Dancing with the Upfronts 4: Tuesday's Pilot Roundup
Welcome back to another installment of Dancing with the Upfronts, as I attempt to decipher the rumors and facts of the network series orders, renewals, and cancellations during this, the second most exciting week in the television calendar (the first would be the start of the season, natch).
Set your phasers to stunned, gentle readers, as you peruse today's latest series news and check back here often for updates, as we unveil the fall schedules and debunk some renewal myths.
(Updated at 5:00 pm PST)
CW
Ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly control my excitement as I happily announce... (drum roll, please)... that beloved mystery-drama series Veronica Mars WILL be moving to the CW this fall!
According to an extremely high-ranking agency source who happens to reps one of the actors involved with the show, Veronica Mars will be returning to the airwaves this fall (albeit with a new TV address) to provide loyal viewers with another season of Neptune-based mysteries.
(Editor's Note: I am so extremely pleased by this news that I cannot help but jump up and down with glee. Tee hee!)
In other CW news, rumors currently peg Supernatural, Smallville, and the dreaded One Tree Hill as making the cut to land on the fall sked, while Everwood fans are sadly out of luck.
UPDATE: Confirmation of Veronica Mars' renewal has been confirmed by series creator Rob Thomas over at Michael Ausiello's column at TV Guide.com! Today is a day for celebration!
UPDATE: Word on the street is that the CW's drama pilot Palm Springs (formerly known as Untitled Kevin Williamson project) has been picked up for a midseason order... but only for a total of 8 episodes (including the pilot) rather than the standard 13. Curious.
UPDATE: It's official. The CW has given series orders to three pilots: the aforementioned Palm Springs (confirming the above), Runaway, and The Game (the planned Girlfriends spin-off).
ABC
UPDATE: According to a report on The Futon Critic, Commander in Chief's term in office might not yet be finished. While the series was not part of the fall schedule unveiled by ABC earlier today, ABC president Steve McPherson mentioned that he would consider a two-hour movie version of the cancelled series, which is scheduled to begin burning off its remaining three episodes on May 31st.
The two-hour version of Commander in Chief would likely be written and directed by creator and former executive producer Rod Lurie (The Contender), the first of three EPs to oversee the doomed show (the other two were Steven Bochco and Dee Johnson).
Additionally, ABC's news magazine series Primetime, which also failed to appear on the fall 2006 schedule, will also return next season as a series of specials to fill in any gaps in the schedules. However, it's also possible that Primetime might indeed be refashioned once again into a weekly series.
FOX
UPDATE: With FOX's upfront presentation scheduled for Thursday, the network is putting the final touches on the sked before unveiling it. To this end, the network has renamed two drama pilots: Primary and American Crime, which will now be known as Standoff and Justice respectively.
That's all for now, but stay tuned and check back for updates.
Set your phasers to stunned, gentle readers, as you peruse today's latest series news and check back here often for updates, as we unveil the fall schedules and debunk some renewal myths.
(Updated at 5:00 pm PST)
CW
Ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly control my excitement as I happily announce... (drum roll, please)... that beloved mystery-drama series Veronica Mars WILL be moving to the CW this fall!According to an extremely high-ranking agency source who happens to reps one of the actors involved with the show, Veronica Mars will be returning to the airwaves this fall (albeit with a new TV address) to provide loyal viewers with another season of Neptune-based mysteries.
(Editor's Note: I am so extremely pleased by this news that I cannot help but jump up and down with glee. Tee hee!)
In other CW news, rumors currently peg Supernatural, Smallville, and the dreaded One Tree Hill as making the cut to land on the fall sked, while Everwood fans are sadly out of luck.
UPDATE: Confirmation of Veronica Mars' renewal has been confirmed by series creator Rob Thomas over at Michael Ausiello's column at TV Guide.com! Today is a day for celebration!
UPDATE: Word on the street is that the CW's drama pilot Palm Springs (formerly known as Untitled Kevin Williamson project) has been picked up for a midseason order... but only for a total of 8 episodes (including the pilot) rather than the standard 13. Curious.
UPDATE: It's official. The CW has given series orders to three pilots: the aforementioned Palm Springs (confirming the above), Runaway, and The Game (the planned Girlfriends spin-off).
ABC
UPDATE: According to a report on The Futon Critic, Commander in Chief's term in office might not yet be finished. While the series was not part of the fall schedule unveiled by ABC earlier today, ABC president Steve McPherson mentioned that he would consider a two-hour movie version of the cancelled series, which is scheduled to begin burning off its remaining three episodes on May 31st.
The two-hour version of Commander in Chief would likely be written and directed by creator and former executive producer Rod Lurie (The Contender), the first of three EPs to oversee the doomed show (the other two were Steven Bochco and Dee Johnson).
Additionally, ABC's news magazine series Primetime, which also failed to appear on the fall 2006 schedule, will also return next season as a series of specials to fill in any gaps in the schedules. However, it's also possible that Primetime might indeed be refashioned once again into a weekly series.
FOX
UPDATE: With FOX's upfront presentation scheduled for Thursday, the network is putting the final touches on the sked before unveiling it. To this end, the network has renamed two drama pilots: Primary and American Crime, which will now be known as Standoff and Justice respectively.
That's all for now, but stay tuned and check back for updates.
* * *
Recap: This week, the networks will unveil their fall schedules before advertisers at the annual upfront presentations. CBS is set for tomorrow (May 17th), with FOX and the CW on Thursday (May 18th) bringing up the rear.