Studio 60 cancellation imminent

NBC are set to cancel Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

The high profile drama from Aarron Sorkin has failed to capture viewers and has lost nearly half of those it started with.

Cast members are said to be resigned to its fate

It was thought that NBC might press on with the show as it was attracting upmarket viewers but even that has not been enough to save it

Its the third Channel 4 purchase to get the chop, following Runaway and Kidnapped. The network have also fumbled Lost to SKY One.

Trouble to investigate Kyle XY

Trouble will show the acclaimed ABC Family series Kyle XY.

This ten part sci-fi drama was a surprise hit this summer and has been picked up for a further 13 episodes in 2007.

It tells the story of a mysterious teenager who is found naked in the forest. He has no past, no human instincts and no belly button, A psychologist, who takes on his case, tries to help him adjust to his strange new surroundings.

24 Trailer

Get ready for a new season of 24.

It starts on SKY One in February and here is a preview

http://www.24trailer.com/

Casting around

Sasha Alexander(Dawsons Creek, NCIS) is joining the cast of The Nine (Channel Five).......Ryan O Neal is joining Bones(SKY One)while David Duchovny is on board to direct an episode....Liev Schreibner, a very fine actor, will dep for William Peterson in CSI (Channel Five)next year while he takes some time off, and presumably can replace him is and when Grisson ups and leaves which he keeps talking about.....Bryan Cranston (Malcolm In The Middle) will play Barney's dad in How I Met Your Mother (BBC2).......Susannah Thompson will join NCIS (FX, Channel Five) as a love interest to Mark Harmon.....

Channel Four - still desperate

Channel Four have retained the rights to Desperate Housewives.

The network signed both DH and Lost on a two year deal initially and after seeing the latter nicked by SKY were determined to hang on to the ladies of Wisteria Lane.

The third series, which will air in January, is thought to have cost the network over a half a million pounds an episode, far more than it forked out for the first two series.

Bye bye Dave...again

The Late Show with David Letterman is to disappear again from British screens. ITV4 have dropped the show from their schedules after this week. The Late Show was first shown nightly by SKY One who dropped it only for the Paramount Channel to pick it up (or was it the other way round), and they too dispensed with it. ITV2 were next, and they dropped it when the contract run out, only to re-launch it on ITV4. And now once again - its gone.

Its an expensive show to import every night and attracts only a small audience, but then its never shown before midnight, so its never going to get big numbers.

If only there was a new channel dedicated to showing the best American programming, can you hear me Channel Five???

SKY Premiere Lost

The new third season of Lost will premiere on SKY One on Sunday November 19th with a repeat on Wednesday nights.

Channel Four lost the show last week having failed to agree a new deal with Buena Vista.

SKY One will show six new episodes up until Xmas and then the rest of the series next year in line with the US.

New episodes of Nip/Tuck have now been postponed until next year.

Shark gets more bite

CBS has given a full-season order to Shark, its new drama about the professional and personal life of defense attorney turned prosecutor Sebastian Stark played by James Woods

Despite failing to hang on to much of the CSI audience on Thursday night, the network are sticking with the show which will air here on Channel Five and Five US.

Bits and pieces...

Channel Four don't have a deal yet for the third season of Desperate Housewives. Like Lost, this was signed for two years from Buena Vista........Bravo will air the second season of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10.30pm from Friday November 2nd.......Bravo have bought the Taye Diggs mid-season thriller Daybreak about a man who experience the same day everyday......Paramount have picked up the Adam Sandler produced comedy Rules of Engagement which debuts mid-season....FOX will follow NBC's "Kidnapped" route and end "Vanished" after 13 episodes, bad news for Channel Five who had high hopes for it......

Four lose Lost

Lost has been Lost

SKY One have stolen the rights for seasons three and four from Channel Four.

After a month worth of negotiation Four were not able to come to an agreement with Buena Vista and SKY One bid a mighty £20 million to secure the show.

Channel Four were given the chance to match it and declined.

While Channel Four have the rights to Desperate Housewives and new hit Ugly Betty, questions are certain to be asked as to how they let one of the biggest hits on the network which they have spent heavily on promoting, has been allowed to slip away.

Runaway axed

The new CW network have axed Runaway, which Channel 4 purchased for the UK. The drama about a family on the run starred Donnie Wahlberg (Boomtown) and Leslie Hope (24 and Line of Fire). Its most recent airing managed only 1.8 million viewers.

Its another blow for Melrose Place/Sex and the City writer/director Darren Star who has seen both Miss Match and Gross Point also cancelled in their first season over the last two years

Latest US Ratings

Ugly Betty (Channel 4), Heroes (Sci-Fi) and Jericho (ITV) are the bona fide hits of the new season. Heroes has already been picked up for a full season by NBC and CBS has now picked up Jericho. Brothers and Sisters (Channel 4) should get the nod from ABC also.

But there are several high profile shows struggling badly. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has shed about 35% of its viewers over the first few weeks (Channel 4), while two ABC shows Six Degrees (ITV) and The Nine (Channel Five) simply have not taken off.

3lbs, the Stanley Tucci vehicle bought by the BBC, will start in November on CBS while NBC will return Medium to Monday nights next month also.

ITV shows take a bashing

CBS have cancelled the Ray Liotta drama Smith after just three episodes. USA Today said it was 'the worst new show of the season'. CBS have pulled the series following its 8.4 mllion rating last week. ITV bought the show for transmission in the UK.

NBC would like to have 8 million for Friday Night Lights. The first episode of the new football drama rated even lower and could be heading for the chopping block. ITV also picked up that one.

NBC have already curtailed Kidnapped. the serialised drama will end after 13 episodes, a dud buy for Channel 4. Although they wil be happy with the performances of Ugly Betty and Brothers and Sisters both of which have started well on ABC.

Heroes is the bright spot in the NBC scheduled, picked up for a full series of 22 after just 3 weeks. Ironically its the show all the Brit networks passed on, ending up at the Sci-Fi Channel.

New seasons of great shows and new comedy

More 4 return two great shows to the air this week

The 12th and final season of NYPD Blue begins on Tuesday night at 10pm with a repeat on Sundays at 9pm

On Sunday it will hand off to the new series of Curb on Enthusiasm. Larry Davids emmy winning show airs at 10pm with a repeat late on Fridays. Unusually, the entire fifth series has just been released on dvd, i can't remember a show coming out on dvd before being screened here on TV.

Elsewhere BBC2 begin screening brand new episodes of Monk on Saturday October 14th at 3pm. Its about time this got a primetime slot from Aunty.

If you are looking for some new comedy The Loop begins next weekend. Set in the office of an airline, this FOX comedy, was one of the highest rated new sitcoms last season. Trouble, yes Trouble, will air the entire seven episode first season this Saturday, October 14th, from 8pm

Two weeks in.....

The new American Fall season is two weeks old and winners and losers are emerging. Ugly Betty on ABC (Channel 4) had the strongest debut followed by Heroes on NBC (Sci-Fi Channel) and Jericho (ITV and Hallmark). The pasting the latter two took from the critics did little to halt their progress. The troubled Brothers and Sister on ABC (Channel 4) has also started strongly, mainly due to following Desperate Housewives.

Two of the seralised dramas are struggling badly Vanished on Fox (Channel 5) and Kidnapped on NBC (Channel 4). Neither look likely to survive as viewers are unlikely to join them in progress. Justice on Fox (Living) is also struggling but the network has ordered three more scripts.

Elsewhere the Sci-Fi Channel have renewed Eureka which will please SKY One who screened it this summer,