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Tune-In Reminder: Series Premiere of ABC's "V"

Just a quick reminder to be sure to set your DVRs (or, hell, tune in live!) to the series premiere of ABC's V tonight. Based on the classic 1980s sci-fi miniseries, V boasts an amazing cast that includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Joel Gretsch, Morris Chestnut, Scott Wolf, Morena Baccarin, and many others. But you needn't have watched any of the classic V in order to understand the intricacies of this new reimaginating. You can read my advance review of the pilot episode for V (written back in May) as well as my interview over at the Los Angeles Times /Show Tracker with series lead Elizabeth Mitchell about her character Erica Evans and what's coming up on the series, which will air four episodes this month before returning after the Olympics with nine additional installments. V launches tonight at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Channel Surfing: David Tennant Crowned "Rex" for NBC, Naveen Andrews to Guest on "Law & Order: SVU," Ramsay Brings "Masterchef" to US, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Looks like the TARDIS has deposited the Doctor on our shores. Outbound Doctor Who star David Tennant has signed on to topline NBC's legal dramedy pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer . Tennant, who departs from Doctor Who at the end of the year, will play the titular character, Rex Alexander, a Chicago lawyer who suffers from crippling panic attacks who begins coaching his clients on how to represent themselves in court. Project, from Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun, is written by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson and will be directed by David Semel, who executive produces with Barry Schindel, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, and Gene Stein. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Lost 's Naveen Andrews will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit . Details on his role are being kept firmly under wraps, though it's known that his episode is slated to air in January. ( TVGuide.com ) FOX has ordered rough...

Alone in the Dark: The Death of the New Frontier on "Mad Men"

I really believed that Matthew Weiner would leave that crucial moment in history--namely, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy--until next week's finale but I'm glad that he didn't as it allows the audience to see the fallout, both social and personal, from that Dallas killing, dragging the nation as it did into the into the harsh realities of adulthood. JFK's assassination has hung like a dark cloud over Season Three of Mad Men and each episode this season brought us that much closer to an end of innocence, knowing as we did that fateful day in Dallas was inching closer. With a shot that November afternoon, America had changed, perhaps forever. This week's episode of Mad Men ("The Grown-Ups"), written by Brett Johnson and Matthew Weiner and directed by Barbet Schroeder, pushed our main characters somewhat into the periphery, focusing instead on JFK's death and the ripple effect his passing had on the lives of the characters we've come t...

Sunday Night Television: HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and CBS' "The Amazing Race"

Looking to discuss the latest episodes of CBS' The Amazing Race and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm ? You're in luck. Head over to the Los Angeles Times /Show Tracker site, where you can read my take on last night's episodes of both series. In "The Amazing Race: For Whom the Bell Tolls," I take a look at last night's episode which featured feats of strength, counting, and herring-eating as well as some tears. You can also read my take ("Curb Your Enthusiasm: Swan's Way") on last night's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm , which was a bit of a return to form for the absurdist comedy, which this week depicted Larry accidentally killing a man, somewhat intentionally killing a black swan, and basically making a mess of everything he touched, not least of which his mother's headstone. Head to the comments to discuss both.

Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "Lost" Fate, Itzin to Return to "24," TNT Locks Up "Southland," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's PopWatch has an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell and Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the ultimate fate of Mitchell's Juliet, last seen detonating the hydrogen bomb that may or may not have caused The Incident at the end of Season Five. While Mitchell is set to reprise her role as Juliet Burke on Season Six of Lost , it's been confirmed that Juliet is definitely dead. Still, there are still some mysteries about the good (or not so good?) doctor that still need to be resolved. "There’s still something very significant that we have not yet learned about the character," according to Cuse. ( Entertainment Weekly 's PopWatch ) Gregory Itzin ( The Mentalist ) will return to FOX's 24 in a multiple-episode story arc that finds him reprising his role as villainous former President Charles Logan, who was last seen being stabbed by his wife Martha (Jean Smart)...