spin off

It's called General Hospital: Night Shift, and it is, as the title indicates, a spinoff of General Hospital. The new series, set to premiere on SOAPnet this summer with thirteen episodes, will flesh out the stories from General Hospital and delve deeper into the characters and their lives. Really, it's more of an extension of a series than a bona fide spinoff, but whatever you call it, it's a clever idea. If ever a series had a built-in fanbase, it's this one. The new series will be written by General Hospital head writer Robert Guza, Jr., and executive produced by General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps.

This is just part of SOAPnet's plan to extend beyond daytime programming: the cable channel will also begin airing episodes of The OC and One Tree Hill starting April 9. SOAPnet recently acquired the rights to all seasons of both series.

[via TV Filter]

Good news for sci-fi fans in general, and Dr. Who fans specifically. The BBC is reporting that the first two episodes of Torchwood scored the biggest audience for a non sports program on a digital channel ever. Captain Jack was topped by two football matches from 2004 and 2005, no pun intended. One would assume that the great ratings bode well for the continuation of all things Dr. Who. And I am always happy to see positive press for any sci-fi show.

Torchwood is written by Russell T Davies, who also wrote for Dr. Who, and stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. Spun off of Dr. Who, the series follows a team of investigators as they solve crimes, both alien and human. There is more info at the show's website, and a good interview with Barrowman on the BBC's page.

It worked for Mork and Mindy, The Jeffersons, and those crafty crime scene detectives in Miami and New York, so why not Rosie? Now, the cynic in me also has that little voice in the back of his head whispering Joanie Loves Chachi, Joey, and Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, but let's give this one the benefit of the doubt until we know more.

Rumor has it that FX is considering a half hour spinoff featuring O'Donnell's character from the upcoming season of Nip/Tuck. The as yet nameless series would be written by Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy. There is no official word on the show at this time, but when asked if she was considering the show by a fan on her website Rosie answered 'yes'. Take that for what it is.

The new season of Nip/Tuck premieres September 5th on FX and will be covered each and every week here at TV Squad. More info on Rosie's Nip/Tuck character after the jump, with small spoilers.

[via The TV Remote ]