Everybody Hates Chris, the comedy loosely based on the childhood of comedian Chris Rock, has been renewed by the CW for a fourth season:

Earlier today, the network announced that “Everybody Hates Chris” had been renewed for a fourth season. […]

“Chris” has performed the best of the Sunday sitcoms, according to the latest numbers, with a 0.9 household rating season average and a 0.4 average in the CW’s key 18- to 34-year-old demographic.

Although I’ve never watched the show, from what I’ve heard, it seems to be the funniest comedy on the CW by far.

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CBS’ vampire drama Moonlight, the best thing since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is in trouble and there’s been a major shakeup behind the scenes:

More backstage drama at Moonlight — and the timing couldn’t be worse. I’m told that Chip Johannessen has been let go as show-runner just as the freshman drama is fighting for a second season. The search is on for a replacement. […]

According to trade reports, exec producer Joel Silver, along with what’s left of the Moonlight writing team, will oversee production of the show’s four remaining episodes. If Moonlight gets renewed for a second season, a new show-runner will be sought at that time.

Hopefully CBS will stick with this show because not only was it starting to get really interesting, but it really fits after — and holds the lead-in from — the network’s other supernatural hit Ghost Whisperer.

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NBC has cancelled gambling drama series Las Vegas after five seasons, leaving last Friday’s cliffhanger as the series finale:

Sources confirm to me exclusively that NBC has opted not to renew the show for a sixth season. Consequently, last Friday’s episode? Yep, that was the series finale. Hope it was satisfying!

NBC had hoped this season’s cast shake-up — Thomas Magnum replacing Sonny Corleone — might re-energize the show, but instead, it led to a double-digit ratings decline. Of course, the Friday time slot didn’t help.

Ah, NBC wasn’t ready to gamble (pun intended) on another season of Las Vegas and executives at the fourth place network continue to prove that they belong at the bottom by disappointing loyal fans with their abrupt decision.

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CBS announced it is renewing eleven series for next season, including all three versions of CSI and Ghost Whisperer:

Series getting the greenlight include dramas “Cold Case,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: NY,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “NCIS,” “Numb3rs” and “Without a Trace.” Among sitcom fare, both “Two and a Half Men” and freshman series “The Big Bang Theory” earned new seasons.

The network previously announced that “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” would return as well.

Excluded from CBS’ announcement were fan favorites Moonlight and How I Met Your Mother, as well as unlikely-to-be-a-favorite-of-anyone, The New Adventures of Old Christine. Network officials say no decisons have been made on those shows as of yet.

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Fans of The Montel Williams Show will have to look elsewhere for surprise paternity tests after this season, as CBS Television Distribution announced the cancellation of the talk show after 17 seasons:

After 17 years on the air, “The Montel Williams Show” is preparing for its grand finale. Barring a reversal by distributor CBS Television Distribution, “Montel” will depart the airwaves following this season.

CBS TV Distribution will offer 260 episodes of the best of “Montel” to stations for fall 2008. […]

The series is averaging a 1.5 national Nielsen rating this season, down 12% from the same period in the 2006-07 television season. At the top of its game, “The Montel Williams Show” peaked with a 4.4 score during the 1996-97 season.

Montel Williams, the person, is said to be focused on continuing his activism for MS research and becoming a fulltime actor.

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ABC’s Lost and its increasingly multiplying number of mysteries will come to an end… after three more seasons totalling 48 episodes, the show’s producers and ABC execs have decided:

“Due to the unique nature of ‘Lost,’ we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout and to give the audience the payoff they deserve,” ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said.

Lindelof said having the end point in sight was “incredibly liberating. Like we’ve been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time.”

Lindelof and Cuse said they’ve had “a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place” for a while.

“What we didn’t know was how long we had to play the story out,” Cuse said. “By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence.”

In case you’re keeping track at home, that will round out the run of the show at about 120 episodes…

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