Television News

ABC announced today that five additional episodes have been ordered for the first season of The Good Doctor. The top-up brings the medical drama's episode count to 18 and makes it the first new drama of the fall to earn a full-season pickup - though it does fall short of the traditional 22 episodes that constitute a full season. The Monday night series is two episodes into its run and off to a strong start. After its premiere garnered a 2.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, it impressively duplicated that number in week two - a feat not often accomplished. The Good Doctor follows Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome who leaves …

Would it have been better not to have seen Daniel Shaw before he was revealed to be the mysterious prisoner the Omen virus released? Sure. The show clearly wanted it that way -- we saw his feet and body in the breakout scene, but his face was out of frame until he surprised Sarah in Castle. But it's a testament to the show that even though those of us who saw the promos could connect the dots and realize Shaw was the one pulling the strings, "Chuck vs. the Santa Suit" still managed to be full of holiday awesomeness. Appropriately, the return of Shaw echoed the last episode with Brandon Routh in a lot of ways: He went through Sarah to get at Chuck, he once again unde…

Netflix has renewed its original series House of Cards for a third season. The political drama has yet to premiere Season 2, which will be released February 14 in its entirety on the streaming service. Production on Season 3 is expected to begin soon. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter) Click here to view the article

CBS today extended its initial order for SEAL Team, picking up nine additional episodes of the freshman military drama. The move makes SEAL Team the first new drama of the fall season to get a full 22-episode order. The series follows an elite unit of Navy SEALs that is composed of a tight-knit group of patriots with fearless dedication. Deployed on clandestine ops around the world, its members embark on these dangerous, high-stakes missions knowing the toll it takes on themselves and their families. David Boreanaz stars in the series, which is off to a solid start on Wednesday nights. Its premiere last month netted nearly 10 million total viewers and a 1.5 rati…

The cable channel has picked up its freshman drama series "Hell on Wheels" for a second season. There's no official word yet, but Deadline reports a deal is done. Word from AMC is likely to come next week. The series, centered around the building of the transcontinental railroad in the years after the Civil War, had a big opening in November, scoring 4.4 million viewers for its premiere. That was the second-biggest premiere for an original series in AMC's history, behind only "The Walking Dead." Its ratings have fallen some since then, but it typically draws better than 2 million viewers per week, which is a pretty good number for AMC. "Hell on Wheels" stars Anso…

USA Network announced today that Psych will end after eight seasons on the air. The buddy comedy's series finale has been scheduled for March 26. A special one-hour live show will immediately follow the finale, which will feature a Q&A session with the entire cast as well as show creator Steve Franks. (Source: USA Network) Click here to view the article

It is being reported that Fox has ordered an additional seven episodes for Season 2 of The Mick. The good news comes as the comedy continues to be a solid performer for the network, with ratings through its first four weeks this fall staying on par with the back half of its freshman run. This is The Mick's first season on the regular fall schedule after starting out as a mid-season entry earlier this year with its premiere episode falling on New Years Day. The show jumped out of the gate, putting up strong numbers that resulted in four episodes being added to its first season - something not commonly done for mid-season shows. Today's top-up, though, gives The Mick i…

It is being reported that NBC has cancelled The Michael J. Fox Show, removing the freshman comedy's remaining episodes from its schedule. The show premiered last fall with a straight-to-series order of 22 episodes - a full season's worth - but has only aired 15 of those to this point. It is unknown whether the remaining seven episodes will ever be released. Today's cancellation comes one week after the network pulled the plug on Sean Saves the World, another freshman comedy that shared the 9:00pm comedy hour with The Michael J. Fox Show on Thursday nights. In the time slot, episodes of Hollywood Game Night will air beginning February 27. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter…

ABC has reportedly ordered three additional episodes for the first season of Kevin (Probably) Saves the World. The freshman drama premiered last month and is six episodes into its run. Jason Ritter stars as the titular character, Kevin Finn, who is a self-absorbed man down on his luck and on a perilous path to despair. When he heads back home to stay with his twin sister and niece, an unlikely celestial being appears to him and tasks him with a mission to save the world, giving Kevin a new purpose in life. While reviews have leaned to the positive side, the show has struggled to find an audience on Tuesday nights at 10:00pm. Episodes regularly fall behind its ti…

The CW announced today that Arrow has been renewed for a third season. The action drama remains one of the network's strongest primetime series, with its ratings holding steady this season vs. season 1. It also ranks as the network's most-watched series with an average of 3.9 million viewers. Along with Arrow, The CW also announced early renewals for The Originals, Reign, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural. (Source: TV by the Numbers) Click here to view the article

NBC released its mid-season schedule today and it's not good news for The Brave. The freshman military drama is nowhere to be found in the line-up, meaning the network did not order any additional episodes for the show's first season. The hour-long series premiered in September and through eight episodes has been a decent performer in the 10:00pm time slot on Monday nights, though it regularly gets beaten by a substantial margin by The Good Doctor, which brings in roughly double the viewers, both overall and in the key adults 18-49 demographic. The Brave takes place in the world of America's elite undercover military operations. In D.C., a team of analysts utili…

Fans of Cougar Town, fear not. The show's third season is still a go as far as ABC is concerned. Cougar Town is likely to return in the March, said ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee. He went on to say, “We’re going to give [Cougar Town] a really good launch pad,” adding that he thinks the show could be part of a block of “young comedies” with Happy Endings and midseason entrant Don’t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23. HE continued to say, "Nothing is set in stone, and no exact date was talked about, but things are looking good for the show's upcoming return." Click here to view the article

The CW announced today that The Vampire Diaries has been renewed for a sixth season. The popular drama is still going strong, ranking as the network's highest rated series in all key demographics - an impressive feat for a show five years into its run. Along with The Vampire Diaries, The CW also announced early renewals for The Originals, Reign, Arrow, and Supernatural. (Source: TV by the Numbers) Click here to view the article

CBS today extended the first season of S.W.A.T., ordering seven additional episodes to bring its total up to 20 - good enough to be considered a full season. The move makes S.W.A.T. the network's second rookie drama of the 2017-2018 season to get a full season top-up. Shemar Moore stars in the Los Angeles-based series, which follows a former Marine tasked with running a specialized tactical unit that acts as the city's last stop in law enforcement. Raised on the streets, he is torn between his loyalty to his roots and his allegiance to his new brothers in blue as he works to bridge the divide between his two worlds. Premiering earlier this month as a late entry …

Zachary Levi didn't get choked up with a group of reporters during filming of the "Chuck" finale in December. To hear him tell it, though, it was one of the few times in the show's last week of production that he didn't. Zachary stated "[The final day] is going to be nothing but waterworks, I'm sure. But last week, we shot pretty much all of the goodbye scenes -- all the characters saying goodbye to one another -- and when art is imitating life simultaneously in that moment, and I'm looking at my friends of five years, my family of five years, in a scene I'm having to look at them say goodbye and I really am saying goodbye? That was -- yeah." He went on to say "It's no…

The CW announced today that Reign has been picked up for a second season in 2014-2015. The freshman drama was thought to be on the fence in terms of getting renewed, so this news will surely be welcomed by fans of the show. Along with Reign, The CW also announced early renewals for freshman series The Originals plus returning series Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural. (Source: TV by the Numbers) Click here to view the article

Netflix confirmed today that the upcoming sixth and final season of House of Cards will be going ahead without any involvement from Kevin Spacey. The already-ordered season appeared to be in jeopardy after its star had allegations of sexual misconduct levied against him, resulting in a suspension of production in late October. With Spacey now removed from the veteran political drama, the final eight-episode season will proceed with Robin Wright in the lead - but it may be some time before its release. Production is not set to begin until sometime in 2018, which could mean a premiere either late in the year or even in 2019. Premiering in 2013, House of Cards was …

I, like most the viewing public, am totally obsessed with "Spartacus: Vengeance" and I'm thrilled to finally write about the genre legend Lucy Lawless who plays Lucretia. Lawless, who's character is in a desperate situation this season, gives us all a look at playing a crazy (or not so crazy) woman, doing nude scenes and what playing "Xena: Warrior Princess" has done for public perception. "I think if she's crazy, she's crazy like a fox. She's entering a terrible -- she's going down a path with many snares and it's not going to be a comfortable life for her. She hasn't got any friends. She's got no support. No husband, no house, no baby, no lover and not a thing. Ilyth…

The CW announced today that The Originals has been renewed for a second season. The freshman drama, which was spun off of The Vampire Diaries, is off to a strong start in its premiere season. Paired with Supernatural on Tuesday nights, it has helped the network produce its best ratings in years for that night of the week. Along with The Originals, The CW also announced early pickups for Arrow,Reign, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural. (Source: TV by the Numbers) Click here to view the article

Hulu announced today that Future Man has been renewed for Season 2. The series is the streaming service's first original comedy in over two years, releasing this past November for a 13-episode run. Co-produced by Seth Rogen, Future Man follows a despondent janitor who typically spends his nights playing video games. That is until his ordinary life is turned upside down when mysterious visitors recruit him for a mission to travel through time in order to prevent the extinction of humanity and save the planet earth. Another 13 episodes have been ordered for Season 2, though no return date has been announced as of yet. View full article

The producers of long-running Fox series House have announced that the show will conclude at the end of this season - its eighth. On the air since 2004, the series will have aired 177 episodes by the time all is said and done. Currently 11 episodes remain until the series finale, which is slated to air on May 21, 2012. (Source: TV Guide) Click here to view the article

The CW announced today that Supernatural has been renewed for a tenth season. The long-running series has been a huge success for the network, producing solid and steady year-over-year ratings. When the drama returns for the 2014-2015 season it will surpass the decade-mark, which is an impressive milestone for any show. Along with Supernatural, The CW also announced early renewals for The Originals, Reign, The Vampire Diaries, and Arrow. (Source: TV by the Numbers) Click here to view the article

Some bad news for Blue Mountain State fans today. Spike has cancelled the comedy after three seasons on the air. The move aligns with the network's strategy shift to focus on reality programming rather than scripted shows. Blue Mountain State premiered on Spike in January 2010 and ran for 39 episodes, airing its finale on November 20, 2011. The series followed the lives of a group of college football players at the fictional Blue Mountain State University. (Source: Zap2it) Click here to view the article

Showtime announced today that Shameless has been renewed for a fifth season. The cable network has ordered 12 new episodes of critically-acclaimed drama for 2015. The show is currently at the halfway point of Season 4, with the season finale set to air in April. (Source: Showtime) Click here to view the article

It looks as if the end of Homeland is near. In an interview with Howard Stern earlier today, star Claire Danes appeared to confirm that the long-running drama will indeed not continue past next season - the show's eighth. Stern was first to bring up the fact that Homeland would be coming to a close next year, and Danes concurred, responding simply with, "yeah, that's it." The news doesn't come as a complete surprise, as showrunner Alex Gansa has gone on the record in the past about likely wrapping things up in Season 8. The series was last picked up in 2016, when two additional seasons were ordered at the same time as part of an overall deal with Fox 21 TV Stud…