Channel Surfing: Breaking Bad Won't Return Until July 2011, Nigel Lythgoe Closes Idol Deal, Zombies Vs. Vampires at NBC, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Could it be almost a year before Breaking Bad heads back to AMC? According to a Deadline interview with series lead Bryan Cranston, Season Four of Breaking Bad may not launch until July 2011, over a year after the end of last season. "I think what AMC is thinking here is there will be less competition for us -- particularly from the broadcast networks -- if we launch our season during the summer than if we come back again like we did this time in March," said Cranston. However, AMC and Sony Pictures Television will produce 3-4 minute mini-episodes of Breaking Bad that will run on AMC's website during the break. "The idea is to keep people aware and interested in the show during the long time away,” Cranston told Deadline. “But I, for one, am eager to make these little interstitials important. I don’t want them to be simply filler or recap, but something that actually moves the storyline forward. If we’re going to do it, it ought to be a real part of the larger show." (Deadline)

Well, at least FOX confirmed something: former American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will return to the musical competition series, where he will serve alongside Simon Fuller Cecile Frot-Coutaz, and Ken Warwick for Season Ten of Idol, which launches in January. "Since we launched the original Pop Idol in England, I’ve remained close with Simon Fuller," said Lythgoe in a statement. "Working as executive producer on American Idol for its first seven years not only was an inspirational journey into the heart of American pop culture, it opened my eyes to the untapped potential of the incredibly dynamic young people in this world. I have been able to continue discovering raw talent on So You Think You Can Dance, which I co-created with Simon. American Idol became a juggernaut of epic proportions, but to me it was always like home. I am elated and honored to be rejoining childhood friend and fellow executive producer Ken Warwick, and look forward to creating more magic." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Variety's Michael Schneider has a Q&A with Lythgoe about his return to American Idol in which they discuss his return to the series and his criticisms of the musical competition series. "I think some of my concerns were that over the last couple of years we've lost sight of the fact that the most important people in the production are the young artists," Lythgoe told Schneider. "And it's revolved around the judges, it's revolved around Kara coming in to make four judges, which often left them no time for them to talk at any great length. Certainly there are times I watched the show where Simon didn't even get a chance to say anything. Then it was about Paula leaving. Then it was all about Ellen joining. And somewhere in all of that muddle of judges the show was losing sight of the actual contestants. And I think we were also losing chemistry between the judges. And I will go back now and hopefully point out now that it isn't about stars, or what people did in the past of might do in the future that makes a good judge. It's about chemistry and it's about a team." (Variety's On the Air)

Could NBC be taking a page from AMC's playbook and going after the zombie-loving crowd? Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC has signed a script deal for Austin Winsberg's spec script Zombies Vs. Vampires, described as a "fun buddy cop procedural" with supernatural overtones. Project, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland, is executive produced by McG, Peter Johnson, and Winsberg. "It is set in a world where zombies are a part of society, controllable with medication," writes Andreeva. "The show's two leads (one secretly a vampire) are cops assigned to a squad specifically formed to deal with 'zombie crime.'" (Deadline)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has a series of video interviews with Chuck's Zachary Levi and the rest of the cast in which they tease details about Season Four, including the return of Nicole Ritchie, the casting of Linda Hamilton, Chuck and Sarah's relationship, and much more. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

AMC is said to be thisclose to handing out a series order to crime drama The Killing, based on the Danish series Forbrydelsen. (The US version is written by Veena Sud and directed by Patty Jenkins.) Project, from Fox Television Studios, stars Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes, Brent Sexton, Kristin Lehman, Eric Ladin, Jamie Anne Allman, and Joel Kinnaman. [Editor: I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this pans out as I loved the pilot script and would watch Enos in anything.] (Deadline)

MAJOR SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has details on just who Timothy Olyphant (FX's Justified) will be playing on NBC's The Office when he drops by Scranton next year. Ausiello reports that Olyphant will be playing "a rival paper salesman with a deep, dark secret: He used to date Pam!" Watch out, Jim... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Variety's Michael Schneider is reporting that former United States of Tara showrunner Jill Soloway has signed on to executive produce Zooey Deschanel's HBO comedy I'm With the Band, as well as Season Two of How to Make It in America. (Variety)

Russell Brand will play himself on the upcoming season of The Simpsons, reports TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck. Brand's episode, entitled "Angry Dad -- The Movie," is slated to air in early 2011 and will see him join Halle Berry and Ricky Gervais in the installment, which will feature "Bart and Homer [heading] to Los Angeles after they're nominated for an Academy Award for their animated short based on Bart's cartoon webseries, Angry Dad." (TV Guide Magazine)

NBC has pulled its self-help reality series Breakthrough with Tony Robbins from the schedule, effective immediately. The network will slate repeats of Minute to Win It in the timeslot. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Warner Bros. Television International has signed a package deal with UK's Five, under which the channel will receive exclusive terrestrial and digital right to Season Three of The Mentalist, while Five USA gets rights to Dark Blue and Blade, and Fiver gets Human Target. (Variety)

In other news, the studio is also set to acquire indie production company Shed Media (the makers of Supernanny and The Choir), in a deal said to be worth nearly £100 million. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: No Torchwood for FOX, Mireille Enos Gets Killing for AMC, Gervais and Merchant Find Life's Too Short, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd is reporting that FOX and BBC Worldwide Productions have mutually agreed not to proceed on the US version of Torchwood that was in development at the network. However, it still appears that the project is alive and will be shopped to other networks. "BBC Worldwide Productions and the FOX Broadcasting Company have mutually agreed not to progress together with a 13-episode serialized Torchwood format," said BBC Worldwide in a statement. "We are currently in discussion with several interested networks." Furthermore, BBC Worldwide's Jane Tranter said that they are forging ahead with the development of the project: "It's very much ongoing and very much alive," she told Hibberd, but reiterated that the company is not planning an American version of Doctor Who. [Editor: Whew, though I can't imagine Torchwood without John Barrowman, either.] (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Big Love's divine Mireille Enos has scored the lead role in AMC drama pilot The Killing, where she will star opposite Michelle Forbes and Billy Campbell in the project, which is based on Danish series Forbrydelsen. Enos will play Sarah, the lead homicide detective investigating the murder of a young girl as the story unfolds from multiple perspectives. Brent Sexton, Eric Ladin, Jamie Anne Allman, and Joel Kinnaman also star. Patty Jenkins (Monster) is set to direct from a script by Veena Sud. (Deadline.com)

The Office and Extras creators Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant have landed a pilot commitment from Auntie Beeb for a half-hour single camera comedy project entitled >Life's Too Short, which will star Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Willow) as himself in "an observation comedy which follows Warwick's day-to-day life in a small world where big things happen." Gervais and Merchant will also appear in the project in supporting roles. "We're having so much fun working with Warwick," said Gervais. "Pound for pound, he is one of the funniest men I know." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy is already in talks with Madonna about a sequel to this week's Material Girl-themed episode ("The Power of Madonna") for the fall, with Murphy telling Ausiello, "Madonna and her people are into it and want it to happen." The episode would feature six tracks that didn't appear in this week's episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Cartoon Network is developing a new version of Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes, featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and will be moving further into the live-action arena over the next year. The Looney Tunes Show "takes Bugs and Daffy out of the woods and puts them into the suburbs with 'colorful neighbors' including Yosemite Sam, Granny, Tweety and Sylvester," according to Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. (Hollywood Reporter)

Julianne Moore has denied reports that she was ever attached to the US remake of Prime Suspect that NBC is developing, telling TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck, "That was never true. Rumor." (TV Guide Magazine)

HBO has ordered a second season of comedy How To Make It in America, with eight episodes on tap for summer 2011. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

TLC has ordered six episodes of culinary reality series Best Food Ever, which offers a cross-country culinary overview of "popular dishes and restaurants." Series, narrated by John Goodman, will launch May 3rd at 10 pm ET/PT with an episode about the country's best sandwiches. (Variety)

Showtime will be bringing Lisa Kudrow's online series Web Therapy to television, announcing that it will thread together the series' 45 mini-sodes into half-hour episodes. Series will launch later in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian (soon to be departing to take over as West Coast editor of New York Magazine's Vulture site) is reporting that TNT has slated the launch of Rizzoli & Isles on Monday, July 12th at 10 pm ET/PT, leading out of the sixth season of The Closer, which launches the same night. Elsewhere, TBS has slated the return of comedy My Boys for Sunday, July 25th at 10 pm ET/PT. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Universal Media Studios has signed a one-year overall deal with former It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia writes Sonny Lee and Patrick Walsh, under which they will develop new comedy projects for the studio. (Congrats, Sonny!) (Hollywood Reporter)

TruTV is developing an unofficial spinoff of MTV's Jersey Shore called Wicked Summah that will depict Boston locals who summer on Cape Cod. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Nikki Finke is reporting that the CW is said to be considering picking up two UK reality series and retransmitting them here in the US this summer. (Deadline.com)

Comedy Central has ordered seven additional episodes of animated comedy Ugly Americans, which will debut in October. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Worldwide has promoted Gareth Williams to SVP of content and production for South America. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Michelle Forbes Gets Killing, Annie Wersching Talks 24 Consequences, Glee, Lost, Modern Family, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

From maenad to murder victim's parent: Former True Blood series regular Michelle Forbes has joined the cast of AMC drama pilot The Killing, along with Brent Sexton (In the Valley of Elah), Eric Ladin (Generation Kill), and Jamie Anne Allman (The Notebook). They join the previously announced Billy Campbell in the drama pilot, from Veena Sud and Mikkel Bondesen, which revolves around the police investigation into the murder of a young girl. Forbes and Sexton will play Mitch and Stanley, the girl's parents. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

If you haven't seen Monday's episode of 24, stop reading. TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with 24's Annie Wersching, who discusses the aftermath of this week's surprising twist and what's next for her. "In not knowing each other for that long, they are very similar and understood each other in a lot of ways," said Wersching about the relationship between Renee and Jack Bauer. "No one truly understood what it is to exist as someone who has to do the things that Jack Bauer does. Renee is as close as he was going to get to finding someone that really got him, and vice versa... Poor Jack cannot get a break. As you can imagine, he wants to take care of every single person who was involved with this... I'm so sad that I died, but she's very much still there in these last episodes all the way up until the end. For the most part, he goes rogue and wants to do things that people don't want him to do. Of course, he's Jack Bauer, so he finds a way to do them." (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jessalyn Gilsig's Terri and Cory Monteith's Finn are getting a "major season-ending storyline" that won't involve them becoming enmeshed in a romantic relationship. (Whew.) "Finn gets a job at Sheets & Things," co-creator Ryan Murphy told Ausiello. "He is very down on himself, and Terri realizes that she was not very supportive of her husband and she sees a lot of him in Finn. She met Will at 16, so she sees a way to redemption…a way to redo that relationship in a positive way [by acting] almost as Finn’s guardian angel, his fairy godmother. She gives him proper moral advice." The storyline will continue into Glee's second season, which launches this fall. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SPOILER! E! Online's Megan Masters talks to Lost star Jorge Garcia about this week's Hurley-centric episode of the ABC drama series and about the explosive death of Zuleikha Robinson's Ilana. "Don't hold your breath about too much more information about Ilana," Garcia told Masters. "You will see her again, but there's a lot of stuff to get to in the next six hours, so..." [Editor: I figured that we'd at least see Ilana again before The End but assumed that we'd get at least some information about her backstory, either via flashback or the divergent reality.] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Fancast's Matt Webb Mitovich talks to Modern Family star Julie Bowen about iPads, Julianna and Clive, working with Sofia Vergara, and why she won't be returning to Lost for the final season. "I really wish that was true, but that’s just a rumor," said Bowen about filming Modern Family in Hawaii and sneaking off to shoot scenes for Lost. "I would have loved to have done more for Lost. I’m a huge fan of the show, I love doing the show..." (Fancast)

Boom: Michael Bay has teamed up with Magical Elves' Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth to develop reality series One Way Out, a reality-based action-adventure series that that "pits everyday people against one another in a competition that involves physical challenges as well as the PSYOPS of creating alliances and keeping their own 'secret pasts' hidden from other players," according to Variety's Cynthia Littleton. Project is being shopped to the networks this week. (Variety)

Former Scrubs star Sarah Chalke is in high demand this development season: after shooting ABC comedy pilot Freshman, Chalke has now been cast in a second pilot, CBS high-school comedy Team Spitz. Given her role in Freshman, Chalke's participation in Team Spitz, where she will guest star as a high school guidance counselor, is said to be in second position. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Cast change afoot at Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller's CBS comedy pilot Hitched, where Sara Fletcher (My Secret Girlfriend) has replaced Kristin Kreuk just before the table read for the pilot. "Kreuk starred on two drama series, including her star-making turn on Smallville, and she was wonderful in an arc on Schwartz's NBC dramedy Chuck this season but she has never done a half-hour sitcom and Hitched ultimately proved not a perfect fit for her," wrote Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva. (Deadline.com)

Tina Brown and Bill Haber have optioned Laura Lippman's novel "In a Strange City," which revolves around female investigative journalist Tess Monaghan (who becomes a gumshoe when her paper closes), with an eye to adapting the book as an ongoing television series. Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York) has been brought on to adapt Lippman's novel and the trio plan to shop the project to broadcast and cable networks for next year's development cycle. (Variety)

Carla Gugino (Watchmen) and Addison Timlin (Cashmere Mafia) have signed on to appear in multiple-episode story arcs next season on Showtime's Californication), where Gugino will play a love interest for David Duchovny's Hank and Timlin will play an actress who stars "in a film within the show," according to Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva. (Deadline.com)

Comedy Central has ordered ten episodes of comedy The Onion Sports Network, will offer a satirical look at the work of sports. Project, executive produced by Julie Smith and Will Graham, will premiere in first quarter 2011. (Variety)

Production has been shut down on A&E's Steven Seagal: Lawman by the Jefferson Parish Police Department, following news that the series' star has been accused of sex trafficking. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Color me intrigued: UK's Channel 4 is developing a female-oriented comedy with the creators of comedies Peep Show and Two Pints of Lager and a Bag of Chips. (Broadcast)

MyNetwork has shored up its fall primetime schedule, which will include off-network acquisitions of such series as Burn Notice, Monk, and Without a Trace. Returning to the schedule are Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and Don't Forget the Lyrics! (Broadcasting & Cable)

VH1 has ordered eight episodes of reality series Football Wives, which will follow the lives of NFL spouses. Project, from Shed Media, is set to launch at the end of 2010. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

AMC Gives Pilot Orders to "The Walking Dead" and "The Killing"

AMC today announced that it has given pilot orders to two projects in development.

Both zombie drama The Walking Dead, based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, and crime drama The Killing, a US adaptation of Danish television series Forbrydelsen have received pilot orders and will begin production in the second quarter of 2010.

"The Walking Dead and The Killing are alone in their class in terms of the quality of the storytelling," said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content, in a statement. "Both have remarkable talent behind them, and present that rare opportunity to raise the bar significantly within a genre. It is a very exciting next step in our continuing commitment to presenting smart, sophisticated storytelling with broad appeal."

Robert Kirkman will serve as an executive producer on The Walking Dead and while Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) will write, direct and executive produce the pilot, alongside Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert.

The Killing, written and executive produced by Veena Sud (Cold Case), hails from Fox Television Studios and revolves around the murder of a young girl which leads to a major police investigation.

The full press release from AMC can be found below.

AMC ORDERS TWO PILOTS, BUILDING ON NETWORK’S
ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING STRATEGY

Pilot Order For
THE WALKING DEAD
Based on the Comic Book Series by Robert Kirkman

Pilot Order For
THE KILLING
Adapted from the Danish Series “Forbrydelsen”

New York, NY - January 20, 2010 - AMC announced today two pilot orders for The Walking Dead and The Killing. Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, has been in publication since October 2003 and is one of the most celebrated contemporary genre comics. The Killing is based on the wildly successful Danish series Forbrydelsen. Both pilots go into production in second quarter 2010. Today’s announcement marks the fourth and fifth pilot orders from AMC. The first three pilots developed were Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Rubicon, which all led to full series orders. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of AMC becoming the only network, in television history, to win three consecutive (2008, 2009, 2010) Golden Globe Awards for Best Dramatic Series for Mad Men.

“In a short time AMC has become known for telling the best stories on television. Today’s announcement underscores the network’s commitment to working with the premier talent in the industry and further supports AMC’s commitment to being the home for premium television on basic cable,” said Charlie Collier, president and general manager of AMC.

“The Walking Dead and The Killing are alone in their class in terms of the quality of the storytelling. Both have remarkable talent behind them, and present that rare opportunity to raise the bar significantly within a genre. It is a very exciting next step in our continuing commitment to presenting smart, sophisticated storytelling with broad appeal,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content.

Previously announced as a project in development, Robert Kirkman has signed on to serve as an executive producer on The Walking Dead and three-time Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) has signed on to write, direct and executive produce. Valhalla Motion Pictures has signed on as the production company to produce the series with its Chairman, Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk) to executive produce. David Alpert from Circle of Confusion has also signed on as executive producer.

Written and executive produced by Veena Sud (Cold Case) The Killing is a drama series based on the murder of a young girl that then prompts a major police investigation. From Fox Television Studios, The Killing is executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice) from Fuse Entertainment. Fuse’s Kristen Campo is also a co-producer.

About The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive.

About The Killing
The Killing ties together three distinct stories by a single murder and as the detectives assigned to the case disagree about the best course of action, they chase down a variety of leads and suspects. Along the way there are major repercussions for the victim’s family, the detectives, the suspects, and the local politicians connected to the case. It is an exploration of Seattle politics; a unique portrayal of a victim’s grieving family, and a study of the personal life of a cop. There are no accidents in The Killing. Everyone has a secret, and while our characters think they’ve moved on, their past isn’t done with them.

About AMC
AMC reigns as the only basic cable network to win back-to-back Primetime Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Golden Globe® Awards for Best Television Series - Drama and boasts a comprehensive library of the most entertaining movies of all time. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC's original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, the upcoming miniseries The Prisoner and insightful non-scripted programming such as AMC News. AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection. Available in more than 95 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central. AMC is available across all platforms including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters Here.