Odds and ends

Bits and pieces culled from tvguide.com (mainly from Michael Ausiello & "Today's News: Our Take" by Matt Webb Mitovich):

Heroes, Law & Order: SVU, The Office, and My Name is Earl have all been renewed for another season. And Identity received an order for seven more episodes.

Survivor has been renewed for two more competitions.

American Idol's premiere on Tuesday averaged 37.3 million viewers. The show hit a high of 41.84 million in its last half hour. The second season finale is the only higher rated episode of the series.

Spurred on by the documentary This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated (which looked into the secretive-- and frequent "made up as they go along" ratings decisions-- of the ratings board), the MPAA and the NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) are planning on making changes to the ratings systems. Changes are expected to include: admonishments that some R-rated movies are just not appropriate for children, remove some of the secrecy of the board, formalize a rule that a board member cannot stay on after their child has grown, and detail (for the first time; on the MPAA website) the standards of each film ratings.



Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced they are in discussions with ABC to finalize an "end point" for the series. It's pretty unprecedented for something like this to go down; networks aren't really interested in ending shows they have some measure of control over when there's money to be had. Lindelof & Cuse want to have the series wrap up somewhere around episode #100 (they'll have 93 eps produced at the end of season four next year).

ABC could decline the plans, and replace whichever creators leave (like The CW did with The Gilmore Girls this year) or they could recognize that fans of the show just aren't going to keep watching if some of the mysteries don't get solved (and the quality of the show could decline-- a la X-Files-- if the show gets renewed past its useful life).

The idea behind planning an "exit strategy" for the show can bring a number of benefits: creators will have a target to shoot for to tie the loose ends. Fans will know that there is a plan and things aren't just being thrown in there to extend the series. Having an end point could help "ensure" the show makes it that far. (Let's say ratings drop next season; ABC could order episodes they normally wouldn't just because they know there is an end point).

It's an interesting move, but the creators and actors have always been pretty aware that they have a high-quality show and they don't want to see it go down the tubes just because it became a sensation.

My favorite show of all time, Babylon 5, had a planned storyline from the start-- five seasons-- and it worked (even though there were numerous changes to the storyline due to not having a fifth season ensured until after the fourth season ended). I hope Lost can find a way to do the same.


And, finally, I read in Prison Break Magazine that the role of Abruzzi was originally intended for Chris Penn. I can't imagine anyone other than Peter Stormare in the role, but it would have been something for Penn to be on the show.