[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Summer Glau ( Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles ) is set to guest star on NBC's Chuck this season, where she will turn up in the eighth episode as the latest Greta, the rotating CIA/NSA joint intelligence task force agent assigned to the Buy More. Glau, who stars in NBC's midseason action drama The Cape , follows in the footsteps of Olivia Munn, Stacy Keibler, and Isaiah Mustafa. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Jeff Zucker is out and Steve Burke is in. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' right-hand man Burke, will succeed Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal once the merger deal--valued at $30 billion--is completed. Zucker announced that he would be stepping down from the position on Friday once the merger transaction is closed. "Steve Burke is an experienced, talented and visionary leader with over 25 years in the media and entertainment indus

What did you think of last night's episode of Community ? While I've been raving about the second season opener for weeks now , I also was asked to host AOL Television's Skype Second Opinions, where I connected via Skype and rambled on for a full three minutes about Community 's "Anthropology 101" episode, my thoughts on the fantastic opening sequence (set to Vampire Weekend's "Campus"), the most un-erotic kiss ever on television, urine-swigging June Bauer (Betty White), that sucker-punch to the gut, and Ken Jeong's terrifyingly twisted Ben Chang. You can watch the video in full over here at AOL Television or right below. Next week on Community ("The Psychology of Letting Go"), the study group comforts Pierce after the death of his mother; Professor Duncan tries to take over the anthropology class.

Community has zombies, outer space, and Joel McHale: why not more viewers? Over at The Daily Beast, check out my latest feature, entitled " Community : The Best Show You're Not Watching," in which I visit the set of NBC's experimental comedy Community (while they were filming their Halloween episode) and learn about zombies, outer space, stop-motion animation, and more, as I spend two days on the set with creator Dan Harmon and cast members Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, Gillian Jacobs, and Danny Pudi. Plus, be sure to take a look at the gallery, where you can see what's coming up on Season Two for your favorite Greendale characters, including Jeff, Britta, Annie, Shirley, Abed, Troy, Chang, and Pierce. (And you can read my review of the season opener here .) Season Two of Community begins tomorrow night at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Gwyneth Paltrow is in talks to join the cast of FOX's Glee in a two-episode story arc in which she would play a potential love interest for Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester. "According to rock-solid Glee sources, Gwyneth would play a substitute teacher in two episodes airing in November," writes Dos Santos. "Mr. Schuester gets sick, so Gwyneth's character steps in and takes over the glee club. The kids love her, and Will starts to fall for her... complicating his relationship with Emma (Jayma Mays)... I'm told Glee creator/executive producer/creative badass Ryan Murphy wrote this role expressly for Gwyneth, as the two are friends. If it all comes together, Ryan will be directing her first episode, which begins shooting in two weeks." Should the deal close, Paltrow would appear in two episodes slated to air in November. ( E! Online's Watch

With so many new fall series premiering over the next two weeks, it's possible to forget that some of our favorites are heading back to the airwaves as well. Can’t remember how Grey’s Anatomy or 30 Rock ended? Head over to the Daily Beast to read my latest feature, "Here Comes the TV Season!" , in which I round-up 13 cliffhangers for returning shows—and offer previews of what’s to come. (It goes without saying: minor SPOILERS aheads.) The series in question? Oh, the usual suspects, including Dexter, The Good Wife, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Bones, Community, Castle , and 30 Rock , presented in order of premiere dates. (Which means Chuck is up first.) Plus, you can watch video previews for all 22 new network series , to boot. Which returning series are you most excited about watching this fall? Head to the comments section to discuss.

I don't want to say too much lest I spoil the sheer and utter joy that is watching the second season opener ("Anthropology 101") of NBC's Community , which--like its characters--heads back to Greendale after a summer break. There's a gleeful absurdity deep in the DNA of this winning show but also a lot of emotional resonance, as its characters tackle the larger struggles facing humanity while also managing to get involved in all manner of larger-than-life hijinx. It's a tonal juxtaposition that has worked well for the series in the first season, and Season Two--which begins on Thursday--smartly continues this trend, creating a microcosm in which the heartfelt and supremely weird hold hands on the way to class. Given the way that the first season left off--with Jeff (Joel McHale) and Annie (Alison Brie) locking lips rather than with Britta (Gillian Jacobs)--it's only natural that the writers would deal with this new love triangle permutation early on. And t

"We'll just say Community is the new Glee ." With less than a month to go until the second season premiere of NBC's deliciously absurd comedy Community , NBC has released a teaser trailer for Season Two, which just so happens to feature Betty White seeming a but, uh, confused about what show she's slated to appear on. You can view the teaser in full below. Season Two of Community launches Thursday, September 23rd on NBC.

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Good news for Community ; bad news for Parks and Recreation . The Futon Critic is reporting that NBC has opted to forgo repeats of Season Two of Parks and Recreation for the remainder of the summer, instead using the Thursday 9:30 pm timeslot for a second round of Community repeats. [Editor: While I applaud NBC for recognizing the potential of Dan Harmon's Community , I wish it weren't at the expense of Parks and Rec , which won't even return for its third season until "midseason."] Planned repeats for August 26th and September 2nd will instead be filled by Community episodes... which means that the airwaves will be Pawnee-free until the series returns at a to-be-determined point later in the season. ( Futon Critic ) SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that John Glover will return to the CW's Smallville to reprise his role as Lionel Luthor in a multiple-episode story arc on

There's no possible way to be everywhere at once at San Diego Comic-Con, which is why I'm always chuffed when the studios and networks release video for the panels that I missed. One panel that I would have loved to have seen was that for NBC's gleefully absurd comedy Community , but I was actually moderating the panel for ABC's V over in Ballroom 20 at the same exact time that creator Dan Harmon and the Greendale kids were discussing Season Two of the Sony Pictures Television-produced comedy. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Many thanks then to NBC for releasing the video for the panel itself, which can be viewed in full below, even if I didn't see any Human Beings roaming the halls of the convention center. Which would have been far more scary than any Cloverfield monster, really. Season Two of Community begins this fall on NBC.

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello and Andy Patrick are reporting that Amber Tamblyn ( The Unusuals ) will join the cast of FOX's House while Olivia Wilde is shooting feature film Cowboys and Aliens for Universal. Tamblyn has signed on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play " a whip-smart med student House (Hugh Laurie) recruits for his diagnostic team — despite the fact that she isn’t yet 100 percent qualified to treat patients" who will "have to find a way to adjust to her new mentor’s unique bedside manner." [Editor: as someone still mourning the loss of ABC's The Unusuals , I'm glad to see Tamblyn heading back to network television.] ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Is there anything Betty White can't do? The octogenarian actress, hot off a streak that includes hosting Saturday Night Live , a slew of films, and a new sitcom ( Hot in Cleveland )

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Eddie Cibrian is leaving CSI: Miami . "With original castmember—-and fan fave!—-Adam Rodriguez (Delko) returning this fall, a source close to the series confirms Eddie's departure, and tells me the Powers That Be are more interested in focusing on the core cast next season," writes Dos Santos, "which eliminates the need for the poor Cardoza character." Meanwhile, Dos Santos has the dirt on just how Cirbian's Cardoza will be written out of the crime procedural, but--beware!--it's highly spoilery. ( E! Online's Watch with Kristin ) April Lee Hernandez ( ER ) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Five of Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter . She'll play a police officer in the homicide department of Miami Metro. Hernandez's casting comes on the heels of news that Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, and Maria Doyle Kennedy have

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall has a fantastic (and lengthy) interview with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about this week's divisive "Across the Sea" episode and the end of the series. "We told the story the way we wanted to. Like David Chase, we tried to make the show to entertain the audience. That was our primary goal," said Cuse about making the sixth and final season of Lost . "We kind of planned this episode to come at this period of time because we actually wanted to take a break after the deaths of these major characters. It felt like this was the perfect time to take a time out from the main narrative. And since this was the final big mythological episode that we were going to do, we felt like it was a good placement for it, and now we'll roll into the finale. We make no apologies. We planned this to be the way it is. Again, it is funny, because there are a lot of people who

"Come with me if you don't want paint on your clothes." I've been a fan of NBC's absurdist comedy Community since its inception. Over the course of its first season, the series--created by Dan Harmon--has grown into one of the network's creatively strongest players on Thursday evenings. Aided by a winning cast, a deft balance between the sweet and sour, and a willingness to embrace the quirky, the odd, and the just plain out there, the series has grown into one of the most inventive and original comedies on television today and, paired with fellow Peacock comedy Parks and Recreation , offers an hour that ranks among one of my chief delights of the week. This week's episode of Community ("Modern Warfare"), written by Emily Cutler (who also scripted another one of my favorite episodes this season, "Contemporary American Poultry"), offers what isn't merely another gleefully absurd installment but just might just be the most ambitious

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.

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 an

Over at The Daily Beast, you can find my latest piece, entitled "Hollywood Takes on Autism." The article explores the portrayals of people with autism spectrum disorders in pop culture, from films like Dear John and Adam to television series like Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Community , and The Big Bang Theory . I also talk to some of theses projects' creators--including Community creator Dan Harmon and Parenthood showrunner Jason Katims--about why they are--or aren't--labeling their characters as autistic. Head to the comments section to be sure and let me know what your take is on this trend and whether it matters or not that these characters are labeled or whether it's the discussion of neurodiversity that their presence creates that's far more important.

The Paley Center for Media has announced the lineup for the the 27th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival (known affectionately to its attendees as PaleyFest). Critical darling Modern Family will kick off the festival on February 26th. Other series getting individual sessions include ABC's Lost , CW's The Vampire Diaries , FOX's Glee , NBC's Community , ABC's Cougar Town ABC's FlashForward , TNT's Men of a Certain Age , CBS' NCIS , Showtime's Dexter , AMC's Breaking Bad , and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm , the latter of which will be the festival's final offering this year. Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for Seth MacFarlane and Friends, an evening celebrating McFarlane's animated comedies Family Guy, American Dad , and The Cleveland Show . The day-by-day breakdown of the festival can be found below. (All panels begin at 7 pm.) Feb. 26th: Modern Family Feb. 27th : Lost March 1st: NCIS March 3rd: Community March 4th: Dexte

I had both the good fortune and the unluckiness to go out for drinks last night (with a group of fellow TV critics and reporters) and am still way behind on catching up on my Thursday night programming. (Which feels a bit like a Sisyphean effort every week with so many fantastic series shoehorned onto Thursday nights.) I did, however, manage to catch last night's fantastic episodes of NBC's Community and Parks and Recreation , which offered a much-needed holiday-themed one-two punch after my night of absinthe-based socializing. I thought that both series were firing on all cylinders last night. Community may have pulled off its best episode to date with "Comparative Religion" (written by Liz Cackowski), juggling plots involving Jeff (Joel McHale) standing up to bully (guest star Anthony Michael Hall), the holidays, the end of the semester, and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) coming to terms that her friends might not share her religious views. While I enjoy seeing the