If everything goes according to the most recent plans, Arrested Development won’t feel like it’s missed a moment since its cancellation.

Series writer Dean Lorey took to his blog this weekend with some very welcome news about the return of Arrested Development:

We’re really doing this thing. Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely and I are off writing the new season of ARRESTED to premiere on Netflix in 2013. The original cast is back. There are offices and parking spaces. We’re shooting this year. I wish I could give more specifics but, for the moment, even the schedule is being kept under wraps. But it’s happening and it’s great to be back with my pals from the show. More later as it becomes okay to release further details…

If this is true, and there’s no reason to think it isn’t, that means we can expect:

• Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
• Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Fünke
• Will Arnett as George ‘Gob’ Bluth II
• Michael Cera as George-Michael Bluth
• Alia Shawkat as Mae “Maeby” Fünke
• Tony Hale as Byron “Buster” Bluth
• David Cross as Tobias Fünke
• Jeffrey Tambor as George Bluth Sr.
• Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth

As regular readers of this blog know, I can hardly wait for these new episodes and the follow-up movie. As a matter of fact, I can’t tell you how many people were firing variations of this link off to me through out the day on Monday. (Credit to Jon Rettinger for being the first) With each additional piece of information, it’s looking more and more like this is really happening, and that just continues to amaze me. We haven’t seen new episodes since 2006, and the idea that all of these people coming back together after this long is just a testament in my mind to how special this show was to everyone involved, and that should tell you part of what the fans see in it as well.

Pilot season is kicking into full gear at the networks, and as per usual, at least one show is coming from England. We’ll just go ahead and mark it for failure.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that ABC has ordered a pilot for Only Fools and Horses, based on what is considered one of the greatest Britcoms of all time.

Based on the iconic British series, this classic comedy chronicles the misadventures of two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather as they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get rich quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires.” From Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley (Scrubs) through ABC Studios.

Apparently the networks have learned nothing about how remakes of Britcoms don’t typically work over here.  Fox tried remaking of Absolutely Fabulous, and that never even made it to air.  NBC’s version of Coupling made it to air, but only aired four episodes.  ABC’s Payne, a remake of Fawlty Towers, aired only eight episodes.  There are, of course, exceptions, that went on to great success such as Three’s Company, All in the Family and Sanford and Son which went on to great success, but also consider how long that means it’s been since a Britcom remake worked on U.S. television.

Only Fools and Horses is one of the most beloved series in the U.K., and like so many other shows there, it is built on a class system that is unique to their culture.  Yes, yes, we have lower income, middle class and upper class here in the United States, but it has never been a cornerstone of our society quite like it is there.  The classes, for the most part, do not mix, and so those in the lower class always feel if they could move up their lives would be that much better.  That lends a lot of the humor to this series, and it just won’t translate to the States.

If this makes it past the pilot stage to an actual series order, expect it to last only a few episodes before it gets the axe.

[via Entertainment Weekly]

Leave it to The CW to screw up a show before they even film it.

The TV Addict got ahold of the casting breakdowns for the upcoming Arrow series which will be based on the DC Comics character of Green Arrow.  From these listings its pretty obvious that just like the network did with Smallville the comics background doesn’t matter.

Oliver Queen
A 27 year old reformed bad boy, who after having spent five years shipwrecked on a tiny, brutally dangerous island in the South China Sea returns to town a different man. Or to be more specific, a tortured, thoughtful master of the bow with a ferocious determination to make a difference.

Dinah “Laurel” Lance
28 years old, smart sexy, Laurel is a legal aid attorney determined to use her life as a one-woman war against the 1% following the death of her younger sister Sara. A sister, who as luck would have it, just so happened to have died aboard Oliver’s yacht.

Tommy Merlyn
28 years old and devil-smooth, Tommy is a trustafarian like Oliver, a spectacularly rich young man whose life revolves around parties, clubs, liquor and lots of anonymous sex. Unlike Oliver, he can’t seem to understand his former best friend’s sudden change of lifestyle and direction.

Moira Queen
48 years old, a beautiful woman, Oliver’s mother Moira is a very wealthy woman who is not used to being shaken. Having remarried during the five years that former husband Robert and Oliver were both presumed dead, Moira has had free rein over the Queen billions. Not surprisingly, she’s deeply interested in learning whether or not Robert will also return unexpectedly, to ruin her present marriage and go over the books with a fine-tooth comb.

John Diggle
35 years old, African-American, Diggle is really, really big, a former military man who served with the Army Rangers in Afghanistan, and has been a bodyguard for hire for the last four years. Hired by Moira to be Oliver’s chauffeur and protector, Diggle soon finds he is trapped in a battle of wits, as Oliver repeatedly eludes his protection. But in fact, Diggle’s primary conflict is one of loyalty — he has to show that he’s working for Oliver, not Moira, before Oliver will give him a smidgen of trust.

Thea Queen
17 years old (suggest 17-22 years), Oliver’s Lolita-esque sister, Thea was a 12 year old girl when he went on his infamous yachting voyage — but now she’s a celebutante who’s testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior. Thea loved her big brother with all her heart, and is delighted to have him back in her life — but she’s spreading her wings, and is unprepared for Oliver to become the Bad Cop in the family, restricting her access to boys and drugs.

Thea Queen?  Well that’s a totally new character.  And imagine that, a bratty teenage girl character on The CW.  I’m shocked, shocked I tell you!  And Dinah “Laurel” Lance?  You mean the Black Canary, Green Arrow’s long time girlfriend?  Well, no mention of her being her super heroine alter ego, but perhaps they’ll add that down the road?  Who knows, it’s The CW, they could decided this is the “wrong” Dinah Lance or some other crazy idea.

Just once I’d like to see The CW do something faithful to a comic, but I guess that’s just too much to hope for.

[via The TV Addict]

The CW has placed orders for three new pilots for the Fall 2012 season, and not a one of them has a spark of originality to them.

Deadline is reporting that The CW has placed some pilot orders that are a bit surprising.  First up is Arrow, a new take on DC Comics classic Green Arrow character.  I reported that this show was in development last week, and while a pilot is never a guarantee of a show making it to air, this one probably has a good shot at it as they really want to fill the void left by Smallville coming to an end.  As of right now it does not appear that the show has any sort of connection to the character that appeared on that series, but my guess is The CW is seeing this as a chance to have a Batman-like character on the air since they can’t touch that property due to the movies.

Second up is the Carrie Diaries, based on the book of the same name that was written by Candace Bushnel as a prequel to Sex and the City.  This series, should it make it to air, will tell the story of a teenage Carrie Bradshaw and how she formed her opinions on love, sex and men that became so well known in the HBO series.  Currently it is slated to follow her through high school and her first adventures in New York City.

Lastly, just what the world didn’t need, is a remake of the 1980′s TV series Beauty & the Beast.  Apparently this new version will be “loosely” based on the original which translates more than likely to, “The shows have the same name!”  Do yourself a favor, if you’ve never seen the original, locate the DVDs and watch them, you’ll be hooked in a heartbeat.

As with all pilots, none of these are a “sure thing” to go to a series order, but all of them sound pretty definite to me as they will fill very specific holes that The CW needs to work on.

[via Deadline]

Considering the number of television shows on the air these days, it’s easy to overlook the occasional great series, but thanks to DVDs, digital downloads and streaming video, you can now catch up on just about anything.  So why not give Modern Family a go?

Despite many people telling me how wonderful Modern Family was, I just didn’t have the time to give it a go.  When planning my trip to England, and knowing I had a ton of time to kill in airports and planes, I figured I’d download the first two seasons and see if it took.

… I am now so hooked that it’s sickening.

Having now blown through the first two seasons, and now working on the third season, I can see why this series has won so much praise and awards.  It mixes some of the best representations I’ve ever seen of families on television, but then adds in humor that reminds me of Arrested Development. (and we all know about my love for that series.)  There is something for just about everyone in this show, and even the parts you don’t think you’ll like, you’ll probably end up loving.

Am I late to the party?  Yes.  Are you probably all aware of the show and/or already watching it?  Too bad.  I’m still going to tell you how good it is and that you need to be watching it.  Sitcoms have been on a downward spiral for years, so it’s nice to see one that actually is not only amusing, but of real quality.

Give ti a try, you won’t regret it.

The Golden Globe winners for 2012 have been announced.

The Golden Globes is one of the few awards that acknowledges excellence in both television and film, and tends to be more relaxed than the Academy Awards. However, even in the relaxed attitude, the awards are considered a precursor to some of the things we will see from the Oscars.

Here is the full list of winners for the 2012 Golden Globes.

MOTION PICTURES

• Picture, Drama: The Descendants
• Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Artist
• Actor, Drama: George Clooney – The Descendants
• Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep – Iron Lady
• Director: Martin Scorsese – Hugo
• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin – The Artist
• Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer – Beginners
• Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer – The Help
• Foreign Language: A Separation (Iran)
• Animated Film: The Adventures of Tintin
• Screenplay: Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Original Score: Ludovic Bource – The Artist
• Original Song: “Masterpiece” — W.E. (Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry)

TELEVISION

• Series, Drama: Homeland (Showtime)
• Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer – Boss (Showtime)
• Actress, Drama: Claire Danes – Homeland (Showtime)
• Series, Musical or Comedy: Modern Family (ABC)
• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc – Episodes (Showtime)
• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern – Enlightened (HBO)
• Miniseries or Movie: Downton Abbey (PBS)
• Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet – Mildred Pierce (HBO)
• Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba – Luther (BBC)
• Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange – American Horror Story (FX)
• Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman.

It seems that The CW can’t give up on the concept of some TV series based on a DC Comics series.

With the end of Smallville, DC has been fishing around for another TV series they could launched based on a comic series with reports of series being possible developed on The Spectre, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and, most notably, Deadman.  Now the rumor is that the network is taking a look at Green Arrow.

Previously Justin Hartley played the character on Smallville, and while there has been no information if this is the same version of the character, it has been reported that they are not looking into him playing the title character in this series.

Just because The CW is exploring these different series, it doesn’t mean any of them will make it to air, but seeing as Warner Brothers, the parent company of DC Comics, is part owner of the network, it only makes sense that the two would want to get another series on the air, it’s just a matter of finding the right property.

No word has been announced as to when we’ll hear a final decision on any of these.

The list of potential remakes … excuse me, “reimaginings” … coming to our TV screens in the fall is truly frightening.

It seems that the television networks have decided to abandon anything close to resembling an original idea as they prepare for the next TV season. Entertainment Weekly has compiled a list of the shows under consideration for next season and it reads like someone picked up a TV Guide from the 1960′s and thought, “Hey, all of these look awesome! Lets make them!”

The list is truly bewildering, but do keep in mind the projects vary from “in development” to “pilot order”, neither of which means they will ever make it to our television screens.  The only one that is guaranteed at this point is Seth McFarlane’s take on the classic The Flintstones, but that isn’t due to hit until fall 2013.  Because, yes, Seth McFarlane really needs a fourth animated series on Fox.

What gets me is what else is on there.  The Rifleman really needed a remake?  Yes, it was hugely popular in its day, but that was a time when westerns were very en vogue, and this is no longer the 1950′s, but yet CBS has a remake in development.  I guess that’s okay, though, since this is the same network looking to relaunch Bewitched, the 1960′s series about a witch that marries a mortal and all of the problems that come with that.

Of course, CBS looks smart in comparison to NBC that is obviously grabbing at straws.  Besides the heavily discussed The Munsters, it appears the peacock network is also looking at a new adaptation of Valley of the Dolls, the classic 60′s novel about pill popping suburban wives.  Because, as you know, NBC did so well with The Playboy Club, another period drama is the perfect fit for them.  They are also looking at potential series such as Hannibal - based on the character of Hannibal Lecter – and Romancing the Stone – based on the popular 1980′s movie.  Yep, that’s right, these all sound like winning ideas that someone found by watching their DVD collection one weekend.

After this season, which has failed to generate one huge hit show, this is where the networks thing they should be heading?  Please alow me to bang my head on my keyboard yet again.

Thanks to Jo for the tip.

The promise of new Absolutely Fabulous episodes coming from the BBC filled fans with a mixture of both dread and elation.  With the series nearing its 20th anniversary it has to be difficult to recapture the original magic, but from the first clip released by the BBC, it feels just like old times.

The original cast is back with Jennifer Saunders once again playing Edina as well as writing the promised three special episodes.  Yes, perhaps the Kardashians are an easy target, but it fits in with what these characters would say and do.

Who cares, more un-pc humor from one of the best British comedies ever?  I’ll take it.

It seems that Amy and Rory Pond are set to make their final jury through time and space sometime during the next season of Doctor Who.

The Doctor Who series has seen its fair share of companions come and go over its long run, but it isn’t all that often that any of them come to a point where they nearly overshadow the Doctor himself. Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) is one for the books when it comes to the companions, and now it has been confirmed that she and her onscreen husband, Rory (Arthur Darvill), will be leaving the series in the upcoming season.

Current series chief Steven Moffat confirmed today that both characters will be departing the series in a “heartbreaking” storyline that will take place in the next season.  However, never fear, the Doctor won’t be alone in his TARDIS for long as a new companion is already being lined up.  He wouldn’t confirm any details about “he/she/it” except that it wouldn’t be long before we met them.

One thing the revived version of Doctor Who has done that goes far beyond the original series is giving the companions a lot more depth.  In the old series they were merely there to need rescuing each week, but in the new version they are fully realized characters that have to deal with traveling with one of the most feared men in all of time and space.  Rose, Donna and Amy have been three of the best companions in the entire history of the series (sorry, I just never really got in to Martha), and I would have to say Karen Gillan’s performance quickly catapulted Amy to my all-time favorite status.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of Rory traveling with the Doctor and Amy all the time, but even that grew on me with some patience.

With each change in the series of late you fear that the next thing to come won’t be as good, but if Matt Smith could win me over as the Doctor after I was sure no one would ever match David Tenant, then I’m willing to give another companion a shot.

… But you’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill, whomever you are.

It appears that Jack Bauer will once again be taking on terrorists in the near future, but this time it’ll be on the big screen as opposed to being in your family room.

Ever since 24 ended in 2010 there has been talk of a feature film coming along, but when it didn’t immediately happen a lot of people thought the project was dead.  According to Deadline, the film is now being fast tracked to match up with Keifer Sutherland‘s schedule that opens up come April.  Mark Bomback, who worked on that atrocious Wolverine movie, is currently tweaking the script and is expected to hand it in by the end of the year.  Nothing says quality like script tweaking a rushed project.

I would say I was intrigued by how 24 would work as a movie, but we got a taste of that from the TV movie they did, and the answer was, “not well.”  Not that the regular show was anything to get that excited to be honest, but a 2-hour movie was just that much worse to be honest.  Putting this on the big screen with a bigger budget will lead to it probably looking prettier, but I doubt it’s going to do much to improve the storytelling.

The thing is, no one will probably care.  So long as Jack yells “DAMMIT!” a few times and shoots a bunch of terrorists, people will still want to enter the world of CTU.

I thought when I came to England I would see all sorts of great British shows I haven’t seen yet, and instead I’m finding a wasteland of reality shows. Case in point: Geordie Shore.

I had heard of this copy of the American Jersey Shore trash, but guess what? It’s worse. How is that possible? Easy, you add in unbleeped cursing and nudity.

Yep, nudity. In the five or so minutes of I’ve been watching this – mostly out of shock – I’ve already seen one of the main girls flash her breasts out a group of guys, and, no, they weren’t blurred out.

While I don’t really care about nudity being shown, considering the target crowd for this shore and I’m just … wow.  Really?  And what makes it even better?  Now there’s a Toys R’ Us commercial on during this.  It’s 11:41 PM here on a Monday night and I’m seeing breasts and commercials for toys … just who is this show targeting?!?

Oh, okay, now they’re in a strip club …

To the people of England, I apologize on the behalf of the United States.  This may be the worst thing we have ever done to you.

And just as I finish this post, the preview for the next episode shows one of the girls taking off her bikini top and shaking her breasts … really, I’m sorry.  So, so sorry.