[Televisionary]

I really wanted to like IFC's David Cross-led comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret , a co-production with Channel 4's More4 in the UK. After all, the series was created by Cross and Shaun Pye ( Extras ) and stars Cross, Will Arnett, The Inbetweeners 's Blake Harrison, and Sharon Horgan ( Pulling ). So I should really love it as I would seem to be the target audience for such a dark and depraved comedy of errors set against a backdrop of cultural differences between Americans and Brits. But try though I might, there's something entirely off about Todd Margaret , at least in the three episodes that were submitted to the press for review. I couldn't shake off the feeling that this wasn't so much the story of an American adrift in England but rather an effort to smash together US and UK comedy styles. It doesn't quite gel, however. The effect feels a bit like a traditional US sitcom and a quirky UK one at the same time but also like neither. W...

Kenneth Branagh has temporarily traded Shakespeare for serial killers in Masterpiece Mystery ’s new Wallander installments and superheroes in his highly anticipated directing effort, Thor . Over at The Daily Beast, you can check out my latest feature, "Kenneth Branagh's Twists and Turns," in which I talk to Branagh about Season Two of Wallander and its existential hero, directing Thor (and its connections to Shakespearean drama), and whether he'll play Sir Laurence Olivier in Simon Curtis' My Week with Marilyn . Season Two of Wallander begins this Sunday on PBS' Masterpiece Mystery . Check your local listings for details.

I've found myself extremely distracted this morning. The cause: this gorgeous sizzle reel put together by BBC for their upcoming drama offerings, which include Accused, Aurelio Zen, Christopher and His Kind, The Crimson Petal and the White, Doctor Who Christmas Special, The First Men in the Moon, Hattie, Lip Service, The Nativity, Outcasts, The Shadow Line, Silk, Single Father, The Song of Lunch, South Riding, Toast, Upstairs Downstairs, When Harvey Met Bob , and Women in Love . (Whew.) Look for cameos from Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Christopher Eccleston, which must be the first time the three most recent actors playing the Doctor have appeared in anything together. Even if it is just a sizzle reel. You can view Auntie Beeb's slick and provocative reel below. Just be forewarned: you'll probably want to watch it again and again. Meanwhile, the Beeb also announced upcoming dramas from Sam Mendes, Jane Campion, and Sir David Hare. The full press release from the BBC can b...

What did you think of last night's episode of Community ? This week, another go on AOL Television's Skype Second Opinions, where I connected via Skype to ramble on for a few minutes about this week's episode of Community ("Accounting for Lawyers"), which included Annie chloroforming a janitor, the Heather Pop and Locklears, another glimpse at Ben Chang's creepy innermost thoughts, Troy and Abed's latest caper, an amazing tag, and more. You can watch the video in full over here at AOL Television or right below. Next week on Community ("The Psychology of Letting Go"), the group attempts to comfort Pierce when his mother dies; Professor Bauer takes a leave of absence and Professor Duncan attempts to take over her Anthropology class.

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Desperate Housewives ' Kyle MacLachlan has been cast in at least two episodes of CBS' How I Met Your Mother , where he will play the ex-husband of Jennifer Morrison's Zoey. His first appearance is slated to air in early November. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Looks like Comic-Con is staying put in San Diego. The organizers of the annual fan convention have reached an agreement with the city of San Diego's convention center to keep SDCC stationed there "for the foreseeable future." That contract was set to expire in 2012 and other cities--including Los Angeles and Anaheim--were said to be keen to snag the pop culture event, which has become one of the year's largest. ( Variety ) TVGuide.com's Joyce Eng has an interview with Blue Bloods star Will Estes, in which he discusses the secret society twist revealed in the series p...