I posted last week my praise for the new comedy, “The Return of Jezebel James”. Well, after down playing and under promoting the show, FOX has decided to cancel the show without giving it a chance to grow. Ausiello has the scoop:

Fox has closed the book on Amy Sherman-Palladino’s post-Gilmore Girls comeback vehicle, The Return of Jezebel James, after three abysmally-rated outings. A Fox spokesperson confirms that the comedy has aired its last episode.

I just don’t understand it. Fox has a long history of not allowing shows to find an audience (Wonderfalls and Firefly are 2). I’m not sure how many episodes of Jezebel James are already in the can, but I hope that if they are more complete they put them up on the web for us to see.

The show had much potential. Too bad.

Veteran Jennie Garth is returning to TV for CBS in a new pilot, “My Best Friends Girl”. Popcrunch has the story:

Jennie Garth is returning to television — in a CBS pilot called “My Best Friend’s Girl.” Jennie Garth was last seen on TV on “Dancing with the Stars” and the sitcom “What I Like About You,” costarring Amanda Bynes.

In “My Best Friend’s Girl,” Jennie Garth will play ex-wife to one character (played by Josh Cooke) who dates his best buddy (played by “Carpoolers” Tim Peper). Let the hilarity begin.

I enjoy Garth, but wasn’t fond of her last show (”What I Like About You”). Hopefully this one will be a little less formulaic and we can enjoy Jennie again.

As reported last week, The CW is working on a spinoff of the 90s series “Beverly Hills 90210″. Variety is reporting new details on the series.

According to reports on casting breakdowns and TVTracker.com, the new take on the Aaron Spelling-Darren Star sudser will focus on the Mills family of BevHills and offer a lot more racial diversity than the original show.
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Matriarch of the family is Tabitha Mills, a 60-something actress/alchoholic who was a major star in the 1970s and had been linked to everyone from Warren Beatty to Jack Nicholson. After her latest bout at Betty Ford, Tabitha decides to try to live on her own in her BevHills estate.

There is a lot more detail in the article. Also described are two teen characters, Daphne & Max Silver, which share a last name with 90210 character David Silver. At this time, only a pilot script has been commissioned.

I enjoyed the first 2 seasons on the original show, but didn’t care for the latter seasons. I have hopes for the sequel because of the involvement of Rob Thomas. His “Veronica Mars” was an excellent combination of real drama and some ‘teen-angst’ (”Smallville” could learn a thing or two from him), so I believe he can produce something superior to the original.

Does the world need a new 90210?

Although I am not a big fan of “Law & Order: SVU”, I have watched on occasion, and do admit it is a quality show. The amazing actor, Oscar winner Robin Williams, will be making an appearance on the 200th episode of the series. The Hollywood Reporter has:

Oscar winner Robin Williams will make a rare TV appearance on NBC’s crime drama “Law & Order: SVU.”

On an episode slated to air April 29, he will play a law-abiding engineer whose life takes a tragic turn, he becomes an ardent believer in the necessity of challenging authority.

“We are thrilled that one of the most talented and versatile actors around will be starring in this powerful and complex special 200th episode,” executive producer Neal Baer said. “We can’t imagine anyone else doing this role.”

Robin Williams is a masterful actor, and I will take any chance to see him in a dramatic role. This episode of SVU is on my ‘to watch’ list. What do regular watchers of SVU think of this appearance?

It appears that many sites and news outlets were a little to quick to announce Clooney’s return to “ER”. Somebody actually *gasp* asked Clooney. ExtraTV has his response:

There were rumors that George Clooney would be putting on his scrubs one more time for “E.R.,” but George is telling “Extra” he has no plans to return to the NBC drama. “The truth of the matter is they wouldn’t ask, and there really would be no reason for it.”

That is about as close to a “no” as you’ll get from hollywood. I do hope they bring back some old characters for the final season (Eriq LaSalle?). As I said, “ER” deserves to go out with a bang.

I am a huge fan of Parker Posey (if you haven’t seen her indie films, you must), so I admit the only reason I watched “The Return of Jezebel James” was because of her. To my pleasant surprise, it was a star filled cast, with Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, Scott Cohen, and the amazing Diane Wiest.

It debuted as a 2-part hour-long episode. The first 1/2 hour was definitely a pilot. It was rough, but showed its potential. You could tell that Posey wasn’t quite sure how to play Sarah, and it took time to settle in. Also, the entire show was a setup. I can understand why they played the first 2 episodes back to back.

The second 1/2 hour improved on the first. The actors fell into their characters, and relationships were defined. A monologue from Sarah to Coco helped set the relationship between the 2 sisters and define the theme of the show.

The Nielsens were not good at all, but FOX didn’t promote the show very well. As I said, I only watched it for Posey, and had no idea what the show was about. From what I read of early reviews nearly all problems, reported by critics prior to the air date, were addressed. It was a solid debut, and I look forward to next week.

Sitcom veteran Justine Bateman is returning to television on the hot ABC ‘dramedy‘, “Desperate Housewives”. TV Crunch has:

Justine Bateman, best known for her role as Mallory on “Family Ties,” will be joining the ladies of Wisteria Lane for a multi-episode arc on “Desperate Housewives.”

No word on when we’ll first be seeing Justine Bateman, but she’ll play an artist that lives with Gabby and Carlos.

And… the wait is almost over for new episodes of “Desperate Housewives” — the first new episode will air Sunday, April 14 at 9 PM. Finally!

I’m glad to see Justine back on television, and the format of Housewives fits well were her style. “Desperate Housewives” quality/creativity goes up and down, but the Carlos and Gabby storyline seems to be picking up steam. I see the addition of Bateman as a good thing.

Still watching Housewives? Eager to see Bateman?

“ER” is one of those shows that comes and goes from my DVR. I didn’t watch the first few years, watched religiously for a few years after, and now peek in from time to time. In what I believe is a long time coming, “ER” will be coming to and end soon, and producers want to bring back the big hitters. One being George Clooney. IMDB’s WENN has:

Michael Clayton actor George Clooney is reportedly set to make a comeback on the long-running medical drama ER for its final season. The series’ producer David Zabel is desperate to get characters old and new together for a one-off special to celebrate the hit show ending - namely Clooney, who would reprise his role as Dr. Douglas Ross.

I think this is a great idea if they can pull it off. I wish more shows would pull together past stars to cap off the series. “ER” creativity suffered over the years, but they’ve had some amazing characters, and the show deserves to go out with a bang.

Is it time for ‘ER’ to end? What about the returning cast?

We’ve gotten a lot of news about the upcoming “Star Wars: Clone Wars” animated series, but almost nothing about the live-action series. Collider Entertainment has exclusive (possibly only rumor) detail about the upcoming series.

I’m also told there is a difference between the animated show and the live-action one. What I’m hearing is they are really trying to make Star Wars cool again. To do this, both shows are going to appeal to two different audiences. The animated show is definitely geared for kids, with the hope that adults will tune in. But, the live-action show is the one that us grownups are going to care about.

Go over to see the full description. If this is true, it is very encouraging. I was a huge Star Wars fan for 22 years, before the dark times…before the prequels. At heart I still love the saga, and would love more than anything for Lucas to “make Star Wars cool again”.

AintItCool seems to think there is validity to the rumor. What do you think?

Seems like a lot of back-room drama for “How I Met Your Mother”. The producers are working hard to save the high quality/low ratings comedy. It appears that news of Britney’s cameo didn’t sit well with a recently announced guest star. Ausiello has the scoop:

Britney Spears’ havoc-wreaking cameo on How I Met Your Mother has already claimed its first victim. A Mother insider confirms that Alicia Silverstone — who was slated to appear in a multi-episode arc as Ted’s dermatologist/lover — has dropped out and will be replaced by Scrubs’ Sarah Chalke.
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Pink is the New Blog reports that Silverstone bowed out because she didn’t want to be overshadowed by Spears, who, per my sources, will play an assistant to the dermatologist now being portrayed by Chalke.

Ausiello goes on to confirm that they are attempting to create another role for Silverstone.

I don’t blame her. Her appearance would be competing with Spears for the wrong reasons. I know that producers are trying to get buzz about the show, but is Britney Spears the type of buzz you want?

That being said, Sarah Chalke is a great sitcom actress, so adding her to a show is never wrong. I’m eager to see if what other drama is ahead for this bubble-show.

In a confusing move, CBS has announced that Britney Spears will guest star on a future episode of “How I Met Your Mother”. TVGuide.com has:

A CBS rep officially confirms for TVGuide.com that which was reported an hour ago on Pink Is the New Blog: Britney Spears is guest-starring on an upcoming episode of How I Met Your Mother. TMZ says it’s by no means a long-term gig and that her dad/conservator signed off on it.

Um. Yeah.

Alicia Silverstone was a great casting move, but Britney? Hopefully it’ll just be a cameo in a single episode. Yeah, that’s it…a cameo…..

Britney?

Variety is reporting on NBC’s announcement of its summer schedule. In the minutia of reality, pseudo-reality and game shows there was one dramatic series [that I could find].

“Fear Itself” is a new, distinctive 13-episode suspense and horror anthology series set to push the boundaries of this classic genre through a host of provocative talent, both in front of and behind the camera, including award-winning, sought-after directors John Landis (”An American Werewolf in London”), Darren Bousman (”Saw II, III and IV”) and Ronny Yu (”Bride of Chucky”); actors Brandon Routh (”Superman Returns”), Shiri Appleby (”Charlie Wilson’s War”), Elisabeth Moss (”Mad Men”), Cynthia Watros (”Lost”), Eric Roberts (NBC’s “Heroes”) and John Billingsley (”Star Trek: Enterprise”); and writers, including Joe Gangemi (”Wind Chill,” the novel “Inamorata”), Steve Niles (”30 Days of Night”) and Dan Knauf (”Carnivale,” “Supernatural”).

This sounds very interesting. It reminds me of Spielberg’s Amazing Stories from the ’80s. There hasn’t been much mention of this series up until now, but I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Two questions. How do you feel about the percentage of prime-time being taken up by “reality” shows? Also, does “Fear Itself” interest you?

I posted yesterday that “Scrubs” was moving from NBC to ABC. It looks like everyone (including ABC) may be jumping the gun. NBC isn’t done yet, as Variety has:

But if that’s true, NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chair Marc Graboff said ABC Studios would be in breach of contract - and would take appropriate legal action.

“NBC has a license agreement with ABC Studios, which includes a right of first negotiation and first refusal to extend the series term beyond this season,” Graboff said. “We’re living under the terms of this license agreement, and we expect ABC Studios to do the same.”

This is one of those (not so) strange situations where ABC produces a show that airs on NBC. Of course ABC wants to keep “Scrubs” around, they’ve been fighting with NBC for years over how NBC treats the ‘hit’ show. Either way, it seems ABC is ready to save “Scrubs” if NBC decides to drop it. Hopefully NBC won’t drag it out to long as to cause problems with getting the 7th/final season started.

Not good news for aspiring web series, NBC has canceled QuarterLife after only one episode. The ratings for the premier episode were some of the worst in NBC history. Variety has:

Peacock picked up “Quarterlife” for broadcast play in mid-December, when the TV biz was stuck in the quagmire of the writers strike. NBC characterized the deal as an experiment, citing the pedigree that the low-budget (by broadcast TV standards) production had in being shepherded by Herskovitz and Zwick. The license fee that NBC paid for the rights was considerably less than the going rate for even modestly budgeted drama series.

This is disappointing, not because of “Quarterlife” itself, but for the impact this might have on future web series chances at network broadcast. If we’re going to get mainstream audiences interested in web series, then it has to start with crossovers like this and Sanctuary.

NBC/Universal is going to show the remainder of the shows on BRAVO, while showing re-runs of Law and Order in the Sunday at 9:00 time-slot. I never understood canceling a show only to put re-runs in it’s place. This happens quite often, so it must make a monetary difference, but it’s not obvious.

I didn’t watch “Quarterlife”, but I did have it on my DVR. I just deleted it. What about you?

NBC hasn’t treated “Scrubs” well over the last couple years. It looked like back in 2006 that it was going to be canceled. It appears that NBC has finally gotten rid of scrubs, and ABC has picked it up. Ausiello at TVGuide.com reports:

Sources are confirming a story in The Hollywood Reporter that ABC is in talks to pick up as many as 18 episode of Scrubs.

The move came after negotiations between NBC and ABC Studios, which produces Scrubs, broke down. The two sides had been trying to hash out a deal that would’ve allowed the show to have a proper send-off in May.

The article goes on to answer some questions about the move. “Scrubs” has always had a strong cult following that didn’t always translate to ratings. It’s good to see the show get a second chance (if only Fox shows were so lucky).

Is scrubs coming back a good thing? Or should it have died?

Laid back, easygoing Cleveland of “Family Guy” fame currently has his own show in development. News from Reuters Canada has:

The project, tentatively titled “Cleveland,” is being written by “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry — a writer/producer who voices Cleveland — and Rich Appel, an executive producer on MacFarlane’s other Fox cartoon, “American Dad.”

Cleveland, who plays off black stereotypes, is the most levelheaded among Griffin’s trio of friends. He’s also pushed around by his wife.

I’m not a regular watcher of Family Guy (I usually catch the reruns on Adult Swim). With the success the fans had in bringing the show back from the dead, I only assume that they will follow MacFarlane to “Cleveland”.

Would you watch a “Family Guy” spin-off?

I was starting to get excited about North American channels importing directly from BBC. But, in the spirit of The Office, Fox is going to be adapting two British series. Variety has:

Fox Entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly, who found success at NBC adapting the Britcom “The Office” for U.S. auds, is looking to do the same with a few more U.K. imports this season.

Net has picked up two comedy pilots based on British formats: “Outnumbered” and “Spaced.”

I haven’t heard much about these 2 series, so I wonder if they wouldn’t be served better to be directly imported in their original form. Hopefully the translation will be more The Office and less Life on Mars.

Emeril is one of the more entertaining chefs on television who actually knows his stuff. I was a little sad when I learned he was splitting with Food Network, but I figured he’d end up back on TV somehow. Slashfood is reporting Emeril’s debut on Discovery:

The Discovery Channel has announced that Emeril Lagasse has signed on to host a new cooking show called Emeril Green. This show will air on their Planet Green network.

The show will be set in Whole Foods Markets and will feature organic, free range and natural foods. According to the post at Treehugger, the show will feature a revolving cast of other cooks, farmers and food experts.

Emeril’s approach to cooking television is unique, and he was a big part of Food Networks early success. I’m happy to see a different format for the new show as I grew tired of Emeril Live a few years ago.

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The Dollhouse news is starting to rush in. Over at TVGuide.com Ausiello has the scoop on the current list of principal characters:

ADELLE DEWITT
The fortyish iceberg who runs the Dollhouse where the human Etch-a-Sketches reside

PAUL BALLARD
The thirtysomething G-man who is slated to become an offbeat love interest for Dushku’s “impressionable” Echo

BOYD LANGTON
Echo’s handler and father figure

TOPHER BRINK
The technogeek who enjoys his job as a Doll programmer maybe a little too much

SIERRA
The knockout Doll who is as close to a friend as Echo has

VICTOR
The distractingly handsome Doll who is called upon to play everyone from Errol Flynn to Robert DeNiro

NOVEMBER
The Tracy Turnblad of the Dolls

DR. CLAIRE SANDERS
The beautiful older woman with whom Topher is smitten

Included in the article is some dream “casting suggestions”, of which some are not far fetched at all. Ben Browder would make a great “G-Man”. What do you think of the character list? How about TVGuide’s casting suggestions?

Joss Whedon’s new drama, Dollhouse (starring Eliza Dushku) is moving forward a full steam. He’s recently hired the newly unemployed creators of “Women’s Murder Club”. The TV Barn has the story:

I knew it wouldn’t take long for Sarah Fain and Liz Craft, the Pembroke Hill grads who created “Women’s Murder Club” for ABC, to find new employment inside the sprawling Twentieth TV complex. Craft and Fain, who have a long-term deal with Fox, were told that James Patterson and ABC were done with them on Monday. On Tuesday Fox offered them a project. On Wednesday Joss Whedon called.

Any news on the progress of Dollhouse is good news. Even though Fox has a history of screwing up Whedon shows, I have high hopes for this one. I missed “Woman’s Murder Club”, so I’m not sure how the quality or style compares to usual Whedon-verse shows. Good? Bad? Indifferent?