NBC has some good news and bad news for geeks today. On the positive side the network has renewed Chuck, the spy show that's perpetually on the cancellation bubble but has managed to build up a small but loyal audience over the course of four, soon to be five, seasons. Word has it that the fifth will be the last for Chuck, a solid run by any measure. Unfortunately for geeks of the sci-fi stripe, the network has also passed on 17th Precinct, which would have been a miniature Battlestar Galactica reunion, with creator Ron Moore behind it and Tricia Helfer, James Callis and Jamie Bamber all starring.
According to THR the network had to choose between potential fantastical dramas, and 17th Precinct, which took place in a town where magic and supernatural elements are more important than science, lost out to Grimm, a procedural in a world where fairy tales are real. That show was picked up yesterday, so i suppose the writing has been on the wall for 17th. The THR article also has a full list of everything NBC has been picking up, including the Laura Prepon-starring Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea and Bent, a single camera comedy starring Amanda Peet. With the network upfront presentations to advertisers coming next week, there's lots more TV news where this came from.
