ABC Ties Friendship Bracelet on "FlashForward," Picks Up Series for Full Season

I wonder if the victims of the blackout saw this coming.

It's hardly a surprise but ABC has today announced that it has handed out a full season order to serialized sci-fi drama series FlashForward, which recounts the aftermath of a global incident in which the world's population glimpsed visions of their future six months from now. (UPDATE: The network has ordered twelve additional episodes of FlashForward, bringing the season total to 25 installments, per E! Online's Jennifer Godwin.)

The ABC Studios-produced series, which stars Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Jack Davenport, and a sprawling ensemble cast too numerous to list, has aired three episodes to date and has fared well in the ratings, improving the Thursday at 8 pm timeslot by 32 percent compared to former inhabitant Ugly Betty, which returns this Friday in its new home on Friday nights.

The news comes on the heels of full season pickups for ABC's comedies Modern Family, Cougar Town, and The Middle.

Here's what ABC had to say about FlashForward's performance so far: "From 8:00-9:00 p.m. on Thursday, ABC’s FlashForward ranks No. 1 in Adults 18-49, leading CBS’ time-period veteran Survivor: Samoa. On its series debut telecast, the new ABC drama became the first regular program since Friends in 2004 to beat Survivor in the key young adult sales demo. The ABC freshman is an exceptionally strong draw among Adults 18-34, dominating its time period and qualifying as TV’s No. 1 new drama series this season. The new series is greatly improving its time period year to year for ABC, boosting the hour by 1.8 million viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49 over the same nights last year. Based on DVR playback during season-premiere week, FlashForward finished as TV’s biggest freshman gainer, as its numbers jumped by 2.0 million viewers (12.5 million to 14.5 million) and 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (4.1 rating to 4.9 rating) from the initially reported next-day numbers to DVR finals."

What do you think of the FlashForward pickup? Is it wishful thinking on ABC's part that the series will develop into a Lost-sized hit or is it a justified reward? Discuss.

Second Take: ABC's "FlashForward"

Remember yesterday how I mentioned that second episodes are the true test of a series and how they can be a better gauge of an ongoing series' strengths and weaknesses than than the pilot?

I went into last night's episode of FlashForward ("White to Play"), written by David S. Goyer and Marc Guggenheim and directed by David S. Goyer, really wanting to like the series, despite some reservations I had about the pilot episode (which I reviewed here) and some of the narrative and casting choices. But I always go into a second episode with an open mind as it offers the writers an opportunity to tweak some issues than may not have worked as well as possible in the series opener.

I have to say that I was pretty disappointed.

I'm not jumping off the FlashForward train just yet but I continue to have some serious issues with the series and last night's installment did little to quell these feelings.

For one, I'm still not engaged at all with Joseph Fiennes' Mark Benford. There's an iciness to Fiennes' performance that's hard to get past and I'm not really feeling much warmth or charisma emanating from him. Which is a shame as Benford is nominally the lead character in an ensemble cast but for two episodes now he's the least interesting element of the story. (I'm far more captivated by Christine Woods' Janis Hawk and during commercial breaks half-imagined what the series would be if she were our entry-point to the action.)

Second, I was nearly ripping out my hair from the extraneous exposition and constant flashbacks to last week's episode. Yes, I understand that this is the second episode and the network wants to make sure everyone is aware of every little nuance but to repeatedly show us what we saw only a week ago had little subtlety or finesse. Instead, it served to frustrate me beyond belief that the network views its audience as simpletons who need to be told exactly what's going on at every second. I hated it when Fringe did this for the majority of its first season and I hate it when FlashForward does it here. Given that ABC has shown the pilot episode twice already and promoted the hell out it (and it's available for streaming and download in several locations), I think we can dispense with the constant reminders of what happened last week and focus on this week's plots, okay?

There's an odd tonal inconsistency to FlashForward that's off-putting to say the least. Given the grimness of its overarching cataclysmic plot, it's beyond strange to me to see the action go off the rails with gross-out humor. It was bad enough in the pilot episode with Wedeck's bathroom-set flash-forward but to see that play out here and have it escalate with a urine-soaked mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was jumping over a line that didn't need to be crossed. And then there was the over the top scene of person of interest D. Gibbons, her cupcakes, and her bizarre phone conversation, which culminated in her semi-comically shoving a cupcake into her gob. Yes, there's a place for some humor to lighten the tone but when it comes out of left-field and is so broad, it's completely disconcerting and out of place.

There's still some clunkiness to some of the dialogue and the plotting. It was completely predictable that the female Sheriff Benford and Noh encounter in Pigeon, Utah would wind up dead within the hour after she tells Noh that, like him, she saw nothing in her flash-forward. (Dun dun dun.) Though I was weirded out that Noh said that she told him this "five minutes" before she was killed, even though that scene took place during the day and her murder--at the hands of the faux D. Gibbons--took place at night. Strange. And would D. Gibbons really have gone to the trouble of not only rigging the toy factory with a huge quantity of explosives but also rigging the dolls to sing "Ring Around the Rosie" when the motion sensors were activated? Really? Besides for a need to protect his work--and the fact that he was awake during the mass blackout--this mystery man also has a need to creep out potential intruders as well?

Once again, questions of fate versus free will come into play. Benford burns Charlie's friendship bracelet after he's questioned by Noh about whether he wants the future to happen... but it seems fairly obvious that Charlie will just make him another. I am, however, more intrigued by Olivia's dilemma after she comes face-to-face with Lloyd Simcoe, the man in her vision with whom she appeared to be in a romantic relationship in the future. Sonya Walger nails the combination of curiosity and fear that Olivia would be experiencing but her attempts to see if daughter Charlie recognizes Lloyd backfire somewhat, though it's clear that Charlie does know Lloyd's injured son Dylan.

As I said before, I'm not giving up on FlashForward just yet but this episode didn't reel me in either. I'll be curious to see whether next week's episode shows any signs of improvement but if the series keeps on doing what it's doing, it doesn't take a flash-forward to see that I'll be losing interest rather quickly.

Next week on FlashForward ("137 Sekunden"), Mark and Janis travel to Germany to speak with an imprisoned Nazi who claims to have knowledge about the blackouts, and an anonymous tip leads Demetri to believe his deepest fears about his future; Aaron pleads with Mark to help him get the approval to have his daughter's body exhumed in order to re-test her DNA and confirm the identity of the remains.

Channel Surfing: NBC Slices "Day One" to Four Episodes, James Franco Checks into "General Hospital," NBC Lands J.J. Abrams Spy Drama, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

NBC has announced that it has decided to slash the episodic order for its midseason sci-fi drama Day One to just four episodes, scheduling the series as a four-hour event mini-series rather than a thirteen-episode season. It's believed to be a cost-cutting measure as the decision will allow NBC to evaluate the mini-series' performance and ratings before committing to an ongoing series. News comes as Day One, which is slated to launch after the Olympics, has already shot two episodes and creator Jesse Alexander is said to be prepping the final two installments, which will wrap up storylines as well as leave some plot points intentionally dangling for a potential series order the following season. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that James Franco is set to the join the cast of ABC daytime soap General Hospital for two months. (Yes, seriously.) He'll appear in a multiple-episode story arc beginning with the November 20th episode that finds Franco portraying a mysterious new character who arrives in Port Charles and gets entangled with thug Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). According to sources, Franco took the gig because he "wants to do everything" in his career and, according to SoapNet, approached the series' producers about a role. He'll appear for work one day a week, when he will shoot several episodes for General Hospital at a time. "We are thrilled to announce that James Franco will play an integral part in a lengthy run on General Hospital this fall," General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. "It's an honor that an actor of James' caliber would choose to spend some of his valuable time in Port Charles." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, SoapNet)

NBC has won the bidding war for the untitled J.J. Abrams-executive produced spy thriller after outbidding rivals ABC and CBS. Pilot script, about two spies who are married, was written by Abrams and Josh Reims and will be produced by Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot. (Variety)

Despite earlier denials, Comcast has announced that it is in talks with General Electric to form a new joint venture that would encapsulate NBC Universal. The new venture would be controlled by Comcast with a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal and would be overseen by Comcast, who plan to merge their cable holdings--including E!, Style, G4, Golf Channel, etc.--into the venture. Deal requires that Vivendi give up its 20 percent stake in NBC Universal. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Comedy fans rejoice: HBO has come on board to co-produce Chris Lilley's newest series, Angry Boys, an exploration of what it is like to be a man in the 21st century. As in Lilley's other series Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes, he will portray multiple roles as well as write the scripts for the twelve episode mockumentary-based comedy series. "There will be new characters and lots of surprises for the audience, and I'm really excited about having a longer-running series to work with," said Lilley. (Editor: I'm already anxious as I am obsessed with Summer Heights High.) Production on the series begins later this month in Australia. (Variety)

Showtime is developing single-camera comedy pilot Mouthpiece, from Fox Television Studios and writer/executive producer Carol Liefer (Seinfeld). Project, which would star Marlee Matlin and Mario Cantone, is set at a high-powered law firm. Elsewhere, Liefer has set up You and Me and He, a multi-camera comedy project at CBS about a recently divorced woman who enters a same-sex relationship only to discover that she is pregnant with her ex-husband's child. That project, which has a script commitment, hails from Sony Pictures Television and Happy Madison. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has given a script order to drama Midnighters, based on Alloy Entertainment's novel series about a group of people, each born at midnight, who have the ability to access the 25th hour of the day in order to fight crime. Project, from Warner Bros. Television and Ally, will be written by Chad Hodge (Runaway), who will executive produce with Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Nick Chinlund (Desperate Housewives) has been cast in CBS' The Mentalist as the father of Simon Baker's Patrick Jane. Chinlund's first appearance on the series is set for November 12th, when he will first appear "in a series of circa '80s flashbacks that promise to shed light on Jane's early days as a carnie freak." The younger Jane will be played by Chris Brochu in the flashbacks, which will recount Jane's days as a circus psychic. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Josh Lawson (Chandon Pictures) has been cast opposite Alyssa Milano and Kyle Bornheimer in ABC's midseason comedy Romantically Challenged, where he replaces Eric Christian Olsen who played the role in the original pilot episode. Elsewhere at ABC, Michael Ealy (Sleeper Cell) has joined the cast of drama series FlashForward, where he will play the nemesis to Joseph Fiennes' Mark Benford. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has ordered a pilot for comedy Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down, based on the 2006 indie film about the romantic adventures of a group of urban twenty-somethings. Luke Greenfield is attached to direct. (Hollywood Reporter)

Filming of the octoplets on TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 has been shut down following the filing of a cease-and-desist order by Jon Gosselin. In a statement, the cabler said that production would remain on hold "pending further conversations" between the Gosselins, though they were quick to point out that filming of persons other than the eight children would continue. The filing comes on the heels of the announcement that the reality series would be relaunched as Kate Plus Eight and that Jon Gosselin's participation would be curtailed. (Variety)

FOX and 20th Century Fox Television have extended options on the cast of single-camera comedy pilot The Station, which will remain in contention for a series order while producers tweak the pilot. Series, from executive producer Ben Stiller, follows a group of CIA operatives, including Justin Bartha, John Goodman and Whitney Cummings, working in Central America on a mission to install a new dictator. Elsewhere, CBS and ABC Studios have again extended the options on the cast of drama pilot House Rules, including Zoe McLellan, Eion Bailey, Kristin Bauer, Tawny Cypress, Anna Chlumsky, and Denzel Whitaker. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK digital network Living has acquired the rights to ABC comedy series Cougar Town, which it will launch next year. (Broadcast)

FOX has acquired the US rights to UK game show The Cube, in which contestants have to complete a number of physical challenges in a set period of time. If the concept sounds familiar, it's because NBC recently announced its own reality competition series, Perfect 10, which features more or mess the same premise. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Talk Back: Series Premiere of ABC's "FlashForward"

What did you see?

I've been talking about FlashForward for nearly a year now since my initial review of the series' pilot script back in November to my recent advance review of the first episode. But now that the series has launched, I'm curious to see just what you thought of FlashForward and its prospects for success.

Were you lured in by the mystery of the global blackout and the flashforwards experienced by the main characters? Did you compare it to Lost or do you see the two series as distinct and separate entities? Do you think that FlashForward is a worthy successor to the mythology-based Lost in any event?

Did you find Joseph Fiennes a compelling series lead or was he lacking in charisma? Are you intrigued by the characters' backstories? Did you find the dialogue realistic or clunky? Was there a bit too much exposition in the opening hour? What do you make of the twist ending? What's up with that kangaroo, which producers have said is a "thing"?

And, most importantly, will you come back next week and watch another episode?

Talk back here.

Next week on FlashForward (""White to Play"), Mark and Demetri head to Utah to track down a suspect who may be connected to the global blackout; Olivia comes face-to-face with the man from her vision; Mark and Olivia's daughter, Charlie, has trouble dealing with the aftermath of her flashforward.

Future Tense: An Advance Review of ABC's "FlashForward"

Is it the next Lost?

That seems to be the question on many people's minds regarding ABC's new ensemble drama series FlashForward, which launches tomorrow evening and is based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel of the same name. After all, despite the many protestations of the actors and creators of the series that FlashForward isn't at all like Lost, there are some similarities on the surface. A group of disparate and ethnically diverse individuals united by a staggering and life-altering phenomenon? Check. Said phenomenon possibly caused by some sci-fi wackiness? Check. Non-linear storytelling that reveals information about the characters? Check again. Questions about fate versus free will? Youbetcha. Dominic Monaghan and Sonya Walger? Um, yeah.

That said, FlashForward is a different beast than Lost, which wraps its run beginning in January. When it began, Lost was ostensibly about the survivors of a plane crash on a seriously creepy island; while there were whispers of sci-fi elements in the pilot (polar bears, a monster in the jungle), the main throughline was about survival and the formation of a working community out of the chaos of an inciting incident.

FlashForward, on the other hand, tells us right off the bat that we're experiencing something steeped in the heady world of science fiction. In this case, it's the titular flash forward experienced by the entire world population for two minutes and seventeen seconds, a loss of consciousness that leads to the death of millions of people and creates chaos around the globe. When the survivors awake, they slowly realize that they were given a glimpse into their own futures six months down the line. Why six months? That's a mystery for another day, save the fact that the exact moment witnessed by everyone is of huge significance.

Just what caused the worldwide blackout is also being investigated. When the series begins, we see our sprawling cast going about their lives, unaware of what's to come. Those characters include Joseph Fiennes' recovering alcoholic FBI Agent Mark Benford, who with his partner Demetri Noh (John Cho) are on the trail of some terrorists mounting an attack on Los Angeles when The Event occurs. When they come to, the city is in chaos and both men are shaken. Whether there's any correlation between the planned terror attack and the global blackout remains unseen but the woman that they apprehend after the blackout remains a person of interest. Mark, meanwhile, is desperate to make sure his wife, Doctor Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger), and his young daughter Charlie are safe.

I won't reveal here what each of the characters experience in their flash-forwards (you spoiler-lovers can read about it in my advance review of the pilot script from last year, though there are some changes) but I will say that they all circle around the same exact moment in time: April 29th, 2010 at 10 pm PT. It's due to this fact that Mark and Demetri find themselves assigned to investigate what's being called the Mosaic, a collection of people's memories of future events, corroborated and cross-referenced to find some sort of pattern emerging from the details. Just what or who caused the blackout? For what purpose? And what will happen in six months' time?

Given that the events depicted in the flash-forwards are of incidents that have yet to occur, the series delves head-first into the murky waters of a fate versus free-will discussion. Just because we saw these things happen doesn't mean that they will necessary occur, right? Can we ever fight fate? Or is life pre-determined? Will future events play out as the characters saw them or can they alter the course of destiny? For some, the future holds frustrating twists of fate, but for others, there's the seductive possibility of happiness. Which in a word, leads to some major conflict between those who want the future to happen and those who don't. Hmmm....

The pilot ("No More Good Days"), directed by David S. Goyer (who co-created the series with Brannon Braga and Jessika Borsiczky), introduces us to the main characters we'll be following all season. They include those played by the aforementioned Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, and Sonya Walger, as well as Courtney B. Vance's FBI supervisor Stanford Wedeck, Zachary Knighton's suicidal Dr. Bryce Varley; grieving father Aaron Stark (Brian F. O'Byrne), FBI agent Janice Hawk (Christine Woods), Jack Davenport's mysterious professor Lloyd Simcoe, and babysitter Nicole Kirby (Peyton List). (Dominic Monaghan will join the series a few episodes down the line.)

There are initially some standouts among the cast: John Cho is fantastic as Demetri Noh, Mark's terrified sidekick. Planning a wedding with his fiancée, Demetri is staggered by the implications of what he glimpsed--or didn't--during his blackout and there's a fear and poignancy to his interactions that already make his character a favorite. He also manages to steal the spotlight from lead Joseph Fiennes every time they appear on-screen together. Fiennes isn't bad as Mark Benford, but he seems to lack the emotional gravity and charisma necessary to make his leading man character engaging and interesting. (Just compare his performance to that of Matthew Fox's in the pilot of Lost to see what I mean.) Given the overall strength of the cast, it feels slightly like quibbling to point out Fiennes but I was hoping for more of a smoldering presence than he provides here.

My other complaint is that some of the dialogue is distractingly clunky at times. There's a moment when Christine Woods' Janice actually uses the series' title to describe her experiences during the blackout that made me groan aloud. (Which is no fault of Woods' really; I think she shines here in the few scenes she has in the pilot episode.) I understand that there's a lot of exposition to get through in the opening installment--particularly one that's only an hour rather than a two-hour backdoor--but I still want some sophistication and slickness to the dialogue rather than feel like I'm being hit over the head with the grace of an anvil being dropped from twelve stories up.

That said, I do think that FlashForward displays a hell of a lot of promise, offering a twisty puzzle of a drama that's stuffed with engaging metaphysical mysteries, trippy sci-fi phenomena, and enough overarching mythology to keep Lost fans more than entertained during the long slog until the series returns next year. The producers have been upfront about the fact that they have a five-year plan for the series and will provide answers to some mysteries as the plot ticks along. Despite my lack of confidence in Fiennes as an anchoring lead and some of the pilot's small flaws, I also think that FlashForward is a full head and shoulders above just about every other new drama series this fall.

Just what did you see? Come back on Friday to discuss the pilot episode and what you thought of FlashForward.

The first seventeen minutes of FlashForward's pilot episode are available at Hulu.com or right below:



FlashForward airs tomorrow night at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Channel Surfing: Vinnie Jones Spies "Chuck," Lip-Lock Causes Sparks on "Fringe," Showtime Could Unleash "The Borgias," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

British actor and former footballer Vinnie Jones (Loaded) will guest star on an upcoming installment of NBC's action-comedy series Chuck, which returns with its third season next year. Jones will play Karl Stromberg, "an expert hit man with a soft side," on the Warner Bros. Television-produced series. Jones has also been attached to an untitled new series based on a comic book by Howard Chaykin about an "international spy who teams with his long-lost daughters he never knew existed." That project hails from Elevate Entertainment and Prodigy Pictures, the Canadian production company behind NBC mini-series XIII. (Hollywood Reporter)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has the scoop behind "that kiss" in the second season premiere of FOX's Fringe last night. According to Abrams, the lip-lock didn't come as a surprise to the two stars of the FOX drama, as they claim that a romantic past between the two characters was part of the subtext between the two over the last season. (Yes, I'm being pretty vague here but I don't want to spoil the show for anyone who didn't see it last night.) (TVGuide.com)

Showtime is said to be circling Neil Jordan's period drama The Borgias, which revolves around the scandals and vendettas of the murderous Italian Renaissance family. Project, from DreamWorks Television and ImageMovers, is written and executive produced by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and executive produced by Justin Flavey, Darryl Frank, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, and Steve Starkey; it's being viewed as a likely successor to The Tudors, which will wrap its fourth and final season this spring. (Variety)

ABC has ordered a pilot script for an untitled one-hour comedy about the lives of Las Vegas magicians Penn Jillette and Teller that will star the duo as versions of themselves who are magicians at night and "reluctant detectives" by day. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be written and executive produced by Leonard Dick (House) and Jillette and Teller. The network also ordered a pilot for an untitled multi-camera relationship comedy, from former Friends scribe Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Warner Bros. Television, about two sisters, one of whom is in a long-term relationship but unwed, the other who becomes pregnant and quickly marries her boyfriend. They also gave out a script order to another untitled multi-camera comedy, this time from ABC Studios and writers Brett Paesel and Marsh McCall, about a recent divorcee who attempts to rebuild her life by taking an unusual job. (Variety)

Elsewhere at ABC, the Alphabet has released the first seventeen minutes of its new drama series FlashForward, which is available for streaming viewing on Hulu. Coincidence that the network opted to release such a lengthy look just after the entire pilot leaked on Bit Torrent? Hmmm... (Hulu)

USA is said to be overhauling drama series In Plain Sight, hiring John McNamara (Jericho) as the series' new showrunner. McNamara, who signed an overall deal with studio Universal Cable Prods., will replace former showrunner and series creator David Maples, who will now step into the role of consultant, as will executive producer Paul Stupin. According to Variety's Michael Schneider, "the show will probably add a few new characters to the mix as viewers get to know more of McCormack's backstory and more of the other marshals in the office," and "more of the Witness Protection Program participants' stories may also be examined, and Wachtel said the show will likely take more advantage of the stark, desert New Mexico landscape." (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan investigates the weakness of will-they-or-won't-they television couples, discussing "whether shows should constantly tease a couple possibly getting together and never actually do it," after expressing her frustration with the Booth/Brennan non-coupling on FOX's Bones. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Thora Birch (Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story) and Nancy Travis (The Bill Engvall Show) have been cast in Lifetime telepic Pregnancy Pact, which is inspired by actual events involving a teen pregnancy boom at a Massachusetts high school. Project, which will air next year, is written by Pamela Davis and Teena Booth and will be directed by Rosemary Rodriguez. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other MOW news, Billy Ray Cyrus has been cast in Hallmark Channel telepic Christmas in Canaan, about the unlikely friendship that develops in 1960s Texas between DJ (Zak Ludwig), who is white, and Rodney (Jaishon Fisher), who is black. Cyrus will play DJ's father in the telepic, which is based on a novel written by Kenny Rogers and Donald Davenport and is slated to air in December. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Idris Elba Tackles Brit Mystery, ABC Encodes "FlashForward," Vincent Kartheiser Dances Around "Mad Men," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

The Wire's Idris Elba (last seen on the small screen in a multiple-episode story arc on NBC's The Office) has landed the lead in new BBC One crime thriller Luther, where he will play John Luther, a "near-genius murder detective whose brilliant mind can’t always save him from the dangerous violence of his passions." Series, which has been commissioned for six episodes, is written by Neil Cross (Spooks) and each episode will invert the familiar tropes of crime drama on its head: the murderer will be revealed at the beginning of each episode and the focus will be the dynamic between Luther and his perpetrator, who aren't quite so different from one another. "Luther is a challenging and exciting character because he’s so complex," said Elba. "While he’s capable of great kindness and loyalty, sometimes he steps over the edge of madness – simmering with anger and rage." Luther will air in autumn of 2010 on BBC One. (Broadcast)

Taking a page out of its Lost handbook, ABC is turning to some rather unique marketing opportunities for its upcoming ensemble drama series FlashForward. The network has begun including codes in its most recent print ads for the ABC Studios-produced series. According to Variety's Michael Schneider, "When users hold the black-and-white codes up to a webcam, the picture on their computer screen turns into a 3-D ad for FlashForward, featuring photos from the show. And if clicked, the pics turn into minute-plus clips from the show." Those ads will be placed in niche publications that, er, shall we say cross over with the series' intended audience, such as Wired, Popular Mechanics, and several gaming publications. And if you're not a subscriber to one of those magazines, fret not: you can download the ad here. (Variety)

Vanity Fair has a fantastic interview with Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser, who plays the petulant Pete Campbell on the AMC period drama series. "I think one of the things Matt [Weiner, the show’s creator] really wanted with Pete was someone who didn’t villainize him from the inside out," Kartheiser tells Vanity Fair's Bruce Handy. "Take the pilot, that scene with Peggy, where Pete’s kind of dressing her down—he really thinks he’s being helpful and actually we had to do that scene quite a few times just to get that tone right for me. It was something that Matt and [director] Alan Taylor kept trying to finesse with me, to get to that point where it is rude but it’s really said from this helpful place. But I’m constantly reminding myself with Pete Campbell that the words kind of do the work for me. I don’t have to add any sort of emphasis to it—it’s there... the characters are written with such humanism. So even though, like you say, Pete comes from this place of being a villain, that’s something Matt carefully writes away from." (Vanity Fair)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan waxes enthusiastically about the fun and loopy charms of HBO's vampire drama series True Blood, which she says isn't "a carefully assembled feast," but rather an "enjoyable jambalaya packed with every thing the chef had close at hand. It's a jam-packed, all-you-can-eat buffet served with a side of crazy." You know you want to sink your teeth into this piece. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

FOX has given a script order to multi-camera comedy Extended Family, about a blue-collar woman who raises foster children. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Apostle, is written and executive produced by According to Jim's John Beck and Ron Hart. The duo have also sold a pilot script for multi-camera comedy Many Wives of Jon to TV Land; that project is about a young couple whose lives change when the wife's family moves in. (Hollywood Reporter)

Recasting alert! Bella Thorne (My Own Worst Enemy) will replace Jolean Wejbe on HBO's Big Love, where she will recur as Tancy (a.k.a. Teeny) Henrickson. Thorne was originally cast as Christie, the anger-prone daughter of Barb's sister Cindy (Judith Hoag). It's not immediately clear whether that part has been scrapped or will be recast as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Two has ordered two spin-off series from its culinary competition series The Restaurant, which airs Stateside under the title Last Restaurant Standing. The first, Plate Expectations, will follow Season Two contestants James Knight-Pacheco and Alasdair Hooper as they launch their own catering company. The second, Step By Step, will show Raymond Blanc demonstrating his own recipes. Both are set to launch on the UK channel in October to coincide with the launch of the third season of The Restaurant. (Broadcast)

Food Network has renewed daytime cooking series Ten Dollar Dinners, which features The Next Food Network Star's fifth season winner Melissa d'Arabian, for a second season. The series will tape thirteen additional episodes in December and the network will launch the series' second season in early 2010. (via press release)

Documentary shingle Ten Alps, owned by Bob Geldolf, has signed a three-year distribution deal with BBC Worldwide. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Simon Says: First Look at Dominic Monaghan on "FlashForward"

There's been an aura of mystery surrounding Dominic Monaghan's role in ABC's ensemble drama series FlashForward, which kicks off later this month.

Monaghan (Lost), of course, doesn't appear in the pilot episode of FlashForward so it's been rather tricky to glean intel about just what role his character, Simon, will play in the grand scheme of things within the world of the series.

But a newly released clip would seem to indicate that Simon is somehow connected to Jack Davenport's Lloyd Simcoe. In fact, Simon even goes so far as to refer to Lloyd as his partner. Hmmm...

But don't take my word for it. The brief clip from FlashForward featuring Dominic Monaghan, Jack Davenport, and Joseph Fiennes (Brits unite!) can be seen below.



FlashForward launches Thursday, September 24th at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Destiny Calls (in Advance): Cast and Crew Discuss "FlashForward"

"What did you see?"

It's the question that's central to ABC's new drama series FlashForward, which launches this fall and features an ensemble cast grappling with visions of their future--six months forward in time--when the entire world blacks out.

On hand at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena were Flash Forward cast members Sonya Walger, Dominic Monaghan, Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Courtney B. Vance and executive producers David S. Goyer, Jessica Borsiczky Goyer, and Marc Guggenheim.

Goyer promised that the numerous questions raised in FlashForward's pilot will get answered. "By the end of Season One, most of the questions asked in the pilot will be answered," said Gowyer. However, the cause of the blackout will be an overarching plot that will unfold over the entirety of the series.

What else did they have to say? Let's discuss.

Jessika Borsickzky Goyer said that discovered the Robert Sawyer book "Flash Forward" about nine years ago and brought it to David Goyer, whom she later married. One of the more compelling questions that the book raised was: "What if you could know your destiny?"

Some liberties were taken with Robert Sawyer's book, most notably changing the flash forwards to six months rather than 20 years and shifting the action from CERN to Los Angeles. Goyer and co-writer/executive producer Brannon Braga sold the project as a spec. (We later learned from ABC's Steve McPherson that the project was actually originally set up at HBO.) The producers created a series bible which they took to McPherson when they pitched FlashForward... so they have a very clear indication of where the series is going.

Asked about similarities to ABC's own Lost, which wraps its run next May, Goyer says he's friends with showrunner Damon Lindelof but the genesis of FlashForward took place before Lost.

"We would be thrilled with half the rabid fanbase of [Lost]. We should be so lucky," said Goyer of FlashForward.

Still there are some intended overlaps. Goyer says that Lost "traffics in shades of grey," which he loves. So look for some mightily conflicted characters in FlashForward.

"I don't know that the lessons of Lost are really applicable to our show," said Goyer, who said that they try to imagine, as rapid TV enthusiasts themselves, what they would like to see unfold on a series.

"By the end of the first season, we'll get to April 29th, 2010 and beyond," said Marc Guggenheim referring to the visions that the characters experience, which show them their future selves on that very date. That date corresponds to the airing of the 21st episode of FlashForward (out of a probable 24), though it's worth noting that ABC hasn't strictly speaking picked up the series yet for a full 22 episodes.

Meanwhile, Lost's Dominic Monaghan signed on to FlashForward without seeing single script page for his character, said Goyer, went on to say that in doing so Dominic made a huge leap of faith.

Monaghan contended that there are lots of similarities between FlashForward and Lost but that there are "distinct differences" between the two: "FlashForward is not as deeply rooted in a mythology that needs to be solved," said Monaghan.

One of the funniest moments of the panel came when Monaghan ribbed fellow Brits Sonya Walger and Joseph Fiennes for "stealing roles that should go to American actors." Jokingly, of course.

Seth MacFarlane, who appears in the pilot episode, will be "popping in and out" of FlashForward, said Goyer, who said they've since filmed additional scenes with him.

Jack Davenport is playing a "version of" the novel's Lloyd Simcoe, said Goyer. Novelist Robert Sawyer understands the necessity to change things for series and Sawyer himself is writing an episode of FlashForward for the first season.

"If the show doesn't work, look for us to be back here next year with our show about wacky particle physicists," joked Guggenheim.

Alex Kingston, who appears in a single scene in the pilot will be back on FlashForward. Gabrielle Union shows up in Episode Three. The producers revealed that they have a huge jump on production and have already written scripts through Episode 111.

Asked to reveal certain information about the pilot's mysteries, Goyer and Guggenheim were tight-lipped:

• "It would be a disservice to our audience to say what happens after April 29th," said Goyer about what happens next.
• "Significance of the date is one of the mysteries of the show," said Guggenheim. "But April 29th is a Thursday when we will be airing."
• "The kangaroo will be back. More than once... The kangaroo is a 'thing.'" said Goyer about the use of a kangaroo in the pilot. (Hmmm....)
• "When we catch up to the future, you'll understand" why some people were looking at the calendar during their flashforward, said Guggenheim.

Lost's Sonya Walger said that Olivia's flashforward has a ripple effect on everything around her as it has a profound influence on how she sees her life. (As for whether we can see more of Penny Widmore,
Walger said she has "absolutely no idea" about whether or not she's done with Lost.)

"That's why I left Law & Order: To be in Kickboxer 2!" joked Courtney B. Vance. Guggenheim hit back: "You never thought your character would do something like that to a kangaroo."

Still, it's not surprising that Vance is in the dark about what happens to his character. Goyer made the decision very early on not to tell actors too much about what happens to their characters in the future. Alfred Hitchcock used to do that with his actors, said Goyer.

Joseph Fiennes said that he was attracted to the project because of the notion of a self-fulfilling prophecy, along with strength of the writers and complexity of the characters.

"One of the primary reasons people come to dramas is conflict," said Goyer. "This show hopes to traffic in the gamut of human experience."

A third of characters are afraid of their futures, a third have futures that are aspirational, and the final third are agnostic about it, said Goyer. That mix of reaction is a compelling and interesting mix.

"One of the things the show is about is the resilience of humanity," added Guggenheim.

Goyer said that the flash forwards bring the whole world together, with people coming together over a shared experience, much like they did with the events of 9/11.

So what's the central question embedded within FlashForward? Goyer has a simple answer for that: "If you saw your future, what would you do about it? And can you change it?" asked Goyer.

FlashForward airs this fall on ABC.

Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "Lost" and "V," Gabrielle Union Gets "FlashForward," USA Renews "Burn" and "Pains," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I had an amazing time at the Mighty Boosh's secret show at the Roxy last night and found myself singing "Nanageddon" as I tried to go to sleep.

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an exclusive interview with Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell, who toplines the upcoming remake of V on ABC. Describing her character on V, Mitchell said: "Erica is a federal agent doing counter-terrorism. She deals with finding sleeper cells and basically eradicating them as much as possible. She's smart and intelligent and all the things that you would want someone who is protecting our country to be. I must have a hero complex—I keep gravitating toward these roles. She has a son, and she's in love with her son, and her son is in love with the Visitors. She has to deal with the fact that she has to save him for the most part. Her husband just left her, so she's a brokenhearted counterterrorist detective." Mitchell also discusses the final season of Lost, Juliet's relationship with Sawyer, and what her V role means for Juliet's presence on Lost's sixth season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Gabrielle Union (Ugly Betty) has been cast on ABC's fall drama series FlashForward in the recurring role of Zoey, described in press materials as "a criminal defense attorney who will have a romantic arc" on the series' freshman season. "We're thrilled that Gabrielle is joining our cast," said FlashForward executive producer David S. Goyer. "When we met with her, we immediately knew she was our Zoey. She's witty, soulful and beautiful. I've been wanting to work with her for a long time." (via press release)

In a move that will surprise no one, USA has renewed summer drama series Burn Notice and Royal Pains, with Burn Notice getting a fourth season order and Royal Pains getting a sophomore season. Both series landed in the top 20 programs on ad-supported cable for the month of July. (Hollywood Reporter)

Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives) has joined the cast of CBS' medical drama Three Rivers, where she will play female lead Sophia Jordan, the head of surgery at Three Rivers Hospital, a role originally played by Julia Ormond in the original pilot. In other recasting news, Heather Stephens (Saved) has replaced Reiko Aylesworth in ABC drama series The Forgotten, where she will play Lindsay, an amateur sleuth whose husband is jailed for unknown crimes and who must care for her baby on her own. (Hollywood Reporter)

FX has given a thirteen-episode series order to Lawman, starring Timothy Olyphant. Series, from Sony Pictures Television and FX, is based on an Elmore Leonard short story and is written and executive produced by Graham Yost (Boomtown). Series is expected to launch in spring 2010. (Televisionary)

Robert Knepper (Prison Break) has been promoted to series regular on NBC's Heroes, where next season he plays Samuel, the "charismatic but evil Earth-moving ringleader of a traveling carnival who recruits people with special powers for a mysterious purpose." (Hollywood Reporter)

Starz has ordered ten episodes of half-hour dark comedy Failure to Fly from Eric Schaeffer (Starved) and Jill Franklyn (Seinfeld) about a support group for people who once tried to kill themselves but are now relishing their second chance at life. Schaeffer will star and executive produce in the series, which is expected to launch in spring 2010. Also on tap at Starz: one-hour coming-of-age drama Waterloo from writer/executive producer Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) about a rock band; Jonah and the Whale, from executive producers Matthew McConaughey, Mark Gustawes, and Chad Mountain, about a man's efforts to find his own life outside the shadow of his famous and disapproving father; an untitled interracial romance from executive producer Martin Lawrence and writer Michael Scoccio; and an untitled drama about a female fashion photographer from executive producers Chris Albrect and Rob Lee. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks with CSI executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar about the previously reported return of Jorja Fox to the seires for five episodes next season. "We had several major characters departing over the last year and a half, and it felt like the family had disintegrated a little bit," said Shankar. "We had people off in their own bubbles, and that suggested a theme for this season, which is really about family. We wanted to restore that balance of the family. And that initial creative impulse led to the notion of Jorja coming back and helping to assist with that." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TBS has announced that George Lopez' latenight talk show Lopez Tonight will launch on November 9th at 11 pm ET/PT. (Variety)

The Beautiful Life's Elle Macpherson and Corbin Bleu have been upped to series regulars on the CW fall drama after they guest starred in the pilot episode in recurring roles; Macpherson played a former supermodel who now owns a top agency in Manhattan while Bleu played a male model. (Hollywood Reporter)

Animal Planet is launching a series of quarterly-scheduled investigative documentaries that explore controversial animal-related issues. First up is Dogfighting: An Animal Investigates Special that will launch in January; future installments will explore animal testing, exotic pets, gang dogs, cloning, and slaughterhouses. (Variety)

TV Guide Network has hired Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars) and Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) as their on-air red-carpet correspondents, replacing Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone. Their first appearance is set for the Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20th. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Silverman to Leave NBC, Monaghan to "FlashForward," Somerhalder Gets "Lost," Acker Returns to "Dollhouse," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Ben Silverman has stepped down as Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios; he'll remain on board for several weeks to help transition and oversee the launch of NBC's fall schedule. Silverman will then segue into a new company financed by Barry Diller's AIC which Silverman will run; company's mission is to "unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof." Meanwhile, Jeff Gaspin has been named Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment, effective immediately. In this role, Gaspin will have oversight of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios as well as retain his current responsibilities over USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, Sleuth, Chiller, and Universal HD. Marc Graboff will continue as chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, reporting to Gaspin. "Ben Silverman has many exciting things he wants to accomplish and we applaud him as he sets off on his new endeavors," said NBC Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker in a statement. "Ben brought us tremendous new thinking in this changing media age, and we're grateful for that. Now, we look forward to working with him in his new venture." (via press release, Hollywood Reporter)

As expected, Dominic Monaghan (Lost) has been cast in ABC's fall drama series FlashForward. The Alphabet let the cat out of the bag a while back by featuring Monaghan in an on-air brand spot where he was seen with other ABC series stars; FlashForward seemed the logical placement for the actor, who guest-starred on Chuck last season. Details about Monaghan's character Simon are under wraps but Monaghan himself said of Simon, "I can't tell you too much. I play a guy called Simon and as I'm sure you saw from that tiny little teaser: he's a snappy dresser, he's a cocky guy, he's not scared of anything or anyone and he's very smart." (via press release)

Ian Somerhalder is returning to Lost next season. Appearing at Comic-Con to promote his new CW series Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder stunned the crowd by acknowledging that he would be reprising his role as Boone Carlyle on ABC's Lost. "I think it’s safe to say... we sort of discussed that... it’s truly incredible that... I am going to be coming back." Later, Somerhalder told Entertainment Weekly that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse only informed him thirty minutes before the panel for Vampire Diaries that he would be returning to Lost. "It’s not clear yet" when he'll shoot his scenes but "it’ll be very soon... It’s just a matter of timing and getting me down there. It’s all good." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Amy Acker has signed a deal to return to FOX's Dollhouse next season for three episodes, via official confirmation from Joss Whedon himself. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting alert: Moon Bloodgood (Burn Notice), Jessy Schram (Crash), Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds), and Maxim Knight will star opposite Noah Wyle in TNT and executive producer Steven Spielberg's untitled alien invasion pilot. Project is written by Robert Rodat (from a story created by Rodat and Spielberg) and will be directed by Carl Franklin. (Hollywood Reporter)

The New York Times' Brooks Barnes has a fantastic look behind the scenes at the amount of preparation and effort that went into Lost's appearance at Comic-Con this weekend. Far from covering the panel itself, the Times goes one step further and covers the lead-up to the panel, crystallizing the amount of love and energy that Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, the writers, and the cast put into their appearance this year. (New York Times)

GSN has ordered 65 episodes of a relaunch of vintage reality series The Newlywed Game, produced by Embassy Row and Sony Pictures Television. Shingle is also awaiting decisions on The $25,000 Pyramid and The Dating Game at CBS. Other series in development at Embassy Row include Celebrity Mr. and Mrs. and Make My Day for TV Land and National Bible Champs at CMT, not to mention the 10th anniversary relaunch of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at ABC. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Russell T. Davies Defends "Torchwood" Twist, "Dexter" Animated Prequel for Fall, T.R. Knight Dishes on "Grey's" Departure, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Torchwood creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies, in which Davies defends the latest plot twist in Torchwood: Children of Earth (MAJOR SPOILER alert if you haven't yet seen "Day Four"), which has resulted in some angry fans. "It's not particularly a backlash," Davies corrected Ausiello. "What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset. Which is marvelous. It just goes to prove how much they love the character and the actor. People often say, 'Fans have got their knives out!' They haven't got any knives. I haven't been stabbed. Nothing's happened. It's simply a few people typing. I'm glad they're typing because they’re that involved. But if you can’t handle drama you shouldn’t watch it. Find something else. Go look at poetry. Poetry’s wonderful." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Dexter fans have something to look forward to before Showtime launches the next season of Dexter. The pay cabler will release "Earl Cuts," twelve animated webisodes that will serve as a prequel to the series that explore how Dexter (Michael C. Hall) honed his craft as a serial killer, this fall. Hall will provide the voice for the titular killer. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive interview with T.R. Knight, who candidly discusses the true reasons behind his departure from ABC's Grey's Anatomy after appearing on-screen for just 48 minutes during the entire fifth season of the series. Rather than confront Shonda Rhimes, Knight opted to just leave the series. "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," Knight told Ausiello. "And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Drama project Exit 19, from CBS Television Studios and writer/executive producer Jeffrey Bell, isn't quite dead. The project, which was shot as a pilot presentation for CBS in 2008, has been brought to cabler Lifetime, where it is being redeveloped. Bell will write a new version of the pilot script for Lifetime. (Variety)

Warren Leight (In Treatment) has come aboard FX drama project Lights Out, where he will serve as executive producer/showrunner alongside creator Justin Zackham should the project be ordered to series. Lights Out stars Holy McCallany and Melora Hardin. Elsewhere, Leight has signed a script deal with Peter Chernin's new production venture and, should HBO pick up another season of In Treatment, Leight will not stick with the series. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered twenty additional episodes of comedy House of Payne--that's in addition to the twenty-six it recently ordered--bringing the series' total episodic count to 172 installments. (Variety)

ABC will launch reality competition series Crash Course on Wednesday, August 26th at 9 pm, following the run of I Survived a Japanese Game Show. (Variety)

30 Rock scribe Donald Glover--who also co-stars in NBC's Community this fall--has signed a two-year talent holding deal and blind script commitment under which he will write and star in a project for Universal Media Studios. (Variety)

AMC has hired former Brillstein-Grey Television executive Susie Fitzgerald as SVP of scripted series (though her title seems to still be under discussion), where she will spearhead series development at the cabler, which is quick to point out that she won't be a direct replacement for Christina Wayne, who resigned from the network in February. (Hollywood Reporter)

Reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing unscripted series Shark Boat, which follows diver Stefanie Brendl and the crew of Hawaii Shark Encounters, the only company in the US that allows people to free dive with sharks. (Variety)

American Idol executive producer Ken Warwick has signed a three-year deal to continue on as showrunner on the musical competition series, a deal that would making him "one of the highest-paid showrunners in TV -- if not the highest paid," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

UK network Channel Five has purchased the UK terrestrial and digital rights to ABC's upcoming drama series FlashForward for a sum believed to be between $500-600,000 per episode, significantly lower than the enormous sums paid by UK outlets for such Disney ABC Television series such as Lost and Desperate Housewives. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, ITV has acquired the rights to US series The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Mary-Louise Parker to Keep Puffing on "Weeds," "Scrubs" Back to School, Meg Ryan to Guest Star on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I'm back from vacation so there's loads of television-related headlines to catch up on. Buckle your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker has put those rumors that she's leaving the Showtime comedy series to bed, stating that she's sticking around for quite some time. "Sometimes when I think about the show ending I get sad. I just can't imagine what it's going to be like," Parker told E! Online's Watch with Kristin. "We for sure have one more year, so I don't have to be sad yet. I can smile a little bit longer. I would stay on, but at a certain point it would get a little bit tired. It'd be like, we don't need to see Nancy and Andy running around in their 60s. I think it will depend on how this season goes, as to whether or not it will have a little velocity for staying around a little longer." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

When Scrubs returns for a ninth season this fall, there will be more change than just some of the regular cast, with the focus of the series shifting from Sacred Heart Hospital to the classroom. "It'll be a lot like Paper Chase as a comedy," series creator Bill Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "It's going to be a different show. It'll still be life-and-death stakes, but if the show is just Scrubs again in the hospital with a different person's voiceover, it would be a disaster and people would be mad." But there will be some familiar faces, with Donald Faison and John C. McGinley on board as series regulars and Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and Ken Jenkins slated to make guest appearances when the medical students are working at Sacred Heart. "Med students in their first three years have to spend anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of their time at a hospital," said Lawrence. "And that's when you'll see some of the [original cast members]. Continuity-wise, Sacred Heart will still exist with those people still working there." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

I'll have what she's having: Meg Ryan will guest star on an upcoming episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. The former When Harry Met Sally star will appear early on in the series' seventh season, which returns to HBO in September. The season will also feature an ongoing storyline that will reunite Larry David with his Seinfeld cast. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Confirmed: T.R. Knight won't be returning to ABC's Grey's Anatomy this fall following his request to be let out of his multi-year contract. "Leaving Grey's Anatomy was not an easy decision for me to make," said Knight in a statement. "I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much." Series creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, meanwhile, wished Knight "the best in his future endeavors" and said of the actor: ""He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us." (Variety)

Katherine Heigl, meanwhile, WILL be back next season on Grey's Anatomy, reprising her role as Izzie Stevens, despite a cliffhanger ending that made it seem as though Heigl was off the series for good. Sources close to the production have indicated that Heigl's option has been picked up and she will continue as a regular on the ABC medical drama series. (Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly)

Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously) has joined the cast of CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles as a series regular; she'll play "an efficient and hard-nosed former film industry technician who now oversees the 'backroom' support staff -- the folks tasked with providing everything from micro surveillance cameras to cars for the team," according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Clayne Crawford (Jericho) has joined the cast of Day Eight of FOX's 24, where he will play "a bad boy from Dana Walsh's (Katee Sackhoff) past." (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime has renewed comedy series Tracey Ullman's State of the Union for a third season, with seven new installments set to debut in 2010. (Variety)

Battlestar Galactica's Rick Worthy is reportedly in talks to join the cast of NBC's Heroes, entering its fourth season this fall. If a deal is reached, Worthy will allegedly be playing a Los Angeles cop and the new partner for Greg Grunberg's Matt Parkman. (Digital Spy)

Musical chairs: The Primetime Emmy Awards telecast is back on September 20th, its original ceremony date. The move comes after CBS and the TV Academy moved the telecast to September 13th in order to avoid starting late due to NFL double-header overrun... but failed to take into account that the date clashed with MTV's Video Music Awards. So it's back to September 20th, after all. (Variety's Emmy Central)

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will recur on ABC's Flash Forward this fall, as will ER's Alex Kingston. MacFarlane plays an FBI agent in the David S. Goyer and Marc Guggenheim-overseen drama series. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Reville has signed a talent holding deal with actor Bobb'e J. Thompson (30 Rock, Role Models) under which the company will develop a sitcom for the 13-year-old actor. (Variety)

The CW will begin rolling out its fall premieres on September 8th, which will see the second season premiere of 90210 and the series premiere of Melrose Place. Gossip Girl, meanwhile, will swap timeslots with One Tree Hill next season, with the former moving to the 9 pm timeslot; both series will launch their new seasons on September 14th. America's Next Top Model kicks off on September 9th, Vampire Diaries and Supernatural on September 10th, Beautiful Life on September 16th, and Smallville on September 25th. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has given a series order to Stager Invasion, which depicts professional stager Lisa Lynch giving frustrated home sellers tips on how to get their houses sold in difficult times. The twelve-episode series will launch June 30th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Variety)

Travel Channel has ordered reality competition series The Streets of America: The Search for America's Worst Driver, in which awful drivers are placed in a series of challenges in order to determine which is really the worst driver. Series, based on an international format and from A. Smith and Co. and Mentorn, will launch in the first quarter of 2010. (Variety)

USA Network has hired Spike executive Bill McGoldrick as SVP of original scripted programming; it's a return for McGoldrick who previously worked at USA. He will report to Jeff Wachtel. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Flash Forward" Will Tell Complete Story, Lafayette Speaks, "Lost" Spin-offs "Impossible," ITV Axes "Primeval," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Producers of ABC's upcoming sci-fi series Flash Forward say that the series will offer a complete plot in its first season and will reveal answers in the first season finale. "We know exactly ... what season one is, with great specificity, because at ... the outset, we had to plan the entire season," showrunner/executive producer Marc Guggenheim told SCI FI Wire. "The first season ends with our characters' catching up to their futures. So you can't do that on the fly. I mean, I suppose you could, but I don't think it would be a very satisfying viewing experience for anybody. We made the commitment at the outset [to] plan out the entire first season before we start breaking episode two. So the very first thing we did, apart from ... figuring out character backstories and [all] that—when the time came ... to actually start breaking story, it was, 'OK, how are we going to move the characters from where they are in episode one to where they are at the end of the season?'" (SCI FI Wire)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello catches up with True Blood's Nelsan Ellis, who plays charismatic and flamboyant Lafayette to discuss the character's fate, the reveal in the season premiere of the HBO drama, and what's to come. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lost's Matthew Fox says that there won't be any spin-off series emanating from ABC's Lost once the series wraps its run next year. "I think the show will end in a way that there really cannot be any future of Lost," said Fox, shooting down dubious reports of a spin-off series. "I don't think the word Lost will come up at the end of the last [episode]. That's how much finality it will have. Unlike any other episode ever done on Lost, I think it will just go to black and that will be it." (Digital Spy)

Total Sci-Fi is reporting that UK broadcaster ITV has canceled sci-fi drama Primeval and won't be recommissioning it for a fourth season, despite ending the third season on a cliffhanger. "Obviously we're devastated that things should end this way with ITV," said an unnamed source close to the production. "But we're absolutely certain that although this stage of its evolution seems to be over, Primeval isn't dead. We're very proud of what we've achieved over the past three years and we have every intention of keeping Primeval alive in other ways." Those ways may include a possible US series or a feature film from Warner Bros. US fans may want to skip the spoiler-laden third paragraph, which contains spoilers for the third season finale. (Total Sci-Fi)

CBS has ordered three more installments of I Get That a Lot, a hidden-camera special in which celebrities work undercover at various run-of-the-mill jobs. The celebrities participating in the next batch of specials, from LMNO Entertainment and Magic Molehill, have yet to be named. (Variety)

TV Guide Channel is making some significant changes, beginning with the pink-slipping of 38 employees and programming downgrades. Weekly talk show TV Watercooler will be canceled as of June 22nd, while Hollywood 411, a daily entertainment news magazine, will become a weekly series and weekly series Infanity will become a series of specials. (Hollywood Reporter)

VH1 has given a series order to an untitled reality series which will focus on people afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder. The series, from 3 Ball Prods. and executive producers JD Roth, Todd Nelson, Adam Greener, Matt Assmus, Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, Alex Demyaneko, and Noah Pollack, will focus a group of OCD sufferers as they live together at a treatment facility and participate in group and solo treatment. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Katee Sackhoff Clocks in for "24," Dominic Monaghan Presses "Flash Forward," "Earl" Could Live on TBS, and More

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

In a rather major casting coup, FOX's 24 has cast former Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff as a series regular in Day Eight, where she will play Dana Walsh, a "highly respected and down-to-earth data analyst at the new and improved New York branch of CTU" who is romantically involved with Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Davis Cole and has a "skeleton in her closet she's trying desperately to keep hidden." Sackhoff joins such Day Eight players as Prinze, Mykelti Williamson, Jennifer Westfeldt, Chris Diamantopoulous, John Boyd, and Anil Kapoor. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

It's now believed that Lost's Dominic Monaghan will be joining the cast of ABC's Flash Forward this fall. IGN's Eric Goldman is reporting, citing reports from an undisclosed insider, that Monaghan will be joining Flash Forward and that the actor, who played Charlie Pace on Lost, will "likely have a major role" on the series. Still, ABC isn't commenting at this time. "There is a lot of speculation out there right now," said an ABC spokesperson, "but we're not confirming any casting at this point." (IGN)

Reports of My Name is Earl's demise may have been premature. Variety's Cynthia Littleton is reporting that studio 20th Century Fox Television is in discussions with cabler TBS about a possible thirteen-episode run. "The talks for new episodes are said to be in the very preliminary stages," writes Littleton, "and it's far from certain that a deal will be reached, insiders cautioned." (Variety)

Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour), Ian McShane (Kings), Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks), Sarah Parish (The Holiday), Eddie Redmayne (The Other Boleyn Girl), Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited), and Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money) have signed on to star in Tandem and Muse's eight-hour international mini-series Pillars of the Earth, based on Ken Follett's novel of the same name. Shooting begins June 22nd for a launch date in the later part of 2010. So far, no US or UK broadcast networks have come on board to co-produce though the production has a US DVD sales deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. (Hollywood Reporter)

USA is launching Season Four of Psych and Season Eight of Monk (the series' last) on August 7th while Burn Notice will wrap the first half of its season on August 6th before returning in early 2010. (Futon Critic)

In other Burn Notice news, producers are trying to lure Sharon Gless' former Cagney & Lacey co-star Tyne Dale to guest star in an episode slated to air in early 2010, according to Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

David Letterman is said to be in talks about remaining at the helm of CBS' Late Show for three more years, through the 2011-12 season, though the series will see a reduction in license fee. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime is launching original drama series Drop Dead Diva, starring Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Jackson Hurst, Kate Levering, April Bowlby, and Josh Stamberg, on Sunday, July 12th at 9 pm ET/PT. Series, created/executive produced by Josh Berman (Bones), hails from Sony Pictures Television. (via press release)

More recasting on NBC's comedy series 100 Questions, which will see the roles played in the pilot by Elizabeth Ho and Joy Suprano recast. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that Amir Talai would be recast as well, which leaves only three of the series regulars--Sophie Winkleman, David Walton, and (creator) Christopher Moynihan--on board. Meanwhile, Alex Hardcastle (Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire) has come on board 100 Questions as the house director and will likely also retain some sort of producer credit. (Hollywood Reporter)

Daytime syndicated talk show Rachael Ray has been renewed through the 2011-12 season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that producers on CBS' Ghost Whisperer are considering moving the series's storyline five years in the future, in order to "introduce Jim and Melinda's son as a pre-schooler instead of as a newborn," said Ausiello, citing an unnamed insider. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Season Three of The Bill Engvall Show will kick off on Saturday, July 18th at 9 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Former Crown Media Holdings President/CEO Henry Schleiff has been named president and general manager of fledgling cabler Investigation Discovery. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: ABC Orders "Flash Forward," J.J. Abrams Teases "Fringe" Season Finale, Michael Trucco Shares "The Plan," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

In a move that surprised no one (given the on-air viral campaign), ABC has given a series order to sci-fi drama Flash Forward, based on Robert Sawyer's novel. Series, executive produced by David Goyer, Brannon Braga, Marc Guggenheim, Vince Gerardis, Jessika Goyer, and Ralph Vicinanza, will star Joseph Fiennes, Jack Davenport, Sonya Walger, Courtney B. Vance, John Cho, Zachary Knightton, Peyton List, Brian O'Byrne, and Christine Woods. Guggenheim and Goyer will serve as showrunners on the series, which is rumored to be launching this fall. (Variety)

Excited about tomorrow night's season finale of FOX's Fringe? Series co-creator J.J. Abrams promises that the season finale will feature "a really interesting shift in the fundamental paradigm of the show in a very cool way." Abrams also promises that Season Two will have less exposition upfront. "There’s nothing more crazy than having that sort of massive chuck of exposition thrown at you in the story," said Abrams. "Sometimes the desire of producers/writers/network/studio is to provide clarity ... those kind of monologues of exposition don’t help anyone ... [actor Lance Reddick] delivers them beautifully, but any actor tasked with catching people up deserves a drink at the end of the day." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

SCI FI Wire talks to Battlestar Galactica's Michael Trucco about the upcoming BSG telepic The Plan, in which he'll co-star along with Dean Stockwell and several other members from the BSG cast. "Whereas Caprica is a true prequel, 50 years before the beginning of Battlestar Galactica, The Plan is less a coda: It doesn't extend the story beyond what we saw in the finale," said Trucco. "It actually picks up the story between Season One and Season Two. It's actually prequel to the entrance of Anders, my character, and Cavil, Dean Stockwell's character. The movie is told from that perspective... it was like being in a time machine; it was amazing. It was like, we did this in Season Two, and here we are going back to that moment in time, and it was a really interesting experience. That was when I first started on the show, so, yeah, you had to kind of erase all the baggage that came with Anders through the finale and start to put myself in the space of Anders the human that I started with, this character that I thought I knew before this big reveal that he's a Cylon. I had to put myself back in that frame of mind." (SCI FI Wire)

Wondering if all of 30 Rock's product mentions in last week's episode ("Mamma Mia") were in fact product placement? Think again. According to the network, the story line was "completely organic" and the product mentions--including that of Universal feature film Mamma Mia--were part of the script and selected by the writers themselves in what amounts to a another McFlurry moment for the series. "The show had written that story line all on its own,” said NBC spokesperson Liz Fischer, “the promotion department had always planned to run a Mamma Mia spot prior to Mother’s Day." (New York Times)

Several bubble series are looking good for renewal, including ABC's Better Off Ted, which is said to be "looking good to return," while Ghost Whisperer scored a renewal at CBS, ABC is said to be high on renewing Scrubs for another season, and CBS is thought likely to bring back Cold Case next season. (Variety)

Nikki Finke takes a look at several potential series projects at CBS, indicating that the untitled NCIS spin-off and Julianna Margulies-led legal drama The Good Wife are locks for the schedule this fall. Also potentially in play are U.S. Attorney and Three Rivers and comedies Accidentally on Purpose, Happiness Isn't Everything, and Waiting to Die. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Casting roundup: Misha Collins has been bumped to regular status on next season's Supernatural, after recurring in twelve episodes this season. Eddie Kaye Thomas ('Til Death) has joined the cast of HBO's How to Make It in America, where he will star opposite Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk; he'll play a wealthy hedge fund manager who went to high school with Ben (Greenberg). And Stephen Dunham (What I Like About You) has been cast in TBS comedy The Bill Engvall Show, where he will recur as Engvall's brother Kenny, a "likable ne'er-do-well who gets by on his charm," and could become a series regular down the road. (Hollywood Reporter)

Neil Gaiman has denied rumors that inbound showrunner Steven Moffat has asked him write a script for Doctor Who's upcoming fifth season and has an update about a possible Sandman series at HBO. "The last thing that I heard was that HBO wanted to do an ongoing, great big Sandman overarching HBO TV series, which would make sense because they're part of the Time Warner empire and Sandman cannot leave Time Warner," said Gaiman. "Whether or not that will ever happen I do not know, because it would involve HBO making a deal with DC [Comics] which they may or may not be capable of doing. The truth is they are things in my life that I do not own, that I've created but do not own and do not control. What gets really frustrating is people assume that I do and they assume I'm consulted and can say yes or no to things - which of course I can't." (Digital Spy)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez takes a look at just what it means when series are said to be "on the bubble" and talks to a member of the 225-strong crew of CBS' The Unit, all of whom are awaiting their fate as CBS weighs whether or not to pick up the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series for another season. "If drama is life heightened, then Hollywood's bubble shows mirror much of America right now, where the specter of pay reductions, freezes and immediate unemployment is writ large," writes Fernandez. "In the television industry, the phenomenon is an annual rite as network executives decide which series will be ditched to make room for new projects." (Los Angeles Times)

Amid the efforts to reduce budgets on ongoing television series, many studios have cut the number of writers on staff, with more experienced writers (who earn a heftier pay check) more likely to be cut than their lower-paid counterparts. "Industry sources say studios producing skeins for Big Four nets are pushing for cuts of as much as 10%-15% in the writing budget for returning series, while new shows will start out with smaller staffs than first-year shows in recent seasons," writes Variety's Cynthia Littleton. "Where skeins once had as many as 10-12 writers, not including the showrunner(s), the new norm is becoming six to eight." Freshman drama series Southland, recently renewed for a second season, only has four writers and isn't expected to add any scribes next season. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that producers on NBC's Heroes are looking to cast a hearing-impaired actress in her twenties to play the love interest for one of the main characters in Season Four. The as-yet-unnamed character will be introduced in next season's fourth episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has ordered six episodes of an untitled unscripted series with Jamie Oliver and executive producer Ryan Seacrest that is said to be loosely based on Oliver's 2005 television series Jamie's School Dinners (which aired in the US as Jamie's School Lunches), in which Oliver would travel to the unhealthiest towns in America and work with locals to devise ways to improve diet habits. The series is expected to air sometime in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comcast's G4 is spinning off long-running franchise The Soup into Web Soup, hosted by Chris Hardwick and launching June 7th. Series, which will air Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT, will focus on digital culture and Internet content and will be executive produced by the team behind The Soup, including executive producers K.P. Anderson, Boyd Vico, Edward Boyd, and Brad Stevens. (Variety)

Executive producers/showrunners Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander have departed from CBS' freshman comedy Gary Unmarried after creative differences with the network. Rumors are swirling that Ira Ungerleider and Rob Des Hotel will be promoted to to showrunners on the ABC Studios/CBS Paramount Network Television series, which would then be renewed for a second season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fox Television Studios has hired Slater/Brooksband as a casting consultant for the News Corp division, with Mary Jo Slater and Steve Brooksband providing casting services on FTVS' scripted programming, including international co-productions. (Variety)

The Los Angeles Times' Dawn C. Chmielewski and Meg James take a look at the issues facing Internet juggernaut Hulu, including cable and satellite operators who are decidedly nervous about losing control over cable programming. In response, several cable series--such as full seasons of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and USA's Psych--have been yanked from Hulu, despite the fact that they are both produced by Hulu partner studios. The site is also said to be looking into authentication: namely that viewers would have to prove that they are cable subscribers in order to access cable programming on the site. (Los Angeles Times)

Versus has ordered weekly series Fanarchy, in which seven fans will get the chance to get on their soapboxes about current sports topics via webcam in a "frenzied back-and-forth format" that will see two contestants eliminated each episode and replaced by new fans the following week. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Dancing with the Upfronts: Rounding Up the Buzz on Pilots at ABC, FOX, CBS, and CW

The networks aren't expected to announce their schedules until the week of May 18th, but ABC got a jump on the competition yesterday by announcing that they had given an early pickup to single-camera comedy Modern Family, from writer/executive producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, giving the series an initial thirteen-episode commitment.

Looking extremely likely for a series order at ABC is drama Flash Forward, especially given the fact that ABC has already launched an on-air viral campaign for the series with its "What did you see?" tagline. ABC executives are slated to screen the pilot and it's a given that Flash Forward will make it on the schedule. Other slots on the schedule could go to such drama projects as Happy Town, V, Limelight, Empire State, The Unknown, or Eastwick.

On the comedy front Awesome Hank (formerly known as Untitled Kelsey Grammer) is looking positive as are Ricky Blitt's Romantically Challenged (formerly known as Single With Baggage) and Bill Lawrence's comedy Cougar Town, though I've also heard some negative buzz forming about the latter. I'm hearing from several sources that comedies Pulling, Best Thing Ever, and The Law turned out decent but not spectacularly, although ABC's redo on The Middle screened very well. It seems like there's no hope for comedies No Heroics and Canned, however.

Meanwhile, several ABC pilots have gotten some title changes, with Lauren Graham's untitled comedy pilot reverting back to Let It Go (its original moniker), the untitled Tad Quill pilot now getting retitled as Best Thing Ever, the untitled Anita Renfroe pilot will now be called Bless This Mess, and Don't Try This at Home is now entitled Married Not Dead.

Meanwhile over at CBS, looking likely for a pickup is legal drama The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry, and Archie Panjabi, and the untitled NCIS spin-off is a lock, whereas the jury is deadlocked on the fate of medical dramas Three Rivers and Miami Trauma.

Hot comedies at the Eye are said to include Accidentally on Purpose, Happiness Isn't Everything, and Waiting to Die.

FOX is said to be extremely high on Simon West-directed action pilot Human Target, starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley, which is based on a DC Comics title. Meanwhile, medical drama Maggie Hill, starring Stuart Townsend, Christina Cole, Alfre Woodard, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Luke Mably, Denis O'Hare, and Anna Rose Hopkins, and supernatural drama Past Life (formerly known as The Reincarnationist) also said to be in contention.

On the comedy side, Sons of Tucson has emerged with the biggest buzz and Brothers and Cop House are said to be in contention as well. Reaction was mixed to Mitch Hurwitz and Christine Zander's US adaptation of British series Ab Fab, which here stars Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Johnston, Zosia Mamet, and Toni Trucks. I'm also hearing that Two Dollar Beer is stone cold and there's nothing to see on The Station, Walorsky, and Firsts, none of which have shot yet.

The revival of Melrose Place is considered a lock for the CW's fall schedule, so no surprise there that the netlet will go ahead with another update of a classic soap series.

Rather surprisingly, Privileged could get a second season renewal, thus tying up some of the available real estate at the CW. The Beautiful Life, from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, is looking strong, as are Kevin Williamson-adapted supernatural drama Vampire Diaries and Light Years. One fly in the ointment, however, is that Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke is claiming that the untitled Gossip Girl spin-off, which would focus on a teenage Lily Rhodes (Brittany Snow) in the 1980s, is "now dead." Or is it? E! Online is reporting that the project is not dead. ("Nothing is dead," says E! Online's unnamed network source close to the network.)

The CW is out of the comedy game, so there were no comedy pilot orders this season and the CW is closing up shop with The Game and Everybody Hates Chris taking a bow this month.

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

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: BubbleWatch for "Chuck," Potter Replaces Farr on "Parenthood," Sci Fi Tackles "Unfinished Business," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

With May Upfronts only a few weeks away, there are an awful lot of series that are on the bubble for renewal next season. Chuck, which airs its penultimate episode of the season tonight, is definitely on the bubble, with its return hindered by the lack of real estate now that NBC will use the 10 pm hour next fall for a nightly Jay Leno talk show and by the numbers for midseason replacement Southland. There's a slightly better chance for Medium to return, however. (Life is expected to be cancelled, as is Kath & Kim.) FOX's Dollhouse is said to have a 50/50 shot at coming back. CBS' Without a Trace and Cold Case are said to have a 50/50 shot at a renewal, things are looking brighter for The Unit after the network asked Shawn Ryan for a fifth season bible, while Eleventh Hour is thought unlikely to return. At ABC, Better Off Ted, Castle, and The Unusuals could get a second go-around as the network is said to be happy with all three series, while Cupid is dead in the water. Privileged could return to the CW in midseason, now that Reaper has been axed. (Hollywood Reporter)

Monica Potter (Trust Me) will replace Diane Farr (Rescue Me) on NBC drama pilot Parenthood after Farr had to drop out of the project due to to scheduling conflicts with her upcoming role on Showtime's Californication. Potter will now play the wife of Peter Krause on the Universal Media Studios pilot. Sam Jaeger (Eli Stone) has also been cast in Parenthood, where he will play the stay-at-home husband of Erika Christensen's character, while Bonnia Bedelia is in talks to play the family matriarch. Elsewhere, Josh Lawson (Chandon Pictures) has been cast in CBS comedy pilot Waiting to Die. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sci Fi has ordered a pilot for supernatural police drama Unfinished Business, about a former police officer who sees "flashes of memories from the recently deceased," which propel him to help restless souls resolve the titular unfinished business. Project, from writer Sally Robinson, director Mikael Salomon (Band of Brothers), and executive producers Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Ken Stovitz, will air as a two-hour backdoor pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has now announced that new series Mental will launch on Tuesday, May 26th before it moves to Fridays on July 3rd, while the network will be bringing back reality series The Moment of Truth on Wednesday, July 29th. (Futon Critic)

Hollywood Reporter has taken a look at the pilot projects gathering steam at the networks, offering a rundown of which projects have the best buzz so far at each individual network:

ABC: Flash Forward is a lock for a series pickup, while Happy Town, Inside the Box, Limelight, V, and the untitled Dave Hemingson dramedy are also looking good and last year's Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is in contention again; chances for comedies An American Family, untitled Ricky Blitt, Cedric, and Cougar Town are all high.
FOX: High on dramas Human Target and Maggie Hill, as well as comedies Cop House and Sons of Tucson.
NBC: Slate could be joined by dramas Trauma, Parenthood, Legally Mad, or Lost & Found or comedies Community, Off Duty, or 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne, all of which the network is said to be strong on.
CBS: Likely going ahead with the untitled NCIS spin-off, while pilots Three Rivers, The Good Wife, Washington Field, US Attorney, Happiness Isn't Everything, and Accidentally on Purpose are all gathering steam.
CW: Melrose Place looks to be certain and the network is said to be happy with the Gossip Girl backdoor pilot, while Light Years, Vampire Diaries, A Beautiful Life, and Body Politic are all in contention as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is giving a chance to new drama series The Unusuals this Tuesday, replacing this week's planned installment of Cupid with a new episode of The Unusuals at 10 pm ET/PT. (The Unusuals, meanwhile, will also air a new episode on Wednesday as well, while Cupid will be back next week.) "Alphabet net has high hopes for The Unusuals, which hasn't made much noise behind Lost," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "ABC execs would like to see how it does with an entirely different lead-in, the results edition of Dancing with the Stars." (Variety)

The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley takes a look at why FOX's 24 continues to lure audiences in and couples it with that ubiquitous sign of the times: the YouTube video of Susan Boyle from Britain's Got Talent. "That’s why 24 still works after so many seasons (or days, in the now slightly tiresome real-time conceit) and so many repetitive and preposterous red herrings," writes Stanley. "Viewers cannot be fooled the same way twice, but they can be sucked in all over again if the formula is tweaked a little. If nothing else, Britain’s Got Talent and 24, now in its seventh season, prove how quickly memory fades and how willingly audiences suspend disbelief. [...] the whole point of 24 is that we kind of know what’s coming but watch because we want to be surprised all over again." (New York Times)

Michaela McManus, who plays Assistant District Attorney Kim Greylek on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will not be returning to the series next season. Stephanie March, who reprised her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot, is slated to appear in four additional episodes this season. (TV Guide.com)

Variety's Michael Schneider takes a look at the way the networks are rewriting previously sacrosanct scheduling rules this year: offering 90-minute or two-hour reality series, lowering their ratings expectations, giving up on programming certain difficult nights like Fridays, offering edgier fare on NBC in an earlier timeslot, and exploring low-cost programming, such as international co-productions. (Variety)

Nielsen has some new competition: from TiVo itself, which is launching Stop Watch, a local TV ratings service, this summer. "We'll launch in no more than 10 markets and build it from there," said TiVo VP/general manager of audience research Todd Juenger. "We're in discussions with all sorts of people [...] I would say that our product addresses a whole bunch of deficiencies in the current system." Those deficiencies include being able to offer a larger sample size than Nielsen and offering second-by-second ratings, which would allow for commercial measurements on a local market level, as well as live and time-shifted measurements. Still, TiVo isn't looking to replace Nielsen outright. "This will work well side-by-side with Nielsen," said Juenger. "We'll produce a much more stable, reliable household rating number. If you have a data source from Nielsen, there's no reason you can't overlay the two." (Variety)

Stay tuned.