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DirecTV takes on Damages

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FX’s Damages is a hot show — but not hot enough to save it from the chopping block. The Glenn Close vehicle has been on the verge of cancellation for a while now due to poor ratings, even though most of the cast is contracted through two more seasons.

But swooping in to the rescue at the 11th hour is DirecTV, which has taken the show off of FX‘s hands. Seasons 4 and 5 of Damages will air exclusively on DirecTV (probably on its proprietary Channel 101), and the first three seasons will repeat there as well.

Renewals for Parenthood, Enthusiasm, and Rescue

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TV networks are no strangers to spring cleaning, as this is traditionally one time of the year when renewals and cancellations are announced. But the process typically takes on different forms depending on the show and the network it airs on. Broadcast TV and cable have wildly different business models, leading to hugely different renewal and broadcasting practices.

Case in point: NBC’s fledgling new drama Parenthood has been picked up for a second season. After airing only a handful of episodes, the mid-season replacement dramedy got the greenlight for another season thanks largely to its clever writing that avoids cliches and an appealing cast full of actors that play off of each another with family dynamics that ring true.

When you move away from broadcast networks, things are a lot less structured. Shorter seasons and fluid time slots are quite common, because those networks can afford to change things up; audiences will follow quality shows wherever and whenever they pop up. Shows like HBO favorite Curb Your Enthusiasm, which just coaxed creator/star Larry David into signing on for an eighth season. The show’s lauded seventh season — which reunited the cast of David’s other creation, Seinfeld — ended in 2009, but the eighth won’t air until sometime in 2011. That’s a two-year gap, which would be unheard of on broadcast TV, but is a luxury cable can afford.

Similarly, FX has announced that Rescue Me will return for its sixth season on June 29th. The Dennis Leary vehicle hasn’t dealt with a lot of scheduling issues, but it’s been able to air seasons that are dramatically shorter than those on broadcast TV. Most of the show’s seasons have had a mere 13 episodes (lower episode orders arguably lead to higher quality episodes, but that’s a whole other topic). The show’s return for Season 6 was never in question, but the announcement came with some much bigger news: 2011’s Season 7 will conclude the show next year.

Can Damages be saved?

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FX’s Glenn Close starring vehicle Damages has gotten tons of great press, but it’s not a ratings hit. What to do?

Outsource.

Damages producer Sony Entertainment is in talks with DirecTV to co-finance a potential fourth season. EW reports that with the third season ending on April 19th, and the pricetag of the show fairly high thanks to the heavy-hitting talent that toplines it, there aren’t too many options left to keep the show afloat. But the show has a strong following internationally, so Sony is fighting to keep it going.

Can DirecTV save the day?

Hey, it worked for Friday Night Lights.

FX Gets ‘Powers’

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Man, it seems like this one’s been in “development hell” for ages. I remember hearing years ago that Powers, an original comic book by Marvel MVP writer Brian Michael Bendis and his frequent art partner, Michael Avon Oeming, was being made into a TV show. At very long last, it looks like that dream is becoming a reality.

Cable network FX has ordered a pilot for Powers, with a script by The Shield and The Walking Dead‘s Charles H. Eglee, and direction by Justified‘s Michael Dinner. The comic book follows the work of two homicide detectives named Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who live in a world where there are countless super-powered humans. Walker and Pilgrim investigate crimes that are committed by super-powered people, while each hiding secrets about their own connections to the super-powered.

Should be interesting to see who gets casted in these roles. While not a title known by non-comic fans, Powers has been running for eleven years now, and boasts intensely loyal fans who will be watching to see if the book’s two lead characters are represented properly on the small screen. Also fascinating to watch will be the tone used by the show; Powers the comic book is profane in the extreme, with plenty of graphic violence and even nudity. Will FX attempt to tone down the content, or will they keep the raunchy elements and schedule it at 10:pm or 11:pm?

Circle of Confusion, the production company behind The Walking Dead, is producing Powers for FX. Erati will be keeping a close eye on this one.