day 2.219

love (really) bites)

this really blows. one of the shows i was most looking forward to this fall - nbc's love bites - has been pushed back to mid-season, for a lot of reasons. first, star becki newton is preggers. that's a positive oops. now for the bad. co-star jordana spiro has dropped out due to her contractual obligations to her tbs show my boys. and to add insult to injury, creator and show runner cindy chupack (a former sex and the city writer) has backed down from her head honcho position to focus on writing the show. this is the second time in two years nbc's strongest series has been pushed to mid-season. parenthood faced similar set-backs last season. there's no plan to recast jordana right now and the apprentice will take love bites spot on the fall schedule. hopefully the added half-season will get the show back on track.

day 2.275

nbc's fall preview

i might have been wrong about nbc's fall schedule. while the shows didn't sound great, they look like they'll actually be pretty good. there's still the little thing of getting viewers, which has been a challenge for the network, but here's my picks for what could be successful. nbc's biggest problem is they tend to save what would be big hits until midseason - and that record holds true with shows friends with benefits, harry's law, perfect couples and the paul reiser show. hopefully people will be looking for new tv come january? anyway, here are the shows...

love bites - this dramedy stars ugly betty's becki newtown. that was where it had me. it's also pretty funny, at least from the preview. the biggest problem i see with it is that the series will have vignettes featuring loosely tied in love stories. it's better to stick with the main cast...but maybe it'll work.

the undercovers - this is latest series from j.j. abrams. it looks like an update of abrams' first hit, alias - one of my favorites. this could be the biggest hit - or liability - for the net.

harry's law - david e. kelley, the mind behind the practice, ally mcbeal and boston legal brings the network harry's law. the show stars kathy bates and brittany snow, a good start casting wise. rumor has it a new pilot has been ordered with a new ensemble cast, so the flaws i see in the preview could be fixed. sadly, this show doesn't pop up until midseason.

check out the rest of nbc's line-up and previews for other new shows here. what will you be watching on the peacock net come fall?

day 2.95

betty white to host snl!

rose nylund is heading to 30 rock! the golden girls funny lady has finally landed a hosting gig after an internet campaign started earlier this year to get her on the show. white is said to be signing this week to host a "ladies of comedy" episode alongside ex-snler's molly shannon, tina fey and amy poehler. it should be an snl to remember. if they somehow mess this up, snl is dead to me. dead. ok, not dead. just on the shit list. expect the episode to tape and air sometime in late march or early april ... in other casting news, the most wanted actress of pilot season - becki newton - has committed to a new show. the ugly better scene steeler reportedly got 11 offers for new shows after abc announced ugly betty was in its final season. newton has signed on to love bites, a romantic hour-long comedy that will follow the lives of three interconnected relationships. newton will be playing the role of annie, a hopeless romantic and a virgin. yep, sounds like quite the character. i hope the show turns out better than it sounds, because it kind of sounds to conceptual for tv. but, it is from a former sex and the city writer so it can't be too bad. if the show doesn't get picked up, i'm sure newton will get snapped up as a recast in another show.