Wednesday, March 21, 2007

ABC Announces More Early Pick-Ups for 2007-08; TV Land's New Version of 'Laverne & Shirley?"

ABC has announced it has renewed ten more primetime series and their late night talk show for 2007-08 season. The shows are: The Bachelor, Boston Legal, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey’s Anatomy, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Lost, MEN IN TREES and Ugly Betty. The only real not given here was MEN IN TREES. So, fans of that show can relax.
These series join previously announced 2007-08 season pick-ups of America’s Funniest Home Videos, Supernanny and Wife Swap.
Now, these are just early pick-ups...this does NOT mean do other returning series will have a chance to return. Among the returning series that have no fate yet are According to Jim, George Lopez, What About Brian, Six Degrees, The Knights of Prosperity, and the just premiered drama October Road. I think 2-3 of those have a shot to return, with George, Road, Knights having the best shots. I hope Brian can return, too. 20/20 will for sure return and Primetime will probably be back as a series of specials, as it has done this season.
No chance for series like The Nine, Help Me Help You, Day Break, Show Me the Money, Big Day, and In Case of Emergency to return, I think...but stranger things have had happened.

TV Land's Upfront presentation is Friday, and we will cover that of course for you. But we might have a little sneak peak of what is to come for you today. TVWeek is reporting that TV Land is developing a loosely scripted show featuring the real Laverne & Shirley, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams...as themselves! A pilot with the duo living together at Penny's house, is scheduled to shoot next month. It would pair the actresses in a series for the first time since collaborating on the long-running '70s ABC sitcom, Laverne & Shirley.
TV Land is also considering a show with George Foreman, who Larry Jones (President of TV Land) calls the "poster child for reinventing yourself in the second part of life."
TV Land is also eying a TV Land take on My Super Sweet 16, a popular reality series on sibling Viacom-owned network MTV. TV Land would peg shows to 40th birthdays.
In August, TV Land expects to roll out TV Land's version of High School Reunion, which ran for two seasons on The WB. The original featured 10 year reunions. TV Land is going with 20-year+ gatherings.
We will have complete details of their upfront on Friday...and let's hope some classic TV acquisitions are announced and not just original series news. Boomer and former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker!
Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 7:00 PM
SITCOMS AIRING TONIGHT (May 23)

The Big Bang Theory - "The Santa Simulation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sheldon revisits some Christmas memories during a game of Dungeons and Dragons, while Penny, Bernadette and Amy try to find a girl for Koothrappali when he joins the girls for ladies' night.

Two and a Half Men - "I Scream When I Pee" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Alan’s smokin’ hot, famous ex-wife, Kandi, wants him back. Meanwhile, Berta isn’t interested in celebrating her birthday, so Walden helps make it special. April Bowlby (“Drop Dead Diva”) returns as Alan’s second ex-wife, Kandi.

Save Me - "The Book of Beth" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Series Premiere)
“Save Me” premieres with Emmy nominee Anne Heche (“Hung”) starring as Beth Harper, an absentee wife and mother who suffers a dramatic near-death experience and is revived only to discover that she now receives messages from God. As she warms up to her powers and begins dispensing advice that is astonishingly accurate, her husband Tom (Michael Landes, “Final Destination 2”) is skeptical and their teenage daughter Emily (Madison Davenport, “Shameless”) is horrified. Complicating matters even more, Tom’s mistress Carly (Alexandra Breckenridge, “American Horror Story”) shows up to confront Beth about the affair and quickly gets a shocking surprise. Read our review.

Save Me - "Take it Back" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Beth (Anne Heche) begins a new life on the straight and narrow and wants to make amends with old friends she has offended. Her efforts to return a long-ago stolen espresso machine to next door neighbor Maggie (Joy Osmanski) are rebuffed. Meanwhile, Tom (Michael Landes) learns to adjust to his wife’s newfound ability to communicate with God and they both try to re-establish some sense of normality with their old friends and their daughter Emily (Madison Davenport).

The Office - "Couples Discount" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Office pairs off into pretend couples to take advantage of a Valentine’s Day discount at a local mini-mall. Erin (Ellie Kemper) assures Pete (Jake Lacy) she will break up with Andy (Ed Helms) when he returns, but he has good reason to doubt her. Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) share a meal with Brian, the documentary's sound man.

Parks and Recreation - "Ms. Knope Goes to Washington" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Andy (Chris Pratt) visit Ben (Adam Scott) and April (Aubrey Plaza) at their new jobs in Washington D.C., and Leslie feels overwhelmed by the city -- especially after meeting two of her idols (Senators Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe). Meanwhile, Ron (Nick Offerman) throws a “thank you” barbeque for the entire Parks and Recreation staff.

Men at Work - "The Gibbs-Orcism" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Tyler's new girlfriend is all too familiar to Milo and Gibbs, so they do their best to hide the truth from him. Neal and Amy do their best to avoid the "anniversary curse," but they can't seem to escape their fate.

Anger Management - "Charlie, Kate and Jen Get Romantic" (FX, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Martin tries to undermine Charlie and Kate's relationship by telling Kate that Charlie and Jennifer are getting back together.

Big Time Rush - "Big Time Bonus" (Nickelodeon, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Gustavo gives the guys a bonus for their hard work, but they quickly begin to make bad decisions with their money. Carlos hires a personal assistant, James buys a snake he can't live without, Kendall accidentally buys a truck full of oranges and Logan can't resist the power of tipping and getting favors done in return.

Wendell & Vinnie - "The Dutch & Us" (Nickelodeon, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Wendell befriends a lonely student from Holland, Jann. But when Jann abandons Wendell for a cooler crowd, Vinnie decides to help Wendell win him back by putting them in a situation where they're forced to spend time together.