Channel Surfing: "Deadwood" Vet Gets "Lost," Syfy Expands "Warehouse," Shelley Long Gets "Modern Family," "Party Down," and More

Welcome to your (very early) Thursday morning television briefing.

John Hawkes (Deadwood) has been cast in Season Six of ABC's Lost, where he will play Lennon, described by The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva as "the scruffy, edgy and charismatic spokesperson and translator for the president of a foreign corporation who is far more powerful than it seems from his position." Just what that means remains to be seen... (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has ordered a second season of sci-fi dramedy Warehouse 13, with thirteen episodes currently on order for next year. However, Syfy was quick to point out that that number could increase in later seasons. "We took a look at doing 20 episodes, but for logistic and financial reasons," Syfy's Dave Howe told Variety, "it didn't make sense to do that right now, but I wouldn't rule it out." (Variety)

Holy comedy casting news! The Wrap's Joe Adalian is reporting that comedy legend Shelley Long has been cast in ABC's Modern Family, where she will play the ex-wife of aged newlywed Jay (Ed O'Neill). Modern Family, created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, is already one of the most buzzed about new fall series. Long's casting comes on the heels of the recent announcement that Elizabeth Banks will guest star on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced comedy. (The Wrap)

Starz has quietly announced via Twitter that Season Two of comedy Party Down will launch in April. (Twitter)

Cabler FX has handed out series orders to two half-hour comedies: The League and Louie. The League, about a group of suburban male friends who participate in the same fantasy football league, received a six-episode order. Louie, about a single dad who attempts to raise his two daughters in New York, is a vignette-style comedy series starring Louis CK and was picked up for thirteen episodes. Both projects hail from FX Prods. and pilots for the two series were shot quietly under the radar. It's believed that The League may be paired this fall with the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and share its timeslot with the already ordered comedy Archer. Louie is expected to be held under 2010. (Variety)

The Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin is reporting that, despite reports to the contrary, Paula Abdul is definitely not in talks with FOX or American Idol producers about returning to the series. Abdul's manager David Sonenberg told LA Times' Show Tracker exclusively that there have been "no discussions whatsoever about Idol" and that Abdul's plans for the future do not involve the FOX musical competition series and the former host is fielding multiple offers. "She loves Idol," Sonneberg told Martin about his client. "She feels she was a large part of the reason it is what it is. I can tell you her focus right now is speaking to all the other networks. The only one we haven’t talked to, because of recent events, is FOX. But perhaps we would be speaking to FOX about shows in the near future." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Nick Zano (The Final Destination) has been cast in a recurring role on ABC's upcoming comedy series Cougar Town, where he will play Courteney Cox's first boyfriend. Elsewhere, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious) has been cast in CW's modeling drama The Beautiful Life. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jenna Dewan (Step Up) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on the CW's Melrose Place next season. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, she'll play "a young movie studio exec who takes a liking to wannabe Tarantino, Jonah (Michael Rady)" and is slated to appear in at least two episodes. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lifetime has ordered a second season of dramedy series Drop Dead Diva, with thirteen episodes on tap for 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other Diva-related news, Devon Gummersall (My So-Called Life) will guest star on the October 11th season finale of Drop Dead Diva, where he will play "a man from Jane's past whose unexpected arrival throws Jane for a loop." (USA Today's Pop Candy)

Michael Mosley (The Proposal) and Kerry Bishe (Virtuality) have been cast as series regulars on ABC's Scrubs next season opposite Dave Franco. Mosley will play Drew, an older medical student who is attempting to complete his training after a meltdown ten years earlier at Harvard Medical School. Bishe will play first-year med student Lucy who hails from a family of fishermen. (Hollywood Reporter)

20th Century Fox Television has signed an exclusive deal with (500) Days of Summer director Mark Webb to direct a pilot in the upcoming development season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "30 Rock" Lands Off-Net Sale, Andrea Bowen Returns to Wisteria Lane, Producers Seek Replacement for Lynch on "Party Down," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Liz Lemon still has a lot of life left in her yet. Universal Media Studios was able to negotiate a payout of roughly $800,000 per episode of 30 Rock from two separate off-network deals to Comedy Central and WGN America. Both channels will be able to begin airing the episodes as a weeknight strip in fall of 2011. "Pound for pound, this is one of the funniest shows on TV. The DNA of the show is fabulous," said Comedy Central's SVP of programming David Bernath. "I really believe its biggest and broadest days are still ahead of it on NBC." TBS and E! were also said to have had interest in picking up the off-net rights to 30 Rock. (Variety)

Andrea Bowen is set to reprise her role as Julie when Desperate Housewives returns for a sixth season this fall but Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Bowen will be back in a major way: as a series regular, citing an unnamed insider with Desperate Housewives as a source. "Bowen vanished from Housewives at the end of season 4, a casualty of the show's four-year flash forward," writes Ausiello. "She briefly returned last season when Julie, on break from college, announced that she was dating her 40-year-old professor Lloyd (Steven Weber). It's not clear if he'll be accompanying her back home, but I'm guessing not." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile in other Desperate Housewives news, Maiara Walsh (Cory in the House) has joined the cast of the ABC drama as a series regular, where she will reprise her role as Ana, the "gorgeous and manipulative niece" of Carlos (Ricardo Chavira), who moved in with the Solises last season. She previously appeared in the final two episodes of Desperate Housewives last season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Following news that Jane Lynch won't be returning for Season Two of Starz's comedy Party Down, E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that producers are looking to cast the role of Lydia, a new series regular who can be any ethnicity other than white and at least 38 years old. In a casting call, Lydia is described as "a recently divorced stage mom who has moved out to L.A. from a small town with her daughter and is very upbeat and optimistic about breaking her daughter into the industry. As a newly single woman adrift in the big city, her thoughts are never far from the matter of reeling in a new man, but things never seem to work out. Her constant love troubles never get her down, it just means more to talk about with her Party Down colleagues..." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX has pushed the launch of Season Two of Dollhouse back a week to Friday, September 25th at 9 pm ET/PT and will instead rebroadcast the season premiere of Glee on September 28th. Meanwhile, The Moment of Truth returns on Wednesday, August 5th at 9 pm ET/PT. (Futon Critic)

Lost's producers are looking for your take on the iconic series' theme song (currently consisting of, um, one note) as part of a competition coinciding with the series' Comic-Con panel later this month in San Diego. "The Lost producers want all you musicians out there to compose and submit a Lost theme song," writes E! Online's Jennifer Godwin. "The winning entry will be premiered to 7,000 screaming fans in Hall H during Lost's Saturday panel at San Diego Comic-Con, on the fifth anniversary together of our time together as show and fandom." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

BBC One has commissioned and third and final season of drama Mistresses, which will return for a short run of four episodes in order to wrap up the series' storylines. "Mistresses: The Last Act is a final four part special event that will bring the stories of the four mistresses to a dramatic conclusion on BBC1 next year," said BBC drama commissioning controller Ben Stephenson. "Simply and elegantly book ended by a mysterious glimpse into the future, all the four women will be returning - Katie, Trudi, Siobhan and Jessica - with new and sometimes shocking stories." (Broadcastnow)

Bravo has ordered a third season of The Real Housewives of New York City, with production set to begin this fall. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that CBS will kick off CSI: Miami's eighth season with an origin story that shows how the team came together in 1997. "It's my understanding that the episode will be told from the point of view of a comatose Delko (Adam Rodriguez), who flashes back to his first murder case with the Miami-Dade PD," writes Ausiello. "Delko, of course, was critically wounded in the season finale." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lionsgate Television has forged a joint venture with Marty Adelstein and Jon Kroll's Lost Marbles that will focus on unscripted programming, specifically new reality formats that they can export to territories around the world. Under the two-year deal, Lionsgate will provide overhead and financing as well as distribution in exchange for a profit stake in any projects Lost Marbles produces. Their first project is an untitled reality series that will pit celebrities against disabled people in a variety of challenges. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Jane Lynch Sticks with "Glee" Over "Party Down," Brian K. Vaughan Leaves "Lost," HBO to Develop "Middlesex," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Confirmed: Jane Lynch will NOT be reprising her role as ditzy actress Constance Carmell in the second season of Starz's comedy series Party Down due to her involvement on FOX's Glee, where she plays cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Cabler Starz was said to have hoped that Lynch's schedule could have accommodated both series but they were unable to make that happen. "It looks like I can't do the second season," said Lynch of "blessed event" Party Down. "So I'm not happy about that all ... but I'm in Glee, so I'm thrilled about that." No word yet on what Party Down producers will do now that Lynch is unavailable; Jennifer Coolidge appeared in two episodes of Season One as Constance's roommate Bobbie St. Brown, likely due to scheduling conflicts. (Variety)

"Y: The Last Man" creator Brian K. Vaughan won't be returning to the writing staff for the sixth and final season of ABC's Lost.
"Unfortunately he has left for greener pastures," executive producer/showrunner Damon Lindelof told fans during a Q&A session last week. What those greener pastures are remain unknown at this time, although three of his comic book properties--including "Y," "Runaways," and "Ex Machina" are in development for feature film adaptation. During his tenture on Lost, Vaughan wrote seven episodes, including last season's "Dead Is Dead," "Namaste," and "The Little Prince." (MTV's Splash Page)

HBO is developing a drama series adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' Pulitzer Prize-winning 2002 novel "Middlesex." The pay cabler has optioned the rights to the novel, which "follows the life of Calliope Stephanides and the epic family history that may hold the answer to her complicated sexual identity." Playwright Donald Margulies will adapt the novel into a one-hour Middlesex pilot script and will executive produce along with Rita Wilson. (Broadcasting & Cable)

It's official: Christian Slater has joined the cast of ABC fall drama series The Forgotten. Slater replaces Spooks' Rupert Penry-Jones as lead character Alex Donovan, a former cop whose daughter went missing and who now works for amateur detective group The Forgotten Network, who focus on murder cases involving unidentified victims. (via press release)

Speaking of ABC, the network has begun to launch its programming on Hulu, now that the deal has been closed between Walt Disney Co. and the other equity partners in Hulu. Grey's Anatomy is now available for streaming on the site, to be followed by Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, and Superstars. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has several sneak peeks at How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris' turn as guest judge on tomorrow night's episode of Bravo's Top Chef Masters, shot at Hollywood's famed Magic Castle (where I was a guest about two weeks ago). (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett and Sony Pictures Television are developing half-hour animated comedy Dumb Bunny and Jackass, about the lives of "the most popular cartoon duo in history after their fall from stardom." Project, based on characters created by Bill Kopp, will feature Garrett's voice. (Hollywood Reporter)

Torchwood: Children of Earth kicked off last night in the United Kingdom, grabbing an average of 5.9 million viewers on BBC One (a 25.8 percent audience share), a number that increased in the final fifteen minutes to 6.1 million viewers. The numbers demonstrate the largest timeslot average for the year to date, especially impressive considering that Torchwood previously aired on BBC Three and BBC Two. The third season kicks off Stateside on July 20th on BBC America. (Broadcast)

Also, from the other side of the pond: David Suchet (Poirot), Charles Dance (Bleak House), and Richard Coyle (Coupling) will star in Going Postal, Sky1's latest Terry Pratchett adaptation which is expected to air next Easter. "The fantasy tale of revenge and romance follows the adventures of arch-swindler Moist Von Lipwig," writes Hollywood Reporter's Mimi Turner, "and his love affair with the beautiful and vengeful Adore Belle Dearheart, whose family he has unwittingly ruined." (Hollywood Reporter)

The CW has announced that it will burn off remaining episodes of its short-lived drama series Easy Money this summer beginning Sunday, July 26th, following the burn-off run of fellow MRC-produced drama Valentine. Both series had been canceled by the CW in November. (Futon Critic)

Kathy Griffin will host Comedy Central's upcoming Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers, slated to air on August 9th at 10 pm ET/PT. (Hollywood Reporter)

Finally, the Hollywood Reporter talks to Jason Schwartzman about his new HBO comedy series Bored to Death:



Stay tuned.

Sun Eggs and George Takei: The Horrors of the Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception on the Season Finale of Starz's "Party Down"

Was it just me or was Friday evening's season finale of Party Down ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception") absolutely hysterical and poignant in equal measure?

Throughout its first season, Party Down--which will return for a second season sometime in 2010--has proven itself to be a cutting social satire of the wannabe Hollywood set as it explores the morals and motivations of a group of cater-waiters hoping to move up a rung on the ladder of fame and fortune.

In episodes scripted by co-creator/executive producer John Enbom, this has typically taken a dark turn and Friday night's episode ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception"), which guest starred the always delightful Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) as Ron's catering nemesis Uda Bengt, was no exception, offering an installment that not only shocked and saddened but also made me giddy with excitement.

While Party Down attempted to cater a gay wedding this week, they discovered that they weren't the only caterers assigned to the event and soon had to contend with the Valhalla Catering Company, a group of attractive, black-garbed model-esque waiters overseen by the rigid and icy Uda Bengt (Kristen Bell). (Yep, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.) But that's not the only problem. Ron is a total mess, having gone off the deep end and reverted back to his old habits of drinking, Roman is stuck directing guests' attention to the restroom sign and latches onto wedding guest George Takei, Casey awaits a call about a gig that could end her relationship with Henry, Bobbie (Jennifer Coolidge) is high on magic mushrooms (her description of lemons as "sun eggs" had me rolling on the floor), and Kyle is desperate to pitch himself to a producer at the event.

All of which leads to poor Henry having to take the reins of Party Down and keep everyone on track. Season One has largely been about Henry's path from former actor ("Are we having fun yet?") to full-time caterer, a move that he's been largely resistant to, even as he can't quite veer from this inevitable destination. But Henry does step up, organizing the color-coded appetizer trays, preventing George Takei from dying, keeping Ron under control and largely out of site, and shielding his employer from the suspicions of Alan Duk (Ken Jeong). And just like that, Henry suddenly is thrust into the role of responsible member of society, a team leader. In essence, Henry has now become Ron.

For everyone else, the party provides a bit of an escape, a last hurrah before their lives change forever. Casey accepts a six-month stand-up gig aboard a cruise ship (shudder), Kyle is so willing to do anything to get a role in a feature film that he agrees to do, well, anything (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and Ron finally gets the seed money from Duk to start his very own Soup R' Crackers franchise. It's a series of changes that beautifully sets up a second season of the series and allows some actors to come and go.

I'm hoping, however, that they all--including Jane Lynch--return for another go-around as I'd hate to lose any of them. I think that it's pretty safe to say that Ron's Soup R' Crackers franchise will fail (especially now that Ron is back on the sauce) and he'll have to return to Party Down, likely reporting to team leader Henry, and Casey will return from what's bound to be a horrific cruise gig as well. Jennifer Coolidge's Bobbie St. Brown has been a fine fill-in for Jane Lynch's Constance Carmell but I'm hoping that Lynch can find time from her busy Glee-filled schedule to reprise her role as Constance next season.

Meanwhile, I have to say what a thrill it was to see Kristen Bell again on the small screen, particularly in scenes with her former Veronica Mars sparring partners Ryan Hansen and Ken Marino, the latter of whom played the despicable Vinnie Van Lowe on the short-lived Rob Thomas series. Bell brought a severe iciness to the role and we felt--painfully--just how much Uda manages to ruffle Ron's feathers. (Personally, I could see an entire series filling in the backstory between Uda and Ron when they worked together at Party Down.) And the way that Bell kept up her arctic demeanor even when hitting on Henry? Priceless. (Is there anything we can do to lure Bell back to a weekly series again? Anyone?)

All in all, this week's episode of Party Down was a fantastic season closer to a ten-episode run that has cemented Party Down as one of the hilarious and moving comedies on television today. I'm going to miss the deliciously loopy gang at Party Down and hope that Rob, John, et al can bring them back to the small screen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I see a sun egg that requires my attention.

Party Down will return with a second season next year on Starz. Missed the first season? It's currently available for streaming on Netflix's Watch Instantly.

Channel Surfing: FOX Renews "Dollhouse," "Bones" Gets Two Season Pickup, "So You Think You Can Dance" on Tap for Fall, and More

Welcome to (a very early edition of) your Monday morning television briefing on the first day of the 2009 network upfronts.

In a surprising twist, FOX has renewed drama series Dollhouse for a second season. Dollhouse, which secured a thirteen-episode order from the network, is expected to remain on Friday evenings next season. Variety's Cynthia Littleton writes, "The 20th Century Fox TV fantasy drama starring Eliza Dushku has delivered modest but consistent ratings on a low-trafficked night, thanks to Whedon's built-in fan base." It's believed that the renewal was secured after the studio agreed to drastically reduce the series' budget and accept a significantly lower license fee. Just what that decision will mean for the writing staff and cast of Dollhouse remains to be seen. (Variety)

Good news for Bones fans (even those irked by the season finale's twist): FOX and studio 20th Century Fox Television have signed a deal to renew Bones for not one but two seasons. The eleventh hour renewal came down to the wire as the two sides had to hammer out a new license fee for the series, which is returning for its fifth season this fall. News of Bones' renewal was announced by creator Hart Hanson via his Twitter account. Hanson also indicated that frequent guest star Stephen Fry would reprise his role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on the series. "There is every chance," said Hart, again via Twitter, "that Stephen Fry will be on Bones in the future." (Variety)

Elsewhere at FOX, the network is expected to announce a first-ever fall outing for reality franchise So You Think You Can Dance next season, likely to be paired with drama Glee on Wednesdays. Other potential timeslot pairings include House and Lie to Me on Mondays,Fringe and Human Target on Tuesdays, and Bones and So You Think You Can Dance's result show on Thursday. Just what will be paired with Dollhouse on Fridays? Past Life perhaps? Meanwhile, comedies Brothers and Sons of Tucson are expected to bow in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

Still more FOX news: FOX has ordered 13 episodes of comedy Brothers, starring Michael Strahan, Darryl "Chill" Mitchell, and CCH Pounder. Series, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, revolves around the strained relationship between two brothers, one a retired NFL player (Strahan) and other a wheelchair bound man (Mitchell) whose own dreams of NFL glory were sidelined by a car accident. Meanwhile, drama Maggie Hill is said to still be in contention for a midseason slot. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has reportedly given a go-ahead to begin staffing on three new drama series, making their official series orders all the more likely later this week. The untitled NCIS spin-off, medical drama Three Rivers (starring Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin), and legal drama The Good Wife (starring Julianna Margulies), all of which hail from CBS Television Studios (formerly known as CBS Paramount Network Television) have all been told to begin staffing ahead of CBS' official upfront presentation on Wednesday. (Variety)

Meanwhile, Nikki Finke is reporting that CBS has given medical drama Miami Trauma a greenlight to start staffing and that the Eye is considering launching U.S. Attorney in midseason. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

ABC has renewed reality series True Beauty for a second season. Project, from executive producers Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher, featured ten handsome contestants who live together in a house and undergo a series of challenges to determine which of them has the most inner beauty. (Futon Critic)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview/profile of Jane Lynch, currently on the small screen in Starz's Party Down and FOX's Glee. Lynch said that Party Down, created by Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, was the most fun she'd had in her life. "It’s what I really love to do. I love being part of a team where everybody’s kind of got equal weight, Lynch told Ryan. "It’s about teamwork. There’s really no room for the big ego-trip thing that you hear about." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

SPOILER: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello catches up with Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead after Friday evening's season finale to discuss the shocking ending of the series, which saw the death of Wentworth Miller's Michael Scofield. "For me, it is a happy ending," Olmstead told Ausiello. "Look at the very first episode of the season when Michael realizes Sara's alive. They have a chance to run away, and they both elect not to because, as two people of conscience, they can't live with what they both now have experienced. And at the end of the finale, when they're on the beach and talking about the baby that's coming, that's a huge victory in that they both stood their ground and, with the help of other people, brought down the ultimate antagonist. So they have their moment." Olmstead also teases the plot of the two-hour direct-to-DVD Prison Break film, which is due to be released on July 28th. "Sara is on the hook for [killing] Michael's mother and she gets locked up while pregnant," said Olmstead. "The tables are turned… once a doctor in prison now imprisoned, and Michael's on the outside. The majority of the cast is back. It's Michael, Lincoln, Sara, Sucre, T-Bag, Mahone... all the heavy-hitters." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO has handed out a series order to animated series The Ricky Gervais Show, which will feature Gervais, his longtime writing partner and friend Stephen Merchant and the quirky Karl Pilkington, who has appeared with Gervais and Merchant on their podcast and will be the focal point for the series. Series, which has been ordered for thirteen episodes, hails from Media Rights Capital and Wildbrain and is expected to launch in 2010. "Karl is a man who believes that a sea lion is a cross between a fish and a dog," said Gervais and Merchant in a statement. "Hopefully, Karl will enter the pantheon of animated greats."(Variety)

Reports are swirling that ITV sci-fi drama Primeval, which airs Stateside on BBC America and Sci Fi, could birth a spin-off of its own. Executive producers Jonathan Drake and Tim Haines have reportedly begun drafting plans for a second Primeval-based project that could expand the series' mythology outside the UK and could be set in the United States. (Digital Spy)

Former CSI castmember Jorja Fox will guest star on an upcoming episode of Lifetime's dramedy Drop Dead Diva, which premieres July 12th. Fox will play a "soccer mom with a criminal past" on an episode of the Lifetime series about a dead model who is reborn into the body of an overweight attorney. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

20th Century Fox Television has signed a deal with Columbia Records to release music from the upcoming series Glee on iTunes and other digital platforms as well as on compact disc. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin talks with Gossip Girl's Jessica Szohr about what's to come on the CW drama series. Szohr teases that Vanessa will definitely get over Nate ditching her for Blair and that there could be the potential for another encounter with Chuck Bass. "Obviously, Vanessa's a little bit hurt because that's her boyfriend, but what comes around goes around, so I'm sure Vanessa will be all right. [...] Vanessa hates Chuck... that's what's fun about it. We'll see." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX and animation studio Aniboom have teamed up on a contest where animates can submit short films. The prize: a development deal at FOX and the opportunity to create the "next great animated holiday special" or, potentially, a weekly series. "FOX has long been the sole primetime animation powerhouse, and we're searching for a fresh new animated holiday special that could potentially become an instant classic and maybe even a weekly series," said FOX president Kevin Reilly. "By tapping into Aniboom's community of undiscovered talent, we hope to find the next original hit holiday concept, like Simpsons Treehouse of Horror or A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas." (Hollywood Reporter)

Ryan Seacrest has indicated that there could be some major changes in store for next season of FOX's American Idol. "I don't know what they'll do next year. I don't know if they'll keep the tweaks that they've made this season or if they're going to implement new ones," Seacrest told Broadcasting & Cable's Marisa Guthrie. "But it's no secret that Simon is thinking about it being his last season. Everyone's deal is up next year except for Paula's." (Broadcasting & Cable)

CBS Television Studios have signed a two-year first-look deal with Drew Carey, currently the host of daytime game show The Price Is Right. Under the terms of the deal, Carey will develop projects via his International Mammoth TV shingle. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Starz to "Party Down" for Season Two, FOX Orders "Human Target" and "Sons of Tucson," "Torchwood" Ignites in July, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Good news: pay cabler Starz has renewed comedy series Party Down, from creators Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, for a second season. The entire cast of Season One of Party Down will return for a sophomore season, though Jane Lynch's commitment to FOX's upcoming series Glee could create complications for her return and the actress is the only cast member who isn't already signed on for a second season. Party Down will return to production this summer for a Season Two launch date sometime in 2010. Also returning: directors Fred Savage and Bryan Gordon, who will direct episodes of the series, along with Ken Marino, who is locked to helm an installment as well. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Variety)

FOX has reportedly ordered pilots Human Target, from Warner Bros Television, and comedy Sons of Tucson, from 20th Century Fox Television, to series. FOX had no comment on the news, which is hardly surprising as the network will unveil its schedule to advertisers on Monday. Human Target stars Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley; it revolves around a man hired to pose as people whose lives are in danger, becoming in effect a human target. (Series is based on a DC Comics/Vertigo title.) Sons of Tucson, starring Tyler Labine and Natalie Morales, follows a hustler who is hired to pose as the father of three kids whose real father is in jail for white collar crimes. Series was created by Tommy Dewey and Greg Bratman. (Variety)

BBC America has announced that Torchwood's third season, comprised of five episodes, will air this July, following a similar air pattern as BBC One in the UK and will air day-and-date with the UK airings. (You can take a look at the trailer for season three, Torchwood: Children of Earth, here.) (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

FOX has renewed drama Lie to Me for a second season of thirteen episodes and has hired The Shield creator Shawn Ryan to come aboard as showrunner on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series. The hiring doesn't mean curtains for Ryan's other series, CBS' The Unit, however; should that series be picked up for another season, Ryan will juggle duties on both of the 20th-produced series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, Dollhouse is said to still be alive at FOX, with Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva reporting that "cult favorite Dollhouse is still alive, with the final decision hinging on the low-rated series' economics." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC's Scrubs is said to be inching its way to a ninth season renewal following reports that offers have gone out to the series' cast, with many of them--including Zach Braff--expected to return for a ninth season, even if only for a handful of episodes. (Variety)

The New York Post is reporting that Desperate Housewives' Lily Tomlin and Kathryn Joosten, who play Roberta and Karen McClusky on the ABC drama, are in talks to reprise their roles in an untitled spin-off focusing on their characters. (New York Post)

Showtime has confirmed that Alanis Morissette will will appear in at least seven episodes of Season Five of Weeds, which launches Monday, June 8th. Morisette will guest star in the series as no-nonsense clinic OB/GYN Dr. Audra Kitson, who treats Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) for her pregnancy. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton will not be returning to One Tree Hill for the series' seventh season, launching on the CW this fall. Their final appearances on the series will air this Monday on the season finale. The reason behind their departure? Failed contract negotiations, according to Ausiello, who says that two new characters will be introduced next season to fill the void left behind by Murray and Burton and Austin Nichols will be bumped to series regular. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

A&E announced a slew of scripted development at their upfront yesterday, including the The Quickening from writer Jennifer Salt (Nip/Tuck) about a bi-polar LAPD cop who goes off of her medication; Night Falls, about a Manhattan cop with a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality disorder, from writer Daniel Connolly and executive producer Brian Robbins; an untitled Matthew Carnahan cop drama which splits its focus on the criminals and the FBI team assigned to track them down; and James Ellroy-scripted drama The Lead Sheet, a period drama set in the 1970s as the LAPD looks to capture the elusive Hillside Strangler. Two of those projects will get pilot greenlights in the next few weeks, joining Jerry Bruckheimer's Cooler Kings. (Variety)

Nikki Finke is reporting that ABC pilots Limelight and No Heroics are dead, while Romantically Challenged "came in better than expected but star Alysso Milano was worse than expected." At CBS, Miami Trauma and Three Rivers are both fighting for a slot on the schedule. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Universal Media Studios have signed an overall deal with former Scrubs writers Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, who co-created comedy pilot Nobody's Watching with Bill Lawrence. Under the terms of the deal, they will come aboard upcoming NBC comedy series Community as executive producers, working alongside creator Dan Harmon on the series, and will develop new projects for the studio hopefully in the 2010-2011 season. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other deal-related news, CBS Television Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with writer Ken Sanzel, under which he will remain showrunner on CBS drama NUMB3RS, should the series be renewed for a fifth season. Failing a renewal, Sanzel will be shifted over to another CBS Television Studios series. (Variety)

Discovery has announced another HD nature documentary series entitled Wild Planet: North America, on which the cabler will team with former BBC Natural History Unit head Keith Scholey as part of the first of a batch of documentary series that will catalogue the planet's natural beauty continent by continent. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is developing a US adaptation of Dutch reality series Find My Family with RDF USA and executive producer Tom Forman (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) in which everyday people, desperate to track down a long-lost friend or relative, get reunited with their missing individual. Project, which just recently wrapped production on a pilot, will be hosted by Tim Green and Lisa Joyner. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC Renews "Southland," Zachary Levi Teases Season Three of "Chuck," Rob Thomas Talks "Party Down," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. All eyes are on NBC today as the net plans to unveil to advertisers a slew of new and returning series at its "infront" in New York. Loads of rumors are flying around about the fate of several projects so please take any reports with a grain of salt until they are officially confirmed by NBC.

NBC has renewed freshman drama Southland for a second season of thirteen episodes, despite the fact that the series came in third place on Thursday. However, execs are said to be high on the John Wells-executive produced drama from Warner Bros. Television and believe it has the potential to become a hit... though it will have to do so in a timeslot other than the 10 pm hour as NBC will be handing over that timeslot to Jay Leno this fall. Freshman comedy Parks and Recreation is also expected to get a second season order today as well, though it's thought that NBC may delay decisions on such series as Chuck and such pilots as David E. Kelley's legal dramedy Legally Mad and Katee Sackhoff-led Lost & Found until after the infront. (Hollywood Reporter)

Chuck star Zachary Levi hinted at what a third season of the series might look like (should it get renewed, that is) after the game-changing reveal of last week's season finale, though Levi believes the "chances are good" that NBC will pick it up for a third season. "Chuck now has the new version of the Intersect in his head and not only does that one allow him to flash on information, it also allows him to get physical powers and techniques," Levi told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Like he might need kung fu for an assignment and then he uses it and it goes away. The powers are fleeting. That would be the third season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks to Rob Thomas, co-creator of Starz's Party Down about the comedy series, its chances for a second season ("All signs are saying that we will get another year"), Kristen Bell turning up for the season finale, and the actors themselves. "All the actors had a really good time, and it's a pretty happy place to work. I'm hopeful we can sign them up for another year," Thomas told Ryan. "The chances are good." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Chuck star Zachary Levi also admitted over the weekend that it's possible NBC won't decide the fate of Chuck until several weeks after today's infront presentation. "I thought we were going to hear about it this Monday because NBC's announcing a bunch of its schedule, but I just got an email from [Chuck executive producer] Josh Schwartz, and he said stay positive, [but] we're not going to find out on Monday," Levi told E! Online. It could be another week or two. They're making their final tallies and decisions." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Among the announcements NBC is expected to make today are several series orders on both the drama and comedy sides. Looking likely for pickup are dramas Parenthood and Trauma (with Legally Mad and Lost & Found still in the mix) and comedies 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne and Community, while Off Duty is also looking like a strong contender as well. (Variety)

The Peacock also reportedly renewed Medium for a sixth season. While NBC hasn't officially announced the renewal, sources have indicated that NBC had signed a deal with CBS Paramount for somewhere between thirteen and eighteen episodes of Medium next season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Dollhouse's Alan Tudyk about Alpha, muscle, and his character's relationship with Eliza Dushku's Echo. "I've always been a raving lunatic in front of Joss," said Tudyk about the darkness in his role. "He saw that side of me the time I trashed his house because I was crazy that day. [Laughs] I was really happy he saw me as that. It's quite a compliment to offer me a role like this, because it's not easy." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Despite the fact that it hasn't even launched yet, FOX has gone ahead and ordered a second season of Family Guy spin-off series Cleveland, ordering thirteen additional episodes that will bring the pre-launch total to 35 installments for the series. Cleveland is set to launch this fall with 22 episodes and the additional 13 episodes are set for fall 2010; move was made to ensure continuous production on the animated comedy. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has confirmed to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he will reprise his role as Denny on ABC's Grey's Anatomy one last time before the end of the season... but that's it. "I can confirm that I will be coming back one more time," said Morgan. "I think it will be done after that. I think I have been on the Grey's Anatomy set for the last time." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Joseph Morgan (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Emily VanCamp (Brothers & Sisters), and Stephen Campbell Moore (Ashes to Ashes) have joined the cast of Alchemy's four-hour mini-series Ben-Hur, joining the previously cast Ray Winstone, Kristen Kruek, Hugh Bonneville, Alex Kingston, Lucia Jimenez, Miguel Angel Munoz, Marc Warren, Art Malik, and James Faulkner. (Hollywood Reporter)

June Whitfield (Absolutely Fabulous) and David Harewood (Robin Hood) are set to appear in this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, part of David Tennant's two-part swan song on the series. "This is another classic piece of casting from Andy Pyor and his team," said Doctor Who producer Tracie Simpson. "June is practically television royalty! The entire crew's been having so much fun filming with her, and her presence gives the whole story that extra sparkle, just in time for Christmas." (Digital Spy)

Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Prods. has signed a multi-year overall deal with Jenny McCarthy to develop projects on various platforms, including a syndicated talk show that McCarthy would host and a blog featured on Oprah.com, the latter of which launched on Friday. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Televisionary Exclusive: Writer/Executive Producer John Enbom Talks "Party Down"

If you're at all like me, chances are you've fallen under the quirky and hilarious charms of Starz's biting comedy Party Down, created by Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, John Enbom, and Paul Rudd.

Party Down, which stars Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Ryan Hansen, Lizzy Caplan, and Martin Starr, follows the misadventures of the employees of a hapless catering team, each of whom dreams of a better life doing... anything but catering.

I caught up with Party Down writer/executive producer John Enbom (Veronica Mars) to talk about the genesis of the series, why he believes viewers have latched onto this comedy as quickly as they have, the likelihood of a sophomore season, and whether we'll get to see executive producer Paul Rudd turn up in a guest role.

Televisionary: Where did the idea for Party Down originate? How did you, Rob, Dan, and Paul come up with the concept?

John Enbom: The cater-waiter idea was originally Rob [Thomas]'s and, since the rest of us had all been extremely immersed in the British Office at the time (this being, like, five years ago), he brought it to us and we all got it right away.

Speaking for Rob, I believe there were a couple impulses at the heart of the idea. The first was the concept of the "every episode is a party" -- it seemed like a way to get a workplace comedy out of the workplace, so you could get your standard "workplace" show unfolding in the midst of a little Christopher Guest movie every week as the characters dipped in and out of a new little social subculture.

The second thought was the something we, as people who had done our share of slogging through the entertainment world, understood pretty well, which was the concept of chasing the dream, and that sense of doubt about if it was going to pan out or not. If the British Office was about people giving in, willingly or not, to the rat race, we were interested in the idea of people clinging to the dream, and struggling (or failing to struggle) with the idea of when to let go. It was our attempt to find a new spin on the Office tone -- a take on American aspirational society, the whole "Follow the dream" impulse, etc. That's how we landed on the idea of a main character who had finally abandoned his dreams and was struggling to make sense of himself and start over at a slightly uncomfortably point in his life. So that's pretty much how I recall the concept coming together.

Televisionary: While each episode tells a self-contained story set at one of the team's catered events, there seems to be a throughline running throughout the season in terms of Henry and Casey's relationship. Was there an intentional decision to steer away from more overtly serialized comedy and keep their relationship in the background?

Enbom: Yes. We wanted to strike a balance between the ongoing character dramas and the episodic humor of the sitcom. Since each episode is its own party, you have a built-in beginning, middle and end for every story. You're in, you're out, that's that. We didn't want to be making a full-on serialized drama -- we wanted to make episodes that stood by themselves without too much trouble -- so we kept the ongoing character stuff in the background. It was also a way for us to gradually explore Henry's attempts to re-configure his life. If he no longer has a dream that gives him a sense of purpose, what replaces it?

Televisionary: Is there a freedom to working with a nascent cable network like Starz in terms of pushing the envelope with content? What is it like writing a series that can contain nudity, adult language, and more risque situations than you'd normally find on network television?

Enbom: There's an incredible sense of freedom working on cable, and especially with an outfit like Starz that is just getting started in this world. This was, I believe, the first show Starz produced themselves, so we were very much in it together. The process was very collaborative, because we were both figuring it out as we went along. There was a "making a student film" quality to the production that kept it fresh as we went along.

Creatively, it's fantastic. Not only are you freed from the more formulaic demands of the usual network show, but you don't have to shy away from anything. You can follow any situation where ever you feel like going. People can swear, do drugs, fool around, etc., in a way that lends itself to the naturalism of the show. Since we've all come from more staid network writing backgrounds, it actually took a little effort to remind ourselves we had this freedom -- I wasn't used to having nudity, drug humor, etc., in shows, and it took some practice to loosen up and not censor yourself. But it's a great way to work, and I think it makes the show looser, and more interesting and real.

Televisionary: Are you surprised by how much viewers have latched onto Party Down as quickly as they have and that, after only airing four episodes, people are already devoted to this series?

Enbom: We've been delighted with the reception, no doubt. It was such a scrappy, under the radar production, and it all came together so quickly -- Starz ordered the episodes that summer, and we were prepping to shoot in the fall -- there was an element of "is this really happening?" to the whole affair, and to see it out there, and well received, has been very rewarding. I think it's a testament also to the dedication of the cast and crew, who really "got" the whole idea right away and threw themselves into it with great enthusiasm. The show was a real joy to make, and I think it shows.

Televisionary: Given that the series' format is so specifically based around their catering events, will we ever see the characters at home or outside of work?

Enbom: I believe we have a single scene in the next few episodes where Henry interviews for another job, but otherwise we always intended to only see our characters at work. We liked the idea of seeing how these people interact and deal when they're all trapped together in a job they don't want to be doing, and never really felt an impulse to break out of that.

Televisionary: This past week's episode ("Sin-Sation Awards After-Party") took place at a porn awards show party. What else can we expect to see the gang get entangled in for the rest of the season?

Enbom: Still to come: a failed sweet sixteen party, a corporate teambuilding day, a mobster acquittal party, a high school reunion, and a wedding.

Televisionary: Is there any news about a possible renewal for the series? How likely do you think Party Down's chances are for Season Two? And how easily would you be able to reassemble the whole cast for another go-around?

Enbom: We have very high hopes. As far as getting the cast reassembled, we, again, have very high hopes. We love them all, so all of our fingers are very tightly crossed.

Televisionary: We've seen a lot of Veronica Mars cast members turn up in guest roles over the course of the first season and I know that Kristen Bell is slated to appear in the season finale. Are there any actors from Veronica Mars who you'd like to see guest star on Party Down? (I'm putting in a request right now, if I can, for Tina Majorino.)

Enbom: That would be a great idea. Since it's a small, not-wildly-big-spending show, we've mostly cast through favors and references from friends, etc. Hence, we've gone pretty deep into the Veronica Mars rolodex already. But hopefully if we get a Season Two, we'll be going back to it.

Televisionary: Given Paul Rudd's busy feature film schedule, is it possible that he could turn up on the series in Season Two? Was he ever slated to appear on-screen in the first season?

Enbom: We hope so. While he was very involved as we were putting the idea together, as you say, he's got something of a film career going, and he works a lot, and he's the only one of the four who doesn't live in LA. I think he'd love to do one if he's free, and I'm sure as we mull over a possible Season Two we'll have him in mind for something. Hopefully we can figure out something he can't possibly resist, which means we'll need to be extra funny.

Party Down airs Friday nights at 10:30 pm ET/PT on Starz.

Future Sailors: A Look at Comedies "The Mighty Boosh," "Party Down," and "Better Off Ted"

It's rare when a comedy series comes along and makes me fall under its spell. I'm typically pretty averse to the weak charms of most sitcoms and it takes quite a lot for me to invest my time in brand-new comedy series, given their relatively short shelf lives these days.

So imagine my surprise when I fell head over heels in love with not just one but three comedy series over the last few weeks. All three air on very different networks, ranging from broadcast to cable to premium, but all three have managed to win me over with their loopy, goofy charms.

I reviewed ABC's Better Off Ted a few weeks back, before it premiered, and reviewed the first few episodes of Party Down, airing on Starz, but I've been far too quiet about the strengths of both of these innovative series. Likewise, I'm currently obsessed with British import The Mighty Boosh, which launched its third season over on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

Three very different series indeed. So what do they all have in common? For one, the very unique ability to make me laugh, no mean feat for this cynical and jaded viewer. Second, they each have a very specific comedic style, ranging from the twisted and surreal (The Mighty Boosh) to the satirical (Better Off Ted) to the jovially tongue-in-cheek (Party Down).

The Mighty Boosh is based on a radio series created by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, who star in the series as aspiring musicians Howard Moon and Vince Noir. Over the course of the three surreal seasons of this indescribable comedy series, the duo seek to achieve their dreams of super-stardom while working at a series of unremarkable day jobs including a zoo (such as in Season One) and more recently (in Season Three) at the Nabootique, a second-hand goods store in London's Shoreditch, owned by the recreational drug-using freelance shaman Naboo (Michael Fielding).

Yes, this is that sort of series. The type of comedy where anything (and typically everything) does happen. In some series that sort of unexpectedness might mean an unpredictable plot twist or two. Here, it means the inclusion of some mightily wicked supernatural elements, such as talking animals (such as Naboo's familiar Bollo, a talking gorilla), wizards, ghosts, and the slightly demented man in the moon. When The Mighty Boosh (also the name of Barratt and Fielding's real-life comedy troupe) promises an adventure through time and space at the beginning of each episode, it really does deliver. Recent plots have involved Howard being shrunk with a blind jazz musician after Vince swallows part of a cursed jazz record and must battle a voodoo singer, an encounter with a green-faced Victorian ghoul obsessed with eels, and a face-off with a copycat band able to predict their every move before they make it. (No worries, they're quickly dispatched by an awesome crimping showdown.)

In fact, the only thing more erratic than the series' surreal sense of humor is the outrageous and unique attire worn by the series' style icon Vince Noir (Fielding), which can range from the dark and Gothic to what Howard describes as what a "futuristic prostitute" might wear.

Meanwhile, ABC's Better Off Ted, created by Victor Fresco, is a workplace comedy that's distinctly influenced by the off-kilter humor of Fresco's own Andy Richter Controls the Universe, the short-lived FOX series that played fast and loose with reality. (Puppy coat, anyone?) Better Off Ted is far more grounded but also offers a scathing indictment of today's corporate culture in the form of the terrifying (and terrifyingly funny) Veridian Dynamics, the sort of conglomerate that produces everything from cow-less beef to innovative weapon technology for the military.

It focuses on Ted (Jay Harrington), the affable head of Veridian's R&D department who must contend with his precious daughter Rose (Isabella Acres), an office crush on his researcher Linda (Andrea Anders), the quixotic nature of his best scientists Lem (Malcolm Barrett) and Phil (Jonathan Slavin, who starred in Andy Richter Controls the Universe), and his icy, no-nonsense boss Veronica (Portia de Rossi), with whom he used up his one office affair.

Along the way, everything from insipid company-wide memos to corporate racism is addressed with a keen eye and a surgeon's precision. While Veridian might be freezing its employees and weaponizing pumpkins, its actions aren't really all that alien to today's office drones, especially in our current economic climate. If today's floundering companies could cryogenically freeze their employees rather than pay them for vacation time, don't you think they would? Better Off Ted offers a gimlet eyed look at life in today's offices and labs, mining the absurd situations for humor just as NBC's The Office found comedy in the very mundanity of its character's 9-to-5 existence.

And then there's Starz's Party Down, from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Paul Rudd, and Dan Etheridge, which is virtually a Veronica Mars mini-reunion each week. The series stars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, Ryan Hansen, Lizzy Caplan, and Martin Starr as the members of a Los Angeles catering team all of whom aspire to be something very different than uniformed servers and bartenders.

Each hilarious episode finds the gang catering a different event for a different clientele, a format that works extremely well here. While the scenery changes each week, the characters have a chance to interact with one another and their relationships change and grow over the course of the season. Much like The Office, there's much humor to be mined in the very drudgery of their jobs and their fantasies of escaping their indentured servitude. Unlike The Office, Party Down has a biting dark side and, given that this is premium cable, features enough foul language and nudity to sate all but the most depraved viewers.

While their characters might be depressed, self-medicating, delusional losers, the crew at Party Down Catering is a hoot to watch as they find themselves often at odds with each other, the guests, and the world in general. This could be a slight comedy but the often scathing wit and merciless way that the writers thrust their characters into awkward and horrifying situations make this trainwreck comedy of the highest order. While each episode might end with them packing their bottles and chafing dishes away for the next event, one can't help but get sucked into their wonky world.

And, at the end of the day, that's what each of these three vastly different comedies have in common: the ability to transport the viewer into a reality that's not our own. One achieves this via a combination of the mystical, musical, and sartorial; another through the absurd behavior of the workers in a glass-and-steel structure; and the last by showing us what happens when a bunch of dreamers gets stuck in the muck of failure.

As for me, I just can't look away. And neither should you.

The Mighty Boosh can be found on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at 1 am ET/PT on Mondays. Better Off Ted airs Wednesday evenings at 8:30 pm ET/PT on ABC. Party Down airs Fridays at 10:30 pm ET/PT on Starz.

Channel Surfing: ABC Cuts Back "In the Motherhood" to Seven Eps, Alicia Witt Scores "The Mentalist," NBC Cancels "Lipstick Jungle," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

After airing just one episode, ABC has cut its episodic commitment for midseason comedy In the Motherhood from thirteen episodes to seven, just slightly more than half of its original order. The network had ordered the comedy, based on a web series, during the writers strike. (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Alicia Witt (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will guest star in the season finale of CBS' The Mentalist, where she will play pianist Rosalind Harker, a woman who used to date serial killer Red John, the enigmatic serial killer who killed Jane's family. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online has confirmed that NBC has canceled drama series Lipstick Jungle, after all. "It was going to stay and we just were officially told it's finally not coming back," series star Brooke Shield told E! Online's Cristina Gibson. "It's very sad. I think a lot of people were really sad, but I think we hung on a really long time. It was three great years that we've been working on it." (E! Online)

Pilot casting alert: T.J. Miller (Cloverfield) and Nick Thune (Knocked Up) have been cast as the leads in CBS comedy pilot Waiting to Die; Leslie Bibb (Confessions of a Shopaholic, Crossing Jordan) and John Michael Higgins (Kath & Kim) will star in NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot; Ryan Stiles (Two and a Half Men) will star opposite Anita Renfroe in her untitled comedy presentation at ABC; Skylar Astin (Hamlet 2) and Darien Provost (Sanctuary) will star opposite Adam Carolla in CBS comedy pilot Ace in the Hole; and Bobby Lee (MADtv) has joined the cast of NBC comedy pilot State of Romance. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Mary Steenburgen (Four Christmases) will star opposite Jason Biggs and Richard Dreyfuss in CBS comedy pilot Happiness Isn't Everything, where she will play Audrey, Dreyfuss' "unbelievably sensitive" wife and the mother of Jason Biggs' character. (Hollywood Reporter)

New York Post's Popwrap has a first look at Kristen Bell's upcoming guest star role on Starz's Party Down, from executive producer Rob Thomas. The site talks to Thomas about his on-screen reunion with his former Veronica Mars lead, who will play the leader of a rival catering team called Valhalla Catering. And, no worries, Ryan Hansen fans: he'll be back for Season Two of Party Down, should the series be renewed, regardless of his role--which is only recurring--on the Gossip Girl spinoff. (New York Post's Popwrap)

The New York Times talks to Amy Poehler, star of NBC's upcoming comedy series Parks and Recreation, where she plays Leslie Knope, the deputy parks director of Pawnee, Indiana. "She’s naïve and narcissistic, completely deluded and completely out of touch with reality," said Poehler of Leslie. "I think we’ll be the first TV show to win an Academy Award. And the Nobel Peace Prize." (New York Times)

ABC has ordered seven episodes of reality competition series Shark Tank, a US adaptation of British series Dragon's Den, in which "eager entrepreneurs pitch their business ventures to five multimillionaire tycoons." Series, executive produced by Mark Burnett, is expected to air sometime next season. "We have made bigger deals and more deals in our pilot than [other versions] make all season," said Burnett of the changes to the format. "What country on earth is more entrepreneurial and risk taking than the United States of America? Here we have businesses and jobs being created, and it's a great feeling." (Hollywood Reporter)

Michael Ausiello is reporting that Kathleen Turner has joined the cast of Showtime dramedy Californication for a multiple-episode story arc in the series' third season, expected to air next fall. Turner will play "the ball-breaking, foul-mouthed, outrageous boss of Evan Handler's literary agent." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Fremantle has signed first-look deals with such producers as Paul Abbot (State of Play), Bob Cooper (Mr. Woodcock), Mike Tollin (Smallville), Irwin and David Winkler (Rocky Balboa), and Kiwi producer Roger Simpson (Satisfaction). Under the terms of the deals, Fremantle will provide overhead in exchange for having a first crack at any projects developed by the producers, which would then be pitched to US cable outlets. (Variety)

Could Katherine Heigl be sticking around on ABC's Grey's Anatomy after all? The actress, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens, says she doesn't know whether her character lives or dies, though she did say "I'm there," should Izzie make it through her medical crisis. "I'm more than happy to make that compromise. As my agent likes to say, 'High-class problems,'" said Heigl of being willing to balance her feature work with her role on Grey's Anatomy. "I don't know if I want to continue for five years working 12 months a year, but I can take at least another year or two." (Associated Press)

FOX has ordered reality competition series More to Love, featuring overweight contestants looking for love. Series, executive produced by Mike Fleiss, will feature a format similar to The Bachelor, where a group of women will compete for a single man. "This show is going to get a lot of people talking," said Mike Darnell, president of alternative at FOX. "It may be a little controversial, but I think it will mostly be positive. This is so simple and so obvious, yet it has never been done." (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has today launched AMTV, a six-hour block of music videos that will air from 3-9 am Monday through Thursday and will feature "music videos, news, interviews and performances, harking back to the network’s origins as a 24-hour home for music videos." (New York Times)

Discovery has ordered thirteen episodes of real-life crime series On the Case With Paula Zahn, in which the former CNN anchor will pursue in-depth investigations of real-life mysteries and interview those closest to the case. (Hollywood Reporter)

Daytime continues to get hit: CBS may opt to cancel long-running soap Guiding Light, as the network's deal with the daytime drama ends in September. The network is said to be looking at possibilities for new programming in the series' afternoon timeslot, such as game shows or a talk show. Guiding Light is the lowest-rated daytime network soap series currently on the air. (TV Week)

Scandinavia's Nordisk Film TV World signed a slew of format deals with US production companies this weekend at MipTV, pacting with Reveille on dating series Don't Date Him Girl, Renegade on Construction Nightmares, Scott Stone on Celebrity Devil Race, Phil Gurin's Gurin Company on music format Melody Challenge, and Dave Broom's 25/7 on 71 Degrees North. Sales mark first US format deals for the company. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Kristin Bell to "Party Down" with Rob Thomas, Lindsay Duncan to Travel with the Doctor, "Project Runway" Wraps Season, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Just a few quick headlines to get through today on this rather quiet programming-news-related morning.

Looking for one more reason to turn into Starz's upcoming comedy series Party Down, from co-creator Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars)? Turns out that Veronica herself--Kristin Bell--will be appearing on the series, according to Kristin Dos Santos. "I'm about to guest star on Rob Thomas' new show, called Party Down," Bell told Dos Santos. "It's on Starz...a lot of old Veronica Mars people are on it and some really cool comedians like Adam Scott." Starz has confirmed the casting coup saying, "Kristen Bell will be appearing in our new original comedy series, Party Down, premiering on Friday, March 20." Bell's episode, the season finale, is slated to air May 22nd and it's thought that Bell will play Veronica Moon, a rival caterer. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Rome's Lindsay Duncan will guest star in this year's second Doctor Who special, where she will play a new companion for the Doctor (David Tennant) named Adelaide, described as one of the most strong-willed and intelligent companion the Doctor has had to date. The as-yet-untitled special will be filmed this spring and will later later this year on BBC One. (BBC News)

Project Runway will tape its season finale tomorrow at New York's Fashion Week... but it's still anybody's guess whether viewers will see the series' sixth season, currently the subject of a lawsuit between Bravo parent company NBC Universal and producer The Weinstein Company. NBC Universal successfully lobbied for an injunction which has prevented new network Lifetime from airing the series. "It's an absolutely fantastic season," said Tim Gunn. "There are opportunities located [in L.A.] that we don't have in New York. Here we have the Hudson River, there they have the Pacific Ocean... And nowhere has the red-carpet opportunities that L.A. has. I can't wait for you to see the show and see what we have." (Washington Post)

Former American Idol contestant Katherine McPhee will guest star in an April episode of CBS' CSI: NY, where she will play a singer. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC's sci-fi pilot Day One, from Heroes writer/producer Jesse Alexander, is being rewritten as a two-hour pilot, according to Alexander, who is currently involved in casting sessions for the project. (via twitter)

Comedy Central has ordered seven half-hour episodes of sketch comedy series Michael and Michael Have Issues from creator/stars Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, which will offer a mix of comic sketches starring the duo and a "behind-the-scenes cinema verite drama." Black and Showalter will executive produce with Jim Biederman and Lou Wallach. The cabler plans to launch the series in July. (Variety)

The Paley Center for Media has announced its lineup for PaleyFest09 and will host panels for such series as 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. (Televisionary)

Producers of NBC's reality competition series The Biggest Loser have decided to return to a single-contestant format this fall and will cast contestants from cities that top a recent "Fattest Cities in America" list. The new season will explore just why these cities' populations are battling obesity in such large numbers and will empower competitors to return home and improve their cities. (Hollywood Reporter)

SAG and the AMPTP met again yesterday in renewed talks that went late into the night. The two sides are scheduled to meet again today at 1 pm. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Are We Having Fun Yet?: An Advance Review of Rob Thomas' New Comedy Series "Party Down"

As a huge fan of Veronica Mars, I've been extremely curious to see what creator Rob Thomas would do with a pared-down comedy about a group of wannabe actors and writers working as party caterers in LA. Especially since said comedy, Party Down, which launches next month on pay cabler Starz, features more than a few Veronica Mars alums in starring or cameo roles.

So I was ecstatic when I had the opportunity to catch an early look at Starz's Party Down, which stars Ken Marino (Veronica Mars), Adam Scott (Tell Me You Love Me), Lizzy Caplan (Cloverfield), Martin Starr (Freaks & Geeks), Jane Lynch (Two and a Half Men), and Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars). No, you're not dreaming: Rob Thomas and fellow executive producer/writers John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd may have assembled the single best comedy cast EVER.

A quick recap of Party Down's simple premise: Ken Marino's moronic team leader Ron Donald (a more genial version of Michael Scott, had he been a recreational drug user) keeps a watchful eye on his misfit employees at Party Down, an event catering company which arranges fetes for everything from Sweet 16 parties to porn awards. Yet it's painfully apparent that none of them want to be in the catering biz and each is hoping to break into the entertainment industry. This is felt most keenly by Ron's hiring of Henry Pollard (Adam Scott), a would-be actor who had a big break in a catchphrase-laden beer commercial... and never really worked again. He's forced rather unwillingly to return to work for Party Down after an absence of eight years as a bartender.

Rounding out the cast are the fellow wannabes employed by Party Down: there's Kyle (Ryan Hansen), a would-be actor/model/rock star who views his job ("the overall handsome business") as mainly a way to meet hot women; Roman (Martin Starr), an aspiring writer with a seething hatred of people who haven't seen Repo Man who is engaged in a never-ending battle of wills with his nemesis Kyle; Constance (Jane Lynch), a faded bit-part actress who acts as the team's psychotic mother hen and keeps her age firmly under wraps while stealing guests' cheese; and Casey (Lizzy Caplan), a married stand-up comedian whose relationship with her possessive (and aggressive) husband Mike (Wes Armstrong) is further complicated by the arrival of Henry, with whom she definitely feels some sparks. (If the above wasn't enough, look for guest stars Enrico Colantoni, Ed Begley Jr., Jason Dohring, and Alona Tal to turn up at various points early on in the season.)

I had the opportunity to watch a few episodes of Party Down that were made available for press and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen of the series so far. The dialogue is top-notch and the actors are all perfectly cast. I especially enjoyed the third episode ("Pepper McMaster's Singles Seminar"), which sees the gang catering a singles meet-up for senior citizens and features the reunion between Constance and one of her many, many former flames (Ed Begley Jr.). I thought that this episode perfectly managed to crystallize the series' premise and made the best use of all of the characters to full effect. Additionally, its combination of deadpan humor and absurd plot twists involving heart attacks, strippers, and erectile dysfunction medication are used to full effect here, right alongside some genuine emotional beats.

Party Down's first episode ("Willow Canyon Homeowners Party") seems a little bit stilted, as if both the writers and actors were trying to find their footing while introducing all of the characters and the series' revolving setting. I found the party setting in the third episode to work a little better than that in the first, which features a put-upon Hawaiian-shirt-wearing husband (Colantoni) bonding with Henry... and diving naked into the pool in front of his guests. (If the thought of full-frontal nudity from Papa Mars disturbs you, look away.)

However, while the series' first episode might come off as a little awkward, it definitely showcases the series' loopy charms and points to Party Down's full potential as a stage for some deliciously wacky (and terribly flawed) individuals all trying to achieve their dream while sucking it up week to week for another paycheck.

It's more than enough to make me wish I subscribed to Starz.

Party Down premieres March 20th at 10:30 pm ET/PT on Starz.