It's a shame that Pushing Daisies has died in the vase because week to week the cast and crew continue to produce a top-notch series that's unlike anything on television.

This week's episode ("Robbing Hood"), written by Jim D. Gray, offered up yet another delicious repast in the form of a murder mystery involving a millionaire (guest star Shelley Berman), his gold-digging widow (Jennifer Elise Cox), his lovelorn lawyer (Ethan Phillips) and a modern-day Robin Hood named Rob Wright (Danny Comden) who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

It also served up another installment in the ongoing storyline of Dwight Dixon (guest star Stephen Root) who is on the hunt for an old pocket watch owned by Chuck's father Charles Charles. Just what Dwight needs this watch for (in addition to those originally owned by himself and Ned's father) remains to be seen, but it is clearly connected to something that happened when the three men were comperes together as UN peacekeepers.

Unfortunately, in his quest to uncover the missing watch--and his blossoming relationship with Aunt Vivian--Dwight has stumbled onto another mystery: why do Lily and Vivian think that they buried their niece (lonely tourist Charlotte Charles) when there's no body in her grave... and he's clearly seen Chuck alive and working at the Pie Hole? Faster than you can say "touch of life," Dwight leaves a message at the Pie Hole for our girl Chuck: he knows what you did last summer.

What I did love about this week's episode? Let's see. Young Ned resurrecting Akbar's poor bunny and python duo after their marble accident, Emerson's explanation to Ned that a key part is "kind of a raffle, of the porno variety" and Ned still not understanding it (much to Chuck's delight), the roar of the bear as Ned is forced to bring it back to life in order to locate Gustav's second will (ouch!), Olive's performance as obnoxiously OTT Mrs. Carville, the way that Ned and Emerson furtively turned off all of the lights in Lily and Vivian's house to make it appear deserted, Olive stress eating no less than six pies at the Pie Hole, the adorable (and emotionally restrained) scene between Dwight and Vivian in the autumn-colored park, and the fact that Chuck would fall for Rob Wright's story AND share a cheese plate with him while the others await the inevitable robbery. That's our fromage-loving Chuck.

Meanwhile, it was only a matter of time before someone learned that Chuck was alive and not dead after all this time. She's had a number of close encounters with her aunts over the past season, both at her aunt's house (where she returned last night to her childhood bedroom--now turned into a cheese locker--in search of clues) and at the Pie Hole. And Dwight seems to be a Keeper of Secrets. After all, he knows that Lily is actually Chuck's mother and had an affair with Vivian's fiancé (and their half-brother) Charles. And now he knows that Chuck is alive and well. In a word: not good.

I can only imagine what Lily and Vivian's reaction will be to this news, after all of their grieving and guilt over Chuck's death. Elation, yes, but also anger at being kept in the dark all this time. Meanwhile, the noose is tightening around Chuck. There's only so long the dead can walk among the living without people getting suspicious and she's gotten too complacent in her new life to continue her charade at being someone else.

With Dwight having stolen Charles' watch from right out underneath their noses, Chuck convinces a reluctant Ned to resurrect her father so they can get some answers. (Hell, I predicted nearly a year ago that this would happen.) And they do get as far as digging up the coffin when this week's episode was over. Will they go through with their plan? Will Ned stand by and watch Chuck watch her father die a second time? Or, more likely, will they be shocked to discover that Charles Charles' body isn't in that coffin? After all, wouldn't Dwight have beaten them to the grave long before in search of that very watch? Hmmm...

Next week on Pushing Daisies ("Comfort Food"), it's time for the much discussed Pushing Daisies/Wonderfalls crossover in which Chuck turns to Emerson for help after learning that Dwight Dixon knows that she is alive (again) while Ned and Olive compete at a comfort food competition that includes murder on the menu when one of the participants is found deep-fried and dead.

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This being Thanksgiving, perhaps the most food-centric holiday in the American calendar, I couldn't let today go by without briefly discussing last night's episode of Top Chef ("Foo Fighters Thanskgiving"), which saw the cheftestants roll with the punches as they prepared a Thanksgiving Day feast for the Foo Fighters under some less than ideal circumstances.

But, hey, isn't that the magic of Top Chef, after all?

For their Quickfire Challenge, chefs were instructed in the true meaning of "rolling with the punches" and adapting to any and all changes in their plans as they drew knives to determine from what page of the Top Chef cookcook (ahem, product tie-in alert) they would draw influence for a dish that was a play on a recipe that appeared earlier in the series. Ten minutes into executing their dishes, Padma announced that there was a change of plan: they would now make a soup using the same ingredients and influences of that original recipe. Not exactly an easy task.

So who rose to the challenge? I have to give Leah massive credit for her white asparagus soup with tuna tartare, which was elegant and understated and beautifully captured the very essence of her original recipe, no small feat given her dislike of white asparagus. (I can't say I agree with her viewpoint on that front, however, as I love those albino spears.) Danny managed to surprise me with his mushroom and leek soup with ham and egg; I've no love for this particular cheftestant (and his later flipping off of Melissa won him no favors with me) but I do have to say that he did particularly well here. And once again, Jamie proved that she is a solid chef as she knocked the hell out of her soup again this week, offering up a scented chick pea soup with cilantro yogurt. Well done, Jamie.

Leah not only won immunity from the coming Elimination Challenge but also gained a solid advantage as she was able to pick her team for the Thanksgiving dinner task... and ended up selecting all of the top talent in the kitchen (save Eugene, who never seems to get credit for his culinary strengths), leaving Team Cougar with the cast-offs. Ouch.

It amazed me that the chefs thought that they would just prepare a Thanskgiving dinner for the Foos without expecting some other fly in the ointment and of course there was: there were no freezers or refrigerators at the cooking site, only one burner per team, and no ovens. Teams would have to cook turkey using either the microwave or a small convection oven... and that was bad enough before the rain started. (Seeing Fabio freak out that it was raining in his tiramisu was a classic Top Chef moment in the making.)

Overall, Team Sexy Pants (Leah's hand-picked team) had a better menu even if their turkey wasn't quite as moist and flavorful as Ariane's (who managed to redeem herself this week after two really bad performances over the last two weeks). Together they assembled a menu that included: roasted turkey, a whole roasted beef tenderloin, onion gravy, corn salad with wax beans, old-school style sweet potatoes with marshmallows and stewed fruit, roasted vegetable vegan corn bread stuffing, pumpkin tiramisu, and a peach and blueberry crisp. I thought that the tenderloin was a little overkill, but otherwise it was a solid menu that none of the judges took any offense to whatsoever. Yes, the turkey was comparatively not as good as Team Cougar's but it was still a tasty turkey and their sides and desserts absolutely shown.

In comparison, Ariane's turkey was hands-down the best thing that Team Cougar produced, along with Eugene's maple-smoked pork loin with apple chili-chutney, which Eugene was able to cook by rigging his own hibachi. Yes, while the other chefs bemoaned the lack of equipment, Eugene actually created his own and still had time to pull off an exquisite dish. Sadly, the same can't be said about the other members of his team. Their menu consisted of: the aforementioned pork loin, turkey breast with mushroom and caramelized carrots, vegetarian stuffed mushrooms and onion cream mashed potatoes, five cheese mac and cheese with bacon, spoonbread with fig, peach cobber with whipped cream, pumpkin mousse with berries, and banana s'mores with chocolate ganache and vanilla foam.

While Ariane and Eugene managed to pull off complicated and delicious dishes (along with Alex, who made the mac and cheese), the rest of the team didn't fare as well, with dessert being the main problem overall, along with Danny's choice to combine undercooked ("al dente") potatoes with fully cooked potatoes, a distastrous decision that I hoped would be enough to send him home. Sadly, it fell ultimately to Jeff--who emerged as the leader of the team--and Richard, who made those ghastly "s'mores" which guest judge Grant Achatz felt completely misunderstood the nature of s'mores in the first place and failed in concept and execution. It's never a good sign when the Foo Fighters think you spit on their dish and so Richard was told to pack his knives and go.

Personally, I think Danny should have gone (despite his strong performance at Quickfire) as it's never a good feeling to see a talented chef walk off the series for a sub-par dessert. Then again, it should be a reminder to future Top Chef participants to practice their dessert recipes now...

Next week on Top Chef ("Today Show"), guest judge Rocco DiSpirito has to decide which cheftestant deserves the grand prize of a live demonstration on NBC's The Today Show, but several of the chefs fall flat when faced with the daunting prospect of speed during a food demonstration challenge.

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Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

While there's not much television-related news today (this being a national holiday and all), I did want to just share a few tidbits that are floating out there.

Ari Graynor (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on FOX's Fringe, where she will play the younger sister of Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) in at least three episodes. Graynor's first appearance is scheduled for early January and she will turn up unannounced in Boston at Olivia's flat with her young daughter in tow, supposedly looking for some place to crash after man troubles. Could it be that Little Sis has an ulterior motive? Hmmm. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

James Hibberd talks to The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller about the hit CBS freshman procedural drama. Among the topics under discussion: where the idea for The Mentalist came from, when to expect a resolution to the Red John storyline (hint: the series finale), and the danger in turning Jane into too much of a superhero. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is said to be focus group-testing that romance between Grey's Anatomy's Izzie and her dead boyfriend Denny. However, the good news, according to EW is that "Rhimes hasn’t given up on girl-on-girl love, as bisexual Callie is about to start canoodling with new intern Sadie (Melissa George). McSteamy (Eric Dane) may end up doing the dirty with little Grey, Lexie, played by Chyler Leigh (anything’s better than watching her pine over the oblivious George), and fan favorite Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) will show up for a special crossover episode with Private Practice in February. The bad news is that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is slated to appear at least through February." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Tyler Perry has settled his contract dispute with the WGA and writers on his TBS series House of Payne. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Another day, another set of fantastic promos for FX's Damages.

With only a little over a month to go until the launch of the serpentine legal thriller's sophomore season, my anticipation for this slick, sophisticated series is kicking into overdrive.

While the first promo provided some atmospheric shots of Ellen (Rose Byrne) stepping on Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) in the gutter, the two new promos showcase new footage from Season Two, including Ellen literally holding a smoking gun and uttering the memorable phrase, "Revenge is the ultimate motivator."

Take a look for yourself, after the jump:

First up, the 30-second "Whatever It Takes" spot:

I can't wait!

With "Whatever It Takes," we're treated to a glimpse inside Ellen's head as she tells us just what she's willing to do to get her revenge on Patty, after the events of Season One: become her protege, her confidante, be the daughter she never had. What's the deal with the cash, the gun, the, er, hugs? Only a little over a month to go!

And in the newest promo to date, entitled "The Case," we move inside Patty's mind as Patty informs Ellen what goes into choosing a case. "It starts with a seed of anger," she whispers malevolently. And I can't help but salivate as we get a one-minute plus look at the next season.



Frobisher, bloody, pleading for his life at gun point? Ellen agreeing to wear a wire and testify in court against Patty? Marcia Gay Harden telling Ellen that she's not safe? William Hurt and a dead body? FX, why are you teasing me like this?

Damages kicks off Season Two on Wednesday, January 7th at 10 pm ET/PT on FX.

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In its best moments, television has the ability to bring alternative perspectives right into our living rooms, allowing us to live vicariously through the lives of Others. At times, television can inform, spur to action, and teach us about the pain and suffering of others around the world.

BBC America's provocative new mini-series Britz, written and directed by Peter Kosminsky (The Government Inspector, White Oleander), falls into that category. Britz, which originally aired on Channel 4 in the UK last year, charts the relationship between two siblings caught in the cross-fire between the British government's war on terror on their own private lives as British-born Muslims as they suffer disillusionment after 9/11 and the July 7th bombings in London.

The story is told in two halves, each following the life of one of the aforementioned siblings. In Part One ("Sohail's Story"), airing Sunday, November 30th, the audience meets Sohail (Riz Ahmed), a law student recruited into MI-5 who finds himself torn between his duty to his country (unlike his sister, Sohail considers himself first and foremost British) and that of his religion, as he is forced to spy on those closest to him.

Increasingly forced to choose between his heritage and his nationality, Sohail finds himself under additional pressure to continue to assimilate into mainstream British society and finds himself at odds with his politically-motivated sister Nasima (Manjinder Virk), a medical student prone to organizing protests who finds herself driven towards more radicalized factions in light of several life-changing events.

In Part Two ("Nasima's Story"), airing Monday, December 1st, the gaps in the narrative are filled in from Nasima's perspective and continue to overlap with Sohail's story as Nasima struggles to reconcile her feelings of disllusionment against her belief in the law. When she's detained by authorities after staging a protest outside a police station (following the arrest of her best friend under the Terrorism Act), Nasima finds herself propelled outside her plush existence as a privileged Westerner and into the arms of jihad. It's a remarkable journey to watch her take; when Britz begins, Nasima listens to Western music, dates a black non-Muslim man (Chinna Wodu), and celebrates her right to free speech... but becomes transformed by the racism and hatred she encounters and her moral resolve becomes twisted into vengeance.

Ahmed (Path to 9/11) and Virk (Bradford Riots) are mesmerizing in their diametrically opposed beliefs; each one is so intent on following through on their differing viewpoints that the two siblings, formerly so close, fall apart at the seams far too quickly. Virk has a quiet strength that is impressive to watch but I felt more invested in Sohail's story as he struggles to find his place in an increasingly xenophobic world.

While there is at times an element of mawkish preachiness in the four-hour mini-series, Part One is anchored firmly by Ahmed's cool intensity and the first half of the story unfolds as one might expect from an episode of Spooks or 24: surveillance, SWAT-type teams, rogue investigation, etc. Part Two is inherently more focused on Nasima and matters of the heart and the head; it's much more internalized and less action-focused. Nasima's journey is heartbreaking and controversial, sometimes so much so that it's hard to find her character sympathetic as she heads inexorably towards her fate.

Britz isn't for everyone. It tackles a subject that most of us in post-9/11 America and Britain don't want to confront and would rather forget and raises some rather difficult inner questions along the way. However, Britz is also a hauntingly gripping drama about two siblings, about intolerance and hatred in the modern world, and about how far families can fall apart in times of crisis. It is at times bleak and nihilistic as well as eye-opening but it also strives to show just how symbolic and powerful an embrace can be over a bomb... and how sometimes even that is not enough.

Part One of Britz premieres Sunday, November 30th at 8 pm ET/PT on BBC America. Part Two premieres Monday, December 1st at 8 pm ET/PT.

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Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm still trying to get the idea of hallucinatory killer butterflies out of my system after last night's episode of Fringe by thinking of tomorrow's turkey feast.

I'll keep the SPOILER ALERT on for the next few posts as not everyone may have seen last night's season finale of The Shield. Michael Ausiello chats with series creator Shawn Ryan about that ending, Shane and Vic's fates, Andre Benjamin's character attempting to run for mayor, and why Ryan knew there had to be a final confrontation between Claudette and Vic. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide also talks with Ryan about his work on the series finale with some questions about justice, not knowing what the end of the series would be, what's next for the writer/producer, and Ryan's favorite TV series on the air at the moment. (Hint: Lost, Mad Men, and 30 Rock are some of them.) (TV Guide)

The Office's Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak chat with The Boston Herald as the duo return to their respective home towns of Cambridge and Newton for Thanksgiving. "My character on the show is just an exaggerated version of myself... which is a little embarassing,” said Kaling. “Kelly isn’t a role model. She’s just sort of an idiot. It’s fun to play a character who’s not a forensics expert, or computer-science genius... the way other shows have Asian characters portrayed.” (The Boston Herald)

NBC is developing a procedural drama to star Gabrielle Union (Ugly Betty) from writer/executive producer Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, Breaking Bad) and Universal Media Studios. The untitled project, based on an original idea deviced by Union and Spotnitz, is about a detective (Union) who has to race to save someone's life before she runs out of time. (Variety)

Speaking of NBC, the Peacock unveiled its January schedule, which is missing Chuck, Life, and Heroes. (Televisionary)

CBS is developing a spin-off of procedural drama NCIS, itself a spin-off--one can't help but remember--of JAG. Series would be based around a new team of naval investigators that will be introduced later this season on NCIS and could be launched as early as next fall and will likely cause the planned Criminal Minds spin-off to be placed on hold for now. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Among fears of a possible SAG strike early next year, studios are said to be talking to SAG's rival AFTRA about coverage on projects for pilot season. (Variety)

Looks like we'll be seeing more of Rickety Cricket and Artemis. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia recurring actors David Hornsby and Artemis Pebdani have been cast in the pilot for FOX space-set workplace comedy Boldly Going Nowhere, from the creators of Sunny, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton. Hornsby will play Lt. Lance Grigsby, the captain's devoted second-in-command who supports his cheating wife back home. Pebdani will play Startemis, the ship's alien communications officer. (And, yes, the original script--which I read last winter--called for Startemis by name.) (Hollywood Reporter)

In other casting news, Jason Butler Harner (Fringe) has replaced Jason London in Showtime drama pilot Possible Side Effects about a family that runs a pharmaceutical company. Harner will play middle son Silas. (Hollywood Reporter)

TMZ has been renewed for two more seasons and will stay on the Fox Television Stations group through the 2010-11 season. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Cherish the episodes of Chuck that may be left before Christmas because the series sadly won't be returning to NBC until sometime in February. (Same holds true for Heroes and Life.)

NBC today announced their midseason schedule which features series launches of reality series Superstars of Dance (debuting January 4th) and Howie Do It (January 9) and the returns of The Biggest Loser: Couples (January 6th) and Friday Night Lights (January 16th), the latter of which will have already aired its season on DirecTV.

I can't say that I am too impressed with the offering especially the reality fare and the lack of scripted dramas like Chuck, Life, and Heroes. Yes, they'll be back come February sweeps but their replacements are less than thrilling. At least, we've got 30 Rock. Sigh.

The full schedule can be found after the jump.

MONDAYS (beginning January 5th)
8-10 pm: Superstars of Dance; premieres Sunday, January 4th (9-11 pm); season finale Monday, January 26th (8-9 pm)
10-11 pm: Momma's Boys

(N.B.: Chuck and Heroes return in February)

TUESDAYS (beginning January 6th)
8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser: Couples
10-11 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

TUESDAY (January 20th)
10-11 pm: Dateline NBC Presidential Inauguration Special (10-11 pm ET)

WEDNESDAYS (beginning January 7th)
8-9 pm: Knight Rider
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (repeats)
10-11 pm: Law & Order

(N.B.: Life returns in February)

THURSDAYS (beginning January 8th)
8-8:30 pm: My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 pm: Kath & Kim
9:00-9:31 pm: The Office
9:31-10 pm: 30 Rock
10-11 pm: ER

FRIDAYS
8-9 pm: Howie Do It (series premiere January 9th)
9-10 pm: Friday Night Lights (beginning January 16th)
10-11 pm: Dateline NBC (beginning December 5th)

SATURDAYS (beginning January 10th)
8-11 pm: Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit repeats

SUNDAYS (January 4th)
7-9 pm: Saturday Night Live Sports Extra
9-11 pm: Superstars of Dance (premiere)

SUNDAYS: Event Specials
8-11 pm: Golden Globe Awards (January 11th)
9-11 pm: Saturday Night Live Film Festival (January 18th)
9-11 pm: The Last Templar (January 25th and Monday, January 26th)
6:15-10 pm: Super Bowl XLIII (February 1st)

Stay tuned.

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Closure is a funny thing.

Throughout our lives, it's easy to look back at experiences we had or mistakes we might have made with a feeling of unresolved emotion. For Chuck Bartowski, he was still--years after getting kicked out of Stanford--reeling from his breakup with mythical perfect girlfriend Jill Roberts. It was a breakup that sent our boy Chuck into a downward spiral from which he's never truly recovered. After all, he's still working at the Buy More and living with his sister in Burbank and hasn't truly moved past that formative experience.

Until now. In this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Gravitron"), Chuck finally is able to put to rest all of his resolved feelings of betrayal by ex-girlfriend Jill... when she betrays him all over again as an adult. (My advance review of the three-episode Jill arc can be found here.) In this case, it's not a casual breakup and the admission that she slept with Bryce Larkin (we learn that, actually, she made that up) but more the fact that she is Fulcrum agent hell-bent with her handler, the Leader, on getting the Intersect... and has played Chuck since the beginning.

This week's episode, written by series co-creator Chris Fedak, wasn't as strong as the last two installments but still offered up yet another hit of the series' trademark blend of humor, tension, romance, and heartfelt emotion, offering up a climax to the Jill storyline in which Chuck must use his relationship with Jill to lure in the Leader, the Buy More gang guards the merchandise before Black Friday, and Ellie prepares a perfect Thanksgiving dinner for Awesome's parents.

Did Jill underestimate Chuck? Hells yeah, but so does everybody else on an almost daily basis (there's a reason he's always told to wait in the car). He proved that he can be just as crafty--if not moreso--than two Fulcrum agents loose in the Castle. After all, Chuck is hero with book smarts and, well, he read the manual. He also was smart enough to lure her away from Sarah (who surely would have killed her) and into the Nerd Herder (complete with iPod capability) where he was able to use the remote detention program on her.

I loved the plant and pay-off of the Ferris Wheel, both in the flashback to 2002 in which we see the genesis of Chuck and Jill's relationship ("you talk way, way too much") and its eventual demise (thanks to, well, a gun in the gut) and that gorgeous near-kiss between Chuck and Sarah in which she instructed him how to get close to Jill without revealing that he's on to her. (Damn!)

What else worked for me? The fight between Leader and Chuck inside the Gravitron, which perfectly blended humor and action; Jeff's trip-wires at the Buy More; Big Mike tackling the Leader (thinking he's a criminal); the use of the lie detector to reveal Jill's true intentions towards Chuck and their future together; the Wrath of Khan-style hand-touching between Lester and Morgan at the Buy More while breaking out to get "real turkey" rather than the nasty microwavable meal Lester cooked up; Jill shooting Leader in the funhouse from behind the glass (even if it was, sadly, a setup); Awesome pulling Morgan out of the trash can with one arm; the fact that Jill and Leader were looking for Bryce Larkin... thinking that he had the Intersect.

My one itty-bitty complaint: would Ellie really be that wasteful that she would throw an entirely good (if a little dry) cooked turkey into the trash rather than freeze it for another use (say, soup?) or, well, give it to poor Morgan? And shouldn't Chuck and Sarah have invited Casey to Thanksgiving dinner as well?

Best line of the evening: "You're under arrest, Jill. And I'm breaking up with you."

Still, if anything was proven during the Jill storyline, it's that Sarah definitely has intense feelings for Chuck and that her jealousy and protectiveness of Chuck were stirred up by seeing him with Jill. That little hand holding at the end as Chuck and Sarah stroll into Ellie's Thanskgiving dinner? It could just be for their cover but something tells me that Chuck and Sarah's story is only just beginning...

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Sensei"), Casey and Sarah send Chuck on a mission to get his mind off of Jill's betrayal; Casey discovers that his sensei is now a wanted rogue agent and becomes too emotionally involved in the mission to track him down; Captain Awesome's parents Honey (guest star Morgan Fairchild) and Woody (Bruce Boxleitner) make a surprise visit to Ellie and Devon to help plan their wedding; Emmett reinstates the Employee of the Month contest but Morgan, Jeff, and Lester have other plans.

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Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. While everyone is buzzing about the possible SAG strike, I hope you all tuned in to last night's episode of Chuck, the final piece of the three-part Jill storyline.

Life on Mars co-creator Ashley Pharoah has praised the US version of the series, calling it "marvelous." In New York to receive an International Emmy for best drama for the original UK version of Life on Mars, Pharoah was pleased that the producers had changed the mythology of the series for the US audience and that the studio had moved the action from LA (where it was based for David E. Kelley's original pilot) to gritty New York City. "They're changing the mythology, which I think is all right," said Pharoah. "It has to be different. Otherwise everyone just goes on YouTube and sees how it ends." (Hollywood Reporter)

Just how would a SAG strike affect a television industry still recovering from the crippling 100-day WGA strike? For one, only scripted primetime series would be affected (soaps and variety shows are covered by AFTRA) but it would completely derail the current season in the midst of the current economic crisis. Network executives are said to be currently looking at contingency plans but as of right now there is no plan to shorten or cancel series' two-week holiday hiatus in order to shoot additional episodes.

Most scripted series will have about 60-70 percent of their episodes shot before the break, with some having about five episodes in various stages of post. 24, According to Jim, and Rules of Engagement have already completed their full orders for the season. Meanwhile, freshman series 90210, Gary Unmarried, Better Off Ted, The Unusuals, and Harper's Island are covered by AFTRA rather than SAG and most scripted cable series are also covered by AFTRA. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst is developing two scripted series for netlet the CW with CBS Paramount Network Television. Ensemble drama The Beautiful Life, will follow the lives of young models who live together in Manhattan and comes from former model-turned writer Adam Gaiudrone and executive producers Carol Barbee (Jericho), Karey Burke, and Jason Goldberg; offering up a look at the dark side of modeling, series could be a good companion for Top Model. Drama Chloe Gamble, based on novel "The One" by Ed Decter, will follow a Texas girl who moves to Hollywood with her mother and twin brother with dreams of stardom dancing in her head. Decter and John Strauss will write and executive produce the project, which is told from a vantage point in the future, where life didn't end up so well for Chloe. (Variety)

CW is said to be close to renewing America's Next Top Model for a thirteenth cycle to air next fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX will give Spike Feresten an 11 pm slot for a six-week run of daily one-hour episodes beginning January 17th, intended to be a tryout to see whether Talkshow With Spike Feresten could fill the Saturday night void left open by MadTV's cancellation. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Michael Trucco (Battlestar Galactica) will guest star on CBS' The Big Bang Theory next month, where he'll play Leonard's motorcycle-driving partner on a project and "one of the youngest MacArthur Genius Grant winners ever." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, Jamie Bamber has said that he would be too scared to replace David Tennant as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who. "Those would be very big shoes to fill - if I'm going to be honest it would be very daunting to take on an icon like Doctor Who," said Bamber. "It's right at the core of British television and to take that on is a big challenge. I think it's a very enviable one for whoever gets it, but I'm not actively seeking it. I think I'm too scared to actually want it." (Digital Spy)

CBS is developing single-camera comedy Things a Man Should Never Do Past 30. Project, from executive producer/director Barry Sonnenfeld, the Tannenbaum Co., and Sony Pictures TV, is based on a book by Esquire contributing editor David Katz containing a list of 500 items that men shouldn't attempt after they hit 30, such as "google ex-girlfriends" or "high five in a business situation." Katz and A.J. Jacobs will write the script with supervision from Al Higgins (Malcolm in the Middle) and Sonnenfeld will direct the pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC have confirmed that Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures will return for a third season in 2009, with Russell T. Davies remaining on the series as executive producer. Elisabeth Sladen, Tom Knight, Daniel Anthony, and Anjli Mohindra are slated to return. (Digital Spy)

What a surprise: Reveille will produce the previously reported Tony Robbins unscripted project at NBC. (TV Week)

Stay tuned.

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While there might not be a new episode of Gossip Girl on tonight, it doesn't mean that we can't attempt to figure out just what's going to happen in next week's "unmissable" episode, slated to air on Monday, December 1st... which seems to indicate that the Grim Reaper is going to claim one of the series' Upper East Side denizens. (Or, well, Brooklyn inhabitants.)

The CW's haunting promos ask viewers, "If you only had one night to live, who would you spend it with?" An intriguing question to be sure, but one made even more palpable by the unseen voice at the promo's end speaking about an "accident." Which to me, anyway, means that one of Gossip Girl's cast won't be back in the New Year.

So who am I placing my bet on to kick the bucket? Let's discuss.

There's no way that Josh Schwartz and the Gossip Girl writers would kill off either Dan or Serena (or, well, Chuck, Nate, or Blair) so that leaves the supporting cast up for grabs. Connor Paolo, who plays Eric, was just offered a promotion that would have him bumped up to series regular (he turned it down) so I doubt that they would instead kill him off, so Eric seems safe.

As for Little J, there's still a whole lot of story they can tell with her, so I am going to put her on the safe list... along with recent recurring characters Cyrus Rose (Wallace Shawn) and Aaron Rose (John Patrick Amedori), whose deaths wouldn't really resonate all that much. And while I'd love for them to go ahead and kill The Captain (Sam Robards), he's now in police custody awaiting trial so I think he's far enough off the series at the moment that his death wouldn't be too likely.

So who are the most likely possibilities to become Death's latest acquisition be? Let's see...

Bart Bass (Robert John Burke)

The most obvious choice to bite it is Bart Bass, of course. Having recently fallen out with his new family after Eric discovered his secret files on each of them, Bart is slightly at a loss at the moment and he's greatly suspicious of Lily's friendship with Rufus. Bart and Chuck have always had a fractious relationship and have only just (with Dan's assistance) begun to rebuild those bridges... so it only seems likely that Bart would be the one to die.

His death would put Chuck into an emotional tailspin and leave him without any family. It would be a true test of his character to see just how and if Chuck could emerge from the other side of grief. And Bart's death could pave the way for Lily to finally admit that she's still in love with Rufus. Still, killing off Bart smacks of a similar fate befalling Caleb Nichol and would feel rather repetitive... Unless of course that accident isn't really an accident.

Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr)

My second guess for Most Likely to Die is Vanessa. Set apart from the group, Vanessa has had precious little to do these days except steal other people's mail and do paperwork at Rufus' art gallery cafe. Yawn. Her death could stir things up for Little J., whom Vanessa feels stole Nate from her, Nate himself (who time and time again rejected her), and Dan who never ever paid much attention to Vanessa, despite her obvious fawning over him.

Plus, Vanessa is hella annoying and has never gelled with the group as a whole. I can't really see the writers finding an interesting storyline for her anytime soon and their transparent attempts to make her more intriguing by pushing her into an unlikely romance with Nate have fizzled.

Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle)

I'd absolutely scream and throw my telly out the window if they killed off Rufus or Lily (Kelly Rutherford), who are the two most interesting and compelling characters on the series (and one of the few reasons why I continue to tune in), despite not really being the main focus of the teen-centric world that Gossip Girl strives to create.

Tragedy loves company, however, and what better way to make their star-crossed love story truly memorable than to cut it short altogether before they could find room in their lives for one another? Still, making virtual orphans out of Dan and Jenny (just where is their mother again?) might send this series into too dark of a place for the second season. However, survey says: Unlikely.

Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski)

Let's face it: Dorota's been more of a mother to Blair than Eleanor ever will be, so her death would definitely shake things up in the Waldorf household more than ever. But would her demise be impactful on the series? Not really, other than to snap Blair out of her evil bitch mode. Still, that's the side of Blair that we all know and love, so would we really want to see her all sad and in mourning? After all, it's not particularly good for one's mascara.

Which character do you think will be the one to be involved in that likely fatal accident? Discuss.

Next week on Gossip Girl ("It's a Wonderful Lie"), Blair and Chuck bet one another that they can be one another's ideal dates for the annual Snowflake Ball; Aaron's ex-girlfriend Lexi is drawn to Dan, which stirs up Serena's jealousy; Jenny and Vanessa find their friendship put to the test.

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Just a few quick words about this week's episode of Skins, which focused on Tony's younger sister Effy, she of the few words, kohl-rimmed eyes, and old soul who will be the focal character of Season Three of Skins, kicking off early next year in the UK.

Last night's episode of Skins ("Effy") also introduced the new character of Pandora (Lisa Backwell)--who will also appear in the third season of the hit series, alongside Effy (Kaya Scodelario)--and pushed the series' focus onto Effy Stonem, who in true Effy-fashion managed in the course of about a day to heal three fractured relationships, clean up her family's home (and get her mother Anthea into full Sleeping Beauty mode for her father's surprise arrival), and get Tony's watch fixed and inscribed for Michelle... all seemingly without blinking an eye or breaking a sweat.

It would seem that Effy has truly inherited her older brother's gift of manipulation but without its more Svengali-like aspects (a plus, I would say) and she uses her gifts in this episode to help the people around her, all while claiming to fail to see the purpose of love.

While the episode purported to focus on Effy and her private school chum, the action actually unfolded mainly around Sid and Cassie and Tony and Michelle. I'm glad that Sid and Cassie finally got a chance to scream at one another (even if Sid still doesn't seem to know that Cassie never slept with those guys in Scotland) and make up. It's been killing me to have these two apart and to see Cassie just spiral downwards as she has been in a haze of sex, drugs, and, well, more meaningless sex with anything that moves.

And Michelle's look of surprise and wonder at seeing the repaired watch (with its inscription of "Forever" on the back) spoke volumes about the healing ability of love and the power of forgiveness. (In her case, both of herself and of Tony for "abandoning" her during his accident and recovery.)

Offering Sid the chance to get back together with Cassie, Effy forces him to complete her art class assignment: to embody a true emotion in a piece of art... and inevitably gives Sid's best work ("Hopeless") to Pandora to turn in. Effy, meanwhile, tells her batty teacher that her piece is conceptual and "all around us" but can't be seen by everyone.

If that isn't the gift of a true artist, I don't know what is.

In two weeks on Skins ("Jal"), Jal has a tough decision to make as her secret pregnancy reaches the second trimester and she has a crucial audition to prepare for; Chris asks Jal to move in with him; the gang preps for their A-Level exams.

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Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I had a fantastically relaxing weekend, filled with some holiday-related events and a lovely private screening of the new film Slumdog Millionaire in my own living room. Good times.

Battlestar Galactica fans, hold on your hats. BSG's slinky seductress Six, a.k.a. Tricia Helfer, has signed on to guest star in an upcoming episode of NBC's Chuck, where she will play Special Agent Alex Forrest, a sexy-yet-by-the-book agent who is assigned to guard the Intersect after General Beckman becomes concerned about Sarah's feelings for Chuck. Look for Casey to fall for Alex's charms... and perhaps Chuck himself. Helfer is slated to appear in the 18th episode of the season, scheduled for next spring.

Also appearing this season on Chuck: Jonathan Cake (Six Degrees), who has signed on for a multiple-episode story arc as a "Gerard Butler-esqe British MI6 agent by the name of Cole Barker" who quickly finds himself drawn to Sarah. (Who wouldn't be?) And look for Sports Illustrated cover girl Brooklyn Decker to turn up in Episode 215 as a possible Buy More recruit being interviewed by Jeff and Lester. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

John Simm (Life on Mars) has stated emphatically that he will NOT be taking over from David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who. (Damn it.) "I'm The Master," Simm told The Times. "Simple as that. I don't want to be [the Doctor]. I might be the Master again... I'm not allowed to say." Simm was definitely one of my top contenders in my list of possible replacements for Tennant but I'm hoping at least that he'll turn up again as the Master. (Digital Spy)

NBC has announced that it will move international co-production Crusoe, which has been sinking (heh) in the ratings since it was launched, to television Siberia, namely Saturday evenings. Crusoe, which is being moved so that the Peacock can use its current Friday night timeslot for Lipstick Jungle, will move to Saturdays beginning December 5th. Lipstick Jungle has four remaining episodes that have been scheduled for December 5th and 12th and January 2nd and 9th. (Variety)

Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) is joining the cast of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play a patient at Seattle Grace in a multiple-episode story arc. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC is now considering pairing its acquired comedy Scrubs with freshman comedy Better Off Ted on Tuesdays in the 9 pm hour. Better Off Ted, which stars Jay Harrington and Portia De Rossi, could debut as early as January... or be held until February or March. (TV Week)

Following the federal mediator's abandonment of efforts to bring SAG and the AMPTP together, SAG has announced its intent to seek a strike authorization from its members. A 75% approval vote is necessary to authorize a work stoppage. "SAG is bizarrely asking its members to bail out the failed negotiating strategy with a strike vote - at a time of historic economic crisis," said the AMPTP in a statement. "The tone deafness of SAG is stunning." I can only hope that the two sides can resolve their contract differences without resorting to a walk-out which would only further damage the already weakened television and film industry. (Variety)

NBC.com will offer an extended "producer's cut" version of last week's episode of The Office beginning tomorrow. This online-exclusive will offer additional scenes and footage not seen in Thursday's telecast. (Hollywood Reporter)

Los Angeles Times' How I Made It profiles Universal Media Studios topper Katherine Pope, whose contract expires in June. Pope, who had a hand in developing such NBC series as Heroes and Friday Night Lights, said, "This isn't an easy job, but I absolutely love the work. And I'm not finished doing it." (Los Angeles Times)

In other NBC news, the Peacock is said to be developing a series with self-help guru Tony Robbins and has handed out a pilot presentation order for a reality series that is said to be a "transformational-style show in the same vein as NBC’s hit The Biggest Loser.” Producers are currently looking to cast contestants who have had their lives derailed by tragedy and can't recover or who are "paralyzed by fears or anger." (TV Week)

Californication's Pamela Adlon talks about her career as both a live-action actress and a voice actor (Adlon is the voice of Bobby and others on King of the Hill), her "husky" voice, and Lucky Louie. (New York Times)

Josh Cooke (Big Day) has been cast opposite Katee Sackhoff and Brian Dennehy in drama pilot Lost & Found; he'll play Max, a psychiatrist friend of Tessa's (Sackhoff) who had a crush on her when they were in school together. The pilot will be directed by Michael Engler (Privileged). Elsewhere, Jessica St. Clair (Worst Week) will star in ABC's midseason comedy series In the Motherhood, where she will play the younger sister of Cheryl Hines' character, who lets her children run wild. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC has opted not to commission another series of archeological drama Bonekickers, which aired six episodes earlier this year and lost nearly half of its viewers by the end of its run. "Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have decided to concentrate on new projects," said a BBC spokesperson. (C21)

Tyra Banks' talk show will move to the CW for a fifth season next fall after concluding its current fourth season through syndication. Moving The Tyra Banks Show to the netlet will allow for more "cohesive marketing spin across the net's affils as well as cross-promo with Top Model." (Variety)

Endemol has signed a two-year overall deal with unscripted producer R. Greg Johnson, a former MTV executive who developed The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica. Under the deal, he will create and executive produce new unscripted series. (Hollywood Reporter)

A&E has ordered reality series Steven Seagal: Lawman, which will follow the former action star as a fully commissioned deputy in the Jefferson Parish County Sheriff's Office in New Orleans and as a musician and philanthropist. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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

This week, I took an advance look at the Doctor Who: Complete Series Four DVD which came out earlier this week, offered an early look at a potential ABC midseason schedule.

I was terribly depressed by ABC's decision to axe Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone but was cheered up slightly by new promos for HBO's Flight of the Conchords, ABC's Lost, and HBO's Big Love. And I offered takes on this week's installments of Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Top Chef, and 30 Rock, among others.

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

• This week, the TV Addict revealed why we're not worried about DOLLHOUSE's Friday Night timeslot. (The TV Addict)
• From Turtle on Entourage to Thirteen on House, Buzz rounded up some of her favorite nicknamed TV characters. (BuzzSugar)
• A hodge podge of stuff ranging on how to win an autograph DVD of Chuck Season One, to a promo for 25 Days of Christmas, and where to find cheap TV DVD's for those on your Christmas list you don't want to spend a lot on but you want them to think you spent a lot on them. (Scooter McGavin's 9th Green)
• Vance loves Bobby Cannavale but isn't quite sure if he'll make a good Cupid yet after seeing the preview. (Tapeworthy)
• I'm in ur hospital, sleepin' with ur interns! Dan continued his trend of ridiculing Grey's Anatomy with a new batch of LOLGrey's (TiFaux).
• Jennifer returned from maternity leave to chat with Rosie O’Donnell about her new variety show, Nip/Tuck, and The View and received a strike notice from her DVR. (Tube Talk)
• Kate kinda hated herself for continuing to watch Stylista. But holy crap was this week's episode compelling! (TV Filter)
• Heather had a longish chat with 24: Redemption's Robert Carlyle and, incredibly, managed to avoid once mentioning Hamish Macbeth! (TV Spy)

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With some of my favorite series being canceled left and right (and others seemingly getting worse and worse), it's at least heartening to know that 30 Rock is still dependably great and consistently funny week to week.

This week's installment of 30 Rock ("Gavin Volure") was no exception and offered up a winning guest turn by Steve Martin--Tina Fey's co-star in this year's Baby Mama--as reclusive (or so it seemed) and eccentric millionaire Gavin Volure. Adding to the humor, of course, is the fact that "voleur" is French for "thief" so Liz and Jack really should have been on their toes a bit more going into their embezzlement/MTV Canada-fueled encounters with Gavin.

The opening scene at Volure's dinner party was priceless, especially as Jack and Liz were for once the most normal people in the room, given the outright creepiness of the other guests, including the scary old society dame and John McEnroe. Loved that Jack is actually the author of some historical fiction novels, including one that looks at what would have happened if Germany had won WWII.

So what worked for me this week? The ongoing gag with the Tracy Jordan Japanese Sex Doll as Tracy believed his kids were looking to murder him now that he's a huge, rich success story after seeing a report on the Menendez Brothers; Liz knowing the location of every good cupcake place in Manhattan; Gavin's odd eccentricities such as spending the day napping, looking at celebrity news on the Internet, and watching TV and the fact that it was all the things that Liz craved, including not having to have sex; Jack's realization that he has a "black thing" for men such as Taye Diggs, Denzel Washington, and Michael Jordan; Kenneth keeping his earnings--including Confederate money--in an old coffee can and looking away from the t-shirt containing the "off-color slogan" of California. (Ha!)

What else? Well, the little things like Pete's huge head not fitting into the helmet for the floor emergency marshal who will combat "fires, terrorist attacks, Cloverfield monsters"; Jack explaining the "weird turn" that Jet magazine, formerly about aviation ownership, took back in the day; Liz's Sunday Styles photo ("I only wore that because the fire alarm went off when I was getting a hair cut"); Gavin treating his jailer Carl as one might an indentured manservant; Gavin proving he went to Canada by offering Liz some Canadian cholesterol medication and a direct-to-DVD Paris Hilton movie; Liz telling Jack that she thought she was helping treat Gavin's agora- and germaphobia by letting him touch her boob during Top Chef. Classic.

But it was that ridiculous and utterly hilarious Sunstream commercial (which made absolutely no sense) that had me rolling on the floor with laughter. It was a cutaway gag that would have worked perfectly on Arrested Development and reminded me just why I love 30 Rock so much.

Is it absurd to think that a convicted racketeer (whatever that may be as Jack and Liz don't seem to know) could masquerade as an agoraphobic millionaire in Connecticut and get away with it as long as Gavin did? You bet, but in the heightened reality of 30 Rock, it's moments like these that make sense AND allow for some nifty guest casting like Steve Martin. I did hope that Martin would have stuck around for a bit just because I would have loved to seen Liz sample high society a little more and find someone just as idiosyncratic as herself. After all, he admits that he would be lying if he said he "never danced with a broom," and she admits that she often calls credit card companies to dispute charges so as not to feel so lonely during dinner. A match made in heaven? Or, as Liz might say, "What the what?"

Best line of the evening: "How can I loosen up? I’m in Connecticut, I haven’t eaten, and I’m stressed about an away toilet situation." - Liz

What did you think of last night's episode? Talk back here.

In two weeks on 30 Rock ("Reunion"), Liz is tormented by the idea of attending her high school reunion but Jack convinces her to go; Don Geiss (guest star Rip Torn) wakes up from his coma but surprises Jack with his declaration about who will be the new CEO; a shaken Jack tags along with Liz to her reunion.

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Remember that leaked ABC midseason schedule I had on Televisionary a few days ago? Well, it now appears that much have that will be changed, given ABC's eleventh hour decision not to renew sophomore series Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone. (Eli Stone, according to that schedule, was meant to air on Tuesdays at 10 pm in the spring.)

So what can we expect when ABC officially announces their lineup later today?

For one, According to Jim will be double-pumped in the 8 pm timeslot on Tuesdays, followed by back-to-back episodes of Scrubs at 9 pm. (Really? Double episodes of comedies, rather than another drama? Sigh.) The two comedies will kick off with new episodes on January 6th.

Private Practice will move to Thursdays at 10 pm ET/PT beginning January 8th, where it will air behind Grey's Anatomy. It's the perfect spot for the ratings-starved medical drama, especially given that ABC is planning a Grey's/Private Practice multiple-episode crossover during February sweeps.

And Life on Mars, which got picked up for another four episodes, will get the plum post-Lost timeslot on Thursdays at 10 pm, rather than the previously mentioned freshman police drama The Unusuals. Life on Mars won't offer any fresh installments until it takes over that timeslot on January 28th.

As for what series will now take over the Tuesdays at 10 pm and Wednesdays at 8 pm slots, that remains to be seen. (I'm hoping ABC rethinks Border Security: USA.) But look for The Unusuals to get one of those timeslots (my guess: Tuesdays at 10 pm) and likely the earlier slot on Wednesdays will go to The Goode Family... or Cupid, should they decide to launch earlier than March. But we'll find out for certain later today...

Stay tuned.

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January seems to be quite a month for fans of smart serialized drama series, with the returns of ABC's Lost, Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica, and FX's Damages slated for just after the start of the new year.

But I'm also just as excited (nay, thrilled) for the return of HBO's polygamous family drama Big Love, which in Season Two morphed into one of the most gripping and suspenseful dramas on television.

While it's been positively ages since we last saw the Henrickson clan, I think you'll agree that the provocative promo that HBO has cut for Big Love's third season (set to the music of The Black Keys' "Lies") will get you itching to return to Utah.

While I have absolutely no idea quite what is going on in this moody and atmospheric trailer, I can say that Season Three of Big Love looks to be quite a dark one, especially given the somber (and in some cases sobbing) expressions of several members of the Henrickson family. What is Alby up to? Why does Wanda throw herself downwards? Just who is struggling with that knife?

I can't wait to find out.

Big Love returns to HBO on January 11th.

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Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I'm still depressed from yesterday's news about Pushing Daisies but another fantastic episode of 30 Rock (and the hilarious Nightman-laden season finale of It's Always Sunny) helped remove some of the sting.

One piece of good news: it seems like that Arrested Development feature film might actually be happening. After a host of rumors, there's finally some solid intelligence on the big screen adaptation moving forward. Series creator Mitch Hurwitz and executive producer Ron Howard have signed deals for the project, which would be released by Imagine and Fox Searchlight. Hurwitz will write the script and co-direct the feature with Howard. Me, I'm pleased as punch about this news. If there's one series that I feel could work on the big screen, it's Arrested Development. Hell, just think of the DVD sales alone. (Hollywood Reporter)

Looking for a fix of Lost? ABC has released a new promo for Season Five that features a new single from The Fray. (Televisionary)

The CW has decided to pull the plug on its Sunday night programming experiment, under which it gave control of the lineup to Media Rights Capital, which filled it with such memorable series as Valentine, In Harm's Way, and Easy Money, among others. Instead, the netlet will use the Sunday night real estate to air repeats of Everybody Hates Chris and The Game in the 5 pm slot, followed by double-pumped repeats of The Drew Carey Show at 6 pm, repeats of CBS' Jericho at 7 pm, and a movie slot at 8 pm. (Meanwhile, MRC is said to be shopping its midseason comedy Surviving Suburbia to other buyers but no deal is in place.) Is the new lineup better... or just oddly different? You decide. (Variety)

ABC has opted not to order any additional episodes of sophomore series Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, or Eli Stone. (Televisionary)

In other programming news, ABC has ordered four additional episodes of freshman drama Life on Mars and has now confirmed, in a bit of a reversal from an earlier leaked schedule, that it will air Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT after Lost, beginning January 28th. (TV Week)

AMC is developing period police drama Sugar Hill, which will follow the lives of two police detectives--one white, the other black--in 1960s Harlem. Project, from Fox TV Studios, was created by Alex Winter (Ben 10: Race Against Time), Steven Pearl (The Beast), and Allan Loeb (New Amsterdam). Winter and Pearl will write the pilot script and executive produce with Loeb. (Hollywood Reporter)

Gossip Girls' Connor Paolo, who plays Eric van der Woodsen, has turned down an offer to become a series regular on the CW drama. But lest you think that Serena's baby bro is going anywhere, think again. It actually makes more sense for Paolo to remain a recurring actor than a regular as he would still appear in the same number of episodes (rather than ASP or all episodes produced) but have less opportunity to pursue feature or side projects while continuing on Gossip Girl. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide talks to Kath & Kim creator Michelle Nader and stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair about the NBC comedy. One the terrifying tidbit: "There's talk of Britney Spears coming on for a story about Kath and Kim going to Las Vegas to see the Cher show." (TV Guide)

Paterson Joseph speaks out about the constant rumors that he will replace David Tennant as the Doctor on Doctor Who. "His [the Doctor's] parameters are so vast," said Joseph. "I don't see why he can't have more regenerations than the 13 that those who know think a Time Lord can have." (BBC News)

Horatio Sanz has been cast in ABC's single-camera comedy series In the Motherhood, opposite Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines. He'll play Horatio, a man who had a child with the daughter of Megan Mullally's character Megan and is now a stay-at-home dad trying to raise his daughter after his wife leaves him. In other casting news, Jason London has joined the cast of Showtime drama pilot Possible Side Effects from writer/director/executive producer Tim Robbins; London will play Silas Hunt, the middle son of an eccentric family in the pharmaceutical business. (Hollywood Reporter)

Smallville fans will get to see the Legion of Super-Heroes in the January 15th episode written by Geoff Johns... well, at least three Legionnaires, anyway. Alexz Johnson (Instant Star), Calum Worthy (Psych), and Ryan Kennedy (Whistler) have been cast respectively as Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Cosmic Boy. Their arrival in the 21st century is linked to the recent appearance of Doomsday in the series. (TV Guide)

Bravo has signed a new one-year deal with Kathy Griffin that includes a fifth season of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, hosting duties in next year's A-List Awards, and two hour-long comedy speicals for the network. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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In exactly two months from today, we'll get to see just where (and, ahem, when) Ben moved the island to. But until then, those of us hungry for a new fix of ABC's Lost have had to wait quite some time.

Fortunately, ABC gave fans a brief sneak peek at Season Five of Lost with a new promo unveiled during tonight's Grey's Anatomy (and featuring "You Found Me," a new single from The Fray, from their forthcoming February 3rd album) that provides some new footage mixed with some familiar beats from the Oceanic Six's past.

Missed the promo? You can check it out after the jump.

Is that Desmond and Penny in bed together? Juliet and Sawyer holding hands? Hurley brandishing a gun and peering out of a door at some baddies? The castaways getting fired at with, well, fiery arrows by the hostiles? Charlotte staring down the barrel of some guns? Daniel Faraday being surprised by a yellow-suited Dharma worker from the Swan? You betcha to all of the above.

Just what does it mean? When and where are the castaways who survived the island moving? Well, just two months to go but my informed guess is that Ben moved the island back in time to the start of the Dharma Initiative arriving on the island and they're in the midst of dealing with some restless natives. I can't wait.

Lost returns on Wednesday, January 21st on ABC.

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The axe has fallen at ABC.

It's time for the terrible, terrible news that we've all been dreading for weeks now: ABC has decided not to renew Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone past their initial 13-episode orders for this season.

While the word cancellation hasn't been officially given, it's basically equal to just that. None of the three series will continue past their initial second season orders. Many of us have been on death watch for Pushing Daisies for some time now and it absolutely breaks my heart to think that Chuck and Ned's days are now numbered.

ABC has yet to release an official statement about the, er, non-cancellation cancellations, but word started to reach me mid-day that the network would not be ordering any additional episodes of the troika.

UPDATE: James Hibberd at The Live Feed has gotten a statement from Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, who was playing phone tag with ABC's president, about the decision:

"I assumed that's what [the call] was about," said Fuller. "I can't help but feel immense pride when it comes to Pushing Daisies. I'm grateful TO everyone and FOR everyone who brought the show to life and for the very loyal audience that embraced us. If we are indeed dead on ABC, we now have to convince DC Comics to let us tell the rest of the season's story lines out in comic book form and convince Warner Bros. features to let Pushing Daisies live again as a movie."

While we've heard other creators speaking of continuing their canceled series' storylines in comic form (I'm still waiting for that Carnivale comic, Knauf!), I really do hope that Fuller has the opportunity to wrap up some of Daisies' storylines, especially as the thirteenth episode is said to end on a cliffhanger for Chuck.

UPDATE #2: Kristin Dos Santos at E! Online has another statement from Fuller. "Steve McPherson called me, and said 'We gave it the best shot we could,'" said Fuller. "It's very likely that Pushing Daisies will end after episode 13, which as you know, is a cliffhanger. But we are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our storylines, and I already have a pitch for a movie ready to go. To be honest, I'm really not feeling very boo-hoo about it. I am so proud of the show. We put together 22 really good episodes, and there is a lot to be proud of. I'm sure I'll be working with a lot of these people again, and I would love to do so."

Sigh.

Meanwhile, I can't help but think back to a certain dinner I had with Bryan Fuller back in May 2007 when he told me the very final scene he envisioned for Pushing Daisies, should the series make it that far. (If Bryan is okay with me revealing the details, I'm happy to share.) But until then, I can't help but imagine just what other delicious treats Fuller would have been able to cook up in that brilliant imagination of his.

Pushing Daisies, I'll miss you terribly, not only for bringing some lightness (and darkness) into the television landscape with your zany plots, candy-colored sets, and heartbreaking (and mirth-making) stories but for the deft dialogue, the witty characterizations, and above all your innate beauty and originality. You'll be missed.

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It seems like it's been months since we've gotten a new episode of Pushing Daisies, though it's really only been three weeks. (In the rarefied world of Daisies, that's like a lifetime for those of us craving a piece of narrative pie from The Pie Hole.)

Suffice it to say, I found myself positively salivating for the series' quirky sweetness during the "previously on" montage at the start of this week's episode of Pushing Daisies ("Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic"), a delightful confection that had Ned and the gang investigating the murders of the animal assistants of The Great Herrmann, a.k.a. Herman Gunt (guest star Fred Willard), a stage magician who had become the surrogate father for Ned's own half-brothers Ralston and Maurice. (Where do the writers come up with these delightful names?)

Written by Kath Lingenfelter (who was hired on Daisies, according to creator Bryan Fuller, on the strength of a sample piece about a man with pork chop hands), this week's installment was an episode filled to the brim with guest stars aplenty, from Willard to Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!) and Stephen Root (Office Space). What more could you possibly want, save maybe a glass of cold milk with which to wash that down?

I absolutely loved Ned's abhorrence of all things magical as evidenced by his acid reflux symptoms every time the word "magic" was mentioned and how this tied into his own abandonment by his neglectful father (and that of Maurice and Ralston during an actual magic performance). For a man with seemingly magical abilities, it's an interesting paradox that he should find slight-of-hand so unseemly but be (relatively) at ease with his own extraordinary powers. I think it incredibly inventive of the writers to throw two very needy twin half-brothers at the relationship-phobic Ned. After all, he might be able to bring dead people to life with barely a touch, but the Pie Maker can't seem to stand human contact with the living. Could the twin illusionists melt the frost around Ned's heart? Unlikely, but I relished seeing him thrust into the role of explaining his own father's actions.

Speaking of Ned's father, just what is his old friend Dwight Dixon up to and why does he need the three pocket watches he, Ned's father, and Charles Charles had during their time as UN Peacekeepers? Hmmm. Dwight inched his way closer to uncovering a secret from the very first episode of Pushing Daisies: namely that there was no body in the grave of lonely tourist Charlotte Charles and therefore no pocket watch to be had. While it's clear that Dwight doesn't know Chuck and Ned's secret, the mere fact that he's digging around (quite literally) could prove to be disastrous, especially if he learns that Chuck is actually out and about among the living... and armed with that coveted pocket watch.

Meanwhile, he's cozying up to Aunt Vivian, who seemed to thrill at the mere prospect of an illicit date with a man her sister disapproves of, a man who also knows Lily's decades-old secret about being the birth mother to Chuck. Something tells me that it's only a matter of time before poor Vivian learns the truth about Chuck's parentage and it won't be pretty.

What did I love? Herrmann's "I'm not made of hugs" line; Chuck putting on various accents to try and get Lily to admit on the phone that she gave birth to a child; Cementia; Olive turning the wrong way (towards Emerson) to tell Chuck that the twins were "magically delicious"; Herrmann allowing the gang to call him "Great" and expressing his tiredness with the twins' neediness; Vivian's "emotional or federal?" line to Dwight upon learning that he was in prison; the Geek accidentally regurgitating the kitten after Ned and Olive spring their trap on stage; and Emerson referring to Maurice and Ralston as the "Wonder Twins" and them offering to copy Herrmann's book for Alexandria.

But the cream was the conversation between Lily and Olive at the episode's end, in which Olive engages in a role playing exercise where she pretends to be Chuck asking her birth mother for the truth... while all the while Chuck listens in and gets to ask her own burning questions to Lily. A trick to beat all other tricks, conjured up by Ned. Who says that the Pie Maker doesn't believe in magic?

Next week on Pushing Daisies ("Robbing Hood"), the gang investigates the suspicious death of a millionaire who may have been killed by a modern day Robin Hood or his gold-digging young widow; Lily is irate when Vivian and Dixon begin spending more time together.

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