Channel Surfing: NBC Passes on "Legally Mad" and (Allegedly) "Lost & Found," "Dollhouse" Bonus Ep Gets Comic-Con Screening, Michael Emerson, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

NBC has confirmed that they have passed on David E. Kelley's legal drama Legally Mad, which will not be going to series. Project, which starred Charity Wakefield, Hugh Bonneville, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Seda, Loretta Devine, and Kurt Fuller as the denizens of a quirky Chicago law firm, has a rather hefty multi-million dollar penalty against it, which NBC will have to pay out to Warner Bros. Television after making a series commitment to the project last year. It's not anticipated that the studio will shop the project to other outlets. In other pilot news, ABC comedy pilot Let It Go (a.k.a. The Bridget Show), starring Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), is now believed to be "dead." (Variety)

The Peacock is also said to have killed procedural drama Lost & Found, which starred Katee Sackhoff and Brian Cox. There were rumors that the Universal Media Studios-produced pilot was being shopped to USA but The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva says "that is considered a longshot." Meanwhile, NBC comedy pilot Off Duty is said to be undergoing some retooling and could still remain in contention while ABC screened pilots V and Limelight to some rather mixed reviews yesterday, with V still in the mix for a possible order. (Hollywood Reporter)

The so-called bonus episode of FOX drama Dollhouse, entitled "Epitaph One," will be screened at July's Comic-Con International in San Diego. The episode, which features guest star Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog), is said to be set in the future and will also feature the core series cast. Day will play a freedom fighter battling the tyrrany of the Dollhouse in the "gothic horror" tinged installment, which is described as "mythology heavy and an essential watch for fans of the series." (End of Show)

The Onion A.V. Club talks to Lost's Michael Emerson about playing Benjamin Linus on the ABC drama and what he thinks about Ben being labeled as a villain. "I think it’s interesting that I make these best-villain lists when it’s not even clear that I am a bad guy," said Emerson. "I think it’s something in the playing of the part. I think it worries people when they can’t get a handle on a character. I tend to play him kind of ambiguously. There is a sinister quality to him, but I think the verdict is still out about what his position is on the scale of good and evil. To a large extent, people’s interest in the character is the mystery of the character." (The Onion A.V. Club)

Kevin Costner and Armyan Bernstein are developing an untitled four-hour Western mini-series at A&E, which Costner will executive produce and may direct; it's also possible that he could appear in front of the camera as well, depending on the script. Project will focus on a post-Civil War era "major conflict in the settlement of the West." (Hollywood Reporter)

In other A&E news, the cabler has ordered a pilot for Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama Cooler Kings about a former cop in Honolulu who is out for revenge after the death of his girlfriend and becomes the member of a group of enigmatic gumshoes called the Cooler Kings, whose mission is to fight the "seedy side of Paradise." Project, originally developed at FOX, is written by Tristan Patterson and comes from Bruckheimer TV and Warner Horizon. If ordered to series, Cooler Kings would likely boy in spring or summer 2010. (Variety)

Joss Stone has signed on to reprise her role as Anne of Cleves, one-time wife to Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) in the fourth and final season of Showtime's The Tudors. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has pulled animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up from the schedule with one installment remaining from its initial order. It's not expected that the series will return next season. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some details about Season Four of NBC's Heroes, vis-a-vis some casting info about a number of roles that seem to place the action next season at some sort of traveling circus, making many--including Ausiello--draw comparisons to HBO's short-lived supernatural drama series Carnivale. Producers are said to be on the look out for a knife-thrower, a twenty-something tattooed woman, and "a middle-aged Eddie Izzard type to play the Carnival Barker, a smooth operator with a wicked wit." Other roles up for grabs include Claire's "quirky college roommate" and a partner/mentor for Matt Parkman. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jimmy Kimmel Live co-creator Daniel Kellison has been hired as the new executive producer on The Bonnie Huny Show. He'll take his spot on the second season of the daytime syndicated talk show when it returns this fall, working alongside Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, and Jim Paratore. Kellison's company Jackhole Industries, which he runs with Kimmel and Adam Carolla, will continue to produce Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Variety)

Nickelodeon has handed out a series order to action/adventure comedy The Troop, ordering 26 episodes about three teenagers (Nick Purcell, Gage Golightly, David Del Rio) who battle monsters after school. The series, from executive producer Tommy Lynch and showrunner Jay Kogen, is expected to launch this fall. It was created by Greg Coolidge, Chris Morgan, and Max Burnett. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fremantle has hired former Sci Fi executive Tony Optican, who was responsible for developing Eureka, Tin Man, and Stargate: Atlantis, to oversee its scripted programming development and also sell the company's UK scripted formats into the US. He'll report to Eugene Young, Fremantle's chief creative officer, and will be based in LA. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Caprica" DVD Takes Off in March, Pay Raise for "Burn" Star, CW Takes Bite Out of "Vampire Diaries," Pilot News, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

It looks like Caprica will be heading to our screens sooner than we originally thought... or the two-hour backdoor pilot will be, anyway. Sci Fi Channel announced that it will make Caprica's pilot available as a limited-edition DVD on April 21st with an uncut and unrated version, ahead of the series' 2010 broadcast launch. Additionally, the film will be available for digital download at select online destinations. (Having already seen the pilot, I can say that it will definitely please BSG fans while also offering a glimpse into a series that's vastly different than anything we've seen so far on Battlestar Galactica.)

"Ever since fans first caught wind of the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, they have been eagerly following its development," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "We wanted to give them a chance to see the pilot in its original form and experience the prequel to the BSG story while that series' finale was still ringing in their ears. It also affords the creative team an unprecedented chance to get viewers feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer." (via press release)

Jeffrey Donovan, the star of USA's Burn Notice, has renegotiated his contract with Fox Television Studios and secured a pay increase that sees his per-episode fee rise from $55,000 to $150,000. The cost of the increase will be shared between cabler USA and FTVS. (Hollywood Reporter)

CW has ordered a pilot for vampire drama Vampire Diaries, based on the Alloy series of books about a young woman who is caught between two vampire brothers--one good, the other evil--who are battleing for the souls of everyone in their small town. Project, from Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. TV, will be written and executive produced by Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek, Hidden Palms) and Julie Plec. Also on tap at the CW: political drama The Body Politic, about a group of young staffers working for a Washington-based senator. That project, from CBS Paramount Network Television, will be written by Jason Rothenberg and Bill Robinson and executive produced by Peter Horton. (Variety)

The untitled Gossip Girl spin-off has cast Krysten Ritter (Veronica Mars, Breaking Bad) in the pivotal role as Lily's troubled older sister Carol. "Described as sweet but a bit of a disaster, Carol is an actress who's constantly making bad decisions in life and work," says Michael Ausiello. "Lily ends up moving in with Carol after a falling out with mom and dad." Producers Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz are still casting the role of young Lily in the 1980s-set spin-off, which is expected to air as an episode of Gossip Girl on May 11th. (Entetainmetn Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has handed out a pilot order to multi-camera comedy Big D, about a couple from New York who move to the husband's Dallas hometown, where his Southern belle mother makes life very difficult for his wife. Project, from Warner Bros. TV, is written and executive produced by Jackie Filgo and Jeff Filgo. (Hollywood Reporter)

Loretta Devine has been cast in David E. Kelley's NBC dramedy pilot Legally Mad, where she will play Jeanette, a lawyer at the firm who is always teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Already cast in the pilot: Hugh Bonneville, Charity Wakefield, Kristin Chenoweth, Kurt Fuller, and Jon Seda. (Hollywood Reporter)

SCI FI Wire has a brief interview with Dollhouse star Dichen Lachman, in which she talks about the series' Sierra, engagements, and blank slates. (SCI FI Wire)

Christina Wayne, AMC's SVP of Scripted Series, has departed the network, effective immediately. No explanation was given as to the reason behind her departure nor where she will go next, though it's been rumored she will take a position at pay cabler Starz. (Televisionary)

NBC has pulled the plug on Sony-produced drama pilot Lost in the '80s, citing creative differences between the network's new management and the studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

Peter Bart and Peter Guber, hosts of AMC's Sunday morning series Shootout, will host a series of specials called StoryMakers, in which the duo will gather together top actors to discuss current entertainment topics. The first special is set to air February 18th at 8 pm. (Variety)

Trends to keep an eye on this development season: cops, docs, and lawyers, while serialized and complex stories are said to be out, according to Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. (How then to explain high-profile pilots like V, Day One, Happy Town, Unt. Jason Horwitch, Masterwork, etc.?) "Fox's freshman crime procedural dramas "Fringe" and "Lie to Me" also have performed well, further suggesting to networks that re-embracing traditional self-contained mysteries is the way to go," says Hibberd. "Nowhere is this trend more evident than at NBC, whose pilots include three crime dramas, two medical series and a lawyer show." (Hollywood Reporter)

Cheyenne Jackson (Life on Mars) will guest star on ABC's Ugly Betty, where he will play a gay dad in an upcoming storyline. (Variety)

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied SAG's request for an injunction to remove ousted chief negotiator Doug Allen. The move, spearheaded by SAG president Alan Rosenberg, led to the delay of the first talks between SAG and the AMPTP in over two months. Given the legal resolution, talks are expected once more to resume between the guild and the studios. (Hollywood Reporter)

ITV Studios and Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine have formed a co-production venture under which they will develop pilots for ITV and international outlets but not for other UK-based television networks. Move marks the first deal of its kind in the UK. (Variety)

Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) will host syndicated lifestyle series Life for Dummies, being developed by production company A. Smith and Co. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: First Look at Dominic Monaghan on "Chuck," Glover Gunning for "Earl," FOX Orders Pilots, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to get through on this unprecedented and hopeful inauguration day.

TV Week's Blink has a sneak peek video at Chuck's February 3rd episode which features Lost's Dominic Monaghan playing eyeliner-wearing rocker Tyler Martin, a character rather similar to the drugged-up faded rock star he played on ABC's Lost... though Charlie never mistook an apartment complex fountain for a urinal. (TV Week's Blink)

Danny Glover (Brothers & Sisters) will guest star later this season on NBC comedy My Name is Earl, where he will play Crab Man's lost-lost father Thomas in a storyline that reveals why Darnell has been in hiding all of these years. (TV Guide)

Smallville showrunners Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin are said to be in talks with CW brass about overseeing the pilot remake of Melrose Place, following the departure of One Tree Hill executive producer Mark Schwahn from the project when CBS Paramount Network Television couldn't close a deal with Schwahn due to his commitment to Warner Bros., the studio behind One Tree Hill. Should Smallville be renewed for a ninth season, it's thought that Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson would take over showrunning duties on the series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has ordered four comedy pilots and three drama pilots, in addition to the orders already handed out for comedy Boldly Going Nowhere (which is being redeveloped and reshot) and Kevin Falls drama Eva Adams. The new pilot pickups include: Walorsky, comedy about a former cop who now oversees a Buffalo shopping mall and is paired with a rookie partner from writer/executive producers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, EXPs Ravi Nandan and Scot Armstrong, and 20th Century Fox Television; Sons of Tucson, comedy from writer/executive producers Tommy Dewey and Greg Bratman and 20th Century Fox Television, about a con man hired by three brothers to pretend to be their father; Mike Binder's comedy Two Dollar Beer, about a Detroit couple and their friends and family; and comedy The Station, from writer/executive producer Kevin Napier and EXPs Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, and Jeremy Kramer, about a "covert CIA office in South America, where the team must install a new dictator." On the drama side, there's Human Target, from McG and Warner Bros. Television, based on a DC comic about a shady security expert who goes undercover to protect clients; medical drama Maggie Hill, from writer/executive producer Ian Biederman, EXPs Brian Grazer and David Nevins, 20th Century Fox TV, and Imagine, about a female cardiac surgeon battling schizophrenia; and an untitled reincarnation drama from writer/EXP David Hudgins about investigators who attempt to resolve clients' current problems by solving mysteries from their previous lives. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Kurt Fuller (Desperate Housewives) has been cast in NBC legal dramedy pilot Legally Mad, opposite Charity Wakefield, Hugh Bonneville, and Kristin Chenoweth. Fuller will play Lou Peable, an attorney at the family-run law firm who is undergoing a mid-life crisis. He'll also appear in a three-episode story arc on CW's Supernatural, where he will play an exec with "supernatural authority." (Hollywood Reporter)

Sci Fi will bid good-bye to Battlestar Galactica on March 20th with a two-hour finale; prior to the event, the cabler will air a Battlestar Galactica Finale Special on March 16th at 10 pm, which will be repeated (along with the prior episode and the two-hour series finale) as a four-hour event on March 20th. The cabler will launch WCG Ultimate Gamer (formerly known as GameQuest) on March 10th, the fifth season of Ghost Hunters on March 11th, and Stargate: Ark of Truth on March 27th. (Futon Critic)

Assaf Cohen (Flightplan) has been cast in USA's 90-minute drama pilot Operating Instructions, where he will play "eager staff anesthesiologist Eli Funston, who alternately is frustrated by and in awe of Rachel (Emily Rose)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Doctor Who" Lands Smith and Circles Allen, Wakefield and Seda Declared "Legally Mad," "Royal Pains" at USA, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. While everyone seems to be returning to work today (darn the end of holidays!), I'm still drowning in a pile of screeners and scripts, but c'est la vie.

The big news this weekend, of course, was the announcement that 26-year-old Matt Smith (Ruby in the Smoke) would assume the mantle of the Eleventh Doctor in BBC's Doctor Who, replacing outbound series lead David Tennant, who will depart the series after appearing in four specials in 2009. (Televisionary)

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph has profiled Smith in an in-depth piece which ran today. Among the more interesting points: "Smith comes to the role without Tennant's in-depth knowledge of the series and describes the next six months as a "time to build this Time Lord…to learn the history of the show", which should give his interpretation freshness. His Doctor may also be boyishly mischievous – he spoke with relish of "the sense of mischief" he got when he knew he'd be the Doctor. He also spoke of the show's "magic". Smith is of the Harry Potter generation and so his Doctor Who may be full of the sense of myth and mystery found in the tales of the boy wizard – one quality that Tennant's Doctor maybe lacks." Hmmm.... (The Daily Telegraph)

In other Doctor Who-released news, Lily Allen is once again rumored to be in contention for the role of the Doctor's latest companion. Allen, who made headlines in 2007 when she was linked to the potential role (which was later filled by Catherine Tate), is said to be the "favorite" to take on the part, though Rachel Stevens and Kelly Brook are also under consideration.

However, the singer hasn't actually auditioned for the role. "Having got the casting of The Doctor out of the way, the companion role is where we will be looking next," said Doctor Who executive producer Piers Wenger. "Someone terribly exciting like Billie Piper, who was at the beginning of her acting career but who had a profile for other reasons, would be great. We are looking for someone whose light can burn brightly. We would never cast anyone on the basis of their celebrity, but if Lily wanted to audition we would be delighted. It would be a lot of fun." (Digital Spy)

USA has ordered eleven episodes (in addition to the two-hour pilot) for medical dramedy Royal Pains, starring Mark Feuerstein as an on-call doctor to the Hamptons set. Series is being thought of as a possible timeslot companion for the off-network repeats of House. (Hollywood Reporter)

Michelle Trachtenberg's Georgina is set to return to the CW's Gossip Girl in a multiple-episode story arc during the latter part of the second season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

British actress Charity Wakefield (Sense and Sensibility) and Jon Seda (Homicide) have been cast to star opposite previously announced Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) in David E. Kelley's new NBC legal drama pilot Legally Mad. Wakefield will play the series' lead, Brady Hamm, a twenty-something attorney who is holding together her father's crumbling law firm and is utterly devoted to her batty father. Seda will play Joe Matty, an argumentative attorney prone to picking fights (sometimes physical ones) with everyone. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley will join the cast of CW's Privileged as the editor-in-chief of a magazine where Megan and Will are both vying for a position. His first appearance is set for the second to last episode of this season. (TV Guide)

Bill Lawrence talks about the possible series finale of Scrubs--now on ABC--that's planned for later this season, why it's strange to see promos for the long-ignored series, and the possibility of the series continuing on without him or lead Zach Braff. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

BBC One has acquired Season Two of FX's legal thriller Damages and will launch the sophomore season in February. (BBC)

Speaking of Damages, William Hurt--who joins the legal thriller in its sophomore season, kicking off on Wednesday evening--talks to The New York Times about his decision to do television, working with Glenn Close, whether Daniel Purcell will be sticking around for a third season, and how he wishes that, as an actor, he was a "repertory ensemble guy." (The New York Times)

The Los Angeles Times has criticized Shonda Rhimes' ABC series Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, saying that the former "struggles with implausible plots and diminishing characters" and is now "floundering in its fifth season." They claim that perhaps Rhimes is "stretched too thin" and are quick to note that "[i]n truth, the show lost its mooring two years ago, after Meredith's near-death by drowning, but this season has been dizzying, careening like a pinball from one unlikely plot turn to the next, and the continued degradation of characters who, for years, had been etched with careful precision." (The Los Angeles Times)

Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd takes a look at the ratings showdowns slated for later this season, including ABC's Lost versus FOX's Lie to Me versus CBS' Criminal Minds. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Daily Telegraph has a fantastic interview with Gavin & Stacey co-creator/star James Corden about what 2009 holds for him. Of the much beloved series, Corden says that the charm comes from "finding the extraordinary in the ordinary." I couldn't agree more. (The Daily Telegraph)

SAG national executive director Doug Allen has justified a strike in the latest letter sent to members on Friday, in which he argues that a strike authorization is justified even in times of economic crisis. “There is no good time to consider a strike,” said Allen. “Strikes are called only when management’s bargaining positions are intolerable and then only by a vote of the elected actors on the national board, if authorized by a membership referendum. But, tough economic times are when it is most necessary to be unified to resist the studios and networks effort to obliterate contract provisions in our future work.” (Variety)

Marla Sokoloff, Marion Ross, and Christina Pickles will star in wedding-themed telepic Flower Girl for Hallmark Channel. The telepic, written by Marjorie Sweeney and directed by Bradford May, will air in late 2009. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Chenoweth Gets "Mad" for David E. Kelley, HBO Orders Two Comedy Series, "Office" Stars Moonlight on Pilot Scripts, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I spent last night watching the first three brilliant episodes of HBO's Big Love, kicking off next month, and was up all night thinking about the series. At least the weekend's finally here, right?

Pushing Daisies' Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as the female lead in David E. Kelley's new NBC legal drama, Legally Mad, from Warner Bros. TV. Chenoweth will play Skippy Pylon, a brilliant lawyer who is often mistaken for being a teenager who goes to work at her father's firm; Skippy is "relentlessly cheerful" but suffers occasional bouts of psychosis. "I could only picture Kristin playing this role," said Kelley. "I've wanted to work with her for a long time and can't wait to reveal her as someone who's completely mad." It's a perfect part for Cheno (I'll be reading the pilot script this weekend) and I'm happy to see her land on her feet after the cancellation of Pushing Daisies. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO ordered two comedy series late yesterday: Bored to Death, which stars Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, and Zach Galifianakis, and How to Make It in America, starring Bryan Greenberg, Victor Rasuk, and Shannyn Sossamon. Both series were given eight-episode orders. Bored to Death, from creator/executive producer Jonathan Ames, follows the life of an alcoholic (Schwartzman) who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, decides to be more like the heroes of his favorite Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett novels and open a detective agency. How to Make It in America, from executive producers Stephen Levinson and Mark Walberg, writer Ian Edelman, and director Julian Farino, charts the lives of two 20-somethings who hustle their way through Manhattan in order to find the American dream. No word yet on the fate of HBO's other pilots, including Washingtonienne, Suburban Shootout, and Treme. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Office stars Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer have set up pilot scripts through Universal Media Studios. Wilson and Adam Braff will write and executive produce single-camera comedy Hump Tulips, about a lawyer who follows the woman he loves to a small Washington town. Jenna Fischer will serve as a non-writing executive producer on an untitled one-hour dramedy about a lumber salesman who becomes a private investigator. (Variety)

Cold Case creator/executive producer Meredith Stiehm will write the pilot for HBO drama pilot Cocaine Cowboys, about the early days of cocaine trafficking in Miami. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, is based on Billy Corben's 2006 documentary of the same name. (Hollywood Reporter)

In a ripped-from-the-headlines twist, FX and former The Shield star Michael Chiklis are developing House of Cards, a drama pilot about the operator of a Ponzi scheme. Chiklis will not appear in the project, should it be ordered, but will executive produce; he was inspired after he and his wife were the victims of a Ponzi scheme last year. (Variety)

Spike has ordered football-themed comedy pilot Blue Mountain State, about freshmen at a Midwestern college football powerhouse who must juggle classes, girls, football, and hazing. Project, from Lionsgate Television and Varsity Pictures, will be executive produced/directed by Brian Robbins and written by Chris Romano and Eric Falconer. Cast includes Ed Marinaro, Darin Brooks, Sam Jones III, Gabrielle Dennis, and Alan Ritchson. (Hollywood Reporter)

Daniel Eric Gold (Charlie Wilson's War) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's Ugly Betty, where he will play Matt, a new love interest for America Ferrara's Betty whom she meets at YETI. However, Matt allegedly is hiding a secret that will impact Betty's life in a major way. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

A slew of pilot-related castings: Charlie McDermott (Sex Drive) has joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot The Middle, about a middle-class Midwestern family, where he will play Axel, the oldest child; Desi Lydic (Pepper Dennis) will star in CBS comedy pilot The Karenskys, about an eccentric family, where she will play Bernadette, the sister of Sasha Alexander's Emily Atwood, who returns home after time away from her family; and Susan Ward (Sunset Beach) and Zachary Burr Abel (CSI) have joined the cast of ABC Family drama pilot Perfect 10. (Hollywood Reporter)

Russell T. Davies has suggested that Doctor Who's The Doctor could be played by a woman in the future. "I think the more it's talked about, the more likely it is to happen," said Davies, speaking at a press conference. His choices? Catherine Zeta Jones or Lesley Sharp. (Digital Spy)

GSN has ordered 40 episodes of a modern remake of classic reality dating series The Newlywed Game, from executive producer Michael Davies, Sony Pictures TV, and Embassy Row. Series will begin shooting in February in New York for a spring premiere on the cabler. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC America has acquired the third season of British culinary series Gordon Ramsay's F Word, which the digital cabler will launch on Wednesday, January 14th at 3 pm ET/PT. Scheduling marks a departure for the series, which typically aired in an early evening timeslot on Sundays. (via press release)

Stay tuned.