FALL 2013: CBS PREPPING 'HOW I MET YOUR FATHER'?

CBS wants to keep a sure-thing going with its popular hit How I Met Your Mother.

The network is already preparing a shoot-off of the sitcom, but from the female perspective. Tentatively titled, How I Met Your Father, the show would incorporate the same concept but with a new cast led by the female protagonist who tells the story of how she met her future husband and father of children. While none of the current cast would be included in the spin-off, there has been buzz that the character may appear in the series finale of How I Met Your Mother next spring. One element that may crossover to the new sitcom is McLaren's Pub. The frequent watering hole by Ted Mosby and company could also be the setting for the new gang of characters.

We only have one wish for the CBS executives and co-creators to consider: Bring in Barney! Barney Stinson has slept with so many women over the years that it would only be natural that he would have had a one-night stand with the future female Ted Mosby-character. Don't you think so?

FALL 2013: IS 'GLEE' PHASING OUT LIMA, OHIO FOR FULL-TIME NYC?

FOX's Glee has had a difficult year with the passing of original cast member Cory Monteith, who portrayed quarterback Finn Hudson. The loss has forced creators to reexamine the show's endgame in next year's final season.

One idea that is currently being mulled on the set is making a full-time move to New York City. Now before you East Coasters start jumping for joy, it doesn't mean that the show's production is going to move from LA...though on-location shoots most likely will increase. What it means is that the Lima, Ohio setting will be phased out and the show will entirely be set in NYC. The switch is being considered for all of next season but there have been several hints that the change could occur as early as this current season.

Currently, Rachel, Kurt, and Santana are the only McKinley High characters living in NYC. Decisions will have to be made on which Lima characters would make the sojourn to the Big Apple, and exactly how they would fit in.

If the show decides to move in this direction, it would be a refreshing change for the weakening musical drama.

FALL 2013: KERRY WASHINGTON ANNOUNCES PREGNANCY; WHAT ABOUT OLIVIA POPE?

Could a baby storyline surface in the near future for ABC's political drama Scandal?

News broke that actress Kerry Washington and new husband Nnamdi Asomugha are expecting their first child. According to a source, Washington is about four months pregnant. Since several months remain for the taping and production of Scandal, many insiders are wondering if the show will take advantage of Washington's pregnancy and incorporate it to her alter-ego, Olivia Pope. Now that the President's affair has been exposed, it would only be naturally dramatic to have a "Who's your Daddy?" storyline.

It'll be interesting to see what the show plans to do with this news but definitely expect a pregnant Olivia Pope waddling in Prada or a ton of shots of Kerry Washington standing behind a piece of furniture. Congratulations to the expecting parents!

FALL 2013: 'VERONICA MARS' MOVIE RELEASES A NEW PROMO

The much anticipated Veronica Mars movie has released a new promo featuring all your favorites - plus many Veronica and Logan moments. Check it out!

FALL 2013: 'LAW & ORDER'S ADA CONNIE RUBIROSA HEADING TO 'L&O: SVU'

Fans of the Law & Order-verse will soon see a familiar face pop up on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Alana de la Garza will be reprising her role as Connie Rubirosa for a guest run on SVU. She first appeared on the original Law & Order in 2006 as an Assistant District Attorney (ADA). She remained on the show until its cancellation in May 2010, lasting for four complete seasons. In September 2010, Connie was transplanted to the short-lived Law & Order: LA as a series regular with a new role, Deputy District Attorney.

Apparently during the two-year gap from LA's cancellation to the present day, Connie returned to New York as a federal prosecutor and is now leading a joint task force on underage sex trafficking.

No official date or episode has been given for de la Garza's return.

FALL 2013: 'THE SIMPSONS' TO RETIRE EDNA KRABAPPEL IN WAKE OF MARCIA WALLACE'S PASSING

Comedic actress Marcia Wallace, best known for her roles as wisecracking secretary Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show and Mrs. Edna Krabappel on the long-running The Simpsons, passed away Friday, October 25 due to complications from breast cancer.

In wake of the actress' passing, The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean released a statement, "I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace. She was beloved by all at The Simpsons, and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character."

This wouldn't be the first time The Simpsons has retired a character due to the death of a voice actor. In 1998, the animated comedy retired shyster attorney Lionel Hutz and B-movie actor Troy McClure after Phil Hartman's death, though the characters continue to appear in clip shows. It will be interesting to see how Bart's fourth grade teacher will make her exit from Springfield Elementary, if they formally retire her from the school.

Shortly after news of Wallace's passing, this YouTube video of Krabappel's Ha! moments began trending.

 

FALL 2013: WILL ABC RESURRECT 'BODY OF PROOF'?

Is ABC considering bringing Body of Proof back from the dead?

Could be.

The network's new fall dramas have been struggling to find an audience. Lucky 7 has already been canceled, Betrayal is not long for this world, and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland has been a major letdown. Meanwhile, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is the only drama to be picked up for a full season, and even that show is tanking every week.

Talks of reviving the Dana Delany medical drama began at the start of the fall season, after it was written off at the conclusion of the third season. If ABC goes through with the move, Body of Proof will resume with its fourth season. The big question, however, is who would return to the drama? Some actors have already moved on with other commitments and projects, and most likely the show would have a reduced budget that couldn't accommodate all of its previous cast. 

While the return is only at the talking stages, we definitely know that if Dana Delany doesn't return, viewers won't return to Body of Proof. Might as well just re-name it D.O.A.

FALL 2013: 'ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND' WILL GET A LITTLE WHOOPI

ABC's struggling spin-off is getting some additional star power. Mr. Rabbit is about to get some major Whoopi.

Actress and current co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, has signed up to guest-voice Mrs. Rabbit on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The furry missus will appear in the current storyline and flashbacks in the show's eighth episode. Goldberg will star opposite series regular John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun and Dexter baddie). We expect some sass and backtalk from Mr. Rabbit's significant other.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland airs Thursdays at 8 pm on ABC.

FALL 2013: 'I LOVE LUCY' LOST EPISODE RETURNING TO CBS IN DECEMBER FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

I Love Lucy is returning to network television after fifty-six years.

Sort of.

CBS is planning to air a one-hour block of the classic sitcom on December 20, 2013 at 8 pm. The network will air the rarely seen Christmas Show episode that aired December 24, 1956. It was last aired on primetime back in 1989, and a colorized version premiered the following year. The Christmas Show is considered a TV special rather than a regular episode and was never included in the re-broadcasting of the show in syndication.

While the proposed hour special will be continuous with only one main title and end credits, the second episode is slated to be "Lucy's Italian Movie," which aired on April 16, 1956 and was part of the Ricardos' and Mertzes' European adventure. Lucy finally lands a role in an Italian movie as a grape stomper but things get heated when she crosses path with a local stomper. Cue the famous grape fight!

Both episodes will be presented in a colorized yet vintage format. We didn't know what that meant at first but if you check out the video below, you can see what is considered colorized vintage.

Spoiler alert! It's the whole Christmas Show episode.

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY (10/22)! IT'S A RETRO KIND OF WEEK WITH COPS, COWBOYS, WAITRESSES, AND VAMPIRES!

This week, the ghost of television past arrives on the TV-on-DVD aisle with some obscure long-forgotten goodies.

Retro-Thriller Pick-of-the-Week

Kindred the Embraced: The Complete Series

Self-touted as "The Original Vampire Saga," Kindred the Embraced was a bet that didn't pay off for the Fox Network. The supernatural drama premiered in 1996 as a mid-season replacement and only lasted 8 episodes. Part of the reason for the show's quick demise was its convoluted premise and cast. Julian Luna is the vampire mobster prince of San Francisco, ruler of the five vamp groups that are known as "The  Kindred." Meanwhile, a police detective discovers the existence of vampires in the city while he investigates Luna. The drama was produced by Spelling Television so expect part spook, part gang busters, and part soap.

Retro-Cop Pick-of-the-Week

Silk Stalkings - The Complete Seasons 6, 7, & 8: The Ryan & St. John Cases

The USA Network buddy cop drama enjoyed success with the original pair of detectives. Their replacements, however, were not well received by audiences and were quickly replaced mid-season by the popular Ryan (starring TV staple Chris Potter) and St. John (Janet Gunn). The chemistry existed between former married couple Tom Ryan and Cassie St. John and each season was building up to the ultimate reconciliation. The cliffhanger in Season 8 would leave the two in peril with no resolution due to the network's decision to cancel the long-running series.

Retro-Western Pick-of-the-Week

The Young Riders - Season Two

The Young Riders was ABC's western drama that focused on riders for the Pony Express. The late '80s/early '90s show only lasted three seasons despite its casting of young up-and-coming actors to attract the female audience. The second season incorporated an African-American cast member to its line-up and switched to a guest villain-of-the-week format that was shortly phased out after complaints from cast members

Retro-Comedy Pick-of-the-Week

Alice - The Complete Fourth Season

A last minute update to our New Release Tuesday post is the news that Alice's fourth season is being released through Warner Archives Collection. WAC always posts its Tuesday releases in the afternoon and it was a surprise to see this one. But why not, Alice has generated good sales for WAC from fans who have been waiting to get their hands on this classic comedy. The fourth season marks the last appearance of Flo, who departs mid-season for her own spin-off show. Southern belle Belle fills the vacancy but nobody would ever be able to fill Flo's shoes. Kiss my grits!

FALL 2013: NBC SHAFTS 'PARKS AND RECREATION' TO HELP STRUGGLING 'SEAN SAVES THE WORLD'

Fans of NBC's Parks and Recreation aren't going to be happy about this, and frankly we can't blame them.

The network has placed the Amy Poehler comedy on a brief hiatus until November 14 in order to salvage one of its struggling, underwhelming new comedies, Sean Saves the World. The next three episodes of Parks and Rec, including a Halloween-themed episode that was to air on October 31, will be pushed back to next month as NBC rotates specials in the 8 pm hour. 

The demise of new comedy Welcome to the Family, which was canceled last week, has left a hole in NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup. The poor numbers Welcome attracted is to blame for the weak outing of the 9 pm comedy hour featuring Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show. Or at least that's what they want us to believe. Truth be told, the Sean Hayes and Michael J. Fox comedies have been hit-or-miss this season despite heavy promotion during the summer.

This week, The Voice's Battle Rounds episode will replace Parks and Rec, and a holiday-themed Saturday Night Live special will air on Halloween night. Finally, The Voice's live playoffs show, which was slated to replace Hayes' and Fox's comedies for the night, will be bumped to the 8 pm hour. NBC is hoping that this move will increase viewership for its 9 pm comedies, especially with the numbers The Voice brings in each week.

Will it work for NBC? We'll see this Friday!

FALL 2013: NBC CANCELS 'IRONSIDE' AND 'WELCOME TO THE FAMILY'

It's been a rather busy Friday afternoon in TV land as several networks have made some serious decisions regarding their new shows this season.

On the cancellation front, NBC has axed struggling police procedural remake Ironside and comedy Welcome to the Family. Both shows failed to gather an audience despite posting fairly decent premiere ratings. 

Ironside had considerable amounts of promos and hype to boast its premiere but putting popular star Blair Underwood in a wheelchair just didn't help the cause. The drama faced tough competition in its Wednesday night timeslot with the perennial favorite CSI and ABC's country sudser  Nashville. The real nail in the coffin came last week when FX's American Horror Story: Coven premiered to smashing numbers in the 10 pm timeslot and took a nice chunk of audience away from network television. Ironside also faced some creative backlash for not casting a disabled actor in the role of paraplegic Robert Ironside. The negative press helped detract some audiences from even giving the show a chance. Honestly though, the drama's case-of-the-week format was pretty dull and slow that Ironside's wheelchair moved faster than the plot. The final episode airs October 23.

Welcome to the Family was another unfortunate sacrifice that the network had to make due to low numbers. Stuck in the 8:30 pm timeslot, the family comedy based on unplanned teenage pregnancy couldn't hack it against CBS' new comedy The Millers. While the premise isn't necessarily the best, it was something different but a soft cast didn't help the situation. Don't get us wrong, we love Mike O'Malley but he needed a better co-star foil in this production. Additionally, most of NBC's new comedies are struggling, especially much touted, heavily advertised Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show. If a decision had to be make to stop the network from losing more blood, it was apparent that the show on the bottom of the totem pole was getting cut.

CBS, on the other hand, is doing a little better with its new comedies. The network has just given full-season orders to freshman comedies Mom, The Crazy Ones, and The Millers. Apparently dysfunctional comedies about recovering alcoholics and divorced parents are drawing the audiences. Each show has received the order for the "back 9" episodes, which would make the full season count to 22 episodes.

FOX has also picked up a full-season order for freshman police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has posted solid numbers since its debut. Additionally it will join New Girl for a special comedy hour after Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.

Death List

Lucky 7 (ABC)

We are Men (CBS)

Murder Police (FOX)

Us & Them (FOX)

Ironside (NBC)

Welcome to the Family (NBC)

Life Support

Betrayal (ABC)

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)

Super Fun Night (ABC)

FALL 2013: 'GLEE' RE-DOING ENDGAME FOR NEXT YEAR'S FINAL SEASON

Glee, the musical drama following a high school glee club will end in 2015 after its sixth season.

Co-creator Ryan Murphy confirmed the show's ending Wednesday night while attending an event at the Paley Center. The show is currently in its fifth season and taking a breather after recently airing the special tribute episode to fallen castmember Cory Monteith.

The actor's passing has caused a major re-write for the show's endgame season and finale. Murphy shares that the final season was supposed to center heavily on the Rachel/Finn relationship to give the couple a happy ending in the finale. The co-creator does have another idea in mind that will honor the actor and his character's memory during those final moments next year. 

Glee is currently on hiatus during Major League Baseball and will return November 7 on FOX.

FALL 2013: COMING TO TV TONIGHT (10/17)! THE CW PREMIERES A DISASTROUS 'REIGN'

New on TV tonight is a costumed historical period drama gone wrong.

The CW premieres Reign, a historical drama set in 16th Century France. 1557 to be exact. The series follows teenager Mary, Queen of Scots as she is called out of isolation in a French convent and ordered back to the French court to prepare for her arranged marriage to Prince Francis. Francis, however, isn't so pressed for the wedding since he has his own sidepiece but his mother, Queen Catherine, and bastard half-brother Bash have other plans. The opulent setting, lavish location shoots, and period costuming are used to hide the numerous historical inaccuracies of The CW's modified history lesson.

So what exactly is wrong with this story? Well the ages of Mary and Francis are way off since the real royals married at age 15 and 14, respectively. While The CW clearly found a dashing, handsome Francis, the real prince was in fact a sickly, frail boy who expired a short time after the arranged marriage. But of course that story wouldn't generate ratings! Also, Mary, Queen of Scots was never exiled to a French convent; there never existed a half-brother named Bash; and Francis' family actually adored Mary rather than plot against her. But real history is just boring.

Yeah right.

Reign airs tonight at 9 pm on The CW, and will face stiff competition from ABC's Grey's Anatomy and FOX's MLB Playoffs in this timeslot.

FALL 2013: BBC DOES LIZ & DICK RIGHT WITH "BURTON & TAYLOR"

Burton & Taylor premieres tonight on BBC America. The TV film stars English actors Dominic West (The Wire) and Helena Bonham Carter (Merlin) as the volatile yet legendary Hollywood couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The film centers around the duo's preparation for a 1983 Broadway production of the play Private Lives. Based on the time period, Burton and Taylor were already divorced (and for the second time) but the love/hate relationship that made their love affair famous still remained strong. Though Burton and Taylor were passionately in love with another, they just brought out the worst in each other when they were together. Remember, their love affair blossomed while each was married to someone else. Their first marriage was publicly condemned by the Vatican as "erotic vagrancy." The couple later divorced only to remarry sixteen months later. The love attraction between the two was incredible especially after Burton was quoted to have said that "calling her the most beautiful woman in the world is absolute nonsense. She has wonderful eyes, but she has a double chin and an overdeveloped chest, and she's rather short in the leg." No doubt Burton and Taylor exemplified the tumultuous Hollywood love story.

West and Bonham Carter give excellent performances and really exhibit the excitement, passion, and explosiveness that defined Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor's relationship. Burton & Taylor more than makes up for the disastrous 2012 Lifetime production, Liz & Dick. BBC develops a beautiful, emotionally draining production that is equally matched by the invested performers and gives us the Liz and Dick story that we want to see on the small screen.

Burton & Taylor airs at 9 pm on BBC America. Catch a glimpse of the production with this trailer:

WINTER 2014: TINA FEY AND AMY POEHLER RETURNING TO HOST 'GOLDEN GLOBES'

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is showing the Emmys how an award show is supposed to be carried. Last year's hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have made a deal ensuring their return for the 2014 and 2015 Golden Globe Awards. The comedic duo, and ex-Saturday Night Live primetime players, was a success at last year's awards ceremony and touted as the most entertaining part of the evening. Frankly, we think every awards show should be hosted by Fey and Poehler.

The Golden Globes will air January 12 on NBC.

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY (10/15)! WITCHES, A GENIE, AND A MUSICAL FAMILY RETURN

It's another New Release Tuesday and this week is full of complete megasets of some of your favorite television shows.

Megaset Pick-of-the-Weeks

Bewitched - The Complete Series

All 254 episodes from the eight season run of classic comedy Bewitched is released in one nifty set. The witchy sitcom has many memorable moments, including the whole Darrin #1 vs. Darrin #2 debate, and is ideal for Halloween this year.

I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Series

Accompanying America's favorite witch is America's favorite genie. All 139 episodes from five seasons are included in the I Dream of Jeannie complete series set. Co-starring Larry Hagman, this magical sitcom brought hilarious moments as well as sex appeal thanks to Barbara Eden.

The Partridge Family - The Complete Series

C'mon Get Happy!! This complete series set of The Partridge Family contains all 96 episodes from its four season run. Re-live the adventures of the musical Partridge family and keep an eye out on memorable guest stars in this family comedy.

Drama Pick-of-the-Week

Vikings - Season 1 (BD/DVD)

History Channel's historical drama Vikings gets a season 1 release this week. The series follows the exploits of several Norseman during early medieval times in Scandinavia. Based on legendary sagas, the drama unfolds with raids and confrontations of opposing factions.

Kid (or Kid-at-Heart) Pick-of-the-Week

Hey Arnold!: Season 5-The Final Season

The final season of Nickelodeon's elementary toon arrives on DVD. Football-head Arnold and his group of friends face numerous grade school adventures within the school and outside in the city landscape. The release is part of Shout! Facotry's Shout Select line and can be purchased exclusively on the company's website.

Honorable Mention

Arrested Development - The Three Original Seasons

Hart of Dixie - The Complete Second Season

The New Three Stooges - Complete Cartoon Collection

 

FALL 2013: AFTER 21 SEASONS, RICHARD BELZER RETIRES JOHN MUNCH; DEPARTING 'LAW & ORDER: SVU'

Well nothing lasts forever...even on television. After 21 seasons on TV, Sgt. John Munch will be turning in his badge.

On Wednesday night's episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it was revealed that Munch will be submitting his retirement paperwork along with his badge. The character will become recurring as actor Richard Belzer has decided to depart the long-running procedural drama. The move isn't too much of a surprise as Munch's role has diminished on the show in the past couple of years. The show is currently airing its 15th season and Munch has been a staple from its beginning back in 1999 when he was a senior detective.

Prior to joining Law & Order: SVU, Detective John Munch was a central character on Homicide: Life on the Street for all seven seasons. The police procedural centered on a Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit. Though Belzer's acting was still green during his run on Homicide, the show became critically acclaimed for its grittiness and ever-increasing portrayals of African-Americans on primetime television. Homicide had numerous cross-over episodes with the original Law & Order thanks to both being on NBC. John Munch became known in the Law & Order universe thanks to these cross-overs.

When Homicide ended its run in May 1999, Detective Munch retired from the Baltimore PD, taken his pension, and moved to New York to join a sex crimes investigation unit. By the fall of 1999, he was part of SVU.

Aside from the shared universe by the two crime dramas, John Munch has also appeared in numerous other TV shows as either a guest or cameo. He appeared in an episode of HBO's The Wire, which was also set in Baltimore. During the fifth season of The X-Files, Munch made a cameo in the episode "Unusual Suspects" where he was based out of a Baltimore police department. After relocating to New York City, Munch made an appearance on UPN's short-lived one-season wonder The Beat, which focused on the day-to-day occurrences of NYPD officers. Other shows that Detective, and later Sergeant, John Munch appeared in were Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! It is interesting to note that the character crossed genres by appearing in several comedies.

Richard Belzer made television history with John Munch. The character has appeared in more television series than any other fictional character, and has also beaten the record for longest running character with 21 seasons. The record was previously held by Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane and James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon.

It is speculated that Sgt. Munch's last episode of Law & Order: SVU will air on October 16.

FALL 2013: NBC REBOOTING 'REMINGTON STEELE'?

Is Remington Steele making a comeback to television?

Maybe.

Now that almost everything 1980s is returning, NBC is thinking about reviving the detective agency that made Pierce Brosnan a star. In 1982, Remington Steele premiered as an hour-long dramedy featuring detective Laura Holt opening a private investigation agency. Fearing potential clients might not hire her because she's a woman, Holt invents the persona of Remington Steele using a former thief and con man (Brosnan) to assume the identity. His real name was never revealed. The romance between Laura and Remington gradually built up over the five seasons and the chemistry between the main characters fueled the success of the show.

Flashforward to 2013, and NBC is planning to reboot Remington Steele in a half-hour comedy. Using the same title, the reboot would focus on Olivia Holt, the daughter of Laura Holt and Remington Steele, reopening her mother's detective agency and finding herself in the same comedic situations found in the original show. No word on if Olivia will have her version of Remington, but we would think so. More importantly, will Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan be game for making a cameo appearance? And what about Doris Roberts as Mildred Krebs, the receptionist from the original show? She would be great for a new comedy. We can only dream...

FALL 2013: COMING TO TV TONIGHT (10/10)!

Tonight, we are shown the other side of Wonderland and a drama says farewell to a friend.

Once Upon a Time's much-hyped spinoff, OUAT in Wonderland, premieres tonight with an Alice and Wonderland we were never told. Set in a period after Alice's original adventure in Wonderland, the little girl is a bit older and locked up in an asylum. Sitting before a medical panel, Alice defends the existence of Wonderland and all the characters she encountered. Before she is subject to severe shock treatment, Alice is released thanks to the White Rabbit and Knave of Heart. Alice travels once again down the rabbit hole/portal in search for her lost love, genie Cyrus, and along the way has to contend with the obstacles of the Red Queen and Jafar (Hmmm, genies and Jafar...could this be an Aladdin reference?).  8 pm on ABC.

McKinley High says goodbye to Finn Hudson on Glee. Original cast members reunite to pay tribute to their fallen castmate in an emotional hour packed with a powerful track list. Don't forget your Kleenex. 9 pm on FOX.

Grey's Anatomy celebrates its 200th episode with a big fundraising gala for the deteriorating hospital. Break out the champagne and watch out for Death. He always seems to strike this medical drama, especially during big parties. 9 pm on ABC.

FALL 2013: CBS' 'WE ARE MEN' CANCELLED

It looks like another cancellation may be in the works. CBS' new comedy We are Men is on its way out after only two episodes. The bachelor-led comedy starring Jerry O'Connell, Tony Shalhoub, and Kal Penn has had horrible ratings in the last two outings and the network has decided to shelve the show. CBS plans to speed up the return of Mike and Molly to fill in the void.

Another sign that We are Men is done came from Jerry O'Connell's tweet on his Twitter account:

We are Men would be the third cancelled series this television season, after ABC's Lucky 7 and FOX's dead-before-premiere animated Murder Police.

WINTER 2014: 90210'S ANNALYNNE MCCORD JOINS 'DALLAS'

Production is starting up on the Southfork Ranch in Texas as Dallas begins taping its third season. Despite the passing of actor Larry Hagman and his scheming character J.R. Ewing, the drama will continue with more complications for key characters.

AnnaLynne McCord, most recently seen on the now-defunct 90210 reboot, will appear on Dallas as Heather, a ranch hand who has somehow survived in that particular male-dominated line of work. The role, which is a drastic change from Naomi Clark on everyone's favorite zip code, will also serve as a love interest for Christopher Ewing and complicate the current triangle or quadrangle that was left at the end of last season. 

The new season of Dallas will start sometime in early 2014 on TNT.

FALL 2013: COMING TO TV TONIGHT (10/9)!

The CW continues to roll out its premieres tonight with the Amell cousins and FX brings out the latest chapter of American Horror Story.

Arrow returns tonight with its second season premiere with a different look. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns to Starling City and finds that the city is much different from when he left. And it's definitely not for the better. Ollie finds trouble on both sides as Isabel Rochev prepares a hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated, while Laurel teams with the DA's office to bring down the vigilante. 8 pm on The CW.

The Tomorrow People premieres tonight and immediately dives into the realm of human superpowers. Stephen Jameson (Robbie Amell) believes he is going crazy with the voices in his head...until they finally lead him to the Tomorrow People. Jameson meets the team of genetically advanced superpeople and joins them in the hunt for "exceptional" creatures. 9 pm on The CW.

American Horror Story: Coven kicks off its latest chapter with witches from the south. Innocent Zoe finds out she is descended from a long line of witches and is taken to a mysterious school in New Orleans. She soon learns that the school is for girls just like her. Meanwhile, head diva witch Supreme, Jessica Lange, returns to NOLA to cause trouble...like her characters normally do. The promos have been plentiful and with previous chapters of AHS, we know Coven won't be for the faint at heart.

Also on TV Tonight

Modern Family celebrates its 100th episode with the arrival of Cam's sister, Pam. Cam tries to hide his engagement from Pam, but little does Cam know that Pam has a secret she wants to tell Cam. Whew!

Also, CSI has a mini-Cheers reunion when John Ratzenberger guest stars as a club owner smack dab in the middle of a fatal fire.