Arrivals, Returns, & Departures - 11/18/2012

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

The Show with Vinny, MTV - Just when you thought Jersey Shore was finally going away, MTV has decided to plumb the Lovecraftian depths of the show's cast for one they deem worthy of hosting an evening chat show. Their selection is Vincent "Vinny" Guadagnino. Well, at least it's not more Snooki or the Situation. Each episode will feature a celebrity guest coming to the Guadagnino's home, where they will be subjected treated to dinner and an informal conversation with Vinny and his "colorful" family. The show premieres in January 2013, and chances are that you knew whether or not you were going to watch it after simply reading the title.

RETURNS

American Horror Story, FX, Season 3 - I covered this story in a full article, so rather than regurgitate my writings here, I'll just direct you to the previous piece. If you're too lazy and/or just don't feel like clicking, the short version is that I like the show, and I'm glad it's been renewed. AHS gets a lot of criticism for being too out there or hard to follow, but I love it precisely for how nutty it is. Now if only I could find the time to DVR catchup on "Asylum".

Brickleberry, Comedy Central, Season 2 - I never bothered to watch this show, mostly because I find Daniel Tosh to be profoundly annoying and unfunny. I realize that I'm in the minority on that though. Still, if you enjoy spending time in Brickleberry, prepare for 13 more episodes.

The Burn, Comedy Central, Season 2 - I'm kind of surprised Jeffrey Ross' solo show has been a success so far. I think he can be really funny at the Roasts, but in my opinion, a little of Ross goes a long way. Well, at least now he has something else on his infamously unimpressive resume.

Burn Notice, USA, Season 7 - This is a show I have always wanted to watch, but by the time it was really on my radar, three or four seasons had already passed. Hard to find the time to catch up on multiple seasons of television. Anyway, the adventures of former CIA agent Michael Westen will now continue for at least 13 more episodes, an order which is significantly shorter than the past three 18 episode seasons. That said, the show will now become only the third USA original series to hit the 100 episode mark, after Monk and Psych (the latter of which will hit that mark early next season).

Haven, Syfy, Season 4 - Now here's a show I never expected to love as much as I do, in fact, I found the first season to be pretty uneven. Some episodes were terrific, others downright cheesy and dull. Thankfully, season 2 and season 3 (so far) have been quite good, with the most recent episodes really delving into the mysteries of both Haven's history and Audrey's past. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone not caught up, but this season has certainly kicked things into high gear. I can't wait to see what the writers have in store for next year.

Married To Jonas, E!, Season 2 - It's a reality show about one of the Jonas brothers and his wife. Not really much else to say really.

The Soul Man, TV Land, Season 2 - For those unaware, this is a sitcom starring Cedric The Entertainer and Neicy Nash as a small town preacher and his wife, and is technically a spin-off of a character first introduced on TV Land's other hit Hot In Cleveland. I've seen an episode or two, and it really isn't bad, at least as far as multi-camera sitcoms on cable go. It's nothing I'd watch every week, but it's still completely inoffensive entertainment for times when the DVR's empty and you could use a few laughs.

Web Therapy, Showtime, Season 3 - This largely ad-libbed comedy series stars Lisa Kudrow as an unorthodox therapist who treats patients in three-minute weekly sessions via webcam. As you might imagine, her patients tend to be titans of current TV comedy. Upcoming guests are set to include Kudrow's former co-star Matt LeBlanc, Meg Ryan, and Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

DEPARTURES

American Chopper, Discovery, Canceled After Ten Seasons - For almost a full decade, the day to day operations of Paul Teutul Sr. and Jr.'s "Orange County Choppers" have been documented by reality television cameras. From 2003-2007, American Chopper aired on Discovery. Then in 2008, it moved to sister station TLC, and stayed there until 2010. The show was canceled by TLC early that year, but was quickly revived in a different format by Discovery, focusing on the rivalry between Paul Sr. and Jr.'s now competing bike shops. Earlier this week, American Chopper was axed for good.

666 Park Avenue, ABC, Canceled During Season 1 - It figures that right when I get caught up on this show through on demand, ABC cancels it. I'll still watch the last few (because really, why not at this point?), but I'm not really surprised at its demise. The show's premise is a potentially interesting one, and the presence of Terry O'Quinn elevates anything, but 666 just never seemed to get beyond the level of decent television and become outright good. Judging by the hideously awful ratings, the Drake won't be missed by many.

Last Resort, ABC, Canceled During Season 1 - This series definitely takes the prize for biggest critical darling to fall flat on its face in 2012. Critics didn't just like the pilot, they loved it. It was hailed as a surefire hit for ABC, and premiered to a good amount of fanfare. The problem was, nobody watched. Or at least not enough people. The ratings have continued to dive (sorry) further and further, until the network had to activate its own "last resort" and bail on the show entirely.

Partners, CBS, Canceled During Season 1 - By most accounts, this blatant ripoff of a 1995 FOX comedy has merely been put out of its misery. Most reviews, including our own, pegged the show as not funny, found the characters unlikeable, or found the friendship at the center of the series not believable. I'm sure Partners still has its fans though (every show has some), and they're not very pleased with CBS.

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