The Daily Beast: "Is J.J. Abrams Too Big for TV?"

Sci-fi auteur Abrams' latest TV show, Undercovers, has gotten the axe at NBC.

Over at The Daily Beast, I take look at what went wrong and why TV needs a fully-committed, not watered down, Abrams in my latest feature, "Is J.J. Abrams Too Big for TV?"

Do you agree with my assessment? Did you try to watch Undercovers? Do you miss the days of Lost, Alias, and Felicity? Should Abrams be more committed to these television endeavors even as his feature film career skyrockets? Or is it a case of over-committing, audience expectations, or creative partnerships? Head to the comments section to discuss.

So Long, "Six Degrees"; ABC Replants "Trees"

Looks like maybe you can launch a series on Fridays, after all. That is, if you intend to move it to a better timeslot once one opens up.

ABC has announced that it will move drama Men in Trees from its Friday night timeslot (one of the very worst berths in all of Television Land) to the plum post-Grey's Anatomy timeslot on Thursdays at 10 pm, beginning November 30th.

And a further vote of confidence in the drama, ABC has ordered the back nine episodes of Men in Trees, bumping the series to a full 22-episode season in the process. It's the first full season pickup for a freshman series for Warner Bros. TV, the studio behind Men in Trees, and the third pickup for ABC, which previously announced it had ordered full seasons of Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters. (ABC is still weighing pickups on fellow freshman series The Nine and Help Me Help You.)

So what does that mean for the current holder of the post-Grey's Anatomy timeslot, the struggling drama Six Degrees? Not such good news, I'm afraid. Looks like that series aired its last episode of the year last week (ouch) and isn't anticipated to return to the schedule until January (if at all).

The likelihood of ABC ordering any new installments of the NYC-set drama is slim to none, so Six Degrees fans, make your peace now. It's increasingly looking like we'll never learn what was inside Mae's box after all.

Back Talk: ABC's "Six Degrees"

While I reviewed the original pilot of ABC's new drama Six Degrees here, what did you think of last night's premiere?

Have we seen too many of those random strangers bound by a web of chance or fate series? Do you prefer Campbell Scott with silver hair? What in the name of J.J. Abrams is in Mae's box? (Please don't let it be a pocket-sized Scotsman with a numbers-fixation.)

Share your back talk in this thread and tell me what you *really* think. (Come on, don't be shy.)