TVSquad

Let's be honest. There are really only four or five real contenders for this category, and most of them were nominated last year. But it's not like the talented Tina Fey (30 Rock), Mary Louise-Parker (Weeds), Julia Louise-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine) and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) don't deserve the recognition. They all fit the bill, and most of their shows were damn good this year.

I'd be happy to see any one of them go home with the gold on Emmy night. I'd also love to see some recognition for Christina Applegate's work in Samantha Who?, a great show that got the ax earlier this year.

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This week we have: 24, Big Love, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Lost, Nip/Tuck, Smallville, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and United States of Tara. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

I guess all those good reviews and high ratings haven't gone unnoticed. United States of Tara has only been on the air for a month, but Showtime has already committed to another year of Toni Collette dealing with her multiple personalities. The network has given the green light to a 12 episode second season.

Tara's premiere earned 2.67 million viewers, more than the premieres of Showtime's Dexter, Weeds, Californication and The Tudors. I'm with America on this one. I was charmed by the Tara premiere, and it's quickly become my favorite Showtime series.

(S01E02) Last week we were introduced to T and Buck, and this week we got to meet Alice. While T may be the most outrageous, and Buck the strangest, this first impression suggests that Alice is the most dangerous of Tara's alters. Along with learning about Alice, and her future plans, it was also a big night for guest spots. Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, and Nathan Corddry were all along for the ride.

(S01E01) My first reaction to seeing the Tara premiere was that this one is going to be very hit and miss with viewers. Diablo Cody doesn't have a long list of credits, but she certainly does have her own unique style. If it's a style you like, you'll be able to fall right in with this one. If you don't ... yeah ... this one could grate on you. Even if that is the case though, I would encourage you to hang in there and give the show a little time. Underneath the occasionally too clever dialog, the Gregson's story has a heart.

Some quickie news from Showtime, presented by entertainment president Bob Greenblatt:

• Ilene Chaiken is developing a spin-off for The L Word, which will feature a yet unspecified character from the original show, whose upcoming season will be its last. There will be an open-ended plot in the season finale that Chaiken will continue online, then pick up if the spin-off comes to pass.
• Two more 13-episode seasons of Weeds have been ordered.
• A seventh season of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! has been ordered, making it Showtime's longest-running show.
• A reality/documentary show called Lock 'N Load has been ordered; it's filmed in a gun shop, and it shows the various people who purchase guns and "exploit their right to bear arms," according to the press release.
• Two new pilots have been ordered and filmed. The United States of Tara, produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Diablo Cody, stars Toni Collette as a suburban mother with multiple-personality disorder. John Corbett stars as her husband (yes... it's a comedy). The other pilot is tentatively-titled Nurse Jackie. It stars Edie Falco as a New York City nurse with a painkiller addiction who sometimes crosses moral lines to help her patients (no... it's not a comedy). Tara will begin airing in winter 2009, and Jackie will begin airing in late spring or early summer.
  

Do you love Tracey Ullman? Yeah, who doesn't? The lady's a riot. Showtime is so enamored of the Brit-com-queen that they've ordered a second season -- seven fresh episodes -- of Tracey Ullman's State of the Union. The network has also lined up another English artist for 2009. Comedy star Marc Wootton is locked in for six episodes.

"I won't hold it against them that both are from the U.K.," laughed Showtime prez Robert Greenblatt. "Tracey Ullman is the veteran genius who continues to impress us with her versatility, while Marc Wootton is the up-and-comer who will surprise our audience with his own unique voice. This is an embarrassment of riches for us in the comedy department."

This sounds like a promising new project: John Corbett as Toni Collette's leading man in the Showtime comedy pilot United States of Tara. The show comes from the pen of Diablo Cody, fresh off her Oscar win as the screenwriter of Juno, and the pilot's director is Craig Gillespie who received plaudits for the indie hit Lars and the Real Girl. Oh, and did I mention that Steven Spielberg is one of the producers? Considering this collection of talent and Showtime's recent programming successes, United States of Tara sounds like another ace for the cable net.

When I say that the new comedy pilot will have multiple personalities I don't mean it will be an ensemble cast. Well, I guess it will, but the ensemble will be in one person's head. And, no, I'm not talking about a new Tracey Ullman series!

The new Dreamworks project, which has been green-lighted by Showtime Networks, is entitled The United States of Tara. It will be a 30-minute, single-camera comedy (do they really just use a single camera anymore) about a mother who has multiple personality syndrome. According to Robert Greenblatt, president of entertainment for Showtime Networks, it will be a family comedy with a twist (aren't they all). Even though she'll be a wife and mother she may also be an aggressive male biker, a horny teenage girl, or a Martha Stewart-like homemaker.