‘Modern Family’ values come in fall
ABC is going into the comedic mockumentary business this fall.
The network has ordered 13 episodes of “Modern Family,” a single-camera “Office”-style comedy that will look at family life from a different angle, as the lives of three families are explored through the lens of a Dutch documentary crew.
One is a traditional family with a working dad, homemaker mom and their two kids; another is a gay couple who have just adopted an Asian baby; and the third is an older man married to a younger woman. The documentary crew also are characters in the show.
Created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (“Back to You,” “Frasier”), the show stars Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill.
‘Cleveland’ rocks
Fox is rewarding “The Cleveland Show” with a second season even before the first season has begun.
The spinoff from the network’s hit animated series “Family Guy” is scheduled to premiere next fall. Fox is boosting the initial 22-episode order by another 13 half-hours, which would carry the show into the 2010-11 season.
From “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, “The Cleveland Show” focuses on Cleveland Brown, a popular character from the “Family Guy” gang.
‘Fringe’ on top
Fox’s weird-science drama “Fringe” has been renewed for a second season.
The series from co-creator and executive producer J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Alias”) premiered last September to become only one of a handful of new series to qualify as a hit.
The mystery thriller stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble in a quest against science-based attacks waged on the world.
HBO goes N.O.
HBO has given the go-ahead to a new series about New Orleans and its ongoing effort to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
The series, called “Treme” after a Creole neighborhood with a rich musical tradition, is the creation of David Simon (“The Wire,” “Homicide: Life on the Street”).
HBO says it expects the series to debut in fall 2010.
No more CW Sundays
The CW television network is shutting down on Sunday nights.
The network is negotiating to turn over the time to its affiliates, so viewers would see programming picked by local stations instead of the reruns the CW is now airing.
Last year the CW leased time on Sundays to an independent production company, but those shows lasted only a couple of months.