Channel Surfing: Mystery Man in Black from "Lost" Talks, FX Aims for Hit with "Archer," "Harper's Island" Doomed, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com talks to Lost's Titus Welliver, who played the mysterious man in black seen in the fifth season finale (that many of us are referring to as Esau). "The way that I interpreted it, on a biblical level, is that it's a sort of Cain-and-Abel scenario," said Welliver of the showdown between Jacob and his character. "So by destroying Jacob, what does that prove — that [the man in black] can ultimately have power over the island? Do the castaways become solely his playthings? And why was it so important that he find the loophole to be able to kill Jacob? That moved me in the direction of thinking that if he needs this loophole, there's a greater power than the two of them that they're answering to." (TVGuide.com)

FX has ordered six episodes of animated comedy Archer (working title), about the eccentric employees of an international spy agency, from writer/executive producer Adam Reed. Project, which will launch this fall and be paired with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, features the voices of Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, and Judy Greer. Says Variety's Michael Schneider, "Benjamin plays Sterling Archer, a suave spy who goes by the code name Duchess. Walter plays his mother, while Tyler is his ex-girlfriend, Agent Lana Kane. Greer plays his secretary; Parnell is the spy agency’s comptroller." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that there's no hope for CBS' Harper's Island, citing unnamed insiders who "insist" that there won't be a second season of the serialized slasher series. CBS, meanwhile, wouldn't comment officially on the likelihood of a cancellation. Series was originally intended to be an ongoing franchise where each season would introduce a new killer and a new batch of victims. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Steven Weber (Brothers & Sisters) and newcomer Ben Schnetzer are in talks to come aboard ABC midseason drama series Happy Town, where they would respectively replace Dean Winters and John Patrick Amedori, who appeared in the original pilot. (Which I reviewed here.) Weber will play John Haplin, scion of the town's founding family who is distraught after the kidnapping years earlier of his daughter by the mysterious "Magic Man." Schnetzer will play John Haplin's son who is himself enmeshed in a star-crossed romance with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Modern Family director Jason Winer has signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, under which he will remain on board ABC's single-camera comedy Modern Family as a director and co-executive producer. He'll direct six additional installments from the series' initial thirteen-episode commitment as well as develop new series for the studio with his writing partner Ryan Raddatz. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks to Torchwood: Children of Earth star John Barrowman about the event season of the Doctor Who spin-off series. "I say this with my hand on my heart: If I were only asked to be Captain Jack for the next 10 years, I would do it," said Barrowman. "I'm definitely up for [Season] 4, 5, 6, whatever. For as long as they want to do it, I'm there." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville scribe Drew Z. Greenberg has joined the writing staff of Syfy's Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica, according to showrunner Jane Espenson. (Twitter)

Ryan Seacrest has signed a new contract that will pay out $15 million a year for the next three years that will keep him on board as host of FOX's American Idol through 2012 and make him exclusive to 19 Entertainment/CKX. Simon Cowell is already in the midst of renegotiating his own contract and Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi are all said to be "expected to ink new deals to return next year." (Variety)

Taryn Manning will guest star in the third episode of the CW's Melrose Place, where she will play a singer whose latest music video is directed by Jonah (Michael Rady). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Los Angeles Times' Liesl Bradner profiles ubiquitous actor Patrick Fischler, who has appeared on the small screen this past year on such high-profile series as Lost, Mad Men, and Southland. "After Mad Men I got a lot of 'How dare you speak to Don Draper like that?'" Fischler said. "People -- mainly women -- were mad at me that I told Don off. I took it as a compliment." (Los Angeles Times)

Showtime has ordered six episodes of half-hour variety series Live Nude Comedy, described as a "mix of stand-up comedy and modern-day burlesque." Project, from Salient Media and The Collective and executive producers Gary Binkow and Michael Green, is hosted by Shannon Elizabeth and will launch on Thursday at midnight ET/PT on the pay cabler. Format will include an audience-participation sketch with Elizabeth, followed by two comedians and two dancers. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Michelle Trachtenberg will fulfill her guest turn on the CW's Gossip Girl this fall, despite NBC shifting her midseason medical drama series Mercy to the fall. "Our sources tell us that Michelle Trachtenberg won't miss a beat of Gossip Girl," wrote Team Watch with Kristin. "She's doing everything she was expected to do as of last spring, and Georgina's episodes are good!" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

HBO and Cinemax have joined Comcast's TV Everywhere initiative, allowing the cable operator to stream its series, movies, and other premium content to 5000 subscribers in the Philadelphia area in a pilot program to start in several weeks' times. The pay cablers join TNT, TBS, and Starz in the test program, which if it is successful, will be made available to Comcast subscribers around the country at no additional cost. (Hollywood Reporter)

It's official (finally!): CBS has announced that Neil Patrick Harris will host the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, to be broadcast live on September 20th. (Variety's Emmy Central)

Cabler VH1 has ordered four episodes of concert series Live and Loud Fridays from Live Nation. Series, which will feature rock performances from venues around the country, will launch this week with Poison and Def Leppard. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comic-Con Update: Syfy Announces Panels, Talent For SDCC Next Month

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), Syfy has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month.

The cabler will be offering panels based around Caprica and telepic Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Eureka, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, and Stargate Universe.

Additionally, Syfy will be taking over the Hard Rock Cafe and will re-brand the eatery as Eureka’s own “Cafe Diem” for entire breadth of the convention. Cafe Diem will be the focal point for many of Syfy's planned activities throughout the convention.

The full press release from Syfy can be be found below, along with dates and times (and descriptions) of each of their panels.

SCI FI FEATURES FAN FAVORITE SERIES AND STARS
AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2009

New York, NY – June 30, 2009 – In keeping with its longstanding tradition of hosting some of Comic-Con’s most popular, crowd-pleasing events over the years, SCI FI Channel will once again feature some of its biggest hits – as well as its highly-anticipated new series – at this year’s Comic-Con International, held July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. Fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite SCI FI stars and get the answers to all their burning questions at each of the Channel’s star-studded panels, including Warehouse 13, Eureka, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, and Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.

In addition, SCI FI will take over a restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel, re-branding it as Eureka’s “Cafe Diem” for the duration of the convention. The fictional local hot spot heavily featured in the popular dramedy, Café Diem will be the hub of all SCI FI activities during the week.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, July 24

10:30 AM-11:30 AM Stargate Universe
Ballroom 20
A new chapter of the Stargate saga begins with the all-new original series Stargate Universe. Join stars Robert Carlyle (Dr. Nicholas Rush), Brian J. Smith (1st Lt. Matthew Scott), Elyse Levesque (Chloe Armstrong), David Blue (Eli Wallace), Alaina Huffman (1st Lt. Tamara Johansen), Jamil Walker Smith (Master Sargeant Ronald Greer), and Ming-Na (Camile Wray) alongside Brad Wright (Series Co-Creator) and Robert Cooper (Series Co-Creator) as they take you through a gate you’ve never seen before.

11:45 AM-12:45 PM Caprica / Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Ballroom 20
The present meets the past as the makers of Battlestar Galactica deliver the highly anticipated original series Caprica and the 2-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos. This is your chance to get the inside scoop on these exciting projects and see two generations of Adamas on stage together for the first time. Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson sit down with Caprica star Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), and Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), director of The Plan, to reveal the truth about these two new chapters in the mythology of BSG. Moderated by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times.

3:15 PM-4:15 PM Eureka
Room 6BCF
Eureka is back this summer with all new episodes, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), and Jaime Paglia (Executive Producer/Co-Creator) are stopping by to let you in on the fun. Don’t miss your chance to see one of Comic Con’s most entertaining panels. Moderated by Josh Gates, Destination Truth.

8:30 PM-10:30 PM SCI FI Screening
Room 6DE
Warehouse 13 & Eureka will premiere every week this summer on SCI FI, but only Comic-Con fans can see them on the big screen. Join SCI FI for an exclusive screening of the next all-new episodes of the summer’s two hottest series, along with best of clips from Ghost Hunters.

Saturday, July 25

12:30 PM-1:30 PM Sanctuary
Bayside Hilton Indigo Room
Before Sanctuary returns for an all-new season, don’t miss your chance to go inside the action and behind the scenes. Join stars Amanda Tapping (Dr. Helen Magnus) and Robin Dunne (Dr. Will Zimmerman) as well as Martin Wood (Executive Producer) and Damian Kindler (Executive Producer) for an exclusive conversation about one of television’s most innovative shows. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.

2:15 PM-3:15 PM Warehouse 13
Room 6A
This summer, the unknown has an address in the new original series, Warehouse 13. Join stars Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), Jack Kenny (Executive Producer/Showrunner) and David Simkins (Executive Producer) as they reveal confidential information about America’s most classified secret. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.

Café Diem Hours of Operation:
Wednesday, July 22nd 6:30am-midnight
Thursday, July 23rd 6:30am-midnight
Friday, July 24th 6:30am-3am
Saturday, July 25th 6:30am-3am
Sunday, July 26th 6:30am-10pm

Channel Surfing: Matthew Fox Talks "Lost" Final Season, "Reaper" Creators Check into "Dollhouse," Buckley Replaces Green on "One Tree Hill," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

E! Online caught up with Lost star Matthew Fox in Monte Carlo, where he was on hand to attend the Monte Carlo Television Festival, and got the actor to tease some details about Lost's sixth and final season. Fox, who said that Lost will end with "an incredibly powerful, very sad and beautiful way," went on to say " "I think it is going to be very satisfying and cathartic and redemptive and beautiful. I've talked to Damon pretty extensively and every time I talk to him it's sort of surprising how moving it is just to talk about it." As for the beginning of Season Six, look for the action to begin with the reveal of just what happened after Juliet seemed to detonate the hydrogen bomb, with Fox teasing, "It's very surprising and probably fairly confusing initially to the audience... Like a third of the way in [to the season] I would guess we are going to [settle] in one time frame and it will be very linear—no more flashbacks, nothing. It will be on the island and sort of a final conflict to the end." Very interesting... (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Reaper creators Michelle Fazekas and Tara Butters have joined the writing staff of FOX drama Dollhouse, which returns for its second season this fall. The news was announced by Dollhouse writer Maurissa Tancharoen on her Twitter feed. Fazekas and Butters, described by Tancharoen as "awesome," recently signed an overall deal with studio 20th Century Fox Television. (Twitter)

Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle) has signed on to CW's One Tree Hill as a series regular next season, where he will replace Brian Austin Green, who has dropped out of the series after a deal couldn't be reached. He'll play Clayton, described as "a brash young sports agent who represents Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) and has become a close friend, ally, business partner and advisor to him while also enjoying the spoils that come from being a wealthy, handsome single guy." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered five episodes of comedic dance competition series Let's Dance, which will feature celebrities learning to react famous dance routines, such as Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey's dance in Dirty Dancing, etc. Episodes will air live, with viewers asked to vote on their favorite performers, who will return for a final round. Series, based on a UK format that aired on BBC One earlier this year, will be produced by FremantleMedia North America and Whizz Kid. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin catch up with True Blood stars Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer in a series of video interviews in which the duo spill a few details about Season Two of the HBO vampire drama. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Jonathan Sadowski (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Keir O'Donnell (Sons of Anarchy), Rebecca Wisocky (Bones), and Kaylee DeFer (The War at Home) have been cast in Comedy Central's live-action comedy pilot Ghosts/Aliens, written by Phil Johnson and based on Trey Hamburger's novel. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is slated to air on Sci Fi (or Syfy as it will be known by then) in November and BSG spin-off series Caprica will launch in January 2010, according to Sci Fi president Dave Howe. Also potentially on tap: a BSG feature film, possible three or five years down the line. (The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Universal Media Studios has signed two-year overall deals with Heroes writers Aron Coleite and Joe Pakaski. Under the separate deals, the duo will continue to write for Heroes, entering its fourth season this fall, and develop series projects for the studio as well. (Variety)

Viola Davis (Doubt) will guest star on the second season of Showtime's comedy series The United States of Tara. Davis, who is slated to appear in seven episodes of the Diablo Cody-created series, will play Lynda B. Dozier, described as "an uncoventional artist who plays a significant role in Tara (Toni Collette) and her daughter Kate's (Brie Larson) lives." (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the season premiere of House has been expanded to two hours and will be directed by executive producer Katie Jacobs. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV will begin shooting Season Twenty-Three of its venerable reality franchise The Real World this summer in Washington D.C. The cabler, which will premiere the current Cancun-set season on June 24th, will launch the Washington season in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros. Television has hired former NBC executive Erin Gough Wehrenberg as SVP of comedy development. She will report to Len Goldstein and will work closely with Lisa Lang and Wendy Steinhoff-Baldikoski. (Variety)

Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) will star in Lifetime Movie Network telepic Cinderella Pact, about a magazine editor with an alter ego as a reclusive columnist whose latest column about weight loss inspires her overweight co-workers to band together to shed pounds by following her advice. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk "Lost" Series Finale, Pasdar Says Quinto Not Going Anywhere, Shenkman Joins Cast of "Burn Notice," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

With the 100th episode of Lost set to air tonight on ABC, many are already looking to the series' next milestone: the all-important series finale, set for May, 2010, and viewers are bound to have high expectations when creators Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse wrap up the series. "We can't let those expectations terrify us," said Lindelof in an interview with Variety's Shawn Malcom. "The reality is, we've known what the series finale is going to be for a while now." In fact, the real variable is how the series' characters wind up at the end point charted by Lindelof and Cuse. "The path that we take to the end still has some room for surprises and changes and discoveries along the way (in terms of) the characters' journeys and how their relationships evolve," said Cuse. While the duo wouldn't reveal any specifics about the finale, they did say that fans will be left wanting more. "When we say more, we don't mean answers," said Lindelof, "because hopefully, the show will wrap up in an incredibly satisfying way, both mythologically and emotionally." (Variety)

Wondering if Zachary Quinto will be sticking around NBC's Heroes next season? "Zach [Quinto]'s not done. There's Nathan, there's Sylar, and there's the point of view that you have to factor in. If I look up into the mirror, who would I see?" said Heroes' Adrian Pasdar, who teased an epic battle between Nathan and Sylar in Season Four of the series. "Who's going to be able to control the actions of the body? Like one of those computers that self-teaches, the longer he stays in my body and the longer he assimilates my physical structure and DNA, the more control I get. So it becomes a battle of who's in charge." (TVGuide.com)

Ben Shenkman (Grey's Anatomy) has been cast in at least four episodes of Season Three of USA's Burn Notice. Shenkman will play Tom Strickler, a "smooth-talking, gregarious freelance spy broker who offers to cancel Michael's (Jeffrey Donovan) burn notice in exchange for an unspecified -- and potentially lethal -- job." Look for Shenkman to first turn up about halfway through the season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sasha Roiz (Unthinkable), who played the brother of Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) in the backdoor pilot for Sci Fi's Caprica as a guest star, has been upgraded to series regular on the series. Elsewhere, Callard Harris (Roommates) has joined the cast of FX's Sons of Anarchy, where he will play an Irish gun trafficker in the second season of the drama series. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former General Hospital actor and "Jesse's Girl" singer Rick Springfield will play himself in four episodes of the upcoming third season of Showtime's Calfornication. Springfield was cast on the series after producers posted a casting call looking for "an actor who experienced huge fame in the 80's to play themselves as a now down-on his-luck-ex-celebrity waiting tables to get by." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looking for more Lost goodies on the day of the 100th episode? Variety takes you behind the scenes of the writers' room in Burbank, far away from the lush jungles of the series' set in Oahu, Hawaii. The Hollywood Reporter offers a look back at journey of Lost over the last 100 episodes, offering a timeline of the series's real-life history and discussing making the original pilot. ("The fact that no one believed 'Lost' was going to be successful in the beginning was enormously liberating," Cuse says. "So we set out to make 12 episodes of what we thought was the coolest TV show we could come up with and in so doing we violated a lot of the traditional rules of television narrative. We had characters who were murderers and had done very bad things. We had incredibly complex serialized storytelling. We had lots of intentional ambiguity, leaving the audience lots of room for interpretation and those things that sort of violated the rules of television were the very things that the audience ended up responding to.") Variety also talks to script coordinator Gregg Nations, who maintains the series' gargantuan bible.

Stargate Universe co-creator Robert C. Cooper has confirmed that the upcoming Sci Fi series is influenced by Joss Whedon's short-lived FOX drama Firefly. "The concept is that we wanted to shoot this a little bit like a documentary crew would shoot a ride-along to a space ship out in the universe - that maybe we could get audiences to embrace the science fiction elements and the characters in a realistic way if we shot the show using the 'language' of documentary and reality," Cooper told crowds gathered at this weekend's Stargate convention. "It's not intended to be style for style's sake, or to emulate any other show. Although, to be honest with you, one of the shows we love that we did look at and say, 'That's a style we would love to try and approach' is Firefly. That's how Firefly was shot. There's a lot of handheld stuff. Cameras were placed in places that were non-traditional or [not] typical of filmmaking." (Gateworld)

MTV will be continuing docusoap The Hills without Lauren Conrad. The cabler ordered a ninth season of the reality hit, which will air new episodes this fall. While Conrad is departing the series, fans can expect to see more of Heidi, Audrina, Spencer, Brody, Stephanie, Lo, and Justin Bobby this fall. MTV also announced a slew of new series including The Alexa Chung Show, The Buried Life, DJ and the Fro, The Stylist, Ultimate Parkour Challenge, Pranked, Popzilla, Gone Too Far, and Disaster Date. (via press release)

NBC has given a seven-episode series order to Steve Schirripa-hosted reality series Face the Ace, in which contestants--who are found via an online search--battle it out against poker players in Las Vegas. Series, from Poker Prods., will launch on August 1st at 9 pm and, after two airings, will then run during Saturday afternoons in September. (Variety)

Eighteen years after seminal drama series thirtysomething went off the air, fans will finally get to purchase the DVD of the first season of Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick's series. Season One will be available for purchase on August 25th, with a new DVD volume planned for the series every six months after that. The delay was once again caused by expensive music clearances but Garson Foos, president of Shout! Factory, now says, "It doesn't look like we'll be cutting any music from the show." (Los Angeles Times)

RDF USA has hired former E! staffer Jennifer Danska as SVP of development and current, named former Painless Prods. exec Kevin Shinnick as VP of production, promoted Andy Lennon to CFO, and promoted Miranda Wang to VP of business and legal affairs. (Variety)

Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Group has purchased Nordic production company Metronome Film & Television AB for approximately $88 million. "It has always been my intention to expand the existing Shine Group companies with the finest creative and entrepreneurial minds from the key markets we have identified, and each Metronome company more than meets this criteria," said Murdoch. "Their addition gives us an unrivalled presence in a market with a well-earned reputation as the birthplace of so many successful international formats." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Televisionary Exclusive: Showrunner Jane Espenson Talks About "Caprica" Series

While Battlestar Galactica may have ended about a month ago, fans of the award-winning Sci Fi series have been eagerly awaiting Caprica, the next (or is it previous?) chapter in the BSG saga, set roughly fifty years before the start of BSG's mini-series. (You can read my advance review here.)

With Caprica's two-hour pilot now available on DVD and as a digital download, I had a feeling many of you would be curious about what to expect when the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica returns in 2010 as a full-fledged series of its own on Syfy.

To that end, I caught up with Caprica's showrunner/executive producer Jane Espenson a few weeks ago to find out what is in store for the residents of the doomed planet, how the series will be different from the two-hour pilot, how the notion of the One True God plays into things, and what fans of BSG should anticipate from this sleek series.

Televisionary: How would you pitch Caprica as a series to viewers of BSG who are suffering from some serious withdrawal pains? Are there inherent similarities or differences between the two series?

Jane Espenson: There are both. If you loved the core of BSG, the dense story-telling and the complicated characters, this is for you. On the other hand, our settings are very different. We are not a show with space dogfights. We've got other sources of excitement: domestic terrorism, organized crime and dangerous robots come to mind. If you're in it for the Viper-on-Raider action, this is a different show.

Q: The pilot seemed to draw a parallel between Caprica and Rome before the Fall. Is there the sense that there's a ticking clock here, given what we know about the future of Caprica?

Espenson: YES -- viewers know what the future holds for this world, so there will be a sense of the view from the top of the waterfall. But that doesn't mean that there will be a pessimistic or dour tone to the show. This is, in a way, the party at the top of that waterfall. And the parallel with Rome -- the place and the show -- is a good one. The exploration of the cultures of the Colonies before they unified is a big part of the joy of the show. The look of the world, the clothes, the temples, the customs that might appear bizarre to us... it's all there.

Q: How important is the notion of the monotheistic One True God to Caprica's story and the sense that man's eventual downfall is linked to both hubris and loss?

Espenson: The notion of the rise of monotheism is deeply ingrained in our stories. A number of our characters believe they have the answer that will halt the slide of Caprica -- some see the answers in monotheism, others in science, others in the state, others in polytheism. It's a wonderful question that we can keep returning to-- which of these are parts of the problem and which are parts of the solution?

Q: In Battlestar Galactica, the Twelve Colonies seemed to be a more or less unified front, represented by the Quorum of Twelve. Is that the case in Caprica? And if not, how would you categorize the interaction between the planets? Will we travel off-world at any point or is the action grounded on the planet of Caprica?

Espenson: The Colonies are not yet unified under a central government. And we WILL travel off-world to other colonies.

Q: There are quite a few familiar names from BSG on the writing staff of Caprica. Which writers are shifting over to work on Caprica? And who are the newbies on staff? (I heard Pushing Daisies' fantastic Kath Lingenfelter is on staff!)

Espenson: From BSG we have myself, Michael Taylor and Ryan Mottesheard. From Friday Night Lights we have the team of Patrick Massett and John Zinman. We do, indeed, have Kath Lingenfelter, and another young writer named Matt Roberts. It's a fantastic staff. And, of course, Ron Moore is around as well, guiding and shaping and inspiring.

Q: Now that you're overseeing the writers room (which you did on The Inside as well, I believe) as showrunner, how are you running the room? Do you break stories together as a team or assign scripts to individual writers?

Espenson: We do both, as most shows do. We designed the arc for much of season one with Ron [Moore] running the room. Then the staff and I "broke" the episodes and pitched them to Ron -- this is like presenting him with a general outline for the stories. Then every script was assigned to a writer. Right now, we are all engaged in writing scripts simultaneously, which will result in a glorious clash when they're all turned in at the same time.

(SPOILER ALERT!) Q: Regarding the pilot's ending, in which Daniel seemingly downloads Zoe's personality into the Centurion prototype, can we expect to see the development of a race of Centurions that do have individuality/free will? How does this moment tie into the BSG mythos as a whole? Is there a sense that this is the beginning of the end as much as it is the end of the beginning?

Espenson: There is no secret that this series is, in part, about the development of the Cylons in the Colonies, so I think you know how this ties into the overall BSG mythos. But it's how we get there that's going to have the surprises.

Q: Which of Caprica's diverse cast of characters have you found the most compelling to write for so far?

Espenson: It's impossible to pick a favorite at this point. They and I are still getting acquainted on the page, and I'm sure that's true for all the writers. But I will say that we made a tremendous effort to look at this first batch of episodes from the perspective of all the major characters to make sure that they all had great stories to embody.

Q: Lastly, what do you think viewers will be most surprised about when they see Caprica?

Espenson: The humor and fun. The pilot centered on a very dark moment, this terrorist attack. When we rejoin the show, everyone will still be reeling from that event, but they'll be beginning, almost subconsciously, to slip back into the patterns of life in which you might catch yourself laughing, making a dark joke at your own behalf, or noticing the absurdities of life again. Caprica is set in an interesting world with technological wonders that are going to be amazing to watch, too. So expect some fun, some funny, and some dazzle.

Caprica's two-hour pilot episode is available for purchase on DVD and digital download, while Caprica the series will launch on Syfy in 2010.

TV on DVD: Sci Fi's "Caprica"

When Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica ended in March, many fans mourned the loss of one of television's most compelling and intelligent series.

Fortunately, the folks at Sci Fi (soon to be renamed Syfy) are giving fans a bit of a belated Easter present today, as the network (via Universal Studios Home Video) releases the 90-minute pilot for Caprica on DVD. Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica, is set approximately 50-odd years prior to the events in the Battlestar Galactica mini-series and is slated to air as a new series on Syfy beginning next year.

However, rather than force fans of Battlestar Galactica to wait at least eight months to see the next (or is it former?) chapter in the BSG saga, Syfy is giving fans the opportunity to watch the backdoor pilot for the series now.

I've already offered my glowing review on the pilot episode of Caprica here, so I wanted today to take a look at the DVD's assorted extras and bonus features.

In addition to the gorgeous and lush backdoor pilot for Caprica, written by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by Jeffrey Reiner, the single-disc release features a slew of bonus material, including an illuminating commentary track with director Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights), writer/executive producer Ron Moore, and executive producer David Eick. (I highly urge BSG fans to watch the pilot episode and then rewatch it with the commentary track.)

The Caprica DVD also contains several deleted scenes, including one that sheds some light on a jettisoned (but immensely intriguing) subplot involving Polly Walker's Sister Clarice Willow and Avan Jogia's Ben Stark (which was in the original pilot script) and other scenes featuring Walker and Alessandra Toreson's Zoe Greystone, Toreson and Magda Apanowicz's Lacy Rand, and Esai Morales' Joseph Adama.

There are also video blogs including "What the Frak is Caprica," which looks to explain the genesis and ideas behind the series, "The Director's Process," a fascinating look into the mind of director Jeffrey Reiner, "The V Club," an exploration with actress Alessandra Toreson into the set of the virtual reality nightclub, and "The Birth of a Cylon," which investigates the physical construction of the Cylon Centurion model seen in the pilot episode. (There's also, rather oddly, an entire episode of Sci Fi's Ghost Hunters included in the extras, which speaks to the channel's efforts at cross-promotion.)

All in all, this is a must-have DVD for any fans of Battlestar Galactica, or indeed for fans of compelling, provocative drama in general. It's an appropriate appetizer for what promises to be a visually and mentally stimulating main course when Syfy launches the series outright in 2010. I have a feeling that, like me, you'll be hungry for more as soon as possible.

The two-hour pilot for Caprica is available today via DVD or digital download. The single-disc DVD is for sale at a suggested retail price of $26.98, but you can order it through the Televisionary shop for only $17.49.

Death Becomes Them: The Role of Character Deaths in Television

With so many high-profile series like Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Heroes proving themselves willing to kill off main characters over the last few seasons (and rumors swirling about many a death on upcoming series by the end of the season), it got me thinking about the role of death on television and whether it's still an important tool in the television writer's arsenal of plot devices or an over-hyped gimmick to force viewers to tune in.

The most recent death on television was, of course, the shocking demise of Kal Penn's Dr. Lawrence Kutner on FOX's House earlier this week. In the April 6th episode, entitled "Simple Explanation," Penn's typically levelheaded character commits suicide very unexpectedly and his absence from work prompts two of the series' characters to investigate his whereabouts; they discover his body in his apartment with a gun by his side.

Reactions to the episode have divided both critics and audience alike, with some praising the realism and grace with which it was handled, while others, such as The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, decried Kutner's suicide as a sort of emotional blackmail. Comparing his death to that of former House character Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek), killed off last season, Ryan wrote, "Everything about the death of Kutner [...] smelled of manipulation. And how about that online "memorial" to Kutner that was advertised at the end of the show? Sigh. It just struck me as cheesy. I have been dissatisfied with House all season, but the death of Lawrence Kutner might just be the coup de grace for this once-great show." (Ouch.)

I turned to some industry insiders about their views on the subject of death on television and asked former Battlestar Galactica and Buffy writer/producer and current Caprica showrunner Jane Espenson about her thoughts on the death of Kutner on House, along with a cable network development executive and a studio current series executive (both of whom asked to remain anonymous for this story).

I asked Espenson about whether writers have overused death as plot device. "Of course the death of a character can be meaningful!" she told me. "Death is a part of life and is perfectly legitimate fodder for drama. It can also be a cheap plot twist. Like almost everything, it's about the execution."

"I loved the House storyline, and thought it was really well done," she continued. "Usually we talk about "earning" a plot development as big as a character death. As a writer, you try to make the death feel surprising, but, in retrospect, unavoidable or logical or necessary. On both Buffy and BSG, we wrote episodes in which characters (Joyce, Dualla) seemed to be recovering from dangerous situations and then succumbed--in the one case to disease, in the other, to despair. Both deaths were chilling and--I believe--earned."

"What House managed to dramatize was the much more difficult unearned-death-because-that-was-the-whole-point," Espenson explained. "It happens--deaths that are impossible to explain happen. And the writers didn't swerve off the road, either--Gregory House's reaction to the death was front and center, as it should be in this kind of show. The episode would still have been legitimate if it had involved a character the audience had never met before, actually. But making it about someone the audience was invested in gave it extra impact--helped us understand the characters' reactions more viscerally. That's what good drama does."

But would the current series executive agree with Espenson? I asked her the same questions about the House suicide and about death on television in general.

"I think it was a really interesting way to do a character death," she said of Kutner's suicide on House. "It wasn't promoted, and its purpose was more about House and his ability to not figure everything out than about the character that died."

"For me, it's not that I'm against killing off characters; I'm against killing off characters as a promotional strategy," continued our forthright studio executive. "It seems that so many series these days use character deaths as a way to pick up viewers or bring back old viewers. I would prefer that network showrunners concentrate on making the best show they can instead of picking which character will die during sweeps. I've seen so many commercials and read so many magazine articles that tout the death of a character before it's going to happen. The most recent example of this is Nicolette Sheridan's character on Desperate Housewives. When you promote a death so much, it completely loses all of the dramatic weight behind it."

So have character deaths lost all emotional impact these days? "I firmly believe that it is still possible to have a character's death mean something," admitted the studio exec. "The element of surprise is always good, but it's the execution that really makes it work for me. I think The Sopranos is a great example. That's a show where the viewer was always expecting a character to die strictly because of the world in which it took place, but it constantly provided jaw-dropping (Ralphie) and gut-wrenching (Big Pussy, Adriana) deaths. They were always done in a way that would result in a very visceral reaction from the audience and that is what makes a character death meaningful."

Our cable development executive was less kind about the subject matter.

"I think it is overused," he said of the use of death as a plot device today. "The networks and advertisers want attention. The easiest way to get everyone's attention is to kill someone off. It quickly becomes cliched. From a development perspective, it is incredibly unsettling towards everything else you are working towards."

"The networks are constantly scrambling to keep audience attention and especially today when network viewership at an all time low," he said. "More people than ever are watching TV but they aren't watching network TV. There's a massive disconnect. Why are there such huge plot twists? Why, in 24, is there going to be a nuclear disaster every season? To keep up audience attention. From a network development perspective, there's a need to keep pushing the envelope in order to keep audience interest there... When you're doing a 24-type show, or even House to a certain extent, each episode asks, 'What is this person going to die of?' It speaks to a frustrating model that [action, medical, etc.] shows like these are so similar that you have to find a way to do it differently each time because the characters aren't evolving. Why aren't they changing? Because they don't want to alienate viewers. Why can't you alienate viewers? Because you don't want to alienate any advertisers."

"We've also reached saturation levels as far as media goes," he went on to say. "Everyone is extremely aware of characters, actors, etc. Remember when Cynthia Watros was on Lost and she got a pilot and then we all knew something was going to happen to Libby on the show? Everyone knew it was going to happen because it was in the trades. And the trades aren't limited to industry readers anymore because everyone can go on to the Variety website and see what's happening with their favorite actors. People are becoming hyper-aware of who is being utilized or not utilized. We are no longer making TV shows in a bubble, for other little bubbles around the country; we're making TV shows for a mass audience that is aware and following all of your footsteps."

And yet that does speak a great deal towards what showrunners David Shore and Katie Jacobs were looking to do with Lawrence Kutner's suicide on show. It was unexpected, it hadn't been announced in the trades or in, say, TV Guide or on the cover of Entertainment Weekly (like Edie's death on Desperate Housewives), and it was shocking.

But, while the storyline may yield some character development down the road, its impetus wasn't story-based but rather that actor Kal Penn wanted to leave the FOX series in order to take a position in the Obama Administration. One can't argue that it was a promotional tool, because it wasn't promoted ahead of time, but was the death strictly for shock value or does it open up the series to explore new themes and stories?

I agree with Espenson that, when a death is "earned," it can be a fantastic storytelling device that potentially offers viewers an emotional wallop to the gut. And I am hopeful that writers can use the unexpected death of a character to further the overall story rather than just sell it as promotional, tune-in gimmick... so long as the media and network promo departments don't spoil it in advance, as they have in the past. (ABC's promos for Lost come to mind.)

Ultimately, death is a huge part of life and shouldn't be abandoned from the writer's toolbox any time soon. But creators and networks need to be aware that character deaths have to be earned above all else and not used as a throwaway storyline to trim the cast or "shock" the audience. Or they run the risk of truly de-sensitizing the audience at large.

What are your thoughts about Lawrence Kutner's death? Are too many series seemingly using character deaths as a promotional tool more than a story-based one? Discuss.

Man Before the Fall: An Advance Review of Sci Fi's "Caprica"

“While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand; / When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall; / And when Rome falls - the World.” - Lord Byron

While the mourning period for the end of Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica has just begun, following the recent two-hour finale, there are more than a few Battlestar-related things to look forward to on the horizon, one being the Jane Espenson-scripted, Edward James Olmos-directed two-hour telepic "The Plan" (set to air this fall on Sci Fi) and the other being the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica, which is set roughly fifty years before the start of the Battlestar Galactica mini-series.

Sci Fi plans to release Caprica's two-hour pilot, shot last year and written by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, as a DVD and a digital download next month. I had the opportunity to see a rough cut of the pilot episode for Caprica a few weeks back and was captivated by the pilot's tantalizing glimpse into a civilization sliding out of control.

Set before The Fall, the plot of Caprica might be a foregone conclusion: we know that, like Rome, this society will be obliterated in fifty years' time by the nuclear holocaust unleashed by the Cylons. However, that's part and parcel of the dark beauty that the series offers, as it holds up a ticking clock to the depravities and excesses of a society on the brink of annihilation. It's only a matter of time before these privileged individuals self-destruct, erased by the instruments of their own making: a slave race of robots, designed to serve their every whim, who rise up and massacre their masters.

But that time is still five decades away. In Caprica, we're seeing the seeds of that destruction as we witness the birth of the Centurions, a military project overseen by defense contractor Daniel Greystone (Eric Stoltz), a brilliant inventor responsible for the creation of holoband technology, a virtual reality module that allows the users to escape their mundane lives to experience, well, anything they desire. It's a technology that, like most things, has been corrupted by its users, which include Caprica's jaded teenage population, including Daniel's genius daughter Zoe (Alessandra Toreson) and her friends Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz) and Ben Stark (Avan Jogia).

They use the technology to access a virtual club that's teaming with subversive and stomach-wrenching excesses; everything goes here from group sex and Fight Club brutality to human sacrifice. In the midst of this depravity, Zoe and her friends are conducting their own experiment. Bored of the sin and perversion they experience and see around them, Zoe and her friends have turned to the One True God and are attempting to give life to a virtual reproduction of herself, a fully functioning avatar that lives and breathes in the reality of the nightclub. A perfect copy that shares its memories and experiences with another but who might be tormented by the thought of free will? Sound like anything we've seen before?

(Beware: SPOILERS ahead!) For Zoe, it's an effort to use her considerable gifts by playing creator before she and her friends run away from home to find a new life on the distant planet of Gemenon. But it's a journey that none are destined to take. Lacy, at the last second, decides not to go with them. Ben, acting on the orders of an unknown employer or employers, detonates a bomb aboard the train, killing everyone on board. That includes Zoe Greystone as well as the wife and daughter of lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales).

The terrorist attack is blamed on a radical monotheistic cult and two families attempt to move past their grief. Joseph Adama is left a single father, forced to care for his young son William (who will later grow up to be Admiral Adama himself), even as he tries to find his way among a morass of corruption and intrigue. Adama might be a lawyer, but he's a crooked one, with ties to Tauron organized crime and a tendency to bribe judges to get the criminal scum he defends acquitted. Daniel Greystone is left an embittered wreck and his wife Amanda (Paula Malcomson) withdraws into herself, blaming herself for her daughter's death as the last moments they shared together they were locked in a vicious argument.

So what happens next? Lacy goes to the Greystone's house and uses Zoe's computer paper (I can't even describe how frakking awesome this technology would be) to access the club, where she sees that the avatar Zoe is still alive, despite her creator's death. Daniel and Joseph bond over their shared losses and Daniel hatches an insidious plan to use his technology to bring their daughters back to life... in a way. (However, he needs Joseph to use his mafia connections to steal a piece of vital technology from his competitor, Thomas Vergis.) The investigation of the bombing on the train leads to Zoe and Sister Clarice Willow (Polly Walker), Zoe's teacher at the private academy, who isn't quite what she seems.

And that's all I'll say about the pilot's plot without giving too much more away than I already have. Like Battlestar Galactica before it, Caprica explores the themes of free will, identity, and what it means to be truly human. Using both Zoe and Daniel's experiments, the writers create a rubric for understanding the building blocks of creation, of humanity, of artificial intelligence. Through their actions, the audience sees the birth of a new race and how that very creation spells the end for the human race as we know it.

Caprica is very much a different series than Battlestar Galactica. Unlike BSG, which took place in the dark recesses of space, Caprica is much more grounded. There are no Viper dog fights, no Battlestars jumping to coordinates. It's set in a world that's very much like ours, with characters that are hauntingly similar to you or me. The design work is absolutely breathtaking, with modern sets daringly juxtaposed to vintage suits. Both Joseph and Daniel wear clothing that would be right at home in the confines of AMC's Mad Men, with beautifully tailored suits and fedoras, while the Greystones' home is all sleek, clean lines, glass and steel, and robot attendants.

Likewise, Caprica feels much more grounded in reality as well, promising more a drama about the "extraordinary" than a just strict space opera. Personally, I think it's a narrative approach that works; by placing the plot in a more "real" setting (literally grounding it on a planet), the dramatic uses of technology stand out more as surprising and innovative than they would in a full-blown sci-fi action piece.

Eric Stolz, Esai Morales, and Polly Walker are all absolutely phenomenal here and bring a gravitas and range to the series that is definitely similar to the quality of acting on Battlestar Galactica. Paula Malcomson is also equally fantastic as Amanda Greystone but doesn't have much to do in the two-hour installment. (A subplot involving her and Thomas Vergis was removed entirely from the rough cut I saw.) Still, I have every hope that subsequent installments will move Malcomson's Amanda more front and center.

Given the fact that the teenagers play such a huge role in the pilot, especially in the first half-hour or so, I was pretty disappointed by their performances, particularly Alessandra Toreson, who plays Zoe Greystone and her avatar. Toreson seems to deliver all of her lines with the same sort of bratty bite and she doesn't seem to demonstrate much range here, which is a shame as Zoe is a rather pivotal character in the Caprica mythos. It's also especially difficult to quite accept her as the daughter of the pale Eric Stoltz and Paula Malcomson and the scenes they share together shine an especially strong light at their disparate acting strengths as well. (Likewise, Avan Jogia's turn as Ben Stark isn't particularly memorable, though I did have to question the producers' decision to cast a vaguely Middle Eastern-looking guy as the suicide bomber.) However, Magda Apanowicz's Lacy seems a non-entity at first but she shows considerable grit in her scenes within the virtual club, where her Lacy transforms from meek schoolgirl mouse to strong, confident woman, and in a revealing scene with Polly Walker's Sister Clarice Willow.

Ultimately, Caprica is a very different beast than its predecessor Battlestar Galactica, but the two-hour pilot is absolutely gripping and offers a haunting exploration about the complicated nature of humanity and the notion of identity, faith, and free will. It's more than a worthy successor to Battlestar Galactica and I cannot wait for 2010 to reenter its dark universe.



The two-hour pilot of Caprica will be released by Sci Fi as a DVD and digital download on April 21st.

Channel Surfing: Piper, Agyeman, Tate, and Simm Rumored to Return to "Doctor Who," Ratner Moves into "Cop House," "BSG," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Latest Doctor Who rumor: that former co-stars Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, and John Simm will all appear in David Tennant's final episode as the Doctor, according to UK newspaper The Sun. Piper, Agyeman, and Tate will allegedly reprise their roles as the Doctor's former companions Rose, Martha, and Donna respectively, while Simm will reprise his Season Three role as The Master. The episode will also feature the Doctor regenerating into the Eleventh Doctor, to be played by Matt Smith. "This will be the most exciting episode Doctor Who have ever done," said an unnamed insider on the production. "We really wanted to get all the companions back on board as a fitting send-off to David. And of all the enemies for him to face in his final episode, it makes sense for The Master to be the main one. Getting Billie to agree is a real coup, but she loved working on the show so much it didn't take much convincing." (The Sun)

Brett Ratner will direct and executive produce FOX comedy pilot Cop House, about a halfway house for troubled officers. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and writer Adam Resnick, will star Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Rachael Harris (Notes from the Underbelly), and Ajay Naidu (Office Space). (Hollywood Reporter)

Elle Macpherson has been cast in CW drama pilot Beautiful Life, where she will recur as Claudia, the owner of top modeling agency Focus Models who was once a supermodel herself and now runs her business with an iron fist. Pilot, from CBS Paramount Network Television, is set to star Mischa Barton, Ben Hollingsworth, Sara Paxton, Ashley Madekwe, and Nico Tortorella. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting news: Christine Baranski (Ugly Betty) and Chris Noth (Sex and the City) have been cast in CBS drama pilot The Good Wife, where Baranski will play a ligitator at the firm where a politican's wife (Julianna Margulies) takes a job as a junior associate while Noth will guest star in the pilot as a former DA in jail following a sex scandal. Elsewhere, David Wilson Barnes (As the World Turns) has scored one of the leads on CBS drama pilot The Eastmans; Swedish actress Mercedes Masohn (Entourage) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot The Law; Adam Jamal Craig (The Office) will join the cast of CBS drama pilot Washington Field; Mexican actress Ana De La Reguera has been cast in ABC's drama pilot Empire State; and MADtv's Colton Dunn will star opposite Michael Strahan and Darryl Mitchell in FOX comedy pilot Brothers. (Hollywood Reporter)

With the series finale of Battlestar Galactica set to air tonight, SCI FI Wire talks to executive producer David Eick about the series legacy. "Well, it's for somone else to say, but my hope is that we changed the face of science fiction in terms of its allegorical power," said Eick. "It was never intended to just be an escapist fantasy. It should have some metaphorical resonance. It should teach us a little something about our culture and about our times. And that's what we were hoping to do." He also says that Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica is "in its own way, is going to be as unique as Battlestar was." (SCI FI Wire)

Speaking of tonight's series finale, Los Angeles Times' Mary McNamara says "it's hard to imagine a more visually and thematically satisfying finale" than tonight's Battlestar Galactica series ender. "The writers' dedication never falters, and Battlestar Galactica's finale is everything a fan, of the show and of television, could hope for," writes McNamara in a review for the paper. "It's difficult to write about without giving anything away, so suffice it to say that tissues (or shots) would not be inappropriate accouterment." (Los Angeles Times)

NBC is allegedly looking to part ways with BermanBraun/Original on the three unscripted series that were ordered as part of a larger deal with the production companies. BermanBraun and Original are said to be shopping reality series Shark Taggers, Swords, and Tornado Roads to other networks, including Discovery and History. The first series produced under the 30-episode deal, America's Toughest Jobs, performed woefully on Friday evenings and new NBC alternative topper Paul Telegdy has made it clear that he would rather work on developing new series; however an unnamed NBC insider says that the network still plans to air the series at some point. (Variety)

Meanwhile, NBC last week indicated that other reality series wouldn't be returning. Not on the schedule and not due to return: Last Comic Standing, Nashville Star, Celebrity Circus, Celebrity Family Feud, The Baby Borrowers, America's Toughest Jobs, Momma's Boys, and American Gladiators... along with horror anthology series Fear Itself. (Futon Critic)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year first-look deal with writer/executive producer Scot Armstrong and his producing partner, Ravi Nandin. The duo have set up shingle American Work and are currently behind two pilots this season: NBC comedy Off Duty and FOX comedy Walorsky, which has been pushed to this summer, and are developing one-hour comedy procedural Privates, about a family of dysfunctional private investigators in Burbank who spend "more time investigating each other than they do others." Project is in the script stage. (Variety)

CBS has ordered a pilot for one-hour quiz show-meets-obstacle course game show The Whole 19 Yards, from Endemol USA and executive producer Scott Einziger. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, format will have contestants running an insane obstacle course before answering trivia questions. (TV Week)

Animal Planet has renewed its reality series Jockeys for a second season of seven episodes. The cabler is set to launch Season Two of the horse-racing themed series this summer. (Variety)

Elsewhere, pay cabler Starz has announced that it will bring back movie special series Starz Inside, hosted by film critic Richard Roeper, beginning June 9th at 10 pm with a special about character actors. Subsequent specials will air throughout the summer and fall. (Variety)

FremantleMedia, the producers of FOX's American Idol, have been sued in a class-action lawsuit by several former employees who worked on Fremantle series such as American Idol, Temptation, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, and Osbournes: Reloaded, who allege that the company "systematically overworked employees without paying the required overtime, falsified time cards and denied staffers meals and rest periods," according to The Live Feed's James Hibberd. Fremantle had no comment on the suit. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

BBC plans to cut nearly $600 million over the next three years by issuing salary freezes for its executives and slashing talent fees. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said such changes were necessary for the continued survival of the public broadcaster, which faces 1,200 pinkslips in the coming months. "Given the falling away of household growth, the collapse of the commercial property market and pressure on commercial revenues," said Thompson, "without a further significant reduction in spending we would exceed our statutory borrowing limit." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Freddie Prinze Jr. Dons Cape for "No Heroics," Bloodgood Subs in for Esposito, Sherry Stringfield Gets "Back," "Rome," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Freddie) has been cast as one of the leads in ABC's US remake of UK comedy series No Heroics. In the ABC Studios-produced pilot, Prinze will play Bradley (a.k.a. Ultimatum), a cocky celebrity superhero with no shortage of women, arrogance, or grade-school quips. He joins the already cast Paul Campbell, Eliza Coupe, and Arielle Kebbel. (Hollywood Reporter)

Just days after announcing that Samantha Who? star Jennifer Esposito had been cast in USA's Burn Notice, the actress has dropped out of the role. No reason was given for Esposito's departure from the series, where she was to have played Miami police detective Michelle Paxon, a new adversary for Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Weston. Stepping in to replace Esposito: Moon Bloodgood (Journeyman), who will assume the role of Michelle. Production on Burn Notice's third season is currently underway. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sherry Stringfield (ER) has been cast opposite Skeet Ulrich in the CBS drama pilot Back, where she will play Cheryl, the former wife of Ulrich's Richard, a man reported missing after 9/11 who suddenly returns home and has to reconnect with his family. For Cheryl, Richard's homecoming is fraught with complication as she is remarried to Tom, a firefighter. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Rome star Ray Stevenson says that a feature film based on the HBO series is currently being developed and could shoot as early as six months from now, with the script being written by Rome creator Bruno Heller (The Mentalist). "The script is in full development," said Stevenson. As you are probably aware, this is a pretty strange process. We could go into production in a year, or it could be as quick as six months. Who knows? It will happen. At least it is no longer a rumor. From what I have heard, they are nearing the end of script development. We shall see. We shall see." (Movieweb)

In other TV-to-feature film news, Dan Shotz, the co-executive producer of CBS' Jericho says that a feature adaptation of that series is also in development. "It's not just wishful thinking," said Shotz. "We've ... been developing a feature to hopefully make, because we would love to. I mean, ... Jericho is so built in a way, ... especially where we left off season two, to create a feature. So our hope is to launch this comic-book series and then, with the development at the same time of the feature, hopefully get that launched as well." (SCI FI Wire)

CBS has renewed The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men for two and three additional season, respectively. (Televisionary)

Pilot casting alert: Eric McCormack (Trust Me) has been cast in ABC's untitled multi-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Tad Quill. Also cast in the pilot: Reno Wilson (Blind Justice), Jolie Jenkins (Desperate Housewives), and Constance Zimmer (Entourage). McCormack will play Dean, a heart surgeon whose wife (Jenkins) has just had a baby, while Wilson will play Seth, a contractor with an empty nest. Zimmer will play Seth's wife. For McCormack, the pilot is in second position to his TNT drama series Trust Me, which is not expected to return. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Lindsay Sloane (Help Me Help You), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Charlie Finn (Help Me Help You) have been cast in ABC comedy pilot Pulling, a US remake of the British comedy series, while Holly Robinson Peete (Love Inc.) and Josh Braaten (The Ex List) will star opposite Lauren Graham in ABC comedy pilot The Bridget Show. (Hollywood Reporter)

Heather Locklear has turned down an offer to star in CW's revival of Melrose Place. (Televisionary)

NBC has ordered eight-episodes of reality competition series The Sing Off, in which a cappella groups will face off against one another for a Sony Music recording contract. Series, from Outlaw Prods. and Sony Pictures Television, will be executive produced by Joel Gallen. NBC/Universal Media Studios' Paul Telegdy called The Sing Off "a fantastic feel-good series." No airdate has been announced. (Variety)

One guest star too many? Clay Aiken is slated to appear on the May 14th season finale of NBC's 30 Rock. (TV Week)

SCI FI Wire talks to Caprica star Esai Morales about the Battlestar Galactica prequel series. "I think he's the moral spine [of the story]," said Morales of his character, Joseph Adama. "He's somebody who came from the wrong side of the tracks, ... or the galaxy, or solar system, so to speak. They're from a planet that's more oppressed. He and his brother came from Tauron and establish their roots here, but they're still a minority. There are still ethnic tensions. So I'm a [civil liberties] lawyer who's trying to work on the right side of the tracks, and my brother is a gangster. It's like a Rich Man, Poor Man issue meets The Godfather meets Brave New World." (SCI FI Wire)

"We are all Cylons. And every one of us is a Colonial." Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, The Washington Post has a fantastic story about the series' recent appearance at the UN, where the cast and creators discussed issues like human rights, torture, and security issues. "Suddenly we are presented with this false dichotomy of security versus human rights," said Craig Mokhiber, deputy director of the New York branch of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. "That slippery slope shows up so much in the show, and so much in real life." (Washington Post)

HBO has acquired the rights to eight-episode autobiographical documentary series The Neistat Brothers, which follows filmmaker siblings Casey and Van Neistat. All of the episodes were shot on consumer-grade cameras and edited by the Neistats using Apple's iMovie. HBO has yet to announce an airdate for the project, executive produced by Tom Scott. (Variety)

The New York Times' Brian Stelter takes a look at pay cabler Starz, which is looking to stand out from among the glut of movie channels by broadening its original series offerings, which include Rob Thomas' comedy Party Down, Crash, and Head Cases, as it looks to build a new identity for itself. "We’re the new guys on the block, even though we’re 15 years old," said Bill Myers, president of Starz Entertainment. (New York Times)

Suspense drama series Harper's Island, launching in the US next month on CBS, has been acquired by BBC Three, which plans to air the series later this year. "This is truly exciting event television," said BBC Three's Sue Deeks, Head of Series, BBC Programme Acquisition, "a suspenseful, contemporary take on the classic murder mystery with more than a dash of horror – think Agatha Christie meets Scream and you will get the idea!" (BBC)

VH1 has revived reality staple Behind the Music, ordering ten episodes that will air later this year. So far the network has signed Lil Wayne and Scott Weiland to appear in installments. "It felt like the time is right," said Jeff Olde, EVP of original programming. "There's all sorts of new artists on the scene who have emerged and have these great stories. And there's other artists that we always wanted to do the first time around." (Hollywood Reporter)

USA has promoted Jeff Wachtel to president of original series. As EVP of original programming, Wachtel helped launch such series as The 4400, Monk, and Burn Notice. "As head of original programming, Jeff’s leadership has inspired the team responsible for one of the most successful slates in all of television," said Bonnie Hammer, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. "His creative intellect, impeccable taste and production savvy are among the best in the business, and we look forward to having his stamp of originality on all future successes here at USA." (TV Week)

National Geographic has renewed Dog Whisperer for a sixth season, ordering 30 episodes that will air later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Alex O'Loughlin Dips Toe into "Three Rivers," Season Three is Last of "Gavin & Stacey," No Ricky Gervais on "The Office," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing on a glorious day that sees the premiere of an all-new episode of ABC's Lost tonight. (I can't wait!)

Former Moonlight star Alex O'Loughlin is said to be in talks to topline CBS medical drama pilot Three Rivers, told from the multiple POVs of transplant doctors, organ donors, and organ recipients. Project, from CBS Paramount Network Television, is written/executive produced by Carol Barbee (Jericho) and executive produced by Curtis Hanson and Carol Fenelon. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Co-creator/star James Corden has said that Gavin & Stacey's upcoming third season, set to air in the UK later this year, will be the series' last. "This is it. This will definitely be the last series," said Corden of the series' third season, set to film this summer. "We have a point to which we are working to and that will be the end. It will be sad but it has been a great time for everyone involved." Corden also indicated that any future specials, like 2008's Christmas Special, are highly unlikely. (Sky News, Digital Spy)

Don't get excited about those rumors that The Office creator Ricky Gervais would be making a cameo in the season finale... because they're not true. "We love Ricky, but have not had any discussions about an appearance on the U.S. show," executive producer Paul Lieberstein told E! Online's Kristin dos Santos. "And we haven't given any thought to the final show because it is probably a zillion episodes away." However, Amy Ryan and Idris Elba are slated to appear in the episode. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) has been cast in CW's revival of Melrose Place, where she will play Riley Richmond, a 24-year-old inner-city elementary school teacher from a wealthy family who is engaged to Jonah (Michael Rady) but has cold feet. She joins the already cast Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Katie Cassidy. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting alert: Melinda McGraw (Mad Men) has snagged the female lead opposite Kelsey Grammer in his untitled ABC comedy pilot; Alfre Woodard (My Own Worst Enemy) has been cast in FOX drama pilot Maggie Hill; Kyle Bornheimer (Worst Week) will play one of the leads on the untitled Ricky Blitt comedy pilot for ABC opposite Eric Christian Olsen and Alyssa Milano (also cast: Kelly Stables and Brad Small); Reiko Aylesworth (Lost) has joined the cast of ABC's untitled Jerry Bruckheimer drama; Jon Foster (Windfall) will star opposite Jenna Elfman in ABC comedy pilot Accidentally on Purpose; Arielle Kebbel (The Uninvited) will star in ABC comedy pilot No Heroics, a US remake of the UK series; Katherine Moennig (The L Word) and Daniel Henney (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will star in CBS medical drama pilot Three Rivers; Elisabeth Harnois (One Tree Hill) will star in CBS medical drama pilot, Miami Trauma; DB Woodside (24) has landed a role in CBS drama pilot Back; and Gail O'Grady (Hidden Palms) has been added to the cast of ABC drama pilot Empire State. (Hollywood Reporter)

Nikki Finke is reporting that Ben Silverman's predecessor at NBC, Kevin Reilly (now the president of entertainment at FOX) passed on new drama series Kings, which allegedly cost a whopping $10 million to produce the pilot and a staggering $4 million price tag per additional episode. It's particularly shocking given the low ratings that Kings managed in its first outing, luring only 6 million viewers overall and a 1.6/4 in adults 18-49. "I hear that Ben Silverman was hands-on," writes Finke. "Remember, please, that Ben's predecessor at NBC Entertainment, Kevin Reilly, passed on it. But Ben picked up the script and ran with it. Some thought it should have been a mini-series, but Ben said no. Others thought the modernized Bible retelling should have had more backstory, and at one point Silverman ordered the writers to make it 'more real world.' So he told them to work up a cockamamie scenario whereby the Allies never won World War II, and America went bankrupt afterwards, which meant no oil out of the Middle East, so Mexico got rich, and then..." (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Gloria LeRoy (All in the Family) is set to join the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives, around the time that Nicholette Sheridan departs the series. The 77-year-old LeRoy will play Rose. Michael Ausiello has learned from an unknown source that Rose " will figure into Edie's exit in a surprising way" and Ausiello says it's "one that involves an increasingly cuckoo Orson, a violent act, and a touch of dementia. And not necessarily in that order." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC is said to be close to a deal with Hat Trick Productions to develop a US format of UK news panel series Have I Got News For You. According to TV Week's Josef Adalian, the Peacock is said to be in advance talks for a pilot, in which "two teams of celebrities and newsmakers humorously [try] to answer questions about current events and politics." (TV Week)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan cornered Paula Malcolmson about her new series, Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel series that is slated to air on Sci Fi (or, rather Syfy) in 2010. "Battlestar has “come to an end, and it’s a beautiful end and [fans] should mourn that show," Malcolmson told Ryan. "You can’t just come along with another show that’s going to replicate it. That’s not what we want to do, we want to give them something else." Co-star Esai Morales said that Caprica is "about what it is to be human." In other news, the BSG telepic The Plan is likely airing on Sci Fi this fall, around November. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

SCI FI Wire also spoke to Paula Malcomson. "It's a complicated show," Malcolmson told SCI FI Wire. "It's hard to describe in a couple of sentences. It's about a couple of families that are in the wake of a tragedy and are sort of dealing with their lives. A lot of the technology, the sci-fi stuff comes in, and it's [about] how that can be a good or a bad thing." (SCI FI Wire)

FOX has pulled reality competition series Hole in the Wall yet again and will fill the series' Sunday 7 pm ET/PT timeslot with repeats of American Dad and King of the Hill effective immediately. Meanwhile, the network has shaved down variety series Osbournes: Reloaded from a one-hour debut to a 40-minute installment on March 31st now that it has expanded American Idol to an 80 minute edition. (Futon Critic)

Reality production company 495 Prods., which produces A Shot at Love, has renewed its deal with MTV, under which the cabler has committed to three new series from the company. (Variety)

Elsewhere at MTV, Audrina Patridge will leave The Hills after its upcoming fifth season and has signed a deal with Mark Burnett Prods. for an untitled docusoap series that will track Patridge's professional and personal life. The series will be pitched to networks beginning next week.
"We are truly pleased to have the chance to work with Audrina," said Mark Burnett. "She has already proved her star quality, and we can't wait to show her fans worldwide the next stage of her life and career." (Hollywood Reporter)

UK residents will be able to catch CBS procedural drama Eleventh Hour, from Warner Bros. Television, later this year. Living has acquired rights to the series and plans to launch it sometime in 2009. "Strong, compelling with hard hitting story lines and a great cast, including an amazing performance from Rufus Sewell, Eleventh Hour is a great addition to Living's drama line up," said Amy Barham, Virgin's head of acquisitions. (The Guardian)

While there are no dates set for SAG to begin official negotiating sessions with AMPTP, national interim exec director David White is trying to reassure guild members that progress is being made. "Our negotiators are active behind the scenes," wrote White in a message to members. "While the rigorous confidentiality required in negotiation settings prevents me from providing a full update here, I want to assure you that we are working deliberately, and with as much haste as possible, to conclude our talks and bring to you, the members, a deal for your ratification." (Variety)

Some bad news on the commercial contract negotation front, however: SAG and AFTRA leaders are said to be mulling whether to mail out strike-authorization ballots if negotiations with advertisers don't improve quickly. Issues on the table right now stem from ad industry asking for rollbacks, including ending the traditional pay structure on national ads and a proposal to increase the standard work day from eight to ten hours in order to reduce overtime. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Press Release: Sci Fi Releases Details on "Caprica" DVD and Digital Download

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FEATURE-LENGTH PREQUEL TO THE SERIES PHENOMENON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA PREMIERING EXCLUSIVELY ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

Universal City, Calif. - Caprica, the highly anticipated prequel to Battlestar Galactica, will enjoy its world premiere exclusively on DVD on April 21, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In a groundbreaking move sure to delight fans of the long-running television phenomenon, the feature-length prequel will be available on DVD as a limited-edition uncut and unrated version before the series’ broadcast premiere on the SCI FI Channel in 2010. Caprica is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) and Remi Aubuchon (24). Exclusive bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of the creation of Caprica make this DVD a landmark event for any fan of Battlestar Galactica. The film will also be available at selected online destinations for digital download transactions.

As Battlestar Galactica wraps its gripping final season on SCI FI on March 20, 2009, Caprica begins a brand new epic saga that continues the franchise’s commitment to thought-provoking storytelling and extraordinary characters. Set over 50 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is a world at the peak of its power, grappling with new science and technologies and the issues they create. The series will star Golden Globe nominee Eric Stoltz (Mask, Pulp Fiction), Esai Morales (Jericho, NYPD Blue), Paula Malcomson (Deadwood, ER) and Golden Globe® nominee Polly Walker (Cane, Rome) in a story laced with passion, intrigue and family conflict.

“We are thrilled to take the groundbreaking step of offering the world-premiere of the Caprica feature-length extended pilot episode on DVD prior to the new series’ television debut,” said Hilary Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “This innovative distribution model will serve to satisfy Battlestar Galactica fans’ appetites for a new content while building excitement for the franchise’s next great adventure."

“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.”

“If Battlestar Galactica offered us a way to shatter the conventions of space opera, Caprica will be a show which will challenge the conventions of science fiction storytelling as a whole,” said Ronald D. Moore, Executive Producer/Writer.

“Part sweeping soap, part meditation on the dangerous moral ramifications of artificial intelligence, this is a truly unique opportunity to continue telling stories which will be as daring and shocking as the best of Galactica -- and yet will be altogether different from Galactica,” said David Eick, Executive Producer.

Universal Cable Productions will begin production on the Caprica series in the summer of 2009 in Vancouver for a 2010 television premiere on the SciFi Channel. The DVD of Caprica is priced at $26.98 S.R.P. Preorder close is March 3, 2009.

Technical specs for the DVD release can be found below.

BONUS FEATURES:

· Feature Commentary with Director Jeffrey Reiner and Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick
· Deleted Scenes
· Video Blogs
· What the Frak is Caprica?
· The Director’s Process
· The V Club
· The Birth of a Cylon

SYNOPSIS:

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families and their patriarchs – Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Street Date: April 21, 2009
Pre-Order Close: March 3, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $26.98
Selection Number: 61109037
Running Time: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: Not rated.
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Stay tuned.

PaleyFest09 Full Schedule Announced: "Pushing Daisies," "Battlestar Galactica," "Fringe," "Big Love," "Dollhouse," and Many Others to Be Feted

Ending several months of speculation, The Paley Center for Media has today announced the full lineup for PaleyFest09, the 26th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival.

Among the honorees this year are the casts and creators of 90210, Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, The Big Bang Theory, Big Love, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fringe, The Hills, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mentalist, Swingtown, and True Blood.

PaleyFest09 will be held from April 10th to April 23rd at the Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood; the Paley Center will also present a special closing night presentation honoring Swingtown at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on April 24.

Other festival firsts this year? PaleyFest09 will be the festival event to honor a new media property, in this case Joss Whedon's celebrated web series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and will be the first to premiere the last three unseen episodes of ABC's sadly cancelled series Pushing Daisies.

“For twenty-six years, we have celebrated the best of television, and now new media, with the creative teams who make the breakthrough programs. This interaction between the creative community and media enthusiasts has made this annual Festival a 'Must Be There' event,” said Pat Mitchell, President/CEO of The Paley Center for Media.

The full PaleyFest09 schedule can be found below but, as always, please note that events/participants are subject to change.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia
Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Danny DeVito (“Frank Reynolds”), Glenn Howerton (“Dennis Reynolds”/Executive Producer/Writer), Rob McElhenney (“Mac”/Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Kaitlin Olson (“Sweet Dee”). Additional panelists to be announced.

90210
Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Panelists from the cast and creative team to be announced.

True Blood
Monday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Alan Ball (Creator/Executive Producer), Ryan Kwanten (“Jason Stackhouse”), Steven Moyer (“Bill Compton”), Anna Paquin (“Sookie Stackhouse”), Sam Trammell (“Sam Merlotte”), Rutina Wessley (“Tara Thorton”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Felicia Day (“Penny”), Nathan Fillion (“Captain Hammer”), Jed Whedon (“Bad Horse Chorus #2/Dead Bowie”/Composer/Writer), Joss Whedon (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Zack Whedon (Executive Producer/Writer).

Dollhouse
Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Joss Whedon (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director), Eliza Dushku (“Echo”), Enver Gjoka (“Victor”), Fran Kranz (“Topher”), Dichen Lachman (“Sierra”), Harry Lennix (“Boyd”), Tahmoh Penikett (“Paul”), Olivia Williams (“Adelle”).

The Big Bang Theory
Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Kaley Cuoko (“Penny”), Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Jim Parsons (“Sheldon”). Additional panelists to be announced.

The Mentalist
Friday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Simon Baker (“Patrick Jane”), Bruno Heller (Creator /Executive Producer) Tim Kang (“Kimball Cho”), Chris Long (Coexecutive Producer/Director), Amanda Righetti (“Grace Van Pelt”), Robin Tunney (“Teresa Lisbon”), Owain Yeoman (“Wayne Rigsby”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Desperate Housewives
Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Panelists from the cast and creative team to be announced.

PaleyFest09 Special Matinee Screening Event: Pushing Daisies’ Last Unaired Episodes
Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Introduction by Bryan Fuller (Creator/Executive Producer).

Battlestar Galactica/Caprica
Evening Sponsor: Microsoft Zune
Monday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: David Eick (Executive Producer), Ronald D. Moore (Executive Producer). Additional panelists to be announced.

The Hills
Tuesday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Tony DiSanto (Executive Producer), Adam DiVello (Creator/Executive Producer), Liz Gateley (Executive Producer), Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge, Spencer Pratt. Additional panelists to be announced.

Big Love
Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Ginnifer Goodwin (“Margene Heffman”), Bill Paxton (“Bill Henrickson”), Chloe Sevigny (“Nicolette Grant”), Harry Dean Stanton (“Roman Grant”), Jeanne Tripplehorn (“Barbara Dutton Henrickson”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Fringe
Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
In Person: Joshua Jackson (“Peter Bishop”), John Noble (“Dr. Walter Bishop”), Lance Reddick (“Homeland Security Agent Phillip Broyles”), Anna Torv (“Special Agent Olivia Dunham”). Additional panelists to be announced.

Swingtown Celebration
Evening Sponsor: Netflix, Inc.
*Friday, April 24 at 6:00 p.m. at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills*
Festival Closing Reception & Panel Discussion
In Person: Mike Kelley (Creator/Executive Producer), Alan Poul (Executive Producer). Additional panelists to be announced.

Tickets to PaleyFest09 will go on sale February 26th to Paley Center members and the general public beginning March 1st.

So who's in this year? And what panels are you hoping to see? Discuss.

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

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sci-Fi Orders "Caprica," "Eleventh Hour" Keeps Ticking, Davenport and Vance Discover "Flash Forward," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm still smarting from the reveal in last night's episode of Gossip Girl just who was involved in that oh-so-predictable accident rather than the, uh, party I'd rather get axed from the series. Sigh.

Better news then for fans of Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica. The cabler has given a series order to spin-off Caprica, which is set fifty years before the action of BSG. Sci-Fi had earlier this year shot a two-hour backdoor pilot for Caprica, which stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, and Polly Walker, from director Jeffrey Reiner and plans to launch the series in early 2010. Production on twenty additional episodes is slated to begin in mid-2009 in Vancouver. "We want people to come to this who have never heard of Battlestar Galactica," said Sci-Fi president Dave Howe. "I think, because [Galactica's] backdrop was space and spaceships, there was a barrier to entry for some viewers. Caprica has none of that. It's an intense family drama set on an Earthlike planet, in the near future, speaking to a lot of the ethical dilemmas that we as a human race are going to have to face very shortly."

Those of you on the fence about a BSG spin-off that doesn't feature any of the characters you've come to know and love (save a very young Adama), should rest assured that the script--from Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon--was among the very best that I read this year and perfectly set up this new universe and world order. And after a stunning first act, it would take a heart of ice not to get sucked into Caprica. (Variety)

CBS has ordered five additional episodes for freshman procedural drama Eleventh Hour, making it more than likely that the series will clock in at eighteen installments this season rather than the traditional 22. The Eye is said to be keen to use Eleventh Hour's plum post-CSI timeslot to try out another series, most likely midseason serialized thriller Harper's Island, though CBS could do something quite foolish and shift The Mentalist--this season's only certifiable ratings hit--into that timeslot. But they wouldn't be short-sighted enough to throw off their Wednesday night now that it's clicking, would they? (Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed)

There are no current plans for Wil Wheaton to appear on NBC's Heroes. So says series creator/executive producer Tim Kring, who states ""there is nothing in the works for him at this point – although a bunch of us over here are big fans of his and would love nothing more than to find some part for him." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Looks like I can take Jack Davenport off my short list for the Doctor at the moment. Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Jack Davenport (Swingtown) have been cast in ABC drama pilot Flash Forward, which is said to be a possible companion to Lost. (Ideally, though it wouldn't be a companion but rather ABC would air it during Lost's interminable fall hiatus.) The project, from David S. Goyer, Brannon Braga, and ABC Studios, is based on Robert J. Sawyer's apocalyptic novel in which everyone in the world blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds and awakens with a terrifying vision of the future. Davenport will play Lloyd Simcoe, a man trapped in Northern California when the event occurs who attempts to reach his son in a hospital in Southern California. Vance will play FBI Los Angeles bureau chief Stan Wedeck. (Hollywood Reporter)

Could we be getting a Sayid flashback to his childhood on Season Five of Lost? It certainly seems that way as Michael Ausiello has reported that the producers are looking to cast the "roles of a father and his 12- and 8-year-old sons, all of whom, I'm told, will have to be fluent in Arabic. So wouldn't a logical assumption be that the hotheaded dad is Sayid's pop and the older boy, a sensitive type who's painfully aware that he lets down his formidable paterfamilias, is the future assassin himself?" Hmmm, it certain would seem that way, no? (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The second season premiere of HBO's much-awaited comedy Flight of the Conchords will be able to viewed online at FunnyOrDie.Com beginning December 17th, several weeks ahead of its premiere on HBO. In the meantime, you can check out the promo for Season Two here. (TV Squad)

Killer Films has acquired the format rights to Israeli drama series Danny Hollywood, about three investigative journalists who travel back in time to the 1960s where they try to prevent the mysterious death of pop singer Danny Hollywood the day before his wedding. (Hollywood Reporter)

Yes, that was Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin making goo-goo eyes at Chuck Bass at the Snowflake Ball on last night's episode of Gossip Girl. (Los Angeles Times)

Stay tuned.

Casting Couch: Walker Flies to "Caprica," Sackhoff Sews Up "Nip/Tuck" Role, Estes Heads to "90210"

Lots of casting news today, on the first Monday after the network upfront presentations.

First up, Sci Fi managed to close the deal on Polly Walker for their two-hour backdoor pilot Caprica, a prequel to their own series Battlestar Galactica. Astute readers of this site will know that I first reported that an offer was out to Walker (Rome) a few weeks ago. Walker will play Sister Clarice Willow, the secretive high priestess/headmistress of the exclusive Athena Academy, a private polytheistic school that Zoe Greystone (Alessandra Toreson) and her friends attend.

I think the casting of Walker is absolutely brilliant for this role and she'll definitely bring something unexpected to the table. Plus, I'm happy she's sticking around in the States after the cancelation of Cane. Walker joins Eric Stolz, Esai Morales, and Paula Malcomson in this spellbinding two-hour backdoor pilot project from executive producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, and Remi Aubuchon and director Jeffrey Reiner.

Speaking of the Twelve Colonies, Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff has been cast in a recurring role on FX's Nip/Tuck, where she will play a doctor who challenges the authority of Sean (Dylan Walsh) in a four-episode arc this season. Good to see that Sackhoff won't be taking time off after the final season of BSG finishes shooting at the end of June.

Over at the CW, 90210 finally has its father figure in Rob Estes (Melrose Place), who has joined the cast as Harry Mills, the pater familias and new principal at West Beverly High School. His character will be married to Lori Loughlin's Celia, a former Olympic medalist, and is the prodigal son to Jessica Walter's aging actress Tabitha Mills.

With the deal closed on Estes, casting on the Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off series--set to launch this fall on the CW--is finally completed.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); American Gladiators (NBC; 8-9:30 pm); Gossip Girl (CW); Dancing With the Stars (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/Rules of Engagement (CBS); Dateline (NBC; 9:30-11 pm); One Tree Hill (CW); The Bachelorette (ABC; 9-11 pm); House (FOX)

10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

The freshman season of the naughty teen soap concludes tonight! On tonight's season finale ("Much 'I Do' About Nothing"), Blair comes to Serena's defense and faces off with Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg); Lily prepares for her wedding but can't stop thinking about Rufus; and Serena finally tells Dan what's really going on with her.

Casting Couch: Universal Media Studios Casts Wide Net on Several Series

Just a day before network upfront presentations are scheduled to kick off, there has been a flurry of casting activity here in Hollywood.

Boston Legal's Saffron Burrows has joined the cast of NBC's drama series My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater and Mike O'Malley about a well-mannered family man Henry, whose alter ego Edward is a spy and all-around international man of mystery. Burrows will play Norah, Edward's girlfriend and Henry's psychiatrist.

Production on the first episode is slated to get under way soon. My Own Worst Enemy, from Universal Media Studios and writer/executive producer Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped), was ordered to series in April off of the pilot script; no pilot was shot.

Frances Fisher (In the Valley of Elah) has come aboard an eight-episode arc on the next season of Sci Fi's drama Eureka, where she will play Samantha Thorne, a corporate fixer assigned to clean up the mess at Global.

In a major casting coup, indie actor extraordinaire Eric Stoltz will join the cast of Battlestar Galactica spin-off prequel Caprica.

He'll play Daniel Greystone, the deeply flawed human creator of the Cylons, who finds himself in a moral battle with Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), the conflicted attorney father of the future Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos).

In the two-hour backdoor pilot, Stolz's character will be married to surgeon Amanda (Lost and Deadwood's Paula Malcomson); their daughter Zoe will be played by relative newcomer Alessandra Toressani.

Speaking of Caprica, executive producer David Eick will take over as showrunner on NBC's drama The Philanthropist--which itself was also, like My Own Worst Enemy, ordered to series directly off script--following the departure of Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, who had conflict with the network about the tone of the series: they wanted escapism, Fontana and Levinson gritty realism.

Either way, Eick definitely has his work cut out for him.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); American Gladiators (NBC; 8-10 pm); Gossip Girl (CW); Dancing With the Stars (ABC; 8-9:30 pm); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/Rules of Engagement (CBS); One Tree Hill (CW); Samantha Who? (ABC; 9:30-10 pm); House (FOX)

10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS); Medium (NBC); The Bachelor: London Calling (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

The naughty teen soap continues tonight with a brand new episode! On tonight's episode ("Woman on the Verge"), Serena falls back into her old ways after revealing to Blair the real reason she left Manhattan; Blair, Nate, and Chuck must put aside their conflicts in order to help Serena, who is too ashamed to tell Dan what is actually going on; Rufus' band reunites for a gig at Rolling Stone-sponsored concert and he's surprised when Lily shows up, especially as it's the same night as her wedding rehearsal dinner.

Frak Yes: Sci Fi Orders "BSG" Prequel Pilot

Patience is, after all, a virtue.

Lucky then that fans of Battlestar Galactica have patiently waited for the next (or is it previous?) chapter in the story of the Twelve Colonies. Sci Fi yesterday announced that it has finally greenlit production on the two-hour backdoor pilot Caprica, a prequel of Battlestar Galactica, set before the Cylon War.

"We couldn't be more excited to see this long-anticipated project get off the ground," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, in a statement. "It's an amazing script, and, though clearly inspired by the Battlestar mythology, it is not just a pale spin-off. This is a smart, thought-provoking, emotional, and compelling character drama in its own right."

The news comes as Sci Fi prepares to launch the final twenty-episode season of Battlestar Galactica on April 4th; the cabler has been developing the spin-off prequel since 2006. Just don't expect Apollo, Starbuck, Six, or Laura Roslin to be showing up anytime soon. The action will be set five decades before that of BSG.

While details about Caprica's plot are scarce, the story will revolve around Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos)'s father, William Adama, a reknowned civil liberties lawyer (and the inspiration for Lee's Season Three attorney career change) who is locked in battle against the Graystones, a corporate behemoth responsible for the development and creation of the first Cylons (a.k.a. cybernetic life-form nodes).

"I'm thrilled with the chance to expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story we've been telling," said Moore. "It's also great to have a chance at doing a completely different kind of science fiction series, one that's even more character-oriented and doesn't rely on pyrotechnics to carry the story."

Added Eick: "While Caprica will have its own personality, it will carry on Battlestar's commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, and we're thrilled that SCI FI has seen fit to giving us another opportunity to tell character-driven stories in challenging ways."

Production on Caprica, from BSG head honchos Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, writers Moore and Remi Aubuchon, and director Jeff Reiner, will begin this spring. Fingers crossed that this backdoor pilot leads to an actual full-blown series as I am already dreading the end of the brilliant and pitch-perfect Battlestar Galactica series.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Micronesia--Fans vs. Favorites (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Moment of Truth (FOX)

9 pm: Big Brother 9 (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present Girlicious (CW); Supernanny (ABC); American Idol (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("Top Model Takes to the Streets"), the girls get pointers on posing for couture, commercial, and catalogue shoots from supermodel Vendela and are pitted against one another in a posing battle on the streets of Manhattan. Where's Benny Ninja when you need him?

9 pm: MI-5 on BBC America.

If you missed the third season of MI-5 (aka Spooks) when it aired on A&E a few years back, you can catch it tonight on BBC America. On tonight's installment ("The Sleeper"), Harry recruits a sleeper agent, a scientist (guest star Ian McDiarmid) who has laid low for two decades, in order to catch terrorists hell-bent on obtaining red mercury.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

On tonight's episode ("Zoo Food"), the chefs head to a local Farmer's Market for seasonal ingredients for their latest Quickfire Challenge and then have to cook and cater an event at a rather unusual location. All this and guest judge Wylie Dufresne? I am so there.