Easy as ABC: Lost, Grey's, Housewives Renewed

Prior to upfronts, ABC gives early pickup requests to

By Jennifer Godwin Apr 23, 2009 8:05 PMTags
Ellen Pompeo, Josh Holloway, Kate WalshBrian Ach/Getty Images; Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMAPress.com; Ray Tamarra/Getty Images

Yay! ABC has just announced early pickups for 12 series, including six dramas we love: Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters. (Renewals were expected for all of these shows but this official nod means the studio and producers can now securely start spending budget dollars on new staff and new stuff.)

On the "unscripted" side of things, look for more of The Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Wife Swap, Supernanny and good ol' America's Funniest Home Videos.

ABC series that are notably not included on this early pickup list include Samantha Who?, Better Off Ted, The Unusuals, Castle, Cupid and Surviving Suburbia, but any of those series might still be picked up before the ABC upfront presentation to advertisers in New York City on May 19. (Scrubs is reportedly also under consideration for a ninth season, but a renewal is dependent on negotiations with key talent, so perhaps an early pickup is too much to hope for.)

Among those ABC shows ending for sure are According to Jim and Life on Mars.

Which unrenewed series are you hoping will still get the call? We're rooting for Better Off Ted, Samantha Who? and Castle. What are your picks?

And when it comes to nods for those dramas, where do you fall on the happy scale right now, between mildly gruntled and downright ecstatic? Post in the comments!

(Originally published April 23, 2009, at 11:35 a.m. PT)


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