Channel Surfing: Jason Dohring and Minka Kelly Lead "Body Politic," Ashley Jensen Lands Pilot, Skeet Ulrich Goes "Back" to CBS, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars) and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) have signed on to star in CW drama pilot Body Politic, from CBS Paramount Network Television. Dohring will play a Washington Post reporter while Kelly will play Hope, a young woman who leaves Michigan after the death of her mother to take a position in Washington in as a staffer for a senator (Tim Matheson), who has just been named Attorney General. Fans of Friday Night Lights shouldn't worry, however: Kelly's casting here doesn't signal the end of FNL as she was not set to return as a series regular next season but will instead turn up in Season Four in a multiple-episode story arc should the series be renewed. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has confirmed that Ashley Jensen will leave Ugly Betty at the end of the season; it's no secret that the actress was "less than thrilled" when Betty moved production from Los Angeles to New York last year. Jensen, meanwhile, has been cast in CBS comedy pilot Accidentally on Purpose, where she will play the best friend of Jenna Elfman's character, a San Francisco movie critic who finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Hollywood Reporter)

Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) has landed the lead in CBS drama pilot Back, from CBS Paramount Network Television, writer/executive producer Dean Widenmann (CSI: Miami) and director Mark Pellington. Project follows a man (Ulrich) who returns home only to learn that he's was reported missing after 9/11 and has to reconnect with his family. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has ordered four additional scripts for comedy series How I Met Your Mother, which has seen a 33 percent ratings increase this season. The script order, while not quite an early renewal, is seen as a sign that the comedy will be returning next season and will allow showrunners to begin to break next season's stories. (TV Week)

Pilot casting alert: Bruce Greenwood (John from Cincinnati), Miranda Otto (Cashmere Mafia), Kay Panabaker (CSI), and Nick Eversman will play the four leads in CBS drama pilot A Marriage; Billy Zane (Charmed) has been cast in ABC's untitled Dave Hemingson drama pilot; Zoe McLellan (Dirty Sexy Money) will play the lead in ABC drama pilot House Rules (also cast: Anna Chulmsky); Coupling's Richard Coyle will co-star in medical drama pilot Miami Trauma; Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars, Eli Stone) has been cast as the female lead on NBC sci-fi pilot Day One (also cast: Derek Mio and Addison Timlin); and Whitney Cummings (Made of Honor) will star in FOX comedy pilot The Station. (Hollywood Reporter)

Balthazar Getty (Brothers & Sisters) will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Medium, where he will play a wealthy real estate investor whose wife is missing. [Editor: The episode will also feature Anjelica Huston and Rumer Willis, who will play a missing young woman whom Allison (Patricia Arquette) had rescued years before.] Elsewhere, Amy Madigan will return to Grey's Anatomy as Seattle Grace's on-call psychiatrist and will treat Kevin McKidd's Owen and Hector Elizondo will reprise his role as Callie's father in April. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Valerie Cruz (Hidden Palms) has been cast in HBO's True Blood in a recurring role; she'll play Isabel, an elegant Latino vampire. Elsewhere, Tim Guinee (Iron Man) will recur on FOX's 24 as reporter Ken Dellao, who has a connection to First Daughter Olivia Taylor (Sprague Grayden), and Clifton Powell (Rush Hour) has been cast as a psychologist on Lifetime's Army Wives. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has learned that CBS has told the producers of Warner Bros. Television-produced drama series Cold Case and Without a Trace that their series may be facing possible cancellation. "They no longer have the type of ratings that justify the massive overhead," an unnamed CBS source tells Ausiello. However, even if the studio is able to reduce budgetary costs on the series, "it's not a given that either show will be back."(Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

USA Today speaks to Australian actor Chris Egan, the lead in NBC's new drama series Kings. "In the time where the world is right now, people need to be brave," said Egan of NBC's Kings. "That's what this story is. It's about a young soldier who makes a brave decision to go against orders and follow his heart. God described him as a man after his own heart. He was just this young kid who went out and faced this giant when all the odds are against him, when no one thought he could do it, and if anything, people were mocking him. I think there's such a great message behind that." (USA Today)

Comedy Central has not renewed David Alan Grier's Chocolate News, which aired ten episodes last year. (New York Times)

Sara Foster (The Big Bounce) has landed a recurring role on CW's 90210, where she will play the older sister of AnnaLynne McCord's Naomi who arrives in Beverly Hills to cause some chaos. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Alexis Bledel Scrubs in for "ER," Cassidy and McQueen Book Roles at CW, TARDIS to Get Makeover, "Day One" Nabs Four, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Former Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel will guest star in NBC's two-hour series finale of ER, where she will play a new intern named Julie Wise in the finale, which focuses on a 24 hour-long shift at County General Hospital. Casting marks Bledel's first major television appearance since the end of Gilmore Girls on the CW. Elsewhere, former Grey's Anatomy cast member Melissa George has been cast as the female lead in CBS' untitled US Attorney drama pilot from writer/executive producer Frank Military; George will play Susan, an ADA and ex-wife of the section chief (Michael Lange). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Katie Cassidy (Supernatural) has been cast in CW's drama pilot Melrose Place, an update of the 1990s soap where she will play Ella Flynn, "an up-and-coming publicist with a big career ahead of her." Steven R. McQueen (Everwood), meanwhile, has been cast as one of the leads in Kevin Williamson's supernatural drama pilot Vampire Diaries, based on the Alloy series of novels. McQueen will play Jeremy, the younger brother of Elena, a teenage girl who finds herself caught between two vampiric brothers. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle) has been cast in drama pilot Inside the Box, where she will play an ambitious reporter who was once heralded as the next Diane Sawyer. More pilot casting announcements: Alyssa Milano (Single with Parents) will star in ABC's untitled Ricky Blitt comedy pilot; Ty Burrell (Back to You) will head to suburbia for ABC comedy pilot My American Family, John Patrick Amedori (Gossip Girl), Robert Wisdom (The Wire), and Jay Paulson (October Road) will star in ABC supernatural drama pilot Happy Town; Sharon Leal (Private Practice) and Brooklyn Sudano (My Wife and Kids) have been cast in ABC drama pilot Limelight; and Leah Pipes (Life is Wild) has joined the cast of the untitled Dave Hemingson legal drama pilot at ABC. Whew. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Lyons (ER), Carly Pope (24), Adam Campbell (Harper's Island), and Thekla Reuten (Sleeper Cell) have been cast in NBC sci-fi drama pilot Day One, from writer/executive producer Jesse Alexander (Heroes). [Editor's note: very curious to see just what Reuten does with the crucial role of Lynne, whom I am already in love with after reading the pilot script.] (Hollywood Reporter)

Anjelica Huston will reprise her role as Cynthia Keener later this season on Medium; she'll also be joined by guest star Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) who will appear in an episode slated to air in May. Other casting tidbits: Ed Asner will guest star in CSI: Miami in April and Christa Miller (Scrubs) has joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot Cougar Town, opposite Courteney Cox. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

David S. Rosenthal (Gilmore Girls) has been named executive producer/showrunner on ABC comedy pilot Canned, lifting the showrunner-contingency on the project. Rosenthal will perform executive producer duties alongside Peter Traugott and pilot writer Kevin Etten. Elsewhere, Pamela Fryman (How I Met Your Mother) will direct CBS comedy pilot Accidentally on Purpose, which stars Jenna Elfman. (Hollywood Reporter)

The New York Times investigates the intriguing character actors on the latest season of FX's Damages, including Darrell Hammond, Philip Bosco, Mario Van Peebles, Tom Aldredge, and Tom Noonan, who plays dogged Detective Huntley. “I don’t think about character or story very much,” said Noonan. “I walk away if those discussions come up on the set. Not rudely, not if someone’s talking directly to me. But back story, motivation — those words don’t mean much to me." (New York Times)

Tonight's episode of CSI: Miami will feature an embrace between Calleigh Duquesne (Emily Procter) and Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), after seven seasons of tension, which results in the duo embarking on a secret relationship that threatens to complicate their lives--both personal and professional--as well as that of their boss, Horatio Caine (David Caruso). "It's a huge addition to the show," said Rodriguez. "The audience waited a long time to see this, and for them to finally get the payoff, I hope they're enjoying it as much as we are." (USA Today)

The Sarah Silverman Program executive producers Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, and Rob Schrab have threatened to quit after they learned that Comedy Central wanted them to cut their budget by more then 20 percent, despite the fact that the series still has yet to receive an official third season pickup. (Hollywood Reporter)

Doctor Who's TARDIS is set to get a makeover when Matt Smith assumes the mantle of the Doctor beginning in 2010. Look for both the interior and exterior of the time-traveling space craft to get a vastly different look for Season Five, as the series moves into high-definition for the first time. (Digital Spy)

CBS has shot a pilot for reality competition series America's Strongest American, in which everyday Americans will complete in strength challenges. The project, hosted by Ben Bailey and Michelle Merkin, is executive produced by Embassy Row's Michael Davies and Barry Frank. (Hollywood Reporter)

No Doubt will appear in the May 11th episode of Gossip Girl, where they will perform Adam and the Ants song "Stand and Deliver." That episode is slated to be the backdoor pilot for the unnamed Gossip Girl spin-off starring Brittany Snow and Krysten Ritter, set in 1980s San Fernando Valley. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Evangeline Lilly to Stay Put on "Lost," "Gossip Girl" Spin-off Finds Its Lily, Capshaw to Stay on at Seattle Grace, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Kate isn't going anywhere, any time soon: Reps for Evangeline Lilly have denied a recent report on Zap2it.com that claimed that the Lost star was seeking work on another television project for this fall and have maintained that the actress is under contract on Lost until May 2010, when the series ends. We have no idea how this rumor got started," Lilly's rep told Michael Ausiello, "and whoever started it didn’t call us or ABC to verify the validity of it, for which there is none." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

UPDATE: E! Online's Kristin has spoken with Lilly herself, who said that she isn't leaving Lost anytime soon. "I am very happy on Lost," said Lilly, "and have no reason to look anywhere else for a home." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Brittany Snow (American Dreams) will star in the Gossip Girl prequel spin-off, currently being referred to in the press as Lily. Snow will play wealthy teenage scion Lily Rhodes (who is played in the present day by Kelly Rutherford) who, after a fight with her parents, is forced to move in with her unconventional sister Carol (Krysten Ritter) in the San Fernando Valley. Also cast in the project: Shilo Fernandez (Jericho). The backdoor pilot for the spin-off will air as an episode of Gossip Girl on May 11th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jessica Capshaw, originally slated to appear in a three-episode arc, has been signed to a contract on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she is currently playing Arizona Roberts, a pediatrician at Seattle Grace who has caught the eye of Sara Ramirez's Callie. Under the deal, Capshaw will appear in all of this season's remaining episodes and has an option to return next season as a series regular. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Rebecca Rand Kirschner Sinclair has signed a deal with CBS Paramount Network Television that will keep her on as executive producer/showrunner on CW's 90210 for the next two seasons. It's thought likely that the series' current executive producers/showrunners Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah will leave the series at the end of the season. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Los Angeles Times talks to Damages' Tom Aldredge, who plays Patty's nefarious (if dutifully loyal) Uncle Pete. "I had to decide early on: Why was it that Uncle Pete was willing to do these things for Patty?" Aldredge told LA Times' Denise Martin. "Why was he so loyal? Her enabler, in a sense. So I had decided on my own that he loved her." (Los Angeles Times)

Pilot casting news: Denis O'Hare (Milk) will star opposite Christina Cole in FOX's untitled Ian Biederman drama, where he will play a schizophrenia specialist who treats Maggie (Cole); David Morse (John Adams) will star in ABC's Empire State, where he will play the blue-collar father of the boy involved in a star-crossed romance with a wealthy girl; Lloyd Owen (Viva Laughlin) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot Inside the Box, where he will play an Englishman who is named to replace the retiring Washington bureau chief; and Ben Feldman (Cloverfield) will play Amy Smart's boyfriend and colleague in ABC drama pilot See Cate Run (formerly known as I, Claudia). (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Busy Philipps (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Dan Byrd (Aliens in America), and Brian Van Holt (John from Cincinnati) will star opposite Courteney Cox in ABC comedy pilot Cougar Town, from writer/executive producers Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) and Kevin Biegel. And CBS Paramount Network Television have closed a deal with Chris O'Donnell to star in CBS' untitled NCIS spin-off. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tom Fontana will write a twelve-episode series entitled The Borgias, about the villainous Renaissance-era Borgia clan for executive producers Chris Albrecht and Anne Thompoulos and French producers Lagardere Entertainment and Canal Plus. Project will be shot in English and sold to worldwide broadcasters, with emphasis made on a US sale. Production on The Borgias is slated to begin this fall in Europe. (Variety)

ABC is shooting a pilot for potential reality series Crash Course, in which couples must navigate driving through an obstacle course. Project shouldn't be confused with CBS' Thunder Road, which shares a similar concept; the ABC version is described as having "a comedic tone" and will feature couples rather than single contestants. Orlando Jones and Dan Cortese are attached to host the series, which comes from executive producers Arthur Smith and Kent Weed. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former NBC executive Teri Weinberg is launching her own production company, Yellow Brick Road, which has signed a two-year first-look deal with NBC Universal. Additionally, under the terms of her deal, Weinberg will receive an executive producer credit on upcoming NBC drama series The Philanthropist. Prior to her stint at NBC, Weinberg worked with Ben Silverman and Reveille, where she oversaw the company's scripted division, which hatched such series as The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Tudors. (Hollywood Reporter)

Gene Stein has been promoted to head of television at BermanBraun, six months after joining the company. Stein, who was most recently an ABC Studios-based producer, will oversee development and production on both the scripted and unscripted fronts. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Delany Wonders Who Will Be Next to Leave Wisteria Lane, CW Orders "Melrose Place," Starz Renews "Crash," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Dana Delany admitted that none of Wisteria Lane's residents feel exactly safe these days, following the announcement that Nicollette Sheridan will leave Desperate Housewives. "Everyone is vulnerable on Wisteria Lane -- any of us could go," said Delany. "Every single person in that cast feels like their days are numbered. I think [Marc Cherry] likes to keep people on their toes." An upcoming storyline will find Delany's Katherine in potential jeopardy. "It's good," said Delany of the upcoming plot, "because that sense of not knowing keeps the actors on their toes and it keeps the audience anticipating." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot helmer alert: The CW has given an official pilot order to Melrose Place, an update of the soap to be overseen by Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin (Smallville). Pilot, from CBS Paramount Network Television, will be directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, 24) and will focus on the residents of a trendy Los Angeles neighborhood. Elsewhere, Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) will direct FOX drama pilot Masterwork, from writer/executive producer Paul Scheuring (Prison Break).

And on the casting front, Zosia Mamet (The Unit) and Toni Trucks (Barbershop) have been cast in FOX comedy pilot Ab Fab as Eddie's daughter Saffron and her assistant; Diego Klattenhoff (Men in Trees) will co-star in NBC drama pilot Mercy; and Jason George (Eli Stone) and Sarah Drew (Everwood) have been cast in ABC drama pilot Inside the Box. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, the recession has wrought some very noticeable changes this pilot season as the networks are funding more in-house production and are shooting more pilot presentations than full-out pilots. The networks, as seen by recent developments, also seem willing to cut and run from a project if the right combination of casting, director, and showrunner don't materialize. (Variety)

Tamara Feldman (Dirty Sexy Money) will appear in a four-episode story arc later this season on CW's Gossip Girl, where she will reprise her role as Manhattan socialite Poppy Lifton. (Variety)

Patrick Dempsey won't be leaving Grey's Anatomy, but Michael Ausiello has a scoop on McDreamy's status at Seattle Grace in an upcoming story arc on the ABC drama. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Starz has renewed drama series Crash for a second season of thirteen episodes but the Lionsgate-produced drama will bring in a new creative team for the series, to be overseen by Ira Steven Behr (The 4400), who will serve as executive producer. He'll be joined on the series by James DeMonaco and Todd Harthan (The Kill Point) while creator/executive producer Glen Mazzara will serve as a consulting producer. "About half of the story lines in the first season will continue into Season 2," writes the Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. "Roughly half of the cast, including star Dennis Hopper, will stay on." (Hollywood Reporter)

CW's America's Next Top Model is set to start casting its thirteenth cycle later this week with one noticeable change: for the first time in the series' history, applicants need to be 5'7" and under. "There have been top supermodels in the past that weren't as tall as the industry demands, like fashion icon Kate Moss," said series co-creator/host Tyra Banks. "So we are changing up Top Model for cycle 13 and making it a year for the shorter model!" Gee, something tells me these girls will be highly prized in the cutthroat modeling world and not just one of Tyra's latest "causes." (via press release)

Katelynn Pippy has been bumped to series regular on Lifetime's drama series Army Wives; she plays the daughter of Kim Delaney's Claudia. (Variety)

Fox Reality Channel has renewed docudrama The Academy for a third season, which will focus on firefighter recruits. The Academy: Orange County Fire is executive produced by Scott Sternberg. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jennifer Aspen (Family Man) has been cast in FOX musical comedy series Glee, where she will play the role of Kendra. (Variety)

Following several weeks of speculation, Peter Chernin will leave News Corp after twenty years and will be "taking up the opportunity to start a new motion picture and television production venture with Fox," according to a memo issued by Rupert Murdoch which confirms that Chernin will not be renewing his contract. So what can Chernin's departure mean for the company? "There will be a streamlined management structure between our Los Angeles-based business units and the rest of the company," writes Murdoch. "Peter and I will be communicating more on this over the next few months. For the time being, of course, the talented executive team at the Fox Group will continue to report to Peter." (Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile, Nikki Finke claims that former BSkyB executive James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's youngest son, may eventually replace Chernin, following a period in which News Corp division heads report directly to Rupert Murdoch. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

SAG and AMPTP may need some intervention from a mediator in order to end the latest standoff between the guild and the studios. It's hoped the CAA head Richard Lovett will step in and mediate, as he did during the dispute between WGA and the majors last year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Valley Hits Bullseye for "Human Target," Possible "Grey" Hour for Heigl and Knight, "Betty" Likely to Return at ABC, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Mark Valley (Fringe) has been cast as the lead in FOX drama pilot Human Target, from Warner Bros. Television, Wonderland, and DC Comics, about a "mysterious security freelancer who assumes the identities of those in danger, becoming the 'human target' for his clients." Pilot will be directed by Simon West. (Hollywood Reporter)

Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight will depart the cast of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, according to co-star James Pickens who told US Magazine that the duo would leave the series. "Yes, she is," said Pickens when asked if Heigl was leaving. "Wherever Katherine goes, I wish her nothing but the best." As for Knight, Pickens said, "He's going too. He just wanted to pursue other career paths." ABC, ABC Studios, and reps for Heigl and Knight had no comment. (US Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello had some further news on this development. "Right now, the whole thing is in the hands of their agents and ABC's lawyers," an unnamed source told Ausiello. "Something will probably be worked out soon, but it's a safe bet that Katherine and T.R. won't be returning as series regulars next season." However, creator Shonda Rhimes is said to inclined to have the duo fleetingly reprise their roles next season. "There's talk of one or both of them doing an arc in the fall," said a source within the production. "That's one of several things being discussed." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC quietly rounded out the rest of its cast for upcoming Amy Poehler comedy series Parks and Recreation, which stars Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt and Aziz Ansari. Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl) will play Mark, a co-worker of Leslie Knope (Poehler) who had a fling with her years earlier and can't shake her. Nick Offerman (American Body Show) will play Ron, the Parks and Recreation supervisor. (Zap2it)

Showtime has ordered a second season of dark comedy The United States of Tara, with twelve new episodes on tap for Season Two, which is expected to premiere in early 2010. Production on the sophomore season is slated to begin this summer. (via press release)

FX ordered two pilots yesterday, including an untitled drama from writer/executive producer Graham Yost (Boomtown) that is based on Elmore Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole," about a Kentucky-based US Marshall who tangles with cases, his ex-wife, and his aging father. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Timberman/Beverly Prods, will be executive produced by Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly and will be directed by Michael Dinner. Also on tap: drama Lights Out, from writer Justin Zackham (The Bucket List) and executive producer Phillip Noyce and Fox Television Studios, about "an aging former heavyweight boxing champion who struggles to find his identity and support his wife and three daughters after his fighting days, leading him to accept reluctantly a job as an enforcer collecting debts. He is diagnosed with pugilistic dementia, a neurological disorder that affects boxers who receive multiple blows to the head, which gradually will lead to him losing all of his memories." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be close to renewing struggling dramedy Ugly Betty for a fourth season. Also likely to get early pickups: Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, America's Funniest Home Videos, and The Bachelor, though ABC had no comment about renewals. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has ordered a pilot for single-camera comedy No Heroics, based on the ITV series about a group of superheroes with less-than-impressive powers who hang out together at a local pub. Project, from ABC Studios and Tiger Aspect, will be written and executive produced by Will & Grace's Jeff Greenstein and original series creator Drew Pearce. (Hollywood Reporter)

Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road) has been cast in FOX's US adaptation of Absolutely Fabulous, which has been ordered to pilot. She'll play Eddie oppposite Kristen Johnston, who will play Eddie's BFF Patsy Stone. "From working with Kate Winslet to Will Ferrell, it's her broad range of talent that inspired us to give her a development deal," said FOX EVP of casting, Marcia Shulman of Hahn. "AbFab was bought with her specifically in mind." Hahn's casting as Eddie seems to invalidate previous reports that pegged Johnston as the PR exec. (Variety)

Aleksa Palladino, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, and Anthony Laciura have been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO drama pilot Boardwalk Empire. Elsewhere at HBO, Rob Brown has been cast in David Simon's drama pilot pilot Treme, where he will play Delmond, a New York jazz musician who returns to his native New Orleans; he's also the son of Clarke Peters' Albert. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lionsgate drama pilot, Tough Trade, will be the first developed project at nascent pay cabler Epix, the new joint venture between Viacom, Lionsgate, and MGM. Project, written by Chris Offutt (Weeds) and executive produced by Jenji Kohan (Weeds) and Sean and Bryan Furst, revolves around a dysfunctional Nashville music family. The pilot is slated to shoot in Nashville late this summer for a possible series launch in 2010. (Variety)

NBC has ordered comedy Community, from writer/executive producer Dan Harmon (The Sarah Silverman Program), Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Television, which has been described as Stripes set at a local community college. (Hollywood Reporter)

Wilmer Valderrama is developing Nickelodeon family comedy Earth to Pablo, about a family that winds welcoming a teenage space alien into their home instead of a South American exchange student they were expected. Project, produced by World of Wonder and WV Enterprises, will be written by Phil Stark. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned,

Channel Surfing: FOX to Get "AbFab," Jane Espenson Will Be Showrunner on "Caprica," Lauren Graham, Pilot News, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

FOX has handed out a pilot order to a US remake of BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, which follows the boozy exploits of PR magnate Edina Monsoon, her magazine editrix best friend Patsy, and Edina's uptight daughter Saffy. US version will be set in LA and the script written by Christine Zander (Less Than Perfect), who will executive produce with Jennifer Saunders, Ian Moffit, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum, and Kim Tannenbaum. Project will be produced by Sony Pictures Television, Tantamount, and BBC Worldwide Americas. (Variety)

Battlestar Galactica's Jane Espenson will serve as an executive producer on BSG prequel series Caprica and will eventually become the showrunner on the series, slated to air on Sci Fi in 2010. Espenson, whom many fans will know from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, will take over the reins of Caprica's writers' room from co-creator Ron Moore later this year. Production on Caprica--which will also feature BSG writers Michael Taylor and Ryan Mottesheard, production designer Richard Hudolin, composer Bear McCreary, and special effects supervisor Gary Hutzel--is scheduled to begin in July. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Lauren Graham talks to Michael Ausiello about her upcoming run in Guys & Dolls on Broadway, the likelihood of a Gilmore Girls movie (slim to none), and her new ABC pilot--about an embittered self-help guru--which she says is a much "darker" comedy than Gilmore and features a character who is "deeply flawed." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other pilot news, ABC has ordered a two-hour pilot for mystery Happy Town from writers/executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg (October Road, Life on Mars). Project is said to be in the same vein as Twin Peaks and is "set in the hamlet of Happy Town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime." (Hollywood Reporter)

As expected, NBC has given a pilot order to medical drama Trauma, from writer/executive producer Dario Scardapane, that is said to be a "a high-octane emergency medical procedural that takes place out in the field." Project, from Universal Media Studios and Film 44, will also be executive produced by Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey. (Hollywood Reporter)

Disney has renewed syndicated fantasy drama Legend of the Seeker for a second season on Tribune-owned stations. (Variety)

As anticipated, series 30 Rock and Mad Men, and mini-series John Adams swept the television categories at the SAG Awards last night and House's Hugh Laurie and Brothers & Sisters' Sally Field took home individal awards. (Hollywood Reporter)

Shortly after upgrading Sara Gilbert from recurring to series regular status on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, the former Roseanne star has now been bumped back down to recurring on the comedy series. The reason for the about-face is said to be due to the fact that the series' writers couldn't create enough story for her and Johnny Galecki's Leonard. "They couldn't write for her, so they changed her status to recurring," a source told Michael Ausiello. "It's a little mystifying." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lauren Allen (Dirt, The 4400) will appear in a two-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play the ex-girlfriend of Kevin McKidd's Dr. Owen Hunt. [Editor's note: the story says ER, but they clearly mean Grey's Anatomy.] (Variety)

Executive producer John Wells is writing the series finale for NBC's ER, which is wrapping its run on April 2nd after fifteen seasons. "You want to try and find the essence of the series," said Wells about writing the finale script. "You want to find the thing that people actually identify with in the series and do something that leaves them feeling satisfied for having spent X number of hours of their lives devoted to watching your ongoing narrative." (Los Angeles Times)

CBS has ordered a pilot presentation for Missing You, an unscripted crime series which follows missing persons investigators as they take on various cases each week. Project will be executive produced by Shaun Cassidy, Ned Nalle, and James Bruce. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has signed a deal with American Airlines to provide the carrier with in-flight entertainment. Under the terms of the exclusive two-year deal, NBC Universal will replace CBS and provide American with four 90-minute programs each month beginning March 1st. Content won't be limited to NBC, as the studio will draw from the Peacock as well as Bravo, Sci Fi, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, films from Universal, and programs from NBC News and NBC Sports. (Variety)

Starz is developing a comedy series based on online series Tom and Sam Are Stuck, from creators Tom Saunders and Sam Laybourne, about a man and his uncle from the future who find themselves trapped in the present day when their time machine fails. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Lost" Clues, Barrowman Pens "Torchwood" Comic, Detmer Heads to "Private Practice," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm off in a bit to FOX's panel for the Television Critics Association, but here are a few headlines first.

Torchwood's John Barrowman will collaborate with artist Tommy Lee Edwards on an original comic strip entitled "Captain Jack and the Selkie," which will run in the fourteen issue of the bi-monthly Torchwood magazine. The strip will feature a story in which Jack faces" a deadly threat on a remote Scottish island, where people are disappearing one by one... To his horror, Jack starts to suspect he may know who – or perhaps more specifically what – is responsible." (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen offers some clues to understanding Season Five of Lost, which premieres Wednesday, January 21st, and recommends five previous episodes for essential viewing before the season premiere, including "There's No Place Like Home (Parts 2 & 3)," "Flashes Before Your Eyes," "The Constant," and "Cabin Fever." (Having seen the first two episodes myself, I have to agree.) FYI, you can catch that first recommendation tomorrow night on ABC. (Entertainment Weekly)

Following last week's pick ups for The Line and Time Heals, TNT has ordered ten episodes of drama Men of a Certain Age, which stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula as three 40-something friends who try to come to terms with middle-age. Project, from executive producers Romano, Mike Royce, Rory Rosegarten, and Cary Hoffman, will be produced by TNT Original Prods. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin dos Santos claims that two cast members will be leaving ABC's Ugly Betty at the end of the season, one of whom will be Ashley Jensen, who has asked to be released from her contract on the series. Jensen is not expected to be back as a series regular when Ugly Betty returns for a fourth season this fall. As for the second characters, allegedly it's a newer actor that only recently joined the series. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Amanda Detmer (What About Brian) will join the cast of ABC's Private Practice in a four-episode story arc slated to air in March. Detmer will play one of Addison's patients but their relationship shifts from professional to personal when they form a friendship. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other Grey's Anatomy-related news, Melissa George will leave the series; her final day of shooting on Shonda Rhimes' drama is today. According to the actress, who played the self-mutilating and sexually ambiguous Sadie this season, she is leaving the series on good terms in order to "do something else." However, Michael Ausiello has also learned that the desire for George to exit were mutual, despite her initial deal which had her appearing in 8-11 episodes with an option to become a series regular. "She was very difficult to root for," said one source. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says that the fate of his Golden Globe-winning drama series is "unknowable" due to prolonged contract renegotiations between him, studio Lionsgate Television, and cabler AMC. "I don't know anything about next season," Weiner told Kristin dos Santos, "I don't even know if it's happening." That doesn't sound promising, but AMC is optimistic that Weiner will return for Season Three and it will launch said season this summer. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide talks to Scrubs star Donald Faison about the series' move from NBC to ABC, working with Glynn Turman and Courteney Cox, and playing Turk. (TV Guide)

Michael Ausiello talks with House executive producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore about the Thirteen controversy, Chase and Cameron, and House and Cuddy's relationship. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SAG national executive director Doug Allen is on the way out as the guild's chief negotiator, a move which seems to decrease the likelihood of a SAG strike. (Hollywood Reporter)

Animal Planet announced three new series for 2009: Animal Armageddon, River Monsters, and Beverly Hills Groomer. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Swoosie Kurtz Suits Up for "Heroes," Dunaway Scrubs in for "Grey's," Hilary Duff, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. It's been a busy few days, between the ongoing Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour and the Golden Globes, so let's dive right into today's headlines.

Pushing Daisies might (sadly) be canceled but working relationship between creator Bryan Fuller and former co-star Swoosie Kurtz looks to continue. Kurtz has signed on to appear in at least one episode of Heroes, where she will play Millie, a society friend of Cristine Rose's Angela Petrelli. Kurtz's episode, written by Fuller, is slated to air in April and there is the potential that her character could be recurring next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Amber Benson will guest star on ABC's Private Practice, where she will play a young woman who "in the aftermath of being brutally attacked seeks not just medical care ... but perhaps something more." Benson will appear in the series' 18th episode this season, currently scheduled for mid-March. (TV Guide)

Faye Dunaway is scrubbing in on Grey's Anatomy. Dunaway, who hasn't appeared on the small screen since a 2006 guest appearance on CSI, will appear in at least one episode of the ABC drama, where she will play a renowned doctor at Seattle Grace who "crosses paths with the Chief, Cristina, and Owen." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

BBC America could be airing Torchwood: Children of Earth, the series' truncated five-episode third season, as early as this summer and will be following the same air pattern as BBC One (five episodes over five nights), possibly even airing installments on the very same day they air in the UK. The digital cabler, however, wouldn't say just when the third season would appear--July or August is thought likely, as it is waiting for the Beeb to schedule first. (After Elton)

NBC has handed out a script order for comedy Barely Legal, based on the true story of an 18-year-old who successfully passed the notoriously difficult California bar to become a lawyer. Hilary Duff has been cast as the series' lead, under the terms of her talent deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios. Elisa Bell (Little Black Book) will write the script, which will be executive produced by Rob Morrow. (Hollywood Reporter)

Talk about back from the brink. In an unexpected twist, FOX has renewed comedy 'Til Death--which has been off the air since October--for a fourth season of 22 episodes. The network still has 15 unaired episodes from the Sony Pictures Television-produced series' current third season and the series is missing from FOX's current schedule, although the network could slate back-to-back originals of 'Til Death later this season. (Variety)

Shiri Appleby (Roswell), Kristoffer Polaha (Miss Guided), and Kerr Smith (My Bloody Valentine 3-D) have been cast in the CW's drama pilot Light Years, written by Liz Tigelarr and to be directed by Gary Fleder, about a 16-year-old girl who "tracks down her slacker biological father, bar owner Nick "Baze" Basile (Polaha), and her mother, morning radio host Cate Campbell (Appleby), who haven't spoken since high school when their one-night stand resulted in pregnancy." Smith, meanwhile, will play Cate's boyfriend, her co-host on the radio show. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC will launch culinary competition series Chopping Block on March 4th. Series, which follows couples facing off in the opportunity to own their own restaurant, will air Wednesdays at 8 pm, where it replaces Knight Rider. Look for more info about Chopping Block, Kings, ER, and Police later this week when NBC discusses its midseason plans at the TCA Winter Press Tour. (Futon Critic)

HBO has quietly renewed animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim for a second season and will launch Will Ferrell and Adam McKay-executive produced comedy Eastbound and Down, starring Danny McBride, on February 15th. (Variety)

Fans of HBO's Flight of the Conchords will be able to download new songs from the series' second season from iTunes the morning after each episode airs. The band's next (currently untitled) album, featuring ten songs from the season, as well as five new tracks, will be released on April 14th. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be mulling a return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this summer. The highly successful reality franchise could return this August as a multi-night event strung out over one or two weeks and would likely feature Regis Philbin as a host. (TV Week)

Don't look for Tony Shalhoub to continue playing Monk's Adrian Monk for much longer. "It's a great job, and I work with great people, and I really enjoy doing the character, but I think eight years is enough," said Shalhoub in an interview with the Associated Press. "I think we've kind of explored all the avenues we could possibly cover, and as much as I like the show and working on it, I really do want to think about moving onto whatever the next chapter might be." (Associated Press)

Diablo Cody, creator/executive producer of Showtime's new dark comedy United States of Tara, talks to the New York Times about making the series, which stars Toni Colette as a suburban mom with dissociative identity disorder. “I was nervous at the outset,” said Cody. “The pilot couldn’t be ‘sitcomy’ but, at the same time, it had to be funny. It was a big challenge to find the humor in everyday life and not poke fun at the disorder. And I wanted to be as sensitive as possible.” (New York Times)

Sci Fi has ordered a third season of reality series Destination Truth,which follows Josh Gates as he travels the world in search on unexplained mysteries. Nine episodes of the series, which will track Gates as he investigates bizarre phenomena in Alaska, Florida, Chernobyl, Turkey, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Himalayas, are slated to air this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Doctor Who" Lands Smith and Circles Allen, Wakefield and Seda Declared "Legally Mad," "Royal Pains" at USA, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. While everyone seems to be returning to work today (darn the end of holidays!), I'm still drowning in a pile of screeners and scripts, but c'est la vie.

The big news this weekend, of course, was the announcement that 26-year-old Matt Smith (Ruby in the Smoke) would assume the mantle of the Eleventh Doctor in BBC's Doctor Who, replacing outbound series lead David Tennant, who will depart the series after appearing in four specials in 2009. (Televisionary)

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph has profiled Smith in an in-depth piece which ran today. Among the more interesting points: "Smith comes to the role without Tennant's in-depth knowledge of the series and describes the next six months as a "time to build this Time Lord…to learn the history of the show", which should give his interpretation freshness. His Doctor may also be boyishly mischievous – he spoke with relish of "the sense of mischief" he got when he knew he'd be the Doctor. He also spoke of the show's "magic". Smith is of the Harry Potter generation and so his Doctor Who may be full of the sense of myth and mystery found in the tales of the boy wizard – one quality that Tennant's Doctor maybe lacks." Hmmm.... (The Daily Telegraph)

In other Doctor Who-released news, Lily Allen is once again rumored to be in contention for the role of the Doctor's latest companion. Allen, who made headlines in 2007 when she was linked to the potential role (which was later filled by Catherine Tate), is said to be the "favorite" to take on the part, though Rachel Stevens and Kelly Brook are also under consideration.

However, the singer hasn't actually auditioned for the role. "Having got the casting of The Doctor out of the way, the companion role is where we will be looking next," said Doctor Who executive producer Piers Wenger. "Someone terribly exciting like Billie Piper, who was at the beginning of her acting career but who had a profile for other reasons, would be great. We are looking for someone whose light can burn brightly. We would never cast anyone on the basis of their celebrity, but if Lily wanted to audition we would be delighted. It would be a lot of fun." (Digital Spy)

USA has ordered eleven episodes (in addition to the two-hour pilot) for medical dramedy Royal Pains, starring Mark Feuerstein as an on-call doctor to the Hamptons set. Series is being thought of as a possible timeslot companion for the off-network repeats of House. (Hollywood Reporter)

Michelle Trachtenberg's Georgina is set to return to the CW's Gossip Girl in a multiple-episode story arc during the latter part of the second season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

British actress Charity Wakefield (Sense and Sensibility) and Jon Seda (Homicide) have been cast to star opposite previously announced Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) in David E. Kelley's new NBC legal drama pilot Legally Mad. Wakefield will play the series' lead, Brady Hamm, a twenty-something attorney who is holding together her father's crumbling law firm and is utterly devoted to her batty father. Seda will play Joe Matty, an argumentative attorney prone to picking fights (sometimes physical ones) with everyone. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley will join the cast of CW's Privileged as the editor-in-chief of a magazine where Megan and Will are both vying for a position. His first appearance is set for the second to last episode of this season. (TV Guide)

Bill Lawrence talks about the possible series finale of Scrubs--now on ABC--that's planned for later this season, why it's strange to see promos for the long-ignored series, and the possibility of the series continuing on without him or lead Zach Braff. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

BBC One has acquired Season Two of FX's legal thriller Damages and will launch the sophomore season in February. (BBC)

Speaking of Damages, William Hurt--who joins the legal thriller in its sophomore season, kicking off on Wednesday evening--talks to The New York Times about his decision to do television, working with Glenn Close, whether Daniel Purcell will be sticking around for a third season, and how he wishes that, as an actor, he was a "repertory ensemble guy." (The New York Times)

The Los Angeles Times has criticized Shonda Rhimes' ABC series Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, saying that the former "struggles with implausible plots and diminishing characters" and is now "floundering in its fifth season." They claim that perhaps Rhimes is "stretched too thin" and are quick to note that "[i]n truth, the show lost its mooring two years ago, after Meredith's near-death by drowning, but this season has been dizzying, careening like a pinball from one unlikely plot turn to the next, and the continued degradation of characters who, for years, had been etched with careful precision." (The Los Angeles Times)

Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd takes a look at the ratings showdowns slated for later this season, including ABC's Lost versus FOX's Lie to Me versus CBS' Criminal Minds. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Daily Telegraph has a fantastic interview with Gavin & Stacey co-creator/star James Corden about what 2009 holds for him. Of the much beloved series, Corden says that the charm comes from "finding the extraordinary in the ordinary." I couldn't agree more. (The Daily Telegraph)

SAG national executive director Doug Allen has justified a strike in the latest letter sent to members on Friday, in which he argues that a strike authorization is justified even in times of economic crisis. “There is no good time to consider a strike,” said Allen. “Strikes are called only when management’s bargaining positions are intolerable and then only by a vote of the elected actors on the national board, if authorized by a membership referendum. But, tough economic times are when it is most necessary to be unified to resist the studios and networks effort to obliterate contract provisions in our future work.” (Variety)

Marla Sokoloff, Marion Ross, and Christina Pickles will star in wedding-themed telepic Flower Girl for Hallmark Channel. The telepic, written by Marjorie Sweeney and directed by Bradford May, will air in late 2009. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Graham Lands ABC Comedy, Whedon Admits He Would Have Put "Dollhouse" on Fridays Too, Shenkman Checks into Seattle Grace, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Former Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham is returning to television. ABC has given a put pilot commitment to an untitled comedy about a self-help guru (Graham) who teaches other women how to live a stress-free life but can't follow her own teachings when she's dumped by her boyfriend. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, Hagada Hey, and Tantamount, is written by Alex Herchlag (Will & Grace) and will be executive produced by Herschlag, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, and Mitch Hurwitz. (Variety)

Joss Whedon says that a Friday night timeslot is "a better fit" for his upcoming FOX drama Dollhouse, which has been plagued with bad buzz ahead of its February debut, but admits that Dollhouse wouldn't likely attract huge numbers in its launch. "They’re bringing down expectations regarding how big of an audience they think it will bring in the beginning," said Whedon of FOX executives, "and then as the show progresses. They need to do that." Still, Whedon says that fans will still find the series. "If I were an executive, I would have put it on Friday too, honestly, and not as a dig," he said. "The people who want this will find it, and hopefully more will as well. Fox is aware that TV just doesn’t exist the same way. People watch it online, on DVD, on their TiVos. It’s not the end of the world, but of course everyone's been predicting the end of the world for Dollhouse since it was announced." (Los Angeles Times)

FOX is said to be thisclose to ordering space-set workplace comedy Boldly Going Nowhere--from the creators of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia--and musical dramedy Glee (from Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy) to series. At least that's the word coming out of the FOX screenings, during which execs will view four pilots including Boldly, Glee, Emancipation of Ernesto, and Virtuality. The first two received additional script orders so can go into production relatively quickly; Glee is being viewed as a potential lead-out of American Idol and execs are said to be very high on Boldly as well. Ernesto is not expected to go forward and Virtuality may be reworked as a more mainstream drama series. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ben Shenkman (Angels in America) will guest star in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy later this season. He'll play the husband of Jennifer Westfeldt's patient character, but both husband and wife will be, uh, guests at Seattle Grace, with Shenkman's character said to be in "critical" condition. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other medical drama news, Shannon Woodward (The Riches) has been cast in a recurring role on NBC's ER, where she will play the estranged younger sister of Linda Cardellini's Sam who turns up in Chicago with some shocking news: she wants Sam to look after their ailing mother... the same mother who threw a then-pregnant Sam out. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Dawson's Creek's Mary Beth Peil will guest star in a January episode of FOX's Fringe, where she will play Jessica Warren, the mother of that young lab assistant who was killed in an explosion in Walter Bishop's lab over 20 years ago. When Jessica learns that Walter has been released from the mental hospital, she crosses paths with Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson). (TV Guide)

Frustrated by those Golden Globe nominations? You're not the only one, as the Los Angeles Times takes a look at all of the series--from Lost to The Wire--that were unjustly left off of the ballot this year. (Los Angeles Times' The Envelope)

Oxygen has ordered eight episodes of docusoap Addicted to Beauty, following the clients and staff of a California medi-spa, from RDF USA that will launch early next year. The cabler also announced that it is developing four new reality projects including Hogs & Heifers, The Girls, The Naughty Kitchen, and Lady and the Champ. (Hollywood Reporter)

Syndicated medical talkshow The Doctors has been ordered for a second season. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Cliffhanger-Less Ending for "Pushing Daisies," Brooke Smith on "Grey's" Firing, Sonya Walger is the Constant for "Flash Forward"

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Pushing Daisies fans can at least look forward to one thing: closure. The series finale was said to contain a cliffhanger ending for our girl Chuck but no more, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who learned that Bryan Fuller and Co. were able to tack on a different opening and ending to the episode in post. "We're doing a lot of work in post to shape it so that it is satisfying for the audience," said Fuller. Ausiello also reports that there are rumors swirling that ABC may burn off the final three episodes in a single night. I don't know about you but I'm already missing Daisies. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looks like she's always the constant: Lost's Sonya Walger has been cast as the female lead in ABC's drama pilot Flash Forward. She'll play Olivia, the wife of newly sober FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), who is troubled by the vision she has of her future, one in which she shares her life with another man. Also joining the cast: Christine Woods (Welcome to the Captain) who will play computer-savvy FBI agent Janis Hawk, who unearths a vitally important clue about the worldwide blackouts. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fired Grey's Anatomy staffer Brooke Smith says she has "no hard feelings" about her recent dismissal from the ABC drama last month and is currently writing a pilot script with Deadwood creator David Milch. "There's no hard feelings," said Smith. "I have other projects now, so it is what it is." (US Magazine)

A new batch of Battlestar Galactica webisodes entitled "The Face of the Enemy" kicks off this Friday at 9 am PT. After that, the nine remaining installments will roll out each Monday and Wednesday through January 12th... just in time for the launch of Season 4.5 of Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi on January 16th. As for the plot? "'The Face of the Enemy' follows the gripping action and suspense inside a stranded Raptor carrying a group of passengers including Lieutenant Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) and a Number 8 Cylon (Grace Park). When passengers suddenly start dying one by one in alarming ways, fear, panic and chaos erupt within the confines of the small ship, as they come to realize there is a killer among them. Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh) and Brad Dryborough (Lieutenant Hoshi) also star."

Could ABC Studios and ABC be the next corporate merger, following NBC's recent reorganization of a joint studio-network content team? ABC Studios head Mark Pedowitz's contract is said to expire in February and rumors are swirling that the Alphabet might be ripe for reorganization. Possible plan could involve merging development teams (as they did at NBC and Universal Media Studios) and shifting oversight of both the network and studio to Steve McPherson. One should note that there was a time when the two units were combined and they were only separated when McPherson left ABC Studios to run ABC Entertainment. (Variety, TV Week)

Speaking of the recent NBC announcements, panelists at yesterday's HRTS luncheon were quick to twist the knife while speaking of the upcoming changes at the Peacock. "I think it's wonderful that NBC has completed its transformation into AM radio," said James Duff, creator of TNT's The Closer. Chuck Lorre wondered if there were in fact four major networks anymore. Ouch. (Variety)

Brenda Walsh won't be getting killed off anytime soon on CW's 90210. At least, according to series star Shenae Grimes. “They’re not killing off her character,” said Grimes of Shannen Doherty's Brenda. Dustin Milligan, for his part, agreed. “I don’t think the CW would wanna kill anybody,” said Milligan. “[Brenda’s] definitely not going like that." (E! Online)

Laurence Fishburne talks about joining the cast of CBS' CSI, beginning tomorrow. Fishburne's character, criminal pathologist Dr. Raymond Langston, will be replacing William Petersen's Gil Grissom on the series. Petersen is set to depart the series on January 15th. "I'm not fooling myself -- I am filling the shoes of a man who is irreplaceable," said Fishburne. "Once I recognized that, then I knew exactly what my responsibility was. My purpose is to serve the show. That's one of the most important things to remember. This is not about me. This is about the audience. What's really wonderful is that the writing team has managed to introduce my character while also giving Grissom a beautiful send-off. The way he exits the series is very smart." (Los Angeles Times)

Martha Plimpton (ER), Kiele Sanchez (Lost), Eddie Shin (Gilmore Girls), Nate Torrence (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), and Dreama Walker (Gossip Girl) have joined the cast of Showtime's comedy pilot The End of Steve. Project stars Matthew Perry (Friends) as a self-involved local talk show host who finds himself on the road to redemption. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Gives Primetime Timeslot to Jay Leno, Scandal du Jour at "Grey's Anatomy," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

The news that everyone is talking about since yesterday afternoon is that NBC has handed over its 10 pm timeslot Mondays through Thursdays to Jay Leno, beginning Fall 2009. This has been rumored for the last few months but I don't think even NBC was prepared to make it fact until the recent economic (and ratings) downturn of recent times. First, it solves two issues: keeping Leno--who is losing his 11:35 timeslot to Conan O'Brien (while Jimmy Fallon will take over his old digs)--at NBC and thus out of the grabs of rival networks such as ABC and FOX; and allows the Peacock to continue programming the 10 pm hour instead of handing it back to the local affiliates. (Something, believe it or not, that was also widely discussed.) (Variety)

Which means that scripted television has just taken another hard-to-handle blow. If NBC goes ahead with its plans for a Leno talk/variety series at 10 pm weeknights and has Sunday Night Football and repeats on Saturday, that leaves just ten hours of programming remaining. Given NBC's propensity for reality franchises (Biggest Loser, Apprentice), expect to see even less comedy and drama at NBC next season.

Granted, NBC hasn't had a lot of success with its 10 pm series lately; one need only look at the floundering series My Own Worst Enemy and Lipstick Jungle for examples, while ER closes its doors this season and Law & Order: SVU represents really the only shot at success in the timeslot.

Does this decision make sense financially? You bet it does: NBC will be able to save a hell of a lot of coin producing a Leno-based "live" series than it would a scripted drama in that hour. But it does smart, just a little. Jeff Zucker claims that they aren't "retrenching" or "throwing in the towel" but it does seem like they are giving up on scripted programming five hours a week. And that makes me sad.

Other networks have said they are not looking to make schedule cutbacks at this time and one unnamed insider said that NBC's logic could be perceived as "counterproductive" because "it's like the automakers shutting down plants: It saves some money short-term, but it also prevents an opportunity to make any." (Hollywood Reporter)

And NBC also made headlines yesterday afternoon for its massive corporate restructuring, which saw the layoffs of drama EVP Katie O'Connell, UMS comedy head Erin Gough Wehrenberg, UMS drama head Elisa Roth, programming EVP Ted Frank, and casting veteran Marc Hirschfeld, among many others. Layoffs come on the heels of the announcement Friday that Teri Weinberg, Katherine Pope, and Craig Plestis would exit. NBC Universal will instead launch a new merged network/studio arrangement, to be overseen by Angela Bromstad, recalled from her London-based position for NBC Universal International. Bromstad will now serve as president of primetime for NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios while former BBC Worldwide executive Paul Telegdy will oversee alternative programming for NBC and Universal Media Studios. (Variety)

Rumors are swirling that Grey's Anatomy's T.R. Knight has quit the ABC drama series. However an ABC publicist attempted to put the lid on such allegations by telling TV Guide that "T.R. has never walked off set in the middle of filming. He attended the table read [on Monday] and will be shooting this week, like any other week of production." Hmmm. (TV Guide)

UPDATE: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello says that "multiple sources" have confirmed to him that T.R. Knight has been asked to be cut loose from his contract and that Shonda Rhimes and the ABC executives are willing to fulfill his request, according to one source. ("They're working out the details now.") (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC will attempt to counter-program NBC's Super Bowl with a football-themed special episode of reality competition series Wipeout to air during the halftime concert by Bruce Springstein. Immediately following the Super Bowl telecast, ABC will air another special episode of Wipeout, in which cheerleaders compete against male "couch potato" sports fans, opposite NBC's hour-long The Office event. Strategy represents one of the most ambitious Super Bowl Sunday plans to date. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bravo has renewed unscripted series Flipping Out and Million Dollar Listing for third seasons. Also on tap for 2009: new seasons of The Rachel Zoe Project and Tabatha's Salon Takeover. (Variety)

Lauren London (Entourage) has been cast as bisexual cheerleader Christina Worthy on CW's 90210; she was seen in the November 18th episode attempting to flirt with Dixon (Tristan Wilds) but we'll soon learn that Christina has a girlfriend when the series returns on January 6th. (TV Guide)

TBS has ordered a pilot presentation for Frat House, a late night series from Bunim-Murray that will follow three comedians--Bret Ernest (Weeds), Theo Von (America's Prom Queen), and Bert Kreischer (Reality Bites Back)--as they push a group of guys at an impasse in their lives back into the simpler days of frat life. (Hollywood Reporter)

David E. Kelley is said to be "satisfied" with the series finale of his five-season-long drama Boston Legal, which wrapped up last night. However, he did have some parting words for ABC. "ABC didn't want us back," said Kelley. "It's as simple as that. They didn't even want us back for this year at all. We had to fight to get back on with 13. It's not a product they care to market." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Talpa and Endemol have dissolved their joint venture, under which Endemol had exclusive right to distribute Talpa's formats, by "mutual consent." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Bryan Fuller Heads to Universal, More Hamm for "30 Rock," Stoltz Stalks Halls of Seattle Grace, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm still behind on telly so I haven't seen the latest episode of Dirty Sexy Money yet...

That sound you hear? It would be the final nail in the coffin for Pushing Daisies... Daisies creator Bryan Fuller has signed a two-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios, under which he will rejoin the staff of NBC's Heroes and develop new series projects for the studio. Fuller, who is completing post-production on WBTV's Daisies, will rejoin Heroes starting with episode 320 though it is unknown what his official position will be, other than that he will be working closely alongside showrunner/executive producer Tim Kring. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other Pushing Daisies news, Kristin Chenoweth has joined the cast of FOX's animated midseason comedy Sit Down, Shut Up, where she will replace Maria Bamford as Florida high school science teacher Miracle Grohe, opposite Arrested Development's Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler, Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, Tom Kenny, Cheri Oteri, and Nick Kroll. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

More info on Mad Men's John Hamm joining the cast of NBC's 3o Rock, first reported back in October, has emerged. Hamm will play a new love interest for Tina Fey's Liz Lemon, a doctor who lives in her NYC apartment, and could return for future installments. "I just finished a couple of episodes," said Hamm, "and I'll go back in the new year and do another one of those, and then we'll see what happens." (Associated Press)

Eric Stoltz, who will star in Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica, will guest star in a three-episode story arc of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where he will play a serial killer "in need of immediate medical attention" whose story "takes a surprising turn around the second episode [and] will raise a myriad of thorny ethical questions for McDreamy and Co." Also cast in a multiple-episode story arc: Jessica Capshaw (The Practice) who will scrub in as pediatric surgeon Arizona Roberts. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has unveiled their midseason schedule, which includes a super-sized episode of The Office in the post-Super Bowl timeslot, a reduced episode count for Knight Rider, and that 3-D episode of Chuck. (Televisionary)

Showtime has renewed comedy series Californication for a third season of twelve episodes, which will debut later in 2009. The series, currently down 16 percent from its freshman season, will begin production on Season Three this spring. (Variety)

Fred Thompson will guest star on a February sweeps episode of ABC's Life on Mars, where he will play the NYPD chief of detectives. Producers are also said to be casting the role of the daughter of Gene Hunt, described as "mid-30s, beautiful, confident, and be willing to work long hours alongside Harvey Keitel." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Courteney Cox guest stars in the January 6th launch of Scrubs on ABC, where she will play the uber-friendly new chief of medicine. (TV Week)

Bravo has ordered a second season of unscripted series The Rachel Zoe Project and is expected to launch Season Two in mid-2009. (Los Angeles Times)

Miranda Richardson, Christopher Evan Welch (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and Lauren Hodges (My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) will star in AMC's untitled political thriller pilot about an analyst at a national think tank who discovers that his employers aren't what they appear to be and uncovers evidence of a secret society that influences world political events. Project, from Warner Horizon, comes from writer/executive producer Jason Horwitch (Medical Investigation), director Allen Coulter (Damages), and executive producer Josh Maurer. Richardson will play the widow of a billionaire who leaves her a cryptic message when he dies mysteriously; Welch will play an arrogant analyst at the think tank and Hodges will play the youngest analyst on the team. (Hollywood Reporter)

Laura Breckenridge (Related) will appear in at least three episodes of the CW's Gossip Girl as Rachel Carr, a new (and very young) English teacher at Constance Billard, who finds herself mistaken for a student and quickly finds herself sparring with Blair. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

BBC has commissioned an eighth season of Spooks (a.k.a. MI-5), to air in 2009. (BBC)

An Echolls Family Christmas, anyone? TV Land has ordered a pilot presentation for an untitled reality series that will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of acting couple Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin (who appeared together as a married couple on Veronica Mars) and their two daughters. Project, executive produced by Jason Carbone, could air as early as 2009 if ordered to series. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

While there's not much television-related news today (this being a national holiday and all), I did want to just share a few tidbits that are floating out there.

Ari Graynor (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on FOX's Fringe, where she will play the younger sister of Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) in at least three episodes. Graynor's first appearance is scheduled for early January and she will turn up unannounced in Boston at Olivia's flat with her young daughter in tow, supposedly looking for some place to crash after man troubles. Could it be that Little Sis has an ulterior motive? Hmmm. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

James Hibberd talks to The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller about the hit CBS freshman procedural drama. Among the topics under discussion: where the idea for The Mentalist came from, when to expect a resolution to the Red John storyline (hint: the series finale), and the danger in turning Jane into too much of a superhero. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be focus group-testing that romance between Grey's Anatomy's Izzie and her dead boyfriend Denny. However, the good news, according to EW is that "Rhimes hasn’t given up on girl-on-girl love, as bisexual Callie is about to start canoodling with new intern Sadie (Melissa George). McSteamy (Eric Dane) may end up doing the dirty with little Grey, Lexie, played by Chyler Leigh (anything’s better than watching her pine over the oblivious George), and fan favorite Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) will show up for a special crossover episode with Private Practice in February. The bad news is that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is slated to appear at least through February." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Tyler Perry has settled his contract dispute with the WGA and writers on his TBS series House of Payne. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Six Heads to "Chuck," Tyra Heads to CW, "Crusoe" Heads to Saturdays, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I had a fantastically relaxing weekend, filled with some holiday-related events and a lovely private screening of the new film Slumdog Millionaire in my own living room. Good times.

Battlestar Galactica fans, hold on your hats. BSG's slinky seductress Six, a.k.a. Tricia Helfer, has signed on to guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's Chuck, where she will play Special Agent Alex Forrest, a sexy-yet-by-the-book agent who is assigned to guard the Intersect after General Beckman becomes concerned about Sarah's feelings for Chuck. Look for Casey to fall for Alex's charms... and perhaps Chuck himself. Helfer is slated to appear in the 18th episode of the season, scheduled for next spring.

Also appearing this season on Chuck: Jonathan Cake (Six Degrees), who has signed on for a multiple-episode story arc as a "Gerard Butler-esqe British MI6 agent by the name of Cole Barker" who quickly finds himself drawn to Sarah. (Who wouldn't be?) And look for Sports Illustrated cover girl Brooklyn Decker to turn up in Episode 215 as a possible Buy More recruit being interviewed by Jeff and Lester. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

John Simm (Life on Mars) has stated emphatically that he will NOT be taking over from David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who. (Damn it.) "I'm The Master," Simm told The Times. "Simple as that. I don't want to be [the Doctor]. I might be the Master again... I'm not allowed to say." Simm was definitely one of my top contenders in my list of possible replacements for Tennant but I'm hoping at least that he'll turn up again as the Master. (Digital Spy)

NBC has announced that it will move international co-production Crusoe, which has been sinking (heh) in the ratings since it was launched, to television Siberia, namely Saturday evenings. Crusoe, which is being moved so that the Peacock can use its current Friday night timeslot for Lipstick Jungle, will move to Saturdays beginning December 5th. Lipstick Jungle has four remaining episodes that have been scheduled for December 5th and 12th and January 2nd and 9th. (Variety)

Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) is joining the cast of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play a patient at Seattle Grace in a multiple-episode story arc. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC is now considering pairing its acquired comedy Scrubs with freshman comedy Better Off Ted on Tuesdays in the 9 pm hour. Better Off Ted, which stars Jay Harrington and Portia De Rossi, could debut as early as January... or be held until February or March. (TV Week)

Following the federal mediator's abandonment of efforts to bring SAG and the AMPTP together, SAG has announced its intent to seek a strike authorization from its members. A 75% approval vote is necessary to authorize a work stoppage. "SAG is bizarrely asking its members to bail out the failed negotiating strategy with a strike vote - at a time of historic economic crisis," said the AMPTP in a statement. "The tone deafness of SAG is stunning." I can only hope that the two sides can resolve their contract differences without resorting to a walk-out which would only further damage the already weakened television and film industry. (Variety)

NBC.com will offer an extended "producer's cut" version of last week's episode of The Office beginning tomorrow. This online-exclusive will offer additional scenes and footage not seen in Thursday's telecast. (Hollywood Reporter)

Los Angeles Times' How I Made It profiles Universal Media Studios topper Katherine Pope, whose contract expires in June. Pope, who had a hand in developing such NBC series as Heroes and Friday Night Lights, said, "This isn't an easy job, but I absolutely love the work. And I'm not finished doing it." (Los Angeles Times)

In other NBC news, the Peacock is said to be developing a series with self-help guru Tony Robbins and has handed out a pilot presentation order for a reality series that is said to be a "transformational-style show in the same vein as NBC’s hit The Biggest Loser.” Producers are currently looking to cast contestants who have had their lives derailed by tragedy and can't recover or who are "paralyzed by fears or anger." (TV Week)

Californication's Pamela Adlon talks about her career as both a live-action actress and a voice actor (Adlon is the voice of Bobby and others on King of the Hill), her "husky" voice, and Lucky Louie. (New York Times)

Josh Cooke (Big Day) has been cast opposite Katee Sackhoff and Brian Dennehy in drama pilot Lost & Found; he'll play Max, a psychiatrist friend of Tessa's (Sackhoff) who had a crush on her when they were in school together. The pilot will be directed by Michael Engler (Privileged). Elsewhere, Jessica St. Clair (Worst Week) will star in ABC's midseason comedy series In the Motherhood, where she will play the younger sister of Cheryl Hines' character, who lets her children run wild. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC has opted not to commission another series of archeological drama Bonekickers, which aired six episodes earlier this year and lost nearly half of its viewers by the end of its run. "Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have decided to concentrate on new projects," said a BBC spokesperson. (C21)

Tyra Banks' talk show will move to the CW for a fifth season next fall after concluding its current fourth season through syndication. Moving The Tyra Banks Show to the netlet will allow for more "cohesive marketing spin across the net's affils as well as cross-promo with Top Model." (Variety)

Endemol has signed a two-year overall deal with unscripted producer R. Greg Johnson, a former MTV executive who developed The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica. Under the deal, he will create and executive produce new unscripted series. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E has ordered reality series Steven Seagal: Lawman, which will follow the former action star as a fully commissioned deputy in the Jefferson Parish County Sheriff's Office in New Orleans and as a musician and philanthropist. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Rashida Jones Joins Untitled Greg Daniels Comedy, Heaton Heads to "The Middle," No Brain Tumor for Izzie, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm still a little tired after staying up to watch Fringe last night after attending the Los Angeles premiere of Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. (Verdict? A good film but not a great one.)

NBC has confirmed a long-standing rumor and announced that Rashida Jones (The Office) has been cast in the untitled Amy Poehler workplace comedy project from Greg Daniels and Michael Schur that isn't a spin-off to The Office. Jones will play Ann Logan, a nurse whose boyfriend has suffered a strange injury that leads her to the characters played by Poehler and Aziz Ansari. Do they work in a specialized medical clinic? A psychiatrist's office? Witch doctor's emporium? That remains to be seen but I am happy that Jones and Poehler will appear together in this project. I've missed Jones, especially since her last Office visit. The series is expected to be ready by late spring but may not launch until next fall. (Variety)

Izzie will NOT have a brain tumor on Grey's Anatomy. So says series creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes. "I think the love triangle with Denny, Izzie, and Alex is among the most interesting we've ever done," said Rhimes. "Watching the chemistry between Jeffrey and Katherine again has been really touching. I can't wait for our viewers to see where we're taking it. But what it won't involve is Izzie having a brain tumor." So then what the hell is going on between Izzie and the dead Denny then? Hmmm. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has given out a pilot order for family comedy The Middle, to star Patricia Heaton (Back to You). Project, to be directed by Julie Anne Robinson (Weeds) and written by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler, was previously produced as a pilot in 2006-07 with Ricki Lake in Heaton's role and was resurrected by ABC and Warner Bros. TV when they received a pilot order contingent on Heaton's attachment. Personally, I quite liked the script (about a mother dealing with her unruly flock in Middle America) back in 2006 and am interested to see what they do with it this time around. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV is in talks to resurrect reality franchise Beauty and the Geek for a new six-episode season that is being called Beauty and the Geek: Celebrity, in which the titular geeks would be paired with celebrity hotties. Under the potential deal, MTV would also retain the option for additional cycles of the series. (TV Week)

Want more scoop on what's coming up next on Pushing Daisies, including that aforementioned crossover with Bryan Fuller's Wonderfalls? Head over to Sci Fi Wire, which has details about the "Comfort Food" episode which will feature guest star Beth Grant's May Ann Marie Beetle character from Wonderfalls, as well as several other upcoming episodes. (Sci Fi Wire)

Brooke Shields is attempting to save Lipstick Jungle from cancellation following an onslaught of lipstick delivery by fans to the network. "NBC is now flooded with lipstick,” said Shields. “Women are in uproar over this… they’ve tried to kill us before and we have refused to die. If we were meant to be off the air, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we have. Everything that could possibly go wrong with a show has happened with us.” (The Daily Beast)

FX is developing drama AR2, from Prison Break creator/executive producer Paul Scheuring, executive producer Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), and fox21 that is described by Scheuring as "Les Miserables in modern America." Plot follows a group of Michigan college students who set off a second American Revolution (hence the title) and how the military and police deal with their revolt. "It looks into what happens on both sides of the conflict and how that affects the personal lives of all involved," said Scheuring. (Hollywood Reporter)

Laura Linney will take over as host of PBS' Masterpiece Classic, succeeding Gillian Anderson. Linney's first on-screen appearance is set for January 4th when Masterpiece Classic will kick off a new season that includes Tess of the d'Ubervilles, Wuthering Heights, and The Incomplete Charles Dickens. (Variety)

The New York Times has an update on the increasingly complex legal situation surrounding the next season of Project Runway, which will likely not air until late spring. (New York Times)

Sean Combs will guest star in a two-episode arc of CBS' CSI: Miami, where he will play a prosecutor who bristles against David Caruso's Horatio Crane. His episodes are slated to air sometime this winter. (Associated Press)

Ed Begley Jr., Tyne Daly, Linda Emond, and Henry Simmons will star opposite Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in Lifetime biopic Georgia O'Keeffe, from Sony Pictures TV and director Bob Balaban. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere in TV Movie Land, Hallmark Channel has filled out the casts for two its upcoming telepics. Peter Strauss, Jonathan Silverman, DeDee Pfeiffer, Linsey Godfrey, and Nolan Gerard Funk will star in The Wilderness Family, about a family that inherits a cabin in the woods and faces some distinct challenges. Angie Dickinson and Laura Leighton will star in The View From Here, about a journalist who returns to her hometown to visit her ill mother and uncovers a plot against the town's inhabitants. Both are expected to air in late 2009. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Brenda DeathWatch on "90210," HBO Tackles Sam Kinison, John Noble, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm still laughing about last night's unintentionally hilarious episode of Gossip Girl, which in true Thanksgiving spirit, featured seemingly mortal enemies being polite to one another and everyone refusing to acknowledge the pink elephant in the room: namely Little J's ghastly "makeover." (Shudder.)

Are the producers of CW's 90210 update going to do the unthinkable and kill off toothy Brenda Walsh? Fans are in an uproar about a possible rumor that Brenda (Shannen Doherty) will contract a terminal illness on her latest batch of 90210 episodes and, well, die. While some are livid about the potential storyline, Jason Priestley seemed open to the possibility of Brenda dying on-screen. "This is all news to me, but this is fantastic," Priestly told Access Hollywood. "That is going to be awesome. No they haven't given me anything yet. I don't even know if the episode is written yet, but I love all those rumors. That is juicy stuff." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Unhappy people watch more TV than people who describe themselves as "happy," according to a new report from the University of Maryland. Hmmm, I watch quite a lot of television and consider myself to be a pretty happy person. Do you agree with these findings? (Reuters)

Showtime is developing an untitled comedy series with executive producers Seth Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg (Superbad) about three twenty-something friends who navigate life and friendship while running an adult store. Rogen and Goldberg's assistant Matthew Bass will write the script and co-executive produce the project. (Variety)

Janina Gavankar (The L Word) has departed Grey's Anatomy after just two episodes. Gavankar played intern Lisa; insiders say that she was disappointed with how small her role ended up being on the ensemble drama and did not receive any guarantee that her character would get more screen time in the future. She's also allegedly circling a larger role in USA drama pilot White Collar with Matthew Bomer, Tim DeKay, and Tiffani Thiessen. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Mad Men's Patrick Fischler will guest star in an episode of Lost when the series returns in January. No word on who the former Jimmy Barrett will be playing but I have to say that I hope it's in a vintage Dharma video because Fischler is so damn perfect as a period cut-up. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

NBC is developing a buddy comedy series based on Nick Adams' book "Making Friends with Black People," which will focus on race relations in America vis-a-vis the friendship of two men--one African-American, the other white--who don't always agree on their viewpoints. The timing of the script order seems to captialize on the election of America's first African-American president; project will be written and executive produced by Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends) and Salim Akil (The Game). (Variety)

Sci Fi Wire has a new Q&A with John Noble, who plays the deliciously zany Walter Bishop on FOX's Fringe. Look for Walter and Peter's relationship to deepen over the next few episodes, Walter to support Olivia in a paternal manner, and for some added shades of vulnerability when Walter returns to the mental hospital in tonight's episode. (Sci Fi Wire)

Sarah Baron Cohen's Bruno character disrupting shooting on an episode of NBC's Medium recently when he continually interrupted a courtroom scene featuring Patricia Arquette and was escorted from the set by security. Whether or not the altercation was in fact captured on tape remains to be seen. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO is developing a biopic about the life and death of comedian Sam Kinison to star Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury). Directed by Tom Shadyac, the biopic will be based on memoir "Brother Sam: the Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison," by Bill Kinison and Steve Delsohn. As for who will write the telepic, look no further than American Splendor writer/directors Shari Spring Berman and Robert Pulcini. (Variety)

Fremantle is in talks to acquire production company Original Prods., founded by Thom Beers, which produces such reality staples as Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, and Axemen, among others. Fremantle previously picked up international distribution rights to several of Original's series in August and this deal, said to be in the just under $100 million range, would expand Beers' relationship with the distributor. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: CBS Hands Out Full Season Orders, "Medium" Gets Super-Sized, "Grey's Anatomy," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I hope everyone remembered to tune in to HBO's Ricky Gervais: Out of England special on Saturday, which was absolutely hysterical (if not, it repeats about a zillion times throughout the week) and to a rather odd and dream-like episode of Skins last night and another brilliant episode of Summer Heights High.

CBS has given a seven-episode pickup to freshman comedy Gary Unmarried, bumping its season total to a surprising twenty episode order, and also ordered two additional scripts beyond that. Additionally, the Eye also gave some good news to the producers of comedy Worst Week, giving the comedy an additional three episode order, despite sagging ratings. (Variety)

Over at NBC, Medium (which returns to the lineup in January) received a six episode pickup. The news comes as NBC is in desperate need of some schedule hole-filling, with the recent cancellations of My Own Worst Enemy and Lipstick Jungle. Medium was originally intended to air a shortened thirteen-episode season but those aforementioned needs have upped the ante for the Peacock, which might decide to air Medium in the timeslot soon to be vacated by My Own Worst Enemy. (Variety)

Hoping Denny will hang out at Seattle Grace despite being, well, dead? You're in luck as Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be sticking around on Grey's Anatomy for the foreseeable future, appearing in at least five episodes as Izzie's poor dead lover in what could either be an homage to Truly Madly Deeply or a sign that Izzie is developing that oft-discussed brain tumor. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has is developing an untitled workplace comedy pilot that is set in the world of magic from executive producers Dave Baram, Jason Verone, Adam Shulman, and Criss Angel. Chris Moynihan (Foster Hall) has been hired to write the project script, which is based on Angel's experiences as a magician. Universal Media Studios will produce. Moynihan also has another comedy script set up at NBC entitled 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne, about a woman trying to find her way in Manhattan with each episode beginning at a dating service where Charlotte is asked a question about herself. That project comes from Tagline Pictures, UMS, and executive producers Kelly Kulchak and Ron West. (Variety)

John Simm, who memorably played The Master in Season Three of Doctor Who, could turn up again on the sci-fi series. "I'm not, by the way, ruling out a return to Doctor Who in the future," said Simm, after explaining his performance's impact on his seven-year-old son's social life. "It's too exciting a show to be a part of for me to do that." (Digital Spy)

Joan Cusack is co-creating an untitled NBC comedy set in the world of psychiatry that will be written and executive produced by John Markus (The Larry Sanders Show). Project, based on an original idea of Cusack's, is from Universal Media Studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

USA has ordered an eighth and final season of dramedy Monk, with 16 episodes scheduled to air next summer. (Variety)

Michael Ausiello teases some facts about Reiko Aylesworth's character Amy on Season Five of Lost, kicking off in January. "There's definitely some conflict with the suitors," said Aylesworth about the mysterious Amy. Just what that means is deliberately vague. "Obviously, we want that to be a surprise," said executive producer Carlton Cuse. "Let's just say her role will be emotional." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO and writer Joan Didion are developing a telepic based on the life of Washington Post doyenne Katharine Graham, who lead the newspaper during its Watergate investigation that brought down the Nixon administration. Laura Linney is said to be extremely interested in playing Graham. (Variety)

Brian Dennehy (Righteous Kill) will star opposite Donnie Wahlberg in TNT drama pilot Bunker Hill, where he will play mob boss-turned-flower shop owner Martin Kelsey. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other casting news, Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married) and Todd Stashwick (The Riches) have joined the cast of CBS comedy pilot The Kareskys, opposite Sasha Alexander (NCIS). Zickel will play Emily's biology professor husband while Stashwick will play Emily's brother Little Max, who runs their father's butcher shops and has seven children with his wife (Tinsley Grimes). (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered reality competition series Superstar Dancers of the World, which will follow professional dancers from eight countries as the compete head to head. Former Lord of the Dance himself, Michael Flatley, will host the series, which comes from executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment. (Variety)

Oxygen's Kirsten Connolly Vadas is in talks to join the staff of the CW as the SVP of alternative programming, replacing Jennifer Bresnan who departed the netlet in August for a position at CBS. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC Might Shift "Mars" and "Practice," Quinlan Locks Down "Prison Break," BBC Drama in Jeopardy, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. While I watched this week's episode of Chuck yet again (and fell in love with it all over again), I couldn't help shake the feeling that last night's episode of Gossip Girl was absolutely beyond ludicrous. Anyone else agree?

ABC is allegedly making some changes to its midseason schedule, with Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice shifting to Thursdays at 10 pm, where it will air right behind Grey's. Meanwhile, the current timeslot holder, Life on Mars, will move to Wednesdays at 10 pm, where it will receive a hell of a lead-in from Lost. The Alphabet didn't comment on the leaked schedule, which it has yet to announce. Can we see ABC launching a Wednesday night around Pushing Daisies, Lost, and Life on Mars... or does this once again signal a death knell for Daisies? (Hollywood Reporter)

Samaire Armstrong's Juliet Darling WILL be returning to ABC's Dirty Sexy Money after all. (Come on, I wasn't the only one who didn't believe producers when they said she wasn't off the series altogether!) Armstrong will return for a special Thanksgiving episode that will air on November 26th that finds chauffeur Clark offering his take on the Darlings' many scandals, including Juliet's year-long globe-spanning love affair with Kai. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Kathleen Quinlan (Made of Honor) has been cast in at least four episodes on FOX's Prison Break, where she will recur as a "mysterious woman who has ties to the Company and a surprising connection to Michael." Quinlan's first appearance is slated to air on the series' December 22nd fall finale. Could Quinlan's character be the basis for FOX's long-delayed Prison Break spin-off Cherry Hill? Hmmm... (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Lifetime has ordered seven additional episodes of freshman comedy series Rita Rocks, bringing this season's total episodic count to 22 episodes.

Rita Rocks is perhaps some much-needed positive news for indie shingle Media Rights Capital, which has bombed with its scripted offerings this season, courtesy of the CW's Sunday night lineup. (Variety)

Departing BBC drama head Jane Tranter, who commissioned such hits as Doctor Who and Life on Mars, warned that BBC drama budgets were at their "breaking point" and that UK production was in grave danger from cost-cutting initiatives. "There's really not much more we can cut without endangering not just the quality of the work, but also the quality of the lives of the people who work on these things," said Tranter, who will become EVP of programming and production at BBC Worldwide this January. (Hollywood Reporter)

USA Today's Robert Bianco offers up three suggestions on how to improve US networks' ailing schedules, including: create more, import less; get serious about comedy; and develop on your time, not ours. I have to say I agree. (USA Today)

Tracy Pollan (Law & Order: SVU), a.k.a. Mrs. Michael J. Fox, has been cast in a three-episode story arc on Season Five of NBC's Medium, slated to launch in January. Pollan will play Caitlyn, a "corporate intuitionist who befriends Arquette's Allison and attempts to bring her to the corporation she works for because of her gift. " (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hills' Heidi Spencer and Spencer Pratt will guest star on a January episode of CBS' How I Met Your Mother, where they will play themselves (naturally) when they taunt Marshall from the cover of a tabloid as he searches for a "quiet place." (TV Guide)

Colm Feore (24) has been cast in Canadian drama The Listener, which will air in the US on NBC. (Elsewhere, it will air on CTV in Canada and on Fox International Channels.) He'll play the mentor of a young parametic (Craig Olejnik) who uses his telepathic gifts to help the people he heals. (Hollywood Reporter)

Whoopi Goldberg has signed a development deal with Discovery Emerging Networks, under which she will develop series for Investigation Discovery and Science Channel with her Whoop Inc. partner Tom Leonardis, one of which is guaranteed to be ordered to series. (Variety)

Cabler AMC has named Charlie Collier as president; Collier has been EVP/general manager since 2006 and has overseen the cabler's expansion into original programming via Broken Trail, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Addison Returns to Seattle Grace, Ricky Gervais Considers "Office" Drop-in, "Knight Rider" Gets Retooled, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I hope you all tuned in to the launch of HBO's new comedy series Summer Heights High; I've already seen the series several times but tuned in once again (it's just that funny) and also caught upon Skins (how cute was Chris' drawing of him and Jal?) and The Amazing Race.

Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery will return to Seattle Grace... at least as part of a multiple-episode crossover story between Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice that's scheduled to air during February sweeps. (TV Guide)

FOX has delayed the start of animated comedy The Cleveland Show, a spinoff of Family Guy, until next fall. But the network has also ordered an additional nine episodes for Cleveland, bring its episodic total to a full 22 for the 2009-10 season. If that weren't enough Cleveland-centric news, Arianna Huffington has been added to the cast. (Variety)

Less than four months after premiering, NBC's Knight Rider is already undergoing some major retooling, beginning with its tenth episode, scheduled to air in January. Among the changes to the series, look for original cast members Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Yancey Arias, and Bruce Davison to depart; the troika's options were not picked up beyond the original 13-episode order and the series will focus instead on the five core characters (Mike, Sarah, Billy, Zoe, and KITT). "It's a reboot," said executive producer/showrunner Gary Scott Thompson. "We're moving away from the terrorist-of-the-week formula and closer to the original, making it a show about a man and his car going out and helping more regular people, everymen." (Hollywood Reporter)

Ricky Gervais said he would like to appear in the American version of The Office and has suggested that he play Extras' struggling actor Andy Millman. (TV Guide)

Showtime and BBC are developing a contemporary retelling of Camelot with Michael Hirst and Morgan O'Sullivan (The Tudors) writing an executive producing Camelot with Douglas Rae. Showtime and BBC are co-financing the development of the scripts and, should the project be ordered to series, it would be produced by Eccose Films and Octagon Filmes. (Variety)

ABC has announced the return of Lost. Season Five will kick off on Wednesday, January 21st in a special three-hour event, with Lost premiering in its new official timeslot of 9 pm ET/PT the following week. (Televisionary)

Tori Spelling will reprise her role as gossip columnist/liquefying villain Linda Lake on CW's Smallville and is said to be in "preliminary talks" to reprise her role as Donna Martin on 90210. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Michael Rapaport (Prison Break) has signed a development deal with CBS under which he will develop, star in, and produce an untitled drama project for the network. Said project, to be written by Bryan Goluboff (Basketball Diaries) and executive produced by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico, follows the lives of NYC social workers. Sony Pictures Television and CBS Paramount Network Television are behind the project. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tiffani Thiessen (Beverly Hills 90210) has been cast in USA's drama pilot White Collar opposite Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay; she'll play Debbie, the "intelligent and supportive" wife of the head of FBI's white collar crime unit (DeKay) who works as an accountant. Elsewhere, Matthew Marsden (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) has been cast as the lead in Spike's two-hour backdoor pilot Madso's War from MGM; project follows the Irish mob in Boston; Marsden will play a thief with links to Boston racketeers who tries to leave the game when two of his men are murdered, only to realize that he's next on a hit list. Also cast: Kevin Chapman (Brotherhood). (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide talks to Jordana Brewster, who joins the cast of Chuck beginning tonight in a multiple-episode story arc where she plays iconic character Jill, Chuck's Stanford girlfriend who broke his heart. (TV Guide)

NBC has ordered a full season of crime procedural Life, bumping the sophomore series to a full 22 episode order. (Televisionary)

TV Land has ordered six episodes of hidden-camera reality series Make My Day, based on a successful British Channel 4 format that is being executive produced by Michael Davies (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) and Sony Pictures Television. Series follows people who are unknowingly put through a series of strange surprises and coincidences set up by their family and friends. Series is set to launch in 2009. (Variety)

FX has opted not to renew unscripted series 30 Days from executive producer Morgan Spurlock. The series, the last remaining reality title on the cabler, wrapped its third and final season this July. (Broadcasting & Cable)

FremantleMedia has signed a deal with Spike for the worldwide financing, marketing, and distribution of three upcoming series, including Jesse James Is a Dead Man, Deadliest Warrior, and Surviving Disaster, all set to launch in 2009. (Variety)

Stay tuned.