Midnight

Fox has announced that Raising Hope has been renewed for a third season. The offbeat comedy has gained a loyal following over its first two seasons, leading to solid overall ratings in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Before it breaks for the summer, Raising Hope will air a two-part season finale, starting with part one tomorrow night - April 10 - and concluding next week on Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

NBC has reportedly given Grimm a second season renewal. That is good news for fans of the freshman fantasy drama, given as how other new dramas on the network have not fared as well this season. Shows like The Playboy Club and Prime Suspect have already fallen by the wayside. Grimm, however, has been pulling in solid enough ratings on Friday nights for NBC to give it a shot at another season. Its numbers have also remained rather steady over the course of its run rather than suffering from the ratings decline that many shows see as the season wears on. Grimm's average is hovering around a 1.6 in the adults 18-49 demographic, which isn't bad for a Friday night series. (Source: TV Line)

CBS has picked up The Mentalist for a fifth season. The announcement came as the network renewed eight other dramas including The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, CSI, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, and both installments of NCIS. (Source: TV by the Numbers)

Here's the statement from HBO: "It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series LUCK. "Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horseracing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen, and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision. "We are immensely proud of this series, the writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the celebration of the culture of horses and everyone involved in its creation." “The two of us loved this series, loved the cast, crew and writers. This has been a tremendous collaboration and one that we plan to continue in the future.” Wednesday's news comes the day after the death of the third horse during production on the Dustin Hoffman/Nick Nolte drama. Despite its hefty hype and critical praise, Luck has been a ratings underperformer for the network, averaging about 625,000 total viewers per episode. The series, a passion project for racing fan Milch, was renewed for a second season immediately after its disappointing January premiere in order to fit production into the window between racing at Santa Anita. Production on the sophomore season was under way Tuesday at the racetrack in Arcadia, Calif., when the third horse was injured. Dr. Gary Beck, a veterinarian from the California Horse Racing Board, was on hand and noted the horse was on her way back to the stall when she "reared, flipped over backward and struck her head on the ground." Attending vet Heidi Agnic administered immediate aid, and it was determined that humane euthanasia was appropriate, Beck noted. Tuesday's incident marked the third time a horse has been put down as part of Luck; two horses were injured and euthanized during production of season one. HBO had been working closely with the American Humane Association and racing industry experts within the CHRB to implement safety protocols that go "above and beyond" typical film TV industry standards and practices, with prerace exams performed by a CHRB-certified vet with radiographs taken of the legs of all horses being considered for use in simulated racing sequences. HBO's decision to cancel the drama comes after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called late Tuesday for the production of the series to be shut down. "HBO, David Milch and Michael Mann should be ashamed. Three horses have now died, and all the evidence we have gathered points to sloppy oversight, the use of unfit or injured horses and disregard for the treatment of racehorses," the animal-rights group said in a statement to THR. "We contacted HBO and producer/star Dustin Hoffman last week regarding reports we'd received stating that oversight on the set was lax, and we urged them to help make things safer for the horses. But we received no response. Yesterday, we went to law enforcement about the deaths of the first two horses, Outlaw Yodeler and Marc's Shadow, because one was drugged and the other was arthritic. We will want answers on HBO's latest casualty. Filming must stop now." On Wednesday evening, PETA issued a response praising HBO's decision to stop production on Luck. "Knowing that old, unfit and drugged horses were forced to race for this series, PETA is glad that HBO has finally decided to cancel the show. We thank the whistleblowers who refused to let these horses' deaths go unnoticed. Should Milch, Mann and HBO decide to start the series up again, PETA will be calling on them, as we have done from the start, to use stock racing footage instead of endangering horses for entertainment purposes. PETA has called on law enforcement to investigate the deaths of the horses used on the set and to bring charges as appropriate," read the organization's statement.

It looks like the networks’ dry spell on renewals of scripted shows this season will finally end today. I hear that CBS is prepping early pickups of a slew of existing series, with word of the first one, a third-season renewal of Blue Bloods, already out this morning. The network is not confirming. The list will likely also include the two NCIS series, freshmen 2 Broke Girls and Person Of Interest as well as Mike & Molly, The Mentalist, veterans Criminal Minds and CSI and possibly Hawaii Five-0, whose star Alex O’Loughlin is getting treatment, critically praised but softly rated The Good Wife and Two And A Half Men, ahead of closing a deal with star Ashton Kutcher. (The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are in the midst of multi-year pickups)

FX has ordered 13 episodes for season four of its Emmy® Award-winning hit drama series Justified, announced Nick Grad, FX Executive Vice President of Original Programming. Six all new episodes remain in season three, airing Tuesdays at 10 PM ET/PT, with the third season finale airing April 10. “Justified is one of television’s best series and this season has reinforced that excellence,” said Grad. “Graham Yost and his writing team continue to deliver compelling material and richly drawn characters brought to life by the brilliance of Timothy Olyphant and our terrific ensemble cast. Their work is validated by universal acclaim, awards, and ratings that have grown every year. We look forward to many more seasons to come.” Developed for television by Graham Yost and starring Timothy Olyphant, Justified (TV-MA) is based on the popular Elmore Leonard character “Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens” from his short story Fire in the Hole and some of his other novels. "There are many reasons all of us on Justified are grateful to get a chance to do another season,” said Yost. “We get to do more work with amazing actors, writers, producers, directors, musicians, editors and a jaw-droppingly talented crew. We get to keep doing a show that appeals to a wide demographic: people in Harlan, retired US Marshals, criminals (we honestly did hear that), and, most happily, our guide, our muse, Elmore Leonard. Best of all, we get to keep doing a show on FX (and while that may sound like craven ass-kissing, when you look at their roster, you can't help but feel grateful to be on that list)." “Graham’s modern day take on the western and masterful storytelling have helped bring the genre to the forefront,” said John Westphal, Senior Vice President, US. current programming, Sony Pictures Television. “The storytelling and performances brought to life by Tim Olyphant, Walton Goggins and the rest of the cast, continue to elevate the series season after season.” Through seven weeks, first-run episodes of season 3 of Justified are averaging 4.3 million viewers (+8% vs. season 2) and 2.1 million Adults 18-49 (+8% vs. season 2). The weekly multi-run average viewership for the season 3 is 7.0 million total viewers and 3.4 million Adults 18-49. Justified airs its eighth episode tonight, titled “Watching the Detectives” (10 PM ET/PT). A shocking murder forces Raylan to confront his past mistakes. Boyd grapples with Harlan's corrupt sheriff. The series co-stars Walton Goggins as Raylan’s old nemesis/friend “Boyd Crowder,” Nick Searcy as Givens longtime friend and boss “Chief Deputy Art Mullen,” Jacob Pitts as “Deputy Marshal Tim Gutterson,” Erica Tazel as “Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks,” Joelle Carter as “Ava Crowder,” and Natalie Zea as Raylan’s ex-wife “Winona Hawkins.” After Margo Martindale won an Emmy Award for her guest-starring role in season two as the evil matriarch “Mags Bennett,” this season brings Neal McDonough as Detroit businessman “Robert Quarles” and Mykelti Williamson as the mysterious “Limehouse” to Face Off against Raylan Givens. Yost wrote the pilot and serves as Executive Producer/Writer on the series. Leonard is an Executive Producer on the series along with Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Michael Dinner and Fred Golan, and Olyphant is a Producer. Justified is produced by FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television. FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons Of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network's other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother,and live sports with college football and the UFC. SOURCE: The Nielsen Company, NHI (Live+7)

Fox has decided not to proceed with a second season of science fiction series Terra Nova, effectively canceling the struggling show. 20th Century Fox studios, which produces the series, is keeping a small amount of hope alive by attempting to shop it to other networks, but chances of a pick-up appear slim at this point. Terra Nova's cancellation was somewhat expected, given its mediocre ratings and hefty production costs. Fox has also recently filled up its roster of dramas with new high profile shows Alcatraz and Touch, which they expect will outperform the cancelled dinosaur drama.

Some bad news for Blue Mountain State fans today. Spike has cancelled the comedy after three seasons on the air. The move aligns with the network's strategy shift to focus on reality programming rather than scripted shows. Blue Mountain State premiered on Spike in January 2010 and ran for 39 episodes, airing its finale on November 20, 2011. The series followed the lives of a group of college football players at the fictional Blue Mountain State University. (Source: Zap2it)

The producers of long-running Fox series House have announced that the show will conclude at the end of this season - its eighth. On the air since 2004, the series will have aired 177 episodes by the time all is said and done. Currently 11 episodes remain until the series finale, which is slated to air on May 21, 2012. (Source: TV Guide)

I, like most the viewing public, am totally obsessed with "Spartacus: Vengeance" and I'm thrilled to finally write about the genre legend Lucy Lawless who plays Lucretia. Lawless, who's character is in a desperate situation this season, gives us all a look at playing a crazy (or not so crazy) woman, doing nude scenes and what playing "Xena: Warrior Princess" has done for public perception. "I think if she's crazy, she's crazy like a fox. She's entering a terrible -- she's going down a path with many snares and it's not going to be a comfortable life for her. She hasn't got any friends. She's got no support. No husband, no house, no baby, no lover and not a thing. Ilythia (Viva Bianca) shows up and that seems like it ought to be a good thing but it ain't." Lawless was asked about playing "crazy" and what it takes as an actress to walk that fine line between over doing it and getting it just right. "I don't. People just suspect me. Because it's Lucretia or because it's the person who played Xena or who played the bad girl. 'She's in the bad girl role,' that we assume she's going to be totally bad. I can play it totally straight, absolutely down the line and you're going to suspect me anyway." Lawless was asked about doing nude scenes and whether or not she'd gotten comfortable with it. "Who's comfortable?" she says. "Actually, we have to hire people who are comfortable. If you're doing a brothel scene, you can't have extras who are being prima donnas. It just holds everybody up at $100,000 a minute, or however much it is. For us, no. There is no getting used to it. It's a very funny thing." She also says that you sort of lose your sex drive working on the show. "Those things lose their taboo. We're so sick of thinking about it, worrying about it, talking about it. The show is great for everyone else's sex drive but ours," she laughed. I must say I was sorry to hear that statement, as anyone as beautiful as Lucy Lawless should never loose their sex drive. But if one must go down that path, I cannot think of another project worthy of such sacifice. Hang in there Lucy and keep up there great work!!!

Zachary Levi didn't get choked up with a group of reporters during filming of the "Chuck" finale in December. To hear him tell it, though, it was one of the few times in the show's last week of production that he didn't. Zachary stated "[The final day] is going to be nothing but waterworks, I'm sure. But last week, we shot pretty much all of the goodbye scenes -- all the characters saying goodbye to one another -- and when art is imitating life simultaneously in that moment, and I'm looking at my friends of five years, my family of five years, in a scene I'm having to look at them say goodbye and I really am saying goodbye? That was -- yeah." He went on to say "It's not forever, although I'll probably never see Adam Baldwin again. That's not true. ... It's actually not even that final in the world of 'Chuck,' if it were to continue. Obviously Chuck and Morgan [Joshua Gomez] are going to be best friends the rest of their lives. Chuck and Ellie [sarah Lancaster] are still brother and sister, and therefore Awesome [Ryan McPartlin] is still my brother-in-law. And Casey [baldwin] would ... we would all still continue to see each other in some way, shape or form. But the world that has been created, and the world in which we all live and work, has drastically changed and is drastically different, and so, you know, we do say goodbyes, at least for the time being. And it's gnarly. It's really, really surreal." Given what's happened to Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) over the past couple episodes, with the Intersect having wiped out her memory, Levi says the finale also acts as "a reset of sorts." "The 'will they/won't they' dynamic kind of comes back into play, particularly in the second half of the finale -- episode 13," he says. "There's a ton of homage to the pilot, to the origins of these characters and their journey together. And everyone's in it, and that's awesome, and it's been really emotional." Levi is grateful that "Chuck," which lived on the edge of cancellation for most of its life on NBC, lasted five seasons, but he also thinks now is the right time to bring the show to a close. "I don't think we've been shorted. I think five seasons is actually a really good amount of time," he says. "I think that oftentimes in network television, you're left with more than you really wanted. Twenty-two episode seasons, 24-episode seasons at seven, eight, nine, 10 years can eventually [make audiences] kind of go, 'All right, we get it.' ... For something like this which is definitely story arcs and serial, how many bad guys and missions can you go on before you feel like you're repeating the same thing? So I feel like we've gotten a really perfect amount of time together, and it's been special from day one." As "Chuck" leaves the air with a two-hour finale at 8 p.m. ET Friday (Jan. 27), Levi hopes the emotion he and the cast and crew felt during the final days of production translate into what fans see at home. "If it's hitting us that hard, I can only assume and hope that the fans, as they're watching the finale, are going to feel the same way. It's good. It's cathartic. It's therapeutic," he says. "It's not necessarily tears of joy, but it's tears of love. I hope that the fans all feel that."

Fans of Cougar Town, fear not. The show's third season is still a go as far as ABC is concerned. Cougar Town is likely to return in the March, said ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee. He went on to say, “We’re going to give [Cougar Town] a really good launch pad,” adding that he thinks the show could be part of a block of “young comedies” with Happy Endings and midseason entrant Don’t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23. HE continued to say, "Nothing is set in stone, and no exact date was talked about, but things are looking good for the show's upcoming return."

The cable channel has picked up its freshman drama series "Hell on Wheels" for a second season. There's no official word yet, but Deadline reports a deal is done. Word from AMC is likely to come next week. The series, centered around the building of the transcontinental railroad in the years after the Civil War, had a big opening in November, scoring 4.4 million viewers for its premiere. That was the second-biggest premiere for an original series in AMC's history, behind only "The Walking Dead." Its ratings have fallen some since then, but it typically draws better than 2 million viewers per week, which is a pretty good number for AMC. "Hell on Wheels" stars Anson Mount, Common, Colm Meaney and Dominique McElligott. Joe and Tony Gayton created it. The series has Christmas off but will return Jan. 1 to finish out its inaugural season.

Would it have been better not to have seen Daniel Shaw before he was revealed to be the mysterious prisoner the Omen virus released? Sure. The show clearly wanted it that way -- we saw his feet and body in the breakout scene, but his face was out of frame until he surprised Sarah in Castle. But it's a testament to the show that even though those of us who saw the promos could connect the dots and realize Shaw was the one pulling the strings, "Chuck vs. the Santa Suit" still managed to be full of holiday awesomeness. Appropriately, the return of Shaw echoed the last episode with Brandon Routh in a lot of ways: He went through Sarah to get at Chuck, he once again underestimated Chuck's abilities as a spy, and it ended with a fight in an abandoned Buy More, which wasn't as thoroughly destroyed as it was in "Chuck vs. the Ring Part II" but ended up good and trashed anyway. Your "Chuck" Plot Hole of the Week has to do with Shaw still having the Intersect despite having been in CIA custody for the past two years, and using it to blackmail Decker into doing his bidding. You could argue that maybe Decker didn't realize Shaw was Intersect-capable at the start, and after the first flash that gave Shaw all the dirt, it was over. But let's not think too hard on that, lest it impinge on how great the rest of the hour was. Chuck's enlistment of Jeff and Lester to crack the virus while Sarah and Casey are incapacitated (more on that in a moment) was a brilliant stroke (and excellent opportunity Subway product placement), both because it reminded us that these guys, when motivated, actually do contribute something besides comic relief and '80s rock covers, and because the show is usually always better when the whole cast is involved. Jeff and Lester find out that Shaw unleashed the Omen not to destroy the Internet, but to channel the CIA database into his head, creating Intersect 3.0 and bringing the agency to its knees. In the meantime, he'll use his other Intersect skills to subdue Sarah and take out Chuck. Chuck, however, uses the week's MacGuffin to remove the Intersect from Shaw's head, thereby setting up a pretty fair fight in the Buy More -- and frankly, because it was just two guys who really hate each other fighting and not two guys with near-super powers, this fight actually played better than the one in "Ring Part II." They beat the snot out of each other, and it was great. Particularly when Ellie ended it with a well-placed blow to the back of Shaw's head. We've been on the record in the past as liking Shaw as a character, if not his actions, and it was great to see Chuck's most hated nemesis return. The episode could have spent its entire running time on their mano-a-mano showdown, and that would have been good. But the fact that it found great notes for so many of the other regulars elevated it to great. In particular, the Casey piece of the story featured stellar work from Adam Baldwin, both comedic -- his reaction to Chuck and Morgan finding out about his Christmas gift for Alex -- and dramatic. His recording of a final message for Alex was heart-wrenching, and the fact that he then got to deliver the message in person just made us feel warm and fuzzy. If Baldwin submits an Emmy episode this season, it should be this one. And somehow we've gotten this far into the recap without even mentioning Gen. Beckman planting a huge kiss on Chuck at the CIA Christmas party. I know Beckman wishes never to speak of it again, but I see myself laughing at that moment for a good long time. And then -- and then! -- Shaw drops one more bomb into Chuck and Sarah's life at the end of the episode, setting up next week's Sarah-centric episode by asking if Chuck knows "about the baby." Can't wait for that, but for now we'd like to thank "Chuck" for a great early Christmas present.

Silverstone is said to be playing the part of Eden, a potential love interest for George, being played by Sisto. Apparently, Eden's "unusual" line of work even comes between George and Noah, and it's got to be some pretty powerful stuff to break up that bromance. There has been no word yet on whether Eden and George actually hook up, so I guess we'll have to wait until it airs to see if any sparks fly between these two characters. Let's just hope that they'll do a little "rollin' with the homies" for old times' sake.

Juliet and Shawn go away for a "grown-up" vacation, where they encounter a couple, Clive and Barbie, who turn out to be a couple of conmen. Shawn and Juliet thwart their racket, while simultaneously solving a murder committed by "Arrested Development's" Tony Hale. The real interesting news, though, is that Shawn was going to propose. What is awesome is that all along, I thought he was going to. But when it didn't happen in the hot-air balloon, I thought I must be wrong. But instead of it happening, Gus finds Shawn's hidden ring in the Nintendo that was stolen from Shawn's room by Clive and Barbie. Didn't the look on Gus's face just break your heart a little? In an awesome B-plot, Gus, Lassiter and Henry go out to see who can do a better job picking up chicks and Henry's finds himself a crazy daddy-issues girl looking for a sugar daddy. It was hilarious. I particularly liked Gus's line to Henry, "Yeah, but when you were young on the outside, this was all farmland." What did you think, "Psych" fans?

And he's proud of all three descriptors in equal measure. Before social media and Twitter made every celebrity slipup or moment of weakness liable to be a viral sensation, a photo following Nolte's 2002 DUI arrest made the rounds on the web, with seemingly the entire world seeing and laughing at his shocked, matted hair, angry scowl and fantastic Hawaiian shirt. In a new feature interview with GQ, Nolte explains it all -- and has no desire to run away from what to many would be a total embarrassment. Nolte himself has never spoken about the infamous photo -- until now. In the latest issue of GQ magazine, Nolte reveals that the pic wasn't his mug shot at all, it was just a photo that a cop asked to take at the hospital, where Nolte was getting a blood test. "I said, 'Come on, you don't really want to ask that, do you?'" says Nolte. Nolte told the officer to share any proceeds he got from selling the shot with the rest of his squad. "And I let him shoot the Polaroid." As it turns out, he wasn't drinking the morning that he was pulled over by police for reckless driving; he was on a substance known as liquid ecstasy, which he used to assist his workouts and improve his moods. Many people look down on the drug, but Nolte has a different take. "I had a different opinion about this substance than most people had," he says. "I knew the history of it and I knew the doctors and I knew how to use it." He did, however, know he was doing it too much; he had driven to an AA meeting that morning, but decided to leave and head home. That's when he was nabbed. He was hospitalized, and that's when the photo was taken.

The 46-year-old actor accidentally tweeted out his number for the world to see while trying to direct message Justin Bieber. The former Two and a Half Men star thought that he was just sending his digits to the teenage singer but instead his 5.5million followers were able to view the number - until it was swiftly taken down. Charlie was at the Michelin-starred restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas last week when the incident occurred. '310-954-7277 Call me bro. C,' Charlie wrote leading to many of his followers immediate retweeting the message. An eyewitness told the New York Post that the actor's phone immediately erupted with a ton of calls and messages. 'Charlie's phone immediately went into meltdown,' the source said. 'It was ringing wildly, and he got 1,800 text messages in minutes.' Although the mishap will most likely force Sheen to change the number on his Tiger Blood calling card, that doesn't mean the actor, who was dining in Las Vegas when he suddenly became the most popular guy in Hollywood, didn't have a little fun with his dial-happy fans. "Charlie saw the funny side and answered the phone a few times, saying things like 'Ray's Pizza' and 'Winning,'" a source told the Daily Mail. Charlie Sheen the pizza guy? Never know folks, it might be a good move for Sheen!!!

Linda Hamilton will reprise her role as Chuck's (Zachary Levi) mom, Mary, in the two-hour series finale. And that, alas, is about all we can tell you at the moment. "If I said anything" about the circumstances of Hamilton's return, "I'd be ruining too many good spoilers," co-creator Chris Fedak tells TV Guide. "Chuck" is in its final week of filming, and the cast and crew have already shot the last scene of the finale (though not the last scene ever, since they're going out of order). "There were a lot of tears," Fedak says. "... We have been cherishing each day as we've neared the end." Fortunately for the rest of us, that end won't come for a while. "Chuck" returns to NBC Dec. 9, and the finale is set for Jan. 27

Her first comments came on Friday (Nov. 25) and appear to be at the expense of her soon-to-be ex-husband. Demi, who inexplicably still uses the Twitter name of "MrsKutcher.", writes "Why do we have only 1 day for giving thanks? Is that why so many people feel unappreciated? Make this 1 of 365 days of Thanksgiving!". In 2010, we started hearing tales of Ashton’s extramarital affairs. First it was Brittany Jones, who claimed she and Ashton “made love on the couch” one day when Demi wasn’t home. Then, earlier this year, we learned that Ashton got drunk and had sex with another woman, Sara Leal, who subsequently sold her story to Us Magazine, so it's entirely possible that this "unappreciated" comment is directed squarely at Kutcher. Demi announced on Nov. 17 that she's dumping her husband of six years. Kutcher, also a Twitter regular, has only posted twice since the split. The first tweet came on Nov. 17 when he expressed his thoughts toward Moore saying he will "cherish the time" the two were married. Then, on Nov. 23, Kutcher writes, "I'm thankful for family, friends, you, & time to reach my potential. What are you thankful for?"

Mortensen stated that he would have liked to participate, and that Jackson had approached him about possibly appearing in the first installment, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.", but he said "It simply didn't pan out that way". Mortensen said "I'm not in it unless there is some last-minute plan they have. But I thought I would have heard of it by now,". He went on to say "Aragorn is half elf and also lives a couple hundred years or more and he could be in a bridge, but I have to assume it isn't going to happen.". Cast members you can expect to return for the prequels include Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, and Orlando Bloom.

According to today’s announcement by David Nevins, Showtime’s President of Entertainment, production will begin on season seven in 2012 in Los Angeles. Seasons seven and eight will each consist of 12 episodes. Season six of DEXTER is executive produced by John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Scott Buck, Manny Coto and Michael C. Hall. The series also stars Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar. DEXTER opened its sixth season in October and continues to earn impressive ratings, most recently delivering its fifth consecutive week of growth. Season-to-date, the series is averaging 5.12 million weekly viewers on all platforms (including On Demand, replays and DVR), making it the highest rated season yet. David Nevins said, “DEXTER’s enormous success is a real tribute to the great achievements of its cast, producers, and the powerhouse performance of Michael C. Hall,”. He went on to say “The series is bigger than it’s ever been in its sixth season, both in terms of audience and its impact on the cultural landscape. Together with Michael, the creative team on the show has a very clear sense of where they intend to take the show over the next two seasons and, as a huge fan, I’m excited to watch the story of Dexter Morgan play out.” Michael C. Hall added, “On behalf of the entire DEXTER family, we relish the invitation to delve ever deeper into Dexter’s world.”

South Park, cable’s longest-running animated series up-to-date, is headed for the 20-season mark. Matt Stone and Trey Parker , the creators of this comedy, have closed a new deal with Comedy Central for three more seasons. The deal will keep the series on running through 2016, extending its run to 20 seasons. “The collective genius of Matt and Trey knows no bounds,” Comedy Central’s president Michele Ganeless said. “Week after week and season after season they continue to surprise and delight South Park fans, and that includes all of us here at Comedy Central. We’re thrilled that the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman will continue through 2016.”