Channel Surfing: TBS Axes My Boys, John Schneider to Wisteria Lane, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Terra Nova, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

It's official: TBS has cancelled comedy My Boys after four seasons. News comes after series stars Jordana Spiro and Kyle Howard had to withdraw from pilots that had been ordered to series due to their first position on the TBS comedy, whose days many suspected were already numbered. According to Variety's Jon Weisman, roughly 14 months passed between the end of the third season and the beginning of the fourth season, which kicked off in July. One cast member--Jim Gaffigan--left between the seasons. Spiro's role on Love Bites was eliminated when she was unavailable as the show under went some retooling. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Schneider (Smallville) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Desperate Housewives this season, where he will play the father to Brian Austin Green's Keith, the new handyman/contractor overseeing the remodeling of the home of Marcia Cross' Bree. Schneider will make his first appearance in Season Seven's seventh episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Gina DiNunno has an interview with Top Chef: Just Desserts host/judge Gail Simmons about the culinary competition series launching tonight (after the season finale of Top Chef). "Pastry chefs are so precise and so exacting [that] it really does come out in their personalities," said Simmons. "And they're artists, so with that comes a lot of drama. ... I mean, there's a lot of strategy and sabotage, and what's amazing is that desserts sort of lend themselves to that because they're so delicate and so fragile that you kind of have to guard them with your life or else it all could be lost." (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice has confirmed that Stephen Lang (Avatar)--reported by Deadline to be in talks to join the cast of FOX's Terra Nova--is indeed in talks to do just that. Lang would star opposite Jason O'Mara and Allison Miller in the project, which recounts the adventures of a family from the future who travels back to prehistoric times as part of a project to save the human race. Lang would play "the merciless leader of a prehistoric settlement." Series is slated to launch in fall 2011 after a sneak peek next May. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

All is not well behind the scenes on Terra Nova, however. Executive producer David Fury--known for his work on 24 and in the Whedonverse--has exited the project, citing "creative differences." Fury had been serving as co-showrunner on the FOX project, alongside Brannon Braga, who will now become the series' sole showrunner. (Variety)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to Bones star Michaela Conlin about just what she and Hodgins will be bringing back from Paris when the series returns on September 23rd. "Angela's pregnant!" said Conlin. "I have to be honest, at first I was a little hesitant. To marry this wild child off and get her pregnant had me worried that this would limit her, story-wise. But I now feel, getting in to the sixth season, it's going to be interesting to see her try to fit her wild life into this maternal situation." Look for Angela's pregnancy to have a major effect on Brennan meanwhile. (TV Guide Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Rachael Taylor (Transformers) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy this season. "Taylor’s character is still being conceived—she’s not scheduled to debut until midseason—but a Grey’s insider confirms that she will be playing a (surprise!) doctor," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV has ordered two scripted pilots: That Girl, a coming of age comedy about "a 15-year-old misfit who suddenly becomes the center of attention after the kids in school mistakingly believe she tried to commit suicide," from creator Lauren Iungerich; and horror comedy Death Valley, about a division of the LAPD that focuses on supernatural threats, from executive producers Austin Reading, Jilie Kellman Reading, Eric Weinberg, and Tim Healy. (Variety)

E! Online's Megan Masters has an exclusive first look at the tenth and final season of the CW's Smallville, which kicks off on September 24th. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC is developing an untitled drama pilot about the vice president of the United States and his female chief of staff with writers/executive producers Sheldon Turner and Shaun Cassidy attached. "The drama, which comes with a strong dose of comedy, focuses on the underdog nature of the veep's team -- call it the political equivalent of Glee," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Untitled hour is less about politics and more about office dynamics, including a budding romance between the chief of staff and the veepee's son." (Variety)

Dylan Baker, Matthew Lillard, Amy Irving, and Jennifer Grey are all set to guest star on Season Seven of FOX's House, which kicks off on Monday evening. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other FOX casting news, Jamie Hector (The Wire, Heroes) will guest star in the third season premiere of Lie to Me, where he will play a character involved in a major bank heist. (Hollywood Reporter)

TNT is said to have renewed medical drama Hawthorne for a ten-episode third season, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Official word of the pickup will apparently come today. (Deadline)

Denise Richards has been cast in Season Two of Spike's Blue Mountain State, where she will play "the coach's contentious and meddling ex-wife Debra who adds to his troubles as he must deliver a winning season." (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Two has renewed comedy Rev, created by and starring Tom Hollander, from Simon Pegg and Nira Park's Big Talk Prods. Series revolves around an inner city priest and is set to return for a second season in Fall of 2011, while the US cable networks are said to be sniffing around a potential American remake. (Deadline)

In other UK-centric news, Comedy Central has given a pilot order to a US remake of BBC Two's Time Trumpet, created by Armando Iannucci, which offers a take on the current news from the perspective of the future. Should it be ordered to series, the format would likely launch in late 2011 or 2012. (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has promoted three executives: Tim Krubsack has been upped to senior VP of alternative programming, Lucia Gervino to senior VP of production, and Erika Kennair will now serve as VP of original programming and development. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Tim, Prison Break's Chris Vance Targets Dexter, The Good Wife, 90210's Gay Character Revealed, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Sometimes the networks taketh and sometimes they give back. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that HBO has had a change of heart about animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim, which it cancelled two months ago. The pay cabler has now reversed its position on the cult hit, ordering a third season of Tim, with ten episodes slated to air sometime next year. Media Rights Capital, the production company behind the project (along with Good Humor TV), attempted to shop Tim to other networks--including Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and TBS--but no buyer materialized... and now the project has headed back to HBO. [Editor: I'm relieved as I was really upset when I heard earlier this year that the series wasn't going to get picked up.] (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chris Vance (Prison Break) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Season Five of Showtime's Dexter. Vance--most recently seen in FOX's short-lived drama series Mental and on Burn Notice--will play Cole, described as "a meticulous, physically fit, well-spoken personal aide to a famous businessman," and is set to appear in at least three installments of the serial killer drama. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline has an interview with The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King about their Emmy nominated CBS drama series, which will compete with several cable-based series in the Best Drama category. "It’s hard not to look at cable with envy at times, for sure," said Michelle King when asked if she wishes The Good Wife were on cable rather than broadcast television. "The tradeoff is we get to tell more stories and usually have a bigger budget, so it probably evens out." And don't call the show a procedural. "We prefer to be seen as a hybrid," said Robert King. "It’s a polite way of saying we want to have our cake and eat it, too. Mind you, we don’t hate procedurals. There’s nothing better when you’re sick in bed at home than taking in a Law & Order marathon. We’re not trying to run away from that, but we work to stuff the procedural aspect so tightly bound into a script that there’s a lot of room left to show the impact on our characters. We don’t feel hampered by the label, but we hope people can get past it and any angst they may have over it." (Deadline)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has confirmed just which one of the boys of 90210 will come out this season on the CW teen soap. Actor Trevor Donovan--who plays Teddy--revealed that he'll be playing the famous zip code's gay character. “I read all your tweets and know you are all curious about the ‘gay’ character this season," said Donovan via Twitter. "Let me say, gay or straight, relationships are relationships. Everyone goes through the same kind of troubles and joys. A gay storyline will have an added issue of dealing with judgment from others. Acceptance, by family, friends, society, and self is just one of the concerns the character will be going through. It is a part of life, and it should be portrayed. I was told, and am confident, [that] the storyline will be written very well and the change in the character will be organic, NOT overnight. It’s going to be a great season 3. I look forward to chatting with you all as we progress.” Ausiello, for his part, confirmed that Donovan's Teddy is gay. Thus, the speculation can now end. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FlashForward's Michael Ealy--who will next be seen on CBS' The Good Wife--has been cast as one of the leads on USA's buddy cop pilot Common Law, where he will play LAPD officer Travis Marks, described as "charismatic, casually attired, and unshaven—the polar opposite of his police partner, Wes Mitchell," who, unlike Wes, is "a freewheeling, impulsive maverick, not to mention an avid womanizer who is extremely successful with the ladies." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Among the presenters at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards: January Jones, Ricky Gervais, Julianna Margulies, Matthew Morrison, Sofia Vergara, and John Krasinski. (Hollywood Reporter)

Spike has renewed Deadliest Warrior for a third season, with ten episodes on tap for Summer 2011. (Variety)

Looks like you've gotten there. TBS has ordered an additional 90 episodes of comedy Are We There Yet? The series, which debuted on June 2nd, will wrap up its initial ten-episode order this summer and then return with a massive reorder. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Madden has been named the successor to outbound Fox Television Studios president Emiliano Calemzuk, who is departing the studio to become the CEO of Shine Group Americas. Madden, meanwhile, has been promoted to the position of president and will report to Dana Walden and Gary Newman. [Editor: congratulations, Dave!] (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Dexter Lures Miller, Jordana Spiro Out at Love Bites, Greenblatt Exits Showtime, Gene Hunt, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Showtime's Dexter is on a casting role. Variety's Stuart Levine is reporting that Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) is the latest to board the serial killer drama, signing on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc on Season Five of Dexter. Miller will play "a mysterious man who ends up tangled in a storyline with Julia Stiles, who is beginning her first season on the skein." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jordana Spiro has exited NBC's midseason romantic anthology series Love Bites. Spiro's participation in the series was always in second position to her role on TBS comedy My Boys, which returns for its fourth season next month. "Although the odds appear slim that TBS will renew the show for a fifth season (season 4 premieres July 25), it was a risk NBC apparently wasn’t willing to take," writes Ausiello. "It’s unclear if her role will be recast." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, E! Online's Jenna Mullins has an interview with Spiro about Season Four of My Boys. "PJ has to deal with moving on to the next level with her relationship. She and Bobby start living together," said Spiro. "When you start getting a little too comfortable with your significant other, the new video game becomes more exciting than the new piece of lingerie." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

In surprising news, Robert Greenblatt has stepped down from his role as Showtime Networks president after a seven-year run and will be succeeded by former Imagine TV partner David Nevins. "Though the executive shuffle came down just this week, sources portrayed Greenblatt's decision as a long time in the making," writes The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "It's unclear if the network's corporate communications chief, Richard Licata, who's worked with Greenblatt for 16 years, will opt to continue at the network in the wake of the entertainment president's departure." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Could the Beeb be resurrecting Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt once more? According to The Daily Mirror, the BBC is contemplating whether to develop a new series that would be set in the present day and revolve around Glenister's fiery Gene Hunt character from Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. No word on whether the rumors are in fact true or just that: rumors. [Editor: personally, I thought given the perfection of the ending of Ashes to Ashes, that Gene's storyline was nicely tied up. But...] (via Digital Spy)

Vulture's Emma Barker has a speed round with Party Down and Parks and Recreation star Adam Scott in which he discusses everything from prosthetic penises (cough, Tell Me You love Me, cough) to Matthew McConaughey-esque catch phrases, all in his inimitable style. (Vulture)

Digital Spy's Catriona Wightman is reporting that Doctor Who head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat has asked Russell T Davies to pen an upcoming episode of Doctor Who. But will it happen? "He's pretty adamant that he's not going to," said Moffat. "He did an awful lot of Doctor Who for an awful lot of years, and I think he's finding it in a way hard, because he's done a Doctor Who story in effect for Sarah Jane Adventures. So I think he probably wants to get away from it for a bit. I can understand that, because he did a hell of a lot. But I'd love to get him back, it would be just joyous to get him back because I miss him." (Digital Spy)

No surprise: Andy Richter will be making the move with Conan O'Brien to TBS this fall. "I'm doing the TBS Conan show because I went back to work for Conan on The Tonight Show," Richter told Variety's Michael Schneider. "But that story ended unnaturally... I didn't want them to end that story of me and Conan getting back together. I had come back to work with a friend." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker about the departure of Elizabeth Perkins from the cast of the Showtime dark comedy series when it returns for its sixth season on August 16th. "It's really sad -- really said," Parker told Ausiello. "I just can’t think of a single negative thing to say about Elizabeth Perkins. I’m sure there are many because she’s a human being, but I worked with her for [five] years and she was a wonderful person in the morning and she was a wonderful person when you worked an 18-hour day." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) has teamed up with reality shingle 44 Blue to produce a new unscripted series that is set in Washington, D.C. and which will focus on "real-life aspiring politicos as they look to move up the ranks of power in the nation's capital." (Variety)

TLC has ordered eight episodes of an untitled reality competition series spinning off of its successful Cake Boss franchise in which ten aspiring cake makers will compete for an apprenticeship at Carlo's Bakery. Production on the series, from High Noon Entertainment, is slated to begin in September. (via press release)

VH1 has ordered a pilot for Office Bonus, in which "office workers battle for a $50,000 bonus" as they are locked in their workplace for 72 hours and must convince their co-workers to give them the cash bonus. Project, from 3 Ball, is executive produced by JD Roth, Todd Nelson, and Adam Greener. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E has given an pilot order to unscripted series The Incurables, which will focus on British self-help guru Paul McKenna as he attempts to help people with severe psychological or physical problems. Project, from Ryan Seacrest Productions and McKenna Media, will be executive produced by Ryan Seacrest, McKenna, and Sam Mettler. (Variety)

TV Land is developing an untitled docusoap that will revolve around George Hamilton, his adult son Ashley, and his ten-year-old son George, as they move in together in Los Angeles. (Hollywood Reporter)

Turner Broadcasting has promoted two publicity executives, bumping Jeff Matteson to SVP/strategic communications officer and Misty Skedgell to SVP of corporate communications. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Chuck Renewed, ABC Keeps V But Not FlashForward, NBC's Law & Order Conundrum, Lost, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Good news for Chuck fans: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chuck has been renewed for a fourth season of thirteen episodes, though NBC declined to comment on the report. While I had hoped for a full-season order, any Chuck is better than no Chuck, right? (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Good news as well for fans of the Visitors: ABC has reportedly given a thirteen-episode renewal to freshman sci-fi drama V. "V was likely a no-brainer, as ABC wants to bring back at least one frosh drama, and the alien thriller is showing signs of life," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Its fellow frosh sci-fi drama, FlashForward, is not." (Variety)

Yep, it's not looking good for FlashForward, which Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting has already been cancelled, along with Better Off Ted, Scrubs, and Romantically Challenged. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

After a day of back-and-forth about the fate of Law & Order, NBC is reportedly in talks to renew the legal procedural for a record-breaking 21st season. "The network has long intended to bring back the Dick Wolf-produced drama for one final season, allowing the show to top Gunsmoke as the longest-running drama in TV history," writes The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "But NBC's testy relationship with Wolf came to head Thursday when the producer rejected the network's offer to continue the show at a reduced license fee. Wolf's office told producers and some cast members that the drama had been canceled, triggering online reports that the show was finished." Apparently, those reports were premature, though it's possible that the eleventh hour talks could result in no deal, at which time Wolf could shop the series to cablers. TNT, meanwhile, denied reports that they are in talks with Wolf. (Hollywood Reporter)

The New York Times' Lorne Manley has a brand-new Q&A with Lost showrunner/executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse just ahead of the series finale of Lost, airing Sunday, May 23rd. "If there’s one word that we keep coming back to, it’s redemption," said Lindelof. "It is that idea of everybody has something to be redeemed for and the idea that that redemption doesn’t necessarily come from anywhere else other than internally. But in order to redeem yourself, you can only do it through a community. So the redemption theme started to kind of connect into 'live together, die alone,' which is that these people were all lone wolves who were complete strangers on an aircraft, even the ones who were flying together like Sun and Jin. Then let’s bring them together and through their experiences together allow themselves to be redeemed. When the show is firing on all pistons, that’s the kind of storytelling that we’re doing. I think we’ve always said that the characters of Lost are deeply flawed, but when you look at their flashback stories, they’re all victims. Kate was a victim before she killed her stepfather. Sawyer’s parents killed themselves as he was hiding under the bed. Jack’s dad was a drunk who berated him as a child. Sayid was manipulated by the American government into torturing somebody else. John Locke had his kidney stolen. This idea of saying this bad thing happened to me and I’m a victim and it created some bad behavior and now I’m going to take responsibility for that and allow myself to be redeemed by community with other people, that seems to be the theme that we keep coming back to." (The New York Times)

ABC has picked up six new series for the 2010-11 season: comedies Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, and Better Together and dramas My Generation (formerly known as Generation Y), The Whole Truth, and Detroit 187. Variety's Michael Schneider is also reporting that Wright vs. Wrong could still be in contention. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC drama pilot Rockford Files is now dead, despite it being a major frontrunner just a few weeks ago. [Editor: I can't say that I'm surprised as I wasn't all that chuffed with the script or the casting of Dermot Mulroney.] (Deadline)

CBS has ordered a pilot for Chuck Lorre's comedy Mike & Molly and is said to be high on Bleep My Dad Says, Team Spitz, Livin' On a Prayer, Hawaii Five-O, Defenders, Chaos, and the untitled John Wells/Hannah Shakespeare medical drama. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is also reporting that CBS is in talks to renew Ghost Whisperer and Old Christine but that, if talks go South, ABC would step in to pick them up should CBS pass. (Deadline)

Over at NBC, it's looking certain that Kindreds, Garza, and The Cape will all receive series orders before Sunday afternoon rolls around. Sadly, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer is said to be dead at NBC. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Deadline)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a new two-year overall deal with Damages creators Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman, and Glenn Kessler. There is still no word on the fate of Damages, which wrapped its third season last month. "We originally planned out five or six seasons between Patty (Close) and Ellen (Rose Byrne), about the relationship between mentor and protege," Kessler told Variety. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that producers of 20th Century Fox Television-produced drama pilot Breakout Kings, which FOX passed on after it renewed Lie to Me and Human Target, are shopping the project and have been talking to USA, A&E, and Spike. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that TNT has picked up legal dramedy Franklin and Bash, which was originally developed at sister cabler TBS. Series, from creators Kevin Falls and Bill Chais, stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

TBS, meanwhile, has ordered eight episodes of hour-long period comedy Glory Daze, which stars Kelly Blatz, Callard Harris, Matt Bush, Drew Seeley, Hartley Sawyer, Julianna Guill, and Tim Meadows. Series revolves around a group of college friends in 1980s Wisconsin. Glory Daze was created by Walt Becker and Michael LeSieur; it will likely premiere later this year. (Deadline, Variety)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year production deal with Todd Holland and Karey Burke's new shingle, which remains as yet unnamed. "Together we really make one perfect creative person," Holland told Variety. "She has all the skills I don't have: all the network experience, the general awareness of the writer community and the memory of so much TV development. I'm always thinking like a director -- 'What are we doing right now?'" (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Chuck Renewal Still Up in the Air, MTV Orders US Skins Series, Lost, True Blood, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that multiple sources have confirmed to him that NBC will be renewing action-comedy Chuck for a fourth season and that "the show has thus far figured into all of the network’s preliminary plans for its May 17 upfront presentation," with Chuck likely to get a thirteen-episode initial order with the possibility of a full season order still in the cards as well. However, co-creator Josh Schwartz hadn't heard anything regarding a renewal as of yet. "That’s news to me," said Schwartz. "I would urge fans to take nothing for granted..." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC's Angela Bromstad also cautioned fans about reading too much into rumors about Chuck's future and wouldn't confirm that it had been picked up when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "It's our highest performing Monday night show," said Bromstad about Chuck. "We look at it as a very strong player and it's a show that matches up with our new shows. It's too early for me to say for certain as it's a conversation we're going to have next week." (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered ten episodes of a US version of British teen drama Skins, which is being considered for a January launch at the cabler. Co-creator Bryan Elsley is writing the pilot script and will executive produce with Charlie Pattinson and George Faber. Like its predecessor, this version will feature a cast of mostly unknowns but will be set in Baltimore (rather than the original's Bristol). (Deadline.com, Variety)

New York Magazine's Vulture has an interview with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the end of Lost, now less than two weeks away. "I think we've been prepared for a long time for the ending of the show," said Cuse. "I think that we feel certain that it was the right decision. We're prepared for it. I think that there will certainly be a mourning period when it's all said and done. It's funny: There's this special feature for the DVDs in which some other show-runners discuss what it's like ending a show. There's an interview with Stephen Cannell [The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, Wiseguy] who said that he's produced something like 42 television series, for network television, and he never ended any of them on his own terms. We're far more grateful for the fact we're able to do this on our own terms. I think that's the emotion, at least at this moment, that outweighs the other ones." (New York Magazine's Vulture)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that British actress Lara Pulver (Robin Hood) has been cast in HBO's True Blood, where she will play Claudine, a pivotal character that has been likened to Sookie's "guardian angel" or "fairy godmother." She'll recur throughout the third season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Ausiello also reports that Michael Steger (90210) is headed to HBO's True Blood, where he will guest star as Tony, described as "a gay prostitute who gets picked up by King of Mississippi Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) because of his resemblance to his current steady, Talbot (Theo Alexander)." He's expected to appear in one episode of True Blood's third season, which launches next month, and may recur in Season Four. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to True Blood's Theo Alexander, who plays gay Greek vampire Talbot, the boyfriend of the 3000-year-old King of Mississippi Russell Endgington (Denis O'Hare), who happens to cheat on his BF with a certain straight male character we've seen so far on the series. "Talbot loves Russell immensely because he’s [his] maker, but like any marriage, it has its ups and downs," said Alexander. "One thing we have a huge fight over is that I always have to stay home. Sometimes I have to straighten him out and take drastic measures to save the marriage." (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva has her latest roundup of pilot-related buzz. FOX seems high on Terra Nova and Midland, with either Breakout Kings or Ridealong getting the second drama slot; on the comedy front, they're keen on Keep Hope Alive and Wilde Kingdom, with Traffic Light, Breaking In, and Most Likely to Succeed still in the running. Over at NBC, the Peacock is still considering The Cape, Rockford Files, and Kindreds (also possibly Garza), while they're said to be circling comedies Perfect Couples, Friends with Benefits, Next, Beach Lane, and maybe This Little Piggy, which has cooled off recently. At CBS, Hawaii Five-O, Defenders, Chaos and possibly the untitled John Wells/Hannah Shakespeare medical drama are frontrunners. (Criminal Minds spinoff seems mixed, with a possible midseason launch being bandied about.) On the comedy side, the network is high on Mike & Molly, Team Spitz, Bleep My Dad Said, Mad Love and Livin' on a Prayer. Over at ABC, dramas No Ordinary Family, Detroit 187, The Whole Truth, Body of Proof, Off The Map, and Generation Y are all said to be in the running, along with comedies Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Wright Vs. Wrong, Awkward Situations For Men, Who Gets the Parents, It Takes a Village, and the untitled couples comedy. CW is high on Nikita as well as Hellcats, while HMS and Betwixt remain possibilities. (Deadline.com)

Fancast's Matt Webb Mitovich has an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell about the final two episodes of ABC's V. "It could be icy as hell," said Mitchell about the season finale's family dinner between the Evans and the Visitors' Anna and Lisa. "You’ve got Anna, who is this fantastic politician/religious leader, and then you have Erica, who’s in the process of becoming exactly that. So you have two people who are pretty good at the games they’re playing coming face to face. They’re looking for any little chink in the armor, any sign of vulnerability on the other’s part. I thought it was fun to play. I enjoyed working with Morena [Baccarin] tremendously." She also teases two major jaw-droppers in the episode, which is scheduled to air next week on ABC. (Fancast)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck speaks to Daniel Dae Kim about this three favorite Sun-and-Jin moments from Lost. (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that CBS may order Chuck Lorre's comedy Mike & Molly to series as early as this week, rather than wait until announcing at their upfront presentation, scheduled for next week. "CBS is said to have a very short window to pick up the comedy or release it so producer Warner Bros. can shop it elsewhere," writes Andreeva. "It’s safe to say the latter won’t happen." (Deadline.com)

E! Online's Drusilla Moorhouse takes a look at whether the winners of this season of CBS' The Amazing Race cheated by taking a look at the official rule book for the reality adventure series... and determined that brothers Dan and Jordan won fair and square. "As long as Amazing Race teams purchase a coach ticket, a network representative confirmed to us today, they are absolutely allowed to upgrade to first or business class," writes Moorhouse. "The Pious brothers' pretty persuasion is not unprecedented, either: Plenty of other teams in previous seasons have talked their way into fancier seats at the front of the plane—something Race superfan Jordan probably knew." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TBS' hour-long comedy pilot Franklin & Bash now appears poised to move to sister network TNT, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, while Glory Daze is expected to get a series order at TBS. (Deadline.com)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Billy Campbell Lands The Killing, More on Conan-TBS Deal, NBC Gets Law & Order: Los Angeles, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Billy Campbell (The 4400) has been cast as one of the leads in AMC drama pilot The Killing, where he will play Darren Richmond, a City Council President in Seattle. Series, executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen and Veena Sud, revolves around three interlocking stories that are connected by the murder of a young girl. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

TBS' deal with Conan O'Brien for a latenight talk show is described as a "watershed moment" by Variety's Stuart Levine, who reports that the cabler's deal with O'Brien will bring more viewers to the channel who may not have come to the comedy-centric cabler before. Deal will create a two-hour latenight block (with George Lopez's Lopez Tonight that will air Mondays through Thursdays on TBS. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian has an interview with Turner Broadcasting Company's Steve Koonin about TBS' surprising deal with Conan O'Brien, who will bring his latenight show to the cabler in November. "The most important point is: Conan chose TBS. And he had lots of different opportunities," said Koonin. "We've been very vociferous and vocal about trying to grow our business and saying we're as good as broadcast. To have someone like Conan (come to TBS) ... validates what we've been saying. We are every bit as good as broadcast television. It's a win for the whole (cable industry)." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

[Editor: FOX affiliates are said to be relieved that Conan O'Brien won't be coming to their network, according to a report by Broadcasting & Cable's Michael Malone, which can be read here.]

George Lopez, meanwhile, will move his TBS latenight talk show Lopez Tonight to midnight in order to accommodate O'Brien's new series. "I want to say that I am completely 100% on board with this move," said Lopez on last night's show. "I talked to Conan on Wednesday and I talked to him last night and I said I welcome you into my deep loving embrace." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

NBC has allegedly ordered thirteen episodes of Law & Order spin-off series Law & Order: Los Angeles (a.k.a. LOLA), which it will launch this fall, according to Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva, who reports that Blake Masters (Brotherhood) has been hired to write the series. However, neither NBC nor executive producer Dick Wolf would comment on the report. Should the move go forward, it's possible that the Peacock will once again be home to at least three iterations of the Law & Order franchise (with original-flavor Law & Order said to be look to return), but I can't help but wonder if NBC didn't learn its lesson about not shooting pilots first before ordering projects to series. (Deadline.com, The Wrap's TVMoJoe, Fancast)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Diane Keaton is in talks to star in HBO comedy pilot Tilda, from executive producers Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. Should a deal close, Keaton would play a Hollywood blogger who is said to share some, uh, attributes with Nikki Finke. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looks like Matthew Broderick is getting some company on the beach. Patton Oswalt (Caprica) and Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) have been cast in NBC comedy pilot Beach Lane, which stars Broderick as an author who is hired by an slacker millionaire named James (Oswalt) to run his newspaper, based in the Hamptons. Johnston will play James' real estate agent step-sister. Project, from Universal Media Studios and Broadway Video, is written/executive produced by Paul Simms. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Reports are swirling that post-apocalyptic drama Survivors (which airs Stateside on BBC America) has been axed by BBC One after just two seasons. "Sadly the BBC aren't going to do any more Survivors," an unnamed source told Total Sci-Fi Online. "They expressed genuine affection for the show and a real desire to go again but felt that with the ratings having slipped a little since the first series they couldn't take the risk. The sad truth is that we're somewhat the victims of having gone out on the main channel - in some ways the exposure is wonderful but in other ways it's a mixed blessing." (via Digital Spy)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with V's Joel Gretsch about what's coming up on the ABC sci-fi drama series. "Yeah, he will," said Gretsch, when asked about whether Father Jack would have to choose between being a priest or a soldier. "The episode we're filming now, that question is very much in the forefront. Father Jack is really an unlikely resistance fighter. He's ill-equipped. Even though he was in the war, he was there from more of a spiritual standpoint. Father Jack is a fish out of water, yet he is learning that he's got to do something. He will definitely find his way through this, though it's not an easy road for him and it pushes his moral dilemma." (TVGuide.com)

Pilot casting update: Kyle Howard (My Boys) has been cast opposite Olivia Munn in NBC comedy pilot Perfect Couples; Max Ehrich (The Pregnancy Pact) has been cast in two CBS pilots, Quinn-Tuplets and Team Spitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

Starz is said to be developing two mini-series projects with Ben Silverman's Electus: historical drama William the Conquerer, from executive producer Pierre Morel, and action-thriller Peacekeeper, co-created by Fisher Stevens and Silverman. Move comes after Starz has announced several international co-productions, including Pillars of the Earth and Camelot. (Variety)

Syfy has teamed up with RHI Entertainment to produce two telefilms for the cabler: The Other Side and Roadkill. (Hollywood Reporter)

Scott Free and Tandem have announced that they are developing a mini-series sequel to their upcoming period drama Pillars of the Earth that will be based on Ken Follett's sequel, "World Without End." John Pielmeier will write the script for a possible eight-hour mini-series and Starz will co-finance the development of the project with Tandem. (Variety)

Hasbro Studios has hired Cartoon Network executive Finn Arnesen as SVP of international distribution and development, where he will oversee the studio's international expansion and report to Stephen Davis. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Natalie Morales Joins "Parks and Recreation," Jane Espenson to Write "Game of Thrones" Script, FOX Close to Coco Deal, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Former White Collar co-star (and The Middleman star) Natalie Morales has landed a recurring role on NBC's Parks and Recreation, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Morales has signed on to Parks for a multiple-episode story arc in which she will play Lucy, described as "a smart and funny busgirl at a local Pawnee bar." [Editor: Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, meanwhile, indicates that Morales will be appearing "in at least two episodes," the same ones that are set to feature guest stars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Caprica executive producer Jane Espenson--who previously wrote for Battlestar Galactica and Buffy the Vampire Slayer--will write a script for HBO's upcoming fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, based on the George R.R. Martin novel series. According to Ryan--and confirmed by HBO--Espenson will write the sixth episode of Games' first season as a freelancer. She'll be joined by script coordinator Bryan Cogman, who is writing the fourth episode, and Martin himself. The other episodes will be scripted by executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Los Angeles Times' Meg James is reporting that FOX is thisclose to finalizing a deal with Conan O'Brien that would restore the former Tonight Show host to latenight this fall or in January, should the deal close. "Key Fox executives, including Rupert Murdoch, are on board with the plan and would like to finalize a deal in coming weeks so they can make a splash on May 17 when the network unveils its fall lineup," writes James. "Several significant issues remain and the Fox talks could fall apart, according to people close to the negotiations who asked anonymity because the discussions were meant to be private." (Los Angeles Times)

Screenrant is reporting that James Marsters (Caprica) has been cast in CBS' drama pilot Hawaii Five-O, citing a report on Marsters' official Facebook page. Marsters is said to be guest starring in the drama pilot, where he will play Victor Hesse, the nemesis of Alex O'Loughlin's Jack McGarrett, who is described as "an international arms dealer and human trafficker." (Screenrant)

Cabler Syfy unveiled its slate of new and returning series yesterday at an upfront held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and announced a new Thursday night reality programming block comprised of Paranormal Investigators and Mary Knows Best, a docusoap about a psychic and her Italian-American brood, both of which will launch on July 15th. Other pickups include Ghost Hunters Academy and Beast Legends, while the network also has additional seasons of Warehouse 13, Eureka, Stargate Universe, Sanctuary, Ghost Hunters, and Destination Truth, as well as additional episodes of Caprica. New scripted series include Haven and the US version of Being Human. (Variety)

Syfy also unveiled a slew of other reality programming, including Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, Force of Nature, The Latimer Project, Mr. Impossible, Paranormal Files, Face Off, The Dome Experiment, and an untitled artifact search series. (via press release)

Tom Selleck (Magnum P.I.) is said to be close to signing a deal that will have him star in CBS' untitled Burgess/Green cop drama pilot (formerly known as Reagan's Law) opposite Donnie Wahlberg and Len Cariou. Selleck would play Michael, described as "the handsome, confident and highly commended chief of police for the NYPD who lives in Brooklyn with his father, Patrick (Cariou), the ex-chief who struggles to find a balance between the political demands of the mayor's office and doing right by his fellow cops." (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting roundup: Goran Visnjic (ER) is in talks to star opposite Katee Sackhoff and the newly cast Nia Long (Big Shots) in ABC drama pilot Boston's Finest; Dougray Scott (Desperate Housewives) and Molly Parker (Swingtown) will star in CBS drama presentation Quinn-Tuplets; Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) has landed the lead in CW supernatural drama pilot Betwixt; Randall Park (Dinner for Schmucks) has joined the cast of FOX comedy pilot Tax Man; and Omid Abtahi (Sleeper Cell) has been cast in FOX drama pilot Pleading Guilty. (Hollywood Reporter)

Production resumed again yesterday on CBS' Two and a Half Men, following the shutdown necessitated by star Charlie Sheen's rehab treatment. Warner Bros. Television has yet to comment on reports that the the studio and network had opted to reduce the number of episodes this season. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Michaela McManus (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) has joined the cast of CW's drama pilot Nomads, which revolves around a group of CIA trainees who pose as backpackers. McManus will play "a brave and resourceful Army Brat determined to earn a place in the CIA" who finds herself caught between attractions to her handler (Warren Kole) and another agent (Scott Porter). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Nascent pay cabler Epix has signed a deal for Larry Charles to oversee the script for comedy pilot Icon, which will be written by Dan Lyons and is described as a "savage satire centering on a fictional Silicon Valley CEO whose ego is a study in power and greed." Charles will also direct the pilot. (Variety)

Marco Sanchez (Dollhouse) is set to recur on CBS' NCIS, where he will play Alejandro Rivera, an agent with the Justice Department in Mexico who is in Washington to assist in the creation of an international law enforcement task force. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Land has concluded a deal to have Betty White star in ten-episode scripted comedy Hot in Cleveland, which will launch in June. White will play Elka Ostrovsky, described as the "property caretaker of the home that co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick rent after their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland and they decide to stay. Series is written by Suzanne Martin (Frasier) and executive produced produced by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. (via press release)

Zap2It's Korbi Ghosh is reporting that Rachael Harris has joined the cast of TBS' My Boys for its fourth season, set to launch on Sunday, July 25th. Harris will play Marcia, a love interest for Jamie Kaler's Mike. Meanwhile, Jim Gaffigan will leave the comedy series in order to concentrate on his stand-up career. "His character will be written out with a move overseas, which of course leaves the door open for Mike to masquerade as a grown man who owns his own four-bedroom pad," writes Ghosh. "But apparently this Marcia chick digs that kind of trickery, because she seems to be sticking around." (Zap2It's Korbi TV)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Gregory Itzin will reprise his role as ex-President Charles Logan in the April 12th episode of FOX's 24, when he will advise Cherry Jones' Allison Taylor about her crumbling peace-treaty talks. "I have an old relationship with the Russians, so [her chief of staff] Ethan brings me in against her better judgment," Itzin told Keck. "She’s not pleased to have to deal with this character." (TV Guide Magazine)

Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) will return as host of Syfy's Scare Tactics, which has been renewed for a fourth season that will debut this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Hallmark Channel has expanded its deal with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which will now provide the cabler with a seven-hour programming block beginning Monday, March 29th. (Variety)

MTV has ordered twenty episodes of unscripted series MTV Hired, which will follow recent college graduates as they struggle to find employment in the current economy. Series, executive produced by Jessica Chesler, Sam Simmons, Noah Scheinmann, Matt Westmore, Marshall Eisen and Dave Sirulnick, will air on weekday afternoons along with Silent Library, which the cabler picked up for a third season. (Variety)

FOX has ordered a third season of Gordon Ramsay-led reality show Kitchen Nightmares. (via press release)

Daytime talk show The Wendy Williams Show has been renewed in 80 percent of the country and through the 2011-12 season in FOX owned-and-operated stations in the top markets. (Variety)

NBC has announced that its upcoming reality series Losing It with Jillian, featuring The Biggest Loser's Jullian Michaels, will launch on Tuesday, June 1st at 10 pm ET/PT before setting into its regular timeslot of Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT on June 8th. (via press release)

Former FOX executive Susan Levison has been hired as EVP of creative affairs at Fishbowl Worldwide Media, where she will oversee development for film, television, and digital. (Variety)

Elsewhere, former TV Guide Network development executive Kristin Peace has been hired as SVP of creative affairs at Trifecta Entertainment. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Heigl to Leave "Grey's Anatomy," "Skins" Refreshes Cast Again, Tudyk Gets "Rockford" Gig, "Doctor Who" May Get Wii Game, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Katherine Heigl will be departing Grey's Anatomy for good this time, citing unnamed sources. "Series creator Shonda Rhimes has agreed to release the fast-rising movie star from her contract. It’s now up to ABC Studios and Heigl’s reps to hash out a final exit agreement," writes Ausiello. "After taking more than half of the current season off to make another movie and connect with her adopted daughter, Heigl was scheduled to return to the Grey’s set on March 1 to begin work on the five remaining episodes of the season. There’s just one problem: March 1 came and went and there was no Heigl." Long story, short: Heigl's final episode as Izzie has already aired and Heigl will not be returning to the set of Grey's Anatomy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

UK network E4 has commissioned two additional seasons of teen drama Skins, the series' fifth and sixth, and has announced that it will once again replace the cast with new actors following the fourth season (which wraps up in the UK next week but has yet to air Stateside) and will hold open auditions next month. "Skins has always been about new talent, both on and off screen, and the decision to recast the series every two years is one of the reasons Skins stands out," said Channel 4's head of drama Camilla Campbell. "Now another group of teenagers will have the rare opportunity to be part of a British drama series that says something about their lives and is one of the most exciting shows on television. I can't wait to find out who they will be." (BBC News)

Alan Tudyk (V, Dollhouse, Firefly) will star opposite Dermot Mulroney in NBC drama pilot Rockford Files, an update of the 1970 private investigator series that is written by by David Shore (House). Tudyk will play Detective Dennis Becker, a friend of Jim Rockford (Mulroney) who is said to be a little embarrassed by his friendship with Rockford as the other cops all hate him. (Hollywood Reporter)

Take with a large grain of salt. British tabloid The Sun is reporting that Nintendo has signed a contract with BBC Worldwide to bring its iconic series Doctor Who to Wii and DS consoles later this year. "This has been in the pipeline for years," said an unnamed insider quoted by the paper. "We're delighted to have finally nailed down a deal. We went with Nintendo as they have huge appeal for families and Doctor Who is very much a family brand. The Wii console is key for us as it's something families play together." [Editor: Don't get excited just yet. I'd be extremely surprised if a game were able to be produced by this Christmas, just nine months away, as The Sun contends, should this actually be true.] (via Digital Spy)

Jon Voight (24) has signed on as one of the leads in FOX drama pilot Midland, where he will play a Texas oil tycoon described as "a gravely voiced titan equally at home in boots or a three-piece suit." Move marks the first TV series regular role for Voight. Also cast in the 20th Century Fox Television-produced pilot: David Keith (The Class), who will play the con-man father of Jimmy Wolk's Bob. (Hollywood Reporter)

Glee Live! In Concert! has added two additional performances for both the Los Angeles and New York City stops, with a matinee planned for each city. Los Angeles will get a matinee performance and an evening performance on May 22nd while New York City gets a matinee on May 29th and an evening show on May 30th. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Arianna Huffington will guest star as herself on the May 10th episode of CBS' How I Met Your Mother. "Huffington will be a guest at a high-falutin’ New York party that Ted, Barney, Marshall, and Lily find themselves at," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Jennifer Morrison will be returning to FOX's House, on April 12th episode directed by Hugh Laurie... and next season. "There have been discussions of me doing a few episodes next year based on what they end up writing," Morrison told Keck. "Contractually, they’ve guaranteed me a certain number of episodes next year - I think three or four, which means that they’re probably very much leaning toward writing a storyline for the character." (
TV Guide Magazine)

Constance Zimmer (Entourage) and Kat Foster ('Til Death) have been cast in TBS hour-long comedy pilot In Security, which centers on two sisters who inherit their father's private-security firm. The attachment of Zimmer and Foster lifts the casting contingency on the pilot. Elsewhere at TBS, Malcolm McDowell will star opposite Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar in comedy pilot Franklin & Bash, where he will play the senior partner at the law firm where street lawyers Jared (Meyer) and Steven (Gosselaar) are hired. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other pilot casting news, Patrick J. Adams (Weather Girl) and Danneel Harris (One Tree Hill) have been cast as the leads in NBC comedy pilot Friends With Benefits, about a group of friends who are looking for love but settle for something else in the meantime. Adams will play Ben, described as "an Everyman who, while waiting for Ms. Perfect to come along, enjoys a relationship with Sara (Harris), a doctor trying to find Mr. Right." They join the already cast Fran Kranz in the 20th Century Fox Television-produced comedy pilot, written by Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter and directed by David Dobkin. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has a first look at how Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) will get her braces off on Ugly Betty's March 24th episode. Hint, it involves a million-dollar bra, the Guggenheim Museum, and a collision. "I chipped my front tooth rehearsing this scene - and it hurt!" Ferrera told Keck. "I thought how incredibly ironic that I mess up my tooth in the episode where Betty's smile is supposed to be perfect and there are extreme close-ups of my mouth." (TV Guide Magazine)

VH1 has ordered ten episodes of docudrama The Tournament, which will follow Chad Ochocinco as he travels the country to find love with 85 women who will compete for his affects "via a March Madness bracket." Series, slated to launch in July, is from JUMA Entertainment and 51 Minds Entertainment. (Variety)

Production has begun on BBC One's three-part drama Sherlock, a modern-day update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, from writers/executive producers Steve Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and Steve Thompson, directors Euros Lyn and Paul McGuigan. Project stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Rupert Graves. "Everything that matters about Holmes and Watson is the same," said Moffat. "Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters. Mark and I have been talking about this project for years, on long train rides to Cardiff for Doctor Who. Quite honestly, we'd still be talking about it if Sue Vertue of Hartswood Films (conveniently also my wife) hadn't sat us down for lunch and got us to work." (BBC)

Radical Media, the production company behind Sundance Channel's Iconoclasts, is said to be gearing up for more television development, including a docusoap following the dancers of the Miami City Ballet, the Oprah Winfrey-hosted Masterclass, and a series adaptation of Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt's best-selling nonfiction book Freakonomics, which would "investigate a wide range of topics: from the inner workings of a crack gang to whether walking drunk is more dangerous than driving drunk." Project is currently being shopped to networks. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting yet more changes afoot in the executive roster at Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications' nascent cable network OWN, with Jamila Hunter stepping down from her position as head of programming to segue into a new role at the network. Programming will now be overseen by three new hires: Rod Aissa, Michele Dix, and Drew Tappon, all of whom will report to COO Lisa Erspamer. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Nickelodeon ordered six new series, including musical Victorious, featuring former Zoey 101 co-star Victoria Justice, and renewed 16 series, from iCarly to SpongeBob SquarePants. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Renews "Fringe," "Doctor Who," Rob Thomas Talks Adam Scott and "Party Down," Kathy Bates Circles "Kindreds," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Good news for Fringe fans: the Pattern will be continuing next season. FOX has officially renewed the drama series for a third season this fall. "Fringe tapped into a deep creative mine this year that built momentum throughout the season and helped give us our first real foothold on TV’s most competitive night,” said Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, in a statement. "The entire Fringe team – from the producers and writers to the cast and crew – has taken smart storytelling and top production quality to a whole new level. The rest of this season is mind-blowing, and we can’t wait to get started on the third installment of this amazing journey." Meanwhile, Fringe resumes with eight all-new episodes on Thursday, April 1st. (via press release)

The Guardian's Simon Hattenstone has a huge profile of new Doctor Who star Matt Smith, who takes over the mantle of the Doctor from former star David Tennant next month when Season Five of Doctor Who launches on BBC One and BBC America. "He's a little reckless," said Smith of his take on the Doctor. "He'll walk into a room and have a million things to do. And, as opposed to knowing exactly how to get out, he'll take it up to the precipice: don't know, don't know, don't know, and boom, there's the idea. And it's a bit mad and reckless. It's very doof, doof, doof. And he's got a companion who I think is the hardest to handle. And she's quite mad. But the Doctor's quite mad as well. So together..." (Guardian)

Wondering what will happen to Season Three of Party Down now that Adam Scott has been cast in NBC's Parks and Recreation? You're not alone. Alan Sepinwall tracked down executive producer Rob Thomas to find out what's going on. "Adam will be allowed to do three guest star spots for us," Thomas told Sepinwall. "We can definitely still do the show without Adam, though we're all collectively entering about the third stage of grief over here. We'd much, much prefer to be doing the show with him. Adam hated leaving the show, but they made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and in a world where our Party Down future isn't guaranteed, he understandably felt like he needed to take the offer. We've been told that in order to return for a third season, our second season numbers need to come up from where they were. We're praying that, even with Adam gone, Starz continues with a big marketing campaign for Season Two." The second season of Party Down will premiere next month on Starz. (What's Alan Watching)

Academy Award winner Kathy Bates is reportedly in final talks to topline David E. Kelley's NBC legal drama pilot Kindreds in a role that was originally written for a man. Bates, currently in the middle of a multiple-episode story arc on NBC's The Office, would play a "curmudgeonly former patent lawyer." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jesse Plemons will not be returning full-time for Season Five of Friday Night Lights after his contract option was not picked up. "With Jesse — as with previous cast members who have moved on — Pete Berg, myself and the producers of the show let the storytelling guide us, and we feel we didn’t have substantial enough storylines to justify keeping such an immensely talented actor from pursuing what we know will continue to be a very successful career," executive producer Jason Katims told Ausiello. "Jesse has created one of Friday Night Lights' finest and most beloved characters, and I can tell you this was not an easy decision." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Breckin Meyer (Robot Chicken) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar) have been cast as the leads in TBS' one-hour comedy pilot Franklin & Bash, about two best friends who are street lawyers and who are recruited to work at a white-shoe firm. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is written by Kevin Falls and Bill Chais, who will executive produce alongside Jamie Tarses. Elsewhere at TBS, Tim Meadows and Kelly Blatz have joined the cast of comedy pilot Glory Daze, where they will star alongside Julianna Guill, Callard Harris, Matt Bush, Hartley Sawyer, and Drew Seeley. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Big Bang Theory executive producer Bill Prady wants to approach Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy about a cameo appearance on the CBS multi-camera comedy next season. "We’ll probably make a general inquiry," Prady told Ausiello. "And if there’s enough interest, we’ll develop a story. The fans have said that’s the dream get, and we agree." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Kyle Bornheimer (Romantically Challenged) has landed the lead in CBS' untitled comedy pilot from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas about an unmarried couple and their friends living in Pittsburgh. Bornheimer, whose participation here is in second position to ABC's Romantically Challenged, will play Tommy, described as "the lovable, slightly unkempt and highly entertaining half of the couple who means well but doesn't always finish what he starts." (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting roundup: Scott Foley (Cougar Town) has come aboard ABC cop drama pilot True Blue; Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) will star opposite Debra Messing in ABC comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong (also cast: The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch); Tim Peper (Carpoolers) will star in FOX comedy pilot Most Likely to Succeed; Nicholas Bishop (Past Life) will play one of the leads in ABC crime drama pilot Body of Evidence; Aly Michalka (Phil of the Future) and Gail O'Grady (Hidden Palms) have been cast in CW drama pilot Hellcats; James Patrick Stuart (90210) and Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock) have joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot It Takes a Village; Michael Cassidy (Privileged) will play one of the leads in NBC comedy pilot The Pink House; Jessy Schram (Life) scored one of the leads in CW supernatural drama pilot Betwixt, Dorian Missick (Six Degrees) has joined the cast of NBC vigilante drama pilot The Cape; and Ryan Hawley (Survivors) has been cast in the untitled Amy Sherman-Palladino's untitled Wyoming project at the CW. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has named Brooke Burke as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars. The Season Seven winner will appear alongside Tom Bergeron for the Spring 2010 season of Dancing, which launches Monday, March 22nd. (via press release)

WABC and Cablevision were able to reach an eleventh hour retransmssion deal last night, just in time for the first award to be presented at last night's Academy Awards telecast. "We've made significant progress, and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision," said WABC prexy/GM Rebecca Campbell in a statement. "Given this movement, we're pleased to announce that ABC7 will return to Cablevision households while we work to complete our negotiations." (Variety)

Another project is rolling over into next year: CBS confirmed that it had pushed its untitled Tad Quill comedy to the next development season after it was unable to cast its central character, the widowed father of a 12-year-old boy. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Family has acquired the first broadcast window for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, securing the rights from Walt Disney Co. to begin airing the feature film in 2012 in a deal that is believed to be more than $20 million. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Justin Kirk Gets "Modern Family," "Top Chef Masters," Leslie Hope Returns to "The Mentalist," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday television briefing.

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Weeds' Justin Kirk has landed a guest starring role on ABC's Modern Family but says that there is potential that he could recur later this season or next. Kirk will play Lee Keizler, the "gung-ho and athletic boss" of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Mitchell, who quits his stressful law job to become legal counsel for clothing line owned by Kirk's Lee. (TV Guide Magazine)

Bravo has unveiled the 22 master chefs who will be competing for the top prize on Season Two of Top Chef Masters, which is set to premiere on Wednesday, April 7th. Those chefs include: Jody Adams, Govind Armstrong, Graham Elliot Bowles, Jimmy Bradley, David Burkey, Wylie Dufresne, Susan Feniger, Debbie Gold, Carmen Gonzalez, Maria Hines, Susur Lee, Ludo Lefebvre, Tony Mantuano, Rick Moonen, Mark Peel, Monica Pope, Thierry Rautureau, Marcus Samuelsson, Ana Sortun, Rick Tramonto, Jerry Traunfeld, and Jonathan Waxman. [Editor: it's immediately noticeable that there are more female chefs competing this season and that there are some familiar faces--Mark Peel, Ludo, Wylie, and others--are set to return to compete once more.] (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Leslie Hope is set to return to CBS' The Mentalist for the final two episodes of the season. Hope will reprise her role as psychic Kristina, last seen during The Mentalist's first season. "Jane tries to prove once and for all that she is a charlatan," executive producer Bruno Heller told Ausiello. "At the same time, [he finds] himself strangely attracted to her." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting alert: Andrea Anders (Better Off Ted) has been cast opposite Matthew Perry in ABC comedy pilot Mr. Sunshine. (Also cast: Nate Torrence.) Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) has landed a role in Jerry Bruckheimer's NBC drama pilot Chase; Matt Jones (Breaking Bad) will star opposite Gary Cole in TBS comedy pilot Uncle Nigel; and Eamonn Walker (Kings) has been added to the cast of ABC drama pilot The Whole Truth. (Hollywood Reporter)

Frank Grillo (Prison Break), Luke Mably (The Prince and Me), Janina Gavankar (The L Word), and Chandra West (90210) have been cast in ABC's supernatural crime drama series The Gates, about the residents of a gated community, all of whom have their secrets. Series, from Fox Television Studios and writer/executive producers Richard Hatem and Grant Scharbo, is being eyed for a summer launch. Pilot will be directed by Terry McDonough. Grillo will play a cop from the city who lands a gig as chief of police in this seemingly idyllic community; Mably will play a cardiologist who is also a "vampire-like creature"; West will play the owner of a local tea shop; Gavankar will play a local cop with a secret. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered a second season of reality dating series Dating in the Dark and has slated six episodes of the Endemol USA-produced series to air this summer. (Variety)

TBS gave out two cast-contingent pilot orders yesterday. Comedies In Security, from writers/executive producers Pete Segal and Ric Swartzlander, about "two sisters who head up a private-security team protecting the super elite while dealing with personal and family issues," and Franklin & Bash, from Kevin Falls and Bill Chais and Sony Pictures Television, about "two street lawyers and lifelong friends who, after taking down a white-shoe law firm in a high-profile case, are recruited by the firm's patriarch." (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC is said to be close to giving a pilot order to an untitled single-camera comedy from Mad About You creator Paul Reiser and studio Warner Bros. Television about a group of male friends. Reiser has written the pilot script on spec as well as scripts for subsequent episodes. (Variety)

Leverage star Gina Bellman would jump at the chance to work with Doctor Who head writer Steven Moffat, if she had the chance. "I think there was a petition online to get me involved in Doctor Who," Bellman told Digital Spy. "I'm not a Doctor Who fanatic but I am a Steven Moffat fanatic. I've worked with him on Jekyll and Coupling so if he was to write anything for me - not just Doctor Who - I'd drop everything to go and do that." (Digital Spy)

Comic book guru Stan Lee has teamed up with Archie Comics and A Squared Entertainment for series Super Seven, about "seven aliens who find themselves stranded on planet Earth after their spaceship crashes, only to be befriended by none other than Lee himself. Taking them under his care, Lee becomes their leader and enables them to resume their lives as superheroes on Earth." Series, produced by Lee's POW! Entertainment, is being looked at for a fall launch. (The Wrap)

TLC has renewed reality series One Big Happy Family for a second season, with twelve episodes set to air in June. (Hollywood Reporter)

Season Five of reality series Gene Simmons Family Jewels is set to launch on A&E on Sunday, March 21st at 9 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing; HBO Renews "Big Love," Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "Lost," Cynthia Watros Heads to "House," "V" Adds Cast, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Break out the carrot and raisin salad (and mix up some fry sauce)! HBO has renewed drama series Big Love for a fifth season, with ten episodes set to air next winter. The long-running drama series has been on a roll of late, with ratings up 13 percent among viewers this season and some well-earned awards recognition, with Chloe Sevigny walking away with a Golden Globe for her performance as Nicki. "We've taken the show deeper and darker over the last couple of seasons," said executive producer Mark V. Olsen, "and we're overjoyed that HBO has come along with us." Production is expected to begin on Season Five in June or July. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos and Jennifer Godwin have an interview with V and Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell. "I feel really bad for Juliet all the time," Mitchell told E! "I feel like, you know, karmically, maybe she's due, because when she was a prisoner, instead of being morally upright, she was Ben's (Michael Emerson) little henchman. But oh, she really has redeemed herself, so I feel like she's deserving of a lovely end. We'll see what happens. We've got another reality going on, and I'm sure she's probably tortured herself in that one, too, but hopefully in that reality we will get to see her happy and vibrant and excited. That to me, would be fun." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Cynthia Watros (Lost) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc this season on FOX's House. Watros, who will first appear in April, is set to play the first ex-wife of Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), "who comes back into his life as his new girlfriend." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Charles Measure (Crossing Jordan), Nicholas Lea (The X-Files), and Lexa Doig (The 4400) have been added to the back half of ABC's sci-fi series V. Mesure will play mercenary Kyle Hobbes, described as "an in-demand black ops expert who forms an unlikely alliance with the resistance when he’s hired by Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell), Ryan (Morris Chestnut), Jack (Joel Gretsch) and Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) to strengthen their fight against the Vs." Lea will play Eric's ex-husband in a two-episode story arc. Doig will play Dr. Leah Pearlman, "an OB/GYN treating Valerie Stevens (Lourdes Benedicto)." (TV Guide Magazine)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) could be circling a role on CBS' untitled Criminal Minds spin-off, though reps wouldn't comment and publicists for CBS and ABC Studios shot down these rumors. However, citing an unnamed source, Dos Santos is reporting that Lowe would join the already cast Forest Whitaker in the spin-off series. "Lowe's casting would not be as a replacement for Whitaker, but as a costar," writes Dos Santos. "So maybe he could play the good-looking Thomas Gibson type to Whitaker's older and brilliant Mandy Patinkin type?" [Editor: in other words: take this rumor with a grain of salt.] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Major changes afoot at AMC's upcoming drama series Rubicon, where creator/executive producer/co-showrunner Jason Horwitch has departed the production and has been replaced by executive producer Henry Bromell. Series, which stars James Badge Dale, revolves around an analyst at a national think tank who becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy. Project was ordered to pilot in August 2008 and is production on the series is set to begin in March and is scheduled to launch this summer. [Editor: I watched Rubicon's disappointing pilot last year. It definitely needed a lot of major work. Hoping Bromell can get this project back on track.] (Hollywood Reporter)

Virginia Madsen (Monk) has been cast as the lead in ABC's eight-episode series Scoundrels, based on Kiwi drama series Outrageous Fortune. She'll play the matriarch of a family of criminals who are forced to go straight after their patriarch ends up in prison. When ABC previously developed the project with executive producer Rob Thomas, the character was played by Catherine O'Hara. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Gary Cole (Entourage) has been cast as the titular character in TBS hour-long comedy pilot Uncle Nigel, where he will play Nigel Wells, described as "a veteran Philadelphia homicide detective who takes on his inexperienced, incompetent nephew as a partner." The attachment of Cole lifts the casting contingency on the project, written and executive produced by Andy Breckman (Monk). (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Scrubs star Sarah Chalke has been cast in ABC comedy pilot Freshman, about a bunch of newbie politicians who live together in Washington. Chalke will play Jane, a former businesswoman turned freshman congresswoman who is unlucky in love. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is written/executive produced by Greg Malins and executive produced by Arianna Huffington. (Variety)

ABC announced that supernatural/mystery drama series Happy Town will launch on April 28th at 10 pm ET/PT, assuming the Wednesdays at 10 pm timeslot currently occupied by Ugly Betty, which will wrap its run earlier that month. (HitFix)

CBS has ordered a pilot for multi-camera comedy Team Spitz, which will star Rob Riggle (The Daily Show) as a high school football coach. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios, is written by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff, who will executive produce alongside Peter Principato, Paul Young, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, and Mitch Hurwitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has given a pilot presentation order to sketch comedy Naked But Funny, which has begun casting. Project, from Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment, is executive produced by Peter Engel, Barry Katz, and Eric Weinberg. (Variety)

Season Seven of dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance is set to launch with a two-hour season premiere on Thursday, May 27th on FOX. (via press release)

Mo'Nique will host Showtime comedy special Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All-Star Comedy Jam, set to air this summer on Showtime. (It will also be made available via pay per view, DVD, and online.) Special will include such comics as George Willborn, Mike Epps, Paul Mooney, Muchael Blackson, and Corey Holcomb. (Variety)

Reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing a series based on the life of Tad Skylar Agoglia, who founded First Response Team of America and a recipient of CNN's 2008 Top 10 Heroes of the Year kudos. Project, executive produced by Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, and Frank Sinton, will follow "Agoglia and his team as they travel to communities impacted by natural disasters." (Variety)

Mark Pedowitz, the former president of ABC Studios, has signed a producing deal with Warner Bros. Television. Terms of the deal are still being discussed and both sides declined to comment. (Variety)

Scott Free, the production company owned by Ridley and Tony Scott, is expanding its UK television operations and has added BBC Films development executive Jack Arbuthnott and BBC television drama script editor Surian Fletcher-Jones (Little Dorrit) to its ranks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Maria Bello Finds "Emergency Sex" for HBO, NBC Gets "The Cape" and "Outsourced," Leno on Oprah, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Maria Bello, Simon Beaufoy, and Russell Crowe have teamed up to develop HBO drama project Emergency Sex, based on Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait and Andrew Thomson's nonfiction book "Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A True Story From Hell on Earth," about "the larger-than-life exploits of expatriate nongovernment-organization workers who find their sanity tested in the face of atrocities, loneliness and primal desires." Bello (A History of Violence) will star in the project, which is being adapted by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire), who will executive produce with Bellow, Russell Crowe, and John Carrabino. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has handed out pilot orders to two projects, both hailing from Universal Media Studios. One-hour drama The Cape, from writer Thomas Wheeler (Empire) and BermanBraun, revolves around an ex-cop in Los Angeles who is framed and sets out to become a masked vigilante in order to clear his name and reunite with his son. NBC also picked up single-camera comedy Outsourced, based on the indie film about about a demoted middle manager who is sent to India to manage a call center. Robert Borden (The Drew Carey Show) will write the pilot script and Ken Kwapis (The Office) is still attached to direct and executive produce alongside Tom Gorai and David Skinner. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic feature on Jay Leno's appearance yesterday on The Oprah Winfrey Show. "How can you do the right thing and just have it go so wrong? 'Maybe I'm not doing the right thing,' I would think," Leno told Winfrey. "Maybe I'm doing something wrong. This many people are angry and upset over a television show. ...My show got canceled. They weren't happy with the other guy's show. They said, 'We want you to go back,' and I said, 'OK.' And this seemed to make a lot of people really upset. And I go, 'Well, who wouldn't take that job though? Who wouldn't do that?'" (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Score yet another job for Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother). The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that Harris will travel to London later this year to tape a pilot for a US adaptation of British game show The Cube for CBS. Once executives view the pilot, CBS will decide whether to order the project to series. News comes after FOX abandoned its plans to adapt the unscripted format for US broadcast audiences in December. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Leonard Roberts (Heroes) has been cast in the two-part episode of ABC's Castle that will feature Desperate Housewives' Dana Delany. Roberts will play Delany's federal agent partner on the two-parter, the first half of which is scheduled to air March 21st on a special night. In other Castle-related news, ABC ordered two additional episodes of the crime procedural, bumping its episodic total this season to 24 installments. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FX has ordered a pilot presentation for comedy Sweat Shop, about a pair of step-siblings who run a gym in a Scottsdale, Arizona strip mall. Project, from creator/star Pell James, director Jonas Pate, and fellow executive producers Thomas Moffett and Braxton Pope, hails from FX Prods. and Lionsgate Television. (Variety)

Pilot casting alert!Tony Hale (Chuck) Matt Letscher (Eli Stone) will star opposite Danny Wallace in ABC hybrid comedy pilot Awkward Situations for Men, about an Englishman who moves to the US with his wife and discovers that his "everyday behavior clashes with American values and gets him into trouble." Hale will play Will, Danny's first American friend, while Letscher will play the boss at a Jamba Juice-type eatery. Elsewhere, John Michael Hill has landed a role on ABC drama pilot 187 Detroit, where he'll play a rookie homicide cop whose wife is expecting a child. British actor Matt Ryan (The Tudors) is said to be in talks about joining the cast of CBS' untitled Criminal Minds spinoff. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other casting news, many actors of cancelled or on-the-bubble series are said to be in particular demand this pilot season. The cast of Ugly Betty--including Eric Mabius, Becki Newton, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, and Ana Ortiz--have been inundated with pilot offers. Additionally, the casts of Lost, Nip/Tuck, Better Off Ted, Scrubs, Dollhouse, 24, and Three Rivers are said to be in demand. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that an upcoming episode of ABC comedy Modern Family will focus on the real-life fears of the child actors that portray the extended Pritchett clan's kids. (TV Guide Magazine)

Variety's Stuart Levine is reporting that NBC will offer a two-hour episode of The Biggest Loser on Tuesday which will go head-to-head with the sixth season premiere of ABC's Lost. "Move pits one of NBC's highest-rated shows against a Lost premiere that has been anticipated for months," writes Levine. "By having the second half of Biggest Loser from 10-11 p.m., net is extending an olive branch to the affiliates who have taken a beating since The Jay Leno Show has been on the air and were instrumental in having scripted programming return at 10 o'clock." (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Smallville's Justin Hartley about a potential relationship between his Oliver and Allison Mack's Chloe. "Yeah, I think that's in the works," said Hartley about a Oliver-Chloe romance. "I don't know how long it will last or how far they're going to go with it because we haven't shot that much yet, but that's what's going on right now." But don't count out Cassidy Freeman's Tess, either. "She threw a knife at me the other day, so yeah, we're going to be working together," said Hartley. "I think I pissed her off again, so that's always fun. I don't know if they're going to be involved anymore. I would say no, but then at the same time who knows what Oliver's going to do? He's a dirty bird." (TVGuide.com)

SPOILER!Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some details about what the series finale of ABC's Ugly Betty, slated to air in May, will contain. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

VH1 has ordered several series that represent an expansion of their brand. Net ordered eight episodes of reality makeover series Transform Me, in which four transgender women help a woman remake herself from her clothes to her outlook on life. Series, from Left/Right Inc., will launch on March 15th. VH1 ordered seven episodes of Famous Crime Scenes, which will delve into the well-publicized deaths of celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Selena beginning February 12th. The cabler also ordered a week-long strip of primetime specials entitled Undateable, which will explore what guys shouldn't do when dating, from the woman's perspective. It's set to air the week of April 19th. Finally, the cabler acquired MTV Canada reality series Peak Season: Vancouver, following the lives of Whistler ski resort bunnies and workers, which it will debut on February 14th. (Variety)

TBS has given a cast-contingent pilot order to one-hour comedy Glory Daze, about the the 1980s pledges at a Wisconsin college fraternity. Project, from executive producer Walt Becker (Wild Hogs), is written by Becker and Michael LeSieur (You, Me and Dupree); Becker is also attached to direct, should the project officially go ahead to pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Lost" Start Could Be Delayed, Paley Festival, USA Locks "Covert Affairs," ABC Orders More "Cougar Town," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

The start date for Lost's sixth and final season could be in peril, according to The Wrap's Josef Adalian, who is reporting that the White House is considering using January 26th or February 2nd--the launch date for Season Six of Lost--for President Obama's State of the Union address. The move would require ABC to shift back the start of Season Six, which the network would be particularly loath to do, considering the amount of marketing coin spent on publicizing the February 2nd start. "The good news, according to sources, is that the White House hasn't decided to press the button on the Feb. 2 idea," writes Adalian. "No doubt ABC has made its displeasure with the date very clear." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

The Paley Center for Media have announced several more series being feted at this year's William S. Paley Television Festival. Lost, Modern Family, Dexter, and Curb Your Enthusiasm will join the lineup, which so far includes panels on Glee and The Vampire Diaries. The complete schedule for PaleyFest2010 will be announced on Wednesday, January 20th. (Variety)

USA has given a series order to espionage drama Covert Affairs, ordering eleven episodes in addition to the 90-minute pilot. Series, which stars Piper Perabo, Chris Gorham, Peter Gallagher, Kari Matchett, and Anne Dudek, revolves around a CIA trainee (Perabo) who is "unexpectedly promoted to field operative while reeling over a mysterious ex-boyfriend who appears to be of particular interest to her agency bosses." Covert Affairs, from creator/executive producers Matt Corman and Chris Ord and executive producers Dave Bartis and Doug Liman, is expected to be ready to launch this summer, though it may contend for the summer slot with USA's other drama contender, Facing Kate. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that ABC has ordered two additional episodes of comedy series Cougar Town. The move bumps the episodic total of the freshman season of Cougar Town to 24 installments, a move that's thought to bode well for a second season renewal. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has announced the identities of the castaways participating in Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains, which will premiere with a two-hour installment on February 11th at 8 pm ET/PT. They include: Rupert Boneham, James Clement, Colby Donaldson, Cirie Fields, Amanda Kimmel, Jessica "Sugar" Kiper, Stephenie Lagrossa, James "JT" Thomas Jr., Tom Westman, and Candice Woodcock for the "Heroes," and Tyson Apostol, Randy Bailey, Danielle DiLorenzo, Russell Hantz, Jerri Manthey, Robert Mariano, Parvati Shallow, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, and Courtney Yates for the "Villains." (via press release)

Talk show host Jonathan Ross, the BBC's highest-paid performer, has announced that he will leave the broadcaster in July when his current contract expires. Ross, who has been based at the BBC for 13 years, has indicated that he will leave his eponymous Friday night talk show, his Saturday morning show, and his late-night film show, but will continue to host the BAFTA awards show and will appear in other specials. "Over the last two weeks I have decided not to renegotiate when my current contract comes to an end. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated," said Ross in a statement. "I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and – as I have said before – would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations." Graham Norton seems to be the top candidate to take over for Ross for his Friday night talk show. (Guardian)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a great interview with Chuck star Adam Baldwin about John Casey. "I've found the biggest challenge in playing Casey is, how do I walk that line between comedy and seriousness?" Baldwin told Ryan. "He is the straight man. But what they told me from the get-go is that Casey has to be dangerous, even when he's being handcuffed by a gorgeous Russian model-spy." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

In an alteration of its previous development patterns, cabler TBS has given a cast-contingent pilot order one-hour mystery-comedy Uncle Nigel, from writer/executive producer Adam Breckman (Monk). Project, written by Breckman as a spec script, revolves around an uptight Philadelphia police detective who clashes with his screw-up cop nephew. (Variety)

File this under wha-huh? The BBC has shot back at claims that Doctor Who had an "anti-ginger agenda" following last week's Doctor Who: The End of Time (Part Two), in which new series lead Matt Smith made a comment about not being ginger, following his regeneration. Said the BBC in a statement: "We've received complaints from viewers who believed a line in Doctor Who: The End of Time was insulting to people with ginger hair. We would like to reassure viewers that Doctor Who doesn't have an anti-ginger agenda whatsoever. This was a reprise of the line in 'The Christmas Invasion' episode in 2005, when David Tennant discovers that he's not ginger, and here he is, missing out again - disappointed he's still not ginger. In addition, the Doctor's previous companion Donna Noble [Catherine Tate] and his new one Amy Pond [Karen Gillan] are both redheads." (via Digital Spy)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Lee Tergesen (Life on Mars) will reunite with his former Oz co-star Chris Meloni on an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: SVU. Tergesen will play "a deranged religious zealot suspected of murder," writes Ausiello, in an episode to air later this season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The CW will post the first ten minutes of the series premiere of dramedy Life Unexpected online a week before its network broadcast, thanks to a partnership between the network and Facebook, which will allow the CW's 5.4 million fans to watch the extended preview beginning January 11th. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV is getting into the scripted series game in a major way. Cabler, according to Variety's Michael Schneider, will "produce as many as eight drama and comedy pilots in 2010," and "between two and four of those series will make it to air." The scripted venture--which includes drama and comedy pilots as well as telepic backdoor pilots--will be overseen by newly installed EVP of scripted development David Janollari. Network already has two scripted projects ordered to series: comedies Hard Times and Warren the Ape, as well as a pilot order for a remake of Teen Wolf. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Gavin and Stacey" Heads to ABC, Nelsan Ellis Talks "True Blood" FInale, "Bones" Flashback Possible for 100th Episode, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

ABC is developing a US adaptation of British hit comedy series Gavin and Stacey, about the romance between two very different lovers from two very different places (in the original it was Essex and Wales) who fall in love over the phone and begin a relationship, against the advice of their eccentric friends and families. US version, from BBC Worldwide, will be written by Stacy Traub (Notes from the Underbelly) and Hayes Jackson (According to Jim). Elsewhere at the Alphabet, the network has given a pilot order to 18 Years, about a young couple who become parents and must "adjust to their new life as parents -- trading their fast-paced existence for a more domesticated lifestyle," from Sony Pictures Television and writer/executive producers Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith (The King of Queens). ABC is also developing an untitled comedy, from Samantha Who? executive producer Don Todd, ABC Studios, and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, about a thirty-something woman who learns that her new job as boss to a group of twenty-somethings puts her in the role of mother, therapist, and friend. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a great interview with True Blood star Nelsan Ellis about the second season finale, which aired on HBO last night. And Ryan recounts that Ellis has one suggestion for executive producer Alan Ball about Season Three of the vampire drama: he wants a Lafayette flashback to see the short order cook with his mother. "There are so many lines about how his mother treated [Lafayette]," Ellis told Ryan. "It would be nice if we found out in the flashbacks that she was a vampire." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Bones creator Hart Hanson is considering using the 100th episode as a flashback to the first assignment that Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) worked togther, before the events of the pilot episode. "We alluded in the pilot that the first time they worked together — the time before the pilot — that it went very badly," Hanson told Ausiello. "They had a terrible time. So it would be really fun to do a flashback episode.... It’s in the bin of ideas for the 100th episode, but it’s a big bin!" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has given a pilot order to multi-camera comedy True Love, from Sony Pictures Television and writer/executive producer Matt Tarses and executive producer Jamie Tarses, about four friends in their twenties who are looking for love in Manhattan. The studio also has comedy script Nathan vs. Nurture, written by David Guarascio and Moses Port, in contention at NBC. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Julian Sands (24) has been cast as a guest star on the CW's Smallville, where he will play a young Jor-El. Sands is slated to appear in a November episode entitled "Kandor," where "it’s revealed that he arrived with Zod and the other Kandorians." Sands is so far only contracted for one episode but that could change as well. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that ABC Family has ordered the back ten episodes of its freshman comedy series 10 Things I Hate About You. The ten additional episodes are thought to be likely to launch in January 2010. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

However, ABC Family opted not to pick up any additional episodes of fellow frosh series Ruby and the Rockits, which will wrap its run after its initial order of ten episodes. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered a fourth season of comedy My Boys. The Sony Pictures Television-produced series has received an order for nine episodes, which will launch in 2010. (Variety)

Showtime has given a six-episode order to half-hour reality series Lock 'N Load, which offers a hidden-camera behind-the-scenes look at a gun store in Englewood, Colorado as its gun expert Josh T. Ryan interacts with clients. Project, from Authentic Entertainment, will launch on Wednesday, October 21st at 8 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) has been cast in an untitled single-camera comedy pilot about a recent widower who tries to get his life back on track with some help from his eccentric friends and family. Project, which hails from Sony Pictures Television, was written on spec by Alex Barnow and Marc Firek and will be taken out to the networks in the coming weeks. He will star in a Lifetime telepic about con artist Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a.k.a. Clark Rockefeller, a high society scammer who ran "the longest con in FBI history." Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is written by Edithe Swensen and will be directed by Mikael Salomon. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fox21 has signed a first-look deal with Stuart Krasnow (Hole in the Wall), under which the reality producer will develop unscripted series projects for the boutique division for both broadcast and cable. He had previously had a co-venture deal with FremantleMedia North America. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Russell T. Davies Defends "Torchwood" Twist, "Dexter" Animated Prequel for Fall, T.R. Knight Dishes on "Grey's" Departure, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Torchwood creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies, in which Davies defends the latest plot twist in Torchwood: Children of Earth (MAJOR SPOILER alert if you haven't yet seen "Day Four"), which has resulted in some angry fans. "It's not particularly a backlash," Davies corrected Ausiello. "What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset. Which is marvelous. It just goes to prove how much they love the character and the actor. People often say, 'Fans have got their knives out!' They haven't got any knives. I haven't been stabbed. Nothing's happened. It's simply a few people typing. I'm glad they're typing because they’re that involved. But if you can’t handle drama you shouldn’t watch it. Find something else. Go look at poetry. Poetry’s wonderful." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Dexter fans have something to look forward to before Showtime launches the next season of Dexter. The pay cabler will release "Earl Cuts," twelve animated webisodes that will serve as a prequel to the series that explore how Dexter (Michael C. Hall) honed his craft as a serial killer, this fall. Hall will provide the voice for the titular killer. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive interview with T.R. Knight, who candidly discusses the true reasons behind his departure from ABC's Grey's Anatomy after appearing on-screen for just 48 minutes during the entire fifth season of the series. Rather than confront Shonda Rhimes, Knight opted to just leave the series. "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," Knight told Ausiello. "And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Drama project Exit 19, from CBS Television Studios and writer/executive producer Jeffrey Bell, isn't quite dead. The project, which was shot as a pilot presentation for CBS in 2008, has been brought to cabler Lifetime, where it is being redeveloped. Bell will write a new version of the pilot script for Lifetime. (Variety)

Warren Leight (In Treatment) has come aboard FX drama project Lights Out, where he will serve as executive producer/showrunner alongside creator Justin Zackham should the project be ordered to series. Lights Out stars Holy McCallany and Melora Hardin. Elsewhere, Leight has signed a script deal with Peter Chernin's new production venture and, should HBO pick up another season of In Treatment, Leight will not stick with the series. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered twenty additional episodes of comedy House of Payne--that's in addition to the twenty-six it recently ordered--bringing the series' total episodic count to 172 installments. (Variety)

ABC will launch reality competition series Crash Course on Wednesday, August 26th at 9 pm, following the run of I Survived a Japanese Game Show. (Variety)

30 Rock scribe Donald Glover--who also co-stars in NBC's Community this fall--has signed a two-year talent holding deal and blind script commitment under which he will write and star in a project for Universal Media Studios. (Variety)

AMC has hired former Brillstein-Grey Television executive Susie Fitzgerald as SVP of scripted series (though her title seems to still be under discussion), where she will spearhead series development at the cabler, which is quick to point out that she won't be a direct replacement for Christina Wayne, who resigned from the network in February. (Hollywood Reporter)

Reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing unscripted series Shark Boat, which follows diver Stefanie Brendl and the crew of Hawaii Shark Encounters, the only company in the US that allows people to free dive with sharks. (Variety)

American Idol executive producer Ken Warwick has signed a three-year deal to continue on as showrunner on the musical competition series, a deal that would making him "one of the highest-paid showrunners in TV -- if not the highest paid," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

UK network Channel Five has purchased the UK terrestrial and digital rights to ABC's upcoming drama series FlashForward for a sum believed to be between $500-600,000 per episode, significantly lower than the enormous sums paid by UK outlets for such Disney ABC Television series such as Lost and Desperate Housewives. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, ITV has acquired the rights to US series The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Zuniga Returns to "Melrose Place," Pileggi and Plimpton on Call for "Grey's," Eliza Coupe "Scrubs" In as Regular, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Daphne Zuniga (One Tree Hill) will reprise her role as photographer Jo Reynolds in the CW's relaunch of soap Melrose Place in at least two episodes. Zuniga will join several other cast members from the original Melrose Place on the CW series this fall, including Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett, and Laura Leighton. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Martha Plimpton (ER) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc next season on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play the mother of a young patient at Seattle Grace. Her first appearance is set for the sixth season premiere, slated to air September 24th. In other Grey's casting news, Mitch Pileggi (Stargate: Atlantis) will reprise his role as Larry Jennings, the chairman of Seattle Grace's board of directors, in the sixth season premiere. (Hollywood Reporter, TVGuide.com)

Eliza Coupe has been upgraded to series regular on Scrubs next season, which sees the series reboot after the departure of several regulars from the cast. Coupe will reprise her role as hyper-insensitive intern Denise on the ABC Studios-produced series, alongside returning regulars Donald Faison and John C. McGinley. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has handed out a script order with a sizable penalty to family comedy Nathan vs. Nature, about a heart surgeon who tracks down his birth parents and discovers that, after giving him up for adoption, the couple had three more children that they kept and forms a bond with his newly discovered slacker siblings. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is written and executive produced by David Guarascio and Moses Port (Just Shoot Me). (Variety)

FX has ordered semi-improvised half-hour comedy pilot The League, about a married man debating fatherhood and his fellow members of a fantasy football league in suburban Chicago, from Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer Jeff Schaffer and wife Jackie Marcus Schaffer. Project stars Mark Duplass (Humpday), Nick Kroll (I Love You Man), Steve Rannazzisi (Paul Blart: Mall Cop),Katie Aselton (The Puffy Chair), Nadine Velazquez (My Name is Earl), Paul Scheer (Human Giant), Jon Lajoie, and Alina Foley. Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) will guest star. (Hollywood Reporter, Variety)

TBS has ordered ten episodes of new comedy series Are We There Yet?, based on the 2005 feature film of the same name about a single man who starts dating a woman with two kids. Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) will star. Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris) will write and executive produce the series, which has an option for ninety additional episodes. Series, from Debmar-Mercury and Cube Vision and executive producers Joe Roth, Ice Cube, and Matt Alvarez, is expected to debut in June 2010. (Variety)

Keegan Michael Key (MADtv) has been cast as a series regular for the second season of CBS' comedy Gary Unmarried, where he will play Clean, a high school friend of Gary (Jay Mohr) whose minor-league baseball career was cut short by a knee injury. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Studios has signed a first-look deal with Jennifer Garner's Vandalia Films, which intends to develop female-driven projects for the studio. Shingle is run by Garner and Juliana Janes and the company has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. for features. (Variety)

Despite the recent death of Billy Mays, Discovery Channel has ordered a second season of unscripted series Pitchmen. The cabler is said to be developing the format of the second season with Anthony Sullivan, Billy Mays III, and Thom Beers of Original Productions. No air date was announced. (via press release)

Disney Channel has found its lead for its newest comedy: 16-year-old Bridgit Mendler (Jonas), who will play the lead in Good Luck Charlie, about a girl and her brother Casey (Jason Dolley) who must care for their baby sister Charlie after their parents both go back to work full-time. Series is expected to launch early next year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Russell Brand will host MTV's 2009 Video Music Awards for MTV, following his hosting duties last year at the VMAs. (Broadcasting & Cable)

In other awards news, Kathy Griffin will host the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 12th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Katee Sackhoff Clocks in for "24," Dominic Monaghan Presses "Flash Forward," "Earl" Could Live on TBS, and More

Welcome to your (very early) Tuesday morning television briefing.

In a rather major casting coup, FOX's 24 has cast former Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff as a series regular in Day Eight, where she will play Dana Walsh, a "highly respected and down-to-earth data analyst at the new and improved New York branch of CTU" who is romantically involved with Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Davis Cole and has a "skeleton in her closet she's trying desperately to keep hidden." Sackhoff joins such Day Eight players as Prinze, Mykelti Williamson, Jennifer Westfeldt, Chris Diamantopoulous, John Boyd, and Anil Kapoor. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

It's now believed that Lost's Dominic Monaghan will be joining the cast of ABC's Flash Forward this fall. IGN's Eric Goldman is reporting, citing reports from an undisclosed insider, that Monaghan will be joining Flash Forward and that the actor, who played Charlie Pace on Lost, will "likely have a major role" on the series. Still, ABC isn't commenting at this time. "There is a lot of speculation out there right now," said an ABC spokesperson, "but we're not confirming any casting at this point." (IGN)

Reports of My Name is Earl's demise may have been premature. Variety's Cynthia Littleton is reporting that studio 20th Century Fox Television is in discussions with cabler TBS about a possible thirteen-episode run. "The talks for new episodes are said to be in the very preliminary stages," writes Littleton, "and it's far from certain that a deal will be reached, insiders cautioned." (Variety)

Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour), Ian McShane (Kings), Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks), Sarah Parish (The Holiday), Eddie Redmayne (The Other Boleyn Girl), Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited), and Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money) have signed on to star in Tandem and Muse's eight-hour international mini-series Pillars of the Earth, based on Ken Follett's novel of the same name. Shooting begins June 22nd for a launch date in the later part of 2010. So far, no US or UK broadcast networks have come on board to co-produce though the production has a US DVD sales deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. (Hollywood Reporter)

USA is launching Season Four of Psych and Season Eight of Monk (the series' last) on August 7th while Burn Notice will wrap the first half of its season on August 6th before returning in early 2010. (Futon Critic)

In other Burn Notice news, producers are trying to lure Sharon Gless' former Cagney & Lacey co-star Tyne Dale to guest star in an episode slated to air in early 2010, according to Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

David Letterman is said to be in talks about remaining at the helm of CBS' Late Show for three more years, through the 2011-12 season, though the series will see a reduction in license fee. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime is launching original drama series Drop Dead Diva, starring Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Jackson Hurst, Kate Levering, April Bowlby, and Josh Stamberg, on Sunday, July 12th at 9 pm ET/PT. Series, created/executive produced by Josh Berman (Bones), hails from Sony Pictures Television. (via press release)

More recasting on NBC's comedy series 100 Questions, which will see the roles played in the pilot by Elizabeth Ho and Joy Suprano recast. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that Amir Talai would be recast as well, which leaves only three of the series regulars--Sophie Winkleman, David Walton, and (creator) Christopher Moynihan--on board. Meanwhile, Alex Hardcastle (Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire) has come on board 100 Questions as the house director and will likely also retain some sort of producer credit. (Hollywood Reporter)

Daytime syndicated talk show Rachael Ray has been renewed through the 2011-12 season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that producers on CBS' Ghost Whisperer are considering moving the series's storyline five years in the future, in order to "introduce Jim and Melinda's son as a pre-schooler instead of as a newborn," said Ausiello, citing an unnamed insider. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Season Three of The Bill Engvall Show will kick off on Saturday, July 18th at 9 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Former Crown Media Holdings President/CEO Henry Schleiff has been named president and general manager of fledgling cabler Investigation Discovery. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Helfer, Hogan, Sheppard in "Warehouse 13," "Mad Men" Clashes with AMC Over Ad Break, "Cranford" Returns this Christmas, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, and Mark Sheppard have signed on to guest star in Syfy's upcoming series Warehouse 13, which launches July 7th. Helfer will play a Chicago-based FBI agent on the drama series, while Hogan has been cast as the father of Joanne Kelly's Myka, with her mother played by Hogan's real-life wife Susan Hogan. Finally, Sheppard will appear as an "enigmatic figure who represents the organization that controls the Warehouse." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Nikki Finke is reporting that cabler AMC has told producers of drama series Mad Men that they will have to shave off roughly two additional minutes of content per episode next season in order to insert more commercial ads, a decision which has angered some staffers on the drama series. "That might not sound like such a big deal, but it's galling given how well the show has done, how carefully it's put together, and how much money it's already making AMC," writes Finke, "and parent company Cablevision which recently announced a $20M 1st-quarter profit, while subsidiary Rainbow Media cited a 7.6% increase in ad sales." AMC executives, meanwhile, blamed the stumbling economy and said that Mad Men doesn't bring in enough revenue. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Award-winning period drama Cranford will return to BBC One this Christmas with a two-part special that will feature Dame Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Deborah Findlay, Francesca Annis, and Barbara Flynn reprising their roles in a story set one year after the events of the original mini-series. Also set to appear in Cranford's Christmas specials are Jonathan Pryce, Celia Imrie, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Le Prevost, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Matthew McNulty, and Rory Kinnear. Filming is set to begin in June. (BBC)

ABC's plans to burn off the remaining episodes of canceled comedy In the Motherhood beginning next week have changed, with the network now shifting the three-week run from Fridays at 9:30 pm ET/PT to Thursdays at 8:30 pm ET/PT starting June 25th. (Futon Critic)

TLC has given a series order to unscripted series Wedded to Perfection and give the series a sneak peek tonight. The series, from Peacock Productions, follows the professional lives of married couple Jung Lee and Josh Brooks, professional wedding planners who launch elaborate nuptials in Manhatan. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cabler TBS has ordered ten half-hour episodes of unscripted latenight series The Very Funny Show, which will feature host Tim Meadows overseeing a series of standup performances at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago. The series, which will feature such comedians as Bob Marey, Dwight Slade, and Steve Byrne, is set to launch in November. (Variety)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with writer/executive producer Liz Heldens (Mercy), under which she will remain on board NBC's midseason medical drama Mercy as showrunner and develop new projects for the studio. She was previously a co-executive producer on Friday Night Lights. (Variety)

ABC will launch seven-episode reality series Crash Course this summer, likely in August. Series, from executive producers Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, features five teams as they undertake four extreme driving challenges ranging from driving on two wheels to driving under intense weather conditions, with a team eliminated after each round. Commentary will be provided by Orlando Jones and Dan Cortese. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has partnered with reality production company Shed Media to produce the network's upcoming six-episode unscripted series The Marriage Ref with Jerry Seinfeld, slated to debut in midseason on Sunday nights. (Variety)

Showrunner Kevin Abbott (Surviving Suburbia, Roseanne) has sued 20th Century Fox Television, asserting that the studio owes him $1.38 million for "improperly withholding payments and suspending his overall deal during the 2007-08 WGA strike," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Abbot was released from his studio deal during the writers strike but claims that his deal "was markedly different from the contracts of many of his peers" and "specifically protected him from suspension or termination based solely upon a strike." The studio had no comment on the litigation. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Terminates "Sarah Connor," Amanda Tapping Reprises "Stargate" Role, "24" Moves to Manhattan, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that FOX will not be renewing sophomore drama series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles for a third season. While the network has declined to comment on a cancellation, saying that they won't be announcing their fall schedule until May 18th, Ausiello has several unnamed insiders stating that the series is dead. "It's done," said one source. "Everyone has pretty much known for a couple of weeks." Ausiello was told by one network insider, "Consider it canceled." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

As previously reported, Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, and Gary Jones will reprise their roles from various Stargate franchise series in Sci Fi's upcoming series SGU: Stargate Universe. Also joining them in providing a guest starring role on the first season of the spin-off series is Amanda Tapping, who will reprise her role as astrophysicist Samantha Carter. Also on board for SGU are Christopher McDonald (The House Bunny) who will play Senator Alan Armstrong, the head of the International Oversight Committee and father of Chloe (Elyse Levesque); singer Janelle Monae will play herself and perform two songs; and Carlo Rota (24) will play Carl Strom, the head of the International Oversight Advisory. (Hollywood Reporter)

24's Day Eight will relocate its plot to New York City, after six seasons in Los Angeles and one based in Washington D.C. Day Eight also sees the return of CTU to the mix, with Mary Lynn Rajskub returning as Chloe and three new characters, as yet uncast, including CTU head Brian Hastings. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO is developing comedy pilot Women's Studies, about a famous author who, after a turn as a feminist "it" girl, becomes a professor at a small liberal arts college. Project, which will be written by Theresa Rebeck (NYPD Blue), is being viewed as a potential vehicle for actress Julie White, who will co-write the story with Rebeck and Ben Karlin (The Daily Show). (Hollywood Reporter)

Nicolette Sheridan has lashed out at Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry following the demise of her character, Edie Blitt. "I think that whoever Edie represented in Marc’s life was somebody he didn’t like," Sheridan told TV Guide magazine. "And he had a very difficult time distinguishing between fact and fiction." To his defense, Cherry says that the decision to kill off Edie was story-based as well as financial. "There has been tremendous pressure put on me to find ways to cut costs," said Cherry. "The network is saying to all the shows: 'The company is really hurting financially. You must find a way to produce these shows more cheaply.'" (TV Guide)

Bravo is developing two scripted original series, a first for the network, entitled Blueprint and 30 Under 30. Blueprint, from writer Laurence Andries (Six Feet Under) and Alloy Entertainment, is a serialized dramedy that follows the lives of two best friends--one straight, the other gay--who run an architecture and interior design firm in Manhattan. 30 Under 30, from executive producers Jonathan Prince (American Dreams) and Alana Sanko, follows twenty-something power players in Manhattan, including a gossip blogger, a real estate agent, and an artist. The cabler also unveiled a slew of new reality projects, including American Artist, Design Sixx, Kell on Earth, Launch My Line, and The Fashion Show. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E has yet to renew drama series The Beast, which stars Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel, for a second season. While the cabler is waiting to see how the final two segments of the freshman season perform, A&E president Bob DeBitetto said much of the decision rests on Swayze's shoulders and if he is willing to reprise his role for another season. "As has been the case from day one, it is all about Patrick — in a lot of ways," said DeBitetto. "It is about his condition, and when and whether he would be up for another grueling production schedule." (USA Today)

BBC One has cast Leonora Crichlow (Being Human), Dervla Kirwan (Doctor Who), and Michael Landes (Love Soup) in new six-part romantic comedy series Material Girl, about "a young fashion designer battling an evil ex-boss, a sexy but devilish business partner and snobby fashionistas to get her break in work and love." Series, produced by Carnival Film and Television, is set to air on BBC One later this year. (BBC)

TBS has ordered ten episodes of animated comedy Neighbors From Hell, about a family from Hell who moves into a suburban neighborhood in order to prevent people from spending eternity among fire and brimstone. Project, written by Pam Brady (South Park) and executive produced by Brady, Mireille Soria, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television and DreamWorks Animation. (Variety)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a blind script deal with Nick Bakay (Paul Blart: Mall Cop), under which he will develop and write a comedy pilot script that will be produced through Happy Madison. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Los Angeles Times' Scott Collins wonders if things have finally turned around for NBC, which last week saw successful launches for new series Parks and Recreation and John Wells' Southland. Collins says that the network has remained flat in terms of audience retention year to year (while other nets have all decreased) and the audience for NBC has gotten younger: to a median age of 47.2 this year. (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will participate on NBC's upcoming reality competition series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, though the network was waiting for the judge overseeing Blagojevich's case to loosen travel restrictions as the series will be shot in Costa Rica. (TV Week)

Jailed former NFL player Michael Vicks, serving time for dogfighting conspiracy, is said to be in talks with producers for a reality series that would follow him after his release from prison in July and show him "make amends for his past." As for where such a series could end up, the article points to several unnamed insiders who point towards A&E and Spike as logical first pitches. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.