Heart of Gold/Heart of Glass: An Advance Review of Season Four of Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Over the course of the last three seasons, we've gotten to know the, uh, intimate secrets and details of the double life of Hannah/Belle (Billie Piper), the working girl attempting to life her life and figure out just what she wants out of it.

Tonight marks the launch of the fourth and final season of the frothy and fun Secret Diary of a Call Girl and we see Belle standing at the edge of a precipice: Will she allow herself the chance to be happy with Ben (Iddo Goldberg)? Can she ever be happy or hope to settle down, given her line of work? Will she choose between personal fulfillment, professional success, or something that blends the two?

As Season Four--which launches tonight on Showtime--begins, Belle finds herself grappling with a series of transformative changes in her life. She's back in London after a luxurious gig that took her far away from her life and from Ben, of whom she's still sure of what the future holds. Returning to the city, she's now a proud homeowner with her own front door (something all London girls dream of, according to Belle) and, no sooner than she's set foot in her new place, Ben has shown up and is making her heart ache with the possibilities of whether or not they can and should be together.

But fate has other surprises for Belle. Her frenemy and former boss Stephanie (Cherie Lunghi) has been sent to prison and she has two favors--or curses--for Belle, asking her to take over the business for her while she's in the big house (only for a few weeks, she promises) and keep an eye on her naive and innocent daughter Poppy (Lily James). Belle's empty house is suddenly overfull and bursting with life, including the call girls on her books that she must keep happy, including icy Charlotte (Gemma Chan), who wants the business for herself.

It appears as though Belle wasn't the only one with a double life, as we learn here. Stephanie told her daughter that she was a corporate headhunter, and it's up to Belle to uphold that impression and conceal the fact that Poppy's mother is in prison and not on a business trip. While Belle has had to deal with naive girls under her wing (i.e., Bambi) in previous seasons, she's now being forced to walk that fine line between honesty and deception in her own home. While Hannah has managed to conceal her line of work from her family--despite some close calls in the past--she's now wearing a mask around the clock, trying to keep Poppy in the dark, keep Stephanie's business alive, keep her girls happy, and justify her career while approaching a full-blown romantic relationship with Ben.

It's enough to make a girl exhausted, really.

Elsewhere, there's a producer who wants to option Belle's book and turn it into a movie. While Belle can see dollar signs, it's also a possible escape hatch from the, uh, damage that occurs in her life. And then there's that crooked copper lurking around on the periphery, one with a certain interest in Belle that goes way beyond professionalism and a loyalty to Stephanie...

The first four episodes of Season Four, provided to press for review, show the blend of playfulness and vulnerability that we've come to expect from Secret Diary of a Call Girl, along with a healthy dose of sexuality and a never-ending parade of male foibles in the form of Belle's clients: a member of Queen's Council with a reliance on performance-enhancing drugs, a virginal young man, and that copper who has quite an active imagination and requires some very specific details to enact his happiness.

I don't want to spoil too much of the plot but these installments are in keeping with both the characters we've come to know and love and some new situations and tensions for them as well. There's a deftness and a wink-and-a-smile cleverness to the subtext here and the consideration of Belle's line of work and how it affects her personal life, how that hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold trope we've seen so many times might or might not apply here and that Belle might be far stronger or far more scared than any of those other working girls.

At times dark, jubilant, and hysterical, we're seeing the pieces fall into place for Belle as a major decision looms before her in the final season of Secret Diary. Pushed into the role of girlfriend, mother, career girl, the future might be Belle's oyster, but it's also about to clamp down right around her...

The fourth and final season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl 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.

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."

Channel Surfing: Showtime Renews Secret Diary, Details on HBO's Blogger Drama Tilda, Parks and Recreation, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd is reporting that Showtime has renewed Billie Piper-led dark comedy Secret Diary of a Call Girl for a fourth season, which would be the series' last. The series, which airs on ITV2 in the UK, is expected to return in early 2011 and the final season would likely focus on the relationship between Piper's Belle/Hannah and her best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg). (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

UPDATE: According to Showtime's press release, "Season Four, which will be comprised of eight, half-hour episodes, will follow Belle (Piper), an internationally successful author, torn between her career and her feelings for her best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg). Additionally, Season Four will feature a storyline where the high-end London call girl visits New York City."

The Wrap's Hunter Walker has details on HBO's latest pilot, Tilda, the Diane Keaton-led comedy which may or may not be based on the life of notorious Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke. Walker cites one unnamed source, an executive, who describes the plot of the Bill Condon-scripted project as "a broken woman, alone in her apartment," while another maintains that the titular character doesn't have much of a resemblance to Finke. "A lawyer for the network said HBO's official stance on the show is that the Tilda character is a compilation of many Hollywood media personalities, rather than a straight-up caricature of Finke," writes Walker. "Right. And that guy Ari Gold on Entourage is a "compilation" of Hollywood agents." [Editor: I still need to read the pilot script, which is sitting on my hard drive here.] (The Wrap's The Box)

Missing NBC's Parks and Recreation and crushed that it won't be back on the air until midseason? You're not the only one. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello recently visited the set of the NBC comedy series to talk about what's coming up for Season Three, their Emmy chances, and that decision to hold back the series rather than return it this fall. All this, delivered via three video interviews with the cast of the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC Family is developing espionage drama Shadows, about a secret Harvard-based program that recruits and trains young spies. Project, created by Jesse Peyronel and Rene Rigal, will follow the students and faculty of this shadowy program. Executive producers include Mal Young, George Tillman Jr., Matthew Pritzker, and Robert Teitel. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar) will guest star on an upcoming episode of Showtime's Weeds, where he will play Jack, described as a "rough-around-the-edges local bar owner who serves Nancy more than just a drink (wink, wink)." Season Six of Weeds kicks off on August 16th on Showtime. Elsewhere at the pay cabler, Tommy Lee has signed on for a guest appearance on Californication, where he will play himself. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TVGuide.com's Michael Logan has details on James Franco's return to ABC daytime soap General Hospital, where his character, Franco (described as a "serial killer and performance artist") will launch an exhibition in an effort to win over Steve Burton's mobster Jason Morgan. The name of his new exhibit is 'Francophrenia: Dissolving the Boundary Between Illusion and Reality' — as, yes, that's Francophrenia as in schizophrenia," General Hospital head writer Bob Guza told Logan. "Franco will create this elaborate dog and pony show for Jason, and Jason's non-reaction to it will make Franco pull the ultimate trigger." (TVGuide.com)

Victor Nelli (Ugly Betty) has come aboard NBC's fall comedy Outsourced as a director and executive producer. (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has an interview with Gabrielle Union, in which she discusses FlashForward (including what was really meant to happen to Zoey and John Cho's Demetri Noh) and her upcoming role on the untitled Army Wives spinoff, where she will play "asexual" Atlanta cop Gina Holt. "All the butts I wanted to kick on FlashForward and all of the bad guys I wanted to bring to justice, I'll now get to do as this new character — but with a sense of humor," Union told Keck. "Gina views these Army wives as extra-terrestrials. She has no concept of breast-feeding, sore nipples or child care." (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Sean Hayes' Hazy Mills shingle has signed a two-year overall deal with NBC Universal, under which the company will develop projects for both broadcast and cable. "Hazy Mills already has a project in development at USA Network with writer Jeff Rake about a performer who enters into the world or organized crime," writes Andreeva. (Deadline)

Joe Earley has been promoted to President, Marketing & Communications for Fox Broadcasting Company, where he will continue to be oversee all FOX marketing functions, as well as entertainment publicity, corporate communications and talent relations, creative services, and internal corporate marketing, promotion and special projects. "Joe is the best marketing executive in the industry and richly deserves this promotion," said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment for Fox Networks Group, in a statement. "His groundbreaking campaign for GLEE demonstrates Joe’s formidable combination of strategic, creative and leadership skills. We are all thrilled he will be here with us at FOX for many more years." [Editor: congratulations, Joe!] (via press release)

Elsewhere, CW publicity chief Paul McGuire has been named SVP of worldwide corporate communications at Warner Bros. Entertainment, where he will replace Scott Rowe (who himself is moving up to the top seat at the Warner Bros. Television Group). He'll report to Susan Fleishman and "will continue to serve as an adviser to the CW's communications team, working closely with his longtime lieutenants, such as Paul Hewitt and Pamela Morrison," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

The seventh season premiere of Bravo's Top Chef was 27 percent off from its 2009 season opener, luring 1.8 million viewers overall. [Editor: I would agree with The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd: the brand has definitely been diluted by the addition of spinoffs to the mix... and I don't think Bravo did the series any favors by rushing the flagship back on the air the week after Top Chef Masters wrapped.] (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Stay tuned.

Sweet Tart: An Advance Review of Season Three of Showtime's "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"

The musings of ambitious call girl Belle de Jour (Billie Piper) have made for some tongue-in-cheek and witty narration but the third season of Showtime's British series Secret Diary of a Call Girl finds art imitating life as Belle--or Hannah as she's known outside of the bedroom--authors a tell-all book about her life as one of London's most sought-after, er, companions.

Season Three of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which begins tonight on Showtime, finds Hannah grappling with her newfound notoriety while also attempting to remain anonymous. It's a conundrum tantalizingly set up in the season's opening episode, in which she goes undercover at her own book launch party, only discover that her publisher Duncan (James D'Arcy) has hired a staggeringly stupid blonde bimbo to pose as "Belle de Jour" and read an excerpt from her book.

It's a nice moment that challenges both Hannah and our own preconceptions about who prostitutes are and who they should be. (It's those assumptions that were further dented by the realization that the real-life Belle de Jour is former prostitute turned PhD, Brooke Magnanti. You can read what Piper told me about meeting Magnanti here.)

I had the opportunity to watch the entire third season of Secret Diary back in December and found it to be addictively engaging... and as effervescent as a glass of vintage champagne.

Season Three finds Hannah attempting to begin a new chapter of her life as a famous author while attempting to put the events of the second season (and her disastrous love affair with Callum Blue's Alex) out of her mind. But once again, Hannah finds herself falling for someone she shouldn't, this time her dishy publisher Duncan (D'Arcy). But does Duncan want her for her body or her mind? Is he interested in Hannah romantically or in Belle for her lurid stories?

As Hannah finds herself being drawn inexorably towards Duncan, her alter ego Belle, delves deeper into the prostitution scene, accepting engagements from clients in an effort to generate more material for a second book. Over the course of the season, we see a Belle willing to try more and more as she continues to pound... the keyboard in search of more exciting and sexually adventurous chapters.

But there are new complications in Hannah's life besides for her attraction to Duncan. An unexpected houseguest--in the form of her married sister Jackie (Joanna Bobin)--throws Hannah's carefully ordered world into chaos. Besides for attempting to keep the two areas of her life separate, Jackie's entry into Hannah's life leads to a major fracture between her and best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg), particularly when Jackie and Ben begin an affair.

Ouch.

Adding some comic relief is Belle's protege Bambi (Ashley Madekwe), a fellow prozzie and the closest thing Hannah has to someone who understands her situation. Hannah, Bambi, and Ben have formed a little troika of trust and friendship and it's quickly torn asunder by the arrival of Jackie. But Bambi has issues of her own, not least of which is her odd relationship with client Byron (David Dawson), an eccentric aristocrat who seems interested in dating Bambi... but who is paying her for her services.

And that's all I'll say about the plot of the well-crafted third season, which has some very funny moments, some unexpected plot twists, and a hell of a lot of soul-searching for each of the characters. D'Arcy and Dawson are two very welcome additions to the cast and there's a nice parallel narrative set up between Hannah and Bambi's romantic encounters this season, albeit with some very different outcomes for our two favorite working girls.

Season Three of Secret Diary is a delicious confection, the rare television series that blends dark comedy, sex, and witty dialogue into a fun and frothy package. It's the perfect antidote to your Monday workday blues.



Season Three of Secret Diary of a Call Girl begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

The Daily Beast: "Diary of a Not-So-Secret Call Girl"

Showtime's British comedy series Secret Diary of a Call Girl returns with its third season tonight (or at least a behind-the-scenes special before the official launch next week) as Hannah (Billie Piper) returns for another round of clients and romantic entanglements.

Head over to The Daily Beast to read my latest piece, entitled "Diary of a Not-So-Secret Call Girl," in which I talk to series lead Billie Piper about meeting the real-life Belle de Jour, Dr. Brooke Magnanti, and about what's coming up on Season Three of Secret Diary.

Season Three of Secret Diary of a Call Girl begins tonight with a behind-the-scenes special in which Piper and Magnanti meet at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

Tune-in Reminder: BBC America's "The Inbetweeners," Season Three of FX's "Damages," and Showtime's "La La Land"

Wondering what to watch tonight? Chuck, of course, but there's also three premieres tonight that you need to be aware of and should definitely tune in for... and none of them actually conflict with NBC's Chuck. (Always a perk.)

At 9 pm ET/PT, it's the US premiere of Iain Morris and Damon Beesley's British comedy The Inbetweeners on BBC America. But this isn't a comedy of social conventions but rather a raucous and touching British sitcom that's almost the anti-Skins in a way. Laugh and cringe in equal measure as four sex-starved social outcasts attempt to fit in, find love, and lose it, not always in that order. (You can read my review of the first three episodes of The Inbetweeners here and my review of the first two seasons here.)

Season Three of FX's gripping legal thriller Damages begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT and gets off to a rollicking start by offering a riveting case, new mysteries, and old rivalries. You do not want to miss this season. You can read my review of the first two episodes of Season Three here.

At 11 pm, be sure to switch over to Showtime for the premiere of hysterical Borat-style comedy La La Land, in which British comedian Marc Wootton plays three men--an aspiring actor, a documentary filmmaker and a psychic--who arrive in Hollywood with dreams of making it big. You can read my advance review of Season One of La La Land here.

TV on DVD: "Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season Two"

Fans of Showtime's imported British drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl might want to check out the second season on DVD, which is being released today.

After all, Season Two of Secret Diary of a Call Girl finds Hannah, a.k.a. high class call girl Belle (Doctor Who's Billie Piper), branching out onto her own while juggling all matter of problems, not least of which is her confused relationship with best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg), a flighty protege named Bambi (The Beautiful Life's Ashley Madekwe), and the prospect of genuine happiness with boyfriend Alex (Dead Like Me's Callum Blue).

The only problem is that Hannah hasn't quite gotten around to telling Alex, a dashing doctor recently relocated to London, what she does for a living. (Or who she does, really.) Season Two of the witty and provocative series finds Hannah living a double-life once again, lying to Alex even as she falls for him and trying to work up the courage to reveal to him who she really is.

While Season One established Hannah/Belle and the nighttime world she inhabits, Season Two of the Lucy Prebble-created drama delves deeper into Hannah's psyche, exploring whether this educated and ambitious young woman can hold down a so-called "normal job" or if her alter ego "Belle" and her prostitution really do not only define her but satisfy her. The season also features one of the most horrifically intense and gut-wrenching scenes on the series to date--I won't reveal what it is--which packs an emotional wallop and threatens to derail Hannah and Alex's relationship altogether.

Despite being deep into pregnancy, Piper once again shines as Hannah/Belle, offering a performances that's equal parts sly candor and sleek, seductive charm. Despite her shortcomings, you really do root for Hannah to find happiness, security, and love even as she makes a number of mistakes in personal and professional life. Adding the pressure this season is the aforementioned Bambi, who wants to emulate Hannah's success as a high-end call girl even as she can't quite wipe away the Cockney accent or brashness that define her. Madewke is absolutely fantastic as the well-intentioned but oblivious Bambi and the duo slip into a comfortable love-hate relationship that eventually resembles something akin to friendship.

The two-disc DVD box set includes all eight episodes from Season Two of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which aired Stateside earlier this year, as well as some special features including a "Billie on Belle" interview with Billie Piper and webisodes.

All in all, Season Two of Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a must have for fans of dark comedy, sly relationship drama, and British humor. Despite some oddly sagging installments in the middle of the eight-episode season, Piper's winning performance alone makes it the worth the price of admission.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season Two is available today on DVD with a suggested retail price of $29.98. Or pick it up in the Televisionary store for just $19.49.

Presidents' Day Weekend Wrap-Up: "Amazing Race," "Flight of the Conchords," and "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"

Due to the loveliness that is a three-day weekend, I didn't quite get around to discussing everything that aired this past weekend, although I did manage to write up my theories and thoughts about the Cylon race, past and future, on Battlestar Galactica and offer an illuminating Talk Back for the series premiere of FOX's new drama series Dollhouse.

However, rather than let the week go by without discussing what else was on this past weekend, I just wanted to share a few thoughts about Sunday night's premiere of The Amazing Race and new installments of HBO's Flight of the Conchords and Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

The long weekend might be over and the work week sadly beginning, but that doesn't mean we can't dish about Hannah and Alex, Mike White and his dad, and Kiwis Jemaine and Bret on this rainy Tuesday morning.

The Amazing Race. I'll admit that I was considering giving up on TAR after a lackluster season that saw more drama at the airport check-in counters than between the couples themselves. And yet, entering its fourteenth season (yes, seriously!), Amazing Race seems to have regained the momentum and tension that seemingly evaporated last season. In just the opening installment, I found myself completely invested in the latest iteration of the race and thought that the casting was absolutely a full head and shoulders above that of last season.

I'm already rooting for screenwriter Mike White and his gay activist father Mel and for mother and son team Margie and Luke. Did anyone else get teary when classiest reality show host in the business Phil Keoghan signed the words, "You're team number one"? Call me sentimental, but I thought it was a touching and thoughtful tribute to deaf racer Luke. Also really liking siblings Victor and Tammy but hillbilly couple Steve and Linda creep me out to no end, especially as Linda can't even seem to walk, much less run. Just how did she pass the physical for this series? And the cheese-carrying task left me in absolute hysterics. Has there been a more humorous challenge on the series to date?

Flight of the Conchords. This week's episode ("Unnatural Love"), directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) featured Jemaine getting involved with an Australian woman (Sarah Wynter), a real taboo in Kiwi culture. While the episode seemed directed fairly straightforwardly at first, it was the breathtaking visuals for the Conchords' song "Carol Brown" that cemented the fact that this was being directed by Gondry. An astounding mix of visuals, cutaways, and moving backgrounds, "Carol Brown" may go down as one of the most inventive and visually creative musical segments on Flight of the Conchords so far.

Loved Wynter as the grungy Aussie Keitha who ends up robbing Jemaine and Bret blindly, the entire nightclub sequence, Murray saying that he'll wait outside for Jemaine and Bret to finish "nightclubbing," the "hand" gloves, and the clinic waiting room scene between Bret and Jemaine. In fact, my only complaint in an otherwise absolutely superlative episode? No Mel.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl. I couldn't believe that Hannah was going to tell Alex (Callum Blue) about her secret life as Belle, call girl extraordinaire, especially after the awfulness that was her lunch with Alex and former boyfriend Ben. But as soon as she left the door unlocked during a gig with a wheelchair-bound guy (in case his father needed to come in and help him), I knew that Alex would be finding out in a most painful way: by catching Hannah with a client in flagrante delicto. And, ouch, was it painful. Not to mention embarrassing and humiliating, both for Hannah and her poor client. The fact that his father wouldn't accept the money back only made it even more difficult and awkward.

Loved the fact that Alex didn't wait around to angrily confront Hannah but went immediately to scream at Ben at the bar for not warning him, not telling him. Even worse: that Ben was so calm and told Alex not to react that way but Alex was disgusted with Hannah, her profession, and the fact that he realized now that when they met, she thought he was a punter. Also loved that Alex knows that Ben is completely in love with Hannah and threw that fact in his face, along with the knowledge that Ben's girlfriend Vanessa (whom Ben is meant to be marrying!) is likely also aware of his feelings for her. Can Alex and Hannah reconcile and find a way to stay together in the face of his realization about what she does for a living? I'm not sure but I can't wait to see just what happens next between them...


What did you think of this week's Amazing Race, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and Flight of the Conchords? Discuss.

Belle of the Ball: An Advance Review of the First Four Episodes of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" Season Two

Weeds' Nancy Botwin might get more press but the Showtime girl I can't get enough of is Belle.

That's right, the British drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl returns to Showtime on Sunday at 10:30 pm ET/PT for a second season of secrets, lies, clients, and, well romance.

Billie Piper (Doctor Who) returns as Hannah, a down-to-earth girl who works nights as a high-class call girl with the pseudonym of Belle du Jour. The only problem is that her family has no idea what she does for a living, a fact that Hannah goes to great lengths to maintain, including the use of two different phones, two different names, and two different halves of herself.

I had the opportunity to watch the first four episodes of Season Two, kicking off later this week, and immediately fell under Piper's spell once again. As in Season One, which aired last year on Showtime, Secret Diary of a Call Girl is darkly seductive, slick, and mordantly funny. While the subject matter is salacious, it's softened by the layers that Piper brings to the double role and the way that she effortlessly inhabits the different characters of Hannah and Belle, bringing different attributes to the fore depending on which mask our girl is wearing at the time. As Hannah, she's insecure, a bit needy, and prone to over-analyzing everything to death. As Belle, she's self-confident, tough as nails, and ready to tackle any obstacle, whether financial or sexual.

As if Hannah's life weren't already deeply tangled, a new batch of further complications arrives on the scene in the form of new protege Bambi (Ashley Madekwe), a newbie escort whom Belle has reluctantly taken under her wing and whose sole purpose in life seems to be to make Belle's tutelage as frustrating as possible. However, look for things to take a turn for the better between the two when Belle comes to her former charge's rescue in Episode Two; further episodes deepen Bambi's character and make her more of a tragic figure than the self-absorbed, catty, and chavvy mess she seems initially.

And if Bambi wasn't enough to handle, Hannah finds herself enmeshed in a political sex scandal, at war with her sister during her nephew's christening, dealing with the jealous wife of a client who pays her for the Full Girlfriend Experience, and falling for a man who's not a client. That man would happen to be Alex (Callum Blue of Dead Like Me and The Tudors), a doctor newly transplanted to London with whom she meets cute in a style, uh, never quite seen a romantic comedy.

Blue is a fantastic addition to the series and his blend of charm and charisma proves a powerful aphrodisiac that Hannah finds hard to avoid as Alex provides a stability that Hannah desperately craves and fears. Blue seems tailor-made for this role and adds an additional layer of romantic depth to the series. Likewise, the other main cast addition, Madekwe, brings humor and unpredictability in the form of Bambi, who gives Belle the opportunity to become a tutor that Hannah never had when she got involved in the game.

While Alex seems like Hannah's main love interest for now, things aren't exactly settled with Hannah's former boyfriend/best friend Ben (Iddo Goldberg), who is preparing to marry girlfriend Vanessa. Look for some trouble to emerge in Episode Four when Hannah decides to introduce Alex to her longtime friend... and for her to make a shocking declaration to one of the men in her life.

Along the way, there's a hell of a lot of naughty behavior, even naughtier clients, and some dark laughs that serve to remind us why Secret Diary of a Call Girl is the perfect Showtime comedy. And there's nothing secret about that.

Season Two of Secret Diary of a Call Girl launches Sunday, January 18th, at 10:30 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

Channel Surfing: "Fringe" Gets Full Season, "Daisies" Fails to Bloom, Showtime Announces "Tara" Launch, "Survivor" Flap at CBS, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

But is it The Pattern? The big news is, of course, the full season pick up for FOX's freshman drama Fringe, bringing this season's total to 22 episodes. "We're having a blast working on this show with this great team of producers and amazing cast," said FOX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "The series has really taken off creatively, and it's exciting to see that the audience is responding. We believe this is the first full season of many years to come." The pickup for Fringe marks the second full season order so far this year; last month, the CW ordered a full season of 90210. To date, Fringe has ranked as the number one new series among adults 18-49 this season. (Variety)

Pushing Daisies' second season launch plummeted in the ratings, sadly. "Despite strong reviews, the return of Daisies (6.3 million viewers, 2.0/6) had the steepest drop of any show this fall, declining a roller coaster-style 55% to a series-low fourth place at 8 p.m." Ouch. Let's hope that ABC doesn't get trigger-happy and cancel Daisies just as it's returning to the airwaves. Fans looking to send pie to ABC execs better start baking now, well in advance of Daisies' initial 13-episode order conclusion. Sigh. (Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed)

Showtime will launch its newest scripted comedy, The United States of Tara, starring Toni Collete, John Corbett, and Rosemary DeWitt, on January 18th at 10 pm. Series will bow between the final season of The L Word and the second season of Brit import Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Tara follows a woman suffers from multiple personality disorder and looks at how her family deals with her divergent identities. Project comes from writer/executive producer Diablo Cody and executive producer Steven Spielberg, who came up with the series' original premise. (Hollywood Reporter)

Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) have closed deals to appear in ABC's series adaptation of online series In the Motherhood (which starred Chelsea Handler, Leah Remini, and Jenny McCarthy in its original iteration). Handler may reprise her role in the ABC version but no deal is in place. Net is looking at potential 2009 launch. (TV Guide)

UK fans of Warner Bros. Television's The Mentalist, starring Simon Baker, can rest a little easier: the series will be coming to Blighty in 2009. Five and Five US have acquired rights to the procedural drama, which the nets will launch next year. (Variety)

Rosie O'Donnell will get her very own variety show this Thanksgiving entitled Rosie's Variety Show, which will be presented live on NBC from New York the evening before Thanksgiving. It's believed that the special--which will feature celebrity guests, musical acts, contests, and comedy sketches--could be a sign of a similar O'Donnell-fronted series for 2009. (Variety)

Parents Television Council has filed an indecency complaint with the FCC over CBS' season premiere of Survivor, which featured unintentional full frontal male nudity and was the first installment of the long-running reality franchise to be broadcast in HD. (Washington Post)

Stay tuned.

Talk Back: Showtime's "Weeds" and "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"

I'm curious to know what everyone thought of Showtime's two program launches last night, which saw the return of Weeds (now in its fourth season) to the lineup and the addition of British import Secret Diary of a Call Girl to the mix as well.

If you couldn't tell from my advance review of both series, I was completely captivated by Secret Diary of a Call Girl and by Billie Piper's incandescent performance as Hannah/Belle in the ITV2 series which aired in Blighty last year. Showtime was definitely smart not to buy the format and remake it here in the US but to just air the original British production as is; it's absolutely perfect the way it is and I can't imagine very many young actresses pulling off the combination of vulnerability and sexual confidence that Piper manages to effortlessly deliver. (You can read my original advance review of Secret Diary of a Call Girl here.)

As for Weeds, I thought that the Season Four premiere was a sign that the series, which struggled creatively in its third season, was definitely back on track and Nancy and the kids went on the lam and ended up hiding out at the beach. (You can read my original advance review of the first two episodes of Weeds' fourth season here.)

But I am curious to know what you thought. Did you like the change in scenery on Weeds? Did you dig Piper as Hannah/Belle on Secret Diary of a Call Girl? And the most important question: are you hooked enough on both (or either) to tune in again next week? Discuss.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: AFI's 10 Top 10 (CBS; 8-11 pm); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Beauty & the Geek (CW); According to Jim/According to Jim (ABC); Moment of Truth (FOX)

9 pm: America's Got Talent (NBC; 9-11 pm); Reaper (CW); Samantha Who?/Samantha Who? (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

10 pm: Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be TiVo'ing

8-10 pm: Britcoms on BBC America.

I don't know about you but by Tuesday night, I'm usually in need of some comedy in my life. Why not stick around on Tuesday nights for BBC America's new comedy lineup, consisting of classic episodes of Coupling, new comedy Not Going Out, and Absolutely Fabulous? You'll thank me in the morning.

10 pm: Flipping Out on Bravo.

Season Two kicks off tonight with a brand-new episode ("Sell Out") in which we get to catch up with Jeff Lewis and his gang of colorful characters. Come for the tantrums (Jeff's) and stay for the insane interpersonal dynamics. You'll think your workplace is a hell of a lot more sane afterwards.

Belle of the Ball: Showtime's "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"

If you remember Billie Piper best from her role as Rose Tyler, the brash companion to the Doctor on BBC's Doctor Who reinvention, her new series may be quite an eye-opener.

Piper stars in Showtime's delicious new import Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which is itself based a blog and book created by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. The ITV2 series, written by Lucy Prebble, revolves around a twenty-something Londoner named Hannah who poses as a legal secretary to throw off the scent from her friends and family that she's actually a high priced call girl who goes by the name of (you guessed it!) Belle.

Lest you think that this is a depressing look at one woman's descent into hell, complete with--as Hannah puts it--drug addiction, child support, and other unsavory motivations to enter the sex trade, think again. Hannah claims that she likes her job, loves sex and money (though one has to wonder which takes precedence) and even has an agent, Stephanie (played by Cherie Lunghi) who vets clients for her (in exchange for a forty percent cut).

Instead, Secret Diary of a Call Girl sets up the two competing worlds in Hannah's life: her personal life as Hannah in which she pals around with friends--including Iddo Goldberg as Ben, her ex-boyfriend with whom she still shares a little more than a spark in their game of "spoiled little rich girl"--and visits her shrill sister in hospital after she's had a baby, rolling a cigarette for her suspicious father... and her professional life as Belle, in which she entertains clients under a strict set of rules that are as insightful as they are humorous (wearing no perfume and only men's deodorant so that her clients don't smell "like a woman" after their trysts, not drinking while on the job, having a codeword which which to check in with the agency).

Belle is a canny seductress, instantly weighing up her client's expectations, backstories, and fantasies to produce the ultimate experience for them. As suspected, not all of her clients are young and beautiful, but Belle often has a better time with the clients that she doesn't "have to be herself" with. If that's not a Carrie Bradshaw-like revelation about her own damaged psyche, I don't know what is.

So what happens when the two spheres of Hannah's identity meet? That's just the plot of Secret Diary of a Call Girl's first episode when Belle meets a new client, a twenty-something regular guy who wants her to wear no makeup and jeans, with whom Hannah falls for, even revealing her real name and sleeping with him in her "personal" room rather than the luxe bedroom she reserves for her clients. In the second episode, she ditches a client at an adult invitation-only party to go home with her favorite author and his wife but ends up stepping out on them as well when she learns that her sister has given birth.

It's these actions that open up and expand the greater narrative dimensions of this series. While the subject matter is obviously risque (though not illegal, as prostitution is not criminalized in the UK), Secret Diary of a Call Girl isn't just about the sexual encounters between Belle and her clients; rather, it's an exploration of the dual nature that Hannah/Belle exhibits. What psychologically makes a smart girl like Hannah enter the sex trade and continue to find herself fulfilled by it? Besides, I mean, for the lure of sex, power, and cash... and, as Hannah puts it, an innate laziness. And what will happen when, inevitably, her middle-class family finds out about how Hannah is really paying the bills?

At the end of the day (or night), Secret Diary of a Call Girl is filled with a hell of a lot more humor than I expected. Piper is absolutely incandescent in a role that challenges her to push deeper than she did as Rose Tyler and has the opportunity with Hannah/Belle to play two very different roles in the space of a single half-hour. I've already had the opportunity to watch the first two episodes of Secret Diary and cannot wait to sit down and watch the next six episodes that were provided for review. It's brash, bold, and witty, much like the titular character herself, and by the second episode, I've already fallen under its wicked charms.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl will pair exceptionally well with Showtime's Weeds and with the recent order for the Toni Collette-led United States of Tara (and the untitled Edie Falco dark comedy pilot), Showtime is well on its way to becoming a destination for subversive and intelligent female-centric comedies. Both Hannah and Belle would definitely approve of that.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl premieres Monday, June 16th at 10:30 pm on Showtime.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC; 8-9:30 pm); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Celebrity Circus (NBC; 9:30-11 pm); Farmer Wants a Wife (CW); Supernanny (ABC)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: MI-5 on BBC America.

If you missed MI-5 (aka Spooks) when it aired on A&E a few years back, you can catch it tonight on BBC America. On tonight's installment ("Road Trip"), Adam goes on an undercover assignment to intercept a terrorist who is headed towards London in order to convince him to abandon his plot.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

On tonight's season finale ("Finale"), this is it: the final showdown between Richard, Stephanie, and (ick) Lisa for the title of Top Chef. Who will be crowned the winner (please be Richard or Stephanie) and who will go home empty-handed? Find out tonight!