The Daily Beast: "Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Bates Motel: 15 Shows Worth Watching This Spring"

How to choose from the slew of content about to hit the airwaves? From miniseries (Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake) to returning favorites (Game of Thrones) and new offerings (Rectify), I makes my picks for what's worth watching on television this spring.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Bates Motel: 15 Shows Worth Watching This Spring," in which I offer up 15 television shows to check out in the coming months, from the tried-and-true to those off the beaten path.

With the promise of warmer weather just around the corner, a slew of new and returning television shows are hitting the airwaves. HBO welcomes back Game of Thrones on March 31, AMC travels back in time for another season of Mad Men on April 7, and Sundance Channel offers two spellbinding new original dramas: Top of the Lake, a mystery series from co-creator Jane Campion, and Rectify, a searing drama that looks at what life is like after being released from prison after 19 years. But it’s not all heavy drama: two serial killer thrillers are on tap, with A&E’s Bates Motel squaring off against NBC’s Hannibal (as in Lecter), the Doctor returns with a new companion in Doctor Who, and HBO’s Veep returns for another season of vice-presidential comedy. I round up 15 new and returning television shows that are worth checking out this spring.

Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)
The Piano writer-director Jane Campion and the film’s Academy Award-winning star Holly Hunter reunite in the seven-part Sundance Channel miniseries Top of the Lake, which stars Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan (War Horse), David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings), and Lucy Lawless. Set in the breathtaking wilderness of New Zealand, the miniseries charts the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old local girl and the journey of a detective (Moss), returned home to care for her ailing mother, as she struggles to discover what happened. What Moss’s Robin Griffin discovers is a world of savagery and wonder, as she is forced to trace both the girl and her own dark history. Gorgeous, provocative, and mythical, Top of the Lake is not to be missed. (Launches March 18 at 10 p.m.)

Continue reading at The Daily Beast (14 more new/returning television shows to go)...

The Daily Beast: "The 10 Best TV Shows of 2012: Borgen, Girls, Parenthood, Mad Men, and More"

From Borgen to Downton Abbey to Girls, Jace Lacob and Maria Elena Fernandez pick the 10 best TV shows of the year. Warning: may contain spoilers if you are not entirely caught up on the shows discussed here.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature,
"The 10 Best TV Shows of 2012," in which Maria Elena Fernandez and I offer up our individual Top 10 TV Shows lists for 2012. My list, not surprisingly, contains shows like Borgen, Mad Men, The Good Wife, Louie, Parks and Recreation, Shameless, and others. What was on your list this year?

Now is the winter of our (TV) discontent. After a fall season that largely failed to deliver on the promise of new shows—and, in some cases, returning programs as well—it’s time to take a look back at the year in television as a whole, as we try to remove such canceled shows as Partners, The Mob Doctor, and Made in Jersey from our collective memory.


But rather than dwell on the very worst of the year (ABC’s Work It!), let’s celebrate the best of what the medium had to offer us over the last 12 months. Below, our picks for the 10 best shows of 2012, which include a Danish political drama, a sumptuous period drama, a resurrected primetime soap, and a navel-gazing comedy.

A few caveats before proceeding: these are individual lists representing personal opinions; omitting a particular show does not invalidate the rest of the list, nor does including a specific show; and the lists are limited to what aired on U.S. television during the calendar year. Finally, a WARNING: For those of you who aren’t entirely caught up on the shows selected, read on at your own risk—the descriptions contain many spoilers.

He Said: Jace Lacob’s 10 Best
‘Borgen’ (LinkTV)
No other show comes this close to epitomizing the best of television this year as the exquisite Danish political drama Borgen, which depicts the rise to power of Denmark’s first fictional female prime minister, Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen) amid the infighting and back-biting that categorizes partisan politics around the world. As Birgitte sacrifices everything for her position—her marriage, her children, and even her sense of self—her journey from naïve crusader to hardened politician is juxtaposed against that of ambitious journalist Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen). The two women deliver two of the best performances on television of the past decade, reveling in, rather than avoiding, the realistic flaws of their respective characters while overcoming the institutionalized misogyny of their respective spheres. Brash spin doctors (including the great Johan Philip “Pilou” Asbæk as Kasper Juul), venal civil servants, and arrogant tabloid magnates spin in orbit around Birgitte, as Borgen delves into the interlocking worlds of politics and the media. The result is nothing less than riveting, insightful, and heartbreaking, not to mention powerfully original.

‘Girls’ (HBO)
Despite its deeply polarizing nature, the first season of Girls—Lena Dunham’s navel-gazing HBO drama—proved itself every bit as witty, sharp, and biting as the promise exhibited in those early episodes, perfectly capturing the insular world of privileged and underemployed 20-somethings in Brooklyn with astute honesty and self-effacing charm. In Hannah Horvath, Dunham has created a character who is so oblivious to her failings, her egotism, and her flaws that it’s impossible to look away from her—whether she’s eating a cupcake in the bath, getting an STD test, or breaking up with her quirky boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver)—or to not fall in love with her don’t-give-a-damn attitude as she bares her body and her soul, even as the show skewers the elitist sensibilities of Hannah and her friends: flighty Jessa (Jemima Kirke), prim Marnie (Allison Williams), and sheltered Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet). Alternately awkward, tender, funny, and depressing, Girls is more than just Hannah and her sisters; it’s a brilliant portrait of disaffected youth on the delayed brink of adulthood.

‘The Good Wife’ (CBS)
Whether you loved or hated the storyline involving kick-ass legal snoop Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) and her psychotic estranged husband, Nick (Marc Warren), this year on The Good Wife had more than enough to offer: its typically intelligent and insightful analysis of politics, the media, technology, and cultural mores, as viewed through the prism of the legal system and the tumultuous marriage between the title character, Julianna Margulies’s Alicia Florrick, and gubernatorial candidate Peter (Chris Noth). Nathan Lane—appearing as the court-appointed trustee after Lockhart/Gardner finds itself moored in bankruptcy proceedings—has been a welcome addition to the show, sowing seeds of distrust among the partners at the firm during an already shaky time. As always, the show excels at dramatizing the internal struggles within Alicia; as her career has advanced, her sense of morality has grown ever more flexible, and her sense of compromise and sacrifice have been tested at work and at home. The slowly thawing dynamic between Alicia and Kalinda provided a measured exploration of trust issues in the wake of betrayal from a friend, while Will (Josh Charles) had his own fortitude tested by a grand-jury investigation and suspension, and Diane (Christine Baranski) fought to keep the firm afloat. Few shows remain as nuanced and smart as this one, regardless of whether they’re on cable or broadcast television, nor do many offer as much grist for thought as each episode does, along with insight, subtlety, and humor. If last season’s sly and hilarious elevator scene didn’t make you chuckle aloud, you have no soul. The Good Wife, as always, isn’t just good; it’s great.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

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

Is anyone watching Mad Men live?

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

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

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

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

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

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Saints' Guide to Bottoming Out: An Advance Review of Season Three of Nurse Jackie

It's always rewarding--and exceedingly rare--to see a show have such a sense of itself right out of the gate and to continue to mine its central premise and its characters for new depths (and highs) as the seasons pass by.

Showtime's dark and hysterical dramedy Nurse Jackie returns tonight for a sensational third season with its sense of self firmly intact. Revolving around in-denial drug addict Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco), her family, and her memorably offbeat emergency room co-workers, the show is a winning blend of emotional highs and lows. Jackie still can't function without the assistance of prescription painkillers, but the walls have closed in on her after the intervention at the end of last season, thrown on her by husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and best friend Dr. Eleanor O'Hara (Eve Best).

But rather than get the help we all know she needs, Jackie lashes out at those who would help her; there's a lesson inherent within her reaction that we can only help those who want our help. It's something Jackie knows from her time at the hospital, but it's a hard truth to swallow. What we see instead this season is Jackie pulling the wool over everyone's eyes but her own, as she sinks deeper and deeper into the embrace of addiction.

Jackie's entire existence has been about compartmentalizing: she's a woman who took her wedding ring off at work and pretended to be single; who maintained an ongoing affair with a coworker who later befriended her husband; who can't bring herself to admit that she has a problem but who freaks out when she realizes her stash of Oxycontin is running perilously low. Jackie's brain is a series of little rooms which sit next to each other but whose walls are thick and impenetrable.

Those boundaries also seem to be the only thing keeping Jackie going (that and the pills, of course) but this season forces her to confront the possibility that she can't maintain those compartments of her life; things have a nasty way of bleeding together this season: her home life, her work life, Kevin, Eddie (Paul Shulze), Kevin's immature sister Tunie (Jaimie Alexander), whom Kevin wants Eddie to date.

At the hospital, we see Jackie wheel and deal for the benefit of her patients, engaging in a barter system to get them the help that they need, promising flu shots to this psych admitting nurse, promising something else to another. It's all about bargaining, really, something that Jackie knows a great deal about as she heads towards rock bottom. But when she gets there, will she get the help she needs or will she bargain for another fix?

That's the question that hovers uneasily over the third season, as there are consequences for our favorite nurse after she took that patients' bulging bag of Oxy last season. (Look for one hell of a creepy twist to that unsavory character a few episodes into the season.) We see her stash her pills around her house and the hospital, collect her fix, furtively swallow, count her pills. It's an addict's routine, complete with some low, low moments, such as when she has to recover a box of her kids' old clothing from a church donation center because she hid some pills in an old mitten. It shows just how far down the rabbit hole Jackie has gone, how desperate her hunger is, how badly she needs this fix to survive, to cope, to make it through the day.

Jackie is no saint, we're told numerous times. She cares for her patients, she cares for her family, but she has an unerring self-destructive streak within her, one that's destined to unhinge everything in her life, starting with her friendship with O'Hara this season. But All Saints Hospital has troubles of its own: the chapel is to be de-consecrated, as Akalitus (Anna Deveare Smith) learns in the season opener, its statues and paintings to be seized and moved to a warehouse in Staten Island (a fate worse than death in Gloria Akalitus' mind). What is All Saints without its saints? Without the chapel as its warm sanctuary?

But Akalitus--who has quickly become one of my favorite characters--has other things to consider as well, amid widespread hospital closures, budget crunches, and the possibility of a visit from First Lady Michelle Obama. It's the latter with which Akalitus seemly becomes obsessed, embracing the ideals of Michelle Obama, her love of jumping rope, her style, her mien.

Elsewhere, the staff of All Saints is just as delicious offbeat as ever. Merritt Wever's Zoey Barkow once again nearly steals the show. Her naivete, her carefree spirit, and her hero-worship of both Jackie and O'Hara are beyond endearing, and we see her nascent relationship with EMT Lenny (Lenny Jacobson) go to some new places this season. (Look for a beautifully realistic and tender moment between the two in the sixth episode this season, which contains a napkin, a meatball sub, a pocketwatch, and a crystalization of their relationship.) As much as Wever's Zoey drives Jackie crazy, she's the soul of All Saints and the show itself: an idealist and dreamer in puppy dog scrubs.

Coop (Peter Facinelli) remains the cocky/needy constant in the series; this season, he'll deal with an excruciating foot condition (I won't reveal just what is troubling him, but it has to be seen to be believed) and a crushing situation in his personal life. Plus, there's still fallout from his sleeping with the then-girlfriend of nurse Sam (Arjun Gupta) and those fences have not been mended, despite Coop's insistence that he's sorry. (Really, the more of a screw-up that Coop becomes, the more I love the character.) He'll face off with O'Hara for a chance at the chief of the ER position, a role that Akalitus has already promised to Eleanor... (Look for a hysterical scene involving Coop outside Central Park's Boathouse.)

And then there's Thor (Stephen Wallem), who I only love more and more with each passing episode. It's so fantastic to see the show's writers recognize what a winning character they have with Wallem's Thor and give him more screen time as a result. He's front and center in the third season and rightly so.

The result is one of the sharpest and wittiest comedies on television, and an exploration of what makes us tick, the compromises and mistakes we make in our lives, the way we made it through the day, the ways that we fall, and those who help pick us up. (Often, in more ways than one.) Ultimately, Nurse Jackie manages to be both sweet and tart at the same time, a dark comedy that makes us laugh and cry. And then laugh some more. Not to be missed for any reason.

Season Three of Nurse Jackie begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

The Daily Beast: "15 Reasons to Watch TV This Spring"

Yes, spring is finally here (or thereabouts, anyway), and that brings warmer weather and, very fortunately, a slew of new and returning television series.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can check out my latest feature, "15 Reasons to Watch TV This Spring," which includes a look at such series as Mildred Pierce, Game of Thrones, The Borgias, The Kennedys, Camelot, The Killing, Body of Proof, Upstairs Downstairs, and returning series such as Nurse Jackie, The United States of Tara, Treme, Doctor Who, Top Chef: Masters, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the NBC premiere of the final season of Friday Night Lights.

What are you most excited about that arrives on the airwaves between now and May? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Channel Surfing: Bones Bounces Sabato, Sam Page Lands Gossip, SOA's Hunnam Talks Season 3, Victor Webster to Castle, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Bones producers have turned lemons into lemonade with their upcoming Jersey Shore-inspired episode, following the breakdown in talks with The Situation. Instead, Bones has recruited Antonio Sabato Jr. to play a "guido bouncer at a Jersey Shore club that Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) visit to question someone involved with a murder." (TV Guide Magazine)

Mad Men's Sam Page is heading to the Upper East Side, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who reports that Page has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on the CW's Gossip Girl, where he will play a new love interest for Blake Lively's Serena. He's first expected to turn up in an episode slated to air in October. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan--soon to be AOL's chief television critic--has an interview with Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam about just where Jax is going this season and how much of his journey will be influenced by reading John Teller's manuscript. "I think it informed the path that I'm trying to take," said Hunnam. "I think that was really always there, though, and it was reassuring me that I wasn't crazy for desiring these things. It pulled into focus exactly what I was [thinking about]. But I also think about the fact that, these were his wishes -- they were unrealized. Jax realizes how idealistic that was. I think I'm trying to figure out what I can actually change and be realistic and be happy with that. Obviously there are giant problems between Jax and Clay but I think all of that stuff, though it rears its head here and there, needs to be put on the back burner until we get Abel back and figure out what we're doing. There's also this big thing hanging over us [the gun charges the Sons face]." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Victor Webster (Melrose Place) has been cast in a recurring role next season on ABC's Castle, where he will provide a new love interest for Stana Katic's Beckett. "There’s an element of mystery to him,” executive producer Andrew Marlowe told Ausiello. “He’s more of a motorcycle guy…A person that is going to intrigue Castle, because he’s going to see a different side of Beckett.” Ausiello also reports that Secret Life of the American Teenager's Ken Baumann will play a love interest for Castle's daughter Alexis, played by Molly Quinn. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Kate Micucci (Scrubs)--better known as half of musical-comedy act Garfunkel & Oates (a Televisionary fave after seeing them open for The Thrilling Adventure Hour)--has been cast in a recurring role on FOX comedy Raising Hope, where she will play Shelly, the "owner of a baby and doggy day care center," a role that was created for her by executive producer/creator Greg Garcia after her original character was cut from the pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bad news for fans of NBC's Persons Unknown--however many of you are still watching. According to The Futon Critic, NBC is pulling the eleventh episode ("Seven Sacrifices") from the linear broadcast and will make it available online before the series wraps its run with a two-hour finale on Saturday, August 28th. (Futon Critic)

The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Bruce talks to Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco about her Showtime dark comedy and why she wouldn't rule out reprising her role as Carmela Soprano in a movie version of The Sopranos, should it ever get made. "Frankly, I think it's not going to materialize, but stranger things have happened," said Falco. "I would definitely be interested in being involved; I'm pretty good at rolling with the punches. I would be fine if it never happened, but I would also love to go back there and see all the people I love again. Who knows? I'm not the one making the decisions and I would jump at the chance to participate." (Hollywood Reporter)

Can't wait for next week's release of Lost: Season Six and Lost The Complete Series? E! Online's Watch with Kristin already has the sixth season blooper reel--which features Josh Holloway, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Alan Dale, and Dominic Monaghan--and which you can watch online now, exclusively at the site. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck reports that Mandy Moore will reprise her role as Mary on the sixth episode of the upcoming season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy. (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that former Paramount Film Group chief John Lesher has set up two projects at HBO, both based on books. The first is drama Keys to the City, based on Joel Kostman's memoir of his time as a Manhattan locksmith. Adapted by William Monahan, the project will revolve around a "New York locksmith and offers a view of people and sights glimpsed beyond the doors he unlocks." The second project is The Three Weissmans of Westport, to be written by Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married), based on Cathleen Schine's novel, about "a woman's search for meaning after her husband of 48 years walks out on her" and how she "reconnects with her grown daughters who are also dealing with professional and familial irrelevance." (Deadline)

ABC has renewed reality series Wipeout for a fourth season, according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, and will get some new obstacles next season. "I'm excited that a fourth season will give our team the opportunity to create bigger and funnier ways to wipe out contestants and thrill families across America," said creator and executive producer Matt Kunitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Family has ordered a script for drama pilot What Would Jane Do, about a "dateless high school outsider living a double life as a twentysomething career girl in the corporate world." Project hails from executive producer Gavin Polone and writer April Blair. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

TCA Diary: Showtime's Matt Blank Teases Upcoming Programming

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

House of Cards: Nurse Jackie Wraps Its Sensational Second Season Tonight

I just wanted to offer a few quick words about one of my favorite series, Showtime's deliciously dark comedy Nurse Jackie, which wraps up its second season tonight.

I've been a ardent viewer of Nurse Jackie since before it premiered and the second season hasn't disappointed at all. While many series suffer through a sophomore slump, Jackie has actually become more acutely pointed and shocking in its second year, deepening its characters rather than making them cartoonish, and giving everyone in the talented cast--Edie Falco, Merritt Wever, Eve Best, Paul Schulze, Dominic Fumusa, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Wallem, Arjun Gupta, and Peter Facinelli--moments in the spotlight in which to shine. (Deavere Smith's Akalitus has become, over the course of the second season, a personal favorite thanks to some deft shading.)

What makes these characters instantly fascinating isn't that they are likeable but because their flaws and quirks are relatable. Jackie Peyton's quest to be good, to her patients, her family, and herself, is one that we all go through on a daily basis, although I can only hope that we don't quite toe the line into darkness that Jackie does, self-medicating with prescription medications, living a double life, and embarking on a series of behaviors that can only be described as self-destructive.

Jackie is forced to deal head-on with those behaviors and their inevitable consequences in Nurse Jackie's season finale ("Years of Service"), a remarkable installment that's at once humorous, tense, and heartbreaking, as the house of cards that Jackie has built in her head comes crashing down around her tonight.

I don't want to say too much about the episode because I don't want to ruin what is a fantastic and ambiguous ending, one that acts as a callback to the Season One finale and one that sets up a potential new direction for the series in Season Three. Jackie's core relationships--her marriage to Kevin (Fumusa) and her friendship with Dr. O'Hara (Best)--are all severely tested by a chain of discoveries, ones that will have increasingly dire implications for Jackie herself.

While Jackie might be at the center of the episode (and the series), it's the colorful cast of characters around her that keep the series buoyant and intoxicating. Look for some fantastic moments from Wever's Zoey Barkow, Best's Eleanor O'Hara, Facinelli's Coop, Fumusa's Kevin, and Wallem's towering giant of a nurse, Thor.

I'm going to miss each and every one of them as we begin the long, grueling wait for a third season of Nurse Jackie. After tonight's brilliant episode, that wait will be made even more torturous...

The second season finale of Nurse Jackie airs tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

Channel Surfing: Showtime Renews "Jackie" and "Tara," MTV Axes "The Hills," Ricky Gervais to "Curb," Mary McDonnell Returns to "The Closer," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Huzzah! Just a few days after returning Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara to the lineup, pay cabler Showtime has handed out series renewals to both comedies, ordering twelve-episode third seasons for both, which will begin production later this year. "Showtime is enormously proud of these two series starring two of the best actresses working today," said Showtime President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt. "Both are iconic shows for our brand and our thanks to the dedicated producers, cast, and crews who work so hard to make them so great. Edie Falco's portrayal of the fierce Jackie is another extraordinary example of her range and brilliance, and recent Emmy and Golden Globe wins for Toni Collette in her tour de force role as a woman with multiple personalities put her in a class by herself. Strong women will continue to rule on this network for a long time to come." (via press release)

Sayonara Heidi and Spencer! MTV has opted to cancel its reality series The Hills after six seasons. The series, which originally starred Lauren Conrad, fell sharply in the ratings after Conrad left. The final twelve episodes of The Hills begin April 27th. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Larry David has approached Ricky Gervais about appearing on a potential eighth season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. David indicated that he should know about the fate of Curb within the next month or so but that he's already working on some ideas and has approached Gervais about a guest appearance on the improvised comedy series. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica) is set to return to TNT's The Closer during the series' sixth season, where she will reprise her role as Captain Sharon Raydor. McDonnell is set to appear in at least five episodes and will, according an unnamed insider, "create situations that come between Brenda and Pope." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SPOILERS! Grey's Anatomy creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes has written a teaser for the "game changing" season finale of Grey's Anatomy while guest blogging at Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files and offers several spoilers that are leading up to a major "game changer." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Syfy has given a pilot order to live-action comedy Saved by Zeroes, from creator/star Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Sony Pictures Television, and Happy Madison. Rosenbaum will star alongside Jonathan Silverman; they will play "two friends, former actors on a science fiction show that has since developed a cult following, who have hit rock bottom and must work together to get their lives back on track." Project is loosely based on Rosenbaum's real-life experiences. "Through drugs and drinking, (the characters played by Rosenbaum and Silverman) didn't save money and, years later, the only thing they have left are the conventions, all they've got are their loyal, devoted fans," Rosenbaum told Nellie Andreeva. "Our show is not about being in the business, it's about being out of the business; it's the 'Non-tourage.' We're the losers you want to see back on top." (Hollywood Reporter)

Don Johnson is in talks to star in ABC comedy pilot Southern Discomfort, where he will play "a tough, hard-core conservative Texan whose life is turned upside down when his grown kids move back in." Project has also cast Steve Talley (American Pie Presents Beta House), who will play Johnson's oldest son, described as "a slacker who kissed off a baseball scholarship to pursue writing." (Hollywood Reporter)

Executive news we can all be happy about: Nikki Finke reported that FOX Entertainment will keep Kevin Reilly at the helm for another three years, following the successful closing of a new deal. (His current deal wasn't set to expire until July but the network wanted to lock him in now.) (Deadline)

FOX will pair Hell's Kitchen with new culinary competition series MasterChef beginning July 29th. The latter, executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, will feature Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Graham Elliot Bowles. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Pilot casting updates: Terry Kinney (The Unusuals) has been cast in CBS cop drama pilot The Line (also known as ATF), where he will play "a bank robber who is a poet, philosopher and sociopath." Elsewhere, Thomas Middleditch (Splinterheads) has been cast in Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller's CBS comedy pilot Hitched, where he will play the best friend of a newlywed couple (Kristin Kreuk and Jack Carpenter). (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Jon Bernthal (The Ghost Writer) has been cast in AMC zombie drama pilot Walking Dead, where he will play Shane, the outgoing partner to cop Rick Grimes (as yet uncast); Brandon Routh (Chuck), Hal Linden (A Kiss at Midnight), Amir Arison (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Tina Majorino (Big Love), and Kevin Michael Richardson (The Cleveland Show) have all been cast in TBS' hour-long comedy In Security; Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon (Eyes), Reed Diamond (Dollhouse), and Dana Davis (The Nine) have landed roles on TBS comedy pilot Franklin and Bash; and Tim Jo and Josh Brener have joined the cast of period fraternity comedy pilot Glory Daze. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian takes a look at whether NBC is going to be able to turn itself around, pointing to some stability in the schedule, improving ratings, and some new series--like Parenthood and The Marriage Ref--that are plugging some holes. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

After 27 years, UK's ITV has opted to cancel long-running cop drama The Bill, citing plummeting ratings despite a revamp last year and a change to a new timeslot. At least 90 jobs will be lost from the cancellation while ITV plans to use the savings--worth several million pounds sterling--to invest in shorter-form drama in the 9 pm hour, including a medical series from writer Peter Bowker (Occupation) and a drama from Anthony Horowitz (Collision). "The Bill has been a fixture on our screens for more than 25 years and has been the home of some of the UK's best serial drama storylines, and a great showcase for terrific scriptwriting and fine acting talent," said Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, channels and online. "But times change, and so do the tastes of our audience. Whilst The Bill will come to an end in 2010, we will continue to invest more in drama programming than any other commercial broadcaster in the UK and viewers can look forward to a wide range of high quality drama on ITV1." (Guardian)

In other UK television news, Suranne Jones (Five Days) will star opposite David Tennant in BBC One's four-part drama series Single Father. She'll play Sarah, the best friend of the deceased wife of Dave (Tennant), whom he falls for while attempting to raise his four children after the death of his wife. (BBC)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Michael Vartan's Dr. Tom Wakefield will become romantically entangled with Jada Pinkett Smith's Dr. Christina Hawthorne this season on TNT's HawthoRNe. "We get it on very early," Vartan told Keck. "I think it’s a good time for this to happen because you never know how long a show’s going to run, so go full steam while you can." (TV Guide Magazine)

Michael Tolkin (Nine) is developing two drama projects with Marti Noxon and Dawn Parouse's Grady Twins production company, including a NBC drama he's writing with Noxon about a musician with a jealous manager, and an untitled FX drama about a family in the midst of a world apocalypse. (Variety)

TV Guide Network has acquired rerun rights to Showtime's dark comedy series Weeds, which is produced by Lionsgate Television--which just happens to be a co-owner of the cable network. Weeds is likely to launch on TV Guide Network this fall, where it will be join such off-network acquisitions as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Ugly Betty. (via press release)

Bunim-Murray Prods. has been acquired by French company Banijay Entertainment in a deal said to be in the eight-figure range. Jonathan Murray will remain in place as chairman under the terms of the deal, along with president Gil Goldschein. (Variety)

Wipeout executive producer Matt Kunitz has signed a two-year deal that will keep him based at Endemol, overseeing ABC's reality series Wipeout, and developing new broadcast and cable programming for the reality giant. He's hired Rebecca Shumsky as creative executive as part of his new deal. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Knepper to "SGU," Schwartz and Savage Set up Shop, "Chuck," Knighton FlashForwards to "Happy Endings," Spacek to CBS, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Robert Knepper (Heroes, Prison Break) has reportedly been cast in a villainous recurring role on Season Two of Syfy's Stargate Universe. Citing internet reports, several sites are reporting that Knepper will play Simeon, a mysterious member of the Lucian Alliance, and will appear in a multiple-episode story arc to last between six to seven episodes. (via TV Squad)

Producing partners Josh Schwartz (Chuck) and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) have signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television and have set up their own shingle, Fake Empire, which will be based at the studio. Pod will develop projects for television, film, digital, videogames, music, and publishing. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian, meanwhile, has an interview with Schwartz and Savage, who jointly answered Adalian's questions via email. [Editor: The duo answered the question I had, which was whether Chuck would fall under the Fake Empire umbrella. Answer: it won't.] (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

SPOILER! Speaking of Chuck, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some major spoilers for the third season finale of NBC's Chuck. You can read them but I am keeping my eyes and ears pure as I don't want to be spoiled about any of the plot twists ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you! (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FlashForward's Zachary Knighton has been cast opposite Elisha Cuthbert in ABC comedy pilot Happy Endings, where he will play Dave, half of a couple that split up at the altar and must decide how to maintain their friendships afterwards. Project, from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures Television, is written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Knighton's participation is said to be in second position to FlashForward, but Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva states that the latter's "chances for renewal are slim." (Hollywood Reporter)

Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek--who just completed a story arc on HBO's Big Love--has been cast in CBS' untitled Hannah Shakespeare medical drama from executive producer John Wells. Spacek will play Adrianne, a driven visionary who heads up a mobile medical team that travels the country providing care for the less fortunate and who grapples with her own cancer diagnosis and regular chemotherapy. (She's also the mother to Rachelle Lefevre's character, also a doctor.) Spacek's role was, like several others this season, originally written as a man. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) has been cast as one of the leads in CBS' untitled Carter Bays/Craig Thomas multi-camera comedy pilot (also known as Livin' on a Prayer) from writers Kourtney Kang and Joe Kelly. Pressly will play a veterinarian who works with her best friend Tommy (Kyle Bornheimer) at the local zoo. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting update: Michael Rapaport (The War at Home) will star opposite Dylan Walsh in ABC cop drama pilot The Line (also known as ATF); Will Estes (Reunion) and Bridget Moynahan (Six Degrees) have been cast opposite Tom Selleck, Donny Wahlberg, and Len Cariou in CBS' untitled Burgess/Green drama pilot (a.k.a. Reagan's Law); Amy Landecker (A Serious Man) has landed the female lead opposite Paul Reiser in NBC comedy pilot Next; Kurt Fuller (Supernatural) has been cast in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy pilot; and Kevin Rahm (Desperate Housewives) has come aboard CBS comedy pilot Open Books. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Scott Porter will likely be heading back to Friday Night Lights for the series' fifth and final season, following a conversation Porter had with the series' producers, in which they indicated that they would like him to reprise his role as paraplegic Jason Street. "I’m hoping it turns into a definite because I’d love to go back," Porter told Keck. "I’m hoping he could repay his debts – particularly to Riggins for everything he did for Street." (TV Guide Magazine)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez has an profile of Justified co-star Walton Goggins (The Shield), who plays the sadistic white supremacist Boyd Crowder on the FX drama series... and whose character was meant to be killed off at the end of the pilot episode. "The greatest part about it," Goggins told Fernandez about Boyd's alleged religious epiphany in tonight's episode, "is that you will think you know by the end of the first season if the change is real, but no one knows. This is Boyd seeing God for the first time. What's so interesting about it is that while his actions may not be different, his motivations are different. And that's really important at the conclusion of the first season. What happens to this guy and this friendship when many things are called into question?"(Los Angeles Times)

Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Hayley Hasselhoff, Andrew Caldwell, and Zander Eckhouse have been cast in ABC Family's upcoming ten-episode drama series Huge, which revolves around the teenagers and staffers of Wellness Canyon, a weight-loss camp. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has named January 16th as the date for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will once again air live coast to coast on NBC. (Variety)

Those tears that Peter Facinelli's Dr. Fitch Cooper let flow in last night's season premiere of Showtime's Nurse Jackie? Absolutely real and completely not pre-meditated, according to Facinelli. "I started venting, and all of a sudden, tears sprung from my eyes and I couldn't stop crying. Basically, I had a physical meltdown," Facinelli told E! Online. "I was traveling back and forth from Vancouver to New York, and I was shooting Nurse Jackie and Eclipse at the same time. I think I was emotionally exhausted. The writers loved it! They thought I planned it, and I really didn't. Just know that those are real tears." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

HBO has given a greenlight to telepic Cinema Verite, a dramatization of the behind-the-scenes events during the making of the landmark reality television series An American Family, which premiered in 1973 and focused on the Loud family. Telepic, executive produced by Gavin Polone, will be written by David Seltzer and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Bob Pulcini. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered twelve episodes of spinoff reality series Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, which will launch in July. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

All Saints and Sinners: An Advance Review of Season Two of "Nurse Jackie"

"Why [do] the things that are so bad for you make you feel the best?"

Season Two of Showtime's deliciously dark comedy Nurse Jackie begins tonight and the series, which launched last year, hasn't lost any of its sparkle, wit, or biting charm during its time off. This is after all a series that featured its hero--the overworked and underpaid Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco), a woman willing to cross several lines to save lives and score a fix--flushing a severed human ear down a toilet in its very first episode.

Since then, the series' diverse cast of characters has deepened and grown as we've seen the staff of All Saints Hospital struggle with medical, moral, and marital issues and blossom into appealingly flawed individuals. None more so than Jackie herself, a woman devoted to the profession of nursing who is so caring towards her patients and her family and yet so entirely self-destructive, pushing herself into extramarital relationships, keeping nearly everyone at arm's length, and indulging in any number of prescription drugs filched from the hospital.

The series--created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky--returns tonight with a fantastic installment that picks up a little while after the events of last season's finale, where Jackie's former lover Eddie (Paul Schulze) discovered that she was married and revealed that he had been spending time with her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa). Suffice it to say that there's much drama, as well as some hysterical dark humor, lurking just around the corner.

While I've seen the first eight episodes of Nurse Jackie's second season provided to press for review, I'll focus for now on the first four installments of what promises to be a fantastically taut season. Minor spoilers follow but none that will derail your pleasure with this incredible comedy series.

As mentioned earlier, Season Two of Nurse Jackie finds Jackie attempting to process the implications of what Eddie has revealed and her fear that Eddie will tell Kevin about their affair continues to haunt her. In the first episode back, a day at the beach with Kevin and their two daughters--sweet little Fiona (Daisy Tahan) and anxious Grace (Ruby Jerins, once again astonishing)--turns into something darker as Jackie believes she sees Eddie watching her. But while Eddie might not be at the beach, he does force his way back into Eddie's life in these episodes in a way that's both shocking and pathetic. (It really had to be seen to be believed.)

Despite her horror that Eddie could destroy her marriage, Jackie hasn't stopped abusing prescription medication. Her addiction is both an enabler--it gives her the energy to deal with her work and home lives--and a crutch, as Jackie can't seem to function with daily life without repeated self-medication. It's another way at building a wall between her and Life. But it's also made her a target, following the hiring of Sam (Arjun Gupta), a recovering addict who viewers will remember from Season One. Jackie's distrust of Sam, as well as her fear of exposure, put them immediately at odds and Sam's holier-than-thou attitude doesn't help matters.

Once again, her sole confidante is Dr. Eleanor O'Hara (Eve Best), the wealthy British doctor whose penchant for Hermes scarves and generous gifts seems to lead her into trouble this season. Still reeling from the death of her mother at the end of the first season, O'Hara seems desperate to connect to someone in a way that's inimically opposed to Jackie herself.

Likewise, Fitch Cooper (Peter Facinelli) seems desperate to manufacture friendships with the people he works with, especially after he lands on New York Magazine's list of the Top 25 doctors in New York City, a fact that gets under the skin of Jackie, O'Hara, and, well, everyone at the hospital. If you thought Coop was unbearable before, just wait until he starts tweeting about life at the hospital and his new position in the medical community. Credit goes to Facinelli for being willing to play the butt of many jokes and for playing Coop with such realistic awkwardness. Coop is so desperate for friends... and yet so unable to see just how repugnant and unlikeable he truly is to everyone.

These episodes also deliver two intriguing subplots for one of my favorite characters, Merritt Wever's fantastically naive Zoey Barkow as Zoey finds herself pushed into adulthood when she must act quickly--and illegally--to save the life of a dying child and when she... Well, that would be telling. But the reveal of that second subplot is one of the great moments of the new season. Kudos to Wever for once again effortlessly making Zoey adorable and sympathetic as well as funny. Her pronunciation of Hermes is priceless as is her discussion with the mentally disturbed man (who calls himself "God") who lives across the street from the hospital.

Season Two also deepens the supporting characters at All Saints, giving Anna Deavere Smith's Gloria Akalitus some real grit and depth this season (I felt that the first season often made her too cartoonish rather than real) and allowing her to open up about her own personal life. There's a gorgeous scene between Akalitus and O'Hara in the third episode that proves that Akalitus isn't really the crabby administrator she makes herself out to be and a moment of real truth as she attempts to break through Jackie's armor by revealing something about herself.

The departure of Haaz Sleiman's Mo-Mo (off-screen and only alluded to in passing) is eased by the arrival of Sam and the very welcome prominence of Stephen Wallem's Thor, whose diabetes plays a role in the first two episodes of the season. His "wedding cake addiction" also sheds a light on the bad things that we all do that make us feel better. While Thor's isn't as bad as, say, Jackie's addiction, it provides a strong case against giving into temptation.

Which is a lesson that Jackie could definitely learn from, though her deep flaws are what make Falco's Jackie such an incredibly nuanced and unpredictable character. For a woman who is more sinner than saint, it's likely to be a season in which her moral code is further tested as the walls continue to close in on her. Just what the addict nurse will do when faced with uncertainty and the threat of discovery on multiple fronts remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: I'm very gladly along for the ride.



Season Two of Nurse Jackie begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

The Daily Beast: "15 Reasons to Watch TV This Spring"

Looking for something to watch this spring?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest piece, "15 Reasons to Watch TV This Spring," where I round up fifteen new and returning series airing this spring--from Doctor Who, V, Nurse Jackie, and Fringe to Treme, Peep Show, and Top Chef Masters, among others--as well as some major events like the end of ABC's Lost in May.

What are you most looking forward to this spring and what's caught your fancy as your latest television obsession? Head to the comments section to discuss.

First Look: Season Two of Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"

Edie Falco's Jackie Peyton returns this March with a second season of the Showtime dark comedy Nurse Jackie.

The pay cabler released a two-and-a-half minute sizzle reel for the second season of Nurse Jackie, which kicks off on March 22nd.

Having seen the first two episodes of Season Two of Nurse Jackie back in December, I can say that the season gets off to a great start as the writers not only deal with the cliffhanger ending of of the freshman season but also introduce some compelling new story strands to follow. Suffice it to say, I'm already counting down the days until Nurse Jackie returns to television.

You can watch the Season Two trailer below.



Season Two of Nurse Jackie begins March 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

Top TV Picks of 2009

As 2009 begins to wind down, I figured now was the perfect time as any to look back at the series that that have entertained and inspired me over the past calendar year.

And what a year it was for the television industry, which was (and is) still recovering from the writers strike of 2007/08. This past year also saw NBC box up the 10 pm hour for scripted programming, a move that hasn't had quite the effect that the network hoped (I do feel for poor scapegoat Jay Leno), while sending viewers scurrying over to cable, which continued to make huge inroads this year.

It was also a year that saw comedy make a huge comeback, from the success of FOX's musical-comedy hybrid Glee to the season's biggest critical hit, ABC's Modern Family and the surprising resilience of NBC's Parks and Recreation (hands down the winner of the Most Improved Series award). And a year that saw much beloved series Chuck teeter dangerously towards cancellation, only to receive an eleventh hour reprieve, thanks to fans, critics, and Subway.

So, what were the favorite series in the Televisionary household? Which left me wanting more... and which ones made me eager to change the channel? Find out below.

Best US Dramas:

Big Love (HBO)

The third season of HBO's compelling and addictive drama Big Love provided perhaps the single greatest season of any series this year. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, Big Love's third season upped the ante by having the family diversify into the casino business and a fourth wife, take a brutal road trip, and deal with barbarians pounding at the gates. Transforming itself into the grand Shakespearean epic we always knew it to be, the series went to some very dark places, revealing the tragic backstories of both Chloe Sevigny's Nicki and the long-dead Maggie Henrickson, killing off Mireille Enos' beloved Kathy Marquart, and having Jeanne Tripplehorn's Barb get ex-communicated from the Mormon church. Throw in the unexpected pregnancy of rebellious daughter Sarah (Amanda Seyfried), multiple murder attempts, the formation of a new church by Bill (Bill Paxton), a newly independent Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), and a possible end to the Grant legacy in Juniper Creek and you have the makings of a groundbreaking drama. One that effortlessly fuses together soapy intrigue, social commentary, and family dynamics into one unforgettable and unique series that explores the Henrickson clan's unusual familial set-up and renders it not only normal but riveting. I tip my hat to you, Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer.

Mad Men (AMC)

Mad Men's gutting third season, which saw the collapse of the marriage between Don (Jon Hamm) and Betty (January Jones) and the destruction of ad agency Sterling Cooper, proved that there are no sacred cows in the universe of the 1960s period drama, created by Matthew Weiner. Following a season filled with change, presidential assassinations, fear and paranoia, Weiner exploded our expectations of serialized television by upending the twin foundations of the series, giving Don Draper a new beginning and pushing Mad Men's characters towards a new and uncertain future. With its emphasis on the unspoken subtext and the simmering desires lurking beneath the slickly styled facades of its men and women, Mad Men held onto its rightfully earned status as adult storyteller, relishing in exploring the complex emotions and bruised egos of life in the 1960s.

True Blood (HBO)

In its second season, HBO's vampire drama True Blood went from being a guilty pleasure to a series that balanced the outright campy with the truly transcendent. By pushing supporting players such as Alexander Skarsgard's Eric, Rutina Wesley's Tara, Sam Trammel's Sam, Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette, Deborah Ann Woll's Jessica, and Allan Hyde's Godric to the foreground, creator Alan Ball and the series' writers deepened the universe of Bon Temps and gave True Blood some of its most heartbreaking and compelling moments with the suicide of Eric's maker Godric and the doomed relationship between Woll's Jessica and Jim Parrack's Hoyt. There are few series that are as gleefully unpredictable than True Blood, a series that rewrites the rules about storytelling while spinning a bloody good yarn.

Lost (ABC)

The penultimate season of ABC's enigma-laden masterpiece Lost found the castaways split into two groups: one spinning through time before landing in the 1970s and joining up with the series' ubiquitous Dharma Initiative and the other, having escaped, attempting to return to the island. Deepening its mysteries and paying off several long-standing mysteries, Season Five filled in the backstory of the Dharma Initiative while serving up some paradoxical stories about the nature of time travel and free will and introducing two very intriguing diametrically opposed entities locked in an eternal battle. Characters died, sacrifices were made, and the chess pieces shifted around into new arrangements as showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse prepare for one final game.

Honorable Mentions: Battlestar Galactica (Syfy), Damages (FX), Fringe (FOX), No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (HBO)

Best US Comedies (Half-Hour Format):

Parks and Recreation (NBC)

In its sophomore season, NBC's Parks and Recreation has done the impossible: transformed itself into arguably the most hysterical comedy series on television right now. Stepping out of The Office's shadow, Parks and Recreation has found its footing as a deeply layered, character-driven comedy about small town bureaucracy and changed Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope from being a bumbling female Michael Scott replacement into a preternaturally optimistic do-gooder whose main flaw is that she cares too much. Brilliant, hilarious, and biting, Parks and Recreation might just be the best comedy you're not watching.

Modern Family (ABC)

With its pitch-perfect pilot episode, ABC's Modern Family single-handedly announced the return of the intelligent family comedy with its winning blend of realistically flawed characters, mockumentary format, and whip-smart writing. Not to mention the perfectly cast ensemble of actors who embody the series' extended Pritchett-Dunphy clan. Rarely is a series this self-assured straight out of the gate but subsequent episodes have proven just as strong as the series' initial outing. By using relatable situations and universal truths about families, creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd render the engaging characters of Modern Family in three dimensions, crafting a family that many of us want to spend the entire week with and not just Wednesday nights.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

FX's raunchy and raucous comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia continued its winning mix of gross-out humor, jaw-droppingly selfish behavior, and absurdly comic misadventures and I couldn't look away. By playing fast and loose with the format and allowing the owners of Paddy's Pub to remain so completely unlikable, the series remains a hallmark for finding comedy in the most unlikely of places. Who knew that running a bar in Philadelphia could prove to be quite so dangerous... or madness-inducing?

Party Down (Starz)

Likewise, Starz comedy Party Down rendered the mundane quality of the life of a cater-waiter to comic effect, transforming the overqualified crew of Party Down into poster children for slackerdom and reveling in a scripted looseness that felt almost improvised. With fly-on-the-wall precision, Party Down nailed the frustrations of twenty- and thirty-somethings in the name tag-wearing workplace and mixed up a batch of comedy and tragedy in equal measure.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime)

With grit and heart, Showtime's acerbic dark comedy Nurse Jackie brings us a modern-day heroine unafraid of being unlikable and yet succeeding at her job in spite of a drug addiction, extramarital affair, and various unethical and illegal behavior at in the workplace. If the bristly Jackie (the luminous Edie Falco) has a fault, it's that she cares too much for her patients and not enough for herself. If the bristly Jackie (the luminous Edie Falco) has a fault, it's that she cares too much for her patients and not enough for herself, killing herself slowly with drugs, cheating, and a host of lies. The show's biting wit and thought-provoking storylines--not to mention a fantastic cast in Falco, Merrit Wever, Eve Best, and Peter Facinelli, among others-- give us one of the most darkly compelling comedies on television, filled with burn victims, beating hearts, and one extraordinary nurse.

Honorable Mentions: Better Off Ted (ABC), Bored to Death (HBO), Community (NBC), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), Flight of the Conchords (HBO)

Best US Comedy (One-Hour Format):

Chuck (NBC)

As if there were any doubt that the fantastic and funny Chuck would make my list in some fashion. The action-comedy hybrid deepened in its second season, thanks to the winning chemistry of the series' talented leads (including Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster, Vik Sahay, Josh Gomez, Scott Krinsky, and Mark Christopher Lawrence), the perfect genre-smashing combination of action, adventure, romance, and workplace comedy, and a taut serialized element that had Chuck finding out the truth about his father and the Intersect, all while making the choice to fulfill his true potential... and his destiny. Building on the strengths of its too-short freshman outing, Season Two of Chuck charmed the pants off this writer (and kept me on the edge of my seat) and bucked the odds, winning Chuck a much deserved third season order.

Best Canceled Series:

The Unusuals (ABC)

While many series got the axe this year, the one that struck home the hardest was that for ABC's short-lived cop dramedy The Unusuals, from creator Noah Hawley. Revolving around a group of eccentric cops, The Unusuals found the detectives of the second precinct tackling some, er, unusual cases. The procedural mysteries were fun and offbeat and the chemistry between the series' sprawling ensemble cast top-notch. Though it only lasted less than a dozen episodes, each installment proved to be a little gem of witty banter, quirky mysteries, and off-kilter cops. It's much missed.

Best Reality Series:

Top Chef (Bravo)

Once again, the same three reality series pop up on my best of the year list and for good reason: they each proved that reality programming, when done right, can have the same stakes and drama as scripted television. No other series sates my culinary hunger like Bravo's formidable Top Chef, which had a season filled with some of the most talented chefs yet and a fiery sibling rivalry in Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. Compelling, hunger-inducing, and cutthroat, Top Chef takes our fascination with food to a whole new level, creating a series that rewards creativity and vision more than manipulation and controversy.

The Amazing Race (CBS)

Coming back with a strong season, CBS' The Amazing Race again sparked my interest once more and cast some intriguing, frustrating, and outright hostile couples--Mika and Canaan, anyone?--in the world's biggest scavenger hunt, sending them around the globe to compete in various challenges and put their relationships to the test. While some teams fell way too soon (sorry, Justin and Zev), the drama and the pacing, thanks to some quality editing, kept the tension going strong, all the way to the finish line.

Flipping Out (Bravo)

No reality series makes me laugh like Bravo's Flipping Out. Despite the plunging housing market and the economic recession, Jeff Lewis, Jenni, Zoila, and the gang were back for some more obsessive-compulsive misadventures in Los Angeles. Fear and paranoia reigned supreme this season, which offered not just some belly-aches but also some genuine emotion as Jeff accused his former business partner Ryan of cheating him out of work and considered adopting a child. It's a testament to the quirkiness of the series' leads that I want to go back to Jeff Lewis' office week after week. (Come on, Bravo, bring on Season Four ASAP!)

Best New Fall Series:

Modern Family (ABC)

Yes, I already mentioned it under Best Comedies but it warrants another mention here. ABC's Modern Family easily walks away with the award for my favorite new fall series. Boasting one of the most dynamic and talented ensemble casts, Modern Family serves up both humor and heart without delving into the melodramatic or the saccharine. No small feat, considering the series has changed my opinion on what's possible with the family comedy format, a creaky sub-genre until this breath of fresh air came along. The Pritchett clan is one family that I can't wait to catch up with each week and the subtle humor--ranging from Casablanca shout-outs to burgundy dinner jackets--is already a surefire hit in this household. Innocente!

Best British Imports:

Doctor Who (BBC America)

While only airing a handful of episodes (sorry, "specials") in 2009, Doctor Who remains at the top of my list of British imports, thanks to the fantastic performance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. While his song is sadly coming to an end, Tennant offered some fantastic turns in such specials as Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead and Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, the latter of which might just be one of the darkest and most compelling entries in the entire revival series. Quirky, compelling, and unpredictable, Doctor Who played to Tennant's strengths, allowing the Shakespearean actor to be charming, roguish, and insane in equal measure. David Tennant, you'll be missed.

The Mighty Boosh (Adult Swim)

Come with us now on a journey through time and space. The three seasons of critically-acclaimed BBC Three cult hit The Mighty Boosh (which aired Stateside on Adult Swim) are a dazzling blend of music, surreal comedy, and over the top fashion as Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding), would-be rock gods/zookeepers/sales clerks, explore the twisted backwaters of the human psyche through a series of bizarre misadventures. Joining them on this psychedelic road trip to dimensions as-yet-unseen are pot-addled shaman Naboo the Enigma (Michael Fielding) and his ape familiar Bollo (Dave Brown). It’s indescribably weird, absolutely hilarious, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before on television.

Ashes to Ashes (BBC America)

Spinning off of the trippy cop drama Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes took a different cop (Keely Hawes' Alex Drake), another David Bowie song ("Ashes to Ashes"), and another era (1980s) and created an slick and addictive drama series that's a dark exploration of the psyche of damaged forensic psychologist DI Alex Drake as she struggles to survive a gunshot wound and make her way back to the present day. Plus, the series' eerie suspense, a twisted Season Two plot involving freemasons and other potential travelers, and the trademark banter between Alex and the gruff Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), who waltzes away with some of the series' best lines, keeps the series cutting-edge and dynamic. As Alex solves some of period cases (and ones involving her own past), the clock is ticking down as the end of the series--and the franchise--looms next year. Just who is Gene Hunt? What is this world? And what has happened to Sam Tyler and Alex Drake? We'll be getting some answers in the third and final season of this fantastic sci-fi/cop/period/psychological drama in 2010. (Note: Season Two has yet to air in the States.)

Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC America)

Unfolding with the breakneck pacing of an epic miniseries, the third season of Torchwood, entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, offered an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride and set up a compelling, brutal, and gut-wrenching story of an alien invasion and the past sins of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). While the final installment buckled somewhat under the weight of the previous installments, the limited run proved to be unforgettable, offering some intense moral dilemmas, weighty adult themes, and tough choices for the employees of Torchwood.

Best British Import (Yet to Air in the States):

The Inbetweeners (BBC America)

The much-delayed comedy from creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley might just be the best thing that hasn't yet aired in the US. (Look for the first two seasons of this hilariously raucous comedy to launch January 25th on BBC America.) Almost operating as the anti-Skins, The Inbetweeners tells the story of four teenage friends who spend their time trying to obtain booze, get lucky with girls, and cut each other down to size. In other words: they're painfully average teenage boys. In the hands of Morris and Beesley, the quartet have some painfully hilarious sexual adventures that will have you laughing, gasping, and groaning... all at the same time.

Best British Imports (Reality Edition):

Gordon Ramsay's F Word (BBC America)

Take outspoken British chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, put him in the kitchen where he's putting some inexperienced brigades through their paces and send him out in search of all things tasty, odd, or curious or to teach people to cook at home and you have the truly fantastic F Word, a blend of culinary competition, food-oriented news magazine, celebrity interview, and all-around celebration of all things delicious. Ramsay's not shy of expressing his opinion but he's also at his most real here, as he transforms his family's back garden to rear pigs and sheep or teaching the hopeless how to prepare a tasty feast on their own.

Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America)

Words can't express my love for British reality series Last Restaurant Standing (which airs in the UK under the title The Restaurant), which challenges couples to run their own restaurants... and hands them keys to eating establishments where they'll man the front-of-house and the kitchen. Judges Raymond Blanc, Sarah Willingham, and David Moore put them through their paces with tough challenges but the real test is the daily service as the couples face the hard grind of the restaurant business and have to meet the judges' rigorous expectations of the food, service, decor, and atmosphere of their restaurants... and they must face the wrath of the culinary troika as well as the dining public. Compelling, shocking, and grueling, it's a treat to watch for foodies, who will count their blessings that they're not on the line for service that night.

And there we have it. A sampling of some of my favorites from 2009. As the year rapidly swings to a close, I'm curious to see what your favorite (and least favorite) series were, which shows you can't get enough of, and which ones you're happy to see the back of now. Discuss.

AFI Announces Their Official Selections for TV Programs of the Year

Yesterday, American Film Institute announced their official selections for the programs of the year for 2009.

I'm happy that the esteemed board--which included The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, TV Guide Magazine's Matt Roush, Variety's Brian Lowry, actor CCH Pounder (The Shield), and writer/producer David Milch (Deadwood)--chose to recognize several series that don't get nearly as much love from critics and audiences as they should.

Along with noteworthy freshman series like Modern Family and Glee (both of which I expected would end up on the list) and the always sterling Mad Men, the panel selected such unexpected entries like HBO's lyrical mystery series No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Starz's breakout ensemble comedy Party Down, HBO's groundbreaking (and sadly often overlooked) drama series Big Love (which had its best season yet earlier this year), saved-from-cancellation drama Friday Night Lights, and Showtime's sensational medical-based dark comedy Nurse Jackie.

HBO, not unexpectedly, walked away with a number of programs on the official selections list, landing three spots for Big Love, True Blood, and No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

The full list of AFI's official TV selections can be found below.

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
BIG LOVE (HBO)
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC/DirecTV)
GLEE (FOX)
MAD MEN (AMC)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY (HBO)
NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
PARTY DOWN (Starz)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

What do you think of AFI's official selections for 2009? Are there other series that you would have rather seen make the list? Or ones that did that have definitely earned their spots? (Personally, I'd have substituted The Big Bang Theory presence here for NBC's Parks and Recreation.) Discuss.

Channel Surfing: Michael Trucco "Facing Kate," "Desperate Housewives" Gets FlashForward, Showtime Announces Series Returns, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Former Battlestar Galactica star Michael Trucco has been cast in USA drama pilot Facing Kate, where he will play the charismatic ex-husband to Kate, a former lawyer (Sarah Shahi) who leaves her job to become a mediator after the death of her father. Also cast: Virginia Williams (Lie to Me), who will play Kate's younger stepmother, a domineering woman who is desperate to hold onto her late husband's law firm. Bronwen Hughes will direct the pilot, which hails from Universal Cable Prods. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Desperate Housewives will offer a flashforward of sorts in their first episode after the December 6th cliffhanger that will explore several "what if" scenarios. "Two Wisterians featured prominently in the alternate reality sequences will be Gaby and Carlos’ youngest daughter, Celia, and Mike and Susan’s son, MJ," writes Ausiello. "I know this because DH is currently casting thirtysomething versions of both characters." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Showtime has announced return dates for several of its series, including a January 25th bow for Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, which will air back-to-back at 10 pm ET/PT. The night will also see the premiere of Marc Wootton's new comedy series La La Land, in which the British comedian will play three different characters interacting with real-life Los Angeles inhabitants. Looking ahead, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara return for their respective sophomore seasons on March 22nd and The Tudors returns for its fourth and final season on April 11th. (via press release)

BBC One will launch the third and final season of comedy Gavin & Stacey on November 26th at 9 pm GMT. The network described this season: "As Gavin starts his new job, the move to Barry Island means big changes for the whole family. Pam and Mick have to adjust to an empty nest while Gwen's got a full house again. Stacey is in her element, but will this finally be the solution to the couple's long-distance problem? And how will Gavin take to living in Wales? Smithy questions their friendship along with his own role as father – and with Dave Coaches on the scene and now engaged to Nessa, will Smithy find himself pushed out of the frame? How will life in a caravan work out for Nessa and her soon-to-be husband Dave?" Pam Ferris will join the cast as Smithy's mother. (via press release)

Variety's Cynthia Littleton checks in with the producers of NBC's Parenthood, which has faced some very trying obstacles in its path to the small screen, including the health-related departure of star Maura Tierney and the character's recasting by Lauren Graham. "We’re looking forward to bringing some of her comedy to the show," said executive producer Jason Katims of Graham, "but our show has a very different tone and different voice for her. She’s looking forward to doing something different." (Variety)

NUMB3RS fans shouldn't worry that CBS will end the crime procedural without giving producers an opportunity to wrap up storylines, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "We will be doing a 16th episode that wraps up storylines and answers questions," co-creator Cheryl Heuton told Ausiello. "It will be designed to stand as a finale, but it won’t create story situations that would hamper us if the network should decide to order more episodes... [and] will give fans what they’ve been waiting for... We’re looking to feature all our characters and give good moments to every member of the cast." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Land and TV Guide Network have sealed a joint deal under which they will share basic cable rerun rights to HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm. TV Guide Network will get the first crack at the series, launching its window in February while TV Land gets their run beginning as early as February 2013. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

A&E Television Networks pinkslipped 100 employees on Friday, roughly 10 percent of their overall workforce, in light of the cabler's recent merger with Lifetime. The majority of the cuts occurred at the female-centric network, with several executives let go, including head of casting Rick Jacobs, unscripted executive Jessica Samet, and several high-level publicists. (Hollywood Reporter)

Disney Channel has ordered a second season of comedy series Jonas, which will launch sometime in mid-2010. The cabler has named showrunner Lester Lewis and director Paul Hoen executive producers. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere at the cabler, Jennifer Stone (Wizards of Waverly Place) will topline Disney Channel telepic Harriet the Spy, loosely based on Louise Fitzhugh's novel. Plot will be updated with Harriet now a movie producer's daughter whose aim is to become her class blogger. Pic, set to air next year, is written by Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke and directed by Ron Oliver. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Life of Riley: Honesty Is (Not) The Best Policy on "Nurse Jackie"

It was inevitable that the double-life that Jackie Peyton strove so hard to create for herself would come crashing down around her eventually.

And so it would appear to have done so on the gripping and profound season finale of Showtime's exquisite dark comedy Nurse Jackie ("Health Care and Cinema") as Jackie (Edie Falco) was startlingly slammed out of her reverie and into reality.

Written by Liz Brixius and Linda Wallem, the season finale saw Jackie's lover Eddie (Paul Schulze) find out about her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and cause a scene at the hospital, forcing Jackie to sink lower than we've ever seen her before. Throughout the complex and lyrical first season of this unique and beautiful series, Edie Falco has brought a rich humanity to the role of the deeply flawed Jackie Peyton, a woman who tries so hard to do right by her patients but often does more harm than good to herself and those around her.

It was only a matter of time before one of the men in Jackie's life found out about the other. I had thought that her husband Kevin would be the one to learn the truth about his wife's infidelities (the broken wedding ring should have been a clue) but I'm glad to see that Brixius and Wallem inverted that paradigm by having Jackie's secret lover Eddie learn that Jackie was married with two kids.

And it made the scenes in which Eddie furtively grilled Kevin about his marriage and life with Jackie all the more tense and twisted. I understand Eddie's frustration and hurt at learning the truth about Jackie (wouldn't you be furious?) but the ease with which he slithered into Kevin's bar and learned information about Jackie was staggering. I thought that the season would end with Eddie telling Kevin the truth but I'm pleased that we'll have to wait for this scenario until next season; it will make the anticipation for the return of Nurse Jackie all the more painfully sweet.

As for Jackie herself, it was stunning to see her hit rock bottom. Distraught over the knowledge that Eddie had been to see Kevin at the bar and is aware of her double life, Jackie rigs the Pill-o-Matix to give her multiple doses of morphine sulfate, which she then downs on the floor of the bathroom.

Jackie's used prescription drugs in the past to keep her going, to remove the pain of her busted back, to give her energy for a double-shift. She's never used drugs to escape life or seek oblivion as she did here, a game-changing move that speaks volumes about the fact that, despite her good deeds at the hospital, Jackie has truly crossed over into being a junkie.

In this altered state, we're given a glimpse into Jackie's true inner life, a fantasy world where her concept of perfection is painfully just out of reach. Floating on the waves of morphine, Jackie experiences an idealized 1950s vision of the perfect family, the perfect house, the perfect life. But she's somehow separate, removed, distant. And as she hums along to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" the perfect kicker is that in this pristine, drug-altered state, there's yet another fly in the ointment as a rat scuttles overhead in the florescent light.

Zoey (Merritt Wever) has her own cross to bear this week as she deals with her guilt over giving Nutterman (guest star Victor Garber) the wrong dose of medication and sending him into a coma. Her penance is to cast off her colorful scrubs and mope around the hospital in grey scrubs. Loved the reveal that Nutterman has woken up from his coma no worse for the wear... except for the fact that his vaunted critical judgment of films is severely altered. (Garber's line about Showgirls had me in hysterics.)

I'm hoping that Garber could return in some fashion next season as the chemistry between Nutterman and Anna Deavere Smith's Akalitus was just so great. (Hell, give Garber and Wever their own buddy comedy sitcom and I'll watch.) And I loved that absolutely no one cared that Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) was trapped in that elevator, so long as it delayed her investigation of Zoey's involvement in Nutterman's case.

Jackie's mindgame handling of Dr. Cooper (Peter Gacinelli) was absolutely fantastic in its savagery, though I was surprised to see Cooper so willing to help Mo-Mo (Haaz Sleiman) get back at his boyfriend by kissing him on camera. Could it be that Cooper has more depth or compassion than we've believed so far?

Speaking of compassion, Jackie completely left Dr. O'Hara (Eve Best) blowing in the wind. Despite knowing that her comatose mother was set to arrive from London and that she had to admit her as a Jane Doe found in Grammercy Park, Jackie flew the coop and was nowhere to be found when Eleanor's mother turned up. I'm very worried that Jackie and Ellie's friendship might not be able to be salvaged after this twist.

But far more pressing is just what Eddie intends to do to Jackie to make her pay for cheating on him with her husband. I'm more than concerned by just how desperate Eddie might be to get back at Jackie and just how much he can destroy the life she's built for herself at the hospital and at home.

In the meantime, I'm really going to miss the darkly humorous Nurse Jackie. It's going to be a long slog until we can catch up with them again next season and I thought that the writers did a brilliant job at creating some cliffhangers to sustain our interest while also pushing the characters into some very dark places that will resonate long after the ending credits roll. While Weeds gets the hype and media coverage, it's truly Nurse Jackie that's a brand-defining and boundary-pushing series for Showtime, one that catapults the cabler into the level of prestige drama purveyor.

Nurse Jackie will return with a second season in 2010 on Showtime.

Channel Surfing: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Ascends to "Thrones," FOX Breaks in with Olmstead and Santora, Edie Falco Talks "Nurse Jackie," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Virtuality star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast in the pilot for fantasy drama Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novel series. Coster-Waldau will play Jaime Lannister, described by The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd as "one of the king's guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king." Also cast in the Tom McCarthy-directed pilot: Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors), Richard Madden (Hope Springs), Iain Glen (Into the Storm), Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl), Sophie Turner (Doctor Who), and Maisie Williams, all of whom join the previously announced Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, Kit Harrington, Harry Lloyd, Peter Dinklage, and Jack Gleeson. Production begins this October in Ireland. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has handed out a pilot script order with penalty to drama Break Out Kings, from 20th Century Fox Television and Prison Break writer/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, about a group of former convicts who become members of the US Marshall service in Manhattan and track down fugitives. Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is attached to direct and executive produce, alongside Olmstead and Santora. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview with Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, the series' creators Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius, and Showtime president Robert Greenblatt about the dark comedy, which wraps its first season run on Monday. "Don’t pin it down," said Falco of her belief that she doesn't want the audience to have any specific conclusions about Jackie's complex life. "Leave questions. Treat the audience like they’re smart. Let five people who are viewing it have five different ideas about what just happened in that scene."(The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson will star in HBO's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy play The Sunset Limited, about a man who saves another from throwing himself in front of a subway train. Jones will direct the two-hour telepic, which will be produced by Barbara Hall. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Kirsten Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play Helen, a new office temp at Mode magazine who befriends Becki Newton's Amanda. If the character description sounds familiar, it's because the role was originally meant to be played by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul before talks between Abdul and the series' producers collapsed. "I’ve always considered myself a poor man’s Paula Abdul," Johnston joked to Ausiello and then described her character as "Amanda in 10 years. She’s still trying to get into the right clubs, wearing tight dresses... tragic. I think [Helen] sees herself as Samantha from Sex and the City. Except, of course, she’s a temp." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has given a premium script commitment to an untitled multi-camera family comedy pilot from My Name is Earl executive producer Bobby Bowman about a strange kid who attempts to be normal, even while living among a highly eccentric family. Project, which will be written by Bowman, hails from Peter Chernin's new company and 20th Century Fox Television. (Hollywood Reporter)

Broadcast is reporting that the BBC has announced that it will not order a second season of period fantasy comedy Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire after its funding partner--that would be Comedy Central here in the US--pulled out of the international co-production. (Broadcast)

Anyone else troubled by executive producer Todd Slavkin's recent comments in an E! Online interview about the CW's new Melrose Place, where he describes the "sexual revolution" going on in the series as "post-AIDS"? Said Slavkin: "We feel that there is a current sexual revolution going on. Kind of post-AIDS—where the boundaries are off. Their parents have been shackled, and they want to explore." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Canadian sketch comedy troupe Kids in the Hall have reunited for Death Comes to Town, an eight-episode "comic murder mystery" for the CBC. According to Variety's Brendan Kelly, the series will revolves around a "small town when all its most distinguished citizens are murdered. A suspect is arrested, there's a trial and many dark secrets are revealed along the way." Production is currently underway for a January launch on CBC. (Variety)

BBC Two has given a series order to culinary comedy Whites, starring Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) as a highly successful executive chef who lacks the motivation to turn his restaurants into an empire, Pam Ferris (The Darling Buds of May), Darren Boyd (Saxondale), and Isy Suttie (Peep Show). Project was created by Matt King (Peep Show's Superhans) and Oliver Lansley (FM) and six half-hour episodes will be shot. (Broadcast)

FearNet has acquired five unaired episodes of short-lived NBC horror anthology series Fear Itself, which it will begin running on FearNet.com beginning September 2nd and on FearNet OnDemand beginning September 7th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cartoon Network has ordered a second season of reality series Destroy Build Destroy, which Andrew W.K. attached to return as host of the live-action series. (Variety)

Tijuana Entertainment has hired former Reveille executive Ronak Kordestani as director of development and Todd Berger as a creative consultant. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: David Anders Clocks in for "24," ABC Developing "Time Traveler's Wife" Series, Matt Lauria to Shine "Lights," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

David Anders (Alias, Heroes) has been cast in a recurring role on Day Eight of FOX's 24 and Zap2It's Rick Porter has managed to obtain some further information about Anders' villainous character. Anders, who is slated to appear in a handful of episodes next season, will play Josef Bazhaev, the son of an Eastern European mobster, who is described in casting breakdowns as being the "heir apparent to an Eastern Promises-style godfather. Josef is a dangerous man but is cautious and worries about things more than his father." (Zap2It)

Just a few days after the opening of feature film The Time Traveler's Wife, ABC has announced that it is teaming up with Friends creator Marta Kaufman and Warner Bros. Television to develop a drama series based around the film (itself an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's novel). Kaufman will write the pilot script and executive produce. "ABC executives believe the complex plot of the original novel will work well in series form," writes The Wrap's Joe Adalian, "since Kauffman will be able to explore the romantic relationship at the core of the story over the course of several seasons." However, the potential series won't strictly be serialized and will also be comprised of episodic storylines. (The Wrap)

Matt Lauria (Lipstick Jungle) has been cast as a series regular in Season Four of Friday Night Lights, where he will play Luke, described as "a charming yet cocky junior who reluctantly finds himself playing for Coach Taylor’s East Dillon squad," by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Season Four of Friday Night Lights kicks off on October 28th on DirecTV before airing next summer on NBC. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Canadian viewers desperate to catch Season Three of period drama Mad Men will have to turn to iTunes for their next fix. Lionsgate Television via its affiliate Maple Pictures has made a deal with iTunes Canada to carry Season Three of Mad Men for download in both standard definition and HD. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has a fantastic interview with Nurse Jackie's Merrit Wever, who plays innocently addled nurse Zoey on the Showtime dramedy series. "I think it would be a huge deal," said Wever when asked what Zoey's reaction would be upon learning about Jackie's darker side. "I could see Zoey staging an intervention, thinking she should take it upon herself to sober Jackie up. I could see her thinking this is why she was sent to the hospital. I think she would get all of the pamphlets and literature she could possibly find on drug addiction, and Zoey would annoy Jackie sober. And I say annoy lovingly. She would care Jackie sober, because she does think she's the best thing since sliced bread. Zoey adores Jackie. She thinks she's a great lady." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Michael B. Jordan (The Wire) has been cast as a series regular in Season Four of Friday Night Lights, where he will play troublemaker Vince, who is described by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello as "charming at times, the junior running back can be dangerous and menacing—a result of his crime-riddled upbringing. He quickly finds himself at odds with the team’s new pretty boy Luke." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has given a script order to an untitled multi-camera comedy project from writer/executive producer Gary Janetti (Will & Grace) about two men--one straight, the other gay--who are best friends. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, "marks the first major deal between NBC and 20th TV since the network's May cancellation of the 20th TV-produced My Name Is Earl after four seasons," writes The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC One have commissioned a 90-minute adaptation of Henry James' supernatural classic The Turn of the Screw. Adapted by Sandy Welch (Jane Eyre) and directed by Tim Fywell (The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency), the action of the spine-tingling novella is moved to post-WWI. The drama, which begins shooting later this month, will star Michelle Dockery (Cranford), Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead), and Mark Umbers (Mistresses). (BBC)

PBS will launch a new culinary-themed travel series Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth, which will follow Gourmet editor-in-chief and author Ruth Reichl as she travels the world visiting cooking schools with celebrities. The ten-episode series will debut on PBS on October 17th and will also be available via Gourmet's TiVo channel and on American Airlines flights. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cabler Style will begin airing repeats of ABC's Supernanny in September every evening at 7 pm ET/PT. (Variety)

Natasha Henstridge (Eli Stone) has been cast opposite Harry Hamlin in Hallmark Channel telepic Family Gathering, from writer Kevin Commins and director John Bradshaw. Pic is slated to air in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former CBS executive Lisa Leingang has been hired as SVP of original programming and development for Comedy Central's East Coast operations. She will report to Lauren Carrao. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Richardson to Reign on "Tudors," Ty Pennington on "Great British Adventure" for ABC, Jamie-Lynn Sigler Gets "Ugly," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Nip/Tuck's Joely Richardson has been cast in the fourth and final season of Showtime's The Tudors, where she would play King Henry VIII's final wife, Katherine Parr. The Tudors is set to return in Spring 2010 and Showtime would not comment on the casting. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In a first, British channel UKTV has sold lifestyle special Ty's Great British Adventure to ABC. Special, which will air Sunday, August 2nd at 8 pm on ABC, features Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's Ty Pennington transforming the rundown Cornish beach down of Portreath, including commissioning a children's park, a sports shop, and walking routes, along with other improvements. (Broadcast)

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos) has joined the cast of ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will recur as Natalie, Daniel Meade's new assistant who is described as "sexy, spiritual, [and] funny," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Sigler's first appearance is set for the second episode of Season Three, which kicks off October 9th on ABC. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has ordered a third season of unscripted series Wipeout, which it will air next summer. The exact episodic order was unclear but producers say that they will be constructing a whole new course for Season Three. "We're planning a completely new course next year that's nothing like anybody has ever seen," executive producer Matt Kunitz told the Hollywood Reporter. "What keeps this show running is keeping the show's course fresh." (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an interview with Nurse Jackie's Peter Facinelli, in which the actor talks about Dr. Fitch Cooper's sexual Tourette's and what's coming up on the fantastically addictive Showtime series. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Also on E! Online, the Watch with Kristin crew has a new interview with Leverage's Christian Kane, in which he talks about his hair, Eliot's love life (and anger management issues), and why Kane does his own stunt work on the series. "It's gonna be fun over the course of this season" for both Eliot Parker, said Kane. "These two people don't have hearts, but Nate [Timothy Hutton] has given them a heartbeat again. It's a little uncomfortable for both of them because they are starting to care about people. But Eliot in a sense is still going to be the James Bond of the show...It's not so much about love, as it is about beautiful women." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Actress Mischa Barton is said to be "seeking treatment but making improvements," according to her spokesman Craig Schneider. It's still unclear what Barton's future will be with the CW's new fall drama series The Beautiful Life, but Schneider says that the actress plans to return to work. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! has renewed docusoap Kendra for a second season of twelve episodes (plus a one-hour special), set to launch in 2010. (Variety)

TV Guide Network has acquired off-network rights to ABC dramedy Ugly Betty, which it will strip weekdays beginning Fall 2010. Deal covers all existing and future episodes of the series and the cabler will repurpose episodes from series' upcoming fourth season, which it will begin airing this fall, airing new episodes within two weeks of their broadcast on ABC. (Episodes will also be available on Hulu and ABC.com after transmission on ABC.) (Hollywood Reporter)

Spike has renewed Deadliest Warrior for a second season of thirteen episodes, slated to air next spring. Cabler is also said to be discussing commissioning a stand-alone special that would air before the launch of Season Two that would pit champions from the first season against one another. (Variety)

Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), Noel Fisher (The Riches) and Linda Emond (Julie & Julia) have been cast in CBS' holiday telepic A Dog Named Christmas, based on Greg Kincaid's novel. Project will be written by Jenny Wingfield and directed by Peter Werner. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.