[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. NBC and Universal Media Studios have reached a deal with former Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham to come aboard midseason drama series Parenthood . Graham will replace ailing actress Maura Tierney, who was forced to bow out of the project due to health issues, on the Jason Katims-created drama, based on the 1989 feature film. She'll play a harried single mom with two kids who moves her family in with her parents in order to jumpstart her life. ( Variety ) Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello talks to Southland star Michael Cudlitz about the sudden cancellation of the NBC cop drama. "In retrospect, I saw it coming," Cudlitz told Ausiello. "We were two weeks away from airing and [the cancellation news] has created more press for the show than NBC has put into it on its own. They ran the first [ Southland ] ad — a 30-second spot — last Friday, and that’s the only one that they ran. That’s not a relaunch. When

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'm leaving Vancouver today after an extremely action-packed day that saw me tour the sets of Syfy's Caprica, Stargate Universe , and Sanctuary . More on that to come in the next few days... On to the headlines now. Wowzers! Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that talks have broken down between Helen Hunt's reps and producers for NBC midseason drama Parenthood . But the fantastic news is that Ausiello is saying that Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham has been offered the role of single mother Sarah Braverman (played by Maura Tierney in the original pilot episode) and that she "recently met with Parenthood boss Jason Katims... to discuss the plum part." ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) HBO has given an early series renewal to freshman comedy Bored to Death , handing the Jason Schwartzman-led series a second season order following its third episode, which landed its largest au

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Following the departure of Maura Tierney from the cast of NBC's Parenthood , producers have reportedly approached Helen Hunt about replacing Tierney on the Jason Katims-executive produced drama series. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Hunt "is said to be considering the offer, which would mark her return to series television and to NBC, where she starred on the comedy Mad About You for seven years before segueing into features." ( Hollywood Reporter ) Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Denis O'Hare ( Brothers & Sisters ) has been cast as a series regular next season on HBO's True Blood , where he will play the Vampire King of Mississippi. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) (For more on Season Three of True Blood , you can read my exclusive one-on-one interview with Alan Ball here. ) Despite rumors to the contrary, the Futon Critic is reporting that ABC has not ye

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Fringe stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble tease some details about the second season of the FOX sci-fi drama, which launches next week, during a video interview on the set of an Entertainment Weekly photo shoot for the magazine's Fall TV Issue (on newsstands today). ( Entertainment Weekly ) NBC has announced that Maura Tierney (ER) has left the cast of Parenthood in order to undergo treatment for breast cancer. The series, from executive producer Jason Katims, was originally slated to launch this fall on the Peacock but the network delayed the series until midseason in order to allow Tierney to begin treatment. Unfortunately, that treatment will continue to interfere with the series' production schedule. Tierney and Parenthood have agreed to go their separate ways and Tierney's role, that of harried single mother Sarah Braverman, will now be recast. ( E! Online's Watch with Kristin ) ABC has acquired s

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Buffy and Angel 's James Marsters--who appeared last year in Season Two of Torchwood to boot--has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Syfy's upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica . Marsters, who is slated to appear in at least three installments, will play Barnabus Greeley, a dangerous terrorist leader who is described as being "driven by desires both moralistic and carnal" and is "as lethal as he is unpredictable." Caprica premieres January 22nd on Syfy. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) ABC has given a script order to Clive Barker's Hotel , described as a "series of ghoulish incidents at a haunted hotel," from writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. Project, from Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision, will be executive produced by Clive Barker and McG, who could direct the pilot episode if the network moves forward with the pro

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Following an announcement that actress Maura Tierney would require an eight-week medical evaluation for an undisclosed condition, NBC has pushed the start of its drama Parenthood , which was slated to debut on September 23rd, to midseason. The Peacock will instead push up the launch of its midseason medical drama Mercy to the fall, although it is still unclear whether Mercy will inherit Parenthood 's Wednesdays at 8 pm timeslot. The production shutdown on Parenthood , meanwhile, will give writers additional time to complete scripts. ( Hollywood Reporter ) UPDATE : "In an effort to guard my privacy, it seems that the wording of NBC's press release has unfortunately caused some confusion and undue alarm about my health," said Maura Tierney in an official statement. "I have discovered a tumor in my breast which requires surgery. I will not know either my exact diagnosis or course of treatment until that surgery i

Hoping to catch another glimpse at Community and Parenthood ? Look no further. With fall nearly upon us, NBC has today released new promos for two of its new series, Community and Parenthood , both of which launch this fall on NBC. The promos can be viewed in full below. (Meanwhile, you can read my glowing advance review of the full Community pilot episode here .) COMMUNITY : Greendale Community College would like to welcome you. Community , Thursdays this fall on NBC. PARENTHOOD : Parenthood is... a many-not-always-so-splendoured thing. Parenthood , Wednesdays this fall on NBC.

Looking for a sneak peak at some of NBC's new series? You're in luck as NBC today released three new promos for its upcoming fall series Parenthood, Community , and Trauma , all of which can be found below. PARENTHOOD Parenthood – Find out everything that makes Parenthood special. Parenthood , coming this fall on NBC. COMMUNITY Going Back To College – Life is full of opportunities. Community , coming Thursdays this fall on NBC. TRAUMA Trauma – Meet the people who run towards danger. Trauma , coming this fall on NBC Parenthood, Community , and Trauma premiere this fall on NBC.

NBC unveiled part of its plan for the 2009-2010 season just a few hours ahead of its infront presentation to advertisers in New York. The Peacock ordered six new series including dramas Trauma, Parenthood, Mercy, and Day One (described as an "event series") and comedies 100 Questions and Community . NBC also officially announced that it had renewed dramas Heroes and Southland and comedy Parks and Recreation , as well as ordering six new installments of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday . As expected, there was no mention of on the bubble series like Chuck, Law & Order , and My Name is Earl , although the network was quick to acknowledge that additional renewals and pickups will be announced May 19th, when NBC announces its full 2009-2010 schedule. (Also missing: Medium , which some news outlets had reported as already being renewed.) It's a rather full offering (with the potential for further orders), considering that NBC has lost its 10 pm hour during t