ABC may have given the axe to a few big shows this past season, and lost (no pun intended) one of their biggest draws, but it seems that a sparkle can still be seen on the network, in the form of the police cadet drama Rookie Blue. ABC recently renewed the series for a second season, after it scored the network’s highest-scripted debut ratings in six years only three episodes in.

From Variety:

It now ranks second in its Thursday timeslot behind “So You Think You Can Dance,” among adults 18-49 and 18-34.”We’re very pleased that the show has connected with viewers, especially considering the challenge of finding an audience in the summer,” said Quinn Taylor, ABC Entertainment Group’s senior VP of movies, minis and acquisitions.

While the premise is the same, the show is somewhat different than the first of the Police Academy films, sans Guttenberg. Peregrym leads the charge alongside Gregory Smith, Charlotte Sullivan, Enuka Okuma and Travis Milne as rookie cops who work through their freshman year as cops. One could consider this show to be the police version of the networks already-popular Grey’s Anatomy.

The show also marks the star Missy Peregrym’s first show since Reaper to get a second season, but we all know how that ended before. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

The fourth episode in the season, entitled “Signals Crossed”, involves Andy (Peregrym) going undercover as a prostitute to impress the Sergeant and airs tomorrow night at 9/8C on ABC.

Tucker & Dale Vs Evil is a film I went into with low expectations and, for the most part, I was not disappointed. Showing at midnight on the first day of SXSW, it was a perfect way to start off the late night screenings. However, the film works best and can be most enjoyed if you don’t take it too seriously or expect too much from it.

While the two leads, Tucker (played by Firefly and Dollhouse‘s Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine, recently of Reaper and the upcoming Sons of Tucson), are immensely likable and have good chemistry and banter, the film falls short and doesn’t live up to their potential. This is unfortunate on many levels because given more effort and time, it probably would have turned out a lot better and been a more fitting vehicle for these two actors.

The premise of Tucker & Dale is very simple and in most cases when it comes to filmmaking, simple is a good thing. Sadly, a simple premise alone does not a complete movie make and as the movie progresses, the slender thread of that premise starts to unravel. This is where this film chiefly falls in that while it does have a simple premise, it doesn’t expand much beyond it and instead offers a string of somewhat uninspired and progressively repetitive “accidents” that go along, leading the film to its inevitable conclusion.

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Many people were saddened when the comedy/sci-fi series Reaper was taken off the air. Mostly because it was a funny and ambitious show, but also because that meant we wouldn’t get any more of Tyler Labine reprising his role as “Sock.” It looks like that hole will finally be filled, as he’s playing a very similar character in the new Fox sitcom Sons of Tucson.

The show looks to bring in elements of some of America’s favorite family situation comedies. From a Fox press release:

In the tradition of “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a simple business relationship evolves into a family like no other.

Alongside Labine, the show stars Quarantine’s Benjamin Stockham, Doubt’s Frank Dolce, and newcomer Matthew Levy. Check out an exclusive 7-minute preview of the pilot after the jump, and be sure to catch Sons of Tucson this Sunday at 9:30PM ET on Fox.

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Even though its not on Matt Raub’s list (at least I don’t think it is), Reaper is one of those shows you’re not watching, but probably should be. The story of a boy who collects souls for his father Satan and sends them back to hell with the help of his two bumbling pals hasn’t exactly been a ratings darling for the somewhat struggling CW network. Sadly, given its ratings, it seemed cancillation and oblivion was the likely scenario for the show. Not so, according to an article over at The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the article, sources say show producer ABC Studios is in talks with CW affiliate stations about continuing Reaper as a syndicated series on Sunday night — seeing as how the CW recently gave Sunday back to its affiliates and they need programming besides local car commercials and reruns of Jerico. Another possible scenario is for the show to continue on cable. However, both of these are considered longshots mostly due to the cost of producing the show for cable or syndication and to series co-star Tyler Labine’s new Fox comedy series Sons of Tuscon, which was recently picked up by Fox. 

To be honest, Reaper was an interesting and intriguing show with a good cast when it first started but, for whatever reason, lost me half way through this season. Perhaps the show could find its stride once again if given a new lease on life in syndication or on cable? Or, maybe its time to just let the show die a dignified death like so many other quality shows these days that can’t seem to find an audience.