News Briefs: So Many Premiere Dates, for A&E, TBS, TNT, Starz, and More

SO MANY PREMIERE DATES YOU’LL POOP YOUR PANTS

… TNT has switched up some of its summer premieres dates, so listen up! Franklin & Bash (yes!) will now kick off its third season on June 19; it was previously scheduled to start on July 24. If this news ruins your summer vacation, TNT will refund your money. The fourth season of Rizzoli & Isles will begin June 25, a week later than before. Ditto for the second season of Perception, which will debut an hour after Rizzoli & Isles returns. And finally, reality show Cold Justice will now premiere on September 3. [TNT via press release]

… Starz’s Magic City has a Season 2 premiere date: Friday, June 14 at 9pm.  [Starz via press release]

… A&E has put some dates on the second season of Longmire and the fourth season of The Glades. The Western and the Florida-set crime drama will both return May 27, with The Glades kicking things off at 9pm and Longmire following at 10pm. [A&E via press release]

… TLC’s Long Island Medium will be back for Season 4 on May 12 at 9pm. No need to tell her, she already knew! [TLC via press release]

… Lifetime’s Devious Maids, from Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, finally has a premiere date: Sunday June 23 at 10pm. The soapy drama centers on Latina maids in Beverly Hills who aspire for more while they dust the cubbyholes of the rich and famous. Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez, and Judy Reyes star in the series, which was once in development at ABC. [Lifetime via press release]

… TBS wants you to know that the second season of Sullivan & Son premieres Thursday, June 13. But don’t feel like you have to watch it just because TBS went out of its way to make sure you knew it was on. [TBS via press release]

CASTING NEWS

… Yvonne Strahovski is returning to Dexter in Season 8, reprising her role as Hannah McKay. We don’t know the magnitude of her return or how many episodes she’ll be in, but we do know that it’s inappropriate to lick the television when she’s on the screen at a Best Buy (source: personal experience). [EW]

BUSINESS TIME

… Following up on its two inexplicably huge miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and The Bible, History is developing a new mini based on the life of Harry Houdini, the famous late-1800s/early-1900s magician who makes Criss Angel look like a pussy. Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Stella Artois ads) is attached to star as Magic Harry. [EW]

… ReelzChannel has ordered a reality show following the descendants of old-time gangster Al Capone, and it’s called The Capones. Well this should get ReelzChannel on the map! [Multichannel]

… The Veronica Mars movie Kickstarter campaign has passed $5 million with two days left to go. So all of you who pledged $500 when you were drunk are in for a shock on Friday! But hey, at least you’ll have a cool voice-\mail message from Kristen Bell. [Kickstarter]

… When I think Black Sabbath, I immediately think “This would sound SO cool on CSI.” Well, me, get excited because Ozzy and the boys are dropping by the CBS procedural for a guest spot to debut their new single. Characters D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) and Conrad Ecklie (Marc Vann) will attend a Black Sabbath concert, and the old rockers will be there moaning out their new tune. [CBS via press release]

… NBC has renewed Carson Daly’s Last Call with Carson Daly for a thirteenth season, probably as a way to tell Daly, “Don’t even think we’re considering you as an option to take over for Jimmy Fallon when he leaves for The Tonight Show.” [NBC via press release]

… The good folks at IFC have ordered a trio of pilots! Timms Industrial Piping is a stop-motion animated parody of 1980s primetime soaps featuring baby dolls as the characters that find their lives changed when the CEO of a town’s industrial piping center dies in a plane crash. Sounds pretty straightforward! Maria Bamford, Elizabeth Banks, Nick Kroll, and Giancarlo Esposito are all part of the voice cast. Garfunkel & Oates features the titular folk-singin’ comedy duo going through heightened versions of their lives. International Plan follows two guys who travel the globe looking for love, and focuses on the friendship they forge during their intercontinental love hunts. IFC also is looking at several scripts, including Cult Following, about two guys (UCB co-founder Matt Besser and The Mighty Boosh‘s Rich Fulcher) who work in a health-food store and accidentally become cult leaders. Besser and Fulcher in the same show? YES AND PLEASE. [IFC via press release]

 

TVLine Items: Lifetime Sets Devious Maids Debut, Star Wars Vet Lands Criminal Gig and More!

Lifetime is going to get a little devious this summer.

Marc Cherry‘s new sudser Devious Maids is slated to make its long-awaited debut on June 23 at 10/9c.

Based loosely on the Mexican telenovela The Disorderly Maids Of The Neighborhood, the drama follows four ambitious housekeepers (played by Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Dania Ramirez and Roselyn Sanchez) who work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.

Susan Lucci (All My Children), Matt Cedeno (Days of Our Lives), Brianna Brown (General Hospital), Drew Van Acker (Pretty Little Liars), Mariana Klaveno (True Blood) and Grant Show (Melrose Place) — among others — co-star.

In other launch-date news, A&E’s The Glades and Longmire will premiere their new seasons on Monday, May 27 at 9 pm and 10 pm, respectively. Also, the second season of Starz’s Magic City is set to bow Friday, June 14 at 9 pm.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Luke Skywalker is coming to Criminal Minds. TVGuide.com reports that Star Wars alum Mark Hamill has booked a top-secret guest spot in the CBS procedural’s two-part finale, which airs May 22.

• TNT has done some shifting and swapping in its previously announced summer schedule: Franklin & Bash now launches its third season with a two-hour premiere on June 19 at 9pm, while Rizzoli & Isles kicks off its Season 4 on June 25 at 9 pm. Perception‘s second season, meanwhile, debuts June 25 at 10 pm, and Cold Justice, a new unscripted procedural, premieres Sept. 3 at 10pm.

• Law & Order: SVU alumna Melissa Sagemiller has landed the lead role in NBC’s potential Chicago Fire spin-off, Deadline reports. The actress will first appear in Fire‘s May 15 finale — which serves as planted spin-off for the prospective series — as a Chicago Police Department detective.

• Paula Garces (The Shield) has joined All My Children‘s upcoming iTunes/Hulu revival, Prospect Park announced Wednesday. She’ll play a savvy woman devoted to fighting crime.

• Sullivan & Son‘s second season will bow Thursday, June 13 on TBS.

USA Sets Summer Premieres for Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, Suits, New Graceland and More

USA Network has unveiled its jam-packed summer schedule, including the return of five established shows and the premieres of new drama Graceland and reality series Summer Camp.

First up, Burn Notice‘s seventh season kicks off Thursday, June 6 at 9/8c, followed by the premiere of Graceland (from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin) at 10/9c. The latter, which stars Rescue Me‘s Daniel Sunjata and Les Miserables‘ Aaron Tveit, revolves around a group of undercover agents from the FBI, DEA and US Customs working together under one roof.

Royal Pains launches its fifth season on Wednesday, June 12 at 9/8c, followed by the third season opener of Necessary Roughness at 10/9c.  

Covert Affairs returns for its fourth season on Tuesday, July 16 at 9/8c, with the third season premiere of Suits bowing at 10/9c.

Lastly, Summer Camp — which centers on “16 adults from all walks of life indulging in over-to-top competitions inspired by classic camp games” — will open sometime in July.

White Collar will return in the fall.

The CW Sets Summer Premiere Dates for Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Breaking Pointe and More

Here’s a reason for a hoedown: The CW has announced premiere dates for its summer fare, which includes a revisited Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the ballet reality series Breaking Pointe.

The Aisha Tyler-hosted improv comedy will bow with back-to-back episodes at 8/7c on Tuesday, July 16. It will be followed by the two-episode premiere of Perfect Score, a dating game hosted by Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries, 90210).

Starting July 23, new episodes of Whose Line will air at 8 pm and Perfect Score at 9 pm, with encores filling the 8:30 and 9:30 slots.

The dancers of Ballet West will return for Breaking Pointe‘s sophomore season premiere at 9 pm on Monday, July 29. The Hunt, a competition in which teams fend for limited resources in the wilderness, kicks off at 9 pm on Wednesday, July 31.

Premiere Dates for True Blood Season 6 and The Killing Season 3 Announced

Grab your summer calendar and take note: True Blood and The Killing are returning this June.

HBO announced Friday that True Blood‘s 10-episode sixth season — its first without exec producer Alan Ball at the helm — will bow Sunday, June 16 at 9/8c.

AMC, meanwhile, confirmed that death-defying serial thriller The Killing will launch its third season with a two-hour episode on Sunday, June 2 at 8/7c. The network’s press release once again reiterated that the new season (which AMC ordered only months after cancelling the series) will focus on a new case that, unlike the controversial Rosie Larsen mystery, “will be resolved over the course of ten episodes, ending with a gripping two hour finale.”

Per the release, Season 3 begins one year after the close of the Larsen case with Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) no longer working as a detective. But when her ex-partner Stephen Holder’s (Joel Kinnaman) search for a runaway girl leads him to discover a gruesome string of murders that connects to a previous murder investigation by Linden, she is drawn back into the life she thought she’d left behind.

“We learned so much from the first two seasons of The Killing,“ AMC prez Charlie Collier said in a statement, “and are thrilled to be bringing it back with the elements that the fans loved.”

ABC Reveals Summer Premiere Dates for Rookie Blue, Wipeout, New Drama Motive and More

ABC is getting a jump on summer with the announcement of return dates for Rookie Blue, Wipeout and Celebrity Wife Swap. Plus, the new Alyssa Milano soap Mistresses has been delayed by a week.

The cops of Rookie Blue will be back for Season 4 on Thursday, May 23 at 10/9c.

Per ABC’s official description, the action will pick up six months after Andy and Nick left for their undercover job, and a lot has changed while they’ve been gone.

“When Andy returns to find that Sam Swarek is now a Detective and that he’s moved on, both professionally and personally, she’s going to have to figure out how to deal with it,” reads the release. “Meanwhile, Dov’s life gets awkward when a one-night stand with Frank’s goddaughter becomes more complicated; Chris is torn between staying at 15 Division and moving his new family back to his smaller, safer hometown; Traci is learning to work with new detective Swarek, while trying to move on from the loss of her fiancé, Jerry Barber; and although Nick and Gail have cemented their relationship, Nick can’t seem to shed the feeling that all is not right between them.”

New drama Mistresses, starring Alyssa Milano, Yunjin Kim, Rochelle Aytes and Jes Macallan, will premiere a week later than originally announced on Monday, June 3 at 10 pm. It will follow The Bachelorette, which, as previously revealed, will feature Desiree Hartsock’s search for love starting Monday, May 20 at 9 pm (after Dancing With the Stars’ performance finale), before the show moves to its regular timeslot at 8 pm on May 27.

Also on tap for the Alphabet network this summer are the returns of Wipeout (on Thursday, May 9 at 8 pm), Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (Tuesday, May 28 at 8 pm), What Would You Do? (Wednesday, May 29 at 10 pm) and Celebrity Wife Swap (Sunday, June 23 at 8 pm).

Additionally, ABC will use Dancing With the Stars‘ results show on Tuesday, May 21 to launch Motive, a crime procedural that reveals the killer and victim at the start of each episode. It will then move to Thursdays at 9 pm on May 23, leading into Rookie Blue.

Whodunnit?, a new mystery reality competition show from Anthony E. Zuiker (CSI), will launch Sunday, June 23 at 9 pm.

ABC Announces Season Finale Dates for Once Upon a Time, Castle, and More

When it comes to the timing of networks announcing finale dates, alphabetical order has nothing to do with it. Dead last of the major networks to reveal end dates is ABC, which rolled out its spring calendar today.

Contrary to what most of the other networks are doing, ABC doesn’t have too many special events planned for its shows. Only Suburgatory (a one-hour season finale on April 17) and Revenge (a two-hour finale on May 12) are getting super-sized finishes, with a couple other series getting a few extra minutes here and there.

A few of these season finales might actually be series finales, as this year’s bubble is awfully big. I think it’s safe to say Red Widow will join its husband and wind up dead, Body of Proof won’t return barring another miracle, and despite it being some good primetime soapy fun, Nashville‘s ratings certainly aren’t begging ABC for an encore. The Neighbors, Suburgatory, and The Middle aren’t completely comfortable, but I like their chances to return. Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Modern Family should be safe. As for Splash, let’s not even talk about it. It’s too depressing.

 

ABC FINALE DATES FOR THE 2012-13 SEASON

Wednesday, March 27

8:30-9:00pm     The Neighbors

Wednesday, April 17

8:00-9:00pm     Suburgatory (special one-hour finale)

Thursday, May 2

8:00-9:00pm     Wife Swap

Sunday, May 5

10:01-11:00pm     Red Widow

Tuesday, May 7

8:00-9:00pm     Splash

Sunday, May 12

8:00-9:00pm     Once Upon a Time
9:00-11:00pm     Revenge (special two-hour finale)

Monday, May 13

10:01-11:00pm     Castle

Thursday, May 16

9:00-10:02pm     Grey’s Anatomy
10:02-11:00pm     Scandal

Friday, May 17

9:00-10:00pm     Shark Tank

Sunday, May 19

7:00-8:00pm     America’s Funniest Home Videos

Monday, May 20

8:00-9:00pm     Dancing with the Stars (Performance Show)

Tuesday, May 21

8:00-10:01pm     Dancing with the Stars (Results Show)

Wednesday, May 22

8:00-8:30pm     The Middle
9:00-9:31pm     Modern Family
10:00-11:00pm     Nashville

Tuesday, May 28

10:01-11:00pm     Body of Proof

NBC Announces Season Finale Dates for Revolution, Chicago Fire, Community & More!

NBC is the fourth broadcast net  (following CBS, Fox and the CW) to unveil its season finale timetable, and first up is bubble comedy Whitney on March 27 and bringing up the rear is Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal on June 27.

Among those Peacock shows getting super-sized sendoffs: Law & Order: SVU, the aforementioned Whitney, and, as previously reported, The Office.

(Note: The May sweeps ratings period runs April 25 through May 22.)

The semi-complete (where’s Saturday-bound Smash?!) rundown is as follows…

Wednesday, March 27
8/7c Whitney (one hour)

Thursday, March 28
8:30/7:30c and 9:30/8:30c 1600 Penn

Tuesday, April 2
9/8c The New Normal

Thursday, April 11
9:30/8:30c Go On

Thursday, May 2
9:30/8:30c Parks and Recreation

Thursday, May 9
8/7c Community

Friday, May 10
8/7c Fashion Star

Wednesday, May 15
10/9c Chicago Fire

Thursday, May 16
9/8c The Office (one-hour series finale)

Friday, May 17
9/8c Grimm

Sunday, May 19
9/8c The Celebrity Apprentice (two hours)

Wednesday, May 22
9/8c Law & Order: SVU (two hours)

Monday, May 27
10/9c Revolution

Tuesday, June 18
9/8c The Voice (two hours)

Thursday, June 27
10/9c Hannibal

Fox Sets Finales for Glee, Bones, Idol and Others, Premieres for SYTYCD and More Summer Fare

Fox has announced its game plan to serve up springtime finales for Glee, American Idol and other shows, then segue into fresh summer fare — including Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance.

The first programs to wrap their current runs are Raising Hope (as previously announced, on March 28), Bones and The Following (both on April 29).

Also of note, Idol will crown its latest champion with its annual two-part finale, airing May 15 and 16. (Note: The May sweeps ratings period runs April 25 through May 22.)

Among the premieres, SYTYCD fires up the hot tamale train on May 14, while Does Someone Have to Go? (a new unscripted show in which employees of a company are allowed to make changes/even lay off colleagues) sneak-previews May 15 before its official May 23 bow.

Fox’s new Animation Domination High-Def series, airing Saturday nights, will rotate quarter-hour ‘toons including Axe Cop (based on the hit graphic novel), High School USA! and Golan the Insatiable.

Here’s the complete slate, UPDATED March 12 to reflect later premiere dates for four shows.

TUESDAY, MARCH 28
9 pm Raising Hope Season 3 finale (one hour)

MONDAY, APRIL 29
8/7c Bones Season 8 finale
9 pm The Following Season 1 finale

SATURDAY, MAY 4
8 pm COPS season finale

MONDAY, MAY 6
9 pm Hell’s Kitchen (new episodes)

THURSDAY, MAY 9
9 pm Glee Season 4 finale

FRIDAY, MAY 10
8 pm Kitchen Nightmares Season 6 finale (UPDATED)
9 pm Touch Season 2 finale (UPDATED)

SUNDAY, MAY 12
8:30 pm Bob’s Burgers Season 3 finale
9:30 pm American Dad! Season 8 finale

TUESDAY, MAY 14
8 pm So You Think You Can Dance Season 10 premiere (UPDATE: one hour)
9 pm New Girl Season 2 finale (UPDATED)
9:30 pm The Mindy Project Season 1 finale (UPDATED)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
8 pm American Idol Season 11 finale, Part 1
9 pm Does Someone Have to Go? sneak preview

THURSDAY, MAY 16
8 pm American Idol Season 11 finale, Part 2 (127 minutes)

SUNDAY, MAY 19
7 pm The Cleveland Show Season 4 finale (two episodes)
8 pm The Simpsons Season 24 finale (two episodes)
9 pm Family Guy Season 11 finale (two episodes)

MONDAY, MAY 20
8:30 pm The Goodwin Games premiere

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
8 pm MasterChef Season 4 premiere (two hours)

THURSDAY, MAY 23
8 pm Does Someone Have to Go? premiere
9 pm Hell’s Kitchen time period premiere

SATURDAY, JULY 27
11 pm Animation Domination High-Def premiere

News Briefs: John Malkovich and Christian Slater Are TV-bound

COOL CASTING NEWS

… Actor John Malkovich will be getting a paycheck this summer, taking on the role of the dreaded pirate Blackbeard in NBC’s short series Crossbones. The 10-episode action-adventure series, which NBC has yet to put a date on, follows an assassin who’s sent to the Caribbean to kill Blackbeard in order to stop parrot-wearing pegleg-having rum-swilling sea bandits from ruining trade lines in the eighteenth century. Malkovich is a bona fide movie star, and this marks his first network TV role as a series regular. And it’s on NBC. For a summer series. And he’ll have to wear a fake beard. John, are you sure this was the show you wanted to come back to TV on? [TV Line]

… The Daily Show‘s Jason Jones is trying the comedy pilot thing again, this time joining ABC’s multi-camera comedy Divorced: A Love Story. He’ll play one half of a recently divorced couple that finds out their lives are even worse when they’re apart. Andrea Anders, of the late and great Better Off Ted, will play the ex-wife. If ABC picks up the series, Jones would likely leave The Daily Show, so I kind of want to root against this one because I’m selfish. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Christian Slater is bringing his curse I mean talents to ABC’s pilot Influence, from Awake creator Kyle Killen. Slater will star opposite the previously cast Steve Zahn in the drama about two brothers—one a genius (Zahn) and one a charismatic ex-con (Slater)—who start a consulting agency that specializes in fixing problems through the real science of human motivation and manipulation. Slater has a dismal television track record, with Breaking In, The Forgotten, and My Own Worst Enemy to his credits. Killen’s isn’t much better. Here’s hoping that their curses cancel each other out in a giant explosion of happy syndication. [TV Line]

… Actress Minka Kelly, prepare to be pawed at by a horde of nerds! More than usual, I mean. The Friday Night Lights actress is adding the sci-fi genre to her resumé by joining the upcoming pilot from J.J. Abrams and Fringe‘s J.H. Wyman about robot cops in the future. Kelly will play a presumably human cop in the show, but who knows because if robot markers in the future were cool, they’d make them all look like Minka Kelly. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Martin Mull (comedy stuff from back in the day) has been cast in Seth MacFarlane’s live-action Fox comedy Dads. He’ll play one of the titular dads who move back in with their sons, making their sons’ lives sucky. Fox has already ordered six episodes of the series. [TV Line]

BUSINESS TIME

… IFC has put a date on the upcoming comedy starring Marc Maron (the WTF with Marc Maron podcast): Friday, May 3. The comic’s comic stars as a heightened version of himself, and the show will include guest stars Adam Scott, Ken Jeong, Denis Leary, Jeff Garlin, Eric Stoltz, Aubrey Plaza, and more. [IFC via press release]

… The online versions of All My Children and One Life to Live have premiere dates! The soaps, saved from cancellation by The Online Network, will debut on Hulu and iTunes on April 29 for free. Soaps have notoriously small budgets. Web series have notoriously small budgets. But a soap that’s a web series!?!? It might look like one of those bootleg movies filmed on a Handi-cam from the back of a movie theater. [The Online Network via press release]

… The Ellen DeGeneres Show, or as the cool people call it, Ellen, has been renewed through 2017! [Deadline Hollywood]

… ABC Family has announced its summer premiere plans, and because I like you I’ve put the schedule in a relatively easy-to-understand list:

May 29
8:00pm  Melissa & Joey  (Season 3 premiere)
8:30pm  Baby Daddy (Season 2 premiere)
9:00pm  Dancing Fools (Series premiere)

June 3
9:00pm  The Fosters (Series premiere)

June 10
8:00pm  Switched at Birth (Summer premiere)

June 11
8:00pm  Pretty Little Liars (Season 4 premiere)
9:00pm  Twisted (Series premiere)

July 24
9:00 The Vineyard (Series premiere)

 

TVLine Items: Dollhouse Vet Visits CSI, Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Premiere Date and More!

Fresh off her run on ABC’s underwatched Last Resort, Dichen Lachman has landed a juicy guest-starring role on CSI.

TVLine has confirmed that the Dollhouse actress will appear in the May 1 episode of the long-running CBS crime drama as Jessica, a “seductive and edgy” pharmaceutical rep who may have been having an affair with a coworker. When said colleague turns up dead at a corporate retreat, Jessica emerges as a prime suspect.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Great news, ‘A’ team: Pretty Little Liars — which wraps its third year next Tuesday, March 19 — will be back Tuesday, June 11 with Season 4. Making up the rest of ABC Family’s summer lineup are four new series and three other returners: Melissa & Joey Season 3 launches Wednesday, May 29 at 8/7c, followed by the premiere of Baby Daddy (8:30 pm) and the debut of Dancing Fools (9 pm), an all-new clip show; the Jennifer Lopez-produced The Fosters kicks off Monday, June 3 at 9 pm; Switched at Birth resumes its second season on June 10 at 8 pm; the new thriller Twisted begins after PLL on June 11 (9 pm); and The Vineyard, a docu-soap, airs Wednesday, July 24 at 9 pm.

• Former Smallville starlet Laura Vandervoort announced Sunday at Toronto Comic-Con that she’ll star in Bitten, a original series on the Canadian channel Space. She’ll play the world’s only female werewolf.

• IFC has given the green light to Maron, a 10-episode comedy based on the life of comedian and podcaster Marc Maron. The star-studded series — bowing Friday, May 3 at 10/9c — will feature guest spots from Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Ken Jeong (Community), Denis Leary (Rescue Me), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) and many more. Nora Zehetner (Grey’s Anatomy), Andy Kindler (Bob’s Burgers) and Josh Brener (Glory Daze) also co-star.

• Currently in its 10th year, The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been renewed through the 2016-17 TV season.

• ABC will present a “Pop-Up Video”-style episode of Once Upon a Time on Sunday, March 31 at 8/7, displaying fun facts and backstory info on screen during an encore of the midseason finale “Queen of Hearts.”

CBS Announces Its Season Finale Dates, Including Four Two-Hour Finales

Your time is important to CBS, so to make sure no surprises sneak up on you with the endings for your favorite shows, the network has announced season-finale dates for its lineup. CBS Cares. The network gave four of its programs special two-hour finales, but everyone else is looking at ending their seasons with their regularly allotted lengths. Those getting a super-sized finale? Elementary, Criminal Minds, Survivor, and The Amazing Race.

CBS Finale Dates for the 2012-2013 Season

 

Sunday, April 28

9:00-10:00 PM  THE GOOD WIFE

Sunday, May 5  
8:00-10:00 PM  THE AMAZING RACE
10:00-11:00 PM   THE MENTALIST

Thursday, May 9  
8:30-9:00 PM   TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:00-10:00 PM    PERSON OF INTEREST

Friday, May 10
9:00-10:00 PM    VEGAS
10:00-11:00 PM    BLUE BLOODS

Sunday, May 12
8:00-10:00 PM    SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN – FANS VS. FAVORITES
10:00-11:00 PM    SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN: REUNION SHOW (From Los Angeles)

Monday, May 13  
8:00-8:30 PM   HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
9:00-9:30 PM   2 BROKE GIRLS

Tuesday, May 14
8:00-9:00 PM    NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM     NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM      GOLDEN BOY

Wednesday, May 15
10:00-11:00 PM      CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

Thursday, May 16  
8:00-8:30 PM    THE BIG BANG THEORY
9:00-11:00 PM    ELEMENTARY

Friday, May 17
8:00-9:00 PM      UNDERCOVER BOSS

Monday, May 20
8:30-9:00 PM     RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
9:30-10:00 PM      MIKE & MOLLY
10:00-11:00 PM    HAWAII FIVE-0

Wednesday, May 22
9:00-11:00 PM    CRIMINAL MINDS

Fox Sets Finales for Glee, Bones, Idol and Others, Premieres for SYTYCD and More Summer Fare

Fox has announced its game plan to serve up springtime finales for Glee, American Idol and other shows, then segue into fresh summer fare — including Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance.

The first programs to wrap their current runs are Raising Hope (as previously announced, on March 28), Kitchen Nightmares (April 5), Touch (April 26) and then Bones and The Following (both on April 29).

Also of note, Idol will crown its latest champion with its annual two-part finale, airing May 15 and 16. (Note: The May sweeps ratings period runs April 25 through May 22.)

Among the premieres, SYTYCD fires up the hot tamale train on May 14, while Does Someone Have to Go? (a new unscripted show in which employees of a company are allowed to make changes/even lay off colleagues) sneak-previews May 15 before its official May 23 bow.

Fox’s new Animation Domination High-Def series, airing Saturday nights, will rotate quarter-hour ‘toons including Axe Cop (based on the hit graphic novel), High School USA! and Golan the Insatiable.

Here’s the complete slate:

TUESDAY, MARCH 28
9 pm Raising Hope Season 3 finale (one hour)

FRIDAY, APRIL 5
8 pm Kitchen Nightmares Season 6 finale

FRIDAY, APRIL 26
9 pm Touch Season 2 finale

MONDAY, APRIL 29
8/7c Bones Season 8 finale
9 pm The Following Season 1 finale

SATURDAY, MAY 4
8 pm COPS season finale

MONDAY, MAY 6
9 pm Hell’s Kitchen (new episodes)

TUESDAY, MAY 7
9 pm New Girl Season 2 finale
9:30 pm The Mindy Project Season 1 finale

THURSDAY, MAY 9
9 pm Glee Season 4 finale

SUNDAY, MAY 12
8:30 pm Bob’s Burgers Season 3 finale
9:30 pm American Dad! Season 8 finale

TUESDAY, MAY 14
8 pm So You Think You Can Dance Season 10 premiere (two hours)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
8 pm American Idol Season 11 finale, Part 1
9 pm Does Someone Have to Go? sneak preview

THURSDAY, MAY 16
8 pm American Idol Season 11 finale, Part 2 (127 minutes)

SUNDAY, MAY 19
7 pm The Cleveland Show Season 4 finale (two episodes)
8 pm The Simpsons Season 24 finale (two episodes)
9 pm Family Guy Season 11 finale (two episodes)

MONDAY, MAY 20
8:30 pm The Goodwin Games premiere

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
8 pm MasterChef Season 4 premiere (two hours)

THURSDAY, MAY 23
8 pm Does Someone Have to Go? premiere
9 pm Hell’s Kitchen time period premiere

SATURDAY, JULY 27
11 pm Animation Domination High-Def premiere

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ announces season 10 premiere date

Get on your dancing shoes, the 10th season of So You Think You Can Dance will premiere Tuesday May 14 at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Guest judges for the audition rounds will include Minnie Driver, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, and Adam Shankman.

And if you want to show the world you can shake what your mama gave you, there are still two more auditions in Memphis on March 14 and in Los Angeles on March 22. For added incentive, Jesse Tyler Ferguson will be the guest judge in Los Angeles, Wayne Brady in Memphis.

News Briefs: The CW Kicks Cult to Fridays

THE MIDSEASON HITS CONTINUE

… The CW’s Cult has already been broken up. The network is moving the low performer to Fridays at 9pm starting March 8 because no one is watching it—only two episodes have aired so far. The show drew a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographic in each of its airings, which is like H8R levels of bad. Taking over its Tuesday 9pm slot will be repeats of other CW shows that people don’t watch. [The CW via press release]

OH YEAH THIS SHOW EXISTS NEWS

… After developing it, casting it, shooting it, editing it, sound mixing it, and polishing it for broadcast, Fox finally remembered that it also has to air The Goodwin Games, a sitcom that it announced way, way, way, way, way, way back in May at its Upfronts. But the show will make it to air Monday, May 20 at 8:30pm, 375 days after it was ordered. All seven episodes (its order was cut down from 13) will air for seven straight Mondays as a summer burn-off. The Goodwin Games stars Becki Newton, T.J. Miller, and Scott Foley as siblings who reconnect in order to get a stake of their father’s inheritance. It’s the same old routine for Becki Newton, who was a hot property after Ugly Betty was canceled and landed on NBC’s Love Bites. Love Bites was also dumped to the summer, over a year after it was ordered. TV, what do you have against the adorable Becki Newton? [TV Line]

DATES AND SERIES ORDERS

… ABC has announced a pair of premiere dates for shows aimed at ladies who want to dump their boyfriends. The next cycle of The Bachelorette will premiere Monday, May 20 at 9pm (right after The Goodwin Games!). Midseason soap Mistresses, starring Alyssa Milano and Yunjin Kim as ladies “on a path of self discovery”, will debut Monday, May 27 at 10pm, right after The Bachelorette. Monday on ABC, adultery night! [ABC via press release]

… USA continues to steer toward reality with a series order for Camp, a 10-episode competition show that throws adults into a summer-camp experience. Sixteen adults will play campy games, form summer romances! [Deadline Hollywood]

… Discovery Fit & Health has ordered the docu-drama Funeral Boss. Funeral home director Bill Harris and his family will be at the center of the six-episode series. Look for it March 14 at 10pm. [Variety]

SO MUCH CASTING. SO MUCH.

… Pilot-casting season always does a bit of fortune-telling for current shows as stars take new jobs and signal the demise of their former employers. In related news, Touch star Kiefer Sutherland has been offered a lead role in NBC’s The Black List, about a master criminal who offers to turn himself in and hand over every bad guy he’s dealt with if he’s allowed to give them up to an FBI agent that he seemingly has no connection to. But if you were Kiefer, would you rather be on a doomed Fox show or an NBC pilot? You’re going to see a lot of news stories out there that refer to Kiefer Sutherland as 24‘s Kiefer Sutherland, but let’s be honest here, he’s The Lost Boys‘ Kiefer Sutherland. [EW]

… Angela Kinsey, Angela from The Office, has been cast in Fox’s comedy pilot The Gabriels. She’ll play the wife of Rob Riggle’s character and the mother of a Wisconsin family “that lives in a community of over-sharers.”  [TV Line]

… Ron Livingston has been cast as a regular in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. He’ll play a fancy businessman who catches the eye of Gretchen Mol’s character. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Fringe‘s J.H. Wyman and J.J. Abrams has a new pilot in the works about ROBOT COPS. And playing the main ROBOT COP will be Michael Ealy. [EW]

… Chyler Leigh has been cast in NBC’s interesting-sounding comedy pilot Holding Patterns, about a group of friends whose lives are changed after they survive a plane crash. She’ll play a flighty slacker named Leah.  [TV Line]

… Donal Logue will return to Sons of Anarchy in Season 6, as the mysterious Lee Toric. Logue has also signed to join BBC America’s Copper in its second season. Both roles allow him to keep that awesome beard.  [Deadline Hollywood]

… Stephen Root has been cast in the Fox comedy pilot To My Future Assistant, a show about assistants at a prestigious law firm in New York City. He’ll play the boss of the character played by Brittany Snow. [The Wrap]

 

TVLine Items: Mistresses, Bachelorette, Teen Wolf Debut Dates, Boardwalk Adds Sex Alum and More

ABC is finally making room in its lineup for Mistresses.

The sultry new soap — which stars Alyssa Milano (Charmed), Yunjin Kim (Lost), Rochelle Aytes (Work It) and newcomer Jes Macallan as four women balancing turbulent romantic and personal lives — is slated to launch Monday, May 27 at 10/9c.

The latest cycle of The Bachelorette, meanwhile, will begin Monday, May 20, with the identity of the titular love-seeker being revealed during The Bachelor‘s March 11 After the Final Rose special.

Over on MTV, Teen Wolf is set to debut the first half of its super-sized Season 3 on Monday, June 3 at 10 pm.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Ron Livingston (Sex and the City) has joined Boardwalk Empire‘s fourth season as a series regular, Deadline reports. He’ll play a wealthy out-of-towner who catches the eye of Gretchen Mol’s Gillian Darmody. HBO has also added Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker) to the drama’s cast as a prohibition agent newly relocated to Atlantic City.

• Voilà! Ben Stiller will reprise his role as Gob’s magician nemesis Tony Wonder in Netflix’s upcoming Arrested Development revival, EW.com reports.

• TNT is now offering the first six episodes of Dallas’ second season online — seven after Monday, March 4 — leading up to J.R. Ewing’s funeral (airing March 11).

• Animal Planet has ordered a fifth season of the dog rescue-centric Pit Bulls and Parolees, per TVGuide.com.

News Briefs: The CW Sets Finale Dates for Arrow and Everything Else

THE END IS NEAR NEWS

… All good things must come to an end. CW shows must come to an end too. Haha, got you, CW. The network has announced the finale dates for its current programs, and it looks a little something like this:

Tuesday, May 7
8pm Hart of Dixie (possibly a series finale)

Monday, May 13
9pm 90210 (possibly a series finale)

Tuesday, May 14
9pm Cult (If it makes it that far)

Wednesday, May 15
8pm Arrow
9pm Supernatural

Thursday, May 16
8pm The Vampire Diaries
9pm Beauty and the Beast (possibly a series finale)

Friday, May 17
8pm Nikita (possibly a series finale)

[ TV Line ]

BUSINESS TIME

… CW, Schmee-W! What about MTV? When does Teen Wolf start? June 3! [ Deadline Hollywood ]

… TBS has ordered a new talk show to pair up with Conan . And it’s produced by… Conan! The untitled talk show will star comedian Pete Holmes and do all those things that late-night talk shows do, like sketches, man-on-the-street stuff, and interviews with celebs who won’t appear on Conan . TBS is asking for a four-week test run to air after Conan this fall. [TBS via press release]

… Take every psychotropic drug you have in front of you before you read about this new script that Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and Hell on Wheels ‘ John Shiban have in the works at FX. Called Lucas Stand , the sci-fi supernatural horror drama centers on a former special ops soldier who time-travels and kills demons that escaped from Hell. Not sure if want. As of now, FX is only asking for a script. [FX via press release]

… Nickelodeon has renewed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a third season. The kid’s network has also ordered to series Breadwinners , which looks like it was made by drugs on drugs. [Nickelodeon via press release]

CASTING NEWS 

… Pushing Daisies star Lee Pace will star in AMC’s drama pilot Halt & Catch Fire , about the computer boom of the 1980s. Pace will play a tech visionary whose ideas conflict with the big computer corporations of the day. Also starring is Mackenzie Davis, who will play a computer whiz. [ Deadline Hollywood ]

… Former Crush Alicia Silverstone is headed to the network where former hotties can find work, Lifetime. Silverstone will play the lead in the pilot HR , about a human resources boss who changes her attitude on corporate practices after she gets hit in the head. It’s like Enlightened but less awesome. [ Deadline Hollywood ]

… FX’s American Horror Story has added Kathy Bates to its cast. Bates will play a friend of Jessica Lange’s who turns into her enemy. It still won’t be as scary as  Harry’s Law . Yep, I’m taking cheap shots at  Harry’s Law . [ TV Line ]

… Martin Short, come on down to NBC! The actor will play a game-show host in a comedy pilot starring John Mulaney as a writer who pens the host’s jokes. [ THR ]

… Pitch Perfect ‘s Brittany Snow has joined Fox’s comedy pilot To My Future Assistant . The show follows a group of assistants at a New York law firm, and Snow will play the most ambitious of the assistants. [ EW ]

The CW Sets Season Finale Dates

Monday, April 8
8:00/7:00c – “The Carrie Diaries”

Tuesday, May 7
8:00/7:00c – “Hart of Dixie”

Monday, May 13
9:00/8:00c – “90210″

Tuesday, May 14
9:00/8:00c – “Cult”

Wednesday, May 15
8:00/7:00c – “Arrow”
9:00/8:00c – “Supernatural”

Thursday, May 16
8:00/7:00c – “The Vampire Diaries”
9:00/8:00c – “Beauty and the Beast”

Friday, May 17
8:00/7:00c – “Nikita”

TVLine Items: Warehouse 13′s Return Date, Arrested Development Revival Update and More!

Warehouse 13 is preparing to open its doors again — in an all-new timeslot.

The Syfy series is set to launch the second half of its fourth season on Monday, April 29 at 10/9c.

The Warehouse premiere picks up immediately where the midseason finale left off, with Artie infecting the team with the Black Orchid Artifact’s deadly ‘Sweating Sickness.’

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Despite the Netflix CEO referring to Arrested Development‘s upcoming revival as a “one-off” and “non-repeatable” during a Monday conference call, the streaming service’s rep is singing another tune, telling Hitfix: “We’re hopeful there will be more seasons…. If anyone can pull it together, it’s going to be [Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos]. But by no means is this the end of it. We’re definitely planning to do more with them.”

• FX has ordered a horror/drama script from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and former Hell on Wheels showrunner John Shiban. Based on an idea from Sutter, the project — titled Lucas Stand – is described as “the salvation quest of a damaged former Special Ops soldier who has been chosen to traverse time and place to hunt down and kill Hell’s law-breaking demons.”

• Rick Springfield is making his way back to General Hospital — and his real-life son is coming with him. Per People.com, the ’80s icon will reprise his role as Dr. Noah Drake for a handful of episodes this April, while son Liam Springthorpe will play an undercover cop.

• Michael Jackson’s son Prince will make his acting debut on an upcoming episode of 90210, per The Hollywood Reporter. He’ll play a trauma victim who bonds with Silver.

• Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters) has landed the lead in NBC’s Meatballs-like 10-episode summer series Camp, playing the director of the titular destination.

• TBS has renewed its competition series King of the Nerds for a second season.

And in the latest round of All My Children casting news:

• Ryan Bittle (Sweet Valley High, Dawson’s Creek) will play JR Chandler in the upcoming iTunes/Hulu revival, per Soap Opera Network. He’ll replace Jacob Young, who has since moved on to The Bold and the Beautiful. SON also reports that Eric Nelsen will play JR’s now-older son AJ, and America’s Next Top Model winner Sal Stowers will portray Angie’s adopted daughter Cassandra.

News Briefs: NBC Sets a Premiere Date for Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal

TIME TO STOCK UP ON CHIANTI NEWS

… NBC’s woeful 2013 will get a boost on April 4 when Hannibal makes it debut. The drama comes from Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller and revisits the universe of Red Dragon, better known as the story that kicked off the legend of Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal slides into the 10pm slot left vacant by Do No Harm. [TV Line]
AXE HER COMEDY NEXT, PLEASE

… E! has canceled Whitney Cummings’ talk show Love You, Mean It after three months. Don’t worry, her NBC sitcom Whitney is doing fine. [THR]
LOTS OF AWESOME CASTING NEWS

… Minnie Driver has joined NBC’s comedy pilot About a Boy. David Walton will star in the adaptation of the Nick Hornsby book as a man who forms a friendship with his pint-sized boy neighbor. Driver will play the boy’s recently divorced mother. [TV Line]

… Jason Isaacs (Awake) is giving television another shot and has chosen a safer premise this time by joining CBS’s drama pilot Surgeon General. Isaacs will play the titular medical expert. [TV Line]

… Rupert Grint, redhead Ron from the Harry Potter films, is the lead in CBS’s single-camera comedy (??? On CBS???) Super Clyde. Grint will play a fast-food worker who decides to become a super hero. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Royal Pains has promoted Ben Shenkman to series regular for next season. Shenkman plays Dr. Jeremiah Sacani in the USA Network drama. [TV Line]

… Glee (and recently Justified) vet Mike O’Malley will star in the NBC comedy pilot Welcome to the Family, a potential series about culture clashing. O’Malley will play the father figure of a white family that’s folded into a Latino family when his pregnant teen daughter marries her Hispanic boyfriend. Rob Schneider does not star in this, but you’d think he would. Note to self: Write a comedy about a Caucasian person marrying a Latino person and sell it to CBS. [Deadline Hollywood]

… Jason Ritter (The Event) has joined Fox’s comedy pilot Friends & Family, an adaptation of the BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey. Ritter will play Stacey. I mean Gavin. [EW]

… Jonathan Taylor Thomas has crawled out from under his rock and will guest-star on Last Man Standing, reuniting him with his old TV dad Tim Allen. He’ll play the manager of a restaurant that Kristin tries to work for. Looks like I can keep my JTT Teen Beat posters up a little longer. [E! Online]

… Breaking Bad‘s Dean Norris has been cast in CBS’s summer miniseries Under the Dome, as the series villain. Based on the Stephen King novel, Under the Dome details what happens when a small town is cut off from the rest of the world after a mysterious dome appears over it. Norris’s character uses the opportunity to take over the town. [EW]