The CW Network has announced a few “early” pick-ups (not that early, dozens of shows have already been renewed over on the other networks). Included in the mix are guilty pleasures 90210 (the pic to the left) and Gossip Girl, the long running cult series Supernatural, the romantic undead hit The Vampire Diaries, and the CW’s top (really? WTF) series, America’s Next Top Model.

Missing from the list is the young Superman series Smallville, which after being taken from the timeslot it made successful for years and placed into the Friday sci-fi kill slot, has actually lifted the CW to its best Friday numbers in years.  I hope the show continues for another year and gives Clark and the gang a proper send off. Also missing from early renewal is the CW revival of Melrose Place.  I actually liked the first couple of episodes, but haven’t seen an ep in a while. The same can be said for most shows I casually watch though.  I hope they give the series another season to find its barrings.  The cast is likable and with some fresh stories I can see it growing into a decent show.

What do you think? Are Smallville and Melrose Place going to make the cut for next year? What other CW shows do you watch?

Tonight at 9pm on the CW, the new Melrose Place continues. Who killed Sydney? Was it Auggie? Or how about Jessica Simpson’s half naked sister? Could be. The investigation heats up tonight.

Also on…

8PM

• ABC: V (Sci Fi)
• CBS: NCIS (Crime Drama)
• CW: 90210 (Teen Drama)
• FOX: So You Think You Can Dance (Reality)
• NBC: Biggest Loser (Reality)

9PM

• CBS: NCIS: Los Angeles (Crime Drama)
• SYFY: Scare Tactics (Reality)

10PM

• ABC: In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts
• CBS: The Good Wife (Drama)
• NBC: Jay Leno Show (Talk/Sketch Comedy)
• SYFY: ECW (Wrestling)

We shut down the offices for a two week fall break and television news explodes! Not only do we have to catch up on our overloaded Tivo, but we gotta swim through all of the news, rumors, casting, and drama.  So I present, a special TV-inspired Pit.

• No new word on its start date, but Chuck fans can rejoice, we just got an additional 6 episodes for the new season bringing us at least 19 episodes for the third season of the spy/adventure/romance/comedy.

• I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying Melrose Place, matched with 90210, it fills my guilty pleasure quota (left by The OC).  So it saddens me that due to ratings (blah, the system blows) The CW is revamping the series, making it much lighter (good-bye murder mystery) and clearing out part of the cast (wait and see, I don’t want to spoil the mystery like other sites).

• The new Turk (Donald Faison) and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) led Scrubs will be premiering on December 1st at 9pm on ABC.   The series sifts its focus from Sacred Heart Hospital to a medical school where Turk and Dr. Cox are teaches, others including Zack Braff and Sarah Chalke will be making guest spots throughout the season.

• Watch Dollhouse! Go, now, watch it! It is the most improved show of the season and at this rate it is likely to be canceled due to low ratings.

• ABC Family has set the start dates for The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, and Greek. They will air in that order starting at 8pm on January 25th.

• While the news about Dollhouse is a little grim, there is some light at the end of the Joss Whedon tunnel, he will be helming an episode of my favorite new series, GLEE! I can’t think of a better director for them to use.

More TV news will be coming soon, along with the continuation of the TV Flipped column. Thanks for the continued support of the site.

The CW Network has renewed six shows, including Supernatural, One Tree Hill, America’s Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, 90210 and Smallville.  The one that surprises me the most from the list is Smallville, which was expected to end its run last season when most of the cast’s contracts were up and the original showrunners left the series. Thankfully it got picked up and a surge of creative juices making the current season the best season since the first, with the near perfect Legion episode featuring three members of the Legion of Superheroes, engaging storylines featuring Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter, Doomsday, and Lana and Lex getting a final send off with a bang. This past season makes me wonder what the show would have been like had the original showrunners left a long time ago.

Sadly, two of my favorite CW shows, Reaper and Privileged have not been picked up.  Reaper is only just about to start its second season, taking over the post Gossip Girl spot that Privileged held.  First, I have to say how funky of a spot that is for Reaper. The network couldn’t put it after Supernatural or 13: The Fear is Real?  I can’t imagine that the teenyboppers that are watching Gossip Girl and going to stay for Reaper‘s supernatural comedy. Although, that Sock is dreamy.  Second, I can only assume that the network is trading spots with these two good shows to choose which one to keep and which to cut. And that’s a shame, with time and some better scheduling, I think both shows could develop into great shows. I mean, the network did give One Tree Hill a chance, and now it is more fresh than it ever was. Who ever though Hill would make it to seven seasons?

I wonder, will they team the 90210 remake/continuation up with the new Melrose Place? That’s right, they officially announced that they are making it, with Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directing the pilot. We can now start to guess who they might have anchor the show from the original cast, I’d perfer to have Andrew Shue’s Billy return, but we’ll likely be stuck with Heather Locklear. Locklear has jumped from show to show with none surviving her reign since Melrose ended.  Maybe they creators will get really creative and have Grant Show’s Jake Hanson dating Jennie Garth’s Kelly Taylor, and have 90210 lead directly into Melrose Place. Better yet, have Hanson dating one of the high schoolers. Oh, the drama!

With the success of CW’s reboot of “90210”, rumors have hit the web that The CW might be considering bringing the “Beverley Hills, 90210” spin off back to television.  E Online talked to Lisa Rinna (Taylor McBride on Melrose), who commented that she has heard buzz that the primetime soap is under consideration for a rebooth at The CW and she added that she “would do it in a heartbeat”.

The CW of course denied any plans, but at this early stage that is common.  The network needs hit shows to bring in more viewers, could resurrecting another Aaron Spelling show be the key to getting those viewers? Also, would they spin the reboot of “90210” off into the reboot of “Melrose Place”? Would one of the new kids start dating an older guy that lives in the infamous Los Angeles apartment complex? Or they could always just have Kelly Taylor start daing another guy that lives there…