NBC renewed Heroes, My Name is Earl, The Office, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for next year’s television season:

[NBC Entertainment president Kevin] Reilly also announced that four shows have already been renewed for the 2007-08 season: “Heroes,” “My Name is Earl,” “The Office” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Game show “Identity” will return in the spring for seven more episodes, and the network will produce a version of the Australian improvisational comedy “Thank God You’re Here,” hosted by David Alan Grier.

The LA Daily News article is worth a read, as it gives some interesting insight into how NBC plans to battle FOX’s American Idol and 24 this season:

Reilly also acknowledged that “Heroes” faces increased competition now that “24″ is back on the air. “It’ll be a tough battle with ‘24,’ but we’re not going to blink on that,” he said. “We’re not going to move it. I imagine they’ll both end up taking a haircut.”

Can’t say I agree with keeping Heroes in the same timeslot as 24. And I don’t see how either network can decide to do so — there the one’s who will be losing ad revenue as they split viewership between the two mega-hit shows…

Selected contestants will be stranded in a reality bid for survival twice more in the 2007-08 television season, as CBS has renewed Survivor for two new seasons:

CBS has ordered two more editions of Survivor to be broadcast during the 2007-2008 season. These will mark the 15th and 16th editions of television’s longest running hit reality series. […]

Survivor: Cook Islands (9.3/14, 15.75 million viewers) averaged 5.5/15 in adults 18-49 and 6.8/16 in adults 25-54, currently placing it among the top 10 programs in viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

No word yet on the secret locations of Survivor 15 or 16… How about downtown Detroit?

MTV’s Total Request Live, the show that made Carson Daly what he is today, might not be renewed for another season, due to plummeting ratings:

The reason for its termination would be the lack of viewers. An inside source told the New York Daily News that “The ratings are at an all-time low, around 300,000 viewers. The show is going be cancelled and rebranded.” The 300,000 TV viewers mark that it’s down half since 2001 when it was 600,000. […]

As of now no MTV rep has commented, but president Michael Wolf suddenly left his job last Thursday, sending a message in of itself.

TRL, created in 1998, has as of late had to counter the lure of easily accessible music videos on the Internet and has been shuffling through VJ’s ever since Carson Daly left.

NBC cancelled their Passions soap opera after eight seasons to make room for a fourth hour of the Today show:

On Wednesday, after years of low ratings and increasing fan outcry over slow-developing story arcs, NBC canceled the soap to make room for an expanded “Today” show. “Passions” will stay on the air through at least mid-June to wrap up its hanging plotlines.

NBC is hinting the show may live on on cable or online in a much leaner form, meaning a much smaller cast and perhaps a new head writer, charged with creating storylines built around those fewer characters and appeasing disillusioned fans.

Of the nine soaps on broadcast cable, Passions always received the lowest ratings.

The O.C., which FOX just cancelled, might have been saved by The CW next season, but the new network decided against it.

CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff spoke about the decision at the Television Critics Association press tour, according to Entertainment Weekly:

Ostroff also confirmed rumors that the network discussed picking up The O.C., but ultimately rejected the notion. I expect nothing less from the network that killed Everwood.

EW’s Tim Stack has a point in bringing up the network’s track record. After all, they opted for bringing 7th Heaven back from the dead over carrying over such a unique show as Everwood.

CBS Television Distribution has renewed talk show Rachael Ray through 2009-2010.

The program is this season’s highest-rated new syndicated show:

“It’s clear that Rachael’s devoted fans are happy to welcome her into their living rooms every day, and the positive response from our affiliate stations has been tremendous,” Roger King, chief executive officer of CBS Television Distribution, said in a news release.

Rachael Ray premiered in September with the highest-rated talk show debut since Dr. Phil in 2002.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has been struggling this season in ratings, making its unclear whether the show can stave off cancellation.

NBC and show creator Aaron Sorkin are hoping that adding more romance to the show will bring the ratings the drama needs to survive:

When the show returns Monday with a two-month run of new episodes, “we happen to be falling into a period where there’s a lot of romantic comedy on the show,” Sorkin said Tuesday during a meeting with television journalists on the show’s set at the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank.

“Hopefully that is going to bring some people who wouldn’t have otherwise been interested in the show,” he added.

Its a shame that such an entertaining show and talented cast hasn’t pulled in a better following thus far.