lone star

'Sex and the City' star Kristin Davis is returning to TV in 'The Happiness Project.' The single-camera comedy has a script commitment at NBC.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Davis will star and executive produce the series based on Gretchen Rubin's memoir. Rubin started a blog about her year-long journey to find happiness. She employed scientific studies and other tips in her quest.

Kristin Newman of 'Chuck' and 'How I Met Your Mother' fame is in negotiations to write and executive produce.

In other TV news ...

• 'The Whole Truth' may have just one more week left. ABC has scheduled a country music special in the ratings-challenged show's timenslot on Nov. 3. The following week all of ABC's regular Wednesday night schedule will be put on hold for the Country Music Awards. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Former 'One Tree Hill' star Chad Michael Murray and 'Dollhouse' veteran Enver Gjokaj are in consideration for a new role on 'Torchwood.' 'Greek' star Amber Stevens is also being considered for a new role when the series launches on Starz. [Ausiello Files]

• Omari Hardwick of 'Dark Blue' fame will guest on NBC's 'Chase.' Hardwick will play Chris Novak, a criminal who escapes and seeks revenge on the people who betrayed him. [TV Guide]

It's week three of the new fall TV season, and NBC is on its way to a third straight week of declining ratings. Although it hasn't yet canceled one of its new shows for underperforming, Deadline reports that the network will likely tinker with its schedule -- and soon.

The show in the most imminent danger of cancellation is Friday night's 'Outlaw,' which only earned a 1.0 rating and 4.7 million viewers last week. Since 'School Pride' is set to launch next Friday, the network could air a two-hour 'Dateline' afterwards in 'Outlaw''s place. Since 'The Apprentice' is not performing well either, NBC could possibly move the reality show to Wednesdays at 9PM, put new hit 'Law & Order: Los Angeles' in its Thursday night at 10PM place, then push 'Law & Order: SVU' into the Wednesday night at 10PM digs.

Now that ABC's 'My Generation' has joined Fox's 'Lone Star' in the dubious-achievement category of new fall shows canceled after just two low-rated episodes, there's sure to be a lot of hand-wringing about how the networks are too quick to kill fledgling shows that haven't found an audience yet, and how they're not trying hard enough to nurture shows.

But maybe it's a good thing that the networks are quick on the draw and not willing to coddle shows that can't survive the Darwinian fall schedule without help. Maybe it's actually merciful, not merciless, to euthanize shows that fail the sink-or-swim test. Maybe it's actually the smart thing to do, both from a business perspective and for TV fans as well.

As Maureen Ryan reported yesterday, Fox has axed 'Lone Star' because of poor ratings. Despite pleas from the Kyle Killen, one of the creators of the Texas-tinged soapy drama, the low viewership for Monday night's second installment was a death blow.

Fox felt they had no choice but to drop the show in favor of 'Lie to Me,' which takes over the Monday 9PM ET time slot.

For the record, in week one, 'Lone Star' netted 4.1 million total viewers, while week two was down to 3.2 million. Still, was cancellation the only solution for Fox? We don't think so; the network had options. Here's four ways the network might have saved or kept 'Lone Star' on the air ... at least for a while.

Well, it's official: Fox has canceled 'Lone Star.'

The network announced that 'Lie to Me' will occupy the show's former time slot as of Monday.

It's depressing that a promising, complex show got canned after just two episodes. But what's truly troubling is that the death of 'Lone Star' is a symptom of everything that has gone wrong at the broadcast networks.

Any critic who sat through all the fall pilots this year will tell you the same thing: They were mostly bad.

Apparently Bravo likes Teresa Giudice's family -- a lot. According to RadarOnline, the network is now courting Giudice's cousin, Katherina Wakile, to appear on the third season of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey.'

This news follows reports that Bravo has already asked Giudice's sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, to join the show. According to Radar, Giudice is not pleased that either woman is poised to become a regular 'Real Housewives' cast member. "Teresa isn't happy that her family is being asked to join the cast," a source told Radar. "She feels as if her entire family is being approached to be a part of the show."

Production on season 3 is set to begin soon, though Giudice has still not signed her contract for the show.

In other TV news ...

'Lone Star' tanked in the ratings yet again, falling 23 percent from last week's dismal debut. NBC's 'The Event' was also down, but 'Castle' and 'How I Met Your Mother' were both up. [The Hollywood Reporter]

'The O.C.' veterans Rachel Bilson and Josh Schwartz have teamed up again for a new NBC show called 'Ghost Angeles.' The Schwartz-written show will star Bilson as a woman who can communicate with the dead. NBC committed to a producing the pilot despite the fact that no script has been written yet. [Deadline]

Yet another report is claiming that 'The Real Housewives of Miami' is a done deal. Like previous stories, an anonymous source claims the series was originally intended to be another reality series for Bravo, but the network decided to expand its franchise instead. [E! Online]

Love makes the world go 'round, but there's nothing like infidelity to drive story.

These memorable TV characters, from shows of the '80s, '90s, '00s and present -- very married or allegedly monogamous -- broke their vows in most spectacular fashion.

Heroes, anti-heroes and villains, they have one very naughty thing in common -- two-timing.

Roger and Joan, 'Mad Men.' Mr. Sterling and Mrs. Harris have elbowed now-divorced Don aside as the show's super-cheaters. Fans wanted Roger (John Slattery) and Joan (Christina Hendricks) to forget their spouses and reunite – so why do we feel so queasy after last weeks post-mugging tryst (and resulting pregnancy)?

'Lone Star' creator Kyle Killen hasn't given up on his new show quite yet. The writer penned an open letter on his blog yesterday imploring viewers to watch his failing series, which bombed in its Monday night debut.

Only 4.1 million viewers tuned into the show's premiere, leaving its future in serious jeopardy. On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Fox could even yank the show before its second episode aired. However, the network is giving 'Lone Star,' one of the best-reviewed new shows of the season, a second shot.

Killen is hoping viewers will give it a second (or first) shot too. "Maybe, just maybe, it's one of those moments where the thing everyone said COULD NOT HAPPEN actually just...does," he pleaded in his post, titled "You're Invited To Our Stunning Upset."

In other TV news ...

• 'Modern Family' topped the ratings last night with its season 2 premiere. The Emmy-winning show nabbed 12.6 million viewers, a 19 percent increase from the series' debut last fall. 'Cougar Town,' 'The Middle,' 'Better With You,' 'The Defenders' and 'Law & Order: SVU' all saw solid premieres, while 'The Whole Truth' and 'Undercovers' performed disappointingly. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Lifetime has renewed 'Drop Dead Diva' and 'Army Wives' for 13 more episodes each. 'Diva' season 2 and 'Wives' season 4 will premiere in 2011. [Deadline Hollywood]

'Glee' is back, but did the constant buzz hurt or help its ratings?

According to TV by the Numbers, the season 2 premiere was seen by 12.3 million viewers and received a 5.5 rating in the coveted 18- to 49-year-old segment. That was 50 percent higher than its September premiere last year.

'NCIS' on CBS was the big winner, drawing 18.92 million viewers, its spinoff, 'NCIS: LA,' was seen by 15.68 million and 13.60 million in its second hour.

Meanwhile, on Fox, 'Raising Hope' debuted to 7.48 million viewers and 'Running Wilde' drew 5.87 million viewers.

In other TV news ...

• The talk of canceling 'Lone Star' is a bit premature. Fox will give the struggling Texas drama another chance, airing a new episode next week. The series has been hailed by critics as one of the season's best new shows, but premiered to lousy ratings. [Vulture]

• Acclaimed choreographer and 'Fame' star Debbie Allen has signed on to direct an episode of 'Hellcats.' The CW drama has tapped Allen to direct an episode that features a huge musical number. [E! Online]

• ABC has picked up Jerry Bruckheimer Productions' 'The Lost Girls.' The project is based on the blog and novel of the same name by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett and Amanda Pressner. The trio ditched their corporate jobs, boyfriends and city life to go on a year-long journey. [Deadline Hollywood]

Critics may have collectively loved 'Lone Star,' but that doesn't mean viewers tuned in when the show premiered on Monday night. After a disastrous showing in the ratings -- only 4.1 million people tuned in to Fox for the drama's debut -- the promising new series is now at risk of cancellation.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's dismal debut means that 'Lone Star,' about a Texas con man juggling his wife and girlfriend, will inevitably be canceled -- it's just a matter of when. "No one in TV should be happy about this," an agent of a 'Lone Star' writer told THR. "This is going to have a chilling effect on networks taking chances on anything but cookie-cutter shows."

In order to be a successful con man, you have to be adept at living a double life. But what if you feel like going straight? If you've been living a lie for years, can you suddenly change course and become an honest man? That's the question posed in the premiere of 'Lone Star' (Mon., 9PM ET on Fox).

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

Bob Allen (James Wolk) is two different people. In the suburban town of Midland, Texas, he's "Robert" -- a grifter who cheats local investors while living with his cute (yet clueless) girlfriend Lindsay (played by Eloise Mumford). Meanwhile, 400 miles away in the big city of Houston, he's "Bob" -- and he's married to Cat Thatcher (Adrianne Palicki), the daughter of an ultra-rich oil magnate. In Houston, he plays the part of the "perfect" husband, although he's also trying scam money from Cat's father Clint (Jon Voight).

There's no doubt that the pilot for 'Lone Star,' the story of a young con man in Texas in love with two women, is a strong and well-crafted hour.

But 'Lone Star's' first installment inevitably invites questions: Should it have been the first half of a two-hour movie? Can the stories at its core sustain a full season of television?

After all, any con, even a long one, has a built-in expiration date.

Lone Star - Monday September 20, 9PM ET/PT, Global/Fox

The season premiere of this new series introduces us to Bob/Robert, a con man living two separate lives on opposite sides of Texas. In one, he lives with a naive girlfriend and bilks the locals of their savings, and in another he's married to an oil heiress played by Adrienne Palecki of 'Friday Night Lights.' Her dad is played by Jon Voight. Based on the previews, it's hard to tell if we're supposed to love or hate this guy, but I'll tune in to just to watch Voight chew the scenery, at least the first time.

Your TV will be flooded with new shows in coming weeks, so consider this an attempt to help you sort through your couch-potato options.

Of course, when it comes to new shows, no one can accurately predict which ones will fulfill their early promise and which ones will flame out creatively or get canceled within weeks of their premieres. And this year there are few slam-dunks along the lines of 'The Good Wife' or 'Modern Family' (to get our comedy kicks we'll probably have to go with returning shows, given that none of the new comedies look too promising).

Without further ado, these are the fall programs that, on first glance, appear to have quite a bit of potential:

If TV critics were children, Fall TV would be the equivalent of back to school time -- a lot of work to do, but so much excitement. And there's always a little disappointment as you say goodbye to summer freedom, or in our case, to our happy vacation moods.

Of course the school of TV-watching is year-round, but fall is truly the time when the networks pull out all the stops (hopefully) and show us what they've got.



So sharpen your pencils, TV fans, because class is now in session: AOL TV Editor Kelly Woo and our newest addition, Lead Critic Mo Ryan, joined me to break down all the new fall network shows. Good ("it's sexy, it's fun") or bad ("I've fallen asleep three times trying to watch this pilot"), we were brutally honest because we want this to be your go-to guide for what to watch, what to skip and those shows that fall somewhere in between.

What new fall shows are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments.