The best television news of the day has dropped: Friday-night Syfy staple Haven will return next year for a third season featuring 13 new episodes. Yes!

The welcome development means viewers will get a chance to learn why Duke’s supposedly dead (because you never really know on this show) daddy wants him to kill Audrey, who has an uncanny habit of showing up in town every few years looking exactly the same, but with another woman’s memories as her own. Can’t wait.

Season Two of Haven concluded on September 30 with the cliffhanger-filled episode “Sins of the Fathers.” However, the series has a special Christmas-ish installment called “Silent Night” scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, December 6, at 10pm ET. Mark your calendar now.

Set in July (because we all know that hot month just reeks Xmas cheer), the plot kicks off when Audrey unexpectedly starts seeing holiday decorations around Haven. Sadly, no one besides her cares… that is, until folks begin vanishing for no clear reason. The episode should tide fans over just fine while we wait for the paranormal adventures of Audrey, Nathan, and Duke to resume in 2012.

Fans of USA Network’s most recent crop of summer original series have absolutely nothing to worry about at the moment. Every single one of the shows will return for another season, now that the network has just renewed rookie Necessary Roughness, along with more seasoned Covert Affairs and Royal Pains.

The trio join Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Suits, and White Collar, which received the good pickup news earlier. All but two of the shows have 16-episode orders for their next run. The notable exceptions are Burn Notice, which will include 16 to 18 episodes in its upcoming sixth season, and In Plain Sight, which will come to an end with an 8-episode fifth and final season.

2012 is looking great on USA Network!

If you’re an Alphas like me, the show’s home network Syfy delivered some excellent news yesterday, September 7: the original series will definitely return for a second season next year.

Even better, the sophomore run will weigh in at 13 episodes (thus far), which equals two more installments than the current 11-episode first season contains.

The main reason Syfy has enough confidence to continue Alphas is the show’s ratings to date, of course. The network touts how the first season of Alphas has attracted more viewers in certain demographics than other popular basic-cable series, including Memphis Beat, The Killing, and Teen Wolf (all of which are on my Must See list, by the way).

It’s good to have another promising new TV series survive for an additional season. Now if only Syfy would pair the show with a more atmospherically compatible program like Haven instead of wacky dramedies like Warehouse 13. Alphas needed Warehouse 13‘s sizable following to get off on a good foot ratings-wise, but Haven and Alphas back-to-back would be so much more satisfying entertainment-wise.

This is shaping up to be a pretty big week for basic-cable renewals. The latest series to score another season is the intense FX drama Sons of Anarchy, which the network picked up for a fourth go-round on October 7, just five episodes into the show’s current 13-episode third season.

In the official announcement, FX President and General Manager John Landgraf notes that “Sons of Anarchy is the most popular show FX has ever had, and the #1 series in basic cable for our key demographic. It is also one of the best, most original series on television.” Can’t argue with the last assessment.

Sons of Anarchy is presently averaging 4.9 million total viewers for each episode’s premiere, which helps make it the top scripted series on basic cable thus far in 2010 among viewers ages 18 to 49. As a result of that ratings success, fans will get to enjoy at least another 13 new installments during Season Four of the series.

Basic-cable network Syfy made me a very happy TV watcher yesterday, October 7, when it announced the renewal of rookie original series Haven for a 13-episode second season.

The paranormal drama is based on the Stephen King novel The Colorado Kid, which is set in New England, like most of the author’s written works. According to Syfy’s official announcement, the series will continue filming in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the spring of 2011 for a planned sophomore run in the summer of 2011.

Although not a huge hit, Haven performed respectably in the ratings, averaging 2.6 million total viewers and, equally important, managing to retain 82% of the audience that tuned in to its former lead-in Eureka. The series is also one of the five most popular shows among people ages 25 to 54 on Showcase, the network that airs it in Canada.

It gives me great pleasure to note that smart basic-cable network Syfy has awarded goofy dramedy Warehouse 13 with a Season Three pickup.

The series, which just completed its enjoyable second season on September 21, will be back on the tube in 2011 with 13 fresh episodes.

Fans can thank the show’s awesome cast and crew, who helped Warehouse 13 earn strong average Nielsen ratings of about 3.4 million total viewers, in addition to lots of praise from both critics and audience members. As a result, the dramedy is presently Syfy’s top show of 2010 in terms of overall viewers. Well done!

Lifetime Sunday-night staples Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva received new seasons from the network late last week due to their continuing popularity among viewers.

As a result of the official announcement on September 23, fans can look forward to the fifth season of Army Wives and the third season of Drop Dead Diva kicking off on a currently unspecified date in 2011. Each show — which Lifetime President and General Manager Nancy Dubuc describes as “special” in her renewal statement — will present 13 new episodes next year. Sounds good to me.

For a little while there I was kind of worried about the fate of TNT original series HawthoRNe and Memphis Beat. It turns out my concern was for nothing, however, because the network announced this week that it has picked up an additional season of both former Tuesday-night companions.

The good news about medical drama HawthoRNe dropped first. Fans can now rest assured that the show’s third season of 10 episodes will arrive in 2011. The same goes for Memphis Beat, which has a second season of 10 episodes set to begin in 2011.

Said TNT Executive Vice President and Head of Programming Michael Wright in the official HawthoRNe announcement:

With its memorable characters, powerful performances and moving storylines, [HawthoRNe] takes us on a dramatic journey through the world of a hospital on the brink of collapse. This series has performed extremely well among our key demos and proven itself to be a great summer series. We are very excited to continue working with Jada and [HawthoRNe]‘s outstanding production team and cast.

And with regards to Memphis Beat, Wright added:

[Memphis Beat] is a real treasure: a slightly off-center crime drama with great actors, memorable characters and a soundtrack steeped in Memphis sounds. We look forward to another fantastic season next year.

I’m looking forward to the next season of each series, too. Good decisions, TNT.

Great news arrives this week for fans — like me — of the rookie A&E crime drama The Glades. Basic-cable network A&E has ordered a sophomore season of the Florida-set series.

As a result of the pickup, charming Australian series star Matt Passmore (Underbelly, McLeod’s Daughters) and his equally likable and funny colleagues will return for 13 more episodes at an as yet unscheduled future date and time. The cast and crew of The Glades can thank the shows viewers, who have made it A&E’s top series in terms of total viewers, which in turn has made A&E the highest-rated cable network on Sunday nights in terms of total viewers.

Said A&E Network President and General Manager Bob DeBitetto of the series:

‘The Glades’ has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal audience in its first season. With superb writing and exceptional acting, led by a standout performance by Matt Passmore, we’re pleased that the series has struck a chord with fans.

Absolutely. I’m also pleased A&E ordered the show in the first place. It’s proven to be a nice, reliable weekend capper.

The fine cast and crew of Syfy dramedy Eureka must be at least as thrilled as I am right about now. Not only does the imaginative show have a brand-new episode coming up on August 20, but Syfy announced on August 17 that the truly original original series will return for a fifth season. Hooray!

The latest episode of the dramedy is called “Stoned” … and, no, that does not mean the smoking-related, occasionally medicinal, and often spacey variety. While Carter, Grant, Henry, and Zoe all deal with their respective pressing matters of the heart, Eureka residents start turning into stone. Talk about heavy hearts and every other body part.

Stephen King-based newcomer Haven presents the fresh episode “Sketchy” afterwards at 10pm ET. Now that Audrey is finally getting more respect and less chilliness from Haven locals, she and Nathan take on another odd crime in a long line of bizarre cases. This one involves a freakishly damaged body and an individual who can harm people from a distance. In other words, just what Haven needs during its time of Troubles.

Take a look at a nice-sized scene from each show in the following preview clips before watching the full episodes. Carter and Allison discuss in the Eureka video, and Audrey and Nathan arrive on the scene of the latest weird discovery in the second sneak peek.