San Diego Comic-Con 2010: 20th Century Fox Television Announces Lineup

Just a little while after I posted my "Who's In?" post about this year's San Diego Comic-Con International (along with details of the V panel I'll be moderating), I got an email from 20th Century Fox Television in which they spill the details about the eleven series they're bringing to Comic-Con this year.

Those series will include Bones, Glee, Sons of Anarchy, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Terra Nova, Futurama, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, Bob's Burgers, and Neighbors From Hell, all of which will present panels in San Diego next month.

And, yes, dates and times for the above are included.

Intriguingly, both Glee and Sons of Anarchy will be held on Sunday, traditionally a less hectic and relatively more quiet day of programming... while Bones will hold court on Friday afternoon in Ballroom 20 (along with Terra Nova, which is heading to the smaller Ballroom 6A).

The full press release from 20th Century Fox Television can be found below.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION WILL BRING ELEVEN SHOWS TO COMIC-CON 2010 INCLUDING BLOCKBUSTER HITS “GLEE,” “THE SIMPSONS” AND “FAMILY GUY” AND A FIRST LOOK AT THE EAGERLY AWAITED SCI FI ADVENTURE SERIES “TERRA NOVA”

David Boreanaz, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Molly Shannon, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Patton Oswalt, Seth Green,
Stars of “Glee,” “Terra Nova,” “Futurama,” “Cleveland Show,” “American Dad,” “Bob’s Burgers,” And “Neighbors From Hell”
Among Those Scheduled To Appear at the Studio’s New Booth on the Convention Floor
June 21, 2010, Hollywood, CA – Twentieth Century Fox Television will once again dominate the San Diego Comic-Con convention, with stars and creators of eleven of its signature shows heading down to the world famous fan gathering next month. In addition to exclusive sneak peeks of its programs and panel discussions with the stars and creators of its shows, the studio will unveil its brand new larger and more central booth on the convention floor. The sleek new design includes a 25-foot multi-media cyclone tower stretching high into the rafters allowing the booth to instantly transform between various properties, and provides generous space for autograph signings, premium giveaways and merchandise sales.

Descriptions, times and locations of the Fox panels follow:

FRIDAY, JULY 23:
11:00-12:00 Bob’s Burgers: Creator/Executive Producer Loren Bouchard (Home Movies) and Jim Dauterive (King of the Hill) will be on hand to introduce animation fans to their hilarious new series premiering on Fox in January 2011. There will be a screening of never-before-seen footage followed by a Q&A in Room 25ABC.

12:00 – 1:00 Neighbors From Hell: Executive Producers Pam Brady (South Park) and Mireille Soria (Madagascar) screen a never-before-seen episode of their newly launched TBS animated series, and take questions from the audience along with their all-star voice cast including Molly Shannon (SNL), Patton Oswalt (My Weakness is Strong, Ratatouille), Will Sasso (MADtv), Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70s Show), David Soren (DreamWorks animation veteran), Kyle McCulloch (Mr. Wong) and Tracey Fairaway (Chicago 8) in Room 25ABC

2:00–2:45 Bones: Creator and Executive Producer Hart Hanson and Star David Boreanaz— Hart Hanson and David Boreanaz will be on hand to discuss what went down in season 5 of Bones and the cliffhanger finale as well as what’s in store for Booth and Brennan in an exciting season 6! The Q&A will take place in Ballroom 20.

3:30 – 4:30 Terra Nova: Executive Producers Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise), David Fury (24, Lost) and Director Alex Graves will reveal a glimpse into the most highly anticipated epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. This new event drama slated for midseason on FOX comes from the brilliant minds of Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Pacific) and former News Corporation President and C.O.O. Peter Chernin and follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race. This exclusive look behind the scenes takes place in Room 6A.

SATURDAY, JULY 24:
11:00 – 11:45 Family Guy: A freakin’ sweet discussion on all things Family Guy with Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and more! And don’t miss never-before-seen clips of the third Star Wars parody in Ballroom 20.

11:45 – 12:30 The Cleveland Show: Join the cast and producers of The Cleveland Show for a sneak peek at Season Two, a live table read of one act of Cleveland’s upcoming trip to Comic-Con and an audience Q&A session featuring Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry, Rich Appel, Sanaa Lathan, and Kevin Michael Richardson in Ballroom 20.

12:45 – 1:30 Join the cast and crew in celebrating Futurama's triumphant re-return to the airwaves! World-premiere footage will offer an exciting and informative glimpse of Comic-Con in the year 3010. Panelists include Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, cast members Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, and Maurice LaMarche, director Crystal Chesney-Thompson, writers Ken Keeler and Patric M. Verrone, and Animation Producer Claudia Katz.

1:30 – 2:15 Now entering its record-annihilating 22nd season on Fox, The Simpsons has won 25 Emmy awards, been the subject of a smash feature film in 2007, inspired an awesome ride at Universal Studios and Homer Simpson was just named the greatest television character of the last 20 years by Entertainment Weekly. Get an insight into the daily doings of this series from Creator Matt Groening, Showrunner Al Jean, Executive Producer Matt Selman and Supervising Director Mike Anderson.

SUNDAY, JULY 25:
12:30 – 1:15 American Dad: See a never-before-seen episode of American Dad in various stages of animation followed by a Q&A session with producers Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman and cast members Dee Bradley Baker, Scott Grimes & Rachael MacFarlane in Ballroom 20.

1:30 – 2:30 GLEE: One year after the cast and creators of Glee came to Comic-con for the first time, the show has exploded with blockbuster ratings, number one albums and a sold-out concert tour. Get an exclusive first look at what’s in store for season 2 from executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk along with stars Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera, as they share some never-before-seen footage, spill behind-the-scenes secrets and take questions from the crowd, in Ballroom 20.

2:45 – 3:45 FX Presents Sons of Anarchy: Comic-Con welcomes for the first time Sons of Anarchy, with series stars Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman, and series creator Kurt Sutter in Ballroom 20.

Channel Surfing: Barrowman Could Get "Desperate," Michael Hogan Checks into "Dollhouse," USA Renews "In Plain Sight," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Torchwood star John Barrowman has told BBC1 Radio host Chris Moyle that he is meeting with the producers of ABC's Desperate Housewives about a possible role on the series next season. "I'm off to Los Angeles on Sunday again," said Barrowman on the air. "I probably shouldn't say this but I've got a meeting with the execs of Desperate Housewives; can you believe it, I'm going to be a Desperate Housewife!" No word yet on what role Barrowman could be playing or if a deal is in place for the actor to come on board the long-running drama. (Guardian's Media Monkey)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that former Battlestar Galactica co-star Michael Hogan will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of FOX's Dollhouse this fall. Hogan, set to appear in the second episode of the sophomore season, will play "a customer of the Dollhouse who has used the services of the 'dolls' in the past." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

USA has handed out a third season order to drama In Plain Sight, which stars Mary McCormack, giving the Universal Cable Studios-produced series a sixteen-episode renewal. Behind the scenes, creator David Maples and executive producer Paul Stupin will step down from running the series, segueing into consulting roles on the series. An as-yet-undetermined executive producer will be brought into to give In Plain Sight "a little more narrative drive," according to USA president of original programming Jeff Wachtel. In other USA news, the cabler is said to be close to renewing Law & Order: Criminal Intent as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

20th Century Fox Television has confirmed that they have signed deals with all of the original voice actors on Futurama to reprise their roles in the new Comedy Central Futurama series, which will launch next year. The terms of the deals are unknown but it's clear that some sort of compromise was reached on one or both sides. "We are thrilled to have our incredible cast back," said creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in a prepared statement. "The call has already gone out to the animators to put the mouths back on the characters." (Variety)

FOX has handed out a cast-contingent pilot order to multi-camera comedy The Rednecks & Romeos, about a group of teen friends living outside Buffalo, New York dealing with the results of economic turmoil, from writer/executive producer Mark Brazil and executive producers Tom Werner and Mike Clements. Project hails from Warner Bros. Television and Good Humor TV. (Hollywood Reporter)

Grant Bowler will reprise his role as slick thief Connor on ABC's Ugly Betty next season, reports Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Bowler is said to have signed on for a multiple-episode story arc beginning this fall. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NCIS' Pauey Perette will guest star in the second episode of spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles. "She does a crossover and she's directly involved with helping us solve the case. It's a fun little cameo for her," said showrunner Shane Brennan. "We have plans for her to perhaps be in more episodes. And perhaps not just her. I can't tell you yet." Brennan also gave E! Online's Watch with Kristin some additional scoop about what to expect this fall. "It's Callen's (Chris O'Donnell) first day back on the job, and we see his scars. We literally see his scars," said Brennan. "And he rolls into this new venue and away we go from there. Will we answer what happened to him and how it happened and why? In the very best tradition of NCIS, yes. And in the very best tradition of NCIS, you'll just have to wait. So it will be a sweeps episode. I'll give you that." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Universal Media Studios has signed a blind script deal with Tom Arnold, under which he will write and produce an untitled comedy pilot script for NBC through his 2 Dog Limit shingle. He'll next be seen on the small screen in a recurring role on FX's Sons of Anarchy this fall. (Variety)

Tyra Banks is set to guest star on the CW's Gossip Girl next season, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, citing unnamed sources. Banks will play an actress who co-stars in a film alongside Hilary Duff's character. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has given a series order to a revival of vintage game show Let's Make a Deal, which will likely fill the daytime timeslot vacated by cancelled soap Guiding Light. Pilot for the series had already been shot with Wayne Brady as the host and he is expected to return for the FremantleMedia North America-produced series as well. (Variety)

ABC Family has ordered telepic The Cutting Edge: Fire & Ice, the third sequel to 1992 ice skating film The Cutting Edge, which will star Francia Raisa and Brendan Fehr. Project, written by Holly Brix and directed by Stephen Herek, will premiere in spring 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

A fifth season of Radical Media's Iconoclasts is on tap at Sundance Channel, which the cabler ordering six episodes to air in 2010. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sean Bean Plays "Game of Thrones," "Futurama" Could Return with New Voices, Jorja Fox Returns to "CSI," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) has been cast as the lead in HBO fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones, based on the series of novels by George R.R. Martin that Tom McCarthy is directing from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' script. Bean will play Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, the close friend and adviser to King Robert. Also cast in the pilot: Mark Addy, Kit Harrington, Jack Gleeson, and Harry Lloyd, who join the previously announced Peter Dinklage. Addy will play King Robert; Harrington will play Jon Snow, Ned's illegitimate son; Lloyd will play the conniving usurper Viserys; Gleeson will play Joffrey, the son of King Robert. (Editor: this project just keeps getting more and more exciting; I absolutely loved the pilot script!) (Hollywood Reporter)

Talks between studio 20th Century Fox Television and Futurama stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeille broke down on Friday over compensation after the studio's offers came in well beneath what the stars had asked for. Despite the announcement last month that Comedy Central had ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama and that the original cast was on board, the latter part doesn't quite seem to be true. 20th Century Fox Television is now looking to recast the roles following major budget slashes, but this could be seen as posturing as the studio is likely playing hardball until the actors fall in line with their salary requirements and negotiate their contracts. Meanwhile, the studio does seem serious about recasting the roles in the meantime, a threat they called in during contract negotiations with the cast of The Simpsons a few years back. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorja Fox has signed a deal to appear in multiple episodes of CBS' CSI next season, where she will reprise her role as Sara Sidle. Fox is set to first appear in the September 24th episode, which according to series executive producer Carol Mendelsohn, will show viewers "where life has taken Sara Sidle and what brings her back to the CSI team in Las Vegas." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Big Love casting news! Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) has joined the cast of Big Love next season in a recurring role that will have him turning up all season long. He'll play Tommy Flute, the son of Indian Gaming Casino overseer Jerry Flute (Robert Beltran). (Hollywood Reporter)

Brooke Burns (Miss Guided) has joined the cast of the CW's Melrose Place in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play Vanessa, the wife of Thomas Calabro's Michael Mancini and the mother of his younger son Noah. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TVGuide.com catches up with True Blood star Stephen Moyer to find out about Bill and Sookie's road trip to Texas. "Toward the end of the season, we're going to see the hierarchy taken almost to its peak," said Moyer. "We're going to meet the monarchy, if you will. Last year, we met the grand judge of Louisiana, and this year we're going to meet the monarch of Texas. But he's not the monarch of America. It's kind of an almost feudal system. I love the idea of this incredibly detailed society in which manners are very important as to how you relate to people that are above you. As much as Eric does to piss Bill off, Bill never has a childlike fit. The hierarchy is incredibly strong. So no matter how much Eric does against Bill, Bill will never bad-mouth him. It's sort of an elevated playground mentality. However horrible a kid is to you, you don't go and report him." (TVGuide.com)

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi has signed a development deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios under which she will star in a half-hour comedy pilot about a woman in the culinary world. Project will be executive produced by Original's Charlie Corwin. (Variety)

Amber Clayton has joined the cast of CBS medical drama Three Rivers as a series regular, where she will play "witty pragmatic young ER doctor Lisa Reed who helps facilitate transplant cases." (Hollywood Reporter)

Current TV has hired former MTV Networks COO Mark Rosenthal as CEO following the shift of co-founder Joel Hyatt from the CEO set to vice chairman of the company. (Variety)

The start of production on the CW's The Beautiful Life has been pushed back a week to July 31st but sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the cause isn't the recent psychiatric hospitalization of series co-star Mischa Barton but rather that some of the sets weren't completed. Barton's participation on the series remains unclear, given her medical issues at this time. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered six episodes of a docusoap tentatively titled One Big Happy Family about the lives of a morbidly obese family, from RDF USA. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Comic-Con Update: 20th Century Fox Announces Panels, Talent For SDCC Next Month

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), 20th Century Fox has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month.

The unusual suspects--24, Bones, Dollhouse, The Simpsons--are all going to be on hand to present cast and producer panels throughout the weekend but the studio has also announced panels for Glee, Cleveland Show, American Dad, and Futurama to boot.

Meanwhile, such boldface names as Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Katee Sackhoff, Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, and the cast of Glee will be on hand as well.

The full press release from 20th Century Fox Television can be be found below, along with dates and times (and descriptions) of each of their panels.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION BRINGS NINE SHOWS TO COMIC-CON

Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. Katee Sackhoff, Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Stars of “Glee, ” “Futurama,” “Cleveland Show,” “American Dad” Among Those Scheduled To Appear

June 24, 2009, Hollywood, CA – Twentieth Century Fox Television will once again dominate the San Diego Comic-Con convention, with stars and creators of nine of its signature shows heading down to the world famous fan gathering next month for panels, autograph signings at the Fox booth and press appearances.

Descriptions, times and locations of the Fox panels follow:

FRIDAY, JULY 24:

2:15-3:00 P.M. Coming off its most critically acclaimed season in years, 24 stars Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and new cast members Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Katee Sackhoff join showrunnner Howard Gordon and the producers of the Emmy-winning series for a special sneak peek at the heart-stopping premiere episode of Season 8. Ballroom 20.

3-3:45 P.M. Bones showrunner Hart Hanson and stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel are on hand for a discussion of what’s on deck for Booth and Brennan, hot on the heels of this year's much talked-about season finale in which the pair finally wound up between the sheets. Ballroom 20.

4 P.M-6 P.M. Join Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon and star/producer Eliza Dushku for a no-holds-barred Q & A about what they have planned for season 2, after they unveil a special screening of the NEVER BEFORE SEEN “Epitaph One” episode of the Fox hit which releases on DVD just four days later. Ballroom 20.

SATURDAY, JULY 25:

11:15 A.M.-12 P.M Join Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and the brilliant creative minds behind Family Guy for a raucous discussion of what goes on behind the scenes of tv's most subversive animated hit. They’ll also be offering a not-to-be-missed sneak peek at "Something, Something Dark Side," the Empire Strikes Back parody follow-up to Star Wars: Blue Harvest. Giggity! Ballroom 20.
12-12:45 P.M. Con fans will get the FIRST LOOK at The Cleveland Show, the wickedly funny new spin-off of Family Guy starring America's favorite beleaguered animated African American, Cleveland Brown. Co-creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Rich Appel and voice cast Sana’a Lathan and Kevin Michael Richardson will all be on hand to discuss this new series premiering on Fox in the fall. Ballroom 20.

1-1:45 P.M. Futurama: Life or Death?! BE A PART OF SCI-FI HISTORY! Join Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche for high-stakes thrills as a top-ranking Fox executive decides live, on stage, whether Futurama will make yet another triumphant return, or whether it is gone forever! The very fate of Futurama hangs in the balance! Paramedics will be standing by in case the intense excitement causes any panelists to collapse. Raucous celebration or abject despair to follow the news. Ballroom 20.

1:45-2:30 P.M. Now entering its record-breaking 21st season on the air, The Simpsons is the longest-running series in the history of American television, and a household name around the world. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what's coming up in the Simpsonverse, including never-before-seen highlights from the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror XX", with a panel including Simpsons Creator Matt Groening, Showrunner Al Jean, Executive Producer Matt Selman and Supervising Director Mike Anderson. Ballroom 20.

1:30-3 P.M. When Fox aired a special preview of its subversive new comedy musical series Glee after the American Idol finale, the response was through the roof and fans have hungered for another episode ever since. The wait is over! Join stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith and the producers of the Fox hit for a sneak preview screening of a never-before-broadcast episode with panel discussion to follow. Don’t Stop Believin’, Con fans! Glee is here! Indigo Room.

SUNDAY, JULY 26:

11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M. American Dad showrunners Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman and stars Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schall and Dee Bradley Baker are back to regale the fans with an insider’s look at how an episode of the hilarious Fox animated comedy is made, from table read to animatic to color. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind Comic-con event. Ballroom 20.

Channel Surfing: Comedy Central Resurrects "Futurama," Shawn Ryan Back at FX, "Mad Men" Returns (and Runs into 11 O'Clock Hour), and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Who said dead means dead? Comedy Central has signed a deal with studio 20th Century Fox Television for twenty-six new episodes of long-dead series Futurama, which it will launch in 2010. "When we brought back Family Guy several years ago, everyone said that it was a once in a lifetime thing -- that canceled series stay canceled and cannot be revived," said 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden in a joint statement. "But Futurama was another series that fans simply demanded we bring back, and we couldn’t have been happier when Matt and David agreed that there were many more stories yet to tell." Series, which features the voices of Billy West, Katey Sagal, and John DiMaggio, ended its run on FOX in 2003 and has since aired repeats on Comedy Central, as well as the DVD-based episodes. "It's sweet, and basically everybody who has worked on the show wants to come back," said co-creator Matt Groening. "I choose to believe it's more than the economic situation. People had a good time working on this show." And it's worth noting that the studio still has an option to license the new installments to a broadcast network... like FOX. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Variety)

FX has ordered a pilot for one-hour dramedy Terriers from writer/executive producer Ted Griffin (Ocean's Eleven) and executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield). Series, from Fox 21 and Ryan's MidKidd Prods., revolves around a former cop turned private eye who forms a partnership with a younger hotshot who "solve crimes while trying to avoid danger and responsibility." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

AMC will launch Season Three of award-winning period drama Mad Men on Sunday, August 16th at 10 pm ET/PT and the seaspm premiere will air with limited commercial interruptions. And the cabler has been able to reach a compromise with creator Matthew Weiner about the additional two minutes of commercial ad time they sought to include in Mad Men's upcoming season, with the episodes now slated to run over into the 11 pm hour in order to accommodate the additional ads. "It's wonderful to have partners who can respond to both a business and creative challenge in such a satisfying way," Weiner told Variety. "We're thrilled that we've crafted a way to maximize our business and at the same time meet everyone's demands -- those of our marketers and advertisers, those of our creative team and those of our viewers," said Joel Stillerman, SVP of original programming, production and digital content at AMC. (Variety)

Casting roundup: Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire), Dabney Coleman (Heartland), and Paz de la Huerta (Amsterdam) have been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO period drama pilot Boardwalk Empire, which started shooting yesterday. Elsewhere, Adam Jamal Craig (The Office) has come aboard CBS' upcoming drama series NCIS: Los Angeles as a regular; he'll play Dominic Vale, a new young agent at the Office of Special Projects. (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime has renewed Nurse Jackie for a second season... just a day after launching the series to the highest rated premiere numbers in Showtime's history. (Televisionary)

Going to Comic-Con San Diego this year? E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an up-to-the-minute roundup of the TV-related panels that have so far leaked out ahead of the official announcement. They include panels for Psych on Thursday, The Big Bang Theory and Past Life on Friday, Chuck, Eastwick, V, Fringe, Human Target, Vampire Diaries, and MythBusters on Saturday, and Smallville and Supernatural on Sunday. There's also a Wednesday evening WB Pilot Preview Night planned. Still to come: days and times for such series as Dexter, Dollhouse, Flash Forward, Ghost Whisperer, Legend of the Seeker, Lost, and True Blood. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC yesterday announced via press release premiere dates for their new and returning series this fall. They include:

Saturday, September 5
8-11:30 pm: Saturday Night Football

Friday, September 11
10-11 pm: 20/20

Monday, September 21
8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars
10-11 pm: Castle

Tuesday, September 22
8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour episode)
10-11 pm: The Forgotten

Wednesday, September 23
8-9 pm: Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (special day and time)
9-9:30 pm: Modern Family
9:30-10 pm: Cougar Town

Thursday, September 24
8-9 pm: FlashForward
9-10 pm: Grey’s Anatomy

Sunday, September 27
7-9 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour season premiere)
9-10 pm: Desperate Housewives

Tuesday, September 29
8-9 pm: Shark Tank
9-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (regular day & time period premiere)

Wednesday, September 30
8-8:30 pm: Hank
8:30-9 pm: The Middle

Sunday, October 4
7-8 pm: America’s Funniest Home Videos
8-9 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere)

Friday, October 9
8-10 pm: Ugly Betty (two-hour season premiere)

Friday, October 16
8-9 pm: Supernanny
9-10 pm: Ugly Betty (regular time period premiere)

SAG members have ratified the two-year feature-primetime contract with an overwhelming vote of support of 78 percent in favor of the new deal. The announcement of the vote's outcome ends the year-long conflict between the guild and the studios. "This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises," said SAG intermin national executive director David White, "and puts SAG in a strong position for the future." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

"Futurama" Returns with New DVD Movies and Episodes

Bender's back, baby!

Futurama creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen made the announcement at the series' Comic-Con panel to much cheering and hollering. And a nifty pocket-sized comic filled to the brim with meta references (their Box Network primetime episodes have been canceled) that was read aloud by the cast. Like I said, nifty.

Futurama will be returning with a feature-length direct-to-DVD high definition film, due to be released on November 27th. The title? Bender's Big Score. The plot? Something to do with a sinister coven of nudist aliens who gain the secret to time travel thanks to a birthmark on Fry's, er, posterior and "an alien controls Bender with cosmic repercussions."

That film will be followed by three additional direct-to-DVD Futurama films. The four films will then be chopped up into sixteen episodes (and slightly reconfigured for commercial breaks), which will then be aired on Comedy Central sometime in 2008.

Now would be the time when you rub your hands together with unabashed glee.