the deep end

If fans of ABC's mind-bending sci-fi series 'FlashForward' sometimes feel like the show's labyrinthine plot is having an affect on their sanity, there's bad news, because the network is about to send viewers completely off 'The Deep End.'

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ABC has scheduled the premiere of their new drama 'The Deep End' for Thursday, January 21, in the time slot normally belonging to 'FlashForward.' That's because the network also recently announced that the struggling time-travel mystery has had its second half debut pushed back to March, leaving a gap in the lineup.

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I'm sort of glad to hear that Mehcad Brooks is leaving HBO's True Blood to join the cast of ABC's midseason legal drama The Deep End. At least, I hope that's what it means.

Between his character Benedict "Eggs" Talley, whiny Tara Thornton, and shaky Maryann Forrester, I won't be sorry to see that whole storyline come to an end. And if my recent conversation with Alan Ball means what I think it means, Brooks probably won't be returning. Well, maybe. Stay tuned for that interview.

It looks like ABC is prepping Flash Forward to eventually succeed Lost, which is slated to end next season. Flash Forward, a mythology-laden show based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel, is only one of six new dramas the network has ordered for next fall.

Continuing its trend of green lighting quirky, high-concept shows, ABC is moving ahead with V, a revamp of the 1980s sci-fi series/miniseries, and Eastwick, a character-centric drama based on the John Updike novel and the Jack Nicholson movie, The Witches of Eastwick. Actor Paul Gross will play the Nicholson role on Eastwick.