Fantasy Life: Televisionary Talks to Hart Hanson About "Bones" Season Five

Wondering what's going on with Booth? Why Brennan ran off to Guatemala? With whom Angela will end her celibacy vow? You've come to the right place.

I caught up with Bones showrunner/executive producer Hart Hanson last week at the FOX party at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, where I grilled him about Season Five of the FOX drama series.

Among the Bones-related topics under discussion: Booth's mental state when Season Five begins and his fantasy life, Hanson's reactions to fan complaints, Angela's celibacy vow, whether we can expect to see Stephen Fry reprise his role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt, Cyndi Lauper, new characters, the 100th episode, a return trip to London, and more.

But don't take my word for it. Dig in for my exclusive interview with Bones' Hart Hanson below.

Televisionary: Given that we last saw Brennan when Booth came out of his coma, what lands her in Guatemala?

Hanson: We've set up a few times that when she's really miserable she goes down there and identifies victims of the genocide down there and there are so many still remaining unidentified. So when she's really miserable she just throws herself into that. I've been getting grief on the message boards and Twitter about how she could just abandon Booth and all I can say is: she didn't. I promise you, Brennan did not abandon Booth. Watch the season opener; you'll see.

Televisionary: What is Booth's mental state when Season Five of Bones begins?

Hanson: It's six weeks later and Booth is contending with the confusion caused either by his real feelings for Brennan or the hangover--is that the right word?--the residue of his experience in his coma.

He is very confused about the world right now. He hasn't got amnesia. We come back just as Sweet says, okay, you can go back to work. But there's definite repercussions from what he went through at the end of the season finale. And I hope that will make people feel like their complaints about the season finale are being addressed in the season opener and people will like it more in retrospect. We'll find out.

Televisionary: How do you react to frustration from the fans over that reveal?

Hanson: I can't react. I just can't allow that to affect me. I always said, if you give the fans what they want, you'll be off the air almost immediately because all of their desires are met. And you need to play it out and risk being hated once in a while. But it's hard not to react.

The season opener was designed and mostly written before the season ender was edited together so I didn't know precisely [what the reaction would be]--though I had a pretty good idea of what it would be--I just got the proportions wrong. So I didn't have reactions to the season ender before I wrote the season opener but I stuck pretty closely to what the intention was from the beginning.

Televisionary: Will we see elements of Booth's fantasy life continue into the new season?

Hanson: (Pause.) No one's asked me that, damn you! Yes... We will see that other world, although not in the form it was in when Booth was in the coma. But we will have glimpses of what's inside people's brains.

Oh, my god. That was hard. I haven't practiced that answer yet because no one has asked me. I wonder why no one asked that yet!

Televisionary: Any chance that Stephen Fry will return to the series this fall?

Hanson: We are going after him. He's a very busy man; I talk to him all the time. Big brain box. We're checking his availability now for Episode Ten, which is our Christmas episode. We'd like to have him back. We already missed a chance to have him in the season opener because he was busy. He's just always busy! He has what? A million quiz shows and he's doing documentaries and what a lovely man. He wants to come do the show again. So Episode Ten and I hope one other [episode] after that or two, if we're lucky.

Televisionary: You said at San Diego Comic-Con that Cyndi Lauper heard Emily singing her cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and that's what led her to guest starring on Bones. What was it like working with her?

Hanson: It was awesome. She is a crazy, fascinating character. Her voice, everything about her. She just has a unique way of speaking that you just try to cram into the script. She was just wonderful, just terrific. We'll have her back, we'll have her back a number of times.

Televisionary: Is Lauper contracted for a set number of episodes?

Hanson: No, we can't do that. We can tell our intention to her people that we'd like to have her back here and there and [ask] what her schedule looks like. Same with all of our guest stars. We can't tie them down so it's a constant juggling of availabilities and stuff. But she wants to do it and we want her back. We know her touring dates, we know when she's available, so we'll make it work.

Televisionary: Who else do you have showing up this year as guest stars?

Hanson: We have Stephen Fry showing up for two or three [episodes], Jared [Booth]--Brendan Fehr--will be back. I want to cast one more intern. I have an idea for a severely bi-polar intern that will be amusing and touching; that's what we do.

Televisionary: Male or female?

Hanson: Don't know yet. Probably male, just because the lab tends to be heavily female anyway and we want to keep the balance. And we have Daisy. We will look at both men and women and see who pops. We've had a lot of luck with these interns, with what good actors they are. They are awesome.

Televisionary: So we'll still see a revolving door of squints then?

Hanson: Yes, we're going to keep doing that for a while. Eric Millegan--who plays Zack--is moving to New York so he's a little bit less accessible than he was before. But we'd just love to have him back. We love that guy but he's a guest star now too.

Televisionary: Where do we find Angela next season?

Hanson: I just today wrote Angela breaking her celibacy. If you remember from last year, she was going to do six months of being celibate at Sweet's advice, so just today she broke her stretch of celibacy... I'm not saying with whom. Someone we know. I told [Michaela Conlin] about fifteen minutes ago and she went [makes excited gasping noise]. So it was a good reaction!

Televisionary: Is there any chance of Booth and Brennan returning to London next season?

Hanson: I just met Stuart Murphy, who replaced Richard Woolfe at Sky1, and he would like very much to help make that happen. I guess Bones is a great performer for Sky and he's very interested in talking to us about making that happen. We would jump at the chance to go over there again. For one thing, it would be great to use Indira Varma again. Wow! She's incredibly good and it was fun with her and Booth. So we'd be interested in looking for a way to do that. Maybe, though it's too soon to say, for an episode later in the season or a season ender there. It would be great then.

Televisionary: What can you tell us about Bones' upcoming 100th Episode, which will be directed by David Boreanaz?

Hanson: I don't know a thing about it yet! Except that it will be a story with lots of swoopy camerawork because that's what David likes. He likes those cranes swooping around. It will be Episode Sixteen of this year. I don't know what the story is but we will pull out some stops for that one. It's a big, important episode for us.

Bones' fifth season launches September 17th at 8 pm ET/PT on FOX.

Fly on the Wall: An Advance Review of Next Week's Episode of "True Blood"

Every now and then an episode of a television series comes along that changes the way you see that particular series. HBO's True Blood has always been been a fun and often crazy roller coaster ride through some dark Southern swamplands (and through the darker corners of the heart) but I never thought it would touch upon the profound.

That's now changed.

I had the opportunity last night to watch next week's gripping episode of True Blood ("I Will Rise Up") and, the morning after, I'm still turning over this heartbreaking and beautiful installment in my mind. It's an episode that's a game-changer for True Blood inasmuch as it shifts the action from the physical desires of the flesh to something innately divine and, yes, profound and alters the playing field of the second season.

I'm not giving out any spoilers about just what happens in "I Will Rise Up," but if you want to know more about this brilliant installment of True Blood, keep reading.

Credit for this amazing episode goes not only to the stunning work of writer Nancy Oliver and director Scott Winant, but also to the truly extraordinary performances by actors Anna Paquin, Allan Hyde, Alexander Skarsgard, Deborah Ann Woll, Jim Parrack, and Stephen Moyer, to name just a few. Their magnificent turns in this episode elevate an already elegiac story into something penetrating and weighty.

Special kudos have to go out to newcomer Allan Hyde, who in just a few episodes has made Godric one of the most compelling and memorable vampires in recent memory. If you thought his presence in the most recent episode of True Blood had showcased Hyde's considerable skills, you might want to think again: this episode announces in no uncertain terms that a true talent has arrived.

When we last saw the vampires of Area Nine, Luke (Wes Brown) had detonated explosives (along with a cache of silver) inside Godric's nest and the episode begins seconds after the explosion. So who lives and who dies? That would be telling. But it's the aftermath of the attack by the Fellowship of the Sun that also provides one of the series' most shocking moments to date.

So what is "I Will Rise Up" about then? For one, it's about the notion of forgiveness, both in terms of the divine and the mundane. None of the characters on the series have been saints (it's rather hard to do so in a series overflowing with blood-thirsty vampires) but there are several scenes that speak to the redemptive power of compassion and grace.

The truth, as they say, will out in the end and so it does here as several secrets laid bare for all to see. Likewise, the episode deals not only with mercy but also with a mercenary craftiness that's as staggeringly bold as it is shocking... and one that forever changes the parameters of one of the series' central relationships. New alliances are forged, the bonds of friendship are severed, families reunited and ripped asunder, and evocative dreams point the way to a haunting new reality.

Several characters make decisions that will have lasting implications as we begin the race to the second season finale of True Blood. As terrifying as things have gotten for the residents of Bon Temps (including those currently in Dallas), things are only going to get more grim in these next few episodes.

In other words: be very afraid.

All in all, "I Will Rise Up" is one of the most scary, sexy, funny, and perspicacious installments of the slickly seductive True Blood to date. Whatever plans you might have had for Sunday evening, this is one episode of True Blood you definitely want to watch live.

Sunday night on True Blood ("I Will Rise Up"), Eric plays Sookie for a sucker; Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures; Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry Tara from Maryann’s clutches; Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine; Sam looks for a way to escape both jail and Maryann; Godric decides to take the fall for the vampires' recent PR disaster when Nan Flanagan arrives in town.

True Blood: Episode 21 Sneak Peek



True Blood: Ep. 21 Sneak Peek Clip 1:



True Blood: Ep. 21 Sneak Peek Clip 2:

Doves, Bio-Luminescence, and Fire Squirrels: Love in the Air on the Season Finale of ABC's "Better Off Ted"

I'm going to miss Better Off Ted.

Despite this being the second "season finale" for the comedy series' first season in the last few months, I'm sad that we'll have to be without the gang at Veridian Dynamics for the next few months... until the Victor Fresco-created series returns with its second season in November.

Last night's back-to-back episodes of Better Off Ted made the separation even more painful. Despite the lack of Will Arnett as lousy magician GOB Bluth (we had to do with a better looking clone named Mordor), I thought that the two episodes were pitch perfect.

Besides for the gorgeousness of Jaberwocky's bio-luminescent roof garden (and its fire squirrel), the episodes featured Ted and Veronica giving one of the most hilarious presentations ever created (complete with flash pots) and introduced a new love interest for Ted in the form of Rachelle Lefevre's Rebecca.

I've been a fan of Lefevre's since I first saw her way back when in Canadian feature film Hatley High and I thought she made a nice foil for Ted (Jay Harrington) here. Unlike the slighlty manic Linda (Andrea Anders), veterinarian Rebecca offered Ted a quirky but less high-strung lover, even if it's clear that he's meant to be with Linda in the end. There was some nice chemistry between Lefevre and Harrington that I hope carries into the second season but, as we all know from her recent scheduling conflict-related dismissal from Twilight: Eclipse, Lefevre is a very busy actress. Fingers crossed that she returns.

Linda, of course, realized that she did love Ted and broke up with her boyfriend rather than move in him... just in time to learn that Ted wanted to continue seeing Rebecca. Ouch.

Meanwhile, I loved that we learned--via Veridian's new privacy-busting facial-recognition search engine--that Veronica (Portia de Rossi) is a weekend magician's assistant for the bare-chested magician Mordor (The Ex List's Mark Deklin), whom she has fallen head over heels in love. Yes, the storyline would have been all the more funny if Will Arnett's GOB Bluth hadn't have already pulled it off so magnificently on Arrested Development... or if Arnett had reprised his role as GOB on Better Off Ted, which is after all produced by 20th Century Fox Television, the same studio behind Arrested Development.

Still, I enjoyed the hell out of these two episodes between the secret roof garden, the efforts by Lem (Malcolm Barrett) and Phil (Jonathan Slavin) to be more aggressive, the inside joke of Slavin playing a character named Byron (which he did on Fresco's Andy Richter Controls the Universe), the location of the blindfolded dove, the Pendragons-style metamorphosis of Mordor and Veronica, the maniacal squeals of glee from Dr. Bamba (Maz Jobrani), and, well, every second of last night's one-two punch.

All in all, Better Off Ted has proven itself a delightfully offbeat comedy that's already a must-see series in my household. The wait for new installments in November just got a hell of a lot more difficult. Now where did that fire squirrel get to?

Better Off Ted returns for its second season in November.

Channel Surfing: "The Walking Dead" at AMC, Jon Hamm on Season Three of "Mad Men," Paula Abdul Gets "Ugly," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

AMC is reportedly close to signing a deal with Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) to write and direct an adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comic series "The Walking Dead" for the cabler. Potential series, about a group of people who have survived a zombie apocalypse who search for a safe place to call their home, will be executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. No studio is currently attached. "This is not about zombies popping out of closets," said AMC's SVP of programming Joel Stillerman. "This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way." (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic, insightful, and lengthy interview with Mad Men star Jon Hamm, in which he talks about Season Three of the AMC period drama. "What I think is important to understand about Don is that this guy is pretty significantly damaged goods," said Hamm about his character, Don Draper. "You know, [he had] an unbelievably bad family upbringing, very little education. Completely surviving on his wiles, his street smarts, whatever, and kind of manipulating people -- that’s the bad spin... So he’s kind of, in blunt terms, he’s [expletived] up. And that comes out in his dealings with people that try to get close to him. So this is not a guy who’s big on being vulnerable. And that is a big part of loving relationships -- being comfortable enough to be vulnerable. And I think that this guy might not have the capacity for that. He might. But it’s going to take a lot more work than he seems to be willing to give and I think that’s where he keeps running up against the wall with Betty.'I’m going to give you this much, and if you want more than that, I’m not going to do it.' And that’s where a lot of his bad behavior, comes out. Because the new girl doesn’t ask for that. They just want [Don] to be handsome, charming and exciting and new. So, when all that comes back on top of him, at the end of Season 2, he realizes that, as he says in his letter, 'I know that if I lose you, you’ll find somebody else, but I’ll be alone.'" (The Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former American Idol judge Paula Abdul is in discussions to guest star on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she would play a new temp at Mode magazine who forms a friendship with Becki Newton's Amanda. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has given a pilot script order to a US version of British crime drama series Wire in the Blood and has brought on board Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami) to write the pilot script and Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad) to direct. Original series starred Robson Green as a clinical psychologist who teamed up with a female police detective to solve brutal murders. Project will be produced via CBS Television Studios and DreamWorks. (The Wrap)

Ernie Hudson (Oz) has joined the cast of NBC's Heroes in a recurring role next season, where he will play Baltimore detective Captain Lubbock who is attempting to track down his quarry, as yet unrevealed. (Hollywood Reporter)

Scott Foley (The Unit) will guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit this fall, where he will appear in the season's fourth episode as a real estate agent enmeshed in a murder investigation. “I’ve been a fan of the show for a long time,” Foley told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. “And the character was fully developed with addictions and problems both personally and professionally. Plus... it’s SVU, come on!” (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MTV has ordered five new series for 2010: live-action comedy Hard Times, reality competition series American Idiots, docusoap Downtown Girls, reality series Megadrive, and an untitled reality/comedy/dance series featuring Robert Hoffman. Additionally, the cabler picked up additional seasons of Silent Library, Teen Cribs, and Is She Really Going Out with Him? (Variety)

America's Next Top Model runner-up Yaya Dacosta has been cast on ABC's Ugly Betty, where she will play Wilhelmina's unruly daughter Nico next season. Dacosta replaces Jowharah Jones, who originated the character in Season One of the ABC dramedy. According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, Nico "resurfaces in the Oct. 9 season premiere and promptly gets caught up in one of the show’s new mysteries." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Paley Center for Media has announced the lineup for its Fall TV Preview Parties, which kick off on September 9th with FOX (Glee, The Cleveland Show, Brothers). Subsequent evenings feature NBC on September 10th (Community, Trauma, Mercy), CBS on September 11th (Accidentally on Purpose, The Good Wife, NCIS: Los Angeles, Three Rivers), CW on September 12th (Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life), and ABC on September 15th (FlashForward, Hank, The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town). (Variety)

Courtesy of co-creator Sam Bain, Broadcast has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming sixth season of British comedy Peep Show via a series of candid photographs taken on the set by Bain. (Broadcast)

Eric Close (Without a Trace), Dreama Walker (Gossip Girl), Rachel Melvin (Days of Our Lives), Jared Keeso (The Guard), Emma Lahana (The Guard), Greyston Holt (Durham County) and Steven Grayhm (Taken) have been cast in Lifetime Movie Network's four-hour mini-series Seven Deadly Sins, based on the mystery novel series by Robin Wasserman. Project, from SDS Films and executive producer Barbara Lieberman, is slated to air in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Kath & Kim creators/stars Gina Riley and Jane Turner are said to be in talks with Australia's Channel 7 about a fifth season of their series Kath & Kim... or a spin-off starring their characters Prue and Trude, described as "toffy-nosed shop assistants" as they live a life of luxury among the world's best hotels "while battling the harsh economic climate." (Broadcast)

Jay Leno has been cleared of a charges of violating WGA's strike regulations during the 100-day writers strike. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

It Will Always Rain: An Advance Review of the Season Three Premiere of "Mad Men"

Throughout its two seasons so far, AMC's Mad Men has been a study in restraint, about more often than not what's unspoken rather than what's said: the delicate subtext of a crooked cigarette, a wayward glance, a spilled drink, a telling frown.

When I spoke to Mad Men's Rich Sommer last month, he promised that Season Three of Mad Men, which kicks off on Sunday evening on AMC, "pretty much kicks down the door right away."

Having watched the remarkable and heartbreaking third season premiere of Mad Men ("Out of Town"), written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Phil Abraham, for myself last week, I can say that Sommer was telling the truth. Season Three of Mad Men begins not with a wistful tune or a chance to catch your breath but rather with a swift and brutal kick to the gut.

Viewers hoping to see some resolution to the tantalizing plot points of the second season finale--such as Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) telling Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) about their child or the aftermath of Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) getting raped by her fiance--are in for some heartbreak as the premiere episode doesn't outwardly deal with these tantalizing dangling plot threads at all. It's an ingenuous plotting strategy that has worked well for Mad Men in the past, forcing the audience into a position of delayed gratification.

Time has passed at Sterling Cooper and there are some major changes afoot that bring with them some new faces in the corridors of the venerable ad agency. Among these new faces: Jared Harris' Lane Pryce and Ryan Cartwright's John Hooker, who play an intriguing and ominous role among the shifting hierarchy at Sterling Cooper. (Look for Rich Sommer's Harry Crane to have carved out a vital role for himself.) There's also a power struggle emerging among Sterling Cooper's younger staffers but that's all I can say on that front.

Thematically, the Mad Men season opener is all about exposure and the malleable quality of truth. Several characters have to face down some hard facts about themselves in this episode with some shocking consequences, most notably for Don Draper (John Hamm) himself, who is on a business trip to Baltimore in a bit of fog on a crucial day in his life. Figuratively stripped bare, Don is forced to confront some inner demons as the audience sees a bit of Draper's mystique peeled back, revealing his true inner core, his true self.

Likewise, Betty (January Jones), Joan, and Peggy have each made some choices about their lives in the cold, hard light of day; the decisions each of them has seemingly made says quite a bit about women's lot in life during the 1960s. Status plays quite a large role here, both in and out of the office. Peggy is noticeably different from the way we found her at the start of Season One; her hair and wardrobe speak volumes about her inner and outer transformation and about the role she's created for herself among Sterling Cooper's boys' club.

I apologize if I'm being vague but I'm forbidden by AMC from revealing any crucial information about the season opener. But I will say that each of the following objects each plays a vital role in the action in this first episode: bare feet, a pot of warm milk, a broken air conditioner, a promise, a raincoat, an ant farm, a piece of erotic Japanese artwork, a Solomonic decision, a broken valise, and a hammer.

One can't help but feel, in watching Mad Men these past two seasons, that Don Draper has dug himself into a hole that's becoming increasingly untenable. What is it about his beautiful, icy wife that prevents him from telling her the truth about his past? And what does it say about us as an audience that we don't want him to cast off his false front?

Just what happens next on the stylish and seductive Mad Men remains a mystery but suffice it to say that it will be accompanied by the most gorgeous period clothes and sets, trappings of a time that's sometimes all too painfully like our own.

All in all, Mad Men's spellbinding third season opener offers up an intoxicating blend of compelling storylines, memorable new characters, and dramatic new circumstances for the extended family at Sterling Cooper. Actions once committed to, can never be undone. And things once learned, can never be forgotten. Swift change is in the air, brought on by swirling eddies of fog, and one can either bend or break in transformation.

Mad Men's third season launches Sunday evening at 10 pm ET/PT on AMC.

Jetting to LA X: "Lost" Season Six Premiere Title Revealed

If you've been following me on Twitter, you know that I've been sucked into ABC's latest viral campaign for Lost without even being aware of it.

Let me rewind: I attended the Lost panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where comedian Paul Scheer presented showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse with a black velvet painting of Damon and Carlton with one of the series' trademark polar bears. It was a funny and disarming exchange in which Scheer said that he would be producing all sorts of Lost-related black velvet artwork this summer. (The clip can be viewed here.)

Returning to Los Angeles, I was contacted by an art dealer on behalf of Paul Scheer, who said that he wanted to give me a reproduction of one of Scheer's pieces as a gift. I gladly accepted and soon thereafter received a limited edition giclee reproduction of "Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear," numbered 5/30, along with an extremely verbose hand-written note from Paul Scheer himself in which he referred to himself as "the Picasso of Pop Culture" and which contained a slew of Lost-related quotes.

End of story, right? Hardly.

Last week, I received a package via Fed-Ex which contained a cease-and-desist letter from Ronie Midfew Arts stating that Scheer had created these works "without their authorization" and that they can "in no way condone the way Mr. Scheer has appropriated these key creative elements of the show."

To that end, they have been contacting the recipients of Scheer's largesse to ensure that no further copies of the print are made: "Our firm understands that you have the print, and whatever happened, happened." (Ahem.)

The letter, dated August 4, 2009 (yes, those numbers should jump out at you), which also makes special note of Scheer's intended action on August 15th (and, yes, there's 8/15), is signed Alexandra Miller, assistant to Ronie Midfew.

Ronie Midfew Arts has a website, which can be found here. It contains the mysterious phrase "15 Will be lost The 16th Will be found" as well as a variation on the letter I received in which they state that as we near Scheer's intended sale of his Lost-inspired pieces on August 15th, "This will not happen."

Rodie Midfew Arts is, of course, an anagram of Widmore Fine Arts, which itself has a website, found here. The site, which represents a gallery in Great Russell Street in London backed by Charles Widmore, claims to be written by Widmore's nephew, Owen W. (I think we can assume his full name is Owen Widmore.) The gallery is slated to open in mid-August, which--wouldn't you know it--is when Scheer is meant to be selling his own work. Coincidence?

The gallery itself claims to be down the street from the real-life art gallery Austin/Desmond Fine Art... which just happens to have names of two Lost characters embedded within.

The latest chapter of this story came when Scheer discovered that Lindelof and Cuse had thrown out his Comic-Con present and he threatened to show up at the production offices to confront them for throwing out his gift, which he believes could be as a result of the Ronie Midfew Letter.

Yesterday, Scheer posted the following viral video to YouTube and Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear:



After narrowly missing both Lindelof and Cuse (best bit: Lindelof on the phone saying, "I don't care what his motivation is, just make him dead!"), Scheer discovers the production office dumpster containing a single rose, a set design page for an elevated temple, and a shredded script title page for the Lost season premiere, written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender.

That title? "LA X."

Yes, that space is deliberate. It's meant to evoke the Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX in vernacular, but with a twist. Typically X refers to a variable or an unknown, which means that the title could refer to an unknown Los Angeles, one in which Oceanic Flight 815 did in fact land safely after taking off in Sydney.

(And, yes, my usage of the word "variable" is very apparent, given Lost's use of constants and variables over the course of the last five seasons.)

Which would mean that the viral videos shown at the Lost panel in San Diego--depicting Mr. Cluck's spokesperson Hugo Reyes and still-on-the-lam convict Kate Austen--are potentially demonstrating the alternative reality forged when The Incident occurred.

Stay tuned...

Channel Surfing: Chase and Cameron Back in Center of "House," Callum Keith Rennie Clocks in for "24," Will Arnett Returns to FOX, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that House's Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer's Cameron and Chase will move back into their old jobs on the FOX medical drama following a staffing shakeup at Princeton Plainsboro during which Foreman takes over House's role. "They are both thrown back into their old jobs," Morrison told EW. "It’s been great actually. I have been working a lot and there are things that happen to House very early in the season that have a domino effect on all of the other characters... Cameron was always very close and protective of House. And to have her mentor be away in an asylum makes her contemplate life and career and him. Having him gone affects everyone he works with, personally and professionally." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Another Battlestar Galactica actor is heading to FOX's 24 next season. Callum Keith Rennie, who played Leoben on the Sci Fi series, has signed on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc in Day Eight of 24, where he will play Vladimir Laitanan, a "Russian syndicate mobster who debuts around Episode Six or Seven," according to TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck, who said that Rennie's character will be linked to Jurgen Prochnow's mobster Bazhaev. (TV Guide Magazine)

It's not quite Arrested Development but it's a reunion of sorts. FOX has given a script order to an untitled comedy pilot to be written by Will Arnett, Mitch Hurwitz, and Jim Vallely about a "rich Beverly Hills jackass who falls in love with a charitable tree-hugging woman who can't stand his lifestyle or values." Said man will be played by none other than Arnett himself, should the script get ordered to pilot. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, is executive produced by Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Vallely, Peter Principato, and Paul Young. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has slated a two-hour Octomom documentary entitled Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage on August 19th. Footage, culled from six months' worth of shooting by RadarOnline.com reporters living with Nadya Suleman and her brood. Pilgrim Film and Television's Craig Piligian will be executive producing the documentary special, which won't have an on-air host. (Variety)

TNT has renewed medical drama Hawthorne for a second season of ten episodes, which will launch in 2010. (via press release)

Gabrielle Union, who is set to appear in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's FlashForward next season, has signed on to star and executive produce Lifetime telepic The Vow, based on a Denene Millner novel about three women who attend a wedding and make a pact to all get engaged within the following year. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is being adapted by Nzingha Stewart. (Variety)

Cabler Ovation TV has secured US broadcast premiere rights to the newest episodes of UK music series Later... with Jools Holland, which will air Thursday evenings at 8 pm, beginning September 10th with an episode featuring Kaiser Chiefs, The Streets, Seasick Steve, TV on the Radio, Little Jackie, and Boy George. (via press release)

HBO has acquired US television rights to Sundance award-winning documentary Afghan Star, about the lives of four finalists competing in an American Idol-type pop music showdown in Afghanistan. Doc will premiere on the pay cabler in 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

BBC America Acquires Season Five of "Doctor Who," Touts "Torchwood" Ratings

BBC America has today announced that it has committed to airing the upcoming fifth season of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith as the Doctor.

Season Five of Doctor Who, which has Smith assuming the mantle of the time-traveling Doctor from outbound series star David Tennant, is set to air in the second quarter of 2010 and BBC America has said that the US broadcast will be "following soon after its UK premiere."

No clarification yet as to how close the window will be between the US and UK transmissions of Doctor Who's fifth season, which sees Jekyll's Steven Moffat take over as head writer/executive producer.

The news was announced in a press release this morning announcing the ratings success of five-episode Torchwood: Children of Earth, which lured a cumulative audience of 3.3 million viewers, propelling the digital cabler to its best week ever.

The full press release from BBC America, announcing the Torchwood ratings and the digital cabler's acquisition of Season Five of Doctor Who, can be found below.


BBC AMERICA's Best Week Ever - 3.3 Million Tune in to Torchwood

BBC AMERICA also announces the U.S. premiere of the new Doctor Who series starring Matt Smith

NEW YORK, Aug. 10 -- BBC AMERICA's recent week of sci-fi gave the channel its best week ever. The week of July 20 saw the U.S. premiere of three key sci-fi titles - the five night miniseries Torchwood: Children of Earth, the first of four Doctor Who specials starring David Tennant, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead and the latest buzz show from the UK Being Human.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is BBC AMERICA's most successful series ever, reaching 3.3m in Live+SD across the week. It delivered an average audience of 705,000 viewers per episode, with Friday's finale attracting 847,000, the largest average audience in the channel's history. Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead also performed strongly with 657,000 viewers in Live+SD.

In the Monday-Friday, 9-10P hour among A25-54, BBC AMERICA ranked #13 in coverage rating (.51) and #22 in delivery (380k) among the 75 Nielsen-rated ad supported cable networks. For the week, July 20, in the 9-10P hour, the channel - available in 64 million homes - outperformed, in Live+SD A25-54 delivery several nets with significantly higher distribution, such as MSNBC, Animal Planet, Bravo, BET, Travel, Oxygen, Hallmark, TV Land, Soap, MTV, E!, WE, and Headline News.

Following on the strong ratings, critical acclaim and rapturous reception at San Diego's Comic-Con for all three sci-fi titles - including a standing ovation for Doctor Who's David Tennant - BBC AMERICA has announced the acquisition of the new season of Doctor Who starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. Shot in HD, the U.S. premiere season of 13 episodes, will air Q2, 2010 following soon after its UK premiere.

The lead writer is Steven Moffat (Jekyll, Coupling) with Executive Producers Piers Wenger (Ballet Shoes), Beth Willis (Ashes to Ashes) and Steven Moffat. It is a BBC Wales production for BBC ONE and distributed by BBC Worldwide.

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and life-changing makeovers. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 64 million homes.

Dragonflies and Timebombs: Another Explosive Episode of HBO's "True Blood"

Wars don't just stop when you want them to. They have a nasty way of spreading like wildfire and quickly growing out of control.

This is especially true of ideological wars, such as the one between the vampires and the human-led Fellowship of the Sun on HBO's True Blood. Both sides have become blood-thirsty and mercenary in no uncertain terms and both factions are willing to obliterate some moral codes to achieve their agendas.

On last night's breathtaking and heartbreaking episode of True Blood ("Timebomb"), written by Alexander Woo and directed by John Dahl, the powder keg of hatred and combat finally ignited, leaving stunned viewers to wonder just how grim things will get before the end of the season.

So what happened on last night's episode of True Blood? Grab yourself a bottle of Tru Blood, slip on your honesty ring, sidle up to the hotel bar, and let's discuss "Timebomb."

No discussion of this episode could start without mentioning the truly poignant and disturbing discovery that baby vamp Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) made upon returning to Bon Temps, which offered this sensational episode an additional sheen of gut-wrenching pathos.

I've suspected for a while now that something had to go wrong with the tender courtship between Jessica and Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack) because everything has gone so right up until this point. The two innocent lovebirds met cute, overcame obstacles (not least of which was the human/vampire barrier), and both lost their virginity amid rose petals in a luxe Dallas hotel room.

True Blood has never been a happy, sunny sort of series (given, you know, the undead's aversion of sunlight) and I've been waiting for the catch. But I never imagined just how brutal it would be, thinking instead that Jessica would inadvertently bite Hoyt, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) would maniacally kill him or both of them in recompense against Bill, or some other nefarious thing would occur. What I never saw coming was that virginal Jessica's hymen would reform after sex.

It's a heartbreaking twist that's coldly, brutally logical. After all, vampires heal from wounds quickly and Jessica was a virgin when she died, so why wouldn't her body heal this wound? Her dawning realization, as she and Hoyt attempt to, uh, reconnect at the Old Compton house, is harrowing. Yes, every time will be like the first, as Hoyt tries to tell her, but for Jessica, it's a reminder that this life (or death) is a unendurable punishment. And that in finding love with Hoyt, she's forced to come to terms once more with the fact that she's something other than a girl in the bloom of first love.

This being True Blood, there's a lot of slight-of-hand going on, not just with Jessica. I'm still not sure what to make of Godric or his agenda. Seemingly able to leave the Fellowship of the Sun at will, he's remained their prisoner as he claims not to want to spill blood... and he refuses to feed (though he admits he needs very little blood) off of humans as well. It's clear that Godric is meant to be a Christ-like figure who tells both the vampires of Area Nine and the humans to turn the other cheek, to replace violence with compassion.

The only problem is: I don't trust him. Despite the fact that he could have easily escaped the Fellowship, he nearly let Eric die in his stead rather than offer himself up for the "sacrifice" that was demanded. And the way that Gabe said "it's me" to Godric in the basement said something very different about their relationship than just jailer/prisoner.

So what are Godric's plans? To quell the war brewing between the humans and vampires or fan the flames? His actions seem to speak to the former but I can't shake the feeling that there's more here than meets the eye. Newcomer Allan Hyde plays Godric with just the right combination of godlike authority, preternatural strength, and piety. He's an alabaster saint come to life.

I'm also still deeply suspicious of Steve Newlin, despite Stan's claims that the vampires killed his father. Steve has proven himself to be an ambitious and draconian leader clearly capable of pushing aside morality for self-advancement. I'm still of the thought that he killed his own father in order to seize control of the Fellowship for his own ends.

And despite Godric's call for a truce between them and an end to the violence, Steve sends poor Luke (Wes Brown) to meet his maker, strapping explosives and silver to him and sending him into Godric's nest. Fundamentalism breeds hatred and hatred breeds a contempt for life; that poor Luke would sacrifice himself by becoming a suicide bomber is not only fitting, it also showed just how far Steve Newlin is willing to take his crusade. (I wondered when he palmed the honesty ring that Jason Stackhouse threw at him just what his next move would be.)

Things are going to get far worse. There's no way that the vampires of Area Nine are going to turn a blind eye to this opening salvo and let the Fellowship get away with their attack on Godric and his minions. Given that "Timebomb" is the eighth episode of the season, I wondered just why the writers would slate the showdown between the vamps and the humans at this point and the final scene confirmed that things are far from over in this storyline.

What else did I love? The shifting relationships between the characters for one. There was the tender (and hysterical scene) between Jason and Bill with Jason hugging Bill and apologizing for not supporting his and Sookie's relationship. I'm curious to see just what the writers do with Jason Stackhouse next. He's finally come to his senses--after nearly getting killed by Gabe, shot with a paintball gun by Sarah (in the crotch, no less), and taking down Steve Newlin in his own church--and sided with Sookie and the vampires. He even won over Luke in the end, as demonstrated by Luke telling his former Fellowship brother to get out rather than be killed. Hmmm...

I loved Sookie aggressively standing up to Lorena over Bill in a scene that was rife with tension. Sookie has long been known for shooting first and asking questions later and her lack of fear of the vampires has alternately won the fang gang over or made her an easy target. Not to mention the gripping scene where Eric told Bill that he won't relent in his pursuit of Sookie. Both of them see her as a prize rather than as a powerful figure in her own right and her standing up to Lorena proved that she's either crazy or canny.

Not sure why Bill refused to tell Sookie about Lorena keeping him from her in the first place. Or about poor Barry the Bellhop getting drained by Lorena... who is then hit over the head with a 52-inch plasma television by Bill. The final scene between Lorena and Bill, in which she confessed to still being in love with him and asked when they'd see each other, was a wrenching scene about obsessive passion. A woman scorned, as they say...

Back in Bon Temps, Tara and Eggs unknowingly consumed Daphne's heart (in the guise of a bloody hunter's souffle) and then violently turned on each other before giving into the full-blown frenzy as Maryann watched smiling. I feel that this is all leading up to Maryann forcing Tara to kill Eggs and replace him as her new pet before they skip town for a new habitat. Eggs is becoming increasingly self-aware about the blackouts and his missing time and this makes him expendable for Maryann. I'm hoping that someone other than Sam and Andy Bellefleur figure out what's going on and quickly because Maryann looks like she's about to destroy the entire town.

I figured too that poor Sam would take the fall for Daphne's murder. After all, as Sheriff Dearborn said, this is the second time a dead woman with her heart cut out have turned up at Merlotte's and they know that Sam has been lying about his past. It's good that he's locked up in jail and not an easy target but at the same time he's in the local lockup with many of the people that Maryann has used her frenzy mojo on. It's not looking good for our favorite shifter and I'm praying that Sookie and some other supernaturals get back to Bon Temps post haste and take down the evil Maryann for good.

What did you think of this week's sensational episode? What's Godric's agenda? Who will serve the silver-laden attack on the nest? Who can stop Maryann? And just what will happen next? Discuss.

Next week on True Blood ("I Will Rise Up"), Eric plays Sookie for a sucker; Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures; Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry Tara from Maryann’s clutches; Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine; Sam looks for a way to escape both jail and Maryann; Godric decides to take the fall for the vampires' recent PR disaster when Nan Flanagan arrives in town.

Elizabeth Mitchell Says She's Flying to Hawaii "More Than Once" for "Lost" Next Season

Did Juliet detonate that bomb at the end of Season Five of Lost and kill herself in the process?

The answer isn't quite as simple as that, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, who addressed some of the circumstances regarding Juliet's return to Lost next season while appearing on a panel for ABC's V session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena.

According to Mitchell, nothing on Lost is as it seems and that holds true for Juliet's ultimate fate as well.

What did she have to say? Read on...

Asked by a critic whether Mitchell's character, Juliet Burke, "kaboomed" herself with the bomb at the end of Season Five of Lost, Mitchell was extremely non-committal about Juliet's life or death status but did tease some hints that could go a long way to explaining how often we'll be seeing her next season..

"It did seem that I 'kaboomed' myself with a bomb," said Mitchell. "I like that word anyway. I'll have to teach that to my four-year-old. 'Kaboomed' is good. I don't think it's going to be that way. I am going to be traveling to Hawaii more than once. So we'll see how that plays out because my producers have said it's all right, which is good."

"Yes, I will actually be back on Lost," she continued. "I can't say if I'm dead or not, but as with all things on Lost, it will be fairly tricky."

You heard it here, folks: Mitchell WILL be back next season on Lost, appearing in several episodes of the ABC drama's final season. Just what this means for Juliet remains to be seen, but get your theories formulating now...

Lost returns to ABC with its final season in 2010.

Visitors Among Us: The Cast and Crew of ABC's "V" Face the Press

V fans may want to hold onto their hats (or whatever else is nearby) as ABC announced that the series will now launch on Tuesday, November 3rd at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC rather than in midseason. (The news echoes comments made by executive producer Scott Peters to me at Comic-Con.)

ABC announced the change in scheduling at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour session for V, which featured cast members Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Lourdes Benedicto, Morena Baccarin, and Scott Wolf and executive producers Scott Peters and Jeffrey Bell. Or rather the cast of the alien invasion drama announced it... in unison, no less.

So what else did the cast and crew have to say about their upcoming first season? Let's discuss.

Executive producer Scott Peters was asked right off the bat about the fact that so many of V's cast members have appeared on a slew of genre series before getting cast in this project and whether that was an intentional, calculated move.

"We're trying to get every single, science fiction fan who's ever lived to come and watch our show," joked Peters. "No, we obviously went for the best actors we could possibly find, and as we went through this, we're, like, "Oh, hey, somebody from The 4400 and Serenity and Lost. Listen, we love our cast. They're wonderful. They're really not very attractive people, as you can see. (Laughs.) But it's a nice bonus that a lot of folks have appeared in genre shows in the past, but it was not designed that way."

So how different is this incarnation of V from the one that came before?

"None of us would be here without Ken Johnson, who did the original V miniseries, which was obviously a phenomenal success," responded Peters. "So we owe a lot to him. In that vein, we wanted to make sure as we moved forward that we made sure that we honored and respected the characters and the themes that that show envisioned and tried not to step on those and introduced brand new characters and brand new themes that would make sense in a post-9/11 world. So it's really an honor to be able to take the story forward. We're hoping to bring a whole new set of fans as well as the folks who watched it originally."

One of the major changes to the new V series is that the reveal that the aliens are actually scaly-faced reptilian creatures underneath the human-looking skin comes quite early and is handled with a minimum of a-ha trickery. Which was the intent, said Peters.

"I think there was an obvious huge awareness of the original," he said. "There are a lot of people who haven't seen it, but by the time we get to air, we feel like this is not the big surprise that everyone is going to gasp over. We really want to contain [telling] that story that is sort of already known out there so that we can leap forward in very quick manner so that we don't sort of build and build and build to something that people already know. Hopefully, we do it in an artful way and in a twist-filled way that will make folks who haven't seen the show before jump a little bit. Our cast jumped, which was awesome. (Laughs) And really try to bring a new audience to it as well."

Elizabeth Mitchell said that she watched the original series on television when she was a child. "I did watch the show when I was a kid," she said. "I think I was about 13. I was allowed to watch an hour of television with my parents. I really liked it. I liked the escape of it, and I liked the entertainment of it. It was a fun night for me. We kind of made a celebration of it, and I hope that other teenagers will do that with their parents. It's something that kids don't do as much anymore. Oh, my God, I sound like I'm 80. (Laughs.) But, yes, I did watch it back in the day."

Morena Baccarin was asked about her performance as Anna, the face of the Visitors, which one critic described as "every kind of a sweet-faced PR person for a seedy cigarette company."

"I have big shoes to fill as being, I guess, the face of what people want to see, and there's kind of no way to prepare on how to play an alien," said Baccarin. "I did some research, but there's not a lot out there. So, you know, I think I just am trying my best to be as trustworthy as I can be and to be what I would like somebody to be like if they were to come down to Earth, and I think there's an aspect of politicians in that because you need to embody what everybody of every nationality and need wants to see and at the same time you have your own agenda."

Scott Wolf, who plays ambitious journalist Chad Decker, said that he appreciated that critics saw a shading of a legitmate journalist in his performance.

"I appreciate you seeing the legitimate journalist in him; I see that as well," said Wolf. "I think he's a guy who's had success doing what he's doing, but he sees himself a lot further along than he's been able to get thus far. But amongst all the different themes that our producers and writers are dealing with, one of them is integrity versus ambition, and this guy's an incredibly ambitious guy, but there's also a sense of wanting to be a great journalist and be a voice for people so that when spaceships descend over the major cities of the world, he wants people to think, "What is Chad Decker saying about this?" So I think part of the fun of seeing how the character develops will be that relationship between his ambition and his journalistic integrity and which one wins out."

Jeffrey Bell said that the shadow of 9/11 definitely casts its spell over V and was a major influence on the tone of the revival, which is very different from the original.

"I think it's quite a bit different, and in terms re-imagining the original series," said Bell. "The original series, to me, felt very much like a military show almost. It was a resistance and gun fights, and there was a very clear and present enemy. They wore uniforms, and it was the Cold War. It was the Nazis, whoever it was. And post-9/11, that's not who our enemy is anymore. There is no other single threat. It's terrorists, and it's the guy across the street or the woman next door, and who do you trust? And I think one of the things we're trying to do is we have humans who are traitors, and we have Visitors who have a nefarious agenda, and we have Visitors who are heroes."

"And so not knowing who or what someone is and playing the paranoia that we all experience living in a world where we wake up every day and everything is at an orange alert," he continued, "I think the way we're trying to do it is, first off, not be a military show in terms [that] we're not a country at war the way we have [been] in the past, but we are a country very much fractured and struggling with all these issues. I think we've tried to tell stories that regular people -- moms and FBI agents and teenagers -- keeping them in their lives, have to figure out what they're supposed to do.

"Honestly, I'm fascinated by stories that there's a huge over-arching event," said Peters, "that there's a huge universal something that has touched everybody, and how does that affect a priest and an FBI agent and a teenager and a financier and this common thread that runs through all these very different stories. And they all start with very different storylines, which gives us the chance to allow these characters to cross in really unexpected ways and come together, pull apart, and those are just really interesting stories to tell, I think."

So, will Morena Baccarin's Anna eat a rat as the original's Diana did so memorably?

"Whenever we talk to people who saw the original and they [say], 'Oh, my God. I love the original," we go, "What do you love?" And they mention about four or five things, and the rat, guinea pig, bunny, mouse [is up there]," said Bell. "We get a lot of takes on it, but that's one of the things that everyone mentions, and we would be morons if we didn't find a way in the series to pay homage [to it.]"

"You found like the prettiest girl you could possibly find," Mitchell chimed in, "and you're going to make her eat a rodent!"

"We asked her if she had any problems with rodents," said Peters, "and she said, "No." That was her fault."

"I don't mind holding them," joked Baccarin.

"That was before she got the part," joked Morris Chestnut. "Now she cares about it."

"Actors getting a part will say anything," joked Mitchell.

"We're going to say, we want to find a way to do it, but if we just had her do exactly what happened in the original," said Bell in all seriousness, "been there, done that."

"There are other iconic moments certainly within the original that we will find our way of paying homage to," added Peters.

As for Alan Tudyk, who guest stars in the pilot as the partner of FBI Agent Erica Evans (Mitchell), the producers said that he'll be back on the series in some capacity. (Mitchell herself said of Tudyk: "I love him. I want him, love him.)

As for the Visitors' motives in the revival series, don't expect it to be the same as the one in the original, which was basically: steal our water and eat us for dinner.

"It would not be the same as what it was because, again, that's been done," said Bell.

Still, if producers get their wish, actors from the original V could turn up in the revival series, much in the same way that Richard Hatch joined the cast of Battlestar Galactica as a new character.

"I personally like that idea," said Peters. "We talk about it a little bit in the writers' room and we'll obviously develop that as we go forward. But I think it's fun for the fans. I think it's fun just to see those actors show up... It wouldn't be in the same roles, but it would be sort of at an unexpected moment in, perhaps, an unexpected role that would be a little bit of a tip of the hat to the old fans. You know, I think everybody is fair game, but we'll certainly develop that as we move forward. I love the idea, personally."

Peters and Bell said that they have firm plans for the series in terms of overarching storylines and plots.

"The original [V] was conceived as a miniseries," said Bell. "So it was built that way. And knowing that we are built for longer, we've structured the end that way. We've set up the first season so, by the end of the first season, you know what the Visitors' agenda is and sort of where characters end up, on which side of the line they will be by the end of first season."

"That would be our first chunk," he continued. "And then the second season, beginning there, we have a whole different arc again, but we are very much interested in keeping our characters in their own lives. He's going to stay at the church. She's going to stay with the FBI. Chad is going to be a journalist. Ryan is going to be the finance guy he is. And Val is a therapist. Everybody is going to stay in their lives because we think it's more interesting for people watching the show to see someone more like themselves versus 'we are now on the run from an invading army,' and I think we are different that way as well."

Some of the themes of the V pilot--such as the emphasis on universal health care might seem, as Peters put it "freakishly prescient," but Peters said that the series has been in development for quite some time now.

"Because of the Writers' Guild strike, this show has been in development for a long time," he said. "We are not looking to put any sort of agenda onto the table, but I wake up in the morning and you look at the news, and you see there's wars, there's new diseases being discovered, there's old diseases that we are dealing with. The economy is in the toilet. There are people losing their homes. Wouldn't it be awesome if 29 ships showed up and they all said, 'We've got this. We'll take care of you. Don't worry about it'? Wouldn't this be great? And so, I mean, that's really where hope and change came from. Joel [Gretsch] has a line in the pilot that says, "The world is in bad shape, Father. Who wouldn't welcome a savior?" And I think that's a pretty interesting thesis statement. So that's kind of where this whole thing sort of came from. And, listen, I think that shows are open to interpretation. People bring subjective thoughts to it. And if you want to ascribe those words to the Visitors or to whatever is going on in our society, that's sort of up to the viewer, but there's no particular agenda to hone in on those specific things."

Asked to clarify Bell's statement, Peters later said: "I think that if you are bringing something to a show and watching it, looking for something in it, you can find it whether you are on one side of the political spectrum or the other. The main theme of the show is dealing with blind devotion, and I think that you can sort of look at that in two different ways. People will bring to it what they bring to it, and I think it's our job as storytellers to put some provocative things out there and leave things open to interpretation to really bring an audience to it and really be compelled by it. And if one group wants to claim it as their show and another group wants to claim it as their show, that's their prerogative."

"Look, there are always going to be people who will look for agendas in everything," countered Bell. "This show was conceived during the Bush administration. It got executed in an Obama administration. There are people on either sides of the aisle who can find things. You can say, 'Yeah, look how stupid these people are for following blindly and believing everything the government is saying,' and you can have people who are upset about that. And you can have other people saying, 'Look at these people who are promising everything at no cost, and look, they are leading them to their own doom.' And so, for us, both sides have strengths and weaknesses. Let's get people to
show up and watch it and talk about it. But to try to tie it to the birthers or anything is kind of ridiculous."

However, the emphasis this time around is certainly not on a metaphor for the rise of Fascism as in the original, said producers.

"The fear at the time was Fascism," explained Bell. "It was Communism. That was the fear, and that's not the fear now. And we are talking about the metaphors and allegories here, and at a certain level, I just want to remind people it's a show about spaceships on ABC at 8 pm.. And I mean that seriously in that there's this wish fulfillment element of it. And so if everything came true, you would be really excited, and then if it started to turn or you were one of the two or three people who seemed crazy because you knew more about it than anybody else or you didn't believe it, we are really interested on almost a personal level. What does a mom do? What does a priest do? What does a kid do? And how this works politically is fun for people to talk about, but as we are breaking the stories, we are really looking to tell really exciting, entertaining, emotional stories that these guys can do what they do with."

"When we originally conceived the show, I opened up and broadened the theme to be about blind devotion," Peters chimed in. "What happens when you don't ask questions about the things you believe in? And I think that can be applied across the board whether you are talking about a political issue or a religious issue or a relationship issue, any number of things. And so, to me, that was what was really an interesting place to look into to deal with themes across many different storylines."

Do the producers feel any pressure to make V overloaded with the sort of mythology-based mysteries and complexities of fellow ABC drama Lost?

"Sure," admitted Bell. "I think what's different about telling this story now is there are people are live-blogging and die-hard fans who are freezing frames and TiVo-ing and finding Easter eggs to see what happened on Lost or Battlestar or any other awesome shows out there, and so it's our job to build those in for those people but to keep the story simple and clean enough that people who just show up at 8 pm can just enjoy watching the show. But we are aware of both, and we are doing our best to balance that."

Back in May at the Upfronts, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson said that V is being conceived as series with a four-year storyline. Is that still valid?

"We're looking at this first chunk as we've got it all mapped out," said Peters. "In fact, before the show was sold, there was a pretty solid direction to everything. And so Jeff came aboard, and we talked more about it. And as things developed, we certainly know where we are going the first season. We know where we are going the second season. We have a pretty solid plan all the way through. I did a show previous to this that was very serialized, and it helped a lot to know exactly where you were going so that you weren't making it up as you were going along because that just is too painful, and we spent time too many nights staying up."

"We know what the end is," added Bell. "We know where we are going. And whether that's three years or four years or beyond that, you know, look, it's gravy. But there is a plan, and we will stick to that."

So what does V's original creator, Kenneth Johnson, think about this new incarnation?

"I had a meeting with Ken at the very beginning," said Peters. "We sat down and got a chance to meet him. I was very happy to meet him. And one of the other executive producers, Jace Hall, has been in close contact with him throughout this project, and he wishes us well, which is great. This is, as I was saying earlier, a brand-new take on the show. As I said, we want to pay lots of honor and salute to him for starting this whole thing. And so he wishes us well, and we thank him for that."

Still, the notion of propaganda as an invasion tool seems to apply to both versions of V.

"Yeah," said Bell. "And in a sense, the interesting thing to us is propaganda has just become advertising, and everything is branded, and everything is turned into a product. And so the V's are going to do that. The V's are going to brand themselves. The V's are going to advertise and promote, and we are all going to want to love the V's."

For Mitchell, V is the opportunity to play a character very different than the ones she's played thus far in her career.

"I'm always surprised, always grateful, and always giggling a little bit," said Mitchell about getting to play a full-out hero. "So I hope to continue to feel that way. I loved my role on Lost. I thought it was incredibly rich, and I enjoyed every minute of playing it. And I really thought I was going to take a break in between doing that and doing this and doing the bit of Lost that I had left. And I have to say that my manager called and said that Morris [Chestnut] had read the V script and that he really liked it. So I thought, 'Well, if he liked it, then I should read it.' So I read it, and I really did fall in love with the character. And I called over one of my best friends, and I had her read it, and she also fell in love with the character."

"I like playing a traditional hero," continued Mitchell. "I don't think I've ever done it before, and I think it's big shoes to fill because we've had some amazing heroes. I did a panel with Sigourney Weaver, and she said she always chooses male roles because she felt like they are meatier. But this indeed started out as a woman in this incarnation, and then, in the previous one, I believe it was a man. So I'm incredibly excited, and I do feel like it's a lot, and I'm hoping to step up to it. "

V is working with special effect house Zoic--who provided special effects for Firefly--and producers said that they will be keeping up the same level of technical wizardry seen in the pilot episode.

"We were very, very conscious of this as we moved forward," said Peters. "We didn't want to be able to sort of promise something we couldn't deliver every week. And we are sort of on the cutting edge of some really interesting technology in terms of how we present the entry of the spaceship, for instance. We are able to actually shoot all of that on a green screen. And the spaceship is built in a virtual world, and it allows us to collect assets. In other words, we can build these enormous-looking sets in a computer. We can go back to them. We can reconfigure them. We can pop a camera into the virtual set and turn it a different direction and see something that looks like a very different place that we've never seen before. So that gives us the creative ability to really expand upon that so that we aren't leaving everybody in the dark in terms of really wowing everyone on a weekly basis, and that's really what we are striving for. But, obviously, first it's a character-driven show, and we need to deliver that first and foremost. The visual effects and all of the fun eye candy is frosting on the cake but really important frosting."

"We are visiting the ship every episode," he continued. "We are seeing ships in the sky every episode. We shoot in Vancouver, so we have to make Vancouver look like New York. So things that don't look like visual-effect shots are actually visual-effect shots. We are well-stocked and well aware of what we have to accomplish every week.

V premieres November 3rd at 8 pm on ABC

Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Banks Joins "Modern Family," Shawn Ryan to "Ridealong" with FOX, Tina Fey Talks Emmys and "30 Rock," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs) has signed on guest star on ABC's upcoming comedy series Modern Family in a potentially recurring role. TV Guide Magazine's William Keck is reporting that Banks will play Sal, a close friend of gay couple Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), in an October episode and that she came to the project via her real-life friendship with Ferguson. "Sal is their old running buddy," executive producer Steven Levitan told Keck. "Mitchell and Cameron decide they need a night out on the town, so they call her up." Lloyd adds, "She's thrilled to be back with her old friends until they start talking about their new (adopted) baby and she doesn't want to hear about the baby, so she starts saying things like, 'I wouldn't mind killing the baby.'" (TV Guide Magazine)

FOX has given a put pilot commitment to Shawn Ryan's one-hour drama project Ridealong, about a group of Chicago-based cops ranging from uniformed beat cops to a female police chief. Ryan will write and executive produce the pilot, which will be shot on location in Chicago. Ryan, who said that the project won't be as gritty as The Shield, indicated that the series will focus on episodic cases "but something will happen in the pilot that will have overarching (ramifications) that we deal with over time. It will be less serialized than Grey's but more than CSI." Project hails from 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan's shingle Midd Kid Prods. (Variety, Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego has a fantastic interview with 30 Rock creator/star/executive producer Tina Fey about the Emmys, Ben Silverman, 30 Rock, syndication, and much more. Of Silverman, Fey said, "Ben was always very good to us and good to 30 Rock, and anyone who left us on the air is all right by me. We'll miss him, but all seems well with the new guy, too. I spoke to Mr. Gaspin last week and he seems like a good guy—so far. So far. I'm giving him 10... no, I'm kidding." (Broadcasting & Cable)

Mike Vogel (Empire State) has replaced Richard Coyle on CBS' midseason medical drama Miami Trauma. Vogel will play a "charming and fiercely competitive surgeon with a healthy ego." (Is there any other kind?) Series, from Warner Bros. Television and executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, follows the lives of trauma specialists in Miami. (Hollywood Reporter)

Despite comments made by Kevin Reilly at last week's TCA Summer Press Tour, FOX will be airing the final installments of King of the Hill, according to a new press release. FOX has slated the one-hour series finale of King of the Hill for Sunday, September 13th at 8 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Hilary Duff will star in ABC Family romantic comedy telepic The Business of Falling in Love, based on the book "Diary of a Working Girl" by Daniella Brodsky about a fashion reporter who goes undercover in the financial world to write an article about dating business men. Gil Junger will direct the two-hour telepic, which was adapted by Mike Horowitz (Burn Notice). (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson confirmed that comedies The Goode Family and Surviving Suburbia have been canceled and won't be returning to the schedule. (Futon Critic)

Two more cast additions to TNT's untitled alien invasion drama pilot from Steven Spielberg: iCarly's Drew Roy and The Hole's Peter Shinkoda have signed on to star opposite Noah Wyle. (Hollywood Reporter)

Clint Black will executive produce anthology series American Storytellers from ITV Studios, which transforms country music songs into one-hour drama installments. Black will executive produce the series with Mark Roberts, Lorena David, and Joel C. High. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

"Dancing" with Paula Abdul, Katherine Heigl, and "Ugly Betty": ABC's Steve McPherson Talks to the Press

ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson wasn't given in to critics baying for blood at today's executive session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, offering an extremely measured and political response to questions about the departure of rival Ben Silverman from NBC.

"I don't really have a big reaction," said a very diplomatic McPherson. "NBC's in a transition now..."

It was a markedly different response from him than the other network heads gave about the situation, with CBS' Nina Tassler hitting back at Silverman for an insulting remark made a few years ago and FOX's Kevin Reilly making some pointed remarks.

It was also vastly different from the blunt comments made earlier in the day from Hank's Kelsey Grammer, who took on not one but two network heads during the session for Hank, in which he facetiously called CBS' Les Moonves a "selfless and ego-less man" and implied that FOX's Reilly was responsible for his much-publicized cardiac event during the cancellation of Back to You.

But while he was keeping mum about Silverman, McPherson had a lot to say about other ABC-related topics and revealed that he had made overtures to Paul Abdul to come on board the network's Dancing with the Stars.

Asked whether there was any interest on the part of ABC about whether they'd want to lure Paula Abdul to the network, McPherson said, "Absolutely. I would love that. We would love to have her on Dancing, whether as a contestant, a participant, or judge."

Asked to clarify what that statement meant, McPherson said that there had been contact between him and the former American Idol judge. "We definitely have reached out to her," said McPherson, "I called her to say that I was sorry about the situation and that we would love to see her on ABC."

Asked about developing high-profile dramas, McPherson said that there were some major risks involved. "You have to look at shows in terms of a complete system economics," said McPherson. "Maintaining some upside or limiting downside."

ABC has had a history of taking risks with high concept dramas like Lost and Desperate Houswives that have paid off, despite escalating production costs involved with such projects.

"Production cost is a worry, said McPherson, but certain shows do demand "cinematic feel and production value," like FlashForward. They'll continue to evaluate budgets based on the project and the vision of the creators.

"There is so much great drama out there, you have to be ambition and break through the clutter," said McPherson.

And, no, that doesn't always work, even with as beloved a series as the much-missed Pushing Daisies.

"When you have a show that you love and you think is wonderful, there's nothing worse than seeing it get no traction on the air," said McPherson. "Canceling shows is the worst part of my job."

One of the most noticeable things about ABC's fall slate is the abundance of comedy series airing this fall on the network. ABC has struggled in recent years to launch and maintain new comedy series but McPherson says that the network is committed to making a home for laughs on ABC.

McPherson said that they knew they had to get a foothold in comedy and had some "hiccups" with Samantha Who this past season. Still, McPherson said that he feels they should promote shows rather than blocks of programming. We'll see some very focused marketing on Wednesdays to promote the two-hour comedy block's individual series, which include Modern Family, Hank, The Middle, and Cougar Town.

As for critically acclaimed comedy Better Off Ted, McPherson said that he was disappointed by the decision to air the remainder of Ted's unaired Season One episodes this summer but they didn't know then what they know now.

"Hindsight is 20/20," said McPherson. "We would have liked a better performance... but I think post-Dancing slot will determine whether show will work or not.

And ABC also has to decide where to slot its Ricky Blitt-created midseason comedy Romantically Challenged starring Alyssa Milano, Kyle Bornheimer, and Eric Christian Olsen. "We are really excited about Romantically Challenged," said McPherson. "We'll look at that for midseason. Not sure where that would be.

Asked about Eastwick, McPherson said he felt Eastwick is "a really great fun way to do a take on female relationships we haven't seen before."

McPherson said that Scrubs will retain its title and not be renamed. The new season of Scrubs will also feature "the same character dynamics that we've seen before." Some of the core audience will return and Bill Lawrence will introduce new characters this season as well.

Asked about MOWs and mini-series, McPherson said that they'd like to make them work on the network but there are a number of pitfalls involved with launching short-form programming as a viable business. "We'd love to figure out a way to make it a business again," said McPherson, who said that MOWs and minis are such a financial risk and way too expensive of a proposition. "Very difficult business to pull off."

Asked about the timeslot team-up of former co-stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton (on ABC on Hank and The Middle respectively), McPherson said the original Middle pilot didn't creatively get to where it needed and then Heaton was available, so they went in together, whereas Hank was pitched as a series with Grammer attached already. McPherson described Hank as a "really funny, sophisticated multi-camera."

As for the much-hyped FlashForward, McPherson said, "We would love to have even a part of the success that Lost had."

McPherson didn't have any big announcements about Grey's Anatomy and spin-off Private Practice but did answer some questions about the two series.

"Shonda really hit her stride at the end of the year," said McPherson of Grey's. "We don't foresee any other giant changes," though there would be some new characters introduced next season.

"It's no secret that Katherine Heigl is back on Grey's," said McPherson. "It's a show that's evolving."

Looking to spin some of Heigl's recent comments, McPherson said that her words hurt the other hard-working actors on her show. "I'm not going to begin to try to explain someone else's behavior," he said about Heigl. "I think it's unfortunate," said McPherson. "It's not something you want to consumer you, or your people. People are going to behave in the way they choose to behave. There are so many people who work so hard on Grey's--and all of our shows--without any notoriety and those are the ones I'd be concerned about, people who feel like they're being criticized or looked down upon."

Whew.

"The end of last year of Private Practice is really a good lesson for an executive," admitted McPherson. "When I first heard story with Amy, I was frightened of it." The lesson from that Private Practice was: "trust great showrunners," says McPherson.

As for Ugly Betty, which moves to Fridays this fall, McPherson said that the network was extremely happy with the creative on the series this past season and said that they have "great plans" for Ugly Betty and it's "not going anywhere."

Destiny Calls (in Advance): Cast and Crew Discuss "FlashForward"

"What did you see?"

It's the question that's central to ABC's new drama series FlashForward, which launches this fall and features an ensemble cast grappling with visions of their future--six months forward in time--when the entire world blacks out.

On hand at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena were Flash Forward cast members Sonya Walger, Dominic Monaghan, Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Courtney B. Vance and executive producers David S. Goyer, Jessica Borsiczky Goyer, and Marc Guggenheim.

Goyer promised that the numerous questions raised in FlashForward's pilot will get answered. "By the end of Season One, most of the questions asked in the pilot will be answered," said Gowyer. However, the cause of the blackout will be an overarching plot that will unfold over the entirety of the series.

What else did they have to say? Let's discuss.

Jessika Borsickzky Goyer said that discovered the Robert Sawyer book "Flash Forward" about nine years ago and brought it to David Goyer, whom she later married. One of the more compelling questions that the book raised was: "What if you could know your destiny?"

Some liberties were taken with Robert Sawyer's book, most notably changing the flash forwards to six months rather than 20 years and shifting the action from CERN to Los Angeles. Goyer and co-writer/executive producer Brannon Braga sold the project as a spec. (We later learned from ABC's Steve McPherson that the project was actually originally set up at HBO.) The producers created a series bible which they took to McPherson when they pitched FlashForward... so they have a very clear indication of where the series is going.

Asked about similarities to ABC's own Lost, which wraps its run next May, Goyer says he's friends with showrunner Damon Lindelof but the genesis of FlashForward took place before Lost.

"We would be thrilled with half the rabid fanbase of [Lost]. We should be so lucky," said Goyer of FlashForward.

Still there are some intended overlaps. Goyer says that Lost "traffics in shades of grey," which he loves. So look for some mightily conflicted characters in FlashForward.

"I don't know that the lessons of Lost are really applicable to our show," said Goyer, who said that they try to imagine, as rapid TV enthusiasts themselves, what they would like to see unfold on a series.

"By the end of the first season, we'll get to April 29th, 2010 and beyond," said Marc Guggenheim referring to the visions that the characters experience, which show them their future selves on that very date. That date corresponds to the airing of the 21st episode of FlashForward (out of a probable 24), though it's worth noting that ABC hasn't strictly speaking picked up the series yet for a full 22 episodes.

Meanwhile, Lost's Dominic Monaghan signed on to FlashForward without seeing single script page for his character, said Goyer, went on to say that in doing so Dominic made a huge leap of faith.

Monaghan contended that there are lots of similarities between FlashForward and Lost but that there are "distinct differences" between the two: "FlashForward is not as deeply rooted in a mythology that needs to be solved," said Monaghan.

One of the funniest moments of the panel came when Monaghan ribbed fellow Brits Sonya Walger and Joseph Fiennes for "stealing roles that should go to American actors." Jokingly, of course.

Seth MacFarlane, who appears in the pilot episode, will be "popping in and out" of FlashForward, said Goyer, who said they've since filmed additional scenes with him.

Jack Davenport is playing a "version of" the novel's Lloyd Simcoe, said Goyer. Novelist Robert Sawyer understands the necessity to change things for series and Sawyer himself is writing an episode of FlashForward for the first season.

"If the show doesn't work, look for us to be back here next year with our show about wacky particle physicists," joked Guggenheim.

Alex Kingston, who appears in a single scene in the pilot will be back on FlashForward. Gabrielle Union shows up in Episode Three. The producers revealed that they have a huge jump on production and have already written scripts through Episode 111.

Asked to reveal certain information about the pilot's mysteries, Goyer and Guggenheim were tight-lipped:

• "It would be a disservice to our audience to say what happens after April 29th," said Goyer about what happens next.
• "Significance of the date is one of the mysteries of the show," said Guggenheim. "But April 29th is a Thursday when we will be airing."
• "The kangaroo will be back. More than once... The kangaroo is a 'thing.'" said Goyer about the use of a kangaroo in the pilot. (Hmmm....)
• "When we catch up to the future, you'll understand" why some people were looking at the calendar during their flashforward, said Guggenheim.

Lost's Sonya Walger said that Olivia's flashforward has a ripple effect on everything around her as it has a profound influence on how she sees her life. (As for whether we can see more of Penny Widmore,
Walger said she has "absolutely no idea" about whether or not she's done with Lost.)

"That's why I left Law & Order: To be in Kickboxer 2!" joked Courtney B. Vance. Guggenheim hit back: "You never thought your character would do something like that to a kangaroo."

Still, it's not surprising that Vance is in the dark about what happens to his character. Goyer made the decision very early on not to tell actors too much about what happens to their characters in the future. Alfred Hitchcock used to do that with his actors, said Goyer.

Joseph Fiennes said that he was attracted to the project because of the notion of a self-fulfilling prophecy, along with strength of the writers and complexity of the characters.

"One of the primary reasons people come to dramas is conflict," said Goyer. "This show hopes to traffic in the gamut of human experience."

A third of characters are afraid of their futures, a third have futures that are aspirational, and the final third are agnostic about it, said Goyer. That mix of reaction is a compelling and interesting mix.

"One of the things the show is about is the resilience of humanity," added Guggenheim.

Goyer said that the flash forwards bring the whole world together, with people coming together over a shared experience, much like they did with the events of 9/11.

So what's the central question embedded within FlashForward? Goyer has a simple answer for that: "If you saw your future, what would you do about it? And can you change it?" asked Goyer.

FlashForward airs this fall on ABC.

Link Tank: TV Blog Coalition Roundup for August 7-9

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 video interview with Doctor WhoTorchwood writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies and director Euros Lyn and about what's coming up on the final David Tennant Doctor Who specials, a possible fourth season of Torchwood, the return of some familiar faces, and many, many other things.

I also reported live from the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, where I offered up stories on Fringe, the FOX executive session, my own experiences with being a judge on a Top Chef Quickfire Challenge, NBC's executive session, and Doctor Who and Masterpiece Contemporary's David Tennant.

All this and my thoughts on the latest episodes of Top Chef Masters and True Blood, an interview with V executive producers Scott Peters and Jace Hall, and much more.

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

• In his first retrospective of the closing decade that he will be releasing over the next year, Scooter counts down The 100 Greatest Television Shows of the 00’s. Sadly Flavor of Love just missed the cut. (Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green)
• One more month until Glee!!! Whee!!! Can you tell Vance is really excited? (Tapeworthy)
• It's fun and it's quippy! Enter to win the first season of Leverage on DVD by e-mailing us with the last thing you stole. (TiFaux)
• Matt can't wait to see Rachel Evan Wood on True Blood. As if this show could get any more fun/ridiculous! (TV Fanatic)
• Kate wondered which oldie but goodie The CW will tackle next (TV Filter)
• Buzz headed backstage at the So You Think You Can Dance finale and reported 10 things you didn't see on TV. (BuzzSugar)
• This week, Sandie took at first look at Syfy's Alice, a re-imagining of "Alice in Wonderland." (Daemon's TV)
• The parties, the stars and all of your favorite show. Follow the fun as the TV Addict covers TCA 2009 direct from Pasadena California (The TV Addict)

The World is Not Enough: Two Realities at Play in Season Two of "Fringe"

Fringe fans worried about keeping track of an infinite number of realities next season have a much easier job ahead of them, according to the series' executive producers.

Executive producer Jeff Pinkner promised that, despite the reveal of an alternate reality, the action next season will be limited to just the main reality depicted in the first season and that single alternate reality glimpsed by Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) in the season finale.

"We have decided that, though science acknowledges a multiverse, we are only going to deal with two," said Pinkner speaking at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena. "[Season Two] takes place predominantly over here, but what takes place over there has great impact on what's going on over here."

Repeating a fact revealed at Fringe's panel at San Diego Comic-Con last month, co-creator/executive producer Alex Kurtzman said that the series' producers intended not to reveal parallel universe until the end of Season Three but opted to play that card earlier on than they had anticipated in order to ramp up the story and present themselves with some challenges to overcome.

One of those challenges is to toe the line between procedural drama and deep mythology. "There was certainly a point on Alias where the mythology overtook the story," admitted Pinkner. "We're trying very hard not to do that on Fringe."

"We are still learning," said Pinkner. "Don't know that there's anything we want to stay away from. As we went on, got a better grasp of characters and the storytelling."

And they try to make things as uncomplicated as possible. Pinkner said that they write the show for Bryan Burke's dog and his own dad and try to make the science as accessible as possible.

As for the reveal of the alternate universe, Pinkner likened the shot of the Twin Towers to the end of Planet of the Apes, with the shot of the Statue of Liberty. The Twin Towers then effectively worked as a shorthand to represent a vastly different Earth.

An element that goes a great length to grounding Fringe is the delicate father/son relationship between Walter and Peter Bishop, played by Joshua Jackson and John Noble. "If you stripped away everything, we wanted that father/son relationship to be true and honest," said Jackson.

"Josh and I spend a lot of time in private time together, " said Noble, who said that they enjoy exploring the complexities of father/son and are "mates." "John is an endlessly inventive actor," said Jackson about his costar.

Asked how he understands the complex science of the series, Jackson joked, "I’m finishing off my advance chemistry degree from DeVries." He said that the real test of whether he can accept the more out-there elements of the series, was "Can I say that with a straight face? It’s the BS test. I don’t think it defies public consciousness to discuss alternate realities."

"It's not easy or even possible for him to communicate at a more mundane level..." said Noble about Walter. Look for things to get much worse in Season Two for Walter as certain truths rear their ugly heads.

And then there are the obvious similarities between Fringe and another certain supernatural FOX series...

"I loved The X-Files and I would watch that under water, six feet under with my dying breath,” said Jackson. When a critic then called him on the comparison to X-Files, Jackson shrugged. "Oops," he said.

Leonard Nimoy has already shot one episode for the second season of Fringe and will appear in "several more" installments. As for how often we can see Nimoy's William Bell in the second season, executive producer J.H. Wyman said, "He will appear on the show as much as he wants to."

Is there any chance of Olivia and Peter getting together?

"I think we’ve always said if the emotion is true, then we are open to anything," said a noncommittal Pinkner. "We know that the audience is savvy enough that they won’t like anything that we tell them to like."

Pinkner said the writers had discussed a storyline for Season One with Olivia becoming addicted to her past with her dead lover... but they wanted her character to move forward instead of being stuck in reverse. Still, it's possible that part or parcel of that idea could turn up at one point.

"Memory is a crazy thing," said Noble about Olivia's travel into her memories last season.

"First and foremost, [Fringe] should make you feel something and there should be a balance between good and bad," said Pinkner.

And to that end, the Season Two premiere will break your heart, promised producers and Jackson. According to Jackson, the end of that season premiere episode should "shock you into paying attention."

Just what could that mean? Find out this fall...

Season Two of Fringe kicks off this fall on FOX.

Talk Back: "Skins" Season Three Opener on BBC America

You had the chance to read my advance review of Skins' third season premiere a few months ago, but now that the episode has aired in the US, I'm curious to hear what you thought.

Did you miss the original cast of Sid, Tony, Michelle, Cassie, and the rest? Are you intrigued by this new batch of unruly teens? Did the tone feel slightly off between the casual and brusque sexuality of Effy and Cook and the oddness of that first day college assembly? Are you completely amused by Pandora or turned off by her sunny quirkiness? Which characters stand out most to you?

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

Talk back here.

Next week on Skins ("Cook"), Cook prepares to celebrate his seventeenth birthday, although things take a turn for the worse when he encounters a gangster by the name of Johnny White.

Channel Surfing: Shawn Ryan Details What Might Have Been on "The Unit," FX Circles "Louie," "House" Romance Detour, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I'm still recovering from way too good of a time at last night's fantastic FOX party at Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, so luckily just a few headlines to get through today.

Shawn Ryan has told Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan what might have happened next season on military drama The Unit had the series continued on CBS. "[David] Mamet and I and our writers, we came up with a lot of great stuff," Ryan told Sullivan. "It was going to be a whole new show in the sense that we were going to be training some young people, Bob was going to be training some people for a whole new organization. Jonas was finally going to be seeing his run end. The final season was going to be, I figured the fifth season was going to be the last... It was going to be a long, sort of final mission for Jonas. He's not medically cleared, Mac has to go in and sort of change the medical records so that Jonas can keep on [going on missions]. We had a whole thing planned, it was going to be good." Alas... Ryan, meanwhile, is now the showrunner on FOX's Lie to Me and has a pilot, Terriers, in contention at FX. (Futon Critic)

Just a day after it was announced that Louis C.K. would recur on NBC's Parks and Recreation, FX revealed that they had secretly shot a half-hour comedy pilot (tentatively titled Louie) with the comedian. Format will be a mix of stand-up comedy and vignette-style sketches, with actors playing Louis' ex-wife, children, and friends. The cabler, which is looking to find a timeslot companion for comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, will make a decision about Louie and its other comedy pilot The League within the next ten days or so. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that House creator David Shore has indicated that next season will pull back on the House/Cuddy relationship. "We’re stepping back from it a little bit," said Shore. "We’re not ignoring it. We have to carry forward... It’s going to go someplace eventually. But the beginning of this season is primarily focused on House trying to find some semblance of sanity, and not completely succeeding." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

So You Think You Can Dance executive producer Nigel Lythgoe raised some eyebrows yesterday at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour when he said that he was in talks with Paula Abdul about coming on board So You Think You Can Dance next season as a judge. "There's no question," said Lythgoe, that he would be interested in bringing her to So You Think You Can Dance with FOX Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice's blessing; Lythgoe indicated that talks had already begun. "I don’t know anybody that’s had her experience of being a dancer, of being a choreographer and of being a judge," said Lythgoe. (Variety)

Rumors are swirling that The Streets singer Mike Skinner is set to appear on the fifth season of Doctor Who, which will launch next year with new lead Matt Smith replacing David Tennant as the Doctor. Skinner announced the news via his Twitter feed, saying "You wouldn't believe the week I've had. I can't talk about it but let's just say I got a part in Doctor Who," but then mysteriously deleted the message shortly thereafter. Hmmm... (Digital Spy)

Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero has signed a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios, under which he will establish a production company--Bernero Prods.--as well as remain on Criminal Minds as an executive producer/showrunner and develop new series projects for the studio. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has protested CBS' decision to start airing repeats of its newly acquired series Medium, insisting that the Peacock still has exclusive rights in primetime to the series until September and demanding that CBS pay them for the right to air the repeat installments. (Variety)

Cartoon Network has cast Kevin G. Schmidt (Princess Protection Program), Jordan Gavaris (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Italia Ricci (Greek) in their one-hour live-action drama pilot Unnatural History, about a teen (Schmidt) who has traveled the globe with his anthropologist parents and returns to the States where he attend a very strange high school. Project, from Warner Horizon, is written by Mike Werb. (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered an untitled variety/comedy project from actor and dancer Robert Hoffman that will be a blend of hidden camera, dance, and comedy. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Quick Bite: Sneak Peek at Sunday Night's Episode of "True Blood"

Can't wait to sink your teeth into Sunday night? No worries as I've got two sneak peeks at Sunday evening's episode of True Blood ("Timebomb").

Here's how HBO solicited this week's episode of True Blood: "Eric arrives to do his master’s bidding on the eve of the Fellowship’s lockdown; Sam makes a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s and Andy proves no help in coming to his defense; Jessica and Hoyt learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time; Tara and Eggs devour a mysterious meal prepared by Maryann, with unexpected results; Jason pays off his debt; Godric looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers."

Can't wait to watch? You can catch the two preview clips below.

True Blood: Episode 20 Preview 1:



True Blood: Episode 20 Preview 2:



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

"Idol" Chatter: FOX's Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice Address the Press

Not surprisingly, the topic of conversation at today's Television Critics Association FOX executive session with Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice drifted inevitably to Paula Abdul's recent announcement that she would be leaving American Idol.

Reilly and Rice attempted to get this hot topic out of the way at the very start of FOX's presentation this morning, with Rice stating, "Everyone is aware that Paula is not returning to American Idol and we are sad to see her go."

Was that enough to quell the fervor of reporters clamoring for some insight into what is going on behind the scenes to replace Abdul, whether she was actually leaving Idol, and what producers planned to do in the meantime with auditions slated to begin this week? Hell no.

"Paula’s the only member of Idol whose contract is up right now," said Rice. "We very much wanted her to return... In the past few weeks, the negotiation has sort of come to a conclusion. We made an offer that we feel was very fair to Paula. It was a substantial raise on her salary in the past... It [was announced] only 36 hours ago, so we don’t have big announcements of what we’re going to."

Rice went on to say that the network is focusing on the audition process and that a rotation of guest judges will fill in during each of those auditions. "We will come up with a more permanent solution... before January... and a replacement for Paula," said Rice. "We are very sad that she’s not coming back... We are looking forward to this season... [and] there’s also something exciting about it.

Asked to address rumors that Abdul's departure was part of a negotiation tactic, Rice clarified the network's position, saying, "It is our understanding that we have concluded our negotiations and Paula is not coming back."

The format for next season is still up in the air, but it's thought likely that it will feature four rather than three judges. "We will probably have four judges back," said Rice.

"The finale was probably the best one we’ve ever done," said Reilly. "It was a great moment for Kara."

As for those guest judges previous mentioned, there are two people confirmed so far: Katy Perry and Victoria Beckham. These guest judges will do one week apiece during the auditions, said Rice. There are no expectations on the part of FOX that any of these judges will be long-term. "We have until January to introduce a different energy to the panel," said Rice.

To clarify the contract situation further, Rice said that Ryan Seacrest is still in his old contract on Idol. Kara’s contract hadn’t expired, but rather FOX had picked up her option. It was only Abdul’s contract that had actually expired.

"Our expectation and hope was that Paula would come back," said Rice. "When her current agent made the statement to the press about two weeks ago we started to think what will we do. There are no contingencies."

Reilly, speaking about whether Abdul could simply be replaced, pondered, "Could Walter Cronkite ever be replaced?" He went on to list such notable cast evolutions/changes as Cheers' Sam and Diane becoming Sam and Rebecca and Dick Wolf changing up Law & Order a number of times.

"There is going to be a change and we need to look at that as a positive change," said Rice. "We have to look at it as an opp for the show to bring a different energy to it and be really entertaining for the audience. People are really engaged and interested in how the show is going to evolve after Paula leaves."

The final word on Idol came from Reilly: "It sounds trite but it is ultimately about the contestants."

Kevin Reilly, meanwhile, spoke about the "young schedule" that FOX is offering this fall, which has "more stability than we’ve had" in a long time. He pointed towards the unusual decision to air three hours of So You Think You Can Dance this fall, which will "mirror the schedule we’ll have in the second half of the season." Reilly feels that SYTYCD is the "perfect springboard for Glee," which returns this fall after airing its pilot episode in the spring.

FOX has ordered an eighth season of reality competition series Hell's Kitchen and announced that live cooking special Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live would air on Tuesday, December 15th at 9 pm ET/PT.

Reilly was also excited about the network's decision to schedule appointment viewing dramas on Thursdays and said of Fringe that the “way it comes back is really sharp.”

"It’s been a long-term evolution of the network... getting those scripted shows on Thursday," said Reilly. "We have established shows at 8 jump-starting the night every night of the week... We need to have fall success. If we can be stable and competitive, and add a series or two that will get the back nine, that’s great."

Reilly also pointed towards improvements with procedural drama Lie to Me now that The Shield creator Shawn Ryan has come on board. "The production value is better," said Reilly about the series' second season. "Characters are starting to flourish."

Reilly said that the Save Dollhouse campaign ("you mean the one that started before we made any of the show?") "factored in from a more positive place... They nurtured the show and stuck with it. They are there with Joss and that’s what gave us such a positive cumulative rating...

"Joss is an incredible creator of TV shows," countered Rice, "and the show got better and better as the season went on."

As for what fans should expect from Season Two of Dollhouse this fall, Rice and Reilly were candid about the fact that things had greatly improved and that the series would just get better and better.

So what's Joss' mandate for Season Two? "Keep doing what he’s doing," said Rice of what Whedon would do for Dollhouse's sophomore season. "That is really the gift of Joss... he was open about those hiccups. In the second half, he really found the show and started having fun with it... It’s going to be much smoother sailing this year.”

Reilly said that music-themed dramedy Glee "performed right in line with our expectations" and was a "marketing stunt to a certain extent [that] ended up being very successful." He referred to their decision to air the pilot for Glee in the spring as "markers for something we are going to employ more frequently.

"This is a show we knew all along [would go over well]," said Reilly. "It’s got music but it’s not a musical, it’s got humor but it’s not comedy, it’s sweet but it’s not saccharine. It’s got Ryan Murphy subversity."

FOX said that they plan to repeat the pilot again this fall ahead of Glee's series launch.

"There’s something happening with the show," said Reilly, recounting the massive reaction Glee got at last month's Comic-Con. "We are very confident that there is a core audience for this show that is going to be there. We are not expecting it to be the biggest phenomenon of the fall. All in all, we like [the] strategy [we used] and it worked very well."

"It’s not saccharine but you leave every episode feeling upbeat and positive," he said later. "The show has its heart in the right place. [Murphy has a way to] keep people moving back and forth between something that is subversive... and something that is quite sweet and aspirational."

Rice revealed that the network has wrapped production on thirteen episodes of Glee.

FOX has not yet committed to airing Futurama, which has a second window on Futurama, but won’t rule it out either.

Reilly said that there are currently no plans to air either the final six episodes of King of the Hill or Season Two of unscripted series Moment of Truth. "It’s really unlikely," he admitted.

Asked about NBC's decision to air Jay Leno five nights a week at 10 pm, Reilly was candid about the likely results.

"I think the Leno thing you are going to have to look at holistically," admitted Reilly. "Some nights he’s not up against much competition." Reilly said that we'd see major tapering in the second half of Leno's shows and that this will majorly impact local news lead-ins. "Overall ratings impact, they are going to struggle at 8, and [there's] not a lot of powerhouses at 9," said Reilly about NBC.

And it wouldn't be a FOX executive session without Reilly being still haunted by his dealings at NBC with now former co-chairman Ben Silverman.

"It hasn’t affected Fox for the last two years and I don’t think it will affect it for the next two," said Reilly on whether Silverman’s departure from NBC would affect FOX. "I wish him well. I enjoyed working with him as a producer."