ABC Renews Grey's Anatomy, Castle and Four More – But Not Desperate Housewives?

ABC kicked off its portion of the Television Critics Association midseason press tour by breaking a little news: The network has officially renewed six series — Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Castle, Modern Family, The Middle and Cougar Town — through next season.

Conspicuously missing from the pickup list are Sunday staples Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Although Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry has a deal in place for two more seasons, the show’s core quartet — Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria — will see their contracts expire at the end of the current season. As Entertainment Weekly reported earlier this month, negotiations are already underway on new pacts that would keep them on Wisteria Lane for another season or two.

Brothers & Sisters, meanwhile, remains firmly on the bubble. Encouraging ratings this fall led ABC to increase the drama’s episode order from 18 to 22, but insiders say there’s a 50/50 chance the Walkers will bow out in May.

Cougar Town‘s pickup comes as the Courtney Cox comedy is about to relinquish its time slot to Matthew Perry’s Mr. Sunshine. ABC president Paul Lee told reporters at the press tour that he’s pleased with the show’s creative direction and ratings performance, but added that the cushy post-Modern Family perch serves as a “great launch pad for [new shows]… But we’re very pleased with [Cougar Town]. It’s really found its voice.”

Lisa Kudrow: 'Friends' Reunion Isn't Likely

We have bad news to report: It doesn't look like there will ever be a Friends reunion. Lisa Kudrow said to Us magazine that the sitcom gang probably won't be heading back to sip coffee at the Central Perk, or to the famous apartment with the picture frame around the peephole. "Everyone's busy!" she said at an event in Santa Monica.

Even though the actors have all moved on from the show, it seems like the program's producers are the ones with the biggest objections to bringing everyone back together on the small screen. "I guess they don't think it's a good idea," Lisa said.

And even if the former cast was jumping up and down, demanding a reunion, Lisa sounds like she thinks it would be sort of pointless: "It would be fun, but I don't know. How? Why? Really?" she said.

It would be a nice payday for the stars, though. They were making up to $1 million an episode by the time the series stopped in 2004, after a decade run.

There's a mini Friends reunion on Courteney Cox's new show Cougar Town if you're really itching for some new Monica-Phoebe time. Lisa makes an upcoming guest appearance on the show, and it looks like that's as good as it's gonna get.

Lisa Kudrow Joining Courteney Cox Arquette in Cougar Town

Courteney Cox Arquette is bringing one of her famous Friends to Cougar Town: Lisa Kudrow will make a guest appearance on the new ABC show, TV Guide reports.

"If it all works out, she'll play a dermatologist that my character can't stop going to even though the doctor is mean to me," Cox Arquette, 45, tells TV Guide. "She's the best in town at what she does and I become addicted."

So will any of her other former onscreen pals make an appearance on Cougar Town?

"I did ask Matthew [Perry] if he'd play my boyfriend on the show," she said. "He thought it was a little too much after Chandler and Monica." (On Friends, Perry and Arquette's characters got married.)

As for her real life BFF Jennifer Aniston, Cox Arquette says, "I'd love for her to be on the show, too. Obviously we can't cast her so close to Lisa’s appearance but if there’s a great part for her, I'd send it right away."

The two famously locked lips on Cox Arquette's previous show Dirt.

ABC Orders Full Seasons of Three New Comedies

ABC on Thursday handed full-season pickups to three of its four new fall comedies: the single-camera half-hours "Modern Family," "Cougar Town" and "The Middle."

"Modern Family," one of the best received new series, and the Courteney Cox-starring "Cougar Town" have been early ratings standouts.

They dipped in their third airings this week, but the two shows continue to be solid anchors of ABC's all-new two-hour Wednesday comedy block in the 9-10 p.m. hour.

"The Middle," which stars Patricia Heaton, has been less impressive at 8:30 p.m., but has built on its "Hank" lead-in in both airings so far.

As for "Hank," the fourth piece of ABC's comedy block, there is no word on its future. Starring veteran Kelsey Grammer, "Hank" is the only multi-camera comedy among the foursome and has fared much worse than the others in critical response and in ratings. ABC is yet to make a decision on the fifth new Wednesday series, low-performing comedy-drama "Eastwick."

Fall TV Premieres: Wednesday Night

Tonight's "Hump Day" prime time schedule is filled with plenty of returning shows and new series premieres. Here's what new on TV tonight:

COUGAR TOWN (ABC 9:30 pm): A recently divorced single mother (Courtney Cox-Arquette) explores the honest truths about dating and aging in a beauty and youth obsessed culture in this hilarious comedy that is sure to become an ABC hit.

CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS 9:00 pm): Season five will pick up where the show end off in May; the morning after Hotch (Thomas Gibson) has returned home from his Canadian mission, only to be greeted and seemingly shot by his old nemesis, the Reaper (C. Thomas Howell).

CSI: NY (CBS 10:00 pm): Season six premieres with Mac (Gary Sinise) and Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) mourning the loss of Detective Angell (Emmanuelle Vaugier) who is still alive but their is a life changing result for a cast member.

EASTWICK (ABC 10:00 pm): Like the John Updike novel and the 1987 movie (Witches of Eastwick), the show focuses on three women in New England -- Roxanne (Rebecca Romijn), Kat (Jaime Ray Newman) and Joanna (Lindsay Price) -- who discover they have supernatural powers

GARY UNMARRIED (CBS 8:30 pm): There is no surprise that Gay (Jay Mohr) is still unmarried when the 2nd season premieres. New challenges get thrown into Gary's past this season, including his love interest Sasha (Brooke D'Orsay) and an old friend Curtis (Keegan-Michael Key), who both work at the radio station Gary will be painting.

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC 9:00 pm): Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) will deal with cases this year that forces them to make very tough decisions. They will also be joined by several high-profile guest stars including Christine Lahti as the new Executive DA and Wentworth Miller who will face-off with the duo.

MODERN FAMILY (ABC 9:00 pm): This new series is a satirical look at three different families and the trials they face in each of their own uniquely comedic ways. It includes a multi-cultural couple (Ed O'Neill & Sofia Vergara), a traditional family (Ty Burell & Julie Bowen) and a gay couple (Jesse Tyler Ferguson & Eric Stonestreet). This has got to be one hilarious "family"!

NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (CBS 8:00 pm): Plenty of loose ends are tied up including Richard (Clark Gregg) being left at the altar, and Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Matthew (Hamish Linklater) getting jilted by their respective lovers as the show starts it's 5th season.

All hours based on Eastern Time.