The Daily Beast: "Community: The Best Show You're Not Watching"

Community has zombies, outer space, and Joel McHale: why not more viewers?

Over at The Daily Beast, check out my latest feature, entitled "Community: The Best Show You're Not Watching," in which I visit the set of NBC's experimental comedy Community (while they were filming their Halloween episode) and learn about zombies, outer space, stop-motion animation, and more, as I spend two days on the set with creator Dan Harmon and cast members Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, Gillian Jacobs, and Danny Pudi.

Plus, be sure to take a look at the gallery, where you can see what's coming up on Season Two for your favorite Greendale characters, including Jeff, Britta, Annie, Shirley, Abed, Troy, Chang, and Pierce.

(And you can read my review of the season opener here.)

Season Two of Community begins tomorrow night at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Sexpionage: Investigating NBC's Undercovers

J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims' new espionage drama Undercovers launches tonight on NBC, as the fall premiere week wears on. Will it perform better than FOX's Lone Star, which crashed and burned on Monday? We'll find out tomorrow.

Here's what I had to say about the series over in my Fall TV Preview feature at The Daily Beast recently:

WATCH: Undercovers (NBC; premieres September 22)

While we can all agree that Alias went off the rails in the later seasons--thanks to the increasingly Byzantine Rambaldi plot--the early years were pitch perfect. Series creator J.J. Abrams--here teaming up with his Felicity cohort Josh Reims—has gone back to the feel of those early Sydney Bristow adventures but infused them with more romance and a hell of a lot more humor with their new show, Undercovers. Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw play the world's most gorgeous professional caterers, a married pair who just happen to have met while on their previous job: as two of the very best agents the CIA had to offer. Forced back into the field when a friend of theirs goes missing while on assignment, the two rekindle the sparks of their dormant passion and are drawn back into their old lives. The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable, but if Undercovers hopes to become appointment viewing, the writers have got to balance the show's flashy style with some intelligence and substance.

While Undercovers isn't perfect by any means, it at least seems to know what it is and wants to be, which is more than I can say for many a new fall series launching right now. The main draw is definitely the winning combination of Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who smolder on-screen together. Their relationship is at the core of the series, which explores the state of modern marriage, the ruts that some of us can find ourselves in, and the spark that's rekindled when these two reenter the high-stakes world of international espionage.

The show juxtaposes action and adventure in a style that's very familiar to fans of Chuck, who will encounter a series that's far more similar to the NBC action-comedy than Abrams' previous series like Alias or Lost. But the workplace setting here--Steven and Samantha run a successful catering company--falls with a leaden weight in the pilot episode, recalling the irritating and unnecessary arc that Merrin Dungey's Francie went through opening her restaurant on Alias. I don't care about the event functions, the canapes, nor the struggles of Samantha's sister as she's left holding the reins while our couple heads off in search of adventure, danger, and their missing former colleague.

If the writers can find a way to balance the funny and the tense, the provocative and the mundane, this could develop into a nice relationship-based spy drama that can sit comfortably alongside Chuck. As it is, the show has a nice amount of potential but it's one of those shows that I wish the network had sent out more than one episode of in advance. I'm curious to see the second episode and whether it proves to be engaging and diverting on a weekly basis, sans the production budget of this expensive pilot.

In any case, I'll be sticking around for a few weeks to see what develops, passed hors d'oeuvres or no.

Undercovers launches tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Lost Time: The ABC Drama Turns Six Years Old Today

As I said over on Twitter early this morning, "Six years ago today, Oceanic Flight 815 left Sydney for Los Angeles...and took our hearts with it. Happy birthday, Lost."

It's hard to believe that it's been six years since the passengers of the doomed Oceanic Flight crashed on that mythical, magical island and launched not only a television saga for the ages, but also a series of copycat programs that the original far outlived and an enduring legacy.

While my feelings about the series finale are no secret (you can read my behemoth 4000-plus word post about the finale here and my shorter late-night take at The Daily Beast), I still have a deep love for this series, which challenged the conventions of network drama series and introduced an overarching mythology whose spell many of us fell under in the years to come.

My relationship with the series dates back more than six years to when I first viewed the feature-length pilot episode in a tiny office in May of 2004. I wrote about my experiences with the series and saying goodbye in this post, which ran on this site just before the series finale.

But for many of us, regardless of your views of that polarizing series finale, it's still hard to begin the process of letting go and moving on.

Lost, you'll be missed for some time to come. Thanks for the memories. I'll see you on the other side.

Talk Back: What Did You Think of FOX's New Comedies Running Wilde and Raising Hope?

As premiere week slogs on, I'm curious to know what you thought of the two newest comedy entries to the network lineup, with last week's series premieres of FOX's Raising Hope and Running Wilde.

Personally, I wasn't much taken by either of them, with the latter being truly depressing to me because it represented what will likely be the best shot at an Arrested Development reunion we can hope for, as it brought together creator Mitch Hurwitz, Will Arnett, and David Cross in one place.

But the pilot--both versions of it that I saw--left me cold and, while the second episode is sitting right next to me as I type this--I don't really have much impetus to watch it. Especially as the numbers last night were less than stellar.

I feel the same way about Greg Garcia's Raising Hope, which tries way too hard to be wacky and zany and instead overflows with poop and vomit jokes, none of which were all that funny.

But now that both episodes have aired, I'm curious to hear what you thought. Did you tune in to one or both of these? Did you find them funny? Did the combination of Will Arnett and Keri Russell win you over?

And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week?

Talk back here.

Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Criminal Intent to Return, Lone Star DOA, Fringe, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Break open the moonshine! HBO has renewed period drama Boardwalk Empire for a second season, after airing just one episode of the Terence Winter/Martin Scorsese crime drama, which averaged 4.8 million viewers in its premiere broadcast. “All the ingredients aligned for this one, from Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson’s initial pitch, to Martin Scorsese’s enormous contributions as director and executive producer, to the genius of Terry Winter and the expertise of Tim Van Patten, to a stellar cast led by Steve Buscemi,” said Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, in a statement. “The response from the media and our viewers has been nothing short of amazing.” (via press release)

In other renewal news, USA has finally closed a deal to renew Law & Order: Criminal Intent for a tenth and final season of eight episodes, with original series lead Vincent D'Onofrio set to reprise his role as Detective Robert Goren, while producers are said to be in talks with Kathryn Erbe and other former stars to return. “We have been the fortunate caretakers of this legendary series, and we plan to give it the world-class farewell it so richly deserves,” said Jeff Wachtel, USA's president of original programming and UCP's co-head of original content. The cabler has also given executive producer Dick Wolf a pilot commitment for a new project at USA. New episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent are set to launch next year. (Deadline)

After the deadly ratings encountered by FOX's new fall drama Lone Star, the 20th Century Fox Television-produced drama is already said to be on death watch, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Andrew Wallenstein. "No one in TV should be happy about this," Wallenstein quotes one agent with a client on Lone Star as saying. "This is going to have a chilling effect on networks taking chances on anything but cookie-cutter shows." xxx "Though Fox declined comment, it's possible the network is delaying the announcement of a decision, perhaps waiting for the cover that will be provided today by its announcement of the American Idol judges," wrote Wallenstein. "That Star will be canceled is being treated in industry circles as fait accompli, a matter of when, not if. Tellingly, while most underwhelming TV debuts are often followed by entreaties from counter-spinning execs magnifying glimmers of hope in the ratings data -- "did you see that uptick in the last quarter-hour among women 25-34?" -- the back-channel phone calls from network and studio execs never came." (Hollywood Reporter)

More Bubbles! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Andre Royo (The Wire) will reprise his role on FOX's Fringe after his first appearance in tomorrow night's season premiere, where he plays a cab driver that Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham encounters "over there." [Editor: Having seen the episode in question, I can say that it was a no-brainer than Royo would be back at some point.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

It's official: Bravo has finally confirmed what has been floating about the internet for quite some time now. The next season of Top Chef will be an all-stars edition, with 18 runners-up from previous seasons returning to compete for another shot at the title. While the full cast has been available at various web sites for the last few weeks, Bravo will officially unveil the cast on tonight's Top Chef reunion special. [Editor: Also, Anthony Bourdain will return as a regular judge this time around, alternating with Gail Simmons.] (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorge Garcia (Lost) will guest star in an upcoming episode of ABC midseason comedy Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry. Garcia will play "a staffer at the second-rate San Diego sports arena that Perry’s character manages" and will appear in the retooled pilot episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly reported that Lyle Lovett will be guest staring on an upcoming episode of ABC's Castle this season, where he will play Agent Darryl Shafer, described as "a shadowy government figure who detains and interrogates Castle (Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) as they investigate the death of a prominent astrophysicist whose body was found in her car—a victim of explosive decompression." Lovett's appearance is slated for the ninth episode of the current season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's Allison Hope Weiner has an interview with No Ordinary Family star Michael Chiklis about his role on the ABC superhero family drama. "The big question for me was tone, and how do I pull this off in terms of tone," said Chiklis when asked about any concerns about being on network television rather than cable. "As you know, network television, television in general, has become very niche-oriented. It's very targeted toward a certain audience. Now we're embarking on a show that is all too rare on television: It's one of those kinds of shows that tries to appeal to a broad audience and, in order to do that, the things that are successful don't take themselves too seriously. This is pure entertainment and it's witty and fun, yet soulful and heartfelt. But you also have those great adrenal moments. The threat there is if you go too far in any direction, you go over the top comedically or be too melodramatic and you can fail. Yet if you aren't bold in any direction, you can become vanilla. Tonally, we felt it had to be crisp and smart and fun -- yet not taking itself too seriously." (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Dave Annable's real-life fiancee Odette Yustman will guest star on an upcoming episode of ABC's Brothers & Sisters as a new interest for Annable's Justin. Yustman, set to appear in one episode, will play a "nurse who starts to fall for Justin, as he's still mending his broken heart from his split with Rebecca." Rebecca, of course, is played by Annable's ex-girlfriend Emily Van Camp, who is set to depart the series after just a handful of episodes this season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Will Forte will return to CBS' How I Met Your Mother, where he will reprise his role as Randy. "Marshall will wrestle with whether or not to fire Randy, who is as hopeless as a paralegal as he is with the ladies," co-creator Craig Thomas told Keck. "There is also a shocking twist as it starts to become clear that Robin — in a moment of weakness — may or may not have hooked up with Randy on Halloween night." (TV Guide Magazine)

ABC has given a put pilot order to a drama inspired by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner's book "The Lost Girls Three Friends, Four Continents, One Unconventional Detour Around the World," which will be adapted by Idly Modrovich (Californication). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Moscow Mules and Mama Bears: Killer Frost on the Season Premiere of Chuck

And that's how you kick off a brand new season.

Last night brought the fourth season premiere of NBC's action-comedy Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Anniversary") and I hope that the episode delivered all of the espionage-tinged goodness that I promised in my advance review of the season opener last week.

I had also teased readers via Twitter about the premiere ("Chuck premiere: sexting, skydiving, Seinfeld references, (Harry Dean) Stanton? Sensational. Very fun opener.") and the episode held up extremely well under a second viewing in the time between now and then.

For me, anyway, "Chuck Versus the Anniversary" was perhaps the perfect way to begin a new chapter in the life of Chuck Bartowski, a character who has slowly evolved over the course of three seasons from reluctant hero to tragic hero to, well, just plain hero. His decision to take hold of his own destiny, to set out with Morgan on a personal quest to track down his mother may have not lead him to the answers he sought but it did bring him back together with his old team and put him in position to rescue Sarah and Casey for a change.

As we all know that secrets between lovers is never, ever a good thing, the writers were wise to have Sarah find out about Chuck's globe-spanning secret mission before the episode was out... and to have her offer her help and support to tracking down Mama Bartowski.

But, this is Chuck, after all, so it's only fitting that Mary Elizabeth Bartowski--a.k.a. The Frost Queen--isn't some abducted housewife but rather a bad-ass spy herself, a dangerous woman with the ability to take down a man about four times her size without breaking a nail. While Chuck might think he's doing a good thing to find his mother--who now he knows didn't just walk out on them when they were children--he might be opening the door to even more danger in his life. After all, these are some powerful men who have Mary in their custody and, should she be able to make her escape after all this time, they're likely to be only too willing to track her down and take her in again. But Mary's made it clear that her motivations have less to do with escape and more to do with keeping her family safe. Especially Chuck.

So just who is Volkoff? That remains an intriguing mystery to be solved down the line, but suffice it to say that he's likely to be the big bad for the season. Does his involvement in international espionage and terrorism predate The Ring and Fulcrum? Certainly seems that way, which means that Volkoff must be quite dangerous indeed to have stayed off of the CIA and NSA's radar all this time.

But while the Mama Bartowski storyline cast a nicely dangerous shadow over the proceedings, the majority of the episode was pretty light and, well, light-hearted, a nice change of pace from the doom and gloom of Season Three. I absolutely loved the map of Chuck and Morgan traveling around the world in a random fashion, the sexting between Chuck and Sarah (and its very nice payoff at the end), Harry Dean Stanton's turn as a repo man after Morgan's car, the shout-out to Vandalay Industries from Seinfeld, Chuck's doom-ridden job interviews, General Beckman's new job at the Buy More, and the focus on the bromance between Chuck and Morgan.

And kudos too for not splitting up Chuck and Sarah but instead deepening their bond and having them come out the other side of a long-distance relationship all the more strong. I loved that Chuck defended his elision as not a lie but rather the fact that he was keeping a secret, leading the two to promise not to do either anymore. Some shows have serious difficulties keeping things interesting once the romantic leads give into temptation but so far Chuck has done a superb job keeping their relationship compelling and interesting.

The same holds true for the workplace element of the series. The Buy More has long been a source for comic relief amid the high-flying spy action and the romance and Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz have upped the ante further by pushing the CIA/NSA deeper into the Buy More infrastructure, revealing a new twist to the workplace setting that combines the disparate aspects of the series into a single location. The Buy More becomes both Chuck's cover story and his true identity, a real sense of danger and intrigue amid the X-Boxes and flat-screen televisions.

I love that Beckman is now in charge of the Buy More and that it's staffed with crack agents from the joint intelligence divisions. But I'm curious just how Big Mike, Jeff, and Lester--all three absent from the season opener but still series regulars--will fit into the new world order at the store. Is there a place for Nerd Herders amid a store that can transform into a fully functional war room with the flick of a switch? Especially when two of them happen to be under investigation for arson? Hmmm...

All in all, a fantastic installment that offered the very best of Chuck's winning combination of genre-busting elements and which offered a very exciting direction for the season to come.

What did you think of the season opener? Did it live up to your expectations? Head to the comments section to discuss, debate, and analyze.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Suitcase"), Chuck and Sarah infiltrate the catwalks of the Milan fashion world in order to uncover a deadly weapons plot; Morgan discovers a fatal flaw that compromises the new Buy More.

Talk Back: What Did You Think of NBC's The Event, FOX's Lone Star, and CBS' Hawaii Five-0?

Ding ding.

That sound you hear was the official start of fall premiere week last night as the networks took the wraps off of their new lineups and brought the launches of several new shows to the public last night.

In the battle of the 9 pm dramas, NBC's tepid The Event overtook FOX's more original Lone Star in an outcome that should surprise no one.

While I wrote about both The Event and Lone Star yesterday (and have been talking about them since last May on Twitter), I'm curious to see what you thought of the new series that launched last night.

Which of the handful of new dramas and comedy Mike & Molly did you tune in for? What did you think of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, and the inherent promise of each?

And, most importantly, which of the series will you come back and watch again next week?

Talk back here.

Channel Surfing: Gwyneth Paltrow Tackles Glee, V lands Jay Karnes, NBC Lands Legends, Showtime Renews Weeds, The Big C, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Gwyneth Paltrow is in talks to join the cast of FOX's Glee in a two-episode story arc in which she would play a potential love interest for Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester. "According to rock-solid Glee sources, Gwyneth would play a substitute teacher in two episodes airing in November," writes Dos Santos. "Mr. Schuester gets sick, so Gwyneth's character steps in and takes over the glee club. The kids love her, and Will starts to fall for her... complicating his relationship with Emma (Jayma Mays)... I'm told Glee creator/executive producer/creative badass Ryan Murphy wrote this role expressly for Gwyneth, as the two are friends. If it all comes together, Ryan will be directing her first episode, which begins shooting in two weeks." Should the deal close, Paltrow would appear in two episodes slated to air in November. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

[Editor: In other Glee news, TVGuide.com's Denise Martin has a set visit feature for Glee, returning tonight for its second season, which you can read here.]

TVGuide.com's Adam Bryant is reporting that Jay Karnes (The Shield) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Two of ABC's V, which returns in November. Karnes will play FBI Agent Chris Boling, who will serve as the new partner for Elizabeth Mitchell's Erica Evans. "The two have some history, having trained together at Quantico," writes Bryant. "However, Bolling quickly begins to suspect Erica may have divided loyalties when it comes to her dedication to the Visitor resistance group, the Fifth Column." Casting marks a reunion between Karnes and former Shield writer/producer Scott Rosenbaum, who serves as V's showrunner. (TVGuide.com)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that NBC has given a put pilot order to espionage drama Legends, from writer Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard) and executive producers Howard Gordon (24) and Jonathan Levin (The Ex-List). Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is said to be based on a Robert Littell book and revolves around "an CIA operative with an uncanny gift for 'legends' - aka false identities - who is sent on a variety of missions, while simultaneously coping with the possibility that his own identity may be a 'legend' itself." (Deadline, Variety)

Showtime yesterday handed out renewals to dark comedies Weeds and The Big C, which will return for their seventh and second seasons respectively next year. "The unprecedented viewership for both The Big C and Weeds proves that audiences love these shows as much as we do," said Showtime's President of Entertainment David Nevins in a statement. "There are definitely more comedic adventures in store for these fascinating, complex women. For six seasons, we've happily traveled along with Nancy Botwin and we're equally as excited to follow Laura Linney and The Big C team as they chart Cathy's unique journey through such a provocative and personal subject as cancer. We're thrilled that these two signature shows will be returning to the network in 2011." (via press release)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has a first look at Celia Weston playing Barb Tucker, the mother of Eric Stonestreet's Cameron on ABC's Modern Family. "She's somebody who made him the person he is," Stonestreet told Keck about Cameron's mom. "When she comes to the door, she gives me her little puppy kisses. And we find out she called him her 'Little Bomber,' which was actually what my [real-life] grandma called me as a little kid — I think because I was a little gassy." (TV Guide Magazine)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has details about the now prolonged absence expected to face Olivia Wilde's Thirteen on House this season, given that the actress has booked four major film roles, including one of the leads in Cowboys and Aliens and a newly minted role in The Change Up, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. “It’s going to be a while unfortunately,” series creator David Shore. told Ausiello. “We love her but it is going to be a while. It’s going to be this season, but well into this season.... She called us up and said she wanted to do [The Change Up]. And it just so happened that what we had worked out storyline-wise allowed her a couple of extra episodes [off]. So that movie just filled in the gap. There were no further adjustments to her schedule as a result of that.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly has some further details about Community's upcoming zombie-based Halloween episode. “Knowing too much about this particular plot would ruin it, but I promise it’s an awesome, one-off crazy conceptual episode with plot points and effects that are more familiar to horror film fans than our show’s fans,” said creator Dan Harmon. “We’re going over schedule and over budget to get it right,” he adds. “I’ve had to promise to do a few what I call ‘Bottle Episodes,’ where the group never leaves the library, to make up for it.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has ordered a pilot script for an untitled comedy to star comedian Mo Mandel (Strange Brew). Project, from 3 Arts, will revolve around "what a group of twentysomethings do in the last five years of their lives before the Earth is destroyed by a meteor." (Deadline)

ABC's upcoming weight loss reality series Obese has already received an order for a second season... and will undergo a name change to the less provocative Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. Six episodes are on tap for the second season, which is being slated for sometime in the 2011-12 season, while Season One is being targeted for midseason, possibly with a March launch. Each episode follows a single person over their year-long weight-loss journey. (Variety)

Disney XD will launch new animated superhero series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! on Wednesday, October 20th at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

Chinese Wall: Truth and Consequences on Mad Men

I'd like to think that we all fall sometimes.

This week's sensational episode of Mad Men ("The Beautiful Girls"), written by Dahvi Waller and Matthew Weiner and directed by Michael Uppendahl, focused on the women in Don Draper's personal and professional life, crafting provocative storylines for Joan Harris, Peggy Olsen, Faye Miller, and little Sally Draper. While it's the latter who physically hits the floor at the end of the episode, there's the definite sense that each of these women not only picks themselves up but keeps moving ahead, their eyes on the future.

For the three adults, the feminist spirit of the 1960s has awakened something in each of them and this forward-facing approach is best summed up when Peggy, Joan, and Faye board the elevator together at the end of the day. All three women have made a specific decision in her own life, one with dramatic consequences for each of them. Entering the confines of the elevator, they face ahead rather than at each other, their eyes staring towards the camera, towards audience, towards the future. Did they fail the tests that they were given? Or did they choose to instead to follow their own rules?

While it's Faye who earlier brings up the concept of the Chinese wall, that information screen that safeguards the flow of intelligence, it's clear that there are a number of walls either toppling down or being built up in this episode. The final confrontation between Don and Sally--the supremely gifted Kiernan Shipka--points to something as insurmountable as the Great Wall itself springing up between father and daughter.

It was only a matter of time before Sally would choose to run away, choosing Don's life in Manhattan over her rigid and icy existence in Ossining. Here, she boards a train in a display of rebellious independence, a chance to surprise Don and force his hand before she pleads her case: she wants to live with him rather than Betty and Henry. Don represents an unrealized ideal rather than the honest reality of what such an existence would mean. He can't care for her, not in any meaningful, real way--he dumps the responsibility of watching her for an afternoon on Faye simply because she's there and a woman--but Sally doesn't see it that way. She sees a life of pouring rum on French toast, wearing his t-shirts to bed, and stopping by his slick office on the way to the zoo.

Sally's attempt to manipulate Don point to just how much she learned from watching her own mother. Her petulance and mischievous smile (such as when Don agrees to order pizza) match up perfectly to the same way that Betty interacted with Don. With her new haircut and more mature looks, Sally is nearly a mirror image for the Betty we saw in the earlier seasons of Mad Men. The gap between their ages has been bridged by a haircut and an atmosphere of lost innocence.

In her childish way, Sally yearns for change. When she can't coax, cajole, or charm her way into Don's new life, she attempts reverting to an emotional response: screaming, kicking, and running. But her fall after screeching through the halls of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce isn't her own. As the women of the office look on, it's not Faye or Peggy who comes to her rescue, but innocent receptionist Megan, whom Sally throws her arms around. Sally isn't just looking for her father but that sense of protection, warmth, and comfort that she so desperately craves.

It's interesting that it's Megan who comforts Sally rather than, say, Faye, whom Sally knows is Don's girlfriend, whether or not he denies it. (She, like Sally, knows where the plates are, as well as that Don has peanut butter in his apartment.) It's clear that Faye is uncomfortable around Sally and around children as well. She might like kids but she doesn't have any of her own, she lacks "child psychology," and she speaks to Sally as though she's four or five years old.

Rather than see that Don selected her because she was there and because he trusts her in his apartment, Faye sees her care of Sally as a crucible by which her relationship with Don will be judged. Is she worthy of becoming Sally's replacement mother? Of segueing into the role of Don Draper's new wife? Don certainly doesn't see it that way; the situation wasn't an audition for the role because he hasn't even considered it. He's not looking to fill that role emptied by his divorce and doesn't see his very new relationship with Faye in that manner. When she fails to calm Sally down, it's not a test to be passed or failed, but rather a last-ditch effort to quiet his troubled daughter, to pacify her in a way that he doesn't know how to or won't do.

But that's not inherently contained within the DNA of this woman, nor perhaps in the two others who gather in that elevator at the end of the day. Each of them has a complicated relationship to motherhood that's only fitting given their professional status within the pre-women's liberation years of the 1960s. Faye has chosen to focus on her career and not on her uterus; Peggy gave up her child to forward her professional stake; Joan was desperate to get pregnant before Greg left for Vietnam.

In their own way, each is not equipped to handle the reality of Sally Draper's tantrum, of the psychic damage inflicted by Don and Betty's divorce. Instead, they huddle around the doorway, watching as Don returns Sally to Betty, a casualty of the war waged between her bitter parents. She's the little girl lost, a bruised young woman, who might have the future ahead of her but is determined to change her life right now, even if she lacks the maturity to see what that life truly is.

In that future for Sally, the possibilities are limitless. While she doesn't know it yet, the women who don't know how to calm her down are the trailblazers who make her future chance at happiness (whether personal or professional) possible. While Cooper regards the late Ida Blankenship as "an astronaut," a woman who was born in a barn and died in a skyscraper, it's Sally who could be an actual astronaut. She can be anything she wants to be in a way that has been denied Joan, Peggy, and Faye. They've fought and clawed their way into the precious power that they've gathered for themselves but it's been a battle, particularly when men like Abe Drexler don't see that they're still being subjugated.

In an episode rife with so much emotional complexity, this week's installment also contained some deliciously hilarious moments as well. If comedy is tragedy plus time, the death of Ida Blankenship was played for its tragic-comedy qualities straightaway. The shock of Peggy discovering Blankenship's demise journeyed into a hysterical sequence in which Joan and Pete concealed her body and moved Ida before the clients saw her corpse.

It's Joan who begins Blankenship's obituary but it's Cooper who finishes it and manages to celebrate Ida's life, as well as the transition from an agricultural America to a thoroughly modern one, barns segueing into skyscrapers, a farm girl dying surrounded by the people she answered phones for.

It may have been a life lived but it was once hampered by what paths Ida Blankenship could have taken, and the vast in-roads that the three elevator-traveling women have made in the time since her youth all the more apparent.

Peggy's decision to protect herself and her career, to chose her pocketbook over her heart with regard to Abe Drexler point to her own priorities. She might be political in her own way (she did attempt to bring up the discrimination issue to Don in the meeting), but Peggy Olsen is not stupid. Abe is just some guy with a manifesto. He might be "interesting soup," but she's looking for a full meal. She doesn't need to be the pot but can be something entirely different. After all, she's already sacrificed so much in the name of advancing her career. Why wouldn't she want to hold onto that?

And then there was poor Joan. I loved that Roger sent over the masseuses to make up for rubbing her the wrong way, but I also knew that these two--with the unfinished business between them--would transition back into something more than work colleagues and old friends. For Roger, Joan was the one who got away and writing his memoirs has reminded him of this in no uncertain terms. There might not be a chapter in his book about his lost love but he can't help but pine for this sad Madonna even as he made his choice to leave Mona not for her, but for Jane.

Joan manages to deflect Roger's advances throughout the episode until they're robbed at gunpoint and Joan literally loses that constant reminder of her marriage: her wedding band. Faced with a brush with a gun, Joan passionately kisses Roger and they make love in that seedy neighborhood. But, later, it's Joan who signals that that's as far as things can go. She's not sorry it happened but she's married and so is Roger. While Joan's husband faces an uncertain future in Vietnam, she's going to do her best to remain faithful to him. While she displayed a moment of weakness, it was also a clarion call to her that it can't happen again.

Which makes me wonder if Joan will finally get the baby she's been so desperate to have, even while she runs the risk of losing her husband in the war.

Ultimately, "The Beautiful Girls" was a lush, lyrical, and emotionally bracing episode that examined the past, present, and future of women in this particular time period. While they might each work in that glittering skyscraper, it's not their names on the wall. Not yet, anyway.

Next week on Mad Men ("Hands and Knees"), an unannounced visitor at the Francis home rattles Betty.

Thy Name's Delirium: Future Imperfect on Boardwalk Empire

It's tricky to write about a new series when you've seen the subsequent five episodes, as is the case with HBO's addictive and gorgeously realized period drama Boardwalk Empire, which kicked off last night.

While I had the chance to watch the first six episodes of the Terence Winter/Martin Scorsese drama ahead of time, last night was the first time that I got the chance to see the visually stunning opening sequence, which depicts the bowler-clad Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) on the rocky beach as an ocean of booze bottles comes pouring in. With a tip of the figurative hat to Belgian artist Rene Magritte, it effortlessly captured the scope and tone of the series while reveling in the symbolic implications.

Last night's dazzling series premiere ("Boardwalk Empire"), written by Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese, perfectly brought to life the Atlantic City of 1920, a world populated by grifters, flashy politicians, midgets, widows, booze-hounds, and gunmen. A world of excess and depravity, of temperance and alcoholism, of freedom and imprisonment, where everything--from the fishermen's daily haul to baby incubators--becomes a boardwalk attraction for the masses.

For Buscemi's Nucky Thompson, the boardwalk is his past, present, and future, aligned in one singular physical location. It's telling that he's drawn first to those baby incubators, a painful reminder of the children he didn't ever have with his long-dead wife who died from consumption seven years earlier, and then later to the fortune-teller, where his eyes meet those of the gypsy behind the veil. His entire life--birth to death as well as what's been lost--called up in one long stroll along the boardwalk.

Nucky has made quite a life for himself in this oceanside fiefdom, carving out a world of privilege, a flat on the eighth floor of the Ritz-Carlton, a beautiful young girlfriend (Paz de la Huerta), and a gifted protege in Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt). But one also can't shake the feeling that he's missing something, that the constant grift, the greasing of palms, the glad-handing, the speeches to the Women's Temperance League have left him in search of something to fill the void left by his wife's death.

Enter Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald), the pregnant wife of baker's helper Hans who already has two kids and an abusive marriage to deal with. Moved by Nucky's (untrue) story of tragedy in his own past, she reaches out to him to effect change in her life. While he offers her a wad of cash, Margaret's after not charity but something more beneficial: a job for her husband.

Margaret's efforts to improve her life have a nasty way of making things worse, however. Hans spies her being driven home by Jimmy and uncovers her secret stash of cash and violently beats her. Confronting Nucky at the casino and spending the very money he gave Margaret for her children, Hans is beaten by Nucky and chucked out... and then takes out his anger on Margaret, beating her severely and causing her to miscarry.

While Nucky could have just turned up at the hospital with flowers for Margaret, the intersection of their disparate lives has only just begun. He uses Hans as a fall guy for Jimmy and Al Capone (Stephen Graham)'s theft of illegal liquor destined to New York mobster Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), who had previously insulted Nucky... and cheated him out of $90,000. It's a tidy solution that gets Jimmy off the hook and allows Nucky the benefit of ridding Margaret of her no-good husband.

The pay-off: having Hans' corpse fall out of the fishermen's nets right in front of the tourists on the boardwalk. Genius.

I am however more than a little concerned about just where Jimmy's new line of work will lead him, particularly as he played the Prohibition agents and Nucky against one another and walked away the victor. Now he's on both of their radars and Nucky and Elias know that he was behind the hold-up and the murder of four of Rothstein's men. And then there was the fact that Al shouted out Jimmy's full name at the scene of the crime. Sure, they shot those four men and killed them, but... something tells me they're not in the clear.

What too to make of the murder of “Big Jim” Colosimo (Frank Crudele)? Was it Rothstein looking to take over Chicago? Or Johnny Torrio (Greg Antonacci) looking to muscle a larger share of Chi-town? Curious that...

Ultimately, a fantastic and vivid portrayal of life in Nucky's so-called Boardwalk Empire, one that has the possibility of crumbling down around him. The next five episodes are even better than the pilot, so prepare to be intrigued, dazzled, and entertained in equal measure. I'll see you at Babette's...

Next week on Boardwalk Empire ("The Ivory Tower"), investigating a crime which he feels has been pinned on a scapegoat, straight-arrow Agent Nelson Van Alden pays a visit to Nucky and leaves convinced that the Treasurer is “as corrupt as the day is long"; Nucky quickly does damage control, enlisting his brother, Sheriff Elias Thompson, to close ranks with their underlings; in Chicago, Al Capone shows a local reporter what he thinks about accusations that Johnny Torrio was involved in the slaying of local mobster “Big Jim” Colosimo; Nucky discusses the upcoming election with his aging mentor, Commodore Louis Kaestner, with whom he debates the women’s vote issue; Nucky rebukes an irate Arnold Rothstein over the phone, then meets privately with Margaret Schroeder, who asks him for help in providing for her children; traveling salesman George Baxter, in town for a few days with an unwilling young beauty named Claudia, makes a startling discovery while on the road home to Baltimore.

The Daily Beast: "Fall TV Preview: Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, 30 Rock and More"

With so many new fall series premiering over the next two weeks, it's possible to forget that some of our favorites are heading back to the airwaves as well.

Can’t remember how Grey’s Anatomy or 30 Rock ended? Head over to the Daily Beast to read my latest feature, "Here Comes the TV Season!", in which I round-up 13 cliffhangers for returning shows—and offer previews of what’s to come. (It goes without saying: minor SPOILERS aheads.)

The series in question? Oh, the usual suspects, including Dexter, The Good Wife, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Bones, Community, Castle, and 30 Rock, presented in order of premiere dates. (Which means Chuck is up first.) Plus, you can watch video previews for all 22 new network series, to boot.

Which returning series are you most excited about watching this fall? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Con Men and Tricksters: Thoughts on FOX's Lone Star and NBC's The Event

In a television series where so many ideas seem to be inferior iterations on programs we've already seen, it's refreshing to come across a series that attempts to do something original.

FOX's con man drama Lone Star, which launches tonight, is just that series. While I don't think the Kyle Killen-series is perfect--there are quite a few flaws that jump out during the pilot episode--it has the potential to develop into something intriguing. That is, if viewers give it a chance.

The series revolves around Bob Allen (James Wolk), a roguish con man who has ingratiated his way into two women's hearts. There's the mark: Cat (Friday Night Lights' Adrianne Palicki), the wealthy daughter of an oil tycoon (Jon Voight), who Bob used to infiltrate the company. And then in the small Texas town of Midland, there's Lindsey (Eloise Mumford), his earnest girlfriend for whom he enjoys mowing the lawn. (No, that's not a euphemism.)

But Bob has broken the cardinal rule for con men: he's fallen for his own lies. His relationships with Cat and Lindsey are based on genuine emotion and he discovers--much to the anger of his grifter father John (David Keith)--that he can't walk away from either of them when the critical time arrives.

What follows is a unique mash-up of Dallas and Big Love, albeit without the religious discussions of the Principle of plurality, a drama that questions whether our hearts can hold love for more than one person and whether it's our actions or our emotions that determine just who we are.

Despite the rave reviews that Wolk seems to be receiving, my main issue with Lone Star is the casting of Wolk as it's difficult to buy him as Bob/Robert, a dual role requiring him to tap into something innately charismatic and wholly charming, something he lacks the full maturity to pull off. It's not so much his baby face that's distracting here; it's the fact that Bob and Robert don't seem all that different other than the uniforms of their station and Wolk lacks enough of a magnetic lure to make me forget this fact.

There's also some groaners amid the somewhat stilted dialogue. I'm hoping that subsequent episodes offer a more naturalistic ear as several lines seemed designed to offer as much exposition as humanly possible. While that's often the downfall of several pilot episodes, it's also something that can hopefully be corrected in the future. Given the ambitious scope of its plot, the dialogue and chemistry between the actors needs to be top notch if the network can pull it off in the long-term.

However, I'm intrigued enough to at least check out a second episode of Lone Star and seeing the executive producers--Party of Five's Amy Lippman and Chris Keyser, here serving as showrunners--did at least assuage some of my concerns about the long-term viability of this project. Additionally, the producers have lined up some fantastic recurring stars for the first season, including Andie MacDowell, Chad Faust, and Rosa Blasi.

At its heart, there's a compelling and unusual premise for an ongoing serialized drama, one that I sparked to when I read the pilot script back in the spring. I'm hoping that the producers can deliver on the promise of my initial reaction and transform Lone Star into a quirky and offbeat soap.

Faced with the choice of what to watch at 9 pm on Mondays, I'd certainly rather choose Lone Star over NBC's offering, The Event, yet another attempt to cash in on the success that was Lost without understanding just what made Lost work, particularly in the early days.

The short answer to that: characters. While Lost's pilot episode may have offered monstrous noises in the jungle, polar bears, and mysterious French messages emanating from a radio tower, it also revolved deeply around the plight of the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815, three-dimensional and nuanced characters. While these assembled passengers may have been strangers--both to each other and to us--the question of how they would survive the days to come gave the pilot a jolt of energy and a real emotional resonance.

Not so with The Event, an expensively produced but brain-dead production whose idea of challenging drama is to present events jumbled up in a non-linear fashion. Once untangled, nothing has much weight nor much excitement. The attempt to create momentum out of such chaotic structuring falls flat on its face because the characters are so entirely paper-thin. They're not even ciphers per se, but rather lifeless mannequins enacting a tedious play where the rules--and the overall premise--are shrouded in so much "mystery" that characters continually speak in half-whispers about events and ideas that the audience is kept in the dark about.

The promotional campaign tries to play up this aura of dread and uncertainty, offering storylines that "are not the Event." The pilot itself juggles a series of plots--a presidential assassination, a plane hijacking, the disappearance of a twenty-something--that are at first seemingly unrelated but which--quelle surprise!--are revealed to be in some way interconnected.

As for what that is, it's not revealed in the pilot episode, which is essentially forty-plus minutes of lead up to a major reveal at the end of the pilot that more or less reveals the true genre of the show you've been watching. But in structuring the episode in just that way, the producers have burned a lot of good will. If you can't win people over with a hugely expensive high-concept pilot, what chances are there of them coming back the following week to learn the truth about what they've just been watching?

The Event's producers claim that they've learned from the mistakes of Lost and will offer answers throughout the season to the show's central mysteries... which is more or less what the producers of ABC's failed FlashForward last season said as well. What both fail to realize is that it wasn't just the questions and answers that kept Lost's devoted viewers coming back for more. And if The Event has any hope of remaining on the air, it had better put the focus less on tricking the audience with slight of hand and deft illusion and more with some relatable and realistic characters.

I, on the other hand, won't be sticking around to find out.

Lone Star premieres tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX. The Event premieres in the same time slot on NBC.

Channel Surfing: J.J. Abrams Shops Emerson/O'Quinn Show, Linda Hamilton Talks Chuck, Spartacus, Community, True Lies, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Could Lost's Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson be headed back your televisions? If J.J. Abrams gets his way, they'll be reuniting for a drama project--tentatively entitled Odd Jobs--that Abrams, along with Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, are pitching to the networks. Vulture's Josef Adalain is reporting that the drama, which will also contain a large amount of humor, revolves around "former black-ops agents." It's unknown whether the project is based on any part on the idea that Emerson and O'Quinn had floated a while back in which they'd play suburban hit men. But the fact that Abrams' Bad Robot--and possibly by association Warner Bros. Television--is behind Odd Jobs (or whatever it might eventually be called), is a good sign that the project will at least be picked up to pilot. (Vulture)

AOL Television's Maureen Ryan talks to Linda Hamilton about her role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on NBC's Chuck, where the former Terminator and Beauty and the Beast star says she wants to stick around as long as they'll have her. "Well, Mary Bartowski is the absentee mother of Chuck and Ellie and the most that I can really say about her is that ... she is not your ordinary homemaker," said Hamilton. "She comes back into Chuck's life with an agenda and you know, she is definitely a strong, forceful [woman] -- definitely a force to be reckoned with. It ain't all apologies and sentiment, that's for sure. She has her own agenda and it just kind of goes crazy from there. But we like crazy." (TV Squad)

Series lead Andy Whitfield has had to withdraw from Season Two of Starz's Spartacus due to a recurrence of cancer. "It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus‚ and all the wonderful people involved," said Whitfield in a statement. "It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far," said Whitfield. No immediate decision has been made about the fate of the series, which delayed production on the second season and instead shot a prequel series (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena)--set to air in January--in order to allow Whitfield the opportunity to undergo treatment. "Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director, Starz Media, in the same press release. "We will address our programming plans at some later date." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

NBC's Community is planning a stop-motion animated Christmas episode in the spirit of those classic Rankin/Bass specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. [Editor: I actually talked to Community creator Dan Harmon and the cast when I was on set last week.] The episode, written by Harmon and Dino Stamatopoulos (who also plays Starburns), will feature the Greendale crew getting animated after Harmon floated the idea for such an episode in an interview over the summer. "It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do but, I never anticipated having the ability to do it,” said Harmon. But “Jeff Gaspin at NBC woke up one morning and thought Community should do an animated episode. I was like, ‘Well, that’s weird, because that’s the kind of stuff I’m usually suggesting and guys like him veto.’” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC is developing a drama series based on James Cameron's 1994 feature film True Lies, which the Avatar director will executive produce. The project, from 20th Century Fox Television and writer/showrunner Rene Echevarria, has a sizable penalty attached to it. (Variety)

Showtime is said to be close to giving a pilot order to Homeland from Fox21 that's based on Israeli drama format Prisoners of War from executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa of FOX's 24. In this iteration, the project will revolve around "a U.S. soldier who was presumed killed in Iraq 10 years ago" who "returns home, but questions arise as to whether he truly was a wartime POW or a member of a sleeper cell sent to cause the next terrorist attack," according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, who has an interview with Gordon about the project, likely the first to be ordered by newly minted Showtime entertainment president David Nevins. And Ben Affleck is said to be in conversations to direct the pilot itself. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, Variety)

Peter Coyote (FlashForward) has joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order: Los Angeles, where he will recur as the district attorney. (Deadline)

TVGuide.com's Denise Martin talks to Lone Star's leading man, James Wolk, about the new FOX ddrama, which launches tonight. "He's a con man who wants to go straight," said Wolk about his character. "He wants to do the right thing. This isn't a guy who leaves one of his wives and then calls his buddy and says, 'Hey man, you're never gonna believe it. I got two chicks.' That's not this guy. This guy really loves these girls. He fully believes that he is madly in love with them. So, he thinks he's fighting for love. I think that is what can make him sympathetic. Yes, he's a sociopath, clearly screws loose. But, nonetheless, someone who thinks he's doing the right thing." (TVGuide.com)

ABC has given a pilot order to Pan Am, a period drama pilot based on the now-defunct Pam Am that will be set in the 1960s and focus on the flight attendants and pilots of the airline. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, will be written by Jack Orman and will be directed by Thomas Schlamme. (Variety)

Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) will play the lead in USA drama pilot Necessary Roughness, about a female psychologist who is hired by a pro football team as their therapist. "After succeeding beyond expectations, she is sought after by other athletes, musicians, politicians and those living in the spotlight who all want her unique brand of tough love therapy," writes Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Thorne's casting lifts the contingency on the project, which was written by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Rachael Carpani (Cane) has booked the lead in Lifetime drama pilot Against the Wall, where she will play cop Abby Kowalski, who "causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department’s Internal Affairs division." Project, from Universal Cable Prods., is written by Annie Brunner and will be directed by Dean Parisot. (Deadline)

The Hollywood Reporter's Stacey Wilson has an interview with Outsourced executive producer Ken Kwapis in which he responds to allegations of racial stereotypes in the new NBC workplace comedy. "A third of the writing staff is of Indian descent," said Kwapis. "But any story about a culture clash is going to deal with stereotypes on some level. The real question is: Are we trying to perpetuate stereotypes? Absolutely not, we're trying to explore them. We're trying to humanize these characters. This is all about putting a human face on the voice at the other end of the phone line. What frustrates me most is when I hear people who are angry about outsourcing and they hang the problem on the call-center workers themselves. As if the Indian call-center worker has the power to decide to bring jobs there! My hope is that for an audience, the show will allow you to basically go around the world and meet someone who, lo and behold, is fundamentally no different from yourself." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban will appear in three episodes of ABC's Shark Tank as a guest shark. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

TNT has renewed Memphis Beat for a second season, with ten episodes on tap for 2011. (via press release)

Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) will play Amanda Knox in an upcoming Lifetime telepic based on the real-life murder case. (Variety)

More Doctor Who Adventure games are on the way. The Beeb has commissioned a second series of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, the online series of Who-centric games that feature the voices of series stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. (Broadcast)

Stay tuned.

Devil's Playground: Some Further Thoughts on HBO's Addictive Boardwalk Empire

Tonight brings the premiere of what is hands-down the best new series of the year (or indeed in recent memory), as HBO launches the Terence Winter/Martin Scorsese period drama Boardwalk Empire, a provocative period drama that mines Prohibition era-Atlantic City to superb effect, revealing the corruption and sin lurking behind the bathtub gin, the depravity enabled by smugglers, and the lengths that men on both sides of the alcohol issue will go to hold onto their power.

All roads, it seems, even those not yet built, lead to the Jersey Shore's glittering beachside gem.

Over at The Daily Beast, I selected Boardwalk Empire--based on the strength of its superlative first six episodes--as one of nine new series that you must watch this fall. Here's what I had to say:

WATCH: Boardwalk Empire (HBO; premieres September 19)

Travel back in time to a world of flappers, rum-runners, crooked politicians, g-men, and mobsters with household names in HBO's period drama Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City at the start of Prohibition. Created by Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and executive produced by Martin Scorsese (who also directed the pilot), the plot follows the exploits of the city's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi), his protégé Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), Irish widow Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald), and a cast of colorful characters, including savage dandy Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams), Al Capone (Stephen Graham), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), and terrifying Prohibition agent Van Alden (Michael Shannon). Plus, more dancers, hookers, smugglers, and urchins than you can shake a tassel at. The result is a vivid and gripping portrait of a city ensnared by corruption and awash in a sea of illicit booze. That sound you hear isn't the firing of tommy guns; it's your heart pounding.

(You can also read my feature on Boardwalk Empire--in which I sit down with creator Terence Winter, Steve Buscemi, and Kelly Macdonald--over at The Daily Beast.)

While the capsule review sums up some of my feelings about Boardwalk Empire, it's impossible to really boil down this remarkable and ambitious project into a few scant sentences. In the hands of Winter, Scorsese, Tim Van Patten, the craftsmen, actors, and writers, these gifted artisans recreate the Atlantic City of 1920 in such staggering detail, down the little off-color touches, that it's impossible not to get sucked into what becomes a booze-doused Wonderland.

In Nucky Thompson, the venal Atlantic City treasure, Steve Buscemi has found the role that he was born to play, a magnetic politician whose rule isn't so much lead by an iron fist but by the velvet glove of shared benefit. He lives on the eighth floor of the boardwalk Ritz-Carlton and he inhabits this world with the polish and charm of an exiled prince, one who still takes the time to meet with his constituents after rolling out of bed at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It's Nucky's very hypocrisy--he's far from a teetotaler and yet still speaks passionately (if not at all truthfully) at the Women's Temperance League.

But Nucky does care, if a bit too much, about some of the individuals who come into his orbit, including his haunted protege Jimmy (Michael Pitt), newly returned from World War I who wants more out of life than a Princeton degree. His arc takes him on a journey of both self-discovery and a descent into the world of crime, pairing him with a young Brooklyn upstart named Al Capone (Stephen Graham).

And then there's the pious and well-meaning Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald), an Irish mother and Temperance supporter who has caught Nucky's eye, despite the sexual charms of his girlfriend Lucy (Paz de la Huerta). Macdonald makes Margaret wholly sympathetic, even as she falls under Nucky's spell as much as he does hers. Her journey from abused wife to something unexpected and compelling is a masterclass in understated acting. There's a real spark between the two of them that's intoxicating even as it is completely unusual in these types of stories. The lure that Margaret has for Nucky, however, makes sense within the context of his backstory and the early death of his wife.

But the series is far more than just the romance between these two. Instead, it's a dazzling mosaic comprised of gangsters, widows, smugglers, politicos, thieves, thugs, hookers, and tourists. Thanks to the strength of directors like Scorsese and Van Patten, it's a gorgeously shot production that doesn't gloss over the ugliness of the time period, the plight of vote-deprived women, of the blacks toiling away for pennies amid the privilege and excess, of the blood-splatter and larceny that mark the birth of organized crime.

In other words: pour yourself a stiff drink and settle in tonight to watch this remarkable new drama when it launches tonight.



Boardwalk Empire premieres tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Studying Humanity: An Advance Review of the Second Season Premiere of Community

I don't want to say too much lest I spoil the sheer and utter joy that is watching the second season opener ("Anthropology 101") of NBC's Community, which--like its characters--heads back to Greendale after a summer break.

There's a gleeful absurdity deep in the DNA of this winning show but also a lot of emotional resonance, as its characters tackle the larger struggles facing humanity while also managing to get involved in all manner of larger-than-life hijinx. It's a tonal juxtaposition that has worked well for the series in the first season, and Season Two--which begins on Thursday--smartly continues this trend, creating a microcosm in which the heartfelt and supremely weird hold hands on the way to class.

Given the way that the first season left off--with Jeff (Joel McHale) and Annie (Alison Brie) locking lips rather than with Britta (Gillian Jacobs)--it's only natural that the writers would deal with this new love triangle permutation early on. And that they do, in true Community fashion, complete with a Cranberries tribute band and, well, that would be telling.

What I can tell you is that the first five minutes of the episode are sheer and utter bliss, a Wes Anderson-inspired montage that depicts the characters in their natural habitats as they they prepare for their first day back at Greendale. It's an ingenuous way to begin the season, giving us a glimpse into the headspace of the characters, as well as their home lives, something we didn't get to see during Season One. Surprising and hysterical, it's a sign that we're immediately getting yanked back into this addictive comedy.

What follows after that is the stuff that smart and slick comedies are made on, as Community offers a blistering assault on CBS' $#*! My Dad Says (and the Twitter account that it's based on), sidekicks, oneupmanship, and ego. It features Abed (Danny Pudi) delivering one of the most powerful and yet simple lines of dialogue that's a verbal kick to the gut for one character.

The love triangle goes to an even weirder place than before and the characters--in particular the lovable and pious single mom Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown)--react to the new complications and twists. (Really, that's even more than I should be saying.) Troy (Donald Glover), meanwhile, has been living with Pierce (Chevy Chase), though their relationship--or lack thereof--comes to a head in this episode as well.

As for disgraced Spanish professor Senor Chang (Ken Jeong), there are more than a few surprises lined up in the first episode back. (You'll know what I mean when you see it. Shades of Gollum, perhaps?)

And then there's Betty White, the spry octogenarian who has been popping up everywhere these days. In true Community style, she plays mentally unstable anthropology professor June Bauer who gives the gang their first assignment of the new school year, one that's both eye-opening and, well, terrifying, really.

Ultimately, "Anthropology 101" is a pitch-perfect season opener, offering the color and charm of the first season of Community while taking it to a further level of self-assurance and polish. As the series seemingly effortlessly juggles humor, heart, and its own particular brand of I'm-as-weird-as-I-want-to-be peculiarity, it's tough not to fall in love with these true to life characters and this extraordinary comedy that's redefining what's possible within the context of American broadcast sitcoms.

If this is the way that Dan Harmon and Co. have chosen to begin the sophomore season, I can honestly say that we're in for a treat as this promising series just gets smarter and weirder by the day. And by that I mean that you won't get, uh, "dirt-roaded" if you opt to tune in at 8 pm on Thursdays. Your inner outcast will thank you.

Season Two of Community begins Thursday night at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

First Frost: An Advance Review of the Chuck Season Four Premiere

When we last left Zachary Levi's Chuck Bartowski, he had received a revelation--or two--that shocked his world to its core. Having buried his father, slain in the line of duty, Chuck learned that his father had maintained a secret underground headquarters beneath the family's Encino home and that his mother, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski, had her own secrets as well... and that his father had devoted his life to finding Chuck and Ellie's errant mother.

I can tell you that we see the elusive Mary (played by Terminator's Linda Hamilton) within the very first seconds of Season Four of NBC's Chuck, which begins on Monday with a fantastic and funny installment ("Chuck Versus the Anniversary") that sets up the overarching plotline for the fourth season while creating a new status quo for our favorite spy.

I had the chance last night to watch "Chuck Versus the Anniversary," written by Chris Fedak and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, and was struck by how much humor and whimsy--and action--they managed to shoehorn into those forty-odd minutes. As I tweeted last night about the episode, "Chuck premiere: sexting, skydiving, Seinfeld references, (Harry Dean) Stanton? Sensational. Very fun opener."

Which it is. Without giving too much away, I can say that Chuck and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) are still very much a couple, though with some new obstacles to overcome, Chuck's promise to Ellie to leave the spy life behind stands (or, well, sort of, anyway), and divergent plotlines end up beautifully intersecting before the end of the hour, when Chuck is forced to make a choice that could have some consequences for his current covert mission: tracking down his mother.

What else did I think of the season opener? Read on...

[As always: please do not reproduce this review in full on any message boards, websites, or blogs.]

It's the above task that shadows the action unfolding within "Chuck Versus the Anniversary," but the episode is not all doom and gloom. In fact, it's one of the most lighthearted and funny episodes of the series in quite some time, as executive producer Chris Fedak constructs an episode that equal parts Get Smart homage, gadget-influenced romantic comedy, and a high-flying, globe-hopping espionage drama that's set against such diverse cities as Hong Kong, Moscow, and, well, Burbank. (The gang's jet-setting lifestyle is visualized through a hilarious map gag that makes use of the credit sequence's little stick figure man.)

While I don't want to give too much away about this fun and fantastic installment, I will say that several of the series regulars don't make appearances here, so don't hold your breath waiting to find out what Lester, Jeff, Big Mike, or Captain Awesome have been up to since we last saw them. However, what you will find is an episode that puts the spotlight on the core group--that would be Chuck, Sarah, Casey (Adam Baldwin), and Morgan (Josh Gomez), naturally--while reconfiguring them a bit and pushing them into a new and exciting direction within the confines of the series.

As for the Buy More gang, I'll be interested to see just how they fit into this new world order within Chuck and just how they'll interact with the newly promoted Bonita Fredericy's General Beckman, who takes on a most unusual role within the infrastructure of the series. I'll say no more on that front for the time being.

Chuck and Sarah's relationship--a romantic one for those worried--is the bedrock of the season. While the two are challenged by circumstances, there are no ex-lovers, would-be love interests, or other external pressures on their relationship, but rather a realistic situation that tests their bond even as it proves their loyalty and depth of feelings for one another. And, yes, involves the ubiquitous trend of the moment: sexting. But said trend is used for both comedic and dramatic effect and Fedak creatively uses it both as gag and plot point here.

Ultimately,"Chuck Versus the Anniversary" is a hell of a start for what promises another fantastic season of Chuck, one filled with intrigue, excitement, romance, and comedy. Not to mention Mary Elizabeth Bartowski. In the hands of Hamilton, she becomes an impressive and powerful figure in Chuck's life, albeit one who might either be friend or foe. Suffice it to say that a scene in which Mary figures prominently will not soon be forgotten...

Meanwhile, the episode also features Harry Dean Stanton, Dolph Lundgren, and Olivia Munn. I have to say that I'm extremely impressed that Fedak and Josh Schwartz were able to get Stanton, who turns up here in a most unexpected role, one that sets in motion a series of events involving getaways, menus, and public transportation. As for Lundgren, his appearance signals the arrival of a new criminal organization for Chuck and Co. to take down over the course of the season, perhaps taking advantage of the power vacuum created by the destruction of The Ring.

Just who is Lundgren's character working for and what is their ultimate aim? And how does Mary fit into all of this? What's her agenda exactly? Hmmm...

Season Four of Chuck launches Monday at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast Exclusive: "Top Chef's Surprise Finish"

Still scratching your head over last night's season finale of Top Chef?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest feature, "Top Chef's Surprise Finish," an exclusive interview with the culinary competition series' executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz--yes, the brains behind the ubiquitous Magical Elves--as we discuss the winner, what went wrong this season, culinary tourism, the language of reality television, and Justin Bieber.

(Yes, you read that last bit correctly.)

Head to the comments section to share your thoughts about the now-wrapped Washington D.C.-set season of Top Chef and whether you enjoyed the season or thought that it lacked the sophisticated palate of previous seasons... and what you'd do to correct any of the show's current issues, should you have any.

Singapore Sling: Thoughts on the Season Finale of Top Chef

Um, yeah.

After a seriously contentious season of Top Chef, the Washington D.C.-set seventh season came to a close with a final showdown between Angelo, Kevin, and Ed in Singapore, amid a head-scratching judges' decision that made me question just what they were thinking... and what we'd seen throughout the course of the season as members of the home audience.

I watched the season finale earlier this week and had a very difficult time keeping my mouth shut about the winner and my intense disappointment over the outcome of the season. While the Singapore installments gave the series a much-needed jolt, it didn't remove the bad taste in mouth about this season as a whole nor the decision to crown a particular person the ultimate winner and bearer of the title of Top Chef.

(If you haven't already, head over to The Daily Beast to read my exclusive interview with Top Chef's executive producers, where we discuss my criticisms of the past season, what went wrong, and the winner revealed last night.)

So what did I think of the episode and the chef selected as the overall winner of this season? Let's discuss...

So the winner of this season of Top Chef is Kevin?!?! While he performed pretty well overall this season, he only won one Elimination Challenge over the course of the season and flew so far under the radar that I didn't even expect him to make the Final Four over the far superior Tiffany.

So what gives? What went down in Singapore that led to his dark horse being crowned the ultimate victor?

I had a sinking feeling that Angelo would be out of the running due to his sudden and inexplicable illness, as seen from the promos for this week's episode. While Angelo did manage to rally on the last day and present four courses for the judges, his performance was entirely dependent on that of sous chef Hung, who managed to do all of Angelo's shopping and prep ahead of time.

In fact, I felt that the sous chefs had a huge effect on the outcome of the Singapore culinary battle, given that winner Kevin managed to get none other than Michael Voltaggio to serve as his sous chef. Wait a second here. The winner of the last Top Chef, arguably one of the strongest chefs ever to play the game, was recruited as a sous chef for the final challenge that would decide the ultimate winner? How on earth is that fair?

Granted, Ed and Angelo also had winners to work with and Angelo's sous, Hung, is a workhorse of the highest order. He flies around that kitchen and can pull off the work of 50 chefs in about a few hours' time. But I've never been a fan of Ilan and I was surprised when he won his particular season. And Ed here seemed to have been undone a bit by Ilan, who kept offering his own opinions of what Ed should be doing but instead brought little more than a halfway decent sticky toffee pudding and salted whipped cream to the plate.

In any event, the final three chefs had to prepare an extraordinary four-course meal for their final challenge, one that comprised a vegetable course, a fish course, a meat course, and a--shudder--dessert.

So what did they make? Let's take a look:

Angelo:

• First Course: pickled royale mushrooms, char siu bao pork belly, noodles, and watermelon tea
• Second Course: sautéed rouget, olive oil-poached cuttlefish with "Asian Style" bouillabaisse
• Third Course: sautéed duck breast and foie gras with marshmallow, daikon-ginger salad and a tart cherry shooter
• Fourth Course: Thai Jewel: coconut-vanilla cream and crushed ice with exotic fruits, yam taro, and saffron syrup

Ed:

• First Course: chilled summer corn veloute with fried black cockles and silan
• Second Course: stuffed rouget and glazed slipper lobster, cuttlefish with zucchini pesto, toasted pine nuts
• Third Course: Duck Two Ways: roasted breast and braised stuffed neck with baby spinach and duck jus
• Fourth Course: sticky toffee-date pudding with fleur de sel crème Chantilly "a la Ilan"

Kevin:

• First Course: eggplant, zucchini, and pepper terrine, tomatoes, jalapenos, and sweet soy reduction with ginger oil
• Second Course: rouget, cuttlefish noodles, pork belly, cockles, slipper lobster, and cigala
• Third Course: roasted duck breast with duck dumpling, caramelized bok choy, and coriander sauce
• Fourth Course: Frozen Singapore Sling with tropical fruits

First, I do think it was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers to have the judges select the proteins for the chefs and require them to use them as part of the meal and highlight them accordingly. It put them on somewhat equal playing ground and challenged them to use these ingredients in innovative ways while still having them compete against one another using the same elements on the plate, just configured in their own inimitable way.

Second, I do think Kevin did some things right. While I question whether he was the best chef this season (a title I don't think is really warranted), he did--as Tom Colicchio put it--take the most risks. Or at least took one major risk that paid off. Whereas Angelo and Ed both used proteins in their vegetable first course--Angelo with pork belly and Ed with black cockles--Kevin created a purely vegetarian dish for his start that stood up to both of those dishes.

I do, however, wish that the judges had been more strict during the instructions and had said that it was to be a "vegetarian" rather than "vegetable" dish. I would have liked to have seen what each of them could have done without the use of proteins in their starters. Would it have changed the outcome? Who knows.

There were some interesting techniques in play here. Kevin's transformation of the cuttlefish into noodle-like ribbons, Ed's stuffing of the duck's neck, Angelo's watermelon tea and that cinnamon-spiced marshmallow, though the latter was less than successful, as was his bizarre decision to include that tart cherry shooter on the plate... and describe it as a palate-cleanser, which it was nothing of the sort whatsoever.

While the judges seemed to be enraptured by Kevin's deceptively simple Sinagpore Sling-inspired dessert, I thought that it was Angelo's "Thai Jewel" dessert, with its unexpected flavors of saffron, that was a far superior dessert, at least in terms of technique, execution, and presentation. Ed's dessert--Ilan's main contribution to the team--was a total disappointment. Sure, Gail said that it seemed to be in keeping with Ed's personality (and his somewhat disappointing attitude this week) that dessert was more or less an afterthought, but it's also the last thing that you're giving the judges in a competition to win $150,000. Why would you leave that for your sous chef to conceive and execute? It looked sloppy and homemade, rather than something you'd find in a fine dining establishment and it totally missed the point of including dessert as part of the dinner. The judges wanted to be wowed four times over. They didn't want a piece of sticky toffee pudding presented with very little thought or grace.

Each of the contestants had their high and low points in the final leg and, yes, you're only as good as your last dish. But I can't help but question the judges decision to award the win to Kevin when they only once picked him out as the strongest chef that week prior. Surely, there must be some thought to the overall performance, vision, and execution of the chefs when they make their way to the final judges' table. Or there should be, anyway. In the meantime, I can't help but feel frustrated both by the outcome and by the season at large. Here's to hoping that the producers can fix some of the issues that many of us have had with this season...

What did you think of the season as a whole? Did Kevin deserve to win over Ed and Angelo? Was the the strongest chef? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate.

Next week on Top Chef ("Reunion Special"), it's one last chance to catch up with the cast of the Washington, D.C. season before the series returns sometime next year with a new installment on Bravo.

Pregnant Pauses and Hot-Button Issues: An Advance Review of Season Six of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

There are few series that are as gleefully absurd as FX's ribald comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which returns for a sixth season tonight after what feels like way too long of a hiatus.

Revolving as it always does about the denizens of a low-rent Philadelphia pub, Sunny continues to push its characters into uncomfortable territory, challenging them to not change, learn, or grow even as they sink lower and lower into their own filth. And that's truly the joy of watching this original and groundbreaking comedy. You can't help but fall in love with Mac, Dennis, Charlie, Dee, and Frank, even as you realize that you would immediately cross to the other side of the street if you ever saw these selfish and flawed individuals in real-life.

From the safety of your living room, however, Sunny becomes a window into the world of arrested adolescence, where despite pushing their thirties (hard), the gang at Paddy's Pub becomes more a portrait of unfettered id, a land where no impulse is ever denied, no matter how moronic, dangerous, or utterly selfish. And it's a beautiful thing.

Season Six once again juxtaposes outlandish situations with hot-button issues as the executive producers--Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day--tackle social conventions within the context of comedy, pushing the characters to take stands even as it challenges the audience to often side against them. This season, those topics would include gay marriage, matrimony, divorce, pregnancies, and, um, boat ownership, all in the first four episodes of the season alone.

The brutally funny first four episodes of Season Six, sent out to critics for review, represent a hilarious and strong start to the new season. The first episode in particular, entitled "Mac Fights Gay Marriage," finds the gang tackling the controversial issue of gay marriage--or at least McElhenney's Mac, anyway--while the rest of the gang is able to reap the rewards of matrimony, including Frank (Danny DeVito) and Charlie (Day), who get a civil union so that Charlie can get on Frank's health insurance.

Look for a painfully uproarious scene in which the duo attempt to crack one another's backs and Kaitlin Olsen's Sweet Dee to battle her gag reflex in a recurring, er, gag that's hilarious, while Mac's attempt to slam gay marriage--which includes the use of electrical plugs to demonstrate his point--is both eye-opening and hysterical.

The plot of that episode--which involves Dennis (Howerton) getting married to a high school sweetheart--becomes a major arc for the season, spilling into the following episode ("Dennis Gets Divorced"), while the whodunit aspect of the fourth episode ("Who Got Dee Pregnant?") sees the guys attempt to figure out which one of them could be the father of Dee's baby after a series of hijinx at the Halloween party.

Yes, a baby could be making its way into the Paddy's Pub gang and one can only hope that they learned a thing or two about parenting from the dumpster baby incident a few seasons back.

Then again, this is Sunny we're talking about: if these guys learned anything about life, it would be an absolute miracle.

Season Six of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia kicks off tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on FX.

Channel Surfing: FOX Nabs J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz, House Lands Candace Bergen, ABC Waxes Over Prince of Tides, Boardwalk Empire, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

No surprise: J.J. Abrams and Elizabeth Sarnoff's hotly desired Alcatraz--from studio Warner Bros. Television--is headed to FOX after the network gave a pilot order to the project, which revolves around the infamous San Francisco island prison that was shut down in 1963... and once housed such inmates as Al Capone and the Bird Man himself. Abrams is no stranger to FOX: the network currently airs Fringe, which he co-created with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. (Variety)

How's this for kick-ass casting? Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Candace Bergen (Boston Legal) has signed on to a multiple-episode story arc on FOX's medical drama House, where she will play the mother of Lisa Edelstein's Cuddy. Bergen's first appearance is slated to air in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lowenstein... Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this. ABC is reportedly developing a series based on Pat Conroy's novel "The Prince of Tides," which was previously adapted into a 1991 feature film starring Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, revolves around "a married Southern football coach from an abusive and dysfunctional family who falls in love with a New York psychiatrist." Conroy will serve as a non-writing consultant on the project, which will be written by Bob Brush and Mel Harris, who will executive produce alongside Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, Mitch Hurwitz, and Craig Anderson. (Hollywood Reporter)

Vulture's Lane Brown interviews Boardwalk Empire's Michael Kenneth Williams--best known for his brilliant turn as stickup artist Omar on HBO's The Wire--about his role as the real-life Chalky White in the period gangster drama. "Yeah, it’s pretty cool," said Williams about Chalky's amazing wardrobe. "Omar didn’t really care what he wore. He’d probably wear just a vest and a trench coat and a shotgun and a do-rag. Chalky definitely is a well-tailored man. All the suits are hand-tailored by Martin Greenfield. He’s an amazing tailor from Brooklyn. It’s a real honor to have him dress me. You put those clothes on and you walk on set, you’re definitely in character. You feel the clothes. It’s amazing." (Vulture)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that ex-Cold Case star (and former Wonderfalls mainstay) Tracie Thoms has been cast in FOX's Human Target, where she will guest star Michelle, the ex-wife of Chi McBride's Winston, in the second season's fifth episode, slated to air in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lou Diamond Philips (Stargate: Universe) has been cast in Lifetime's untitled Josh Berman drama pilot, where he will play a police lieutenant and the boss to Sherry Stringfield's Molly Collins and Jamie-Lynn Sigler's Brooke Kross. Elsewhere, Dylan Baker (The Good Wife) has been cast in a potentially recurring role on USA's Burn Notice, where he will play Max, a power broker who could hold Michael's fate in his hands. He'll first appear in the fourth season finale and could return in Season Five. (Deadline)

CBS has given a script order to an untitled New Jersey crime drama pilot from writer/producer Gary Lennon (Justified). Project, from CBS Television Studios, revolves around the first female police chief of Newark who "must battle crime and law-enforcement corruption as well as a difficult home life," and will be executive produced by Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lifetime has ordered four-hour miniseries Marry Me, which will star Lucy Liu, Steven Pasquale, Bobby Cannavale, Enrique Murciano, and Annie Potts. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, revolves around a woman (Liu) looking for Mr. Right. (Variety)

File this under sick and wrong. The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd is reporting that E! has given a series order to reality competition series Bridalplasty, in which "brides-to-be compete in wedding-themed challenges to win extensive surgical procedures" with "the winner [receiving] the chance to choose a plastic surgery procedure from her 'wish list.' She's given the procedure immediately, and results are shown at the start of the following week's episode." [Editor: Color me absolutely disgusted.] Project will be hosted by Shanna Moakler and executive produced by Guilana Rancic, Mark Cronin, and Cris Abrego. (Hollywood Reporter)


TLC renewed a brace of series yesterday, giving pickups to Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, Four Weddings, Strange Sex, Toddlers and Tiaras, and I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.