Channel Surfing: "True Blood" Finds Its Debbie Pelt, Emily Rose Heads to Syfy's "Haven," "Ugly Betty," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Brit Morgan (The Middleman) has been cast in Season Three of HBO's True Blood, where she has landed the pivotal role of Debbie Pelt, the "psycho ex-girlfriend of werewolf Alcide (Joe Manganiello)." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SPOILER! In other True Blood-related news, TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that an upcoming storyline will involve an Eric flashback to the year 900 A.D., where viewers will meet Eric's father, a Swedish Viking king named Ulfrick. Casting is currently underway for the role. (TV Guide Magazine)

Emily Rose (John From Cincinnati) has been cast as the lead in Syfy's supernatural series Haven, which is based on Stephen King's novella "The Colorado Kid." Rose will play FBI Agent Audrey Parker, who is sent to the titular Maine community in order to investigate a murder and finds herself caught up in a series of supernatural events. Project, from E1 Entertainment and Universal Networks International, is executive produced by Scott Shepard, Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern, along with writers Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Ugly Betty creator/executive producer Silvio Horta about the upcoming end of the ABC dramedy series. "The braces are coming off," Horta told Ausiello about an upcoming March episode in which Betty is sent on a metaphysical journey about what her life might have been like. "There’s a big fantasy element to it. We’ll ask the question, 'What if Betty had perfect teeth?'" Also coming up on the series: a new job opportunity for Betty, a wedding, the return of Wilhelmina's first love, and much more. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO is developing comedy series Tilda, about a "powerful female online showbiz journalist with a no-holds-barred style." [Editor: Hmmm, sound like anyone we know?] Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and Cynthia Mort (Tell Me You Love Me) are attached to write and executive produce the project, with Condon also attached to direct, should it be ordered the pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego is reporting that NBC is considering airing the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards telecast live across the country on August 29th. The move to end the tape-delay comes on the heels of NBC's decision last month to air the Golden Globes live in all timezones across the country. "According to sources, NBC is in the process of discussing a similar live Emmys scenario with affiliates," writes Grego. "Spokespeople for NBC and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which administers the top TV awards, declined to comment." (Broadcasting & Cable)

Syfy has acquired the basic cable rights to BBC's Merlin, the first season of which NBC aired last summer. Syfy will debut the fantasy series in April and will air the first two seasons of the series. "A viewer favorite after only one season, Merlin will be a strong addition to our schedule this spring," said Thomas Vitale, EVP of programming. "We expect its enthralling imaginative vision, engaging young talent, and rich production values to resonate with our audience." BBC, meanwhile, will launch the third season of Merlin in September in the UK. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting alert! Laura Prepon (That '70s Show) will star opposite Danny Wallace in ABC comedy pilot Awkward Situations for Men, where she will play Meg, the wife of British television personality Danny Wallace who moves to the US and who takes a job at a smoothie job with a boss (Matt Letscher) whom she shares a romantic past. Bret Harrison (Reaper) has landed the lead role in FOX's untitled Adam Goldberg single-camera comedy, where he will play a member of a team who crack computer security systems. Michael Kelly (The Sopranos) has been added to the cast of CBS' currently untitled Criminal Minds spinoff; he'll play a former gang member who joins a team of profilers. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Michelle Trachtenberg will return to Gossip Girl for the current season's final episode, while Gossip Girl's Connor Paolo is set to make a guest appearance on Trachtenberg's NBC medical drama Mercy. "I'm sure Georgina will be seeking vengeance," Trachtenberg told Dos Santos. "They haven't written it yet, but she was tricked and sent away, after all. And that li'l lady certainly doesn't like to be tricked." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC has given a pilot order to single-camera comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong about a female Republican political commentator. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, is written by Stephanie Weir (MadTV), who will executive produce alongside Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, and Mitch Hurwitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC America announced that it will premiere the second season of comedy The Inbetweeners on Wednesday, February 24th at 9:30 pm ET/PT, a week after the first season wraps its run. (via press release)

Fox Television Studios has signed a two-year first-look deal with documentary filmmaker RJ Cutler (The September Issue) under which he will develop scripted projects for broadcast and cable, a first for the director who has seen success on the small screen with such unscripted projects as 30 Days and American High. (Variety)

VH1 has ordered an untitled dramedy telepic about two twenty-something African-American women in Atlanta, one a wannabe fashion mogul, the other a former dancer. Project, from writer Stacy Littlejohn, is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Sha-Kim Compere, Maggie Malina, and Jeff Olde. The cabler is treating the telepic as a backdoor pilot; should it be successful, it could be ordered to series. (Variety)

Nickelodeon is developing an untitled comedy, from executive producers Joe Simpson and Tommy Lynch and writer Emily Cutler, that will be loosely based on Simpson's life, revolving around a psychologist raising two daughters in Texas. (Hollywood Reporter)

Telemundo executive Enrique Guillen has been moved to NBC, where he will take over as VP of alternative programming and production. NBC also promoted Nicole Silveira to manager of alternative series and specials. Both report to Paul Telegdy. (Variety)

Michael Grindon, Sony Pictures Television's head of international television, will leave the studio in March after a 24-year tenure. Move comes after much of his oversight was taken over by Steve Mosko in a corporate restructuring. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FX Renews "Sons of Anarchy," BBC Renews "Merlin," BBC America Sets "Doctor Who" Special, "True Blood" Lures Two, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

On the heels of Tuesday night's second season finale, FX has ordered a third season of Kurt Sutter's biker drama Sons of Anarchy, with thirteen episodes on order for September 2010. Additionally, the cabler has signed a two-year deal with Sutter that will keep him on board Sons of Anarchy as the showrunner/executive producer. "This has been a wonderful ride and we're just getting started," said Sutter in a statement. "I'm really proud of the work by our incredible cast and crew. The response this season from the fans and critics has been terrific and I can't wait to get back to the writer's room and start on season three." (via press release)

BBC One has commissioned a third season of Shine Television-produced medieval drama Merlin. "With its mix of magic, adventure and humour Merlin is perfect Saturday-evening family television, and we are thrilled that Shine Television will be creating a new series for BBC One," said Controller, Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson. "I'm looking forward to seeing what adventures our popular young wizard, and his friends in Camelot, will go on in series three." (BBC)

BBC America has announced that it will air Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part Two on Saturday, January 2, a day after the BBC One broadcast. Special marks David Tennant's final appearance as the Tenth Doctor. (via Twitter)

Two more actors have landed recurring roles on Season Three of HBO's True Blood. Theo Alexander (Chuck) will play Talbot, described as the "intensely beautiful" vampiric boyfriend of the Vampire King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare), while Grant Bowler (Ugly Betty) will play werewolf Coot, described as "the menacing ringleader of a biker gang." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

It's official: Comcast and GE have announced that they have reached a deal on NBC Universal, with Comcast controlling a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal in a joint venture with General Electric. Jeff Zucker will head up the new joint venture and will report to Steve Burke, Comcast's COO. Broadcasting & Cable's Claire Atkinson has a fantastic breakdown of the key elements of the transaction between the two entities. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Over at The Wrap, Josef Adalian has created an insightful and intelligent list of "Five Things Comcast Must Do to Save NBC," now that the deal between Comcast and General Electric has been officially closed, pending federal approval. "The once-proud Peacock in recent years has become the poster child for those who believe the network TV business model is just a few heartbeats from extinction," writes Adalian. "Before today's announcement, more than a few pundits wondered aloud whether you might simply chuck NBC altogether. But let's assume you're not ready to give up on the notion of broadcasting. Let's imagine you still think there's value in owning a brand with 70 years of history and entry into just about every home in America." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

HBO is developing drama project Honest, about a man who goes on the run, from writer/executive producer Eric Simonson (Hamlet) and executive producers Carolyn Strauss and Dan Halsted. (Variety)

Pilot casting alert! Abraham Benrubi, Celia Weston and DJ Qualls have been cast opposite Jason Lee in TNT drama pilot Delta Blues, from executive producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Weston will play the mother of Lee's cop/Elvis impersonator Dwight; Qualls will play Dwight's protege on the Memphis police force; Benrubi will play Sgt. J.C. Lightfoot, described as a "6-foot-5 Caucasian man with a braided ponytail who is only one-eighth Chickasaw but lives by his tribe's wisdom and dispenses sage quotations to the rest of the Memphis detectives." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Cougar Town co-creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence about the upcoming guest appearance by Courteney Cox's former Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow in the January 6th episode. "They didn’t want to play friends,” Lawrence told Ausiello. "She plays a dermatologist who is a horrible, horrible person, but [Cox] goes to her because she’s the best. The [sight] of them playing people who dislike each other intensely was very funny for me to watch." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has given a pilot order to an untitled sketch comedy series (which is also being referred to as Inside Jokes) from Merv Griffin Entertainment and executive producer Kevin Connolly (Entourage). Pilot, which is shooting this week, will be hosted by Cameron Bender and feature Mary Scheer, Jay Phillips, Carrie Wiita, Paul Schackman, and Lauren Rose Lewis. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has announced that it has renewed The Hills for a sixth season (despite plummeting ratings following the departure of Lauren Conrad) and The City for a second season. (Variety)

UK fans of True Blood are in luck as FX has picked up Season Two of HBO's vampire drama series and will launch the second season in February. (Digital Spy)

Kevin Pollak has been named the host of FOX's upcoming reality competition series Our Little Genius, which launches Wednesday, January 13th before moving to its regular timeslot of Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT the following week. "I've been a fan of Kevin Pollak's work for many years. His incredible humor, intelligence and quick wit are all perfect additions to an incredibly dynamic format," said executive producer Mark Burnett. "He instinctively knows when to add seriousness and when to add humor. I am so glad he has joined the Our Little Genius team." (via press release)

E1 Entertainment will join forces with Company Pictures co-produce the US version of British teen drama Skins, which has a pilot pickup at MTV. (Broadcast)

CBS Television Distribution has sold daytime talk show Swift Justice With Nancy Grace into daily syndication and has cleared the programming in nearly all 50 top markets. Series, which will be stripped as back-to-back half-hour installments, will debut in fall 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Investigation Discovery has renewed On the Case With Paula Zahn for a second season. (Variety)

NBC Universal Television business affairs executive Rick Olshansky has departed the company in a move said to be unrelated to the Comcast/GE deal, with Variety's Michael Schneider indicating that he is leaving "as much of his oversight has been taken over by NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios chairman Marc Graboff." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Bryan Fuller Leaves "Heroes" Again, Cross, Jonze, and Arnett Team Up, "Doctor Who," Justin Kirk Talks "Weeds," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller has left his position as consulting producer on NBC's Heroes, just a few months after he rejoined the writing staff of the NBC drama. The reason behind the departure: to focus on developing new series for the network (he has an overall deal with Universal Media Studios), rather than creative differences with Heroes creator Tim Kring. "I'm crafting two pilots right now and it's a lot of work," Fuller told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "It was just too hard to [juggle] Heroes and my development; something had to give." Meanwhile, Fuller told Ain't It Cool News' Herc, ""Development was really starting to heat up, And it appears like I may be writing multiple pilots for NBC so that wasn't leaving a ton of room for Heroes, unfortunately. We crafted some really great arcs for the season that I'm excited to see come to fruition. I love that cast dearly and am sad to go, but the plate -- she was over-flowing." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Ain't It Cool News)

Holy comedy legends: David Cross has written a comedy pilot entitled The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret for UK's Channel 4 with Extras' Shaun Pye that will star Arrested Development's Will Arnett, Being Human's Russell Tovey, and director Spike Jonze (who appeared on-screen in feature film Three Kings). The pilot, produced by RDF Media, is slated to air this winter. "I shot a pilot for Channel 4," Cross told The Los Angeles Times. And it’ll air, I believe, in December. When we picture-lock on Friday, it will be almost two years to the day that I was first approached by those guys. The cast is a crazy dream team." As for the plot, here's the official description from the RDF Media site: "American Todd Margaret (David Cross) bluffs his way into an apparently great job opportunity, heading up the sales team in his employer’s London office. All he has to do is sell several thousand energy drinks before his boss visits him in a week. Simple. Apart from the fact that he knows nothing about British culture and nothing about sales. This is further complicated when he lies continuously to cover his ignorance and spectacularly fails to impress Alice the first beautiful girl he meets. Dave his British co-worker, soon takes full advantage of Todd’s situation and chaos ensues." (Los Angeles Times, via /Film)

BBC has denied reports made by British paper The Mirror, which claimed that the channel would air an "all-Doctors reunion" installment of Doctor Who during this year's Children in Need charity campaign. According to The Mirror, David Tennant would reprise his role as the Doctor and call upon every other incarnation of his character (including Matt Smith's upcoming Eleventh Doctor) in order to help him retrieve a missing piece of Time Lord paraphernalia... and that William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee would also appear on the series via archival footage. (All three, who played the Doctor's first three incarnations are all deceased.) "Nothing has been finalised yet, although there is discussion of a Children in Need Doctor Who special," said a BBC spokesperson. "It is too early to say what." (Digital Spy)

Weeds' Justin Kirk dishes about Alanis Morrisette, Kate del Castillo, Andy's relationship with Nancy, and Jennifer Jason Leigh's Jill. And, oh, a familiar face from the past is set to return this season. (Hmmm.) "I don't know what's going to happen," said Kirk of Andy's relationship with Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker). "But I like exploring that world. I would like that relationship to go on. I think their relationship, whether it's consummated or not, remains to be seen. But it's one that is a lot of fun to do, and I like working with Mary-Louise, so I hope it goes on. Sometimes it's heartbreaking and sometimes it's funny." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

USA's Burn Notice will definitely be having a presence at this year's Comic-Con next month, according to The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan. Executive producer Mikkel Bondesen announced that Burn Notice would be hosting a panel next month via Twitter that will include creator Matt Nix, though Ryan says that the network has confirmed the panel but hasn't yet confirmed the date. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

VH1 has given a series order to RDF USA's docuseries The Price of Beauty, which will feature Jessica Simpson traveling the world "to meet every day women as well as some local pop culture icons" and "study local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes and even participate in some of the extreme practices she discovers." The series, which will begin shooting next month, is executive produced by Jessica Simpson, Joe Simpson, Chris Coelen, Claire O'Donohoe, Greg Goldman, Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, Alex Demyanenko, and Sean Boyle. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bravo's weekly topical, interactive series Watch What Happens: Live, hosted by Andy Cohen, will launch on Thursday, July 16th at midnight ET/PT. The series will feature Cohen talking to guests from Bravo's stable of series as well as celebrities from other areas of entertainment to "chat about what has transpired on-air and in pop culture that week for a live half-hour full of viewer interaction." The network also promises that viewers will be able to interact "via email, phone, video, Twitter and Facebook." Series is produced by Embassy Row and executive producer Michael Davies. (via press release)

NBC's launch of British acquisition Merlin reached an average of five million viewers on Sunday, less than that for the US Open golfing championship but more than those who tuned in for ABC's mini-series Impact, which only garnered 4.7 million viewers. (New York Times)

Despite the announcement that series stars Jon and Kate Gosselin will be divorcing, TLC has confirmed that docusoap Jon & Kate Plus 8 will continue. "The show must go on," said Kate Gosselin on camera. (Variety)

Actress Kathryn Hahn is said to be developing a pilot script at Sony Pictures Television with her husband, writer Ethan Sandler, which will be a potential starring vehicle for Hahn. Details about the script's plot are being kept firmly under wraps. (Hollywood Reporter)

Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, James Corden, John Hurt, and Tom Wilkinson will lend their voices to one-off animated Christmas special The Gruffalo, based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's children's book, which BBC One will air this winter. (BBC)

Former Dominant Pictures executive Ben Spector has been hired by Tollin Prods, as EVP of television, where he will develop scripted projects for the shingle, overseen by produced Mike Tollin. (Variety)

FOX has hired Ron Taylor as VP of diverse programming and content, where he will identify and develop scripts that contain diversity-based themes or are written by minorities, as well as advise producers of scripted projects at the network about how to "expand a diversity presence to those comedies and dramas." Taylor will report to Matt Cherniss. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Talk Back: NBC's "Merlin"

Talking dragons. Outlawed magic. Arrogant princes. Put-upon servants. Giles from Buffy. (Yes, I'm talking about Merlin.)

You've read my advance review of the first two episodes of Merlin, which aired last night on NBC, but I am curious to know, now that the initial installments have aired, what you thought of the fantasy drama series.

Were you drawn into the swords and sorcery world that Merlin sought to invoke while also imbuing with a hormone-laden teen drama? Did you think that the second episode was an improvement over the first? Did you find the alternately campy/cutesy tone too much to handle? Were you intrigued by the, uh, subtext in the relationship between Merlin and Arthur? Or put off by the vast changes to the well-known Arthurian legends?

And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week to watch again?

Talk back here.

Camelot in Crisis: An Advance Review of NBC's "Merlin"

I'll admit that I thought it odd that NBC would acquire period drama Merlin, which aired last year on BBC One in the UK, and slate it to air in primetime this summer.

After all, NBC isn't exactly known as a home for period drama, especially period fantasy drama, though given that Merlin is an acquired series, rather than a home-grown one, one can make a case that it's cost-effective programming in a notoriously difficult time of the year.

Still, I had the opportunity a few weeks back to watch Merlin's first two episodes ("The Dragon's Call" and "Valiant"), which are being aired back-to-back on Sunday evening, and I went into the series with an open mind.

Merlin stars Colin Morgan (Doctor Who) as a young and untrained Merlin who sent by his mother from their small village to the gleaming city of Camelot, where he is apprenticed to the court physician Gaius (One Foot in the Grave's Richard Wilson). However, Merlin has a secret: he is unwittingly able to yield magic (or something akin to telekinesis in any event) and this is a dangerous ability to have in a city where magic is strictly outlawed and its usage punishable by a swift death.

The first episode focuses on Merlin's arrival in Camelot, where he quickly makes an enemy out of the golden boy prince Arthur (Lewis' Bradley James), an egocentric and arrogant youth who enjoys torturing his servants for sport and whose own ethos is more along the lines of "might makes right" than the idealistic dreamer we know Arthur to grow up to be.

However, Merlin soon becomes firm friends with Gwen (The Visit's Angel Coulby), the handmaiden to Princess Morgana (The Tudors' Katie McGrath), whose tremulous presence at the execution of a man suspected of using witchcraft belie a secret of her own. Gwen herself is a boisterous, headstrong young woman, a bit rough and tumble, whose origins seem vastly at odds with her eventual ascension to the throne as Arthur's queen in the legends. Likewise, Merlin is summoned deep beneath the castle, where the last remaining dragon in existence (voiced by John Hurt) says that he has a destiny, one that is linked inexorably to magic.

Meanwhile, the mother of the executed man (played here by Torchwood's Eve Myles) seeks to exact her revenge on King Uther (Anthony Head) and his perfect son Arthur. She disguises herself as a noblewoman expected at the castle and seeks to ensnare the entire court in her magic-fueled vengeance, the height of which will see Arthur die by her hand. Merlin is able to withstand her spell and saves Arthur's life, a move that lands him a position as Arthur's personal valet.

The first episode ("The Dragon's Call") is awkward and believes itself to be far more clever than it actually is, offering some pratfalls and wink, wink, nudge, nudge type of humor as Merlin adapts to life within Camelot. It tries way too hard to reinvent the Arthurian legend into something that's teen-friendly and soft. Everything about the production is so clean and free from darkness or conflict that it's hard to become invested in the characters. Public executions seem so at odds with the breeziness of the rest of the plot that it's jarring. This is a Merlin and a Camelot that not only casts its major players as teenagers but also seeks to engage that group as its target audience.

The second episode ("Valiant"), which finds Merlin attempting to fulfill his role as valet to Arthur during a crucial annual tournament, is a significant improvement on the series opener but one can't shake the feeling that something is missing here, some compelling hook or dramatic element that would make this essential viewing. Would this be airing outside of primetime--or, indeed, in syndication, one could forgive such missteps but given that NBC has slated this for a primetime slot, it feels like an odd fit for the Peacock as a while.

Ultimately, Merlin is perfect family-viewing for Sunday evenings but for those of us who have outgrown our own childhoods, this series could be a hell of a lot more intelligent, witty, and gripping. If you've long since past outgrown the awkwardness of adolescence, you might just be wishing you could use some magic to make this Camelot retelling a more adult-oriented and enchanting proposition.







Merlin will launch with two back-to-back episodes on Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT.

Sword and the Stone: Talking with Colin Morgan and Anthony Head of NBC's "Merlin"

Arthur and Merlin. Camelot. The sword in the stone. Lancelot.

There are many things that spring to mind when recalling the Arthurian myths but NBC's new acquired series Merlin, which aired last year on BBC One in the UK, throws caution to the wind by reinventing those stories for a new generation.

I caught up with series stars Colin Morgan, who plays a young Merlin just arriving in Camelot who is tasked with serving the egocentric Arthur, and Anthony Head on a recent press call to see what they thought of Merlin's legacy, shooting in France, and green-screen filming.

"One of the things that really works about [Merlin] is the variety that the show presents because when you think Arthurian legend and you think about Merlin and Arthur, you think of about that period in history," said Morgan. "And what's great is an idea started with that and twisted it and turned it on its head and made it into something completely new and different. So I think that's what was so exciting about it. And plus I get to do [magic] every day and sort of go through adventures and you find yourself in different places all the time seeing things that you would never see under any other circumstance. And the challenge of playing such a historical character as Merlin presented in a way that we've never seen before. And I mean all those factors just made it a really exciting project to be a part of."

For Anthony Head, who plays the ruthless Uther Pendragon, what lured him to the project was the strength of the writing as well as the opportunity to play a knight in a period that isn't usually captured in serial television.

"It's my first time as a knight," said Head. "To be honest, there's not actually that much of this kind of era been done [on television]. I mean, one of the things about this show is it's one of those shows that you ask yourself why the hell it hasn't been done before because it kind of basically has a little bit of everything. It has romance. It has thrills. It has spills. It has beautiful photography. It has stunning sets, beautiful costumes and it's a great thing to watch. And you do kind of wonder why it hasn't been done before."

Still, says Head, Merlin's castle is an integral part of the success of the series and is almost a character in its own right.

"The producers searched Europe and pretty much as far as they could for the right castle for Camelot, nearly gave up because they couldn't find their Camelot," he explained. "And then right at the last minute [they] found Pierrefonds, which is where we shoot. And it truly is like the seventh or eight character on the cast list because it's absolutely stunning and it lends its weight to pretty much everything we do. It was actually built on a medieval ruins in 1880 commissioned by Napoleon III and he asked his architect to build him a working model basically of a medieval [fortress] or chateau."

"Consequently, it sort of has a luminosity about it," continued Head. "The stones still looks new even though it's a few hundred years old. And that sort of as a huge kind of prism. It's not like a castle that's got, you know, bits missing and chunks taken out of it. It's all there and consequently it feels when we're working in it like it's home."

Morgan, meanwhile, feels that the fact that his portrayal of Merlin isn't the sort of dead serious one you might see in other works based on the Camelot legends is exactly what makes Merlin work relatable. By casting Merlin not as a sophisticated and unflappable wizard but as a headstrong and inexperienced young man, it opens up the story to new possibilities.

"One of the great things is as soon as you hear the name Merlin, the immediate sort of image will pop into most people's heads is a little guy with a beard or with a little serious guy and then when you get the opportunity to play Merlin like it's never been seen before of the old boy with a quirkiness and a clumsiness that's a trip," said Morgan. "And something I definitely [invite with] almost open arms and had a lot of fun playing. Of course I interact with the other characters within the show as well. Arthur being the arrogant and the young prince who you see over the series actually develops in surprising ways and you see he actually has a good heart and he is intentions are in the right place. And also we see Morgana and how she develops."

"Gwen, her relationship as we've never seen her before," he continued. "We normally see Gwen as the future queen, whereas we see her as a maiden next door. Everyone's character, we've all got something new to show, a different tell than people would normally associate with these characters."

Just don't try and make a thematic link between magic users being persecuted in Merlin as a metaphor for a persecuted minority group today.

"I think whenever you see the show and you see the look of it and the feel of it, especially being inside of the castle, and you completely buy into that world and you believe sort of everything in it," explained Morgan. "Magic is a thing that just is there and is accepted and I think you become enthralled with that without I think being caught up in any sort of metaphorical [connections]. It is very much within that world and I hope the audiences will sort of be connected with Merlin against villains that come into play and try to overthrow Camelot."

Still, Morgan says filming the magic scenes were a lot of fun, even if--due to all the CGI wizardry--you have to pretend much more than you normally would.

"When it comes into special effects and things of that within the show, for me it was very new and very different but also quite exciting," said Morgan, "because you just get to use your imagination and you get a bit of free reign with it although you have to be quite technical in terms of where you look and how you look and what way you do it. It's kind of limitless. I mean, it's great to just sort of experiment with that and to have a bit of fun. But yeah, I was speaking to the dragon voiced by John Hurt is like you're speaking to a green screen but in a a room that is [later made to] look like a cave...The creatures they've had to create [...], they did unbelievable job and when we watch the show back in theaters, you know, you've got one idea in your head of what you shot and then you see the final product and it's something that really wouldn't be out of place in the film... As an actor it [was a] great experience."

So does Head get special treatment on set as he's playing the king of Camelot?

"They treat me very, very specially," he joked. "I am, you know, much the same way that as Giles [on Buffy the Vampire Slayer]. I was kind of the oldest actors on set. But I mean having said that, I am joined by Richard Wilson who plays Gauis, the court physician. So the two of us are kind of like the elder statesmen. And then there's John Hurt who is the voice of the dragon. We don't really meet him because he's incarcerated in the bowels of Camelot. So it's down to me and Richard to kind of make sure that everybody is kept in their places."

"The French supporting artists, they give me great deference," he joked. "When I walk in they all bow, which is always nice. We try and get them trained. But it's actually a really, really lovely set and we've been able to attract all sorts of really great guests. And one of the reasons, somebody told me, is that the vibes in the business is that it's a really, really nice set to work on. And that comes from the producers and from the crew is a really great crew."

"I sincerely hope it's as well received in America as it has been in England and now in Australia," said Head. "And it's absolutely huge in Australia. It's breaking all records and its numbers are still increasing. So they're extremely pleased with it. And I hope it does the same for NBC."

Merlin launches Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Pendragon Aflight: Anthony Head Talks "Ripper," "Buffy," "Merlin"

Wonder just what ever happened to Joss Whedon's Buffy prequel Ripper?

Speaking on a press call last week to promote his new series Merlin (which launches later this month on NBC), former Buffy star Anthony Head addressed some questions about that long-stalled Ripper project, plans which Head says were "sideswiped by Dollhouse."

Head, who plays Uther Pendragon on the NBC/BBC series, was candid about the likelihood of donning Rupert Giles' specs for another go-around as the much-beloved Watcher, created by Joss Whedon.

"Ripper is a kind of a - it's a funny old thing," said Head. "Whether it ever gets made or not... if it does ever get made, I'll probably be an octogenarian by the time it does. But it is something I actually introduced Joss to [Doctor Who producer] Julie Gardner, who was a producer with the BBC. She has long wanted to do something with the project. There are obviously complications with Ripper because there are lots of tie ins. There's FOX, there's the Kazuis. There's all sorts of stuff that, basically it isn't just a simple question of Joss making a series that he wants to make as far as anything concerned with Buffy. There are a lot of people down the line that would have a say. And that's part of the equation."

"We've had conversations about working together again," said Head about future collaboration with Whedon. "It's, I don't know, something that may happen again in the future. I hope so. [...] He came up with an idea, pitched it at lunch with Eliza and from that moment on it was a done deal. I don't think, I may be wrong, but I don't think any of the Buffy crew could really, well not crew because there's a lot of Buffy crew working on Dollhouse, but actors would really fit comfortably in Dollhouse because you'd automatically be, you know, you'd be taken to Faith."

"And Eliza is not Faith in Dollhouse," he continued. "She's a fascinating character that, you know, lives a totally different life from Faith and it came out through the life of Faith that, you know, she'd like to - she'd like to play something different than what Eliza is usually asked to play. And he came up with the idea that she could play something different every week. And from there Dollhouse was born. But I would love to work with him again. I think he's a fascinating writer, fascinating director. He's a lovely, lovely guy. I'm very, very fond of him and I would - I'd, you know, I don't use the word genius lightly but I think he is one."

"I think [Joss] really is a great writer," said Head. "I would like to see him make more movies. I think, you know, I thought Serenity was a funny film and actually it was hugely well received by critics and at the same time was not possibly marketed as well as it might have been. It was a great film. He makes writing really count. It's not just writing for writing sake. He gives everything a life and a reason. With Dollhouse, I think he had problems initially with Fox because they wanted one show and he was sticking readily with his guns. And I think they've gone with it now because they realized that ultimately it's wonderfully complex and i all the characters have got all sorts of neuroses and problems. I mean it's a fascinating world that he's created with Dollhouse."

"And it's what they've done with Merlin; by creating a world in which magic is forbidden on pain of death, they've created a very, very interesting world for a young Merlin to exist or not to, you know, basically fight for his life," said Head. "A good drama is about conflict. And if like Joss Whedon you can allow comedy to come through to support your drama, it makes the thrills and spills that much more pertinent and that much more poignant when you do get it. When you get the shop horror it gives you a bed to feed it in. You know, and then ultimately that's what makes its appeal so wide."

So, given how much time has passed since Whedon first approached Head about Ripper, have their plans changed significantly?

"Originally when he pitched [Ripper] to me, he didn't have to pitch it very fast, I was like yes," remembered Head. "It was a series. And it was Giles as this sad lonely man in England without a real reason to be. And it was pretty much ghost stories. Week-by-week, some ghost story would somehow affect him."

"And then he said that he didn't [feel]--I mean he by that time I think he had been affected by Angel--the need to write a weekly story," he went on. "I think he found at that point the drive was different. And so he suggested this one film he was going to make. And he told me the story that he'd written and it's absolutely beautiful. And I hope that one day it gets made whether it's the guise of Ripper or whether we just sell it as a story, a one-off TV movie. It's a lovely, lovely story. It's kind of a ghost story. It's also about a man investigating his own soul and it's fascinating and lovely and sad and it's classic ghost reading. I hope we get to make it one day. And from there on in he was going to, you know, if it was successful maybe he could have been convinced to do a series. And as I say he's back in the seat of doing a weekly series with Dollhouse. Maybe he can be convinced otherwise. But never say never but at the same time, I think it's on the shelf for a while."

"I don't think we'll every really know [what Ripper means]," said Head. "I think Ripper just means it's the darker side of someone that suddenly see that you never every knew existed. And it's a very dark side. And we got to see some of it in Buffy. You know, he's the only guy who killed an innocent man in Buffy. Well Faith did. But Faith is bad. But he smothered somebody who ultimately was a innocent bystander. And so [had] some darkness. That's Ripper."

So is Head still surprised by all the attention he gets from Buffy fans years after its cancellation?

"It wasn't cancelled. It was never cancelled," said Head, chidingly. "Just we took a bow and decided to basically that he had said enough. Although having said that and I haven't seen it all, but Season Eight is alive and kicking in comic book form."

"No, I'm not surprised [by the continued support of Buffy fans] inasmuch as ultimately Buffy was an extraordinary piece of writing," he continued. "And because of that, the fact that it was used by universities as an example of modern writing. I'm amazed when I got to LA and I go and meet producers who came up as writers and Buffy was almost their bible and they almost genuflect. So it's always very flattering but it's nothing to do with me. It's because I worked with Joss Whedon. What does amaze me, and the fact that I love, is that I'm constantly met by young people and I think that they've seen something else I'm in, Little Britain or Merlin and Buffy goes - I don't know what it does in the States but it goes round and round. It's cyclical here and it keeps garnering young audiences. And long may that be so because it is great TV."

"But one of the things that appeals about Buffy was the fact that it was so multi generational," Head reflected. "It was - even though FOX didn't market it this way, FOX marketed it for 15-year-olds to 25-year-olds. [...] It is truly universal appeal and that is the secret of Merlin as well. It has this extraordinary general, multi-generational appeal that people come up to me in the street and say thank you. I go it's nothing to do with me. I didn't write it. But they say this is truly a show that we can sit down with our kids and everybody loves it. Everybody - it's a truly family show. And there's not that many shows that parents and grandparents and brothers and sisters, teens, 25-year-olds down to the age of six can actually enjoy a show together. There's something in it for everybody. And it's once every few years a show like it comes along... It's kind of very simple, very basic premise but it's a very clever premise. And as I say, it somehow appeals to everyone."

Has Head been typecast then since he first played Rupert Giles on Buffy?

"Actors generally, you get a recurring role in this and a recurring role in that," said Head. "I mean I've been very, very fortunate to play leads in a number of series; and very different types of things. And to a certain extent I've worked quite hard not to be typecast. You know, when initially when I came back from Buffy there were quite of offers of professors and the occasional librarian but they were largely professors. There was an episode of Doctor Who that I did. And initially I balked at it because it was headmaster and then I read that it was a headmaster who ate children and ultimately was actually a demon who flew. I kind of - I went one round and it was a great episode and it was great fun to do."

"But it's more than that," he continued. "You know, trying to find something, which will develop your career, will take you on to something new and will open people's minds up. I mean Giles for me was a huge, huge turning point because it was the first character role that I had played. And up to that point in England I was playing romantic leads. You know, that to a certain extent was not limiting but it basically it was just going in one direction. And the thing that Buffy gave me was an opportunity to show people that I did other stuff and it was the first time I'd really been - even though Giles wasn't necessarily a comic role, there was a lot of comedy in it."

"And so it gave the producers of Little Britain the idea that I could play a straight man in a comedy and he plays it absolutely straight down the line. But there has to be some comedy. Do you know what I mean? So Matt and David, I think, basically saw something in me that they thought would work in a comedy. So since then I've done quite a lot of comedy, per se. And it's great fun to be allowed to go from one genre to another. And go, you know, to do musicals the same as well. I'm very, very fortunate."

Merlin premieres Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

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.

First Look: NBC Previews Summer Offerings "Merlin," "The Listener," "Meteor," and "The Storm"

With summer just around the corner, I've got some first looks at NBC's offerings for the sweltering season, including British fantasy series Merlin, Canadian co-production The Listener, and mini-series Meteor and The Storm.

Merlin is a 13-episode series that shines a light on the backstory of the Arthurian sorcerer as a teenager and novice in the mythical city of Camelot. The series premieres Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT and stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, John Hurt, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson, Katie McGrath, and Angel Coulby.

The Listener, launching Thursday, June 4th at 10 pm ET/PT, follows Toby Logan, a 25-year-old paramedic who is telepathic and tries to help people in need. It stars Craig Olejnik, Ennis Esmer, Colm Feore, Lisa Marcos, Mylene Dinh-Robic, and Anthony Lemke.

Additionally, NBC's schedule this summer will also include two mini-series, Meteor and The Storm.

In Meteor, airing Sunday, June 7th and June 14th at 9 pm ET/PT, two massive rocks -- tumbling debris older than the solar system itself -- collide in space, form a massive meteor the size of Mount Everest, and head straight towards Earth. Meteor stars Christopher Lloyd, Marla Sokoloff, Stacy Keach, Billy Campbell, Michael Rooker, and Jason Alexander.

Meanwhile, in The Storm, billionaire Robert Terrell has fulfilled a lifelong obsession and made history with "weather creation" technology though his Atmospheric Research Institute. But during a test run, a blast of energy is sent into the ionosphere with unexpected results. The Storm, starring Treat Williams, James Van Der Beek, David James Elliott, Teri Polo, Luke Perry, John Larroquette, and Marisol Nichols, will air Sunday, July 19th and Sunday, July 26th at 9 pm ET/PT.

Trailers for each of these projects can be found below.

Merlin:



The Listener:



Meteor:



The Storm:

Channel Surfing: "90210," Ashley Jensen, Trailer for "Merlin" Unveiled, NBC Shakeup, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Like many of you out there, I'm bummed that my three-day weekend sailed by far too quickly... but am also thrilled that the fall TV season is finally upon us.

Digital Spy has a roughly 90-second trailer up for Merlin, which airs on BBC One and on NBC this winter and stars Colin Morgan, Anthony Stewart Head, Michelle Ryan, Richard Wilson, Katie McGrath, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, and Santiago Cabrera. (Digital Spy)

90210 mania is upon us with mere hours to go before the launch of 90210 2.0, as it were. EW.com has some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty from their recent cover shoot. (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

Shannen Doherty, meanwhile, sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a brief interview, in which she said that the sudden goodwill being directed towards her from the public "definitely feels good" and "also feels scary." (Los Angeles Times)

While most Americans know her best from her turn as Christina on Ugly Betty, Ashley Jensen won me over much earlier with her winning performance as Maggie Jacobs on HBO/BBC's Extras. She's up for an Emmy in the supporting actress (mini-series or movie) category and talks about the nomination, Extras, and what happens to Christina on Ugly Betty. (USA Today)

Nikki Finke claims that NBC wants to fire second-in-command Teri Weinberg and "hopes that Ben Silverman quits very soon." She says that Marc Graboff and Katherine Pope will take up the reins at the network. Silverman's contract is up in December, but he's said to be looking to secure a way out before then. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

PBS has launched 40 half-hour episodes of kids program Sid the Science Kid from Henson's Creature Shop, which will produce the series via its new Digital Puppetry Studio, which uses a puppet motion-capture technology and applies it to CGI-derived characters and environments. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV is launching a global HD service on September 15th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.