TV's busiest writer/producer/director is far too busy. Also today: Two big-time actresses are wallowing into the television swamp, and there's some good news for Revenge fans.

  • Though Glee is in shambles, American Horror Story is a wreck, and there's probably some storyboarding to be done on Eat Pray Love 2: Occupy This Rich Self-Indulgent White Lady, Ryan Murphy has still found the time to co-create and successfully pitch a sitcom to NBC. Yes, the Peacock bought a "heartwarming" comedy from Murphy and Allison Adler about two gay dads and the surrogate they use to help start their family. Heartwarming? From Ryan Murphy? Perhaps that's a typo and it's supposed to be heartworming. That I could believe! This is too many projects, Mr. Murphy! Why not focus on getting one thing right, and then, once that's taken care of, start one more thing and get that right. Don't just explode into a cloud of half-formed television shows and hope some chunk of an idea lands well. I say, go back to Popular. Make that end right, then move on from there. [Deadline]
  • World's foremost women and relationships expert Steve Harvey is putting together a television talk show that wil soon be shown on ten NBC affiliates and, in theory, expanding nationally later in 2012. A daytime talk show! That seems awfully retro, doesn't it? Somebody call John Henson, we have some soup for him. And Steve Harvey is pretty retro too. I mean, hopefully the whole show is just him giving advice on how to wear enormous suits. Because that man wears enormous suits. And I'd imagine that takes some skill! Act Like Steve Harvey, Think Like Enormous Suits. A good talk show. [THR]
  • Oh sweet whispering poops, I missed this yesterday but it must be spoken of. The CW has bought a television show from Katherine Heigl. Shrieeeeek! Terrible. Alert. Awful. Danger. Very bad! But it gets worse! The show is called Trending, and is about a successful but unlucky in love professional trend spotter. Yupppp. Ohhh man. "Katherine Heigl presents, a show about a loveless trend spotter." Is that sentence what plays over the PA system in hell, read aloud by Giada DeLaurentiis (she of television's most annoying voice. Well, no, the woman from French Food at Home has the most annoying voice on television, always having her sad "fancy" parties and her annoying music, but I thought that was maybe too obscure. Anyway. Enough Cooking Channel for me, apparently)? That show is going to miserable! And so why do I already know that I'm going to watch every episode? Because that's just how life goes, I guess. [Deadline]
  • Good news for Revenge, this TV season's most unexpected delight. The fourth episode reversed a post-premiere downtrend and rose in the ratings, beating the mighty CSI to win the night in 18-49ers. Hey, good for everyone. Good, mostly, though for Erik van der Woodsen, who's really, y'know, passing pretty effectively while he tries to reinvent himself. Too bad that Daniel Grayson will get him in the end. He always does. [EW]
  • Wow, I guess all the big stars are producing TV shows now. Renée Zellweger has sold a show to Lifetime that is "set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles music and movie scenes of the late 1960s/early 1970s." Hmm. That's an interesting concept for sure, a retro Entourage with a sociological twist, but on Lifetime? I do not know if I trust this on Lifetime. It'll probably be less Mad Men and more Swingtown. But then again, who knows. People initially wrote off Mad Men because it was on some random cable network. Though, AMC didn't have a reputation. Lifetime's body of work is big and easily accessed. And most of it is not good. So who knows about this show, called Cinnamon Girl. Maybe it will be Lifetime's first real prestige project! I mean, after Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life, of course. (A side note: So I was looking for a list of Lifetime Original Movies to link to and in my wandering I found this listicle and, um, am I weirdo that I'm angry because most of these are NOT Lifetime Original Movies, they're network movie of the week movies? Like I understand why someone would think they're Lifetime, someone who just doesn't get things, but like Mother May I Sleep With Danger? and Friends 'Til the End were on NBC and I watched them on NBC and do not try to tell me they were on Lifetime originally just because you don't want to do your homework or you assume you get the joke when you don't get the joke, little blog whippersnapper. Ugh. It's like saying "Haha, yeah, my favorite character on Saved by the Bell, because Saved By the Bell jokes are still so funny, was Donkeylips. Haha, I totally get the '90s!" It's like saying that. And that's wrong. Plain dumb wrong.) [Deadline]