[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm still on cloud nine after last night's perfect combination of sweet and tart on BBC America's Gavin & Stacey . Could that series be any funnier or any more genuinely emotional? It's well lush. Looks like Kate Walsh won't be returning to Seattle Grace any time soon. ABC has picked up Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice for a full season of 22 episodes. Series, which had its freshman season truncated due to the writers strike, has averaged 3.2/8 in adults 18-49 and 8.3 million viewers across two original episodes this fall. ( Variety ) Showtime wants more Dexter : the pay cabler announced that it had renewed the serial killer drama for two additional seasons (that would be Season Four and Season Five) of twelve episodes each. Production on Season Four will begin in Los Angeles next spring. ( Hollywood Reporter ) CBS has ordered two additional scripts for freshman comedy Worst Week , which--after

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Once again, I am feeling burnt out after an overstuffed night of TV viewing that included new episodes of Pushing Daisies, Top Model, Old Christine, Project Runway , and Dirty Sexy Money . Whew. Jason Priestley has signed on to direct an upcoming episode of the CW's 90210 but don't expect to see him in front of the camera any time soon. Priestley will direct the series' 18th episode, slated to air in the spring. While Priestley's Brandon Walsh won't be turning up in that hallowed zip code, Shannen Doherty is said to be returning for two episodes later this season (though executive producer Gabe Sachs wouldn't comment officially) and producers are also said to have locked Jennie Garth for six additional segments. (All that hubbub about Garth not coming back? Allegedly just a "misunderstanding.") ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) On the eve of the premieres of US versions of Life on Mars

After weeks of leaked semi-finalist nominee lists, it's good to finally get a glimpse of which series and actors actually made it onto the ballots, instead of seeing yet another list that showed who could make it to the nomination stage. The Emmy nominees were announced this morning and I have to commend them for showering such love onto diverse and unique series such as Mad Men, 30 Rock (17 nominations, no less!), and Damages ... while also locking some repeat offenders--like Ugly Betty in the comedy category--out in the cold. (Yes, I watch Ugly Betty but should it be competing with such comedy series as 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, or The Office ? Hells no, especially when HBO's hysterical Flight of the Conchords didn't even get a mention.) So which series and actors did land Emmy noms? Let's talk about the major categories. Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men (AMC) Boston Legal (ABC) House (FOX) Lost (ABC) Damages (FX) Dexter (Showtime) I'm actually qui

It's official. After weeks of speculation , Showtime serial (and ratings) killer Dexter , starring Michael C. Hall as a police forensics expert who happens to be a serial killer, will head over to scripted-starved network CBS in a rare display of network/cable repurposing, especially for a pay cable drama. CBS will air edited versions of the twelve episodes from Dexter 's first season on Sunday nights at 10 pm, beginning February 17th. Content will be edited for violence and language, as well as screen time; an average episode of Dexter runs pretty darn close to an hour, so expect that about 12 or 13 minutes will be removed to get it down to a broadcast runtime. " Dexter is a "high-quality, compelling series that will be new and original programming for most CBS viewers," said CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler. "It's also a great match with our existing lineup." CBS plans to repurpose all twelve eps over twelve consecutive weeks, so Showtim

Could racy Showtime hits Weeds , Dexter , and The Tudors be heading to primetime on CBS ? It certainly looks that way, based on comments made by CBS topper Leslie Moonves, who says that the Tiffany network will look to repurpose Showtime's slate of edgy series. " Dexter is probably the first one to go on -- with some edits, "Mooves said. "It fits with our crime shows." (I don't want to argue with Moonves that his crime series typically feature law enforcement officers solving murders rather than, you know, committing them, but who am I to quibble?) There's no launch date as of yet for Dexter other than indications that it will air "in the near future," but the strength of the crime drama's second season ratings point towards a potential primetime hit for CBS. Sister series Weeds , which recently wrapped its third season, and period drama The Tudors may also bow on the Eye, but both would require judicious editing due to the strong sexua

The serial (killer) drama is here to stay after all. Showtime has renewed drama Dexter for a second season. Series revolves around Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a Miami PD forensics expert whose nighttime vocation is as a serial killer... of other serial killers. Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, Lauren Velez, Erik King, David Zayas, and James Remar also star. The pay cabler has ordered 12 episodes of the drama, which is scheduled to begin production in the spring, and plans to premiere Season Two in Summer 2007. To date, Dexter has aired five episodes on Showtime and is the net's highest rated series. (The freshman season finale is scheduled for December 17th.) Meanwhile, Showtime is also close to signing a deal to bring pot-fueled dramedy Weeds back for a third season of suburban scandal and munchies-related mischief. An announcement on the Mary Louise Parker-led series, produced by Lionsgate TV, is said to be "imminent," according to Variety .

One of the perks of working in the television business is that you occasionally (or during the summer months frequently) get to see pilots before they air on television... in most cases, many months before they premiere. So yesterday I was therefore fortunate to view the pilot for Showtime's new drama series, Dexter , based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay. Dexter stars Michael C. Hall , whom most viewers will remember from Six Feet Under . Here, Hall portrays the title character who is vastly different from David Fisher, the character he played for several years on Six Feet Under ...well, except for the connection to death. For one thing, Dexter is a forensic investigator--his specialty is blood splatter--and for another, he's a serial killer. But before you get all uptight about it, he's a serial killer who only kills other serial killers. Gruesomely. Brutally. He stalks them, captures them, and kills them, chopping up their bodies and disposing of them while holding onto a