News has been rolling in thick and fast about which shows will be returning and which have been canned on the US networks in this upcoming season. For more information, see our easy-to-use list below.
Pick ups:
True Blood (HBO) – Debuting in the autumn, this show follows the coexistence of humans and vampires in a Louisiana town following the production of synthetic blood by a Japanese company. True Blood is based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries books by Charlaine Harris.
Fringe (Fox) – Created by JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, this drama will follow a young female FBI agent who tackles unexplained scientific and medical phenomena. Described as a cross between The Twilight Zone, Altered States and The X Files, the show will debut this autumn.
Dollhouse (Fox) – The network has confirmed a seven-episode order for this new series from Joss Whedon, who once upon a space western time swore he’d never work with Fox again. Despite some backtracking, the series will star Eliza Dushku and Battlestar’s Tamoh Penikett.
In addition: Knight Rider.
Renewals:
Life On Mars (ABC) – The network has decided to renew its interest in the US port of Life On Mars, although showrunner David E Kelley will be leaving to focus on the fifth season of Boston Legal. Many suspect that Kelley used Life On Mars as leverage to secure renewal for the legal drama.
Lost (ABC) – Although we all know that Lost will be returning to our screens for its final run of abridged seasons, ABC has confirmed that the show will be producing 17 hours of programming in 2009 and 2010, designed to make up for lost content during the WGA strikes.
In addition: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Chuck, Family Guy, Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Stargate Atlantis, Medium, Supernatural.
Cancellations:
New Amsterdam (Fox) – Despite regular viewers of around 7 million every week, the freshman immortal romance won’t be returning to our television screens, further reinforcing a commonly held belief that Fox used it as filler during the WGA strikes at fans’ expense.
Spaced (Fox) – The US adaptation of the wildly popular British sitcom will not be going ahead, despite the network claiming that they had a phenomenal cast. Poor publicity due to the sidelining of the original creators and a scathing review of the pilot script all probably contributed to this decision.
In addition: Bionic Woman, Blood Ties, Flash Gordon, Jericho, Journeyman.
Currently, the following series are on hiatus or have yet to find out whether they will be returning: Futurama, Jekyll, Reaper.
