Channel Surfing: "Primeval" Rescued from Extinction, Sonnenfeld Suits Up for Super-powered Comedy, Stephen King Finds "Haven," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Sci-fi drama series Primeval has been saved from extinction thanks to an unprecedented international co-production deal between Impossible Pictures Limited (IPL), ProSieben, BBC Worldwide (BBCW), ITV, and UKTV. Under the terms of the deal, thirteen new installments of Primeval will be produced for 2011 (the thirteen episodes will comprise two seasons). BBC America will step in to take on a full co-production credit and UKTV will become a first-time investor. Adrian Hodges will again oversee the creative direction of the series, which will feature the return of stars including Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, and Jason Flemyng. "Primeval is one of BBC AMERICA's all time top ten shows and we're thrilled to be co-producing the new season," said BBC America SVP of Programming Richard de Croce. "It’s an innovative deal securing the future of an innovative show - and we can’t wait to bring it back to U.S. fans." (via press release)

Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies) is attached to executive produce and direct an untitled multi-camera ABC comedy series about an overworked mother who finds a special suit that grants her super powers. Project, from ABC Studios, will be written by Laura House and executive produced by Sonnenfeld and Stu Bloomberg. (Variety)

Stephen King has signed a deal with independent studio E1 Entertainment to adapt his 2005 novella "The Colorado Kid" into a one-hour drama series entitled Haven, which will revolve around a small town in Maine "where cursed folk live normal lives in exile." But then those curses rear their ugly heads, FBI Agent Audrey Parker is sent in to keep the supernatural forces at bay. Sam Ernest and Jim Dunn will write the pilot script and Scott Shepherd (The Dead Zone) has signed on as showrunner and will executive produce with Lloyd Segan Shawn Piller, John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern. E1 has already committed to producing 13 episodes of the series, which was previously in development at ABC during the 2008-09 season, and is said to be in talks with several foreign broadcasters about co-production deals. (Variety)

CBS has given a script commitment plus penalty to an untitled project from executive producers Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money), Mark Burnett, and Roma Downey. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, follows a lawyer who gets a second chance at life by the ghost of his ex-wife after a near-fatal accident. Wright will write the pilot script for the project, which was the subject of a bidding war. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered eight one-hour episodes of reality competition series Perfect 10, in which contestants will have to compete ten seemingly innocuous tasks in 60 seconds. Project, from Universal Media Studios, will be executive produced by Craig Plestis and Tim Puntillo. The network hopes that people will play along at home and NBC will post demonstrations of 50 of the series' games on a web site before the series' launch, which is thought to be in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

Omar Miller (Transformers) has joined the cast of CBS' CSI: Miami as a series regular. He'll play Walter Simmons, described in press materials as a "Louisiana native and art theft specialist who transfers over from the night shift to join Horatio's team." Miller's first appearance is slated for the Monday, October 5th episode. (via press release)

Syfy has ordered six episodes of supernatural reality series Ghost Hunters Academy (formerly known as Ghost Hunters: College Edition), which the cabler will launch on Wednesday, November 11th at 10 pm ET/PT. (Futon Critic)

TLC has ordered eight one-hour episodes of docusoap BBQ Pit Masters, which will dissect the "cutthroat world of competing grillers." Series, from Original Media, is slated to launch December 2nd. (Variety)

Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Chris Carmack (Drop Dead Diva), and Zoe McLellan (Dirty Sexy Money) will star in Lifetime Movie Network telepic Deadly Honeymoon, based on the real-life disappearance of groom George Allen Smith. Glau and Carmack will play Lindsey and Trevor Forrest, newlyweds who get caught up in a partying and sex-fueled honeymoon after crossing paths with a group of Eastern European passengers on a cruise. Telepic is written by Ron McGee and will be directed by Paul Shapiro. (Hollywood Reporter)

RDF Media Group has named SVP Karrie Wolfe as its "chief emissary" for the shingle's RDF Rights division, where she will oversee the acquisition of US formats and set them up at broadcasters worldwide. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Disney Channel has ordered eight additional installments for Season Three of Wizards of Waverly Place, bringing the total order to 86 episodes. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Neil Patrick Harris Sings Again as "Batman" Villain, Spielberg Woos Wyle for TNT Sci-Fi Pilot, Mohinder Heads to "Psych," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) won't be reprising his role from Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible but he will be singing in an upcoming episode of Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold slated to air this fall. In the episode, Harris will play villain The Music Meister who "has the power to create song wherever he goes, and he’s trying to dominate the world," according to series executive producer James Tucker. Fans looking to catch an animated glimpse at Harris as the Music Meister should attend the Batman: Brave and the Bold panel at Comic-Con next month, where the entire "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" episode will be screened. (TV Guide)

Steven Spielberg is said to be wooing Noah Wyle (ER) to star in his untitled TNT sci-fi pilot, which, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, "takes place six months after evil extra terrestrials decimate mankind." If a deal is reached, Wyle would star in the untitled pilot as "the leader of a ragtag group of citizens who try to bring down the aggressors." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Heroes' Sendhil Ramamurthy will guest star on an upcoming episode of USA's Psych, set to air in August, which will be directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, who is not only Ramamurthy's cousin but will also appear in the episode himself. Ramamurthy will play Raj, "a young man who believes that the firstborn in each generation of his family is cursed—a belief reinforced by the fact that bad things keep happening to all of his girlfriends. Jay, meanwhile, plays Jay, Raj's cousin who is directing a Bollywood-style play at the local theater and engaged to be married." Look for the Psych theme song to possibly get a Bollywood makeover for this episode. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX has announced premiere dates for its new and returning series this fall, with the week of September 16th alone seeing the launch of Glee and the return of such drama series as Fringe, Bones, and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, and a two-hour season opener of House (directed by executive producer Katie Jacobs) airing on September 21st, the first official day of the fall season. (Televisionary)

Meanwhile, the Futon Critic broke down the baseball pre-emptions facing FOX this fall, with every night of the week affected at least once by baseball-based pre-emotions, with Thursdays and Saturdays landing up to three possible pre-emptions this fall. (Futon Critic)

Former companion Freema Agyeman has expressed her approval of the casting of Karen Gillan as the new companion on Season Five of Doctor Who. "I think she looks great!" Agyeman told Digital Spy. "You know what? She's like an amalgamation of all of us: she's rocking the Rose look, she's got the Catherine hair, she's Scottish like David, and we share a story - she had a small part in the series before she becomes companion, and I had a small part in the series before I became companion too. She's a marriage of us all and we love her! Well, I love her and I'm sure the others love her too because she's part of the family now!" (Digital Spy)

It's official: A&E has now confirmed that it has canceled drama series The Beast, which starred Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel. A&E president Bob DeBitetto said the series was "a labor of love" for the network. (Hollywood Reporter)

And UK network ITV officially confirmed the rumor that it had axed sci-fi series Primeval. (The Guardian)

The CW is developing unscripted pilot I Pledge, based on Katalyst's online series The Presidential Pledge, which featured celebrities committing to community service during 2009. The potential series would follow those stars "as they highlight causes they believe in, and help solve a problem in the process." Pilot will be executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, and Karey Burke. (Variety)

MTV Networks' Brian Graden will leave the company when his contract expires. He's expected to transition to a production deal with the Viacom-owned owned cable group. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has appointed Cory Shields to a newly created post of EVP, global policy strategies and alliances. He'll report to NBC Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker and EVP/general counsel Rick Cotton. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Flash Forward" Will Tell Complete Story, Lafayette Speaks, "Lost" Spin-offs "Impossible," ITV Axes "Primeval," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Producers of ABC's upcoming sci-fi series Flash Forward say that the series will offer a complete plot in its first season and will reveal answers in the first season finale. "We know exactly ... what season one is, with great specificity, because at ... the outset, we had to plan the entire season," showrunner/executive producer Marc Guggenheim told SCI FI Wire. "The first season ends with our characters' catching up to their futures. So you can't do that on the fly. I mean, I suppose you could, but I don't think it would be a very satisfying viewing experience for anybody. We made the commitment at the outset [to] plan out the entire first season before we start breaking episode two. So the very first thing we did, apart from ... figuring out character backstories and [all] that—when the time came ... to actually start breaking story, it was, 'OK, how are we going to move the characters from where they are in episode one to where they are at the end of the season?'" (SCI FI Wire)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello catches up with True Blood's Nelsan Ellis, who plays charismatic and flamboyant Lafayette to discuss the character's fate, the reveal in the season premiere of the HBO drama, and what's to come. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lost's Matthew Fox says that there won't be any spin-off series emanating from ABC's Lost once the series wraps its run next year. "I think the show will end in a way that there really cannot be any future of Lost," said Fox, shooting down dubious reports of a spin-off series. "I don't think the word Lost will come up at the end of the last [episode]. That's how much finality it will have. Unlike any other episode ever done on Lost, I think it will just go to black and that will be it." (Digital Spy)

Total Sci-Fi is reporting that UK broadcaster ITV has canceled sci-fi drama Primeval and won't be recommissioning it for a fourth season, despite ending the third season on a cliffhanger. "Obviously we're devastated that things should end this way with ITV," said an unnamed source close to the production. "But we're absolutely certain that although this stage of its evolution seems to be over, Primeval isn't dead. We're very proud of what we've achieved over the past three years and we have every intention of keeping Primeval alive in other ways." Those ways may include a possible US series or a feature film from Warner Bros. US fans may want to skip the spoiler-laden third paragraph, which contains spoilers for the third season finale. (Total Sci-Fi)

CBS has ordered three more installments of I Get That a Lot, a hidden-camera special in which celebrities work undercover at various run-of-the-mill jobs. The celebrities participating in the next batch of specials, from LMNO Entertainment and Magic Molehill, have yet to be named. (Variety)

TV Guide Channel is making some significant changes, beginning with the pink-slipping of 38 employees and programming downgrades. Weekly talk show TV Watercooler will be canceled as of June 22nd, while Hollywood 411, a daily entertainment news magazine, will become a weekly series and weekly series Infanity will become a series of specials. (Hollywood Reporter)

VH1 has given a series order to an untitled reality series which will focus on people afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder. The series, from 3 Ball Prods. and executive producers JD Roth, Todd Nelson, Adam Greener, Matt Assmus, Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, Alex Demyaneko, and Noah Pollack, will focus a group of OCD sufferers as they live together at a treatment facility and participate in group and solo treatment. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Renews "Dollhouse," "Bones" Gets Two Season Pickup, "So You Think You Can Dance" on Tap for Fall, and More

Welcome to (a very early edition of) your Monday morning television briefing on the first day of the 2009 network upfronts.

In a surprising twist, FOX has renewed drama series Dollhouse for a second season. Dollhouse, which secured a thirteen-episode order from the network, is expected to remain on Friday evenings next season. Variety's Cynthia Littleton writes, "The 20th Century Fox TV fantasy drama starring Eliza Dushku has delivered modest but consistent ratings on a low-trafficked night, thanks to Whedon's built-in fan base." It's believed that the renewal was secured after the studio agreed to drastically reduce the series' budget and accept a significantly lower license fee. Just what that decision will mean for the writing staff and cast of Dollhouse remains to be seen. (Variety)

Good news for Bones fans (even those irked by the season finale's twist): FOX and studio 20th Century Fox Television have signed a deal to renew Bones for not one but two seasons. The eleventh hour renewal came down to the wire as the two sides had to hammer out a new license fee for the series, which is returning for its fifth season this fall. News of Bones' renewal was announced by creator Hart Hanson via his Twitter account. Hanson also indicated that frequent guest star Stephen Fry would reprise his role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on the series. "There is every chance," said Hart, again via Twitter, "that Stephen Fry will be on Bones in the future." (Variety)

Elsewhere at FOX, the network is expected to announce a first-ever fall outing for reality franchise So You Think You Can Dance next season, likely to be paired with drama Glee on Wednesdays. Other potential timeslot pairings include House and Lie to Me on Mondays,Fringe and Human Target on Tuesdays, and Bones and So You Think You Can Dance's result show on Thursday. Just what will be paired with Dollhouse on Fridays? Past Life perhaps? Meanwhile, comedies Brothers and Sons of Tucson are expected to bow in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

Still more FOX news: FOX has ordered 13 episodes of comedy Brothers, starring Michael Strahan, Darryl "Chill" Mitchell, and CCH Pounder. Series, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, revolves around the strained relationship between two brothers, one a retired NFL player (Strahan) and other a wheelchair bound man (Mitchell) whose own dreams of NFL glory were sidelined by a car accident. Meanwhile, drama Maggie Hill is said to still be in contention for a midseason slot. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has reportedly given a go-ahead to begin staffing on three new drama series, making their official series orders all the more likely later this week. The untitled NCIS spin-off, medical drama Three Rivers (starring Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin), and legal drama The Good Wife (starring Julianna Margulies), all of which hail from CBS Television Studios (formerly known as CBS Paramount Network Television) have all been told to begin staffing ahead of CBS' official upfront presentation on Wednesday. (Variety)

Meanwhile, Nikki Finke is reporting that CBS has given medical drama Miami Trauma a greenlight to start staffing and that the Eye is considering launching U.S. Attorney in midseason. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

ABC has renewed reality series True Beauty for a second season. Project, from executive producers Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher, featured ten handsome contestants who live together in a house and undergo a series of challenges to determine which of them has the most inner beauty. (Futon Critic)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview/profile of Jane Lynch, currently on the small screen in Starz's Party Down and FOX's Glee. Lynch said that Party Down, created by Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, was the most fun she'd had in her life. "It’s what I really love to do. I love being part of a team where everybody’s kind of got equal weight, Lynch told Ryan. "It’s about teamwork. There’s really no room for the big ego-trip thing that you hear about." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

SPOILER: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello catches up with Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead after Friday evening's season finale to discuss the shocking ending of the series, which saw the death of Wentworth Miller's Michael Scofield. "For me, it is a happy ending," Olmstead told Ausiello. "Look at the very first episode of the season when Michael realizes Sara's alive. They have a chance to run away, and they both elect not to because, as two people of conscience, they can't live with what they both now have experienced. And at the end of the finale, when they're on the beach and talking about the baby that's coming, that's a huge victory in that they both stood their ground and, with the help of other people, brought down the ultimate antagonist. So they have their moment." Olmstead also teases the plot of the two-hour direct-to-DVD Prison Break film, which is due to be released on July 28th. "Sara is on the hook for [killing] Michael's mother and she gets locked up while pregnant," said Olmstead. "The tables are turned… once a doctor in prison now imprisoned, and Michael's on the outside. The majority of the cast is back. It's Michael, Lincoln, Sara, Sucre, T-Bag, Mahone... all the heavy-hitters." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO has handed out a series order to animated series The Ricky Gervais Show, which will feature Gervais, his longtime writing partner and friend Stephen Merchant and the quirky Karl Pilkington, who has appeared with Gervais and Merchant on their podcast and will be the focal point for the series. Series, which has been ordered for thirteen episodes, hails from Media Rights Capital and Wildbrain and is expected to launch in 2010. "Karl is a man who believes that a sea lion is a cross between a fish and a dog," said Gervais and Merchant in a statement. "Hopefully, Karl will enter the pantheon of animated greats."(Variety)

Reports are swirling that ITV sci-fi drama Primeval, which airs Stateside on BBC America and Sci Fi, could birth a spin-off of its own. Executive producers Jonathan Drake and Tim Haines have reportedly begun drafting plans for a second Primeval-based project that could expand the series' mythology outside the UK and could be set in the United States. (Digital Spy)

Former CSI castmember Jorja Fox will guest star on an upcoming episode of Lifetime's dramedy Drop Dead Diva, which premieres July 12th. Fox will play a "soccer mom with a criminal past" on an episode of the Lifetime series about a dead model who is reborn into the body of an overweight attorney. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

20th Century Fox Television has signed a deal with Columbia Records to release music from the upcoming series Glee on iTunes and other digital platforms as well as on compact disc. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin talks with Gossip Girl's Jessica Szohr about what's to come on the CW drama series. Szohr teases that Vanessa will definitely get over Nate ditching her for Blair and that there could be the potential for another encounter with Chuck Bass. "Obviously, Vanessa's a little bit hurt because that's her boyfriend, but what comes around goes around, so I'm sure Vanessa will be all right. [...] Vanessa hates Chuck... that's what's fun about it. We'll see." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX and animation studio Aniboom have teamed up on a contest where animates can submit short films. The prize: a development deal at FOX and the opportunity to create the "next great animated holiday special" or, potentially, a weekly series. "FOX has long been the sole primetime animation powerhouse, and we're searching for a fresh new animated holiday special that could potentially become an instant classic and maybe even a weekly series," said FOX president Kevin Reilly. "By tapping into Aniboom's community of undiscovered talent, we hope to find the next original hit holiday concept, like Simpsons Treehouse of Horror or A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas." (Hollywood Reporter)

Ryan Seacrest has indicated that there could be some major changes in store for next season of FOX's American Idol. "I don't know what they'll do next year. I don't know if they'll keep the tweaks that they've made this season or if they're going to implement new ones," Seacrest told Broadcasting & Cable's Marisa Guthrie. "But it's no secret that Simon is thinking about it being his last season. Everyone's deal is up next year except for Paula's." (Broadcasting & Cable)

CBS Television Studios have signed a two-year first-look deal with Drew Carey, currently the host of daytime game show The Price Is Right. Under the terms of the deal, Carey will develop projects via his International Mammoth TV shingle. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Shonda Rhimes Talks "Grey's" Twists, FOX Delves into "Past Life," CW Staffing on "Melrose Place" and "Vampire Diaries," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Still reeling from last night's season finale of ABC's Grey's Anatomy? Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive interview with series creator Shonda Rhimes about some of the shocking plot twists in last night's season ender. Responding to rumors about whether Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight wanted off of Grey's Anatomy and how this impacted their characters' fates, Rhimes said simply, "I don't think there are any coincidences. I think Katherine's stated publicly that she's happy to stay. I think that there have been lots of rumors about TR, but TR's never said anything. Take from it what you will." Rhimes also discusses the fates of Izzie and George, Mer and Der's wedding day, Jessica Capshaw, and a host of other Grey's related issues. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has given a series order to supernatural drama Past Life (formerly known as The Reincarnationist), about a psychologist and a former NYPD homicide detective who assist people in solving "their past-life traumas and present-day crimes." Project, from Warner Bros. Television, is written and executive produced by David Hudgins. Cast includes Kelli Giddish, Nicholas Bishop, Richard Schiff, and Ravi Patel. (Variety)

The CW has reportedly locked Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries into its fall schedule. Both series were given the go-ahead yesterday to bring staffing, which points rather strongly to both projects getting ordered to series. Meanwhile, Beautiful Life, Life Unexpected, and Privileged continue to battle it out for the last remaining slot on the schedule and the Gossip Girl spin-off is said to still be in contention for a midseason bow. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be considering making some rather big changes to bubble comedy Samantha Who? and is reportedly even debating whether to change the series' format into a traditional multi-camera comedy, albeit it one that follows a similar format to 20th Century Fox Television's How I Met Your Mother, which shoots over four days on a soundstage with multiple cameras but without a live audience. The network still has seven unaired episodes of Samantha Who?, which would mean that it's unlikely ABC would renew it for a full 22-episode order. (Variety)

Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke have signed on to appear in six episodes of Scrubs, should ABC opt to renew the series for a ninth season. Additionally, John C. McGinley, Donald Faison, and Neil Flynn are set to return full-time for a potential ninth season if their pilots aren't ordered to series. The short-term return of Braff and Chalke would help the series set up new storylines for the younger doctors. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Meanwhile, ABC is said to be high on Patricia Heaton comedy vehicle The Middle, along with Bill Lawrence's Cougar Town (starring Courteney Cox), and The Law. Network was said to be less than pleased with the pilots for Romantically Challenged and Awesome Hank yet may still order one or both of them to series. On the drama front, The Forgotten has the best chances of landing on the schedule but the net is also considering such projects as V, Inside the Box, Eastwick, and Happy Town. (Variety)

Janeane Garofalo will not be returning for Day Eight of FOX's 24 next season. "I think the secret of this show is knowing when characters have had their story," executive producer Howard Gordon told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "And to transpose everybody [from D.C. to New York] starts feeling very coincidental. Even getting Chloe there ... you have to explain how she got from Washington to New York and what happened. You can't do that for everybody." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has renewed Last Call with Carson Daly for the 2009-10 season, a move which solidifies NBC's latenight strategy. Series, entering its ninth season, will return with a significantly lower budget next season. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel is set to star as Holly Golightly opposite Joseph Cross (Milk) in an upcoming stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's, set to preview beginning September 9th for a September 29th launch at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. (Variety)

Hilarie Burton has told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello about her departure--which she says was "not a rash decision"--from CW's One Tree Hill at the end of the current season, which wraps on Monday evening. "There really wasn't a lot of turmoil," said Burton about her departure. "It was a fabulous six-year run, which is how long my contract was for, and I feel really lucky to have been a part of the show. So when I hear that there's turmoil or negotiations based on money it kind of hurts my feelings, because it's not what's been going on at all. I think my fan base in particular knows that money isn't necessarily a big motivator for me, that's why I work in the world of independent film... I've known for a little while. For me, it was definitely an emotional decision. And a professional decision as well. I got really, really lucky. One Tree Hill was my very first television audition; it was a fairytale. I feel really lucky to have that level of success right out of the gate." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Confirming a rumor swirling several weeks ago, Warner Bros has acquired screen rights to ITV series Primeval, which airs in the US on BBC America and Sci Fi, with the aim to adapt it into a feature film, set in the US, under the aegis of Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster. "There is a solid mythology to the series, but the movie has the dinosaur element of Jurassic Park and the time travel element of Lost, and it just feels like the kind of big movie that Warner Bros. does well," said Foster. (Variety)

UK network Sky1 has scored the world premiere of two Prison Break episodes that are being billed as a special event movie entitled Prison Break: The Final Break. The network will air the two-hour movie on Wednesday, May 27th at 10 pm, a week after airing the fourth season finale which marks the end of the series. (Digital Spy)

Comedy Central has ordered seven episodes of animated comedy Ugly Americans, about an alternate universe where mythological creatures live among everyday people. Project, from writer David Stern (The Simpsons), will feature the voice talents of Matt Oberg, Randy Pearlstein, Mike Britt, Kurt Metzger, Rebekka Johnson, and Pete Holmes. The cabler also announced several projects in development, including: Judah Friedlander and Jordan Rubin's animated comedy Gypsy Cab, about a taxi driver in Manhattan who looks to pick up celebrity fares; single-cam workplace comedy The Sklar Brothers Sports Comedy Show; Midwest Teen Sex Show; The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down; procedural cop comedy The Fuzz, where police are played by humans and puppets; buddy comedy Workaholics; Ghost/Aliens; and several others. (Variety)

Cabler The N (which will be rebranded as TeenNick this fall) has ordered thirteen episodes of half-hour dramedy Gigantic, described as a "a coming-of-age story set in the world of the Hollywood elite packed with parties and privilege" which will feature "testimonials by real-life Hollywood teenagers as well as celebrity cameos." Project, from Reveille, is executive produced by Marti Noxon and Dawn Parouse. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Survivor executive producer Tom Shelly has signed an overall deal with Endemol USA, under which he will serve as executive producer on ABC's upcoming reality series Dating in the Dark as well as develop format ideas. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lindelof on "Lost" Finale, Olyphant Not Leaving "Damages," "Southland" Cast Feeling Positive About Renewal, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Just shortly after the airing of Lost's 100th episode, The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff recalls a recent interview with showrunner Damon Lindelof about he and the writing staff are preparing for the end of Lost in May 2010. "I think one of our biggest concerns is reaching the climax of the story too soon – you have to time it right, you have to walk that line between giving a steady supply of story and character pathos and mysteries being answered along the way, so that the audience doesn’t feel like it all comes in one big chunk," said Lindelof. "But then if you do it too soon, they kind of feel like, 'I got everything that I cared about halfway through the season, so why am I still watching?' And it’s terrifying. Finally, we’re going to do it. There’s no excuses, we don’t get to say, 'We didn’t get to end the show on our own terms. They kept us on the air three years longer than we wanted to be. Blah blah blah.' It’s like Galactica, you have to say, 'Here it is, do you like it? I hope you like it.' There’s a lot of second-guessing going on. I think the show will end exactly as it began. There’ll be people who love it, there’ll be people who hate it. There’ll be people who’ll be confused by it, there’ll be people who love being confused. It’ll end on its own terms." (New York Times' ArtsBeat)

Despite landing the lead role in an FX drama pilot, Timothy Olyphant won't be leaving the cast of FX's Damages, says series co-creator Todd Kessler. "We had a fantastic time working with him, and he’s expressed interest in wanting to come back," said Kessler. "And that pilot that he’s in is actually for FX and for the same studio that does our show, Sony, so it couldn’t be more conducive to bringing him back for our season as well." Later, Kessler also added that, while they hope that Olyphant's pilot gets ordered to series, they would love him to return for Season Three of Damages, should the scheduling work out. (Business Insider)

The cast of NBC's new drama series Southland are certain that they'll be getting renewed for next season. "We are feeling positive," said Southland's Regina King. "We're getting really great feedback. The reviews have been good, but it's not the reviews that make us feel confident. It's the fact that all of us have had at least nine or 10 instances each where we've been in the grocery store or the car wash and someone has been like, ‘Oh my God, I love that show!' "(E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Signs meanwhile are looking promising for a potential third season order for NBC's Chuck and a second season renewal for Parks and Recreation, while ABC is gearing up to order sci-fi series Flash Forward, for which the network launched a viral campaign this week during Lost. NBC is also said to be high on dramas Parenthood, Trauma, and Mercy while Legally Mad and Lost & Found received mixed responses but could still be in the mix. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Ugly Betty showrunner Silvio Horta about what to expect next season on the ABC drama, Justin's sexuality, Betty's braces, and Ashley Jensen's departure from the series. Of the latter, Horta said, "It was mutual. She's amazing. From the get-go, we found some really good stories for her, but we never found enough to service her character the way we wanted to and the way she wanted to. She wanted to do more, but it was [difficult] with a large ensemble like this to give her more. I hope in the future she'll come back. She's an important part of the show. [...] Next week's episode will [set things in motion] with Wilhelmina's baby – or her supposed baby – and it's going to lead to a lot of complications." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick will guest star in the upcoming third season of Showtime comedy Californication, where he will play Balt, a vampire lit-obsessed student of Hank Moody (David Duchovny). He's slated to appear in the season's second episode. (TVGuide.com)

HBO will launch new comedy series Hung, which stars Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, Jane Adams, Charlie Saxton, and Eddie Jemison, on June 28th at 10 pm ET/PT behind the Season Two premiere of drama True Blood. (Futon Critic)

Disney Channel has ordered a third season of The Wizards of Waverly Place, starring Selena Gomez, and has announced an original Wizards telpic, following the Russo clan as they go on a vacation to the Caribbean resort where their parents met, set to debut in August. (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime drama series Dexter won't return until the fall but Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to executive producer Sara Colleton about what to expect for Season Four. "This season, we're going to deal with: Can a serial killer juggle a personal life, work, and his 'dark passenger'?" said Colleton. "In other words, can Dexter have it all? Which is something all of us grapple with every day of our lives. So we're taking something that is a very human dilemma and putting it through the prism of Dexter's special needs." Ausiello has more specific detail about what to expect for Season Four, but beware: it's very spoilery. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Mark Burnett Prods. has acquired international remake rights for Starz comedy Head Case, marking the first time that the company has attempted to sell a scripted series format outside of the US. (Variety)

NBC Universal executive Nora O'Brien died unexpectedly on the set of NBC pilot Parenthood on Wednesday evening after complaining of dizziness and then collapsing. "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of our beloved colleague Nora, who was respected and cherished by so many people in the entertainment community," said NBC Universal in a statement. "She'll truly be missed by all of us." [Those of you who knew Nora knew her warm and generosity. She'll definitely be missed.] (Hollywood Reporter)

ITV has denied reports in The Sun that it had canceled sci-fi series Primeval, which launches its third season Stateside on May 16th on BBC America. "It's not true - it's not going to be axed," said an ITV spokesperson. "It just hasn't been recommissioned and it is not unusual to wait for a series to run before considering recommission." (Digital Spy)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has offered up a cheat sheet for the statuses of all new and returning series on broadcast networks. Take a quick look at the list, organized by network, to see which of your favorite series are tipped to return, guaranteed a renewal, or guaranteed a swift cancellation. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stay tuned.

Message from the Action Man: BBC America Pulls "Ashes to Ashes" Season Two, Slots "Primeval" Season Three Instead

Those of you anxious to see Season Two of the Life on Mars sequel series Ashes to Ashes had better hold on to your hats... and sit tight.

BBC America, which was slated to launch Season Two of Ashes to Ashes on Saturday, May 2nd, has indicated that it will be delaying the launch date for the second season, instead opting to launch Season Three of sci-fi series Primeval in the Saturdays at 9 pm timeslot.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise and was discovered only when BBC America sent out a press release for the launch of Primeval announcing that the series, which stars Douglas Henshall, Jason Flemyng, Lucy Brown, Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, Ben Miller, Laila Rouass, Juliet Aubrey, and Ben Mansfield, would be launching on Saturday, May 16th at 9 pm ET/PT.

What it failed to share was that Primeval would be taking over Ashes to Ashes' current timeslot.

Listings services, including TiVo's on-screen guide, Yahoo! TV, and Zap2it, had Ashes to Ashes' sophomore season launching next week and, at press time, still had May 2nd listed as the start date.

A BBC America publicist has confirmed to me via email that Primeval will be taking over Ashes to Ashes' timeslot.

No reason was given for the abrupt and unexpected change in scheduling and, as of yet, no current revised launch date for Season Two of Ashes to Ashes has been made available, other than that it will "air later this year."

Meanwhile, the BBC One trailer for Ashes to Ashes Season Two, which launched earlier this week in the UK, can be seen below.



Fingers crossed that we get Season Two of this sensational series sooner rather than later.

Ashes to Ashes will wrap its first season this Saturday at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

BBC America Announces "Being Human" and "Survivors," Season Three of "Primeval"

BBC America has announced three sci-fi dramas that will premiere later this year.

The digital cabler has announced that it will air supernatural drama Being Human, a co-production between Touchpaper Television and BBC America that recently launched on BBC Three in the UK, as six one-hour installments. It follows the lives of three roommates in Bristol, a vampire, a werewolf, and a female ghost, all struggling with what it means to be human.

Apocalyptic drama Survivors, a remake of the 1970's drama series (itself based on a Terry Nation novel) about the survivors of a worldwide viral holocaust, will air as a 90-minute pilot and five subsequent one-hour installments.

BBC America also announced that it had acquired Season Three of ITV's Primeval, comprised of ten one-hour episodes.

Full descriptions of the three series, slated to premiere later in 2009, can be found below.

BEING HUMAN - U.S. PREMIERE
Mixing the mythic with the commonplace, the farcical with the horrific and the domestic with the epic, this BBC America co-production is a witty and extraordinary look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. The trio do their best to live their lives as normally as possible, despite their strange and dark secrets. But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.

SURVIVORS - U.S. PREMIERE
The chilling new apocalyptic drama, Survivors, focuses on the world in the aftermath of a virus that has wiped out 99% of the human race. The lonely few who remain struggle to start over in a devastated world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. At the center of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant (Julie Graham), a woman whose strength comes from a burning need to find out if her young son is still alive. This brave new world brings an opportunity for new beginnings, but also terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water, but a deadly threat from other survivors.

PRIMEVAL - U.S. PREMIERE
Sci-fi thriller Primeval roars back onto BBC America. When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) discovers prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present day, the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Unexplained anomalies are ripping holes in the fabric of time, allowing creatures to roam the modern world. In the new season Cutter struggles with the death of his assistant and his wife’s betrayal, while the cloak of secrecy behind which they’ve been working is beginning to slip.

Stay tuned.

From Across the Pond: BBC America's "Primeval"

I'll admit that I was skeptical about the premise for BBC America's latest series offering, Primeval, which launches next weekend on the digital cabler.

After all, it is the story of a motley band of scientists who investigate anomalies in time and the strange creatures--both prehistoric and futuristic--which have emerged from these rips in the fabric of time. If it sounds to you vaguely like Torchwood, you'd be correct, though I don't believe it was the Primeval producing team's intent to rip-off the Doctor Who spin-off, which teams with a motley band of, er, adventurers and scientists who investigate anomalies in time and the strange creatures--alien in origin--that have emerged from the rift.

But while Torchwood is an incredibly bleak, sex-fueled romp through the underbelly of Cardiff (not to mention the entire Doctor Who mythos), Primeval is just the opposite: at times impossibly sunny and inoffensive, it's an action/adventure series for the entire family, especially those with kids who are obsessed with dinosaurs.

Those dinosaurs (and other creatures who are biological throwbacks to other eras or futuristic evolutions of animals we know today) are the brainchild of creators Adrian Hodges (The Ruby in the Smoke) and Tim Haines of Impossible Pictures, who previously created the Walking with Dinosaurs/Walking with Beasts/Walking with Monsters documentary series franchise. The special effects are a bit wobbly; sometimes they are absolutely fantastic (and frightening to boot) and other times they are incredibly cheesy and fake-looking (take a look at the creature nicknamed Rex to see what I mean). But if you're looking for a mindless hour of vaguely pseudo-scientific action, you can do far worse than Primeval; hell, it's a full head and shoulders better in quality than the BBC's horrifically awful Bonekickers, currently airing now across the pond.

But I am getting ahead of myself. There's the plot to consider as well. Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) is a professor of paleontology at Central Metropolitan University still mourning the disappearance of his estranged wife Helen (Juliet Aubrey) eight years before; she vanished while investigating a possible time anomaly near the Forest of Dean. Now, eight years after her disappearance, another anomaly has sprung up, way too close to the area where Helen vanished to be coincidental and there are reports of a strange creature attacking a truck containing food. This last bit is brought to the attention of Cutter and his lab technician Stephen Hart (James Murray) by their conspiracy-hungry student Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts). Meanwhile, reports of a strange lizard have brought local zoologist Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) to the area as well. Cutter's investigation reaches the attention of the Home Office, which sends Claudia Brown (Lucy Brown) as an official government liaison.

Before you can say archaeopteryx, all of them have teamed up to explore the anomaly, a rip in the fabric of time that is connecting their world to a prehistoric era... which Cutter enters to investigate and uncovers evidence that Helen had entered that rift and perhaps died on the other side. Of course, Helen might not be dead either, as evidenced by two sightings by Cutter at the end of Episode One and by an injured Stephen Hart in Episode Two.

All in all, Primeval isn't a bad series; it's just not one that has immediately captured my attention by the end of the second episode. Sure, Henshall is good as serious, erudite Nick Cutter and, yes, he's surrounded with some quirky characters (including the underwear-clad Abby Maitland), but there's just something missing, for lack of a better word, from the series' scripts. I wanted something significantly more taut and tense, whilst being thrilling to boot. What I got instead was something a little more middle-of-the-road than I had anticipated. Primeval could improve in subsequent episodes (I only got through the first two of the four episodes provided for review) but so far Russell T. Davies and the writing staff of Doctor Who/Torchwood don't have anything to fear.

Primeval kicks off August 9th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.