TVSquad

The FX panels on Tuesday were pretty uneventful, aside from the news from network president John Landgraf. There was supposed to be a panel for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but that was mysteriously dropped from the schedule. I'm guessing that the boys figured they'd get too hammered at the FOX party the night before to handle questions from the reporters. Indeed, I witnessed Rob McElhenny and Glenn Howerton try to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl at the Santa Monica pier right after they pounded a couple of beers. Maybe canceling the panel was a smart idea.

Anyway, the three shows that paneled were Damages, Sons of Anarchy, and The Shield. More on what transpired after the jump.

FOX's second day on TCA was given over to FX, and network president John Landgraf had some news:

• They are ordering an additional 19 episodes of Nip/Tuck. The show will be end its run in early 2011 with an even 100 episodes. Show-runner Ryan Murphy wil stay through the end of the run.
• Michael J. Fox will appear on a four episode arc of Rescue Me next season. He'll play Janet Gavin's new boyfriend, who is confined to a wheelchair.
• Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden will be a regular on second season of Damages.
• The network has ordered 39 more episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is in addition to 13 currently being produced for the upcoming season.
• They are ordering 13 episode of new comedy series Testees, created by Kenny Hotz (South Park - Kenny vs Spenny). Its about two friends in their early 30's who earn living as medical guinea pigs.

I don't know how Mario Van Peebles finds the time for all the work he's been doing lately. Somehow he fits it all in. And now he's circling back.

Mario Van Peebles will return to FX's Damages for six episodes, reprising his role as Agent Harrison. He was briefly seen as the FBI agent who approaches Ellen about going after Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Indications are that Ellen will work with the Feds in some way, because Patty has definitely crossed the lines of legality -- and morality -- multiple times. Agent Harrison only cares about the former.

At the same time, Van Peebles is also assigned to direct FX's motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy. That new series, with Ron Perlman, premieres in September.

As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

It was announced today that former Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant has joined the season two cast of FX's Damages in a season-long arc. This marks Olyphant's first credited TV cast role since the HBO drama went off the air over two years ago.

Olyphant, who will star with returning cast Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, and Tate Donovan, marks the second addition to the FX drama in just over a week. William Hurt joined the show last Monday.

Olyphant's character will become involved in the life of Ellen Parsons (Byrne) as she deals with her fiancé David's murder and the FBI case being mounted against her boss, Patty Hewes (Close). Hurt will play a new client of Hewes.

Season two of Damages went in to production in New York City yesterday and the show returns to FX in early 2009, likely after The Shield's seventh and final season has concluded.

FX announced today that William Hurt has joined the season two cast of Damages. He'll play a new client of Glenn Close's Patty Hewes. No further description of his character was given, but the possibility of a professional and personal relationship with Hewes was hinted at.

This will mark the first time that Hurt has signed on to a TV series as a regular as well as the first time he and Close have worked together since The Big Chill. No word on whether or not Hurt's character will extend to the third season though. Damages got the double season renewal back in November.

And now we speculate. How exactly will Hurt's character tie into the overall story? Will he be connected with the FBI and help Ellen bring down Patty? Will he have ties to Frobisher? Could he be the father of Patty's deceased daughter Julia? So many questions, but don't get too excited. Even though the show goes back into production next week, it won't return to FX until early 2009.

Is it really a big surprise that television advertising isn't as effective as it used to be? As TV watchers -- okay, we're uber-watchers -- we know that with DVRs and TiVos we're zooming through ads, or we're channel surfing in between segments of our favorite shows, or renting/buying content in formats that allow us to avoid commercials altogether. Now, according to the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research's TV & Technology Survey, we learn that six out of 10 marketers believe that TV advertising has become less effective in the past two years. And it's getting worse.

If you haven't entered our latest giveaways yet, here's a reminder that some are ending today. You've got until 5PM Eastern today to enter the both the Third Watch season one DVD giveaway and the Damages season one DVD giveaway. We're also giving away a couple of iPods, courtesy of Tava, though that one ends February 11.

Just head on over to the posts linked above, read through the rules and make the applicable comment there (not here!) We'll notify the winners next week.

Good luck!

The giveaways continue today! Not only are we giving away three copies of Third Watch season one on DVD today, we've also got five copies of Damages season one for five lucky, random commenters. The set is available in stores now.

To enter, simply leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, February 8, simply telling us why you'd like to own the set. As always, we'll randomly choose five winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

I think it's reminiscent of "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" What if they gave out Golden Globes and no one was there to walk down the red carpet? Perhaps I'm just a cynical so-and-so, but I think the ceremony is as much a part of it all as are the actual trophies, perhaps even more important to many in the industry. It's their chance to shine, to glow, to wear nifty trend-setting gowns. Hey, it's Hollywood. It's the chance for those behind the scenes to take the stage if but only for a minute or two.

Due to the WGA strike, there will be no ceremony this year as the actors show their solidarity with the writers. Ah, but it's the industry -- the show must go on even if the show can't go on. The Golden Globe winners will be announced in a news conference sort of setting. Hmm. I think I'll just read about it all online. Let's forget the drama about no awards show and get into the nominees for Best Television Series, Drama!

... Six welcome returns.

Every fall season I get stoked about all the new shows, with cool new premises ("A guy travels through time trying to make right what once went wrong!"-- Journeyman not Quantum Leap), and all the big changes in store for existing shows. But it's equally exciting to see which beloved actors will be returning to television. Brad Garrett coming back to television in 'Til Death last year? Cool! Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer both coming back to television ... together? That's gotta be awesome, right? Jerry O'Connell on Carpoolers ... well ... ? I like the guy, but I'm not scheduling a 'Welcome Back' shindig for him.

Half the fun of a new television season is the return of great actors and actresses to the small screen. And while I could have easily done 10 or even 20 of these, I've narrowed it down to the six talents who were most welcome back in my house on a weekly basis this past year. I've even been so bold as to rank them. Feel free to agree, disagree and present your own lists in the comments.

...eight seasons to look forward to.

Ho ho ho... nothing's on... my remote is collecting dust. Pesky writer's strike. Season's greetings? Not so much. More like "seasons canceled" or "seasons delayed." Fortunately (thank the TV gods) some shows didn't get touched when the WGA hit the picket lines. Either they wrapped production before the guild walked out or in some cases, full seasons had already aired. Here's to hoping that the New Year brings a speedy resolution to this whole mess so that business can move on as usual. And by "business as usual," I mean a selection of new episodes instead of me going out of my mind deciding if I should watch a Law & Order re-run from 1998 or 2002. Angie Harmon or Elisabeth Röhm... tough decision. Anyway, in the meantime, we have plenty to look forward to.

1.) The Wire, season 5: All in the game for one more season. As the fifth and final season of The Wire approaches, I can't help but be giddy over the fact that it wrapped production before the strike got underway. With only ten episodes, can you imagine the mess that would have been created if production would have been tweaked by a mere few weeks? Similar to the predicament Scrubs finds itself, HBO's greatest achievement could have been without a series finale. The thought terrifies me. Not the case, so take a deep breath and watch all these great previews. The Wire premieres on Sunday, January 6.

FX has ordered 26 new episodes of Damages, which will result in two new seasons for the critically acclaimed drama. According to a TVGuide.com article, Jamie Erlicht, the Co-President of Programming and Production for Sony Pictures Television, praised FX for its support of the show.

Many members of the cast were originally contracted for six years including Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, and Tate Donovan, as well as producers Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman.

(S01E13) "I'm accused of murder and my mom bakes cookies. Sounds about right." - Ellen

Four or five episodes ago, you might have caught me saying that I was getting sick of Damages. It was getting slow and I was tired of all the questions. But with each week after that, things turned around and last night's finale definitely made up for any shortcomings this phenomenal season had. If FX doesn't renew this show, I'll be more disappointed than when Showtime canned Huff. All the big questions got answered. The ones we were left with won't drive you crazy. Plus, just as Tate Donovan promised us, we got one hell of a set-up for season two.