[Televisionary]

This week's episode of Damages featured a first for the serpentine legal thriller: no flash-forwards. Instead, the plot unfolded in a linear fashion and was confined to the present-day, focusing on both the machinations of the Tobin family, Tom confessing to his in-laws about the financial fraud, and the domestic squabbles at the Parsons' home in New Jersey. There were no flashbacks, no six months later flash-forwards, and I missed the nonlinear structure of the series. Yes, the writers tried something different but what works best about Damages is that it is the television narrative equivalent of a Rubik's cube; I love twisting the various elements together, twirling the plot threads, to resemble something complete and whole. Last night's episode of Damages ("Flight's at 11:08") therefore placed its emphasis on Patty relentlessly pursuing the Tobin case and engaging in some mind games with the Tobin family lawyer Leonard Winstone, while Ellen chose her

"Girls have secrets; men have honor." - Barry "You are only as happy as your saddest child." - Ibrahim "When I look at you, all I see is guilt." - Patty This week's taut and engaging episode of Damages ("The Dog is Happier Without Her"), written by Aaron Zelman and directed by Matthew Penn, advanced the parallel plots in the present day and the six months in the future timeframe, offering a number of intriguing twists even as the plot continued to uncoil itself. But while the episode's focus was piecing together the various mysteries that confront both the Tobin family, the district attorney's office, and the lawyers at the newly minted Hewes Shayes & Associates, the specter of the past had a way of showing up in the form of Patty's ex-husband Phil Grey (Michael Nouri). With only the utterance of two words ("Ray Fiske"), Phil has a way of ripping through Patty's armor in a way no one else can. Could it be that s

Nearly three years later, one of the most enduring and popular posts here at Televisionary is an August 2007 post about the theme song for Damages , the VLA's "When I Am Through With You." In an age where many series--both comedies and dramas--have either eliminated opening title sequences or reduced them to a few quick chords, Damages ' breathless credits not only capture the brutal wit of the series but also create a vivid atmosphere of ruthlessness and vengeance. Besides for some stunning visuals, this is achieved masterfully through the use of the VLA's song ("When I Am Through With You"), which continues to win fans over. (Fans who then come here to determine just who sings this incredibly evocative song.) Good news then for fans of the VLA and Damages . An email from the band's Jason Rabe has alerted me to the fact that the theme song is now available for purchase on iTunes and can be found here . If you're lucky, Patty Hewes will send you

Everything is disposable. That applies, apparently, to mobile phones, $3,000 Chanel handbags, and indeed corpses; everything eventually ends up in the trash to be picked over by modern society's answer to the Victorian rag and bone man: the destitute scavengers of Manhattan, picking through the trash and collecting the refuse into the reusable, the resellable, and the useful. The lawyers of FX's Damages are no strangers to digging through the trash but last night's third season premiere ("Your Secrets Are Safe"), written by Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman, and Todd A. Kessler and directed by Todd A. Kessler, took this to a whole new level, rendering Season Three's financial scandal storyline into a class-oriented drama that fused together Charles Dickens and David Lynch. (Think of it as "Bleak House" or "Little Dorrit" by way of Mulholland Drive .) You had the chance to read my advance review of the first two episodes of Season Three of Damag

Wondering what to watch tonight? Chuck , of course, but there's also three premieres tonight that you need to be aware of and should definitely tune in for... and none of them actually conflict with NBC's Chuck . (Always a perk.) At 9 pm ET/PT, it's the US premiere of Iain Morris and Damon Beesley's British comedy The Inbetweeners on BBC America. But this isn't a comedy of social conventions but rather a raucous and touching British sitcom that's almost the anti- Skins in a way. Laugh and cringe in equal measure as four sex-starved social outcasts attempt to fit in, find love, and lose it, not always in that order. (You can read my review of the first three episodes of The Inbetweeners here and my review of the first two seasons here .) Season Three of FX's gripping legal thriller Damages begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT and gets off to a rollicking start by offering a riveting case, new mysteries, and old rivalries. You do not want to miss this season. Yo

I've long been a fan of FX's serpentine legal drama Damages , a taut, serialized journey down the rabbit hole of legal briefs, cutthroat business dealings, and vengeful murders. The first season of the award-winning drama series, created by Daniel Zelman and Glenn and Todd A. Kessler, offered up a deeply layered narrative that blended together a nonlinear structure infused with the tension of a first-rate thriller. Multiple mysteries, deeply conflicted characters, and a morally grey area kept the pacing moving at a breakneck speed while offering a battle between two indomitable wills: seemingly innocent young lawyer Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) and ruthless crusader Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Over the course of the first season of Damages , these two women shared secrets, engaged in conspiracies, and became enmeshed in a case that lead them to do some Very Bad Things to one another. The second season, while still gripping television, lacked some of the killer instinct of the fres

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. CBS has given second season renewals to freshman dramas The Good Wife and NCIS: Los Angeles . "Two great new series, fronted by talented stars on one big night of television," said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment in a statement. "We're proud of these shows and what they've accomplished on Tuesday night." The renewal news comes on the heels of pickups for fellow froshers Glee at FOX and Modern Family, The Middle , and Cougar Town at ABC. (via press release) While still in the pilot stage, buzz continues to build for HBO's fantasy project Game of Thrones , based on George R.R. Martin's series of novels. HBO programming czar Michael Lombardo indicated at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour yesterday that Game looks very likely to get a pickup and that the dailies look "fantastic." "I would be surprised if it doesn't (get a green light)," Lombardo

Another December, another batch of Golden Globe nominations. I got up very early on this very brisk Los Angeles morning to watch the nominations live as they were announced on-air by John Krasinski, Diane Kruger, and Justin Timberlake. (The latter of whom stole the show a little bit with his comment to Krasinski, "Someone's gonna have a good night tonight," after Emily Blunt earned a nomination for her role in The Young Victoria .) But onto the nominations themselves. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association this morning announced its nominees for the 2010 Golden Globes, which will be handed out at a live telecast on NBC on January 17th. Glee was the clear favorite this year, walking away with four nominations this morning, followed closely by 30 Rock, Big Love, Damages, Mad Men, and Dexter , each of which garnered three nominations in their respective categories, along with telepics Georgia O'Keeffe and Grey Gardens . I'm thrilled, first off, that so many fanta

FX has today announced its midseason schedule, including return dates for Damages and Nip/Tuck and series launches for Timothy Olyphant-led drama Justified (formerly known as Lawman ) and comedies Archer and Louie . Season Three of Damages will kick off on Monday, January 25th at 10 pm ET/PT. (The series previously aired on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during its first two seasons.) Series regulars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, and Ted Danson are all set to return for the third season, which will also feature new regulars Campbell Scott (Joe Tobin) and Martin Short (Leonard Winstone) and guest stars Lily Tomlin (Marilyn Tobin), Keith Carradine (Julian Decker), and Len Cariou (Louis Tobin). Elsewhere at the cabler, Nip/Tuck will launch its final season on Wednesday, January 6th at 10 pm ET/PT and animated comedy Archer begins on Thursday, January 14th. Looking further afield, Justified will premiere in March and comedy Louie will debut later in the spring. The full p

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Sarah Wynter ( 24 ) has joined the cast of FX's Damages in a recurring role on the series' third season, set to launch in early 2010. She joins the previously reported Reiko Aylesworth, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin, and Campbell Scott. Wynter will play a mysterious "'security specialist' helping a high-level assistant district attorney unravel" a financial scheme; Aylesworth will play the wife of Campbell Scott's character. [Editor: I've also just been informed that "Short's character is a high-powered attorney (family friend) who defends a prominent NY family accused of the financial scheme. Lily Tomlin plays the matriarch of the family."] ( Hollywood Reporter ) Life on Mars creators Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have been commissioned by BBC Worldwide new drama czar Jane Tranter to write the script for an ABC drama pilot described as a "California cop show with a British twis

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that J.J. Abrams is returning to the spy business with a new potential series project with writer/executive producer Josh Reims ( Felicity, Dirty Sexy Money ) and executive producer Bryan Burk that is the subject of a heated bidding war with several broadcast networks including ABC, NBC, and CBS. The untitled project, from Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot, follows a husband and wife who work as spies. According to Adalian, the script is described as a "fun romp" in the style of classic television spy adventures. ( The Wrap ) Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Reiko Aylesworth ( 24, Lost ) has been cast in Season Three of FX's legal drama Damages in a recurring role. Details about who Aylesworth--who starred in the original pilot for ABC drama series The Forgotten--will be playing are being kept firmly under wraps. ( Entertainment Weekly 's A

Patty Hewes will have some new enemies to contend with. FX today announced that they have signed deals with Martin Short to join the cast of serpentine legal drama Damages for its third season, which launches in January. The news comes on the heels of the network's announcement that Campbell Scott, who recently recurred on USA's summer drama Royal Pains , would star in the Sony Pictures Television-produced drama series. Also on tap for Season Three of Damages : Lily Tomlin and Keith Carradine, who will guest star opposite series regulars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, and Tate Donovan, as well as Ebon Moss-Bachrach ( John Adams ), Michael Gaston ( Fringe ), and Darren Goldstein, who will reprise his role as Chris Sharp from Season One of Damages . Production on Season Three of Damages is set to begin tomorrow in New York City for a January premiere on FX. The full press release from FX, announcing the casting additions, can be found below. FX’S DAMAGES SUMMONS NEW CAST MEMBERS FOR

Quick bit of indulgent self-promotion this morning. Please be sure to check out my first piece for The Daily Beast , entitled "Damages' Stylish Mind Game." It's the first installment of an Emmy story package at The Daily Beast and features a Q&A with Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, the creators/executive producers of FX's legal thriller Damages , which is up for seven nominations this year, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Glenn Close), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (William Hurt), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Rose Byrne), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Ted Danson), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Todd A. Kessler), and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (Julie Tucker and Ross Meyerson). You can read the piece in full here . Be sure to read the whole intro for Damages and then click on the gallery to read the Q&A.

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Campbell Scott ( Royal Pains, Six Degrees ) has signed on as a series regular for Season Three of FX's serpentine legal thriller Damages . No details were immediately available about just who Scott will be playing next season on the Sony Pictures Television-produced drama series, which will return to production next month for a January 2010 premiere. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) ABC's sci-fi drama V is set to take a two-week creative break, with filming to temporarily shut down for a two week period beginning next Wednesday. However, the move won't impact the November 3rd launch date, involve any staff changes, or, writes The Wrap's Josef Adalian, affect "the six episodes its planning for the fourth quarter." For its part, studio Warner Bros. Television wouldn't give any details about the exact reason behind the decision to