[Televisionary]

BBC America's post-apocalyptic thriller Survivors will live on... on Tuesday nights. The Adrian Hodges-executive produced Survivors , which wrapped up its second season in the UK earlier this year on BBC One, will conclude its first season Stateside on Saturday, March 20th... before the digital cabler launches Season Two just three days later on Tuesday, March 23rd at 9 pm ET/PT. Given that Survivors had previously aired on Saturdays, the move could mark a return for the network to scripted drama series during the week. (Fingers crossed.) In recent years, the network has programmed mostly reality series during the week with a few notable exceptions such as Skins, The Inbetweeners , and Gavin & Stacey ... though it's worth noting that the series will now go up against ABC's Lost . Here's how BBC America described Season Two of Survivors : "Season Two shows the group now struggling not just against the difficulties of day to day life amid the ruins of the post-...

Remember when NBC announced that they were going to cut the 10 pm hour out of their primetime schedule and fill it with a cheaply-produced talk show hosted by Jay Leno? We all scratched our heads. Flash forward about seven months to the present as NBC has announced that it's pulling Jay Leno out of the 10 pm hour and now filling it back up with a mix of scripted and unscripted offerings. Yes, you might be scratching your head as to how everyone but the Peacock seemed to see that this was a doomed strategy from the first place. NBC yesterday lifted the curtain on its primetime midseason schedule, which includes reality series The Marriage Ref, The Celebrity Apprentice , and Minute to Win It (formerly known as Perfect 10 ) and drama series Parenthood, Friday Night Lights , and Trauma . The full NBC midseason schedule can be found below. Monday 8-9 pm: Chuck 9-10 pm: Trauma 10-11 pm: Law & Order Tuesday 8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser 10-11 pm: Parenthood Wednesday 8-9 pm: Mercy 9-10 ...

Well, Chuck me. NBC's action-comedy hybrid Chuck could be back on the airwaves as early as the end of October, according to a report filed by Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello . Citing an unnamed insider within the production, Ausiello is reporting that NBC might make the decision to put Chuck back on the schedule earlier than anticipated with the series--currently slated to launch its third season in March--possibly kicking off as early as the end of October. "While it remains unclear whether the little show that could (and has and shall again) would return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes are calling this season the best yet," writes Ausiello. "But wait, there’s more. If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 it initially commissioned increases dramatically." So it's good news, right? That's where things...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. NBC has announced that it is delaying the second season launch of Southland by a month. The Warner Bros. Television-produced series, which premiered last spring, was slated to launch its sophomore season on Friday, September 25th but will now instead debut on Friday, October 23rd. The reason behind the late change? According to Variety 's Michael Schneider, "insiders said the Peacock hopes to use the extra month to further promote the show, which they worried was getting lost in the fall marketing shuffle." Southland was meant to launch on the same evening as Medium and Dollhouse . ( Variety ) Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz and Chuck producer Matt Miller will write an untitled multi-camera comedy pilot script for CBS about a twenty-something couple who have just gotten married and return home after their honeymoon and must learn how to navigate life together. (The premise was inspired by Schwartz and Miller's o...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I'm still recovering from a very late night involving French cuisine, wine and port, a 1 am viewing of last night's episode of Top Chef Masters , and an early rise for the Emmy nominations. Fortunately, just a few headlines to get through this morning.... NBC confirmed that it will end the run of Canadian drama series The Listener on Thursday, July 23rd and replace the series with repeats of Law & Order beginning July 30th. The remaining five unaired episodes of The Listener will be streamed over NBC.com. ( Futon Critic ) Bravo has announced that it has moved the premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas forward a week. The season premiere will now air August 19th at 9 pm ET/PT followed by the season finale of Top Chef Masters . ( Twitter ) More on the reasons behind Kirk Acevedo's departure from FOX's Fringe , courtesy of Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello. "Storyline dictated," wrote Ausiello. ...

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Tony Award-winning actor Lin-Manuel Miranda ( In the Heights ) will appear in at least two episodes of FOX's House next season, where he will play the roommate of Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) at the psychiatric facility where House is currently living. Miranda's first appearance is slated for House 's sixth season premiere, which kicks off this fall. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Zoe Green ( Book of Shadows ) has been hired to write the script for mini-series The Diamond Age , an adaptation of Neal Stephenson's 1995 novel "The Diamond Age: Or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer," for Sci Fi and executive producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Mini-series tells the story about a father and daughter who live in a futuristic society that stifles all creativity; the man creates an interactive book for his daughter, who uses it "as a guide through a surreal alternative world." ( Va...

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. CBS has announced that it will move struggling freshman drama series Harper's Island to Saturday nights at 9 pm ET/PT, beginning May 2nd. What saved the series from outright cancellation are its strong DVR numbers and the fact that all thirteen episodes of Harper's Island 's limited run were already in the can, making it much easier for the Eye to just burn off the episodes. "This move gives us an opportunity to improve the time period on Thursday while experimenting with more original programming on Saturday," said CBS senior exec VP Kelly Kahl of the network's decision. Harper's Island won't be alone on Saturday nights, which the networks have been increasingly using as a dumping ground for series with small but loyal viewers; Kings, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone , and Dirty Sexy Money will all air episodes on Saturdays this summer. ( Variety ) J.J. Abrams is confident that freshman drama series Fr...

Those of you anxious to see Season Two of the Life on Mars sequel series Ashes to Ashes had better hold on to your hats... and sit tight. BBC America, which was slated to launch Season Two of Ashes to Ashes on Saturday, May 2nd, has indicated that it will be delaying the launch date for the second season, instead opting to launch Season Three of sci-fi series Primeval in the Saturdays at 9 pm timeslot. The news comes as a bit of a surprise and was discovered only when BBC America sent out a press release for the launch of Primeval announcing that the series, which stars Douglas Henshall, Jason Flemyng, Lucy Brown, Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, Ben Miller, Laila Rouass, Juliet Aubrey, and Ben Mansfield, would be launching on Saturday, May 16th at 9 pm ET/PT. What it failed to share was that Primeval would be taking over Ashes to Ashes ' current timeslot. Listings services, including TiVo's on-screen guide, Yahoo! TV, and Zap2it, had Ashes to Ashes ' sophomore sea...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. My mind is still buzzing after last night's double-bill of Lost and Damages . Pay cabler HBO has renewed drama Big Love , about the polygamist Henrickson clan, for a fourth season. Production will begin later this year for a 2010 launch. "The stellar reviews and solid viewership this season confirm that this is a signature series for HBO," said Michael Lombardo, president of programming at HBO. "The series keeps getting better and better." (I have to agree with him: this season has been absolutely amazing!) Once DVR, encores, and VOD ratings are added in to Big Love 's initial airing, viewing figures soar to about 5 million, on par with HBO's True Blood . ( Variety , Hollywood Reporter ) Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J are said to be in final talks to star in CBS' untitled NCIS spin-off. Chris O'Donnell would play Callen, a man capable of changing into various different personas with ease,...

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. The CW has unveiled a scheduling shakeup that will feature the launch of Season Two of Reaper earlier than expected. Reaper will take over the Tuesdays at 8 pm timeslot--currently inhabited by 90210 --on March 3rd and will air 13 episodes without interruption. 90210 will then move to 9 pm on Tuesdays, taking over Privileged 's timeslot. So what happens to Privileged ? That series will wrap its run February 14th, much earlier than originally planned after it aired fewer repeats. No decision has been made yet about a second season of Privileged . ( Hollywood Reporter ) Torchwood fans should keep their eyes on the internet on Thursday as the 60-second trailer for the series' five-episode Season Three, entitled "Children of Earth," will be released... simultaneously around the world at 4 pm ET. Season Three is set to air later this year on BBC One and BBC America over five consecutive nights. (via press release) Mi...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I'm sure many of us didn't get a very good night's sleep after the last night brought us the two-hour premiere of Lost , new installments of Damages and Top Chef , and the launch of FOX's Lie to Me . Since when did Wednesday become the go-to night for top-notch television programming? George Clooney is filming scenes this week on NBC's ER , where he will reprise his role as Dr. Doug Ross. He last appeared on the series in an uncredited cameo in 2000. No word on whether he'll bring Ross' Caesar cut with him. ( Entertainment Tonight ) Season Two of HBO's Flight of the Conchords has lined up a host of intriguing guest stars including Saturday Night Live 's Kristin Wiig, My Boys ' Jim Gaffigan, and Lost 's Alan Dale. Also of note: Michel Gondry ( Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ) directed the February 15th episode, in which Jemaine dates an Australian (shock horror!). ( Chicago Tribune...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I had a fantastically relaxing weekend, filled with some holiday-related events and a lovely private screening of the new film Slumdog Millionaire in my own living room. Good times. Battlestar Galactica fans, hold on your hats. BSG 's slinky seductress Six, a.k.a. Tricia Helfer, has signed on to guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's Chuck , where she will play Special Agent Alex Forrest, a sexy-yet-by-the-book agent who is assigned to guard the Intersect after General Beckman becomes concerned about Sarah's feelings for Chuck. Look for Casey to fall for Alex's charms... and perhaps Chuck himself. Helfer is slated to appear in the 18th episode of the season, scheduled for next spring. Also appearing this season on Chuck : Jonathan Cake ( Six Degrees ), who has signed on for a multiple-episode story arc as a "Gerard Butler-esqe British MI6 agent by the name of Cole Barker" who quickly finds himself drawn...

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. While I watched this week's episode of Chuck yet again (and fell in love with it all over again) , I couldn't help shake the feeling that last night's episode of Gossip Girl was absolutely beyond ludicrous. Anyone else agree? ABC is allegedly making some changes to its midseason schedule, with Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice shifting to Thursdays at 10 pm, where it will air right behind Grey's . Meanwhile, the current timeslot holder, Life on Mars , will move to Wednesdays at 10 pm, where it will receive a hell of a lead-in from Lost . The Alphabet didn't comment on the leaked schedule, which it has yet to announce. Can we see ABC launching a Wednesday night around Pushing Daisies, Lost, and Life on Mars ... or does this once again signal a death knell for Daisies ? ( Hollywood Reporter ) Samaire Armstrong's Juliet Darling WILL be returning to ABC's Dirty Sexy Money after all. (Come on, I...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. It's currently freezing here in LA (well, relatively speaking anyway) but I am still shaking after last night's season finale of Mad Men , not to mention another shocking installment of Skins . (Poor Sid.) Former Angel star Alexis Denisof will guest star in the November 19th episode of ABC's Private Practice , where he'll play a father-to-be with two very expectant wives in need of Addison's specialty. In real life, Denisof and wife Alyson Hannigan announced last week that they are expecting their first child. ( TV Guide ) CBS is once again developing some rather, er, unique properties that aren't crime procedurals (did they not learn their lesson from Moonlight or Cane ?). Among the projects currently said to be in development at the Eye: Hex Wives , a one-hour drama from Neil Meron and Craig Zadan about four women with magical powers; 1960s period drama Magic City about an iconic Miami Beach hotel from exec...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Once again, I am feeling burnt out after an overstuffed night of TV viewing that included new episodes of Pushing Daisies, Top Model, Old Christine, Project Runway , and Dirty Sexy Money . Whew. Jason Priestley has signed on to direct an upcoming episode of the CW's 90210 but don't expect to see him in front of the camera any time soon. Priestley will direct the series' 18th episode, slated to air in the spring. While Priestley's Brandon Walsh won't be turning up in that hallowed zip code, Shannen Doherty is said to be returning for two episodes later this season (though executive producer Gabe Sachs wouldn't comment officially) and producers are also said to have locked Jennie Garth for six additional segments. (All that hubbub about Garth not coming back? Allegedly just a "misunderstanding.") ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) On the eve of the premieres of US versions of Life on Mars...