The Daily Beast: "Fall TV Preview: Where We Left Off"

Can’t remember how Revenge, Homeland, The Good Wife, or Dexter ended? Refresh your collective memory about the cliffhangers for 27 returning shows—and previews of what’s to come.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Fall TV Preview: Where We Left Off," in which Maria Elena Fernandez and I refresh your memory about how 27 shows--from Revenge and Homeland to The Good Wife and Boardwalk Empire--ended last season... and offer a glimpse about what's to come.

Carrie remembered stuff! Leslie was elected! Sheldon took Amy’s hand! Gloria is pregnant! Nucky whacked Jimmy! Victoria Grayson’s plane blew up! Dexter…oh, Dexter!

The fall TV season is officially here, which means we can all breathe a sigh of relief and pull ourselves up from the cliff-hanging precipice. Sure, there’s a bunch of new TV shows across the dial champing at the bit for your attention. But we want to focus on your returning old favorites.

What’s next on Scandal—will we find out who Quinn is? Will Emily track down her mother on Revenge? How will Captain Cragen deal with that dead hooker in his bed on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit? And just what will the gang at Greendale get up to on Community without Dan Harmon at the helm?

To refresh your memory after the long, hot summer, The Daily Beast has a guide to the good and bad times of last season and a peek into what’s coming next this fall.

Parenthood (NBC; Tuesdays at 10 p.m.; returns Sept. 11)

Where We Left Off: You’ll be forgiven for not remembering, since Parenthood wrapped its season way back in February. Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) finally tied the knot; Adam (Peter Krause) and Crosby decided to keep the Luncheonette open; Mark (Jason Ritter) proposed to Sarah (Lauren Graham), even though the two were at odds about whether they wanted to have children. Elsewhere, after the heartbreak of not getting the baby they meant to adopt, Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger) instead adopted a five-year-old Latino boy, Victor (Xolo Mariduena).

Where We Pick Up: The entire Braverman clan prepares for the departure of Haddie (Sarah Ramos), who is heading off to Cornell. Sarah and Mark are happily engaged, and Sarah stumbles onto a job working for a curmudgeonly photographer (Ray Romano). Amber (Mae Whitman) is now working with her uncles at the Luncheonette, while Drew (Miles Heizer), now a high school senior, is ecstatic about the return of Amy (Skyler Day) from camp, but the course of (young) love never did run smooth. Kristina (Monica Potter) and Adam consider getting a dog for Max (Max Burkholder), while one of the Bravermans faces a—SPOILER ALERT—potential medical crisis. Prepare to cry. A lot.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Daily Beast: "TiVo’s 20 Most Time Shifted TV Shows of 2011-12: Mad Men, Fringe & More"

Is anyone watching Mad Men live?

At The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "TiVo’s 20 Most Time Shifted TV Shows of 2011-12: Mad Men, Fringe, and More," in which I examine TiVo's Top 20 TV shows with the highest percentage of time-shifting, from Showtime's Nurse Jackie and AMC's Mad Men to Fox's Fringe and ABC Family's Switched at Birth.

TiVo singlehandedly changed the way that many viewers watch television, allowing consumers to record their favorite shows and time-shift their viewing altogether.

Increasingly, time-shifted viewing is having an enormous impact on television ratings, and the networks have begun to consider the uptick in DVR-viewing when calculating their overall ratings. According to the data provided by TiVo to The Daily Beast, the shows with the highest aggregated rating of time-shifted viewing during the 2011–12 season are the usual suspects: Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Glee, and NCIS, to name a few. In other words: popular shows become even more popular once TiVo examines the overall time-shifted viewing. This is not a surprise.

What is interesting, however, is TiVo's data that illustrates the percentage of the total viewing of a given show that was time-shifted. (TiVo calls this measurement "Percentage Time-Shifted Viewing.") For instance: Showtime’s dark comedy Nurse Jackie has the highest percentage of time-shifted viewing out of any primetime show on television. Shows as varied as Mad Men, Fringe, and Switched at Birth are also on the list. (Community, meanwhile, ranks at No. 164, just behind An Idiot Abroad and Survivor.)

A few caveats before we dive in: The data provided comes from TiVo’s Stop||Watch ratings service, which “passively and anonymously” collects DVR viewing data from a sample group of 350,000 nationally distributed TiVo DVR subscribers. (That sample group represents roughly 17.5 percent of TiVo’s overall subscriber base of approximately 2 million customers.) Additionally, TiVo considers any viewing that takes place five seconds after the live broadcast as being “time-shifted.” As for the Percentage Time-Shifted Viewing figures we’re looking at: higher percentage time-shifted scores indicates preference on the part of viewers to watch the specific show time-shifted than live, independent of the overall popularity of the show.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Daily Beast: "TV Breaks the Incest Taboo"

HBO's Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Bored to Death and other TV shows have recently featured incest storylines or themes.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "TV Breaks the Incest Taboo," in which I examine this troubling trend in scripted programming.

In 1990, Twin Peaks gave the world a nightmare vision into the seediness beneath the placid veneer of small-town America. But while one of the many puzzles embedded within Twin Peaks’ narrative was the identity of the murderer of teen queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), the true secret lurking at the heart of the mystery was the incest and abuse suffered by Laura at the hands of her father, Leland (Ray Wise) and the psychic damage this secret caused his wife, Sarah (Grace Zabriskie). It’s a reveal so horrific, so destructive, that the creators represented it in terms of the supernatural, having Leland possessed by a demonic entity in order to explain the cruelty and lack of humanity that such a crime would require.

“The act at the black heart of the murder colored the entire narrative,” Twin Peaks’ co-creator Mark Frost told The Daily Beast this week. “Incest is a primal, eternal taboo in civilized culture, and some of the greatest tragedies ever written proceed from it, or lead to it.”

In the 20-plus years since Twin Peaks first premiered, television’s approach to incest had changed little, with few shows daring to break that taboo. But, particularly in the last year, scripted television shows have reversed their disinclination to deal with incest. Premium cable is allowing creators to push boundaries with storylines that weren’t previously permissible. And with incest at the forefront of the national conversation—as classical-music troupe The 5 Browns come clean about the incest they suffered at the hands of their manager father—it is providing grist for the story engines of some of television’s most daring and controversial shows.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Daily Beast: "The Real Race for Best Drama: Why Mad Men May Not Win"

The race for the Emmy Awards’ top drama prize isn’t as cut and dried as it looks.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "The Real Race for Best Drama: Why Mad Men May Not Win," in which I examine the cutthroat competition this year for best drama, and why Mad Men may not win the top spot at next weekend's awards ceremony. (Though it probably will.)

What's your take on the drama race this year? Will Mad Men four-peat? Will The Good Wife claim the top pick? Will HBO's Game of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire walk away with the statuette? Or will Friday Night Lights pull off the impossible and finally get some recognition for its outstanding fifth and final season? Head to the comments section to discuss.

The Daily Beast: "Showtime's New Mastermind, David Nevins"

Former producer David Nevins stunned many Hollywood insiders when he announced that he was stepping down from his role at Imagine Television and taking the top job at Showtime, recently vacated by Robert Greenblatt.

Now five months into his term at Showtime, I sit down with Nevins over lunch in a new feature at The Daily Beast, entitled "Showtime's New Mastermind, David Nevins," in which he tells me about his “girly taste in television,” and why it’s “fun to be naughty” as a programmer.

We also discuss what's coming up for the network, what's in development (Damian Lewis/Claire Danes psychological drama Homeland, House of Lies, starring Don Cheadle), the challenges and opportunities facing Showtime, which is on a growth trend, and, um, selling Time Life books over the phone.

Life Serial: Dexter Gets Sixth Season

Not exactly a shocker: Showtime has officially renewed its top-rated drama Dexter for a sixth season.

The current season will wrap up its run on Sunday, while Season Six of Dexter will go into production in Los Angeles in the spring. No word on when the next season will launch on the pay cabler, but another fall launch--such as the one for the current season--is more than likely.

“Dexter is the best suspense drama on television,” said Showtime President of Entertainment David Nevins. “To grow its audience so significantly in its fifth season is an enormous accomplishment by this amazing cast and crew. This is the easiest decision I’ve made since I got to Showtime.”

The full press release from Showtime can be found below.

SHOWTIME SLICES INTO A SIXTH SEASON OF DEXTER
Network’s Top-Rated Drama Series Renewed

DEXTER On Pace To Post Its Highest- Rated Season Ever
LOS ANGELES, CA — (December 6, 2010) — As season five of SHOWTIME’s top-rated drama series DEXTER, starring Emmy®-nominated and Golden Globe® award-winning actor Michael C. Hall, heads toward another powerful, suspense-filled finale on Sunday, December 12th at 9 PM ET/PT, the network has renewed the series for a sixth season. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks. Season 6’s episodes will go into production next spring in Los Angeles.

“DEXTER is the best suspense drama on television,” said Nevins. “To grow its audience so significantly in its fifth season is an enormous accomplishment by this amazing cast and crew. This is the easiest decision I’ve made since I got to Showtime.”

One of the most acclaimed series on television, DEXTER received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations this year, including Outstanding Television Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Michael C. Hall and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for John Lithgow, which Lithgow won. Additionally, director Steve Shill won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The series has received numerous Golden Globe nominations, as well as a prestigious Peabody Award in 2008 and was twice named one of AFI’s top ten television series.

DEXTER had its second highest ratings ever with this season's tenth episode (Nov. 28), delivering 2.54 million viewers, up 43 percent versus the season five premiere (1.77 million). The telecast was the second-highest delivery in the series’ history, behind the season four finale (2.57 million).‬

DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall (Golden Globe and SAG Award winner) as a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. Season five of the series also starred Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar.

The Daily Beast: "TV's Pop Art Boom"

Law & Order: SVU valentines, anyone?

Over at The Daily Beast today, I offer a look at "TV's Pop Art Boom."

In my latest feature, I talk to graphic artists Dyna Moe and Ty Mattson about their Mad Men-, Lost-, and Dexter-inspired artwork, which has redefined the term "fan art" and taken it to an entirely different level, where television-inspired pieces are challenging the way that we look at the medium and offering a new perspective to the atmosphere, characters, setting, and tone of some of our favorite series.

Plus, I offer a gallery of television-inspired pieces of art from Dyna Moe, Ty Mattson, Brandon Bird, and others, including some must-see Law & Order-inspired pieces.

The Daily Beast: "Fall TV Preview: Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, 30 Rock and More"

With so many new fall series premiering over the next two weeks, it's possible to forget that some of our favorites are heading back to the airwaves as well.

Can’t remember how Grey’s Anatomy or 30 Rock ended? Head over to the Daily Beast to read my latest feature, "Here Comes the TV Season!", in which I round-up 13 cliffhangers for returning shows—and offer previews of what’s to come. (It goes without saying: minor SPOILERS aheads.)

The series in question? Oh, the usual suspects, including Dexter, The Good Wife, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Bones, Community, Castle, and 30 Rock, presented in order of premiere dates. (Which means Chuck is up first.) Plus, you can watch video previews for all 22 new network series, to boot.

Which returning series are you most excited about watching this fall? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Tim, Prison Break's Chris Vance Targets Dexter, The Good Wife, 90210's Gay Character Revealed, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Sometimes the networks taketh and sometimes they give back. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that HBO has had a change of heart about animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim, which it cancelled two months ago. The pay cabler has now reversed its position on the cult hit, ordering a third season of Tim, with ten episodes slated to air sometime next year. Media Rights Capital, the production company behind the project (along with Good Humor TV), attempted to shop Tim to other networks--including Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and TBS--but no buyer materialized... and now the project has headed back to HBO. [Editor: I'm relieved as I was really upset when I heard earlier this year that the series wasn't going to get picked up.] (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chris Vance (Prison Break) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Season Five of Showtime's Dexter. Vance--most recently seen in FOX's short-lived drama series Mental and on Burn Notice--will play Cole, described as "a meticulous, physically fit, well-spoken personal aide to a famous businessman," and is set to appear in at least three installments of the serial killer drama. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline has an interview with The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King about their Emmy nominated CBS drama series, which will compete with several cable-based series in the Best Drama category. "It’s hard not to look at cable with envy at times, for sure," said Michelle King when asked if she wishes The Good Wife were on cable rather than broadcast television. "The tradeoff is we get to tell more stories and usually have a bigger budget, so it probably evens out." And don't call the show a procedural. "We prefer to be seen as a hybrid," said Robert King. "It’s a polite way of saying we want to have our cake and eat it, too. Mind you, we don’t hate procedurals. There’s nothing better when you’re sick in bed at home than taking in a Law & Order marathon. We’re not trying to run away from that, but we work to stuff the procedural aspect so tightly bound into a script that there’s a lot of room left to show the impact on our characters. We don’t feel hampered by the label, but we hope people can get past it and any angst they may have over it." (Deadline)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has confirmed just which one of the boys of 90210 will come out this season on the CW teen soap. Actor Trevor Donovan--who plays Teddy--revealed that he'll be playing the famous zip code's gay character. “I read all your tweets and know you are all curious about the ‘gay’ character this season," said Donovan via Twitter. "Let me say, gay or straight, relationships are relationships. Everyone goes through the same kind of troubles and joys. A gay storyline will have an added issue of dealing with judgment from others. Acceptance, by family, friends, society, and self is just one of the concerns the character will be going through. It is a part of life, and it should be portrayed. I was told, and am confident, [that] the storyline will be written very well and the change in the character will be organic, NOT overnight. It’s going to be a great season 3. I look forward to chatting with you all as we progress.” Ausiello, for his part, confirmed that Donovan's Teddy is gay. Thus, the speculation can now end. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FlashForward's Michael Ealy--who will next be seen on CBS' The Good Wife--has been cast as one of the leads on USA's buddy cop pilot Common Law, where he will play LAPD officer Travis Marks, described as "charismatic, casually attired, and unshaven—the polar opposite of his police partner, Wes Mitchell," who, unlike Wes, is "a freewheeling, impulsive maverick, not to mention an avid womanizer who is extremely successful with the ladies." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Among the presenters at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards: January Jones, Ricky Gervais, Julianna Margulies, Matthew Morrison, Sofia Vergara, and John Krasinski. (Hollywood Reporter)

Spike has renewed Deadliest Warrior for a third season, with ten episodes on tap for Summer 2011. (Variety)

Looks like you've gotten there. TBS has ordered an additional 90 episodes of comedy Are We There Yet? The series, which debuted on June 2nd, will wrap up its initial ten-episode order this summer and then return with a massive reorder. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Madden has been named the successor to outbound Fox Television Studios president Emiliano Calemzuk, who is departing the studio to become the CEO of Shine Group Americas. Madden, meanwhile, has been promoted to the position of president and will report to Dana Walden and Gary Newman. [Editor: congratulations, Dave!] (Variety)

Stay tuned.

TCA Diary: Season Five of Dexter About "Atonement"

At today's Dexter session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, the cast and crew of the Showtime serial killer drama united on stage--a week after appearing in San Diego to promote the series--to discuss the fifth season, how Julie Benz's Rita fits into the overarching storyline, whether there will be another season-long big bag, and other bloody good fun coming up on the series.

Joining the panel: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, C.S. Lee, executive producers Sara Colleton and John Goldwyn and newly minted showrunner Chip Johannessen, who took to the stage after a teaser trailer that showed the bloody aftermath of the carnage in the fourth season finale.

"No," said Sara Colleton answering a question as to whether Seasons Four and Five were planned in concert with one another. "We rarely go beyond one year because we have to have a season arc that has a beginning and a finish... At the end of Season Four, it quickly became clear to us what Season Five was about... The audience had to see what the blowback would be for his culpability in Rita's death. To cheat that would be to cheat our audience."

Will Vince Masuka (Lee) gain any insight about Dexter's secret this season?

"I certainly think it’s a possibility," said Lee. "He works in close proximity with Dexter, and we share labs. That certainly can happen. I certainly hope he doesn’t get too close to that. He will have to be the next one to go."

So will Dexter reveal himself to anyone else in the department?

"The short answer would be no," said Hall. "I think Dexter relishes opportunities to reveal himself covertly and say things that are true on one level but only experiences true on another level by whoever he’s talking to. But, no, I don’t think so. I certainly hope not."

Other than Dexter, Carpenter's Deb had the craziest story arc in Season Four. Carpenter herself agreed.

"I think her arc has been extreme," she said. "I spend a lot of time justifying how she’s not in a straitjacket at this point, and what I’m learning is that life on this show happens not only in TV time, but also in Dexter time. So the healing process is really rapid, and it’s hard to not — because I am so much more emotional than Dexter is, it’s hard to not carry pieces of that into every scene."

"How it unfolds this year, I look at the other cops in the bull pen, and I’m one of them now. Like, they all have this sort of wretched experience they walk around with. And I think she’s sort of playing the game. It’s a new strength, but it’s also just compartmentalizing in a way that she hasn’t before."

This season, the task force gets closer than ever to catching Dexter. How often can the producers go to that well and have him slip away?

"The last time it happened, there was, on the one hand, the big investigation, but there was also the personal version of that, which was the character Doakes, who was going after Dexter, but he wasn’t armed up with a lot of information,
right?" asked Johannessen. "He just had a sense that this guy was bad. [The task force is] going to be spearheaded by Quinn in some form this year, and it’s really going to
look a lot different because, first of all, he’s going to have more actual information. He’s not going to be this bull in a china shop just going after Dexter. And the other thing is, because he isn’t the bull in a china shop, this sort of outsider in the bull pen, Quinn has found a home there, which is one of the nice things about this show, that there’s this kind of work environment that feels very family-like. He’s going to have a much, much more difficult time eventually pushing forward with this investigation as kind of the personal relationships around him weigh on him. So it’s going to look a lot different."

"I guess anybody could find out [about Dexter], but the one that really, really matters, I think, is Deb, the one that matters to all of us emotionally," he said. "So
that’s the important person to track, I think, in terms of finding out more about him, having suspicions about him."

As for the change at Dexter's helm, the producers were quick to play up the seamlessness of the handover between Clyde Phillips and Chip Johannessen.

"Clyde was a fabulous addition and will always be sort of part of the emeritus part of the Dexter family," said Sara Colleton. "He was our showrunner, and now we have Chip. And it has been about as seamless as these things go because we have the remaining pillars in the writing room. And the central idea of Dexter is so strong and so provocative, and we feel that as long as every year we feel there is a new human territory to push Dexter through that mine field, rather than is he going to get caught, is really what brings our audience to us, and so — and particularly after the season arc last year. It was the perfect time, after four years, to bring a fresh view and some new blood. So it’s been about as seamless as it can be."

"The one thing I want to add to that, to Sara, is we were very lucky to get Chip because Chip was a fan, and so he knew the show well," added John Goldwyn. "He knew all of the intimate aspects of the characters, and so he came to it with this wealth of knowledge about Dexter and about all of the characters in the show and the important themes and that sense of discovery that Dexter goes through in every season. So we weren’t starting off with somebody who didn’t have an intimate knowledge of the show and real appreciation, but we were very lucky in that regard."

The producers weren't, however, so keen to offer information about who the huge guest cast will be playing this upcoming season, other than Katherine Moennig, who will play Masuka's friend Debra.

"She plays a tattoo artist, and I take Debra to meet her," said Lee. "We just shot it yesterday, and she’s a wonderful actor and we had a good time."

"Because there’s a tattoo that is a part of the big crime that Miami Metro is solving this year," added Colleton, "Deb has found a clue and so they need to go
to a tattoo artist to get more information."

Meanwhile, Peter Weller's character was actually informed by, er, Peter Weller himself.

"Well, Peter Weller was part of the original pitch to Showtime," said Johannessen. "He’s going to be a big problem for Dexter, especially in the back parlor. We called him Weller when we originally conceived him, and then we had to change the name once we got the guy we had actually wanted. So he’s kind of an ex-cop, a kind of Cocaine Cowboys-era guy who gets into some trouble with the corruption thing and ends up kind of posing a problem for Dexter."

"One of the things to help you understand, we are taking a break this year from what has been the way we’ve plotted out our seasons in the past four years, which is to have one, sort of, season-long adversary for Dexter," added Coletton. "And we thought this was the perfect year, because of what Dexter has gone through, to take a break from that. And so, as he’s going through different stages of his grief, really, even
though, for Dexter, it’s completely unarticulated and it’s a range of human emotion that he doesn’t know what he’s feeling, but as he goes through different stages,
there will be different characters who will come in, who will interact. And so, as the season progresses, some of these characters interlock, but the through line is, this year, Dexter’s atonement, and different people help him along the way in different
capacities. And that’s why we have a very interesting array of new actors."

(So no details there.)

"We have an ensemble this year with Johnny Lee Miller and obviously Julia Stiles and others that help illuminate what Sara is talking about, which is this
discovery of atonement," said Goldwyn.

"One of the things we wanted to do this year was shake up that single big bad, especially in the wake of John Lithgow, and it did seem like the thing to do was try to top the baroque serial killer thing," said Johannessen. "And also, given where Dexter was coming from, it does become a series about atonement. He’s not a character who experiences guilt or grief like any of us would. So it’s not his intention starting out, but the season kind of becomes about this as he slides into it. As Michael sometimes says, he trips into it, this kind of oddly human experience, at a time where he just feels that everything that he has done that had to do with connecting with humanity has melted down in this horrible, horrible way. And the last thing he wants to do is be involved with people, and yet part of the amazing thing about this character, who is so outside of everybody and so alienated, is that he keeps trying to claw his way back in. In the wake of Rita’s death, you see that over the course, really, of the whole season."

Hall said that he did tried to approach what was coming without advance knowledge of Rita's death at the end of last season.

"I really tried, while I consciously knew that’s where things were headed — I really tried to approach everything that led up to it without that foreknowledge and decided I’d just cross that acting bridge when it revealed itself," Hall said. "But what’s
interesting is this idea of atonement, this idea that Dexter is forced, through what’s written, into those situations where he has to step into waters that he never anticipated stepping in, and it starts out subterranean, but there is some sort of appetite to address his maybe not even consciously acknowledged sense of guilt or remorse or need for atonement, and the circumstances of his life sort of manifest an
opportunity to do that in a way that he doesn’t create consciously."

Just don't expect Dexter to lose his hold on his sanity this season.

"No," said Colleton. "Don’t forget he’s now a single dad, so he has some responsibilities that are really serious. And like all single dads, they don’t know until the wife is gone just how much that means."

"I think one of the things that Dexter is examining this season, though, is his involvement in some way, or perhaps even a little bit his culpability, in the death of Rita," said Goldwyn, "which leads to what Sara mentioned earlier which is the theme of atonement, which is illuminated and dramatized over the course of this year."

"The forum that Dexter takes to achieve atonement is not in a forum that is conventional by any means," added Colleton, "and it will be through the very unique prism of Dexter’s special needs, and that’s what makes it very original."

"[Dexter] saw his mother sawed up in front of him in this container," said Johannessen. "He was born in blood. He now has this adult origin story in a way in the way he brought his own life into this horrible mess that it’s turned into, which is very relatable the way we all kind of melt down our existences, so we’re trying to give it kind of the huge cosmic space it deserves, which is this is almost like a second origin thing in his life and that event at the end of Season Four will kind of... filter through it in the same way that his original story filtered through Season One."

So how will Rita be appearing in Season Five? Will she be handled in the same way that Dexter's dad (Remar) is?

"In this show Harry serves a very unique purpose," said Colleton, "and to dilute that in any way would, I think, fundamentally harm the DNA of our show."

"He’s the only one with keys to that room," added Hall.

"You’ll be seeing her more than dead in a bathtub, for sure," teased Johannessen.

Season Five of Dexter premieres Sunday, September 26th on Showtime.

TCA Diary: Showtime's Matt Blank Teases Upcoming Programming

Showtime's Matt Blank kicked off the festivities on Day Two of the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour by offering a look at what's coming up for their slate of original programming over the next six months or so.

"Showtime continues to thrive in every part of our business," said Blank. "We received more 2010 Emmy nominations for our original series than any other premium cable network."

Here are some highlights from the very brief session, during which Blank acknowledged the behind-the-scenes changes going on at the pay cabler, where Robert Greenblatt has stepped down and will be succeeded by David Nevins.

Weeds comes back in August. Guest stars this season will include Richard Dreyfus, Alanis Morrissette, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Linda Hamilton, and Peter Stomare.

The Big C, which launches on August 16th as well, will feature Idris Elba, Cynthia Nixon, and Liam Neeson, whose participation was announced earlier this week.

Dexter's latest season will feature Peter Weller, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, Johnny Lee Miller, and more.

Showtime has renewed Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara for third seasons and Secret Diary of a Call Girl for a fourth and final season.

The American adaptation of UK drama Shameless is set for a January 9th launch. A promo package that was screened had very good response from the collective critics. [Editor: having scene the pilot three times now I can say that it's one of the few series that I feverishly anticipating. Amazing, amazing pilot.]

The network offered a look at period dram The Borgias, which stars Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia and hails from Neil Jordan, who serves as creator/writer/director/executive producer. The series premieres Spring 2011. Production begun last week in Budapest. The network is positioning the series, set in 15th century Rome, as "the original crime family."

Guilty as Sin: Showtime Unveils Dexter Season Five Promo at Comic-Con

"I was not really honest with you. I am a serial killer; that's what I am."

Showtime has released the action-packed video for the trailer for Season Five of Dexter, which it showed to a packed house in Ballroom 20 on Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con.

Missed the panel? No worries as you can check out the full trailer for Season Five of Dexter below. But warning: it contains serious SPOILERS if you haven't seen the fourth season finale... and you might want to lower the volume for the first bit.



Season Five of Dexter launches Sunday, September 26th at 9 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

Channel Surfing: Olivia Munn Tackles Chuck, Scott Porter Investigates The Good Wife, Chris Isaak Could Replace Simon, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. A few things to get through before I hit the road for San Diego and Comic-Con.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Olivia Munn (the newly minted Daily Show correspondent) will guest star on NBC's Chuck this fall when the series returns for its fourth season on September 20th. Munn, who is a series regular on NBC's midseason comedy Perfect Couples, will play "an impossibly cool, smart, and pretty CIA agent who intimidates and schools Chuck and Morgan" in the same installment that features Dolph Lundgren. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other scoop, Ausiello writes that former Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter will be joining the cast of CBS' The Good Wife this fall. Porter, whose CW pilot Nomads was not ordered to series, will play Blake, described as "Kalinda’s private-eye counterpart at the D.C. firm that’s merging with Lockhart & Gardner" who "offsets his cynical attitude with lots of hidden humor and sexual charisma. He is disguised as a landlord when he first encounters Kalinda, who doesn’t appreciate being taken in by this ‘master of disguise.’ However, underneath their fractious interactions, there’s definite chemistry between these two." Porter is expected to appear in at least ten episodes of The Good Wife's second season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Wicked Game? Singer Chris Issak is among the frontrunners to replace Simon Cowell on FOX's American Idol, as is Harry Connick Jr. while Bret Michaels and Donald Trump have each lobbied to replace Cowell for the tenth season of Idol. "The network is determined to land a widely known music industry figure for the post, and THR has learned that singer Chris Isaak has met twice with the network," write James Hibberd and Kim Masters. "Also, at least one desirable candidate has set off a tug-of-war between Idol executive producer Simon Fuller and Cowell -- whose upcoming Fox singing competition The X Factor is similarly seeking judges." Hmmm... (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has announced that the back half of Season One of Caprica will not air until January 2011, a sizable delay given that the first half of the season wrapped in the end of March. Here's how Syfy is positioning the remainder of the season: "In season 1.5, the once idyllic world of Caprica – as well as life across the colonies – falls prey to an explosive chain reaction of consequences set off by the characters’ many questionable actions in the season’s first half. Tensions rise, power shifts and the line between reality and the virtual world becomes increasingly blurred as everyone struggles to learn – and conquer – the stakes in this volatile setting. As the season races towards its stunning conclusion, events of each episode lay the framework for the inevitable (and brutal) clash between the newly-created Cylon race and their human creators." (via press release)

Universal Media Studios has signed a deal with The Office writer/co-star B.J. Novak that will keep him aboard the NBC comedy series for two more seasons and will be bumped to an executive producer title halfway through the series' upcoming seventh season. He'll also develop new projects for the studio as well. "B.J. has been an integral part of The Office since the launch of the show," said Angela Bromstad, NBC's president of primetime entertainment. "Whether he's in the writing room or appearing on screen, we always get the smart, sophisticated, ridiculously funny humor from him that the fans have come to love." (Variety)

Mark your calendars: HBO has announced that Bored to Death and Eastbound and Down will return for their second seasons on Sunday, September 26th at 10 pm and 10:30 pm ET/PT respectively. (via press release)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin is reporting that Katherine Moenning (The L Word) will guest star in the upcoming season of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter, where she will play a tattoo artist appearing in one episode. "How she'll become embroiled in the serial killer's world remains unknown," writes Martin. The fifth season of Dexter launches Sunday, September 26th at 9 pm ET/PT. (TVGuide.com)

Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond) will be dropping by ABC's The Middle for the second season premiere, airing September 22nd. She'll play a new teacher for Brick who is "an intimidating force to be reckoned with" and "'strong' opinions about Frankie's parenting methods." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

File under strange but true: CBS' drama pilot Chaos, the subject of a lively back and forth between the network and studio 20th Century Fox Television, is allegedly alive again, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "The resurrection process took a step forward yesterday when CBS' entertainment president Nina Tassler had lunch with 20th TV chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman to discuss the matter," writes Andreeva. "I hear the Brett Ratner-directed Chaos is now back on track for a midseason series order at CBS, possibly as a co-production between 20th TV and CBS TV Studios. The only major obstacle is bringing back the cast, led by Freddy Rodriguez, which was released on June 30 when the actors' options expired. I hear the actors have been approached about returning and things look optimistic on that front." (Deadline)

If you were worried that the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore wouldn't be back for a third season, you can rest easy today: the entire cast has renegotiated their contracts and will be approximately $30,000 per episode for Season Three. [Editor: the sound you hear? Me gagging.] (The Wrap)

ABC Family is launching new comedy Melissa & Joey on Tuesday, August 17th, with two back-to-back episodes at 8 and 8:30 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Cinemax is resurrecting the thriller anthology genre with a new latenight series Femme Fatales, based on the magazine. Format will be a half-hour anthology, airing in a latenight slot with a narrator introducing short-form thrillers. Project, which has received a series order, is executive produced by Mark A. Altman and Steve Kriozere. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bert Salke will replace Chris Carlisle as the president of Fox21, the subdivision of 20th Century Fox Television that specializes in cable and reality programming. He is expected to start in August and will report to Dana Walden and Gary Newman. (Deadline)

FremantleMedia has teamed up with Mark Sennett Entertainment and Headline Pictures to develop period racing drama The Drivers, which will be based on Wallace A. Wyss' book, "Shelby: The Man, the Cars, the Legend." Series will revolve around a group of drivers from US and Europe who race for the top prize at Le Mans and will be set in either the 1950s or 1960s. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Melina Kanakaredes Leaves CSI: NY, Game of Thrones Lands Aidan Gillen, Peter Weller Joins Dexter, True Blood, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Another one bites the dust: Melina Kanakaredes is the latest star to leave their CBS drama series, following in the footsteps of A.J. Cook, Eddie Cibrian, and Liz Vassey. Kanakaredes, who has starred on CBS' CSI: NY for six seasons, has announced that she will not be returning for a seventh go-around as Detective Stella Bonasera. "We hoped Melina would return to CSI: NY for another season, but we respect her decision to move on," said CBS Television Network and CBS Television Studios in a joint statement released yesterday. "Her amazing talent and invaluable contribution to the success of the series are greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten. She will forever remain a friend to the network and studio and we wish her the very best." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Meanwhile, yesterday's rumor appears now to be a fact: Sela Ward is joining CSI: NY, following Kanakaredes' departure. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Aidan Gillen (The Wire) has signed on as a series regular for HBO's upcoming George R.R. Martin drama series Game of Thrones, where he will play Littlefinger, described as a scheming "adviser to King Robert who manipulates those in power to fit his own agenda." Production on Game of Thrones is set to begin later this month in Northern Ireland, with a launch expected in the first half of 2011. (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Peter Weller (Robocop) has been cast in Season Five of Showtime's Dexter, where he is slated to appear in eight out of the twelve installments as "a troubled Miami Metro police officer who gets caught up in an internal affairs investigation." Season Five is set to premiere September 26th on Showtime. (Deadline)

MAJOR SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that a panther will be appearing on the set of HBO's vampire drama True Blood, fueling speculation that Jason Stackhouse could be transforming into a werepanther at some point this season. "I've been working with the panthers and they're a lot cooler than the wolves," True Blood creator Alan Ball told Keck. "We have shot some scenes with actual panthers in the same way we have shot with actual wolves. But I won't say there are or aren't werepanthers on the show." [Editor: the reveal of the panther would fall in line with what Ball told me a while back for my True Blood set visit and feature for The Daily Beast: that someone's love interest this season is secretly a were. Hmmm...] (TV Guide Magazine)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some major dirt on a huge plot twist planned in the "game-changing" second season opener of CBS' The Good Wife, as the series' law firm, Lockhart & Gardener "will be in the midst of merging with another firm," according to Ausiello. "Everyone [will be thrown] for a loop,” Good Wife executive producer Robert King told Ausiello, “[especially partners] Will [Josh Charles] and Diane [Christine Baranski]. And Alicia [Julianna Margulies], who thought she was [in the clear], once again has to prove herself in new surroundings." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MAJOR SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck reports that Booth and Brennan will finally get to close the book on the murderous Gravedigger, Heather Taffet (Deirdre Lovejoy), this season on FOX's Bones... but the same episode that features Heather's final appearance will introduce a new nemesis for the team who creator Hart Hanson said is "someone much worse, who will dog us for the season." What else did Keck manage to get out of Hanson about this new big bad? ""It's someone highly motivated to do great harm to our people — a personal vendetta," said Hanson. "One of our characters will be a victim." (TV Guide Magazine)

Not only did TVGuide.com's Denise Martin moderate last night's Glee event at the Paley Center but she also has an exclusive interview with co-creator Ryan Murphy about the second season of the musical-comedy in which he confirms that the upcoming Britney Spears tribute episode will in fact revolve around Heather Morris' addled cheerleader Brittany, who will sing two of the pop singer's songs. (TVGuide.com)

Fancast's Matt Mitovich is reporting that former Melrose Place star Shaun Sipos is joining the cast of the CW's Life Unexpected, where he will recur as Eric, a new teacher at the high school where Lux attends. (Fancast)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick are reporting that Arielle Kebbel (Gilmore Girls) and Amy Price-Francis (The Cleaner) have joined the cast of the CW's Life Unexpected, where they will play respectively Paige, described as "the new hottie in town who may well wind up tending more than bar for Baze (Kristoffer Polaha)," and Kelly, described as "a conservative author/chatterbox who becomes a partner on the radio show that Cate (Shiri Appleby) and Ryan (Kerr Smith) front." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

File this under random recastings: Timm Sharp ('Til Death) has been cast in HBO comedy series Enlightened, where he will play the new boss of Laura Dern's formerly self-destructive character who returns to work after a spectacular meltdown. Sharp replaces Mos Def, who exited the series due to "deal issues," according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Production began yesterday on the project, from executive producers Dern and Mike White. (Deadline)

The title for the season opener of ABC's Grey's Anatomy? “With You I’m Born Again," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In a move that will surprise absolutely no one, ABC has renewed its Canadian summer drama series Rookie Blue for a second season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Among the actors lending their voices to Adult Swim's Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III: Zac Efron, Donald Glover (Community), and Mike Henry (The Cleveland Show), who will join an already burgeoning voice cast that includes Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth MacFarlane, Dan Milano, Abraham Benrubi, Donald Faison, Rachael Leigh Cook, Adrianne Palicki, Eden Espinosa, Hugh Davidson, Bob Bergen, Keith Ferguson, Tom Kane, Zeb Wells, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Ahmed Best. The special will air December 12th. (Variety)

Reveille and Jack Black's shingle Electric Dynamite Prods. have jointly optioned the rights to A.J. Jacob's non-fiction book "My Life As An Experiment," with the aim to adapt the work as a half-hour comedy series. (Deadline)

Joe Jonas will guest star on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland, where he will play the son of Valerie Bertinelli's character. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sony Pictures Television has promoted James Canniffe to SVP of US alternative development. He will report to Holly Jacobs. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Emmy Nominations Unveiled: Love for Friday Night Lights, Modern Family, Mad Men, Lost, True Blood, and More

It's that time of year again: Emmy nominations.

Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and Community's Joel McHale were on hand bright and early this morning to announce the Primetime Emmy Award nominations. (I stayed home to watch E! Online's stream of the press conference rather than drive over there bleary-eyed and unable to conceal my frustration about overlooked performances and series in person.)

While Vergara ultimately walked away with a nomination for supporting actress for Modern Family (as did most of her co-stars, in fact), McHale was sadly shut out of the nominations, as was Community, a real slap in the face (along with that for Parks and Recreation) considering that Community and Parks were both streets ahead of The Office and 30 Rock this season. Grr.

So which series did the best overall? HBO's The Pacific walked away with an impressive 24 nominations, followed closely by FOX's Glee at 19 nods, AMC's Mad Men at 17, and 15 nominations apiece for Temple Grandin, 30 Rock, and You Don't Know Jack. Critical darling Modern Family earned 14 nominations, while Lost scored 12.

While it's unlikely to change FX's decision about keeping the series around, Damages walked away with several key nominations including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama (Glenn Close), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama (Martin Short), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama (Rose Byrne), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama (Ted Danson), and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama (Lily Tomlin).

Perhaps seeing the final season as a way of addressing past snubs, the TV Academy issued nominations to Matthew Fox, Terry O'Quinn, and Michael Emerson for Lost. (About time.) And, yes, Elizabeth Mitchell even got in on the action, scoring a nomination for guest actress in a drama series for her role as Juliet Burke in the series finale.

So what do I think about the nominations? A list of nominees and reactions for each of the major category can be found below, while you can download the full list of nominees here.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
62nd Primetime Emmy Award Nominations

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper

Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO • HBO Entertainment
Larry David as Himself

Glee • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester

Monk • USA • Universal Cable Productions in association with Mandeville Films and ABC Studios
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk

The Office • NBC • Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille LLC in association with Universal Media Studios
Steve Carell as Michael Scott

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy

This was a fairly predictable category, though I have to yawn again at the inclusion of Tony Shalhoub over such other contenders as Parks and Recreations' Nick Offerman in this category, which tends to feature the same actors over and over again. Fortunately, Matthew Morrison edged out a certain actor from CBS' Two and a Half Men and the Academy realized that we're all tired of Entourage. As for who will win, I'd like to see Larry David walk away with the statuette next month for Curb Your Enthusiasm, really.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Breaking Bad • AMC • Sony Pictures Television
Bryan Cranston as Walter White

Dexter • Showtime • Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan

Friday Night Lights • DirecTV • Imagine Entertainment in association with Universal Media Studios and Film 44
Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor

House • FOX • Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Jon Hamm as Don Draper

Now this is a very tough category. I'm extremely pleased to see that the Academy opted to shine a light on the compelling work of Friday Night Lights's Kyle Chandler, whose performance as Eric Taylor is the stuff of legends. (Was Chandler not born to play this role?) But he faces some stiff competition from Matthew Fox, Jon Hamm, Hugh Laurie, Bryan Cranston, and Michael C. Hall. This is going to be a very tight race among some supremely talented actors. I don't even dare to hazard a guess here, though I would love it if Chandler did the nearly impossible and walked away the winner. (Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Dog Year • HBO • Duopoly in association with HBO Films
Jeff Bridges as Jon Katz

The Prisoner • AMC • AMC, ITV Productions and Granada
Ian McKellen as Two

The Special Relationship • HBO • A Rainmark and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with HBO Films
Michael Sheen as Tony Blair

The Special Relationship • HBO • A Rainmark and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with HBO Films
Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton

You Don't Know Jack • HBO • Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions in association with HBO Films
Al Pacino as Dr. Jack Kevorkian

While I'd love Sheen to be recognized for his role in The Special Relationship, particularly after playing British PM Tony Blair with such incisive nuance for the third time (after The Deal and The Queen), I'd say that Pacino's turn as Jack Kevorkian is the showier role here. Point to Pacino, I think.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Glee • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Lea Michele as Rachel Berry

The New Adventures Of Old Christine • CBS • Kari's Logo Here in association with Warner Bros. Television
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell

Nurse Jackie • Showtime • Showtime Presents, Lionsgate Television, Jackson Group Entertainment, Madison Grain Elevator, Inc. & Delong Lumber; A Caryn Mandabach Production
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton

Parks And Recreation • NBC • Produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon

United States Of Tara • Showtime • Showtime Presents, Dreamworks Television
Toni Collette as Tara Gregson

Don't get me started on the inclusion of Lea Michele here for Glee. I don't consider the series a comedy on really any level (other than the participation of Jane Lynch), nor do I buy Michele as the "lead actress" of anything other than an ensemble player of a middling musical dramedy. My hope is that Amy Poehler walks away the winner here as Parks and Recreation is the funniest comedy on television right now and was unjustly shut out of the nominations. Should Poehler not get the win, I'd also be ecstatic if Edie Falco took home the win for the darkly funny Nurse Jackie. (Ordinarily, I'd be rooting for Tina Fey but this season of 30 Rock was not the show's best or sharpest.)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
The Closer • TNT • The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television
Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson

Damages • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television, FX Productions and KZK Productions
Glenn Close as Patty Hewes

Friday Night Lights • DirecTV • Imagine Entertainment in association with Universal Media Studios and Film 44
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • NBC • Wolf Films in association with Universal Media Studios
Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television
January Jones as Betty Draper

I am happy to see that someone is recognizing the work that January Jones is doing on Mad Men; for some reason critics and audiences are far too prone to writing off her performance for some reason but her work in Season Three of Mad Men was provocative and powerful, even as Betty Draper became more and more unlikable. I'm thrilled to see Connie Britton listed here for Friday Night Lights as she is more than deserving of a nomination for her stunning turn once again as Tami Taylor. And it's no surprise that Julianna Margulies landed herself a nom for the freshman season of The Good Wife, one of the few breakout hits of the past season, nor that Glenn Close is here for Damages. While I'd love all three women to share the award, that's just not going to happen. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on Margulies for The Good Wife. Though I'd love to hear Britton's acceptance speech, if I'm being heartfelt.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Capturing Mary • HBO • A talkbackTHAMES Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films
Maggie Smith as Mary Gilbert

Georgia O'Keeffe • Lifetime • Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television
Joan Allen as Georgia O’Keeffe

Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS • BBC/WGBH in association with Chestermead
Dame Judi Dench as Miss Matty

The Special Relationship • HBO • A Rainmark and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with HBO Films
Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton

Temple Grandin • HBO • A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production in association with HBO Films
Claire Danes as Temple Grandin

Two words: Claire Danes. Her performance in Temple Grandin was nothing less than stellar and she not only imbued her turn with heart, strength, and passion, but she also perfectly captured the cadence and rhythm of Grandin herself. (Which I can say, having met and spent time with Temple.) It's a brave and bravura performance that I hope nets the former My So-Called Life star an Emmy Award next month, if there's any justice.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Glee • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel

How I Met Your Mother • CBS • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy

Two And A Half Men • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., The Tannenbaum Company in association with Warner Bros. Television
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper

Of the Glee nominations, I'm happy to see Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch represented as they are the only things that kept me watching Glee through its first season. Save Ed O'Neill (wrongly overlooked here), the entire male cast of Modern Family earned themselves nominations. While they are all tops at their game, I actually hope that the Academy gives the win to Eric Stonestreet for his hysterical and heartfelt performance as Cameron. I'm hoping Stonestreet walks away the winner here. (Come on, Eric!)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Breaking Bad • AMC • Sony Pictures Television
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman

Damages • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television, FX Productions and KZK Productions
Martin Short as Leonard Winstone

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Michael Emerson as Ben Linus

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television
John Slattery as Roger Sterling

Men Of A Certain Age • TNT • TNT Original Productions
Andre Braugher as Owen

I'm extremely chuffed to see O'Quinn and Emerson nominated here together for their stunning work on Lost. One can't help but feel that the nod isn't just for the final season of Lost but their collective work over the years on the ABC drama series, which wrapped its run in May. Likewise, Short gave a nuanced and compelling turn on Damages, playing against type and yet not becoming a walking creepshow like Darryl Hammond the season before. And it's always gratifying to see Aaron Paul nominated here for his performance as Jessie Pinkman on AMC's Breaking Bad and John Slattery for his work on Mad Men. Tough category to call but I'm going to give this to Paul.

(Still crushed, however, that Fringe's John Noble failed to get a nomination here for his staggering work as Walter Bishop this season.)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Emma (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of BBC Productions and WGBH Boston
Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse

Hamlet (Great Performances) • PBS • production of Illuminations and Royal
Shakespeare Company for BBC in association with Thirteen for WNET.org and NHK
Patrick Stewart as Ghost / Claudius

Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS • BBC/WGBH in association with Chestermead
Jonathan Pryce as Mr. Buxton

Temple Grandin • HBO • A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production in association with HBO Films
David Strathairn as Dr. Carlock

You Don't Know Jack • HBO • Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions in association with HBO Films
John Goodman as Neal Nicol

Would love to see Gambon take this one home for Emma as he was absolutely perfect as Mr. Woodhouse. Having said that, I also think that Patrick Stewart may walk away for his turn in Great Performances' Hamlet. Hmmm...

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Glee • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

Saturday Night Live • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video
Kristen Wiig as Various Characters

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio
Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney

Two And A Half Men • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., The Tannenbaum Company in association with Warner Bros. Television
Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper

I would be amazed if anyone other than Jane Lynch won here. She's the only real reason, as far as I am concerned, that Glee was even able to sneak into the comedy category. You can engrave that statuette now as far as I'm concerned.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Burn Notice • USA • FOX Television Studios in association with Fuse Entertainment
Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen

Damages • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television, FX Productions and KZK Productions
Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson

So many worthy actresses competing here. Personally, I'd love for Rose Byrne or Christina Hendricks to win here. Normally, I think Elisabeth Moss is tops but she had a much quieter role this past season on Mad Men while Hendricks' Joan Harris (nee Holloway) and Byrne's Ellen Parsons seized their respective seasons by the throat and never let go. Dare I say that I'm rooting for Hendricks here?

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Alice • Syfy • A Reunion Pictures and Studio Eight Production in association with RHI Entertainment
Kathy Bates as Queen of Hearts

Temple Grandin • HBO • A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production in association with HBO Films
Julia Ormond as Eustacia (Temple's Mom)

Temple Grandin • HBO • A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production in association with HBO Films
Catherine O'Hara as Aunt Ann

You Don't Know Jack • HBO • Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions in association with HBO Films
Brenda Vaccaro as Margo Janus

You Don't Know Jack • HBO • Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions in association with HBO Films
Susan Sarandon as Janet Good

I'd love this to go to Catherine O'Hara. I love when comedic actors go against the grain and turn in dramatic and moving performances. Ormand was also absolutely amazing in HBO's Temple Grandin but there was such a subtlety and dignity to O'Hara's Ann in the biopic that I hope she's recognized... and starts working more and more in the dramatic arena.

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Glee • Wheels • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel

Glee • Dream On • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan

Modern Family • Travels With Scout • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television
Fred Willard as Frank Dunphy

Nurse Jackie • Chicken Soup • Showtime • Showtime Presents, Lionsgate Television, Jackson Group Entertainment, Madison Grain Elevator, Inc. & Delong Lumber; A Caryn Mandabach Production
Eli Wallach as Bernard Zimberg

30 Rock • Emmanuelle Goes To Dinosaur Land • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio
Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird

30 Rock • Into The Crevasse • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in
association with Universal Media Studio
Will Arnett as Devin Banks

While I'm loath to root for Glee, I'd love to see Mike O'Malley win for his turn as Kurt's surprisingly supportive father Burt.

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
The Closer • Make Over • TNT • The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television
Beau Bridges as Detective George Andrews

Damages • The Next One's Gonna Go In Your Throat • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television, FX Productions and KZK Productions
Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher

Dexter • Road Kill • Showtime • Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell

The Good Wife • Fleas • CBS • CBS Productions
Alan Cumming as Eli Gold
The Good Wife • Bad • CBS • CBS Productions
Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney

Mad Men • Shut The Door. Have A Seat. • AMC • Lionsgate Television
Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper

24 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM • FOX • Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox TV in association w/ Teakwood Lane Productions
Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan

Let's be honest: is there any way that John Lithgow won't win for his turn as Trinity on Showtime's Dexter? Granted, there's no way that this was a "guest" role but he's in the category and he is almost certain to walk away with the statue next month. Would be shocked if it played out any other way.

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory • The Maternal Congruence • CBS • Chuck Lorre
Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Christine Baranski as Beverly Hofstadter

Desperate Housewives • The Chase • ABC • ABC Studios
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey

Glee • The Rhodes Not Taken • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV
Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes

Saturday Night Live • Host: Tina Fey • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video
Tina Fey as Host

Saturday Night Live • Host: Betty White • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video
Betty White as Host

30 Rock • The Moms • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio
Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy

Two And A Half Men • 818-JKLPUZO • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., The Tannenbaum Company in association with Warner Bros. Television
Jane Lynch as Dr. Linda Freeman

Cough, Betty White, cough. Is there anything this woman can't do?

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Big Love • The Might And The Strong • HBO • Anima Sola Productions and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
Mary Kay Place as Adaleen Grant

Big Love • End Of Days • HBO • Anima Sola Productions and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
Sissy Spacek as Marilyn Densham

The Cleaner • Does Everybody Have A Drink? • A&E • CBS Paramount Television in association with Once A Frog Productions for A&E Network
Shirley Jones as Lola Zellman

Damages • Your Secrets Are Safe • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television, FX Productions and KZK Productions
Lily Tomlin as Marilyn Tobin

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • Bedtime • NBC • Wolf Films in association with Universal Media Studios
Ann-Margret as Rita Wills

Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke

I'm beyond thrilled to see Elizabeth Mitchell in this category for her role as Juliet on Lost in the series finale and it really comes down to her and Sissy Spacek for Big Love. For me, anyway. I'd love it to be one of them, though Tomlin also gave a stirring and vicious performance as Marilyn Tobin this past season on Damages. Hmmm...

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race • CBS • World Race Productions Inc.
Phil Keoghan as Host

American Idol • FOX • FremantleMedia N.A., Inc. & 19TV Ltd.
Ryan Seacrest as Host

Dancing With The Stars • ABC • BBC Worldwide Productions
Tom Bergeron as Host

Project Runway • Lifetime • The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films, Bunim-Murray Productions and Full Picture
Heidi Klum as Host

Survivor • CBS • SEG Inc.
Jeff Probst as Host

I'm going for Phil Keoghan all the way for The Amazing Race. Hands down the classiest reality show host and he displays more emotion in one eyebrow lift than many actors do in their entire frames.

Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO • HBO Entertainment

Glee • FOX • A Ryan Murphy TV Production in association with 20th Century Fox TV

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Nurse Jackie • Showtime • Showtime Presents, Lionsgate Television, Jackson Group Entertainment, Madison Grain Elevator, Inc. & Delong Lumber; A Caryn Mandabach Production

The Office • NBC • Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille LLC in association with Universal Media Studios

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studio

I have to say that I'm really, really irritated that both Parks and Recreation and Community were shut out of this category while The Office, which suffered through its worst season to date, and 30 Rock, which had a middling one, once again landed spots here. While the Glee nod is not surprising, it also took away a spot from a genuine--and actually funny all the way through--comedy like the two named. I am extremely happy, however, that Modern Family and Nurse Jackie earned nominations here... while HBO's Entourage did not. If there's any justice in the entire world (and Hollywood), Modern Family will be crowned the winner for outstanding comedy. I'm keeping my fingers very tightly crossed.

Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad • AMC • Sony Pictures Television

Dexter • Showtime • Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television

True Blood • HBO • Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

Five very strong series, each with their own bands of devoted viewers, likely going to the mats for their favorite. Breaking Bad delivered some majorly stunning surprises this season, as did Showtime's Dexter, which ended in a literal bloodbath. As for ABC's Lost, I'm one of the few who didn't think that Season Five of Lost was its strongest season... and I would have liked to have seen FX's Justified earn a spot here. (Also missing: Sons of Anarchy.)I'm pleasantly surprised to see HBO's True Blood here (taking the spot for Big Love, I would imagine) but I did think that the second season of the vampire drama transcended its roots to deliver a season that combined the seductive quality of the supernatural with something profound and powerful.

Having said that, my vote goes to Mad Men for its entirely superlative season, which in true Matthew Weiner fashion, changed up the rules of its game, ending relationships and altering the underlying foundation of the series in more ways than one. I'm once again rooting for the period drama to grab that prize.

Outstanding Miniseries
The Pacific • HBO • Playtone and Dreamworks in association with HBO
Miniseries

Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS • BBC/WGBH in association with Chestermead

Outstanding Made For Television Movie
Endgame (Masterpiece) • PBS • Channel 4, Target Entertainment Group and
Masterpiece present A Daybreak Pictures Production

Georgia O'Keeffe • Lifetime • Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television

Moonshot • HISTORY • Produced by Dangerous Films LTD for History

The Special Relationship • HBO • A Rainmark and Kennedy/Marshall Production in association with HBO Films

Temple Grandin • HBO • A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production in association with HBO Films

You Don't Know Jack • HBO • Bee Holder, Cine Mosaic and Levinson/Fontana Productions in association with HBO Films

The Pacific may have more ardent supporters, but I'd actually like Temple Grandin to win here. Sometimes it's the smaller films that are just as important as the big-budget miniseries.

What did you think of the nominations? Who earned their nods? Who got wrongly shut out? Who do you think will win? Head to the comments section to discuss.

The Primetime Emmy Awards will be televised live coast-to-coast on Sunday, August 29th on NBC.

San Diego Comic-Con 2010: Showtime Announces Dexter, Anti-Heroes Panels

At long last, pay cabler Showtime has revealed its lineup for the 2010 edition of San Diego Comic-Con later this month.

Showtime will not only be offering a panel for serial killer drama Dexter on Thursday, July 22nd, but will also offer a "Showtime Anti-Hero" panel that will feature Michael C. Hall (Dexter), David Duchovny (Californication), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and writers from Dexter, Weeds, Californication, and Nurse Jackie.

That panel will take place Thursday, July 22nd, from 4:45-5:45 pm in Ballroom 20, while Dexter is set for 6-7 pm that same evening and will feature Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, and executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Chip Johannessen, and Manny Coto.


The full press release from Showtime can be found below.

(Meanwhile, the full Thursday schedule for San Diego Comic-Con is now up here.)

THE SHOWTIME® ANTI-HEROES TO HEADLINE OPENING DAY OF COMIC-CON 2010

Panel Sessions For DEXTER® And The Anti- Heroes Of SHOWTIME Featuring Michael C. Hall, David Duchovny And Mary- Louise Parker To Kick Off This Year’s Comic-Con On Thursday, July 22 in San Diego
LOS ANGELES, CA July 7, 2010 – SHOWTIME has announced its panel line-up for the 2010 Comic-Con which will feature stars from some of the network’s biggest original series. This year’s panels will include the Emmy®-nominated series DEXTER, as well as a special SHOWTIME Anti-Hero panel featuring DEXTER’s Michael C. Hall, CALIFORNICATION’s David Duchovny and WEEDS’ Mary-Louise Parker. Both panels will be presented on the first day of the world-famous gathering in San Diego on Thursday, July 22. Additionally, the panels will feature producers and writers from DEXTER, WEEDS, CALIFORNICATION and NURSE JACKIE. The panel schedule and descriptions are as follows:

THE ANTI-HEROES OF SHOWTIME – Thursday, July, 22 from 4:45 PM - 5:45 PM in Ballroom 20

The 21st century anti-hero has become one of the driving forces in recent pop culture and when it comes to the television anti-heroes, SHOWTIME has the winning formula, with subversive characters that connect with the viewing audience. Hear first hand from some of the showrunners, creators and actors who have helped define this phenomenon. Los Angeles Times Pop Culture writer Geoff Boucher will moderate this panel you won't want to miss. Featured panelists will include Michael C. Hall and new showrunner Chip Johannessen of DEXTER, David Duchovny and Executive Producer and creator Tom Kapinos of CALIFORNICATION, Mary-Louise Parker and Executive Producer and creator Jenji Kohan of WEEDS, along with Linda Wallem, Executive Producer, writer and one of the creators of NURSE JACKIE.

DEXTER – SEASON 5- Thursday, July 22 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in Ballroom 20

What’s next for America’s favorite serial killer? Moderator Ralph Garman from KROQ’s The Kevin & Bean Morning Show presides over a revealing interview and Q&A session with the stars and executive producers of DEXTER that will include an exclusive first-look trailer of the highly anticipated season five premiere. Featured panelists include series star/Executive Producer Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), Desmond Harrington (Quinn) and Executive Producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Chip Johannessen (24) and Manny Coto (Star Trek: Enterprise). The fifth season of DEXTER premieres September 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT only on SHOWTIME.

The SHOWTIME anti-hero messaging will be prominently featured throughout Comic-Con with high-impact advertising both outdoor and within the convention center. The official lanyards for the over 130,000 attendees at Comic-Con will be branded by SHOWTIME, and in a media company first, every shuttle bus at Comic-Con will be branded with the SHOWTIME anti-hero creative.

All weekend long, fans can satisfy their obsession with America’s favorite serial killer by heading over to the SHOWTIME booth (#4129) for DEXTER giveaways and signings. In addition, licensed merchandise for the series can be found at the Entertainment Earth and Biff Bang Pow booth (#2343).

The network will also launch an interactive game exclusively for Comic-Con titled "Dexter Game On," where players will step into Dexter’s mind and unlock content from season five. Additional details for the interactive promotion will be released in the upcoming weeks. Devoted fans of the series know that all of Dexter's victims are marked with a small incision on their right cheek, and at Comic-Con, those fans can show their love for the series by sporting a DEXTER "cheek slash" tattoo. SHOWTIME will distribute over 100,000 lick-'n-stick tattoos throughout all four days of Comic-Con. Fans are encouraged to take pictures of themselves at various locations around the convention and upload them to the "Dexter Game On" site. As they play throughout the weekend, gamers have the chance to unlock exclusive content and pick up DEXTER- themed merchandise including season four DVDs. SHO.com will launch a dedicated Comic-Con microsite that will bring the convention experience to the fans who are not able to attend. The site will host the highly anticipated season five DEXTER trailer and content from the Anti-Hero panel, to be showcased immediately after the Comic-Con panels.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Channel Surfing: Eddie Cibrian Cut from CSI: Miami, Dexter Lands Hernandez, Woods Bumped to Regular on The Office, Community, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Eddie Cibrian is leaving CSI: Miami. "With original castmember—-and fan fave!—-Adam Rodriguez (Delko) returning this fall, a source close to the series confirms Eddie's departure, and tells me the Powers That Be are more interested in focusing on the core cast next season," writes Dos Santos, "which eliminates the need for the poor Cardoza character." Meanwhile, Dos Santos has the dirt on just how Cirbian's Cardoza will be written out of the crime procedural, but--beware!--it's highly spoilery. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

April Lee Hernandez (ER) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Five of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter. She'll play a police officer in the homicide department of Miami Metro. Hernandez's casting comes on the heels of news that Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, and Maria Doyle Kennedy have joined the cast, each on a recurring basis. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Zach Woods has been bumped to series regular on Season Seven of NBC's The Office. Woods plays Sabre executive Gabe on the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Critics are coming around to something that many of us already know: namely that NBC's Community is one of the very best comedies on television right now. The criminally under-rated comedy, produced by Sony Pictures Television, has seen a resurgence of critical support in the back half of its freshman season, which not only helped it get renewed for a second season and may help its chances at securing Emmy Award nominations. But even creator Dan Harmon understands why some critics were wary of the series at first. "Community definitely has elements that would have cynical viewers file away as a pop-culture-reference fest," said Harmon. "The actors are more comfortable with one another, and the writers are syncing up with the actors' voices. So the show is getting better, and people are more accustomed to its sensibility." [Editor: I'm actually hoping that Community, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family wind up in the comedy category... and can push out Glee.] (Variety's Emmy Central)

Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has been cast opposite Tim Robbins, Diane Lane, and James Gandolfini in HBO Films' telepic Cinema Verite, which takes a look at the real-life family who was the focus for the groundbreaking 1970s reality series An American Family. Dekker will play Lance Loud, "who became the center of scrutiny when he came out as a gay man on the show." Robbins and Lane will play his parents, while Gandolfini will portray Craig Gilbert, the documentary series' producer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Syfy has ordered six episodes of reality series Hunting Hollywood, which will be hosted by Profiles in History's Joe Maddalena as he goes hunting for authentic Hollywood and pop culture props and memorabilia, which will be auctioned off at the end of each episode. Project, from Shevick*Zupon Entertainment, is expected to launch in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Susan Young has an interesting article at Variety's Emmy Central about the role of social networking conversations on interactions between showrunners and television critics and how services like Twitter are changing the dialogue. "I generally make networks nervous because I act first and think later," Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter told Young. "I've learned to be more cautious about what I tweet. A showrunner isn't just representing himself, but a studio and network, and I think it's legitimate for them to get a little nervous about what we say online." (Variety's Emmy Central)

ITV Studios and Debmar-Mercury have teamed up to produce talk show format The Chefs, with the distributor signing a deal that will see it acquire worldwide rights to the series, which will feature four chefs discussing various culinary topics. It's expected that the series would get a "multiweek on-air test of the strip" in the US later this year or in 2011 before it segues into national distribution. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered eight additional episodes of Primetime: What Would You Do?. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Fred Goss (Sons & Daughters) is close to signing a deal to topline CMT comedy pilot 30 Percent (with Sarah Rafferty also joining the cast), while Debra Mooney (Everwood) has signed on to the cabler's untitled David Litt comedy pilot. (Deadline)

Style has ordered another ten episodes of reality series Jerseylicious, bumping the total of installments for Season Two from ten to twenty. Series returns to the lineup this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Bravo executive Cori Abraham has been hired as SVP of development at Oxygen Media and will oversee development on both the West and East Coasts. She'll be based in Los Angeles and will report to Amy Introcaso-Davis. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Dexter News Round-Up, FOX Locks Up Cleveland for Third Season, Whalley and Cox to The Big C, Borgias, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! E! Online's Megan Masters and Kristin Dos Santos talk to Dexter's Julie Benz and Jennifer Carpenter about what's coming up on the Showtime serial killer drama. "Rita is not going to be a ghost!" Benz revealed about her planned appearance on Season Five of Dexter. "The writers would never do something so cheesy. I am not going to confirm or deny anything, but if she does come back, it would be to move things along." Meanwhile, viewers shouldn't expect that Dexter will lose its humor, even in the face of unspeakable horror. "What's funny is that even in the face of tragedy [of Rita's death], there's still room to laugh with our show," Carpenter told E! Online. "That's why people can stomach it, because as bloody as it gets, they make you laugh two seconds later." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Southland's Shawn Hatosy has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc next season on Showtime's Dexter. While the pay cabler wasn't forthcoming on details about who Hatosy would be playing, Ausiello cites an unnamed source who tells him that Hatosy will be appearing in Miami as "a bad guy." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reports that Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors) will join the cast of Dexter in a recurring capacity next season, where she will play the Irish nanny that Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) hires to look after his child. (Deadline)

It looks like Glee isn't the only show FOX has locked up for the 2011-12 season. The network has renewed animated comedy The Cleveland Show for a third season ahead of the fall launch for Season Two of the Family Guy spinoff. Move gives the series' animators time to get a jump on the time-consuming process. (Variety)

Brian Cox (Kings) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Showtime's upcoming Laura Linney comedy series The Big C, which will premiere on August 16th. It wasn't immediately clear just who Cox would be playing on the series, which follows a terminally ill suburban woman (Linney) following her cancer diagnosis. In other Showtime casting news, Joanna Whalley (Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis) has joined the cast of Showtime's period drama The Borgias, opposite Jeremy Irons. She'll play Vanossa, described as the "mother of the Borgia children who were fathered by Rodrigo Borgia (Irons) before he became one of history's most infamous popes," and who was "once was a courtesan with a disreputable past." (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered a pilot for D.L. Hughley-hosted game show Who's Bluffing Who?, which will be produced by ITV Studios with the network co-producing the skein. Series, which is created by Jeff Apploff, will see contestants attempt to bluff their way into walking away with a half a million dollar cash prize. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan is reporting that USA has extended the current seasons of Burn Notice and Royal Pains to eighteen episodes apiece, while it will end the current season of In Plain Sight after just thirteen episodes, citing the medical leave of showrunner/executive producer John McNamara as the reason behind the curtailed season. (Futon Critic)

Aya Cash (Mercy) has been cast in FOX's upcoming midseason comedy series Mixed Signals, where she will replace Alexandra Breckinridge in the role of Callie. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! has ordered eight episodes of reality series The Spin Crowd, which will follow the clients and employees of publicity firm Command PR. Project, which is executive produced by Kim Kardashian, Jon Murray, Jeff Jenkins, and Gil Goldschein, is slated to launch in August. (Variety)

Barry Watson (Samantha Who) has been cast as a guest star in an upcoming episode of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, where he will play "a grieving man fired from his job [who is] represented by Jane (Brooke Elliott) and Grayson (Jackson Hurst) in his wrongful termination case." (Hollywood Reporter)

Celebrity chef Curtis Stone, Chipotle founder Steve Ellis, and restaurateur Lorena Garcia will join Bobby Flay as investors and judges to NBC's upcoming culinary competition series America's Next Great Restaurant, which is set to premiere next season. Project, from executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, sees contestants compete for the opportunity to turn their idea into a national restaurant chain. (via press release)

Sony Pictures Television has opted not to renew several overall deals, leading producers Eric and Kim Tannenbaum--as well as Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly--to move from Sony to CBS Television Studios. As part of the move, the Tannenbaums have parted ways with their Tantamount partner Mitch Hurwitz, though all three will continue to executive produce their FOX comedy Running Wilde. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Julia Stiles Heads to Dexter, Doctor Who Writer Wants Lady Gaga, All Clear Given to Spartacus Star Whitfield, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television update.

It's official: Julia Stiles (The Bourne Ultimatum) has signed on to appear in ten episodes of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter next season. Stiles will play "a mysterious young woman who forms a unique relationship with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) in the wake of the death of his wife," according to Showtime. Production on Season Five of Dexter gets underway this month and is expected to premiere this fall. [Editor: any guesses on just who Stiles will be playing and just what her relationship is to Dexter? Let the speculation begin.] (via press release)

Could pop superstar Lady Gaga be heading to Doctor Who? If writer Gareth Roberts has his way, she would be. While Gaga hasn't signed on to appear in an episode of Who, Gareth maintains in an interview with OK! Magazine that he has already thought out a plotline for the "Bad Romance" singer to appear in. "She is no stranger to dressing up and would be more than a match for the Doctor," said Roberts in the interview. "It would be a real coup to get her." (via io9)

Good news for Spartacus' Andy Whitfield. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Whitfield, the star of Starz's period drama Spartacus, has been given a clean bill of health and is ready to return to work following his treatment for Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He's expected to appear in two episodes of Starz' upcoming six-episode prequel series starring Lucy Lawless and John Hannah and then segue directly into shooting Season Two of Spartacus afterwards. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jesse Williams has been promoted to a series regular on ABC's Grey's Anatomy next season, citing unnamed sources. Fellow Grey's frosher Sarah Drew is also expected to return next season, though a deal has yet to be closed. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Take this news with a grain of salt: British comedian Matt Lucas (Little Britain) has reportedly signed on to appear in an upcoming episode of FOX musical-comedy Glee, according to British tabloid The Sun, where he will play a British teacher who conceals a hidden passion for musicals... and might even burst into song. FOX has yet to confirm the casting. (via Digital Spy)

Is Matthew McConaughey heading to FX? Sort of. His production company, J.K. Livin, has teamed up with the cabler to develop single-camera comedy pilot Kick Ass Militia, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Project will be written/executive produced by Marc Hyman, based on source material by JR Reed and will revolve around "two brothers whose divergent views are always pitting them against each other on their Malibu compound, one a survivalist and one a free-loving cult leader." (Deadline)

AMC will offer viewers a sneak peek of its upcoming drama series Rubicon on Sunday evening, immediately following the season finale of Breaking Bad. Series, which stars James Badge Dale, Miranda Richardson, and Arliss Howard, will officially launch on Sunday, August 1st at 8 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reports that FOX drama pilot Breakout Kings, which failed to receive a series order at the network, may be heading to A&E as production entity Chernin Entertainment is said to be in talks with the cabler about picking up the crime procedural. Project was written by Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora and directed by Gavin Hood. "At A&E, Breakout Kings would fit into the character-driven procedural direction the channel is taking with the upcoming cop drama The Glades, which also is male-centered," writes Andreeva. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Seda (The Pacific) has signed on to guest star on USA's Burn Notice this season, where he will play Cole, described as "a disgruntled ex-Marine who now works as a killer for hire." Meanwhile, Garrett Dillahunt and Tim Matheson will reprise their roles as Simon and "Dead" Larry Sizemore on Burn Notice, Carlo Mendez is heading to Pawnee for a multiple-episode story arc on Parks and Recreation, and D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights) and Lauren Holly have been cast in USA's upcoming drama Covert Affairs. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Robyn Ross has an interview with Lucy Hale, who stars in ABC Family's new mystery drama series Pretty Little Liars, which launches tonight. "In the first episode, you're introduced to these characters who have dark secrets that can basically ruin their lives," said Hale. "The series is figuring out what happened to Alison and who is threatening us, but also we have our everyday issues. I think that's what's going to hook people. It's got really cute boys, great love stories and you get to see some cool fashion as well." (TVGuide.com)

Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts have signed a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios, under which they will develop new projects for the studio and join the staff of Shonda Rhimes-executive produced medical drama Off the Map, where they will executive produce alongside Rhimes, Jenna Bans, and Betsy Beers. (Deadline)

Vanessa Marcil will return to ABC daytime soap General Hospital, where she will reprise her role as Brenda, for which she won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2003, beginning August 11th. "We are so thrilled to welcome Vanessa Marcil home to General Hospital," said executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. "Vanessa is a wonderful, talented actress and her portrayal of Brenda makes her a force of nature in Port Charles." (SOAPnet)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with Outsourced co-executive producer Michael Pennie, under which he will focus on NBC's Outsourced and develop new projects for the studio. "UMS are willing to take some chances," Pennie told The Hollywood Reporter. "Outsourced is an example of their willingness to try something different in a year where there's a lot out there that feels like versions of stuff I've seen before, and that's definitely something I'm attracted to." (Hollywood Reporter)

Katy Perry will host and perform on the Teen Choice 2010 awards show, scheduled to air on Monday, August 9th on FOX. (via press release)

Former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft has been tapped to host ABC spinoff series Bachelor Pad alongside Chris Harrison. Series, which features past contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, is set to launch August 9th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Variety's On the Air)

Kevin Hooks (Prison Break) has signed on to executive produce ABC's drama series Detroit 1-8-7 and will direct at least two episodes of the series' initial thirteen-episode order. (Hollywood Reporter)

Rob Schiller (The King of Queens) will direct two of CMT's comedy pilot presentations, The 30 Percent and Working Class. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lost DVD Epilogue, Diane Keaton and Ellen Page Land Tilda, Julia Stiles in Talks to Join Dexter, Skins, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. (Is it just me or does it feel like this week will never end?)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that there's still more Lost to come, including an epilogue that depicts the time that Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Ben (Michael Emerson) spent on the island after the events of the series finale. Emerson spilled the dirt on the sequence on G4's Attack of the Show, where told Kevin Pereira about the bonus footage on the complete series DVD. "For those people that want to pony up and buy the complete Lost series, there is a bonus feature," said Emerson. "Which is um, you could call it an epilogue. A lost scene. It's a lot; it's 12 or 14 minutes that opens a window onto that gap of unknown time between Hurley (Jorge Garcia) becoming number one and the end of the series... It's self-contained. Although, it's a rich period in the show's mythology that‘s never been explored, so who knows what will come of it." Dos Santos, for her part, wonders if it's that sequence that will also connect to the producers' promises that we'd see the story of Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) resolved as well. "Whatcha wanna bet that during Hurley and Ben's adventures on the island, they run into Walt a few years into the future, when he's oh, 18 and looking just as Malcolm David Kelley looks now?" ponders Dos Santos. [Editor: Hmmm....] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

It's official: Diane Keaton is heading to HBO, where she will topline the pay cabler's half-hour comedy pilot Tilda, which revolves around Tilda, a powerful Hollywood blogger. (You know, the one who may or may not be based on Nikki Finke.) Keaton will be joined by Ellen Page (Juno), who will play Carolyn, described as "a morally conflicted creative assistant caught between following the corporate culture of the studio she works for and following Tilda, who has taken a keen interest in her." Project is executive produced by Cynthia Mort (Tell Me You Love Me) and Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Julia Stiles (The Bourne Ultimatum) is in talks to join the cast of Showtime's Dexter for its fifth season. Details on who Stiles would play, should a deal be reached, are remaining firmly under wraps, though Ausiello reports that it's unlikely that she would be the season's Big Bad, citing comments made by executive producer Chip Johannessen several weeks ago. "We’re not going to have a single Big Bad this season," Johannessen said at the time. "We don’t want to try and top John Lithgow, so we’re going to change up the forces that Dexter’s going to be dealing with." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

UK's Channel 4 and Film4 are moving ahead with a feature film version of teen drama Skins, which will be directed by Charles Martin and will feature characters from both "generations" of the hit series. No word yet on who those characters will be--although this editor is hoping for Sid and Cassie to be in the mix!--though production is slated to begin in September, with a Summer 2011 release being eyed. (Deadline)

Say goodbye to SOAPnet, soap fans. The cable-based soap network will go dark as Disney/ABC Television Group will use the network to instead launch pre-school-oriented cable network Disney Junior in 2012. "The launch of Disney Junior in the U.S. is the next step in our global preschool strategy, which began 10 years ago with the premiere of our first dedicated preschool channel in the UK," said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, in a statement. "The decision to ultimately transition SOAPnet to accomplish this was not arrived at lightly. SOAPnet was created in 2000 to give daytime viewers the ability to watch time-shifted soaps, before multiplatform viewing and DVRs were part of our vocabulary. But today, as technology and our businesses evolve, it makes more sense to align this distribution with a preschool channel that builds on the core strengths of our company." (via press release)

I can now officially announce what I've known for quite some time: Chuck writer/producer Phil Klemmer will be working on NBC's new espionage dramedy Undercovers, from executive producers J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims, next season.

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that CBS has offered drama pilot Chaos an eight-episode midseason order, but there is no guarantee that the series will ever make it air as talks continue between CBS and studio 20th Century Fox Television, the latter of which seems less than encouraged by the short-run and has not accepted the offer. Elsewhere, CBS is said to have passed on medical drama pilot Gimme Shelter (formerly known as Untitled Hannah Shakespeare Medical Drama), though they may revisit it, given the situation with Chaos. Creator Hannah Shakespeare, meanwhile, has signed on to ABC's drama series The Whole Truth, but it's said to be in second position to her CBS pilot. (Deadline)

BBC America has teamed up with ITV Studios American to produce ten episodes of a US version of hit British culinary competition series Come Dine with Me, which features New Yorkers "competing for the title of ultimate dinner party host, bringing together four amateur chefs who take turns cooking up their idea of the perfect evening." The series will debut in early 2011 on BBC America and around the world on various BBC lifestyle networks. Meanwhile, the digital cabler has also acquired the original UK format and will air 22 episodes of the series beginning in July on BBC America. (Hollywood Reporter)

USA has given a script order to half-hour comedy Driven, the first time in decades that the cabler has developed a half-hour comedy. Project, from Linda Bloodworth and Harry Thomason, will star Ron White as an unemployed Texan who starts a limousine business. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has a video interview up with the stars of the CW's Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder, in which the trio discuss Season Two, love triangles, and more. "The dynamic is going to change between the three of us," said Somerhalder of Season Two of Vampire Diaries. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TBS has announced an airdate of Sunday, June 27th for its upcoming special, Team Coco presents Conan's Writers Live, which will feature Andy Richter, Reggie Watts, and several of Conan O'Brien's writers. (via press release)

Lifetime is developing two new unscripted series that are connected to acquired reality franchise Project Runway. The first is an untitled makeover show, from executive producer Rich Bye, featuring former Runway contestants Santino Rice and Austin Scarlett as they travel the country and transform women. The other is an untitled unscripted series (working title: Love's Divine) featuring Heidi Klum and her husband Seal as they travel the country offering guidance and counseling to couples. (Variety)

RDF Rights has hired former Shine executive J.C. Mills as VP of US acquisitions. He will be based in Los Angeles and report to Jane Millichip. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.