TV News Wrap: Wednesday June 1

• Anticipation for the fourth season of Breaking Bad is building slowly but surely. The premiere, titled “El Topo” is still a month and a half away, but there have been hints as to what the season might entail. Here is the trailer that was released today. It is the version from YouTube for Australian viewers, as other sites contain geographic restrictions

• There’s also a nifty little interview with series creator Vince Gilligan over at EW. Here are the key points to take out of it:

“(Walt) journeys deeper into this criminal underworld, and then much of season 4 is Walt’s effort to get out from under and overcome in a very dangerous battle of wills.”

“… Jesse is morphing into yet another person within himself, just struggling with his inner demons. It’s pretty intense.”

“(Jesse’s upcoming relationship with a familiar face is) a budding romance in the drug world… It’s a beautiful thing, and I know people will like it.”

“… even though things look pretty dire (for Hank) in the early going, he will get his mojo back as the season progresses in some fashion, although probably not in the fashion that you’d expect”

“People are going to have nightmares about Gus Fring,”

• Fans of the lavish HBO drama Boardwalk Empire will enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek as well as the Season 2 plot hints in this video from HBO itself. The second season has just begun filming, with i

• Is Patrick Dempsey leaving Grey’s Anatomy at the end of Season Eight or not? Well, the answer so far is pretty well up in the air, as it turns out that most of the cast have their contracts expiring at the end of the season. What this means for the show and people’s favourite characters is anyone’s guess, but it means that if you’re a fan of the show, you would be getting very nervous.

US Shows in Australia

Source: fanpop.com

We all know that the networks wouldn’t survive without the myriad US TV shows currently airing on TV. For many years, procedurals such as the CSI series and the Law and Order series have propped up Channels Nine and Ten respectively and filled programming holes after sudden axinsgs. The Desperate Housewives/Greys Anatomy duo has also been a reliable ratings puller for Channel Seven.

However, then there are other shows that come and go, partly because they have been axed in the US, but sometimes because they have been removed from Australian schedules do to insufficient ratings.

Some are also criminally left out of the schedule all together; critically acclaimed shows that aren’t even given a go based on programmers’ presumptions that they are too obscure or quirky to work on Australian TV.

But with this new era of multi-channeling, there are not really many excuses for yanking a show off air, and even less for not giving a show a chance.

Here is a list of recent shows, and if they have or haven’t been picked up by a FTA network in Australia, as well as how many seasons there have been.

ABC

Brothers and Sisters – Seven (US 5th season, AU 5th season)

Castle – Seven (US 3rd season, AU 3rd season)

Cougar Town – Seven (US 2nd season – hiatus -, AU 2nd season)

Desperate Housewives – Seven (US 7th season, AU 7th season)

The Gates – CANCELLED

Greek – CANCELLED

Grey’s Anatomy – Seven (US 7th season, AU 7th season)

Happy Town – CANCELLED

Lost – ENDED

Private Practice (US 4th Season *renewed for a 5th*, AU 4th Season)

Scoundrels – CANCELLED

Secret Life American Teenager – UNAIRED (US 3rd Season  *renewed for a 4th*)

V – GO! (US 2nd Season, AU 2nd Season)

Better With You – Nine (US 1st Season, AU 1st season)

Body Of Proof – (US 1st season *unaired*, AU )

Detroit 1-8-7 – UNAIRED (US 1st season)

Happy Endings – UNAIRED (US 1st season)

Mr. Sunshine – UNAIRED (US 1st season)

My Generation – CANCELLED

No Ordinary Family – Coming to Seven (US 1st season)

Off The Map – UNAIRED (US 1st season)

The Whole Truth – CANCELLED

Pretty Little Liars – GO! (US 1st season *renewed for a 2nd*, AU 1st season)

Make It Or Break It – UNAIRED (US 2nd season)

Huge – CANCELLED