[Televisionary]

We all have the networks--whether broadcast or cable, legacy or newbie--that we gravitate to, but I was wondering this morning about so-called indispensable networks. Given that I write about television, nearly all networks could be said to be indispensable in one way or another, but what I was pondering was that one specific television channel that you can't turn away from, that you automatically switch to when you turn on the television, or which you have on as background while you're doing other things in our multi-tasking obsessed society. Many years ago, that channel was--perhaps not surprisingly for those of you who know me--Food Network, but it was replaced by BBC America around 2000 and for many years that was my go-to network, the one spot on the metaphorical dial that I could always depend on for diverting fare, soothing background noise, or a sense of the familiar and comforting. For whatever the reason, sadly, that's not the case anymore and--shock, horror--I

Idris Elba's haunted detective, DCI John Luther, is at the center of BBC America's newest drama offering, the intense psychological drama Luther , created by Neil Cross ( Spooks ). Fiery-tempered and prone to violence, Luther is often a thug with a policeman's badge, an amoral copper with a need for justice and a taste of darkness. The six-episode first season of Luther begins this Sunday on BBC America after a successful run on BBC One earlier this year. A bruised Valentine of a police procedural, the series charts the moral disintegration of John Luther following an incident in which he seemingly let a child killer fall to his death rather than saving him. Was it justice? And is there a difference between man's justice and the law's? Elba plays Luther with a burning anger, a righteous indignation at the presence of evil in the world. But like any man who has stared into the abyss, it has stared right back into him, corrupting him with its darkness. Returning to w

Idris Elba is everywhere, from The Big C to next summer’s Thor to playing Alex Cross in the rebooted James Patterson franchise. His BBC America mystery, Luther , begins Sunday. Over at The Daily Beast, I talk to the former star of HBO's The Wire about his career and about his new BBC show Luther in my latest feature, "The Next Denzel," in which we discuss everything from Luther to The Big C and The Office and his role in James Patterson's Alex Cross franchise, a role he takes over from Morgan Freeman. Personally, I had a blast chatting with Idris, who has an immense amount of charm and charisma... as well as a way with colorful turns of phrases. Luther begins Sunday night at 10 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

The Doctor is heading to America. Season Six of Doctor Who will not only see the Doctor and Amy head to the States for an upcoming two-part episode to air in 2011 (which will be co-produced by BBC America), but the production itself will head across the pond to shoot scenes, marking the first time that the venerable sci-fi franchise has actually shot within the U.S. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will be joined by Artur Darvill's Rory and Alex Kingston's River Song as they head for the U.S. in mid-November to shoot scenes that will be set in the Utah desert and the Oval Office... and in the 1960s. Production on the non-US location-based scenes will get underway this month. “The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually!" said Doctor Who head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat. "And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he’s been in America before. But not fo

I've found myself extremely distracted this morning. The cause: this gorgeous sizzle reel put together by BBC for their upcoming drama offerings, which include Accused, Aurelio Zen, Christopher and His Kind, The Crimson Petal and the White, Doctor Who Christmas Special, The First Men in the Moon, Hattie, Lip Service, The Nativity, Outcasts, The Shadow Line, Silk, Single Father, The Song of Lunch, South Riding, Toast, Upstairs Downstairs, When Harvey Met Bob , and Women in Love . (Whew.) Look for cameos from Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Christopher Eccleston, which must be the first time the three most recent actors playing the Doctor have appeared in anything together. Even if it is just a sizzle reel. You can view Auntie Beeb's slick and provocative reel below. Just be forewarned: you'll probably want to watch it again and again. Meanwhile, the Beeb also announced upcoming dramas from Sam Mendes, Jane Campion, and Sir David Hare. The full press release from the BBC can b

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. File this under: oh my god. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick are reporting that Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller is developing an update of--wait for it-- The Munsters . NBC has ordered a pilot for the project, which is being described as " Modern Family meets True Blood ." If that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, Ausiello and Patrick also report that Guillermo del Toro ( Hellboy ) might executive produce as well. Jaw officially on the floor... ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos talks to Undercovers executive producer J.J. Abrams about the NBC espionage drama and about several topics on everyone's minds: namely that rumored Alias reboot and the Terry O'Quinn/Michael Emerson NBC drama pilot. News of a potential Alias reboot were news to Abrams, despite unnamed sources at the network telling Dos Santos that they're still

My fall TV preview--or at least part of it, anyway--is finally up. Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest feature, "Nine Shows to Watch, Six Shows to Shun," where I offer up nine new series to watch this fall and six shows to avoid like the plague. Just which ended up on which list? Hint, The Event ended up on my worst-of list, while things like Boardwalk Empire, Terriers, Nikita, Sherlock, Luther, Undercovers and others ended up on my watch list. (While The Walking Dead is on there, I still--like every other critic--have not seen a full episode, so there's that to consider.) But while this is my list, I'm also extremely curious to find out what you're looking forward to this autumn. What are you most excited about watching this fall? Head to the comments section to discuss, debate, and tear into my list.

Yes, I'm back from my holiday-slash-birthday-weekend-extravaganza and catching up on what I missed while I was gone, including news about three of my favorite series, all of which happen to hail from the other side of the pond, and a fourth that is likely to become a new favorite when it launches next year. (Hint: it involves the creators of Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes and novelist Kate Atkinson.) Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has indicated that Season Six of the time-travel drama series will be split into two separate segments, with seven episodes to air in the first half of 2011 and six episodes to air in fall 2011. What comes between? Well, a "game-changing cliffhanger," according to Moffat, speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival . (You can watch video of the session over at The Guardian as well.) "Looking at the next series I thought what this show needs is a big event in the middle," said Moffat. "I kept referring to a mid

Last year's Comic-Con featured a huge crowd for BBC America's supernatural drama series Being Human , which hadn't even premiered in the US yet when the stars of the BBC Three series made their way to San Diego. A year later and the enthusiasm for the series--part Gothic horror, part soap, part buddy comedy--hasn't diminished. Televisionary special correspondent Lissette Lira attended the press room for Being Human and spoke to the cast about illegal downloading, the US version of Being Human that Syfy is developing, what's coming up on Season Three of the UK version, and Barry Island. Wait, Barry Island? Yes, you read that correctly. Just why are Mitchell, George, and Annie headed to the pleasure park? Read on in Lissette Lira's full report on just what went down behind the press room's closed doors at the Marriott Marina last weekend: After a warm reception at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Being Human cast--Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, and Aid

Appearing on SFX's SFX presents The British Invasion panel, Toby Whithouse, the creator of the BBC Three supernatural drama Being Human , responded to a question about his feelings surrounding the American adaptation of Being Human , which is currently being cast and which will air on Syfy. "It will be a wrench, but I will console myself with the money," joked Whithouse when asked by moderator Dave Bradley about how it would feel to see his series adapted for American audiences. Whithouse's full answer to to the question can be found below, courtesy of Televisionary special correspondent Mark DiFruscio, who was on hand to film Whithouse's response. Season Two of Being Human launches tomorrow night on BBC America.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. They have... returned? V star Laura Vandervoort will reprise her role as Kara on the CW's Smallville for the series' tenth and final season, reports Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello. But don't get too excited, Supergirl fans: Vandervoort is only expected to appear in one installment of the Warner Bros. Television-produced superhero drama, scheduled to air in October. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Just what is going on with FOX's Terra Nova at Comic-Con? After the official San Diego Comic-Con 2010 schedule was announced over the last few days, 20th Century Fox Television opted to pull the panel for its upcoming prehistoric/time-travel drama starring Jason O'Mara from the convention. "Since production on the Jason O’Mara starrer isn’t expected to start until September, the producers don’t have any footage to show the fans in San Diego," writes Entertainment Weekly 's L

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. True Blood 's Alan Ball is furthering his relationship with HBO. Ball, who created the pay cabler's vampire drama (based on the novels by Charlaine Harris), has signed on to direct and executive producer noir drama pilot All Signs of Death , which is based on Charlie Huston's novel "The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death." Huston himself will pen the pilot script, with production set to begin next month in Los Angeles... though there are no current cast attachments on the project, which will revolve around "a knockaround twentysomething who discovers he has a knack for being a crime scene cleaner, and his life gets messy from there." ( Variety ) Bubs Alert! Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Andre Royo ( The Wire ) has been cast as a guest star in the third season premiere of FOX's Fringe , citing unnamed sources. Royo will reportedly play Henry, described as &quo

It's a provocative question, really. Is BBC America's newest British reality import, The Choir , the exact opposite of FOX's musical-comedy Glee , despite the similar choral trappings? It is, in every conceivable way and that's a very good thing indeed. The Choir , which launches tonight at 10 pm ET/PT, finds plucky choirmaster Gareth Malone attempting to create a competitive choir out of a group of musical novices at a run-down comprehensive school where music isn't an important element of their education. (You can take a look at some clips from The Choir here .) With a spot at the World Choir Olympics in China on the line, Malone attempts to fashion these teens into world-class singers and teach them the joys of performing in a group. It's no small task, given that many of these teens are at-risk to begin with and none of them have any formal training. The result ends up being paradoxically gritty and uplifting, as the cameras not only follow Malone as he att

It's rare that I encounter a new reality television series that is so fantastic and which doesn't take itself seriously to the point of being almost absurd that I instantly fall head over heels in love with it. Yet that's just what happened with BBC America's culinary competition series Come Dine With Me , which launches next week. (A US version is in the works as well for 2011.) Any resistance I had melted away within seconds as I found myself engrossed in this hysterical and winsome series, which originally aired on Channel 4 in the UK. It's hard to capture the magic of Come Dine With Me if you haven't seen it for yourself. The basic premise is this: four strangers come together for four nights of dinner parties at one another's homes, with each of them playing host on a particular night. These aren't professional chefs, but rather amateur home cooks who pride themselves on being refined hosts and hostesses and who are each eager to walk away not only

Have a song in your heart but missing Glee ? Why not tune in next Wednesday evening for BBC America's latest British import, reality series The Choir ? The series follows boyish-looking choirmaster Gareth Malone as he recruits a choir from some rather unlikely places and launches next Wednesday evening here in the US. The thirteen episodes are broken down into three story pods--Northholt High School, Boys Don't Sing, and Unsung Town--each of which recounts Gareth's latest challenge in a new location. (Just think of them as three distinct mini-seasons of the same series.) Watch as Gareth tackles an average high school, an all-boys school, and a small town that's anything but a unified community. Can Gareth get these people to sing and to coalesce into a choir? Find out this summer. Not won over yet? Here's what the British press had to say about this inspirational and uplifting series: The Independent: "As profoundly a moving piece of television as has ever been

How cool is this? Doctor Who star Matt Smith took to the stage at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts to perform the theme song to Doctor Who , appearing on stage alongside Orbital this week. Yes, the Doctor himself was on hand to partake in a performance at Glasto, and it's worth noting that the version of the Doctor Who theme that he performed was the iconic 1970s/1980s version of the Doctor Who opening credits music, rather than the more recent versions arranged for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. And, yes, I wish I was there... The full video of Doctor Who 's Matt Smith appearing on stage at Glastonbury can be found below. Doctor Who airs Saturday evenings on BBC America.

As the Summer Solstice has come and gone now, the hot months of summer are officially in full swing as the broadcast and cable networks bring out their slate of originals and burn-offs during the sweltering season. While I'm sinking my teeth into quite a bit of programming this summer (including HBO's True Blood , Bravo's Top Chef , and my latest obsession, BBC America's upcoming Come Dine With Me ) and catching up on some others (cough, Friday Night Lights , cough), I'm curious to know just what you are watching right now... and what you intend to watch this summer. Are you hooked on USA's dramedies? Can't wait for the return of Entourage ? Trembling at the thought of more True Blood ? Intrigued by Work of Art ? Spooked by the thought of Syfy's Haven ? Head to the comments section to discuss what's on your season pass this summer, what's failed to click with you so far, and what new and returning television series you are most looking forward to

Where is the Doctor when you need him? BBC Worldwide America has announced their lineup for next month's San Diego Comic-Con International, bringing back supernatural drama Being Human to the convention, along with cult comedy Look Around You , newly available on DVD Stateside this summer. The big news, however, is that Doctor Who won't be returning to the convention this year, which means no fanfare and audience of thousands for new cast members Matt Smith and Karen Gillan and newly installed head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat. "While the [ Doctor Who ] team is currently filming and unable to attend Comic-Con, that doesn’t mean the Doctor’s presence won’t be felt in San Diego," writes the production entity in an official statement. "BBC America will host an exclusive U.S. premiere fan screening of this season’s two-part finale, along with the all-new season opener of Being Human ." (For their part, the Doctor Who team will be hosting Doctor Who