Channel Surfing: Jennifer Morrison Returns to "House," FOX Rumors Swirl for O'Brien, Possible Curtains for "Crash," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jennifer Morrison will return to FOX medical drama House later this season. While the nature and timing of Cameron's return are unknown, Ausiello quotes an unnamed House insider who said, "You will see Cameron again on House before the end of the season." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Rumors are swirling that Conan O'Brien could be beating a path to FOX to launch a latenight franchise to rival The Tonight Show but it's not exactly a smooth ride. "There are still a slew of obstacles standing in his way at Fox, including those same network affiliates. And several Fox insiders wonder whether it would even be possible to launch a latenight Conan O'Brien franchise anytime soon," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Still, once O'Brien manages to settle out of his NBC contract -- and that's the route he and his reps appear to be taking -- it's entirely possible that Fox could carve out a home for him, sources close to the situation believe." But there are some sizable financial consequences to such a move, including giving up revenue from syndicated shows in the 11 pm timeslot, wariness on the part of local affiliates, and the time it would take to get the series going into production and clear it in the markets. (Variety)

[Editor: For a great take on what NBC needs to do post-Conan, head over to The Chicago Tribune to read Maureen Ryan's insightful thoughts here.]

The fate of Starz drama series Crash is said to be up in the air, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. "Speculation is mounting that the dark Starz drama won't be renewed for a third season," writes Andreeva. "The pay cable network declined comment Wednesday beyond noting that new president and CEO Chris Albrecht began work just three days ago and is still getting a grasp of the place. It is believed the Crash cancellation likely will be among the first programming decisions made by the former HBO honcho." (Hollywood Reporter)

Rob Zombie (Halloween) will direct an upcoming episode of CBS' CSI: Miami, set to air on March 1st. Move marks the television directorial debut of Zombie and the episode will feature the team heading to Los Angeles to investigate a case that involves "secret tape recordings and evidence tampering." (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting alert! Carla Gallo (Bones) and Jose Zuniga (CSI) have been cast in FOX comedy pilot The Station, from executive producer Ben Stiller and 20th Century Fox Television. (Meanwhile, Jordan Peele, who guest starred in the pilot, has been promoted to regular.) Gallo will play "the smart but loopy director of operatives who oversees the undercover field officers in the Central America outpost and has feelings for Eric" (Justin Bartha) while Zuniga will play "a trained field officer tasked with running the import/export cover office but who is dying to get a position inside the station." (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Ben Schwartz (Accidentally on Purpose) has been cast in J.J. Abrams' NBC drama pilot Undercovers opposite Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who play Steven and Samantha, a pair of married spies who are reactivated by the CIA. Schwartz will play a "young CIA agent who is wildly respectful of Steve's career as an agent" on the Warner Bros. Television-produced pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime has announced that Season Four of drama series Army Wives will launch on April 11th. (Variety)

TLC has ordered six episodes of docuseries Addicted, which will follow invention specialist Kristina Wandzilak as she helps people kick their addictions. Series, from Asylum Entertainment, will launch in March. (Variety)

FOX has quietly announced that Gordon Ramsay-led Kitchen Nightmares will debut on Tuesday, January 26th, directly behind American Idol. The scheduling change, reported by Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan, "is part of a two-week stunt to showcase the series - which will still regularly air on Fridays at 9 pm - after American Idol." (Futon Critic)

The corporate restructure at News Corp's Fox Network Group has consolidated entertainment oversight under Peter Rice, who will report to Tony Vinciquerra and will now oversee FX Networks under the new organizational chart. (John Landgraf previously reported to Rich Battista, whose role within the newly reorganized group is unclear.) (Variety)

Style has ordered ten episodes of home-makeover series Tacky House, hosted by Thom Filicia. Series, from Lynchpin Prods., is expected to debut this spring. (Variety)

Former ITV Global Entertainment executive Peter Iacono has been hired by Lionsgate as managing director of international television. Replacing the position vacated by Craig Cegielski, Iacono will report to Kevin Beggs and will be based in Los Angeles. (Variety)

Diane Robina has been hired as EVP of development, acquisitions and programming strategy at TV Guide Network. The former MTV Networks executive will also retain her title of president of FearNet and will report to Ryan O'Hara. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Uprising: Starz Renews "Spartacus" for Second Season

In an unusual move, pay cabler Starz has renewed Spartacus for a second season, over a month before the first season, entitled Spartacus: Blood and Sand is set to debut.

Starz handed out a thirteen-episode second season order to Spartacus today, which will begin production on Season Two in early 2010 in New Zealand. The plot details for Season Two, expected to be entitled Sparactus: Vengeance, are being kept firmly under wraps. Executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen, and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the series' head writer) will all return for Season Two.

"We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement," said Stephan Shelanski, Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, in a statement. "Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features."

"Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories," added Tapert. "The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond."

Season One of Spartacus is set to premiere on January 21st on Starz.

The full press release from Starz announcing the pickup can be found below.

STARZ RETURNS TO THE ARENA WITH MORE ‘SPARTACUS’
Second Season of Highly Anticipated Action Adventure Series Gets
Green Light Prior To January 22 Premiere

Burbank, Calif. – December 21, 2009 – In a bold vote of confidence, Starz executives announced plans today to order a second season of the ground-breaking new original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT. The unusual timing of the renewal, more than one month prior to the debut of the highly anticipated program, gives returning executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the head writer on the show) the green light to start production in New Zealand on 13 new episodes in the first quarter of 2010.

“We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement,” said Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, Stephan Shelanski. “Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.”

“Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories,” added Executive Producer Rob Tapert. “The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond.”

The title of the second season is expected to be “Spartacus: Vengeance,” but other details are being kept under wraps, so as not to spoil any of the sure-to-shock plot twists the first season promises to deliver.

Nearly 4 million moviegoers saw the new “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” trailer in theaters over the weekend and it is expected to hit wide online today.

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” features Australian newcomer Andy Whitfield as the title character, a Thracian fighting to return to his wife after being sold into slavery at a gladiatorial school. He is joined by Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Battlestar: Galactica”) as the deceptive Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy movies) as her power-hungry husband Batiatus, Peter Mensah (300) as the head of the gladiatorial school, Doctore, along with a cast of familiar as well as fresh faces.

The series is shot utilizing virtual environments in the graphic novel style of such successful features as 300 and Sin City. The process gives the show a fresh narrative approach and a hyper-realistic look that is unlike anything yet seen on TV. It’s an entirely new vision of the ancient legend.

Debuting exclusively on Starz, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert (The Grudge, “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

About Starz Media
Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 30.7 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz (NASDAQ: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.

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: Sarah Wynter Gets "Damages," "Life on Mars" Creators Developing at ABC, "Party Down" in April, CBS Counts Down "Numb3rs," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Sarah Wynter (24) has joined the cast of FX's Damages in a recurring role on the series' third season, set to launch in early 2010. She joins the previously reported Reiko Aylesworth, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin, and Campbell Scott. Wynter will play a mysterious "'security specialist' helping a high-level assistant district attorney unravel" a financial scheme; Aylesworth will play the wife of Campbell Scott's character. [Editor: I've also just been informed that "Short's character is a high-powered attorney (family friend) who defends a prominent NY family accused of the financial scheme. Lily Tomlin plays the matriarch of the family."] (Hollywood Reporter)

Life on Mars creators Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have been commissioned by BBC Worldwide new drama czar Jane Tranter to write the script for an ABC drama pilot described as a "California cop show with a British twist." Should the project--executive produced by Julie Gardner--go to pilot, it would be produced by BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles production team and Pharoah and Gardner would remain heavily involved, unlike their limited creative involvement with the US version of Life on Mars. (Broadcast)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Starz comedy series Party Down will return for its second season in April. Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Martin Starr, Ryan Hansen, and Lizzy Caplan are set to return for Season Two and will be joined by new series regular Megan Mullally. Kristen Bell, Jane Lynch, J.K. Simmons, Joey Lauren Adams, Steve Guttenberg (playing himself), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are all set to guest star this time around. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

CBS has cut back the episodic order this season for procedural drama Numb3rs from a full 22 episodes to just 16. Many, including Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, are viewing the decision as a sign that it might be the final season for Numb3rs and that Canadian co-pro Flashpoint might take over the Friday night timeslot. Elsewhere at the network, CBS increased the episodic orders for How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI: Miami, and Two and a Half Men to 24 installments, while Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife, CSI, and The Mentalist, have all been bumped to 23 installments. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Variety)

FX is developing period Western Reconstruction, about a wealthy East Coaster shaken by war who takes refuge in a Missouri town during the post-Civil War reconstruction. Project hails from executive producers Joshua Brand and Peter Horton; Brand will write the script while Horton is attached to direct. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO is developing a telepic based on Mark Bowden's nonfiction book "Guests of the Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis, The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam" about the 444-day hostage crisis involving 66 Americans seized and held hostage for over a year. Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center) has been attached to adapt the book and William Horberg will executive produce. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that ABC, Mark Gordon, and Roland Emmerich are developing a series-based sequel to their upcoming disaster film 2012. “The plan is that it is 2013 and it’s about what happens after the disaster,” Emmerich told Entertainment Weekly. "It is about the resettling of Earth. That is very, very fascinating. (2012 writer/producer) Harald Kloser and I came up with the idea and we have the luxury of having a producer on the film who is a big TV producer, Mark Gordon. We said to Mark, 'Why don’t you do a TV show that picks up where the movie leaves off and call it 2013?' I think it will focus on a group of people who survived but not on the boats... maybe they were on a piece of land that was spared or one that became an island in the process of the crust moving. There are so many possibilities of what they could do and I’d be excited to watch it." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

NBC has signed a first look deal with Don Cheadle's production company Crescendo, which has several projects already set up at NBC, ABC, TNT, and FX, including an ABC drama based on feature film The Star Chamber with writer Zack Estrin attached and an NBC cop drama from The Shield's John Hlavin. (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Arielle Kebbel, who guest stars in Thursday's episode of the CW's Vampire Diaries as vampire Lexi. "She is about as much fun as anyone who's 300-and-something years old," said Kebbel about Lexi, an ancient friend of Stefan's. "She's this burst of energy, a complete life force. It's safe to say she's pretty much been everywhere, seen everything, lived every moment and that makes her even stronger, even more confident, even more sarcastic because she has all of this life experience behind her." (TVGuide.com)

Grace Gummer has been cast opposite Gia Mantegna in TeenNick drama series Gigantic, where she will play the 17-year-old daughter of a celebrity couple. Project is set to debut in early 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC is continuing to make a push into wedding-themed programming, ordering several new projects including November 13th special Battle of the Wedding Planners, six-episode docudrama Happily Ever Faster, about Las Vegas' Chapel of the Flowers, ten-episode reality series Four Weddings, in which four brides attend and score each others nuptials, and Manhattan Marriage Project, which follows wedding planner Gino Filippone. (Variety)

More changes afoot at OWN as Oprah Winfrey Show co-executive producer Lisa Erspamer has been named chief creative officer; she'll assume the position beginning in January and will report to Christina Norman. (Variety)

Jennifer Beals (Lie to Me) has been cast in Hallmark Channel telepic The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, about a family whose home is the crash site for a very early Santa Claus. Pic is set to air next year. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Kristen Bell and Jane Lynch to "Party Down," Angie Harmon Cast in TNT's "Rizzoli," Two Evicted From "Melrose Place," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Good news for Party Down fans! Kristen Bell and Jane Lynch will reprise their roles as Uda Bengt and Constance Carmichael respectively on Season Two of Starz comedy Party Down, which will launch next year on the pay cabler. Bell is set to appear in one episode of the comedy and Party Down star Adam Scott revealed that Henry and Uda are dating while Lizzy Caplan's Casey is seeing someone else. Uh-oh. Lynch, meanwhile, is set to appear in the second season finale, where the Party Down staffers cater... her wedding. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Angie Harmon (Women's Murder Club) has been cast as the titular character in TNT's mystery pilot Rizzoli, where she will play Jane Rizzoli, a detective who teams up with a medical examiner (as yet uncast) to solve crimes in Boston. Project, from Warner Horizon, is based on Tess Gerritsen's novel series and is written by Janet Tamaro. Harmon's casting lifts the contingency off of the project. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Melrose Place cast members Colin Egglesfield and Ashley Simpson-Wentz have been let go from the nighttime soap as part of a creative overhaul of the struggling series that will allow it to "take on a lighter, more fun vibe." Ausiello spoke to Melrose Place executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer about the changes. According to the duo, Simpson-Wentz was always going to leave after the twelfth episode. "Because we felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy upbeat kind of show, and [her] character would move on," said Slavkin, who went on to say that Egglesfield's "brooding alcoholic [character] tonally didn’t fit the paradigm moving into post-murder mystery Melrose Place." There are also no additional plans for Laura Leighton to return to the series as well, though Slavkin indicated that Thomas Calabro will stick around to interact with Heather Locklear's Amanda. "She’s in every episode moving forward," said Slavkin of Amanda. "She’s a major focus [of the show]. She has a hidden agenda that will become not so hidden as the episodes move along. She’s not just the boss of Ella [Katie Cassidy]." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin, meanwhile, caught up with Colin Egglesfield about his departure from Melrose Place, which came as a surprise to the actor. "I got the call this morning from our producers, Todd [Slavkin] and Darren [Swimmer]," Egglesfield told Godwin. "They were really saddened, and you could tell it was difficult for them to break this news to me. They said it was a network decision, and they said the network thought Auggie was a little too dark, with his alcoholism. They felt like in the landscape of Melrose they wanted to change the tone of the show. So that's the explanation that they gave me." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

NBC has given script orders to three projects, including a multi-camera family sitcom from executive producers Adam Carolla, Kevin Hench, Jimmy Kimmel, Daniel Kellison, Gail Berman, and Lloyd Braun about a contractor whose life is sent out of orbit when his wife leaves him, which hails from Universal Media Studios, Jackhole Industries, and BermanBraun. The Peacock is also developing an untitled comedy from Don Cheadle and Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks) about two very different brothers who open a private security company; that project will be produced by Universal Media Studios and Crescendo Prods, with McGruder writing the script. NBC is also developing an untitled comedy from Bill Oakley (The Simpsons), Dutch Oven, and Universal Media Studios, about a circuit courthouse's young judge. (Variety)

TVGuide.com talks with this week's ousted chef from Bravo's Top Chef. (TVGuide.com)

The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that FOX will change its pilot casting process, switching from in-person network tests to taped tests, which will be shot by the studio and then sent to the network. Screen tests are, of course, de rigeur in the feature world and were embraced by new Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice, who came over from the film side of NewsCorp. "The network spends months and months developing a show, and then we have this network test where three actors wait nervously in the hallway, staring at each other and talking on the phone with their agents whether or not to sign the contract," FOX casting chief Marcia Schulman said. "Sometimes we can't cast the right lead for a show because they had a bad moment. Casting is more than 50% of the success of a show, so after spending all that money, why have we been going through that crazy process for so long?" (Hollywood Reporter)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that ABC is close to ordering six episodes of an untitled extreme weight loss series from 3 Ball Entertainment, the producers of NBC's The Biggest Loser. "Each episode [is] focused on the weight loss journey of a single morbidly obese person. It's expected the participants will have as much as 200 pounds to lose." Cameras will therefore spend as much as a year trailing the individuals, who will live at home with their families while shedding the pounds. According to Variety, the project has the working title of Obese. (The Wrap's TV MoJoe, Variety)

SPOILER! TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams caught up with Smallville executive producer Kelly Souders about some specific plot points coming up on Season Nine of the superheroic series. "You will see more people than you can imagine die in the first 12 [episodes]," teased Souders. "Luckily it's Smallville, so not all of them stick." (TVGuide.com)

Style Network has ordered ten episodes of an unusual makeover series entitled What I Hate About Me, in which women will "address the 10 aspects of their lives they dislike the most. Along with the obligatory complaints about cellulite and relationships, the women who appear on the show will look to get a handle on everything from intra-family dynamics to the way they manage their financial affairs." Project, which will be hosted by Lisa Arch, is set to launch on January 2nd. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Lego Group and reality producer Scott Messick are developing unscripted programs that are based around the multi-colored interlocking blocks, including competition series, docusoaps, gameshows, and children's programming. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Ed Norton Drops By "Modern Family," Bryan Fuller and Bryan Singer Team Up at NBC, Anna Camp Heads to "The Office," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ed Norton will guest star on an upcoming episode of ABC's new comedy series Modern Family. Norton will play "the bassist of a famous band whom Claire (Julie Bowen) hires as an anniversary surprise for husband Phil (Ty Burrell)," writes Ausiello. His episode is slated to air in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pushing Daisies' Bryan Fuller and Bryan Singer are teaming up to develop SelleVision, a comedic one-hour adaptation of Augusten Burrough's novel, which is set behind the scenes at a home shopping network. Fuller will write the pilot script while Singer is attached to direct; both will executive produce with Mark Bozek and Russell Nuce. Universal Media Studio is behind the adaptation. "We were all big fans of Augusten and the book, and we all got along great," Fuller told Variety. "So we decided to get into bed together... I love the world of home shopping -- it's such a rich world," he said. "There are those great metaphors of consumerism, buying happiness, all of that chasing material thing." Elsewhere at NBC, Fuller also has a half-hour workplace comedy pilot script called No Kill, which revolves around the employees of a no-kill animal shelter. Project, from Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun, will be executive produced by Fuller, Gail Berman, and Lloyd Braun. And there's still the Pushing Daisies comic book. "Fuller is still working on a comicbook adaptation of his late ABC series Pushing Daisies," writes Variety's Michael Schneider. "Fuller said he remains hopeful that the 12 issues of the comicbook will eventually serve as a blueprint for a Pushing Daisies movie.(Variety)

True Blood's Anna Camp has been cast as a guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's The Office this season. Who's she playing? E! Online's Megan Masters has the scoop: Camp, who very memorably played Sarah Newlin on the HBO vampire drama this summer, will play Penny, the sister to Scranton's Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) on the October 8th episode that features the wedding of Pam and Jim (John Krasinski). (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Ellen DeGeneres has been named the fourth judge on FOX's American Idol, filling the seat left vacant by the departure of Paula Abdul. "I've been dealing with this for the last couple of weeks, and I've been dying to tell everyone," DeGeneres announced to the audience of her eponymous daytime talk show. "It's been so hard to keep it a secret." DeGeneres will join the judges in January and will continue to also host to her Warner Bros. Television-produced daytime series through 2014. (Variety)

Peggy Lipton (Twin Peaks) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Starz's drama Crash, where she replaces Valerie Perrine, who has dropped out due to surgery. Lipton will play Suzy Fields, the ex-wife of record producer Ben Cendars (Dennis Hopper) who is now married to author Owen Fields (Keith Carradine). (Hollywood Reporter)

The BBC has teamed up with Ecosse Films to develop a mini-series adaptation of Kate Atkinson's 1999 novel "Behind the Scenes at the Museum." Written by Brian Fillis (The Curse of Steptoe) and executive produced by Lucy Bedford (Mistresses), the four-hour Behind The Scenes At The Museum is slated to air in 2010 on either BBC One or BBC Two. "I’ve loved the book for ages but was conscious that it is a very difficult adaptation," said executive producer Lucy Bedford. "It’s structurally complex because there are multiple timeframes and the sweep of the story is enormous." (Broadcast)

FOX has ordered a pilot script (with a penalty attached) for a comedy Texts From Last Night, based on the website of the same name, to be written by Steve Holland (The Big Bang Theory). Site invites users to submit embarrassing text messages they sent while drunk or tired. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Happy Madison, will focus on "he whole idea of racy -- and sometimes embarrassing -- communication, particularly among the twentysomething set." (Variety)

Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami) will appear in at least five episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty this season. According to TVGuide.com, Rodriguez will play Bobby, a high school boyfriend of Betty's sister Hilda. "He's an old high school boyfriend, and [he comes] back into their lives," Rodriguez told TVGuide.com. "A little romance buds, and there's some drama to go along with it." (TVGuide.com)

CBS has renewed reality series Big Brother for a twelfth season, slated to air next summer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Season Two of Canadian soap Being Erica will air Stateside on SOAPNet beginning on January 20th. The cabler has also announced that it will repeat the entire first season beginning October 17th. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian takes a look at the "disappointing" premiere ratings for the CW's Melrose Place (about half of that of the series premiere of 90210) and investigates whether or not a further drop-off would spell doom for the nighttime soap. "It will be at least a month before CW programmers have a clear sense of just how well or poorly Melrose is actually doing," writes Adalian.
"The big mystery: Will Melrose suffer the same massive week two dropoff experienced by 90210 last fall? That show lost 30 percent of its premiere audience in week two, and was down to just over 2 million viewers by its finale. If Melrose slides another 30 percent next week, then it could very well be curtains for the show, since it's starting from a much smaller premiere base." Still, cautions Adalian, it's too soon to call the series dead. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Stay tuned.

Hello Starshine: Megan Mullally Lands "Party Down" Role

Pay cabler Starz has announced that former Will & Grace star Megan Mullally has joined the cast of its comedy series Party Down as a series regular.

The network, which also boasts such series as Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Crash, and Head Case, made the announcement via the Facebook page for Party Down.

Mullally, who toplined ABC's short-lived comedy series In the Motherhood with Cheryl Hines and guest starred on NBC's 30 Rock last season, will play Lydia Dunfree, who is described by Staz as "a middle-aged refugee from a lousy marriage who leaves small town life to move to Hollywood where her 13-year-old daughter Escapade hopes to make it as an actress. While the younger endures the audition process, her naïve and eternally optimistic mother Lydia feels honored just to be among the show business 'pros.'"

"Simply stated, we're thrilled," executive producer John Enbom told me via email earlier today about Mullally's casting on the series. "We've very excited now to start shooting."

Party Down, created by Rob Thomas, Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, is expected to return to the Starz schedule in April of next year.

UPDATE: Starz has now officially announced the casting via press release, which can be found below.

MEGAN MULLALLY SET TO ‘PARTY DOWN’
Multi-Emmy® Winner Joins Cast of Starz’ Critically Acclaimed Original Comedy, Returning for its Second Season in Spring 2010

Burbank, CA. – September 2, 2009 – Starz keeps the “Party” hopping and the laughs flowing with the addition of one of television and film’s most beloved comediennes, Megan Mullally, to the cast of the crowd-pleasing original comedy series, “Party Down,” Starz Media EVP Originals Productions and Development Bill Hamm announced today. Production on the second season begins in mid-September in Los Angeles. The half-hour comedy about a Los Angeles catering team – Hollywood wannabes stuck working for tips while hoping for their big break -- is tentatively scheduled to return to the air on Starz in April of 2010.

Mullally (“Will & Grace,” Fame) will play Lydia Dunfree, a middle-aged refugee from a lousy marriage who leaves small town life to move to Hollywood where her 13-year-old daughter Escapade hopes to make it as an actress. While the younger endures the audition process, her naïve and eternally optimistic mother Lydia feels honored just to be among the show business “pros” of the Party Down catering company. Her search for Mr. Right only complicates matters for Lydia, but ups the laughs on the show.

She joins a talented ensemble of actors on the comedy, labeled “a must-see” by USA Today and called “straight-up funny” by Entertainment Weekly. As the first season ended, Ron Donald (Ken Marino), the aggressively dysfunctional former leader of the Party Down Catering company, was headed off to manage a Soup N’ Crackers franchise; leaving one-time actor Henry Pollard (Adam Scott) to fill the void as leader; Roman DeBeers (Martin Starr) a self-proclaimed Sci Fi visionary, was still trying to get his screenplay noticed – by anyone; while actor, musician and all round cute guy Kyle Bradway (Ryan Hansen) landed a role in an upcoming action film; and Henry’s flame Casey (Lizzy Caplan) left him at the catered altar to do a few months of stand-up on a cruise ship.

Also returning for the second season are the show’s creators and executive producers: Rob Thomas (“Veronica Mars,” “Cupid”) along with John Enbom, Paul Rudd and Dan Etheridge. Starz Media, the production and distribution sibling of the Starz premium entertainment channels, is producer of the series.

“I’m so excited to be joining ‘Party Down,’ one of my favorite TV shows,” Mullally said. “I’m a big fan of the series and really thrilled to have an opportunity to work with such a terrific cast and talented group of writers.”

“Megan is quite simply one of the most talented actresses in the entertainment business today,” Hamm said. “Her impeccable comic timing and multi-faceted acting skills make her a great fit for the show, and we can’t wait to see how she interacts with the show’s terrific cast.”

Mullally won two Emmys® for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and was nominated for another five, for her breakout role on the hit comedy series “Will & Grace.” The role also earned her four Golden Globe nominations, four Screen Actors Guild Awards (and an additional three nominations), and more kudos. Other notable TV credits include “The Ellen Burstyn Show,” the TV movie “Winchell” and her daytime talk show “The Megan Mullally Show.” She has a key part in the upcoming feature film Fame, and performs a song on the feature’s soundtrack.

Equally accomplished as an actress and singer, Mullally made her Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of “Grease” and earned rave reviews starring as Rosemary opposite Matthew Broderick in the hit revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Most recently, she drew critical raves for her role in “The Receptionist” at Los Angeles’ Odyssey Theater.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Whedon Talks "Dollhouse" Season Two, "My Name is Earl" Officially Dead, Middleton Talks "Sarah Connor," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Wondering what Joss Whedon has in store for Season Two of Dollhouse, which returns to FOX this fall? Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly caught up with the Dollhouse creator to find out what to expect. "About two hours after starting to talk to the writers about story, I was back with such a vengeance, and so energized and so pumped because we really understand the show now," said Whedon. "We understand what works, and what didn't work so well or what we weren't so thrilled about. We don't have the onus of trying to be a big hit sitting on our shoulders. We can just be ourselves. And so the stories we're breaking are pure, and exciting, and everybody's on-board in the room, and it's never flowed better." Look for Echo to use that final word of Season One as a springboard for her second season mission. ""Echo wants to find not just Caroline, but what's going on behind everything," said Whedon. "She doesn't have all of the skills. [Laughs] But she does have this weird super power of becoming a different person all the time, so she might start using that more specifically to find out who Caroline was and what happened to her and why this place exists." (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

My Name is Earl has officially been killed, following talks between studio 20th Century Fox Television and cabler TBS about picking up new installments of the comedy series. The studio released a statement yesterday that talks between the two sides had broken off after they were unable to reach an agreement. "While we had hoped to find a way to produce additional episodes for TBS, in the final analysis we simply could not make the economics work without seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series," said the studio in a statement. "As none of us, [creator Greg Garcia] included, want the show to go out on anything but a high note, we regret that we must put to rest any speculation that Earl will continue." (Variety)

SCI FI Wire catches up with James Middleton, the executive producer of FOX's canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to find out what would have happened in the series' third season, had it continued. "By jumping into this future, [John] has erased his existence in a certain way, and we see that. We see that nobody recognizes him," said Middleton. "We would have to have explored that if we did get a third season. If we had gotten a third season, I should say, we definitely would have explored what it all meant, but I think there's a great moment where we see Allison [Summer Glau], and John's look to her is very meaningful. I think that also would have been a great thing in terms of dramatic potential. Like I said, the show has ended, and it would all be speculation, and I really don't want to raise anybody's expectations." (SCI FI Wire)

Eric Roberts has joined the cast of Starz drama Crash, where he will play "an entrepreneur hoping to bring a professional football team to L.A." Other new cast members for Season Two, which launches on September 18th, include Dana Ashbrook (yes, Twin Peaks' Bobby Briggs himself!), Linda Park, Jake McLaughlin, Tess Harper, and Julie Warner. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Comic-Con's Dollhouse panel next month will be two-hours long and will feature a screening of the unaired thirteenth episode, entitled "Epitaph One" and a discussion with Joss Whedon and series star Eliza Dushku. The two-hour session, according to a 20th Century Fox Television source, will take place on Friday, July 24th. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Meanwhile, Ryan is also reporting that there won't be a Heroes panel this year at Comic-Con. "According to a representative from Universal Media Studios, which makes the show," writes Ryan, "Heroes will "have a presence" at Comic-Con in various ways, but that presence will not involve the typical panel discussion that is a staple of Comic-Con." What that presence is remains to be seen but Ryan implies that it will involve a Season Four sneak peek in some form. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Stephanie March will be staying put on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and will appear in at least ten episodes next season. "The show is expected to introduce one or possibly two new characters to fill the ADA void when Cabot isn't around," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS Television Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with CSI: NY executive producer Peter Lenkov. Under the terms of the deal, Lenkov will remain on board CSI: NY next season, where he teases fans will see ""Much more character. The mystery and the science are important, but people are just as important." (Hollywood Reporter)

Discovery has given a ten-episode series order to Garage Wars, in which mechanics will be pitted against each other to determine the best garage in America; two teams will be given a box with the same parts and must build the best vehicle from them in just four days. Series, from A. Smith and Co., is currently on the lookout for two car experts to serve as hosts. (Variety)

Outbound News Corp. president/COO Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope are said to have already begun taking meetings at the town's top talent agencies and inviting them to begin pitching projects. The duo are launching a new production company as part of Chenin's exit from News Corp that is said to operate under a similar deal as David E. Kelley's former arrangement. (Hollywood Reporter)

Chuck's Sarah Lancaster will guest star in an upcoming episode of TNT's medical drama Hawthorne, where she will play the girlfriend of a horrific motorcycle accident victim (My Boys' Reid Scott). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Reveille has picked up US remake rights for Icelandic workplace comedy The Nightshift, about three graveyard shift workers at a gas station who try to remain motivated after dealings with eccentric customers. "The Nightshift is that rare international format that has American sensibility, and we're eager to tackle another workplace comedy after the success of The Office," said Reveille's managing director Howard Owens. "The show has a smart, ironic point of view, which we know will translate well in the U.S." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Channel Surfing: "Friday Night Lights" Renewed for Two Seasons, Lucy Lawless Dons Sandals for "Spartacus," Dustin Milligan to Leave "90210," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

NBC and DirecTV have reached a deal to renew drama series Friday Night Lights for two more seasons of 13 episodes each. Following the same model as the air structure this season, DirecTV will get the first window of the fourth and fifth seasons of Friday Night Lights before NBC airs them. Look for current cast members Taylor Kitsch, Matt Gilford, and Adrianne Palicki, who all play seniors, to potentially leave the series but the trio may reprise their roles on a recurring basis in order to wrap up their characters' storylines. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, E! Online)

Lucy Lawless will star in Starz' upcoming gladiator series Spactacus: Blood and Sand, from executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, and Josh Donen. She'll play gladiator camp owner Lucretia, opposite Aussie series lead Andy Whitfield (The Strip). Project, which start shooting next month, is expected to air in January 2010. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly)

Dustin Milligan, who plays jock Ethan, won't be returning as a series regular for Season Two of CW's 90210, reports Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Milligan's option for a second season has not been picked up but there is a possibility that he could reprise his role to wrap up some storylines this fall. Conversely, Matt Lanter--who plays bad boy Liam--has been upgraded to series regular next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting alert: James D'Arcy (Virtuality) will star in CBS drama pilot The Eastmans; Nick Kroll (Cavemen) and Nora Zehetner (Heroes) have joined the cast of FOX comedy pilot Cop House; and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights) will co-star in FOX drama pilot Masterwork, where he will play an FBI agent on the trail of some international art thieves who works closely with Matt Passmore's character. (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin has a first look at Season Two of HBO's True Blood, which kicks off on June 14th and will follow the second Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris and feature vampiric Viking Eric. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

MTV has renewed reality mainstay Real World for another four cycles, bringing the total number of seasons that the series has aired to a staggering 26. The cabler also ordered another four cycles of reality competition series Real World/Road Rules Challenge, bringing that series' total to 21 cycles. "MTV is proud to continue our relationship with Bunim-Murray that stretches back over 15 years," said MTV programming president Tony DiSanto. "With each new season, the Real World franchise continues to evolve and captivate our ever-changing audience." (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Angel star Andy Hallett, who played Lorne on the WB series, passed away Sunday evening in Los Angeles after a five-year-long battle with heart disease. He was 33 years old. (E! Online)

Mark Burnett Prods. and Lionsgate TV will team up to produce a US version of Italian reality format Parenti talenti, which pits family against one another as they perform song and dance numbers and comedy sketches after spending a week with pro coaches. The companies will jointly pitch the project to networks, while Lionsgate will retain format rights in English-language territories and distribute the US version worldwide. (Variety)

ABC has acquired mini-series Diamonds, starring Judy Davis, James Purefoy, Derek Jacobi, Louise Rose, and Joanne Kelly, from Alchemy TV and Films and plans to air the project, originally developed and produced for CBC, in May. (Variety)

Nikki Finke is reporting that CBS has allegedly "demanded that each existing TV show -- even the hit ones -- reduce their budgets for next year, if renewed." Which she believes could lead to smaller writing staffs next season. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a deal with RelativityReal, the reality television arm of Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity, to co-distribute projects from the shingle, said to have 20 series and pilots in development, outside of the US. (Variety)

44 Blue is development a reality series following party planner Jes Gordon, whose clients include the likes of the Golden Globes, Sting, and Bono, as she puts together successful soirees. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.