Remember that proposed remake of the British crime series 'Prime Suspect' for NBC? You can forget about it... for a while anyway. NBC has shelved 'Prime Suspect' till June and the reason why is all about casting. This, my friends, is exactly what we were saying when the idea first surfaced.

The notion that you're going to find an actress as perfect for the role of detective chief inspector Jane Tennison as Helen Mirren is madness. T'aint gonna happen. She's an Oscar, Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe winner for a reason. She's freaking brilliant.

So, NBC is acknowledging that they have not found another Helen Mirren and will not push 'Prime Suspect' into pilot production at this time. Veteran writer/producer Hank Steinberg -- he did 'Without A Trace' for CBS -- has wisely decided to push the project back and revisit it in June. It could always be created as a mid-season show instead of a fall 2010 premiere... assuming the project comes together.

Is it cynical of me to question the wisdom of NBC trying to adapt the British detective series Prime Suspect for American TV? It probably is, but after the disappointment of Life on Mars (I know, some of you liked the ABC version, but I was not in that camp), I have worries about the way American writers and producers rework excellent British TV shows and suck the life out of them in the process.

What makes Prime Suspect particularly of concern is that the British show had a great actress starring in it. Helen Mirren has deserved every award -- Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe -- that she's received. As the tough-as-nails detective chief inspector Jane Tennison, she was simply amazing.

Amid the CBS Summer Press Tour this week, the subject came up about why the network had cancelled Without A Trace. It wasn't ratings, which is clearly the truth because just this past weekend, Without A Trace was pulling over six million viewers for a rerun, doubling the number of people who tuned in for the brand new ABC series, Defying Gravity. Therefore, if Without A Trace was still capable of besting the fodder produced by the competition, why on earth would CBS dump it?

"Every show has its own life cycle," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler, who went on to explain that the shows the network had in development were just too good to wait. In other words, The Good Wife, Three Rivers and NCIS: Los Angeles, none of which are proven hits, were more important than an established success.

When the news about Without A Trace ending its run was made official at the CBS Upfront this past week, I wasn't shocked. Rumor had it that either Without A Trace or Cold Case would be dropped, and Cold Case might have tipped the scales in its favor with a strong showing with its two-part season finale. But as much as I liked Without A Trace, I'm not really sorry that it's calling it a day.

Seven years is a darn good run for a TV show. In fact, if it had been a British series, it might have ended after 30 episodes – unless you're talking Coronation Street which is a freak of TV.

But here's the thing about Without A Trace, it's been a solid show with a strong set of characters who've had a chance to shine as much as possible within the confines of a procedural. Anthony LaPaglia as Jack Malone was terrific. The high point in many an episode for me was when Jack lost it and got in someone's face. His personal life was generally a mess, so LaPaglia had lots of chances to show the troubled side of his character.

On the heels of yesterday's cancellation of 'The Unit,' CBS is now saying goodbye to 'Without a Trace' and 'Eleventh Hour.'

'Eleventh Hour' ran for one season in the network's 10PM slot, which will now be filled by ratings juggernaut 'The Mentalist,' according to Variety.

Meanwhile, the Ausiello Files says 'Without a Trace''s cancellation came down to the wire. 'Trace' battled 'Numb3rs' for the network's final spot, but lost out because 'Numb3rs' is reportedly "less expensive to produce."

If you haven't heard yet, last night's season finale of Without A Trace has ended up being the series finale. CBS decided to cancel the show. But did it feel like a series finale, or did it just feel like another episode because they didn't know it was ending when they filmed it? Would you have rather have seen this show renewed instead of Cold Case and Numb3rs?

Next Wednesday, CBS will be announcing its schedule for the new season, and while rumors have swirled that Cold Case or Without A Trace might be on the chopping block -- despite good ratings -- one sure thing seems to be the spinoff from NCIS.

Well, now that I've seen the two-part NCIS episode that served as a pilot for the show, I'm hoping that CBS gives this new series a thumbs-down. I don't expect that to happen, but if it were my decision, I wouldn't dump a solid series with a loyal viewership like Cold Case or Without A Trace, for the hope of LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell's overly fussy, overly procedural NCIS derivative step-child.

• At 8, ABC has a new Scrubs, followed by the season (series?) finale of Better Off Ted and new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and Cupid.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of The Mentalist and Without A Trace.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser, followed by a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of American Idol and Fringe.
• The CW has a new Reaper at 8, then a new 90210.
• TNT has the Hawks/Cavaliers game at 8, followed by the Nuggets/Mavericks game.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch.
• Hallmark has the movie Bound By A Secret at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new Rescue Me.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of New York City at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.
• Travel Channel has a new Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.
• Also at 10: History Channel has a new Life After People.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 7, Jimmy Fallon is a guest on G4's Attack of the Show.
• At 8, ABC has two new episodes of According To Jim, followed by new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and Cupid.
• CBS has a new NCIS, then new episodes of The Mentalist and Without a Trace.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of American Idol and Fringe.
• The CW has a new Reaper at 8, followed by a new 90210.
• At 9, PBS has a new Frontline.
• There's a new Food Detectives on Food Network at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 9.
• At 9:30 (or after the Celtics/Bulls game), TNT has the Mavericks/Spurs game).
• At 10, FX has a new Rescue Me.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of New York City at 10.
• History Channel has a new Life After People at 10.
• MTV has a new episode of The Phone.
• At 10:30, TBS has a new My Boys.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Ah, spring. It's the time of year for daffodils, chirping birds ... and cancelling shows.

TV Squad has a rundown of shows that will be renewed, cancelled or are on the bubble. The Hollywood Reporter also has a handy update, and we're sad to see some of our favorite shows are in jeopardy of going dark, including a personal fave, 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.' TV critic Alan Sepinwall also makes a good case to NBC for keeping the action-comedy 'Chuck.'

So, if you had the power to save a show on the bubble, which one would you choose?

• At 8, ABC has two new episodes of According To Jim, then new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and Cupid.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser.
• FOX has two new episodes of American Idol and Fringe.
• The CW has a new Reaper at 8, then a new 90210.
• There's a new Nova on PBS at 8, followed by a new Frontline/World.
• TCM is showing Gone with the Wind at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch, then a new Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment.
• Food Network has a new Food Detectives at 9.
• BBC America has a new Last Restaurant Standing at 9.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new ECW.
• At 10, CBS has a new Without A Trace.
• FX has a new Rescue Me at 10.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of New York City at 10.
• HBO has a new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel at 10.
• Travel Channel has a new Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 8, CBS has a new NCIS, then new episodes of The Mentalist and Without a Trace.
• FOX has a new American Idol at 8, followed by the series premiere of The Osbournes: Reloaded.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• The CW has new episodes of Reaper and 90210.
• There's a new Nova on PBS at 8, then a new Frontline.
• TCM has I Married A Monster From Outer Space at 8, followed by the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has a new Penguins of Madagascar.
• At 9, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by the series premiere of Cupid.
• TNT has two new episodes of Trust Me starting at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 9.
• BBC America has a new Last Restaurant Standing at 9.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Chopped.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of New York City at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Citing "multiple sources," Michael Ausiello is reporting that both Cold Case and Without a Trace might be canceled.

The reason? The usual: ratings and money. The sources say that the ratings that each show gets just don't warrant a renewal for another season. But another source says that they might try to convince the stars and staff to take a pay cut so they can do another year.

I can't say I would miss either of these shows. For a while there, Cold Case was a very effective drama, telling some rather interesting stories and using period music to get the emotion across. I never warmed to Without a Trace. It's not a bad show, it's just that I decided to watch it one night and the episode ended with them finding the body of the kid who was missing the whole episode. What a downer. So I didn't watch it again.

• At 8, ABC has a new Homeland Security, USA.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of The Mentalist and Without A Trace.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, followed by a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has a new, two-hour American Idol.
• At 9, PBS has a new Frontline.
• Food Network has a new Food Detectives at 9.
• BBC America has a new Last Restaurant Standing at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new Primetime: What Would You Do?
• TNT has a new Leverage at 10.
• There's a new Chopped on Food Network at 10.
• FX has a new Nip/Tuck at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County, followed by the season premiere of Real Housewives of New York City.
  

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 8, ABC has a new Homeland Security USA, followed by two new episodes of Scrubs and a new Primetime: What Would You Do?
• NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of American Idol and Fringe.
• There's a new 90210 on The CW at 8,j followed by a new Privileged.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Frontline.
• BBC America has two new episodes of Last Restaurant Standing starting at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 9.
• At 10, CBS has a new Without A Trace.
• TNT has a new Leverage at 10.
• FX has a new Nip/Tuck at 10.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.
• Also at 10: Food Network has a new Chopped.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.