Whoa! Let me check my neck to make sure I don’t have whiplash!

Less than one day — indeed, just hours — after the series premiere of its new Edie Falco original comedy Nurse Jackie, Showtime has announced a 13-episode Season Two pickup for the series. Now that, dear readers, is what you call a successful TV show, no matter what Nurse Jackie’s fate is from here on out.

The big renewal news was accompanied by the revelation that Nurse Jackie is Showtime’s most-watched series premiere in, like, ever. The pilot episode attracted more than 1 million eager viewers during the first showing at 10:30pm ET on June 8, and then another 350,000 folks tuned in for the encore later that night at 11:30pm.

Showtime’s previous record holder, the United Kingdom import Secret Diary of a Call Girl, lagged far behind, with just 950,000 viewers checking out its opening episode. And in case you’re wondering, the premium-cable network’s other huge comedy hit, Weeds, lured 1.68 million viewers to two broadcasts of its own fifth-season premiere yesterday, which made it Showtime’s most-watched series in 2009 as of now.

Two record-setters in a row ain’t bad at all. It seems the ladies rock big time on Showtime.

Nurse Jackie airs Mondays on Showtime at 10:30pm ET.

Oh, yeah! Variety reports that NBC has done one thing right in recent weeks and is poised to sign on the dotted line to give fan-favorite spy dramedy Chuck a Season Three renewal.

The pickup comes with the typical disclaimer about tighter budgets, lower ratings, and blah blah blah. Such details are customary nowadays as broadcast networks are forced to realize that, hey, most people have cable TV, too, not to mention computers, Internet access, iPods, DVD players, and so on and so forth. We are no longer your Nielsen slaves, dudes!

Excellent news about that Intersect guy, though, right? We knew it was just a matter of time, and since Fox stole NBC’s underdog thunder by renewing Joss Whedon’s barely watched sci-fi newbie Dollhouse just days ago, why not now?

Still, best 2009–2010 Peacock development ever, predictable or not. The only thing that could top it is if Life came back from the dead, as well. (Can you tell I’m still holding on to every last shred of hope for a little more sanity in the NBC Universal executive offices? Pass the series over to USA Network at least, for goodness sakes!)

Yeah, you read that title right, and I lead off with the best news (in my humble opinion).

ABC has reportedly renewed the workplace sitcom Better Off Ted for a second season, despite low average ratings that hovered in the neighborhood of 4 million viewers. Season Two will likely consist of about 13 episodes, including the handful still on the shelf from the recently ended freshman season.

Ted’s slightly less low-rated Wednesday-night companion Scrubs will return, as well, for a ninth season, with Zach Braff having already signed on the dotted line to come back for six episodes. However, the situation for the rest of the original cast is currently in the air since they’re busy, busy people, with pilots, upcoming series, and recurring roles on other hit shows.

Finally, while I don’t talk about Nathan Fillion’s fun crime-dramedy procedural Castle all that much, I never miss an episode. So, it’s great to learn ABC has taken the plunge and renewed it for a sophomore season. I may not be able to get my Life fix anymore, but I think I’ll survive okay with a hearty serving of Castle next season.

Once again, ABC swoops in to save the day for a sitcom endangered at its home network.

Confirming speculation from last month, ABC has reportedly closed a deal with The New Adventures of Old Christine’s production studio Warner Bros. TV that will give the deserving comedy a guaranteed new home at the Alphabet Network if CBS should refuse to renew it for a fifth season. Smart, smart move!

Considering how badly CBS treats the show right now, it would be great if ABC could give Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Company a new home, regardless of what CBS wants or decides. Yet, despite the continuing inexplicable trend of waiting to the very last minute to pick up the show for another run, conventional wisdom says CBS will do right by Old Christine and eventually renew it, just later (as usual) rather than sooner.

Last year it was Scrubs that ABC kindly took from NBC when the network declined to renew the hospital spoof for an eighth season. Now the comedy is doing so well in its new home, ABC is considering rewarding it with a ninth season, regardless of earlier claims the current eighth would be its last. Hopefully, an equally favorable future is waiting in the wings for The New Adventures of Old Christine, one of TV’s better sitcoms.

Fourth-place broadcast network NBC really demonstrated its determination to remain in that lowly position during The Peacock’s “Infront” presentation earlier today. Apparently, it cares not a lick about genuinely original yet thoroughly entertaining programs, as the confirmed cancellation of the stellar Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi cop dramedy Life proves.

Also confirmed as canceled are the God-awful remakes Kath & Kim and Knight Rider. It actually pains me to see a terrific series like Life lumped together with two shows that never should have made it past go in the first place. Given the upcoming primetime Leno fiasco, NBC is now officially a network that I won’t be taking seriously again anytime soon, Chuck renewal or not.

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NBC is holding its second annual so-called Infront presentation in New York tomorrow, May 4, but there’s already lots of speculation on the entertainment Internets regarding which series will likely be renewed for another season in the wake of the dreaded forthcoming Leno in Primetime, All the Time era.

Two shows receiving strong favorable buzz are the new Amy Poehler mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation and sophomore spy dramedy Chuck. Yay!

Although My Name Is Earl, currently in its fourth season, seems like a prime candidate to send out to pasture, at least in many viewers’ opinion, NBC is reportedly negotiating to keep the karma comedy alive for a fifth go-round.

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HBO is very, very pleased with the performance of its latest original comedy, Eastbound & Down.

The “mature” series stars Danny McBride (Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder) as Kenny Powers, a vulgar former professional baseball pitcher whose career ended early, forcing him to return to his home state North Carolina.

Thanks to ratings that grew steadily over the course of its first season of six episodes, which ran on Sunday nights from February 15 to March 22, the premium-cable network has picked up a sophomore season of at least a comparable length. The series’ lead-in was the fellow cult comedy Flight of the Conchords, and by the end of Eastbound & Down’s rookie season, the newcomer was actually earning higher ratings than the older show.

Says co-creator and co-executive producer Adam McKay in regard to the pickup: “We’re really excited about the cult following this show has taken on. Next year we’d like to see this cult develop into a full-flung religion, and we can start judging people and telling them that they’re gonna go to hell.”

Sounds good to me.

It’s shaping up to be a stellar week for the AMC dramedy Breaking Bad.

Not only was the Emmy-winning Bryan Cranston-led series honored with a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award yesterday, but not too long after that announcement, its home network announced the show has been renewed for a third season projected to begin in 2010. The second piece of good news comes just four episodes into the show’s sophomore run.

Said AMC executive Joel Stillerma: “Breaking Bad is one of the most unique and layered dramas on television today. The Peabody win, the critical acclaim and strong audience growth for the second season reinforce that this is the kind of exceptional original storytelling AMC intends to deliver to audiences.”

Woot! Both awards couldn’t have happened to a better and more entertaining basic-cable program. Glad to see so many viewers are giving the series the love it’s due.

Breaking Bad airs Sundays on AMC at 10pm EST.

It’s about time!

CBS has finally made good on the assumptions that have been floating around the Internets all month long and picked up Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, its Warner Bros.-produced Monday-night comedy hits, for multiple seasons.

As a result of the renewals, Two and a Half Men, currently in is sixth season, will stick around for at least three more, while sophomore geek-com The Big Bang Theory now has two additional guaranteed seasons ahead.

If you ask me, this is an excellent development. I enjoy both shows for different reasons, although they each share the trait of consistently making me laugh. What more can you ask for in a comedy?

The news came down from on high today. After a successful Season One run of 20 episodes, Lifetime has opted to renew the Nicole Sullivan sitcom Rita Rocks for a second season of 20 episodes.

While Rita Rocks didn’t rake in Army Wives-sized ratings — which would have been quite impressive considering the older drama is Lifetime’s most successful original series ever — it did well enough with audiences for executives. According to them, the show attracted 36.4 million viewers, often retaining and even increasing the audience for Reba, the network’s most popular comedy.

Says Lifetime Executive Vice President of Entertainment JoAnn Alfano in the press announcement released earlier today: “Rita Rocks is the first original comedy that Lifetime has launched in 10 years, so you can imagine how delighted we are to welcome it back for a second season. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it appeals to anyone who has ever tried to carve out a little time for herself.”

Congrats to the cast and crew, although I have to say I couldn’t keep up with this one after Lifetime decided to air a brand-new episode every single day for an entire week when the show first launched. Sorry, but that kind of aggressive scheduling doesn’t work for people who have lots of stuff to do. Here’s hoping the second season will kick off with a more normal schedule. There’s no word yet, however, when that will be, but probably Fall 2009.