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Channel Surfing: Alexis Denisof Heads to "Private Practice," Jessica Walter, Starz Plots "Spartacus," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. It's currently freezing here in LA (well, relatively speaking anyway) but I am still shaking after last night's season finale of Mad Men , not to mention another shocking installment of Skins . (Poor Sid.) Former Angel star Alexis Denisof will guest star in the November 19th episode of ABC's Private Practice , where he'll play a father-to-be with two very expectant wives in need of Addison's specialty. In real life, Denisof and wife Alyson Hannigan announced last week that they are expecting their first child. ( TV Guide ) CBS is once again developing some rather, er, unique properties that aren't crime procedurals (did they not learn their lesson from Moonlight or Cane ?). Among the projects currently said to be in development at the Eye: Hex Wives , a one-hour drama from Neil Meron and Craig Zadan about four women with magical powers; 1960s period drama Magic City about an iconic Miami Beach hotel from exec

Channel Surfing: NBC Orders More "Knight Rider," Brody and Tudyk Find "Good Vibes" at FOX, "Fringe," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. NBC has given a full season pickup to Knight Rider , bringing this season's total to 22 episodes despite sagging ratings . And that's all I want to say on the subject. ( E! Online ) CW has ordered a few additional scripts for freshman drama series Privileged , which has struggled to find ratings though has shown significant improvement in recent weeks (it's up 22 percent) despite softening numbers for its lead-in, 90210 . Should the trend continue, it seems fairly certain that Privileged will get a full season order. ( Hollywood Reporter ) One of my main suggestions for improving FOX's Fringe involved giving its supporting cast some real dimension , especially Jasika Nicole's Astrid Farnsworth. Nicole speaks with TV Guide and reveals in this interview that she doesn't know Astrid's backstory either, other than "Astrid majored in music" and is "really, really smart." Not quite the thr

Channel Surfing: "Star Trek," Will Arnett, "The Mentalist," David E. Kelley Briefs NBC, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. While not totally TV-related, you can see a sneak peek of the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (which hits newsstands tomorrow) to the right, depicting Heroes ' Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine as Spock and Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek . The issue also features an in-depth interview with Abrams, in which he talks about Star Trek , his YouTube-fueled feud with William Shatner, and also features quotes from Leonard Nimoy and Quinto about the new film. Are you GOB Bluth? FOX is said to be in final negotiations for a talent/development deal with Will Arnett ( Arrested Development ); under the deal, FOX would develop a comedy vehicle for Arnett or cast him in a pre-existing project at the network. Arnett, who is currently recurring as Devon Banks on NBC's 30 Rock , also stars (or his voice does, anyway) in FOX's upcoming animated comedy series Sit Down, Shut Up . ( TV Week ) Not such good news, however, f

Channel Surfing: Starz Orders New Rob Thomas Series, Doherty Returns to "90210," More "Gossip Girl,"

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I hope you all tuned in to watch the third episode of Chuck last night as well as a pretty soggy installment of Gossip Girl in which the laws of college applications, logic, and, well, sense of any kind sort of went out the window. But at least the kids looked fabulous, right? Rob Thomas is proving himself to be quite prolific, in the post- Veronica Mars universe. Pay cabler Starz has ordered ten episodes of half-hour comedy series Party Down , written by the Veronica Mars creator, who is set to executive produce with John Enbom, Paul Rudd, and Dan Etheridge. (Enbom will act as the series' showrunner.) Series follows the lives of six Hollywood wannabes as they attempt to pursue their dreams while trying to get by day by day with their shared catering company. Party Down will likely launch in March 2009. ( Variety ) Brenda will be returning to 90210 . Yep, Shannen Doherty has agreed to appear in two additional episodes of the

Channel Surfing: Priestley to Direct "90210," "Greek" Creator Gets New Pilot at ABC Family, Jimmy Smits, "Kath & Kim," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Once again, I am feeling burnt out after an overstuffed night of TV viewing that included new episodes of Pushing Daisies, Top Model, Old Christine, Project Runway , and Dirty Sexy Money . Whew. Jason Priestley has signed on to direct an upcoming episode of the CW's 90210 but don't expect to see him in front of the camera any time soon. Priestley will direct the series' 18th episode, slated to air in the spring. While Priestley's Brandon Walsh won't be turning up in that hallowed zip code, Shannen Doherty is said to be returning for two episodes later this season (though executive producer Gabe Sachs wouldn't comment officially) and producers are also said to have locked Jennie Garth for six additional segments. (All that hubbub about Garth not coming back? Allegedly just a "misunderstanding.") ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) On the eve of the premieres of US versions of Life on Mars

Quick Thought: "90210"

One quick thought about last night's episode of 90210 ("Model Behavior"), as it featured the final appearance (for now anyway) of one Brenda Walsh (a.k.a. Shannen Doherty). Did anyone else feel that the ending--in which Brenda tearfully deleted Dylan's contact information from her mobile phone--was pretty cheesy, as well as woefully lacking in the drama department to boot? I wished that she would have instead called Dylan and said something to the effect of "She knows," implying some sort of relationship or secret goings-on between Brenda and Dylan. (Why did he call Brenda instead of Kelly?) Some line of dialogue or action that would have at least opened the door to further developments down the road, or changed the interactions we've seen over the last few weeks between Brenda and Kelly. Having her delete his info was meaningless, especially if Luke Perry won't be appearing on the series and if Brenda won't be returning to BevHills anytime soo

Channel Surfing: "Pushing Daisies" Gets Dopplegangers, "90210," AMC Looks West, Denman in "Office," and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Hopefully all of you managed to catch a superlative season opener to NBC's Chuck and a slightly-less-than-stellar episode of CW's Gossip Girl . Orlando Jones ( Drumline ), Michael Weaver ( Notes from the Underbelly ), and Ivana Milicevic ( Casino Royale ) have been cast in guest roles for a November episodes of ABC's Pushing Daisies entitled "The Norwegians," where they will play Norwegian detectives resembling our favorite troika of gumshoes Emerson, Ned, and Chuck, who leave Scandinavia in search of bigger and better mysteries to solve. Let's just hope these dopplegangers don't try to solve the mystery of how Emerson and Ned, er, solve their mysteries. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Don't hold your breath waiting for an Arrested Development feature film, fans of the Bluth clan. Michael Cera says that he's heard nothing about plans for a feature film based on the short-lived F

Channel Surfing: CW to Stay in "90210," HBO Renews "Entourage," Producers of "Do Not Disturb" Ask for Second Chance, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I caught up on television-watching last night and finally got to watch Sunday's episode of Skins (Tony really is a manipulative sociopath, isn't he?) and watched some Season Two episodes of 30 Rock but, sigh, will have to wait to watch last night's Gossip Girl until tonight. Netlet the CW has given a full season order to freshman drama 90210 , with 22 episodes slated to air this season. “The successful addition of 90210 has taken The CW another step forward in building a cohesive schedule that defines this network as a destination for young women with shows that get our audience talking—and watching,” said president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff. "We're very excited about the chance to watch this ensemble of newcomers and familiar faces coalesce and grow together as we move forward." (Hmmm, methinks Ostroff may have just saved her job with this one.) ( Variety ) In other 90210 -related news, the drama ha

Channel Surfing: Fichter and Stringfield Are "Night and Day," CBS Renews "Flashpoint," Emmys, Muppets, "Doctor Who," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I had a wonderful if busy weekend which--not atypically--revolved around television. The wife and I attended Saturday's BAFTA/LA TV Tea Party and shared more than a few Pimm's Cups with Flight of the Conchords, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, 90210 executive producer Gabe Sachs, The Office 's Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker, and Creed Bratton, Mad Men 's Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, and Michael Gladis, The Riches ' Noel Fisher, 30 Rock 's Scott Adsit, Battlestar Galactica babe Tricia Helfer, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles ' Thomas Dekker, Jeff Garlin, and many, many others. (Fun, to say the least.) Reaction to this year's Emmy Awards--the 60th installment--wasn't quite what producers likely intended, with many critics --myself included--lashing out at the format, the hosts, and the distinct lack of scripted funnies. ( Televisionary ) FOX has given a script order to workplace comedy Th

The Bubble Bursts on "90210"

Sigh. I'm already growing way too bored of 90210 and we're only a four episodes in now. Yes, we learned in last night's episode of 90210 ("The Bubble")--after several weeks' worth of Kelly referring to the father of her child as "Him" (though I preferred to secretly call him "He Who Must Not Be Named")--that her baby daddy is none other than Dylan... which leads me to wonder whether CBS Paramount Television and the series' producers were finally able to reach a deal with Luke Perry (thus the reveal). Yes, Shannen Doherty dropped by again as Brenda for some reminiscing with Jennie Garth's Kelly as they recounted the "Donna Martin Graduates!" storyline from the original series and filled in the blanks on what Donna's been up to... which apparently involves a child of her own. Clearly, the producers are hoping that they'll get around to paving things over with Tori Spelling and making a deal for her to reprise her r

Channel Surfing: "Dollhouse" Shut Down, "90210" Casting, "Doctor Who," "Fringe" Ratings, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I ended up making it a fashion-fueled night last night with new episodes of Top Model and Project Runway and threw on the ABC pilot Single with Parents (starring Alyssa Milano) just for good measure. What's up first today? Dollhouse , natch. Everyone is talking about the production shutdown on the set of the new Joss Whedon action drama, slated to kick off in January 2009. 20th Century Fox Television has shut down shooting on Dollhouse beginning tomorrow through September 25th so that Whedon can oversee a rewrite of the fourth script and get ahead on the next few scripts. News comes after FOX rejiggered the running order in July: Dollhouse 's originally filmed pilot will now bow second, after a newly constructed pilot episode (which I hope to see soon). Does this bode ill for the series? No one can say but it does at least point to the reassuring fact that Whedon does seem to be involved with the decisi

Not-So Dangerous Liaisons: "90210" Too Tame for This Zip Code

Cue those familiar guitar chords that have echoed in our heads for the last, oh, umpteen years. Yes, folks, I am talking about the CW's 90210 , which launched last night and brought the denizens of one of the world's most famous zip codes back to the airwaves. Of course, a lot has happened since the original Beverly Hills 90210 went off the air back in 2001 and the hallowed halls of teen drama heaven have been joined by such series as MTV's The Hills , FOX's The O.C. and the CW's own Gossip Girl ... which seems to have better captured the excess and scandal du jour of the jet set better than this new 90210 , which felt more than a little cheesy and trying way too hard to be hip. One tipoff was the use of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" in the opening scene. Had this aired prior to Coldplay's latest debuting back in June, I would have given the musical director snaps for choosing such a brilliant song, but here it feels a little dated, as did the refere

Channel Surfing: "90210," Ashley Jensen, Trailer for "Merlin" Unveiled, NBC Shakeup, and More

Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Like many of you out there, I'm bummed that my three-day weekend sailed by far too quickly... but am also thrilled that the fall TV season is finally upon us. Digital Spy has a roughly 90-second trailer up for Merlin , which airs on BBC One and on NBC this winter and stars Colin Morgan, Anthony Stewart Head, Michelle Ryan, Richard Wilson, Katie McGrath, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, and Santiago Cabrera. ( Digital Spy ) 90210 mania is upon us with mere hours to go before the launch of 90210 2.0, as it were. EW.com has some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty from their recent cover shoot. ( Entertainment Weekly 's PopWatch ) Shannen Doherty, meanwhile, sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a brief interview, in which she said that the sudden goodwill being directed towards her from the public "definitely feels good" and "also feels scary." (

CW's "90210" Premiere to Be Screener-Less for Press

Everyone is all abuzz about the fact that the CW and studio CBS Paramount Television have opted to not send out press screeners of the new fall drama 90210 , which launches September 2nd. Like many of my entertainment writer brethren, I too was puzzled by the email I received yesterday from a CW publicist which read: "The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen 90210 for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time." While this move may be a "strategic marketing decision" designed to amp up anticipation for the Beverly Hills 90210 update, it's a risk that could easily backfire as many are now just assuming that the decision is based on the fact that the launch itself is a dud. (Studios oftentimes don

Channel Surfing: "Amazing Race" Teams Revealed, "Office" Manager Signs Deal, and More

Good morning and welcome to your morning television briefing. Universal Media Studios has signed The Office writer/producer Michael Schur to a hefty seven-figure overall deal, under which he will create, develop, and executive produce comedy series for the studio. The newly minted deal includes Schur's writing/producing services on the untitled comedy that he and Greg Daniels are developing for Amy Poehler; he'll serve as co-creator/executive producer on the pilot, set to shoot in January (after the birth of Poehler's baby in October), alongside Daniels. Four writers so far have been hired on the untitled Poehler comedy (which will also star Aziz Ansari), which seems to have neither a title nor an available concept. Schur, meanwhile, will continue to write occasionally on The Office and could appear on-screen again as Dwight's cousin Mose. ( Variety ) CBS has revealed its lineup of sixteen contestants for the thirteenth edition of reality series The Amazing Race , whi

Brenda Who?: Doherty in Talks for "90210" Spinoff

Shannen Doherty is in talks with CBS Paramount and the CW to reprise her role as Brenda Walsh on the updated 90210 spinoff series launching this fall. Doherty's lack of reluctance to join the cast comes as a bit of a surprise, given her well-publicized fallout with executive producer Aaron Spelling back in the day (and her subsequent firing) and the allegedly , um, chilly relations between her and fellow 90210 alum Jennie Garth, who--along with Tori Spelling--has been cast in the spinoff. Personally, I think bringing back all of the former characters from the mothership seems slightly cheesy, especially as they'll be second--nay, third--fiddles to the teen leads. Do we really need to see Donna open a boutique? Or Kelly counsel students? What do you think? Are you dusting off your Sophie B. Hawkins albums, thrilled to see Kelly and Co. pop up on the new series? Do you wish they'd all just stay in the past? Or are you completely averse to this reinvention of the 90210 fran