'Archer' Renewed For Three More Seasons by FX

Hit animated comedy series Archer has been renewed for three more seasons, it was announced Tuesday by Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, Presidents of Original Programming, FX Networks and FX Productions. Archer will return for an eight-episode season 8 in early 2017, followed by two additional eight-episode seasons. FX Networks has also reached a new overall production deal with Floyd County Productions.

"We can't say enough about what Adam, Matt and the entire Archer team at Floyd County have done to keep this series so insanely funny and vital through seven seasons," said Grad. "The move to Los Angeles this past season as private detectives was just the latest twist in Archer's legendary exploits and the next three seasons will to be just as amazing and unpredictable. We are thrilled to continue making great TV with our friends and colleagues at Floyd County."

NEWS: Max Ehrich to 'Under The Dome'; 'Grey's Anatomy' #MyPerson; Linsey Godfrey & Robert Adamson Engaged; Ireland's TV3 Unveils New Soap

'The Young and the Restless' actor Max Ehrich joins 'Under The Dome'
Ehrich tweeted the news on Wednesday afternoon: "Thank you so much @CBS @StevenSpielberg @UnderTheDomeCBS I am thrilled beyond words to join this epic show and cast!"

Neil's son, Moses, returning to 'Young and the Restless'
A rep for the soap has confirmed that four-year-old Randall L. Smith has been cast as Moses, and he first reports to work this Friday, May 9. The tyke has done some commercials in the past, but this is his first big job. Look for him to first air on Thursday, June 12.

Linsey Godfrey & Robert Adamson engaged
Congratulations are in order for Linsey Godfrey (Caroline, The Bold and the Beautiful) and Robert Adamson (Noah, The Young and the Restless). Not only are they expecting a baby girl in June, but the couple recently became engaged.

Meet the soap opera star challenging Rahul Gandhi in Amethi
In Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, the roads are not measured by length, but by the depth of the holes in them, Smriti Irani, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate, joked in a speech on April 29. The crowd, gathered in sweltering 41 degree Celsius heat, laughed and cheered her on.

NEWS: GENERAL HOSPITAL Pen-Pal Murder; Lupita Nyong'o's Soap Opera Past; TV vs. Online Video Stats; L.A. LAW Season 1 Out on DVD; Ryan McPartlin; Leven Rambin

Soap-opera pen-pal network may have led accused killer to L.A.
A New York parolee accused of fatally strangling a retired teacher in Hollywood may have come west after developing a network of pen pals, some that apparently grew from a shared fondness for GENERAL HOSPITAL. Three months after he was released from prison after serving 20 years for murder, Scott Kratlian showed up in Hollywood and allegedly strangled one of his pen pals, 82-year-old Harry Major.

The relationship between the convicted killer and the retired Hollywood High School teacher was probably one of many the inmate fostered over the years while imprisoned at Marcy Correctional Facility outside Syracuse, said another of Kratlian's pen pals. Kratlian was part of a GENERAL HOSPITAL fan club whose enthusiasts wrote to one another, Jason Ward said in an interview.

You Won't Believe How Big TV Still Is: Staggering viewership numbers and dominant revenue figures
A new study from Nielsen, conducted with ad targeting firm Simulmedia, contains plenty of insights, but among the most striking is the size of either industry. Nielsen rarely pulls back the veil on exactly how big the TV and video worlds are (they do mint the currency in the former, after all), but here it is in black and white: There are 283 million television viewers monthly (the population of the United States is 313 million), each watching an average of 146 hours of TV.

Compare that with 155 million online video viewers averaging just shy of six hours monthly on mobile and almost six and a half hours over the Web. So while TV’s audience is still almost twice that of digital video, the amount of money in digital isn’t even 5 percent of the mammoth $74 billion chunk of change in television. What’s going to bring about growth in the former, said Amit Seth, Nielsen’s evp, global media products, is equivalency.

ARCHER Receives Additional Two-Season Order from FX

ARCHER's "Cheryl" has become country music singer
"Cherlene" in Season 5.

FX will stay in the 'Danger Zone' at least through 2016 by ordering two additional seasons of its Emmy and Annie Award nominated animated hit comedy series ARCHER, announced Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions.

FX has ordered 13 episodes for each of the series' sixth and seventh seasons. The series is produced by FX Productions. Seven all new episodes of ARCHER remain in season five with the finale slated for Monday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The additional season orders of ARCHER are unrelated to Floyd County Productions existing overall deal with FX Productions.

"ARCHER is one of the best comedies on television and has played a significant role in the growth of the FX comedy brand," said Schrier. "We're grateful to Adam Reed, Matt Thompson and their team at Floyd County, and also our incredible voice cast, and are looking forward to supporting their work for at least two more seasons."

ARCHER Album "Cherlene" To Be Released On March 3

FX's award-winning animated half-hour comedy smash ARCHER is spawning a 12-track album, "Cherlene," featuring original music, which will be released on all digital platforms on Monday, March 3.

The album will be highlighted by a duet with Cherlene and pop music icon Kenny Loggins. Cherlene is the reimagined alter ego of Archer’s Cheryl Tunt, also referred to as Carol Tunt. She and Loggins join forces to put all of their stunning musical talents on display in the previously-released song Danger Zone (also a favorite Sterling Archer catchphrase). A world premiere video of the tune will play in Episode 6 of Archer’s fifth season the night of March 3. Season 5 of the series launched on January 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, marking the show's move to a new night.

NEWS: William Roache Trial, Ignacio Serricchio to BONES, GLEE to New York, McKenzie Westmore Engaged

CORONATION STREET's William Roache on trial not Ken Barlow, jury told
A judge has told a panel of potential jurors that the "real person" William Roache is on trial, not his fictional Coronation Street character. Justice Tim Holroyde QC said any views of Ken Barlow must be "put out of your mind" to ensure a "fair and independent judgement" can be reached.

Roache, 81, denies two counts of raping a 15-year-old girl in East Lancashire in 1967. At Preston Crown Court, he also denies five indecent assaults on four girls.

Those alleged offenses relate to girls aged from 11 to 16 in Manchester in the mid to late 1960s.

Justice Holroyde said: "It is a real person, William Roache, who is on trial. You must separate the fictional character from the real person, you will have to decide verdicts from the evidence you will hear from a real person, about a real person."

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS' Ignacio Serricchio coming to BONES
Serricchio (Alex, Y&R) has been cast as the latest in a long line of Brennan's assistants on the series. He will play a forensic anthropologist seeking asylum from Cuba, according to TVLine. Because of his status as an immigrant, the character will need to reassert himself in his field.

FX Sets January Premieres of JUSTIFIED, ARCHER and CHOZEN; THE AMERICANS Returns in February

FX has locked down the January premiere dates of its original series including the Emmy Award-winning drama Justified, the hit animated comedy ARCHER, and its new animated comedy CHOZEN, which had been scheduled to run on FXX but now will be paired with ARCHER for a Monday night animation block. The scheduling announcements were made today by Chuck Saftler, President of Program Strategy and COO, FX Networks

"Winter has become an incredibly active time for the launch of original series for FX Networks," said Saftler. "FXX provides us with greater scheduling flexibility and our recent deal for Ali G: Rezurection created a strategic opportunity to pair it with Legit, two compatible shows that will play very well together. This allows us the opportunity to use ARCHER - our highest-rated comedy - as a powerful launch springboard for CHOZEN and help us build our animation brand."

ARCHER Renewed By FX For Season 5

FX has ordered season five of its critically-acclaimed animated comedy series ARCHER, it was announced today by Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, FX. The network has ordered 13 episodes for the series’ fifth season.

ARCHER was created by Adam Reed and Floyd County Productions and it is executive produced by Reed and Matthew Thompson. Seven all-new episodes of ARCHER remain in season four, which wraps up on Thursday, April 11 at 10:00 PM E/P. This year ARCHER will enter into the category of Outstanding Comedy Series for the Emmy® Awards.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Jack Wagner, John Stamos, Pablo Escobar, Timothy Busfield, Charles Michael Davis

DOWNTON ABBEY holds up against Super Bowl
Roughly 6.6 million viewers tuned into the episode that had Robert (Hugh Bonneville) still in the doghouse with Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). Overall, the average audience for season three’s first five episodes is 72% higher than the first five episodes of season two, according to Nielsen.

Grey's Anatomy Finale: No [Spoiler] This Year!
Series creator Shonda Rhimes tells TVLine that the Season 9 closer in May will most likely not feature some kind of large-scale disaster.

“I have a general idea of what the finale is going to be, but it’s been evolving as the season progresses,” she says. “At this moment in time, I would not consider it to be a catastrophe.”

Jack Wagner Dishes On Details Of His GENERAL HOSPITAL Return, Talks Frisco & Felicia
“I’m really happy that this character can evolve and now say, ‘I was gone, I wasn’t a present father, I’m here now. I want to make up for the time that I was away and I think those are powerful scenes,” says Wagner. “I think it’s what the audience needs to hear and it’s what this character needs to say to have any kind of nobility.”

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

On this date in...

1967: On ANOTHER WORLD, Mary (Virginia Dwyer) and Jim (Shepperd Strudwick) were relieved knowing [GUIDING LIGHT's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1974: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Nicole (Maeve McGuire) dreaded a visit with her father, Benjamin Travis.

1980: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, April (Terry Davis) visited Margo (Ann Williams) to confirm Draper's innocence. All Margo could say was, "No."

NEWS ROUNDUP: Redaric Williams, AMC's Showrunner Problem, EASTENDERS Christmas Moments

New Y&R Hunk Redaric Williams: 'I'm ready to bite off something and sink my teeth into it'
"I'm an actor first and foremost. I moved to New York City for acting. I trained and performed, but New York is theater and fashion. I had so many people approach me about modeling. I never was into it, but finally, I went ahead. I started doing a lot of modeling, and you've got to portray this sex symbol. You've got to exude that. So it's not a new experience."

WINNERS: PAAFTJ Television Awards - BREAKING BAD, ARCHER, DOWNTON ABBEY

On Sunday, the Pan-American Association of Film & Television Journalists (PAAFTJ) announced the winners of the inaugural PAAFTJ Television Awards, honoring the best achievement in television in the 2011/12 season.

The NBC comedy COMMUNITY and the AMC drama BREAKING BAD won the top awards for Best Comedy Series and Best Drama Series, respectively. Other major winners included British crime drama miniseries SHERLOCK, CBS talk show THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON, and FX animated series ARCHER.

A full list of winners is below.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Copycat Killer Studied UK Soaps, Jessica Tuck To GRIMM, Ryan Phillippe Pilot

CORONATION STREET copycat killer studied soap scene before murdering woman
In a chilling imitation of CORRIE villain John Stape who killed Charlotte Hoyle with a hammer, a teenager beat his victim on her head, neck and back then doused her body in petrol and set fire to her house.

Shaun Smith, prosecuting, told Nottingham crown court: “You will hear about a young man who immersed himself in a fantasy world; fantasy words he wrote, television drama, films he accessed by the internet. He did that to such an extent that boundaries between real life and fiction became very, very tragically blurred.”

Police found the boy’s computer was packed with violent scenes from soaps including HOLLYOAKS and EMMERDALE and also contained clips from the notorious torture film Saw and controversial TV shows such as TRIAL AND RETRIBUTION.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 31)

On this date in...

1967: On ANOTHER WORLD, Mary and Jim admitted they had been relieved ever since [GUIDING LIGHT's] Mike Bauer got on a plane and left Bay City.

1974: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Nicole dreaded a visit with her inmate father, Benjamin Travis, who harbored a deadly secret.

1985: On AS THE WORLD TURNS, Bob comforted a fearful Kim.

NEWS ROUNDUP: James Purefoy Joins REVENGE, Y&R Uniformly Unbelievable, TV’s Eerie Race-less World

James Purefoy to recur on REVENGE
Beginning in Episode 17, the soon-to-be-divorced Victoria is “going to have a big, passionate love affair” with Purefoy’s mystery man, Stowe tells The Insider.

Y&R uniformly pushes believability button
On one of the few remaining daytime TV soap operas, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, a wealthy woman employs a house maid who actually wears a uniform, a frilly-bordered white apron over a dark dress with a matching lace, white maid's headpiece. Even in the most unimaginable situations arising in soap cities, this is the only character who appears costumed as a French maid from a century ago. It's an odd wardrobe decision. That's not all that's odd about this form of entertainment.

PREVIEW: FX's Thursday Night Animated Serials ARCHER & UNSUPERVISED

ARCHER returns on Thursday, January 19 at 10 p.m. ET on FX with its third season premiere, "The Man From Jupiter."

ARCHER is an animated, half-hour comedy serial that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillance is daunting and dangerous, every covert operation and global crisis is actually just another excuse for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gain.

FX Announces Midseason Premiere Dates: ARCHER & UNSUPERVISED Jan. 19

FX announced on Monday the return of our favorite animated soap, ARCHER, on January 19. ARCHER is being paired with another animated series, UNSUPERVISED, which premeres the same night.

Read the full FX press release below.

CASTING NEWS: Burt Reynolds To Play Himself On ARCHER

Iconic actor Burt Reynolds has signed on as a guest star in the third season of FX’s critically acclaimed hit animated soap opera ARCHER. Reynolds will play himself in an episode titled “The Man From Jupiter,” a reference to Reynolds’ home of Jupiter, Florida. In the episode, which will air in January, Reynolds dates Agent Sterling Archer’s mother and boss, Malory – much to Sterling’s dismay.

RELEASE: FX Sets Fall Premiere Dates For Original Series

SONS OF ANARCHY Returns Tuesday, Sept. 6, 10 p.m. ET/PT With a Special 90-Minute Premiere

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA Begins Thursday, Sept. 15, 10 p.m. ET/PT

New Drama Series AMERICAN HORROR STORY Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5, 10 p.m. ET/PT

THE LEAGUE Kicks Off Thursday, October 6, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT

ARCHER Gets Special 3-Week Run Starting Thursday, Sept. 15, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2011 – FX, basic cable’s leader for scripted programming in the fall season, is continuing its strategy of launching new and returning original series in September and October.

Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Jessica Walter (Malory, ARCHER; ex-Tabitha, 90210; ex-Julie, LOVE OF LIFE) - 70
Réal Andrews (Agent Trumble, ALL MY CHILDREN; Keith, THE BAY; ex-Walker, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Taggert, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Robert, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Danny, SANTA BARBARA) - 48
Timothy Stickney (R.J., ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 46