What’s happening in the world of television? Keep reading…

• USA network has renewed White Collar, Royal Pains, and Psych for new seasons. Which USA shows have episodes that you can watch online?

• The OC star Rachel Bilson is re-teaming up with OC creator Josh Schwartz (also the man behind Chuck and Gossip Girl) for a new pilot for NBC. The pilot is for an hour long supernatural comedy, Ghost Angeles, which is rumored to center around a girl who can speak to the dead. I love Bilson and I’d be happy to see her back as a regular on TV. Maybe they can even find a way to get Adam Brody to guest star.

• Out with the old and in with the… weird. American Idol has announced its two new judges that will join Randy Jackson in the show’s 10th season, they are none other than Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Does anyone else think that this combo is completely bizarre? Watch the train wreck unfold in January.

• The Fox con man drama Lone Star is the first canceled show of the new season.  While it was a critic’s darling, the show barely showed up in the ratings department in its two airings. I guess this will free up stars James Wolk, Adrianne Palicki, and Jon Voight to move onto other shows. Did anyone actually take the time to watch the show? Did it deserve such a quick demise?

• Boardwalk Empire made its premiere last week, and I have to admit, I dug it. It had a small drop off in ratings in its second airing, but HBO is confident enough in the series to give it a second season.

• I’m not sure how I missed it, but there was a five episode Chuck related webseries, Buy Hard: The Story of Jeff and Lester. The series focuses Jeff and Lester after last season’s finale, as they adjust to living life on the lam after they are suspected of burning down the Buy More.

Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is easily my favorite ongoing comic series on the market today.  It is leaps and bounds better than anything Marvel or DC are putting out. It is consistently equal parts engaging and entertaining, with interesting characters and inventive situations and stories.  Thanks to Newsarama, you can read the first issue online for free.  Click here to give it a look.

If you like the issue, you can grabs the trades for the series on Amazon. They make a great gift and will be featured on the Geektastic Wishlist.

Check out these Walking Dead related products…

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.

Tonight at 8pm on the CW is the season finale of Smallville. After a season of building up to it, Clark Kent comes head to head with Doomsday! Along for the ride are DC Comics heroes Green Arrow, Impulse, the Black Canary, and Cosmic Boy (of the Legion of Superheroes).  Will the episode follows the comics’ iconic battle that left both Doomsday and Superman dead? We’ll see tonight.

Also on tonight…

8PM

• ABC: Ugly Betty (Comedy Drama)
• CBS: Survivor: Tocantins (Reality)
• FOX: Bones (Crime Drama)
• NBC: My Name is Earl/Parks and Recreation (Comedies)

9PM

• ABC: Grey’s Anatomy (Medical Drama)
• CBS: CSI (Crime Drama)
• CW: Supernatural (Supernatural Drama)
• FOX: Hell’s Kitchen (Reality)
• NBC: The Office/30 Rock (Comedies)
• SPIKE: TNA Impact! (Wrestling)

10PM

• CBS: CSI: NY (Crime Drama)
• NBC: Southland (Crime Drama)

Sadly, I have not been able to follow Fringe as closely as I would have liked since its premiere. I loved the two hour pilot that I saw at last year’s San Diego Comic Con and I was psyched about the series, but they collected dust on my Tivo. At the end of the season I’m going to hold a marathon and watch them all over a long weekend.

But for those who have been following the show week to week have another intriguing episode tonight as the gang’s investigation of a case of spontaneous combustion relates to not only Olivia’s visions, but Walter’s ZFT manifesto and a pivotal revelation from Peter.  Things are coming together as the season races towards its conclusion. The all new episode airs at 9pm after American Idol on FOX.

Also on tonight:

8PM

• ABC: Scrubs/Better Off Ted (Comedies)
• CBS: NCIS (Crime Drama)
• CW: Reaper (Supernatural Drama)
• FOX: American Idol (Reality)
• NBC: Biggest Loser: Couples (Reality)
• MNT: Street Patrol

9PM

• ABC: Dancing With the Stars (Reality)
• CBS: The Mentalist (Crime Drama)
• CW: 90210 (Teen Drama)
• MNT: Jail

10PM

• ABC: Cupid (Comedy)
• CBS: Without a Trace (Crime Drama)
• FX: Rescue Me (Drama)
• NBC: Law & Order: SVU (Crime Drama)
• SciFi: ECW (Wrestling)

Did you drop Heroes last season? Earlier this season? Well, the past few episodes have shown a lot of hope, with Bryan Fuller’s episode titled “Cold Snap” being the best episode since season 1. It just might be time to give the show another chance and thanks to Hulu, you can catch up on all of the season 3 episodes as we count down to the finale. Click here to be saved.

Tonight at 9pm on NBC is an all new Heroes. The show was injected with a renewed life and energy by the return of season 1 writer, Bryan Fuller. In the all new episode, Angela Petrelli must confront her past and try to bring her family back together to face the looming threat to their kind. I am really happy to say that I am excited about the new episode and the future for the show. I just hope that they don’t let Bryan Fuller go anywhere.

Also on tonight…

8PM

• ABC: Dancing With the Stars (Reality)
• ABCFAM: Greek (Teen Drama)
• FOX: House (Medical Drama)
• NBC: Chuck (Action Drama)

9PM

• ABC: (9:30PM) Surviving Suburbia (Comedy)
• ABCFAM: Roommates (Comedy)
• FOX: 24 (Action Drama)
• USA: WWE Monday Night Raw (Wrestling)

10PM

• ABC: Castle (Crime Drama)
• NBC: Medium (Sci-Fi Drama)
• MTV: The Hills (“Reality Drama”)
• TNT: Saving Grace (Crime Drama)