Well it lasted longer than some other canceled shows, but now NBC has pulled the plug on their freshman crime drama Prime Suspect. Deadline reports the network told cast and crew yesterday that they were shutting down production around the same time their midseason schedule went out without mentioning the series (though the bigger problem is the exclusion of Community). Though some insiders are saying the show technically isn’t canceled (hypothetically it could still be picked up for another season), but no more episodes will be produced after the 13th installment finishes shooting, and this season is officially over. Sorry Maria Bello. Better luck next time.

NBC has released their midseason schedule, and there’ve been quite a few shakeups. The much-derided Whitney moves to Wednesdays, Up All Night will settle in as part of the Thursday night comedy line-up, and gone is the Maria Bello-starred cop drama Prime Suspect. It appears that NBC has finally given up on the drama series, which has been struggling ratings-wise for quite a while. My biggest complaint, though, is the complete absence of Community. The show, which is one of the smartest and best shows on television right now, is nowhere to be seen on the schedule. While the series hasn’t exactly been a ratings juggernaut, it’s captured the hearts of critics and fans alike as one of the most innovative (and at times rather strange) comedies to grace our TV screens. Hit the jump for much more.

Though the network already gave full season orders to Up All Night and Whitney, NBC is only showing a little bit of faith in their freshman series Prime Suspect and sophomore Harry’s Law. Two reports from The Live Feed reveal that each series has been given an order for six more scripts. This is different than having more episodes ordered, since the scripts still have to be approved before heading in front of the camera. But it does mean that the series aren’t close to being taken down by the network just yet, unlike Free Agents and The Playboy Club which have already been axed. Prime Suspect has a solid future, but it’s not extremely different from other police dramas out there. As for Harry’s Law, well Kathy Bates just brings a load of charisma to any project she gets her hands on, so I can see why it’s lasted this long. Stay tuned as more shows have their fate decided as the season goes on.

The series doesn’t even premiere until September 22nd on NBC, but EW already has word on a great guest star for Prime Suspect that could turn into a recurring role. Apparently comedian, film and sitcom star Jay Mohr will appear in this first season of the new police drama as New York City assistant district attorney John Bullock, a man considered good at his job, though not exactly on the same page as Jane Timoney (Maria Bello). Part of me is hoping this character will have the same kind of energy and intensity as his turn in Jerry Maguire, but that remains to be seen. Either way, he’s definitely a welcome addition to the series which looks like it could be one of the more solid debuts this fall, and a potentially great new crime drama. For your convenience we’ve included the extended preview for Prime Suspect after the jump.

We’re just over a month away from kicking off the new television season and so the networks are really starting to push their new series into the public eye. NBC is up to bat today with a small batch of new posters promoting a few of their new series hitting in September. After the jump you can check out some slick new posters for the Mad Men-esque series The Playboy Club, the American remake of the British series Prime Suspect, the fairytale crime drama Grimm, and comedies like Up All Night, Free Agents and Whitney. Honestly, it seems like NBC has the most promising line-up of new shows, but Fox could give them a run for their money. For more details on these and the rest of NBC’s new series, check out our posts of clips from the new comedies right here, and dramas over here, not to mention complete trailers of all the series right here. Otherwise, see the new posters after the jump.

Prior to the NBC presentation at the TCA Press Tour, the networks new Chairman of Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt gave a glimpse of what he sees in the future of what is currently the fourth place network. Here are the most interesting points:

• NBC has made development deals with both executive producer/writer/director Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks & Recreation) and Gary Sanchez Productions (the production company of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell).
• Sean Hayes will be stepping back in front of the camera for an NBC comedy in 2012, while a one-hour drama about firefighters is being developed with Dick Wolf (Law & Order).
• The hit singing competition The Voice will return on February 5^th, following the Super Bowl, and the mid-season musical drama Smash, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, will premiere on February 6^th
• Greenblatt was not surprised by the controversy caused by The Playboy Club, as the brand name can be polarizing for people.
• NBC is hoping to under-expect but over-deliver on the upcoming season of The Office, with all of the changes and the addition of James Spader to the cast.
• The Office is important to the network, but they are approaching it with realistic expectations while the writers work to refocus what the show will now be.
• The goal is to expand comedy to more nights than just Thursday, and make multi-camera comedy shows popular again.

Hit the jump for a lot more:

Following the TCA Press Tour panel for the NBC police drama Prime Suspect, Collider got the chance to speak with the upcoming series’ executive producer/director Peter Berg. Quite a busy man in Hollywood, he stressed how serious he is about doing a Friday Night Lights movie, the attention and curiosity that Battleship is getting, especially now that a trailer has been released, why he likes to work with actors he establishes a relationship with, and how nice it is to balance big studio films with smaller character-driven TV series. Here are the most important highlights from the interview:

• They’re currently writing the script now for the Friday Night Lights movie, which he’s looking to start where the finale left off and center around Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, bringing back some of the characters from the series while introducing new characters to the mix
• He’s looking to get that film into production some time next year, if all goes well
• He’s currently doing a series for HBO on Freddie Roach, the boxing trainer, called On Freddie
• He knows that some people want to cheer for Battleship while others want to attack it, but he’s happy that everyone is talking about it and that the trailer broke records for views on YouTube
• Hasbro’s involvement was to tell them they wanted a big, fun film that worked on a global scale and, if they succeed, Berg feels that will inevitably lead to sequels
• Berg said he absolutely had to include the “I sunk the battleship” line in the film, and that he aspired to do so in an original way
• They will have the entire season of Prime Suspect finished, while waiting for Battleship to come out

For more, check out the full interview after the jump:

Most of the other networks have already chimed in with their premiere dates for new and returning series for the 2011-2012 season, but today NBC has finally sent over their premiere schedule for the fall. Returning series include Parenthood, Chuck, Harry’s Law, The Office, Parks & Recreation and Community while new series include but are not limited to The Playboy Club starring Amber Heard, the fairytale driven Grimm, the new comedy series Whitney starring the hilarious stand-up comedienne Whitney Cummings and the remake of Prime Suspect with Maria Bello. Find out when your old favorites and new series hit the air with the full schedule after the jump, but if you want to check out the new series, check clips from dramas here and comedies here straight from the network’s upfronts presentation.

Maria Bello has established herself as a very intriguing leading actress, taking on a variety of roles in projects all across the board. She can next be seen in the indie drama Beautiful Boy, about a married couple (Bello and Michael Sheen) on the verge of separation who, after a shocking act of violence committed by their son (Kyle Gallner), are united in their grief. In the fall, she will be playing Detective Jane Timoney in the NBC crime drama Prime Suspect, a re-imagining of the British television hit (starring Helen Mirren) about a tough-as-nails detective who doesn’t know when to quit. On September 23rd, the John Singleton action thriller Abduction starring Taylor Lautner will hit theaters, in which she plays a bad-ass with an amazing fight scene.

At the press day for Beautiful Boy, actress Maria Bello did this exclusive interview with Collider, where she talked about choosing roles very instinctually, how she was drawn to exploring the levels of grief for this role, how much she enjoyed collaborating with co-star Michael Sheen, and that she thinks this is ultimately a hopeful film. She also talked about why she wanted to get involved with another television series with Prime Suspect, working with Peter Berg, who directed the pilot, and how she wants to use every facet of herself in her work and life. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

We recently highlighted some clips from NBC’s forthcoming new dramas and comedies, but now the network has released the full length trailers for all of their new series as well. They’re about twice as long as most movie trailers, and they give us a pretty good idea of the tone and style behind each series. After the jump you can check out trailers for Prime Suspect with Maria Bello, The Playboy Club with Amber Heard, Steven Spielberg’s Broadway musical drama Smash, the fairytale drama Grimm, Kyle Killen’s Awake starring Jason Isaacs, Whitney featuring stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, Up All Night with Will Arnett and Christina Applegate, Free Agents with Hank Azaria, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea with Laura Prepon, and Bent with Amanda Peet.

Personally, on the drama side of things, I’m absolutely riveted by the trailer for Awake which just looks like a truly original and compelling drama series from Lone Star writer Kyle Killen. Smash also looks like it has the musical fun and powerful drama to become Glee for adults, but hopefully with a little bit more consistent quality writing. With the comedies, I think Up All Night looks the most promising. Whitney has the potential to gain steam, but it’s hard for me to get past laughtracks on sitcoms. Anyway, you can judge for yourself after checking out all the trailers after the jump.

NBC has released the first clips for all their new 2011-2012 dramas: Prime Suspect, The Playboy Club, Smash, Grimm, Awake, and The Firm.  Based on initial impressions, Awake is the one I am now most looking forward to.  The clips promise terrific entertainment for a structure geek like myself, splitting screen time between two realities.  The 1960s-set The Playboy Club and modern fairy tale Grimm both have interesting premises, but the clips look too silly out of context.  I hold out hope the subject matter makes for a better series.  Prime Suspect looks like a kickass role for star Maria Bello — pencil her in for an Emmy nomination.

Click through to the links for the official schedule announcement and the complementary clips for NBC’s new comedies.  Hit the jump for the preview clips and official synopses for all new dramas.

NBC has officially announced their schedule for 2011-2012.  The network ordered six new dramas (The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Grimm, The Firm, Smash, Awake) and six new sitcoms (Up All Night, Free Agents, Whitney, Best Friends Forever, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Bent).

The network is programming Fridays fairly aggressively.  Chuck will air its fifth and final 13-episode season on Fridays, paired with the new fairy tale drama Grimm and Friday staple Dateline NBC.  NBC will hold 30 Rock for midseason to accommodate star/creator Tina Fey’s pregnancy.  The Thursday night sitcom block will be cut back to two hours with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Whitney leading into the Maria Bello-led Prime Suspect remake.

Click through to the links to watch preview clips for the new dramas and the new comedies.  Hit the jump to check out the new schedule.

After last night’s huge influx of news from Fox about series pick-ups, renewals and cancellations, it’s now NBC’s turn to announce some of their new series that we can look forward to in the fall. As of now there seems to be some dissension amongst the news outlets online as to whether or not Wonder Woman will actually get picked up, and other potential series like The Playboy Club are rumored for a pick-up but we haven’t heard anything official yet.

After the jump, check out the four new series that have definitely been picked up to premiere sometime this fall including a new sitcom from stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, another comedy from Christina Applegate, a Broadway musical series from producer Steven Spielberg, and the stateside remake of the British crime drama Prime Suspect.

Though we’d heard J.J. Abrams was looking to reunite Lost stars Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn with Odd Jobs, the series has apparently been pushed back until the next development season in 2012. However, it looks like Emerson will still be working with Abrams this season as Deadline reports the actor will lead Bad Robot’s drama Person of Interest which has been set up at CBS. The proposed series is said to follow an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who teams up with a mysterious billionaire (Emerson) to prevent violent crimes in New York City. David Semel (Heroes) will direct the pilot which we’ll hopefully be seeing later this year.

For news on other TV casting with James Van Der Beek and Maria Bello, hit the jump.

Almost a year ago, NBC’s plans to remake the BBC police procedural Prime Suspect came to a halt because no actress could be found to take on the lead character brought to life so effortlessly by Helen Mirren in the original series. However, Variety reports NBC is ready to try again and this time they’ve brought in a new creative team along with director Peter Berg who will executive produce and direct the series (or at least the pilot). However, despite the new team behind the scenes, the question still remains as to what actress has the talent to make this project work.

More details on Prime Suspect and an all-new Western series after the jump.