TV Heartbeat! Dopplegangers! Anniversaries! Spy Games! Updates on Renewals and Cancellations!

It’s that time again! We’re heading into November sweeps! What does that mean? Well, that means the shows are pulling out the good stuff to raise the ratings since November ratings determine what they can charge advertisers. Look for lots of crossovers and specials in the coming month!

Case in point: The Vampire Diaries crossover with The Originals! Nina Dobrev will be guesting on The Originals as another doppelgänger – Tatia who was in the middle of another love triangle (where else?) with Klaus and Elijah (lucky girl!).

Did I mention specials? Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will take the week off and instead Marvel will celebrate its 75th anniversary with Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop which explores the evolution of the house of Marvel. Make Mine Marvel!

BBC America is presenting 2014 BAFTA Los Angeles Jaguar Britannia Awards, which will honor a third of the Avengers (Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo), a Veep/POTUS (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), everyone’s favorite brainy witch (Emma Watson), acclaimed director Mike Leigh and the amazing Dame Judi Dench for their careers. Umm…at 24 years old, isn’t this a little early for Emma?

BBC America also has a few movies and series starting up. First up, A Poet in New York, looks at the final days of poet Dylan Thomas (Tom Hollander).

Then BBC America is launching a 6 part thriller called The Game. It’s a look at 1970s Cold War spy games staring Brian Cox as the MI5 leader of a secret committee to bring down Operation Glass.

HBO is putting in their bid for next year’s Emmys with Olive Kitteridge and its starry cast featuring: Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray, John Gallagher, Jr., Peter Mullan, Rosemarie DeWitt and Zoe Kazan. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, this is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the seemingly placid New England.

Oh, and with Thursday Night Football moving from CBS to the NFLN, The Big Bang Theory is back to its normal slot and is accompanied by the usual suspects and a new friend: The McCarthys. The McCarthys focuses on Laurie Metcalf and Joey McIntyre as members of a close-knit Boston family.

Tonight: A Poet in New York (BBC America)
Thursday: The Big Bang Theory timeslot change (CBS), Mom season premiere (CBS), Two and a Half Men season premiere (CBS),The McCarthys debut (CBS), Elementary season premiere (CBS), Project Runway All-Stars season premiere (Lifetime)
Friday: Halloween movie marathon (AMC),
Sunday: Olive Kitteridge (HBO), The Britannia Awards (BBC America)
Monday: The Originals crossover with The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Tuesday: Marvel 75 years: From Pulp to Pop (ABC)
Wednesday: Hot in Cleveland season premiere (TV Land), The Game debut (BBC America)

Health check

Lots of bits of news from all over the place!! We head into the all-important Novembers sweeps, the networks have started housecleaning so here’s the latest on what’s moving forward and, well, what’s not.

First the good news!

Syfy’s renewed Face/off for another season. Not a surprise since the network is revising its programming focus and Face/off will be their reality show anchor. They’ve vowed to get back to the Battlestar Galactica glory days so I’m curious to see this upcoming transformation.

Meanwhile, a bunch of shows are officially sticking around until May! We’ll be seeing more of CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans, Madam Secretary, Stalker and Scorpion. ABC has also given the go-ahead for a full season of Black-ish as well. At last! They have a partner show for Modern Family!

ABC has also ordered more episodes of hit shows including The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Castle and Once Upon A Time. Resurrection is also getting more episodes which is a bit odd since the show’s ratings aren’t as strong as last season. This is either a vote of confidence or it’s because they don’t have anything else.

Red Band Society got an order for 4 more scripts, but not episodes. This likely means it’s not coming back next year, but at least it isn’t outright cancelled (yet).

And the not so good news! CBS reduced the number of CSI episodes this season so this is probably one of the veteran network shows that will be axed by the end of the season. After 15 years, the show has definitely put in its time.

Manhattan Love Story wasn’t meant to last. It has the unfortunate distinction of being the first officially cancelled show of the season. ABC’s additional order for all those hit shows also points to a pretty big obituary list coming up. Selfie is next on the hit list…

Stay tuned!

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