Channel Surfing: Summer Glau to Chuck, Zucker's Replacement Named at NBCU, Starz Considers Spartacus Options, Community, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is set to guest star on NBC's Chuck this season, where she will turn up in the eighth episode as the latest Greta, the rotating CIA/NSA joint intelligence task force agent assigned to the Buy More. Glau, who stars in NBC's midseason action drama The Cape, follows in the footsteps of Olivia Munn, Stacy Keibler, and Isaiah Mustafa. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Jeff Zucker is out and Steve Burke is in. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' right-hand man Burke, will succeed Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal once the merger deal--valued at $30 billion--is completed. Zucker announced that he would be stepping down from the position on Friday once the merger transaction is closed. "Steve Burke is an experienced, talented and visionary leader with over 25 years in the media and entertainment industry," Roberts said in a statement. "Steve is one of the most well-respectedexecutives in the industry, and I am confident that he will lead NBC U forward to a new era of growth." Burke will also continue to serve as Comcast's COO. (Variety)

[Meanwhile, Michael Schneider and Cynthia Littleton take a look at Zucker's legacy over at Variety, while AOL Television's Maureen Ryan has her own take on Zucker's departure with "Jeff Zucker's Reign of Terribleness Finally Over at NBC."]

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Spartacus showrunner Steven S. DeKnight about the two options available to the production and pay cabler Starz in light of series lead Andy Whitfield's cancer relapse. “The two main options are to close up shop or recast,” DeKnight told Ausiello. “I want to talk to Andy and find out how he feels about the options. That’s obviously very important to us... We’re still absorbing what’s happened. I think it’s going to be a little while before we reach any conclusions.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, meanwhile, is also reporting that Starz is considering recasting the role of Spartacus so that the planned second season can move along as planned.]

Hilary Duff is headed to Greendale. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Duff will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Community, where she will play "a member of a mean girl clique that goes head-to-head with the Scoobies." [Editor: news matches what I learned on the set of Community two weeks ago: the writers are planning a Mean Girls homage.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Ed Decter and John Strauss have officially signed on as showrunners on USA's In Plain Sight. The duo replaces John McNamara, who departed the series due to medical issues. (Deadline)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Darren Everett Criss (Eastwick) has been cast on FOX's Glee, where he will play Blaine, described as "a gay student from a rival school glee club named the Dalton Academy Warblers." While some might leap to the judgment that Criss' character will be the love interest for Chris Colfer's Kurt, Dos Santos cites an unnamed source who says that isn't the case: "Although people might speculate that this might be the possible boyfriend for Kurt that Ryan has talked about, he is fairly sure that this particular character won't be. This friendship will be platonic." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Former Heroes star Zachary Quinto is bummed that there won't be a two-movie to wrap up the superhero drama's dangling storylines after NBC axed the potential wrap-up. “It’s disappointing that there was such a lack of resolution,” Quinto told Entertainment Weekly. “But unfortunately that’s just the nature of network television….Nothing really surprises me in terms of network and studio bureaucracy. It’s the way it goes... If it was in their best interest I’m sure they would have done it. And for whatever reason, they didn’t think it was. So that’s a bummer. But we have to just accept it and move on.” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, Aimee Garcia (Trauma) has been cast in ABC midseason medical drama Off the Map, where she will play a local who falls for Zach Gilford's plastic surgeon, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

More deals coming together at Showtime, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, who reports that Showtime has signed development deals with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards and with Jeff Daniels and Timothy Busfield. (Deadline)

Stay tuned.

AOL Television's Skype Second Opinion: The Season Opener of NBC's Community

What did you think of last night's episode of Community?

While I've been raving about the second season opener for weeks now, I also was asked to host AOL Television's Skype Second Opinions, where I connected via Skype and rambled on for a full three minutes about Community's "Anthropology 101" episode, my thoughts on the fantastic opening sequence (set to Vampire Weekend's "Campus"), the most un-erotic kiss ever on television, urine-swigging June Bauer (Betty White), that sucker-punch to the gut, and Ken Jeong's terrifyingly twisted Ben Chang.

You can watch the video in full over here at AOL Television or right below.



Next week on Community ("The Psychology of Letting Go"), the study group comforts Pierce after the death of his mother; Professor Duncan tries to take over the anthropology class.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Trailer Park: Betty White on Community Teaser

"We'll just say Community is the new Glee."

With less than a month to go until the second season premiere of NBC's deliciously absurd comedy Community, NBC has released a teaser trailer for Season Two, which just so happens to feature Betty White seeming a but, uh, confused about what show she's slated to appear on.

You can view the teaser in full below.



Season Two of Community launches Thursday, September 23rd on NBC.

Channel Surfing: NBC Dumps Parks and Rec Repeats, Smallville Return, Creative Arts Emmy Winners, Grey's Closure and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Good news for Community; bad news for Parks and Recreation. The Futon Critic is reporting that NBC has opted to forgo repeats of Season Two of Parks and Recreation for the remainder of the summer, instead using the Thursday 9:30 pm timeslot for a second round of Community repeats. [Editor: While I applaud NBC for recognizing the potential of Dan Harmon's Community, I wish it weren't at the expense of Parks and Rec, which won't even return for its third season until "midseason."] Planned repeats for August 26th and September 2nd will instead be filled by Community episodes... which means that the airwaves will be Pawnee-free until the series returns at a to-be-determined point later in the season. (Futon Critic)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Glover will return to the CW's Smallville to reprise his role as Lionel Luthor in a multiple-episode story arc on the tenth and final season. Glover is currently slated to appear in at least two episodes that will air in November, though it's unknown just how Lionel will be making his grand return as he was last seen plummeting to his death after being pushed out of a window by Michael Rosenbaum's Lex. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO took home 17 statues on Saturday for the Creative Arts Emmys, followed closely by ABC with 15. [Editor: Congratulations to Ryan Case, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy for Modern Family. Go Ryan!] A full list of all winners can be found here. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Izzie's story is far from being done on ABC's Grey's Anatomy and talks to executive producer Shonda Rhimes about providing closure for Alex when the series returns this fall for its seventh season. "We’re talking about it [in the writers' room] obsessively and trying to figure it out,” Rhimes told Ausiello. “We’re approaching it pretty carefully... I want how ever we deal with Alex growing up and moving on and moving past that relationship to feel authentic and not to feel like something that’s patched together.” So might Katherine Heigl be dropping by Grey's, after all? "I don't know," said Rhimes. Hmmm... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other Grey's Anatomy-related news, Diane Farr (Rescue Me) will guest star in an episode slated to air in October, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Farr will play a patient with Huntington's Disease in the upcoming season's fourth episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy is not only developing a series vehicle for Kristin Chenoweth but is also looking to develop a project that would star John Stamos... and that the security on the set during Britney Spears' appearance was so tight that Murphy himself couldn't get on the set. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Murphy, meanwhile, hinted to Access Hollywood that Spears could end up making another appearance on Glee down the line. (Hollywood Reporter)

A happy ending for Bill and Sookie? Maybe not, but the actors who play them on HBO's vampire drama True Blood, Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin, have tied the knot. The couple were married in Malibu on Saturday evening. Among the attendees: Carrie Preston, Michael Emerson, and Elijah Wood. (Hollywood Reporter, US Weekly)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to 90210 showrunner Rebecca Sinclair about her decision to bring Trevor Donovan's Teddy out of the closet this fall on the CW teen soap. "[We wanted] to play a coming out story that features a kid we already knew," Sinclair told Ausiello about why they waited to delve into this storyline until this season. "Instead of his sexuality being the first and defining characteristic, we’ve already gotten a chance to know Teddy before he explores his sexuality. Teddy’s an athlete, he’s a famous guy’s son, he’s blonde and hunky and yes, he also has a sexual orientation and that’s a huge part of his life. In a lot of ways I think that’s more interesting than Teddy is a gay athlete, a gay famous guy’s son and a blonde and hunky gay gentleman." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that former House star Jennifer Morrison--who may or may not return to the FOX medical drama--will guest star on NBC's Chase this fall, where she will appear alongside current boyfriend Amaury Nolasco. Morrison is set to make an appearance in the sixth episode of the new procedural drama, where she will play Faith, described as "a single mother-turned-fugitive who embarks on a bloody killing spree across Texas with her innocent little daughter in tow." (TV Guide Magazine)

File this under sickening: The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Bruce is reporting that Jersey Shore's The Situation (a.k.a. Mike Sorrentino) will make $5 million by the end of the year, according to an unnamed source familiar with the reality star's personal finances. "We are really excited about all the opportunities coming Mike's way," Sorrentino's manager, Mike Petolino of Gotham Entertainment, told THR. "He has been able to secure many endorsement deals, business opportunities and additional television offers based on the success of the show. Our goal has always been to try to build a brand if the situation presented itself." (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Tia Texada (Third Watch) will guest star on NBC's Chuck this season, where she will play Hortencia, the wife of Armand Assante's Costa Gravan Premier Alejandro Goya. "We'll meet Hortencia, who (no surprise) is harboring a secret," writes Keck, "when Chuck and the gang visit the Premier's beautiful island in his native Costa Gravas." Texada will appear in the fourth season's fourth episode. (TV Guide Magazine)

Worked for NBC? Anyone and everyone who worked for the Peacock at one time or another is eligible to attend the 15th Annual NBC Reunion Dinner, which will be held at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank on October 23rd, according to a Variety report. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

San Diego Comic-Con: Head to Greendale with Community Panel

There's no possible way to be everywhere at once at San Diego Comic-Con, which is why I'm always chuffed when the studios and networks release video for the panels that I missed.

One panel that I would have loved to have seen was that for NBC's gleefully absurd comedy Community, but I was actually moderating the panel for ABC's V over in Ballroom 20 at the same exact time that creator Dan Harmon and the Greendale kids were discussing Season Two of the Sony Pictures Television-produced comedy.

But, alas, it was not meant to be. Many thanks then to NBC for releasing the video for the panel itself, which can be viewed in full below, even if I didn't see any Human Beings roaming the halls of the convention center. Which would have been far more scary than any Cloverfield monster, really.



Season Two of Community begins this fall on NBC.

Channel Surfing: Amber Tamblin Checks Into House, Betty White Heads to Community, Dolph Lundgren Vs. Chuck, Luck, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick are reporting that Amber Tamblyn (The Unusuals) will join the cast of FOX's House while Olivia Wilde is shooting feature film Cowboys and Aliens for Universal. Tamblyn has signed on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play " a whip-smart med student House (Hugh Laurie) recruits for his diagnostic team — despite the fact that she isn’t yet 100 percent qualified to treat patients" who will "have to find a way to adjust to her new mentor’s unique bedside manner." [Editor: as someone still mourning the loss of ABC's The Unusuals, I'm glad to see Tamblyn heading back to network television.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Is there anything Betty White can't do? The octogenarian actress, hot off a streak that includes hosting Saturday Night Live, a slew of films, and a new sitcom (Hot in Cleveland) for TV Land, White will guest star on NBC's Community this fall, where she will play June Bauer, described as "an esteemed, albeit slightly unhinged, anthropology professor," when the series returns for its second season, appearing in the season opener. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) will be heading to NBC's Chuck next season, appearing in a guest starring capacity in the Season Four opener, entitled "Chuck Versus the Anniversary." No details were immediately available about just who--or what--Lundgren will be playing, other than the fact that he'll face off with our own Chuck Bartowski. (Executive producer Josh Schwartz tweeted that Lundgren will "try and 'break' Chuck in Season 4 premiere.") But Lundgren isn't the only guest star confirmed for the season premiere: Ausiello also reports that Big Love baddie Harry Dean Stanton will also guest star. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO yesterday announced that it had given a series order to horseracing drama Luck, from executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann, which stars Dennis Hoffman, Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Kevin Dunn, Richard Kind, Jason Gedrick, Ritchie Coster, Ian Hart, Tom Payne, Kerry Condon, Gary Stevens, and Nick Nolte and features Jill Hennessy. "Michael Mann delivered a pilot from David Milch's brilliant script that took our breath away," said HBO programming president Michael Lombardo. "We are truly excited that these two artists, and our extraordinary cast headed by Dustin Hoffman, will be bringing Luck to life." (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that George Eads has signed a new deal which will keep him aboard CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Nick Stokes, citing reports from Eads' reps. Additionally, Keck said that Eads' Nick will be getting a new partner on the series, "a bombs expert named Kacey Monohan, who will be Nick's new partner on the Vegas streets." (TV Guide Magazine)

More details emerging about Piers Morgan's potential deal at CNN to replace Larry King. The America's Got Talent judge is said to be thisclose to signing a deal that will see him take over CNN's 9 pm timeslot and rake in $5-6 million per year as well as keep his position on AGT as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

As of press time, AT&T U-Verse hadn't removed Rainbow Media's cable channels--including AMC, IFC, and We--from its lineup, despite the expiration of their carriage agreement and a threat that the cable provider would ditch the channels if a deal couldn't be reached in time. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch With Kristin collects a whole bunch of tweets from the stars of CW dramas Vampire Diaries, 90210, and One Tree Hill, looking to parse some meaning--or spoilers--from the tweets that emerged this week as all three went back into production. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Nascent pay cabler Epix has hired producer Maureen Taran as VP of original programming, live events, where she will report to Laverne McKinnon. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Weintraub--who starred on A&E's unscripted series Sons of Hollywood--has been hired as VP of series development at Stone and Co., reporting to Scott Stone. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Eddie Cibrian Cut from CSI: Miami, Dexter Lands Hernandez, Woods Bumped to Regular on The Office, Community, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Eddie Cibrian is leaving CSI: Miami. "With original castmember—-and fan fave!—-Adam Rodriguez (Delko) returning this fall, a source close to the series confirms Eddie's departure, and tells me the Powers That Be are more interested in focusing on the core cast next season," writes Dos Santos, "which eliminates the need for the poor Cardoza character." Meanwhile, Dos Santos has the dirt on just how Cirbian's Cardoza will be written out of the crime procedural, but--beware!--it's highly spoilery. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

April Lee Hernandez (ER) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Five of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter. She'll play a police officer in the homicide department of Miami Metro. Hernandez's casting comes on the heels of news that Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, and Maria Doyle Kennedy have joined the cast, each on a recurring basis. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Zach Woods has been bumped to series regular on Season Seven of NBC's The Office. Woods plays Sabre executive Gabe on the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Critics are coming around to something that many of us already know: namely that NBC's Community is one of the very best comedies on television right now. The criminally under-rated comedy, produced by Sony Pictures Television, has seen a resurgence of critical support in the back half of its freshman season, which not only helped it get renewed for a second season and may help its chances at securing Emmy Award nominations. But even creator Dan Harmon understands why some critics were wary of the series at first. "Community definitely has elements that would have cynical viewers file away as a pop-culture-reference fest," said Harmon. "The actors are more comfortable with one another, and the writers are syncing up with the actors' voices. So the show is getting better, and people are more accustomed to its sensibility." [Editor: I'm actually hoping that Community, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family wind up in the comedy category... and can push out Glee.] (Variety's Emmy Central)

Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has been cast opposite Tim Robbins, Diane Lane, and James Gandolfini in HBO Films' telepic Cinema Verite, which takes a look at the real-life family who was the focus for the groundbreaking 1970s reality series An American Family. Dekker will play Lance Loud, "who became the center of scrutiny when he came out as a gay man on the show." Robbins and Lane will play his parents, while Gandolfini will portray Craig Gilbert, the documentary series' producer. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Syfy has ordered six episodes of reality series Hunting Hollywood, which will be hosted by Profiles in History's Joe Maddalena as he goes hunting for authentic Hollywood and pop culture props and memorabilia, which will be auctioned off at the end of each episode. Project, from Shevick*Zupon Entertainment, is expected to launch in November. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Susan Young has an interesting article at Variety's Emmy Central about the role of social networking conversations on interactions between showrunners and television critics and how services like Twitter are changing the dialogue. "I generally make networks nervous because I act first and think later," Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter told Young. "I've learned to be more cautious about what I tweet. A showrunner isn't just representing himself, but a studio and network, and I think it's legitimate for them to get a little nervous about what we say online." (Variety's Emmy Central)

ITV Studios and Debmar-Mercury have teamed up to produce talk show format The Chefs, with the distributor signing a deal that will see it acquire worldwide rights to the series, which will feature four chefs discussing various culinary topics. It's expected that the series would get a "multiweek on-air test of the strip" in the US later this year or in 2011 before it segues into national distribution. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has ordered eight additional episodes of Primetime: What Would You Do?. (Variety)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Fred Goss (Sons & Daughters) is close to signing a deal to topline CMT comedy pilot 30 Percent (with Sarah Rafferty also joining the cast), while Debra Mooney (Everwood) has signed on to the cabler's untitled David Litt comedy pilot. (Deadline)

Style has ordered another ten episodes of reality series Jerseylicious, bumping the total of installments for Season Two from ten to twenty. Series returns to the lineup this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Bravo executive Cori Abraham has been hired as SVP of development at Oxygen Media and will oversee development on both the West and East Coasts. She'll be based in Los Angeles and will report to Amy Introcaso-Davis. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk Lost's "Across the Sea," NBC Likely to Axe Heroes, 24, Fringe Preview, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall has a fantastic (and lengthy) interview with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about this week's divisive "Across the Sea" episode and the end of the series. "We told the story the way we wanted to. Like David Chase, we tried to make the show to entertain the audience. That was our primary goal," said Cuse about making the sixth and final season of Lost. "We kind of planned this episode to come at this period of time because we actually wanted to take a break after the deaths of these major characters. It felt like this was the perfect time to take a time out from the main narrative. And since this was the final big mythological episode that we were going to do, we felt like it was a good placement for it, and now we'll roll into the finale. We make no apologies. We planned this to be the way it is. Again, it is funny, because there are a lot of people who are very happy with the show, there's going to be a very vocal group of people who are not happy, and that just kind of comes with the territory. We're making the show the best way we know how to make it, and we stand by it, and we're excited about how it ends and how the journey's unfolded." (Hitfix)

Over at Los Angeles Times, Maria Elena Fernandez has a fantastic piece on Lost's composer Michael Giacchino, who will be conducting a full symphony orchestra at tonight's Lost Live event here in Los Angeles (I'll be attending, of course) and speaks to Lindelof and Cuse about Giacchino's impact on the series. "We've always talked about the central aspect of Lost being character, character, character, and his music is so evocative of a certain moment or person in the show," Lindelof told Fernandez. "If you close your eyes and play 30 seconds of one of Michael's themes, you'd know which character's theme that is." (Los Angeles Times)

Vulture's Josef Adalian is reporting that Heroes is very unlikely to earn a spot on NBC's fall schedule and that all indications are currently pointing towards the superhero drama being deader than a dodo. Previous reports had indicated that the Peacock was considering ordering a final chapter of thirteen episodes but that appears not to be the case any more for the Tim Kring-overseen drama after screening the pilots that they had ordered. "NBC (which declined to comment for this story) is nothing if not appreciative of the few Heroes fans who still care about the saga and doesn't want to leave them hanging," writes Adalian. "While a half-season appears to be out of the question, we hear there's a good chance the network will at least try to find a way to fund a two- or four-hour movie event in order to give some finality to the franchise." (Vulture)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice has an interview with 24's Cherry Jones about the "trippy story arc" this season for President Allison Taylor. "By the end of the season, these guys are just this side of brain dead," said Cherry about Howard Gordon and 24's writers. "They have been trying so hard. They don’t have an arc. Most TV shows would have an arc and they would figure out how to nudge everybody in the direction they wanted to go in. These guys look at the performances, look at who they’ve got and try to follow things they think will be the most shocking. The fact that my character has suddenly taken this turn was never anticipated by anyone, but they have to figure out a way to justify it. They and I have managed to do that. I’ve got to hand it to them, they live right on the edge. They don’t take the easy road." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

E! Online's Megan Masters takes an early look at Part One of season finale of FOX's Fringe (airing tonight), offering up side-by-side photos of Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Walter Bishop and their alternate reality counterparts. [Editor: I think that Olivia looks amazing in either reality but her "over there" counterpart has got a smoldering look.] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

And here's the promo for the two-part Fringe season finale:



[Editor: FOX and NBC ordered a whole slew of series yesterday afternoon, which you can read about here.]

Former Sopranos star James Gandolfini has been cast opposite Diane Lane and Tim Robbins in HBO's telepic Cinema Verite, a dramatization of the seminal 1970s reality series An American Family, where he will play the series' producer Craig Gilbert. (Robbins and Lane will play Bill and Pat Loud, the married couple at the center of the series.) Project, written by David Seltzer and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, will begin production this summer. (Variety)

BBC One has unveiled the cast of its upcoming eight-part sci-fi drama series Outcasts (created by Ben Richards), which will include Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber, Ashes to Ashes's Daniel Mays, Clash of the Titans' Liam Cunningham, Spooks' Hermione Norris, Being Human's Amy Manson, Small Island's Ashley Walters, Ugly Betty's Eric Mabius, Shameless'Michael Legge, Generation Kill's Langley Kirkwood, Invictus' Patrik Lyster, and Jeanne Kietzmann. Series revolves around a group of human colonists who are attempting to build a new society on a distant planet. Here's how BBC describes the series: "They are a diverse group of individuals who left their old lives behind in extraordinary circumstances; promised a second chance at life they created a society, far away from their home, friends, family... and their pasts. Settled in the town of Forthaven on Carpathia, they are passionate about their jobs, confident of their ideals and optimistic about the future. They work hard to preserve what they've built on this planet they now call home, having embraced all the challenges that come with forging a new beginning.The planet offers the possibility for both corruption and redemption; while they try to avoid the mistakes made on Earth, inevitably our heroes cannot escape the human pitfalls of love, greed, lust, loss, and a longing for those they've left behind. As they continue to work and live together they come to realise this is no ordinary planet... is there a bigger purpose at work? Mystery lurks around them and threatens to risk the fragile peace of Forthaven." (BBC)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that Steven Spielberg has pre-taped a "special introductory message" that will be played to advertisers at FOX's upfront presentation next week," signifying that his project--the prehistoric drama Terra Nova (which revolves around a family from the future who travels back in time)--has secured a thirteen-episode commitment and will be presented to advertisers even though a single frame of film has yet to be shot. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Entourage's executive producers Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson are developing a female-oriented comedy for HBO which will be written by Leah Rachel (with an assist by Emily Montague) that will revolve around a group of female friends in Los Angeles. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Warner Bros. Television is in the final negotiations of a deal with Angus T. Jones that will keep him on CBS' Two and a Half Men for two additional seasons. Still no progress, meanwhile, in the ongoing renegotiation talks between WBTV and series lead Charlie Sheen... (Deadline)

Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall has an interview with Cougar Town co-creator Bill Lawrence about how the series got beyond a thin concept and rickety title... which Lawrence would love to change. "I'd like to (change it), and the studio has been talking about it for three reasons: One, partly as a result of common sense and partly from their research, they find too many instances of testing of people saying they would never watch a show called Cougar Town - 'I don't want to see some show about a 40-year-old woman nailing younger guys' - and then they screen an episode, and people go, 'Oh, I would watch this show,'" said Lawrence. "Second point is simply what you already said, which is you would be hard-pressed to watch the last three episodes of the show and asked anyone for titles - I doubt anyone would say Cougar Town. Third, in a world where ABC and Steve are looking to promote Modern Family and capitalize on it to promote all their new shows next fall, anything you can do to create some kind of dialogue about your existing show is smart and savvy. The reasons not to do it I think solely come down to business reasons." (Hitfix)

Community's Joel McHale and Modern Family's Sofia Vergara will be announcing the primetime Emmy Award nominations on July 8th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that FOX has passed on the following projects: Breakout Kings, Breaking In, Tax Men, Strange Brew, Most Likely to Succeed and The Station, while NBC has passed on Matthew Broderick-led comedy Beach Lane. In other pilot news, FX has passed on comedy project Sweat Shop, after filming a pilot. (Deadline)

Lionsgate has acquired international distribution rights to Comedy Central's upcoming series Big Lake, from executive producers Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy. Cabler has given the comedy, which stars Chris Gethard, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz, a ten-episode commitment, with an option to order an additional 90 episodes. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Stay tuned.

Battle Royale: An Advance Review of Thursday's "Modern Warfare" Episode of Community

"Come with me if you don't want paint on your clothes."

I've been a fan of NBC's absurdist comedy Community since its inception. Over the course of its first season, the series--created by Dan Harmon--has grown into one of the network's creatively strongest players on Thursday evenings.

Aided by a winning cast, a deft balance between the sweet and sour, and a willingness to embrace the quirky, the odd, and the just plain out there, the series has grown into one of the most inventive and original comedies on television today and, paired with fellow Peacock comedy Parks and Recreation, offers an hour that ranks among one of my chief delights of the week.

This week's episode of Community ("Modern Warfare"), written by Emily Cutler (who also scripted another one of my favorite episodes this season, "Contemporary American Poultry"), offers what isn't merely another gleefully absurd installment but just might just be the most ambitious and hilarious comedy outing this year, one that redefines what broadcast network comedies are capable of achieving.

I don't want to give too much away about this incredible episode but I will say that it challenges our preconceptions about what is possible within the confines of an American broadcast network comedy. While other series--such as BBC Three's The Mighty Boosh--have taken absurdist humor to another world altogether, American broadcast comedies typically attempt to retain some semblance of reality, even when absurdity or parody are locked within their creative DNA (such as 30 Rock).

Community has always been a series that has played fast and loose with the rules, creating a universe that is at once filled with heart as it is with head-scratching humor. But never before has this series--or any other, come to think of it--offered an episode that is so absurd, so ambitious, and so absolutely unique that you find yourself roaring with laughter just as often as you pick up your jaw from the floor.

"Modern Warfare" finds Greendale College a campus divided as Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) offers a paintball tournament with a unique prize for the victor (priority enrollment). Awakening from a nap in his car, Jeff (Joel McHale) discovers a world very different from the one he left, one that's ripped apart by violence and destruction, where everyone he encounters is a potential enemy. And unless he arms himself, he might just be the next victim. Fortunately, lone wolf Jeff quickly falls into an alliance with BFFs Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover).

What follows is inspired pastiche of action films such as Die Hard and The Matrix, zombie moves like 28 Days Later, and one of the most hysterical and attention-grabbing comedic episodes this year.

Alliances are formed, friendships fractured, Glee battered about, and heroes and villains born. Abed gets one of the best entrances I've seen in a long time (just... wow) while Ken Jeong's Senor Chang turns out to be a vicious killer who would be right at home with Hans Gruber. (His full-on assault of the study room, complete with el tigre-colored paint gun and tan suit, is absolutely priceless.)

Look for Alison Brie's Annie, Yvette Nicole Brown's Shirley, and Gillian Jacob's Britta to comprise the world's toughest female hit squad, death scenes galore (I love Shirley's in particular), and an exploration of what is personally important to the individual members of the study group, through the prism of that promise of early enrollment.

It's that latter point that resonates most deeply. The episode itself, in keeping with Community's modus operandi, also has a kernel of heart buried within its war-torn exterior, one that examines the sexual tension between Jeff Winger and Britta Perry in some very unexpected ways... and the way that comrades--or indeed study group members--can make sacrifices to benefit others. (Both in times of war and peace.)

All in all, it's a must-see episode of Community and likely to be held up as a paragon for network comedy in years to come. Trust me when I say that you do not want to miss this installment, under any circumstances. So lock and load and let the war begin...



Community airs Thursday at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

NBC Renews "Community," "30 Rock," and "The Office"

Oh, happy day.

NBC has announced that it will keep its Thursday night lineup intact next season, renewing Community, The Office, and 30 Rock for the 2010-11 season. The news comes on the heels of an early third season pickup for fellow Thursday laffer Parks and Recreation.

"We are happy to give these early pickups to these critically acclaimed, incredibly funny comedies," said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios, in a statement. "As a result, we look forward to continuing our rewarding partnership with the respective creative teams and talented show-runners for 30 Rock, The Office and Community as they all consistently deliver quality shows.”

The news is especially good for Community, the sole freshman comedy among the pack, which will be returning for Season Two this fall. Renewal comes after Bromstad yesterday said she was "hopeful" about the Sony Pictures Television-produced series returning next season.

The full press release from NBC, which details the renewals, can be found below.

NBC GIVES PICKUPS TO THURSDAY-NIGHT COMEDIES ’30 ROCK,’ ‘THE OFFICE’ AND ‘COMMUNITY’ FOR 2010-11

Renewals Follow Previously Announced Green-light for “Parks and Recreation” on Thursdays
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - March 5, 2010 - NBC has renewed three more of its Thursday-night comedies - “30 Rock” (9:30-10 p.m. ET), “The Office” (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the freshman series “Community” (8-8:30 p.m. ET) for the 2010-11 season. The returning programs join the previously announced “Parks and Recreation” (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) that also will return for next season.

The announcement was made by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

“We are happy to give these early pickups to these critically acclaimed, incredibly funny comedies,” said Bromstad. “As a result, we look forward to continuing our rewarding partnership with the respective creative teams and talented show-runners for ’30 Rock,’ ‘The Office’ and ‘Community’ as they all consistently deliver quality shows.”

First-year comedy "Community" is averaging a 2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall so far this season, with "Community" originals winning the time period among adults 18-34 and men 18-34. Since moving to the Thursday 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) half-hour on October 8, "Community" has improved the time period by 24 percent versus NBC's adult 18-49 average earlier in the season.

Currently in its sixth season, "The Office" is network television's #1 primetime scripted series among adults 18-34 and is NBC's #1 scripted series in the key demographic of adults 18-49. "The Office" regularly finishes #2 in its highly competitive time period in adults 18-49 ahead of CBS's "CSI." The most recent "Office" telecast on March 4 outscored ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," marking the first time "The Office" has topped "Grey's" head-to-head in adults 18-49. For the season through 23 weeks, "The Office" is averaging a 4.9 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49 and 9.4 million viewers overall, representing gains versus last season of 4 percent in 18-49 and 3 percent in total viewers.

Currently in its fourth season, "30 Rock" is averaging a 3.4 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49 and 6.9 million viewers overall, with "30 Rock" originals winning the time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49 despite airing opposite the concluding half-hours of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and CBS's "CSI." "30 Rock" is the most upscale comedy on broadcast primetime television when ranked by its concentration of homes with $100,000-plus incomes in its adult 18-49 audience.

The Emmy Award-winning comedy series "30 Rock" is told through the comedic voice of Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live”) as variety show producer Liz Lemon and features Emmy and three-time Golden Globe winner Alec Baldwin ("The Departed") as top network executive Jack Donaghy. Also starring are Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Jack McBrayer, Judah Friedlander and Keith Powell.

"30 Rock" is from Broadway Video & Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios. The executive producers are Lorne Michaels ("Saturday Night Live"), Fey, Marci Klein ("Saturday Night Live"), David Miner ("Human Giant") and Robert Carlock ("Friends").

“The Office” is the Emmy Award-winning comedy series from Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille and Universal Media Studios. The show offers a hilarious documentary-style look into the humorous and sometimes poignant foolishness that plagues the world of 9-to-5 and is based on the award-winning BBC hit. Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Steve Carell ("Get Smart," "Little Miss Sunshine") stars as pompous regional manager Michael Scott..

Also starring are Jenna Fischer ("Walk Hard"), John Krasinski ("Leatherheads"), Rainn Wilson ("The Rocker") and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd"). Other series stars are Ed Helms ("The Hangover"), Leslie David Baker ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Brian Baumgartner ("Arrested Development"), Kate Flannery ("The Heir Apparent"), Mindy Kaling ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), Angela Kinsey ("Tripping Forward"), Paul Lieberstein (writer, "King of the Hill"), Oscar Nuñez ("Halfway Home"), Phyllis Smith ("Arrested Development"), Creed Bratton (former member of The Grass Roots) and Craig Robinson ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"). "The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American audiences, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein and Paul Lieberstein.

From Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Emmy Award-winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development") comes "Community," a smart comedy series about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked and forms a study group. Also starring are comedy legend Chevy Chase ("Chuck"), Gillian Jacobs ("The Book of Daniel"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Rules of Engagement"), Danny Pudi ("Greek"), Alison Brie ("Mad Men"), Donald Glover ("30 Rock") and Ken Jeong ("The Hangover").

"Community" is a production of Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Harmonious Claptrap, Russo Brothers production and Universal Media Studios in association with Sony Pictures Television. Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist"), Dan Harmon, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Garrett Donovan ("Scrubs"), Neil Goldman ("Scrubs") and Gary Foster ("The Soloist") serve as executive producers.

"Parks and Recreation," starring Amy Poehler (NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”), is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios. Along with Greg Daniels (NBC’s “The Office”) and Michael Schur (“The Office”), Howard Klein and David Miner also serve as executive producers for the series.

Paley Festival: "Community" Cast and Crew Give Us Vampires, Doppelgangers, and Naked Joel McHale

Vampires. Doppelgangers. A nearly naked Joel McHale.

Such were the topics at last night's Community screening and panel at the 2010 William S. Paley Television Festival, where the cast and crew of NBC's Community (sadly without Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, and Alison Brie, who were shooting last night) came together to celebrate the freshman comedy, attempt to ignore the jaw-dropping antics of Chevy Chase, and offer a brief insight into the hysterical madness that is this sweet/sour comedy gem.

While Brown, Pudi, and Brie were absent (Brown told me via Twitter that they were shooting a scene with Jim Rash, who plays Dean Pelton), the rest of the cast and crew filled the stage, including: Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Neil Goldman, Anthony Russo, Gillian Jacobs, Joe Russo, Russ Krasnoff, Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Garrett Donovan, and Dan Harmon.

Moderated by Entertainment Weekly's John Young (who seemed a little out of his element and way out of his depth), the raucous and insightful evening got underway with a screening of tonight's episode of Community ("Physical Education"), which features Jeff (McHale) taking a billiards class until he learns that he must wear physical education department regulation shorts--resulting in what might just be television's very first naked pool match as Jeff strips down to face off with the class' curmudgeonly instructor--and the gang attempting to makeover Abed (Pudi) so he can win over a girl who seemingly has a crush on him. The result? Comedy gold.

I can't say enough wonderful things about tonight's "Physical Education," which features Pudi's Abed in a range of various personas--from a vampire (which must be seen to be believed), Don Draper from Mad Men, and Jeff Winger--and McHale in a truly hyper-confident sequence where he strips off his clothes and his inhibitions (and constant need to be cool) in order to play a game of pool.

Each of the characters gets a chance to shine here, whether it's Brie's Annie cautiously checking out Jeff's naked behind, Glover's Troy explaining to a confused Shirley (Brown) that they want to "Love Don't Cost a Thing" Abed after Abed says that they intend to "Can't Buy Me Love" him, the hostility of Senor Chang (Ken Jeong)'s "you're the worst" line, Britta (Jacobs)'s pronunciation of "bagel" (and the ashamed face she makes later), and the general obliviousness/insensitivity of Pierce (Chase). There's also a nice undercurrent of anti-PC racial humor, touched on above, that goes onto include someone's unexpected doppelganger.

Plus, the episode features one of the very best tags ever on the series. I don't want to spoil the surprise but I will say that Pudi and Glover are absolutely hysterical and worth every penny they're earning.

Following the screening, the cast and crew took to the stage to talk about the series.

Genesis: Asked where the idea for Community came from, creator Dan Harmon said that he had enrolled in community college when he was 32 years old. Acing his biology class, he was roped into a study group with teenagers who wanted to somehow siphon his knowledge but eventually came to like these people, whom he normally wouldn't be friends with. At the time, he mentally bookmarked the scenario as a possible idea for a television series and later used it to develop Community.

Racial diversity: The character of Troy was originally written as a white, Woody Harrelson jock-type but the casting of Donald Glover is what really brought the character to life and took it in a whole new direction. Harmon joked that he had to rewrite the character's dialogue after Troy became an African-American character, so he just added "yo, yo, yo" to the beginning of every line... a topic that veered into an insightful look at race neutrality in the casting of these characters and Harmon's childhood in the 1970s being raised by a liberal mother in Milwaukee who strove so hard to make her son not racist that Harmon instead became obsessed with race.

Glover went on to describe what an urban version of Community would be like: Troy would be the star, Reverend Run would play his father, there would be tons of bling, and he would try to sell Britta.

Nudity: Given the larger-than-life near-nudity in the screened episode from McHale, a significant part of the conversation was devoted to McHale's nakedness shooting this episode. "I got so used to being in nude underwear," said McHale. "It was no problem. I didn't realize it might be weird to be at the craft services table." He also revealed that he had to shave down before shooting. "I shaved down," he said. "I had lots of unwanted hair I never knew I had. I went on the 'you're going to be naked in two weeks' diet."

Chevy Chase: I have to wonder how anything gets done on set with Chase being quite so, er, distracting as he is. Over the course of the hour and a half or so that the panel lasted, Chase interrupted numerous times, talking over people, imitating them as a ten-year-old might (as he did to poor Ken Jeong as he attempted to answer a serious question), shouting out "boob" in the middle of the conversation, gargling with water, fiddling with his microphone, and repeatedly checking his phone. That is, when he wasn't engaging in impromptu pratfalls, as he fell out of his chair backwards at one point, or pulling out wads of cash from his pocket to prove that he had money. Chase might be a comedy icon but he came across as an extremely frustrating and irritating personality, one that likely would cause friction among a cast. (McHale meanwhile, when asked what he has learned from Chase, said, "How not to match my clothes." And then went on to say, "Chevy is like Nolan Ryan, in that he's still alive.")

Gillian Jacobs: The role of Britta was extremely difficult to cast but Harmon was exceptionally pleased by the audition given by Julliard graduate Gillian Jacobs, who had mainly played drug-addicted teen prostitutes ("look on IMDB," she told the audience) and appeared in very low-budget indie films. Jacobs nailed the role of Britta, which director/executive producer Joe Russo said was "two parts full of herself [and] two parts totally sincere."

Coming up: Before the season is over, look for a highly conceptual episode directed by Justin Lin that is being likened to a twenty-minute action move in the mold of The Warriors, Casino Royale, I Am Legend, and Die Hard, according to McHale. While the cast and crew wouldn't give any specifics, we do know that (A) they're being absolutely serious, (B) the episode had the production number of 119, and (C) it features Glover's Troy saying "Get some bitches!" Wow.

There's also an upcoming episode in which Chase's Pierce comes to believe that he is a wizard. (Yes, seriously.)

Greendale Human Being: Harmon and the crew stated emphatically that Greendale's creepy, corpse-like mascot is not played by Danny Pudi and is not Abed. There was a scene in the Valentine's episode, in fact, that got cut which played up this Twitter rumor and had Abed hiding and then popping up after it was remarked that the Human Being was there and Abed wasn't. It landed on the cutting room floor... but maybe for other reasons, said Harmon.

Asperger's Syndrome: An audience member asked Harmon whether Abed has Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. Harmon said that they don't want to label Abed in one way or another (you can read my interview with Harmon on the subject of Abed and Asperger's over here at The Daily Beast), while McHale likened Abed to Spock or Data. Harmon went on to say that because of Abed's detached observation of the characters and human interaction, he's essentially a writer. Or, as this week's episode points out, "a god" or "God." (There's also a moment in this week's episode where Annie nearly diagnoses him.)

All in all, an extremely enlightening and hilarious evening that had the entire audience in stitches. Kudos to the cast and crew for being quite so game and recounting embarrassing, "intimate," infamous, and hilarious stories. Here's to hopefully a second season of Community and many more to come.

Community airs tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

The Daily Beast: "Hollywood Takes on Autism"

Over at The Daily Beast, you can find my latest piece, entitled "Hollywood Takes on Autism."

The article explores the portrayals of people with autism spectrum disorders in pop culture, from films like Dear John and Adam to television series like Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Community, and The Big Bang Theory.

I also talk to some of theses projects' creators--including Community creator Dan Harmon and Parenthood showrunner Jason Katims--about why they are--or aren't--labeling their characters as autistic.

Head to the comments section to be sure and let me know what your take is on this trend and whether it matters or not that these characters are labeled or whether it's the discussion of neurodiversity that their presence creates that's far more important.

2010 William S. Paley Television Festival Lineup Announced

The Paley Center for Media has announced the lineup for the the 27th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival (known affectionately to its attendees as PaleyFest).

Critical darling Modern Family will kick off the festival on February 26th. Other series getting individual sessions include ABC's Lost, CW's The Vampire Diaries, FOX's Glee, NBC's Community, ABC's Cougar Town ABC's FlashForward, TNT's Men of a Certain Age, CBS' NCIS, Showtime's Dexter, AMC's Breaking Bad, and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, the latter of which will be the festival's final offering this year.

Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for Seth MacFarlane and Friends, an evening celebrating McFarlane's animated comedies Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show.

The day-by-day breakdown of the festival can be found below. (All panels begin at 7 pm.)

Feb. 26th: Modern Family
Feb. 27th : Lost
March 1st: NCIS
March 3rd: Community
March 4th: Dexter
March 5th: Cougar Town
March 6th: The Vampire Diaries
March 9th: Seth MacFarlane and Friends
March 10th: Breaking Bad
March 11th: FlashForward
March 12th: Men of a Certain Age
March 13th: Glee
March 14th: Curb Your Enthusiasm

The 27th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival runs from February 26th to March 14th at the festival's new location, The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 22nd for members and January 24th for the general public.

Individual tickets will go on sale to Paley Center Members on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PT. Individual tickets will become available to the general public beginning the following Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PT. For Paley Center Members, ticket prices are $60/$35/$25/$15 per event. For the general public, tickets are $75/$45/$35/$25 per event. All PaleyFest2010 tickets are available only via TicketWeb at www.ticketweb.com or call TicketWeb toll-free at (866) 468-3399 (service charges apply).

Scandals and Bullies (And the True Spirit of the Season): Last Night's Episodes of "Parks and Recreation" and "Community"

I had both the good fortune and the unluckiness to go out for drinks last night (with a group of fellow TV critics and reporters) and am still way behind on catching up on my Thursday night programming. (Which feels a bit like a Sisyphean effort every week with so many fantastic series shoehorned onto Thursday nights.)

I did, however, manage to catch last night's fantastic episodes of NBC's Community and Parks and Recreation, which offered a much-needed holiday-themed one-two punch after my night of absinthe-based socializing.

I thought that both series were firing on all cylinders last night. Community may have pulled off its best episode to date with "Comparative Religion" (written by Liz Cackowski), juggling plots involving Jeff (Joel McHale) standing up to bully (guest star Anthony Michael Hall), the holidays, the end of the semester, and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) coming to terms that her friends might not share her religious views.

While I enjoy seeing the various permutations between the characters, with each of them sharing a storyline with another that week, the most successful installments of Community so far have been the ones that involve the entire group. Here, the chemistry between the ensemble was played to great effect and the actors didn't miss a beat. (Particularly loved Donald Glover's "Forest Whittaker face" and Alison Brie's "finish the word" incredulity.)

Tricky to do when you've got some major events--the end of semester and the holidays--to deal with in one episode. Not only did the cast and crew of Community pull that off but they also dealt with a touchy subject (religion) and tied up the feel-good episode with a full-on brawl between the study group and some shirtless, backflipping fighters. (The fact that they then came together for Shirley's now non-denominational holiday party bruised and battered was the icing on the cake for me.)

I do feel that NBC missed a trick by not releasing a Community holiday single from Yvette Nicole Brown's Shirley (or, heck, a whole CD of Christmas standards). I'm still singing along to her beautiful rendition of "Joy to the World" and her non-denominational "Silent Night," with its celebration of "decorative things." Bliss.

Meanwhile, Parks and Recreation mischievously threaded a sex scandal into their holiday episode ("Christmas Scandal"), written by Michael Schur, and did a sensational job at giving each of the characters opportunities to shine. I'm loving the low-key flirtation between April and Andy (you just knew she would get him that jersey in the end) and the way that Ron Swanson finally realized just how much work Leslie performs on a daily basis and just how valuable a member of the team she really is.

Kudos to Amy Poehler for pulling off not just righteous indignation (as the target of a fabricated sex scandal perpetuated by Pawnee's 24-hour news cycle) but also genuine softness, as in the scenes with Louis CK's Officer Dave Sanderson when he asks her to accompany him to San Diego... and she sadly declines. It's pretty remarkable to see just how much Poehler's Leslie Knope has changed since the early installments of Parks and Recreation; no one could argue that she's a Michael Scott stand-in (not since that pilot episode, anyway). Her character is so richly layered and three-dimensional that the screen crackles with energy every time she walks into a scene.

Poehler is ably assisted by a sensational supporting cast in Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, and Aubrey Plaza. Each of their characters has also deepened over the course of the last dozen and a half episodes, fleshing out the world of Pawnee in a winsome fashion. Even tertiary characters like Jim O'Heir's Jerry and Retta's Donna have moved into the main group and the writers have smartly imbued them with as much complexity and nuance as our main characters. (It's a trick that Greg Daniels and Mike Schur paid off beautifully in the early years of The Office as those background players quickly became memorable characters in their own right.)

My only complaint: that more people aren't watching Parks and Recreation or haven't given it a shot since its early Season One episodes. There are few comedies on the air that manage to be as insightful, wickedly funny, and emotionally truthful as Parks and Recreation.

Community and Parks and Recreation return with new episodes in the new year.

The Daily Beast: "TV Report Card"

With the holiday break just around the corner, it's the perfect time to take note of what's worked so far this television season and what hasn't.

Over at The Daily Beast, I have a new article entitled "TV Report Card," in which I take a look at the 30 new (and somewhat newish) series that have premiered so far during the 2009-10 season, breaking them down into winners, losers, and draws as I investigate just why and how they work (or don't).

Everything from Modern Family and NCIS: Los Angeles to Castle, Sons of Anarchy, V, and FlashForward (and even bottom of the barrel entries Hank and Brothers) get discussed in-depth.

What's clicked for you this season? What series didn't disappear fast enough? And which are you still on the fence about? Head over to the comments section to share your thoughts about the season so far.

The Great Comedy Debate: The Five Best Comedies on Television (Right Now)

Over on Twitter, there's been a great debate waged over the last few days about what the best comedies currently on television are, a subjective discussion if there ever was one. Titles have been thrown about, opinions bandied, and worthiness dissected and then dissected again.

The Great Comedy Debate led Time critic James Poniewozik to yesterday publish his list of the top television comedies at the moment (he included just those that are currently on the air right now) and I thought I do this same, limiting my list to just five US series that are airing new episodes as we speak.

So, in no particular order, here are my picks for The Five Best Comedies on Television:

Modern Family (ABC)

No other series has come close to balancing the sweet with the tart than Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan's brilliant mockumentary Modern Family, which each week dazzles its enraptured audience with a winning combination of heart and humor. It's the rare comedy that can make you roar with laughter and tear up with melancholy and it's anchored by one of the most talented ensemble casts on television today, who bring their characters to life honestly and without vanity or pretension.

Parks and Recreation (NBC)

I've remarked on it before but even the opening chords of the series' theme song makes me giddy with excitement. After a shaky start last season, the mockumentary comedy created by Greg Daniels and Mike Schur has developed into one of the season's best series, one rife with one-off jokes, deadpan expressions, and an assortment of some of the kookiest small town individuals you'll ever meet. The Pit was a fantastic MacGuffin to kick off an investigation of small town politics, optimistic do-gooders, jaded politicos, and jilted lovers. It's a joy to visit Pawnee each week and Parks and Recreation has quickly become one of the highlights of my television viewing week.

Community (NBC)

A few years ago, Community could have been a multi-camera sitcom with a laugh track that would have faded into obscurity after a brief run between Friends and ER. But creator Dan Harmon has subverted the sitcom format, infusing it with a nostalgic John Hughes-esque tone as well as a razor-sharp wit that stings even as it wraps you up in a warm embrace. By placing the series' focus not on the situation but the characters themselves, Harmon and his talented ensemble have crafted a deftly layered comedy that's about relationships without being a relationship comedy.

30 Rock (NBC)

While the quality has slipped a little this season (though last night's hysterical installment renewed my faith), 30 Rock remains the linchpin in the Thursday night comedy lineup for me, offering a smart, sly, and savage satire of workplace mores, celebrity vanity, and the general insanity of life in the writers room/isle of Manhattan/Sheinhardt Wig Company. It's not afraid to bite the hand that feeds it and we love it all the more when it does just that.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

FX's subversive comedy series continues to mine the seedy underbelly of Philadelphia for comedy with gleefully depraved results. Whether it's kitten mittens, cannibalism, or Green Men, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia brings the shockingly absurd and twisted to life via its motley crew of selfish and shallow bar owners. I should be horrified but I can't help myself from laughing until it hurts so good.

Honorable mention goes to HBO's current Sunday night crop of comedies: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, the latter of which has proven a scintillating and wacky end of weekend treat.

What comedies would make your top five list? Do you agree with the above? Any series wrongfully left out in the cold? Discuss.