Channel Surfing: Incredible Hulk to Smash ABC, Wentworth Miller Spies Spartacus, HBO Eyes Tea Leoni, Weeds' Shane, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Hulk smash... TV? The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd and Brys Kit are reporting that ABC and Marvel are developing a television series based on comic "The Incredible Hulk," which was previously a 1978-82 television series that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Hulk is one of two projects, along with Cloak and Dagger (which is said to be in development at ABC Family), that Marvel Studios has in development, though the company is also said to be looking at other properties to develop as series, including Heroes for Hire, The Eternals, Agents of Atlas, Alter Ego, Moon Knight, The Hood, Ka-Zar, Daughters of the Dragon, and The Punisher, the latter of which is said to also be high on Marvel's radar, possibly as a cable series. [Editor: The story, however, fails to discern between several properties, which it has erroneously merged into single entities.] (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former Prison Break star Wentworth Miller is rumored to be interested in replacing Andy Whitfield as the lead in Starz's gladiator drama Spartacus. Whitfield has dropped out of the project due to the recurrence of his cancer and the need for medical treatment. "But is Miller right for the part?" asks Ausiello. "Since his Fox series wrapped, he’s been largely out of the limelight. And when he has been spotted, he hasn’t quite been the picture of buffness that the sand-and-sandals epic demands. Of course, that’s nothing a month or two with a personal trainer couldn’t fix." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that HBO is weighing a pilot order for fashion-based comedy Spring/Fall, which would star Tea Leoni (who will also executive produce) as "half of a dysfunctional partnership between two women with different approaches to career, family, and friendship," set against the New York fashion world. Project, written by Kate Robin, would be executive produced by Leoni, Robin, Jimmy Miller, and RJ Cutler (The September Issue). (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Mickey O'Connor has an interview with Weeds star Alexander Gould, who plays teenager/murderer/croquet star Shane Botwin. "He was as normal as could be, given the circumstances," said Gould when asked about initially playing Shane at the start of the first season. "When he learned about his mother's operation, he became sort of like the family's moral compass. I remember early on I had to say the F-word and I was really hesitant about it. Over time, Shane just got more confident and odd. I felt like Shane really was just [slowly] going crazy. He put that craziness away and it manifested itself in a funny way. He always seemed a little out of it." (TVGuide.com)

SPOILER!Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello as a first look at an upcoming scene from NBC's The Event featuring some, uh, surprising transformations for the survivors of Avias Air Flight 514. “They’re [undergoing] a transformation that could eventually lead to death,” creator Nick Wauters told Ausiello. Wauters also indicated that Thomas will “use them as leverage to try and get the president to free his people.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Don't expect remakes of The Rockford Files or Prime Suspect to turn up on NBC this midseason, according to Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice. [Editor: I wasn't as it's widely known that both in deep development.] Both projects are back in development following a disastrous pilot for Rockford and the lack of a lead for Prime Suspect, both of which will now be overseen by Peter Berg. Should Rockford move ahead, look for someone to replace Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Casting roundup: John Heard and Evan Handler have joined the cast of Curtis Hanson's HBO telepic Too Big to Fail, while Kathy Baker has joined the cast of Lifetime pilot Against the Wall, where she will play the mother of Rachael Carpani's Abby. (Deadline)

ABC ordered four more scripts for family drama No Ordinary Family, while the CW ordered two more scripts for Life Unexpected, while ABC also gave additional script orders to Brothers and Sisters and Off the Map as well. Brothers and Sisters received an order for four additional scripts, while Map got one more. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Secret Millionaire is going to get the plum Sunday at 8 pm timeslot currently occupied by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for a six-episode run starting March 6th. "That is the Sunday after the Academy Awards, with ABC planning to heavily promote Secret Millionaire during the awards broadcast," writes Andreeva. "For ABC, which has no football, the Oscars are the most-watched telecast of the year and the biggest possible promotional platform for its shows. Additionally, ABC has asked Secret Millionaire producer Zodiak USA to begin casting on a new cycle, an indication that the network is looking to order more episodes beyond the original 6." (Deadline)

Danny Cohen is the new controller at BBC One, making the move from BBC Three effective immediately. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Starz to Recast Spartacus, Warehouse 13 Renewed, Mad Men's John Slattery to 30 Rock, Glee, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

It was only a matter of time, really. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello (who is soon to depart the magazine/website) is reporting that Starz has begun the search for a replacement for Spartacus' Andy Whitfield, who was forced to drop out of the production due to a recurrence of cancer. "According to the just-released casting notice, producers are searching for a Caucasian male in his mid to late 30s to play the 'smart, intense, passionate' title role," writes Ausiello. "Interested parties must have an authentic British accent and be prepared to sign a three-year contract." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd is reporting that Syfy has renewed Warehouse 13 for a third season, with 13 episodes on tap for next season. Additionally, Jack Kenny will remain aboard the series as the showrunner and has signed a development deal with the cable network. "Jack Kenny's superlative leadership and the incredible talent of his cast and crew delivered an outstanding second season of Warehouse 13," said Syfy's Mark Stern. "We're excited to see this successful series return next year and to developing our next hit with Jack." (Hollywood Reporter)

More 30 Rock/Mad Men crossover goodness. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Mad Men's John Slattery will guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's 30 Rock, where he will play "a candidate running for congress." Slattery is expected to appear in this season's seventh episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin has an interview with Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and Cory Monteith about tonight's spirituality-themed episode ("Grilled Cheesus"), in which the glee kids tackle the hot-button issue of religion. "I wish there had been something to launch conversations about feelings and emotions in my household when I was younger," Murphy told Martin about the potential of Glee to start conversations. "When the show is at its best, that is what I think we're doing." (TVGuide.com)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly's Tim Stack has a brief chat with Murphy as well about tonight's episode. “I love when people see Jesus in bird droppings on the windows and then there are lines out the door and that seems to happen so often now,” said Murphy. “To me, it just shows everybody in our society, particularly young people, are just desperate to believe in something.” (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

ABC is eyeing another scripted summer series, this time an untitled female-centric spy drama from writer Greg Poirier, director Steve Shill, and executive producers Grant Scharbo and Gina Matthews (The Gates) that is described as "Taken meets The Bourne Identity). (Deadline)

ABC Family has cancelled freshman drama series Huge and will not be ordering the back ten episodes of the first season. "First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who embraced Huge and supported it," said co-creator/executive producer Winnie Holzman. "While it's disappointing not to be able to go forward with the characters we love so much and had so many plans for, we're deeply grateful for this opportunity. Our goal was and is to create television of depth and complexity that inspires people to think and feel. We believe we accomplished that with Huge and can't wait to do it again." (Variety)

Lone Star may have tanked but the pilot director--Marc Webb--who also directed (500) Days of Summer, has already scored a new project at FOX: a single-camera workplace comedy entitled Battleground, which has a script order at the network. (Deadline)

The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff talks with the cast and crew of FOX's comedy Running Wilde, which is struggling to find an audience this season. "If we stay kind of where we are or even grow a little bit, we’re in good shape,” co-creator Mitch Hurwitz said of the series' chances. “If we continue to drop, anything can happen.” (New York Times)

Deadline's Tim Adler is reporting that Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge could be returning to television once more as Baby Cow will recut its series of Fosters-branded internet shorts as a new television series. "Until now Coogan’s cringingly-embarrassing TV chat show host and disc jockey has always aired on the BBC," writes Adler. "The new 6-part series could be sold to Channel 4 or digital comedy channel Dave, Baby Cow boss Henry Normal tells me." (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Robyn Ross is reporting that Matthew Lawrence will guest-star alongside brother Joey on an upcoming episode of ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey, slated to air November 2nd. (TVGuide.com)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that ABC is close to signing a deal to develop a US adaptation of Spanish series Aqui no hay quien viva (Or: I Hate This Place) from executive producers Ben Silverman and Sofia Vergara, with writer Craig Doyle attached to write the script. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC Axes My Generation, David E. Kelley to Tackle Wonder Woman, Spartacus, Lara Flynn Boyle, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

And another one bites the dust. The axe has fallen on Noah Hawley's drama My Generation, which was cancelled by ABC after just two episodes. Production has come to a screeching halt on the series, which debuted to more than 5 million viewers in its initial airing and then plummeted a staggering 31 percent for the second episode. ABC has yet to announce a replacement for My Generation, which had the Thursday evening at 8 pm ET/PT timeslot. News comes on the heels of FOX's decision to can Lone Star after two airings, while all eyes are on ABC's Whole Truth and NBC's Outlaw, which mark the two most likely targets for cancellation, should ratings not improve. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Better fire up that invisible plane: The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd and Borys Kit are reporting that Warner Bros. Television is said to be developing a modern-day take on DC Comics' Wonder Woman for television rather than film this time around. (Joss Whedon had attempted to write a Wonder Woman feature film script back in 2005 and Deborah Joy LeVine attempted to launch a small screen version in 1998. Of course, Lynda Carter very famously played Diana Prince in the 1975-79 television series.) But the interesting news is who Warners has pacted with to write and executive produce the potential series: Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley. [Editor: While I applaud the effort of Warner Bros. Television to return this icon to the small screen, I can't help but scratch my head about the decision to go with Kelley, who is based at the studio. Odd.] (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Pay cabler Starz is said to be considering "all options" when looking at the future of its brand-defining series Spartacus after series lead Andy Whitfield had to bow out due to his battle with cancer. While Starz president/CEO Chris Albrecht said that "hopefully" Spartacus will return, there is no certainty that the series will return for its planned second season, though there is the possibility of recasting Whitfield's role. "If not, we'll have something else in the fourth quarter," Albrecht told The Hollywood Reporter. (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that E! has ordered a pilot presentation for an untitled docuseries focusing on actress Lara Flynn Boyle, best known for her roles on ABC's The Practice and Twin Peaks. The potential project would, according to Andreeva, "follow the Practice alumna as she splits her time between her life in Texas and her marriage to real estate investor Donald Ray Thomas II and her Hollywood-centric lifestyle in Bel Air." (Deadline)

Now this I'd like to see: one name that's being bandied around as a potential entertainment president for NBC is former Showtime topper Robert Greenblatt, who stepped down from the pay cabler earlier this year. Rumors are flying that Greenblatt is being groomed for an oversight role at the network after the merger with Comcast goes through. "It's spectacular," said Paradigm TV agent Debbee Klein said about Comcast possibly considering Greenblatt for the role. "They haven't had an executive of his stature since Grant Tinker and Brandon Tartikoff. The writing community would make NBC a must-stop destination if he's at the helm... He's not just a guy who does one thing well. He's patient and has a very keen sense of material. He knows how to work with writers without stepping on their voice. Very few executives have that ability, such as [CBS entertainment president] Nina Tassler." Hmmm... (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Jennifer Arrow has a series of first-look videos from this week's Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC is developing an untitled comedy vehicle for Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids) that will reteam him with Don Reo. (Variety)

Elsewhere, Lifetime has ordered a pilot for an untitled drama about the female head of a university hospital psych department. Project, from writer/executive producer Michael Sardo and executive producer Gerard Bocaccio, "revolves around a woman who moves to Philadelphia to work as chief of staff in the psychiatry department alongside her sister and a diverse staff." (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has details about Amber Tamblyn's character on FOX's House, where she has signed on to a multiple-episode story arc as medical student Martha M. Masters. (TV Guide Magazine)

FOX has ordered pilot presentations for three Sony Pictures Television-produced animated comedies, including So Cal, Swell, and Sunflower Ponds. Talent involved includes Josh Faure-Brac, Doug Robinson, Kevin Ceil, Andy Riley, Anthony and Joe Russo, Reed Agnre, Eli Jorne, and Jamie Tarses. (Variety)

UK satcaster Sky has acquired UK rights to TV Land comedy Hot in Cleveland, which stars Jane Leeves and Betty White. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Summer Glau to Chuck, Zucker's Replacement Named at NBCU, Starz Considers Spartacus Options, Community, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is set to guest star on NBC's Chuck this season, where she will turn up in the eighth episode as the latest Greta, the rotating CIA/NSA joint intelligence task force agent assigned to the Buy More. Glau, who stars in NBC's midseason action drama The Cape, follows in the footsteps of Olivia Munn, Stacy Keibler, and Isaiah Mustafa. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jeff Zucker is out and Steve Burke is in. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' right-hand man Burke, will succeed Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal once the merger deal--valued at $30 billion--is completed. Zucker announced that he would be stepping down from the position on Friday once the merger transaction is closed. "Steve Burke is an experienced, talented and visionary leader with over 25 years in the media and entertainment industry," Roberts said in a statement. "Steve is one of the most well-respectedexecutives in the industry, and I am confident that he will lead NBC U forward to a new era of growth." Burke will also continue to serve as Comcast's COO. (Variety)

[Meanwhile, Michael Schneider and Cynthia Littleton take a look at Zucker's legacy over at Variety, while AOL Television's Maureen Ryan has her own take on Zucker's departure with "Jeff Zucker's Reign of Terribleness Finally Over at NBC."]

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Spartacus showrunner Steven S. DeKnight about the two options available to the production and pay cabler Starz in light of series lead Andy Whitfield's cancer relapse. “The two main options are to close up shop or recast,” DeKnight told Ausiello. “I want to talk to Andy and find out how he feels about the options. That’s obviously very important to us... We’re still absorbing what’s happened. I think it’s going to be a little while before we reach any conclusions.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, meanwhile, is also reporting that Starz is considering recasting the role of Spartacus so that the planned second season can move along as planned.]

Hilary Duff is headed to Greendale. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Duff will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Community, where she will play "a member of a mean girl clique that goes head-to-head with the Scoobies." [Editor: news matches what I learned on the set of Community two weeks ago: the writers are planning a Mean Girls homage.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Ed Decter and John Strauss have officially signed on as showrunners on USA's In Plain Sight. The duo replaces John McNamara, who departed the series due to medical issues. (Deadline)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Darren Everett Criss (Eastwick) has been cast on FOX's Glee, where he will play Blaine, described as "a gay student from a rival school glee club named the Dalton Academy Warblers." While some might leap to the judgment that Criss' character will be the love interest for Chris Colfer's Kurt, Dos Santos cites an unnamed source who says that isn't the case: "Although people might speculate that this might be the possible boyfriend for Kurt that Ryan has talked about, he is fairly sure that this particular character won't be. This friendship will be platonic." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Former Heroes star Zachary Quinto is bummed that there won't be a two-movie to wrap up the superhero drama's dangling storylines after NBC axed the potential wrap-up. “It’s disappointing that there was such a lack of resolution,” Quinto told Entertainment Weekly. “But unfortunately that’s just the nature of network television….Nothing really surprises me in terms of network and studio bureaucracy. It’s the way it goes... If it was in their best interest I’m sure they would have done it. And for whatever reason, they didn’t think it was. So that’s a bummer. But we have to just accept it and move on.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, Aimee Garcia (Trauma) has been cast in ABC midseason medical drama Off the Map, where she will play a local who falls for Zach Gilford's plastic surgeon, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

More deals coming together at Showtime, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, who reports that Showtime has signed development deals with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards and with Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: J.J. Abrams Shops Emerson/O'Quinn Show, Linda Hamilton Talks Chuck, Spartacus, Community, True Lies, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Could Lost's Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson be headed back your televisions? If J.J. Abrams gets his way, they'll be reuniting for a drama project--tentatively entitled Odd Jobs--that Abrams, along with Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, are pitching to the networks. Vulture's Josef Adalain is reporting that the drama, which will also contain a large amount of humor, revolves around "former black-ops agents." It's unknown whether the project is based on any part on the idea that Emerson and O'Quinn had floated a while back in which they'd play suburban hit men. But the fact that Abrams' Bad Robot--and possibly by association Warner Bros. Television--is behind Odd Jobs (or whatever it might eventually be called), is a good sign that the project will at least be picked up to pilot. (Vulture)

AOL Television's Maureen Ryan talks to Linda Hamilton about her role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on NBC's Chuck, where the former Terminator and Beauty and the Beast star says she wants to stick around as long as they'll have her. "Well, Mary Bartowski is the absentee mother of Chuck and Ellie and the most that I can really say about her is that ... she is not your ordinary homemaker," said Hamilton. "She comes back into Chuck's life with an agenda and you know, she is definitely a strong, forceful [woman] -- definitely a force to be reckoned with. It ain't all apologies and sentiment, that's for sure. She has her own agenda and it just kind of goes crazy from there. But we like crazy." (TV Squad)

Series lead Andy Whitfield has had to withdraw from Season Two of Starz's Spartacus due to a recurrence of cancer. "It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus‚ and all the wonderful people involved," said Whitfield in a statement. "It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far," said Whitfield. No immediate decision has been made about the fate of the series, which delayed production on the second season and instead shot a prequel series (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena)--set to air in January--in order to allow Whitfield the opportunity to undergo treatment. "Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director, Starz Media, in the same press release. "We will address our programming plans at some later date." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

NBC's Community is planning a stop-motion animated Christmas episode in the spirit of those classic Rankin/Bass specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. [Editor: I actually talked to Community creator Dan Harmon and the cast when I was on set last week.] The episode, written by Harmon and Dino Stamatopoulos (who also plays Starburns), will feature the Greendale crew getting animated after Harmon floated the idea for such an episode in an interview over the summer. "It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do but, I never anticipated having the ability to do it,” said Harmon. But “Jeff Gaspin at NBC woke up one morning and thought Community should do an animated episode. I was like, ‘Well, that’s weird, because that’s the kind of stuff I’m usually suggesting and guys like him veto.’” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC is developing a drama series based on James Cameron's 1994 feature film True Lies, which the Avatar director will executive produce. The project, from 20th Century Fox Television and writer/showrunner Rene Echevarria, has a sizable penalty attached to it. (Variety)

Showtime is said to be close to giving a pilot order to Homeland from Fox21 that's based on Israeli drama format Prisoners of War from executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa of FOX's 24. In this iteration, the project will revolve around "a U.S. soldier who was presumed killed in Iraq 10 years ago" who "returns home, but questions arise as to whether he truly was a wartime POW or a member of a sleeper cell sent to cause the next terrorist attack," according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, who has an interview with Gordon about the project, likely the first to be ordered by newly minted Showtime entertainment president David Nevins. And Ben Affleck is said to be in conversations to direct the pilot itself. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Variety)

Peter Coyote (FlashForward) has joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles, where he will recur as the district attorney. (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin talks to Lone Star's leading man, James Wolk, about the new FOX ddrama, which launches tonight. "He's a con man who wants to go straight," said Wolk about his character. "He wants to do the right thing. This isn't a guy who leaves one of his wives and then calls his buddy and says, 'Hey man, you're never gonna believe it. I got two chicks.' That's not this guy. This guy really loves these girls. He fully believes that he is madly in love with them. So, he thinks he's fighting for love. I think that is what can make him sympathetic. Yes, he's a sociopath, clearly screws loose. But, nonetheless, someone who thinks he's doing the right thing." (TVGuide.com)

ABC has given a pilot order to Pan Am, a period drama pilot based on the now-defunct Pam Am that will be set in the 1960s and focus on the flight attendants and pilots of the airline. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, will be written by Jack Orman and will be directed by Thomas Schlamme. (Variety)

Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) will play the lead in USA drama pilot Necessary Roughness, about a female psychologist who is hired by a pro football team as their therapist. "After succeeding beyond expectations, she is sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians and those living in the spotlight who all want her unique brand of tough love therapy," writes Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Thorne's casting lifts the contingency on the project, which was written by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Rachael Carpani (Cane) has booked the lead in Lifetime drama pilot Against the Wall, where she will play cop Abby Kowalski, who "causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division." Project, from Universal Cable Prods., is written by Annie Brunner and will be directed by Dean Parisot. (Deadline)

The Hollywood Reporter's Stacey Wilson has an interview with Outsourced executive producer Ken Kwapis in which he responds to allegations of racial stereotypes in the new NBC workplace comedy. "A third of the writing staff is of Indian descent," said Kwapis. "But any story about a culture clash is going to deal with stereotypes on some level. The real question is: Are we trying to perpetuate stereotypes? Absolutely not, we're trying to explore them. We're trying to humanize these characters. This is all about putting a human face on the voice at the other end of the phone line. What frustrates me most is when I hear people who are angry about outsourcing and they hang the problem on the call-center workers themselves. As if the Indian call-center worker has the power to decide to bring jobs there! My hope is that for an audience, the show will allow you to basically go around the world and meet someone who, lo and behold, is fundamentally no different from yourself." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban will appear in three episodes of ABC's Shark Tank as a guest shark. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

TNT has renewed Memphis Beat for a second season, with ten episodes on tap for 2011. (via press release)

Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) will play Amanda Knox in an upcoming Lifetime telepic based on the real-life murder case. (Variety)

More Doctor Who Adventure games are on the way. The Beeb has commissioned a second series of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, the online series of Who-centric games that feature the voices of series stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: DirecTV Saves FX's Damages, David Cross to Join Running Wilde, Gregory Itzin Finds Big Love for HBO, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Many had given up hope that FX's brilliant and labyrinthine legal drama Damages would survive another season, given the low ratings for the series' fantastically taut third season, which wrapped its run earlier this year. Not so: DirecTV has come to the aid of the Sony Picture Television- and FX Productions-produced series and has renewed the Glenn Close-led series for two seasons of ten episodes apiece. The only problem: it won't be airing on FX anymore as DirecTV has the exclusive rights to the series on The 101 Network. "We're excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television as we breathe new life into this outstanding drama," said Patty Ishimoto, general manager of The 101 Network and vice president of entertainment for DIRECTV, in a statement. "It's a win for our customers because only they will be able to see these new episodes and another great step forward for DIRECTV as we continue to build our growing portfolio of exclusive, award winning programming." Season Four will launch in 2011, with the fifth season on deck for 2012. Additionally, DirecTV has secured the rights to air the first three seasons. "FX was very proud to have developed one of the best scripted series on television, but, in order to have a future, the show needed DIRECTV and we are thrilled they stepped in," said John Landgraf, President & General Manager, FX Networks and FX Productions, in a press release. "Sony Pictures Television is a great production partner and we at FX Productions are excited for these next two seasons." (via press release)

Is FOX's upcoming comedy Running Wilde turning into a massive Arrested Development reunion? Former Arrested Development star David Cross has been cast as a series regular on Mitch Hurwitz's Wilde opposite Will Arnett. He's set to appear in seven of the initial thirteen episodes, where he will play Andy, a radical environmentalist. [Editor: As well as the boyfriend of Keri Russell's character.] The role was originally filled by Andrew Daly in the original pilot. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva has the full story behind Cross' casting on Running Wilde, where he was the original choice to play Andy. "But just as filming on the Lionsgate TV-produced pilot was underway in April, Cross got stuck in the UK when the country's airspace was closed as air travel in Northern Europe was severely disrupted by the eruption of Iceland's now-infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano," writes Andreeva. "With Cross certain to miss the shoot, actor Andrew Daly was approached to step in and do the role in the pilot. Daly had just wrapped another comedy pilot, NBC's The Paul Reiser Show, where he was a regular, so for him Running Wilde would've been in second position at best." Daly, meanwhile, maintains that he was brought in as an "understudy" for the role, knowing that "a) if the show got picked up, David would come back to play Andy and b) if The Paul Reiser Show got picked up, I'd have a full time TV job and wouldn't have been able to play Andy anyway even if the Fox executives were so thrilled with my performance in the pilot that they were desperate to have me at any cost! (might've daydreamed about that scenario once or twice)" (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that 24's Gregory Itzin has joined the cast of HBO's Big Love for its upcoming fifth season. Itzin will recur on the series, where he will play Senator Richard Dwyer, the Republican Majority Leader of the Utah State Senate. Yes, the same senate where Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) was elected at the end of last season. Production on Season Five of Big Love is slated to begin this week. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy is close to signing a massive four-year deal with 20th Century Fox Television that will keep him aboard Glee for the foreseeable feature as well as allow him to develop new projects for the studio. The price tag on the overall deal? It's said to be worth $24 million, though Murphy will also share profits from the music business generated from the FOX musical-comedy, including both sales and downloads, tours, and merchandising (and he'll be paid retroactively for the first season as well). (Deadline)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Michael Ealy (FlashForward) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Season Two of CBS' The Good Wife, where he will play Derrick Bond, the head of the D.C. law firm that is merging with Lockhart & Gardner next season. Ealy will appear in at least ten episodes of The Good Wife. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Clifton Collins (Star Trek) has been cast in NBC's upcoming drama series The Event, where he will play Thomas, described as "a key player in the show's secret conspiracy who will come into conflict with the president of the United States (played by Blair Underwood)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros. Television has signed a one-year deal with writer/producers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Happy Town, Life on Mars), under which they will develop new projects for the studio from both their own scripts as well as work with other writers. The duo is expected to collaborate with JJ Abrams' Bad Robot shingle, which is also based at WBTV. (Variety)

Aussie actors Justin Clare (Underbelly), Jaime Murray (Dexter), and Marisa Ramirez (General Hospital) have joined the cast of Starz's Spartacus prequel, entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Clare will play Gannicus, the House of Batiatus' premiere gladiator before the arrival of Spartacus (Andy Whitfield). (via press release)

Rochelle Aytes (The Forgotten) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's upcoming cop drama Detroit 1-8-7, reports Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. She'll play Alice Williams, described as "a smart, sexy, ambitious lawyer in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office." Series launches September 21st. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos talks to John Stamos about Glee, Entourage, the end of his extortion trial, and playing with the Beach Boys in concert. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Jon Kinnally and Tracy Poust (Will & Grace) have come on board NBC's midseason romantic anthology Love Bites as showrunners, under their two-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios. They will take over showrunning duties from creator Cindy Chupack, who has given up oversight on the series due to personal issues. "We worked with Jon and Tracy for many years on Will & Grace and feel they are perfect for this job on Love Bites," said Angela Bromstad, NBC's president of primetime entertainment. "Not only do they bring intelligence, passion and great experience, but they are one of the funniest writing duos working in television today. This is great news for an incredibly promising new show." (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day has landed her own series on Oxygen. The cabler has greenlighted The Aubrey O'Day Project, which "will chronicle her attempt to make a comeback in the music industry while working with a demanding team of industry professionals," according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. No launch date has been announced, nor an episodic order. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cartoon Network has ordered ten new episodes of reality competition series Hole in the Wall, which previously aired on FOX during the 2008-09 season but the format--based on a Japanese game show--will be retooled for a younger audience. "In the new version, the half-hour game show will pit two teams of families against each other," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "But the gist of the show is the same: Contestants, dressed in spandex, contort their bodies in order to clear a series of moving barriers with various cut-out shapes." (Variety)

Syfy is teaming up with videogame maker THQ for two-hour backdoor pilot Red Faction: Origins, which would air in March 2011. "The story of Red Faction: Origins follows rebel hero Alec Mason and the Mason family and is set during a period between the Red Faction Guerilla video game and Red Faction," writes Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "The screenplay for Red Faction: Origins screenplay was written by Andrew Kreisberg (Warehouse 13), based on a story developed by Paul DeMeo, THQ Director, fiction development." (Deadline)

Science Channel has renewed Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman for a ten-episode second season. (Variety)

ABC Studios has hired former 20th Century Fox Television executive Patrick Moran as the new head of drama, replacing Josh Barry, who will step down from his position after just a year. (Deadline)

Sarah Paulson, Karen Allen, and Emily Alyn Lind have been cast opposite John Corbett and Sam Elliott in Hallmark Hall of Fame telepic November Christmas, which will air Thanksgiving weekend on CBS. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Julia Stiles Heads to Dexter, Doctor Who Writer Wants Lady Gaga, All Clear Given to Spartacus Star Whitfield, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television update.

It's official: Julia Stiles (The Bourne Ultimatum) has signed on to appear in ten episodes of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter next season. Stiles will play "a mysterious young woman who forms a unique relationship with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) in the wake of the death of his wife," according to Showtime. Production on Season Five of Dexter gets underway this month and is expected to premiere this fall. [Editor: any guesses on just who Stiles will be playing and just what her relationship is to Dexter? Let the speculation begin.] (via press release)

Could pop superstar Lady Gaga be heading to Doctor Who? If writer Gareth Roberts has his way, she would be. While Gaga hasn't signed on to appear in an episode of Who, Gareth maintains in an interview with OK! Magazine that he has already thought out a plotline for the "Bad Romance" singer to appear in. "She is no stranger to dressing up and would be more than a match for the Doctor," said Roberts in the interview. "It would be a real coup to get her." (via io9)

Good news for Spartacus' Andy Whitfield. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Whitfield, the star of Starz's period drama Spartacus, has been given a clean bill of health and is ready to return to work following his treatment for Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He's expected to appear in two episodes of Starz' upcoming six-episode prequel series starring Lucy Lawless and John Hannah and then segue directly into shooting Season Two of Spartacus afterwards. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jesse Williams has been promoted to a series regular on ABC's Grey's Anatomy next season, citing unnamed sources. Fellow Grey's frosher Sarah Drew is also expected to return next season, though a deal has yet to be closed. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Take this news with a grain of salt: British comedian Matt Lucas (Little Britain) has reportedly signed on to appear in an upcoming episode of FOX musical-comedy Glee, according to British tabloid The Sun, where he will play a British teacher who conceals a hidden passion for musicals... and might even burst into song. FOX has yet to confirm the casting. (via Digital Spy)

Is Matthew McConaughey heading to FX? Sort of. His production company, J.K. Livin, has teamed up with the cabler to develop single-camera comedy pilot Kick Ass Militia, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Project will be written/executive produced by Marc Hyman, based on source material by JR Reed and will revolve around "two brothers whose divergent views are always pitting them against each other on their Malibu compound, one a survivalist and one a free-loving cult leader." (Deadline)

AMC will offer viewers a sneak peek of its upcoming drama series Rubicon on Sunday evening, immediately following the season finale of Breaking Bad. Series, which stars James Badge Dale, Miranda Richardson, and Arliss Howard, will officially launch on Sunday, August 1st at 8 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reports that FOX drama pilot Breakout Kings, which failed to receive a series order at the network, may be heading to A&E as production entity Chernin Entertainment is said to be in talks with the cabler about picking up the crime procedural. Project was written by Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora and directed by Gavin Hood. "At A&E, Breakout Kings would fit into the character-driven procedural direction the channel is taking with the upcoming cop drama The Glades, which also is male-centered," writes Andreeva. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Seda (The Pacific) has signed on to guest star on USA's Burn Notice this season, where he will play Cole, described as "a disgruntled ex-Marine who now works as a killer for hire." Meanwhile, Garrett Dillahunt and Tim Matheson will reprise their roles as Simon and "Dead" Larry Sizemore on Burn Notice, Carlo Mendez is heading to Pawnee for a multiple-episode story arc on Parks and Recreation, and D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights) and Lauren Holly have been cast in USA's upcoming drama Covert Affairs. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Robyn Ross has an interview with Lucy Hale, who stars in ABC Family's new mystery drama series Pretty Little Liars, which launches tonight. "In the first episode, you're introduced to these characters who have dark secrets that can basically ruin their lives," said Hale. "The series is figuring out what happened to Alison and who is threatening us, but also we have our everyday issues. I think that's what's going to hook people. It's got really cute boys, great love stories and you get to see some cool fashion as well." (TVGuide.com)

Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts have signed a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios, under which they will develop new projects for the studio and join the staff of Shonda Rhimes-executive produced medical drama Off the Map, where they will executive produce alongside Rhimes, Jenna Bans, and Betsy Beers. (Deadline)

Vanessa Marcil will return to ABC daytime soap General Hospital, where she will reprise her role as Brenda, for which she won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2003, beginning August 11th. "We are so thrilled to welcome Vanessa Marcil home to General Hospital," said executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. "Vanessa is a wonderful, talented actress and her portrayal of Brenda makes her a force of nature in Port Charles." (SOAPnet)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with Outsourced co-executive producer Michael Pennie, under which he will focus on NBC's Outsourced and develop new projects for the studio. "UMS are willing to take some chances," Pennie told The Hollywood Reporter. "Outsourced is an example of their willingness to try something different in a year where there's a lot out there that feels like versions of stuff I've seen before, and that's definitely something I'm attracted to." (Hollywood Reporter)

Katy Perry will host and perform on the Teen Choice 2010 awards show, scheduled to air on Monday, August 9th on FOX. (via press release)

Former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft has been tapped to host ABC spinoff series Bachelor Pad alongside Chris Harrison. Series, which features past contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, is set to launch August 9th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Variety's On the Air)

Kevin Hooks (Prison Break) has signed on to executive produce ABC's drama series Detroit 1-8-7 and will direct at least two episodes of the series' initial thirteen-episode order. (Hollywood Reporter)

Rob Schiller (The King of Queens) will direct two of CMT's comedy pilot presentations, The 30 Percent and Working Class. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Starz Gets Spartacus Prequel, ABC Pulls Happy Town, Burt Reynolds to Burn Notice, Sarah Silverman Axed, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Starz is heading back to Spartacus, ordering six episodes of a prequel series that will be set before Season One of the gladiator drama series, which wrapped its run last month. The six-episode prequel, as yet untitled, will revolve around the House of Batiatus and its champions and will star John Hannah and Lucy Lawless, as well as Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Antonio Te Maihoha, Nick E. Tarabay, and Lesley-Ann Brandt, and feature a brief appearance by Andy Whitfield, who is currently undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Production will begin this summer, with the pay cabler eying a January 2011 launch, clearly an effort to keep the franchise humming until a second season can be produced. "The prequel story maintains the excitement and entertainment value of the first season of Spartacus, giving audiences the engaging experience they've come to expect," said Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement. "We look forward to continuing the Spartacus story." (via press release)

Bad news for Happy Town: ABC has opted to pull the supernatural drama series from its schedule beginning next week. The series, produced by ABC Studios, will return on Wednesday, June 2nd at 10 pm ET/PT to begin burning off its remaining five installments, wrapping up its run on Wednesday, June 30th. Happy Town's current timeslot will be filled by an episode of Primetime: What Would You Do? next week and the network broadcast premiere of Transformers on May 26th. (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Burt Reynolds will guest star on an upcoming episode of USA's Burn Notice, where he will play Paul Anderson, described as "a legendary operative, now retired and cast out of the CIA, who serves as somewhat of a cautionary tale for Michael (Jeffrey Donovan)." Reynolds is slated to appear in the fourth season of Burn Notice, which launches June 3rd. "Things have not gone well for him since he left the spy service," creator Matt Nix told Ausiello. "He’s now working as a bartender under an assumed name, and he gets into trouble with some very nasty Russian guys... He’s not precisely like Michael. He’s Michael should Michael succumb to some of the demons that haunt ex-spies." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Comedy Central has cancelled The Sarah Silverman Program after three seasons after it failed to earn a renewal, despite a Twitter campaign to save the series, which had in its last season been bumped to a midnight timeslot. (Deadline.com)

Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films have pacted to produce an HBO original telepic based on Rebecca Skloot's book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," about a Baltimore mother of five children who died of cervical cancer at age 31 in 1951. However, the cancerous cells removed from her body led to major breakthroughs in medical research, including leading to the cure for polio and AIDS treatments. No screenwriter is currently attached to the project, which will be produced by Ball, Winfrey, Kate Forte, and Peter Macoissi. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC is preparing to give comedy Perfect Couples a series order and the network has authorized writers Scott Silveri and Jon Pollack to begin staffing the writing team for the series. Meanwhile, NBC is said to still be high as well on comedy Friends with Benefits and is said to be looking for a showrunner for the series. Drama Garza--which stars Jimmy Smitts--will likely be retooled for midseason. (Deadline.com)

Sir Derek Jacobi (Gosford Park) has been cast in a multiple episode story arc on Showtime's upcoming period drama The Borgias, where he will play Cardinal Orsini, described as "a nemesis to Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons)" in several episodes. Elsewhere, Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter, History Boys) has been cast in the pay cabler's comedy series Episodes, where he will play a version of himself, "a brilliant British actor deemed 'too sophisticated' by an American TV network to star in a fictional comedy pilot who instead is replaced by Matt LeBlanc." (Hollywood Reporter)

Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and Mackenzie Crook (Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Office) will star in BBC One's six-part drama Accused, created by Jimmy McGovern (The Street), each episode of which will follow an individual man accused of a crime and lead to court to hear his fate. "In the time it takes to climb the steps to the court we tell the story of how the accused came to be here," said McGovern in a statement. "We see the crime and we see the punishment. Nothing else. No police procedure, thanks very much, no coppers striding along corridors with coats flapping. Just crime and punishment – the two things that matter most in any crime drama. It's great to work with Chris again and I've often tried in the past to get Mackenzie into something of mine. And needless to say, it's wonderful to reunite the team that made The Street." (BBC)

E! Online's Drusilla Moorhouse has an interview with The Amazing Race's Jet and Cord McCoy, who sadly failed to come in first place this season. "I don't know if it was that one single act that cost us the race," said Jet about Jordan's queue-jumping move at the Shanghai airport. "It was more about the principle than it was anything. We were standing in a marked line of three people, and [Jordan] thinks that's where he wants to play his ace or whatever. Me and Cord were just kinda blown away. My goodness." And those of you wondering whether we'll see the cowboys on television again should take note of the fact that Cord's fiancee wants him to do Dancing with the Stars. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Universal Media Studios has signed a new two-year overall deal with Friday Night Lights executive producer David Hudgins, under which he will remain aboard the drama series as co-showrunner (a title he shares with Jason Katims) until the series' end and will develop new projects for the studio. (Variety)

Spike has promoted Sharon Levy to EVP of original series and animation. She will continue to report to Kevin Kay. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Time is Up for "24," Keri Russell Circles "Wilde Kingdom," Adam Scott Talks "Parks and Recreation," "Lie to Me," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

While FOX and 20th Century Fox Television won't comment, Variety's Michael Schneider is reporting that it appears that Day Eight of 24 will be the series' last. A final decision on the fate of the Kiefer Sutherland-led serialized drama will be made in the next day or so but it's not looking as though 24 will continue for a ninth season, at least at FOX. "The studio is said to be considering shopping 24 to other nets -- but given the thriller's age and pricetag, it's believed interest from other outlets will be limited," writes Schneider. "Yet even as the bell tolls for 24 in primetime, the franchise is far from dead. Sutherland and the 24 team have been keen on adapting the show as a feature film, and have made major strides in recent months toward making that long-term goal a reality." (Variety)

In quite possibly one of the best pieces of casting news around, Keri Russell (Felicity) is said to be in talks to star opposite Will Arnett in FOX's Mitch Hurwitz-executive produced single-camera comedy pilot Wilde Kingdom. Russell would play a "charitable tree-hugging woman" whom Arnett's character, a "Beverly Hills jackass," falls in love with. Project, from Lionsgate Television and Tantamount, is written and directed by Hurwitz, who wrote the pilot with Arnett and Jim Vallely. [Editor: I'm praying to the casting gods that the studio is able to close a deal with Russell ASAP.] (Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to Party Down's Adam Scott about his upcoming role on NBC's Parks and Recreation. "What I know is I'm coming in for the last couple episodes of this season, and then for Season Three I will be a regular," Scott told Keck. "I think I'm going to be getting a lot of screen time with Amy, which is great. When I start, I'm not a part of the government agency. I'm an outsider. But I think there's potential for that to change." (TV Guide Magazine)

FOX's Lie to Me will return on June 7th and will air original episodes throughout the summer as part of the network's efforts to implement a post-season strategy. FOX will pair the back half of Lie to Me's second season with Matt Nix's cop drama The Good Guys (formerly known as Code 58), which will get a sneak peek on May 19th. Glee, meanwhile, will wrap up its first season on June 8th and the leftover episodes from Past Life will also air this summer. (Hollywood Reporter, Variety)

Production on Season Two of Starz's Spartacus: Blood and Sand has been delayed, due to star Andy Whifield's treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in New Zealand. Whitfield's prognosis is said to be good, with Starz stating that the condition is treatable and was detected early. "I'm receiving excellent care, and am feeling strong, positive and determined with an army of support behind me," said Whitfield in a statement. Season One of Spartacus will wrap its run on Starz on April 16th. (via press release)

Charlie Sheen will return to the set of CBS' Two and a Half Men next week after checking himself into a rehab clinic on February 23rd after a series of events that included a domestic violence charge against the star. Sheen is expected to return to work on Tuesday. (Variety)

Jimmy Smits (Cane) will star in NBC's untitled John Eisendrath drama pilot (a.k.a. Rough Justice) and will also co-executive produce. Smits will play Cyrus Garza, described as a "by-the-book Supreme Court Justice who excuses himself from the bench to go into private practice and fight constitutional injustices." (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has renewed reality series Undercover Boss for a second season, though didn't immediately issue an episodic count for the sophomore run of the series, which follows corporate CEOs as they go undercover in their organizations. (Variety)

Pilot casting update: Judy Greer (Archer) will star opposite David Krumholtz in FOX I.R.S. comedy pilot Tax Man; Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers) will join Jim Belushi in CBS pilot Defenders; Madchen Amick (Damages) has joined the cast of FOX drama pilot Pleading Guilty; Jason Biggs will star in CBS comedy pilot True Love (also cast: Dan Fogler); Brooke Bloom (CSI: Miami) and Vanessa Minnillo (True Beauty) have joined the cast of NBC comedy pilot This Little Piggy; Anna Chlumsky (30 Rock) has scored one of the leads in CBS drama pilot Quinn-Tuplets; Melinda Clarke (The O.C.) and Aaron Stanford (Traveler) have been added to the cast of the CW action pilot Nikita; Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Hayes MacArthur (Worst Week) have come aboard NBC's comedy pilot Perfect Couples; Debra Jo Rupp (That 70's Show) has been cast in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy pilot; and Jay Hernandez (Six Degrees) and Michael Beach (Stargate Atlantis) have been cast in CBS' untitled Hannah Shakespeare medical drama pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bravo is expected to announce today that Isaac Mizrahi will return as host for Season Two of its reality competition series The Fashion Show at today's cable upfronts. The cabler will also announce launch dates for Bethenny's Getting Married, which follows Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel as she prepares for her nuptials, and Top Chef: Just Desserts. (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Navi Rawat (NUMB3RS) is set to guest star on an upcoming episode of ABC's Castle, slated to air April 5th, where she she will play mummification expert Rachel Walters who finds herself involved in Castle and Beckett's investigation when a museum curator is found murdered. (TVGuide.com)

Following ABC's decision to keep Castle on Mondays (rather than give it a test-run on Sundays after Desperate Housewives), the network has announced that it will use the Sunday, March 21st 10 pm timeslot to instead offer a sneak peek at reality series Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Due to the sneak, the series launch for the series--which stars British chef Jamie Oliver--has been pushed to April 2nd. And Castle will get a chance to test the Sunday audience; ABC has now slated a repeat of Castle for Sunday, March 30th. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

UK viewers will be able to see Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, following a deal between Sony Pictures Television and Virgin Media's Living, which will launch the series this spring. (Broadcast)

Nickelodeon has signed a three-year deal with iCarly creator Dan Schneider said to be in the eight-figure range. (Variety)

In other Nick-related news, the cabler has ordered two pilots: single-camera comedy Supah Ninja, about ninja high schoolers, and multi-camera comedy Everyday Kid, about a teenager who wakes up each morning with a new ability. The two pilots join Summer Camp, all of which are in contention for series orders. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Oprah Winfrey Show executive producer Ellen Rakieten has signed an overall deal with RelativityReal, under which she will develop and produce unscripted series. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Into the Arena: A Few Quick Thoughts on Starz's "Spartacus"

Some of you have asked what I thought about Starz's blood- and sex-laden drama series Spartacus. After watching the first four episodes that were sent out for review, my thoughts on the series are just as muddled as they were when I first heard about the project.

Created by Steven DeKnight, Spartacus recounts the exploits of a Thracian warrior (Andy Whitfield) betrayed by the Romans, torn away from his wife, and forced to compete as a gladiator in a series of vicious battles for the amusement of the public. His only desire: to train as hard as possible in the ludus (gladiator school) in order to win, so that that he can finally be reunited with his wife, who has been sold into slavery. (He'll eventually launch a slave rebellion against the Romans.)

And when I say vicious battles, I mean vicious. The bloody and gruesome action is set against a series of a computer-rendered backdrops that recall 300, without that production's gargantuan budget. Which basically means a never-ending parade of slow-motion, hacked body parts, and gratuitous curtains of blood. The visual style is intriguing for about five minutes or so but then it quickly becomes repetitive. (Seriously, there's only so many times you can see that curtain of blood appear behind Sparactus without beginning to yawn.)

Likewise, this being on pay cable means pushing the envelope as far as it will go in terms of both violence and sexual content... but rather than render Spartacus as daring or provocative, it seems there merely to draw attention away from the project's numerous flaws.

I've been negative about pilots before but Spartacus' first episode is just downright awful... as in laughably bad. While the plight of Spartacus is meant to be a gripping and horrific journey, it was impossible not to laugh out loud at the wooden acting (some of it quite terrifyingly bad), gratuitous nudity (both male and female), and absurd dialogue.

I also felt extremely sorry for the talented John Hannah and Lucy Lawless to find themselves in this muck; they both deserve much, much better and their presence in the pilot seemed like mere afterthoughts.

Subsequent episodes do focus more on their characters but they're less richly plotted than any of the colorful cast on HBO's similarly period drama Rome. There's some improvement in the overall quality of the production but it felt not only extremely repetitive and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, not the leather loincloth-wearing gladiators nor the conniving members of Capua's ruling class. One can't help but feel that Polly Walker's Atia would have them all beheaded or poisoned within a day.

The Rome comparison will continue to crop up over the course of the first season. (The series has already been renewed for a second season.) While Rome also offered an ancient world drama that was drenched with sweat, blood, and sex, it did with an intelligence and wit, creating a period soap opera enacted against the inevitability of this society's downfall. Here, there's an intentional silliness to the action; Spartacus takes itself way more seriously than it should; rather than revel in the cheesiness of its sword-and-sandals spectacle and perhaps become subversive, its very seriousness draws more attention to the qualities the series is lacking.

It's clear that Starz hopes to take on HBO and Showtime in the original series arena but Spartacus won't make either of the pay cable giants shake in their sandals, unless it steps up its intelligence quotient and realizes that slickly-shot slo-mo sword fights are cool but they can't make up for a lack of substance.



Spartacus launches tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Starz.

Uprising: Starz Renews "Spartacus" for Second Season

In an unusual move, pay cabler Starz has renewed Spartacus for a second season, over a month before the first season, entitled Spartacus: Blood and Sand is set to debut.

Starz handed out a thirteen-episode second season order to Spartacus today, which will begin production on Season Two in early 2010 in New Zealand. The plot details for Season Two, expected to be entitled Sparactus: Vengeance, are being kept firmly under wraps. Executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen, and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the series' head writer) will all return for Season Two.

"We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement," said Stephan Shelanski, Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, in a statement. "Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features."

"Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories," added Tapert. "The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond."

Season One of Spartacus is set to premiere on January 21st on Starz.

The full press release from Starz announcing the pickup can be found below.

STARZ RETURNS TO THE ARENA WITH MORE ‘SPARTACUS’
Second Season of Highly Anticipated Action Adventure Series Gets
Green Light Prior To January 22 Premiere

Burbank, Calif. – December 21, 2009 – In a bold vote of confidence, Starz executives announced plans today to order a second season of the ground-breaking new original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT. The unusual timing of the renewal, more than one month prior to the debut of the highly anticipated program, gives returning executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the head writer on the show) the green light to start production in New Zealand on 13 new episodes in the first quarter of 2010.

“We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement,” said Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, Stephan Shelanski. “Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.”

“Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories,” added Executive Producer Rob Tapert. “The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond.”

The title of the second season is expected to be “Spartacus: Vengeance,” but other details are being kept under wraps, so as not to spoil any of the sure-to-shock plot twists the first season promises to deliver.

Nearly 4 million moviegoers saw the new “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” trailer in theaters over the weekend and it is expected to hit wide online today.

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” features Australian newcomer Andy Whitfield as the title character, a Thracian fighting to return to his wife after being sold into slavery at a gladiatorial school. He is joined by Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Battlestar: Galactica”) as the deceptive Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy movies) as her power-hungry husband Batiatus, Peter Mensah (300) as the head of the gladiatorial school, Doctore, along with a cast of familiar as well as fresh faces.

The series is shot utilizing virtual environments in the graphic novel style of such successful features as 300 and Sin City. The process gives the show a fresh narrative approach and a hyper-realistic look that is unlike anything yet seen on TV. It’s an entirely new vision of the ancient legend.

Debuting exclusively on Starz, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert (The Grudge, “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

About Starz Media
Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 30.7 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz (NASDAQ: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.