Television and The Upfronts

Anyone that knows me already knows that I'm a TV junkie. I latch onto shows, and watch with dedication, at least till the point that they jump the shark, but sometimes even then, I still hold on with the hopes that things will eventually get better (Smallville).

Mid-May in TV land is not only the time of season finales, but it's also widely known as the "Upfronts". It's when shows from the past year are finally given the axe or allowed to live on for another season. Its also when we find out what's new and interesting that we'll be watching come the next TV season. This years upfronts have been very disappointing to me. Strangely, the only "Winner" that I've seen so far is NBC, who didn't cancel a single show that I enjoy, but instead picked up at least 2 shows that I am very interested in seeing. More on those later.

CBS on the other hand, did what I've suspected for a while, and probably have the most regrets about. They've killed off "Jericho". Now we'll never know what happens to Jake and the residents of the sleepy Kansas town rocked by a nuclear attack on America. It had a great start, but the midseason hiatus was what put the final nail in its coffin... though "Jericho" wasn't the only show to suffer from "Haitusitis". "Lost", "Desperate Housewives", and even "Heroes" all suffered it as well, though to a much lesser extent. I do bid adieu to "Jericho", we never really knew you. CBS however did save at least 2 other "staple" shows in my TV diet. "Shark" will be coming back for it's sophmore season, and "How I Met Your Mother" has also been saved from the axe, and it was another series that was very close to the chopping block. Also, the season finales of BOTH of those shows were great, and I'm definately looking forward to returning.

ABC has also renewed everything that I watch regularly... "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" will both be returning... each in their 4th seasons. As for new programming, "Cavemen" has been given the go-ahead. I'm still not sure how much they can get out of the concept from the commercials. Time will only tell.

NBC ... what can I say? "Heroes" has been a runaway success, so much so, that it's already getting a spin-off! Well, not really a true "spin-off", but rather, a creative way to fill in the time during the hiatus points of the season. They will be putting together 8 episodes of "Heroes: Origins" to fill in the gap when the main "Heroes" isn't being shown. From what I've come to understand, the show will be set in the same "Heroes" universe, but will not be tied directly into the main story of the show. In each episode, a new "Hero" will be introduced and given a bit of a backstory. At some point, the viewers will be able to vote on who their favorite new "Hero" is, and that new character will be interwoven into the main story-arc of the show. Sounds like a novel and brilliant idea... and definately a good way to keep interest in the show, even when it's technically not being shown. Combined, "Heroes" and "Heroes:Origins" will have 30 episodes, which should be enough to keep it running from Fall to Spring without too much time off.

New shows from NBC also include "The Bionic Woman", which seems like they're pulling a Battlestar, and completely reinvisioning. From the clips I've seen, it definately looks like it'll be worth watching. Also being introduced is "Journeyman", about a time traveling reporter, similar in vein to "Quantum Leap", but just without taking over people's bodies.

CBS is introducing "Twilight", a drama about a vampire that runs a detective agency (where have I heard that before?).

As for season finales... there are going to be a few really good ones coming up. Those fans of "Lost" that are reading this.. let me warn you. From everything I've read, it's going to be a good one!