Skip to main content

ABC Renews "Pushing Daisies," "Dirty Sexy Money," 'Lost," and Six Others

ABC has opted to give nine scripted series early renewals this season, including Lost (guaranteed two additional seasons after the series' current fourth season), Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives.

These series will all return next season for a place on ABC's fall schedule and have each received a full season pickups for the 2008-09 season.

"The strength of our schedule this fall was unprecedented and speaks for itself," said ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson in a statement. "We're looking forward to building on that success."

The Alphabet also granted reprieves to three first-year dramas and one freshman comedy; Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice, and Samantha Who? will join the above series on the schedule next season.

Good news, right? Well, yes, I am happy that they've gotten another shot on the ratings merry-go-round but as of right now Pushing Daisies and these other returnees have only been granted thirteen episode orders from the network.

Additionally, the three first-year dramas will not return with new installments this season and any produced episodes will be added to their run this fall. (Samantha Who? is the sole freshman series which will air new episodes before May.)

As for the fate of Boston Legal and Men in Trees, neither of which were mentioned by McPherson in the press release, the jury is still out. But it doesn't bode well for either series that they didn't rate a mention... or a renewal.

Meanwhile, Ugly Betty may be returning to the airwaves later this season, but not everyone on the ABC dramedy's staff will be returning to work.

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that executive producers Marco Pennette and James Hayman were let go from Ugly Betty... on the same day that the series snagged a third season pickup.

ABC wouldn't comment on the exits but the series has faced several exits in recent months, such as when five writers were let go between its first and second seasons.

It is expected that Ugly Betty will produce around five new episodes this season.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Biggest Loser (NBC; 8-10 pm); Reaper (CW); Just for Laughs/Just for Laughs (ABC); American Idol (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Big Brother 9 (CBS); One Tree Hill (CW); According to Jim/Carpoolers (ABC)

10 pm: Jericho (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-10 pm: Last Restaurant Standing on BBC America.

Suffering from Top Chef withdrawal? Try this addictive British import in the meantime, in which nine couples compete for the chance to open their own restaurant with famed restaurateur Raymond Blanc. (Reviewed here.) On the first episode, each couple has a week to open their own restaurant and go head to head with the other teams while Raymond's inspectors follow their every move. In the second, the bottom three couples face off in an elimination challenge in which they have 48 hours to put on an event. Sharpen your knives...

Comments

Anonymous said…
So is Lost airing this fall or in February?
Jace Lacob said…
Don't expect Lost in the fall. More likely it will be held again until winter, so it can run uninterrupted through May.
Anonymous said…
Too bad that Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money won't be on again this season but I am so, so happy that they'll be returning in the fall. Let's just hope they bump that 13 episode order up to a full season which is what both of these fantastic shows deserve.
I'm really sorry to hear that Marco Pennette won't be returning to Ugly Betty as I think he was one of their strongest writers. His episodes were consistently funny and engaging and didn't fall into that horrible melodrama that so many of the episodes seem to suffer from. I hope this doesn't mean less laughs and more tears in Betty's future.

Popular posts from this blog

Katie Lee Packs Her Knives: Breaking News from Bravo's "Top Chef"

The android has left the building. Or the test kitchen, anyway. Top Chef 's robotic host Katie Lee Joel, the veritable "Uptown Girl" herself (pictured at left), will NOT be sticking around for a second course of Bravo's hit culinary competition. According to a well-placed insider, Joel will "not be returning" to the show. No reason for her departure was cited. Unfortunately, the perfect replacement for Joel, Top Chef judge and professional chef Tom Colicchio, will not be taking over as the reality series' host (damn!). Instead, the show's producers are currently scouring to find a replacement for Joel. Top Chef 's second season was announced by Bravo last month, but no return date has been set for the series' ten-episode sophomore season. Stay tuned as this story develops. UPDATE (6/27): Bravo has now confirmed the above story .

BuzzFeed: Meet The TV Successor To "Serial"

HBO's stranger-than-fiction true crime documentary The Jinx   — about real estate heir Robert Durst — brings the chills and thrills missing since Serial   wrapped up its first season. Serial   obsessives: HBO's latest documentary series is exactly what you've been waiting for.   The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , like Sarah Koenig's beloved podcast, sifts through old documents, finds new leads from fresh interviews, and seeks to determine just what happened on a fateful day in which the most foul murder was committed. And, also like  Serial  before it,  The Jinx may also hold no ultimate answer to innocence or guilt. But that seems almost beside the point; such investigations often remain murky and unclear, and guilt is not so easy a thing to be judged. Instead, this upcoming six-part tantalizing murder mystery, from director Andrew Jarecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ), is a gripping true crime story that unfolds with all of the speed of a page-turner; it

BuzzFeed: "The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now"

The CBS legal drama, now in its sixth season, continually shakes up its narrative foundations and proves itself fearless in the process. Spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date on the show. At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, " The Good Wife Is The Best Show On Television Right Now," in which I praise CBS' The Good Wife and, well, hail it as the best show currently on television. (Yes, you read that right.) There is no need to be delicate here: If you’re not watching The Good Wife, you are missing out on the best show on television. I won’t qualify that statement in the least — I’m not talking about the best show currently airing on broadcast television or outside of cable or on premium or however you want to sandbox this remarkable show. No, the legal drama is the best thing currently airing on any channel on television. That The Good Wife is this perfect in its sixth season is reason to truly celebrate. Few shows embrace complexity and risk-taking in t