Upfront Aftermath: 5/17/11

Not surprised that NBC cancelled the silly and somewhat offensive Outsourced, along with Law & Order: LA. The latter just never got any traction. The last show standing in the L&A franchise will be Law & Order: SVU, when L&O: Criminal Intent finishes its run on cable.

But get this: word is out that Mariska Hargitay will be getting a promotion on the show, and either leaving the series for good, or at least not being on the show as often. Hargitay had a good run. Sorry to see her go. But who would replace her? Rumor has it that it Jennifer Love Hewitt is in the running. Yes, the Ghost Whisperer. Hewitt seems to have friends in Hollywood, which is nice for her, because I just don’t understand her appeal. Maybe she can bring some fire to her potential stint on L&O: SVU. She already had a good turn as one of the special victims, a season or two back. However, I remain skeptical.

Over on ABC, they finally put Brothers and Sisters out of its misery. I actually liked this show in the beginning. But then, it began running on hyper drive, with episodes wrapped up a little too likkety-split. I did, however, appreciate the love story between the homosexual couple, Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty Wandell (Luke MacFarlane). It was sweet, without being cloy, and sexual without being lurid. I do believe this is one of the first TV series to depict a gay couple in a real and dignified way.

Not so happy to see the cancellation of Mr. Sunshine, the Matthew Perry (best known for Friends) vehicle that featured a very funny turn by Allison Janney (The West Wing) as his loopy, self-centered boss. Buh-bye also to Detroit 1-8-7. The cop drama starring Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) really found it’s stride. And like Chicago Code (Fox) another cop drama that was also cancelled, I so appreciated the urban, Midwestern settings.

Coming up: more about ABC, then moving on to CBS, and the CW. Read about Fox and more about NBC in this week's TV Eye.