by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
A couple of weeks ago EU gave you the scoop on which TV shows were looking doomed and which will be sticking around. Last week the major networks confirmed many of my suspicions at the 2007 upfronts, a week-long event where TV execs preview their upcoming fall schedules with advertisers. Here’s the rundown of which shows will go and a peek at what the networks will be replacing them with.
As suspected, What About Brian, The Nine and Six Degrees bit the dust along side Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency. Long running series George Lopez and According to Jim also wrapped up.
Tons of new shows will premiere next season on ABC. In the drama department is the Grey’s spin off Private Practice, a law drama called Dirty, Sexy Money starring Peter Krause, yet another lawyer show called Eli Stone and a business-world soap called Cashmere Mafia starring Lucy Liu. The dramas I’m most looking forward to are Pushing Daisies and Women’s Murder Club. In Pushing Daisies Lee Pace stars as a man who has the ability to bring back the dead with a single touch. The series has gotten rave reviews from TV insiders and the commercials are quite intriguing. Women’s Murder Club is about a group of novice crime solvers based on the book by James Patterson. The premise reminds me of a mix between Desperate Housewives and Veronica Mars, an idea I can definitely get behind. New comedies include Carpoolers, Sam I Am starring Christina Applegate, Miss/Guided with Judy Greer, and the genius that is Cavemen (who doesn’t love those Geico outcasts?).
The three shows that were “on the bubble” last month found their way into TV heaven last week. Jericho, The Class and Close to Home now reside in the great TiVo in the sky.
Only five new shows are set to appear come fall and most of them are a little out there. Viva Laughlin is a musical drama about a casino owner produced by Hugh Jackman, Moonlight is about a vampire detective, and Swingtown is a racy drama about a town full of swingers (go figure). In the realm of normal by CBS standards is Cane a drama starring Jimmy Smits about a Cuban-American family who runs a rum business and The Big Band Theory, a comedy about a computer geek who’s smitten with his hot new neighbor.
Veronica Mars fans: we knew this day would come. Our favorite sassy teen detective has solved her last mystery on the CW. While the network has yet to officially cancel the show, the usually optimistic show runner Rob Thomas says the series is a goner. To add to the bad news, long-running shows Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven have also exited.
Aliens in America, a show about Muslim exchange students, will join the Monday night comedy lineup while dramas Gossip Girl (basically The OC in Manhattan), Reaper (about the devil’s bounty hunter) and Life is Wild (7th Heaven in South Africa) will fill in the gaps. Reality shows Crowned (a beauty pageant) and Farmer Wants a Wife (a dating show) will also make an appearance. Yes, they made room on the schedule for Farmer Wants a Wife but they couldn’t find a spot for Veronica Mars. The world is a cruel, cruel place.
Drive drove off into the sunset along with a bunch of shows I had completely forgot about (The Winner, Standoff, The War at Home, Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells and The Loop).
New Dramas: The Terminator-inspired series The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a post-Katrina drama called K-Ville and New Amsterdam about an immortal homicide detective, will premiere throughout the season. Comedies include Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton’s Back to You, The Return of Jezebel James starring Parker Posey and The Rules of Start
ing Over from the Farrelly Brothers.
Hold onto your hats, this is quite a list: 20 Good Years, Andy Barker, PI, The Black Donnellys, Crossing Jordan, Identity, Kidnapped, Raines, The Real Wedding Crashers, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Thank God You’re Here - Adios!
New shows include Journeyman starring Kevin McKidd as a time-traveler, a series about a guy who accidentally downloads the CIA database into his head called CQhuck, The Bionic Woman (no explanation needed), Lipstick Jungle starring Kim Raver and Brooke Shields, a new prison show called Life and a comedy called The IT Crowd about computer techs.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
