According a recent Deadline report, however, a trio of recent offerings may not live to see another season.

COMMON LAW, for starters, has likely nabbed its final suspect. USA has let allowed the options on its stars’ contracts run out and showrunner Craig Sweeny is now an executive producer on CBS’ Elementary.

FAIRLY LEGAL, which barely received a second season renewal, is also unlikely to return next summer.

The odds for a third season of NECESSARY ROUGHNESS, meanwhile, stand at “50/50” according to a network insider.

If all get the axe, which of these programs will you miss the most?

The post USA Network Status Updates: Common Law, Necessary Roughness, Fairly Legal appeared first on TV Fanatic.

With the excitement of the Fall TV season on the horizon, many fans are wondering about the status of their favorite summer program.

Indeed, with futures are on the lines – both in the business and on the living room sofa – it’s time to assess the futures of various shows. Which do you hope to see return next year and which should fade into the sunset?

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Franklin & Bash (TNT) The bad boys of summer law just concluded their second season. Will unconventional tactics and frat boy humor earn them a season three?

Common Law (USA) Will these estranged partners find their way back to the therapist’s couch next summer? Or is this the end of a difficult partnership?

Fairly Legal (USA) Kate Reed finally moved on from ex Justin and unwittingly moved in next door to the firm’s naughty new partner, Ben. Will there be love… and a third season in Kate’s future?

Alphas (SyFy) Will the Alphas continue to protect the universe from wayward alphas in 2013?

Warehouse 13 (SyFy) Can we expect a fifth season of the Secret Service team neutralizing supernatural artifacts? Or will it follow Eureka into SyFy history?

Necessary Roughness (USA) Dr. Dani’s got her hands full with a pill-popping star patient and a complicated love life. Will treatment include more episodes?

The LA Complex (CW) L.A. is a tough town to break into and The L.A. Complex hasn’t had an easy go of it in the ratings. Is there any hope of a call back?

Political Animals (USA) Will Elaine successfully run for office? Will her family survive? And will this “limited series” return for a second summer run?

Saving Hope has already been renewed in Canada for season two. Will NBC pick up the option to show it here in the states despite shaky ratings?

Which show is your top pick to return next year?

The post Summer Show-Down: Renew or Replace? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Did the finale do enough to warrant a renewal from USA? Are you hoping this is the case? Before we look too far ahead, let’s take a look back at Season 1 via the following TV Fanatic Report Card…

Best Episode: The season finale, “Gun!” Warren Kole and Michael Ealy their best performances. The emotion was spot on and I really felt like I got to know Wes and Travis in a way we hadn’t quite come to understand them as partners and friends. It added depth to the show and had me really disappointed that there weren’t any new episodes until, potentially, next summer.

Best Therapy Session: Dr. Ryan’s homework from “Odd Couples,” where Wes and Travis attempted to walk in each other’s shoes (and wardrobes). I have never seen two people more determined to out-mimic each other.

Most Awkward Moment: Wes and then Travis’ fantasies about Dr. Ryan in “Hot For Teacher.” I just couldn’t handle it.

Chances for Renewal: USA Network has a strong tradition of renewing their original programming. Even though I believe Common Law had some opportunities to perform more strongly despite the difficult Friday night time slot and struggled a little bit to hit its stride, there’s plenty of story left in this show.

Hopes/ Predictions For Next Season: That Sutton returns to counseling with Dr. Ryan, with or without his wife…. I want to meet more of Travis’ foster families/siblings… also, more Alex. I realize she and Wes aren’t together anymore, but I really liked her… I want to meet Wes’ parents.

Overall Grade: B

Your turn, TV Fanatics. What grade would you give Common Law Season 1?

The post Common Law Season 1 Report Card: B appeared first on TV Fanatic.

From finding out what brought our boys to couples therapy, to watching them take down the man responsible for the death of their friend, this episode was certainly one to make you stand up and cheer.

Failing to fit in with their new therapy group was likely the best thing that ever happened to these two. Then again, their new therapist needed therapy himself. So it was probably better they got out while they could.

So, we finally know how Wes came to pull that gun on Travis. More importantly, we now know how the duo met.

It was great to learn about David Pack, better known as Pack-man. It seemed like the three of them were pretty tight, as if Pack-man was confident they could get it right when it came to taking down whoever was killing all those prostitutes. He knew it would be the beginning of a “beautiful friendship.” In many ways, Wes and Travis owed him for their success.

It’s interesting to note that, in many ways, Wes and Travis only really came together as partners in order to try and nail that dirty rotten scoundrel, John Crowell. It was their mutual respect for Pack-man and their desire to see the people responsible brought to justice.

The story of Wes pulling the gun on Travis was not one of anger and disagreement, it was one of a friend trying to help a grieving friend about to make a mistake he was going to regret dearly. In many ways, Wes’ actions were heroic. It cost them both in some way, most notably in forcing them to go to couples therapy.

Crowell seemed like quite the villain. However, it might have been more fun to have watched them attempt to take him down little by little. It would have required they spill the beans about what led them to Dr. Ryan a little sooner, but the way things played out tonight was a real highlight of this series so far!

Highlights from the episode:

• Stormfront! Nice tactic, boys.
• The evidence from previous cases that appeared during the chase montage. If the show had ended tonight, it would have been a great way to go out.
• Seeing Pack-man tell them to shake hands at the end as a flashback.

Thank you for a great first season Common Law. Now, USA Network, let’s greenlight that second one…

The post Common Law Season Finale Review: Thank You appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Now the series only has one more episode to prove it’s strong enough to hang with the rest of USA Network’s more well-established heavyweights.

The complicated plot that tied in Robert to the crime could have been executed with a bit more finesse. There was a lot of mob-like activity and complication that almost completely drowned out his participation, save the bribe.

That alone should not have been enough grounds to completely dissolve the pending nuptials between Dr. Ryan and Robert. Unless I don’t understand how key the issue of trust is to the good doctor, I would think they would have perhaps found some way to work through the issues, especially if they loved one another enough to be considering marriage.

These gripes aside, there was then the utter awkwardness that this episode evoked with regard to Wes’ and then Travis’ rather salacious dreams about Dr. Ryan. The concept was entertaining for the first 15 minutes at best. Then it immediately got old and out of place in conjunction with the rest of the episode.

I do believe that Wes and Travis’ intrusion into the case involving Dr. Ryan’s fiance did venture into the realm of unprofessional, especially given the explicit orders not to pursue it. It would have been completely unbelievable had there been no consequences at all.

Having seen the trailer for next week’s episode, however, it now appears that the diluted plot-line of this week’s hour was almost exclusively concocted to set up the season finale. The writers needed some incident so appalling to Dr. Ryan and whose consequences were so distressing to Wes and Travis that drastic action had to be taken to rectify the situation. That action appears to be the revelation about just how they ended up in therapy to place them back in the good doctor’s good graces.

I believe this is where the show got it right. The moments that included Dr. Ryan’s announcement that Wes and Travis were no longer going to be her patients and the developing fallout from that decision was the strongest way the episode could have ended. That was compelling to me.

What I think the writers need to gain a better grasp of is the balance between the serial weekly stories and the underlying plot that make up the most compelling element of this show. It’s what this show was developed and marketed on: Two partners in therapy who need to work out their issues in a group setting. That’s where the money is at, so to speak.

Next week is the litmus test of all litmus tests for this show. I’m just hoping they have what it takes to push through and make renewal not just a dream, but a reality.

Do you think this show has what it takes, Commoners?

The post Common Law Review: Just a Dream? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The prime suspect, John Crowell, admitted to the murder after it became clear he could no longer be tried. In a moment of grief and anger, Travis attempted to go after him with his gun. Wes, attempting to stop him, threatened to shoot, landing them in therapy.

In the present day, Wes and Travis attempt to take down Crowell and his men. Though their first shot landed them in the hot seat at the department and threatened their continued partnership, a second wind caught them not only a reinstatement, but a reprieve on the previous sanctions that sent them to counseling in the first place.

The post Common Law Season 1 Episode 12 Recap: Gun! appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Seeing the “ghost[s] of future Wes [and Travis]” was an entertaining concept… but the fact it was intertwined with a case whose content was complicated, to say the least, felt a bit like the show biting off more than it could chew.

Similarly, I felt like we’d seen Wes and Travis observe each other in a similar manner when they switched wardrobes a few episodes back. I don’t think it makes a difference whether Wes and Travis have the potential to transform into their mentors, Fred and Dan. What matters is that we’ve done this plot-line before.

I did find that Fred and Dan were different in that they had traits about them that you might expect Wes and Travis to develop when they got older. Wes will likely have a small dog of some kind as his constant companion which he allows to travel with him everywhere. I could see that. In that same vein, Travis will likely own a “Trudy” whose aesthetics are questionable, but which holds significant sentimental value as his vehicle.

Furthermore, the content of the therapy sessions and its subsequent place within the episode is becoming increasingly predictable. Comparing the arrival of Fred and Dan to that of in-laws was not too hard to see coming. It’s application, however, was limited.

There are only two episode left in this freshman season, and they have a lot to prove before it becomes a matter of whether or not this show should be renewed. Generally shows that air on Friday nights perform questionably unless accompanied by a strong lead-in or cult following.

I’m pulling so hard for Common Law to have the wherewithal to get renewed because I think this show deserves it. Will the network agree with me? And is there a game plan that will get this show to the top of its renewal list?

It will be a long time before this show has a chance to come back and knock our socks off, so it should be leaving us with some powerful final episodes to leave us wanting it to come back!

What do you think, Commoners? Do you think the show has become repetitive in some respects? Does it have something unexpected up its sleeve to wow us in the near future?

The post Common Law Review: Waiting for Truth appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The post Common Law Season 1 Episode 11 Recap: Hot For Teacher appeared first on TV Fanatic.

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The explosion of grenades that began this episode had nothing on the bombs that dropped between Wes and Travis during therapy. From Travis revealing Wes’ tendencies to erupt like a volcano after accumulating a laundry list of complaints, to admitting that his cleanliness at home was a reflection of much deeper psychological significance, a lot came out between this pair.

Where sharing a dog seemed like laborious task last Friday, sharing a confined space for the purposes of a case was a much more taxing endeavor, even in surroundings as luxurious as those they in which they resided.

A patter had emerged with regards to these two characters, especially as it concerns their progress in therapy. They seem to do the most soul searching when they seek to out-do one another or participate in competition to see who can either solve  the case first, personally apprehend a suspect or even just to write.

Remember when they switched places? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a set of individuals more set on portraying the other more accurately, or insist that the portrayal was correct than these two. In the end, though, they learned that they are best being who they are for a reason.

This week, they leveled with each other in different ways. Travis told Wes what he needed from him in terms of having his back when he has a hunch about a case, how he feels about never knowing what Wes is thinking, and the real reason behind his cleanliness habits around the house. Wes gained from those perspectives, most notably when he came to back Travis up when he encountered Lisa and the prison guard.

I particularly enjoyed the mastermind thief plotline, even through to the twist, which put a spin on it that I think was fitting of these two crime solvers. If only Lisa Clark had kept it about the story……

Did anyone feel deeply saddened by the sub-plot involving Capt. Sutton. I can’t believe his wife stood him up! I think their relationship is in a state of disrepair that perhaps not even therapy can assuage. If anything, it demonstrates no relationship can be completely cured, not even if you’re as gung-ho about therapy as the Captain.

Highlights from this episode:

• Grenades exploding and a mastermind thief going free in the first few minutes of the episode.
• Travis gorging on the chicken meal Wes made for himself out of spite.
• Wes attributing Lisa’s shady behavior as a sign of “taste” in men that weren’t Travis.
• Wes and Travis intimidating the pizza guy, especially when Travis got in his face and called him a liar.
• The boys failing to “visualize a positive outcome” with Sutton, and choosing to quietly exit instead.
• Travis making Wes think his mike was broken.
• The boys breaking the thermometer.

I was disheartened to hear that there are only three episodes left in Common Law’s first season. I have high expectations for them, because there’s so much I still want to learn about these guys before the show goes into limbo.

What are you hoping to learn about these characters before the first season ends?

The post Common Law Review: Testing…? appeared first on TV Fanatic.