What Will The Magic Valley Be Watching This Fall

I personally am a big fan of the mediocre TV that is aired during the summer. Sometimes it seems like the network heads realize that everybody is outside having fun in the sun and not watching TV, so they are trying to see what garbage they can get away with...like the show Big Brother. So, let's skip ahead to Fall and see what TV shows are new, renewed, or cancelled for 2012-2013.

All the major networks are unveiling their schedules for next season this week, and NBC is up first.

--The biggest news is that they're doing TWO seasons of "The Voice" next year . . . one in the fall and one in the spring.  All four judges will be back for the fall season, but an NBC suit said they might get different judges for the spring season.

--"The Voice" is the first singing competition show to attempt two seasons in one year.  The question is:  Will it help boost "The Voice" above "X Factor" and "American Idol" . . . or is it overkill?  Apparently, NBC is "not worried about it running out of steam."

--For the third year in a row, they're launching a TON of new shows.  It seems like they're still recovering from clearing one-third of their primetime schedule for the short-lived "Jay Leno Show" three years ago.

--Here's a quick summary of the 16 new shows:

--"Go On":  A sitcom starring Matthew Perry as a "miserable sportscaster" who returns to work after losing his wife in a car accident.

--"The New Normal":  A sitcom about a gay male couple and their surrogate.  The woman is a "Midwestern waitress and single mother with a checkered past."  Justin Bartha from "The Hangover" plays one of the gay dudes . . . and it was created by Ryan Murphy, the guy behind "Glee".

--"Animal Practice":  A comedy about a male veterinarian in New York, whose ex-girlfriend is put in charge of the animal hospital he works at.  It stars Justin Kirk from "Weeds".

--"Guys with Kids":  A sitcom about three men in their 30s who just became fathers, but are still desperately "trying to hold on to their youth."  Jimmy Fallon created the show, and it stars Jesse Bradford from "The West Wing", Anthony Anderson from "Law & Order", Jamie Lynn Sigler from "The Sopranos" and Tempestt Bledsoe from "The Cosby Show".

--"Save Me":  A comedy starring Anne Heche as a woman who almost dies after choking on a sandwich.  When she's revived, she realizes she now has "a direct line to God."

--"1600 Penn":  A comedy about a U.S. President and his family, starring Bill Pullman as the President, and Jenna Elfman as the First Lady.  NBC describes it as, quote, "'Modern Family' meets 'The West Wing'."

(--Bill also played the President in "Independence Day".)

--"Next Caller":  A sitcom starring Dane Cook as a foul-mouthed satellite radio DJ, who "is forced to share his show with a chipper NPR feminist."

--"Revolution":  A drama from "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams about a post-apocalyptic world where there's no modern technology.

--"Chicago Fire":  A drama about the firefighters and paramedics of a Chicago firehouse.  It was created by Dick Wolf, the guy behind "Law & Order", and the cast includes Jesse Spencer from "House", and David Eigenberg from "Sex and the City".

--"Do No Harm":  A drama that's a play on the "Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde" story.  It stars Steven Pasquale from "Rescue Me" as "a gifted neurosurgeon who has an alter ego with a dark side."

--"Infamous":  A drama about an FBI agent who investigates the death of a "wealthy socialite and notorious party girl."  Everyone thinks it was an overdose, but he thinks it's a homicide.

--"Hannibal":  A drama inspired by Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter books . . . "Silence of the Lambs", "Red Dragon", "Hannibal", and "Hannibal Rising".  It's about an FBI agent who teams up with Hannibal to solve crimes . . . not realizing that he's a killer.

--"Stars Earn Stripes":  A reality show like "Dancing with the Stars", where celebrities compete in "real military exercises."  There's no word on a cast yet.

--"Howie Mandel's White Elephant":  It is what it sounds like . . . a game show inspired by White Elephant, the holiday gift-swapping game.

--"Ready for Love":  A dating competition that takes "three impossibly handsome grooms," and puts three matchmakers in charge of scouring America to find wives for them.  It sounds a little like a cross between "The Bachelor" and "American Idol".

--"Surprise with Jenny McCarthy":  A variety show hosted by Jenny McCarthy, where she "gives people surprises of a lifetime."

(--For more info, including video previews, pictures and full synopses, hit up NBC.com.)

"The Office" Will Be Back . . . Plus, NBC's Other Cancellations and Renewals:

The shows NBC is NOT bringing back next season include:  "Are You There, Chelsea?", "Awake", "Bent", "Best Friends Forever", "Harry's Law" and "The Firm".

--The shows they ARE bringing back include:  "The Biggest Loser", "30 Rock", "Community", "Grimm", "Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit", "Parenthood", "Parks and Recreation", "Smash", "Up All Night", "The Voice", "Whitney", "The Office" and "Celebrity Apprentice".

CBS Has Canceled "CSI: Miami":

After 10 seasons, CBS has canceled "CSI: Miami" . . . the most ridiculous of the "CSI" shows.  The original "CSI" and "CSI: New York" have been renewed.

--Of course, the BEST part of "CSI: Miami" was DAVID CARUSO'S hilarious portrayal of Lieutenant Horatio Caine, which spawned all kinds of jokes, parodies and drinking games.

It's official:  CBS is bringing "Two and a Half Men" back for another season.

--Earlier this month, we heard ASHTON KUTCHER, JON CRYER and ANGUS T. JONES had signed on for another season . . . but CBS didn't officially renew the show until now.  This will be its 10th season. This isn't a surprise.  The show averaged around 15 million viewers this season.

ABC Has Renewed One of Its Shows with a Vulgar Title, and Axed Another:

Does it pay to put a NAUGHTY word in the title of your show?  Not really.

--"[Bleep] My Dad Says" only lasted one season on CBS . . . and now ABC has canceled its new show "GCB" after one season.  (--"GCB" was initially announced as "Good Christian [B-words]".)

--ABC did renew ANOTHER show with a vulgar title:  "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23".

--Meanwhile, ABC has also renewed "Private Practice", "Body of Proof" and TIM ALLEN'S "Last Man Standing" . . . and they've dumped "Pan Am", "Missing" and "The River".

The CW Is Giving "Gossip Girl" One More Season . . . But "Ringer" Is Done:

The CW will bring "Gossip Girl" back for one last 13-episode season.  That's about half the episodes the show has been producing in previous seasons.  "Nikita" and "Hart of Dixie" have also been renewed.

--"Ringer" . . . the show where SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR played twin sisters . . . will NOT be back, and neither will "The Secret Circle".

(--"The Ringer" seemed dead in the water, pun intended, the moment THIS boat scene from the pilot leaked online.  Even for a CW show, these green screen effects are PATHETIC.)