News Briefs: New Girl Will Be Gone ‘Til November

IMPORTANT NEWS… ON A SLOW NEWS DAY

… One of the season’s biggest new hits is being rewarded with an unplanned hiatus. Fox has shelved New Girl until November 1 due to scheduling conflicts with Major League Baseball playoffs. The Zooey Deschanel-starring sitcom usually airs on Tuesdays, but also had special episodes planned for post-The X Factor airings on a few upcoming Wednesdays. Now the show will be postponed altogether, and The X Factor will expand to two hours. If you’re still looking for an adorkable fix, I recommend keeping an eye on the Milwaukee Brewers’ Prince Fielder. What a huggable little fella! [The Futon Critic]

… Remember when Netflix pissed everyone off by splitting its DVD delivery and video-streaming services into two companies, Netflix and a new one named Qwikster? Turns out the company was totally just kidding! [Deadline Hollywood]

… This Sunday, Discovery will air a new documentary celebrating former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ life, and it will be hosted by Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. The special program is called iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World and hopefully won’t focus on people adding an “I” to everything in an attempt to sound cool. [EW]

… NBC has bought Roseanne Barr’s new sitcom Downwardly Mobile, about a family who lives in a mobile home park and their friends. This means the network could end up the home of comedies starring Barr, Snoop Dogg, and Dane Cook. Maybe it’s hoping to become a VH1 spin-off channel? [Deadline Hollywood]

… ABC had a horrible Sunday: Desperate Housewives tied its own series low with a 2.7 rating among adults, and Pan Am nosedived toward cancellation with a 1.9 rating. Put your tray tables up and start making out with the girl sitting next to you, because this thing is about to crash. [TV By the Numbers]

CASTING NEWS… ON A SLOW NEWS DAY

… Game of Thrones has cast Ygritte, a Wildling lady who’s going to make a lot of female viewers jealous when she hangs around Jon Snow A LOT. Downton Abbey actress Rose Leslie got the job. [EW]

… Buffy the Vampire Slayer vet Emma Caulfield is joining ABC’s Once Upon a Time for a guest role as the Blind Witch from “Hansel and Gretel.” She joins an extensive list of impressive guest actors. Does this show think it’s Chuck or something? [TV Line]

… ABC’s Apartment 23 features James Van Der Beek playing himself, so why shouldn’t a few more ’90s icons join him? Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) will guest-star as themselves sometime in Season 1. Apartment 23 debuts this midseason. [EW]

… Steve Urkel will host a new gameshow on Syfy called Total Blackout. It’s like Dating in the Dark, but with no groping. [Accidental Sexiness]

Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom