NBC have refused to give their new supernatural drama CONSTANTINE a "back nine"; additional episodes to take it beyond the thirteen hours commissioned. The show hasn't been cancelled, but it's a sign the network isn't entirely happy with its longterm prospects. Maybe they just see the benefit of a cable-length run, rather than force the writers to crank out more episodes (which does tend to mean a saggy middle, past a natural end-point, in these circumstances). The ratings haven't been abysmal (considering it's in a Friday night timeslot U.S TV abhors) and it's a very marketable show overseas, so I'm optimistic of renewal...
Fox passed on a comedy pilot from Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Robert Carlock called UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, about a woman (The Office's Ellie Kemper) who's escaped from a doomsday cult. NBC offered it a mid-season slot, but now Netflix have offered an immediate two-season pickup which has been accepted! Huzzah. (Unless you don't have Netflix, so boo.)
Warren Ellis's Wildstorm/Vertigo comic-book GLOBAL FREQUENCY is being adapted into a TV series for Fox. The story concerns a covert government agency, led by Miranda Zero, created to tackle worldwide problems and government initiatives that pose a threat to public safety. You may recall this comic was turned into a 2005 pilot (starring Star Trek's Michelle Forbes as Zero), but it wasn't taken to series and later leaked online. This new attempt is produced Jerry Bruckheimer, with Rockne S. O'Bannon (Farscape) as lead writer.
