Private Practice

CHICAGO – ABC decided to throw TV journalists a curveball late on Friday when they announced the renewal of two on-the-bubble shows that most were predicting would get the axe — drama “Body of Proof” and comedy “Don’t Trust the B—— in Apt. 23.” They also announced the expected renewals of “Last Man Standing” and “Private Practice” and confirmed that “Missing” and “The River” would not return.

CHICAGO – Fans of ABC’s often-struggling “Cougar Town” had to wait until the eleventh hour last year to find out that their favorite show would be given a second chance with a sophomore season. Not so this year. In a surprising move, “Cougar Town” got the nod for an early pick-up for the 2011-12 season. Less surprising were the also-announced renewals of “Castle,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” and “Private Practice.”

CHICAGO – The eponymous subject matter of Andrew Hinderaker’s enthralling new work “Suicide, Incorporated” is hardly a newfangled muse to dramatists. The concept of one’s self-sanctioned execution has inspired the minds of media architects from Poe to the executives at Lifetime Television Network (the latter of which tends to default to the exertion habitually). The question of an individual opting to terminate his life, especially when the meaning of which plagues the majority of us, is nary an easy one. Hinderaker’s take on the matter, both in stylized approach and explication, proves to be one of the most cerebrally exigent of the lot.

CHICAGO – Before the new fall season really gets underway, we thought we’d take a look back at several of the shows recently released or about to be released on DVD in season sets from ABC Studios and Buena Vista Home Video including the first season of “Castle,” the third season of “Ugly Betty,” the second season of “Private Practice,” and the fifth season of “Grey’s Anatomy”.

CHICAGO – ABC is still struggling to find the next big hit to stand next to monsters like “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” and they decided to give Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic’s “Castle” a shot at hit status, but cancelled several other new shows, including “The Unusuals” and “Cupid”.