Reincarnation Sleuths, Child Geniuses, and Show Choristers: FOX Announces Midseason Schedule

FOX today announced their midseason plans for 2009-2010, unveiling a lineup that includes giving reincarnation drama Past Life the post-Bones slot on Thursday evenings (current occupant Fringe will be going on a prolonged hiatus for seven weeks), bringing Kitchen Nightmares back (on Friday nights this time around) and giving the post-American Idol slot to new reality series Our Little Genius.

MONDAYS: The network announced that it had given a full season pickup to drama series Lie to Me, though the Shawn Ryan-produced series will take a breather on Mondays, which will be taken over by House and 24 come January. There's no return date yet for Lie to Me but the pickup ensures that the series will eventually return to the schedule at some point during the season.

TUESDAYS: Which brings us to Glee. We all knew that the musical comedy would go on hiatus after its initial thirteen-episode commitment and that there would need to be some time for scripting and production and that it would get a post-Idol slot. Glee will shift to Tuesday nights beginning April 13th (following the conclusion of Our Little Genius), where it will do battle with ABC's Lost, entering its sixth and final season. (As I mentioned on Twitter, if I am forced to choose between the two, Lost wins with no contest.)

WEDNESDAYS: The Idol juggernaut continues on Wednesdays, where it will lead into new unscripted series Our Little Genius beginning January 13th for a week before moving to Tuesdays and giving the timeslot to new action drama Human Target. (I wasn't crazy at all about the pilot for Human Target and, unless the producers have completely altered the format and structure of the series, I won't be tuning in.)

THURSDAYS: The biggest headscratcher is why FOX wouldn't move the struggling sophomore drama series Fringe off of Thursdays. Fringe will instead have its "winter finale" on February 4th and will return seven weeks later with new episodes on April 1st. In between those dates, FOX will give over the timeslot to Past Life. Having seen the pilot for the reincarnation drama, I would be amazed if FOX kept it around for all eight episodes. (FOX will launch the series with a two-hour premiere on February 11th.)

FRIDAYS: Kitchen Nightmares returns in midseason and lands the Friday night at 9 pm timeslot, taking over for the cancelled Dollhouse, which wraps up its run on January 22nd. However, it's likely a good thing that FOX is choosing to rest Hell's Kitchen for the time being. I assume they'll wait to bring the format back until summertime and I hear that they have two cycles of the reality competition cycle already in the can.

SUNDAYS: Sunday nights remain more or less intact after the start of 24's two-night launch on January 17th, with The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad remaining as is from the current schedule. Come March 14th, new live-action comedy Sons of Tucson will take over the 8:30 pm slot and The Cleveland Show will shift to 9:30 pm for the remainder of the season.

And, oh, FOX was generous enough to make sure we all knew that unkillable comedy 'Til Death would return to the schedule at "a later date."

The full press release from FOX announcing their midseason lineup and the night-by-night schedule (with launch dates) can be found below.

FOX ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE

“AMERICAN IDOL” RETURNS WITH TWO-NIGHT SEASON PREMIERE
TUESDAY, JAN. 12 AND WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13

NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES “OUR LITTLE GENIUS” DEBUTS
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13

NEW ACTION DRAMA “HUMAN TARGET” PREVIEWS
DURING EXTENDED PRIMETIME SUNDAY, JAN. 17 AND
MAKES ITS SERIES PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20

“24” STARTS THE CLOCK DURING TWO-NIGHT, FOUR-HOUR EVENT
SUNDAY, JAN. 17 AND MONDAY, JAN. 18

CELEBRATE THE “BEST. 20 YEARS. EVER.” OF “THE SIMPSONS”
WITH “THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: IN 3-D! ON ICE!”
AND MILESTONE 450TH EPISODE SUNDAY, JAN. 10

GORDON RAMSAY’S “KITCHEN NIGHTMARES” TURNS UP THE HEAT
FRIDAY, JAN. 29

NEW THRILLER “PAST LIFE” EMERGES THURSDAY, FEB. 11
AND NEW COMEDY “SONS OF TUCSON” DEBUTS SUNDAY, MARCH 14

“GLEE” ROCKS ITS FALL FINALE WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9
AND RETURNS WITH ALL-NEW EPISODES TUESDAY, APRIL 13

“FRINGE” AIRS WINTER FINALE THURSDAY, FEB. 4
AND RESURFACES WITH ALL-NEW EPISODES THURSDAY, APRIL 1

“LIE TO ME” PICKED UP FOR THE BACK NINE EPISODES BRINGING
THE ORDER TO A FULL SEASON

FOX is announcing premiere dates of new and returning series as well as revisions to its 2009-2010 midseason schedule. FOX also has ordered a full season of the sophomore drama LIE TO ME.

January starts off on a high note when the ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL, television’s No. 1 series, begins with a two-night premiere Tuesday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Jan. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Immediately following AMERICAN IDOL on Jan. 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), FOX unveils the not-to-be-missed series debut of OUR LITTLE GENIUS, a new unscripted series that features America’s most gifted kids as they are tested with some of the most challenging and difficult questions that only a remarkable little genius could answer.

A special extended primetime event on Sunday, Jan. 17 kicks off with the NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF (4:00 PM-CC ET live/1:00 PM-CC PT live), which leads into the explosive series preview of HUMAN TARGET (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the new full-throttle, action-packed drama about a unique private contractor (Mark Valley) who will stop at nothing – even if it means becoming a human target – to save his clients. The special primetime event concludes with the first installment of the pulse-pounding two-night, four-hour premiere of 24 (9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT). The season premiere of 24 clocks in for two more hours of action Monday, Jan. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and the season premiere of HUMAN TARGET airs Wednesday, Jan. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) following AMERICAN IDOL (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

On Sunday, Jan. 10, FOX presents a special SIMPSONS event beginning with the animated series’ milestone 450th episode, “Once Upon a Time in Springfield” (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), in which BART (Nancy Cartwright) and MILHOUSE (Pamela Hayden) try to help KRUSTY (Dan Castellaneta) regain his popularity after network executives force him to restructure the format of his television show by hiring a female sidekick, PRINCESS PENELOPE (guest voice Anne Hathaway). Then, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “30 Days”) will present THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: IN 3-D! ON ICE! (8:30-9:30 PM ET/PT). The documentary special examines the global phenomenon that is THE SIMPSONS and serves as the momentous conclusion to the “Best. 20 Years. Ever.,” a year-long global celebration of THE SIMPSONS that launched in January 2009.

Chef Gordon Ramsay steps out of his own kitchen to serve up a new season of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES on Friday, Jan. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Each week, Chef Ramsay will try to help turn around some of the most unsanitary and unsuccessful restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Florida and California on the verge of closing their doors forever.

PAST LIFE, a new drama series inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” about detectives who investigate the world of the unexplained, will bow with a two-hour series premiere Thursday, Feb. 11 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and will make its time period premiere Thursday, Feb. 18 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

SONS OF TUCSON, the new family comedy from Emmy Award winner Todd Holland (“Wonderfalls”) about three young brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison, debuts Sunday, March 14 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT).

AMERICAN IDOL sings on Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) when it makes its time period premiere Jan. 19 followed by the time period premiere of OUR LITTLE GENIUS (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and 24 syncs up for its time period premiere Monday, Jan. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

After its fall finale Wednesday, Dec. 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), GLEE returns from its interlude with a score of all-new episodes on a new night beginning Tuesday, April 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). FRINGE delves into its winter finale Thursday, Feb. 4 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and then resurfaces with new cases beginning Thursday, April 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE goes out with a bang with its series finale Friday, Jan. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

RECAP – FOX 2009-2010 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE
(All times ET/PT except as noted)

MONDAY
Monday, Jan. 4:
7:30 PM-CC ET TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL (LIVE)

Monday, Jan. 18:
8:00-10:00 PM 24 (2-Night / 4-Hour Season Premiere, Part 2)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM 24 (Time Period Premiere)

****************************

TUESDAY
Tuesday, Jan. 5:
7:30 PM-CC ET FEDEX ORANGE BOWL (LIVE)

Tuesday, Jan. 12:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 1)

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 19:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM OUR LITTLE GENIUS (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesdays, beginning April 13:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE (Time Period Premiere)

***************************

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Jan. 13:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 2)
9:00-10:00 PM OUR LITTLE GENIUS (Series Premiere)


Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (Series Premiere)

***************************

THURSDAY
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 14 (no change to lineup):
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE (All-New Episodes)

Thursday, Feb. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE (Winter Finale)

Thursday, Feb. 11:
8:00-10:00 PM PAST LIFE (Two-Hour Series Premiere)

Thursdays, beginning Feb. 18:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM PAST LIFE (Time Period Premiere)

Thursdays, beginning April 1:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE (Time Period Premiere)

***************************

FRIDAY
Friday, Jan. 1:
8:00 PM-CC ET ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL (LIVE)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 8:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE (All-New Episodes)

Friday, Jan. 22:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Encore Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE (Series Finale)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 29:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Season Premiere)

**************************

SATURDAY
Saturdays (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW
Midnight-12:30 AM SIT DOWN, SHUT UP

***************************

SUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 10:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (450th Milestone Episode)
8:30-9:30 PM THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: IN 3-D! ON ICE!
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW

Sunday, Jan. 17:
4:00 PM-CC ET NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF (LIVE)
8:00-9:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (Series Preview)
9:00-11:00 PM 24 (2-Night / 4-Hour Season Premiere, Part 1)

Sunday, Jan. 24:
6:00 PM-CC ET NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (LIVE)

Sundays, beginning Jan. 31 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD (All-New Episodes)

Sunday, March 14:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM SONS OF TUCSON (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Time Period Premiere)

[EDITOR’S NOTE 1: LIE TO ME will return to the schedule in the late spring, and ‘TIL DEATH will return to the schedule at a later date.]

[EDITOR’S NOTE 2: THE CLEVELAND SHOW takes over the timeslot previously held by AMERICAN DAD, which will return to the schedule at a later date.]

[EDITOR’S NOTE 3: THE SIMPSONS milestone 450th episode and THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: IN 3-D! ON ICE! special, which were previously announced to air Thursday, Jan. 14, are now scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 10.]

Channel Surfing: Alyssa Milano Moves into "Castle", Kevin Murphy Bumped to Showrunner on "Caprica," Wilde Talks "House," "Fringe" Sneak Peek, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Alyssa Milano has been cast as a guest star on ABC's Castle, where she will play a former love interest of Nathan Fillion's Richard Castle with whom he reconnects on her wedding day. "Castle reconnects with Kyra (Milano) on her wedding day and sparks fly," writes Ausiello. "Beckett (Stana Katic) picks up on the obvious connection between the two of them, setting up a fun little love triangle." Milano's episode is slated to air in early 2010. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives) has been promoted to executive producer/showrunner of Syfy's Caprica, where he joins fellow executive producers Jane Espenson, Ron Moore, and David Eick. Murphy was originally hired as a co-executive producer on the Battlestar Galactica prequel series and will now serve as the day-to-day showrunner on the series. (Hollywood Reporter)

TVGuide.com's Gina DiNunno talks to House star Olivia Wilde about the medical drama's current season, which some shakeups at Princeton-Plainsboro. "This season, the writers have been all about taking risks," said Wilde. "It's Season 6, which means you really have license to try things. They're doing these unpredictable things, and one was having House bring back the old team. It was a result of House being in a mental institution and coming back, so I think if we went back to business as usual immediately, viewers would get frustrated. So I think it's cool they're shaking things up. And it's great because I got to take a little break!" (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a sneak peek at the first three minutes from this week's Observer-centric episode of FOX's Fringe. Meanwhile, FOX is pulling out of the stops for a viral campaign this week based around the Warner Bros. Television-produced series. In other words: keep your eyes peeled for Observers everywhere. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Variety)

NBC has given a pilot presentation order to an untitled comedy from writer/director/executive producer Larry Charles and executive producer McG, which studio Warner Bros. Television is calling a "prototype" for what the actual series would be. Project revolves around a group of small town sci-fi-obsessed fanboys who convene to shoot their own episode of a cancelled series. (Variety)

George Segal (Entourage, Just Shoot Me) has been cast in TV Land's multi-camera comedy pilot Retired at 35, where he will play the retired insurance executive father of a Manhattanite who moves to the Florida retirement community where his father lives. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC One has commissioned comedy Big Top, starring Amanda Holden (Wild At Heart), John Thomson (Cold Feet), Sophie Thompson (A Room With A View), Ruth Madoc (Little Britain), Bruce Mackinnon (The Catherine Tate Show), and Tony Robinson (Blackadder). Series, created by Daniel Peak, follows the performers and managers of a traveling circus. (BBC)

Adult Swim fans will be able to create their own DVDs via an online initiative at AdultSwimShop.com, where fans can select 110 minutes of episodic television as well as the disc's menu and artwork and be shipped the created-on-demand disc for just $20. The Custom DVD scheme launches with 100 episodes of such series as Robot Chicken, Lucy, Daughter of the Devil, and others. (Hollywood Reporter)

Hasbro Studios has landed its first project as is developing a My Little Pony series for the nascent joint venture cable channel launched by Hasbro and Discovery. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tyler Perry's comedy series Meet the Browns, which airs on TBS, has already cleared 70 percent of the country for a September syndicated launch following a similar pattern established by House of Payne. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Jennifer Morrison Leaves "House," "Criminal Intent" to Phase Out D'Onofrio, Erbe, Bogosian, Mazzara to Oversee "Hawthorne," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Jennifer Morrison will depart FOX series House this season, with her final episode airing in November. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who broke the story, Morrison did not quit but her departure was "a creative decision on the part of [the series'] producers." Ausiello is quick to point out that Morrison's character, Dr. Allison Cameron, won't be killed off and producers are leaving the door open for her to guest star later on in the season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looking for just how House's producers will write Cameron out of the series? E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos and Jennifer Godwin have the scoop as sources close to the production indicate a major medical standoff between Cameron and Chase (Jesse Spencer), with House (Hugh Laurie) getting involved in the discussion as well. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Hollywood Reporter's Roger Friedman is reporting that Law & Order: Criminal Intent will be phasing out leads Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian this season, with the focus shifting onto Jeff Goldblum and the recently cast Saffron Burrows. "Details about D’Onofrio, Erbe and Bogosian’s exit are still unclear as the actors’ deals are being worked out," writes Friedman. "The network only recently renewed the Wolf Films/Universal Cable Prods. series for a ninth season, slated to premiere in late spring with a two-parter." (Hollywood Reporter's Showbiz 411)

Glen Mazzara (Crash) has been named showrunner on the second season of TNT's medical drama Hawthorne, which stars Jada Pinkett Smith. Mazzara replaces the series' creator John Masius, who served as the showrunner on the series' first season; he'll remain with the series as an executive producer. According to the Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, the decision was "initiated by Masius, who wants to focus on writing, the part of making a TV show that he enjoys the most and that has earned him nine Emmy nominations and two wins. He will continue to be involved in the oversight of the series with Mazzara." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has given a pilot order to "high-concept police procedural" Hopscotch, from writer/executive producer Chris Levinson (Law & Order), executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman, and Warner Bros. Television. No other details were immediately available about the project, which was the focus of a bidding war between several networks. (Variety)

Elsewhere at the network, ABC has given a script order to single-camera comedy Friends With Benefits, from writer/executive producers Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber (500 Days of Summer) and director David Dobkins (Wedding Crashers). Project, from Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox Television, revolves around a group of twenty-somethings looking for sex and relationships. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered a script for half-hour comedy Slacker Sons, from Sony Pictures Television, writer Mike Sikowitz, directors/executive producers Anthony and Joe Russo, and executive producers Bryan and Sean Furst. Project follows two hapless brothers who inadvertently create a hugely successful energy drink and save their family home and bail out their divorced father when he's let go from his job. (Variety)

Missed the new ABC promo for V, launching Tuesday, November 3rd, that aired last night during the series premiere of FlashForward? No worries as Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files has an embedded version of the promo. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

RDF USA has pre-sold animated UK comedy pilot Sky Jockeys, about the staffers at an airport, to FOX. The project is party of a three-script development deal between RDF USA and UK digital channel Dave, under which the shingle will develop three half-hour scripts for the channel with at least one of them getting a greenlight for late 2010. Sky Jockeys will be written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto. (Variety)

AMC has concluded a deal with former Brillstein-Grey Entertainment executive Susie Fitzgerald to join the network as SVP of scripted development and current programming. In that position, Fitzgerald will oversee original scripted development as well as day-to-day operations for the network's current series, reporting to Joel Stillerman. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: NBC to Stream "Chuck" Episodes Online, Desmond Harrington to Get More "Gossip," Andrew Connelly Powers Up for "Heroes," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that NBC will today begin streaming already aired episodes of Chuck on its website. For now, the installments include the original pilot episode and the entire second season of Chuck, which is being released in batches of five episodes at a time. Chuck is currently slated to return to the airwaves in March. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams is reporting that Desmond Harrington (Dexter) will reprise his role as Jack Bass on the CW's Gossip Girl later this season. "I will be back this year," Harrington told Abrams. "I think it's episode 15 or 16 where I show back up. It's fun playing Uncle Jack... I think, if anything, I am there to screw that kid's life up basically," Harrington says. "I think he might be, out of all the most evil characters the show has ever had on it, the most evil character. He's evil." (TVGuide.com)

Andrew Connolly (Lost) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Heroes this fall. He'll play the older brother to Robert Knepper's Samuel Sullivan, "the charismatic but evil Earth-moving ringleader of a traveling carnival who recruits people with special powers for a mysterious purpose." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ugly Betty will shoot an upcoming episode on location at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas next month. "I’m told most of the cast will be making the trek for the special episode, which will air in November and revolve around a big Mode photo shoot," writes Ausiello. He also quotes an unnamed Ugly Betty insider who reveals, "Location shoots can make or break you as an editor, so it’s a big deal for Betty... there’s also some drama with a certain love triangle." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Variety's Michael Schneider investigates the surge in animated development at the networks, with several animated projects--from FX's Archer to Nick at Nite, TBS, HBO, and Comedy Central--planned for the next few studios. "It's the engine that allows us to have all sorts of ancillary revenues of distribution -- syndication, home entertainment, licensing and merchandising," 20th Century Fox Television chairman Gary Newman told Schneider. (Variety)

The third season of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures will air twice a week in the UK on BBC One. "We've been planning this for a very long time now," executive producer Russell T. Davies told Doctor Who Magazine. "The whole of Children's BBC is excited by this transmission pattern. It feels like the old days, when Doctor Who would transmit twice a week!" The spin-off series, which stars Elisabeth Sladen, aired its first season Stateside on Sci Fi; no plans have been announced yet for the second or third seasons. (Digital Spy)

TVGuide.com talks to House star Lisa Edelstein about what's coming up on the fifth season of the medical mystery series. Edelstein addressed the bait-and-switch love scene in the season finale. "The thing that I thought was good news about it is that there's only so far we can take it on the show before you change the dynamic, so the fact is, we kind of got a freebie in, because ultimately it can't really be that successful because that's not what House is about," she told TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams. "The more time you eke out of the opportunity to just explore two people who have no relationship skills, the more we can play around. I get to be a virgin another time." (TVGuide.com)

Broadcast has a fantastic interview with British comedian Katy Brand, whose eponymous sketch comedy series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show is set to launch in States on BBC America later this year. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Chuck" Duo Brief ABC Legal Dramedy, Fred Armisen Heads to "Parks and Rec," Showtime Gives Them "L" as Reality Series, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

ABC has emerged victorious from a fierce bidding war over an untitled legal dramedy from executive producers Josh Schwartz and Ali Adler (Chuck). The project, which received a put pilot commitment from the network, is about a female attorney in Los Angeles who "has observed enough misery in her divorce and family law practice to vow never to take the plunge into matrimony." Script will be written by Adler (Chuck), who will executive produce along with Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Sheldon Turner, and Jennifer Klein. (Variety)

Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen will reunite with Amy Poehler on NBC's Parks and Recreation this season. Armisen will guest star in an upcoming episode in which he'll play the counterpart to Leslie Knope (Poehler) in Pawnee's sister city. "Leslie arranges for [Armisen and his colleagues] to come for a visit, but they’re from a city in Venezuela," Parks executive producer Michael Schur told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "They’re very confused because in Venezuela the government is so powerful; their parks department travels with military escorts and motorcades and stuff. They have all the money in the world because of their oil and they [don't understand] why Pawnee’s parks department is so rinky-dink." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Showtime has ordered nine episodes of The Real L Word: Los Angeles from L Word creator Ilene Chaiken and Magical Elves' Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz that will follow the lives of six lesbians in Los Angeles. Project, which would seem to be Showtime's version of The Real Housewives franchise, is expected to launch next year. "Even though we concluded our sixth season of The L Word on Showtime this past March, I believe we are not nearly finished telling our L Word stories," Chaiken said. "Showtime has yet again come forward to continue with us this mission to entertain and enlighten and bring more L to the world." (Variety)

FOX has given a pilot commitment plus penalty to drama spec script Worthy from writer Davey Holmes (Damages, In Treatment). Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and executive producer Gavin Polone, revolves around an Arizona politician who finds himself involved in a hit-and-run accident and then is blackmailed by a local mob boss. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Michael Westen is returning to FOX's House this season as private investigator Lucas Douglas. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has given a pilot commitment to multi-camera ensemble comedy Open Books, about an "overinvolved" female book editor and her friends, family, and clients, from writer/executive producer Gail Lerner (Will & Grace) and Warner Bros. Television. (Hollywood Reporter)

Recasting alert! Nicole Ari Parker (Imagine That) will replace Sherri Saum in ABC's midseason legal dramedy The Deep End, where she will play Susan, a crack partner at a Los Angeles law firm where her husband (Billy Zane) is the new managing partner. Elsewhere, Michael Benjamin Washington (30 Rock) has replaced Amir Talai in NBC's midseason comedy series 100 Questions, where he will play the dating counselor to Sophie Winkleman's Charlotte. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV is said to be very close to handing out a pilot presentation order for a contemporary take on 1985 feature film Teen Wolf, about a teenager who discovers that he is a werewolf. The new project, which will be set in high school and combine horror, comedy, and romance, is written by Jeff Davis (Criminal Minds), who will executive produce with Marty Adelstein and Rene Echevarria. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lighthearted Entertainment has signed a programming partnership with Japan's Nippon TV Network, under which the two companies will co-develop and co-distribute new reality formats across all territories, with ownership of the material shared between the two. (Variety)

20th Century Fox Television has hired former ABC Studios executive Carolyn Cassidy as VP of comedy development for the studio, where she will develop comedy projects and scout for new talent. She will report to Jonathan Davis. (Variety)

Talk show host Paul O'Grady is rumored to be considering a jump to satcaster Sky1 following his rejection of a 50 percent budget cut for his Channel 4 chat show. (Broadcast)

Lifetime Movie Networks have acquired telepic Double Wedding, starring Tia and Tamera Mowry as twins who begin dating the same man. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Shawn Ryan Details What Might Have Been on "The Unit," FX Circles "Louie," "House" Romance Detour, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I'm still recovering from way too good of a time at last night's fantastic FOX party at Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, so luckily just a few headlines to get through today.

Shawn Ryan has told Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan what might have happened next season on military drama The Unit had the series continued on CBS. "[David] Mamet and I and our writers, we came up with a lot of great stuff," Ryan told Sullivan. "It was going to be a whole new show in the sense that we were going to be training some young people, Bob was going to be training some people for a whole new organization. Jonas was finally going to be seeing his run end. The final season was going to be, I figured the fifth season was going to be the last... It was going to be a long, sort of final mission for Jonas. He's not medically cleared, Mac has to go in and sort of change the medical records so that Jonas can keep on [going on missions]. We had a whole thing planned, it was going to be good." Alas... Ryan, meanwhile, is now the showrunner on FOX's Lie to Me and has a pilot, Terriers, in contention at FX. (Futon Critic)

Just a day after it was announced that Louis C.K. would recur on NBC's Parks and Recreation, FX revealed that they had secretly shot a half-hour comedy pilot (tentatively titled Louie) with the comedian. Format will be a mix of stand-up comedy and vignette-style sketches, with actors playing Louis' ex-wife, children, and friends. The cabler, which is looking to find a timeslot companion for comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, will make a decision about Louie and its other comedy pilot The League within the next ten days or so. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that House creator David Shore has indicated that next season will pull back on the House/Cuddy relationship. "We’re stepping back from it a little bit," said Shore. "We’re not ignoring it. We have to carry forward... It’s going to go someplace eventually. But the beginning of this season is primarily focused on House trying to find some semblance of sanity, and not completely succeeding." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

So You Think You Can Dance executive producer Nigel Lythgoe raised some eyebrows yesterday at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour when he said that he was in talks with Paula Abdul about coming on board So You Think You Can Dance next season as a judge. "There's no question," said Lythgoe, that he would be interested in bringing her to So You Think You Can Dance with FOX Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice's blessing; Lythgoe indicated that talks had already begun. "I don’t know anybody that’s had her experience of being a dancer, of being a choreographer and of being a judge," said Lythgoe. (Variety)

Rumors are swirling that The Streets singer Mike Skinner is set to appear on the fifth season of Doctor Who, which will launch next year with new lead Matt Smith replacing David Tennant as the Doctor. Skinner announced the news via his Twitter feed, saying "You wouldn't believe the week I've had. I can't talk about it but let's just say I got a part in Doctor Who," but then mysteriously deleted the message shortly thereafter. Hmmm... (Digital Spy)

Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero has signed a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios, under which he will establish a production company--Bernero Prods.--as well as remain on Criminal Minds as an executive producer/showrunner and develop new series projects for the studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has protested CBS' decision to start airing repeats of its newly acquired series Medium, insisting that the Peacock still has exclusive rights in primetime to the series until September and demanding that CBS pay them for the right to air the repeat installments. (Variety)

Cartoon Network has cast Kevin G. Schmidt (Princess Protection Program), Jordan Gavaris (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Italia Ricci (Greek) in their one-hour live-action drama pilot Unnatural History, about a teen (Schmidt) who has traveled the globe with his anthropologist parents and returns to the States where he attend a very strange high school. Project, from Warner Horizon, is written by Mike Werb. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered an untitled variety/comedy project from actor and dancer Robert Hoffman that will be a blend of hidden camera, dance, and comedy. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Christopher Gorham Embroiled in "Covert Affairs," Franka Potente Moves into "House," NBC to Revive "Rockford Files," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Christopher Gorham (Harper's Island) will star opposite Piper Perabo in USA's spy thriller pilot Covert Affairs. Gorham's attachment would seemingly lift the casting contingency on the project, which follows Annie Walker, a polyglot CIA trainee (Perabo) whose relationship with an enigmatic ex-boyfriend makes her of interest to the agency. Gorham will play Auggie Anderson, a blinded CIA military intelligence operative who helps Walker. (Hollywood Reporter)

Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity) will guest star in the season premiere of House this fall, where she will play a mystery character that Gregory House encounters in the mental hospital. What's unclear is whether Potente will be playing a doctor, a patient, or a figment of House's imagination. Hmmmm.... (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

House creator David Shore has come on board to oversee a remake of private eye drama The Rockford Files with NBC, Universal Media Studios, and Steve Carell's Carousel Television. "It's one of the shows that made me want to become a writer," said Shore. "I had no interest in adapting any old stuff, but this was the one exception." Like the original, the update will likely focus on an LA private investigator who is trying to make a living solving cases. NBC apparently wanted to fast-track this for mid-season but Angela Bromstad now tells Variety's Cynthia Littleton that they will "take our time and get it right." (Variety)

Marti Noxon and Dawn Parouse Olmstead's Grady Twin Prods. have set up several projects in development around town. Diane Keaton is now attached to the duo's untitled comedy project at HBO about a feminist icon who starts a porn magazine for women. Noxon will write the pilot script. Elsewhere, the duo have teamed up with Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan on an adaptation of their horror novel series The Strain, which they plan to shop to networks as a three-season arc. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that FOX is "toying with the idea of staging a crossover next season that would find [Bones'] Booth and Brennan working on a case with Tim Roth’s Lie to Me doc Lightman," citing an unnamed insider who warns Ausiello that plans are still in the early stages and "may not even happen." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Donal Logue (Life) has been cast as the lead in FX's gumshoe drama pilot Terriers, from Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Ted Griffin (Ocean's Eleven). Logue will play ex-cop Hank, who teams up with his best friend to start a private investigation firm where the "duo, both with maturity issues, solve crimes while trying to avoid danger and responsibility.... Hank is an affable, talkative fellow who's not always the best liar but is adept at adopting different personas to find out information. He is alarmed by what he perceives as signs of his encroaching senility." Project hails from fox21. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has renewed unscripted series Cake Boss, which follows the staff of a family-run bakery in New Jersey, for a second season. (Variety)

Mike Soccio (The King of Queens) will write and executive produce an untitled single-camera comedy about a modern interracial couple in LA. Project will be executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, and Darice Rollins. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cabler G4 has ordered a spin-off of its imported series Ninja Warrior, entitled American Ninja Warrior, which will be executive produced by Craig Piligian and is set to launch this fall. Series, according to Broadcasting & Cable's Alex Weprin, "will chronicle the search to find10 American competitors to send to Japan and tackle the original series' obstacle course. The challenger who completes all four stages the fastest will be crowned the American Ninja Warrior." (Broadcasting & Cable)

Across the Pond, BSkyB has announced that it will be the first European broadcaster to offer 3D television when it launches the UK's first strictly 3D channel in 2010. Customers will need a 3D ready television set in order to watch the channel, which will offer a mix of movies, entertainment, and sporting events. (Broadcast)

UK satellite network Sky1 has ordered eight episodes of Just Dance, an X-Factor style dancing competition series that will replace outbound unscripted series Don't Forget the Lyrics. Series, from Shine and Princess Prods., will launch in January 2010. (Broadcast)

TruTV has ordered a second season of reality series Black Gold, which follows Texan oil rig crews. Season Two is said to include "Rooster" McConaughey, the brother of actor Matthew McConaughey. (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy has hired Andrew Plotkin as SVP of original programming. Plotkin, who was a former Warner Bros. Television executive, will be based in Los Angeles and will report to Mark Stern and will work alongside SVP Erik Storey. Plotkin replaces Tony Optican, who now runs FremantleMedia North America's scripted division. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lin-Manuel Miranda Checks into "House," Zoe Green Mines "Diamond" for Sci Fi, "Heroes" Nabs Two More Actors, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Tony Award-winning actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) will appear in at least two episodes of FOX's House next season, where he will play the roommate of Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) at the psychiatric facility where House is currently living. Miranda's first appearance is slated for House's sixth season premiere, which kicks off this fall. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Zoe Green (Book of Shadows) has been hired to write the script for mini-series The Diamond Age, an adaptation of Neal Stephenson's 1995 novel "The Diamond Age: Or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer," for Sci Fi and executive producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Mini-series tells the story about a father and daughter who live in a futuristic society that stifles all creativity; the man creates an interactive book for his daughter, who uses it "as a guide through a surreal alternative world." (Variety)

NBC's Heroes has landed two additional actors, with Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace's Ray Park to join the cast of the drama series in a multiple-episode story arc playing one of the characters at the four season's carnival. Additionally, Deanne Bray (The L Word) will play a hearing-impaired love interest for one of the main characters. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has ordered a pilot for marriage-themed reality series I Married A Stranger from production company A. Smith a Co. Each week, a marriage-minded woman in her late 30s has her friends and family wheedle down five prospective grooms until one is left; as each man is eliminated, the bride-to-be gets a look at who she won't be marrying... and will finally get to meet her betrothed, right before the on-air wedding ceremony. Project will be executive produced by Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, and Scott Jeffress. (Variety)

BBC America has acquired rights to long-running UK talkshow Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, which it will launch on June 12th at 8 pm ET/PT. The digital cabler plans to pick up airing the series with the 18th episode of the current season, which features actors Dustin Hoffman and Hugh Laurie and British band Gossip. Future installments will feature such luminaries as Ben Stiller, Eminem, Hugh Jackman, William Shatner, Glenn Close, and Lionel Richie. “The wit and wry humor of Jonathan Ross is the perfect addition to the BBC America schedule," said Richard De Croce, SVP Programming for BBC America. "His interviews with A list guests – from Tom Hanks to John Travolta to Nicole Kidman – are always candid and frequently unpredictable. Best of all he fosters an atmosphere which allows guests to relax, open up and allow the viewers in.” (via press release)

The Television Critics Association announced the nominees for its annual TCA Awards, with such The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Mad Men, and Saturday Night Live vying for program of the year while Fringe, The Mentalist, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and United States of Tara are competing for best new program; comedies 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, The Daily Show, How I Met Your Mother, and The Office are in the running for outstanding achievement in comedy while Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights, Lost, Mad Men, and The Shield are competing for outstanding achievement in drama. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E's Abbe Raven will oversee the new joint venture that is being formed between Disney, Hearst Corporation, and NBC Universal which will act as an umbrella for their cable channels Lifetime, A&E, and History. New company will encompass 10 channels in 145 countries and 15 websites. Lifetime's Andrea Wong will now report to Raven, according to reports, while other management restructuring has yet to be decided. (Variety)

ABC has opted to shift the second season premiere of I Survived a Japanese Game Show up by several weeks, from July 8th to Wednesday, June 17th at 9 pm ET/PT, while the network will shift comedies Surviving Suburbia and The Goode Family to Friday nights beginning June 12th. (Futon Critic)

BET has picked up talk show The Wendy Williams Show, which it will launch on July 13th in syndication and on BET, which will be running the series day-and-date with the syndicated telecasts. (Variety)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a new two-year overall deal with writer/producer team Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, who created 'Til Death. Under terms of the deal, they will develop new projects for the studio while receiving executive producer credits on the FOX series they created. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former NBC executive Jamila Hunter has landed a position as head of programming at OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. She will replace Robin Schwartz, who left the channel earlier this year. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Death Becomes Them: The Role of Character Deaths in Television

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Channel Surfing: Penikett and Vandervoort Discover "Riverworld," Tennant and Davies Discuss Leaving "Doctor Who," Kal Penn Talks "House," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Dollhouse star Tahmoh Penikett and Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) have been cast in Sci Fi's four-hour mini-seres Riverworld, from RHI Entertainment, which will function as a backdoor pilot of sorts for a possible series order (much in the way that the original Battlestar Galactica mini-series did). Also cast in the mini-series, based on a seires of novels by Phillip Jose Farmer: Alan Cumming, Jeanne Goossen, and Mark Deklin. Penikett will play Matt Ellman, a war correspondent who, along with his fiancee (Vandervoort) is killed, but they both awaken in a strange world inhabited by everyone who has ever lived on Earth. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives) will star as the titular character in the four-hour mini-series The Phantom, also from RHI Entertainment. Also cast: Isabella Rossellini, Cameron Goodman, and Sandrine Holt. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Tennant and executive producer Russell T. Davies discuss why they're leaving Doctor Who, what to expect with the upcoming Easter special "Planet of the Dead," and why Davies won't be writing a Star Wars series anytime soon. "People are going to be Doctor Who-deprived this year," said Davies of the Easter special, "so it’s got everything in it: CGI monsters, prosthetic monsters, army, police, an alien planet . . . It’s our last chance to have a bit of a laugh. Now the Doctor’s facing the end of his life, it’s going to get dark." (The Times of London)

SPOILER ALERT: Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks with House star Kal Penn about why he's leaving the FOX series for good and learns that Penn, whose character Kutner killed himself on last night's episode, has accepted a position within the Obama administration, where he will serve in the White House office of public liaison. "I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else," said Penn. "The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There's not a smarter group of people that I've been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie." Ausiello also talks to David Shore and Katie Jacobs about their decision to have Kutner kill himself and the story behind Penn's departure from the series. "The suicide was essential to [the story]," said Shore. "The lack of reason behind it -- the lack of answers -- was what I responded to and is what I got excited about. House, the man of answers, doesn't have an answer about this guy who he has worked with for two years." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CCH Pounder (The Shield) has been cast in FOX comedy pilot Brothers, opposite Michael Strahan and Darryl "Chill" Mitchell, where she will play the mother to the former NFL player and his wheelchair-bound brother. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Regen (The Black Donnellys) has been cast in Lifetime's untitled Sherri Shepherd comedy pilot, where she will replace Melissa Rauch, and Elizabeth Ho has been added to the cast of NBC comedy pilot 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne, where she will play one of Charlotte's best friends and her business partner. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez takes a look at the fact that of the 71 scripted pilots at the five networks, 33 are half-hour comedies and 19 are multi-camera. "The industry had been moving away from multi-cameras out of a sense that other formats offer more creative freedom," Jamie Erlicht, president of programming at Sony Pictures Television, told Fernandez. "But there's room for both and there's a real appetite in these economic times for the tried and true multi-camera format." NBC meanwhile has two multi-camera comedy pilots in contention for a series order. "We love that genre and we would have made more but we just didn't have as many strong multi-camera scripts as we did single-camera," said Angela Bromstad, NBC President of Primetime Entertainment. "When you look at what's working and what is standing in a very crowded environment, the multi-cameras on CBS are doing very well and prove that it's not a dying format." (Los Angeles Times)

The CW is launching two new reality series this summer: six-episode Hitched or Ditched (formerly known as For Better or Worse), which focuses on long-term couples who are given an ultimatum to either get married or break up, and docusoap Blonde Charity Mafia, which was originally developed at Lifetime and follows four women in Washington D.C. who throw parties for the political elite. Hitched or Ditched will launch on May 26th at 9 pm ET/PT, while Blonde Charity Mafia will start on Tuesday, July 7th. (Variety)

Speaking of which, The Washington Post's Lisa de Moraes discusses just how truthful of a "docusoap" Blonde Charity Mafia really is, pointing to the fact that the paper's Reliable Source column uncovered a shooting script for the series and that none of the series' four protagonists--described as Washington's "most influential 20-something Alpha Girls" who "run the D.C. social circuit from charity events to society parties"--are in fact on Washington Life's society list. (Washington Post)

FOX executive Jonathan Wax is leaving the network after a decade and will take a position as VP of drama development at 20th Century Fox Television, where he will report to studio drama SVP Patrick Moran. Wax, while at FOX, had a hand in developing such series as Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Bones, and Lie to Me. (Variety)

Sci Fi began production on Season Two of drama series Sanctuary, which is slated to air on the cabler this fall. Joining the cast of the series is Agam Darshi (The L Word) who will play Kate Freelancer, a grifter/thief who forms an "uneasy alliance" with Amanda Tapping's Dr. Helen Magnus after her working relationship with the Cabal turns sour. (via press release)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a two year overall deal with Alex Barnow and Marc Firek, writer/producers on FOX's 'Til Death. Under the terms of the deal, Barnow and Firek will leave the FOX comedy to work on another as-yet-unnamed Sony Pictures Television-produced series and have a blind script commitment from the studio. Their previous two-year deal expires in June. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Land has renewed reality series High School Reunion for a third season that will air in third quarter 2009. This season will follow the graduates of Las Vegas' Chaparral High School Class of 1989 as the reunite in Hawaii. (TV Week)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Gordon Ramsay to Cook Live for FOX, Michael Shannon in "Boardwalk Empire," Olivia Wilde, SAG Negotiations to Restart, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I hope everyone is recovering from some truly fantastic installments of ABC's Lost and FX's Damages last night.

FOX has announced that it will air at least one live special with enfant terrible chef Gordon Ramsay, in which he teaches viewers at home how to make a three-course meal alongside him. Network will likely air the special, based on Ramsay's UK series Cook Along and part of Ramsay's overall deal with the network, in late spring or early fall. "My frustration is that most cooking shows don't really cook," said Ramsay. "Their ingredients are prepped earlier, that's not cooking... it's nice to show the journey from live ingredient to (finished meal)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) has been cast as the lead in Terrence Winter and Martin Scorsese's HBO pilot Boardwalk Empire, where he will play Van Alden, a senior Treasury agent tasked with stamping out bootlegging in Prohibition era Atlantic City. Also cast: Vincent Piazza (The Sopranos), who will play a young Lucky Luciano. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered a pilot for one-hour dramedy Parenthood, based on the film of the same name, which will be adapted by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights). Katims will executive produce the Universal Media Studios project, along with Imagine's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Move marks the second time that Parenthood has been adapted for television; first was for a 12-episode series in the 1990s on which Joss Whedon was a staff writer. (Variety)

Billy Campbell (The 4400) will star in NBC dramedy Lost in the '80s, from Sony Pictures Television, about the suburban Mobley family as they deal with the ups and downs of life in the Reagan era. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ellen Barkin will star in an untitled comedy pilot for HBO about a woman who divorces her high-profile husband and returns to the dating scene, where she forms a "close, platonic bond with the 24-year-old son of her ex-husband." Script will be written by Shauna Cross (Whip It!) and the deal marks the first television series for Barkin. (Variety)

ABC has ordered a pilot for multi-camera comedy Threesome about a thirty-something guy in a state of arrested adolescence who finds himself caught between his needy best friend and his new girlfriend and her teenage kids. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be written/executive produced by Ricky Blitt (Family Guy). (Hollywood Reporter)

Olivia Wilde jokingly blames the backlash against her House character Thirteen on the fact that she had a gay sex scene earlier this season on the FOX drama. "I think it's because she had a gay sex scene [this season]," she joked to Michael Ausiello. "I've got to be honest with you, I think that's what it is." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SAG representatives will meet with the AMPTP next week in order to resume contract negotiations. Talks will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the AMPTP's headquarters in Sherman Oaks; neither side would comment about the meeting. (TV Week)

ABC is said to be in talks to pick up Media Rights Capital's 13-episode comedy series Surviving Suburbia, starring Bob Saget, Cynthia Stevenson, Jared Kusnitz, G Hannelius, Jere Burns, and Lorna Scott, which was to air on MRC's Sunday night CW block beginning in March before the CW ended its deal with MRC in November. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Lost" Clues, Barrowman Pens "Torchwood" Comic, Detmer Heads to "Private Practice," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm off in a bit to FOX's panel for the Television Critics Association, but here are a few headlines first.

Torchwood's John Barrowman will collaborate with artist Tommy Lee Edwards on an original comic strip entitled "Captain Jack and the Selkie," which will run in the fourteen issue of the bi-monthly Torchwood magazine. The strip will feature a story in which Jack faces" a deadly threat on a remote Scottish island, where people are disappearing one by one... To his horror, Jack starts to suspect he may know who – or perhaps more specifically what – is responsible." (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen offers some clues to understanding Season Five of Lost, which premieres Wednesday, January 21st, and recommends five previous episodes for essential viewing before the season premiere, including "There's No Place Like Home (Parts 2 & 3)," "Flashes Before Your Eyes," "The Constant," and "Cabin Fever." (Having seen the first two episodes myself, I have to agree.) FYI, you can catch that first recommendation tomorrow night on ABC. (Entertainment Weekly)

Following last week's pick ups for The Line and Time Heals, TNT has ordered ten episodes of drama Men of a Certain Age, which stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula as three 40-something friends who try to come to terms with middle-age. Project, from executive producers Romano, Mike Royce, Rory Rosegarten, and Cary Hoffman, will be produced by TNT Original Prods. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin dos Santos claims that two cast members will be leaving ABC's Ugly Betty at the end of the season, one of whom will be Ashley Jensen, who has asked to be released from her contract on the series. Jensen is not expected to be back as a series regular when Ugly Betty returns for a fourth season this fall. As for the second characters, allegedly it's a newer actor that only recently joined the series. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Amanda Detmer (What About Brian) will join the cast of ABC's Private Practice in a four-episode story arc slated to air in March. Detmer will play one of Addison's patients but their relationship shifts from professional to personal when they form a friendship. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other Grey's Anatomy-related news, Melissa George will leave the series; her final day of shooting on Shonda Rhimes' drama is today. According to the actress, who played the self-mutilating and sexually ambiguous Sadie this season, she is leaving the series on good terms in order to "do something else." However, Michael Ausiello has also learned that the desire for George to exit were mutual, despite her initial deal which had her appearing in 8-11 episodes with an option to become a series regular. "She was very difficult to root for," said one source. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says that the fate of his Golden Globe-winning drama series is "unknowable" due to prolonged contract renegotiations between him, studio Lionsgate Television, and cabler AMC. "I don't know anything about next season," Weiner told Kristin dos Santos, "I don't even know if it's happening." That doesn't sound promising, but AMC is optimistic that Weiner will return for Season Three and it will launch said season this summer. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide talks to Scrubs star Donald Faison about the series' move from NBC to ABC, working with Glynn Turman and Courteney Cox, and playing Turk. (TV Guide)

Michael Ausiello talks with House executive producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore about the Thirteen controversy, Chase and Cameron, and House and Cuddy's relationship. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SAG national executive director Doug Allen is on the way out as the guild's chief negotiator, a move which seems to decrease the likelihood of a SAG strike. (Hollywood Reporter)

Animal Planet announced three new series for 2009: Animal Armageddon, River Monsters, and Beverly Hills Groomer. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Gossip Girl" Scores, Davies Names Possible Next "Doctor," DeKay Falls for "Old Christine," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I was absolutely riveted by last night's episode of Fringe (more on that in a bit) and not so riveted by another dull installment of 90210. Meh.

The CW's buzz-worthy Gossip Girl scored the highest numbers ever in the life of the series, drawing in 3.7 million viewers on Monday, an increase of nearly 500,000 from the week prior and 300,000 above Gossip Girl's second season premiere on September 1st. Those numbers are even more palatable for the netlet when you realize that it's a full one million viewers more than tuned in to the third episode of the first season. Not doing quite as well? FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which lost 800,000 viewers from last week's season premiere to sink to a low of 5.5 million, off 36 percent from its Season One average. Ouch. (Entertainment Weekly)

More talk from NBC chiefs about the quality work co-chairman Ben Silverman is doing (in between "[partying] into the night") as the network gears up to launch their new season on Monday. One choice quote: ""He is not bound by the old rules of doing business, and that scares a lot of people in Hollywood," said Jeff Zucker. That's putting it mildly. (Los Angeles Times)

HBO has cast Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling) in Jonathan Ames' drama pilot Bored to Death, opposite Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson; he'll play Ray, a struggling comic book artist who is the best friend of would-be hero Jonathan (Schwartzman), an alcoholic writer who tries to reinvent himself as a private detective. (Hollywood Reporter)

Russell T. Davies has praised British actor Russell Tovey (Gavin & Stacey, History Boys) and suggested that he would be a good replacement for David Tennant when he decides to leave Doctor Who. Tovey is himself no stranger to Doctor Who, having appeared as Midshipman Frame in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned." Davies also revealed that he tried to secure J.K. Rowling to guest star in a Christmas special but was vetoed by Tennant, who thought the casting idea "sounds like a spoof." (BBC News)

Worst. Title. Ever. FOX is said to be developing drama Georgia and the Seven Associates, a contemporary take on the Snow White fable from writers David Weissman and David Diamond (Old Dogs), director Ken Kwapis (The Office), and executive producers Chris Brancato and Bert Salke. Plot would follow Georgia Burnett, a young lawyer who finds herself exiled from a top law firm run by her evil step-mother and must team up with seven quirky lawyers (each of whom manifests a personality based on one of the fable's dwarves) at a storefront legal firm. Project is said to be described as "The Devil Wears Prada meets Taxi." I kid you not. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS' comedy Old Christine has locked Tim DeKay (Tell Me You Love Me, Carnivale) for a three-episode stint this season; he'll play a new love interest for Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The duo are no strangers: DeKay memorably played Elaine's boyfriend Kevin (a.k.a. "Bizarro Jerry") in two 1996 episodes ("The Bizarro Jerry" and "The Soul Mate") of Seinfeld. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Saturday Night Live attempts to be as "fair and evenhanded as possible" in their skewering of political figures and included Amy Poehler's portrayal of Hillary Rodham Clinton in order to not make their Sarah Palin sketch seem like an attack. (New York Times)

Lori Petty (Masters of Horror) will guest star in several episodes of House this season, playing a patient with Huntington's Disease. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TNT has renewed Saving Grace and Raising the Bar, ordering 15 episodes of both to air in 2009. (Televisionary)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: New Adventures of Old Christine/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); 90210 (CW); 20/20 (ABC); 'Til Death/Do Not Disturb (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Primetime (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("You're Beautiful, Now Change"), the girls get their makeovers and go to Malibu for a swimsuit photo shoot with model/designer Susan Holmes.

9 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

Season Five (the final season on Bravo) of Project Runway continues tonight. On tonight's episode ("Transformation"), the designers work with college-aged women who are about to enter the workforce and are tasked with creating sophisticated looks for their clients; Cynthia Rowley drops by as this week's guest judge, and Kenley creates yet-another 1950s-influenced dress.

Channel Surfing: Starbuck is "Lost and Found," Paul McGann NOT headed to "Doctor Who," Hugh Laurie, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

In her first television role since the end of Battlestar Galactica (hitting small screens in 2009), Katee Sackhoff has signed on to star in drama pilot Lost and Found for Dick Wolf at NBC. Project, from writer/executive producer Chris Levinson, revolves around NYPD detective Tessa Cooper (Sackhoff) who is forced to solve John and Jane Doe cases after she finds herself rubbing her bosses the wrong way. Sackhoff's attachment lifts the cast contingency on the project, which was ordered to pilot last month. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has signed a new deal with Gordon Ramsay that will keep the chef at the network for several more years and includes an agreement to produce two more editions of Hell's Kitchen, another season of Kitchen Nightmares, and a third series (likely based on Ramsay's Channel 4 series Man Camp, about a boot camp for men worried by how feminine they're becoming) and a special in which at-home viewers will be able to cook alongside Ramsay. (Futon Critic)

Hugh Laurie has become one of the highest paid actors on television, signing a new deal with Universal Media Studios to continue starring on FOX's House through the 2011-12 season, in a deal said to be worth more than $9 million a year (or $400,000/episode). (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has ordered a pilot script for an untitled drama series about a Florida golf pro who is forced to enter the witness protection program from writers/sports columnists Carl Hiaasen and Mike Lupica. (Variety)

BBC has denied tabloid reports that Paul McGann, who played the Doctor in a 1996 made-for-TV movie and a series of audio adventures, had been cast in one of the four upcoming Doctor Who specials expected for 2009. The Beeb has categorically denied the story, which ran in The Sun: "There is no truth to the story at all," said a spokeswoman. (Digital Spy)

Wondering how Jason O'Mara felt, being the only cast member to stick around after ABC axed the original pilot for Life on Mars? Find out in this interview. (Los Angeles Times)

BermanBraun has hired Gene Stein as its head of nonscripted programming while Matt Hanna, who had been overseeing the development slate, will focus on overseeing the series that the production company produces through its deal with Thom Beers' Original Prods. (Variety)

In other executive shuffle news, Maria Grasso has left Lifetime and to join cabler OWN:The Oprah Winfrey Network in a top development role, reporting to Robin Schwartz. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); Friday Night SmackDown! (CW; 8-10 pm); 2008 ALMA Awards (ABC; 8-10 pm); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); Dateline (NBC; 9-11 pm); Don't Forget the Lyrics (FOX)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

Um, I think I'll just go out instead...