Moonlight

Nina Tassler was the third network executive of the week to take the stage at the TCA press tour today, and she shed some light on the departure of Moonlight, the future of Swingtown, and what CSI will look like sans William Petersen. Some highlights:

• To help fill the hole on CSI left by Petersen's departure later this season, Tassler said the producers plan to introduce a new character with "an interesting genetic profile" that is comparable to that found in many serial killers. His character is on something of a journey of self-discovery, she said. But he's not going to be a direct replacement for Petersen's character: "He is an outsider coming into the CSI unit," Tassler said, and he is not (at least immediately) the boss. They're still searching for an actor to play the role.
• As for Moonlight, Tassler reminded reporters that she's not anti-vampire. "Everybody knows I love vampires," she said. "Vampires, witches, werewolves, warlocks — I love them all." But she said that while there was a lot of outcry over the show's cancellation, most of it was passion for star Alex O'Loughlin rather than the show as a whole. She said she'd love to find a place for O'Loughlin on another show in the future.
• Tassler said CBS supports and believes in Swingtown, but she's "a little disappointed in the ratings." As of now, there's no decision made about whether to renew the show or not — though CBS is at least confident enough to have the cast attend tonight's all-star party.

To see what Tassler had to say about Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke on How I Met Your Mother, just read more

CBS took its turn at the 2008 upfronts this morning, revealing a slate that boasted five new shows — and the cancellation of a couple of fan favorites. Chief among them: Moonlight, the network's Friday night vampire drama, which in recent weeks had fans organizing a blood drive in its honor. I wonder if stakes and cloves of garlic will soon be arriving at CBS' door?

The schedule also has the network opening up a new comedy night on Wednesdays, with The New Adventures of Old Christine and a new half-hour comedy called Project Gary filling the night's first hour. How I Met Your Mother is indeed back — and keeps its 8:30 p.m. slot on Mondays. As for new shows, they include the Jerry Bruckheimer project Eleventh Hour, the buzzed about drama The Mentalist, and a dramedy called The Ex List starring Elizabeth Reaser, aka Ava/Rebecca/Jane Doe from Grey's Anatomy.

Shark, Cane, Jericho, Kid Nation, and Welcome to the Captain were other series that didn't make the cut for the new season's schedule. Here's the official CBS press release, and to check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new shows, just read more

• Joel McHale and Quantum Leap actor Scott Bakula will join Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's comic thriller The Informant, writes Hollywood Reporter.
• ComingSoon reports that Brad Pitt will produce and maybe star in The Lost City of Z, about "the search for a lost city in the Amazon."
• 30 Rock, Project Runway, and The Colbert Report were among the shows honored with Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcast, reports Broadcasting and Cable.
• According to Variety, Dave Annable (Justin on Brothers and Sisters) has a role in Julie and Julia, the Julia Child movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
• This is pretty genius: According to Zap2it, fans of the vampire drama Moonlight are organizing a blood drive to help save their show, with 3,000 folks already pledging a pint.
• The School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University will open a Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, writes Variety.
• The Hollywood Reporter has news that Ben Stiller will produce and possibly star in a film adaptation of graphic novel The Return of King Doug.
• Hayden Panettiere will star in the film adaptation of the book Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, ComingSoon writes.
• People reports that Jay Leno has issued an apology for his comments to Ryan Phillippe that many perceived as anti-gay.

Source and source

Dandelion high-fives all around for this news: Pushing Daisies has become the newest series to get a full-season order! It joins Gossip Girl, Private Practice, and the Big Bang Theory as the only series guaranteed to stick around for the whole TV season.

With the threat of a writers' strike looming, I expect we'll be hearing about more pickup orders in the coming weeks. Here are some of the series that may be well on their way:

• Carpoolers has just gotten an order for three more scripts, and CBS asked for four more scripts from Moonlight.
• There have been reports that Reaper and Aliens in America will be picked up soon.
• All of NBC's new series and Cane on CBS received script orders a while back.

How psyched are you about Daisies? And which other series should get to stick around?

Photo copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.

One of the most mysterious series of the fall is "Moonlight," which premieres tonight on CBS. I even put it on my list of five toss-up shows simply because it's been thoroughly overhauled since we first heard about it at the upfronts back in May. The only constants: star Alex O'Loughlin and the basic plot, about an immortal vampire-slash-private eye.

I finally got the chance to check out the first episode of "Moonlight," and in a word, it's ridiculous. In fact, it's "New Amsterdam"-style ridiculous. Like "New Amsterdam," though, "Moonlight" has the potential to be kind of fun, in that "hey, I'm not doing much on Friday night; let's open some wine and poke fun at this show'" kind of way.

Two reasons to watch for real: O'Loughlin, who's pretty easy on the eyes, and Jason Dohring — late of "Veronica Mars" — who has some of the best scenes in the first episode. To check out a brief "interview with the vampire," just read more

All summer long, I've been giving you my first impressions of the networks' new shows. Now, with fall TV upon us, it's time to tell you which shows are deserving of space on your TiVo and which ... well, aren't. Yesterday, I told you about five shows I'll be skipping this fall, and on Monday, I'll be revealing my top five picks for the season. But today, I'm focusing on the shows that could go either way, just as likely to become megahits as they are to sink like stones.

5. "Bionic Woman" — "Bionic" has seen quite a bit of upheaval since the pilot I saw was filmed. One supporting part (the bionic woman's younger sister) has been recast and reconceived, and — just within the past couple of weeks — one of the executive producers left the show. In the version of the pilot I saw, lead actress Michelle Ryan didn't seem to have the sort of fearless toughness you'd want in an action star, and the whole thing seemed surprisingly low-energy. But now, "Friday Night Lights" producer Jason Katims will be consulting on the show, and NBC has ensured a steady stream of publicity by hiring Isaiah Washington for a guest spot. I'm still not confident about this remake, but I think it has an equal chance of being a breakout hit and a flop.

4. "Carpoolers" — I'm really of two minds about "Carpoolers." On the one hand, the whole idea of inane car banter is why I try not to catch rides with casual acquaintances. On the other hand, this pilot made me laugh surprisingly hard, and I'm finding myself rooting for it. The writing may not be completely there yet, but the comic timing from funny guys like Jerry O'Connell, Jerry Minor, Fred Goss, and potential breakout star TJ Miller gives me hope — as does that Phil Collins video. I'm not sure if I see it getting more than a "Knights of Prosperity"-sized following, but if enough people give it a chance, maybe it will be a small hit.

Three more tossups — plus a brand-new clip of the first few minutes of one of them — so read more

So far, "Moonlight" is winning the award for most retooled pilot. Nearly every main character — except for lead vampire/private eye Alex O'Loughlin, one of this fall's supernatural crime solvers — has been recast since the show was announced in May. As a result, CBS didn't send out an early screener of the pilot, so I can't give you a proper Pilot Watch on the show. But I can share a couple of clips from the network — including an "interview with the vampire" (yuk yuk) with O'Loughlin in character as Mick St. John.

"Moonlight," which is set to air Fridays at 9 p.m., also stars Jason Dohring (most recently of "Veronica Mars"), Shannyn Sossamon (of "Dirt") and Sophia Myles. To watch the clips, read more

Back when I was trying to guess which fall pilots would get picked up by the networks, I was smart enough to see that cop shows and paranormal phenomena were among the year's major trends. Too bad I didn't realize they were going to smoosh together into one big trend: the supernatural crime-solver show. Four such series are already in the pipeline for the new TV season, and this week, NBC bought the rights to a fifth.

This new one doesn't have a title yet, but it apparently ignited a fierce bidding war between networks who wanted to claim the spooky dramedy for themselves. Variety calls it "a police procedural with a hilariously horrifying twist that follows a team of regular cops dedicated to busting vampires, zombies and other criminal demons." Hmm, sounds a whole lot like "Reaper," if the guy from "Reaper" were a cop.

In addition to those two, we also have:

• "Moonlight," a CBS drama about a vampire-slash-private investigator who uses his powers to work outside of the law.
• "New Amsterdam," the Fox show — which recently got bumped to midseason — about an immortal detective who uses his numerous lifetimes worth of experience to solve murders.
• "Pushing Daisies," the ABC procedural-with-a-twist about a guy who can bring people back from the dead long enough to learn what they remember about their killers.

Yep, NBC's new purchase means all five networks will have a supernatural crime show in the pipeline for the new TV season. It's almost enough to make me long for the good, old-fashioned, and downright earthly detective work of "CSI" or "Law & Order."

Photos courtesy of CBS, The CW, ABC, Inc. and Fox

• According to Variety, Heathers writer Daniel Waters will reunite with Winona Ryder for the Starz movie Sex and Death 101.
• The CBS show "Moonlight" has already recast most of its major roles, and now its executive producer is leaving, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
• A track from the Madonna-Justin Timberlake collaboration was leaked online, and then promptly taken down, NME reports.
• Val Kilmer will appear on the season premiere of "Numb3rs," and the Futon Critic has the details.
• Eddie Izzard has replaced Jeremy Piven in the cast of actors lending their voices to the Igor movie, ComingSoon reports.
• Lorelei's dad on "Gilmore Girls," Edward Hermann will guest-star on "Grey's Anatomy" for at least three episodes this season, Zap2it reports.
• Warner Bros. has announced that they will release the definitive director's cut from Ridley Scott's sci-fi hit movie Blade Runner on December 18, says Variety.
• A British newspaper reporter is petitioning for an "Arrested Development" Christmas special, the Associated Press reports.

Source

CBS is joining ABC and NBC by giving us video previews of its new fall shows. Some info on the new series is over at the network's fall preview site, but I've got all the clips and photos right here — including a special look at Hugh Jackman singing in the first episode of "Viva Laughlin"! Check it out:

One more "Viva" clip, plus clips from the other shows and a ton of pictures, so read more