The Daily Beast: "Dark Shadows for Dummies"

Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows doesn’t require a deep knowledge of the '60s gothic-horror TV show, but it helps—and my glossary and character gallery explain all!

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Dark Shadows for Dummies," in which I offer a fairly comprehensive glossary of characters, terms, and places from 45+ years of Dark Shadows continuity, several series, films, and a plethora of other materials. What is Parallel Time? Who is Angelique Bouchard? What is Widow's Hill? It's all in here.

In the more than 45 years since Dark Shadows first premiered as an afternoon soap opera on ABC in June 1966, the series created by Dan Curtis has spawned numerous feature films, novels, television series, comic books, and even hit singles. Evolving from a standard soap opera into a supernatural horror-fest—overflowing with vampires, witches, ghosts, and H.P. Lovecraftian ancient beings (remember the Leviathans?)—Dark Shadows was a forerunner for many of today’s spine-tingling TV shows and films.

Revolving largely around tortured vampire Barnabas Collins (and, initially, around governess ingénue Victoria Winters), Dark Shadows offered thrills, chills, and unintentional laughs, thanks to rapid-fire production times and frequent flubs (such as actors forgetting lines, the sets swaying, crew members wandering onto the set, or the boom mic being visible), but it has also found a legion of fans new and old for its imaginative world and what might be the first depiction of a remorseful vampire.

With the May 11 release of Tim Burton’s feature film version, which stars Johnny Depp as bloodsucker Barnabas Collins, it’s time to either brush up on your knowledge of Dark Shadows or dive into the world’s complex and often confusing mythology for the first time. What is the difference between Collinwood and Collinsport? What is Parallel Time? What was House of Dark Shadows?

We delve into the original 1966-71 ABC soap, the 1991 NBC revival series, and beyond to offer you a glossary of Dark Shadows’ most common terms, characters, and concepts.

Angelique Bouchard: A vengeful witch in the 18th century who is responsible for the curse that transforms Barnabas Collins into a vampire after he spurns her for his true love Josette DuPres. She is played by Eva Green in the 2012 film; previously, the role has been filled by Lara Parker and Lysette Anthony, as well as Ivana Millicevic in the unaired 2004 pilot. (See also: WB Pilot, The.)

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

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

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: 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.

Channel Surfing: Allison Janney Heads to Lost, Damon Lindelof Speaks, Chuck Fans Plan Flash Mob, Veronica Mars Update, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! "Presence," huh? TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck attempts to get to the bottom of just who Allison Janney (The West Wing) will be playing on the May 11th episode of Lost by going right to the source: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who are being rather cagey about Janney's mystery role. "We were so happy that she was able to do this," said Cuse. "It was really hard for her because she was getting ready to shoot a pilot, but she squeezed us in. Then once we saw her in this part we were like, 'How could anyone else have done this but Allison Janney?'" Lindelof wasn't giving Keck anything either: "We’ve been talking about this character for awhile and how nervous we were that we wouldn’t find the right actress," he said. "When we first started talking about this character in the writers room we called her 'Allison Janney' under the assumption that we wouldn’t be able to get her." [Editor: so who is Janney playing? My first instinct said that she'd be playing the mother of the Man in Black (or Penny's never-before-seen mother), though whether that will turn out to be true remains to be seen. Regardless, the role calls for someone with "incredible presence" and Janney has that in spades.] (TV Guide Magazine)

Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter's Matt Belloni has a video interview with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof in which the two discuss the series finale, the flash-sideways, and the fact that Desmond wasn't in the series' final cast photo ("A cast photo that includes some characters but not others is beyond our area of involvement," he said). Most intriguing is the fact that producers had brand new sets built for the final moments of Lost's series ender. "We did not shoot the final scene of the series on the final day ... for reasons of maintaining the secrecy of the show, and we had to build some sets for the finale -- the construction of the new sets took awhile so that's the work that we did last," Lindelof said, who went on to say that there will be a definitive ending to the series, even if some questions are left for the viewers to answer on their own. "The Sopranos ending only worked on The Sopranos," said Lindelof. "The series finale has to fit the show. We're trying to end lost in a way that feels Lost-ian and fair and will generate a tremendous amount of theorizing. We're going to be as definitive as we can be and say this is our ending, but there's no way to end the show where the fans aren't going to say, 'What did they mean by this?' Which is why we're not going to explain it."(Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Chuck fans are headed to Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, and Philadelphia (and possibly other cities as well) to initiate flash mob publicity stunts in support of a Chuck renewal. The idea, the brainchild of chucktv.net, will have fans congregate wearing the series' trademark Buy More uniforms. "Chuck fans are the most loyal, dedicated, imaginative and passionate fans any show could ever hope for," Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz told The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "Every season they offer more proof they should be licensed and professional fans teaching other fans how it's done. This is yet another example of their awesomeness. We are, as always, grateful and inspired to deliver a show as good to them as they are to us." (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Breanne L. Heldman caught up with Kristen Bell to ask her about the status of the potential Veronica Mars feature film that's been rumored for quite some time (and which someone asked creator Rob Thomas about at last week's Party Down panel at the Paley Center). "I wish I had news," said Bell. "Still in the process of campaigning to tell Warner Bros. that people would actually see it. I think that as long as you guys keep asking those questions and I keep answering them, Warner Bros. will one day get the picture that everybody does want it and that it will make its money back. I think, truthfully, they're a company and they want to know that they'll make their return back. We just have to convince them that they will." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC Family has decided not to move forward with its comedy series 10 Things I Hate About You, which will wrap its second season in a few week. News of the cancellation was made originally by executive producer Carter Covington via Twitter."Sad news... ABC Family canceled the show," wrote Covington. "Thanks to our amazing fans. You are the reason I do this." (Variety)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look at Rob Lowe on NBC's Parks and Recreation, where he is set to join the comedy series next month along with Party Down's Adam Scott. According to co-creator/executive producer Mike Schur, Lowe's character, state auditor Chris Traeger, "very quickly falls into a romantic entanglement" with a resident of Pawnee. "I don’t want to spoil who it is because it’s kind of a surprise," said Schur. [Editor: having already seen a sizable chunk of Lowe and Scott's first Parks and Rec episode a few weeks back, I can honestly say that fans are in for a treat with these new characters.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Well, that makes one NCIS cast member who definitely will be returning next season: Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that David McCallum yesterday closed a deal to return to the CBS procedural drama next season. Negotiations continue for the three other actors--Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray--whose deals have expired. (Deadline.com)

USA Today's Gary Strauss has a profile of Breaking Bad's Dean Norris, who plays DEA Agent Hank Schrader on the AMC drama series. In its third season, Norris' Hank has quickly psychologically unraveled. "For an actor, playing one character and transitioning to a completely different one is a dream come true," Norris told Strauss. "Part of me misses the old Hank. But nothing could be better than to set up a character, dismiss him and then bring a whole different side to him." (USA Today)

Warner Bros. Television is said to be about to close a multi-year overall deal with Sex and the City multi-hypenate Michael Patrick King that will have him launch his own shingle at the studio, according to Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva. (Deadline.com)

Futon Critic is reporting that NBC will keep struggling freshman medical drama Mercy in the 9 pm timeslot on Wednesdays for the remainder of its season. (Futon Critic)

VH1 has ordered eight episodes of The OCD Project, in which an anxiety expert will attempt to rehabilitate six individuals with several obsessive-compulsive issues who will live together in a house and participate in "exposure and response prevention" therapy. Project, launching May 27th at 10 pm ET/PT, is executive produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Adam Greener, Matt Assmus, Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

UK satellite network Sky1 has commissioned a musical competition series, Must Be the Music, in an effort to compete with ITV's X Factor and Britain's Got Talent. Rather than dangle a recording contract, the series will award the winner a cash prize and the opportunity to perform live in a music arena. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere in UK television news, Kevin Lygo will quit Channel 4, where he served as director of television and content, in order to head up ITV Studios as managing director. (Broadcast)

Disney Channel has ordered a telepic based on Mark Peter Hughes' novel "Lemonade Mouth," about five high school freshmen who meet in detention and launch a band centered around unusual musical instruments. Project will be written by April Blair and executive produced by Debra Martin Chase. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "24" to End, Kiefer Sutherland Speaks, ChloeGate at "Big Love," Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "V" Return, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

It's official: the clock has run out on FOX's serialized drama series 24. On Friday, FOX announced that Day Eight of 24 would be the series' last, with a two-hour series finale planned for Monday, May 24th. "This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible," said Kiefer Sutherland in a statement. "While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful." By the time that 24 ends its run in May, the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series will have aired 194 episodes, earning it a spot among the longest running action series on television. (via press release)

Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin and Maria Elena Fernandez, meanwhile, had interviews with Kiefer Sutherland and executive producer Howard Gordon about the 24 cancellation. "Everyone concurs that we want the show to end as close to peak form as possible," Gordon told the LA Times."If they said tomorrow that you have a ninth season, it's not something we'd be up for because we realize Jack's story in the real-time format has been told. Jack is a wonderful character who can live past the 24 real-time franchise. As far as doing this high wire act...this is far as we can take it." Fans can take comfort in that the final episodes are leading up to a heart-stopping finale. "What I do like about the ending and what I can say about it is that it's very definitive about where Jack is going to end up," said Sutherland. "It can be perceived as a cliffhanger on some level, but there's no questioning his options. That's something we've never been able to do in the context of this series." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Elsewhere, Variety's Michael Schneider has a Q&A with Sutherland. "Billy Ray is in the process of writing it right now," said Sutherland about the 24 feature film. "I'm very excited about the idea. He's a fantastic writer. I know he's been working with Howard recently. I'm very excited about the opportunity, and singularly because it's a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day. So for the first time, it will be very feasible in this 24 hours to go from England to Russia, or from China to Japan, depending on where they choose to set it. Before on the TV show, the crisis had to come to us, because the best we could do was get across town. And the two times we ever put Jack Bauer in a plane, it just didn't work." While, across town, the Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd offered a Q&A with executive producer Goward Gordon, who said the film could be released "as early as next year depending on how things come together." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

And The New York Times' Mike Hale takes a look at whether 24 was a victim of its own success... and its reliable formatting: "It’s essentially a superhero cartoon with a topical overlay, a cartoon that was well done from the start but was so rigidly formatted that it had no way to grow... It was the demands of the format that doomed the show (though eight seasons is nothing to cry about). Repetition set in early, there was a limited stock of villains and it was impossible to up the ante on destructive threats, or absurdly byzantine conspiracies, year after year." (New York Times)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello had an interview with Big Love's Chloe Sevigny, in which the Golden Globe winner expressed regret for her comments about the HBO drama series' fourth season, which she had called "awful" in a recent interview. "I feel pretty terrible," Sevigny told Ausiello. "I feel like what I said was taken out of context, and the [reporter] I was speaking to was provoking me. I was in Austin [at the SXSW festival] and really exhausted and doing a press junket and I think I just… I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying. You know, after a day of junkets sometimes things slip out that you don’t mean, and I obviously didn’t mean what I said in any way, shape, or form. I love being on the show. I have nothing but respect and admiration for our writers and everybody involved with the show. It’s been the greatest opportunity of my lifetime so far — the best role I’ve ever played, the best part I’ve ever had the opportunity to portray. So I love the show. I think it’s the greatest show on television. I think it’s the weirdest show. I think it is very complex and the content is amazing and it’s just very ironic that this statement would come out and blow so out of control. Because I feel absolutely the opposite. It is difficult being on a show for several seasons and having no control and having things go in different directions where you didn’t think they would go. But that’s also the most exciting part [because] they keep the character really fresh and there’s new scenarios that they come up with." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[Editor: The Onion's A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neil, meanwhile, hit back at Sevigny, issuing audio from the interview itself, which can be heard here.]

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with V's Elizabeth Mitchell about what's coming up on the ABC sci-fi series when it returns tomorrow and hints that Erica will have a lot of violence in her future. "I think as long as her son is safe, she's kind of cool as far as all the stuff with Tyler goes," said Mitchell. "She really didn't seem to mind too much that he had a girl in [his room]. She just wants him to be physically safe and he's not obviously. He's in great jeopardy; she just doesn't know it yet. Hopefully, she will be finding out more and more. Obviously, that will lead to a great deal of violence." (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Mayim Bialik (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will guest star--and possibly recur--on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, where she will play a love interest for Jim Parson's Sheldon, whom he meets on an online matchmaking site and is described as "the female version of Jim Parson's theoretical physicist." She's set to appear in the season finale, which airs May 24th, and could return next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting updates: Christine Woods (FlashForward) has landed the female lead in NBC comedy pilot Perfect Couples; Teri Polo (The Wedding Bells) has joined the cast of TBS' hour-long period comedy pilot Glory Daze; Jason Wiles (Persons Unknown) has been cast in ABC drama pilot Boston's Finest; Jayne Houdyshell (Conviction) and Joe Nunez (Prison Break) will star opposite Will Arnett and Keri Russell in Mitch Hurwitz and Arnett's FOX comedy pilot Wilde Kingdom; Vinnie Jones (Chuck) has been cast in a potential recurring role in NBC vigilante drama pilot The Cape (also cast: Ryan Wynott and Martin Klebba); Gabriel Morales (The Perfect Game) has come on board ABC comedy pilot It Takes a Village; Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars) has joined the cast of supernatural drama Betwixt; Amber Seyer has been cast in Amy Sherman-Palladino's untitled Wyoming drama project; Gabriella Wright (The Tudors) has landed a role in espionage drama Nomads; and Matt Barr (Harper's Island) has been cast in drama pilot Hellcats. (Hollywood Reporter)

David James Elliot (JAG) has replaced Desperate Housewives' Neal McDonough in ABC drama series Scoundrels, which launches in June. No immediate reason was given for McDonough's departure from the series, which is based on Kiwi drama series Outrageous Fortune. (Futon Critic)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former ER star Eriq La Salle has been cast in the final two episodes of FOX's 24, where he will play "the charming and regal UN Secretary General." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Fresh off his season-long arc on FX's Damages, Martin Short has signed on to star opposite David Krumholtz's on FOX comedy pilot Tax Man, in which he'll play Mike Babbit, the IRS Fresno office's obnoxiously loud boss. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has finally announced a launch date for the Alyssa Milano-led romantic comedy Romantically Challenged, which will launch April 12th at 9:30 pm ET/PT, right after a 90-minute installment of Dancing with the Stars. Six episodes have been completed of the series, which was created by Ricky Blitt. Elsewhere, FOX announced that Glee will return on April 13th at 9:28 pm ET/PT, following an episode of American Idol. (Variety)

FOX has ordered a pilot for an untitled Jamie Foxx-created sketch comedy show that will be executive produced by MadTV's Fax Bahr and Adam Small and will star Affion Crockett. Project hails from Fox Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Adam Scott Heads to "Parks and Rec," "Rome" Heads to Big Screen, "Smallville Renewed," "Lost" Returnee, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin is reporting that Party Down star Adam Scott is heading to NBC's Parks and Recreation, where he is slated to turn up in the final episodes of the season... alongside Rob Lowe, in fact. [Editor: could their sudden appearances in Pawnee be linked?] Scott, who will serve as as a series regular for Parks' third season, has also signed a first-look deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios, under which he will develop new series projects. Parks and Recreation co-creator Mike Schur described Scott as "brilliant and funny -- and he's funny in a lot of different ways. There just aren't that many people with a comedic range that spans Step Brothers to Party Down." As for Party Down fans worried that this would mean the end of Henry Pollard, Martin reports that "Scott said he'd be open to coming back to reprise his role should "Party Down" be renewed." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

[Editor: Variety, meanwhile, reports that Scott would appear in up to three episodes of Party Down if it is renewed for a third season, per his deal with Starz.]

Good news for fans of HBO's much-missed period drama Rome. Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that a feature film sequel to Rome is finally in development and creator Bruno Heller--who went on to create CBS' The Mentalist--has finished a script for Morning Light Productions, which will finance the film, set in Germany four years after the events of the HBO series. Rice reports that Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson will reprise their roles as Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo in the feature film... which could be difficult as the end of Rome seemed to depict the death of McKidd's Vorenus. "The next step for Morning Light is to find a director and a studio, since HBO Films won’t be involved," writes Rice. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The CW has renewed superhero drama Smallville, picking up the Warner Bros. Television-produced drama series for a tenth season. Move comes after the netlet previously picked up The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210, Supernatural, and Top Model for the 2010-11 season. (via press release)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Michelle Rodriguez will reprise her role as Ana-Lucia on ABC's Lost later this season, appearing in at least one episode. Rodriguez--most recently seen in Avatar--was last seen in Season Five, when she appeared as a ghostly visitor to Hurley. "There’s no word where or exactly when Ana-Lucia will resurface this time around," writes Ausiello, "but, come on, this has 'flash-sideways cameo!' written all over it!" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Chuck fans had better keep tuning in to the NBC action-comedy, following comments made by the Peacock's Angela Bromstad, when asked by The Hollywood Reporter about Chuck's shot at a fourth season renewal. Despite saying that the series' performance on Mondays was a "pleasant surprise," Bromstad went on to say that Chuck's likelihood of being renewed depended on ratings. "It's got to maintain," said Bromstad, "and it depends on development." In other words: keep buying those Subway sandwiches and keep tuning in... (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

[Editor: meanwhile, Bromstad said she was "hopeful" that Community would return for a second season, though wouldn't confirm or deny that it would or wouldn't.]

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has a rundown of what was revealed at last night's Paley Festival panel for Showtime's Dexter, an event which she moderated and which dealt heavily with the reveals of the Season Four finale and what lies ahead for Dexter and Co. next season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Scott Caan (Ocean's Eleven) has been cast as a guest star in CBS cop drama pilot Hawaii Five-O, the remake of the classic television series. Caan will play Danny "Danno" Williams in the CBS Studios-produced pilot, which hails from executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Peter Lenkov. Caan's role is being considered a guest starring role for the pilot, due to his commitments to HBO's Entourage; should Hawaii Five-O be picked up to pilot, he'll be bumped to series regular. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has confirmed that the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live coast-to-coast this year on August 29th. Move marks the first time in over 30 years that the Emmys will air live across the country (the last time was in 1976). (Broadcasting & Cable)

Pilot casting update: Jeri Ryan (Leverage) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot Body of Evidence; Nate Corddry (The Pacific), Jonathan Sadowski (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Dan Bakkedahl, and P.J. Byrne have been cast in NBC comedy pilot presentation Our Show; Robert Patrick (The Unit) has come aboard Rand Ravich's ABC drama pilot Edgar Floats, where he will play a bond bailsman who is the ex-father-in-law of the titular character, a bountu hunter; Allison Miller (Kings) has scored one of the leads in CW drama pilot Betwixt; Alan Ruck (Drive) and Scarlett Johnson (EastEnders) have joined the cast of CW's untitled Amy Sherman Palladino Wyoming project; Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) and Devin Kelley (Tease) have come joined the cast of FOX cop drama pilot Ridealong. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that producers of ABC's Modern Family are currently looking to cast the Tuckers, the parents of Eric Stonestreet's Cameron. Stonestreet told Keck that Kathy Bates was originally considered for the role but she's no longer in the running due to her recent turn on NBC's The Office. Stonestreet, however, has one hell of a suggestion for who should play his mother: former Designing Women star Delta Burke. “We like that idea," said Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan. "We think that could be good.” (TV Guide Magazine)

Tom Bergeron, Fred Willard, French Stewart, Yeardley Smith, and Bill Bellamy have signed on to guest star in the April 26th episode of ABC's Castle, which offers a satirical look at NBC's latenight situation with Conan and Leno, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Sources confirm to me exclusively that Dancing with the Stars emcee Tom Bergeron has signed on to guest as Bobby Mann, a late-night talk show host who gets permanently shut up by... Well, the prime suspect is his would-be successor, a rival chatterbox (played by Bill Bellamy) who’s long coveted the victim’s timeslot," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Strictly Ice Dancing is heading to the US. ABC is developing an untitled US adaptation of the BBC Worldwide-produced reality series will feature celebrities training with ice skating professionals and then performing on ice and which will air as a six-week series likely between cycles of Dancing with the Stars. Project shouldn't be confused with FOX's short-lived 2006 effort, Skating With Celebrities. (Variety)

Over at NBC, the Peacock unveiled its summer programming--or at least parts of it--with America's Got Talent returning Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning June 1st and Last Comic Standing returning on June 7th. International acquisition Persons Unknown will air Mondays at 10 pm, beginning the same night, while long-delayed comedy 100 Questions will launch Thursday, May 27th. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Martha Stewart and Mark Burnett are shopping eight-episode reality series Help Me, Martha, which will feature Stewart and a team of experts "help the show's subjects with everything from wedding near-distasters to planning last-minute parties," to network buyers. (Variety)

HBO is said to be developing an untitled telepic based on Andrew Sorkin's nonfiction book "Too Big to Fail," about the 2008 economic meltdown. Project will be written by Peter Gould (Breaking Bad) and may also use material derived from an upcoming book by Joe Nocera and Bethany McClean as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has promoted David Bernath to EVP, where he will oversee program strategy and multiplatform programming. He reports to Michele Ganeless. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Jack Bauer Heads to the Cinema, Christopher Lloyd Finds "Chuck," Nestor Carbonell Talks "Lost," "True Blood," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Variety's Michael Schneider is reporting that 20th Century Fox Television and the studio's feature film division are working on adapting FOX's long-running drama series 24 for the big screen. The studio has hired Billy Ray (State of Play) to write a screenplay for the feature version of 24, which would see Jack Bauer jump across the pond to thwart a plot in Europe. Film would be executive produced by Kiefer Sutherland, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Robert Cochran, and Joel Surnow. "Insiders cautioned that a 24 feature is still very much in the preliminary stages," writes Schneider. "There are a number of factors influencing how quickly it moves ahead, including the fate of the TV show." That fate is still to be determined, though it's thought very likely that Day Eight will be the final season of 24. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) will guest star on NBC's Chuck later this season. Lloyd will play "a therapist who Chuck turns to when the pressures of the spy biz become too much for him to bear," writes Ausiello. Look for Lloyd to turn up in this season's sixteenth episode, slated to air in April or May. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Lost series regular Nestor Carbonell about Season Six's power struggle on the island. And, yes, we will learn about why Richard Alpert doesn't age and just who this mysterious counsel to the Others really is. "I knew at some point that they were going to answer some of the bigger questions, I just didn't know when," Carbonell told Abrams. "We have gotten to that point where there is an episode that deals with the origins of Richard Alpert and the bigger questions about his character, as well as bigger questions about the island and the mythology of it. It's an episode that reveals a lot. After three years playing this character, I was floored when I got the script and I was so excited to actually get to do the episode. They wrote a really tremendous script." (TVGuide.com)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that True Blood's Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) will have a new roommate next season: Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack). "Rooming with Jason will lead to some pretty adventurous times," Kwanten told Keck. "He’ll encourage Hoyt to sow his oats. In the first episode, my character wakes up with two women." (TV Guide Magazine)

Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) has landed the lead role in CBS comedy plot True Love, from writer/executive producer Matt Tarses. Kelly will play Kate, described as a "pretty, clean-scrubbed Midwestern who is a sweet but strong-willed romantic." Pilot revolves around four friends in Manhattan who are looking for love. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Keri Russell has received several pilot offers in the last few weeks. "She’s focusing on her film career right now," an unnamed source close to Russell told Ausiello. "But if the right project came along she would consider it. It all comes down to the material." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting news: Jennifer Finnigan (Inside the Box) will star opposite Joanna Garcia in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy; Patrick Flueger (The 4400) has joined the cast of ABC's eight-episode drama series Scoundrels (based on Kiwi series Outrageous Fortune); and Rose Rollins (The L Word) has been added to the cast of NBC drama pilot Chase, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Laura Benanti (Eli Stone) has landed the lead role in CBS comedy pilot Open Books, about a book editor and her friends. Project hails from writer/executive producer Gail Lerner. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot news: Bones creator Hart Hanson has come aboard FOX drama pilot Pleading Guilty as an executive producer and will supervise; should the project go to series, he'll oversee both Bones and Pleading Guilty. Mick Jackson (Temple Grandin) will direct NBC's US remake of British crime drama Prime Suspect. Brett Ratner will direct CBS drama pilot Chaos. Joe and Anthony Russo (Community) will direct ABC comedy plot Happy Endings. Charles McDougall (The Good Wife) will direct FOX drama pilot Ridealong. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Wedding bells will ring out for someone on Bones this season, according to series creator Hart Hanson. "One of the four women in our cast will be getting married," Hanson told TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck. Four possibilities: Booth and Brennan, Angela and Hodgins, Daisy and Sweets, or Camille and a new mystery man. (TV Guide Magazine)

Jeff Probst has renewed his hosting deal for CBS' Survivor: "Survivor fans: I'm jazzed and wanted to share with you guys first," wrote Probst via Twitter. "I'll be back snuffing torches for two more seasons (21&22) of Survivor." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

20th Century Fox Television has signed a new overall deal with The Cleveland Show co-creator Rich Appel, which will keep him aboard the animated comedy for the foreseeable future while he also develops new series projects for the studio. (Variety)

The CW will launch new reality series High Society and Fly Girls respectively on March 10th and March 24th. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

E1 Entertainment is developing a reality series following R&B star Faith Evans as she looks to jumpstart her career after leaving the business behind five years ago. Project, which would also see Evans juggle her career with raising four kids with her husband, is currently being pitched to networks. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Developing US "Torchwood," "Veronica Mars" Movie Dead, O'Loughlin Eyed for "Five-O," Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed is reporting that FOX is developing a US version of British sci-fi series Torchwood that will hail from BBC Worldwide. Remake will be written by creator Russell T. Davies. and will feature the production team of the original series, including Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter. But that's not all. According to THR, it's possible that Torchwood's UK cast--including John Barrowman and Eve Myles--could star in the project, should it be ordered to pilot. "As for the new show’s plot," writes James Hibberd, "the U.S. version will contain a global story line compared to the more localized sensibility of the first two BBC seasons." Good news for the Torchwood team... or a disaster waiting to happen? (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Bad news for Veronica Mars fans: the feature film adaptation of the much-missed UPN/CW drama series has stalled, according to creator Rob Thomas. "No," Thomas told Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan, who asked if the big-screen version of Veronica Mars would happen. "I would write it if anyone would finance it. If anyone's interested in making that movie I am available, Kristen's [Bell] available. I would love to do it. I think the closest we came was Joel [Silver] pushing it at Warner Bros. and they didn't bite. It has sort of gone away." (Futon Critic)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight, Three Rivers) is being offered the lead role in CBS' pilot remake of long-running crime drama Hawaii Five-O, according to unnamed sources. "Talks are ongoing," and undisclosed insider told Ausiello. "CBS really wants to do another series with him." The remake is being overseen by Fringe co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and Peter Lenkov (CSI: New York). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Is a reunion between Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris in the cards? Looks like it though it's not Dr. Horrible 2, unfortunately. (Not yet, anyway.) According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Harris is said to be in talks to appear on FOX's Glee in the May episode that will be directed by Whedon and which would feature the How I Met Your Mother star in a singing/dancing role. "The one possible snag — and there’s always one, isn’t there? CBS has to OK its MVP’s appearance on Fox’s breakout hit," writes Ausiello. "But at least since HIMYM and Glee are both produced by 20th Century Fox, there’s no conflict on their end." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Joss Whedon, meanwhile, is set to meet with FX president John Landgraf in the next few weeks. (Televisionary)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Jennifer Lopez is in talks to join Glee as a cafeteria worker in at least one episode. "Discussions are ongoing and we haven't gotten into the episode(s) she'd be appearing in," Glee executive producer Brad Falchuk told Dos Santos. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

And in other Glee-related news, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello spoke to Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy on Sunday evening (right before Glee took home the top musical or comedy TV prize) about what's coming up for the gleeful teens. Hint: it involves Puck and Rachel, a boyfriend for Kurt, the songs of Madonna, and some guest stars. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jay Leno has addressed the controversy surrounding his eponymous 10 pm show, The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien, and NBC, addressing his audience last night directly about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the Peacock. "This is all business," said Leno. "If you don't get the ratings, they take you off the air." (Variety)

A must-read for everyone interested in television, not just those closely following the NBC/Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien fiasco: James Hibberd's insightful "Eight Ways NBC Has Damaged Itself" over at The Hollywood Reporter. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

FOX has given pilot orders to two projects, including drama Midland, from writer Kyle Killen (The Beaver), and an untitled multi-camera comedy from writer Adam Goldberg and director Seth Gordon. Midland, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television, revolves around a polygamist with a double life who works in the oil industry. The untitled Adam Goldberg/Seth Gordon comedy, meanwhile, will follow a group of twenty-somethings who hack computer security systems. (Hollywood Reporter)

FX has announced a Tuesday, March 16th launch date for its Elmore Leonard crime series Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant. (Futon Critic)

AMC is developing historical miniseres Black Gold: The Teapot Dome Scandal, from writer Kirk Ellis (John Adams) and executive producers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. Project, based on a nonfiction book by Laton McCartney, is set in the 1920s and depicts a major political scandal involving the election of President Warren G. Harding and big-time oil companies. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some additional information about the return of Jennifer Morrison's Cameron to FOX drama House later this season. "The audience is going to get the information they were looking for," Morrison told Ausiello. But don't expect Cameron to stick around permanently. "I don’t believe that they have plans to pick up my option," she told Ausiello. "That does not mean I won’t be back for a handful of episodes, but it does mean I probably will not be a series regular next season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Undercovers casting alert! Another actor has come aboard J.J. Abrams' NBC espionage drama pilot Undercovers. Jessica Parker Kennedy (Smallville) will play the younger sister of Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Samantha, a caterer. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC America announced a spring start for its new musical reality series The Choir, in which choirmaster Gareth Malone travels to blue collar areas to create musical choirs. "The 13 episodes that BBC America will show are a compilation of short multi-seg bursts and specials that have aired across the Pond since the show launched on BBC Two in 2006," writes Variety's Jon Weisman. (Variety)

E! has given a series order to docudrama Pretty Wild, which follows three socialite sisters--Taylor, Alexis, and Gabrielle Neiers--in Hollywood. Project, from Borderline Amazing Prods., New Wave Entertainment, and Five Five Prods., will launch in March. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Arrested Development" Script Underway, Bilson Dating "Mother," Mazur Suits Up for "NCIS: Los Angeles," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Get your frozen bananas ready: it's official. Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz and Jim Vallely are working on script for the highly anticipated feature film version of Arrested Development. Film, which will be produced by Imagine and Fox Searchlight, will once again revolve around the eccentric and highly spoiled Bluth family of Orange County... that is once the producers can iron out what are likely to be numerous scheduling complications. Stay tuned... (Hollywood Reporter)

Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) has been cast in a "potentially pivotal" role on CBS' How I Met Your Mother, leading several to wonder if Bilson will be playing the mom herself, though currently Bilson is signed to only appear in one episode. Or is that just a smokescreen? Hmmm... (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Monet Mazur (40 Days and 40 Nights) has been cast in a potentially recurring role on CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles, where she will play Natalie Buccola, a secret service agent who becomes romantically entangled with Chris O'Donnell's character. She'll make her first appearance in the sixth episode of the season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider talks to the cast of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm about the Seinfeld reunion plotline that kicked off in last night's episode of Curb. "I don’t think it connects to anything from where we left off, and that might be its brilliance," said Jason Alexander. "We always thought about ‘Well, what would we do next? Are we going to be able to get out of jail?’ and this one is light years beyond that already." (Entertainment Weekly)

FOX has given a script order to single-camera comedy project The Intruders. Project, from Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision, will follow the exploits of a wealthy father from Arizona who falls in love with a low-life single mom and moves her and her family onto his estate with his kids. Project is written and executive produced by Danny Comden. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has shifted the premiere of Season Four of Ugly Betty from this Friday to next Friday, October 16th, where it will kick off with a two-hour opener featuring Kristen Johnston, Lynn Redgrave, Judy Gold, Smith Cho, and Yaya DaCosta (via press release)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has an exclusive first look at Paris Hilton's guest turn on this Thursday's episode of Supernatural on the CW. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Aaron Tveit will reprise his role as Tripp Vanderbilt, the wealthy cousin of Chase Crawford's Nate Archibald, in at least six episodes of the CW's Gossip Girl. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that Tripp will made a bid for public office and Nate will be drawn into his campaign. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Cartoon Network has announced that Batman: The Brave and the Bold will return to the lineup with new episodes beginning Friday, October 16th. Series, which returns for a second season of retro-tinged Bat mayhem, will settle into the 7:30 pm ET/PT timeslot, followed by Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Ben 10: Alien Force. (Futon Critic)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Chases Bruckheimer Fugitive Drama, "Chuck" Writer/Producer Guns for Western at FOX, "Inbetweeners" Heads for Big Screen, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

NBC has given a put pilot order to an untitled drama that follows the employees of a unit whose task is to apprehend fugitives. Project, from Warner Bros. Television and Bruckheimer Television, will be written/executive produced by Jennifer Johnson (Cold Case) and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. Deal marks first sale for Bruckheimer at NBC since 2005's E-Ring. (Variety)

FOX has given a script commitment with a penalty to an untitled western from Chuck writer/executive producer Scott Rosenbaum and executive producers McG and Peter Johnson. Project, from Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision, is said to have a sci-fi twist that is a tip of the hat to Planet of the Apes and will focus on a "a gunslinger caught between worlds," according to Rosenbaum. "What I'm really interested in is the revamping of the Western genre where you still have all of the iconic Western themes and iconic Western tropes," he told Hollywood Reporter, "but the idea is that it will feel incredibly contemporary and will introduce the Western to a whole new generation." (Hollywood Reporter)

The Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley are working on a script for a feature film version of their E4 comedy after receiving a commission from Film 4. Feature would likely revolve around an overseas vacation taken by the four friends who are set to return with a third season of Inbetweeners next year. "We always try to make the show as real as we can, and we think the boys of that age tend to go on holiday abroad - we think a film could do justice to that," Morris told The Sun. "Most films I understand never get made, but that’s what we’re doing." The series will air Stateside later this year on BBC America. (Broadcast)

Gavin Rossdale (How to Rob a Bank) has been cast as a guest star in an upcoming episode of Criminal Minds slated to air in November. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Rossdale will play a Goth rock star who could also be a vicious serial killer. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Peter Gallagher (The OC) has been cast in USA's espionage drama pilot Covert Affairs where he will co-star as CIA director Arthur Campbell, described as "a regal man and former Naval officer who loves a good fight, great scotch and a filthy joke." (Hollywood Reporter)

Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez has a fantastic profile of one of the breakout stars of FOX's Glee, Chris Colfer. (Los Angeles Times's Show Tracker)

Former Brat Packer Judd Nelson will guest star on USA's Psych this winter, where he will play "a CDC researcher who specializes in a made-up Ebola-like ailment called Thornburg’s disease," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HDNet will offer a sneak preview of Charlize Theron's upcoming feature film The Burning Plain ahead of its theatrical release on September 16th at 8 pm ET/PT. (via Twitter)

TV Guide Network has acquired exclusive cable rights to the entire run of MTV's Punk'd, which contains 100 half-hour episodes. The cabler will air the series back-to-back as a one hour strip beginning later this month. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk "Lost" Ending, "Doctor Who" Feature Rumors Swirl, Phifer and Beals Return to "Lie to Me," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to go over on the first day back after a long holiday weekend.

Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have promised viewers a definitive ending for Lost when the series wraps its run next year. "We won’t be vague and ambiguous – there will be a lot of answers," promised Lindelof, speaking at a BAFTA event in London. "We feel that if we hold anything back in the final season, it would be bad. Everyone’s come this far and they want a conclusion to the story. We’ve no plans to continue the story of Lost beyond series six. My wife says 'never say never.' I say 'never.'" That final season won't feature time travel elements but will instead feel more like the first season. "There’s a circularity to the show," said Cuse. Just don't look for a happy ending. "Bittersweet comes with the territory," said Lindelof. "The ending we’re aspiring to is fair. As a viewer, whenever you have five minutes left, there’s an intense sadness. The ending of series six will be different from other finales because there will be no cliffhanger." (Broadcast)

Rumors are swirling that Doctor Who executive producer Russell T. Davies and outbound series star David Tennant will be announcing their collaboration on a big-screen Doctor Who outing later this month at San Diego's Comic-Con International. A script for a Doctor Who feature film is said to be "in development" by a BBC Films spokesperson and reports are circulating that Tennant had signed on for a unrevealed "sci fi project," while Davies teased that the announcement of a "special project" would be coming soon. Is it the long-awaited Who film? We'll find out in a few weeks' time. (Digital Spy)

Mekhi Phifer will return to FOX's Lie to Me next season as a series regular and will reprise his role as FBI Agent Reynolds, a liaison between the bureau and the Lightman Group. Meanwhile, Jennifer Beals will recur next season as AUSA Zoe Landau, the ex-wife of Cal Lightman (Tim Roth). (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chandra Wilson will direct an upcoming episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy next season, making her the first original Grey's cast member to step behind the camera. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego talks to FX president/general manager John Landgraf, who says that the network is looking to order at least two of its three drama pilots to series and will add up to three new comedy series. Langraf's goal, according to Grego, is to "maintain a mix of six original drama series on the air during any given year (four established players, two more experimental) and ultimately ramp up to four comedies." Meanwhile, don't look for FX to launch any news series pre-watershed. "We don’t do that," Landgraf told Grego. "Our shows are TV-MA." (Broadcasting & Cable)

The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva takes a look at Simon Andreae's Incubator, a shingle that has several unscripted series on the air and in development just four years after the producer moved from the UK to LA. Company produces Most Popular and Modern Love for WE, TLC's My Shocking Story, History's Strange Rituals, and Popular Science's Future Of on Science Channel. (Hollywood Reporter)

Steve Cheskin has been named EVP of programming at cabler TLC, where he will oversee development on both coasts as well as scheduling in a newly created position. He ws previously SVP of programming at WE. (Variety)

The latest TV series to feature film adaptation: 1980s action comedy T.J. Hooker, which is being developed as a film by executive producers David Foster, Ryan Heppe, and Rick Husky. Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King) is said to be in talks to come on board as director. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Neptune (Not) Rising: "Veronica Mars" Feature Film Update

Looks like that Veronica Mars feature film is probably not happening...

I've been on tenterhooks for the last few months about Rob Thomas' plans for a feature film version of his short-lived (and much missed) UPN/CW series Veronica Mars.

On the one hand, I'd be the first in line to go back to Neptune and catch up with super-sleuth Veronica, watch her drop some witty bon mots, and solve some crimes, but I wondered whether there really was a massive public interest in, you know, paying to go see Veronica Mars on the big screen.

After all, the sensational Kristen Bell-led series was canceled due to low ratings and, as much I adore Veronica Mars, it did work best as a complex, ongoing serialized drama series.

It turns out that Warner Bros and executive producer Joel Silver feel more or the same way, according to series star Kristen Bell, who spilled the dish to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello at the recent Saturn Awards.

"I don't think it will ever happen, and here's why: [Series creator] Rob Thomas and I had a powwow, and we were both 100 percent on board," said Bell. "We took our proposal to Warner Bros. and Joel Silver told us that there is no enthusiasm [there] to make a Veronica Mars movie, and that is unfortunately a roadblock we cannot compete with."

"Maybe if we bombard them with letters?" suggests Bell. "Maybe [then] they will change their tune."

What say you? Should a letter campaign be started to show Warner Bros. that there is support and appetite for a Veronica Mars feature film? Or is it time to bid farewell to Neptune forever? Discuss.

Channel Surfing: Westfeldt and Boyd Clock in for "24," Grillo-Marxuach Bound for "Day One," "Doctor Who" Feature in Development, "Buffy," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Jennifer Westfeldt (Grey's Anatomy) and John Boyd (The Notorious Bettie Page) have been cast in Day Eight of FOX drama series 24. Westfeldt will recur as journalist Meredith Reed, an ambitious writer who has ties to Middle East leader Arman Hashemi (Anil Kapoor), who arrives in the U.S. on a peacemaking mission. Boyd, meanwhile, will be a series regular and will play CTU analyst Jonah Schwartz. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach has joined the writing staff of NBC's upcoming sci-fi series Day One, where he will serve as writer/co-executive producer. Also joining the writing staff, according to series creator Jesse Alexander (who broke the news via Twitter): Kings' Erik Oleson, and Angela Kang. (io9)

BBC Films has confirmed that a big screen version of Doctor Who is being developed and that development of a script is currently underway. It's unclear whether inbound showrunner Steven Moffat or executive producer Russell T. Davies will write the feature film or if David Tennant or his replacement, Matt Smith, would play the Doctor. (Digital Spy)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has contacted Joss Whedon for a reaction to the news that director/producer Fran Rubel Kuzui is planning a feature film reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss' noncommittal reply? "I hope it's cool," wrote Whedon via email. Ahem. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO will launch comedy series Hung, starring Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, and Anne Heche, on June 28th at 10 pm ET/PT, following an episode of True Blood. The first episode of Hung runs a lengthy 45 minutes while the subsequent installments will each run 30 minutes. (Variety)

The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed has a hysterical cartoon jokingly depicting FOX executives deciding the fate of on-the-bubble sci-fi series Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at gunpoint. (The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

BBC America will launch supernatural drama Being Human, about a werewolf, vampire, and ghost who live together, on Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)

Bravo is developing reality spinoff The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C. and is said to be looking for "personalities who are among Washington, D.C.'s influential players, cultural connoisseurs, fashion sophisticates and philanthropic leaders -- the people who rub elbows with the most prominent people in the country," according to Bravo EVP/general manager Frances Berwick. Series, to be developed by Half Yard Productions, is expected to launch sometime in 2010. (via press release)

Al Pacino will star in an untitled HBO telepic about Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Set in the early 1990s, the film will follow Kevorkian (Pacino) as he creates the first assisted suicide machine and the resulting media frenzy. Project, written by Adam Mazer and based on Harry Wilie and Neal Nicol's biography "Between the Dying and the Dead," will be directed by Barry Levinson. (Variety)

ABC is following through on its plans to merge ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios into a single unit under president Steve McPherson. While the network is said to still be finalizing its "development chain of command," it's widely thought that Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs--who currently serves as EVP of drama development--would be promoted to become McPherson's second-in-command, leaving Channing Dungey to take over as the network's head of drama and Josh Barry to replace Dungey on the studio side. (Hollywood Reporter)

Carol Kane will reprise her Homicide: Life on the Street role as Gwen Munch, the ex-wife of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) in the June 2nd season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode will also feature Nick Stahl (Carnivale), who will play Peter Harrison, an artist turned killer who has set his sights on one of the SVU team after he succumbs to mental illness and Kane's Gwen will have to help her ex-husband track him down. (via press release)

RelativityReal, the reality/alternative arm of Relativity Media, has signed a three-year overall deal with Wilmer Valderrama, under which he will create, develop, and executive produce series for both broadcast and cable networks. Valderrama is currently developing a half-hour telenovela Brooklyn Sound at MTV. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Buffy" Feature Sans Whedon, Tennant to Appear on "Sarah Jane Adventures," Sarah Chalke Uncertain about "Scrubs" Return, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Could Buffy be heading back to the big screen... sans Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or any of the supporting talents that made the franchise a success? Sadly, yes, in what appears to be shaping up as one of the worst ideas of the year. Executive producers Fran and Kaz Kuzui, along with Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison are said to be developing a reboot of the Buffy franchise. (Fran Rubel Kuzui directed the original Buffy feature.) However, said project would not involve characters like Willow, Xander, Angel, or Spike (or, indeed any of the above elements) and would instead focus on a new slayer and would kick off a new franchise. The producers are currently meeting with writers and have not reached out to Joss Whedon about any involvement with the project. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Tennant will star opposite Elisabeth Sladen in two upcoming episodes of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures's third season. Reprising his role as the Doctor, Tennant will not just cameo but will play a leading role in a two-part episode when the series returns for its third season in September. "Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat," said executive producer Russell T. Davies. "And it's not just a cameo from David – this is a full-on appearance for The Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever." (BBC)

Sarah Chalke still hasn't made up her mind about whether she will reprise her role as Elliot on Season Nine of Scrubs, recently ordered by ABC. "I actually don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I will very soon. You guys will be the first to know. Regardless, I'm excited that the show got picked up again and it's going to go another year," Chalke, who stars in Lifetime's upcoming mini-series Maneater, told E! Online. ""I think the setup on Maneater kinds of lends itself to [an ongoing series] because you've got the close group of girlfriends, sort of a Sex and the City." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment have partnered to develop an unscripted series based on Twitter. Details are scarce but the project--to be executive produced by Amy Ephron, Kevin Foxe, Steve Latham, Mark Koops, Howard Owens, Jon Liebman, and Lee Kernis--is described as "putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format." (Variety)

Now that the dust has cleared after the network upfronts, it's clear who the real winner is this development season: studio Warner Bros. Television, who managed to sell a new series or have one renewed on every single broadcast network. Besides for NBC's Chuck, which got an eleventh hour renewal, the studio is behind such series as ABC’s Eastwick, Hank, The Forgotten, The Middle and V, Miami Trauma, Cold Case, and There Goes the Neighborhood at CBS, FOX’s Human Target and Past Life, and The CW’s Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life and Parental Discretion Advised, which will be co-produced with CBS Television Studios. "This season, it’s been very challenging," said WBTV President Peter Roth about the struggles the studio faced this year. "One network has five fewer hours of shelf space. The changing economic environment challenged every company. We are facing, most especially, the imperative to put on undeniable, can’t-miss, have-to-watch TV. It’s been a challenging year, perhaps more so than other years. I feel satisfied at least in terms of having been given our opportunities, a chance to get on the air with product I really believe in. The real test will be how many of these can be true long-term hits." (Broadcasting & Cable)

Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed takes a look at some of the timeslot competition this fall, rating such competitors as ABC's Desperate Housewives and CBS' Three Rivers, Fringe against Grey's Anatomy and CSI, Southland against Medium, Dollhouse, and Ugly Betty, and Flash Forward vs. Survivor, Bones, and NBC's comedies. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Season Two of Merlin, which is set to air on BBC One this fall, will feature guest stars such as Mackenzie Crook (The Office), Sarah Parish (Mistresses), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Charles Dance (Bleak House), and Santiago Cabrera (Heroes). The series, which will air its first season Stateside on NBC this summer, stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, and John Hurt. (BBC)

Former USA executive Lindsay Sloane has been named FOX's co-head of drama programming, where she will oversee the department with Terence Carter and report to Matt Cherniss. Sloane replaces Rachel Bendavid, who is leaving the network. "We've established the ideal team to lead the next generation of drama development at FOX," said Matt Cherniss, who called Sloane a "gifted scripted series development executive." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Orders Six Scripts for "Bones," Rob Thomas Not Optimistic About "Veronica Mars" Movie, "Scrubs" Return Possible, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

FOX inched its way closer to renewing drama Bones yesterday, ordering six scripts for the Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz-led series. While it's not a firm renewal yet for Bones, the script order does point favorably towards FOX picking up the series, which has improved the network's Thursday night timeslot by 43 percent since the series relocated there in January and has bested ABC's Ugly Betty and NBC's My Name is Earl. (TV Week)

Some bad news for Veronica Mars fans: don't hold your breath waiting for the feature film spin-off of the much missed sleuthing series. Creator Rob Thomas told The New York Post that a greenlight isn't looking likely, though he'll "drop whatever" he's doing in order to make it happen should it materialize. "While the pitch [to producer Joel Silver] went well and I don't think the movie's dead, right now it's looking depressing," said Thomas. "I think honestly if we would have had the pitch ready a year earlier, it would be a go project. The hope that we would get a quick greenlight didn't materialize. This is the least optimistic I've felt in a while." Fans curious to know some details about the potential Veronica Mars can take heart, however: "If we were going to do a movie, I would want to put Wallace and Logan and Mac and Weevil in it," said Thomas. "We would have picked up just prior to Veronica's graduation, it would have been the college years." (New York Post's Popwrap)

Former Monk co-star Bitty Schram has signed a deal that will have her reprise her role as Sharona in an upcoming episode on the eighth and final season of USA's Monk, according to Michael Ausiello. "We couldn't think of a better way to help wrap up the series than with the return of Bitty's character," said series star Tony Shalhoub. "Bringing some closure to Sharona is long overdue." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Could ABC renew Scrubs after all? It's looking possible, according to Zap2it's Korbi Ghosh, who has heard from several sources at the network that Steve McPherson indicated to series creator Bill Lawrence that he would be "happy to bring the show back for season nine. The only requirement? Zach Braff would have to do a handful of episodes. Seems the eight-year-old show is reeling in a nice young, male demo that doesn't normally watch ABC and that makes McPherson smiley." (Zap2it's Korbi TV)

Scott Caan (Ocean's Thirteen) has landed the lead role in FOX comedy pilot Cop House (also cast: Curtiss I'Cook); Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) has joined the cast of NBC drama pilot Mercy; Josh Charles (In Treatment) will star in CBS drama pilot The Good Wife; Tom Riley (Lost in Austen) has joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot No Heroics; and Catherine Dent (The Shield) has joined the ensemble cast of NBC drama pilot Day One. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Colin Egglesfield (All My Children) and Stephanie Jacobsen (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) have been cast in CW's revival of Melrose Place. Egglesfield will Auggie, a sous chef who dreams of owning his own restaurant and is an avid surfer, while Jacobsen will play Lauren, a UCLA med student who is living a double life as a high-end call girl. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO hasn't quite greenlit film The Special Relationship, about the unusual and sometimes fractuous relationship between President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair but the pieces are coming into place on the Peter Morgan-scripted drama. Dennis Quaid has signed on to star as President Clinton, with Michael Sheen once again reprising his role British Prime Minister Tony Blair (which he's played twice now in The Queen and The Deal), and Julianne Moore playing First Lady Hillary Clinton. Peter Morgan, who wrote the screenplay, is expected to direct what will likely be a co-production between HBO and BBC. (Variety)

ABC has stopped soliciting viewers for ideas for its new comedy series In the Motherhood, which launches tonight, after the WGA had an issue with the network's call for ideas, which are "not permissible" under the terms of the guild's deal with ABC. (Editor's note: I'm quoted in the article!) (New York Times)

USA is said to be extremely close to giving drama White Collar, starring Matthew Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen, Marsha Thomason, and Willie Garson, a series order. Move would mark the second pickup for USA this year, following the eleven-episode order for Royal Pains. (Hollywood Reporter)

George Lopez will host an untitled nightly talk show for TBS beginning in November. The hour-long series, which will feature celebrity guests and musical performances, will run Mondays through Thursdays and the cabler has ordered 34 episodes for the Warner Horizon and Telepictures-produced series. (Variety)

TLC has given a series order to docusoap Cake Boss that follows the Valastro family as they run Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, which has designed cakes for celebrities such as Britney Spears and television series like The Sopranos. The cabler will air the pilot episode on April 19th, with the series set to debut in early June. (Hollywood Reporter)

Hallmark Channel has announced an aggressive slate of 35 original made-for-television movies for the 2009-10 season, all of which will debut in the Saturday 9-11 pm timeslot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Good Grief: Michael Cera Signs on to "Arrested Development" Film

Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one actor who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's Arrested Development.

Yep, Michael Cera has finally signed on to the big screen version of Arrested Development, according to E! Online's Watch with Kristin, and will reprise his role as George Michael Bluth. (Not to be confused with the singer-songwriter.)

E! Online is reporting that cast holdout Cera will join Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Jeffrey Tambor, and David Cross in the feature version of Arrested Development, which is reportedly going to be written by series creator Mitch Hurwitz and directed by Ron Howard.

Looking for details about a potential storyline for the Arrested film? You're sadly out of luck. Hurwitz, Howard, and the cast are said to be extremely tight-lipped about any plot points for the feature film, which will be produced by Fox Searchlight and may be filmed as early as this year.

What do you think of the news? Are you thrilled that Cera signed on? And are you ecstatic about the news that the Bluths will reunite for a feature film? Discuss.

Stay tuned.

All This Has Happened Before: Universal Developing "Battlestar Galactica" Feature with Glen A. Larson

I am really, really disheartened by the recent news that Universal is developing a feature film version of Battlestar Galactica.

What's that you say? Shouldn't I be chuffed that Battlestar Galactica is heading to the big screen? Well, I would be if the version of BSG that was being developed as a feature was the current Sci Fi drama (which wraps its final season next month), executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, rather than the original, less dark 1970s version created by Glen A. Larson (Magnum, P.I.). (You know, the one in which Starbuck was a, well, man.)

And yet that's just what Universal is doing. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Universal has "quietly entered into negotiations with Glen A. Larson to write and produce a big-screen version of the property he created."

The original Battlestar Galactica series shares a similar premise with the current series: the human race, existing in a settlement of Twelve Colonies, is all but wiped out by an attack from robotic Cylons and embark on a quest to find a new home on Earth.

Of course, Moore and Eick updated this concept and gave it the feel of post-9/11 zeitgeist. Their Battlestar Galactica was a much darker and morally complex entity than the original inspiration and they layered the tale of human survival through the elaborate use of extended metaphors for the war in Iraq, Guantanamo, the use of torture, sleeper agents, religious extremism, free will, and the fear of the Other. They also introduced the notion of the humanoid Cylon models ("skinjobs") who looked like humans (and had infiltrated the human governmental structure) but were cut from the same robotic cloth as their Centurion brethren.

This feature film version of Battlestar Galactica would have zero influence from the award- winning Sci Fi series overseen by Moore and Eick: "The movie effort would have no connection to the series and would relaunch the story in a new medium," writes the Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit. "However, staples such as the characters Adama, Starbuck, and Baltar will remain."

Which leads me to question: why?

With Battlestar Galactica coming to an end in March, why would Universal seek to relaunch the franchise as a feature film but with different actors replacing Edward James Olmos, Katee Sackhoff, and James Callis... and a very different approach to the underlying material that has brought in a new legion of fans to the BSG mythos?

I understand that many fans of the original 1970s series were upset by some of the changes that Eick and Moore made, such as transforming Starbuck into a female character played by Sackhoff and making the franchise a very different beast, tonally, than it was originally. I wasn't a fan of the original series but I found Moore and Eick's reinvention of the franchise to be compelling, engaging, and wholly modern.

But to seemingly reboot Battlestar Galactica with Larson writing a new take on his original 1978 series seems to undo all of the successes of the current BSG series, which held up a dark mirror to our own society. My worry is that such a move will only dilute the Battlestar Galactica brand itself by offering up a throwback to a series that was a distinct indicator of its own time, just as Moore and Eick's Battlestar is a product of the post-9/11 era.

So where does that leave us? Moore and Eick's Battlestar Galactica is wrapping up next month and Sci Fi is readying another direct-to-DVD/telepic movie event based on the franchise entitled "The Plan," written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos; it's going to be set in the past so don't look for "The Plan" to reveal any further developments not covered in the series finale.

Is it that Universal wishes to play in the Battlestar sandbox but doesn't want to disturb the ending that Moore and Eick have established for the series? Or that they want to keep the franchise alive, even if it means offering up a take on the series that's a throwback to an earlier era?

At the end of the day, however, which version will fans spark to? Will they be willing to shell out money to see a film that features actors other than the ones they've grown accustomed to seeing in these roles? That's the real question, as audiences, even those obsessed with Cylons and Viper pilots, vote with their wallets.

What do you think of the news? Would you be interested in seeing a feature film based on Battlestar Galactica written by Glen A. Larson? Or does this news make you as unhappy as Laura Roslin facing down mutineers aboard Galactica? Discuss.

"Bruno" Sashays to Universal to the Tune of $42.5 Million

Universal has reportedly pay $42.5 million to win the heated bidding war for worldwide rights to Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to Borat, which opens Friday.

According to reports, Universal's price (which could have bought the entirety of Staines, Ali G's hometown) managed to edge out competition from other interested studios including Dreamworks, Sony, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox, and will cover the film's estimated budget, said to be in the range of $20-25 million.

For those of you not familiar with Bruno, he's another character played by the uber-talented Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show): a flamboyant Austrian fashionista/reporter who jet sets between the runway shows of New York (watch out, Tim Gunn), the nightclubs of Miami (that goes for you too, Uli) and, um, the American Deep South, usually annoying the hell out of anyone he meets and managing to nearly get himself killed. The film, like its predecessor Borat, will showcase the Bruno character, who was introduced on HBO and Channel 4's Da Ali G Show.

It's extremely disconcerting that Universal would pony out this kind of dosh, given that Cohen's Borat doesn't even open theatrically until this week. (Sidebar: I attended a screening of Borat last week and have to say that for the first 3/4 of the film, my face hurt from laughing so much, but in the end it does go way too far overboard and ends up collapsing on itself with a painfully extended sequence. You'll know which one I mean when you see it.)

I worry for the fate such an expensive endeavor, especially when Bruno is a feature adaptation of an even more culty TV series character than Borat that is light-years away from attaining the kind of awareness that the Kazahk reporter had. Especially since 20th Century Fox, which is distributing Borat, scaled back that very theatrical release to a mere 800 screens, due to concerns that "the movie wasn't registering high enough in awareness tracking," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Ouch. Or, as Bruno himself might say, "Ich don't think so."

Has Universal made a shrewd investment in a future mega-hit... or overpaid for what will be a whimper instead of a bang? Only time will tell. In the mean time, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan hits theatres nationwide this Friday.