Hey Southland fans: sorry about the cancellation and everything. But NBC has ordered more episodes of Chuck! Woo-hoo!

Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly is reporting that NBC has upped the episode order from 13 to 19. Not sure why they didn't just make it 22 (a full season), but regardless, this must mean that NBC really wants to get behind the show. Or they realized they really don't have anything else in the wings and want to please the fans they do have.

CBS has ordered six more episodes of Million Dollar Password. This is probably because the show, hosted by Regis Philbin, has become extremely popular. Over four broadcasts, Million Dollar Password placed first in ratings in its time period. It also placed first among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. The show is averaging 9.46 million viewers. Looks like CBS has the right idea with ordering up some more.

A few weeks ago, Joel talked about the appeal of Password. Perhaps, it's the celebrities they secured to come play: Neil Patrick Harris, Rachel Ray, Betty White, Tony Hawk and Rosie O'Donnell. But I think it's the power of the Regis. Everything that man touches turns to gold. Remember the craze that accompanied Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? I can't hear that theme music and envision the dramatic lights even now as I write this.

Million Dollar Password airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on CBS. Are you hooked enough to watch six more episodes?

Despite mediocre ratings and equally mediocre reviews (including mine), CBS has been happy enough with The Class to order more episodes of the "half-hour comic-sudser," as Variety so adroitly called it.

But the show is not getting the entire "back nine" just yet. According to that Variety article, CBS is hoping the mid-season show Rules of Engagement, starring David Spade and Patrick Warburton, will work well in the Monday comedy block where The Class currently resides.

Another article, on USAToday.com, says that newer episodes of the show will concentrate on fewer characers.

Not only is NBC not going to pull ER at midseason as originally planned (it's had a rebirth in the ratings), but they are upping the episode order from 22 to 25. That should please longtime fans (and tick off people who think ER shouldn't have been put to bed years ago).

The news is not so good for the ABC midseason replacement Traveler, about a friend who frames two best friends for a bombing (the preview looks great). ABC has chopped that order from 13 episodes to 8 episodes, so they can wrap up the storyline. Hmmm...maybe this is the first proof that the networks are beginning to understand viewer frustration at getting into serialized dramas and then leaving viewers hanging by cancelling the shows after only a few episodes.