BuzzFeed: "Peter Capaldi Named As The New Star Of Doctor Who"

Yep, it's true. After much speculation, BBC has finally named Number Twelve. Peter Capaldi will take over as as the Doctor from Matt Smith, who will depart the role in this year’s Christmas Special.

At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest post, "Peter Capaldi Named As The New Star Of Doctor Who," about the casting of Peter Capaldi as Number Twelve.

The TARDIS is getting a new inhabitant in the form of 55-year-old veteran actor Peter Capaldi.
After weeks of speculation (and much interest from London bookies), BBC finally announced on Sunday just who will be taking over as the Time Lord at the center of long-running British science fiction drama Doctor Who once current series star Matt Smith leaves in December’s Christmas Special.

“The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS,” executive producer and head writer Steven Moffat had teased ahead of the broadcast. “For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.”
The news of Capaldi being cast as the Doctor was announced on a live BBC One special, Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, which lifted the shroud of secrecy surrounding the highly anticipated casting news. The live special featured live and pre-recorded appearances from Smith, Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor), and Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), as well as Bernard Cribbins and former companions Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Anneke Wills (Polly), Janet Fielding (Tegan), and Bonnie Langford (Mel). Asked for three words to describe the new Doctor, Moffat said, “Different from Matt.”

Capaldi is most definitely different to Smith — at least in age, as like Smith, he’s male and white. (For those hoping that the Doctor would regenerate into a woman, you’ll have to wait. It won’t be happening on Moffat’s watch, as he oddly made a joke about it not happening anytime soon.)

Capaldi walked out on stage (during what appeared to be a Time Tunnel-like laser light show) to much fanfare from the audience. “It’s so wonderful to not keep this secret any longer, but it has been absolutely fantastic in its own way,” said Capaldi. “So many wonderful things have happened. For a long time, I couldn’t tell my daughter, who would be looking on the internet and seeing that so-so should be Doctor Who and so-so should be Doctor Who and they never mentioned me.”

As for preparing for the role, Capaldi said that it was a bit of a challenge, though he has been a huge fan of the Time Lord for most of his life.

“It was quite hard because, even though I’m a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I haven’t played the Doctor since I was nine on the playground,” joked Capaldi, who said that he missed the call from his agent with the news of his casting (he was filming BBC’s Three Musketeers in Prague). “She rang me up and said, ‘Hello, Doctor!’ and I just started laughing and I’ve been laughing ever since.”

Continue reading at BuzzFeed...

Casting Couch: Kiefer Sutherland Grabs Touch, Minnie Driver Lands Hail Mary, Jason Isaacs Gets REM

A trio of leading actors are heading back to television this pilot season.

Former 24 star Kiefer Sutherland has been cast in FOX drama pilot Touch, from creator/executive producer Tim Kring (Heroes) and 20th Century Fox Television. The project revolves around Sutherland's character, a father "who discovers that his autistic, mute son can predict events before they happen," according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva.

Production is slated to begin in late May or early June, due to Sutherland's Broadway commitments. (He's currently on stage in a revival of That Championship Season.) Touch will be directed by Charles McDougall, who has become quite the go-to pilot director in recent years, having directed pilots for such series as The Good Wife, The Chicago Code, Desperate Housewives, The Tudors, and many others.

Elsewhere, Minnie Driver (The Riches is also heading back to television, this time to star in CBS drama pilot Hail Mary, where she will play "a suburban single mom who teams up with a street-smart hustler to solve crimes," in the Warner Bros Television-produced pilot, from showrunner Ilene Chaiken (The L Word)

And Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood), who starred in last year's FOX pilot Pleading Guilty, has landed the lead in NBC drama pilot REM from Lone Star creator Kyle Killen. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is described as "an Inception-style thriller centered on a cop (Isaacs) who wakes up after an accident to find he is living in two different realities," per Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Isaacs will also serve as a producer on the project, which will be overseen by 24's Howard Gordon.

Ex-Friday Night Lights Star Adrianne Palicki to Play Wonder Woman

Tyra Collette, here's your lasso of truth.

Former Friday Night Lights mainstay Adrianne Palicki, who starred in FOX's short-lived drama Lone Star earlier this season, has been selected to play Diana in David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman pilot for NBC. The project, written by Kelley, will be directed by Jeff Reiner, who previously worked with Palicki on Friday Night Lights.

Putting aside my thoughts on the project itself for a second, I think that Palicki should be a much bigger star than she is. Her performance as Tyra Collette, which she briefly reprised on Season Five of Friday Night Lights was electrifying: a tough-as-nails teen who fell into an unexpected romance on the show with a most unexpected partner (keeping the FNL plot points to a minimum here). And while I wasn't a fan of FOX's Lone Star, Palicki's performance was a standout and it was fantastic to see her in a more mature, adult role.

But Palicki should know what she's gotten herself into: namely that Kelley has a hell of a lot of work to do on the Wonder Woman pilot script, which has been maligned by many in Hollywood, including yours truly. You can read my take on the truly awful pilot script over at The Daily Beast, in a script breakdown (of the eight craziest scenes) that ran a few weeks back.

Unless Kelley rejiggers the script significantly before production, Palicki will play three versions of WW in the pilot episode: superhero Wonder Woman, high-powered business mogul Diana Themyscira, and Diana Prince, mousy assistant to Etta Candy who lives in a tiny West LA apartment with her cat Desi. Yes, this is a Wonder Woman who wants to have it all! Who is still pining for lost love Steve Trevor, now a lawyer in the Justice Department! And who cries herself to sleep at night!

And, no, I'm not kidding about any of this.

ABC's Charlie's Angels Pilot Gets Greenlight; We've Got the Casting Breakdown

Looks like Charlie's Angels is heading back to the small screen, courtesy of Sony Pictures Television and Smallville creators Miles Millar and Al Gough, who will executive produce alongside Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen, and Leonard Goldberg.

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that ABC has given the pilot the official greenlight, with production slated to begin roughly in mid-January.

The project has been in development for a year, with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Josh Friedman originally set to oversee the project.

Which brings us to the Angels themselves. Producers seem to be particularly keen to make this a multi-ethnic version of Charlie's Angels, with the casting breakdown indicating that the three leads will be African-American, Latina, and white.

So just who are this latest batch of Angels? Let's find out, thanks to a look at the hot-off-the-press casting breakdown, courtesy of a tipster who wishes to remain anonymous, that I just got my hands on...

First up is Kate Prince, the team's "gorgeous" African-American Angel, a former cop. Here's how she's described: "Kate is an incredible athlete and possesses a razor-sharp intellect. Although the most serious of our three Angels, she also knows how to let her hair down and have a great time. Kate is an ex-cop, a master or martial arts and a strict vegetarian." Age range is 24-30.

Next is Abby Sampson, the youngest of the Angels (and likely the blondest) whose street skills are at odds with her upbringing. "Her beauty has always turned heads, but it's her quick wit and quirky sense of humor that makes her stand out. She grew up on Manhattan's Upper East Side and is the daughter of a notorious Wall Street crook a la Bernie Madoff. She is an expert thief, con artist and is trained in the deadly art of Krav Maga." Age range is 22-27.

Finally, there's Marisa Valdez, our "exotic" Latina beauty with a buff physique and a knowledge of weaponry. "She's an orphan, an immigrant and a former U.S. Marine. She is a weapons expert and is trained in all forms of hand-to-hand combat. Marisa has a no-nonsense attitude, is a Play Station addict and self-confessed neat freak." Age range is 24-30.

No word on breakdowns for Bosley or the mysterious Charlie--always heard and never seen--himself.

What do you make of the breakdown? Are these the Angels that you envisioned? Does this reboot excite you or make you want to run for the hills?

And, if you were playing amateur casting director, who would you want to see in these roles? Discuss.

Channel Surfing: Incredible Hulk to Smash ABC, Wentworth Miller Spies Spartacus, HBO Eyes Tea Leoni, Weeds' Shane, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Hulk smash... TV? The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd and Brys Kit are reporting that ABC and Marvel are developing a television series based on comic "The Incredible Hulk," which was previously a 1978-82 television series that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Hulk is one of two projects, along with Cloak and Dagger (which is said to be in development at ABC Family), that Marvel Studios has in development, though the company is also said to be looking at other properties to develop as series, including Heroes for Hire, The Eternals, Agents of Atlas, Alter Ego, Moon Knight, The Hood, Ka-Zar, Daughters of the Dragon, and The Punisher, the latter of which is said to also be high on Marvel's radar, possibly as a cable series. [Editor: The story, however, fails to discern between several properties, which it has erroneously merged into single entities.] (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former Prison Break star Wentworth Miller is rumored to be interested in replacing Andy Whitfield as the lead in Starz's gladiator drama Spartacus. Whitfield has dropped out of the project due to the recurrence of his cancer and the need for medical treatment. "But is Miller right for the part?" asks Ausiello. "Since his Fox series wrapped, he’s been largely out of the limelight. And when he has been spotted, he hasn’t quite been the picture of buffness that the sand-and-sandals epic demands. Of course, that’s nothing a month or two with a personal trainer couldn’t fix." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that HBO is weighing a pilot order for fashion-based comedy Spring/Fall, which would star Tea Leoni (who will also executive produce) as "half of a dysfunctional partnership between two women with different approaches to career, family, and friendship," set against the New York fashion world. Project, written by Kate Robin, would be executive produced by Leoni, Robin, Jimmy Miller, and RJ Cutler (The September Issue). (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Mickey O'Connor has an interview with Weeds star Alexander Gould, who plays teenager/murderer/croquet star Shane Botwin. "He was as normal as could be, given the circumstances," said Gould when asked about initially playing Shane at the start of the first season. "When he learned about his mother's operation, he became sort of like the family's moral compass. I remember early on I had to say the F-word and I was really hesitant about it. Over time, Shane just got more confident and odd. I felt like Shane really was just [slowly] going crazy. He put that craziness away and it manifested itself in a funny way. He always seemed a little out of it." (TVGuide.com)

SPOILER!Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello as a first look at an upcoming scene from NBC's The Event featuring some, uh, surprising transformations for the survivors of Avias Air Flight 514. “They’re [undergoing] a transformation that could eventually lead to death,” creator Nick Wauters told Ausiello. Wauters also indicated that Thomas will “use them as leverage to try and get the president to free his people.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Don't expect remakes of The Rockford Files or Prime Suspect to turn up on NBC this midseason, according to Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice. [Editor: I wasn't as it's widely known that both in deep development.] Both projects are back in development following a disastrous pilot for Rockford and the lack of a lead for Prime Suspect, both of which will now be overseen by Peter Berg. Should Rockford move ahead, look for someone to replace Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Casting roundup: John Heard and Evan Handler have joined the cast of Curtis Hanson's HBO telepic Too Big to Fail, while Kathy Baker has joined the cast of Lifetime pilot Against the Wall, where she will play the mother of Rachael Carpani's Abby. (Deadline)

ABC ordered four more scripts for family drama No Ordinary Family, while the CW ordered two more scripts for Life Unexpected, while ABC also gave additional script orders to Brothers and Sisters and Off the Map as well. Brothers and Sisters received an order for four additional scripts, while Map got one more. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Secret Millionaire is going to get the plum Sunday at 8 pm timeslot currently occupied by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for a six-episode run starting March 6th. "That is the Sunday after the Academy Awards, with ABC planning to heavily promote Secret Millionaire during the awards broadcast," writes Andreeva. "For ABC, which has no football, the Oscars are the most-watched telecast of the year and the biggest possible promotional platform for its shows. Additionally, ABC has asked Secret Millionaire producer Zodiak USA to begin casting on a new cycle, an indication that the network is looking to order more episodes beyond the original 6." (Deadline)

Danny Cohen is the new controller at BBC One, making the move from BBC Three effective immediately. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sons of Anarchy and Haven Renewed, Walking Dead Novels, NCIS: LA, Modern Family, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

FX has renewed motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy for a fourth season. Series, which wraps up its third season on November 30th, is the most-watched series in the cable network's history. "Sons of Anarchy is the most popular show FX has ever had, and the No. 1 series in basic cable for our key demographic," said FX president/general manager John Landgraf. "It is also one of the best, most original series on television." (Variety)

Elsewhere, Syfy renewed freshman drama Haven for a second season, with thirteen episodes on tap for next summer. Production is slated to resume in the spring in Nova Scotia on the sophomore season. (Variety)

Robert Kirkman's zombie comic, "The Walking Dead," which is heading to the small screen later this month with AMC's television series of the same name, will also be transformed into a trilogy of original novels, the first of which will be released in 2011. Kirkman will provide the concept and outline for the novels, which will be written by Jay Bonansinga. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Raymond J. Barry (Lost) has been cast in what appears to be a recurring role on CBS' NCIS: LA, where he will play Branston Cole, an ex-secret agent who has crossed paths with Linda Hunt's Hetty. Barry's character is described as appearing "rail and blind from a stroke he suffered a while back, but he remains vigorous and sarcastic as he lives out the remainder of his days in a retirement home. A man with a long history and a deep well of secrets, he seems to still enjoy the game of espionage and manipulation, leading his handlers down questionable paths.” He'll make his first appearance in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Danny Trejo (Machete) will guest star on ABC's Modern Family, where he will play the school janitor in an upcoming episode. "The Modern Family episode finds Claire in charge of an upcoming school dance at the boys' school," writes Keck. "While all the other moms are afraid of Danny's menacing janitor, fearless Claire forms an unlikely bond with the guy." (TV Guide Magazine)

Ryan Seacrest is said to be in talks with CAA and AEG about launching a cable network. "The business venture is in very preliminary stages, but the network's concept is described as music, pop culture and lifestyle oriented," write The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd and Kim Masters. "Seacrest is likely to have some kind of on-air presence in the venture. Unlike Oprah Winfrey's upcoming OWN cable channel, however, Seacrest is expected to operate mainly as an influential partner rather than serve as the face and personality of the network. The channel won't be 'Seacrest TV, but will have its own brand. (Hollywood Reporter)

Rebecca Mader (Lost) is set to guest star on NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles this season, where she will play a woman named Rebecca. "The fictional Rebecca’s lot in life is to get run over by a car, yet miraculously survive," writes Fancast's Matt Mitovich. (Fancast)

Tina Fey is set to return to Saturday Night Live with a primetime special that will celebrate the women of SNL. She'll be joined by Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Nora Dunn, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Laraine Newman, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, and Kristen Wiig. Special is slated to air November 1st at 9 pm ET/PT. (Hollywood Reporter)

Chris D'Elia (Monk) has been cast in TBS' upcoming period comedy series Glory Daze, where he will play Stankowski, described as "as an older, oracle-style figure to the members of a college fraternity." (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that ABC has given a script order (plus penalty) to an untitled comedy which will star Wilmer Valderrrama (That '70s Show). Project, which hails from Murray and Judah Miller, will have "a musical component" and will be directed by Akiva Schaffer. (Deadline)

Ed Begley Jr. will turn up on Shonda Rhimes' midseason medical drama Off the Map, according to TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck, who reports that the St. Elsewhere veteran will play Hank, a dentist, in the season's fifth episode. (TV Guide Magazine)

Oxygen has renewed Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood for a sixth season and ordered a new Tori-centric reality project entitled Tori and Dean: Storibook Weddings, which will "focus on Spelling's party planning skills while McDermott focuses on the groom's issues leading up to the pair's nuptials." (Variety)

USA has renamed its upcoming legal drama Facing Kate, which will now be entitled Fairly Legal. News was announced via Twitter by USA executive Ted Linhart. (Twitter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Sony Pictures Television has signed a two-script deal with writer/actress Stephnie Weir, who wrote ABC comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong. The first project under the new deal is an ABC comedy pilot that is set at a diner. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

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: Ron Moore Gets Wild, Criminal Minds Shakeup, Punk'd Returns with Justin Bieber, Big Love, Dirk Gently, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Hold on to your (ten-gallon) hats: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore is said to be developing a remake of The Wild, Wild West, which ran for four seasons in the mid-1960s and starred Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. Project is still in the very early stages, which means not only is there no network attached but Moore has yet to take the project out to networks. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Chris Mundy has left CBS' midseason Criminal Minds spinoff, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and will be replaced by Ed Bernero, who will now oversee both the flagship and spinoff series as showrunner, though he'll lean a little more heavily on Simon Mirren and Erica Messer, who will gain some oversight on Criminal Minds. Mundy's departure from the series was said to be due to the studio deciding that "the spin-off needed more direction from Bernero, who helped turn Criminal Minds into a solid hit for CBS," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

Vulture's Josef Adalian is reporting that MTV is resurrected hidden camera prank show Punk'd, but is close to signing a deal to replace Ashton Kutcher with baby-faced pop idol Justin Bieber as the host. (Kutcher will remain the series' executive producer.) "If Kutcher's past history with Punk'd is any indication, Bieber will likely appear in a few early episodes as a participant in the pranks, then gradually revert to mostly introducing segments," writes Adalian. (Vulture)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Robert Patrick (Terminator) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on HBO's Big Love, which returns for its fifth season early next year. Patrick is set to play Bud Mayberry, described as "the leader of polygamist fringe group." The casting of Robert Patrick comes after producers have also secured the services of ex-24 co-star Gregory Itzin, who will play the Republican Leader of the Utah State Senate. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stephen Mangan (Green Wing) has been cast as the title character in BBC Four's adaptation of Douglas Adams' "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," where he will star opposite Darren Boyd, Helen Baxendale, and Howard Overman. Here's how Auntie is positioning the series: "Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Perpetually broke, hopelessly chaotic and utterly infuriating, most people suspect Dirk is nothing more than a cheap conman. And they might be right – but nevertheless his methods, though unusual, do often produce surprising results. When Dirk sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events." Project is expected to air either at the end of the year or in early 2011. (BBC)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Drea de Matteo has been cast in a potentially recurring role on FOX's Running Wilde, where she will play Didi, the step-mother of Will Arnett's Steve Wilde. "Didi comes to the Wilde estate on behalf of Steve’s never-before-seen dad to rein in his monetary expenditures—on the same day Steve decides to fund Emmy’s (Keri Russell) nonprofit organization," writes Ausiello, who notes that de Matteo's episode is slated to air next month. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Was anyone still clamoring for a television version of Hitch? Well, you're getting one. FOX has given a script commitment plus penalty to an one-hour version of Will Smith's date doctor that will be written by Pete Chiarelli and executive producers Smith and James Lassiter. (Deadline)

Morgan Fairchild is set to make a return to NBC's Chuck, where she will reprise her role as Honey Woodcomb, the mother of Ryan McPartlin's Devon, as Ellie's pregnancy develops. "Mom does come back," McPartlin said on a press call. "It's funny, because Mom and Ellie have to learn how to deal with their new roles that each one is going to play as a mother and a grandmother. So that creates a bit of fun drama." Fairchild will make an appearance in the October 25th episode of Chuck, which also features Robert Englund and Linda Hamilton. (Zap2It)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls) has been cast opposite Callie Thorne in USA's drama pilot Necessary Roughness, where he will play "a 'fixer' for a football franchise who works closely with Danielle" (Thorne). Elswhere, Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) has joined the cast of CBS' Rules of Engagement as surrogate Brenda, while Joan Collins (yes, THAT Joan Collins) will appear in a November sweeps episode as the mother of David Spade's character. (Deadline)

Aquaman (Alan Ritchson) will make his return to the CW's Smallville later this season, and he's bringing a wife in the form of Mera, played by Elena Satine (Melrose Place), according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. The duo are set to turn up in the final season's ninth episode, which is directed by series lead Tom Welling. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

No Tough Trade for Epix, after all. The pay cabler has pulled the plug on its Nashville-set drama project, Tough Trade, the high-profile Lionsgate TV pilot that starred Sam Shepard, Trace Adkins, Cary Elwes, Lucas Black, and Joey Lauren Adams. "It was a combination of running out of time and dealing with distractions, and at some point we had to make a decision whether it works or it doesn't," said Epix CEO Mark Greenberg. "At the end of day, it just didn’t work." Project, from executive producers Jenji Kohan, Sean and Bryan Furst, and director Gavin Hood, may be retooled as a mini-series, while Epix maintains that it is not getting out of the original series game. (Deadline)

Krista Allen (What About Brian) is seto to guest star on an upcoming episode of the CW's Life Unexpected, where she will play "a sizzling-hot multimillionaire named—wait for it—Candy who is being courted by Emma as a client," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, and who will fall for Baze. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other Life Unexpected news, Kris Polaha has taken to E! Online's Watch with Kristin to interview with the series' Austin Basis (Math). (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that HBO is developing a single-camera comedy pilot based on Clint McCown's novel "The Member-Guest," that will be written by Steve Pink and executive produced by Kevin Bacon, who could also star in the project. Project revolves around "a burned-out golf pro of a 9-hole course who just wants one more shot at the tour" but whose "comeback is constantly sidelined as he deals with the needs of the members of the Middle-American country club who are grappling with dashed dreams of their own." (Deadline)

ABC has given a script order (plus penalty) to Awkward Family Photos, a comedy from Moses Port and David Guarascio based on the website of the same name. Elsewhere, NBC ordered family comedy script Man of the House from writer Adam Sztykiel and FOX ordered a script for cop drama Chameleon from Tom Fontana. (Variety, Deadline)

Hmmm, is FOX playing favorites with its freshman comedies? FOX is airing two back-to-back episodes of comedy Raising Hope on October 26th, that will air immediately following Glee's massively hyped Rocky Horror Picture Show homage episode. (Futon Critic)

E! has ordered ten episodes of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, which is slated to launch in January on the cabler. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Starz to Recast Spartacus, Warehouse 13 Renewed, Mad Men's John Slattery to 30 Rock, Glee, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

It was only a matter of time, really. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello (who is soon to depart the magazine/website) is reporting that Starz has begun the search for a replacement for Spartacus' Andy Whitfield, who was forced to drop out of the production due to a recurrence of cancer. "According to the just-released casting notice, producers are searching for a Caucasian male in his mid to late 30s to play the 'smart, intense, passionate' title role," writes Ausiello. "Interested parties must have an authentic British accent and be prepared to sign a three-year contract." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd is reporting that Syfy has renewed Warehouse 13 for a third season, with 13 episodes on tap for next season. Additionally, Jack Kenny will remain aboard the series as the showrunner and has signed a development deal with the cable network. "Jack Kenny's superlative leadership and the incredible talent of his cast and crew delivered an outstanding second season of Warehouse 13," said Syfy's Mark Stern. "We're excited to see this successful series return next year and to developing our next hit with Jack." (Hollywood Reporter)

More 30 Rock/Mad Men crossover goodness. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Mad Men's John Slattery will guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's 30 Rock, where he will play "a candidate running for congress." Slattery is expected to appear in this season's seventh episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin has an interview with Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and Cory Monteith about tonight's spirituality-themed episode ("Grilled Cheesus"), in which the glee kids tackle the hot-button issue of religion. "I wish there had been something to launch conversations about feelings and emotions in my household when I was younger," Murphy told Martin about the potential of Glee to start conversations. "When the show is at its best, that is what I think we're doing." (TVGuide.com)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly's Tim Stack has a brief chat with Murphy as well about tonight's episode. “I love when people see Jesus in bird droppings on the windows and then there are lines out the door and that seems to happen so often now,” said Murphy. “To me, it just shows everybody in our society, particularly young people, are just desperate to believe in something.” (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

ABC is eyeing another scripted summer series, this time an untitled female-centric spy drama from writer Greg Poirier, director Steve Shill, and executive producers Grant Scharbo and Gina Matthews (The Gates) that is described as "Taken meets The Bourne Identity). (Deadline)

ABC Family has cancelled freshman drama series Huge and will not be ordering the back ten episodes of the first season. "First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who embraced Huge and supported it," said co-creator/executive producer Winnie Holzman. "While it's disappointing not to be able to go forward with the characters we love so much and had so many plans for, we're deeply grateful for this opportunity. Our goal was and is to create television of depth and complexity that inspires people to think and feel. We believe we accomplished that with Huge and can't wait to do it again." (Variety)

Lone Star may have tanked but the pilot director--Marc Webb--who also directed (500) Days of Summer, has already scored a new project at FOX: a single-camera workplace comedy entitled Battleground, which has a script order at the network. (Deadline)

The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff talks with the cast and crew of FOX's comedy Running Wilde, which is struggling to find an audience this season. "If we stay kind of where we are or even grow a little bit, we’re in good shape,” co-creator Mitch Hurwitz said of the series' chances. “If we continue to drop, anything can happen.” (New York Times)

Deadline's Tim Adler is reporting that Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge could be returning to television once more as Baby Cow will recut its series of Fosters-branded internet shorts as a new television series. "Until now Coogan’s cringingly-embarrassing TV chat show host and disc jockey has always aired on the BBC," writes Adler. "The new 6-part series could be sold to Channel 4 or digital comedy channel Dave, Baby Cow boss Henry Normal tells me." (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Robyn Ross is reporting that Matthew Lawrence will guest-star alongside brother Joey on an upcoming episode of ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey, slated to air November 2nd. (TVGuide.com)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that ABC is close to signing a deal to develop a US adaptation of Spanish series Aqui no hay quien viva (Or: I Hate This Place) from executive producers Ben Silverman and Sofia Vergara, with writer Craig Doyle attached to write the script. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Axes Lone Star, Lie to Me Moves to Mon and Human Target to Wed, Josh Schwartz/Rachel Bilson's Ghost and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

It's official: the axe has fallen on FOX's low-rated con-man drama Lone Star after just two episodes. The initial outing for the James Wolk-led ensemble drama lured only 4 million viewers or so and the second episode saw its fortunes decline further still, with only 3.2 million tuning in. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that production on the 20th Cenutyr Fox Television-produced drama will shut down immediately. “We will have shot five completed episodes after the pilot,” a studio spokesperson told Ausiello, “and will not complete principal photography on episode 106.” No word on the fate of the four unaired episodes that have already been shot. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[Editor: As one unnamed network insider told Variety's Michael Schneider: "The viewers have spoken." Meanwhile, AOL Television's Maureen Ryan explores her take on what the cancellation of Lone Star means for the broadcast networks, which can be read here.]

FOX meanwhile has announced its timeslot replacement for Lone Star, moving the third season of Lie to Me--which wasn't expected to return to the lineup until November--to Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT beginning next week, while Human Target, slated to air on Fridays, will now move to Wednesdays at 8 pm, where it will fill in the gap left by Lie to Me's shift to Monday beginning November 17th... though it was meant to debut this Friday. FOX will fill that timeslot with repeats of House. Whew. (via press release)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC has ordered a pilot for the as-yet-unwritten supernatural romantic comedy Ghost Angeles, from executive producer Josh Schwartz (Chuck) and star Rachel Bilson (The O.C.). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will also be executive produced by Henry Alonso Myers, Stephanie Savage, and Leonard Goldstein. "Schwartz and Henry Alonso Myers (Ugly Betty) co-created Ghost Angeles and will write it together," writes Andreeva. "Details on the project are being kept under wraps but, according to a concept circulated around, it centers on a young woman in Los Angeles who can talk to the dead, helping the spirits as much as they are helping her." (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that ex-Heroes star Jack Coleman will guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's The Office, where he is expected to play a government official with “Jon Hamm-esque wholesomeness,” according to an unnamed source. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's Matthew Belloni is reporting that three of the stars of Discovery's Deadliest Catch--Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand (who were sued by the network for not appearing for work on a spinoff) and Capt. Sig Hansen--have quit the production. "We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in Deadliest Catch," said the fisherman in a joint statement. "It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive 'Catch' fans we have met over the years." (Hollywood Reporter's THR, Esq.)

DirecTV's The 101 network has signed deals with BBC Worldwide to acquire US broadcast rights to three British comedies, including ITV's No Heroics (launching November 4th), short-lived BBC dramedy Mutual Friends (launching November 3rd), and How Not to Live Your Live (November 4th). (Variety)

Casting round-up: Rachel Nichols (Alias) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on CBS' Criminal Minds, where she will play FBI cadet Ashley Seager; she's slated to appear in three episodes. Elsewhere, Izabella Miko (Coyote Ugly) will appear in a five-episode arc on NBC's midseason superhero drama The Cape. (Deadline)

Catherine Dent (The Shield) will join the cast of CBS' NCIS for a two episode arc, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. She'll play Whitney Sharp, described as "a former NCIS agent who shares a past with Ducky" (David McCallum) who is "educated, bright, and extremely capable federal agent who had an eye for talent and a tongue for persuasion back in the day." Her episodes are slated to air in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot orders for four projects at ABC Family: Nine Lives, Switched at Birth, Strut, and The Lying Game. (Variety)

Lifetime has ordered eight episodes of a US adaptation of British reality format The Fairy Jobmother, which will launch October 28th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Summer Glau to Chuck, Zucker's Replacement Named at NBCU, Starz Considers Spartacus Options, Community, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is set to guest star on NBC's Chuck this season, where she will turn up in the eighth episode as the latest Greta, the rotating CIA/NSA joint intelligence task force agent assigned to the Buy More. Glau, who stars in NBC's midseason action drama The Cape, follows in the footsteps of Olivia Munn, Stacy Keibler, and Isaiah Mustafa. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jeff Zucker is out and Steve Burke is in. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' right-hand man Burke, will succeed Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal once the merger deal--valued at $30 billion--is completed. Zucker announced that he would be stepping down from the position on Friday once the merger transaction is closed. "Steve Burke is an experienced, talented and visionary leader with over 25 years in the media and entertainment industry," Roberts said in a statement. "Steve is one of the most well-respectedexecutives in the industry, and I am confident that he will lead NBC U forward to a new era of growth." Burke will also continue to serve as Comcast's COO. (Variety)

[Meanwhile, Michael Schneider and Cynthia Littleton take a look at Zucker's legacy over at Variety, while AOL Television's Maureen Ryan has her own take on Zucker's departure with "Jeff Zucker's Reign of Terribleness Finally Over at NBC."]

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Spartacus showrunner Steven S. DeKnight about the two options available to the production and pay cabler Starz in light of series lead Andy Whitfield's cancer relapse. “The two main options are to close up shop or recast,” DeKnight told Ausiello. “I want to talk to Andy and find out how he feels about the options. That’s obviously very important to us... We’re still absorbing what’s happened. I think it’s going to be a little while before we reach any conclusions.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, meanwhile, is also reporting that Starz is considering recasting the role of Spartacus so that the planned second season can move along as planned.]

Hilary Duff is headed to Greendale. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Duff will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Community, where she will play "a member of a mean girl clique that goes head-to-head with the Scoobies." [Editor: news matches what I learned on the set of Community two weeks ago: the writers are planning a Mean Girls homage.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Ed Decter and John Strauss have officially signed on as showrunners on USA's In Plain Sight. The duo replaces John McNamara, who departed the series due to medical issues. (Deadline)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Darren Everett Criss (Eastwick) has been cast on FOX's Glee, where he will play Blaine, described as "a gay student from a rival school glee club named the Dalton Academy Warblers." While some might leap to the judgment that Criss' character will be the love interest for Chris Colfer's Kurt, Dos Santos cites an unnamed source who says that isn't the case: "Although people might speculate that this might be the possible boyfriend for Kurt that Ryan has talked about, he is fairly sure that this particular character won't be. This friendship will be platonic." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Former Heroes star Zachary Quinto is bummed that there won't be a two-movie to wrap up the superhero drama's dangling storylines after NBC axed the potential wrap-up. “It’s disappointing that there was such a lack of resolution,” Quinto told Entertainment Weekly. “But unfortunately that’s just the nature of network television….Nothing really surprises me in terms of network and studio bureaucracy. It’s the way it goes... If it was in their best interest I’m sure they would have done it. And for whatever reason, they didn’t think it was. So that’s a bummer. But we have to just accept it and move on.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, Aimee Garcia (Trauma) has been cast in ABC midseason medical drama Off the Map, where she will play a local who falls for Zach Gilford's plastic surgeon, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

More deals coming together at Showtime, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, who reports that Showtime has signed development deals with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards and with Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Kristen Bell Wants Veronica Mars Movie, Treme Nabs Jon Seda, Lone Star, Chuck, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Kristen Bell, movie mogul? The former Veronica Mars star told The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg that she would self-finance a feature film version of her dearly departed CW/UPN noir drama... if Warner Bros. would release the rights to Veronica Mars. "It's a business and the sad truth is that ... they're not going to relinquish the rights to something and let us do it," said Bell. "We really have to do it with them because they own it... At this point, Warner Bros. can make it but like any studio they have research that tells them whether or not they'll make their money back," she added. "And that's what we've been told: That it's just not there. So my duty, because I wanted this movie made from the minute our show got canceled, is to a) do it before I'm 40; and b) to prove to Warner Bros. that there is an audience. You already have 3 million who watched it every week hardcore fans that will see it -- you can only build from there." Bell went on to say that she was open to doing a web series but is holding out hope of a big screen version of Mars: "" would be down with doing a Web series," she said. "I think, and I don't speak for anyone else but myself, but I think that they want it grand because it is deserving of being on the big screen. I think that maybe our creators would settle for that but I think that we all really want to push for the movie if it can happen." (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Jon Seda (The Pacific) has been cast as a series regular in Season Two of HBO's New Orleans-set drama series Treme, where he will play "a politically connected developer and venture capitalist from Dallas, who becomes involved in the renewal efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans." [Editor: Prior to the first season launch, co-creator David Simon told me that he wanted to create a role for Seda. Looks like he was able to.] (Deadline)

Lone Star creator Kyle Killen has written an open letter on his blog entitled "You're Invited to Our Stunning Upset," in which he pleads with viewers to tune into his FOX con man drama series, which is--after one episode--on death watch after premiering to staggeringly low numbers on Monday. "Here we are. Still alive. A little groundhog peeking out of a bomb crater to see if there's six more weeks of nuclear winter or if, perhaps, something can grow in this hole. And that's where you come in," wrote Killen. "For us to survive we're going to have to pull off a minor miracle. Statistically, new shows tend to lose viewers in their second week. We're aiming to gain them. In fact, screw it, let's just double our audience. The good news is, our audience was so small that if my Mom AND my Dad watch it we'll pretty much be there." (The Letter Eleven)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an exclusive first look at a photo of Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski facing down supermodel Karolina Kurkova in Monday night's episode. "I have to admit I got beat up by a girl. Yeah, that's what happened. See this is what happens when you hang out with girls. Girls beat you up," Kurkova told E! Online. "We're gonna be in a fashion show, on a fashion runway. I throw her onto the runway and I start beating her up like seriously beating her up—there's a whole choreography. I'm gonna have a knife, and it's serious girl fight." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Fancast's Matt Mitovich is reporting that former Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku will guest star in at least one episode of CBS' The Big Bang Theory, where she will play "an FBI agent assigned to conduct a background check on Wolowitz (played by Simon Helberg) when he needs high-level clearance for a new project." Dushku will appear in the seventh episode of the current season, which launched last night. (Fancast)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has been cast as the male lead in USA drama pilot Necessary Roughness, opposite Callie Thorne (Rescue Me). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The New York Times's Dave Itzkoff has a tongue-in-cheek post about whether NBC's Thursday night comedies are becoming the same show as Community, 30 Rock, and The Office all returned "with similar jokes that can only point toward their convergence into one identical show." (New York Times's ArtsBeat)

The CW has ordered six additional scripts for Hellcats and One Tree Hill, both of which had been ordered with thirteen-episode commitments this season. Elsewhere, Lifetime renewed Army Wives for a fifth season and Drop Dead Diva for a third. (Variety)

History has ordered eight episodes of Pawn Stars spin-off Rusty Nuts, which will focus on restoration expert Rick Dale as he "brings trashed treasures back to life." Series, from executive produced Brent Montgomery, will launch on October 25th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Change is afoot at Reveille, where Howard T. Owens will serve as the shingle's sole managing director, while Mark Koops will exit the company, which is now overseen by Shine Group Americas CEO Emiliano Calemzuk. Meanwhile, Robin Ashbrook has been hired as the head of nonscripted entertainment at the company. (Variety)

The Hollywood Reporter's Kim Masters is reporting that Lauren Zalaznick "has declined to extend her contract, even though the NBC Uni brass have entreated her to do so for months," leading Master to believe that Bonnie Hammer could soon gain more oversight if Comcast had to choose between one of the two top executives. "Lauren brings in edge, Bonnie brings in money," said an unnamed source. "If one has eight things to oversee, the other one gets eight ... Whatever list comes out, it's all about, 'Am I up above her?'" (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Sean and Bryan Furst have teamed up with Richard Shepard to launch a new television production company named Olé, which has already set up two series, including Showtime black comedy Corkscrew and an untitled CBS medical drama from writers Jennifer Levin and Sherri Cooper. (Deadline)

MTV has hired two development executives, hiring Shannon Fitzgerald for East Coast and former Hills co-executive producer Colin Nash for the West Coast. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Emerson/O'Quinn Pilot Targets NBC, Teri Hatcher to Smallville, Goodfellas TV Project, The Good Wife, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

It's official: that Michael Emerson/Terry O'Quinn hit man drama pilot from executive producer J.J. Abrams and writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Alias, Happy Town) is heading to NBC after the Peacock landed the rights to the pilot from studio Warner Bros. Television. The untitled project--which had a working title of Odd Jobs--stars former Lost adversaries Emerson and O'Quinn. Which means that your Dharma-branded fantasies of seeing John Locke and Benjamin Linus on television again might not be coming true exactly, but you may get to see these two in action side-by-side again. (Vulture)

[Editor: Meanwhile, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva has some further details about Abrams' and Elizabeth Sarnoff's Alcatraz, which landed at FOX earlier this week with a pilot order. According to unnamed sources, the project is described as "a show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz."]

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher will fly over to the CW's Smallville (which kicks off its tenth and final season tomorrow night), where she will guest star in an upcoming episode as--wait for it--the mother of Erica Durance's Lois Lane. Hatcher, who played Lois on ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman for four seasons way back when, will appear as Ella in the season's eighth episode. But don't necessarily think that she'll appear on-screen opposite Durance, given that Lois' mother is believed to be dead at this point. "In episode 8, titled 'Abandoned,' Lois discovers old videotapes of her mother," writes Ausiello. "I think you can figure the rest out for yourself. Am I right?" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Mike Fleming is reporting that several studios are in the running to land a television pilot project based on Martin Scorsese's 1990 feature film Goodfellas, which was written by Nicholas Pileggi. Pileggi is said to be on board to write the pilot and Warner Bros. Television is believed to be the top studio in the running to produce the project, given that the feature film arm released the original film. Fleming indicates that Irwin Winkler would likely be the executive producer on the project. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove will guest star on CBS' The Good Wife in a November episode where she will play Sloan, described as "a troubled pop star who is arrested on a DUI charge" and with whom "Alicia finds herself bonding with the misunderstood tabloid magnet." Cosgrove will appear in the November 16th episode. “We’re big iCarly fans, so we really couldn’t think of anyone better for this role than Miranda Cosgrove,” executive producer Robert King told Ausiello. “We were thrilled when she agreed to do it. It’ll be fun to see her handle both the comedy and drama in the role, and we can’t wait to see how she’ll play across from Julianna.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX is getting into business again with Fringe co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who were behind this season's Hawaii Five-0 resurrection and also landed a series commitment from the network for Locke & Key. FOX has given a pilot order to drama pilot Exit Strategy, from writer David Guggenheim, which is described by Deadline's Nellie Andreeva as "as a high octane procedural set in the world of CIA agents who are sent in to 'fix' operations gone bad." (Deadline)

FOX has also given a script order to drama The Detail, from writer/executive producer Jason Smilovic, executive producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and director Michael Dinner, from Sony Pictures Television. According to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, "it is described as Ocean’s Eleven meets Revenge of the Nerds" and "centers on a private detective, who, after being released from jail for a crime he didn’t commit, assembles a group of rejects, each with a unique talent, to form a detective agency and bring down his old business partner who framed him." (Deadline)

Elsewhere, ABC Studios signed a format deal with Mediaset for a US remake of a drama format entitled Anti-Mafia Squad, with Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo attached as executive producers. Project is being regarded as a possible summer series for ABC, though no networks have been pitched on the idea yet. Cougar Town star Courteney Cox has been given a script order for 911 Operators, a drama pilot that she'll executive produce with husband David Arquette, which focuses on, well, 911 operators. (Variety)

Showtime has officially announced launch dates for Shameless, Episodes, and the return of Californication on Sunday, January 9th. The two new series were slated to begin the following day and air on Mondays. But Showtime has apparently changed its mind and scheduled all three series together in a single two-hour block on Sundays. Californication will kick off the night at 9 pm ET/PT, followed by Episodes, while the US adaptation of British drama Shameless will close out the night at 10 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

In other Showtime news, Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) will guest star in three episodes of the pay cabler's upcoming period drama The Borgias, where she will play Sancia, a Neapolitan princess who marries the Pope's youngest son but has her eye on his brother. Series is set to launch in Spring 2011. (via press release)

Fancast's Matt Mitovich is reporting that Serina Swan (Smallville) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Supernatural, in which she will play "a news reporter chronicling an unsettling series of suicides." She's set to appear in the fourth episode fo the sixth season, which kicks off tomorrow night. (Fancast)

Wolfgang Petersen and Ron Shelton are said to be developing period racing drama Kings of Speed for pay cabler Starz, which is being viewed as a possible ten-hour limited series focusing on the international automobile racing circuit of the 1950s and 19960s, Enzo Ferrari, and "the underground car culture of Southern California." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Criminal Intent to Return, Lone Star DOA, Fringe, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Break open the moonshine! HBO has renewed period drama Boardwalk Empire for a second season, after airing just one episode of the Terence Winter/Martin Scorsese crime drama, which averaged 4.8 million viewers in its premiere broadcast. “All the ingredients aligned for this one, from Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson’s initial pitch, to Martin Scorsese’s enormous contributions as director and executive producer, to the genius of Terry Winter and the expertise of Tim Van Patten, to a stellar cast led by Steve Buscemi,” said Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, in a statement. “The response from the media and our viewers has been nothing short of amazing.” (via press release)

In other renewal news, USA has finally closed a deal to renew Law & Order: Criminal Intent for a tenth and final season of eight episodes, with original series lead Vincent D'Onofrio set to reprise his role as Detective Robert Goren, while producers are said to be in talks with Kathryn Erbe and other former stars to return. “We have been the fortunate caretakers of this legendary series, and we plan to give it the world-class farewell it so richly deserves,” said Jeff Wachtel, USA's president of original programming and UCP's co-head of original content. The cabler has also given executive producer Dick Wolf a pilot commitment for a new project at USA. New episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent are set to launch next year. (Deadline)

After the deadly ratings encountered by FOX's new fall drama Lone Star, the 20th Century Fox Television-produced drama is already said to be on death watch, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Andrew Wallenstein. "No one in TV should be happy about this," Wallenstein quotes one agent with a client on Lone Star as saying. "This is going to have a chilling effect on networks taking chances on anything but cookie-cutter shows." xxx "Though Fox declined comment, it's possible the network is delaying the announcement of a decision, perhaps waiting for the cover that will be provided today by its announcement of the American Idol judges," wrote Wallenstein. "That Star will be canceled is being treated in industry circles as fait accompli, a matter of when, not if. Tellingly, while most underwhelming TV debuts are often followed by entreaties from counter-spinning execs magnifying glimmers of hope in the ratings data -- "did you see that uptick in the last quarter-hour among women 25-34?" -- the back-channel phone calls from network and studio execs never came." (Hollywood Reporter)

More Bubbles! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Andre Royo (The Wire) will reprise his role on FOX's Fringe after his first appearance in tomorrow night's season premiere, where he plays a cab driver that Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham encounters "over there." [Editor: Having seen the episode in question, I can say that it was a no-brainer than Royo would be back at some point.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

It's official: Bravo has finally confirmed what has been floating about the internet for quite some time now. The next season of Top Chef will be an all-stars edition, with 18 runners-up from previous seasons returning to compete for another shot at the title. While the full cast has been available at various web sites for the last few weeks, Bravo will officially unveil the cast on tonight's Top Chef reunion special. [Editor: Also, Anthony Bourdain will return as a regular judge this time around, alternating with Gail Simmons.] (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorge Garcia (Lost) will guest star in an upcoming episode of ABC midseason comedy Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry. Garcia will play "a staffer at the second-rate San Diego sports arena that Perry’s character manages" and will appear in the retooled pilot episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly reported that Lyle Lovett will be guest staring on an upcoming episode of ABC's Castle this season, where he will play Agent Darryl Shafer, described as "a shadowy government figure who detains and interrogates Castle (Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) as they investigate the death of a prominent astrophysicist whose body was found in her car—a victim of explosive decompression." Lovett's appearance is slated for the ninth episode of the current season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's Allison Hope Weiner has an interview with No Ordinary Family star Michael Chiklis about his role on the ABC superhero family drama. "The big question for me was tone, and how do I pull this off in terms of tone," said Chiklis when asked about any concerns about being on network television rather than cable. "As you know, network television, television in general, has become very niche-oriented. It's very targeted toward a certain audience. Now we're embarking on a show that is all too rare on television: It's one of those kinds of shows that tries to appeal to a broad audience and, in order to do that, the things that are successful don't take themselves too seriously. This is pure entertainment and it's witty and fun, yet soulful and heartfelt. But you also have those great adrenal moments. The threat there is if you go too far in any direction, you go over the top comedically or be too melodramatic and you can fail. Yet if you aren't bold in any direction, you can become vanilla. Tonally, we felt it had to be crisp and smart and fun -- yet not taking itself too seriously." (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Dave Annable's real-life fiancee Odette Yustman will guest star on an upcoming episode of ABC's Brothers & Sisters as a new interest for Annable's Justin. Yustman, set to appear in one episode, will play a "nurse who starts to fall for Justin, as he's still mending his broken heart from his split with Rebecca." Rebecca, of course, is played by Annable's ex-girlfriend Emily Van Camp, who is set to depart the series after just a handful of episodes this season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Will Forte will return to CBS' How I Met Your Mother, where he will reprise his role as Randy. "Marshall will wrestle with whether or not to fire Randy, who is as hopeless as a paralegal as he is with the ladies," co-creator Craig Thomas told Keck. "There is also a shocking twist as it starts to become clear that Robin — in a moment of weakness — may or may not have hooked up with Randy on Halloween night." (TV Guide Magazine)

ABC has given a put pilot order to a drama inspired by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner's book "The Lost Girls Three Friends, Four Continents, One Unconventional Detour Around the World," which will be adapted by Idly Modrovich (Californication). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Gwyneth Paltrow Tackles Glee, V lands Jay Karnes, NBC Lands Legends, Showtime Renews Weeds, The Big C, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Gwyneth Paltrow is in talks to join the cast of FOX's Glee in a two-episode story arc in which she would play a potential love interest for Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester. "According to rock-solid Glee sources, Gwyneth would play a substitute teacher in two episodes airing in November," writes Dos Santos. "Mr. Schuester gets sick, so Gwyneth's character steps in and takes over the glee club. The kids love her, and Will starts to fall for her... complicating his relationship with Emma (Jayma Mays)... I'm told Glee creator/executive producer/creative badass Ryan Murphy wrote this role expressly for Gwyneth, as the two are friends. If it all comes together, Ryan will be directing her first episode, which begins shooting in two weeks." Should the deal close, Paltrow would appear in two episodes slated to air in November. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

[Editor: In other Glee news, TVGuide.com's Denise Martin has a set visit feature for Glee, returning tonight for its second season, which you can read here.]

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Jay Karnes (The Shield) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Two of ABC's V, which returns in November. Karnes will play FBI Agent Chris Boling, who will serve as the new partner for Elizabeth Mitchell's Erica Evans. "The two have some history, having trained together at Quantico," writes Bryant. "However, Bolling quickly begins to suspect Erica may have divided loyalties when it comes to her dedication to the Visitor resistance group, the Fifth Column." Casting marks a reunion between Karnes and former Shield writer/producer Scott Rosenbaum, who serves as V's showrunner. (TVGuide.com)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC has given a put pilot order to espionage drama Legends, from writer Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard) and executive producers Howard Gordon (24) and Jonathan Levin (The Ex-List). Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is said to be based on a Robert Littell book and revolves around "an CIA operative with an uncanny gift for 'legends' - aka false identities - who is sent on a variety of missions, while simultaneously coping with the possibility that his own identity may be a 'legend' itself." (Deadline, Variety)

Showtime yesterday handed out renewals to dark comedies Weeds and The Big C, which will return for their seventh and second seasons respectively next year. "The unprecedented viewership for both The Big C and Weeds proves that audiences love these shows as much as we do," said Showtime's President of Entertainment David Nevins in a statement. "There are definitely more comedic adventures in store for these fascinating, complex women. For six seasons, we've happily traveled along with Nancy Botwin and we're equally as excited to follow Laura Linney and The Big C team as they chart Cathy's unique journey through such a provocative and personal subject as cancer. We're thrilled that these two signature shows will be returning to the network in 2011." (via press release)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has a first look at Celia Weston playing Barb Tucker, the mother of Eric Stonestreet's Cameron on ABC's Modern Family. "She's somebody who made him the person he is," Stonestreet told Keck about Cameron's mom. "When she comes to the door, she gives me her little puppy kisses. And we find out she called him her 'Little Bomber,' which was actually what my [real-life] grandma called me as a little kid — I think because I was a little gassy." (TV Guide Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has details about the now prolonged absence expected to face Olivia Wilde's Thirteen on House this season, given that the actress has booked four major film roles, including one of the leads in Cowboys and Aliens and a newly minted role in The Change Up, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. “It’s going to be a while unfortunately,” series creator David Shore. told Ausiello. “We love her but it is going to be a while. It’s going to be this season, but well into this season.... She called us up and said she wanted to do [The Change Up]. And it just so happened that what we had worked out storyline-wise allowed her a couple of extra episodes [off]. So that movie just filled in the gap. There were no further adjustments to her schedule as a result of that.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly has some further details about Community's upcoming zombie-based Halloween episode. “Knowing too much about this particular plot would ruin it, but I promise it’s an awesome, one-off crazy conceptual episode with plot points and effects that are more familiar to horror film fans than our show’s fans,” said creator Dan Harmon. “We’re going over schedule and over budget to get it right,” he adds. “I’ve had to promise to do a few what I call ‘Bottle Episodes,’ where the group never leaves the library, to make up for it.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has ordered a pilot script for an untitled comedy to star comedian Mo Mandel (Strange Brew). Project, from 3 Arts, will revolve around "what a group of twentysomethings do in the last five years of their lives before the Earth is destroyed by a meteor." (Deadline)

ABC's upcoming weight loss reality series Obese has already received an order for a second season... and will undergo a name change to the less provocative Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. Six episodes are on tap for the second season, which is being slated for sometime in the 2011-12 season, while Season One is being targeted for midseason, possibly with a March launch. Each episode follows a single person over their year-long weight-loss journey. (Variety)

Disney XD will launch new animated superhero series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! on Wednesday, October 20th at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: J.J. Abrams Shops Emerson/O'Quinn Show, Linda Hamilton Talks Chuck, Spartacus, Community, True Lies, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Could Lost's Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson be headed back your televisions? If J.J. Abrams gets his way, they'll be reuniting for a drama project--tentatively entitled Odd Jobs--that Abrams, along with Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, are pitching to the networks. Vulture's Josef Adalain is reporting that the drama, which will also contain a large amount of humor, revolves around "former black-ops agents." It's unknown whether the project is based on any part on the idea that Emerson and O'Quinn had floated a while back in which they'd play suburban hit men. But the fact that Abrams' Bad Robot--and possibly by association Warner Bros. Television--is behind Odd Jobs (or whatever it might eventually be called), is a good sign that the project will at least be picked up to pilot. (Vulture)

AOL Television's Maureen Ryan talks to Linda Hamilton about her role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on NBC's Chuck, where the former Terminator and Beauty and the Beast star says she wants to stick around as long as they'll have her. "Well, Mary Bartowski is the absentee mother of Chuck and Ellie and the most that I can really say about her is that ... she is not your ordinary homemaker," said Hamilton. "She comes back into Chuck's life with an agenda and you know, she is definitely a strong, forceful [woman] -- definitely a force to be reckoned with. It ain't all apologies and sentiment, that's for sure. She has her own agenda and it just kind of goes crazy from there. But we like crazy." (TV Squad)

Series lead Andy Whitfield has had to withdraw from Season Two of Starz's Spartacus due to a recurrence of cancer. "It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus‚ and all the wonderful people involved," said Whitfield in a statement. "It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far," said Whitfield. No immediate decision has been made about the fate of the series, which delayed production on the second season and instead shot a prequel series (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena)--set to air in January--in order to allow Whitfield the opportunity to undergo treatment. "Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director, Starz Media, in the same press release. "We will address our programming plans at some later date." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

NBC's Community is planning a stop-motion animated Christmas episode in the spirit of those classic Rankin/Bass specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. [Editor: I actually talked to Community creator Dan Harmon and the cast when I was on set last week.] The episode, written by Harmon and Dino Stamatopoulos (who also plays Starburns), will feature the Greendale crew getting animated after Harmon floated the idea for such an episode in an interview over the summer. "It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do but, I never anticipated having the ability to do it,” said Harmon. But “Jeff Gaspin at NBC woke up one morning and thought Community should do an animated episode. I was like, ‘Well, that’s weird, because that’s the kind of stuff I’m usually suggesting and guys like him veto.’” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC is developing a drama series based on James Cameron's 1994 feature film True Lies, which the Avatar director will executive produce. The project, from 20th Century Fox Television and writer/showrunner Rene Echevarria, has a sizable penalty attached to it. (Variety)

Showtime is said to be close to giving a pilot order to Homeland from Fox21 that's based on Israeli drama format Prisoners of War from executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa of FOX's 24. In this iteration, the project will revolve around "a U.S. soldier who was presumed killed in Iraq 10 years ago" who "returns home, but questions arise as to whether he truly was a wartime POW or a member of a sleeper cell sent to cause the next terrorist attack," according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, who has an interview with Gordon about the project, likely the first to be ordered by newly minted Showtime entertainment president David Nevins. And Ben Affleck is said to be in conversations to direct the pilot itself. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Variety)

Peter Coyote (FlashForward) has joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles, where he will recur as the district attorney. (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin talks to Lone Star's leading man, James Wolk, about the new FOX ddrama, which launches tonight. "He's a con man who wants to go straight," said Wolk about his character. "He wants to do the right thing. This isn't a guy who leaves one of his wives and then calls his buddy and says, 'Hey man, you're never gonna believe it. I got two chicks.' That's not this guy. This guy really loves these girls. He fully believes that he is madly in love with them. So, he thinks he's fighting for love. I think that is what can make him sympathetic. Yes, he's a sociopath, clearly screws loose. But, nonetheless, someone who thinks he's doing the right thing." (TVGuide.com)

ABC has given a pilot order to Pan Am, a period drama pilot based on the now-defunct Pam Am that will be set in the 1960s and focus on the flight attendants and pilots of the airline. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, will be written by Jack Orman and will be directed by Thomas Schlamme. (Variety)

Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) will play the lead in USA drama pilot Necessary Roughness, about a female psychologist who is hired by a pro football team as their therapist. "After succeeding beyond expectations, she is sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians and those living in the spotlight who all want her unique brand of tough love therapy," writes Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Thorne's casting lifts the contingency on the project, which was written by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Rachael Carpani (Cane) has booked the lead in Lifetime drama pilot Against the Wall, where she will play cop Abby Kowalski, who "causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division." Project, from Universal Cable Prods., is written by Annie Brunner and will be directed by Dean Parisot. (Deadline)

The Hollywood Reporter's Stacey Wilson has an interview with Outsourced executive producer Ken Kwapis in which he responds to allegations of racial stereotypes in the new NBC workplace comedy. "A third of the writing staff is of Indian descent," said Kwapis. "But any story about a culture clash is going to deal with stereotypes on some level. The real question is: Are we trying to perpetuate stereotypes? Absolutely not, we're trying to explore them. We're trying to humanize these characters. This is all about putting a human face on the voice at the other end of the phone line. What frustrates me most is when I hear people who are angry about outsourcing and they hang the problem on the call-center workers themselves. As if the Indian call-center worker has the power to decide to bring jobs there! My hope is that for an audience, the show will allow you to basically go around the world and meet someone who, lo and behold, is fundamentally no different from yourself." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban will appear in three episodes of ABC's Shark Tank as a guest shark. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

TNT has renewed Memphis Beat for a second season, with ten episodes on tap for 2011. (via press release)

Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) will play Amanda Knox in an upcoming Lifetime telepic based on the real-life murder case. (Variety)

More Doctor Who Adventure games are on the way. The Beeb has commissioned a second series of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, the online series of Who-centric games that feature the voices of series stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: TBS Axes My Boys, John Schneider to Wisteria Lane, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Terra Nova, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

It's official: TBS has cancelled comedy My Boys after four seasons. News comes after series stars Jordana Spiro and Kyle Howard had to withdraw from pilots that had been ordered to series due to their first position on the TBS comedy, whose days many suspected were already numbered. According to Variety's Jon Weisman, roughly 14 months passed between the end of the third season and the beginning of the fourth season, which kicked off in July. One cast member--Jim Gaffigan--left between the seasons. Spiro's role on Love Bites was eliminated when she was unavailable as the show under went some retooling. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Schneider (Smallville) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Desperate Housewives this season, where he will play the father to Brian Austin Green's Keith, the new handyman/contractor overseeing the remodeling of the home of Marcia Cross' Bree. Schneider will make his first appearance in Season Seven's seventh episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Gina DiNunno has an interview with Top Chef: Just Desserts host/judge Gail Simmons about the culinary competition series launching tonight (after the season finale of Top Chef). "Pastry chefs are so precise and so exacting [that] it really does come out in their personalities," said Simmons. "And they're artists, so with that comes a lot of drama. ... I mean, there's a lot of strategy and sabotage, and what's amazing is that desserts sort of lend themselves to that because they're so delicate and so fragile that you kind of have to guard them with your life or else it all could be lost." (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice has confirmed that Stephen Lang (Avatar)--reported by Deadline to be in talks to join the cast of FOX's Terra Nova--is indeed in talks to do just that. Lang would star opposite Jason O'Mara and Allison Miller in the project, which recounts the adventures of a family from the future who travels back to prehistoric times as part of a project to save the human race. Lang would play "the merciless leader of a prehistoric settlement." Series is slated to launch in fall 2011 after a sneak peek next May. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

All is not well behind the scenes on Terra Nova, however. Executive producer David Fury--known for his work on 24 and in the Whedonverse--has exited the project, citing "creative differences." Fury had been serving as co-showrunner on the FOX project, alongside Brannon Braga, who will now become the series' sole showrunner. (Variety)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to Bones star Michaela Conlin about just what she and Hodgins will be bringing back from Paris when the series returns on September 23rd. "Angela's pregnant!" said Conlin. "I have to be honest, at first I was a little hesitant. To marry this wild child off and get her pregnant had me worried that this would limit her, story-wise. But I now feel, getting in to the sixth season, it's going to be interesting to see her try to fit her wild life into this maternal situation." Look for Angela's pregnancy to have a major effect on Brennan meanwhile. (TV Guide Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Rachael Taylor (Transformers) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy this season. "Taylor’s character is still being conceived—she’s not scheduled to debut until midseason—but a Grey’s insider confirms that she will be playing a (surprise!) doctor," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV has ordered two scripted pilots: That Girl, a coming of age comedy about "a 15-year-old misfit who suddenly becomes the center of attention after the kids in school mistakingly believe she tried to commit suicide," from creator Lauren Iungerich; and horror comedy Death Valley, about a division of the LAPD that focuses on supernatural threats, from executive producers Austin Reading, Jilie Kellman Reading, Eric Weinberg, and Tim Healy. (Variety)

E! Online's Megan Masters has an exclusive first look at the tenth and final season of the CW's Smallville, which kicks off on September 24th. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC is developing an untitled drama pilot about the vice president of the United States and his female chief of staff with writers/executive producers Sheldon Turner and Shaun Cassidy attached. "The drama, which comes with a strong dose of comedy, focuses on the underdog nature of the veep's team -- call it the political equivalent of Glee," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Untitled hour is less about politics and more about office dynamics, including a budding romance between the chief of staff and the veepee's son." (Variety)

Dylan Baker, Matthew Lillard, Amy Irving, and Jennifer Grey are all set to guest star on Season Seven of FOX's House, which kicks off on Monday evening. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other FOX casting news, Jamie Hector (The Wire, Heroes) will guest star in the third season premiere of Lie to Me, where he will play a character involved in a major bank heist. (Hollywood Reporter)

TNT is said to have renewed medical drama Hawthorne for a ten-episode third season, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Official word of the pickup will apparently come today. (Deadline)

Denise Richards has been cast in Season Two of Spike's Blue Mountain State, where she will play "the coach's contentious and meddling ex-wife Debra who adds to his troubles as he must deliver a winning season." (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Two has renewed comedy Rev, created by and starring Tom Hollander, from Simon Pegg and Nira Park's Big Talk Prods. Series revolves around an inner city priest and is set to return for a second season in Fall of 2011, while the US cable networks are said to be sniffing around a potential American remake. (Deadline)

In other UK-centric news, Comedy Central has given a pilot order to a US remake of BBC Two's Time Trumpet, created by Armando Iannucci, which offers a take on the current news from the perspective of the future. Should it be ordered to series, the format would likely launch in late 2011 or 2012. (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has promoted three executives: Tim Krubsack has been upped to senior VP of alternative programming, Lucia Gervino to senior VP of production, and Erika Kennair will now serve as VP of original programming and development. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: The Future of Serialized Dramas, Dan Akroyd on Defenders, Outnumbered, Law & Order: SVU Lands Sagemiller, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Variety's Robert Abele has a very interesting feature on the future of serialized programming, following the conclusion of Lost and 24 (and the narrative burn-out of ABC's FlashForward and NBC's Heroes) last season. Abele talks to AOL Television's Maureen Ryan, NBC's Laura Lancaster, and The Event executive produce Evan Katz about viewer fatigue, commitment, and concerns. "Viewer trust is something you earn by delivering -- it's that simple," said Katz. "It's not easy to accomplish, but when it works, you have something big on your hands... This show is very Hitchcockian in that it's an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, and you experience the twists emotionally with him," said Katz. "We don't have 660 beats laid out," Katz says, "but you need to know where the characters are going, and those benchmarks are in place. The line is, mystery is good, confusion is bad." (Variety)

Could Dan Akroyd be dropping by CBS' upcoming legal drama The Defenders? It certainly looks that way, as creator/executive producer Kevin Kennedy indicated Friday night at the Paley Center preview event for for the Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi-led drama series. We have a lot planned and we certainly have a dream list," Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter. "The [guest star] we've talked about most recently, and we'll see if we can get it arranged -- it's a scheduling thing and it wouldn't happen until the end of the year if it happens this year -- we want to get Dan Aykroyd together with Jim." (The Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has given a pilot order to a US adaptation of British comedy series Outnumbered, the second time the network has attempted to import the family comedy. (The first time was a 2008 pilot starring Ken Marino and Brooke Bloom, which wasn't ordered to series.) Barbara Wallace and Thomas Wolfe are attached to write the pilot, which will be produced outside of the normal production cycle. The Hat Trick-produced original series revolves around a married couple who are "outnumbered" by their three young children. [Editor: It's also a hysterically funny comedy. The key to the US version succeeding or failing really lands on the strength of the kids they cast.] (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Melissa Sagemiller (Raising the Bar) will take over the role of ADA on Law & Order: SVU, after Paula Patton had to drop out of the role after just one episode thanks to her casting in Mission: Impossible 4. No details were available about her character. Sagemiller will first appear in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Well, this might be why NBC hasn't sent it out to press yet... Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Wanda De Jesus has left Law & Order: Los Angeles after two episodes and her part--that of LAPD Robbery Homicide Division captain Arleen Gonzales--will be recast and her scenes in the first two episodes will be reshot. Producers are said to be looking for a potential replacement. They're swiftly running out of time, however, as the series is set to launch at the end of the month. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that Michael Badalucco (The Practice) has been cast in a recurring role on CBS daytime soap The Young and the Restless, where he will play Hogan, described as "a tough bookie who helps Jeff (Ted Shackelford) and Kevin (Greg Rikaart) come up with cash to help pay for Jeff’s nightclub/restaurant, Gloworm." He's set to make his first appearance on October 13th. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Lennie James has been promoted to series regular on HBO's Hung, where he previous recurred as Charlie the pimp. Elsewhere, Arie Verveen (Cold Case) has been cast in a six-episode story arc on FX's Sons of Anarchy, where he will play Liam O'Neill, described as "a high-ranking member of a motorcycle club in Belfast, Northern Ireland." (Hollywood Reporter)

Let them eat (period) cake? Mad Men writers Andre and Maria Jacquemetton have been hired to write the scripts for 12-episode period drama Versailles, an English-language French production that is currently looking for British or American production partners. Former HBO executive Anne Thomopoulos is executive producing the project, which revolves around the court of King Louis XIV, for Canal Plus. (Variety)

Lifetime has given a greenlight to telepic Unanswered Prayers, an adaptation of the Garth Brooks song, which will star Samantha Mathis, Eric Close, and Madchen Amick. Telepic, from Sony Pictures Television, will premiere in November. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC's marketing co-head Mike Benson has stepped down from his position as newly minted ABC entertainment president Paul Lee looks to put his own imprimatur on the Alphabet's brand. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Syfy Brings Caprica Back Early, No Heroes Movie, Office Succession Plans, Fringe, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

I'm still not entirely sure what to make of the news that Syfy has bumped the premiere of the second half of Caprica's freshman season up by several months. While the series premiere aired this past January, Syfy surprised many by announcing that it would be a year later that the back half of Caprica's first season would launch. Cut to yesterday when Syfy seemingly reversed their decision, announcing a shocking soon launch date--Tuesday, October 5th, in fact--while Sanctuary, which was to have that timeslot, will now move back to Fridays this fall, where it will share the lineup with Friday Night Smackdown. “Though we initially announced the January return of Caprica, we still had hopes of finding a way to get the series back on the air sooner,” Syfy EVP Mark Stern told Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. “We’ve been able to successfully re-work our schedule, and are thrilled to bring the show back during what is traditionally Syfy’s most-watched time of the year." I can't help but wonder whether the move is intended to capitalize on Caprica or it's an effort to bury it among the slew of new network and cable series, given that there's now less than a month to get a promotional campaign off the ground. Hmmm... Meanwhile, still no word on a second season pickup. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Deadline)

File this under "hardly surprising." Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that NBC is not moving forward on a Heroes telepic that would tie up the loose plot points left dangling after the series ended this spring. Despite NBC's discussion of said film, series creator Tim Kring was less than hopeful that said film--like the ones discussed at HBO for Deadwood--would ever make it to air. Which means that the series finale of Heroes will remain just that: the finale, though Kring and Co. could in future again tap into the mythology of Heroes in some other fashion. [Editor: Was anyone really clamoring for a Heroes movie anyway?] (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd has a very long feature examining just how NBC will deal with the departure of Steve Carell at the end of the upcoming season of The Office and cites unnamed sources who say that "the final decision likely won’t be made until after the upcoming seventh season wraps," but "by season’s end, you will know who is getting Michael Scott’s job." According to Hibberd, the current strategy is to use the first half of the season to shine a spotlight on specific characters, giving them each a specific episode in which to be the focal point. The second half of the season will focus then on the issue of succession as Carell's Michael Scott makes his plans known for his departure, while NBC will launch online polls and the like designed to make the decision of his replacement interactive. "By season’s end, one character will have Scott’s job — but that person is not necessarily Carell’s replacement as the show’s star," writes Hibberd. "Sources say writers are tempted to have the character who becomes the Scranton branch's new boss fail in some spectacular manner, leaving the seat open again for another successor during Season 8. One radical notion being explored is the possibility of subtly shifting the show’s point of view so that a current character is the star instead of the boss." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look at the Season Three cast photo for FOX's Fringe, which features Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, and Blair Brown... and a shadowy figure lurking in an open doorway that looks suspiciously like the silhouette of an Observer to me. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Megan Masters talks to Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar about Julia, the mysterious character that Jamie Ray Newman (Eastwick) will be playing on the CW series this fall. "We [introduce] Julia in the premiere, and then we let Cate and Ryan go on with their lives for a little bit. But her name starts coming up again, and Cate's confused about who this person is. We'll actually see some flashbacks of who this person is, and how she knows Ryan," said Tigelaar. "Julia's a person who was an integral person in Ryan's past. He's moved on and is with Cate, but in the course of season one she reappeared and there are repercussions of that. She's definitely lightly threaded into the first 13, and if we get a back nine, she'll be back. She be a character who's going to stir some stuff up for them." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

It's official: Jennifer Morrison (House) has joined the cast of CBS' How I Met Your Mother, where she will play Zooey, a new love interest for Ted Mosby. Morrison's Zooey, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, is "a rabble-rousing activist who’s hell-bent on saving the Arcadian, an old New York hotel that’s scheduled to be torn down to make way for the Goliath National Bank tower—which Ted just so happens to be designing." But this won't be another date-of-the-week for Ted, according to the show's producers. "This is going to be a big saga for Ted," Carter Bays told EW. "[It's] going to be a big overarching story that will take Ted on a journey that we’re really excited about." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO has confirmed the launch of Season Three of therapy drama In Treatment, which will kick off with two back-to-back half-hour episodes on Monday, October 25th, and Tuesday, October 26th at 9 pm ET/PT. Subsequent episodes will follow the same scheduling. New cast members include Irrfan Kahn, Debra Winger, Amy Ryan, and Dane DeHaan. (via press release)

American Dad producer Bob Kushell has sold two comedy pitches, animated comedy Red Roofs to FOX and an untitled multi-camera comedy to NBC about a "blended family dealing with the death of the clan's patriarch (who had been living a double life)." (Variety)

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.