Welcome to this week’s TV news! A note: There was a lot of fake news floating around this week because of April Fool’s Day. I think I have managed not to include any of the joke stuff here, and in a few places I noted where I wasn’t positive, but I apologize in advance if I end up misleading you.
There was a lot of drama about Mad Men this week, but the upshot seems to be that it will definitely be back in 2012.
This doesn’t appear to be an April Fool’s joke, but I’m not entirely convinced. Apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger’s next project will be an animated show called The Governator.
Beginnings and endings: Get your CBS season finale dates here, and HBO premiere dates (including True Blood) here.
Renewed: Futurama, Justified and Archer. FX is also making a new show with Oliver Stone about fake news? Or something? I don’t quite get it but it sounds interesting. Oh, and also an ex-congressman political fixer show with Eddie Izzard. Whee.
Cancelled: In Treatment. But something vaguely related may happen in the future. Or something.
This news broke on April 1 so believe at your own risk, but: Ridley Scott is making a new show that sounds kind of like Blade Runner.
MTV is making an American version of Inbetweeners, because apparently they’re now the station that remakes British teen shows. (I was going to have an extended metaphor about the British Invasion here, but decided to spare you.)
What the world needs now: another buddy detective show.
TNT is considering John Wells’s Gimme Shelter, which seems to be about a medical team, not the Rolling Stones.
Guest stars!
Sarah Silverman to The Good Wife.
Tina Majorino (yay!) to Bones.
Malcolm McDowell to Psych.
Howard Hesseman to Drop Dead Diva.
Parker Posey, Hugh Dancy and Alan Alda to The Big C.
Private Practice casts parents for Charlotte and Cooper.
Jonathan Groff is returning to Glee.
The Cleveland Show gets a bunch of actresses to play themselves in order to make fun of TV shows being at Comic-Con, or something.
Jay Mohr to Law & Order: CI as a Charlie Sheen type.
Gene Simmons will appear as himself on Castle.
SyFy has added Vinessa Antoine to Haven in a recurring role.
HBO has done a bunch of new casting for Hung, Bored to Death, and How to Make It in America.
Moran Atias will recur on White Collar as *******’s girlfriend.
Pilot Updates:
American Horror Story adds Denis O’Hare.
The Assistants casts Jason Jones.
Boss adds Jeff Hephner (who if you’ll recall was just replaced on Playboy).
Lost and Found replaced Gary Clayton with Dean Collins.
Lovelives finds its last lead in Stella Maeve.
More as the Story Develops will in fact star Jeff Daniels.
Person of Interest will guest star Natalie Zea.
Powers is trying to get Kyle Chandler. Please, Coach, please.
The Secret Circle adds Ashley Crow.
Work It adds Rochelle Aytes, Kacie Lynch, and Kate Reinders.
The untitled Tim Allen pilot will also star Nancy Travis. And Hector Elizondo.
The Christina Applegate show adds Will Arnett.
Ghost Jennifer Ehle adds Margo Martindale.
That comedy about the family of doctors adds Jere Burns and Christopher Lloyd.
The Whitney Cummings show adds Rhea Seehorn.
Gerald McRaney joins another untitled pilot.
That Ben Rappaport/Michelle Trachtenberg comedy adds Kevin Corrigan.
Photo Courtesy of AMC