Channel Surfing: Eddie Cibrian Flies to "CSI: Miami," Feuerstein Talks "Royal Pains," Daniel Eric Gold Bumped to Regular on "Ugly Betty," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Eddie Cibrian (The Starter Wife) has joined the cast of CBS' CSI: Miami as a series regular next season, where he will play a Hollywood police officer that joins the team in Miami. Cibrian most recently appeared in CBS drama pilot Washington Field, which was not picked up to series by the network. Meanwhile, the series' producers confirmed that Adam Rodriguez will be returning next season. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin caught up with Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein to find out just what the USA drama has in store for Hank, Jill, and Evan, among other things. "You can expect moments of happiness interspersed with tempestuous fights that are filled with the sexual tension that we have, which leads to either our complete and total demise or our hot and heavy desire to continue that is challenged by lots of different circumstances," said Feuerstein. As for Hank and Evan's relationship, he said that upcoming episodes will reveal "that our father lost a lot of his money in the stock market. That our father has kind of abandoned us. You find out something about our mother—it has to do with her health and her getting sick. That has something to do with why I became a doctor. And the fact that our father has been kind of sketchy with money has something to do with our different opinions about money and the rich and the whole life in the Hamptons that we're now living." And what's this about a possible cross-over with Burn Notice? (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ugly Betty's Daniel Eric Gold will be bumped to a series regular next season. However, Ausiello writes, "Don't take that to mean Matt and Betty will reunite and live happily ever after. In fact, I hear Betty producers are already cooking up a fresh obstacle for the pair, and rumor has it they want him to be lovable and blue collarish." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Fox 21 has signed a one-year overall deal with Vertigo Entertainment with an option for a second year, under which the shingle will develop both scripted and unscripted programming for the 20th Century Fox Television division. Vertigo previously had an overall deal with Lionsgate Television, for which it developed several properties at ABC, HBO, and Lifetime. (Variety)

Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) will direct FX dramedy pilot Terriers, written/executive produced by Ted Griffin and executive produced by Shawn Ryan. Filming on the one-hour pilot begins in August. (Twitter)

CBS announced their fall primetime launches yesterday, rolling out the majority of its new and returning series during the traditional premiere week. Survivor: Samoa will get a jump on the season with a launch date of Thursday September 17th at 8 pm. How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Accidentally on Purpose will all launch on September 21st. NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Good Wife launch on September 22nd; The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: New York all launch the following night on September 23rd; CSI and The Mentalist take off on September 24th; Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS all launch on September 25th; two-hour premiere of The Amazing Race launches on September 27th with Cold Case; Three Rivers will launch on October 4th. (via press release)

British network ITV have commissioned a second season of thirteen episodes of Law & Order: UK, which is expected to return next year. Series stars Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber, and Freema Agyeman will all return for Season Two, which will film later this year. "This new commission brings our total order to 26 episodes which demonstrates our commitment to series that have concepts and storylines that can run long term," said ITV director of drama Laura Mackie. "Audiences clearly loved the first series which featured the cream of British acting talent with gripping 'torn from the headlines' storylines and this will again be at the heart of the new series." ITV also confirmed it had ordered four more episodes of Lewis, which will be shot next month. (The Guardian)

G4 is making history by broadcasting the first ever Comic-Con panel on television, presenting the Star Wars panel as a taped two-hour special entitled "The Star Wars Spectacular" that will include unseen footage and a Clone Wars table read, hosted by Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira. The special will air roughly a day after the live panel, with a telecast set for July 25th at 2 pm. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: CBS Cans "Unit," "Eleventh," "Without a Trace," CW Orders "Melrose," "Vampire Diaries," "Beautiful Life," NBC Axes "Earl," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

CBS has opted to cancel dramas The Unit, Without a Trace, and Eleventh Hour and will renew dramas Cold Case and NUMB3RS and comedies The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried. (Hollywood Reporter)

CW has ordered three new drama series for next season, giving the greenlight to Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries, and The Beautiful Life, while Privileged, Reaper, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Game have all been officially cancelled. Meanwhile, the CW has announced that it will not go ahead with the planned spin-off of Gossip Girl but has indicated that drama Life Unexpected remains in contention for a midseason order. The network will unveil its schedule to advertisers tomorrow. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

After NBC's cancellation of comedy series My Name is Earl, producers on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series are said to be shopping it elsewhere, including to FOX and ABC. Series co-star Ethan Suplee has started a Save Our Show campaign on Twitter and urges fans of Earl to spread the word. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC Entertainment Group president Steve McPherson has defended the network's decision to move dramedy Ugly Betty to Friday nights, saying that it's not a sign that Betty is on her way to the grave. "I love the show [and] America [Ferrera] is one of our biggest stars," said McPherson. "[But] you look at [Betty's declining ratings on] Thursday night and we think we have a big opportunity with Flash Forward. You have to make some bold moves sometimes. To me, I'd love to see [Betty] have a great run on Friday night the way Ghost Whisperer has [for CBS]." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, My Name is Earl creator Greg Garcia lashed out at NBC, which announced that it was not bringing Earl back next season. "It’s hard to be too upset about being thrown off the Titanic," said Garcia, who said he intends to shop the series to other networks. "They woke me up at 7:30 to let me know. I e-mailed Jeff Zucker [president and chief executive of NBC Universal] on Sunday, and I never got a response. But this is show business. The writing was on the wall. When you go to bed the night before the schedule is out, and no one has spoken to you, you know what’s happening. You get somewhat frustrated with how it’s being handled, but that’s the business we work in. I’ve never fooled myself that it’s a fair or friendly business." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Richard Coyle (Coupling) will be recast on CBS' new series Miami Trauma. (Futon Critic via Twitter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talked with Privileged creator Rina Mimoun about the CW's decision not to bring back the series for a second season. "It's truly heartbreaking," Mimoun told Ausiello via e-mail. "I'm so grateful to everyone out there who supported our little show and fell in love with Megan Smith. She was the most delightful character I've ever had the pleasure to write and watching JoAnna Garcia bring her to life every day was a gift I will never forget. I'm incredibly proud of the work we did and forever indebted to all the fans, critics and to Warner Bros. for being so wonderful and supportive. I will miss this more than you know." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

A&E will launch Season Two of drama The Closer, starring Benjamin Bratt, on June 23rd. Guest stars for the upcoming series include Christine Lahti, Whoopi Goldberg, and Lori Petty. (via press release)

Nickelodeon has given a pilot order for a series based on DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens feature film. Also on tap for DreamWorks Animation: a Shrek Halloween special entitled Scared Shrekless and a Kung Fu Panda holiday special. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lindelof on "Lost" Finale, Olyphant Not Leaving "Damages," "Southland" Cast Feeling Positive About Renewal, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Just shortly after the airing of Lost's 100th episode, The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff recalls a recent interview with showrunner Damon Lindelof about he and the writing staff are preparing for the end of Lost in May 2010. "I think one of our biggest concerns is reaching the climax of the story too soon – you have to time it right, you have to walk that line between giving a steady supply of story and character pathos and mysteries being answered along the way, so that the audience doesn’t feel like it all comes in one big chunk," said Lindelof. "But then if you do it too soon, they kind of feel like, 'I got everything that I cared about halfway through the season, so why am I still watching?' And it’s terrifying. Finally, we’re going to do it. There’s no excuses, we don’t get to say, 'We didn’t get to end the show on our own terms. They kept us on the air three years longer than we wanted to be. Blah blah blah.' It’s like Galactica, you have to say, 'Here it is, do you like it? I hope you like it.' There’s a lot of second-guessing going on. I think the show will end exactly as it began. There’ll be people who love it, there’ll be people who hate it. There’ll be people who’ll be confused by it, there’ll be people who love being confused. It’ll end on its own terms." (New York Times' ArtsBeat)

Despite landing the lead role in an FX drama pilot, Timothy Olyphant won't be leaving the cast of FX's Damages, says series co-creator Todd Kessler. "We had a fantastic time working with him, and he’s expressed interest in wanting to come back," said Kessler. "And that pilot that he’s in is actually for FX and for the same studio that does our show, Sony, so it couldn’t be more conducive to bringing him back for our season as well." Later, Kessler also added that, while they hope that Olyphant's pilot gets ordered to series, they would love him to return for Season Three of Damages, should the scheduling work out. (Business Insider)

The cast of NBC's new drama series Southland are certain that they'll be getting renewed for next season. "We are feeling positive," said Southland's Regina King. "We're getting really great feedback. The reviews have been good, but it's not the reviews that make us feel confident. It's the fact that all of us have had at least nine or 10 instances each where we've been in the grocery store or the car wash and someone has been like, ‘Oh my God, I love that show!' "(E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Signs meanwhile are looking promising for a potential third season order for NBC's Chuck and a second season renewal for Parks and Recreation, while ABC is gearing up to order sci-fi series Flash Forward, for which the network launched a viral campaign this week during Lost. NBC is also said to be high on dramas Parenthood, Trauma, and Mercy while Legally Mad and Lost & Found received mixed responses but could still be in the mix. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Ugly Betty showrunner Silvio Horta about what to expect next season on the ABC drama, Justin's sexuality, Betty's braces, and Ashley Jensen's departure from the series. Of the latter, Horta said, "It was mutual. She's amazing. From the get-go, we found some really good stories for her, but we never found enough to service her character the way we wanted to and the way she wanted to. She wanted to do more, but it was [difficult] with a large ensemble like this to give her more. I hope in the future she'll come back. She's an important part of the show. [...] Next week's episode will [set things in motion] with Wilhelmina's baby – or her supposed baby – and it's going to lead to a lot of complications." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick will guest star in the upcoming third season of Showtime comedy Californication, where he will play Balt, a vampire lit-obsessed student of Hank Moody (David Duchovny). He's slated to appear in the season's second episode. (TVGuide.com)

HBO will launch new comedy series Hung, which stars Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, Jane Adams, Charlie Saxton, and Eddie Jemison, on June 28th at 10 pm ET/PT behind the Season Two premiere of drama True Blood. (Futon Critic)

Disney Channel has ordered a third season of The Wizards of Waverly Place, starring Selena Gomez, and has announced an original Wizards telpic, following the Russo clan as they go on a vacation to the Caribbean resort where their parents met, set to debut in August. (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime drama series Dexter won't return until the fall but Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to executive producer Sara Colleton about what to expect for Season Four. "This season, we're going to deal with: Can a serial killer juggle a personal life, work, and his 'dark passenger'?" said Colleton. "In other words, can Dexter have it all? Which is something all of us grapple with every day of our lives. So we're taking something that is a very human dilemma and putting it through the prism of Dexter's special needs." Ausiello has more specific detail about what to expect for Season Four, but beware: it's very spoilery. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Mark Burnett Prods. has acquired international remake rights for Starz comedy Head Case, marking the first time that the company has attempted to sell a scripted series format outside of the US. (Variety)

NBC Universal executive Nora O'Brien died unexpectedly on the set of NBC pilot Parenthood on Wednesday evening after complaining of dizziness and then collapsing. "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of our beloved colleague Nora, who was respected and cherished by so many people in the entertainment community," said NBC Universal in a statement. "She'll truly be missed by all of us." [Those of you who knew Nora knew her warm and generosity. She'll definitely be missed.] (Hollywood Reporter)

ITV has denied reports in The Sun that it had canceled sci-fi series Primeval, which launches its third season Stateside on May 16th on BBC America. "It's not true - it's not going to be axed," said an ITV spokesperson. "It just hasn't been recommissioned and it is not unusual to wait for a series to run before considering recommission." (Digital Spy)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has offered up a cheat sheet for the statuses of all new and returning series on broadcast networks. Take a quick look at the list, organized by network, to see which of your favorite series are tipped to return, guaranteed a renewal, or guaranteed a swift cancellation. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Evan Rachel Wood Bites into "True Blood," Mary-Louise Parker Not Leaving "Weeds," "Lost" 100th Episode to "Flash Forward," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) has been cast on HBO's True Blood, where she will guest star in two episodes as Sophie-Anne, a 500-year-old French vampire who is the Queen of Louisiana. Woods will turn up towards the end of Season Two, which kicks off on June 14th, but is expected to reprise her role should True Blood be renewed for a third season. Her character, Sophie-Anne, is described as "who is charming, wily, ruthless and wise. She's a consummate diplomat who has (or had) many of history's most famous people on speed dial." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Nancy Botwin may have left Agrestic behind but Weeds' Mary-Louise Parker isn't going anywhere. "No. That's not true," said series creator Jenji Kohan when asked whether Parker would leave Weeds now that Jennifer Jason Leigh had been cast in the series. Leigh's character will appear in just a handful of episodes in Weeds' upcoming season. "Right now we've written two that she's in, but as we write, we'll see where she fits in and if she wants to come back and play," said Kohan. "She's doing a movie, so her schedule is kind of crazy right now. It's a great piece of guest casting. We love having Jennifer here; we'd love her to do as many as she wants to do, but by no means does it edge out Mary-Louise." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC hasn't yet ordered sci-fi pilot Flash Forward, starring Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, and a host of others, but the network will be giving viewers of Lost's upcoming 100th episode, set to air next week, a sneak peak at the project via a "stealth promo campaign" that will actually be spots for Flash Forward, "part of an elaborate marketing campaign for the drama, which has not been officially picked up to series but is quietly being positioned on ABC's schedule for next season." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has acquired thirteen episodes of Canadian co-production Copper, a cop drama from studio E1 Entertainment. Series, which revolves around five rookie cops, will be executive produced by Ilana Frank, Tassie Cameron (Flashpoint), John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern. Series will air on Canwest Global in Canada. (Variety)

Elsewhere at the Alphabet, ABC has announced that it will return game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Regis Philbin, for a special eleven-night run to celebrate its tenth anniversary, beginning Sunday, August 9th. (via press release)

Chuck creator Josh Schwartz is still hoping that the series' rabidly loyal fanbase can keep the series afloat for another season. Speaking at NAB, Schwartz said that he "had a good meeting with NBC about Chuck's future, but he would not speculate on whether the show would survive" and pointed to some fan-based efforts such as continually mentioning Chuck on Twitter and organizing an effort to buy Subway sandwiches on Monday (the sandwich chain was recently featured on the series). Of the latter, Schwartz said, "It shows a real sophistication on the part of the viewer." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Christopher Gorham (Harper's Island) will reprise his role as Henry on ABC's Ugly Betty in the May 21st episode, which marks a two-hour season finale for Betty. Gorham's Henry will run into Betty while with his new girlfriend Chloe (Gossip Girl's Dream Walker) and they end up on a double date with Betty and her new boyfriend Matt (Daniel Eric Gold). "As Henry and Betty reconnect, it could potentially threaten her relationship with Matt," Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Chris has always been, and will always be, part of the Ugly Betty family." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC is expected to announce that it has cut back on the episodic order for Heroes next season, with aims to produce only 18-20 episodes rather than 25 installments, as the series did this current season. The network is also expected to run those episodes closely together and try to avoid interruptions in the storyline. [Editor: look for the timeslot to be most likely filled during the series' hiatus by Jesse Alexander's sci fi project Day One.] (Advertising Age)

Comedy Central has given a pilot presentation order to an untitled half-hour sketch comedy starring blue-collar comedian Ron White. Project, executive produced by White, Eddie Feldmann, John MacDonald, Michael Pelmont, Brian Volkweiss, and Barry Katz, will feature White as he shares stories from the heartland of America. (Hollywood Reporter)

VH1 has renewed Celebrity Rehab for a third season and has handed out an eight-episode series order for Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew, in which the titular Dr. Drew tackles everyday people's sex compulsions and its "destructive effect on those who suffer from it." Also on tap at the cabler: Gotti's Way 2 and New York Goes to Work, both of which will launch May 4th. (Variety)

Style has given an eight-episode series order to docusoap Mothers and Daughters of Dallas, which will follow four mother/daughter socialites in Texas as they strive to maintain their position in society. Project, from executive producers Allison Grodner, Peter Tartaglia, Sarah Weidman, and Merah Chung, will launch this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Spike has renewed 1000 Ways to Die, which will return with thirteen episodes, and MANswers, which got a ten episode pickup, while the cabler has also ordered a 1000 Ways to Die spin-off entitled 1000 Ways to Lie. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Dethrones "Kings" Until June, Team Darlton Talks "Lost," ABC Circles "Old Christine," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

NBC has pulled freshman drama Kings from its schedule, effective immediately. The drama was originally set to air on Thursday evenings but the Peacock shifted it to Sundays, where it aired four low-rated episodes before being pushed to the graveyard on Saturday nights. NBC has once again managed to surprise, this time by pulling Kings from its lineup altogether, although the network has pledged to return Kings to the schedule on June 13th, when it will begin to burn off the remainder of the series' unaired installments on Saturday nights at 8 pm. In the meantime, NBC will air repeats of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Southland, and Law & Order on Saturdays. (Hollywood Reporter)

Variety's Season Pass has a brand-new Q&A with Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse as they look back at the five seasons that have gone by and the final season yet to come. "I think our hope is that looking back on the entire run of the show, that people remember the EXPERIENCE of watching it — what it actually felt like to be mystified and frustrated and surprised — as opposed to just where it landed storywise," said Lindelof. "When all is said and done, we’ll have consumed six years of our fans’ lives and our greatest wish is that they look back on that time and feel that it was all worth it. As far as whether we’ll want to revisit Lost 20 years from now, the answer is probably no… though it would be pretty cool to see what someone else might come up with!" Team Darlton also talks about the death of Mr. Eko, an aborted Sawyer plotline with Joelen Blalock, and which works of literature have most directly influenced them. (Variety's Season Pass)

ABC is making eyes at Old Christine. The Alphabet has made it clear that they are looking to pickup comedy series Old Christine once again, should CBS opt not to renew the Warner Bros. Television-produced series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who claims that unnamed sources close to production have told him that "WB execs are engaged in active discussions with ABC about picking up the four-year-old comedy, which once again finds itself on the dreaded bubble at CBS." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, ABC has pulled struggling comedies Samantha Who? and In the Motherhood from its schedule much sooner than anticipated. Both were slated to air one final episode this Thursday evening but ABC has opted instead to pull both series and instead and air a repeat of Grey's Anatomy in the 8 pm ET/PT hour. It's not expected that ABC will renew In the Motherhood, but Samantha Who? is said to have decent chances of returning next season. (Variety)

Lifetime will debut the long-delayed sixth season of reality competition series Project Runway on Thursday, August 20th at 10 pm ET/PT, followed by half-hour behind-the-scenes spin-off Models of the Runway at 11 pm. The network also announced launch dates for new scripted dramedy Drop Dead Diva on July 12th and the third season of Army Wives on June 7th. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The Washington Post talks to former Wire star Idris Elba--currently appearing in a multiple-episode story arc on NBC's The Office--about his career as an actor and DJ/musical artist, The Wire's Stringer Bell, working on The Office, and being a sex symbol. Of the latter, Elba said, "It's weird because, you know, I've been just the ordinary chap for 30 odd years and suddenly, I'm going into this [situation]: "Oh my God, all the ladies love you!" And I'm like, "Huh? Me? It doesn't make any sense!" I didn't grow up like some sort of sex symbol. It does make a gentleman walk with a stride in his step, believe me." (Washington Post)

ABC's Ugly Betty has locked The View hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar for guest roles on the May 21st episode, in which Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) appears on The View to "discuss his management of Mode magazine (because that always happens), but instead becomes the target of their daily 'Hot Topics' segment." (The episode will also, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, feature Rachel Dratch in a guest role as a Mode staffer.) (TVGuide.com)

Elsewhere, Embeth Davidtz (In Treatment) has been cast in a ten-episode story arc on Season Three of Showtime's Californication, where she will play the wife of Peter Gallagher's character, the dean at the college where David Duchovny works. And Alicia Witt (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will also guest star on Californication as a gyneocologist whom Duchovny's Hank falls for, while Michael Weston (House) will guest star on an upcoming episode of USA's Burn Notice, where he will play a mentally unbalanced MIT grad who uncovers a scheme to sell the names of undercover spies. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Food Network has ordered three new primetime series, including Chefs vs. City, in which chefs Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez face off against local foodies in various cities each week, which launches in July; Extreme Cuisine With Jeff Corwin, which launches in September, and Worst Cooks in America, which follows chefs Anne Burrell and Beau MacMillan as each train six woeful home cooks and attempt to transform them into top chefs in ten days' time. The latter is slated to launch in January 2010. Also on tap for next year: mini-series Foods That Changed the World, hosted by Alton Brown, which will debut in third quarter 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

FTVS has signed a first look deal with Initial A's Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Andrew Loo and Zinc Media's Zach Sherman in an effort to jointly develop new English-language programming for FTVS that could be produced in Southeast Asia and then sold back into the US and globally, much like the studio is doing with such drama series as Mental, Persons Unknown, and Defying Gravity. (Variety)

A federal judge has denied disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's request to travel to Costa Rica in order to participate in NBC's upcoming reality series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, refusing to loosen Blagojevich's travel restrictions. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Whedon Says Bell Has Not Tolled for "Dollhouse," Messing Returns to NBC, Jenny Bicks Finds "Love" for HBO, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks to Joss Whedon about Dollhouse's chances for a second season in a massive new Q&A. "I assumed it was dead in the water because the network was refusing to air the thirteenth [episode]," Whedon told Ryan about Dollhouse. "Not refusing, but just not interested. I assumed that meant the bell tolled for us. And they made a point of calling and saying, 'That is not what it means, and we'll keep you posted. I think they want it to succeed. I think they're getting it. They need it to succeed enough for them to pay for it. So I'm oddly hopeful but I'm also ready for anything." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

NBC is in talks to pick up an untitled comedy project that will star former Will & Grace lead Debra Messing, who last appeared in the USA series The Starter Wife. The comedy project, written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott (Will & Grace), has received a script commitment from NBC as well as an episodic guarantee for Messing, who will also executive produce. Messing will star as a laid-off CEO who struggles to adapt to life as a full-time wife and mother as her husband becomes the family's sole breadwinner. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) will write the pilot script for Modern Love, a single-camera half-hour HBO comedy pilot that's loosely based on The New York Times' Modern Love column. Pilot, from BermanBraun and Sony Pictures Television, will revolve around the male editor of the column and his personal life, including "a messy divorce, a strained relationship with his teenage daughter and a difficult return to the world of dating." Alan Poul (Six Feet Under) is attached to direct. "It's going to look at the question of what love and relationships mean in modern terms," said Bicks. (Variety)

DirecTV has acquired off-network rerun rights to HBO dramas Oz and Deadwood, which it will air on its Channel 101 beginning Sunday, May 31st. The channel will air all 36 episodes of Deadwood Sunday nights at 9 pm, followed by all 56 episodes of Oz, which will air at 10 pm. Episodes will be uncensored and unedited and will run without commercial interruption. (Variety)

Ugly Betty will be returning to ABC's schedule a little sooner than expected, with the dramedy slated now to return a week earlier on April 30th, while comedies In the Motherhood and Samantha Who? will now take their leave a week earlier as well. No word on what this means for the fate of either series but it doesn't look particularly promising. (Variety)

Sky 1, the flagship channel of UK paycaster BSkyB, has seized the firstrun UK rights to medical drama House after outbidding rival Five for the NBC Universal series. “We have taken this difficult decision for commercial and scheduling reasons,” said a Five spokesman. “The continuing popularity of our long-running acquired series such as the CSI franchise and NCIS, plus the tremendous performance of our hit acquisition, The Mentalist, means it has been very difficult to find a suitable slot for the next (season) of House." Sky 1 plans to launch the fifth season of House this summer. (Variety)

Bravo is developing an untitled docusoap set inside Santa Monica retailer Fred Segal and will "focus on the oft-stressed and competitive sales team as they cater to well-do-do customers who demand the latest in clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty products." Project, from Target Entertainment, will be executive produced by Jenny Daly and Gunnar Wetterberg. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! has given a series order to Kourtney and Khloe in Miami, an unscripted spin-off of the cabler's own Keeping Up with the Kardashians that will follow the two sisters as they attempt to launch a boutique in Miami and deal with staff. The cabler also ordered eight episodes of The Lamas Family, a docusoap following Lorenzo Lamas and his adult children, which will be produced by Mike Fleiss and Warner Horizon. (Variety)

Stuart Margolin, Ona Grauer, Theresa Joy, and Toby Proctor have been cast in CBS/CTV drama series The Bridge, opposite BSG's Aaron Douglas. Project, a co-production between the two broadcasters, is expected to air later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

In a surprising move, Robin Schwartz has resigned as president of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network after less than a year. The network won't replace Schwartz but will instead have creative affairs SVP Nina Wass and programming SVP Maria Grasso report directly to CEO Christina Norman. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Showtime Renews "Tudors" One Last Time, No Cougar But Kim Bauer Returns to "24," "True Blood," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Showtime has renewed period drama The Tudors for a fourth and final season. The series, which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as England's King Henry VIII, will air ten episodes--all penned by series creator Michael Hirst--in spring 2010. (Variety)

24 executive producer Howard Gordon talks to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider about the return of Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) to the FOX series. "Kim has been easily targeted and lampooned by fans, so we had to do it very carefully," said Gordon of Cuthbert's return. "Elisha was as sensitive to this as we were." Gordon, meanwhile, offers a few tidbits about the reason behind her return and about her relationship with Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin was on hand last night at the Paley Festival's panel for HBO's True Blood and has some answers about the Sookie/Bill/Eric love triangle and what to expect for Season Two of the vampire drama, set to return in June. About what to expect for Anna Paquin's Sookie, executive producer Alan Ball said: "She spends the first half of the season focusing on vampires and vampire politics in Dallas, as sort of a favor to Eric, and she spends the last half of the season cleaning up the mess that some new supernatural creatures have created in her town—and she is pissed. She is not going to take it anymore." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Pilot casting alert: Diane Farr has signed on to star opposite Peter Krause in NBC comedy pilot Parenthood, where she will play the wife of Krause's character. Meanwhile, Better Off Ted's Andrea Anders has landed one of the female leads on CBS comedy pilot Big D (pilot is in second position to ABC's Better Off Ted, which has yet to be renewed); Jill Clayburgh (Dirty Sexy Money) and Henry Winkler (Arrested Development) have been cast in NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot; Joanna Garcia (Privileged) will guest star on two comedy pilots: NBC's untitled Justin Adler pilot and FOX comedy pilot Cop House (it's worth noting that both roles were originally intended to be regulars); and Lyndsy Fonseca (Desperate Housewives) and Faith Ford (Carpoolers) will star in CBS comedy pilot The Fish Tank. (Hollywood Reporter)

Josh Gad (Back to You), most recently seen on Starz's Party Down, has signed on to star in two comedy pilots and will also act as a guest correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. He has joined the cast of CBS comeyd pilot Waiting to Die, where he he will play the best friend to T.J. Miller and Nick Thune's characters who is far to eager to please his wife. Gad has also signed on in a recurring capacity in the ABC comedy pilot No Heroics (a US remake of the British series of the same name), where he will play Horce Force, a superhero and former classmate of the gang at Superhero College who has the ability to summon horses at will. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sundance Channel announced several new series, including half-hour docuseries Be Good Johnny Weir, following U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir from Endemol/Original Media, and The Day Before, which looks at the lives of fashion models during the 36 hours before a runway show from Story Box Press and Deralf. The cabler also renewed Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... for a second season and announced that it had acquired two seasons of Aussie comedy Chandon Pictures. (Variety)

Bravo has ordered fashion competition series Launch My Line (formerly known as Celebrity Sew Off), which pits celebrities against one another as they attempt to launch their own clothing lines with the help of a fashion expert, and Jackie's Gym Takeover, a Kitchen Nightmares-style series from Shed Media that will follow Jackie Warner (Work Out) as she uses her experience to help struggling gyms. The cabler is also readying The Fashion Show, launching May 7th, and Top Chef Masters, which will launch June 10th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello reports that 90210 star Dustin Milligan, who will be written out of the series at the end of the season, was conspicuously absent from Saturday evening's Paley Festival event. "I'm going to miss him terribly," said 90210 star Shenae Grimes. "He is an amazing guy and an amazing actor. We would bounce ideas off each other and we could be straight up with each other. We could be like, 'Chill with the mouth thing.' It was nice to have that on-set camaraderie. But we will keep in touch." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Singer Adele will guest star as herself in an upcoming episode of ABC's Ugly Betty, slated to air in May. The episode finds Betty, Marc, and Matt supervising a photo shoot for a YETI assignment that improbably becomes a wedding. (TV Guide)

HBO Films has optioned Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's upcoming book "Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime," about the 2008 presidential race. Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond) will adapt the book, which is due to be published next year. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Rosenbaum and D'Agosto Experience Sibling Rivalry, ABC Announces Season Finale Sched, Moore Talks End of "Battlestar," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Former Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum and Heroes' Nick D'Agosto will star in NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot, where they'll play brothers in the Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount project; D'Agosto will play the family's youngest sibling who brings his girlfriend home to meet his family while Rosenbaum will play the middle sibling, a married man freaking out over his adopted baby.

Elsewhere, Noah Gray-Cabey (Heroes), Oded Fehr (Sleeper Cell), Kyle Riabko (Instant Star), and Jessy Schram (Life) will star in ABC musical drama pilot Limelight, about the teachers and students of a performing arts institute; Sam Neill (The Tudors) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot Happy Town; and Rochelle Aytes (Drive) will star opposite Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) in ABC's untitled Jerry Bruckheimer drama pilot, about a team of amateur detectives, where she will play a police officer who slips cases to Penry Jones' team. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has announced that they are developing A Ribbon of Dreams, about the history of the Hollywood film industry, with writer/director/executive producer David Chase, creator of The Sopranos. (Televisionary)

Henry Rollins will guest star in a six-episode story arc on Season Two of FX drama Sons of Anarchy, where he will play a new antagonist for the fictional town of Charming, California. (Televisionary)

ABC has announced season finale dates for most of its series, with Scrubs to air an hour-long finale on May 6th (likely the series' last) and According to Jim on May 5th. Meanwhile, Lost will wrap up its fifth season on May 14th with a two-hour season finale; Grey's Anatomy will air a two-hour season finale on May 14th; Desperate Housewives will air a two-hour installment on May 17th; Brothers & Sisters will wrap on May 10th; Private Practice is set to end its season on April 30th; In the Motherhood and Samantha Who? will both air season finales on April 30th. Ugly Betty is set to return to the schedule on May 7th and end its season on May 21st. Freshman series Better Off Ted will wrap on April 29th, Castle on May 11th, and Cupid on May 12th, while midseason offerings Surviving Suburbia and The Unusuals haven't had end dates announced yet. On the reality side, Dancing with the Stars will wrap with a two-hour finale on May 19th, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on May 17th, Wife Swap and Supernanny on May 1st, and America's Funniest Home Videos will end its season with a two-hour episode on May 15th. (Variety)

SCI FI Wire spoke to Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ronald D. Moore about the upcoming series finale, slated to air on Friday. "I was ready to let it go creatively," said Moore of the decision to end the series after the fourth season. "I knew that the show had entered the endgame, and I knew that we were in the third act. It was time to wrap up the story. I wasn't emotionally ready to let it go, and I'm still not. It was a very important experience for me. I love it. I loved working on it. I loved the people I got to know. I loved the end product. I liked watching the show. I was a fan of the show. So it's hard to know that there's not more Galactica coming. But as a producer and as a writer, I'm very happy that we got to end it on our own terms." (SCI FI Wire)

Runaway production is once again on the forefront of everyone's minds. This year, at least 20 of the 39 hour-long broadcast network pilots slated to shoot this season will be produced outside of California, due to stringent new rules governing incentives for new television series in the State of California, which limit tax credits to basic cable series with less than $1 million in episodic budgets. (Variety)

Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) will host the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, which will air life from the Gibson Ampitheatre in Universal City on May 31st. It marks his first time hosting the awards ceremony. (Hollywood Reporter)

Oxygen is said to be close to ordering reality series The Naughty Kitchen, featuring Dallas chef Blythe Beck and her employees at her restaurant, from Code Entertainment and Authentic Pictures. Also in development at Oxygen: The Girls, about three wannabe singers in Nashville, and Hogs and Heifers, about the workers and patrons of the eponymous bar. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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: 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: "Caprica" DVD Takes Off in March, Pay Raise for "Burn" Star, CW Takes Bite Out of "Vampire Diaries," Pilot News, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

It looks like Caprica will be heading to our screens sooner than we originally thought... or the two-hour backdoor pilot will be, anyway. Sci Fi Channel announced that it will make Caprica's pilot available as a limited-edition DVD on April 21st with an uncut and unrated version, ahead of the series' 2010 broadcast launch. Additionally, the film will be available for digital download at select online destinations. (Having already seen the pilot, I can say that it will definitely please BSG fans while also offering a glimpse into a series that's vastly different than anything we've seen so far on Battlestar Galactica.)

"Ever since fans first caught wind of the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, they have been eagerly following its development," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "We wanted to give them a chance to see the pilot in its original form and experience the prequel to the BSG story while that series' finale was still ringing in their ears. It also affords the creative team an unprecedented chance to get viewers feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer." (via press release)

Jeffrey Donovan, the star of USA's Burn Notice, has renegotiated his contract with Fox Television Studios and secured a pay increase that sees his per-episode fee rise from $55,000 to $150,000. The cost of the increase will be shared between cabler USA and FTVS. (Hollywood Reporter)

CW has ordered a pilot for vampire drama Vampire Diaries, based on the Alloy series of books about a young woman who is caught between two vampire brothers--one good, the other evil--who are battleing for the souls of everyone in their small town. Project, from Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. TV, will be written and executive produced by Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek, Hidden Palms) and Julie Plec. Also on tap at the CW: political drama The Body Politic, about a group of young staffers working for a Washington-based senator. That project, from CBS Paramount Network Television, will be written by Jason Rothenberg and Bill Robinson and executive produced by Peter Horton. (Variety)

The untitled Gossip Girl spin-off has cast Krysten Ritter (Veronica Mars, Breaking Bad) in the pivotal role as Lily's troubled older sister Carol. "Described as sweet but a bit of a disaster, Carol is an actress who's constantly making bad decisions in life and work," says Michael Ausiello. "Lily ends up moving in with Carol after a falling out with mom and dad." Producers Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz are still casting the role of young Lily in the 1980s-set spin-off, which is expected to air as an episode of Gossip Girl on May 11th. (Entetainmetn Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has handed out a pilot order to multi-camera comedy Big D, about a couple from New York who move to the husband's Dallas hometown, where his Southern belle mother makes life very difficult for his wife. Project, from Warner Bros. TV, is written and executive produced by Jackie Filgo and Jeff Filgo. (Hollywood Reporter)

Loretta Devine has been cast in David E. Kelley's NBC dramedy pilot Legally Mad, where she will play Jeanette, a lawyer at the firm who is always teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Already cast in the pilot: Hugh Bonneville, Charity Wakefield, Kristin Chenoweth, Kurt Fuller, and Jon Seda. (Hollywood Reporter)

SCI FI Wire has a brief interview with Dollhouse star Dichen Lachman, in which she talks about the series' Sierra, engagements, and blank slates. (SCI FI Wire)

Christina Wayne, AMC's SVP of Scripted Series, has departed the network, effective immediately. No explanation was given as to the reason behind her departure nor where she will go next, though it's been rumored she will take a position at pay cabler Starz. (Televisionary)

NBC has pulled the plug on Sony-produced drama pilot Lost in the '80s, citing creative differences between the network's new management and the studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

Peter Bart and Peter Guber, hosts of AMC's Sunday morning series Shootout, will host a series of specials called StoryMakers, in which the duo will gather together top actors to discuss current entertainment topics. The first special is set to air February 18th at 8 pm. (Variety)

Trends to keep an eye on this development season: cops, docs, and lawyers, while serialized and complex stories are said to be out, according to Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. (How then to explain high-profile pilots like V, Day One, Happy Town, Unt. Jason Horwitch, Masterwork, etc.?) "Fox's freshman crime procedural dramas "Fringe" and "Lie to Me" also have performed well, further suggesting to networks that re-embracing traditional self-contained mysteries is the way to go," says Hibberd. "Nowhere is this trend more evident than at NBC, whose pilots include three crime dramas, two medical series and a lawyer show." (Hollywood Reporter)

Cheyenne Jackson (Life on Mars) will guest star on ABC's Ugly Betty, where he will play a gay dad in an upcoming storyline. (Variety)

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied SAG's request for an injunction to remove ousted chief negotiator Doug Allen. The move, spearheaded by SAG president Alan Rosenberg, led to the delay of the first talks between SAG and the AMPTP in over two months. Given the legal resolution, talks are expected once more to resume between the guild and the studios. (Hollywood Reporter)

ITV Studios and Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine have formed a co-production venture under which they will develop pilots for ITV and international outlets but not for other UK-based television networks. Move marks the first deal of its kind in the UK. (Variety)

Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) will host syndicated lifestyle series Life for Dummies, being developed by production company A. Smith and Co. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: More "Big Love" at HBO, "NCIS" Spinoff Nabs O'Donnell and LL Cool J, Anna Friel, Swoosie Kurtz to Get "Desperate," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. My mind is still buzzing after last night's double-bill of Lost and Damages.

Pay cabler HBO has renewed drama Big Love, about the polygamist Henrickson clan, for a fourth season. Production will begin later this year for a 2010 launch. "The stellar reviews and solid viewership this season confirm that this is a signature series for HBO," said Michael Lombardo, president of programming at HBO. "The series keeps getting better and better." (I have to agree with him: this season has been absolutely amazing!) Once DVR, encores, and VOD ratings are added in to Big Love's initial airing, viewing figures soar to about 5 million, on par with HBO's True Blood. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J are said to be in final talks to star in CBS' untitled NCIS spin-off. Chris O'Donnell would play Callen, a man capable of changing into various different personas with ease, while LL Cool J would play former Navy SEAL Sam Hanna. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel is said to be in high demand this pilot season. Friel has received three offers so far: ABC drama pilots Eastwick and I, Claudia and CBS drama pilot House Rules. Her former co-star Lee Pace was said to have been offered pilot but declined. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, Friel's other Pushing Daisies co-star Swoosie Kurtz has been cast in ABC's Desperate Housewives, where she will play a potential love interest for one Wisteria Lane resident. Kurtz's first episode of Desperate Housewives is slated to air in March; she'll then be seen as high society dame Millie on NBC's Heroes in April. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC will launch MRC's Bob Saget family comedy Surviving Suburbia (originally to air during MRC's Sunday night block on the CW) on Mondays at 9:30 pm, following Dancing with the Stars. Move comes on the heels of ABC's decision to move comedy Samantha Who? to Thursday evenings. Thirteen-episode Surviving Suburbia, starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson, was created by Kevin Abbott (Reba). (Variety)

Christine Baranski (Mamma Mia!) has been cast in at least three episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play the wealthy mother of Betty's new love interest, sports writer Matt (Daniel Eric Gold). Baranaski's first appearance is slated to air in March. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

For the first time, Doctor Who will be filmed in high-definition, beginning with the Easter special, "Planet of the Dead." Move marks the first HD outing for the sci-fi series, although spin-off series Torchwood has been filmed in HD since it first launched. (Digital Spy)

Casting is underway for Serena's new European beau on the CW's Gossip Girl, possibly inspired by Anne Hathaway's real-life ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri, who was convicted last fall of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges. Executive producer Stephanie Savage wouldn't confirm the rumor but said that Serena's new love interest Giorgio is "very well-traveled, part of the global elite. He's not a brooding artist like Dan or Aaron Rose. He's definitely a grown-up, and that's something Serena is very attracted to." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Vivica A. Fox (Curb Your Enthusiasm) will host TV Land's eight-episode dating competition series The Cougar, which will premiere on April 15th. And, yes, it's about exactly what you think it is. (Variety)

NBC has delayed the launch of geneology-based reality series Who Do You Think You Are? until the summer. Deal or No Deal will take over the Mondays at 8 pm timeslot, currently occupied by Chuck, for three weeks beginning May 4th. (Futon Critic)

Imagine TV is said to be looking for its next Arrested Development. The shingle, headed by Brian Grazer and David Nevins, is developing FOX single-camera comedy pilot The Chairman of Chatsworth, written by Dan Palladino (Gilmore Girls), about a lawyer with a "questionable moral compass" who is said to be loosely based on Grazer's own father. Also in development: an animated series based on Angry Little Girls (based on Lela Lee's comic) with Simpsons vet Josh Weinstein, the redeveloped Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office at FOX (it was originally shot as a pilot for ABC in 2007), and NBC comedy pilot Parenthood. (Variety)

Battlestar Galactica's Kate Vernon talks to The Daily News about her role on the sci-fi series and hinted at the scope of the series finale. "None of us saw the ending coming," Vernon said in an interview. "I would just say, erase your mind of any expectations and really watch the show with an open mind. So much is to be revealed." (The New York Daily News)

The House of Representatives has voted to approve the DTV delay, shifting the transition from Feb. 17th to June 12th, and has sent the bill to President Obama to sign. The delay, according to White House spokesperson Amy Brundage, "means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion." (TV Week)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC Orders "V" Remake, "House" May Resurrect Amber, Martha Jones Back to "Who," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

ABC has ordered a pilot for a modern day remake of seminal 1980s mini-series V, to be written/executive produced by Scott Peters (The 4400). Updated V, from Warner Bros. Television, will focus on a female Homeland Security agent. Elsewhere, NBC has removed the contingency from period comedy pilot Lost in the '80s, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, which will be directed by P.J. Hogan (Shopaholic). (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Doctor Who co-star Freema Agyeman will reportedly reprise her role as Martha Jones in one of the four Doctor Who specials planned for 2009, despite some rumors of bad blood between her and outbound head writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies, said to originate when she accepted a role on ITV's Law & Order: London rather than star in a new season of Torchwood. “Freema’s on board," said an unnamd source. "It’s early days so it’s unclear what exactly Martha will be up to in the new show. Whatever happens it’s good news for Freema and shows that whatever friction there was between her and Who bosses has gone.” (The Sun)

It's looking increasingly likely that 24's Day Eight will be the last for Kiefer Sutherland. "Whether Season Eight is the end or not, I don't know," said Sutherland. "I love making the show, so I'm leaving my options open. And in all fairness, I think the audience will dictate that more than anybody." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has shifted a comedy block of Samantha Who? and new series In the Motherhood to Thursday nights at 8 pm, a timeslot traditionally held by Ugly Betty, which will go on hiatus until the two series wrap their runs. Additionally, Scrubs will be paired on Wednesdays with new comedy Better Off Ted in an 8 pm timeslot. But don't count Betty out just yet; ABC said that the struggling series would have been airing repeats during that time anyway. (Variety)

Amy Poehler's untitled NBC sitcom, from executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, now has a title: Public Service. Series is set to launch on April 9th at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (New York Times)

More info about Scott Bakula's multiple-episode story arc on Chuck from NBC: "In the storyline, Chuck made a promise to his sister, Ellie that he was going to find their dad in time for her wedding. But when he does find him, Chuck discovers that his dad is not necessarily a guy who wants to be found. He's living in a trailer, he's disheveled, he's paranoid and he's claiming constantly that Ted Roark (guest star Chevy Chase) -- who he used to work with -- stole all his ideas from him. In addition, Ted Roark has now become a super-successful software billionaire while Chuck's dad has become an eccentric, living in the shadows." (press release)

Jon Hamm is set to appear in three episodes of 30 Rock starting next week but you can get a sneak peek at footage of him as Dr. Drew Baird on the NBC comedy right now. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Among the teams racing for the million-dollar prize on the next season of CBS' The Amazing Race: screenwriter Mike White (best known for Freaks & Geeks, Pasadena, and Chuck & Buck, among many others) and his father, a gay-rights activist and former speechwriter for Pat Robertson and Billy Graham, and a 22-year-old deaf student and his mother. (Associated Press)

Producers of FOX's House are said to be in talks with Anne Dudek about reprising her role as Amber, Wilson's, er, dead girlfriend, later this season. Just don't look for her to return as a ghost like Grey's Anatomy's Denny. "If we could figure out a way to bring her back that is not a ghost sex plot," said executive producer Katie Jacobs, "we'd be thrilled to do it and have her back." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Doug Allen has been fired as national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG in a move that also replaced the SAG negotiating committee, which is being viewed as a sign that the guild may soon sign a feature-primetime deal. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision to replace SAG's negotiators, but if the other entertainment unions can make a deal their members can live with, SAG can too," said Sally Field, who has audibly opposed Allen this past year, "and now I feel certain that will happen, quickly and productively." (Variety)

MTV has renewed The City and Daddy's Girls for second seasons as well as handed out a twenty-episode order for Teen Cribs and another batch of 28 episodes for series Made. (Variety)

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: ABC Dumps "Single With Parents," "Heroes" Nabs "Everwood" Alum, Van Der Beek and Denman Check Out "Eva Adams," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I definitely felt the lack of Pushing Daisies last night (my Wednesday night cure for any rough week) but I was completely sucked in by the season premiere of Top Chef (airing next week), which had more tension, drama, and pitch-perfect casting in its one-hour running time than the entire last season of Project Runway did.

ABC has yanked midseason comedy Single With Parents off of its schedule. The comedy, from ABC Studios and Kristin Newman, starred Alyssa Milano, Eric Winter, Annie Potts, Beau Bridges, and Amanda Detmer. Decision behind the cancellation (months before it was to launch on ABC) is said to stem from creative differences between the studio and the series' creator Kristin Newman. (Variety)

In other ABC midseason news, the Alphabet has opted to reduce its initial order on two midseason drama series, Castle and The Unusuals. ABC has approached ABC Studios about reducing Castle from 13 episodes to ten and has spoken with Sony about doing the same with The Unusuals (easily the best new series ABC has on offer in midseason). Decision is said to be based on inventory needs rather than creative decisions. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC's Heroes has cast Justin Baldoni (Everwood) in its next story arc, entitled "Fugitives." He'll play Alex, a surfer from California who works at a comic book store. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Battlestar Galactica returns to Sci Fi on Friday, January 16th but before that, keep your eyes open for a half-hour special entitled BSG: Essential Elements on January 11th at 11 pm and the latest batch of Battlestar Galactica webisodes, scheduled to air during the January 15th telecast of Pitch Black. Meanwhile, Sci Fi will add repeats of Invasion and Moonlight to its Friday night lineup beginning January 23rd. (Futon Critic)

James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek) and David Denman (The Office) have joined the cast of FOX drama pilot Eva Adams, based on telenovela Lalola. Project, from Journeyman creator Kevin Falls and Sony Pictures Television, follows a egocentric sports agent who turns into a gorgeous woman after being the victim of a witch's spell and is forced to endure the same sexist treatment he once dished out. Van Der Beek and Denman will play agents at the firm. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E is developing paranormal/medical procedural drama Signs & Wonders with executive producer Jed Mercurio (Bodies), Fox Television Studios, and Mandalay Television. Project will follow a psychiatrist who oversees the cognitive sciences research division at a university and leads a team of graduate students in solving bizarre medical mysteries. (Variety)

Executive producer Joel Fields has left Ugly Betty after eight months and has accepted a position on TNT's legal drama Raising the Bar. Fields, brought in to replace Marco Pennette, was hired to oversee the series' transition from Los Angeles to New York and now that stories have been approved by the network for the remainder of the season, his services are considered completed. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide talks Supergirl with Laura Vandervoort who returns to Smallville tonight as Clark's cousin Kara, following a brief stint in the Phantom Zone. (TV Guide)

Bob Balaban will direct Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in Lifetime biopic Georgia O'Keefe, which will follow the two-decades-long tortured romance between celebrated painter Georgia O'Keefe and photographer Alfred Steiglitz. Telepic is slated to debut in third quarter 2009. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Post-Election Day Tidbits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Grey's Anatomy," "Partridge Family" Redux, Tom Wolfe, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

USA Today's Robert Bianco reviews tonight's season premiere of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, saying that the two-hour launch "completes the task begun last spring, clearing away dead plots and setting this massively entertaining series back on track." And fans will be happy to know that it seems like--for now anyway--Mer and Der and united. Time will tell... (USA Today)

Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes, meanwhile, told the Associated Press that the end of last season was about the end of the fairy tale but that this season "was all about what happens after the 'happily ever after,' for all our characters. For some, it's about jumping off into something new. It feels like a very fresh start for everybody." And for Katherine Heigl getting a fresh start away from Grey's, don't count her out just yet. "We have every intention of seeing Katherine for the entire season," said Rhimes. (Associated Press)

Reveille, Geffen Records, and Sony Pictures Television have teamed up to develop a modern and tongue-in-cheek version of 1970s series The Partridge Family, which is currently being pitched to networks, with a sale expected soon. Jeff Rake (Cashmere Mafia) is on board to write the project; he'll also executive produce with Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair. I'm sure that they are attempting to reinvent the family musical series for a new generation but I can't help but I can count on one hand the number of "reimagined" series that have been successful and wish that producers and execs alike would try to be a little more original these days. (Variety)

HBO has optioned Tom Wolfe's 2004 novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons," about the clash of sex and class at a fictional Ivy League university campus as seen through the eyes of a poor but brilliant freshman from the South on a full scholarship, as a series, which Tina Brown and Bill Haber will executive produce. No writer is attached to adapt Wolfe's novel and the project is said to be in the early stages of development. (Variety)

Please for the love of all things funny, tell me that Betty and Daniel won't really be romantically involved this year on ABC's Ugly Betty. I think that might just put me over the edge. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello TV)

CBS Paramount has optioned mystery novel "Hounding the Pavement," the first in a series of books from Judi McCoy to be published in March. Novel follows an NYC dogwalker who tries to unravel the mystery of who murdered her client by talking and listening to the dogs. Hy Conrad (Monk) will adapt the novel, with Jeffrey Kramer of Juniper Place Prods executive producing. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Gabon--Earth's Last Eden (CBS; 8-10 pm); My Name is Earl/My Name is Earl (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Kitchen Nightmares (FOX)

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

10 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); ER (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching:

8-10 pm: Kitchen Nightmares.

Missing the softer side of Gordon Ramsay? Tune in to the US version of his reality series in which he pull back struggling restaurants from the brink of closure. On tonight's first episode, Gordon tries to save Italian restaurant Trabiano's--in debt for $500,000--from closure despite its cocky chef who used his girlfriend's family to finance his restaurant; then it's another new episode in which Gordon tries to save NYC seafood restaurant Black Pearl, whose owner might just be the rudest person Gordon has encountered on either side of the Atlantic.

8 pm: Ugly Betty.

On the season premiere of Ugly Betty ("The Manhattan Project"), Betty makes a decision about what to do with her life; Ignacio takes a job at a fast food restaurant; Wilhelmina manipulates Daniel into making some major changes.

9 pm: The Office.

On the one-hour fifth season premiere of The Office ("Weight Loss"), a new company-wide weight loss initiative causes the Scranton branch to become obsessed with their weight; Michael and Holly get closer; Jim misses Pam (who is studying art in Manhattan); Dwight, Angela, and Andy see to some unfinished business.

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

Televisionary favorite It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia continues tonight with two brand-new back-to-back episodes. Up first is "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Model Contest," in which Frank and Mac invest in a billboard and then create a competition to find Paddy's next top model while Dee and Charlie try to create a new YouTube sensation. Then it's "Mac's Banging the Waitress" in which Charlie asks Mac to beat up the new boyfriend of his beloved waitress and Dennis tries to convince Charlie that they are best friends.

Channel Surfing: Gary Cole on "Chuck," ABC's "The Unsuals," Pilots, Barry Sonnenfeld, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I stayed in last night with the wife and watched the first three hilarious and fun episodes of Season Two of Chuck. (More on that before the season launches.) And just a reminder: don't forget to tune in tonight to FOX's series premiere of Fringe, from J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman!

Chuck has scored yet another guest star. Gary Cole (Desperate Housewives) will join the cast in an episode slated for November sweeps as the con man father of Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), which means that we'll finally get some answers about Sarah's mysterious past and her true identity. (I can't wait!) After seeing how well guest star John Larroquette was used in Chuck's second episode of the upcoming season (really, the three eps are brilliant), I have complete faith in Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak to put Cole to good use. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other casting news, Grant Bowler (Lost's Captain Gault) will join the cast of ABC's Ugly Betty in the recurring role of the Meade Publications CFO. "He's running the business part of the magazine," said Betty executive producer Silvio Horta. "He's hot and cool and all the women are in love with him." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

I chatted with The Office's Amy Ryan and Paul Lieberstein about what to expect for Season Five of the NBC comedy. (Televisionary)

Wondering what Pushing Daisies director/executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld is up to these days? The prolific producer and director has several new projects in the works under his deal at Sony Pictures Television, including an adaptation of Argentinean drama The Pretenders, about a group of con men who solve regular peoples' problems, at FOX with writer Jorge Zamacona; The Nelsons, a live-action superhero drama from writers Peter Steinfeld (21) and Dee Steinfeld for ABC that is said to be in the vein of The Incredibles; and My World, and Welcome to It, a CBS comedy with writer Jay Kogen (Frasier) that is based on James Thurber's collection of essays. Whew. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bob DeLaurentis has joined ABC's upcoming cop dramedy The Unusuals as a showrunner/executive producer alongside series creator Noah Hawley. Series, which stars Amber Tamblyn, Jeremy Renner, Terry Kinney, Harold Perrineau, and Adam Goldberg, was ordered by the Alphabet last month. Given that the pilot was produced on a relatively small presentation budget, I have to say that I was pretty damn impressed with The Unusuals; it still needs a little work to get the tone just right but I'll be tuning in when this launches. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has ordered a pilot to Eva Adams, Kevin Falls (Journeyman)'s adaptation of the Argentine telenovela Lalola, about a womanizing man who wakes up one day, transformed into a woman and experiences the hell he perpetrated upon the fairer sex. Project will be set in the worlds of fashion and sports management (which seem fairly non-complimentary, but okay). Falls will serve as writer and executive producer on the Sony Pictures TV pilot, with Jamie Tarses on board to executive produce. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cavemen's Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (we'll see if they ever live that doozy of a credit down) have signed on as executive producers on CBS' comedy pilot We Need Girlfriends, based on a series of YouTube videos about three recent college grads who all reenter the NYC dating scene after they're each dumped by their respective girlfriends. Pilot, from Sony Pictures Television, will be executive produced by Darren Star, Steven Tsapelas, Angel Acevedo, and Brian Amyot. (Variety)

BermanBraun have snagged the television rights to New York Times column "Modern Love," which features essays about--you guessed it!--love. Company is currently meeting with writers to develop a series take on the column. (Variety)

Patricia Heaton, Treat Williams, and Jimmy Wolk will star in CBS telepic Front of the Class, based on the true story of a man who suffered from Tourette syndrome and defied all odds to become a gifted teacher. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Big Brother 10 (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); 90210 (CW); Wipeout (ABC); Fringe (FOX; 8-9:35 pm)

9 pm: Fashion Rocks (CBS; 9-11 pm); Privileged (CW); Wipeout (ABC); Hole in the Wall (FOX; 9:35-10 pm)

10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); Primetime: Medical Mysteries (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Fringe.

You've all read my advance review of the pilot episode from May, so now you'll get to check out the new drama from J.J. Abrams and Transformers writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci for yourselves. In the series premiere ("Pilot"), FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) recruits a brilliant but incarcerated scientist (John Noble) and his maverick estranged son (Joshua Jackson) to help cure her colleague/lover after he is exposed to some lethal contaminants.

8 pm: 90210.

I was less than thrilled with the series premiere, so I'm giving it only one more chance to wow me. On tonight's episode ("Lucky Strike"), Harry and Debbie plan a family bowling night without consulting Dixon and Annie first, Naomi has an awful evening with her father, Dixon finds Silver asleep in his car, and Kelly must deal with her mother.

8:40-9:20 pm: Gavin & Stacey on BBC America.

If my gushing review of this bittersweet (yes, it's literally bitter AND sweet) comedy wasn't enough, why not tune in yourself to see just how wonderful the brainchild of writer/co-stars Ruth Jones and James Corden really is? On tonight's episode, Stacey and Gavin get some mixed reactions from their friends and family when they announce their suddenly engagement.

10 pm: Million Dollar Listing on Bravo.

I can't look away, no matter how hard I try... On tonight's season finale, Josh tries to find land for a designer's compound, Chad helps a family friend land their dream house, and I continue to laugh at both of their inane hairstyles.

Channel Surfing: "90210," Ashley Jensen, Trailer for "Merlin" Unveiled, NBC Shakeup, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Like many of you out there, I'm bummed that my three-day weekend sailed by far too quickly... but am also thrilled that the fall TV season is finally upon us.

Digital Spy has a roughly 90-second trailer up for Merlin, which airs on BBC One and on NBC this winter and stars Colin Morgan, Anthony Stewart Head, Michelle Ryan, Richard Wilson, Katie McGrath, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, and Santiago Cabrera. (Digital Spy)

90210 mania is upon us with mere hours to go before the launch of 90210 2.0, as it were. EW.com has some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty from their recent cover shoot. (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

Shannen Doherty, meanwhile, sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a brief interview, in which she said that the sudden goodwill being directed towards her from the public "definitely feels good" and "also feels scary." (Los Angeles Times)

While most Americans know her best from her turn as Christina on Ugly Betty, Ashley Jensen won me over much earlier with her winning performance as Maggie Jacobs on HBO/BBC's Extras. She's up for an Emmy in the supporting actress (mini-series or movie) category and talks about the nomination, Extras, and what happens to Christina on Ugly Betty. (USA Today)

Nikki Finke claims that NBC wants to fire second-in-command Teri Weinberg and "hopes that Ben Silverman quits very soon." She says that Marc Graboff and Katherine Pope will take up the reins at the network. Silverman's contract is up in December, but he's said to be looking to secure a way out before then. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

PBS has launched 40 half-hour episodes of kids program Sid the Science Kid from Henson's Creature Shop, which will produce the series via its new Digital Puppetry Studio, which uses a puppet motion-capture technology and applies it to CGI-derived characters and environments. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV is launching a global HD service on September 15th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Stargate Atlantis" to End, Joel Silver Setting Up at HBO, "90210" Marathon, and More

Good morning one and all and welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. (Yes, the weekend is just within our grasp.)

Stargate Atlantis will wrap its run on Sci Fi when the fifth season concludes in January, but the cabler has ordered an untitled two-hour telepic that will air sometime in 2009, following the series finale. An official press release from Sci Fi is said to be forthcoming. (Multichannel News)

Joel Silver is back in television news headlines again (he's said to be in discussions with creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell about a possible feature version of Veronica Mars): he's optioned Arthur T. Vanderbilt II's 1989 family history "Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt," about the famous clan's 20th century saga as they deal with "declining fortune, extravagances and social-climbing instincts." Silver plans to adapt the book into a possible series for pay cabler HBO; he and Jane Semel would executive produce the one-hour drama, with Jim Solomon (The Practice) writing and executive producing. (Variety)

ABC Studios has bought an autobiographical script from Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith (Legally Blonde, House Bunny) which it will develop with McCullah Lutz and Smith on board to write and executive produce, should the project get ordered to pilot. Deal came after a recent Los Angeles Times article detailed their work method, which can involve champagne and therapy, and pilot will revolve around their friendship, partnership, and adventures in Hollywood. (Hollywood Reporter)

Newsarama has sat down with Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick for a chat about what's to come for BSG and spin-off Caprica. And, yes, there will be more Battlestar webisodes. (Newsarama)

And, speaking of interviews, Joss talks Dollhouse, why the dolls' sleeping units shouldn't resemble coffins, and more. (Philadelphia Daily News)

Sophina Brown (Shark) has been cast as a series regular in CBS' crime procedural NUMB3RS, where she will play Nikki Betancourt, a street-savvy ex-LAPD officer with a law degree to boot who joins the team as their newest agent. (TV Guide)

And Battlestar Galactica's Mark Sheppard (whom you might also remember from Firefly) has confirmed that he will appear in several episodes of Dollhouse in early 2009. (SyFy Portal)

Cabler SOAPnet will be airing a 24-hour marathon of Beverly Hills 90210 starting at Midnight, Monday, September 1st, featuring 24 pivotal episodes of the series--including the pilot--in advance of the CW's launch of 90210 the following evening.

Lifetime has ordered six episodes of docuseries Blonde Charity Mafia, about three twenty-something socialities in Washington D.C. who are frequent faces on the fundraiser circuit. Series, produced by PB&J Television, is set to start production next month but the cabler has not issued an air date yet. (Variety)

Eddie Cibrian (Ugly Betty) has been cast in a three-episode arc on USA's The Starter Wife. Cibrian will play a detective investigating Molly (Debra Messing). No word on what this means about his role as Coach Diaz on Betty, though Cibrian was only secured to appear in four episodes this season... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Finally, the New York Times has a fascinating article about diversity casting in television and how the Disney Channel and ABC (both owned by Disney) seem to be at the forefront of this trend. (New York Times)

Stay tuned.