Arrivals, Returns, & Departures - 04/28/2012

RETURNS (Series Renewals)

Cold Blood, Investigation Discovery, Season 5 - Cold Blood follows real murder investigations via the first person accounts of the law enforcement professionals involved. The feel of the show is described as a "real life cop drama". So I guess maybe, Law & Order: Real Victims Unit?

Disappeared, Investigation Discovery, Season 3 - Disappeared chronicles the twists and turns of some of the most baffling missing persons cases in history. Some have been solved, others are still open, but all are disturbing.

Facing Evil, Investigation Discovery, Season 3 - This series is hosted by former FBI profiler Candice Delong (rumored to have been the inspiration for the character of Clarice Starling), as she goes all Silence Of The Lambs and chats directly (through prison glass) with the killers spotlighted on ID's Deadly Women.

Fringe, FOX, Season 5 - In a huge relief to sci-fi nerds everywhere (myself included), the little sci-fi series that seems to just squeak by every year despite timid ratings, has been picked up for a fifth and final season of 13 episodes. For all the (deserved) crap that FOX gets for canceling shows too early, they really must be applauded in this case for allowing Fringe's producers to wrap up the show's storylines properly. Kudos.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, E!, Renewed For 3 More Seasons - Who will get married for five minutes? Who will begin dating a professional athlete? Who will make a complete ass out of themselves on a regular basis? All these questions will be answered during the next three seasons worth of people with no discernable talent undeservedly living much easier lives than people who matter like doctors, firefights, and school teachers. Sorry to anyone who enjoys the trainwreck, but this is right up there with Jersey Shore in the "things that are ruining America" department. Oh, and my predictions for the answers to the above questions are A. Kourtney, B. Kim, and C. Everyone.

On The Case With Paula Zahn, Investigation Discovery, Season 4 - This show is pretty much exactly what the title implies. Paula Zahn hosts a show about different crime investigations, featuring interviews with victims, witnesses, and law enforcement experts.

Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO, Renewed Through 2014 - New Rule: Smart cable networks make sure they have one of their most popular shows locked up years in advance. Seriously though, whatever your opinions on Maher, he has quite the loyal audience, a lot of which has been with him since back in his "Politically Incorrect" days. This renewal guarantees that Bill will continue to get "Real" on Friday nights through at least the 2014 midterm elections.

Stalked: Someone's Watching, Investigation Discovery, Season 2 - This series focuses on both the victims of stalkers, and the mindset of the weirdos who won't leave them alone. Stalking is a crime that effects more than 3 million people a year in the USA alone. People should learn to stop being creepy.

The Will: Family Secrets Revealed, Investigation Discovery, Season 4 - This show has a pretty interesting, although kind of tasteless concept. Each episode explores the ramifications felt by a family after a loved one dies, and the contents of that person's last will and testament are revealed.

 

 

And that's all for this (Investigation Discovery likes to renew a billion series at once, I promise this is the last of them) edition. Don't forget to keep checking future A,R,&D updates in the coming weeks. The closer we get to the network upfronts during the week of May 14th, the more we'll be inundated with shows being dropped, picked up, and brought back. See you next time.