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Channel Surfing: Eddie Cibrian Cut from CSI: Miami, Dexter Lands Hernandez, Woods Bumped to Regular on The Office, Community, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Eddie Cibrian is leaving CSI: Miami. "With original castmember—-and fan fave!—-Adam Rodriguez (Delko) returning this fall, a source close to the series confirms Eddie's departure, and tells me the Powers That Be are more interested in focusing on the core cast next season," writes Dos Santos, "which eliminates the need for the poor Cardoza character." Meanwhile, Dos Santos has the dirt on just how Cirbian's Cardoza will be written out of the crime procedural, but--beware!--it's highly spoilery. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

April Lee Hernandez (ER) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Five of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter. She'll play a police officer in the homicide department of Miami Metro. Hernandez's casting comes on the heels of news that Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, and Maria Doyle Kennedy have joined the cast, each on a recurring basis. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Zach Woods has been bumped to series regular on Season Seven of NBC's The Office. Woods plays Sabre executive Gabe on the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Critics are coming around to something that many of us already know: namely that NBC's Community is one of the very best comedies on television right now. The criminally under-rated comedy, produced by Sony Pictures Television, has seen a resurgence of critical support in the back half of its freshman season, which not only helped it get renewed for a second season and may help its chances at securing Emmy Award nominations. But even creator Dan Harmon understands why some critics were wary of the series at first. "Community definitely has elements that would have cynical viewers file away as a pop-culture-reference fest," said Harmon. "The actors are more comfortable with one another, and the writers are syncing up with the actors' voices. So the show is getting better, and people are more accustomed to its sensibility." [Editor: I'm actually hoping that Community, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family wind up in the comedy category... and can push out Glee.] (Variety's Emmy Central)

Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has been cast opposite Tim Robbins, Diane Lane, and James Gandolfini in HBO Films' telepic Cinema Verite, which takes a look at the real-life family who was the focus for the groundbreaking 1970s reality series An American Family. Dekker will play Lance Loud, "who became the center of scrutiny when he came out as a gay man on the show." Robbins and Lane will play his parents, while Gandolfini will portray Craig Gilbert, the documentary series' producer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Syfy has ordered six episodes of reality series Hunting Hollywood, which will be hosted by Profiles in History's Joe Maddalena as he goes hunting for authentic Hollywood and pop culture props and memorabilia, which will be auctioned off at the end of each episode. Project, from Shevick*Zupon Entertainment, is expected to launch in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Susan Young has an interesting article at Variety's Emmy Central about the role of social networking conversations on interactions between showrunners and television critics and how services like Twitter are changing the dialogue. "I generally make networks nervous because I act first and think later," Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter told Young. "I've learned to be more cautious about what I tweet. A showrunner isn't just representing himself, but a studio and network, and I think it's legitimate for them to get a little nervous about what we say online." (Variety's Emmy Central)

ITV Studios and Debmar-Mercury have teamed up to produce talk show format The Chefs, with the distributor signing a deal that will see it acquire worldwide rights to the series, which will feature four chefs discussing various culinary topics. It's expected that the series would get a "multiweek on-air test of the strip" in the US later this year or in 2011 before it segues into national distribution. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered eight additional episodes of Primetime: What Would You Do?. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Fred Goss (Sons & Daughters) is close to signing a deal to topline CMT comedy pilot 30 Percent (with Sarah Rafferty also joining the cast), while Debra Mooney (Everwood) has signed on to the cabler's untitled David Litt comedy pilot. (Deadline)

Style has ordered another ten episodes of reality series Jerseylicious, bumping the total of installments for Season Two from ten to twenty. Series returns to the lineup this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Bravo executive Cori Abraham has been hired as SVP of development at Oxygen Media and will oversee development on both the West and East Coasts. She'll be based in Los Angeles and will report to Amy Introcaso-Davis. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Holly said…
Glad that Community is finally getting some much-deserved love from the critics and agree that it is a much better show than Glee!
bonnie said…
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveeddiecibrianiejessecardoza
If you want to save Jesse/eddie
on csi miami. CBS shouldn't be cutting him off. It's Adam who should of left and stayed gone

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