Image Credit: Jessica Brooks/FXFX has canceled its fledging series Terriers, a show starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James that follows two best friends who become become unlicensed private investigators in San Diego County. The series from Ted Griffin (Oceans 11), executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Tim Minear (Dollhouse) ran for 13 episodes but only averaged about 500,000 viewers per episode.
For more on Terriers:
Terriers season finale: What did you think of the ending?
Image Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty ImagesFox has ordered seven episodes of the half-hour comedy Breaking In, starring Christian Slater and Reaper‘s Bret Harrison, the network confirms. It will premiere Wednesday, April 6. The show, created by Adam F. Goldberg (Fanboys) and Seth Gordon (Four Christmases), is set at a high-tech security firm that takes extreme — and often questionable — measures to sell their protection services. As the logline explains, Contra Security, corporate America’s answer to The A-Team, gives clients a sense of security by first ripping it away. Hence the title, Breaking In. Slater stars as Oz, the mastermind described as a man of mystery and a master of manipulation. Oz’s hand-picked team includes: Bad girl Melanie (You Again‘s Odette Yustman), who is in charge of lock-picking, safe-cracking and heart-breaking; disguise expert Josh (The Whitest Kids U’Know’s Trevor Moore), who heads recon and intel; Cash (Chocolate News‘ Alphonso McAuley), a fanboy who specializes in strategy, logistics, and office pranks; and new recruit Cameron (Harrison), a lovable computer hacker straight out of college who’s still trying to meld with his colleagues. Though the pilot, written by Goldberg and directed by Gordon, tested well, Fox passed on a pick up last May. Fortunately, when the network resumed talks with Sony Pictures Television, the original creative team and cast remained intact.
This will be the third series for Slater since 2008 (after NBC’s My Own Worst Enemy and ABC’s The Forgotten, which lasted one season each), but his first comedy. Slater spoke to EW last February about his recent comedic turn, which included guest spots on The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Funny or Die video Nine Lives. “I love comedy. I just feel blessed to have gotten those kind of opportunities,” he said. “Right now, it’s an open-door policy. Whoever gravitates toward me in that sort of humorous fashion, I’m up for.” He talked about Flip cam videos he’d taken to shooting, the latest being a Bourne Identity spoof. “I sometimes sit at home, and I’ll make little movies of myself. I did one called The Boring Identity the other day, which was quite fun,” he said. “Basically, I turned the camera on and just sat in my replica Kirk chair from the Starship Enterprise, which was a nice Christmas present, for a good 15 minutes in silence before I got bored out of my mind.” We did a PopWatch poll, and 96 percent of readers said they wanted to see The Boring Identity. Hopefully Breaking In gets as enthusiastic a response when it debuts.
Read more: Christian Slater: The stories behind his recent comedic turns (and what he did with those pillows Ellen DeGeneres gave him)
Fox has completed casting on its upcoming drama Terra Nova so production can begin next week in Australia. The last actor to join the cast of the time-traveling drama is Christine Adams (The Whole Truth), who will play Mira — a battle-hardened resident of Terra Nova who gets to know the Shannon family. Other actors who have previously joined the high-concept series include Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Mido Hamada (24), Allison Miller (Boston Legal), and Landon Liboiron (Degrassi: The Next Generation). O’Mara plays patriarch Jim Shannon.
The drama bows next May and takes place 100 years in the future.
Read more:
‘Terra Nova’ casting almost complete; production begins next month in Australia
‘Terra Nova’ debut postponed until fall 2011
Image Credit: Michael Yarish/CBSSerious competition from NFL football on NBC and Game 4 of the World Series on Fox wreaked havoc on on CBS’ The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss. The competition show at 8 p.m. averaged 2.9 rating/7 share in 18-49 — down 17% from last week and also a season low, according to early estimates from Nielsen. It averaged 9.1 million. At 9, Boss earned a 2.9/7 — down 10% to its lowest-rated telecast ever. The sophomore show averaged 10.3 million. CSI: Miami at 10, meanwhile earned a 2.6/7 and averaged 9.8 million.
Each 18-49 ratings point represents 1.3 million.
But hey, it’s not so easy to go up against football and baseball. Fox ruled the night in viewers (15.2 million) but NBC won the night in the 18-49 demographic (5.2/14) because of the matchup between the last two Super Bowl victors, the Steelers and the Saints. The game itself averaged a 6.6/17 in the demographic. Fox came in second in the demo (4.7/13) because Game 4 earned a 4.3 rating. CBS was third with a 2.4/7 and 10.0 million eyeball.s
As for ABC, which finished fourth with a 2.2/6 and 7.9 million, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition finished with a 1.8/5 and 6.6 million viewers, followed by Desperate Housewives (3.5/9, 10.9 million) and Brothers & Sisters (2.3/6, 8.1 million).
No fancy introductions, just the cold, hard truth: Part 2 of the Ausiello TV series finale is embedded below, and, if the reaction from test audiences is any indication, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll debate the hidden symbolism — not to mention the morally ambiguous final scene — for all of six seconds before carrying on with the rest of your day. For your convenience, we’ve linked both halves of the video in case you either missed part 1 or just want to watch the whole thing together. Oh, and for the record, I’m really sad, and I don’t understand why no one is running over to hug me. [Beat] That’s better. Almost.
Gosh, look what Fox has planned now! An animated series based on "Napoleon Dynamite," the 2004 indie hit about, well, not much at all besides a small-town kid with a slew of idiosyncratic lingo.
Fox has ordered six episodes of the series, Variety reports, following the May announcement that the network was developing the show. Much of the original cast has returned to voice the characters, including Jon Heder as Napoleon, Efren Ramirez as Pedro, Aaron Ruell as Kip Dynamite and Jon Gries as Uncle Rico.
Jared Hess, who co-wrote and directed the movie, is an executive producer and writer of the animated series, along with his brother Jerusha (a writer on the original film). Longtime "Simpsons" exec producer Mike Scully is also onboard as a writer and producer.
There is no word about when the series will reach the airwaves, but it seems a safe bet to assume the show will become part of Fox's Sunday night block of animation. Currently, the network airs two hours of animation starting at 8 p.m.: "The Simpsons," "The Cleveland Show," "Family Guy" and "American Dad." We'll have to wait and see where and when "Napoleon Dynamite" is eventually slotted.
Variety also reports that Jonah Hill's animated comedy, "Allen Gregory," has been picked up for seven episodes. Co-written and executive-produced by Hill and "Yes Man" writers Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul, the show follows a 7-year-old celebrity forced to attend elementary school with regular kids.
What other movies would you like to see become animated series? Share your ideas in the comments!
Lifetime really is working on a reality show about Russian-American Brooklyn neighborhood Brighton Beach, a source at the show has confirmed to EW.com. It’s coming to your TV sometime next year — or just as soon as Marlon Wayans and Jared Leto from Requiem for a Dream drop it off at your house! Old ladies like Ellen Burstyn in that movie are clutching their curls and murmuring, I’m gonna be on television!
Unlike MTV’s Jersey Shore, Brighton Beach will feature a multi-generational cast in order to appeal to a Lifetime-y demographic. The show will follow several families and center around a popular nightclub.
I’m down for this series — Brighton Beach is fascinating (particularly its grocery stores, which are brimming with hidden gems), and I wanted the dance party scene in the Brighton Beach episode of Bored to Death (“The Case of the Lonely White Dove”) to last a few more hundred vodka shots. What about you?
