Those who have had the stomach to sit through the post-departure of Steve Carell from The Office know that the show hasn’t had the same excitement and originality it had when he was attached. Since Helms and newcomer James Spader have taken the lead in the show, it’s become less about the boss and more about the employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

That’s probably why NBC is contemplating taking the show’s standout character, Dwight Shrute, and giving him his own spin-off, a la NBC’s move with Friends and Joey. We all remember how that ended. THR has the scoop.

Reports of NBC eyeing a potential spin-off centered around Rainn Wilson’s quirky Dwight Schrute character are indeed true, according to a well-placed source. The idea would be to further explore the Shrute family farm, with multiple generations of Schrutes involved. The comedy concept could get a test of sorts on an episode of The Office later this season.

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Just when you started to think that Walking Dead was slipping after a sub-par batch of episodes in Season 2, AMC wants to prove you wrong. The critically acclaimed network is bringing the show back in a few weeks with the rest of Season 2, but they’ve also just put in a massive order for another 16 episodes, which basically means we’ll be getting a third season.

Sure, Darabont may have left the project with a bunch of confused writers and lack of general direction, but that isn’t going to stop Kirkman, Nicotero, Gale Anne Hurd, and the rest of the producers and writers from trying to make this show the best damned zombie series on TV again.

Here’s what the network had to say about its favorite series in a recent press release.

Season 2 of the critically acclaimed global hit series continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history against Adults 18-49, as well as, top international pay-TV ratings on Fox International Channels’ (FIC) major markets. The Walking Dead is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics.

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For those who are stuck in the box of US television, and have yet to venture into the exciting world of British TV, you’ve missed quite a bit. Sure, there are the hits like Doctor Who and Sherlock, but one show that doesn’t get nearly as much play as it should is the E4 series Misfits.

Just finishing up its 3rd season, the show follows a band of teen troublemakers who, while stuck on a chain gang for community service, are struck by lighting, granting them superpowers to do whatever they choose. We wish that was all the show was about, but it’s managed to become one of the best shows on TV in only 21 episodes.

This past season saw the departure of the show’s lead comedic relief, Robert Sheehan, and the introduction of This is England’s Joseph Gilgun. Now, with two more characters leaving the show in the season 3 finale, we can expect to see the show make a return for a fourth year.

We don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t caught up, but you can catch up on Misfits over on HULU.com. Not even the show’s creator has a clue where the band of juvenile delinquents are headed next year, but we definitely know that it will involve plenty of superpowers, and tons of swearing.

Can’t wait!

NBC is under major scrutiny from fans as of late with their ballsy decision to pull fan-favorite Community from their Spring lineup. With that, fans have had a major outpour as to how pissed they are with NBC’s decision. Even TV Guide proved how important the show is to its dedicated community.

Now, the geniuses behind the show itself are working for your sympathy itself by putting together a campaign video to safe the show’s fictional setting, Greendale Community College.

Sure, there are a few character moments here, but also some sincerity as to where this show is going, and that it may never come back. Take a look at the heartwarming video after the jump and join the fight by signing the Save Community online petition.

Let’s win this one!

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Coming off of the heels of potentially tragic news in the world of comedy television in NBC putting Community on ice, there is some excellent news to brighten our spirits. Comedy Central has agreed to renew South Park through its full 20 seasons, bringing it through 2016.

Deadline was able to nail down the comedic duo of Matt Stone and Trey Parker to see what they had to say.

Parker and Stone will continue to write, direct and edit every episode of South Park, as they have since the series’ premiere in 1997. “The collective genius of Matt and Trey knows no bounds,” Comedy Central’s president Michele Ganeless said. “Week after week and season after season they continue to surprise and delight South Park fans, and that includes all of us here at Comedy Central. We’re thrilled that the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman will continue through 2016.”

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Sometimes news comes through that will just ruin your day. For fans of the NBC comedy Community, that day may just be today. On Tuesday, NBC announced their midseason schedule, and while a few shows got an extension, one fan favorite may be facing the chopping block at the end of the season.

In order to make room for shows they believe in such as Up All Night and 30 Rock, the network has decided to not order any new episodes of Dan Harmon’s Community for the midseason, leaving them on hiatus until further notice. Whether or not this means the show is getting cancelled has yet to be decided, but it does mean that we may not get any more Community until as early as the Summer.

Also going through some changes at the network: Whitney will be moved to Wednesday nights into a block with Chelsea Handler’s new sitcom. Prime Suspect has also been put on the bench until further notice, and the legal drama Murphey’s Law got a full season order.

With the network rocking last place in the ratings, it only makes sense that they would make some drastic changes to stir up the status quo. Fans are already crying out to make sure their favorite show doesn’t get the axe, but it may take a lot in order to convince NBC otherwise.

Take a look at the new midseason schedule after the jump.

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When AMC’s The Walking Dead hit it big last year, we knew that TV studios and management companies would be capitalizing on the trend and pushing as many of their horror TV projects they have to the top of the greenlight list. The true test, however, is whether any of those shows would turn out to be decent.

Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story has proven that fact with only a handful of episodes, and FX has taken notice as well. The cable network has just announced a second season for the show. THR has the official word from the network.

“It’s one thing to have the ambition and guts to reinvent a genre in a way that makes it captivatingly fresh for a broad audience — it’s something else entirely to have the craft to back that ambition up,” said FX president and GM Jon Landgraf. “Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have hit the trifecta withNip/Tuck, Glee and now American Horror Story, which will be scaring FX’s viewers to death for many years to come.”

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For the past year, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim has been branching into less of the animated comedy and more into live action spoofs. It started by bringing Rob Corddry’s Childrens Hospital from the web to the TV, and continuing with Paul Scheer’s NTSF:SD:SUV::. With Hospital into its third season, it looks like the network’s second spoof is getting some love too.

NTSF has been picked up for a second season, and will continue to rip on shows like 24 and every CSI show on the air. Here’s the official press release for more:

The ratings have consistently built throughout the first season and we love what we’re seeing from the show,” said Mike Lazzo, head of Adult Swim, “and how can you not love SUVs?”

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With a full year of mediocre shows hitting this fall, it was a race to the finish line to see which would be the first to make it to the chopping block. While our money was on Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing, it turns out NBC was the first to buckle with their controversial new show The Playboy Club.

After making tons of waves with the PTC, it turns out the ratings just weren’t enough to sustain the potential legal and PR issues, as NBC has given it the axe after three lackluster episodes. From EW:

NBC’s biggest primetime gamble just became the first cancelled show of the season: The Playboy Club has been pulled from the network’s schedule.

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Loving the amnesia, ghost dad, and were-panther rape storylines happening in this season of True Blood? HBO thinks so, as they have officially OK’d a fifth season of the vampire-loving series based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

This season we have seen some pretty impressive story devices, from villification of our favorite characters to new love triangles to a few dead characters, the hits keep coming in the fourth season of this popular HBO series. Here’s what HBO has to say about bringing it back for another 12 episodes.

“I am thrilled that True Blood continues to enjoy a phenomenal reception from both subscribers and critics,” says HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo. “Alan Ball and his gifted team have devised the greatest thrill ride on TV.”

Ball adds, “I remain amazed and delighted by the enthusiasm of our viewers. I can’t imagine having more fun than this.”

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Apparently, the Christian Slater TV curse is starting to affect shows he’s not even on. Although, I guess we can’t really blame him for these latest Fox cancellations.

After all, the writing was pretty much on the wall for Human Target already, what with the eleventh-hour renewal last year. That’s right folks, late yesterday Fox announced the cancellation of Human Target, Breaking In and The Chicago Code.

Even though Human Target had been given a second season, the show had continually struggled in the ratings and I was actually surprised it came back for season two at all. It’s sad, though, as the show was really finding just the right blend of action, drama and humor with a cast that was clicking very well.

Same with Chicago Code. It was an interesting show that really seemed to be finding its way.

Oh well. I though the same thing about Firefly, Dollhouse and a lot of other shows and look where that got me.

As for Slater’s show, even though it started strong with a good lead in from American Idol, it was just a matter of time. Apparently, audiences don’t want to see Slater on TV. Perhaps he should go back to making movies?

With Human Target gone, Smallville ending this week and Chuck currently on the bubble for next year, there’s only a few genre shows left on network TV. What to watch?

At least we still have Fringe — for now.

It must be nice not to have to worry so much about ratings and instead focus primarily on quality. Oh, to have those kinds of problems like premiere cable netwrok HBO. What have they done this time?

Much like they did previously with shows such as Boardwalk Empire and Treme, HBO has given the greenlight for another season to its new drama Game of Thrones after only airing the premiere episode — even though its rating didin’t set any records. The ratings were solid, coming in between other premieres such as True Blood and Boardwalk Empire, but it’s the show itself that earned another season.

“We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin’s amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers,” HBO’s head of programming Michael Lombardo said.

For its debut at 9 PM on Sunday, the show drew 2.2 million viewers, down 54% from the September premiere of Boardwalk Empire but up 57% from the 1.4 million who tuned in for the debut of True Blood 3 years ago. Overall, the premiere of Game of Thrones averaged 4.2 million viewers on Sunday for its 3 airings vs. 7.1 million for Boardwalk Empire in September.

So far HBO seems to be doing very well with most of its original programming, especially lately. With True Blood and Treme returning soon and the solid performance of Game of Thrones it looks like DVRs across the country are going to remain full of HBO programming for the foreseeable future. As fans of the new Game of Thrones as well as Treme, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Bored to Death and most of the other current HBO series, we’re going to be there too.

Game of Thrones stars Mark Addy, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey. It airs Sundays at 9/8C on HBO.