The TV Column

A&E; nabs Unforgettable after CBS cancellation

Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh  star in UNFORGETTABLE, on the CBS Television Network.  The series airs at 7 p.m. Fridays.
Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh star in UNFORGETTABLE, on the CBS Television Network. The series airs at 7 p.m. Fridays.

Evidently, Poppy Montgomery is not only unforgettable, she's unkillable.

Unforgettable is the TV series that would not die. CBS has tried to kill the police procedural twice -- the first time after Season 1, even though the show averaged a healthy 12 million viewers.

CBS changed its mind and ordered up 13 more episodes that somehow stretched into a second and third seasons airing in the summer.

The ax fell once again in October, but now A&E has stepped in to resurrect the series starring Montgomery as Carrie Wells, a woman with the rare gift to recall exact dates and events.

Dylan Baker is also expected to be back as her ex-boyfriend/partner, New York cop Al Burns.

Unforgettable has yet to be given an air date for Season 4, but joins A&E's other original series, Bates Motel and The Returned.

Note: A&E's acquisition of Unforgettable is sure to miff fans of Longmire, the popular series that A&E canceled in August. Fortunately, Netflix stepped in to resurrect the series that stars Robert Taylor as a Wyoming sheriff. No word on when the new Season 4 episodes will air.

ON THE BUBBLE

Speaking of comings and goings, as you read this the networks are pondering the fates of a number of programs. The final decisions won't be announced for about a month, but a number of shows are in trouble.

Several factors go into whether a series lives or dies -- ratings, the cost of production, the possibility of progress, international sales and the availability of a replacement show.

Likely gone. That said, here are the shows likely to be canceled according to several sources: Weird Loners (Fox); Battle Creek (CBS); Resurrection (ABC); Constantine (NBC); About a Boy (NBC); Marry Me (NBC); Backstrom (Fox); Cristela (ABC); Revenge (ABC); Galavant (ABC); and Forever (ABC).

Already gone. Already officially kicked to the curb are Mulaney (Fox); A to Z (NBC); Red Band Society (Fox); Bad Judge (NBC); Gracepoint (Fox); Selfie (ABC); Manhattan Love Story (ABC); Allegiance (NBC); Hart of Dixie (The CW); The Millers (CBS); and The McCarthys.

Ended. These shows have held their final seasons: Glee (Fox); The Mentalist (CBS); Parks and Recreation (NBC); Parenthood (NBC); and Two and a Half Men (CBS).

Renewed. These lucky programs have gotten an early renewal for next season: Reign (The CW); The 100 (The CW); New Girl (Fox); Jane the Virgin (The CW); Grimm (NBC); Sleepy Hollow (Fox); The Originals (The CW); Madam Secretary (CBS); Law and Order SVU (NBC); The Vampire Diaries (The CW); Supernatural (The CW); Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox); and Chicago PD (NBC).

Also already on the renewed list are: Mike and Molly (CBS); Arrow (The CW); The Blacklist (NBC); NCIS: New Orleans (CBS); Chicago Fire (NBC); Two Broke Girls (CBS); Scorpion (CBS); Gotham (Fox); Mom (CBS); The Flash (The CW); How to Get Away With Murder (ABC); The Big Bang Theory (CBS); and Empire (Fox).

Don't panic. If your favorite show isn't already renewed, take a breath. I mean, don't send me an email saying, "Oh, no! What about (fill in your very most favorite series in the history of television)? I didn't see it on your list. Has it been renewed?"

There are a couple of dozen programs, such as ABC's Modern Family, Scandal and Nashville, and CBS' NCIS and Person of Interest that are almost 100 percent guaranteed to return. They just haven't formally been renewed.

Why not? Maybe there are some contract negotiations to be held. Maybe some budget concerns. It will all shake out this time next month when the networks formalize their fall schedules.

MEANWHILE ...

CMT comedy. The CMT network has signed a deal with Billy Ray Cyrus for a comedy set for the network early next year.

Still the King will star the 53-year-old Cyrus as Vernon Brown, a one-hit-wonder country star (think "Achy Breaky Heart") turned Elvis Presley impersonator. Vernon's day job is as a minister at a country church outside of Nashville, Tenn.

The Associated Press reports that Cyrus says he got the idea one night when his tour bus stopped for gas along the Gulf Coast and he went out to walk his dog and spotted a church in the distance.

This was an area Elvis had played early in his career.

"I was sitting there with a notebook scribbling out idea after idea," Cyrus said. "It didn't take long to realize that there's a thought here that's interesting, that's funny, that's smart, that's dumb -- all of those things.

"Vernon has a great heart and really means to do good. But sometimes he just can't help himself. Once you've pretended to be the King, where do you go from there?"

Maybe Billy Ray can get daughter Miley to guest star on the show as the minister's wayward, twerking daughter.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

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Style on 04/14/2015

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