[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Production on CBS comedy Two and a Half Men has been temporarily shut down after series lead Charlie Sheen checked himself into a rehab clinic. His decision comes on the heels of some serious legal troubles for the star of the Warner Bros. Television-produced series after his arrest in December and a domestic violence charge against his wife Brooke Mueller. ( Variety , New York Times ) CBS' Nina Tassler, Warner Bros. Television's Peter Roth, and executive producer Chuck Lorre issued the following joint statement: "CBS, Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment center. We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter. Production on Two and a Half Men will be temporarily suspended." [Editor: it's a bit of an about-face for Lorre, who had cracked a joke at the TCA Winter Press Tour when asked about

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. The CW has given early renewals to five of its series, including freshman drama The Vampire Diaries , reality series America's Next Top Model , and Gossip Girl, Supernatural , and 90210 . However, not on the list are One Tree Hill , which has even odds at renewing, the ratings-starved Melrose Place , and newbie Life Unexpected , which has struggled in the ratings. ( Variety ) There's a bit of a caveat to that early Supernatural renewal. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that creator/executive producer Eric Kripke will be stepping down as showrunner on the Warner Bros. Television-produced series, with executive producer Sera Gamble set to take over the reins next season. "Kripke will remain actively involved in the show — and not just in name only," writes Ausiello. "Although CW and Warner Bros. reps declined to comment, a Supernatural insider assures me that Kripke and his current co

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to get through today, which is Presidents' Day here in the US. (If you're lucky enough to have the day off, get out there and do something fun.) Los Angeles Times ' Maria Elena Fernandez is reporting that studio 20th Century Fox Television has temporarily suspended production on FOX's 24 in order to accommodate a medical procedure for series lead Kiefer Sutherland involving a ruptured cyst. Production on the series, likely in its final season, is thought to begin again in roughly a week and will not affect scheduling for Day Eight of 24 . "While Kiefer Sutherland is frustrated to miss even one day of work, he and Fox decided together that it would be best to complete this minor elective procedure now as a precaution as opposed to six weeks from now when production wraps," said Sutherland's publicist Evelyn Karamanos in a statement. "He looks forward to returning to work next wee

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

With the holiday break just around the corner, it's the perfect time to take note of what's worked so far this television season and what hasn't. Over at The Daily Beast, I have a new article entitled "TV Report Card," in which I take a look at the 30 new (and somewhat newish) series that have premiered so far during the 2009-10 season, breaking them down into winners, losers, and draws as I investigate just why and how they work (or don't). Everything from Modern Family and NCIS: Los Angeles to Castle, Sons of Anarchy, V , and FlashForward (and even bottom of the barrel entries Hank and Brothers ) get discussed in-depth. What's clicked for you this season? What series didn't disappear fast enough? And which are you still on the fence about? Head over to the comments section to share your thoughts about the season so far.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Looks like Betty Suarez is moving again. Hollywood Reporter 's James Hibberd is reporting that struggling dramedy series Ugly Betty , now in its fourth season, will be rescued from the Friday night death slot and given a berth on Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT, essentially creating a three-hour block of comedy programming for ABC. Meanwhile, the now vacant Friday night timeslot will be filled by the five remaining unaired episodes of Shark Tank . ( Hollywood Reporter 's The Live Feed ) FX has announced a launch date for Season Three of serpentine legal thriller Damages , which will return to the lineup on Monday, January 25th at 10 pm ET/PT. In other scheduling, Nip/Tuck will debut its final season on Wednesday, January 6th at 10 pm ET/PT and animated comedy Archer begins on Thursday, January 14th while drama Justified will premiere in March and comedy Louie will debut later in the spring. ( Televisionary ) Los Angeles Times

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Former Dirty Sexy Money star Natalie Zea, who most recently recurred on HBO's Hung , has signed on a series regular on FX's drama Lawman , starring Timothy Olyphant. Zea, who appeared in Lawman 's pilot, will reprise her role as the ex-wife of Olyphant's US Marshall Givens in the series. Project hails from Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Emmy winner Armand Assante has been cast as a guest star on NBC's Chuck , where he will play "a Castro-esque dictator who Casey has unsuccessfully tried to assassinate multiple times." ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) The CW has given a full season order to veteran drama series One Tree Hill , which is currently in its seventh season. Initially, the netlet had only ordered 13 installments for this season but the order bumps the episode total to a full 22. El

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Torchwood creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies, in which Davies defends the latest plot twist in Torchwood: Children of Earth (MAJOR SPOILER alert if you haven't yet seen "Day Four"), which has resulted in some angry fans. "It's not particularly a backlash," Davies corrected Ausiello. "What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset. Which is marvelous. It just goes to prove how much they love the character and the actor. People often say, 'Fans have got their knives out!' They haven't got any knives. I haven't been stabbed. Nothing's happened. It's simply a few people typing. I'm glad they're typing because they’re that involved. But if you can’t handle drama you shouldn’t watch it. Find something else. Go look at

After weeks of anticipation (and speculation), Warner Bros. Television Group has finally announced which series they will be bringing down to San Diego Comic-Con next month. All of the usual suspects-- Chuck, Fringe, Supernatural, Smallville , and The Big Bang Theory --will be in attendance along with new series from the studio including V, Human Target, Past Life, Eastwick , and Vampire Diaries and animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold . Additionally, Warner Bros. Entertainment (WBE) will once again have a nearly 3,000-square foot, two-story booth right on the convention floor and will naturally be giving away those exclusive and ubiquitous Comic-Con Bags. The full press release from Warner Bros. Television Group, along with dates, times, and locations (as well as full descriptions) of their panels can be found below. WARNER BROS. TELEVISION GROUP RETURNS TO COMIC-CON IN 2009 WITH STAR-STUDDED LINEUP FEATURING A RECORD 11 SHOWS Stars and Creators of “The Big Bang Theory,” “C

A few days after the CW unveiled its fall primetime schedule , the netlet has release new teaser trailers for its upcoming series Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries . The thirty-second spot for Melrose Place features swooping camera movements through the iconic apartment complex and voiceover from the characters about their dreams, fears, and dilemmas, before then showcases a series of quick-cut scenes from the pilot episode. Melrose Place will air Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT. The promo for the Kevin Williamson-executive produced supernatural series Vampire Diaries , meanwhile, puts the action squarely on the relationship between teenager Elena (Nina Dobrev) and vampire Stefan (Paul Wesley), culminating in the first encounter between the two star-crossed lovers. Vampire Diaries will air Thursdays at 8 pm ET/PT. The new promos for Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries can be found below. Melrose Place: Vampire Diaries: Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries will launch this fall on the CW.