It seems a potential disaster has been averted.

Director Roland Emmerich, known to some as Michael Bay's top rival in the "who can make the crappiest blockbuster?" contest, says a TV series based on his latest movie, '2012', has been shelved.

Speaking to Movieweb, Emmerich said budget constraints have halted pre-production on the show, which would have served as a direct follow-up to his special effects-heavy disaster flick. The series was described as being similar in theme to 'Lost'. The plot would have followed survivors of the events depicted in the movie attempting to rebuild in Africa.

"It was just too big for TV, what we wanted to do," Emmerich said.

There are two significant things to take from the news that Army Wives will return for a fourth season. One, the predominantly female viewership of Lifetime has embraced the series about the lives of Army personnel and their families on the Fort Marshall post in Charleston, South Carolina; and two, scripted dramas are on the rise all across the cable networks. It also means that this finely acted, well-written and well produced show is going to be around for the next couple of years at least.