicking around since 2007?
Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. Yawn. Get a clue McPherson. No one cares about either of them. Recycled garbage.
what about Romantically Challenged with Alyssa Milano???????? I loved the pilot!!
Eastwick has been picked up
>>Be nice if they had a show with a person of color in the lead on network TV, but guess we’ll only see that during the State of the Union.<<
Uh, did you ever hear of a little show called “CSI”? You know – one of the top-rated shows on TV?
Im really happy V didnt make it. Thats what they get for not making V: The second generation with some of the original cast.
They could have had the 20 year later story with Marc Singer and a few of the others and still introduce a whole new young generation. But hollywood wants to remake everything and destroy our youth.
Shame on you ABC!!!
With ABC having already greenlit series orders for 11 pilots, is the outlook still good for the Alyssa Milano-starrer Romantically Challenged?
I don’t care much for Patricia Heaton – though maybe she’ll show a new side. I’m psyched for Kelsey Grammer.
What about Inside the Box?
Well Variety is reporting V *did* make it as a “limited event” series event. Maybe they’ll work out the episode commitment as Nikki mentions.
Wake up, ABC!! You *must* pick up THE UNUSUALS!!
It is Teh Hot on the Net!
http://mikecanepics.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/the-unusuals-gains-search-traction/
Any news on Solving Charlie, anyone?? Is is still in play?
REAL6,
Stop being a pathetic fanboy. You really want to watch a bunch of 60 year old 1980s stars being chased around by aliens? How stupid would that be? That would turn into a joke real quick. That’s probably the number one reason why Ken Johnson has been so unsuccessful in reigniting the franchise.
Let go of the past. It’s over.
The new show was amazing, and i’m guessing that Warner will now be taking it to another network now. That’s why THEY rejected the offer.
I agree it would be nice to have a person of color in a lead. I believe that This Little Piggy had Brandy Norword in it. I am so tired of Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton they had their run on TV and they even had a show last year together and it didn’t work why bring them back. Let Scrubs go.
@ LMAO – “Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. Yawn. Get a clue McPherson. No one cares about either of them. Recycled garbage.”
Actually, America cares and tuned in to watch both actors on shows with huge ratings for YEARS. (Granted, “Back To You” was not great). I think it’s a really smart move on ABC’s part that if they want to put butts in front of the TV, they should put people on TV that have a proven track record of getting them there.
Anyone hearing anything on “Inside the Box?”
What happened to Samantha Who?
any word on ‘empire state’? seems dead, but is there any hope?
Agreed, “REAL6″
Studios need an intervention to STOP remaking everything like lazy crazy Pac-Men gobbling through the libraries, and ruining our childhoods. Lousy remakes are extra depressing, which are most of them.
And to the rest of you toxics, believe it or not, people don’t become irrelevant after age 30. All that matters is not “the next generation,” especially as most everything coming out from and for the “next generation” is soulless sewage. Calling Kelsey Grammer garbage is heinous and laughable. Frasier was one of the smartest well made shows ever made and we should only be so lucky to have another of that caliber.
Hey, Nikki, straight from Noah Hawley himself. ABC has killed The Unusuals:
http://mikecanepics.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/abc-murders-the-unusuals/
ABC is nuts not to pick up the Cedric show. He’s hilarious, has a built in audience, and he’s African American. ABC is the whitest network on TV and it’s a shame.
V got picked up as an “event” mini-series type of program.
The thing they are negotiating now are: 1) how many episodes will they actually film. 2) When will they air.
Nutter continues his hot streak. What is he like 11 for 11 now??? Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. I’m glad to see him on his way up. Plus I hear he’s hung like a bag of concrete.
I say this as a fan of Scrubs — I think we need to start a grassroots campaign to get the show RE-cancelled.
AfterMASH, with less than half the cast of MASH, wasn’t anymore an acceptable sequel to MASH as this AfterScrubs is going to be for Scrubs. And six guest appearances by J.D. and Elliott (and limited appearances, if any, by Carla) aren’t going to help. Okay, okay, there’s a small chance that it *could* become the Mayberry RFD of Scrubs, but Mayberry RFD only lasted for three seasons. And wasn’t passing itself off as its parent series by retaining the title The Andy Griffith Show. Okay, yeah, Scrubs wasn’t named after Zach Braff and Scrubs was an ensemble only headed by Braff, but the principle is the same: Scrubs ended.
And there’s one more series precedent that Bill Lawrence absolutely *must* think about and that’s Northern Exposure, a case where the network, studio and showrunner were too stupid to recognize that the once-brilliant series really ended when the central character of its ensemble left the show, several months and around a half-season of listless, graceless, deflated episodes before it was ignominiously (but deservedly) canceled.
Cancel Scrubs: it died a natural death, so stop trying to resurrect the corpse.
— Rob
Save the unusuals..Fun stories..great cast
give it a chance
Any Late ABC Pilot’s Being Picked Up for Possible Run’s ? Even though They already have picked 11
What are the Chances that the Comedy Staring Leah Remini will get a Last Minute Pickup?
Are they going to pick up any more comedy’s? I would love to see This Little Piggy picked up. It is written by the writers of MadTV and they are great. I hope they give it a chance even as a mid season pick up.
Probably old news by now, but sadly I heard INSIDE THE BOX was not picked up from one of the cast members. Though a manager I spoke with said it was a possible mid-season. I’m guessing the actor not packing for NY has the more current info.
REAL6 – god your type bores me.
You know exactly what I mean.
The type that complains about new shows even though they’ve never seen them. I can see you now – tuning in each week so you have something to complain to your only friend about.
Give me something better than you want to watch the same actors tell the same story. Rent the dvd’s.
This series, overall, is nothing but good news for your little fanclub. Perhaps it will turn those who’ve never seen or heard of V to actually go out and rent it
I am praying that they pick up…”This Little Piggy”..I read a synopsis of it and it is great in my opinion..It’s nothing too typical and it’s something we haven’t seen in a long time
paul,
You are exactly right. The thing I hate the MOST about these idiot fanboy-types is how they complain about these reboots/remakes and then WILL WATCH every single episode (or in the case of a film, will watch the film on opening day). They do this, just as you say, so they can pick it apart and complain about it some more. Then the next week guess what, yep, they’re back watching it again.
The funny thing about these people is that they think some Hollywood executive cares that they are upset, when they’re actually doing everyone a favor by promoting the show/film.
After some MEGA NEGOTIATIONS over the weekend, ABC capitulated to Warner Bros. and has agreed to sign V for the whole 13 episodes.
I’m not sure if they’re going to air the whole thing in the spring — ala Lost — yet, but there you have it.
It’s done…
REAL6, you can begin your little whinefest about the evil’s of Hollywood remaking films/shows from sacrosanct 80s sci-fi anytime you wish now. Your worst nightmare has come true, V shall return. What will they remake next, ALF??? LOL.
what about Let it go, is it really dead? no one ever mentions it anymore but there wasn´t any official word about it.
Too bad on This Little Piggy – the show tested much higher than the Kelsey Grammer show, but ABC is hoping they can retool it to get it back on track. The pilot was terrible.
The Middle is not going to work either – It’s a lame grab at middle of the country viewers who ABC is hoping still care about Patricia Heaton.
Hearing that Piggy may have a shot still at midseason – it deserves it. Very funny pilot, with a great cast. Even Brandy was better than expected. Parker is fantastic in it, and Jef Rahm has some good comedy chops.
Cedric’s show was pretty funny too – but ABC has nowhere to schedule an african american show, since it would be their only one.
Has Anyone Heard anything about the Canadian Show Copper that ABC Has Already Picked up , It’s about Five Rookie Cop’s just out of the Police Academy . The Title Character is a Female Cop .
I hope they don’t pick up V. I want Elizabeth Mitchell on LOST. I don’t care about V, I want Juliet back and alive on LOST.