Taking a page from the CSI handbook, CBS is spinning off successful crime procedural Criminal Minds with this new series, which began life as a backdoor episode of Criminal Minds that aired in April, entitled “The Fight,” and directed by Richard Shepard. Like its predecessor, this dark crime drama—informally referred to as Minds 2.0—will follow a group of profilers from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. The spinoff series, which was created by Chris Mundy and Edward Allen Bernero, will star Forest Whittaker ( The Shield), Beau Garrett ( TRON Legacy), Matt Ryan, and Michael Kelly ( Generation Kill).
Monty Brinton / CBS
The saying goes that when a door closes, a window opens. That must be the only explanation for Law & Order: Los Angeles, the latest iteration of Dick Wolf's L&O franchise, which has been given a series order at NBC, despite the cancellation of original flavor Law & Order after 20 seasons (which ties it with Gunsmoke for the longest-running drama series in history). The venerable legal/crime procedural is shifting its highly successful formula to the City of Angels. While it remains to be seen whether viewers will call the show by its abbreviation LOLA (as NBC seems to want to), the newest addition to the franchise will take over the 10 p.m. timeslot on Wednesdays, behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. As of press time, there were no casting attachments for the new show, which will be executive produced by Dick Wolf and Blake Masters ( Brotherhood).
NBC
Executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24), and David Fury ( Lost) are behind new family adventure drama Terra Nova. The show revolves around the Shannon clan, a family from the future who travel back in time to prehistoric Earth as part of an experiment to save the human race. The family embarks on an adventure to a world that’s far less idyllic than it appears, bringing with them some dark secrets and personal agendas that could threaten the entire mission: the fate of mankind. No casting attachments currently exist, though it was rumored a few weeks back that an offer had gone out to Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler to star. While Fox’s Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly seem committed to airing Terra Nova in midseason, it’s thought that special effects could delay this until next fall. With several 24 writers on board, how long before the inevitable mole within the group ends up being a dinosaur?
