News Roundup: lots of cancellations, a few renewals, a bunch of orders

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Big Brother got renewed for Summer 2012.

ABCFamily's The Nine Lives of Chloe King and State of Georgia were canceled. [we hardly paid any attention to the former, so not upset there. The latter only had a few truly "good" episodes, and was just straying too far from the premise to work.]

ABCFamily did renew Make It or Break It. And, The Lying Game received an order for the back 12 episodes of the first season.

Momster of the Bride premiered this past Sunday on Style. It looks at mothers who try to control their daughters' weddings. Look for this half-hour show Sundays at 10pm.

Style also renewed Tia & Tamera for a second season.

USA renewed Covert Affairs, Royal Pains, and Necessary Roughness, each for 16 more episodes.

Bones had another four episodes ordered... which will either run over the summer or be part of an eighth season should one happen. It's really a tiny mini-season. I can't recall something like this ever happening before...

Hung returns to HBO on October 2nd. This third season will have ten episodes.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Frances Bay, the actress who played Aunt Ginny on The Middle, has passed away. She was 92 and had appeared in more than 100 film and television roles. You may remember her as the grandmother on Happy Gilmore or as the Marble Rye Lady on Seinfeld.

Charlie's Angels, which hasn't even premiered yet, has changed the order in which the second and third episodes will run. Interesting idea, and many are skeptical of possible continuity issues and publicity stunts.

The Price is Right is celebrating 40 years on the air. Episode 7500 will air on the 28th. A special celebrity week will start January 2nd, 2012, and will feature Neil Patrick Harris, Snoop Dog, and Jenny McCarthy. I know I'm looking forward to that!

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
CBS is developing a Sherlock Holmes series. I know one of TheTalkingBox's writers will be thrilled to hear that!

ABCFamily is developing several new shows, including Intercept, which will be a drama about college students fighting crime, and Strut, about a Vegas Showgirl who marries a Texan and moves to a small town. Other shows coming up for them include Village People, Baby Daddy, and Bunheads (which might be the same as Strut, from what I can tell).

Downton Abbey, in addition to winning a ton of Emmys this week, has also been awarded a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records under "highest critical review ratings for a TV show."

FX ordered an animated comedy to be called Unsupervised, about two teenage friends with no parental supervision. So... Rugrats with older kids?

Would you watch an all-Simpsons channel? That's the hot question on the internet lately, as apparently it's a possibility...

MTV has ordered six new shows - and only two are going to be scripted. But neither of those two are really standing out yet - one is about a guy fresh out of HS, the other is about a group of friends a year out of college.

Nicholas Sparks has sold a drama to ABC.

Looking forward to Holiday Specials already? FOX is! On November 24th, they will air Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas and Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. I know I'm in for both!

State of Georgia Wraps Up...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

State of Georgia "It's Not Easy being Green" (S01E11):  Georgia is allergic to tomatoes, so of course she bites into one when a boy tempts her. [and then we don't see her actually break into hives or anything.] Yet another joke about how Aunt Honey only ingests alcohol, though she does want eggs. [a $7 tomato?!?] The girls like the guys who are selling the fruit and they all set up a double date. [and I'm just sitting here shaking my head already...] This is the first double-date the girls have ever been on. [at first I thought that was very strange. And then I realized that I don't do a lot of double dates with my best friend, either.] Honey has made ostrich eggnog. [not sure how regular eggs factor into that, but hey...] The girls go with the guys to an organic restaurant and the guys think it's great that Georgia and Jo are into sustainable lifestyles. [well this ain't gonna last.] The girls start planting some of their own herbs and stuff. [what happened to Honey's "no plants" rule?? because this is SO in direct contrast with that...] Honey isn't familiar with a goat, calling it a "weird dog." [hahahaha!] They bought a goat to milk... turns out, they bought a male goat! [hahaha!] Jo and Georgia are both sneaking artificial food in a closet. [Cinnamon Cheddar Bagel Chips... I can't understand how that would be so delicious...] The girls decide that they need to break it off with the guys so they head down to the community garden area, but the guys confess their love and the girls' plan falls apart. [love? really? no.] They have the guys over for dinner, and Jo feels bad so she reciprocates the "I love you" to Amos. [yeah, Amos. the other guy is Jed. believe it.] Jo wants to let Amos down gently, but Georgia wants to drop Jed like a hot potato... but the girls are in it together. Honey makes a joke about the Clintons' marriage. [really? It's 2011.] The girls go to the garden and see some dry soil, so Georgia decides they should water it. Turns out, the watering killed the saffron's micro-climate. Which, of course, the guys had just signed a contract to sell. Turns out, Rick and Steve were using fake names to sound more farmer-y, and they do care about money. And, as one might guess, both girls forgot to get rid of the goat when they turned the condo back to normal. [another really boring and wasting-my-time episode. it's no wonder this show hasn't gotten renewed...]

State of Georgia "Locked Up, A Broad" (S01E12): [again with the tees over plaids on Jo...] Georgia wants to borrow a specific designer dress of Honey's, but Honey won't let her. [I actually really liked the dress and accessories Georgia put on instead.] It's only minutes before Georgia drags Jo down into the storage room, where they find things like a box marked Harry Potter 8, a list of future Kentucky Derby winners, and a jetpack. [that is one of the redeeming qualities about this show - they make Honey out to be so mysterious and all over the place it's fascinating.] Honey has two screening rooms and a petting zoo as well. [and I thought the indoor koi pond was ridiculous...] Georgia soon finds and puts on the dress [which is such a nice fit, strangely. My aunts and I are different sizes, LoL]... and promptly gets it stuck on a desk chair. Jo tries to untangle her, but her hair gets stuck, too. Honey and Jules (who has now moved beyond financial adviser to errand boy...) see Georgia and Jo all tangled up via security camera feed. Jo calls the physics guys for help. [hahaha. but I guess maybe they're her only choice?] The goat is still around, eating popcorn. Louis frees Jo by cutting her hair with a sword. When Georgia and Jo admit that they took Honey's invitation to President Obama's birthday party, Honey locks them in. So, Jo calls another physics guy for help. While they wait, they try to film Georgia's audition on a phone. The guys aren't working on getting them out, they made a replica of the dress and got that one stuck, too. [I'm over the physics guys.] Honey recorded Georgia acting like a fool and turned in the audition - of Georgia's speech at the end where she talks about being unable to stay away from shiny things (just like a jewel thief), etc. [well, if this show makes a return, I'm giving it one more episode, since sometimes things change a lot in the second season. but otherwise I'm giving it up.] 

Mel & Georgia Compete with Friends; Ryder & Jo have Fashion Problems

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Melissa & Joey "Waiting for Mr. Right" (S01E20): Joe appreciates how Mel and her date have been arriving home at exactly 11pm lately. [strange... I don't see Mel enjoying that kind of predictability...] When he leaves, Mel complains to Joe about her date. Joe says that she finds things wrong with everyone... She then says that Joe's arms are too big and he always has an answer for everything. Mel goes out with some girlfriends. One is pregnant, one is engaged, one is planning a wedding, and one is getting a new kitchen... Mel just has the same ol', same ol' going on. Mel gets flowers, but it looks like Stephanie is intervening because Mel doesn't want to be the only single in her group. Mel talks her way into going with Fletcher on a road trip to Chicago. [not seeing this going well...] Mel calls Joe from the road and he leaves immediately, picking her up at a rest stop. Turns out, Mel jumped out of the car at a gas station and made a run for it. [hahahahahaha. this girl is too funny!] It took Fletcher an hour, but he finds her and delivers the bags, telling Joe to take care of her. [and she didn't even really apologize! meh, this wasn't the greatest storyline. And neither was the other one going on...] Meanwhile, Ryder asks Lennox to help him be cooler, so she dresses him in a really tight pair of pants, tho he's trying to get out of dressing like a hipster. Lennox keeps pushing the limit, and Ryder is even walking weird from the outfits. He dropped a book at school so a girl brings it home for him... Lennox asks her if she'd hang out with Ryder [wow, that's awkward!] and the girl says he'd have to stop dressing like that. [haha!] Ryder comes in wearing normal clothes, and since the girl likes that, they start hanging out. [bleh. borrrring.]

State of Georgia "The Popular Chicks" (S01E10):  The episode starts with Georgia and Jo in chicken costumes, and Jo says that six hours handing out coupons was the worst job they've ever had. [which is completely believable!] A girl they know from Atlanta wrote on Georgia's Facebook wall, and Georgia's translation of what it means is pretty different from the literal translation. Georgia explains how much work "being popular" is, which surprised Jo. The girl who wrote on the facebook wall is coming to NYC, so Georgia wants to impress her. [Jo is really wearing a t-shirt over a long-sleeve plaid number??] Honey will stay clear while the friend is there, and Georgia wants Jo to photoshop her into some stuff to make her look more important and successful. [interesting plan...] Jo is hoping to be a liaison for the physics department, but she has competition. [Jo is doing the tee-over-long-sleeve-plaid again.] Honey shows up, as she got a boring car at the key-trade party. [apparently the woman isn't into the Prius... can't blame her.] They pretend that Honey is Georgia's personal trainer [ummm... no.] and that they live in JLo's apartment. [... I'm skeptical of anyone who would buy that...] Georgia's lying gets out of control when she says she knows a singer and that she has front-row tickets to a concert he's putting on the following night. [the bratty girl doesn't stay long...] Jo works on her election speech in front of some stuffed animals. Georgia found tickets online for $900... and she's willing to try for it! [girl is nuts!] Georgia makes things up to get people inside the chicken place. Next thing you know, the girls are running in the chicken suits to try to win tickets, but that doesn't work, either. [big surprise...] Georgia then goes into emergency mode, and Jo calls her on it, since Georgia is causing Jo to miss preparation time for her election. Poor Jo ends up with only one sentence for her speech, while her opponent just wears a football jersey from high school, which wins him the election. [at least now she's wearing a tee over a paisley long-sleeve shirt.] The girl from back home shows up and Georgia admits the truth, then defends Jo. [I do love Georgia's loyalty to Jo!] The singer shows up and takes Georgia and Jo to the concert, as Jo recognized his voice - they play the same online game! [that coincidence, and the fact that the guy actually came through on such short notice, was completely unbelievable.]
[two-episode summer finale next week]

Double Melissa & Joey... but QUADRUPLE State of Georgia!!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Melissa & Joey "The Mel Word" (S01E18):  Mel is putting together wedding favors for her cousin Emily's lesbian wedding. Mel tries to get Joe to bake the cake. Ryder is recording the preparations and Lennox wants to turn it into an expose on how society is homophobic. [this could get interesting.] We quickly learn that Mel and Emily have been in competition most of their lives. Bianca (Emily's fiance) hits on Joe, then Mel. [hmmm. this is beyond strange...] Meanwhile, Lennox interviews Emily, who says that she gets a lot of support in her relationship... even from their church. This shocks Lennox, who was hoping for tears and tales of heartbreak. Mel tells Emily about the encounters she and Joe had with Bianca, but Emily thinks Mel is just trying to get her to call it off because Emily is getting married first. [I'm all for family rivalry and all, but what's the big deal about getting married first??] Joe suggests Mel use a hidden camera to catch Bianca in the act. [of course. this is a sitcom. there's no other way, haha!] Meanwhile, Lennox is surprised that nobody at the wedding is a bigot. [um, the bigots wouldn't attend, LoL!] The closest she finds is the caterer, who decides to drive off before delivering the food! Joe dolls himself up to entice Bianca, and is being too obvious, but it doesn't matter because he's quickly shooed from the room. Mel gives it a try [with a really cheesy line] but also fails. [I loved watching Mel and Joe respectively watch the other try to seduce Bianca!] As Mel is confessing to Emily about her sneaky acts, they see both the hair guy and the makeup girl upstairs with Bianca, via the hidden camera. This [of course] ends the wedding. [final note - the cake looked great!]

Melissa & Joey "Auction Hero" (S01E19):  Everyone is working to raise money and goods for Haiti. [um, that was so last year!] Mel wants to do more with the kids, so she fills in for Joe at a Boosters meeting, where they discuss what people are donating for an auction. Mel donates an evening with Joe, who isn't thrilled when he hears. [which makes sense... she doesn't "own" him!] Lennox is trying to write a novel in 10 days to raise her grade. [who assigns extra credit options like "write a novel" ??!?] At the auction, Mel really tries hard to sell Joe, ultimately raising $1,000! Joe is nervous, as the woman who "bought" him has four young kids. When he arrives, the woman reveals that she wants him to cook her dinner and "see where the night takes them." Lennox tries notecards to organize her thoughts, but her room is soon filled with sheets of paper and colored notes, so Ryder coaches her and helps make sense of some things. Joe called Mel in a panic, and Mel shows up, where she counters with a higher bid on Joe... which quickly escalates to $2,000, and Mel takes Joe. [who, as he points out, already works for Mel, so this was not the brightest move.] Lennox finishes her novel. Joe reveals that he has a master calendar for the household, and he even tracks Mel's menstrual cycle. [seriously??] Lennox's novel gets a good grade. [A for effort, sure. but I didn't understand Lennox "forgetting" that she left post-its in there. That made no sense.]

State of Georgia  "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" (S01E06):  Georgia and Jo are out to eat and the guy that Georgia auditioned for in the first episode is back. He doesn't remember her. [I didn't expect him to, though Georgia certainly did!] He tells her to make work for herself. [good idea, really.] The guy does remember Jo, though, since her hair stands out! Honey is upset at a swag bag she received and gives it to the girls. Georgia tells Jo to try a Brazilian blow-out, as there was a gift certificate for one in the bag. Honey jokes about the fact that there's thousands of dollars under the cushions. [I do miss that. We have a futon at the moment, which means no cushions for change to hide under!] Contrary to the episodes where the girls want to make their own way, Georgia willingly accepts a check from Honey to finance a theater for her showcase. Honey starts making some suggestions, but it gets out of control quickly. [I feel like Georgia should have seen that coming!] Jo starts getting obsessed about her hair. [well, it was going to go one way or the other!] The casting guy offers Jo a shampoo commercial. The physics guys show up and offer to do all kinds of things for Jo. Jo really begins to understand how the world is better for pretty people. [let's not lie. sometimes I feel really bad for the unfortunate-looking... how do they get anywhere??] Georgia then starts singing "RESPECT" in rehearsal, but Honey upstages her. Jo will no longer go out in humidity or rain because of what will happen to her hair. She goes to the showcase and wrecks her hair anyway. Honey goes, too, and apologizes. [blah blah blah.]

State of Georgia "Mo' Honey, Mo' Problems" (S01E07): Jo and Georgia are watching television with a fern. [...I don't get it.] Honey is having her apartment painted so she comes to take over both Georgia and Jo's rooms. Honey believes that plants steal oxygen from humans, so no houseplants! [the p0rn vs. PWORN (Poor Women's Outreach Resource Network) jokes got old fast.] Georgia and Jo snoop through Honey's stuff and find a bank statement that only has 42 cents showing in an account. Georgia then takes a call from a collection agency, plus they hear Honey talking on the phone about foreclosure, so [clearly] the girls jump to conclusions. Honey tells Georgia to mind her own business. [agreed.] A delivery comes and Georgia takes it, finding it to be a vase insured for $60,000, so she and Jo try to return it, but that's not an option. While Georgia and Jo are gone, Honey reveals that she's moved all of her money to an account in Barbados to avoid taxation. Honey's shade of green paint has been discontinued, so she chooses a red hue instead. Georgia and Jo return just in time to hear Honey talk about selling her furniture to live "in the red," and Georgia panics some more. She volunteers to plan the PWORN event and doesn't plan to use the vendors Honey prefers, deciding they're "overpriced." The party is really cheaply done, which is noticed by everyone. [well yeah. paper cups and coats on the banisters?!?] Georgia is even trying to sell the furniture! Honey arrives and isn't happy about what Georgia's doing. [no crap!] Minutes later, Georgia throws an intervention, telling everyone that Honey has a problem. Honey quickly jumps in and sets the record straight (in the process breaking the vase to prove money doesn't matter to her), and later says that the collection agency calls about the Smithsonian magazine that she's been receiving for 12 years but never signed up for. It also seems that Honey doesn't pay for cable. [strange way to wrap up an episode... I though.]

State of Georgia  "There's a Place for Us" (S01E08): Georgia and Jo are eating Ramen, as they are paying their way for things like food, since they are living rent-free. Jo believes that lobsters' tails grow back. [strange, and dumb, but I buy it. I lie to myself sometimes to make things easier.] Georgia wants to hit the 1104, "the hottest club in New York." But, it's in a secret location. Jo finds her study carrel for the next five years... turns out, her carrel is near a crazy air vent. Out looking for the club, the ladies stop in a bar, where Georgia gets a water and Jo orders a single chicken wing for a dime. [now THAT'S college living! too bad Georgia isn't really a student.] They get a lead on the location of the club, and Jo even takes the bones with her, so she can make soup. [ridiculous. but okay.] The location ends up being a dry cleaners, but the girls don't know how to get in. Georgia has programmed herself into Jo's phone as Mom, Dad, Emergency, and Grandma's Nursing Home, so Jo will always answer. [I found it hilarious for a split-second, then pretty sucky.] Jo hacks into the club's twitter to find out the nightly passwords. [yay, let's use technology. boo, let's date the show!] Georgia comes back the next night with the password, but the dry cleaner sends them on a hunt for a framed photo first, which is located at the bar the girls found the other night. Georgia distracts the bartender by stealing a bottle of peach schnapps, then ordering a fuzzy navel, causing the bartender to go to the back so she can steal the picture from behind the bar. But, they need more time, so Georgia steals the cherries to make the bartender go back for more cherries. They get the picture down, and run back for the wings (they also had to pick up a dozen of those), but Jo wants to leave a tip and ends up getting them caught. [why is Jo carrying around travelers checks??] The bartender gets this all the time and sells copies of the picture for $10. [LoL! love it.] Honey shows up and tells them to be happy about where they are. Georgia goes to Jo's study carrel to experience the "hurricane," and tells Jo to just move to another desk, even if she's not supposed to. [this show is almost painful sometimes...]

State of Georgia  "Foot in the Door" (S01E09)  There's a television show filming at the girls' bar, and Honey makes a call to get Georgia on the show. The show is called Due Process, which Georgia claimed to already be on previously, as a foot. Honey is also trying to get the condo board to approve of an additional four shower heads being installed (she already has two). [who in the world needs SIX shower heads??] Jo questions the excess, and Honey just says that she's rich... she has six cars. [couldn't get past the hideousness of Georgia's coral top and light blue pants.] Georgia isn't thrilled that she's only an extra. [and I feel like Jo is re-wearing shirts already. the show's not that old, but okay...] Georgia tries to take over the extras and tells them how to act... but that gets her fired. [I actually thought that was a hilarious two minutes!] Honey had to drain her koi pond (it's in her library!) so she's upset. Georgia goes back to talk to the director, and gets thrown out. Georgia shows up in the trailer of the star, who apparently is Georgia's idol. It goes sour in the end though, and Jo and Georgia get locked in the trailer. [I just sat there shaking my head. how do these things happen like this??] Georgia keeps trying to sneak on set, but it isn't working. [and her methods weren't impressive, either.] Georgia ends up getting knocked out on-set, and she pretends that Jo recorded the whole thing on her camera. [that was some quick thinking!] Georgia uses that as blackmail to get herself a role showing her foot on-screen. [so we're running them out of order, or at least the scripts have been changed around a bit... annoying!]

Ricky Drama; Regina Knew; Lennox Models; & more...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Oh my goodness. SO MUCH has happened in the past week! When I went to watch Secret Life on Monday, I felt like a month had passed since I saw the episode last week. And, since I saw many of the Falling Skies cast members in person last weekend, I felt like I was getting Falling Skies overkill by Sunday (not that I mind!). Still in Los Angeles at the TCA Press Tour for a few more days, follow along on Twitter if you'd like. Or facebook, if you prefer. That said, I'm also short on time to watch things let alone analyze them, so [commentary] is pretty brief this week.

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Adrian at School; Toby Comes Clean; Lennox Tweets; Jo Googles...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

A day late, I know. It's been a long week. I'm still at Comic-Con, and until I can get up some updates here, check out a couple articles (here and here) I've written from some of the things I've seen. I'll get up the remainder of the recaps from this week as soon as I can. :)

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Ben is Back; Joe Speaks Japanese; A Wrinkle-Chaser...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Harnesses Cure; Toby in Trouble; Cleveland Rocks

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Fun Facts from Raven-Symone

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last week, ABCFamily's State of Georgia premiered. If you didn't catch it, be sure to tune in tonight to see the second episode of the new series. It stars Raven-Symone as Georgia, a girl in her mid-twenties who moves from Atlanta to New York with her best friend. Georgia attempts to make it big in show business while her pal Jo seeks to enter a physics graduate program. ABCFamily & New Media Strategies gave TheTalkingBox the opportunity to take part in a Q&A with Raven-Symone, and included in today's post are some highlights we learned from the star and her latest sitcom!

- Raven-Symone describing the show: "the show is about a young lady who moves to New York with her best friend into her Aunt Honey's where Loretta Devine has a condo in New York, she wants to be famous. And her best friend is a physicist or she's trying to become one, and its trials and tribulations of these two girls having a great time in New York, taking odd jobs here and there, trying to find their way, while having that Down South, more home-type of vibe to them, it's fun." 

 -In describing the Georgia character, she said that Georgia is a strong-willed individual, can be flighty at times, gallant. Georgia's character has a lot of confidence because her well-to-do family always promoted and supported her dreams. They always told her she could be anything she wanted. She learns about her privileged childhood here and there. Raven-Symone believes that it's "very important for females to stay confident and to go off and venture into the world, but to come back knowing that you have family to come back to." 

- When asked what she is enjoying most about working on State of Georgia, she said that she enjoys working with Majandra Delfino and Loretta Devine. She's learning a lot from them. There was instant chemistry between her and Majandra and Loretta. Plus, “Aunt Honey is a scene-stealer.” She's a sweetheart and the voice of reason.

- I asked about the background behind the main characters' relationship. Georgia and Jo have been friends since they were four years old. Even throughout high school, when Georgia became popular, she kept Jo close because she knew they'd be friends for life.

- I also asked whether we'd be seeing any romances throughout the early episodes. The characters are 24 and 25, and there's plenty of cute guys in New York City. There are a lot of possibilities and they're going to touch on everything that life has to offer.

- When asked what shooting in front of a live audience is like, Raven-Symone said that it's "one of the best things you'll ever experience" and it "just brings more joy into the script when you can actually enjoy it a little more. It's fun, exciting, and the audience is cheering. There's music. It's like a little gathering every tape night."

- some of her favorite scenes include: singing, dressing up, and doing standup comedy.

- If she were mentoring real-life Georgia, she would tell her that "it doesn't get any easier. It's a grind no matter how famous you become and you have to do things that you don't want to do to start, and then when you think you've made it, things will just drag you down and make you start over again, and you have to keep the confidence up and you have to keep your family and friends close." Keeping her friends and family close is her secret to staying so grounded and professional throughout her career. To aspiring actors, Raven-Symone would suggest that they always be professional and that they enjoy themselves.

Grace & Daniel; Liam & Daphne; JoJoBe & TiffyPop; Girls & Blind Dates

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama.

Charlie Harper to Die; Fall Premiere Dates; Graphic Novels

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

If you watch a lot of shows on Hulu, be warned: FOX shows in particular will have more ads. but, they are also looking at having the viewings seen through the website on the first three days after the initial airing counted in the ratings.

Speaking of FOX, they announced their Fall premiere dates. ABC did, too.

Charlie Sheen's character, Charlie Harper, is going to be written off of Two and a Half Men by dying. Perhaps Ashton Kutcher's new character on the show will buy Charlie's old house? Plus, Charlie Sheen has finalized a deal with Lionsgate for a new television series. It'll be even racier than Two and a Half Men. Ten episode start with an option for 90 more.

Discovery has ordered a documentary special on SEAL Team Six, the elite military unit credited with killing Osama bin Laden. It will air July 10th. [EW]

On How I Met Your Mother, the actor playing Marshall's boss has changed to Martin Short.

The Voice is going to be on tour this summer.

Sam Jones III will be going to prison for a year for dealing drugs. 10,000 oxycodone pills, to be exact.

Lisa Edelstein will appear on several episodes of The Good Wife.

After the fifth season, Jersey Shore is going to feature a new cast.

There's going to be an interactive graphic novel to bridge the storylines between seasons 4 and 5 of Burn Notice. Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush will be transformed into a graphic novel as well.

Raven-Symone will be live-tweeting during the premiere of State of Georgia tomorrow night. Join the conversation with @ABCFGeorgia, @MissRavenSymone, and the writer/creator @JenniferWeiner. Tweet questions with #GeorgiaChat.

ThunderCats will run on Friday nights on Cartoon Network, starting on July 29th. To get psyched, watch Boomerang on July 16th and 17th (and everyday at 5pm starting the 18th), and Cartoon Network on the weekend of July 23rd for classic episodes! They'll also have a ComicCon panel in room 6A at 3:30pm on Friday the 22nd, which will include a screening of the premiere.

And, in not-exactly-television-news, it seems that MGM will be doing a reboot of War Games. Plus, Will Smith's daughter may be doing a movie remake of Annie. And, looks like Toy Story 4 is underway.