Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Treme, Damages May Be Dead, Jared Harris Promoted on Mad Men, 24, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

It took just one episode, apparently, before HBO ordered a second season of New Orleans-set drama series Treme, from creators David Simon and Eric Overmyer. "We would have picked up this show last week," HBO president Michael Lombardo told The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "We've seen the first nine episodes it's as strong as any show we've seen. Much like The Wire, the audience is so passionate and so invested. We're about servicing our subscriber base and I believe that people will become addicted to this show. We have to be a place where this kind of excellence is giving space to continue." According to Lombardo, Season Two of Treme is being targeted for a spring 2011 debut, where it will likely be paired with the first season of fantasy drama Game of Thrones. "They should be ready about the same time," said Lombardo. "[Game] looks beautiful, the compelling scripts are just fantastic, we're doing reshoots but nothing major. The show is there." Production on Treme's second season will begin this fall. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian, meanwhile, talks to Lombardo in a Q&A-style interview about the Treme renewal. "The first season of True Blood we picked up in the first week. Whether it was after the first day, I don't recall," Lombardo told Adalian. "But I must be candid: We knew we were picking this up (before the premiere). We were actually trying to arrange a phone call with David before we got numbers, but because of David Mills' funeral, that was just impossible. We were sure early on in a way that was unique." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Variety's Stuart Levine is reporting that Monday night's season finale of FX's Damages may wind up being the series finale, after all. "Despite a meeting in the next two weeks between Sony Pictures Television and DirecTV to discuss the possibility of the Glenn Close skein changing networks, insiders say it doesn't look as though the drama is a good fit for the satellite provider," writes Levine. "Sony, of course, wants to see Damages continue, but the studio would have to take a substantial license-fee reduction. With what would be the fourth year of the show, and cast and crew expecting salary increases, it would likely be difficult -- though not impossible -- to cut costs." If Sony was able to broker a deal with DirecTV, their Channel 101 would want to take the first window of Damages' fourth season, which could be a problem for FX, which co-produces the legal drama. [Editor: I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that something could be worked out but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the finale as much as I possibly can.] (Variety)

Good news for Mad Men fans: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jared Harris has been promoted to series regular for Season Four of the period drama, which returns to AMC this summer. "Harris joined the Emmy-winning drama in Season Three as Lane Pryce, Sterling Cooper’s new financial officer (installed by UK parent company Putnam, Powell, and Low)," writes Ausiello. "In the finale, he became a founding partner in SCDP alongside Don Draper, Bert Cooper, and Roger Sterling." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Ausiello also has a spoiler-laden interview with 24 executive producer Howard Gordon about this week's shocking twist... which I won't spoil here, but I will say that Gordon is candid about the decision they made and much more. "It was an incredibly emotional day," said Gordon about the final day of shooting on 24. "I’m just so incredibly proud to be a part of it... This has been an incredibly strong season. I can [only] judge it in terms of what my own opinion is of the show and what I hear about it anecdotally from the people who are friends and family, but I feel very proud of this year. Kiefer is very proud of this year. People are happy to be ending with such creative vigor." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot Southern Discomfort, where she will play Haley, described as "a recent Harvard graduate who returns to her Texas hometown to reunite with her old boyfriend." She'll star opposite Don Johnson and Mary Steenburgen in the pilot, which hails from Sony Pictures Television, Tantamount, and ABC Studios. Bush's casting is said to be in second position to her role on the CW's One Tree Hill, which has yet to receive a pickup for another season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Ben Browder (Stargate SG-1) has joined the cast of the CW's drama pilot presentation Hellcats, where he is set to play football coach Red Irvine. (Deadline.com)

More wrestling is coming to Syfy, following the conclusion of a multi-year deal between cabler Syfy and World Wrestling Entertainment to bring Friday Night Smackdown to the sci-fi channel beginning October 1st. As part of the move, Syfy will shift its traditional Friday night programming block of originals--which includes Caprica, Stargate Universe, and Sanctuary, among others--to Tuesdays. "WWE is the ultimate in imagination-based sports entertainment," said Syfy programming president Dave Howe. "The fantastical thrills of Friday Night SmackDown provide an ideal addition to the Syfy slate, as it targets the younger male and female demographics, which are the fastest-growing categories for WWE." Syfy's current wrestling series, NXT, will wrap up its run in October. (Hollywood Reporter, Variety)

Naren Shankar is said to be leaving CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, stepping down from his role as executive producer/co-showrunner on the procedural drama in order to focus on his development deal with CBS Television Studios. (Deadline.com)

Kevin Eubanks will depart NBC's Tonight Show on May 28th and will be replaced, beginning June 6th, by American Idol's Rickey Minor, the musical competition series' music director. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Variety)

Looks like Glee star Lea Michele injured her knee while filming an upcoming episode that features the music of Lady Gaga. (Specifically, it was the glee club's take on Gaga's "Bad Romance.") "I'm directing that episode and I did more coverage on that song then we've ever done in the history of the show," co-creator Ryan Murphy tells told E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos. "It's a big number. It's like, big and athletic and hard. And those girls and Chris [Colfer] I think did it for six hours straight." As for Colfer, he too was amazed that he wasn't injured shooting the show-stopping number. "I almost died just trying on my getup," Colfer told Dos Santos. "Literally, I probably almost died because I wear 10-inch heels and those take some getting used to. They're like stilts walking around. They're platform, stick stiletto heels. And I had to dance my ass off in them [laughs.]" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

In other Glee-related news, FOX has released the Sue Sylvester "Vogue" video from next week's "Power of Madonna" episode of Glee. The video, a shot by shot remake of Madonna's "Vogue," can be seen in its entirety below:


BBC has confirmed that it will not be going ahead with a third season of post-apocalyptic drama series Survivors. "The BBC is committed to making a broad range of varied and ambitious drama, but in order to achieve this we do have to move on from some pieces in order to allow new work to come through," said a BBC spokesperson. "After two series, Survivors will not be returning." (Daily Telegraph)

Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Wizards of Waverly Place showrunner Peter Murrieta will depart the Disney Channel comedy should it be picked up for a fourth season. (Deadline.com)

Arthur Smith and Kent Weed's reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing a reality series based around Aussie magician James Galea and will pitch the project--which mixes comedy, illusion, and sleight of hand--to networks. (Variety)

Looks like Carrie and Co. will be walking in their Manolos over to E! and Style, according to a report by Alex Weprin in Broadcasting & Cable. Comcast Entertainment Group has signed a deal to acquire off-net and ancillary rights to all 94 episodes of HBO's Sex and the City beginning in January 2011. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Warner Bros. Television has hired ICM agent Tom Burke as SVP/head of casting for the studio, where he will oversee all casting both for WBTV and offshoot Warner Horizon. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Billy Campbell Lands The Killing, More on Conan-TBS Deal, NBC Gets Law & Order: Los Angeles, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Billy Campbell (The 4400) has been cast as one of the leads in AMC drama pilot The Killing, where he will play Darren Richmond, a City Council President in Seattle. Series, executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen and Veena Sud, revolves around three interlocking stories that are connected by the murder of a young girl. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

TBS' deal with Conan O'Brien for a latenight talk show is described as a "watershed moment" by Variety's Stuart Levine, who reports that the cabler's deal with O'Brien will bring more viewers to the channel who may not have come to the comedy-centric cabler before. Deal will create a two-hour latenight block (with George Lopez's Lopez Tonight that will air Mondays through Thursdays on TBS. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian has an interview with Turner Broadcasting Company's Steve Koonin about TBS' surprising deal with Conan O'Brien, who will bring his latenight show to the cabler in November. "The most important point is: Conan chose TBS. And he had lots of different opportunities," said Koonin. "We've been very vociferous and vocal about trying to grow our business and saying we're as good as broadcast. To have someone like Conan (come to TBS) ... validates what we've been saying. We are every bit as good as broadcast television. It's a win for the whole (cable industry)." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

[Editor: FOX affiliates are said to be relieved that Conan O'Brien won't be coming to their network, according to a report by Broadcasting & Cable's Michael Malone, which can be read here.]

George Lopez, meanwhile, will move his TBS latenight talk show Lopez Tonight to midnight in order to accommodate O'Brien's new series. "I want to say that I am completely 100% on board with this move," said Lopez on last night's show. "I talked to Conan on Wednesday and I talked to him last night and I said I welcome you into my deep loving embrace." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

NBC has allegedly ordered thirteen episodes of Law & Order spin-off series Law & Order: Los Angeles (a.k.a. LOLA), which it will launch this fall, according to Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva, who reports that Blake Masters (Brotherhood) has been hired to write the series. However, neither NBC nor executive producer Dick Wolf would comment on the report. Should the move go forward, it's possible that the Peacock will once again be home to at least three iterations of the Law & Order franchise (with original-flavor Law & Order said to be look to return), but I can't help but wonder if NBC didn't learn its lesson about not shooting pilots first before ordering projects to series. (Deadline.com, The Wrap's TVMoJoe, Fancast)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Diane Keaton is in talks to star in HBO comedy pilot Tilda, from executive producers Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. Should a deal close, Keaton would play a Hollywood blogger who is said to share some, uh, attributes with Nikki Finke. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looks like Matthew Broderick is getting some company on the beach. Patton Oswalt (Caprica) and Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) have been cast in NBC comedy pilot Beach Lane, which stars Broderick as an author who is hired by an slacker millionaire named James (Oswalt) to run his newspaper, based in the Hamptons. Johnston will play James' real estate agent step-sister. Project, from Universal Media Studios and Broadway Video, is written/executive produced by Paul Simms. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Reports are swirling that post-apocalyptic drama Survivors (which airs Stateside on BBC America) has been axed by BBC One after just two seasons. "Sadly the BBC aren't going to do any more Survivors," an unnamed source told Total Sci-Fi Online. "They expressed genuine affection for the show and a real desire to go again but felt that with the ratings having slipped a little since the first series they couldn't take the risk. The sad truth is that we're somewhat the victims of having gone out on the main channel - in some ways the exposure is wonderful but in other ways it's a mixed blessing." (via Digital Spy)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with V's Joel Gretsch about what's coming up on the ABC sci-fi drama series. "Yeah, he will," said Gretsch, when asked about whether Father Jack would have to choose between being a priest or a soldier. "The episode we're filming now, that question is very much in the forefront. Father Jack is really an unlikely resistance fighter. He's ill-equipped. Even though he was in the war, he was there from more of a spiritual standpoint. Father Jack is a fish out of water, yet he is learning that he's got to do something. He will definitely find his way through this, though it's not an easy road for him and it pushes his moral dilemma." (TVGuide.com)

Pilot casting update: Kyle Howard (My Boys) has been cast opposite Olivia Munn in NBC comedy pilot Perfect Couples; Max Ehrich (The Pregnancy Pact) has been cast in two CBS pilots, Quinn-Tuplets and Team Spitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

Starz is said to be developing two mini-series projects with Ben Silverman's Electus: historical drama William the Conquerer, from executive producer Pierre Morel, and action-thriller Peacekeeper, co-created by Fisher Stevens and Silverman. Move comes after Starz has announced several international co-productions, including Pillars of the Earth and Camelot. (Variety)

Syfy has teamed up with RHI Entertainment to produce two telefilms for the cabler: The Other Side and Roadkill. (Hollywood Reporter)

Scott Free and Tandem have announced that they are developing a mini-series sequel to their upcoming period drama Pillars of the Earth that will be based on Ken Follett's sequel, "World Without End." John Pielmeier will write the script for a possible eight-hour mini-series and Starz will co-finance the development of the project with Tandem. (Variety)

Hasbro Studios has hired Cartoon Network executive Finn Arnesen as SVP of international distribution and development, where he will oversee the studio's international expansion and report to Stephen Davis. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Hope Never Dies: An Advance Review of the Season Premiere of BBC America's "Survivors"

For the survivors of the European flu, things have not been going so well lately.

During Saturday night's season finale of BBC America's Survivors, members of the group were alternately kidnapped, shot, and forced to participate in a child thief gang that would have felt quite at home in Charles Dickens' Oliver. In other words: things couldn't really get much worse. And yet...

In tonight's gripping second season premiere, the loose band of survivors discovers that things can in fact get a lot worse, as they face their toughest challenges yet and continue to become increasingly splintered by outside forces. Tonight's episode pushes them to the brink of death itself, as several characters find themselves trapped in untenable situations from which escape seems futile while one of them makes a selfless sacrifice in an effort to earn her place among the group.

Survivors has thrived by offering a heady blend of post-apocalyptic suspense and a meditative exploration of the human condition under some bleak circumstances and tonight's episode is no exception to that rule. What do we do when faced with certain death? When the world comes crumbling down around our heads, do we hide or fight? Can you trust in the kindness of strangers or is there always a price to pay?

Season Two of Survivors takes place moments after the end of the freshman season as Anya and Tom attempt to save the life of Greg, wounded by a shotgun blast minutes before at the hands of the sadistic Dexter. But attempting to operate on a gunshot wound victim in the middle of a horror-filled London isn't exactly easy and Anya needs vital hospital equipment if she has any chance of saving Greg's life. Thus, a last-ditch mission to the hospital where Anya worked as Anya, Tom, and Al attempt to grab some supplies while Sarah and Najid keep an eye on the delirious Greg.

The only problem: Anya didn't count on the hospital being on fire.

I won't say any more about that situation but it ranks up there with some of the most grueling and tense situations on the series to date as the severity of their situation is tested by even more terror, the aching possibility of loss, and a brutal encounter experienced by the manipulative Sarah, who discovers that she is in way over her head.

Greg, meanwhile, suffering from the results of the gunshot wound and having his chest cut open without any anesthesia, begins to imagine/remember life before the virus outbreak, giving the audience some vital clues into his past and his character, including one reveal that tantalizingly dangles in the air. While he struggles with his past actions, his sole desire is to locate and save Abby, taken during the season finale by a group of armed men from the lab.

Abby's presence at the laboratory kicks up a whole new direction for the series as we learn more about the lab and its scientists, who they are, what they want, and what their true mission is. I was extremely surprised by a crucial reveal at the end of the episode as well as an intriguing subplot that makes me wonder just what is actually going on with this lab. Look for Whittaker, the Machiavellian head scientist, to become a more fully realized and three-dimensional character as he explains--or lies--to Abby about what they want from her and as we learn a great deal about his own character flaws.

Three words--"hope never dies"--may hold some critical answers and I can't wait to see just how this story pans out. Survivors continues to surprise with its grittiness, plot twists, and compelling characters and despite the series' move to Tuesdays (where it will now air opposite Lost), it's a series that's well worth your time.

Season Two of Survivors begins tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

BBC America Announces Season Two of "Survivors," New Night

BBC America's post-apocalyptic thriller Survivors will live on... on Tuesday nights.

The Adrian Hodges-executive produced Survivors, which wrapped up its second season in the UK earlier this year on BBC One, will conclude its first season Stateside on Saturday, March 20th... before the digital cabler launches Season Two just three days later on Tuesday, March 23rd at 9 pm ET/PT.

Given that Survivors had previously aired on Saturdays, the move could mark a return for the network to scripted drama series during the week. (Fingers crossed.) In recent years, the network has programmed mostly reality series during the week with a few notable exceptions such as Skins, The Inbetweeners, and Gavin & Stacey... though it's worth noting that the series will now go up against ABC's Lost.

Here's how BBC America described Season Two of Survivors:

"Season Two shows the group now struggling not just against the difficulties of day to day life amid the ruins of the post-virus apocalypse, but also against the threat of other emerging communities and the machinations of the sinister Lab. Returning for this high octane second season alongside Abby is: Greg, a loner, hiding the pain of his past; Anya, a doctor who has seen too much; Al, a playboy who became a surrogate father to young and headstrong Najid; Sarah, a hedonist used to getting her own way and Tom Price – handsome, dangerous and a high security prisoner before the virus hit.

As the season unfolds and the tension mounts, the threat of danger, concealed secrets, lies and violence is eternally present, and the group is forced time and again to ask themselves: are they in it together, or is it each man for himself?"

The full press release from BBC America can be found below.

SURVIVORS CONTINUES WITH THE U.S PREMIERE OF SEASON TWO
NOW ON TUESDAYS
The U.S. premiere season of BBC AMERICA’s thrilling new series, Survivors has viewers glued to their screens and on the heels of season one’s upcoming explosive finale comes the U.S. premiere of season two. TV Guide called Survivors, “down-to-earth sci-fi at its gritty best” while Variety said “Post-apocalyptic visions have been all the rage of late, but BBC AMERICA's Survivors finds a sweet spot in the midst of such mayhem...” Survivors season one finale airs Saturday, March 20, 9:00p.m. ET/PT and season two premieres on a new night, Tuesday, March 23, 9:00p.m. ET/PT.

From the co-creator and writer of Primeval, Adrian Hodges, season one introduced viewers to a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant (Julie Graham). They all experienced the similar devastating loss of family and friends when a mystery virus killed almost the entire human race. Abby left London to discover whether her son Peter, who was on a school adventure holiday, had survived. On her way, she came across the other survivors, some of whom bonded into a group. But without the rule of law she never knew if the next person she encounters would prove friendly or hostile.

Season two shows the group now struggling not just against the difficulties of day to day life amid the ruins of the post-virus apocalypse, but also against the threat of other emerging communities and the machinations of the sinister Lab. Returning for this high octane second season alongside Abby is, Greg, a loner, hiding the pain of his past; Anya, a doctor who has seen too much; Al, a playboy who became a surrogate father to young and headstrong Najid; Sarah, a hedonist used to getting her own way and Tom Price – handsome, dangerous and a high security prisoner before the virus hit.

As the season unfolds and the tension mounts, the threat of danger, concealed secrets, lies and violence is eternally present, and the group is forced time and again to ask themselves: are they in it together, or is it each man for himself?

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 67 million homes.

The Daily Beast: "The Lonely Life of Survivors"

Looking for more information about BBC America's post-apocalyptic drama series Survivors?

Head over to The Daily Beast to read my latest piece, entitled, "The Lonely Life of Survivors," which is an interview with writer/executive producer Adrian Hodges in which we discuss the differences between Survivors and Terry Nation's original 1970s drama series, H1N1 fears, hope versus hopelessness, the human condition, and much more.

Survivors premieres tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

The End of the World: An Advance Review of BBC America's "Survivors"

"There are so few of us left, every new person feels like a gift." - Abby Grant

BBC America's gripping and provocative drama series Survivors recounts the aftermath of a viral outbreak that wipes out 99 percent of the world's population. It's a nightmarish scenario that places these characters under the most gruesome of circumstances as they struggle to not only contain their grief and anger but also look for some way to survive.

Based on Terry Nation's novel and adapted by Adrian Hodges (Primeval), Survivors is gritty sci-fi at its most painful and realistic. The opening installment's first 45 minutes might be some of the most brutal and emotionally raw sequences ever to air on television as the virus spreads at an alarming rate and kills just about everyone. There's a palpable sense of loss and fragility as England comes tumbling down, but there's also a sense of hope emerging from the ashes as well.

For a group of strangers who band together into a makeshift community, it's as though they've taken Jack Shephard's message to heart: "We either live together or we die alone." What survives the global viral outbreak isn't so much old ways of thinking but rather the human spirit itself: unbreakable, adaptive, and wholly resilient.

Offering a cross-section of modern British society, the band of strangers is comprised of young and old, men and women, doctors and criminals, a wide swath of races and creeds represented. As this group struggles to stay together and create something new out of the destruction of everything they've known, there is a feeling that's rather similar to the early days of Lost: a group of ordinary people linked together by an extraordinary event that will forever define their lives.

For Abby Grant (Julie Graham), she's lost her husband but is clinging to the hope that her son Peter may have survived the outbreak and is out there somewhere. Greg Preston (Paterson Joseph) is in search of solitude but finds himself caught up in Abby's quest for unity. Tom Price (Max Beesley) is a brutal and charismatic killer who escapes prison and conceals his identity. Al Sadiq (Phillip Rhys) is a playboy millionaire who has never had to fend for himself but his wealth matters little in the world post-virus. Anya Raczynski (Zoe Tapper) is a young doctor who finds herself unable to stop the death around her and is haunted by her failure. Young Muslim Najid (Chahak Patel) continues to see the potential for good around him, despite having lost his entire family. Together, they carve out a new place for themselves in an increasingly uncertain world, one that is beset by lawlessness and anarchy. Their separate stories become inexorbly intertwined.

But Survivors isn't just about their daily struggles to forage for food and water, nor about their attempts to recreate the world. There's an intriguing serialized element, an overarching mythology, that becomes apparent by the end of the first installment. I won't say too much about it, lest I spoil the surprise but I will say that there are far more questions raised at the end of the first episode than were immediately apparent and a nice twist frames the series in a very different way.

The cast is top-notch and the action starts off slow and soon builds to a fever pitch by the time the first season (six episodes) ends, becoming over the course of just a few episodes must-see television that is compelling and addictive.

Ultimately, Survivors offers a fresh take on the post-apocalyptic sci-fi subgenre, offering a vision of a future that is all too real and possible. But it also finds hope among the hopelessness, reminding each of us to count our blessings each and every day.



Survivors launches Saturday evening at 8 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

BBC America Offers Sneak Peeks of "Survivor," "The Choir," "Top Gear"

BBC America held its session today at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, offering panels on Survivors and The Choir allowing critics the opportunity to pose questions to Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear via satellite.

Post-apocalyptic drama Survivors will launch on February 13th with the first two seasons airing back-to-back on Saturday nights. Top Gear Season 13 premieres Monday, January 25th at 8 pm and The Choir is set to debut later this spring.

Promotional videos for BBC America's Survivors, The Choir, and Season 13 of Top Gear can be found below.

Trailer: Survivors:



Sneak Peak: BBC America's The Choir:



Trailer: Top Gear Season 13:



Stay tuned.

BBC America Announces Launch Date for "Survivors"

BBC America has announced the launch date for post-apocalyptic drama series Survivors.

The much-delayed Survivors, which is an adaptation of the cult classic 1970s series (itself based on Terry Nation's novel), will have its US premiere on Saturday, February 13th at 8 pm ET/PT, before shifting to its regular timeslot at 9 pm ET/PT the following week.

The series tracks the adventures of a group of people who survive a global viral holocaust that wipes out 99 percent of the human race's population and who struggle to stay alive in the face of unspeakable odds following this global catastrophe.

In the official scheduling announcement, BBC America refers to the "twelve-episode season" of Survivors, which is a sign that the digital cabler intend to air the first two UK seasons of Survivors back-to-back. Season One, which aired in the UK in 2008, was comprised of six episodes and the second season of Survivors will launch early next year in the United Kingdom.

This version of Survivors, overseen by Adrian Hodges (Primeval), boasts a cast that includes Julie Graham (Bonekickers), Paterson Joseph (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon), Phillip Rhys (Nip/Tuck), Zoë Tapper (Demons), Nikki Amuka–Bird, Shaun Dingwall, and Chahak Patel.

"Survivors is about what it means to be human, said Hodges. "It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?"

The full press release from BBC America announcing the scheduling can be found below.

ONE VIRUS. MILLIONS DEAD. ALL THAT’S LEFT IS HOPE.

Imagine what would happen if a virulent disease scoured the planet, wiping out 99% of the human race. It kills every member of your family, your lovers, friends, neighbors and probably everyone you have ever known. Imagine the world stripped of all the conveniences of the 21st Century – no law, no shops, no communications, no transport, no electricity, no clean water. This is the apocalyptic scenario facing the heroes at the center of this chilling new drama series, brought to you by the co-creator and writer of Primeval. Set in the present day, Survivors focuses on the world in the aftermath of a virus where only a lonely few are left to start over in a devastated world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. The 12 episode season of Survivors premieres Saturday, February 13, 8:00p.m. ET/PT - subsequent episodes premiere at 9:00p.m. ET/PT.

In the middle of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant, a woman whose strength comes from a burning need to find out if her young son is still alive. Other members of the group include Greg (a good man who hides the pain of his past), Anya (a doctor who has seen too many people die) and Al, a former playboy who becomes surrogate father to streetwise urchin Najid. Then there is Tom, outwardly handsome and charming, but actually a dangerous and ruthless man who, unbeknown to the others, was a high-security prisoner before the virus hit.

This brave new world brings an opportunity for new beginnings, but also terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water, but also a deadly threat from other survivors. The cast includes Julie Graham as Abby Grant, Paterson Joseph as Greg, Freema Agyeman as Jenny, Max Beesley as Tom Price, Phillip Rhys as Al, Zoë Tapper as Anya, Nikki Amuka–Bird as Samantha Willis, Shaun Dingwall as David and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.

“Survivors is about what it means to be human,” says award-winning writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges (co-creator and writer of Primeval). “It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?”

Hodges’ Survivors is a re-imagining of the classic ‘70s BBC drama series, and is based on the novel by Terry Nation. Hodges adds: “Survivors is about adventure, fear, love, loyalty and friendship. But above all, it’s about new hope.”

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 65 million homes.

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.