BBC America Announces Launch Date for "Survivors"

BBC America has announced the launch date for post-apocalyptic drama series Survivors.

The much-delayed Survivors, which is an adaptation of the cult classic 1970s series (itself based on Terry Nation's novel), will have its US premiere on Saturday, February 13th at 8 pm ET/PT, before shifting to its regular timeslot at 9 pm ET/PT the following week.

The series tracks the adventures of a group of people who survive a global viral holocaust that wipes out 99 percent of the human race's population and who struggle to stay alive in the face of unspeakable odds following this global catastrophe.

In the official scheduling announcement, BBC America refers to the "twelve-episode season" of Survivors, which is a sign that the digital cabler intend to air the first two UK seasons of Survivors back-to-back. Season One, which aired in the UK in 2008, was comprised of six episodes and the second season of Survivors will launch early next year in the United Kingdom.

This version of Survivors, overseen by Adrian Hodges (Primeval), boasts a cast that includes Julie Graham (Bonekickers), Paterson Joseph (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon), Phillip Rhys (Nip/Tuck), Zoë Tapper (Demons), Nikki Amuka–Bird, Shaun Dingwall, and Chahak Patel.

"Survivors is about what it means to be human, said Hodges. "It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?"

The full press release from BBC America announcing the scheduling can be found below.

ONE VIRUS. MILLIONS DEAD. ALL THAT’S LEFT IS HOPE.

Imagine what would happen if a virulent disease scoured the planet, wiping out 99% of the human race. It kills every member of your family, your lovers, friends, neighbors and probably everyone you have ever known. Imagine the world stripped of all the conveniences of the 21st Century – no law, no shops, no communications, no transport, no electricity, no clean water. This is the apocalyptic scenario facing the heroes at the center of this chilling new drama series, brought to you by the co-creator and writer of Primeval. Set in the present day, Survivors focuses on the world in the aftermath of a virus where only a lonely few are left to start over in a devastated world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. The 12 episode season of Survivors premieres Saturday, February 13, 8:00p.m. ET/PT - subsequent episodes premiere at 9:00p.m. ET/PT.

In the middle of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant, a woman whose strength comes from a burning need to find out if her young son is still alive. Other members of the group include Greg (a good man who hides the pain of his past), Anya (a doctor who has seen too many people die) and Al, a former playboy who becomes surrogate father to streetwise urchin Najid. Then there is Tom, outwardly handsome and charming, but actually a dangerous and ruthless man who, unbeknown to the others, was a high-security prisoner before the virus hit.

This brave new world brings an opportunity for new beginnings, but also terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water, but also a deadly threat from other survivors. The cast includes Julie Graham as Abby Grant, Paterson Joseph as Greg, Freema Agyeman as Jenny, Max Beesley as Tom Price, Phillip Rhys as Al, Zoë Tapper as Anya, Nikki Amuka–Bird as Samantha Willis, Shaun Dingwall as David and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.

“Survivors is about what it means to be human,” says award-winning writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges (co-creator and writer of Primeval). “It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?”

Hodges’ Survivors is a re-imagining of the classic ‘70s BBC drama series, and is based on the novel by Terry Nation. Hodges adds: “Survivors is about adventure, fear, love, loyalty and friendship. But above all, it’s about new hope.”

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. 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 65 million homes.

Time Lord Victorious: "Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars"

"A Time Lord victorious."

You had a chance to read my advance review of the sensational Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars but now that the latest David Tennant-led Doctor Who special has aired, I'm curious to see just what you thought of the special, written by Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford, which found the Doctor grappling with some weighty issues about predetermination, free will, and responsibility.

As I said in my review, I thought that Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars was the darkest and most adult of the 2008-09 Doctor Who specials and brought us a Tenth Doctor for whom time was running out, both literally and figuratively. The Tenth Doctor's song is ending (and with it, rather sadly, David Tennant's run on the series) and he's waiting to hear those four knocks that will signal his doom but before then the Doctor made a stunning decision that might seal his fate once and for all.

In choosing to intervene in the "fixed time" element of the Bowie Base One disaster, the Doctor oversteps his bounds, both as hero and as the last of the Time Lords. Throughout the series' run, the Doctor has been wary of interfering with events or times that are fixed. His involvement in Pompeii ended up bringing about the city's destruction as a result; Pompeii had to be destroyed and the Doctor had always been the one to destroy it. At the time, it was a tough decision to make but one that he had to do in order to save the human race from a greater evil. Perhaps the ability to make those moral judgments--to safeguard the greater good--is both the Doctor's strength and his curse.

Here, he's faced once again with an enormous dilemma but there's no companion to push him towards the correct course (as Donna Noble had done in Pompeii). As before, he saves a handful of people from certain doom but in doing so, alters the natural course of the universe. While Donna's insistence that they save one family doesn't have any huge implications about the future, the Doctor's interference here does. Adelaide Brooke's death on Bowie Base One directly influences her granddaughter, who follows in Adelaide's footsteps and takes the human race to the stars.

The Doctor, in an act of hubris, decides not to follow time's natural path. He opts instead to save Adelaide Brooke (Lindsay Duncan), believing that she can still inspire her granddaughter and still save the human race. The Doctor wrongly believes that he is not chained to the laws of time and space. He is the last of the Time Lords and time itself bows to his command. He saves Adelaide, aware of the costs. It's a monumental error, perhaps made because he knows his own death is stalking him, circling him and ready to pounce. If he can save Adelaide, perhaps he can save himself?

But it's a dark gift that is too much for Adelaide to bear, too much responsibility for one person to carry. She knows that the fate of the human race rests on her slender shoulders and, even if the Doctor will not make the right decision, she will. She sadly enters her house after telling the Doctor that a "Time Lord victorious is wrong." And she promptly kills herself, righting the course of history and keeping the human race on the path they were meant to be on.

It's a rare miscalculation from the usually infallible Doctor, an act of shocking hubris that comes as a surprise but also perhaps serves as a fitting consequence of the death and destruction he's left in his wake these past few years. A fatal flaw that points to his inevitable regeneration and the end of this form.

As for the Ood who appears before the Doctor, he is a harbinger of things to come. The darkness is closing in on the Doctor, even as he rallies to try and fight his fate. The fear in his face as he attempts to escape the inescapable (and the sound of danger-alerting cloister bell) is palpable. He'll fight with his very last breath to stay alive and what's even more gut-wrenching is that we, as the audience, knows that he ultimately will fall.

What did you think of Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars? How did it compare to the other specials? Just what will happen to the Doctor in the final two-part episode of David Tennant's run? And how sad are you that Tennant is leaving the series? Discuss.

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One airs Saturday at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: USA Renews "White Collar," ABC to Burn Off "Ted" and "Scrubs," "True Blood," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

In an early Christmas present to fans, USA gave out a second season order to dramedy White Collar. The news was broken by series creator Jeff Eastin, who announced the renewal via Twitter on Friday. ("White Collar season 2 pickup is official!" wrote Eastin. "Congratulations to the best cast and crew on television.") Hardly a surprising turn of events considering that the Fox Television Studios-produced series posted its strongest numbers--5.6 million viewers overall--for its fall finale. White Collar returns with new episodes on January 19th. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Less good news for fans of ABC's absurdist comedy Better Off Ted or the resurrected Scrubs, however. The Futon Critic is reporting that ABC plans to wrap up the runs of both Better Off Ted and Scrubs in January, burning off both series by double-pumping them in the 8 pm and 9 pm hours throughout the month, along with an extra airing on Friday, January 1st. The news means that both comedies will end their runs by the time the month is over. (Futon Critic)

True Blood casting alert! Lindsay Pulsipher (The Beast) has been cast as a series regular on HBO’s True Blood, where she will play Crystal Norris, described as "a barefoot, sundress-wearing woman who shares an electric connection with Jason (Ryan Kwanten) before vanishing into the forest." (Hollywood Reporter)

In a surprising twist, CBS will use the coveted post-Super Bowl slot on February 7th to launch new reality series Undercover Boss, rather than air one of their current series. Series, executive produced by Stephen Lambert, follows CEOs as they go undercover at their companies to see what challenges actually affect their employees. Series will move into its regular timeslot, Sundays at 9 pm, beginning February 14th... which also sees the start of a new season of The Amazing Race as well. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

In other CBS-related news, the network will launch the twentieth season of Survivor, named Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, on February 11th. The season will feature the return of twenty former players, who will be divided into two tribes. "20 of Survivor's greatest castaways return, and a conflict will ignite," host Jeff Probst said. "One side chosen for their skills in deception, manipulation, and duplicity: the villains. And the other, defined by their decisions of integrity, courage, and honor: the heroes. Twenty castaways will return seeking revenge or redemption in the biggest battle in Survivor history.” (Reality Blurred)

E! Online's Jennifer Godwin caught up with Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy to talk about the back nine episodes, slated to debut on FOX in March, including some romance for Lea Michele's Rachel. "There's a lot of love stuff going on for [Rachel Berry] in the show in the next episodes: Jonathan [Groff]... Finn... Puck (Mark Salling)," teased Murphy. Murphy also said that he was most excited about the upcoming Madonna-centric episode, which airs this spring. "We have 10 Madonna songs in that episode," Murphy told Godwin. "Huge songs, huge production numbers. I'm really excited about that. I'm really excited about Kristin Chenoweth coming back. She is just a doll, and I love writing for her. I love pitching songs that she's never sung. She'd never sung 'Maybe This Time' before, and she did it on Glee, and now she uses it as her opening number. And then we have a couple of really big top-secret guest stars who I really can't say [who they are yet]." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC given a pilot order to comedy Awkward Situations for Men, which will follow British comedian Danny Wallace as he moves to the States with his wife, "only to discover that his everyday behavior clashes with American values and gets him into trouble." Wallace will play himself in the project, which is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Heydaycq Films. Pilot is written by Wallace (based on his forthcoming book) and Jeff and Jackie Filgo (That '70s Show), who will executive produce. (Hollywood Reporter)

20th Century Fox Television has signed a two-year overall deal with Brett Ratner's Rat TV shingle, which currently has several projects in development at CBS, FOX, and TNT. Those scripted projects include: CBS satirical drama Chaos, from writer Tom Spezialy, about the CIA; FOX drama The Devil and Daniel Webster, a modern take on the classic Stephen Vincent Benet short story, from writer William Blake Herron; and TNT cop drama The Dead Beat, from writer Sean Jablonski. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that The Paley Center for Media and Sony Pictures Television are said to be in talks about launching a television awards special and are talking to multiple networks to gauge interest in such an offering. Initial reports indicated that the special would compete with the Primetime Emmy Awards, but a Paley spokesperson denied any sort of rivalry. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Futon Critic is reporting that FOX midseason comedy Sons of Tucson will now launch on Sunday, March 14th at 9:30 pm ET/PT while animated comedy The Cleveland Show will now remain in its current timeslot at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (Futon Critic)

In a rare move, Showtime will air the pilot for comedy Ronna and Beverly, which was not picked up to series earlier this year. In a amortization-related decision, the pay cabler will air the pilot, which stars Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo, twice this week. (Variety)

Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) will host NBC game show Perfect 10, which will premiere in 2010. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

What Price Victory: An Advance Review of BBC America's "Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars"

"Water always wins."

Those words are uttered by the Doctor (David Tennant) about a certain water-based entity stalking the crew of Bowie Base One, the groundbreaking Mars colony currently inhabited by a group of Earth scientists. Certainly then, the Doctor and the residents of Bowie Base One (and, yes, that's a direct reference to "Life on Mars" singer David Bowie) are at a bit of a disadvantage. How do you fight something that's persistent, deadly, and can wait forever, wearing down everything around it? How do you battle the eternal?

In his journeys through time and space, The Doctor has squared off against some pretty tough adversaries but perhaps none quite so dangerous as the one he faces in the latest Doctor Who special, the darkly compelling Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, written by Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford and directed by Graeme Harper.

That's because the enemy he must confront is himself.

I had the opportunity to watch Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars in advance of its US broadcast tomorrow night on BBC America and was immediately struck by its darkness, its stakes, and a sense that time is finally catching up with the Tenth Doctor.

Just what did I think of Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars? Read on for my thoughts but beware there are minor spoilers lurking about.

It's worth noting that Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars is the best of the three season-bridging Doctor Who specials that have aired in the last year or so. The Next Doctor offered a campy Victorian-era steampunk rollercoaster ride in the tradition of other Christmas-themed episodes, The Planet of the Dead was an adventure story that fused together a heist with a sci-fi caper. And finally Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars represents the beginning of David Tennant's swan song on the series. It's the darkest of the specials and the most complex in terms of the emotions that are brought up over the course of the hour.

At its core, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars is a story of survival, not just for the crew members of Bowie Base One but also for the Doctor himself, the ultimate survivor of a doomed race that has been exterminated. Survivor guilt can do strange things to those it infects; it's propelled the Doctor out among the stars on a never-ending series of adventures, always running, always looking to connect, and always ending up once more on his own.

Over the course of the revival series, we've seen the Doctor attempt to form permanent relationships with the companions he brings aboard the TARDIS but every time he does, the universe conspires to punish the Doctor for managing to survive. Each of those relationships--whether it be with Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, or Donna Noble--always end in tragedy.

In Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, the Doctor talks about certain events being fixed points in time and the plot revolves around his interference into one of those very unalterable events. Here, he comes in contact with the crew of Bowie Base One, led by the gruff Adelaide Brooke (Lindsay Duncan). Adelaide is unlike any of the other companions the Doctor has encountered; she's perhaps a woman as stubborn and far-thinking as the Doctor himself, a pragmatist who knows just what needs to be done, no matter what the sacrifice. As the base falls prey to the aforementioned water-based entities, Adelaide faces her toughest decision yet, a choice that she must make that will put the future of the human race on the line and yet which also connects to a very personal moment she shared fifty years earlier, a moment that ties in very nicely with the continuity and plot of the Doctor Who revival series.

As for the Doctor, he too faces a choice here. It's a decision which speaks volumes about the pressures and tragedies that the Tenth Doctor has faced since his regeneration. It's a monumental decision that alters some of the unquestionable boundaries the Doctor has placed on himself and ultimately exposes his fatal flaw.

Yes, it turns out that the Doctor is just as human, perhaps, as any of us. And the flaw he holds within his character is one that has faced many a character in literature as the Doctor falls prey to hubris and makes a decision that could change the Doctor from hero into a tragic figure.

Tenant and Duncan make a superb pair and there's an energy and respect between the two that puts them on equal footing in a way that the Doctor hasn't quite been with any of his previous companions. There's a sense that Adelaide, like the Doctor, has to make unpopular decisions and that she too is alone in the universe. That they would find each other to be sympatico souls in the toughest of situations and yet never take their chemistry into a romantic place is a testament both to the actors and the top-notch writing of Davies and Ford here. There are still little Davies-esque quirks here, such as the "gadget, gadget"-spouting droid but this is a more serious, "adult" adventure than we've seen the Doctor on in quite a while.

I won't say anything more, lest I give away just what happens in this momentous and tense special. The end is near for the Doctor and will signal its arrival with four knocks. That time is drawing ever closer and in Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars there's a sense of a ticking clock as we prepare to say goodbye to the Tenth Doctor and series lead David Tennant. Decisions are made, lines are crossed, and consequences hit home.

Yet for all of the Doctor's bravery and good intentions, there are some things that can't be undone, some events that must unfold, and some fates that can't be avoided. For a man such as the Doctor, a Time Lord who exists somewhat outside the laws of time and space, I am sure that the irony isn't lost on him.



Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars airs tomorrow night at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: Boris Kodjoe Gets "Undercovers," "Big Love" Departure, Showtime Sees "Sunshine," Julie Benz Discusses "Dexter" Finale, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Another cast member has been secured for J.J. Abram's NBC espionage drama pilot Undercovers. Boris Kodjoe (Surrogates, Soul Food) has been cast as the male lead, Steven Bloom. Steven and his wife Samantha (as yet uncast) work together as spies. Abrams, who co-wrote the pilot script with Josh Reims, may still come aboard the project as the pilot's director. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has the scoop on the departure of one of the cast members from HBO's drama series Big Love, which returns with its fourth season on January 10th. [Editor: I am not even going to put the name of the actor here as the article is extremely spoilery (though has at least one piece of misinformation), so read at your own risk.] (TV Guide Magazine)

Showtime is developing a series adaptation of feature film Sunshine Cleaning, about a pair of sisters who work as crime scene cleaners. The pay cabler has hired the film's writer, Megan Holley, to adapt it as a drama series and is developing the project in-house. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has an interview with Dexter star Julie Benz, in which the duo discuss the shocking events of this past week's Dexter season finale. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

FOX has bumped up the return of House, originally set for January 25th, to January 11th, in order to compete with the second half of NBC's Chuck third season premiere, according to Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego. House will then break for a week to accommodate the second part of 24's Day Eight launch before returning with new episodes on January 25th. (Broadcasting & Cable)

James Nesbitt (Occupation), Minnie Driver (The Riches), and Goran Visnjic (ER) have been cast in five-part thriller The Deep, which will air on BBC One in 2010. Project, written by Simon Donald and directed by Jim O'Hanlon and Colm McCarthy, "the crew of an oceanographic submarine as they search the final frontiers of Earth for unknown and remarkable life forms" beneath the Arctic ice. (BBC)

Lifetime is developing an untitled legal drama about a "team of victim witness advocates" from Sony Pictures Television, Apostle, and writer Pam Wechsler (Canterbury's Law), who will executive produce alongside Jim Serpico and Denis Leary. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered a third season of reality series Toddlers and Tiaras, which it will launch on January 20th. (Futon Critic)

Cartoon Network has a live-action comedy project in development from writers Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward. The untitled action-comedy, which is being developed as a two-hour backdoor pilot, revolves around a teenager who "gets more than he bargained for when his family sponsors a Japanese exchange student on a secret mission far greater than just surviving high school." (Hollywood Reporter)

A. Smith and Co. cable spinoff A. Smith and Co. Properties has a number of projects in the works, including Travel Channel's The Streets of America: The Search for America's Worst Driver and Discovery's Ultimate Car Build Off, as well as current properties such as Spike's UFC Countdown, TV One's Unsung, and TruTV's Full Throttle and Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Back in the Spy Game: An Advance Review of Season Three of "Chuck"

Anticipation is running high for the third season premiere of NBC's action-comedy Chuck, which has been off of the Peacock's schedule since May. It's been far too long of a wait for this fun and offbeat series to have been on hiatus. But the wait is nearly over.

And, having greedily devoured the first five fantastic episodes of Chuck's third season in the last 24 hours or so, I can say that the wait will have been worth it.

When we last saw Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), he had just downloaded the Intersect 2.0 into his head after the death of its intended recipient Agent Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer)... and that the updated software had granted him new physical-based abilities. Abilities that, judging from the first few episodes, would appear to be limitless.

Or are they? As creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak promised, Chuck Bartowski hasn't transformed overnight into a super-suave 007-type. Nor has the series, a winning blend of comedy, action, romance, angst, and workplace drudgery, morphed into a cutthroat spy thriller.

While Chuck himself may have had a few upgrades since we last saw him, Chuck the series has kept true to its formula, juggling a host of genres and tones with a perfect dexterity, and the series' whip-smart team of writers--including Chris Fedak, Matt Miller, Ali Adler, Scott Rosenbaum, Phil Klemmer, and Zev Borow, who all turn in scripts here--deliver a batch of episodes that showcase Chuck's numerous strengths and deliver some of the strongest episodes to date.

Want to hear more about the first five episodes of Season Three of Chuck? Read on but be aware that there are minor spoilers ahead.

There's no getting around it: Season Three of Chuck begins with a bang and delivers on this promise by offering five incredible episodes. Personally, I think that the second (written by Ali Adler and Scott Rosenbaum), the fourth (written by Zev Borow), and the fifth (written by series co-creator Chris Fedak) are the strongest installments of the bunch. (Episode Two, entitled "Chuck Versus the Three Words," written by Adler and Rosenbaum, might just be my favorite episode of the series to date.)

Rather than paint themselves into a corner with Chuck's new abilities, the writers' use of the Intersect 2.0 has opened up the series to some new narrative possibilities, which are explored deeply within these early episodes. Chuck's role within the team has changed somewhat, due to his ability to "flash" on various skill sets (in the first few episodes, those skills include kung fu, swordplay, nunchucks, and Spanish guitar), but that's not to say that handlers Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and John Casey (Adam Baldwin) have been given pink slips. While it's true that Chuck can handle himself better than before, his new-found abilities come with some, er, complications and Chuck doesn't have much control over how and when he's able to interact with them.

Team Bartowski, therefore, doesn't need to start looking for other employment. While the core trio's mission has changed slightly, what hasn't is the foundation of their interpersonal relationships, though how they perceive one another may have shifted slightly.

Which is to say: there's definitely some tension in the ranks and I wouldn't have it any other way. But is it professional or romantic? Well, both when Chuck is concerned. While I won't give too much away, I will say that Chuck and Sarah's relationship features prominently in several subplots among the first five episodes and unfolds in an unexpected way. There are some major complications that could forever change their relationship but their will-they-or-won't-they romance is explored in a very adult way with some heavy thoughts about risks and consequences.

Due to a time-jump within the narrative, we're able to see just how Chuck's abilities affect his life and the lives of those around him, including the now-married Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) and best friend Morgan (Josh Gomez). Chuck has always operated on a philosophy of wish fulfillment and the season premiere forces Chuck Bartowski to come to terms with what it means when you get everything you always thought you wanted... and what it means giving up in the process. (Don't worry, though: flashbacks will reveal just what happened between now and Chuck downloading the Intersect 2.0 and, let me tell you, there are some very interesting twists.)

McPartlin's Devon, meanwhile, has an increasingly more important role within the espionage storyline and two episodes nicely utilize Captain Awesome not just for comedy value but for real, action-oriented stuff that changes the way that he perceives his brother-in-law... and leads to some relationship issues with Ellie. (Look for Devon to play a major role in both the third and fourth episodes.)

Several familiar faces return in these first few episodes, the most notable of which is Mini Anden's deadly and sexy spy Carina, who turns up in Episode Two ("Chuck Versus the Three Words"). I've been wondering just when the writers would bring Carina back into the mix; she adds an element of unpredictability as well as offering a different perspective on Agent Sarah Walker. Anden fits in quite nicely within the world of Chuck and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that, like a bad penny, she turns up again down the road.

While some faces might be familiar, there are also a few new characters turning up, with the most compelling being the enigmatic Shaw (Brandon Routh), who adds a very intriguing new dynamic to the mix and makes quite an entrance. I can't wait to see just where the writers take his character and some reveals late in the game add some nice layering to what, in lesser hands, could have been a stereotypical hard-edged spy role. I'm also curious to see just how seemingly innocent Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) changes things up. (She enters the picture in Episode Five, entitled "Chuck Versus First Class.")

Additionally, the production team's thoughtful use of single-episode guest stars--which here include Armand Assante, Vinnie Jones, Steve Austin, and Angie Harmon--is top notch, with each of the actors adding something to their individual episode without stealing the spotlight away from the core cast.

What else? There's a management reshuffle at the Buy More, new living arrangements, and a testosterone-laden exercise in adrenaline behind the scenes at the store. Not to mention: Casey's past catches up to him, Chuck gets acrobatic and gregariously honest at an inopportune time, Devon finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, Sarah faces some hard truths, Morgan must find some inner strength, and a certain unwisely hurled epithet gets someone in some serious trouble.

And, oh, there's a kick-ass fight sequence between Chuck and guest star Steve Austin at 30,000 feet that involves... swords. And a scene in the second episode that will prove to be a favorite of many male viewers. Ahem.

All in all, these first few episodes of Chuck's third season are sensational and engaging. They also point to what promises to be an incredible season that builds on the plotlines that have come before, but which also forges ahead in new directions, setting up new mythologies and ongoing subplots that are intriguing, complicated, and, well, awesome. In other words: Season Three of Chuck is back and better than ever. And you don't need a flash from the Intersect, or have gone to the El Segundo School of Finance, to come to that conclusion.

Season Three of Chuck launches January 10th at 9 pm ET/PT with a two-hour premiere before moving to its regular timeslot Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on January 11th.

Still Hungry: Bravo's "Top Chef Watch What Happens Reunion" Leaves Me Wanting More

Perhaps because this season focused on the strengths of the competitors and one particular sibling rivalry rather than on any animosity between the contestants, there wasn't a hell of a lot of controversy for Andy Cohen to discuss. (Certainly no wigs were ripped off anyone's head on Top Chef this season.)

So last night's Top Chef reunion was a rather low-key affair (especially compared with the histrionics seen on Real Housewives get-togethers), with the only remote sparks of controversy being those emanating from Eli's cancer comment to Robin, Ash's feeling that Padma hated him, and, well, that was about it.

Hell, anyone hoping to learn who the fan favorite would be from Top Chef: Las Vegas still has to wait until tonight to find out as someone decided not to announce the fan favorite winner during the reunion special (a likely place to do so) but to wait until Andy Cohen's Thursday latenight talkfest to do so. (In other words: Grr. Though there's no doubt that either Kevin or Jennifer will take home the prize.)

An effort on the part of host Andy Cohen to make it seem as though the cheftestants had bullied Robin throughout the competition sort of fell flat. While I'm not sure why one of the chefs didn't just tell the overly gregarious Robin to shut up while she dithered on endlessly, I didn't think that their dislike of her was anything other than personality conflict. (Her constant talking would have gotten under my skin so I can sympathize.)

As for the cancer issue, Eli admitted that he hadn't apologized to Robin for making the comment (he hadn't seen much of her since her elimination) and that he had cracked under pressure and said something he shouldn't. But he did apologize on-air and that seemed to placate Robin. Was it a little too sharp? Sure. But if you're living and competing with someone, particularly someone who drives you up the wall, there are bound to be moments where you go too far with a blunt comment. Still, the hatchet seems to have been buried for now.

I did love that the chefs each seemed to think that Padma Lakshmi didn't like them. (Including, rather funnily, Tom Colicchio himself.) Having met and eaten with Padma, I can say that she is nothing but sweet and charming and both she and Gail Simmons have told me on separate occasions (which they reiterated last night) that their sole interaction with the contestants is via their food and what they see at judges' table. And I think that's really for the best at the end of the day. It's a culinary competition, not a dinner party, and your success in the season depends on the food that you present on each plate and the way you carry yourself in front of the judges.

All in all, last night's special provided a nice trip down memory lane for the Las Vegas crew (and another chance for Mama Voltaggio to plead the fifth when asked again which of her sons she was rooting for) but the special lacked the incisiveness of other Bravo reunions. As I said earlier, that could have been due to the lack of real animosity or bristling personalities (though Robin, Mike I., and Michael Voltaggio certainly weren't meek presences). But really, the reunion special left me hungry for more, an appetite that could have been sated perhaps by the reveal of the fan favorite prize winner. Hmmm...

Top Chef: Las Vegas Blooper Reel:



Top Chef Las Vegas Bonus Clip: The Brothers Voltaggio:



Top Chef Las Vegas Bonus Clip: The Chefs' Tattoos:



Top Chef Las Vegas Bonus Clip: Run-On Robin:



Top Chef Las Vegas Bonus Clip: Scandalous Behavior:



Top Chef will return in 2010.

Channel Surfing: CBS Bites Into Chuck Lorre's "Mike and Molly," Three Get "Shameless" for Showtime, FOX Tosses "Cube," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

More Chuck Lorre on the way... CBS has given a pilot order to multi-camera comedy Mike and Molly, written by Mark Roberts (Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory) and executive produced by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will center on a couple who are overeaters and meet at an Overeaters Anonymous support group. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Emmy Rossum (Dragonball Evolution), Allison Janney (The West Wing), and Justin Chatwin (Dragonball Evolution) have been cast in Showtime drama pilot Shameless, a US adaptation of Paul Abbot's UK skein that will star William H. Macy. Rossum will play Fiona, the 18-year-old daughter of an alcoholic (Macy) whose wife has gone missing and who must raise her five younger brothers. Janney will play a potential love interest for Macy's character, while Chatwin will play a car thief who has a thing for Fiona. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that FOX has ceased its development of the US version of British game show The Cube, from Objective Media. Format had participants climb into a stress chamber and perform various tasks. The network confirmed that the series is no longer in development at FOX but declined to give a reason behind the switcheroo. Adalian notes that whatever the reason it gives an advantage to NBC, which had been developing the similarly-themed format Perfect 10, hosted by Guy Fieri. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Richard Shepard will direct the untitled backdoor spinoff of CBS' Criminal Minds, following a deal with CBS under which Shepard will direct two of the Eye's pilots this season. Pilot for the spinoff, written by Ed Bernero and Chris Mundy, will air as an episode of Criminal Minds, the pilot for which Shepard directed originally. (Variety)

Syfy will air an eight-episode marathon of NBC's Chuck on Thursday, January 7th, just ahead of the Season Three launch of Chuck that weekend. The eight episodes--"Chuck vs. The First Date," "Chuck vs. The Seduction," "Chuck vs. The Break-Up," "Chuck vs. The Santa Claus," "Chuck vs. The Predator," "Chuck vs. The Dream Job," "Chuck vs. The Colonel," and "Chuck vs. The Ring"--represent the "best of" Chuck's second season, as selected by creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Hulu has signed on to be the exclusive online broadcaster of Simon Fuller's new web-based reality series If I Can Dream, which will follow "five young, aspiring performers who will live together in the Hollywood Hills and spend time trying to make it in the entertainment biz" as their lives inside the house are streamed 24/7 on the official website for the series. Hulu will get an weekly pared-down one-hour broadcast, which it will stream exclusively on the web. Project, from 19 Entertainment, is set to launch in February. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Kelly Bishop (Gilmore Girls) has been cast in a multiple-episode storyline on NBC medical drama Mercy. She is set to play Elaine, a patient in the care of Jamie Lee Kirchner's Sonia. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

USA is said to be developing a series adaptation of 1990 feature film The Freshman, which starred Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando. Project, adapted by Andrew Bergman (who wrote and directed the original), hails from Sony Pictures Television and centers on a freshman at NYU who unwittingly becomes an errand boy for a mobster. (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has announced a start date for its WWII miniseries The Pacific, which will air ten episodes beginning Sunday, March 14th. Miniseries, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, depicts Marines fighting in the Pacific Theatre during the second world war. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

MTV is getting deeper into the comedy and animation business, creating a new department that will develop the two genres together and tasking SVP of series development Brent Haynes to oversee the new division. The cabler named Jason Gwozdz as VP of comedy and animation and hired Brooke Posch as senior director. (Variety)

Steve Stark Prods., the shingle run by former Grammnet Prods. executive Steve Stark, has set up a number of projects at various networks, including: USA drama pilot Facing Kate, starring Sarah Shahi; NBC drama pilot The Event from writer Nick Wauters, about a huge government cover-up that quickly unravels; an untitled Lifetime drama pilot written by Gay Walch about a female psychologist at the Dallas Police Department; USA dramedy pilot Stick from writers Mark Altman and Steve Kriozere about a suspended pro hockey player who helps people; a NBC comedy based on the life of Paula Deen; and comedy Last Resort, a Warner Bros. Television-set up pilot about "a single mother and an eccentric lifelong bachelor who form a strange family." (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has ordered a second season of Tosh.0, commissioning 25 episodes for the series' sophomore run, which will launch on January 13th. The cabler has also signed a rich overall deal with host Daniel Tosh that includes a one-hour standup special, a national tour, and DVDs and CDs. (Hollywood Reporter)

Looks like teen superheroes will be sticking around the UK for a while longer. Channel 4 satellite spinoff E4 has announced that it has commissioned a second season of superhero drama Misfits, which it will air in 2010. (Broadcast)

The CW's canceled drama series The Beautiful Life has been resurrected... sort of, anyway. Following a deal between executive producer Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Films and sponsor HP, the series will launch on YouTube, which will run the two episodes that aired earlier this season and three unaired installments beginning December 21st. (Hollywood Reporter)

In a rare reversal, BBC One commissioned a fourth season of comedy Not Going Out after canceling the series earlier this year. The fourth season will air in a new, later timeslot. (Broadcast)

Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Justin Bruening, Constance Marie, and Eric Roberts have been cast in Hallmark Channel telepic Class, which will premiere in 2010. Elsewhere, the cabler announced that it will begin broadcasting in high definition. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Best Present Ever: "Chuck" Season Three Press Kit Arrives

I don't normally write about press kits but then again very few networks send out that many kick-ass press kits.

Until now.

Perhaps taking a page from the new butt-kicking abilities of one Mr. Chuck Bartowski, NBC has sent out what might just be the very coolest press kit ever for Season Three of Chuck, which returns to the lineup (finally!) next month.

In addition to a screener containing the first five episodes of Chuck's third season, the massive press kit--emblazoned with a Top Secret label and the words "from the desk of General Beckman" on the top--also came with a voice changer, sunglasses, and a spy kit, all very appropriate accoutrements for the upcoming third season. (Also included: a hysterical note from series creators/executive producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak.)

As for the episodes themselves, I can't wait to see just what's in store for our favorite band of spies when the series returns in January with its much-anticipated third season. Look for a review as soon as I'm able to screen.

This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds.

Season Three of Chuck launches Sunday, January 10th at 9 pm ET/PT before it moves into its regular timeslot of Mondays at 8 pm on January 11th.

Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk "Lost," "True Blood" Casting Roundup, Gerald McRaney Gets "Undercovers," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has some teasers from an interview she did with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, which she'll publish in a few weeks. But as the anticipation for the sixth and final season of Lost (launching February 2nd), Ryan has graciously published some snippets from the interview now. "We kind of concocted the mythology of the show a long time ago, and it’s like having a Christmas present and you kept it on the shelf a long time and people are finally going to get to open it and see it," Cuse told Ryan about the series' ending. "So we’re finally getting to deploy the ending of the show and that is exciting to us. It is a story and I think as storytellers, that’s always what’s delicious -- you set up the audience and then you basically finish the story. There’s a payoff and we’re actually going to finally give the audience our payoff." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

POTENTIAL SPOILERS! Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) has been cast in True Blood in the pivotal role of Alcide Herveaux, reports Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Manganiello will play werewolf Alcide, described as "good-looking, rough-around-the-edges, articulate, heroic, and decent," who helps Sookie (Anna Paquin) track down the kidnapped Bill (Stephen Moyer), possibly at the behest of Eric. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Natasha Alam (The Bold and the Beautiful) has joined the cast of True Blood, where she will potentially recur as Fangtasia dancer Yvetta, with whom Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) "engages in a sexual relationship." And Gregg Daniel (Desperate Housewives) will play Reverend Daniels, to whom Tara's mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter) turns for "comfort." (Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello)

Finally, Cooper Huckabee (Dexter) has been cast on True Blood as Joe Lee Mickens, the father of Sam Trammel's Sam Merlotte. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

MAJOR DAD ALERT! Gerald McRaney (Jericho) has been cast in J.J. Abrams' NBC espionage drama pilot Undercovers, where he will play a CIA operative who recruited married spies Samantha and Steven Bloom to the agency and who serves as the company's liaison with the two spies. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jenny Wade (Reaper) has been cast opposite Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford in FOX's new drama series Jack and Dan, which has already received an order for thirteen episodes. Wade will play Liz, described as "a tough and quick-witted assistant district attorney who used to date Jack (Hanks) and is now in frequent work-related contact with him." (Hollywood Reporter)

HBO has announced a start date for Season Two of animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim, which will kick off on February 19th at 10:30, immediately following the animated comedy The Ricky Gervais Show. (Variety)

SPOILER! Looking for some Southland scoop? When Season Two of the cop drama kicks off on TNT sometime in March, the events of the season finale will be dealt with straightaway. But rest assured, Russell (Tom Everett Scott) does survive the shooting. "What happens to him is pretty devastating," Southland creator Ann Biderman told TVGuide.com. "His role changes in a way that's surprising. Lydia will face the challenge of what it's like to work without him. It's a big part of the next episodes." (TVGuide.com)

Show Money, the production company of producer Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), has several projects set up in development at various networks, including: a US adaptation of Channel 4 comedy The Book Group at NBC with creator Annie Griffin adapting and Sony Pictures Television attached; Showtime drama Westbridge, about execution chamber workers at a Texas prison from writer Kelly Marcel; A&E police drama Back-Up, about a Jewish brother and sister who are both cops in Chicago and must deal with corruption charges against their father, from writer Robert Munic; single-camera comedy Boyfred at ABC, with Sony Pictures Television attached; the untitled Matthew Perry comedy vehicle at ABC about a sports arena manager (Perry) who finds himself in a mid-life crisis (also with Sony); and Paul Scheuring's futuristic revolution drama AR2 at FX. (Variety)

Willa Holland will reprise her role as Agnes Andrews on the CW's Gossip Girl, reports E! Online's Jennifer Godwin. Likely, she'll be stirring up some trouble for Taylor Momsen's Jenny Humphrey. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Jack Black and a mystery actor ("best known for his comedy hits at the box office") will be making a guest appearance on NBC's Community sometime in January, according to Zap2It's Korbi Ghosh. (Zap2It)

The CW's midseason drama Life UneXpected has been renamed yet again, this time to the less confusing Life Unexpected (no capital X). Series premieres on January 18th. (Variety)

Elsewhere at the netlet, Gaye Hirsch has been named SVP, drama development for the CW. She will report to Thom Sherman and oversee development of new drama properties for the netlet; she previously oversaw current programming. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

No More Mr. Nice Spy: NBC Unveils "Chuck" Season Three Key Art

If you're a Chuck-obsessive like me, you've been eagerly awaiting any new photography or key art from Season Three of the action-comedy, which launches next month.

The wait is over. NBC today released the first piece of Season Three Chuck key art, depicting a butt-kicking Chuck that's clearly in line with the revelation about the new Intersect 2.0-derived abilities that he gained in the second season finale.

More information about those abilities and the third season of Chuck can be found here, in my write up of the recent press call interview with creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak and series lead Zachary Levi.

A larger version of the key art can be found below, along with two Chuck videos.



Chuck Season 3 Super Sneak Preview:



Chuck Returns!:



Season Three of Chuck launches Sunday, January 10th at 9 pm ET/PT before it moves into its regular timeslot of Mondays at 8 pm on January 11th.

HFPA Announces 2010 Golden Globes Nominations: "Glee," "Big Love," "Damages," "Dexter," "Mad Men," "30 Rock" Get Love

Another December, another batch of Golden Globe nominations. I got up very early on this very brisk Los Angeles morning to watch the nominations live as they were announced on-air by John Krasinski, Diane Kruger, and Justin Timberlake. (The latter of whom stole the show a little bit with his comment to Krasinski, "Someone's gonna have a good night tonight," after Emily Blunt earned a nomination for her role in The Young Victoria.)

But onto the nominations themselves. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association this morning announced its nominees for the 2010 Golden Globes, which will be handed out at a live telecast on NBC on January 17th.

Glee was the clear favorite this year, walking away with four nominations this morning, followed closely by 30 Rock, Big Love, Damages, Mad Men, and Dexter, each of which garnered three nominations in their respective categories, along with telepics Georgia O'Keeffe and Grey Gardens.

I'm thrilled, first off, that so many fantastic dramas got selected by the HFPA for recognition. While Lost was missing from the big picture (though Michael Emerson landed a supporting actor nod), Big Love earned a spot in the Best Television Series - Drama category and nominations for series leads Bill Paxton and Chloe Sevigny. Given that the third season of the HBO drama series was so phenomenal and so absolutely perfect, I wish that more of the cast had been recognized for what was the series' very best to date. Still, I'm beyond thrilled that both Paxton and Sevigny (who had an amazing season) were singled out for praise. (If you can't tell, I think that Big Love doesn't get nearly as many kudos as it should.)

Big Love has some tough competition in the category, however, going up against HBO's True Blood, Showtime's Dexter, AMC's Mad Men, and FOX's House. (Still, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that it pulls off a win.)

More thoughts on the nominations below, along with the full list of television nominees.

The acting awards in the drama category look particularly fierce with Glenn Close, January Jones, Julianna Margulies, Anna Paquin, and Kyra Sedgwick landing nominations for their lead roles. I'm glad to see that Jones in particular landed a nom for her performance this season on Mad Men and, while each of these ladies are extremely talented, I'm again irked that neither Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks landed a nomination. I was happy to see that Jon Hamm did received a nomination for his work on Mad Men; he's up against Simon Baker, Michael C. Hall, Hugh Laurie, and the aforementioned Bill Paxton.

On the comedy side, beyond excited that ABC's Modern Family got a nomination for its first season (which launched earlier this fall). I fully expected them to select the mockumentary comedy. Likewise, the inclusion of stalwarts 30 Rock, The Office, and Entourage didn't come as a surprise. While I love 30 Rock, I'm going to be rooting wholeheartedly for Modern Family to take the prize next month.

The Hollywood Foreign Press poured some love on Glee, nominating it not just for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical but also for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical (Matthew Morrison), Best Actress - Comedy or Musical (Lea Michele), and Best Supporting Actress (Jane Lynch). Michele will go up against Toni Collette for United States of Tara, Courteney Cox for Cougar Town, Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie, and Tina Fey for 30 Rock. (I have to say that I'm pulling for Falco, who turned in a bravura performance this year in the stunning Nurse Jackie.)

As for Morrison, he'll have some very tough competition from Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), David Duchovny (Californication), and Thomas Jane (Hung). (The latter of which is also joined by co-star Jane Adams, who landed a nomination for Supporting Actress.)

All in all, quite a few expected veteran series and actors landing nominations this year and a few newbies (Glee, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Hung) sneaking into the mix. But some interesting (read: head-scratching) snubs from the HFPA as well: Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Big Bang Theory, Breaking Bad all failed to garner nominations, while Lost got just one (for Emerson). Hmmm... the list goes on. (I'd get more indigent but then I remember that it's the Golden Globes.)

A full list of the Golden Globe nominees in the television categories can be found below.

5. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. BIG LOVE (HBO)
Anima Sola and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
b. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde
Phillips Productions
c. HOUSE (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z
Productions and Bad Hat Harry
d. MAD MEN (AMC)
AMC
e. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
DRAMA
a. GLENN CLOSE - DAMAGES
b. JANUARY JONES - MAD MEN
c. JULIANNA MARGULIES - THE GOOD WIFE
d. ANNA PAQUIN - TRUE BLOOD
e. KYRA SEDGWICK - THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
a. SIMON BAKER - THE MENTALIST
b. MICHAEL C. HALL - DEXTER
c. JON HAMM - MAD MEN
d. HUGH LAURIE - HOUSE
e. BILL PAXTON - BIG LOVE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. 30 ROCK (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
Stranger Inc.
b. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO
Entertainment
c. GLEE (FOX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
d. MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
e. THE OFFICE (NBC)
Universal Media Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. TONI COLLETTE - UNITED STATES OF TARA
b. COURTENEY COX - COUGAR TOWN
c. EDIE FALCO - NURSE JACKIE
d. TINA FEY - 30 ROCK
e. LEA MICHELE - GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
a. ALEC BALDWIN - 30 ROCK
b. STEVE CARELL - THE OFFICE
c. DAVID DUCHOVNY - CALIFORNICATION
d. THOMAS JANE - HUNG
e. MATTHEW MORRISON - GLEE

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (LIFETIME TELEVISION)
Sony Pictures Television
b. GREY GARDENS (HBO)
Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films
c. INTO THE STORM (HBO)
Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO
Films
d. LITTLE DORRIT (PBS)
Masterpiece/BBC Co-production
e. TAKING CHANCE (HBO)
Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association
with HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JOAN ALLEN - GEORGIA O'KEEFFE
b. DREW BARRYMORE - GREY GARDENS
c. JESSICA LANGE - GREY GARDENS
d. ANNA PAQUIN - THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA
SENDLER
e. SIGOURNEY WEAVER - PRAYERS FOR BOBBY

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. KEVIN BACON - TAKING CHANCE
b. KENNETH BRANAGH - WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND
c. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR - ENDGAME
d. BRENDAN GLEESON - INTO THE STORM
e. JEREMY IRONS - GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. JANE ADAMS - HUNG
b. ROSE BYRNE - DAMAGES
c. JANE LYNCH - GLEE
d. JANET McTEER - INTO THE STORM
e. CHLOË SEVIGNY - BIG LOVE

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
a. MICHAEL EMERSON - LOST
b. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS - HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
c. WILLIAM HURT - DAMAGES
d. JOHN LITHGOW - DEXTER
e. JEREMY PIVEN - ENTOURAGE

What do you think of the nominees? Who will you be rooting for come next month to take home the statue? Who do you think should have been nominated and who do you hope goes home empty-handed? Discuss.

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will air on NBC on January 17th at 5 PM PST and 8 PM EST.

Channel Surfing: Clyde Phillips Leaves "Dexter," "True Blood" Casting Roundup, Julian Fellowes Mines "Vanderbilts" for Showtime, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Just a day after the record-breaking season finale of Showtime's Dexter, executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips announced yesterday that he is leaving the series. He'll be replaced at the helm by Chip Johannessen (24). According to the Hollywood Reporter, Phillips made the "hugely difficult decision" to leave in order "to spend more time with his family in Connecticut." "Clyde Phillips has made an enormous contribution to the phenomenal success of Dexter for the past four years, but we know he needs to spend more time with his family on the East Coast than he spends with the Dexter family in L.A.," said Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt. "We reluctantly say good-bye to him at a turning point in the series, but fellow Dexter executive producers Sara Colleton and John Goldwyn have chosen a great successor -- Chip Johannessen, who has been a key producer of '24' for the past two years. We're confident that he will bring intelligence, emotion and great storytelling to the next chapter of Dexter." (Hollywood Reporter)

Time for a True Blood casting roundup after the HBO vampire drama landed three actors. First up: J. Smith-Cameron (Law & Order) will recur as Melinda, the "dirt-poor, hungover, and trashy-looking" estranged mother of Sam Trammell's shapeshifter Sam. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Alfre Woodard (Three Rivers), meanwhile, will guest star on True Blood as the mother of short-order cook Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), according to the Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva. (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! Finally, James Frain (The Tudors) has been cast in True Blood, where he will recur next season as Franklin Mott, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. Franklin is described as "tall, dark, and handsome vampire who seems to have an 'immediate and torrid' connection to Tara." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) has signed on to write the pilot script for Showtime's period drama The Vanderbilts, which will follow the saga of the wealthy railroad and shipping family. [Editor: I'm hugely familiar with the story of the Vanderbilts, so rest assured, there's plenty of drama for Fellowes to mine.] Project, from CBS Television Studios and Simon West Productions, is executive produced by Bob Balaban and Rob Paris. Project shouldn't be confused with Joel Silver's HBO Vanderbilts project, which is in development at the rival pay cabler. (Variety)

While the full schedule has yet to be announced, The 2010 William S. Paley Television Festival will include sessions on FOX's Glee and CW's Vampire Diaries. Plus, the festival this year will move from the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight to the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, which will accommodate approximately 1000 more seats. The festival is slated to run between February 26th and March 14th. (Variety)

TVGuide.com's Mickey O'Connor talks to Scrubs executive producer Bill Lawrence about the series, which underwent a huge overhaul and cast change when it relaunched earlier this month. "I've been doing this a long time and we knew there's no possible way to please everyone," Lawrence told O'Connor. "Look, if I had done a brand-new show, you would read 9,000 things about how the new characters all suck. Even though when Scrubs premiered eight years ago, I read 9,000 things in the first two episodes about how these characters suck. With new characters, it takes three, four, five, six episodes to figure out who they are. And then the other hand, we got these people to make transitions to people hopefully you'll still like. You'll also read stuff, "why can't it just be about Zach, where's Carla and the Janitor" and I'm, like, well, that show's over." (TVGuide.com)

Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) and Angelina Burnett will write the pilot script for FOX legal dramedy The Real Amanda Strauss, about a woman who works in the district attorney’s office and secretly comes from a family of con artists. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and Furst Films, will be executive produced by Sean and Bryan Furst, along with Burnett and Kouri, who may direct should the project get ordered to pilot. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson will reprise his role as Betty's orthodontist Dr. Farkus on ABC's Ugly Betty later this season. Ferguson will appear in the January 6th episode of Ugly Betty but whether he'll be removing Betty's braces is another question. It’s a really fun scene between the two of them," executive producer Silvio Horta told Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC has announced their midseason schedule, including launch dates for Parenthood and The Marriage Ref. Parenthood will launch on Monday, March 1st at 9 pm ET/PT while The Marriage Ref will join the schedule on Sunday, March 14th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)

VH1 has ordered eight one-hour episodes of a Tough Love spinoff entitled Tough Love: Couples, in which Steve Ward and his mother JoAnn will "take five couples on the verge of becoming engaged and puts their relationships to the test." Series will launch in second quarter 2010. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

NBC Announces Midseason Plans, Slates Dates for "Parenthood" and "The Marriage Ref"

NBC today unveiled its midseason plans, announcing launch dates for drama series Parenthood and reality series The Marriage Ref, as well as return dates for The Celebrity Apprentice and The Biggest Loser.

Drama series Parenthood will launch on Monday, March 1st at 9 pm ET/PT while the Jerry Seinfeld-produced reality series The Marriage Ref will join the schedule on Sunday, March 14th at 8 pm ET/PT.

Returning reality series The Celebrity Apprentice and The Biggest Loser kick off respectively on Sunday, March 14th at 9 pm ET/PT and Tuesday, January 5th from 8-10 pm ET/PT.

And Chuck, of course returns with a two-hour third season premiere on January 10th at 9 pm ET/PT, before moving into its regular timeslot the following evening (January 11th) at 8 pm ET/PT.

Interestingly, no mention was made of sci-fi "miniseries" Day One, which saw its commitment reduced from an initial thirteen episodes to a head-scratching four hours (which NBC indicated would be aired as two two-hours), comedy 100 Questions, or of NBC's fourth season run of Friday Night Lights, which will likely be held until the summer.

The full press release from NBC (and the network's full midseason schedule) can be found below.

NBC ANNOUNCES NEW MID-SEASON PREMIERES FOLLOWING THE WINTER OLYMPICS AS ‘PARENTHOOD’ AND ‘THE MARRIAGE REF’ DEBUT WHILE ‘THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE’ AND ‘THE BIGGEST LOSER’ RETURN

"Parenthood" Debuts Monday, March 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) While "The Marriage Ref" Premieres on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET)

"The Celebrity Apprentice" Premieres Sunday, March 14 (9-11 p.m. ET) and "The Biggest Loser" Begins a New Season on Tuesday, January 5 (8-10 p.m. ET)

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 14, 2009 --- NBC revealed its mid-season and post-Winter Olympics schedule today as the new drama "Parenthood" debuts Monday, March 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) while "The Marriage Ref," a hilarious comedy panel series from Jerry Seinfeld about marriage, premieres on Sundays (8-9 p.m. ET) beginning March 14.

In addition, "The Celebrity Apprentice" returns in its third installment with an all-star lineup of celebrity candidates on Sunday, March 14 (9-11 p.m. ET). Likewise, the ninth edition of the popular "The Biggest Loser" kicks off on Tuesday, January 5 (8-10 p.m. ET) with 11 family teams of two ready to transform their bodies, their health and ultimately their lives. Other January programming includes "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards" hosted by Ricky Gervais on Sunday, January 17 (8-11 p.m. ET) and "The AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships" on Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24 (9-11 p.m. ET).

"Parenthood," from Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer along with fellow executive producers Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights") and David Nevins, is inspired by the box-office hit of the same name and features a star-studded cast. The series assumes the Monday (9-10 p.m. ET) time slot beginning March 1 following the season finale of "Heroes" on Monday, February 8 and NBC Universal's exclusive coverage of the Winter Olympics from February 12-28. "Chuck," as previously announced, will return with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 10 (9-11 p.m. ET) before moving to its regular day and time Monday, January 11 (8-9 p.m. ET).

The new mid-season additions to NBC's program schedule grid follows (all times ET).

MONDAYS
8-9 p.m. -- "Chuck" (begins January 11; two back-to-back season premiere episodes on January 10 from 9-11 p.m.)
9-10 p.m. -- "Parenthood" (premieres March 1)
10-11 p.m. –"The Jay Leno Show"

TUESDAYS
8-10 p.m. – "The Biggest Loser" (new season premieres on January 5)
10-11 p.m. – "The Jay Leno Show"

WEDNESDAYS
8-9 p.m. – "Mercy"
9-10 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. – "The Jay Leno Show"

THURSDAYS
8-8:30 p.m. – "Community"
8:30-9 p.m. – "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. – "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. – "30 Rock"
10-11 p.m. – "The Jay Leno Show"

FRIDAYS
8-9 p.m. -- "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. -- "Dateline NBC"
10-11 p.m. – "The Jay Leno Show"

SATURDAYS
8-11 p.m. -- Encore Dramas

SUNDAYS
7-9 p.m. -- "Dateline NBC" (through March 7, then moves to 7-8 p.m. beginning March 14)
8-9 p.m. – "The Marriage Ref" (debuts March 14)
9-11 p.m. -- "The Celebrity Apprentice" (premieres Sunday, March 14)

Other special programming includes (all times ET):

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
7-8 p.m. – "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Red-Carpet Show"
8-11 p.m. – "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards"

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23
9-11 p.m. – "The AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships"

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
9-11 p.m. -- "The AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships"

Breaking (Funny) Bones: Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, and Zachary Levi Talk Season Three of "Chuck"

Wondering what can you expect when Chuck returns for its third season next month? You're in the right place.

Chuck creators/executive producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak and series lead Zachary Levi held a press call on Friday (which I live-tweeted) to discuss the third season of the NBC action-comedy, which beat the odds earlier this year (thanks to a massive effort from critics and fans) and is back for another season of brawls, flashes, romance, and comedy-tinged espionage and soul-killing retail employment.

Last season saw Chuck Bartowski assume the mantle of hero as he downloaded the Intersect 2.0 into his skull and was rewarded with some kick-ass kung fu moves. Not bad for someone whose previous involvement in some hand-to-hand combat involved locking the doors of the car while Sarah and Casey took down the bad guys.

"He was much better running away or screaming like a little girl... [but now] he's able to lend a hand in the kick-butt-ery," said Levi. "He's still the somewhat bumbling hero. The abilities are fleeting... and glitchy... [and the new ability] lends itself to more action and comedy."

But don't think that Chuck has suddenly been transformed into a certain badass Matt Damon character. "I can guarantee you, I am no Jason Bourne," said Levi.

What else did the Chuck team reveal? Let's discuss.

They're Back. "This year was about taking everything we've done in the previous two seasons and taking it highter," said Schwartz, who admitted that the cast and crew of Chuck were thrilled to be coming back in January. "[We're the] only thing premiering for the network in January."

But it's pretty incredible that the series is back at all after the axe nearly fell last season. "There have been some unique obstacles thrown our way but here we still are," said Schwartz, who said that the renewal was down to the wire and that everyone at NBC wanted to bring the show back but they had some challenges to square away first. "It was a nail-biter... But we are thrilled [to be back]."

"To just have a job is a blessing," admitted Levi. "But to have a job that people care about so much that they band together... is really humbling." Levi pointed to fans' and critics' efforts to save the series from cancellation.

But only do we have a major Chuck premiere event to look forward to ("a flood of Chuck episodes, three in 24 hours," said Schwartz, including a two-hour opener), there's also the six additional episodes that got ordered for the spring. A bit of a surprise as the season hadn't even gotten under way and the scripts for the initial thirteen episodes had already been broken.

"We've only ever started each season with 13 episodes," admitted Schwartz. "For this to happen again this year was surprising and gratifying."

Intersect 2.0. Schwartz and Fedak revealed a bit more about Chuck's new-found abilities and how it affects the series itself.

The Intersect 2.0 was designed for an emotionless spy like Bryce, said Fedak, but it's been downloaded into anxiety-ridden Chuck. These things don't help. Fedak said that emotions, anxieties will cause glitches with Chuck's new Intersect 2.0-related abilities, which are theoretically "limitless."

"We've really made an effort to have Chuck evolve," said Schwartz. "He's a very different guy this season than he was in Season One." The crux of last season was Chuck assuming the mantle of a hero and coming to terms with his destiny and this season is about him living that in true Chuck-fashion. "It's not like Chuck is all of the sudden... Casey," said Schwartz. "How does he hold onto his humanity and grow as a spy?"

But those abilities won't change the dynamic of the series. "The heart of the show is still action-comedy," said Levi. "We always maintain the funny bone."

Still, it's a nice change of pace for Levi. "I like it very much as an actor," said Levi about Chuck's new fighting skills, "and as a man."

"I've wanted to shoot guns... or know karate since I was a kid," said Levi, who said that he wants the writers to write in a scene where he gets to sky-dive or bungee-jump.

But don't think that Levi got any intensive kung fu training ahead of Season Three. He said that he's being trained on a week to week basis by the stunt coordinators. "The biggest challenge is my lank-itude... and trying to make that look as snappy as possible," said Levi about fight choreography. (He also referred earlier on the call to his arms being "noodly.")

"My favorite part of the show is the action," said Levi, who gets more of a chance this year to kick some butt alongside Yvonne Strahovski's Sarah Walker. Levi said that Strahovski has an extensive dance background which "really lends itself well to fight choreography... She's a beautiful, strong, limber girl."

Roomies. Meanwhile, there are big changes afoot at Casa Bartowski. "Ellie and Awesome have moved out and Chuck and Morgan are getting their bachelor pad," revealed Schwartz. Season Two, said Schwartz, moved away from the Chuck-Morgan friendship. Both Levi and Josh Gomez wanted the focus to move back to their frienship, which Schwartz said that will definitely serviced in Season Three.

But lest you think that that means that everything is peachy-keen between Chuck and Morgan, guess again. Chuck and Morgan's "bromance" will be put under even more strain by Chuck's new role in the spy world, said Levi, and Chuck and Morgan's decision to move in together makes things better between them but also worse as well and things will "come to a head in a big way."

Sarah.Look for some major obstacles for Chuck and Sarah's romance this season, promised Schwartz and Fedak, now that Chuck can protect himself, thanks to his new Intersect 2.0-derived abilities. "Sarah fell in love with the guy, she didn't fall in love with the spy," said Schwartz. "[The new status quo] will be a good source of angst for them." But Sarah will continue to play a major role in Chuck's life. Sarah is "sometimes Chuck's kryptonite" but sometimes she is his "spinach, for a random Popeye reference," said Schwartz.

Casey. Fedak said that Casey's new role this season is to train Chuck and turn him into a spy and "be his sensei." But it's not all good news for the Ronald Regan-loving Casey, unfortunately: Casey has a huge secret in his past that will affect the team this season, according to Schwartz. And Casey will have, er, new responsibilities at the Buy More.

Guest stars galore.The writers are having a lot of fun with the guest stars lined up for Season Three, which include such notables as Brandon Routh, Angie Harmon, Kristin Kreuk, Armand Assante, Steve Austin, Robert Patrick, and Vinnie Jones. "We've lined up a fun, eclectic group of actors," said Schwartz, who went onto say that they like to go against expectations with their guest casting, a la Chevy Chase in Season Two.

Here's what we know about some of them: Brandon Routh's character is a mysterious hotshot who has been brought in to lead the team, which should lead to some major conflict among our favorite spy trio, who are used to working mostly unsupervised. Kristin Kreuk, meanwhile, will play Hannah, a "comely new lady" who takes a job at the Buy More and will be a member of the Nerd Herd. (And, yes, she'll be wearing the uniform, promised the producers.)

If that's not enough, here's a doozy of a tease for Season Three. "Someone else this year will learn Chuck's secret," revealed Schwartz. (Ladies and gentlemen, start your guessing.)

What else? Here's a hail of bullets for what else to expect from Season Three:

• The Buy More gang will face their own challenges, new assistant manager (hmmm...), cutbacks, new management, and more.
• Lester is due for a backstory-heavy episode and Jeffster isn't going anywhere. "Those guys are invaluable comic relief" for the show. SPOILER! There's a Fight Club episode upcoming up. And if that's not scary enough: "You will see what Lester sleeps in," promised Schwartz. "It involves feet."
• Chuck will fight Stone Cold Steve Austin but "maybe not in a fisticuffs-type action," teased Levi. Although nunchucks might be involved in that showdown, which is set aboard an in-flight airplane.
• The Subway integration on Chuck will be very minor and none of the characters will be working at a Subway, as many previously surmised. (Schwartz joked that the show is now called "Jared").
Zachary Levi will direct an upcoming episode of Chuck this season, one that happens to be especially mythology-intensive. Levi said that getting to direct the series was "a lot to take on" as it's a difficult show to direct but also the "most incredible experience."

Season Three of Chuck launches Sunday, January 10th at 8 pm ET/PT before moving into its regular Monday night timeslot on January 11th.

Why John Noble of FOX's "Fringe" Deserves an Emmy

While Emmy nominations are a long way off, I'd like to draw attention to the stunning performance of Fringe's John Noble. (Yes, it's a long way off but keep it under your hats, Emmy voters.)

FOX thriller Fringe is a series that I always watch on Thursday nights (so as not to be spoiled) but, as I was out on Thursday evening, I've only now caught up. Last week's absolutely sensational installment of Fringe ("Grey Matters") offered up not only an advancement of the series' overarching mythology plot but also placed the focus squarely on John Noble's Walter Bishop.

Throughout my coverage of Fringe's outstanding second season, I've often drawn attention to Noble's nuanced and compelling portrayal of Walter Bishop in his chief roles as mad scientist, drug-addled theorist, culinary devotee, father, and, well, father substitute and it pains me that he's gone overlooked for an award nomination as long as he has.

Over the course of the last two seasons, Noble has given a bravura performance as Walter, alternating between periods of madness, loss, and keening pain. This week's episode allowed him to come face to face with the cause of his memory loss and forced him to come to terms with the possible path of his own destruction and that of the entire planet.

Motivated by the loss of his child, Walter opened a door between the worlds and kidnapped an alternate universe Peter and brought him back from the other side to our world, where he raised him as his own. Whereas before Walter was moved by loss, he is now crippled by fear: fear that he will lose Peter all over again, either by someone's hand or by dint of Peter learning the horrible fact of what was done to him.

Was it a father's love? Or the horrific hubris of a man used to playing god? Thanks to Noble's deeply moving performance, it's both. There's a somber sadness to Walter, a man obsessed with culinary cravings who both lives in the past and is determined to forget it. This week's episode got to the root of those memory losses, introducing a plot in which the knowledge of how Walter moved between the worlds was literally cut out of his brain and forcibly implanted within the brain tissue of three unsuspecting civilians, each of whom went insane.

That we learn that the man responsible for literally ripping out the memories from Walter's head is none other than his former partner William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) is all the more shocking. Did Walter willingly submit to the procedure in order to safeguard an invasion from "over there"? Or did Bell betray his partner and force him to undergo the surgery?

It's unclear. But what we do know is that much of what Walter has suffered--his madness, his memory loss, the loss of seventeen years of his life--is all down to that one fateful decision, a choice that now affects the lives of everyone in his world.

Noble brings this onus to life vividly--the drooping of his body, the sadness of his eyes, the fear in his stuttering words--that the Atlas-like weight of his burden is clearly felt. (Look at the scene where he admits to unsuccessfully searching for a cure for his madness.) It's in the smallest of nuance that Noble imbues Walter with a tremendous sense of being a tragic figure in the most Shakespearean of terms. His fatal flaw was that he disregarded the natural order of things, played God, wreaked untold havoc in order to restore his son. A son that he could very well lose once the truth is revealed. And, lest we forget, the truth always comes out in the end.

This week's episode moved the possibility of revelation along quite nicely. The heartbreak with which Walter saw an image representing Peter's coffin (after a shot of custard) was powerfully affecting as was the transformation of Walter once the disparate parts of his brain were finally reconnected. In those moments, we saw not the fragile shell of a man that Walter is now, but a shadow of his former self: arrogant, forceful, and domineering. A man willing to do the unthinkable, to break the laws of the universe, to make a Faustian bargain that will inevitably undo everything he strove to create.

"Grey Matters" demonstrated Noble's fantastic range and his penchant for making Walter tantalizing flawed. There are few actors that could pull off the subtle transformation and the compelling mix of emotions that Noble conveys each and every week, much less make it as gut-wrenching as Noble does on Fringe each and every week.

Fringe returns with new episodes on Thursday, January 14th at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.

AFI Announces Their Official Selections for TV Programs of the Year

Yesterday, American Film Institute announced their official selections for the programs of the year for 2009.

I'm happy that the esteemed board--which included The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, TV Guide Magazine's Matt Roush, Variety's Brian Lowry, actor CCH Pounder (The Shield), and writer/producer David Milch (Deadwood)--chose to recognize several series that don't get nearly as much love from critics and audiences as they should.

Along with noteworthy freshman series like Modern Family and Glee (both of which I expected would end up on the list) and the always sterling Mad Men, the panel selected such unexpected entries like HBO's lyrical mystery series No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Starz's breakout ensemble comedy Party Down, HBO's groundbreaking (and sadly often overlooked) drama series Big Love (which had its best season yet earlier this year), saved-from-cancellation drama Friday Night Lights, and Showtime's sensational medical-based dark comedy Nurse Jackie.

HBO, not unexpectedly, walked away with a number of programs on the official selections list, landing three spots for Big Love, True Blood, and No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

The full list of AFI's official TV selections can be found below.

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
BIG LOVE (HBO)
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC/DirecTV)
GLEE (FOX)
MAD MEN (AMC)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY (HBO)
NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
PARTY DOWN (Starz)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

What do you think of AFI's official selections for 2009? Are there other series that you would have rather seen make the list? Or ones that did that have definitely earned their spots? (Personally, I'd have substituted The Big Bang Theory presence here for NBC's Parks and Recreation.) Discuss.

Channel Surfing: "Dexter" Season Finale Postmortem, Syfy Renews "Stargate Universe" and "Sanctuary," "Lost" Season Six Photos, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Dexter executive producer Clyde Phillips about last night's season finale of the Showtime serial killer drama. One very interesting tidbit: when asked about when the decision was made about pulling the trigger on the episode's final scene, Phillips said, "I would say we made the decision pretty late in the season. We didn’t quite know what we were going to do [in the finale]." As for when Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) will find out about Dexter's true nature, don't hold your breath. "We’ve bounced that around the [writers] room," Phillips told Ausiello. "But once we do that... want to talk about game-changers? Once we do that, the game is changed in a way that we just don’t know how to anticipate just yet." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Syfy has given series renewals to Stargate Universe and Sanctuary, picking up both series for additional twenty-episode runs that will begin next fall on the cabler. Stargate Universe, which recently aired its midseason finale, will return with the second half of its freshman season in April. "We're dealing with 15 seasons of expectations with a certain fanbase," executive producer Robert Cooper told Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd when asked about fan reaction. "Hopefully, as the show goes on, people will appreciate Universe for being its own thing." Fans should look for an alien race to show up in the second half of the season, more scenes set aboard the ship, and a storyline involving Rush (Robert Carlyle). (Hollywood Reporter)

New York Post's PopWrap has a look at the newly released promotional photos for Season Six of ABC's Lost, which launches on February 2nd. While the gallery shots reveal absolutely nothing in an of themselves (they feature the regulars against a grey backdrop), PopWrap's Jarett Wieselman notes, "it's interesting that although Boone, Charlie and a whole host of dead Losties will be returning, Miles, Lapidus and Ilana are integral enough to... Lost's endgame to warrant series regular status over characters like Desmond!" (New York Post's PopWrap)

Changes are afoot at the CW's Gossip Girl, according to executive producer Josh Schwartz, who promises that Taylor Momsen's Jenny is going to become a lightning rod for controversy. "You're really going to see a real emotional arc from Chuck [Ed Westwick]," Schwartz tells TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams. "I think Jenny [Taylor Momsen] and Chuck are really going to be driving a lot of story as we move into the back half of the season." (TVGuide.com)

History has ordered eight-hour scripted miniseries The Kennedys from writer Stephen Kronish, director Jon Cassar, and executive producer Joel Surnow (all of whom worked together on FOX's 24). Production on the miniseries, which will track the famed political dynasty between the 1960 presidential election and John F. Kennedy's 1968 assassination (and flashback, as well, to earlier times), is slated to begin this spring for a 2011 premiere. "I didn't want this miniseries to be a Valentine -- there have been plenty of them -- neither did I wanted it to be a hatchet job," said Kronish. "I think it is a fairly even-handed look at people who achieved big things at amazingly early ages. We're really trying to see them as people and to strip away some of the patina that has attached itself to them because of their early deaths and to show them, warts and all." (Hollywood Reporter)

Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) has been cast in the CW's 90210, where he is expected to appear in at least two episodes as the biological father of Matt Lanter's Liam. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Tyler Posey (Lincoln Heights), Tyler Hoechlin (7th Heaven), Crystal Reed (Hard Times), and Dylan O'Brien have joined the cast of MTV's werewolf pilot presentation Teen Wolf, which has been reimagined as "a dramatic thriller with a buddy-comedy element at the center and a romantic plot line." (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has renewed its overall deal with indie production shingle BermanBraun for another three years. Under the terms of the deal, BermanBraun will continue to function as a fully independent production entity within the studio, with NBC Universal's broadcast and cable networks retaining a first-look on all of BermanBraun's projects. The shingle's current projects include Mercy for NBC and Accidentally on Purpose and pilots such as NBC's Rex Is Not Your Lawyer and Alphas for Syfy. (Variety)

TNT has secured off-network rights to the CW's drama series Supernatural and will launch repeats of the series weekdays at 10 am ET/PT beginning Monday, January 4th. (Futon Critic)

Thomas Haden Church has been cast in FearNet's six-episode short-form series Zombie Roadkill, about a park ranger who forms a partnership with a teenager (David Dorfman) "to escape a portion of highway where roadkill is resurrected as flesh-eating zombie animals." Each episode will last between four and five minutes and the series, written by Henry Gayden and directed by David Green, will be available on FearNet.com and on its On Demand VOD network. (Variety)

Syndicated daytime medical series The Doctors has been renewed through the 2011-12 season, the series' fourth. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Disney XD will launch musical comedy I'm in the Band, about a teenager who joins a once-hot band and sets out to orchestrate its comeback, on January 18th at 7 pm ET/PT. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Channel Surfing: NBC Launches "Mission: Chuck Me Out," HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" Grounded, Jane Leeves Heads to Wisteria Lane, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

With the third season premiere of Chuck just around the corner, NBC has launched an online incentive called "Mission: Chuck Me Out," reports The Wrap's Josef Adalian. "Using the already existing Chuckmeout.com site, fans can sign up their Twitter, Facebook and MySpace campaign for the game," writes Adalian. "Then, every time they preach Chuck or get friends to watch a clip of the show or otherwise pimp the series, they'll earn points." The winner will have their photo used as one of Chuck's flashes on-air. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Comedy series Flight of the Conchords will not be returning for a third season, according to a statement released yesterday by the series' creators Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement, and James Bobin. The Kiwi folk-rock band hasn't broken up, however. [Editor: seeing as the guys ended up back as shepherds in New Zealand, I didn't think there was much of a chance that the series would continue.] (Televisionary)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jane Leeves (Frasier) has been cast in a two-episode story arc on ABC's Desperate Housewives, where she will play a psychotherapist for Tom Scavo (Doug Savant). But Ausiello also points out that Tom won't be the only one getting psychiatric treatment in 2010. "Word has it Katherine will also have her brain examined by a shrink in the new year," writes Ausiello. "Better late than never!" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

CBS has given a pilot script order to time travel drama Murmurs,from writer Jason Smilovic (My Own Worst Enemy) and executive producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. Project is "set in a world where time travel is a reality and centers on the Commission, an agency that detects and corrects alterations in time called murmurs, ensuring that history remains unchanged." (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has opted not to renew live talk show It's On With Alexa Chung, which will wrap up its run on December 17th. Chung, who is under contract with the cabler until early next year, has no firm plans with MTV at the moment. (Hollywood Reporter)

Natalka Znak in, Chris Coelen out. RDF USA executive Chris Coelen has stepped down from his position at the production/management company; news comes on the heels of the hiring of former ITV Studios executive Natalka Znak. Variety's Michael Schneider indicates that insiders are pointing to an expired contract and loggerheads over a new deal. Broadcast, meanwhile, reports that Coelen left "by mutual agreement with group chief executive David Frank." (Variety, Broadcast)

Beth Hoppe will serve as executive producer on Discovery Studios' factual strand Curiosity: The Questions of Life, which will launch in February 2011 and air twelve episodes a year over the following five years. (Variety)

Stay tuned.