Judgement day for US series

ANDREW MURFETT

DISH BEST SERVED AGAIN: Ratings hit Revenge, starring Brothers & Sisters' Emily VanCamp, will get a second season.

It perhaps the most tumultuous few days each year in the world of American television.

This week in New York, the executives and stars of all of the big US networks have gathered advertisers, stakeholders and media to announce the fate of last year's crop of shows and proclaim the year's new series.

Yes, it's upfront season.

A handful of shows on air here in New Zealand have been axed; CSI: Miami was cancelled this week; however, the lower-rating CSI: NY and the original CSI series, set in Las Vegas, survived. Poppy Montgomery's crime-drama Unforgettable was abruptly terminated.

The Mentalist, Person of Interest and 2 Broke Girls also live to fight another day. The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men will also, obviously, return. Alcatraz, which made its debut to huge buzz and low ratings in February, has bitten the dust. As has the Kathy Bates dramedy Harry's Law.

The disappointing A Gifted Man has been dumped. Hawaii Five-0, remarkably, will continue. The Good Wife has (thankfully) escaped cancellation. Terra Nova, the Queensland-made dinosaur blockbuster, is officially extinct. Powerhouses NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Modern Family, New Girl and Glee are returning. As is Law & Order: SVU, for its 14th year.

The Finder, a Bones spinoff, couldn't figure out how to locate an audience.  Hugh Laurie's House is also gone. Sarah Michelle Gellar's soapy comeback vehicle Ringer has also been cancelled.

Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Happy Endings and the as-yet-unseen-locally Scandal will all get second seasons.

The Ashley Judd thriller Missing will not. The yet-to-be-screened horror series The River is also dead.

Somewhat surprisingly, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice will go again, as will Castle and Bones, while Desperate Housewives will finish its final season in a few weeks' time.

Parks and Recreation and Parenthood have been given a stay of execution, while 30 Rock has one more 13-episode run left next year before it ends.

-The Age