BuzzFeed: "Why Season 5 Of Parenthood Is The Perfect Jumping On Point"

The season opener of NBC’s 300-hanky drama is everything you want it to be: joyful, uplifting, and emotional. But, for those of you who have missed out on television’s most underrated show, this episode offers the perfect opportunity to get hooked. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.

At BuzzFeed, you can read my latest feature, "Why Season 5 Of Parenthood Is The Perfect Jumping On Point," in which I review the fifth season opener of NBC's Parenthood, which will satisfy longtime fans of this remarkable show while also providing the perfect access point for new viewers.

It’s no surprise that the fifth season opener of Parenthood — which airs Thursday, September 26 on NBC — generates some tears. Parenthood, overseen by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights) and revolving around the sprawling Braverman clan of Berkeley, California, is now virtually synonymous with emotional catharsis, after all.

As I stand on the precipice of my own impending parenthood, it’s the show that compels me to confront my own feelings on a weekly basis, realistically and perfectly capturing the highs and lows of American familial life, rendering each moment, whether it be the heartbreak of first love or the familiarity of old lovers, as something tenuous and all-too-brief.

In fact, if you haven’t been watching Parenthood, however, you’ve missed out on some of the very best writing and acting on television today, a true ensemble of adults and children who imbue their characters with such nuance that it’s often difficult to remember that the Bravermans aren’t real people with real lives. In an era of Scandal, Game of Thrones, and Homeland — collectively, Big Twist Television — the subtlety of this emotionally resonant drama is too often overlooked in favor of more overtly dramatic fare. Which is a mistake: Parenthood might be subtle but it’s also brutal, packing an emotional wallop in each installment that has millions of people reaching for the Kleenex, whether it’s a beautifully wrought moment of nostalgia, pain, or beatific joy.

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The Daily Beast: "Parenthood: In Praise of Season 4, Monica Potter, and More"

Following the conclusion of the show’s fourth season, I examine NBC’s underrated Parenthood and offer why television needs a fifth season of this remarkable drama.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Parenthood: In Praise of Season 4, Monica Potter, and More," in which I sum up my feelings about the fourth season of NBC's Parenthood and praise the show's subtlety and bravery.

Dry your eyes: it’s time to celebrate this season of NBC’s Parenthood, not to mourn it.

The show’s fourth season, which concluded Tuesday night, was arguably its best to date, one that captured the emotional highs and lows of family life with bravery, subtlety, and realism. Overall, Season 4 was both somber and uplifting—often at the same time—depicting and playing with the notion of change, as seen through the adults and children of the sprawling Braverman family. Change, as we know, comes in many forms: from the pangs of puberty and the leap into adulthood to the inexorable idea of death, one that hovered over the season.

This was a brilliant 13-episode run on a drama that only gets better with age, one that gave each member of the Braverman clan some substantive and emotional plots to work through, from the cancer diagnosis faced by Kristina (Monica Potter) and the struggle between Julia (Erika Christensen) and adopted son Victor (Xolo Mariduena) to the romantic tug-of-war between Sarah (Lauren Graham), Mark (Jason Ritter), and Hank (Ray Romano), and the tumultuous relationship between Amber (Mae Whitman) and Afghan-war vet Ryan (Matt Lauria).

It is no easy feat to balance the emotional needs of so many characters, but creator Jason Katims and his talented writing staff manage to do just that. Multiple subplots are woven through each episode, resulting in unexpected character configurations and pairings. (Who would have thought that a Crosby/Julia scene would carry such weight, as it did last week?) Yet, despite the presence of a cancer story line, the season never meandered into the territory of the saccharine but lightened any semblance of sentimentality with humor and wit. If you need proof of that, you need look no further than the puberty discussion enacted by Max (Max Burkholder); where other shows would have turned toward the after-school-special approach, Parenthood embraced both Max’s Asperger’s and a frank discussion of the changes the male teenager undergoes during that transformation.

In fact, it’s Kristina and Max’s relationship that yields some of the greatest rewards this season, delivering some stunning scenes between mother and son. Here, the writing staff is wise to depict the slightest movement of Max’s emotional life as something triumphant and huge; a scene in which he asks his ailing mother to teach him how to dance is as huge as a gravity-free space jump.

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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.

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The Daily Beast: "Borgen, The Thick of It, Bond: What to Watch During the Thanksgiving Weekend"

Clear the table, do the dishes, hit the couch—TV is ready for you, with a slew of marathons, miniseries and specials, from Borgen to Bond, from Sherlock to Louie. I offer my take on what to watch on TV and online this weekend.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Borgen, The Thick of It, Bond: What to Watch During the Thanksgiving Weekend," in which I round up some notable television marathons (Borgen! Bond!) as well as selections from Hulu, Netflix, and on linear television, to keep you occupied (or offer you an escape) this holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving isn’t just about gorging yourself on turkey and pumpkin pie--it’s also about getting prostrate on the couch after stuffing yourself … or getting away from your family for a few hours in front of the television.


Fortunately, the television networks have realized that everyone during the long Thanksgiving weekend is in search of escape of some kind, and have gone out of their way to offer a number of marathons during the next few days, from the classic—all Gone With the Wind all the time on AMC!—and the gripping (Borgen) to the tragic (a Here Comes Honey Boo Boo marathon) and the suave (Bond).

But whatever your tastes, The Daily Beast has you covered with a round-up of some of the more interesting, unusual, or compelling programming hitting the airwaves, the Internet, and your Netflix queue over the next few days to sate whatever appetite still remains after the big feast.

Borgen (LinkTV and online at LinkTV.org)

If you haven’t yet fallen under the spell of Danish political thriller Borgen yet, here is the perfect opportunity to watch a marathon of Seasons 1 and 2 as LinkTV will air all 20 episodes of this penetrating and intelligent series over the holiday weekend, from Thursday to Sunday. Revolving around the political, moral, and ideological struggles of Denmark’s first female prime minister, Borgen is hands down the best television show of 2012, and the women at the show’s center—Sidse Babett Knudsen’s sympathetic statsminister Birgitte Nyborg and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen’s ambitious journalist Katrine Fønsmark—deliver two of television’s strongest and most nuanced performances in a show that holds up a microscope to the political and media spheres in Denmark. The result is an unforgettable and insightful drama that will have you forgetting that you’re reading subtitles.

Bonus tip: Don’t worry if you don’t have DirecTV or Dish or if you’re away from your television this weekend: you can watch the episodes online at LinkTV.org for two weeks after the on-air marathon.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Daily Beast: "Parenthood: In Praise of Ray Romano"

Everybody loves Raymond, after all. I praise Ray Romano’s stunning performance as grumpy photographer Hank Rizzoli on NBC’s Parenthood, and declare myself a fan.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Parenthood: In Praise of Ray Romano," in which I do just that: praise the outstanding performance of Romano on NBC's underrated drama Parenthood, and discover that I am a Romano fan, after all.

I have never been a Ray Romano fan.

That seems like a good place to start. I couldn’t stomach Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano’s long-running CBS sitcom and, despite the coaxing of many critic friends, I never got into his short-lived TNT drama Men of a Certain Age. Romano has always seemed far too nebbishy and whiny for my liking. While that’s worked for him, I had never fallen for the comedian’s charms.

That has changed irrevocably with Romano’s fantastic turn on Parenthood, which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Thanks to his performance on the Jason Katims-created drama, I now count myself as a member of the Romano faithful.

For those not watching, the brilliant but underrated Parenthood—very loosely based on the 1989 Steve Martin film of the same name—follows the highs and lows of the Berkeley-based Braverman clan. Now in its fourth season, viewers know to watch Parenthood with a box of Kleenex nearby, since engaging with this bittersweet melodrama—a mix of laughter, heartfelt sighs, and outright sobbing—is perhaps the most cathartic experience on television.

No other show (or not since Katims’ previous weepy, Friday Night Lights) produces so many tears, or so much sentiment. By handling its characters with such painstaking realism and earned—rather than manufactured—emotion, Parenthood creates a window into a family that may or may not be like our own, but resonates.

Which is why I initially reacted so strongly to Romano’s casting as grumpy photographer Hank Rizzoli, who would serve as the employer to Lauren Graham’s floundering Sarah Braverman. Hired to photograph the Bravermans for a family photo, Hank reluctantly takes Sarah on as an assistant, despite the fact that she knows nothing about photography, and is clearly intended to drive a wedge between Sarah and her fiancé, Mark (Jason Ritter), this season.

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

The Daily Beast: "Homeland, Justified, Downton Abbey and More: The Best and Worst TV Shows of 2011"

At The Daily Beast, it's finally time for my Best and Worst TV Shows of 2011 list: with 10 shows up for recognition as the best (including Justified, Homeland, Downton Abbey, Community, Parks and Recreation, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, and more) and five for worst of 2011. (Plus, you can also compare my Best/Worst picks to my colleague Maria Elena Fernandez's.)

Head over to The Daily Beast to read my latest feature, "Homeland, Justified, Downton Abbey and More: The Best and Worst TV Shows of 2011," which--as the title indicates--rounds up the best and worst television that 2011 had to offer. Warning: the story may contain spoilers if you are not entirely caught up on the shows discussed here.

What is your take on our lists? Did your favorite/least favorite shows make the cut? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate.

The Daily Beast: "The Teens of Parenthood"

In NBC’s Parenthood, the show’s teens--including Mae Whitman, Sarah Ramos, and Miles Heizer--often walk away with the most heartbreaking and emotional storylines.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled "TV's Most Talented Teens" (formerly known as "The Teens of Parenthood"), in which I sit down with Whitman, Ramos, and Heizer to discuss their characters, on-set camaraderie, and, yes, the haircut that launched a thousand tweets.

Parenthood returns with new episodes tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast: "The Fall TV Season Begins!"

Time to head back to the couch, America. The fall TV season is here and all of your favorite shows—from The Walking Dead and The Good Wife to Dexter and Boardwalk Empire—and a slew of new ones are soon heading to a TV set near you. Will you find Ringer to be the second coming of Sarah Michelle Gellar… or is it the second coming of Silk Stalkings? Time will tell, but at least your TV favorites are back with brand new seasons, and lots of plot twists.

To refresh your memory after the long summer, over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled "The Fall TV Season Begins!," in which Maria Elena Fernandez and I round up a guide to the good and bad times of last season--or in this case, 23 cliffhangers--and offer a peek into what’s coming next this fall.

Quick Thoughts on Tonight's Parenthood Season Premiere

I had hoped to have a full review of tonight's fantastic Parenthood season opener ("I Don't Want to Do This Without You"), but unfortunately I'm being pulled in a thousand directions at the moment, so you'll have to settle for a glowing (if brief) recommendation to tune in tonight when this remarkable and emotionally powerful series returns for its third season.

Five months have passed since we last saw the sprawling Braverman clan, and change is in the air for nearly all of the family members. Adam (Peter Krause) is still out of work and has been reduced to loafing around the house and going on interviews for jobs that he doesn't really want and is over qualified for, having lost his purpose and identity as the family's breadwinner; Kristina (Monica Potter), meanwhile, is quite pregnant and quite capable of bringing home the bacon, having gone back to work. It's interesting to see how the dynamic between the two of them has shifted so considerably, now that their traditional gender roles have been reversed. (Adam, were you always such a traditionalist?!?) But there's another possible path for Adam, one that involves Crosby (Dax Shepard). That's all I'm saying on that front.

There's trouble ahead for Haddie (Sarah Ramos) and Alex (Michael B. Jordan), as things go in both a predictable and unexpected way in the season opener, and Jordan gets the chance to act opposite a cast member with whom he may not have gotten any screen time last season. (I will say, however, that something needs to be done to Haddie's hair, which just makes me sad.)

Amber (Mae Whitman) attempts to get back on her feet after last season's car accident and decides to move out of her grandparents' house. What follows--and the places that her relationship with Sarah (Lauren Graham) will likely go this season--gives the episode a strong throughline as Sarah too reevaluates her life on the eve of her 40th birthday, and the episode gives Graham some strong scenes with both Whitman and Bonnie Bedelia's Camille as a result. Plus, Jason Ritter is back, as well, which can only mean one thing for Sarah...

Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger) are still looking to adopt, though the perfect birth mother basically stumbles into Julia's lap. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the sheer incongruity of this development--as well as the massive coincidental nature of the set-up--that it took me a little out of the story, if I'm being honest. (The only instance would be the return of Joy Bryant's Jasmine, who continues to be a major downer.)

But, really, that's a quibble regarding a sterling season opener that reminds us why we love Parenthood in the first place: realistically drawn characters, universal emotions and experiences, and dialogue that captures the natural tone and vigor of familial life in all of its glorious colors. I've missed you, Team Braverman.

Season Three of Parenthood begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast: "The Emmy Awards’ 10 Biggest Snubs"

The nominations are out: Parks and Recreation, Game of Thrones, Friday Night Lights, and Mad Men get their shot at the awards, while Community, Nick Offerman, and many others are shut out.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled, "The Emmy Awards’ 10 Biggest Snubs," in which I examine shows and actors were snubbed by the TV Academy. Plus, view our gallery of the nominees.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be televised live on September 18th on Fox.

The Daily Beast: "Why You Must Watch Parenthood"

So, wait, you're not watching Parenthood?

NBC’s Parenthood is not the most glamorous show on television. Its focus, charting the lives of a sprawling Berkeley, California family, might pale in comparison to, say, Desperate Housewives’ antics on Wisteria Lane. There are no murders, no swapped babies, and no satirical, over the top look at domesticity here.

Which is to say: enough is enough. This is a show that you should be watching, regardless of whether you're a parent yourself or a teenager. (Or, even if you're well past your teen years.)

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Why You Must Watch Parenthood," which discusses the reasons why you have to watch NBC’s criminally underrated drama Parenthood, which captures the highs and lows of family life.

On tonight's episode of Parenthood ("Do Not Sleep With Your Autistic Nephew's Therapist"), Crosby deals with backlash from his mistake; Alex's constant visits irk Adam; Kristina and Adam must confront an issue that could hamper Max's progress.

The Amazing Andy: Michael Emerson Steals the Show on Tonight's Parenthood

While tonight's episode of Parenthood makes mention of the "Amazing Andy," it's the amazing Michael Emerson (Lost) who should be singled out for praise here.

It's been far too long since Emerson--who brought depth and grit to his portrayal of the Machiavellian Benjamin Linus on Lost--has been on my television set, so I was overjoyed to learn that he would be appearing in an episode of NBC's woefully underrated Parenthood as the Amazing Andy. Emerson is the sort of actor that comes around but once in a lifetime, the gifted artisan who manages to walk off with every scene in his pocket so effortlessly.

Tonight's superb episode of Parenthood ("Amazing Andy and His Wonderful World of Bugs") gives Emerson the chance to play a very different sort of character than Benjamin Linus or, indeed, like any other that we've seen Emerson play in his vast career.

While the episode deftly balances several plotlines--including Drew bonding with his errant father Seth (John Corbett), Crosby and Jasmine's relationship fracturing further amid increased pressures and misunderstandings, and Julia and Joel's efforts to have a second baby--it's Emerson who steals the episode here.

Playing a character with Asperger's Syndrome--that would be the Amazing Andy of the title--Emerson imbues him with the sort of traits you would expect to see in a nuanced and realistic portrayal of someone with an autism spectrum disorder: he's methodical, highly specific, and attuned to the way that things need to be done. But the portrayal isn't limited to just those surface-level signifiers; Emerson creates a fully three-dimensional character here, one with flaws and dreams, vision and pluck, humor and pathos.

In a series that has sensitively handled the challenges involved with raising a child with Asperger's, it's no surprise that Parenthood would eventually bring in an adult Aspie, but the way in which the character enters into their lives is both emotionally resonate and laden with humor. While Peter Krause's Adam and Monica Potter's Kristina don't exactly realize at first that Andy has Asperger's, it makes sense that they would see the neurological condition with some blinders, being so focused on Max's well-being. For them, raising a child with Asperger's means shutting themselves off to the possibility that there are adults in the same situation as their son.

Emerson's Andy--who brings his vast collection (and love) of bugs to Max's birthday party--provides the perfect opportunity then for Adam and Kristina to witness a window into Max's possible future. But what they see in Andy isn't something sad or tragic: it's a man who loves his job and who has found a place in the world.

"Crickets can't actually smile," says Andy, giving Kristina a stuffed cricket before he does his (unannounced) walk-through of their house two days before the party. "That would be anthropomorphizing."

Look for a scene between Emerson and Krause at the end of the episode that had me getting misty-eyed as the two discuss happiness. Beautiful, poignant, and understated, it's a fantastic sequence that deals with both Adam's fears for his son and the realization that Max's future can be a happy one.

It's the type of small moment that Parenthood does so well, as it captures the conflicting and often messy emotions of everyday life.

Elsewhere, look for Crosby to be further tempted as he and Max's behaviorist Gaby (Minka Kelly) get closer... and for things between Crosby and Jasmine to get even worse. Despite the fact that they still have a date for the wedding, I'm beginning to believe that these two may not make it to the altar. And events in tonight's episode seriously won't help matters on that front.

There's an interesting scene between Zeek and Seth that shows the long-standing animosity between the two men, as well as an incident involving Drew that might point to the influence that Seth is having on his adolescent life (let's just say that it might not be a positive one), while Lauren Graham's Sarah has to come to terms with the fact that Seth is now a part of her son's life. And Joel and Julia's efforts to conceive lead to a very humorous moment that's entirely hysterical and utterly embarrassing for these two.

All in all, "Amazing Andy and His Wonderful World of Bugs" is a turning point for the second season of Parenthood and a wonderfully emotional and uplifting episode in its own right. Be sure to tune in tonight... and to have some tissues handy.



Parenthood airs tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast: "TV's Winners and Losers"

Where did the broadcasters go wrong this season, and what did they do right? Good question.

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest piece, "TV's Winners and Losers," as I break down the network's performance in the 2009-10 season and (via a nifty gallery) take a look at the season's winners--including Modern Family, Chuck, Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Bones, Parenthood, NCIS (and NCIS: Los Angeles), The Good Wife, and others--and the losers (such as FlashForward, Heroes, Melrose Place and medical dramas in general, as well as the draws.

Where did your favorite series end up on the list? And what's your take on the 2009-10 season? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Meet the Press: Angela Bromstad and Jeff Gaspin Talk NBC's Fall Schedule

While NBC's upfront presentation isn't scheduled to get under way until tomorrow morning, the Peacock's top brass did answer some questions about the schedule and the new programming announced earlier today.

Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment, and Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios, hosted a conference call with reporter this afternoon, to discuss NBC's fall schedule, its new pickups, and other programming and scheduling issues.

While I won't recap the entire call, here are a few tidbits from that call, organized by topic, from Chuck and Law & Order to Parenthood and The Event.

Chuck:"Chuck came out of the wild card and performed very well for us," said Bromstad. "We think it will come back stronger in the fall."

"Where we felt we could be consistent this year, we felt we should, which is why Chuck stayed on Mondays at 8," said Gaspin.

Chase: "Chase is very much a straight-ahead procedural but has an adrenaline rush you don't normally see in a procedural," said Bromstad.

Parenthood: "Parenthood has worked for us. There's a reason for that... It's a broad show that is really welcoming to so many viewers," said Gaspin.

Day One: "Right now, Day One is not scheduled to air," said Bromstad of the sci-fi project, which had been cut back from a full order, to a short run... to a two-hour backdoor pilot... and now into oblivion altogether.

Law & Order Franchise: "It was time to move on," said Bromstad about the Law & Order cancellation and the order of new iteration, Law & Order: Los Angeles. "It's about the future and overall health of the franchise... it's up to us to reinvent it with Dick [Wolf] in a very modern, inventive way."

Law & Order: Los Angeles pilot is being written, according to Bromstad. But nothing is ready for an official announcement and it be a few weeks after upfronts until information is actually available.

"Yes the chung-chung will still be there," said Bromstad, but it's "too early to say whether they were be characters crossover from... the mothership."

Bromstad said that they are still in talks with Dick Wolf about a way to wrap up Law & Order via a 2-hr movie or event. So, it's possible that the series finale, scheduled to air this month, won't be the end of the original flavor Law & Order, after all.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent will now only be on USA, said Bromstad.

Rockford Files: The Rockford Files is being reworked for midseason or even next fall. "We really want to get it right," said Bromstad. #NBC

Parks and Recreation:"It's very possible that #ParksandRec will get a run at 9:30 but we have not determined that," said Gaspin.

"One of the toughest decisions we had to make," said Jeff regarding delaying Parks and Recreation until midseason. "It's not an indication that we think it's not as good" as the other Thursday comedies.

The Event: "We think The Event will appeal to [#Chuck's] young, male viewers," said Jeff. #NBC

Heroes: "NBC and Tim Kring, we felt we had fulfilled the viewers' desire [re] length of the show but we are in discussions about 2-hr movie," said Bromstad. So it's still possible that Heroes will get a series ender. But don't hold your breath as Bromstad indicated that, if it happens at all, it would be for "next year."

NBC will unveil its schedule to advertisers tomorrow.

Channel Surfing: HBO Returns to Curb, NBC Has Faith in Parenthood, Top Gear Heads to US, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

HBO yesterday announced that it had renewed Larry David vehicle Curb Your Enthusiasm for an eighth season of ten episodes, slated to air in 2011. Production will begin this summer in New York and Los Angeles. "After much soul searching – and by the way, it was nowhere to be found – I have decided to do another season of Curb,” said Larry David in a statement. "I look forward to the end of shooting, when I can once again resume the hunt for my elusive soul. I know itʼs here somewhere or perhaps in the rugged mountainous regions of Pakistan." The renewal was announced by Michael Lombardo, president, Programming Group and West Coast Operations, HBO. "Larry always loves to paint himself into a corner, and after the incredibly wonderful seventh season of Curb, you have to ask, "How does he ever top this?' But he always finds a way," said Lombardo. "We canʼt wait to see what he does in season eight." Having said that... (via press release)

NBC has renewed its midseason drama series Parenthood for a second season. "We are so happy to welcome back this multi-layered and compelling series about an extended American family for another season," said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios, in a statement. "It's gratifying that Parenthood continues to garner critical acclaim and is generating highly positive reaction from viewers, thanks to the fearless creativity of its producers and the extraordinary performances delivered by its ensemble cast." The series has averaged a 3.2 rating/9 share in the key demo and 7.8 million viewers overall since it launched on March 2nd. [Editor: still no news about Chuck's future, however...] (via press release)

BBC Worldwide Productions is bringing a US format of Top Gear to History Channel this fall, following a ten-episode order from the cable network for the automotive series. Top Gear, executive produced by Scott Messick, will be hosted by
Adam Ferrara (Rescue Me), stunt driver Tanner Foust, and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. "It will have a completely different landscape," BBC Worldwide's Jane Tranter told Hollywood Reporter. "There's a different relationship with cars in the U.S. and a fascination with customization that's much greater than in the U.K. There's the potential for the U.S. Top Gear to have even greater traction with an audience." (Hollywood Reporter)



Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that David Sutcliffe (Gilmore Girls) is set to guest star on Season Two of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, where he will play a man who is secretly married to two women (Vivica A. Fox and Bellamy Young) in a June episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Monet Mazur will be returning to ABC's Castle for its second season finale, where she will reprise her role as Gina Cowell, Castle's ex-wife and book editor. "Cowell, who last appeared in the show's pilot, turns up because Castle (Nathan Fillion) has fallen behind on his latest book. Gina hopes to get Castle back on track — in more ways than one," writes Bryant. "The old flame will be rekindled, creating some interesting reactions from Beckett (Stana Katic). However, Gina's reappearance may just open both Beckett's and Castle's eyes." (TVGuide.com)

FX has announced that Rescue Me will kick off its penultimate season on June 29th at 10 pm ET/PT and will be followed by the series premiere of the 13-episode Louis C.K. comedy series Louie at 11 pm. "The pairing of Rescue Me and Louie this summer will create an hour and a half of the funniest and most ruthlessly honest comedy and drama about men ever seen on commercial television," said John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks, in a statement. "We're thrilled by the quality of both these shows." (via press release)

Elsewhere, A&E has renamed its upcoming crime drama Sugarloaf as The Glades and has announced a launch date of Tuesday, July 13th at 10 pm ET/PT. Series stars Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, and Carlos Gomez. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

The Onion A.V. Club has a fantastic interview with Party Down star--and soon to be Parks and Recreation ensemble member--Adam Scott. (The Onion's A.V. Club)

ABC is said to be developing a daytime talk show for Tori Spelling, according to Los Angeles Times' Joe Flint. "The program, which is in the very early stages of development, would feature Spelling and a male co-host who would basically serve as Spelling's best friend forever," writes Flint. "The network is looking for a Will & Grace vibe between Spelling and her as-yet-undiscovered BFF. Who knows, maybe finding a co-host can be its own reality show for Spelling." (Los Angeles Times' Company Town)

More restructuring at Starz: Chris Albrecht has brought in John Penney as EVP of strategy and business development, following the appointment of Carmi Zlotnick earlier this week. Both have previously worked with Albrecht at HBO and IMG. (Variety)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a two-year overall deal with Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, under which they will develop series for broadcast and cable networks. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS Television Studios has signed separate two-year overall deals with Medium showrunners Craig Sweeny and Robert Doherty. Under the terms of the deal, the two will remain aboard Medium, should CBS renew it for next season, and will develop projects for the studio. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Family Drama: An Advance Review of NBC's "Parenthood"

NBC seems to be positioning Parenthood, the second attempt to remake Ron Howard's 1989 feature film as a weekly television series, as a comedy-drama but after watching the first episode, I was hard pressed to find much mirth among the melodrama.

Parenthood, from writer/executive producer Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights), has had a number of hurdles to overcome. Originally slated to launch last fall, production was suspended due to then-series co-star Maura Tierney's treatment for breast cancer. She was later replaced by Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham and the series was given a 9 pm timeslot spot in the spring. But the Jay Leno Show fiasco at the Peacock meant that the series would now become part of NBC's attempts to salvage the post-watershed hour.

After being promoted heavily during the Olympics, Parenthood will now get its shot at NBC's contentious 10 pm hour but whether anyone will be laughing remains to be seen. The series revolves around a sprawling Berkeley, California family who, amid frequent squabbles, come together seemingly several times a week for a series of rowdy and bustling family lunches and dinners.

Presided over by Craig T. Nelson's Zeek and Bonnie Bedelia's Camille, these family gatherings are meant to display the range of emotions and behaviors that every family manifests: the little slights, the seething injuries, the results of growing up and growing old together. There's a nice sense of camaraderie among the actors playing the adult children of this aging couple but I couldn't shake the sense that Bedelia seemed oddly disconnected from the action, as though emotionally she were somewhere else. (It seemed, in fact, as though Camille were Zeek's second wife rather than the biological mother of these kids as there seemed to be little display of any real emotional bond between her and them.)

Parenthood is meant to tap into the universal sense of belonging and not belonging that all families seem to deal in: the sense that they are both inclusive and exclusive at the same time. This is felt most keenly by the arrival of Lauren Graham's Sarah, a single mom trying to best she can to raise her two teenage kids, Amber (Mae Whitman) and Drew (Miles Heizer). She has temporarily moved her kids in to her childhood home while she can figure things out and get back on her feet again but one can't help but feel that Sarah, for all of her good intentions, is a bit of a screw-up to begin with, the black sheep of a family that seems to be doing quite well for itself.

Graham's participation wakes this sleepy, weepy melodrama up considerably. The sequence where Sarah discovers proof of her father's possible affair was played quite nicely and sharply... and her blind date with her high school boyfriend Jim (Mike O'Malley), now a barista/poet, was one of the few bright, comedic moments among the action. The unlikeliness of their rekindled romance remains a high point in an overstuffed pilot episode that's noticeably short on laughs and rather high in terms of predictability.

Erika Christensen's Julia is a workaholic working mom, the sort of stereotypical television working woman who is more connected to her Blackberry than the needs of her child, which are served by her sensitive husband Joel (Sam Jaeger). I feel like we've seen this play out a zillion times before in a zillion other television dramas and while their dynamic is meant perhaps to be progressive, it just feels repetitive and flat. Julia's brother Crosby (Dax Shepard), meanwhile, is the sort of commitment-phobic guy who is surprised to learn that his girlfriend (Marguerite Moreau) wants to get married and have a kid. His discovery of a canister of frozen sperm in her freezer leads to the sort of obvious resolution at the end of the episode that viewers can spot from several miles away.

The one storyline that truly functioned as the sort of heartbreaking plot that Parenthood seems to aspire to was the discovery by Adam (Peter Krause) and Kristina (Monica Potter) that their son Max (Max Burkholder) has Asperger's Syndrome. The dual moments of Kristina pleading with her husband not to leave her alone to deal with this and Adam telling his overbearing father that something is wrong with his son carried true emotional weight. (I spoke to Katims about the handling of this storyline for a piece about portrayals of autism on television and in film for The Daily Beast.)

I can only hope that Parenthood finds a better balance between light and dark, comedy and tragedy, humor and heartbreak as the season progresses. But at the moment, this isn't the sort of family that I want to spend time with each week, especially right after the majesty and scope of ABC's Lost, which airs an hour before. Which is a shame as we could all do with more Lauren Graham on our televisions.

Parenthood launches tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast: "Hollywood Takes on Autism"

Over at The Daily Beast, you can find my latest piece, entitled "Hollywood Takes on Autism."

The article explores the portrayals of people with autism spectrum disorders in pop culture, from films like Dear John and Adam to television series like Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Community, and The Big Bang Theory.

I also talk to some of theses projects' creators--including Community creator Dan Harmon and Parenthood showrunner Jason Katims--about why they are--or aren't--labeling their characters as autistic.

Head to the comments section to be sure and let me know what your take is on this trend and whether it matters or not that these characters are labeled or whether it's the discussion of neurodiversity that their presence creates that's far more important.

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.

Channel Surfing: Tricia Helfer Sets Sights on "Two and a Half Men," Lauren Graham Talks "Parenthood," Alan Ball on "True Blood" Season Three, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Battlestar Galactica star (and Maxim cover girl) Tricia Helfer will guest star in an upcoming episode of CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, where she will play a friend of Charlie's fiancee. "Natch, when Chelsea hears her bosomy buddy is recovering from a breakup," writes Ausiello, "she insists that she do so at Casa Harper." Helfer's episode is slated to air November 16th. [Editor: while I love that Helfer is working steadily, can we please land her a series regular gig ASAP?] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SPOILER ALERT! TVGuide.com's Natelie Abrams talks to True Blood executive producer Alan Ball about what's coming on Season Three of the HBO vampire drama, set to air next summer. "It's a crazy season," Ball told Abrams. "It picks up right where we left off and things get weird really fast." [Editor: Ball teases some tidbits about the third season but beware of a MASSIVE spoiler for people who haven't read Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels.] (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello catches up with Lauren Graham to talk to the actress about her new role on NBC's Parenthood, her decision behind joining an ensemble drama, and her character, Sarah Braverman. "I’m getting together to talk with Jason this weekend," Graham told Ausiello about discussing her character with the series' executive producer Jason Katims. "That’s one of the key things [I liked] about this job was he was like, 'I really want to hear what you want [this role] to be.' We’re still kind of working that out a little bit. What I said to him is I’m interested in the flawed part of her. For seven years I played someone who people come up and say, 'I wish my mom was just like Lorelai.' That’s not this character. She’s not perfect. She’s funny and smart and she’s doing a pretty good job, but she’s struggling, and that’s what I’m drawn to. In my experience, it’s the less noble parts of someone that are the most interesting, especially over a long story." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Showrunner Dee Johnson will depart CBS' The Good Wife, which will see showrunner duties on the well-reviewed new drama taken over by co-creators Michelle and Robert King. Johnson will focus on development for next season after fulfilling her commitment to oversee the pilot and first twelve episodes of the The Good Wife. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that the downed plane that will land on Desperate Housewives could be an Oceanic Airlines plane in a bit of cross-network branding/promotion with Lost. "The plane's Oceanic branding would just be a fun little Easter egg for Lost fans to find," and ABC insider told Dos Santos. "And while the crossover has yet to be finalized, I'm told the higher-ups at ABC are keen on the idea." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

NBC has given a script order to drama Welcome to Hitchcock, from writer/executive producers Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle and executive producer Teri Weinberg (yes, that Teri Weinberg) and Universal Media Studios, about a "skilled but restless police detective who, in search of his missing brother, relocates to the city of Hitchcock, Calif., where he soon discovers a world of half-truths, peculiar characters and unanswered questions lying beneath the town's sparkling, friendly, blue-sky veneer of tradition and family values." Meanwhile, ABC has given a script order to dramedy Go Girls, a US adaptation of the Kiwi series about three women in their twenties and their male childhood friend who "dissatisfied with their lives, make challenging promises to one another that they set out to fulfill." The latter project, from ABC Studios, will be written by Liz Tuccillo and executive produced by Tuccillo, Julia Franz, and John Barnett. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ouch. ABC's Hank will be pre-empted by a second airing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on October 28th, a night after the network airs the "expanded one-hour" version of Great Pumpkin. While ABC isn't commenting about Hank's future, it doesn't bode well for the Kelsey Grammer vehicle. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

NCIS star Michael Weatherly is definitely against having his character, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo hook up with Cote de Pablo's Ziva David. "Let’s look at it from a practical angle," he told EW.com. "It’s Kryptonite! She’s an assassin! That’s like marrying a hooker. You gotta be real comfortable with the fact she’s gonna go hook! I don’t see how, domestically, (a relationship) would work. But that’s me. Tony DiNozzo is completely unaware. You never know. Maybe they’ll be like those YouTube videos when you see the mongoose and the snake. Before they ever got together, one of them will kill each other. You never know." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Mercy, where she will play Lucy Morton, a cancer patient has lost her hair due to treatment. Moss' episode is slated to air November 4th. (TVGuide.com)

Fox Reality Channel will be replaced by Nat Geo Wild, a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures and Fox Cable Group that will focus on animals in "wild, natural environment." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

TVGuide.com's Gina DiNunno talks with Ugly Betty star Eric Mabius about what's coming up on the fourth season of the comedy series, which returns tonight with a two-hour opener. "Daniel is kind of losing it this season," Mabius tells DiNunno. "There's a bunch of funny stuff that happens, but it's sad at the same time. For quite a few episodes, we see him lost and sort of little boy-like. He's grasping at straws, and he's having serious anger issues, which he's trying to get a handle on. Daniel's lost because this was the first mature love of his life. He's completely not over Molly and doesn't know how to process it." (TVGuide.com)

Paige Turco (Damages) and Barry Bostwick (Spin City) have been cast in NBC's two-hour backdoor pilot The Mountain. The project, from Canadian production company Muse Entertainment, revolved around "Dana (Turco) a single mom with three kids who inherits a remote mountain cabin from a supposedly dead uncle. But when she heads off to the cabin, she discovers that her Uncle Henry (Bostwick) is very much alive, and they set out to keep an evil buyer from gaining access to the mountain that holds secrets and treasures." (Hollywood Reporter)

Oxygen has renewed docusoap Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood for a fifth season, set to air on the cabler in spring of 2010. (Variety)

Modern Family scored 444,000 viewers during two airings of its pilot episode on Sky1 in the UK last night, handily doubling the timeslot average over the last six weeks. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Graham Reaches "Parenthood" Deal, Cudlitz Lashes Out at NBC, Pompeo Won't Be Missing from "Grey's," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

NBC and Universal Media Studios have reached a deal with former Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham to come aboard midseason drama series Parenthood. Graham will replace ailing actress Maura Tierney, who was forced to bow out of the project due to health issues, on the Jason Katims-created drama, based on the 1989 feature film. She'll play a harried single mom with two kids who moves her family in with her parents in order to jumpstart her life. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Southland star Michael Cudlitz about the sudden cancellation of the NBC cop drama. "In retrospect, I saw it coming," Cudlitz told Ausiello. "We were two weeks away from airing and [the cancellation news] has created more press for the show than NBC has put into it on its own. They ran the first [Southland] ad — a 30-second spot — last Friday, and that’s the only one that they ran. That’s not a relaunch. When you have a network that nobody’s watching, it doesn’t benefit you to only advertise on your network." Cudlitz was quick to point out that he has hope the series will land on another network. "I do because we have episodes that have never aired that are pretty fantastic," he said. "And if it moves somewhere else, it could become the show that it should have been initially — which is even darker and grittier." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Call it the shortest maternity leave ever. E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Ellen Pompeo will return to the set of ABC's Grey's Anatomy very quickly after the birth of her baby (who was born on September 15th) and, "thanks to her early return, as well as her willingness to preshoot scenes before the birth (most of which took place in bed after Meredith's liver surgery in last night's ep)," it appears that Meredith Grey won't be missing from a single episode of Grey's this season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

CBS has ordered pilot scripts for two multi-camera comedy projects from Chernin Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television. The first, from How I Met Your Mother's Chris Harris, is about the unlikely friendship that develops between a thirty-something executive and a 22-year-old who works in the same office. The second, from Jared Stern (Bolt), revolves around a group of workers at a Target-like superstore. Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope will executive produce both series along with the respective creators. (Variety)

Could NBC be moving up the premiere of Chuck? And is it a good thing? (Televisionary)

Chris Elliott will play the estranged father of Allyson Hannigan's Lily on CBS' How I Met Your Mother, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "The highly-anticipated family reunion is slated to air Nov. 23 when father and daughter come face-to-face at a Thanksgiving celebration hosted by Lily’s grandparents," writes Ausiello. "I’m told the episode will feature childhood flashbacks that will shed light on Lily’s very troubled relationship with her father." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The strangest non-story story of the day: Emmy-winning scribe Kater Gordon has left Mad Men just weeks after winning an Emmy for her work on Season Two's season finale, "Meditations in an Emergency." While some were way too quick to read into her strictly professional relationship with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, others jumped to both Weiner and Gordon's defense, saying that the parting was "amicable" on both sides. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

BBC is reviving classic British drama series Upstairs Downstairs as two 90-minute episodes to run next year. Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins will reprise their roles from the original drama in the new Upstairs Downstairs, which will be set in 1936 rather than in the early 1900s. “We rejoin the world of Upstairs Downstairs in the years leading up to the Second World War," according to a BBC spokesperson. "Times are changing and servants are no longer cheap and obedient; Rose soon finds she has her work cut out. Meanwhile, in the wider world, Edward VIII has ascended the throne, fascism is on the rise, and Europe is inching towards catastrophe." (Broadcast)

Rick Springfield will play a "very twisted, warped version" of himself on Showtime's Californication, where he will appear in a four-episode story arc that began last night. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will reportedly make an appearance on the upcoming cycle of NBC's The Apprentice, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The network made no comment about the casting and it is "unclear if Blagojevich would compete or just make an appearance on the show." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.