NEWS ROUNDUP: Sped Up Stories On TV, Bryan Cranston, Liz & Dick, Can NASHVILLE Survive?

SPED UP STORIES: Is Speed the New Suspense on TV?
When Carrie confronted Brody for being a terrorist on HOMELAND; when Quinn Perkins' identity was revealed on SCANDAL; when Lori died on THE WALKING DEAD; when AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLYUM revealed who Bloody Face was: All of these things happened within the first five episodes of each of these series this season. Suffice it to say, the fall TV season has been full-steam ahead, with series diving straight into some of their biggest mysteries at such a breakneck speed, it has left fans wondering — and anticipating -- how the shows will top these events for the remainder of the season. Does this make speed the new suspense on television?

LAST RESORT, 666 PARK AVENUE Canceled By ABC

Freshman dramas LAST RESORT and 666 PARK AVENUE will not move forward at ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The network has opted to cancel both series, despite picking up two additional scripts for each. The two show will get to air all 13 episodes in their original order in their respective time slots.

Thursday Night Ratings: SCANDAL Up, BEAST Steady, GREY'S, VAMPIRE DIARIES Down

The overnights are in for Thursday, October 25. Below is a roundup of Nielsen ratings reports:

From CBS:
For the night, CBS was first in households (8.0/13), viewers (12.76m), adults 25-54 (4.3/10) and adults 18-49 (3.1/09). If these ratings/time period rankings hold, CBS won the first night of the November sweep in these measures for the first time since 2008.

From ABC:
In the 8 o’clock hour opposite the 2012 World Series and CBS’ top-rated comedies (THE BIG BANG THEORY/TWO AND A HALF MEN), ABC freshman LAST RESORT outdrew NBC’s comedies (30 ROCK/UP ALL NIGHT) by 2.6 million viewers (6.4 million vs. 3.8 million).

Thursday Night Ratings: CBS Leads In Total Viewers, ABC Wins Women 18-34 Demo, CW Down

The overnights are in for Thursday, October 18. Below is a roundup of Nielsen ratings reports:

From ABC:
ABC earned second place on Thursday night in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 with Women 18-34.

· ABC was up 7% in Total Viewers over the year-ago night, while holding 100% of its Adult 18-49 delivery.

PREVIEW: LAST RESORT ("Voluntold")

Photo: ABC

LAST RESORT continues its first season on Thursday, October 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode titled "Voluntold," even as Marcus and Sam learn that they have been charged with treason against the United States, a greater threat within their own crew is brewing. Meanwhile, an old friend of Sam's, Paul Wells (guest star Jay Hernandez), pays Christine a visit and tries to ease her fears about her husban.

Watch a sneak peek below:

Thursday Night Ratings: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Up From Last Year

The overnights are in for Thursday, October 11. Below is a roundup of Nielsen ratings reports:

From The CW:
Entering its fourth season, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is still going strong... up against some tough competition, including the NFL and MLB playoffs, last night's premiere was up 9% in W18-34 (2.5/8 vs. 2.3/8) compared to last year's season premiere, up 7% in A18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.5/5), up 12% in total viewers (3.5M vs 3.1M) and held steady in A18-34 (1.7/6).

PREVIEW: LAST RESORT ("Eight Bells")

LAST RESORT continues its first season on Thursday, October 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode titled "Eight Bells," Marcus leads a search for three missing crew members of the Colorado, a search that leads them to Serrat's compound, where they receive an ominous demand. Meanwhile, a clandestine meeting between Kylie and Admiral Shepard confirms that the order to fire came through a back channel.

Watch a sneak peek below:

Thursday Night Ratings: ABC Down From Last Week But Still Solid

The overnights are in for Thursday's primetime broadcast shows and ABC is happy with the performance of their soap lineup.

From ABC:
With its drama line up (Last Resort/Grey’s Anatomy/Scandal), ABC was up over the year-ago Thursday (10/6/11) by double digits in viewers (+22%) and young adults (+19%), growing the most among the broadcast nets. In fact, Fox and NBC were both down sharply on the evening.

PREVIEW: LAST RESORT ("Blue on Blue")

LAST RESORT continues its first season on Thursday, October 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode titled "Blue on Blue," more than 20 warships are closing on the 200-mile perimeter that Marcus Chaplin declared as a no man's land around the island. And as XO Sam Kendal is drawn into a battle on the ground to keep them alive, Prosser confronts Marcus about something personal to him that could be impacting his judgment as Captain of the Colorado

Watch the first 14 minutes below:

Thursday Night Ratings: Solid Start For ABC Soaps

ABC earned second place on season premiere Thursday among Adults 18-49, leading Fox by 4% and NBC by 71%.  The network won the night among Women 18-49. Below are details from ABC:

During the 8 o’clock hour against Fox’s THE X FACTOR and CBS’ top-rated comedies (THE BIG BANG THEORY/TWO AND A HALF MEN), the series debut of ABC’s LAST RESORT outdelivered its NBC competition (SNL Primetime Election/Up All Night) by 4.2 million viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49.  In addition, the new ABC drama attracted nearly as large an audience as THE X FACTOR, pacing within 113k Total Viewers. Despite the competition, Last Resort built by 8% in viewers and by 15% in Adults 18-49 from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.

PREVIEW: LAST RESORT Series Premiere

LAST RESORT premieres on Thursday, September 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode titled "Captain," five hundred feet beneath the ocean's surface, the crew of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine "USS Colorado" - the most powerful nuclear submarine ever built -- receive their orders. Over a communications channel designed only to be used if the U.S. homeland has been wiped out, they're told to fire nuclear weapons at a foreign country. Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) demands confirmation of the orders, only to be unceremoniously relieved of duty. XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) finds himself suddenly in charge of the submarine and facing the same difficult decision. When he also demands confirmation of the orders, the Colorado is fired upon and hit. The submarine and its crew, honorable patriots, now find themselves crippled on the ocean floor and declared rogue enemies of their own country.

Watch a sneak peek below: