Channel Surfing: David Tennant Talks End of "Doctor Who" Run, Jeri Ryan Finds "Leverage," Noah Wylie to Battle Aliens for Spielberg and TNT, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has an absolutely fantastic interview with Doctor Who star David Tennant on the eve of BBC America's airing of last Christmas' Doctor Who special "The Next Doctor." Among the topics of discussion: the end of his run on the legendary British sci-fi series, the truth behind the all-Doctors reunion rumors (false, says Tennant), and what's next for the actor (Poliakoff's Glorious 39), among other things. "I'm all finished," said Tenannt of his run on Doctor Who. "Three or four weeks ago, I filmed my last scene. So it's over. Still a long time to go before they're all broadcast, though, so I'm still clinging on for a bit. But yeah, it's done. It was very emotional, very exciting. We managed to go out with some of the best scripts I had in four years. So it was a real treat." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Jeri Ryan (Shark) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Two of TNT's drama series Leverage, where she will play "Tara, a smart-ass, street-wise con woman whom Sophie (Gina Bellman) calls on for help and who gets sucked into the Leverage family." (Hollywood Reporter)

It's official: Noah Wylie has signed on as the lead in TNT's untitled sci-fi pilot from executive producer Steven Spielberg and writer Robert Rodat. Project is set in a future where most of humanity has been wiped out by an alien incursion; Wylie will play the leader of a small human resistance force who are attempting to overthrow the occupying aliens. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Privileged star Joanna Garcia has joined the cast of CW's Gossip Girl for a four-episode story arc next season, where she will play Bree Buckley, "an irreverent, slightly evil Miss America-type who hails from a conservative Southern family" who becomes romantically entangled with Chace Crawford's Nate Archibald. Garcia's first appearance on the series is set to air on September 14th. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Flashpoint returns to CBS will new episodes on Friday, July 17th at 9 pm. The network ordered a third season of the Canadian co-production last month. (Futon Critic)

Meanwhile, CBS has teamed up with its affiliate stations to launch a marketing plan tied around the crucial 10 pm timeslot, which has been named Project LENO (that's, ahem, Late prime Enhanced News Opportunity). The network is offering affiliates at 10 pm "tool kit" including "sponsorable broadcast spots, Web banners and radio spots, as well as behind-the-scenes vignettes" and CBS is also offering "an affiliate swap spot to promote the 10 pm hour." (Variety)

NBC announced their fall premiere dates yesterday, with most series--except 30 Rock--launching in the two week period between September 14th and September 26th. The Peacock will roll out its comedies Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community on September 17th (30 Rock, which returns October 15th); The Biggest Loser will launch on September 15th; Heroes returns with a two-hour premiere on September 21st; Trauma kicks off on September 28th; Parenthood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debut on September 23rd; Southland and Law & Order will launch on September 25th, followed the next night by Saturday Night Live. (via press release)

BBC Worldwide and WGBH will co-produce a new Emma mini-series starring Atonement's Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, and Jonny Lee Miller and a sequel to Cranford that will star Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis, Eileen Atkins, Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry, and Tom Hiddleston, both of which will air stateside on Masterpiece Classic next year. (More info on Cranford 2 can be found here.) Additionally, WGBH has partnerned with BBC on Framed, an adaptation of Frank Cottrell Boyce's children's book, and two-parter Small Island, based on Andrea Levy's novel about an ambitious Jamaican woman (Naomi Harris) in London after WWII. And the PBS affiliate also acquired three BBC productions: a remake of The 39 Steps starring Rupert Penry-Jones and Sharpe's Peril and Sharpe's Challenge, which star Sean Bean. (Variety)

The N will launch thirteen-episode original comedy series The Assistants, about four Hollywood assistants working for a high-profile producer, on July 10th at 8:30 pm. Series was ordered in November 2007 but the cable network hadn't been able to find a spot for the series on the schedule. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Little Grey Cells: An Advance Review of PBS' "Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons" and "Poirot: Mrs. McGinty's Dead"

Fans of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, the funny little Belgian detective famed as much for his fastidiousness as the fact that he's the self-proclaimed most famous detective in the world, have long waited for actor David Suchet to slip back into the role.

That wait is over as PBS' Masterpiece Mystery will this month offer the US premiere of two new Poirot mysteries starring Suchet as part of its "Six by Agatha" season, which features not only two feature-length Poirot mysteries but also four Miss Marple whodunits, starring Julia McKenzie (Cranford) as Miss Marple herself.

The two mysteries, entitled "Cat Among the Pigeons" and "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," will seriously put Hercule Poirot's famed "little grey cells" to the test as he must contend with two very different murder scenarios. In the first, "Cat Among the Pigeons," the Belgian detective goes undercover at the Meadowbank School for Girls, where he encounters not only murder and missing foreign princesses, but hidden rubies and kidnapping, all of which strive to disrupt the school term. The following week, in "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," the investigation of the murder of an elderly charwoman--an effort to free a wrongfully accused man from swinging at the gallows--results in Poirot uncovering the truth about a pair of decades-old homicides and their connection to the present day.

Of the two new mysteries, both of which are making their US premiere here after airing in the UK last year, the first is far more successful in terms of its plotting and tension. Breathtakingly directed by James Kent (Margaret), "Cat Among the Pigeons" is classic Christie at its very best: a series of red herrings, bait-and-switches, and intelligent detection on the part of Poirot with the deft skill of a chess master. The atmosphere at the Meadowbank School for Girls is filled with claustrophobia and paranoia and Poirot discovers himself entering the world of high-stakes international espionage as he uncovers various connections to a coup in the Middle Eastern region of Ramat and some spies coming in from the cold.

It's as gripping and tense as any of Christie's finest work and the cast, which includes Atonement's Harriet Walter, Miss Potter's Anton Lesser, Vanity Fair's Natasha Little, Bridget Jones' Diary's Claire Skinner, Harry Potter's Katie Leung, EastEnders' Adam Croasdell, Spooks' Miranda Raison, Green Wing's Pippa Haywood, and The Jewel in the Crown's Susan Wooldridge (along with, of course, David Suchet as Poirot) are all top-notch giving the piece an aura of timelessness as well as menace.

Someone stalks the corridors of this venerable educational institution and Poirot will not only meet an adversary worthy of his time and intuitive and deductive reasoning but will also encounter a kindred spirit in a young girl who proves herself to be a protege worthy of the master himself.

The second Poirot mystery, "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," feels a little tired in comparison. The fault doesn't lie with the actors or the sensational direction--this time from Afterlife's Ashley Pearce--but rather with an over the top and oftentimes baffling plot from Christie herself, which isn't helped by a confusing screenplay from Nick Dear.

In this case, Poirot reluctantly agrees to look into the death of an elderly charwoman in the small town of Broadhinney in order to free an man whom the prosecution believes may in fact be innocent of the crime for which he's been accused. This investigation stirs up some long-buried secrets as Poirot attempts to unmask Mrs. McGinty's true killer and in turn ends up exposing several people's concealed pasts.

The cast includes Zoe Wanamaker (My Family) as Poirot's confidante Ariadne Oliver, a detective novelist believed to have been modeled on Christie herself, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall's James Bentley, The Shellseekers' Richard Hope, The Forsyte Saga's Amanda Root, Gallowglass' Paul Rhys, Ivanhoe's Sian Philips, and Peak Practice's Simon Shepherd.

"Mrs. McGinty's Dead" isn't bad television and it isn't bad Poirot either; rather, it pales in comparison to the deftness and complexity of "Cat Among the Pigeons." Here, there are so many suspects and so many needlessly confusing elements--such as the newspaper report of two murder cold cases from decades earlier--that it's hard to become invested in the plot at hand with the same glee and abandon as one does with the first installment.

Still, it's a real treat to once again see Suchet step into Poirot's spats and ingeniously solve two cases by using his smarts rather than his fists. The wit is as pointed as Hercules' trademark mustache and these two mysteries offer the perfect antidote to a sweltering summer evening.

Poirot returns with two new mysteries, "Cat Among the Pigeons" and "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," on Sunday, June 21st and Sunday, June 28th at 9 pm ET/PT. Check your local listings for details

Paging the Doctor: David Tennant Named New Host of "Masterpiece Contemporary"

In a stroke of inspired casting, PBS has unveiled Doctor Who's David Tennant as the new host of Masterpiece Contemporary, which returns to PBS in October.

Tennant, who is currently finishing up his tenure as The Doctor on the BBC series, is no stranger to PBS, having appeared in both Casanova and He Knew He Was Right, which appeared on the channel. He joins fellow Masterpiece hosts Laura Linney and Alan Cumming, who host Masterpiece Classic and Masterpiece Mystery respectively.

Tennant will kick off Masterpiece Contemporary's 2009 season with Endgame, starring William Hurt (Damages), Chiwetel Ejiofer (Serenity), and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone).

The full press release from PBS can be found below.

David Tennant to Host Masterpiece Contemporary 2009 on PBS — Star of Doctor Who and Casanova Makes his Debut in October

One of Britain's most popular actors has been named the new host of Masterpiece Contemporary. David Tennant, well known to fans of British television for his acclaimed star turns as Doctor Who and Casanova, will make his hosting debut when Masterpiece contemporary returns in October, 2009, with Endgame, a drama about the last days of apartheid.

"How many actors can nail the characters of Casanova and Doctor Who?," says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. "David's talent, versatility and unique appeal make him the perfect match for Masterpiece Contemporary."

"I'm honored to be hosting the series that introduced American audiences to programming such as Casanova and He Knew He Was Right," says Tennant. "And it's a thrill to join the Masterpiece family of hosts: Mystery's Alan Cumming and Classic's Laura Linney."

Tennant's award-winning run (2005-present) in the classic British sci-fi series Doctor Who has gained him worldwide recognition. His other iconic television roles include the flirtatious vicar Reverend Gibson in Masterpiece's He Knew He Was Right; the infamous 18th-century lothario Casanova in Masterpiece's rollicking miniseries, playing the youthful counterpart to Peter O'Toole; and the down-at-the-heel Inspector Peter Carlisle in the cult hit Blackpool.

His career, launched in his native Scotland, extends to film and stage. Millions of moviegoers know him as Barty Crouch Junior in the blockbuster Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Ginger Littlejohn in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things. He recently worked with Bill Nighy, Romola Garai and Julie Christie in the Stephen Poliakoff film 1939, which will be released later this year.

A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Tennant developed his stage career at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He recently completely a successful run as Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Masterpiece Contemporary will return in October 2009 with Endgame, a gripping new drama about the final days of apartheid in South Africa. Starring William Hurt (Damages), Chiwetel Ejiofer (Dirty Pretty Things, American Gangster, Serenity), and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone, Trainspotting), Endgame premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Masterpiece Contemporary returns this October on PBS. Check your local listings for details.

Crime and Punishment: An Advance Review of PBS' Gripping Mystery Series "Wallander"

"A really good detective never gets married." - Raymond Chandler

Many detectives would take Chandler's edict to heart, given just how married they are to their jobs, and the bookshelves are lined with detective novels about grim gumshoes who forsake their own personal lives in pursuit of catching killers. After all, detectives are prone to seeing the worst of humanity on a daily basis, of seeing the skull beneath the skin, companions as they are of death and murder.

Enter Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh), a detective in the seaside town of Ystad, Sweden who--like many others of his ilk--has his own horrific demons to battle even as he throws himself into chasing criminals with intense abandon. And while we've all seen stories of flawed detectives a zillion times, PBS' Wallander, a co-production between WGBH and BBC which kicks off on Sunday night as part of Masterpiece Mystery, offers a tautly gripping and suspenseful roller coaster ride through the dark heartland of both coastal Sweden and the recesses of Kurt Wallander himself.

Based on a series of best-selling novels by Henning Mankell and adapted by Richard Cottan and Richard McBrien, Wallander is relentlessly bleak, offering some of the most shockingly gruesome crimes ever seen on the small screen. And yet, with Branagh casting his spell as the dogged and damaged detective, it's impossible to look away. So completely does Branagh sink into the role of the emotionally armoured Kurt Wallander that it's impossible to recognize the actor from his previous roles. Exhausted, rumpled, and driven, Wallander might be inherently flawed but you'd want him on the case if anything awful happened to you.

I had the opportunity to watch the three episodes--"Sidetracked," "Firewall," and "One Step Behind,"--that comprise Wallander's first season a few weeks back and I was completely sucked into the dark and twisted world that Kurt Wallander inhabits. These are gritty mysteries that are as far removed from the drawing room crimes of Agatha Christie as much as Ystad is as distant to the English countryside. There's an intoxicating hardness to these cases, which revolve around a serial killer who scalps his victims, a young woman who sets herself on fire in front of Wallander's eyes, two teenage girls who calmly murder a taxi driver, a vast network of conspirators, and a killer who who stalks and murders people engaging in secret rites.

Adding to the grittiness of the mysteries is the fact that the three episodes were filmed on location in Sweden, which gives the piece a verisimilitude that can't possibly be achieved by filming in a studio. Everything--from the stark landscape to the chill in the air--casts an aura of iciness over Wallander and this effect is heightened by the use of blue filters on the film. The three episodes of Wallander, directed by Philip Martin and Niall MacCormick, contain some of the most beautiful imagery seen on the small screen. Each installment is breathtakingly gorgeous and the beauty of the direction and cinematography are at sharp contrast with the darkness of the cases that Wallander tackles.

As I mentioned before, Branagh is sensational and perfectly cast as Kurt Wallander. When we first meet Wallander, he's just separated from his wife and has once again thrown himself into his work, his health (and one might argue, his sanity) are suffering, and he finds himself being controlled by his well-meaning daughter Linda (Jeany Spark) as he deals with his artist father (David Warner), who is succumbing to Alzheimer's disease. Suffice it to say, Wallander feels pulled in an infinite number of directions at once. But Wallander's true issue is that he gets so emotionally invested in his cases--he cares too much for the murdered--that he's dead inside when he comes to his own life. Surrounded by death, Wallander can't remember how to truly live.

The rest of Wallander's cast is equally top-notch. Special attention has to be given to Kurt Wallander's colleagues, played with aplomb by Tom Hiddleston (Suburban Shootout), Tom Beard (Silent Witness), Sadie Shimmin (The Bill), Richard McCabe (Einstein and Eddington), and Sarah Smart (Casualty 1907), as well as the aforementioned Jeany Spark (Tess of the d'Urbervilles) as the sunny Linda Wallander, who carries her own kernel of darkness in her heart. Guest stars include Skins' Nicholas Hoult, Secret Diary of a Call Girl's Ashley Madekwe, Conviction's David Warner, and Mistresses' Orla Brady.

Ultimately, Wallander is a perfect synthesis of its parts and is wholly different from the usual offerings of Hercule Poirot or Miss Maple, offering audiences a series of gripping and brutally original mysteries, each with a dark undercurrent of dread from which it is impossible to escape.



Wallander's three-episode season will air Sundays, May 10th, 17th, and 24th at 9 pm as part of Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. Check your local listings for details.

Channel Surfing: Mindy Kaling Gets Universal Deal, Josh Schwartz Talks "Chuck," HBO Goes to New Orleans with "Treme," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

The Office co-star/writer Mindy Kaling has signed an overall deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios under which she will continue to write for and star in The Office as well as develop a new comedy project which will be a vehicle for the actress. "This is my first step in a Transformers-style way to take over the whole world," joked Kaling. "I've only ever worked for NBC, and I've felt an enormous amount of support from the executives there." Kaling says she is drawn to workplace comedies as well as buddy series such as HBO's Flight of the Conchords or projects focusing on women. (Variety)

There's still no news on the fate of NBC's Chuck, despite a massive fan-based initiative to create buzz for a third season of the action-comedy. The Hollywood Reporter's Matthew Belloni talks to Chuck co-creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz about the series' rabid fan base, Lily, the 1980's-set Gossip Girl spin-off, X-Men: First Class, Bright Lights, Big City, and more. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has given out a series order to New Orleans-set drama Treme, from The Wire creator David Simon and Eric Overmyer, which follows the residents of the Big Easy as they adjust to life post-Katrina. It's unclear yet how many episodes HBO has initially committed to as the pay cabler was still working out specifics of the pickup. "We don't intend to make The Wire twice," said Simon of Treme. "This is about people reconstituting their lives after their town was mostly, effectively destroyed... It's not entirely a political show. We're trying to be very intimate with people. And New Orleans is completely unique, there's nothing in the world like it." Treme, which stars Wendell Pierce, Khandi Alexander, Steven Zahn, Kim Dickens, Clarke Peters, Melissa Leo, and Rob Brown, is slated to begin production in the fall for a spring 2010 berth. (Variety)

Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) will direct HBO fantasy pilot Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's novel series "Songs of Fire and Ice," which is slated to shoot later this year in Belfast. Joining the cast of Game of Thrones is Peter Dinklage (Nip/Tuck), who previously worked with McCarthy on The Station Agent. Dinklage will play Tyrion, the outcast brother of the queen who is shunned because of his small stature. (Hollywood Reporter)

Production has begun on three new feature-length installments of mystery series Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh as Swedish police officer Inspector Kurt Wallander, based on a series of best-selling novels by Henning Mankell. The three new installments will be shot this summer in Ystad, Sweden, and will air on BBC One in 2010. (Meanwhile, the first three will launch this Sunday on PBS' Masterpiece Mystery.) "I'm delighted to be back in Kurt Wallander's shoes for three further adaptations," said Branagh. "The character's story becomes ever more complex in these next films. Our entire team relishes the privilege of bringing them to the screen, and to an audience who proved so loyal last time out." (BBC)

Lifetime will launch the third season of drama series Army Wives on June 7th. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks with How I Met Your Mother co-creator/executive producer Carter Bays about Monday night's shocking twist. "We freaked out a ton of people," said Bays. "We've never really kept a big secret from the audience. And what secrets we do have we usually tell people and there are usually spoilers floating around. And this kind of felt like, 'Let's try and do something that takes everyone by surprise and really blow people's minds.' And I think we did it." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS is said to be considering handing out pilot orders to revivals of classic game shows Let's Make a Deal and The Dating Game, which are being viewed as possible replacements for the daytime slot being vacated this fall by the cancellation of soap Guiding Light. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has cancelled Talkshow With Spike Feresten, which won't be returning for a fourth season this fall. The network is currently in the process of making over its Saturday late night lineup, having ordered a latenight series starring Wanda Sykes at 11 pm, which replaces the cancelled MadTV. (Variety)

Nickelodeon has renewed live-action comedy series True Jackson, VP, which stars Keke Palmer as the teenage exec at a fashion label, for a second season, with 20 episodes on tap for the sophomore season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Bravo has resigned its development deal with Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List producer Picture This Television, under which the shingle will produce unscripted series and specials for the cabler. (Variety)

NBC will air two-hour documentary Farrah's Story, depicting actress Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer, on May 15th. "This film is very personal," said Fawcett. "At the time, I didn't know if anybody would ever see it. But at some point, the footage took on a life of its own and dictated that it be seen." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

"Death Doesn't Change Us More Than Life": An Advance Review of PBS' "The Old Curiosity Shop"

“Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.” - Alfred Montapert

In this case, it's not just our own choices that we need fear the consequences from but those of others as well.

In Masterpiece Classic's The Old Curiosity Shop, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel that aired in the UK on ITV in 2007, a young girl and her gambling addict grandfather must flee from the titular shop after they are ruined from his debts and are relentlessly pursued by one of Dickens' most loathsome and terrifying villains, the evil and sadistic (not to mention grotesque) Daniel Quilp.

The girl in question is The Old Curiosity Shop's eternally patient and tragic Little Nell (Becoming Jane's Sophie Vavasseur), a candidate for sainthood if there ever was one who bears the indignities of her situation with an almost ethereal distance from the grubbiness of the situation at hand. Certainly not helping matters is her self-serving grandfather (Diamonds' Sir Derek Jacobi), a degenerate gambler who is burning through their meager savings at an alarming rate and who puts Nell's entire future in jeopardy by borrowing money from the hideous and inhuman Daniel Quilp (Frost/Nixon's Toby Jones).

To say that Quilp is a monster is an understatement; e ranks as one of the most loathsome of Dickens' rogues gallery. Jones imbues Quilp with all of the malice and depravity one could expect from this awful human being: he terrorizes his poor young wife Betsey (The Outsiders' Anna Madeley) and intends to send her to an early grave (hell, he makes clear his intent to woo 14-year-old Little Nell when she comes of age), conspires to jail an innocent boy for theft in an effort to keep him from assisting a mystery man also looking for Nell and her grandfather.

But one wishes that The Old Curiosity Shop, written by Martyn Hesford and directed by Brian Percival, had been significantly longer than its meager 100-minute running time. Forced to cram in the story's most significant plot points into this one-of format, Hesford has missed much of the plot's nuance and the relationship between Nell and her grandfather remains sadly one note. We glimpse Nell's devotion to her grandfather in spite of his selfishness but we never actually see any tenderness or devotion of the man towards his granddaughter. Likewise, the plot speeds along at such an alarming rate that the many high-profile actors performing the supporting roles become little more than flashes of color, what one might glimpse as they soar through the countryside on a speeding carriage.

The actors who round out the cast are The Office's Martin Freeman, Atonement's Gina McKee, My Family's Zoe Wanamaker, Blackpool's Bryan Dick, Skins' Josie Lawrence, and Lewis' Geoff Breton. All manage to provide memorable performances in their brief span on the screen but the shortness of the piece doesn't allow for much use of Dickens' trademark labyrinthine plots, where multiple characters' storylines intersect with delicious coincidence.

All in all, The Old Curiosity Shop is a serviceable adaptation of one of Dickens' lesser known works but coming on the heels of the far superior adaptation of Little Dorrit as it does, its faults are glaringly obvious. Still, devotees of Dickens would be wise to tune in if only to see Jones' fascinating portrayal of Quilp... and would be wise to try and put the memory of his performance out of their heads before bedtime.

The Old Curiosity Shop, part of Masterpiece Classic, airs Sunday night on PBS. Check your local listings for details.

Magic in a Pint Bottle: An Advance Review of PBS' "Little Dorrit"

"I am the only child of parents who weighed, measured, and priced everything; for whom what could not be weighed, measured, and priced, had no existence." - Charles Dickens, "Little Dorrit"

Charles Dickens often wrote about money and his novels gave equal weight to the lives of the poor and downtrodden as they did the idle rich. But none of his novels pushed financial matters to the fore as much as his 1857 novel "Little Dorrit" did.

Ostensibly the story of the debt-ridden Dorrit family, the plot centers on young Amy Dorrit, a young woman born in the Marshallsea Prison to a father who has fallen on hard times and spent more than twenty years in the debtor's prison that serves as Little Dorrit's home. "Little Dorrit" is a story of greed, betrayal, and malice... that resonates all the more today, given our current economic crisis. Hell, there's even a fantastically prescient parallel to our own time period's Bernie Madoff in Mr. Merdle, who engages in his own Ponzi scheme to defraud and ruin many of the novel's characters. (Could this story be any more relevant to our own times? I think not.)

The sensational Little Dorrit, adapted by screenwriter Andrew Davies (Bleak House) aired on BBC One as a fourteen-part mini-series last year and will premiere this weekend here in the States on PBS' Masterpiece Classic as a sumptuously adapted five-part mini-series. The cast features a virtual Who's Who of British film and television actors today, with the teeming cast of characters filled out more than admirably by Being Human's Claire Foy, Spooks' Matthew Macfadyen, Doctor Who's Freema Agyeman, Being Human's Russell Tovey, Law & Order: UK's Bill Paterson, Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis, The Golden Compass' Tom Courtenay, Benidorm's Janine Duvitski, The Vicar of Dibley's James Fleet, Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones, Torchwood's Eve Myles, The Office's Mackenzie Crook, Waking the Dead's Sue Johnston, Einstein and Eddington's Anton Lesser, New Tricks' Alun Armstrong, Hotel Babylon's Emma Pierson, and New Tricks' Amanda Redman. (Whew.) All of whom turn out exceptional performances that are likely to remain with you for quite some time, especially Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen.

Written with rapier wit and dramatic flair by the incomparable Andrew Davies and beautifully directed by Dearbhla Walsh and Adam Smith, Little Dorrit is a dazzling mix of genres that offers something for everyone, whether it be the star-crossed romance between Amy Dorrit (Claire Foy) and Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen); the bizarre Svengali-like grip Miss Wade (Maxine Peake) enacts over poor Tattycoram (Freema Agyeman); the mystery of the will that Mrs. Clennam (Judy Parfitt) seeks to conceal; the vendettas that Amy's silly sister Fanny (Emma Pierson) engages in against Mrs. Merdle (Amanda Redman), the mother of one of her suitors, Edmund Sparkler (Sebastian Armesto); and the engimatic presence of the French murderer Rigaud (Andy Serkis). That all of these seemingly diverse storylines actually come together in the end is the work of two very gifted writers: Dickens himself for constructing the plot and Davies for successfully adapting a very tricky novel with a revolving door of characters and numerous plot threads to weave together.

Holding it all together is Foy's beautifully understated performance as the oft-put-upon Amy Dorrit; she effortlessly pulls off being self-sacrificing, idealistic, and adorably charming, no mean feat at that. The expressive quality of her eyes gives Amy a lived-in sadness that is wholly at contrast to her young age. With a simple look or tilt of her head, Foy manages to imbue Amy with both a childlike belief in the goodness of others and a mature outlook on the world, from a life lived in the squalor of a debtor's prison. Yet Amy seeks to comfort those around her, including her bombastic father (Tom Courtenay), who still believes himself to be a gentleman and relishes in his role as a minor celebrity as the Father of the Marshallsea, her silly dancer sister Fanny (Pierson), and her arrogant brother Tip (Arthur Darvill). (Foy is a find and I have no doubt that she'll go on to great things; here in Little Dorrit, you can literally see the beginnings of a fine actor.)

Despite being eight hours in length, Little Dorrit speeds by with an almost reckless speed, juggling dozens of characters, locations, and situations, but it's also a thoughful and pensive piece as well. It's a gripping and timeless tale of big business and bigger egos, where greed can consume not only a man's soul but that of those around him, corrupted by the need for the excesses of wealth. It is also a savage indictment of fat cat bankers and the Treasury Department, here embodied by the maddening circular logic of the Circumlocution Office: where requests are made, papers and forms filed, and no information ever leaves the site. (My only complaint about Little Dorrit is the slightly confusing ending, which alters Dickens' serpentine original reveal ever-so slightly but still manages to be unclear itself, somewhat like the Circumlocution Office.)

For those viewers who fell in love with BBC One's last bravura adaptation of Charles Dickens, Bleak House, Little Dorrit will be a rare treat: an adaptation that deals with larger themes and issues affecting all of us but also a more intimate riches-to-rags-to-riches-to-rags story about a family caught in the hands of financial woe. It's a story that is at its heart about possessions--money, a pocket watch, a lost button, some fine cigars--and how, at the end of the day, like Amy Dorrit herself, we might only be left with our grace and goodwill when all else fails.

Little Dorrit launches this Sunday evening at 9 pm on PBS' Masterpiece Classic. Check your local listings for details.

A New Twist on an Old Classic: Masterpiece's "Oliver Twist"

I think that, were he alive today, Charles Dickens would have approved of Masterpiece Classic's new adaptation of Oliver Twist (which aired in the UK in 2007 as five half-hour installments), which launches this Sunday on PBS.

Unlike previous adaptations which have remained firmly rooted in the novel's Victorian roots, this Oliver Twist, written by Sarah Phelps (EastEnders) and directed by Coky Giedroyc (Blackpool) with visual flair, grafts a very modern sensibility onto the typically Dickensian story of the workhouse orphan forced to fend for himself in a London populated by grifters, murderers, and child thieves.

It's no surprise that Phelps, who adapted Dickens' novel, has written more than 90 episodes of downtrodden British soap EastEnders; here she imbues the story with the heightened sense of reality typically found in soaps, boldly structuring the condensed plot into slickly provocative bursts of drama, making it virtually impossible not to get sucked into the story. And Giedroyc stages the action as though it were seen through almost circus-colored glasses: it's spectacle and filth all rolled into one as the mini-series seems populated by a colorful population of silk handkerchiefs, menacing crows, rain-slicked cobblestones, and velvet jackets.

The cast of Oliver Twist is top notch. Cast as the sympathetic orphan Oliver who finds himself struggling to swim in a cesspool of human depravity, William Miller is a remarkable find; he manages to pull off the difficult challenge of appearing both brave and courtly without being boorish or weak. Timothy Spall's controversial turn as thieves' overlord Fagin is both creepy and hysterical; he brings such a world-weary approach to the role that hasn't been seen in other adaptations; his ability to spin on a dime (or, one could say, a pence) between lordly generosity and rageful reproach needs to be seen to be believed.

As Nancy, Sophie Okonedo brings new depth to the classic role of bad girl with a heart of gold; it's clear from her eyes her utter loathing of her abusive boyfriend Bill Sykes (Tom Hardy) and her love for Oliver's believe in right over might. As the birthmarked Monks, Julian Rhind-Tutt brings just the right amount of menace and furtive manipulation to the part to make the misguided character convincingly nuanced and not a stock mustache-twirling villain. (Also filling out the cast: Moven Christie, Gregor Fisher, Sarah Lancashire, Anna Massey, Nicole Walker, Rob Brydon, and John Sessions.)

All in all, Oliver Twist is a remarkably modern take on a classic story of good and evil and of greed and honesty that is well worth your time and the perfect way to spend a cozy Sunday evening. One doesn't need to be a thief or a workhouse orphan to see that.

Masterpiece Classic's Oliver Twist will air the first of its two parts this Sunday on PBS. Check local listings for details.

Twist of Fate: Timothy Spall Talks "Oliver Twist," "Harry Potter," and Charles Dickens

Timothy Spall is known for many things: his roles in many of Mike Leigh's films, his turn as Peter Pettigrew in several of the Harry Potter film adaptations, and as a consummate lover of Dickens.

Spall had the chance to portray the iconic character of Fagin in the latest adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, which aired in 2007 as five half-hour installments on BBC and which is set to launch this Sunday as part of PBS' Masterpiece Classics' Dickens season.

Speaking at last month's Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, Spall had quite a lot to say about playing Fagin, why the novels of Dickens have endured more than 150 years later, and, yes, about those Harry Potter films.

Spall's portrayal of Oliver Twist's Fagin, the ringleader of a band of children thieves, is particularly creepy and vastly different than how previous actors performed the role.

"I was going for glamour," joked Spall. "He is a creep, he is a weirdo, and he's a child abuser and a sort of reprehensible character of the time. But reality is that Dickens wanted you to understand all of that about him, I think. But there's something inherently sympathetic about him because he is a victim of his own circumstances. There's been many brilliant performances of [Fagin], and I wasn't an obvious choice for the character, but somebody at [the BBC] was willing enough to tolerate me having a go at it. I realized that you can't reproduce or copy [but] on the other aspect, you don't want to try and be clever by being so adverse to what anybody else has done."

"I started to think about where he was from, why he was like he was," he continued. "And I kept having an image of him being an outcast somehow possibly thrown out of a nation and Yiddish culture and cut loose as a child and then had to take care of himself internationally. So he gathered many different attributes of a life of possessions and jewels and just basically trying to keep himself together. And actors always try and work out what makes a character tick. I was very mindful of why this pariah would end up being in London and hopefully try to make him creepy, exotic, slightly vulnerable as well."

Still Spall says that there wasn't a particular attempt on his part to distance himself from the way Fagin had been played in previous adaptations.

"I said to Sophie Okonedo, 'We are doing something unusual here, black Nancy, fat Fagin.'" joked Spall. "So we were doing something a little bit different, but no. Anybody who adapts... knows that you are allowed to take liberties, and you are allowed to specify and condense the brilliance of what Dickens has done and then try and shape it to be as relevant as it possibly can."

"Everybody who adapts any great classic should be allowed to make it relevant and to make it palatable for anybody who is going to watch it," he continued. "When ours went out [in the UK], it went out after a soap opera, EastEnders, which is a huge audience-puller. It pulls in about 10 million viewers a night. And they decided to pin that on straight after in half-hour episodes. And it picked up, quite deliberately, an audience that would not usually have invited that kind of thing by choice. So it was interesting. Subsequently, it was actually treated by the critics as a bit of a populist thing, and it got some funny reviews. But it got massive audience, which was great. And I think, if you are going to play tricks on people, that's a good way of doing it."

Some commentators have said that Charles Dickens would have been right at home writing for television.

"I think the fact that he was a social commentator, an immense imagination, creative spirit, somebody after would say, oh, he would be writing soap operas, wouldn't he?" muses Spall. "Of course he wouldn't. The only thing he has in common with soap operas is he wrote episodically. He's not a purveyor of tautological trash. He's actually a genius. As I understand, would he come up with television, he would have been quite sensational I would imagine."

What does Spall look for in a script, given that he often plays some pretty out-there characters?

"Well, they are sort of all repulsive," said Spall of his characters. "They are somewhat divine, and they are repulsive. Looking at what I do and standing the way I stand and acting the way I do, I've always thought it's part of my job to give people who are undesirable a really good crack at the game. And then I laugh at trying to turn the tables on characters that are perceived as being pariahs or outcasts or repulsive or repugnant in some way and make you realize that even the most reprehensible and undesirables of characters are human beings. If I get a chance, I try to give it a go and make you feel bad about hating them as well."

Spall said that he nailed the part of Fagin on the first audition and was offered the part. "I wanted to go in three times, but they offered me the part before," he joked. I wanted a break for it, but they wouldn't allow it. Yeah, just the once. And I met them, and I thought they were delightful. I have a personal love for Dickens, and I'm a bit of a snob about certain aspects of it. And so I went to meet them, and I was so fantastic. And they encouraged me to be a bit outrageous in it, which is probably not a good idea, but I bit their arms off up to the elbow at the chance to do it, and that's it."

Despite the wide array of characters on his resume, Spall is still most often recognized for his role as Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films. So what has the Harry Potter franchise done for his career?

"Destroyed it," joked Spall. "No. Actually, it's very unusual because without sounding like some kind of braggart, it's one of the smallest parts I've ever played in my life, and wherever I go in the world, it's one of the most that gets the biggest recognition. I don't mind. I mean, I think that Harry Potter is kind of a phenomenon, isn't it? It's sort of universally loved. There are a few people in the universe who despise it. But it's actually one of those places where I'll go in a lift somewhere in Middle America, and somebody will go, 'Hey, are you the rat dude?' And that will be somebody in their fifties, you know. But no. It's a phenomenon, and the great thing about it is it makes people realize that you can read a book, actually. It's not stupid, and it's not weird if you are a kid. And I think, you know, one of the most beneficial things of Harry Potter is it's got a whole generation of kids who would never have read, reading, and I think that's going to be great."

(Hell, maybe one day they'll even read Dickens, one can't help but hope.)

So why then does Dickens' popularity as a writer endure the way it does so many years later?

"Dickens' main themes are themes of a lot of 19th Century writers," said Spall. "But the main theme is the power of money and its abuses and its destructiveness, and occasionally, it's power when you have philanthropists. But more often than not, it's the destructive power of money and its ability to abuse the most needy of society. Dickens, that's one of his main thrusts. But the other thing is that he gives the best shots to the least likely people. He is completely untrammeled by any snobbery. Some of his most intelligent characters are the least educated. Some of his most noble characters are the most down-trodden. Its universe will never stop because when we go from bursts of wealth, everybody forgets about the needy. But now, in this [current economic] situation, it becomes more and more relevant because he is a person who really, before there was a kind of conscience about social welfare, welfare state,[took] the look that society needs to take care of people rather than let them rot in their own ineptitude. That's why it will always be relevant, always, because he plugs mainly and massively into the human condition from birth to death."

Oliver Twist, part of Masterpiece Classic's 2009 season, will air Part One on Sunday, February 15th on PBS. Check your local listings.

Channel Surfing: Kranz Talks "Dollhouse" Attic, Zahn and Dickens Circle HBO's "Treme," Faux Peacock Fall Schedule, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting and revealing Q&A with Dollhouse's Fran Kranz, who plays techie Topher on the FOX drama, which launches next Friday. Kranz reveals, "There is a place in the Dollhouse called the Attic that stores failed Dolls and personalities. There’s like a whole warehouse where actual bodies are kept." As for the, uh, unconvention post-order redevelopment surrounding Dollhouse, Kranz is forthcoming. "I’ve read things where Joss has said that... Fox wanted to cut to the chase," he said. "They thought there was too much on the characters within the Dollhouse and the conflict and mythology of the Dollhouse, as opposed to seeing what the Dollhouse does on a day-to-day basis. In one sense, I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s important for the audience to define the Dollhouse before they’re introduced to the rest of the conflicts and stories." (Los Angeles Times)

Steve Zahn (Sunshine Cleaning) is in talks to star in HBO's drama pilot Treme, from creator David Simon (The Wire); he would play Davis Rogan, a radio DJ, musician, and New Orleans native with anger management issues. Meanwhile, Kim Dickens (Deadwood) has joined the cast, where she will play a chef and restarateur involved in an strained relationship with Zahn's Davis. Already cast in the project: Clark Peters, Wendell Pierce, and Khandi Alexander. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has cut the episodic order for its midseason drama Cupid to seven episodes. (Televisionary)

The Jonas Brothers will host a night of CW programming including 90210 and Privileged on Tuesday, February 10th that will also offer a sneak peek of their new film Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. They'll be joined on screen by 90210's Jessica Lowndes. (via press release)

Sofia Vergara (Dirty Sexy Money) will co-star in ABC comedy pilot An American Family, which will be directed by Jason Winer (This Might Hurt) and Stephen Graham (Gangs of New York) has been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO drama pilot Boardwalk Empire, where he will play a young Al Capone. Elsewhere, Yves Simoneau (The 4400) will direct ABC sci-fi pilot V, Dean Parisot will direct ABC's I, Claudia; Jeremy Podeswa (The Pacific) will direct ABC drama pilot Empire State; and Eden Sher (Weeds) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot The Middle. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sarah Shahi's pregnancy will impact the plot on her NBC drama Life, according to Kristin Dos Santos. Showrunner Rand Ravich has told her that Shahi's Dani Reese and Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) will be split up when Reese gets a new job on an FBI-LAPD joint task force. "[Sarah's pregnancy] is a challenge," said Ravich. "Episodic television is a grueling schedule, and Sarah and Damian were practically in every scene together, and we certainly can't expect Sarah to work 15-hour days... So we were able to carve Sarah out of the main story a little bit—keeping her always related to Crews and always involved with Crews—and just give her some relief as well." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Nikki Finke has a sneak peek at Vanity Fair's upcoming Hollywood Issue, which has a tongue-in-cheek look at a possible Fall 2009 NBC schedule. My favorites: the combo of A Bunch of Universal Pictures Trailers and JetBlue's Snack-Options Screen on Wednesdays and Weak Link Sitcom T.B.A on after My Name is Earl on Thursdays. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Chef and frequent Top Chef guest judge Eric Ripert has landed his own ten-episode series, Avec Eric, which will air nationwide on PBS stations this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! has ordered eight episodes of Kendra, a docusoap spin-off of Girls Next Door which will focus on Kendra Wilkinson's life after she left the Playboy Mansion and got engaged to Eagles receiver Hank Baskett. The cabler plans to launch the series this summer and has also ordered another season of Girls Next Door, which it plans to air this fall. (Variety)

Season Two of Mad Men will launch on BBC Four on Tuesday, February 10th. (BBC)

The second episode of TNT's new drama series Trust Me landed only 1.9 million viewers, representing an audience loss of 65 percent of lead-in The Closer. The ratings also showed a staggering drop from the premiere episode's 3.4 million viewers. Elsewhere, HBO's Big Love increased its viewership by 29 percent of the season premiere up against the Super Bowl. (Variety)

Lifetime has renewed weight-loss reality series DietTribe for a second season, with eight episodes slated to air this summer. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented: An Advance Look at PBS' "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"

Last year, PBS and station WGBH--which produces such fine series as Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery!--had an idea: they would combine the two series and then split the new series, simply called Masterpiece, into three sections: Classic, Contemporary, and Mystery. These new sub-series would better showcase the individual ideas contained therein and remain branded both individually and under the Masterpiece umbrella.

This Sunday, PBS stations will debut the 2009 season of Masterpiece Classic, which includes adaptations of works by Charles Dickens, including the eagerly awaited Little Dorrit, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which kicks off the season on January 4th.

Adapted by David Nicholls (Starter for Ten), Tess of the d'Urbervilles, written by Thomas Hardy in 1891, tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield (Quantum of Solace's Gemma Arterton), a girl from a shiftless rural family whose drunken patriarch discovers that they might be descended from an ancient titled family, the d'Urbervilles, and have only in recent centuries fallen hard on their luck. It's this discovery and John Durbeyfield's hubris in thinking that they could reclaim their lost place in aristo society by claiming connection to the moneyed d'Urbervilles, that sends poor, pure Tess into danger of both a moral and mortal nature.

Pushed by her manipulative mother Joan (played, one must note, with flair by Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones), Tess goes to see the reclusive dowager Ursula d'Uberville (Anna Massey) to claim relation but runs afoul of her wastrel son Alec (The Tudors' Hans Matheson), who quickly finds himself drawn to Tess' purity and beauty. Giving her a job as the manager of the family chicken ranch, Alec quickly sets out to seduce Tess as recompense for the kindness he's shown her family, including a new horse for her father and toys for Tess' many brothers and sisters.

After spiriting her away from her fellow rustic mechanics on the estate (who drunkenly descend on Tess in a rage for her airs), Alec strands Tess in the woods and rapes her. In Hardy's novel, this scene is a matter of conjecture: it's not meant to be entirely clear reading the book if the scene is in fact a rape, or as Alec maintains, a seduction. Here, however, the truth is palpably seen and felt by the viewer and there is no doubt whatsoever that Alec commits a grievous offense in the woods against poor Tess.

What follows is a depressing tale of a woman held accountable by society for crimes against her own person. Tess runs away from the d'Urberville estate (after a puzzling scene, not included in the novel, in which she breaks down in front of Ursula) and refuses any assistance from Alec. Returning to her village, she bares his child and names it Sorrow; the baby dies a short time later and, as Tess' father refused to let it be baptized, is refused a Christian burial. And so Tess embarks on yet another journey, to a dairy, where she meets Angel Clare (The Good Shepherd's Eddie Redmayne), a parson's son whom she had glimpsed years earlier during the May Day dance in her village. Despite promising to never marry, Tess finds herself drawn to Angel and wants to unburden herself by telling him the truth about her past.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles offers a heartbreaking look at the twisted morality of those bygone years and how so much sadness and destruction can spring forth from one fateful discovery or a chance decision. Directed by David Blair, Tess beautifully incorporates the scenery of Thomas' mythic Wessex countryside and is gorgeously filmed. Unlike some staid period adaptations, this four-hour miniseries stands apart for some innovative shot compositions and dramatic visual direction, though it lacks the energy and visceral pop of the recent Bleak House.

Gemma Arterton is perfectly cast as Tess Durbeyfield, allowing the viewer to see both her purity and simmering rage in equal measure. It's a tough character to embody as the novel's Tess isn't entirely sympathetic but Arterton makes her a compelling and sensitive character who is undone by the actions of those around her. Likewise, Hans Matheson makes an extremely believable aristocratic villain, resolute in his pursuit for Tess, across years and the countryside, even after an unconvincing spiritual conversion following Ursula's death. Eddie Redmayne is the ideal Angel Clare, embodying both the essence of goodness of his character's spot-on name and his very steadfast belief in the law of double standards. Additionally, one cannot say enough about Ruth Jones' turn as Joan Durbeyfield, all dourness and spite; despite very limited screen time, she stands out in a cast filled to the brim with fantastic actors.

All in all, Tess of the d'Urberville is a well-crafted adaptation of a novel that was, for its time, extremely controversial in the way that it attacked the morality and vices of its readers. Today, it paints a poignant portrait of the way those same moral sandtraps continue to plague us and how victims can all too often be blamed for being the instrument of their own wrongdoing.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, part of the 2009 season of Masterpiece Classic, airs Part One on Sunday night at 9 pm on PBS; Part Two airs the following Sunday evening. Check your local listings for details.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Should NBC Have Launched "30 Rock" Earlier, Possible "Melrose Place" Redo, "Blackadder," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Last night was quite the busy telly viewing night, with new episodes of Skins, Mad Men, and The Amazing Race on tap, not to mention the latest installment of Masterpiece Contemporary's five-part The Last Enemy on PBS. Whew.

The New York Times' Bill Carter wonders just where 30 Rock is, amid all of the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin fascination that has gripped America. NBC, of course, had plans to launch the third season of 30 Rock on October 30th, allowing plenty of time to promote the series' return behind new episodes of The Office. However, Ben Silverman admits, "If we knew then what we know today about how hot Tina was going to be, would we do it differently? Maybe." (I'll take that as a resounding yes.) Look for Fey to likely pop up in the two remaining editions of the election-focused Thursday editions of Saturday Night Live as the network heavily promotes 30 Rock but I can't help but agree with Carter: the Peacock would have been much better off launching 30 Rock now, with Season Two out on DVD and Fey literally everywhere after her star turn as Sarah Palin. (The New York Times)

Could Melrose Place be the next television series to get touched for a remake? Series creator Darren Star says that there's a possibility he'd be interested and admitted that there had been some unofficial discussions, following the launch of the CW's 90210. "Regardless of whether they do it or not, whether I'm part of it or not, I think it would be a fun thing to do," said Star. "I wouldn't be surprised if it happened — If it can be put together in the right way." Do we want to see another rehashed, underwhelming version of a formerly great program? (TV Guide)

Mark Waters (Mean Girls) will direct the pilot for FOX dramedy Eva Adams, the US remake of Argentinean telenovela Lalola. Project, from writer/executive producer Kevin Falls (Journeyman) and Sony Pictures Television, follows a womanizer who somehow turns into a woman overnight and must endure the same sort of sexist and misogynistic behavior he perpetrated in his former life as a man. (Variety)

Adam Shankman (Hairspray) is attached to direct Cadillac Ranch, a drama pilot about the life of a female small-town mayor that has suddenly become hot thanks to one Sarah Palin. Project, a spec script, is said to be in development at 20th Century Fox Television which will soon take it out to the networks. "It's about a female character who's a mayor in this town with the crazy family and the kids and the stay-at-home dad, and everyone couldn't help but think of Sarah Palin now that they've read it," said the studio's Jennifer Nicholson Salke. (New York Post)

NBC is building a treehouse in Times Square to promote the launch of drama Crusoe on Friday. Yawn. (Variety)

Missing Gilmore Girls' Melissa McCarthy? Or just curious to see what she has to say about the second season of her ABC comedy Samantha Who?, which launches tonight? You're in luck as McCarthy dishes about Season Two, including a possible catfight and some guest stars. (TV Guide)

CW has ordered six episodes of wedding-themed reality series For Better or Worse, which will offer unmarried couples involved in long-running relationships the ability to experience all of the drama that goes into planning a wedding in a single week. Project comes from RDF USA and Next Entertainment; it will be executive produced by Mike Fleiss. (TV Week)

Richard Curtis has revealed that a new season of cult British classic Blackadder would have been set in the 1960s, with Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) living as a wealthy businessman (and Baldrick accidentally killing President Kennedy) in this incarnation of the time-spanning series. (Digital Spy)

Stay tuned.

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.

Suchet to Hang Up Spats as "Poirot"

While one detective announced he'd be back for another round of mysteries, another has vowed to retire for good.

According to Digital Spy, David Suchet--who has played Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot for nearly twenty years--has announced that the upcoming Appointment with Death will in fact be his last outing with as the fastidiously mustachioed gumshoe.

"After filming Appointment With Death in Jordan, I'm going to end it there," Suchet is quoted. "I'm told it's quite warm in Jordan, so I'll be very hot in all my padding. But I've decided that I will hang up my spats when I finish that story."

Sexagenarian Suchet has appeared in more than 60 (no, that's no typo) feature-length television movies as Poirot since 1989. His portrayal of the finicky Art Deco-era detective will be missed.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Big Brother 9 (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); American Idol (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present Girlicious (CW); Supernanny (ABC)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Cashmere Mafia (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

Cycle 1o begins tonight with a brand-new episode ("Welcome to Top Model Prep"), in which 35 aspiring models enter a modeling prep school were they are quickly culled down to fourteen finalists after being instructed by the Jays in runway walking and posing.

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

On tonight's episode ("Reunion"), it's time for the pre-finale reunion special as Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum gather together the designers from Project Runway's fourth season for a little look back at the season's highs and lows. Just what has Jack been up to since he withdrew from the competition? Why was Ricky always crying all the damn time? Answers are on the way.

Not Your Parents' "Masterpiece Theatre"

For some, PBS' long-running showcase series Masterpiece Theatre has always had a bit of a reputation of being comprised of stuffy, drawing room dramas and dreary period pieces.

Personally, I've never felt that way. Sure, it's known for its well produced costume dramas, but it's also the series that introduced Chief Detective Inspector Jane Tennison (Prime Suspect) to the States and lately it's been offering unique and engaging material that ordinarily might not have been within its original purview.

Last year, the trend started with the superbly gripping serialized drama Bleak House (nominated for virtually every miniseries award on the planet), which proved that Dickens' serpentine story of greed, long buried secrets, and lawsuits had as much in common with soaps as The Young & The Restless. It also raised the bar for British costumed dramas, presenting the story framed within stunning shot compositions and quick-cut editing that gave this timeless plot a modern edginess and distinctive visual style.

Lately, the series has continued the trend, bringing over the best and the brightest of high end British television, with a stylish and contemporary twist (though never totally losing those beloved costumes). In the past few weeks, Masterpiece Theatre offered a two part adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel Jane Eyre, starring Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Christina Cole, and Francesca Annis that granted the adaptation a heavy patina of Gothic dread while not skimping on the tortured romance between Jane and the beastly Edward Fairfax. (No coincidence that it was also co-directed by Bleak House's Susanna White.)

Last night, Masterpiece Theatre premiered an adaptation of Phillip Pullman's The Sally Lockhart Mysteries: The Ruby in the Smoke, a Victorian murder mystery from the author of the groundbreaking series His Dark Materials (the first of which will be released as a motion picture starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman this December) which pits young Londoner Sally Lockhart (Doctor Who's Billie Piper) in a quest to solve the riddle behind a mysterious blood-soaked jewel while battling off assassins and thieves after the gem. Ruby is the first in a quartet of novels and the sequel, The Tiger in the Well, is due on British television later this year.

But what I am most excited about is next week's adaptation of Dracula, starring Marc Warren (State of Play, Doctor Who, Band of Brothers) as the titular bloodsucker and David Suchet (Poirot) as his nemesis Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. (Also look for Doctor Who's Sophia Myles to turn up as victim Lucy Westenra.) Said to delve into themes of sexuality and disease that writer Bram Stoker only hinted at, this Dracula is a lush production with a modern sensibility that is sure to entertain and captivate.

As always, check local listings and times. But as for me, I can't wait for Sunday nights now to get my fix. And when was the last time you heard any one say that about Masterpiece Theatre?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/The Class (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Prison Break (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/Rules of Engagement (CBS); Heroes (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (CW); Supernanny (ABC); 24 (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC); What About Brian (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Everybody Hates Chris.

Everybody Hates Chris, recently picked up for a third season, returns tonight with a new batch of episodes. On tonight's episode ("Everybody Hates Snow Day"), Chris accidentally ends up going to school on a snow day, only to get trapped inside with Principal Edwards (guest star Jason Alexander) until Rochelle and Julius are tracked down. Worst. Day. Ever.

9 pm: 24.

It's 9 am on Day Six of 24. While FOX doesn't give us much in the way of previews, President Palmer (D.B. Woodside) and his advisers continue to deal with the, er, fallout from the nuclear blast in Valencia sans Karen Hayes, Jack is reunited with his estranged father, Jack's bro is a bad, bad man, and Lennox's plan involves Vice President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe).

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

On tonight's episode, Tony travels to Telvisionary's turf, namely Los Angeles, where it would be sinful if the chef/author/culinary enfant terrible didn't stop by Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. But he does. With Jerry Stahl. So it's okay.

From Across the Pond: Jane Tennison Sees the Skull Beneath the Skin in "Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act"

To everything there must be an end. And the gritty Prime Suspect series is no exception to that rule. After six electrifying cases (which aired here in the States on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre), Prime Suspect, created originally by Lynda LaPlante, concludes its run with one final installment, the aptly titled Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act.

I've followed the evolving career of Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison (the glorious Helen Mirren) for the last decade and a half of so, though the gripping and haunting series of Prime Suspect miniseries, as Jane entered the police force as a woman in a man's field and was forced to not only hold her own but prove herself over and over again a thousand times a day. A lot has changed in TV Land (and I'd like to think the world) since Jane first started flashing her badge and chasing down the baddies, including the rise of the police procedural on American television and a thousand permutations of CSI and Law & Order, but it's also seen the success of female-led policing dramas like Crossing Jordan, Close to Home, Cold Case, series where female cops and the colleagues that love them (or love to hate them) owe a great deal of their success to Jane Tennison and her ilk.

While it's 2006, Jane hasn't stopped having to prove herself... at least to herself or, she believes, to her dying father Arnold (Frank Finlay), whom she believes never wanted her to be a cop. (In a bit of a neat twist, he wanted Jane to be an artist but she, as they say, couldn't help but see the skull beneath the skin.) After a career successfully nailing the perp and working her way up the Thin Blue Line to Superintendent, Jane is on the brink of retirement but it's clear that she's sacrificed her entire life for her grueling job; it's so sad to me to see how someone with such an understanding of human nature could be so confused about her own. Jane is alone, scared, and prone to starting the day with a tall glass of vodka, neat. She's in denial about her alcoholism and has no one to turn to and things have gone from bad to worse when she begins experiencing liquor-fueled blackouts.

This new development couldn't have come at a worse time for Jane as she's just landed an extremely high profile and crucial case: the stunning and surprising disappearance of an angelic 14-year-old named Sally Sturdy (Maxine Barton), who might not be quite the angel everyone has made her out to be, especially when her corpse is found on the Heath. Everyone's a suspect: from the missing girl's creepily grieving father Tony (Gary Lewis), who displays shades of Leland Palmer, to Sally's possible boyfriend Curtis Flynn (Heshima Thompson), a youth connected to several rape and murder cases, to Sally's headmaster Sean Phillips (Stephen Thompkinson), who happens to be the father of Sally's friend Penny (the incandescent Laura Greenwood), a witty and adorable girl whom Jane quickly takes a shine too.

(Personally, while I'm suspicious of Headmaster Phillips and wish Jane had taken Tony's theory a little more seriously, it's Phillips' wife Linda--played by Eve Best--that seems to be causing some alarms to go off in my head. Something's not entirely right there.)

It's Jane's newfound friendship with Penny that casts an unexpected dimension to Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act. It's almost as if, for the first time in her life, Jane has found a kindred spirit. It makes sense that it would be a teenage girl who has managed to breach Jane's formidable walls; thanks to the imminent death of her father, Jane has been taking a long, hard look back at her life and she sees Penny reflected there, an intelligent, gifted girl. Unlike Jane, Penny WANTS to be an artist (her father would prefer her to be a teacher) and the two bond when Jane takes Penny to see the painting of "The Strawberry Girl" at the National Gallery. (Penny is also inhumanly forgiving as this happens after an incident in which drunk-as-a-skunk Jane nearly kills them both while driving.) But while Penny might yearn to be an artist, she too is connected to death and decay like Jane, through her relationship to the dead Sally and to the deadly secrets she seems to be concealing.

Much of Prime Suspect 7 deals with those secrets that everyone seems to keep, from teenage secret crushes and adult regrets, to the more serious consequences of hidden pregnancies, alcoholism, and cancer. Everyone in this series is living a double-life or at least paying penance for the life they led. None more so than Detective Bill Otley (the late Tom Bell), the misogynistic cop longtime viewers will remember from the very first Prime Suspect. He made Jane's life a living hell those first few cases and now, with Jane about to retire from the Metropolitan Police force, he reappears like a ghost in Jane's life, offering apologies for the way he behaved all of those years earlier. And, scarily, it's Bill whom Jane most identifies with, especially after running into him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

It's Bill who bookends the chapters of Prime Suspect, showing us just how far Jane Tennison has gone and reminding us of how much further she still needs to go. And while this might be the Final Act of Tennison's career, no one will walk away from this case unscathed or unchanged. Least of all Jane.

"Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act" concludes this Sunday on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. Check your local listings.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Friday Night Lights (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); Dancing with the Stars (ABC; 8-9:30 pm); Standoff (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Veronica Mars (CW); Show Me the Money (ABC; 9:30-11 pm); House (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: 3 LBS. (CBS); Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gilmore Girls.

I'm really ready to give up on this show now. I miss the old Gilmore Girls, and, no, I am not talking about last season. On tonight's episode ("French Twist"), Christopher and Lorelai take GiGi to Paris to visit her mother and, gee, I wonder what happens there, while Rory's tenure as editor-in-chief of the Yale newspaper ends, leaving her floundering. Le sigh.

9 pm: Veronica Mars.

On tonight's episode ("Of Vice and Men"), Veronica is disappointed in Keith's relationship with Harmony, but she's got relationship issues of her own as she and Logan have a major fight. Meanwhile, Veronica edges closer to solving the rapist mystery, but ends up drugged and possibly the rapist's next victim.

"Bleak House" is far from, er, bleak

Okay. I will admit it: I am a sucker for TV costume dramas... especially when they are well-made, produced by the BBC, and adapted into multiple hours. I've stared mesmerized for hours at the fantastic 6-hour Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle opus Pride and Prejudice, the twisty and addictive Our Mutual Friend, and the thrilling adaptation of Dickens confidante Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, among others.

And with the latest addition to the oeuvre, the BBC's brilliant adaptation of Charles Dickens' multi-layered novel, Bleak House, the BBC has outdone itself in every aspect. Adapted with skill by screenwriter Andrew Davies, Bleak House aired in the UK last year to critical and commercial acclaim. Structured as a nighttime soap (sort of like EastEnders with street urchins and Chancery suits), the BBC aired the series as 15 half-hour installments twice a week, keeping the serialized aspect of Dickens' original novel.

Fortunately, when Bleak House arrived across the Atlantic, PBS realized that the drama addicts such as myself couldn't just watch a half-hour episode and then wait a few days for another installment. Instead, those wise sybils shuffled the structure into a two-hour premiere and finale and four one-hour episodes in between.

The cast for such an endeavor is, as one would expect, top-notch. Charles Dance as the evil Mr. Tulkinghorn and Gillian Anderson as the icy Lady Dedlock provide the two most recognizable faces in the bunch, but standouts include Anna Maxwell Martin (Esther Summerson), Dennis Lawson (John Jarndyce), Carey Mulligan (Ada Clare), and Burn Gorman (Guppy), who turns in a chilling performance as the oily Esther-obssessed young lawyer who unknowingly propells the plot (and several characters' ultimate fates) with each move.

So far, the plot of Bleak House is like literary crack and contains everything one expect from Dickens and more: mistaken identity, assumed names, duplicitous detectives, orphans, saintly street-crossing cleaners, star-crossed lovers, lawsuits, and a case of spontaneous combustion. Yes, you read that last bit right: Dickens kills off a supporting character by having him suddenly explode into flames from within.

And when Miss Flite and Mr. Snagsby run into Guppy outside the deceased's establishment and both remark on the greasy flakes that seem to be everywhere in the air, you just know that Dickens must have chuckled at his own cleverness upon writing such a gruesome, shocking scene.

Bleak House currently airs Sunday evenings at 9 pm PST on PBS. Check your local listings.