PILOT PICKUPS: Alcatraz, Finder, The New Girl, I Hate My Teenage Daughter

With the cancellation of two dramas and two sitcoms, FOX also announced pickups of two dramas and two sitcoms.

First up is the mystery/crime drama Alcatraz. Long considered a hot pilot, it had been getting mixed buzz but appears to be too promising a project to pass up. The show is set on Alcatraz Island where a team investigates the disappearance of 1960s inhabitants. It's likely to be a serial drama in the Lost vein. Some thought FOX wouldn't pick this up since they already have a sci-fi favorite, the ratings challenged Fringe but FOX made the decision to grab this show too. It stars Sam Neill, Sarah Jones, and Jorge Garcia among others with JJ Abrams serving as executive producer.

Another drama picked up is the Bones spinoff Finder. This show was given a preview during an episode of Bones this season and apparently FOX liked enough of what they saw to pick up the spinoff which stars Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Saffron Burrows. Rumor has it that they could have this new series share a timeslot with Bones which may need to take a break during the season which series co-star Emily Deschanel's pregnancy.

One of two comedies picked up was The New Girl which has been getting a ton of good buzz during pilot season. Starring Zooey Deschanel, the show centers on a romantically challenged elementary teacher who moves in with three guys. The single camera comedy has apparently been a hit with test audiences and it wouldn't be surprising to see it land on Tuesday nights in the fall.

Finally I Hate My Teenage Daughter was another comedy picked up. This will be FOX's first attempt at a multicamera comedy since the dreadful Brothers but it has also been getting good buzz. Starring Jamie Pressly and Katie Finneran, it is about two mothers who raise daughters who are like the girls they hated in high school. It's tough to predict where this multicamera comedy will land but I predicted it will be after X-Factor if/when the show shrinks to an hour and a half on performance nights.

These are not likely to be all of FOX's pilots as we'll learn more before or at their upfront next Monday. But rumor has it that three pilots - Iceland, Council of Dads, and Weekends at Bellevue will not be going. The only surprising member of this list is Bellevue, which some (including myself) thought might be paired with House.

Much more news is sure to come!