Top TV Picks of 2009

As 2009 begins to wind down, I figured now was the perfect time as any to look back at the series that that have entertained and inspired me over the past calendar year.

And what a year it was for the television industry, which was (and is) still recovering from the writers strike of 2007/08. This past year also saw NBC box up the 10 pm hour for scripted programming, a move that hasn't had quite the effect that the network hoped (I do feel for poor scapegoat Jay Leno), while sending viewers scurrying over to cable, which continued to make huge inroads this year.

It was also a year that saw comedy make a huge comeback, from the success of FOX's musical-comedy hybrid Glee to the season's biggest critical hit, ABC's Modern Family and the surprising resilience of NBC's Parks and Recreation (hands down the winner of the Most Improved Series award). And a year that saw much beloved series Chuck teeter dangerously towards cancellation, only to receive an eleventh hour reprieve, thanks to fans, critics, and Subway.

So, what were the favorite series in the Televisionary household? Which left me wanting more... and which ones made me eager to change the channel? Find out below.

Best US Dramas:

Big Love (HBO)

The third season of HBO's compelling and addictive drama Big Love provided perhaps the single greatest season of any series this year. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, Big Love's third season upped the ante by having the family diversify into the casino business and a fourth wife, take a brutal road trip, and deal with barbarians pounding at the gates. Transforming itself into the grand Shakespearean epic we always knew it to be, the series went to some very dark places, revealing the tragic backstories of both Chloe Sevigny's Nicki and the long-dead Maggie Henrickson, killing off Mireille Enos' beloved Kathy Marquart, and having Jeanne Tripplehorn's Barb get ex-communicated from the Mormon church. Throw in the unexpected pregnancy of rebellious daughter Sarah (Amanda Seyfried), multiple murder attempts, the formation of a new church by Bill (Bill Paxton), a newly independent Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), and a possible end to the Grant legacy in Juniper Creek and you have the makings of a groundbreaking drama. One that effortlessly fuses together soapy intrigue, social commentary, and family dynamics into one unforgettable and unique series that explores the Henrickson clan's unusual familial set-up and renders it not only normal but riveting. I tip my hat to you, Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer.

Mad Men (AMC)

Mad Men's gutting third season, which saw the collapse of the marriage between Don (Jon Hamm) and Betty (January Jones) and the destruction of ad agency Sterling Cooper, proved that there are no sacred cows in the universe of the 1960s period drama, created by Matthew Weiner. Following a season filled with change, presidential assassinations, fear and paranoia, Weiner exploded our expectations of serialized television by upending the twin foundations of the series, giving Don Draper a new beginning and pushing Mad Men's characters towards a new and uncertain future. With its emphasis on the unspoken subtext and the simmering desires lurking beneath the slickly styled facades of its men and women, Mad Men held onto its rightfully earned status as adult storyteller, relishing in exploring the complex emotions and bruised egos of life in the 1960s.

True Blood (HBO)

In its second season, HBO's vampire drama True Blood went from being a guilty pleasure to a series that balanced the outright campy with the truly transcendent. By pushing supporting players such as Alexander Skarsgard's Eric, Rutina Wesley's Tara, Sam Trammel's Sam, Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette, Deborah Ann Woll's Jessica, and Allan Hyde's Godric to the foreground, creator Alan Ball and the series' writers deepened the universe of Bon Temps and gave True Blood some of its most heartbreaking and compelling moments with the suicide of Eric's maker Godric and the doomed relationship between Woll's Jessica and Jim Parrack's Hoyt. There are few series that are as gleefully unpredictable than True Blood, a series that rewrites the rules about storytelling while spinning a bloody good yarn.

Lost (ABC)

The penultimate season of ABC's enigma-laden masterpiece Lost found the castaways split into two groups: one spinning through time before landing in the 1970s and joining up with the series' ubiquitous Dharma Initiative and the other, having escaped, attempting to return to the island. Deepening its mysteries and paying off several long-standing mysteries, Season Five filled in the backstory of the Dharma Initiative while serving up some paradoxical stories about the nature of time travel and free will and introducing two very intriguing diametrically opposed entities locked in an eternal battle. Characters died, sacrifices were made, and the chess pieces shifted around into new arrangements as showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse prepare for one final game.

Honorable Mentions: Battlestar Galactica (Syfy), Damages (FX), Fringe (FOX), No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (HBO)

Best US Comedies (Half-Hour Format):

Parks and Recreation (NBC)

In its sophomore season, NBC's Parks and Recreation has done the impossible: transformed itself into arguably the most hysterical comedy series on television right now. Stepping out of The Office's shadow, Parks and Recreation has found its footing as a deeply layered, character-driven comedy about small town bureaucracy and changed Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope from being a bumbling female Michael Scott replacement into a preternaturally optimistic do-gooder whose main flaw is that she cares too much. Brilliant, hilarious, and biting, Parks and Recreation might just be the best comedy you're not watching.

Modern Family (ABC)

With its pitch-perfect pilot episode, ABC's Modern Family single-handedly announced the return of the intelligent family comedy with its winning blend of realistically flawed characters, mockumentary format, and whip-smart writing. Not to mention the perfectly cast ensemble of actors who embody the series' extended Pritchett-Dunphy clan. Rarely is a series this self-assured straight out of the gate but subsequent episodes have proven just as strong as the series' initial outing. By using relatable situations and universal truths about families, creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd render the engaging characters of Modern Family in three dimensions, crafting a family that many of us want to spend the entire week with and not just Wednesday nights.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

FX's raunchy and raucous comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia continued its winning mix of gross-out humor, jaw-droppingly selfish behavior, and absurdly comic misadventures and I couldn't look away. By playing fast and loose with the format and allowing the owners of Paddy's Pub to remain so completely unlikable, the series remains a hallmark for finding comedy in the most unlikely of places. Who knew that running a bar in Philadelphia could prove to be quite so dangerous... or madness-inducing?

Party Down (Starz)

Likewise, Starz comedy Party Down rendered the mundane quality of the life of a cater-waiter to comic effect, transforming the overqualified crew of Party Down into poster children for slackerdom and reveling in a scripted looseness that felt almost improvised. With fly-on-the-wall precision, Party Down nailed the frustrations of twenty- and thirty-somethings in the name tag-wearing workplace and mixed up a batch of comedy and tragedy in equal measure.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime)

With grit and heart, Showtime's acerbic dark comedy Nurse Jackie brings us a modern-day heroine unafraid of being unlikable and yet succeeding at her job in spite of a drug addiction, extramarital affair, and various unethical and illegal behavior at in the workplace. If the bristly Jackie (the luminous Edie Falco) has a fault, it's that she cares too much for her patients and not enough for herself. If the bristly Jackie (the luminous Edie Falco) has a fault, it's that she cares too much for her patients and not enough for herself, killing herself slowly with drugs, cheating, and a host of lies. The show's biting wit and thought-provoking storylines--not to mention a fantastic cast in Falco, Merrit Wever, Eve Best, and Peter Facinelli, among others-- give us one of the most darkly compelling comedies on television, filled with burn victims, beating hearts, and one extraordinary nurse.

Honorable Mentions: Better Off Ted (ABC), Bored to Death (HBO), Community (NBC), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), Flight of the Conchords (HBO)

Best US Comedy (One-Hour Format):

Chuck (NBC)

As if there were any doubt that the fantastic and funny Chuck would make my list in some fashion. The action-comedy hybrid deepened in its second season, thanks to the winning chemistry of the series' talented leads (including Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster, Vik Sahay, Josh Gomez, Scott Krinsky, and Mark Christopher Lawrence), the perfect genre-smashing combination of action, adventure, romance, and workplace comedy, and a taut serialized element that had Chuck finding out the truth about his father and the Intersect, all while making the choice to fulfill his true potential... and his destiny. Building on the strengths of its too-short freshman outing, Season Two of Chuck charmed the pants off this writer (and kept me on the edge of my seat) and bucked the odds, winning Chuck a much deserved third season order.

Best Canceled Series:

The Unusuals (ABC)

While many series got the axe this year, the one that struck home the hardest was that for ABC's short-lived cop dramedy The Unusuals, from creator Noah Hawley. Revolving around a group of eccentric cops, The Unusuals found the detectives of the second precinct tackling some, er, unusual cases. The procedural mysteries were fun and offbeat and the chemistry between the series' sprawling ensemble cast top-notch. Though it only lasted less than a dozen episodes, each installment proved to be a little gem of witty banter, quirky mysteries, and off-kilter cops. It's much missed.

Best Reality Series:

Top Chef (Bravo)

Once again, the same three reality series pop up on my best of the year list and for good reason: they each proved that reality programming, when done right, can have the same stakes and drama as scripted television. No other series sates my culinary hunger like Bravo's formidable Top Chef, which had a season filled with some of the most talented chefs yet and a fiery sibling rivalry in Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. Compelling, hunger-inducing, and cutthroat, Top Chef takes our fascination with food to a whole new level, creating a series that rewards creativity and vision more than manipulation and controversy.

The Amazing Race (CBS)

Coming back with a strong season, CBS' The Amazing Race again sparked my interest once more and cast some intriguing, frustrating, and outright hostile couples--Mika and Canaan, anyone?--in the world's biggest scavenger hunt, sending them around the globe to compete in various challenges and put their relationships to the test. While some teams fell way too soon (sorry, Justin and Zev), the drama and the pacing, thanks to some quality editing, kept the tension going strong, all the way to the finish line.

Flipping Out (Bravo)

No reality series makes me laugh like Bravo's Flipping Out. Despite the plunging housing market and the economic recession, Jeff Lewis, Jenni, Zoila, and the gang were back for some more obsessive-compulsive misadventures in Los Angeles. Fear and paranoia reigned supreme this season, which offered not just some belly-aches but also some genuine emotion as Jeff accused his former business partner Ryan of cheating him out of work and considered adopting a child. It's a testament to the quirkiness of the series' leads that I want to go back to Jeff Lewis' office week after week. (Come on, Bravo, bring on Season Four ASAP!)

Best New Fall Series:

Modern Family (ABC)

Yes, I already mentioned it under Best Comedies but it warrants another mention here. ABC's Modern Family easily walks away with the award for my favorite new fall series. Boasting one of the most dynamic and talented ensemble casts, Modern Family serves up both humor and heart without delving into the melodramatic or the saccharine. No small feat, considering the series has changed my opinion on what's possible with the family comedy format, a creaky sub-genre until this breath of fresh air came along. The Pritchett clan is one family that I can't wait to catch up with each week and the subtle humor--ranging from Casablanca shout-outs to burgundy dinner jackets--is already a surefire hit in this household. Innocente!

Best British Imports:

Doctor Who (BBC America)

While only airing a handful of episodes (sorry, "specials") in 2009, Doctor Who remains at the top of my list of British imports, thanks to the fantastic performance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. While his song is sadly coming to an end, Tennant offered some fantastic turns in such specials as Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead and Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, the latter of which might just be one of the darkest and most compelling entries in the entire revival series. Quirky, compelling, and unpredictable, Doctor Who played to Tennant's strengths, allowing the Shakespearean actor to be charming, roguish, and insane in equal measure. David Tennant, you'll be missed.

The Mighty Boosh (Adult Swim)

Come with us now on a journey through time and space. The three seasons of critically-acclaimed BBC Three cult hit The Mighty Boosh (which aired Stateside on Adult Swim) are a dazzling blend of music, surreal comedy, and over the top fashion as Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding), would-be rock gods/zookeepers/sales clerks, explore the twisted backwaters of the human psyche through a series of bizarre misadventures. Joining them on this psychedelic road trip to dimensions as-yet-unseen are pot-addled shaman Naboo the Enigma (Michael Fielding) and his ape familiar Bollo (Dave Brown). It’s indescribably weird, absolutely hilarious, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before on television.

Ashes to Ashes (BBC America)

Spinning off of the trippy cop drama Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes took a different cop (Keely Hawes' Alex Drake), another David Bowie song ("Ashes to Ashes"), and another era (1980s) and created an slick and addictive drama series that's a dark exploration of the psyche of damaged forensic psychologist DI Alex Drake as she struggles to survive a gunshot wound and make her way back to the present day. Plus, the series' eerie suspense, a twisted Season Two plot involving freemasons and other potential travelers, and the trademark banter between Alex and the gruff Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), who waltzes away with some of the series' best lines, keeps the series cutting-edge and dynamic. As Alex solves some of period cases (and ones involving her own past), the clock is ticking down as the end of the series--and the franchise--looms next year. Just who is Gene Hunt? What is this world? And what has happened to Sam Tyler and Alex Drake? We'll be getting some answers in the third and final season of this fantastic sci-fi/cop/period/psychological drama in 2010. (Note: Season Two has yet to air in the States.)

Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC America)

Unfolding with the breakneck pacing of an epic miniseries, the third season of Torchwood, entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, offered an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride and set up a compelling, brutal, and gut-wrenching story of an alien invasion and the past sins of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). While the final installment buckled somewhat under the weight of the previous installments, the limited run proved to be unforgettable, offering some intense moral dilemmas, weighty adult themes, and tough choices for the employees of Torchwood.

Best British Import (Yet to Air in the States):

The Inbetweeners (BBC America)

The much-delayed comedy from creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley might just be the best thing that hasn't yet aired in the US. (Look for the first two seasons of this hilariously raucous comedy to launch January 25th on BBC America.) Almost operating as the anti-Skins, The Inbetweeners tells the story of four teenage friends who spend their time trying to obtain booze, get lucky with girls, and cut each other down to size. In other words: they're painfully average teenage boys. In the hands of Morris and Beesley, the quartet have some painfully hilarious sexual adventures that will have you laughing, gasping, and groaning... all at the same time.

Best British Imports (Reality Edition):

Gordon Ramsay's F Word (BBC America)

Take outspoken British chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, put him in the kitchen where he's putting some inexperienced brigades through their paces and send him out in search of all things tasty, odd, or curious or to teach people to cook at home and you have the truly fantastic F Word, a blend of culinary competition, food-oriented news magazine, celebrity interview, and all-around celebration of all things delicious. Ramsay's not shy of expressing his opinion but he's also at his most real here, as he transforms his family's back garden to rear pigs and sheep or teaching the hopeless how to prepare a tasty feast on their own.

Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America)

Words can't express my love for British reality series Last Restaurant Standing (which airs in the UK under the title The Restaurant), which challenges couples to run their own restaurants... and hands them keys to eating establishments where they'll man the front-of-house and the kitchen. Judges Raymond Blanc, Sarah Willingham, and David Moore put them through their paces with tough challenges but the real test is the daily service as the couples face the hard grind of the restaurant business and have to meet the judges' rigorous expectations of the food, service, decor, and atmosphere of their restaurants... and they must face the wrath of the culinary troika as well as the dining public. Compelling, shocking, and grueling, it's a treat to watch for foodies, who will count their blessings that they're not on the line for service that night.

And there we have it. A sampling of some of my favorites from 2009. As the year rapidly swings to a close, I'm curious to see what your favorite (and least favorite) series were, which shows you can't get enough of, and which ones you're happy to see the back of now. Discuss.

Channel Surfing: Boris Kodjoe Gets "Undercovers," "Big Love" Departure, Showtime Sees "Sunshine," Julie Benz Discusses "Dexter" Finale, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Another cast member has been secured for J.J. Abram's NBC espionage drama pilot Undercovers. Boris Kodjoe (Surrogates, Soul Food) has been cast as the male lead, Steven Bloom. Steven and his wife Samantha (as yet uncast) work together as spies. Abrams, who co-wrote the pilot script with Josh Reims, may still come aboard the project as the pilot's director. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has the scoop on the departure of one of the cast members from HBO's drama series Big Love, which returns with its fourth season on January 10th. [Editor: I am not even going to put the name of the actor here as the article is extremely spoilery (though has at least one piece of misinformation), so read at your own risk.] (TV Guide Magazine)

Showtime is developing a series adaptation of feature film Sunshine Cleaning, about a pair of sisters who work as crime scene cleaners. The pay cabler has hired the film's writer, Megan Holley, to adapt it as a drama series and is developing the project in-house. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has an interview with Dexter star Julie Benz, in which the duo discuss the shocking events of this past week's Dexter season finale. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX has bumped up the return of House, originally set for January 25th, to January 11th, in order to compete with the second half of NBC's Chuck third season premiere, according to Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego. House will then break for a week to accommodate the second part of 24's Day Eight launch before returning with new episodes on January 25th. (Broadcasting & Cable)

James Nesbitt (Occupation), Minnie Driver (The Riches), and Goran Visnjic (ER) have been cast in five-part thriller The Deep, which will air on BBC One in 2010. Project, written by Simon Donald and directed by Jim O'Hanlon and Colm McCarthy, "the crew of an oceanographic submarine as they search the final frontiers of Earth for unknown and remarkable life forms" beneath the Arctic ice. (BBC)

Lifetime is developing an untitled legal drama about a "team of victim witness advocates" from Sony Pictures Television, Apostle, and writer Pam Wechsler (Canterbury's Law), who will executive produce alongside Jim Serpico and Denis Leary. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered a third season of reality series Toddlers and Tiaras, which it will launch on January 20th. (Futon Critic)

Cartoon Network has a live-action comedy project in development from writers Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward. The untitled action-comedy, which is being developed as a two-hour backdoor pilot, revolves around a teenager who "gets more than he bargained for when his family sponsors a Japanese exchange student on a secret mission far greater than just surviving high school." (Hollywood Reporter)

A. Smith and Co. cable spinoff A. Smith and Co. Properties has a number of projects in the works, including Travel Channel's The Streets of America: The Search for America's Worst Driver and Discovery's Ultimate Car Build Off, as well as current properties such as Spike's UFC Countdown, TV One's Unsung, and TruTV's Full Throttle and Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

HFPA Announces 2010 Golden Globes Nominations: "Glee," "Big Love," "Damages," "Dexter," "Mad Men," "30 Rock" Get Love

Another December, another batch of Golden Globe nominations. I got up very early on this very brisk Los Angeles morning to watch the nominations live as they were announced on-air by John Krasinski, Diane Kruger, and Justin Timberlake. (The latter of whom stole the show a little bit with his comment to Krasinski, "Someone's gonna have a good night tonight," after Emily Blunt earned a nomination for her role in The Young Victoria.)

But onto the nominations themselves. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association this morning announced its nominees for the 2010 Golden Globes, which will be handed out at a live telecast on NBC on January 17th.

Glee was the clear favorite this year, walking away with four nominations this morning, followed closely by 30 Rock, Big Love, Damages, Mad Men, and Dexter, each of which garnered three nominations in their respective categories, along with telepics Georgia O'Keeffe and Grey Gardens.

I'm thrilled, first off, that so many fantastic dramas got selected by the HFPA for recognition. While Lost was missing from the big picture (though Michael Emerson landed a supporting actor nod), Big Love earned a spot in the Best Television Series - Drama category and nominations for series leads Bill Paxton and Chloe Sevigny. Given that the third season of the HBO drama series was so phenomenal and so absolutely perfect, I wish that more of the cast had been recognized for what was the series' very best to date. Still, I'm beyond thrilled that both Paxton and Sevigny (who had an amazing season) were singled out for praise. (If you can't tell, I think that Big Love doesn't get nearly as many kudos as it should.)

Big Love has some tough competition in the category, however, going up against HBO's True Blood, Showtime's Dexter, AMC's Mad Men, and FOX's House. (Still, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that it pulls off a win.)

More thoughts on the nominations below, along with the full list of television nominees.

The acting awards in the drama category look particularly fierce with Glenn Close, January Jones, Julianna Margulies, Anna Paquin, and Kyra Sedgwick landing nominations for their lead roles. I'm glad to see that Jones in particular landed a nom for her performance this season on Mad Men and, while each of these ladies are extremely talented, I'm again irked that neither Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks landed a nomination. I was happy to see that Jon Hamm did received a nomination for his work on Mad Men; he's up against Simon Baker, Michael C. Hall, Hugh Laurie, and the aforementioned Bill Paxton.

On the comedy side, beyond excited that ABC's Modern Family got a nomination for its first season (which launched earlier this fall). I fully expected them to select the mockumentary comedy. Likewise, the inclusion of stalwarts 30 Rock, The Office, and Entourage didn't come as a surprise. While I love 30 Rock, I'm going to be rooting wholeheartedly for Modern Family to take the prize next month.

The Hollywood Foreign Press poured some love on Glee, nominating it not just for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical but also for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical (Matthew Morrison), Best Actress - Comedy or Musical (Lea Michele), and Best Supporting Actress (Jane Lynch). Michele will go up against Toni Collette for United States of Tara, Courteney Cox for Cougar Town, Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie, and Tina Fey for 30 Rock. (I have to say that I'm pulling for Falco, who turned in a bravura performance this year in the stunning Nurse Jackie.)

As for Morrison, he'll have some very tough competition from Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), David Duchovny (Californication), and Thomas Jane (Hung). (The latter of which is also joined by co-star Jane Adams, who landed a nomination for Supporting Actress.)

All in all, quite a few expected veteran series and actors landing nominations this year and a few newbies (Glee, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Hung) sneaking into the mix. But some interesting (read: head-scratching) snubs from the HFPA as well: Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Big Bang Theory, Breaking Bad all failed to garner nominations, while Lost got just one (for Emerson). Hmmm... the list goes on. (I'd get more indigent but then I remember that it's the Golden Globes.)

A full list of the Golden Globe nominees in the television categories can be found below.

5. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. BIG LOVE (HBO)
Anima Sola and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
b. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde
Phillips Productions
c. HOUSE (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z
Productions and Bad Hat Harry
d. MAD MEN (AMC)
AMC
e. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
DRAMA
a. GLENN CLOSE - DAMAGES
b. JANUARY JONES - MAD MEN
c. JULIANNA MARGULIES - THE GOOD WIFE
d. ANNA PAQUIN - TRUE BLOOD
e. KYRA SEDGWICK - THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. SIMON BAKER - THE MENTALIST
b. MICHAEL C. HALL - DEXTER
c. JON HAMM - MAD MEN
d. HUGH LAURIE - HOUSE
e. BILL PAXTON - BIG LOVE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. 30 ROCK (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
Stranger Inc.
b. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO
Entertainment
c. GLEE (FOX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
d. MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
e. THE OFFICE (NBC)
Universal Media Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. TONI COLLETTE - UNITED STATES OF TARA
b. COURTENEY COX - COUGAR TOWN
c. EDIE FALCO - NURSE JACKIE
d. TINA FEY - 30 ROCK
e. LEA MICHELE - GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALEC BALDWIN - 30 ROCK
b. STEVE CARELL - THE OFFICE
c. DAVID DUCHOVNY - CALIFORNICATION
d. THOMAS JANE - HUNG
e. MATTHEW MORRISON - GLEE

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (LIFETIME TELEVISION)
Sony Pictures Television
b. GREY GARDENS (HBO)
Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films
c. INTO THE STORM (HBO)
Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO
Films
d. LITTLE DORRIT (PBS)
Masterpiece/BBC Co-production
e. TAKING CHANCE (HBO)
Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association
with HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JOAN ALLEN - GEORGIA O'KEEFFE
b. DREW BARRYMORE - GREY GARDENS
c. JESSICA LANGE - GREY GARDENS
d. ANNA PAQUIN - THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA
SENDLER
e. SIGOURNEY WEAVER - PRAYERS FOR BOBBY

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. KEVIN BACON - TAKING CHANCE
b. KENNETH BRANAGH - WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND
c. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR - ENDGAME
d. BRENDAN GLEESON - INTO THE STORM
e. JEREMY IRONS - GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JANE ADAMS - HUNG
b. ROSE BYRNE - DAMAGES
c. JANE LYNCH - GLEE
d. JANET McTEER - INTO THE STORM
e. CHLOË SEVIGNY - BIG LOVE

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. MICHAEL EMERSON - LOST
b. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS - HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
c. WILLIAM HURT - DAMAGES
d. JOHN LITHGOW - DEXTER
e. JEREMY PIVEN - ENTOURAGE

What do you think of the nominees? Who will you be rooting for come next month to take home the statue? Who do you think should have been nominated and who do you hope goes home empty-handed? Discuss.

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will air on NBC on January 17th at 5 PM PST and 8 PM EST.

AFI Announces Their Official Selections for TV Programs of the Year

Yesterday, American Film Institute announced their official selections for the programs of the year for 2009.

I'm happy that the esteemed board--which included The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, TV Guide Magazine's Matt Roush, Variety's Brian Lowry, actor CCH Pounder (The Shield), and writer/producer David Milch (Deadwood)--chose to recognize several series that don't get nearly as much love from critics and audiences as they should.

Along with noteworthy freshman series like Modern Family and Glee (both of which I expected would end up on the list) and the always sterling Mad Men, the panel selected such unexpected entries like HBO's lyrical mystery series No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Starz's breakout ensemble comedy Party Down, HBO's groundbreaking (and sadly often overlooked) drama series Big Love (which had its best season yet earlier this year), saved-from-cancellation drama Friday Night Lights, and Showtime's sensational medical-based dark comedy Nurse Jackie.

HBO, not unexpectedly, walked away with a number of programs on the official selections list, landing three spots for Big Love, True Blood, and No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

The full list of AFI's official TV selections can be found below.

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
BIG LOVE (HBO)
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC/DirecTV)
GLEE (FOX)
MAD MEN (AMC)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY (HBO)
NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
PARTY DOWN (Starz)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

What do you think of AFI's official selections for 2009? Are there other series that you would have rather seen make the list? Or ones that did that have definitely earned their spots? (Personally, I'd have substituted The Big Bang Theory presence here for NBC's Parks and Recreation.) Discuss.

Channel Surfing: USA Overhauls Its Schedule, Aunjanue Ellis Takes on "The Mentalist," "Big Love," BBC Confirms "Doctor Who" Dates, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. For those of you Stateside, hope that you're feeling rested (and hopefully recovering from a few days of gluttony) after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Major changes afoot at USA, according to The Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan. Rather than follow the plans the cabler had outlined for January, USA has chosen to revise its entire schedule, moving its series White Collar, Burn Notice, and Psych onto separate evenings, come January. White Collar will return to the lineup on January 19th, where it will move into its new timeslot of Tuesday evenings at 10 pm ET/PT. Meanwhile, Psych will take over the Wednesday night slot beginning January 27th and Burn Notice will remain on Thursdays, returning with new episodes on January 21st. The move gives the cabler original series on three weeknights. Perhaps a ploy to lure viewers from broadcast sibling NBC to some scripted fare at 10 pm? (Futon Critic)

Aunjanue Ellis (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) has been cast in CBS' The Mentalist in a major recurring role. Ellis will play "the beautiful but tough new head of the California Bureau of Investigation who is installed following the resignation of the unit's former chief, Virgil Minelli" (who is played by Gregory Itzin). Her first episode of the Warner Bros. Television-produced drama series will air in April. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look at the official poster for Season Four of HBO's Big Love, which returns on January 10th. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

BBC One has confirmed its airdates for David Tennant's final two Doctor Who specials, which will air on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, respectively. Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part Two is set to air at 7:30 pm GMT on New Year's Day, followed by EastEnders and the final episode of Gavin & Stacey. (Digital Spy)

Syfy has signed on as the US broadcaster for E1's international co-production of Haven, a thirteen-episode supernatural thriller based on Stephen King's "The Colorado Kid." Pilot will be written by Sam Ernest and Jim Dunn, who will executive produce with showrunner Scott Shepherd, Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern. (Variety)

Pilot casting alert: Lucas Black (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) and Cary Elwes (A Christmas Carol) have been cast in Epix pilot Tough Trade from Lionsgate Television. Black will play an exceptional guitarist and singer who could have followed in his family's musical legacy in Nashville but instead sells illegal ammunition. Elwes will play his father. Elsewhere, Garrett Dillahunt (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has been cast in Greg Garcia's FOX comedy pilot Keep Hope Alive, where he will play the dysfunctional father of Lucas Neff's Jimmy, a man who has to raise his infant daughter--the product of a one-night stand--after the baby's mother winds up on death row. (Hollywood Reporter)

Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) and Naoko Mori (Torchwood) have been cast in BBC Four's one-off biopic drama Lennon Naked, which will depict the life of John Lennon (Eccleston) between 1967 and 1971. Project, written by Robert Jones (Party Animals) and directed by Edmund Coulthard (Soundproof), will air in 2010. (BBC)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has two exclusive images from the two-hour Smallville: Absolute Justice telepic, which introduces the Justice Society of America. Ausiello has one shot of Justin Hartley's Green Arrow tangling with Michael Shanks' Hawkman and another of Brent Stait's Doctor Fate and Britt Irvin's Stargirl. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies) will direct ABC comedy pilot Funny in Farsi, based on Firoozeh Dumas' memoir about growing up in Newport Beach in the 1970s after leaving Iran, which was adapted by Jeffrey Hodes and Nastaran Dibai. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tony Curran will play Vincent Van Gogh in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who, slated to air next year as part of the Matt Smith-led Season Five that is written by Richard Curtis (Pirate Radio). ""We've got a brilliant guy playing Vincent van Gogh... He's a guy called Tony Curran, who really could not look more like [him]," Curtis told Bullz-Eye. "He's a wonderful actor who was in this brilliant movie called Red Road that came out, a rather serious movie. But he's going to be great. I’ve had a lot of fun. We start to shoot in about a month." (Digital Spy)

FOX is developing animated comedy series Rooster Tales with executive producers Matthew McConnaughy, Mark Gustawes, Mike McConaughey, and writer Kell Cahoon. Project is based on the life of Mike "Rooster" McConaughey, described as a "a beer-swilling, redneck sheriff who marries a much younger woman from Mexico [and] soon realizes, however, that he's gained not only a wife but an entire clan -- 114 members and counting." Project hails from 20th Century Fox Television and J.K. Livin'. (Variety)

Ryan Devlin (Veronica Mars) has been cast in ABC comedy Cougar Town, where he will recur as Smith, described as "a love interest for Laurie (Busy Philipps), Jules' (Courteney Cox) ditsy assistant and close friend." (Hollywood Reporter)

Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica), Molly Parker (The Road) and Camille Sullivan (Da Vinci's Inquest) have been cast in E1's drama series Shattered, a Canadian series that the indie is shopping to international broadcasters. Project, which will air in Canada on Showcase, will revolve around a homicide detective (Rennie) with multiple personality disorder. (Variety)

TBS comedy VP Nina Howie is leaving the cabler after 3 1/2 years. No reason was given for her departure. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Hold Tight: HBO Unveils "Big Love" Season Four Promo

If you're at all like me, you've been counting down the days until Big Love returns with new episodes... in just a few weeks' time.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, here's your chance to catch a first look at HBO's newly unveiled promo for Season Four of Big Love, a gorgeous teaser trailer that features the Henrickson clan in a state of freefall. (Hmmm, a sign of things to come, perhaps?)

And if you're wondering about the haunting song used in the video? It's "Untitled" by Interpol."

Let the countdown begin...



A more than worthy successor to last season's evocative trailer featuring The Black Keys' "Lies," no?

Season Four of Big Love begins January 10th on HBO.

Channel Surfing: Sonya Walger Talks "FlashForward," "Big Love," FOX Scales Back "Past Life," Showtime Gets "Shameless," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with FlashForward and Lost star Sonya Walger, in which Walger talks about her time on Lost and teases some details about what is coming up for Olivia on FlashForward. "She's going to be forced quite soon to deal with whether or not you can change the future," said Walger. "She keeps being reminded — evidence keeps being presented all around her — that you can't change it. Every time she thinks she's seen the last of Lloyd and that she's managed to avoid it, he keeps coming back." (TVGuide.com)

Mark your calendars: HBO has set a return date for drama series Big Love, which will launch its fourth season on January 10th. (Variety)

In a twist that surprised no one, FOX has reduced its episode order for Warner Bros. Television-produced drama procedural Past Life to seven installments (including the pilot). The series, which follows an investigative team that solves crimes by using past-life regression, is currently slated to air on Tuesday evenings starting in midseason. (Hollywood Reporter)

But it's not all bad news for Warners as Showtime has given a pilot order to a US adaptation of Paul Abbott's British drama series Shameless, which will star William H. Macy, from Warner Bros. Television and John Well Prods. According to Variety's Cynthia Littleton, the US Shameless will be "set in present-day Chicago among a blue-collar family where an 18-year-old daughter is tasked with keeping her five younger siblings in line" and must contend with her alcoholic father (Macy). Production on the pilot is set to begin in December. (Variety)

ABC has given a thirteen-episode contingent commitment to crime drama The Gates, about a "big-city cop who becomes chief of police in a seemingly sleepy planned community only to discover there's much more to the residents than meets the eye." Project, from writer/executive producers Richard Hatem and Grant Scharbo and executive producer Gina Matthews, will be produced by Fox Television Studios under its international co-production model. The studio will need to secure international financing in order to have the contingency lifted off the project; production is currently set to begin in mid-2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

The CW announced their development slate for the 2010-2011 season, which includes Rob Thomas' Plymouth Rock, about a group of young astronauts who must travel to a distant planet in order to colonize and "save the human race." Other projects in development include Spy School for Girls, from writer/executive producer Mark Schwahn, about female spy trainees; Nashville--from Brad Paisley, Mark Schwahn and writers Matthew Bomer (yes, that Matthew Bomer) and Neal Dodson--about a female singer and a male songwriter looking to make it big in the country music capital; Confessions of a Backup Dancer, about a woman who lands a job as a backup dancer to major music star, from Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, and writer/executive producer Ilene Chaiken; The March Sisters, an update of "Little Women" about a group of working-class sisters who are looking to strike it rich in Manhattan, from writer/executive producer Jill Gordon; family soap Bitches in Britches, about the equestrian set from Lionsgate and Ish Entertainment; and an untitled drama about the life of socialite Sloan Barnett, who worked in the Early Case Assessment Bureau in Manhattan, from writer Julie Martin and Tribeca Entertainment's Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. (Variety)

FOX appears to be keeping Dollhouse on the air through November sweeps. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Fox Cable Networks will shut down Fox Reality next year, according to The Wrap's Josef Adalian, with a view to likely launch a new cable venture with an outside party. The cable network will end its operations on March 31st. "With the changing cable landscape, we've made a strategic decision to shift some resources and refocus on emerging channels," said a Fox Cable Networks spokesman. "However, Fox Reality Channel will remain on on our lineup for at least the next several months." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

FOX has given a pilot presentation to an untitled animated comedy from writer/executive producers Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel, and Jarrad Paul about a seven-year-old wealthy scion who acts like an adult and is thrown out of his comfort zone when he's forced to attend a public school. Hill will lend his voice to the project, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television and Chernin Entertainment. FOX is also developing a script for dysfunctional family comedy The Bradleys, based on Peter Bagge's graphic novel series, from 20th Century Fox Television and write/executive producers Peter Bagge and Matthew Lawton. (Variety)

Starz has cast Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad), Ivan Sergei (Charmed), Ving Rhames (Surrogates), Rachel Hunter, Robyn Cohen (Starved), James Martinez (Brother to Brother) and Seth Numrich (How to Kill a Mockingbird) in ten-episode ensemble dramedy series Gravity, about a group of suicide survivors who receive treatment together in an outpatient program. Project, formerly known as Failure to Fly, was created by Eric Schaeffer and Jill Franklyn, the former of which will also co-star. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorja Fox's five-episode story arc on CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been extended indefinitely. "We will be seeing a lot more of Jorja," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told Ausiello. "The season is about bringing the [CSI] family back together again, so [this] was just a natural. Jorja has been the glue that has really helped to reform the bond of our team." The exact number of episodes that Fox will appear in this season has yet to be determined but Mendelsohn also said that there are no plans for William Petersen to reprise his role as Grissom, despite Fox's Sara returning to the series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has ordered the back nine episodes of Season Two of animated comedy series The Cleveland Show, just weeks after launching the first season of the Family Guy spin-off. The order will keep Cleveland on the air through the entirety of the 2010-11 season and brings the episodic order to 44 episodes. (Variety)

Bravo will use a new Kathy Griffin stand-up comedy special, entitled Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel, as the lead-in for Season Two of reality series Tabatha's Salon Takeover on November 3rd. (The Wrap's TV MoJoe)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sissy Spacek Finds "Big Love," Saffron Burrows Circles "Criminal Intent," Alan Ball Keeps "Blood" Subplot a Possibility, and Mo

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I had an amazing time last night at The Killers concert at the Hollywood Bowl but am a wee bit exhausted this morning as a result. That said, onto the headlines.

Oscar winner Sissy Spacek will join the cast of HBO's drama series Big Love next season in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play a "powerful Washington D.C. lobbyist." Spacek's casting comes on the heels of announcements that Bella Thorne will replace Jolean Wejbe on the series next season and that Ben Koldyke will appear as Dale, a "state-appointed trustee and love interest for Alby (Matt Ross)." Big Love launches its fourth season early in 2010. (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Saffron Burrows (My Own Worst Enemy) is said to be in talks to join the cast of USA's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where it's thought likely that she would play a new partner for Jeff Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! True Blood executive producer Alan Ball has told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he's open to developing a certain subplot in Charlaine Harris' novels in the series, namely that Bill came to Bon Temps to seduce Sookie in order to get her to work for Sophie-Anne. "It’s certainly something that I found really compelling in the books," Ball told Ausiello. "I was like, 'Wow.' But I can’t really tell you what I’m going to do story-wise. So much of the appeal of the show depends on the element of surprise." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Adam Shankman has been made a resident judge on FOX's reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance alongside Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as of the October 27th episode. (Variety)

Collette Wolfe (Observe and Report) and Smith Cho (Knight Rider) have been cast in NBC's midseason comedy series 100 Questions, where they will replace Elizabeth Ho and Joy Suprano. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered twelve half-hour episodes of Greg the Bunny spin-off Warren the Ape, which will follow the depraved puppet as he tries to resurrect his Hollywood career following the cancellation of Greg the Bunny. Series, executive produced by Spencer Chinoy, Sean Baker, Dan Milano, George Plamondon, Betsey Schechter, Kevin Chinoy, and Francesca Silvestri, will launch next year. (Variety)

Lifetime has ordered a plot for culinary competition series Search for the Greatest American Recipe, which will follow chef/television personality Tyler Florence as he travels to seven American regions to find interesting and original recipes; cooks will then compete head-to-head in a cook-off. Pilot, from ITV Studios, will begin shooting this weekend. (Variety)

TruTV has ordered six episodes of reality series All Worked Up, which follows several people as they work jobs that "get them yelled at, spit on and sometimes assaulted," including a process server, a vehicle repossessor, an amusement park head of security, and a housing community code enforcer, among others. Series, from RDF USA, will launch October 19th. (Hollywood Reporter)

DirecTV has acquired three seasons of gritty Australian drama series Underbelly, which tracks the development of the Oz underworld from the 1970s to the present day. Series will air on 101 Network and will launch on February 10th, following the fourth season finale of Friday Night Lights. (Variety)

TLC has ordered twelve episodes of docuseries Flowers Uncut with Jeff Leatham, which will follow the floral designer as he attempts to build an empire and "conquer the New York event design scene." Series, from Original Media, will launch on November 4th. (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.

Channel Surfing: Anne Dudek Gets "Covert," Aaron Paul to Return to "Big Love," Emmy Reversal, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Ubiquitous actor (and Televisionary fave) Anne Dudek (House, Big Love, Mad Men) will star opposite Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham in USA's drama pilot Covert Affairs, where she will play the siter of Perabo's Annie Walker, a polyglot CIA trainee. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Emmy nominated Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul will appear in Season Four of HBO's Big Love next year, though Paul doesn't know quite what's in store for Scott next season now that he and Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) are engaged. "The only thing they’ve told me," Paul told Ausiello, "is that something big will happen to my character this season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Variety's Cynthia Littleton is reporting that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has bowed to public outrage over its decision to time-shift eight awards of the September 20th Emmy telecast and has announced that it will instead present all 28 categories live on the air. "This decision was made to mend relationships within the television community and to allow executive producer Don Mischer to focus his full attention on producing the creative elements in the telecast," said Academy of Television Arts and Sciences chairman-CEO John Shaffner in a prepared statement. "Our goal is to celebrate the year in television, honor excellence and this year's great achievements with the support of our industry colleagues and our telecast partner, CBS."(Variety's Emmy Central)

Add executive producer to his growing list of credits. Denzel Washington is in talks to come on board FOX cop drama pilot Billy Stiles, about a "genius gang member-turned-cop." Washington would serve as an executive producer on the 20th Century Fox Television-based project alongside Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch. Project was written by Virgil Williams (24) and was originally pitched as a cable series before landing at FOX. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime has announced that its twelve-episode comedy series Sherri, which stars Sherri Shepherd (The View) as a single mom who begins dating after a divorce, will launch on October 5th at 10 pm. Series will be paired in the Tuesdays at 10 pm timeslot with the second season of Rita Rocks. (Variety)

Joe Morton (Eureka) has signed on for a recurring role on ABC's Brothers and Sisters, where he will play a Justin's "tough but nurturing anatomy professor," according to Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, in roughly seven to ten episodes next season. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has ordered six mores installments of Tosh.0, which will return with new episodes on October 8th. (via press release)

BBC One has ordered a third season of sketch comedy series The Armstrong and Miller Show, despite the fact that the second season--already on order--has yet to launch. Season Two is expected to premiere this fall, with the third season likely to debut in 2010. (Broadcast)

Apatow Productions' Nicholas Weinstock has been hired by Peter Chernin to oversee comedy development at his nascent shingle. Weinstock will report to Katherine Pope and Dylan Clark. (Hollywood Reporter)

Notorious reality star Katie Price (a.k.a. Jordan) is starting her own production company. Pricey Media, which Price will run with Mark Wagman, will co-produce reality series What Katie Did Next with ITV Studios. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Sean Bean Plays "Game of Thrones," "Futurama" Could Return with New Voices, Jorja Fox Returns to "CSI," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) has been cast as the lead in HBO fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones, based on the series of novels by George R.R. Martin that Tom McCarthy is directing from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' script. Bean will play Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, the close friend and adviser to King Robert. Also cast in the pilot: Mark Addy, Kit Harrington, Jack Gleeson, and Harry Lloyd, who join the previously announced Peter Dinklage. Addy will play King Robert; Harrington will play Jon Snow, Ned's illegitimate son; Lloyd will play the conniving usurper Viserys; Gleeson will play Joffrey, the son of King Robert. (Editor: this project just keeps getting more and more exciting; I absolutely loved the pilot script!) (Hollywood Reporter)

Talks between studio 20th Century Fox Television and Futurama stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeille broke down on Friday over compensation after the studio's offers came in well beneath what the stars had asked for. Despite the announcement last month that Comedy Central had ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama and that the original cast was on board, the latter part doesn't quite seem to be true. 20th Century Fox Television is now looking to recast the roles following major budget slashes, but this could be seen as posturing as the studio is likely playing hardball until the actors fall in line with their salary requirements and negotiate their contracts. Meanwhile, the studio does seem serious about recasting the roles in the meantime, a threat they called in during contract negotiations with the cast of The Simpsons a few years back. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorja Fox has signed a deal to appear in multiple episodes of CBS' CSI next season, where she will reprise her role as Sara Sidle. Fox is set to first appear in the September 24th episode, which according to series executive producer Carol Mendelsohn, will show viewers "where life has taken Sara Sidle and what brings her back to the CSI team in Las Vegas." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Big Love casting news! Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) has joined the cast of Big Love next season in a recurring role that will have him turning up all season long. He'll play Tommy Flute, the son of Indian Gaming Casino overseer Jerry Flute (Robert Beltran). (Hollywood Reporter)

Brooke Burns (Miss Guided) has joined the cast of the CW's Melrose Place in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play Vanessa, the wife of Thomas Calabro's Michael Mancini and the mother of his younger son Noah. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TVGuide.com catches up with True Blood star Stephen Moyer to find out about Bill and Sookie's road trip to Texas. "Toward the end of the season, we're going to see the hierarchy taken almost to its peak," said Moyer. "We're going to meet the monarchy, if you will. Last year, we met the grand judge of Louisiana, and this year we're going to meet the monarch of Texas. But he's not the monarch of America. It's kind of an almost feudal system. I love the idea of this incredibly detailed society in which manners are very important as to how you relate to people that are above you. As much as Eric does to piss Bill off, Bill never has a childlike fit. The hierarchy is incredibly strong. So no matter how much Eric does against Bill, Bill will never bad-mouth him. It's sort of an elevated playground mentality. However horrible a kid is to you, you don't go and report him." (TVGuide.com)

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi has signed a development deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios under which she will star in a half-hour comedy pilot about a woman in the culinary world. Project will be executive produced by Original's Charlie Corwin. (Variety)

Amber Clayton has joined the cast of CBS medical drama Three Rivers as a series regular, where she will play "witty pragmatic young ER doctor Lisa Reed who helps facilitate transplant cases." (Hollywood Reporter)

Current TV has hired former MTV Networks COO Mark Rosenthal as CEO following the shift of co-founder Joel Hyatt from the CEO set to vice chairman of the company. (Variety)

The start of production on the CW's The Beautiful Life has been pushed back a week to July 31st but sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the cause isn't the recent psychiatric hospitalization of series co-star Mischa Barton but rather that some of the sets weren't completed. Barton's participation on the series remains unclear, given her medical issues at this time. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered six episodes of a docusoap tentatively titled One Big Happy Family about the lives of a morbidly obese family, from RDF USA. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

TV Academy Shines Emmy Love on "Big Love," "30 Rock," "Mad Men," "Lost," "Damages"

I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised this early morning in Los Angeles.

The Emmy nominees were announced this morning and I have to commend them for showering such love onto diverse and unique series such as Big Love, Mad Men, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Little Dorrit, Flight of the Conchords, , and Damages, even though Battlestar Galactica failed to garner a single nomination in the major categories.

Hell, one of the talented troika of female leads on AMC's Mad Men--Elisabeth Moss--even landed a nomination, as did the entire main cast of 30 Rock! So, something's right in Hollywood for a change.

Meanwhile, FOX's Family Guy snagged the first outstanding comedy series nomination for an animated series... in fifty years. (Not since The Flintstones has an animated comedy scored a nomination.) Something which sadly The Simpsons was never able to achieve in its heyday.

So which series and actors landed Emmy nominations? Let's talk about the major categories. (The full list of nominations can be found here.)

Outstanding Drama Series:
Big Love (HBO)
Breaking Bad (FX)
Dexter (Showtime)
House (FOX)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)

I have to say that I'm actually quite pleased overall with the selection here, which shows some love for quirky cable dramas like Big Love, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Dexter while also lauding network hits like Lost and House. I'm not surprised by the inclusion of Lost and the sensational Mad Men but if I'm being totally honest, I'd love to see Big Love, which is coming off of a mind-blowingly sensational third season, walk away with the top prize here.

Outstanding Comedy Series:
Entourage (HBO)
Family Guy (FOX)
Flight Of The Conchords (HBO)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Office (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Weeds (Showtime)

Loving the inclusion of Flight of the Conchords, despite a somewhat subpar second season compared to the strength of its freshman year, but I'm glad to see that the quirky Kiwi comedy won over Emmy voters not just here but also in the lead actor in a comedy category as well. And kudos to the cast and crew of How I Met Your Mother for snagging a nom in the highly competitive category here. Ultimately, I'm hoping--and it's rather likely--that 30 Rock once again walks off with the statuette here. It really is, hands-down, the very best comedy on television today.

Outstanding Miniseries:
Generation Kill (HBO)
Little Dorrit (PBS)

Generation Kill might have the HBO imprimatur but I'm rooting for the lush and emotionally resonant Little Dorrit to win here. Would love to see a Dickens adaptation win the mini-series prize and the cast and crew of this PBS/BBC production were absolutely top-notch.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series:
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Jemaine Clement - Flight Of The Conchords (HBO)
Tony Shalhoub - Monk (USA)
Steve Carell - The Office (NBC)
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock (NBC)
Charlie Sheen - Two And A Half Men (CBS)

I'm blown away by the fact that Jemaine Clement managed to get a nomination here and I almost want Clement to win, just so I can watch what would be a fairly surreal and hysterical acceptance speech. Just... wow. Never would have imagined this. Love that Jim Parsons got nominated and his reaction on the nomination telecast this morning was priceless. The rest of the category is pretty predictable (cough, Tony Shalhoub, cough) but I'm once again putting my money on 30 Rock's incomparable Alec Baldwin. It's what Jack Donaghy would do, after all.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series:
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael C. Hall - Dexter (Showtime)
Hugh Laurie - House (FOX)
Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment (HBO)
Jon Hamm - Mad Men (AMC)
Simon Baker - The Mentalist (CBS)

As much as I love Bryan Cranston, I have to say that I want Jon Hamm to bring home the win with every iota of my being. His smoldering performance as Don Draper in Season Two of Mad Men was powerful, provocative, and heartbreaking and he anchored the show with a nuanced masculinity and dynamic charisma. As for the others, Laurie and Byrne were expected, but Simon Baker for The Mentalist? Really? Over Bill Paxton for Big Love? Or anyone from Battlestar Galactica? Grr.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures Of Old Christine (CBS)
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who? (ABC)
Sarah Silverman - The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central)
Tina Fey - 30 Rock (NBC)
Toni Collette - United States Of Tara (Showtime)
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds (Showtime)

Two words: Tina Fey. Need I say more?

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series:
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer (TNT)
Glenn Close - Damages (FX)
Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men (AMC)
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace (TNT)

Thank you, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, for--finally!--acknowledging the incredible performance of Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss; her turn as Peggy Olsen this past season was an understated thing of beauty, haunting for her sorrow, inspiring for her strength of character. That fellow femmes January Jones and Christina Hendricks should be overlooked once again is shameful but I do have to credit them for at least shining a much-deserved spotlight on Moss here. Personally, I'd love for her to win. Or for Glenn Close to get the prize for her fearless portrayal of Patty Hewes on FX's Damages, a character who is a seething mess of complexity and anger.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series:
Kevin Dillon - Entourage (HBO)
Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Rainn Wilson - The Office (NBC)
Tracy Morgan - 30 Rock (NBC)
Jack McBrayer - 30 Rock (NBC)
Jon Cryer - Two And A Half Men (CBS)

I'm loving the support for NBC's 30 Rock here, with Morgan and McBrayer landed nominations for their roles as Tracy and Kenneth. Wish they could both win, but thinking they'll split the vote, so I'm giving the ubiquitous Neil Patrick Harris the edge here. A very tough category this year and one I'll be watching extremely closely.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series:
William Shatner - Boston Legal (ABC)
Christian Clemenson - Boston Legal (ABC)
Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad (AMC)
William Hurt - Damages (FX)
Michael Emerson - Lost (ABC)
Jon Slattery - Mad Men (AMC)

Tough, tough category here again. I think the Emmy voters tipped their hat a little bit with two nominations for Boston Legal here (would you *really* say that Shatner is supporting?) but I do love the inclusion of Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul (who should be nominated as well for his vastly different turn on Big Love, just for comparison's sake), Michael Emerson, and Jon Slattery, as well as William Hurt. Would love to see Ben Linus take home the win.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series:
Kristin Chenoweth - Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Amy Poehler - Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Kristin Wiig - Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock (NBC)
Vanessa Williams - Ugly Betty (ABC)
Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds (Showtime)

Jane Krakowski doesn't get nearly as much recognition as she should for her role as Jenna on 30 Rock, so I am thrilled to see her get the nomination as I am for someone to remember the beauty and bittersweet sparkle of Pushing Daisies and give Cheno a nod as well. As for who will win, I'm not sure at all but I'd love it to be one of these two. Or one of the SNL team.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series:
Rose Byrne - Damages (FX)
Sandra Oh - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Chandra Wilson - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Dianne Wiest - In Treatment (HBO)
Hope Davis - In Treatment (HBO)
Cherry Jones - 24 (FOX)

I'm thinking one of the Grey's Anatomy ladies will win this category (though no Katherine Heigl?) but nice to see Byrne get some Emmy love as well.

Outstanding Reality – Competition Program:
The Amazing Race (CBS)
American Idol (FOX)
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Bravo)
Top Chef (Bravo)

As much as I love The Amazing Race, I think it's about time the Academy recognized the genius of culinary competition series Top Chef.

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series:
30 Rock - "Reunion" (NBC): Matt Hubbard
30 Rock - Apollo, Apollo" (NBC): Robert Carlock
30 Rock - "Mamma Mia" (NBC): Ron Weiner
30 Rock - "Kidney Now! (NBC): Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock
Flight Of The Conchords - "Prime Minister" (HBO): James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie

30 Rock has a near monopoly on the comedy writing awards this year and I can't say that I'm surprised. Glad that Conchords got a single nomination here, maybe it will be enough to get the boys back in the writers room for a third go-around (and maybe some more strenuous work on the music this time around), but it's 30 Rock's category to lose. Of the four, I'd love to see "Apollo, Apollo" win for Robert Carlock. I loved that episode.

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series:
Lost - "The Incident" (ABC): Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof
Mad Men - "A Night To Remember" (AMC): Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner
Mad Men - "Six Month Leave" (AMC): Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Matthew Weiner
Mad Men - "The Jet Set" (AMC): Matthew Weiner
Mad Men - "Meditations In An Emergency" (AMC): Kater Gordon, Matthew Weiner

Hmm, something tells me that Mad Men is going to win this category. I thought that Cuse and Lindelof's work on Lost's "The Incident" was great but I don't think it will be enough to defeat a one-two (sorry, make that four) punch from the Mad Men writing staff. Which one, however? Not sure. They are all so profoundly beautiful, but I'll go with "Meditations in An Emergency" in a pinch.

So there you have it. Who are you rooting for to walk away with the top prize? Who got snubbed? And who do you wish the Academy would award the Emmy to? Discuss.

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will be telecast on September 20th on CBS.

Channel Surfing: Jon Heder Lands Comedy Central Series, ABC Drops "Gravity" in August, Gregory Smith Mines "Copper," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of upcoming film Julie & Julia last night and urge all you film-loving foodies to head out and watch it when it's released. Just make sure you eat beforehand!

Comedy Central has ordered ten episodes of an untitled multi-camera comedy series starring Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite). Project, about an unemployed IT specialist who returns to his smalltown to move in with his parents and younger brother, will be written by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy. Series hails from Debmar-Mercury and Gary Sanchez and will have an initial run on Comedy Central; if it scores with audiences, another 90 installments will be automatically picked up with Comedy Central having the first window while Debmar-Mercury will sell the series into first-run syndication at the same time. (Variety)

ABC has announced that it will launch FTVS' internationally produced drama series Defying Gravity, which it acquired last week, on August 2nd at 9 pm with a two-hour premiere. The week after, Defying Gravity will move into its regular timeslot Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT. Series, which stars Ron Livingston, Laura Harris, Malik Yoba, Christina Cox, Florentine Lahme, Paula Garces, Eyal Podell, Dylan Taylor, Andrew Airlie, Karen LeBlanc, Zahf Paroo, and Maxim Roy, revolves around four male and four female astronauts from five countries who are on a mysterious six-year international space mission. Action will flash between their current mission and their rigorous training in the past. (via press release, Variety)

Gregory Smith (Everwood) will star opposite Missy Peregrym in Canadian police drama Copper, which will air Stateside on ABC. Smith will play Dov, a recent graduate from the police academy who attempts to make his way as a rookie cop. Elsewhere, Taylor Kinney (Fashion Show) has been cast as a regular on NBC's medical drama Trauma, where he will play Glen, an EMT that joins the rapid response team. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER: Production on Season Four of HBO's sensational drama series Big Love begins August 13th and producers are on the hunt for two new recurring roles next season. Producers are looking to cast the roles Christie, the problem child daughter of Barb's sister Cindy who has been sent to Mormon Disciplinary Camp several times and who finds a seething jealousy towards new cousin Cara Lynn, and Dale, an closeted gay Mormon who is a partner at a big eight accounting firm and who becomes the new trustee of the Juniper Creek assets. (Spoiler TV)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a absolutely fantastic piece on the power of San Diego Comic-Con and its enduring appeal. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

MTV has given a series order to teen comedy Hard Times, which revolves around an unpopular fifteen year old whose, er, endowment is revealed in front of the whole school during a prank and instantly finds popularity. Project, written and executive produced by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith, is being compared to a teen version of HBO's similarly-themed Hung. (Hollywood Reporter)

Syfy's launch for drama series Warehouse 13 drew 3.5 million viewers, making it the third most watched network series debut behind Stargate Atlantis (4.2 million) and Eureka (4.1 million). (Broadcasting & Cable)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Catherine Bell isn't leaving Lifetime's Army Wives anytime soon. "I'll tell you this. I'm still in South Carolina, and I was filming the show this morning," said Bell via telephone. "Frank and Denise struggle for a while. It's not over. There are some really, really wonderful scenes coming—there's going to be some more communication about this... There's some really cool stuff coming up where you see a different side of him and their relationship. There's some positive stuff. He's a big teddy bear, and Frank adores Denise. He's going to change a bit this season. You're going to see a different side of him, that's very exciting." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Stay tuned.

Murder in Their Hearts (And a Lot of Love): Paley Fest Fetes "Big Love"

The crowd may have been noticeably older but they were certainly no less rabid at last night's Paley Festival panel for HBO's Big Love.

After a gorgeous clip package that encapsulated all of the serpentine story threads from Season Three of Big Love into one breathtaking montage that displayed the depth and breadth of the plotting this past season, the cast took the stage along with moderator Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times, whose enthusiasm for the event and the series matched our own in the audience.

On the stage to celebrate HBO's Big Love: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Harry Dean Stanton, Grace Zabriskie, Matt Ross, and creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. (Sadly, unavailable to attend were Mary Kay Place, Amanda Seyfried, and Ginnifer Goodwin, all of whom were very much missed.)

Before saying anything else, I just want to say what an absolute hoot Harry Dean Stanton was. Clearly upset about the fact that Olsen and Scheffer killed off his ruthless character, the prophet Roman Grant, at the end of the third season of Big Love, Stanton repeatedly kept interjecting his disbelief that they would kill off his character and his upset at not returning with the rest of the cast for Season Four. That is, when he wasn't going off on hysterical-if-profound tangents about the shape of the universe, pre-destiny, agnosticism, perception, and W.C. Fields. (Sample quote: "All religions are gangs to me and I have no beliefs. I am nothing.")

While Olsen and Scheffer were pretty tight-lipped about what to expect about Season Four, they did offer us some intriguing tidbits. Among the possible storylines for Season Four:

• While Season Two focused thematically about building empires and Season Three dealt with the notion of increase in family (both physically and celestially) and what happens when those family units implode and lose their purpose, Season Four will deal with the subjugation of women in a "deeper" way than has been done so far on the series.
  
• Olsen and Scheffer say that they've been trying since the very beginning of the series to find a storyline involving every single member of the family and have managed to crack it for Season Four.
• Roman (Stanton) might be dead but he will still influence the characters from beyond the grave. Look for Bill (Paxton) to wind up in a serious legal quagmire after certain involvements with Roman become known to the local authorities.
  
• Margene (Goodwin) could become the queen of QVC... if Bill will give her permission. She'll also be doing some much needed growing up. "She can't be a babydoll forever," said Olsen.
  
• Lois (Zabriskie) will follow up on her inquiry to Wanda (Melora Walters) about where she could "procure" one of those $5000 birds for herself and will become enmeshed in a storyline involving "her husband Frank (Bruce Dern) and a grandchild or two."
• Alby (Ross) is wounded physically and psychologically after the events of the finale and his mother Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) has plans for him but they might not match up with Alby's own agenda.
  
• J.J. (Zeljko Ivanek) will be back after Nicki (Sevigny) took estranged daughter Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) off the compound in broad daylight and took her to the Henricksons' homes.

Those of you hoping that Roman Grant somehow survived the brutal strangling inflicted on him by a vengeful Joey (Shawn Doyle), don't hold your breath. "He's absolutely dead," said Scheffer of Harry Dean Stanton's Roman, a sentiment echoed by fellow co-creator Olsen. "Roman is definitely dead," he said. "Dead is dead on this show."

Still, Stanton isn't one to give up lightly. "Well, they should come up with something, another series or reprise the role from the dead," said Stanton only half-jokingly. "You know, where do you go after you die? or where were you before you were born?"

Meanwhile, if you were just as curious as me about where Teeny (Jolean Wejbe) got to at the end of the season, you're not alone. The creators themselves seem to be just as confused about where she got to and never actually explained her disappearance after the porn incident in "Block Party," sudden reappearance for the Henrickson family road trip, and subsequent disappearance again by the end of the season. According to Olsen and Scheffer, Teeny went off to summer camp--"soccer camp, archery camp"--at the beginning of the season and then was shuttled off to grandmother Nancy's house in Lake Tahoe, where she got a "refresher course on Mormonism." And then went back to camp again. Or something. (Suffice it to say: Olsen and Scheffer know that it was handled oddly on-screen but said that Wejbe will be back for Season Four.)

It's possible that we haven't seen the last of Daveigh Chase's manipulative Rhonda Volmer, last seen hitchhiking to Hollywood with a trucker... and most likely a life of prostitution. "Rhonda... is a gal who makes her way around. You may actually see Rhonda out here on Hollywood Boulevard," joked Olsen. Still, don't discount the tenacious Rhonda. "Buses do turn around," said Olsen.

(One character who seemingly won't be making a return appearance on the series any time soon: Mark L. Young's Franky, last seen heading to Nicaragua to track down his missing mother. "There's no coming back from Nicaragua," said Bill Paxton, following Grace Zabriskie's tirade against self-elected "cast assholes" on this no-nonsense set, Paxton's slam against "the work ethic of the younger generation," and Olsen and Scheffer's admonition that actors who don't espouse the cast's generous and giving nature are written out of the show. It seemed awfully clear to whom they were all referring.)

Matt Ross, meanwhile, defended his complicated character, Alby Grant, saying that it would be "too facile to define him as a sociopath" and pointing to his childhood, raised in an environment where he received no love from either of his parents. "If you keep slapping a dog eventually it's going to bite you," said Ross. "That's essentially been his life."

Zabriskie, who plays the, uh, slightly off-kilter Lois Henrickson, was commended several times by both the moderator and the cast for her outstanding work on the series. (Hell, just look at the way she uses her eyes, her mouth, and the tilt of her head.) "One of my favorite scenes of all of them is when I'm practicing with the plastic bag to see how it feels," said Zabriskie. "I love how, after I pull the bag off my head, that I kind of check my hair in the reflection of the toaster." That move was ad-libbed by Zabriskie, who was beyond thrilled that it made it into the episode and didn't end up on the cutting room floor. "You know, my character is insane, so it seems best not to dwell on it because people who are dealing with insanity think they’re perfectly normal."

"I get all the great zingers!" said Sevigny (showing off her killer legs in a gold jacket and short shorts) of her character, the duplicitous Nicki Grant. Sevigny said that she and the other actors would get together at the table reads in complete confusion over what was going on on the series. "We'd get together as actors and go, 'Really!? That's what we're going to shoot?'"

And, no, those weren't her feet witnessed in the prosecution's Joy Book, evidence in the trial against Nicki's father Roman, much to Sevigny's chagrin. She was, however, asked to bring in a picture of herself as a teenager to use in the Joy Book, which did "get the tears going."

"Barb has always been riding the fence between her disdain for polygamy and her love for Bill and her family," said Tripplehorn of Boss Lady Barb. "It will be really interesting seeing them trying to play the game and embrace it." Tripplehorn pointed to how much Barb went through this season, including a cancer scare, the sudden (if short-lived) appearance of fourth wife Ana (Branka Katic), whom Tripplehorn described as "our Yoko," and the loss of her role in the LDS church, which Tripplehorn likened to losing a piece "of your past."

Paxton meanwhile said his character Bill went through the ringer this season. "They put me through so much," said Paxton, wearily. "I have a twitch ever since the show wrapped, and I can’t seem to get rid of it." He pointed to the series' location in Utah and said that he appreciates the series' use of Western iconography, using such legends as Alan Ladd as an inspiration for Bill. (Paxton also gleefully told the crowd that he feels lucky to share a credit for Aliens on his resume with Stanton, who starred in Alien... and that he saw the original film in Times Square "on acid.")

All in all, this event will easily go down as one of my favorite panels in recent memory. It was a simply fantastic evening celebrating the gifted cast and crew of Big Love, one of television's very best dramas, and offering the enraptured audience insight, humor, and pathos.

Big Love is set to return with a fourth season next year. Production is slated to begin on Season Four in August.

Channel Surfing: NBC Cuts "Chopping Block" from Schedule, Wesley Sinks Teeth into "Vampire Diaries," Katic to Return to "Big Love," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I had a fantastic evening last night at a WGA event for the writers of ABC's Lost, which included Team Darlton, Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Elizabeth Sarnoff.

After just three episodes, NBC has cut culinary competition series The Chopping Block from its schedule, effective immediately. In lieu of the Marco Pierre White-fronted reality competition series, which landed a 0.9/2 share among adults 18-49 and 2.6 million viewers overall, NBC will air repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and NBC said that Chopping Block could return at a later date. (But don't hold your breath.) (Variety)

Paul Wesley (24) will star opposite Nina Dobrev (Degrassi) and Ian Somerhalder (Lost) in the CW supernatural drama pilot Vampire Diaries, from writer/executive producer Kevin Williamson. Wesley will play Stefan, a "gloriously, amazingly, epically beautiful young man" who is a 200-year-0ld vampire locked in a battle with his brother Damon (Somerhalder) for the love of a young girl named Elena (Dobrev). (Hollywood Reporter)

Branka Katic will reprise her role as Ana when Big Love Season Four launches in early 2010. "I'll be back to cause some trouble," Katic told Michael Ausiello. "I think she's somewhere out there licking her wounds. I think she divorced out of pure compassion because the damage she was causing the family was something she certainly didn't want to happen." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has announced its plans for summer, which include the launch of medical drama Mental on Friday, May 22nd at 9 pm ET/PT, the return of So You Think You Can Dance on Thursday, May 21st, and the launch of a new season of Hell's Kitchen on July 21st. (via press release)

Aussie actor Matt Passmore (The Cut) has been cast as the lead in FOX drama pilot Masterwork, from Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring. He'll star opposite British actress Natalie Dormer (The Tudors) and Brit actor Tom Ellis (Suburban Shootout). What's with all of the foreign casting on the project? It's just the tip of the iceberg, according to Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, who looks at the sheer numbers of non-US actors scoring roles in this season's pilots. In fact, pilots Flash Forward, Maggie Hill, Inside the Box, and untitled US Attorney each have three non-US actors in major roles. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has acquired US rights to four-hour mini-series Ben Hur, from Alchemy Television Group, who will co-produce with Spain's Drimtim Entertainment and Antenna 3, Canada's Muse Entertainment, ABC, and Germany's Akkord Films and ProSieben. Project, which has no airdate, was written by Alan Sharp (Rob Roy) and will be directed by Steve Shill (Rome). (Variety)

Pilot casting alert: Stephen Rannazzisi (Paul Blart: Mall Cop) has joined the cast of NBC comedy pilot State of Romance, where he will play the roommate of romantic lead Mike (Steve Howie). Elsewhere, David Call (Canterbury's Law) has been added to ABC's drama pilot Empire State, where he will play the younger brother of blue-collar Romeo Sam (Mike Vogel). (Hollywood Reporter)

Production has begun in New Orleans on HBO drama pilot Treme, from The Wire creator David Simon. "This is an American story," said Simon. "This is about an American city trying to pick itself up and doing it without a great deal of help." Project, directed by Agnieszka Holland, stars Wendell Pierce, Peter Clarke, Steve Zahn, Kim Dickens, Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo, and Rob Brown. (Associated Press)

In a rather unusual twist, 1st Call Equipment has signed on to be the exclusive provider of heavy equipment for Universal and all of its productions... as it segues into TV programming development, specifically daytime television. Under the new leadership of former King World executive Erni Di Massa Jr., the company will use its revenue to finance development efforts. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Keys to the Kingdom: Disintegration and Realignment on the Season Finale of "Big Love"

I'm still in awe thinking about last night's breathtaking season finale of HBO's Big Love.

Over the course of the ten episodes that comprised Big Love's intense and gripping third season, we saw the Henrickson clan go from being a complicated but stable family unit to literally disintegrating before our eyes... and possibly coming back together again, if last night's superlative episode ("Sacrament") points to a new direction for the series.

It's hard to believe that Season Three of Big Love was only ten episodes, the series' shortest season so far, as it was so packed with tension, drama, emotional beats, and enough neck-snapping plot twists to give you emotional whiplash. Showrunners on network series that are working with 22 episodes a season take note of executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, who managed to squeeze in more plot and story in those ten fantastic installments than many showrunners are able to fit into the traditional twenty-plus.

And just when I wondered how Olsen and Scheffer would be able to top themselves following this amazing season, they effortlessly set up a new direction for the series, one that's likely to be rife with the sort of tense and gripping plots that have become hallmarks for this intelligent and provocative series.

Nicki. Just when I thought that Nicki had perhaps permanently severed her bonds with Bill and her sister wives, she managed to rebuild those bridges and redefine herself over the course of a single episode. In other series, this might have been slightly unbelievable but the strength and grace of Chloe Sevigny's performance and the subtle writing here render her transformation completely credible. Nicki finally accepts responsibility for her own actions, coming clean to Barb about why she's really on the compound (it has nothing to do, as she claimed, with Joey and Wanda) and about the existence of her daughter, Cara Lynn (Cassi Thompson), and forcing herself to connect with Cara Lynn and accept that she did abandon her all those years before.

But before you can say "heartfelt moment," Nicki flees the compound with Cara Lynn, rather than let her undergo the same fate she did as a teenager and be sealed to an older man she didn't love, and brings her to the Henrickson houses. And together, they take the sacrament of Bill's new church. It was a gorgeous moment of redemption for Nicki (especially as it did coming on the heels of her not-quite-joking conversation with Alby about how best to murder their parents) and points toward the possibility of a renewal of affection between her and her family. The way that Barb quietly took her hand and led Nicki toward the others was a beautifully understated expression of solidarity and forgiveness. While Barb has painted Nicki as the reason behind her ex-communication from the LDS church due to her "invasion" of her marriage to Bill, it's a sign that Barb and Nicki might be able to move forward together.

As for Nicki, the conversation she had with Cara Lynn might have been the most affecting scene she's had on the series to date as she learns that Cara's father J.J. (Zeljko Ivanek, here playing a truly terrifying serpent of a man) wants to place the girl in the Joy Book and has pulled her out of school. Seeing history repeat itself all over again, Nicki urges her to tell her parents that she wants to go back to school and then, in an effort to undo the past, takes her from that very life. Does it explain why Nicki didn't want to become pregnant? Possibly, as she herself went through a traumatic experience as a teenager, forcibly married to an older man and impregnated, who then flees her marriage and her baby. Is Nicki terrified of having a daughter now that she's borne Bill two sons? Was she in a state of denial about what had happened to her?

Barb. Poor Barb, following her ex-communication, suffers a slight breakdown and becomes obsessed with the notion of expanding their family, even suggesting to Bill that they rent the womb of an Indian surrogate and implant her with Bill's sperm in order to add a child to their family... as Nicki is in "open rebellion" about her desire to not reproduce. For Barb, a child is something to cling to. Given that she can't bear children of her own and has been ex-communicated, it's an effort to find something to desperately hold onto. Fortunately, her prayers are literally answered as Nicki does expand their family for them, bringing Cara Lynn into their midst and adding another soul to their eternal family.

Margene. Ginnifer Goodwin's performance in this episode when she stands up to Bill about her business was absolutely exquisite. The strength with which she imbued Margie was at complete opposition to the meek, peace-keeping girl we've known and loved. It pointed to a new-found maturity and purpose and it was absolutely wonderful to see her stand up to Bill, as a mature and fully realized woman. And it completely stunned Bill to see his youngest wife draw a line in the sand. I do think that Margene knows what she's doing and I hope that Season Four picks up with Margene embarking on a successful business venture that is completely her own. In that one scene, the former Henrickson babysitter grew up and became a Boss Lady of her own. It was a dynamic transformation that speaks towards the complexity of her character and the writers' artful development of her character over the past three seasons.

Cara Lynn. While Cara Lynn only appeared in about two scenes in this episode, I have to say that I am already impressed with the young actress Cassi Thompson who plays Nicki's daughter. In just those few on-screen minutes, Thompson has painted Cara Lynn as a young woman with an independent streak who is more like her mother than they realize. (Just look at the ease which with she lied to Malinda about the cake.) While she dreams about being a doctor and vet, it's clear that she has no future other than motherhood and servitude on the compound. However, it's also clear that there's no way in hell that J.J. is going to let his daughter go without a fight...

Sarah. I was surprised that Sarah asked Scott (Aaron Paul) to marry her so suddenly but I am extremely excited to see what new dimension their union will bring to Season Four. While Scott was initially skeptical about embarking on a new life together without a plan for the future, he quickly came around and accepted her proposal. Just what sort of future will these two have? Is Scott cut out for a life of secular monogamy or will his philandering ways lead him to receive a testimony pushing him towards the Principle? Hmmm...

Alby. I loved the scene between Alby and Nicki as they ghoulishly discussed how best to eliminate Roman and Adaleen for good... and Nicki only seemed to half-understand that Alby was being serious. He and his wife Lura (Anne Dudek) are absolutely terrifying together and are two very dangerous partners in crime. (Lura, after all, did grow up in a copper mine so knows first-hand about explosives.) Alby's attempt on his mother's life seemed to balance the scales a bit and points to a possible reconciliation between the two in Season Four. The scene in which he left her a letter bomb in the hallway of her motel--only to have the maid run over the package with her cart--was painfully tense. And, of course, Alby literally got caught in the line of fire, while Adaleen wasn't injured at all.

Ted and Cindy. Yes, Bill and Barb were there for Ted and Cindy during the ordeal of Kim Lee's kidnapping by Hollis Greene but both Ted and Cindy thought that this traumatic experience could erase what they had done to the Henricksons. I'm glad that Barb didn't promise her sister that they could just work together on the casino project and forget the past... and that Bill managed to cut a deal with the LDS church, offering a massive endowment to Brigham Young University (five percent of the casino profits) in order to remove the many impediments that Ted had thrown in the way of the project.

Yet I am also glad that Kim Lee wasn't killed in the end (even that would have been too depressing, even for Big Love) and was safely returned. That all of this should have happened because of a letter--and a fake one, at that, created by Alby--is mind-boggling. That this was a business that Juniper Creek regularly engaged in and was successfully picked up by Alby after Roman's arrest points to a keen manipulation of the system and just how insidious both Roman and Alby truly are.

The Greenes. Once again, Hollis Greene managed to escape into the ether. After making Kim Lee a special pet and wanting to adopt her and bring her to their compound in Mexico, Selma makes a deal with her brother Roman to return the girl... and winds up arrested. I'm glad that Selma didn't come to her senses and realize that what they had done was wrong but rather she became intensely jealous of Kim Lee and acted once again out of self-interest rather than the greater good. I'm extremely nervous that Hollis will return once more next season to try to gain control of the compound now that Alby is in the hospital, his wives have fled, and Roman Grant is dead.

Roman. Speaking of which, I'm impressed that the writers killed off Roman Grant. I loved Harry Dean Stanton's nuanced performance of this complex and tyrannical self-made prophet and I'll miss him but I couldn't really imagine what the series would have done with Roman next season had he managed to escape unscathed. (Certainly not another trial for the murder of Kathy Marquart, as we've been down that road once before.) There was only one way that this season would end and it would be with the death of Roman Grant. When that closet door opened as Roman, alone, played his guitar in the big house, I wasn't sure who would be there to send Roman on his way to "salvation." In fact, I wondered if it would be Nicki herself... but I was saddened to see that it was Joey enacting a Biblical vengeance for Kathy's murder. Roman has had a way of wriggling out of every net and Joey ensured that he would pay for murdering his beloved Kathy. That it was man's justice rather than God's, will weigh heavily on Joey in the coming season, I am sure. But there was no way that Joey, unhinged as he was by Kathy's death, wouldn't seek to make Roman pay for what he had done, with no way of knowing that the D.A.'s office was going to indict him the following day. Tragic.

Bill. As for Bill, if the past three seasons have taught him anything, it's that he needs to reclaim the keys to the kingdom and form his own church, one that's separate from the one that turned its back on Barb and from the violent splinter group of Juniper Creek which have turned the Principle into something dark and twisted. The realization that he would do so brought a new sense of purpose (something each of the characters experienced in their own ways this episode) and the simple grace with which he offered his family communion pointed toward the hope of the future.

And that's really what Season Three ended on: the Henricksons once again joined together in a spirit of community and hope, united against the darkness around them, forging a bright beacon of faith against those who would seek to harm them or corrupt their beliefs. While I'm heartbroken that this amazing season of Big Love has drawn to a close, I'm already shivering with excitement to see just what Season Four has in store for the Henrickson clan... and only wish that day could come sooner rather than later.

What did you think of the season finale? What are your predictions for Season Four of Big Love? Were you shocked by Roman's death? Alby's attempt on Adaleen's life? And just what does the future hold for all of them? Discuss.

An Unfortunate Destiny: The Henricksons Face the Outer Darkness on "Big Love"

When faced with tragedy and adversity some see it as divine punishment, others that these are trials to test one's faith, and still others see it as the chaotic nature of life itself.

This week's truly sensational and gripping episode of Big Love ("Outer Darkness"), written by Eileen Myers and directed by Michael Lehmann, pushed the Henrickson clan past their breaking point as it revealed long-buried secrets, set siblings against one another, and perhaps presaged the breakdown of the family's plural marriage itself as Barb faced ex-communication from the Mormon church and Bill sought to unseal himself from Nicki.

Just... wow. I know I wax enthusiastically about Big Love every week but this week's outstanding installment offered one of the most emotionally stirring, taut, and gripping hours of television this year and proved once again that Big Love is one of the most intelligent and resonant series on television today.

Barb. My sympathy this episode lay squarely with Barb, as she faced ex-communication from her church, thanks to her sister Cindy. The look of terror on Jeanne Tripplehorn's face as she confessed to Bill that she had a nightmare about the outer darkness was stirring. Barb has always chafed against the demands that her marriage has placed on her, even as she's tried to fulfill her duty to Bill by following his lead. Yet this week's episode showed that Barb has long doubted whether she really has had a testimony to the Principle. Does she want to be in this marriage? Does she want to seal herself forever to Nicki and Margene? Is this the life she wants to lead, one in which she's cast out of her own church?

Tripplehorn gave a magnificent performance of a woman torn to shreds inside by her conflicting beliefs and the way that that she emotionally and physically collapsed upon hearing the disciplinary panel's decision spoke volumes about her state of mind right now. It was hardly a surprise then to see Barb walk past Nicki in the parking lot without a word. While it might have been Cindy who set Bishop Devery on her trail, Barb blames Nicki for everything that has befallen them. After all, it was her presence by her sickbed that lead to Bill's testimony in the first place. Scapegoating? Perhaps, but Nicki stands to represent everything she hates about her life right now: the betrayals, the lies, the cover-ups, her own eternal damnation.

While the LDS church was up in arms about the series' portrayal of a sacred ritual, I have to say that the writers handled this delicate matter with grace and honesty. The ceremony in which Barb received her endowments was beautifully filmed and the subject matter wasn't made light of in any way, shape, or form but delivered in a matter-of-fact fashion without judgment. That Barb's mother should look so happy--finally!--about her daughter returning to the church, only to realize just what would be happening to her was moving and saddening.

Nicki. I loved seeing Nicki return to the big house and interact with Alby, who shared with her his plan to destroy their parents. I'm still torn about who between Alby and Roman is more dangerous running the compound and, if I'm being honest, I still can't decide. Alby reached out to Nicki in a way that he never had before and offered to let her stay at his side, a move that made Alby's treacherous wife Lura seethe with jealousy. Barb is right however, that Nicki acts as though she has done nothing wrong and shows no remorse for her actions. Whether she is a sociopath remains to be seen but she does have an uncanny ability to cast out any guilt or shame she might be feeling for her own doing. Is there a future for her with the Henricksons now that she has betrayed all of them so many times, so callously and selfishly? I don't know. Nicki seemed to think that Bill's phone call and their lovemaking (after he told her that he wants to end their marriage, no less) meant that he had changed his position on their situation. But it clearly hasn't: even after all of that, Bill tells her that he and Roman discussed unsealing her to him, a move that shocks Nicki to the core.

Nicki, for her part, has been sealed and unsealed before: to the enigmatic J.J. (Zeljko Ivanek) who happens to be Wanda's no-good brother. But this week's episode offered yet another twist to Nicki's long-buried past. It turns out that her marriage to J.J. resulted in a child, a daughter, that she has concealed from Bill and her sister wives. Could this child be the real reason she's secretly been taking birth control pills? I'm not sure, but it's clear that giving up her daughter was the price she had to pay for having her marriage be unsealed by Roman. Very, very interesting.

Sarah. I was happy to see that the writers hadn't completely dropped the Sarah/Scott (Aaron Paul) storyline after she miscarried. Here, Scott turns up after he learns what had actually happened to Sarah... and gets a swift punch from an overprotective Ben. And even though Bill bars Scott from seeing Sarah, they quickly get back together again... and are caught in bed by Nicki. And while Nicki seems to have no problem deflecting blame from herself, she does keep their liaison a secret from Barb and Bill (though she does make them wash the sheets straightaway), proving that there is a strong bond between her and Sarah.

Ted. I could not believe that Ted managed to manipulate his way into Bill's casino deal but he quickly finds himself way over his head when the Greenes kidnap his daughter Kim Lee and hold her hostage in exchange for the letter. That this letter would seem to be the cause behind so much bloodshed and unhappiness--while a young girl's life hangs in the balance--points to how much both sides would want to expose or conceal the truth about their way of life. Cindy doesn't understand the harm she'll do by telling the Bishop about Barb's plural marriage and Ted never understands that he's playing with fire here. You do not want to tick off the Greenes and he's managed to do so. They'll have no compunction about murdering Kim Lee but this could be just the chance the government needs to take action against Hollis and Selma.

Jodean. Wanda, meanwhile, seeks to make over Jodean into her dead twin sister's image. And while Jodean is intently aware of just what Wanda is trying to do, she does let her take her hair down and braid it like Kathy's. Once again I have to compliment Mireille Enos' performance this week: the small differences between Jodean and Kathy are abundantly clear (especially her voice and body language) and the scene between Jodean and Joey in the barn--when he seizes her and kisses her--was absolutely heartbreaking. Jodean speaks of sharing a bond with Kathy that transcended space but it's a bond, given their looks, that transcends death.

Will Joey be tempted by Jodean and try to recreate the love that he's lost with Kathy with her? It certainly looks that way and their scenes together were given an added shade of pain and longing by the haunting and lush musical score, which recalled Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of mistaken identity and look-a-likes, Vertigo. Jodean may have run off from Joey after their embrace but she did return his passion for a second. Could it be that, like toothaches and looks, she shares that with her sister? (Looking for more info on Kathy and Jodean? Check out my interview with actress Mireille Enos here.)

Bill. Poor Bill is struggling to keep everything together but he's shutting everyone out, deciding to have Nicki unsealed without even consulting Barb or Margene, making plans to set her up in one of Don's apartments. The look of horror on his face when Joey, realizing that Bill has essentially let Roman off the hook for Kathy's murder (thanks to his deal with the DA), says that they are no longer brothers was absolutely wrenching... as was the terror on his face when he fell through the barn floor and looked up at the outer darkness, a darkness that could be facing them all in the end. Has Bill made the right decisions? Has he passed the divine tests beset him? Or has it all been for naught? It was a terrifying and terrific end to an episode that was overflowing with sensational emotional beats.

His decision to get Roman's probation lifted in order to save the life of Kim Lee, even after everything that Roman and Ted have done to him and his family, does point to Bill's unerring belief in the "greater good." But whether Bill will have managed to uphold the peace or unleash a vicious serpent remains to be seen.

Best line of the evening: "More fun than a barrel of monkeys, moron!" - Roman, watching Wheel of Fortune at his motel

What did you think of this week's episode and of the revelation that Nicki has a daughter that no one knew about? Will Bill follow through on his plans to remove Nicki from the household? Will Roman go free, even after killing Kathy? And just what is Alby's plan? Discuss.

Next week on the season finale of Big Love ("Sacrament"), Bill convinces Ray Henry to endorse his plan to rescue his kidnapped niece Kim Lee; Nicki receives a surprise visitor; Alby hatches a deadly plot to consolidate his power; Sarah shocks the family with a surprise announcement.

Hope Springs Eternal: Televisionary Talks With Mireille Enos of HBO's "Big Love"

It was the neck snap heard round the world.

Fans of HBO's provocative and gripping Big Love suffered a gut-wrenching shock in recent weeks when showrunners Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer killed off much-beloved character Kathy Marquart in a stunning plot twist that saw Kathy fleeing a forcible sealing to sociopath Hollis Greene (Luke Askew) at the hands of vindictive Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton).

But for Mireille Enos, who played the "eternally hopeful" Kathy for two seasons, it was just yet another curve in the road in her ongoing journey on Big Love, for the Tony-nominated actress who also plays Kathy's twin sister Jodean on the HBO drama.

I had the opportunity earlier this week to speak with Enos about her involvement in Big Love, Kathy's life and death, Jodean's creation, and what we can expect to see now that Kathy has picked her last flower.

Televisionary: How did you first become involved with Big Love?

Mireille Enos: I auditioned for a completely different part that was going to have two episodes and it wasn’t the right fit for me. Then, a few weeks later they called and offered me the part of Kathy and that was during the second season. At that time they thought Kathy was going to have three episodes. So I was thrilled and said sure… and then three episodes turned into six and then, when it came to the third season, they asked me to be a series regular. And that time I thought it was just Kathy and then about two weeks before we started shooting they called and said that they wanted to add this other character, Jodean.

Q: What was your reaction when Mark [Olsen] and Will [Scheffer] approached you about also playing Jodean?

Enos: Oh, I was terrified and thrilled. I was totally stunned. I didn’t know what to say for a couple of minutes and then I started asking questions about who this new girl was and how she was different from Kathy and they didn’t know, they hadn’t mapped it out completely. Which was actually really exciting because they said we’ll be looking to you a lot to bring in ideas and we kind of figured it out together. It became a process and it was an amazing time because it was right at the time as the raid on the Texas compound was happening, so there were all kinds of interviews happening on YouTube and TV. I was able to sit and watch these women and look at images from the Warren Jeffs trial and try to figure out what point of view would be an opposite one to Kathy’s without it feeling anything stereotypical like an evil twin or anything like that, but just have a different world view. Then Jodean started to take shape.

Q: What sort of character traits within Kathy did you really want to show some kind of reflection to?

Enos: What’s really true about Kathy from the very beginning is, in spite of the sadness around here, she is eternally hopeful and childlike and faithful. I wanted Kathy… Obviously, the compound situation is insane. I wanted her to be an example of the potential goodness of being a believer. She just remains kind of childlike, even though her life has been complicated. And so when I approached Jodean, I thought, if Kathy is eternally hopeful, what happens when you remove hope from a person? If Kathy wants to think the best of people—that’s her first impulse, what if Jodean protects herself first and trusts later, if she holds her cards much closer to her chest. It’s hard to know what she thinks about things, where her loyalties lie.

Q: Did you have any initial reservations about the polygamist subject matter when you first joined the cast?

Enos: Nope. It was a non-issue. Because it’s sort of such a strange world and totally removed from my own personal experiences, I approached it the same way I would playing someone who was Amish or Hasidic or has some other strong religious belief that is something that I’ve never experienced personally.

Q: Did you ever think Kathy would become such a pivotal character in the series?

Enos: No, I didn’t. I hoped that she’d stick around and the first episode that I was in was when Melora Walters, who plays Wanda, had been taken to the psych hospital and Kathy shows up to take care of the baby and she and Joey have this scene at the car where there’s a potential for a connection. And I thought I’ve got maybe three episodes but I have to make myself invaluable. So I wanted to make a moment with that scene between her and Joey and of course I hoped that she would turn into a regular character but it has exceeded my expectations completely.

Q: On that same note, were you surprised then by what an impact Kathy’s death had on the audience?

Enos: Actually, by the time we got to her death, it made sense that it would have that kind of impact because everyone else on the show—like most people in life—have both sides, have goodness and massive faults. And Kathy is the only character on the show where we haven’t really seen what her faults might be. She’s kind of perfect and so she’s the only one who, if killed, that it would be just a complete senseless tragedy.

Q: When did Mark and Will tell you that they were going to kill off Kathy?

Enos: (Laughs.) They didn’t tell me! They sent me the script without telling me! And so I was [sing-song], new script, and I sat and read it. I read that last scene and it was late, maybe ten at night, and I was alone in the house and I just sat, paralyzed. I kept reading the last page over and over, thinking, because the writing and the language was slightly ambiguous, about whether she is fully dead or not. Maybe she’ll come back; maybe she’s not actually dead; maybe it will just be a cliffhanger. And then the next day, Mark and Will called together and they said, “Hi, honey.” And then I knew. And actually they said, we’ve known for a really long time that this is what needed to happen but we didn’t want to let you know beforehand. Obviously, it would have colored what I did in the rest of the season.

Q; Was that Kathy’s death behind their desire to create Jodean then?

Enos: Yes, it was. I’m very grateful for that because they knew before the season started that Kathy needed to die, so they made a way for me to stick around.

Q: Are you ever going to wear your hair in a braid again after what happened to Kathy?

Enos: (Laughs). Probably not. (Laughs.)

Q: How do you approach playing a dual role like Kathy and Jodean? What are the challenges involved with that?

Enos: The hardest part was at the beginning because I had time to figure out who Kathy was but with Jodean I was just kind of thrown it into it. I wanted them to be distinct but of course the trap is to make them different in just kind of an arbitrary way that isn’t actually true to who this new person is as a whole person. It needed to be shown up but also specific enough and I feel like—I mean, I am going to be more critical of my work than anybody but I feel watching it like it took me a couple of episodes to actually fall into her. By episode four, I feel like Jodean actually took shape but the first episode I was like, “Ahhh! Where does her voice sit?” Also the first few episodes, I always felt like I was playing Jodean in reference to Kathy, instead of having them be two separate people. By the end it started to be really fun because my body and my voice and everything, I knew where it was supposed to sit for each one of them. So by then it was just fun but at the beginning it was tricky.

Q: Are there any similarities between Kathy and Jodean that we’ll get to see explored in the next few episodes?

Enos: I think that they are both fighters. I think that that wasn’t immediately obvious about Kathy in the early episodes but clearly it is when she runs [in “Fight or Flight”], she was definitely a fighter and I think Jodean is a fighter in her own way. They’re both fiercely loyal to the people they love although Jodean had to make a hard choice between her son and her sister [in “On Trial”] and she chose her son. It’s going to be interesting to see where Jodean’s storyline goes. I have no idea what they are going to do with her next season. But that’s really the main thing: they are fighters and they are loyal.

Q: Speaking of “Fight or Flight,” what went through your head when you were filming that climactic scene where Kathy does decide she’s going to run? Was it a really challenging scene to do in that it was your last scene as Kathy?

Enos: Luckily, I knew that there was going to be a pickup scene from an earlier episode that was a really happy scene so it wasn’t the last scene that I got to shoot as Kathy. And I was really grateful for that, that she got to be alive for the last time that I played her and happy. It was a challenging day but it was a good day. We were shooting in that barn, which was just gorgeous and everybody in that scene with me was just these amazing actors. It was exhilarating getting into the emotion and getting to have her be so full-strength and getting to drive the truck and all of that. It was long and grueling but it was really fun; watching the stunt of the car crash was really intense. I’ve never gotten to watch that kind of stuff. We actually got to smash the truck and there’s eight cameras rolling and it was an awesome movie moment to be a part of.

Q: You mentioned before the choice that Jodean makes during Roman Grant’s trial in “On Trial.” Do you believe that Kathy died believing that Jodean had betrayed her?

Enos: Well, because it isn’t written, at some point Mark and Will might decide to write what is true. What I decided was true was that as soon they were back on the compound Jodean took the opportunity to say, “I had no choice, it was my son.” Even if Kathy knew what had happened, it doesn’t change the end result: that Roman went free. Kathy would understand, of course, but it is still a painful, painful experience between them and for Jodean--in last week’s episode [“Rough Edges”] Jodean doesn’t speak, but I think that there’s a world going on [inside her] and I think that Jodean has to blame herself on some level for her sister’s death.

Q: Many of your scenes as Kathy were shot with Melora Walter’s Wanda and Shawn Doyle’s Joey Henrickson. What was it like an actor in Season Two coming into that intense relationship?

Enos: Both Melora and Shawn are the most wonderful actors I’ve ever worked with. So generous, so kind, and just the best people; you just want to have those people in your life and they made it an awesome, wonderful experience. They are so embracing and they’re just pros; they want to tell good stories and so they just threw the doors wide open. It was just such a wonderful, happy experience working with both of them.

Q: Are you set to return for Season Four of Big Love?

Enos: Yes, I am.

Q: And will you be a series regular?

Enos: Yes.

Q: To step away from Big Love for a second, you are a Tony-nominated actress [for 2005’s Broadway production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]; what’s more interesting to you about working in television or on stage?

Enos: They are completely different. I started in theater. I loved theater; I deeply love working in theater and some of my richest performances have happened on the stage. Working on Virginia Woolf was a complete dream. I grew leaps and bounds. And then because I’d been in Europe for ten years and basically doing only stagework and Woolf ran for seven months in New York and four months in London. At the end of that experience I just knew that I was ready for a change and moved out to Los Angeles and was lucky enough that within a year I was working on Big Love, which was just amazing writing and wonderful actors. Now, because it’s all still relatively new, it’s the most exciting thing right now because I’m learning how my work is different in front of a camera. It’s a whole new technique so really I’d say both. But right now, this is where I want to be but, ultimately, I still will always want to go back to New York and do plays.

Q: Is there a particular actor whose career you’d like to emulate or someone who has inspired you in some way?

Enos: Oh, it’s so kind of [predictable] to say but Meryl Streep, the kind of range that she has played all through her career and she does stage and film and everything. I like character actors too like Marcia Gay Harden, who I think is just awesome.

Q: Are there any actors within Big Love that you’d love to shoot a juicy scene with that you haven’t gotten to yet?

Enos: I would love to have a scene with the actor that plays Alby, Matt Ross. I got to work with Harry Dean [Stanton]; I had just one little moment with Mary Kay Place but I would love to have an actual scene with her. I think she’s fantastic. So probably those two would be my top picks.

Q: If Mark and Will could do anything with Jodean, no matter how crazy, where would you like to see them take her as a character?

Enos: Mary Kay Place [who plays Adaleen Grant] is a woman fighter on the compound but she is a fighter for the cause of the compound and I would love for them to have a strong woman fighting against the evils of the compound. And Kathy tried but she was so meek she wasn’t able to make any ground. So I would love for Jodean to become this powerful woman figure. That would be awesome. I think she has the balls to go head to head with some of the guys.

Q: Lastly, can you give us any hints about what the audience can expect to see with Jodean in the last two episodes of Season Four?

Enos: No, you just have to wait and see! (Laughs.) But both Joey and Jodean want to find out what happened to Kathy and so they are both going to be ambitiously trying to find out answers.

Given the luminous quality Mireille Enos has brought to her portrayal of both Kathy and Jodean so far, let's hope those answers continue to put this talented actress front and center on this complex and fascinating drama.

Big Love wraps its third season on Sunday, March 22nd at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Channel Surfing: FOX Gets "Mental," HBO Defends "Big Love" Controversy, BBC to Dine Again at Blanc's "Restaurant," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

FOX has acquired US rights to FTVS' thirteen-episode medical drama Mental, starring Chris Vance (Prison Break), Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos), and Jacqueline McKenzie (The 4400), which it plans to air this summer. Series, created by Deborah Joy LeVine and Dan Levine. Project, from Fox Television Studios and Fox International Channels, was shot last year in Bogota, Colombia as part of a international co-production business model that produces fare internationally and then sells it back into the US market. (Variety)

HBO has defended its plans to air a March 15th episode of drama Big Love, which features a sacred Mormon endowment ritual, despite encountering criticism from Church of Latter Day Saints officials who claimed to be "offended" by the inclusion of such a ceremony, said to be viewable only by LDS church members in good standing. "Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church, but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," said HBO in a statement. Series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, meanwhile, said that the ceremony was vetted by experts for accuracy. "In approaching the dramatization of the endowment ceremony, we knew we had a responsibility to be completely accurate and to show the ceremony in the proper context and with respect," said Olsen and Scheffer in a separate statement. "We therefore took great pains to depict the ceremony with the dignity and reverence it is due." (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC has commissioned a third season of culinary competition series The Restaurant (which airs Stateside on BBC America as Last Restaurant Standing) and plans to air the third season later this year. Raymond Blanc and his two inspectors, Sarah Willingham and David Moore, will return for a third season, which will see nine couples compete for their own restaurant. "This year will be survival of the fittest," said Blanc. "I am not looking for dreamers, I want to see couples with fresh ideas and a partnership that will flourish under pressure." (BBC)

Pilot casting alert: Tyler Labine (Reaper) has been cast as the lead in FOX comedy pilot Sons of Tucson; Natalie Dormer (The Tudors) has snagged the female lead on FOX drama pilot Masterwork, from Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring; Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) has been cast in ABC's drama pilot Eastwick, Drake Bell (Drake and Josh) will star in CBS comedy pilot The Fish Tank; Eion Bailey (ER) and Kristin Bauer (True Blood) have joined CBS drama pilot House Rules; and Richard Schiff (The West Wing) has been cast in FOX drama pilot The Reincarnationist. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a sneak peek at two clips from this Thursday's return of Smallville on the CW. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has ordered eight episodes of reality competition series Great American Road Trip, in which seven families will drive cross-country to various well-known US landmarks and compete in challenges against the other families until only one remains. Series, from BBC Worldwide, will launch this summer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Is the long-rumored Star Wars live action series finally in the works? Damages' Rose Byrne, promoting Knowing, her new film with Nicholas Cage, allegedly revealed that the series is currently casting. “A lot of my friends have been auditioning for it,” said Byrne of the series, which is said to focus on minor characters during the time period between Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars. (MTV Movies Blog)

Ousted NBC Universal executive Katherine Pope will oversee television operations for outgoing News Corp chairman Peter Chernin's new production company, says Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

MTV has ordered 20 episodes of animated series DJ and the Fro, about two office workers who trade viral videos while chaos reigns around them, and has ordered five scripted pilots, said to be a mix of live-action and animated fare. Among them is Private High Musical, an adaptation of the web series that spoofed Disney Channel's High School Musical, Long Distance Relationship, about a couple who try to stay together when they attend different universities, and sketch comedy Popzilla. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has signed a deal with Sony's PlayStation Network that will enable users to download its movies and television episodes on PlayStation 3 and PSP devices. Television episodes from such series as Battlestar Galactica, The Office, Heroes, 30 Rock, and Eureka will be available for download 24 hours after their linear transmission; both television and feature offerings will be made available in both high-definition and standard-definition options. (Variety)

The Hollywood Reporter's Steven Zeitchik looks at what the proposed and "nearly unpredecented" merger between William Morris Agency and Endeavor would mean for the industry and the shared appeal it has for both companies. However, given the current duplication of work at both companies, job cuts are to be expected following the merger. (Hollywood Reporter)

Following several cost-cutting measures, Sony Pictures Entertainment will layoff roughly 250 employees and cut another 100 open positions, reducing their overall workforce by five percent worldwide. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Kaplan/Perrone talent manager Justin Killion has been hired as VP of development at Thom Beers' Original Prods., where he will oversee reality programming but also make a push for the company into scripted series. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Rough Edges: Truth and Consequences on "Big Love"

Could it be that Kathy Marquart's death has shown everyone's true colors?

I never thought it possible that Lois would show true compassion or that Wanda would show some grit but this week's episode of HBO's superlative drama series Big Love ("Rough Edges"), written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, proved that the series can surprise in smaller moments just as much as it can shock and awe when it pulls out all of the stops.

With the death of the much beloved Kathy Marquart, it seems that several of the characters are acting in heretofore unseen ways, whether that be Roman Grant's fear that his complicity in her death will be discovered (despite his later showboating at poor Kathy's funeral), Wanda's move to support her long-suffering husband Joey, and Lois' attempts to form a bond with Wanda in the face of their shared loss.

All of which would have been enough character development to last an entire season, but that's to say nothing about the intrigues and plots that the other characters are currently enmeshed in: Nikki coming clean to Ray about her true purpose at the DA's office, Bill's scuffles with brother-in-law Ted, the return of the Greens... who come close to ending Bill's life on the floor of his office, and the first appearance by Wanda's brother J.J. (Zeljko Ivanek), whom Nicki had been sealed to as a teenager.

Nicki. This week's episode made me want to reach into the television set and shake some sense into Nicki. It is mind-boggling to me just how out of touch with reality she is and how she can keep denying what she has done to the Henrickson clan. She willfully betrayed all of them by secretly taking birth control, stole Margene's identity, spied at the DA's office for her father and tampered with witnesses, and embarked on a relationship with her boss, Ray Henry. None of which has seemed to phase Nicki one bit; she still can't believe why no one wants to hear her side of things. The scene between her and Ray in the street was powerfully understated; you could see in Chloe Sevigny's eyes just how much she wanted to leave with Ray, to convince him that she loves him, and how much she is torn by her duty to her family... who can't seem to understand why Nicki would betray them in this fashion.

Did Adaleen and Roman put her up to this? Of course they did and Nicki's always followed their orders without question (especially Roman), even though they clearly don't give a fig about her. (Loved the way that Roman said that Nicki voted with her hand when she pushed him down a courthouse stairwell.) There's no way that Adaleen is going to defy Roman and speak up for her daughter, who faces a litany of serious criminal charges for her part in the conspiracy. And she's clearly made enemies out of the people she cares about most. I was glad to see that Bill made Nicki choose whether or not she wanted to come home (she refused)... and that Joey then kicked her out of his house as well. Kathy's death was a direct result of Nicki's involvement in the trial; because of her, Roman DID go free and did exact his revenge on Kathy. And with nowhere else to turn, Nicki goes to the big house. And is very surprisingly welcomed with open arms by Alby. Gee, do we think his newfound love for his sister has anything to do with offering a united front against their father? Hmmm...

Lois. Out of nearly everyone (save Joey, who outright accuses Roman of murdering Kathy at the funeral), Lois seems the most clearly affected by Kathy's death. Could it be because of its own similarities to the fate that befell her daughter Maggie? Could Lois also suspect that Kathy's death wasn't an accident? That remains to be unseen. But she reaches out to Wanda in a way that she hasn't on the series to date and the two seem bound by tragedy now. The fact that she locks herself in a gas station restroom overcome by sadness but ends up offering a beautifully poignant speech about death and how the living have to accept that pain and try to endure speaks volumes about Lois' contradictory nature. This season we've been seeing a deeper side of Lois Henrickson, one that's colored by grief and unpent rage, and I think that Grace Zabriskie has done an extraordinary job of bringing this complex woman to life before our eyes.

Wanda. Likewise, I was amazed to see Wanda take on a leadership role at the funeral, protecting Joey and appropriately thanking everyone for paying their respects to Kathy. It's a stronger Wanda than we've seen of late and I think that admitting to Lois that she wished Kathy harm lifted an extraordinary weight off of her shoulders. Just how Wanda will roll with this latest tragedy remains to be seen but the way she kept looking at Wanda's portrait and her twin sister Jodean makes me think that Wanda is going to try to get Joey to take on Jodean as a new wife in an effort to replace Kathy. It's a plan that's bound to fail... and will likely put her once again on a path of destruction at the hands of Frank Harlow.

I was VERY surprised to find out that the enigmatic J.J. (Damages' Zeljko Ivanek), whom we learned earlier this season had been sealed to Nicki, was in fact Wanda's own brother. Ivanek is always wonderful and here he radiates a malevolent presence that makes me very concerned. He clearly hasn't gotten over Nicki and--now that she's back on the compound at the big house--it's only a matter of time before they cross paths. Color me very worried about this latest wild card.

Bill. Once again, Bill is playing with fire, inciting his brother-in-law Ted to take actions against Bill's casino project. And Bill definitely crosses a line by hiring thieves to break in and steal an authentication report proving that the church document advocating polygamy is real. If that weren't bad enough, said thieves actually belong to Hollis and Selma Green's creepy sect and bring the terrifying leaders to Bill's office, where they demand the letter. Unfortunately for Bill, the report itself is gone, taken by Don in an effort to prove to his two errant sister wives the legitimacy of plural marriage... and Bill is nearly strangled to death by the Greens' hulking henchman. If it hadn't been for Don's quick thinking in pulling the fire alarm, I do think they would have killed Bill right then and there. Terrifying indeed.

All in all, another fantastic episode of a series that just gets better and better with age. I'm shocked that there's only two episodes left with so much to wrap up this season and, if the past few episodes have been any indication, I believe we're in for two of the most heart-pounding and tense installments of Big Love yet. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Next week on Big Love ("Outer Darkness"), Nicki returns home after Barb calls her; Wanda gives Jodean a makeover; Sarah reconnects with Scott; Barb faces ex-communication from her old church following a visit from the bishop.