The TV Column

If a series hasn't been renewed officially, don't fret

CBS has already renewed NCIS for a 16th season, but it will soldier on without Pauley Perrette, shown with co-star Mark Harmon. Perrette wraps up her long run as quirky forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on May 8.
CBS has already renewed NCIS for a 16th season, but it will soldier on without Pauley Perrette, shown with co-star Mark Harmon. Perrette wraps up her long run as quirky forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on May 8.

Tuesday's column detailed current shows on the bubble and in danger of being canceled, those ending or already canceled, and those most certainly doomed but not yet officially axed.

If your favorite show wasn't mentioned in Tuesday's column, did that mean it's a sure thing to be back next season?

Short answer: Yes, in most cases. But this is TV and surprises sometimes occur.

Sometimes a well-performing series will be rewarded with an early renewal ahead of the networks' official "upfront" announcements. This year they'll be May 14-17. And sometimes a series may be a lock, but there are last-minute details to work out and it's not yet on the officially renewed list.

And some series are highly likely to return but, for whatever reason, haven't yet been renewed.

I didn't have room to include all the above in Tuesday's column, but will do so here. Again, several outlets keep a running scorecard of shows and their status. This time we'll go with the TV Guide list for the already renewed and likely to be back. Keep in mind TV Guide's list may differ slightly from others. Also, more shows will certainly be added to the renewed list as the upfronts get closer.

ABC

Renewed: The Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, The Goldbergs, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Modern Family, Roseanne.

Likely returning: America's Funniest Home Videos, American Housewife, American Idol, black-ish, Designated Survivor, Fresh Off the Boat, How to Get Away with Murder, Shark Tank, Speechless, Splitting Up Together, Station 19.

CBS

Renewed: The Amazing Race, Big Brother, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Bull, Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver, Madam Secretary, Mom, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, SEAL Team, Survivor, S.W.A.T., Young Sheldon.

Likely returning: Criminal Minds, Kevin Can Wait, Life in Pieces, Man with a Plan, Superior Donuts.

THE CW

Renewed: Arrow, Black Lightning, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Dynasty, The Flash, Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Supergirl, Supernatural.

Likely returning: iZombie.

Fox

Renewed: 9-1-1, The Gifted, Hell's Kitchen, The Orville, The Simpsons.

Likely returning: Bob's Burgers, Empire, Family Guy, Ghosted, LA to Vegas, The Last Man on Earth, Lucifer, MasterChef Junior, The Mick, Star.

NBC

Renewed: Ellen's Game of Games, The Good Place, This Is Us, Superstore, The Voice, Will & Grace.

Likely returning: The Blacklist, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Good Girls, Law & Order: SVU.

...

Of course, just because a show is coming back doesn't mean that there won't be major cast changes. For me, the biggest will be the departure of Pauley Perrette from NCIS.

Perrette, 49, has played beloved and quirky forensic scientist Abby Sciuto since the show began in 2003. Hers and co-star Mark Harmon's are the only characters to have appeared in every episode. Perrette announced last fall that this would be her last season.

Perrette recently told CBS Sunday Morning that walking away has not been easy.

"It makes me sad to imagine a world without Abby in it," she said. "It really makes me sad. Abby made science cool and attainable for young women. It made it fun."

So, what's next for the natural blonde?

"I'm being offered a lot," she said. "And there's me sittin' at home on the couch, drinkin' beer with my dogs. And I'm really good at it!"

Perrette's final episode, "Two Steps Back," airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The teaser reads, "When evidence reveals an NCIS team member is a hit man's latest target, the team must search through old case files to determine who is seeking vengeance."

Target? Wait! Is it Abby? I don't like the sound of that. NCIS has been known to kill off major female characters.

The dead list includes Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), Special Agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander) and Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly). They were killed, in order, in a mortar attack; shot in the head by a terrorist sniper; mortally wounded in a diner by Russian assassins.

NCIS allowed Tony (Michael Weatherly) to leave unscathed. Surely they wouldn't kill off Abby. Would they?

NCIS ends its 15th season May 22. The series has been a Top 5 show for nine seasons and TV's No. 1 or No. 2 show for the past six.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 05/03/2018

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