Programming note: Doctors without borders coming to M-Net Series from September with the new medical jungle drama Off the Map.

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It will be doctors without borders from September as M-Net's secured the broadcasting rights for the series Off the Map and assigned the new single season show to M-Net Series (DStv 110). There will be 13 episodes in this ''Grey's Anatomy in the exotic jungle''.

Off the Map that was good but suffered from a bad timeslot in America and was canceled in May is by Shonda Rhimes who's behind Grey's Anatomy. Off the Map (filmed in Hawaii where Lost was) is set in a remote South American jungle where a collection of seven doctors are saving lives and trying to rebuild their own in a ''Seattle Grace meets South American rain forest'' way. Medical emergencies involve fallen helicopters, anacondas and exotic animals bites and attacks and things like paragliding accidents.

I can exclusively reveal that Off the Map will start on M-Net Series on Wedneday 21 September at 21:30.

BREAKING. Brothers and Sisters, V, No Ordinary Family, Off the Map, The Event, Law & Order: Los Angeles all cancelled; Chuck renewed.

Following the cancellation of the dramas Lie to Me as well as Human Target comes the news that the dramas Brothers and Sisters (M-Net), V (M-Net Series), No Ordinary Family (M-Net Series) and Off the Map (M-Net Series soon) as well as The Event (M-Net) and Law & Order: Los Angeles (M-Net) have all been cancelled.

The ABC network in America decided against a shortened 6th season for Brothers and Sisters that will never get the chance to film a proper series finale, and there will also not be a 3rd season to explain all the cliffhangers at the end of the 2nd season of V.
Meanwhile the NBC network has cancelled The Event and Law & Order: Los Angeles after both had dismal first seasons. The Event could possibly continue if another TV channel in America does perhaps want the show. Chuck (M-Net, SABC2) has been renewed for a shortened 5th and final season of 13 episodes.

The cancellations of the myriad of shows would come as bad news to especially the M-Net channel (DStv 101) that had Brothers and Sisters, The Event, Law & Order: Los Angeles and Chuck and wants to be known for hit shows. It does however open up new opportunies and timeslots for the pay broadcaster that can be filled with new buzz-worthy shows.

UPDATE Saturday 14 May 01:00 - Better with You (M-Net) has now been cancelled as well. The new Harry's Law (just starting on M-Net) has been renewed for  2nd season.

BREAKING. M-Net's massive coup: Pay broadcaster scoops up the rights to most of 2011's hottest shows from Terra Nova to Game of Thrones.

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I have the first big TV news of the year to break and it's really massive. M-Net will be the broadcaster to watch in 2011 if you want the best new international TV shows. I can reveal that M-Net has signed for the broadcasting rights to almost all of the very best, and most highly buzzed about new shows that will be starting in 2011 and which heralds a great start to M-Net's upcoming 25th birthday later this year.

I can break the news right here that M-Net has acquired the rights to what will be the number one want-to-must-see show of 2011, Steven Spielberg's Terra Nova. The pay broadcaster also snagged the broadcasting rights to almost all of the other best upcoming new shows. M-Net has the rights to the fantasy drama Game of Thrones (going to M-Net Series, DStv 110). The exotic new medical drama from Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes set in a South American jungle called Off the Map will also debut this year on M-Net Series. The big one however is Terra Nova which will be on the main M-Net channel (DStv 101) about a family time traveling 85 million years back in time to prehistoric Earth and getting stuck there.

One big buzz show M-Net doesn't have yet is Steven Spielberg's other new drama Falling Skies starring Noah Wyle about an alien invasion on modern-day Earth. But keep in mind that M-Net already has both V as well as The Event of last year, series which are both continuing this year and both of which already deal with the same theme. Also, it just means that M-Net hasn't secured Falling Skies yet as it did the broadcasting rights to all of these other shows already so early in the year, but there is still the possibility.

ALSO READ: Compare what M-Net got - and read more about all of these shows - as you look at my comprehensive list of what will be the (h)IT shows for 2011.