Pre-upfront weekend: What about Shark, Miss/Guided, Scrubs, Eli Stone..... ?


It was a busy pre-upfront weekend for the broadcast networks.

Following a 13-episode order to comedy "The Inn" on Friday, Fox on Saturday picked up animated comedy "Sit Down, Shut Up."

Additionally, the network quietly ordered J.J. Abrams\' sci-fi drama "Fringe" on Friday.

Also on Friday, Fox handed out a cast-contingent pilot order to Sh-a-u-n Cassidy\'s drama "Inseparable" for midseason.

The ABC Studios-produced project originally cast Toby Stephens during the strike in anticipation of a pilot pickup contingent on a .

By the time the network picked up the pilot on Friday, the studio\'s hold on Stephens had expired, so the pilot is cast-contingent.

There is no word yet on the Bernie Mac starrer "Starting Under." The project, created by Bruce Helford, had a series commitment but now l-o-o-k-s doubtful for a straight pickup. There is a chance that the multicamera comedy may get retooled.

On the renewal front, Fox picked up sitcom " \'Til Death," while it opted not to bring back comedy "Back to You" for a second season.

At ABC, the drama surrounding the two David E. Kelley projects, pilot "Life on Mars" and veteran "Boston Legal," continues. Both are close to a pickup but facing hurdles with showrunner transition for "Mars" and budgetary and scheduling issues for "Boston."

Meanwhile, modestly rated freshman drama "Eli Stone" l-o-o-k-s poised to return for a second season, with freshman comedy "Miss/Guided" also in the mix.

Another freshman drama, "Women\'s Murder Club," is not expected to come back.

Upon closing the deal for "Mars," the drama is expected to be the only ed new addition to ABC\'s schedule, along with "Scrubs." The network also recently picked up the Ashton Kutcher-produced reality series "Opportunity Knocks."

Over at CBS, dramas "Eleventh Hour" and "The Mentalist" remain the frontrunners, with "Mythological Ex" also going strong, while a couple of wild cards, "Ny-Lon" and "Can Openers," have entered the mix.

The untitled Ed Yeager project starring Jay Mohr continues to be solid on the comedy side, along with "Worst Week."

"The Unit" l-o-o-k-s good to return, "Shark" doesn\'t.

Fox\'s "The Inn," from 20th Century Fox TV, Reveille and Principato-Young, is described as "Upstairs/ Downstairs" set at a hip New York hotel. Jason Bateman has received high marks for his pilot directorial debut with the project, whose cast includes Niecy Nash, Jerry O\'Connell, Molly Stanton, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jolene Purdy and Brando Eaton.

Abraham Higginbotham penned the project, which he is exec produced with Peter Principato, Paul Young, Brian Dobbins, Carolyn Bernstein and Howard Owens.

"Sit Down," from Sony TV, Tantamount and Granada USA, is an animated comedy based on a live-action Australian series that chronicles the lives of seven staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town who are preoccupied with their own needs and agendas, which means the students always come second.

With the series, "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz is returning to Fox primetime. He penned "Sit Down" and is exec producing with Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein.

The voice cast of the series includes three "Development" alums, Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler, as well as Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny and Maria Bamford.

"Sit Down," as well as another animated project, "The Pitts," t-o-o-k a nontraditional development route when Fox ordered them as table reads in lieu of presentations to speed up the process.

A week ago, the network gave both projects money to hire a handful of writers -- "Sit Down" tapped "The Simpsons" veterans Oakley and Weinstein as showrunners -- and produced one- to two-minute presentations to be ready for Fox\'s upfront presentation Thursday.

"Sit Down" joins another new animated series already picked up for next season, the "Family Guy" spinoff "Cleveland."

"Fringe," from Warner Bros. TV and Bad Robot, centers on a young FBI agent (Anna Torv), who is forced to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena and work with an institutionalized scientist (John Noble) and his son (Joshua Jackson)

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman penned the  and exec produced with Abrams, director Alex Graves and Jeff Pinkler.

" \'Til Death" and "Back to You" -- both multicamera sitcoms -- have run in a block this season to similarly respectable but not spectacular ratings.

However, "Back to You" is far more expensive as it boasts marquee talent in front and behind the camera with stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrica Heaton and creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.

The CW also is expected to make its series orders over the weekend, including nods to the "Beverly Hills, 90210" spinoff and probably to "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls."

Source: Hollywoodreporter.com