renewals

Stan Lee, creator of some of the most recognizable comic book superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, will pop up on The CW's 'Nikita.'

According to IGN, Lee will pop up in the show's fifth episode on Thurs., Oct. 7. So how did 'Nikita' score the comic book legend? Well, apparently series star Maggie Q and Lee met at this year's San Diego Comic Con and the two discussed a cameo. Timing worked out with Lee in Toronto -- where the show films -- for another comic convention, Fan Expo. The rest will be TV history.

In other TV news ...

• NBC has renewed 'America's Got Talent.' The competition series will return next summer for a sixth season. [Live Feed]

• Sal's alive? 'Mad Men' star Bryan Batt has been informed by series creator Matthew Weiner that Sal is not dead. No word on whether the character will pop up at all during the remainder of season 4. [TV Guide]

Happy 10th Season, Carson Daly! Wait, it's been 10 seasons of 'Last Call with Carson Daly'?

According to Variety, NBC has indeed picked up the late night talk show for a season 10. "I really feel that 'Last Call' has hit its stride. It took 10 years, but it feels brand new and great,"Daly told Variety.

NBC also announced that Daly will continue to serve as the host of its New Year's Eve programming.

If you get over the initial shock that 'Last Call' is still on, the late night show's renewal should come as no surprise. With the controversy surrounding Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno earlier this year, NBC made it clear months ago they wanted to keep Daly around, even if they didn't end up giving him the 'Late Night' hosting gig.

USA Network's new CIA-based drama 'Covert Affairs' has been making a killing in the ratings, so much so that it's been renewed for a second season.

According to Deadline Hollywood, the show has continued to bring in more viewers since its July 13 premiere that was seen by 4.9 million viewers; it drew in a series-high 5.4 million viewers on Aug. 17.

'Cover Affairs,' which stars Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham, is currently the highest-rated scripted show premiere in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Here's proof that reboots can work: Syfy has renewed quirky dramedy 'Eureka' for a fifth season.

The show premiered to solid numbers in July with a new storyline that tossed all the major characters into an alternate timeline where things are slightly more off-kilter than usual. The series also added 'Battlestar Galactica' vet James Callis to the cast this year as time-traveling scientist Dr. Charles Grant.

According to a Syfy press release, 'Eureka' is averaging more than 3 million viewers per week, with half of those viewers in the key 18-49 demo.

'The Life & Times of Tim' lives again! After being canceled by HBO, the show was shopped around before finding a home at ... HBO.

Yes, according to Deadline Hollywood, the premium cable channel has picked up the animated series for a 10-episode third season.

The project from MRC and Good Humor TV was canceled by HBO in June and shopped around to TBS, Comedy Central and Adult Swim before landing back at HBO.

Syfy has felt the magic and wants to keep it coming: 'Merlin' season 3 will premiere on the network in early 2011.

'Merlin' first aired on NBC last summer and averaged around 4 million viewers. The series moved to Syfy for its second season, where it averaged 1.28 million viewers, a much larger audience for the network than previous programs in the Friday 10PM timeslot.

"We are thrilled that Syfy will be broadcasting the third series of 'Merlin,'" Johnny Capps, series creator and executive producer, told TV Guide. "The upcoming season will add an exciting new twist to Merlin's ongoing struggle to protect Prince Arthur, as well as thrilling audiences with bigger and bolder action sequences, stunning CGI monsters, mysterious villains and comic fun for all the family."

In other TV news ...

• AMC has officially picked up the untitled drama formerly known as 'The Killing.' The new Seattle-set series follows the murder investigation of a young girl, and is based on the Danish series 'Forbrydelsen.' [Deadline]

• The fifth and final season of 'Friday Night Lights' will premiere on Wed., Oct. 27 on DirecTV. No word on its premiere date on NBC, and no other details have been released about the 13-episode season 5. [Ausiello Files]

• 'Pushing Daisies' creator Bryan Fuller has been tapped to adapt 'The Lotus Caves' for Syfy. The project is based on the popular novel about lunar colonists who discover smart aliens living beyond the colony's borders. [Ausiello Files]

• CBS's new mom-skewed talk show, 'The Talk' will premiere Mon., Oct. 18 at 2PM. The panel of famous moms includes Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Marissa Jaret Winkour. 'The Talk' is replacing the classic soap opera 'As the World Turns.' [CBS]

During the FX executive session in front of TV critics, the cable network's president, Jon Landgraf, made two announcements:

-- 'Louie' is being picked up for a second season, to air around the same mid-summer timeframe when the first season was aired. Even after five weeks, Landgraf was very happy with the show's performance, citing audience growth via DVR of over 60 percent for last week's episode.

-- The network has picked up a new series from Ben Grant and Tom Lennon from 'Reno 911!' Called, 'USS Alabama,' this is a mostly-improvised show about a dimwitted crew on a space station. So think the dimwitted cops in Reno, translated to space. Yes, sounds pretty funny to me, too.

More from FX later today...

To say TNT "knows drama" is an understatement. The cable network known for churning out fan-favorite crime dramas has just renewed three shows, including 'The Closer,' one of its biggest hits.

Joining 'The Closer' in renewal is 'Leverage' and the freshman drama 'Rizzoli & Isles.' 'The Closer' and 'Leverage' received a 15-episode order each, 'Rizzoli & Isles' was picked up for 13.

"TNT has enjoyed tremendous success on Sunday and Monday nights with 'Leverage,' 'The Closer' and 'Rizzoli & Isles,'" Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, said in a statement. "All three shows feature terrific casts, sharp writing and top-notch production teams. We look forward to continued success with new seasons in 2011."

Looks like the new kid on the block is earning some respect. ABC has reportedly picked up freshman summer series 'Rookie Blue' for a second season.

The new police drama about a group of fresh-faced cops earned the renewal after only three weeks on the air, reports The Live Feed.

The show's ratings haven't been stellar, but they've been decent enough for a new summer series featuring a cast of relative unknowns. (Having a hit show like 'Wipeout' as a lead-in has its advantages.)

The Disney Channel's 'Good Luck Charlie' is only in its first season, but it has already proven to be popular enough to get renewed for a second and to get its own original movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'Charlie' season 2 is likely to debut next year, and Disney is also planning an original movie based on the show that would feature the show's cast.

'Charlie' is Disney's top-rated series among kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, and averages 4.1 million viewers per week. TV by the Numbers reported that the April series debut drew 5.1 million viewers, and that many adults watched with their kids.

'True Blood' has been renewed for a fourth season, HBO announced in a press release today.

"The new season of TRUE BLOOD is off to a terrific start, as enthusiasm for this unique show continues to build among both subscribers and critics," said Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. "We're looking forward to more chills from Alan Ball and his gifted team next year."

"I am beyond thrilled to be able to continue working with this amazing cast and crew," said creator Alan Ball. "This is the most fun I have ever had."

Season 4 will kick off in summer 2011, according to the release.

The pick-up order was to be expected, considering the show has regularly pulled in high numbers for HBO. Last Sunday's third-season premiere, for example, drew an impressive 5.1 million viewers, up 38 percent from last season.

To read more about 'True Blood,' check out our recap of last night's episode.

'Miss America' has booked a three-year deal with ABC that will bring the beauty pageant back to network television for the first time since 2004.

According to the AP, ABC plans to air next year's competition live on Jan. 15.

The news should come as a sigh of relief to fans of the longrunning pageant, which was dropped by TLC in March, despite a relatively decent performance in the ratings.

'Miss America' has shuffled across numerous channels over the years, including NBC, CBS and CMT.

This is just the latest pageant renewal in recent months. In March, NBC signed a three-year deal with the Miss Universe Organization to continue broadcasting the 'Miss Universe' and 'Miss USA' pageants.

'Miss America' will celebrate its 90th anniversary in January.

The dynamic duo of gameshows, 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' have been renewed through 2014.

According to The Wrap, ABC-owned stations have reached a two-year renewal deal with CBS Television Distribution to keep the shows on Disney TV stations through the 2013-14 season. 'Wheel' host Pat Sajak and 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek have also extended their contracts with Sony Pictures Television, the producer of the two shows.

However, CBS Television Distribution also needs to renew 'Wheel' and 'Jeopardy!' to many non-ABC stations that air the show.

The battle is on for the last few spots in next fall's television line-up and according to the Hollywood Reporter, it's coming down to the wire for some of television's longest-running and most buzzed about shows.

While it's still too early to tell just how the chips will fall, since many networks are still waiting to evaluate its crop of new pilots, several shows that were once the talk of Hollywood appear to be on the chopping block. Among those shows unlikely to return: 'FlashForward,' 'Numb3rs' and 'Cold Case.'

Fox's recent decision to renew 'Fringe' for a third season came as a surprise to some, but it probably wasn't a shock to most fans. The Thursday night sci-fi show isn't exactly a ratings blockbuster, but there are other factors keeping 'Fringe' in play, including its devoted fan base and its excellent pedigree (the show is produced by the in-demand J.J. Abrams and supergeeks of the moment Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman).

Despite delivering some truly thrilling episodes this season, 'Fringe' continues to slip in the ratings. Surprisingly, Fox doesn't seem too concerned about the show's low Nielsen rankings. According to TVbytheNumbers.com, Fox has picked up 'Fringe' for a full 22-episodes. Not 9, not 13, but a full 22!

That's quite a show of faith from the network known for greenlighting great sci-fi shows ('Firefly,' 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles') only to strangle them with inept scheduling before laying them out on the chopping block.