Every good hero needs a sidekick.

Someone who has your back, can offer well-timed quips, and who innately understands the complexity of your mission.

Chuck has been stymied of late from a lack of emotional release. Unable to talk to Awesome (because he can't lie to Ellie), reluctant to talk to Sarah (because their relationship has been fractured due to her involvement with Shaw), and unwilling to risk a limb by opening up to Casey, Chuck has found himself bottled up, which has produced a bit of a complication with his new Intersect-derived abilities: he can't flash.

This week's game-changing episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Beard"), written by Scott Rosenbaum and directed by Zachary Levi, found Chuck the weak link on the team for the first time this season. Not flashing means not being able to provide intelligence to the team as well as not being able to handle himself in the field... all of which makes Chuck one big liability. No surprise then that the team would leave him behind at Castle to go off on a real mission.

While this could have developed into an episode about Chuck being forced to rely on his own ingenuity, the writers wisely took this week's installment into unexplored country, shaking up the foundations of the series and giving Chuck the one thing he's been missing: a Duck Hunt-playing, truth-espousing sidekick with whom he can share this part of his life.

Risky? You bet. But I applaud the writers for having the courage to take the series where it needed to go and I thought that Rosenbaum and Co. delivered what might have been my very favorite episode of the series to date, one that was jam-packed with humor and heart... and Jeffster.

(If you need a reminder of what I originally thought of the episode, here's my advance review of the most recent batch of episodes of Chuck, which includes this week's episode.)

Chuck and Morgan's relationship has been at the heart of the series since the beginning but the writers have downplayed Chuck's friendship with the Bearded One of late, emphasizing the widening chasm between them. The more Chuck became entrenched in the spy world, the more he pulled away from his best friend. Recent episodes have played up their fracturing: Morgan's sense of betrayal when he sees Chuck making out with Hannah, his tete-a-tete with Ellie that he believes Chuck is going over to the dark side, and--in this week's episode--his firing of Chuck from the position of best friend.

You can't blame Morgan for being prickly around Chuck. He's known that something has been up for a while and, despite the fact that they moved in together at the start of the season, the formerly inseparable duo have more or less gone their separate ways as the onus of keeping his secret identity, well, secret has driven a wedge between them.

It's clear that Chuck needs a confidante. Captain Awesome was rather unwittingly cast in this role in Season Two but the pressure of maintaining both Chuck's secret and his and Ellie's safety has proven too much for Devon to bear. Awesome knew about Chuck's life and grounded him in a way due to his relationship to Ellie and his place in the "real world." But Awesome, for all his innate awesomeness, is not a natural liar... and I can't blame him for not wanting to be placed in a dangerous and awkward situation with both The Ring and his wife.

It's also clear that things have hit a low point between Chuck and Sarah. Chuck knows that he loves Sarah (a fact he was once more reminded of at the end of last week's episode) but he also doesn't feel he can open up to her anymore. Certainly, not since she's gotten involved with Daniel Shaw... and told him her real name, a boon that she hasn't bestowed on Chuck.

(Chuck tried to tell Ellie his secret last week but her "half a spy" nature prevented him from doing that as she forced him to come to terms with his feelings for Sarah. Besides, I don't know that Ellie would handle the truth about Chuck's job very well.)

Lack of emotional outlet means lack of flashing. It's a nice little psychological dilemma for Chuck and one that pays off the constant use of Chuck's emotions either holding him back or making him a better spy. Here, it's not that the emotions are bad, per se, but the fact that he can't express them, can't achieve catharsis in any meaningful way, means that he can't use his abilities.

Which brings us to Buy More assistant manager Morgan Grimes. Morgan's been suspicious about Chuck for some time, feels betrayed by his best friend, and is so hurt that he takes disciplinary action against Chuck. A series of coincidences--driven by The Ring's efforts to seize information from Castle in the guise of Buy More execs looking to sell the store--leads to Morgan uncovering the truth about Castle.

And then, faced with death and/or torture, Chuck is forced to come clean and unburden himself. I'm glad that it's Morgan who is the recipient of this information and that the writers didn't stray into camp territory by having Morgan's memory erased at the end of the episode or him somehow forgetting Chuck's secret. It's a far more tantalizing story thread to have Morgan aware of Chuck's spy status as it gives Chuck someone to talk to and an ally at the Buy More who is aware of what's really going on.

It also brings Morgan into the circle of trust, again altering the dynamic of the team. Whether or not Morgan goes on missions is irrelevant (and I'd be surprised if he did); what's important is that his knowing changes the relationships within the series. Morgan is now aware that Chuck is in love with Sarah but that their relationship was fake ("Does that make her your beard?") and that Chuck's feelings for Sarah have never been consummated. If anything, it strengthens the positions of the non-spies within the series, providing another anchor between it and Chuck's spy world.

And it might be arriving at just the right time, given Awesome's sudden interest to travel with Ellie to Africa as part of Doctors Without Borders. A worthy cause? Certainly, but that's not why Awesome is looking to put some distance between them and Los Angeles. It's good to see the married couple getting a storyline of their own as Awesome proves that he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep his wife safe from harm, even if it means taking her far away from her brother and the life they've build in LA. If someone is going to crack, it's more likely to be Awesome than Morgan, the holder of Chuck's secrets.

My sole complaint about the episode was the cover story concocted by The Ring. Surely someone from Buy More Corporate would have given them advance warning if they were going to be stopping by with inspectors to look at inventory and interview the staff with an aim to selling the store. Additionally, would a national chain like the Buy More really be selling off a single store? Wouldn't it have been more plausible if The Ring had engineered a scenario in which the Burbank Buy More was going to be closed? And that the inspectors were there, yes, to look at inventory with a view of liquidizing or shifting it, and determining if any of the staff would be transferred to other locations. A simple fix and one that only struck me on a second viewing of the episode.

But it's a minor quibble in an otherwise absolutely stellar episode that ranks up there with the very best of Chuck. What else did I love about the episode? The impromptu Jeffster reunion, culminating in Lester atop the Nerd Herd station singing Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." Morgan's meow as he attempted to furtively make his way down Castle's numerous corridors. Jeff's stash of ether in his Buy More locker... and the fact that he took out a Ring operative without realizing it. Morgan's dual electric carving knives. The fight scene between Chuck and the Ring team, with Morgan lending a hand at the end to take out the leader (guest star Diedrich Bader, currently voicing Batman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold). The Buy More revolution, with its use of the Buy Moria flag and its hilarious recreations of both the flag-raising at Iwo Jima and the iconic victory kiss in Times Square at the end of World War II. Chuck telling Morgan the whole story about how he became a spy ("It all started with an email from Bryce Larkin") and Morgan's reaction minutes earlier that Chuck was a spy. Not to mention the Subway-branded Duck Hunt battle between Chuck and Morgan, a call-back to a simpler, happier time and the promise of future happiness between the two best friends.

However, it looks like some dark times lie ahead for one member of Team Bartowski, as Casey very reluctantly answers the Ring communication device and appears to recognize the voice on the other end. Hmmm... Did we just see one of our spies actually cross over to the dark side before our eyes? And just what does The Ring want with Colonel Casey?

Ultimately, I thought that "Chuck Versus the Beard" was one of the very best episodes of Chuck and definitely ranks up there with some of my favorites of all time. (Hell, it might just have sailed into first place.) And I thought that Zachary Levi did a fantastic job as a first-time director, nailing the humor and action with a deft hand.

But I want to hear from you: what did you think of this week's installment? Have the writers opened up new story possibilities... or a can of worms? And what will Morgan knowing Chuck's secret mean for his relationship with Chuck? What's up with Casey and The Ring? Will Awesome and Ellie really leave Chuck behind? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Tic Tac"), Casey carries out a side mission for his old commanding officer James Keller that leads to him committing treason. When Chuck learns the dark truth about Col. Keller, he and Sarah set out to break Casey out of jail and clear his name. Meanwhile, Awesome's plan to keep Ellie out of danger gets more difficult when she gets her dream fellowship.

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"You hired someone. You haven't replaced me." - Ellen

This week's episode of Damages ("You Haven't Replaced Me"), written by Todd Kessler and directed by Glenn Kessler, offered a tantalizing number of confirmations as well as a new power struggle emerging between Ellen Parsons and Patty Hewes, just as the contentious duo agree to work together on the Tobin case.

Patty and Ellen's relationship has been the spine of the series, with the dynamic shifting from that of mentor and protege, to adversaries, to something approaching a twisted friendship based on both mutual respect and distrust. Compared to the meek and naive law associate Ellen was at the start of Season One and the dark angel of vengeance she became in Season Two, we're seeing a very different Ellen here, one who has learned at the feet of the master manipulator and who isn't afraid to remind her that she knows her methods and her secrets.

What we see in this week's episode, from Ellen's growing smile in the first scene (when Patty awakens her at nearly 4 am with an invitation to a dinner party) to Patty's knowing smirk (when she realizes Ellen has gotten to her), is another round of mind games between them, each one launching a calculated attack to remind the other that they are in power, each determined to knock the other off-balance.

At the heart of their relentless game of one-upmanship is newly minted associate Alex Benjamin, a pawn caught between two queens, who both Ellen and Patty are willing to use to achieve their ends. Ellen should have some sympathy for poor Alex. After all, she warned her not to take the job with Patty Hewes in the first place (the same thing that Hollis Nye had warned Ellen about, ironically) and if anyone knows what it's like to be forced into the role of Patty's protege, it's Ellen, who was nearly destroyed, body and soul, by her former employer.

Yet, just as Patty is willing to cast Alex in the role of prop in this game, using the unaware Alex in a tableau designed to injure Ellen (who is meant to feel that she's been replaced), so too is Ellen willing to do the same to Patty, going so far as to ask her lover, reporter Josh Reston, to write a piece on Alex, only to have Alex embarrass herself by taking the puff piece to Patty in an act of mea culpa. It's an effort to prove that Patty isn't invulnerable, that there are chinks in her armor that can be exploited, and that Alex isn't a threat to her.

What is the point of this never-ending game? Why, to prove which one of them has the sharpest claws, of course: which one of them wields the power and which one can take things the furthest. Patty doesn't want to bake cupcakes with Ellen, she wants a worthy opponent to do battle, a mind as cunning as hers, an enemy she respects.

For all of Patty's flaws, she cares about the case and about meting out justice for the victims, just as much as she does winning. Her pursuit of the Tobin fortune is about finding the money at any cost. Ellen's ADA boss Curtis Gates, however, doesn't care one jot about the hidden cash; he's under significant amount of pressure to pin a crime on the Tobin family and he needs results: he needs a Tobin behind bars and their picture splashed across the front page.

His myopia is staggering to Ellen, especially since Ellen knows that Tom is a victim of Louis Tobin's greed. She could have helped Gates out. After all, she knows that Carol Tobin visited Danielle Marchetti the day of her death (thanks to the ID she got from Danielle's doorman) and should be considered a suspect in Danielle's murder.

But, after Gates' outburst, Ellen keeps this little gem to herself, lying to Gates, and instead gives it, wrapped in a ribbon, to Patty. In the seventh episode of the season, the halfway point, it's only fitting that Patty and Ellen's partnership should once more be reforged, though Patty has come to see that Ellen has changed significantly since they first met. It's all about leverage and Patty has the best shot at getting the money back for the victims.

Tom Shayes. This week, Tom was a man on a mission, heading to Antigua to shadow Tessa Marchetti and uncover just how Louis Tobin was able to move money and keep these transactions under the radar. Given that we learned last week that Tessa is a flight attendant, we have the means of how a courier was able to go to and from Antigua without anyone being the wiser. Tom meets a bank clerk who seems willing to help him gain access to Tessa's account--in exchange for visas for his family, including his seriously ill daughter--but he's silenced by a shadowy finance minister (played by The Wire's Michael Potts, a.k.a. Brother Mouzone) who happens to be in Zedeck's pocket.

This is a significant problem because the judge overseeing the Tobin case--Judge Reilly--believes that Minister Horatio Emmanuel is a friend of the US government and their best shot at gaining some valuable information about Tessa's account and the hidden money. Hell, Patty even goes down to Antigua to see him face to face. But if Emmanuel is going to obstruct their investigation, the team might be back to square one again... Which could explain why Ellen and Tom launch their own investigation into the hidden funds in the future.

Tessa Marchetti. We got an iron-clad confirmation (from both Zedeck and Winstone) that Tessa Marchetti is definitely the daughter of Louis Tobin and not Joe, as many viewers have surmised. Working as a flight attendant, Tessa is the ideal courier to be carrying funds for the Tobins and Zedeck. She's family, which means that she can be trusted and she's a citizen of Antigua, having been born there (she has a dual citizenship with the US). But the plot thickens: Tessa appears to be unaware that she's involved in any illicit or illegal. She believes that the forms she's signing at the Royal Bank of Antigua are necessary to exchange her paycheck into US dollars--which involves her signing three forms each time--which means that she's been duped. But who set up this arrangement? Louis Tobin? And why hasn't Tessa been curious about what she's been signing? And is she actually signing a bank transfer order? Just how is Zedeck carrying out this fraud?

Joe Tobin. Joe is shocked to discover that Louis and Danielle had a daughter, a fact that he learns from Zedeck... who makes him aware that someone in the family is whispering secrets into Patty's ear. Joe's reaction to what Zedeck tells him is clearly felt; hell, it's written all over his face. But he proves far better at maintaining a poker face when Ellen confronts him at a cafe and tries to catch him off guard by telling him that both Louis and Danielle died from potassium overdoses and that their deaths were suspicious.

Given that Joe saw and took the the mixture that Dr. Brandt had prepared for Louis, he knows that someone in his family killed Danielle. And, given Carol's instability, she seems the most likely suspect, no?

Meanwhile, Joe is able to give Marilyn some hope for the future by giving her the sable that Zedeck had given him, telling her that Louis had a plan to ensure their financial stability. Sigh. If only Marilyn hadn't already tipped Patty Hewes off about how Louis managed to hide these funds. Hindsight, however, is 20/20, as they say.

Leonard Winstone. Meanwhile, we learned a great deal more this week about the Tobin's loyal retainer, Leonard Winstone. It turns out that Leonard isn't quite what he appears to be. Despite the fact that he has served the Tobins for 27 years, he hasn't come clean to them about his real identity. Leonard always thought of himself as a member of the family; he went so far as to tell that prostitute that he felt like Louis was his father and Carol remembered Louis telling the family when he hired Leonard that he was now "one of the family."

Patty plants a suggestion in Leonard's head, however, that he's not a Tobin, he's just the servant who cleans up their messes and takes out the garbage. If he wants to act like a Tobin, she'll punish him like one... but she gives him one last change to salvage what's left of his career. His encounter with Patty shakes Leonard considerably and he makes up an excuse about a sick friend from law school to get away from Joe for a day in order to see someone.

But Leonard, as we learn, has reinvented himself. His real name is Lester Wiggins and he would appear to have been raised in an environment very different than the Tobin's palatial Manhattan mansion. In fact, his relations with his actual family is so strained that he's unaware that his mother Barbara died five months earlier, only learning of her demise after he attempts to visit her in the nursing home where he's been paying for her care.

So why didn't he know? That would be because his father Albert Wiggins (the always magnificent Bill Raymond, also of The Wire) made her funeral arrangements but just kept cashing the checks that Leonard sent. And he doesn't want the checks to cease now that Leonard knows his mother is dead, opting to blackmail his son into silence. He knows just who and what Leonard really is and he knows that the Tobins don't know...

Three Months Later. The truth about Leonard Winstone is a crucial reveal this week, given his past, and an identity that he discarded more than 20 years ago. In the future-set timeframe, we see Detective Huntley show Ellen the Chanel bag that Patty had given her, a bag that was found, splattered with blood, in the homeless man's shopping cart. As for how it got there, Ellen claims that the bag was stolen. While I was at first loath to believe Ellen's story (too convenient) there is a ring of truth about it, considering that forensics uncovered partial prints on the bag. Prints that happen match those of a petty thief and drifter named Lester Wiggins who was booked in 1984.

We now know Lester Wiggins to be the true identity of Tobin family attorney Leonard Winstone, so just how did he manage to reinvent himself and become a valued employee of the Tobin family and a hotshot attorney? Did he ever go to law school? Or was he able to steal someone else's identity and charm his way into the Tobin's good graces. But there's something amiss there. After all, Leonard supposedly has been working for the Tobins for 27 years, which would put his start date in 1983, a year before his arrest as Lester Wiggins. Odd, no? Was Patty mistaken about how long he's worked for the family? Or is there something else going on here? Hmmm...

Meanwhile, also in the three months later storyline, we catch a glimpse of a hand (Tom's? Leonard's?) flutter back to life in the apartment where he was seemingly murdered. There's blood on the wall and, voila, there's that handbag that Ellen claims to have been stolen and which we know that Leonard Winstone touched.

Which makes me wonder if Leonard wasn't present at Tom's murder, after all. Tom knew his killer and let him into the apartment, though if the bag was stolen from Ellen, it may have contained a key to Tom's apartment. But why steal the bag? Was Leonard after something that he suspected--or knew--that Tom and Ellen had? Information that would be worth killing for?

And whose blood is it on the handbag? Is it from the same source as the blood splatter on the wall? We know Tom was stabbed but did he fight back? Was he able to injure his attacker, or one of his attackers? Is it Leonard's blood, given that the police's DNA database doesn't go back that far? Hmmm...

What did you think of this week's episode? Agree with the theories above? Or do you have some theories of your own? Discuss.

Next week on Damages ("I Look Like Frankenstein"), Carol Tobin vanishes, forcing Patty and Ellen to track her down; Arthur Frobisher (guest star Ted Danson) returns to launch his new foundation.

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Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to Lost executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about candidates, numbers, and the flash-sideways. "The concept of the candidates is really central to the final season of the show," Cuse told Abrams. "Jacob is dead so that leaves a significant problem for the people on the island. Who is destined to be the person who is protecting this place?" Lindelof went further, stating that we'll get answers in the next few weeks about why these particular people have been brought to the island. "One of the big questions of this show is: Why were these people brought to this island?" said Lindelof. "At least now we have some sense — if Jacob is responsible for bringing them there — that it has something to do with the fact that he's been observing them for quite some time. We now have information that he had this lighthouse, that he was able to see these people, look into their lives. For some reason, he chose them. We'll find out what that reason is in the coming weeks." (TVGuide.com)

Nick Nolte (Tropic Thunder) is said to be in talks to come aboard HBO's horseracing drama pilot Luck from executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann. Project, which will begin shooting in a few weeks, stars Dustin Hoffman, John Ortiz, and Dennis Farina. Nolte would play one of the country's top racehorse trainers. Meanwhile, Kevin Dunn (Transformers), Kerry Condon (Rome), and Tom Payne (Waterloo Road) have also been cast in the pilot, which will be directed by Mann. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Tom Cavanagh (Ed, Trust Me) has been cast as the titular character in Rand Ravich's NBC procedural drama pilot Edgar Floats, opposite Alicia Witt, Derek Webster, and Robert Patrick. Cavanagh will play Edgar Floats, a police psychologist who also works as a bounty hunter. "Edgar understands everyone but himself," Ravich told Ausiello. "Because of a personal financial crisis, Edgar is forced to leave the safety of his office and enter the dangerous world of fugitive recovery." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[Editor: Cavanagh landed the role over former Friends star David Schwimmer, who was also reportedly up for the part of Edgar.]

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that a deal has closed that will enable Dana Delany to depart Desperate Housewives and star in ABC drama pilot Body of Evidence, with Marc Cherry writing Delany's Katherine Mayfair temporarily out of the series so Delany can have time to shoot the pilot, which also stars John Carroll Lynch, Geoffrey Arend, and Jeri Ryan. "The networks have become like the old studio system where they have their stable of actors," Delany told Keck. "They want to hold on to them and see what else they can do with them, so (ABC president) Steve McPherson said, 'Would you consider doing another show,' and I said, 'I love Housewives, but this is the lead role and something different.' It’s one of those bountiful things. I love the show I have, but they’re offering me the lead." But don't say goodbye to Katherine just yet: Cherry told Keck that he's leaving the door open for her return, should Body not get ordered to series. (TV Guide Magazine)

Rob Morrow (NUMB3RS) has landed the lead in Jerry Bruckheimer's ABC pilot The Whole Truth, opposite Joely Richardson. Morrow will play Jimmy, described as "an exuberant, larger-than-life, extremely successful defense attorney who is frequently pitted against Peale (Richardson), with whom he shares a fierce competitiveness, a passion for the law, and a mutual respect that has them carpooling together to sit on various panels even as they're duking it out in court." The casting on the pilot is said to be in second position for Morrow with CBS' NUMB3RS, which the network hasn't yet made a renewal decision on. [Editor: though it's thought extremely unlikely that NUMB3RS will return next season.] (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC's Castle won't be getting a trial run on Sundays after the network reversed its decision about giving the Nathan Fillion-led crime procedural the 10 pm timeslot on Sunday, March 21st after Desperate Housewives. "An ABC insider says that with the new Dancing with Stars cast getting good buzz, the network wanted to maximize the number of original episodes of Castle on Mondays," wrote The Wrap's Josef Adalian. "Airing a first-run hour on Sunday would've mean an extra Castle repeat in the show's normal timeslot." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

In other Castle-related news, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former Nip/Tuck star Kelly Carlson will guest star in an upcoming episode that's loosely based on NBC's latenight wars. Carlson will play actress Ellie Rose, a love interest for Nathan Fillion's Castle who is desperate to land a role in the film adaptation of his book. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe has signed on to Showtime's upcoming dark comedy The Big C as a recurring guest star. Sidibe, who appeared in the pilot, will play "a smart-alecky student" in a class taught by Laura Linney's Cathy, "a repressed suburban wife and mother who reclaims her life after a terminal cancer diagnosis." Oliver Platt also stars. (via press release)

Brittany Snow (Gossip Girl) has landed a lead in David E. Kelley's NBC legal dramedy pilot Kindreds, opposite Kathy Bates. Snow will play the assistant to Bates' former patent lawyer now working a storefront law firm. Elsewhere, Sarah Wynter (Damages) has joined the cast of ABC dramedy pilot Cutthroat, opposite Roselyn Sanchez. She'll play a "Hollywood mom whose life is in shambles." (Hollywood Reporter)

Fancast's Matt Mitovich is reporting that Heroes' Sendhil Ramamurthy has been cast in USA's upcoming drama series Covert Affairs, where he will play Jai Wilcox, described as "the aide-de-camp to the CIA’s Director of Clandestine Services, Arthur Campbell (played by The O.C.'s Peter Gallagher)." Ramamurthy joins a cast that also includes Perabo Piper, Christopher Gorman, Kari Matchett, and Anne Dudek. "Considering Ramamurthy’s new gig and the conspicuous lack of screen time for Mohinder," writes Mitovich, "even if Heroes were to be renewed for one more season, he is not expected to return." (Fancast)

Jean Smart (24) has been cast in CBS' remake of Hawaii Five-O, where she will play Hawaiian governor Pat Jameson, described as "'a local Hawaiian with a Washingtonian's backbone' and a completely honest politician." (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Third Watch star Coby Bell has signed on as series regular for Season Four of USA's Burn Notice, where he will play Jesse Garcia, described as a "cocky, smooth, and sexy counter intelligence expert who has a chameleon-like ability to assume different aliases. He’s also able to read people instantaneously and come up with a character perfectly suited for preying on their vulnerabilities." Season Four is set to launch on USA this summer. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Dania Ramirez (Heroes) has been cast in a recurring role on HBO comedy series Entourage, where she will play a new love interest for Jerry Ferrara's Turtle. Lennie James (Jericho) will recur on HBO's Hung as love interest for Jane Adams' Tanya. Kenny Johnson (The Shield) will reprise his role as Kozik on Season Three of FX's Sons of Anarchy, where he will recur. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK fans of Doctor Who may get a chance to attend a regional premiere of Season Five's premiere installment, hosted by new series leads Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, in Belfast, Inverness, Sunderland, Salford, and Northampton, part of a BBC Outreach tour that will visit under-served communities by the BBC. "This is a great opportunity for the new Doctor and his Companion to interface directly with the people who matter most to Doctor Who: the fans," said executive producer Piers Wenger. "The chance to visit them in their hometowns will ensure that the 11th Doctor's maiden voyage is an utterly magical one." (BBC)

Spencer Locke (Cougar Town) has been cast in a guest starring role on the CW supernatural drama series Vampire Diaries, where she will play Amber Bradley, a contestant in a beauty pageant that also happens to feature Elena and Caroline. (Hollywood Reporter)

Starz's gladiator drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand is heading to the UK this summer, following a deal with Virgin Media's Bravo. (Broadcast)

NBC and Donald Trump have renewed their Miss Universe/Miss USA franchise rights for three more years, keeping the beauty pageants on NBC through 2013. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Looking for more Big Love?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my exclusive day-after interview with Big Love creators/executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer.

For those who haven't yet seen last night's fourth season finale of Big Love, major spoiler warnings apply as Olsen, Scheffer, and I discuss everything from the big reveal at the end of last night's episode, numerous subplots involving everyone from Bill, the wives, Ana, and JJ, the departure of Amanda Seyfried, their thoughts on how well Season Four worked, and what lies ahead for the Henrickson clan.

And, oh, there's a hell of a lot of fantastic material from Olsen and Scheffer that didn't make it into the interview, so if this does well, look for a Part Two...

Season Five of Big Love will air in 2011 on HBO.

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"I've needed you for twenty years. I don't think I need you anymore." - Barb

Doubt and uncertainty have always clouded the Henrickson clan throughout the four seasons of HBO's Big Love, which has depicted their struggles to embrace the Principle and remain true to themselves, their family, and their religious beliefs, which often put them in conflict with each other and opened up internal debates about the path they're on.

Throughout the series' run, the Henricksons have gone to great pains to conceal their plural marriage from those around them, almost sequestering themselves in the three homes they share, which open out onto a communal backyard, a sanctuary representing their true selves, a place where they truly can be themselves away from prying eyes.

In last night's spectacular fourth season finale of Big Love ("End of Days"), written by Eileen Myers and directed by David Petrarca, the Henricksons took a major first step to reclaim their own destiny, to live their private lives in the public eye, and to unmask themselves for who they really are.

While one can't help but admire their courage and determination, their decision to expose themselves, to control the outcome of this reveal, couldn't have occurred at a worst time for the family or for polygamists in general.

Bill's entire political campaign has been based from the start on the idea that it would be a platform with which he could push the family from the darkness of fear and concealment and into the light. It's a noble mission but one that's clouded his judgment throughout this season as he was so hell-bent on achieving this end that he was willing to sacrifice numerous relationships to do so. The Henrickson clan has been splintered by the end of the season in more ways than one: daughter Sarah has fled for Portland with her husband; Barb has serious doubts about the way Bill is leading this family; Margene is looking for an escape route but may have discovered something else with Ana and Goran; Bill's devoted business partner, poor Don Embry, took the fall for being a polygamist and nearly destroyed his own family.

If there was ever a time not to rock the boat, it would be this one.

Adding to the pressure being placed on Bill: the calculated assault being perpetrated by the venal lobbyist Marilyn Densham; strife with his partners at the Indian tribal casino; and a series of indictments coming down out of Kansas which point to shocking allegations of inbreeding and incest from Juniper Creek's sister compound. A compound that was overseen by Nicki's psychotic ex-husband JJ, who arrived at the end of last season under some mysterious circumstances.

The writers masterfully built up this last storyline throughout the entire season, waiting for the last possible moment to pull the trigger on the incest storyline. While I've suspected as much from the clues that have been subtly deployed throughout the season--from JJ's lack of fingernails, the creepiness of his parents, and Wanda's mental breakdown--the truth was even more shocking and horrific than I could have even imagined. While the series stopped short of having actual forcible incest portrayed, JJ's eugenics scheme was gruesome and perverse: a misguided effort to keep their bloodline pure through a series of in-vitro fertilization that scientifically wed siblings, cousins, parents, and children.

Bill. I was stunned that Bill managed to carry off being elected into the state senate after a very close race with an opponent who was willing to use every trick at her disposal. While the season was building to this inevitable conclusion, I was extremely surprised that Bill had carried off his election without being exposed as either an adulterer or a polygamist by the numerous people who were seeking his destruction.

Throughout the four seasons that have aired so far, we've often seen Bill shouldering more than he can humanly carry, whether that's his relationship with his wives, his business empire, or this new political calling. It's a calling to office that he claims he received from a new testimony, one that was dramatically at odds with that at the end of last season. Turning his back on the church he had established, he believed he could do more good from a political office than the pulpit.

On the one hand, I agree with Bill's determination: he wants to reclaim the Principle from those that would twist its purpose and its message. He wants to give a new face to polygamy, one that isn't rooted in the squalid or the depraved transgressions of Juniper Creek, Roman Grant, or Frank Harlow. One that is essentially about love, family, and acceptance.

I believe that Bill has a higher regard for human nature than is really warranted, especially when it comes to people accepting the Other. He believes that because he's now told the truth, revealed himself and his family as polygamists, that he'll be accepted for who he is and he'll be able to become polygamy's Great Reformer, a role that Alby Grant seems to castigate. But Bill doesn't take into account that he lied to everyone--to his campaign supporters, his backers, the volunteers who worked the phone lines, the Mormon church he returned to, his neighbors, and everyone who checked the box next to his name in the voting booth--and that revealing a lie doesn't take away the sting of betrayal.

He might want to live in the light, to be honest and open about his beliefs and his identity, but public scrutiny casts a harsh glare. Will Bill really be able to do anything in office now that he's revealed the truth about his family? Will anyone trust him again? And while he might refuse to step down, hasn't he misled the public and the party throughout this whole election campaign? How can one reform when one no longer has any power? The keys to the kingdom have been seized from Bill before he's even begun to enact his vision.

Barb. While Bill might believe steadfastly in his campaign--both a mundane and heavenly one--those around him lack certainty in his testimony. Barb this season has transformed from being Bill's Boss Lady, the first wife wielding power and influence over the wives, into a successful and independent businesswoman, a position that she never wanted in the first place. But her handling of the casino in Bill's absence propelled her into a very different role within the family and within the world.

Her tentative first steps at the casino (remember the crab leg fiasco?) seem miles away from her grit and drive now. Yes, she still makes some serious mistakes, typically when she reacts from anger or hurt (such as when she hired Marilyn), but she's also seeing the world with a clarity that wasn't there before. She did uncover the link between Marilyn, Paley, and the religious right boycotting the casino... and she discovers the truth about Leila and the Flutes.

Barb isn't one to cut her losses or turn her back on those in need and she's shocked and disgusted when Bill has Jerry and Tommy Flute removed by the tribal council rather than working with them to stem the tide of meth at the casino. She's come to have a close understanding of Tommy and formed something resembling a supportive friendship. The ease with which Bill cuts those ties frightens and disgusts her. They were partners, after all, so how could Bill so callously sacrifice them? The casino was meant to be a safety net for all of them, yet Bill was willing to cut out the Flutes like they were a cancer.

It's no surprise that Barb wants to put the brakes on Bill's decision to expose them. I was shocked that she leaked the paternity test results to the press but her betrayal was a last-ditch effort to stop Bill from destroying their family, from pushing them into the public eye, and destroying their reputations. If anyone understands the risk, it's Barb after her excommunication last season. She sees just what damage can be done here, to them, their marriage, their children. She's willing to do whatever she has to in order to keep things behind the veil of secrecy.

But even after she admits what she's done, Barb still can't go along with Bill's plan, no matter how much Nicki might be on board. Private polygamy is one thing but a public reveal of their lifestyle could destroy them all and it's clear that Barb is having serious doubts about her marriage and the path that Bill is pursuing. It's telling that Barb doesn't tell Bill that she doesn't love him but that she doesn't need him. And she doesn't in a way. She's been forced to rely on herself, to stand on her own two feet, to follow her husband through hell and highwater and something has snapped inside her. (It's not the first time she's had doubts; she left the family for a bit in Season Two.)

But in the end, she hesitates but she does eventually get up on stage to grasp hands with Bill and her sister-wives. Does she do it for Bill? Or for Margene and Nicki? Or for herself? After all, Barb has been exposed as a polygamist whether or not she gets up on stage. She can't hide and she certainly can't backpedal now. But she has a choice: to support the people she's married to or turn her back on them. And, based on her horror at the way Bill handled the situation with Tommy and Jerry, her choice is a difficult one but also the right one. It isn't her dream but she's made her alliances.

Nicki. I've loved seeing the way that Nicki is attempting to find herself this season, casting off the prairie clothes that symbolized her connection to Juniper Creek and her father's lifestyle as she attempts to try on the identities of those around her: first Margene and then Barb. Nicki's blossoming is the payoff to four seasons of self-doubt and self-punishment; she's finally coming to terms with the fact that she does deserve love and happiness, despite the damage she's suffered through her life. The cutting of her braid, a reversal of Samson's story, enables her to find herself, to cast off the past and start anew, to find her wellspring of strength.

But as much as she might tell herself that she is worthy of Bill's love, she feels that she has to uphold her end to the bargain, to continue to bring souls into their family, to be fruitful, to expand their family here and in eternity. And she's willing to make a deal with the devil himself to do, venturing back to Juniper Creek to receive the miraculous treatments from Dr. Roquet, despite the disappearance of her own pregnant mother.

It's ironic that Nicki should be so disgusted by Margene's plan to donate an egg to her ("Your egg, Bill's sperm in me? It's disgusting!") yet what nearly happens to Nicki in Roquet's care is far more revolting as JJ unveils his master plan: to reunite with Nicki by implanting his sperm and their daughter Cara Lynn's egg inside her. It's a jaw-dropping revelation that points to just how sick and twisted JJ really is. His idea of family is an offspring that unites mother, father, and daughter, a perversion of the Principle and the laws of nature, a sick idea of family planning (as April Blessing tells Larry King) that is horrifying.

Just what lies ahead for Nicki remains to be seen but her sudden reversal about polygamy is an intriguing direction. Her unerring belief in the Principle has been one of the guiding hallmarks of her character, yet to find her suddenly wanting to keep Bill to herself, to not share him, to change the status quo, points to a new direction for this always fascinating character.

Margene. Margene meanwhile struggled to uphold her promise to Ana and Goran even as she found herself increasingly attracted to Goran... and caught up in Bill's decision to expose the family, which would likely result in the loss of the business she had built up in the last few months. Playing Bill against the couple, Margene was caught between maintaining an escape route and falling into old patterns.

But it was the final scene between Ana, Goran, and Margene that points towards some major developments last season. Ana and Goran are acutely aware of Margene's attraction towards Goran and they seem quite fine with it, almost encouraging it in a way. The warm embrace that the trio shares seems more than just friendship and I couldn't help but feel a sense of frisson between them; I wouldn't have been surprised if all three ended up in bed together afterwards.

Just what does marriage mean to Margene? She slept with Bill despite the fact that he was already married to Barb and Nicki. She married Goran ostensibly to help the family but she signed a legal document binding her to another man. And now, despite the fact that Ana and Goran are engaged, she finds herself drawn to another man who is already attached. What future do these three have together? Will they too be drawn into the already growing Henrickson clan?

Alby. As for Alby, he destroys Roman's office, ripping down the blue sky wallpaper that his father put up, cuts up Lura's face in payment for her betrayal, and announces that he is going to name himself as Roman's successor. While the "ghost" of Roman is nowhere to be seen, it's clear that he hovers over the action here. While Bill's purpose is to place the family in the light, to stop the darkness growing inside of them, it's clear from these scenes that Alby has given himself over completely to the darkness, reveling in destruction, punishment, and vengeance. Yes, we're seeing the series' ultimate Big Bad finally emerging from the ashes of loss, grief, and self-loathing.

Adaleen. Loved that Adaleen managed to escape, thanks to a well-timed slam to Malinda's head. (Nicely played, Adaleen.) After everything that she had stood by and watched happen to Nicki, is able to rescue her daughter from suffering a similar fate. (Adaleen is, after all, pregnant with the offspring of brother and sister JJ and Wanda.) Does it reverse the decades of abuse that Nicki went through? No but it does prove beyond a doubt that Adaleen does love Nicki, does care for her, and is willing to sacrifice herself to save her child. She's also willing to serve as an instrument of vengeance, raining death upon JJ and Malinda, whom she ties up inside the clinic and then sets on fire. (An an aside, I thought the image of JJ and Malinda tied together was both beautiful and horrific, setting the two as mirror images of each other, both bald, as the flames consume them.)

Marilyn. I'm still not sure what to make of Sissy Spacek's Marilyn. She was so filled with anger towards Bill, so willing to destroy everything he held dear, but why? Was it that she couldn't charm him? That he saw her for what she was, a venal criminal in lobbyist's clothing? I had a feeling that she wasn't behind the adultery story (too easy) and her flatness in the scene where Bill confronted her in the hotel room confirmed that. I'm hoping that Spacek will be back as I think there's more to Marilyn than meets the eye... and I love that she waltzes into Bill's house and tells him a "sad, stupid man." A fitting proclamation from a woman who abuses the system yet who is utterly, completely alone in the world.

Wanda. Wanda finally regained her voice, just in time to save Nicki and warn Bill about what JJ was going to do with her. I'm hoping that we're finally seeing a Wanda who is more stable and honest than she has been, finally able to speak out about what has been done to her, able to shine a light on the abuses that the Walkers have perpetrated. We finally learned just what it was that JJ had of Wanda's--at least one of her eggs--but I can't help but wonder just what she'll do if Adaleen gives birth to that child. Shudder.

All in all, "End of Days" was an explosive season ender that tied up many of Season Four's dynamic storylines and presented some tantalizing story threads for next season to tackle. While this season has been less warmly embraced by many viewers, I found it to be gripping, controversial, and--to borrow a term from creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer--"operatic." (You can read my exclusive morning-after interview with Olsen and Scheffer here.) It positioned the Henricksons into a new and exciting place and shook the very foundations of the series in a way that opens up entirely new story possibilities in the future, exposing the Henricksons and forcing them to live a life that's no longer closeted. But as the Henricksons will likely find out next season, there's every reason to be careful what you wish for...

I'm curious to hear just what you thought about last night's season finale and the fourth season of Big Love as a whole. Head to the comments section to discuss.

Season Five of Big Love will air next year on HBO.

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Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Good news for Fringe fans: the Pattern will be continuing next season. FOX has officially renewed the drama series for a third season this fall. "Fringe tapped into a deep creative mine this year that built momentum throughout the season and helped give us our first real foothold on TV’s most competitive night,” said Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, in a statement. "The entire Fringe team – from the producers and writers to the cast and crew – has taken smart storytelling and top production quality to a whole new level. The rest of this season is mind-blowing, and we can’t wait to get started on the third installment of this amazing journey." Meanwhile, Fringe resumes with eight all-new episodes on Thursday, April 1st. (via press release)

The Guardian's Simon Hattenstone has a huge profile of new Doctor Who star Matt Smith, who takes over the mantle of the Doctor from former star David Tennant next month when Season Five of Doctor Who launches on BBC One and BBC America. "He's a little reckless," said Smith of his take on the Doctor. "He'll walk into a room and have a million things to do. And, as opposed to knowing exactly how to get out, he'll take it up to the precipice: don't know, don't know, don't know, and boom, there's the idea. And it's a bit mad and reckless. It's very doof, doof, doof. And he's got a companion who I think is the hardest to handle. And she's quite mad. But the Doctor's quite mad as well. So together..." (Guardian)

Wondering what will happen to Season Three of Party Down now that Adam Scott has been cast in NBC's Parks and Recreation? You're not alone. Alan Sepinwall tracked down executive producer Rob Thomas to find out what's going on. "Adam will be allowed to do three guest star spots for us," Thomas told Sepinwall. "We can definitely still do the show without Adam, though we're all collectively entering about the third stage of grief over here. We'd much, much prefer to be doing the show with him. Adam hated leaving the show, but they made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and in a world where our Party Down future isn't guaranteed, he understandably felt like he needed to take the offer. We've been told that in order to return for a third season, our second season numbers need to come up from where they were. We're praying that, even with Adam gone, Starz continues with a big marketing campaign for Season Two." The second season of Party Down will premiere next month on Starz. (What's Alan Watching)

Academy Award winner Kathy Bates is reportedly in final talks to topline David E. Kelley's NBC legal drama pilot Kindreds in a role that was originally written for a man. Bates, currently in the middle of a multiple-episode story arc on NBC's The Office, would play a "curmudgeonly former patent lawyer." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jesse Plemons will not be returning full-time for Season Five of Friday Night Lights after his contract option was not picked up. "With Jesse — as with previous cast members who have moved on — Pete Berg, myself and the producers of the show let the storytelling guide us, and we feel we didn’t have substantial enough storylines to justify keeping such an immensely talented actor from pursuing what we know will continue to be a very successful career," executive producer Jason Katims told Ausiello. "Jesse has created one of Friday Night Lights' finest and most beloved characters, and I can tell you this was not an easy decision." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Breckin Meyer (Robot Chicken) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar) have been cast as the leads in TBS' one-hour comedy pilot Franklin & Bash, about two best friends who are street lawyers and who are recruited to work at a white-shoe firm. Project, from Sony Pictures Television, is written by Kevin Falls and Bill Chais, who will executive produce alongside Jamie Tarses. Elsewhere at TBS, Tim Meadows and Kelly Blatz have joined the cast of comedy pilot Glory Daze, where they will star alongside Julianna Guill, Callard Harris, Matt Bush, Hartley Sawyer, and Drew Seeley. (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Big Bang Theory executive producer Bill Prady wants to approach Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy about a cameo appearance on the CBS multi-camera comedy next season. "We’ll probably make a general inquiry," Prady told Ausiello. "And if there’s enough interest, we’ll develop a story. The fans have said that’s the dream get, and we agree." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Kyle Bornheimer (Romantically Challenged) has landed the lead in CBS' untitled comedy pilot from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas about an unmarried couple and their friends living in Pittsburgh. Bornheimer, whose participation here is in second position to ABC's Romantically Challenged, will play Tommy, described as "the lovable, slightly unkempt and highly entertaining half of the couple who means well but doesn't always finish what he starts." (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting roundup: Scott Foley (Cougar Town) has come aboard ABC cop drama pilot True Blue; Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) will star opposite Debra Messing in ABC comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong (also cast: The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch); Tim Peper (Carpoolers) will star in FOX comedy pilot Most Likely to Succeed; Nicholas Bishop (Past Life) will play one of the leads in ABC crime drama pilot Body of Evidence; Aly Michalka (Phil of the Future) and Gail O'Grady (Hidden Palms) have been cast in CW drama pilot Hellcats; James Patrick Stuart (90210) and Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock) have joined the cast of ABC comedy pilot It Takes a Village; Michael Cassidy (Privileged) will play one of the leads in NBC comedy pilot The Pink House; Jessy Schram (Life) scored one of the leads in CW supernatural drama pilot Betwixt, Dorian Missick (Six Degrees) has joined the cast of NBC vigilante drama pilot The Cape; and Ryan Hawley (Survivors) has been cast in the untitled Amy Sherman-Palladino's untitled Wyoming project at the CW. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has named Brooke Burke as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars. The Season Seven winner will appear alongside Tom Bergeron for the Spring 2010 season of Dancing, which launches Monday, March 22nd. (via press release)

WABC and Cablevision were able to reach an eleventh hour retransmssion deal last night, just in time for the first award to be presented at last night's Academy Awards telecast. "We've made significant progress, and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision," said WABC prexy/GM Rebecca Campbell in a statement. "Given this movement, we're pleased to announce that ABC7 will return to Cablevision households while we work to complete our negotiations." (Variety)

Another project is rolling over into next year: CBS confirmed that it had pushed its untitled Tad Quill comedy to the next development season after it was unable to cast its central character, the widowed father of a 12-year-old boy. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Family has acquired the first broadcast window for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, securing the rights from Walt Disney Co. to begin airing the feature film in 2012 in a deal that is believed to be more than $20 million. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Stay tuned.

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Looking to discuss the latest episode of CBS' fantastic reality series The Amazing Race?

Head over to the Los Angeles Times/Show Tracker to read my latest piece, entitled "The Amazing Race: Zeroes to Heroes," where you can read my take on the latest episode, what the cowboys did wrong, how the running order got so entirely messed up, and much more.

Sound off in the comments section and be sure to come back next week as I'll be discussing each episode of The Amazing Race all season long.

Next week on The Amazing Race ("I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?"), the eight remaining teams depart the Pit Stop at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany's red-light district and end up reenacting the first World War on a recreated battlefield.

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Oh, happy day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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BBC America's post-apocalyptic thriller Survivors will live on... on Tuesday nights.

The Adrian Hodges-executive produced Survivors, which wrapped up its second season in the UK earlier this year on BBC One, will conclude its first season Stateside on Saturday, March 20th... before the digital cabler launches Season Two just three days later on Tuesday, March 23rd at 9 pm ET/PT.

Given that Survivors had previously aired on Saturdays, the move could mark a return for the network to scripted drama series during the week. (Fingers crossed.) In recent years, the network has programmed mostly reality series during the week with a few notable exceptions such as Skins, The Inbetweeners, and Gavin & Stacey... though it's worth noting that the series will now go up against ABC's Lost.

Here's how BBC America described Season Two of Survivors:

"Season Two shows the group now struggling not just against the difficulties of day to day life amid the ruins of the post-virus apocalypse, but also against the threat of other emerging communities and the machinations of the sinister Lab. Returning for this high octane second season alongside Abby is: Greg, a loner, hiding the pain of his past; Anya, a doctor who has seen too much; Al, a playboy who became a surrogate father to young and headstrong Najid; Sarah, a hedonist used to getting her own way and Tom Price – handsome, dangerous and a high security prisoner before the virus hit.

As the season unfolds and the tension mounts, the threat of danger, concealed secrets, lies and violence is eternally present, and the group is forced time and again to ask themselves: are they in it together, or is it each man for himself?"

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

SURVIVORS CONTINUES WITH THE U.S PREMIERE OF SEASON TWO
NOW ON TUESDAYS
The U.S. premiere season of BBC AMERICA’s thrilling new series, Survivors has viewers glued to their screens and on the heels of season one’s upcoming explosive finale comes the U.S. premiere of season two. TV Guide called Survivors, “down-to-earth sci-fi at its gritty best” while Variety said “Post-apocalyptic visions have been all the rage of late, but BBC AMERICA's Survivors finds a sweet spot in the midst of such mayhem...” Survivors season one finale airs Saturday, March 20, 9:00p.m. ET/PT and season two premieres on a new night, Tuesday, March 23, 9:00p.m. ET/PT.

From the co-creator and writer of Primeval, Adrian Hodges, season one introduced viewers to a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant (Julie Graham). They all experienced the similar devastating loss of family and friends when a mystery virus killed almost the entire human race. Abby left London to discover whether her son Peter, who was on a school adventure holiday, had survived. On her way, she came across the other survivors, some of whom bonded into a group. But without the rule of law she never knew if the next person she encounters would prove friendly or hostile.

Season two shows the group now struggling not just against the difficulties of day to day life amid the ruins of the post-virus apocalypse, but also against the threat of other emerging communities and the machinations of the sinister Lab. Returning for this high octane second season alongside Abby is, Greg, a loner, hiding the pain of his past; Anya, a doctor who has seen too much; Al, a playboy who became a surrogate father to young and headstrong Najid; Sarah, a hedonist used to getting her own way and Tom Price – handsome, dangerous and a high security prisoner before the virus hit.

As the season unfolds and the tension mounts, the threat of danger, concealed secrets, lies and violence is eternally present, and the group is forced time and again to ask themselves: are they in it together, or is it each man for himself?

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 67 million homes.

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More information is trickling out about Neil Patrick Harris' upcoming guest turn on FOX's musical-comedy Glee this May.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Harris will play Bryan Adam, a former glee glee club nemesis of Matthew Morrison's Will, who is now as a William McKinley High board member in the episode, to be directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon.

Citing an unnamed Glee insider, Ausiello goes on to report that the high school feud between Harris' Bryan Adam and Morrison's Will will be depicted via flashbacks which will show the two as rivals for solos and girls as teenagers... and that animosity has carried over into adulthood, where Bryan is now looking to cut the arts program.

"Show choir ruined his life, made him feel he could be a star, but all he could do is book Carnival cruises,” the unnamed Glee insider told Ausiello. "Now he wants vengeance."

I'm happy to add some further details to Ausiello's report as it now seems as though Harris' Bryan Adams is in a glee club survivors support group that will also be populated by Molly Shannon's character.

The word comes from the most recent casting breakdown for Glee, which is looking to cast a new character, "Russell" as one-day guest star with the potential to recur on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series:

"[RUSSELL] Late 30s-40s. He is a member of a "Glee Club Survivors" support group which includes other members Neil Patrick Harris and Molly Shannon. PLEASE SUBMIT "NAME" as well as "NON-NAME" actors...ONE-DAY GUEST STAR (POSSIBLY RECURRING)"

Which makes me wonder: just who else is part of this support group cabal? And are they all plotting the demise of McKinney's Glee Club?

Glee is set to return April 13th at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.

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Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin is reporting that Party Down star Adam Scott is heading to NBC's Parks and Recreation, where he is slated to turn up in the final episodes of the season... alongside Rob Lowe, in fact. [Editor: could their sudden appearances in Pawnee be linked?] Scott, who will serve as as a series regular for Parks' third season, has also signed a first-look deal with NBC and Universal Media Studios, under which he will develop new series projects. Parks and Recreation co-creator Mike Schur described Scott as "brilliant and funny -- and he's funny in a lot of different ways. There just aren't that many people with a comedic range that spans Step Brothers to Party Down." As for Party Down fans worried that this would mean the end of Henry Pollard, Martin reports that "Scott said he'd be open to coming back to reprise his role should "Party Down" be renewed." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

[Editor: Variety, meanwhile, reports that Scott would appear in up to three episodes of Party Down if it is renewed for a third season, per his deal with Starz.]

Good news for fans of HBO's much-missed period drama Rome. Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that a feature film sequel to Rome is finally in development and creator Bruno Heller--who went on to create CBS' The Mentalist--has finished a script for Morning Light Productions, which will finance the film, set in Germany four years after the events of the HBO series. Rice reports that Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson will reprise their roles as Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo in the feature film... which could be difficult as the end of Rome seemed to depict the death of McKidd's Vorenus. "The next step for Morning Light is to find a director and a studio, since HBO Films won’t be involved," writes Rice. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

The CW has renewed superhero drama Smallville, picking up the Warner Bros. Television-produced drama series for a tenth season. Move comes after the netlet previously picked up The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210, Supernatural, and Top Model for the 2010-11 season. (via press release)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Michelle Rodriguez will reprise her role as Ana-Lucia on ABC's Lost later this season, appearing in at least one episode. Rodriguez--most recently seen in Avatar--was last seen in Season Five, when she appeared as a ghostly visitor to Hurley. "There’s no word where or exactly when Ana-Lucia will resurface this time around," writes Ausiello, "but, come on, this has 'flash-sideways cameo!' written all over it!" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Chuck fans had better keep tuning in to the NBC action-comedy, following comments made by the Peacock's Angela Bromstad, when asked by The Hollywood Reporter about Chuck's shot at a fourth season renewal. Despite saying that the series' performance on Mondays was a "pleasant surprise," Bromstad went on to say that Chuck's likelihood of being renewed depended on ratings. "It's got to maintain," said Bromstad, "and it depends on development." In other words: keep buying those Subway sandwiches and keep tuning in... (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

[Editor: meanwhile, Bromstad said she was "hopeful" that Community would return for a second season, though wouldn't confirm or deny that it would or wouldn't.]

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has a rundown of what was revealed at last night's Paley Festival panel for Showtime's Dexter, an event which she moderated and which dealt heavily with the reveals of the Season Four finale and what lies ahead for Dexter and Co. next season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Scott Caan (Ocean's Eleven) has been cast as a guest star in CBS cop drama pilot Hawaii Five-O, the remake of the classic television series. Caan will play Danny "Danno" Williams in the CBS Studios-produced pilot, which hails from executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Peter Lenkov. Caan's role is being considered a guest starring role for the pilot, due to his commitments to HBO's Entourage; should Hawaii Five-O be picked up to pilot, he'll be bumped to series regular. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has confirmed that the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live coast-to-coast this year on August 29th. Move marks the first time in over 30 years that the Emmys will air live across the country (the last time was in 1976). (Broadcasting & Cable)

Pilot casting update: Jeri Ryan (Leverage) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot Body of Evidence; Nate Corddry (The Pacific), Jonathan Sadowski (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Dan Bakkedahl, and P.J. Byrne have been cast in NBC comedy pilot presentation Our Show; Robert Patrick (The Unit) has come aboard Rand Ravich's ABC drama pilot Edgar Floats, where he will play a bond bailsman who is the ex-father-in-law of the titular character, a bountu hunter; Allison Miller (Kings) has scored one of the leads in CW drama pilot Betwixt; Alan Ruck (Drive) and Scarlett Johnson (EastEnders) have joined the cast of CW's untitled Amy Sherman Palladino Wyoming project; Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) and Devin Kelley (Tease) have come joined the cast of FOX cop drama pilot Ridealong. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that producers of ABC's Modern Family are currently looking to cast the Tuckers, the parents of Eric Stonestreet's Cameron. Stonestreet told Keck that Kathy Bates was originally considered for the role but she's no longer in the running due to her recent turn on NBC's The Office. Stonestreet, however, has one hell of a suggestion for who should play his mother: former Designing Women star Delta Burke. “We like that idea," said Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan. "We think that could be good.” (TV Guide Magazine)

Tom Bergeron, Fred Willard, French Stewart, Yeardley Smith, and Bill Bellamy have signed on to guest star in the April 26th episode of ABC's Castle, which offers a satirical look at NBC's latenight situation with Conan and Leno, according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Sources confirm to me exclusively that Dancing with the Stars emcee Tom Bergeron has signed on to guest as Bobby Mann, a late-night talk show host who gets permanently shut up by... Well, the prime suspect is his would-be successor, a rival chatterbox (played by Bill Bellamy) who’s long coveted the victim’s timeslot," writes Ausiello. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Strictly Ice Dancing is heading to the US. ABC is developing an untitled US adaptation of the BBC Worldwide-produced reality series will feature celebrities training with ice skating professionals and then performing on ice and which will air as a six-week series likely between cycles of Dancing with the Stars. Project shouldn't be confused with FOX's short-lived 2006 effort, Skating With Celebrities. (Variety)

Over at NBC, the Peacock unveiled its summer programming--or at least parts of it--with America's Got Talent returning Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning June 1st and Last Comic Standing returning on June 7th. International acquisition Persons Unknown will air Mondays at 10 pm, beginning the same night, while long-delayed comedy 100 Questions will launch Thursday, May 27th. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Martha Stewart and Mark Burnett are shopping eight-episode reality series Help Me, Martha, which will feature Stewart and a team of experts "help the show's subjects with everything from wedding near-distasters to planning last-minute parties," to network buyers. (Variety)

HBO is said to be developing an untitled telepic based on Andrew Sorkin's nonfiction book "Too Big to Fail," about the 2008 economic meltdown. Project will be written by Peter Gould (Breaking Bad) and may also use material derived from an upcoming book by Joe Nocera and Bethany McClean as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

Comedy Central has promoted David Bernath to EVP, where he will oversee program strategy and multiplatform programming. He reports to Michele Ganeless. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Vampires. Doppelgangers. A nearly naked Joel McHale.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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