The Daily Beast: "11 Best TV Politicians: Parks and Rec, The West Wing, 24 & More"

In honor of July 4, I picked my 11 most beloved politicos on television, from Leslie Knope (Parks and Rec) and Clay Davis (The Wire) to David Palmer (24) and Sigourney Weaver’s Elaine Barrish in USA’s upcoming miniseries Political Animals.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "11 Best TV Politicians: Parks and Rec, The West Wing, 24 & More," in which I pick out 11 of the best, most memorable, or all-around unforgettable fictional politicians on television (plus one out there bizarre choice).

While Garry Trudeau and Robert Altman’s short-lived mockumentary Tanner ’88 may have been one of the first television shows to focus squarely on the democratic process in action, shows as diverse as The Wire, Parks and Recreation, 24, Veep, and The Good Wife have dived into political action at its best and worst.

With the Fourth of July upon us, it’s time to look back at some of television’s most memorable politicians, from Parks and Recreation’s newly elected Leslie Knope and The West Wing’s President Josiah Bartlet to some of the more shady politicians ever to step into office, including The Wire’s Clay Davis and The Good Wife’s Peter Florrick.

A few caveats before jumping in: given the holiday, only American politicians were considered here, so you won’t see Borgen’s Danish Statsminister Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), House of Cards’s Conservative Chief Whip Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson), or The Thick of It’s Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) represented. The list is composed solely of television characters, rather than feature film ones. And finally, all of the candidates were elected to office, even if only in fiction, or attempted to run for an elected position, so Spin City’s Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) isn’t represented either.

As for why some favorites may have been omitted, to borrow a useful phrase from the slippery Urquhart, “I couldn’t possibly comment.”

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

Syfy Plots Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome Pilot: Where Does that Leave Caprica?

AOL's Maureen Ryan broke the news this morning that cabler Syfy will air its upcoming web series Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome as a two-hour backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off series that will focus on a young William Adama during the First Cylon War.

The project, written by Michael Taylor, shouldn't be confused with Syfy's current BSG spinoff Caprica, which ALSO features a young William Adama, here a pre-teen whose character is vastly different from the Admiral Adama played by Edward James Olmos that we came to know on Battlestar Galactica. Production on the pilot is expected to begin in early 2011 in Vancouver, according to Ryan, though it won't make it on air until at least fourth quarter 2011, if not later.

"When we read Michael's script, it was so clearly a full-blown pilot for a series," Syfy's executive vice president of original programming Mark Stern told Ryan. "The scope is fantastic and bigger, I think, than anticipated, so we said, 'Let's do it as a 2-hour backdoor pilot.' ... We're trying to get up and running as soon as possible."

"It's an opportunity to 'see them before they were famous,'" said Stern. "Here's the Battlestar Galactica as a brand-new, shiny ship -- well, not shiny, but as a new ship that had just been commissioned. What was that like?"

All of which begs the question: what happens to Caprica, the current BSG brand extension that has struggled with viewers and critics alike?

Stern indicated that a decision on the fate of Caprica will be made before November 11th and that the two series were developed independently and can stand separate from each other, given that Blood & Chrome is set ten years after the events of Caprica and four decades before the events of the BSG mini-series.

It will also be, based on the information provided by Stern, Taylor, and Ryan, much more war-driven and action-centric, something that was distinctly missing from Caprica, which focused on the interpersonal conflicts and dynamics between families grieving after a terrible tragedy, monotheistic cults, teenage terrorists, amoral lawyers, backroom politics, and the birth of the Cylon race, the latter of which has been teased for the back half of the freshman season.

But the main problem with Caprica--which I discussed in my advance review of the first two episodes of the second half of the season and in my review of the season finale--is that the stakes weren't high.

While we may have been seeing the emergence of the Cylon threat, unlike BSG, there wasn't the immediate danger of human genocide. Caprica has been about the excess and moral ambiguity of Rome Before the Fall, but throw in less than sympathetic characters and no clear "team" to root for and you have a series that's largely spinning its own wheels.

By contrast, the war-torn Blood & Chrome has immediate narrative stakes. While we know that Bill Adama, here an ensign, will survive to tell the tale, the fates of new characters introduced are up for grabs and many could be destined to be canon fodder. By pushing the narrative into the trenches, there's an immediacy to the threat here, a tension that's lacking from Caprica and a potential for some stories of survival and courage that are more in line with BSG than the current spinoff.

(It does concern me a little that Ronald D. Moore--described as the "godfather" of this project--isn't involved at all with Blood & Chrome. While I'm a fan of Michael Taylor, the lack of Moore's involvement here is a little worrisome.)

It wouldn't surprise me if Syfy looks to wrap up Caprica with the current season. Of course, they could renew it for one more season, allowing the creative team the opportunity to create a "bridge" to the new series, setting up the future conflict and providing the seeds that will pay off in Blood & Chrome.

But, ultimately, given the direction that Syfy seems to want to go in with its BSG franchise, it's only a matter of time before Caprica is, well, toast.

Caprica airs Tuesday evenings at 10 pm ET/PT on Syfy.

Channel Surfing: Full Season for Raising Hope, Outlaw Arrested, Mary-Lynn Rajskub to Modern Family, The Office Has Glee, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

While the focus so far this season has been on early cancellations, FOX yesterday announced the first full season pickup for this woeful fall season, granting comedy Raising Hope a 22-episode order. News comes a week after the network axed drama Lone Star after just two episodes. "With Raising Hope, Greg Garcia captures a smart take on the working-class family with a great mix of wild comedy and a big dose of heart," said Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "The show is running like a Swiss clock, and we're very happy with how well audiences have responded so far -- so we're confident it will build an even bigger audience throughout the season." Meanwhile, the fate of timeslot lead-out Running Wilde is still very much up in the air. (Variety)

The news wasn't so good for the crew of NBC's struggling freshman drama Outlaw, as the production grinded to a halt after three low-rated installments, during which ratings tumbled from an initial 10.7 million to just 5 million. NBC still has five completed episodes of Outlaw on the shelf that are still scheduled to air and will make a final decision on the ultimate fate of the legal drama in the next few weeks. Which means that Outlaw hasn't been cancelled. Or at least not yet, anyway. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider, TVGuide.com)

Damn it, Chloe! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that former 24 star Mary-Lynn Rajskub is heading to ABC's Modern Family, where she will guest star as "the old high school girlfriend of then closeted Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson)" on an upcoming episode of the hit ABC family comedy. (TV Guide Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that an upcoming episode of NBC's The Office will feature a plot revolving around the employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin getting together to watch an episode of Glee. "According to an Office source, no Glee actors will actually appear in the episode," writes Ausiello. "Which means that no, Dwight will not get pantsed by Puck. (Curses!)" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica) is set to guest star on an upcoming episode of Syfy's Eureka, which returns to the lineup early in 2011. "Got a very cool email today from an old BSG friend, now EP on Eureka," wrote Douglas on Twitter. "He asked me to come play. So, Chief does Eureka, tomorrow. Hells Yeah!" (via Digital Spy)

NBC has given a script order to comedy Party People from executive producer Ben Silverman. Yes, that Ben Silverman. The project, written by David Bickel (who will also executive produce), revolves around "entertainers who work at children's parties," and has been described as "a modern-day Taxi, only with with the under-employed grown-ups dealing with kids birthdays instead of shuttling passengers." (Hollywood Reporter)

UK viewers will get a chance to see Starz's upcoming period drama Camelot, following a deal between GK-tv and UK broadcaster Channel 4. The series, which stars Joseph Fiennes, Eva Green, and Jamie Campbell Bowers, is set to launch on C4 in fall 2011. (Hollywood Reporter)

With ABC having yanked drama My Generation from its Thursday night lineup, the Alphabet has to figure out just what to do with the 8 pm real estate, which it will fill at least for the next few weeks with repeats of Grey's Anatomy. Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice suggests that the network should fill the timeslot with a reality franchise, a thought that I adhere to and had actually been wondering if they would follow through with, as it would be apt counter-programming against the dramas and comedies in the timeslot. "ABC also developed two additional comedies that are waiting in the wings – Mr. Sunshine starring Matthew Perry and Happy Endings from former ABC exec Jamie Tarses — but it seems far more likely the network will take advantage of the fact that no one’s airing a reality show in the timeslot and program its new unscripted show Secret Millionaire, instead," wrote Rice. "The program, which is based on a U.K. format and first premiered on Fox in 2008 and attracted more than 10 million viewers, follows Richie Riches who agree to leave their lavish lifestyles to go undercover in impoverished neighborhoods." Meanwhile, ABC may have to decide what to do with Wednesdays at 10 pm, should it axe the struggling legal drama The Whole Truth, though it's thought that the timeslot would go to Dana Delany's Body of Proof. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Lifetime has ordered twelve episodes of docuseries Brighton Beach, which follows a group of Russian-Americans living near beachside Coney Island in Brooklyn. Project, from executive producers Banks Tarver and Ken Druckerman, is expected to launch in 2011. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Dark Tower Comes to TV (And Cinemas), Chuck Lands Freddie Krueger, TNT Mines Dallas, The Event, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Deadline's Mike Fleming broke the news yesterday that Universal has landed the rights to Stephen King's massive multiple-novel series "The Dark Tower," and is developing an adaptation that will comprise both a feature film franchise as well as a television series element, an unprecedented use of the two platforms. Ron Howard will direct the first film as well as the first season of the television series that would follow on its heels; likewise both elements will be written by Akiva Goldsman, with Universal Media Studios attached as the studio. The first season of the series would use the same actors and focus on gunslinger Deschain after the events of the film, while the second season would revolve around Deschain's past. “What Peter [Jackson] did [with Lord of the Rings] was a feat, cinematic history,” Howard told Fleming. “The approach we’re taking also stands on its own, but it’s driven by the material. I love both, and like what’s going on in TV. With this story, if you dedicated to one medium or another, there’s the horrible risk of cheating material. The scope and scale call for a big screen budget. But if you committed only to films, you’d deny the audience the intimacy and nuance of some of these characters and a lot of cool twists and turns that make for jaw-dropping, compelling television. We’ve put some real time and deep thought into this, and a lot of conversations and analysis from a business standpoint, to get people to believe in this and take this leap with us. I hope audiences respond to it in a way that compels us to keep going after the first year or two of work. It’s fresh territory for me, as a filmmaker.” (Deadline)

[Meanwhile, JJ Abrams--who had previously been attached to The Dark Tower--is said to be shopping yet another television project, this time a crime thriller created by Jonah Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige) that could start a bidding war at several networks, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello.]

Is it just me or is the Chuck casting team on a roll this season? Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Freddy Kreuger himself--make that Robert Englund--is set to guest star on Chick's Halloween-themed episode, set to air in October. "Englund will play Dr. Stanley Wheelwright, an evil scientist who can make your waking life a nightmare," writes Ausiello. "He’ll appear in this season’s sixth episode, titled 'Chuck Versus Aisle of Terror.'" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TNT announced a slew of pilot pickups, including a remake of nighttime soap Dallas from writer Cynthia Cidre (Cane) and Warner Horizon that will focus on the rivalry between brothers J.R. and Bobby Ewing. Other projects include ABC Studios' Perception (formerly known as Proof), from writers Biller and Mike Sussman, about a neurosurgeon who solves crimes using his unique way of viewing the world and an untitled Allan Loeb drama from Lionsgate Television about a widowed cop whose partner has just gotten married (which is based on Marshall Karp's novel "The Rabbit Factory"). TBS, meanwhile, ordered a pilot for comedy Brain Trust, from Dean Devlin and Marco Schnabel, about a detective who gets a second shot at life. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Hal Holbrook (Sons of Anarchy) has signed on to NBC's upcoming thriller The Event in a multiple-episode story arc, where he will play "a mysterious character by the name of Dempsey." A press release from NBC that hit the wire shortly thereafter expanded upon the description of Holbrook's character: "Holbrook will play Dempsey, a businessman with shadowy intentions, who will be revealed as an antagonist to President Martinez (Blair Underwood) beginning with his first scheduled appearance on October 11." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, press release)

It's officially official: America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan will headline his own talk show on CNN, replacing Larry King in the 9 pm timeslot beginning in January. (Variety)

Former Battlestar Galactica and 24 star Katee Sackhoff is finally heading to CBS' CSI three years after producers tried to cast her as Jorja Fox's replacement on the CBS crime procedural, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Sackhoff has been cast in a "potentially recurring role" as Detective Reed, described as "a smart, tough, and feisty investigator with an acknowledged lack of sensitivity." She'll make her first appearance in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

There's still more Jersey Shore on tap for MTV: the cabler has ordered two specials that will air after the second season finale on October 21st; the first will be a reunion special slated to air a week later, while the second will be a behind-the-scenes special. No air date has been announced for the latter. Season Three of the reality juggernaut will air next year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former House star Jennifer Morrison is said to be in the running to join the cast of CBS' How I Met Your Mother as a "major new love interest for Ted," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. She's not the only one, however, as Minka Kelly and Jacinda Barrett are also said to be in contention. "I don’t know if she’s the mother we’ve been waiting to meet," writes Ausiello. "However, I do know that the character—a quick-witted, rabble-rousing activist who initially clashes with Ted over the planned demolition of a historic New York hotel—will appear in as many as 13 episodes this season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Watch with Kristin team at E! Online rounded up a ton of information about Season Two of FOX's Glee directly from the horse's mouth as it were, talking to the cast on the red carpet of the premiere party earlier this week and revealing information about duets, romances, Rocky Horror and more. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Diane Farr and Peter Tolan have separately received script orders for two one-hour dramas at FOX. Farr's project, based on her upcoming semi-autobiographical novel "You Can't Love One of Them," is said to focus on "several interracial couples living in the South in a post-Obama world." Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and Generate, will be written and executive produced by Farr alongside Pete Aronson and Jordan Levin. Tolan, meanwhile, has sold a script for an untitled Glen Mazzara drama with Sony Pictures Television attached as the studio; it will revolve around "a burnt-out doctor who joins a neighborhood medical clinic." (Deadline)

Showtime has ordered a second season of The Green Room with Paul Provenza, with six episodes on tap for 2011. (via press release)

Epix has hired Jill Burkhart as the director of documentary development for the pay cabler. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Kristen Bell Wants Veronica Mars Movie, Tricia Helfer Nabs Lie to Me, SNL Lands Bryan Cranston, Fringe, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to go through before the long weekend...

Remember the Veronica Mars feature film that never was? So does Kristen Bell, who has taken to Twitter and the interwebs in order to drum up support for a feature film return to the UPN/WB series that so many of us fell in love with. Creator Rob Thomas had floated a film version of Veronica Mars back in 2009 but Warner Bros. passed on the concept, deeming that there wasn't enough of an audience to warrant the expenditure. (As if!) After radio silence about the project, Bell has now taken her cause to the streets. Or at least to Twitter, where yesterday she tweeted the following messages: "mars fans-can we bug @wbpictures & tell em the must do a VM film?? new tactic. bombard em w/tweets, theres evidence of fans they cant ignore... #veronicamars fans send petitions & any obsessive [behavior] u have 2 @wbpictures & demand the film. they c no audience 4 it? i beg 2 differ." Needless to say, several petitions have already sprung up in support of Bell's campaign. [Editor: I'd long given up hope of ever seeing a Veronica Mars feature film, though I'd love one. I do miss Neptune and Bell's Veronica. While I still don't have faith it will get made, my hat is off to Bell for drumming up support... and for not turning her back on her roots.] (Vulture)

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Tricia Helfer--she of the skin-tight dresses and blonde wig on Battlestar Galactica--will be guest starring this season on FOX's Lie to Me, where she will play Naomi. According to Bryant, her character is "attracted to Lightman (Tim Roth) despite being frustrated by the inability to hide anything from him. But when she calls on Lightman for protection from a violent ex-boyfriend, it's Lightman who begins to wonder if her beauty has impaired his lie-detecting skills." No airdate for Helfer's episode has been announced but it will air as part of Lie to Me's third season, which kicks off on November 10th. (TVGuide.com)

Good news for Breaking Bad fans: Bryan Cranston will host Saturday Night Live this season. The Hollywood Reporter has indicated that Cranston--who took home an Emmy Award this past weekend for his work on the AMC drama series--will host the October 2nd episode. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bubs Alert! Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice has a first-look at Andre Royo--yes, who played Bubbles on HBO's dearly missed The Wire--in an upcoming episode of FOX's Fringe, where he'll guest star opposite Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham. Royo, who will appear in the September 23rd episode, will play "a taxi driver that Olivia (Anna Torv) encounters as she fights to find her way home." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jamie Oliver is heading to Los Angeles. ABC has renewed the British chef's reality series Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for a second season of six episodes, which will be shot in Los Angeles. Reports have indicated that the sophomore season will air either in midseason or next summer. (Variety)

Speaking of food shows, The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd has an interview with chef/author/l'enfant terrible Anthony Bourdain, in which the two discuss culinary television shows, travel, and more. Asked about his views on FOX's Masterchef, Bourdain had this to say: "Dreadful. I saw one episode where they had the contestants try to identify the ingredients of chili. 'I'm guessing there's onion in there' -- you know what I'm saying? 'There might be beef too.' I wish Gordon Ramsay well, but I think Top Chef remains the benchmark... I'm horrified at the low level of competitor in Hell's Kitchen. None of these people could ever -- ever -- be up to the standards of a line cook at a real Gordon Ramsay restaurant. So the whole construct seems artificial to me. Top Chef, on the other hand, what they ask these cooks to do is really difficult, and the quality of the contestants is very high." (Hollywood Reporter)

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Thomas Calabro (Melrose Place) will guest star on an upcoming episode of CBS' CSI: NY, where he will play "a man who is searching with his wife (Helen Slater, Smallville's Lara-El) for their missing son. Together, they follow clues left for them from a mysterious caller." His episode will air sometime this fall. (TVGuide.com)

Oren Peli and Michael R. Perry--the creators of Paranormal Activity--have joined forces with Dreamworks Television and ABC Studios to develop horror drama The River, which revolves around "search for a person who went missing on the Amazon river and employs the found-video footage format popularized by Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and, of course, Paranormal Activity." Project is said to be thisclose to a pilot pickup at ABC. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Paul Scheuring (Prison Break) and McG have gotten a "hefty commitment" from ABC for their private investigator drama I, PI, which revolves around "an investigator who learned everything he ever needed to know about being a P.I. from watching shows like Magnum, P.I. and Simon and Simon while growing up. As a result, he tends to subconsciously emulate those TV shamuses while out on the streets." The duo will executive produce along with Peter Johnson and McG will direct the pilot, should be ordered. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone) and Jennifer Robinson have sold a pilot script for an untitled event drama to ABC. Project, which the two will write, "follows the White House Office of Crisis Management as they tackle one huge global crisis per season" with "the first season [chronicling] a crisis with a ticking clock on board the international space station." The two will executive produce with Gary Fleder and Mary Beth Basile and Fleder is attached to direct, should the project go to pilot. Elsewhere, Sam Raimi has sold a script for drama pilot Lancaster, from writer Andrew Lipstiz, about a Scotland Yard copper who joins the LAPD. [Editor: sort of like a reverse Keen Eddie.] (Deadline)

CBS is said to be developing a comedy based on Susan Brightbill's upcoming book "The True Adventures of a Terrible Dater," with Brightbill attached to adapt her book, which revolves around a single architect in Chicago who attempts to make her way through the dating scene. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be executive produced by Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein. (Variety)

Following the departure of executive producer/showrunner Ken Sanzel from CBS' upcoming cop drama Blue Bloods, there has been a flurry of hirings, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Fred Keller has been brought aboard as a producer/director while writer Linda Gase has been hired as a consulting producer. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Grace Park Heads to "Hawaii Five-O," James Callis Has "FlashForward," Dermot Mulroney Lands "Rockford Files," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Former Battlestar Galactica star Grace Park--most recently seen opposite Benjamin Bratt in A&E drama The Cleaner--is the latest to come aboard CBS' remake of cop drama series Hawaii Five-O, starring Alex O'Loughlin and Daniel Dae Kim. Park will play Kona Kalakaua, who is the niece of Hawaii State Police detective Chin Ho Kelly (Kim) and is described as " beautiful and smart champion surfer who is about to graduate from the police academy when McGarrett (O'Loughlin) recruits her to join his team." Meanwhile, Park's former Cylon co-star Tricia Helfer has joined the cast of TNT's Dark Blue, which returns later this year for its second season, as a series regular. (Hollywood Reporter)

SCIFI Wire is reporting that James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) has signed on for a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's FlashForward, where he will play a mysterious character whom producers are keeping under wraps. "I don't actually want to tell you anything about the character, because he's a really exciting, unusual character," executive producer/showrunner Jessica Borsiczky. "So I think it's going to be fun for the audience. He's going to be involved with Olivia's trajectory ... some of Olivia's journey." (SCIFI Wire)

NBC has landed its lead for its remake of The Rockford Files. Dermot Mulroney (Flash of Genius) has joined the cast of the David Shore-executive produced drama pilot, where he will play private investigator Jim Rockford, a role played in the original series by James Garner. Project, from Universal Media Studios and Carousel Television, is written by Shore, who will executive produce alongside Steve Carell. (Variety)

[Editor: Additionally, if you're looking for information about the current Paley Festival, you can check out my recap on Friday's Modern Family panel here and Saturday's Lost panel here.]

Jordana Spiro (My Boys) will star opposite Becki Newton in NBC dramedy pilot Love Bites, from writer/executive producer Cindy Chupack, Universal Media Studios and Working Title Television. Spiro will play Frannie, described as "a sarcastic career bridesmaid who is sick of being single." Her best friend is the virginal Annie, played by Newton. They are the only two series regulars as the series will be a loosely connected anthology of modern romance. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Janeane Garofalo has been cast in Hannah Shakespeare and John Wells' untitled CBS medical drama opposite Amy Smart and Rachelle Lefevre. Project, written by Shakespeare, follows a mobile medical team that travels the country and helps the less fortunate. Garofalo will play chief nurse/operations manager Angel, described as "the backbone of the organization, she can tell you who’s where, what’s where, and everything in between. Angel never loses her cool and is always compassionate toward those who need help." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other pilot-casting news, Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) has been cast in Michael Dinner's CBS drama pilot ATF, where he will play an ATF agent who chases down dangerous criminals and raises his estranged teenage daughter. His former co-star, Joely Richardson, meanwhile has landed the lead in Jerry Bruckheimer's ABC legal drama pilot The Whole Truth, where she will play Kathryn Pearle, a successful Manhattan prosecutor.

Elsewhere, David Walton (100 Questions) has been cast in NBC comedy pilot Perfect Couples, Eric Close (Without a Trace) has joined the cast of CBS drama pilot Chaos, Nicole Sullivan (Rita Rocks) has been cast in CBS comedy pilot Shit My Dad Says, Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) has landed a role in CBS comedy pilot Team Spitz, Jacob Vargas (Moonlight) has been cast in CBS drama pilot The Odds, Joel David Moore (Avatar) has joined the cast of NBC comedy pilot Nathan vs. Nurture; and Amber Tamblyn (The Unusuals), Kenneth Mitchell (Ghost Whisperer), Sam Witwer (Smallville), and David Giuntoli (The Deep End) have landed the leads in CBS drama pilot Quinn-Tuplets. (Hollywood Reporter)

Anne Son (ER) has been cast in ABC drama pilot Generation Y, according to series creator Noah Hawley. (Twitter)

Warner Bros. Television has signed a two-year overall deal with director/executive producer Danny Cannon (Dark Blue, The Forgotten), under which Cannon will continue to work with Jerry Bruckheimer Prods. as well as develop new material for the network. He'll next direct the pilot for the CW action drama Nikita. (Variety)

ABC has ordered a one-hour recap special for drama FlashForward, which it will air on Tuesday, March 16th at 10 pm ET/PT (it will pre-empt The Forgotten), two days prior to the return of the sci-fi series. The special, entitled FlashForward: What Did You See?, will recap the first ten episodes of the ABC Studios-produced drama. (Futon Critic)

NBC has renewed its musical competition series The Sing Off for a second season. No premiere date has been given. (Hollywood Reporter)

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant has an interview with Rules of Engagement star Patrick Warburton, in which he says that he feels like the Sony Pictures Television-produced comedy has been discounted over the years and should get the chance to launch in the fall with most other network series. "This show grew," said Warburton about the upcoming season. "All of a sudden, it just got really fun. The scripts were great and ... the cast has a lot of chemistry. It's what half-hour TV is supposed to be: It's got some laughs and it's entertaining, and I think it's relatable." (TVGuide.com)

Craig Robinson (The Office) will host the upcoming return of NBC's Last Comic Standing, which returns to the schedule this summer for a seventh season. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC One has commissioned one-off drama Atlantis, starring Reece Ritchie (The Lovely Bones) and Stephanie Leonida (MirrorMask), which will recount the legend of Atlantis and the civilization's destruction, which many believe was based around the real-life eruption of a volcano in the Aegean Sea which flooded Crete, created massive tsunamis, and destroyed the island of Thera. (BBC)

Vivica A. Fox will join Carrie Ann Inaba and Chris Harrison as part of TV Guide Network's red carpet coverage of the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th. (TVGuide.com)

Stay tuned.

The Daily Beast: "23 Shows That Changed Television"

Wondering why I didn't compile a best of the decade list on Televisionary? Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can find my latest feature, "23 Shows That Changed Television," which looks at the cultural impact (both good and ill) of 23 series that launched this decade.

Those influential series include American Idol, Lost, Survivor, The Wire, Mad Men, Weeds, Big Love, Arrested Development, The Osbournes, True Blood, Laguna Beach, Family Guy and Battlestar Galactica.

And if you're wondering why some of your favorites got left off, it's because each of the series had to have premiered after January 1st, 2000 in order to be included in the list. Which negated the inclusion of such influential series from the late 1990s, such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The West Wing, and South Park, to name a few.

Head over to the comments section to share your thoughts on the list and your picks for the most influential series of the decade.

Saboteurs and Lovers: An Advance Review of "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan"

There are many copies. And they have a plan.

I feel a bit conflicted about Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, the nearly two-hour-long direct-to-DVD movie that's set roughly around the first two seasons of Syfy's groundbreaking drama series Battlestar Galatica.

On the one hand, I was excited to return to the dystopian world of human survivors and Cylon skinjobs, ahead of Syfy's planned prequel series Caprica (which launches in January), but on the other I can't help asking myself if this was a story that cried out to be told.

Battlestar Galatica: The Plan, written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos, doesn't really tred any new territory, per se. What it does offer is a different perspective on the events of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica, from the POV of the Cylon attackers. It's through their eyes--both the Cylon skinjobs and the mythical Final Five--that we see the chain of events unfold, from the attack on the Colonies to the reunion between Sam Anders (Michael Trucco) and Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) on Caprica. Between those two narrative bookends, we see Cylon model Number One (Dean Stockwell) manipulate the other Cylons into carrying out various acts of sabotage and self-destruction while hidden among the ragtag human fleet.

It's Stockwell's One, operating under the guise of Brother Cavil both on Caprica and aboard Galactica, that provides the throughline for the plot, which is made up of pre-existing footage from the series along with original material. Even as two versions of his nihilistic line plot and scheme, each attempts to come to terms with the decisions they've made, watching the members of the Final Five for signs that they've learned from the cycle of destruction.

In addition to providing a glimpse behind the curtain into the Cylon perspective, the plot also focuses on what happened to each of the Final Five immediately after the nuclear holocaust that wiped out the Twelve Colonies: we see Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) gravely injured on Picon, Sam assume a leadership role of his group of resistance fighters, Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) deal with his impossible relationship with Cylon sleeper agent Sharon Valerii (Grace Park) even as he later must come to terms with the possibility that he too is not who he believes himself to be. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) and Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma) also appear briefly but the plot doesn't quite manage to ensnare their characters in quite the same way.

There's also the inclusion of a minor character from the original BSG mini-series, Gianna (played by Olmos' real-life wife Lymari Nadal), a widowed Caprican who becomes a member of the knuckle-draggers on Galactica and crosses paths several times with Chief. She also unwittingly enters into a relationship with a Cylon Number Four (Rick Worthy), calling himself Simon, and their romance provides one of the more tragic elements of the film. We're also given a deeper portrait of Simon himself, following the dual paths of two versions of his model, one embedded within Sam's pyramid team and the aforementioned one within the fleet, who is forced to choose between his duty and his heart. (Six and Leoben also get some moments to shine as well as we're given a look at some events from their specific points of view.)

In other words, there's a lot going on here. Which should be a good thing but part of the problem is that, unless you've very recently rewatched the first two seasons, it's virtually impossible to keep track of all of the various events which we're seeing from different perspectives this time around. The film seeks to provide some minor answers to some very minor moments, such as just how Six appeared to vanish off of Galactica after outing Baltar (James Callis) or how the Cylons managed to pass along information to Boomer when she was still a Cylon sleeper agent (hint: it involves a ceramic elephant) and unaware of her true nature.

The overall effect feels like quite too much has been shoehorned into a film whose running time is an hour and fifty minutes and which juggles numerous timeframes, characters, and events in order to compress roughly two seasons of storylines into a single film. There are some interesting thematic elements at work here, such as the series' underlying question about what it means to truly be human, and some insightful moral and philosophical debates about complicity, genocide, and penance. But, as faithful viewers of Battlestar Galactica know, much of this has been dealt head-on within the series itself, with entire episodes devoted to deciphering the Cylon mentality and mores.

Even as a die-hard Battlestar Galactica fan, I wondered if we hadn't already known about much of the Cylons' vaunted "plan" ahead of time and whether there weren't more intriguing untold stories amid the plot of Battlestar Galactica that would serve to further deepen the mythology and world of the series. We've seen Cylons debate the merits of genocide and whether they were right to spite their makers, we've seen them squabble and fall in love with humans, and we've seen them take moral stands that prove that there is individuality even among a line of mass-produced copies.

Unfortunately, it's those same elements that the film seeks to dramatize again, often with a sense of deja vu. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan isn't bad--there are some gorgeously shot sequences and some pretty thought-provoking moments--but it's also not nearly as revealing as it ought to be.



Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is available for purchase beginning tomorrow for a suggested retail price of $26.98. Or you can pick up a copy in the Televisionary store for $16.99.

Channel Surfing: Ray Wise to Play with "Dollhouse," "BSG: The Plan" Broadcast Delayed, Ian Somerhalder Returns to "Lost," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm a little bit worse for wear this morning after a fantastic premiere party for HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, so let's get to the headlines...

Let's just hope he's not as terrifying as Leland Palmer: Ray Wise (Reaper) has been cast in a potentially recurring role on FOX's Dollhouse, where he will play Howard, described by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello as "an intelligent higher-up in the Dollhouse who has huge presence and humor." Fingers crossed that Wise gets the greenlight to return on a regular basis. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Syfy has opted to delay the broadcast of Battlestar Galactica prequel telepic The Plan until a later date, thought to be likely in 2010. The two-hour film, written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos, was slated to air in November, according to reports from Syfy president Dave Howe. The decision hasn't altered the home video release of the two-hour film, which is available for purchase and rental beginning October 27th. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly is reporting that Ian Somerhalder is returning for the sixth and final season of ABC's Lost... or at least for a few segments. "I’m literally getting on a plane in 45 minutes to fly to Hawaii," Solmerhalder told Entertainment Weekly. "The only thing I can say is that I’m going back for several episodes... I have a script that weighs like 200 pounds, but I don’t really know what’s happening." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

FX will offer a sneak peek of its new animated comedy Archer tomorrow (Thursday) night after the fifth season premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Archer, which features the voices of Aisha Tyler, Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, and Judy Greer, is slated to launch tentatively in January. (Variety)

FOX has given a put pilot order to an untitled multi-camera workplace comedy, from executive producer Ron Howard and writer Brent Forrester (The Office), about the employees of an Internal Revenue Service district office. "It's a classic workplace show; the model for it is Taxi," Forrester told the Hollywood Reporter. "In essence, it's a group of eclectic characters who have come to the job from different paths and who represent different points of view and different voices... L.A. Law had lawsuits, and CSI has murders; this show has audits, tax collection and special ops, with the FBI against organized crime and drug dealers." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is developing political comedy pilot Freshman, from 20th Century Fox Television, writer/executive producer Greg Malins (Friends), and executive producers Arianna Huffington and Roy Sekoff, about three newly elected members of Congress who share an apartment in D.C. (Variety)

Jill Scott (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) will star in Lifetime telepic Sins of the Mother, about a graduate student who returns home to confront her alcoholic and abusive mother (Scott), only to learn that the woman is now sober and has a three-year-old daughter. Telepic is based on Carleen Brice's novel "Orange Mint and Honey" and was adapted by Elizabeth Hunter. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

They Have a Plan: "Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan" Panel at Comic-Con 2009

This morning's panel at Comic-Con 2009 for Syfy's Caprica and Battlestar Galactica: The Plan certainly did not disappoint.

For one, there was some new footage of BSG: The Plan to see and there was finally a firm announcement about when BSG prequel series Caprica would debut: Friday, January 22nd of next year. Caprica's executive producers Ronald D. More and David Eick, showrunner Jane Espenson, Esai Morales, The Plan's director/star Edward James Olmos and Grace Park were on hand to unveil the footage and discuss what lies ahead for the Battlestar Galactica franchise.

The footage of BSG: The Plan was fast and furious and left me wanting more right now. It gave me chills and will present the Cylon's plan of human genocide from their own twisted POV, enabling the audience to see the events of Battlestar Galactica from the Cylons' perspective.

Jane Espenson, Caprica's showrunner who wrote the script for BSG: The Plan, said that the, er, plans for The Plan all came together rather quickly. "It all happened very quickly," said Espenson. "There was an idea that we would do movies. All of the sudden, we're going to do one and right away. It was a rubik's cube of a script." Espenson said much of the challenge came from being locked into events from the series and trying to match up scenes and scenarios based on what aired.

Edward James Olmost said that "The Plan to Battlestar Galactica is almost like The Bible... You will have to go back and rewatch the whole show" over again, after you watch The Plan.

As for Caprica, executive producers Ron Moore and David Eick were quick to point out that the series can be enjoyed by viewers new to the BSG franchise as it's not limited to "die hard fans." Caprica is decidedly not an action-adventure but rather shows "the beginning of the mythology that informs Battlestar Galactica [but it's] not following specific storylines in BSG," according to Moore. For one thing, Caprica is set further in the past--58 years, to be precise--and Moore says that the series should be "approached as a separate project."

Eick agrees, saying that the plot of Caprica is "tangential" to that of BSG and doesn't "require viewers to bring Battlestar baggage to it." Eick says that it will ask tough questions about our own society, where we are headed, morality, and artificial intelligence. (It is, after all, about the creation of robots.) And, like Battlestar Galactica before it, Caprica will ask what it means to be human, which is really the central theme of the series, according to Eick, who said that there will be some rather "strange bedfellows" in the series and will lead the audience to question whether they are rooting for the right side. He likened the series to Rome before the fall, pointing out Caprica's "decadence, hedonism, and naughiness."

Just don't expect the casual nudity seen in the direct-to-DVD release of Caprica's pilot to appear in the series. "Sadly, no," said Eick when asked whether there would be shots of nude breasts in the series. Still, the on-air version of the Caprica pilot will have some extra goodies when it airs on Syfy next year.

What there will be are different cultural aspects of the twelve colonies that we've not seen to date and these sort of touches--from hats, ties, vintage cars, and cigarettes--will act as a flavor throughout the production. (Or as Morales put it, a mix of "neo-punk and 1940s.") Caprica isn't as "wild or as verite as Battlestar," said Eick, "it's not as visually chaotic but more subtle and elegant, and [having a] more serene, beautiful quality."

Still, it's not static and there's a whole mess of conflict seething underneath the surface as Caprica is set "before the political unification of the colonies," according to Espenson, who said that the series will definitely differentiate between the disparate inhabitants of the colonies and one episode of the first season would actually be set off-world on the Scorpion colony.

And Caprica will have decidedly more humor than BSG did. "There are lots of ways to use humor that doesn't undercut the drama," said Espenson, who is no stranger to humor, having crafted some of the most articulate and humorous episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The most impromptu and heartfelt moment of the Caprica/BSG panel? When Eick lashed out at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for failing to recognize the amazing performances of the cast. "It is a frakking crime that the cast of BSG was never nominated," said Eick.

Best part of Caprica panel? Esai Morales hugging Eddie Olmos, kissing him on the head, and saying "my baby!!!"

So is The Plan the last we'll see of BSG? "It depends," says Eick. Hmmm. "I can guarantee you it won't be the last BSG movie," said Olmos.

For his part, Olmos joked that he wrote a script in which Adama is living in rustic log cabin when there is a knock at the door and it's Colonel Tigh, who says, "We have a problem." (Ahem.)

And Moore responded to a question about a DVD release for Virtuality, the FOX drama pilot he co-created by Michael Taylor by saying that the DVD release was up in the air but he promised future smoking/drinking commentaries for Caprica and Virtuality "whether they put it on the frakking DVD or not."

The video for the full Caprica/BSG: The Plan panel can be found below:



Caprica is set to premiere Friday, January 22nd, 2010.

Comic-Con Update: Syfy Announces Panels, Talent For SDCC Next Month

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), Syfy has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month.

The cabler will be offering panels based around Caprica and telepic Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Eureka, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, and Stargate Universe.

Additionally, Syfy will be taking over the Hard Rock Cafe and will re-brand the eatery as Eureka’s own “Cafe Diem” for entire breadth of the convention. Cafe Diem will be the focal point for many of Syfy's planned activities throughout the convention.

The full press release from Syfy can be be found below, along with dates and times (and descriptions) of each of their panels.

SCI FI FEATURES FAN FAVORITE SERIES AND STARS
AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2009

New York, NY – June 30, 2009 – In keeping with its longstanding tradition of hosting some of Comic-Con’s most popular, crowd-pleasing events over the years, SCI FI Channel will once again feature some of its biggest hits – as well as its highly-anticipated new series – at this year’s Comic-Con International, held July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. Fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite SCI FI stars and get the answers to all their burning questions at each of the Channel’s star-studded panels, including Warehouse 13, Eureka, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, and Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.

In addition, SCI FI will take over a restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel, re-branding it as Eureka’s “Cafe Diem” for the duration of the convention. The fictional local hot spot heavily featured in the popular dramedy, Café Diem will be the hub of all SCI FI activities during the week.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, July 24

10:30 AM-11:30 AM Stargate Universe
Ballroom 20
A new chapter of the Stargate saga begins with the all-new original series Stargate Universe. Join stars Robert Carlyle (Dr. Nicholas Rush), Brian J. Smith (1st Lt. Matthew Scott), Elyse Levesque (Chloe Armstrong), David Blue (Eli Wallace), Alaina Huffman (1st Lt. Tamara Johansen), Jamil Walker Smith (Master Sargeant Ronald Greer), and Ming-Na (Camile Wray) alongside Brad Wright (Series Co-Creator) and Robert Cooper (Series Co-Creator) as they take you through a gate you’ve never seen before.

11:45 AM-12:45 PM Caprica / Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Ballroom 20
The present meets the past as the makers of Battlestar Galactica deliver the highly anticipated original series Caprica and the 2-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos. This is your chance to get the inside scoop on these exciting projects and see two generations of Adamas on stage together for the first time. Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson sit down with Caprica star Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), and Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), director of The Plan, to reveal the truth about these two new chapters in the mythology of BSG. Moderated by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times.

3:15 PM-4:15 PM Eureka
Room 6BCF
Eureka is back this summer with all new episodes, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), and Jaime Paglia (Executive Producer/Co-Creator) are stopping by to let you in on the fun. Don’t miss your chance to see one of Comic Con’s most entertaining panels. Moderated by Josh Gates, Destination Truth.

8:30 PM-10:30 PM SCI FI Screening
Room 6DE
Warehouse 13 & Eureka will premiere every week this summer on SCI FI, but only Comic-Con fans can see them on the big screen. Join SCI FI for an exclusive screening of the next all-new episodes of the summer’s two hottest series, along with best of clips from Ghost Hunters.

Saturday, July 25

12:30 PM-1:30 PM Sanctuary
Bayside Hilton Indigo Room
Before Sanctuary returns for an all-new season, don’t miss your chance to go inside the action and behind the scenes. Join stars Amanda Tapping (Dr. Helen Magnus) and Robin Dunne (Dr. Will Zimmerman) as well as Martin Wood (Executive Producer) and Damian Kindler (Executive Producer) for an exclusive conversation about one of television’s most innovative shows. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.

2:15 PM-3:15 PM Warehouse 13
Room 6A
This summer, the unknown has an address in the new original series, Warehouse 13. Join stars Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), Jack Kenny (Executive Producer/Showrunner) and David Simkins (Executive Producer) as they reveal confidential information about America’s most classified secret. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.

Café Diem Hours of Operation:
Wednesday, July 22nd 6:30am-midnight
Thursday, July 23rd 6:30am-midnight
Friday, July 24th 6:30am-3am
Saturday, July 25th 6:30am-3am
Sunday, July 26th 6:30am-10pm

Channel Surfing: Drea de Matteo Moves to Wisteria Lane, Meloni and Hargitay Return to "Law & Order: SVU," Showtime Axes "Brotherhood," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Sons of Anarchy's Drea de Matteo (best known as The Sopranos' Adrianna) is joining the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives next season as a series regular, reports Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. De Matteo will play "the matriarch of a new Italian family," writes Ausiello. "Casting is underway for her landscape designer husband and their tightly wound son." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay WILL be coming back to NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit next season, after all. The duo have finally signed deals that will keep them in the lead roles on the NBC drama series for the next two seasons and will be paid just slightly less than $400,000 per episode. Neal Baer also closed a deal to remain on board the series as showrunner and Christine Lahti (Jack & Bobby) has signed on to guest star in the first four episodes of next season's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as an ADA, while Stephanie March will appear in at least ten episodes next season. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Showtime has confirmed to E! Online's Watch with Kristin that it has canceled drama series Brotherhood and will not be returning the series for a fourth season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

My Name is Earl creator Greg Garcia has landed a put pilot deal at FOX for an untitled single-camera comedy about a 25-year-old man who has a one-night stand with a woman on death row for murder and then has to raise the resulting baby with his family. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, will be written by Garcia. (Variety)

SCI FI Wire spoke to Edward James Olmos and Grace Park about what to viewers should expect from Battlestar Galactica prequel telepic The Plan, which Olmos directed. "What their plan was, I think that's a big surprise," said Olmos. "Finding out what the plan was and how it was structured and how close they were to completing it." Park said that there's more than meets the eye with The Plan. "[There is more than] the obvious, which is what was the Cylon perspective," said Park. "If they had a plan, what their plan was, what it entailed. I think besides that, [The Plan shows] probably how alike or unlike humans they really are." (SCI FI Wire)

CBS is launching seven-episode reality competition series There Goes the Neighborhood, in which eight suburban families are enclosed by a twenty-foot wall in compete for a cash prize of $250,000, on Sunday, August 9th. (via press release)

Chris Kattan (Saturday Night Live) has been upgraded from guest star to series regular on ABC comedy The Middle, where he plays car salesman Bob, a co-worker and friend to Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton). He'll next be seen in IFC's three-part Bollywood Hero. (Hollywood Reporter)

SOAPNet has renewed Canadian drama Being Erica for a second season of twelve episodes that is slated to air early next year, according to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider. "Sources say the next season will find Erica (Erin Karpluk) learning more about the dynamics of time travel," writes Jennifer Armstrong, "and will reveal more about her enigmatic psychiatrist, Dr. Tom (Michael Riley)." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

VH1 ordered three new series including an eight-episode untitled reality project starring Salt-N-Pepa's Sandra "Pepa" Denton as she looks for love after a "self-imposed romantic and sexual dormancy," an untitled eight-episode project starring TLC's Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas as she also looks for love, this time with the help of relationship expert Tionna Smalls, and an untitled ten-episode docusoap featuring Frank "the Entertainer" Moresco from I Love NY as he looks for love and tries to move out of his parents' basement. The cabler also renewed Celebrity Fit Club for a seventh season and Sober House with Dr. Drew for a second season. (Variety)

Danneel Harris will reprise her role as Rachel Gatina in at least seven episodes of the CW's One Tree Hill next season after she was written out of the series in Season Five. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Matthew Fox Talks "Lost" Final Season, "Reaper" Creators Check into "Dollhouse," Buckley Replaces Green on "One Tree Hill," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

E! Online caught up with Lost star Matthew Fox in Monte Carlo, where he was on hand to attend the Monte Carlo Television Festival, and got the actor to tease some details about Lost's sixth and final season. Fox, who said that Lost will end with "an incredibly powerful, very sad and beautiful way," went on to say " "I think it is going to be very satisfying and cathartic and redemptive and beautiful. I've talked to Damon pretty extensively and every time I talk to him it's sort of surprising how moving it is just to talk about it." As for the beginning of Season Six, look for the action to begin with the reveal of just what happened after Juliet seemed to detonate the hydrogen bomb, with Fox teasing, "It's very surprising and probably fairly confusing initially to the audience... Like a third of the way in [to the season] I would guess we are going to [settle] in one time frame and it will be very linear—no more flashbacks, nothing. It will be on the island and sort of a final conflict to the end." Very interesting... (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Reaper creators Michelle Fazekas and Tara Butters have joined the writing staff of FOX drama Dollhouse, which returns for its second season this fall. The news was announced by Dollhouse writer Maurissa Tancharoen on her Twitter feed. Fazekas and Butters, described by Tancharoen as "awesome," recently signed an overall deal with studio 20th Century Fox Television. (Twitter)

Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle) has signed on to CW's One Tree Hill as a series regular next season, where he will replace Brian Austin Green, who has dropped out of the series after a deal couldn't be reached. He'll play Clayton, described as "a brash young sports agent who represents Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) and has become a close friend, ally, business partner and advisor to him while also enjoying the spoils that come from being a wealthy, handsome single guy." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered five episodes of comedic dance competition series Let's Dance, which will feature celebrities learning to react famous dance routines, such as Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey's dance in Dirty Dancing, etc. Episodes will air live, with viewers asked to vote on their favorite performers, who will return for a final round. Series, based on a UK format that aired on BBC One earlier this year, will be produced by FremantleMedia North America and Whizz Kid. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin catch up with True Blood stars Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer in a series of video interviews in which the duo spill a few details about Season Two of the HBO vampire drama. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Jonathan Sadowski (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Keir O'Donnell (Sons of Anarchy), Rebecca Wisocky (Bones), and Kaylee DeFer (The War at Home) have been cast in Comedy Central's live-action comedy pilot Ghosts/Aliens, written by Phil Johnson and based on Trey Hamburger's novel. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is slated to air on Sci Fi (or Syfy as it will be known by then) in November and BSG spin-off series Caprica will launch in January 2010, according to Sci Fi president Dave Howe. Also potentially on tap: a BSG feature film, possible three or five years down the line. (The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Universal Media Studios has signed two-year overall deals with Heroes writers Aron Coleite and Joe Pakaski. Under the separate deals, the duo will continue to write for Heroes, entering its fourth season this fall, and develop series projects for the studio as well. (Variety)

Viola Davis (Doubt) will guest star on the second season of Showtime's comedy series The United States of Tara. Davis, who is slated to appear in seven episodes of the Diablo Cody-created series, will play Lynda B. Dozier, described as "an uncoventional artist who plays a significant role in Tara (Toni Collette) and her daughter Kate's (Brie Larson) lives." (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the season premiere of House has been expanded to two hours and will be directed by executive producer Katie Jacobs. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV will begin shooting Season Twenty-Three of its venerable reality franchise The Real World this summer in Washington D.C. The cabler, which will premiere the current Cancun-set season on June 24th, will launch the Washington season in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros. Television has hired former NBC executive Erin Gough Wehrenberg as SVP of comedy development. She will report to Len Goldstein and will work closely with Lisa Lang and Wendy Steinhoff-Baldikoski. (Variety)

Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) will star in Lifetime Movie Network telepic Cinderella Pact, about a magazine editor with an alter ego as a reclusive columnist whose latest column about weight loss inspires her overweight co-workers to band together to shed pounds by following her advice. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC Orders "Flash Forward," J.J. Abrams Teases "Fringe" Season Finale, Michael Trucco Shares "The Plan," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

In a move that surprised no one (given the on-air viral campaign), ABC has given a series order to sci-fi drama Flash Forward, based on Robert Sawyer's novel. Series, executive produced by David Goyer, Brannon Braga, Marc Guggenheim, Vince Gerardis, Jessika Goyer, and Ralph Vicinanza, will star Joseph Fiennes, Jack Davenport, Sonya Walger, Courtney B. Vance, John Cho, Zachary Knightton, Peyton List, Brian O'Byrne, and Christine Woods. Guggenheim and Goyer will serve as showrunners on the series, which is rumored to be launching this fall. (Variety)

Excited about tomorrow night's season finale of FOX's Fringe? Series co-creator J.J. Abrams promises that the season finale will feature "a really interesting shift in the fundamental paradigm of the show in a very cool way." Abrams also promises that Season Two will have less exposition upfront. "There’s nothing more crazy than having that sort of massive chuck of exposition thrown at you in the story," said Abrams. "Sometimes the desire of producers/writers/network/studio is to provide clarity ... those kind of monologues of exposition don’t help anyone ... [actor Lance Reddick] delivers them beautifully, but any actor tasked with catching people up deserves a drink at the end of the day." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

SCI FI Wire talks to Battlestar Galactica's Michael Trucco about the upcoming BSG telepic The Plan, in which he'll co-star along with Dean Stockwell and several other members from the BSG cast. "Whereas Caprica is a true prequel, 50 years before the beginning of Battlestar Galactica, The Plan is less a coda: It doesn't extend the story beyond what we saw in the finale," said Trucco. "It actually picks up the story between Season One and Season Two. It's actually prequel to the entrance of Anders, my character, and Cavil, Dean Stockwell's character. The movie is told from that perspective... it was like being in a time machine; it was amazing. It was like, we did this in Season Two, and here we are going back to that moment in time, and it was a really interesting experience. That was when I first started on the show, so, yeah, you had to kind of erase all the baggage that came with Anders through the finale and start to put myself in the space of Anders the human that I started with, this character that I thought I knew before this big reveal that he's a Cylon. I had to put myself back in that frame of mind." (SCI FI Wire)

Wondering if all of 30 Rock's product mentions in last week's episode ("Mamma Mia") were in fact product placement? Think again. According to the network, the story line was "completely organic" and the product mentions--including that of Universal feature film Mamma Mia--were part of the script and selected by the writers themselves in what amounts to a another McFlurry moment for the series. "The show had written that story line all on its own,” said NBC spokesperson Liz Fischer, “the promotion department had always planned to run a Mamma Mia spot prior to Mother’s Day." (New York Times)

Several bubble series are looking good for renewal, including ABC's Better Off Ted, which is said to be "looking good to return," while Ghost Whisperer scored a renewal at CBS, ABC is said to be high on renewing Scrubs for another season, and CBS is thought likely to bring back Cold Case next season. (Variety)

Nikki Finke takes a look at several potential series projects at CBS, indicating that the untitled NCIS spin-off and Julianna Margulies-led legal drama The Good Wife are locks for the schedule this fall. Also potentially in play are U.S. Attorney and Three Rivers and comedies Accidentally on Purpose, Happiness Isn't Everything, and Waiting to Die. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Casting roundup: Misha Collins has been bumped to regular status on next season's Supernatural, after recurring in twelve episodes this season. Eddie Kaye Thomas ('Til Death) has joined the cast of HBO's How to Make It in America, where he will star opposite Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk; he'll play a wealthy hedge fund manager who went to high school with Ben (Greenberg). And Stephen Dunham (What I Like About You) has been cast in TBS comedy The Bill Engvall Show, where he will recur as Engvall's brother Kenny, a "likable ne'er-do-well who gets by on his charm," and could become a series regular down the road. (Hollywood Reporter)

Neil Gaiman has denied rumors that inbound showrunner Steven Moffat has asked him write a script for Doctor Who's upcoming fifth season and has an update about a possible Sandman series at HBO. "The last thing that I heard was that HBO wanted to do an ongoing, great big Sandman overarching HBO TV series, which would make sense because they're part of the Time Warner empire and Sandman cannot leave Time Warner," said Gaiman. "Whether or not that will ever happen I do not know, because it would involve HBO making a deal with DC [Comics] which they may or may not be capable of doing. The truth is they are things in my life that I do not own, that I've created but do not own and do not control. What gets really frustrating is people assume that I do and they assume I'm consulted and can say yes or no to things - which of course I can't." (Digital Spy)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez takes a look at just what it means when series are said to be "on the bubble" and talks to a member of the 225-strong crew of CBS' The Unit, all of whom are awaiting their fate as CBS weighs whether or not to pick up the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series for another season. "If drama is life heightened, then Hollywood's bubble shows mirror much of America right now, where the specter of pay reductions, freezes and immediate unemployment is writ large," writes Fernandez. "In the television industry, the phenomenon is an annual rite as network executives decide which series will be ditched to make room for new projects." (Los Angeles Times)

Amid the efforts to reduce budgets on ongoing television series, many studios have cut the number of writers on staff, with more experienced writers (who earn a heftier pay check) more likely to be cut than their lower-paid counterparts. "Industry sources say studios producing skeins for Big Four nets are pushing for cuts of as much as 10%-15% in the writing budget for returning series, while new shows will start out with smaller staffs than first-year shows in recent seasons," writes Variety's Cynthia Littleton. "Where skeins once had as many as 10-12 writers, not including the showrunner(s), the new norm is becoming six to eight." Freshman drama series Southland, recently renewed for a second season, only has four writers and isn't expected to add any scribes next season. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that producers on NBC's Heroes are looking to cast a hearing-impaired actress in her twenties to play the love interest for one of the main characters in Season Four. The as-yet-unnamed character will be introduced in next season's fourth episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has ordered six episodes of an untitled unscripted series with Jamie Oliver and executive producer Ryan Seacrest that is said to be loosely based on Oliver's 2005 television series Jamie's School Dinners (which aired in the US as Jamie's School Lunches), in which Oliver would travel to the unhealthiest towns in America and work with locals to devise ways to improve diet habits. The series is expected to air sometime in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comcast's G4 is spinning off long-running franchise The Soup into Web Soup, hosted by Chris Hardwick and launching June 7th. Series, which will air Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT, will focus on digital culture and Internet content and will be executive produced by the team behind The Soup, including executive producers K.P. Anderson, Boyd Vico, Edward Boyd, and Brad Stevens. (Variety)

Executive producers/showrunners Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander have departed from CBS' freshman comedy Gary Unmarried after creative differences with the network. Rumors are swirling that Ira Ungerleider and Rob Des Hotel will be promoted to to showrunners on the ABC Studios/CBS Paramount Network Television series, which would then be renewed for a second season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fox Television Studios has hired Slater/Brooksband as a casting consultant for the News Corp division, with Mary Jo Slater and Steve Brooksband providing casting services on FTVS' scripted programming, including international co-productions. (Variety)

The Los Angeles Times' Dawn C. Chmielewski and Meg James take a look at the issues facing Internet juggernaut Hulu, including cable and satellite operators who are decidedly nervous about losing control over cable programming. In response, several cable series--such as full seasons of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and USA's Psych--have been yanked from Hulu, despite the fact that they are both produced by Hulu partner studios. The site is also said to be looking into authentication: namely that viewers would have to prove that they are cable subscribers in order to access cable programming on the site. (Los Angeles Times)

Versus has ordered weekly series Fanarchy, in which seven fans will get the chance to get on their soapboxes about current sports topics via webcam in a "frenzied back-and-forth format" that will see two contestants eliminated each episode and replaced by new fans the following week. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Televisionary Exclusive: Showrunner Jane Espenson Talks About "Caprica" Series

While Battlestar Galactica may have ended about a month ago, fans of the award-winning Sci Fi series have been eagerly awaiting Caprica, the next (or is it previous?) chapter in the BSG saga, set roughly fifty years before the start of BSG's mini-series. (You can read my advance review here.)

With Caprica's two-hour pilot now available on DVD and as a digital download, I had a feeling many of you would be curious about what to expect when the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica returns in 2010 as a full-fledged series of its own on Syfy.

To that end, I caught up with Caprica's showrunner/executive producer Jane Espenson a few weeks ago to find out what is in store for the residents of the doomed planet, how the series will be different from the two-hour pilot, how the notion of the One True God plays into things, and what fans of BSG should anticipate from this sleek series.

Televisionary: How would you pitch Caprica as a series to viewers of BSG who are suffering from some serious withdrawal pains? Are there inherent similarities or differences between the two series?

Jane Espenson: There are both. If you loved the core of BSG, the dense story-telling and the complicated characters, this is for you. On the other hand, our settings are very different. We are not a show with space dogfights. We've got other sources of excitement: domestic terrorism, organized crime and dangerous robots come to mind. If you're in it for the Viper-on-Raider action, this is a different show.

Q: The pilot seemed to draw a parallel between Caprica and Rome before the Fall. Is there the sense that there's a ticking clock here, given what we know about the future of Caprica?

Espenson: YES -- viewers know what the future holds for this world, so there will be a sense of the view from the top of the waterfall. But that doesn't mean that there will be a pessimistic or dour tone to the show. This is, in a way, the party at the top of that waterfall. And the parallel with Rome -- the place and the show -- is a good one. The exploration of the cultures of the Colonies before they unified is a big part of the joy of the show. The look of the world, the clothes, the temples, the customs that might appear bizarre to us... it's all there.

Q: How important is the notion of the monotheistic One True God to Caprica's story and the sense that man's eventual downfall is linked to both hubris and loss?

Espenson: The notion of the rise of monotheism is deeply ingrained in our stories. A number of our characters believe they have the answer that will halt the slide of Caprica -- some see the answers in monotheism, others in science, others in the state, others in polytheism. It's a wonderful question that we can keep returning to-- which of these are parts of the problem and which are parts of the solution?

Q: In Battlestar Galactica, the Twelve Colonies seemed to be a more or less unified front, represented by the Quorum of Twelve. Is that the case in Caprica? And if not, how would you categorize the interaction between the planets? Will we travel off-world at any point or is the action grounded on the planet of Caprica?

Espenson: The Colonies are not yet unified under a central government. And we WILL travel off-world to other colonies.

Q: There are quite a few familiar names from BSG on the writing staff of Caprica. Which writers are shifting over to work on Caprica? And who are the newbies on staff? (I heard Pushing Daisies' fantastic Kath Lingenfelter is on staff!)

Espenson: From BSG we have myself, Michael Taylor and Ryan Mottesheard. From Friday Night Lights we have the team of Patrick Massett and John Zinman. We do, indeed, have Kath Lingenfelter, and another young writer named Matt Roberts. It's a fantastic staff. And, of course, Ron Moore is around as well, guiding and shaping and inspiring.

Q: Now that you're overseeing the writers room (which you did on The Inside as well, I believe) as showrunner, how are you running the room? Do you break stories together as a team or assign scripts to individual writers?

Espenson: We do both, as most shows do. We designed the arc for much of season one with Ron [Moore] running the room. Then the staff and I "broke" the episodes and pitched them to Ron -- this is like presenting him with a general outline for the stories. Then every script was assigned to a writer. Right now, we are all engaged in writing scripts simultaneously, which will result in a glorious clash when they're all turned in at the same time.

(SPOILER ALERT!) Q: Regarding the pilot's ending, in which Daniel seemingly downloads Zoe's personality into the Centurion prototype, can we expect to see the development of a race of Centurions that do have individuality/free will? How does this moment tie into the BSG mythos as a whole? Is there a sense that this is the beginning of the end as much as it is the end of the beginning?

Espenson: There is no secret that this series is, in part, about the development of the Cylons in the Colonies, so I think you know how this ties into the overall BSG mythos. But it's how we get there that's going to have the surprises.

Q: Which of Caprica's diverse cast of characters have you found the most compelling to write for so far?

Espenson: It's impossible to pick a favorite at this point. They and I are still getting acquainted on the page, and I'm sure that's true for all the writers. But I will say that we made a tremendous effort to look at this first batch of episodes from the perspective of all the major characters to make sure that they all had great stories to embody.

Q: Lastly, what do you think viewers will be most surprised about when they see Caprica?

Espenson: The humor and fun. The pilot centered on a very dark moment, this terrorist attack. When we rejoin the show, everyone will still be reeling from that event, but they'll be beginning, almost subconsciously, to slip back into the patterns of life in which you might catch yourself laughing, making a dark joke at your own behalf, or noticing the absurdities of life again. Caprica is set in an interesting world with technological wonders that are going to be amazing to watch, too. So expect some fun, some funny, and some dazzle.

Caprica's two-hour pilot episode is available for purchase on DVD and digital download, while Caprica the series will launch on Syfy in 2010.

Death Becomes Them: The Role of Character Deaths in Television

With so many high-profile series like Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Heroes proving themselves willing to kill off main characters over the last few seasons (and rumors swirling about many a death on upcoming series by the end of the season), it got me thinking about the role of death on television and whether it's still an important tool in the television writer's arsenal of plot devices or an over-hyped gimmick to force viewers to tune in.

The most recent death on television was, of course, the shocking demise of Kal Penn's Dr. Lawrence Kutner on FOX's House earlier this week. In the April 6th episode, entitled "Simple Explanation," Penn's typically levelheaded character commits suicide very unexpectedly and his absence from work prompts two of the series' characters to investigate his whereabouts; they discover his body in his apartment with a gun by his side.

Reactions to the episode have divided both critics and audience alike, with some praising the realism and grace with which it was handled, while others, such as The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, decried Kutner's suicide as a sort of emotional blackmail. Comparing his death to that of former House character Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek), killed off last season, Ryan wrote, "Everything about the death of Kutner [...] smelled of manipulation. And how about that online "memorial" to Kutner that was advertised at the end of the show? Sigh. It just struck me as cheesy. I have been dissatisfied with House all season, but the death of Lawrence Kutner might just be the coup de grace for this once-great show." (Ouch.)

I turned to some industry insiders about their views on the subject of death on television and asked former Battlestar Galactica and Buffy writer/producer and current Caprica showrunner Jane Espenson about her thoughts on the death of Kutner on House, along with a cable network development executive and a studio current series executive (both of whom asked to remain anonymous for this story).

I asked Espenson about whether writers have overused death as plot device. "Of course the death of a character can be meaningful!" she told me. "Death is a part of life and is perfectly legitimate fodder for drama. It can also be a cheap plot twist. Like almost everything, it's about the execution."

"I loved the House storyline, and thought it was really well done," she continued. "Usually we talk about "earning" a plot development as big as a character death. As a writer, you try to make the death feel surprising, but, in retrospect, unavoidable or logical or necessary. On both Buffy and BSG, we wrote episodes in which characters (Joyce, Dualla) seemed to be recovering from dangerous situations and then succumbed--in the one case to disease, in the other, to despair. Both deaths were chilling and--I believe--earned."

"What House managed to dramatize was the much more difficult unearned-death-because-that-was-the-whole-point," Espenson explained. "It happens--deaths that are impossible to explain happen. And the writers didn't swerve off the road, either--Gregory House's reaction to the death was front and center, as it should be in this kind of show. The episode would still have been legitimate if it had involved a character the audience had never met before, actually. But making it about someone the audience was invested in gave it extra impact--helped us understand the characters' reactions more viscerally. That's what good drama does."

But would the current series executive agree with Espenson? I asked her the same questions about the House suicide and about death on television in general.

"I think it was a really interesting way to do a character death," she said of Kutner's suicide on House. "It wasn't promoted, and its purpose was more about House and his ability to not figure everything out than about the character that died."

"For me, it's not that I'm against killing off characters; I'm against killing off characters as a promotional strategy," continued our forthright studio executive. "It seems that so many series these days use character deaths as a way to pick up viewers or bring back old viewers. I would prefer that network showrunners concentrate on making the best show they can instead of picking which character will die during sweeps. I've seen so many commercials and read so many magazine articles that tout the death of a character before it's going to happen. The most recent example of this is Nicolette Sheridan's character on Desperate Housewives. When you promote a death so much, it completely loses all of the dramatic weight behind it."

So have character deaths lost all emotional impact these days? "I firmly believe that it is still possible to have a character's death mean something," admitted the studio exec. "The element of surprise is always good, but it's the execution that really makes it work for me. I think The Sopranos is a great example. That's a show where the viewer was always expecting a character to die strictly because of the world in which it took place, but it constantly provided jaw-dropping (Ralphie) and gut-wrenching (Big Pussy, Adriana) deaths. They were always done in a way that would result in a very visceral reaction from the audience and that is what makes a character death meaningful."

Our cable development executive was less kind about the subject matter.

"I think it is overused," he said of the use of death as a plot device today. "The networks and advertisers want attention. The easiest way to get everyone's attention is to kill someone off. It quickly becomes cliched. From a development perspective, it is incredibly unsettling towards everything else you are working towards."

"The networks are constantly scrambling to keep audience attention and especially today when network viewership at an all time low," he said. "More people than ever are watching TV but they aren't watching network TV. There's a massive disconnect. Why are there such huge plot twists? Why, in 24, is there going to be a nuclear disaster every season? To keep up audience attention. From a network development perspective, there's a need to keep pushing the envelope in order to keep audience interest there... When you're doing a 24-type show, or even House to a certain extent, each episode asks, 'What is this person going to die of?' It speaks to a frustrating model that [action, medical, etc.] shows like these are so similar that you have to find a way to do it differently each time because the characters aren't evolving. Why aren't they changing? Because they don't want to alienate viewers. Why can't you alienate viewers? Because you don't want to alienate any advertisers."

"We've also reached saturation levels as far as media goes," he went on to say. "Everyone is extremely aware of characters, actors, etc. Remember when Cynthia Watros was on Lost and she got a pilot and then we all knew something was going to happen to Libby on the show? Everyone knew it was going to happen because it was in the trades. And the trades aren't limited to industry readers anymore because everyone can go on to the Variety website and see what's happening with their favorite actors. People are becoming hyper-aware of who is being utilized or not utilized. We are no longer making TV shows in a bubble, for other little bubbles around the country; we're making TV shows for a mass audience that is aware and following all of your footsteps."

And yet that does speak a great deal towards what showrunners David Shore and Katie Jacobs were looking to do with Lawrence Kutner's suicide on show. It was unexpected, it hadn't been announced in the trades or in, say, TV Guide or on the cover of Entertainment Weekly (like Edie's death on Desperate Housewives), and it was shocking.

But, while the storyline may yield some character development down the road, its impetus wasn't story-based but rather that actor Kal Penn wanted to leave the FOX series in order to take a position in the Obama Administration. One can't argue that it was a promotional tool, because it wasn't promoted ahead of time, but was the death strictly for shock value or does it open up the series to explore new themes and stories?

I agree with Espenson that, when a death is "earned," it can be a fantastic storytelling device that potentially offers viewers an emotional wallop to the gut. And I am hopeful that writers can use the unexpected death of a character to further the overall story rather than just sell it as promotional, tune-in gimmick... so long as the media and network promo departments don't spoil it in advance, as they have in the past. (ABC's promos for Lost come to mind.)

Ultimately, death is a huge part of life and shouldn't be abandoned from the writer's toolbox any time soon. But creators and networks need to be aware that character deaths have to be earned above all else and not used as a throwaway storyline to trim the cast or "shock" the audience. Or they run the risk of truly de-sensitizing the audience at large.

What are your thoughts about Lawrence Kutner's death? Are too many series seemingly using character deaths as a promotional tool more than a story-based one? Discuss.

Deus Ex Machina: The Divine, The Infernal, and The Mundane on the Series Finale of "Battlestar Galactica"

I went into the series finale of Battlestar Galactica with more than a little trepidation.

Would Ronald D. Moore and David Eick be able to wrap up all of the loose threads in this five-year-long tapestry of a narrative in roughly two hours? And, more importantly, would it be a satisfying swan song for the series itself, which has attracted millions of devoted followers who have theorized, discussed, and dissected every moment leading up to this ending?

I did expect Moore and Eick to deliberately leave some things open to interpretation and discussion with the series finale of Battlestar Galactica ("Daybreak, Part Two") but, while I enjoyed watching the final moments of this intelligent and provocative series, there were a few things that got under my skin.

So put on your Viper suit for the last time, unplug the toaster, prepare for some spoilers (if you haven't yet seen the series finale) and let's discuss the Battlestar Galactica series finale.

Most of all, I had feared that the series ender wouldn't tie up Kara Thrace's story neatly. After all, Katee Sackhoff herself has said publicly that she isn't sure she's happy with the way that Starbuck's journey ended. ("I don't know yet. I'm still wrestling with it. There's certain aspects of the character that had tremendous closure, and then there's certain aspects that are completely wide open. I'll leave it to the fans. I'll keep my opinion to myself right now.") And I have to agree with her: I wanted a more satisfying sense of closure for her character than to just disappear in a field after standing next to Lee. We're left with the notion that Kara was tied into something divine and ancient, that her purpose was fulfilled by bringing the survivors of the human race to the (new) Earth. And that having completed her mission, she vanished into the ether, which felt to me a little bit like a cop-out on the part of Ron Moore and the writers.

Was she a ghost, an angel, a messenger of God? I don't know and clearly it's meant to be left open for interpretation. (Though she clearly had a physical form, unlike Head Six and Baltar, and was able to interact with the world around her.) But it seems an odd ending given the fact that Kara was connected somehow to the ancient Cylon race via her piano-player father and was able to get the fleet to Earth by using the notes of "All Along the Watchtower," which she was able to recall thanks to little Hera's drawing. Turning the notes into numerical values, she's able to jump Galactica to our Earth... and brings humanity to its end. Or rather the end of its journey. (How she was also the "harbinger of death" that the Cylon hybrid prophesied remains unclear and unseen.) In that respect, I see it's why Kara was brought back to "life," as it were, to be able to lead her people to the Promised Land.

Except that I thought that's what Laura Roslin, the dying leader, was meant to do. With her role usurped by Kara Thrace, Laura was left in this two-parter with very little to do other than help Ishay oversee the emergency triage center on Galactica during the final battle, chase after Hera after experiencing a vision of the fabled Opera House.. and then lose her.

How Kara was brought back to life is meant to be a mystery, a divine miracle enacted by an unseen heavenly presence that's pulling everyone's strings. It's also this godlike presence that recreates Kara's exploded Viper and places the secret path to the (old) Earth in its nav system so the Final Five can unlock it and return to their desolate planet.

Daniel, the fabled seventh Cylon model, was a "rabbit hole" that many of us fell down, according to Moore. He was just a piece of the Cylon backstory, a convenient analogue for Cain and Abel's story of fratricide, and wasn't connected to Kara Thrace whatsoever. In fact, Moore is quoted as saying that Daniel was an "unintentional rabbit hole" and that he "had no idea" that anyone would draw any conclusions between Kara, Dreilide, and Daniel. ("It's one of those things where you're inside the show and doing it, you don't realize that people are going to seize on this detail and it gets a life of its own," he told Alan Sepinwall.)

Which is funny as, while it's only a small piece of the overarching mythos of Battlestar Galactica, it could have perhaps drawn these threads together. Why couldn't Kara have been the offspring of Cylon Daniel and her human mother? Wouldn't it perhaps have gone a long way to explaining just why she is tapped into this shared consciousness, vis-a-vis "All Along the Watchtower" and her paintings of the Eye of Jupiter? Or is that just me reaching?

Or is it enough to have had her return from the dead as a Christ figure, bring the humans to their salvation on Earth, and then return to the heavens once she's fulfilled her destiny?

Likewise, I felt that the use of the Opera House visions here didn't quite match up to what had been built up so successfully over the course of the last three seasons or so. The shared visions of the Opera House seemed so climactic and crucial to the plot. After all, these were haunting glimpses into an otherworldly place of power and were shared by Six, Roslin, Baltar, Athena, and Hera... as they chased after Hera, the salvation of both the human and Cylon races, and Six and Baltar brought her into the presence of the mythic Final Five.

But in the end, it all went down amid a firefight aboard Galactica as Laura and Athena chased after Hera (and poor Helo nearly died after rescuing his daughter) and Six and Baltar literally stumbled on to Hera... and then simply brought her into CIC. Was that really all that this was about? Walking the little girl into CIC? The clues that we had been teased with up until now pointed to a more momentous and significant moment. Why was it important that it was Six and Baltar who shielded Hera and moved her into place? And why was it so crucial that Hera be brought to that place, under the gaze of the Final Five, where she was once again placed in jeopardy by the arrival of Cavil, who held a gun to her in a rather cliched fashion? (Regarding Cavil enacting some sort of standoff by threatening to shoot Hera, did anyone really believe for a second that he would go through with it, seeing as she was vital to his people's survival?)

To me, the resolution of the Opera House vision was one element of the series finale that truly let me down. Does it get our characters all in place for one final showdown between the alliance and the evil Cavil? Yep. Does it enable Baltar to speak about the divine puppet master pulling their strings and how this being, whatever it is, isn't good or evil? You betcha. But it lacked that epic, mythical quality that this plot thread seemed to be building towards. It seemed to be about the notion of sacrifice and of redemption. In fact, what bothers me most was that it seemed to be about something entirely different the entire time we've been tracking this storyline.

Ultimately, Hera is the salvation of both the human and Cylon races and we learn via a flash-forward 150,000 years to the future (our present day) that Hera is in fact Mitochondrial Eve, the matrilineal ancestor of the human race. Her bones, discovered in the Cradle of Life in Africa, are incorrectly identified as the start of the human race, though she's actually the result of reproduction between an off-world human and a Cylon. (I did find it semi-amusing that it's Ron Moore himself who's reading the magazine article about the discovery of the bones while the angelic Six and Baltar look over his shoulder.)

So was it essential that Hera be protected and fulfill her own destiny? Definitely. We're told that, without her, we wouldn't be here today as the human race at that time were a handful of pre-linguistic tribal people with spears. It's because of Hera that we exist at all and because of the sacrifice of the Cylon rebels and the Colonial survivors that Earth's population evolves to what it is today. Rather than destroy, they opt to create. They find Eden on Earth and recreate Paradise. Hera herself grows up to be the matrilineal ancestor for us all... which means that each of us shares a piece of her original mitochondrial DNA. We truly are human and Cylon, gifted with the "best of us" that Lee wanted to share.

Of course, things in life are cyclical. Patterns repeat themselves. "This has happened before and will happen again." In the present day, the massive advances in technology are making things possible in a way they haven't been before. Man is once again looking to create artificial life, to steal the fire away from the gods, and embue their mechanical creations with thought and purpose. The scenes in present-day Times Square point towards humanity's drive to recreate the Cylon race: to enslave a population of artificially created beings to their own ends. Will the pattern repeat itself? Will this robotic race rise up to annihilate their creators? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. As the angelic Six says, even complex equations of probability point towards patterns changing.

The humans and Cylons DO form a lasting alliance, especially after the playing field is leveled with the destruction of resurrection technology. (And, make no mistake, it can't be recreated now that Tyrol enacts his vengeance for Callie's death upon Tory, who rather fittingly finally gets some Biblical justice rained down upon her.) The humans and Cylons make a new home on Earth together; their new relationship isn't based on old grudges but mutual survival. And they do both survive through Hera.

The series has been a journey for both races as they are finally forced to put aside their enmity and become one, unified nation of survivors. Which is a hopeful message about solidarity and equanimity, the choice of compassion over destruction. We're meant to be left with a feeling of hope, that these people settled into a quiet life of agriculture and lived out their days in peace in some very uninteresting times. (Unlike that ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times.")

Yet why did I feel deeply saddened by the ending then, one in which the people of the Colonies, bound together through genocide, war, and the fight for survival, all seemingly went their own separate ways? It didn't feel hopeful to me at all that these people, after being through so much together, would opt not to stay together but to disperse throughout an empty planet. What is it in their nature that would push them towards solitude now, after everything they've fought for?

When Lee realizes that Adama is leaving with Roslin, he knows that he'll never see his father again. But why? I had believed that Adama was going to kill himself once Roslin died. After giving her one last glimpse at life, at the innocence and diversity of the wildlife on the African plains, Laura Roslin finally dies. It's a fitting death for the former president of the Colonies and I'm glad that we do see her finally succumb to cancer on screen. It's an important death, given that she fought so hard for so long to keep her people together and find them a new home. (Even though, as mentioned above, it's really Starbuck who does so in the end.)

But I thought that Adama's decision to live out a life of solitude after her death, away from even his son Lee, wasn't how I pictured the Old Man going out: alone, having lost his true love, building a cabin for one on a lonely bluff high above the valley. It would have been one thing if we had seen other survivors down in the valley and had the feeling that Adama was somewhat removed from his fellow mankind but still watching over them in his own way, but it was saddening to me that he would just walk out on Lee forever. Poof, like Kara, he's gone.

And I thought it was rather strange that we never got to see any final scene between Adama and Saul Tigh. Throughout Battlestar Galactica, it's Adama and Tigh's relationship that comprises one of the backbones of the series. We've seen them drink together, fight together, and cry together. Yet after arriving on Earth, we never seen anything pass between them. To me, it was a missed opportunity to tie up their relationship in a satisfying way. We've seen them go through thick and thin together; why should now be any different?

(Meanwhile, Tyrol heads out for Scotland, telling Ellen and Tigh that he can't be around anyone, human or Cylon.)

As for Tigh and Ellen, they finally get the life that had been eluding them all along: the chance to see out their days together, reunited once more. And this is it for them: there's no resurrection, no rebirth. They have one life to live, together, and they intend to make it count. So too for the little family that manages to make it through the series more or less unscathed (at least mortally, anyway): Helo, Athena, and Hera. A literal post-nuclear family comprised of two races, pointing towards the future. (Even Boomer gets a chance to redeem herself and pay back the Old Man... before she's gunned down by Athena.)

Sam leads the ships into the cleansing fire of the sun, finally able to fulfill his own destiny: the chance to be a part of something that approaches perfection. To embrace the heat of the sun and its consuming fire. The sun destroys but it also creates and ultimately Sam becomes part of this neverending process too.

Baltar and Six get the opportunity to change their fates, to strive to build rather than tear down. The most emotional moment for me in the finale (besides for Laura's death) was Baltar tearfully admitting to Six that he knows how to farm. That Gaius would finally admit where he came from was truly touching and that Six told him that she knows. These two, responsible for the mass genocide of the human race, really do come full circle here. They know each other inside and out and they get the chance to grow their own Eden together, on equal footing.

One of the most beautifully crafted moments in the finale was Gaius standing aboard that Raptor, deciding whether he would stay and perhaps die fighting Cavil or if he would once again run. Baltar's been running for as long as we've known him, and even before: he obliterated his past as a farmer's son, erased his accent, and transformed himself into an intellectual. He's gone through more transformations than anyone else on the series: scientist, savior, president, pariah, prophet. And in that moment, standing on the brink of possible destruction, he chooses the path of sacrifice, placing himself in the path of the divine. That he does so with his own free will is the important part. Shaky, unsure, and absolutely terrified, he makes his decision... and comes face to face with Six, placed right next to him in the final firefight. Coincidence? Hardly. Once again, it's a sign of the divine. That these two, united in their complicity for the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, would end up side by side in the Final Battle is meant to be proof of their connection with the celestial mysteries and in their redemption.

Which leads us then to the revelation that Head Baltar and Six, pushing their fleshy counterparts to do both good and evil, are in fact in the employ of the unseen presence... or are in fact a part of said divinity itself. As Baltar says, they're not good or evil, they just are. They poke and prod, they pull strings, they conduct experiments to see just what will happen. And it's fitting that God's messengers should be these two: the creators and destroyers themselves. They are part of a pattern that never ends, of birth, death, and rebirth. The wheels keep on turning and they are once again watching and waiting.

That they would still be around 150,000 years later, still shadowing the human race, is fitting. Them, walking through Times Square while the ancient/modern "All Along the Watchtower" played was a nice coda to everything that had passed. Once again, they appear to be keeping a watch over the next "experiment," waiting to see whether things will once again play out: whether humanity will choose the path of destruction or enlightenment. And, they, like Hera, are a part of us all, whispering in the dark recesses of our collective consciousness.

Ultimately, I felt that Battlestar Galactica offered an ending that did answer some of the series' looming questions (though not always satisfyingly) and left some others painfully ambiguous. While some of the revelations pointed a little too much towards divine (or angelic) intervention, I did appreciate the full circle nature of the series' overarching plot and the fact that, for a series as dark as this, some of the character got their happy endings, standing in the cool, sunny plains at the birth of civilization.

What did you think of the series finale? Were you satisfied with the disappearance of Kara and the reveal about the Opera House? Are you glad that the crew of Galactica didn't all perish in a fiery end in the fantastic final showdown with the Cylon Colony or did you think that the ending was uncharacteristically sunny? Discuss.

Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Mitchell, Alan Tudyk, and Laura Vandervoort Spell "V," Mary McDonnell Heads to "The Closer," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) has been cast in ABC drama pilot V, a retelling of the cult 1980s sci-fi series. But before we start to mourn the passing of Juliet, it's worth noting that Mitchell will guest star in the sci fi pilot, from Warner Bros. Television, and not star in it, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files) Meanwhile, Visitorsite.net has confirmed that Mitchell will play Erica Evans, a single mother and an FBI Counter-Terrorism agent. (Visitorsite)

Editor's note: Having read the script, I can say with all authority that Erica is far from being a "guest star" in the pilot; in fact she's one of the lead roles and as intrinsic to the plot of the pilot episode as Jacqueline McKenzie's Diana Skouris was to The 4400. In fact, she's the very first character we meet in the draft of the script I read... What this truly means for Elizabeth Mitchell's Juliet remains to be seen, but given that Lost is heading into its final season next season and Juliet doesn't appear in every single scene, it's likely a good thing that Mitchell is exploring her long-term options. (Translation: let's not get hysterical yet.)

Also cast in the sci-fi drama pilot: Alan Tudyk (Firefly), who will play FBI Agent Dale Maddox, and Smallville star Laura Vandervoort, who will play Visitor Lisa, a flirty tour guide aboard the Los Angeles Visitor mothership. They join the previously cast Joel Gretsch, Morena Baccarin, Morris Chestnut, Scott Wolf, and David Richmond-Peck. (Visitorsite)

Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on TNT's The Closer, where she will play Christina Hatcher, a police captain who runs the department's Force Investigation unit, and causes problems for Kyra Sedgwick's Brenda. Her first episode is expected to air early in the fifth season of The Closer. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting alert: Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot The Bridget Show opposite Lauren Graham; Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has been tapped as a lead on CBS medical drama pilot Three Rivers, where she will play the head of surgery at Three Rivers Hospital; Matthew Davis (Damages) has scored the male lead in ABC drama pilot Limelight, where he will play the interim artistic director of the performing arts academy; Gabrielle Union (Night Stalker), Brian Austin Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jay Hernandez (Six Degrees), and Jenny Wade (Reaper) will star in the CW's drama pilot Body Politic; Majandra Delfino (Roswell) has been cast as one of the three leads in ABC comedy pilot Pulling (based on the UK series); Grant Show (Swingtown) and Lennon Parham (Confessions of a Shopaholic) have been cast in CBS comedy pilot Accidentally on Purpose; Yvette Nicole Brown (Drake and Josh) and Gillian Jacobs (The Book of Daniel) have been added to the cast of NBC comedy pilot Community; and Nat Faxon (Happy Hour) and Kelen Coleman (CSI: New York) have been cast in CBS comedy pilot Big D. (Hollywood Reporter)

Holt McCallany (Heroes) been cast as the lead in FX drama pilot Lights Out, about a former heavyweight boxing champ who is diagnosed with pugilistic dementia, a neurological disorder that affects boxers who receive multiple blows to the head," and has to find another way to support his wife and three daughters. Clark Johnson (The Wire) will direct the pilot, which was written by Justin Zackham and Phillip Noyce (The Bucket List). Production is expected to begin next month in New Jersey. (Hollywood Reporter)

Is NBC bracing for problems with new comedy series Parks and Recreation, from executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur? Nikki Finke has obtained a copy of a "Consumer And Market Intelligence Research Summary" (read: focus group report) from the rough cut of the pilot episode. Finke has some exerpts from the 12-page report that point to some potential problems within the episode. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Speaking of Daniels and Schur, Upright Citizen's Brigade member Ellie Kemper has been cast on NBC's The Office, where she will play the new Dunder Mifflin receptionist. What this means for Jenna Fischer's Pam remains to be seen. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SCI FI Wire has an interview with Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ronald D. Moore, who says that he is "very satisfied" with the series finale, which aired Friday evening. As for the controversial fate of Kara Thrace, Moore said: "You can certainly say that she's an angel or a demon or some other form of life. We know from the show that she died a mortal death, she was brought back to life in some way, and then she fulfilled a certain destiny and guided them all to Earth. What does that mean? And who is she really? It was a conscious creative decision to say, "This is as much as we're going to tell you, and she's connected to some greater truth." The more we try to answer what that greater truth is, the less interesting it becomes, and we just decided to leave it more of a mystery. I am sure that there will be a cadre of people who are angry that they never got a more definitive answer, but we just decided not to do that." (SCI FI Wire)

Roseanne Barr is said to be developing a family comedy pilot for FOX in which she would play the family's matriarch. Project, written by Jim Vallely (Arrested Development), will be executive produced by Barr, Caryn Mandabach, and Maggie Rowe. (Hollywood Reporter)

DirecTV's 101 Network will air three canceled Warner Bros. Television series from the mid-2000s. A deal between the satellite platform and Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution will see Smith, The Nine, and Eyes air on the 101 Network, including episodes that were never aired on broadcast television. Smith will launch on Wednesday, April 8th at 10 pm; The Nine will premiere May 27th, and Eyes will debut in July. All three series will air in high definition without commercial interruption. (Variety)

Executive producer/showrunner Alexa Junge has left Showtime's comedy series United States of Tara, which was recently picked up for a second season. No reason was given for Junge's decision not to continue with the Diablo Cody-created series and a search is currently underway to find her replacement. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sci Fi UK has acquired UK rights to 20th Century Fox Television's Dollhouse, from Buffy creator Joss Whedon, and NBC Universal's Knight Rider. "We're dedicated to offering our audience the most exciting content available and are thrilled to become the UK home for two such highly anticipated series," said Jon Farrar, programming director for NBC Universal Global Networks, in a statement. "Knight Rider and Dollhouse both hail from fine pedigrees, clearly reflected in their superior production values. "The special effects in both series are genuinely show-stopping and likely to be the subject of many water-cooler moments for fans, who have the added choice of watching in either standard or high definition." (The Guardian)

Back in the States, Sci Fi has ordered three four-hour mini-series from RHI, including two that will serve as backdoor "pilots" for potential series. The cabler has ordered a modern re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, from writer/director Tim Willing (Tin Man) that is expected ti air this winter; a new take on classic comic-book hero The Phantom; and Riverworld, based on a series of Philip Jose Farmer fantasy novels that follow a photojournalist who is transported to a strange world inhabited by everyone who has ever lived on Earth. The latter two are expected to air in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham has signed an "all-encompassing" deal with Comedy Central that will include six episodes of a new series to star Dunham (and his puppets) that will begin shooting this summer and will air next year. (Variety)

FOX has ordered another season of Gordon Ramsay's reality series Kitchen Nightmares, which will air next season. The network is also expected to shortly announce that the new cycle of Hell's Kitchen will air this summer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Nikki Finke is reporting that ABC/ABC Media Studios will begin pinkslipping employees next week in the wake of the merger between the network and studio sides of their business. Finke claims that Steve McPherson won't be around when the axe falls as he's due to meet with the NYC-based sales team and many believe that he's "getting out of town when the ax comes down in order to avoid witnessing the bloodbath he created," writes Finke. "Which would be contemptible enough even if he hadn't publicly scolded Ben Silverman to 'be a man' when their mutual friend Kevin Reilly was fired at NBC Entertainment with no advance warning." Ouch. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Travel Channel has ordered twelve episodes of reality series Worldwide Tribe, which follows tattooing practices around the world, from Nepal and Japan to Israel and Spain. Series, from Alchemy Reality and executive producers Mike Beale, Adena Chawke, Craig Borders, Elizabeth Browde, will be hosted by tattoo artists Chris Nunez and Ami James (who will also executive produce) and "apprentice" Yoji Harada. (Variety)

Courtney Thorne-Smith (According to Jim), Lucy Hale (Privileged), and Faith Ford (Carpoolers) will star in Lifetime telepic Sorority Wars, about a freshman who finds herself immersed in a "full-blown sorority war" when she snubs the sorority founded by her mother. Project is written by Michelle Lovretta (To Be Fat Like Me) and will be directed by James Hayman (Ugly Betty). (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Piper, Agyeman, Tate, and Simm Rumored to Return to "Doctor Who," Ratner Moves into "Cop House," "BSG," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Latest Doctor Who rumor: that former co-stars Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, and John Simm will all appear in David Tennant's final episode as the Doctor, according to UK newspaper The Sun. Piper, Agyeman, and Tate will allegedly reprise their roles as the Doctor's former companions Rose, Martha, and Donna respectively, while Simm will reprise his Season Three role as The Master. The episode will also feature the Doctor regenerating into the Eleventh Doctor, to be played by Matt Smith. "This will be the most exciting episode Doctor Who have ever done," said an unnamed insider on the production. "We really wanted to get all the companions back on board as a fitting send-off to David. And of all the enemies for him to face in his final episode, it makes sense for The Master to be the main one. Getting Billie to agree is a real coup, but she loved working on the show so much it didn't take much convincing." (The Sun)

Brett Ratner will direct and executive produce FOX comedy pilot Cop House, about a halfway house for troubled officers. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and writer Adam Resnick, will star Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Rachael Harris (Notes from the Underbelly), and Ajay Naidu (Office Space). (Hollywood Reporter)

Elle Macpherson has been cast in CW drama pilot Beautiful Life, where she will recur as Claudia, the owner of top modeling agency Focus Models who was once a supermodel herself and now runs her business with an iron fist. Pilot, from CBS Paramount Network Television, is set to star Mischa Barton, Ben Hollingsworth, Sara Paxton, Ashley Madekwe, and Nico Tortorella. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting news: Christine Baranski (Ugly Betty) and Chris Noth (Sex and the City) have been cast in CBS drama pilot The Good Wife, where Baranski will play a ligitator at the firm where a politican's wife (Julianna Margulies) takes a job as a junior associate while Noth will guest star in the pilot as a former DA in jail following a sex scandal. Elsewhere, David Wilson Barnes (As the World Turns) has scored one of the leads on CBS drama pilot The Eastmans; Swedish actress Mercedes Masohn (Entourage) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot The Law; Adam Jamal Craig (The Office) will join the cast of CBS drama pilot Washington Field; Mexican actress Ana De La Reguera has been cast in ABC's drama pilot Empire State; and MADtv's Colton Dunn will star opposite Michael Strahan and Darryl Mitchell in FOX comedy pilot Brothers. (Hollywood Reporter)

With the series finale of Battlestar Galactica set to air tonight, SCI FI Wire talks to executive producer David Eick about the series legacy. "Well, it's for somone else to say, but my hope is that we changed the face of science fiction in terms of its allegorical power," said Eick. "It was never intended to just be an escapist fantasy. It should have some metaphorical resonance. It should teach us a little something about our culture and about our times. And that's what we were hoping to do." He also says that Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica is "in its own way, is going to be as unique as Battlestar was." (SCI FI Wire)

Speaking of tonight's series finale, Los Angeles Times' Mary McNamara says "it's hard to imagine a more visually and thematically satisfying finale" than tonight's Battlestar Galactica series ender. "The writers' dedication never falters, and Battlestar Galactica's finale is everything a fan, of the show and of television, could hope for," writes McNamara in a review for the paper. "It's difficult to write about without giving anything away, so suffice it to say that tissues (or shots) would not be inappropriate accouterment." (Los Angeles Times)

NBC is allegedly looking to part ways with BermanBraun/Original on the three unscripted series that were ordered as part of a larger deal with the production companies. BermanBraun and Original are said to be shopping reality series Shark Taggers, Swords, and Tornado Roads to other networks, including Discovery and History. The first series produced under the 30-episode deal, America's Toughest Jobs, performed woefully on Friday evenings and new NBC alternative topper Paul Telegdy has made it clear that he would rather work on developing new series; however an unnamed NBC insider says that the network still plans to air the series at some point. (Variety)

Meanwhile, NBC last week indicated that other reality series wouldn't be returning. Not on the schedule and not due to return: Last Comic Standing, Nashville Star, Celebrity Circus, Celebrity Family Feud, The Baby Borrowers, America's Toughest Jobs, Momma's Boys, and American Gladiators... along with horror anthology series Fear Itself. (Futon Critic)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year first-look deal with writer/executive producer Scot Armstrong and his producing partner, Ravi Nandin. The duo have set up shingle American Work and are currently behind two pilots this season: NBC comedy Off Duty and FOX comedy Walorsky, which has been pushed to this summer, and are developing one-hour comedy procedural Privates, about a family of dysfunctional private investigators in Burbank who spend "more time investigating each other than they do others." Project is in the script stage. (Variety)

CBS has ordered a pilot for one-hour quiz show-meets-obstacle course game show The Whole 19 Yards, from Endemol USA and executive producer Scott Einziger. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, format will have contestants running an insane obstacle course before answering trivia questions. (TV Week)

Animal Planet has renewed its reality series Jockeys for a second season of seven episodes. The cabler is set to launch Season Two of the horse-racing themed series this summer. (Variety)

Elsewhere, pay cabler Starz has announced that it will bring back movie special series Starz Inside, hosted by film critic Richard Roeper, beginning June 9th at 10 pm with a special about character actors. Subsequent specials will air throughout the summer and fall. (Variety)

FremantleMedia, the producers of FOX's American Idol, have been sued in a class-action lawsuit by several former employees who worked on Fremantle series such as American Idol, Temptation, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, and Osbournes: Reloaded, who allege that the company "systematically overworked employees without paying the required overtime, falsified time cards and denied staffers meals and rest periods," according to The Live Feed's James Hibberd. Fremantle had no comment on the suit. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

BBC plans to cut nearly $600 million over the next three years by issuing salary freezes for its executives and slashing talent fees. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said such changes were necessary for the continued survival of the public broadcaster, which faces 1,200 pinkslips in the coming months. "Given the falling away of household growth, the collapse of the commercial property market and pressure on commercial revenues," said Thompson, "without a further significant reduction in spending we would exceed our statutory borrowing limit." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Freddie Prinze Jr. Dons Cape for "No Heroics," Bloodgood Subs in for Esposito, Sherry Stringfield Gets "Back," "Rome," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Freddie) has been cast as one of the leads in ABC's US remake of UK comedy series No Heroics. In the ABC Studios-produced pilot, Prinze will play Bradley (a.k.a. Ultimatum), a cocky celebrity superhero with no shortage of women, arrogance, or grade-school quips. He joins the already cast Paul Campbell, Eliza Coupe, and Arielle Kebbel. (Hollywood Reporter)

Just days after announcing that Samantha Who? star Jennifer Esposito had been cast in USA's Burn Notice, the actress has dropped out of the role. No reason was given for Esposito's departure from the series, where she was to have played Miami police detective Michelle Paxon, a new adversary for Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Weston. Stepping in to replace Esposito: Moon Bloodgood (Journeyman), who will assume the role of Michelle. Production on Burn Notice's third season is currently underway. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sherry Stringfield (ER) has been cast opposite Skeet Ulrich in the CBS drama pilot Back, where she will play Cheryl, the former wife of Ulrich's Richard, a man reported missing after 9/11 who suddenly returns home and has to reconnect with his family. For Cheryl, Richard's homecoming is fraught with complication as she is remarried to Tom, a firefighter. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Rome star Ray Stevenson says that a feature film based on the HBO series is currently being developed and could shoot as early as six months from now, with the script being written by Rome creator Bruno Heller (The Mentalist). "The script is in full development," said Stevenson. As you are probably aware, this is a pretty strange process. We could go into production in a year, or it could be as quick as six months. Who knows? It will happen. At least it is no longer a rumor. From what I have heard, they are nearing the end of script development. We shall see. We shall see." (Movieweb)

In other TV-to-feature film news, Dan Shotz, the co-executive producer of CBS' Jericho says that a feature adaptation of that series is also in development. "It's not just wishful thinking," said Shotz. "We've ... been developing a feature to hopefully make, because we would love to. I mean, ... Jericho is so built in a way, ... especially where we left off season two, to create a feature. So our hope is to launch this comic-book series and then, with the development at the same time of the feature, hopefully get that launched as well." (SCI FI Wire)

CBS has renewed The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men for two and three additional season, respectively. (Televisionary)

Pilot casting alert: Eric McCormack (Trust Me) has been cast in ABC's untitled multi-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Tad Quill. Also cast in the pilot: Reno Wilson (Blind Justice), Jolie Jenkins (Desperate Housewives), and Constance Zimmer (Entourage). McCormack will play Dean, a heart surgeon whose wife (Jenkins) has just had a baby, while Wilson will play Seth, a contractor with an empty nest. Zimmer will play Seth's wife. For McCormack, the pilot is in second position to his TNT drama series Trust Me, which is not expected to return. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Lindsay Sloane (Help Me Help You), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Charlie Finn (Help Me Help You) have been cast in ABC comedy pilot Pulling, a US remake of the British comedy series, while Holly Robinson Peete (Love Inc.) and Josh Braaten (The Ex List) will star opposite Lauren Graham in ABC comedy pilot The Bridget Show. (Hollywood Reporter)

Heather Locklear has turned down an offer to star in CW's revival of Melrose Place. (Televisionary)

NBC has ordered eight-episodes of reality competition series The Sing Off, in which a cappella groups will face off against one another for a Sony Music recording contract. Series, from Outlaw Prods. and Sony Pictures Television, will be executive produced by Joel Gallen. NBC/Universal Media Studios' Paul Telegdy called The Sing Off "a fantastic feel-good series." No airdate has been announced. (Variety)

One guest star too many? Clay Aiken is slated to appear on the May 14th season finale of NBC's 30 Rock. (TV Week)

SCI FI Wire talks to Caprica star Esai Morales about the Battlestar Galactica prequel series. "I think he's the moral spine [of the story]," said Morales of his character, Joseph Adama. "He's somebody who came from the wrong side of the tracks, ... or the galaxy, or solar system, so to speak. They're from a planet that's more oppressed. He and his brother came from Tauron and establish their roots here, but they're still a minority. There are still ethnic tensions. So I'm a [civil liberties] lawyer who's trying to work on the right side of the tracks, and my brother is a gangster. It's like a Rich Man, Poor Man issue meets The Godfather meets Brave New World." (SCI FI Wire)

"We are all Cylons. And every one of us is a Colonial." Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, The Washington Post has a fantastic story about the series' recent appearance at the UN, where the cast and creators discussed issues like human rights, torture, and security issues. "Suddenly we are presented with this false dichotomy of security versus human rights," said Craig Mokhiber, deputy director of the New York branch of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. "That slippery slope shows up so much in the show, and so much in real life." (Washington Post)

HBO has acquired the rights to eight-episode autobiographical documentary series The Neistat Brothers, which follows filmmaker siblings Casey and Van Neistat. All of the episodes were shot on consumer-grade cameras and edited by the Neistats using Apple's iMovie. HBO has yet to announce an airdate for the project, executive produced by Tom Scott. (Variety)

The New York Times' Brian Stelter takes a look at pay cabler Starz, which is looking to stand out from among the glut of movie channels by broadening its original series offerings, which include Rob Thomas' comedy Party Down, Crash, and Head Cases, as it looks to build a new identity for itself. "We’re the new guys on the block, even though we’re 15 years old," said Bill Myers, president of Starz Entertainment. (New York Times)

Suspense drama series Harper's Island, launching in the US next month on CBS, has been acquired by BBC Three, which plans to air the series later this year. "This is truly exciting event television," said BBC Three's Sue Deeks, Head of Series, BBC Programme Acquisition, "a suspenseful, contemporary take on the classic murder mystery with more than a dash of horror – think Agatha Christie meets Scream and you will get the idea!" (BBC)

VH1 has revived reality staple Behind the Music, ordering ten episodes that will air later this year. So far the network has signed Lil Wayne and Scott Weiland to appear in installments. "It felt like the time is right," said Jeff Olde, EVP of original programming. "There's all sorts of new artists on the scene who have emerged and have these great stories. And there's other artists that we always wanted to do the first time around." (Hollywood Reporter)

USA has promoted Jeff Wachtel to president of original series. As EVP of original programming, Wachtel helped launch such series as The 4400, Monk, and Burn Notice. "As head of original programming, Jeff’s leadership has inspired the team responsible for one of the most successful slates in all of television," said Bonnie Hammer, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. "His creative intellect, impeccable taste and production savvy are among the best in the business, and we look forward to having his stamp of originality on all future successes here at USA." (TV Week)

National Geographic has renewed Dog Whisperer for a sixth season, ordering 30 episodes that will air later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.