ABC has agreed to a pilot commitment based on the Vertigo Comics series “Fables”. The pilot will be scripted by Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner.

The series “revolves around characters from fairy tales and folklore living in exile in modern-day New York.”

“Fables” could potentially be a nice replacement for fans of “Pushing Daisies” who will be missing the series after it’s officially cancelled in the very near future.

Current Jenny Craig pitchwoman Valerie Bertinelli just might be returning to television sitcoms soon. TBS has tapped the actress to star in a new series from “The Bill Engvall Show” creator Dave Caplan. Caplan is also responsible for “George Lopez” and “The Drew Carey Show”.

In the new pilot, Bertinelli will be playing the role of a single mother raising two kids. It’s an interesting twist for her since her career started on “One Day at a Time” where she played the teenaged daughter of a single mother raising two kids.

I’m actually a big fan of “The Bill Engvall Show” for a couple of reasons.

1) I can actually watch it when my daughter is in the room.

2) It’s a welcome throwback to the way sitcoms used to be.

While I do love that television has evolved and shows like “Lost”, and “The Office” are doing things differently than TV did them 10 or 20 years ago – it is nice to be able to sit down and watch a classic-styled sitcom that doesn’t star kids on the Disney Channel.

So, I will definitely be checking this one out if it makes it to series.

As further proof that Hollywood is running out of ideas, the 2002 Jennifer Lopez film “Maid in Manhattan” is heading to the small screen via ABC.

The plot from the original film was about a struggling single mother from the Bronx who works as a maid in a posh Manhattan hotel and falls in love with a rising politician.

This new television incarnation will be an hour long drama with the same basic premise of a struggling single mother from the Bronx working in a posh hotel – but instead of falling in love with a rising politician, this series will focus on her relationships with her co-workers.

This is the second attempt by ABC to turn the film into a series. Previously they had developed a script with a different writer for the 04-05 season.

SpikeTV has made its first jump into the sitcom game with a series called “The Factory”. I got a chance to watch this earlier in the week, and I have to say I was surprised by a few things.

One, it really looked like it was going to be more of a “The Office” in a Factory type of show, and it really seems to be more of an “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” in a Factory type show.

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

The series is produced on a really low budget, which is extremely obvious when the cast is outside and the sun is obviously beating the hell out of the camera. The entire show was either under lit or over-exposed, and it made the production feel more like something I would watch on YouTube than on a major cable network.

The actors are all likable, and there were some funny moments in the episode, but I think overall this was a forgettable pilot. I didn’t walk away from it interested in seeing another episode.

“The Middleman” is a television series based on a comic book that was based on a pitch for a television series (got all that?), and it looks really fun. The show premieres tonight on ABC Family.

From what I’ve seen so far it looks like it borrows heavily from “Men in Black”, but replaces Tommy Lee Jones with Captain America, and Will Smith with a hot chick.

Sounds like a formula for success to me! The show has good buzz about it, and has been receiving favorable reviews from geeks all over the country thus far – so don’t forget to set the DVRs for 7:00pm CST tonight on ABC Family.

Fred Savage, that plunky Kevin Arnold from “The Wonder Years” and recent director of “Daddy Day Camp” may be headed back to television. A pilot called “Single White Millionaire” has been ordered by CBS that will see Fred playing an “unassuming, thirtysomething millionaire ready to settle down”.

I know – it sounds revolutionary right?

Ok, maybe not so much – but that doesn’t mean that the show won’t be good. We’ll just have to wait and see how the premise is handled. The series comes from the mind of Ricky Blitt, a former “Family Guy” writer. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not – I mean, I certainly wouldn’t want to see a lot of “Family Guy” styled jokes in this pilot – but the guys who created “Avatar – The Last Air Bender” were “Family Guy” alums too – and that show is one of the most engaging kid’s shows…well, ever.

So the jury is still very much out on this new pilot, but I’m looking forward to seeing what it has to offer, and if it makes it onto the fall schedule.