Upfront News: New Shows and Renewals Updates

Despite all the carnage among this year's sci-fi and fantasy series, next year is promising some interesting viewing. This week's upfronts for the 2009-2010 season have confirmed a solid slate of genre shows, most of which have been reported before.

The upfronts are making even more apparent what all these 13-episode orders have been hinting, which is that the networks are thinking more and more in terms of a fall half-season and a spring half-season, with partially different slates for each (this is especially apparent at NBC). This might not be bad news, even though we're getting less of some of our favorite shows. It's easier to create a tightly constructed season that hangs together in 13 episodes than in 22 episodes, for one thing. The British have been used to this for years, and shows like Doctor Who make it work. We'll see if this is a momentary thing, or if it sticks in future seasons.

NBC's renewal of Chuck was formally announced. The 13-episode third season will air after the Winter Olympics, at beginning of March. Chuck will air in place of Heroes Mondays at 8 p.m., followed by Day One (replacing the medical series Trauma).

ABC confirmed slots for witchcraft series Eastwick, loosely based on the John Updike novel and starring Rebecca Romijn; the post-world-blackout thriller Flash Forward with Joseph Fiennes; and the return/reboot of the alien visitor drama V, ordered for 13 episodes. Eastwick and Flash Forward start in the fall; V debuts at midseason.

The CW, in advance of its Thursday upfronts, has revealed its pickup of Kevin Williamson's adaptation of Vampire Diaries, starring Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.

Fox has slated Past Life, about paranormal investigators whose tools include regression and reincarnation, for a midseason debut. Fringe, incidentally, is moving to Thursdays at 9 p.m., while Dollhouse stays put on Fridays.