Lately, we've been used to a stream of good news from Fox: "Fringe" will be back next season, despite weak ratings ... Steven Spielberg's hugely ambitious "Terra Nova" is coming this falll ... Paula Abdul will re-unite with Simon Cowell, as judges on his "The X Factor."
So maybe we should have expected the bad news that came next: Reports surfaced today that "The Chicago Code" and "Human Target" won't be back; also being cancelled are "Lie to Me," "Traffic Light" and "Breaking In."
I'm surprised about "Human Target," which is a real rarity -- a show that got much better after it started. For its second season, it added two women and fresh bursts of humor and variety.
But I'm most astounded by "Chicago Code." This is a show that didn't have to improve -- from its first moment, it's been a gem; producer Shawn Ryan showed how to mix intense human drama -- big, corrupt-city stuff -- alongside case-a-week cop stories.
Ryan introduced two terrific shows this season -- "Terriers" and "Chicago Code" -- and is apparently seeing neither survive. Let's hope he gets a new one soon.