[Televisionary]

"The CIA has a way of breaking young idealists. Especially if they're in love." - Craig Turner The Hart to Hart -style opening credits of this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Role Models"), written by Phil Klemmer and directed by Fred Toye, really did set up the overall feel of the episode, one that was in keeping with the relatively lightness of the previous episode and was miles away from the darkness that enveloped most of Season Three. Here, the tone was positioned sharply on the comedic as Chuck and Sarah were tasked with teaming up with legendary super-spy couple Craig and Laura Turner (Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz), themselves stylized versions of the characters played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in Hart to Hart , who might just be what the future holds in store for Chuck and Sarah... are are instead a cautionary tale of how not to let your marriage go off the rails. Elsewhere, Colonel Casey was given the dubious honor of making

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Could it be that things are looking up for Chuck ? Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva breaks down the current on the bubble series at the broadcast networks, including NBC's Chuck . "Last year, NBC’s Chuck got an 11th hour reprieve, clinching a partial 3rd-season order on Sunday afternoon before upfront week," writes Andreeva. "This time around, its fate will be decided earlier if the show’s producers get their way. Several days ago, creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak pitched NBC their vision for Season 4 and producing studio Warner Bros asked the network for a quick resolution so the series could keep its writing staff. Even with NBC brass happy with their drama development, the spy dramedy’s chances of renewal are considered very good -- and certainly a lot better than last year when a sponsorship deal with Subway sealed the renewal. With the show rising in the ratings this week and fans staging rallies tomor

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. SPOILER! "Presence," huh? TV Guide Magazine 's Will Keck attempts to get to the bottom of just who Allison Janney ( The West Wing ) will be playing on the May 11th episode of Lost by going right to the source: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who are being rather cagey about Janney's mystery role. "We were so happy that she was able to do this," said Cuse. "It was really hard for her because she was getting ready to shoot a pilot, but she squeezed us in. Then once we saw her in this part we were like, 'How could anyone else have done this but Allison Janney?'" Lindelof wasn't giving Keck anything either: "We’ve been talking about this character for awhile and how nervous we were that we wouldn’t find the right actress," he said. "When we first started talking about this character in the writers room we called her 'Allison Janney' under the assumption that we wo

"It's a new dawn/It's a new day/It's a new life/For me/And I'm feeling good..." Chuck returned last night with the first of six all new episodes ("Chuck Versus the Honeymoon"), written by Lauren LeFranc and Rafe Judkins (with a story by Ali Adler) and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, that altered the landscape of Chuck's world, thanks to the start of a full-blown relationship between Chuck and Sarah. With the haunting refrain of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" (which astute readers will note I hinted about several times in my advance review of this episode ) threaded throughout Chuck and Sarah's dilemma throughout the episode (and not just in the final, climactic, and utterly romantic scene between the two), the newly formed and "exclusive" couple had to decide whether to run away from the spy life, return to Burbank and split up, or choose neither option. Yes, the either/or conflict between Sarah and Chuck--one that h

Just a friendly--and impassioned--reminder that NBC's Chuck returns tonight with the first of six brand-new episodes. You can read my extremely glowing advance review of tonight's absolutely fantastic installment, "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners," here and offer your thoughts regarding my hints about what's to come for Chuck and Sarah after the events of the season-finale-that-wasn't. But really, this is an attempt to remind you to get everyone you know--your significant other, your parents, your friends, your co-workers, that frozen yogurt server at Pinkberry--to tune into Chuck in order to not only keep the numbers up but potentially to increase them and show NBC in no certain terms that there's an insatiable appetite for all things Chuck . Or, to put it differently, prove to them just why they should renew Chuck for a fourth season . On tonight's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Honeymooners"), Sarah and Chuck realize they are trave

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that a potential fourth season of NBC's Chuck is looking more and more likely. While we shouldn't breath a collective sigh of relief just yet, Ausiello speaks to an unnamed source close to the production who tells him that it's "looking good" that NBC will renew the Warner Bros. Television-produced action-comedy for another season, bumping the series' position on the Bubble Show Scorecard from "could go either way" to "safe bet." Still, it's important to note that a final decision about Chuck 's ultimate fate at the network won't be made for several more weeks... ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Additionally, Ausiello also has a first-look video at the May 3rd episode of Chuck (entitled "Chuck Versus the Role Models"), which features an homage to Hart to Hart and features guest stars Fred Willa

Time to crank up the Nina Simone: Chuck returns on Monday and it's all about feeling good. When we last saw Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker, they had finally gotten the chance to achieve the happiness they've been denied for so long, winding up in bed together and focusing on themselves and their burgeoning relationship rather than getting sucked back into the spy life by another mission from General Beckman. That ending was meant to serve originally as the finale for Chuck 's third season but, fortunately for us, that's not quite how things turned out as Chuck got another six episodes and we got six more weeks to spend with our favorite spies. Monday night brings a brand-new Chuck episode ("Chuck Versus the Honeymooners"), written by Lauren LeFranc and Rafe Judkins (with a story by Ali Adler) and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, which I had the chance to watch ahead of time and which I'll say is a thing of beauty. So, what did I think of Monday'

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Looks like The Walking Dead has grabbed its lead (and fortunately not feasted on his brain): British actor Andrew Lincoln ( Teachers, This Life, Love Actually ) has been cast as Rick Grimes in AMC and Frank Darabont's adaptation of Robert Kirkman zombie comic series, which has been ordered for six episode. Series, which is set to launch in October, will revolve around a group of human survivors who attempt to find a place to live after a global apocalypse renders the majority of the planet's population into zombies. Lincoln will star opposite Jon Bernthal, who plays his police partner, Shane. Meanwhile, Sons of Anarchy 's Jack LoGiudice has come aboard the series as a co-executive producer. ( Variety ) The Chicago Tribune 's Maureen Ryan has a brand-new interview with Chuck 's Yvonne Strahovski, in which they discuss the major plot twist that occurred in this week's episode and what's coming up on the n

On a series that's as fraught with peril as Chuck is each week, the possibility of happiness seems particularly short-lived, if it's ever in fact within any of the characters' grasp to begin with. Yet, on this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Other Guy"), written by Chris Fedak and directed by Peter Lauer, our main characters all seemed to get exactly what they wanted most, a nice change of pace for a season that's been shrouded in a fair amount of darkness and emotional injury. It's worth noting that last night's episode was intended to be the season finale for Season Three of Chuck , rather than just a plot-intensive installment. The fact that the writers sought to give several of our spies the thing they've been striving for most was a nice touch that would have ended the season on a hell of a high, while setting up some new dynamics should the series have been renewed. But instead, we have six more episodes of Chuck to look for

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. The Chicago Tribune 's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Paula Malcomson ( Caprica ) has been cast in an eight-episode story arc on Season Three of FX's Sons of Anarchy , where she will play a character named Maureen. Sons of Anarchy is expected to return to FX's lineup in September, with production slated to begin in roughly three weeks' time. ( Chicago Tribune 's The Watcher ) SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Seth Gabel ( Dirty Sexy Money ) has joined the cast of FOX's Fringe . Gabel will play the lead Fringe Division investigator in the alternate universe and is slated to make his first appearance during the season's two-part finale, airing May 13th and 20th, and could, according to Ausiello, also recur next season. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) The second half of Maureen Ryan's mammoth interview with Chuck co-creator Chris Fedak is now live at

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the fate of FX's serpentine legal thriller Damages , set to wrap its third season in two weeks' time, is in the hands of DirecTV. "Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that Sony is talking to DirecTV’s 101 Network about partnering on a possible fourth season of Damages ," writes Ausiello. "The cost-sharing arrangement would be similar to the one DirecTV and NBC forged with Friday Night Lights , which means future seasons of Damages would air first on DirecTV with a second window on FX." An unnamed source further tells Ausiello that Sony Pictures Television began talks with DirecTV after it became untenable to maintain financing Damages on its own and the studio has engaged in talks with other outlets as well. Both FX and Sony refused to comment for the story. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) The Chicago Tribune 's Maure