Bits and pieces

The third series of Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia begins on Virgin 1 on Monday April 7th at 11pm. The first two seasons debuted on sister channel Bravo. The good news is that there is a mighty fifteen episodes in this new run. Given the amount of junk and repeats on the network though, don't know why they have decided to screen it so late

Another Virgin channel, Living, have picked up Private Practice, the Greys Anatomy spin-off. There are only nine episodes in the first run but it will return for a full set in the autumn. And a slightly stranger acquisition, E4 are set to screen the fabulous Gilmore Girls from the beginning. Its bounced around from Nick to Hallmark here and the last two seasons were not shown at all, but this is the first time it will be shown to free to air.

Finally, ITV1 are set to screen the short-lived JJ Abrams series Six Degrees. Its well worth a look with Campbell Scott and Hope Davis among the cast. It will air in a post 1030 slot from May.

Brothers, criminal and Chuck

Brothers And Sisters returns for its second series on Sunday March 30th. Not too surprised that Channel 4 are deciding to only screen the show on E4 given its poor ratings last year. But I'm staggered that its been shunted out to 11pm. Hard to believe there is a long term future for the series at all really.. Series two starts with Justin missing in the Middle East, Nora trying to pull the family together, Sarah fighting to save her marriage, Kevin finding true love, Tommy struggling after the death of his newborn son and Kitty gacing the challenge of being engaged to senator Robert McCallister.

Later that week Criminal Minds is back on Living, with Joe Montegna set to replace Mandy Patinkin in the lead role. The series is back on Friday April 4th at 9pm/

New US hit Chuck premieres on Monday April 7th on Virgin 1, its stars Zachary Levi as an ordinary man who becomes a spy after accidentally downloading CIA secrets to his brain.

ITV brings on the new shows

ITV are set to launch a raft of new US shows on the back of this weeks Bionic Woman premiere.

I have seen the first episode of the Jimmy Smits drama Cane and it was great but it looks like it won't get picked up for next season. Its about a Cuban-American family running a rum and sugar business in Florida. It starts on ITV3 on Thursday March
27th.

That's the same day that Gossip Girl begins on ITV2. Based on the novels by Cecily von Ziegesar its about wealthy teenagers who go to school in New York's affluent Upper East Side. I have seen the first one of these also, and quite frankly don't need to see it again.

Pushing Daisies now be destined for Saturday nights. It seemed ITV had been planning to air this at 9pm on Fridays but won't now want to do that opposite Dirty Sexy Money on Channel 4 (which by the way will get a first look on E4 on Tuesdays). Daisies and the Damien Lewis series Life will both start in April.

Housewives and brothers and sisters

Desperate Housewives is returning at last. The fourth season arrives on Channel 4 on Wednesday March 26th. The second season of Brothers and Sisters is also joining the schedule, but only on E4 following its low ratings last year.

24 to return earlier

The postponed seventh season of 24 is not scheduled to return until January 2009. But so viewers don't lose interest (and they might given how poor season six was), a two hour prequel will air in the autumn.

The film will help bridge what is now likely to be a 20 month gap between series.

Supersized Update

Apologies for blog neglect, life got busy. Here's a massive update......Dirty Sexy Money opens for business on Channel 4 at 9pm on March 21st. The drama which stars Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Billy Baldwin and others is about a Kennedy style family. The first season of short as a result of the writers strike but its coming back next year......Unlike The Bionic Woman which is dead after 13 episodes. It starts in the UK on March 11th on ITV2 with star Michelle Ryan on with Jonathan Ross next Friday.....ITV will also soon premiere Pushing Daisies and Life both of which are set to return....Las Vegas has been axed after 5 years......The current series of Lost will run for 13 weeks, but there will be a break of a month after episode 8 airs on SKY One....Monk, currently airing on Hallmark, will begin its fifth season on BBC2 next Saturday afternoon. The USA network which has already aired series six is bringing it back for a seventh run in the summer.....Jimmy Smits series Cane, cue for ITV4, looks to be heading for the CBS scrapheap and Moonlight, currently on Living, could be going with it as well as Jericho.....again......The final season of the Shield won't air on FX in the US until September so it will be a while before Channel 5 get it.......Former Shield regular Anthony Anderson will replace Jesse L Martin in Law and Order......The 11th Hour, an ITV drama with Patrick Stewart, will be remade in the US by Jerry Bruckheimer with Rufus Sewell set to star........and one more NY-LON, a Channel 4 drama is also being remade by CBS.