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Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talk "Lost" Ending, "Doctor Who" Feature Rumors Swirl, Phifer and Beals Return to "Lie to Me," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to go over on the first day back after a long holiday weekend.

Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have promised viewers a definitive ending for Lost when the series wraps its run next year. "We won’t be vague and ambiguous – there will be a lot of answers," promised Lindelof, speaking at a BAFTA event in London. "We feel that if we hold anything back in the final season, it would be bad. Everyone’s come this far and they want a conclusion to the story. We’ve no plans to continue the story of Lost beyond series six. My wife says 'never say never.' I say 'never.'" That final season won't feature time travel elements but will instead feel more like the first season. "There’s a circularity to the show," said Cuse. Just don't look for a happy ending. "Bittersweet comes with the territory," said Lindelof. "The ending we’re aspiring to is fair. As a viewer, whenever you have five minutes left, there’s an intense sadness. The ending of series six will be different from other finales because there will be no cliffhanger." (Broadcast)

Rumors are swirling that Doctor Who executive producer Russell T. Davies and outbound series star David Tennant will be announcing their collaboration on a big-screen Doctor Who outing later this month at San Diego's Comic-Con International. A script for a Doctor Who feature film is said to be "in development" by a BBC Films spokesperson and reports are circulating that Tennant had signed on for a unrevealed "sci fi project," while Davies teased that the announcement of a "special project" would be coming soon. Is it the long-awaited Who film? We'll find out in a few weeks' time. (Digital Spy)

Mekhi Phifer will return to FOX's Lie to Me next season as a series regular and will reprise his role as FBI Agent Reynolds, a liaison between the bureau and the Lightman Group. Meanwhile, Jennifer Beals will recur next season as AUSA Zoe Landau, the ex-wife of Cal Lightman (Tim Roth). (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chandra Wilson will direct an upcoming episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy next season, making her the first original Grey's cast member to step behind the camera. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego talks to FX president/general manager John Landgraf, who says that the network is looking to order at least two of its three drama pilots to series and will add up to three new comedy series. Langraf's goal, according to Grego, is to "maintain a mix of six original drama series on the air during any given year (four established players, two more experimental) and ultimately ramp up to four comedies." Meanwhile, don't look for FX to launch any news series pre-watershed. "We don’t do that," Landgraf told Grego. "Our shows are TV-MA." (Broadcasting & Cable)

The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva takes a look at Simon Andreae's Incubator, a shingle that has several unscripted series on the air and in development just four years after the producer moved from the UK to LA. Company produces Most Popular and Modern Love for WE, TLC's My Shocking Story, History's Strange Rituals, and Popular Science's Future Of on Science Channel. (Hollywood Reporter)

Steve Cheskin has been named EVP of programming at cabler TLC, where he will oversee development on both coasts as well as scheduling in a newly created position. He ws previously SVP of programming at WE. (Variety)

The latest TV series to feature film adaptation: 1980s action comedy T.J. Hooker, which is being developed as a film by executive producers David Foster, Ryan Heppe, and Rick Husky. Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King) is said to be in talks to come on board as director. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Heatherette said…
I would love to see a Doctor Who movie with David Tennant as the lead. If anyone could pull it off, it would be him!

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