British Invasion: Brief Reviews of Showtime's Shameless and Episodes

The irony of airing a series based on a hit British series (Shameless) back-to-back with a comedy that satirizes that very process (Episodes) isn't lost on Showtime's president of entertainment David Nevins.

But that juxtaposition is part of the charm of seeing these two series launch on Sunday evening. While tonally dissimilar, there's an anarchistic quality to both Shameless and Episodes.

While both are enjoyable series in their own right, it's Shameless that is the true breakout hit for the network, a remarkable translation of Paul Abbott's hit C4 drama, which deposits the rough-scrabble Gallagher family to the mean street of Chicago.

Overseen by ER's John Wells, Shameless is gripping and absorbing television that's instantly ranks as the best of 2011. At turns hilarious, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and sexy, Shameless upholds the high quality of the British original (along with borrowing some plot points in the first few episodes as well). The plot revolves around the resourceful Gallagher kids--led by grimly determined eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum)--as they grapple with making ends meet after their mother walks out on them and their father Frank (William H. Macy) lurches about in a neverending series of drunken staggering.

Rossum is incandescent.

She manages to steal the show from right out under Macy. Which isn't to say that Macy is bad as Frank Gallagher, but his character is perhaps the least interesting element of the series. Perpetually drunk and ill-mannered, it's hard to find Frank sympathetic or interesting, which makes the second episode, "Frank the Plank," which focuses on the immature oldest Gallagher, the least interesting of the three episodes screened for press.

Rossum's Fiona, meanwhile, is the beating heart of the series, a woman determined to get "her kids" to adulthood any way she can, sacrificing everything to provide whatever she can for her siblings. But despite for the care she gives to her siblings, she's a woman who is closed off from the possibility of love. Which makes it all the more difficult when love finds her in the form of Justin Chatwin's Steve, a rich kid who is far more than he initially appears.

To be blunt: sparks fly when these two cross paths and the love scene that they embark on in the pilot episode manages to be both messy and sexy, which sums up the show in a nutshell. But Rossum's Fiona isn't the only character who manages to break out of the noisy menagerie: Cameron Monaghan's Ian and Jeremy Allen White's Lip manage to be engaging and compelling characters in their own rights.

The series, which offers a breakneck switch between dark comedy and drama, tackles a number of "serious" issues within the context of its rough-edged story, casting a sharp eye on alcoholism, homosexuality, drug addiction, theft, and welfare fraud, and proves that blood is thicker than water. The the third episode ("Aunt Ginger") is heartbreaking television, equally emotionally stirring and painfully funny, walking a thin line between hard-biting drama and bleak comedy. The result is utterly intoxicating.

***

While Shameless stands on its own, I'm of the belief that Episodes works best when viewed in marathon form, the serialized episodes flowing nicely into one another with a great sense of momentum. On a weekly basis, however, the episodes (heh) seem somewhat stunted when viewed within the vacuum of episodic television.

Which isn't to say that Episodes is unfunny, because it isn't. Matt LeBlanc plays a brutally arrogant version of himself, clearly willing to skewer his own post-Friends image. And, as married English writers, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig, are top-notch, relishing the opportunity to appear on-screen together again as they explore the highs and lows of both marital relations and the snake pit that is Hollywood, particularly within the television industry.

I still maintain that Showtime should have aired the first two episodes back-to-back as LeBlanc barely appears in the first episode, but, alas, I don't have the clout to make that happen. What I will say is that Episodes is very nearly a deft evisceration of the shallow-mindedness of Hollywood and the culture clash that inevitably happens when you bring a British mentality and reverence for writing into the Hollywood system.

I just wish that creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik had pushed themselves a little more, either into deeper satire or into more broad comedy. What happens in the end is that the two sides of Episodes' comedic structure counteract each other a little bit.

Episodes is still charming and funny, but ultimately I want a bit more savagery from these, well, episodes.

Shameless and Episodes launch this Sunday evening on Showtime.

Midseason TV Preview: 16 Shows to Watch This Winter

Winter is coming...

Well, not that winter, not just yet. While we continue the long slog until April when HBO launches its adaptation of Game of Thrones, there's quite a lot of new and returning television series to keep us entertained in the meantime.

Over at The Daily Beast, I offer "16 Shows to Watch This Winter," a round-up that includes such series as Episodes, Shameless, Big Love, Downton Abbey, Parks and Recreation, Portlandia, Off the Map, The Chicago Code, Lights Out, Archer, Justified, The Killing, Body of Proof, and others.

In other words: quite a fair bit coming up.

Which of these new and returning shows are you most excited about? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Crossing the Pond: Showtime's Episodes Session at TCA

On the comedy front, if there's one series that I'm anxiously awaiting, it's Showtime's Episodes, co-produced with Auntie Beeb. The Hollywood skewering series--which stars Matt LeBlanc, Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, John Pankow, Mircea Monroe, and Kathleen Perkins--was created by former Friends writer/producers David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik and executive produced by British television god Jimmy Mulville.

Episodes explores just what happens to a pair of British television creators when an American broadcast network brings them over to Los Angeles to create a US version of their hit show... and saddles them with Matt LeBlanc.

For LeBlanc, he maintains that he's not playing himself. At all.

"It's not really myself," said LeBlanc. "It's a character that David and Jeffrey wrote that happens to have the same name as me. There are some similarities. For the most part, it's a fictitious character."

"Things go from bad to worse," said Mulville about the journey that the fictitious producers go on when they arrive in Los Angeles. "I mean, the journey of taking an English hit show to America, believe or not, things can go
wrong."

"I think what happens to the couple is not about television," he continued. "This whole thing is about a triangle. Beverly and Sean come to Hollywood. He wants to go there. She’s reluctant, but she loves him. So she goes, and they try and make this work. Enter Matt LeBlanc. There the triangle is formed, and it’s about that, really. It’s about a comedy about these three people and the characters at the network, the brilliant characters very beautifully drawn at the network, and they all conspires to make a mess of these people’s lives. So a marriage goes through a real crisis, and the backdrop is this crazy world of network TV, which apparently Jeffrey and David know quite well."

But don't ask them about whether Hollywood-centric television shows have a tendency to crash and burn.

"How many seasons did Entourage go?" said Tamsin Greig (Black Books). "I mean that was a show about the business, and I think it was pretty successful."

"Generally, people think that the TV and film industry is right up its own ass, and, you know, rather like looking into a badly run crash, and who would be interested in that?" continued Greig. "But what part of life isn’t and doesn’t look like a badly run crash? Maybe that’s why it’s interesting and funny and dramatic."

After all, the show business aspect isn't the whole series, said the creators.

"It’s sort of about show business like I Love Lucy was about show business," said Jeffrey Klarik. "It’s really on the periphery of all of our stories. The story’s really about the three of them and their dynamic."

"Hopefully that’s what the audience will invest in because if it were just satire television, you’re right," David Crane chimed in. "Then after awhile, fine. But it’s really about what happens between the people."

Why did it take LeBlanc so long to get back on television post-Joey?

"There was a few network shows that came and went that crossed my desk, and I said no to," said LeBlanc. "I just took the time [off]. 12 years, every day, was a lot. It was a great time, but I wanted to take some time off and spend time with my daughter and just sort of take some time away from the business. It’s nice to be back now in something... with writing that I have real faith in, with a cast that’s really talented, and it was a lot of fun. It was a little different. This is single camera versus multi-camera in front of an audience. So when the punch lines come up and you say the punch line and there’s no crowd laughing, it’s a little unnerving. But aside from that, I think we had a really good time, and I think it shows."

LeBlanc isn't the only one a little out of his comfort zone. For Klarik and Crane, who co-created the short-lived CBS comedy The Class, it was disconcerting to contemplate going back to the television business.

"David was bored and wanted to go back to work, and I said, 'No,'" recalled Klarik. "I said the only way I’ll go back to work is if we can do it someplace where we’re under the radar and we don’t get pummeled like we did last time. The last time
I felt like a puppy in a dryer, in a clothes dryer. I mean, it was just torture. So I said, 'Okay. Let’s do this, but let’s go to England where they leave you alone and let you do what you want.' So we met Jimmy."

"It started out as a project for BBC, and then it became a project for both Showtime and the BBC," said Crane. "We never for a minute considered taking it to a network. What we were really looking for was a creative freedom, and it’s been amazing from both networks just how much they’ve let us do the show that we wanted to do. It’s been wonderful and a little scary."

Best line of the panel? LeBlanc on whether Klarik and Crane had him in mind when writing the series: "Schwimmer said, 'No.' So did Perry. So did Lisa."

Second best line? Mulville on the language barrier between the US and the UK. "We
had a very in-depth analytical conversation about whether p*ssy-whipped would play in the U.K., and we had to do a sort of round thing of the crew. Most of the crew had heard of the words 'p*ssy' and 'whipped,' but never together." Jeffrey Klarik's rejoinder? "They actually thought it was a dessert topping."

Asked whether the writers have, after seven episodes, hit upon why it's so difficult to translate English series for American television, Mulville had a lot to say.

"I think they’ve used that as a template. I think it’s about the crass interference in the creative process by people who are driven by forces not really concerned with what’s funny, but what’s going to play, what’s going to sell, what’s going to appeal," he said. "The character that John Pankow brilliantly plays as the head of network, he has an attention span of about 15 seconds. And all the work is done by his assistant, which is beautifully played by Kathleen [Perkins]. And between them they conspire to make each wrong decision. They make a wrong decision and then fix that decision by an even worse decision. We’re watching the edits, and we’re nodding away because that’s our experience too, is that you — part of producing is to get your baby through the labyrinth, without it being completely destroyed, and onto the air. And I think that the English experience of bringing an English show is just multiplied by ten. But you talk to any American writer about getting a show on the network, and they’ll say it’s a very similar thing. You don’t have to be English to have that experience. That’s a
pretty universal experience."

"But the truth is the heart of the show is not about the minutia of getting a show
onto TV. That’s just the thing that they happen to be doing whilst their marriage goes through an incredible crisis and while they’re dealing with the madness of being
in Hollywood as well, just going to parties and having to make nice and saying the right thing to the right people. It’s stressful. And she, in particular, doesn’t want to do it. She doesn’t want to play the game. And he’s more compliant and just wants to make things nice. And when you see it on screen, you see the chemistry between Stephen and Tamsin, who have huge reputations back in the UK — and I think they’re going to really break out in America here — and then you’ve got Matt in that, the playing with them. And then you add in the network... We've watched the scenes at the network, and we’re laughing and we’re chilled at the same time. When Julian, the knight of the theater, who’s been playing this role in Britain for five years to great acclaim, is made to audition for his own part because the head of the network can’t be bothered to watch the show and makes him audition because he wants him to audition, and he dies, he dies in the audition — we’re watching it again and again, and it’s chilling. I could pick up the chair with my buttocks and walk out."

Episodes will air next year on Showtime.

Showtime Announces Launch Dates for Shameless, Episodes and Californication

Showtime today announced launch dates for its two newest series Shameless, Episodes and the return of Californication.

The absolutely fantastic US adaptation of British drama series Shameless will kick off on Sunday, January 9th at 10 pm ET/PT.

The following evening, Showtime will launch the fourth season of Californication at 10 pm ET/PT, immediately followed by the launch of the Matt LeBlanc-led comedy series Episodes.

Here's how Showtime is positioning these two new series:

SHAMELESS, a new drama series from John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing,” “Southland”) and Paul Abbott (“State of Play,” “Touching Evil”) is based on the long-running hit UK series and stars Emmy® Award winner and Oscar® nominee William H. Macy (Fargo, Pleasantville, The Cooler) and Emmy Rossum (The Phantom of the Opera, Mystic River). Macy plays a far-from-stellar working class patriarch of an unconventional Chicago brood of six motley kids (headed by eldest sibling Rossum) who keep the home afloat while he’s out drinking and carousing. SHAMELESS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Wells and Abbott are executive producers; Andrew Stearn (“The West Wing,” “Southland”) is co-executive producer.

New comedy series EPISODES stars Matt LeBlanc (“Friends”) and is executive produced and created by David Crane (“Friends”, “The Class”) and Jeffrey Klarik (“The Class”, “Mad About You”). The series focuses on a British couple whose hit, erudite UK show is turned into an Americanized sitcom starring LeBlanc (as himself). Jimmy Mulville executive produces through his successful Hat Trick production company ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "Worst Week"). EPISODES is a co-production of SHOWTIME and the BBC.

The full press release from Showtime can be found below.

SHOWTIME ANNOUNCES JANUARY PREMIERE SCHEDULE
 SHAMELESS, EPISODES & CALIFORNICATION Kick off 2011
 
LOS ANGELES, CA – (July 12, 2010) – SHOWTIME® will bring in the New Year in a most spectacular way with the premieres of new drama series SHAMELESS (Jan. 9th at 10pm) with William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum; new comedy series EPISODES starring Matt LeBlanc (Jan. 10th at 10:30pm); and the fourth season premiere of the hit comedy series CALIFORNICATION starring David Duchovny (Jan. 10 th at 10pm).
 
SHAMELESS, a new drama series from John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing,” “Southland”) and Paul Abbott (“State of Play,” “Touching Evil”) is based on the long-running hit UK series and stars Emmy® Award winner and Oscar® nominee William H. Macy (Fargo, Pleasantville, The Cooler) and Emmy Rossum (The Phantom of the Opera, Mystic River). Macy plays a far-from-stellar working class patriarch of an unconventional Chicago brood of six motley kids (headed by eldest sibling Rossum) who keep the home afloat while he’s out drinking and carousing. SHAMELESS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Wells and Abbott are executive producers; Andrew Stearn (“The West Wing,” “Southland”) is co-executive producer.
  
New comedy series EPISODES stars Matt LeBlanc (“Friends”) and is executive produced and created by David Crane (“Friends”, “The Class”) and Jeffrey Klarik (“The Class”, “Mad About You”). The series focuses on a British couple whose hit, erudite UK show is turned into an Americanized sitcom starring LeBlanc (as himself). Jimmy Mulville executive produces through his successful Hat Trick production company ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "Worst Week"). EPISODES is a co-production of SHOWTIME and the BBC.
 
Finally, SHOWTIME will premiere the fourth season of hit comedy series CALIFORNICATION, starring David Duchovny in his Golden Globe®-winning role as hedonistic novelist Hank Moody who struggles to raise his teenage daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin), with on-again, off-again girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone). This season, Hank will have to deal with the fall-out from his one-night stand with then-underage pseudo step-daughter Mia (Madeline Zima) going public. His epic legal troubles force him to enlist the aid of hot, high-powered defense attorney Abby (Carla Gugino) to keep him out of the big house. Rob Lowe (“Parks & Recreation”) special guest stars. Guest stars include  Michael Ealy (“Flash Forward”), Zoe Kravitz (“Twelve”) Stephen Tobolowsky (“Glee”), Callie Thorne (“Rescue Me”), Addison Timlin (“Cashmere Mafia”) and rocker Tommy Lee. Duchovny executive produces alongside creator and EP Tom Kapinos.
 
Premiere Schedule is as follows:
 
Sunday, January 9th
SHAMELESS (10pm)
 
Monday, January 10th
CALIFORNICATION (10pm)
EPISODES (10:30pm)
 
All times Eastern/Pacific

Channel Surfing: Starz Gets Spartacus Prequel, ABC Pulls Happy Town, Burt Reynolds to Burn Notice, Sarah Silverman Axed, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Starz is heading back to Spartacus, ordering six episodes of a prequel series that will be set before Season One of the gladiator drama series, which wrapped its run last month. The six-episode prequel, as yet untitled, will revolve around the House of Batiatus and its champions and will star John Hannah and Lucy Lawless, as well as Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Antonio Te Maihoha, Nick E. Tarabay, and Lesley-Ann Brandt, and feature a brief appearance by Andy Whitfield, who is currently undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Production will begin this summer, with the pay cabler eying a January 2011 launch, clearly an effort to keep the franchise humming until a second season can be produced. "The prequel story maintains the excitement and entertainment value of the first season of Spartacus, giving audiences the engaging experience they've come to expect," said Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement. "We look forward to continuing the Spartacus story." (via press release)

Bad news for Happy Town: ABC has opted to pull the supernatural drama series from its schedule beginning next week. The series, produced by ABC Studios, will return on Wednesday, June 2nd at 10 pm ET/PT to begin burning off its remaining five installments, wrapping up its run on Wednesday, June 30th. Happy Town's current timeslot will be filled by an episode of Primetime: What Would You Do? next week and the network broadcast premiere of Transformers on May 26th. (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Burt Reynolds will guest star on an upcoming episode of USA's Burn Notice, where he will play Paul Anderson, described as "a legendary operative, now retired and cast out of the CIA, who serves as somewhat of a cautionary tale for Michael (Jeffrey Donovan)." Reynolds is slated to appear in the fourth season of Burn Notice, which launches June 3rd. "Things have not gone well for him since he left the spy service," creator Matt Nix told Ausiello. "He’s now working as a bartender under an assumed name, and he gets into trouble with some very nasty Russian guys... He’s not precisely like Michael. He’s Michael should Michael succumb to some of the demons that haunt ex-spies." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Comedy Central has cancelled The Sarah Silverman Program after three seasons after it failed to earn a renewal, despite a Twitter campaign to save the series, which had in its last season been bumped to a midnight timeslot. (Deadline.com)

Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films have pacted to produce an HBO original telepic based on Rebecca Skloot's book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," about a Baltimore mother of five children who died of cervical cancer at age 31 in 1951. However, the cancerous cells removed from her body led to major breakthroughs in medical research, including leading to the cure for polio and AIDS treatments. No screenwriter is currently attached to the project, which will be produced by Ball, Winfrey, Kate Forte, and Peter Macoissi. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC is preparing to give comedy Perfect Couples a series order and the network has authorized writers Scott Silveri and Jon Pollack to begin staffing the writing team for the series. Meanwhile, NBC is said to still be high as well on comedy Friends with Benefits and is said to be looking for a showrunner for the series. Drama Garza--which stars Jimmy Smitts--will likely be retooled for midseason. (Deadline.com)

Sir Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park) has been cast in a multiple episode story arc on Showtime's upcoming period drama The Borgias, where he will play Cardinal Orsini, described as "a nemesis to Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons)" in several episodes. Elsewhere, Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter, History Boys) has been cast in the pay cabler's comedy series Episodes, where he will play a version of himself, "a brilliant British actor deemed 'too sophisticated' by an American TV network to star in a fictional comedy pilot who instead is replaced by Matt LeBlanc." (Hollywood Reporter)

Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and Mackenzie Crook (Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Office) will star in BBC One's six-part drama Accused, created by Jimmy McGovern (The Street), each episode of which will follow an individual man accused of a crime and lead to court to hear his fate. "In the time it takes to climb the steps to the court we tell the story of how the accused came to be here," said McGovern in a statement. "We see the crime and we see the punishment. Nothing else. No police procedure, thanks very much, no coppers striding along corridors with coats flapping. Just crime and punishment – the two things that matter most in any crime drama. It's great to work with Chris again and I've often tried in the past to get Mackenzie into something of mine. And needless to say, it's wonderful to reunite the team that made The Street." (BBC)

E! Online's Drusilla Moorhouse has an interview with The Amazing Race's Jet and Cord McCoy, who sadly failed to come in first place this season. "I don't know if it was that one single act that cost us the race," said Jet about Jordan's queue-jumping move at the Shanghai airport. "It was more about the principle than it was anything. We were standing in a marked line of three people, and [Jordan] thinks that's where he wants to play his ace or whatever. Me and Cord were just kinda blown away. My goodness." And those of you wondering whether we'll see the cowboys on television again should take note of the fact that Cord's fiancee wants him to do Dancing with the Stars. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Universal Media Studios has signed a new two-year overall deal with Friday Night Lights executive producer David Hudgins, under which he will remain aboard the drama series as co-showrunner (a title he shares with Jason Katims) until the series' end and will develop new projects for the studio. (Variety)

Spike has promoted Sharon Levy to EVP of original series and animation. She will continue to report to Kevin Kay. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Tamsin Greig Lands Episodes, Steve Carell Looks to Leave The Office, History Casts The Kennedys, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Cast changes are afoot at Showtime's upcoming Matt LeBlanc-led comedy Episodes, with Thomas Haden Church pulling out of the project due to a scheduling conflict with a film and Claire Forlani being recast after the recent table read earlier this week. But with Forlani out, Showtime has had the luck of landing British actress Tamsin Greig (Black Books, Green Wing, Love Soup) to replace her. [Editor: I think Greig is a much better fit and is a comedy genius. Showtime is beyond lucky to have nabbed her. Grieg's Black Books character, Fran Katzenjammer, remains a perennial favorite.] Greig will step into Forlani's role, as the female half of a husband-and-wife writing team whose British series is adapted for American television... and ruined in the process. Showtime has ordered seven episodes of the series, which is created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, who executive produce alongside Jimmy Mulville. (Variety)

Steve Carell has announced his intention to leave The Office after one more season. Speaking to BBC Radio 2's Steve Wright, Carell said that his contract with the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy goes "through next year" and then went on to say, "I think it will probably be my last year." NBC isn't commenting though it's thought likely that The Office wouldn't continue without Carell on board as Michael Scott. [Editor: in fact, it's the perfect opportunity to wrap up the series.] "This could be a negotiating ploy, but honestly, I don't think so in this case," an unnamed insider told E! Online's Megan Masters. (Office Tally via E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

History Channel has unveiled the cast for its upcoming eight-hour controversial miniseries The Kennedys, which will star Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes (as Jacqueline Kennedy, no less!), Barry Pepper, and Tom Wilkinson. Project, which will air in 2011, is executive produced by Joel Surnow, Jonathan Koch, and Steve Michaels, with Steve Kronish writing and Jon Cassar directing. The mini will dramatize the "the personal relationships between the Kennedy clan -- including John's and Bobby's tumultuous relationship with their father," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

Ricky Gervais will once again host NBC's Golden Globes telecast, the network has announced. Despite the fact that the 68th Annual Golden Globes don't air until next January, NBC took the unusual step of announcing that Gervais would return... nine months ahead of broadcast. "I can't believe they invited me back after awful things I said," said Gervais in a statement. "Let's see how far I can go this time." NBC's Paul Telegdy, meanwhile, compared Gervais to an unstoppable force of nature. "As viewers discovered with our last awards telecast, Ricky's surprising and unpredictable humor is a great fit for the Globes which will continue as a live event across the nation," said Telegdy. "He's a true force of nature with a wicked sense of humor who always keeps everyone on their toes waiting for the unexpected."(Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Don't expect any sense of closure for Katherine Heigl's character on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, according to series creator Shonda Rhimes. "It’s going to linger," Rhimes told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "And I actually feel good about it lingering because [it means] Alex is left with unfinished business. And that’s going to be very interesting for his character." Meanwhile, Rhimes isn't spilling about the game-changing season finale for Greys. "The events of the finale itself change the game," she told Ausiello. "Whether anyone lives or anyone dies is not really necessarily the point of it." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jimmy Fallon is said to be at the top of the list for potential hosts for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, a group that's also said to include Jerry Seinfeld and duo Tina Fey and Steve Carell. NBC will announce the host officially, but it's widely thought that Fallon, who hosts the Peacock's Late Night franchise, will announce the host next week. (Variety)

ABC has ordered six episodes of US adaptation of Russian game show The Six, in which contestants must work together in order to solve logic-based puzzles in under a minute. Project, from Merv Griffin Entertainment, will be hosted by Vernon Kay and production will get underway this summer. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has signed a three-year overall deal with Entourage creator/executive producer Doug Ellin, under which he will develop new projects for the pay cabler and remain aboard Entourage for its seventh and eighth seasons. Ellin already has two projects in development at HBO: a political comedy about a man working for a former US president after he leaves office (written by Ben Schwerin) and a female-skewing project with Ally Musika. (Variety)

Spike has ordered a pilot presentation for comedy Kings By Night, which will revolve around three men who start a casino in their workplace at night. Project, written by Ben and Dan Newmark and directed by Richie Keen, will be produced by FremantleMedia. (Deadline.com)

ABC Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with former Better Off Ted writers Kat Likkel and John Hoberg, under which they will develop new projects for the studio and join the writing staff of a new or existing series. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look image of Jack Bauer from the series finale of FOX's 24, which is set to air May 24th. The photo depicts a backpack-clad Jack Bauer raising his gun at... who knows, really? (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Additionally, Ausiello also has a first look image of the Smallville season finale, airing May 14th, which features a rain-slicked showdown between Clark and Zod. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Comcast and General Electric are optimistic that the NBC Universal deal will be closed by the end of the calendar year. (Variety)

Dr. Drew Pinsky and Howard Lapides are launching their own shingle, Dr. Drew Productions, which will be based in Los Angeles and focus on developing "high-quality reality television projects." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

E! has ordered six episodes of documentary What's Eating You?, which will take a look at both common and extreme examples of eating disorders and air this fall on the cabler. (Examples are said to include ""a woman who eats a roll of toilet paper dipped in pickle juice every night before bed; another who lives in seclusion and feels compelled to eat twigs, pencil erasers and super-glue; and an aspiring model whose body is so starved that she physically smells because her body literally is eating itself alive.") (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Salary negotiations are set to get underway for four cast members on CBS' NCIS, including Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, and Sean Murray, each of whom are looking to increase their episodic paycheck before the series returns in the fall for its eighth season. "The real question is how much CBS is willing to pay the four stars moving forward: Deadline.com is reporting that the company dangled low-ball offers, which stalled negotiations," writes Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice. "Representatives for CBS declined to comment." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey will be answering fans questions during a live premiere party that will be hosted by Andy Cohen and will be streamed on Bravotv.com and Ustream.tv. (TVGuide.com)

TLC has ordered a fourth season of L.A. Ink. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Jason Isaacs is "Pleading Guilty," "Game of Thrones," Trio Joins Matt LeBlanc in "Episodes," Michael Imperioli to "Detroit," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Jason Isaacs is heading to network television. After several years of offers, Isaacs (Green Zone and the Harry Potter films) has signed on to star in a broadcast network pilot. Isaacs, who last starred in Showtime's Brotherhood before it ended in 2008, has come aboard FOX legal drama pilot Pleading Guilty, based on the Scott Turow book of the same name. Isaacs will play the lead, Mack, a former cop and current attorney who is described as "a big handsome Irish lunk" and who investigates the disappearance of his firm's star litigator. Isaacs' attachment removing the casting contigency on the project, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television and Chernin Entertainment and which is being shepherded by Bones creator Hart Hanson. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has given a series order to fantasy drama Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's beststelling novel series. Project, written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Tom McCarthy, will head to HBO in spring of 2011. (Televisionary)

Looks like Matt LeBlanc has some company in his upcoming Showtime/BBC comedy series Episodes, which has been ordered for seven installments. Claire Forlani (CSI: NY), Kathleen Rose Perkins ('Til Death), and Stephen Mangan (Green Wing) have been cast opposite LeBlanc in the comedy series, which revolves around a British husband-and-wife writing team (Forlani and Mangan) who travel to America to produce a US version of their hit UK series. Series, from executive producers David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, is due to begin production in May. (Hollywood Reporter)

Michael Imperioli--last seen as a series regular on ABC's short-lived Life on Mars--has been cast as one of the leads in ABC cop drama pilot 187 Detroit, where he will play Fitch, described as "a smart, tough-minded veteran detective with a short fuse who has a near-perfect record for clearing cases and putting murderers in cages." (Hollywood Reporter)

Lost fans will have the opportunity to become part of Lost history by participating in a promotional contest that could have an original promo air on ABC. Participants can visit ABC.com to create and submit their own original 35-second promo, which will then vie for the opportunity to be broadcast on-air in the week leading up to the final episode of Lost and the Grand Prize winner will receive a trip to Los Angeles to attend the series’ special finale party. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that ABC has passed on Mark Gordon's small-screen version of post-apocalyptic film 2012, which would have revolved around survivors of the global disaster. "Future production costs may have been a factor in ABC’s decision, though the status of the network’s other high-concept genre shows (FlashForward, V) could have played a role, too," writes Rice. "Both shows struggled in the ratings last fall and have yet to receive a second season pickup. A spokeswoman for ABC declined to comment." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Pilot casting news: Jon Seda (The Pacific) will star opposite Roselyn Sanchez in Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters' ABC dramedy pilot Cutthroat; Jesse Bradford (The West Wing) has come aboard NBC's untitled John Eisendrath drama pilot (a.k.a. Rough Justice); Jason Behr (Roswell) and Merle Dandridge (24) have joined the cast of ABC drama pilot The Matadors; Lindsay Price (Eastwick) has landed one of the leads in ABC comedy pilot Who Gets the Parents?, opposite Jane Kaczmarek and Adam Arkin; Eliza Coupe (Scrubs) has joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot Happy Endings; Missi Pyle (Grey's Anatomy) and Johnny Sneed (Unhitched) have been cast as the leads in ABC comedy pilot How to Be a Better American; and and Diedrich Bader (Bones) and Jessica Gower (Blade: The Series) have boarded NBC comedy pilot Outsourced. Meanwhile, CBS has rolled over its untitled Redlich/Bellucci drama (a.k.a. The Rememberer) to next season due to difficulties casting the lead. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other casting news, Jason George (Grey's Anatomy) has been cast in Shonda Rhimes' ABC medical drama pilot Off the Map, where he will play Dr. Otis Abbot, described as "a brilliant ER doctor at the clinic who likes women, cigarettes, and the occasional dirty joke and works closely with the clinic's founder, Ben Hanley (Martin Henderson)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has given a series order to comedy Workaholics, ordering ten episodes. Series, from writer/executive producer Kevin Etten, revolves around a group of twenty-somethings who are poised between college and adulthood. Cast includes Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Adam Devine. (Variety)

In other Comedy Central-related news, the Viacom-owned network has pulled all of its programming off of Hulu, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Viewers will be now only able to watch episodes of both series on the Comedy Central website. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Caterina Scorsone (Crash) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Private Practice. Scorsone will play as Dr. Amelia Shepherd, the younger sister of Patrick Dempsey's Derek Shepherd, who gets a job at Oceanside Wellness. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Production is slated to begin this month on Season Two of Syfy drama series Warehouse 13, which will launch its second season on Tuesday, July 13th. Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek, Allison Scagliotti, and CCH Pounder will all reprise their roles next season. (via press release)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has an interview with new Melrose Place cast member Nick Zano and a first-look video at Zano's Dr. Drew Pragin, who will make his first appearance on March 16th. (TV Guide Magazine)

Looks like ABC's The Forgotten will be heading out the door a little earlier than expected. The network has opted to pull the March 23rd episode from the schedule, making next week's episode the season finale... and, barring some unforeseen development, the end of the series. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year deal with Jon Pollack (Community, 30 Rock), under which Pollack will oversee two comedy pilots for next season: romantic comedy Perfect Couples (which he co-wrote with Scott Silveri) and the untitled Adam Carolla comedy pilot. (Variety)

History will spin-off its reality series Pawn Stars into a franchise, launching version of the series in New York and Miami. (Hollywood Reporter)

Access Hollywood is coming to daytime via a new hour-long series Access Hollywood Live, which will be stripped beginning this fall in such markets as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. (Variety)

NBC Universal has acquired exclusive global pay TV rights outside of North America, France, and Germany to ABC/Global cop drama Copper from E1 Entertainment. Series, which stars Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, and Travis Milne, is slated to air sometime this year on ABC. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Breaking: Showtime and BBC Pact on Matt LeBlanc Comedy Series "Episodes"

Penance for Joey perhaps?

Showtime and BBC Two have joined together to co-produce new comedy series Episodes, set to star Matt LeBlanc (Friends).

The single-camera comedy series, which received a six-episode commitment from Showtime and BBC Two, revolves around a British couple whose smash-hit British skein is adapted into a "dumbed-down" US sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc (who will play himself).

Project, which is slated to air next year on Showtime, is created by David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (The Class) and will be executive produced by Crane, Klarik, and Hat Trick's Jimmy Mulville. Production is slated to begin this autumn in London and Los Angeles.

"What a thrill to have two giants of the comedy world like Klarik and Crane to satirize what they know best: the making (or un-making) of art," said Showtime president of entertainment Bob Greenblatt in a statement. "We jumped at the chance to get involved with this cock-eyed look at network television told through the eyes of unsuspecting British producers who don't know what hit them when they enter the lion's den of Hollywood. And Matt LeBlanc -- wryly sending up his own image -- is icing on the cake. This show complements our eclectic and critically-acclaimed line-up of half-hour comedies beautifully."

The full press release from Showtime, announcing the series order, can be found below.

MATT LEBLANC MAKES FRIENDS OF SHOWTIME & BBC IN SITCOM SATIRE

Six "Episodes" of Comedy-Within-a-Comedy to Premiere in 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – (September 30, 2009) – "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc and creators David Crane ("Friends," "The Class") and Jeffrey Klarik ("The Class," "Mad About You") have teamed up on a fresh new send-up of the television business entitled EPISODES, a single-camera comedy series about a British couple whose hit UK show is turned into a dumbed-down American sit-com starring LeBlanc (as himself), it was announced today by SHOWTIME President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt.

Crane and Klarik created the series and Jimmy Mulville will also serve as executive producer through his successful Hat Trick production company ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "The Kumars at No. 42", "Worst Week"). EPISODES, a co-production of Showtime and the BBC, will begin shooting the six episodes in London and Hollywood this winter for a 2010 debut on SHOWTIME and BBC Two.

"What a thrill to have two giants of the comedy world like Klarik and Crane to satirize what they know best: the making (or un-making) of art," says Greenblatt. "We jumped at the chance to get involved with this cock-eyed look at network television told through the eyes of unsuspecting British producers who don't know what hit them when they enter the lion's den of Hollywood. And Matt LeBlanc -- wryly sending up his own image -- is icing on the cake. This show complements our eclectic and critically-acclaimed line-up of half-hour comedies beautifully."

"Jeffrey and David have a great idea -- I love it," said Matt LeBlanc. "I am really excited to be working with Showtime and the BBC. And I am so glad I got the part, seeing someone else play Matt LeBlanc would have been devastating."

When a successful British husband-and-wife comedy team are lured by Hollywood to produce a new version of their hit series for a stateside audience, they're initially thrilled at the prospects. But they soon realize what the American execs have in store for their precious show – including replacing the erudite British lead with the quintessential comedy star, Matt LeBlanc – and begin to sink deeper into the quicksand that is the TV business. Before long it's clear that not just the couple's show is at stake, but perhaps even their marriage.

Television veterans Klarik and Crane will draw upon their storied experiences in the network wars and behind-the-scenes "too many cooks" tinkering to bring to life a vivid collection of characters trying to hold onto their sanity in an insane world. Klarik and Crane said: "To work with either Showtime or the BBC on this project would have been terrific. To have both involved is more than we could hope for. We feel like we have found the two perfect homes for this show."

"It is very exciting to be making this wonderful production for Showtime and the BBC," added producer Mulville. "Both networks have an outstanding portfolio of exciting and innovative comedies, and it is an honor to be included amongst them. The scripts are brilliantly funny, and with Matt LeBlanc playing a hilarious version of himself, EPISODES promises to be one of the treats of 2010."