Fox News: Conan in Question and a Big Maybe on More 24

Plus, did HBO really drop Sarah Michelle Gellar's new pilot?

By Jennifer Godwin Jan 12, 2010 2:30 AMTags
Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Conan O'BrienDana Edelson/NBC

• The Late Shift: Despite industry scuttlebutt that says Fox is waiting for Conan O'Brien with open arms, Fox boss Kevin Reilly is playing it safe as far as public courtship. At press tour on Monday, Reilly said the network was in "wow-ee mode" over the situation, like the rest of the business, and that he doesn't have any firm answers. He would only confirm that Fox continues to be interested in getting into late night and that he personally loves Conan O'Brien, but they're waiting until Conando himself makes a decision about NBC. "Beyond that," said Reilly, "we're not free to talk about any other business negotiation or proposition."

Plus, will there be more 24, did HBO really drop Sarah Michelle Gellar's new pilot, and which summer series from Fox is almost guaranteed to kick butt? Here are the key points from press tour:

• More 24?: Season eight of 24 has yet to premiere, but people are already wondering if there might be a ninth season. Star Kiefer Sutherland seems game, but nothing's for certain yet. He told reporters, "There’s never been any one season where it was guaranteed that Fox would pick it up...Right now our focus is on finishing season eight." Kiefer says the renewal of 24 always been decided on a year-by-year basis, but also that "this has been one of the best experiences of my life."

• The Wonderful MaladysAs previously reported, Sarah Michelle Gellar's HBO pilot The Wonderful Maladys appears to be dead. We asked Freddie Prinze Jr. (who is actually pretty great in the new season of 24) about the status of that project and he told us, "I've seen it, and I think it's great, but I think they stopped talking about that a little while ago." As for talk that Prinze's Cole Ortiz character was being considered for a 24 spinoff, Prinze told us he'd heard nothing of the sort, although he wouldn't be opposed to the idea. He added, "But if it helps you answer that question, I can tell you I'm looking at pilot season right now."

• Code 58: The most entertaining presentation of the day was  probably the one for Code 58, the new show from Burn Notice boss Matt Nix that stars Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks as a couple of mismatched midlevel detectives. Whitford's character, Dan, is described as a truly great cop...from 1981. There were some questions about if that meant it was a time-travel show like Life on Mars, and Nix clarified, "When I say that Dan has the powers of an '80s cop, I mean he can slide across the floor while shooting two guns at once." Yay! The 13-episode scripted series will premiere on Fox this summer.

Do you think Conan should jump over to Fox? And are you up for more 24? Hit the comments!

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