Arrivals, Returns, & Departures - 11/7/2012

Hello TV Ragers, and welcome to your semi-regular update on all the pilots, renewals, and cancellations that have taken place since the last issue was published. Let's get started with:

ARRIVALS

No new arrivals to discuss this time out. Their flights must have been delayed. :rimshot:

RETURNS

America's Next Top Model, The CW, Season 20(!) - Wow. 20 "cycles" of Top Model. 20. My younger sister watched this show in high school, and I was thus exposed to a good deal of the early seasons. I couldn't understand its popularity then, and I don't now. I realize I am far from the target audience for this program, but I find Tyra Banks to be an insufferable human being, and the "challenges" the contestants face to be completely laughable.

Bob's Burgers, FOX, Season 4 - This animated series has never been a ratings winner, but FOX continues to give it chances regardless. Bob's seems to be a pretty divisive show around here, with every article about it drawing copious amounts of both love and hate. Personally, I thought the trailers for season one looked kind of dumb, so I've never watched it. Still, it seems to have a fan in the FOX executive lounge.

Copper, BBC America, Season 2 - This BBC America drama follows Kevin Corcoran, a young Irish cop trying to keep order in the historical "Five Points" area of 1860's New York. Corcoran also seeks answers about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. I've seen nothing but rave reviews for this series, and it further cements the fact that all the best dramas can only be found on cable anymore.

Find Our Missing, TV One, Season 2 - This series is hosted by Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson, and is an investigative series focusing on missing African-Americans. According to the official TV One description, the show is a result of the general feeling among the black community that the only missing persons cases that get covered heavily on TV are those of young white people. Feel free to agree or disagree with that assessment guys, as I'm not touching the subject with a ten foot pole. Not worth the headache.

Hell On Wheels, AMC, Season 3 - This Western series has never been a ratings hit (or even much of a critical darling), but AMC seems committed to finding it an audience. Why this deserves three seasons and not the incredibly underrated Rubicon is beyond me though.

Homeland, Showtime, Season 3 - Chalk this one up as a no-brainer. There was no way in hell this got canceled after it swept the Emmys, and the fact that its ratings are terrific is just icing on the cake. I'm not sure if Showtime will ever fully overtake HBO, but if it does, shows like this Claire Danes and Damian Lewis fronted espionage drama will be the reason why.

Jerseylicious, Style, Season 5 - Um, uh, er... I'm gonna just take the "if you can't say something nice" tack on this one.

Kickin' It, Disney XD, Season 3 - I know next to nothing about this show, so I'll just give you the network's description. "Kickin’ It follows Jack (played by Leo Howard ) who joins the underperforming Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy and teaches a group of neighborhood goofballs about life, karate and how to just plain kick it."

Long Island Medium, TLC, Season 4 - YAY! Another year of a scam artist ripping people off! Sorry to fans of this show, but like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie. And yes, I know Washington never actually said that.

Wilfred, FX, Season 3 - I am very impressed that a show this weird has managed to make it to three seasons. It's always nice to see creativity and originality rewarded. I mean, it's about Elijah Wood talking to his dog, who he sees as a man in a dog costume. How can you not love that?

The X-Factor, FOX, Season 3 - Not much to say here really. You either like Simon Cowell's cheap attempt to rip off his own former show American Idol, or you don't. Personally, I think it's time for the singing show fad to end.

DEPARTURES

Anderson Live, Syndicated, Canceled During Season 2 - Alas, poor Anderson. His show just never caught on. Thankfully he still has Anderson Cooper 360 to fall back on.

Animal Practice, NBC, Canceled During Season 1 - This wacky comedy set in a vet's office marks the second official cancellation of the broadcast network season. The show was dogged with complaints from the always asinine PETA from the very beginning, and never really found an audience during its short run. You could say that the show had to be put down for its own good.

Attack Of The Show & X-Play, G4 - It's a dark day for fans of the former video game network G4, as the last remaining remnants of the channel's former identity have finally bit the dust. With that, the transformation in to a crappy nondescript cable network is complete.

Common Law, USA, Canceled After Season 1 - About a month after we reported that it was all but officially canceled, USA dropped the axe for real. USA rarely cancels an original series without at least giving it two seasons to to gather viewers, but I guess cops in couples counseling doesn't draw as well as the network thought it would.

Fairly Legal, USA, Canceled After Season 2 - This legal drama was given the aforementioned two season test, and failed to pass. To be fair though, USA never really seemed sure what they wanted to accomplish with this one. At any rate, I volunteer to personally console Sarah Shahi.

Political Animals, USA, Canceled After Season 1 - Sigourney Weaver's first lead TV series role came and went not with a bang, but a whimper. The reviews were mixed, the ratings were unimpressive, and the result wasn't shocking. This "limited series" ended up as just that.

Private Practice, ABC, Canceled After Season 6 - File this one under unsurprising. Kate Walsh had previously announced that season 6 would be her last, and from that point, the writing was on the wall. I wonder how much longer Grey's will last?

And that's all for this edition. See you next time.