[Televisionary]

HBO's deliciously absurd musical comedy Flight of the Conchords returns after a far-too-long hiatus between seasons due to the writers strike. I had the opportunity last week to watch the first three episodes of Season Two of Flight of the Conchords , which launches January 18th on HBO, and like the title sequence's whale, I too soared away on a magical carpet of storytelling and imagination. While the season premiere has been available online via various platforms for a few weeks now, I was particularly curious to check out the season's second and third episodes. Time has not dulled Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement's peculiar brand of off-kilter humor, fortunately, and they return after a seemingly endless break between seasons to engage in bizarro conversations about nothing in particular and perform more hysterical songs. (If you've seen their "women's only toothpaste" commercial advert in the season premiere, you know what I mean.) For fans of Fo

Yesterday's FOX panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour wasn't filled with too many surprises (did we really need to find out what Kiefer Sutherland's exercise regimen entails?) but there were a few revelations in store for attendees, most of which came from FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly. (Those of you who were following my Twitter feed during the panel can attest to some shocking/funny/bizarre moments throughout the day, including when Reilly described NBC as "the crazy ex-wife that I can't get away from." Those of you who weren't following the feed: shame on you!) Chief among the revelations: Reilly claiming that the network would "let [ Dollhouse ] play out for 13 episodes" and that FOX would end Prison Break at the end of this season. "Creatively, the show is just played out," said Reilly. "Creatively, everybody feels enough stories were told. We want it to finish strong and not just gimp out

While you've already read my advance review of the Season Three premiere episode of Skins (and my interview with Skins co-creator Jamie Brittain ), which launches on January 22nd on E4 and later this spring on BBC America, here's a chance to take a look at a scene from the first episode. Be forewarned, the clip below is definitely NSFW and features some rather, uh, adult humor as Cook (Jack O'Connell) shows the entire student body of Roundview College his unique tattoo. Be sure to come back later this week for my interview with new cast member Lily Loveless, who plays Naomi in Season Three of Skins .

Those of us addicted to BBC America's culinary competition/chat/how-to/trend, well, everything series Gordon Ramsay's F Word would do well to set their TiVos BEFORE leaving for work today. The third season of the culinary program, which airs on Channel 4 in the UK, launches this afternoon in a 3 pm ET/PT timeslot, rather than in the early Sunday evening slot the series previously occupied. While the scheduling reflects part of an overall daytime programming strategy for the channel, it leaves those of us who loved to wrap up our weekends with Ramsay out in the cold. But do yourself a favor and set your TiVo to record this fantastic and engaging program. I'm absolutely chuffed to have F Word back on BBC America, regardless of the timeslot. I had the opportunity earlier this week to watch the first few episodes of the third season and have to say that Ramsay is in fine form. In the first episode alone, Ramsay tasks a group of former Eton students to cook in the F Word kitc

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'll have another post up in just a bit recapping the news at yesterday's FOX panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, including news about Prison Break wrapping its run, so sit tight. TV maven Maureen Ryan talks with Lost masterminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the new season. In this phenomenal interview, Team Darlton talks about finding the balance between mythology-based storylines and character-driven ones, time travel, "The Constant," the Dharma Initiative, why they have to go back to the island, Daniel Dae Kim, and, well, cherry pie. ( Chicago Tribune 's The Watcher ) Elsewhere, Matthew Fox talks to Details magazine about whether there is, in fact, life after Lost , which will end its six-season run next year. "When it's all said and done, you'll be able to look at the six seasons of Lost and see a pretty amazing character arc," said Fox. "Jack

Fans of Skins might not want to hold their collective breath waiting for Sid, Cassie, Tony, and Michelle and the stars of the first two series to return, according to the series' co-creator. This past weekend, I interviewed 23-year-old Jamie Brittain, who--along with his father Bryan Elsley--co-created Skins , which airs on E4 in the UK and on BBC America in the State, to dispel some rumors and set the record straight about the highly anticipated third series of Skins , which returns with new episodes this year. (You can read my advance review of the first episode of Series Three here .) Over a pre-prandial cigarette on the terrace outside the ballroom at the Universal Hilton, where he had spoken earlier that morning on a panel for the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, Brittain denied reports that the former cast of Skins would ever reappear on the series, confirmed that a US version of Skins is in the works, and told me what to expect for the third series of Sk

Every once in a while a series comes along that completely manages to alter your expectations and perceptions of a particular genre. The last time a teen drama managed to defy its pigeonholing was FOX's The O.C. , which offered a series that offered a wink and nudge to the classic tropes of the genre, which is gently tweaked, while also offering engaging storylines for its adult characters, a trend that the CW's Gossip Girl has continued to in its stead. So when UK digital network E4 launched teen drama Skins , created by Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, in 2007 (US digital cabler BBC America aired it Stateside last year), I was once again blown away by how this series imploded stereotypes about teen dramas and transformed my views on what the genre was capable of. Paradoxically offering both a heightened sense of reality and a grounded look at teen culture today, Skins managed to capture not only an age-appropriate audience who quickly fell under the spell of its characters, b