NBC is starting it's afternoon of announcements here on Mother's Day 2013 (the new schedule is anticipated later), and first up is their confirmation of what was basically the worst kept secret in entertainment.  Seth Myers, rumored to take over for Jimmy Fallon on Late Night ever since it was rumored that Fallon was getting The Tonight Show and bringing it back to New York (which has since become official), gets the job.  Considering Myers is one of Lorne Michael's reliable performers (and Weekend Update host like Fallon) on Saturday Night Live, the other show Michaels produces (perhaps you heard of it), it was obvious where he'd be tapping for his new host.  

Myers is a great choice, and NBC is kicking off their whole New York based late night now with some strong talent.  You just have to wait until Spring 2014 to see it!  

Now, the only debate left is, who gets the Weekend Update job?  

Here's the official press release from NBC:

The CW announced two more series renewals today, and a surprise early pickup of a pilot.  As expected, Hart of Dixie was renewed for a third season, and Beauty and The Beast was given a second season.  The big surprise was the early announcement that The Originals, a backdoor pilot from The Vampire Diaries that only aired yesterday, has been ordered to series.  

That leaves only two existing series with its fate yet to be decided, Nikita and The Carrie Diaries.  The upfronts are May 16th, so at latest we'll know by then.  

Congratulations to the cast, crew, and fans of Beauty and The Beast, Hart of Dixie, and The Originals! 

We've already started fantasy scheduling The CW fall lineup, and I had these three shows pegged for the fall lineup.  So that makes me three for three so far!  (Yeah, I know, not much of a stretch).   Do you agree with the schedule?  Give us your picks here:

 http://www.tvfortherestofus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=448:its-rabbit-season-its-duck-season-its-pilot-season-early-buzz-on-cw-pilots-and-our-first-fantasy-schedule&catid=54:general-television&Itemid=28

Here's some rather exciting, albeit coming later than expected news from NBC.  They've officially renewed their top five dramas, Revolution, Grimm, Chicago Fire, Law and Order: SVU, and Parenthood for the 2013-2014 TV season!   All of them have gotten full season orders. 

We're especially excited here at TV For The Rest of Us to see Eric Kripke's Revolution return, but considering it's was NBC's number one drama, it was kind of a no brainer.  I also watch Grimm as well and I'm so pleased to see that in such highly regarded company with these other shows. 

So now the real fun begins.  Where do they fit on the schedule?  With NBC, that can be anywhere. 

Here's the full press release courtesy of NBC:

Here's something we love to see about shows we feature here at TV For The Rest of Us.  Ratings are up and the show is a superstar for it's network!  I think it's because they added Bear to the cast.  You can never go wrong with a dog that can act!  

Here's a fun little blurb CBS put out today about Person of Interest.  

I suppose this news is not surprising given the abysmal ratings, but I really thought that The CW would have aired all the episodes.  Cult has been cancelled and pulled from it's less that stellar Friday at 9pm slot.  The CW decided the slot would be better served by repeats of The Carrie Diaries and their Wipeout themed game show Oh Sit!

Seven episodes had aired, and it was pulling 90210 numbers and worse.  There are six episodes remaining, five of which were buzzed to be the best ones.  Will they ever see the light of day?  

So far there's no plans to air them, but there is speculation that they will end up online.  Either that, or perhaps we can convince series star Matt Davis to act out the remaining episodes for us with sock puppets.  

Let the campaigns to bring Alaric back to The Vampire Diaires begin!  

Oh, I love this time of year.  Pilots are being filmed and starting to come back to the networks, and all the rumor mills about the bubble shows kick up in full gear!  Sounds like The CW and NBC are finally starting to make some behind the scenes movement. 

Deadline is reporting that the CW is starting to determine the fates of their remaining shows, and it's looking favorable for their four bubble shows, Hart of Dixie, Beauty and The Beast, Nikita, and The Carrie Diaries.  But will they get full season orders? 

I heard some very positive behind the scenes talk about Beauty and The Beast at WonderCon.  The CW really loves the show, and CBS Television Studios really wants to keep this show going, causing parent CBS to extert some of their half ownership influence.  For one, it's the only show of theirs left on The CW now that 90210 has been cancelled.  It also has a very loyal fan following, and that's helping the online streaming numbers.  Out of the four shows awaiting renewal news at The CW, Beauty and The Beast has good odds for a season two. 

The best odds of renewal belongs to Hart of Dixie, which is a Warner Brothers produced show.  Actually, all of the currently three renewed series, Arrow, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries, are Warner Brothers shows.  Another Warner Brothers show, Nikita, will very likely be coming back for only a final half season.  The show is popular internationally and makes money for its parent studio, but it's been barely scraping by on Friday nights at The CW for two seasons now.  A 13 episode season would put the final episode count a 81, which is enough for syndication. 

The Carrie Diaries might also be getting another half season order, and that's due to it's online popularity.  It does have potential to be a good midseason or fill in show.  There's always the possibility it could get more episodes if the show comes back to stronger live viewing. 

There's no word on when The CW will make an official announcement of renewals for any of their remaining shows.  It's possible they'll wait until upfronts week in May, like they have in the past. 

As for NBC, rumors are wild that early renewals can happen any moment now.  Tops on their list is The Voice (Duh!), Revolution (Yay!) and Grimm, with Chicago Fire and Parks and Recreation being certainties as well.  It sounds like Law and Order: SVU is going through the same painful negotiation process it goes through every year.  Whenever that happens, ratings has little to do with it.  Money ends up being the driving factor, so a surprise cancellation is possible if talks go wrong. 

We'll start getting updates like this a lot, so I'll be sure to post any renewal news as I hear it. 

"The Originals," aka episode 4.20 of The Vampire Diaries, is not your ordinary episode.  It is a backdoor pilot for a possible series spinoff, and we get to see it on April 25th!  For those anxious to know more (or even those of you not anxious but curious) below is the official episode synopsis and photos.  Having Daniel Gillies in it alone makes it a winner for me!

NBC did right and put an end to the media circus and all the jokes over their worst kept secret, their succession plan for The Tonight Show.  (I mean come on, once Jon Stewart gets involved, it's serious).  It's official, Jimmy Fallon come Spring 2014 is your new Tonight Show host. 

There was concern expressed by producer of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels (aka the true king of late night), that Jimmy Fallon wouldn't be able to get the show ready by NBC's ideal launch date of "in conjuction" with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Well, Lorne Michaels is now the new Tonight Show producer, the show is making it's return to 30 Rock after 42 years in Burbank, and NBC gets their launch date.  Sounds like a win all around.