For networks, this upfront is a drama

May 13, 2009 TV crime show writers often employ a ticking clock to ramp up suspense in an episode, putting characters under added stress to solve a mystery by an impossible deadline. But now those writers are the ones watching the minutes tick by, along with the rest of their show's cast and crews, as negotiations go down to the wire on whether networks will renew several veteran series. Dramas including "Cold Case," "Without a Trace," "Numbers," "Law & Order" and "The Unit" remain up in the air.

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