The word on the street is TNT’s “The Closer” is getting a spinoff.

And that’s not the only show to catch the spinoff madness from “CSI” and “Law & Order”. Showtime’s “The L Word” is developing a spin-off for the Alice character, which is played by Leisha Hailey.

SciFi Channel’s 2009 schedule is chock full of spin-offs as well. First you got the Battlestar Galactica prequel, “Caprica”. And just last week I read that the creators of “Stargate: SG1″ are ending “Atlantis” next season to free up space for a new series called “Stargate: Universe”. The new show will follow a brand new crew that traverses multiple universes.

As a true television lover, I understand that sometimes you can’t get enough of your favorite show. I guess these producers are simply giving the viewers what they want: more airtime for the characters we already know and love.

Source: Pop Candy via The Hollywood Reporter

A&E’s “The Cleaner” premiered a few weeks ago, and I finally watched the first episode this week on my TiVo.

The tv show is based on real life interventionist, William Banks, played by Benjamin Bratt. Banks has a team full of former addicts who help him locate the person they’ve been hired to essentially kidnap and force into rehab. The cops give them a pass on these extreme tactics, so as long as Banks throws a drug bust their way. Grace Park (”Battlestar Galactica”) plays Akani, the street smart temptress that loves working for Banks but refuses to follow all his rules. Gil Bellows (”Ally McBeal”) plays Banks’ best friend Mickey, a body builder/trainer who used to be addicted to heroin but has since cleaned up for his family. I barely recognized him in character, almost the exact opposite of his bumbling lawyer character on Ally. Last but not least, newcomer Esteban Powell plays Arnie the resident slacker and complainer of the bunch.

By the end of the pilot episode, some pretty serious stuff goes down as they try to locate a 15 year old kid named Zach who’s hooked on oxycontin. This television show is gritty, engaging, and doesn’t soften up the predicament of drug abusers. Think of it as a dramatization of “Intervention” crossed with the crime melodrama of “The Shield”. Banks is a more sympathetic character than Vic Mackey by far. But he still is a former addict, and thus, he still has demons that he struggles with each day. Not to mention, chasing addicts doesn’t leave a lot of time for your family. I think Banks balancing his time between work and home will become a huge story arc in the show.

Watch new episodes on A&E at 10pm on Tuesdays. “The Cleaner” may just have washed away that bad taste in my mouth from Benjamin Bratt’s previous tv show, “E-ring”.

The TV Whore reported today that the folks across the pond are developing a British version of “Law & Order”. Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber the first actor attached to the project.

I’m a serious L&O addict. I have watched every incarnation of L&O, except that stupid “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” one that got nixed. And seeing how I’m already addicted to BBC’s “Wire in the Blood” (a police procedural that follows psychologist Tony Hill who consults with the police), this is nothing but good news for me.

Now, I’ve just got to move to London by the time it airs or pray they show it on BBC America. Even if they show it in the middle of the night, my dvr will be tuning in for me.

Ron Moore, producer of “Battlestar Galactica”, has a new pilot coming to Fox called “Virtuality”. The show focuses on a group of space travelers who use virtual reality simulators to pass the time. The program malfunctions, enter the action drama.

The TV whore akins it’ll be sorta like the holodeck was for Capt Picard & Co. on Star Trek. I say it’s a cross between BSG and that Russel Crowe movie Virtuosity.

If it sucks, hopefully it’ll at least be filmed in HD. That way the simulations will come out all crisp on any HD television set.