[Televisionary]

J.J. Abrams' Super 8 falls into some of the same traps as his other projects, setting up expectations of mysteries it can't possibly fulfill. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled " Super 8 : Stop Being So Secretive, J.J.," in which I offer a memo to Abrams and discuss why the director needs to move on. And, just in case you haven't yet seen Super 8 , I'll offer up the following caveat. WARNING: Contains spoilers! What do you think? Has J.J. Abrams outgrown the mystery box? Does he need to stop cloaking his projects in such shrouds of secrecy that audiences come to expect the delivery of a major twist or surprise reveal that he's setting himself up to fail? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Sci-fi auteur Abrams' latest TV show, Undercovers , has gotten the axe at NBC. Over at The Daily Beast, I take look at what went wrong and why TV needs a fully-committed, not watered down, Abrams in my latest feature, "Is J.J. Abrams Too Big for TV?" Do you agree with my assessment? Did you try to watch Undercovers ? Do you miss the days of Lost, Alias , and Felicity ? Should Abrams be more committed to these television endeavors even as his feature film career skyrockets? Or is it a case of over-committing, audience expectations, or creative partnerships? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Poor Peacock. NBC continues to flail in last place, with new shows like Outlaw and Undercovers bombing and veterans like The Office eroding. Over at The Daily Beast, I take a look at the current state of NBC in my latest feature, "NBC's Disastrous Season," in which I offer six possible ways to save the Peacock. What do you think of NBC's current crop of programming, from highs like Chuck, Community , and Parks and Recreation to lows like Chase, Undercovers, and The Event? Do you agree with my assessment and my suggestions? Head to the comments section to discuss.

About two weeks ago, I asked readers to discuss which of the crop of new fall series they were still watching after sampling. I posted the question on the heels of the cancellation of FOX's Lone Star and ABC's My Generation , both of which were yanked from the airwaves after just two broadcasts. A few weeks later, CBS yesterday picked up all five (yes, five!) of its new fall offerings, giving $#*! My Dad Says, Hawaii Five-0, Mike & Molly, The Defenders , and Blue Bloods full seasons. It's rare for a network to go five-for-five when it comes to their freshman shows, but it also points to just what a middling season of television this has turned out to be thus far. A season where even NBC is giving a vote of confidence to mediocre series like The Event, Chase , and Outsourced ... and ordering more scripts for Undercovers . So now that the dust has settled a bit more, I'm wondering once again: what are you still watching a few weeks on from the initial question? Wha

No couch-lock here: NBC has picked up action-comedy Chuck for a full season. Yes, it's official: the Peacock has indicated that Chuck 's current fourth season will get its back nine episodes plus an additional two, bringing this season's total to 24 installments. The series had initially been renewed this season for just 13 episodes. The news comes significantly earlier than last season, when the show's writers had completed a 13-episode arc (it launched in January rather than September) before receiving word of a back-nine pickup, leading to a mini-season in which Chuck and Sarah became a full-blown couple. “ Chase has introduced an appealing new star to television audiences in Kelli Giddish and we think it has potential to grow,” said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios, in a statement. “We also are glad that Chuck will be with us for a full season delivering its loyal, passionate audience.” [Editor: Bromstad seems t

Sigh. Personally, I think this batch of new series is pretty much a wash so far. Given the cancellations already of both FOX's Lone Star and ABC's My Generation , the clock is already ticking for more than a few other freshman series. (My money's on either The Whole Truth or Outlaw to be the next to fall.) But, just out of (morbid) curiosity, I'm wondering which new fall series you're still watching and which you've already consigned to the dust heap of memory (or at least deleted your TiVo season pass). Still hooked on The Event ? Curious about Undercovers ? Already passed on Running Wilde or Raising Hope ? What are your thoughts on Hawaii Five-O, Mike and Molly, Chase, No Ordinary Family, Blue Bloods, The Defenders, Bleep My Dad Says, Nikita , and Hellcats ? Is there anything you've given a reprieve to or a complete pass? (And, yes, feel free to include new cable series like HBO's Boardwalk Empire or FX's Terriers , the only two new fall serie

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. File this under: oh my god. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick are reporting that Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller is developing an update of--wait for it-- The Munsters . NBC has ordered a pilot for the project, which is being described as " Modern Family meets True Blood ." If that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, Ausiello and Patrick also report that Guillermo del Toro ( Hellboy ) might executive produce as well. Jaw officially on the floor... ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos talks to Undercovers executive producer J.J. Abrams about the NBC espionage drama and about several topics on everyone's minds: namely that rumored Alias reboot and the Terry O'Quinn/Michael Emerson NBC drama pilot. News of a potential Alias reboot were news to Abrams, despite unnamed sources at the network telling Dos Santos that they're still

J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims' new espionage drama Undercovers launches tonight on NBC, as the fall premiere week wears on. Will it perform better than FOX's Lone Star , which crashed and burned on Monday? We'll find out tomorrow. Here's what I had to say about the series over in my Fall TV Preview feature at The Daily Beast recently: WATCH: Undercovers (NBC; premieres September 22) While we can all agree that Alias went off the rails in the later seasons--thanks to the increasingly Byzantine Rambaldi plot--the early years were pitch perfect. Series creator J.J. Abrams--here teaming up with his Felicity cohort Josh Reims—has gone back to the feel of those early Sydney Bristow adventures but infused them with more romance and a hell of a lot more humor with their new show, Undercovers . Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw play the world's most gorgeous professional caterers, a married pair who just happen to have met while on their previous job: as two of the very best

My fall TV preview--or at least part of it, anyway--is finally up. Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest feature, "Nine Shows to Watch, Six Shows to Shun," where I offer up nine new series to watch this fall and six shows to avoid like the plague. Just which ended up on which list? Hint, The Event ended up on my worst-of list, while things like Boardwalk Empire, Terriers, Nikita, Sherlock, Luther, Undercovers and others ended up on my watch list. (While The Walking Dead is on there, I still--like every other critic--have not seen a full episode, so there's that to consider.) But while this is my list, I'm also extremely curious to find out what you're looking forward to this autumn. What are you most excited about watching this fall? Head to the comments section to discuss, debate, and tear into my list.

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Rand Ravich's ABC drama pilot Edgar Floats , which recently received an order for six additional scripts, will be completely reconceived, with nearly all of the original cast--including series leads Tom Cavanagh and Alicia Witt and supporting players Derek Webster, Alex Solowitz, and Raoul Trujillo--getting the axe. (Only Robert Patrick will remain.) Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, meanwhile, has some further insight into the decision made by ABC. "People have been divided on Cavanagh's performance, while Patrick has been almost universally hailed as the pilot's scene stealer," she writes. "I hear ABC brass like the idea of Edgar Floats and the central character but the project is being re-conceived, with the six additional scripts still being written." [Editor: seeing as Edgar Floats was my favorite broadcast pilot of the development cyc

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. (Is it just me or does it feel like this week will never end?) E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that there's still more Lost to come, including an epilogue that depicts the time that Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Ben (Michael Emerson) spent on the island after the events of the series finale. Emerson spilled the dirt on the sequence on G4's Attack of the Show , where told Kevin Pereira about the bonus footage on the complete series DVD. "For those people that want to pony up and buy the complete Lost series, there is a bonus feature," said Emerson. "Which is um, you could call it an epilogue. A lost scene. It's a lot; it's 12 or 14 minutes that opens a window onto that gap of unknown time between Hurley (Jorge Garcia) becoming number one and the end of the series... It's self-contained. Although, it's a rich period in the show's mythology that‘s never been explored, so who know

NBC unveiled its fall schedule and new programming offerings to advertisers today in New York, kicking off the official start to network upfronts week. (You can read more about NBC's schedule and take a look at clips and read episode descriptions here .) Not in New York? You can check out the show previews for NBC's newest series, including The Event, Chase, Undercovers, Outsourced, Love Bites, School Pride , and Outlaw , as well as midseason offerings The Cape, Friends with Benefits, Harry's Law, Perfect Couples, and The Paul Reiser Show below. THE EVENT CHASE UNDERCOVERS OUTSOURCED LOVE BITES SCHOOL PRIDE OUTLAW THE CAPE FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS HARRY'S LAW THE PAUL REISER SHOW PERFECT COUPLES Which of these series look best to you? Which are you planning on checking out? And which will not even warrant a quick glance? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Welcome to the unofficial first day of network upfronts 2010. NBC this afternoon announced its plans for fall, ahead of its official upfront tomorrow, unveiling a schedule that includes several new scripted series, including dramas Undercovers, Chase, The Event, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Outlaw, Outsourced, Love Bites, Harry's Law , and The Cape , comedies Friends With Benefits, Perfect Couples , and The Paul Reiser Show , and reality series School Pride and America's Next Great Restaurant . Having already made the bulk of their pickup announcements over the last two weeks, the word from the Peacock wasn't all that surprising in terms of new content, though the vast majority of the ordered series will sit on the shelf until midseason, with only  Law & Order: Los Angeles, Undercovers, The Chase, The Event, Outsourced, Love Bites , and Outlaw earning spots on the fall sked. What is surprising was that NBC would shift Law & Order: Special Victims Unit out of t