Firefly- News Archive

SUBURGATORY: Sweet Sixteen

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Sweet Sixteen" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik, Jamie Denbo as Deena Doogan, Katelyn Pacitto as Kaitlyn, Kara Pacitto as Kenzie, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha, Courtney Schleinkoffer as waitress, Jake Richardson as front man, Dana Powell as Rhonda, Deena Dill as Bliss and Brooke Baumer as Lucille.

"Charity Case" was written by Corinne Marshall and directed by Adam Davidson.

CASTLE: Eye of the Beholder

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Kristin Lehman as Serena Kaye, Jessica Tuck as Joy McHugh, Aasha Davis as Alyssa Lofters, Jessica Lundy as Myrna Ramsey, and Michael Dorn as Dr. Carter Burke.

"Eye of the Beholder" was written by Shalisha Francis and directed by John Terlesky.

ABC Orders More Castle

This will bring Season 4's order to a total of 23 episodes, according to the site.

Castle grabbed 8.12 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic for its fall finale on Monday. So far this season, the crime show has averaged 11.1 million viewers.

Joss Whedon's Cabin in the Woods Trailer Unleashed!

And as you might guess by the title, it features a bunch of beautiful young people heading out to a far-flung vacation retreat only to find their lives in danger from an unknown evil.

So what can we expect?

While it's not the most original of plots, the fact this horror flick comes from the mind of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator has to count for something, right? After all, we see what appears to be a creature rising from a dark lake, a force field surrounding the woods, some masked baddies and a cabin that's obviously not what it seems.

Cabin, which Whedon directed from a script by Cloverfield scribe Drew Goddard, stars Chris Hemsworth, who took the role before he became famous in Thor, along with veteran actors Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins among others.

The movie was originally supposed to hit theaters in 2009 but was put on hold after MGM went bankrupt. Lionsgate has since picked it up and will release it on April 13.

So does the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods impress? Or is it just the usual schlock?

SUBURGATORY: Thanksgiving

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Thanksgiving" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Parker Young as Ryan Shay, Jay Mohr as Steven Royce, Chris Parnell as Fred Shay, Dan Sachoff as Gary Shay, Jeremy Howard as Jasper, Courtney Merritt as Jenna Werner, Gillian Vigman as Jill Werner, Gloria Votsis as Zoe, Madison Carlon as Bellah Crawford as Shay niece No. 1, Madeleine Claire as Shay niece No. 2, Evan Arnold as Chef Alan, Mo Collins as Trish Shay and Bambadjan Bamba as street vendor.

"Thanksgiving" was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Alex Hardcastle.

SUBURGATORY: The Chatterer

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

"The Chatterer" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik, Arden Myrin as Jocelyn, Jaime Denbo as Deena Doogan, Kate Pacitto as Kaitlyn, Kara Pacitto as Kenzie and Abbie Cobb as Kimantha.

"The Chatterer" was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Michael Fresco.

CASTLE: Kick the Ballistics

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Billy Lush as Finn McQueen, Ross McCall as Seth Carver, Francois Chau as Clifford Lee, Lanny Joon as Philip Lee, Tim Jo as Ben Lee.

"Kick the Ballistics" was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Head Case

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: William Atherton as Dr. Ari Weiss, Andy Umberger as Johnny Rosen, Judith Hoag as Cynthia Hamilton, Shaun Toub as Dr. Philip Boyd, Jordan Belfi as Beau Randolph, Jared Hillman as Eddie Peck.

"Head Case" was written by David Grae and directed by Holly Dale.

Joss Whedon discusses 'The Avengers,' 'tussling' with Mark Ruffalo and 'Dr. Horrible'

But no pressure or anything, Joss Whedon. The fanboy hero directed and co-wrote the film -- which is by a long shot the biggest feature production he's ever taken on -- and says he found himself having to balance the story needs of all the primary characters with huge, heavily choreographed action scenes. No small task, that.

"I had one week where we shot basically the entire team arguing. I was like, 'If I can get through this week, no bullet can harm me,'" Whedon says in an interview with Yahoo Movies. "And that week actually was complex, but went off really, really well.

"Then we got to the cars exploding, and I realized, 'Well, this is actually much harder.' And what's harder about it was ... trying to keep action from being generic -- from being the same gag over and over and over -- it's extremely tough. ... I ended up spending as much time writing the stunts as I did writing the dialogue. Just trying to keep track of who everybody was, what they were capable of, and keeping it from being repetitive. So the thing that I feared was, it's never the bullet that you see coming."

Whedon also talked about working with the cast on molding their characters, making the action fit the story and the chances for another installment of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. You can read the full interview here; some highlights are below.

Collaborating with Mark Ruffalo on shaping the Hulk character: "Both of us agreed upfront that the template for who we wanted this guy to be in his life was Bill Bixby, the TV [show character] who was busy helping other people. That was more interesting to us than the Banner in the first two movies who was always fixated on curing himself. ... We even fought some. I mean literally we actually got some pads out and did some tussling. Just to talk about the physicality, and also the physicality of somebody who has to control this thing, and the way he moves in space and the way he relates to the people and the objects around him. It was extremely fun."

Samuel L. Jackson's role as Nick Fury: "This is something that I was very pleased that Marvel actually mandated -- they were very interested in keeping him, not just in the sort of mystery of how the organization operates, but a real moral gray area where you really have to decide, 'Is Nick Fury the most manipulative guy in the world? Is he a good guy? Is he completely Machiavellian or is it a bit of both?' And that was really fun to tweak."

The chances for a "Dr. Horrible" sequel: "We have been working on that for a while. It's been hard, because we all have jobs, and some of them are extremely taxing. But we have had a vision of the thing for a while, we have been working on it, we have a bunch of songs and a few scenes. We need a little free time and right now that's plenty hard to come by."

"The Avengers" opens May 4, 2012.

CASTLE: Cuffed

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Darin Heames as Agent Chuck Martinez, Brian Jones as State Trooper McNichols, Deborah Van Valkenburgh as Ruth Spurloch, Brett Wagner as Jack Spurloch, Brad Carter as Bobby Spurloch.

"Cuffed" was written by Terri Edda Miller & Andrew Marlowe and directed by John Terlesky.

SUBURGATORY: The Nutcracker

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"The Nutcracker" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Gloria Votsis as Zoe, Ellen Woglom as Aimee, Edward Padilla as Javier, Jay Mohr as Steven Royce, Raymond Ma as Mr. Yee, Alice Lo as Mrs. Lee and Deena Dill as Bliss.

"The Nutcracker" was written by Patricia Breen and directed by Randy Zisk.

SUBURGATORY: Pilot

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live"), Maestro Harrell as Malik, Arden Myrin as Jocelyn and Ryan Shay as Parker Young.

SUBURGATORY: Don't Call Me Shirley

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

"Don't Call Me Shirley" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik Davis, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha and Edward Padilla as Javier.

"Don't Call Me Shirley" was written by Patricia Breen and directed by Ken Whittingham.

CASTLE: Heroes & Villains

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Eric Tiede as Mike Hoover, Valerie Azlynn as Ann Hastings, Jamie McShane as Tony "The Butcher" Valtini, Hank Harris as Chad Hockney, Kenneth Mitchell as Paul Whittaker.

"Heroes & Villains" was written by David Amann and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

2012 People's Choice Award Nominations

Favorite TV Drama Actor:
David Boreanaz
Hugh Laurie
Ian Somerhalder
Nathan Fillion
Patrick Dempsey

Favorite TV Crime Drama:
Bones
Castle
Criminal Minds
CSI
NCIS

Favorite New TV Comedy:
2 Broke Girls
Allen Gregory
Last Man Standing
Man Up!
New Girl
Suburgatory
Up All Night
Whitney

SUBURGATORY: Thanksgiving

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Thanksgiving" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Parker Young as Ryan Shay, Jay Mohr as Steven Royce, Chris Parnell as Fred Shay, Dan Sachoff as Gary Shay, Jeremy Howard as Jasper, Courtney Merritt as Jenna Werner, Gillian Vigman as Jill Werner, Gloria Votsis as Zoe, Madison Carlon as Bellah Crawford as Shay niece No. 1, Madeleine Claire as Shay niece No. 2, Evan Arnold as Chef Alan, Mo Collins as Trish Shay and Bambadjan Bamba as street vendor.

"Thanksgiving" was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Alex Hardcastle.

CASTLE: Kill Shot

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Michael Dorn as Psychiatrist Carter Burke, Troy Winbush as Marcus Ford, Christina Ferraro as Sarah Vasquez, Alexis Carra as Julie, Tony Elias as Chris Nunez.

"Kill Shot" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by David M. Barrett.

Summer Glau Joins TNT's 'Scent'

TNT’s Scent Of The Missing, executive produced by co-writers Carol Mendelsohn, Melissa R. Byer & Treena Hancock and Barry Josephson, centers on Susannah (Tricia Helfer), a tenacious, strong-willed K-9 Search and Rescue volunteer who works with an equally determined partner — her mischievous golden retriever, Puzzle. Glau, repped by UTA and the Schiff Co., will play a new member of the K-9 Search and Rescue team who is beautiful and very wealthy but much tougher than she looks. UTA-rpped Mitchell will play a wheelchair-bound former military sergeant who serves as the communications technician for the team. Production on the pilot, based on the book by Susannah Charleson, is slated to begin in late November.

Joss Whedon working on new project ... yes, another one

Whedon and his wife, Kai Cole, have formed a "micro-studio" called Bellwether Pictures. Their first project? A supernatural romance called "In Your Eyes."

According to Deadline. the film "tells a metaphysical love story about two seemingly polar opposites who are deeply connected in ways neither could have ever imagined." (No one freak out and start making "Twilight" comparisons. Whedon's vamps and monsters are scary!)

Brin Hill will direct, with Cole and Michael Roiff producing through his company Night & Day Pictures. Whedon will exec produce. The film begins shooting in February.

The always witty Whedon tells Deadline, "I didn't have the wherewithal (or the moxie) to make it without an established production house. I believe, as I did then, that it's a pretty timeless romance, and now, with the creation of Bellwether Pictures (and Brin Hill's elegant, passionate take on the piece) I have the opportunity to prove it. (I also have a 37 percent increase in moxie.)"

SUBURGATORY: Sweet Sixteen

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Sweet Sixteen" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik, Jamie Denbo as Deena Doogan, Katelyn Pacitto as Kaitlyn, Kara Pacitto as Kenzie, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha, Courtney Schleinkoffer as waitress, Jake Richardson as front man, Dana Powell as Rhonda, Deena Dill as Bliss and Brooke Baumer as Lucille.

"Charity Case" was written by Corinne Marshall and directed by Adam Davidson.

Joss Whedon films secret 'Much Ado About Nothing' adaptation

What one found at the URL was the above picture, which seems to imply Joss Whedon has made a "Much Ado About Nothing" adaptation that features some of his most beloved alumni - Fillion of "Firefly," Sean Maher of "Firefly," Amy Acker of "Angel," Alexis Denisof of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" and Tom Lenk of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

The Wrap is reporting that someone close to the production confirms the news - the source says Whedon wrote and directed the movie and that filming has wrapped.

Sean Maher was also tweeting about it, saying, "Surprise! We just wrapped today... " and "I promise you it's the real deal and we're VERY excited about it!"

Cool! We loved the 1993 version starring Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Denzel Washington and Kate Beckinsale. We can't wait to see the play Whedon-ized. We would have to think that because their names are at the top, Amy and Alexis are the Benedick and Beatrice this time around? Excellent.

CASTLE: Heartbreak Hotel

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Richard Burgi as Charlie Turner, Laura Regan as Rebecca Siegal, Susie Castillo as Nadine Espinoza, Eric Ladin as Daniel Sullivan, David Figlioli as Ralph Marino.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by Bill Roe.

CASTLE: Cops & Robbers

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Dean Norris as Captain John Davis, Barry Livingston as Abe, Darren Pettie as Trapper John, Jonah Wharton as Dr. Howser, Noa Dori as Dr. Quinn, and Ty Upshaw as Dr. Huxtable.

"Cops & Robbers" was written by Terence Paul Winter and directed by Bryan Spicer.

SUBURGATORY: Charity Case

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Charity Case" guest stars Maestro Harrell as Malik, Katelyn Pacitto as Kaitlyn, Kara Pacitto as Kenzie, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha, Jake Borelli as Boy, Christopher Gehrman as Shopkeeper, Kate Micucci as Cindy, Livia Trevino as Maid and Griffin Matthews as Gladys.

"Charity Case" was written by Adam Barr and directed by Ken Whittingham.

Suburgatory Get Full Season

Rapper Releases Tribute to Joss Whedon's Firefly

Starring the ever-cool Nathan Fillion, TV series Firefly sadly didn't last too long on the air, despite receiving high praise and developing a huge fan following. However, fans of Joss Whedon's cult series have something new to rock out with when running their next marathon of the sci-fi western; a full-length nerdcore rap album titled The Browncoats Mixtape.

Produced by Adam WarRock, a former attorney and now the internet's foremost "comic book rapper," The Browncoats Mixtape is probably the coolest musical tribute to the series ever, and features samples from both the TV show and the follow-up film Serenity. A subgenre of hip-hop, Nerdcore has a heavy focus on topics like science, Star Wars and Harry Potter. WarRock himself has written tracks covering all sorts of things nerdy and geek, ranging from Fallout 3, X-Men super hero Nightcrawler, to never having watched an episode of Doctor Who.

The lyrics in The Browncoats Mixtape are full of devotion to the crew of the good ship Serenity, with tracks like "Vera" describing the life of mercenary Jayne Cobb (played by Adam Baldwin) or "Still Flyin'" being all about the ever-cheerful mechanic Kaylee (played by Jewel Straite). It makes an excellent addition to the music collection of fans of either nerdcore or Firefly.

The best part? You can nab the entire 15-track set here for free.

CASTLE: Demons

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Juliana Dever as Jenny Duffy-O'Malley, Frederic Lehne as Addison Smith, Mark Harelik as Pete Benton, Vernee Watson as Mercy LaGrande, Philipp Karner as Jack Sinclair.

"Demons" was written by Rob Hanning and directed by Bill Roe.

SUBURGATORY: Halloween

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay and Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe.

"Halloween" guest stars Jay Mohr as Steven Royce, Maestro Harrell as Malik Davis and Chloe Bridges as Misty Covington.

"Halloween" was written by Andrew Guest and directed by Adam Davidson.

Firefly's Jewel Staite on Sam's First Supernatural Kiss, Eating Brains

"I saw that Jensen [Ackles] was directing," Staite tells TVGuide.com. "He's an old friend of mine, so I thought, 'Ooooh, fun! That would be great.' Luckily it all worked out. When you get on a show where one of the actors is directing, it can go either way. Sometimes they can stress out if they have too much on their plate, but he was so calm and so cool and so collected. He just really impressed me. We had some days we didn't even go the full 12 hours of shooting. We were let out early because he knew exactly what he wanted and when he got it, he moved on."

In the episode "The Girl Next Door," Staite plays a demon who knew Sam (Jared Padalecki) when they were both children. Despite her habit of eating brains (what's a hungry demon to do?), they struck up an adolescent romance. More than a decade later, Sam will investigate a case in which he'll again encounter his childhood friend.

Like her character, Staite also has certain appetites. The self-professed foodie and budding food blogger shared with us details on Sam's young demon love, her latest projects and where she plans to eat next. (Plus, check out our on-the-set video of Ackles and Padalecki dishing on the new season.)

You're quite busy, but I see you found time to contribute to your food blog, HappyOpu.net.

Jewel Staite: Yeah, I'm trying to kind of branch out and blog about Toronto since I'm here. I just wrapped a series...I've been doing over the last few months. It's about a group of young actors and musicians and dancers in Hollywood trying to make it. Then I'm going to try and blog New York because I'm headed there next. I've never been to San Francisco. I'm dying to go. I heard that that's one of the best food cities.

Speaking of food, your Supernatural character is kind of hungry ...

Staite: (laughs) I like that segue. Yes, she is kind of hungry, isn't she?

What can you tell us about your character Amy?

Staite: She's a special type of demon, but she's a demon with a heart of gold. She's just doing what she has must to survive and take care of herself and her family. She's Sam's long-lost love from childhood and she kind of comes back and takes him by surprise and throws him for a bit of a loop.

Is it just brains that she eats? Can you clarify how she does it?

Staite: Yes, kind of. She sort of sucks out the brains. It's not as messy as it sounds. It's a clean demon-killing.

She seems to have a conscience. Does she only target low-life victims?

Staite: She tries her best to do that, but sometimes the hunger is too much and she kind of slips up.

Is she in any way like you -- a foodie and oenophile? What wine would she pair with these thugs' brains?

Staite: That's so funny! I don't know if she's that much of a wine drinker, honestly. She sort of strikes me more as a beer girl. I think beer goes better with brains.

What can you say about the relationship history that Amy has with Sam?

Staite: I think the most important part of their relationship history is that I was his first kiss. Amy was Sam's first demon kiss. I can hold that claim to fame, which I'm quite proud of.

Is your character somehow involved with the case that he's investigating?

Staite: Not really, well, a little bit. I think she's the last person that he expects to see, let's put it that way.

What does she feel about him now? And you mentioned that she has a family?

Staite: She has a son that she's trying to take care of. He takes precedence over everything else. I think she has a soft spot for Sam and she cares about him. They have good memories together I think. She doesn't want to hurt him, but she will if she has to in order to protect her son.

Is there a possibility of seeing Amy again after this episode? Would you want to come back if they made it possible?

Staite: Well, I don't want to give too much away, but I would absolutely be willing to. That crew was so much fun. All they do is laugh on that set. That's literally all they do. I think I laughed for three straight days. I would love to go back.

When I saw a sneak peek of the episode at Comic-Con, there's a joke in there, when Amy goes by the name "Amy Pond." Were you aware that's a Doctor Who reference (one of the current Doctor's companions)?

Staite: It was already in the script when I read it. I'm not a Doctor Who fan, and I had no idea about that until I mentioned it to some sci-fi fans. They were all like, "Oh my God, that's hilarious!" They had to explain it to me.

Why do you think sci-fi fans are so devoted that they're willing to follow actors from one project to the next? You caught them with Firefly, and then had Stargate: Atlantis after that...

Staite: There's nothing better than a sci-fi fan, let me tell you. Once you're in with them, you're in for life. I don't know why that is. I just don't question it. I'm really grateful that they follow me from project to project and keep watching whatever I'm doing. That's probably the only reason why I'm working.

Can you talk about a funny experience you've had with a sci-fi fan?

Staite: I've had so many. So many. There's all kinds of things you see at these conventions. My favorite one was I was in this elevator with a whole bunch of sci-fi fans at a convention. One guy looked at me and said, "Has anybody ever told you that you look like Jewel Staite?" and everyone in the elevator started laughing. Then he said, "Oh, no, no, no! It's a compliment!" It was the best.

CASTLE: Eye of the Beholder

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Kristin Lehman as Serena Kaye, Jessica Tuck as Joy McHugh, Aasha Davis as Alyssa Lofters, Jessica Lundy as Myrna Ramsey, and Michael Dorn as Dr. Carter Burke.

"Eye of the Beholder" was written by Shalisha Francis and directed by John Terlesky.

SUBURGATORY: Don't Call Me Shirley

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

"Don't Call Me Shirley" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik Davis, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha and Edward Padilla as Javier.

"Don't Call Me Shirley" was written by Patricia Breen and directed by Ken Whittingham.

'Playboy Club' star Sean Maher opens up about his sexuality: 'This is my coming out ball'

For the first time, Maher opens up about his sexuality in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I was nervous coming here today because I’ve just never talked about it,” Maher says, while sitting down to chat at Little Dom’s Italian bistro in Los Angeles’ trendy Los Feliz neighborhood, the area where the actor lives with Paul, his partner of nearly nine years, and their two children, Sophia Rose, 4, and Liam Xavier, 14 months. “But, it’s so liberating. It was interesting to be coming to have a conversation that I was always afraid to have.” Despite his trepidation, he adds with a big smile: “This is my coming out ball. I’ve been dying to do this.”

“I’ve never discussed it publicly,” the 36-year-old continues. “I’ve never been asked about it publicly, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t paint a different picture.” Maher says that not coming out wasn’t so much a choice as much as it was a reality of the business when he first came to L.A. fresh out of college back in 1997. Publicists working with him during his first Tinseltown role as the title character on Fox’s short-lived cop drama Ryan Caulfield: Year One assumed he was straight — and he didn’t tell them otherwise, out of fear. “I’m 22, I move to L.A., and it’s such a cliché, but the day I arrive, publicists from the show took me out to The Ivy for lunch,” he remembers. “They’re telling me, ‘You know, gosh, we’d really appreciate it if you could keep your girlfriend on the side because we want to appeal to the female demographic of the show.’”

Granted, Maher could have corrected his handlers, but in that instant, he decided not to. “At that moment, I didn’t think to say, ‘Oh, I’m gay,’ because right before I left New York [where he went to college at NYU], I had my manager tell me: ‘You need to get a girl on your arm or people will start talking.’ I remember telling him: ‘I’m gay.’ He had no idea. And he said: ‘All the more reason to get a girl on your arm.’ My agent was also like, ‘It’s best if you keep your options open. Maybe bisexual?’”

Despite pressure from his manager and agent, both of whom he has since parted ways with, it was ultimately Maher’s decision to stay in the closet, out of concern that he wouldn’t otherwise be able to book leading-man roles. “I kept thinking, This is my first show, I don’t want to get fired,” Maher says. “I’m thinking, What is the potential that if they caught wind that they had cast a gay lead actor that they would fire me? I was young, I was 22. I didn’t know anything. So that sort of started the idea of, okay, well, I’m working a lot, I guess I’ll just keep that gay part of my life on the back burner for now. I went so far as to sleep with women a couple times. It was a very confusing time for me.”

But being in the closet tormented Maher. “It was so exhausting, and I was so miserable,” Maher says. “I didn’t really have any life other than work and this façade I was putting on. So I kept my friends from college [where he was out] separate from my work friends, and that was very confusing. I just kept going on and on painting this picture of somebody I wasn’t. I didn’t have time for a personal relationship anyway. And you just don’t realize that it’s eating away at your soul.”

Through the years, though, Maher has slowly let the people closest to him in on his secret. Two mentors of his are Craig Zadan and Neil Meron — a pair of powerful and openly gay producers behind movies like Hairspray and Chicago, as well as TV shows like Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva — with whom he has worked with on two TV movies, ABC’s Brian’s Song (2001) and A&E’s Wedding Wars (2006). “After I did this movie called Brian’s Song, where I was another football player, one of the producers Craig would watch the dailies and said he knew immediately,” Maher remembers. “He says he knew the instant he met me, although he told me this months later. Craig was a really wonderful mentor to me because he knew, but he never asked me and never forced me to say anything. He just did his best to indirectly guide me.”

In Wedding Wars, Maher actually did play a gay character — a scary position for a gay actor attempting to appear straight. “This was where it’s still kind of tricky,” Maher remembers of the Wedding Wars time period. “We decided to do no press for it because I wasn’t ready to answer the question. Neil and Craig knew, so we just decided, okay, I was a supporting character anyway. The press was going to fall on [star] John Stamos anyway.”

The role for which Maher is probably most well-known is Dr. Simon Tam, a surgeon on the run after breaking his sister River (Summer Glau, who he’s pictured with here) out of a research facility, on the cult TV series Firefly and follow-up feature Serenity, both created by Joss Whedon. Maher remembers those projects as some of his best — even though his personal life was still off-limits during that time. “Looking back, on Firefly for instance, I do wish on day one I had told them because these are some of the most amazing people who are still like family to me,” Maher says. “I am so grateful for that show because they saved me. I was so unhappy and lonely and to come to work everyday with that group was wonderful. It really was all I had at that point in my life.”

Although there have been famous cases of homophobia in Hollywood (ex. when Isaiah Washington called fellow actor T.R. Knight a gay slur on the set of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and was subsequently fired), Maher says he never encountered much hostility — mostly because he was never out and was very adept at acting straight. “Because I was never out, I was never addressed in a negative way to my face,” Maher says. “Although I witnessed a lot of it, whether it be making fun of gays or gay jokes. I just bit my tongue or looked the other way. That was part of the reason that I didn’t come out earlier — because there was an energy on set, and I felt like my being gay would have offset that, especially with the crew.”

Does Maher regret spending 14 years in the closet professionally? “I don’t think I have regrets,” he responds. “I do believe that sort of this journey took me to the place where I got and I don’t think I would feel so strongly about doing what I’m doing now had I not suffered for the years that I did.”

Having a family is what ultimately what made Maher want to be honest about his sexuality. “I have these beautiful children and this extraordinary family,” Maher says, “and to think in any way shape or form that that’s wrong or that there’s shame in that or that there’s something to hide actually turns my stomach.” Maher kept thinking about what daughter Sophia would say when she realized he was closeted professionally. “What would she think if I said, ‘Oh honey, you can’t come with me to work because they don’t know I have an adopted daughter and they don’t know that I’m gay.’ My children and our family, I’ve really never been as proud of anything in my life. I couldn’t be happier at this point in my life, and I feel like we’ve created this pretty extraordinary family.”

So, why does this revelation come now? Maher decided to use his role on NBC’s The Playboy Club — a character coincidentally also named Sean, a closeted man who’s married to lesbian Playboy Bunny Alice (Leah Renee Cudmore) – to finally engage in a dialogue about how being closeted has strained his life in Hollywood. “I was working on other stuff, and then this role came up, which was like a light bulb going off,” Maher remembers. “I was like, This is perfect. I want to do this, and I want to use it as a platform to come out.”

As viewers saw in the premiere episode on Sept. 19, his character is involved with launching the Chicago chapter of the Mattachine Society, an underground gay-rights group from the ’50s and ’60s. The organization is scarcely remembered, but was the subject of a recent play, The Temperamentals, that launched in New York City starring Ugly Betty alum Michael Urie. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to do it so badly,” Maher says, “because I do think it’s a story that needs to be told.”

Although Maher was only seen in a handful of scenes in the premiere episode, his character Sean’s storyline gets bigger in the coming weeks. For starters, he becomes the campaign manager for Playboy Club staple Nick (Eddie Cibrian), who’s running for state’s attorney. “There’s some great stuff in the next episode when we have my parents over for dinner,” Maher says. “It’s a beard-y situation. When are we having grandkids comes up, but there is actually two things we’re hiding: There’s the gay thing for both of us, but then also the Playboy Club thing. [His parents] would be mortified if they knew she worked in the Club. So there’s lots of things we’re keeping hidden.”

In the end, coming out publicly is what Maher feels he needed to do to tie his life together, personally and professionally. “Creatively, I feel so much more open and free, and I am so happy on The Playboy Club,” he says. “I think it’s because I’ve never been so open on set. All of the relationships that I have off-camera, I never would have allowed five years ago. It feels so liberating.”

CASTLE: Kick the Ballistics

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Billy Lush as Finn McQueen, Ross McCall as Seth Carver, Francois Chau as Clifford Lee, Lanny Joon as Philip Lee, Tim Jo as Ben Lee.

"Kick the Ballistics" was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Rob Bowman.

SUBURGATORY:The Chatterer

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

"The Chatterer" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik, Arden Myrin as Jocelyn, Jaime Denbo as Deena Doogan, Kate Pacitto as Kaitlyn, Kara Pacitto as Kenzie and Abbie Cobb as Kimantha.

"The Chatterer" was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Michael Fresco.

Nathan Fillion, Tim Daly and Michael Rosenbaum Join an All-Star Cast for Justice League: Doom

The movie, due to be released in early 2012 on DVD, Blu-ray, digital download and on-demand, is based on the popular DC storyline JLA: Tower of Babel, written by Mark Waid. The plot: Batman's secret contingency plans to defeat his own teammates (should any of them go rogue) are stolen and put into action by a group of super villains.

Once again running the show behind the scenes is executive producer Bruce Timm, the man responsible for dozens of beloved animated superhero projects, including the original Justice League. Lauren Montgomery, a veteran of several animated movies in this series, including the upcoming Batman: Year One, is the director. The script was written by acclaimed animation/comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie, who passed away earlier this year.

A trailer for Justice League: Doom will premiere at New York Comic Con on Friday, Oct. 14, and is featured on the Batman: Year One DVD, which goes on sale Tuesday, Oct. 18.

See Why Nathan Fillion Gets a Kick Out of Twitter

Fillion is best known these days for playing the crime-solving Richard Castle in ABC's Castle, but in the "Twitterverse," he's revered for his geek-chic resume (he starred on Joss Whedon's Firefly and in his online-only Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and his must-follow Twitter feed. Whether it's his goofy musings or completely random photo uploads, fans can't get enough of Fillion's good-natured tweets. We spoke with him about his love for Twitter, how he thinks actors should use it and what he'll do when he hits the 1 million mark.

TVGuide.com: You've really embraced the idea of using Twitter as a conversation with your fans. How were you first introduced to it?

Nathan Fillion: Twitter was forced on me by [Horrible co-star] Felicia Day, already a Web celebrity herself. We were sitting at dinner and she had me download the Twitter application and sign up. Then she went on her Twitter and said, "OK, everyone, Nathan Fillion is now on Twitter." I came home to 2,000 emails saying "You have a new follower on Twitter." I turned off the email notifications after that.

TVGuide.com: Were you hooked right away?

Fillion: I was. I had tried MySpace and Facebook -- mostly because people were out there posing as me. But I found it all too demanding of my time. What I love about Twitter is that it's forced brevity. The 140-character maximum really forces you to be concise. I like the immediacy of it, and the fact that you can reach so many people in an instant; it blows my mind.

TVGuide.com: How did you get such a large following?

Fillion: Thanks to Felicia Day, I got 2,000 followers immediately. I don't know how it built up from there, but I do know that I'm getting close to a million. I think at a million, I'm gonna...make a cake -- and tweet a picture of it.

TVGuide.com: A lot of celebrities have their publicists tweet for them. Have you always controlled your own account?

Fillion: I know of people who don't do it for themselves and to me that's just... come on. It's 140 characters; you really can't handle that? It's important to me, because if someone's following you on Twitter, they really ought to be following you on Twitter. If it's my Twitter, I want you to see what I'm doing. I want you to see what's going on with me.

TVGuide.com: Have you had any strange Twitter experiences?

Fillion: I was in New York City and I was sitting in a park and they were mowing the lawn, so I tweeted a picture of it and said to people, "Guess where I am?" As I started to walk, the tweets started coming in, saying, "Oh! You're in this park right across the street from my office! I can't believe you're here! I'm looking out my office window looking for you!" Then I went down the street and took a picture of Radio City Music Hall and said, "Guess where I am now?" I walked two more blocks, sat on a bench, and had a cup of coffee. All of the sudden this kid came up to me and goes, "Hey! I work in the neighborhood! I saw your tweets and I thought, I have to find you! I got a guy to cover for me at work because I had to try and get your autograph!" It was so funny. This kid was all out of breath and sweating and can you imagine him tracking my tweets? It killed me! So I took a picture with him and tweeted it.

TVGuide.com: Do you think actors and actresses who aren't into social media are doing themselves a disservice?

Fillion: I don't. I think as an actor, your job is to act, to tell stories. You are providing entertainment, that is your job. I don't think it's your job to sign 8-by-10 photographs and send them out to your fans. I don't think it's your job to do a radio tour at 5 a.m. Your job is to portray a character, tell a portion of the story, and do your part in entertaining. I think there are benefits, but I don't think that it's necessary for your job. Me personally? I get a kick out of it.

'Castle' premiere: Nathan Fillion says Castle suspects Beckett lied, has secrets of his own

Zap2it spoke with Fillion about the season premiere, and he tells us his character is committed to keeping Beckett away from the investigation into her mother's murder. This is doubly unfortunate, because it's something she needs to take care of before opening herself up to a relationship with him.

Maybe that's why the premiere, "Rise," included a three-month time jump in which a recovering Beckett never called Castle once.

"Life beats Castle up, but he recovers so quickly," says Fillion. "But I think he's a forgiving man, and I think fences are mended easily with him. She does eventually come to him, and he expresses some dissatisfaction, but then he gets back on board."

Not that an apology was all he needed to get back into the 12th Precinct. Montgomery's replacement, Captain Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald), is not a fan of either Castle or Beckett. The season premiere offers a taste of their head-butting, but both stars tell us that the conflict will get worse before its resolved.

"Here's a guy who is very comfortable around women and rides on his charm constantly," says Fillion. "This is not a woman who will be charmed. This is not a woman who will be flirted with. You can't be coy with her. She will not be won over, and I think that's something that really bothers Castle."

Castle actually faces more resistance to his involvement with the NYPD than ever before, with not just the by-the-book captain to contend with, but his increasingly skeptical mother (Susan Sullivan) and daughter (Molly Quinn).

"He's not going to stop what he's doing, but they do have a valid opinion as far as how his actions affect them," he says. "He's making some pretty dangerous choices investigating the murder of Beckett's mother. It's putting him in with some very dangerous bedfellows... They're going to be affected by his choices."

This leaves few people for him to confide in, but secrets seem to be a running theme for Season 4.

"He certainly suspects something," Fillion says of Beckett pretending that she doesn't remember what Castle said to her after the shooting. "But at the same time, he's lying to her as well. He knows that if she is to continue with the investigation of her mother's murder, her life will be in danger. So he's trying to steer that away from that without telling her."

SUBURGATORY: Barbecue

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce.

"The Barbecue" guest stars Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Parker Young as Ryan Shay, Abbie Cobb as Kimantha, Tom Yi as Mr. Seigel, Justin Prentice as Joey, Edward Padilla as Javier, Alex Boling as Alex and Todd Sherry as Tom.

"The Barbecue" was written by Bob Kushell and directed by Michael Fresco.

CASTLE: Head Case

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: William Atherton as Dr. Ari Weiss, Andy Umberger as Johnny Rosen, Judith Hoag as Cynthia Hamilton, Shaun Toub as Dr. Philip Boyd, Jordan Belfi as Beau Randolph, Jared Hillman as Eddie Peck.

"Head Case" was written by David Grae and directed by Holly Dale.

Fall TV Preview: Suburgatory Totally Makes Us Want to Move to the Suburbs

It's really got so much going for it. A Juno-esque lead? Oh, hi Jane Levy! A hot dad? What up, Jeremy Sisto?! Shopping montage? Mean Girls-style comedy? Cheryl Hines? A bevy of Saturday Night Live alums guest starring? The gang's all here!

Here's everything you need to know about ABC's best new comedy...

Suburgatory (ABC)
Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8:30 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: Survivor: South Pacific (CBS), H8R (CW), The X Factor (Fox), Free Agents (NBC)
Cast: Jane Levy, Jeremy Sisto, Carly Chaikin, Cheryl Hines, Alan Tudyk, Rex Lee, Allie Grant
Status: We've seen the pilot episode.

Tessa (Levy) is 16 years old and she is in hell. Make that a suburban hell chock full of mini-vans and perfectly manicured lawns. The reason she's been exiled to "suburgatory?" A box of condoms hidden in her nightstand, which causes George (Sisto), her protective father, to pack up their crap and move from New York City to the 'burbs.

While he thinks the move will be good for her, Tessa is horrified by the "Franken-moms" with Red Bull addictions and their kids, who change noses like most people change purses. One of these frightening mother-daughter duos? Dallas (Hines), who has an instant connection to George even though she's married, and Dalia (Chaikin), who thinks Tessa is a lesbian because she wears combat boots. Other key players include Noah (Tudyk), George's old college buddy who drank the suburban Kool-Aid, and Mr. Wilde (Lee), a high school guidance counselor.

While it's obviously an extremely exaggerated version of suburban life, you can't help but be charmed by the world Suburgatory presents because it's just so darn funny. Even though she isn't totally sold on the suburbanites, Tessa starts to see the benefits of living in a town where neighbors bring over pot roast and buy you pretty new bras because your mom never stuck around to do it.

We're just going to come out and say it: George and Tessa may just be our favorite TV father-daughter duo since Veronica Mars' Keith and Veronica. Yes, we went there again. There's a genuine affection amidst all their teasing and you can tell they both really want the other to be happy. Plus, they'll have you cracking up when they bust out their "passive-aggressive reference books" to express their feelings over breakfast. Seriously, we're thisclose to asking George to adopt us! Or at the very least ask Tessa to come our new BFF.

Suburgatory is also busting out the big (funny) guns! The show has some seriously awesome guest stars lined up, like Jay Mohr as Dallas' husband and SNL's Ana Gasteyer and Chris Parnell as George and Tessa's neighbors.

Verdict: Watch! If you're going to watch one new comedy at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, make a date with Suburgatory. Sorry, Free Agents. It's not you, it's us

SUBURGATORY: Pilot -- PREMIERE

"Suburgatory" stars Jeremy Sisto ("Law & Order") as George Altman, Jane Levy ("Shameless") as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin ("The Last Song") as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee ("Entourage") as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant ("Weeds") as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk ("V") as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") as Dallas Royce.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live"), Maestro Harrell as Malik, Arden Myrin as Jocelyn and Ryan Shay as Parker Young.

Emily Kapnek ("Hung") writes and executive-produces this bitingly ironic single-camera comedy. "Suburgatory" was directed by Michael Fresco ("Raising Hope"), who also executive-produced the pilot, from Warner Bros. Television.

CASTLE: Heroes & Villains

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Eric Tiede as Mike Hoover, Valerie Azlynn as Ann Hastings, Jamie McShane as Tony "The Butcher" Valtini, Hank Harris as Chad Hockney, Kenneth Mitchell as Paul Whittaker.

"Heroes & Villains" was written by David Amann and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

CASTLE: Rise - SEASON PREMIERE

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Geoff Pierson as mystery man, Michael Dorn as police psychiatrist, Victor Webster as Josh Davidson, Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett, John M. Jackson as Rod Halstead and Larry Anderson as Dr. Kovaks.

"Rise" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

'Castle' Season 4 promo: Rick takes the news hard

Where that last one was all about the not-yet-consummated romance between Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic), this one deals more directly with the consequences of Beckett getting shot in last season's finale. There are a couple flashes of things we haven't seen before, including Alexis (Molly Quinn) and Martha (Susan Sullivan) meeting Castle at the hospital, a quick glimpse of new boss Penny Johnson Jerald and some of Beckett's colleagues also not taking the news well.

We're not buying the flatline that runs through the promo -- we've said it before, and we'll say it again: Beckett's not dying -- but the thing that really sticks with us is the voiceover near the end of the 30-second spot: "This is my fault." Maybe not directly, but Castle pushing the investigation into Beckett's mom's death certainly contributed to Beckett taking a bullet. We'll be curious to see how the show deals with that fallout.

Take a look at the teaser below and tell us what you think. "Castle" premieres at 10 p.m. ET Monday, Sept. 19 on ABC: Promo Video.

Three Joss Whedon Alums Heading to Supernatural! Find Out Who, and What Jared Padalecki Thinks

Well, apparently the creative minds over at Supernatural did, 'cause they are bringing together a pretty fantastic Buffy/Angel duo: Charisma Carpenter and James Marsters. And yes, they will be married.

And that's not the only Joss Whedon alum casting.

Jewel Staite, of Firefly, also will play the grown-up version of Sam's first-season kiss in a seventh-season episode directed by star Jensen Ackles.

We just hit Supernatural's set in Vancouver, and Jared Padalecki tells us this of working with the Whedonverse peeps: "It's always nice to have somebody from the genre because they get the acting style, it's a pretty specific acting style in my opinion when you're doing a genre like this. It can't be overdramatic. It has to be kind of subtle, it has to be real." As for his thoughts on Jewel: "She's a tremendous actress and a sweetheart. I met her a few years ago at a sci-fi convention funnily enough and I kind of see her here and there and it was nice to get to work with her."

We'll see Jewel in Supernatural's third episode, and James and Charisma will pop in a bit later in the season.

"This episode is ‘Bewitched gone wrong," showrunner Sera Gamble reveals to TVLine, which first reported the casting. "[It was] all upside for this successful man (Marsters) while he was married to the witch (Carpenter), but now that he's pissed her off, the whole town is paying the price."

Supernatural has a history of casting Whedon peeps: Amber Benson (Buffy), Julie Benz (Buffy, Angel), Mark Sheppard (Dollhouse, Firefly) and Amy Acker (Dollhouse, Angel) have all appeared on the CW show.

Anyone else having a Buffy-gasm over this news?

'Castle' Season 4 promo: ABC totally ships Castle and Beckett

The network started running a new promo for the upcoming fourth season of "Castle," and, as GMMR points out, the editing resembles a Bastle (Ceckett?) fan video.

Combining the schmaltzy soundtrack of a recent clip reel dedicated to the most romantic moments between ABC's biggest "will they?/won't they?" couple and the Season 4 preview first screened at Comic-Con, the desired endgame here is indisputable.

But when Kate presumably recovers from her shooting, will she return her partner's teary confession of love? Will she even remember?

We don't expect the answers to those questions will be remotely satisfying, but it's nice to see we're not the only ones pulling for these two.

And if you're in the small portion of "Castle" fans not interested in the amorous undertones, at least you can enjoy the montage's look back at Katic's '90s hair from Season 1... which was filmed in 2008.

JEWEL STAITE WILL STAR IN AUGUST SYFY SATURDAY ORIGINAL MOVIE

In Doomsday Prophecy, premiering Saturday, August 13, at 9PM (ET/PT), a book editor (Buckley) and an archeologist (Staite) hunt down a mysterious author of prophetic novels. When the writer is found dead, the editor obtains a device enabling him to see the future – an impending geological nightmare that will tear apart the planet. Doomsday Prophecy is a production of Cinetel Films.

In Killer Mountain – inspired by an ancient Himalayan legend – premiering Saturday, August 27, at 9PM (ET/PT), a team of climbers (Douglas, Campbell) is sent to a forbidden mountain to rescue a missing expedition. There, they discover that the mountain is the secret location of Shangri La -- protected by a bloodthirsty alien creature, the Druk. Killer Mountain is a production of ARO Entertainment.

Nathan Fillion Proves He's King of the Castle and Comic-Con

A lucky fan was also brought up to the stage by moderator and TV Guide Magazine Senior Editor William Keck to fill in for missing panelist Stana Katic and reenact dialogue from the show's introduction. "They're eating it up," whispered Fillion to the blushing girl. "I'd be happy to let you spank me," Fillion added. "Was that out loud?"

His cast members were even joining in on the fun, as Molly Quinn took to the stage dressed as Fillion's Firefly character Captain Mal Reynolds. "Oh my God, I just noticed what Molly's wearing," said Fillion a few minutes into the panel. "I have a gun just like that that I can't find." "When I was having dinner with your mom, she gave me something of yours I always wanted," replied Quinn. "I found your cat, too."

Hijinks aside, the panel — also consisting of cast members Jon Huertas, Tamala Jones and Seamus Dever — revealed several upcoming storylines for the new season, including a superhero-themed episode and Beckett's fate after last season's cliffhanger. "The outcome," teased Jones, "is going to be more epic than the season finale."

'Homeland' offers new take on terrorism

"24 was very much wish fulfillment, good guys and bad guys," said Gordon, appearing before Comic-Con fans Thursday evening with one of the show's stars, Morena Baccarin (who played Anna on on ABc's axed V reboot).

Homeland, developed from an Israeli format and premiering Oct. 2, will move into more of the gray areas.

"Who's the hero? Who's the traitor? Who's the soldier? Who's the terrorist?" Gordon said.

In Homeland, a CIA agent, played by Claire Danes, believes a returning American prisoner of war (Damien Lewis from Band of Brothers and Life), now being treated as a hero, may have been turned against the U.S. by terrorists and made part of an attack plot.

"It's about perceptions and how people watch people," Gordon said.

'Supernatural' Season 7: 'Firefly's' Jewel Staite to guest star

Sources confirm to Zap2it that Joss Whedon alum Jewel Staite has now joined the esteemed list. Staite is certainly a mainstay in the sci-fi/fantasy arena, having starred on Whedon's "Firefly" and "Serenity" as Kaylee and on "Stargate: Atlantis" as Dr. Jennifer Keller. (Some of us non sci-fi folks also remember her from the short-lived but totally awesome '90s series "Flash Forward" with Ben Foster.)

Staite will appear in the third episode this season, set to air Oct. 7, as a childhood friend of Sam's (Jared Padalecki) who he encounters on a hunt. The story will involve flashbacks -- there's no word yet on who will play the younger version of Staite's character, Amy, but we have confirmed that Colin Ford will return as 15-year-old Sam.

The episode is currently shooting in Vancouver, directed by series star Jensen Ackles. Staite has been dropping vague hints about her appearance on the show via her official Twitter. "Off to Vancouver soon to shoot a juicy role in a show u guys know! Can only drop hints at this point. #1? No spaceships. To ride in or fix," she tweeted. "It's killing me not being allowed to tell u what it is! I keep secrets like I keep diets: Not well."

What do you think of Staite's casting, "Supernatural" fans? Do you think her character will survive the episode?

CASTLE (6/19; EPISODE CHANGE)

Note: This episode replaces "Murder Most Fowl."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Justin Bruening as "Rocket" Rob Tredwyck, Erik Palladino as Coach Rome, Brendan Hines as Alex Conrad, Andrew Lawrence as Tommy Marcone, Josie Loren as Bridget McManus, Michael Connelly as himself and Dennis J. Lehane as himself.

"The Dead Pool" was written by Matt Pyken and directed by Paul Holahan.

V Alum Morena Baccarin joins Showtime's Homeland

Morena Baccarin has been cast in Showtime's Homeland, slated to premiere this fall, Deadline.com reports.

In the psychological thriller, CIA officer Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes) is suspicious about the intel that led to the rescue of U.S. solider Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), presumed dead for nine years. Is it possible that this is an elaborate setup connected to an Al Qaeda plot?

Baccarin, who also previously starred opposite Nathan Fillion in Firefly, will play Brody's wife, replacing Laura Fraser, who played the role in the pilot.

Whedon directed final scene in 'Thor'

Kenneth Branagh took charge of the film, but Whedon was drafted in to shoot a scene that aired after the credits, which sets up comic book fans for his The Avengers movie and features a cluster of modern movie superheroes, including Thor and Iron Man.

In the scene, Skarsgard's character Erik Selvig meets Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who shows the scientist a mysterious glowing cube - as Thor's evil half-brother Loki looks on.

And now the Mamma Mia! star tells Empire magazine Whedon took over from Branagh for the clip.

He says, "I flew over there and went down into a basement and talked to Sam for a couple of minutes and went back... That was with the director Joss Whedon, who's doing The Avengers."

But Skarsgard refused to go into any details about the top secret The Avengers movie: "I know what's gonna happen to my character in that film, but I'm not allowed to say anything because I'd have to sell my house to pay for the fines for that."

Marvel and ABC Team for Castle-Inspired Graphic Novel

Marvel Entertainment and ABC Studios have teamed up to create a hardcover graphic novel inspired by the ABC's Castle, TVGuide.com has learned. Titled Richard Castle's Deadly Storm, it's the first partnership between Marvel and ABC since Disney, which owns ABC, acquired Marvel last year.

The book focuses on Derrick Storm, the protagonist of Richard Castle's most popular series of novels. Viewers may recall that Castle (Nathan Fillion) began following Beckett (Stana Katic) for inspiration for a new series of books after he made the decision to kill off Derrick Storm, with whom he'd become bored.

"We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Marvel to bring Richard Castle's early literary works to life," Castle creator and executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe said. "It's a great way to expand the Castle universe for all our fans."

The 112-page graphic novel will be written by Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) and Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain America and The Secret Avengers). Lan Medina (Fables) will handle the interior art; Carlo Pagulayan (Planet Hulk) created the cover art, which can be seen below as well as in Monday's Season 3 finale of Castle (10/9c, ABC).

This is the latest branding experiment ABC has tried with Castle. The network has already teamed with Hyperion Books to publish two novels — Heat Wave and Naked Heat — that parallel Castle's work with Beckett, the inspiration for the author's heroine Nikki Heat. A third book, Heat Rises, is due in the fall. ABC also launched RichardCastle.Net in April.

Richard Castle's Deadly Storm will be available in stores in September 2011.

CASTLE: Knockout -- SEASON FINALE (5/16)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Max Martini as Hal Lockwood, Brian Goodman as Gary McCallister, Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett, Matt McTighe as Chuck Ryker.

"Knockout" was written by Will Beall and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Pretty Dead (5/9)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Michael McKean as Victor Baron, Sasha Roiz as Bobby Stark, Teri Polo as Kayla Baron, Ken Baumann as Ashley, Arye Gross as M.E. Perlmutter, Bellamy Young as Candace Ford, Jonathan Slavin as Justin Hankel.

"Pretty Dead" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

Joss Whedon on a 'Dr. Horrible' sequel: 'We've done a lot of work on it'

It's just a question of when.

Asked if he'd ever consider producing a stage version of "Dr. Horrible," Whedon tells The New York Times that the idea has been brought up, but "my heart is more in the idea of the sequel. We've done a lot of work on it.

"We've got several songs near completion and we've got a very specific structure. We've just all got jobs," he says, referring to himself, brothers Zack and Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, who collaborated on "Dr. Horrible" during the 2007-08 writers strike. "And it's not like Neil [Patrick Harris], Nathan [Fillion] and Felicia [Day] ain't busy either. We get together at Christmas and family occasions, and then play each other our partial songs and go, 'Yup, that's still exactly as it was the last time we played it. We're great.' It's bad."

Whedon jokes that the sequel will be called "Dr. Horrible and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," given the difficulties of getting all the principals together. (For now, fans can peruse the recently released companion book to get their Horrible fix.)

He's also interested in producing more original content online, including an "Internet mini-thing" he's been working on with comics author Warren Ellis.

"I still believe it's a viable financial model and a creative playground, and I miss it," he tells the Times. "But in the year I that I was supposed to do that, I instead decided to make this little Sundance movie that I'm making."

That would be "The Avengers," which he's been prepping for some time now and is scheduled to start production next week. It's due for release in May 2012.

CASTLE: To Love and Die in L.A. (5/2)

In the episode, Gene Simmons (legendary rock star of KISS) appears as himself, Dominic Purcell ("Prison Break") guests as a local businessman who may have a connection to the murder, D.B. Sweeney ("The Cutting Edge") plays a detective in Robbery Homicide who questions Castle and Beckett about their rogue investigation, and Jason George ("Off the Map") guests as an entrepreneur with a connection to the murder case.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Gene Simmons as himself, Dominic Purcell as Russell Ganz, D.B. Sweeney as Detective Kyle Seeger, Jason George as Charles Kelvin, Justice Gamble as Ochoa (Esposito in the movie), Ryan Deal as Raley (Ryan in the movie).

"To Love and Die in L.A." was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by John Terlesky.

ABC Launches RichardCastle.Net

The new site gets a nifty little plug in Monday's episode, "The Dead Pool," in which Castle gives a young protégé (Lie to Me's Brendan Hines) some tips on how to turn real police work into thrilling fiction.

This is the latest branding experiment ABC has tried with Castle. The network has already teamed with Hyperion Books to publish two novels — Heat Wave and Naked Heat — that parallel Castle's work with Detective Beckett (Stana Katic), the inspiration for the author's heroine Nikki Heat. (Both books are available for purchase on the new website.) A third book, Heat Rises, is due in September.

The site will be frequently updated with videos and features. Users will also eventually be able to submit questions, which "Castle" will answer.

Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.

CASTLE: Knockdown (4/25)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Max Martini as Hal Lockwood, Joel Polis as John Raglan, Ajay Vidure as CSU tech, Brian Goodman as Gary McCallister, Jonathan Adams as Vulcan Simmons, Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett.

"Knockdown" was written by Will Beall and directed by Tom Wright.

'V's' Morena Baccarin visits 'The Mentalist': 'It's really nice to be human again!'

"I'm sort of waiting around to see what's going to happen with 'V,'" Baccarin says in this behind-the-scenes interview on set. "I thought in the meantime I'd stay busy and play another awesome, strong female character."

When Erica's husband -- who co-owns the business -- is found dead, floating in the marina, the CBI team steps in to investigate. Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) finds himself intrigued by the matchmaker, and he's convinced that she must have been involved with her husband's murder.

"I think that Patrick has maybe met his match in some way," Baccarin says.

As for working with the always captivating Simon Baker, she teases, "He sucks, terrible guy! Oh my god, the sweetest guy on the planet. And hot, hello. I'm nervous around him."

Taking a break from playing a cold, unfeeling lizard alien leaves Baccarin vulnerable to all those girly feelings. "I'm not Anna, I'm not the lizard, I'm just like, 'I don't know, does he think I'm cute?'" she jokes. Still, in the role, she's not exactly batting her eyelashes at Patrick. "I have to really fight against that actually. She's trying to draw him in and be strong and I have to keep it cool."

While we await word from ABC on whether "V" will see a third season, tune in Thursday night at 10 p.m. EST on CBS to catch Baccarin in a totally new role. "It'll be fun for my fans to see me in a different light," she says. "And to be human! Let's talk about that. It's really nice to be human again. It's crazy. I have emotion; I can show it again."

CASTLE: The Dead Pool (4/11)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Justin Bruening as "Rocket" Rob Tredwyck, Erik Palladino as Coach Rome, Brendan Hines as Alex Conrad, Andrew Lawrence as Tommy Marcone, Josie Loren as Bridget McManus, Michael Connelly as himself and Dennis J. Lehane as himself.

"The Dead Pool" was written by Matt Pyken and directed by Paul Holahan.

CASTLE: Slice of Death (4/4)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Gary Basaraba as Ralph Carbone, Peter Onorati as Sal Malavolta, John Ciccolini as Vinnie Delfino, Joe Guzaldo as Luca Sabalini, Liz Vassey as Monica Wyatt, Gregg Daniel as Walt Shaw, Darin Brooks as Nick Jr., Beth Behrs as Ginger, Alton Clemente as server and Stephan Smith Collins as Harley.

“Slice of Death” was written by Scott Williams and directed by Steve Boyum.

Morena Baccarin on V's Deadly Season Finale

Wow! Did you watch V's go-for-broke season finale last night? Series star Morena Baccarin didn't. Only because she's visiting her home in Brazil (where V's not shown), while awaiting word on whether or not ABC will renew her struggling series for a third season. The concluding episode of Season 2 — in which a whopping three series regulars were murdered — certainly begs for a resolution, if only to see how loved ones react to the deaths of their family and friends. I phoned Morena down in South America to find out what it was like shooting this emotional wrap-up and what she hopes to see in Season 3.

TV Guide Magazine: Well Miss Morena, V sure delivered the goods last night.

Baccarin: I think it's so intense and so sad.

TV Guide Magazine: As teased, three series regulars were killed off. Your character, Anna, pierced her tail right through Diana [Jane Badler]; Anna's daughter, Lisa No. 2, mated with Tyler [Logan Huffman] and then sunk her teeth into him as Lisa No. 1 [Laura Vandervoort] watched in horror; and Ryan [Morris Chestnut] had his neck snapped by the tail of his rapidly-aging daughter. It must have been a rough day on set when that script was released.

Baccarin: It was really sad and hard on all of us. I think Morris is a little bit less final than the others, so we don't know if he's coming back or not. For all intents and purposes, Ryan's dead, but you don't really see him die, so you never know. But with Jane, I knew I was sticking my tail through her, so that's a little hard to out-maneuver. Jane was really sad because she really loved her time with us, and we'd embraced her into the family. And with Logan it was especially sad. He'd been with us from the beginning, and we see him as the kid in the show no matter how old he is. But I think it's great that we went this far; it really makes it. We needed Erica [Elizabeth Mitchell] to suffer a major loss to really go the length she needs to go. It's going to be great in the end, but it's really hard on everybody when it happens.

TV Guide Magazine: For the first time, we got to see one of the Vs sans skin in its full glory, and it looked a lot like the creatures from the Alien films. So that's what you look like under your synthetic human skin, eh?

Baccarin: (Laughs) It's so creepy. It doesn't just look like a lizard; it looks like a prehistoric figure.

TV Guide Magazine: What have you heard about the chances of a third season?

Baccarin: I hear good things about the show and we're still in the running. It's just a waiting game and I'm trying to stay busy.

TV Guide Magazine: If the second season finale ends up being the series finale, how would you feel about it being the concluding chapter?

Baccarin:I think there are worse ways for it to end. We got some completion in terms of knowing what Anna's plans are and whether or not it can work. But it would be frustrating because you want to see who wins. That's the big question. It would be unsatisfying to leave it like this, but if we don't have a choice, it's not the worst way to go. You see some finality to some relationships — Lisa/Tyler obviously. You see that Lisa is definitely going to be joining Fifth Column. And you see Anna become more maniacal than ever, scaring my people into submission. And you see Erica and the Fifth Column grow by uniting with the Marc Singer character. It escalated the tension with some resolution.

TV Guide Magazine: What would you be most curious to see in a third season?

Baccarin: I want to see who wins, dammit. And we'd continue with the theme of Erica becoming less human, and Anna becoming more human, irrational and emotional. I'd really like to see that. I would like to see Anna experience some kind of loss with this child she's grown to love, and perhaps have an attraction to somebody human, which would really throw a wrench in her plans.

TV Guide Magazine: Whom have you kept in touch with from your V family since you wrapped a couple months ago?

Baccarin: I've kept in touch with Laura and Scott Wolf [Chad] quite a bit, and I just got a very sweet email from Elizabeth this morning telling me she loved the show.

TV Guide Magazine: What's next for you?

Baccarin:: I'm going back to L.A. where I'm going to do a lot of gardening and landscaping.

Morena will also appear as a murder suspect in the April 7 episode of The Mentalist. Look for her preview of the episode in an upcoming issue of TV Guide Magazine.

CASTLE: Law & Murder (3/28)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

"Law & Murder" was written by Terence Paul Winter and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

Life continues to be one big disappointment for 'Firefly' fans

Duh.

Blastr (via Movieline) takes a look at the progress of some die-hard browncoats' attempts to buy the rights to the series from 20th Century Fox (so Nathan Fillion, who made an offhand remark about doing just that if he won the lottery, could revive the deceased series), and it looks as though the death knell has come down directly from Camp Whedon.

"Dollhouse" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" writer -- and bride of Whedon's brother Jed -- Maurissa Tancharoen broke the news to fans with what some might interpret as a dismissive tweet. "Guys, no one in the Whedonverse is in support of www.helpnathanbuyfirefly.com," she writes, "Please save your money!"

Naturally, everyone involved took this very well and dropped the subject. Kidding! They got real mad, and some of them even harassed poor Tancharoen on Twitter. So she posted a rational, conversation-ending rebuttal, which just begs to be reprinted in full:

"I think what some people don't understand is - by "no one in the Whedonverse is in support of HNBF" I meant that no one is officially involved in any capacity. This is a pure fan movement. There just needed to be clarification. There were many questions coming my way so I finally answered. I wasn't trying to bash dreams, by all means come together and show your love for Firefly. But when money is involved (and pledges are meant to become real $ at some point, yes?) things get tricky... I wasn't going to say anything else on the subject as I didn't want to further fuel the already out of control fire, but unkind things have been said. And honestly, I'm afraid that I've grown afraid of the internet. Still got mad love for the Browncoats. Over and out for a bit..."

"Help Nathan Fillion Buy 'Firefly,"' as fun as it sounded, was the TV equivalent to the Bridge to Nowhere. Let's just be thankful that the little money raised will now go to charities, and that we have 13 episodes and a feature film to cherish for all time.

CASTLE: One Life to Lose (3/21)

In the episode, a murder has been committed on the set of "Temptation Lane," one of New York's longest running soap operas. Sarah Cutler, the head writer on the soap, has been killed with a fire axe. Castle & Beckett quickly discover that the behind the scenes drama at "Temptation Lane" is just as scandalous as the fictitious storylines, and just about everyone would kill to get ahead. Ultimately, Castle's unique skill set as a writer leads to a discovery about the killer and the secret he or she would do anything to protect.

Character teasers: Lance Buchanan (Bernsen), a rugged, self-assured, veteran actor on "Temptation Lane," has a romantic history with Castle's mother, Martha Rodgers; Mandy Bronson (Budig) is the young and gorgeous diva lead actress on the soap opera who is very aware of her sexuality and uses it to her advantage any chance she gets; Vince Bowers (Mathison) is the devastated husband of the victim, and as a director on "Temptation Lane" is very involved in the backstage drama; and Gloria Chambers (Seymour), the grieving mother of the murder victim, is revealed in a shocking twist to have a deep, dark secret that she's desperate to keep.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion (who was on the daytime series "One Life to Live" as Joey Buchanan from 1994-1997 and on two episodes in 2007) as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Corbin Bernsen as Lance Buchanan, Rebecca Budig as Mandy Bronson, Cameron Mathison as Vince Bowers, Jane Seymour as Gloria Chambers.

"One Life to Lose" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by David M. Barrett.

Nathan Fillion is king of "Castle"

He has flawlessly embodied confident characters you love despite (or maybe because of) their brash confidence. Think "Firefly" leader Malcolm Reynolds, "Dr. Horrible" hero Captain Hammer, or his current incarnation as self-assured mystery writer Richard Castle on ABC's hit "Castle.

In real life, Fillion is decidedly more easygoing. Perhaps it's a Canadian thing; Fillion was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, the son of teachers who, as a child, he can remember adults approaching on the street to thank for changing their lives. Those parents, he says, helped instill in him a sense of gratitude and appreciation.

Of his prolific career, he says, "I think I've been really good at surrounding myself with really talented people. I've picked the right coattails to ride on."

Despite having won countless numbers of dedicated fans from his time on such cult series as "Firefly" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," not to mention starring on hit shows like "Desperate Housewives," he maintains, "I don't expect anybody to know who I am."

BACK STAGE: YOU WERE STILL IN COLLEGE IN CANADA WHEN YOU BOOKED THE ROLE OF JOEY BUCHANAN ON "ONE LIFE TO LIVE" ... HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO LAND THE JOB OUT OF CANADA?

Fillion: I had just barely passed one of my courses and was thinking I would go back for a summer session to pull up my GPA, and the phone rang and a lady casting out of New York for "One Life to Live" had found a tape that I had sent the year prior to Vancouver for a Canadian movie that I didn't get. And that tape went from Vancouver to L.A. to New York without my knowledge. Just casting directors passing it on over the course of a year. They called me and said, "If you're still interested, we'll fax you a script, you FedEx us a tape. Three weeks later, I'm living in New York City."

BACK STAGE: YOU PERFORMED THEATRESPORTS WITH THE RAPID FIRE THEATER COMPANY, IMPROVISING A SOAP OPERA EVERY WEEK. WAS THAT GOOD TRAINING FOR DOING AN ACTUAL SOAP OPERA?

Fillion: They're two totally different animals. Nothing could have prepared me for the kind of work that was ahead of me on daytime. It's a 44-minute program every day that they put out. One scene will be seven minutes or 10 minutes, and you just keep going and you don't stop. I can't even imagine going back now, even having had that boot camp. But my experience there was so positive. If I wanted to learn something, there were people that have been there 30 years who are willing to say, "No problem, let me help you."

BACK STAGE: WAS IT THEN HARD TO LEAVE, PARTICULARLY AT THE HEIGHT OF YOUR POPULARITY ON THE SHOW?

Fillion: I had a great storyline between Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser, the two heavy hitters on our show. And it was incredibly difficult to fail between those two. But the guy who played my uncle, Bob Woods, sat me down two years into my three-year contract and basically told me how things were going to unfold and how I had a choice in front of me. He encouraged me to move to Los Angeles and try it out.

BACK STAGE: YOU SEEMED TO WORK A LOT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE.

Fillion: When I moved out to L.A., I got four or five jobs in a row that were fantastic. I did "Saving Private Ryan" and "Blast From the Past" and I did these guest spots that I had a great time on. And then I went for nearly a year without working. Still auditioning; sometimes five times a week, and I couldn't get anything. I was paying my rent on credit and waiting on a tax return so I could pay off my credit card bill. I was so anxious to work again. I didn't want to do anything else; I didn't want to wait tables, I wanted to continue acting. I wanted that feeling back of going to work every day and collaborating with people and doing good scenes. I was reaching for the phone to call "One Life to Live" to ask about coming back. And the phone rang and it was for a guest shot on a sitcom with Faith Ford. I did that and the following week I got a job on a sitcom next door to it, which was "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place." I did 10 episodes with them, and they invited me back as a regular. And I did two seasons.

BACK STAGE: YOU HEADLINED "FIREFLY" FOR JOSS WHEDON BUT HAD ACTUALLY AUDITIONED TO PLAY ANGEL ON HIS SHOW "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" ORIGINALLY. DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN YOU DIDN'T GET THE FIRST JOB IT COULD LEAD TO SOMETHING BETTER DOWN THE ROAD AND THIS ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH WHEDON?

Fillion: Not at the time. You understand your job as an actor is to audition. Your job is to go out there and look for work ... When Joss found out that I auditioned for Angel -- he didn't know -- he felt bad. He said, "I don't remember you." I told him not to worry, I never made the first cut ... And when "Firefly" was canceled, he said, "Come and do the last five episodes of 'Buffy' for me." And then, of course, "Dr. Horrible."

BACK STAGE: WAS THE JOB ON "CASTLE" AN OFFER?

Fillion: I had a holding deal and a stack of scripts to look at. I was going through them all and I remember reading it, I was 15 pages in, and I turned to my girlfriend and said, "I'm going to read this out loud to you. You tell me if you don't think this would be a ball to play." We laughed and laughed and read our way through the script. I was working on "Desperate Housewives" at the time but only for the year. And the "Castle" producers were kind enough to come to my trailer for a meeting. I told them, "Stop looking. I'm your guy. I can do this, I know just what to do." Which I've never done!

V: Mother's Day -- SEASON FINALE (3/15)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Marc Singer as Lars Tremont, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Jay Karnes as Chris Bolling, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Martin Cummins as Thomas.

"Mother's Day" was written by Scott Rosenbaum & Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Behind the Scenes with Castle Stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic

Morena Baccarin will guest-star on 'The Mentalist'

Syfy Resurrects Terminator, Sets Stargate, Sanctuary Returns

It will air four hours of the late Fox series, which starred Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau, every Thursday starting at 7/6c.

In other scheduling news, the network has set Monday, March 7 (10/9c) as the premiere date for the final 10-episode season of Stargate Universe.

Top Chef alum Marcel Vigneron's new series Marcel's Quantum Kitchen will make its debut on Tuesday, March 22 (10/9c). Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files will return the following night at 10/9c. Sanctuary will round out the spring premieres, debuting Friday, April 15 (10/9c).

Castle: Inside TV's Hottest Romance

But the news gets worse when the steel door to the freezer suddenly slams shut, trapping both Beckett and Castle inside. Ensuing cries for help go unanswered, and a desperate attempt to blast the lock with ammunition fails, leaving the shivering crime-solving duo with only one option: cling to each for warmth — and some major they-so-belong-together sparks. "It's cold in that freezer," says Katic with a sly smile during an on-set break. "But maybe the heat between them can keep them alive."

Castle producers surely hope the episode, which caps an explosive two-parter that began February 21, will generate some off-screen heat as well. With a season-to-date average of 10.4 million viewers, the quirky crime procedural is such a reliable performer in its Mondays-at-10pm time slot that, in January, ABC execs gifted its cast and crew with an early renewal for Season 4. But what the show still needs — and thanks to a smart, seamless blend of mystery, romance, action and humor, deserves — is the buzz that could help it build beyond its loyal fan base to become a breakout hit. "It feels like, for the most part, people either love us or they've never heard of us," says creator Andrew Marlowe. "It boggles my mind that we could've been on for three years and there are still people out there who are like, 'What's Castle?'"

It doesn't help that ABC's current schedule isn't exactly bursting with character-driven procedurals. (The net's other cop drama is the struggling Detroit 1-8-7.) If it were, there would be more opportunities to advertise Castle to an audience that may be predisposed to watch it. "Marketing a procedural at ABC is a challenge," admits Marlowe. "I think there are a lot more people out there who could be enjoying our show."

The normally easygoing Fillion confesses to feeling frustrated by the lack of promotional love. "I dropped 60 bucks on the lottery [recently]," says the actor, who developed a cult following thanks to roles on such buzzy series as Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "I didn't win. But if I did, my plan was to buy some commercials for Castle so you couldn't watch TV without seeing one. I believe people will listen if you tell them, 'This is a good show. Get in on it.'"

Now's certainly the time. Castle has found its groove in Season 3, striking an artful balance between the offbeat cases that have become its trademark — a scientist who may be the victim of an alien abduction! The owner of a magic shop drowned in Houdini's water-torture tank! — and more serious-minded efforts, like this month's two-part event, which becomes a race against the clock to prevent another terrorist attack in New York City. Heroes' Adrian Pasdar guest stars as a federal agent who, Marlowe quips, is "the Castle version of Jack Bauer." "Initially, I'm perceived as a hardass," Pasdar explains. "My character is single-minded and driven to a point where it ruffles some feathers. But ultimately you understand exactly why he needs to get the job done right. There's a reason he is who he is."

The formative tragedy that compelled Beckett to become a cop — the unsolved murder of her mother — took center stage in another dramatic standout that aired in January. The same episode also dialed up the sexual chemistry between the emotionally guarded homicide detective and her amateur partner when they shared a long-awaited kiss. When he read the steamy scene, which started out as a case-driven diversion but quickly turned into something more, Fillion admits his first thought was, "Wow, [fans] are gonna go nuts when they see this! Once two people engage like that, there's no going back."

Or is there? Neither Castle nor Beckett has broached the subject of the liplock since — and still won't, even when they face the possibility of death by freezer. "I don't feel like that's a cheat at all," insists Marlowe. "To confront the kiss head-on wouldn't be true to either of the characters. She's never been open about how she feels about anything, and he usually finds a way to joke about everything. By not doing that, you understand how important it really was to him."

While Marlowe concedes network execs have concerns about letting the pair embark on a relationship — "Everyone talks about the Moonlighting curse" — ultimately, he considers his show less a murder-mystery caper than a grand love story. Which means the answer to the eternal question of "Will they or won't they?" is a resounding "They will." "I'm absolutely convinced there's quality storytelling to be had after they get together," says Marlowe, who's been married since 1997 to fellow Castle writer Terri Miller. "Anybody who's been in a relationship knows that they have complexities and compromises. There's plenty of stuff to mine."

For more with the Castle crew, pick up this week's issue of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands Thursday, February 24!

Nathan Fillion talks, 'Firefly' fans listen (and pledge their money)

The campaign kicked off last week following an interview with "Firefly" star Nathan Fillion, who told EW that "If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to 'Firefly,' make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet."

That was all the Browncoats needed. Following the interview, a website called Help Nathan Buy "Firefly" and a Facebook group of the same name launched. As of this posting, the Facebook group has more than 18,000 fans, and the site says it will start taking pledges (though not actual dollars) from fans soon.

While it probably wouldn't take $300 million to relaunch "Firefly," money is not the only issue in play. Leaving aside the fact that Fillion ("Castle"), creator Joss Whedon ("The Avengers") and other members of the cast and crew have other jobs now, there's also the matter of buying the rights to the show. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox TV, and it's not interested in selling the property.

Even if the fund-raising effort doesn't amount to anything, though, it at least shows that eight years after it was canceled (and five-plus after the follow-up movie "Serenity" was released), there's still a devoted fanbase for "Firefly." If they're willing to shell out their own money to bring the show back to life, maybe someone will take note.

V: Devil in a Blue Dress (3/8)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Ona Grauer as Kerry Eltoff, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Bret Harrison as Dr. Sidney Miller, Martin Cummins as Thomas.

"Devil in a Blue Dress" was written by Hans Tobeason and directed by Ralph Hemecker.

CASTLE: Nikki Heat (3/7)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Laura Prepon as Natalie Rhodes, Thomas Calabro as Scott Donner, Stephen Macht as Bill Wellington, Melody Thomas Scott as Tonya Wellington, Randall Batinkoff as Brad Williams.

"Nikki Heat" was written by David Grae and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

V: Uneasy Lies the Head (3/1)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Ona Grauer as Kerry Eltoff, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Bret Harrison as Dr. Sidney Miller, Martin Cummins as Thomas.

"Uneasy Lies the Head" was written by Cameron Litvack & Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Jeff Woolnough.

CASTLE: Countdown (2/28)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Adrian Pasdar as Agent Mark Fallon, Victor Webster as Josh Davidson, Lochlyn Munro as Kevin McCann, Baher Soomekh as Nazihah Alhabi, Monica Kenna as Charlene McCann.

"Countdown" was written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Bill Roe.

Nathan Fillion Lights It Up as Green Lantern

And he's getting to share it with an old friend, Ryan Reynolds, who is starring in the Green Lantern feature film, which opens 10 days after the DVD comes out. Both actors got their big breaks together on the ABC sitcom Two Guys and a Girl. "He's a great guy, a gem, deserves all the success that he's getting," says Fillion, "so it's neat to have a little piece and share it with someone you know.

The voice cast for Green Lantern: Emerald Knights also includes Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies), Kelly Hu (Hawaii Five-0, The Vampire Diaries), actor/spoken-word artist Henry Rollins and ex-wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

V: Birth Pangs (2/22)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Samantha Ferris as Felicia Castro, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Zak Santiago as John Fierro, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Marny Eng as Dr. Veena Rai.

"Birth Pangs" was written by Cathryn Humphris and directed by David Barrett.

CASTLE: Setup (2/21)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Adrian Pasdar as Agent Mark Fallon, Victor Webster as Josh Davidson, Bahar Soomekh as Nazihah Alhabi, Lochlyn Munro as Kevin McCann, Alon Aboutboul as Fariq Yusef.

"Setup" was written by David Amann and directed by Rob Bowman.

'The Avengers': Morena Baccarin, Cobie Smulders on short list for 'sidekick' role

Morena Baccarin ("V") and Cobie Smulders ("How I Met Your Mother") are among those testing for the role later this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. So are former "Melrose Place" star Jessica Lucas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"). (From left in the photo above: Baccarin, Smulders, Lucas and Winstead.)

Whoever wins the role will be playing Nick Fury's "sidekick" -- so says Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson. He was a guest on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" Wednesday (Feb. 2) and told Fallon that he was set to do screen tests with "about five" actresses on Friday. (The interview is below; Jackson also talks about shooting brief scenes for "Thor" and "Captain America" and about his upcoming HBO movie "The Sunset Limited.")

The HR also notes that the part comes with a multi-picture deal, likely meaning that the character would appear in future movies featuring "Avengers" characters.

Until now, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow had been the only major female role in "The Avengers," which will bring together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

Joss Whedon is directing "The Avengers," which is scheduled to begin filming in April.

NBC Reduces The Cape Episode Order

News is not too surprising: Ratings for the superhero drama have fallen steadily since the show's premiere in January. Monday's episode drew 5.3 million viewers, down from the previous week's 5.7 million, and two-hour premiere's 8.4 million.

A rep for the show says NBC plans to air the remaining episodes as scheduled.

The Cape stars David Lyons as Vince Faraday, an honest police detective who turns into a caped vigilante after he is framed for a murder he didn't commit. Keith David, Summer Glau and James Frain also star in the series.

V: Siege (2/15)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Oded Fehr as Eli Cohn, Jay Karnes as Chris Bolling, Nicholas Lea as Joe Evans, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Christopher Shyer as Marcus.

"Siege" was written by Dean Widenmann and directed by John Behring.

CASTLE: The Final Nail (2/14)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jason Wiles as Damian Westlake, Tom Irwin as Simon Campbell, Alicia Coppola as Amber Patinelli, Efrain Figueroa as Ray Salazar, Andrea Bogart as Callie Langston.

"The Final Nail" was written by Moira Kirland and directed by John Terlesky.

V: Concordia (2/8)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Oded Fehr as Eli Cohn, Jay Karnes as Chris Bolling, Nicholas Lea as Joe Evans, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Christopher Shyer as Marcus.

"Concordia" was written by David Rambo and directed by Jesse Warn.

CASTLE: Lucky Stiff (2/7)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Clare Carey as Noreen Hixton, Wilmer Calderon as Marvin "Oz" Osminkowski, Greg Alan Williams as Jim Van-Eps, Ned Bellamy as Logan Meech.

"Lucky Stiff" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Emile Levisetti.

V: Unholy Alliance (2/1)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Jay Karnes as Chris Bolling, Oded Fehr as Eli Cohn, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Scott Hylands as Father Travis.

"Unholy Alliance" was written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and directed by Dean White.

CASTLE: Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind (1/31)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Lyle Lovett as Agent Westfield, Lance Henrickson as Benny Stryker, Jeanette Brox as Ayyana Holder, Karl T. Wright as Dr. Chuck Vaughn.

"Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind" was written by Shalisha Francis and directed by Bethany Rooney.

ABC Renews Grey's, Castle and More - But Which Shows Were Left Out?

Medical dramas Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, crime drama Castle and the network's three sophomore comedies, The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town will each return next season.

"We really stood by our Wednesday comedy block and who would have thought a year ago that The Middle, which I think is such an underrated show, would kick off what I think is one of the best nights of comedy," ABC President Paul Lee said at the Television Critics Association's winter previews. "That's a core part of our schedule."

Lee also said Grey's and Private Practice "were really at the top of their creative form" this season, while he heavily praised Castle's performance in the difficult Mondays-at-10 timeslot. (The show topped CBS' buzzed-about Hawaii Five-0 reboot several times in the fall.)

"Castle really showed its mettle this year," Lee said. "It's a show that I think hits the target of our brand. ... We have a really powerful procedural there."

Notably absent from the pickups, however, were Sunday dramas Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Housewives creator Marc Cherry is contracted for two more seasons, but contracts for stars Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria expire at the end of this season.

Brothers & Sisters' renewal prospects have been debated all season. The network originally ordered only 18 episodes for its current season. Decent ratings then led ABC to up the order to the traditional 22 episodes.

This batch of early renewals doesn't necessarily mean those two shows or other network series such as Detroit 1-8-7, V and Better with You are doomed. Lee said the network "[has] ambitions" to renew Housewives and that a decision about Detroit wouldn't come for two or three months.

Castle: Will "Nikki Heat" Bring Castle and Beckett Closer?

That's because Castle (Nathan FIllion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) are being shadowed by Hollywood starlet Natalie Rhodes (guest star Laura Prepon), who has been chosen to play Nikki Heat, the character Castle based on Beckett, in the movie adaptation of his novel. But Castle's imagination doesn't run wild right away. In fact, he thinks Natalie, best known as a horror movie scream queen, is completely wrong to play his beloved character.

"At first, he's like, 'I can't believe this actress is playing Nikki Heat,'" Prepon tells TVGuide.com. "But my character starts to grow on everybody and prove herself. At first he's not into it, but he gets into it and is confused because he's secretly in love with Beckett."

Beckett, on the other hand, is thrilled to have Natalie follow her around — at least at first. "She shows up and wants to follow Beckett to get an understanding of what the character's about," creator Andrew W. Marlowe says. "Beckett is very excited because she's a fan, but then over the course of the episode, it feels a little bit to her like Single White Female, like this woman is taking over her personality."

Yes, Natalie masters the lingo and the stance at the murder board. She even goes as far as donning a brown wig and making a move on Castle — all in the name of Method acting, of course. "She needs to feel a connection between her and Jameson Rook, who is essentially the Castle character in the books," Prepon says. "But obviously she has a crush on Castle. There's definitely some love triangle stuff. The character's never been turned down before, and Castle's just confused because there's the real Beckett and the pretend Beckett."

But Natalie's attempts to woo Castle might just bring Castle and the real Beckett closer. Let's not forget: The duo's first kiss is drawing nigh.

"What's cool about playing someone who's coming into the situation totally objectively is that she can totally see, like, 'Oh my God, these two are totally into each other but are not admitting it,'" Prepon says. "It's fun to be the character that shakes things up and gets them both to realize [they] should do something about it. [She's] that objective observer who can lay it out for them and stir up the pot a little bit."

Castle returns Monday at 10/9c on ABC.

Morena Baccarin tackles a 'larger-than-life' character in 'V'

"In the first episode of the new season, you see what the red sky is and what my plans are with that," she says. "By the second episode you'll see a full lizard body—not mine," she hastens to add, "but you will see some weird Anna body parts, other-worldly things."

Jane Badler, who played the alien leader Diana in the original V series in 1983, will be unveiled as Anna's mother. "We wanted to find someone who Anna might be intimidated by," Baccarin, 31, says. "That was hard because Anna is such a hard-ass."

Would Baccarin say the same about herself? "I do have those qualities about me," she admits. "I'm very strong-willed and determined, but I think I'm a lot nicer than Anna and softer."

She credits her short hair with helping provide menace. "When I auditioned, I had this haircut," Baccarin says. "I'd just finished Death in Love. They wanted me to have a certain look that would remind people of a concentration camp.

"I wanted to keep the haircut for Anna, but there was a question from the network about whether it would alienate people. Some people have strong opinions about women with short hair. They find it very masculine and severe. Others think it's soft and feminine and makes your features stand out. It can be an Audrey Hepburn kind of thing."

The look works. "Everyone knows that Anna is an alien, so that element of weird is already there," Baccarin says. "I try to make her as human as possible, and I find that's actually scary. There's a cold quality to her, but I play against that and say things with a smile or in a nice way. I want to give mixed messages and confuse people. I'll say, 'Go kill that person,' but I'll say it nicely, and they'll go, 'What did you say?'"

Baccarin was born in Rio de Janeiro but moved to New York with her parents and younger brother when she was six. "My dad was a news editor for a Brazilian news station, and they had offices in New York and London," she says. "At the time the economy was in terrible shape in Brazil, although it's booming now. They were worried about us growing up there and what kind of life would we have."

Baccarin recalls the move being traumatic because she didn't speak any English. "And it was difficult not being close to my grandmother and my cousins. About a year in, my mother told my father, 'I'm moving the kids back to Brazil. You stay here, and we'll figure it out.' She put us in an American school, and we lived in Brazil for a few more years until I learned to speak a little English."

Baccarin, who attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the school made famous in Fame) and then The Juilliard School, wouldn't mind doing Shakespeare somewhere down the line. Anna almost fits in, if you compare her with Lady Macbeth. "There's a lot of ambition in there, for sure," the actress says. "Anna is a larger-than-life character, a very complex character, with big wants and needs. She takes the expression 'Kill them with kindness' to a whole new level."

CASTLE: 3XK (1/17)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Lee Tergesen as Marcus Gates, Michael Mosley as Jerry Tyson, Brian Klugman as Paul McCardle, Joe O'Connor as Cal Townsend, Anne Marie Howard as Angela Russo.

"3XK" was written by David Amann and directed by Bill Roe.

V: Laid Bare (1/18)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Bret Harrison as Dr. Sidney Miller, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Malik, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus.

"Laid Bare" was written by Gwendolyn M. Parker and directed by David Barrett.

V: Serpent's Tooth

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Bret Harrison as Dr. Sidney Miller, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Malik, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus.

"Serpent's Tooth" was written by Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Steve Shill.

CASTLE: Poof! You're Dead (1/10)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Gilles Marini as magician Tobias Strange, Carrie Genzel as Naomi Dahl, Jeff Hephner as Edmund and Zalman Drake, Brett Cullen as Christian Dahl, Chadwick Boseman as Chuck Russell.

"Poof! You're Dead" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Millicent Shelton.

V: Red Rain -- SEASON PREMIERE (1/4)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest stars include Jane Badler as Diana, Bret Harrison as Dr. Sidney Miller, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Malik, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus.

"Red Rain" was written by Scott Rosenbaum & Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Nikki Heat (1/3)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Laura Prepon as Natalie Rhodes, Thomas Calabro as Scott Donner, Stephen Macht as Bill Wellington, Melody Thomas Scott as Tonya Wellington, Randall Batinkoff as Brad Williams.

"Nikki Heat" was written by David Grae and directed by Jeff Bleckner.

CASTLE: Anatomy of a Murder (12/27)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Nathan Lam as Rabbi, Cynthia Frost as Tova, John Kassir as Mr. Dreyfus, William Allen Young as Jerry Camden, Michael Cassidy as Greg McClintock, Monet Mazur as Gina Griffin.

"Anatomy of a Murder" was written byTerence Paul Winter and directed by John Terlesky.

V: Red Sky (1/1)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Lucas Wolf as Samuel.

"Red Sky" was written by Scott Rosenbaum & Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill.

V: Fruition (1/1)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik and Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman.

"Fruition" was written by John Wirth & Natalie Chaidez and directed by Bryan Spicer.

V: Pilot (1/1)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna, and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, Britt Irvin as Haley Gordon, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, and Stefan Arngrim as Roy.

"Pilot" was written by Scott Peters and directed by Yves Simoneau.

CASTLE: A Deadly Game / A Deadly Affair (12/20)

First, in "A Deadly Game," nothing is as it seems when Castle and Beckett investigate what appears to be the assassination of an intelligence operative. Meanwhile, Beckett's romance with Demming threatens her relationship with Castle, forcing them to confront their feelings for each other. Stephen J. Cannell, Michael Connelly and James Patterson guest star as themselves playing poker with Castle (Rebroadcast. OAD 5/17/10).

Then, in "A Deadly Affair," Castle has been absent since leaving for the Hamptons months ago to finish his second Nikki Heat novel, so when Beckett and her team burst into a shadowy apartment on the trail of a murderer, the last thing they expect to see is the real-life Castle standing over a dead woman's body holding a gun! As Castle protests his innocence, Beckett has no choice but to arrest him on suspicion of murder (Rebroadcast. OAD: 9/20/10).

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest starring in "A Deadly Game" are Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Monet Mazur as Gina, Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, James Patterson as himself, Mitch Pileggi as Hans Bremel. The spisode was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Guest starring in "A Deadly Affair" are Michael Rady as Evan Murphy, Charlene Amoia as Ana Marie, Gino Cafarelli as Dean Carbino, Justice Gamble as bartender, Lisa O'Hare as Kitty Canary, Craig Gellis as Earl Moreland. The episode was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

`Castle' alert: Beckett, Castle share first kiss

Played by series stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, the pair locked lips in a scene filmed outside a downtown warehouse late Thursday for a January episode.

As "Castle" fans know, the show's weekly whodunits share equal weight with the will-they-or-won't-they romance conundrum for the lead characters.

Castle is a best-selling mystery writer and single dad who is an eager consultant with the New York Police Department. Beckett is the no-nonsense detective ordered to work with him. Their growing sexual tension — and banter — is reminiscent of the 1980s "Moonlighting" mystery series with Sybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis.

Sooner or later, however, TV viewers demand results from such chemistry lessons.

"Castle" executive producer-creator Andrew W. Marlowe said Friday he's aware that many loyalists are rooting for Castle and Beckett to "take their relationship to the next level." The show couldn't hold off forever, Marlowe said.

But ratings can suffer when a lively mating dance turns to humdrum romance, so expect "Castle" to take it slow on the potential road to love.

The Castle-Beckett smooch comes during an episode about Beckett's long-frustrated effort to solve her mother's murder. There's more to the lingering embrace and kisses than passion, according to the script. The episode's January date has yet to be determined, ABC said.

"Castle" (10 p.m. ET Monday) has become a hit for the network, routinely landing in the top 20 in the Nielsen ratings and attracting more than 10 million viewers weekly in its third season. It has also inspired mystery novels published under Castle's name and featuring a fictional heroine, Detective Nikki Heat, based on the fictional Beckett.

CASTLE: Punked (12/13)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Victor Webster as Josh Davidson, Ken Baumann as Ashley, Eden Riegel as Rachel Goldstein, Andrew Leeds as Adam Murphy, Ramon De Ocampo as Owen Peterson, Thomas Kopache as Abe Sandrich, Jen Lilley as Julia Foster.

"Punked" was written by David Grae and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Last Call 12/06

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Sam Page as Brian Elliott, Jillian Clare as Gracie, Chris Mulkey as Wilbur Pittorino, Alexandra Barreto as Annie Swift, Rand Holdren as Pete Mucha, Oliver Muirhead as Steven Heisler.

"Last Call" was written by Scott Williams and directed by Bryan Spicer.

ABC Orders More 'Castle'

The Monday night show has been nipping at the heels of CBS' Hawaii Five-0 this fall.

The additional pickup brings the show's third season total to 24 episodes.

CASTLE: Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind (11/15)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Lyle Lovett as Agent Westfield, Lance Henrickson as Benny Stryker, Jeanette Brox as Ayyana Holder, Karl T. Wright as Dr. Chuck Vaughn.

"Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind" was written by Shalisha Francis and directed by Bethany Rooney.

Will They or Won't They? Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic Talk Castle Romance

Correction: People like, love Castle.

After mentioning that we'd be visiting the set for scoop, you asked us via Twitter/email for the goods and bless you for it, 'cause we have some serious business to discuss, friends: Could the writers of Castle be trying to pull Beckett (Stana Katic) and Castle (Nathan Fillion) apart to keep things fresh? Here's what we learned:

Our crime-solving heroes might be spending some serious time apart over the next batch of episodes.

Nathan reveals that the dynamic between Castle's two main characters has changed this season, thanks to the addition of a third and fourth party. He says, "I think we're going to see a little more of Beckett on her own, with this new beau perhaps, and Castle on his own with his ex- wife, who's now, again, his girlfriend. They've been very good about exploring this will-they-or-won't-they relationship, and this year a new twist on it is that they are both in separate but viable relationships. And it's not, 'Oh my god, it's so obvious that person's so wrong for them, but real, honest, great people who are deserving of love and trust in these relationships.' "

In case you haven't heard about Beckett's fella, Stana tells us, "In one of the upcoming episodes, Beckett is dating a character named Josh who's played by Victor Webster. Victor is this tall, gorgeous Canadian who's guested on the show, and apparently he's a bike-riding bad boy who's also a cardiac surgeon. So hopefully it'll bring some fun competition and romantic tension to the set and to the show." (Editor's note: McDreamy + Jax = McSeriousCompetitionForCastle.)

So what's Stana's take on the sexual tension between Castle and Beckett? Do they have what it takes for the long term, or could they really be torn asunder by the likes of Victor's Josh? Stana says, "I always feel naive saying that I think that characters can get together and still have a spicy relationship. I don't mind if they get together. I think that they fit and fill each other's lives really well. He's her perfect opposite, she's his perfect opposite, and in some ways they are each other's perfect parallel, because they are both really passionate about the same thing, which is solving crimes. Everyone's always [talking about] this Moonlighting curse, but then I'm like you know there's [also] Mr. and Mrs. Smith [as a counterexample], and everything was fine with them, and they were superspicy."

Oh, and speaking of romance, there's more than just Castle-Beckett happening on Castle. We hear that things might start getting serious for Lanie (Tamala Jones) and Esposito (Jon Huertas) around episode 11.

Excited? Are you for or against Castle and Beckett getting together? Do you think these new relationships will complicate things long-term or are they just temporary? Hit the comments with your take on this season of Castle.

An all-new episode of Castle airs tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC.

CASTLE: Murder Most Foul

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: John Pyper-Ferguson as Dean Donegal, Ever Carradine as Mirielle Lefcourt, Rick Hearst as Dr. Elliot Lefcourt, Carmen Argenziano as Mario Rivera, Ken Baumann as Ashley.

"Murder Most Fowl" was written by Matt Pyken and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Almost Famous (11/1)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Corey Saunders as Derek Brookner, Mary Page Keller as Rebecca Dalton, Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Michael Grant, Blake Gibbons as Billy Grimm, Sam Doumit as Mandy Carson.

"Almost Famous" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by Felix Alcala.

'V' returns in January

The scheduling of "V's" premiere so soon after the new year should probably let it play out its full 13-episode run before the spring edition of "Dancing" starts in late March.

CASTLE: 3XK (10/25)

Editor's Note: This episode replaces "Almost Famous," which moves to Monday, November 1 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET).

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Lee Tergesen as Marcus Gates, Michael Mosley as Jerry Tyson, Brian Klugman as Paul McCardle, Joe O'Connor as Cal Townsend, Anne Marie Howard as Angela Russo.

CASTLE: Anatomy of a Murder (10/18)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Nathan Lam as Rabbi, Cynthia Frost as Tova, John Kassir as Mr. Dreyfus, William Allen Young as Jerry Camden, Michael Cassidy as Greg McClintock, Monet Mazur as Gina Griffin.

"Anatomy of a Murder" was written byTerence Paul Winter and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Punked

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Victor Webster as Josh Davidson, Ken Baumann as Ashley, Eden Riegel as Rachel Goldstein, Andrew Leeds as Adam Murphy, Ramon De Ocampo as Owen Peterson, Thomas Kopache as Abe Sandrich, Jen Lilley as Julia Foster.

"Punked" was written by David Grae and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Under the Gun (10/4)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jason Beghe as Mike Royce, Sophina Brown as Gayle Carver, Keith Robinson as Random Pierce, James Handy as Clifford Stuckey, Brian Krause as Father Arron Roe.

"Under the Gun" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: He's Dead, She's Dead (9/27)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Rachel Boston as Penny Marchand, Paige Rowland as Loreen Carter, David Gianopoulos as Albert Moreno, Rick Ravanello as Steve Adams, Kieren Hutchison as Cody Donnelly.

"He's Dead, She's Dead" was written by Moira Kirland and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: A Deadly Affair -- SEASON PREMIERE (9/20)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Michael Rady as Evan Murphy, Charlene Amoia as Ana Marie, Gino Cafarelli as Dean Carbino, Justice Gamble as bartender, Lisa O'Hare as Kitty Canary, Craig Gellis as Earl Moreland.

"A Deadly Affair" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: A Deadly Game (9/15)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Monet Mazur as Gina, Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, James Patterson as himself, Mitch Pileggi as Hans Bremel.

"A Deadly Game" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Overkill (9/8)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, William R. Moses as Blake Wilder, Julie Claire as Lisa Jenkins.

"Overkill" was written by Rene Echevarria and directed by John Terlesky.

Who Are TV's Top Earners?

Drama (per episode)
Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS) $375,000
Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) $350,000
Gary Sinise (CSI: NY ) $275,000
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) $250,000
David Boreanaz (Bones) $200,000
Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) $200,000
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife ) $175,000
Dana Delany (Body of Proof ) $150,000
Lauren Graham (Parenthood) $150,000
Jada Pinkett Smith (HawthoRNe) $150,000
Jimmy Smits (Outlaw) $150,000
LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains) $125,000
Jason Lee (Memphis Beat) $125,000
Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) $125,000
Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) $125,000
Michael Weatherly (NCIS) $125,000
Matt Bomer (White Collar) $100,000
Nathan Fillion (Castle) $100,000
Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) $100,000
Jon Hamm (Mad Men) $100,000
Cole Hauser (Chase) $100,000
Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0) $100,000
Timothy Olyphant (Justified) $100,000
Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0) $80,000
Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles) $75,000
Anna Paquin (True Blood) $75,000
Blair Underwood (The Event) $75,000
Zachary Levi (Chuck) $60,000
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) $40,000
Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) $40,000
Ashley Tisdale (Hellcats) $30,000

Late Night/Talk Syndication (per year)
Oprah Winfrey $315 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million
David Letterman (The Late Show) $28 million
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) $25 million
Conan O'Brien (The Conan O'Brien Show) $10 million
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) $8 million
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live) $6 million
Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately) $3.5 million
George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) $3.5 million

Reality (per year)
Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) $15 million
Joel McHale (The Soup) $2 million
Piers Morgan (America's Got Talent) $2 million
Kate Gosselin (Kate Plus 8) $250,000 per episode
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore) $30,000 per episode

Comedy (per episode)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) $1.25 million
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) $550,000
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) $400,000
Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) $400,000
Tina Fey (30 Rock) $350,000
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) $350,000
Steve Carell (The Office) $297,000
Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men) $250,000
David Duchovny (Californication) $200,000
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) $200,000
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) $200,000
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) $180,000
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) $175,000
William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) $150,000
David Spade (Rules of Engagement) $150,000
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family) $100,000
Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) $85,000
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) $75,000
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Ty Burrell (Modern Family) $50,000
Jane Lynch (Glee) $50,000
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) $40,000
Matthew Morrison (Glee) $30,000
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) $30,000
Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) $20,000 (each)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) $15,000

News (per year)
Matt Lauer (Today) $16 million +
Katie Couric (CBS) $15 million
Brian Williams (NBC) $12.5 million
Diane Sawyer (ABC) $12 million
Meredith Vieira (Today) $11 million
Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) $10 million
George Stephanopoulos (ABC) $8 million
Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) $7 million
Shepard Smith (Fox News) $7 million
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) $3 million
Christiane Amanpour (ABC) $2 million
Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC) $2 million
Eliot Spitzer (CNN) $500,000

CASTLE: Den of Thieves (8/28)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Scott Cohen as Lt. Stan Holliwell and Abby Brammell as Carol Thornton.

"Den of Thieves" was written by Will Beall and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Food to Die For (8/25)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Rocco Dispirito as himself, Arye Gross as Perlmutter, Julie Gonzalo as Madison, Suzy Nakamura as Jennifer Wong, Max Greenfield as David Nicolaides and Erin Cahill as Cecily.

"Food to Die For" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Ron Underwood.

CASTLE: A Rose for Everafter (8/18)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Alyssa Milano as Kyra Blaine, Brady Smith as Greg Murphy and Graham Beckel as Uncle Teddy.

"A Rose for Everafter" story was by Alexi Hawley with teleplay by Terri Miller & Terence Paul Winter and directed by Brian Spicer.

CASTLE: Boom! (8/11)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Dameon Clarke as the killer.

"Boom!" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Sucker Punch (7/28) EPISODE CHANGE

Note: This episode replaces "Famous Last Words."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jay R. Ferguson as Dick Coonan, James Cosmo as Finn Rourke and Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett.

"Sucker Punch" was written by Will Beall and directed by Tom Wright.

Joss Whedon to Direct Avengers, But Dr. Horrible Sequel "In Turnaround"

Good news first: After months of speculation that he would direct the movie about Marvel superteam The Avengers, he confirmed it at a Comic-Con panel Thursday alongside J.J. Abrams.

"But it's just a gig, you know," Whedon dead-panned.

"I'm still writing an outline," he added. But how's this for a tease?

"The thing I love about it is how completely counterintuitive it is," he said. "These people should not be on the same team let alone the same room together, and that to me is the very definition of family."

And now for the letdown, at least for those who know and love Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the made-for-web musical starring Neil Patrick Harris as a lovelorn villain. It was recently nominated for an Emmy, and according to Whedon, turned a significant profit.

The series ended with Harris' Dr. Horrible getting inducted into the Evil League of Evil after it cost him the love of his life, Penny, who was accidentally killed in his pursuit of ultimate villainy. Alas, plans to continue the story are on hold.

"It's in turnaround," Whedon said. And you can thank The Avengers for that. But the sequel still could happen. "If we had the time, we really feel like we know what the movie is... We want to do it on our terms but our terms right now are interminable."

Abrams had less to unveil, but he did say that his collaboration with Steven Spielberg, Super 8, begins production in September. The movie pays tribute to movies that Abrams loved as a teenager.

One fan in the audience wasted no time asking Abrams what he thought of the Lost finale. Abrams talked at length about how executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse did a bang-up job in being both dogmatic about their story and flexible in its telling over the six seasons.

But to sum up: "I personally believe that [they] kicked incredible ass," Abrams said.

Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' lives on in one-off comic, drops at Comic-Con

Yes, Whedon's releasing more "Dollhouse" goodness in comic book form. But, as UGO first reported, apparently it's just a one-off deal to bridge the stories between the season 1 and 2 finales -- both of which took place in the distant future of the series' regular timeline.

Since the episodes in question were titled "Epitaph One" and "Epitaph Two," the book is aptly named "Epitaphs." Publisher Dark Horse describes it as "an intricate trip through the precise moment when the Active technology went global, and how the protagonists from Epitaph One and Two narrowly avoided death, and worse."

If that sounds confusing, don't worry. It's intended for fans only. The book won't even be available in comic shops. You'll have to buy season two on DVD or Blu-Ray to score a copy.

The bundle is currently scheduled for an October 12 release, but if you've got ants in your nerdy pants, copies will be available at Comic-Con in San Diego from July 21 through July 25. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen ("Epitaph" writers and Joss's brother and sister-in-law) will even signing copies at the convention center on Friday from 11 a.m. through noon.

CASTLE: Tick, Tick, Tick... (8/4)

In the special two-part storyline, Delany plays Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal investigator who teams up with Castle & Beckett to hunt down a cunning and elusive serial killer. This reunites her and Nathan Fillion, who played Dr. Adam Mayfair, the younger husband of Katherine Mayfair (Delany) on "Desperate Housewives."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Andrew Rothenberg as Donald Salt, Dameon Clarke as the killer, Jim Hoffmaster as Clerk.

"Tick, Tick, Tick..." was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Suicide Squeeze (7/24)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Debi Mazar as Paula Haas, Reed Diamond as Dr.Cameron Talbot, Elaine Hendrix as Melissa Talbot.

"When the Bough Breaks" was written by Rene Echevarria and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: (7/21)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Tom Bergeron as Bobby Mann, Kelly Carlson as Ellie Monroe, Fred Willard as Hank McPhee, Bill Bellamy as Mickey Reed, Dan Cortese as Howard Weisberg, French Stewart as Zach Robinson, Beth Broderick as Barbara Mann and Nika Williams as Angel Santana.

"The Late Shaft" was written by David Grae and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Summer Glau Takes Off As Supergirl

Apocalypse is based on a 2004 comic book arc, written by former Heroes producer Jeph Loeb, which reintroduced Supergirl into the DC Comics universe. "I thought in the comic that Jeph Loeb had done a really good job of sticking to the basics of the origin story, but putting enough twists on it to give it a fresh feel," says executive producer Bruce Timm, widely considered the dean of superhero animation. Unlike the rocket that brought her cousin to Earth, Kara's pod was delayed in its arrival, leaving her in suspended animation until landing. When she wakes up she is not terribly happy to learn that Earth's yellow sun gives her powers far beyond those of mortal women. "Early on in the story she just wants to fit in," Timm says. "Unlike most people who suddenly attain superpowers, she's terrified of them. She doesn't want to shoot lasers out of her eyes and be able to lift buildings with her pinky."

Glau, an animation novice who is the fifth Serenity star Timm has worked with (following Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres and Morena Baccarin), quickly got a handle on the role. "It was a fun part for her to play because it wasn't one-note," Timm says. "She could be young and bratty, like a typical teenager, and then show a little bit more maturity, then get feisty, then scared. She's got quite a gamut of emotions to act out."

CASTLE: Suicide Squeeze (7/17)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Ray Wise as Bobby Fox, Don Franklin as Tommy Zane, Jose Zuniga as Alfredo Quintana and Joe Torre as himself.

"Suicide Squeeze" was written by Jose Molina and directed by David Barrett.

CASTLE: The Double Down (7/14)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Arye Gross as M.E. Perlmutter, Brennan Elliot as Jason Cosway, Diana-Maria Riva as Detective Roselyn Karpowski.

"The Double Down" was written David Grace and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE (7/7)

Note: This program replaces "Happy Town: Blame it on Rio Bravo."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Scott Elrod as Clyde Dekker, Sarah Brown as Amanda Livingston, Jack McGee as Dale Fickas and Rick Gonzalez as Mickey Carlson.

CASTLE: Den of Thieves (6/30)

Note: This program replaces "Happy Town: Blame It on Rio Bravo."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Scott Cohen as Lt. Stan Holliwell and Abby Brammell as Carol Thornton.

"Den of Thieves" was written by Will Beall and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE (6/26)

Note: This episode replaces "Den of Thieves" which moves to Wed., June 30 at 10:01 p.m.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Rocco Dispirito as himself, Arye Gross as Perlmutter, Julie Gonzalo as Madison, Suzy Nakamura as Jennifer Wong, Max Greenfield as David Nicolaides and Erin Cahill as Cecily.

"Food to Die For" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Ron Underwood.

FHM Magazine: 100 Sexiest Women for 2010

2010 Indianapolis 500 IZOD Red Carpet Celebrity Quotes

CASTLE: The Fifth Bullet

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Marc Blucas as Jeremy Preswick, Anne Dudek as Emma Carnes, Carlo Rota as Bahir “Bobby” Harun.

“The Fifth Bullet” was written by David Grae and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Sucker Punch (6/12)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jay R. Ferguson as Dick Coonan, James Cosmo as Finn Rourke and Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett.

"Sucker Punch" was written by Will Beall and directed by Tom Wright.

'V' season finale leaves us seeing red

Red V in the morning.

ABC's space-invasion series V needed to exit with an arresting image — seeing as it's not due back now until January — and it certainly got one. The vengeance-is-mine V leader Anna, enraged because her soldier-eggs had just been destroyed, pushed a button and turned the skies all over the world a weird bright red, as people gaped and more ships gathered.

All right, we don't know what it all means and what we do know doesn't seem to make a lick of sense. But it sure looked good, and if it left you wondering why and wanting more, well, that's pretty much the point.

Granted, Tuesday night's V season finale was more silly than gripping, but that's the show: a basic, stop-the-bad guys, space-visitor version of every behind-enemy-lines, Dirty Dozen war story you've ever seen. First-rate effects mix with cheerfully cheesy ones, just as good performances blend with bad. As Anna likes to say, "The humans won't know what hit them."

What hit you was a lot of plot. Val got kidnapped by the V's, had her baby, and then got murdered by Anna — whose own babies were murdered by Erica. The Fifth Column lost Ryan (Anna turned him back) and gained Chad, who found out the V's were experimenting on their human live-aboard guests.

Like Anna, V doesn't always seem to have the best grasp of rational behavior. One wonders, for example, whether a woman who discovered her boyfriend was an alien who impregnated her with a half-lizard space baby wouldn't be more peeved for just a bit longer, and less trusting of Visitors in general. As for those Visitors, you'd think with all their advanced technology, they'd have learned how to lock a door. And install some security cameras.

Well, maybe they'll put a few in by January. And while they're at it, they might want to give us some idea of what they really want.

Now that would be a good morning.

Joss Whedon: Directing Glee Was a "Return to Home"

"I am so tired of that guy. Why do they always make me direct Neil? Why the pain," Whedon joked with reporters on a recent conference call. "Neil is a consummate pro and a dear friend, which is an ideal combination. ... We had so much fun."

In the episode, airing Tuesday at 9/8c on Fox, Harris plays Bryan Ryan, a former McKinley High glee club star and the arch-rival of Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison). After failing to achieve his dreams of super stardom after graduation, Bryan returns, intent on getting revenge on the group that he believes led to his downfall.

"The sort of rivalry/affection between them just informed the whole thing so much," Whedon says of the dynamic between the How I Met Your Mother star and Morrison. "I think you can see there's a little bit of a Western element in there. That really came from the music, but then it ended up in forming more of the show, I think, of how these guys face off against each other."

In the episode, entitled "Dream On," three of the series' main characters confront their past, present and future goals as Bryan attempts to avenge his broken dreams.

"With Will, it's his desire to perform and what he may have given up. With Rachel, its questions about who her real mother was, and Artie obviously thinks about if he'll ever one day get out of the chair," Whedon says. "These are very, very hard personal things that they don't necessarily talk about with other people. I was really lucky because there's a real fantastic coherence to the episode that really brought them all together on an emotional level."

Whedon's previous work with Harris on the 2007 web series Dr. Horrible helped in several ways. "Doing Buffy and doing Dr. Horrible were both great prep for something like this. This is obviously not my first rodeo," Whedon says, also referring to Buffy's 2001 musical episode, "Once More, with Feeling." "It's the kind of thing that I would like to spend a lot more of my time doing. I love musicals deeply and dearly. This was a return to home for me."

After serving as creator and executive producer on Buffy as well as Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse, it was "tricky" for Whedon to direct someone else's series, Whedon says.

"You're living in somebody else's house and you have to make sure that you're fulfilling their needs. It also takes some of the burden off you. You don't have to be the guy who sees the big picture," he says. "Having said that, Glee is probably harder to shoot than any other show in recorded history, with all the different elements going on and whatnot; it's a different kind of challenge, but ultimately enormous fun."

Though he's busy with other projects, Whedon won't rule out a second time behind the camera on Glee. "If I had the window and they would take me, yes, in a heartbeat," he says.

ABC's Fall Lineup: Familiar Faces Anchor 10 New Series

The network will introduce 10 new series, including four dramas for the fall: Body of Proof, No Ordinary Family, Detroit 1-8-7 and The Whole Truth. Family and Detroit will bookend a Dancing with the Stars results show, My Generation takes the canceled FlashForward's pre-Grey's Anatomy Thursday slot, and Body of Proof will air on Fridays. The Whole Truth will follow the network's Wednesday night comedy block, which adds the new comedy Better Together.

The network also picked up former the Fox reality show Secret Millionaire, which will kick-off the network's Friday nights in the fall.

Shonda Rhimes' Medical drama Off the Map, as well as comedies Happy Endings and Perry's Mr. Sunshine, will debut at midseason.

"Our passion for great storytelling is at the core of everything we do," ABC President Steve McPherson said in a statement. "Finding and supporting writers, directors, producers and actors who share that passion is critical to our success. Our shows are the product of these collaborations, and we are thrilled to add 10 new series to our schedule next year."

The network also welcomes back returning series Dancing with the Stars, Castle, The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, V, America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters and Supernanny. The network still has the option to renew Jamie Oliver Food Revolution and Shark Tank for midseason.

Descriptions of the new fall shows and ABC's fall line-up are below:

Better Together: This comedy stars Jennifer Finnigan and Josh Cooke as Maddie and Ben, who have been dating for nine years and are thrown for a loop when Maddie's sister Mia (JoAnna Garcia) announces her engagement after dating a guy for only seven weeks.

Body of Proof: Dana Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon who is forced out of the operating room by a devastating car crash. She becomes a medical examiner who uses her sharp instincts to solve murders, but her methods don't always please the police and her interactions with the living are often uncomfortable. Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager ) Geoffrey Arend (Trust Me) and Sonja Sohn (The Wire) also star.

Detroit 1-8-7: Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, Life on Mars) stars as Detective Louis Fitch, a wily homicide vet who is the most respected — and most misunderstood — man in the Detroit Police Department's homicide division. Jon Michael Hill plays his new partner, Damon Washington, whose first day on the job turns out to be — you guessed it — a trial by fire.

My Generation: This ensemble drama follows a group of friends 10 years after they filmed a documentary during their high school years in Texas. The show stars Michael Stahl David, Kelli Garner, Jaime King, Keir O'Donnell, Sebastian Sozzi, Mehcad Brooks, Anne Son, Daniella Alonso and Julian Morris.

No Ordinary Family: The Shield's Michael Chiklis and Dexter's Julie Benz play the Powells, a couple who, after a plane crash in the Amazon during a family vacation, discover they have superpowers. Tate Donovan (Damages), Romany Malco (Weeds), Autumn Reeser (The O.C., Entourage) also star.

Secret Millionaire: An hour-long reality series that follows some of America's wealthiest people for one week as they leave behind their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and luxury jets, conceal their true identities, and go to live and volunteer in some of the most impoverished and dangerous communities in America.

The Whole Truth: Starring Rob Morrow (Numb3rs) and Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck), this legal drama chronicles the way a case is built from the perspective of both the defense and prosecution. Richardson plays Kathryn Peale, the deputy bureau chief in the New York State District Attorney's office, and Morrow plays Jimmy Brogan, Kathryn's longtime friend and a criminal attorney.

ABC's schedule:

MONDAY
8 p.m. Dancing with the Stars
10 p.m. Castle

TUESDAY
8 p.m. No Ordinary Family (new)
9 p.m. Dancing with the Stars Results Show
10 p.m. Detroit 1-8-7 (new)

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. The Middle
8:30 p.m. Better Together (new)
9 p.m. Modern Family
9:30 p.m. Cougar Town
10 p.m. The Whole Truth (new)

THURSDAY
8 p.m. My Generation (new)
9 p.m. Grey's Anatomy
10 p.m. Private Practice

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Secret Millionaire (new)
9 p.m. Body of Proof (new)
10 p.m. 20/20

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7 p.m. America's Funniest Home Videos
8 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9 p.m. Desperate Housewives
10 p.m. Brothers & Sisters

'V': ABC explains midseason decision

ABC will hold back the sci-fi series, which ends its season on Tuesday (May 18), until midseason next year. Jeff Bader, the network's executive vice president for planning, scheduling and distribution, says doing that will accomplish a couple of things.

"Because it's a big, sci-fi event show, they could use the extra time to ramp up and get the show as good as it could possibly be," Bader tells Zap2it. "It's also a show we'd like to run as uninterrupted as possible, like we've done with 'Lost.' If it can run uninterrupted, it will play much better."

Bader also says that ABC will "swing for the fences" with two of its new dramas next season -- "No Ordinary Family" and "My Generation." Both shows will air at 8 p.m. ("No Ordinary Family" on Tuesdays, "My Generation" on Thursdays), and while they're both in competitive timeslots, Bader says the fact that they're a little different from most shows can help them break through.

The hope is that the two shows will hook viewers early on and "keep them there all night," Bader says.

"No Ordinary Family" stars Julie Benz ("Dexter") and Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") as a married couple who, along with their kids (Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett), suddenly develop superpowers. "My Generation" is a documentary-style drama that follows a group of high school graduates in 2000 and catches up with them 10 years later; the cast includes Jaime King, Kelli Garner, Mehcad Brooks and Michael Stahl David.

ABC's other fall dramas are all procedurals. Cop show "Detroit 1-8-7" and legal drama "The Whole Truth" will try to solidify the 10 o'clock hour on Tuesday and Wednesday, where ABC struggled this season, while "Body of Proof" will team with the unscripted show "Secret Millionaire" (an import from FOX) on Fridays in an effort to give the network some new life there.

"We know there's an audience that's home on Fridays," Bader says, citing the solid premiere numbers for "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" this spring. CBS has done well with its Friday drama lineup for several seasons, he notes, "but their shows are older now. The door is open for us."

CASTLE: Wrapped Up in Death (6/5)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Currie Graham as Stanford Oakes, Navi Rawat as Rachel Walters, Erick Avari as Austin Bentley and Gil Birmingham as Chaac Te.

"Wrapped Up in Death" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bill Roe.

V Renewed for Second Season

ABC has renewed V for a second season, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

Starring Elizabeth Mitchell, the sci-fi show was one of the most-watched series premieres of the 2009-10 TV season when it debuted to 14.3 million viewers in November. V, based on the 1984 miniseries of the same name, will wrap its first season Tuesday.

ABC will announce its fall schedule Tuesday as well.

Fillion finds comedy in drama

But Fillion has hit upon something that helps him. And he’s putting it into practice on Castle, the steadily building hit series that will air its second-season finale Monday on ABC and CTV.

“I started in comedy, doing improv theatre in Edmonton,” said Fillion, a native of that city. “And then my first major job was (the soap opera) One Life to Live, in which I did a lot of drama.

“But I’ll say that I started to come into my own when I realized comedy and drama are the same thing.”

Not that comedy and drama are the same thing in terms of result — although Castle walks that line quite nicely.

Rather, Fillion was referring to his preparation as an actor, and his personal revelation that comedy and drama demand the same skills.

“It’s not a different set of tools that you use for either one,” said Fillion, 39.

“You use timing in drama, you use timing in comedy. You have to keep your drama honest and real. Why wouldn’t you do the same thing for your comedy? Your comedy can’t be big and fake; your comedy has to be real and honest.”

Odd, then, how the entertainment world is inclined to cordon off the two.

“Yeah, I agree, and I think it’s a trap,” Fillion said.

“I mean, I can’t say that I’m writing a book about it and these are the rules. I can just say I’ve found something that really has worked for me. I have an understanding that works for me.”

Given Fillion’s philosophy, he certainly has found himself on the right series with Castle.

Fillion stars as Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who initially hooked up with dubious police detective Kate Beckett — played by another Canadian, Stana Katic — while doing research for one of his books. When Castle and Beckett showed a knack for solving crimes together, Castle used his celebrity status to make the arrangement more permanent.

Castle and Beckett instantly went into the familiar will-they-or-won’t-they romantic tension song-and-dance, and we must admit that at first we found Castle to be fairly derivative of other shows such as Bones. But credit where credit is due: Largely because of the unique charm of the two leads, Castle has carved out its own territory.

Slowly but surely, Castle has become a solid ratings winner. It has already been renewed for a third season.

In the second-season finale, titled A Deadly Game, Castle and Beckett investigate what appears to be the assassination of an intelligence operative. Meanwhile, Beckett’s romance with fellow detective Tom Demming (played by Michael Trucco) threatens her relationship with Castle, forcing Beckett and Castle to confront their feelings for each other.

Fillion, of course, is a familiar face by now, not only through his role on Castle but also previous roles on the aforementioned One Life to Live, Desperate Housewives and Firefly.

“Less guns in this show,” said Fillion, comparing Castle to Firefly. “Less horses and spaceships in this show. Tighter pants in Firefly. But a lot of the same dry humour, the same wry humour.

“And also not as much danger in this show. Firefly was very dangerous, it was always life and death. Here it’s a little easier, a little levity comes through.”

Ah yes, that special blend of drama and comedy. It’s what makes Nathan Fillion king of the Castle.

V: Red Sky -- SEASON FINALE (5/18)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Lucas Wolf as Samuel.

"Red Sky" was written by Scott Rosenbaum & Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill.

CASTLE: Boom (5/22)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Dameon Clarke as the killer.

"Boom!" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: A Deadly Game -- SEASON FINALE (5/17)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Monet Mazur as Gina, Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, James Patterson as himself, Mitch Pileggi as Hans Bremel.

"A Deadly Game" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Nathan Fillion Promises "Emotional" Castle Cliffhanger

So when we hit the set of Castle and he started spouting off words like "emotional" and "cliffhanger" when talking about the upcoming season finale, we started to worry. ABC best not be messing with our all-time favorite supersexy TV novelist! (Sorry, Angela Landsbury.)

Not surprisingly, those "emotions" surround the show's cornerstone, could-be coupling of Castle and his partner in crime-writing/solving, NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), and here's what Nathan can tell you...

Can you tell us about the season finale?

Absolutely! Beckett has set her eyes on another man, and it's really getting to Castle. He's really not having an easy time with it, so we're getting to a point in time where she's gotta make a choice. And he's gotta make a choice! There's gonna be a choice made. An emotional choice. It's an emotional cliffhanger.

Did you get a say in this "choice"?

I said Esposito, but they didn't go for it. You know, he's always playing the sex card.

Is Beckett's new love opening Castle's eyes to what's been right in front of him all this time?

It's a matter of you don't know what you got until it's gone. You don't know how much you value what's yours until you see it slipping out of your fingers, so that's a superimportant part. They do this lovely little dance. They drive each other crazy. Castle wears everything on his sleeve, while Beckett's a little more guarded. They get really tight and really close and excited. I mean, the closest thing they have to sex really is when they're solving a mystery and making strides, moving forward and figuring things out. That's their turn-on, but why doesn't it move forward from there? You got two people that are always opposed and yet always together. What are you gonna do? Poop or get off the pot, I believe is the phrase.

OK, cut to the chase. Are Castle and Beckett going to get together?

I believe that's called jumping the shark. Moonlighting did a very valuable lesson there.

We've also heard a bit about a new Richard Castle book hitting shelves soon.

Naked Heat. We're going to come out with a paperback in June, and then it comes out in September. "September 28," said a voice in the distance.

Do you ever wish you could actually write something for the show?

The episode I've always been pitching was pretty much what the book turned out to be. We see the world through Castle's eyes. All the girls are crazy about him and everything works out his way and he's incredibly cool. I was thinking about flashing back and forth between the actual reality and Castle's reality, how we see his life, which he sees through rose-colored glasses. That would be also be the episode I was pitching.

Was it nice getting the early season pickup?

What is that? Season three?! Never heard of it! If you look at my résumé—don't look at my résumé too closely—you'll see a long list of failed television programs. This is my first season three ever! The closest I've come is two and a half seasons, so here we go!

V: Fruition (5/11)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik and Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman.

"Fruition" was written by John Wirth & Natalie Chaidez and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Tick, Tick, Tick... (5/15)

In the special two-part storyline, Delany plays Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal investigator who teams up with Castle & Beckett to hunt down a cunning and elusive serial killer. This reunites her and Nathan Fillion, who played Dr. Adam Mayfair, the younger husband of Katherine Mayfair (Delany) on "Desperate Housewives."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Andrew Rothenberg as Donald Salt, Dameon Clarke as the killer, Jim Hoffmaster as Clerk.

"Tick, Tick, Tick..." was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Overkill (5/10)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, William R. Moses as Blake Wilder, Julie Claire as Lisa Jenkins.

"Overkill" was written by Rene Echevarria and directed by John Terlesky.

'Deadly Honeymoon's' Summer Glau: 'I think girls deserve more credit than they get'

Complicating matters though, as Trevor's disappearance is investigated, Miss Sweetness and Light's story starts to unravel. So is Lindsey a victim or an accomplice?

"I think she's a little bit of both and that's what I tried to focus on," Glau tells Zap2it. "She's a mystery and that's how I tried to portray it."

Despite the extreme circumstances, "Deadly Honeymoon" is a bit of a departure for Glau who is more known for her work on such genre shows as "Firefly," "The 4400," "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Dollhouse" in that she's playing someone in the "real" world. But the actress definitely sees a commonality between all her roles: they're not pushovers.

"I think girls deserve more credit than they get. I think most girls are smarter than what meets the eye and are capable of a lot more than maybe people think at first," she says. "I feel that way too and like when I get pushed. I didn't want [Lindsey] to come off as one-dimensional. I didn't want her to come off as a spoiled princess who didn't get her way. I wanted it to be something more complicated."

Often dismissed, Lifetime's original movies continue to draw not only audiences but well-known names like Glau, Andie MacDowell, Heather Locklear, Sigourney Weaver, Kristin Chenoweth, LeAnn Rimes, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Cybill Shepherd as stars.

"For me, since I was a little girl, it was just a way to escape and dive into a different world and really inspired me to want to be an actress," says Glau. "I loved to turn them on on Saturday afternoons and watch them with my mother.

"I think they're a great opportunity -- especially for girls -- to get these big, dramatic roles ... so I couldn't resist."

"Deadly Honeymoon" premieres Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime Movie Network.

V: Hearts and Minds (5/4)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes and Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik.

"Hearts and Minds" was written by Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Bobby Rich.

CASTLE: Food to Die For (5/3)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Rocco Dispirito as himself, Arye Gross as Perlmutter, Julie Gonzalo as Madison, Suzy Nakamura as Jennifer Wong, Max Greenfield as David Nicolaides and Erin Cahill as Cecily.

"Food to Die For" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Ron Underwood.

Joss Whedon may assemble 'Avengers' movie

The cause for all the excitement is the fact that Joss Whedon -- he of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly," "Serenity" and "Dollhouse" -- may be given the reins to Marvel Comics' "Avengers" movie. Deadline.com reports that Whedion is in "final negotiations" with Marvel Studios to direct the movie, which is scheduled for a 2012 release.

"The Avengers" will bring together several Marvel on-screen heroes, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans). S.H.I.E.L.D. chief Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) will also be involved; there's no word on whether Marvel's other original Avengers, the Incredible Hulk and the previously unfilmed Ant-Man, will be too.

The movie will be the culmination of Marvel's years-long strategy of bringing its heroes together, one that began with Jackson's post-credits cameo in "Iron Man." He and Downey then popped up in "The Incredible Hulk" the following summer. Jackson is also featured in "Iron Man 2," which hits theaters next month; "Thor" and "The First Avenger: Captain America" are due for release next year.

Zak Penn, a veteran of several previous Marvel big-screen adaptations ("The Incredible Hulk" and the last two "X-Men" movies), is writing the "Avengers" script.

V: We Can't Win

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik, Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman, Lucas Wolf as Samuel.

"We Can't Win" was written by Christine Roum & Cameron Litvack and directed by David Barrett.

CASTLE: Den of Thieves

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as Tom Demming, Scott Cohen as Lt. Stan Holliwell and Abby Brammell as Carol Thornton.

"Den of Thieves" was written by Will Beall and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Suicide Squeeze

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Ray Wise as Bobby Fox, Don Franklin as Tommy Zane, Jose Zuniga as Alfredo Quintana and Joe Torre as himself.

"Suicide Squeeze" was written by Jose Molina and directed by David Barrett.

ABC Renews Castle

CASTLE: The Third Man (4/17)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Scott Elrod as Clyde Dekker, Sarah Brown as Amanda Livingston, Jack McGee as Dale Fickas and Rick Gonzalez as Mickey Carlson.

"The Third Man" was written by Terrence Paul Winter and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez.

V: John May (4/13)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Michael Trucco as John May, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Nicholas Lea as Joe Evans.

"John May" was written by Gregg Hurwitz and directed by Jonathan Frakes.

CASTLE: Late Shaft (4/12)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Tom Bergeron as Bobby Mann, Kelly Carlson as Ellie Monroe, Fred Willard as Hank McPhee, Bill Bellamy as Mickey Reed, Dan Cortese as Howard Weisberg, French Stewart as Zach Robinson, Beth Broderick as Barbara Mann and Nika Williams as Angel Santana.

"The Late Shaft" was written by David Grae and directed by Bryan Spicer.

New Warehouse 13 Love Interests

She’s not the only with that opinion. When Warehouse 13 returns in July, the network has announced not one, but two love interests for Eddie. Gina Torres (Firefly, The Vampire Diaries) will play “an agent from Pete’s past,” and in a recurring role, Paula Garces (Defying Gravity, The Shield) plays Kelly, “a sexy spunky headstrong veterinarian…who catches Pete’s eye.” And more, we suspect.

Other guests include Firefly alumni Jewel Staite and Sean Maher, and Philip Winchester (Alice), who plays a 1950’s matinee idol in an episode about an object “transmitting increasingly dangerous scenes from old Hollywood movies.”

'V' star dresses down in real life

Every time celebs leave the house, there’s a chance people will recognize them.

So they must ask themselves: How much do they care about how they look at any particular time?

“This is not what I look like every day,” said Morena Baccarin, the fetching Brazilian-American actress who plays the leader of the aliens in V. Baccarin, of course, looked like a gazillion alien bucks while meeting with a small group of reporters, which is just how she looks in V playing Anna.

“I tend to wear flats and jeans and no makeup and walk around, go to the grocery store and do whatever I have to do,” continued Baccarin, 30. “Suddenly, to have people look at you, as a woman, it’s a very different experience to realize, ‘Am I ashamed to be who I really am in the public eye?’”

It’s easy for those of us who don’t have to deal with this stuff to get all philosophical and say, “Oh, Morena, just be yourself.” But when you’re a celeb - especially a female celeb - that attitude invites consequences.

“You see those magazines, ‘Oh, look at so-and-so without makeup, Halle Berry without makeup,’” Baccarin said. “It’s so crazy to wake up in the morning and have that thought - ‘Do I need to put makeup on, do I need to do something, because I know people are going to know who I am?’

“I’m choosing to disregard it right now, and I’m just having fun with the show. Overall, it’s a wonderful thing. But it’s a new experience.”

Just to be clear, Baccarin was not being “faux modest.” She had been asked a direct question about her recognizability factor since V debuted, and she gave a very thoughtful answer.

V - a rookie sci-fi series that re-imagines the iconic 1980s mini-series - aired only four episodes last November. It has eight episodes remaining in its first season, the first of which airs Tuesday, March 30 on ABC and A.

Baccarin never has been a sci-fi geek, but she feels V has found the right mix of sci-fi and character-based drama.

“A lot of sci-fi has that sacrifice made for some reason, I guess because people are really interested in the effects, ” Baccarin said. “That’s part of the reason I wasn’t a sci-fi fan growing up. I liked sci-fi things, but I found them limiting.

“I feel this show embraces all people, actually, all kinds of genres.”

The makers of V say the first four episodes served as a prologue, but now things get much more intense and personal for both the aliens and the resistance.

“Every episode has a lot of huge things happening in it,” Baccarin said. “You never get a break.”

Hmmm, just like recognizable celebrities leaving the house.

But as long as Morena Baccarin finds a non-alien way to handle it, she knows it’s a nice problem to have.

V: Heretic's Fork (4/27)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik and Lexa Doig as Dr. Pearlman.

"Heretic's Fork" was written by John Wirth & Angela Russo Otstot and directed by Fred Toye.

CASTLE: The Mistress Always Spanks Twice (5/1)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Paul Shackman as Barry, Gil McKinney as Tyler Benton, Amy Gumenick as Danielle, Mark Damon Espinoza as Professor Stevenson, Keiko Agena as Kelly, Devon Gummersall as Matt Haley.

"The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" was written by Kate Sargeant and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Fool Me Once (4/26)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Kathleen Rose Perkins as Elise Finnegan, Robert Pine as Gerry Finnegan, David Ramsey as Jim Wheeler.

"Fool Me Once" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE (4/10) ** EPISODE CHANGE**

Note: This episode replaces "Hedge Fund Homeboys."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jay R. Ferguson as Dick Coonan, James Cosmo as Finn Rourke and Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett.

"Sucker Punch" was written by Will Beall and directed by Tom Wright.

V: Pound of Flesh (4/6)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Lexa Doig as Dr. Leah Pearlman, Nicholas Lea as Joe Evans.

"Pound of Flesh" was written by Charles Murray & Natalie Chaidez and directed by Dean White.

CASTLE: Wrapped Up in Death (4/5)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Currie Graham as Stanford Oakes, Navi Rawat as Rachel Walters, Erick Avari as Austin Bentley and Gil Birmingham as Chaac Te.

"Wrapped Up in Death" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bill Roe.

V: Welcome to the War (3/30)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Roark Critchlow as A.D. Paul Kendrick, Rekha Sharma as Agent Sarita Malik, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes, Lexa Doig as Dr. Leah Pearlman.

"Welcome to the War" was written by Scott Rosenbaum and directed by Yves Simoneau.

Summer Glau joins NBC's 'The Cape'

The superhero-themed pilot stars David Lyons ("ER") as a cop who's framed for a crime and takes on a masked-hero alter ego in an effort to clear his name. Glau will play a blogger who exposes corruption and "masked bad guys," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The story also notes that her character "is quite capable of kicking ass."

The pilot, written by Tom Wheeler ("Empire") and to be directed by Simon West ("Human Target," "Con Air"), also stars James Frain ("The Tudors") as a villain.

Glau is the second "Firefly"/"Serenity" alum to join an NBC pilot this week. Alan Tudyk signed on to "The Rockford Files" earlier in the week.

Her other credits include a guest arc on "Dollhouse," "The 4400" and "The Unit." She also played herself on an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" last year.

Alan Tudyk joins 'The Rockford Files'

Tudyk, who had recurring roles on Whedon's FOX series "Dollhouse" and ABC's "V" earlier this season, will star opposite Dermot Mulroney in the pilot. He'll play Dennis Becker, an LAPD detective who gets along with private eye Rockford -- which makes him a rarity on the force, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "House" creator David Shore is behind the new show.

Joe Santos played Becker alongside James Garner's Rockford in the 1970s series.

Tudyk is the second "Dollhouse" alumnus to join an NBC pilot this season. Fran Kranz, who played Topher on the show, will be one of the stars of the network's comedy "Friends with Benefits."

In addition to "Firefly" (and its followup movie "Serenity"), "Dollhouse" and "V," Tudyk's credits include "Knocked Up," "3:10 to Yuma" and "I, Robot."

V: THE ARRIVAL (3/23)

While the world quickly became fascinated with the Vs and their link to wonders just beyond the reach of human understanding, FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) discovered a secret hidden beneath the skin of every V - a secret that may threaten the lives of everyone close to her. Yet for her teenage son, Tyler (Logan Huffman), the Vs were his ticket to something big and hopeful -- a new chance for mankind to unite in common goals. To Chad Decker (Scott Wolf), a career-hungry news anchor, his exclusive interview with Anna (Morena Baccarin), the leader of the Vs, was crucial to his desire to dominate the airwaves. Also unsure about the Visitors was Father Jack (Joel Gretsch), a priest who questioned his own faith in the wake of the Visitors' arrival. Seeking answers outside the church, Father Jack learned there were other dissidents who believed the Visitors were not who they said they were, including Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut), who was faced with his own life-altering decision when the Vs showed up. Never has there been more at stake -- it truly was the dawning of a new day.

In the last cliffhanger episode, several key plot and character points were revealed: Erica had lost her control over Tyler as she discovered he was now on the Mothership with Anna and Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), and she also learned that Ryan was a Visitor; Father Jack was stabbed by the Vs' security guard from the warehouse, where evidence of experimenting on humans had been discovered; Valerie (Lourdes Benedicto) revealed that she's pregnant by Ryan (carrying a 1/2 alien, 1/2 human baby); and Chad, while doing a report on the Vs' healing center, had himself medically scanned and was told he has a potentially fatal aneurysm in his brain - will he let the Vs cure him and be indebted to them?

CASTLE (3/29; EPISODE CHANGE)

Note: This episode was originally scheduled for March 22.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Dameon Clarke as the killer.

"Boom!" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE (3/22; EPISODE CHANGE)

Note: This episode was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 21 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET; that time slot is now TBA). It now replaces "Boom!," which moves to March 29.

In the special two-part storyline, Delany plays Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal investigator who teams up with Castle & Beckett to hunt down a cunning and elusive serial killer. This will reunite her and Nathan Fillion, who played Dr. Adam Mayfair, the younger husband of Katherine Mayfair (Delany) on "Desperate Housewives."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Andrew Rothenberg as Donald Salt, Dameon Clarke as the killer, Jim Hoffmaster as Clerk.

"Tick, Tick, Tick..." was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

V: It's Only the Beginning (3/27)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Ryan Kennedy as David, Craig Fraser as Peter Combs, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, and Mark Hildreth as Joshua.

"It's Only the Beginning" was written by Cameron Litvack & Angela Russo Otstot and directed by Yves Simoneau.

V: A Bright New Day (3/27)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna, and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Michael Filipowich as Cyrus, Tyler McClendon as Steven, Michelle Harrison as Mrs. Falkner, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Roark Critchlow as Paul Kendrick, Britt Irvin as Haley.

"A Bright New Day" was written by Diego Gutierrez & Christine Roum and directed by Fred Toye.

CASTLE: Home is Where the Heart Stops (3/27)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Patrick Bauchau as Caine Powell, Caterina Scorsone as Joanne Delgado, Nick Chinlund as Evan Mitchell and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Home Is Where the Heart Stops" was written by Will Beall and directed by Dean White.

CASTLE: Boom! (3/22)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Dameon Clarke as the killer.

"Boom!" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Tick, Tick, Tick (3/21)

In the special two-part storyline, Delany plays Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal investigator who teams up with Castle & Beckett to hunt down a cunning and elusive serial killer. This will reunite her and Nathan Fillion, who played Dr. Adam Mayfair, the younger husband of Katherine Mayfair (Delany) on "Desperate Housewives."

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Dana Delany as Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, Leonard Roberts as Jason Avery, Andrew Rothenberg as Donald Salt, Dameon Clarke as the killer, Jim Hoffmaster as Clerk.

"Tick, Tick, Tick..." was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Nanny McDead (3/20)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jayne Brook as Claudia Peterson, Michael Graziadei as Brent Johnson, Sarah Drew as Chloe Richardson, Melinda Page Hamilton as Diana Harris and George Newbern as Howard Peterson.

"Nanny McDead" was written by Barry Schindel and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: A Rose for Everafter (3/15)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Alyssa Milano as Kyra Blaine, Brady Smith as Greg Murphy and Graham Beckel as Uncle Teddy.

"A Rose for Everafter" story was by Alexi Hawley with teleplay by Terri Miller & Terence Paul Winter and directed by Brian Spicer.

Castle (3/8)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Paul Shackman as Barry, Gil McKinney as Tyler Benton, Amy Gumenick as Danielle, Mark Damon Espinoza as Professor Stevenson, Keiko Agena as Kelly, Devon Gummersall as Matt Haley.

"The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" was written by Kate Sargeant and directed by Rob Bowman.

Castle (3/13)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Charles Malik Whitfield as Charles Wyler, Bill Smitrovich as Ben Davidson, Peter Jason as Sheriff Sloan and Channon Roe as Kevin Henson.

“A Chill Goes Through Her Veins” was written by Charles Murray and directed by Bryan Spicer.

'Buffy' boss to document Comic-Con

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator and Super Size Me director/star are planning to capture footage of sci-fi, comic book and animation fans at this year's weekend event as part of a new documentary, which will take a look at the world of the enthusiast.

And Eonline.com reports Spurlock and Whedon is looking to 'cast' a group of superfans, who will become the stars of the project.

A source says, "They want to follow people for about three months leading up to this year's Comic-Con and then they want to film them there."

Castle (3/6)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, Laurel Holloman as Sandy Allen, Elizabeth Ho as Amy Saunders, Robert Grant as Ron Bigby.

“Deep in Death” was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Castle (2/22)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: DB Woodside as Lance Carlberg, Abigail Spencer as Sarah Reid, Perrey Reeves as Helen Parker, Alex Skuby as Charlie DePetro.

“One Man’s Treasure” was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by Helen Shaver.

Castle (2/15)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jonathan LaPaglia as John Knox, Michaela McManus as Scarlett Price, J.B. Smoove as Norman Jessup.

“Love Me Dead” was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Castle (2/8)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Ray Wise as Bobby Fox, Don Franklin as Tommy Zane, Jose Zuniga as Alfredo Quintana and Joe Torre as himself.

“Suicide Squeeze” was written by Jose Molina and directed by David Barrett.

Castle (2/15)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jonathan LaPaglia as John Knox, Michaela McManus as Scarlett Price, J.B. Smoove as Norman Jessup.

“Love Me Dead” was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Castle (1/30)

Note: This episode replaces “Love Me Dead,” which moves to February 15.

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Joanne Kelly as Lee Wax, Alex Carter as Michael Goldman, Jillian Armenante as Susan Mailer, Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

“Ghosts” was written by Moira Kirkland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Castle (2/1)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Arye Gross as M.E. Perlmutter, Brennan Elliot as Jason Cosway, Diana-Maria Riva as Detective Roselyn Karpowski.

“The Double Down” was written David Grace and directed by Rob Bowman.

SECOND BOOK FROM RICHARD CASTLE

HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle, star of the hit ABC series “Castle” (Mondays, 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), has been a successful cross-platform collaboration between ABC and Hyperion. Published at the end of September 2009, HEAT WAVE has spent 14 weeks on the New York Times Hardcover bestsellers list, currently holding the #32 position for Sunday, January 17, 2010. Hyperion has gone back to press eight times and now has over 170,000 copies in print. With this great success, a second book from Richard Castle will be published at the end of September 2010.

HEAT WAVE is Hyperion’s #2 bestselling ebook for 2009, surpassed only by “The Last Lecture.” It is also Hyperion’s #5 Kindle bestseller for the year. The free chapters of HEAT WAVE offered on ABC.com have been downloaded almost 100,000 times since the first chapter posted in August 2009. HEAT WAVE will be released as a mass market paperback edition in August 2010.

UNTITLED CASTLE BOOK 2 by Richard Castle --In the sequel to HEAT WAVE, Castle’s new thrilling mystery continues the story of NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City’s top homicide squads. In what’s sure to be another smash sensation by this blockbuster author, readers will once again follow Nikki Heat and hotshot reporter Jameson Rook as they trade barbs and innuendos, all while on the trail of a murderer!

Castle (1/30)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jonathan LaPaglia as John Knox, Michaela McManus as Scarlett Price, J.B. Smoove as Norman Jessup.

“Love Me Dead” was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Castle (1/25)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Scott Elrod as Clyde Dekker, Sarah Brown as Amanda Livingston, Jack McGee as Dale Fickas and Rick Gonzalez as Mickey Carlson.

“The Third Man” was written by Terrence Paul Winter and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez.

Castle (1/23)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: DB Woodside as Lance Carlberg, Abigail Spencer as Sarah Reid, Perrey Reeves as Helen Parker, Alex Skuby as Charlie DePetro.

“One Man’s Treasure” was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by Helen Shaver.

Castle (1/18)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jay R. Ferguson as Dick Coonan, James Cosmo as Finn Rourke and Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett.

“Sucker Punch” was written by Will Beall and directed by Tom Wright.

Castle (1/16)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Marc Blucas as Jeremy Preswick, Anne Dudek as Emma Carnes, Carlo Rota as Bahir “Bobby” Harun.

“The Fifth Bullet” was written by David Grae and directed by John Terlesky.

Castle (1/11)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Alyssa Milano as Kyra Blaine, Brady Smith as Greg Murphy and Graham Beckel as Uncle Teddy.

“A Rose for Everafter” story was by Alexi Hawley with teleplay by Terri Miller & Terence Paul Winter and directed by Brian Spicer.

Castle (1/9)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Sonya Leslie as Valerie Thompson, Arye Gross as M.E. Sidney Perlmutter, Ron Melendez as Jeff Dilahunt, Josh Daugherty as Trent Wellesley and Jill Andre as Lenanne Wellesley.

“Kill the Messenger” was written by Terrence Paul Winter and directed by Jonathan Frakes.

Castle (1/2)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jonathan LaPaglia as John Knox, Michaela McManus as Scarlett Price, J.B. Smoove as Norman Jessup.

“Love Me Dead” was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

'Chuck': 6 things about season three

Co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak and star Zachary Levi spoke to reporters on a conference call Friday and laid out a little bit of what viewers can expect from the new season, which premieres Jan. 10. Chuck Bartowski (Levi) downloaded a new Intersect into his head at the end of last season, one that gives him access to physical skills as well as government secrets, and the new season will follow his path to becoming, as Fedak and Schwartz put it, "a real spy."

Here are a half-dozen things you can expect from the new season.

The new Intersect won't always work. Fedak: "You have to keep in mind that it was designed for a super-cold, emotionless spy like Bryce Larkin -- someone who could essentially handle all these new abilities. Now it's been downloaded into Chuck Bartowski, who's filled with emotions: anxiety, fear, he's in love with his partner. All those things actually don't help with the Intersect. ... Sometimes it works perfectly, and sometimes when he gets flustered or upset, it essentially fritzes out."

Schwartz: "We take on in an episode -- what if Chuck stops flashing? What if his emotions get to a place where it's not working at all, and he's just a guy and he's benched from the team? There's the idea too that Sarah [Yvonne Strahovski] -- because she's at the heart of so much of his emotion and angst -- she's in some ways his kryptonite."

Chuck vs. Morgan. Levi: "[Chuck's spy training] continues to put a strain on our bromance, which is pretty difficult, because Chuck and Morgan [Joshua Gomez] have been friends since they were young kids. ... [Having to] lie to him day in and day out, that starts to really have an effect on their ability to just be friends. They do make steps -- Morgan moves in and now they have their bachelor pad. It's good for a little while, but it kind of makes it worse in some ways. ... You'll definitely see that take its toll in the season."

Casey at the Buy More. Early in the call, Schwartz noted that the Buy More, that "dysfunctional hotbed of competingly bizarre personalities," would be getting a new assistant manager -- "someone you may know from the show." Something he said later makes us think that person is none other than John Casey (Adam Baldwin).

"I think a lot of the friction [for Casey] this year is actually going to come at the Buy More, where he's going to be given more responsibility," Schwartz says. "Without giving too much away, he finds the Buy More to be potentially his future."

Levi directs. Levi took his first turn behind the camera this season, and Schwartz and Fedak have nothing but praise for the job he did. "The episode turned out great," Schwartz says. "We also decided for Zach's first episode that we were going to give him one of the more ambitious, important [episodes] in the mythology of the show."

"We did Zach no favors," Fedak adds. "'Chuck' is an incredibly difficult show to direct because we're doing comedy and action, which are difficult in their own right, and we're trying to do both. So Zach really jumped into the deep end, and he was swimming laps by the end of the day."

Subway series? Schwartz: "The name of the show is now 'Jared.' It's actually going to be far less integration than people feared or predicted at the end of last season. There won't be much more than what you saw last year. ... No one's working at Subway, if that's what you're asking."

Jeffster! returns. Schwartz: "[Vik Sahay as Lester and Scott Krinsky as Jeff] are invaluable comic support for us. Vik has, without giving too much away, a Buy More-via-'Fight Club' storyline where Lester really goes bananas, and obviously you can expect and look forward to the return of Jeffster!"

Fedak: "We will promise this -- we'll see Lester's bedroom.

Schwartz: "And his PJs. You will see what Lester sleeps in. It involves feet."

Chuck Becomes Game on Twitter, Facebook

"Mission: Chuck Me Out" tracks users who mention Chuck on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. Earning one point per mention, the fan with the most points on March 10 will have their photo appear in one of Chuck's mental flashes.

The spy series returns Jan. 10 at 9/8c.

Castle (1/4)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Arye Gross as M.E. Perlmutter, Brennan Elliot as Jason Cosway, Diana-Maria Riva as Detective Roselyn Karpowski.

“The Double Down” was written David Grace and directed by Rob Bowman.

Castle (12/26)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Debi Mazar as Paula Haas, Reed Diamond as Dr.Cameron Talbot, Elaine Hendrix as Melissa Talbot.

“When the Bough Breaks” was written by Rene Echevarria and directed by John Terlesky.

Castle (12/21)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Anita Barone as Janice Freeman, Robin Thomas as Alan Freeman, Samantha Shelton as Vixen.

“Vampire Weekend” was written by Terri Miller and directed by Karen Gaviola.

Castle (12/19)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Julian Sands as Teddy Farrow, Matt Barr as Travis McBoyd, Shanna Collins as Rina.

“Inventing the Girl” was written by Moira Kirland and directed by Dwight Little.

Castle (12/14)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Robert Curtis Brown as Ian Busch, Anne Ramsay as Bree Busch, Erin Foster as Sky Blue.

“Famous Last Words” was written by Jose Molina and directed by Rob Bowman.

Is Anna Getting Busy on V?

What's to come after all of tonight's alien madness is said and done? We caught up with superfoxy alien babe Morena Baccarin for an exclusive chat, and she hinted that things (maybe even big romantic things) are heating up for Anna. Here's what we learned:

OK, what is up with your and Scott Wolf's characters?

The relationship is definitely going to keep going in whatever strange direction it's going now. You don't really know if they're going to fight each other, love each other, or if she's going to eat him. You don't know what's going to happen! It gets really interesting in the episode that comes out on Tuesday. Something happens to his character that makes him very dependent on us. He has to sort of battle with his will to see what he's going to do. It's a very interesting dynamic.

Did you watch the original V to research your role at all, or did you steer clear from it?

I didn't watch the original...I had seen it when I was really little, so I remember it and I remember the creepy factor, but I haven't watched it since. I think I won't, because I want to create this character on my own.

Now that we're hooked, you're taking a break from filming…

Yes! It's torturous isn't it? It's torturous for me too. I really want to know what happens. We start back up in January, so just right after the holidays.

Does it make you nervous that you have several months of hiatus? Or do you think the suspense will help the show in the end?

I think it will help it. When people see the next episode, they're definitely coming back for more!

So, will you be back for more when V returns with nine new episodes in March? Is the show living up to your expectations so far?

Her cryptic 'V' character is alien to animated Baccarin

And don't tell her bosses at ABC, but she has gotten a little sick of it.

"I want to bleach my hair blond. I'd love to, but they would kill me right now if I did that," she says.

No kidding. The series V, starring Baccarin as Anna, the poker-faced president of the extraterrestrial Visitors, has proven to be a hit for ABC. The fourth episode airs tonight (8 ET/PT), and the series returns in March.

Baccarin, 30, is animated and peppy in person. On screen, she's as cool as, well, a lizard.

So she's particularly excited that this week, "you get to see what makes Anna tick a little bit. It's fun to be mysterious. I know that what Anna is doing and what her agenda is are really important, but you can't let on. I have to make her likable and intriguing to people who feel like they shouldn't like her."

The Los Angeles-based actress, who was born in Brazil but grew up in New York, auditioned for the part and landed the job in one day.

"I read this role and gravitated toward it, which I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," she says with a laugh.

Her shorn hair, which she had cut earlier, worked in her favor. "There was a tiny bit of debate in the beginning. There was a second there where we discussed if she should have long hair. But having her be different would be better. I voiced my opinion that she should be crisp and clean and precise. The costume designer totally agreed."

Given that Baccarin played a courtesan in Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Firefly and its big-screen adaptation, Serenity, has she been crowned the queen of the geeks?

Sort of.

"It's been really weird to walk down the street. At the post office the other day, a woman said I looked exactly like the alien on V. It's so weird to have people recognize you. They look at you like you're an alien."

WHAT MAKES BACCARIN TICK

Punctuality: "I hate being late. It makes me crazy."

Sushi: "I love it. And shooting in Vancouver is great because it has amazing sushi."

Politics: "I would love to meet (President) Obama. I think he is so charming and smart. It took us no time at all to turn on him. Certainly leading the country is a really tough job."

Vacation: "My boyfriend and I are going to Europe for a couple of weeks later this year. We're going to London and maybe Spain or Croatia."

Fans: "It's definitely weird and odd that I can go somewhere and be recognized. But I think it's fun."

Castle (12/12)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Kathleen Rose Perkins as Elise Finnegan, Robert Pine as Gerry Finnegan, David Ramsey as Jim Wheeler.

“Fool Me Once” was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Castle (12/7)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Marc Blucas as Jeremy Preswick, Anne Dudek as Emma Carnes, Carlo Rota as Bahir “Bobby” Harun.

“The Fifth Bullet” was written by David Grae and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE (11/30)

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, Laurel Holloman as Sandy Allen, Elizabeth Ho as Amy Saunders, Robert Grant as Ron Bigby.

“Deep in Death” was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Dollhouse Shuts Its Doors For Good

UPDATE: Joss Whedon has issued this statement: "Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.

I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.

I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again."

CASTLE (11/23)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: DB Woodside as Lance Carlberg, Abigail Spencer as Sarah Reid, Perrey Reeves as Helen Parker, Alex Skuby as Charlie DePetro.

"One Man's Treasure" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by Helen Shaver.

Five Things You Didn't Know About Morena Baccarin

The stunning, 30-year-old Brazilian-born actress – who previously starred on Firefly – made quite a first impression with humans and viewers alike in her role as Anna, the sly and smooth alien leader. (V airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC through November.)

Here are five things you may not know about TV's hottest new star.

1. She is a gourmet cook: "I love to get random recipes and try them. I cook very few things twice," she says. "Saveur magazine is my favorite magazine, and they have simple and unusual recipes I like to try."

2. She had a crush on her V costar Scott Wolf: She wasn't obsessed, but Baccarin admits that 15 years ago she was a huge Party of Five fan. "I loved it," she says. And Wolf's appeal on the show was simple: "He was the nice guy. I do remember watching it and [thinking] he was very hot." These days, however, Baccarin's affections are reserved for her boyfriend of two years, director Austin Chick.

3. Her pooch helped her through a rough patch: Baccarin, who splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles, often travels with her dog, Rudy. "He is a Löwchen, which is a rare breed of dog from Germany," she says, confessing that her love affair with the dog began "after I had gone through a breakup a few years ago. I went to the Santa Monica pound and friend of mine convinced me to get him. I thought he was a mutt, but he's a purebred from Germany that was bred to be a lap dog for royalty. Every day I've been so thankful I got him. He's the sweetest little guy. He doesn't bark. He doesn't chew [on things]. Sometimes I want to get more.”

4. She's a wine lover: One of Baccarin's favorite vacations was a trip to Seville, Spain, with Chick. "The food! Aus and I are big wine lovers, and Spanish wines are amazing. We love eating out, and the tapas and wine there are to die for."

5. She's not really evil!: Baccarin may play a calculating alien with plans to eradicate the human race – but at home she loves to laugh and keep things light. When it's time to unwind, "I don't watch much TV, but I recently got addicted to Modern Family," she says. "It's one of my favorite shows."

2010 People's Choice Awards nominees

"Twilight" and "True Blood" were among the top nominees announced Tuesday. Fans cast more than 18 million votes online to select the nominee slate and will also choose the winners in 35 categories.

The People's Choice Awards lets the general public vote for their favorite stars and works of popular culture.

"Twilight" is up for favorite movie, franchise and on-screen team for its trio of stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Stewart and Pattinson were also nominated individually for favorite movie actress and actor, and Lautner is up for breakout movie actor.

"True Blood" was nominated for favorite TV obsession and sci-fi/fantasy TV show, plus star Anna Paquin earned a nod for TV drama actress.

Fans can vote for their favorites online at www.peopleschoice.com.

Queen Latifah is set to host the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS on Jan. 6, 2010.

The complete list of nominees:

TV drama: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Grey's Anatomy," "House," "Lost," "NCIS."

TV comedy: "Desperate Housewives," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Office," "Two and a Half Men."

TV drama Actor: Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey.

TV drama Actress: Anna Paquin, Blake Lively, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl, Mariska Hargitay.

TV comedy Actor: Alex Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Jim Parsons, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carell.

TV comedy Actress: Alyson Hannigan, America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tina Fey.

TV obsession: "Dexter," "Gossip Girl," "The Hills," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," "True Blood."

TV talk show: "Chelsea Lately," "Live with Regis & Kelly," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tyra Banks Show."

TV sci-fi/fantasy: "Heroes," "Lost," "Supernatural," "The Vampire Diaries," "True Blood."

TV competition show: "American Idol," "Dancing With the Stars," "Project Runway," "So You Think You Can Dance," "Survivor: Samoa."

Animal show: "Animal Cops," "DogTown," "Dog Whisperer," "It's Me or the Dog," "Rescue Ink."

New TV drama: "Eastwick," "FlashForward," "Melrose Place," "Mercy," "The Forgotten," "The Good Wife," "The Vampire Diaries," "Three Rivers," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "V."

New TV comedy: "Accidentally on Purpose," "Brothers," "Community," "Cougar Town," "Glee," "Hank," "The Cleveland Show," "The Middle," "Modern Family."

Movie actor: Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Ryan Reynolds.

Movie actress: Anna Hathaway, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Stewart, Sandra Bullock.

Action star: Christian Bale, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Shia LaBeouf, Vin Diesel.

Comedic star: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughn.

Breakout movie actress: Anna Kendrick, Emily Osment, Ginnifer Goodwin, Miley Cyrus, Zoe Saldana.

Breakout movie actor: Chris Pine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sam Worthington, Taylor Lautner, Zachary Quinto.

On-screen team: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, "The Proposal"; Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, "The Twilight Saga"; Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"; Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, will.i.am, Dominic Monaghan and Daniel Henney, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Family movie: "Hannah Montana: The Movie," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," "Up," "Where the Wild Things Are."

Independent movie: "(500) Days of Summer," "District 9," "Inglourious Basterds," "Paranormal Activity," "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail."

Franchise: "Harry Potter," "Star Trek," "The Twilight Saga," "Transformers," "X-Men."

Comedy movie: "17 Again," "Bride Wars," "He's Just Not That Into You," "The Hangover," "The Proposal."

Favorite movie: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek," "The Hangover," "The Proposal," "Twilight."

Male artist: Eminem, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw.

Female artist: Beyonce, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Pink, Taylor Swift.

Country artist: Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift.

Breakout Music Artist: Adam Lambert, Demi Lovato, Kris Allen, Lady Gaga, Susan Boyle.

Hip-hop artist: Eminem, Flo Rida, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, T.I.

Rock band: Daughtry, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Muse, Paramore.

Music collaboration: Cobra Starship & Leighton Meester, "Good Girls Go Bad"; Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, "Lucky"; Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West, "Run This Town"; T.I. & Rihanna, "Live Your Life"; The Lonely Island & T-Pain, "I'm on a Boat."

R&B artist: Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Usher.

Pop artist: Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, the Black Eyed Peas.

Web celeb: Andy Samberg, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, P. Diddy, Will Ferrell.

V: Sit Down with Visitors' Leader Morena Baccarin

TVGuide.com sat down with Baccarin to get the info on all things V, including the cliff-hanger in Episode 4, the last episode until 2010. She also teases the relationship between Anna and Chad (Scott Wolf), the natural occurrence of deaths on the new ABC series, and why Erica should be keeping an eye on Tyler (Logan Huffman).

TVGuide.com: V doesn't seem to be your typical sci-fi show, though it boasts many actors who've been in the genre before.

Morena Baccarin: We don't see ourselves as sci-fi people for the most part. It's not like we're talking a different language, like an alien language. Elizabeth was on a sci-fi show and [Alan Tudyk] was on Firefly with me, but I don't feel like V is a sci-fi show. There's not one big sci-fi fiasco. It's a show about heart and people and relationships. There's some spaceships thrown in there, sure, but the sci-fi element is evened out with other things.

TVGuide.com: What is the Visitors' ultimate goal?

Baccarin: You'll have to watch to see, but by Episode 4 you get a very good idea that we're not what we're all cracked up to be. There's more to it than we're saying. We are here for more than just a short while, and we're here for additional reasons than just water and minerals.

TVGuide.com: Are there any good qualities in the Visitors?

Baccarin: Yes, absolutely. Anna is very loyal to her people; that's a good quality. I think there are Vs that have been living among humanity, so they take on some human qualities. There are parts of Anna that, depending on who you ask, can be seen as good.

TVGuide.com: Is Anna the type of leader to get her hands dirty?

Baccarin: You mean like fighting? Not initially. I think Anna is very capable of throwing down with the best of them, but I think we want to keep her more elevated, more political, more presidential than getting down and dirty right now.

TVGuide.com: Will people start to discover that the Visitors are bad or do they hide it pretty well?

Baccarin: I don't know what you're talking about [Laughs]. I think that the Vs are pretty good at masking to the masses, but I think that humans are very smart and they have instincts. You can tell right away there's something going on behind the surface, and it becomes more public knowledge.

TVGuide.com: When do we get to see an unmasking?

Baccarin: It's throughout the series in different people. I don't have a big peel-off-my-face moment, but I've been told that there may be some effects in that direction.

TVGuide.com: The Ambassador program feels like an homage to Hitler Youth. How does that develop?

Baccarin: It grows quite a bit actually. It's very smart of the Vs to invest in the youth of the world. One of their plans is to get the young people really excited about the Vs, so they can influence other people. As the generations change, they will be present. It definitely gets out there a lot.

TVGuide.com: Who would win in a fight between Anna and Erica?

Baccarin: I'm going to have to go with Anna, because I need some loyalty to my character, but I think it'd be a good fight. [A fight between Anna and Erica] could happen. I do meet Tyler, so maybe there's something there she needs to be protective of.

TVGuide.com: What precarious positions is Anna going to put Chad in?

Baccarin: It's going to get really interesting because he's very ambitious, and he really wants to succeed at what he does. By the end of the four episodes, he's going to find himself in a real decision spot of not knowing which way to go, and maybe their relationship will progress into something else. The power shifts back and forth a bit, so he doesn't just fold like a cheap suit [again].

TVGuide.com: Could there be something more to their relationship?

Baccarin: There definitely could be, and I think that that's what we're laying the ground work for. But we'll see how it plays out.

TVGuide.com: Have you seen anything in the scripts that really surprised you?

Baccarin: Yeah, a lot of things. There are some great plot turns and character twists that I love. I love that every character has a good and a bad side. I love that Elizabeth's character is struggling with being a good mom and saving the world. She's got some faults when it comes to her family and I think that's a wonderful thing.

TVGuide.com: What can we look forward to in future episodes?

Baccarin: We get to see more about how the Vs live. There are more hints at how they do certain things and there's some really great plot twists. [There are] characters' worlds that collide that you wouldn't expect.

TVGuide.com: What can we expect in the cliff-hanger of Episode 4?

Baccarin: Some relationships get explored, and you'll want to come back to find out. We've laid some groundwork for some V things, and you'll want to come back to find out what exactly they were.

TVGuide.com: Will deaths be a natural occurrence on this show?

Baccarin: As in life, there's death, so probably. There's not an intense amount of it, but nobody is safe. Everybody on the show — things can happen. We live in a very dangerous area with Vs and humans. At any moment something can happen.

TVGuide.com: What is your one little pitch to fans to come in and watch the show?

Baccarin: It is not only a show that has all the exciting stuff you want to see on TV when you want to veg out. There's cool effects and action. That aside, the creep factor of a huge spaceship hovering over our major cities, gives me goose bumps when I think about it. That element and the element that anything can happen and there's characters that are all people you can relate to. On some levels you relate to Elizabeth, we all relate to Tyler, we relate to all these people who are having struggles with their lives in addition to an alien invasion. It's a show that has a little bit of everything for everybody.

V: It's Only the Beginning (11/24)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Ryan Kennedy as David, Craig Fraser as Peter Combs, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, and Mark Hildreth as Joshua.

"It's Only the Beginning" was written by Cameron Litvack & Angela Russo Otstot and directed by Yves Simoneau.

Re-imagined 'V' continues ABC's red-letter year

There's no doubt that, creatively, ABC is playing network TV's hottest hand. It has launched fall's best new sitcoms in The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town, and its most intriguing drama in FlashForward. And now it can add to that list of achievements the season's most entertaining new hour, straightforward division: V.

Think about how easily this idea could have gone south. Apply too little creative thought, and this souped-up updating of NBC's much-loved 1983 miniseriescould easily have become the same cheesy, tacky rehash mess that NBC made of Knight Rider. Overthink the project, and you risk bleeding all the fun out of it and creating an overly dark lump like Bionic Woman.

Tonight, writer Scott Peters, whose The 4400 was one of TV's best recent alien-invasion dramas, hits all the right chords. He adds just enough modern media twists and political/sleeper-cell parallels to contemporize the story without drowning it in paranoia. The clothes and hair have changed, no doubt for the better, but the essentials are all in place – including, we can only hope, the visitors' legendary fondness for hamsters.

What he and ABC have landed on is a show in which the effects are good but not dominant, the characters are strong, and the story is (as it was) crystal clear. Space visitors have landed, and it's up to a few hardy souls to save a gullible world.

Indeed, where FlashForward thrives on ambiguity and complexity, V offers the simpler pleasures of a good guy/bad guy adventure, and skilled actors head up both extremes. On "our" side, you have Joel Gretsch (who proved his sci-fi worth on 4400) as a questioning priest and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell as a smart counterterrorism agent. On "their" side, you have Anna, the V leader played by Morena Baccarin, whose beauty and charisma are as alluring here as they were in Firefly.

Wisely, Peters has also trapped some of his best characters in the middle: Scott Wolf as an ambitious anchor, Logan Huffman as Mitchell's V-enchanted teenage son, and Morris Chestnut, who is on to the visitors' biggest secret.

Anyone who has ever seen an invading-alien movie knows the visitors are up to no good, as the show acknowledges in a witty exchange that both celebrates and mocks Independence Day-type conventions. But there's still power to be found in those conventions – in our longing for alien contact, our fear over what it might mean, and the joy we seem to take in reinventing ourselves as scrappy underdogs.

As with those Americans looking up at Anna's lovely face on that hovering spaceship HDTV, it would be unwise to be too easily seduced. V opens incredibly well. But so did the original miniseries, only to peter out as an open-ended show. Embrace the show, but keep your eyes open.

And your hamsters under guard.

V - * * * 1/2 (out of four) - ABC, Tuesday, 8 ET/PT

It's 'V' day for sci-fi fans as ABC reboots the alien story

Except that despite appearances, none of them is actually human: They are reptilian-skinned alien "visitors" with a veneer of attractive flesh. And the spaceship doesn't exist. The actors are standing in front of a 112-foot-long "green screen," peering occasionally at a nearby monitor that displays how the vessel will be digitally inserted behind them.

"You feel like you're floating a little bit," she says during a break between scenes. "It gives you a headache after a while, staring at that green."

She's not the only one with a headache. ABC's V, premiering Tuesday night (8 ET/PT) as a four-week event, with nine more episodes to come later, is a remake of a 1980s pop-culture touchstone. Like others (Bionic Woman, this fall's Eastwick), it's not without behind-the-scenes hiccups.

The on-screen drama is about an outwardly benevolent band of creatures who venture from spaceships hovering over 29 world cities, promising to trade technology for water. But their real motives are far more sinister.

Some welcome their arrival, but the suspicious form a resistance movement, which leads the visitors' charismatic leader, Anna (Baccarin), to enlist an ambitious TV reporter (Scott Wolf) as a propaganda tool.

On their case is FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), a single mom whose teen son, Tyler (Logan Huffman), is enthralled by them. The resistors' ranks include a priest (Joel Gretsch) and a Wall Street whiz (Morris Chestnut).

The show, set in New York City, is based on a smash NBC miniseries that drew 40% of the TV audience when it first aired in May 1983, and nearly as many for its sequel a year later.

Like other remakes, the title "has a lot of marquee value; certainly a lot of people in my generation remember it fondly," writer and executive producer Scott Peters says, even if their recall is limited to signature moments: the aliens consuming rodents; a human mother giving birth to a forked-tongued reptilian baby.

But unlike many alien sagas since then, from Independence Day to ABC's short-lived Invasion, "we don't have aliens landing with giant phasers blowing things up," Wolf says. "We have aliens landing with this incredibly loving posture, saying, 'We're here to help.' Instead of destruction, it's full of possibilities."

The original series was a thinly veiled allegory of the Nazis' takeover of Germany, down to the jackbooted visitors who sought to eat the Earth's population until a band of humans intervened, aided by a few alien turncoats.

The 'lemming mentality'

The new version represents a post-9/11 worldview, against the backdrop of wars, an economic meltdown and enemies hidden in plain sight.

"There's a lot of bad news out there and it's really depressing," Peters says. "I thought it was a tremendous wish-fulfillment fantasy, if there was some deity that said, 'Look around, everything's going wrong, and we're going to fix it for you.'

"There's a lemming mentality that goes on in our humanity, and the idea of blind devotion, to me, is really fascinating. If you don't ask questions about things you have faith in, it could wind up coming back to bite you."

Contemporary viewers may have differing interpretations, as do the show's stars. Mitchell sees V's as a religious cult; Wolf believes they represent terrorists.

Others on both sides of the political spectrum may point to the visitors' explicit promises of hope, change and universal health care as a pointed reference to pledges of the Obama administration. But Peters says the show has been in the works since 2007. Reality was "never really a factor," he says. "There's no political message being shoved down anyone's throat."

Kenny Johnson, who created the original V, says via e-mail that in any guise, the series offers "a timeless story" in depicting "the struggle of resistance against oppression, how ordinary people react to extraordinary circumstances."

Johnson is not involved in the new series and hasn't seen it. But he says "they are using very different characters and stories and style than my original. It's very hard to recapture lightning in a bottle – but I hope the new V team will do well," in part to boost prospects for a V feature film he hopes to make.

But the series remake has run into roadblocks. V's pilot episode was well-received by advertisers and critics, but ABC's late-summer decision to start the show two months earlier than planned – in part to dodge American Idol and the broadcast of the Winter Olympics, also in Vancouver – led to script problems, which forced reshoots and a five-week production break.

The first of three planned story arcs was condensed from six to four fall episodes. And the show will test viewers' loyalty with a three-month hiatus; remaining episodes won't surface until March. A promotional campaign that called for planes to skywrite red V's over national landmarks was scuttled after publicity over potential environmental effects.

And Thursday, in a response to the show's production problems, Peters (USA Network's The 4400) was replaced at the helm of the show by Scott Rosenbaum (Chuck, The Shield), though he is expected to stay aboard as an executive producer.

"We had a great pilot, then a couple of great episodes, but we had a disconnect on where we were going from there," says ABC Entertainment Group chief Stephen McPherson. Though no stranger to tinkering (he made extensive changes to the original Grey's Anatomy pilot), "I hadn't had the experience of that before." But McPherson accepts "a little blame for rushing them."

Mitchell, who plays hero FBI agent Erica Evans, says the resulting changes merely speed the pace of storytelling to pack a bigger wallop, including big cliffhangers in the Nov. 24 episode. Filming on that episode is set to wrap today, giving actors another unexpected 10-week break as the show is retooled. (Mitchell will trek to Hawaii to shoot new Lost episodes.)

"They didn't do anything different. They heightened it, they took it up," she says. The changes are meant to recapture the big-event appeal that started V in a different era. "The idea is to make it a movie, something where we are on the edge of our seats, wondering what's going to happen."

Early research and blog chatter indicate the show's core base of alien-conspiracy fans are stoked about a cast that includes alumni of many geek touchstones, not least of them ABC's own Lost, which ends its run in May.

Erica is 'more fun' to play

Mitchell says Erica is "not as tortured, so that makes it a lot more fun." Juliet "was so deeply, deeply, deeply sad and so deeply angry, to carry that around all the time was quite a bit."

Erica is "trying to be a fantastic mother and obviously failing; she's trying to save the world and obviously failing," Mitchell says. "But they're both kind of kick-(butt) ladies, which is fun."

Mitchell, a self-described "sci-fi dork," is well aware of the challenges of appealing to such a devoted audience. "I kind of like the fact that people obsessively get into shows; I'm hoping this is one of (them)." But, she says, "I don't think it will ever be hard-core enough for some people, and it may be too sci-fi for others."

And wooing the sci-fi crowd alone isn't enough to sustain a major-network drama. A weekly series spawned by the original V was a dud; it lasted just 19 episodes. So ABC pushed producers to develop deeper, rich character stories, much as it did for genre dramas such as Lost and this season's new FlashForward.

Wolf's television reporter is "vulnerable because of his own ambition," he says. "He's clearly someone who feels he's being held back. The visitors' arrival has provided him with the opportunity of his lifetime." The show, he says, is "a mind-bender, because things most probably aren't what they seem."

Chestnut says: "This was not a science-fiction show that was going to be driven by special effects. This was a science-fiction show that was going to be driven by the characters with special effects as a backdrop, and that was what appealed to me."

Says Peters, "If it becomes too magical, too fantastical, the comic-book crowd will love it but no one else will." He concedes it's "difficult not to go over the top with the visitors."

So the burden of striking that balance falls to Brazilian-born Baccarin, already beloved by the sci-fi crowd through her roles on Stargate SG-1 and Joss Whedon's short-lived space Western Firefly.

"I don't want to go into the land of melodrama and evil and mustache-twirling," she says, wrapping a down coat over her V duds in a cavernous soundstage on this rainy Vancouver day.

"I have to be threatening but at the same time nurturing and nice," as Anna's placid demeanor is at odds with a malevolent streak. "There's something so dynamic, scary, sexy, smart; everything about her is a challenge."

And though in tonight's premiere she's "more of a powerful political figure," in subsequent episodes "I get a little more down and dirty and deal with some dissension from other people."

Or aliens. "Skin him!" she orders in a steely voice, dispatching the turncoat.

Joss Whedon on his $10,000 bid for 'Terminator': 'It's all ridiculous, but it comes from love'

His first response: “What do you mean, funny?! You think $10,000 is funny?!”

His second response: “Here’s the thing: It’s not a slam on The Terminator. I love The Terminator. That part’s totally true. I was thinking to myself, ‘Not since they auctioned off frames from The Little Mermaid have I wished I had more money this much. So you know what, never hurts to ask.’ I loved the movies, even the later movies. I loved the mythology. I loved the TV show [The Sarah Connor Chronicles]–like, really loved. Not for pretend. And not just because of [star] Summer [Glau].

“But mostly, it’s just me being a dumb-ass, because that seems to be what I do best — I’m not even very good at that. So, no, I do not think they’re going to call me and say ‘Congratulations! We’ll have that $10,000 now.’ Although, it would be non-exclusive. Other people could make Terminator movies and TV shows too. I’m just putting that out there in case you publish this.

“But I adore the franchise. I literally did learn a huge amount from that [franchise]. [The Terminator] came out when I was in college, and I was like, This is how you construct a story. It’s very important to me. That part was true. The part where I think I’m going to get it, not so true. And certain ideas, like [bidding for] The Lord of the Rings and the Batman franchise, also possibly not true. If they will give them to me for $10,000, I absolutely would write a check. That’s true. They just didn’t say those [properties] were for sale. They said they were on back-order, is what I understand. It’s all ridiculous, but it comes from love.”

So there you have it, but all joking aside, no matter who actually ends up controlling the rights to the Terminator, it seems like Whedon just made a savvy play to be the new creative force behind it. Would you like to see him try his hand at the franchise, or do you think there is someone better suited to it?

V: A Bright New Day (11/17)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna, and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, Mark Hildreth as Joshua, Michael Filipowich as Cyrus, Tyler McClendon as Steven, Michelle Harrison as Mrs. Falkner, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Roark Critchlow as Paul Kendrick, Britt Irvin as Haley.

"A Bright New Day" was written by Diego Gutierrez & Christine Roum and directed by Fred Toye.

CASTLE: Love Me Dead (11/16)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Jonathan LaPaglia as John Knox, Michaela McManus as Scarlett Price, J.B. Smoove as Norman Jessup.

"Love Me Dead" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Aliens target Earth again in "V" revival

"V" was a popular miniseries when NBC aired it in the pre-Fox and early cable year of 1983. It worked so well that creator Kenneth Johnson had a sequel the following year, "V: The Final Battle." That proved so popular that NBC, disregarding the "Final" part of the title, reintroduced "V" as a weekly series that fall. That's when it stopped working.

And that's too bad, because the idea behind "V" -- a modern retelling of how the Nazis rose to power in Germany -- is a powerhouse concept that combines conflict, suspense and imagination with some heavy-duty philosophical issues. Johnson, in fact, said his original inspiration was the Sinclair Lewis novel, "It Can't Happen Here," and he came up with something that is less science fiction than political science fiction.

This latest update, airing Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST/PST, preserves the original framework but shifts the atmosphere to accommodate contemporary concerns. Based on the pilot, the militaristic notes will be more subdued. Instead, there will be more of a post-September 11 emphasis on questions of trust and terror.

"V" is short for Visitors, which is what the aliens call themselves. They announce their presence while simultaneously hovering in huge unassailable spaceships above 29 of Earth's major cities, including New York, where the series is set.

Alien leader Anna (Morena Baccarin), the very picture of sweetness and innocence, promises to share advanced technology and live in peace. Many Earthlings are eager to believe her, including young adults who sign up for the Peace Ambassador program (analogous to Hitler Youth).But there are skeptics. These include FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), whose son joins the Ambassador program, and Father Jack (Joel Gretsch). Complicating things is the wave of Visitors who came to Earth years earlier and are working incognito. At the same time, though, other secret Visitors have become disillusioned and join the resistance.

Somewhere in between is news anchor Chad Decker (Scott Wolf). In exchange for exclusive interviews with Anna, he makes an uncomfortable bargain to ask only softball questions.

It could be complicated, but Scott Peters' tightly written teleplay makes it easy to follow. In addition, the pilot raises provocative issues without getting didactic. That, combined with mythology less dense than, say, ABC's "Lost," should make this an attractive viewing option.

NBC opts for more "Chuck," no more "Trauma"

The network has ordered six more episodes of comedy-drama "Chuck" and has opted not to pick up additional episodes from "Trauma" beyond the freshman drama's original 13-episode order.

The pickup for "Chuck" brings the show's total third-season order to 19 episodes. With the expanded order, "Chuck" is rumored to launch in January.

As for "Trauma," the big-budget action medical drama has been in limbo after a weak start behind "Heroes." It got a glimpse of hope this week when, against CBS repeats, it showed a small ratings uptick, prompting the network to book the series for three more weeks.

The series now will finish production on its 13-episode order before winding down.

NBC's other two freshman series, "Community" and "Mercy," have been picked up for a full season, along with sophomore "Parks and Recreation."

V: There Is No Normal Anymore (11/10)

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest cast: Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, Rekha Sharma as Sarita Malik, Britt Irvin as Haley, Scott Hylands as Father Travis, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, Roark Critchlow as Paul Kendrick.

"There Is No Normal Anymore" was written by Scott Peters & Sam Egan and directed by Yves Simoneau.

CASTLE: Kill the Messenger (11/9)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: Sonya Leslie as Valerie Thompson, Arye Gross as M.E. Sidney Perlmutter, Ron Melendez as Jeff Dilahunt, Josh Daugherty as Trent Wellesley and Jill Andre as Lenanne Wellesley.

"Kill the Messenger" was written by Terrence Paul Winter and directed by Jonathan Frakes.

Fox Pulls Dollhouse Off November Sweeps Schedule

Castle Picked Up for Full Second Season

The procedural dramedy, which stars Nathan Fillion as an author who helps solve crimes to cure his writers block, debuted in March to 11.6 million viewers. Although the show's numbers have fallen off a bit this season (it's averaging between 9 and 10 million viewers), it has held a respectable chunk of its Dancing with the Stars lead-in.

ABC previously announced full-season orders of new comedies Modern Family, Cougar Town and The Middle as well as freshman drama FlashForward.

Joss Whedon + 'Glee' = TV-geek nirvana

The "Dollhouse" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator will helm an episode of the FOX series later this season. The show's initial 13-episode run is already in the can, so Whedon will take on one of the back nine episodes that FOX picked up last month, the network confirms. His work on "Glee" will happen after the 13-episode run of "Dollhouse" finishes.

"Joss directed one of the great musical episodes in the history of television on 'Buffy,' so this is a great, if unexpected, fit," "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy tells EW.com. "I'm thrilled he'll be loaning us his fantastic, groundbreaking talent."

The musical episode Murphy refers to is "Once More, with Feeling," the "Buffy" season six installment which Whedon wrote (including most of its songs) and directed. He also created the online musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," which won an Emmy in September.

The "Glee" gig will be a rare directorial outing for Whedon on a show he didn't create. His only other outside directing work came on a couple episodes of "The Office" in 2007.

CASTLE: Famous Last Words (11/2)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Robert Curtis Brown as Ian Busch, Anne Ramsay as Bree Busch, Erin Foster as Sky Blue.

"Famous Last Words" was written by Jose Molina and directed by Rob Bowman.

V: Pilot (11/3; PREMIERE)

In the premiere episode, "Pilot," an image of Anna (Morena Baccarin), the leader of the V's, is projected worldwide as she speaks about everyone joining together and no longer being divided by country or separated by fear. She wants us all to unite, and is counting on a very important component of human nature -- devotion. At first considered a threat, the V's quickly become a fascination and a link to things that lay just beyond our reach. For Tyler (Logan Huffman), a teenaged boy, the V's are his ticket to being a part of something big and something that offers hope. To Chad (Scott Wolf), an egotistical news anchor who wants to further his career, his exclusive interview with Anna begins his desire to dominate the airwaves. Father Jack (Joel Gretsch), a priest with questioning faith, is hesitant to believe in the Visitors' righteousness and goes outside of the church in search of the truth. There are other dissidents who believe the Visitors aren't who they say they are, including Ryan (Morris Chestnut), who is faced with a life-altering decision when the V's show up. And to FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), who discovers, while investigating a terrorist cell, what lurks beneath the alarmingly human exterior of the Visitors, resisting this new world has never been more important -- and never has there been more at stake. This truly is the dawning of a new day.

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna, and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, Britt Irvin as Haley Gordon, David Richmond-Peck as Georgie, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Scott Hylands as Father Travis and Stefan Arngrim as Roy.

CASTLE: Vampire Weekend (10/26)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Anita Barone as Janice Freeman, Robin Thomas as Alan Freeman, Samantha Shelton as Vixen.

"Vampire Weekend" was written by Terri Miller and directed by Karen Gaviola.

Castle: Is a Beckett-Castle Kiss in the Cards?

When asked what he thinks will lure viewers into the ABC procedural dramedy's second season, the 38-year-old former Firefly and Desperate Housewives star cracks jokes. "This season we decided to go with no hooks, no hooks at all," Fillion tells TVGuide.com. "That's become our mantra: no hooks, let's just coast. One episode, we actually take an episode from the first season and just changed everybody's names and filmed it again."

Co-stars Stana Katic and Seamus Dever, who join Fillion on the other end of the line for a telephone interview during a break from shooting, laugh at most of Fillion's jokes. All the actors say humor is what sets Castle apart from the glut of other crime procedurals.

"The writers are very realistic about the kind of show that we have," Katic says. "We're a crime procedural, but through a light-hearted, comedic eye. I think the other shows that we reference are kind of dark and try to be very realistic and scientific and pragmatic, and I think we just have fun with it."

Dever is a fan of the show's focus on the nuts and bolts of being a homicide detective. "I think there's a little bit of a post-modern comment on other shows because we come around after America has been exposed to 10 years of CSI," Dever says. "I think we're commenting on what really is police work: pounding on doors and taking phone calls, rather than being about forensics. I think that comes from the police officers and detectives that work on our show."

Fillion the jokester can't help but capitalize on Dever's setup. "We hung out with a bunch of homicide detectives, and they're not haunting, they're not brooding, they're not tortured," FIllion says. "They were brilliantly entertaining, and they were incredibly funny. It's just that all their stories start with, 'So this guy gets killed ...'"

Fillion says that playing the class clown is part of the fun of portraying Richard Castle, but Katic says there more to the character than being a cad. "There's a wonderful undercurrent that we get to see when he is in scenes with his mother and daughter. I think you see a real heart that beats there, and I think that as episodes continue, people will get to be charmed by that side as well."

The question on many viewers' minds, however, is when, if ever, Katic's Detective Beckett will be charmed by Castle. Fillion is equally stumped, but says that's what makes Castle's attraction to Beckett fun to play. "One of the things that attracts him so much to Beckett is that he can't crack that shell," he says. "He can't get to that spot, so he keeps chasing her. And she's a real authority figure; no one else really has control over Castle the way Beckett does."

A guest-starring Debi Mazar (Entourage, Dancing with the Stars) will further complicate the relationship. As Paula Haas, a book agent from Castle's past, Mazar makes Castle an offer he'll find hard to turn down. But it's also one that could derail any hopes of a Castle-Beckett hookup.

About the potential love triangle, Katic is expectedly coy. "Honey, we never kiss and tell. You'll have to watch and see," she says.

So is that to say there is a kiss in the couple's future? Katic is silent. Dever laughs. Cue Fillion.

"I'm always kissing everybody," he says. "I recently sneaked one in with [Dever's] Detective Ryan. It surprised him, that's for sure."

Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.

CASTLE: When the Bough Breaks (10/19)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Debi Mazar as Paula Haas, Reed Diamond as Dr.Cameron Talbot, Elaine Hendrix as Melissa Talbot.

"When the Bough Breaks" was written by Rene Echevarria and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Fool Me Once (10/12)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Kathleen Rose Perkins as Elise Finnegan, Robert Pine as Gerry Finnegan, David Ramsey as Jim Wheeler.

"Fool Me Once" was written by Alexi Hawley and directed by Bryan Spicer.

'V' split: ABC's alien takeover partly deferred till spring

CASTLE: Inventing the Girl (10/5)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Julian Sands as Teddy Farrow, Matt Barr as Travis McBoyd, Shanna Collins as Rina.

"Inventing the Girl" was written by Moira Kirkland and directed by Dwight Little.

Dollhouse Boss Breaks Good Horrible News

As for Season 2 of Dollhouse, which Whedon believes Fox brought back, not because of stellar ratings (“I don’t write hit shows.”) but because of the ancillary money his cult series—like Buffy and Firefly—bring in due to DVD sales and the like. The big excitement for fans: Ray Wise (Reaper’s Devil, who has joined the show in a possibly recurring role starting in episode 6) is running a rival Dollhouse, and that Summer Glau’s new character, Bennett, will be working for him as a programmer.

In other news, the show will revisit the apocalyptic future of the DVD “Epitaph One.” (Felicia Day, who appeared in the episode as a resistance fighter in the future, will guest star this season.) “I’m fascinated by that world and I’m in love with the actors in it,” Whedon says. He says that Echo will try to put together a team to uncover the Dollhouse’s secrets. “We’ll see who’s on her side and who not so much.” And expect a lot more with the sexed up Dolls Sierra and Victor, “who can’t keep their hands off each other.” Echo sees that lust, he says, “an indication that they’re ready to be pushed” to a higher level of awareness. Sounds like good team member potential there.

Dr. Saunders, will be in just three episodes this season (Amy Acker is committed to the ABC midseason series Happy Town) but they ”will be extraordinarily memorable,” he says, adding that there won’t be a new doctor to fill the gap.

Season 2 of Dollhouse premieres Friday, September 25, 9/8c, Fox.

CASTLE: The Double Down (9/28)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Arye Gross as M.E. Perlmutter, Brennan Elliot as Jason Cosway, Diana-Maria Riva as Detective Roselyn Karpowski.

"The Double Down" was written David Grace and directed by Rob Bowman.

CASTLE: Deep in Death - SEASON PREMIERE (9/21)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Michael Connelly as himself, Laurel Holloman as Sandy Allen, Elizabeth Ho as Amy Saunders, Robert Grant as Ron Bigby.

"Deep in Death" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Dollhouse Season Two Is All About "Murder and Sex"

Summer Glau and Alexis Denisof, both of Joss Whedon series fame, and Michael Hogan are joining the group of big names visiting second season of FOX's "Dollhouse." They join the recently announced guest stars Keith Carradine and Jamie Bamber.

But let's get back to the Whedonverse characters, shall we?

Glau will join the cast of "Dollhouse" as recurring character Bennett, "a Dollhouse employee who shares a past with Echo (Eliza Dushku)." Since we haven't seen Glau previously, it's possible her character had been working previously at one of the other Dollhouses out there before coming to the one we know and love.

Glau, known most recently for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," had starred in Whedon's beloved sci-fi western series "Firefly" and its big-screen follow-up "Serenity."

As if that little Whedon reunion weren't enough, Alexis Denisof, who appeared on Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" before moving on to become a regular castmember on its spinoff "Angel," will make a guest appearance as Sen. Daniel Perrin, who's on a witch hunt to expose the Dollhouse. Hmm, perhaps Paul (Tahmoh Penikett) won't be all alone in his endeavors this season. That always seemed a little fruitless.

Glau and Denisof join the growing list of former Whedon series stars who've reunited with the man himself on "Dollhouse." Others include series star Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, Alan Tudyk and Felicia Day (who was only seen in "Epitaph One," the 13th episode from Season One that wasn't aired).

Also, this season Michael Hogan of "Battlestar Galactica" fame will play Bradley Karrens, a man who seeks the Dollhouse's help to stop a family member's psychotic killing spree. Hogan's fellow "BSG" castmate Jamie Bamber was inadvertently revealed to be a guest star Wednesday when FOX made photos of the first episode available to press. Bamber will play businessman Martin Klar, who is Echo's new husband. We really wish FOX would tell us more than that!

Finally, as previously reported, Keith Carradine will come on as businessman Matthew Harding, a "nemesis" of Dollhouse chief Adelle (Olivia Williams). A FOX publicist had already told Zap2it that Harding is also somehow involved with Sierra's history, which makes us wonder if Adelle and Sierra knew each other in their previous, non-Dollhouse lives.

Besides the main cast, FOX also announced that Amy Acker's character Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey and Miracle Laurie's character Madeline/November will return for multiple-episode arcs.

"Dollhouse" debuts its second season on Friday, Sept. 25.

Dollhouse Season Two Is All About "Murder and Sex"

The cast promises that season two delivers all the babes-in-bondage and zombie-mind-control weirdness you'd expect, plus a new look that may change the way you see the story forever.

Paul and Echo Heat Up: According to both Tahmoh Penikett and Eliza Dushku, Echo and Ballard will grow closer this season. As Eliza says, "Echo doesn't know entirely what's going on yet…[but] as she becomes more and more self-aware, she's recognizing this constant, tall, dark, looming man in the Dollhouse." We would have said handsome in lieu of looming, but her point is taken. As Tahmoh explains it, "They have a connection. It's not a physical attraction, but I hope it's something that we explore a lot more this season. You're not quite sure what it is. There's a past, there's a history, there's an understanding between them that's very different. I think the audience is really going to like it and be really curious about where we're going in the first few episodes."

Other Zombie Lovers: Echo isn't the only active who's going to be exploring her nascent feelings for someone else. Enver Gjokaj tells us, "Sierra and Victor are definitely still involved. They're going to explore that relationship more. They explore the Sierra-and-Victor love as dolls, but then also they're going to go into the backstory of both of them." There's no chance that Sierra and Topher were connected before they entered the Dollhouse…is there?

Crazy Comes Early: Enver also promises that season two starts out, well, energetically. He says, "They don't wait. They start right in with some crazy stuff. Tim Minear has crazy stuff in store. And Jed [Whedon] and Maurissa [Tancharoen]'s episodes are out of this world." What kind of crazy can we expect? According to Fran Kranz, "Sexually dark stuff…murder…sex and murder." Works for us.

The New Look: According to Eliza, there's a fresh new look to the series this year: "We're shooting with a different style and shooting HD, and it makes it that much more realistic. That supernatural haze, that science-fiction haze, has been lifted, and it makes it all that much more possible. I was driving down the street the other day and I saw one of the vans they use for the dolls, the sprinters, and the thought crossed my mind…this could be. With the technology today, you just never know."

CASTLE: Little Girl Lost (9/7)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson, Judy Reyes as Theresa Candela, Julian Acosta as Alfred Candela, Francis Capra as Juan Restrepo and Todd Waring as Dave Ellers.

"Little Girl Lost" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: A Death in the Family (9/7)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson, Ion Overman as Candace Robinson, Robert Picardo as Clark Murray, Robert Costanzo as Sal Tenor, Delane Matthews as Jacey Goldberg and Joe Marinelli as Jimmy Moran.

"A Death in the Family" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: A Chill Goes Through Her Veins (9/7)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Charles Malik Whitfield as Charles Wyler, Bill Smitrovich as Ben Davidson, Peter Jason as Sheriff Sloan and Channon Roe as Kevin Henson.

"A Chill Goes Through Her Veins" was written by Charles Murray and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Gina Torres Joins Gossip Girl

Gabriela Abrams, mother to home-schooled vid-kid Vanessa, is described as being warm and outgoing, which will certainly be a change of pace for this show, not exactly known as the paragon of parental virtue. She is a free spirit, a former Brooklynite who lives "off the grid" in Vermont and has definite opinions about things, especially concerning her daughter. Ah, that's more like it.

Torres is best known for her roles on Alias and Firefly, though she also had a recent blink-and-you-miss-it cameo on Pushing Daisies as the wayward mom of Emerson's daughter. The actress is married to CSI's Laurence Fishburne.

Gabriela Abrams is currently scheduled to appear in two episodes, but she will recur on the series. Gossip Girl returns for its third season on Monday, Sept. 14 at 9/8c on the CW.

CASTLE: Home Is Where the Heart Stops (8/24)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Patrick Bauchau as Caine Powell, Caterina Scorsone as Joanne Delgado, Nick Chinlund as Evan Mitchell and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Home Is Where the Heart Stops" was written by Will Beall and directed by Dean White.

CASTLE: Ghosts (8/17)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Joanne Kelly as Lee Wax, Alex Carter as Michael Goldman, Jillian Armenante as Susan Mailer, Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Ghosts" was written by Moira Kirkland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

'Dollhouse' will go back to the future in season two

"Welcome back to the biggest surprise of my career, our season two."

FOX's renewal of "Dollhouse" for a second season did indeed qualify as one of the bigger shocks of the spring. Whedon is unsurprisingly psyched to be back, and he says he and his fellow writers have "more excitement and enthusiasm about the show than we did by a country mile last year, because we are in it now."

But the show is also in something of a strange position thanks to "Epitaph One," the final episode of the first season which depicted the future for Echo (Eliza Dushku) and the rest of the characters and presented a possibly radical new direction for the show.

The episode screened at Comic-Con and is on the show's DVD set, but FOX didn't air it, and it's not available (at least not legally) online -- which means that a portion of the audience will head into the second season without knowing what happened in the episode.

"'Epitaph One' did present that particular problem of serving two masters -- people who had seen it and people who hadn't," Whedon says. "I am used to that -- I made an entire movie ['Serenity'] that had that problem and only that problem."

Joking aside, though, Whedon says that the first episode of season two -- which airs Sept. 25 -- will revisit that future and bring those who didn't see "Epitaph One" up to speed. However, "the actual bulk of the show takes place three months after the events of 'Omega.' But we will be visiting that future every now and then."

While the "Epitaph One" situation is unusual, Whedon notes that even if it had aired on FOX (or didn't exist), he would still be reintroducing the show to potential new viewers.

"We have so many regulars and relationships and so much mythology already around the central premise of 'this woman can be anyone' that this episode has a lot of catching up for any viewer whether or not 'Epitaph' was a part of it," he says.

The writers' goal for season two, Whedon says, is to "build Echo up from nothing ... and really give her a sense of momentum and purpose that will ground the show in a way it couldn't be last year." At least for the first week, it's working, Dushku says.

"I am already sort of astonished by the emotions and reactions just in ... this episode," she says. [Thursday], full on burst into tears in the middle of a take. It was a giant scene ... and there was something that happened and I haven't had that kind of -- I was just surprised at my emotion and I hadn't really had that. I was like, All right, this is kind of a nice kickoff for the season. Everything's out on the table and we've already had the first season to sort of have our insecurities and have our guard and a little bit of that, and now we just get to open it up and search into humanity with you."

RICHARD CASTLE OF ABC'S CASTLE GOES LIVE ON TWITTER

Castle and Alexis take off for their house in the Hamptons, and what starts as a respite for Castle turns into yet another mystery for him to help solve. And this time, he tweets his theories to his followers.

It all begins when a foot without a body washes up on the beach. Local law enforcement thinks it's an accident, a shark attack, but Castle's certain there's more to it than that and twitters his theories to his many fans. Much to the chagrin of the local police, Castle puts himself into the middle of the investigation. The game's afoot!

For the next six weeks, fans will be able to give Castle advice, eavesdrop on his affairs and his family, and help him solve his summer mystery.

Richard Castle's Twitter handle is @WriteRCastle or visit http://twitter.com/WriteRCastle. There is also a link to his Facebook page, so fans will be able to see how this famous creator of Murder, Mystery and the Macabre spends his time away from the precinct.

"Castle" airs Mondays (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT) on ABC.

CASTLE: Nanny McDead (8/15)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jayne Brook as Claudia Peterson, Michael Graziadei as Brent Johnson, Sarah Drew as Chloe Richardson, Melinda Page Hamilton as Diana Harris and George Newbern as Howard Peterson.

"Nanny McDead" was written by Barry Schindel and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE: Hedge Fund Homeboys (8/10)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jamie Chung as Romy Lee, Julia Nickson as Mrs. Lee, Nolan Gerard Funk as Brandon, Michelle Page as Amanda Kunal Sharma as Spencer.

"Hedge Fund Homeboys" was written by David Grae and directed by Rob Bowman.

Dollhouse Opens Its Doors to More Whedonverse Alumni

Whedon kicked off the panel by raving that the staff he assembled for the Fox series' freshman run was "the best" first-season staff he has ever worked with. So expect no major changes there.

As far as on-camera talent, the auteur announced that at least two Whedonverse alumni could show up on Dollhouse. Alexis Denisof, aka Angel's Wesley, is a sure bet to guest star in multiple Season 2 episodes, he said. This past TV season, Denisof had a brief run on ABC's Private Practice.

Also — and as has been rumored ever since Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' cancelation — former Firefly cast member Summer Glau is on Whedon's wish list, though nothing has been set in stone yet.

Other familiar faces to watch for early in Season 2 include Felicia Day, who had a role in the first season's never-broadcast thirteenth episode, "Epitaph One" (and back in the day appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Amid the cheers and woots, Whedon gave the show's fans pause when at one point he teased, "There is one trustworthy person in the Dollhouse — and I'm going to kill them." Was he casting a dark cloud over do-right Boyd? Kindly Topher? Former lawman Paul? Whedon let slip no clues.

All told, Whedon seemed positively bullish on Season 2. He thanked fans for running their TiVos amok (Dollhouse benefitted tremendously from DVR playback) and forecast only good things to come.

Taking a tiny dig at a certain NBC show's sophomore growing pains, he said, "As long as we don't send anyone to feudal Japan, I think we'll be OK."

Dollhouse premieres its second season on Friday, Sept. 25, at 9/8 CT.

CASTLE: Home Is Where the Heart Stops (8/3)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Patrick Bauchau as Caine Powell, Caterina Scorsone as Joanne Delgado, Nick Chinlund as Evan Mitchell and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Home Is Where the Heart Stops" was written by Will Beall and directed by Dean White.

'Reaper,' 'Dollhouse' stars fight 'Evil'

'Castle' goes by the book to hype season two

The show, about mystery novelist-turned-NYPD consultant Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion), will hype the new season with a staple of 19th- and early 20th-century newspapers and magazines: a serialized novel. Chapters of the book will appear online starting in August, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and fans will be able to buy the book in late September.

The novel is called "Heat Wave," and author "Richard Castle" will post a chapter a week on ABC.com starting Monday, Aug. 10. The second season premieres Monday, Sept. 21, and the full novel will hit bookstores the following week.

"Heat Wave" will feature a few elements that will be familiar to fans of the show, but it will primarily be a stand-alone mystery.

"Castle" already has some mystery-novelist cred in hand, having featured authors James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell as Castle's poker buddies in the pilot. The network isn't revealing the true identity of the "Heat Wave" writer.

Repeats of "Castle" will air on Saturday nights in July starting this week.

CASTLE: Always Buy Retail (7/25)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Darby Stanchfield as Meredith, Nicki Micheaux as Michelle, Aldis Hodge as Azi and Dohn Norwood as Charles Oni.

"Always Buy Retail" was written by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman and directed by Jamie Babbit.

CASTLE: A Chill Goes Through Her Veins (7/18)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Charles Malik Whitfield as Charles Wyler, Bill Smitrovich as Ben Davidson, Peter Jason as Sheriff Sloan and Channon Roe as Kevin Henson.

"A Chill Goes Through Her Veins" was written by Charles Murray and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE: Hell Hath No Fury (7/11)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bruno Campos as Calvin Creason, Joshua LeBar as Jason Bollinger, Lisa Waltz as Laurie Horn, Michael Reilly Burke as Frank Nesbit and Jonathan Banks as Bruce Kirby.

"Hell Hath No Fury" was written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

2009 Teen Choice Award nominations

Choice TV Actress: Action Adventure
Kristen Bell, Heroes
Summer Glau, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Kristen Kreuk, Smallville
Ali Larter, Heroes
Hayden Panettiere, Heroes

CASTLE: Hedge Fund Homeboys (7/4)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jamie Chung as Romy Lee, Julia Nickson as Mrs. Lee, Nolan Gerard Funk as Brandon, Michelle Page as Amanda Kunal Sharma as Spencer.

"Hedge Fund Homeboys" was written by David Grae and directed by Rob Bowman.

ROLE JUST TOO RISQUE FOR SUMMER GLAU

CASTLE (6/27) "NANNY MCDEAD"

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jayne Brook as Claudia Peterson, Michael Graziadei as Brent Johnson, Sarah Drew as Chloe Richardson, Melinda Page Hamilton as Diana Harris and George Newbern as Howard Peterson.

"Nanny McDead" was written by Barry Schindel and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE (6/20) "FLOWERS FOR YOUR GRAVE"

Authors James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell guest star as themselves in a poker game.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest cast: James Patterson as himself, Stephen J. Cannell as himself, Monet Mazur as Gina Cowel, Keir Dullea as Jonathan Tisdale and Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway.

"Flowers for Your Grave" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Buffy Relaunching Without Whedon, Gellar...Regard for Fans?

What with vampires and franchise relaunches suddenly all the rage, plans for a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie have inevitably come to pass, with the rights holders of the franchise announcing plans for a new Sunnydale-set film.

But there is a catch.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film, which will neither be a sequel nor prequel but an relaunch, is moving ahead with absolutely no involvement from film and series mastermind Joss Whedon. It will also fail to feature TV's Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and will in fact have no connection to the long-running series, meaning Angel, Willow, Xander and Spike will also be MIA.

That sound you just heard was the Whedonverse imploding.

The brain boxes behind the already fan-angering remake are Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director of the 1992 box-office bomb (which starred Kristy Swanson as the titular slayer abetted by Luke Perry), and her husband, Kaz Kuzui. Kuzui Enterprises has retained the rights to the franchise since their ill-fated film outing.

The idea behind the new reboot is to maintain the show's mythology while introducing a new slayer and Hellmouth-threatened group of pals, building on the idea that each generation has its own vampire slayer.

If all goes according to plan—and it's shaping up to be a rather large if—Kuzui is looking to franchise the film.

As for Whedon, he has yet to comment on the film's development. While Kuzui said they have not ruled out inviting cult king Whedon—still very much active in the Buffyverse, having shepherded several Buffy comic books to bestseller status in recent years—to take part in the film, they have not yet spoken to him about their plans.

'Dollhouse': Pickup is 'a bet on Joss Whedon'

But, you know, no pressure or anything.

News of the modestly rated show's pickup for next season got out over the weekend, and on Monday FOX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly explained just why the show will be back in the fall.

"This is a bet on Joss Whedon," Reilly said in a conference call Monday. "We looked at the profile of that shows -- he has an unbelievably loyal fan base. It was consistent in the ratings and consistently [improved] as one of the biggest time-shifted shows on the air. So we're placing a bet on Joss that he'll keep it going next year."

The network's move to keep "Dollhouse" while letting "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" go has drawn predictable derision from "Terminator" fans, but Reilly says the decision didn't come down to keeping one show over the other.

"'Terminator' has completed its run. I think it had a nice little run; it was a good show," Reilly says. "It wasn't an either-or. We did see ['Terminator'] tailing off a bit. It had a nice creative core, but ultimately we made the bet on 'Dollhouse' for the night, and felt we had some other shows that would make a better profile for the night."

Reilly acknowledges that while "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" "was not an inexpensive show," economics weren't the deciding factor in its cancellation: "We had to make some choices on the night. So it was a factor. But ... we looked at the ratings track on Mondays, where it had a pretty consistent run, and then on Fridays where we moved it, and that trend line was not pointing in the right direction. ... We tried, but we felt like it was time to move on."

Peter Rice, the new chairman of FOX Entertainment, also thinks "Dollhouse" can grow some next season and give FOX more of a presence on Friday nights.

"The show became much stronger creatively over the course of the season, and Joss feels really energized about it," Rice says. "We believe in him as a creator and had a lot of success with him in the past. We feel we can build this show, that it can grow in the new season."

No salvation: FOX kills 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'

The network's announcement of its 2009-10 schedule is imminent, and by nearly all accounts the two-year-old series won't be part of it. The word comes a month after the show's finale dropped a rather major plot twist and a few days after FOX picked up "T:SCC's" Friday-night companion this season, "Dollhouse," for next year.

"The Sarah Connor Chronicles" averaged about 5.3 million viewers per week this season, only about half of what it drew last season (and even if you take out the show's big post-football premiere in 2008, the first season still averaged better than 8 million viewers a week.

Nonetheless, the show had a hard-core cult following that turned out in force recently to show its love for the series. "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was the leading vote-getter in Zap2it's bubble show poll last month, and fans stormed other corners of the Internet as well in an effort to convince FOX to bring the show back.

There is at least one more "Terminator" story to be told. The movie "Terminator Salvation" hits theaters later this week.

CASTLE RENEWED

CASTLE (5/11; Season Finale)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson, Ion Overman as Candace Robinson, Robert Picardo as Clark Murray, Robert Costanzo as Sal Tenor, Delane Matthews as Jacey Goldberg and Joe Marinelli as Jimmy Moran.

"A Death in the Family" was written by Andrew Marlowe and directed by Bryan Spicer.

CASTLE (5/4)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson, Judy Reyes as Theresa Candela, Julian Acosta as Alfred Candela, Francis Capra as Juan Restrepo and Todd Waring as Dave Ellers.

"Little Girl Lost" was written by Elizabeth Davis and directed by John Terlesky.

CASTLE (4/27)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Joanne Kelly as Lee Wax, Alex Carter as Michael Goldman, Jillian Armenante as Susan Mailer, Dan Castellaneta as Judge Markway and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Ghosts" was written by Moira Kirkland and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Dollhouse Robbery? The Truth Behind the "Missing" Episode

The alarmist buzz is that fans of Joss Whedon's latest series are being deprived of seeing one of this season's episodes. Perhaps, the rumor goes, they won't even be getting the proper season finale.

The reality: Fox ordered 13 hours from Joss. The original pilot got scrapped, leaving a dozen to air. And all 12, including the legit season finale, which is titled "Omega," will be broadcast as planned.

So where is the hubbub coming from? Sources tell TVGuide.com that Dollhouse producer 20th Century Fox Television elected to script and shoot a 14th episode, on their own dime — perhaps to flesh out a DVD package, some speculate. Fox, though, at no point agreed to air that episode, titled "Epitaph One." Our insider further says that the fact that Fox took that stance should not be seen as a sign that the network has already made a decision about a Season 2 pick-up for Dollhouse, which has been battling so-so ratings.

"Epitaph One" is a standalone hour, and has no impact on the overarching Alpha storyline that reaches a boil — and launches several juicy new plot directions — in the May 8 finale.

'Firefly' star hits FOX for sweeps

'Mad Men' lunch up for auction

The online auction benefits the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, which supports the artistic achievements of female filmmakers with scholarships and grants.

Other meals with celebrities up for auction include Hamm's "Mad Men" co-star John Slattery, Paul Rudd, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, Patrick Duffy, David Schwimmer, Julianna Margulies and others. The auctions are scheduled to end April 16.

Castle's Nathan Fillion Writes His Own Ticket in Comedic Drama

TVGuide.com: So much of the show is about Castle's relationship with Beckett. Will they or won't they?

Fillion: I teasingly say we're gonna risk it and put them together right away and see what happens. But the reality is when two people actually meet and are attracted but are perhaps not a perfect match, they've got to get to know each other. They've got to spend time with one another. You've got to spend time with someone. You've got to see what their decisions are like on a daily basis. I think that's why long-distance relationships don't work. Because you have them on the telephone.

TVGuide.com: You've said before that this character is vain, and noted that his name, when pronounced quickly, sounds like Rick A--hole. Do you worry about making him likeable?

Fillion: You know what? I don't. I think that that's a trap. It's a trap I've fallen into earlier in my career — trying to be liked. Don't do it. When I watch TV and I see someone trying to make me like them, acting cute or quirky or goofy, I'm not impressed. Don't act like America's watching you. Just latch onto your character. Characters are flawed. Be unlikeable. Be flawed. Be a person.

TVGuide.com: So you don't get any pressure from directors to kind of wink at the camera?

Fillion: That's my job, to make it realistic. ... I think I've found a truth in both drama and comedy in just a very basic honesty. I think when people deal with comedy like it's a different animal than drama I think that's a trap. You have a dramatic portion of your television program and you treat it dramatically, and then you have a comedic portion of your program, and you treat it differently. Why do you change who are between the two pieces? You're the same person. Just go. You don't know that you're in a comedy TV show. You're just a person in a life.

TVGuide.com: You worked with Joss Whedon on Firefly and Serenity. Would you do it again? And what do you think of his new show, Dollhouse?

Fillion: I would work with Joss Whedon at the drop of a hat. ... I'm enjoying [Dollhouse]. You know, what I like most about Joss Whedon's work is that it's a many layered story. He tells stories in metaphors. It's not all up in the surface. You have to become involved, you have to invest.

TVGuide.com: You've said before you would do a Serenity sequel — is that still on the table?

Fillion: There's nothing on the table as far as Serenity. I made a joke one time at a convention using a goofy voice and then some reporter, and I use the term loosely, runs over to Joss Whedon and says, "Guess what Nathan said?" Really, that's reporting? You're gonna get people all riled up? If there were to be another Serenity, I know nine people who would sign on immediately — and that's the cast of Serenity. It's not my decision to make, however. We don't have the 20 million bucks it would take to put that out.

You started off as an improviser. How does that affect your acting now?

Fillion: I find that improvising is amazing training. I got amazing training both with Theatre Sports... back in Edmonton, Alberta — I can't give those people enough credit — and the daytime drama I did. Incredible training, both of them. Improv as an actor makes you present in the moment. You listen, you're attentive. You're not acting so much as reacting, which is what you're doing in life all the time.

CASTLE (4/20)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Patrick Bauchau as Caine Powell, Caterina Scorsone as Joanne Delgado, Nick Chinlund as Evan Mitchell and Joseph C. Phillips as Mayor.

"Home Is Where the Heart Stops" was written by Will Beall and directed by Dean White.

CASTLE (4/13)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Darby Stanchfield as Meredith, Nicki Micheaux as Michelle, Aldis Hodge as Azi and Dohn Norwood as Charles Oni.

"Always Buy Retail" was written by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman and directed by Jamie Babbit.

CASTLE (4/6)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Charles Malik Whitfield as Charles Wyler, Bill Smitrovich as Ben Davidson, Peter Jason as Sheriff Sloan and Channon Roe as Kevin Henson.

"A Chill Goes Through Her Veins" was written by Charles Murray and directed by Bryan Spicer.

Whedon Clears the Air: Dollhouse Isn't a "Funny" House

Where is Joss Whedon's trademark wit?

It's a fair cop. After all, snappy and snarky dialogue laden with "Whedonisms" and pop-culture references became a calling card of such series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

But at the risk of putting too fine a point on it, we're not in Sunnydale anymore.

"[Dollhouse] is not the light-hearted romp that the other shows were," Whedon tells TVGuide.com. "There are moments of funny, but it doesn't build like — nor was it designed to be — a comedy. It's not going to play that instrument."

"If there is a typical Whedon show," he adds, "this is not it."

So while Echo occasionally may be imprinted as a tart-tongued thief and Topher may regularly crack wise about his God complex, you won't ever hear Sierra bitch to Adelle, "Ugh, you're such a Blair."

Explaining his venture into darker waters, Whedon says, "You have to do different things at different times. And if people are feeling like [Dollhouse] is too serious, then either their expectation has to be changed or we need to lighten up a little. But I don't think they're ever going to see the same long, six-page runs of pure humor. This is not that show."

Especially and if only because Dollhouse's inherent premise — childlike, personality-wiped "actives" are rented out for engagements of an oft morally questionable nature — hints at issues of human trafficking and other unethical business practices.

"You can do a little [humor on Dollhouse]," says Whedon, "but you can't turn it into a pop-culture, referential funhouse."

CASTLE (3/30)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Bruno Campos as Calvin Creason, Joshua LeBar as Jason Bollinger, Lisa Waltz as Laurie Horn, Michael Reilly Burke as Frank Nesbit and Jonathan Banks as Bruce Kirby.

"Hell Hath No Fury" was written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Joss Whedon: Dollhouse Is about to Get "Stronger" and "Pretty Intense"

In a note to reporters (or "Newsly Types," as he puts it) accompanying a DVD of "Man on the Street" (airing March 20) and "Needs" (April 3), Whedon says, "These two episodes represent a much stronger vision of what I consider the show to be."

Thus far, Dollhouse has been met with a lukewarm reception, with Whedon loyalists in particular noting a lack of the author's trademark witty dialogue. The ratings have reflected such a frustration, dropping 25 percent from the premiere to barely 3.6 million heads at last count.

But since almost before Dollhouse opened its doors, the buzz has been that the structure of the first five hours was largely dictated by Fox, so as to drive home the unusual concept and morally gray characters. Episode 6, thus has been described as "game-changing," as Tahmoh Penikett's Agent Ballard comes face-to-face — and "fist-to-fist," teases Fox — with Echo (Eliza Dushku) for the very first time.

Says Whedon in his missive, "For me, the question isn't just whether a show is enjoyable, but whether it's more than the sum of its fun, whether it truly touches, surprises or connects with you. These [episodes] may do none of the above — I'm not the boss of your opinion — but I feel strongly that they, and the eps to follow, are pretty intense, and very much worth the watching."

CASTLE (3/23)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jamie Chung as Romy Lee, Julia Nickson as Mrs. Lee, Nolan Gerard Funk as Brandon, Michelle Page as Amanda Kunal Sharma as Spencer.

"Hedge Fund Homeboys" was written by David Grae and directed by Rob Bowman.

Baccarin Joins 'V'

HBO's comedy "The Wonderful Maladys" is about three siblings who have looked out for one another since their parents died. Gellar, in her first TV project since "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was cast last fall, and she'll be joined in the pilot by "Studio 60" alum Nate Corddry and "Deadwood" and "Swingtown" star Molly Parker.

Parker will play the eldest of the three siblings who works as a therapist, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Corddry, who's currently playing a recurring part on Showtime's "The United States of Tara," will play the baby, a grad student.

ABC's "V" remake, has found its alien leader in Morena Baccarin. The "Firefly" actress, who also co-starred in TNT's "Heartland" a couple seasons back, will play a character named Anna, who uses her knowledge of human culture to advance her own nefarious plans.

At FOX, meanwhile, the ubiquitous Hale has joined the comedy "Cop House," which is set at a halfway house for troubled police officers. The former "Arrested Development" star has a recurring part on "Chuck" this season and has also guested on "Samantha Who?," "ER" and "The United States of Tara."

CASTLE (3/16)

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Jayne Brook as Claudia Peterson, Michael Graziadei as Brent Johnson, Sarah Drew as Chloe Richardson, Melinda Page Hamilton as Diana Harris and George Newbern as Howard Peterson.

"Nanny McDead" was written by Barry Schindel and directed by John Terlesky.

Summer Glau sets off a 'Big Bang'

The Sarah Connor Chronicles siren will play herself in the March 9 episode, the set-up of which already has me ROFWLing: A train trip to San Francisco takes a major detour when Leonard, Sheldon, Wolowitz, and Raj discover that their favorite sci-fi actress in all the land is on board. But the fanboy frenzy quickly gives way to a heated mass debate (tee-hee) when they realize one of them will have to approach her -- but who?

It's not too difficult to figure out how this cheeky cross-over came about, provided you know this little detail: The Big Bang Theory and Sarah Connor Chronicles (which returns this Friday) are both produced by Warner Bros.

This is what we in the TV biz refer to as extremely positive synergy.

'Dollhouse' unlocks different identities each week

That's the premise behind Fox's Dollhouse (Friday, 9 ET/PT), the latest from producer Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who calls the new series "insane and creepy, like me."

Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku, who played Buffy's Faith, as Echo. Echo becomes a hostage negotiator, a perfect date and a backup singer, among other temporary occupations, sometimes with harrowing consequences.

But isn't it a challenge for a show to be built around a blank-slate personality who changes from week to week?

"That's exactly the problem," Whedon concedes. "We have to find a situation that isn't the same as every other, we have to find a character for her to be, and we have to find a guest cast for the audience to care about, and that's very hard. On some levels, it's a very rich, simple premise, but on the other hand, it's one of the dumbest ideas for a show because it's hard work."

He had pitched the show as "Alias meets Quantum Leap" but says the show is ultimately a thriller without the leeway to tell family stories. Eventually, the experiments go awry as Echo becomes more aware of her role as empty vessel and the FBI tries to unmask the illegal operation.

Whedon says the idea for Dollhouse stemmed from his interest in avatars, self-image and notions of "how much of that can be changed and how much of that can be tampered with."

The dollhouse has a sort of overseer (Olivia Williams), handlers (Echo's is played by Harry Lennix) and a resident geek (Fran Kranz), who "imprints" personalities on the actives in a souped-up dentist's chair. Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) plays an FBI agent who seeks to unmask the operation and gets knocked around in the process.

Like Whedon's last Fox series, the futuristic space-travel odyssey Firefly, Dollhouse has had a troubled start, causing fits in the blogosphere of Whedon acolytes.

This time, Whedon says he learned from the experience: "I'm the one who suggested reshooting and throwing out the pilot" when the network didn't respond well, he says.

Instead, he replaced a slower-paced introduction with one that offered a closed-ended story line; Dollhouse, like Fringe, has struggled to balance serialized arcs with weekly stories. Both are part of Fox's "remote-free TV" experiment, which promises fewer commercials.

Still, the network — which had announced the show with great fanfare last year — deposited it on low-wattage Fridays, suggesting its expectations are less than stellar. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, which sagged last fall, also returns Friday (8 ET/PT) in its own new slot.

No Grumpy Guy, He's 46 and in Repose

He was 18 when he got his first taste of movie-star limelight as the title character in the 1980 film, "My Bodyguard," then roles in summer comedies like "D.C. Cab" in 1983 and smaller parts in prestige films like "Ordinary People" despite not having a clue about what he was doing.

"I was horrible," he said of some of his early performances, particularly the one in "D.C. Cab" (in which his co-stars included Bill Maher, Gary Busey and Mr. T). "I didn't know how to work. I didn't know how to process a character, and, certainly, I wasn't as funny as I should have been.

"But I did learn a lot of technical stuff, how to be on a set, where to stand, how to do a fight scene, things like that," he said during a recent interview in a high-end Santa Monica coffee shop, one of those mad-scientist places where they grind the coffee in front of you and serve it in vacuum-sealed flasks on a silver tray. "But then I had to learn how to act. And that just takes some people longer than others. I'm no Leonardo DiCaprio."

He can say this now that he's 46, aware of his limitations, proud of the niche he has found. In "Chuck" he plays no-nonsense secret agent John Casey, protecting loose-limbed amateur Chuck Bartkowski (played by Zachary Levi), a computer nerd who has accidentally had the contents of a super-secret government computer downloaded into his brain. But even before "Chuck," Mr. Baldwin had received sterling reviews and a growing cult following for playing similarly grumpy characters on "The X-Files" and "Firefly."

"The guy does more with a grunt than most actors could do with a monologue," said Josh Schwartz, the executive producer of "Chuck." The extent of Mr. Baldwin's built-in fan base became apparent to Mr. Schwartz only when the "Chuck" cast appeared at last summer's Comic-Con International, and "4,000 people went insane whenever Adam said anything."

Mr. Schwartz said it was the creator and co-executive producer Chris Fedak's idea to cast Mr. Baldwin as Casey, an idea he embraced as soon as Mr. Baldwin read for the part. "You totally believe him as this N.S.A. agent who's happy to torture and kill people, but he's also really, really funny," Mr. Schwartz said. "He gets the comedy without ever breaking character. And his preparation is astounding. Adam really relishes all these details: How does Casey sharpen his knife and fork before he eats? He's worked all that stuff out."

Mr. Baldwin said, "I came up with the idea that Casey has a bonsai tree, and I brought in the Reagan photo that's in his room." He added, "I try to make sure the military vernacular is as accurate as possible. For the comedy to work, you've got to buy that Casey is a serious guy who's somewhat incredulous about this geek being inserted into his life."

After last year's debut season ended abruptly because of the writers' strike, "Chuck" struggled to find an audience until just before its holiday hiatus in mid-December, when critics, particularly online, started noticing that the show's ratings had improved 12 percent from the season premiere. NBC is bringing the show back with a hefty marketing push, including a 3-D commercial during Sunday night's Super Bowl telecast and a 3-D episode on Monday night.

"I think the network is clearly showing they believe in us," Mr. Baldwin said. "And I think we've found the base line of an audience that's not going to go anywhere."

Mr. Baldwin, 6 foot 4 and broad shouldered, was already an imposing presence as a 17-year-old high school student in the northern Chicago suburb of Winnetka - big and quietly menacing, exactly what the director Tony Bill sought for the part of a sullen bully who becomes the protector of a smaller kid in "My Bodyguard."

"Tony would say to me, 'Just keep your face in repose,' " Mr. Baldwin said. "And I would go: 'Repose? What's repose?' And he said: 'It just means be relaxed. Don't move.' It was great advice, and it's what I've been trying to grasp ever since. Stillness as a technique is still really captivating to me."

After "My Bodyguard" became a hit, Mr. Baldwin moved to New York, fielded offers from agents and managers who were promising to make him the next big thing. He said he took some parts he probably shouldn't have taken. He went to London in 1985 for a significant role in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket." But the production went on for months, and the film didn't come out until 1987. By then Mr. Baldwin's moment seemed to have passed.

"I was given opportunities, I think, that were a little too big when I was a little too young," he said. "I didn't measure up. The sports analogy would be if you pulled a guy off the farm team and put him in the big leagues a little too soon. That's a good way to ruin your arm. Fortunately my injuries weren't career threatening. They were just emotionally draining."

He worked steadily through the 1980s and '90s, bad-guy parts in B movies (including the long-forgotten "Digital Man" and "Cold Sweat"), lots of voice-over work, doing what he had to do to pay the bills. He got married, had kids, played golf, built himself a decent working actor's career. But it wasn't glamorous, and it wasn't always fun.

"I think work begets work," he said. "I did some things that were certainly labors of love and hard-won parts, but there were others that were just straight-up exploitation movies and terrible to watch and don't hold up at all. But they do pay the bills."

All along, Mr. Baldwin said, he felt that his career would pick up when he got older, when he could inhabit more nuanced character roles, to be something more than just big and scary. He was 39 when he got the "X-Files" role, Knowle Rohrer. And he was 40 when he became Jayne Cobb on "Firefly," a role for which TV Guide named him its Sexiest Newcomer of 2002.

"That was hilarious," he said. "It just seemed like a mistake, an obvious mistake."

Now because of his "Chuck" fame, people no longer assume that he's one of those other Baldwins (he's not) or that he's as grumpy as his characters. He envisions a future filled with playing strong, silent types, guys with enough experience to know how the world works, when to take it seriously and when to go with the joke.

"I always did think that when I turned 40, I'd start coming into my own," he said. "Part of that is just growing and living, suffering and failing and going through the trials of life, having a wife and kids. It humbles you, and going through that humbling process lets you release that self-centeredness, and it's a very liberating feeling. It lets you stop worrying. I'm enjoying that."

Summer Glau: TV's Terminator Guns for Shocking Reveals

TVGuide.com: Cameron isn't liking John's girlfriend Riley (played by Leven Rambin) too much these days, is she?

Summer Glau: No, and I think it's more than her just being worried that Riley's a threat. She doesn't like having her place taken over by somebody else.

TVGuide.com: And what do you mean by "her place"?

Glau: Well, Cameron only exists to take care of John and be with him at all times, and he keeps trying to spend time alone with Riley. That leaves Cameron feeling like she doesn't have a purpose. So it's really uncomfortable for her — if it's possible for a robot to feel uncomfortable.

TVGuide.com: And this week, Riley tells Cameron a lie which only exacerbates the suspicion.

Glau: Yeah.... I believe that Cameron doesn't really know what's really going on with Riley, but she's definitely on to her.

TVGuide.com: There's a big reveal about Riley coming. Did you know it was coming before they introduced that character?

Glau: I knew partly what was going to happen, but I certainly didn't expect it to go as far as it has. Things have gotten even more complicated. I think the storyline is great.

TVGuide.com: Do you enjoy playing the pseudo-jealousy thing between Cameron, John and Riley?

Glau: I love it. It adds so much dimension to Cameron, and it's fun to figure out how far to take it. You don't want to take it too far, but I do want to insinuate that it's there.

TVGuide.com: I enjoyed the scenes a few weeks ago between Cameron and Eric (The Black Donnellys' Billy Lush), the librarian guy.

Glau: That was a really interesting episode because Cameron doesn't usually say much, and as far as doing meaty scenes as an actor, it's fun to just sit down and talk. That's one thing that Cameron really got to do in that episode. I enjoyed Billy as an actor, he's really, really gifted.

TVGuide.com: I saw that story as almost an "escape" for Cameron, a secret place she could go to and be "regular."

Glau: Yeah, it was very creative. Tommy always writes really good stuff for me.

TVGuide.com: Do you hope to someday get a fight scene with Shirley Manson's T-1001?

Glau: Yes! Shirley hasn't done many down-and-dirty fights yet — she usually takes people out pretty easily — so I wonder how it's going to go. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: One burning question fans have concerns what happened to Derek in the future, in "the basement." Do you have any insight into what went down?

Glau: I do. Later on, maybe this season, it will be revealed what really went down.... Remember - Cameron knows Derek, and Derek knows Cameron, so that's also going to be fun to explore.

TVGuide.com: Eliza Dushku told me she's excited to have Dollhouse sharing Friday nights with Sarah Connor. She sees it as a night of "female empowerment."

Glau: Yeah, me too. I think it's a good match.

TVGuide.com: Plus, you have that Joss Whedon connection. [Glau starred in the Firefly follow-up film, Serenity.]

Glau: We do, and I think the fans will band together and support us on Friday nights. We had a lot of competition on Monday, so I think this might be a good thing.

TVGuide.com: Oh, let's be clear — the competition on Monday is ridiculous.

Glau: It is. It's impossible. We've held onto our fan base, but you just cant hope for much more on a Monday.

TVGuide.com: Coming off of Serenity, Terminator and the bitchy gal you played in [the TV-movie] The Initiation of Sarah, do you crave playing a different role during the summer hiatus? Maybe a romantic comedy where you wear flirty dresses and chase boys?

Glau: I would love to wear a dress and play "normal"! I'm so in love with Cameron and I would never want to lose that, but it will be nice to challenge myself. I'm hoping to do a straight drama, or possible a comedy.

TVGuide.com: What else can you tease about upcoming Sarah Connor episodes? Any kisses in Cameron's future?

Glau: Not in Cameron's, no! [Laughs] But the mystery is going to get deeper and deeper. Sarah has been tormented by the visions of these three dots, so she goes off on her own, and she meets up with similarly "possessed" people. It's always interesting when you leave "the kids" [John and Cameron] alone. A big piece of the mystery is going to come to light in the next couple of episodes.

TVGuide.com: I was going to say, the final scene of the midseason finale leaves a person wondering....

Glau: Yeah, and what's coming up is going to be cool.

Stargate Atlantis' Jewel Staite on the End of the Show

TVGuide.com: Congrats on your Gemini Award (Canadian version of Emmys) nomination! Can you tell us about your experience filming the episode "Missing," and did you know it was special right away?

Jewel Staite: Well, I knew it was freezing cold and rainy right away! This was the first "Keller-heavy" episode we filmed, so I was excited that I finally could do some serious acting-in-peril, which is secretly every actor's fantasy. But the whole episode was shot outside in the forest, and it wasn't exactly summer time, so there were a lot of layers involved — and I mean thermal layers, not acting layers! Luckily, Rachel Luttrell (Teyla), who co-starred with me in that episode, is such a joy to work with, and she has a wickedly sarcastic sense of humor that kept me going during those long days. I'm so pleased I was nominated for that episode, but a lot of the credit goes to the director, Andy Mikita, who has such a way with actors; he just lets you run with it and trust your own instincts, and I think that's why a lot of actors in his episodes tend to shine a bit more than usual. So, thanks, Andy!

TVGuide.com: On Firefly, you played an ultra-sweet (reluctant) tomboy — what did you like most about now playing a very brainy beauty, Dr. Keller?

Staite: Dr. Keller is one of those people who really likes her comfort zone. She's calm, cool, and collected in the operating room, and she trusts herself in the situations she's used to. But she becomes a bit of a loose canon when she's taken out of that comfort zone, and no matter how capable she is at dealing with those situations, she can't help but doubt herself. I like that juxtaposition in her.

TVGuide.com: What was one of your fondest memories on set during your time on Atlantis?

We did a lot of laughing on that set. I loved that no one took themselves too seriously. We knew what we were doing was a fun sci fi action-adventure, and we made sure we had as much fun as possible.

TVGuide.com: How has the fan response been to your character and your relationship with Rodney McKay (David Hewlett)? What direction do you want to see your character's love life turn?

Staite: I'm not sure what the entire fan response has been. The fans I've had the chance to meet have been really enthusiastic about the Keller/McKay pairing. I really enjoy working with David, and we have a tendency to gravitate towards each other on set because we have the same work ethic, and most definitely the same sense of humor! I think the writers started to pick up on our natural chemistry and decided to go that route later on in season four. Off screen, we have a more brother-sister chemistry, so all the kissing scenes were kind of painful for us, but he was kind enough to lay off the onions on those days.

TVGuide.com: Who did you bond with most in the cast?

Staite: That's a toss up between David Hewlett and Amanda Tapping (Col. Sam Carter). I think we all have a mutual respect for each other, but we love to tease each other, too. And Amanda's just one of those really likeable people. She's gracious, professional, easy-going, lovely to be around, and besides that, she's really easy to crack up. The three of us did an episode together in season four called Trio that involved us and a filthy, dusty room that was rigged to tilt and shake. It should have been a miserable week, but I've never laughed so hard. I think the crew was starting to get a little fed up with us because we ruined so many takes, but it was one of the most fun weeks I've ever had on the job.

TVGuide.com: What do you miss most about the show since the series wrapped?

Staite: The people. The crew. It's easy to get attached to people you see more than you do your own family. We spent twelve hours a day together, five days a week, at minimum, so it's hard to have that end all of a sudden. It was a great time in my life, and I'll miss those guys a lot.

New on Blu-Ray: "Firefly: The Complete Series"

Dollhouse

Fillion: Porn Star!

Production Stops As Whedon Plays With Dollhouse

20th Century Fox confirmed to E! News Wednesday that production has been temporarily suspended on the sci-fi drama because creator Joss Whedon has asked for more time to polish some upcoming scripts.

"I can confirm the show has shut down filming until Sept. 25 while the writers work on upcoming scripts," a rep for the studio said. "Joss asked for some extra time and because the show was several months away from airing, we were able to grant his request without disrupting our ability to deliver the shows well in advance of broadcast.

"We still very much believe in Joss and the show."

Dollhouse, costarring Buffy butt-kicker Eliza Dushku and Angel alum Amy Acker as members of a team of "Dolls" who work for a mysterious organization that is constantly retooling their personas and skill sets tailor made for whatever clandestine mission awaits, isn't slated to premiere on Fox until midseason, which gives Whedon & Co. more time to make adjustments.

While production is supposed to start up again in a couple of weeks, this isn't the first time that Dollhouse has been closed for redecorating.

In July, Whedon asked for—and received—permission to reshoot the series pilot after determining that its various plot threads were too confusing for introductory viewing and would work better as the second episode.

Zap2It.com, which first made note of the shutdown, reports that Whedon directed two of the three episodes that are already in the can, leaving him with little time to go over the remaining scripts with the attention he feels the project requires.

"We had a lot of time to prepare the next scripts," Whedon told E! Online's Watch With Kristin in July, soon before the pilot switcheroo. "Needless to say we squandered that time and now we're way behind and terrified. It's amazing how that happens!"

"I'm feeling good," he said in reference to what was then the series' premiere episode. "I definitely look at it and go, There are a couple of things I'd like to make a little tweak here and tweak there—which is nice, being midseason, the pressure isn't on to get it out. The pressure's on to get it right."

ABC Picks Up Five New Shows

"Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas' remake of his 1998-99 show is one of five series ABC has picked up for midseason. The network has also ordered a pair of comedies, "Single With Parents" and "Better Off Ted," and a pair of cop dramas: "Castle," starring Nathan Fillion, and "The Unusuals."

"It was worth taking the time to go through the pilot process to really do it right," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson says. "They're perfect additions to our dominant core slate of shows."

Following the end of the writers strike earlier this year, ABC opted to go through its normal development process, rather than order shows straight to series without having shot a pilot. McPherson adds that the network may pick up more series later in the season; the fantasy drama "Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas" and the "Hamlet"-inspired soap "Prince of Motor City" are still reportedly in contention, along with Damon Wayans' comedy "Never Better" and another show from Thomas, "Good Behavior."

For the fall, ABC is concentrating on re-introducing second-year shows "Pushing Daisies," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Private Practice" while debuting only two new series, "Life on Mars" and "Opportunity Knocks."

The new shows:

"Better Off Ted" comes from writer Victor Fresco ("Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "My Name Is Earl"). Jay Harrington ("Coupling," "Desperate Housewives") plays the title character, the head of research and development who tries to do good work inside an unethical corporate giant.

"Castle" stars Fillion ("Firefly," "Desperate Housewives") as Nick Castle, a best-selling mystery novelist who consults with the NYPD when a killer stages murders similar to those in Nick's books. Stana Katic ("Heroes"), Ruben Santiago-Hudson ("Lackawanna Blues") and Monet Mazur also star.

"Cupid" is a remake of Thomas' short-lived late-'90s show about a recently released mental patient who believes he's the Roman god of love. Bobby Cannavale ("Will & Grace") will play the title character this time around (Jeremy Piven starred in the original), and Sarah Paulson ("Studio 60") will play the psychiatrist assigned to monitor him.

"Single With Parents" stars Alyssa Milano, late of "My Name Is Earl," as a woman whose divorced parents (Annie Potts and Beau Bridges) are far too reliant on her for advice and support.

"The Unusuals" follows a group of detectives in the NYPD's homicide division, each with his or her own sizable quirks and personal issues. The ensemble cast includes Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia"), Harold Perrineau ("Lost") and Adam Goldberg ("Entourage").

It's Pilot Season at ABC

A couple of dramas, including the Nathan Fillion crime show "The Castle" and Rob Thomas' "Good Behavior," and comedies from Victor Fresco and Damon Wayans are reportedly strong contenders for pickup, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Most of the shows being considered now would join the schedule early next year, although one or two could debut before the end of 2008.

The writers' strike forced changes to the development cycle across the TV landscape, with some networks opting to go straight to series with several projects -- NBC in particular went with that strategy -- and others doing shorter presentations. ABC decided to do full pilots for most of its shows but delayed the process until the summer.

"The Castle" stars Fillion ("Firefly,""Desperate Housewives") as a novelist who consults with the NYPD. "Good Behavior," from "Veronica Mars" creator Thomas, stars Catherine O'Hara as the matriarch of a law-breaking family who wants her kids to go legit. The "Hamlet"-inspired drama "Prince of Motor City" might also have a chance.

Fresco's untitled comedy about a moral man (Jay Harrington) who works for an amoral corporation is considered a good bet -- particularly since ABC Studios just signed Fresco ("Andy Richter Controls the Universe") to a new deal. "Never Better," starring Wayans as a recovering alcoholic, and an Alyssa Milano vehicle by writer Kristin Newman ("That '70s Show," "How I Met Your Mother") have some buzz as well.

ABC is launching only two new shows in the fall: the drama "Life on Mars" and game show "Opportunity Knocks." Animated comedy "The Goode Family" and NBC import "Scrubs" are on deck for midseason.

"Dollhouse" creator Whedon filming series prequel

Now Whedon himself is shaking up the order of his midseason Fox series "Dollhouse."

The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is shooting a new "prequel" episode to serve as the show's pilot. Whedon said he opted to craft a new introduction to the series after meeting with Fox executives, who expressed concerns about the accessibility of the first episode.

"When we talked to the network I got a sense of hesitation about what we had, and I understood why," Whedon said Tuesday on the "Dollhouse" set. "There's a concern about the audience coming into this world. I respect their need to draw in an audience and present this a certain way."

Whedon acknowledged that there are similarities to the "Firefly" experience.

"That's why I hit myself on the head for this," Whedon said. "Having been through this I should know I need to deliver a way to get into a story. These are not stupid people (at the network), and I decided I needed to make a pre-emptive strike. I wasn't going to entrench around my art; television is a fluid process. So I said that I know a way to satisfy everyone."

Whedon said the new first episode will allow him to select from previously shot footage to figure out "the most iconic way from what we had to introduce each character."

Added star Eliza Dushku, "And I didn't get to wear my leather pants in the pilot, so that was a deal-breaker."

In "Dollhouse," a group of people are programmed with various abilities and personalities and rented out for assignments to high-paying clients. They are kept stored in an underground compound that resembles a Zen-like spa. One of the Dolls, Echo (Dushku), gradually begins to become self-aware.

"I wanted everybody to feel like Echo is in this terrible situation, slash, 'can somebody wipe my memory and feed me and put me in a wonderful spa and give me massages too?' " Whedon said of the elaborate set.

The tone of each episode, he added, will shift based on the Dolls' assignment, a tactic that some might consider risky.

"Every time I'm here, I worry that this show is the big mess, that this is the time I will fail," he said. "At the same time you learn to let go of that or not one word you will write."

Joss Whedon: Welcome to the New Dollhouse

The writer-producer confirmed on his Whedonesque website today (via a faux Q&A with "Rutherford D. Actualperson") that he is reshooting the pilot for his upcoming Fox series Dollhouse after both he and some network execs—who picked up the Eliza Dushku-starring sci-fi drama earlier this year based on concept alone—became concerned that his intended opener didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"What’s that, you say? A second first? How can such a thing be? Does it defy the laws of all physics?" the show runner blogged.

"I said [the pilot] was grand, I didn’t say it was comprehensible. I showed some scenes to David Lynch and he’s all, 'whuh?' Bad sign. But I kid," assured Whedon.

"The fact is, I’m very proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement. But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone—I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep."

The intended pilot will instead be Dollhouse's second episode and the production delay isn't supposed to affect the Monday-night series' midseason premiere.

“Joss came to the realization that there was a better way to start the show,” a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television told Variety. “After he wrote episode two, he asked the network to use that as episode one.”

The drama, about a group of Actives—or Dolls—who have had their minds wiped clean so that their Handlers can impress upon them any persona, information, or skill necessary to carry out a particular mission, also stars Angel alum Amy Acker, Tahmoh Penikett, Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Olivia Williams and Enver Gjokaj.

During a live Q&A Monday with WashingtonPost.com readers, Whedon was asked where Dollhouse measured up on the funny scale alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.

"Less overt humor," Whedon responded. "Dollhouse is more a real-world piece. But asking me not to make jokes is like asking Monet to lose the lily pads. We've all got our tics."

Joss Whedon Heads Into 'The Woods'

"The Cabin in the Woods" will be the directorial debut of Drew Goddard, who co-wrote the script with Whedon.

Not surprisingly, Variety has few details on the plot for "Woods," except to not that it's the studio's first movie to get greenlit since Mary Parent became head of MGM's worldwide motion picture group.

Goddard cut his teeth working with Whedon on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." He's gone on to work on "Alias" and "Lost" before writing the script for the monster hit "Cloverfield."

Feature writing credits for Whedon have included "Speed" and "Serenity." His next small screen venture is the FOX midseason drama "Dollhouse."

"Enchanted" and "Lost" honored at fantasy awards

Its haul included best fantasy film, actress (Amy Adams), and music (Alan Menken).

"Cloverfield" was named best science fiction film, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" best horror film, and "300" best action/adventure/thriller film.

On the TV side, ABC's "Lost" won four trophies: best network television series, actor (Matthew Fox), supporting actor (Michael Emerson), and supporting actress, (Elizabeth Mitchell). Mitchell tied with Summer Glau of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

The ceremony, hosted by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, was held at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City.

2008 Teen Choice Award Nominees

Choice TV Show: Action Adventure
Heroes
Lost
Prison Break
Smallville
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Choice TV Actress: Action Adventure
Hayden Panettiere, Heroes
Ali Larter, Heroes
Evangeline Lily, Lost
Kristen Kruek, Smallville
Summer Glau, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Choice TV: Breakout Show
America's Best Dance Crew
Gossip Girl
Miss Guided
Samantha Who?
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Choice TV: Breakout Star Female
Blake Lively, Gossip Girl
Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl
Olivia Wilde, House
Summer Glau, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Taylor Momsen, Gossip Girl

Whedon, Abrams and FOX's 'High-Class Problem'

Deciding how to schedule the two shows, FOX Entertainment President Kevin Reilly admits, was a "high-class problem." "Fringe," which Abrams co-wrote with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman ("Transformers," "Alias"), wound up with a prime spot on the fall schedule, where it will follow "House" on Tuesday nights. Whedon's "Dollhouse," meanwhile, will join the network in January, pairing with "24" on Monday nights.

"When it really came down to it, we had a jump-start with 'Fringe,'" Reilly explains, noting that the show has been in development since last summer. "They wrote the script, [the two-hour pilot] is in the can and finished and locked. ... Jeff Pinkner, who worked with J.J. and the guys on 'Alias' and 'Lost,' is reteaming with them to kind of take the reins of the show. It just felt like the whole machine was cranked up."

"Dollhouse" finished shooting its Whedon-directed pilot only last week, although the show is at least ahead of the curve on the script front; Whedon brought the show to FOX with seven scripts already in hand (it has a 13-episode order).

"Why put the extra pressure on it?" Reilly says. "It really was a high-class problem, so we went with the bird in hand. And Joss is frankly happy to have the extra time."

Both shows will probably get the full promotional treatment from FOX as well. "Fringe" is the network's only new drama for the fall (and one of only two new shows of any kind), and Reilly is already promising a "huge campaign" leading up to its Aug. 26 premiere. "Dollhouse" will be a "linchpin of the second season," Reilly says, launching around the same time as network perennials such as "24" and "American Idol."

FOX Sets 'Dollhouse' and 'Fringe,' Cans 'Amsterdam'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, FOX has ordered Abrams' "Fringe" and Whedon's "Dollhouse." "Fringe," which stars Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble, is looking at a fall launch, while "Dollhouse," Eliza Dushku's return to primetime, is heading for midseason.

Both "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" had always been considered foregone conclusions at FOX, since the network had already ordered 13 and seven episodes respectively, with penalties attached to not moving forward.

Then again, a series order may not be enough to get Bernie Mac's "Starting Under" a place on the network's schedule. The trade paper says that the comedy probably won't make FOX's fall schedule, though a desire to stay in business with Mac may lead the network to try to retool "Starting Under" for midseason.

Instead, FOX's new comedy output features a heavy dose of Jason Bateman. The "Arrested Development" veteran directed the pilot for the ensemble "The Inn" and does voice work on the animated "Sit Down, Shut Up," both of which appear set for FOX's fall lineup. The "Inn" cast includes Niecy Nash and Jerry O'Connell." On "Sit Down, Shut Up," Hurwitz has enlisted "Arrested Development" veterans Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler for voices.

It appears that "'Til Death" will return to FOX's lineup for a third season, but "Back to You" is being shopped to other networks and won't be back on FOX. Although "Back to You" delivered higher ratings than "'Til Death," its star-studded cast, led by Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, made the sitcom a pricier proposition. Also reportedly being pitched around town is the animated incarnation of "The Pitts."

Media reports are suggesting that FOX's low-rated midseason legal drama "Canterbury's Law" and the slightly higher rated immortal police procedural "New Amsterdam" are also being cancelled.

FOX's full schedule will be announced on Thursday (May 15), but the network is still tinkering with several pilots.

Alfred Molina has joined the cast of the Paul Attanasio-produced "Courtroom K," a dramedy about a judge (Molina), public defender (Megan Dodds) and prosecutor working out of a Milwaukee courtroom.

In addition, Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") will direct the two-hour sci-fi pilot "Virtuality" for FOX.

Also, FOX has given a cast contingent pilot order to "Inseparable" from Shaun Cassidy. Toby Stephens was formerly attached to star, but the actor's deal reportedly expired before FOX could formally order the pilot.

'Firefly' Actress Joins ABC Pilot

Baccarin is joining writer David Hemingson's legal drama, where she'll star opposite Matt Long as new associates at a Los Angeles law firm. Elsewhere, Ruben Santiago-Hudson ("Lackawanna Blues") has signed on to the drama "Castle," and Steve Howey ("Reba") and Lee Thompson Young ("Smallville," "Akeelah and the Bee") have landed parts in the comedy "Five Year Plan," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Also at ABC, David Sutcliffe will return to "Private Practice" next season to continue his arc as a love interest for Addison (Kate Walsh).

The Hemingson drama centers on Long's character, a recent law-school graduate from a working-class background who joins a boutique law practice. Baccarin will play another new associate, a privileged young woman from Beverly Hills.

"Castle" stars Baccarin's former castmate Nathan Fillion as a mystery novelist who consults with police on murder cases. Santiago-Hudson, whose credits also include "American Gangster" and several "Law & Order" appearances, will play the police chief.

As the title implies, "Five Year Plan" follows a group of friends trying to figure out their futures. Howey will play Mickey, a newly engaged law-school graduate, and Young will play the roommate of Mickey's brother.

Finally, Sutcliffe will reprise his role as cop Kevin Nelson in "Private Practice" next season. The former "Gilmore Girls" actor will appear in as many as 11 episodes of the second-year show.

ABC Lands Nathan Fillion

Alyssa Milano and Aunjanue Ellis have also joined ABC projects, while Tom Hollander is booked on a CBS dramedy.

Fillion, who's had a recurring role on "Desperate Housewives" this season as Dana Delany's husband, will star in a presentation called "Castle," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "Drive" and "Firefly" star will play a mystery novelist who consults with the NYPD on difficult cases.

His credits also include "Waitress," "Miss Match" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Milano, meanwhile, is attached to a comedy from writer Kristin Newman ("That '70s Show," "How I Met Your Mother"). She'll play a woman who's trying to break free of her dysfunctional family, toxic friends and annoying boss. The former "Charmed" star is currently in a recurring part on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and starring in the feature film "Pathology," which is in limited release.

Also at ABC, Ellis ("Ray," "Justice") will co-star in "Prince of Motor City," a "Hamlet"-inspired drama co-written by "Old Christine's" Hamish Linklater. She'll play a board member of the car company at the center of the series.

Over at CBS, Hollander has joined "The Meant to Be's," about a dead woman (Amy Smart) who must return to Earth and help people get their lives back on track before she can escape limbo. Hollander ("Gosford Park," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End") will play the rule-bending head of heaven's Fate office.

'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Will Be Back

FOX has picked up its freshman series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" for 2008-09, the showbiz trade papers report. The show earned a 13-episode order for 2008-09, on the heels of its strike-shortened and reasonably successful nine-episode run earlier this year.

The pickup isn't a big surprise; FOX Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly said in an interview last week that the show was already hiring staff.The series stars Lena Headey as the title character, who's obsessed with protecting her son John ( Thomas Dekker), the future leader of the human resistance against the machines that will one day wipe out most humanity. Summer Glau and Richard T. Jones also star.

FOX has several shows in development that could form a sci fi-tinged block with "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," including Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" and "Fringe," from J.J. Abrams' company.

Pilots: 'Firefly' Star Joins ABC Comedy

Another ABC comedy, "This Might Hurt," has also beefed up its cast, signing Josh Dean (FOX's "Free Ride") as one of its leads and adding two others as well.

The Kohan-Mutchnick project is based on the partnership between the two writers, who created "Will & Grace." It centers on two long-time friends and business partners, one straight and one gay; Tudyk will play the latter role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Tudyk has some comedy experience, including "Dodgeball" and guest spots "Frasier" and "Arrested Development." "Firefly," on which he played pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne, had a healthy dose of humor as well. The role will be his first regular gig on a comedy, however.

Tudyk starred in another pilot earlier this season, a legal drama from Luke Reiter that was set up at NBC. He's the second cast member to depart that project; Kurtwood Smith ("That '70s Show") was recently cast in CBS' comedy "Worst Week."

"This Might Hurt," from writer-director Jason Winer, is set at a medical practice run by a traditionalist father and his son (Dean), who wants his dad to shed some of his old ways. The cast will also include Vanessa Lengies ("American Dreams," "Stick It") as the office receptionist and Hayes MacArthur ("The Game Plan") as a nurse who also runs a gambling operation out of the office.

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' cast reunites at television festival in L.A.

The cast of the popular supernatural series, which ran from 1997 to 2003, were in good spirits Thursday while reuniting for a panel discussion at the William S. Paley Television Festival. That doesn't mean fans should expect the gang to get back together on screen.

"So many stars would have to align," creator Joss Whedon said about the possibility of a new "Buffy" project.

For seven seasons, Buffy and company battled vampires, demons, werewolves, high school and other forces of darkness with tongue planted firmly in cheek. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," based on the movie of the same name, was never lauded with many awards, but it has been cited by many critics as being one of the most influential shows in TV history.

Sarah Michelle Gellar said she was surprised to find out moments before the reunion that her character recently had her first sexual tryst with a woman in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight," a comic book series that picks up where the show ended. Gellar also reminisced about auditioning 11 times before landing the role of Buffy Summers.

"All my friends felt sorry for me because I was on a midseason replacement on a network no one had heard of on a show based on a movie that wasn't all that," the 30-year-old actress said.

Before the panel, audience members watched the fifth-season musical episode "Once More, With Feeling." Other cast members at the reunion were Amber Benson, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield, Seth Green, James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's surprise sister Dawn and will join the cast of "Gossip Girl" this fall.

Adam Baldwin Reveals What's Up with Chuck

TVGuide.com: It's nice to see Chuck ticking back up in the ratings.

Adam Baldwin: Yeah, yeah, I mean we have really tough competition on Monday nights. The sports guys [watching Monday Night Football], hopefully they'll be finding us [when the NFL season is over]. So we're all full of high hopes. And then… there's the writers strike.

TVGuide.com: And then there's the writers strike. How many episodes did you get done?

Baldwin: We will complete the initial order of 13. They banged out Episode 112 just before the midnight deadline, and we're now three or four days into [production on] Episode 111.

TVGuide.com: Will Chuck happen to leave us with any kind of a cliffhanger?

Baldwin: Er, that's above my pay grade to comment on. [Laughs] But yeah, I think so. There's something.

TVGuide.com: Is Casey developing a kinder gentler attitude toward Chuck?

Baldwin: Yeah, he's finding a way into Chuck's humor somewhat, and he's becoming a little more sympathetic. He's kind of an intolerant guy. They do delve into a bit of his back story in the episode we're currently shooting, so that explains why he's so screwed up. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Casey's support of the military is becoming a bit conspicuous. Is that part of his tough-guy image, or is some sort of statement being made here?

Baldwin: There's nothing wrong with supporting the U.S. military as far as I'm concerned.

TVGuide.com: Of course, Firefly fans are excited to see you in another Jayne-like role. How much did that character inform your take on Casey?

Baldwin: That's a good question. You carry around that gruff attitude as much as possible. My background in films and acting really begins with my dad taking me to tough-guy, shoot-'em-up movies, and I guess that sensibility was sort of ingrained in me at an early stage, with guys like Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach…. Those are the guys I watched growing up. And character-y actors like William Holden, The Wild Bunch….

TVGuide.com: What's been your favorite episode of Chuck thus far?

Baldwin: I really liked the Halloween one, "Chuck Vs. the Sandworm" – that's a personal favorite of mine. I love the one we're doing now, "Chuck Vs. the Undercover Lover." I just love watching Zach Levi perform. I don't know about you, but to me he seems like a modern-day Dick Van Dyke. You don't get to see him sing and dance on the show, but he'll do that when the cameras aren't rolling. This guy is a song-and-dance man, a crooner and a comic genius. It's wonderful to follow along in his wake. He carries us on his shoulders.

TVGuide.com: Maybe an upcoming mission will fully tap into his propensity for zaniness.

Baldwin: Well, during the upfronts they had an impromptu competition of Singing Bee, and he won by far. Hands down.

TVGuide.com: How many of your own stunts are you doing on Chuck?

Baldwin: Um, most of the fight scenes. I try to stay away from the high falls, and any explosion work I'll stand clear. [Laughs] I don't really like fire and impact.

TVGuide.com: I know that Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) has enjoyed doing as much on her own as she can – even in the "Swiss Miss" outfit.

Baldwin: [Laughs] Exactly! What kind of underwear is she wearing for those high kicks?

TVGuide.com: She says that outfit makes it all very comfortable.

Baldwin: Oh, she's so hot.

TVGuide.com: She's one of the most searched-on terms on our website.

Baldwin: She's hotter than Hansel right now.

TVGuide.com: Were you glad that ABC gave Day Break as much of a chance as it did, letting it wrap up its run online and thus give fans closure?

Baldwin: Yeah, yeah…. It was a really cool show and it was hard for us to see it go down. Bottom line, we didn't catch an audience. It might have been too dark, a bit too complicated.

TVGuide.com: It may have been too much of a good thing. At the time, a lot of serialized stuff was on….

Baldwin: Right. It's so hard to predict what's going to catch an audience or not. I'm looking for the DVD set. I need one of those for my archives!

TVGuide.com: Was your character going to fit into subsequent seasons/"days"?

Baldwin: I think so. He had turned to the dark side, so….

TVGuide.com: What else do you have coming up?

Baldwin: I did a little movie called Gospel Hill, which Giancarlo Esposito directed.

TVGuide.com: Will that be playing the festivals?

Baldwin: I think that's what he's targeting. It's about a small Southern town where local businessmen re trying to develop this old civil rights-era community into a golf course.

TVGuide.com: Are you an evil developer, or one of the small townsfolk fighting it?

Baldwin: I'm actually sort of caught in the middle. I'm the local lawyer who uncovers some underhanded dealings.

TVGuide.com: Any undying rumblings on the Firefly/Serenity front?

Baldwin: Everyone asks me that. I know that Alan Tudyk got into a bit of hot water speculating on that, so I'm reluctant to go there. It's always up to Joss [Whedon] and whether he can raise whatever it would take to shoot a [sequel]. But it's getting kind of past it. I don't want to be a 60-year-old Jayne Cobb!

New on DVD: Waitress

ON THE NEWSSTANDS

Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku Reunite for FOX

This will be the first TV project for Whedon since FOX all-too-swiftly cancelled his 2002 space western "Firefly," which spawned "Serenity," Whedon's most recent big screen effort.

According to the industry trade papers, "Dollhouse" will feature Dushku as Echo, part of a group of young people programmed with different personalities and skills for different assignments (the trades are a little fuzzy on what these "assignments" consist of or who's sending the people on said assignments). In between gigs, their minds are wiped clean and they return to live in a lab/dorm known as the Dollhouse. Things go a wee bit pear-shaped when Echo begins having actual memories and she tries to seek information about her past.

The show sprung from a casual lunch conversation between the writer-director-producer and his young star. Whedon has reportedly pitched the network on an arc for the first seven "Dollhouse" episodes, which could go into production as soon as the spring (strike pending), but the series wouldn't be expected to hit FOX's schedule until next fall.

Dushku signed a talent deal with 20th Century Fox back in August after starring in the studio's FOX dramedy pilot "Nurses" this past development season.

The studio was also home to Whedon's complete television output, including "Firefly," "Buffy" and "Angel." Dushku played occasionally rogue slayer Faith on the latter two shows.

The possibility of a Faith spinoff was bandied about after the end of the "Buffy" and "Angel" runs, but Dushku went off to do "Tru Calling" for FOX, while Whedon concentrated his attention on features.

FOX Terminates Suspense, Sets 'Sarah Connor Chronicles' Premiere

That may sound a bit dramatic, but Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 is the date FOX has chosen to premiere the heavily hyped midseason drama "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," an extension of the blockbuster "Terminator" franchise.

Series creator Josh Friedman gave online venues and early glimpse of the premiere date late Tuesday (Oct. 16) afternoon as a salute to the Internet community's early interest in the "Sarah Connor."

The series, which picks up in the aftermath of "Terminator 2" and pretends that the third "Terminator" film never happened, will air at 8 p.m. on the 14th, leading into the time period premiere of the seventh season of "24." Expect to see plenty of cross-promotion during the two-hour season premiere of "24" the evening before.

Although FOX originally scheduled "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" for Sunday nights at 9 p.m. when the network announced its line-up to advertisers in May, the series will remain on Monday nights at 8, paired with "24."

"Sarah Connor Chronicles" features Lena Headey ("300") in the Linda Hamilton role as mother of humanity's eventual savior (Thomas Dekker). The show also stars Summer Glau ("Firefly") and Richard T. Jones ("Judging Amy").

'Firefly' Star Passes NBC Bar

Tudyk and British actor Andrew Lincoln ("Love Actually") have signed on to star in the pilot, which is set at a big law firm. They'll each play sometimes unscrupulous attorneys at the firm who are also in love with the same woman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Luke Reiter, a veteran of "The Practice" and "Close to Home," created the untitled drama, which will also have a thriller aspect. He's executive producing with Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies"). The pilot is scheduled to begin production later this month in New York.

Sonnenfeld, who directed the first two episodes of ABC's "Pushing Daisies," has also helmed FOX's pilot "Hackett" this fall.

Tudyk played ship's pilot Wash in the cult series "Firefly" and its subsequent feature film, "Serenity." His movie credits also include "Knocked Up" and "3:10 to Yuma."

Lincoln, who continues the parade of British actors to American television, played Mark, the guy in love with his best friend's wife, in "Love Actually." He's also appeared in several series in the U.K., including "Teachers" and "This Life."

A Darker Superman Flies into Stores

Unlike previous Superman cartoons, Doomsday features extreme violence (but very little blood) and presents a darker take on the world's most iconic superhero. Also a more adult one: In this movie he's carrying on a romantic relationship with Lois Lane, which the couple is hiding from the press. When he won't reveal his secret identity to her, Lois accuses him of having commitment issues. That argument gets tabled when Doomsday — a monster who "lives to extinguish any and all life forms" — goes on a rampage through Metropolis and engages Superman in a battle to the death. (Spoiler alert: In what likely will not come as a shock, Supe's demise is not permanent.)

The movie reaches the same creative heights of previous Warner Bros. animation adaptations of DC Comics characters. It's not a surprise, since Doomsday was produced under the guidance of Bruce Timm, who became a fanboy favorite with his work on the animated Batman and Superman shows of the 1990s, as well as Cartoon Network's Justice League. The movie also includes a stellar voice cast, corralled by another Warner veteran, Andrea Romano. (Romano, in fact, received among the most deafening cheers at the movie's premiere screening at Comic-Con in July.) Anne Heche (Men in Trees) plays Lois Lane, James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) handles Lex Luthor, and cult favorite Adam Baldwin handles Superman (and his alter ego, Clark Kent).

Baldwin, best known for playing mercenary Jayne Cobb in Joss Whedon's much-beloved Firefly (and sequel movie Serenity), was also a big hit at Comic-Con — even though he didn't attend. His shooting schedule on the new series Chuck prevented him from traveling to San Diego, but a pretaped video greeting at the Superman: Doomsday premiere was received with thunderous applause, as were all of his Chuck scenes at a screening of that show's pilot. "I feel very blessed to have been introduced into that world," he says. "The phenomenon of Firefly really cemented everyone in the cast with that community. I love sci-fi fans because they're just so knowledgeable. They tell me stuff about Firefly I had forgotten or, more likely, had never even noticed in the first place!"

Baldwin hopes those fans make the trek over to NBC on Sept. 24 to watch the Chuck premiere. He plays National Security agent John Casey, who is assigned to keep tabs on Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), a romantically challenged geek who unwittingly has a cache of government secrets downloaded into his brain. The buzz on the show is high, and after working on high-profile flameouts like Firefly and last season's Taye Diggs drama Day Break, Baldwin is ready for a hit: "I'm keeping my fingers crossed and remaining an amiable skeptic."

USA Today's Top TV picks for 2007

Stars: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford

Every teen show can't be a High School Musical.

Produced by The OC's Josh Schwartz from a popular series of books, Gossip Girl takes Schwartz's former Fox favorite and gives it a nastier New York spin full of sex and spite. If HSM is ridiculously innocent, Girl is just as ridiculously mature and worldly, which is how older teens prefer their fantasies.

Girl is, at times, too adult for its and its audience's own good, but the central relationship between a fallen deb (Lively) and the poor — but of course handsome — boy who loves her (Badgley) has potential. And if kids like the show better than parents do, that will be just fine with CW. As long as those parents let their kids watch.

Pushing Daisies
(ABC, Wednesdays, 8 ET/PT, Oct. 3)

Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz, Ellen Greene

Welcome to the best blooming show of the year.

Yet to say Pushing Daisies is the season's best pilot doesn't do it justice. It may be the best pilot since Lost, the kind of show that revives your faith in network TV. And while it is true that ABC has topped this list the past two years with fine shows that didn't fly (The Nine and Invasion), the brighter, more accessible Daisies could be the third charm that breaks that curse.

Created by Bryan Fuller (of cult-adored Wonderfalls fame), directed by filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) and graced with the year's most engaging ensemble, Daisies is an enchanting fable about love, death and the powers and problems of human contact.

It's built around a lonely hero (Pace) who is able to bring people back to life, or send them back to death, with a touch — a power that allows him to solve crimes and right wrongs, but which also isolates him.

More than with most shows, though, it isn't enough to just read about Daisies. You have to see it — to revel in the witty, candy-colored glow of Sonnenfeld's visuals, in the warmth of Fuller's vision, and in the endearingly eccentric characters so winningly played by this great cast. Indeed, if you've ever expressed a desire for something different on TV, you owe it to yourself to check Daisies out.

Reaper
(CW, Tuesdays, 9 ET/PT, Sept. 25)

Stars: Bret Harrison, Ray Wise

And you think you have a bad boss.

Consider Sam (Harrison), an ambition-free store clerk who has just discovered that his parents sold his soul to the devil (Wise). Luckily for us, the devil doesn't need another tenant. What he needs is a bounty hunter, a job Sam and his best friend (Invasion's Tyler Labine) will now struggle to perform.

Reaper has the good sense not to take itself too seriously or dwell too long on the darker aspects of its premise. Like the show, Harrison and Labine take a humorously laid-back approach to their dilemma, and Wise's wry turn as an extremely self-satisfied Satan is one of the season's breakout performances. If the show holds up, it could be the first new scripted CW series to reap a little positive attention.

Chuck
(NBC, Mondays, 8 ET/PT, Sept. 24)

Stars: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strzechowski, Adam Baldwin

Sure, the kids in Reaper have a deal with the devil, but poor Chuck has to deal with the CIA. You can decide for yourself who has it tougher.

A geek among geeks, Chuck (Less Than Perfect's Levi) works for one of those computer fix-it squads, or he does until all the computer files of the CIA are downloaded into his brain. Now he has to figure out how to access them, while the government decides whether to use him or eliminate him.

What Chuck has going for it, beyond its super-regular-guy concept, is an incredibly winning performance by Levi, who plays Chuck as a likable underachiever who suddenly sees what it might be like to achieve something. Plus, like Reaper, it has a light comic touch, which is a very nice change after so many somber fantasies and conspiracy-theory adventures. Chuck may be a reluctant spy, but he's not a tortured one, and that's as welcome as a fully functioning computer.

Samantha Who?
(ABC, Mondays, 9:30 ET/PT, Oct. 15)

Stars: Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn, Barry Watson

I can tell you who Samantha is. She's Christina Applegate, and as this show proves, she's a genuine star.

She'll need all the star power she can muster to carry Samantha, a funny but complicated sitcom about a woman who forgets who she is. Worse, as she begins to remember, she realizes she doesn't like the woman she was or most of the people she knew — including her mom, played by another certified star, Smart.

Applegate is appealing and the pilot is the year's most amusing, but like many pilots these days, it plays more like a setup for a movie than for a series. It's not easy to see how Sam's remember-and-redemption routine can be stretched out over multiple seasons.

Still, the network and the writers must think it can be done or they wouldn't be trying. Good thing they have a star who makes it worth the effort.

Aliens in America
(CW, Mondays, 8:30 ET/PT, Oct. 1)

Stars: Dan Byrd, Adhir Kalyan, Amy Pietz, Scott Patterson

Seldom has a fish-out-of-water comedy risked swimming in more troubled waters.

A sweet sitcom with a distinctive edge, Aliens is an outcast comedy with a satiric twist. Justin (Byrd) is a smart kid with no friends, so his mom (Pietz) orders up a Swedish exchange student in hopes of increasing her son's popularity — and gets a Pakistani (Kalyan) instead. That makes the boys a target for bullies, bigots and every bad side effect of the war on terror, as the show pokes fun at our prejudices and our blurry view of anything beyond our borders.

In the version critics saw, Justin could at least count on his nerdish dad for help. But the role is being reshaped for the gruffer Patterson; let's hope it doesn't sink a show that seemed to be floating along just fine.

Back to You
(Fox, Wednesdays, 8 ET/PT, Sept. 19)

Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Fred Willard, Ty Burrell

If anyone can propel a sitcom hit, you'd think it would be Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

Certainly, you won't find any two actors with more comedy talent or a better track record than these veterans of Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond. Plus, they've had the sense to chose appropriate roles — battling local news anchors who were once lovers — and to surround themselves with such strong supporting players as Willard and Burrell.

So what could go wrong? Well, in the pilot, the other supporting characters and many of the jokes failed to rise to the level of the show's stars. There's some funny stuff here, but it's in danger of being swamped by too much that is simply smarmy. (Yes, they've had sex, we get it.) And it takes a turn at the end that seems wrongheaded in the extreme.

Still, there's so much talent here — and so much longing out there for a real sitcom hit — that you just have to hope that talent gets put to better use. Until I'm sure it won't be, I'll be back for more.

The Big Bang Theory
(CBS, Mondays, 8:30 ET/PT, Sept. 24)

Stars: Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons

TV has always loved to watch smart people acting stupid. Created by Bill Prady and Two and a Half Men's Chuck Lorre, Bang is a broad comedy about a pretty girl (Cuoco) who moves next door to two unsocialized geniuses (Galecki and Parsons), who lose first their hearts and then their pants. Think of Beauty and the Geek or, if you love old movies, Ball of Fire, and you'll get the idea.

It would be nice if Galecki seemed more comfortable, and if the show used the boys' super-brains for something other than the butt of jokes. Still, Parsons makes an incredibly impressive debut, and Lorre has a proven knack for making laugh-out-loud sitcoms, something few others these days even attempt. That alone is reason enough to give Bang a chance to get bigger and better.

Private Practice
(ABC, Wednesdays, 9 ET/PT, Sept. 26)

Stars: Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Audra McDonald, Taye Diggs, Paul Adelstein

Now and then, even critics get to engage in wishful thinking.

Granted, Practice did not get off to the best of starts, thanks to a Grey's Anatomy spinoff episode that bordered on the unwatchable. But as you may remember, Grey's own pilot, though far better than this, wasn't anything to write home about, either. And look at how well that show came together.

Can Practice do the same? In its favor are a proven writing staff and a sterling all-star cast. Any one of those actors could head up a show of his or her own, and in many cases has already done so.

Even so, the show could still end up giving new meaning to the phrase "lousy with talent." But why expect the worst when the joy of fall is that it allows us to hope for the best? Given the choice, you might as well bet that Private will get better with, well, practice.

Women's Murder Club
(ABC, Fridays, 9 ET/PT, Oct. 12)

Stars: Angie Harmon, Paula Newsome, Laura Harris, Aubrey Dollar

There's a lot to be said for being the right show at the right time.

Based on the books by James Patterson, Club follows four professional women — led by the almost impossibly beautiful Harmon — who form a secret crime-fighting club. The results hardly add up to some great TV breakthrough, but then, the show isn't trying to break any barriers. It seems to be content to be what it is: a well-cast, well-told mystery that seems perfectly suited to a Friday night slot, network entertainment at its most reliably competent.

Don't turn your nose up. In this season more than most, "competent" is an exclusive club.

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