‘Prison’ break ends in January

“Prison Break” has its fall season finale next Monday, but the show’s winter hiatus won’t be a long one.

Fox announced Tuesday that “Prison Break” will only be away until Jan. 22, when the second-year series returns with an hour-long clip show recapping the events of the first 13 episodes.

The winter’s first new episode of “Prison Break” will show the following Monday and the rest of the season will run without repeats through to the finale.

“Prison Break” will settle back into its standard 8 p.m. time period the week after the two-night, four-hour sixth season premiere of the network’s Emmy-winning “24” (that’s a lot of numbers).

This marks a shorter-than-expected hiatus for “Prison Break.” Last season, “Prison Break” departed on Nov. 28 with a big cliffhanger that kept viewers on edge until a March 20 return.

A hiatus of a similar length was anticipated when the network originally announced its January line-up to advertisers at the spring upfront presentation. At the time “Standoff” was slated to take that Monday lead-off position. While “Standoff” is one of only two new Fox shows to get an addition episode order, Fox probably cast aside the idea of a Monday move a while back.

Lifetime asks: ‘Gay, straight or taken?’

Remember that Fox show “Playing It Straight” that lasted all of three episodes on Fox a couple years ago? The one where a single girl had to choose from a bunch of guys, half of whom were gay but were acting straight?

Well, Lifetime is taking that notion, adding the sentiment behind the familiar lament that “all the good guys are either married or gay,” and creating its own show. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting “Gay, Straight or Taken?,” which scheduled to premiere on the cable network Jan. 8.

As the title implies, each episode will follow a woman on a series of dates with three different guys – one gay, one in a relationship and one single and heterosexual. She’ll try to discern which guy is which, then choose the one she thinks is available for her.

If she chooses correctly, she and the guy win “an exotic trip for two.” If not, the man she picks gets to take his significant other on the vacation.

“We’re always seeking to bring relatable programming to audiences,” says David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA, which is producing the series. “This show really turns stereotypes on its head. It’s a fun, wholly original spin on the dating show model, and I think Lifetime is the perfect place for this series.”

The premiere features Jenner, a 27-year-old Realtor, choosing between Chris, a personal trainer; Luciano, a bartender; and Mike, a club promoter.

Lifetime has ordered 18 half-hour episodes of “Gay, Straight or Taken?,” which will air in one-hour blocks on Monday nights.

NBC draws up ‘Identity’ papers

NBC got an early Christmas present last year when “Deal or No Deal” became an instant success in mid-December. The network is hoping history will repeat itself this year.

On Dec. 18, NBC will unveil a new game show called “Identity,” in which players can win cash based on how well they’re able to read people. Like the launch of “Deal or No Deal,” the new show will run for five consecutive nights at 8 p.m.

The idea is simple enough: Host Penn Jillette will introduce players to 12 people and give them a list of 12 pieces of identifying information. The players then have to match each trait – which could range from profession to shoe size, NBC says – to the person they think has that trait. Getting all 12 matches right brings a prize of half a million dollars.

“The deceptively creative concept of this show is both intriguing and addictive. It entertainingly demonstrates that our minds can often play tricks on us – and the stakes are raised when there’s a fortune to be won,” says Craig Plestis, who oversees alternative programming for NBC. “In addition, this is the same week-long strategy of introducing a new game show that worked so well for us with “Deal or No Deal.”‘

“Identity” comes not from overseas, as “Deal” and NBC’s other game show, “1 vs. 100” have, but from Reveille, the production company behind “The Office,” “The Biggest Loser” and “Ugly Betty.” Game-show veterans Andrew J. Golder (“Win Ben Stein’s Money,” “The Chair”) and Tim Puntillo (“Friend or Foe”) will executive produce the show with Reveille’s Ben Silverman and H.T. Owens.

CW orders more ‘Tree Hill,’ ‘Veronica Mars’

The “One Tree Hill” gang will continue to sleep with inappropriate people, and “Veronica Mars” will have more time to close in on the campus rapist now that The CW has ordered additional episodes of the two dramas.

The new network ordered eight more episodes of “Hill,” while “Veronica” got seven more, making a total of 21 and 21 episodes, respectively, report trade sources. Each show was picked up for 13 episodes this past spring.

In its third season, “Veronica” has increased its viewership by 7 percent among adults 18-34 and 5 percent among women 18-34 compared to last year when it was on UPN. It’s averaged a 1.6 rating/4 share among the 18-34 demo and a 2.2/6 among women 18-34. This year, “Veronica” followd “Gilmore Girls” and also marks the titular protagonist’s (Kristen Bell) first year of college.

“One Tree Hill” is currently in its fourth season and also has increased from its WB run last year, with a five percent increase among adults 18-34 and 4 percent among women 18-34. It’s averaged a 2.0/5 among adults and a 2.8/7 among adult women, retaining a high number of its lead-in, “America’s Next Top Model.”