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The 2007 CBS TV series "Viva Laughlin" was a remake of the show "Blackpool," which ran on BBC One in the mid-2000s. In the British series, David Morrissey played Ripley Holden, a character who became embroiled in a murder in a local video arcade right when he was planning on transforming it into a hotel and casino. Georgia Taylor played Shyanne, Ripley's bratty daughter, while Sarah Parish portrayed Ripley's wife Natalie, and erstwhile "Doctor Who" star David Tennant played a cop who was convinced that Ripley was guilty. "Blackpool" ran for six episodes in 2004 and then returned for a 2006 TV movie titled "Viva Blackpool." The show's main selling point was that it featured multiple musical numbers in every episode. The works of Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Queen, Billy Idol, the Clash, and many others were crooned by the cast.

In 2007, "Blackpool" was adapted for the American airwaves by Bob Lowry...

The Golden Arm on Quibi is a show starring Rachel Brosnahan, and it’s well worth your time.

“Sometimes a creation comes along that is so deliriously bad, so poorly constructed, so wrong in every way, that it becomes the stuff of legend. We saw this with last year’s cinematic debacle Cats, which earned a fan base devoted to mocking it. And these types of mindbogglingly bad projects are the stuff of legend: from Gigli to Viva Laughlin to The Room, we love/hate these bananas entries into the pop culture canon.”

Read more at The Mary Sue.

It’s been over 20 years since the ballet movie classic Center Stage premiered. Here are facts about this film you may not know.

“On May 12, 2000, Center Stage burst into movie theaters across the nation, featuring some of the best ballet dancers in the industry, a bright-eyed and talented newcomer named Amanda Schull,...

Too much quality TV got you down? All that art and introspection making you pine for the long-gone age of junk? Here’s a companion to our list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time – a few of our picks for the worst. Remember: For every bad show that claws its way to the airwaves, there are hundreds of even worse ones that never made it that far. Respect!

Duck Dynasty

2012-present

Congratulations, Robertson family – you are officially the worst anything ever! A dipshit sitcom passed off as a reality show,...

Twins

Showcase Inventory

Created by David Kohan, Max Mutchnick

Produced by KoMut Entertainment, Warner Bros Entertainment

Aired on The WB for 1 season (18 episodes) from September 16, 2005 – March 3, 2006

Cast

Sara Gilbert as Mitchee Arnold

Molly Stanton as Farrah Arnold

Melanie Griffith as Lee Arnold

Mark Linn-Baker as Alan Arnold

Show Premise

Highly successful lingerie company owners and married couple Alan and Lee Arnold decide to retire from their CEO position and name their non identical twin daughters as their successors. The two sisters, Mitchee and Farrah, couldn’t be more different from one another if they tried. Oddly, the two take after their parents almost exactly, with Mitchee taking after her father, who is brainy, uptight, and reserved, while Farrah takes after Lee, an alluring, uninhibited, and seemingly vapid blonde. It would seem that for the parents, the notion of “opposite attracts” is what brought them together, but for the two sisters,...

In her first recurring TV role since 2007's Viva Laughlin, Melanie Griffith will join the cast of Fox's Raising Hope, where she will play the mother to Shannon Woodward's character Sabrina and presumably have some tangential encounters with the family raising said baby. "But wait, I thought Melanie Griffith maintains her clearly youthful appearance by eating babies! How can Fox allow her to get near to and possibly eat that baby?" concerned viewers whom we obviously made up for the purposes of a dumb joke are already crying out. "As part of her contractual stipulations regarding appearing ...

Melanie Griffith is in final negotiations for a multi-episode arc on Raising Hope. She'd play Sabrina's mother, according to E!. Griffith hasn't had particularly good luck in the TV department: Her Lifetime pilot didn't get picked up last year, 2007's Viva Laughlin was canceled almost immediately, and 2005's Twins barely made it through a season. But have no fear, the low-rated but so darn charming Raising Hope is on the case.

Looks like there's no life left in the Lifetime pilot "American Housewife."

Deadline is reporting that the cable network passed on the show which featured Melanie Griffith as a housewife to an up-and-coming politician played by Jeffrey Nordling. In addition to starring in the show, Griffith also executive produced it with her husband Antonio Banderas.

Griffith hasn't had much luck on the small screen. Her 2007 show "Viva Laughlin" was sacked after just two episodes. In 2006, her WB show "Twins" fared only slightly better. It made it through 18 episodes but went away after that.

  Heard about the television show "Spartacus" and wonder what all the fuss is about? Let me warn you there will be plenty of mayhem in the upcoming third season of this show to talk about -- the primal sort of bedlam that was commonplace in ancient Rome. In advance of Friday night's Starz season premiere of "Spartacus: Vengeance," creator and head writer Steven S. DeKnight ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Smallville, "Viva Laughlin" and "Dollhouse") took part in a special conference call to discuss the increasingly popular franchise. The most obvious questions...

Lifetime has ordered a drama pilot from executive producer Antonio Banderas, titled American Housewife. In fact — no surprise, really — the big screen actor’s real-life Mrs., Melanie Griffith, is in talks to star in the project.

American Housewife, per Deadline, centers on a mom who has actual conversations with her inner monologue.

Griffith’s most recent small-screen forays include a 2010 episode of Nip/Tuck and, yes, Viva Laughlin.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• The premiere of Kelsey Grammer’s Boss on Friday night at 10 pm drew 659K total viewers, and amassed 1.72 million across weekend encores. (For comparison’s sake,...

Lifetime has ordered a new drama series pilot that could serve as a starring vehicle for Melanie Griffith.

The network has ordered the grandly titled American Housewife from Band of Brothers writer Erik Jendersen and Griffith’s husband Antonio Banderas. The Fox TV Studios project follows a housewife from an affluent family who’s constantly having a “conversation with an inner voice.”

Though the deals are not yet finalized, Griffith, Banderas and Ray Rickard are expected to be producers on the project along with Jendersen. Griffith is in talks to star. The project would mark Griffith’s first starring TV...

He sang, he danced, he rapped — but did Neil Patrick Harris do enough to steal your hearts at the Tonys? Beginning the ceremony, quite charmingly, with the line, “Good evening. I’m teen heartthrob Neil Patrick Harris,” the How I Met Your Mother star kicked off a night full of standing ovation-worthy musical performances — and even broke away from his duties as host to perform a number from Stephen Sondheim’s Company. (In April, Harris, Stephen Colbert, Christina Hendricks, and Jon Cryer performed a reading of the musical in New York City.) Some other highlights: A splashy opening number insisting...

In troubling television news last week, the great Ken Marino ("The State," "Veronica Mars," The Ten, "Children's Hospital," "Party Down," my dreams) was cast as Rob Riggle's brother on the CBS pilot "Home Game." This rather broke my heart because CBS, let's face it, is sort of the least cool place you could hope to get a pilot. For every "How I Met Your Mother" there's a "Mike and Molly" (and a "Two and A Half Men" and a "Rules of Engagement" and a "Big Bang-let's just say, all the other comedies, okay?). It saddens me to think of Marino, a genuinely sharp comedic talent, filing down those edges to fit into the soft, bland, predictable formula of a CBS sitcom. Is it fair to judge a TV show before they've even begun filming? Nope. Am I doing it anyway? Yawrp. Let's take a moment of silence and reflect...

Filed under: Reality-Free, Celebrity Interviews, Stay Tuned

Here's a question I'm betting you never asked yourself: What's the connection between 'Viva Laughlin' and 'Spartacus'?

Don't laugh, there actually is one. Steven DeKnight, the executive producer and showrunner of Starz's 'Spartacus,' worked on CBS' ill-fated 'Laughlin' during its short-lived debut season, and in the 44-minute Talking TV podcast he recorded with Ryan McGee and myself on Wednesday, DeKnight talked about how he learned as much or more from that high-profile failure as he did from his stints on 'Angel,' 'Buffy' and 'Smallville.'

Of course, the drama we talked about most was 'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,' a prequel series that has its season finale Friday and has proved itself a worthy addition to the 'Spartacus' roster of gladiator tales. In fact, as DeKnight noted, some fans were angry about 'Spartacus'...

Before he starred as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan starred in the 1982 NBC adventure dramedy Remington Steele.  He will make his return to TV with the help of veteran ER-writer Jack Orman and Sony Pictures Television.  Orman's script is currently being shopped around to international broadcasters by Sony in the hopes of landing pre-sales elsewhere before shopping itat U.S. networks.

As of now the show remains untitled and revolves around a private investigator who specializes in international crisis intervention and is called in to help solve homicides, abductions, financial schemes and other crimes anywhere in the world.  The story is based on the experience of international Pi Logan Clarke who owns Clarke International Investigations out of La.

The project was brought to Irish DreamTime, Brosnan's production company, and they will serve as executives to the series with Orman.  Surprisingly, Brosnan will not be playing the lead, instead opting for...

Pierce Brosnan is returning to television with an investigative thriller from veteran ER writer-producer Jack Orman and Sony Pictures Television that will likely go straight to series. Orman has written a pilot script for the ex-007's project, which Sony is shopping to international broadcasters with the goal to land pre-sales elsewhere before taking it to U.S. networks. The untitled drama centers on a "fixer," private investigator specializing in international crisis intervention who is called in to help solve homicides, abductions, financial schemes and other crimes anywhere in the world. It is largely based on the real-life experiences of international Pi Logan Clarke, head of the Los Angeles-based Clarke International Investigations. Producer Keri Selig started things off on the project when she took Clarke to Irish DreamTime, Brosnan's production company with Beau St. Clair. Brosnan, St. Clair and Selig will executive the series with Orman. Brosnan won't play the...

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.

Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp

The Fourth Kind - DVD Giveaway

This week I have another contest for you readers out there. This week it’s all about Milla Jovovich.

Starring in The Fourth Kind, the movie is all about exploring alien abductions and government conspiracies. If you’re in the mood for a film that you can pop in the DVD player, pop some corn, and enjoy the lo-fi adventures of a woman who starts to unravel strange occurrences in a small Alaskan town.

If you can cobble together your name and address,...

The long draught in Mac Taylor's love life is finally over.

Madchen Amick has been tapped for a recurring role on CBS' crime drama "CSI: NY," playing a romantic interest for Detective Taylor (Gary Sinise).

The brooding detective was last in a relationship three years ago.

During the 2006-07 season, Taylor hooked up with a former flame, medical examiner Peyton Driscoll (Claire Forlani), who ultimately left him to return to her native England.

Amick, repped by Gersh and Kw Entertainment, will next be seen in the horror movie "Priest."

Her series credits include "Californication," "Gossip Girl" and a recurring role on another CBS drama series, "Viva Laughlin."...

'Twilight' star gets nod for her role in 'Up in the Air.'

By Jocelyn Vena

Anna Kendrick

Photo: Jon Kopaloff/ FilmMagic

On Tuesday (December 15), it was announced that Anna Kendrick was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her work in the George Clooney movie "Up in the Air." Even before starring in that movie (which received the most Globe nominations this year) or playing chatterbox Jessica in the "Twilight" franchise, the 26-year-old actress has been receiving accolades for her work.

A musical-theater veteran, Kendrick has been nominated for a number of awards including a Tony nod in 1998 for her work in "High Society," in which she played Dinah. At the time, she was the third-youngest person ever to get nominated for a Tony.

In addition to a number of stage productions, the actress appeared...

This week's indie film focus is on the Andrew Robinson helmed and written drama "April Showers;" an important film based on a true story. Indie Flix distributes the film in limited areas on April 24th. The cast includes Kelly Blatz, Daryl Sabara, Tom Arnold, Ileana Douglas, Janel Parrish and Ellen Woglom. Robinson is a survivor of the Columbine High School tragedy and directs this dramatized retelling of what it was like to be a survivor in the midst of the nation’s largest school shootings. Based largely on actual events, April Showers follows the story of Sean Ryan (Kelly Blatz, Prom Night) as he and fellow survivors attempt to make sense of the horrors they’ve just witnessed and, for Sean, coping with the loss of his friend April (Ellen Woglom, Viva Laughlin). Featuring breathtaking cinematography by Independent Spirit Award Nominee, Aaron Platt (Wild Tigers I’ve Known). See the trailer here.

Did you ever wonder that? A new show starts on some network and thanks to their slick "in your face" advertising, you watch the show and end up liking it. It has happened to me more times than I care to count. It got me wondering if I was a poor judge of quality, or am I not alone in my pain?

Let me offer a bit of history before you pass judgement. I love bad movies. Did I say love? I meant Love bad movies. I would rather watch "Bride of the Monster" than "The Green Mile" any day of the week. I don't know what personality flaw or DNA trait I have that makes me enjoy really bad cinema, but it helps explain my affection for "Mystery Science Theater 3000." I know bad cinema and I hunt for it. But, when it comes to TV, I am the exact...

Denis O'Hare has joined Fox's untitled Ian Biederman drama, David Morse has entered ABC's "Empire State," Lloyd Owen has been added to ABC's drama "Inside the Box," and Ben Feldman has been cast in ABC's drama "See Cate Run."

The Biederman project, from 20th and Imagine, centers on Maggie (Christina Cole), a brilliant surgeon who endures adult-onset schizophrenia and thrives.

Tony winner O'Hare will play a top schizophrenia doctor who treats Maggie. Repped by Innovative, he was recently seen on the big screen in "Milk" and next appears in "Duplicity."

The Romeo-and-Juliet drama "Empire," from ABC Studios, revolves around a blue-collar man falling in love with a wealthy woman. Morse, nominated for an Emmy last year for his portrayal of George Washington in the HBO miniseries "John Adams," will play the boy's strong-willed, caring father.

ABC Studios' "Box" is set at a new network's Washington bureau. The British-born Owen...

Actors weathered a number of storms in 2008, several of which won't pass anytime soon. The biggest is the financial crisis that has made it more difficult to get credit, which every sector of the entertainment industry relies on, particularly movies and theatre. Beyond that, there was ongoing friction within organized labor, injuries on stage, and a reduction of scripted content on television.Depressing RecessionThe entertainment industry turned out not to be recession-proof soon after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy Sept. 15 — the largest filing in U.S. history — and helped usher in the biggest economic crisis since the Depression. Share prices of major media companies such as Time Warner, Sony, and Disney tumbled, and subsequent months brought massive layoffs at NBC Universal and Viacom, among others. Economic conditions and the possibility of a Screen Actors Guild strike in early 2009 also caused studios to put several productions on hold.Broadway was particularly hard hit.

Hugh Jackman isn't perfect. Recently crowned People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, the Australian actor may sport a famous set of abs and the face of a classic movie star, but he has his flaws. "The truth is," he practically whispers, "I have no earlobes." It's true. If you look closely, the bottom of his ears are all but nonexistent. Of course, when Jackman is on screen, people generally aren't staring at the side of his head. His good looks may seem to have destined him for movie stardom, but he'll be the first to tell you his career is a bit of an accident. He didn't intend to get into musical theatre, yet right out of college he landed the part of the arrogant Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, followed by a starring role in Sunset Boulevard, both in Australia, before heading to London's West End, where he earned...

Paul Telegdy, head of "Dancing With the Stars" producer BBC Worldwide Prods., is in negotiations with NBC to take over the network's alternative programming division.

Telegdy would replace Craig Plestis, who has led the department since 2004 and last year was upped to executive vp alternative programming, development and specials.

Outside of "Dancing" and its spinoff "Dance Wars," BBC Worldwide Prods. had done most of its unscripted business at NBC, where it produced series "Clash of the Choirs" and "Grease: You're the One That I Want," and is behind the network's upcoming U.S. version of the U.K. hit "Top Gear."

A lot has changed since Telegdy came to Los Angeles from England in 2004 to head BBC's small regional office. He put BBC Worldwide Prods. on the map with "Dancing" and was given free rein, quickly ramping up production on unscripted series and venturing into scripted series through a first-look deal with Sony TV.

It was billed as the season of foreign formats.

Of the 12 new scripted series premiering this fall on the Big Four networks, only six were homegrown. Five were based on international formats, and the other, NBC's "Crusoe," was foreign-made.

But one month into the season, all of the rookie ratings standouts are U.S. born and bred, and the imports are struggling.

Four new series -- all created by American writers -- have been picked up for a full season so far: "Fringe" on Fox, "The Mentalist" at CBS and two spinoffs of old American series, the CW's "90210" and NBC's "Knight Rider."

Meanwhile, the freshman immigrants saw their first casualty with "The Ex List," CBS' dramedy based on an Israeli format, which was pulled this week.

Despite being given some of the best real estate on the broadcast networks, format-based rookies have been stumbling.

What was expected to be the...

A few days ago on one of our Fall 2008 Previews, we gave you a peek into NBC’s newest sci-fi suspense offering, My Own Worst Enemy, which stars Christian Slater in a plot that delves into the life of two very different men. The twist? The two men own one body. Christian Slater plays Henry Spivey, a typical family man living a comfortable life in the suburbs. Unbeknownst to Henry, he has a dual personality, which forces him to share his body with alter ego Edward Albright, a skilled government agent who can speak several languages and literally kick a--! Complications arise, though, when their lives get tangled up in each other.

My Own Worst Enemy, which hits television screens come October 13 at 10pm, is created by Jason Smilovi, who brought us the equally astonishing Kidnapped. Joining Smilovi as executive producer and director is David Semel, who previously worked on...

Meet the cast of The Amazing Race 13.

When CBS renewed The Amazing Race for a 13th season, I breathed a sigh of relief.  There has seemingly always been uncertainty regarding the future of The Amazing Race, and fans constantly worry that the series is on the verge of cancellation.  The series' 12th season was originally intended to air in early 2008, but when Viva Laughlin stunk up the joint, CBS quickly plugged Race into their Sunday at 8pm time slot.  The series averaged around 12 million viewers for season 12, in large part thanks to its NFL football lead-in.

Now that the cast for The Amazing Race 13 has been announced, it looks like the new season will have the same mixture of clashing personalities that previous years had.  Check out the new teams here.

The Amazing Race has a long pre-production schedule.

Former WB Network chairman Garth Ancier has been named president of BBC Worldwide Americas' U.S. operations, part of a corporate restructure that will bring all of the company's U.S. activity under the leadership of one person.

In the newly created post, Ancier will be responsible for developing the BBC brand in the U.S., including expanding BBC Worldwide's portfolio of channels, which includes the flagship cable channel BBC America, now in more than 53 million homes. Management also has expressed a desire to expand its BBC World news channel in the U.S. (it's now in about 2 million homes) and to launch a preschool kids channel and a high-definition channel.

Ancier also will work with U.S. networks on behalf of Los Angeles-based BBC Worldwide Prods. to produce shows and formats. The company's credits include such unscripted shows as ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and NBC's "Grease: You're the One That I Want." It also is a producer on three scripted pilots in contention for fall 2007 -- "Viva Laughlin!" (CBS), "The Thick of It" (ABC) and "I'm With Stupid" (NBC) -- and recently signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television.

In addition, Ancier will manage BBC Worldwide's U.S. TV and video sales business and oversee the introduction of the company's Web-based program delivery system, bbc.com, which is in the process of approval.

Ancier will be based in BBC Worldwide Americas' New York headquarters, reporting to BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith. All U.S. businesses will report to Ancier effective immediately.

Ancier also was the inaugural entertainment president at Fox, head of the Walt Disney Co.'s TV production unit, entertainment president at NBC and executive vp programming at Turner Broadcasting System Inc. He also created and executive produced the long-running daytime talk show "Ricki Lake."

"Garth has an impeccable pedigree in U.S. media," Smith said. "His experience with America's most formidable networks, in both traditional and new media, will be fantastic for us as we grow the BBC brand in this market. Bringing all of our businesses in the U.S. under the guidance of someone with Garth's experience and vision will be invaluable for BBC Worldwide as we move to double the scale of our business in this territory."

Ancier was chairman of WB Network from May 2004 until its merger with Upn in September, when the CW was launched. He also was the WB's chief programmer from 1994-99, overseeing production on such series as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dawson's Creek," "7th Heaven" and "Charmed."

Following the WB-upn merger, Ancier stayed within the Warner Bros. family, running In2TV, the Warners/AOL broadband television network. A search will be conducted for his replacement at In2TV. Ancier also recently executive produced a syndicated talk show pilot for Warners-based Telepictures Prods. with Gail Steinberg.

At BBC, Ancier will sit on and be accountable to the BBC Worldwide Americas board along with Darren Childs, managing director of global channels; David Moody, managing director of digital media; Mark Young, managing director of global sales; and Wayne Garvie, director of content and production.

Ancier said the company approached him about the position as the WB was shutting its doors last year.

"This is such an interesting collection of assets, particularly from the programming side, that I was intrigued," Ancier said. "I've always been a big viewer of the BBC in Europe and a little bit less here in the U.S., but the interesting relationship between the two cultures in the English-speaking world and the shared formats and sheer amount of product that's been successful on American television were areas that I wanted to explore."

Childs noted the importance of having one person oversee BBC Worldwide Americas' businesses and growth strategy.

"This is whole new level of ambition for (the BBC in) America," he said. "We have to be integrated and quick in terms of decision-making in order to operate at an optimum level in the U.S."...

Viva Laughlin star Lloyd Owen has been tapped as the lead in Fox's one-hour pilot Inseparable. The casting lifts the contingency on the project, which is in consideration for midseason.

Inseparable, from ABC Studios and writer/exec producer Shaun Cassidy, is a modern-day Jekyll-and-Hyde tale about a partially paralyzed forensic psychiatrist (Owen) with a split personality whose alter ego is a charismatic criminal.

Owen is the second Brit cast in the role, after Toby Stephens.

Inseparable, which Cassidy originally developed in 2003 for CBS and Universal, was picked up by Fox before the WGA strike. Back then, the network asked for a revised draft, which Cassidy couldn't complete before the work stoppage began in November.

In effort to get a head start upon conclusion of the strike, Fox brass in January gave their blessing for casting to begin on Inseparable but delayed an official pilot order until they read Cassidy's new draft. Stephens was cast as the lead in February.

High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale will make her feature film debut in 20th Century Fox's adventure comedy They Came From Upstairs. John Schultz is directing with Barry Josephson producing.

Also cast in the movie are Step Up 2 the Streets star Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins (Viva Laughlin) and Austin Butler (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide). Ashley Boettcher and Henri and Regan Young are also cast.

The script, by Mark Burton and Adam F. Goldberg, revolves around a group of teens who team up to defend their Maine vacation home from aliens who have invaded via the upstairs.

Joe Hartwick Jr. is co-producing while Marc S. Fischer is exec producing the movie, which is being co-financed by Fox and Regency. Fox is distributing.

Marc Resteghini is overseeing for Fox while Kara Francis Smith shepherds for Regency.

Production starts at the end of January in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tisdale is best known for playing rich-girl Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical movies. She will first shoot Upstairs before moving on to the third installment of Disney's money-making phenomenon, which is being prepped as a theatrical feature for the first time.

The wife and business partner of actor Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness, has spoken out about the cancellation of their CBS series Viva Laughlin. Furness admits that they are disappointed by the cancellation and admit that they knew the series was a "huge risk."

Based on the UK's Golden Globe-nominated Viva Blackpool series, the musical drama Laughlin is the first project for the Jackmans' Seed production company. CBS cancelled Laughlin after two episodes and the Nine Network, in the couple's native Australia, dropped the series following just one episode.

After announcing the AFI Award nominations in Sydney, Furness said of the cancellation, "We are obviously very disappointed, but you have to take risks in this business. Doing a drama that is a musical is going to be a huge risk... but if you don't take any risks, you know... If I'm going to fail, I want to fail spectacularly, and it seems like we did.

CBS' musical drama "Viva Laughlin" has become the first major casualty of the 2007-08 broadcast season.

The network on Monday canceled the series co-starring Hugh Jackman after two dismal showings -- a special preview Thursday and a regular slot premiere Sunday.

CBS will air a rerun of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in "Laughlin"'s Sunday 8 p.m. period this week before bringing back "The Amazing Race", which occupied the slot last year. The reality veteran will return for a 12th cycle Nov. 4.

"If there ever was a season (of 'Race') that I consider one of the best, it's this one," co-creator/exec producer Bertram van Munster said. "It's insanely funny, fast-paced and dramatic all at once."

"Laughlin", from Sony Pictures TV, BBC Worldwide Prods. and CBS Paramount Network TV, opened with a 8.4 million viewers and a 2.3 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 in the 10 p.m. hour Thursday, holding onto only 40% of its "CSI" lead-in audience.

On Sunday, the series based on BBC's "Viva Blackpool" managed a minuscule 6.8 million viewers and a 1.2/3 in adults 18-49 at 8 p.m.

CBS has cancelled its musical drama series Viva Laughlin after just two low-rated episodes. This marks the third cancellation of the season (behind Nashville and Online Nation) but is actually the first scripted series fatality.

Co-executive produced by Hugh Jackman, Viva Laughlin is based on Viva Blackpool, a hit BBC series. Laughlin tells the story of gambler and businessman Ripley Holden (Lloyd Owen) wants to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening a casino but ends up being the prime suspect in the murder investigation of his business partner. Other characters were played by Lloyd Owen, Madchen Amick, Carter Jenkins, D.B. Woodside, and Eric Winter.

Some of the characters sing and dance to hit songs to move the show's storyline along. This aspect originally seemed to be the show's big promotional point. When CBS began airing promos, the musical aspect was conspicuously missing. Likely those that watched the premiere were confused...

NEW YORK -- The premiere of Viva Laughlin failed to carry a tune, but CBS still managed to come within a tenth of a point of tying ABC for the lead in the adults 18-49 demographic.

The Hugh Jackman-Lloyd Owen musical drama, which follows a fictional Nevada casino, had the best lead-in on television in CSI. But Viva Laughlin (8.8 million, 2.4/7) came in third place at 10 p.m. against a veteran ER (10 million, 4.0/11) as well as ABC's freshman Big Shots (8.3 million, 3.3/9), neither heavy hitters by any measure.

Grey's Anatomy (17.7 million, 7.1/17) won in adults 18-49 against "CSI" (20.8 million, 6.4/16) at 9 p.m. Grey's was down 10% week-to-week while "CSI" rose 5%. The Office (8.5 million, 4.4/11) dropped 6% from last week.

Fox's coverage of Game 5 of the Boston Red Sox-Cleveland Indians AL championship series averaged 11.6 million viewers and a 3.3/8 in adults 18-49, though the ratings are likely to be adjusted later Friday.

The 8 p.m. hour was won by Survivor: China (13.4 million, 4.3/13), which was down 6%, while Ugly Betty (9.7 million, 3.1/9) fell 11% and both My Name Is Earl (7.2 million, 2.7/8) and 30 Rock (6.3 million, 2.6/7) were down.

Tyler Bensinger and Steven DeKnight have been upped to showrunner/executive producer status on CBS' upcoming drama Viva Laughlin, sources said. There had been rumblings that the network and studios were going to bring in someone to run the show alongside executive producer Bob Lowry, who adapted the series based on BBC's Viva Blackpool! for the U.S. Bensinger and DeKnight were co-executive producers on the show. Lowry is remaining on the show -- from Sony Pictures Television, BBC Worldwide Prods., CBS Paramount Network Television and Seeds Prods. -- as an executive producer.

CBS will roll out the majority of its fall schedule during premiere week, the week of Sept. 24.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning during the network's portion of Television Critics Assn. summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton.

CBS' reality series, buzzworthy newcomer Kid Nation and veteran Survivor (with its China edition), will get an early start the previous week, debuting Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, respectively.

Premiering the night before the official start of the season will be CBS' returning Sunday series 60 Minutes, Cold Case and Shark.

Their companion on the night, the freshman series Viva Laughlin will join them Oct. 21 after a preview on Thursday, Oct. 18, following CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

The premiere of Laughlin is timed to coincide with a two-week break from football overruns on Sunday.

CBS has pinned senior vp stripes on Christina Davis and Robert Zotnowski, who officially have been given the reins of the network's drama department.

Davis and Zotnowski have been shepherding CBS' drama development since the fall, when senior vp drama Laverne McKinnon left the network. They will continue to report to CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler.

Davis and Zotnowski's promotions come on the heels of the duo overseeing a slate of risky and unconventional projects, several of which were picked up to series: the murder-mystery musical Viva Laughlin; the couple- swapping-themed Swingtown; the Latino dark family drama Cane; and Moonlight, about a private eye who is a vampire.

"I've watched Robert and Christina grow from promising young programrs to talented, skilled and accomplished development executives," Tassler said. "Without question they are two of the brightest young programming minds in our business, with the talent and relationships in the community to take our drama development to even greater heights."

Davis and Zotnowski, who have operated as a team since they were named vps drama series in May 2005, also were involved in the development of CBS' returning freshmen dramas Jericho and Shark and sophomore one-hours Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and The Unit.

Davis started in the CBS drama department in 1997 as assistant to then-department head Tassler and rose through the ranks from supervisor to manager and director.

NEW YORK -- CBS is rolling the dice on a casino-based musical and several other unconventional series the network unveiled Wednesday, with the intent to shake up the network's stodgy sensibility.

Viva Laughlin, a drama that features gamblers belting out pop tunes, is just one example of how CBS wants to draw outside the chalk lines of a schedule already stocked with crime procedurals, albeit shows comprising the industry's most stable lineup. Other edgy dramas come in the form of Cane, a Scarface-esque epic starring Jimmy Smits, and Moonlight, a Joel Silver production featuring a lovelorn vampire detective.

"Our strong, solid schedule allows us to push the envelope next fall," CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves said at the opening of the network's upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall.

The entire presentation was a relatively slim 75 minutes, with none of the elaborately pretaped skits Madison Avenue has come to expect from CBS.

Some comic relief came from customized video snippets featuring the melodramatic line readings of CSI: Miami star David Caruso. He set up scheduling announcements with howlers like, "Monday's so bright you gotta wear shades," before walking out onstage, joining CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler.

Five new series -- four dramas and one comedy -- will join CBS' schedule in the fall, with at least two more slated for midseason.

Like NBC, CBS opted not to open a second comedy night, adding its sole new half-hour series, The Big Bang Theory, to the network's established comedy block at 8:30 p.m. Monday, sandwiched between How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. However, the network is still considering single-camera pilots I'm in Hell and The Captain for midseason.

The most-talked-about CBS program next season might come on the unscripted side: Kid Nation, a new franchise in which 40 children spend 40 days without their parents trying to organize their own society in an abandoned ghost town. The series is being slotted in the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot left open by Jericho, a first-year drama CBS has opted not to bring back.

An even more provocative series is being held over for midseason: Swingtown, a 1970s-era drama originally intended for cable that will depict swinging couples.

CBS is swinging for the fences on the drama side and staying close to tradition on the comedy side.

On Monday, the network picked up four drama pilots to series: the musical mystery Viva Laughlin, the partner-swapping period drama Swingtown, the vampire crime drama Moonlight and the Latin family drama Cane.

On the comedy side, the network gave the green light to The Big Bang Theory, a multicamera comedy from Two and a Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre.

Additionally, CBS ordered to series Power of 10, a game show pilot from producer Michael Davies.

CBS also is close to picking up to series two single-camera comedy pilots: I'm in Hell, starring Jason Biggs, and ensemble The Captain.

On the returning front, CBS is close to bringing back the freshman comedy Rules of Engagement and the sophomore sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. Christine, which saw its ratings soften when it was moved from 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, is rumored to get a 13-episode midseason order.

Also in negotiations to return for a third season is military drama The Unit. The renewal of CBS' other two sophomore dramas, Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds, is considered a sure thing.

Christina Applegate is returning to series television as the star of ABC's comedy pilot Sam I Am. Jean Smart also has joined the project.

Meanwhile, Amy Brenneman and Merrin Dungey have been cast in the potential Grey's Anatomy spinoff.

Additionally, Michael Rapaport has been tapped as the male lead in CBS' comedy pilot Fugly, Melanie Griffith has signed on for a potential recurring role on CBS' Viva Laughlin! Diedrich Bader has been tapped to co-star opposite Stephen Dorff in CBS' drama pilot Skip Tracer, Stephanie Childers has landed the female lead in ABC's comedy pilot American Family, Jamey Sheridan has joined CBS' drama pilot Babylon Fields and Ty Burrell has joined Fox's comedy pilot Action News.

Sam, from ABC TV Studio and Brillstein-Grey TV, centers on a woman (Applegate) with amnesia who has to rediscover her life. Smart will play her self-absorbed mother.

Applegate had been heavily pursued to star in a series since the end of her previous show, NBC's Jesse, but this is the first pilot she has agreed to do. The Married With Children alumna won an Emmy for her guest-starring role on NBC's Friends. Her feature credits include The Sweetest Thing, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Employee of the Month. She is repped by CAA, Management 360 and attorney Stephen Warren.

Oscar winner Marisa Tomei has been tapped for the title role of CBS' comedy pilot The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, lifting the contingency on the project.

Additionally, Camille Guaty and Kate Burton have been tapped to star in Fox's pilot Supreme Courtships; Lucy Punch, Christopher Denham and Geneva Carr have landed leads in Fox's comedy pilot Two Families; Jarrad Paul and Kurt Fuller have joined ABC's comedy pilot See Jane Run; and Holly Robinson Peete has joined ABC's drama pilot Football Wives.

Mae Whitman has joined NBC's drama pilot The Bionic Woman, Mo Collins has come aboard NBC's comedy pilot Wild Life, Reg Rogers has been cast in Fox's drama pilot Them, John Carroll Lynch and Tawny Cypress have been added to Fox's drama pilot K-Ville, and D.B. Woodside has been added to CBS' Viva Laughlin!

Cloud, from ABC TV Studio and CBS Par TV, centers on a brilliant, opinionated writer (Tomei), struggling to deliver the follow-up to her acclaimed first novel, who has an epiphany and tries to recapture her youthful optimism. Jeff Greenstein is the writer/executive producer. Tomei, who co-stars in Wild Hogs, recently wrapped the features Brand Hauser and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. She is repped by CAA and Management 360.

Former WB Network chairman Garth Ancier has been named president of BBC Worldwide Americas' U.S. operations, part of a corporate restructure that will bring all of the company's U.S. activity under the leadership of one person.

In the newly created post, Ancier will be responsible for developing the BBC brand in the U.S., including expanding BBC Worldwide's portfolio of channels, which includes the flagship cable channel BBC America, now in more than 53 million homes. Management also has expressed a desire to expand its BBC World news channel in the U.S. (it's now in about 2 million homes) and to launch a preschool kids channel and a high-definition channel.

Ancier also will work with U.S. networks on behalf of Los Angeles-based BBC Worldwide Prods. to produce shows and formats. The company's credits include such unscripted shows as ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and NBC's "Grease: You're the One That I Want." It also is a producer on three scripted pilots in contention for fall 2007 -- "Viva Laughlin!" (CBS), "The Thick of It" (ABC) and "I'm With Stupid" (NBC) -- and recently signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television.

In addition, Ancier will manage BBC Worldwide's U.S. TV and video sales business and oversee the introduction of the company's Web-based program delivery system, bbc.com, which is in the process of approval.

Heavily serialized dramas are out, soaps and high-concept procedurals are in, The Bionic Woman and Philip Marlowe are back, and one-hour British imports are hotter than ever.

Overall, the five networks have ordered 45 drama pilots, on par with the 47 greenlighted last year.

View 2007-08 drama pilots by network: ABC | CBS | NBC | Fox | the CW

Dubbed as "the season of serialized dramas," 2006-07 yielded only one big hit in the genre, NBC's Heroes, and one modest success, CBS' Jericho. With a number of high-profile, heavily serialized new shows such as ABC's The Nine and Six Degrees, NBC's Kidnapped and Fox's Vanished long gone, the networks opted for more close-ended dramas for next fall.

A record four British drama concepts have landed pilot orders: Life on Mars and Football Wives (the latter based on Footballers' Wives) at ABC, Viva Laughlin! (based on Viva Blackpool!) at CBS and a project based on Wild at Heart at the CW. They have attracted impressive auspices, with David E. Kelley writing and executive producing Mars, Bryan Singer directing and executive producing Wives and Hugh Jackman executive producing and guest starring in and Gabriele Muccino directing and executive producing "Laughlin!"

Street cops are back in favor after disappearing from primetime following the end of ABC's NYPD Blue. CBS (Protect and Serve), NBC (Ft. Pit), Fox (K-Ville) and CW (Gravity) are all on the beat with police dramas.

Stephen Dorff has teamed with The Sopranos writer-producers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess for the drama Skip Tracer, which has been picked up to pilot by CBS.

CBS also has given a pilot order to Viva Laughlin! -- a musical from Huff creator Bob Lowry and Hugh Jackman based on the BBC miniseries Viva Blackpool! -- and CW has picked up a pilot based on a British series, ITV's Wild at Heart.

Tracer, from CBS Paramount Network TV, stars Dorff as a charming rogue with a heart of gold who works as a skip tracer -- a go-to guy for locating missing persons -- among the colorful characters in Los Angeles' underbelly.

Emmy winners Green and Burgess penned the script and are executive producing with Dorff and Dorff's producing partner Tucker Tooley of Media Talent Group.

Dorff developed Tracer through his deal with CBS, as part of which he also starred in the network's telefilm Covert One: The Hades Factor.

Under his pact with CBS, Dorff developed three other projects, to which he is not attached to star: one with producers Ridley and Tony Scott and writer Doug Richardson, another with director Simon West and writer Robert Port and the third with writers Jeremy Miller and Dan Cohen.

Huff creator Bob Lowry and Hugh Jackman have teamed for Viva Blackpool, a high-concept light drama project for CBS. CBS snagged the project in spirited bidding with two other networks, giving it a hefty seven-figure put pilot commitment. Based on the BBC's successful miniseries, Viva Blackpool is produced by Sony Pictures TV and BBC Worldwide Prods. It tells the story of Ripley Holden, a sleazy but charismatic low-end casino owner whose dream is to cash in and open a five-star mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Like the BBC series, the CBS version will have a murder mystery at its center and will feature the cast bursting into song-and-dance numbers.