TVSquad

A season squaring off with Michael Chiklis on The Shield must have whetted Glenn Close's appetite to do edgy series TV. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Close has signed on to star in her first TV pilot, a legal drama for FX.

The pilot is the creation of Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman. The Kesslers worked together on the short-lived Robbery Homicide Division, and Todd wrote and produced for The Sopranos. The series, yet to be titled, will have Close playing Patty Hughes, a famous litigator who always works on high-profile cases.

(S04E13) The spoiler sites weren't kidding when they said you'll never see Santa Claus the same again after this episode. That's an understatement. Sean dressed as St. Nick, insulting kids, making them cry, checking out their mothers, and getting some action with an elf? Hilarious. I loved it when the little (slightly plump) girl asked for a big chocolate cake and Sean/Santa said he'd just bring her diabetes instead. Sean getting drunk and lamenting over his family was only part of this episode though. Plenty else to talk about.

(S04E12) What a well crafted episode. There was so much going on (not to mention a boatload of guest-stars) and it all flowed together so smoothly. I suppose the biggest thing to mention is that Christian proposed to Michelle. She accepted but on one condition: Christian had to sell his apartment so they could start fresh together. I loved what this set up. It forced Christian to examine all the women he's been with over the years and some pretty memorable characters made an appearance.

This is actually old news, but I don't remember reading anything about it. So it's new to me and hopefully to most of you other Shield fans. Alex O'Loughlin joined the cast of The Shield a few months ago when the second half of season five began filming and according to this IGN interview, he's been enjoying every minute of it. In it, O'Loughlin touches on his role in the new episodes as well as his relationship with series star Michael Chiklis. Really good read if you've been missing The Strike Team hi-jinks as much as I have. O'Loughlin plays Kevin Hiatt, a seasoned cop with experience working the Mexican border and according to SpoilerFix, he's set to join the cast in the fourth episode once the show returns. He's brought in to keep tabs on Vic, Ronnie, and Shane... similar to when Tavon was added to the team in the third season. That ended well, right?

(S04E11) What a cool episode. This was actually the second really elaborate "What if?" episode that Nip/Tuck has done though. Remember the one where it looked at Julia's life if she had chosen to marry Christian instead? This episode was better I thought and technically, it wasn't a "What if?" scenario so I guess I misspoke there. This is what actually happens in the year 2026 to the McNamara's and their friends. Kind of a cool concept because we've never had a chance to see the future of our favorite plastic surgeons. Look at that picture! I love how Christian essentially became Burt Landau despite his dislike for the man. Getting old will make you explore your options though.

According to London's Daily Mail, Joely Richardson has left Nip/Tuck for good. The paper quotes Richardson, who says that she has chosen to remain in the UK to care for her 15-year old daughter, who will soon undergo surgeries to treat a rare circulatory disorder. Richardson says that, when she had her daughter, she was torn between work and staying at home to be a mom. Now that her daughter's condition has worsened, Richardson no longer wants to spend half the year working in Hollywood. She also says that she's not sure whether she'll ever return to Hollywood.

The article also quotes Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy as saying that the series will miss her, but he also respects her decision to leave. Nip/Tuck was recently renewed for a fifth season.

[Via TV Tattle]

I'll leave this as unofficial for the time being because I haven't seen any press release from F/X, but according to TV Guide's Ausiello, Nip/Tuck has been given a fifth season.

If this is indeed true (I see no reason why it wouldn't happen), then it's great news because I think the current season of Ryan Murphy's drama has been stellar. I wonder though. Murphy has had limited involvement with the show this season since his film career is taking off. He adapted and directed the upcoming Running with Scissors. Similar to JJ Abrams and Lost, I wonder if Murphy's role with the show will continue to decrease as he gets more involved with his film career? I suppose so but I just hope a fifth season of the show doesn't suffer as a result.

Regardless, Ausiello gave some juicy bits regarding the final five episodes of the fourth season. Check out that link if you want to know more. It's nothing mind-blowing but fun stuff if you're a spoiler junkie like me.

(S04E10) Well that was a little disappointing. I thought last week's episode was outstanding and after seeing the previews for this week's installment, I was incredibly excited. Both Escobar and Bobolit were coming back in the same episode! Sounds like a winner right? Well hopefully I'm not alone in saying this, but the whole thing sort of fell flat for me.

One of the few half-hour comedies to hear any good news these days is FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which was just picked up for a third season by the network. Danny Devito has also committed to appear as a series regular for all subsequent seasons. Sunny's third season will consist of 15 new episodes. That's five more than the second, and eight more than the first.

Sunny's pick-up is big news in the television industry for reasons that have nothing to do with Devito, FX's fan base or the reputation of barkeeps in Philly. Sunny is one of basic, ad-supported cable's biggest sitcom successes ever, and its pilot episode is the stuff of industry legend. The episode was shot on a digital camcorder and distributed for amounts that have been said to range from $85-$400. That pilot, which picked up steam via the internet, resulted in the show's creators Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton receiving $400,000 from FX to shoot a first season.

Anyone else been watching F/X lately? During the past few episodes of Nip/Tuck, there have been nothing but advertisements for the new Courtney Cox-Arquette drama Dirt. The show premieres this coming January but what about The Shield? Ever since it's mid-season finale last March, there's only been one promo for the rest of the season and it aired during the season premiere of Rescue Me -- that was just over five months ago! I always thought Vic Mackey and Co. were coming back in January and that's clearly not the case now.

Dirt has already received a full season 13-episode order, and assuming F/X sticks to it's current trend of only airing new shows on Tuesday nights at 10PM, we won't see the remaining season five Shield eps until at least March or possibly April. Boooooo.

I'll be honest. Dirt might be the first F/X series that I'm not excited about. The promos that have been airing just don't do it for me. Add in news that they've cast Rick Fox (Rick Fox?!?), the ex-Boston Celtic and L.A. Laker, to guest star and I think I'm even less excited. At least The Shield is getting a sixth season. There's something to smile about.

(S04E09) I apologize for the lateness of this review folks but I moved into a new apartment this week and was without cable TV for a few days. I got hooked up yesterday afternoon though, just in time to record the repeat of this week's episode. That being said, I'm going to go out on a limb here. I just watched it and this may very well have been the most well written, best acted episode of Nip/Tuck yet. It was absolutely phenomenal.

There's not a lot of information on this new drama pilot for FX, so I'll try to be as vague as possible. Allen Coulter, director of the film Hollywoodland, has signed on to direct a new untitled drama pilot for FX. The series, scripted by Todd A. Kessler (The Sopranos), Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, is a legal thriller, and if they can make it unique considering that idea has already been done exactly twenty-seven gazilion times, then more power to 'em. Coulter's other TV directing credits include The X-Files, Millennium, and most recently, The Sopranos and Sex and the City. He's been involved with some inventive and cutting edge shows (excluding Sex and the City), and given FX's record so far of cutting edge programming like The Shield and Rescue Me, this combination may actually result in something worth tuning in to.

(S04E08) I'm really loving this season. Might be the best one since the first. The whole exploration of the McNamara family and their issues is far more compelling than any of the Quentin/Carver stuff. It's not that I disliked last season, I just think this kind of material works better for Nip/Tuck.

This was a really well crafted episode. It brought back a wonderful character in Mrs. Grubman and we got a rare glimpse into Sean's childhood. Plus, the surgery du jour was none other than young Conor McNamara, something that's been causing tension between Sean and Julia since the child's birth. On top of that, Peter Dinklage was back and Mo'Nique guest starred as Mrs. Grubman's sassy live-in nurse. Sounds like a winning combination right?

Boo! Did I scare you? Well, if I didn't that's okay. I'm not much into scaring people since I gave Uncle Barry that heart attack at last year's Halloween party by putting a bloody finger into his apple-tini. Eh, Barry deserved it; he was always a putz. And constantly asking for money. I mean, one time . . .

Sorry, wandered off for a bit there. What was I talking about? Oh, yes, scaring people. There's really no need for me to scare anyone this upcoming Halloween since my good old friend television can do it much better. In fact, now that there are so many channels to choose from, you can watch hours of blood and gore and ooze into the wee hours of the morning while noshing on all of the 'good' candy that your children bring back (this would be anything from the Hershey or M&M/Mars family of candies).

So, to make your life a bit easier while you come down from that sugar buzz, we here at TV Squad have provided you with a comprehensive list of Halloween-themed programming that will be airing on from about dinnertime on October 31st into the first of November. It's all there, from the Halloween and Friday the 13th films (and their numerous sequels) to Halloween-themed Roseanne episodes, to classic Vincent Price movies such as House of Wax. We even mention Dark Town, which airs at 3:15 am on Wednesday, November 1st. In Dark Town a lesbian and a gangbanger team up to battle vampires. Gosh, what will the entertainment industry think of next?

The complete (or as near as complete list) can be seen right after the scary jump. Ooh!

(S04E07) This episode was a bit of a departure for Nip/Tuck. It wasn't bad, I loved it. It just felt different. In some scenes, it was a even real tear-jerker which is very odd. With this show, if your eyes well up, it's usually because of a graphic surgery scene and you're cringing... not because you actually feel sad. Let me say this though. At first, when I heard the news that Rosie O'Donnell was in talks to give Dawn Budge new life in a Nip/Tuck spin-off, I thought it sounded ridiculous. Well, she sold me on the idea in this episode. O'Donnell is funny in this role. It suits her very well and I think the series could be pretty good if they do it right.