TV News Roundup – May 2009 – Week 3
Spoiler Alert: ‘Heroes’ resurrects ‘Carnivale’
“Besides a Knife Thrower and a sexy, twentysomething Tattoo Girl, Heroes is on the hunt for a middle-aged Eddie Izzard type to play the Carnival Barker, a smooth operator with a wicked wit. This character, I hear, will start small and grow.”
‘Chuck’ back, but on tighter budget
NBC, WBTV finalize renewal deal
“Chuck” will return next season with a smaller production budget. The renewal haggling between NBC and Warner Bros. TV over the past few weeks has centered entirely on cost-cutting issues, insiders said.
Fox picks up two series, renews ‘Lie to Me’
Shawn Ryan boards as showrunner for second season
Fox picked up two new series Tuesday: the comic book drama “Human Target” and the single-camera comedy “Sons of Tucson.” It also renewed the midseason drama “Lie to Me,” tapping “The Shield” creator/executive producer Shawn Ryan as executive producer/showrunner.
Warners follows ‘Primeval’ urge
Studio acquires rights to Brit sci-fi series
Warner Bros. has acquired screen rights to “Primeval,” the ITV series that airs in the U.S. on BBC America and Sci Fi Channel. WB and Goldsman will transplant the action to the U.S. and ramp up the spectacle.
‘Bones’ renewed for fall
Pact for show’s fifth season held up on license fee
In what has become a common tale this upfront season, pact to renew “Bones” was held up as both sides haggled a new license fee for the show.
A&E pursues cop dramas
Scripted projects include James Ellroy’s ‘Lead’
A&E is developing eight original dramas, including crime and a Western miniseries: “Cooler Kings” (working title), a “surf-noir crime show” set in Honolulu about a cop who joins a mysterious crew of detectives; “The Lead Sheet” (working title) LAPD’s pursuit of the Hillside Strangler in the late 1970s; and “Central Division,” about two female LAPD captains.
Fox renews Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’
Net adds Sony Pictures TV comedy ‘Brothers’
“Dollhouse” is looking good for a 13-episode sophomore renewal and is likely to stay in its Friday night berth. The 20th Century Fox TV fantasy drama starring Eliza Dushku has delivered modest but consistent ratings on a low-trafficked night, thanks to Whedon’s built-in fan base.
Ricky Gervais returns to HBO
Funnyman draws up new animated show
Ricky Gervais is back in business at HBO, which has just ordered an animated series based on his popular series of podcasts. “The Ricky Gervais Show” features Gervais and his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant and revolves around the world of their unusual friend, Karl Pilkington.
Kevin Costner back in saddle with A&E
Actor-director set for four-hour Western miniseries
Kevin Costner is returning to the Western genre with a new four-hour miniseries project at A&E. The untitled project will tell a post-Civil War story covering a major conflict in the settlement of the West.
Video: ABC’s creepy ‘V’ remake
two first-look previews of ABC’s remake of the 1980s miniseries “V” which could consist of four seasons, planned in advance, each with 13-22 episodes each. The show is planned for midseason.
Joss Stone back for ‘Tudors’
To reprise role as Henry VIII’s fourth wife
British singer Joss Stone has signed to return to Showtime’s drama “The Tudors” for its fourth and final season. She will reprise her role from the current third season as Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII.
Kutcher’s ‘Blah Girls’ find TV guide
‘Insider’ to air snippets of animated Web series
Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst is looking to turn the animated Web series “Blah Girls” into a TV property. “Blah Girls” will debut on TV as a series of one-minute interstitials on the entertainment newsmag strip “The Insider” starting today. CBS TV Distribution will then aim at spinning off “Blah Girls” into its own, separate half-hour series.
Comedy Central orders ‘Ugly Americans’
Cable net greenlights seven episodes of toon
Comedy Central has given a seven-episode greenlight to animated skein “Ugly Americans” from “The Simpsons” writer David Stern. It takes place in an alternate-universe New York where creatures live among ordinary citizens. Lead character works in the immigration office and is forced to help newcomers to Gotham adjust to city life.
A&E feels ‘Cooler’ in Honolulu
Bruckheimer pilot, set in Hawaii, gets green light
A&E has greenlit the Jerry Bruckheimer drama pilot “Cooler Kings,” which centers on a former Honolulu cop who’s out to avenge the death of his girlfriend. He falls into a group of mysterious detectives — the “Cooler Kings” — who are looking to combat the seedy side of Paradise.
The Fine Print
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.
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