TV Bits: ‘SNL’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Hannibal’, ‘Arrested Development’, ‘HIMYM’, ‘Zombieland’, Mike Judge, The CW
Zombielanddies a second death as Amazon decides to pass on the series. Also after the jump:
Saturday Night Livewill look quite a bit different when it returns this fall.Bill Haderhas announced that he’ll be exiting the series following this weekend’s season finale, and a separate unconfirmed report indicates thatJason SudeikisandFred Armisenmay be on their way out as well.
Surprisingly, one guy who does plan to stick around isSeth Meyers. Despite his plans to take over Jimmy Fallon’sLate Nightdesk in February, the Weekend Update anchor says he’ll be staying put through the first half of next season. [Vulture,NYT,NY Post]
The Crawleys will return to our shores once again this winter. PBS has set aJanuary 5, 2014U.S. premiere date for the fourth season ofDownton Abbey, with the finale scheduled for February 23.
That means we still have eight months to wait, so until then feel free to whet your appetite with these parody videos fromThe SimpsonsandDiddy, respectively.
[TV Line,Vulture,Funny or Die]
This week,How I Met Your Motherfans were finally rewarded with a first glimpse at the titular Mother. (Turns out she’s"a very sexy baby.") Now the question is how the show plans to stretch out their meeting for a whole other season — but CBS entertainment presidentNina Tasslersays there’s already a plan for that.
According to her, the entire ninth season will take place over the course of Barney and Robin’s wedding weekend, during which “each character,beforeTed, meets the mother.” Sigh. [TV Line]
Hannibalremains the only show on NBC’s current slate that hasn’t been either cancelled or renewed. But should be the former come to pass, there’s a chance it could still live on elsewhere. While no talks have begun, Amazon and at least one cable network are reportedly eyeing theBryan Fuller-created drama in case NBC decides to ditch it. [Deadline]
In a similar vein, USA is still in talks with Sony TV about a possibleHappy Endingspickup now that the sitcom’s been cancelled by ABC. Unfortunately, Deadline’s spies indicate that a deal looks unlikely to happen. (Insert your own joke about the irony of that title here.) Fingers crossed one of the other networks rumored to be circling will swoop in and save the day. [Deadline]
HBO is ready to add a couple more shows to its already solid lineup. The network ordered two new pilots to series,Mike Judge’sSilicon Valleyand an untitled dramedy starringGlee’sJonathan Groff.
The former is described as a dark single-camera comedy set in the tech capital, where “the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success.“T.J. Miller,Thomas Middleditch,Zach Woods, andKumail Nanjianistarred in the pilot.
The latter, created byMike Lannanand directed byAndrew Haigh(Weekend), centers around three gay male friends (including Groff) living in San Francisco. Both seem likely to debut in 2014. [Deadline]
Anyone who’s seenArrested Developmentknows Tobias Fünke’s acting career isn’t quite where he’d like it to be, but the former analrapist now wants your help turning that around. The good doctor has uploaded an audition reel inviting would-be directors to “insert Tobias anywhere” by way of green screen. Watch the results below.
If you’d like to slide him into an opening of your own, more details can be found athis dedicated website.Arrested DevelopmentSeason 4 lands on NetflixMay 26. [Netflix]
One of the most intriguing premieres of the summer could be coming from CBS. The network has revealed a dramatic new trailer forUnder the Dome, the sci-fi serial based onStephen King’s novel of the same name.
Could this be theLostsuccessor we’ve all been waiting for? Find out whenUnder the DomepremieresJune 24. [CBS]
The CW’s embrace of all things sci-fi and supernatural will continue in the 2013-2014 season. PrecedingSupernaturalon Tuesday nights this fall will be theVampire DiariesspinoffThe Originals, the preview for which you can watch below.
The superpoweredThe Tomorrow Peoplefinds its home on Wednesdays, right after the similarly themedArrow.
Taking the plum post-Vampire Diariestimeslot on Thursdays isReign, a period drama about Mary, Queen of Scots.
Come midseason, CW viewers can look forward to the alien dramaStar-Crossedand the futuristicThe 100.
