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Channel Surfing: FOX Keeps "Glee" Singing, Heather Locklear Returns to "Melrose Place," Barrowman Hints at "Doctor Who" Appearance, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm back in the land of the living after recovering from a truly extraordinary Emmy evening the other night. Let's get to the headlines.

FOX has given a full season order to musical comedy Glee, picking up the back nine episodes to bring this season's total to 22 segments. While the cast had already filmed the thirteen initial episodes, there had been no word if FOX would be going ahead with the production until yesterday. Meanwhile, E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has the scoop on some upcoming plot points for the ten remaining unaired episodes from Glee's initial order, including some potential romantic complications for, well, everyone. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

The CW has announced that Heather Locklear will reprise her role as conniving Amanda Woodward on the resurrected Melrose Place later this season. Locklear is set to first appear in the November 17th episode though the reasons behind her return to the courtyard apartment complex remain a mystery. (Editor: could it have to do with Sydney stealing her thunder by faking her death too?) Zap2It wonders whether Locklear's Amanda could have a familial relationship with Katie Cassidy's Ella but that remains speculation at the moment. (Zap2It)

Torchwood star John Barrowman has hinted that he might make an appearance in this year's final David Tenannt Doctor Who specials. (Editor: I predicted as much back when Torchwood: Children of Earth wrapped its run earlier this summer.) Barrowman, asked by Metro about whether he would be returning to Doctor Who, said, "I'll put it this way - Captain Jack will always return to the side of The Doctor when he needs assistance." Hmmm... (Digital Spy)

John Glenn (Eagle Eye) will write the script for FOX drama pilot Fallen, described by the Hollywood Reporter as "a real-world drama that revolves around a group of vigilante "fallen" angels who take down the criminal and the corrupt in New York while falling in love, battling demons and seeking their own personal revenge." Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and the Chernin Co., will be executive produced by Glenn, Peter Chernin, and Katherine Pope. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS is staying in the crime drama business. The network has given script orders (with penalties) to two projects from Sony Pictures Television. The first is an untitled crime drama from Peter Tolan (Rescue Me) about a quirky college professor who solves crimes; Tolan will executive produce with Michael Wimer. The second is The Rememberer, from writer/executive producer Ed Redlich (Without a Trace), about a female NYPD cop who has the secret ability to recall everything that she experiences. Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly will also executive produce. (Variety)

SPOILER! E! Online's Watch with Kristin chats with House star Jesse Spencer about what's coming up for Chase this season. "I'm back on the team," Spencer told E! Online's Jennifer Godwin. "It's kinda old-school: Cameron and Chase, kickin' it old-school. The merging of the teams is a work in progress. People are back and forth, and in and out, but I think very soon it's going to be a complete conglomeration of old and new. It's going to be a new dynamic for the team, which I think is going to be really good... I've got a lot of storylines coming my way. There's a bit of dodgy doctoring going on. But dodgy doctoring is all we do on the show. Bend the rules a little bit--that's what House does. If House was practicing medicine [in the real world], he'd have lot his license on day one." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Michael Fresco (My Name is Earl) will direct single-camera FOX comedy pilot Keep Hope Alive, from writer/executive producer Greg Garcia and 20th Century Fox Television, about a 25-year-old man who--wait for it-- is "raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby, with whom he had a one-night stand, ends up on death row." (Hollywood Reporter)

FX has announced that it will launch comedy series The League in the 10:30 pm timeslot following It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia beginning October 29th. Series, from Jeff Schaffer and Jackie Marcus Schaffer, follows the exploits of a fantasy football league. Meanwhile, the cabler also announced that animated comedy Archer (which aired its pilot via a sneak peek on Thursday evening) will launch in January and Louie will kick off sometime during the first quarter. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Mariska Hargitay about what's coming up on Law & Order: SVU via a video interview at Sunday's Emmy Awards. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Variety is reporting that the Television Critics Association will return to the Langham Hotel in Pasadena for the Winter Press Tour in January but has secured the Beverly Hilton for the next three Summer Press Tours, beginning with the 2010 session, slated to run July 17th to August 8th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Veronica said…
Not surprised about Glee but I still just can't get into that show. The tone just feels so inconsistent. It can be darkly funny at times but then really cheesy as well. And I don't really see it lasting several seasons.

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