Channel Surfing: McGowan Takes Over for Sackhoff, "Heroes," Bruce Campbell, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Kristen Bell's mentally unstable character Elle Bishop will get her backstory spelled out this season on Heroes. Bell has hinted that Elle may have some previous connections to some of the characters and these may be disclosed during the drama's third season, which kicks off on September 22nd. (Sci Fi Wire)

Rose McGowan (Charmed) will replace Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) on an upcoming four episode stint on FX's Nip/Tuck. Sackhoff was due to play Theodora "Teddy" Lowe, a doctor and potential love interest for Sean (Dylan Walsh) but likely had to back out of the role after being cast as the lead in Dick Wolf's NBC drama pilot Lost and Found. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other Nip/Tuck news, production begins today on the sixth and final season of the FX drama and the stars' representatives are still said to be "deep in salary renegotiations," with Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh seeking to double their salaries and other cast members looking for substantial raises. While McMahon failed to show up for wardrobe last week, all cast members are expected to return to work today. (Hollywood Reporter)

Diane Ruggiero (Veronica Mars) has quit her post as showrunner on CBS' upcoming romantic dramedy The Ex List, a move that was said to take both studio 20th Century Fox Television and CBS by surprise. (She'll be replaced by executive producer Rick Eid.) The reason behind her departure? Allegedly, Ruggiero wanted to place her own spin on the series, which is based on an Israeli format; the network, meanwhile, wanted a faithful adaptation. Ruggiero's departure won't affect production. (Variety)

Want to know what's going on with Burn Notice's Bruce Campbell? Look no further than this recent interview in which the former Evil Dead star talks about his Ashland, Oregon lavender farm, his next film (My Name is Bruce), and why he avoided taking regular television work. (New York Times)

FOX is developing an untitled medical drama from writer/executive producer Ian Biederman (Shark) about a female heart surgeon who suffers from schizophrenia. Project comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine TV. (Variety)

Sundance Channel is launching Sundance Selectcs, a pay-per-view service that will showcase independent films that didn't have theatrical releases. Service, launching January 1st, will offer approximately 50 titles per year, a third of which will be non-fiction films. (Los Angeles Times)

Trey Farley (Bend It Like Beckham) will host Sci Fi's upcoming six episode reality competition series Chase (formerly known as Cash or Capture), a "real-life video game tag competition played out in real time throughout Los Angeles landmark locations." Series launches November 11th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); Batman Begins (ABC; 8-11 pm); Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); One Tree Hill (CW); Prison Break (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Dateline (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

If you haven't read my review of the first three episodes of Gossip Girl's sophomore season, shame on you. Season Two continues tonight with "The Dark Night," in which Serena and Dan find themselves trapped in an elevator during a citywide blackout; Blair questions the lack of passion in her relationship with Marcus; Jenny is caught critiquing one of Eleanor Waldorf's designs.

10 pm: Weeds on Showtime.

On tonight's season finale ("If You Work for a Living, Why Do You Kill Yourself Working?"), Nancy is brought into the DEA for questioning but finds it difficult to explain Esteban; Celia travels into Mexico.