THE WEEK'S TELEVISION TIDBITS

LIFETIME

Lifetime has ordered a reality show anchored by Whitney Houston's family.  The show, The Houston Family Chronicle, is set to premiere later this year.  It will follow those closest to Houston as they try to resume some semblance of normalcy after her untimely death.

The 10 hour-long episodes focus on Houston's manager, sister-in-law and closest confidant Pat Houston, who is married to Houston's brother, Gary.   The couple's teenage daughter, Rayah, will also participate.

Bobbi Kristina, Houston's only child, and gospel legend Cissy Houston, the pop sensation's mother, will also appear on the show.

It's been reported that gospel singer CeCe Winans and Houston's cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, will also appear.

ABC

ABC has renewed a number of shows to its lineup next season. The shows making a return include: Grey's Anatomy, Shark Tank, The Bachelor, Revenge, Once Upon A Time, Dancing With the Stars, Suburgatory, Modern Family, The Middle, Castle and Happy Endings.

ABC also lead in the Daytime Emmys. General Hospital grabbed 23 nominations for the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards, set to be announced June 23. The network leads all nominations with 56.

In June, the network will turn Nik Wallenda's attempted tightrope walk over Niagrara Falls into a prime-time television event. The three-hour special will air June 15.  Part of the show will be an examination of the greatest stunts of all time. Wallenda is a member of the famous daredevil family. His great-grandfather Kark fell to his death in a tightrope walk in Puerto Rico at age 78.

NBC

NBC has also renewed a number of show to its fall lineup.  Shows returning include: Law & Order: SVU, Parks and Recreation, Up All Night and Whitney.  It ordered the new comedy, Next Calle Please, a show starring Dane Cook as a radio DJ.  NBC also picked up Dick Wolf's pilot, Chicago Fire, about the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department. The peacock network cancelled Harry's Law, Ben, Chelsea, Awake and Best Friends Forever.

CW

The CW has picked up the Sex and the City prequel series The Carrie Diaries, featuring the character of Carrie Bradshaw at age 16.  They will also showcase Arrow, starring Stephen Amell as the DC Comics hero Green Arrow.  The network has given sereis orders to three other dramas: Beauty and the Beast, First Cut and The Cult, a show about a production assistant and a blogger who team up to investigate the fans of a TV show who may be re-creating its fictional crimes in real life.

TBS

Cougar Town, the ABC sitcom starring Courteney Cox, is moving to TBS.  It will be the show's fourth season.  TBS has also acquired the encore rights for the first three seasons of the show.