Hot on the heels of news that Davd E. Kelley's reworking of 'Wonder Woman' has bitten the dust, we hear that the rebooted 'Rockford Files' has also been nixed. Again. At least for now.

According to deadline.com, NBC has closed the book on the series for the current development season after writer David Shore found himself committed full-time to his duties on 'House.' With Shore unable to focus on 'The Rockford Files,' the project has been shelved.

The veteran Fox medical drama had planned an ambitious multi-episode arc featuring Dr. House on the road. However, when that arc was scrapped in the advanced stages, Shore had to jump in and help re-break stories for a significant portion of the season, which also recently grew larger after Fox ordered an extra episode.

NBC has just realized something: you have to spend money if you want good TV shows.

OK, maybe "realized" isn't the best word to use. More like "remembered." NBC chairman Jeff Gaspin tells The New York Times that the network is changing its strategy and will pay to get some good shows on the network.

For starters, they've ordered almost 20 new pilots this season -- scripted dramas and comedies -- up from ten last season. Instead of strictly going by the numbers and looking for a big profit margin and trying to cut costs in every way possible, they're looking for good shows they can stick with.

Dermot Mulroney is headed to the small screen.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mulroney will star in the much anticipated NBC reboot of the 'Rockford Files.' In it, Mulroney will play the titular character, Jim Rockford, a "slightly crumpled" and "cynical" man who is "easily irritated by morons." Already, it's safe to say that Rockford will encounter many of them along the way.

The role was famously originated by James Garner, who led the show for six seasons on NBC. During that time, 'Rockford Files' won a slew of Emmys, including Best Actor in a Drama Series (Garner) in 1977 and Best Drama Series in 1978. The show was subsequently nominated for its final two seasons.

Do you ever wonder why TV networks spend so much time and money updating old TV shows for the modern times, even though they are almost always doomed to fail? No, it's not due to some clinical mental illness.

It's simple: they attract attention, according to an article by The New York Times' Bill Carter.

The nostalgia angle alone makes it a self-marketing giant. It's no wonder that CBS has a Hawaii Five-O rehash, NBC has a new Rockford Files and ABC is bringing Charlie's Angels back from the dead. The only problem? They usually suck.

So is there a chance any of the aforementioned might work?

Question: Is The Sopranos the best drama in the history of television, or is it one of the best dramas in the history of television that often gets the top spot because it's fairly recent?

That's one of the questions to ponder as you read AOL's Top 50 Dramas Of All-Time list. The Sopranos comes in at number one.

It's not a bad list, actually. When you narrow down a TV show to a specific genre and go all the way up to 50, most of the shows we would all pick will show up on the list: The X-Files, Deadwood, The Rockford Files, Mad Men, St. Elsewhere, Columbo, The Wire. Those are all classic dramas (and good ones) that you would expect to see.

One thing I didn't expect to see? Friday Night Lights in the number 10 spot, ahead of all the shows I just mentioned above.

Sometimes it's really easy to forget that some of your favorite stars are getting up there in age. For example, Rockford Files/8 Simple Rules star James Garner.

The veteran actor, now 80, suffered a minor stroke the other day. Entertainment Tonight is reporting that he had surgery and will be home later this week. No other details are available at this time (even that ET page above is rather brief), but he seems to be doing well. I'm sure the TV show will have more information later today.

Older fans will remember Garner from such shows as Nichols. Really old fans will remember him from the '50s western Maverick (a role he reprised in the early '80s series Bret Maverick). Checking his credits, I completely forgot that he played God in the short-lived animated series God, The Devil, and Bob in 2000. Of course, I forget that show in general.

[via TV Tattle]

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Hazel Court: She was the actress known as the "Scream Queen." Besides appearing in such classic horror flicks as The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, and The Curse of Frankenstein, she also did a lot of TV, including episodes of The Twilight Zone, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Burke's Law, The Wild, Wild West, Gidget, Thriller, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rawhide, McMillan & Wife, and many other shows. She died of a heart attack at age 82.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Pete Wilson: He was a veteran, award-winning news anchor and talk show host for California TV station KGO-TV. Over the years he also worked for KRON-TV and KTXL-TV. He died in Palo Alto from a heart attack during surgery. He was 62.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• American Dad - Vol. 2
• Banacek - Season 1
• Coach - Season 2
• Curious George - Rocket Ride and Other Adventures
• ER - Season 7
• Frasier - Season 9
• Home Improvement - Season 6
• M*A*S*H - Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
• Martin - Season 2
• Masters of Horror - Right To Die
• Monarch of the Glen - Series 6
• Playboy After Dark - Collection 2
• A Pup Named Scooby-Doo - Vol. 6
• The Rockford Files - Season 4
• Tom and Jerry - Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection
• Tom and Jerry Tales - Vol. 2
• The War At Home - Season 1
• Wings - Season 4

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores today.

• Captain N: The Game Master - Complete Series
• DaVinci's Inquest - Season 1
• Dog The Bounty Hunter - Best of Season 3
• The Doris Day Show - Season 4
• The Flip Wilson Show - Best Of Flip Wilson
• Ghostbusters - Vol. 1
• Girlfriends - Season 1
• The Immortal - Complete Series
• Magnum, P.I. - Season 6
• Reno 911 - Most Wanted Uncensored
• The Rockford Files - Season 3