Tuning In to TV

The end for ‘Earl’

A last chance at saving “My Name Is Earl” has fallen through.

The comedy, starring Jason Lee as a lifelong loser trying to fix his life in zany ways, ran for four seasons on NBC. Since the network canceled it last month, Twentieth Century Fox Television had tried to sell the series elsewhere as fans begged for its rescue.

But “Earl’s” luck has run out, Associated Press reports. The studio says efforts to strike a deal to film more episodes for cable network TBS have fallen through.

According to AP, studio spokesman Chris Alexander says TBS and the studio were unable to make the show’s economics work without undermining its quality.

More ‘Dance’

ABC will be waltzing with celebs once again, but this time via the comedic reality entry “Let’s Dance,” Variety reports.

The network has picked up five episodes of the FremantleMedia North America series, which likely will air during the holidays, as a bridge between cycles of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

Like “Stars,” “Let’s Dance” centers on celebrities learning moves on the dance floor. But “Let’s Dance” takes a much more comedic approach, as the stars are brought on to re-enact a famous dance routine.

Think Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in “Dirty Dancing” or Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Weekly episodes will air live, and viewers will be asked to vote on their favorite routines — leading up to a final episode when top performers return to compete one last time. Proceeds from the calls go to charity.

Unlike “Dancing,” which requires a lengthy time commitment, celebs on “Let’s Dance” will only need to take a week off to be on the show. The producers and network hope that will help in the casting of talent.

ABC scored the rights to the show after a competitive bidding situation; FremantleMedia execs said they liked the fact that the Alphabet network already has “Dancing With the Stars” on the air, much like BBC1 airs both “Dancing With the Stars” and “Let’s Dance” in Britain.

“We do love dancing,” said ABC alternative series co-head Vicki Dummer. “The tone of this is fun.”

The U.K. version featured celebs imitating Britney Spears’ routine in her “Hit Me Baby One More Time” video, as well as dances from “Pulp Fiction” and “Footloose.” Robert Webb (“Peep Show”), who performed a routine from “Flashdance,” was crowned winner.

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