[Televisionary]

HBO last evening unveiled a new teaser trailer for its upcoming fantasy series Game of Thrones , based on the novels of George R.R. Martin. The series, which is expected to debut in 2011, stars Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy, and Kit Harington, among many, many others. Production is slated to begin next month on the series, with reshoots expected on the original pilot after two roles were recast. The Hollywood Reporter , meanwhile, is reporting that the series now may not debut until spring or early summer of 2011 . However, as HBO has not commented on a launch date (other than just "2011"), I'd advise that fans sit tight until the pay cabler officially announces a firm start date for the David Benioff and D.B. Weiss-executive produced series. [UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter is now back-pedaling a bit , stating that "it's unclear if the new start date on the series will impact its premiere plans." In other words: I

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. FOX has given a major vote of confidence to musical-comedy Glee , which it renewed for a third season... before the first season has even wrapped. News of the pickup was broken by Entertainment Weekly 's Lynette Rice. "Everything about Glee – from the concept to the characters to the marketing – has been innovative and risky, but with [series creator] Ryan Murphy tapping into the zeitgeist, the risk has paid off with this truly remarkable series," said Kevin Reilly, FOX Entertainment President. " Glee has one of the most active, devoted fan bases I’ve ever seen, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give Gleeks a third season of their favorite show." The upside for FOX and studio 20th Century Fox Television are obvious: "Not only does it help cut production costs over the long haul, it allows Murphy and his writers a chance to plan ahead (if not breathe a much-needed sigh of relief)," writes Rice. &qu

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 Wednesday morning television briefing. It took just one episode, apparently, before HBO ordered a second season of New Orleans-set drama series Treme , from creators David Simon and Eric Overmyer. "We would have picked up this show last week," HBO president Michael Lombardo told The Hollywood Reporter 's James Hibberd. "We've seen the first nine episodes it's as strong as any show we've seen. Much like The Wire , the audience is so passionate and so invested. We're about servicing our subscriber base and I believe that people will become addicted to this show. We have to be a place where this kind of excellence is giving space to continue." According to Lombardo, Season Two of Treme is being targeted for a spring 2011 debut, where it will likely be paired with the first season of fantasy drama Game of Thrones . "They should be ready about the same time," said Lombardo. "[ Game ] looks beautiful, the compelling scri

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Thomas Haden Church ( All About Steve ) will star opposite Matt LeBlanc, Claire Forlani, Kathleen Rose Perkins, and Stephen Mangan in Showtime's upcoming single-camera comedy series Episodes , where he will play Merc Lapidus, the network president who purchases the format for a British comedy series and then ruins it when he attempts to adapt it for American audiences. Church is slated to appear in six out of seven of Episodes ', er, episodes. Series will air on BBC Two in the UK. ( Variety ) Starz is heading to Camelot. The pay cabler has ordered ten episodes of romantic adventure series Camelot , a contemporary retelling of the Arthurian legends of Thomas Malory's "Morte d'Arthur" that will be written by Chris Chibnall ( Torchwood ) and executive produced by Graham King and The Tudors ' Morgan O'Sullivan and Michael Hirst. Production on the series, originally developed at Showtime, is set to begin

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Former White Collar co-star (and The Middleman star) Natalie Morales has landed a recurring role on NBC's Parks and Recreation , according to Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello. Morales has signed on to Parks for a multiple-episode story arc in which she will play Lucy, described as "a smart and funny busgirl at a local Pawnee bar." [Editor: Hollywood Reporter 's Nellie Andreeva, meanwhile, indicates that Morales will be appearing "in at least two episodes," the same ones that are set to feature guest stars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott.] ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files , Hollywood Reporter ) The Chicago Tribune 's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Caprica executive producer Jane Espenson--who previously wrote for Battlestar Galactica and Buffy the Vampire Slayer --will write a script for HBO's upcoming fantasy drama series Game of Thrones , based on the George R.R. Martin nove

It's official: HBO is in the George R.R. Martin business. The pay cabler today announced that it had given a series pickup to Game of Thrones , a fantasy drama based on Martin's bestselling novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire." Project is executive produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who wrote the pilot episode, which was directed by Tom McCarthy. The series--which will star Sean Bean, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, and Jamie Campbell-Bower, among many, many others too numerous to list here--is expected to launch next spring. Production gets back underway in June in Northern Ireland. In the meantime, you can check out the first official photo from the production above. Are you as bloody excited as I am about this news? Game of Thrones ' first season will debut in spring 2011 on HBO.

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

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Good news for Castle fans: ABC has picked up the Nathan Fillion procedural drama series for a full season of 22 episodes after the series has performed well in its Monday night timeslot against tough competition from CBS. The news comes on the heels of ABC picking up first year series Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle , and FlashForward for full seasons, leaving only Hank, Eastwick, and The Forgotten the only new series that haven't received back nine pickups. ( Hollywood Reporter 's The Live Feed ) I wonder if he saw this in his flashforward... Co-showrunner/executive producer Marc Guggenheim has stepped down from his position on the ABC sci-fi drama series FlashForward , leaving sole showrunning duties to co-creator David Goyer. "Because of Goyer's limited hands-on TV series experience, Eli Stone co-creator Guggenheim was brought in after the FlashForward pilot to help with the launch of the mystery dr

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Benjamin Bratt ( The Cleaner ) has been cast as a guest star on ABC's Modern Family , where he will play the ex-husband of Sofia Vergara's Gloria. Bratt is currently slated to appear in one episode of the ABC comedy series, where his character has been mentioned but not yet seen. Look for some friction between Bratt's character and Ed O'Neill's Jay. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Great news for Gilmore Girls fans. Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino will write and executive produce an untitled dramedy project for pay cabler HBO about the "complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne'er-do-well brother," according to Hollywood Reporter 's Nellie Andreeva. The project marks the first time that Sherman-Palladino has worked in

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. The Chicago Tribune 's Maureen Ryan is reporting that former Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Lena Headey has signed on to star in HBO's fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones , based on the novel series by George R.R. Martin. Headey, who toplined the now-canceled Terminator , would play Cersei Lannister, described by Ryan as "a woman of royal blood who is every bit as smart, cunning and devious as the powerful men around her." She joins a cast for the pilot (directed by The Visitor 's Tom McCarthy) that includes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, and a slew of others. Headey's character is the sister of Jamie Lannister (Coster-Waldau) and the wife of King Robert (Addy). ( Chicago Tribune 's The Watcher ) Elsewhere at HBO, the pay cabler has given a series order to period drama Boardwalk Empire from executive producers Martin Scorsese and Terence Wint