[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Sorry Alex O'Loughlin fans: CBS has pulled Three Rivers from its schedule, effective immediately. Beginning this Sunday, Cold Case will move to 9 pm ET/PT with the 10 pm timeslot to be filled by a revolving door of drama repeats. According to the Hollywood Reporter 's James Hibberd, Three Rivers "is still in production and the network will complete all 13 episodes of the show's initial order." Whether or not CBS will burn off the remaining installments remains to be seen but it's clear that there's no future for the low-rated medical drama. ( Hollywood Reporter 's The Live Feed ) Could 2012 bring about the end of the world? Or at least the end of Jack Donaghy? Alec Baldwin has revealed his intentions to quit acting when his contract with NBC's 30 Rock expires in 2012 in an interview with Men's Journal . "I don't have any interest in acting anymore," said Baldwin. "I'

Over on Twitter, there's been a great debate waged over the last few days about what the best comedies currently on television are, a subjective discussion if there ever was one. Titles have been thrown about, opinions bandied, and worthiness dissected and then dissected again. The Great Comedy Debate led Time critic James Poniewozik to yesterday publish his list of the top television comedies at the moment (he included just those that are currently on the air right now ) and I thought I do this same, limiting my list to just five US series that are airing new episodes as we speak. So, in no particular order, here are my picks for The Five Best Comedies on Television: Modern Family (ABC) No other series has come close to balancing the sweet with the tart than Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan's brilliant mockumentary Modern Family , which each week dazzles its enraptured audience with a winning combination of heart and humor. It's the rare comedy that can make you roar

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Flight of the Conchords star/co-creator Jemaine Clement has indicated that there might not be a third season of their HBO comedy series but said that a final decision will be made within a month, once Clement discusses it with fellow co-creators Bret McKenzie and James Bobin. "It very likely might not," said Clement. "It could come back in a shorter season or like a special." One major hurdle is that the team would not only have to write the scripts for the series but also the music as well. HBO, meanwhile, will stand by the Conchords' decision either way. "We've left their future entirely in their hands," said HBO spokesperson Nancy Lesser. "We would love to have more, and we left an open door at HBO." ( Hollywood Reporter ) Chuck executive producer Scott Rosenbaum has replaced Scott Peters as the showrunner on ABC's sci-fi series V , which launched yesterday evening. Peters wi

I've never been much of a Halloween guy. Some people love to dress up and head out to parties but I've always taken the view that Halloween is one of those holidays that you either believe in with all of your being or you can't quite wrap your head around. Last night, NBC's two-hour Thursday night comedy block all offered Halloween-themed diversions but happily each did so in their own inimitable way with Community focusing on a Mexican Day of the Dead after-school party, Parks and Recreation splitting its focus between Leslie stalking a notorious Halloween teen vandal and Ann throwing a costume party, The Office keeping it all confined to the cold open, and 30 Rock offering a celebration of "gay Halloween." I have to say that I thought that Community and Parks and Recreation were by far the funniest two entries in last night's comedy block, comprising a strong one-two punch of humor that seems to be gathering more confidence week to week. Last night

Oh, (real) America, have you missed 30 Rock as much as I have? Tina Fey's biting comedy series returned last night with a brightly sharp fourth season opener (entitled, rather efficiently, "Season Four"). You had the opportunity to read my advance review of the first two episodes of 30 Rock 's fourth season but now that the the first episode has aired, I'm curious to see what you thought of the season premiere. Has 30 Rock lost any of its savage wit after four seasons? Or is it just as wickedly funny (and deliciously absurd) as it always has been? What did you think of Jenna's off-season tennis promo song (complete with meth references) for Real America? Or Jack being concerned about GE's corporate woes and Kenneth's decision to strike after seeing Jack's bonus check? Or Tracy's efforts to connect with the common man? What other series could fit in references to Rabbi Shmuley and "Comrade Obama" in the same episode? (Answer: none.)

It's crazy to me that I'm reviewing the fourth season opener for NBC's deliciously absurd comedy 30 Rock. After all, it seemed as though the hyper-intelligent brainchild of creator Tina Fey would be canceled only a few weeks into its initial run, but now the possibility of such talk seems foolhardy at best as 30 Rock has blossomed into one of the most articulate and savvy meta comedies ever to grace the small screen. Proving that the pen is mightier than the sword, Fey and her crack team of writers offer a weekly dose of savage humor, quirky characters, and bizarre situations on the set of show-within-a-show TGS . That the biting wit of the series is often directed at network NBC is one of the joys of this self-aware series. And that hasn't changed in the first two episodes of 30 Rock 's fourth season, which were sent out for review. The season's first episode ("Season Four") contains some of the most pointed and acidic comments towards the Peacock y

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. NBC has axed Southland ... before the cop drama even began its second season. The Peacock made the announcement about Southland 's demise yesterday afternoon, informing studio Warner Bros. Television had it was cancelling the series, which had so far shot six episodes for its sophomore season, slated to begin October 23rd. NBC was quick to point to the series' dark storylines and tone, saying that it wasn't appropriate for a 9 pm timeslot. For their part, creator John Wells and Warner Bros. Television will begin to shop the series to other networks. (Editor: TNT is a likely first port of call for the series.) "I'm disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically acclaimed series that was for so many years a hallmark of their success," said Wells in a statement. "We remain extremely proud of Southland and are actively looking for another home for the series

No, it's not quite the morning after the Emmys but I spent yesterday recovering from a bit too much overindulgence the night before and still wanted to get in my thoughts about this year's Emmy awards before the door for such discussion slams shut. Emmy host is a rather thankless job and we've seen, thanks to last year, just how much the show can go off the rails in the hands of less-than-qualified hosts. However, I thought that Neil Patrick Harris did a legendary job and infused the proceedings with wit, sparkle, and humor and kept things running smoothly. (Did we really only run over by a few minutes? Fantastic.) I spent the evening carousing at two post-Emmy bashes, HBO's luxe red-hewed affair at the Pacific Design Center and AMC's latenight after-after-party at Chateau Marmont. Both fetes were absolutely, ridiculously fun and the stars were out in full-force for both events, with this gleeful partier catching glimpses of Jon Hamm, Glenn Close, Ricky Gervais, Chl

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. NBC has announced that it is delaying the second season launch of Southland by a month. The Warner Bros. Television-produced series, which premiered last spring, was slated to launch its sophomore season on Friday, September 25th but will now instead debut on Friday, October 23rd. The reason behind the late change? According to Variety 's Michael Schneider, "insiders said the Peacock hopes to use the extra month to further promote the show, which they worried was getting lost in the fall marketing shuffle." Southland was meant to launch on the same evening as Medium and Dollhouse . ( Variety ) Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz and Chuck producer Matt Miller will write an untitled multi-camera comedy pilot script for CBS about a twenty-something couple who have just gotten married and return home after their honeymoon and must learn how to navigate life together. (The premise was inspired by Schwartz and Miller's o

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Elizabeth Banks ( Scrubs ) has signed on guest star on ABC's upcoming comedy series Modern Family in a potentially recurring role. TV Guide Magazine 's William Keck is reporting that Banks will play Sal, a close friend of gay couple Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), in an October episode and that she came to the project via her real-life friendship with Ferguson. "Sal is their old running buddy," executive producer Steven Levitan told Keck. "Mitchell and Cameron decide they need a night out on the town, so they call her up." Lloyd adds, "She's thrilled to be back with her old friends until they start talking about their new (adopted) baby and she doesn't want to hear about the baby, so she starts saying things like, 'I wouldn't mind killing the baby.'" ( TV Guide Magazine ) FOX has given a put pilot commitment to Shawn Ryan's one-hour drama pr

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. NBC has acquired Fox Television Studio's international co-production Persons Unknown , written and executive produced by Chris McQuarrie ( Valkyrie ). Series, which stars Jason Wiles ( Zodiac ), Chadwick Boseman ( Lincoln Heights ), Daisy Betts ( Out of the Blue ), Tina Holmes ( Six Feet Under ), and Alan Ruck ( Drive ), revolves around a group of strangers who are seemingly kidnapped and taken to a deserted ghost town from which they cannot leave and where they are watched by omnipresent security cameras. McQuarrie is executive producing with Remi Aubuchon and Heather McQuarrie. No US launch date was announced for Persons Unknown , which has already produced thirteen installments with Italy's RAI and Mexico's Televisa. ( Variety ) Lost 's Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were surprised by the ABC drama series getting an outstanding drama series Emmy nod yesterday following this past season's heavily serialized time

I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised this early morning in Los Angeles. The Emmy nominees were announced this morning and I have to commend them for showering such love onto diverse and unique series such as Big Love, Mad Men, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Little Dorrit, Flight of the Conchords, , and Damages , even though Battlestar Galactica failed to garner a single nomination in the major categories. Hell, one of the talented troika of female leads on AMC's Mad Men --Elisabeth Moss--even landed a nomination, as did the entire main cast of 30 Rock ! So, something's right in Hollywood for a change. Meanwhile, FOX's Family Guy snagged the first outstanding comedy series nomination for an animated series... in fifty years. (Not since The Flintstones has an animated comedy scored a nomination.) Something which sadly The Simpsons was never able to achieve in its heyday. So which series and actors landed Emmy nominations? Let's talk about the major categories. (The

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon will write and direct the second season opener of the FOX drama. Meanwhile, Miracle Laurie--who played November/Mellie in Season One of Dollhouse WILL be returning for the sophomore season... in some form, anyway. "All I know for sure is that I'm coming back next season," Laurie told the Baltimore Sun . "I don't actually know in what form I'll be back. The writers are kind of teasing me…everybody knows but me." ( Baltimore Sun , Twitter ) io9 speaks to Syfy vice president of original programming Mark Stern about the channel's rebrand and its promise to find the next big space opera along the lines of Battlestar Galatica or Firefly . "The next thing that I really want to do is find the next great space opera; it's been a long time," said Stern. "And we have Stargate , but that's really not that show. And Caprica isn't really that show. So