(Bow) Tie One On: First Look at Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in "Doctor Who"

Production began today in Cardiff on the fifth season of British sci-fi series Doctor Who, which sees the mantle of the Doctor taken over by Matt Smith (Party Animals) and the role of lead writer/executive producer taken over by Steven Moffat, who previously wrote such celebrated Who installments as "Blink" and "The Empty Child," among others.

The Eleventh Doctor will be joined on his adventures through time and space by companion Amy Pond, played by newcomer Karen Gillan, whom he'll meet in the first episode of Season Five.

"I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show," said Smith. "The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen, Steven and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable. I'm excited about the future and all the brilliant adventures I get to go on as the Doctor."

Moffat, meanwhile, was terrifically excited about stepping into the role of lead writer, something that he had dreamed about for the last forty years.

"And here it is, the big moment – the new Doctor, and his new best friend," said Moffat. "And here's me, with the job I wanted since I was seven – 40 years to here! If I could go back in time and tell that little boy that one day all this would happen, he'd scream, call for his mum and I'd be talking to you now from a prison cell in 1969. So probably best not then. Matt and Karen are going to be incredible, and Doctor Who is going to come alive on Saturday nights in a whole new way – and, best of all, somewhere out there a seven-year-old is going to see them, fall in love and start making a 40-year plan..."

Smith's look as the Doctor seems to be drastically different from David Tennant's. Gone are the pinstripe suits, chunky glasses, and the Chuck Taylor Converse shoes. In their place, Smith has a nattier look: a maroon bow-tie, a brown tweedy jacket, and combat boots. Not much is known, meanwhile, about Gillan's Amy Pond (love the name, BTW) but she appears to be a little modern and wild with her look: high-top trainers, tights, and almost 1960s hair.

A larger photo of Smith and Gillan in costume, and the full press release from the BBC announcing the start of production, can be found below.



A new Doctor, a new companion, a new era
Production started today on the new series of Doctor Who, in which BBC One viewers will meet the 11th Doctor and his companion for the very first time.

The latest incarnation of the iconic character is played by Matt Smith (Party Animals).

Upon arriving on set in Cardiff, for his first day of filming, Smith commented: "I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show.

"The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen, Steven and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable.

"I'm excited about the future and all the brilliant adventures I get to go on as the Doctor."

Accompanying The Doctor on his further adventures in time is a new companion Amy Pond, played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan (The Kevin Bishop Show), who will first meet The Doctor in episode one of the new series.

New show-runner and long-running Doctor Who fan Steven Moffat has developed this series and, as Lead Writer and Executive Producer, will be responsible for the overall creative direction of the show, as well as plot and character arcs.

Moffat's previous episodes of Doctor Who, including the Bafta-winning episode Blink, have garnered widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike.

He commented: "And here it is, the big moment – the new Doctor, and his new best friend.

"And here's me, with the job I wanted since I was seven – 40 years to here! If I could go back in time and tell that little boy that one day all this would happen, he'd scream, call for his mum and I'd be talking to you now from a prison cell in 1969. So probably best not then.

"Matt and Karen are going to be incredible, and Doctor Who is going to come alive on Saturday nights in a whole new way – and, best of all, somewhere out there a seven-year-old is going to see them, fall in love and start making a 40-year plan..."

Piers Wenger, Executive Producer and Head of Drama, BBC Wales, added: "The scripts for the new series are every bit as funny, thrilling, scary and imaginative as you'd expect from the man who brought us The Empty Child and Blink.

"There's a strange and perfect alchemy between Steven and Matt Smith and the next few months are going to be riveting as that relationship starts to emerge on screen.

"Steven always says he's been waiting to do this job since he was seven. But it's actually the Doctor who has been waiting for him."

The new series follows three Doctor Who specials starring David Tennant which will transmit later this year.

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, says: "I am thrilled that a whole new generation of children will forever say that their Doctor was the wonderful Matt Smith."

The series was co-commissioned by Ben Stephenson and Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, and will be produced by Tracie Simpson (Doctor Who) and Peter Bennett (Torchwood).

Steven Moffat is Lead Writer and Executive Producer (Jekyll) with Piers Wenger and Beth Willis (Ashes To Ashes) also Executive Producing.

Filming is taking place in Cardiff until March 2010. Thirteen x 45-minute drama produced by BBC Wales for BBC One.

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

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

Link Tank: TV Blog Coalition Roundup for July 17-19

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 offered an advance review of the five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth, airing every night on BBC America this coming week, and had an exclusive interview with Torchwood executive producer Julie Garner.

I also offered reactions to the Primetime Emmy nominations, reviewed the first three episodes of BBC America's supernatural drama Being Human, discussed the latest episodes of HBO's True Blood and Bravo's Top Chef Masters, and reviewed Mad Men: Season Two on DVD, TNT's new cop drama Dark Blue.

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

• The TV Addict offers up his take on the 2009 Emmy Nods: The Good, The Bad and the Who Does BSG Have to Frak to Get Some Emmy Recognition! {The TV Addict)
• During the summer doldrums, Sara has been catching up on Rescue Me. It's a great show, but there's one character who drives her nuts! (TiFaux)
• Kate wondered which season of The Bachelor was the most boring. (TV Filter)
• Matt is 29 years old and a male. But he's seen the first episode of The Vampire Diaries and is a major fans. (TV Fanatic)
• Buzz took a break from all the Emmy mania to check out the models who will appear on the Project Runway companion series, Models of the Runway. (BuzzSugar)
• How much does Buster Bluth want you to watch his webseries CTRL, Scooter has a video of how much and why you should do what Buster says. (Scooter McGavin's 9th Green)
• It's not TV related but Vance LOVED the movie (500) Days of Summer. Boy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt sure has grown up since 3rd Rock From The Sun. (Tapeworthy)

Take a Bite: Sneak Peek at This Sunday's Episode of "True Blood"

Looking to sneak a little bite at Sunday night's episode of True Blood ("Never Let Me Go")?

You're in luck as I've got two blood-stained clips below from "Never Let Me Go" to tide you over until the main course on Sunday evening.

Here's the official description for the episode from HBO:

"In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric (Allan Hyde), attended by his lieutenants, Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah (Anna Camp). Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotteʼs, softening Tara up towards her new “family.” Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery – or get her killed."

Pour yourself a nice icy Tru Blood and check out the sneak peek clips below.

True Blood: "Never Let Me Go" Sneak Peek #1



True Blood: "Never Let Me Go" Sneak Peek #2



True Blood airs Sunday night at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Eternal Twilight: An Advance Review of BBC America's "Being Human"

It's easy to sympathize with the characters in BBC America's newest drama series Being Human. Each of them in their own way wants to fit in, to embrace society's definition of normal, and live a life that's bounded by the same pleasures and principles that you or I do.

But there's a catch.

The three lead characters in Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse (Torchwood, Doctor Who), are actually a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost. Which makes their quest to understand their own fragile hold on humanity and fit in with mainstream society all the more fraught with peril.

On its simplest level, Being Human is about the relationship between three very different twenty-something roommates: there's polyglot hospital porter George (Russell Tovey) who transforms into a savage werewolf when the moon is full, hospital cleaner Mitchell (Aidan Turner) whose vampiric tendencies leave him hungering for blood even as he attempts to peacefully co-exist with humans, and ghostly Annie (Lenora Crichlow), a woman who died in the home that George and Mitchell now inhabit and who clings desperately to the life she lost.

But there's an unexpected depth, humor, and charm to Being Human as each of our characters stumbles towards adulthood in their own way. Despite being turned during World War I, Mitchell remains trapped in a state of arrested development, a devilish womanizer who wants so desperately to fit in somewhere but is hellbent on denying his allegiance to his vampiric brethren or falling in line with the demands of their leader in Bristol, Herrick (Jason Watkins). George might transform into a beast once a month but he's a nervous, squeaking git every time he gets around a woman and, despite his vast intelligence, works as a hospital porter, content to remain invisble, on the periphery because of his curse. And poor ghostly Annie is so desperate to experience the physicality of life that she makes an endless supply of tea and hot chocolate despite not being able drink it herself.

In the UK, Being Human launched with a pilot episode in 2008 that featured a different cast (other than Russell Tovey) and which filled in some of the blanks in the character's backstories. While it's not essential viewing for those of you in the States coming to the series fresh, I do wish that BBC America had run the pilot episode before launching the series as it does clarify certain plot points in the first episode.

In the pilot, for example, we see George and Mitchell move into Annie's home and duo meet their ghostly roommate for the first time. Likewise, the usage of the disused hospital basement room which George uses for his transformations is introduced as is the fact that Annie can materialize outside of the house and appear to "normal" people. Mitchell also turns his co-worker Lauren (played by Annabel Scholey in the series) into a vampire after sleeping with her, an important plot point that sets up their antagonistic relationship in the series.

Which isn't to say that you can't just dive into Being Human's first episode and enjoy it, because you can. The premiere episodes does a great job at summing up the events of the pilot in a nice shorthand but there are some key facts that are missing. However, this shouldn't diminish your appreciation of what promises to be an intriguing and compelling exploration of humanity that blends together the angst of This Life with the supernatural goings-on of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Subsequent episodes (I had the opportunity to screen the first three episodes of Season One in advance) further explore the tenuous hold each of our three leads has on their own humanity and in their own self-identification. Just how do these three supernatural beings see themselves and their world? Should they be hiding in the dark or are they meant to walk out into the light?

The second episode explores George's relationship with his lycanthropic nature when he meets another of his kind who teaches him how to deal with his secret and embrace the beast within. Yet, said visitor is hiding a dark secret that could change how George handles his double nature. The third episode focuses on Annie, the truth behind her death, and her relationship with a Smiths-loving 1980s ghost named Gilbert (Alex Price).

Yet lurking beneath these self-contained episodic plots lies Mitchell's story and the promise of a coming war between the vampires and the humans. Just based on the first three installments, I'm not sure yet where this is going but it's safe to say that the clouds are gathering on the horizon and the battle lines are being drawn, even if the humans are painfully unaware of what's to come.

My only complaint about Being Human is that I do wish that some of the storylines--particularly Annie's in Episode Three--had been stretched out a bit more. Part of that is due to the strength of Alex Price's winning performance as Gilbert, who I wished had stuck around in the series for longer than a single episode. Longer, more serialized storylines would have provided a stronger hook to the following installment, but that's a minor quibble for a series that's as enjoyable and unique as Being Human.

All in all, Being Human is a fun and cheeky look at the things that go bump in the night, their innate humanity, and the universal need to belong to something bigger than ourselves. They might bite, turn to wolves, and walk through walls, but the characters we meet within these innovative series are just as human as we are, foibles and all.

Being Human - First Seven Minutes



Being Human - "This Is What I Am"



Being Human - Mitchell's Prequel (Web Exclusive)



Being Human - Annie's Prequel (Web Exclusive)



Being Human - George's Prequel (Web Exclusive)



Being Human premieres Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: NBC Targets "Persons Unknown," Team Darlton "Shocked" By Nomination, Davies Has Ideas for Fourth Season of "Torchwood," and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

NBC has acquired Fox Television Studio's international co-production Persons Unknown, written and executive produced by Chris McQuarrie (Valkyrie). Series, which stars Jason Wiles (Zodiac), Chadwick Boseman (Lincoln Heights), Daisy Betts (Out of the Blue), Tina Holmes (Six Feet Under), and Alan Ruck (Drive), revolves around a group of strangers who are seemingly kidnapped and taken to a deserted ghost town from which they cannot leave and where they are watched by omnipresent security cameras. McQuarrie is executive producing with Remi Aubuchon and Heather McQuarrie. No US launch date was announced for Persons Unknown, which has already produced thirteen installments with Italy's RAI and Mexico's Televisa. (Variety)

Lost's Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were surprised by the ABC drama series getting an outstanding drama series Emmy nod yesterday following this past season's heavily serialized time-travel story. "We are very happy, and we are kind of shocked," Cuse told TVGuide.com. "Doing the time travel-heavy genre, we did not have any expectations that we would get nominated." Especially considering that their fellow nominees in the category hail mostly from cable. "The idea that we made it into the mix with the limitations of broadcast is pretty exciting to us," said Lindelof. "Dexter, Big Love, Breaking Bad," added Cuse, "Those are shows we think are really well done." (TVGuide.com)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks with Torchwood: Children of Earth writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies about the groundbreaking five-episode event run (airing next week in the US). Of the possibility for a fourth season, Davies said, "I've got vague ideas. I know where to start. I know where the lead characters are. [...] But then, when the call comes, I shall be there. When Torchwood calls, you jump. Whether it is this format, whether they want a new format, whether they want the old format [I don't know]. I'll take on anything and make it work." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

John Goodman will star in FOX comedy pilot The Station, about a group of subpar CIA agents at a secret South American outpost where their mission is to install a new dictator. Goodman will play Ted Gannon, the head of the CIA's Altamara Station. Already on board the 20th Century Fox Television and Red Hour production: Justin Bartha, Whitney Cummings, Rob Huebel, and Julio Oscar Mechoso. David Wain (Role Models) has been attached to direct the pilot. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello congratulates How I Met Your Mother executive producer Craig Thomas about the comedy series' Emmy nomination yesterday and gets some scoop about Season Five of Mother. "For a long time the mother was in this big vast ocean of New York City; she could be anyone," said Thomas. "And we ended the season with Ted teaching at Columbia University -- literally in the same room as the mother. So that has added a great suspense element in the writing. We've gotten some great material out of that, including a whole story that plays almost like a horror movie. Suspenseful ominous music is playing and at any point Ted can round a corner and run into the mother. It's been a really nice engine for writing the season so far." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Jennifer Goodwin caught up with 30 Rock star Jack McBrayer, who landed a first-time nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series and said that Tina Fey and the 30 Rock writers place their emphasis on the characters' dynamics, which for McBrayer's Kenneth is his relationship with Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy. "I could not be more honored to work with him," said McBrayer of Baldwin. "I swear to God. [Laughs.] First season we were all scared to death of him. But the second season, he was a little more relaxed, therefore we were more relaxed. This season was a breeze; I'm so looking forward to season four. He's so generous. He hosted Saturday Night Live back in February, and he had this idea to bring me up during his opening monologue. My parents were in town, and it was just a perfect storm of 'I can't believe this is my life right now.'" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Sarah Carter (Shark) has landed a series regular role on CBS' CSI: NY, where she will play "a new clean-up tech who aspires to someday work in the crime lab. We'll find out later in the season that she's hiding a secret." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files,

John de Mol's Talpa Productions is said to be close to a deal to acquire reality shingle Bunim/Murray Prods., in deal said to be worth approximately $50-70 million. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Life in Miniature: Three Courses, a Hundred Guests, Controlled Chaos on "Top Chef Masters"

All eyes might be on the Primetime Emmy Award nominations that were released in the wee hours of the morning today (including one for Top Chef) but that doesn't mean I've forgotten about last night's episode of Top Chef Masters ("Miniaturize Me").

On this week's installment, the four newest master chefs--Michael Chiarello, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, Nils Noren, and Rick Moonen--faced off in one of the toughest challenges displayed on the culinary series to date: preparing a three course meal for one hundred foodie guests at a cocktail party.

But before that Herculean task, there was the Quickfire Challenge, which this week offered a flashback to Season One of Top Chef and featured guest judges Jeff Lewis, Jenni Pulos, and Ryan Brown of Bravo's Flipping Out. But no Zoila? What's up with that?

So how did this week's batch of master chefs perform under pressure in the kitchen? Let's discuss.

Quickfire Challenge: the masters this week had to recreate junk food into a fine dining experience. Personally, I love challenges like this because they really test the chefs and keep them on their toes; forcing them to reinvent junk food and elevate to a new form is a perfect way of testing their adaptability, imagination, and execution. Forcing master chefs to do this only increases the risk and the possible results.

Michael Chiarello chose fish sticks and offered up a winning dish of swordfish meatballs with fisherman's sauce and a Calabrian chili mayonnaise. I'm not a fan of swordfish but that looked incredible. Elegant but simple and an innovative reinterpretation of fish sticks. Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson was super-ambitious and created a tomato prosciutto stufado with pork kielbasa sausage but said sausage didn't look entirely cooked through, leaving guest judges Jeff Lewis, Jenni Pulos, and Ryan Brown more than a little miffed about the prospect of eating semi-cooked sausage.

Nils Noren picked fried shrimp and created a gorgeous and elegant dish of poached shrimp with pickled tomatoes, creamed corn, croutons, and lobster stock reduction. Not quite fried, which was a complaint of the guest judges but I give him credit for really elevating this to the next level and producing a dish that belonged in a fine dining establishment but had a link to that seaside treat.

Rick Moonen chose a corn dog and opted to make a deep-fried seafood hotdog... but didn't budget his time well at all and managed not to plate any of his dishes. Sad. I felt quite bad for Moonen, as it put him at a severe disadvantage going into the Elimination Challenge.

This week's Elimination Challenge was, I really think, the toughest one that they've given any of the chefs to handle on their own. Preparing a three-course meal of hors d'oeuvres on your own is a snap and should be for these chefs. Preparing a three-course meal for one hundred diners and plating 300 individual dishes? Not quite so easy, especially as these guys are used to have many, many hands helping them in the kitchen and assisting with prep, plating, and all the little details that go into producing fine dining.

The results of their efforts were somewhat mixed, with some dishes soaring and others crashing and burning. Mackinnon-Patterson offered a fritta esotica, fried pineapple wrapped in speck and deep fried. Interesting concept--rather like a Hawaiian pizza on a toothpick--but the judges did not take to this dish at all, citing the fact that the deep fat frying reduced the pineapple to little more than mush, eliminating both its inherent sweetness and its consistency. Next up was his main course of grilled beef short ribs with fresh horseradish and romaine hearts with anchovy-parmesan vinaigrette. Some issues with the seasoning on the short ribs but the dish was well executed and Gael Greene said he should have chucked out the fritta esotica and served up the romaine hearts as a starter instead. I was concerned about Mackinnon-Patterson's dessert: a strawberry frangipane with a yogurt semi-freddo and white chocolate dust. I get that pears aren't in season but I'm not sure I would have paired strawberries with frangipane and then there was the odd comment made by James Oseland that the strawberries themselves had a strange meat-like flavor. Ick.

For Chiarello, his first course was a shaved Brussels sprouts and asparagus salad with a whole citrus vinaigrette and Marcona almonds that I wanted to reach through the television to taste. I love Brussels sprouts and I thought shaving the sprouts and the asparagus was such an interesting technique and would have resulted in such a fantastic textural element. (Tom Colicchio's Craftbar here in LA does Brussels sprout "chips" that are crisp and salted leaves of goodness.) Next up: his "pissed off" prawns with arborio rice flower, chili, and garlic oil. Main complaint: too oily though the prawns were cooked perfectly. For dessert, Chiarello artfully constructed a dish layering balsamic-marinated strawberries with basil and goat milk gelato and chocolate creme fraiche. Creative, gorgeous, and risky as all hell. But it paid off magically.

Moonen's first dish was an opakapaka and barramundi ceviche with yuzu vinaigrette, avocado, and grapefruit that wowed diners and judges alike. His main course was a brandade of scallop and shrimp with a fennel and frisee salad with truffle vinaigrette; it eliminated the judges' memory that he scored zero stars in the Quickfire. (Well done, Rick.) For dessert, a preserved lemon panna cotta with candied ginger, gingersnaps, macadamia, toasted coconut, and pineapple... for which Moonen made one hundred individual servings by hand. When the judges said they were impressed, they meant it. It was madness but showed Moonen's grit and determination.

Noren served up a starter of diced scallop atop a smoked potato cream, with pressure-cooked apple, curry oil, mustard seeds, and chives. It looked absolutely gorgeous and was hands-down the most elegant and forward-thinking dish of the evening; perfect presentation for a cocktail party and just a symphony of textures and flavors. His next course was a slow-cooked salmon atop a marinated Napa cabbage, with chorizo, broccoli puree, fennel, and Madeira reduction sauce. Stunning and inventive (he seemed to create a new cooking technique on the fly for the salmon) and extremely memorable. For dessert, Noren offered a chocolate and goat cheese ganache with smoked lapsang souchong whipped cream and a Cara Cara orange gel.

Ultimately, there could be only one winner here and I can't say that I was surprised that the judges and the dinner awarded the most stars to Chiarello. He really managed to pull off the winning combination of presentation, vision, and flavor. I'm thrilled he's moving on to the champion round and very curious to see how he competes against the already impressive assembly of master chefs. Only one more round of prelims before the champions take the stage!

What did you think of this week's episode and the chefs' performances? Would you have awarded Chiarello the top spot? Which dishes looked the best and the worst to you? Discuss.

Next week on Top Chef Masters ("Trick In A Box"), the four new master chefs--Art Smith, Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi, and Michael Cimarusti--are tasked with showing off their skills in a grocery store; later, they're presented with a mystery box holding the ingredients for the Elimination Challenge.

Preview: Aisle Shopping



Preview: Mystery Box



Preview: Mystery Boxes Revealed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two words: Tina Fey. Need I say more?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talk Back: TNT's "Dark Blue"

You had the chance to read my advance review of TNT's Dark Blue yesterday, but now that the first episode has aired, I'm curious to hear what you thought about the series.

Did you dig the dark blue palette and almost oppressive visual darkness of the series? Were you intrigued by Dylan McDermott's maverick undercover cop Carter Shaw? Or did you think he was upstaged by Logan Marshall-Green's surprisingly magnetic performance as Dean Bendis? Did you buy into the gritty world of undercover cops in the City of Angels? Or did you think it was a never-ending slew of cliche after cliche?

And, most importantly, would you tune in again next week to watch another episode?

Talk back here.

Next week on Dark Blue ("Guns, Strippers and Wives"), Ty tracks down a gun trafficker and nearly blows his cover by seeing his wife on her birthday; Carter has difficulty raising $100,000 to save himself and Ty.

Channel Surfing: NBC Silences "The Listener," "Top Chef: Las Vegas" Premiere Moved Up, More on Acevedo's Cut from "Fringe", and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I'm still recovering from a very late night involving French cuisine, wine and port, a 1 am viewing of last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, and an early rise for the Emmy nominations. Fortunately, just a few headlines to get through this morning....

NBC confirmed that it will end the run of Canadian drama series The Listener on Thursday, July 23rd and replace the series with repeats of Law & Order beginning July 30th. The remaining five unaired episodes of The Listener will be streamed over NBC.com. (Futon Critic)

Bravo has announced that it has moved the premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas forward a week. The season premiere will now air August 19th at 9 pm ET/PT followed by the season finale of Top Chef Masters. (Twitter)

More on the reasons behind Kirk Acevedo's departure from FOX's Fringe, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Storyline dictated," wrote Ausiello. "Charlie wasn't going to have much to do this season, and rather than waste Kirk's time, they cut him loose. But as I teased last week, we haven't seen the last of him." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC announced that, after shifting Parenthood back to midseason (due to actress Maura Tierney's medical condition), the Peacock will now launch medical drama Mercy on Wednesday, September 23rd at 8 pm ET/PT. Parenthood will now launch at a later date. (via press release)

Fox Television Studios has signed a first-look deal with Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, a comedy production/management shingle that reps the likes of Jenna Ficher, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and writers on several comedies including Ugly Betty, The Cleveland Show, and Cougar Town. Deal will likely focus on low-cost animated comedies. "We're starting to feel that there are opportunities both in cable and in the international market for comedy," said Fox TV Studios EVP David Madden. "We decided we wanted to figure out a way to get into edgier, less broadcast-oriented comedy. Something more adventurous. That's when Marc [Provissiero] and Naomi [Odenkirk] approached us." (Variety)

Peter Bowker (Blackpool, Occupation) will write a one-off 90-minute biopic about the lives of comedic duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise for BBC One. Bowker told Broadcast that Morecambe and Wise were "true British legends." "The comedy style at the time was very much about making gags to the audience, but Morecambe and Wise realised quite early on that they could be funny by talking to each other as well," said Bowker. "I’ve written quite a lot of extremely dark scripts lately so it was incredibly refreshing to be writing some comedy for a change." (Broadcast)

TLC has ordered eight episodes of reality competition series Ultimate Cake Off, in which three cake artists will create cakes head-to-head with a winner named in each installment. Series will debut on August 3rd with its premiere installment and then return on August 31st. (Variety)

RDF USA EVP of development and current Greg Goldberg has left the company in order to set up Blackbird Television and become an independent producer, signing a one-year first-look deal with RDF USA. (Hollywood Reporter)

Cox Communications might be looking to sell cabler Travel Channel, despite only acquiring the network two years ago, according to reports. "We have received unsolicited inquiries regarding Travel Channel Media," said Cox in a statement. "Our advisers will help us to better understand our options." (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

The Heavens Themselves Blaze Forth: Televisionary Talks with "Torchwood" Executive Producer Julie Gardner

Throughout her storied career and tenure at BBC Wales, executive producer Julie Gardner has had her hand in the development of several of the United Kingdom's most hallowed drama series, from Doctor Who and Torchwood to Life on Mars.

Recently relocated to Los Angeles to take up a position at BBC Worldwide Productions, where she was reunited with BBC drama commissioner Jane Tranter, Gardner is about to bring her own inimitable style and story sense across the pond.

I caught up with Gardner yesterday to talk about Torchwood: Children of Earth, which airs next week on BBC America (you can read my advance review here), Doctor Who's Matt Smith, and her new scripted development position here in LA.

(FYI, Part One of our Q&A contains minor spoilers for Children of Earth; Part Two will follow after Torchwood: Children of Earth finishes its run on BBC America.)

Televisionary: Given the strength of the ratings in the UK last week during Torchwood: Children of Earth's run it definitely seems like a bona fide hit. Can you tell us what the thinking was behind the decision to structure this season as a five-episode story arc rather than a traditional thirteen and then strip them across five nights?

Julie Gardner: The thinking was an editorial one. We have started our life in the UK on BBC Three, the second series then moved to BBC Two, and at the end of that one we knew we were going to have the chance to move to BBC One. The discussion between Russell, myself, and the then drama commissioner Jane Tranter was really about how to create an event out of Torchwood by moving to BBC One and how to really look at how to bring in a new audience while hopefully rewarding the audience that we had had on the previous two years.

Alongside all of those conversations, Russell had always wanted to do a big serial arc story and so rather than doing the balance of stories of the week with a tiny serial arc, he was quite interested in one big storyline. At the BBC, they had transmitted--or were about to transmit--Criminal Justice across a week and a previous title, Five Days, had also had a similar kind of event slot. It felt like a very good fit to take a week out of the schedule and attempt to tell a really big political thriller, if you like, with sci-fi content.

Televisionary: Does the success of this scheduling strategy make you more inclined toward taking risks with future nontraditional formats?

Gardner: Yes, I think the joy and exciting thing about Torchwood is in some respects it's a show that year on year changes its shape because we've moved across three channels across three years, because we've experimented with how dark we are, how mainstream we are, how much story arc versus how much story of the week, I think it's a title that, by its history, can change itself. And I think that makes it very exciting and very fresh.

Televisionary: You used the work "experiment" and one of the things that I found remarkable about Torchwood: Children of Earth is that it manages to conflate several genres--sci-fi, political thriller, social drama--into one series. How would you describe Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole and what specific issues did you and Russell set out to capture with the storyline?

Gardner: Ah, it's hard to boil it down into one thing but I think maybe the topline headline I would offer is that it's a first contact story told in a very real way. So it's not a first contact story told in an action-adventure, straightforward way. It's an examination of what are the potential real consequences of this if that first contact is also a threat. I think for Russell, it's also looking at a world where we are always watching the news and seeing terrible things that happen and looking at, well, what could take the world to that point.

I think, for me personally, what I love about Children of Earth is how we look at the characters, all with families of their own. I think that's quite a departure from previous years. So we're looking at Ianto with his sister and his nephews and nieces; we're looking at Gwen, pregnant; we're looking at Captain Jack and his family situation. And in a five-part serial that has children at risk and a threat transmitting through children, it becomes a mix of very big global stakes with a very personal flavor and consequence.

Televisionary: Children of Earth features an incredible array of supporting cast members. How did you assemble such an amazing cast?

Gardner: They were fantastic, weren't they? It's two things, really. It's a tribute to the quality of the writing because people were reading script and really wanted to do them. It's also our great casting director, Andy Pryor. Andy works across Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. He's worked with me on so many titles and he is extraordinary at his job. So I think it was a combination of a really good casting director and script and a director, Euros Lyn, who's absolutely fantastic with actors.

Televisionary: Were you at all surprised by how charismatic and magnetic newcomer Cush Jumbo, who plays Lois Habiba, was in Children of Earth?

Gardner: No, she's gorgeous, isn't she? I'm not surprised, I'm jealous.

Televisionary: Given that you're now over here in Los Angeles with BBC Worldwide Productions--

Gardner: Hurray!

Televisionary: We're very happy to have you over here in LA.

Gardner: Thank you very much. The weather is considerably better. (Laughs)

Televisionary: I'm wondering, how likely is it that Torchwood will continue after the five-part transmission of Children of Earth?

Gardner: Um, we're having conversations now. We don't have any firm decision. We don't quite know what we're going to do next. But we're thinking about what could be the next editorial offering, so all I can say at this moment is: hold this space.

Televisionary: Doctor Who is itself undergoing some transformations of its own this year. Two words: Matt Smith.

Gardner: Hurray! (Laughs) Matt is marvelous, absolutely marvelous. I can take no credit for his casting. As you well know, I finish on Doctor Who at the end of David Tennant's years and at the end of Russell's. I know Matt's work from the UK and I think he's an exceptional actor.

I think from Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant and now Matt Smith, the thing in common is that they are three great, versatile, talented actors so I am very excited to see what he brings to the role.

Televisionary: Speaking of which, you recently relocated to work for BBC Worldwide America here in LA. What does your new position entail and what does it mean for sci-fi programming?

Gardner: I'm working for BBC Worldwide Productions, which is the commercial arm of the BBC. It's the division that has made Dancing with the Stars, so it has had some success in reality formats. I'm here to look at scripted and I'm here to look at new ideas for American networks and cable companies and to also look at reformats of UK titles. It's a privilege to be here, it's a really exciting time for me. I love American TV.

What it means for sci-fi, I don't know yet. I'm five weeks in and the thing I'm concentrating most on is the word "merge" on the freeway.

Come back next week after Torchwood: Children of Earth concludes its run on BBC America to find out what else Gardner had to say about Torchwood: Children of Earth in a spoiler-laden Q&A in which she discusses the end of the five-episode event and specific plot points along the way.

Torchwood: Children of Earth launches Monday, July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Undercover and Over the Top: A Brief Review of TNT's "Dark Blue"

I was going to write an entire review for TNT's new undercover cop drama Dark Blue, which launches tonight at 10 pm ET/PT, but I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for what manages to be an oppressively dreary and hopelessly formulaic take on undercover cops operating in the seediest of seedy underbellies in Los Angeles.

Created by Doug Jung (Big Love), directed by Danny Cannon (CSI), and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Dark Blue stars Dylan McDermott (Big Shots), Omari Hardwick (Saved), Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler), and Nicki Aycox (Supernatural) as members of a special undercover police task force committed to ridding Los Angeles of violent criminal scum.

McDermott is the team's haunted linchpin Carter Shaw, a relentlessly determined cop who is prone to wearing aviator sunglasses and making pronouncements like, "This better be good; I haven’t seen 7 a.m. since 1992," just to show how doggedly put off he is by his bumbling supervisors who can't manage to rein in Shaw's maverick methods, even when they may have led to an undercover cop turning to the dark side.

And what a dark side it is. I had to wait until nightfall to watch the series as each and every scene seems to be overflowing with darkness as the cinematographer seems to have fallen in love with the sepulchral blue tones of bruises and oxidized blood. Which might be fitting, given the grittiness of the Dark Blue's plot but it doesn't make for very interesting viewing when every scene looks exactly the same as the one before.

The one interesting element of Dark Blue is what a wild card actor Logan Marshall-Green has become. As deep undercover officer Dean Bendis, Marshall-Green is virtually unrecognizable and he gives the underwhelming and cliched pilot episode its few moments of frisson as we see a cop treading that thin line between being undercover and actually crossing over to criminality. His on-screen presence adds a much needed energy to the proceedings and he quickly outshines McDermott, who seems lusterless and tired here.

All in all, Dark Blue covers some of the same gritty territory as A&E's short-lived undercover cop series The Beast, which starred Patrick Swayze. For a network that promises that they know drama, TNT certainly didn't bring their A-game here with Dark Blue and one can only hope that their next drama series effort results in something more original and less derivative.



Dark Blue airs tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on TNT.

Channel Surfing: Zuniga Returns to "Melrose Place," Pileggi and Plimpton on Call for "Grey's," Eliza Coupe "Scrubs" In as Regular, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Daphne Zuniga (One Tree Hill) will reprise her role as photographer Jo Reynolds in the CW's relaunch of soap Melrose Place in at least two episodes. Zuniga will join several other cast members from the original Melrose Place on the CW series this fall, including Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett, and Laura Leighton. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Martha Plimpton (ER) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc next season on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play the mother of a young patient at Seattle Grace. Her first appearance is set for the sixth season premiere, slated to air September 24th. In other Grey's casting news, Mitch Pileggi (Stargate: Atlantis) will reprise his role as Larry Jennings, the chairman of Seattle Grace's board of directors, in the sixth season premiere. (Hollywood Reporter, TVGuide.com)

Eliza Coupe has been upgraded to series regular on Scrubs next season, which sees the series reboot after the departure of several regulars from the cast. Coupe will reprise her role as hyper-insensitive intern Denise on the ABC Studios-produced series, alongside returning regulars Donald Faison and John C. McGinley. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has handed out a script order with a sizable penalty to family comedy Nathan vs. Nature, about a heart surgeon who tracks down his birth parents and discovers that, after giving him up for adoption, the couple had three more children that they kept and forms a bond with his newly discovered slacker siblings. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is written and executive produced by David Guarascio and Moses Port (Just Shoot Me). (Variety)

FX has ordered semi-improvised half-hour comedy pilot The League, about a married man debating fatherhood and his fellow members of a fantasy football league in suburban Chicago, from Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer Jeff Schaffer and wife Jackie Marcus Schaffer. Project stars Mark Duplass (Humpday), Nick Kroll (I Love You Man), Steve Rannazzisi (Paul Blart: Mall Cop),Katie Aselton (The Puffy Chair), Nadine Velazquez (My Name is Earl), Paul Scheer (Human Giant), Jon Lajoie, and Alina Foley. Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) will guest star. (Hollywood Reporter, Variety)

TBS has ordered ten episodes of new comedy series Are We There Yet?, based on the 2005 feature film of the same name about a single man who starts dating a woman with two kids. Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) will star. Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris) will write and executive produce the series, which has an option for ninety additional episodes. Series, from Debmar-Mercury and Cube Vision and executive producers Joe Roth, Ice Cube, and Matt Alvarez, is expected to debut in June 2010. (Variety)

Keegan Michael Key (MADtv) has been cast as a series regular for the second season of CBS' comedy Gary Unmarried, where he will play Clean, a high school friend of Gary (Jay Mohr) whose minor-league baseball career was cut short by a knee injury. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Studios has signed a first-look deal with Jennifer Garner's Vandalia Films, which intends to develop female-driven projects for the studio. Shingle is run by Garner and Juliana Janes and the company has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. for features. (Variety)

Despite the recent death of Billy Mays, Discovery Channel has ordered a second season of unscripted series Pitchmen. The cabler is said to be developing the format of the second season with Anthony Sullivan, Billy Mays III, and Thom Beers of Original Productions. No air date was announced. (via press release)

Disney Channel has found its lead for its newest comedy: 16-year-old Bridgit Mendler (Jonas), who will play the lead in Good Luck Charlie, about a girl and her brother Casey (Jason Dolley) who must care for their baby sister Charlie after their parents both go back to work full-time. Series is expected to launch early next year. (Hollywood Reporter)

Russell Brand will host MTV's 2009 Video Music Awards for MTV, following his hosting duties last year at the VMAs. (Broadcasting & Cable)

In other awards news, Kathy Griffin will host the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 12th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Hard Choices and Tipping Points: An Advance Review of BBC America's "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

When Torchwood started out, it was a darker and more adult version of the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who geared towards the post-watershed hour. It was violent, sexy, and provocative.

Two seasons later, Torchwood has established itself in its own right and made an indelible impression on its devoted audience, who gravitate towards its morally compromised characters, bleak storylines, and the lack of happy endings. Season Two ended with the death of two of the Torchwood team's members and, as the five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth begins, the team is still reeling from their deaths in their own ways.

Death has always been a part of Torchwood. It's a seductively dark series where everyone is painfully mortal. That is, except for the immortal Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who is fitfully unable to throw off his mortal coil, despite no lack of risk or danger. For Jack, death is a quotidian part of life, like the passing of the seasons. Even so, the loss of Tosh and Owen is like losing a limb for Jack and his Torchwood associates Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). The Hub, the team's Cardiff base of operations, is eerily silent, a monument to their lost comrades and to their enduring work. Which would be hard enough if the team weren't about to face their greatest challenge yet in Torchwood: Children of Earth, written by Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran and directed by Euros Lyn.

I had the opportunity to watch all five episodes of the gripping Torchwood: Children of Earth, which air Stateside on BBC America next Monday through Friday evenings, and was enthralled by a plot that's as heartbreaking as it is thought-provoking.

Spoiler-phobes, no worries. Because Torchwood: Children of Earth is a thriller in the very best sense of the word, I'm not going to go into too much detail here about the plot or give away any spoilers, it's really best enjoyed when you're truly in the dark about what's going to happen next.

So what's the basic set-up of Torchwood: Children of Earth? Jack, Gwen, and Ianto are still processing the aforementioned deaths of Tosh and Owen while they continue to go about their top-secret business of guarding the Rift and keeping Earth safe from extraterrestrial threats by any means necessary. (Wondering what happened to Freema Agyeman's Martha Jones, whom Jack wanted to leave UNIT and join the team in Doctor Who's "Journey's End"? We're told she's on her honeymoon but just who she married is a mystery for another day.)

At its weakest point, something happens that shakes Torchwood to its very core and may destroy the team altogether: the imminent arrival of an alien race, which appears to be speaking through every child on the planet. Just what do these aliens want? Why have they come to Earth and announced their presence in such a fashion? And how does it connect to a previous incursion on British soil by the so-called "456" in 1965? Can Torchwood stop them in time? And what secrets are several characters hiding?

The cast for Torchwood: Children of Earth is top-notch. Barrowman, Myles, and David-Lloyd anchor the five episode thriller with aplomb. Barrowman turns in the performance of his career to date, taking Captain Jack Harkness to some very dark, scary places and forcing Jack to deal with some unpleasant skeletons in his closet.

Myles in particular is sensational and it's fascinating to compare her strong and confident performance here with her first appearance on the series and see just how much Gwen has grown as a character while still providing the team's heart and soul. Of all of Torchwood's members, Gwen has managed to do something that the others have not: made both halves of her life complete. By bringing her husband Rhys (Kai Owen) into the circle of trust, she appears to be the only Torchwood member capable of having something resembling a normal life. Likewise, it's nice to see Owen's Rhys play a much bigger role here than in Torchwood itself; for a change, Rhys isn't a liability for Gwen but proves himself a valuable and capable member of the team and Owen ably demonstrates just why this powerful, sexy, and brainy woman would choose to spend her life with Rhys.

For Ianto, on the other hand, it's not so easy. He's dating--sort of--Captain Jack though it's clear that it's not all sunshine and roses in their relationship. For one thing, Ianto wants more than Jack is seemingly able to give and he's keenly aware of the fact that he will grow old and die while Jack will live on, young and handsome. Similarly, he can't bring himself to tell anyone the truth, keeping both the professional and personal sides of his life in the dark. He still hasn't told his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) the truth about his career or his sexuality... and hasn't actually told Torchwood anything about his past. David-Lloyd makes Ianto's situation painfully real and sympathetic, rendering suited coffee boy Ianto a tragic figure caught between duty and love.

The supporting cast assembled for Torchwood: Children of Earth is equally talented. Special kudos go out to Peter Capaldi's Machiavellian civil servant John Frobisher, a man whose duty is to protect the United Kingdom and its secrets and who proves himself early on only too willing to cross a number of moral boundaries to do so. Likewise, newcomer Cush Jumbo (Harley Street), who plays junior PA Lois Habiba is a real find; she manages to fit seemlessly into the plot and stand out among some of Britain's most talented actors. (Something tells me that we'll be seeing more of the deftly charismatic Jumbo in years to come.) Paul Copley turns in a jaw-dropping performance as Clement McDonald, one that's light years away from a previous turn as a cuckolded husband in BBC's seminal drama The Lakes. Lucy Cohu (Meadowlands) is fantastic as the enigmatic Alice Carter, who has a surprising link to Captain Jack; Liz May Brice is coolly menacing as ruthless MI-5 enforcer Agent Johnson; and Nicholas Farrell is terrifying as the self-serving Prime Minister Brian Green. (Hmmm, Gordon Brown and Brian Green. Coincidence?)

While Torchwood: Children of Earth functions on a surface level as a rip-roaring political thriller crossed with an alien invasion drama, it's actually a canny exploration of society today, asking tough questions about the worth of the individual. Captain Jack speaks about making hard choices and it holds true for each and every character in the five-episode third season, giving the event a weightiness and merit all its own.

Sacrifice is a major thematic component of Torchwood: Children of Earth and its influence snakes its way insidiously throughout the plot. In a crisis, such as the one that looms on the horizon in Torchwood: Children of Earth, which of us has value? Which ones of us are expendable? And who decides which moral lines in the sand we can--and should--cross when faced with unspeakable terror? Does the good of the many outweigh the good of the few and what would any of us do when faced with a decision that could have consequences for the fate of the human race?

Likewise, Torchwood: Children of Earth feels painfully contemporary, effortlessly capturing our primal human need for information and the proliferation of social media. In an age where no one can stop any signal, Torchwood: Children of Earth presciently captures the unease of the recent Iran elections and shows us a world where everything is recorded in one way or another. The pervasive use of various recordings throughout--and I won't reveal what or who is being recorded or why--not only drive the plot but also make us question the essential truth of what we're seeing with our own eyes. Is what we're told by our governments and media outlets true? Is there such a thing as off the record? Will the truth, like murder, always out?

Torchwood: Children of Earth could have coasted by on an alien invasion story and been entertaining popcorn television but, by skillfully layering in some meaty philosophical debate and social themes that affect all of us today, it transformed itself into one of the year's most important and controversial pieces of television making and proved once and for all that it need not hide in Doctor Who's shadow.

Torchwood: Children of Earth Trailer:



Torchwood: Children of Earth First Seven Minutes of Day One:



The five-night Torchwood: Children of Earth event begins Monday, July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America and BBC America HD.

TV on DVD: "Mad Men: Season Two"

"It looks good now, but it's going to get messy."

The quote above is from a secretary about Sterling Cooper's new photocopy machine but it could be about the entire second season of Mad Men as a whole.

AMC's sensational period drama Mad Men might not be returning to the small screen for another month or so (Season Three kicks off on August 16th, to be precise) but fans of the groundbreaking and stunning series can get another fix today as Lionsgate releases Mad Men: Season Two on DVD and Blu-ray.

And what a release it is. The four-disc set, packaged in a stylish limited edition shirt box with a see-through window, contains all thirteen stirring episodes of Mad Men's second season along with a slew of fascinating bonus materials that shed light on the series' 1960s setting and its production, including extensive commentaries from the cast and crew on every single installment and several behind-the-scenes documentaries.

Season Two of Mad Men brings the often turbulent relationship between Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Betty (January Jones) to the fore while peeling away the facade that Don had built up for himself, revealing the truth about his identity and his past while pushing his marriage to Betty past the breaking point. Don's journey to find himself takes him down some very dark paths, namely into the arms of a very married woman, deep into his own past, and off the grid whilst on a business trip to California. Along the way, the complicated Don Draper lays bare his soul and comes to terms with just who he is as Hamm turns in a performance that's darkly charismatic and deeply nuanced.

Meanwhile, Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) strives to make her way among the boys at Sterling Cooper, now that she's been promoted and maintains her own dark secrets, namely the child she secretly birthed and concealed from his father, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser). Torn between honesty and secrecy, between morality and pragmatism, Peggy discovers that secrets never remain buried for long. That Don and Peggy should be so dissimilar is part of the unspoken connection between the two disparate characters; they're bonded by their repertoire of secrets and lies.

The rest of the vast cast of characters also get a chance to shine in the sophomore season, particularly the sensational Christina Hendricks' Joan Holloway, who transforms from a flirtatious and catty vamp into one of the series' most heartbreaking and tragic figures. That the female cast of Mad Men continues to be overlooked by the Emmy nomination committee is a slap in the face, particularly when you view all thirteen episodes of Mad Men's second season. The troika of female characters--Betty, Peggy, and Joan--each reflect the changing role of women in the 1960s and their performances are empowering, poignant, and moving, often all at once.

If you haven't seen the second season of the award-winning drama, I won't spoil any plot points for you but I will say that the sophomore season of Mad Men offers up one of the most sophisticated and thought-provoking series on any network, meticulously recreating the 1960s in every aspect from set design and costuming to character development. Along the way, it tackles every issue from racism, alcoholism, sexuality, death, childbirth, marriage, and identity with skill and intelligence, delivering a heady mix of weighty themes, spellbinding plots, and memorable characters that will stay with you long after the final credits roll on the season finale.

Mad Men: Season Two's numerous bonus features include audio commentaries from the cast and crew on all thirteen episodes, a time capsule with interactive featurettes that fill in the backstory on political and social events of the 1960s, a fashion-focused featurette entitled "An Era of Style," which explores the sartorial influences of the 1960s on contemporary fashion, and "Birth of an Independent Woman," a two-part featurette that explores the rise of female independence.

All in all, the charmingly packaged four-disc Mad Men: Season Two is a must have addition for lovers of quality drama and insightful, compelling, and complex storytelling. It's quite easy to get caught up in the slow-burn momentum of the second season and be whisked away to another time and another place. Thirteen episodes later, you might have a both a bittersweet nostalgia for an era long past and a newfound appreciation for the personal freedoms of our own time.



Mad Men: Season Two is available today on DVD for a suggested retail price of $49.98 but you can pick up a copy now in the Televisionary store for just $24.49.

Channel Surfing: Mystery Man in Black from "Lost" Talks, FX Aims for Hit with "Archer," "Harper's Island" Doomed, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com talks to Lost's Titus Welliver, who played the mysterious man in black seen in the fifth season finale (that many of us are referring to as Esau). "The way that I interpreted it, on a biblical level, is that it's a sort of Cain-and-Abel scenario," said Welliver of the showdown between Jacob and his character. "So by destroying Jacob, what does that prove — that [the man in black] can ultimately have power over the island? Do the castaways become solely his playthings? And why was it so important that he find the loophole to be able to kill Jacob? That moved me in the direction of thinking that if he needs this loophole, there's a greater power than the two of them that they're answering to." (TVGuide.com)

FX has ordered six episodes of animated comedy Archer (working title), about the eccentric employees of an international spy agency, from writer/executive producer Adam Reed. Project, which will launch this fall and be paired with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, features the voices of Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, and Judy Greer. Says Variety's Michael Schneider, "Benjamin plays Sterling Archer, a suave spy who goes by the code name Duchess. Walter plays his mother, while Tyler is his ex-girlfriend, Agent Lana Kane. Greer plays his secretary; Parnell is the spy agency’s comptroller." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that there's no hope for CBS' Harper's Island, citing unnamed insiders who "insist" that there won't be a second season of the serialized slasher series. CBS, meanwhile, wouldn't comment officially on the likelihood of a cancellation. Series was originally intended to be an ongoing franchise where each season would introduce a new killer and a new batch of victims. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Steven Weber (Brothers & Sisters) and newcomer Ben Schnetzer are in talks to come aboard ABC midseason drama series Happy Town, where they would respectively replace Dean Winters and John Patrick Amedori, who appeared in the original pilot. (Which I reviewed here.) Weber will play John Haplin, scion of the town's founding family who is distraught after the kidnapping years earlier of his daughter by the mysterious "Magic Man." Schnetzer will play John Haplin's son who is himself enmeshed in a star-crossed romance with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Modern Family director Jason Winer has signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, under which he will remain on board ABC's single-camera comedy Modern Family as a director and co-executive producer. He'll direct six additional installments from the series' initial thirteen-episode commitment as well as develop new series for the studio with his writing partner Ryan Raddatz. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks to Torchwood: Children of Earth star John Barrowman about the event season of the Doctor Who spin-off series. "I say this with my hand on my heart: If I were only asked to be Captain Jack for the next 10 years, I would do it," said Barrowman. "I'm definitely up for [Season] 4, 5, 6, whatever. For as long as they want to do it, I'm there." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville scribe Drew Z. Greenberg has joined the writing staff of Syfy's Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica, according to showrunner Jane Espenson. (Twitter)

Ryan Seacrest has signed a new contract that will pay out $15 million a year for the next three years that will keep him on board as host of FOX's American Idol through 2012 and make him exclusive to 19 Entertainment/CKX. Simon Cowell is already in the midst of renegotiating his own contract and Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi are all said to be "expected to ink new deals to return next year." (Variety)

Taryn Manning will guest star in the third episode of the CW's Melrose Place, where she will play a singer whose latest music video is directed by Jonah (Michael Rady). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Los Angeles Times' Liesl Bradner profiles ubiquitous actor Patrick Fischler, who has appeared on the small screen this past year on such high-profile series as Lost, Mad Men, and Southland. "After Mad Men I got a lot of 'How dare you speak to Don Draper like that?'" Fischler said. "People -- mainly women -- were mad at me that I told Don off. I took it as a compliment." (Los Angeles Times)

Showtime has ordered six episodes of half-hour variety series Live Nude Comedy, described as a "mix of stand-up comedy and modern-day burlesque." Project, from Salient Media and The Collective and executive producers Gary Binkow and Michael Green, is hosted by Shannon Elizabeth and will launch on Thursday at midnight ET/PT on the pay cabler. Format will include an audience-participation sketch with Elizabeth, followed by two comedians and two dancers. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Michelle Trachtenberg will fulfill her guest turn on the CW's Gossip Girl this fall, despite NBC shifting her midseason medical drama series Mercy to the fall. "Our sources tell us that Michelle Trachtenberg won't miss a beat of Gossip Girl," wrote Team Watch with Kristin. "She's doing everything she was expected to do as of last spring, and Georgina's episodes are good!" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

HBO and Cinemax have joined Comcast's TV Everywhere initiative, allowing the cable operator to stream its series, movies, and other premium content to 5000 subscribers in the Philadelphia area in a pilot program to start in several weeks' times. The pay cablers join TNT, TBS, and Starz in the test program, which if it is successful, will be made available to Comcast subscribers around the country at no additional cost. (Hollywood Reporter)

It's official (finally!): CBS has announced that Neil Patrick Harris will host the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, to be broadcast live on September 20th. (Variety's Emmy Central)

Cabler VH1 has ordered four episodes of concert series Live and Loud Fridays from Live Nation. Series, which will feature rock performances from venues around the country, will launch this week with Poison and Def Leppard. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Walking in the Shadow of the Blues: Birthday Presents and Room Service on "True Blood"

Could it be that our girl Sookie Stackhouse isn't quite as unique as she believed?

Last night's sensational episode of True Blood ("Shake and Fingerpop"), written by Alan Ball and directed by Michael Lehmann, offered up a rather tantalizing discovery: someone else shares Sookie's telepathic abilities. That Sookie should learn this fact and come face-to-face (and, well, mind-to-mind) with telepathic bellhop Barry in Dallas while there to investigate the disappearance of vampire Godric and getting ambushed at the airport seems rather coincidental, making me wonder if the Church of the Fellowship of the Sun have a pet telepath of their own.

Meanwhile, there were some rather intriguing developments between Lafayette and one-time jailor Eric, some hints about Eric's past involving Godric, and a nice twist in the relationship between baby vamp Jessica and Hoyt Fortenberry.

So what are you waiting for? Pop open a fresh Tru Blood, order up some room service, and let's discuss "Shake and Fingerpop."

I watched last night's episode well over a month ago but I've been rewatching the episodes as they air on HBO and have to say that "Shake and Fingerpop" was a worthy successor to the previous episode, "Scratches." Marking the second season writing debut of series creator Alan Ball, the episode took Sookie, Bill, Jessica, and Eric out of Bon Temps and deposited them in Dallas, where the big city was just as dangerous as everyone made it out to be.

No sooner do the trio arrive in Dallas (after a flight on--ha!--Anubis Air) than they are attacked by their chauffeur (Breaking Bad's Dean Norris), who was under firm instructions to kidnap the human (though he was unaware, I might add, that Sookie would be a woman) and kill the vampires. Loved that Bill let Jessica have a go glamouring said chauffeur (and that the results were so unexpectedly hilarious and juvenile).

Something major is brewing in Dallas and the Church of the Fellowship of the Sun is clearly behind both the attack on our troika and the disappearance of powerful vampire Godric. Just what the relationship truly is between Eric and Godric remains to be seen but there's clearly a hell of a lot of history and respect on Eric's part, not to mention outright reverence for Godric. (Bill, meanwhile, feels no such respect for Eric Northman; witness the petulance he displays by ordering the $45 Tru Blood just to waste Eric's money.) So what has Eric so scared? It's the notion that if these humans could nab Godric, any of them are vulnerable to attack. The stakes, so to speak, just got raised...

But let's not jump ahead. Before leaving for Dallas, there was that showdown between Bill and Jessica at the old Compton place after Bill discovered her on the couch with Hoyt. I have to say that I'm head over heels in love with this coupling, as unanticipated and unpredictable as any real-life romantic liaison. The innocence of their relationship is totally refreshing, even as Jessica lashes out at Bill for kicking Hoyt out, saying that she wasn't going to hurt him.

Given Jessica's power and strength, it's easy to forget that she's an awkward teenager, inexperienced in the ways of love and hungry in more ways than one. That she realizes that her amorous feelings cause her fang out (and bounds up the stairs giggling) is a humorous and touching discovery that speaks volumes about Jessica's contradictory nature. I can't wait to see where the relationship between these two is heading but I have to say that these two are perfectly matched for one another and Deborah Ann Woll (read my exclusive interview with her here) and Jim Parrack once again turn in sublime performances here.

Elsewhere, Lafayette received a surprise visit from Eric himself. I'm not sure what Eric's game is and whether he experienced (A) guilt at imprisoning Lafayette in the fashion that he did, (B) a surprising interest in Lafayette after Sookie exclaimed that he was important to her, as Eric suggests, or (C) something more sinister. Now that Lafayette has drank from Eric, there's a bond between them, an invisible thread which Eric can flick upon when necessary. Could Lafayette find himself in Eric's employ or forced to return the favor? Hmmm...

Loved Jason's slow-motion daydream about Sarah Newlin during the barbeque and her totally inappropriate lingerie-clad appearance in his bedroom... and its juxtaposition with Steve Newlin and Jason's gun-toting vampire "hunting" expedition in the woods. Just what will happen between this threesome looks to be very interesting indeed. The Newlins clearly have plans for Jason Stackhouse but it's hard to decipher just what they truly want from him, whether that be him as a sexual plaything or a hardened warrior.

Maryann's plans for Tara hit a snag when the latter announced her intentions to move in with Sookie but Maryann is nothing if not resourceful and she played on Tara's loneliness on her birthday to throw one hell of a party at Sookie's house, one at which she was able to harness the collective revelry of the party-goers into sheer power, transforming her hands into those of her maenad form... and displaying in no uncertain terms that it was likely she who attacked Sookie in the woods and killed Miss Jeanette. (Or so it would seem, anyway.)

And loved the fact that Lettie Mae turned up at Merlotte's to give Sam a present for Tara... only to have Maryann toss the gift in the bushes. Ha ha. Can't have Tara reforming any bonds with her estranged mother, now can we? Not if her plan to have Tara for herself is going to come to fruition.

I have to say that one of the most vile moments of the series to date came at the party when the guests turn so rowdy and so transfixed by the atmosphere of depravity that they begin to stuff their faces with whatever is at hand, whether it be food or dirt. (Ick.) And it's that atmosphere that pushes Tara and Eggs into bed together as they rather heatedly consummate their relationship for the first time.

Something tells me that Bon Temps will never be the same again... Was that genuine sparkage we saw between Arlene and Terry Bellefleur? And just how does Daphne know Sam's shapeshifting secret? Could it be that she and Maryann are more similar than we thought and that their arrivals in Bon Temps at around the same time are far from being a coincidence?

All I know is that I'm completely intrigued. "Shake and Fingerpop" definitely started off more slowly than previous installments but its slow burn pacing paid off remarkably. The truly shocking revelation about Barry the Bellhop was a hell of an episode close-out after an installment that displayed some nice minor details--the request for a bed at the hotel, Sookie telling Bill that her telepathy is improved through touch, the Tru Blood childishness, Sookie checking out the vampire porn, Jessica ordering in some room service of her own--that fleshed out the world of True Blood while also offering some major twists of its own. Sunday can't come quickly enough...

What did you think of this week's episode? What is Maryann's master plan? Who is Daphne and was she sent to keep Sam occupied? What happened to Godric? What do the Newlins want with Jason? Why did Eric let Lafayette feed off of him? And just what will happen next? Discuss.

Next week on True Blood ("Never Let Me Go"), Sookie connects with one of her own in Dallas, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire Godric and meets his lieutenants, Stan and Isabel; Jason is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah; Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotte’s; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill; Sookie makes a decision that could solve the mystery of the missing Godric or get her killed.

Channel Surfing: "Parenthood" Pushed to Midseason, Michelle Forbes Talks "True Blood," Two More Move to Wisteria Lane, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Following an announcement that actress Maura Tierney would require an eight-week medical evaluation for an undisclosed condition, NBC has pushed the start of its drama Parenthood, which was slated to debut on September 23rd, to midseason. The Peacock will instead push up the launch of its midseason medical drama Mercy to the fall, although it is still unclear whether Mercy will inherit Parenthood's Wednesdays at 8 pm timeslot. The production shutdown on Parenthood, meanwhile, will give writers additional time to complete scripts. (Hollywood Reporter)

UPDATE: "In an effort to guard my privacy, it seems that the wording of NBC's press release has unfortunately caused some confusion and undue alarm about my health," said Maura Tierney in an official statement. "I have discovered a tumor in my breast which requires surgery. I will not know either my exact diagnosis or course of treatment until that surgery is performed. My doctors have all assured me this is a very treatable condition. I'm very optimistic as to the outcome and want to thank everyone who has sent positive thoughts and support. I look forward to going back to work soon." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TVGuide.com talks with True Blood's Michelle Forbes about Maryann, the shaking, the pig, and Maryann's interest in Tara. Of the latter, Forbes said, "Tara is just the one of the moment, the conduit into this town. Before her, it was Eggs. Before Eggs, it was someone else. After Tara, it will be someone else. The goal is much larger. Tara is just the most vulnerable and the most susceptible right now." As for the vibrations, Forbes says they "are very integral to who she is. She thrives off the energy of the people around her. When they are in a place of ecstasy, that feeds her. Her appetite is fed off the appetite of others." Hmmm... (TVGuide.com)

Jeffrey Nordling (24) and Beau Mirchoff (The Grudge 3) have been cast in Season Six of ABC's Desperate Housewives as series regulars. Nordling will play a landscape designer who relocates from New York to Wisteria Lane with his wife (Drea de Matteo) and their "tightly wound, sexy and intense son (Mirchoff)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime is said to be developing drama series Revelation, from Dirty Sexy Money creator Craig Wright and executive producer David Janollari. Project, from CBS TV Studios, follows the lives of an "unconventional minister who moves to a Texas church with his two teens after his wife suddenly dies." (Variety)

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) has joined the cast of CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine in a recurring role. He'll play a therapist and a potential love interest for Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Christine Campbell. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Sci Fi UK has picked up first run rights to Syfy's newest drama series Warehouse 13, securing both standard definition and HD rights to the series from NBC Universal International Television Distribution. The channel plans to launch the series this autumn. "There was a tremendous buzz ahead of its launch in the US and the first night ratings are testament to what a fantastic show it is," said NBCU Global Network's head of channels. "The special effects and exciting plot twists make it a real gem for our autumn schedule."(Broadcast)

Not unsurprisingly, ShineReveille has acquired worldwide distribution rights to NBC's documentary series The Wanted, which features terrorism experts attempting to track down terrorism suspects around the world. ShineReveille intents to shop the series to outlets around the globe. (Variety)

The New York Times' Bill Carter takes a look at the ratings success that is HBO's True Blood, which has come at a time when the pay cabler desperately needed a hit series following the end of such network-defining series such as The Sopranos and Sex and the City. (New York Times)

TNT has moved its reality series Wedding Day once more, after slotting it in a Tuesday evening timeslot for its series premiere and then shifting it to Thursdays. Wedding Day will now air Saturday mornings at 9 am ET/PT. In other scheduling news, Bravo has announced that it will air yet another Real Housewives special on Thursday, July 23rd, this time for The Real Housewives of Atlanta featuring "lost footage," that will lead into the season finale of The Fashion Show and will air a week ahead of the second season premiere of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. (Futon Critic)

PBS will begin stripping its new reinvention of classic kids' series The Electric Company across weekdays on September 7th. It had previously aired the series in a weekly format, so far airing sixteen of the thirty-five installments it shot in 2008. (Variety)

Lastly, a look at the trailer for ABC's drama acquisition Defying Gravity, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed:



Stay tuned.

Link Tank: TV Blog Coalition Roundup for June 10-12

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 had an exclusive interview with True Blood's baby vampire Jessica Hamby, a.k.a. actress Deborah Ann Woll and reviewed two upcoming episodes from Glee, airing this fall on FOX.

I also reviewed Syfy's new drama series Warehouse 13 (and announced the channel's new rebrand from Sci Fi to Syfy), discussed my love of British comedy series Peep Show, unveiled the cast of Bravo's Top Chef: Las Vegas, shared news of The Unusuals creator Noah Hawley's new deal with ABC Studios, and reviewed the first two episodes of Syfy's new season of Eureka.

Plus, a discussion of the latest episode of Bravo's Top Chef Masters, BBC One's fall lineup, Comic-Con 2009, new trailers for NBC's Community and Parenthood, and much more.

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

• So You Think You Can Dance has finally cut it down to the Top 10! Vance still doesn't really know who his favorite is yet. (Tapeworthy)
• After watching 16 and Pregnant, Marisa felt pretty good about her decision to not get knocked up in high school. And to not buy that baby a dirtbike. (TiFaux)
• Ashley checked out ABC Family's "10 Things I Hate About You" and decided it didn't live up to the Heath Ledger classic. (Tube Talk)
• The premiere was too long, and the characters a bit too cliched, but Matt will stick with Warehouse 13 this summer. (TV Fanatic)
• Buzz wondered: Are there any TV genres you just won't watch under any circumstances? (BuzzSugar)
• Most people were concerned with replacing Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles on the television adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You, Scooter cared more with how they could possibly fill the shoes of Alex Mack. (Scooter McGavin's 9th Green)
• Did you know that VERONICA MARS star Kristen Bell needs YOU.... to help make the VERONICA MARS movie a reality! (The TV Addict)

Comic-Con 2009: Who's In?

With the schedule for San Diego Comic-Con ever so slowly making its way onto the official website (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are now up), I thought I'd ask once again this year: who's in for Comic-Con 2009?

Passes are once again impossible to purchase at this year's festival (with no on-site registration available for professions or press, no less), which boasts a lineup that includes panels for such series as Lost, True Blood, Chuck, Doctor Who, Flash Forward, V, Torchwood, 24, Bones, The Mighty Boosh, Eureka, Caprica, The Prisoner, Human Target, Dollhouse, Fringe, Psych, Stargate Universe, Smallville, Supernatural, Burn Notice, Robot Chicken, and a host of others. (Seriously, the list goes on and on this year.)

For my part, I'll be covering as many panels and press rooms as humanly possible and reporting from the convention as long as the WiFi connection holds. (My must-see panels this year: Lost, Caprica/BSG, True Blood, Doctor Who, The Mighty Boosh, and Entertainment Weekly's Wonder Women: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture with Elizabeth Mitchell, Kristin Bell, and Sigourney Weaver. Unfortunately, the Chuck panel lets out at the same time that Lost begins, making it rather tricky to negotiate...)

But I am curious to know: which panels are you attending and which are you most looking forward to? What are the must-have seats of this year's Comic-Con?

Discuss and see you in San Diego!