[Televisionary]

Longtime readers of this site know of both my love for the original UK series Life on Mars and its sensational sequel, Ashes to Ashes , which aired its first season last year in the UK. My original review for Ashes to Ashes , which launches Stateside this weekend on BBC America, can be found here . I wrote the review back in February 2008, when the series first launched and I've fallen under its spell ever since. (There's also my very spoiler-laden review of the first season finale here.) While Life on Mars followed Detective Sam Tyler (John Simm) seemingly back in time to 1973 after a car accident, Ashes to Ashes focuses on a female profiler named Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) who is shot at point blank range and finds herself propelled backwards in time to 1981. Cue the New Romantics soundtrack, Thatcher-era power suits, a terrifying Pierrot clown (courtesy of David Bowie's music video for "Ashes to Ashes") and a blood red Audi Quatro... driven by none other tha...

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Is there life on Mars? Turns out not so much: ABC has canceled the US adaptation of BBC series Life on Mars after seventeen episodes. The series, which will (rather unusually) air its five remaining episodes before the timeslot is taken over by The Unusuals in April, will not return for a second season. However, Life on Mars ' producers have been given the go-ahead by the network to write their season finale as a series finale that will answer some questions about Sam Tyler's travel to 1973 and possible return to the present day. ( Variety , Hollywood Reporter' s The Live Feed ) Scott Wolf ( The Nine ) will star in ABC's re-imagining of classic sci-fi series V . In the drama pilot, produced by Warner Bros. Television, Wolf will play Ryan, a man who is keeping a rather dark secret from his girlfriend, according to Michael Ausiello. [Editor's SPOILER note: Said secret is that Ryan is in fact a member of the alien ...

I am still in shock after watching last night's heart-wrenching episode of Big Love ("Fight or Flight"), which offered some brutal plot twists, shocking reveals, and one of the most tragic deaths on any drama series. This season of Big Love has proven itself more than willing to pull out all the stops in the name of status quo-shakeup, between Sarah's pregnancy, the addition of a (short-lived) fourth wife, new alliances, God Squads, and, well, murder. The result has been a dizzying blend of complex relationships, dramatic tension, and gasp-inducing plot twists that have placed Big Love at the forefront of intelligent, compelling American television today. This week's episode of Big Love ("Fight or Flight") started off as a brilliantly understated look at that most primal of hard-wiring, the fight-or-flight mechanism, and how this natural physiological response colors all of our interactions. It's seen most keenly in the showdown between Bill and...

I offered up my theories about Kara Thrace, the piano player, and Cylon projection last week before the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica ("Someone to Watch Over Me") had aired but now that it has, I'm wondering what many of you thought of the episode and its clues about the true nature of Kara Thrace. Written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle , "Someone to Watch Over Me" offered an installment that was heavy on atmosphere and character development, delivering a slow burn that escalated in the last few minutes to become one of the most emotionally wrenching conclusions to a single episode of Battlestar Galactica to date... while also keeping our interest piqued for the last few episodes of this brilliant series. It had us learning something about Starbuck's parentage and Boomer's true allegiance, while also featuring Bear McCreary's gorgeous and haunting arrangement of "All Along the Watchtower." As I correctly surmised las...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Former Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel will guest star in NBC's two-hour series finale of ER , where she will play a new intern named Julie Wise in the finale, which focuses on a 24 hour-long shift at County General Hospital. Casting marks Bledel's first major television appearance since the end of Gilmore Girls on the CW. Elsewhere, former Grey's Anatomy cast member Melissa George has been cast as the female lead in CBS' untitled US Attorney drama pilot from writer/executive producer Frank Military; George will play Susan, an ADA and ex-wife of the section chief (Michael Lange). ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Katie Cassidy ( Supernatural ) has been cast in CW's drama pilot Melrose Place , an update of the 1990s soap where she will play Ella Flynn, "an up-and-coming publicist with a big career ahead of her." Steven R. McQueen ( Everwood ), meanwhile, has been cast as one of the leads i...