A couple of esteemed TV veterans have landed pilot deals for the upcoming season.  First up, Peter Berg (Hancock) has closed a deal with NBC to write and direct the pilot for the spy drama M.I.C.E.  Berg previously wrote and directed the pilot for Friday Night Lights, based on his film of the same name.  He stayed on as executive producer of that series throughout its stellar run, so his involvement with M.I.C.E. is welcome news.  The show is based on the Israeli format The Gordin Cell that centers on a decorated Israeli Air Force officer in a high security post who has no idea that his parents were Russian spies.

His parents’ handler appears one day and forces the young man to choose between betraying his country and cooperating with Russian intelligence, or putting his family’s fate in jeopardy.  Hit the jump for much more, including news regarding House creator David Shore’s new series.

After eight seasons, the hit Fox drama House comes to an end with its series finale on May 21^st. Following a one-hour retrospective special that will look back at this groundbreaking series and feature interviews with the series’ stars and producers, the emotional series finale, directed by series creator/executive producer David Shore, with find the team treating a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) that results in Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) examining his life, his future and his own personal demons.

During this recent interview to reflect on the end of the popular TV show, David Shore talked about what he’d most like the show to be remembered for, how fans of the series can expect a bittersweet ending, why the House/Wilson friendship has endured, the biggest surprises of the show’s success, how proud he is of what they accomplished over eight seasons, what it was like to direct the final episode, and that he never had an endgame planned out from the beginning, but that things never veered too far off of his original vision. He also talked about his plan to continue in television and develop something new, and that he is looking forward to exploring new characters, new ideas and a new setting. Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

After much speculation, the producers of House M.D. have finally come to a smart decision. The current eighth season of the medical drama series starring Hugh Laurie will be the last. With Lisa Edelstein opting not to come back this season, the writing was on the wall for Dr. Gregory House to end his practice, and now it’s official. While the show certainly should come to an end at this point, this season has been surprisingly decent, especially with new cast members like Charlyne Yi and Odette Annable. The most recent episode, a departure from the show’s usual formula, was one of the best of the season, and while the writers certainly still have some fight left in them, it’s time to give House and his team a respectful exit. Does that mean we’ll see some old faces stop by for a clean wrap up? We’ll have to wait and see. Hit the jump for a heartfelt thanks and farewell from producers David Shore, Katie Jacobs and Hugh Laurie, as well as a statement from Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.

The month of May brings many a season finale to our airwaves; over the next couple weeks, I will recap the finales a few of our favorite shows here at Collider, and use that as a jumping off point to discuss the direction of the season and the show as a whole.  The big event of Monday night was the House finale, “Help Me”, with plenty of twists and turns in store for the doctors of Princeton-Plainsboro.  Hit the jump for a spoiler-filled dissection of the episode, as well as the overall arc of season six of House.

All eyes are watching as the struggling NBC assembles its fall schedule, and Variety has some early insight into how it’s shaping up.  The network announced an early pickup of the J.J. Abrams spy drama Undercovers yesterday, and things are looking very good for The Rockford Files remake led by David Shore (House), the Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI) fugitive-hunt procedural The Chase, and Kindreds, the latest legal drama from David E. Kelley (Boston Legal).  Likewise, the conspiracy thriller The Event and the romantic anthology series Love Bites has impressed some key execs.

Among the half-hours, workplace sitcom Outsourced is looking for writers (“always a good sign”), and NBC has reacted positively to the quirky family tale This Little Piggy, the Friends-ian romantic comedy Perfect Couples, and Next, the latest from Paul Reiser (Mad About You).  Though not without flaws, Beach Lane is still in contention thanks to star Matthew Broderick.  Details on each project after the jump:

The talented Alan Tudyk (Firefly) has signed on to star opposite Dermont Mulroney (Undertow) in the television remake of the 1974 James Garner detective series The Rockford Files.  The remake is from House creator David Shore and has Mulroney playing the titular James Rockford, “who is “slightly crumpled, wry humored, cynical, world weary, compassionate when it’s called for and easily irritated by morons.”  So basically it sounds like NBC has asked for their own version of House (it’s hard to blame them; House is consistently one of Fox’s highest rated TV shows).

According to THR, “Tudyk will play Det. Dennis Becker, a friend of Rockford’s who is a bit embarrassed by that since all the other cops hate Rockford.”  So, that’s James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard’s character on House).  No word yet if Rockford will work with a team of three junior detectives while carrying on a love-hate relationship with his superior (although I don’t know who a private detective would answer to).