The network has just decided to tack 6 more episodes onto its order for next season. Which means we'll have 19 moments with Adam Baldwin total.

The Wrap is reporting that while the network is buying more episodes, they will air starting in March rather than during this fall.

Following the surprise cancellation of critical hit/ratings survivor Southland earlier this week, the storm clouds have seemed to be gathering over the peacock network, with NBC insiders not only suggesting that much-hyped new medical drama Trauma is next, but also that the network has pretty much given up until the end of the year:

The insiders are even going so far as to give up on the rest of the primetime schedule for their network. "There's nothing watchable the rest of the year." Even midseason and spring of 2010? "Nothing watchable the rest of the season," I'm told.

According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, however, this is good news for fans of Chuck:

...Chuck's third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that's been bandied about thus far. "How much sooner" you ask? As early as late October, my moles tell me... But wait, there's more. If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 it initially commissioned increases dramatically.

Considering the beating the network is taking in terms of ratings, an average second season audience for the show would now be seen as a win for NBC, meaning that an increased season order would definitely be more likely.

Chuck is still, officially, due to return in 2010.

The truth is, it's more of a comedy with drama and action than a straight drama. It's certainly sweeter and more fun in tone than Alias was.

No wonder there's talk of this show appearing next to Chuck. Now the only question is, how science-fictional will this show's crazy gadgets and supervillain plots get? [EW]

The announcement was made by the network yesterday afternoon, with insiders acknowledging that the move is likely, in part, a way to save money, but also suggesting that the decision to restructure was also made to give the show a more dramatic launchpad, with the possibility that Day One could then spin out into a regular series afterwards, a la Battlestar Galactica's launch on Syfy. We asked Alexander for his take on the decision, and he told us,

I worked very closely with NBC on this decision. We decided a more targeted, shock and awe approach was the best way to expose a great Day One story to a massive audience. Airing four hours over two nights is much more exciting to me than rolling out just one hour per week... I didn't want to suffer the same fate as many first year shows and be moved to another time slot mid story, or worse, not be able to air the final episodes. This way, the fans get a kick ass story, and the show gets the best chance to succeed.

The first two hours of Day One have already been shot; Alexander is reworking the next two to bring plots to a climax, as well as create potential spin-offs for a follow-on season.

NBC opts to air 'Day One' as miniseries [Variety]

Midnight, Mass consisted of one short-lived comic series, followed by a miniseries, about Adam and Julia Kadmon, who solve supernatural mysteries. They come from a long line of monster hunters, and there's lots of amazing backstory about the Kadmon family. But best of all, the Kadmons' relationship feels like a real marriage, and they lack the insipid Moonlighting-esque banter you tend to see in so many male-female investigator teams. (Here's hoping it stays that way in the TV series.) They live in the town of Midnight, Massachusetts (hence the name) which has an evil forest that nobody ever comes out of alive. And monsters are everywhere, but we start to see the monsters as real people, who wish they could live among humans and have normal lives — except the Kadmons won't let them.

The comic was written by John Rozum, whose other great contribution to comics was Xombi, the Milestone series about a man who can't die (thanks to nanotechnology) and finds himself entering a bizarre supernatural world as a result.

Apparently the TV show will be called simply Midnight, and it's being produced by Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, of Pushing Daisies.

As Rozum points out on his blog, this is actually the second attempt at a Midnight, Mass TV series. Mostly, I'm hoping that this new TV series means we might get more issues of the comic at some point — and trade paperback collections of the first two series would be nice, as well. I read the comics when they came out, and I have a sinking feeling I'm missing some issues. As it is, Midnight, Mass doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry, which seems unfair. Oh, and TV industry? Please try not to do to Midnight, Mass what you just did to fellow Vertigo classic Human Target. [THR]

Talking about the failure of Kings on the network, president of prime time entertainment Bromstad told the audience,

I think that it was an amazingly big swing and a great production, and Michael Green is a phenomenal writer... I think our challenge now-and hopefully what you see with the new shows is in a really crowded marketplace-you have to sell something. People want to know what something's about. That was a very complex idea. It was a show that was originally developed when I was there before [with] Laura Lancaster. We thought it was too highbrow and sophisticated to sell in a 30-second spot. It doesn't mean we're not looking for big ideas, but they have to be big ideas an audience can grab onto and relate to.

Maybe it's just me, but there seem to be a lot of things that seem wrong with that quote (Kings was "too highbrow and sophisticated" to sell in 30 seconds? Really? Don't get me wrong, I think that it was a wonderful show, intelligent and, yes, sophisticated, but at the same time, it could easily have been sold on the family drama aspects, the religious/spiritual aspects or even the wartime political aspects - the fact is that NBC didn't do any of these; saying that it was too hard without even trying sounds like false justification after the fact), but the most worrying is the message it seems to send that NBC has given up on programming that doesn't appeal to the lowest common denominator, and that because of that, SF is in trouble on the network.

Looking at the shows on offer from that network, there's some evidence to support that theory. Heroes and Chuck - as much as I like them both (And I genuinely do like Heroes, despite the snark) - are both firmly in the populist category, far from the sometimes obtuse Lost or willfully discordant Dollhouse, for one thing, and also tend to stay away from the occasional uncomfortable questions offered by the otherwise-cuddly Fringe; the danger is never too real (whether in terms of tension or scale), the status quo always within one reset. That shouldn't necessarily be a surprise; NBC drama in general is softer and more comforting than what you'd see on Fox, after all, and the network has already taken enough hits in terms of attempts at SF edginess - even if the results were Bionic Woman and My Own Worst Enemy, in addition to Kings - that you could see why they'd want to turn away from the idea.

(It's strange that a network that can produce - and support, despite weaker ratings than expected at launch - shows like 30Rock and The Office is so resistant to doing the same thing to non-comedy shows that are equally less-likely to stick to stereotypes and expectations.)

Additionally, NBC has given up the 10pm slot by stripping Jay Leno's new show across the week at that time, surrendering what used to be their time slot for high profile serious drama. It's the time slot that, ideally, Kings would've been in, a sign that the show had more to it than the obscure advertisements that NBC managed to produce for it after being confounded by how highbrow and sophisticated it ended up being, but it's hard to stifle the thought that perhaps the Sunday time slot it started with was a sign that the show was already being dumped as a result of confusion over what to do with it.
All of this makes me concerned for Day One, Jesse Alexander's new series launching next year. Closer in tone to Lost than Heroes, and asking more of the viewer than an episode of Law & Order, Day One is the kind of smart, engaging show that Kings was... and, worryingly, Bromstad is already making comments about a willingness to consider the show a mini-event, as opposed to an ongoing series. To be fair, she's made these comments before, and Alexander has already responded by pointing out that "[i]f the audience is there, we'll stay on the air," but it's bad buzz that the show doesn't need before it's made it to air.

That said, Day One has a lot of things going for it that Kings didn't: A defining opening event, for one, giving the show a "what if?" hook that can be summed up in one line, as opposed to Kings' alternate world scenario. The potential for more crowd-pleasing action scenes than Kings offered, for another. And - currently, at least - a better time slot and the backing of a network that should know better than to move new series two weeks into their run because they're worried that ratings are all. Day One has the potential to be a great series in the same way that Lost is, or Battlestar Galactica was; I just hope that it's allowed to fulfill it.

Talking at the NBC panel at this year's Television Critics Association Press Tour, Bromstad - NBC's president of prime time entertainment - answered two rumors surrounding Chuck's third season. Saying that the show is "on a great track creatively," she went on to say that there are currently no plans to move the season earlier on the calendar (It's scheduled to start airing in 2010, following the conclusion of Heroes' fourth season), but that there may be more than just the announced 13 episodes. Bromstad said that it's possible that the season may

run over into the summer… Those are discussions we will continue to have.

Also during the appearance, Bromstad said that we shouldn't be too worried by Bryan Fuller's second departure from Heroes:

It doesn't mean anything [for the show] one way or the other... Bryan came back to be in the writers' room initially and helped [them] get back on track.

But, wait. Don't we need someone to stick around and make sure it doesn't go back off track again...?

Press Tour Diary: NBC bosses tout plans for 'Chuck,' 'FNL,' 'Southland,' Paula Abdul, and more! [Entertainment Weekly] and NBC already getting cold feet about Day One? [SciFi Wire]

Writing on the show's Court Historian blog, Green offered these words of farewell:

The outcome of Kings was heartbreaking to all of us who worked so hard and had such a wonderful time making it. Every moment on screen represents stories, conversations, arguments, decisions by dozens — hundreds — of blazingly talented, always impassioned people.

It was a difficult show to make. We had to fight for every choice, so we thought each one through.

Many involved with the show felt wronged by our network, or at least scuttled. I personally don't feel I have enough information to know precisely what led to our failure to achieve ratings success — though I believe that had the show been given a better launch, the outcome would have been something to celebrate... Even if it is tempting to trash NBC, we do owe them gratitude. Writing, acting, filming is about the work, not the reward, and NBC allowed us to make the best possible show we could. They let us film in New York. They let us assemble a cast without equal on the network landscape. A group of actors who came ready every day to spin the broken-meter mouthfuls we wrote for them into song. Ian McShane, Chris Egan, Susanna Thompson, Sebastian Stan, Allison Miller, Dylan Baker, Eamonn Walker, Marlyne Afflack, Becky Ann Baker... Every one of them suffered long hours, cold nights, and still came prepared, passionate, elevating every piece of material put to them. They made us look better than we deserve.

He also offered the following sad words of wisdom:

Some have asked, what can they do to "Save the show." We are, sadly, well past that point.

If there is anything to do at all, it's to find your voice and let the networks know that if they covet your attention at all — and yes yes yes they do — they can have it by programming and standing by shows with substance.

Write a letter. Mail it to any network. Stick a butterfly on the envelope if you'd like.

We'd be honored.

(Of course, that comes after he'd said, "While it is true that the episode budget was high for a first season show, that number was reduced by the outstanding aggregate 30% tax benefit New York provided (which we all hope will remain in effect), thus bringing the cost down to rates comparable to other prime time dramas. And, of course, plans were already made to bring the costs down to whatever number the studio required of us in the future." You mean someone else could've picked up the show? Noooo.)

The full letter is available here.

[Court Historian]

The clips catch people up on recent backstory from the superhero soap, as well as show the marvels of selective editing and some new music; who knew that Heroes had all the ingredients for a classic camp romance (Seriously, that music for the Mohinder scene was a great choice) or that the Sylar show would look so damn entertaining? If the new season - premiering September 21st - is half as entertaining and archly self-aware as these videos, then we're in for a good year.

Sylar

Claire

Heroes In Love

We quickly caught up with Fedak at San Diego Comic-Con, and he told us that our - well, my - concerns about Chuck's new intersect-related abilities from the finale of the second season were slightly misguided, as the intersect upgrade was really just the end of the first part of Chuck Bartowski's story:

It's a hero's story, but it's a hero's story not told in ninety minutes or two hours. It's a hero's story told over multiple seasons. For us, we're at the end of Act One. So he's now realized his "powers," he's gone to the Fortress of Solitude...

Wait, you're making him into Superman?

No, we're not - It's not like he's got superpowers, but he has these new abilities. The Fortress of Solitude is where Superman learns that he's Superman. In the Superman movie, he goes into the Fortress of Solitude and comes out five minutes later. This next season is about that [moment for Chuck]... At least, that's what is supposed to happen. In the Chuck world, things rarely go as they're supposed to.

From the time that Fuller's return to the NBC show was originally announced, it was always known that Fuller was going to be splitting his time at the network between developing his own shows and working on Heroes... which he was only originally confirmed to do through the end of the third season. So when he told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that his departure was less to do with creative friction -

I'm crafting two pilots right now and it's a lot of work... It was just too hard to [juggle] Heroes and my development; something had to give.

- it looks less like inner turmoil behind the scenes and simply a positive sign that Fuller will have some new, original work appearing in the near future (Our fingers are crossed, anyway). But does this mean that Heroes is doomed?

That remains to be seen; while Fuller has become the face of a potential Heroes turnaround since rejoining the show's staff, he's always spoken as if the show's change in focus back to being a character-based drama was less his doing than something that was already in the works before he came along again. It's worth remembering that, even without Fuller, the people making the show won't be the same as those who made the first three seasons - Producers Jeph Loeb, Jesse Alexander and Greg Beeman have all left the show, meaning that some change is inevitable. Whether it's good change or not - and, let's be honest, that whole "Nathan is really Sylar" thing could go either way - will be seen when the show returns in the fall... Or, at least, when we finally get to the episodes untouched by Fuller's hand, which may not happen for some time, depending how far in advance the writers were working.

Variety reports that both writers have signed two year deals that not only cover their Heroes commitments, but also call for them to develop new projects for the network. Both writers - described as "great, imaginative guys who have impressed us over and over again," by NBC's Laura Lancaster - have been with the superhero drama since its start, and have both recently branched out into comics, working on Marvel's "Ultimate" line as it winds down its first incarnation.

Coleite, a co-executive producer on the series, and Pokaski, the fourth season's supervising producer, are both said to be already working on new ideas in conjunction with their Heroes duties and, for Pokaski, his work on new series Day One. No details about any potential new projects are available, but it'll be interesting to see whether this means we'll see more science fiction and genre series at NBC in the near future.

NBC signs 'Heroes' writers [Variety]

The Listener already aired in Canada according to Wikipedia, and NBC bought the U.S. rights to the show a while back. A poor man's Jake Gyllenhaal, Craig Olejnik, is solving crimes and saving lives with his ability to read minds. One day I'd like to see a pilot based on what would actually happen if some schlub was bestowed with this gift — if it was me, I certainly wouldn't waste it on helping people. I'll stay optimistic until I see more but the whole Medium and new series Past Life shtick is utterly wasted on me. I just don't believe that anyone with special powers would use it for good, ever.

Anyhow, here's the trailer and official synopsis.

"The Listener" centers on Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, "The Timekeeper"), a 25-year-old paramedic who has a big secret — he's a telepath. Until now, Toby kept his ability hidden, exploring its possibilities only with his longtime mentor and confidant, Dr. Ray Mercer (Colm Feore, "24: Redemption"). As he makes the rounds with his energetic paramedic partner "Oz" Bey (Ennis Esmer, "Young People F*#king"), "The Listener" follows Toby as he tries to help people in crisis, and in the process unravel the truth about his past. While his professional life is in check, Toby's personal life could use its own rescue. And with the help of Detective Charlie Marks (Lisa Marcos, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman") and his E.R. doctor/ex-girlfriend Olivia Fawcett (Mylène Dinh-Robic, "Da Vinci's City Hall"), Toby realizes his gift can help others.

Hollywood Chicago reviewed the first episode and didn't like it that much:
This CTV-developed show has a decent premise and talented supporting cast, but it's such two-dimensional, generic material that it ends up feeling more like a syndicated action series that you would see on a Saturday afternoon. There's nothing horrendously wrong with "The Listener" but it pales in comparison to recent dramatic occupants of the same night and network - "ER" and "Southland"...

The big problem with "The Listener" is that unlike "True Blood," creator Michael Amo takes his concept way too seriously. If you're going to have your lead say "It's not a movie, it doesn't happen that way" before the opening credits even run then you better back it up with believable material after that. A show about a telepathic paramedic only has a chance to work if it recognizes its B-movie set-up but "The Listener" plays like a very special episode of "ER".

To be fair, the premiere "The Listener" is never boring. It flies by but only because so much plot and melodrama is crammed into one episode. It's a well-made hour of television without any particularly bad performances, although the overly earnest Olejnik is a little dull to carry his own show.

Ultimately, the downfall of "The Listener" is what makes or breaks nearly all television shows - the writing. Television drama has advanced past the point of shallow dialogue like you'll hear in "The Listener". Honestly, the show reminded me of B-grade programming I used to watch as a kid and with the advancements in television writing that's not a compliment. One of the more unusual writing choices is to have Toby's telepathy play like completely realized memories, as if every time he tries to read someone's mind they are remembering exactly what he needs to know.

Anyway, the show premieres on NBC tonight at 8. Will you watch it?

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blog announced yesterday that her sources were telling her that Chuck has been renewed for a third season, along with Law & Order and Medium, adding that an announcement should come today "unless the bosses decide to mess with our heads;" the Hollywood Reporter has already confirmed the Medium news. Heroes has already been unofficially renewed, after NBC announced that they planned to make less episodes next season. No news yet - but don't hold your breath - on the fate of Kings or Knight Rider.

UPDATE: NBC have announced a partial fall schedule, but with no news on Chuck; Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello claims that we'll have to wait until May 19th for that news.

NBC Renews 'Chuck', 'Medium', 'Law & Order'; Announcement On Monday [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

Reports are coming in that NBC will not be announcing their full fall schedule next week as originally planned, due to the tragic death of the network's VP of drama programming, Nora O'Brien on Wednesday afternoon. As a result, screenings of pilots and decisions about shows have been postponed as a mark of respect, meaning that the network is unlikely to have finalized their fall schedule by Monday's previously-announced announcement date. Apparently, currently under consideration is a plan to release a partial fall schedule next week, with a full schedule to follow, although some feel that a busy weekend will result in the full schedule coming out on time after all.

All we care about, really, is whether or not Chuck is coming back - Rumors seem positive on that score - and Jesse Alexander's new series Day One gets picked up. Here's hoping that we'll know the answer to at least one of those questions in a couple of days.

Talking about whether President Barack Obama's televised addresses to the nation affect viewing figures for the network, Silverman told the Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog:

Barack Obama knows how to market himself better than anybody in the history of marketing. And he's using the media the way we use and advertisers use the media, and its effect is impressive. It's not helping us get any normal rhythm this year. It hurt the fall. I think it hurt "Chuck" — we had the huge 3-D episode, its highest rating in the year, then it was pre-empted the next Monday with no notice. But he's our president, and whatever he needs we are going to do.

Chuck's ratings this season have been uneven to say the least, and the next episode following the pre-emption showed no bump from the 3D episode at all; in fact, the audience was below that of the episode preceding that one. Whether that can truly be blamed on the pre-emption or just a weird, unpredictable audience who like 3D but not Chuck is less than obvious, but it has to be said: If Chuck doesn't get renewed, there are worse excuses than "I blame the President."

Ben Silverman on Obama, Leno and 'Kings' [THR Live Feed]

Kings' Sunday bow had what the Hollywood Reporter calls "a devastating premiere," coming in as the lowest rated network show not just in its own timeslot, but for the entire night between 8 and 11pm; only six million viewers watched Ian McShane's debut turn as America's King Silas, all but guaranteeing that it'll disappear sooner rather than later. Maybe they should move it to Fridays; six million would've made it the fourth highest rated show of the evening last weekend.

NBC's 'Kings' dethroned in ratings [THR Live Feed]

Heroes writer/producers Aon Coliete and Joe Pokaski told fans at Comic Book Resources the name of the show's fifth "volume" (Following season 1's "Genesis", season 2's "Generations" and the third season's "Villains" and "Fugitives"):

[C]urrently, it is called "Redemption." All we can tell you is that act five of our "Fugitives" finale will give you a look at what it will entail.

That last part's no surprise - the final act of the final episode from each volume to date has been the first chapter of the next volume, after all - but "Redemption" is a telling title, considering the way that the current volume is trying to set up moral shades of grey for almost all involved. Will we be seeing Nathan, HRG and other characters involved with the hunting of Heroes face up to their methods, Sylar going good (again), or Peter and pals dealing with the metaphorical blood on their hands from their somewhat substandard freedom-fighting techniques...? Or all of the above? You'll only have to wait until the end of this season next month for your first hint.

Behind The Eclipse [Comic Book Resources]

The rumor that either Panettierre or Ali Larter was looking to leave NBC's superhero series broke last month, but Panettierre was playing it dumb when approached by Access Hollywood about the rumor:

I know nothing about that, so you got me. They are [just] rumors... We're not yet done with this season... It's the beginning of a new story so it's real exciting.

Does this mean that Larter is the actress that wants out? If so, you couldn't blame her; her original character was killed off and replaced with the less-complex (and I say that within the context of Heroes, which is hardly high-brow stuff) Tracy Strauss, who was also pretty much left in the background of the third season to date. Should we wait for Larter to deny the rumors now... Or for Tracy to be one of the cast who meets their end during "Fugitives"?

Hayden plays down 'Heroes' exit report [Digital Spy]