TV Bits: ‘Community,’ ‘30 Rock’ And ‘Parenthood’ Renewed, Plus: ‘Fringe’, ‘True Blood’, ‘Comic Book Men’, ‘Talking Dead’, And More
The good news for a lot of comedy fans today is that NBC renewedCommunityfor a fourth season. There’s a catch, however. That season is a truncated 13-episode order at this point. And whileEWreports the renewal, the site says that the returns of series creatorDan Harmonand actorChevy Chaseare still to be confirmed. Presumably there would be no show without Harmon, but given recent statements by Chevy Chase, perhaps there is still reason to be concerned about his return.
Still no word onParks & Recreation, though that could arrive later this evening. But we do have promo pics from NBC’s new shows, renewal announcements for30 RockandParenthood, and word on returning stars forThe Office. Also after the jump:
I’m no good at picking apart clues from sci-fi series promos (I was the kind ofLostviewer who never even bothered trying to keep up with the various theories), butCinema Blendhelpfully points out that that weird bit of audio at the very end is actually the line “It is impossible” in reverse — an echo of a similar stunt Fox pulled in a promo for the Season 3 finale “The Day We Died,” in which the words “You were right” were played backwards.
Showtime’s Dexter Morgan may have some competition for the title of “America’s favorite serial killer” next season. NBC has its upcoming seriesHannibaland Fox has just orderedThe Following, and now FX is getting into the game withHeartsick.
The drama will be an adaptation of the bestselling novels byChelsea Cain, which follow the relationship between beautiful therapist/murderer Gretchen Lowell and damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan. So you see, it’s totally different fromHannibalandThe Following, which are both about troubledFBI agentsandmaleserial killers. [Screen Crush]
AMC has announced renewals for two freshman series,Kevin Smith’sComic Book MenandChris Hardwick’sThe Talking Dead. Each show will get a second season consisting of sixteen half-hour episodes. The reality seriesComic Book Men, which was an hourlong show in its first season, follows the goings-on at Smith’s store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, while the Hardwick-hostedThe Talking Deadrecaps episodes of AMC’s hit horrorThe Walking Dead. [Variety]
In all those seasons ofLaw & Order: SVU, it never once occurred to me to wonder whatChristopher Meloniwould look like as a vampire. As it turns out, though, bloodsucking becomes him. That’s my main takeaway from this new set ofTrue Bloodcharacter posters. Take a glimpse at Meloni’s below, and head toCinema Blendfor the rest.
True Bloodreturns to HBO for its fifth season onJune 10.
HBO, VICE Media, andBill Maherare teaming up forVice, a newsmagazine series on the pay cable channel that will take a youth-oriented approach to domestic and international news. VICE Media co-founderShane Smithwill host the series, which plans to cover topics ranging from Satanic dentists in the Pacific Northwest and voodoo heroin clinics in New York to slave labor camps in North Korea and child suicide bombers for the Taliban. Maher will executive produce, while CNN’sFareed Zakariawill serve as a consultant. [Deadline]
As expected, NBC hasrenewed30 Rockfor a seventh and last season, which, as withCommunity’s next (last?) season, will consist of 13 episodes instead of the usual 20-something.Parenthoodis alsosetto return, which perhaps shouldn’t come as a huge surprise seeing as it is NBC’s second highest-rated drama afterSmash.
Things are also looking up forThe Office, which is on the verge of finalizing deals for starsEd Helms,John Krasinski, andJenna Fischerto return next season.B.J. Novakapparently hasn’t even begun discussions, but his status is complicated by the fact that he writes and executive produces the series in addition to starring in it.
While we wait to hear more on the fate of NBC’s other beloved sitcoms, check out these new promo pics for the network’s upcoming series:
“Chicago Fire”: StarringTeri Reeves,David EigenbergandChristopher Hermann, “Chicago Fire” focuses on the everyday lives of the Chicago Fire Department.
“Go On”:Matthew Perryis set to to play newscaster Ryan King, a man struggling to move on from a loss in the new dramedy.“The New Normal”: Produced by “Glee” creatorRyan Murphy, “The New Normal” is a comedy about a blended family. The family includes a gay couple played by “The Book Of Mormon” starAndrew Rannellsand “The Hangover’s"Justin Bartha, and the woman (Georgia King) who becomes their surrogate.“1600 Penn”: Created by and co-starring “Book Of Mormon” actorJosh Gad, “1600 Penn” makes room for a more modern kind of family. The comedy also starsBill PullmanandJenna Elfman.“Save Me”: StarringAnne Heche, the new comedy series centers on a woman who has an experience that leads her to believe she can channel god.“Animal Practice”: NBC has ordered 13 episodes of “Animal Practice,” a comedy revolving around a veterinarian (played by “Weeds” starJustin Kirk) who loves animals, but hates their owners.
Head toHuffPoto see more images from these shows
