[Televisionary]

Given the dismal state of this year's crop of new series, it's no wonder that the networks are looking to hold on to the few ratings standouts as they crop up. So it's no surprise then that ABC has given full season orders to two freshman dramas in its stable, Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters , picking up the back nine episodes for both... which means a full 22 episodes for fans of Mode magazine or the Walker clan. ABC's Ugly Betty has averaged the second place spot among A18-49 on Thursday nights (just behind CBS' Survivor ) and an average of 15.3 million viewers. It's also worth noting that Betty is the top freshman series among Latino viewers with an average of 1.13 million viewers. Meanwhile, Brothers & Sisters won its 10 pm timeslot this past Sunday night among the key demo, A18-49 (4.9/12), and across the board with female viewers. While no ratings behemoths along the lines of previous breakouts Lost , Desperate Housewives , or Grey's Ana

Call it a case of growing pains... or sibling rivalry. I can't help but wonder what exactly is going on at ABC's Brothers & Sisters , the freshman drama starring Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Balthazar Getty, Dave Annabel, and Sally Field as the only-on-TV-are-these-people-related Walker family of not so sunny California. (Ron Rifkin and Patricia Wettig also star.) When the behind-the-scenes drama on a series seems more intense than the actual show itself, that's a sign for alarm, especially as fall premiere dates seem to be looming ever closer. First, there were the well-publicized cast changes . Jonathan LaPaglia and Betty Buckley were voted off the island; replacing them are Matthew Rhys and Sally Field. Okay, post-pilot cast changes/additions are always to be expected and nine times out of ten they're really for the best. (Just look at the original Willow on the pilot presentation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you don't believe me.) News leaked out

"Battlestar Galactica" Sets Course for October Launch of Season Three Sci-Fi has announced a premiere date for the third season of its hit drama, Battlestar Galactica , according to a report filed by The Futon Critic . The third season premiere is set for Friday, October 6th at 10 pm ET/PT. Like its second season BSG 's third season will be broken into two sections, with Season 3.0 airing ten episodes through December 8th; Season 3.5 will air sometime in 2007 with an additional 10 installments. I don't know about you, but BSG has become appointment television for me. If you weren't lucky enough to snag an Emmy screener set containing all of Season 2.0 and 2.5, fret not. Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5 is set to be released on DVD on September 19th, leaving you plenty of time to catch up on the drama and wacky antics of Apollo, Starbuck, Roslin, Adama, and that duplicitous weasel Gaius Baltar. And after that cliffhanger ending, I'm on pins and needles to to s

In his film Trust , writer/director Hal Hartley once said, "A family is like a gun; you point it in the wrong direction and you could kill someone." I think Hartley's statement applies nicely to ABC's new family drama Brothers & Sisters , which follows a wealthy Los Angeles clan as they do what families do best: eat together, bicker, love one another, fight, and then fight some more. This being a television series, there's naturally more lurking beneath the seemingly idyllic surface of the Walker family than initially meets the eye. Told through the voice of outspoken daughter Kitty (Calista Flockhart), the series explores the many secrets and lies that exist in every family. Think of it as My So-Called Thirtysomething Relativity Once and Again . Or something to that effect. What got me initially intrigued was the truly amazing cast that the show's producers had managed to assemble here, a trend which seems to be keeping in touch with this season's man