Channel Surfing: Fuller Could Return to "Heroes," CW Scraps Robin Plans, Morrissey Responds to "Doctor Who" Rumors, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I'm still getting mail from readers about yesterday's announcement that FOX would stick Joss Whedon's Dollhouse on Fridays, as many are extremely upset by what they perceive to be the final nail in the coffin for Whedon's latest work.

As one door opens, another one opens. Or so the aphorism goes. In any event, should ABC opt not to order additional episodes of Pushing Daisies past their initial 13-episode commitment this season, creator Bryan Fuller will be heading back to NBC's Heroes, where he was on staff during the beleaguered series' freshman season. "I am exclusive to Daisies through the delivery of the 13th episode of our 13-episode order, which will be mid-January," Fuller told EW.com. "If Daisies isn't picked up by then, I will definitely be going back to play with my friends at Heroes." Sadly, it's now looking more and more likely that ABC won't be ordering more installments of the groundbreaking Pushing Daisies, meaning that I just died a little inside when I read Fuller's statement. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The CW has ditched plans for its Robin franchise. (Wahoo!) The netlet had previously announced that it had given a put pilot commitment to The Graysons, a retelling of the Robin origin story that would follow D.J. Grayson (ick) as a hotheaded teen, prior to his becoming Batman's Boy Wonder sidekick. Decision to kill the project came from Warner Bros. Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov, who originally gave the series his blessing but changed his mind. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, "The studio has opted not to go forward with the development of The Graysons at this time as the concept doesn't fit the current strategy for the Batman franchise." (Whew.) It should also be noted that Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan never signed off on the project though the decision came squarely from Robinov. (Variety)

Reiko Aylesworth (ER) is in talks to join the cast of ABC's Lost in a "major recurring role." If the deal closes, Aylesworth--best known for her role as Michelle Dessler on 24--will appear in at least four episodes of Lost as Amy, a highly successful "professional woman with a love for the outdoors who is looking for the right man." (Hmmm, to me that should read: female Dharma Initiative conscript. But that's just a guess on my part.) In other casting news, Amy Price-Francis (Californication) has been cast in a six-episode arc on Day Seven of 24, where she will play a coldblooded attorney working for Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight). (Hollywood Reporter)

David Morrissey (State of Play) has responded to rumors that he is being considered to replace David Tennant in Doctor Who. "As for any talk of me taking over as the next Doctor, well, if or when they do choose someone, they would have to be totally different to David - which I am," said Morrissey, who next appears on Doctor Who's Christmas Special, entitled The Next Doctor. "I play a character called The Doctor – a man who believes himself to be a Time Lord. It was great to be on board, because I’m a huge fan of the programme and of David Tennant." (Digital Spy)

FOX has announced their midseason schedule, which has Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in a two-hour block on Friday evenings. (Televisionary)

Dylan McDermott (The Practice) has been cast in Jerry Bruckheimer's TNT cop drama pilot The Line, about a squad of undercover LAPD officers who are tempted by easy money. McDermott will play Lt. Andre Carter, who created the secret unit within the LAPD. He stars opposite Logan Marshall-Green, Omari Hardwick, and Nicki Aycox. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Studios has asked its series producers to trim their budgets by two percent and is leaving it up to each individual showrunner how the two percent cuts will be made. Producers have been asked to identify excesses that can be corrected immediately. NBC Universal is said to be under a similar initiative to cut three percent (or $500 million) of its 2009 budget. (Variety)

Emilio Estevez will guest star on CBS' Two and a Half Men, opposite real-life brother Charlie Sheen. Estevez will play a former drinking buddy of Charlie's who drops in for a visit. No air date has been announced for the episode. "My dad did the show a couple of years ago," said Sheen, "so it was only a matter of time until someone of my brother's talent could also come and play in our sandbox." (TV Guide)

LeAnne Rimes, Eddie Cibrian, and Rosanna Arquette have been cast in Northern Lights, Lifetime's latest Nora Roberts telepic slated to air in 2009. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Post-Election Day Tidbits

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. While the post-election television-related news is pretty scant today (though I am filled with hope at the prospect of change under President Elect Obama... while being pretty disappointed in the still undecided tough race for Prop 8 in California), there are a few tidbits to get through.

As the networks prepare to announce their full midseason schedules, many believe that some of our favorite series are in serious jeopardy. Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Lipstick Jungle, Eli Stone, and Life are all said to be on the bubble for midseason. Pushing Daisies' cancellation would make me absolutely heartbroken but the writing is starting to appear on the wall for this sophisticated and unique series. Sigh. (TV by the Numbers)

Nikki Blonsky will guest star on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play an assistant at Mode's rival publication, Elle, and will make an offer of friendship to Betty, though naturally she'll have ulterior motives. (TV Guide)

Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin chats with 90210's new showrunner Rebecca Kirchner (Gilmore Girls), brought onto the struggling series less than two months ago. She talks about fixing the character of Annie, last night's slumber party, and pregnancy storylines. (Los Angeles Times)

TNT has cast Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler), Omari Hardwick (The Guardian), and Nicki Aycox (Supernatural) in drama pilot The Line, from executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman, director/executive producer Danny Cannon, and writer Doug Jung. Project follows a squad of undercover LAPD officers. Elsewhere at TNT, Scott Tony Curran (Miami Vice) has joined the cast of drama pilot Bunker Hill from Warner Horizon. (Hollywood Reporter)

Eriq La Salle will return to NBC's ER before the series finale, just not in front of the camera. The former ER star will direct one of long-running series' final episodes that is scheduled to air in February. (Variety)

CBS has ordered a sixth Jesse Stone telepic entitled Jesse Stone: No Remorse, which will follow the franchise's latest offering, which has yet to secure an official airdate. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Orders More "Knight Rider," Brody and Tudyk Find "Good Vibes" at FOX, "Fringe," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

NBC has given a full season pickup to Knight Rider, bringing this season's total to 22 episodes despite sagging ratings. And that's all I want to say on the subject. (E! Online)

CW has ordered a few additional scripts for freshman drama series Privileged, which has struggled to find ratings though has shown significant improvement in recent weeks (it's up 22 percent) despite softening numbers for its lead-in, 90210. Should the trend continue, it seems fairly certain that Privileged will get a full season order. (Hollywood Reporter)

One of my main suggestions for improving FOX's Fringe involved giving its supporting cast some real dimension, especially Jasika Nicole's Astrid Farnsworth. Nicole speaks with TV Guide and reveals in this interview that she doesn't know Astrid's backstory either, other than "Astrid majored in music" and is "really, really smart." Not quite the three-dimensional backstory I was hoping for... though look for Astrid to become slightly more integral to the plot in episode 107. (TV Guide)

While David Tennant hasn't walked away from Doctor Who, rumors continue to swirl about possible replacements. Yet another candidate has emerged as a potential new Doctor, should Tennant decide not to pilot the TARDIS again. Paterson Joseph (Peep Show) may be the first black actor to play the Doctor though no one from production have in fact confirmed that Joseph is being considered for the role. He most recently appeared on screen in BBC's Jekyll mini-series, which was written by Steven Moffat, Doctor Who's inbound executive producer/head writer. Coincidence? You decide. (Sci Fi Wire)

Ricky Gervais has indicated that his short-lived BBC/HBO series Extras might not be over yet and that he wants to produce "another Christmas special" of the series, despite protests from co-creator Steven Merchant. "I think it would be funny to see Andy trying to make it in Hollywood," said Gervais in an interview. "The problem is, I don't think Stephen Merchant wants to do it. But I reckon he will if I insist!" (Digital Spy)

Adam Brody (The O.C.), Josh Gad (Back to You), Debi Mazar (Entourage), Olivia Thirlby (Juno), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), and Jake Busey (Broken) have been cast in FOX's animated comedy pilot presentation Good Vibes. Project, from writer/director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), 20th Century Fox Television, and Good Humor TV, is under consideration for spring and centers on two high school surfers who live near the beach. Cast will table read the script in November. (Variety)

In other FOX news, the network has signed a talent holding deal with Broadway star Kathryn Hahn, who starred on NBC's Crossing Jordan for six seasons. Under the deal, the network will cast her in either a comedy or drama project, though look for the talented thespian to most likely turn up in a comedy or dramedy. (Hollywood Reporter)

And Vince Vaughn has signed a deal to develop and executive produce a single-camera comedy pilot about the lives of young men who are just out of college and discovering truths about the real world. Pilot will be written by Jim and Steve Armogida (Grounded for Life). (Variety)

Bridget Moynahan (Six Degrees) will star opposite Donnie Wahlberg in Bunker Hill, Jerry Bruckheimer's drama pilot for TNT about crime and corruption in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Boston. Wahlberg (Runaway) will play Mike Moriarty, a cop who grew up in Boston who returns to his home town to protect the streets of his beloved city but clashes with his sister-in-law Erin (Moynahan) who has a love/hate relationship with Mike since the death of her cop husband. (Hollywood Reporter)

More casting announcements: Kevin Sussman (Ugly Betty) has been cast as the lead in FOX's comedy pilot presentation Sincerely, Ted L. Nancy; his attachment has lifted the cast contingency on the project. Jessalyn Gilsig (Nip/Tuck) has signed on as a regular on FOX's dramedy pilot Glee from Ryan Murphy; she'll play Terri, the put-upon wife of Will (Matthew Morrison), a Spanish teacher who attempts to resurrect the high school's glee club. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Issues Reprieve for "Sarah Connor," "Lost" Movie Unlikely, "Chuck," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Quite a lot of good telly on last night, including new episodes of Skins, Mad Men, Amazing Race, and Little Britain USA, not to mention another installment of Masterpiece Contemporary's The Last Enemy. Whew.

FOX has issued a reprieve for ratings-starved sci-fi action drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The series has been given a full season order for its second season, which averaged a 2.3/6 in adults 18-49 in its last original airing. Many insiders had pegged the series as a goner, proving that there's obviously still some life in the Terminator franchise yet. (Variety)

Zeljko Ivanek (Damages) has been cast in Season Three of Heroes, where he'll appear in a multiple-episode story arc playing a character known as the Hunter in Volume Four of the series, which is subtitled "Fugitives" and is set to kick off in January or February of 2009. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Marc Bernardin says that Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski is "TV's most underrated actress [or] she's definitely in the top five." Do we think that the Aussie native who plays Chuck's CIA handler Sarah Walker is unduely underrated? Or do we instead think of her as one of telly's greatest secrets? (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

In its second outing, ABC's Life on Mars lost about 30 percent of its premiere numbers and finished behind CBS' Eleventh Hour in the 10 pm timeslot on Thursday. The second episode of Life on Mars managed to grab only a 2.5/7 in adults 18-49 and 8.22 million viewers overall (vs. its original 3.7/10 and 11.33 million viewers) and only retained 42 percent of its lead-in from Grey's Anatomy. One doesn't need to be a time-traveling detective to see that this is not good. (Variety)

J.J. Abrams teases MTV with the possibility of a feature film version of ABC's Lost but admits that it's probably unlikely that the castaways will grace the silver screen. "There’s a chance," said Abrams in an interview, "but my gut is it would never happen.” (I have to say that, as much as I love Lost with a fiery passion, I hope it stays on television where it belongs.) (MTV)

Hope Davis (Six Degrees) and John Mahoney (Frasier) have been cast in Season Two of HBO's drama In Treatment. Davis will play high-powered, childless malpractice lawyer Mira while Mahoney will play Bill, a super-confident CEO who feels that his life has slipped away. Elsewhere, Jeffrey Nordling (24) has signed on to star opposite Jada Pinkett Smith in TNT's drama pilot Time Heals; he'll play Tom Wakefield, the hospital's director of medicine. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS Paramount Network Television has signed a talent holding deal with Rob Riggle (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), under which he will create and star in a half-hour comedy on CBS. (Variety)

Jeff Probst, Mark Burnett, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition executive producer Denise Cramsey have sold a pilot to CBS called Live Like You're Dying, which will feature a person with a terminal illness who will receive a chance to go "on the last adventure of their life,” which will include reunions with lost friends or estranged family members and living out their personal dreams. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

In other CBS news, the network's interactive division is launching a new online feature that is has dubbed "social viewing rooms," which combines the social networking aspects of a chat room with video streaming, allowing fans to interact whilst watching the network's online content. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Do Not Disturb" Checks Out Early, Sarah Michelle Returns to TV, "Boston Legal," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Last night was quite a busy telly-viewing evening here in the Televisionary household, with brand-new episodes of Ugly Betty, The Office, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which once again managed to make me laugh until it hurt. Green man!

We may have our very first cancellation of the season on our hands with FOX's comedy Do Not Disturb. Series, which starred Jerry O'Connell and Niecy Nash and struggled in the ratings since its launch three weeks ago, has been preempted next week and will be replaced with a repeat of 'Til Death. (Ouch.) There was no official announcement as of press time from studio 20th Century Fox Television or the network about the fate of Do Not Disturb, but Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello claims that inside sources at the network have confirmed that the series has been cancelled. Let the guessing games about what the second cancelled series of the year will be begin! (Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sarah Michelle Gellar has signed on to star in HBO's half-hour comedy pilot The Wonderful Maladys, about the dysfunctional lives of three adult siblings who lost their parents at an early age. In the project, from writer/executive producer Charles Randolph (The Interpreter), Gellar will play a character described as having "a king of zealous immaturity -- like a drug addict with a to-do list." Character was created by Randolph with Gellar in mind; pilot will likely be shot in early 2009. (Variety)

Melissa George (Alias) is in final negotiations to join the cast of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play an intern who is intended to be a potential love interest of their Sara Ramirez's Callie or Brooke Smith's Erica. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TNT has ordered two procedural cop drama pilots, including an untitled project from writer/executive producer Doug Jung (Big Love) and executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Danny Cannon (CSI) about a squad of young undercover police officers as they find themselves torn between performing their duty and being seduced by corruption and cash. The other project ordered by TNT is Bunker Hill (formerly known as Morse Code), which stars Donnie Wahlberg and explores the "crime, corruption, and deceit" of the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Boston. Project comes from writer/executive producer Walon Green and executive producers Donnie Wahlberg and Jon Avnet, who is set to direct the pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX is developing an untitled single-camera workplace comedy from writer/executive producers Moses Port and David Guarascio, who created last season's CW comedy Aliens in America. Project is about a young man who takes a mood enhancer that breaks him out of his funk and he applies for a job at a pharmaceutical company, where he must deal with working for his high-powered female boss who is nicknamed "The Velvet Hammer." (Variety)

Could Jason Ritter be joining the cast of ABC's Brothers & Sisters as Ryan Walker, the secret child of William Walker? (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

In other FOX news, the network is developing a The New McToms, a single-camera half-hour comedy about a "conservative matriarch who must face the reality of her three children marrying ethnically diverse spouses." Project comes from ABC Studios, executive producer Salma Hayek, and writers Boyce Bugliari and Jamie McLaughlin. (Hollywood Reporter)

Julie Bowen is set to return to ABC's Boston Legal in November in the series' tenth episode. Just don't hold your breath waiting for Mark Valley to return... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

True Blood has upped four actors to regular status when the series returns for its recently ordered second season. Former guest stars Mehcad Brooks (Desperate Housewives), Todd Lowe (Gilmore Girls), Deborah Ann Woll (The Mentalist), and Michelle Forbes (Battlestar Galactica) are all set to appear in the season finale, which airs later this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has renewed reality competition series From G's to Gents, ordering ten episodes to run early next year. (Variety)

David Tennant is said to be suffering from Doctor Who withdrawal while acting alongside Patrick Stewart in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet, joking that "Shakespeare's all right, but he's lacking in spaceships." He went on to say, "It's nice to know that I'm coming back. I'll be reminded of [Doctor Who] in some shape or form pretty much every day until I start filming again in January." (Digital Spy)

ABC Studios has extended director Gary Fleder's overall deal; he's said to be developing a project with Jericho creator Jonathan Steinberg and is set to executive produce and direct CW pilot Light Years. This past development cycle, he directed the pilots for ABC's Life on Mars (launching October 9th) and Finnegan. (Variety)

Oxygen has acquired off-network rerun rights to the CW's America's Next Top Model, which it will begin to air in January. The cabler has purchased the rights to the full library of the series, including its current and future cycles. (TV Week)

Steve Valentine (Crossing Jordan) will sereve as host on Sci Fi's new reality competition series Estate of Panic, which follows seven contestants seeking hidden cash on an estate filled with all sorts of unexpected challenges. Series comes from Endemol and will launch on November 12th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The Mentalist (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); Friday Night SmackDown! (CW; 8-10 pm); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: Presidential Debate (CBS; 9-11 pm); NBC News Special (NBC); Presidential Debate (ABC); Presidential Debate (FOX)

10 pm: Dateline (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

Um, I think I'll just go out instead...

Channel Surfing: Fichter and Stringfield Are "Night and Day," CBS Renews "Flashpoint," Emmys, Muppets, "Doctor Who," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

I had a wonderful if busy weekend which--not atypically--revolved around television. The wife and I attended Saturday's BAFTA/LA TV Tea Party and shared more than a few Pimm's Cups with Flight of the Conchords, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, 90210 executive producer Gabe Sachs, The Office's Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker, and Creed Bratton, Mad Men's Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, and Michael Gladis, The Riches' Noel Fisher, 30 Rock's Scott Adsit, Battlestar Galactica babe Tricia Helfer, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Thomas Dekker, Jeff Garlin, and many, many others. (Fun, to say the least.)

Reaction to this year's Emmy Awards--the 60th installment--wasn't quite what producers likely intended, with many critics--myself included--lashing out at the format, the hosts, and the distinct lack of scripted funnies. (Televisionary)

FOX has given a script order to workplace comedy The Station, about the employees of a covert CIA office in South America, from writer Kevin Napier, Fox Television Studios, and Red Hour Films' Ben Stiller, Jeremy Kramer, and Stuart Cornfeld. (Variety)

In other FOX news, the network has given a series order to Sam Baum's procedural drama Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund, and Kelli Williams. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television, is about the fractious partnership between a former police officer who is a "human lie detector" (an expert in reading facial and body language that gives away deception) and a female clinical psychologist as they solve Washington-based crimes. I'm usually not a fan of procedurals but I found this to be a really compelling, interesting twist on a familiar crime-solving formula and a cracking script.

William Fichtner (Prison Break) and Sherry Stringfield (ER) have been cast in TNT drama pilot Night and Day from writers/executive producers Joel Surnow (24) and Todd Robinson. Project follows Dan Hollister (Fichtner), a middle-aged agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who works for a special intervention task force as he finds himself drifting towards retirement age and dealing with upstarts half his age. Stringfield will play his wife Elizabeth, a stay-at-home mom. Night and Day will be in second position to Prison Break for Fichtner, whose deal expires at the end of the current season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Uma Thurman, Jesse L. Martin, and Jane Krakowski have signed on to appear in NBC holiday special Letters to Santa—A Muppets Christmas, which is slated to air December 17th. Previously announced participants include Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Giffiths, Tony Sirico, and Steve Schirripa. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

CBS has renewed cop drama Flashpoint, which it co-produces with Canadian network CTV, for a second season; series hit a season high on Thursday night and gained 18 percent in the key demo over the last two weeks. No decision whether the 13 episodes will air during midseason or summer; production on Season Two begins in early 2009. (Variety)

In the resolution to one of the worst kept secrets in the entertainment industry, BBC drama czar Jane Tranter will move to Los Angeles to take a position as EVP of programming and production at BBC Worldwide, working alongside Paul Telegdy to oversee the company's North American production activities in LA and New York beginning January 1st. (Televisionary)

MTV has ordered Sex... With Mom and Dad, a sex-themed series for teenagers and their parents, featuring Dr. Drew Pinsky, who will help teens and/or their parents deal with issues related to sex, dating, and relationships. Series launches September 29th at 9 pm. (Hollywood Reporter)

Kathy Griffin has signed on for a fifth season of her Bravo reality series My Life on the D-List, following unsubstantiated rumors that the series would defect--like Project Runway--to cable rival Lifetime. (Variety)

Outbound Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has said that he would consider returning to the franchise if a feature film is greenlit. "I'd be very interested in going back for it," said Davies, who said the project will happen one day. "I think it could be lovely and could work as an idea. They did one in the 1960s and that worked and it didn't affect the TV series at all." (Digital Spy)

Sorry, GE, Rupert Murdoch has said that he's not interested in acquiring NBC or even smaller parcels of it though he does admire USA for being a "mature channel" that "makes a lot of money." (Hollywood Reporter)

Jennie Garth might not be appearing in any additional segments of 90210 after her original six episode commitment. "Nothing's confirmed at this point," said Garth. "It's still totally up in the air." Hmmm... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX Committed to Building "Dollhouse," "Sunny" Questions, "Fringe" Soars, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I'm in fashion overload after back-to-back episodes last night of Top Model and Project Runway (more on the latter in a bit) but can't say that I am as enthused with either series as I was in the past.

Lest you worry about the fate of Joss Whedon's action drama Dollhouse--beset by multiple problems months before the series' launch--you can dismantle the shrine. FOX is said to be still deeply committed to the project. “With months before our broadcast premiere, we have the rare luxury of extra time,” a 20th Century Fox Television spokesman said. “We believe in this show and want to give it every opportunity to succeed.” Let's hope that's true, given the recent reports that the network was decidedly less than pleased with the series' creative direction. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Meanwhile, FOX must be pleased as punch that its other cult drama Fringe performed so well in its second outing. Airing behind a new episode of House, Fringe improved 59 percent in the demo (5.1/13 vs. 3.2/9) and 45 percent in overall viewers (13.27 million vs. 9.13 million) from its series premiere a week earlier. FOX was quick to mention that no new drama on any network has improved so much from its first to second week since at least 1991.

HBO renewed Alan Ball's vampire drama True Blood after just airing two episodes. (Televisionary)

HBO and Playone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman have hired Kirk Ellis (John Adams) to write a series that will adapt James Ellroy's novels "American Tabloid" and "The Cold Six Thousand," following three men and their "shifting alliances with the CIA, the Mafia, and the Kennedys" in the turbulent 1960s. (Variety)

Jada Pinkett Smith will star in and executive producer TNT drama pilot Time Heals, about "a strong but caring director of nursing at Charlotte Mercy Hospital in North Carolina, a single mother who always puts the pain of others first." Project, from Sony Pictures Television, will be executive produced by Pinkett Smith and Jamie Tarses and written/executive produced by John Masius (Dead Like Me, Providence). (Hollywood Reporter)

Excited about tonight's season premiere of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? (I am literally counting down the hours until 10 pm tonight.) Rob McElhenney answers EW reader questions and talks about Sunny, the gang's FOX comedy pilot Boldly Going Nowhere, and fields some script pitches. (Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch)

Fans of CBS' cancelled Moonlight will have to wait a little while longer for a DVD release of the series. Warner Home Video has announced that a US release of Moonlight is in the works, but likely not until around New Year's. (TV Guide)

USA has given a 90-minute cast-contingent pilot order to medical drama Operating Instructions from writers/executive producers Judd Pillot and John Peaslee (According to Jim) and executive producers Conan O'Brien and David Kissinger. Project, from Universal Cable Prods, will follow a female trauma surgeon who returns to the States after two tours of duty in Iraq and takes a job as the head of surgery at a military hospital. According to Jeff Wachtel, EVP of original programming at USA, "There is a truly dramatic underpinning [to the series], but the show also will be informed with comedic sensibilities." (Hollywood Reporter)

Sarah Carter (Shark) will guest star in two episodes of the upcoming season of ABC's Dirty Sexy Money as a "mystery woman who crosses paths with Darling matriarch Tish (Jill Clayburgh)." For the love of all things holy, Craig Wright, please do not resurrect that awful storyline from the original Dirty Sexy Money pilot with the journalist. You know which one I'm talking about. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Brian Burns has set up three projects at CBS and HBO. The two CBS projects will be developed with his brother Ed Burns; one will be an ensemble drama about arson investigators at the New York Fire Department and the other is a psychological thriller whose details are being kept under wraps. At HBO, Burns will team up with Dan Kennedy for a comedy inspired by Kennedy's memoir "Rock On: An Office Power Ballad," about a slacker who takes on a job at a record label. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jason Jones (The Daily Show) will guest star this season on CBS' How I Met Your Mother as the ex of Stella (Sarah Chalke) and the father of her son. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); America's Got Talent/My Name is Earl (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Hole in the Wall (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC; 9-11 pm); Kitchen Nightmares (FOX)

10 pm: Flashpoint (CBS); ER (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching:

9 pm: Kitchen Nightmares.

Missing the softer side of Gordon Ramsay? Tune in to the US version of his reality series in which he pull back struggling restaurants from the brink of closure. On tonight's episode ("Guiseppi's"), Ramsay visits Guiseppi's Italian restaurant in Michigan and finds a family prone to squabbling and in-fighting rather than running a successful business together.

10 pm: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX.

Televisionary favorite It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia finally returns with brand-new episodes. On tonight's fourth season premiere ("Mac & Dennis: Manhunters"), Dee and Charlie develop a cannibalistic hunger after accidentally eating some of Frank's human meat, while Mac and Dennis take hunting to the next level. Afterwards, it's another brand-new episode ("The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis"), in which Mac, Dennis, and Charlie take advantage of high gas prices by investing in barrels of gasoline and selling them door-to-door, while Dee and Frank discover that Bruce plans to give money to a Muslim center.

Channel Surfing: "Gossip Girl" Scores, Davies Names Possible Next "Doctor," DeKay Falls for "Old Christine," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I was absolutely riveted by last night's episode of Fringe (more on that in a bit) and not so riveted by another dull installment of 90210. Meh.

The CW's buzz-worthy Gossip Girl scored the highest numbers ever in the life of the series, drawing in 3.7 million viewers on Monday, an increase of nearly 500,000 from the week prior and 300,000 above Gossip Girl's second season premiere on September 1st. Those numbers are even more palatable for the netlet when you realize that it's a full one million viewers more than tuned in to the third episode of the first season. Not doing quite as well? FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which lost 800,000 viewers from last week's season premiere to sink to a low of 5.5 million, off 36 percent from its Season One average. Ouch. (Entertainment Weekly)

More talk from NBC chiefs about the quality work co-chairman Ben Silverman is doing (in between "[partying] into the night") as the network gears up to launch their new season on Monday. One choice quote: ""He is not bound by the old rules of doing business, and that scares a lot of people in Hollywood," said Jeff Zucker. That's putting it mildly. (Los Angeles Times)

HBO has cast Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling) in Jonathan Ames' drama pilot Bored to Death, opposite Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson; he'll play Ray, a struggling comic book artist who is the best friend of would-be hero Jonathan (Schwartzman), an alcoholic writer who tries to reinvent himself as a private detective. (Hollywood Reporter)

Russell T. Davies has praised British actor Russell Tovey (Gavin & Stacey, History Boys) and suggested that he would be a good replacement for David Tennant when he decides to leave Doctor Who. Tovey is himself no stranger to Doctor Who, having appeared as Midshipman Frame in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned." Davies also revealed that he tried to secure J.K. Rowling to guest star in a Christmas special but was vetoed by Tennant, who thought the casting idea "sounds like a spoof." (BBC News)

Worst. Title. Ever. FOX is said to be developing drama Georgia and the Seven Associates, a contemporary take on the Snow White fable from writers David Weissman and David Diamond (Old Dogs), director Ken Kwapis (The Office), and executive producers Chris Brancato and Bert Salke. Plot would follow Georgia Burnett, a young lawyer who finds herself exiled from a top law firm run by her evil step-mother and must team up with seven quirky lawyers (each of whom manifests a personality based on one of the fable's dwarves) at a storefront legal firm. Project is said to be described as "The Devil Wears Prada meets Taxi." I kid you not. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS' comedy Old Christine has locked Tim DeKay (Tell Me You Love Me, Carnivale) for a three-episode stint this season; he'll play a new love interest for Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The duo are no strangers: DeKay memorably played Elaine's boyfriend Kevin (a.k.a. "Bizarro Jerry") in two 1996 episodes ("The Bizarro Jerry" and "The Soul Mate") of Seinfeld. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Saturday Night Live attempts to be as "fair and evenhanded as possible" in their skewering of political figures and included Amy Poehler's portrayal of Hillary Rodham Clinton in order to not make their Sarah Palin sketch seem like an attack. (New York Times)

Lori Petty (Masters of Horror) will guest star in several episodes of House this season, playing a patient with Huntington's Disease. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TNT has renewed Saving Grace and Raising the Bar, ordering 15 episodes of both to air in 2009. (Televisionary)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: New Adventures of Old Christine/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); 90210 (CW); 20/20 (ABC); 'Til Death/Do Not Disturb (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Primetime (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("You're Beautiful, Now Change"), the girls get their makeovers and go to Malibu for a swimsuit photo shoot with model/designer Susan Holmes.

9 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

Season Five (the final season on Bravo) of Project Runway continues tonight. On tonight's episode ("Transformation"), the designers work with college-aged women who are about to enter the workforce and are tasked with creating sophisticated looks for their clients; Cynthia Rowley drops by as this week's guest judge, and Kenley creates yet-another 1950s-influenced dress.

TNT Renews Two Series, Preps Two Others

In a move that's hardly a surprise to anyone watching the ratings, TNT has renewed original series Saving Grace and Raising the Bar.

Saving Grace will air the back eight episodes of its 15-episode second season beginning in March; it will kick off Season Three with 15 new installments sometime later in 2009. Saving Grace averaged 4.4 million viewers this summer.

Raising the Bar has only aired three episodes to date (and has lost about 2.2 million viewers since the premiere) but that hasn't stopped the cabler from ordering a second season, which has been slated for sometime in 2009. TNT ordered 15 episodes of the Steven Bochco-produced legal drama.

No news on the fate of The Closer, which will wrap its fourth season in January, though a renewal for a fifth season is said to be in the bag and will be announced soon.

Elsewhere, TNT will launch Dean Devlin and John Roger's Leverage about a former insurance adjuster turned Robin Hood-style enforcer in December and will launch Trust Me (formerly known as Truth in Advertising)--which stars Tom Cavanagh, Eric McCormack, and Monica Potter--in January.

Stay tuned.

Why Wasn't "Dollhouse" on My What I'm Watching This Fall List?

I'm off today on what promises to be a sweltering Labor Day Monday (after the grey clouds dissipate, anyway) here in Los Angeles, but just wanted to let you know that you should check out my annual feature, What I'm Watching This Fall, which--while also following through on the promise of the title to reveal which series I'm tuning into this autumn--has launch dates for all of those mentioned.

Additionally, I got a number of emails from concerned readers who were confused as to why series such as Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, Lost, Flight of the Conchords, Damages, and Big Love didn't make the list.

The answer, gentle readers, is simple: all of those series will sadly not launch (or return) until sometime in 2009, making this Televisionary a little wistful for last summer, when we had brand-spanking-new episodes of Conchords, Damages, and Big Love.

But, alas, we'll have to wait a while to catch Eliza Dushku kicking some butt in Dollhouse, find out what happened to the island on Lost, catch up with our favorite Kiwis on Conchords, see if Patty Hewes regrets what she did on Damages, and spend some quality time with the Henricksons on Big Love.

As for why TNT's Raising the Bar--which launches tonight, BTW--wasn't included on my fall list, it's because I won't be watching. I saw the pilot for the Mark-Paul Gosselaar-Jane Kaczmarek-Gloria Reubens legal drama back in May and found it nigh unwatchable... partially due to Gosselaar's greasy, greasy hair and also because I found the entire pilot to be highly cloying and poorly constructed. It strives for both soapy who's-sleeping-with-whom reveals (not that we could care less about any of the characters) and earnest legal crusading (snore) and fails to deliver on both accounts.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); High School Musical: Get in the Picture (ABC); Prison Break (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); One Tree Hill (CW); Samantha Who? (ABC)

10 pm: CBS News: Republican National Convention (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Vote 08 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

If you haven't read my review of the first three episodes of Gossip Girl's sophomore season, shame on you. Season Two kicks off tonight with "Summer, Kind of Wonderful," in which the kids' summer winds down as Serena and Nate concoct an elaborate scheme to make people think they're dating, Blair returns from Europe with a new beau, and Dan deals with fallout from his new lifestyle as the consummate ladies' man. Ahem.

10 pm: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on Travel Channel.

This week on No Reservations, it's a retrospective episode, as Tony and the crew have given you a Labor Day present in the form of outtakes, memorable moments, and nail-biting drama from Anthony Bourdain's global travels.

10 pm: Weeds on Showtime.

No new episode (with it being Labor Day and all) but there's a Weeds marathon starting tonight at 9 pm ET/PT.

TNT Raises the "Bar"

Brenda Johnson and Grace Hanadarko just got a little company.

Despite the ongoing writers strike currently putting a spanner in the works of television networks, TNT has gone ahead and ordered its first new series of the season.

In an unexpected move, the cabler has granted a ten-episode order for Raising the Bar, a legal drama from writer/executive producers Steven Bochco and David Feige.

Series, which stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Currie Graham (Men in Trees), Melissa Sagemiller (Sleeper Cell), and J. August Richards (Angel), revolves around a public defender who helps the helpless. It's scheduled to air later this year... I assume whenever the writers strike allows the series' staff to begin work.

Looks like I'm going to have to take a look at the pilot script and fast.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Chuck (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); Celebrity Apprentice (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

10 pm: Without a Trace (CBS); Chuck (NBC); Big Shots (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Chuck.

Praise be Buy More! NBC's action-comedy Chuck (a Televisionary fave) returns tonight with its final two episodes of the season (unless the strike comes to an end and the crew returns to work). On the first of two brand-new episodes tonight ("Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover"), Chuck discovers that Casey's former flame is about to marry a Russian arms dealer and pushes Casey to fight for her while Ellie and Captain Awesome reach a plateau in their relationship.

8 pm: Ugly Betty.

On tonight's first-run episode ("A Thousand Words By Friday"), Betty agrees to an assignment from Daniel to interview a man she believes is an important novelist, only to learn he's written a series of books about picking up women; Daniel finds a new love interest in Renee (guest star Gabrielle Union), only to learn that they have a surprising connection to each other; Marc and Amanda plot to reach out to Gene Simmons, whom they believe to be Amanda's biological father.

8 pm: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America.

Season Four of the original UK Kitchen Nightmares begins tonight. On this week's installment ("Ruby Tates"), Gordon Ramsay heads to Brighton, where he attempts to save an overprice oyster bar from closing its doors forever. Will he succeed? Find out tonight. (And a hint to those with some major DVR conflicts, the episode also airs at 5 pm PT AND at 11 pm ET.)

10 pm: Chuck.

It's the second of two brand-new episodes of Chuck. On this episode ("Chuck Versus the Marlin"), Captain Awesome proposes to Ellie, Casey and Sarah learn that the CIA has been spying on them, and Chuck is moved to a holding cell in order for his protection.

Casting Couch: Potter Searches for "Truth," Green to Sick Bay on "Grey's"

TNT has cast Monica Potter (Boston Legal) in their Madison Avenue-set drama pilot, Truth in Advertising, which revolves around the multi-million dollar advertising agency Rothman, Greene & Moore (what, no Dewey, Cheatum & Howe?), a high-stakes ad agency whose execs are constantly driven to prove why they deserve to keep their plum gigs.

Potter joins the previously cast Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh in the pilot, which begins production later this month. Potter will play Sarah Krajicek-Hunter, a divorcee and copywriter who is brought into the firm.

Lest you be confused by the similarities between this project and AMC's Mad Men, rest assured that Truth in Advertising is set firmly in the present day. The script for this pilot has just made its way into my inbox, so I'll have to let you know what I think.

* * *

Meanwhile, in other casting news, Robot Chicken auteur Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has been cast in a two-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy.

In a random bit of guest casting, Green will play a hospital patient at Seattle Grace, though the diminutive actor is apparently a rabid fan of the medical drama.

"If you are going to get sick, Seattle Grace is the place to do it," Green told The Hollywood Reporter. "Maybe they'll call me McSicky?"

TNT Full of "Grace," Opts Not to Save "Saved"

TNT has ordered two pilots to series while cancelling another series (sorry, Tom Everett Scott, fans).

The cabler has ordered series for drama pilots Heartland and Grace. Heartland stars Everwood's Treat Williams as a surgeon in the world of heart transplant surgery (heh, hence the nifty title) and co-stars Firefly's own Inara, Morena Baccarin. Series is said to be a possible companion for the network's hit police drama, The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick.

Grace stars Holly Hunter as an alcoholic cop in Oklahoma City who, following a car accident (brought on by her drinking) is visited by an angel in the guise of a homeless man and offer a chance to redeem herself. It co-stars recent Veronica Mars guest star Laura San Giacomo, Leon Rippy, and Bokeem Woodbine.

Meanwhile, TNT has opted not to order a second season of drama Saved. Series, created by David Manson, starred Tom Everett Scott as a Portland, Oregon paramedic with a bit of a gambling addiction. TNT aired 13 episodes of Saved, which co-starred Tracy Vilar, Omari Hardwick, Michael McMillian, and Elizabeth Reaser.