Arrivals, Returns, & Departures - 04/29/2012

Best Friends Forever

Hello TV Ragers, and welcome to your semi-regular update on all the pilots, renewals, and cancellations that have taken place since the last issue was published. Let's get right to it with:

ARRIVALS (Pilots Ordered)

One Car Too Far, Discovery Channel - "It’s all about the drive to survive. What happens when you ‘MacGyver-ize’ a car? In One Car Too Far former British Special Forces operative and an American car junkie are dropped into incredible landscapes and forced to work together to survive and ultimately escape to safety. The twist – they will have to take a small red car with them. It’s the perfect combination as one knows how to drive and the other knows how to survive. With no proper roads and no real supplies, the two must rely on instinct and expertise alone to make it out."

RETURNS (Series Renewals)

Behind Mansion Walls, Investigation Discovery, Season 2 - This series details the crimes that take place in the abodes of the wealthy, privileged,and powerful. This premise is a natural fit, what with money being the root of all evil and such.

Happily Divorced, TV Land, 12 New Episodes Ordered - Fran Drescher's new semi-autobiographical sitcom about her finding out that her husband of 18 years is gay has had it's second run extended. Why? Who knows? I don't watch the show, but I'll never get the appeal of Fran Drescher. Sure, she's attractive, but that voice, that laugh, hearing it makes my ears vomit. The show might be funny, but I'll never know.

Homicide Hunter, Investigation Discovery, Season 2 - Homicide Hunter is follows murder investigations, through the eyes of retired detective Lt. Joe Kenda. Taking a different route than most true crime shows, this series focuses as much on the effects each case has on the investigator as it does the victims or perpetrators.

The Lying Game, ABC Family, Season 2 - This modern day dramatic spin on the old "prince and the pauper" switch sees the main character switch lives with her long-lost identical twin and then not be able to get her life back when her twin goes missing. She's faced with the choice of coming clean about who she is, or continuing to live her sister's life in order to find out what happened to her. Or something like that. The plot synopsis is a bit confusing. Still, it sounds fairly interesting, and it gets good ratings.

Nightmare Next Door, Investigation Discovery, Season 2 - This series is about mysterious and brutal murders that took place in the heart of small suburban communities and features interviews with neighbors and family members of the people involved. It's always the ones you'd least suspect, or so I've heard.

True Crime With Aphrodite Jones, Investigation Discovery, Season 3 - Author and journalist Aphrodite Jones hosts a show about true crimes. Sorry guys, but I've wrote about 20 of these Investigation Discovery descriptions in the past few weeks, and my resolve has been sapped.

True Justice, Reelz Channel, Season 2 - This is a show about Steven Seagal leading an elite group of undercover cops in an attempt to clean up the streets of (apparently crime-ridden) Seattle. You're either the type of person who reads that sentence and gets excited to watch, or you're not. There isn't much in-between on Seagal fandom.

DEPARTURES (Cancellations and End Dates)

Best Friends Forever, NBC, Canceled During The First Season - NBC may have briefly had a new best friend, but it certainly didn't last forever. This single-camera comedy, based on creators Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham's real life friendship, came out of the box with a bad rating and the numbers have just continued dropping from there. This cancelation leaves the series with two unaired episodes, but speculation is that they'll be posted online at some point, possibly on part NBC owned Hulu.

Make It Or Break It, ABC Family, Canceled After Season 3 - This teen drama focused on a gymnastics team's efforts to make it to the Olympic Games, and of course includes all the usual social shenanigans that go into any successful teen drama. The show's ratings really weren't too terrible for cable (although they had gone down this season), and the critical reception was pretty positive, leading me to wonder exactly why they chose to drop the axe now. I guess when you're in a pretty good place as a network, you can afford to cancel a decent show that's simply performing below expectations.

And that's all for this (just when I thought I was out of Investigation Discovery renewals, they pull me back in) 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.

Details