Scrubs

The Fall TV season is finally getting fleshed out, as word is rolling in about which of your favorite shows will be coming back — and which we can give a fond farewell. In today's most recent hirings and firings, Chuck is saved! I'm so glad I continued to watch this beloved show despite it being on the bubble (I guess NBC really listened to the fans!).

But in sadder news, the original Law & Order is finally being laid to rest after 20 years on the air. In its place, NBC is reportedly picking up a West Coast version of the show, Law & Order: Los Angeles. Over at ABC, FlashForward has been canceled after being on the rocks, but V is still in.

UPDATE: NBC's Heroes has been officially canceled.

That's just a sampling, but for a full list of what's safe, what's axed, and what's still in trouble, read more

Glee is back from hiatus and we're so excited for our weekly dose of singing on TV! Before the phenomenon, many of our other favorite shows tested out tunes on screen. From Scrubs to Buffy the Vampire Slayer — check out a roundup of the most memorable musical episodes in our PopSugar Rush special, When TV Shows Break Into Song!

If Glee has turned you into a song and dance fan like it has me, then you'll be delighted to know that Fox is turning several of its shows into musical extravaganzas later this month. That includes Bones, Fringe, Family Guy — you might even see Dr. House singing a note or two.

Meshing Broadway with TV isn't anything new. In fact, some of my most beloved episodes of all time have been musical-themed masterpieces. So, to honor Glee and Fox's awesome idea, I'm reliving some of my favorites.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
   "Once More, With Feeling" is a quintessential musical episode. Buffy and the gang break into vocals for some unknown reason, spilling their secrets. Is a spell to be blamed? Witches? Bunnies? Well, at least that's Anya's theory which she belts out.

To see the Buffy video, plus clips from the rest of the shows on my list read more

It's been barely two months since Scrubs returned with its revamped cast and fresh focus on medical school students Drew, Cole, and Lucy. It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the newbies; ABC's doubling up of their episodes seemed to indicate that a cancellation was inevitable. The show itself has had its ups and downs (up = Cole's jokes; down = Lucy's shrillness), but that's like any new show starting out.

I haven't been able to quit the series, and this week it paid off. There was finally some much-needed growth for the new characters, and not just Cole showing he has a conscience — unlikely couple Drew and Denise are actually progressing very sweetly. At this point, I'm going to keep watching, but I would be (pleasantly) shocked if Scrubs lives to see a 10th season. What's your opinion on the state of the show?

Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

• ABC is doubling up episodes of Scrubs and Better Off Ted, which could be bad news — HitFix
• Hit Girl from the upcoming Kick-Ass movie gets her own (red-band) trailer — Cinematical
• Starz orders a second season of Spartacus before the first has even premiered — Coming Soon
• The Sundance Film Festival adds three more movies to its lineup, including The Romantics — The Wrap
• Gossip Girl spoiler alert: someone's gettin' married! — Watch With Kristin
• Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz reprise "Christmas Today" with Julian Casablancas — Vulture
• Director Peter Jackson's five favorite films of all time — Rotten Tomatoes
• Watch the preview of Real World: DC — PopWatch
• ABC orders a pilot for a new show called Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid — Inside TV
• The biggest TV moments of the year —PopSugar Rush

Photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

Scrubs is finally back tonight, but not without a complete Sacred Heart shakeup: founding star Zach Braff will only appear in a handful of episodes at the beginning of the season, but to cushion the blow, we'll meet three brand new characters. The newbies include Dave Franco (yes, James's younger bro), who plays one of the new med students mentored by Turk, Donald Faison's character.

I'm super excited about the changes on the show and very curious about the new focus — so it was lucky that I was treated to a chat this week with Franco and Faison about what the new characters and roles mean for Scrubs this season.

• Donald, on whether there's a new vibe on the show: It's definitely new. It's a new show but it pretty much has the same vibe. It's still wacky, still very fast paced; there's just new characters in the world. It opens up the world and fans get to see what it's like to be a med student this time, instead of an intern. If anything, it definitely in my opinion will bring more viewers to the show strictly because of these guys: one, they're funny, two, they're all good, and three, they're all, really really gorgeous.
• Dave, on his character, Cole: Cole is a med student, and his father pretty much paid for the hospital on campus. So it allows Cole to pretty much do and say whatever he wants, which results in him being an ass to everyone. No one really likes him, including his girlfriend. But as the episodes go on you kind of see a different side to him, and kind of understand why he is such a jerk to everyone and hopefully start to sympathize with him a little bit.

To hear what else Donald and Dave had to say about the show and whether James Franco will guest star (I had to ask!), just read more