Early news from both networks, as FOX announced a full second season pick-up for Fringe, and NBC gave some early indications of next year’s line up.

Full lineups will wait until the upfronts later this month to be announced.

NBC announced the following:

NBC unveiled today a strong lineup of broad and diverse quality programming for the 2009-2010 television season announcing the pickups of six new series featuring four new dramas including "Trauma," "Parenthood," "Mercy" and the event series "Day One," as well as two new comedies including "Community" and "100 Questions." Four returning series pickups were also announced today including "Heroes," "Southland," "Parks and Recreation" and the addition of six new episodes of "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" skewering today’s top stories in live half-hour primetime shows.

The new and returning series will launch next season and the epic event series "Day One" is slated to premiere out of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

With regards to Day One, NBC announced the following.

In the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world’s infrastructures, a small band of survivors strives to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of why the event took place and what the future has in store. Told from the point of view of an eclectic group of neighbors in a Van Nuys, California apartment building, this journey of survival will show us that hope is found in the smallest of victories and heroes are born every day.

Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy has joined the cast of  JJ Abrams’ Fringe, after the two worked together on Star Trek XI.

Nimoy will play the mysterious William Bell, founder of Massive Dynamic and former lab partner of Walter Bishop played by John Noble.

"It was a delight to work with Mr. Nimoy on Star Trek," said Abrams. "The idea that he will play the mysterious, much-referenced William Bell is a thrill. I know I sound like a goofy fan boy, but I can’t help it. Leonard is an icon of the genre and such a wonderful actor. To have him come on board Fringe is a mind-blowing honor."

Nimoy will appear in the season finale with a view to further appearances next season.

Following some reasonably impressive ratings (this week’s episode scoring a 18-49 demographic-winning 6.2/9), JJ Abrams sci-fi show Fringe has received a full season pickup from FOX.

Originally comissioned for thirteen episodes, the move will see the drama starring Lord of the Rings’ John Noble run for a full twenty-two instalments.

This makes it the first new series from the big four American television networks to receive such a pick-up; surely a show of confidence given the show’s performance.

In other Fringe related trivia, according to Wikipedia, a cow used in the pilot episode had to be replaced in subsequent episodes due to livestock restrictions preventing it from being brought from Canada to the United States. Allegedly, if viewers note the difference in the cow’s appearance, the production team members have said they will paint new cows to match the original.