Firefly- News Archive

'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.

A First Look at Desperate Housewives' New Neighbors

Katherine's a perfectionist and a control freak. (Think Bree, but much darker.) She's reviled by all Wisterians — particularly Bree, who by Episode 2 will go spatula to spatula with her over a lemon meringue pie recipe. "I always wanted to come up with a character everyone loves to hate," Cherry says, adding that he modeled Katherine after J.R. from Dallas and Amanda from Melrose Place. Through flashbacks, Katherine will also offer viewers a chance to look into Wisteria Lane's lurid past.

Ironically, Delany was originally offered the part of Bree, but Cherry says she turned it down three times. "I'd just done Pasadena, and it seemed too similar," Delany says. "It's very rare in life you get second chances. I'm really flattered and honored."

Also thanking the Hollywood gods is Fillion, who's still recovering from the flat tire that was Fox's Drive. "My manager asked, ‘If someone were to tell you that you could be any kind of doctor on Wisteria Lane, what kind would you be?' " he recalls. "I said I'd be a gynecologist so I could interact with all the women."

Fillion won't say whether this "interaction" will involve any illicit affairs. He will tell us that his medical expertise may play a big part in a storyline. "One might extrapolate [that] if there is an OB-GYN around, someone may have need," he says. Paging Bree's pregnant daughter Danielle?

At the bottom of the Mayfair family tree is Dylan. She's a goody-goody — cute, polite and well trained. "My mom keeps me on a rigorous schedule and a short leash," Fonseca explains. "Almost like a dog." She also suffers from a bit of memory loss. Twelve years ago, she was BFFs with Susan's daughter, Julie, until her mom decided to skip town. Now she doesn't remember a thing, leaving everyone to suspect that something horrific happened in her childhood.

She did grow up on Wisteria Lane, after all.

Welcome to Wisteria Lane

FOX Pulls 'Drive'

After several attempts to schedule the fifth and six hours of the swiftly cancelled racing drama, FOX has decided not to put "Drive" back on the network. Instead, those "Drive" hours will begin streaming on myspace.com/fox and FOX affiliate sites beginning Monday, July 16.

After only three airings and four programming hours, FOX removed "Drive" from its schedule on April 25. The series, which featured an ensemble including Nathan Fillion and Kristin Lehman, averaged only 5.6 million viewers overall and a 2.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

FOX initially decided to burn off the last two produced "Drive" episodes on July 4. Instead, the network opted to go with a screening of the Adam Sandler movie "Anger Management" on the low-rated night. At the time, FOX set its "Drive" marathon for this Friday (July 13). Instead, the network opted to air a "Bones" repeat and a "Standoff" episode on Friday the 13th.

With only six episodes in the can, it's unclear if "Drive" aired enough episodes for even a slim DVD release.

Bad Luck: FOX Pulls 'Drive' From Friday the 13th

The last remaining episodes of the car-racing drama have been pulled from this Friday's (July 13) schedule, only a week after the previously scheduled July 4th burnoff was also truncated.

Last week's two "Drive" episodes were replaced by the feature "Anger Management" on FOX's schedule. For this Friday, FOX plans to keep with its regularly scheduled airings of "Bones" repeats plus burnt-off new episodes of "Standoff." That combination gave FOX a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49 and drew just over 3.2 million viewers last Friday night, good for fifth place in both measures.

As of now, FOX hasn't made plans to reschedule those final two produced episodes of "Drive," with the ever-present possibility that the episodes may just be put on the Internet.

After only three airings and four programming hours, FOX removed "Drive" from its schedule on April 25. The series, which featured an ensemble including Nathan Fillion and Kristin Lehman, averaged only 5.6 million viewers overall and a 2.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

Delany, Fillion in "Housewives" talks

The Emmy-winning "China Beach" actress was reportedly the first choice for the role of Bree (played by Marcia Cross), but turned down the pilot.

Delany is in talks to join the cast as a woman who moves to Wisteria Lane with her much younger husband (Nathan Fillion) and her daughter (Lyndsy Fonseca).

Delany most recently starred on NBC's drama "Kidnapped." Fillion is on the big screen in "Waitress." Fonseca's credits include HBO's "Big Love."

ONE LIFE TO LIVE CELEBRATES ITS 10,000th EPISODE

An Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, Mary J. Blige and Nelly Furtado, an execution of a major character and a successful four-day musical event are all part of the drama, achievement and acclaim for ABC's One Life to Live in the past year. The Emmy® Award-winning drama reaches a new milestone on FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, the airing of the 10,000th episode. Beloved characters will return to Llanview to celebrate the life of character Asa Buchanan. Returning favorites include Nathan Fillion (Joey Buchanan), Dan Gauthier (Kevin Buchanan), John Loprieno (Cord Roberts), Tonja Walker (Alex Olanov) and James DePaiva (Max Holden). To mark the occasion, the NYC Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting will honor the show during an on-set celebration on TUESDAY, JULY 3. Additionally, as a special "wink" to the audience, the show will reference the number 10,000 in every episode between JULY 30 and AUGUST 10.

"10,000 shows is a remarkable achievement," said executive producer Frank Valentini, who started at One Life to Live in 1985 with episode 4209. "I am extremely proud to be part of a show that has been able to make such an enduring mark on popular culture."

Katherine Oliver, Commissioner, NYC Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting said "The 10,000th episode of One Life to Live is a testament to New York City's long history of outstanding "Made in New York" productions in daytime television. For over thirty five years, One Life to Live has been making it in New York- its contributions have greatly enhanced our local production industry, which employs 100,000 New Yorkers and generates $5 billion to our economy on an annual basis. Congratulations to the cast and crew for reaching this exceptional milestone."

Agnes Nixon created One Life to Live, which premiered on July 15, 1968, as a half-hour show. The show has been lauded for its groundbreaking exploration of social issues, award-winning performances and innovative storylines. Along with the history-making live week in 2002, One Life to Live is responsible for many "firsts" in daytime television, including themes of interracial romance and gang violence, as well as problems of literacy, medical misdiagnosis, lupus and racial prejudice.

'With immense pride, I congratulate all of the talented and dedicated people over many years who are responsible for the heartwarming success of One Life to Live," said Agnes Nixon.

No Fireworks: FOX Bumps 'Drive' Burn-Off

FOX has pulled the scheduled "Drive" burn-off from this Wednesday's (July 4) line-up, replacing the swiftly cancelled racing series with a presentation of "Anger Management," the first film to pair Adam Sandler with Oscar winner Jack Nicholson.

Since barbeques and fireworks render Independence Day one of the year's least watched TV nights, FOX had already preempted "So You Think You Can Dance," making it seemingly the perfect night to fill out the "Drive" run as six episodes.

Instead, FOX has rescheduled those two episodes of "Drive" for nine days later, appropriately Friday the 13th.

FOX pulled "Drive" from its schedule on April 25, after only three airings and four programming hours. The series averaged only 5.6 million viewers overall and a 2.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

TNT's new medical drama arrives with weak pulse

Oh, wait. Something else. He also sees dead people. More about that in a minute.

Hospitals are attractive settings for TV shows. In reality, most of what goes on inside them are mundane procedures. On TV, though, every admission is a life-or-death drama. But once you've decided on a medical setting, there are two options: an ensemble series (such as "ER" or "Grey's Anatomy") or a doctor-centered show. For the latter, you start with a Marcus Welby-style god and then humanize him or her with character defects, as in "House."

The doctor-as-god solution is simpler and cheaper, but it's harder to pull off because so much of the success depends on the creation of a compelling central character. CBS was the last to try it with "3 Lbs." in November, a series about an arrogant brain specialist (Stanley Tucci), and it lasted about an episode a pound.

"Heartland" follows the same general design and -- despite Williams' proven charisma and the presence of Kari Matchett (Kate Armstrong) as Grant's ex-wife and, conveniently, the organ donor coordinator -- the show remains mostly in stable condition. The characters connect mostly on a clinical level, rarely deeper.

To start with, Grant isn't particularly well developed. In the pilot, he collects baseball cards, but that doesn't come up in the second episode. He smokes, or at least he tries to. Most of the time, someone is around to shame him into stopping. If you're going to have a vice, then have one. Imagine someone trying to come between House and his Vicodin.

Then there are the dead people. From time to time, Grant looks at an organ recipient and sees the donor. Sometimes, the donor even speaks, usually some drippy sentiment. As a result, the dramatic device is mostly corn.

The pilot is all about Grant. The supporting cast, except for Armstrong, might as well be extras. At one point, Thea (Gage Golightly), Grant's daughter, is caught stealing condoms, suggesting a potentially engaging story. Instead, exec producer/director/writer/creator David Hollander drops the ball, and nothing much comes of it. Instead, the focus is on a teenage girl patient's urgent need for a donated heart and, well, you can guess how that ends.

The second episode is better, but it's still a fairly generic medical drama. The supporting cast has more to do. A new character, Thomas Jonas (Rockmond Dunbar), is introduced. He might clash with Grant in future episodes, but that might be wishful thinking.

What "Heartland" needs most is a referral to a script doctor.

Cast:
Nathaniel Grant: Treat Williams
Kate Armstrong: Kari Matchett
Simon Griffith: Chris William Martin
Thea Grant: Gage Golightly
Jessica Kivala: Morena Baccarin
Mary Singletary: Danielle Nicolet
Bart Jacobs: Dabney Coleman
Thomas Jonas: Rockmond Dunbar

Executive producer/creator/director/writer: David Hollander; Producer: Bob Rolsky; Directors of photography: Nancy Schreiber, Johnny E. Jensen; Production designer: Jim Pohl; Editor: Lori Jane Coleman; Composer: W.G. Snuffy Walden; Set decorator: Roya Parivar; Casting: Jeanie Bacharach.

'Drive' Refuels For July Burn-Off

The abruptly cancelled Tim Minear-produced series will return on Wednesday, July 4 for two consecutive hours, running from 8-10 p.m. ET. Those two hours will represent the end of the show's initial six-hour run, as well as the last two produced hours for "Drive" (i.e. don't expect an extensive DVD set featuring 13 episodes, because they don't exist).

FOX pulled "Drive" from its schedule on April 25, after only three airings and four programming hours. The series averaged only 5.6 million viewers overall and a 2.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. With the all-important May sweeps period approaching, FOX determined that repeats of "House" would likely attract a larger audience in the Monday 8 p.m. time period.

For the record, this past week's "House" repeat did, indeed, average a 2.7 demo rating and brought in 7.35 million viewers.

The 4th of July is typically one of the lowest rated nights of television of the year, somewhat mirroring FOX's decision to burn off the final episodes of "Arrested Development" opposite the opening of the Winter Olympics on NBC.

Additional "Drive" scripts have been posted on Minear's personal website.

Fox revokes "Drive" license

For the time being, the serialized drama chronicling an underground cross-country race will be replaced by "House" repeats in the Monday 8 p.m. slot.

"Drive" received a strong promotional push on Fox's juggernaut "American Idol" and was launched with a two-night premiere, a strategy regularly used for the network's hit serialized drama "24."

But "Drive" never clicked with viewers, and its two low-rated airings on Monday seemed to hurt its leadout, "24," which posted its lowest adults 18-49 rating for an original episode in more than three years.

It is not clear when and on what platform the remaining nine episodes of "Drive" will air. Streaming the episodes on Fox.com or offering them as downloads through iTunes are among the possibilities under consideration.

Another Pilot For Baldwin

Whedon Exits 'Wonder Woman'

"You (hopefully) heard it here first: I'm no longer slated to make 'Wonder Woman,'" the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator writes. "What? But how? My chest... so tight! Okay, stay calm and I'll explain as best I can. It's pretty complicated, so bear with me. I had a take on the film that, well, nobody liked. Hey, not that complicated."

Whedon continues, "Let me stress first that everybody at the studio and Silver Pictures were cool and professional. We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work. Non-sympatico. It happens all the time. I don't think any of us expected it to this time, but it did. Everybody knows how long I was taking, what a struggle that script was, and though I felt good about what I was coming up with, it was never gonna be a simple slam-dunk. I like to think it rolled around the rim a little bit, but others may have differing views."

Whedon signed on to write and direct "Wonder Woman" back in 2005, but his difficulties getting a handle on the script were well documented. Over the following years, neither Whedon nor producer Joel Silver was able to conduct an interview without providing a frustrated update on the script. As recently as Comic-Con in July, Silver expressed enthusiasm about a draft of the script, but that enthusiasm seems not to have materialized into a "go" picture. Whedon's exit post also pokes bemused fun at the endless string of casting rumors he had to deny.

"But most importantly, I never have to answer THAT question again!!!! And you don't have to link to every rumor site!" he writes. "Finally and forever: I never had an actress picked out, or even a consistent front-runner. I didn't have time to waste on casting when I was so busy air-balling on the script. (No! Rim! There was rim!) That's the greatest relief of all. I can do interviews again!"

Fans may have been able to read the writing on the wall from earlier in the week when The Hollywood Reporter said that Warner Bros. had acquired a new "Wonder Woman" spec with Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland's take on the popular DC Comics Amazon.

At the time, the trade report emphasized that the newly acquired spec script wasn't meant as an alternative to Whedon's take, a fact which still may be the case, though fanboys will likely have their doubts. The trade paper says that while Whedon's script was contemporary, the Jennison and Strickland script is set against the backdrop of World War II.

Whedon won't have trouble finding ways to busy himself. He's already signed on to write and direct the thriller "Gonners" for Universal.

Laurence Fishburne, wife expecting baby

Nierob had no other details. Fishburne, who has two children from a previous marriage, and Torres were married in 2002.

Fishburne, 45, was nominated for an Oscar for 1993's "What's Love Got to Do With It." His screen credits also include "Apocalypse Now," "The Matrix" and "Bobby," directed by Emilio Estevez.

Torres, 38, stars in Fox's "Standoff," about hostage negotiators. She will co-star opposite Chris Rock in the upcoming movie "I Think I Love My Wife."

"Drive" time for Fillion at Fox

Fillion will play Alex Tully, a charming, rogue landscaper who is coerced into joining the race to search for his wife who had been abducted. In the original pilot, the role was played by Ivan Sergei ("Jack & Jill").

Fillion, who is friends with one of the executive producers, Tim Minear, was first approached with the project in the spring but couldn't do the pilot because of a scheduling conflict with the filming of his feature "White Noise 2: The Light," slated for release January 5.

"I was a little disappointed because Tim is a friend, and there is nothing better than working with people you know and like," Fillion said.

At a barbecue this summer, after the pilot was shot but before Fox picked it up to series, Minear again floated the idea for "Drive" to Fillion and showed him the pilot.

In addition to "White Noise 2," Fillion will soon appear in the indie "Waitress," which is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. His other credits include the series "Two Guys and a Girl" and "Firefly."

TNT Achieves State of 'Grace'

"Grace," which stars Holly Hunter as a burned-out cop, and the medical drama "Heartland," featuring "Everwood's" Treat Williams, are both set to join TNT's lineup sometime in 2007. With the two new shows coming aboard, though, it looks like "Saved" will be gone after one season, the showbiz trade papers report.

"Heartland" is likely to get the post-"Closer" spot that "Saved" occupied last summer. It stars Williams (lately seen on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters") as a heart-transplant surgeon whose work takes a toll on his personal life -- not unlike the backstory for his "Everwood" character, neurosurgeon Andy Brown.

The show, created by David Hollander ("The Guardian"), also stars Kari Matchett ("Invasion") as Williams' estranged wife and Morena Baccarin ("Firefly").

"Grace," meanwhile, features Hunter ("Raising Arizona," "Broadcast News," "The Incredibles") as an Oklahoma City detective whose life is on the skids when she's visited by an angel (Leon Rippy, "Deadwood"). Laura San Giacomo ("Veronica Mars," "Just Shoot Me") and Bokeem Woodbine ("City of Angels") also star in the show, which was created by "Closer" writer-producer Nancy Miller.

"Saved," a drama about a Portland paramedic (Tom Everett Scott), pulled down decent ratings for TNT over the summer. However, it retained just a little more than half the audience for "The Closer," a figure TNT wants to improve.

'Firefly' Goes Online

Multiverse Network Inc. has pacted with 20th Century Fox to develop a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on "Firefly," Joss Whedon's short-lived, but beloved sci-fi western series.

Loyal Browncoats will need to be patient, though, because the "Firefly" MMOG (some folks prefer MMORPG, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) may not be available until 2008.

"FOX's 'Firefly' series is set in an incredibly rich and exciting universe. It's going to make a very compelling and unique online experience filled with adventure, humor, and mystery," swears Corey Bridges, Multiverse co-founder and executive producer. "It's our hope that 'Firefly's' passionate and dedicated community of fans will enjoy the chance to become part of the story as they develop and explore the worlds of 'Firefly.'"

"Firefly," which starred Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin and a others, premiered on FOX in 2002. The network had difficulties airing the show in sequence or attracting a wide audience. The show was cancelled by December, but its fanbase -- though limited -- remained dedicated. The series sold well on DVD and Whedon was able to bring the characters to the big screen in "Serenity," though the feature also struggled to find a mainstream audience and made less than $40 million worldwide.

"One of the first meetings I had when I joined Fox was with Multiverse," says Adam Kline, vice president of new media enterprises at 20th Century Fox licensing & merchandising division. "We see virtual worlds as an extraordinarily promising new entertainment medium. This is a great opportunity for 20th Century Fox and for the fans of Firefly because Multiverse will deliver an experience that will remain true to the original series, while enabling a whole new level of personal involvement for fans."

Thus, in a little over a year, gamers and Browncoats will be able to visit other planets, make deliveries on time and pick up space whores, just like the characters on "Firefly."

The press release regarding the "Firefly" game makes no mention of any involvement on Whedon's part.

Fox Foments Future for 'Firefly's' Fillion

According to The Hollywood Reporter, FOX and 20th Century Fox have signed Fillion to a talent holding deal, aiming to either develop a new property for the "Firefly" star or else to slot the actor into an existing show.

Fillion is best known for his work as Mal Reynolds on both FOX's short-lived Joss Whedon offering "Firefly" and in the subsequent Universal feature "Serenity." His additional TV credits include "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place," "Miss Match" and a run on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Message boards have also been buzzing that Fillion will appear in an upcoming episode of "Lost."

On the feature side, the 35-year-old actor was most recently seen in the feature "Slither." He's also completed work on "White Noise 2: The Light."

Reignite Firefly

We’re writing to tell you about our petition to Reignite Firefly. Located at PetitionOnline.com:

http://www.petitiononline.com/brff06/petition.html

If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing. If we Browncoats band together we can show Mr. Whedon that we want Firefly back and prove to not only FOX but also other networks that Firefly is a show that should be considered for their lineup.

We have also created a group for our home base so we can rally, organize and exchange info with fellow Browncoats: The Browncoats for Reigniting Firefly http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/reigniting_firefly

You are all invited to join our campaign and help us get the word out. Any suggestion, questions or moments are welcome.

So if you will please take a moment, take a look, and consider signing yourself and then ask your fellow Browncoats, friends, co workers and family to support our cause also. Firefly is/was too good of a show to let it fall into limbo.

Together we can make a difference! Together we can get Firefly back!

“They can’t take the Firefly from Us”

Sincerely
Browncoat Evoo (Timothy C.), Co-Owner
Browncoat Gunner (Brandon G.), Co-Owner
"The Browncoats for Reigniting Firefly"
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/reigniting_firefly

Kong, Star Wars and Stargate big winners of fourth annual Spacey Awards

The fourth annual awards, honouring the best in sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, are the creation of CHUM Television and were to air Saturday night on CHUM's Space: The Imagination Station.

In an acceptance speech recorded in New Zealand, Jackson spoke of how he felt unworthy of the award and owes a debt to King Kong, in particular the original 1933 classic that inspired him to become a filmmaker.

"I make films for people exactly like you," he said to the audience through the camera. "That's who I am. I'm a fan, I'm a sci-fi, action, fantasy, adventure, horror fan. I'm a genre fan and I really appreciate the fact that other fans respond to our work."

As in the last three years, The Spaceys eschew the traditional audience, podium and red carpet format. Instead, camera crews head out around the country and the world to present the awards - a stylized space-alien bust - where the recipients can be found in their homes or a casual environment.

King Kong won for best sci-fi/fantasy movie and actor Andy Serkis, who brought King Kong to screen life through CGI motion capture technology, was named best non-human performer.

Speaking from Los Angeles, he thanked the writers of the screenplay, actress Naomi Watts, who played opposite the Serkis-motivated digital King Kong, and WETA, the New Zealand F/X company.

"And, what's the other guy's name? Peter Jackson, he's quite important, I suppose," Serkis joked.

Land of the Dead was named best horror movie while Sin City was deemed the best movie adapted from a comic.

Best movie hero was Batman from Batman Begins and best villain Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

The Star Wars finale also won favourite action sequence (the Darth Vader/Obi Wan light sabre duel) and favourite special effects.

The seven "favourite" categories were the result of online voting by viewers. The other winners were chosen by a panel the producers are calling "a crack team of space experts here."

Battlestar Galactica was favourite TV show, Lt.-Col. Cameron Mitchell favourite new TV character from Stargate SG-1, which also won for favourite TV ensemble cast. The favourite movie was a bit of a surprise, Serenity, Joss Whedon's big-screen followup to his short-lived outer-space TV series Firefly.

Spaceys co-host Jonathan Llyr says Whedon's rabid fan base likely led to Serenity beating out such front-runner titles as Kong, Star Wars and Batman Begins.

"Did they stuff the box? I dunno. Maybe, but it just shows that they were the fans that did the most work and got their movie to the top."

Best animated movie was Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Creators Nick Parks and Steve Box feigned wide-eyed wonder, oohing and aahing over the polished, silver trophy.

"Of all the awards we've had, this is certainly one of them," Parks said with understated appreciation.

"These things usually scare me but this one is lovely and friendly and shiny," added Box.

Favourite video game was Resident Evil 4.

There were also two honourary awards. Hollywood's B-movie king Roger Corman was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for five decades of low-budget filmmaking that nevertheless launched the careers of, among others, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. He produced some 350 titles and personally directed a series of horror movies based on Edgar Allan Poe tales.

Makeup effects master Stan Winston was given a Special Achievement Award for 30 years of creating screen monsters and aliens.

The 2006 Spaceys were broadcast from Vancouver immediately following the season finale of Battlestar Galacticawith hosts Llyr, Kim Poirier and Natasha Eloi.

Llyr says he was happy with the winner's list, citing Battlestar Galactica as his personal favourite show of the genre. Poirier, however, "was kinda bummed" that the alien-abduction series The 4400 didn't make the cut.

"I thought the acting was really great," she says. "It's got the subject matter of feeling like an outcast and I think a lot of people relate to that."

Browncoats Book Benefit 'Serenity' Screenings

Back in late April, Whedon devotees announced they were arranging screenings of "Serenity" worldwide for the week of June 23, with proceeds from screening benefiting the writer-director's pet charity Equality Now. As of May 25, more than 38 cities in five countries were planning screenings, with 23 showings already confirmed for locations like Austin, Louisville, Boston, Charlotte and Los Angeles.

The event, dubbed "Serenity" Now/Equality Now is meant to coincide with two occasions, one obvious and one a little bit more obscure. First, June 23 is the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator's birthday. It's also the one-year anniversary of the third and final advance screening of "Serenity" prior to its release.

A continuations of the swiftly cancelled FOX drama "Firefly," the feature film "Serenity" opened in late September, distributed by Universal Pictures. The film's worldwide gross of just under $40 million is roughly in line with its production budget.

Equality Now is an international organization which works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world through the mobilization of public pressure.

For more information on screenings in your area, check out http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/.

FOX Announces Fall '06

Premise: Hostage negotiators balance work and their growing attraction to each other.

Stars: Ron Livingston ("Band of Brothers," "Pretty Persuasion"), Rosemarie DeWitt ("Cinderella Man"), Michael Cudlitz ("Prison Break"), Gina Torres ("Firefly"), Raquel Alessi ("Ghost Rider")

Studio: 20th Century Fox TV

Producers: Craig Silverstein ("The Dead Zone," "The Inside"), Tim Story ("Fantastic Four")

ABC Announces Fall '06

Premise: A cop tries to prevent one murder while clearing himself of another killing for which he's been framed.

Stars: Taye Diggs ("Kevin Hill"), Meta Golding ("JAG"), Moon Bloodgood ("Eight Below"), Victoria Pratt ("Mutant X"), Ramon Rodriguez ("Rescue Me"), Adam Baldwin ("Firefly")

Studio: Touchstone TV

Producers: Paul Zbyszewski ("After the Sunset"), Matt Gross ("Don't Say a Word"), Jeff Bell ("Alias"), Rob Bowman ("The X-Files")

Chris Rock to direct "Wife" comedy

He replaces Charles Stone ("Mr. 3000"), who recently dropped out of the Fox Searchlight project.

The film, a remake of Eric Rohmer's 1972 French comedy "Chloe in the Afternoon," centers on Richard Cooper (Rock), a professional who is married to Brenda (Gina Torres), with whom he has a young daughter. When his old flame (Kerry Washington) enters the picture, Cooper soon discovers he is in way over his head. Rock wrote the script with longtime collaborator Louis C.K.

The film will mark Rock's return to the director's chair; he last shot the 2003 comedy "Head of State," in which he co-starred with Bernie Mac.

Washington, whose recent credits include "Fantastic Four," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "Ray," will appear in the upcoming Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man."

Torres, who co-stars on the new Fox hostage negotiation drama "Primary," also stars opposite her husband, Laurence Fishburne, in "Five Fingers," which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Apple's iTunes starts selling Fox TV shows

Shows including "24" and "Prison Break," as well as FX Network shows such as "The Shield," were available on the download service on Tuesday morning, at $1.99 per episode.

iTunes has also started to sell episodes of older series, such as "Firefly", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Lost in Space."

The three other major networks, including Walt Disney's ABC, General Electric's NBC, and CBS Corp. already sell shows on iTunes. They also redistribute some programming via other means over the Internet, including their own Web sites.

Networks are pursuing the younger generation wherever members get their entertainment, which is more often on the go with devices such as the iPod from Apple. ITunes allows downloads for watching on the computer or on an iPod.

James Gianopulos, co-chairman of News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment, in December told the Reuters Media and Advertising Summit that Fox would be open to a deal with iTunes.

ABC Family initiates scary "Sarah" again

"Sarah" centers on a sorority girl ("Sleepover's" Boorem) with mysterious powers who unwittingly becomes the focus of a century-old battle between good and evil. Glau ("Serenity") will play Sarah's naive and put-upon twin sister, Lindsey.

The respective roles were originally played by Kay Lenz and Morgan Brittany, who was actually the half-sister.

Fairchild, who played a bitchy sorority sister first time around, will play the girls' mother. Tilly will portray Sarah's mentor and the school's resident enchantress, Dr. Hunter, a role originally played by Shelley Winters.

Also joining the cast are Joanna Garcia (WB Network's "Reba") and Tessa Thompson (UPN's "Veronica Mars").

Production is set to begin May 1 in Shreveport, La. The movie is slated to air during ABC Family's eighth annual "13 Nights of Halloween," a Halloween-themed programming event airing each night from October 19-31.

"It's suspenseful, scary and frequently wickedly funny, and we've got just the cast of leading ladies to pull it off," said ABC Family president Paul Lee.

"Slither" a lively addition to horror canon

Like "Shaun of the Dead" before it, this feature directorial bow by screenwriter James Gunn strikes a surprisingly effective yuks-to-yuck balance. Factor in a cast that totally gets the desired heavily ironic tone, and you've got a parody picture that pays blood-soaked homage to 1980s-style excess yet still manages to work on its own queasy terms.

That sense of something different should translate into solid grosses in a saturated market that hasn't exactly been crying out for horror product in recent weeks, while DVD sales should be tasty.

With apologies to David Cronenberg's "Shivers" and Frank Henenlotter's "Basket Case" films, Gunn, whose early career as a writer at Troma made him the right man for the job, fuses the various influences to come up with an agreeable mutation.

Always reliable Michael Rooker ("Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer") gleefully nails the part of Grant Grant, a card-carrying redneck denizen of the folksy town of Wheelsy, who one night gets a little too close to the noxious fallout of what appears to be a meteor, only to become the unwitting host of a diabolical alien life force.

As if Grant's transformation into a hideous, tentacle-bearing, meat-craving monster isn't bad enough, he also is beginning to spawn hundreds of these crimson killer slugs that creep their way into victims' mouths and turn them into flesh-eating zombies.

Determined to stop this sinister plague in its bloody tracks is noble police chief Bill Pardy ("Serenity's" Nathan Fillion), who's driven in part by the torch he has been carrying for Grant's pretty wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks). Joining them in their quest is the town's foul-mouthed mayor (played hysterically by Gregg Henry), who vows to find Grant even if he does look like "a damn squid."

Gunn, whose previous writing credits run the gamut from "Tromeo & Juliet" to "Scooby-Doo" to the 2004 reworking of "Dawn of the Dead," maintains the ideal glib pitch for most of the picture, flirting with camp but never hanging around it long enough to water down the squirm-inducing stuff.

That winning blend extends to the performances, which all follow Rooker's no-nonsense lead, and to the special effects, which neatly combine old school prosthetics with just the right amount of CGI enhancement.

Cast:
Bill Pardy: Nathan Fillion
Starla Grant: Elizabeth Banks
Jack MacReady: Gregg Henry
Grant Grant: Michael Rooker

Director-screenwriter: James Gunn; Producers: Paul Brooks, Eric Newman; Executive producers: Marc Abraham, Thomas A. Bliss, Norm Waitt, Scott Niemeyer; Director of photography: Gregory Middleton; Production designer: Andrew Neskoromny; Editor: John Axelrad; Costume designer: Patricia Louise Hargreaves; Music: Tyler Bates.

'Firefly' Star Baldwin Makes His 'Bones'

The deep-voiced actor went from playing the volatile mercenary Jayne Cobb on Fox's short-lived sci-fi/Western "Firefly" (a role he reprised in the movie version, "Serenity"), executive-produced by creator by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Tim Minear, to a five-episode stint on The WB's "Buffy" spin-off, "Angel."

Whedon created that show with David Greenwalt, and for a while, it was executive-produced by Minear, who created Baldwin's next show, FOX's short-lived crime drama "The Inside."

Also an executive producer on "Angel" was Jeff Bell, who has just signed on to executive-produce Baldwin's ABC/Touchstone pilot "Day Break." A murder mystery with elements of "Groundhog Day" and "Memento," it stars Taye Diggs, whom Baldwin says is a friend of Jay Harrington, who co-starred on "The Inside."

And, directing the "Day Break" pilot is Rob Bowman, who directed for the "The X-Files" series, on which Baldwin played the mysterious Knowle Rohrer for several episodes.

In between all of this, Baldwin found time to stop by FOX's witty crime procedural "Bones," which stars "Angel" himself, David Boreanaz, as FBI Agent Seeley Booth.

In "Two Bodies in the Lab," airing Wednesday, March 15, Baldwin plays FBI Agent Jamie Kenton, who is assigned to protect Booth's informal partner, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), after an assassination attempt.

"David Boreanaz, he went to bat for me," Baldwin says. "Basically, there were other people, and they said, 'What about him?' And David said, 'Yeah, yeah, I worked with him on "Angel."

"He's a nice guy. We had the same acting coach in common as well, so we had something to chat about. I also lost $20 to him on the Super Bowl. We had a good time. He's in great shape, and he was trying to push me around, but I'm still bigger. It's all good-natured stuff.

"He's a really good-humored, good-natured guy, very prepared, willing to cut it up and improv a little bit here and there."

Just as a bonus, Baldwin also found common ground with Deschanel, whose father is acclaimed cinematographer Caleb Deschanel.

"Her dad shot 'The Patriot,' which I did," says Baldwin, "so we were able to talk a little about that. We got along great.""We just had a party over at Nate's house," he says, "and Joss showed up, so we had some nice reminiscences. He's still down in the salt mines writing 'Wonder Woman,' and when he will finish with that, we don't know. I have no idea what's in his head."

As to whether Kenton might make a return appearance on "Bones," Baldwin says, "I don't think my storyline's going to be allowing for that. Besides, I'll be working on another show. I've got my fingers crossed."

TV Pilot News

TV Pilot News

'Firefly,' 'Inside' Guy Minear Back at FOX

But Minear is back at the network again, co-writing a pilot called "Drive." FOX has also ordered a comedy called "Union Jackass," starring British comedian Al Murray, and CBS has given the green light to "Generations," a comedy from writer Cheryl Holliday ("Father of the Pride").

Minear is writing and executive producing "Drive" with Ben Queen ("Century City"), the showbiz trade papers report. The show would follow the participants in a high-stakes and highly illegal race across the country. FOX's corporate sibling 20th Century Fox TV is producing the pilot.

In addition to his trio of short-lived FOX shows, Minear has also worked on "Angel" and "The X-Files." Queen's credits include the forthcoming feature film "100 Weddings" (with Erin Cramer and Ellen Simon).

"Union Jackass," meanwhile, is based in part on Murray's stand-up character The Pub Landlord, an Archie Bunker-ish guy who follows his ex-wife and son from England to the beachside L.A. suburb of Santa Monica -- which is home to numerous British expatriates.

Dan O'Keefe ("Seinfeld," "The Drew Carey Show") is writing the pilot and will executive produce with Richard Allen-Turner, Jon Thoday and David Martin. Murray will serve as a producer.

At CBS, "Generations" will center on an elderly gent and his grandson who live together in a retirement community. Writer-exec producer Holliday's credits include "King of the Hill" and "The Norm Show."

Sci-fi actors come to life for "Noise 2"

Nathan Fillion, who starred in Joss Whedon's cult sci-fi series "Firefly" and subsequent movie "Serenity," is set to star in the horror movie while Katee Sackhoff, who plays "Starbuck" in the acclaimed "Battlestar Galactica" TV series, is in negotiations to join him.

In the sequel to the 2005 hit, a man's family is murdered, but he is brought back from the brink of death. The man realizes he has changed and can now identify those among the living who are about to die. When he tries to save people from their fate, he discovers there is a price to paid for interfering with the natural order.

Fillion is playing the man while Sackhoff will portray a nurse who befriends him after the death of his wife.

Patrick Lussier ("Dracula 2000") is directing. "White Noise 2" will be distributed in the United States by Rogue Pictures, the genre arm of Focus Features.

Fillion next appears in the horror movie "Slither," which opens March 31.

Serenity And Beyond

Browncoats around the world cried out in despair when, due to an underwhelming performance at the box office, Joss Whedon announced that the saga of Serenity had ended. No sequels, no follow-ups, no hope. But Whedon isn't a man to let his brain-child die; the man's already resuscitated the franchise once and there's still hope for a third coming.

"A sequel's unlikely," Whedon told Empire with a note of clear regret, "but it's amazing what permutations of something can happen." But if not a theatrical encore, that leaves... yes, you guessed it, a possible return to the smaller screen. "As long as I was able to service the characters with integrity and had enough money so that I wasn't hampered, then I would love to return Serenity to TV. I love that universe; it continues and those characters live on. There could be a series, there could be a miniseries, there could be all sorts of things. I'm not ruling anything out. I'll let it simmer for a while and see if anyone calls."

As for why the film failed to rake in the cash despite uniformly glowing reviews, according to Whedon it's all in the presentation. "It's a question of marketing ultimately. The fact that I like to dance around genres with gay abandon has worked to my disadvantage. Nobody knows exactly how to market anything I do because it usually has so much in it. It has a diffuseness because of it's origin that keeps it from being the easy sell. Some people also said that you can't call an action movie 'Serenity' but I think that's still okay. What was I going to call it? 'Big Smash Bang With Boobies'? Which was, of course my second choice."

DVD sales should, however, put Serenity back in the black and when the bucks start rolling in we can only hope that one of the suits at Universal looks at the numbers, adds the success of the Firefly DVD box set and greenlights a return for Captain Reynolds and his crew. Until that time we advise Whedon to keep his phone switched on.

TVGuide.com: Guest Columnist Joss Whedon Eyes the Future of TV

The networks will all be creating exciting, innovative new spin-offs of today's shows. Approximately 67 percent of all television will be CSI-based, including CSI: Des Moines, CSI: New York but a Different Part than Gary Sinise Is In and NCSI: SVU WKRP, which covers every possible gruesome crime with a groovin' '70s beat. (Jerry Bruckheimer will also have conquered Broadway with the CSI musical "FOLLICLE!" starring Nathan Lane as a frenetic but lovable blood spatter and Matthew Broderick as lint.)

Lost has that one-of-a-kind alchemy that really can't be copied. Therefore, look for the original series Misplaced, as well as Unfound, Not So Much with the Whereabouts and Just Pull Over and Ask!

In a stunningly cost-effective move, CBS will air How I Met Your Biological Mother, That Bitch, which is just old episodes of How I Met Your Mother with snarkier narration. HBO's Westminster will continue the trend pioneered by Deadwood and Rome by making 19th-century England really dirty and weird, like Jane Austen with Tourette's. (Actually, I can't wait for that one.) Also, the constant slew of cable mergers will result in the creation of CinePax, a channel that's just very confused about its morals.

Every year another film actress gets "too old" for film leads and finds a (sometimes much better) home on TV. This trend will continue a few years hence when the aging but feisty Dakota Fanning headlines CSI: Vancouver Made to Look Like Chicago.

Obviously, we'll see advances in technology. TiVo, iPods, streaming video — the way we watch TV is changing dramatically. It's on our phones, in our cars — even projected on specialized eyeglasses. But don't listen to the talk about having shows beamed directly into your brain. That's science-fiction nonsense. Shows will be stored in the pancreas and will enter the brain through the bloodstream after being downloaded into your iHole.

And what of me? My short-lived series Firefly was the basis for the epic action film Serenity (now available on DVD! I have little or no shame), and the future will see even more incarnations of this visionary work, as it returns to TV as Serenity: The Firefly Years, then back to film as Firefly: Serenity's Sequel, back to TV as SereniFly, and finally end as the direct-to-eyeglasses series Choose a Damn Name Already. I promise it'll be as heartwarming and exciting as the original Serenity, now available on DVD. (Explain again this thing you call shame....)

That's all I can tell you, except for one last thing: Veronica Mars will still be on. Veronica Mars will still be on. We clear about that?

Bye-ee!

Righteous 'Brothers' tops video charts, 'Serenity' 3rd

The John Singleton-helmed thriller narrowly beat last week's sales topper, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which slipped to No. 2 on VideoScan's First Alert sales chart.

The sci-fi saga "Serenity" bowed at No. 3, with the next two slots going to a pair of family films released earlier in the season but still going strong: "The Polar Express" and "Madagascar."

Several new titles failed to command much attention on the sales front, including "The Brothers Grimm" (No. 6), "Must Love Dogs" (No. 8), and -- perhaps most surprisingly, given its $75 million box office haul -- "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (No. 12).

In rental stores, first-place finisher "Four Brothers" generated an estimated $8.8 million in revenue, or nearly 12% of its theatrical gross of $74.5 million.

'Serenity' Star Goes 'South of Pico'

The film will mark the theatrical directing debut of Ernst Gossner and will begin production this week in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Written by Gossner and Richard Marcus, the film is an ensemble about four people who witness an accidental death. Paul Hipp ("Face/Off"), Henry Simmons ("NYPD Blue"), Jimmy Bennett ("Hostage") and Soren Fulton ("Thunderbirds") also star.

Torres is best known for her collaborations with Joss Whedon on "Angel" and "Firefly," as well as the feature "Serenity." The actress has also been seen in the second and third films in the "Matrix" trilogy.

"Driven" star Pardue has been seen (at least by somebody) in "Undiscovered" and "Loggerheads" this fall.

Disaster strikes again in 'Poseidon' misadventure

Instead of a tidal wave capsizing the luxurious cruise vessel, the ship is flipped over by a terrorist's bomb. The rescue is accomplished with the help of the Internet and satellite imagery. A boy who is a passenger records the entire doomed voyage with a video camera. And instead of being mindless but engrossing, as Maltin called the original, it's just mindless.

For all of its defects, the original film won a place in cinematic history as the progenitor of disaster films (and for the Oscar-winning song "The Morning After"). The TV remake, though nearly 20 minutes longer after commercials are subtracted, is bloated with special effects and stunts but fails to produce an emotional connection. In the end, we care almost as little about the few survivors as we do about the thousands of others who are washed into oblivion by torrents of water.

The formula for a disaster film requires there be smaller, personal stories mixed in with the larger story of the fight for survival. In Bryce Zabel's script, most of those personal stories involve Richard and Rachel Clarke (Steve Guttenberg and Alexa Hamilton), their nursing student daughter (Amber Sainsbury) and their precocious videographer son (Rory Copus). Mom is an entrepreneur whose chief flaw, at least according to Dad, is her success at establishing a retail empire. Dad is a resentful novelist who quickly, conveniently and inexplicably becomes the object of affect for the ship's masseuse (Nathalie Boltt), who turns out to be a surprisingly nice person for a homewrecker.

Adam Baldwin stars as Mike Rogo, a Homeland Security agent assigned to the holiday cruise on the basis of intercepted chatter and a raid of a terrorist cell that takes place in the film's opening minutes. There's also the elderly lady (Sylvia Syms) still grieving her husband's death, an obnoxious producer (Bryan Brown) and his arm candy (Tinarie Van Wyk). Yet, for all the character development that occurs, they might as well be a movie star, a professor, a millionaire and his wife.

The toppled gigantic Christmas tree is in the remake. So is the upside-down ballroom, even though modern cruise ships don't really have them. Nor is it commonplace for the ship's officers to grant children free run of the ship's galley. No matter. "The Poseidon Adventure" isn't about reality any more than it is about compelling drama or scintillating dialogue. It is about calamity, well executed special effects and remarkable stunts, all of which are capably presented by director John Putch. This time, though, "The Morning After" isn't a song but the time period by which most of the movie will be forgotten.

A Hallmark Entertainment presentation of a Silverstar Limited production in association with Larry Levinson Prods.

CAST:
Mike Rogo: Adam Baldwin
Kasim Badawi: Peter Butler
Richard Clarke: Steve Guttenberg
Rachel Clarke: Alexa Hamilton
Aimee Anderson: Tinarie Van Wyk
Shoshana: Nathalie Boltt
Jeffrey Eric Anderson: Bryan Brown
Bishop Schmidt: Rutger Hauer
Dr. Ballard: C. Thomas Howell
Shelby Clarke: Amber Sainsbury
Belle Rosen: Sylvia Syms
Dylan Clarke: Rory Copus
Suzanne Harrison: Alex Kingston
Executive producers: Robert Halmi Jr., Larry Levinson
Co-executive producer: David Wicht
Producer: Mary Church
Director: John Putch
Teleplay: Bryce Zabel
Director of photography: Ross Berryman
Production designer: Jonathan Carlson
Editor: Jennifer Jean Cacavas
Music: Joe Kraemer
Set designer: Jonathan Hutchinson
Art director: Tom Hannam
Casting: Matthew Lessall, Gillian Hawser, Janet Meintjes

Joss Whedon debuts on 'Mars'

Whedon, the king of cult hits for his creation of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel", plays a car rental guy.

"Veronica Mars" is a mystery-drama about an 18-year-old sleuth who has struggled with an alcoholic mother and the death of her best friend. She overcomes her problems by helping her sheriff father.

When Whedon appears, Veronica is trying to figure out who deliberately crashed a school bus with the intention of killing her.

Like Buffy, Veronica, played by Kristen Bell, is a blond high school girl fighting some very mean folks with verve and pluck.

But she hasn't the big following Buffy generated and creator Rob Thomas may be hoping to boost ratings, as the show has been given a 9 p.m. slot where it competes against ABC's "Lost."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Whedon says other shows have been compared with "Buffy", but this is the first time it has made him proud "as opposed to irate."

""Veronica Mars" combines all the genres," he explained. "She's not just mystery-solving gal; she's dealing with the mysteries of the human condition .... The mix of humour and pain and romance is exactly what we tried to do on "Buffy"."

Whedon says the mystery story structure adds a new element that has him calling "Veronica Mars", the "Best. Show. Ever."

Whedon has finished his feature film "Serenity" and it looks like it will be making a swift transition to DVD. It is scheduled to come out Dec. 20.

'Serenity' Makes Quick Voyage to DVD

After 38 days in release, "Serenity" has grossed just over $25 million domestically and it'll make its transition onto DVD on December 20, a theater-to-home window of well under three months, an extra fast turnaround.

Now you know what to get as a stocking stuffer for that Browncoat in your life.

The film reunites the stars of "Firefly" -- including Nate Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher and Alan Tudyk -- in another adventure that combines outer space fantasy with Western action. Although writer-director Whedon was able to complete his first feature with a relatively modest budget (somewhere in the $40 million range), the box office for "Serenity" fell short of what most observers thought would be required to greenlight a theatrical sequel.

Of course, passionate fans of the series and movie have been told before that the story was over, getting the franchise resurrected with their faith (and DVD-buying dollars).

The DVD contains deleted scenes, outtakes, a special introduction and commentary from Whedon and several other documentaries and features.

"Serenity" knocks "Pride" off top of box office

The film, directed by Joss Whedon who created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and based on the TV series "Firefly", follows the motley crew of a spaceship named Serenity living at the edge of the law in a Wild West-style frontier of deep space.

It meant the adaptation of Jane Austen's novel starring Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen dropped down to second place despite having taken 11.4 million pounds since it was released in Britain.

Roman Polanski's version of the Charles Dickens classic "Oliver Twist" debuted in third spot. The director said he wanted the film to be something with which his own children could identify.

David Cronenberg's acclaimed "A History of Violence", a subversive thriller starring Viggo Mortensen dropped to fourth ahead of a new entry, the British comedy "Kinky Boots".

"Four Brothers", starring Mark Wahlberg as one of four siblings out to avenge their mother's death, was in sixth with "Goal", about a young kid's dream to become the best soccer player in seventh.

"Night Watch", a dark tale of a never-ending battle between light and dark, was new in eighth, with romantic comedy "The 40 Year Old Virgin", starring Steve Carell, ninth.

At 10 was "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo", starring Rob Schneider.

Serenity Slips In Week 2

New releases "In Her Shoes" ($10 million), "Two for the Money" ($8.4 million) and "The Gospel" ($8 million) rounded out the Top Five, and Lions Gate's new comedy "Waiting" ($5.7 million) debuted at No. 7.

Many of last week's top films took a tumble as "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" slipped from third to sixth, and was joined in its decline by "A History of Violence (from fourth to eighth) and "Into the Blue" (from fifth to tenth).

In its second week of release "Serentiy" had the largest decline of the Top 10 though, losing 51 percent and moving from second to ninth place.

Overall, the news was mixed. While the box office's Top 12 was up 16.6 percent from last week, it was down 9.9 percent from this same weekend last year when in its second week Dreamworks' No. 1 film "Shark Tale" took in $31.3 million and Universal's "Friday Night Lights" debuted with $20.2 million.

Movie goers will have a variety of new films to choose from next week as "Domino," "Elizabethtown" and "The Fog" are all released wide.

All estimates come courtesy of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks daily box office receipts.

'Flightplan' Remains Airborne, Tops 'Serenity'

The Jodie Foster thriller pulled in just over $15 million in its second frame to take the weekend crown for the three-day period ending Sunday, Oct. 2. Despite earning mixed-to-negative reviews, "Flightplan" fell off only 39 percent, a decent retention for the genre. Playing in 3,424 locations, the Buena Vista release averaged $4,392 per theater, bringing its cumulative gross to $46.1 million.

Universal Pictures' "Serenity," which brought the cast and crew of the short-lived FOX drama "Firefly" to the big screen, played in more than 1000 fewer locations (2188 in total) that "Flightplan," but averaged a slightly higher $4,616 per screen to earn an estimated $10.1 million. Given the number of devoted fans for the cult series, the true test for "Serenity" will come next weekend. The first week figures were somewhere in line with industry expectations, but don't necessarily indicate that the film has immediately found a crossover audience.

Overall, the Top 12 films at the box office earned $75.3 million, off a whopping 25.97 percent from the same frame last year, when "Shark Tale" and "Ladder 49" both made over $20 million in their premieres. This was the first down weekend of the fall compared to last year, following four straight year-to-year weekly improvements.

Last week's second-place film, "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," held off most of the new releases, despite falling 49 percent to $9.75 million, for third place. The animated film's total is now at $32.9 million.

While not exactly a new release, David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" went from 14 locations to 1340 in its second weekend and stormed into the Top 12 with an $8.2 million, good for fourth. The graphic novel adaptation, earning some of the year's best reviews, had the best per-screen-average of any film in wide release, averaging $6,119. Already, "Violence" has become one of the Canadian director's top grossing films.

Also expanding over the weekend, with far less viewer interest, was Roman Polanski's adaptation of "Oliver Twist." After opening in only five theaters, the Dickens adaptation added 774 locations, but apparently audiences weren't asking for more. It made only $875,000 for a dismal per-screen-average of $1,123. It's unlikely to go much wider.

None of the other new releases for the weekend were much luckier. The prospect of watching Paul Walker and Jessica Alba swimming in skimpy attire was only enough to get "Into the Blue" to fifth with a $7 million opening, average $2,510 per screen. Buena Vista's underdog sports saga "The Greatest Game Ever Played" did $3,697 per screen, but in only 1,014 locations, it only brought in $3.75 million total, good for ninth overall.

The rest of the Top 12 was filled with returning films including "Just Like Heaven" ($6.1 million, No. 6), "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" ($4.4 million, No. 7), "Roll Bounce" ($4.03 million, No. 8) and "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," which took in $3.1 million to pass the $100 million threshold overall in its seventh week in release.

On the limited front, Miramax continued its bafflingly slow release patter for "Proof," which took in a strong $4,904 per screen in its third weekend, but the drama is still only in 240 theaters, for a gross of less than $1.1 million. That's still far better than DreamWorks' "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," which opened in 41 locations, but took in only $155,000 with a so-so $3,780 per-screen-average.

The weekend's per screen campion was Sony Pictures Classic's much lauded "Capote," which took in $348,978 total in only 12 locations, for an average of over $29,000 per screen. In only two theaters, the kiddie romance "Little Manhattan" averaged $19,000 per screen.

A full slate of wide releases is set for next weekend including "Two for the Money," "In Her Shoes" and "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

All estimates come courtesy of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks daily box office receipts.

Review: Sci-Fi Film 'Serenity' Engaging

The movie is a spirited mix of the familiar and the futuristic, of fast-paced chase scenes and butt-kicking brawls, of witty banter and well-drawn characters.

No single element of it is truly original — remnants of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" are scattered throughout, alongside ideas from utopian novels and Clint Eastwood Westerns.

Yet as a whole, "Serenity" feels like its own uniquely formed universe. And having sprung from the mind (and heart) of Joss Whedon, creator of the cult-favorite TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," it comes with its own legion following of vocal sci-fi geeks, which now is likely to increase in its ranks.

The loyalists — who clamored for more when "Firefly" was canceled in 2002 after just 11 episodes — should be satisfied with "Serenity," Whedon's feature directing debut, but the uninitiated will find it engaging, as well.

A bit of background for those in the latter category: Five hundred years from now, Earth has been overpopulated, forcing people to discover and inhabit new planets in a new galaxy. After a civil war in which the all-powerful Alliance (which seeks to establish "a beacon of civilization" through even-tempered uniformity) has defeated the rebels (who, you know, want to be themselves), Capt. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a former rebel soldier, now earns a living through petty robberies and transport.

(If Malcolm — or "Mal" as he's known — is the swaggering Han Solo figure in the equation, then his ship, the rickety, rambling Serenity, is his Millennium Falcon.)

The crew consists of his second-in-command, the strong, beautiful Zoe (Gina Torres); her husband, the sarcastic pilot, Wash (Alan Tudyk, grabbing most of the best laughs); Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the down-home, no-nonsense mechanic; and Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a muscular mercenary fighter.

They have agreed to provide shelter for River Tam (Summer Glau), a willowy, teenage psychic who's been turned into a human weapon by the Alliance; and her older brother, Simon (Sean Maher), a young doctor who has smuggled her away from the scientists who were manipulating her.

(All these likable actors, by the way, are reprising their roles from the TV series, along with Morena Baccarin as the gorgeous courtesan Mal secretly loves.)

On their tail is The Operative (the suavely menacing Chiwetel Ejiofor from "Dirty Pretty Things") who works for the Alliance and is trying to steal River back.

But River becomes even more dangerous — and even more sought-after — when she intuitively leads Mal and his crew to the faraway planet of Miranda, where secrets lie that could destroy the Alliance. The place is striking, with the stark look of a biochemical lab compound shot under dreamlike, blindingly bright lights.

Until it turns dark with themes of deception and survival, Whedon's script is a combination of snappy dialogue, awkward flirting, Eastern mysticism ("This is a good death, there's no shame in this," The Operative tells a scientist after forcing him to fall on a sword) and rhythmic Americana ("There'll be no undue fussin'," Jayne drawls charmingly during a bank robbery).

And of course, this being a Whedon production, "Serenity" offers some dazzlingly choreographed martial arts sequences. Sparked by a cartoon image she sees on TV at a bar, River freaks out and takes on dozens of other patrons at once, dropping them all to the floor with a smoothness and efficiency that even would have impressed Buffy.

"Serenity," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references. Running time: 118 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Behind-the-Scenes at Serenity's Shoot

Nathan Fillion isn't only the once and future star of Firefly/Serenity — he's also the show's biggest fan (next to Whedon, of course). "I remember meeting with Joss when he was casting the pilot," says the actor, who plays Mal Reynolds (or, as he's known in cyberspace, "Captain Tightpants"). "I had a lot of questions about the show and he had a lot of answers. Everything he said left me going, 'Oh, of course it would be like that!' I watch other sci-fi shows [with a] suspension of disbelief, but this is far more reality-based and it's the reality of our world that I love." Like Firefly's devoted fans, Fillion spent the first few postcancellation months in a state of mourning. But when he got the call that Serenity was a go, a weight was lifted off his shoulders. The first few days on set were "unreal," he says. "What we do here feels to me like the TV show, but then I see the dailies and I see the difference. This is darker, edgier stuff; things we couldn't have done on TV." "Darker, edgier" also describes Mal's state of mind as Serenity starts unspooling. "The film picks up a few months after the series left off and Mal is definitely a darker, sadder man. Let's just leave it at that." To lighten the mood, Fillion has become the set clown, cracking jokes — that is, whenever he's not pondering Serenity's prospects. "All I want is for this movie to be a huge success," he says eagerly. "I want it to lead to a trilogy, because I want to do this again."

Gina Torres wasn't exactly a newcomer to genre TV when she signed on to Firefly as Zoe, Mal's fearless second-in-command, having done stints on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, M.A.N.T.I.S. and Cleopatra 2525. But she noticed something different about her new gig right away. "The other shows I had done, particularly Cleopatra, were mutant-heavy and highly stylized. In contrast, there's something so bare-bones and human about Firefly. It was unlike anything else I'd ever worked on. Joss lets situations evolve from the characters' relationships as opposed to creating extraordinary situations." Because of her previous roles, Torres served as a helpful advisor to cast mates who were sci-fi virgins — like Jewel Staite, aka flighty mechanic Kaylee. "At first I was a little nervous about doing a sci-fi series, because I had heard that the fans could be kind of crazy," says the newbie. "But our fans have been great. One of my favorite days making this movie was when about 20 fans worked as extras. They brought 'Congratulations' cakes for the cast and crew. We had a great time." As the Serenity shoot hit the halfway mark, both Staite and Torres mulled over their next projects. Staite hoped to find a gig in her native Canada — she succeeded, recently popping up in an episode of Vancouver-based Stargate: Atlantis — while Torres planned to shoot a thriller with hubby Laurence "Morpheus" Fishburne.

When he's not on set, Adam Baldwin can regularly be found popping off shots with his trusty digital camera. Some of these photos find their way to the movie's official website, but most of them come home with Baldwin. "I like to show them to my kids and say, 'Hey, look — Daddy's in a movie! I'm really working, not just sitting in a bar all day!'" Baldwin, who has been kicking around Hollywood since the early '80s with small roles in such pictures as Full Metal Jacket and Predator 2, credits Whedon with finally giving him a part that leaves an impression. As Jayne, the resident brawler, he gets to kick butt while delivering many of the funniest lines. "Jayne is very much the kind of guy I watched in those Western shoot-'em-ups while growing up," he says. "I was a fan of actors like Eli Wallach and Warren Oates — big, tough guys with a wry sense of humor." On Firefly, Jayne's loyalties seemed rather loose at times, but he's straightened himself out for Serenity. "He's definitely a strong member of this crew now. He probably thinks he could run the ship, but he doesn't want all that responsibility. As long as he's getting paid, he's happy."

Some TV creators might feel a bit nervous about making the leap to feature filmmaking, but when asked about the transition, Whedon simply says, "I felt ready. And it helps that I'm working with people I know and love." Part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-Angel creator's goal with Serenity was to bring a new look to sci-fi features. "A lot of science fiction has gotten so monochromatic.... There's an airlessness that comes with all the digital technology that I just don't buy. So while we have some greenscreen [special effects], we're very devoted to doing as many practical effects as we can. We want things to feel real." As for future Serenity movies, well, that's something he can't allow himself to think about right now. "My sequel plan is to make a movie that's good enough that it deserves a sequel. But if there never is another one, if this does just OK and the people who see it like it, that's how it should be. It would be kind of a cheat for Mal to become the hero of a giant franchise."

'Serenity' will sate sci-fi buffs

Whedon's series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" have inspired die-hard devotion, and when Fox yanked his Western-flavored sci-fi adventure "Firefly" off the air in 2002 after only 11 episodes, a Web-fueled cult sprang up. The series' loyal legions -- aka Browncoats, named after the small band of freedom fighters at the show's center -- have packed previews of "Serenity," which reunites the "Firefly" cast, with the tasty addition of Chiwetel Ejiofor as the intrepid crew's archenemy.

Browncoats will no doubt turn out again when the film, which premiered at the recent Edinburgh International Film Festival, opens wide Friday. Whether "Serenity" will entice nonaficionados is another question. The characters' mildly offbeat spins on standard action-figure types and the cheeky humor are pluses, and familiarity with the TV show isn't necessary to follow the film. But the Serenity crew's chemistry isn't enough to take this spaceship into the stratosphere, and Whedon unleashes his most provocative ideas too late in the proceedings.

A striking nine-minute pre-credits sequence lays out the crisis at hand. Simon Tam (Sean Maher), a young doctor, rescues his sister, River (Summer Glau), from the clutches of the interplanetary ruling Alliance. A gifted telepath, River has been the subject of Alliance experiments that have turned her into an unpredictable killing machine. When she's not kicking ass, she's a damaged waif in Stevie Nicks hand-me-downs trying to regain control of her mind. Brother and sister secure passage on the Serenity, whose captain, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), is a rugged, world-weary cowboy in the classic mold of cynical, reluctant heroes.

Because the Alliance has dispatched an unnamed, ruthless operative (Ejiofor) to retrieve prize experiment River, the Tams' presence on board puts Mal and his crew in danger. Crusty mercenary Jayne (Adam Baldwin) would just as soon drop them off at the next planet. Bickering and banter reign as the crew members chart their clanking spaceship through the hostile universe. Second-in-command Zoe (Gina Torres) is a beautiful black woman with the soul of a quaintly stoic old soldier, and her easygoing husband, Wash (Alan Tudyk), serves as pilot (their relationship, however, barely registers onscreen). Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the ship's farm-girl mechanic, would love nothing more than some private quality time with Simon.

Touching down on Wild West desert landscapes and checking in with wise man Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), the noncutesy Yoda of the piece, the Serenity struggles to elude the ultraorganized Alliance and the murderous, galaxy-roaming Reavers. Along the way, Mal consults with cyberhacker Mr. Universe (David Krumholtz) and reconnects with his vaguely defined Buddhist love interest, Inara (Morena Baccarin).

Whedon's theme of outcasts resisting the intrusions of an omniscient law-and-order government is ever-timely, and his ideas come across with more subtlety than those in "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Even more timely is a revelation concerning behavior modification gone awry that resonates in this age of Zoloft. But, arriving late in the story, it remains a plot point rather than a developed concept.

As a makeshift family caught between the "calmed" masses and the raging Reavers, the cast acquits itself well. Barry Chusid's flavorful design, especially the ship's thrift-store lava lounge decor, enhances the story's outsider sensibility, with able creative contributions all around.

Cast:
Mal: Nathan Fillion
Zoe: Gina Torres
Wash: Alan Tudyk
Inara: Morena Baccarin
Jayne: Adam Baldwin
Kaylee: Jewel Staite
Simon: Sean Maher
River: Summer Glau
Shepherd Book: Ron Glass
The Operative: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Mr. Universe: David Krumholtz

Director-screenwriter: Joss Whedon; Producer: Barry Mendel; Executive producers: Christopher Buchanan, David Lester, Alisa Tager; Director of photography: Jack Green; Production designer: Barry Chusid; Music: David Newman; Costume designer: Ruth Carter; Editor: Lisa Lassek.

Whedon Goes From Cancellation to 'Serenity'

"I think of myself as a nerd lama," he smiles. " I do think that there has been some confusion about that whole thing about geeks. I do wear that mantle proudly of geek ... but at the same time saying that tends to pigeon hole my audience as a bunch of people who have never seen the opposite sex or been away from their computer for more than 20 minutes. And the more time I spend with the fans, the more I realize that in some ways they are much more well-adjusted and much more attractive than I am."

Whether Whedon's wisdom entitles him to guru or lama (not "llama," he carefully emphasizes) status and whether Whedon's faithful followers are geeks, nerds or the coolest kids on the block, now is a rewarding time to occupy that liminal and mostly fictional space dubbed the "Whedon-verse." In a sign of sweet vindication, "Serenity" hits movie screens on Friday (Sept. 30), roughly three years after FOX bungled "Firefly," a short-lived futuristic western featuring the same motley cast of characters. And there's ample reason for Whedon to butter up his denizens as adjusted and attractive, because without their Internet devotion and DVD buying power, "Serenity" never would have happened at all.

Encouraged by Whedon's perseverance and by the promising secondary life for the existing "Firefly" episodes, Universal Pictures came aboard with a budget of more than $40 million. The studio allowed Whedon the opportunity to direct his own script, cutting off the potential for a repeat of the frustration he felt as a screenwriter when his draft of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was so disappointing he had to reboot the concept for The WB.

'I'm not one of those guys who directs just because he's bitter, when he actually shouldn't be," says Whedon, who helmed many "Buffy," "Angel" and "Firefly" episodes in preparation. "It's just the next step. Telling a story is one part word, one part visual and I've always wanted to do both. And play all the parts, and do the editing and compose the music ... ."

Universal also allowed Whedon to retain the original "Firefly" cast, a crack ensemble -- led by Nate Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau -- that guarantees continuity, but not a return on a large investment.

"The studio did at one point say that it would be useful to have a big name for the villain, because we want to use this cast to get the deal," Whedon admits. "There was never 'Let Tom Cruise play Kaylee' or anything like that. Although, Tom was actually asking. It was weird."

Thankfully, Jewel Staite still plays sexy mechanic Kaylee and "Dirty Pretty Things" star Chiwetel Ejiofor appears as the villainous Operative.

"It's not enough to be in love with a group of actors and think, 'Let's all play together,'" Whedon says. "I worked for a long time to come up with something epic enough and be a Universal movie and not just a glorified episode of 'Firefly.'"

The "Serenity" plot revolves around Glau's River Tam, a graceful waif with psychic tendencies and an unexpected violent streak. While "Firefly" fans will enter the theater with the largest investment in the characters, Whedon is counting on the action and one-liners to hook neophytes.

"I wanted to make a movie that made me feel or made people feel the way I felt the first time I saw the first 'Star Wars.'"

With all of the actors clamoring for more and fans packing a series of test screenings all summer, Whedon has found himself in the unusual position of thinking sequel.

"I have some ideas -- that is how the brain works," he concedes, though any sequel would have to wait until after Whedon writes and directs "Wonder Woman." "You can't stop the brain no matter how hard you try. By like sleeping or those other things people do. I spent a lot of time thinking, 'What I would do if?' But first I have to get people to see the first one. So, most of my energy has been in trying to make that good enough so there could be a sequel."

'Firefly' Doc Talks 'Serenity'

With "Firefly," though, Maher knew that something was different.

"We would all talk about how perfect it felt, how there was not one person who didn't love the show -- cast, crew, producer, caterer, craft service -- everybody was just gung-ho about everything," he recalls. "It was the first time a lot of us had ever experienced 100 percent support of a project that we were working on."

Naturally, "Firefly" was cancelled by December.

Under normal circumstance, cancellation just means another round of pilot season for the actors and creators and disappointment for whatever straggling fans the show might have had. However, a rabid Internet following, strong DVD sales and the dogged persistence of creator Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") led Universal Pictures to grab the rights and greenlight a motion picture titled "Serenity," reuniting that gung-ho "Firefly" team.

"As an actor, I find that most of my work, the challenging aspects for me, are initially finding the character, finding the way he walks and talks and then finding the dynamics with the actors which translate to the dynamics with the other character," Maher says. "To have all that done was just this incredible foundation to work from. There was a huge sense of ease getting back together to do this movie."

While Maher already knew his character, rather uptight ship's doctor Simon Tam, he knew from the script that Simon had changed somewhat between the series and the film. Because the plot of "Serenity" revolves around Simon's preternaturally gifted sister River (Summer Glau), the medic plays a major role as well. Fans who have been waiting for Simon to throw a few punches and to take the next step with sexy mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite) won't be disappointed.

"Early on, I was tired of Simon being so prim and proper and really wanted him to get rougher, and to get in there and roll up his sleeves and not be excluded from the action or the heists or whatever was going on in the series," says Maher. "I do feel like we took that and translated that into the movie."

Although Universal might have felt more confident in the studio's investment if some bigger stars had been added, Whedon insisted that the cast of "Firefly" would be the cast of "Serenity." For many of the actors, the film represented their first taste of big screen stardom.

"I felt no pressure," laughs Maher. "We were in Joss' hands. He was there on set. He wrote it. He was directing it. He'd never steered me wrong before, so I felt very safe. It was an incredible environment to work in."

But Whedon, who seems to be a renewable font of one-liners and enthusiasm, wasn't the only source of energy for the cast. In the midst of production, a trip to ComicCon -- Maher's first convention experience -- offered plenty of encouragement.

"We shot the movie for three months and it was right around the middle where you're kinda getting a little tired," Maher says. "We went on a Sunday and we walked into this auditorium of close to 5000 screaming fans and I was like, 'Wow.' It was a drug. It was so inspiring and so rewarding and so reassuring to hear them and know that they're there and that they're rooting for us."

After a summer of preview screenings for "Firefly" fans (an enthusiastic breed known as Browncoats at their most passionate), "Serenity" is in theaters on Friday (Sept. 30). Coincidentally, any viewers who catch an evening screening of the movie will need to set their VCRs to catch Maher's guest turn as an undead athlete in CBS' "Ghost Whisperer." With hopes for a "Serenity" sequel likely riding on the opening weekend gross, Maher hopes fans and neophytes alike turn out.

"If people just come and check it out, whether they know the series or not, I don't think anybody will be disappointed," he argues. "I think what remains to be seen is will those people actually come, pay the money for the ticket and go watch the movie. I do have faith that they will love it. I just hope that they come."

Whedon Relaunches 'Firefly' As 'Serenity'

The crowd burst into the defiant theme song of a failed little TV show called "Firefly," which burns brightly again through the tenacity of creator Joss Whedon, its cast of unknowns and legions of sci-fi fans like Dobbs who lobbied for its resurrection.

Dobbs was among fans attending advance showings of "Serenity," the big-screen continuation that follows the exploits of the lovable rabble aboard a rickety spaceship 500 years in the future.

Universal Pictures — which plucked the tale from the heap of beloved, acclaimed (and canceled) TV shows — began preview screenings five months before "Serenity" opened to fire up interest among devotees and let them spread the word on the film.

"Each of us tried to bring new people to screenings we've gone to," said Dobbs, 20, of Los Angeles. "Each of us tried to tell everybody that it's not just for fans of the show. It's just a good movie in general."

Whedon — creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spinoff, "Angel" — faced a balancing act to present a film that would satisfy its fan base and an audience that had never seen the TV series.

The back story is reminiscent of "Star Trek," which went on to become a hit movie franchise and spawned four more TV series after the original show left the air.

"Star Trek" ran for 79 episodes over three seasons in the 1960s, while only 11 of the 14 "Firefly" episodes were broadcast in its original run on Fox in 2002, with episodes aired out of order and occasionally pre-empted for special programs. And "Trek" fervor built up over a decade of syndication before the first movie debuted. "Firefly" had just a couple of years since the series came out on DVD, selling impressively but still clocking in as a cult hit — not necessarily the stuff of mainstream movies.

"`Star Trek' was such a phenomenon by the time they made it into a movie," said Whedon, who makes his feature-film directing debut with "Serenity." "Fans love `Firefly,' but I still don't know how many fans there are, whereas `Star Trek' was already part of the vernacular."

The film reunites the cast of "Firefly," led by Nathan Fillion as Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, captain of the stubby transport ship Serenity, whose crew scrapes out a living through petty crimes and questionable cargo runs at the edges of an interstellar human society.

An embittered ex-Browncoat — the name for rebels who fought on the losing side of a galactic civil war — Mal has assembled a motley surrogate family aboard ship: Zoe (Gina Torres), his tough-as-nails second in command; Wash (Alan Tudyk), the ship's pilot and Zoe's laid-back husband; mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite); and not-so-trustworthy mercenary Jayne (Adam Baldwin).

Unlike Capt. Kirk of "Star Trek" or Luke Skywalker of "Star Wars," the people aboard Serenity are not fighting grand battles to save the universe. They're blue-collar grunts looking to turn a buck and stick it to The Man whenever they can.

"They're real people," Baldwin said. "It's a look into the future that's not going to be a perfect utopian future. Joss was able to portray people with flaws, imperfect people, tyrannical people, people who can be both heroic and self-centered."

Also returning are Ron Glass as Shepherd Book, a preacher with a cloudy past, and Morena Baccarin as Inara, a classy futuristic geisha who shares a love-hate relationship with Mal.

The TV show had languidly unfolded a mystery surrounding two passengers aboard Serenity, a young doctor named Simon (Sean Maher) and his sister, River (Summer Glau), an unstable telepath on the run from the big-government galactic Alliance that Mal loathes.

"It was unique, it was incredibly well-written, it clearly had the potential to reach not just sci-fi fans but fans of good television," Torres said. "Unfortunately, we didn't live long enough to realize its full potential."

Promising to revive the show, Whedon shopped it around to other TV networks. But there were no takers. Whedon, who previously had turned his movie dud "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" into a hit TV series, then hooked up with Universal executive Mary Parent, who had seen "Firefly" on DVD and recognized its big-screen potential.

For the film, Whedon took the broad story arc he had in mind for the TV show and compacted it into a movie plot, taking Serenity on a potential suicide mission to uncover horrifying secrets about the Reavers, human cannibals who live on the outskirts of civilized space.

"Serenity" is packed with gunfights, chases, sci-fi gadgets, bar brawls and dark moments of terror. As with the TV show, the film also is loaded with sharp dialogue, eccentric wit and loving sarcasm among shipmates.

Glass sees similarities between the characters of "Firefly" and the ensemble he was part of in the 1970s sitcom "Barney Miller."

"One of the things they have in common is these really well-drawn characters that are true to themselves," Glass said. "Like in life, you get a couple or three, four, five or 10 of those people in a room being true to themselves, it either produces something truly heartfelt and deep on a philosophical level, or humor. So it's no accident there is a lot of humor involved."

"Serenity" faces tough hurdles. The cast is generally unknown. Science fiction is a hard sell beyond its genre fans. Broader audiences, hearing that the film is based on a TV show they never saw, may decide it's too much of an inside story for them.

Still, with a comparatively frugal $40 million budget, "Serenity" could earn its money back with only modest box-office success, plus TV and DVD revenues down the road.

And few movies with a cast of nobodies have a built-in squad of marketers, fans who have been talking up "Serenity" for years on the Internet and introducing friends to the TV show on DVD.

"It's very Jehovah's Witness," Fillion said. "I'm not sure if anyone's actually going door to door, but it's not far off."

"Even now, my friends back in Texas are giving DVDs to other people, and our fan base is still growing and growing and growing," said co-star Glau, a San Antonio native.

Whedon hopes "Serenity" performs well enough to justify sequels. He remains wistful over losing the chance to tell weekly stories with his characters on the small screen, though.

"I really love `Serenity.' I'm really proud of it and excited to see it my guys on the big screen, bringing something new to it," Whedon said. "But `Firefly' was a different animal, something I will regret losing until the day they put me in a box, because I did have a lot of good stories I wanted to tell."

'Serenity' now for sci-fi fans

There isn't much demand for movies based on, say, "Supertrain" or "Manimal." Perhaps the only time it has really been attempted was with the three "Naked Gun" flicks that rose from the ashes of the short-lived 1982 ABC comedy "Police Squad!"

So it's highly unusual that Universal Pictures' "Serenity," which hits theaters on Friday, is happening at all, a monument to the perseverance -- and some might say hardheadedness -- of a fellow named Joss Whedon.

Whedon, the creator and executive producer of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," two prominent recent additions to the annals of cult TV faves, crafted "Serenity" following the failure of a short-lived Fox sci-fi drama from the 2002-03 season (which was something of a Nielsen waterloo period for Fox) called "Firefly." If you remember it, consider yourself a sci-fi geek in good standing. It ran for 11 episodes, out of order, before being axed.

But Whedon didn't let a little thing like a cancellation discourage him. Thanks to "Firefly" DVD sales that exceeded 200,000 units, he got the green light to write and direct the $40 million "Serenity" (named after the creaky ship in "Firefly" that traverses space).

Yes, once you get the sci-fi True Believers on your side, all things are possible, Whedon understands.

"We have a much broader base than just sci-fi people," he says. "That's what I found in our screenings so far. They're a diverse group, fairly well-adjusted socially, and I expect that a lot of them are even having sex. I really think the line between geeks and the rest of the world is blurring."

"Serenity" has been screened nearly 100 times to date, Whedon estimates, many of them designed to stir interest among that fanatical subculture that either embraces you with all of their heart and soul or rejects you with incalculable venom and rage. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground with the "Firefly" group that refers to itself as the "browncoats."

"First off, you can't make the movie for the fans of the TV show because then there will be a lot of people who don't know what's going on," he believes. "Yet it's a fine line because you also can't talk down to the real fans because it's their support that's getting the film made in the first place."

When these browncoats see a filmmaker as having committed blasphemy, "halfway through the screening they light torches and chase you down the street crying 'Monster! Monster! Monster!"' Whedon observes only half-jokingly. "Fortunately, there have been no torches so far."

There has instead been a vibe of massive anticipation for "Serenity" in the sci-fi community, which means, of course, that certain individuals with too much time on their hands -- depicted so memorably in the film "Galaxy Quest," which Whedon jokingly labels "a documentary" -- will be devoting an abundance of energy to "Serenity" worship.

Sean Maher, who portrays Dr. Simon Tam in both "Firefly" and "Serenity," was present at last week's L.A. premiere of the new film and saw one attendee dressed in his character's trademark white button-down shirt and vest.

"It always takes a moment for me to process something like that," Maher admits. "I think I'm prepared for it, but it's like receiving a really generous compliment that leaves you at a loss for words."

That kind of extreme-geek support tells Whedon that he did the right thing in fighting to spin a movie no one expected from a TV series nobody watched and a DVD that captured a momentum no one knew existed. "This is really a classic underdog story in every way," he observes, "and I think I'm safe in saying this is the finest film ever made."

Going, Going, Goner

New Clips this week: Exclusively on Moviefone.com

Serenity Fan Fest this Thursday - Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is reaching out to movie fans, science fiction enthusiasts and fans of Universal Pictures new “sci-fi western” SERENITY and its preceding TV series “Firefly” (also known as “Browncoats”) with “SERENITY Fan Fest” on September 24, 2005. Fans will have the chance to meet the film’s stars, view clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the film, meet the special effects team behind the film’s striking visual imagery as well as the film’s writer/director, Joss Whedon.

The ”SERENITY Fan Fest” will take place inside the theme park and will feature a cast Q&A from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., followed by an autograph session from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. with many of the film’s stars including Summer Glau (River Tam), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra) and Whedon, the Oscar®- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and Firefly.

Visual effects supervisor Loni Peristere of Zoic Studios (SERENITY, “Battlestar Galactica,” SPIDER-MAN 2 and VAN HELSING) will discuss the process of creating visuals for a world set 500 years in the future with a rare look at various stages of visual effects production.

Browncoat loyalists will also have the opportunity to view authentic movie props including the 14-foot MULE hovercraft and enjoy behind-the-scenes footage from the futuristic action-adventure film.

The “SERENITY Fan Fest” is included with general admission to the movie-based theme park. Admission tickets are available at a $15 discount ($38.00) with an exclusive “SERENITY Fan Fest” downloadable coupon at http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/serenityfanfest. Tickets are limited and all events operate on a first come, first serve basis and are subject to change.

SERENITY opens nationwide on September 30.

Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com) is a world-class theme park and entertainment destination. Situated upon 415-acres, Universal Studios combines an authentic working movie and television studio with cutting-edge experience that employs the latest in state-of-the-art technologies.

Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com) is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal.

NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

Joss Whedon— the Oscar®- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel—now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.

The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family – squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

When Mal takes on two new passengers—a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister—he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.

Universal Pictures Presents A Barry Mendel Production of A Joss Whedon Film: Serenity, starring Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The music is by David Newman. The costume designer is Ruth Carter. The editor is Lisa Lassek; the production designer, Barry Chusid; the director of photography, Jack Green ASC. The executive producers are Christopher Buchanan, David Lester and Alisa Tager. Serenity is produced by Barry Mendel. It is written and directed by Joss Whedon. ©2005 Universal Studios. http://www.serenitymovie.com

Joss Whedon Meets 'Veronica Mars'

Joss Whedon, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" creator who gushed online about UPN's "Veronica Mars" this summer, has been rewarded with a guest spot on the show. The network says he'll play a rental-car manager who has a scene with Veronica (Kristen Bell) in this season's sixth episode.

The cameo came about after Whedon effusively praised "Veronica Mars" on the Buffyverse-centric web site Whedonesque.com. Posting to the site's (which is independently run) boards last month, Whedon wrote:

"My peeps and I just finished a crazed Veronica Marsathon, and I can no longer restrain myself. Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I've never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn't making, and maybe even more than those. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion, I mean BIG, and charismatic actors and I was just DYING from the mystery and the relationships and PAIN" (caps all his). "... These guys know what they're doing on a level that intimidates me. It's the Harry Potter of shows."

"Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas, whose show has often been compared to "Buffy," returned the praise on his own site, and also dropped the news that Whedon would make a guest appearance, which UPN has confirmed. The "Serenity" writer-director has popped up before on his shows "Angel" and "Firefly," but he's never appeared on someone else's.

Whedon is the second cult auteur booked for a guest spot on "Mars" this season. "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" director Kevin Smith, a friend of "Mars" producer Dan Etheridge, will play a convenience-store clerk in the show's second episode.

"Veronica Mars" begins its second season on UPN Wednesday, Sept. 28.

It's Serenity Now for Firefly Doc

TVGuide.com: Would you say that the Internet played a key role in resurrecting Firefly?
Sean Maher: I think the Internet still plays a huge part in the support — the Browncoats [official fan club members], specifically. Even when the show was still on the air, I can remember Nathan being the liaison between the fans and the cast. I knew they were out there, but I didn't really get a taste of what it felt like until we went to [the 2004 San Diego] Comic Con. The response was extraordinary. Nothing compares to walking into a room of almost 5000 screaming people. It really makes you feel like a rock star.

TVGuide.com: Were you disappointed with the handling of series (e.g., Fox skipping over the pilot, running episodes out of order)?
Maher: Yeah. I mean, I think there was always a little confusion from the beginning. I don't know if we ever were understood 100 percent, and then they preempted us for... I can't remember what, exactly. I just sort of felt like they didn't get it, you know?

TVGuide.com: What do you think allowed Firefly to be not just another canceled show?
Maher: I attribute a lot of that to the fans. There were a ton of people out there who understood what we were trying to say and fell in love with and were completely captivated by this world that Joss [Whedon] created. What I love about the show is that it's this entire other world that is so complete and thought-out and genuine. Although it's set in the future, so much of it is about humanity — these characters and their relationships, their dynamics, their pasts, their secrets.

TVGuide.com: The 500-years-in-the-future setting is almost, "By the way...."
Maher: Exactly. It's just a backdrop. And that's what I think is so unique about it. Here we are in a sci-fi genre film, and it's really more about the people and their lives intertwining.

TVGuide.com: Is it true that you used to accidentally call the character of River by her portrayer's name, Summer [Glau]?
Maher: [Laughs] It's so funny, I keep reading that everywhere! I think I did that once. It might even be on a DVD blooper reel.

TVGuide.com: Would you do another Firefly series or Serenity film if warranted?
Maher: Honestly, wherever Joss goes, I follow. And the cast, I would do anything with this group of people, whether it's television or film... even if we take a circus act on the road. I feel blessed to have been a part of this. The more and more it continues, it's overwhelming. We had this little show that could, you know?

TVGuide.com: When doing the movie version, could you "feel" the bigger budget?
Maher: In terms of the script and the tone and the dynamics within the characters, that all felt so familiar — it was like coming back to school after summer vacation. So I, myself, didn't really feel a big difference, especially having Joss there and surrounded by a lot of the same people. Even the spaceship [set] was built in such a way that was the same, almost to a T. I'd be like, "I gotta run to the rest room," and I'd run out the north side of the cargo bay and hit a wall! "Oh, right, I'm not on the Fox lot. Where the hell is the bathroom again?!" Everybody did that.

TVGuide.com: OK, but the costumes had to be a bit nicer, yes? Better-quality cotton?
Maher: The costumes were a little different. They did a different take on me — I didn't have to wear any vests this time around, which I was happy about!

TVGuide.com: You're also in the upcoming indie Living 'Til the End, which sounds interesting. A guy is told by a psychic that he will die on his next birthday?
Maher: He just lives out the year trying his darnedest to make sure that he doesn't get sick, doesn't get hurt, doesn't get hit by a bus. He's so afraid of dying that he becomes agoraphobic and basically locks himself in his apartment. But he's an estate planner, and he meets a girl [played by Jaime Ray Newman] who has a list of things she wants to do before she dies, and she wants him to do them with her. In turn, she teaches him to be fearless and to live life again.

TVGuide.com: Where else might we be seeing you?
Maher: I did an episode of Ghost Whisperer a couple of weeks ago that airs the same day [Serenity premieres]. I play a ghost who died in a triathlon and a year later he's still lingering around his fiancée, who can't move on and has been terribly depressed for a year.

TVGuide.com: So basically, Jennifer Love Hewitt is Whoopi Goldberg and you're Patrick Swayze.
Maher: Exactly.

Now Exclusively on Moviefone.com

"Serenity" Trailers

Quicktime
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr1_128k.mov
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr1_300k.mov
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr1_700k.mov

Trailer 2
Windows Media
http://www.universalpictures.com/asx/serenity/serenity_trlr3_128k_wmv.asx
http://www.universalpictures.com/asx/serenity/serenity_trlr3_300k_wmv.asx
http://www.universalpictures.com/asx/serenity/serenity_trlr3_700k_wmv.asx

Quicktime
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr3_128k.mov
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr3_300k.mov
http://www.serenitymovie.com/media/serenity_trlr3_700k.mov

"Serenity" Full-Screen Trailer

Gina Torres talks Serenity

Whedon flock ready for 'Firefly' resurrection

TV auteur Joss Whedon and Universal Pictures are hoping that it's "Serenity," his movie version of 2002's aborted Fox space Western TV series "Firefly," which opens Sept. 30.

Universal launched its grass-roots awareness campaign for Whedon's directing debut in April, recruiting Whedon's loyal fans to help sell "Serenity," which features the original "Firefly" cast. The studio previewed the rough cut nationwide in markets where "Firefly" performed best, culminating last weekend with a rousing screening at the Comic-Con International confab in San Diego, where Whedon and his cast conducted a panel for fans.

Back in 2001, when Whedon sat down to write his follow-up to the two hit Fox series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," he wanted to try his hand at a space Western.

"I thought, 'Wagon Train' in space," he said on the phone from Cape Cod, where he is conceiving his upcoming "Wonder Woman" script.

He didn't know that Gene Roddenberry had set out to do the same thing back in the 1960s, when he created "Star Trek," a smart TV show that was saved by its fans.

History is repeating itself.

Starting Friday night at 7, the Sci Fi Channel is showing all 13 episodes of "Firefly" -- in the correct order.

"Fox never got the show," Whedon said. "It was a bad match." After premiering the series late after a World Series game and running 11 episodes out of order, Fox dropped it.

"I told the cast the day the show was canceled that I would not rest until I found another home," Whedon said. "I felt like I had let them down."

Not wanting to admit failure was part of it, too, Whedon admits. "I didn't want people thinking that the show didn't work. Nothing I've ever done has ever emerged so instantly. Even the pilot was the way it should be. There was never an awkward growing phase. It felt right. Every actor felt so right, they worked so well together. I couldn't bear to let the universe go, or let the actors out of my sight."

When overseas markets demanded a DVD release, Fox Home Entertainment complied. The "Firefly" DVD sold more than 200,000 copies.

Whedon felt vindicated. Having soldiered in the feature screenwriting realm on "Toy Story," "Titan A.E." and an unproduced "X-Men" script, Whedon told Universal executive Mary Parent that he wanted to make his directing debut on the movie version of "Firefly." She checked out the DVDs.

"Write it," she told him.

Renamed "Serenity," after the Firefly-class ship that scours outer space, the $40 million alien-free movie will register with "Firefly" fans without confusing people, Whedon says. And the movie retains the show's homemade feel. "It's like the ship Serenity herself," he said. "Crappy but scrappy."

"Serenity" reunites the original TV cast of nine shipmates in a dysfunctional family. That was the deal. There was never a question of upgrading the cast, though Universal did consider hiring a name villain -- and then dropped it. Added to the youthful ensemble headed by Canadian actor Nathan Fillion, who plays a jocular Kirk-like captain on the mercenary freighter, are archvillain Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Dirty Pretty Things") and David Krumholtz ("Numbers") as a hacker hermit. At Comic-Con, dancer-actress Summer Glau's martial arts scene drew thunderous applause and an Ain't It Cool News rave.

What generates this powerful response? "What captivates the fans is an entire world they can go to," Whedon said, "that feels complete, thought-out, genuine, that they can live in for a long time. From the first show, we made sure every character had their own patch of ground. Conflicts become the story. Everybody plays off everybody."

Said Anna Kaufman, arts editor of the Daily Californian in Berkeley, Calif.: "You feel for the family of nine characters and their well-being. They all have interesting dynamics, pasts and secrets. They're thrumming with life." Kaufman checks the many Web sites devoted to Whedon, "Firefly" and "Serenity" (including http://www.cantstopthesignal.com) for updates on the movie. "I'm greedy. I want more," she adds.

In October, when Universal's co-president of marketing, Eddie Egan, booked a routine rough-cut preview in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, he was amazed by the explosive response from the research-screening recruits who were clearly rabid "Firefly" fans. He wanted to know just how they had learned about the screening.

It turned out that one fan had identified the movie and tipped off her entire "Firefly" community (known as "browncoats") with one Internet post. Some of them had driven from Arizona and Seattle, Egan says. Universal, deciding that it had something bigger than it thought, pushed the action adventure off of its spring lineup and into the fall.

The studio staged three waves of word-of-mouth sneak preview screenings (which do not advertise the name of the film) in 35 cities where "Firefly" had earned the best ratings, including Toronto and San Francisco. Each time, Whedon posted fan screenings on his blog: once, with a link to a Fandango site where they could order tickets. Each time, all the tickets were sold within five minutes. Fans return for repeat viewings, Egan says, bringing new people with them.

"As the industry struggles to redefine the paradigm of the movie business," Egan said, "and what makes people go to movies or avoid them, a piece of text on a Web page sold out theaters."

'Firefly' Relights on Sci Fi

The Sci Fi Channel has picked up the rights to Joss Whedon's "space Western" -- including three episodes never aired on TV -- and will begin airing it Friday, July 22. It will air at 7 p.m. ET, leading into the cable network's lineup of original series -- the two "Stargate" shows and "Battlestar Galactica," which open their new seasons the previous week.

"Firefly's" Sci Fi debut will come about two months before the scheduled release of Universal Pictures' "Serenity," a feature film based on the series written and directed by Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). Universal and the Sci Fi Channel are both part of the NBC Universal media conglomerate. Sci Fi picked up the show from Twentieth Television, a News Corp. sibling of the FOX network, where "Firefly" first aired, and 20th Century Fox TV, which produced the series.

Set 500 years from now, "Firefly" follows the crew of a small, vagabond transport ship called the Serenity. Captained by Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), Serenity and its crew are perpetually on the run from the totalitarian Alliance, and Mal often resort to taking extralegal jobs to keep the ship flying.

The show also stars Gina Torres ("Alias," "Angel"), Adam Baldwin ("The Inside"), Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk ("Into the West"), Sean Maher ("The $treet"), Summer Glau ("The 4400"), Jewel Staite ("Wonderfalls") and Ron Glass ("Barney Miller"). All of them are reprising their roles in "Serenity."

Alan Tudyk replaces Hank Azaria in 'Spamalot'

He replaces Hank Azaria who is leaving in early June to film a second season of his Showtime television series Huff.

Tudyk joins the hit musical, based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, sometime during the week of June 6. Azaria will return to the show in late November for another six months.

The 34-year-old, Texas-born Tudyk is a New York theater veteran, having received the Clarence Derwent Award for most promising male newcomer in 1997 for his performance in Bunny, Bunny, a play about Gilda Radner. Among his other New York stage credits are roles in several comedies, including Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Every Told in 1998 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Wonder of the World in 2001, both done off-Broadway. He also appeared on Broadway in 1999 with Kristin Chenoweth in Epic Proportions, a comedy by Larry Coen and David Crane.

Among Tudyk's films are I, Robot (2004), Dodgeball (2004), A Knight's Tale (2001) and Wonder Boys (2000). He also was a regular on the sci-fi TV series Firefly (2002).

SERENITY film photos

FOX Brings 'Inside' Out in June

That, at least, is what FOX is hoping for "The Inside," a crime drama from Tim Minear ("Angel," "Wonderfalls") and Howard Gordon ("24"). The show is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 8.

"The Inside" is the network's only new scripted offering for the summer, although original episodes of "Family Guy" and "American Dad" are set to continue at least through June.

Three new unscripted series are on tap as well: the previously announced "Hell's Kitchen," bowing Monday, May 30; "The Princes of Malibu," about the wealthy stepsons of music producer David Foster, set for Sunday, July 10; and "So You Think You Can Dance," a dance competition from the producers of "American Idol," Wednesday, July 20.

"Renovate My Family," which had a brief run last fall, will return to the network on Thursday, June 30.

Network mainstays "House," "The O.C." and "That '70s Show" will all repeat for at least part of the summer in their regular time periods, as will "Nanny 911" and "Trading Spouses." The current Sunday lineup will remain intact as well, although "Princes of Malibu" will drop into the 8:30 p.m. ET spot when it premieres.

"The Inside" has taken a twisty path to its premiere. It began life in spring 2004 as a "21 Jump Street"-esque pilot about a young FBI agent, played by Rachel Nichols ("The Amityville Horror"), going undercover in a high school. The creators of that pilot, Todd Kessler and Glenn Kessler, eventually left and Minear was brought in to rework it.

Nichols stayed on and still plays a young FBI agent, only now her character is a new member of the bureau's Violent Crime Unit in Los Angeles, hired by the unit's leader (Peter Coyote, "The 4400") because of a secret from her past.

The cast also includes Jay Harrington ("Coupling"), Katie Finneran ("Wonderfalls"), Adam Baldwin ("Firefly") and Nelsan Ellis ("Warm Springs"). Brian Grazer and David Nevins, whose Imagine TV is producing the series, are executive producers with Minear and Gordon.

Whedon Drafts Graphic Bridge to 'Serenity'

Joss Whedon will help neophytes and "Firefly" fans get ready for Universal Pictures' "Serenity" with a three-issue comic book from Dark Horse comics. Whedon and regular comics collaborator Brett Matthews have written the three issues, which will hit hobby shops and newsstands and bookstores (and wherever else comic books are sold) on July 6. The comics will retain for $2.99 and will fill in the gaps between "Firefly" and "Serenity" and will introduce the uninitiated to Whedon's futuristic Western.

"Serenity" is scheduled for a Friday, Sept. 30 release in the United States.

"Working with Joss is always fun and a privilege, and especially so when it's 'Serenity,'" says co-writer Brett Matthews in a statement. "I love the characters and the world so much, how distinct and consistent the vision is and always has been. That sometimes to just keep going is enough, that there's meaning in the struggle even if you don't know exactly what that meaning is -- that speaks to me, and you get it in 'Serenity' in a way that's dusty and real and organic, not forced. It just fits. It all just means a hell of a lot to me."

The "Serenity" line features art by Will Conrad and colorist Laura Martin, which is bound to be more meaningful for Dark Horse comics aficionados. Each issue will feature a choice of three covers which will be drawn by some of the biggest names in the industry, including John Cassaday, J.G. Jones, Bryan Hitch, Joe Quesada, Josh Middleton and Jo Chen.

Set 500 years in the future, "Serenity" follows the adventures of the transport ship Serenity and its rag-tag crew. The film's cast is made up largely of holdovers from the FOX series, and includes Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin.

Whedon's 'Serenity' Takes Another New Form

Scheduled for release on Sept. 30, "Serenity" is a feature film adaptation of Whedon's short-lived FOX drama "Firefly." As the movie preps for it theatrical run, though, it's also being turned into a roleplaying game from Margaret Weis Productions ("Dragonlance").

"The universe created for 'Serenity' is amazing," says Margaret Weis. "The movie presents a fascinating and intriguing view of the future. 'Serenity' combines the best conventions of science fiction and westerns in a unique way, and is a natural fit for a roleplaying game."

Set 500 years in the future, "Serenity" follows the adventures of a transport ship and its plucky crew. The cast, composed largely of holdovers from the FOX series, includes Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin.

Jamie Chambers, a vice president at Margaret Weis Productions, is developing the game from the Universal Pictures release.

"Everyone involved on this project has an excitement and passion for the material, one that shows in the quality of their work and the fun we're having in early playtests." Chambers says, "Our goal is provide a game that is easy to learn, fast to play, and encourages the kind of fast-paced action, fun, and character development that fans will see in theaters."

1. Whedon to Feature Fans on 'Serenity' DVD
   A camera crew recording Joss Whedon's activities on Sunday (March 20) at Wizard World Los Angeles surprised many by turning its lens on the fans themselves.

   Curious about the unusual turn of events, Zap2it.com accosted the trio of men, who revealed that they were taping footage for a piece on Whedon's fans, which will be edited together as a bonus feature for the DVD release of "Serenity."

   The upcoming sci-fi film is based on the writer-director's series "Firefly," which lasted only 11 episodes before FOX pulled the plug. The fans' outcry caught the attention of Universal, which placed its faith in a silver-screen version of Whedon's unique space western.

   "This is a movie that got made based on a canceled TV show," says writer-producer Adam Hauck, taking a break from interviewing fans. "That doesn't happen unless you've got a lot of very devoted fans. This [DVD feature] is a big deal to Joss -- kind of a tribute to the fans."

   The feelings of admiration, gratitude and devotion are mutual. Hundreds of Whedon enthusiasts arrived early at the Long Beach Convention Center, some rising with the sun, to score the highly coveted passes that would allow them to attend the afternoon's signing.

   Clutching posters, DVDs, comic books and other Whedon paraphernalia, the fans queued for two hours for a chance to have their items signed and to exchange a few words with the man himself. Those possessing more than the two-item maximum scrambled to befriend their fellow devotees, hoping to have their surplus taken on by their newfound pal.

   Following the signing, Hauck, a cameraman and a boom mike operator approached fans to conduct short interviews about their fondness for the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel."

   "There's no corollary for the kind of fan support that Joss seems to gather around him," says Hauck, who questioned fans of various shapes and sizes, including: a woman whom Whedon helped nab a role as one of his extras and someone who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the "Blue Sun" logo, the symbol of the corporate entity featured in "Firefly."

   Hauck, the writer-producer of the popular film festival documentary "Homecoming," has written and produced a number of DVDs for Universal, including "Seabiscuit," "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Chronicles of Riddick." He admitted to being a "Firefly" fan himself after watching the series on TiVo, but couldn't share more about the rest of Whedon's vision for the "Serenity" DVD.

   "You'll have to speak to Joss about that," he says.

   Set 500 years in the future, "Serenity" centers on the crew of a cargo ship that's plunged into a battle between two powerful enemies when they take on a couple of refugees. "Serenity" whizzes into theaters nationwide beginning Friday, Sept. 30.

2. 'Serenity' Panel Becomes 'Firefly' Family Reunion
   Capt. Tightpants strikes back.

   Nathan Fillion, who stars as Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds in Universal's upcoming "Serenity" movie, is giddy as a schoolboy at the Wizard World convention in Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday, March 20.

   During one portion of the Q&A -- in which he participates with director Joss Whedon and actors Ron Glass, Sean Maher, Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin -- he discusses nicknames the cast members gave each other.

   "In case you don't ask, we forgot the best one. So, please put this on the Internet," he says, referring to earlier reports circulating online that he was dubbed "Capt. Tightpants" by his co-stars. "We call [Sean] -- because of one of the lovely scenes he did in 'Serenity' -- Sean 'The Bod' Maher."

   Maher, who plays Dr. Simon Tam in the film, is only slightly embarrassed, but not surprised. After all, Whedon and the cast have been ribbing each other in cruel, but good-natured fashion during the entire event. Earlier, Maher had taken his own pot shot at Fillion, saying that reuniting to film "Serenity" -- the big-screen successor to Whedon's sci-fi series "Firefly" -- was like returning to school from summer vacation, except "Nathan still sucks, but ... "

   "What can you do?" finishes Staite, who plays mechanic Kaylee Frye.

   Fillion is obviously the troublemaker of the group: egging the audience for more applause, twitting his co-stars, breaking the arm off an action figure, "revealing" false spoilers and drawing Whedon's wrath by tipping over the director's name placard.

   Whedon, who's more of a cool uncle than a patriarchal director, does little to maintain order. He dishes out his own insults, referring to Fillion as "what's his name" and "the least talented" cast member. At one point, he even pretends to angrily strangle the star.

   Despite the shenanigans, Whedon proves that he can be protective of his actors when a fan gets out of line and asks Baccarin, who plays a courtesan in the film, if she performs at bachelor parties.

   After the audience gasps and Baccarin replies that she's "a little offended," Whedon tosses back, "Don't talk to my cast that way." After a pause, in which he tries to remember the first, unrelated part of the question, he apologizes jokingly, "[Sorry], I was consumed by rage."

   "Serenity" originated with "Firefly," the short-lived science fiction/western series that FOX canceled after airing only 11 episodes. The film is set 500 years in the future and centers on the transport ship Serenity manned by a band of law-bending misfits. When the crew takes on two fugitives, they find they're being pursued by the military as well as the cannibalistic Reavers.

   "Serenity" flies into theaters Sept. 30.

3. Pilot Watch
   Gina Torres has been cast opposite Kristin Davis in ABC's Soccer Moms pilot.

4. Alan Tudyk signs on at ABC
   Familiar faces continue to snap up work in pilots for next season, with Charlotte Ross and Julie Bowen each landing roles in ABC shows in development.

   Sofia Vergara, Alan Tudyk and Michael Landes have also signed on to projects at the Alphabet network, according to the Hollywood trade papers.

   Ross, late of "NYPD Blue," has joined Ashley Scott in the cast of "Westside," a drama about a high-end real-estate firm in Los Angeles. The actress has also starred in Showtime's TV-biz comedy "Beggars and Choosers" and was a regular on "Days of Our Lives" in the late 1980s, where she earned two Daytime Emmy nominations.

   The Colombian-born Vergara ("Soul Plane," "Chasing Papi"), meanwhile, has taken a part in ABC's other real estate-themed pilot, the comedy "Hot Properties." She joins Nicole Sullivan ("The King of Queens") in the cast.

   Former "Ed" star Bowen will all be part of an untitled comedy from writers Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont ("Can't Hardly Wait"). The single-camera show is about a group of single folks living in Philadelphia and their dating lives.

   Bowen, who will be featured in several episodes of ABC's soon-to-premiere "Jake in Progress," will be joined in the cast by Tudyk ("Firefly," "Dodgeball") and Landes ("Special Unit 2," "Final Destination 2").

5. Whedon Feeds 'Wonder Woman' Casting Rumors
   Now that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon has been tapped to direct Warner Bros.' long-gestating "Wonder Woman" movie, speculation about casting has begun with a vengeance.

   The scruffy writer-director caused a frenzy on Sunday, March 20 with a mere glance during his Wizard World Los Angeles Q&A to promote his upcoming sci-fi adventure "Serenity" when talk turned to the superhero project.

   After listening to how Whedon signed on for "Wonder Woman," actress star Jewel Staite, who plays mechanic Kaylee Frye in "Serenity," raised her hand tentatively.

   "Can I be in your 'Wonder Woman' movie?" asked the sandy-haired blonde, to which Whedon quipped, "I'll tell you, if Morgan Freeman says 'No,' you are second."

   The audience laughed accordingly until he swiveled to look at Morena Baccarin -- a brunette "Serenity" cast member sitting to his left -- and added, "Where will I find a dark-haired, olive-skinned beauty?"

   The hundreds of fans crammed into the Long Beach Convention Center's ballroom went wild.

   Whedon strengthened the message that Baccarin was a contender to play the heroine, when afterwards he was seen discussing "Wonder Woman" with her at his side.

   Whedon has been known to reuse stars from "Firefly" -- the FOX sci-fi series that launched the big-screen "Serenity" -- in "Buffy" and its spin-off "Angel." He's also known, however, to be a master of shiny objects, distracting fans with dazzling plot lines, snappy dialogue, colorful monsters or the occasional apocalypse.

   Whether Whedon's apparent preference for Baccarin will bear fruit or is a merely a ploy to mislead fans remains to be seen, especially if the folks at Warner Bros. insist on a big-name star. Nevertheless, online followers have already debated the possible casting choice on message boards. Some support Baccarin, who is of Brazilian ancestry, while others claim she's too "elfin" to portray the kick-butt superhero.

   Later in the Q&A, Whedon admitted to Zap2it.com that he wasn't a fan of the '70s "Wonder Woman" series starring Lynda Carter, although he wasn't "a non-fan, picketing the show." He just felt that the star-spangled incarnation "was not as strong as she's going to be [in his film]."

   When asked if he'd consider casting Carter in a small cameo for the film, he merely joked, "Lynda and I haven't spoken for a while, so I'm not sure."

   While the fans are left guessing, Whedon and Baccarin are busy building up hype for "Serenity," which will blast across movie screens beginning in September.

   Baccarin, 25, recently celebrated the premiere of her ensemble indie film "Way Off Broadway," which is currently screening at the Laemmle Fairfax theater in Los Angeles.

6. Whedon Wins 'Wonder Woman' Gig
   "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon has been snared by another butt-kicking female.

   He has signed on with Warner Bros. Pictures to write and direct the long-gestating "Wonder Woman" project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

   "Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon says in a statement. "What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power."

   The DC Comics character is really an Amazonian princess from Paradise Island who becomes a superheroine with super strength. She is equally famous for her rather racy outfits, comprised of a bustier, bullet-deflecting bracelets, tiara, boots and truth-inducing golden lasso. She's also been known to pilot her own invisible plane.

   "There is a woman behind the legend who is very fascinating, very uncompromising and in her own way almost vulnerable," adds Whedon. "She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me."

   Actress Lynda Carter filled the role and bustier of "Wonder Woman" for five years on TV beginning in 1975.

   Whedon has had experience with comic book heroes. He's been writing for Marvel's "Astonishing X-Men," and he penned "Fray," a vampire slayer spin-off comic book set 200 years after "Buffy," an "Angel" tie-in "Angel: Long Night's Journey" and various stories for "Tales of the Vampire."

   Besides "Buffy" and its spin-off "Angel," Whedon is also the creator of the short-lived space/Western series "Firefly," the basis for the upcoming big-screen project "Serenity," which will be released in the fall.

7. ON THE SET: 'Firefly' Actors Enjoy a New 'Serenity'
   "I'll talk about 'Firefly' until the cows come home," says Adam Baldwin in January interview. "It was a labor of love. It was hard for us to be under the gun early on. We didn't hook a big enough audience, that's the bottom line. I'm not going to second-guess why."

   In the short-lived FOX series, Baldwin played Jayne Cobb, the brawn to everyone else's brains aboard the rickety, Firefly-class cargo ship Serenity, some 500 or so years in the future.

   "He's a pragmatician," Baldwin says in Jayne's defense. "He's like, 'What works? Finish the job. Get it done. I'm scared. I'm scared. I need to fire back. Return fire.'"

   Created by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel"), "Firefly" - a blend of the Western and science fiction genres, with a little Chinese cussin' thrown in - got an early pickup from the network, premiered in the fall of 2002 with a lot of fanfare (with its second episode, not the two-hour pilot, which aired at the end of the run) then was yanked with several episodes left unaired.

   Through sheer force of will, Whedon managed to get studio 20th Century Fox to relinquish the rights, then set the thing up as a feature film at Universal. Called "Serenity," the film is set to premiere Sept. 30. "Firefly" has also had brisk DVD sales, which reinforced Universal's decision to move forward.

   "When people speculate on the whys and wherefores," Baldwin says, "it's an energy waste. All I know is we have huge DVD sales. We have millions of fans who are very much looking forward to this movie coming out, and if they all show up on the first weekend, we get to make two or three more movies."

   Baldwin is also not bothered that the show's debut is delayed from its original April launch.

   "This way, he says, "we come out at a time when they'll be able to attach the trailer to another big movie over the summer, and people will know it's coming out. People that have never heard of us will find out."

   Baldwin has seen a cut of "Serenity," and reveals, "Mmmm, it's hot. It's tasty. It's opened up. You will see more worlds. I can't recall if we have any horses, but everybody looks great. We had this lead-time, so everybody's like, 'Go to the gym!'

   "We also had 15 episodes of workshopping it. We all know who our characters were, plus two weeks of just sitting in a room with Joss rehearsing."

   "The series being canceled was such a heartbreak," says Nathan Fillion, who plays Serenity's Capt. Mal Reynolds, in an interview conducted on the set last August. "I broke the cardinal rule of, 'Don't fall in love with what you do, because your rug can get yanked out from under you.' When it did, I was heartbroken.

   "Joss had it in his head that he was going to have it made as a movie. That's a great dream, and I really wanted to have it happen, but I couldn't fall in love with that idea again, just to be heartbroken again. I don't think it actually settled in until three weeks into filming, that we were actually making the movie."

   "When we actually got to do the movie," says Gina Torres, who plays Mal's right-hand woman, Zoe Warren, speaking in February, "which for all intents and purposes should never have happened, it was a miracle. We just had a hoot. We thought, 'Oh, my God, they are actually paying us money to do this. Let's just do our lines and hang out.'"

   Fillion earned the nickname "Capt. Tightpants" during the series, and Baldwin says that continues in the movie.

   "His pants are tight," Baldwin says. "He had a lot of trouble bending over. He's great. It's a hot movie."

   Although Fillion now claims that Sean Maher, as Dr. Simon Tam, has taken over as "Dr. Tightpants" in the movie, Torres disagrees.

   "I have the tightest pants in the movie," she says. "Thankfully, there was a little Spandex thrown in that mix, so I could have lunch."

   Asked if "Serenity" is worth the wait, Fillion says, "Yeah, I think so. It's going to be an enjoyable experience. It's going to be very satisfying on a lot of levels. It'll wrap up some things that were left hanging."

   As to whether there's any romance in Mal's future, Fillion says, "Does Mal get a girlfriend? I can't tell you that." "We had an opportunity to redeem ourselves," Baldwin says. "Some people that I've talked to look at it as, what's the word, what's a synonym for vengeance? I don't look at it that way. I look at it as a chance for redemption.

   "People will find their way back to the TV show, to the DVDs, and to the 'Serenity' world. It has a really great shot of being very successful, and having seen it, I say that with confidence."

8. ON THE SET: 'Serenity': So Not How Things Should Work
   See, when you write a movie and it turns out just the way you hoped it wouldn't, you're supposed to lick your wounds, cash the check and move on to writing another script that a director will again turn into something that embarrasses you when you hear it mentioned in the supermarket.

   You're absolutely not supposed to take that movie idea back and turn it into a little hit series/cultural phenomenon called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

   And when you pour your heart and soul into a series for FOX, get told your pilot is awful and then get canned after 11 episodes, you're supposed to go write a police procedural or something that won't tear your guts out if it gets the ax.

   You're really not supposed to take that failed TV series, move it to another studio altogether and turn it into a feature film. Not supposed to happen. Nope.

   These are lessons that writer/producer/director Joss Whedon apparently has not learned.

   Standing this past August on the set of "Serenity," the Universal Pictures film version of his 20th Century Fox series "Firefly," Whedon -- an experienced screenwriter making his feature-film directing debut -- is feeling pretty good.

   "After 'Alien Resurrection,'" he says, "I said, 'The next person who ruins one of my scripts is going to be me.' And I think I'm doing a fine job. Actually, I think the director, on occasion, could use a little more imagination, and the writer could have shut up occasionally. We fight, but we're still getting along better than I usually do."

   Set about 500 years in the future, in a raggedy world that's a blend of space opera and horse opera, "Serenity" returns to the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity, a knockabout bucket of bolts transporting cargo and passengers -- with very few questions asked.

   The entire cast from the TV series has returned, led by Nathan Fillion as Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, a disillusioned former soldier fleeing old demons, the megalithic coalition called The Alliance and roving brutal savages called Reavers (oft mentioned but not seen in the series, but they may make their debut in the movie).

   As did the series, the movie centers on the mysterious River Tam (Summer Glau). Rescued from scientific experimentation by her physician brother, Simon (Sean Maher), River's mental and physical powers are still evolving. The Alliance wants River back, and they've sent the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to get her.

   "Serenity" is set for a Sept. 30 debut, delayed from an original April launch date.

   "Firefly" did well on DVD for 20th Century Fox Home Video, but according to "Serenity" producer Barry Mendel ("The Sixth Sense," "The Life Aquatic"), that wasn't the dealmaker for Universal.

   "It was helpful," he says, "but Universal was already on board before the DVD came out. They were believers of Joss. They think of Joss as somebody who's going to be making films for a long time. He's a unique person with a voice. They also really loved the show. They loved the idea of doing the show as a movie. They thought the show could have been a lot more. They understood what went down between Joss and the network during the show.

   "They went, 'This is a great movie property.' It's surprising for people to hear, but they believed in it since the beginning."

   Asked how hard it was to wrest the rights from 20th Century Fox, Mendel says, "Medium. We approached them. At the end of the day, we had to pay them a certain amount of money. It wasn't huge, but it was considerable.

   "I think they relinquished the rights because they knew Joss was on a mission from God to make this movie. They weren't going to be the people who went down in history as the people who were standing in the way of an artist, who'd been very good to them, doing what he wanted to do.

   "Ultimately, to say whether it was the goodness of their souls or their concern about their reputations, that would be pure speculation on my part."

   "I'd like to brag how well I sold it," Whedon says, "but [vice chairman, worldwide production] Mary Parent at Universal watched 'Firefly,' and the words she used were 'This is a no-brainer.'"

   One cancellation and a few business deals later, Whedon talks about his different relationships with FOX network and 20th Century Fox Studios.

   "My relationship with the network is not so great, but my deal is with television production, and we've had a good relationship for years. We did 'Buffy' and [its spin-off] 'Angel' and 'Firefly' together, and that's been fine."

   Although he's in the movie business right now, Whedon -- who has two young children --hasn't completely shaken off television.

   "I'm totally prepared to go back to TV," he says, "not 24/7 like in the first few years of 'Buffy,' but now I've learned enough about surrounding yourself with the right people and delegating that I can actually run a show without ruining my life.

   "TV is a medium that I love in a very different way that I love movies. The things that I can't do in this movie are things I mourn, the smaller moments, the protracted interactions, the things that make TV really fascinating, watching characters change over the years. I've waited my whole life to make movies, but movies don't do that. "I tend to write novels that are way too long, and that's TV."

   Of course, while movies can't duplicate the storytelling process of seven years of a TV series, there is the possibility of sequels.

   As for "Serenity," Whedon says, "They don't even say, 'Is there going to be a sequel?' They go straight to trilogy, and they say, 'Are you going to shoot the second and third back-to-back?' Um, movie might suck. Let's start at Point A.

   "I think of this as an absolute one-shot. Could it sustain more stories? Obviously, I designed their world and these characters and this ensemble to sustain seven years' worth, so, yeah, there could be more.

   "We'd love to do more, but we have to make this one good enough to deserve that. That is the only thing that I'm thinking about."

9. Wonder Who?
   "WONDER Woman" finally got the green light. A movie version of the comic-book character has been buzzed about for a year, and now spies say Warner Bros. has finally told producer Joel Silver to go ahead with the project. Silver is said to already be in negotiations with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" writer Joss Whedon to pen the script and is looking at Kim Basinger and Jessica Biehl for the title role. "Kim would be used if Wonder Woman is older, Jessica is if she's younger," the insider added. Warner didn't return calls.

10. Gina Torres Assumes a Former 'Alias'
    Fresh off her return engagement to writer/producer/director Joss Whedon's futuristic Western world in "Serenity," the upcoming film version of his short-lived FOX science-fiction series "Firefly," Gina Torres is getting together with a few more old friends when she reprises the role of K-Directorate agent Anna Espinosa in two episodes of ABC's "Alias."

    Anna was last seen in season one, having one of her many battles with secret agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). With the show now in its fourth season, where's Anna been all this time?

    "She was presumed dead," Torres says. "It's almost a guarantee they'll bring you back. You never see me die. I just sort of disappear into the night. I think their way of explaining it was, they have a conversation, trying to bring everybody up to speed, and they said, 'I thought she was dead.'"

    In real life, Torres went on to do "Firefly," followed by stints on Whedon's "Angel" on The WB, along with FOX's "24." She also appeared in "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions," which starred her husband, Laurence Fishburne.

    "The timing was just wrong for three years," Torres says. "It was incredibly frustrating because I loved the show, and I wanted a piece of all that, what was going on, especially because Anna was introduced in such a wonderful way. So I thought it was incredibly flattering and so wonderful that they, every year, kept me in mind. When it happened, it happened in a great way."

    Torres' episodes are "Echoes," airing Wednesday, Feb. 23, and "A Man of His Word," airing Wednesday, March 2 (9 p.m. ET, both nights).

    Also returning for the two is David Anders, reprising his role as the nefarious assassin Julian Sark.

    "Anna and Sark have a thing," Torres says, "but it may not be the kind of thing people were thinking."

    During Anna's first appearance, she had several knock-down, drag-outs with Sydney, and proved to be her match. But while some things may have changed, Anna's chief opponent hasn't.

    "Who else would I be fighting with?" Torres says. "There's only one woman for me. It's Miss Jen. But she's gotten better. I have to say, when we were going over our first fight sequence, I was like, 'OK, she's gotten better. Four years ago, she was a very green agent, now she's got all these moves. Whoah, whoah, wait a minute ...'

    "It was a lot more fun when I wiped the floor with her."

    Since Whedon moved Torres from "Firefly" to "Angel," one wonders whether "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams might shift her to his other show, the plane-crash drama "Lost," which airs right before "Alias" on ABC.

    "I saw J.J. Abrams at the Golden Globes," Torres says, "and he had seen my 'Alias' episodes. They had just been put together and edited, and he was really happy with them. He said, 'Would you come back?', and I said, 'Of course, I would come back, just call. And if you need me to run out of the jungle at some point, I'd be happy to do that, too.'

    "So who knows, I'm just an actress looking for work. What can I tell you?"

11. 'Alias' Welcomes Familiar Faces for Sweeps
    A pair of Sydney Bristow's past nemeses will return to complicate her life on "Alias" during February sweeps.

    David Anders, who's played the oily, villainous Mr. Sark on the series since midway through its first season, and Gina Torres, who had a recurring role in season one, will be back for two episodes each in sweeps, ABC says -- and based on what the network is saying about the episodes, their characters may be linked.

    The two will first appear in the episode scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 23, which finds Nadia's (Mia Maestro) life in jeopardy. To save her, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) has to hunt down her former rival Anna Espinosa (Torres), who hasn't surfaced in several years.

    Vaughn (Michael Vartan) tries to help Sydney save her half-sister, but to do so, he has to confront Sark, who both cuckolded him and ran his wife, Lauren, as a double agent last season.

    Torres and Anders will also appear in the March 2 episode, which finds Sydney and Vaughn still on the hunt for Anna. Sark agrees to help find her, but only for a stiff price.

    Anders was a regular on "Alias" the past two seasons but was dropped from the cast this year. Creator J.J. Abrams has said that with the structure of this season's story arc, there wouldn't be a plausible way to feature Sark in every episode.

12. Baldwin Goes 'Inside' as FBI Vet
    Adam Baldwin has signed on for a key role in FOX's reconceived "The Inside."

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin will play "a tough, seasoned FBI agent, a man's man with 25 years on the job."

    Baldwin is 42, so it's unclear if the trades have his role wrong or if the character is also some sort of impressive prodigy.

    FOX originally conceived of "The Inside" as a "21 Jump Street"-esque drama about a young agent (Rachel Nichols) who was capable of going undercover in Los Angeles high schools. Peter Facinelli was set to play her young boss.

    After a reportedly disappointing initially incarnation, FOX pulled original creators Todd and Glenn Kessler and recruited Tim Minear ("Angel"), who kept Nichols on as a young FBI agent, but otherwise ditched the central premise. Jay Harrington ("Coupling") is now set in the supervisor role. Peter Coyote also stars in the new "Inside."

    In addition to a brief stint on "Angel," Baldwin's recent credits include the Joss Whedon drama "Firefly" and its upcoming feature companion "Serenity." The actor's other credits have included "The Chocolate War," "Full Metal Jacket" and a number of appearances on "The X-Files."

13. Alan Tudyk on 'Serenity'
    (From Carl S.): Darren Rea: Have you finished your work on Serenity now?

    Alan Tudyk: Yes, we finished a few months ago. The movie picks the story around two months after the events that were unravelled in Firefly. Everybody's there.

    It deals with how Simon and River were being pursued by the Alliance. That was always a problem for us and it continues to be a problem in the movie. The characters of the Reavers, which were sort of talked about in the series but you never got to really see in the TV series, make an appearance in the movie.

    DR: Were you shocked when Firefly was cancelled. And if Serenity is a hit do you think it will open the door for another series, or more movies?

    AT: It would be more movies. I don't think that Joss [Whedon - the creator of Firefly] would take it back to a series. It wasn't a shock that we were cancelled. It was unfortunate and very sad, but we never got the sense that we were understood in America.

    When it was showed in the States we had shot the two hour pilot which set up the world and the network decided that they didn't want to show the pilot first and ended up screening last. That made no sense. The pilot welcomes you to the world and sets up the characters and the world that they inhabit. Instead the first episode to be aired was The Train Job which kind of gives you a backgound to the show, but not as much as the pilot.

    That's why we weren't surprised that the show was cancelled. We felt that those making the decisions either didn't like the show, or didn't understand it. We always knew we were fighting to stay alive and it was depressing.

    What was a surprise though was when we were cancelled Joss said: "This isn't over." At the time we were like: "That's nice, that's sweet. It's kinda sad we've been cancelled, but that's it." But he is tenacious. To get the rights from Fox to make the movie... that couldn't not have been fun. He had to do a lot of fast talking to let Fox to let go. Universal were amazing. It was great to have so much support on the project.

    I'm going to see the very first edit of it when I get back to the States in the first week of December.

    Read the full interview here!

14. Delayed
    Universal has delayed the release of Joss Whedon's Firefly flick, Serenity, from April 22 to Sept. 30. No reason was given for the postponement. The studio has also pushed back the opening of the Sean Penn-Nicole Kidman thriller The Interpreter from Feb. 18 to April 22.

15. NEW X-MAN?
    Here's a juicy rumor I really hope is true: There's increasing chatter that Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon is in talks to replace Bryan Singer at the helm of X-Men 3. Singer recently signed on to direct the new Superman flick, leaving the fate of the next X-Men installment up in the air. Whedon's camp isn't commenting on the buzz, but Spike issued the following statement: "There bloody well better be a part in it for me."

16. Cast Appearance
    Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin and Jewel Staite will be at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA, September 3-6th. Go to www.dragoncon.org for more information.

17. Stars Attack Sci-Fi Shindig
    Once a year, the quiet California city of San Diego becomes a geek Mecca, as fanboys (and fangirls) from all over the world descend on the futuristic convention center for Comic-Con International. Now in its 35th year, the sci-fi-palooza has gotten bigger in every way: more attendees (upwards of 75,000 people this time), more celebrity special guests (Sarah Michelle! Keanu! Ben Browder!), more events, more sneak previews and, most importantly, more free goodies. In fact, there was so much to do and see last weekend that this TV Guide Online reporter often found himself wishing for a handy cloning device (or at least that Time-Turner gadget that Hermione had in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) so he could be in two places at once. Until reality catches up with science fiction, here are the highs and lows of a weekend in comic-book paradise.

    Warmest Reception: The Firefly faithful were out in force to welcome Joss Whedon and the cast of Serenity, the feature-film version of the canceled-but-not-forgotten Fox TV series. Fans were so happy to see the Buffy mastermind that they greeted him with a rousing standing ovation. Whedon returned the favor by premiering an action-packed teaser for the movie, due in theaters next April. The love in the room was so thick, you could only break through it with one of the Serenity crew members' wicked guns.

18. Ejiofor Finds 'Serenity' with Whedon
    English actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in the 2002 body-parts drama "Dirty Pretty Things," is set to appear in "Serenity," writer/director Joss Whedon's feature film version of his canceled television series "Firefly."

    The Universal Pictures project revolves around an ensemble of characters who are galactic outcasts 500 years in the future. It centers on a captain and the crew on his transport-for-hire spaceship, Serenity. When they pick up two passengers, they find themselves caught between a military force and cannibalistic savages.

    Ejiofor is the first actor to sign on to the "Firefly" feature who did not appear in the TV series, which had a brief run on Fox in fall 2002. He will play a character known as the Operative, an assassin and tracker who speaks with eloquent sophistication. His other credits include "Amistad" and "Love Actually."

19. New Role For Alan Tudyk
    Eric Balfour has a prescription for a drug drama.

    The 27-year-old actor has signed on to star in the indie "RX Sin Receta," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    "Receta" centers on a guy who's strapped for cash and makes an ill-advised trip to Mexico in order to smuggle pharmaceuticals back across the border. He is accompanied by his girlfriend (Lauren German) and best friend (Colin Hanks).

    Alan Tudyk and Ori Pheffer will play two men living in Baja running an illegal business, while Danny Pino portrays a mechanic in Tijuana.

    Ariel Vromen will direct the project, which begins shooting in early May in New Mexico.

    Balfour last co-starred with German both in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake.

20. 'Angel,' 'Firefly' Veteran Dives Over 'Wonderfalls'
    

    Tim Minear ("Strange World," "Angel") is right back where he started from -- almost.

    Last fall, he was executive producer, with creator Joss Whedon, of the highly anticipated FOX outer-space Western "Firefly," which premiered on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET in the fall of 2002. It didn't last long.

    "We like to think of it as the night that we promote 13-episode DVD sets," Minear quips about the quickly axed series, which will return as a just-greenlit $35 million feature film from Universal called "Serenity," with Whedon writing and directing.

    "I won't be working on 'Serenity,'" Minear says, "but I'll be first in line to see it. But Joss better pay for my ticket. Just sayin'."

    On March 12, Minear returns to Fridays, but this time at 9 p.m. ET, as executive producer, with creators and fellow execs Bryan Fuller ("Dead Like Me") and Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle"), of the new FOX series "Wonderfalls."

    He's hoping the second time's the charm.

    "It's surreal," Minear says. "At least we're not on at 8. Look, there's so many differences. Even though it seems not dissimilar, there are so many differences. First of all, as weird as this show is, it's probably going to be easier for the general public to get their mind around than 'Firefly.' Also, we're not on at 8. Also, we're not spaceships and horses. Also, we're midseason, which makes a big difference."

    One of the most critically lauded pilots of last spring, "Wonderfalls" stars Caroline Dhavernas as Jaye Tyler, a 20-year-old, cranky, overeducated but underachieving gift-shop clerk in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

    "Her family certainly are high-achievers," Minear says. "The way she chooses to live is a reaction to that. She can be just as unhappy putting in very little effort. Why work so hard to be dissatisfied when you can be dissatisfied with less?"

    "There's a little bit of Jaye in everybody," Fuller adds, "When you get into a character like that, who is a little bit surly and a little bit direct, it's so much more interesting than someone who has a smile pasted on their face all the time."

    Jaye's life changes forever when a misshapen wax lion from a vending machine starts talking to her. He's only the first in a series of toys, cartoons and knick-knacks (all animals) that give Jaye cryptic messages then refuse to shut up until she heeds their often vague commands.

    As a result of the actions she takes, unexpected consequences ripple out for friends, family and complete strangers.

    If this sounds just a bit like the cryptic commands given by God to underachieving teen Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn) in CBS' "Joan of Arcadia," which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET, you're not the only one who thought about that.

    In front of assembled TV critics this past January in Hollywood, FOX programming chief Gail Berman said, "What I've seen on Friday night with 'Joan of Arcadia' makes me hopeful that the audience might find its way over to 'Wonderfalls.' Thematically the shows are similar. Those viewers are around. That's clear from 'Joan's' numbers, and I'd like to believe that we'll be able to take advantage of them."

    "I think it's a double-edged sword," Minear says, "because we are not 'Joan of Arcadia.' I'm not sure we'll appeal to the same people. But hopefully people who enjoy quality will like both."

    Unlike "Joan," who believes she's talking to God, Jaye isn't sure where her messages come from, although Fuller says, "She has seen enough evidence to know definitively that this is not just something inside her head. As far as the character's point of view, it's coming from a source greater than her."

    "We never get specific about where the messages are from," Minear says.

    "Wonderfalls" might have seemed stranger before "Joan" came along, but it's still a tough show to explain and promote to new viewers. After his "Firefly" experience, Minear has a better understanding of helping a network deal with the problem.

    "The thing I learned from 'Firefly,'" he says, "is that if a network doesn't understand the property in their bones, they will not, no matter how much they want to, be able to support it. If they don't have it, they can't sell it. That's all there is."

    "There's a lot of fear about 'Wonderfalls,'" Fuller says, "so sometimes that creeps in, and it can be disheartening. But Tim usually finds a way to give everybody what they want. He's mastered the art of negotiation. He can make them happy about what we're doing and still be able to have the creative freedom to do a show we haven't seen before."

    One question that both "Joan" and "Wonderfalls" don't answer in the episodes is why these particular young women have been chosen to receive their messages.

    Whether or not it's ever articulated in the show, Fuller knows why Jaye was tapped. "Why this girl? She's being taught a big lesson about letting life slip by and not taking advantage of the moments that are given to her every day, the moments you and I are given every day, that we can act or not act on.

    "We are constantly confronting these situations and opportunities, an she's letting all those slip by. So this is the universe grabbing her by the collar and saying, 'Wake the f**k up."

    As a bonus to "Firefly" fans, Jewel Staite, who played mechanic Kaylee, will visit "Wonderfalls."

    "Jewel appears about or around episode nine," Minear says, "and plays through episode 13 or so."

21. Joss Whedon Seeks "Serenity"
    

    No more Angel? Serenity, now!

    After the WB's surprise cancellation of his Buffy spinoff last month, a devastated Joss Whedon found himself without a pet project.

    But Whedon didn't lick his wounds for long. He's now at work on developing his defunct television series Firefly into the feature film Serenity.

    The futuristic action-adventure film will be the directorial debut for the man famed for bringing Buffy's vampire-slaying antics to living rooms everywhere.

    "We have wanted to be in business with Joss Whedon for a long time and we're incredibly excited to be working with him on his feature film directorial debut," said Universal vice chairmen of production, Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, in a statement.

    "Joss is a true creator, whose talent crosses all mediums. His mythic worlds are inhabited with rich, detailed and very human creatures. Serenity will provide him with a great opportunity to paint another larger-than-life canvas with very identifiable, real characters at the heart of the story."

    Firefly enjoyed a cult following during its short-lived run on Fox's airwaves, but unfortunately it didn't earn the ratings to keep it afloat.

    The series glowed again upon its release on DVD last December, inspiring Universal to give Whedon the big-screen go-ahead.

    Whedon will both write and direct the film, which will be produced by Barry Mendel, whose credits include The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.

    Chris Buchanan, president of Whedon's Mutant Enemy production company, and Alisa Tager of Barry Mendel Productions will share executive producing credits.

    Whedon will be working with a familiar roster of actors, as many Firefly cast members will reprise their roles for Serenity.

    The film centers on a veteran captain of a galactic war, who, with a small crew, rents out his ship, Serenity, for the purposes of transport-for-hire and pulling off small crimes.

    When the captain takes on two new passengers, he soon learns that they are hotly pursued fugitives from the coalition controlling the universe.

    A whole host of trouble follows for the captain and his fearless crew, as they find themselves the prey of evil forces that they are ill equipped to evade.

    Production on Serenity is slated to begin this year.

22. Whedon Space Saga 'Firefly' Revived for Big Screen
    

    Joss Whedon, the man behind the cult hit series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel," will make his feature film debut adapting another one of his signature television series.

    The 39-year-old writer-director-producer will base his Universal film "Serenity" on his short-lived sci-fi/western series "Firefly."

    "Serenity" will continue the adventures of a crew of outcasts on the spaceship Serenity as they have intergalactic adventures 500 years from now. The film centers on Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a jaded rebel in a galactic civil war who struggles to finance his ship with small crimes and transporting cargo. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family -- squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

    Conflict arises when Mal takes on two new passengers -- a young doctor (Sean Maher) and his unstable, telepathic sister (Summer Glau) --who happen to be fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves pursued by vastly different and dangerous enemies.

    Also reprising their roles from the series are Gina Torres as Zoe Warren, Morena Baccarin as Companion Inara Serra, Jewel Staite as mechanic Kaylee Frye, Adam Baldwin as the incorrigible Jayne Cobb. New characters created expressly for the motion picture adaptation will also join the current cast.

    "Joss is a true creator, whose talent crosses all mediums," say Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, vice chairmen, production, Universal Pictures. "His mythic worlds are inhabited with rich, detailed and very human characters. 'Serenity' will provide him with a great opportunity to paint another larger-than-life canvas with very identifiable, real characters at the heart of the story."

    Whedon will act as screenwriter and director, with "The Sixth Sense's" Barry Mendel and Chris Buchanan serving as executive producers. Whedon wrote the screenplays for the original motion picture "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Alien: Resurrection" and "Toy Story," for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1996.

    FOX ran 12 of the 15 available episodes of "Firefly," which are now enjoying new life on DVD.

23. Prepare For Takeoff
    

    Joss Whedon's long-rumored Firefly feature film is finally airborne. Universal has officially green-lighted the project, which will be released under the title Serenity and pick up six months after the short-lived Fox series left off. The show's original crew — headed by Nathan Fillion — all will be back for the flick. Filming begins in June for a 2005 release.

24. Nathan Fillion in Fox drama pilot
    

    In "Hollywood Division," about undercover cops at a Hollywood high school, Fillion will play a police detective; he replaces Matthew Settle who was originally cast in the role.

    Fillion, best known for his role on the ABC comedy "Two Guys and a Girl," previously starred in Fox's short-lived drama "Firefly."

25. TV Duds Rate as Studs in DVD Market
    

    Low-rated TV series quickly killed by networks are finding new life on DVD.

    Just as under-performing theatrical films are proving profitable as DVD releases, canceled TV shows are generating loads of cash when they become available in the format.

    In some cases, the interest is so strong that the DVDs are generating new projects for the once-declared dead brands.

    "When you look at the TV ratings of failed shows, they are still in 2 or 3 or 4 million households that view them," says Mike Saksa, VP of U.S. marketing for Warner Home Video (WHV). "That may not be enough to get a show renewed, but it does present a viable opportunity to earn back money for the studio by releasing it on DVD. We only need to reach one out of eight of those 4 million viewers to have a highly successful DVD."

    Despite the high boxed-set prices of most of these TV DVD releases -- they range from $26.99 to $69.99 -- many are indeed attracting legions of consumers and great retail interest.

    The trend has been spurred on by the success of "Family Guy," an animated series created by Seth MacFarlane that debuted in 1999 and was canceled after three seasons. According to Video Store magazine, the first DVD volume ($49.98, Fox), which covers the first two seasons, was the No. 1-selling TV DVD in 2003. The April release was followed by "Family Guy -- Vol. 2" ($49.98, Fox) in September, which was the No. 5-top-selling TV DVD last year.

    Other popular TV duds/DVD studs have been "The Ben Stiller Show," a 1992 sketch comedy show canceled after 12 episodes; "Firefly," crafted by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon and canceled after 11 episodes in 2002; and "The Tick," an animated show based on the comic book that was canceled after less than two seasons in 1996. Each of these programs aired on Fox.

    Both "Firefly -- The Complete Series" ($49.98, Dec. 9, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment) and "The Ben Stiller Show" ($26.99, Dec. 2, WHV) are performing well at Virgin Megastores, according to the L.A.-based chain's senior VP of product and marketing, Dave Alder.

    "'The Ben Stiller Show' is selling at the same levels now as it did in its first two weeks out of the box," he notes. "Though 'Firefly' died on TV, it has definitely had major interest on DVD. Niche TV DVD has a huge cult appeal right now. Despite a number of these titles not working on TV, that doesn't mean they aren't quality products."

    The studios would not provide sales figures for these titles.

    At last October's TV DVD conference, sponsored by Video Store magazine and by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), MacFarlane said that he was receiving more work offers since the show had appeared on DVD. Indeed, his "Family Guy: The Movie" is currently in production for Fox.

    A "Firefly" film, written by Whedon, is currently in production for Fox and Universal Pictures.

    "The success of 'Family Guy' is encouraging," says Judd Apatow, executive producer of "The Ben Stiller Show" and of "Freaks and Geeks," which was canceled after one season and is debuting on DVD April 6 from Shout Factory and DreamWorks Television for $69.98.

    "There is now a lot of attention being given to these canceled TV projects on DVD," Apatow notes. "I always do my best to make the shows I'm involved in as good as they can be. I would rather do something great that holds up over time than make a concession that gives in to a trend. Now, it seems to paying off."

    Executives say that major consumers of DVDs are naturally gravitating toward more nichey, less mainstream programing as the format matures.

    "The young, male adults who were heavy purchasers at the beginning of DVD now have their movie collections," WHV's Saksa says. "Now they are buying their TV collection."

    Additionally, studios are researching which shows have the highest potential consumer appeal and are going to Web sites to gauge demand.

    Shout Factory president Garson Foos says that the decision to release "Freaks and Geeks -- The Complete Series" stemmed from Internet interest. "Nearly 40,000 people subscribed to a Web list asking for it to get released on DVD," he says. "With the Internet, there is a way for people to communicate about these shows."

26. Free Firefly Screensaver
    

    Karstens Creations has designed a 'Firefly' computer screensaver. You can download is by visiting this link http://www.karcreat.com/KCScreenSavers.html.

27. Will Firefly: The Movie Take Flight?
    

    It looks like that big-screen Firefly movie has been temporarily grounded. In September it was announced that Joss Whedon had struck a deal with Universal to turn his short-lived Fox series into a feature film, with shooting expected to begin in early '04. But in an interview with TV Guide Online, the acclaimed Buffy auteur hints that the much-talked-about venture has not in fact been cleared for takeoff.

    "I have interest, I have hope, but I have no news," says Whedon. "I can't really talk about it. When there is news, I will [tell you]. But if I start talking about it before there is [anything definitive to say], it lessens the chance that [it will get made]." (Calls to Universal were not returned.) This much Whedon can say: Any Firefly flick would be accessible to fans and non-fans alike. "Assuming it actually happens — which I cannot — yeah, the idea is I'm trying to write a movie that everybody who hasn't seen the show could enjoy, but that doesn't repeat anything that we have seen on the show."

    While Whedon sorts through the red tape, the space western's diehard followers can entertain themselves with Firefly: The Complete Series, which arrives on DVD today. In addition to three never-aired episodes, the four-disc set includes a documentary about the show, interviews with cast members Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres and a gag reel. What the DVD doesn't feature, however, is a satisfying conclusion to the epic story.

    "We shot the episodes before we knew that we were getting cancelled," says Whedon, who describes his Firefly tour of duty as "the best working experience that I've ever had and the most painful one. In terms of good, I've never had a happier set or a cast that got along that well. On the downside, I learned that you have to be aware of who your buyer is and make damn sure that they actually want what you're giving them. Because ultimately, if they don't, nothing you do is going to help."

    So, is it safe to say that Whedon's next TV project won't be airing on Fox? "Well, the network and I are not having sleepovers," he admits. "But it's not like we've sworn blood vengeance either. I'm not the first person who ever had a show cancelled."

28. 'Angel' Co-Star Torres Counts to '24'
    

    After spending last season bouncing around the Joss Whedon universe between "Firefly" and "Angel," actress Gina Torres will take a recurring role on the FOX drama "24."

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Torres will play the wife of a major donor to President Palmer's (Dennis Haysbert) political campaign. With Penny Johnson Jerald's Sherry Palmer also set to return, perhaps sparks will fly.

    Developing a reputation for small, but colorful parts, Torres' other credits include a recurring role on syndicated "Hercules" (and appearances on "Xena: Warrior Princess"), the starring gig on "Cleopatra 2525," a stint as the nefarious Anna Espinosa on "Alias" and visits to the likes of "NYPD Blue" and "The Agency."

    After the cancellation of "Firefly" last season, Whedon wrote Torres (who played Zoe on the sci-fi Western) the part of unstable, god-like Jasmine on "Angel."

    On the big screen, Torres has been seen this year in the second and third films in the "Matrix" series.

    In other FOX casting news, Sherilyn Fenn will return to "Boston Public" for at least four more episodes, playing the former stripper dating Anthony Heald's vice principal character.

    Meanwhile, "The Mummy" co-star Patricia Velazquez will drop by freshman comedy "Arrested Development" as a Latin soap star involved with star Jason Bateman. Velazquez has also signed for 13 episodes on Gregory Nava's PBS drama "American Family."

29. 'Firefly's' Fillion Makes a 'Miss Match'
    

    If it's starting to look a lot like "Buffy" on NBC's "Miss Match," there might be a reason for that.

    One of the show's producers is Gareth Davies, who has worked on all of the shows created by Joss Whedon: The WB and UPN's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," its spin-off, The WB's "Angel," and the short-lived FOX space opera "Firefly."

    Created by Darren Star ("Sex and the City") and Jeff Rake, "Miss Match" -- which films on the former "Buffy" stages in Santa Monica, Calif. -- stars Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless") as Kate Fox, a divorce lawyer who moonlights as a matchmaker.

    In "Santa Baby," the episode airing Friday, Dec. 12, at 9 p.m. ET, "Buffy" and "Angel" star Charisma Carpenter returns for her second episode as the outspoken Serena Lockley. After spending the last few seasons on the Paramount lot filming "Angel," Carpenter describes returning to her old workplace on a totally different show as "surreal."

    Then, in a special episode on Monday, Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. ET, called "Who's Sari Now?", "Firefly" star Nathan Fillion -- who also guest-starred in the final season of "Buffy" as the evil preacher Caleb -- appears in the first of two "Miss Match" episodes.

    "I'm all for nepotism," he says, calling in between takes while shooting his second episode, the upcoming "Miss Communication." "Nepotism be praised! There's a lot of 'Buffy' people here, a lot of 'Firefly' people. Also, Christina Hendricks did an episode of 'Miss Match,' and she played Saffron on 'Firefly.'"

    Fillion plays Adam Logan, a college buddy of Michael (David Conrad), Kate's current love interest, and the soon-to-be-ex-husband of Michael's ex-girlfriend, Lauren (Dina Meyer, "Birds of Prey"), who is Kate's divorce client. Also guest-starring in the episode is Tariq Kabir, one of the rejected suitors from the NBC reality show "Average Joe."

    "There's no wonder that Alicia is a movie star," Fillion says. "She sparkles. She sparkles in real life and on screen. She sparkles and sparkles and sparkles - and she's sweet."

    Fillion also isn't surprised that Carpenter is returning. "Because they love her! I'll tell you why right now. She's gorgeous! Oh my God, she's gorgeous. I've never met her."

    Fillion did get to meet Silverstone's "Miss Match" co-star, film veteran Ryan O'Neal, who plays her lawyer father.

    "We have great chats over lunch," Fillion says. "Boy, that guy is funny. He told a couple of stories -- nothing I can repeat, actually."

    On Dec. 9, just a few days before his "Miss Match" debut, Fillion appears in his first DVD boxed set, as 20th Century Fox Home Video releases the entire brief run of "Firefly."

    "It feels good," says Fillion, who played spaceship captain Malcolm Reynolds. "I like that it's still alive."

    His "Firefly" co-star, Gina Torres, appeared last season on "Angel," and there are some actors, including current "Angel" recurring cast member Jonathan Woodward, who have done all three Whedon shows (Woodward's "Firefly," called "The Message," never aired but is on the DVD).

    At present, Fillion is two for three, and angling for an "Angel" appearance.

    "Give me time," he says. "I'm wearing Joss Whedon down with my casual, very subtle hints, like, 'Boy, wouldn't it be neat to have Caleb on "Angel?" Or Malcolm on "Angel"? What the hell?'"

    Fillion did keep a few "Firefly" souvenirs, including the rubber stunt replica of his futuristic gun. "The real gun cost, I think, $9,000," he says. "They didn't want me to keep that."

    While the proposed "Firefly" feature film remains in the script stages, Fillion is optimistic. "I feel I've still got unfinished business with this show. I don't feel like I had my fill."

30. Whedon's 'Firefly' Lights Up a Holiday DVD
    

    If cancellation is hard on TV fans, imagine what it's like for the show's creator.

    After successfully launching both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel," Joss Whedon poured his heart and soul into his first entirely original idea for television (he first wrote "Buffy" as a movie), FOX's "Firefly."

    Nathan Fillion starred as war veteran Malcolm Reynolds, the conflicted captain of a space freighter full of misfits, struggling to survive by both legal and illegal means in a future universe that blended SF and Western elements.

    Despite the enthusiasm of FOX programming chief Gail Berman at her initial announcement of the series, by the time the pilot was in production in early 2002, problems began to surface. The two-hour pilot was shelved in favor of a one-hour episode written over a weekend just before the deadline for announcing the new fall schedule in May 2002.

    The series launched in Sept. 2002, but was on hiatus by late November, and off the air after the eventual airing of the pilot on Dec. 20. But, all this info and more is contained in Whedon's commentary for the pilot, which is part of a DVD boxed set of the entire run of "Firefly" -- including three unaired hours -- available Dec. 9 from 20th Century Fox Home Video.

    It's a bittersweet moment, but, says Whedon, "There's a lot of sweet in there. The moment I held that little thing in my arms, I was so excited. It does look pretty -- then it has that TV show that I love so much in it.

    "Seeing them all there, knowing that it was really happening, was a very big deal for me, because I felt strongly about the show. I loved it so well, and I wanted people to be able to see it. I didn't want it to disappear."

    Asked if "Firefly" is his favorite creation, Whedon says, "Well, in some ways it was. I love all my children for different reasons, but I never had more fun in my life -- except for that episode with the ballet on 'Angel.' That was pretty fun.

    "It just felt like it gelled right away. It wasn't a show that was waiting to happen, it was a show that was already happening. So to have that out there, and for people to be able to see what we did, really makes me excited."

    Along with the episodes, the DVD includes commentaries -- not just by Whedon, but by other writers, cast members and crew -- featurettes, a set tour by Whedon, Alan Tudyk's audition for the role of pilot Wash, a gag reel, deleted scenes, Whedon crooning the title song (which he wrote), and another musical performance, by cast member Adam Baldwin.

    Also, the episodes are presented in widescreen, as they were originally filmed, and are arranged in order. "That was the most important thing to me," Whedon says. "Everything else is gravy, but there does seem to be quite a bit of gravy."

    Over the course of the show, FOX did request certain changes. "What they wanted to change didn't hurt the show at all," Whedon says. "It was just when they didn't want to make it anymore ... I disagreed with that note. 'Stop filming' was a note that, I said, 'I don't really get where you're going here.'"

    While some criticized "Firefly" for being too dark or not having enough of that characteristic Whedon-esque witty banter, it may just have been ahead of its time. HBO's "Carnivale" is on the verge of earning a second season, even though it is one of the darkest dramas of the last few years.

    Although he hasn't seen "Carnivale," Whedon isn't sure that's the show he would have made anyway.

    "I'm very much of the 'make it dark, make it grim, make it tough,'" he says, "but then, for the love of God, tell a joke. Show some love. I can get by on that stuff. I like a hard world, but I like a hard world that molds good people and people with a sense of humor about the world they're in.

    "Otherwise, it's unrelenting. People don't live like that. Maybe I'm just a dumb softie -- or a subtly brilliant softie. So subtle, in fact, that it cannot be picked up by human beings or any machines."

    Rumors continue to fly about a "Firefly" movie, including talk that production would begin this month.

    "That is delightful rumor," Whedon says. "That would be terrific except that that simply can't happen. I'm a little busy, but I have hope. I am working on a script, and that's all there is yet."

    Asked what he learned from his "Firefly" experience, Whedon says, "Don't tell your actors you're going to run for seven years when you're not. Make sure that the people buying your show actually want it. That was a big one.

    "Apart from that, hire people in all walks -- crew, cast, staff -- that inspire you and get along and realize that the process of making this show is going to take up as much of their lives as the product. Every single day on 'Firefly,' it was a damn good time, and I believe that shows up on screen."

    For those who still resist the idea of putting Western conventions in outer space, Whedon says, "It's all 'Stagecoach.' At the end of the day, whether or not there are horses -- which, in my case, there were -- it's all 'Stagecoach.'

    "You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are. If there's any kind of fiction better than that, I don't know what it is."

31. Firefly Feature at CFQ.com
    

    Cinefantastique is running a behind the scenes episode guide to Firefly featuring the comments of Joss Whedon and Tim Minear. Click here! (CFQ.com).

32. Emmy Winner!!!
    

    Firefly one in the only category it was up in.

    Special Visual Effects for a Series: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen," UPN; "Enterprise: Dead Stop," UPN; "Enterprise: The Crossing," UPN; "Enterprise: The Expanse," UPN; "Firefly: Serenity," Fox.

33. Torres On The Guardian
    

    Gina Torres will be on the hit CBS show The Guardian this season.

34. 'Firefly' Lands in Film Afterlife
    

    The short-lived TV series "Firefly" is moving to the big screen.

    After taking his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" feature film and turning it into a successful TV series, "Firefly" creator Joss Whedon is about to do the reverse with his Fox cult hit, which will be released theatrically by Universal Pictures.

    In addition to adapting it for the big screen, Whedon will also make his feature directorial debut with the project. Plans are to see "Firefly" go into production in first-quarter 2004.

    Universal recently acquired the rights to "Firefly" from 20th Century Fox Television, where Whedon's Mutant Enemy Inc. production company has a television deal.

    The action-adventure series was set 500 years in the future and centered on a crew aboard a spaceship. The feature version will incorporate the mythology from the show but will take on a more epic feel. Whedon hopes to enlist the entire cast to come back for the feature, depending on their previous commitments, with new characters added as well.

    "Ever since the show went off the air, our fan base has grown even more," said Mutant Enemy president Christopher Buchanan. "We've had tremendous outpouring from the U.S. and Canada as well as the U.K., which just finished a run of 'Firefly' over there. Every comic book and sci-fi convention has had a 'Firefly' presence since the show first aired."

    For the series, which ran this past season, Whedon produced 15 hours of television, including a two-hour episode. Three shows never aired on Fox but will likely be featured on the series' DVD release, due out in December. Buchanan said fans created such a demand that DVD presales on Amazon.com sold out within 24 hours.

    Whedon's feature film screenplay credits include "Titan A.E.," "Alien: Resurrection" and "Toy Story."

35. Firefly Movie & DVD
    (From Jennifer)

    Joss Whedon, creator of Fox's canceled SF western series Firefly, told SCI FI Wire that he is close to a deal to write and direct a feature film based on the short-lived show.

    "What's happening with that is that I'm writing a script," Whedon said in an interview. "And I have some interest. But I won't know really until I finish a draft whether or not it's genuine. ... We have a pretty decent shot. It's not a crazed pipe dream."

    Whedon said that any deal for a Firefly movie would be contingent on getting the original cast back as the crew of the space transport ship Serenity. "Well, I can't just keep putting them on [The WB's] Angel," he joked. "So I have to make a Firefly movie so I can hang out with them more. Yes, the deal is contingent upon the cast." Firefly starred Nathan Fillion as Capt. Mal Reynolds. Whedon added, "I couldn't go so far as to jinx [the deal] and say it's in the bag. It's not. I still have to write it really well [groans]. But there's no pressure."

    In the meantime, Whedon said that the upcoming DVD of Firefly will include three unaired episodes, plus "the gag reel, interviews with everybody, commentaries on most of the episodes by cast members and writers and directors and me. ... It's a huge package. It's b-lls-out deluxe, which I'm really proud of."

36. Bright possibilities for Whedon's "Firefly"
    (From *Shannon*)

    Firefly may be grounded, but it's not quite ready to be scrapped.

    Created by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), this Western-in-space spectacular was canceled by Fox this winter after a mere half-season's run. Whedon, however, remains committed to the show's possibilities - and hurt by it's quick demise.

    "I still haven't given up on Firefly," he says, "which may seem strange since it's been off the air for months. If I can find a new home for Firefly, TV, or movies or any damn thing, it will soften the blow."

    While he works for a revival, he at least has found a temporary home for two of the show's stars. Gina Torres, who was Firefly's first mate, has begun a run on the WB's Angel as the show's "big bad," Jasmine. And Nathan Fillion, who played the captain, starts a five-episode guest stint Tuesday on the UPN's Buffy. He plays Caleb, a cleric servant of "The First."

    "They're very different roles," Whedon says. "Gina gets to be all pretty, so she's happy. And Nathan gets to be evil, so he's having a ball."

    Whedon also may have found a home for Firefly on DVD. Fox is planning to release the show on disc in widescreen format, possibly in December. Whedon is expected to provide commentary, as he did for Buffy and Angel.

37. 'Firefly's' Tudyk Signs Gollum-Type Role
    

    Alan Tudyk, who most recently starred in the cancelled FOX series "Firefly," will be starring as an animated robot in his next project, 20th Century Fox's feature film "I, Robot," directed by Alex Proyas ("Dark City").

    Tudyk will be performing the role much like Andy Serkis did for Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." For the film, Serkis performed the role completely, and then his physical image was altered digitally for the final print. Tudyk will star opposite Will Smith for the role, but like Serkis, it will not be his face that viewers will see in the final product.

    Inspired by the classic story collection by Isaac Asimov, "I, Robot" is a futuristic thriller in which a detective (Smith) investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot (Tudyk), even though the three prevailing laws of the robot society suggest that such a crime is impossible.

    Filming for "I, Robot" is slated to start in May, although casting is still underway for the role of a female robot therapist. The script was written by Jeff Vintar and Hillary Seitz with the most recently draft by Akiva Goldsman ("Lost in Space," "A Beautiful Mind").

    Tudyk's other credits include "A Knight's Talke," "Hearts in Atlantis," "Wonder Boys," "28 Days," "Patch Adams" and a voice role in "Ice Age."

38. One Emmy Nomination
    

    Nominees for the 55th annual Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced. The awards will be handed out Sept. 21 on the Fox broadcast network.

    Special Visual Effects for a Series: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen," UPN; "Enterprise: Dead Stop," UPN; "Enterprise: The Crossing," UPN; "Enterprise: The Expanse," UPN; "Firefly: Serenity," Fox.

39. Saturn Awards
    

    The 29th Annual Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television gave Firefly's Mal an award: Cinescape’s Faces Of the Future (Male): Nathan Fillion

40. Visual Effects Awards
    

    Visual Effects Society award winner: "Firefly" pilot episode "Serenity," for visual effects in a series.

41. 'Firefly' Thesp Fillion Fills NBC Bill
    

    NBC has made a six-figure talent holding deal with former "Firefly" thesp Nathan Fillion.

    The pact calls for Fillion to star in either a drama or comedy project for the network. Fillion and his reps, along with NBC executives, have already started looking at scripts that may be appropriate for the actor.

    "Right now, my heart is set on comedy," Fillion said. "I'm looking forward to working in front of an audience, making people laugh. But I'm not terribly picky; I just want to work."

    NBC snapped up Fillion not long after it became clear that producer Joss Whedon's "Firefly," canceled by Fox, would not be coming back on another network. Fillion had the lead role on the drama, playing the commander of an outlaw starship.

    "Here's a guy who can do everything, from four-camera comedy like 'Two Guys and a Girl' to a drama like 'Saving Private Ryan' to an action show like 'Firefly,"' said Marc Hirschfeld, NBC's executive VP of casting, citing several of Fillion's most notable credits. "And he's one of those rare leading men who can do both comedy and drama."

    Fillion's other feature credits include the lead in indie picture "Water's Edge" as well as roles in "Blast From the Past" and "Dracula 2000."

42. Networks Nix 'Firefly'
    (From Jennifer)

    Christopher Buchanan-president of Joss Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy, which is behind Fox's defunct Firefly-told SCI FI Wire that ABC, CBS, NBC, UPN and the SCI FI Channel have all turned down deals to resurrect the SF series, at least so far.

    "The status of Firefly as of today is, ... the clock is running down in the fourth quarter, and we're 90 yards away from the goal line, and the Hail Mary is coming up," Buchanan said in an interview.

    Fox put the low-rated series on indefinite hiatus after airing the show's two-hour pilot on Dec. 20, and creator Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has been frantically trying to find another home for the show. Buchanan said that the series' elaborate sets remain intact for now. Before wrapping, the show shot three original episodes that have yet to air.

    "We've explored some of the networks and haven't really made a lot of progress," Buchanan said at UPN's winter press preview. Why? "The cost of the show, the timing, the fact that we didn't finish a full season and have other networks out there figuring out what they have in terms of pilots, what they have in terms of their own series cancellations. Timing is just horrible."

    One problem is Firefly's cost: $2 million per episode, Buchanan said. But, he added, "Joss is completely committed to finding a home for it. And we're joking, we're saying puppet theater if need be. Because we just love our whole cast and crew and have had a great time on it. But we're on life support right now. It's pretty grim right now." A cable network is one possible venue. "We've gone so far as to explore the options in terms of, ... without going into great detail, everything from could we move the show to Canada? ... But the reality is, it's a pretty expensive show. And the budget would have to come down significantly. And just given [studio] 20th [Television]'s investment and all the people involved and stuff, it's pretty unlikely that we would go on, I think, in syndication."

43. Gina Torres On 'Angel'
    

    Wednesday, Apr 9 - (9:00 - 10:00 pm ET) "Angel" WB

    HER LOYAL DISCIPLES The Woman A.K.A. Jasmine (guest star Gina Torres), who was born to Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), has the amazing ability to turn everyone she meets, including Angel (David Boreanaz) and the gang, into loyal disciples dedicated to carrying out her every command. Only Fred (Amy Acker) is able to see that Jasmine’s radiant beauty hides a sinister and powerful secret the others refuse to believe. Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Vincent Kartheiser and Andy Hallett also star. The episode was directed by Marita Grabiak and written by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain

44. Nathan Fillion Fills 'Buffy' Role
    

    Nathan Fillion is joining the cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," taking on a key role in the final five episodes of the about-to-wrap series.

    Fillion, who most recently starred in "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon's short-lived Fox television drama "Firefly," will play Caleb, a former man of God who's turned to the dark side and now follows a "Buffy" baddie known as the First. Fillion's first segment airs next month.

    "Nathan Fillion has a leading man's looks, but he's actually horribly evil, so he makes Caleb the epic foil for Buffy that he needs to be," Whedon said. "Caleb calls himself a preacher, but his habit of murdering girls and his alliance with the darkest evil known to man makes him exactly the sort of guy whose (butt) Buffy needs to kick."

    The actor's feature credits include "Saving Private Ryan" and "Blast from the Past." He also is working on a pilot for NBC.

    Whedon last month confirmed that this season will be the final one for "Buffy," which has aired on UPN for the past two seasons and previously spent five years at the WB. The series finale of the cult fave will air in May.

45. Gina Torres Turns Bad for 'Angel'
    

    Fans of "Angel" who were left bewildered by the ending of Wednesday's (Feb. 12) episode will find out later this season who's been behind all the havoc befalling Los Angeles.

    Turns out the Big Bad looks a lot like Gina Torres.

    Torres, who starred in "Firefly" earlier this season and appears on "The Agency" Saturday (Feb. 15), has signed to do three episodes of "Angel," according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Firefly," like "Angel," is the brainchild of Joss Whedon.

    Her character is described as a "godlike" being who's been the guiding hand behind recent events on the show. That could mean she was the unseen being to whom The Beast made an offering in Wednesday's show, and that she was behind Cordelia's (Charisma Carpenter) turn to the dark side at the close of Wednesday's episode.

    In addition to "Firefly," Torres also starred in the syndicated series "Cleopatra 2525" and had a recurring part as Sydney's nemesis Anna Espinosa on ABC's "Alias."

    "Angel" returns to The WB's schedule Wednesday, March 5.

46. 'Firefly's' Torres Transfers to 'The Agency'
    

    The sun sinks low and long shadows creep across the lawn of a hospital in Brentwood, Calif. For the last few hours, cast, crew and extras of CBS' Saturday-night espionage drama "The Agency" have been buffeted with dust-choked winds as a helicopter lands and lifts off repeatedly, simulating a last-minute evacuation of embassy personnel in a war-torn West African nation.

    The helicopter tucks carefully into a small grassy courtyard (six feet one way or the other, and its rotors smashed into a wall or a decapitated palm tree), as frantic extras push against wire barriers. It's five years ago, says the script for "Absolute Bastard," airing Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET, and Marine A.B. Stiles (Jason O'Mara) must abandon the West African woman he loves, Dacia (Gina Torres).

    But when the deaths of agents force Stiles, now working for the CIA, to return to West Africa, he discovers that he may have left Dacia with more than just fond memories -- there could be a child involved. Stiles also has to explain Dacia to fellow operative Terri Lowell (Paige Turco), with whom he's had a rocky and briefly passionate relationship.

    "She's complicated," Torres says of Dacia. "Here is a woman who fell in love with a Marine during a time in her country when there was great upheaval. They had every intention of going back to the States and having a life together, and chance ensued. She got left behind."

    "Then you pick up five years later where everything is changed. You don't know who's holding what cards, and who's going to play what."

    This is Torres' first acting gig since the cancellation of her freshman FOX series "Firefly," in which she played the first officer of a cargo-hauling spaceship 500 years in the future. The series premiered to high hopes last fall but failed to survive into the new year.

    "I feel like I've licked my wounds a little bit and moved on," she says. "When you're cancelled, and you're involved in a show that you love so much, and the rug gets pulled out from under you, it sucks the hope out of you a little bit. You've got to get back up onto that horse, and this audition was the horse. I booked it and said, 'OK, I can still ride.'"

    That doesn't mean all is lost for "Firefly." "There's cooking happening," Torres says, "and that's great, the fact that they still believe in it. They're trying to work something out."

    Although Torres recently wed "Matrix" and "Biker Boyz" star Laurence Fishburne, she hasn't forgotten her "Firefly" co-stars, including screen husband Alan Tudyk. "Last week, I was making myself lunch, and I looked over at Laurence, and I went, " I love you, but I miss my boys.'"

    While her role on " Firefly" had her in the thick of the action, shooting this episode was another kind of experience. " We shot a sequence where I'm behind a chain-link fence just as everything's erupting. They sent, like, 100 screaming extras at me, just running at me, at the fence behind me. It was one of those no-acting-required moments."

    "The helicopter was great. I kept referring to it as the 'Miss Saigon' moment. That was my first day. I had a good day."

    That day also included some intimate conversations between Dacia and Stiles (whose initials, series creator Shaun Cassidy asserts, stand for " Absolute Bastard," hence the episode title).

    " I don't get to kiss Jason," she says. " My assistant walked into the makeup trailer and said, 'Who's that?' I said, 'That's the guy who leaves me.' 'Do you get to kiss him?' 'No, because he leaves me.'"

    " I know," says O'Mara, " but we've got some moments of, I wouldn't say kissing, but moments of connection in there where we hopefully try to echo what happened in the past."

    Of course, no kissing means O'Mara won't get on the bad side of Fishburne.

    " No," he says, " nor will I get in trouble from Terri Lowell."

    On " The Agency," there isn't much time for in-depth character development, so O'Mara -- who usually handles the bulk of the action sequences -- appreciates the opportunity. " It's a luxury for an actor on a drama series to be given those scenes that inform everything else you do in the present day."

    As for Stiles and Lowell, O'Mara has reason to hope. " Shaun sent me an e-mail just about a week before Christmas. He said, 'Regarding Stiles and Terri, I think it's time we took another shot off the bow.' I don't know what that means, but I know something's going to happen."

    Regarding Dacia, O'Mara says, " My last line to her is, 'I'll be checking in,' so I hope there'll be some other episode that deals with her. I was talking to Gina about it, and she certainly thinks that eventually Dacia will be able to leave West Africa and maybe go hiking through the Smoky Mountains, as Stiles told about."

    O'Mara, who's Irish, then laughs at the thought. " I don't even know where the Smoky Mountains are, for God's sake.""

47. Mutants and Monsters and Babes... Oh, My
    

    Good news, guys — we're finally being guaranteed some action! (Sorry, not that kind.) Starting Saturday with Control Factor, a brain-scrambling government-conspiracy thriller starring Firefly roughneck Adam Baldwin and Elizabeth Berkley, the Sci Fi Channel will premiere two high-octane, low-budget original pictures per month on Saturdays at 9 pm/ET.

    "Sci Fi has always done what we refer to as 'mayhem every seven minutes' — very fast-moving flicks that have aliens, creatures, monsters... any form of threat," network president Bonnie Hammer explains to TV Guide Online. "The movies generally have some moral dilemma involved, but the truth is, they [exist] purely for the sake of the chaos. And we've done extraordinarily well with them."

    How extraordinarily well? Hammer puts it this way: "We originally just had some 'slightly used' [features] that were acquired either pre- or post-video [distribution], and they did well. So we started getting very aggressive about buying titles before they went to video, and they did even better because they were totally fresh. Then we realized we could produce our own and really start controlling [the content]." Since then, she says, "Our ratings have been amazing without even a print ad in TV Guide!"

    Blasphemy! Moving right along, Hammer says she hopes that in the year ahead, Sci Fi not only can establish date night as the berth for death matches, but will find ways to attract a more youthful audience. For starters, she's considering casting fewer long-in-the-tooth former Fox hunks — at present, Grant Show, Richard Greico and Antonio Sabato Jr., all have projects in the works — and more baby-faced WB types.

    In any case, fellas, we're all set for a good time. (Well, except for a companion.) Hammer swears her motto in 2003 will remain: To hell with the lights and the camera, just bring on the action! "If you're home and bored, man, this stuff is gonna keep your eyes open!" she promises. "I'm not sure that you'll be intellectually challenged, but you're not going to fall asleep!"

48. Space Shuffle Launch
    

    Midseason, a sci-fi pilot (3 Stars)

    Like its pasted-together spaceship Serenity, the Fox sci-fi adventure series "Firefly" is surrounded by hostile forces, surviving by sheer ingenuity and searching for a safe place to land.

    Show creator Joss Whedon hasn't exactly been treated well by Fox. First the network scheduled the show Fridays at 8, when few discerning viewers would have the patience or the inclination to commit to a serialized drama.

    Then it shelved the original two-hour pilot, which was deemed too slow and confusing. This got the show off to an awkward start with characters already introduced and established in theory - but not to viewers.

    Having lost faith in the show since its September premiere, Fox has announced its cancellation. A few one-hour episodes remain, but have not been scheduled to air.

    Tonight, in the program's final appearance of 2002, Fox presents - at long last - the original two-hour pilot.

    Watching it is an instructive TV experience. It shows us what writer-director Whedon was up to at the start: melding the futuristic and Western genres.

    From the start, "Firefly" was part Indiana Jones, part spaghetti Western, part "Mad Max," part "Dirty Dozen," part "Kelly's Heroes" and a whole lot of obscure sci-fi.

    In the pilot, when Capt. Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) pulls out a gun and ends a hostage situation with comical abruptness, it's a pure nod to Harrison Ford in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" - one of a handful of delightful references in tonight's show.

    Some treats and surprises have been ruined. Regular viewers know that Zoe (Gina Torres) and Wash (Alan Tudyk) are married, and that River (Summer Glau) has amazing psychic powers, and so on.

    But watching this pilot in retrospect shows how clearly and consistently Whedon and co-executive producer Tim Minear stayed with their own vision, despite what Fox thought or wanted.

    It has been a series good enough to have followed the entire season. In supporting roles, Jewel Staite as mechanic Kaylee, Adam Baldwin as mercenary Jayne, and Morena Baccarin as futuristic geisha Inara all have had a real chance to shine. Ron Glass' mysterious Shepherd probably has had his chance, too, but in the episodes we haven't seen yet.

    The characters and writing are more than distinctive enough to earn the show a reprieve.

    When Zoe is describing a particularly heinous group of space pirates, she says, "If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing." After a beat, she adds: "And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

    Like Whedon's other shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," "Firefly" is more cerebral, humorous and dramatic than it sounds. When WB lost "Buffy" over a rights-and-payment dispute, UPN eagerly picked it up. That would be the obvious home for a suddenly stranded "Firefly" as well.

    Why not pick up "Firefly" for next year, pair it with "Buffy," and have an all-Whedon Tuesday night on UPN?

49. Whedon Searching for New 'Firefly' Home
    

    FOX may have given up on "Firefly," but its creator hasn't.

    The space-cowboys series was cancelled last week. But Whedon, the man behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" as well as "Firefly," is hopeful that someone else will want the show.

    "First of all, I'm prouder of this show and the people I worked with on it than I can express in words, monkey noises, or hieroglyphics," Whedon writes in a posting on Buffistas.org, a fan site devoted to "Buffy" and the rest of Whedon's oeuvre.

    Whedon says he believes "Firefly" has been "mistreated shamefully" -- by whom, he doesn't specify -- but thanks FOX for giving him a chance to shop the show around.

    "Don't think for a second that I have given up on this show," he writes. "The FOX network has indicated that they would not stand in the way (which they can) of my finding a new home for the show. That's no easy prospect. But I will do everything in my power, as always, to keep this bird in the air."

    The show ends its run on FOX Friday (Dec. 20) with a broadcast of the original two-hour pilot Whedon wrote. The pilot, which tells the story of how the crew of the ship Serenity came together, was scrapped after network executives asked for something with more action.

    Three other episodes have finished shooting and will be completed, but their fate remains unclear. "Firefly," which aired at 8 p.m. Fridays, never built a sizable audience, drawing under 5 million viewers a week.

    Saying "it ain't like I'm sleeping," Whedon signs off with a list of other cult favorites that lasted only a short time on FOX.

    "For now, I proudly take my place beside 'Profit,' 'The Ben Stiller Show,' 'The Tick' and 'Action,' " he writes. "But I won't rest until I've found safe harbor (no, not the Gregory Harrison show) for this vessel."

50. Fox Squashes "Firefly"
    

    Firefly's glow is gone.

    Fox's struggling sci-fi series, masterminded by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, just got sucked into the TV equivalent of a black hole.

    The official word from a Fox spokesperson is that the series in on hiatus, which is usually network-speak for virtual death but keeps open the possiblity for a return to the schedule. However, sources close the production say the show has indeed been canceled.

    Firefly, which chronicled the adventures of a band of space pirates aboard the ship Serenity, never took off. Set 500 years in the future, the series was part sci-fi fantasy, part old-fashioned Western and all dud--it averaged a measly 4.7 million viewers and ranked 98th in the Nielsen season-to-date ratings.

    The original two-hour pilot, which never aired, will play December 20. All told, the network has aired 10 hours of the series. Three hour-long episodes remain unaired.

    In the meantime, over-the-top undercover series Fastlane will take over Firefly's Friday night spot at 8 p.m.

    "Obviously we're very disapointed because we love the show and think it's one of the best TV shows on the air," says Chris Buchanan, president of Mutant Enemy, which produced the series. "We will be exploring every possible way to keep the show on the air, whether it's on Fox or another network."

    Series creator Whedon could not be reached for comment.

    Fox had been expecting huge things from Firefly, considering Whedon's hit-filled track record. The prolific writer, producer and director had previously scored with Buffy and its spinoff, Angel. The 38-year-old Whedon also created the big-screen version of Buffy and wrote screenplays for Toy Story and Alien Resurrection.

    Perhaps sensing the axe was ready to fall, a group of Whedon die-hards calling themselves Firefly: Immediate Assistance purchased an ad in Variety last Monday in support of the now defunct series.

    Buchanan said the good will was mutual. "We love our fans. The fans are so important to Joss, and he just wants them to know that we're fighting the good fight to keep the show on the air."

    Even though Fox has bailed on Firefly, there's a remote chance it could surface on another network, perhaps the WB (where Angel resides) or UPN (the place Buffy calls home).

    Meanwhile, another show on the post-sweeps casualty list is ABC's MDs. The medical drama starring William Fichtner (news) and John Hannah (news) had been hammered by NBC stalwart Law & Order and CBS' doctor drama Presidio Med, averaging 6.8 million viewers and ranking at 79 for the season. Celebrity Mole will plug the ABC Wednesday night time slot.

    Earlier this week, CBS confirmed it was putting the Friday night cop drama Robbery Homicide Division on hiatus.

51. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Dec 13, 2002
    

    The next-to-last episode of "Providence," 7.1/13, won the 8 p.m. hour for NBC. CBS' annual showing of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 6.4/12, took second ahead of "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC. "Firefly," which is headed for the cancellation bin, managed only a 2.7/5 for FOX.

52. 'Firefly' Fades to Black
    

    Despite intense promotional efforts by series creator Joss Whedon and the work of a cadre of devoted fans (which included buying an ad in Variety), FOX has decided to pull the plug on its struggling Friday-night science-fiction series "Firefly."

    The network had announced that the show was going on hiatus on Nov. 26.

    "Serenity," writer/director Whedon's two-hour pilot for the show -- the mixed reception for which by studio and network last spring appears to have been only the start of "Firefly's" problems -- airs on Friday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. ET, and that may be the series finale as well.

    "Firefly" continues in production on its 14th episode through next week, completing the full order of 15 hours, but it is uncertain whether the three remaining unaired episodes will be seen on FOX.

    But, according to a 20th Century Fox spokesman, the three episodes will be put through post-production and completed. The spokesman also says that it's likely Whedon and his team at Mutant Enemy Productions will engage in talks to see if "Firefly" can find a new home.

    At this point, Whedon continues to have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" airing on UPN, with its spin-off, "Angel," airing on The WB.

    In the new year, the Friday, 8 p.m. ET, timeslot currently inhabited by "Firefly" will be filled by "Fastlane." That action/drama had been struggling on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, but nevertheless got its full-season order, as did the mystery/drama "John Doe," which continues on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

53. Firefly Cancelled
    (From timminear.net)

    Well, it's official. After much speculation, Firefly has been cancelled.

    Tim had the following to say, "We did get word tonight, Fox won't be ordering any new eps. That translates to 'cancelled.' We will finish shooting the ep now in production (I'm directing, in fact Joss came down to the set to break the bad news to cast and crew -- we wrapped early, but are back at it in the am), we'll finish post on all eps, and Fox says they're going to somehow air all eps."

    But we're not giving up yet. Please continue to check Firefly: Immediate Assistance for updates on the campaign to ressurect Firefly.

54. Firefly vs. the Firing Squad
    

    Having worn out its welcome on Friday nights, Firefly -- Joss Whedon's sci-fi follow-up to Buffy and Angel -- is perilously close to being cancelled. Although it will disappear from the airwaves in a couple of weeks, Fox executives promise that it will return later for one final try at success. However, let's keep in mind that these are the same Fox executives who proudly promised new fall series The Grubbs and Septuplets last May. Seen any episodes of those shows lately?

    Media-watchers have already declared Firefly a terminal case, and it's easy to understand why. Its ratings are in the tank, at least as far as Fox is concerned, even though more people are apparently watching Firefly than either Buffy or Angel. And numerous critics (and presumably viewers) gave up on the show after a lackluster first episode mandated by Fox after the network nixed the show's original pilot.

    But here's the nasty little secret: Firefly is an absolutely brilliant show, perhaps the best sci-fi show on television today -- and certainly the one with the most potential for future brilliance. In the weeks since its weak opening episodes, the series has run off a string of seven strong shows that would be the envy of any other TV show on the air today.

    This summer, it appeared that Whedon's Mutant Enemy production company had bitten off more than it could chew. Buffy was in disarray after a creatively disastrous season; Angel was reeling from the loss of showrunner David Greenwalt and lukewarm support from the Buffy-less WB network; and Firefly's pilot had been sent back to the kitchen. It looked like Whedon and his gang had overplayed their hand; the results weren't going to be pretty, and in the end it looked like the TV wunderkind was going to have plenty of spare time in which to write that stage musical or screenplay that he'd always been meaning to get to during Buffy downtime.

    But a funny thing happened on the way to the charnel house. Whedon and his creative team proved that, far from being one-hit wonders, they're some of the best talents working in television today. Buffy has rebounded with what might be its best season in four years, and Angel has so thrived on its own that The WB is moving it to Wednesday nights in hopes that it can clean up the pile of leather and mascara left behind by Birds of Prey.

    And then there's Firefly. Perhaps the show's toughest sell, judging from its first few episodes, is that it's sort of a western. Set on other planets and in outer space, sure, but with jangly country-western music and dusty frontiers populated by cows, horses, and dirty men in overalls who actually say "dadgummit."

    Only after a dozen episodes does Firefly's depth and versatility really show through. In past weeks, the show has managed to slide between taut locked-in-a-spaceship drama, wacky old-west-cotillion shenanigans, and a terrifyingly violent confrontation in a sterile high-tech medical facility. This show that seemed to have painted itself into a corner with its images of horses and dust bowls turns out to actually have a remarkably broad canvas, with highly industrialized "core planets" straight out of standard sci-fi, as well as poor, low-tech backwoods worlds that rely on incoming starships the way an old west town would wait for the stagecoach to arrive. And given the series' striking use of Mandarin as well as English, one can only assume that there are some Chinese cultures out there to explore as well.

    Filling out the canvas is Firefly's ensemble, a stage-choking nine members strong. Are you like me? Do you see a show with a half-dozen characters and start having trouble telling them apart? Like those three interchangeable guys on Enterprise, who are exactly the same character except that one of them is black and one is English.

    Enterprise only has seven characters. But Firefly, loaded up with two more characters than your standard Trek ensemble, accomplishes something that I never thought possible: each character is well-defined, can't be mistaken for a different character, and has traits that contribute to making the show fun to watch. Holding it all together is Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, no longer one of those guys with the girl at the pizza place. Instead, he's playing the lovable rogue who's, to his chagrin, actually a Hero with a capital H. Reynolds is far from perfect, and is certainly not above thievery -- in fact, he and his crew seem to make most of their living by stealing -- yet when there's a moral decision to be made, he's always on the side of good.

    The other characters include a rare married couple (whose marriage is, in many ways, portrayed more realistically than most non sci-fi shows), a fugitive pretty-boy doctor and his mentally ill savant sister, a high-class call girl, a cute-as-a-button grease-monkey engineer, and a preacher with a mysterious past (played by the fantastic Ron Glass of Barney Miller fame).

    And then there's the topper: Adam Baldwin's portrayal of Jayne. Jayne is everything that Reynolds is not: dishonorable, rude, and cowardly. If Whedon's learned anything from his previous shows, it's that a series regular who stands in opposition to his other characters works wonders. An anti-character can make your other characters look more heroic in comparison, and is pretty damned good with the comic relief as well. And although this bearded lummox with a tendency to steal from his crewmates seems pretty far removed from Charisma Carpenter's cheerleader queen in the early years of Buffy, they serve identical purposes.

    Even if Firefly ends up being snuffed out, it's still a milestone for Joss Whedon and his team. Even stripped of his sly pop-culture references by the show's far-future setting, Whedon has proven that he can write hilarious comedy mixed with equal parts character drama and bang-up suspense. Buffy was no fluke. The people at Mutant Enemy can make great TV, and with appalling consistency.

55. Fmr. Soap Star Guests on Firefly Dec 13
    

    Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin) plays Chari, a "petite and refined prostitute" on FOX's FIREFLY, airing Friday, December 13, at 8 p.m.

56. 'Firefly' to Go on Hiatus As FOX Shuffles Midseason
    

    FOX is introducing a whole series of changes to its schedule com January, heralded by Joss Whedon's "Firefly" going on hiatus.

    FOX President of Entertainment Gail Berman admitted Tuesday (Nov. 26) that the ambitious sci-fi western "did not find an audience right away."

    "What we know is happening with the show is the great creative growth that it's experiencing. That's why we ordered additional episodes," says Berman. "We think that Joss is finding his creative voice with this show and we need to see how that's going to work for us in December."

    Berman says FOX will promote "Firefly" heavily and wait to see if there is any ratings growth when the network airs the original two-hour pilot in December.

    "Because we had already ordered additional episodes, we are going to have several episodes available when it's out of production. So we'll have a running start if we want to put it back in production," adds Berman.

    With "Firefly" on hold, FOX will move "Fastlane" from its Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET slot to Fridays at 8 p.m. in January.

    Starting Jan. 29, Wednesday nights will start off with "That '70s Show" followed by the weekly results of the second "American Idol" at 8:30 p.m. "The Bernie Mac Show" and "Cedric the Entertainer Presents" will move to 9 p.m.

    FOX will announce shortly what will fill the Mondays at 9 p.m. timeslot following "Boston Public" since David E. Kelley's "girls club" was so short-lived. Many assume that midseason drama "Keen Eddie," starring Mark Valley ("Pasadena") as a New York cop who has to go to London to redeem himself, is the front-runner.

    Since losing key anchor shows "Ally McBeal" and "The X-Files" last season, FOX has been struggling to perform. This showed during the November sweeps, when the launch of FOX's new primetime shows were hurt rather than helped by the disruption of the baseball season.

    Berman calls it a "transitional year."

57. Firefly Starting to Shine
    

    It's difficult to imagine how expectations for the new John Whedon (Buffy) sci-fi show Firefly could have been much higher. We're talking about the creator of one of the best shows on TV and a dramatic genre that is finally starting to come into its own. Gone are the days when we had to watch yet another rerun of Star Trek or Lost in Space to get our sci-fi ya-yas out. We've got some variety, some choice, and long before the pilot actually aired, Buffy and sci-fi fans all over were making it clear they were eager to choose Firefly as their new favorite.

    After the first couple of weeks, however, the initial curiosity about the show (no aliens? no superpowers?) died down, and the show has fallen below the hype radar. Many would-be fans expressed disappointment that it wasn't instantly wonderful (forgetting, of course, that the first few episodes of Buffy weren't all that great either), and though Fox hasn't given up on it yet, the network has been less than pleased with Firefly's current ratings, an average of 4.8 million viewers per show after eight weeks.

    Reviews that unfavorably compare the show to Buffy and other well-established TV mainstays, such as this one from Salon.com, are typical:

    After having created a messianic character driven by fate to battle evil (Buffy has no choice but to slay vampires, even when she'd prefer not to), Whedon's new relativist characters seem a little lost. Admittedly, this is the point, but the show lacks the kind of psychological tension that makes "Buffy" snap. As much as the space and western genres have in common, "Firefly" could have probably done without the western soundtrack and the vague "Bonanza" look too. It's not just that the "space as Wild West" metaphor is somewhat redundant, but that neither genre binds the series to the present.

    The reasons a show gets less attention after a few weeks than when it first comes out are obvious, but when something comes along that's as different and off-the-wall as Firefly, viewers desiring quality TV need to exercise a little patience. So if you tried Firefly's first and/or second episode and passed unfavorable judgment, consider this a suggestion that you should come back and try it again. The show is really starting to hit its groove.

    For one thing, the incomprehensibly eclectic nature of the main cast is starting to make a lot more sense. I mean, at first they just seemed so contrived: ex-rebel captain, amoral mercenary, tough female first officer who happens to be married to the big-shirt-wearing pilot, "companion" (call girl), priest, spunky girl engineer, and "upper-class" doctor and his government-messed-up-her-genius-mind sister who are both on the run from that government. It all had a "square pegs" feel, with a too-clever assortment of odds-and-ends people stuck inside a sitcom spaceship.

    But the fun of Firefly has surprisingly turned out to be not in watching this motley crew try to gel, but in learning how they quite purposefully came together in the first place. These are people who have made their choices and prize the freedom such choices bring, even though this means learning to live on the poor fringes of a vast and prosperous society.

    The real turnaround episode is "Out of Gas," where we learn through well-done (for a change!) flashbacks just how the whole riggamarole began. Basically, the episode takes the place of the show's missing pilot episode. We've also gotten vital background information in "Safe."

    Our "rebel captain," Mal, and his first officer, Zoe, fought together in a small and futile rebellion against the oppressive galactic government. Since he saved her life, we've got a pretty basic war-buddies scenario. And as for her husband/pilot, they got together after they met on the ship.

    Kaylee, the girl-engineer who's ignorant of pretty much everything except engines, has had one majorly boring life before she "dated" Mal's first engineer, whom Mal fired in order to hire her. Being on Mal's ship, the Serenity, is the most interesting thing that's happened to Kaylee. Small wonder, then, that she considers Inara's lovely clothes, courtly manners, and stunning looks to be glamorous and dreamy. As for Inara's motivations for being on the ship, they're supposed to be "mysterious," but it's obvious she's quite taken with Mal, in great part because, as a legal prostitute, she's good at sizing people up. Right away, she figured out that Mal is rare thing in her world: a nonuser.

    The brother/sister team appeal to Mal, as having them on his ship is a way to further Mal's personal rebellion against the establishment. As for the brother (a doctor named Simon) and his motivations for staying with a bunch of smugglers...turns out his parents are privileged but cold as ice. On Serenity, he's unwittingly found a community for himself as well as a haven for his sister.

    The best surprise of all has turned out to be Jayne, the me-first-mercenary-played-by-a-Baldwin character I initially disliked. He's truly deplorable, but not unredeemable It's become obvious Mal's crew is the first not-awful group of people he's ever been with, and his resulting confusion is surprisingly endearing. He reminds me a bit of Buffy's Spike, I confess.

    And so now that we have had enough episodes to understand what these people are doing with each other, the show has become a lot more fun. In particular -- and anyone who's read any other reviews by me on this site will find this familiar -- I love the small things.

    Take the episode "Jaynestown," where the crew go down to a planet to pick up another smuggling job. It turns out that Jayne has been there before, robbing the place. He's more than a little concerned that someone is going to shoot him on sight. But when they walk into town, they find instead that Jayne is worshipped as a folkhero. There's even a statue of him on main street. You see, he stole money, but then had to dump it. Coincidentally, the money fell on the poor townspeople. They now regard him as their "Robin Hood." In the episode's best scene, Jayne hides his face as his crewmates hunch down with him in the local bar, listening to the townspeople sing a folksong about their hero Jayne. No one knows how to react. Should they be horrified? Should they grieve for the people's misunderstanding? Or is this just hysterically funny?

    In "Our Mrs. Reynolds," a beautiful and naive girl claims that Mal has unwittingly married her according to the local custom. And old story, you say? Well, as it turns out, this lovely waif is actually a con artist. In this episode's best scene, "Mrs. Reynolds" and Inara the Companion have a sort of seduction-off, both using their wily feminine techniques to pretend they're attracted to each other. When she's seen enough, Inara calls a halt and tells the little tramp where to get off.

    Even the confusing first episode managed a stellar moment. Mal is attempting to gain the cooperation of a bad man by offering him a fair deal. Not only is the deal rejected, but the guy swears he'll one day track Mal down and kill him. Mal looks a little bummed, then kicks the guy into the intake pipe of a roaring engine. So much for the bad guy.

    Other fun things abound, especially the show's propensity for having fun with names. For instance, our dear captain, Mal, has a name that can mean "bad," as in "malodorous," but is also just short for "Malcomb." The ship, Serenity, is both the name of a battle the rebels lost and the ideal of inner peace Mal and the others may be seeking. The dialogue loves to drop sci-fi references, especially incongruent ones.

    There are nice "big" things too. The show's main themes deal with finding personal serenity, whatever it looks like or however much you have to adapt yourself to find it. We've had discussions about the nature of God, the subjectivity of morality, and the elasticity of the human soul. The show loves to take familiar things and twist them, particularly the nature of sci-fi itself. For all the "wide open spaces" of space, this western sci-fi show gets intensely claustrophobic at times, confronting itself characters with limited options and extremely narrow loopholes.

    It really all boils down to the show's rejection of finding "aliens." After all, aliens on sci-fi invariably become some sort of symbol for an aspect of humanity. The Vulcans are unemotionally logical: brilliant but cold. The Vorlons represent mankind's possible evolutionary future, which is still in the process of evolution itself. Without aliens, we are left with nothing but ourselves, and so must accept responsibility for the worlds we live in. We are, in a word, trapped. If we're going to improve, we're not going to get help from any friends but those we make ourselves.

    And so the crew of Serenity has made all the good and bad choices it has taken to find themselves together, even if they don't all like each other, even if they're not sure what the heck is going on, even if they're telling themselves they're just trying to survive, on a semi-shared quest for...something. The show hasn't really made it clear what that something is yet, which is just how it should be. On a quest, figuring out exactly what the prize is can take a lifetime, or at least a two or three more seasons.

58. 'Firefly' Takes Two
    

    A source close to Mutant Enemy, the production company for FOX's struggling Friday-night science-fiction drama "Firefly," reports that the network has ordered two more episodes produced, keeping the series before the cameras through December.

    The new episodes come from six scripts previously ordered, over and above the original order of 13 episodes.

    Series creator Joss Whedon is currently at work directing an episode of "Firefly," a 20th Century Fox Television production that follows the crew of a spaceship trying to make ends meet in a post-civil-war world 500 years in the future. The show's original, two-hour pilot - seen only in abbreviated form by TV critics and not at all by the public - will likely air Dec. 20.

59. Making the Web Work for 'Firefly'
    

    Staffers at Mutant Enemy, the production company behind FOX's "Firefly," are hoping to hear early next week about whether or not the sci-fi drama gets its "back nine" order of episodes, meaning it will complete its first, 22-episode season.

    A lot depends on the airing of this Friday's episode, "Ariel," which just may feature a cameo appearance by Kelly Wheeler, the producer's assistant behind the weblog that is part of the show's official site, at www.fox.com/firefly.

    Whether or not the show gets picked up for the rest of the season, Mutant Enemy president Chris Buchanan is still pretty darn proud of the site. Along with the official site for FOX's "John Doe" at www.fox.com/johndoe (that show got its pickup, by the way), it's an attempt to do on an official site what fans have long done on their own sites.

    This has been done before, most successfully by Lucasfilm's official site for the "Star Wars" films, at www.starwars.com. Loaded with video, behind-the-scenes info, downloadable extras and up-to-the-minute news (often functioning as Lucasfilm's way of releasing news), the site has proven a valuable resource for fans and the press.

    "That gave me real inspiration," Buchanan says. "I was running an Internet company when that site was done, and I was like, 'That's really cool.' I said, 'Look, we're making this really cool show, with so much work going into it from a design perspective, and certainly from the creative, with the casting and all that.'"

    "Some people don't want to know what's going on behind the scenes. They want to know what's going on with the characters. But it's great that, from the get-go, we had production artwork up, really early, before we had even started rendering some of the special effects. We had bits and pieces of the animatronics animation stuff."

    Up and running before the show premiered, the "Firefly" site features video clips of production and interviews with cast members and producers Joss Whedon and Tim Minear.

    "[The early site] had a lot of the standard stuff," Buchanan says, "the background and the characters and the actors. But we said, 'OK, we're going to put up some Web-friendly media, like script pages. We're going to put up some interviews, not formal interviews, but off-the-cuff interviews with Joss and Tim."

    "The real notion -- and we had this meeting very early on -- we want to be the source, the official site, for as much information for the fandom as possible."

    Offering up a lot of that information is Wheeler, an assistant to Gareth Davies, one of the "Firefly" producers. From her vantage point in the production offices and on the set every day, she offers fans a running commentary on what's going on (even letting star Nathan Fillion step in for one day, when he revealed the news of Wheeler's screen debut).

    Of course, all this openness (which doesn't, by the way, extend to revealing important plot points early, as some fan-run "spoiler" sites do) is a scary thing to the studio and the network.

    "When you're dealing with programming executives and these creative execs," Buchanan says, "they're very nervous to give out stuff a month before the episode airs, or to share something that went wrong, that something's being reshot, heaven forbid, which we talk about in the weblog. 'God, this happened ... Sean Maher has the flu, Nathan's got poison ivy.'"

    As does the "John Doe" site, the "Firefly" site has something called "Script to Screen," in which a scene is traced from its first inception to its final filmed form.

    "It was a month-long process," Buchanan says. "The people that are into that level of detail love it. You can sit there and listen to the director talk about this and Tim Minear point out that, and the special-effects person commenting on how they're going to do it. If you want to be that close, you can be there."

    Probably the most fascinating and terrifying aspects of the sites for the producers are the message boards, in which fans sound off about the shows. "I think [our board] went up in August," Buchanan says. "We've had almost 19,000 messages, posted, which, if you look at all the other shows on FOX, is pretty amazing, considering we were the 89th show in the country this week."

60. Firefly's flickering, but the light hasn't gone completely out
    (Vancouver Sun)

    Firefly, the brazen cross between Star Trek and Stagecoach, is a bizarre pastiche of science-fiction and horse opera, and even though the emphasis is on the sci-fi, the show's constant allusions to western conventions and the unmistakable frontier twang of its dialogue ("Looks sort of angry, don't he?") make it hard to forget you're watching anything other than Have Gun, Will Travel set in outer space.

    That may be just one reason why Firefly isn't exactly burning a trail in viewers' minds on Friday nights, where fan interest, never much to begin with, has trickled away of late like a late summer rain in a dry creek bed.

    The light hasn't gone out on Firefly completely, however. Network schedule-makers -- those folks who make programming decisions the way cattle barons stake out prime grazing ground -- may finally be cottoning on to the notion that sci-fi doesn't work on Fridays at 8. The 18-34 male demographic, Firefly's target audience, has better things to do on a Friday night than watch TV, even a show that hails from the mighty Joss Whedon, the creative inspiration behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a proven teller of fine yarns. A move may be in the offing, possibly to Wednesday nights, where Firefly would make a more friendly fit with Fastlane, Fox's flashy (and trashy) homage to male bonding and pedal-to-the-metal testosterone. One thing's fer sure: It can't stay where it is. Not for long, at any rate. Firefly is the sprawling saga of Captain Mal Reynolds (Canuck transplant Nathan Fillion) and the crew of his ship, Serenity, which includes an aging Ron Glass as a preacher, virtually unrecognizable from his Barney Miller days; Adam Baldwin as a devil-may-care hellraiser, and possibly the only male Baldwin on the planet who isn't a Baldwin brother (he has the same last name, but he is not related to Alec, Daniel, Stephen, et al); and Vancouver ingenue Jewel Staite, as a grease monkey unafraid to get her hands dirty or her hair mussed while tinkering with a starship's innards. Serenity's crew (one of Firefly's signature flourishes is that Serenity is referred to as if it were a person, without the "the" in front of it) is on the run from a totalitarian regime called the Alliance. Reynolds and his motley crew of misfits jump from planet to planet, picking up any job they can to keep grub in their bellies and their feet one step ahead of the law. It's an old convention, done most recently (and brilliantly) by the Australian-made Farscape, and while Firefly's fans insist it's cutting-edge fare, to me it goes down like refried beans.

    Even so, like Buffy before it, Firefly has been a lightning rod for high-falutin' deconstruction in some academic circles, though, to be fair, nothing to match "Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies" -- at least, not yet. You do have to wonder, though, when Whedon, in a Sept. 22 interview in The New York Times Magazine, says things like, "It's about the search for meaning," though he did have the wit to add, "and did I mention there's a whore?"

    This said, if something ain't done about its day and time, and right soon, Firefly may have to be renamed Lonesome Varmint and shuffled off into that wild yonder wherein rest The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Sliders. Saddle up, boys, and make it quick.

61. FOX's 'Firefly' Keeps the Lights On
    

    To quote a would-be plague victim in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" : "I'm not dead yet."

    Despite a rocky development process, a last-minute pickup by FOX, a tough time slot, pre-emptions by baseball and sagging ratings, Joss Whedon's science-fiction/Western drama "Firefly" is still alive and kicking on Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

    Some reviewers rated the Oct. 25 episode, "Out of Gas," as the best yet. Written by executive producer Tim Minear (who shares that title with creator Whedon), it used flashbacks to give viewers hints as to how the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity came together in a post-civil-war solar system 500 years in the future, under the command of losing-side-combatant Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion).

    Of course, all this was also laid out in the series' two-hour pilot, but, as Whedon says, "There's a lot of confusion, because they didn't air the pilot, which explains everything. We tried to do that as best we could in an hour show."

    Reportedly not met with unreserved joy by 20th Century Fox Television studio head Sandy Grushow, the pilot is scheduled to finally air on Dec. 20, begging the question of whether "Firefly" is likely to stay on the air until then.

    "Looks like," says Whedon. "We're hoping that we'll get some slow growth, which is what Sandy Grushow said before this season ever started. He said, 'Look, you're going to be hit with baseball. It's not an out-of-the-box thing, we don't expect it to be.' So there's something good on that side. They're letting us keep going, and it really feels like we're ready to hit our stride."

    "The shows that we're working on now have the adventure and the excitement that FOX is looking for, along with all the character stuff, which is why I show up."

    "I think we've found it," says Minear. "I do, I do."

    FOX has ordered three more scripts, over and above the original 13-episode order. "That makes 16," says Minear. "I think I can count. This is the land bridge that connects the two continents. The notion being, they haven't made a decision. If they decide to pick us up, the scripts will already be in development, in the stages of being written, and we won't have to stop production."

    One major difference between "Firefly" and Whedon's previous shows -- UPN's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off, The WB's "Angel" -- is that there is no obvious mission for the characters of "Firefly." They're not charged with saving the universe from anything, and seem to have no mystical destiny to fulfill.

    "I wanted to get away from this sort of overweening Chosen One," Whedon says. "There's a messianic steam in popular culture right now, with 'Buffy' and 'The Matrix.' One chosen person -- it's been cropping up a lot. I want to get away from that."

    "I want to show people -- although they have River there [a disturbed " genius" girl, played by Summer Glau], who's extraordinary, and they're big damn heroes, all that good noise -- I want to show people that really aren't chosen, who would not make the list, who are not the saviors of the world."

    "Frankly," Minear says, "Mal's mission is to keep these people alive and keep flying. It's just about getting by. That's always been the mission statement of what the show is -- getting by."

    Asked if he thinks that's enough for appointment television, Minear says, "I do. It depends on who the people are. It depends on if an audience resonates with the stories that are told week to week, and if the cast is engaging."

    One cast member seems to have broken through already -- the mercenary Jayne, played by Adam Baldwin. Blunt and lumbering, his deadpan humor and bullheadedness have struck a chord with fans. "I was a little surprised that Jayne was as popular as he was," Whedon says. "He's kind of like Cordelia [on 'Buffy' and 'Angel']. He's the guy who says the thing that other people are afraid to say. That usually means that it's the funniest thing in the room."

    Minear says that "Firefly" is not planning any particular story arcs for the November ratings-sweeps period. "Actually, we're trying to make every episode big," he explains. "Something big for the series does happen, pretty much in every episode, but it's not a three-episode arc like we would do on 'Angel' yet. We're not to that point."

    "We're trying to make sure that it's user-friendly for as long as we can make it, so we can hopefully build an audience and stay on the air."

62. Will Fox Swat Firefly?
    

    If you haven't yet sampled Fox's gonzo space Western, Firefly, its creator, Joss Whedon, would like to make one small request: Please do... and preferably tonight at 8 pm/ET. "This week definitely matters [to the series' future]," the celebrated writer-director-producer tells TV Guide Online. "[Network prez] Sandy Grushow said to me before we ever started that this [show] is going to be a slow grow, and [the World Series] is going to hurt us, which it has. Fox has a lot of shows that are underperforming because of this weird season.

    "So," he continues, "I'm not like, 'My future is assured!' But it's also not like the death knell chiming."

    Far from it. In fact, Fox just commissioned three additional scripts from Whedon, the mastermind behind UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its glorious WB spinoff, Angel. However, Firefly has yet to get a full-season pickup. "[The script order from the net] is a vote of confidence, and it's a way of not making a decision," Whedon theorizes. "The next few weeks will be important, and this week I'm particularly stressing because I think it's such a good entrance into the world [of spaceship captain Mal Reynolds and his merry band of rogues and misfits]. That's why I'm all hyped about it.

    "It has a number of flashbacks to how the crew got together," he continues, "so it's a really good way to learn how it all began. For somebody meeting the characters for the first time, it's a real insight into who they are. There's not all this [plot] information to process, which is a problem because the pilot was never shown. People are like, 'Um, what's going on?' The idea was never to confuse people."

    Just so Whedon doesn't add to viewers' consternation, he quickly notes that the backtracking scenes are not highlights from the debut that Fox shot down. "These flashbacks are to before the pilot," he clarifies. "The pilot was the story of how this crew picked up a few wayward stragglers; [this installment] flashes back to how [the original gang] first found the ship itself, what the ship is and what it means to Mal, because [the craft] really is the 10th character on the show."

    Now that that matter has been cleared up, Whedon hopes that viewers will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the show... for years to come, ideally. For the moment, though, he sighs, "Everything is kind of in flux."

63. 'Firefly': Give it space & time
    

    FIREFLY. Tonight at 8, Fox.

    Gene Roddenberry sold the original "Star Trek" series by describing it as a sci-fi variant of the TV Western already on his résumé. Or, as he put it, "'Wagon Train' in space."

    Two TV generations later, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" creator, Joss Whedon, has launched a series by selling it as "'Stagecoach' in space" - and this time, the Western influence is glaringly obvious.

    So, ironically, is a sort of anti-"Star Trek" sentiment.

    Judging "Firefly," the Whedon outer-space adventure that begins tonight at 8 on Fox, turns out to be a bit tricky. The original two-hour pilot, which I never saw, was shelved by the network and will air later in the season as a special. A subsequent one-hour episode, shown to critics a few months ago and introducing all the characters and relationships clearly, has been shelved, too, replaced by the episode airing tonight.

    And while I've previewed that, too, and I enjoyed it, it's hard to unlearn what I already know about the characters, and how they got aboard the renegade space transport ship Serenity. But of all the new shows I've seen this fall, this is the one I most expect to improve. Whedon's history, with both "Buffy" and "Angel," is to course-correct his shows until the second season, when they blossom in a big way. Viewers should be patient; so should Fox.

    Meanwhile, here's what we have: a show, set five centuries in the future, that indeed is a space Western, set on outlying planets populated by nasty humans straight out of a "Mad Max" movie. All the good technology is in the hands of the Alliance, the crisply uniformed winners of a civil war; the losers and renegades make do with more anachronistic weapons, like good old bullet-firing guns.

    The motley crew includes the captain, Mal (Nathan Fillion, a good and wry casting choice); Zoe, his tough secondin-command (played by Gina Torres of "Alias" and "Cleopatra 2525"); Wash, the pilot (Alan Tudyk); Jayne, a tough mercenary with a deceptively feminine name (played by Adam Baldwin); Simon, the ship's doctor (Sean Maher); River, his mysterious sister (Summer Glau); Book, the preacher (Ron Glass from "Barney Miller"); Kaylee the engineer (Jewel Staite), and Inara the regal prostitute (Morena Baccarin).

    The script, like the acting, is playful and a bit unpredictable. With Whedon as creator, writer and director, and Whedon and Tim Minear as executive producers, even this third pass at "Firefly" is lively enough to give every character space and a little history. I'm not sure it's the best first impression a show could make, but it's different and daring enough to warrant a return for a second, and a third.

64. Be sure to catch this 'Firefly'
    

    Stagecoach in space.

    There you have it: Joss Whedon's one-line description for his latest series, Firefly, and seldom has a new series had a more accurately succinct summation. Then again, seldom has a series had a creator/producer as outrageously talented as Whedon, which is why Firefly is one of the season's most highly anticipated series.

    If you're a fan of Whedon's work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( news - Y! TV) and Angel, I don't think you'll be disappointed: Firefly offers the same well-balanced blend of humor, action, sharply drawn characters and unexpected twists on genre conventions. And if you have so far resisted the vamp-call of Buffy, this more mainstream sci-fi adventure may be your ticket into Whedon's TV universe.

    It's an unusual ride, to say the least. Somewhere in Firefly's 500-years-ahead galaxy there are no doubt fabulous cities and wildly advanced civilizations (no aliens, though -- it's a Whedon rule). But on the fringe planets visited by the crew of the Firefly-class transport ship Serenity, life is a hardscrabble fight, and the tools used to survive are a cobbled-together mix of high-tech and low.

    Like the passengers on Stagecoach, the equally disparate crew of the Serenity is starting a new life on the frontier. But unlike those coach riders, they can't count on the cavalry to come to the rescue. Indeed, the cavalry -- the military arm of the powerful space Alliance -- is one more obstacle to be avoided at all costs.

    The ship's captain is Mal Reynolds ( Nathan Fillion), a former soldier who fought on the losing side of a civil war against the totalitarian Alliance. The crew is made up of his former comrade-in-arms Zoe ( Gina Torres); her husband, Wash (Alan Tudyk); the engineer Kaylee ( Jewel Staite); and a hired gun, Jayne ( Adam Baldwin).

    What would a stagecoach be without passengers? As in the Western original, there's a prostitute (Morena Baccarin) and a doctor (Sean Maher), along with the doctor's sister (Summer Glau) and a missionary (Ron Glass).

    Friday's premiere throws you into the middle of the story and then efficiently explains what is going on around you. Many Western conventions are given their humorous due, from a bar fight to a train robbery -- but each time you think you know where the conventions are headed, Whedon tosses in a clever twist to tweak your expectations. I don't want to spoil the fun by giving anything away, so let's just say that threatening Mal is never a good idea.

    Whedon has gathered a fine cast -- led by Fillion's Indiana Jones blend of brooding hero and snippy leader -- and built an interesting world around them. He has not, however, answered every question the premiere raises. There is no doubt an explanation for why these spacemen use guns (something about the Alliance keeping the more advanced, expensive weaponry to itself, I think). At some point, the show is going to have to share such explanations with viewers.

    Still, as an admirer of Whedon's work, I have faith that the answers will come in the weeks to follow, along with the same fully developed mythology and emotional resonance that powers Buffy. For now, I'm happily saddled up and ready to ride.

    Spaceward, ho.Firefly

    Fox, Friday, 8 p.m. ET/PT

    * * * (out of four)

65. 2 Hour Pilot
    

    The 2 hour pilot will air in December as an "Original Special"

66. Spoilers For Upcoming Season
    

    The following contains information about the upcoming season of Firefly, if you don't want to know ahead of time stop reading now.

    The first 6 episodes show Mal & Inara's relationship, reveals River's strange abilities and introduces Reavers, space pirates who rape, kill & eat victims.

67. 'Angel's' Minear Discusses Producer Shake-Up
    

    Writer/producer Tim Minear is having a busy day.

    "Just like every day," he says.

    That's no surprise since, in partnership with Joss Whedon, he's holding the reins on The WB's "Angel" and FOX's "Firefly."

    Whedon co-created "Angel," a spin-off of his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," with David Greenwalt, who recently left the show (he still consults) to be executive producer on the ABC midseason drama "Miracles." As Whedon needed Greenwalt's second-in-command, Minear, to help him launch his new creation, "Firefly," outside producer David Simkins ("FreakyLinks") was brought in to run "Angel."

    Just last week, Simkins departed "Angel" over reported "creative differences," leaving the tag team of Whedon and Minear to oversee both shows.

    "It was an incredibly difficult situation to walk into," says Minear, speaking from the "Firefly" sets on the 20th Century Fox studio lot. "We weren't expecting to fill that position. Just a few months before that, I wasn't expecting to leave, and if David Greenwalt had left under any normal circumstances, I would have been there to shoulder it completely."

    "Then the 'Firefly' thing happened, so everything changed. We didn't have a wicked lot of time to get to know new people, either before we selected David [Simkins] or after he was on board. He was thrown into the deep end of the pool without any lifeguards, and so, because we didn't have the time to really get in there and break him in, just everybody decided that it wasn't going to work."

    Whedon and Minear have turned to "Angel" writer/producer Jeffrey Bell to pick up some of the slack. "Jeff Bell is there," Minear says, "admiraling the day-to-day concerns, but Joss and I are basically running it with everybody. We also have Kelly Manners, who's our on-set producer, who's there for the nuts-and-bolts stuff as well."

    "It's a machine that's running and in place, but at the end of the day, the season arcs and the stories are going to have to be broken by Joss and me and the staff, just like they have been since the beginning of the year, so it's not all that different, in that sense."

    "But I didn't envy David Simkins being put into the middle of that situation, because it's difficult."

68. Whedon Never Tires of Fresh Faces
    

    In a business that frequently fears risk, Joss Whedon has a record of rolling the dice in his casting decisions. On "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," he cast Nicholas Brendon as Xander, and David Boreanaz as Angel -- two actors with limited experience.

    After two seasons on "Buffy," Boreanaz was spun off as the lead of his own show, "Angel," a leap of faith that has been rewarded so far with three seasons on The WB.

    "Angel" later added Andy Hallett, a singer from Cape Cod with no professional acting credits, to play lounge-singing demon Lorne (aka The Host), who has proved one of the series' most popular characters.

    At the end of season two of "Angel," Amy Acker, a Texan with only a handful of credits, joined the cast as the new character of Winifred "Fred" Burkle. Acker became a series regular in season three.

    "I only hire incredibly talented people with no experience," says Whedon, "so I don't have to do a lot of work. Believe me, I've hired a lot of people with a ton of experience who couldn't walk through a door. I've been lucky."

    "You hope what they do will translate to film. In the case of Amy, I had to screen-test her to be sure, because I had made mistakes before. I had seen people that I loved in the room, but on film, I didn't get quite the same energy."

    "So I wrote a screen test and shot it with Amy, and it was clear that she was the one."

    In "Firefly," his new science-fiction series for FOX, Whedon is doing it again. Summer Glau, another Texan who just arrived in Los Angeles two years ago, plays River, a troubled, gifted girl who has been the subject of experiments.

    A classically trained ballet dancer, Glau made her TV debut as a prima ballerina in "Waiting in the Wings," an episode of "Angel" last season that was set in and around a ballet performance.

    "In Summer's case, 'Waiting in the Wings' was her screen test," says Whedon, who wrote and directed the episode. "Summer is extraordinary, and she was so good in that episode. I just love finding these people who've done nothing."

    "Firefly" premieres on FOX on Friday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" returns to UPN for its seventh season on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET; and The WB's "Angel" premieres its fourth season on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ET.

69. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Dec 6, 2002
    

    "Providence" started the evening for NBC with a 7.1/12. CBS took second with "48 Hours Investigates," 6.4/11. ABC was third with a repeat of "America's Funniest Home Videos," while FOX's lame-duck "Firefly" managed only a 2.4/4.

70. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Nov. 15, 2002
    

    "Providence" started the night for NBC with a 7.6/14. CBS took second with "48 Hours Investigates," 6.5/11. "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC was third, 5.9/22, with FOX's "Firefly" bringing up the rear at 2.9/5.

71. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Nov. 8, 2002
    

    "Providence" started the night for NBC with an 8.0/14. CBS took second with "48 Hours Investigates," 6.7/12. "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC was third, with FOX's "Firefly" bringing up the rear at 2.9/5.

72. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Nov. 1, 2002
    

    At 8 p.m., NBC's doomed "Providence" won the hour with a 7.7/14. "48 Hours Investigates" placed second on CBS with a 7.6/14 as a full hour of "America's Funniest Home Videos" finished third on ABC with a 5.9/11. "Firefly" was fourth on FOX with a disappointing 2.8/5.

73. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Oct. 25, 2002
    

    At 8 p.m., NBC's doomed "Providence" won the hour with 7.7/14. "48 Hours Investigates" placed second on CBS with 6.5/12 as ABC's Halloween specials "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (5.8/10) and "Boo To You, Too, Winnie the Pooh" (5.3/10) finished third on ABC. "Firefly" was fourth on FOX, 3.0/6.

74. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Oct. 18, 2002
    

    "Providence" started NBC's winning streak with a 7.5/14 at 8 p.m. ABC took second with "America's Funniest Home Videos," 6.2/12. CBS was third with "48 Hours Investigates," with FOX's "Firefly" managing only a 2.7/5.

75. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Oct. 4, 2002
    

    At 8 p.m., CBS' "48 Hours Investigates" led the hour with 7.3/14 as "Providence" returned to NBC in second place, 7.0/13. "America's Funniest Home Videos" was third on ABC, 4.8/9, as "Firefly" finished fourth on FOX, 4.3/8.

76. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Sept. 27, 2002
    

    The first half of a two-hour "Dateline NBC" won the 8 p.m. hour with a 6.6/12. "America's Funniest Home Videos" took second for ABC, followed by the premiere of the revamped "48 Hours Investigates," 5.0/9, on CBS. FOX's "Firefly" earned a 3.6/7.

77. Fast Affiliate Ratings for Friday, Sept. 20, 2002
    

    At 8 p.m., CBS was in the lead with "48 Hours" (5.4/10) followed by ABC's two-hour special "America's Funniest Home Videos: The Battle of the Best" which averaged a 4.8/9 from 8 to 10 p.m. A repeat of NBC's "Providence" tied with FOX's series premiere of Joss Whedon's space western "Firefly," 4.1/8.

78. Sean Maher Lights Up Whedon's 'Firefly'
    

    Joss Whedon's sci-fi/Western series "Firefly," set to air Fridays this fall on FOX, has had its ups and downs so far, what with a last-minute pickup and revisions to what will be the opening episode, but actor Sean Maher is still happy to be there.

    Well-known to FOX viewers for his guest appearances on "Party of Five," starring roles as a rookie cop in "Ryan Caulfield: Year One" and a New York stockbroker in "The $treet," Maher had to take his new role pretty much on faith. A lot of that faith had to do with Whedon, who previously created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and co-created its spin-off, "Angel."

    Speaking during the FOX upfront presentation to advertisers in New York in mid-May, Maher said, "I had a meeting, then got the role a couple of weeks later. There was no script available. There were only scenes. There were only sides. I had to go on the sides. They were fantastic."

    "Then meeting Joss ... he's one of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life. He's a genius."

    The dark-haired Maher -- who looks slimmer and more refined in person than he did in his police uniform on "Ryan Caulfield" -- plays Simon Tam, the medical officer on the transport spaceship Serenity, whose crew struggles to make ends meet in the wake of a universal civil war, 400 years in the future.

    "I'm not actually part of the crew," says Maher. "I'm a doctor. It's so hard to simplify anything. There are definitely two major ruling planets, and I'm from one of those planets. If you're from one of those planets, you're more privileged. You have a lot of money."

    "So I'm a doctor, a trauma surgeon. My sister is this prodigy, this amazing genius, so we sent her away to this government-sponsored academy that we think is just an amazing school. Then it turns out that she is part of this government test, and they screwed with her brain."

    "I spent all this money to have her snuck out. Then I get on this ship, and it's disreputable and innocuous and all that. So I'm sort of a doctor-turned-fugitive. I become resident physician."

    Texan Summer Glau -- who previously appeared as a prima ballerina in "Waiting in the Wings," episode of "Angel" directed by Whedon -- has been cast as Simon's sister, River. She's described in the press materials as "borderline psychic."

    Asked what sort of a man Simon is, Maher says, "He's on the run, he's a fugitive, but he dresses well. He's not very trusting of anybody. All of his relationships are going to be hesitant. There's a whole storyline with his sister. We find out more of what's going on with her."

    "I think initially he's going to want to leave the ship. She makes connections and all that. She makes relationships, so she's staying." "Firefly" marks the first time Maher has appeared in a science-fiction project. "Initially, I was turned off by the idea of that, because I wouldn't want to do science fiction. But it's not really science fiction. It's Joss' version. It almost feels like a post-apocalyptic Western."

    There's also the spaceship. "[The sets are] phenomenal," Maher says. "They built one-half of the ship on one soundstage and another half of the ship on another soundstage. I was like a kid in a candy shop."

79. 'Girls,' 'Firefly' joining Fox club
    

    Fox is expected to present all three leading ladies of David E. Kelley's new drama series "Girls Club" at its upfront presentation today after locking in Chyler Leigh at the eleventh hour to join Gretchen Mol and Kathleen Robertson in the series about a trio of young lawyers in San Francisco.

    Gersh-repped Leigh is a familiar face to Fox viewers, having co-starred on the network's short-lived comedy "That '80s Show" this season.

    In another last-minute Fox upfront decision, the network has picked up Joss Whedon's sci-fi Western "Firefly" for fall. Sources said the pickup decision came down to the wire between the 20th Century Fox project and another 20th drama, James Cameron's "Dark Angel (news - Y! TV)," for a slot on Friday.

    The network was said to be somewhat disappointed by the two-hour "Firefly" pilot that Whedon presented earlier this month and gave the show a vote of confidence only after Whedon took it upon himself to pen a new script in the past few days. A new first episode for "Firefly" will now be shot, while the original pilot will air at a later time.

    Meanwhile, sources said the network's decision to pick "Firefly" over "Dark Angel" caused tempers to flare in the Cameron camp because they had received indications that "Dark Angel" would return for a third season. Sources close to the situation cautioned that "Dark Angel" was never formally picked up. Cameron had made a strong personal effort to secure the renewal, including tackling the task of directing the season finale.

    Fox's Friday lineup will now include "Firefly" at 8 p.m., followed by Regency TV's new mystery drama "John Doe."

    David E. Kelley Prods./20th Century Fox TV's "Girls Club" is set to take over "Ally McBeal's" 9 p.m. period behind Kelley's "Boston Public."

    "That '70s Show" and "24" are staying put on Tuesday at 8 and 9 p.m., respectively. "Grounded for Life," which received a last-minute renewal, will join the lineup at 8:30 p.m.

    It will be a "Kings of Comedy" hour at 8 p.m. Wednesday with "The Bernie Mac Show" anchored at 8 p.m. and 20th TV's "The Cedric Show," starring Cedric the Entertainer, set for 8:30 p.m. The high-octane Warner Bros. TV action-drama "Fastlane" will close the night for Fox at 9 p.m.

    Because of its baseball coverage, the network will not launch its Thursday shows until October, running movies and specials between the games. After the end of the baseball season in October, the Thursday lineup will feature back-to-back reality half-hours "30 Seconds to Fame," described as being in the vein of "The Gong Show," and "Meet the Marks" at 8 p.m., followed by the teen 20th TV comedy "Septuplets" at 9 p.m.

    Saturday will continue to be a movie night, while Sunday will be all comedy with "Futurama" at 7 p.m., followed by the new 20th TV/DreamWorks TV period sitcom "Oliver Beene" at 7:30 p.m., "The Simpsons (news - Y! TV)" at 8 p.m., "King of the Hill" at 8:30 p.m., "Malcolm in the Middle (news - Y! TV)" at 9 p.m. and the Universal TV/Granada/20th TV blue-collar family comedy "The Grubbs," starring Randy Quaid, at 9:30 p.m.

    20th TV's comedy "The Pitts," which also was a contender for the Sunday 9:30 p.m. period, received a midseason order, along with the network's freshman series "Andy Richter Controls the Universe."

    The hourlong series "Time Tunnel" and "Keen Eddy" also are said to be in consideration for midseason.

80. Pilot News
    (From Official Site)

    The original pilot is going to be used for something later? Joss has a new script! Keep checking back for more on this.

81. Whedon's 'Firefly' Gets Call for Fall
    

    In a last-minute decision, FOX has reportedly decided to pick up "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon's sci-fi series "Firefly" for fall 2002.

    The decision means "Dark Angel" is gone from the network's lineup after two seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter. FOX will officially announce its lineup later today (May 16).

    The network was apparently less than thrilled with the two-hour pilot for "Firefly." Whedon's drama, which he's described as a Western set in space, will follow the crew of a small spaceship that works at the margins of an interplanetary government.

    Whedon offered to write a new pilot script, which FOX will now use as the premiere. The original pilot will be saved for a later time.

    FOX's decision is said to have upset the "Dark Angel" team, who believed the show might be picked up for a third season after some recent active campaigning by series co-creator James Cameron. Sources tell the Reporter, however, that the network never made any formal commitment.

    Also later today, FOX is expected to introduce Chyler Leigh ("That '80s Show") as the third lead in David E. Kelley's "Girls Club," which is taking the place of "Ally McBeal" on Mondays. Leigh, Kathleen Robertson ("Beverly Hills, 90210") and Gretchen Mol ("Rounders," "Sweet and Lowdown" ) will play three young lawyers who share a loft in San Francisco.