Pilot/Renewal Updates 2011

UPDATED 9:15 am Eastern, Thursday with CW’s new Fall Schedule link. As we head into the most infamous week in Network scheduling, the UpFront week, I, like many other bloggers, think now is the time to update everyone on where our favorite shows stand as of end of day yesterday.


ABC has announced their 2011-2012 Fall Schedule.

Officially renewed: CASTLE, COUGAR TOWN, GREY’S ANATOMY, MODERN FAMILY, PRIVATE PRACTICE, THE MIDDLE, THE BACHELOR, SHARK TANK, HAPPY ENDINGS, BODY OF PROOF, SECRET MILLIONAIRE, 20/20, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, DANCING WITH THE STARS, EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION, AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS

Officially canceled: MY GENERATION, SKATING WITH THE STARS, THE WHOLE TRUTH, SUPERNANNY, V, BROTHERS & SISTERS, OFF THE MAP, MR SUNSHINE, DETROIT 1-8-7, NO ORDINARY FAMILY, BETTER WITH YOU

Nothing official one way or the other: JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION (moved to summer), PRIMETIME, WIFE SWAP

Pilots given series orders:

  • PAN AM – Christina Ricci stars as a ‘stewardess’ aboard the great PAN AM planes in the 60s.  Loved this pilot script!
  • GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES (fka GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES) – Leslie Bibb heads back home to deal with a divorce only to be confronted by gossip in the neighborhood where she’s from.  Kristen Chenowith is a part of the cast and the pilot script is GREAT!
  • APARTMENT 23 (fka DON’T TRUST THE BITCH IN APARTMENT 23) – a comedy about a good midwestern girl (Dreama Walker) and a party girl (Krysten Ritter) who end up roommates.  James Van Der Beek plays a trumped up version of himself.
  • LAST MAN STANDING or LAST DAYS OF MAN – Tim Allen is returning to his roots in a show that I hear is similar to HOME IMPROVEMENT (and that’s amazing).  Nancy Travis plays his wife.
  • CHARLIE’S ANGELS – do you need a description?  You know about the 70s one.  This version’s pilot was shot in Miami with Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh, and Rebecca Taylor.
  • ONCE UPON A TIME – Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parilla star in this fantasy-mystery series from Kitsis and Horowitz (LOST)
  • THE RIVER – centers on Tess (Hope), a world traveler and top-notch producer who, six months after her TV explorer husband Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) goes missing in the Amazon, receives a signal from his beacon. Convinced that Emmet is alive, Tess forces her reluctant son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) to abandon his medical studies and lead a rescue expedition.
  • REVENGE – Emily Van Camp is sticking with ABC in Mike Kelley’s new show about a scorned woman who heads to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who wronged her family.  Just a hunch – music by Liz Phair!
  • SCANDAL – this is Shonda Rhimes’ crisis negotiator show starring Kerry Washington
  • MAN UP – a half-hour single-camera series, is a unique look at what it takes to survive as a modern man, told through three best friends and the women in their lives.  Christopher Moynihan stars.
  • WORK IT – Rebecca Mader and Amaury Nolasco star – follows two down on their luck car salesmen who must dress as women to get pharmaceutical rep jobs.
  • SUBPURGATORY – A satirical look at life in the suburbs that centers on a New York City girl who moves to a cookie-cutter community only to realize that life there is much scarier.

CBS is adding Saturday originals to their mix as it moves CSI and THE GOOD WIFE in their 2011-2012 schedule.

Officially renewed: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (for 2 years), SURVIVOR, THE AMAZING RACE, THE BIG BANG THEORY, NCIS, TWO AND A HALF MEN (with Ashton Kutcher), UNDERCOVER BOSS, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, CSI: NY, BLUE BLOODS, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI, CSI: MIAMI, HAWAII FIVE-O, NCIS: LA, MIKE & MOLLY, THE GOOD WIFE, THE MENTALIST, 48 HOURS MYSTERY

Officially canceled: CHAOS, MEDIUM, LIVE TO DANCE, SHIT MY DAD SAYS, MAD LOVE, THE DEFENDERS, CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR

Pilots given series orders:

  • PERSONS OF INTEREST – The pilot, which revolves around a CIA agent — Jim Caviezel — who teams up with an eccentric billionaire — michael Emerson — in New York City to prevent crimes.  It’s from JJ Abrams.
  • TWO BROKE GIRLS – Kat Dennings stars as one half of the two broke girls living in New York City (Beth Behrs is the other).  It’s from Whitney Cummings (great week for her) and Michael Patrick King (SEX AND THE CITY).
  • THE 2-2 (fka ROOKIES) – Robert DeNiro is producing this cop drama starring LeeLee Sobieski.  The show is about 6 rookie cops in the NYPD and how they deal with their personal and professional lives.
  • UNFORGETTABLE (fka THE REMEMBERER) – Poppy Montgomery stars as an NYPD cop who has the gift of remembering absolutely every little thing she learns / sees/ experiences.  Awesome at work, not so awesome in her personal life.  Love Poppy – I think this could be a fun show.
  • HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN – ENTOURAGE’s Kevin Dillon stars as a magazine writer who specializes in gentlemanly behavior.  The show is based on the book How to Be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy and was written/created by BONES’ hubby (and future dad-to-be) David Hornby – Cricket from IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA.
  • A GIFTED MAN – Patrick Wilson stars as ultra-competitive surgeon Michael whose life changes when his ex-wife Anna dies and begins to visit him from the hereafter!  Almost-former SVU showrunner Neal Baer is the showrunner for this one.

FOX has released their 2011-2012 FALL and MIDSEASON schedule.

Officially renewed: AMERICAN DAD, BOB’S BURGERS, BONES, THE CLEVELAND SHOW, FAMILY GUY, FRINGE, GLEE, HOUSE, THE SIMPSONS, MOBBED, RAISING HOPE, AMERICAN IDOL, COPS, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

Possibly canceled but possibly saved: BREAKING IN

Kind of canceled but also saved: AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

Officially canceled: LIE TO ME, THE CHICAGO CODE, HUMAN TARGET, THE GOOD GUYS (wow, I still miss this show), RUNNING WILDE, LONE STAR, TRAFFIC LIGHT

Nothing official one way or the other: MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP

Pilots given series orders / Shows premiering in Fall 2011:

  • TERRA NOVA – yep this show is still on the “upcoming” list. From Steven Spielberg, Brannon Braga, Peter Chernin, and David Fury, follows the tale of an ordinary family that is sent back in time 85 million years, as a part of a massive experiment to save the human race. Last year at this time, they were aiming for Kyle Chandler.  They ended up with Jason O’Mara.  I’ll take it.
  • THE X FACTOR – Simon Cowell is back with another singing competition.  Paula Abdul is joining him.  So is LA Reid and Cheryl Cole.  Its $5 Million prize is basically what differentiates it from everything else out there right now.  This is in the “nope won’t watch it” list for me.
  • THE NEW GIRL – Zooey Deschanel stars as a recently dumped elementary school teacher who moves in with three guys to get over it.  Damon Wayans, Jr, is a part of the cast, but his role is in second position to HAPPY ENDINGS, so let’s hope ABC is smart and gives us more of my new favorite comedy!
  • THE FINDER – Geoff Stults’ spinoff from BONES is a go, helped largely, it would appear, from Emily Deschanel’s pregnancy keeping her return to BONES delayed a bit.  I liked it enough when I saw the back-door pilot, so we’ll see what they can do with a full pilot and additional episodes.
  • I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER – this comedy stars Jaime Pressly as one of two moms who realize that their teenage daughters have turned into the mean girls that treated them badly in high school.
  • ALCATRAZ – FOX is staying in the JJ Abrams business with this time-travel-type show starring Sarah Jones, Sam Neill, and Parminder Nagra, among others.  The show follows cops and FBI agents who try to track down missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who re-appeared in modern day San Francisco.

NBC has released their 2011-2012 fall schedule – it’s an interesting one!

Officially renewed: 30 ROCK, COMMUNITY, THE OFFICE, PARKS AND RECREATION, THE BIGGEST LOSER, THE SING-OFF, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?, FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA, SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, PARENTHOOD (bring back Jason Ritter!), HARRY’S LAW, CHUCK (for their final season), LAW & ORDER: SVU, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, THE VOICE

Officially canceled: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, OUTLAW, THE CAPE, THE PAUL REISER SHOW, SCHOOL PRIDE, UNDERCOVERS, THE EVENT, LAW & ORDER: LA, PERFECT COUPLES, AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT, OUTSOURCED

Pilots given series orders:

  • PRIME SUSPECT (Thursdays 10/9c) – the adaptation of the British miniseries (Helen Mirren FTW) stars Maria Bello, Brian O’Byrne, and Kirk Acevedo
  • SMASH (midseason) – Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Anjelica Huston, and Katherine McPhee – big names for a Steven Spielberg produced series about a group of people trying to put on a musical.
  • WHITNEY (Thursdays 9:30/8:30c) – the now untitled comedy series starring and created by Whitney Cummings is about a young couple who don’t want to get married but who love being together. The script was great!
  • UP ALL NIGHT (Wednesdays 8/7c) – the now untitled comedy series starring Christina Applegate as a working mother (her hubby is Will Arnett). Maya Rudolph is a part of the ensemble cast, as well!
  • GRIMM (Fridays 9/8c) – starring Sasha Roiz and Dave Giuntoli and created by David Greenwalt, this follows Giuntoli’s detective who discovers that fairy tales, supernatural, and mythical creature are real.  Silas Weir Mitchel and Kate Burton star, as well.
  • THE PLAYBOY CLUB (Mondays 10/9c) – Amber Heard stars as one of the Playboy Bunnies in the 1960s heyday of the Playboy Clubs.  Eddie Cibrian and Jenna Dewan-Tatum also star.  Most notably, the actors all had to sign a nudity clause, just in case.
  • AWAKE (midseason) – Jason Isaacs (yes) stars in this series from LONESTAR creator Kyle Killen.  It follows Isaacs character who lives two separate lives – one when he’s awake; one when he’s asleep.  Also starring Wilmer Valderrama (it’s a good day for the THAT 70S SHOW cast) and Emmy/Tony-winner Cherry Jones
  • ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA (midseason) – Laura Prepon stars in this series based on Chelsea Handler’s hysterical book of the same name.  Chelsea Handler will reportedly also star.
  • FREE AGENTS (Wednesdays 8:30/7:30c) – Hank Azaria’s comedy based on a British series
  • BENT (midseason) – Comedy starring one of my favorites Amanda Peet as a single mom fighting an attraction to her contractor, played by PERFECT COUPLES’ David Walton (they REALLY want to make him a sitcom star).
  • BEST FRIENDS FOREVER (midseason) – Jessica St Clair (guest star from PARKS AND REC last night) and Lennon Parham (ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE) star in this comedy as best friends who move in with each other.
  • THE FIRM (midseason) – the TV show based on the movie based on the John Grisham novel of the same names.

THE CW has released their predictable new 2011-2012 fall schedule.

Officially renewed: 90210, AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (All-Stars Season!!), GOSSIP GIRL, SUPERNATURAL, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, ONE TREE HILL, NIKITA

Officially canceled: LIFE UNEXPECTED, SMALLVILLE, HELLCATS, SHEDDING FOR THE WEDDING, PLAIN JANE

Pilots given series orders –

  • RINGER – Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as two sisters – one running from nefarious types who takes over the life of her twin sister, also being hunted by nefarious types.  Ioan Gruffudd and Kris Polaha also star.
  • SECRET CIRCLE – Britt Robertson (LUX) and Thomas Dekkar star in this drama based on a three-book series from LJ Smith (The Vampire Diaries) and written/created by Kevin Williamson.  The books/series tell the tale of a young woman who moves to a new town only to discover that she’s not only a witch but also the key to unlocking a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil.
  • H8R – an “alternative” series that follows celebrities paired with their “haters” for a day
  • HART OF DIXIE – The doctor drama centers on a young New York doctor after she inherits a medical practice in a small Southern town inhabited by eccentrics (Rachel Bilson is playing this female version of a very similar role played by Treat Williams a few years back ::wink wink nudge nudge:: EVERWOOD).  Scott Porter (sigh, Jason Street), also stars.
  • THE FRAME – “Alternative” series that puts two people in one tiny room for a set amount of time.  If done well, could maybe be interesting?
  • RE-MODELED – “Alternative” series that follows Paul Fisher as he tries to form one giant modeling agency called The Network

One comment

  • Courtney K.

    MAN! Fox blew it getting rid of The Good Guys and Lie to Me was a bad decision, those shows were great!
    WOO HOO for Happy Endings!! I was REALLY scared that ABC was gonna be dumb, but I’m glad they weren’t!!
    …I just did a double take, an ANTM All Stars Season?? Dangit, I’m gonna have to start really watching it again!