The TV Chick

UPDATED 5/18: No shows on the bubble anymore!

A lot of the shows I wanted to be renewed have been (Parenthood, V and Chuck to name a few). However, I am still waiting for a Life Unexpected renewal (as are a lot of us!) I would be shocked if it didn’t get a second season, and I know it would upset a lot of people. It was just announced today that Law and Order is canceled, which is a little surprising given the fact that if it went one more season, they could have beaten a big record. I can’t say I was watching too much of it anyway, but it is a big institution. As for new shows, Law and Order: LA (LOLA) should be interesting. No Ordinary Family has gotten a lot of buzz as has Friends With Benefits. I also (like many) miss Arrested Development, and I’m excited to see the new offering from Mitch Hurwitz and Will Arnett. One thing is for sure, I am looking forward to the 2010-2011 season!
 

Renewed/Returning:

ABC:

• V (This show has gotten so good lately!)
• Castle
• Cougartown
• The Middle
• Modern Family (No surprise here!)
• Brothers & Sisters

NBC:

• Chuck (Very glad this show was given another season.)
• Parenthood (Have really grown to love this show a lot. So glad it’s coming back!)
• Law & Order: SVU, NBC
• Community
• Parks & Recreation
• 30 Rock
• The Office

FOX:

• Glee, (You all know my feelings on this one)
• Human Target
• Lie to Me
• Bones
• Fringe
• The Simpsons
• The Cleveland Show
• Family Guy
• American Dad
• American Idol
• House

CW:

• Life Unexpected (Coming back for a second season!! All is right in the TV world!)
• One Tree Hill
• Smallville
• Supernatural
• Vampire Diaries
• Gossip Girl
• 90210

Shows that are canceled:

• Heroes, NBC
• Law and Order, NBC
• Mercy, NBC
• Trauma, NBC
• Romantically Challenged, ABC
• Flash Forward, ABC
• Better Off Ted, ABC
• Scrubs, ABC
• Ugly Betty, ABC
• 24, FOX
• Miami Medical, CBS
• Cold Case, CBS
• Melrose Place, CW

New Pilot Pick-Ups:

• Happy Endings, ABC (starring Elisha Cuthbert)
• No Ordinary Family, ABC (starring Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz)
• Better Together, ABC (starring Joanna Garcia)
• Mr. Sunshine, ABC (starring Matthew Perry)
• The Whole Truth, ABC
• Detroit 187, ABC
• Generation Y, ABC
• Body of Proof, ABC (with Dana Delany)
• Off the Map, ABC (created by Shonda Rhimes)
• Franklin & Bash, TNT (starring Mark Paul Gosselaar)
• Friends With Benefits, NBC
• The Cape, NBC
• Outlaws, NBC
• Harry’s Law, NBC
• Kindreds, NBC (From David E. Kelley–midseason)
• Law and Order: LA (LOLA), NBC
• The Cape, NBC (starring Summer Glau)
• Running Wilde, FOX (from Mitch Hurwitz and Will Arnett–love both of them!)
• Mike & Molly, CBS (Chuck Lorre)
• Nikita, CW
• Hellcats, CW

There’s a little bit of a lull in news lately, but I’m excited that my favorite shows will be back on TV soon. However, it got me thinking: one of my favorite shows in particular has not been renewed yet, and there are quite a few more that are at risk for another season. Here are the ones I am thinking about, and feel free to weigh in with any shows which you are eagerly awaiting pickup orders for.

• Life Unexpected: If you read this site at all, you know how much I adore this show. I truly believe it represents a new age in CW television — returning to its quality roots from the days of Gilmore Girls and Dawson’s Creek. Each week, it continues to get better and delve deeper into some truly amazing, real, refreshing and genuine characters. I will be so sad if it only gets one season. Given the fact that it seems to be consistently beating several other CW shows that have already been guaranteed another season, I see no reason why the CW shouldn’t pick this up. Although I can never get into Dawn Ostroff’s head (I would love to, though) so I really have no idea.
• Parenthood: While only four episodes of this new NBC drama have aired, I can already say I am hooked. The show has a wonderful cast, with a powerhouse creative team behind them. Lauren Graham is one of my favorite actresses and it is such a joy to see her back on television. I’d love to see more from this show, so I hope that NBC does the right thing and picks it up.
• V: Only four episodes of this show have aired, and more are to come next week. I think it was a weird move on ABC’s part to have such a huge hiatus, but it did make me waiting and eager to see more. Even though V was essentially done before, I think this show is innovative and the acting is great. I want to know more about the Vs, and I don’t know if everything can be resolved in one season. I think there’s a pretty decent chance this show will get renewed though.
• Southland: There was a huge campaign to save Southland once it was dropped from NBC. TNT came to the rescue and has been running a fantastic promotional campaign. They are currently airing the 6 already filmed episodes from season 2, but the ratings aren’t that great. I think it’s a really good, and gritty show that deserves another chance. TNT tends to get behind good shows so I hope that they will look past the ratings and pick it up, but I feel like it could go either way.
• Chuck: This show probably isn’t as much on the bubble as others, but it took a big Subway sandwich campaign at the end of last season for Chuck to return for some more kick-ass spy action. It has a cult following, all of whom (myself included) would be very disappointed if this show wasn’t given a 4th season. There’s so much great writing and hilariousness that it really deserves more episodes.
• Flash Forward: The pilot of this show was one of my favorites last fall. However, it quickly went down hill from there. I gave it a few episodes and then it just kept piling up on my DVR, and I would let it get deleted. I feel like there were too many characters, too much going on, and not enough direction. Lost is a show that has probably just as much crazyness going on but I care about all the characters and their fate, whereas in Flash Forward, I don’t really. The show came back last week and many watched but I can’t really get behind it. Even the original showrunner left, and during a first season of a show, this is not a very good sign. For me, I could take or leave this show but for those enjoying it, if it improves with the new staff, perhaps ABC will give it a chance.

What do you think should/should not get renewed? Are there any that I missed that you want to see come back? Weigh in!