Channel Surfing: "Chuck" Tops Save Our Shows Poll, Adult Swim Hires UK "Office," Shonda Rhimes Talks Denny, "Grey's Anatomy," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Not unsurprisingly, NBC's Chuck has topped USA Today's Save Our Show poll, scoring 54 percent of the 43,000 viewers who cast their votes in the ten-day online poll. The Warner Bros Television-produced series scored the top spot overall as well and was the most favored choice among men, teens and twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, forty-somethings, whites, Asians, Hispanics, Westerners, Southerners, Northeasterners, and Midwesterners and the fourth favored choice among women as well. (If that's not cross-cultural appeal, I don't know what is.) (USA Today)

Adult Swim has acquired rights to the original UK series The Office, starring Ricky Gervais, from BBC Worldwide and will air both seasons as well as the Christmas special (which marked the series finale) this summer. Move marks the second deal between Adult Swim and BBC Worldwide, which previously sold rights to comedy The Mighty Boosh to the cabler, which launched the series on March 29th. (via press release)

As production on ABC's Grey's Anatomy approaches the 100th episode, creator Shonda Rhimes talks to USA Today's Bill Keveney about the ABC drama, Denny, spin-off Private Practice, and her new pilot Inside the Box. "We're heading on a journey," said Rhimes about Grey's Anatomy's use of Izzie's dead lover Denny. "[Viewers] are in the middle and don't have a map, so they can feel lost. But I know where we're going. For me, it's about looking at the larger picture. [...] What I thought was interesting was that anybody who knew anything about our show would think we had a ghost on our show. In the world in which our show operates, there is a way things happen, and clearly we don't do ghosts." (USA Today)

Disney has announced that it has joined NBC Universal and News Corp as a joint venture partner and equity owner of Hulu. Under the deal, Hulu will now be able to offer full-length episodes of current and library titles from Disney such as Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Private Practice, and Scrubs, among many others. "From our landmark iTunes deal to our pioneering decision to stream ad-supported shows on our ABC.com player, Disney has sought to meet the constantly evolving viewing habits of our consumers, and today's Hulu announcement is the next important step in that ongoing journey," said Robert Iger, President/CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jon Gosselin, star of TLC's reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8 has issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly after US Weekly published a photo of him leaving a club at 2 am with a female friend. "Like most people, I have male and female friends and I'm not going to end my friendships just because I'm on TV," said Gosselin in an exclusive statement. "However, being out...late at night showed poor judgment on my part. What makes me sick is that my careless behavior has put my family in this uncomfortable position. My family is the most important thing in my life and it kills me that these allegations have hurt them." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

ABC Family has officially cancelled freshman comedy Roommates. The writing was on the wall when the basic cabler opted to burn off the final eight episodes of the series over two consecutive Monday evenings, with the final four episodes to air in a two-hour block this coming Monday night. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Marc Bernardin wonders why viewers seemingly don't want science fiction on television anymore, with most recent sci fi series--Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse, Chuck, Life on Mars, and Pushing Daisies--either canceled or on the bubble for next year. "Have we, as a society," writes Bernardin, "just become too -- gulp -- stupid for science fiction?" (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)

NBC has renewed reality series Celebrity Apprentice for another season and plans to air the next cycle in spring 2010. "It's a valuable franchise and proven competitor," said NBC Universal's alternative topper Paul Telegdy. [Editor: meanwhile, there's still no news of a possible Chuck renewal. Sigh.] (Variety)

TNT will expand its original programming to three nights a week this summer, with Mondays playing host to The Closer and Raising the Bar beginning June 8th, Tuesdays the home of Wedding Day, HawthoRNe, and Saving Grace beginning June 16th, and Wednesdays the berth for Leverage and Dark Blue starting July 15th. (Futon Critic)

IFC has announced a slew of new programming for the 2009-10 season, including Chris Kattan-led three-part comedy Bollywood Hero, airing August 6-8th, Food Party, launching June 9th, which features a "surreal mixture of puppets, weird special effects and cooking hosted by [Tru] Tran," six-part series Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut), which features interviews with the surviving members of the comedy troupe, telefilm Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, which will debut in 2010, and Dinner with the Band. The cabler also announced that it has acquired BBC comedy series Ideal and Wrong Door and Canadian series The Jon Dore Television Show and renewed Z-Roc and The Whitest Kids U Know. (Hollywood Reporter)

Discovery and Hasbo have closed a deal for a joint venture that will encompass a television network and a website which are dedicated to family-based entertainment. Discovery will receive $300 million for the entertainment assets of its Discovery Kids Network in the US which will be rebranded next year and will feature series from Discovery's library of educational programming as well as series based on Hasbro properties including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Romper Room, Trival Pursuit, Cranium, and My Little Pony. (Hollywood Reporter)

Reveille has announced that it has teamed up with publisher Rodale to develop a reality series based on David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding's best-selling non-fiction book "Eat This, Not That!" (via press release)

Nikki Finke is reporting that, in light of the recent approved merger between William Morris Agency and Endeavor, that the majority of the TV reality department, including Mark Itkin, John Ferriter, and Colin Reno, have decided to leave and set up camp at CAA while talent agent Dana Simms asked to be released from her contract. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

CMT has picked up musical series The Singing Bee, which aired its first season on NBC last year, and will launch the series' second season on June 16th. So far the series, which is produced by Gurin Co. and Juma Entertainment, has no host but the producers say that they are close to closing a deal on that front. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Clock Strikes Midnight on "Fringe," Plus First Look at Leonard Nimoy as William Bell

I'm really enjoying Fringe more and more these days, although some of my earlier complaints about the series still continue to irk me, even as we race towards the freshman season finale. (Don't even get me started on Astrid or how poor Lance Reddick is given so little to do each week.)

This week's episode of Fringe ("Midnight"), written by J.H. Wyman and Andrew Krisberg, offered a pretty gruesome case involving a woman dosed with an extinct strand of syphilis that also contained a pretty twisted virus that turned her into a spinal fluid-craving monster capable of chomping through her male victims' spines to sate her hunger. It also dovetailed quite nicely with the team's investigation of bioterrorist group Z.F.T., who were responsible for the experiment in the first place, a warning to a pioneering scientist whose wife ended up the unwitting guinea pig in this latest demonstration of Z.F.T.'s power.

While I won't go into much detail about the episode, I do want to address the episode's ending, clearly intended to shock the audience with its reveal about who is funding the Z.F.T.... had it actually been at least somewhat of a surprise. (Guess what: it wasn't.)

First off, I want to say that I thought that "Midnight" was an edge-of-your seat thrill ride. I loved the opening, in which we were given a bait-and-switch worthy of the opening scene of the pilot to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which a female victim turns the tables on her would-be attacker by chomping on him with some massive teeth.

It was a nice surprise that was clearly at odds with the less-than-shocking reveal at the episode's end, which stated that Massive Dynamic's William Bell was responsible for funding the bioterrorist organization Z.F.T. Now I don't know about you but I believed that this was fairly a given. After all, Massive Dynamic has proved themselves to be involved, at least tangentially, with many of the cases investigated by the Fringe Division and while Bell's right-hand Nina Sharp has proved herself willing to assist in several of the FBI's investigations, they haven't exactly been forthcoming with intelligence on any of The Pattern's major players.

We know that Bell shared a lab with Walter Bishop and that the Z.F.T. manifesto was typed on an ancient typewriter still in Walter's possession. Walter and Bell discussed many things during their time together and one or both of them wrote the manifesto itself. Adding to this that Massive Dynamic is one of the world's biggest companies and a major player on the scientific fringe and it seems a foregone conclusion since the pilot that Massive was involved with The Pattern, if not directly behind it.

For a second, I thought that Nicholas Boone (Jefferson Mays) had given Olivia the name of someone we knew who was involved with ZFT: say, Charlie, Astrid, or even Broyles himself. Something that would resonate and actually be shocking or have long-term consequences for the series. But to make the big reveal be about the oft-mentioned-but-never-seen William Bell seemed like a bit of a cop out given that I've always assumed he was the bankroller for Z.F.T. in the first place. (I hate feeling like I am one or ten steps ahead of a series' characters.)

Am I alone in feeling really quite underwhelmed about this "big" reveal? Did you also assume that Bell was involved with Z.F.T. and then think that Olivia and Broyles were absolutely naive for not thinking he was involved in the first place?

Meanwhile, here's your first look at Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy as the elusive William Bell, the founder of Massive Dynamic, in the May 12th season finale of Fringe, entitled "There's More Than One of Everything":


Next week on Fringe ("The Road Not Taken"), Olivia experiences “awake dreams,” seeing elaborate visions of things not really there and explores her unexplained visions further; the team investigates the case of a woman who seemingly spontaneously combusted; Walter discusses key information about the Z.F.T. manifesto; Peter reveals a secret that yields unexpected results in the case.

Murder on the Orient Express: The Final Teams Go Head to Head on the Season Finale of "Last Restaurant Standing"

The dream has been achieved for one team.

On last night's season finale of BBC America's deliciously addictive culinary competition series ("First Class Service"), the final two teams faced off against each other as the prize--the chance to open a restaurant with famed chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc--was within their grasp.

But before Raymond Blanc would make one couple his partners in a future restaurant venture, he would be putting both teams through their paces with one of their toughest challenges yet as Blanc tasks them with devising and serving a lavish five-course meal to the passengers aboard the famed Orient Express.

No mean feat this. The well-heeled clientele of the Orient Express expect the very best in cuisine, service, and atmosphere and, if that weren't enough for the teams to worry about, they also have to contend with the fact that they are preparing this meal in a small, cramped kitchen aboard a moving train. In other words: this could be a disaster.

So how did the final two teams fare in the final challenge? Let's discuss.

Overall, I have to say that I was both impressed and disappointed by both teams, both of whom made a wide array of errors in the final challenge. That said, I do think that they were both way out of their depth in such an elaborate and complex challenge such as this. Raymond Blanc really stacked the deck against them with the Orient Express challenge and that was the point: it wasn't to see who could pull off the better meal (though, certainly, that was part of it) but really to see which team was more adaptable, more flexible, more ready to roll with the punches... or at least the turns in the train tracks.

Alasdair and James. Throughout the competition, this team of best friends has been rightly slated by all and sundry for the lack of communication between kitchen and front-of-house and their side has often been let down by the inattention to detail shown by Alasdair. However, over the last few weeks, I do have to say that Alasdair has taken on board all of Raymond and the inspectors' criticisms and has shown more confidence and skill in front of house. The lack of communication, however, is felt all the more in this final challenge as bulldogish James keeps railroading Alasdair's efforts to know what is going on in the kitchen, resisting his requests for information about timing, etc. If these two have any hopes of eventually opening a restaurant of their own, they have got to work together better and learn to talk amongst themselves without getting defensive or aggressive, as they have in the past.

The duo started off the train journey on the right foot, offering guests aperitifs, champagne, and canapes... but their decision to offer travelers a bowl of mixed olives and a cheap disposable camera reflected a disconnection from their clientele. These weren't appropriate "gifts" to give customers aboard the Orient Express and James and Alasdair should have realized this. Nothing wrong with olives per se, but it lent the proceedings the atmosphere of a corner Italian trattoria rather than the lush excess of the fabled Orient Express. Likewise, the camera was the wrong signal to send. I get what the guys were going for but again wrong audience here. They should have offered something simple and elegant to takeaway from the train, not a cheap disposable Kodak from the local corner shop.

Big mistake trying to make risotto on a train and getting it out to customers on time. Risotto has to be eaten piping hot and there was no way that James could serve the risotto to all of his guests without it getting stone cold in the process; additionally James overcooked the rice, turning it to the consistency of porridge. (Ouch.) I understand why he thought--conceptually, anyway--that a summer vegetable risotto with broad beans would be a showcase dish but it failed on all fronts. Likewise, the ghastly lobster Thermidor and its accompaniment of bitter vegetables (loved the face Raymond made describing the bitterness of the turnip). This was intended to be a showstopper and instead the lobster was overcooked and rubbery and just looked... not right. This should have been elegant and refined but lacked any real panache. Not improving things was the fact that Ali never took a headcount of the guests aboard the train and told inspector David Moore that he had run out of lobsters... even though he actually hadn't.

The guys did make some good decisions, however. The idea to book a close-up magician was a good one and showed that they were looking to think outside the standards and they offered a superior cheese plate and a vastly wider selection of wine than their competitors. Additionally, James' dessert, a duo of strawberry and champagne soup and lemon posset, struck the right chord as a final course. But would it be enough to put them over the top?

Michele and Russell. I've been pretty hard on this couple throughout the competition because Russell is just so damn talented and Michele often lets him down with her scattershot attention to front-of-house details, frequent histrionics, and inability to receive criticism of any kind. To me, Michele is not the ideal business partner in any venture. She's far too given to make emotional outbursts and become bitterly defensive when faced with any sort of negativity. Her entire purpose of being is seemingly to create a welcoming atmosphere for the customers of The Cheerful Soul but she lacks the business acumen and the culinary knowledge to truly achieve that goal. Russell has been a patient and level-headed chef for most of the competition but recent weeks found him becoming self-doubting and slightly whinging at times. (Last week's risotto plating, for example.) Still, they've clearly been doing something right, winning Restaurant of the Week more times than any other couple and wowing the judges with their well-executed dishes that reflect the bounty of the English countryside. Would it be enough for the discerning palates of the Orient Express travelers, however?

Russell was extremely wise to offer a delicious broad bean and pea veloute served in a tea cup as a first hot course. Able to prepare the soup ahead of time, all Russell had to do was to simply warm the soup and serve it; the choice of a tea cup as a vessel for the green elixir was a stroke of genius that left diners wanting more rather than leaving them with a bowl of half-eaten cold soup at the end of the course. Sarah Willingham waxed ecstatic about the veloute, saying that she could have eaten a whole bowl of it. (Always keep them wanting more!) Up next was a spice and nut-crusted goat cheese salad which seemed fairly fomulaic and straight-forward. None of the wow factor of the previous dish and it screamed dining room standard, not Orient Express dining car.

The same was true of Russell's poached salmon with cucumber and dill salad, sauteed potatoes, and a lemongrass broth. Many complained that the dish was very cold and the flavors bland. Again, this is the sort of thing that would work quite well in the casual atmosphere of The Cheerful Soul and less well aboard an elegant train ride when customers are paying an arm and a leg. Likewise, I thought that their choice of entertainment--a musician and accompanist playing some songbook standards--was unoriginal and didn't quite match the theme or tone of their venue. (A train ride to Venice through the English countryside and the singer is crooning "Lullaby of Broadway"? Really?) At least the musicians got on the train. Michele failed to check to see that they did climb aboard the Orient Express and she last left them a long time before departure in the waiting lounge and then never checked up on them, only realizing after the train pulled away that she never double-checked to see they were on board. Fortunately, for her, the musicians were paying more attention than she was.

Russell did, however, prove himself willing to roll with the punches. Discovering that there were no freezers aboard the Pullman car, he still went ahead with his grapefruit sorbet, turning the dish into a lovely and delicious granita, which Sarah raved about ("you can taste every grapefruit") and which seemed to please the travelers as well. And when the biscuits for his double-decked dessert went crashing onto the floor, Russell didn't let it derail him, instead opting to transform the dessert into an elegant single-layer. Michele's gift boxes which tied in the English country theme of the evening were a little too down-home for my liking but Raymond seemed to appreciate the little touch of the countryside aboard the train. Still, not sure why Michele found it necessary to call Russell--while he was trying to prep all his dishes alone--when she couldn't figure out which tissue paper to purchase for the gifts. Priorities, anyone?

All in all, I thought that Russell and Michele winning was really the only plausible outcome here. I've thought that Michele and Russell were going to walk away from this competition with the big prize for quite some time now. In fact, they seemed like the front-runners since nearly the very beginning of the season, although they did make some pretty big missteps along the way. I do think Russell is extremely talented and Michele is a welcoming presence in the front of house; they both have a ways to go to become the professional restaurateurs that Raymond is expecting them to become but that's part and parcel of the learning process.

As for Alasdair and James, they both have a lot of growing up to do before they are anywhere near ready to take on a challenge of this magnitude. I would have been amazed if Raymond had decided to open a restaurant with them. They've proven that they are adaptable and take on criticism and suggestions but a partnership with them would be a hands-on operation, with Raymond pushing and pulling them constantly in order to get them anywhere near the level they need to be at.

What did you think of the final outcome? Would you have awarded Russell and Michele the top prize? Did the teams perform to the standards you thought they would in this final challenge? Discuss.

BBC has commissioned a third season of Last Restaurant Standing, which airs in the UK under the name The Restaurant. Stay tuned for news about when BBC America will schedule the third season.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk "Lost" Series Finale, Pasdar Says Quinto Not Going Anywhere, Shenkman Joins Cast of "Burn Notice," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

With the 100th episode of Lost set to air tonight on ABC, many are already looking to the series' next milestone: the all-important series finale, set for May, 2010, and viewers are bound to have high expectations when creators Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse wrap up the series. "We can't let those expectations terrify us," said Lindelof in an interview with Variety's Shawn Malcom. "The reality is, we've known what the series finale is going to be for a while now." In fact, the real variable is how the series' characters wind up at the end point charted by Lindelof and Cuse. "The path that we take to the end still has some room for surprises and changes and discoveries along the way (in terms of) the characters' journeys and how their relationships evolve," said Cuse. While the duo wouldn't reveal any specifics about the finale, they did say that fans will be left wanting more. "When we say more, we don't mean answers," said Lindelof, "because hopefully, the show will wrap up in an incredibly satisfying way, both mythologically and emotionally." (Variety)

Wondering if Zachary Quinto will be sticking around NBC's Heroes next season? "Zach [Quinto]'s not done. There's Nathan, there's Sylar, and there's the point of view that you have to factor in. If I look up into the mirror, who would I see?" said Heroes' Adrian Pasdar, who teased an epic battle between Nathan and Sylar in Season Four of the series. "Who's going to be able to control the actions of the body? Like one of those computers that self-teaches, the longer he stays in my body and the longer he assimilates my physical structure and DNA, the more control I get. So it becomes a battle of who's in charge." (TVGuide.com)

Ben Shenkman (Grey's Anatomy) has been cast in at least four episodes of Season Three of USA's Burn Notice. Shenkman will play Tom Strickler, a "smooth-talking, gregarious freelance spy broker who offers to cancel Michael's (Jeffrey Donovan) burn notice in exchange for an unspecified -- and potentially lethal -- job." Look for Shenkman to first turn up about halfway through the season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sasha Roiz (Unthinkable), who played the brother of Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) in the backdoor pilot for Sci Fi's Caprica as a guest star, has been upgraded to series regular on the series. Elsewhere, Callard Harris (Roommates) has joined the cast of FX's Sons of Anarchy, where he will play an Irish gun trafficker in the second season of the drama series. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former General Hospital actor and "Jesse's Girl" singer Rick Springfield will play himself in four episodes of the upcoming third season of Showtime's Calfornication. Springfield was cast on the series after producers posted a casting call looking for "an actor who experienced huge fame in the 80's to play themselves as a now down-on his-luck-ex-celebrity waiting tables to get by." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looking for more Lost goodies on the day of the 100th episode? Variety takes you behind the scenes of the writers' room in Burbank, far away from the lush jungles of the series' set in Oahu, Hawaii. The Hollywood Reporter offers a look back at journey of Lost over the last 100 episodes, offering a timeline of the series's real-life history and discussing making the original pilot. ("The fact that no one believed 'Lost' was going to be successful in the beginning was enormously liberating," Cuse says. "So we set out to make 12 episodes of what we thought was the coolest TV show we could come up with and in so doing we violated a lot of the traditional rules of television narrative. We had characters who were murderers and had done very bad things. We had incredibly complex serialized storytelling. We had lots of intentional ambiguity, leaving the audience lots of room for interpretation and those things that sort of violated the rules of television were the very things that the audience ended up responding to.") Variety also talks to script coordinator Gregg Nations, who maintains the series' gargantuan bible.

Stargate Universe co-creator Robert C. Cooper has confirmed that the upcoming Sci Fi series is influenced by Joss Whedon's short-lived FOX drama Firefly. "The concept is that we wanted to shoot this a little bit like a documentary crew would shoot a ride-along to a space ship out in the universe - that maybe we could get audiences to embrace the science fiction elements and the characters in a realistic way if we shot the show using the 'language' of documentary and reality," Cooper told crowds gathered at this weekend's Stargate convention. "It's not intended to be style for style's sake, or to emulate any other show. Although, to be honest with you, one of the shows we love that we did look at and say, 'That's a style we would love to try and approach' is Firefly. That's how Firefly was shot. There's a lot of handheld stuff. Cameras were placed in places that were non-traditional or [not] typical of filmmaking." (Gateworld)

MTV will be continuing docusoap The Hills without Lauren Conrad. The cabler ordered a ninth season of the reality hit, which will air new episodes this fall. While Conrad is departing the series, fans can expect to see more of Heidi, Audrina, Spencer, Brody, Stephanie, Lo, and Justin Bobby this fall. MTV also announced a slew of new series including The Alexa Chung Show, The Buried Life, DJ and the Fro, The Stylist, Ultimate Parkour Challenge, Pranked, Popzilla, Gone Too Far, and Disaster Date. (via press release)

NBC has given a seven-episode series order to Steve Schirripa-hosted reality series Face the Ace, in which contestants--who are found via an online search--battle it out against poker players in Las Vegas. Series, from Poker Prods., will launch on August 1st at 9 pm and, after two airings, will then run during Saturday afternoons in September. (Variety)

Eighteen years after seminal drama series thirtysomething went off the air, fans will finally get to purchase the DVD of the first season of Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick's series. Season One will be available for purchase on August 25th, with a new DVD volume planned for the series every six months after that. The delay was once again caused by expensive music clearances but Garson Foos, president of Shout! Factory, now says, "It doesn't look like we'll be cutting any music from the show." (Los Angeles Times)

RDF USA has hired former E! staffer Jennifer Danska as SVP of development and current, named former Painless Prods. exec Kevin Shinnick as VP of production, promoted Andy Lennon to CFO, and promoted Miranda Wang to VP of business and legal affairs. (Variety)

Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Group has purchased Nordic production company Metronome Film & Television AB for approximately $88 million. "It has always been my intention to expand the existing Shine Group companies with the finest creative and entrepreneurial minds from the key markets we have identified, and each Metronome company more than meets this criteria," said Murdoch. "Their addition gives us an unrivalled presence in a market with a well-earned reputation as the birthplace of so many successful international formats." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Full Frontal Nerdity: The Sensational (and Game-Changing) Season Finale of "Chuck"

"Oh, Chuck me."

If I was anxious before about NBC renewing Chuck for a third season, last night's jaw-dropping season finale ("Chuck Versus the Ring"), written by Allison Adler and Chris Fedak, left me screaming to the heavens for a solution that would pull Chuck back from the brink of cancellation. (It can't end that way, it just can't!)

Series creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak promised a "game-changing" season finale and they not only delivered on this promise but gave us what may be one of the single most enjoyable hours of television this year in the Chuck season finale, as well as one of the strongest installments of the series so far.

Whether this week's episode of Chuck ends up being a season or series finale (and I'm pulling for the former), "Chuck Versus the Ring" was a primer on how to infuse tension and possibility into every scene, while also offering the series' rabid viewers a lot of laughter and more than a few tears along the way. It also deftly set the stage for what looks to be an incredible new direction for the series, should NBC decide to follow up on that tantalizing (and torturous) "To Be Continued..." card that ran at the end of the episode.

On the edge of my seat? I'm on the edge of a cliff waiting to see just what will happen to this brilliant and compelling series. So put on your tuxedo, check your pocket for rings, get your kung-fu on, and let's discuss "Chuck Versus the Ring."

I wondered after last week's amazing episode (which itself could have been a season finale) just how the writers would manage to top themselves but I needn't have worried: "Chuck Versus the Ring" was everything that a season finale should be, managing over the course of forty-odd minutes to reinvent itself, give its lead characters new purpose, and alter its own underlying structure to open the gates of possibility to this story.

This episode will definitely go down as one of--if not the--strongest episodes on the series to date and it's due entirely to the lushness of the writing and the strength of actors Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adam Baldwin. I can't offer enough superlatives about this trio, who week after week manage to imbue their characters with genuine emotion and three-dimensional personalities. Chuck has succeeded due to their abilities and their chemistry.

Chuck. Season One began with Bryce stealing the Intersect and destroying it. So it was only fitting that the series would come full circle and wrap its second season by placing the characters in the same position, albeit with a twist. Bryce believes that the Intersect 2.0 is far too powerful and intends to destroy it. His mission is of course compromised by the entry of a new secret organization (more on them in a bit) and it falls to Chuck to carry out Bryce's plans. It's that moment, with Chuck standing over the Intersect computer, that the entire series has been leading to: the moment where Chuck finally learns that he is a hero.

At the beginning of the series, Chuck had no choice about the Intersect being placed inside his head. That decision was forced upon him and Chuck became an unwitting and reluctant hero, forced to work for the government because of the information inside his head and not out of choice. Here, with Bryce having given his life for this cause, Chuck finds himself standing at the edge of a precipice. He's finally achieved everything he's ever wanted: the girl of his dreams, the freedom to do whatever he wants, and he's gotten back a "normal" life once more. And yet he places his palm on that desk and activates the Intersect cube. Why? Because Chuck has discovered that he is a hero and that heroism isn't easy, it isn't convenient or safe, but very, very dangerous. A true hero risks everything, most especially personal happiness and security, in the name of protecting those around him. In that very moment, Chuck goes from being a reluctant hero to a true one, uploading the Intersect back into his head and destroying it. It's a sacrifice of sorts as Chuck willingly opts to place national security above self-interest.

Kung Fu. We knew that the Intersect cube had some upgrades, thanks to the conversation between Orion and Bryce Larkin but even I could not have imagined just what those upgrades would be. While the Intersect 1.0 contained government intelligence and the ability to retrieve data at an alarming rate, the Intersect 2.0 has knowledge of a different means: physical ability. When the Intersect room is flooded with agents, Chuck is able to flash and retrieve some physical data: kung fu. He's able to skillfully and gracefully take out a room of agents without breaking a sweat. (Hell, even Casey was impressed.) Just what the limits of this technology are remain to be seen. Can Chuck learn any ability? Could he suddenly have the knowledge to dismantle a bomb, assemble a gun, skydive, or sculpt? Has he become a super-soldier, the perfect repository of intelligence and physical know-how?

The reveal was just, well, awesome and set the stage for what promises to be a vastly different role for Chuck should Season Three happen. (No more staying in the car for him.) It's with new eyes that Sarah and Casey see him and with a new appreciation for his heroism. Casey had earlier said that if Chuck were a true patriot, he wouldn't cash his government check but even he can't argue with the ramifications of what Chuck has done. He's proven, in no uncertain terms, that he's just as much a hero as Casey or Sarah. Perhaps even more so.

Bryce Larkin. I was absolutely chuffed that the writers brought back Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer) and brought the series full-circle with Bryce and the Intersect. I suggested a few weeks back that Bryce could have been working with Orion all along, and I am glad to see that the writers ran with this idea as well. It was never a coincidence or a stroke of fate that Bryce sent Chuck the Intersect in the first place: he was tasked with protecting Chuck at Stanford and sent Chuck the Intersect because he knew that Chuck could handle it, even if Stephen wanted him to keep him out of it. Bryce knew that Sarah would find Chuck and that Chuck deserved to know the truth about his father.

Sarah. Much of the series has dealt with the love triangle between Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce as Sarah found herself torn between the suave superspy and the sweet, well, nerdiness of Chuck. This episode finally ended that triangle, killing off Bryce Larkin once and for all in a scene that had me screaming at the television. Before that, Sarah was faced with a difficult decision as she spent her last few hours with Chuck at Ellie's wedding, revealing that she was supposed to fly out with Bryce to start work on the new Intersect project in the morning. Would she go with him and follow her duty? Or would she choose her heart and stay with Chuck? Her decision was clear; asked by Bryce to stay or go, she shakes her head sadly, indicating that she's choosing Chuck this time. Strahovski's expressions in this scene indicate the battle going on inside of her and her head-shaking demonstrates her resolve and her love for Chuck. No easy decision this. On a lighter note, how many people cheered when Sarah effortlessly ripped off the bottom of her bridesmaid dress in order to get down and dirty with the Fulcrum agents at the wedding? And when she and Chuck shared their "You look like a real spy"/"You look like a real bridesmaid" conversation and later their dance in the courtyard? (All together now: aw.)

Colonel Casey. I'm glad that Casey and Chuck shared a scene together and Casey revealed his own feelings towards the Chuckster, giving him his private number (on a business card, one can't help but note, with nothing else on it) and telling him to call him if he's ever in trouble (like his "fingers being on fire"). I knew Chuck would hug Casey but didn't imagine that Casey would actually tolerate it for as long as he did (though he did threaten to remove Chuck's "man parts"). Casey proved his loyalty by rescuing Chuck and saving the day at the wedding and I wouldn't have had it any other way. And, hell, he attacks Ellie's wedding with as much enthusiasm as he would a military engagement. ("That clashes with the bunting!") Double aw.

Orion. Stephen has an Intersect of his own? Very intriguing. He claims that he tested the machine on himself first and he's able to "flash" on the agent accompanying Bryce. How awesome was it that he got to punch Ted Roark after twenty years of hell? I thought for sure that Stephen would wind up dead by the end of the episode, so I am very surprised to see what they do with him next season, should the series continue. Loved that he gave his nifty Orion wrist device to Chuck to use to track down Bryce. Any thoughts on what his involvement would be next season?

The Ring. Fulcrum may be destroyed and Ted Roark dead, but there's more intrigue afoot in the spy world as the gang learns that there's a new organization interested in acquiring the Intersect for its own purposes. Casey's team is infiltrated by an agent for his new unnamed secret society, who shoots Roark in his cell and kills Casey's entire team. (Casey, meanwhile, only gets pistol-whipped as he previously saved Miles' life.) And they kill Bryce Larkin when he gives them access to the Intersect cube. So who are these baddies? I don't know. Miles (The Office's Tug Coker) says that they are not Fulcrum, though one of their number is a former CIA agent presumed dead. Bryce says that Fulcrum is just "one part of The Ring." I can't help but think of that scene a few episodes ago when we glimpsed a shadowy cabal. Is Fulcrum one of the many players after the Intersect? Do they work for a central and very evil overseer, just as these new spies do? "No one stops us," says Miles. "No one ever has." Hmmm...

The Wedding. True confession: I'm always nervous about wedding episodes; they have a tendency to be cheesy and overblown (just look at Anya and Xander's wedding on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for an example) rather than have genuine heart. It turns out that Chuck pulled off one of the most beautiful and understated weddings on television by first literally destroying the site of Ellie's wedding (how cool was it when Casey and the commandos parachuted in through the skylights?) and throwing the ceremony off the tracks with Jeffster performing a awe-inducing rendition of "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto."

The gun fight between Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce and Ted Roark (Chevy Chase) and Fulcrum was absolutely fantastic, especially that Sarah once again got to use her knife-throwing skills. (Remember in the pilot how she threw that knife to trigger the emergency barrier?) Especially as the battle destroyed Ellie's entire reception room, from the centerpieces and cakes to the elaborate ice sculpture, as Chuck inwardly moaned while seeing Ellie's dreams go up in smoke. The sprinkler system cutting in and nearly drowning an already overstressed Ellie who was meditating a few minutes earlier? Awesome. I'm glad that Ellie didn't just forgive Chuck for destroying her wedding day (to her knowledge, anyway) but instead climbed into the bathtub with her wedding dress and a bottle of champagne after canceling the wedding.

And just when you thought everything was wrecked beyond belief, Chuck managed to pull it all together, using his government paycheck to grant his sister the wedding day she deserved and the one she originally wanted: a small affair on the beach. It was a beautiful moment of true happiness, not just for Ellie, but for Chuck and Stephen Bartowski (Scott Bakula) as well. As for Devon, when he learned that Morgan was stalling the wedding because Chuck asked him to, he knew it was a matter of life and death. The look of pride on his face when Chuck pulls off not just the wedding of the century but has likely saved all of their lives as well spoke volumes.

Buy More. Seeing Jeffster take to the stage to perform "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto" (complete with fireworks show-stopping ender) was a thing of beauty and hilarity. (I can't stop singing the damn song the next day.) Even if Mr. Woodcock called the duo "Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian." And it kept some of the focus on the Buy More employees this week, given Chuck and Casey's departure from the store (not to mention Morgan's as well.) I'm not quite sure what will happen to the denizens of the Buy More should the series end up getting renewed for a third season. Given that Chuck will need a cover, it would make sense to utilize one that's already created but the writers have given themselves an out should they need to reduce the cast: they could cut the Buy More altogether now that Chuck has quit. However, some of the Buy More characters (in particular Jeff and Lester) are extremely beloved by the audience, so I'd hate to see them go. I was, however, extremely pleased to see Chuck quit his job in so forceful a fashion, telling Emmett that he could take his job and his flag and shove it. (After, that is, Emmett thought Chuck was coming on to him and said he was flattered but was a "flaming heterosexual.")

All this, references to Back to the Future and The Matrix, and some fantastic musical choices, including The Cure's "Friday, I'm in Love"? I think I'm in heaven.

Best line of the evening: "Guys, I know kung fu." - Chuck (tied with "Thank you for saving my life at least once a week.")

"Chuck Versus the Ring" packed more action, emotion, and tension into itself than many dramas do in entire season-long runs. When that card for "To Be Continued..." flashed on the screen, I found myself desperate for more. While this installment wrapped up some of the series' overarching plots, it also opened the door to a whole new set of adventures for Chuck, Sarah, and Casey. I would hate to see the series end with so much potential still in its bones.

If this is in fact the ending, all that's left to say to the talented cast and crew of this phenomenal series is domo arigato, really. Thanks for the memories, the laughs, the tears, and the edge-of-your-seat action. And thanks for two wonderful, memorable seasons of one of television's most innovative and original series. Personally, I'm still holding out hope that Chuck will continue next season. Because anything else would be unthinkable right now.

What did you think of "Chuck Versus the Ring"? Was it the perfect season finale or an ideal series finale? What do you think the future holds for our beloved team of super-spies? Were you surprised by the upgrades to the Intersect? And just what is The Ring? Discuss.

Chuck has yet to be renewed for a third season by NBC. Fingers crossed that they do the right thing and bring back this fantastic series.

Channel Surfing: "Harper's Island" to Graveyard on Saturdays, Abrams Confident About "Fringe" Renewal, "Privileged" Still Kicking, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

CBS has announced that it will move struggling freshman drama series Harper's Island to Saturday nights at 9 pm ET/PT, beginning May 2nd. What saved the series from outright cancellation are its strong DVR numbers and the fact that all thirteen episodes of Harper's Island's limited run were already in the can, making it much easier for the Eye to just burn off the episodes. "This move gives us an opportunity to improve the time period on Thursday while experimenting with more original programming on Saturday," said CBS senior exec VP Kelly Kahl of the network's decision. Harper's Island won't be alone on Saturday nights, which the networks have been increasingly using as a dumping ground for series with small but loyal viewers; Kings, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money will all air episodes on Saturdays this summer. (Variety)

J.J. Abrams is confident that freshman drama series Fringe will return this fall. "It should be returning," Abrams told SCI FI Wire. "I'm really happy with so much of what we did this year. And I feel like we have barely gotten going. There's so much that we know we want to explore and knew we did from the beginning. A lot of it is yet to come." Apparently, one episode of the second season has already been shot, despite the network not having officially renewed the series. "I think that season two should be pretty great, pretty dynamic," said Abrams. "We have some cool ideas. I'm very excited about that. I'm proud of the group. My only regret is I wish we could have stayed shooting in New York. We had a terrific crew. That's the one thing I'd wish we'd be able to do differently. It's a show that's still, as it's going, evolving. Finding the balance between relatable characters and absolute science fiction takes a while, but I think we're getting there." (SCI FI Wire)

The curtain hasn't fallen on CW's Privileged just yet. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that a second season order is still possible, pointing toward the netlet's decision to air repeats of Privileged's first season on Friday nights at 8 pm ET/PT throughout the summer. "It's definitely a positive sign," one Privileged insider told Ausiello, though CW has yet to make a decision about the dramedy series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The writing is on the wall: FOX has opted to shift new comedy Sit Down, Shut Up to the less desirable timeslot of 7 pm ET/PT on Sundays. It had aired two installments in its post-Simpsons 8:30 pm slot; the network will now air episodes of King of the Hill after The Simpsons. It's thought extremely unlikely that the series, from Sony Pictures Television, will continue past this season. (Futon Critic)

Missi Pyle (Boston Legal) will replace Leslie Bibb in NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot, following the latter's departure from the project in the wake of a creative overhaul. Pyle will play domestic goddess Vanessa, the eldest sibling. As Pyle already shot CBS comedy Big D, her participation here will be in second position to the CBS project. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be in talks with ABC Studios about continuing comedy series Scrubs next season. Should a deal be reached for Season Nine, the studio would have to accept a reduced license fee while creator Bill Lawrence would return as showrunner/executive producer and star Zach Braff is now "believed to be interested in returning for at least a portion of the episodes." Scrubs is said to be popular with advertisers due to its upscale viewers and ABC is said to need another half-hour on its lineup. Meanwhile, Variety is reporting that Better Off Ted "appears to be a real candidate for renewal as well, thanks to decent buzz -- and the fact that it's not produced by ABC Studios (as the network is looking to spread the financial risk beyond the Disney borders)." And Samantha Who? could also return next season. (Variety)

Lisa Rinna has changed her tune about wanting to join the cast of CW's revival of Melrose Place. "I don’t think I wanna go back anymore," Rinna told Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider. "Seriously, I watched some old tapes recently -- Harry [Hamlin, her husband] and I were going through stuff. It doesn’t feel right! It feels weird. I’ve changed my mind. You can’t go back!" (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

NCIS' still untitled spin-off starring Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J will be set in Los Angeles and will focus on the employees in the Office of Special Projects, "where they do a lot of undercover and surveillance work," said NCIS executive producer Shane Brennan. "There are no forensics or autopsies in it. There is no [lab tech] Abby character in it. It's not going to trample on our traditional NCIS show." (New York Post)

Spooks (which has aired Stateside under the name MI-5) is set to go into production on its eighth season, which will air this autumn on BBC One and will star Richard Armitage, Peter Firth, and Hermione Norris. (BBC)

Talent agencies William Morris and Endeavor formally approved a merger yesterday, laying the groundwork for the two firms to launch the joint WME Entertainment, which is expected to move into new offices that William Morris is building in Beverly Hills in 2010. Many agents are being courted by rival agencies. William Morris chairman Jim Wiatt will serve as the chairman of WME, with Endeavor's Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell sharing oversight with William Morris president Dave Wirtschafter and a nine-person board--five seats from WMA and four from Endeavor--will be formed as well. (Los Angeles Times)

Maureen FitzPatrick has been named SVP of comedy development at FremantleMedia North America, where she will oversee comedy development, sell and adapt British comedy series, and develop formats from the company's Atomic Wedgie online site. She was formerly SVP of digital content and development at the company's licensing arm. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Televisionary Soapbox: Please Watch "Chuck" Tonight on NBC

If the real world were just as awesome as the fictional one we tune in to each Monday night to see on NBC's Chuck, the action-comedy series wouldn't be in any danger of cancellation.

And yet, with the series about to air the final installment of its second season tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC, that's just where we are. It's entirely possible that tonight's episode of Chuck, which has yet to receive a pickup for a third season, could be the series' last.

I'm still keeping my fingers firmly crossed that NBC realizes what a sensational series this is and renews Chuck for a third season. Monday nights surely wouldn't be the same without Chuck. Hell, television right now wouldn't be the same without Chuck, which offers a winning combination of action, humor, workplace comedy, and, well, a sly skewering of underemployed twenty-somethings, stuck in a perpetual state of arrested development. It's a series that the whole family can watch together... and that's a rare beast in this day and age.

Those of you who watch this intelligent and fun series agree that Chuck is utterly unique. So why aren't more people watching? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it was the fact that, due to the writers strike of last winter, the series' freshman season wrapped after just thirteen episodes and NBC opted not to get the series back into production and on the air until the following fall.

Or perhaps it's that the 8 pm timeslot on Monday nights has Chuck facing some stiff competition from Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory on CBS, House on FOX, Dancing with the Stars on ABC, and Gossip Girl on CW. Personally, I always watch Chuck live and TiVo whatever else I want to watch in that same time period. (I'd urge you to do the same, especially tonight.)

I've also wondered if Chuck's genius conflating of several storytelling genres--action/adventure, buddy comedy, romantic drama, workplace comedy--into one awesome package make it hard for fans to describe the series in a reductive logline to people who haven't watched the series before. One of the many beauties of the series has been that it's completely accessible to newbies, thanks to a mission-of-the-week format, but also keeps long-term viewers hooked with an overarching mythology that isn't confusing to follow or overly elaborate.

I've written endearingly (and at times gushingly) about Chuck since the very beginning. I've been hooked on Chuck since I first saw the pilot episode way back in early May of 2007 (it was one of the first I watched that year after loving the pilot script), so it's hard for me to imagine why more people aren't tuning in to this fantastic series. Bringing Chuck to life are the talents of a top-notch writing staff, working under the watchful eyes of creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, star-making performances from series leads Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adam Baldwin, and a truly superb supporting cast who bring the off-kilter world of the Buy More to life each week.

It's crunch time now, with only one original episode of Chuck left to air this season. I am sure that all eyes at the Peacock are going to be on tonight's ratings as they debate whether or not to give the series another shot on its 2009-2010 schedule. I'm hoping that studio Warner Bros. Television, which produces the series, has been looking to make some innovative deals in order to keep the series on the air, whether that means accepting a reduced episode count (say, thirteen episodes rather than the traditional twenty-two) perhaps with an option for additional installments, structuring a second window on a cable or satellite channel (DirecTV, perhaps?), or implementing some drastic budget/license fee reductions.

Personally, I'm willing to support both WBTV and NBC in all and any of those efforts. Thirteen episodes of Chuck is far too little, but it's better than not having any more episodes altogether. Watching Chuck on both NBC and in another window (plus on Hulu or NBC.com) is something I'm very happy to do. I'm even willing to see some beloved characters/actors from Chuck's sprawling cast leave the series--or get downgraded from series regulars to recurring--if it means reducing the series' episodic budgets.

Basically, the bottom line is this: I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see that Chuck gets renewed for a third season. I'm willing to get on my soap box and keep writing about Chuck, keeping Twittering about it, and keep talking about it until I'm blue in the face.

So, please, do me--and the entire Chuck fan base--a favor and tune in tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. Tell everyone you know to tune in. Talk about the series on Twitter, comment on blogs and web sites, spread information about tonight's season finale via word of mouth, and visit Subway (a company that has paid for product placement on the series) today and buy a sandwich for Chuck.

Chuck's fans are just as determined, loyal, and canny as our beloved troika of Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey, so send a message to NBC today that we're not going to let them kill off our smart and sly series without a fight.



Chuck's second season finale airs tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Tears of a Clown: Alex Unmasks a Killer on the Season Finale of "Ashes to Ashes"

I'm hoping many of you tuned in to the phenomenal and shocking season finale ("Alex's Big Day") of Life on Mars sequel series Ashes to Ashes this weekend. I saw the entire first season last fall (the spoils of a trip last year to London, where the first season was released a while back on DVD).

I discussed the questions raised by this season finale last October in a post about Ashes' first season finale, but rather than just direct you to that post itself, I thought I'd make things easier and reproduce some of my thoughts here for the sake of convenience.

So crank up some David Bowie and Roxy Music on your iPod as we dive into some burning questions left over from Ashes to Ashes' brilliant first season. (WARNING: there are major spoilers for the end of Season One after the jump.)

My very first question, after watching the full first season of Ashes to Ashes, naturally concerns the first season's ending... in which we learn that Young Alex had met Gene Hunt before, seconds after witnessing the death of her parents and that it had been Gene's hand (and not Evan's) that she had gripped in the hallucinatory memory flashes Alex kept experiencing.

The fact that she knew Gene in the past is significant: if Gene was actually in Alex's past, then he must be a real person and is not, as Alex keeps maintaining, a fictional construct. So is he real? And, if so, is he still alive in 2008? Alex has believed that 1981 is a series of puzzles devised by her subconscious to keep her mind struggling to survive rather than succumb to the darkness and cold of death. Has she then always carried a memory of Gene Hunt around in her subconscious, unaware of his significance in her life? Is this world a puzzle for her psyche as it resists shutting down or has she really traveled back into time?

I had figured out both the Clown's identity and the motive behind Alex's parents death a few episodes before the season finale. Watching as her father put "Ashes to Ashes" on the cassette player, Alex is stunned to see him remove his glasses and transform into the Clown seconds before the car explodes. So my question is this: did Alex again *always* subconsciously know that her father had planned to kill her and her mother in a pathetic murder-suicide as payback for her mother's affair with Evan? I'd suggest that she did and that her memory filled in the blanks in her subconscious that she had successfully managed to repress for so many years.

But if the Clown is her father and an Angel of Death, why did Shaz (Montserrat Lombard) see him rather than another personification of death when she was nearly fatally stabbed in the series' seventh episode ("Charity Begins at Home")? And is the Clown still significant now that Alex knows who he actually is? Is his power over her now nonexistent now that she's peeled away the mask from his face and seen the skull beneath the skin?

I had always thought it was interesting that the song that was playing when Alex woke up in 1981 wasn't Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" but rather Ultravox's "Vienna," which is why I was so glad to see that the writers saved that song for the moment of her parents' death, a soundtrack to their demise that makes it far more iconic and significant to Alex and alludes to why she sees her father as the Pierrot Clown rather than in some other incarnation.

Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, Gene Hunt is an actual physical person in Alex's life as a child, so is he the reason that she was pulled backwards to 1981 and why Sam Tyler was pulled back to 1973? In both cases, Alex and Sam arrived in the past just prior to a critical incident in their lives that lead to their psychological development as adults. And yet in both cases Gene Hunt was on the scene, despite Mars taking place in Manchester and Ashes in London.

So, why is Gene significant in both their stories? And is Gene more than just a common link but a means for them to latch onto that particular point in time? And is it important that in 1981, Gene is struggling to maintain relevant in a world that is changing around him? If Sam thought that 1973 was his Oz, is 1981 Alex's Narnia, a journey to understand the critical incidents that defined them later as adults? For Sam, it's a need to follow the word of the law, to enforce the concept of justice. For Alex, it's the need to find logic and meaning in the criminals she chases, to understand the flaws in their psychology... even as all along she's been trying to discover what deficiency in her father's makeup lead to him seeking to obliterate his entire family.

And how does this connect to Arthur Layton, the man who created the car bomb that killed Tim and Caroline and who Alex arrested in the first episode of the season? The man who, I might add, shot Alex in the present day... after calling an unseen person. Just who does Layton call as he leads Alex away? ("I've got a piece of your past standing right here in front of me. Tim and Caroline Price's daughter. And I'm going to tell her the truth about why her parents died... Well, that's your choice.") His words seem to perhaps indicate it's Evan, but what if it's someone else altogether different? Some other force at work perhaps? A sign of something else yet to come?

What did you think of the season finale of Ashes to Ashes? What is this world that Alex has found herself in? Why wasn't she able to prevent her parents' death from occurring? And what will it take for her to wake up in the present day? Discuss.

Season Two of Ashes to Ashes, originally intended to launch this Saturday, will instead air later this year on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: Olyphant to Star in Elmore Leonard Pilot for FX, Sneak Peek at 100th Episode of "Lost," Enver Gjokaj Talks "Dollhouse," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Timothy Olyphant (Damages) has been cast in FX's untitled Elmore Leonard project, which is based on a short story by Leonard entitled "Fire in the Hole." Olyphant will play U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens who returns to his hometown in Kentucky. "He has a certain jaggedness, but he also loves his job," said creator/executive producer Graham Yost. "He is like an anachronism: He wears a hat, cowboy boots and a holster on his hip. It's a little bit like he was born 100 years too late." Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Timberman/Beverly Prods., will be directed by Michael Dinner and will start shooting at the end of May. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a sneak peek at three scenes from Wednesday evening's 100th episode of ABC's Lost, entitled "The Variable." (Gee, does that title remind you of another famous installment?) All I can say is that this episode looks to pack quite a punch. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Dollhouse star Enver Gjokaj talks to E! Online's Jennifer Godwin about his character, Victor, and about what's coming up on the FOX drama, created by Joss Whedon. "We know he has a military background and that something bad happened," said Gjokaj about Victor. "Joss and I have talked briefly about that, but nothing is official." As for why Victor and Sierra (Dichen Lachman) seem to be propelled towards each other, Gjokaj said, "Pheromones? I'm not sure, but we know it's something deeper, more instinctual than liking her personality, because we don't really have those as dolls. I personally think Joss is asking, "What if there is such a thing as true love?" Something more than a pat psychological answer. What if two souls are attracted to each other even in the absence of memory?" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Pamela Adelon (Californication) will star opposite Adam Carolla in CBS comedy pilot Ace in the Hole, where she will play the wife of Carolla's character, a nurse and mother of two. Should Ace in the Hole be picked up to series, Adelon would depart Showtime's Californication. Meanwhile, Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) has left NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot, following a creative shakeup that also saw Adler, the pilot's writer leave the project. Bibb's role is currently being recast. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC announced several additions to its summer schedule, including three installments of news magazine Primetime, Primetime: Family Secrets, Primetime: Crime, and Primetime: The Outsiders, while Primetime: What Would You Do will return for another run. Series will air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT throughout the summer. The network also has four-hour mini-series Diamonds and Impact, special J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life, and a slew of reality series, including Great American Road Trip, which will now air Tuesdays at 8 pm beginning July 7th, and America's Got Talent, which will kick off with a two-hour opener on June 23rd. (Variety)

Spike is said to be close to signing a deal to acquire off-network cable rights to HBO comedy Entourage, possibly in conjunction with another channel in MTV Networks' stable, likely Comedy Central. Series will become available in 2010. (Broadcasting & Cable)

AMC's Mad Men took home the top prize yesterday at the BAFTA TV awards in London, where it won the trophy for best international series, beating out fellow nominees The Wire, Dexter, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, while Kenneth Branagh drama Wallander beat out Doctor Who, Shameless, and Spooks for the continuing drama prize. (Variety)

The New York Times talks to King of the Hill creator Mike Judge about the long-running FOX animated series wrapping its run after 13 seasons. Judge, who says that he wanted to stop working on the series six or seven years ago, says that there won't be a finale per se. "I’m not sure there will be a final episode this time around," he told the Times' Kathryn Shattuck. We did a final episode back in the first year we thought we were canceled. I was really proud of that last episode, and then when we didn’t get canceled, we had to kind of tweak it and do these different things to make it not seem so final. And I’m not sure there will be any kind of story arc. The thing I think we do well is kind of keeping it the same. I’m a big fan of just classic TV — the old Bob Newhart Show, Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show. There was something kind of comforting in that, episode after episode, they didn’t change that much." (New York Times)

NBC is bringing back axed reality competition series The Chopping Block to the schedule. The series, which was pulled from the Peacock's lineup last month, will return on Friday, June 19th at 8 pm and air the five remaining episodes of the series. (Futon Critic)

Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) have set up production company Points West Pictures, which they hope will develop projects that will place them in front of and behind the camera. Company is in development on three projects, two of which are being written by Westfeldt. (Hollywood Reporter)

William Morris Agency and Endeavor are expected to vote today on a potential merger that would create a major new player on the talent representation scene. The combined joint entity, WME Entertainment, would offer 300 agents, one of the top client rosters, and an annual revenue of roughly $325 million. "The deal could trigger a new wave of consolidation, putting pressure on other smaller agencies to combine or find larger partners," writes The Los Angeles Times' Dawn C. Chmielewski and Meg James. "The last significant talent agency merger was in 2006 when International Creative Management bought the smaller Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency in a move to inject new life into ICM's television business." (Los Angeles Times)

ABC Family has yanked freshman comedy Sophie off of its schedule effective immediately. The cabler will air back-to-back new episodes of fellow first-year comedy Roommates in the 9 pm hour and 10 pm hours on Monday nights beginning tonight, wrapping up its run now on May 4th, rather than June 15th. (Futon Critic)

MTV has given a series order to reality competition series The Stylist, which will pit fashion stylists against one another for a contract with a major agency, from Bunim-Murray. The cabler also ordered 80 additional episodes of dating series Parental Control, bringing the series' six season total to 200 installments. (Hollywood Reporter)

Style has renewed eight series, including Ruby, The Dish, How Do I Look?, Clean House, Split Ends, Clean House Comes Clean, Dress My Nest, and Whose Wedding Is It Anyway. The cabler has several new series in the pipeline including Mothers and Daughters of Dallas and Guiliana & Bill, a docusoap following former Apprentice winner Bill Rancic and his wife Guiliana, an anchor on E! (TV Week)

Stay tuned.

Link Tank: TV Blog Coalition Roundup for April 24-26

Televisionary is proud to be a member of the TV Blog Coalition. At the end of each week, we'll feature a roundup of content from our sister sites for your delectation.

This week, I reviewed the final three episodes of Pushing Daisies, recapped the Paley Festival panel for HBO's Big Love, had exclusive interviews with showrunner Jane Espenson about next year's Caprica series and former Veronica Mars writer/executive producer John Enbom about the hilarious Starz comedy Party Down.

I shared news about Gillian Anderson being in talks to guest star on Doctor Who, BBC America postponing Season Two of Ashes to Ashes, ABC renewing twelve series, Evan Rachel Wood getting cast in HBO's True Blood, NBC dethroning Kings until June, and I took an early look at a scene from Season Two of True Blood.

I also discussed the latest episodes of NBC's Chuck, NBC's 30 Rock, FOX's Fringe, BBC America's Ashes to Ashes, and BBC America's Last Restaurant Standing and reviewed the DVD release for Sci Fi's Caprica.

Elsewhere in the sophisticated TV-obsessed section of the blogosphere, members of the TV Blog Coalition were discussing the following items...

• Buzz took a look back at some midseason replacements (Dawson's Creek! The Wonder Years!) she's loved over the years. (BuzzSugar)
• >Going to use this time as a last minute plea to watch Chuck on Monday at 8pm EST. That's all. (Give Me My Remote)
• Ever wonder what Dunder Mifflin would look like if it were a real company? Terracycle of Garbage Moguls may be the closest thing. (Scooter McGavin's 9th Green)
• Vance enjoyed Kris Allen's disco schtick on American Idol. (Tapeworthy)
• Time for a mid-season wrap-up! Marisa gave all the new shows an evaluation, from Demitri Martin to Surviving Suburbia. (TiFaux)
• It's early, but after seeing the series premiere on DVD, Matt is willing to give Caprica a chance in the fall. (TV Fanatic)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What the Frak?: Strawberry Allergies, Lion Tattoos, and Murderous Rampages on "30 Rock"

Call me a complete and utter geek but I was totally over the moon when Salma Hayek's Elisa stormed into Jack's office wearing a Battlestar Galactica "What the Frak?" t-shirt.

Sure, it was a blatant case of cross-promotional product placement (The Sheinhardt Wig Company--excuse me, NBC Universal--also owns Sci Fi and produces BSG via its Universal Media Studios unit) but it was so absurd, so completely random within the fictional universe of 30 Rock that it caused both me and Elisa's would-be fiance Jack Donaghy to pause. It was in a word: awesome.

On this week's episode of 30 Rock ("The Ones"), written by Jack Burditt, Jack contemplated marriage to his Puerto Rican girlfriend Elisa (Hayek), even as he learned that she harbored a dark secret from her past; Jenna fell for an attractive EMT who leaves before she can get his number, leading her to attempt to send Kenneth into "acute strawberry shock" by repeatedly poisoning him; Liz discovered the joys of the "slanket"; and Tracy debated getting a tattoo of his wife Angie's angry face on his chest.

(Seriously, what other series could have those storylines in their logline, I ask you?)

Coming on the heels of last week's extraordinarily strong "Jackie Jormp-Jomp," this week's episode was another virtuoso performance from the cast and crew of 30 Rock, turning in a hysterical installment that had me rolling on the floor. (I believe that I might have to keep these last two episodes on my TiVo to cheer me up if I'm ever blue.)

There was a beautiful symmetry in the storylines between Jack and Tracy and writer Jack Burditt seamlessly had the two plots overlap halfway through the episode, in a scene where Tracy reveals that, for all of his talk, he hasn't ever cheated on Angie during twenty years of marriage... leading Jack to decide he does want to marry Elisa and can commit to being faithful to her. (Which is good, because she killed her last husband who stepped out for some extramarital activities.)

Tracy's admission was a nice surprise from a character whose main role on the series is to shock and provoke, often saying illogical or nonsensical gobbledygook or throwing some diva-like tantrums. That it was juxtaposed with Tracy getting a tattoo on his back that conflated his wife's image with a lion named Tangiers was just the icing on the cake. It's the bizarro moments like these, skillfully planted and payed off, that make 30 Rock such a pleasure to watch week after week.

What else did I love about this week's episode? Kenneth' saying "My real name is Dick Whitman," a hilarious shout-out to Mad Men's pseudonymous Don Draper; Elisa's aforementioned "What the Frak?" t-shirt; the fake engagement ring showroom at Cartier, Kenneth and Jenna's un-PC conversation about girls in math class and Filipinos; the Pranksmen; Tracy thinking about getting Angie a "denim jacket that says Hot Bitch in diamonds"; Liz's consistent use of "Puerto Rican" every time she sees Elisa; Jenna's EMT admirer not being gay or bi-curious; quesadilla meat; Tracy giving out Brian Williams' home number to ladies; Jenna failing Pete's sociopath test; UGC site Wiggo.com's users only posting penises on it; Jenna singing to get Pete's attention; Liz's grandfather being involved with the Kent State massacre; Liz liking the slanket and saying that it's "not product placement." (Really, I could go on and on.)

Best line of the evening: a tie between Kenneth's "My real name is Dick Whitman," Liz's "Elisa has a terrible secret! My current theory is she’s the mother of those Michael Jackson kids!" and Jenna's "So there are different shifts, like on a sheik's pleasure yacht!"

All in all, "The Ones" was a fantastic episode overflowing with hilarious quotables, pop culture references, and some great character moments. It's likely one that I'll be watching again and again... and again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to try to have this lion tattoo lasered off of my back.

On the next 30 Rock ("The Natural Order"), Liz reprimands Tracy in front of the "TGS" staff and he decides to start acting like a professional but demands that Liz also give up some privileges; Jack's mother Colleen (guest star Elaine Stritch) reveals unpleasant memories about Jack's father leaving the family; Jenna adopts a pet gibbon and learns that motherhood is difficult.

Channel Surfing: Gillian Anderson Tackling "Doctor Who," USA Books "White Collar," Kaley Cuoco Not Checking In to "Grey's Anatomy," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Former X-Files star Gillian Anderson is said to be in talks to guest star in an episode of Doctor Who, set to air on BBC One next year, opposite the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. Anderson would play "the renegade Time Lady, The Rani, a glamorous but evil scientific genius previously played in the series by Kate O'Mara in the 80s," who is an archenemy of the Doctor. "Gillian obviously has a massive sci-fi following following and it's felt it would be a major coup to have her appear in Doctor Who," an anonymous source told The Daily Express. "The team behind the show are keen for the next Doctor to have lots of new enemies and Gillian would be a glamorous and impressive addition to the list. The Rani would be a perfect role for her as the character used to be regarded as one of the Doctor's most deadly opponents." (Daily Telegraph)

USA has ordered drama White Collar, starring Matthew Bomer (Chuck), Tim DeKay (Carnivale), Tiffani Thiessen (Fastlane), and Wille Garson (Sex and the City), to series, ordering 13 one-hour installments in addition to its 90-minute pilot. Bomer will play a professional thief who breaks out of prison and is forced to work with the FBI to track down criminals who have eluded capture. No official launch date has been announced but it's believed that White Collar will kick off this fall. (Variety)

The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco will now not be appearing on the season finale of ABC's Grey's Anatomy after all, due to a publicity commitment. A Big Bang Theory spokesperson announced yesterday that "due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts on behalf of The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco regrettably will be unable to guest star on the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. Kaley is a big fan of Grey’s Anatomy and hopes to work with them in the future." Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello did some more digging and learned that it was CBS who axed Cuoco's guest turn on Grey's. "An Eye spokesperson couldn't be reached for comment, but as one insider explains, 'They didn't want one of their biggest stars appearing on one of ABC's biggest shows.'" Meanwhile, Shannon Lucio (The O.C.) will replace Cuoco on the May 14th season finale of Grey's Anatomy. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC's untitled Justin Adler comedy pilot will now no longer have Justin Adler. The writer/executive producer of the untitled multi-camera pilot, produced by Tannenbaum Co. and Sony Pictures Television, has left the project ahead of next week's reshoots. Moses Port and David Guarascio have been tapped to replace Adler on the pilot, which is being directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC announced early pick-ups for the 2009-10 season of dramas Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, and Ugly Betty, as well as reality series America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny, and Wife Swap. (Televisionary)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez takes a look at the promotional machine in place for the launch of FOX's Glee, which will air its pilot next month before officially bowing in the fall. FOX will make the pilot episode available for sale this summer on iTunes and will air a different version of the opening installment this fall. "From Day One, I've had so much support from the studio and network," said creator Ryan Murphy. "I think they are all wanting to break out of the box: What is network television? What can it be? Every once in a while, something comes along that's just different. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I think we're all on the same page that it's great to attempt it. The scripts are written as though the kids are underdogs and I tell the actors all the time, this show feels like an underdog." (Los Angeles Times)

Casting updates: Jane Lynch (Party Down) has been promoted to a series regular on FOX's Glee, where she plays caustic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester; Austin Nichols (The Informers) has been bumped up to series regular on the CW drama One Tree Hill; and Eddie Jemison (Waitress) has been made a series regular on HBO comedy Hung, which will also see the addition of Alanna Ubach (Eli Stone) to the cast as recurring. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC America has announced the return of Primeval to its schedule, which will see the launch of Season Three on May 14th. Unfortunately, the network has also bumped Season Two of Life on Mars spin-off Ashes to Ashes, meant to launch next Saturday, off the schedule for the foreseeable future to make room for Primeval. Ashes to Ashes is now expected to return later this year. (Televisionary)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a first look at the musical guest stars turning up on the May 14th season finale of NBC's 30 Rock, which will feature such guests as Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Clay Aiken, Adam Levine, and Rhett Miller. And Alan Alda will also guest star in the episode, which sees the return of Chris Parnell's Dr. Leo Spaceman. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Look for some last-minute scheduling changes next week as sweeps kicks off and President Obama has asked the networks for airtime on Wednesday. The broadcast networks have yet to agree to the request (though it's believed they all will) and will likely have to shift some programming around to accomodate President Obama's news conference. (TV Week)

Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar will oversee a television adaptation of his 1988 feature film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown for Fox Television Studios. Almodovar will executive produce along with Mimi Schmir (Grey's Anatomy), who will write the pilot script, which she says will be "a suburban drama about a group of women who have known each other for a long time, perhaps from college, who are in the middle of their lives and looking at the second half of their lives." Project will be developed for the international market and could end up being a co-production a la the studio's own Mental, Defying Gravity, and Persons Unknown. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stephen Baldwin has joined the cast of NBC's upcoming reality competition series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, along with Janice Dickinson, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, and Sanjaya Malakar, among others. Meanwhile, disgraced former Illinois governor Rob Blagojevich will also fly to Los Angeles to participate in today's NBC press day, saying "Perhaps I can play some other role in the show." (TV Week)

Meanwhile, the series' producers, Granada America, have signed a deal with MTV to repurpose episodes of NBC's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, in a second window on MTV, though the cabler will also play a role in determining creative for the series and will cross-promote the NBC broadcasts. NBC plans to air the episodes four nights a week beginning June 1st, while MTV will offer a marathon of the previous week's episodes on Sundays starting June 7th. (Variety)

HBO's Jada Miranda and Mike Garcia have left their development posts at the pay cabler. Miranda will remain at the network as a producer with a multiple-year development deal and will join the staff of upcoming comedy How to Make It in America as an executive producer, while Garcia will leave to pursue other opportunities. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former FOX business affairs/alternative production executive Donna Redier Link has been hired as the COO, a newly created position, at Fremantle North America, where she will report to Cecile Frot-Coutaz. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Message from the Action Man: BBC America Pulls "Ashes to Ashes" Season Two, Slots "Primeval" Season Three Instead

Those of you anxious to see Season Two of the Life on Mars sequel series Ashes to Ashes had better hold on to your hats... and sit tight.

BBC America, which was slated to launch Season Two of Ashes to Ashes on Saturday, May 2nd, has indicated that it will be delaying the launch date for the second season, instead opting to launch Season Three of sci-fi series Primeval in the Saturdays at 9 pm timeslot.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise and was discovered only when BBC America sent out a press release for the launch of Primeval announcing that the series, which stars Douglas Henshall, Jason Flemyng, Lucy Brown, Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee Potts, Ben Miller, Laila Rouass, Juliet Aubrey, and Ben Mansfield, would be launching on Saturday, May 16th at 9 pm ET/PT.

What it failed to share was that Primeval would be taking over Ashes to Ashes' current timeslot.

Listings services, including TiVo's on-screen guide, Yahoo! TV, and Zap2it, had Ashes to Ashes' sophomore season launching next week and, at press time, still had May 2nd listed as the start date.

A BBC America publicist has confirmed to me via email that Primeval will be taking over Ashes to Ashes' timeslot.

No reason was given for the abrupt and unexpected change in scheduling and, as of yet, no current revised launch date for Season Two of Ashes to Ashes has been made available, other than that it will "air later this year."

Meanwhile, the BBC One trailer for Ashes to Ashes Season Two, which launched earlier this week in the UK, can be seen below.



Fingers crossed that we get Season Two of this sensational series sooner rather than later.

Ashes to Ashes will wrap its first season this Saturday at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ABC Announces Early Pick-Ups for Returning Series

No surprise here.

ABC has today announced early pick-ups for the 2009-10 season of dramas Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, and Ugly Betty, as well as reality series America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny, and Wife Swap.

No mention was given of the fate of such comedies as Samantha Who?, According to Jim, and Scrubs.

ABC will announce their full fall lineup on May 19th.

Channel Surfing: Evan Rachel Wood Bites into "True Blood," Mary-Louise Parker Not Leaving "Weeds," "Lost" 100th Episode to "Flash Forward," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) has been cast on HBO's True Blood, where she will guest star in two episodes as Sophie-Anne, a 500-year-old French vampire who is the Queen of Louisiana. Woods will turn up towards the end of Season Two, which kicks off on June 14th, but is expected to reprise her role should True Blood be renewed for a third season. Her character, Sophie-Anne, is described as "who is charming, wily, ruthless and wise. She's a consummate diplomat who has (or had) many of history's most famous people on speed dial." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Nancy Botwin may have left Agrestic behind but Weeds' Mary-Louise Parker isn't going anywhere. "No. That's not true," said series creator Jenji Kohan when asked whether Parker would leave Weeds now that Jennifer Jason Leigh had been cast in the series. Leigh's character will appear in just a handful of episodes in Weeds' upcoming season. "Right now we've written two that she's in, but as we write, we'll see where she fits in and if she wants to come back and play," said Kohan. "She's doing a movie, so her schedule is kind of crazy right now. It's a great piece of guest casting. We love having Jennifer here; we'd love her to do as many as she wants to do, but by no means does it edge out Mary-Louise." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC hasn't yet ordered sci-fi pilot Flash Forward, starring Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, and a host of others, but the network will be giving viewers of Lost's upcoming 100th episode, set to air next week, a sneak peak at the project via a "stealth promo campaign" that will actually be spots for Flash Forward, "part of an elaborate marketing campaign for the drama, which has not been officially picked up to series but is quietly being positioned on ABC's schedule for next season." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has acquired thirteen episodes of Canadian co-production Copper, a cop drama from studio E1 Entertainment. Series, which revolves around five rookie cops, will be executive produced by Ilana Frank, Tassie Cameron (Flashpoint), John Morayniss, and Noreen Halpern. Series will air on Canwest Global in Canada. (Variety)

Elsewhere at the Alphabet, ABC has announced that it will return game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Regis Philbin, for a special eleven-night run to celebrate its tenth anniversary, beginning Sunday, August 9th. (via press release)

Chuck creator Josh Schwartz is still hoping that the series' rabidly loyal fanbase can keep the series afloat for another season. Speaking at NAB, Schwartz said that he "had a good meeting with NBC about Chuck's future, but he would not speculate on whether the show would survive" and pointed to some fan-based efforts such as continually mentioning Chuck on Twitter and organizing an effort to buy Subway sandwiches on Monday (the sandwich chain was recently featured on the series). Of the latter, Schwartz said, "It shows a real sophistication on the part of the viewer." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Christopher Gorham (Harper's Island) will reprise his role as Henry on ABC's Ugly Betty in the May 21st episode, which marks a two-hour season finale for Betty. Gorham's Henry will run into Betty while with his new girlfriend Chloe (Gossip Girl's Dream Walker) and they end up on a double date with Betty and her new boyfriend Matt (Daniel Eric Gold). "As Henry and Betty reconnect, it could potentially threaten her relationship with Matt," Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Chris has always been, and will always be, part of the Ugly Betty family." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC is expected to announce that it has cut back on the episodic order for Heroes next season, with aims to produce only 18-20 episodes rather than 25 installments, as the series did this current season. The network is also expected to run those episodes closely together and try to avoid interruptions in the storyline. [Editor: look for the timeslot to be most likely filled during the series' hiatus by Jesse Alexander's sci fi project Day One.] (Advertising Age)

Comedy Central has given a pilot presentation order to an untitled half-hour sketch comedy starring blue-collar comedian Ron White. Project, executive produced by White, Eddie Feldmann, John MacDonald, Michael Pelmont, Brian Volkweiss, and Barry Katz, will feature White as he shares stories from the heartland of America. (Hollywood Reporter)

VH1 has renewed Celebrity Rehab for a third season and has handed out an eight-episode series order for Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew, in which the titular Dr. Drew tackles everyday people's sex compulsions and its "destructive effect on those who suffer from it." Also on tap at the cabler: Gotti's Way 2 and New York Goes to Work, both of which will launch May 4th. (Variety)

Style has given an eight-episode series order to docusoap Mothers and Daughters of Dallas, which will follow four mother/daughter socialites in Texas as they strive to maintain their position in society. Project, from executive producers Allison Grodner, Peter Tartaglia, Sarah Weidman, and Merah Chung, will launch this fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

Spike has renewed 1000 Ways to Die, which will return with thirteen episodes, and MANswers, which got a ten episode pickup, while the cabler has also ordered a 1000 Ways to Die spin-off entitled 1000 Ways to Lie. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Bad Dreams: Olivia Has Murder in Mind on "Fringe"

Memory is a funny thing.

Last night's episode of Fringe ("Bad Dreams"), written and directed by Akiva Goldsman, offered us some insight into just what might have happened to Olivia as a child, providing a past connection between her and Walter Bishop even as Olivia is drawn into an intense mental connection with a man she can't remember ever having met.

While it still involved a standalone investigation, this week's installment furthered the overarching mythology of the series as it relates to Olivia Dunham's childhood and her exposure to Cortexiphan, the abilities she seemingly displayed in "Ability," and the enigmatic Z.F.T. terrorist cell, which preaches about a coming war between Earth and the denizens of a parallel dimension.

Could it be that things are finally coming together now as the walls close in on Olivia? That the forces rallied around her--the Bishops, the Fringe Division, Massive Dynamics--are all aware of her own involvement in The Pattern?

Olivia. I'm glad that Olivia finally came clean about her belief that she was experimented on as a child and was given Cortexiphan. She's kept this a secret for so long now that I wasn't sure she was going to let Peter and Walter into her inner circle of trust for some time. I'm not sure why Olivia can't remember the experiments at all (nor why she was called "Olive" by the scientists) while reverse empath Nick Lane has a full knowledge of the time they shared together while undergoing the tests, paired together in a sort of buddy system. It's a rapport that continues to this day as Olivia is able to connect to Nick via her subconscious and, while dreaming, see through his eyes as his power forces those around him to feel the same anger, sadness, lust, or rage that he does. Olivia keeps dreaming that she is responsible for the deaths of several strangers when it fact it's Nick's ability that is causing people to commit suicide or murder their spouses and Olivia is experiencing an echo of Nick's movements.

So why can't Olivia remember? Was her memory erased so that she wouldn't recall what had been done to her? Like Nick, is she a sort of sleeper agent that needs to be "woken up" in order to regain her memories and consciously access her abilities? Nick tells her that he followed all of their instructions and his words make it clear that he has either read the Z.F.T. manifesto or has been indoctrinated into their belief system. He wears "the blacks and greys" (which I thought was odd when they showed Nick's closet) and waited for someone to make contact with him.

If Olivia was tested on as child, does it mean that the same thing happened to her sister Rachel (Ari Gaynor)? And just what does Rachel keep trying to tell Olivia? Also on my mind: did John Scott know about Olivia's past and was he trying to protect her? Could Nina Sharp also be acutely aware of Olivia's involvement with Walter Bishop and William Bell as a child? (Speaking of which, Sharp and Massive Dynamics have been awfully quiet these last few episodes.)

Peter. If Olivia was tested on, it seems clear that the implication is that Peter was likely experimented on as well in the same fashion. We know that Walter already used Peter in some sort of experiment as a child but I wonder if he was dosed--either with or without Walter's knowledge--with Cortexiphan as well. Could it explain Peter's innate ability to read people? Could he be manifesting a sort of low-grade telepathy?

Walter. Walter is now beginning to remember pieces of the Z.F.T. manifesto, indicating that he either wrote the manifesto himself or with William Bell. And Walter suspects that he was involved with experimenting on several children with his former partner William Bell and dosing them with the drug Cortexiphan. Hell, he even uncovers a video tape of subject "Olive" as a little girl, after some sort of incident goes horribly wrong. Just what is Olivia's power? Telekinesis, judging from the way she turned off the lights in "Ability"? Or something far more unsettling?

Astrid. I'm hoping that somehow, some way, Astrid is involved with Cortexiphan, Z.F.T., or something interesting as we're now only a few episodes away from the end of the first season and Astrid is just as much of a cipher as she was in the very first episode. There's been no character development whatsoever for her and I'm hoping before the curtain falls in a few episodes that Astrid is given something interesting, compelling, or memorable to do. Other than correct Walter for his misuse of her name, fetch coffee (with cinnamon!), or have the ability to speak Latin or whatever the team needs that week.

What did you think about this week's episode? Are you intrigued by the direction the series is going? What do you think about the prophesied war between parallel dimensions and how does this connect to The Pattern? Just what will Olivia discover next? Discuss.

Next week on Fringe ("Midnight"), the team investigates a case involving severely mutilated bodies drained of spinal cord fluid, leading them to a scientist with possible ties to the Z.F.T. bioterrorist cell; Olivia, Peter, and Walter go to desperate lengths to stop the killer.

The Sea Bass is Actually Oysters: Teams Struggle to Get the Details Right on "Last Restaurant Standing"

I thought that last night's episode of BBC America's deliciously addictive culinary competition series Last Restaurant Standing ("Masterclass") was a fantastic way for the three remaining teams to prove their mettle to the master chef himself. For far too long this season, the chefs--and indeed their front-of-house counterparts--have been able to hide in the confines of their kitchen without Raymond looking over their shoulder too much. No more.

This week, Raymond put each team through a mini-masterclass, with the chefs cooking with him in the kitchens at the exquisite Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons (and undergoing an impromptu blind herb taste test) and the front-of-house staffers working a busy lunch service at perfectionist David Moore's London restaurant.

It was a suitable challenge for both teams, who would have to make sure that they got all of their details right, whether that meant cooking their turbot to the very point of perfection or making sure the chairs didn't touch the tablecloths at David Moore's restaurant. While some might quibble that you aren't going to get customers by being so punctilious about tablecloths/chair proximity, I would say that it's the details that matter: the little touches, whether they're elegant or just memorable or comfortable, are what keep happy customers coming back time and time again.

This week, something a little different as I want to take a closer look at the two remaining teams entering Raymond Blanc's final challenge, battling it out for the opportunity to go into business with the famed restaurateur.

Before we get to that, I just want to say that I wasn't at all surprised that Tim and Lindsie were the ones to get cut from the competition this week. While I really do like them quite a lot, they've been struggling since the beginning, though it was heartbreaking to see Tim give up quite that easily when Raymond asked him, if the tables were turned, if Tim would go into business with someone in his position, especially as Lindsie has rallied in recent weeks and blossomed into her role in front-of-house at their restaurant, True Provenance. That Tim would say "no," without thinking about the ramifications showed just how lost he'd become. For all of his business acumen, he was running True Provenance with an absurd 92 percent food cost, an astronomical figure that really does boggle the mind. There was no way that Raymond would go into business with someone who had that much in food cost and couldn't find a way to lower the percentage, even by increasing the prices on the menu. I'm sad to see them go but I think it was rather a done deal.

Which brings us to our two remaining teams, who couldn't be more different from one another: The Cheerful Soul's Russell and Michelle, who have won Restaurant of the Week more than any other couple this season, and The Gallery's James and Alasdair, who... just keep making mistake upon mistake.

Russell and Michele. Throughout the competition, I've been keenly aware of this team's strengths and weaknesses. It was easy fairly early on to peg these two as the strongest contenders for the title but they've been undone several times by Russell's lack of exterior passion and Michele's inability to handle criticism or grow a thicker skin. Russell has typically remained confident and unflustered in the face of stress, but this week showed a very different side of Russell: one that was whiny and uncertain about his abilities.

The dithering in the kitchen last night when it came to plating his risotto (for Raymond's Michelin-starred guests) was shocking to me as was the poncy manner with which he was attempted to present the dish: not in a bowl, piping hot on its own, but with squiggles and flourishes on the plate, all of which looked ridiculous. Raymond has been upfront about his desire for clean flavors and presentation: risotto, by its nature, should be served hot, slightly oozing, in a bowl. Not molded and upended on a plate surrounded by slashes of color. I'm not sure what shook Russell's confidence, but I am hoping that he regains it by the finale. I think he's an extremely talented chef and runs his kitchen efficiently and creatively.

Michele, on the other hand, I'm still not too sure about. She definitely lacks the culinary knowledge necessary in a quality front-of-house manager and she's far too easily flustered by criticism. In other words: she means well and tries to please but she can't quite muster the ability to get the details right. At David Moore's restaurant, she couldn't recall the names of the cheeses, dropped the bread on a customer, and just seemed frantic and in over her head. The same applies to her role at The Cheerful Soul. Tasked this week with getting the details painfully right, she let all quality slip: plates went uncleared, bottles of water sat empty, wine glasses piled up... when they arrived at all. If these two are going to win, they have to get it together and pay attention to the small things as well as they do the big things.

James and Alasdair. I'm sure a lot of you are wondering just how these perpetual ne'er-do-wells have ended up in the final challenge... and you're not alone. Throughout this competition, these two have danced so perilously close to the edge of the precipice that it seemed a foregone conclusion several times that they'd be sent packing. And yet here we are, about to go into the last round, and they're still standing. Somehow. James is an exceptionally gifted chef; he's proven that over the last few weeks and erased from my memory his first painfully awkward performance with that awful mash in Week One. It's pretty impressive all the more when you realize that he's only 25 years old. His skills, however, are matched by his ego and his lack of communication with his partner, best friend Alasdair. Slated for their lack of conversation between them time and time again, they still haven't quite taken this lesson to heart. There needs to be clear lines of communication between the kitchen and the front-of-house and on that front they are falling way short.

Alasdair has come into his own a little more each week as a front-of-house manager, gaining some much needed confidence and attempting to oversee the dining room with more authority. Last night's episode showed him trying to train his young waitstaff about wine, which was a very good thing, but then he failed to introduce himself to Raymond's guests until halfway through their meal, a very bad thing.

The problem with these two overall is that they continually make the WRONG decision: instead of making takeaway meals, they try to sell overpriced sandwiches to regatta attendants; instead of making bread (or bringing it in), they make canapes, which was unnecessary for their new brasserie-style service; instead of offering people a taste of James' cooking at a demo, they think it's unnecessary; instead of prepping for a private dinner, James takes off to pick up more chairs, leaving everyone scrambling. The list goes on and on, really. Whenever they are faced with a problem, they pick the the least correct solution. If they are going to win, they'll have to (A) work as a team, (B) balance out each other's strengths and weaknesses, (C) communicate, and (D) think things through before reacting.

Who do you think will win this final challenge? Who will become partners with Raymond Blanc and achieve their dream of owning their own restaurant? And which team will go home empty-handed? Discuss.

Next week on the season finale of Last Restaurant Standing ("First Class Service"), the final two teams must create and serve lavish five-course meals to extremely discerning passengers aboard the Orient Express before Raymond Blanc announces with which team he'll be going into business.

Channel Surfing: NBC Dethrones "Kings" Until June, Team Darlton Talks "Lost," ABC Circles "Old Christine," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

NBC has pulled freshman drama Kings from its schedule, effective immediately. The drama was originally set to air on Thursday evenings but the Peacock shifted it to Sundays, where it aired four low-rated episodes before being pushed to the graveyard on Saturday nights. NBC has once again managed to surprise, this time by pulling Kings from its lineup altogether, although the network has pledged to return Kings to the schedule on June 13th, when it will begin to burn off the remainder of the series' unaired installments on Saturday nights at 8 pm. In the meantime, NBC will air repeats of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Southland, and Law & Order on Saturdays. (Hollywood Reporter)

Variety's Season Pass has a brand-new Q&A with Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse as they look back at the five seasons that have gone by and the final season yet to come. "I think our hope is that looking back on the entire run of the show, that people remember the EXPERIENCE of watching it — what it actually felt like to be mystified and frustrated and surprised — as opposed to just where it landed storywise," said Lindelof. "When all is said and done, we’ll have consumed six years of our fans’ lives and our greatest wish is that they look back on that time and feel that it was all worth it. As far as whether we’ll want to revisit Lost 20 years from now, the answer is probably no… though it would be pretty cool to see what someone else might come up with!" Team Darlton also talks about the death of Mr. Eko, an aborted Sawyer plotline with Joelen Blalock, and which works of literature have most directly influenced them. (Variety's Season Pass)

ABC is making eyes at Old Christine. The Alphabet has made it clear that they are looking to pickup comedy series Old Christine once again, should CBS opt not to renew the Warner Bros. Television-produced series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, who claims that unnamed sources close to production have told him that "WB execs are engaged in active discussions with ABC about picking up the four-year-old comedy, which once again finds itself on the dreaded bubble at CBS." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Meanwhile, ABC has pulled struggling comedies Samantha Who? and In the Motherhood from its schedule much sooner than anticipated. Both were slated to air one final episode this Thursday evening but ABC has opted instead to pull both series and instead and air a repeat of Grey's Anatomy in the 8 pm ET/PT hour. It's not expected that ABC will renew In the Motherhood, but Samantha Who? is said to have decent chances of returning next season. (Variety)

Lifetime will debut the long-delayed sixth season of reality competition series Project Runway on Thursday, August 20th at 10 pm ET/PT, followed by half-hour behind-the-scenes spin-off Models of the Runway at 11 pm. The network also announced launch dates for new scripted dramedy Drop Dead Diva on July 12th and the third season of Army Wives on June 7th. (Variety, Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The Washington Post talks to former Wire star Idris Elba--currently appearing in a multiple-episode story arc on NBC's The Office--about his career as an actor and DJ/musical artist, The Wire's Stringer Bell, working on The Office, and being a sex symbol. Of the latter, Elba said, "It's weird because, you know, I've been just the ordinary chap for 30 odd years and suddenly, I'm going into this [situation]: "Oh my God, all the ladies love you!" And I'm like, "Huh? Me? It doesn't make any sense!" I didn't grow up like some sort of sex symbol. It does make a gentleman walk with a stride in his step, believe me." (Washington Post)

ABC's Ugly Betty has locked The View hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar for guest roles on the May 21st episode, in which Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) appears on The View to "discuss his management of Mode magazine (because that always happens), but instead becomes the target of their daily 'Hot Topics' segment." (The episode will also, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, feature Rachel Dratch in a guest role as a Mode staffer.) (TVGuide.com)

Elsewhere, Embeth Davidtz (In Treatment) has been cast in a ten-episode story arc on Season Three of Showtime's Californication, where she will play the wife of Peter Gallagher's character, the dean at the college where David Duchovny works. And Alicia Witt (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will also guest star on Californication as a gyneocologist whom Duchovny's Hank falls for, while Michael Weston (House) will guest star on an upcoming episode of USA's Burn Notice, where he will play a mentally unbalanced MIT grad who uncovers a scheme to sell the names of undercover spies. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Food Network has ordered three new primetime series, including Chefs vs. City, in which chefs Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez face off against local foodies in various cities each week, which launches in July; Extreme Cuisine With Jeff Corwin, which launches in September, and Worst Cooks in America, which follows chefs Anne Burrell and Beau MacMillan as each train six woeful home cooks and attempt to transform them into top chefs in ten days' time. The latter is slated to launch in January 2010. Also on tap for next year: mini-series Foods That Changed the World, hosted by Alton Brown, which will debut in third quarter 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

FTVS has signed a first look deal with Initial A's Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Andrew Loo and Zinc Media's Zach Sherman in an effort to jointly develop new English-language programming for FTVS that could be produced in Southeast Asia and then sold back into the US and globally, much like the studio is doing with such drama series as Mental, Persons Unknown, and Defying Gravity. (Variety)

A federal judge has denied disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's request to travel to Costa Rica in order to participate in NBC's upcoming reality series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, refusing to loosen Blagojevich's travel restrictions. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.