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Channel Surfing: FOX Orders Six Scripts for "Bones," Rob Thomas Not Optimistic About "Veronica Mars" Movie, "Scrubs" Return Possible, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

FOX inched its way closer to renewing drama Bones yesterday, ordering six scripts for the Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz-led series. While it's not a firm renewal yet for Bones, the script order does point favorably towards FOX picking up the series, which has improved the network's Thursday night timeslot by 43 percent since the series relocated there in January and has bested ABC's Ugly Betty and NBC's My Name is Earl. (TV Week)

Some bad news for Veronica Mars fans: don't hold your breath waiting for the feature film spin-off of the much missed sleuthing series. Creator Rob Thomas told The New York Post that a greenlight isn't looking likely, though he'll "drop whatever" he's doing in order to make it happen should it materialize. "While the pitch [to producer Joel Silver] went well and I don't think the movie's dead, right now it's looking depressing," said Thomas. "I think honestly if we would have had the pitch ready a year earlier, it would be a go project. The hope that we would get a quick greenlight didn't materialize. This is the least optimistic I've felt in a while." Fans curious to know some details about the potential Veronica Mars can take heart, however: "If we were going to do a movie, I would want to put Wallace and Logan and Mac and Weevil in it," said Thomas. "We would have picked up just prior to Veronica's graduation, it would have been the college years." (New York Post's Popwrap)

Former Monk co-star Bitty Schram has signed a deal that will have her reprise her role as Sharona in an upcoming episode on the eighth and final season of USA's Monk, according to Michael Ausiello. "We couldn't think of a better way to help wrap up the series than with the return of Bitty's character," said series star Tony Shalhoub. "Bringing some closure to Sharona is long overdue." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Could ABC renew Scrubs after all? It's looking possible, according to Zap2it's Korbi Ghosh, who has heard from several sources at the network that Steve McPherson indicated to series creator Bill Lawrence that he would be "happy to bring the show back for season nine. The only requirement? Zach Braff would have to do a handful of episodes. Seems the eight-year-old show is reeling in a nice young, male demo that doesn't normally watch ABC and that makes McPherson smiley." (Zap2it's Korbi TV)

Scott Caan (Ocean's Thirteen) has landed the lead role in FOX comedy pilot Cop House (also cast: Curtiss I'Cook); Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) has joined the cast of NBC drama pilot Mercy; Josh Charles (In Treatment) will star in CBS drama pilot The Good Wife; Tom Riley (Lost in Austen) has joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot No Heroics; and Catherine Dent (The Shield) has joined the ensemble cast of NBC drama pilot Day One. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Colin Egglesfield (All My Children) and Stephanie Jacobsen (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) have been cast in CW's revival of Melrose Place. Egglesfield will Auggie, a sous chef who dreams of owning his own restaurant and is an avid surfer, while Jacobsen will play Lauren, a UCLA med student who is living a double life as a high-end call girl. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO hasn't quite greenlit film The Special Relationship, about the unusual and sometimes fractuous relationship between President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair but the pieces are coming into place on the Peter Morgan-scripted drama. Dennis Quaid has signed on to star as President Clinton, with Michael Sheen once again reprising his role British Prime Minister Tony Blair (which he's played twice now in The Queen and The Deal), and Julianne Moore playing First Lady Hillary Clinton. Peter Morgan, who wrote the screenplay, is expected to direct what will likely be a co-production between HBO and BBC. (Variety)

ABC has stopped soliciting viewers for ideas for its new comedy series In the Motherhood, which launches tonight, after the WGA had an issue with the network's call for ideas, which are "not permissible" under the terms of the guild's deal with ABC. (Editor's note: I'm quoted in the article!) (New York Times)

USA is said to be extremely close to giving drama White Collar, starring Matthew Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen, Marsha Thomason, and Willie Garson, a series order. Move would mark the second pickup for USA this year, following the eleven-episode order for Royal Pains. (Hollywood Reporter)

George Lopez will host an untitled nightly talk show for TBS beginning in November. The hour-long series, which will feature celebrity guests and musical performances, will run Mondays through Thursdays and the cabler has ordered 34 episodes for the Warner Horizon and Telepictures-produced series. (Variety)

TLC has given a series order to docusoap Cake Boss that follows the Valastro family as they run Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, which has designed cakes for celebrities such as Britney Spears and television series like The Sopranos. The cabler will air the pilot episode on April 19th, with the series set to debut in early June. (Hollywood Reporter)

Hallmark Channel has announced an aggressive slate of 35 original made-for-television movies for the 2009-10 season, all of which will debut in the Saturday 9-11 pm timeslot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Samantha Hunter said…
As much as I love VM (rewatching the third season at the moment), I can't say a movie in college years sounds appealing. I liked that little sneak of Veronica in the FBI... it was intriguing. Maybe they should have picked it up from there.

Congrats on your NYT quote. :)

Sam, who needs to follow Castle's example and put YOU SHOULD BE WRITING on her desktop... because I should be writing....sigh.
Anonymous said…
I've moved on since Veronica Mars. Rob Thomas should too.

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