Why is it that late on a Friday is such a popular time for pilot pickups?

Foxhas given a pilot order to a laffer from Sony Pictures and TV and Happy Madison, from scribe Adam Goldberg. Untitled singer-camera project is about a group of young geniuses tasked with cracking computer security systems. Seth Gordon is on board to exec produce with Goldberg and helm the pilot.

Also, Fox has given a cast-contingent order to drama "Midland," from 20th Century Fox TV and scribe Kyle Killen. It's billed as a "subversive" soap about a man in the oil biz who lives a double life.

ABC has given a pilot order to “Mr. Sunshine,” a laffer starring Matthew Perry.

Should it go to series, Perry would join fellow “Friends” alum Courteney Cox on the Alphabet net, which just gave her show a sophomore order on Tuesday.

“Mr. Sunshine” centers on a San Diego sports arena manager who goes through a mid-life crisis when he turns 40.

Perry is exec producing the pilot with Thomas Schlamme, who’s directing, as well as Jamie Tarses. Sony Pictures TV and Tarses’ Fan Fare label are behind the project.

Single-camera comedy was written by Alex Barnow and Marc Firek, who will exec produce as well, along with Perry.

Alphabet had already given a major commitment to “Mr. Sunshine” this fall.

“Mr. Sunshine” was also the title of a short-lived 1986 ABC sitcom starring Jeffrey Tambor as a blind English professor.

Emmy's picks for writing and directing nominees in the series categories are kinda like a state of the craft report card every year. They're often the category where new and innovative programs are recognized long before they crack the more prominent races.

But in a year when Emmy voters seemed to embrace new and different, the choices in the writing and directing heats seem more pedestrian, though some of this year's contenders were so obvious (Bryan Fuller and Barry Sonnenfeld for "Pushing Daisies" Pie-lette, Matthew Weiner and Alan Taylor for the "Mad Men" pilot) as to take some of the suspense out of the race this year. Sonnenfeld (pictured left) and Taylor (pictured right) have already bagged DGA Awards for their work on these pilots.

Sonnenfeld, IMHO, can safely begin rehearsing his acceptance speech for comedy helmer. (Coming from him, it oughta be a doozy.) The competish is strong -- a six-nominee category meaning that there was one tie in the nom ballotting -- but nothing was quite so inventive and visually distinct as that first slice of ABC's "Pushing Daisies."

From my viewfinder, the dark horse in the race could be James Bobin of HBO's "Flight of the Conchords." Bobin, co-creator of the series with Kiwi comedy-rockers Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, is up for the "Sally Returns" episode of "Conchord's" 12-episode frosh season.

Dan Attias nabbed a nom for the "No Cannes Do" installment of "Entourage." Paul Lieberstein has shown that there's no end to his talents by performing, writing and directing segs of NBC's "The Office," and now he's up for helming the seg "Money" Parts 1 and 2 (sounds like a James Brown hit from the early '70s). Also nommed from "Office" is Paul Feig, for handling the season finale, "Goodbye, Toby," which happened to mark the farewell of Lieberstein's character. Michael Engler of NBC's "30 Rock" is up for the "Rosemary's Baby" installment.

First impressions** of Fox's "Fringe."

The net hasn't sent out screeners of J. J. Abrams' new drama but it did hold a few screenings for press the past few days in Gotham and L.A.

Fox execs emphasized that the roughly 90-minute Warner Bros. TV pilot was still "unfinished," but they are still eager to show it off (and undoubtedly get some feedback). I'm writing this with my Spoiler Radar turned up to 11 in a sincere effort (as always) to not ruin any of the drama for viewers prior to "Fringe's" September debut.

About five minutes in to the screening, I realized I've done this show a terrible injustice with the loglines I've been using the past few months, and the suggestion that it would be very "X-Files"-ish. It's not. It's right there in the  patented Abrams-conspiracy chiller/thriller/action milieu with a wildly intricate plot. It's a good sign that the pilot -- penned by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and helmed by Alex Graves -- does not feel too derivative of "Lost," even as it opens with mayhem on a commercial airline flight bound for Boston's Logan airport.

The accurate synopsis: "Fringe" opens with FBI agents including Dunham sent to Logan Airport to investigate the ultra-mind-boggling situation that erupts when a German commercial airliner lands with a plane full of dead people, crew included. And they're not just dead, but dead in a horrible, scientifically inexplicable way. Dunham's dogged pursuit of the how, why and what-the-#$$%@? in the airline case puts her on the trail of a broader conspiracy that extends deeper and wider than she ever could have imagined. Her investigation also puts her in contact with a brilliant scientist who happens to have been institutionalized for the past 17 years. Dunham recruits the scientist's miscreant son to help get him a furlough from the institution so that the elder and younger can help her ferret out the truth.

PRO

Anna Torv. The Aussie star is really good in the skin of the driven, resourceful and not-without-humor FBI agent Olivia Dunham. She's not a warmed-over Kate from "Lost" or "Alias'" Sydney Bristow. She's got her own quirks and traits, and that's a very good thing. Torv is beautiful in an unconventional way. I also appreciate that she looks like a real person, not an 80-pound weakling. Olivia does share Sydney's ability to kick butt and run like the wind when duty calls.

**Once again, these are first impressions and not meant as a review or hit-or-miss declaration. Pilots at this stage of the game are still works in progress.

More first impressions** on the new crop for 2008-09, starting with CBS because they were the first to get their pilots out post-upfront -- probably because they had more completed pilots than any other net.

(Click here for the previous First Impressions post on "Ex List," "Project Gary" and "Worst Week.")

The Mentalist

PRO:

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Snappy writing makes it a cut above the patented CBS procedural drama, this time focusing on one-time purported psychic whose wife and child were slaughtered by a serial killer. Reformed sham artist now uses his keen powers of observation to help a team from the California Bureau of Investigation solve really hairy and heinous crimes. Think "Monk" without the neuroses, played with depth by Baker.

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Great scene with the investigative team members discussing the case at seafood restaurant gives us a lot of interesting character traits in a short amount of time without clubbing us over the head with exposition.

Nice direction by David "pilot zen master" Nutter.

CON:

A little CBS-formulaic in its execution in parts, starting with Robin Tunney's tough-as-nails team leader character.

Who's ever heard of the California Bureau of Investigation?

Character name of the cute rookie member of the investigative team, Grace Van Pelt (played by Amanda Righetti), makes us think of Lucy Van Pelt and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

**Once again, these are first impressions, and not meant to be a review or hit-or-miss declaration. At this stage of the game, pilots for new fall series are still very much works in progress.

First impressions** from the first batch of pilots to land on my desk (thanks CBS):

The Ex List

PRO:

There's a lot to dine on here in the single-woman's fantasy story of finding Mr. Right at the direction of storefront psychic who tells her to revisit all of her old boyfriends to find the One, within a year or she's outta luck. Cast is uniformly good, particularly lead Elizabeth Reaser as Bella, Anne Bedian as the psychic, Rachel Boston as Bella's sister Daphne and Alex Breckenridge as friend Vivian.

Writing is peppy, very conversational and of-the-moment in its references and meter.

Premise, based on an Israeli series, feels fresh, as does the setting, in a fictional seaside community. The fairy tale-ish element in the premise makes the idyllic-hamlet backdrop work just fine, and helps explain why the femme characters are clad mostly in barely-there sun dresses and itsy-bitsy bikinis.

CON:

Dialogue is a tad breathless here and there, but it's nothing that can't be tapered back.

Characters are uniformly sex-obsessed and ultra vain, which could wear thin.

Reaser and Boston appear to have not eaten for at least five years.

**Once again, these are broad-strokes first impressions, not reviews or hit-or-miss declarations. At this time of year, pilots picked up for the fall are still very much works in progress.

Is there a better character actor in TV these days than Lance Reddick?

His steely presence as the ramrod-straight (well, almost) cop Cedric Daniels added so much to "The Wire," particularly in the final season that wrapped in March. He's creepy-beyond-freaky in his recurring role as the ultra-mysterious Matthew Abaddon in "Lost" this season (on that show, that's saying something). And he's sure to add gravitas to J.J. Abrams' latest small-screen adventure, "Fringe," on Fox in the fall. I probably should've known that he was cast in that pilot but it didn't register until I saw the cast shot this ayem when Fox announced its sked.

The Yale drama school-trained Reddick made his mark on the New York stage (that's clear from his distinctive intonation) and gradually moved into film and TV roles. (He's nothing if not versatile. His C.V. even includes a guest shot as a stage hand in a 1997 seg of "The Nanny.") A semi-regular role on HBO's "Oz" in 2000 and 2001 helped Reddick raise his profile, as did his role in the Emmy-winning HBO mini "The Corner," a precursor to "Wire." He's done guest shots on all three "Law & Order" shows, he's stopped in on "CSI: Miami," "The West Wing" and "Numbers," and been seen in features including "I Dreamed of Africa,' "Don't Say a Word," "Brother to Brother" and most recently, the Tribeca entry "Tennessee."

Here's hoping he gets a long steady gig on "Fringe." He appears to play one of the good guys, an FBI agent working with the femme hero (played by Aussie actress Anna Torv, pictured right with co-star Joshua Jackson) to help solve the mystery of why a plane load of people die grisly deaths on a commercial flight (Flight 627 -- what's the numerology there, I wonder?) into Boston. Their probe begins to uncover traces of a broader conspiracy...but you already suspected that.

Update: Reader AC brings up a good question: Will Reddick's role on "Fringe" prevent him from recurring on "Lost" next season and beyond? I'm thinking probably not, although it will probably take some advance planning on shooting dates, especially because "Lost" lenses in Hawaii. The fact that "Fringe" and "Lost" both hail from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot banner (albeit different studios in Warner Bros. and ABC Studios, respectively) doesn't hurt either -- both shows will (presumably) be more inclined to help each other make it work. Even if there was no such connection, Reddick's role on "Lost" can only raise his profile with the same demo that "Fringe" hopes to attract, so you gotta believe that the powers that be see Reddick doing double duty on both shows as a good thing all around. Of course this presumes that "Lost's" creative stewards see Reddick's character continuing in a significant way. You can never tell on "Lost," but they've certainly woven him into enough integral plot situations that it stands to reason we're going to see more of him.

Fox is giving "Fringe" everything it's got in the fall, moving "House" down to an 8 p.m. slot to give J.J. Abrams' new drama (pictured left) a strong sendoff on Tuesdays in the fall.

There was more shuffling than we expected on Fox's fall lineup. With going for laughs in the Wednesday 8-9 p.m. hour this fall, Fox has done a switcheroo and will slot drama "Bones" at 8 p.m. and its sitcom combo "Til Death" and "Do Not Disturb" (the working title for the newcomer formerly known as "The Inn") at 9 p.m.

Monday will remain home to "Prison Break" at 8 p.m. at 9 p.m., paired with season two of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday are all unscripted, and Sunday remains animation central. Frosh toons "Sit Down, Shut Up" (which seems to have gone back to that title after switching to "Class Dismissed" earlier this week) and "Family Guy" spinoff "Cleveland" (pictured right) won't be ready until spring at the earliest.

Here's Fox's fall sked. Variety's marathon-man Michael Schneider has more details in this report. The January lineup and new show descriptions follow after the jump.

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2008

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
9:00-10:00 PM   PRISON BREAK            

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    HOUSE   
9:00-10:00 PM   FRINGE         

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    BONES          
9:00-9:30 PM    ‘TIL DEATH             
9:30-10:00 PM   DO NOT DISTURB (wt)            

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    THE MOMENT OF TRUTH            
9:00-10:00 PM   KITCHEN NIGHTMARES             

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?             
9:00-10:00 PM   DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!               

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM    COPS   
8:30-9:00 PM    COPS   
9:00-10:00 PM   AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK      
11:00 PM-Midnight       MADtv   
Midnight-12:30 AM       TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM    THE OT (NFL post-game) 
8:00-8:30 PM    THE SIMPSONS   
8:30-9:00 PM    KING OF THE HILL       
9:00-9:30 PM    FAMILY GUY      
9:30-10:00 PM   AMERICAN DAD            

And now our attention turns to Fox, which wraps up upfront week on Thursday with its 4 p.m. presentation at Gotham's City Center.

Come to think of it, I wonder why Fox didn't go first this year? It's been the No. 1 network in 18-49 for the past four seasons, and in this strike-jumbled year it's going to close out the 2007-08 campaign as No. 1 in total viewers too.

So with NBC sitting out its usual Monday midday slot in this year in favor of the Jimi Hendrix version, Fox might've moved in and made a statement about how far its come since the days of "Mr. President" and "The Wilton North Report." What's the expression Rupert Murdoch is fond of citing -- "Fortune favors the brave" Oh well, maybe next year.

The time has come to get in touch with our inner Preston Beckman and figure out what moves Fox is going to make in the fall and in its January season. It doesn't take a Ph.D in skedding to figure out that the net is going to shine a spotlight on J.J. Abrams’ drama “Fringe” as its hot new prospect for the fall and Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” for midseason.

Speculation is that “Fringe” will land on Monday in the fall in tandem with “Prison Break” or “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” The betting is that Fox won’t want to mess with success on Tuesday and thus will keep its drama combo of “Bones” and “House” intact on the night for the fall.

Wednesday seems likely to remain Fox’s live-action comedy night, though the net may shuffle things in light of CBS’ decision to sked laffers in the 8-9 p.m. hour next season. Newcomer “The Inn,” starring Niecy Nash and Jerry O’Connell, is likely destined for a pairing with third-year sitcom “Til Death.” Wednesday 9 p.m. could go to “Sarah Connor” if “Fringe” winds up mated with “Prison Break on Monday.

In the fall, Thursday and Friday are expected to remain some combination of unscripted skeins. As ever, Fox has a strong reality bench that includes “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Moment of Truth” and “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader.”

Sunday is set to remain status quo with a stack of animated comedies. Newcomers “Class Dismissed” and “Family Guy” spinoff “Cleveland” won’t be ready to bow until first quarter at the earliest.

Meanwhile, given how much 20th Century Fox TV is investing in Whedon's latest TV effort, “Dollhouse” is sure to land a plum spot in January when “24” and “American Idol,” return to the lineup.

Unless Fox pulls out something at the last minute, it looks like CBS' "Eleventh Hour" wins the prize for the most exec producers on a new show this year.

The Jerry Bruckheimer Television/Warner Bros. TV drama, based on a British miniseries of the same name, has a whopping seven e.p.'s credited: Bruckheimer (natch), Jonathan Littman (head of Bruckheimer TV), Danny Cannon (who helmed the pilot), Cyrus Voris, Ethan Reiff, Mick Davis (who penned the pilot) and Paul Buccieri (head of programming for the U.S. arm of Granada, which produced the original Brit mini). NBC's Canadian import, "The Listener," set for a summer '09 run, is a close runner-up with six exec producers listed. Thursday ayem update: Fox also comes close with two series that have six exec producers: comedy "Do Not Disturb" and drama "Fringe."

Funnily enough, "Eleventh Hour" also boasts the smallest cast, at least at this point. CBS' press release info on the show only lists star Rufus Sewell. Sewell plays brilliant biophysicist and government advisor Jacob Hood, who's tasked with investigating "scientific crises and oddities" for the government. (Patrick Stewart tackled the role in the original version.) Hood's often called in "at the eleventh hour," hence the title.

Wonder if Hood will ever run in to the brilliant scientist and plucky FBI investigator from Fox's "Fringe," which mines a similar vein. The social circle for egghead gumshoes following in Scully and Mulder's footsteps can't be that big, can it?

CBS is looking for laughs next season, expanding its comedy presence to Wednesday nights with a new block anchored by "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and newcomer "Project Gary," starring Jay Mohr.

Eye's other new comedy pickup, "Worst Week" (pictured above), nabs the coveted post-"Two and a Half Men" launch pad Monday at 9:30 p.m. Overall, CBS has slotted five new skeins on its fall 2008, with murder mystery drama "Harper's Island" on the bench for midseason.

Beyond the comedies, the other big move on the fall sked is the slotting of new Jerry Bruckheimer drama "Eleventh Hour" into the post "CSI" slot on Thursday, while "Without a Trace" heads to Tuesday 10 p.m. Much talked-about new drama "The Ex List," (fka "Mythological Ex"), has landed on Friday in the 9 p.m. sandwich slot between "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numbers."

Variety's man at the upfronts, Michael Schneider, has all the details in this dispatch from CBS' ayem press briefing.

MONDAY:

8: The Big Bang Theory
8:30: How I Met Your Mother
9: Two and a Half Men
9:30: Worst Week (new)
10: CSI: Miami

TUESDAY:

8: NCIS
9: The Mentalist (new)
10: Without a Trace

WEDNESDAY:

8: The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30: Project Gary (new) pictured above right
9: Criminal Minds
10: CSI: NY

THURSDAY:

8: Survivor
9: CSI
10: Eleventh Hour (new) pictured right

FRIDAY:

8: Ghost Whisperer
9: The Ex List (new) pictured below
10: Numbers

SATURDAY:

8: Drama repeats
9: Drama repeats
10: 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY:

7: 60 Minutes
8: The Amazing Race
9: Cold Case
10: The Unit

New show descriptions after the jump:

ABC saved a few development tidbits for its upfront presentation at Avery Fisher Hall today. One that stood out was ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson confirming that the net is developing an adaptation of the online serial "In the Motherhood," which stars Leah Remini (pictured left), Jenny McCarthy and Chelsea Handler (pictured right) as typically harried moms.

This is the first I've heard of this thing, but the Internet shorts are sponsored by Suave and Sprint and are hosted by MSN at www.inthemotherhood.com. And  it appears that each of the three- to four-minute shorts are inspired by stories sent in by bona fide harried moms from around the country. Production looks high-end, as these things go.

As as harried journo-mom myself, I've got no time right now, but I'll have to check 'em out when I'm off deadline -- and after a certain 7-year-old's bedtime.

Here we go with the first main event -- ABC unveiled its fall sked this ayem.

Lineup is mostly similar to what worked for the net last fall, before all hell broke loose with the strike. As predicted, new drama "Life on Mars" (pictured left) landed the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" slot on Thursday. "Boston Legal" moves from Tuesday to Monday 10 p.m. to make room for "Eli Stone," which the net showed major faith in by picking up for a sophomore sesh.

Ashton Kutcher the producer scored by landing the Tuesday 8 p.m. berth on the fall sked for Katalyst's latest unscripted concoction, "Opportunity Knocks" (pictured right), plus Katalyst got a midseason order for a beauty pageant thing co-produced with Tyra Banks' shingle. So Katalyst is 2 for 1, because from the looks of ABC's release, doesn't seem like comedy "Miss Guided" is back, but we don't know that for sure yet.

I don't think I'm the only one who looks at this sked and thinks -- good grief, after May 29, we're gonna have to wait NINE LONG MONTHS before "Lost" comes back!?! Oh, the agony.

MONDAY:

8:00 p.m.  “Dancing with the Stars”
9:30 p.m. “Samantha Who?”
10:00 p.m. “Boston Legal”
 
TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Opportunity Knocks”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Eli Stone”

WEDNESDAY:

8:00 p.m.  “Pushing Daisies”   
9:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money”

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Life on Mars”

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Wife Swap”
9:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
 
SATURDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

NEW SHOW DESCRIPTIONS

“LIFE ON MARS”
“Life on Mars” is based on the BBC series created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah. The series revolves around Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective.

“Life on Mars” stars Jason O’ Mara as Sam Tyler, Rachelle Lefevre as Annie Cartwright, Colm Meaney as Gene Hunt, Stephanie Jacobsen as Maya, Lenny Clarke as George Randall, Patrick Wenk-Wolff as Colin Raimes and Richard Benjamin as Milton Kornboll.

The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett and David E. Kelley are the executive producers. The pilot episode of “Life on Mars” was executive-produced by David E. Kelley, Tommy Schlamme, Bob Breech, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett, and was produced by David E. Kelley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

“UNTITLED ASHTON KUTCHER/TYRA BANKS PROJECT”
A beauty pageant unlike any you’ve ever seen, from executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks.

“OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS”
“Opportunity Knocks” is a new show that breaks the mold of typical game and reality shows. We will be showing up on America’s doorstep and testing how well they know their family. Our mobile team will arrive at “Anywhere, America” in a semi-truck that is full of flat screen TVs, new furniture and big cash prizes that the family can win right there. We will take the action of a game show directly into our contestants’ homes, setting up shop in a family’s front lawn. The instant our host, JD Roth, knocks on the front door, the game will begin. Hollywood will invade a suburban neighborhood, and each week one lucky family will play the game of a lifetime in front of all their friends and neighbors.

The host poses trivia questions to family members based directly on their lives, each other and articles found in and around their home. If they’re able to prove they know their family inside and out, they’ll win the prizes of their dreams.

Executive producers for “Opportunity Knocks” are Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, J.D. Roth and Todd A. Nelson. “Opportunity Knocks” is produced by Katalyst Films and 3 Ball Productions.

“THE GOODE FAMILY”
A new animated series from Mike Judge, creator of “King of the Hill.” “The Goode Family” is obsessed with doing the “right” thing, whether it’s environmentally, politically or socially. Unfortunately their efforts often have unintended comic consequences.

“The Goode Family” is voiced by Mike Judge as Gerald, Nancy Carell as Helen, Dave Herman as Ubuntu and Abby Elliot as Bliss. Executive producers for “The Goode Family” are Mike Judge, David Krinsky, John Altschuler, Michael Rotenberg and Tom Lassally. The series is produced by MRC and 3 Arts Entertainment.

ABC has no shortage of riches in its comedy casting this year, even if most of its pilots will be shot after its upfront in this wacky year.

“Will & Grace” trouper Megan Mullally is the latest to sign on to an ABC project. She's joined the cast of “Bad Mother’s Handbook,” starring opposite Alicia Silverstone. “Handbook” hails from ABC Studios and scribes Jenni Konner and Ali Rushfield; premise focuses on three generations of femmes in a family in which a 30-something woman is overwhelmed with responsibility for taking care of her teenage daughter and her own mother.

With the casting set, the single-camera pilot is set to lens later this month with Richard Shepard (an Emmy winner last year for the pilot of "Ugly Betty") directing. Mullally, a two-time Emmy winner for her work on “Will & Grace,” toplined her own daytime yakker in the 2006-07 season. More recently, she’s been busy on Broadway co-starring in “Young Frankenstein.”

In addition to Silverstone and Mullally, ABC has a comedy pilot set with Alyssa Milano ("My Brother's Hot and Other Dilemmas"), pictured right; Damon Wayans ("Never Better"); and Portia de Rossi in an untitled entry from scribe Victor Fresco.

CBS is rolling the dice on another multi-generational comedy, giving the pickup nod to  "Worst Week," based on the Beeb's "Worst Week of My Life."

Laffer, penned by Matt Tarses and helmed by Adam Bernstein, revolves around a young couple in pre-wedding mode navigating the idiosyncracies of their soon-to-be in laws. Series stars Kyle Bornheimer and Erin Hayes as the couple, and "That '70s Show's" Kurtwood Smith (pictured left) and "New Adventures of Old Christine's" Nancy Lenehan (pictured right) as the bride-to-be's mom and dad. (Sorry, I couldn't readily put my hands on pics of Bornheimer and Hayes.)

"Worst Week," from U.K. production powerhouse Hat Trick, has had strong buzz for a while at CBS. Sometimes getting too hot too early can hurt a pilot's chances, but it obviously wasn't a problem this time around.

"Worst Week" was one of two comedy pickups CBS dispensed today. The other went to "Project Gary," the Jay Mohr starrer that had been kinda low-profile but came on strong last week after the pilot screenings.

Word is that CBS has just made it official on its hot drama pilot "The Ex List" (fka "Mythological Ex"), from 20th Century Fox TV and scribe Diane Ruggiero.

Series is based on an Israeli series about a woman who's told by a tarot card reader that she needs to get married by year's end, and that the man of her dreams is someone she's already known in her life, which of course sends her on a journey through her past. Buzz is that CBS supremo Leslie Moonves in particular sparked to the pilot -- it's believed to be the one he was talking up to investors as his favorite on CBS' earnings conference call earlier this month.

U.S. rendition stars Elizabeth Reaser (pictured in center), Rachel Boston, Alexandra Breckeridge and Adam Rothenberg. Timothy Busfield helmed the pilot. Ruggiero and Jonathan Levin are exec producers.

Meanwhile, the other no-brainers dramas pilots picked up by CBS are Jerry Bruckheimer's "Eleventh Hour" (which is said to have formally been picked up a week or so ago but kept under wraps so as to not bruise any other egos)l Simon Baker starrer "The Mentalist," both from Warner Bros. TV. Also ordered is "Harper's Island," a murder mystery from CBS Paramount Network TV and Jon Turteltaub's Junction Entertainment (the one-time home of "Jericho").

There's chatter that the "X-Files"-esque "Eleventh Hour" could be bound for the post "CSI" berth on Thursdays.

Frosh CBS drama "Moonlight" may be facing "Jericho" syndrome. The vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin has its rabid fans, but not quite enough of them to make it a slam-dunk pickup for season two.

The Warner Bros. TV drama seemed to be about 50-50 for a renewal during the weekend, but those odds are getting longer, insiders say. CBS is high on a bunch of its drama pilots this year (no surprise there) and thus, there may not be room on the Eye's sked for more "Moonlight" next season.

Speculation is that "The Unit," another bubble drama that is expected to secure a renewal, may move into "Moonlight's" Friday 9 p.m. berth in the fall.

Nothing's official yet but it looks like Fox has decided to take a pass on the Bernie Mac comedy that Bruce Helford penned for Warner Bros. TV, "Starting Under." However, the network is said to be bound and determined to getting the comedian back on its air as soon as possible, and execs hope to start developing a new project with Bernie Mac after the upfront madness ends.

Warner Bros. TV, which has a deal with the comic, is equally determined to find the right fit for the star and will likely shop a new project around town, though there's an understanding that the welcome mat is definitely still out at Fox for Mac.

During the weekend, the signs were that Fox would pick up "Starting Under," about a blue-collar guy who's forced to move in with his son after losing his job, and then give it a major overhaul. But somewhere between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, there was a meeting of the minds and it was decided that it would make more sense to just start over again from scratch.

Bernie Mac, of course, enlivened Fox's air from 2001-2006 as the star of "The Bernie Mac Show."

Jay Mohr is on the move to another night at CBS. That's what everyone who's been obsessing about pilot pickups this weekend seems to think. It's official: CBS made the pickup call Monday ayem.

Buzz on Mohr's laffer pilot, tentatively dubbed "Project Gary," from scribes Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander and ABC Studios is very strong -- Monday 9:30 p.m. strong.

Mohr's spent the past few seasons on CBS' Friday night lineup as a regular on "Ghost Whisperer." If the pilot lives up to its advance billing, it outta be fun to see Mohr exercising his comedy chops again as a middle-class, mid-30s dad who's recently divorced and struggling to juggle his re-entry into the dating scene with the demands of his ex and his kids. Sitcom also stars Paula Marshall and Jaime King.

Per the Eye's custom, skedding news will be kept under wraps on a Need to Know, retina-scan clearance level until Wednesday ayem just prior to CBS' Big Shew at Carnegie Hall.

Primetime in the 2008-09 season is gonna be all over the map -- Australia, Israel, Canada and the U.K. for starters.

In this strike-interrupted pilot season, networks are embracing concepts and formats from overseas like never before. After writing "based on a ----- series" about 50 times while tracking the pilot buzz this weekend, I got to wondering about the origins of these projects.

I doubt that I'm the only one who assumes that if a property is being exported to the U.S., it must've been a hit at home, right? Wrong. At least that wasn't the case with "Sit Down, Shut Up" (pictured left), the live-action Australian sitcom that has inspired the Fox animated series "Class Dismissed," from Mitch Hurwitz and a bunch of his old "Arrested Development" cohorts. Fox gave it the greenlight on Saturday on the strength of a short presentation reel.

Original "Sit Down" ran for 13 segs on Australia's Channel Ten in 2001 but wasn't well received by critics or viewers, according to a post on "TV Tonight," a blog that bills itself authoritatively as "Australia's leading TV blog." In fact, this voice of Oz TV greeted the news that "Sit Down" had been fingered as a U.S. animated series with a pithy: "Now I've heard everything."

CBS is believed to be thisclose to picking up has picked up an unusual drama project, "Mythological Ex," that is based on an Israeli series of the same name (and retitled "The Ex List" for the U.S.).

Tracking down any details of this show -- revolving a woman sent on a soul-searching journey after a tarot card reader tells her to get hitched pronto to Mr. Right, who is someone who has already been in her life -- on the web in English was kinda tough.

From what I could gather, the series airs on Israel's Channel 2, an outlet that bowed in 2005, and is produced by a company called Reshet TV. Here's the link to the company's home page. If anyone who reads Hebrew can provide further guidance on whether "Mythological Ex" has its own page within, I'd be grateful. (Thanks to reader Phil, here's the link to the page, with clips of the show.) The image at right was all I could turn up through the Google Image search.

Word is that CBS execs are over the moon about the potential of the U.S. adaptation penned by Diane Ruggiero.

Fox just made it official: It's a go for J.J. Abrams' "Fringe."

Two-hour pilot produced by Abrams' Bad Robot and Warner Bros. TV, stars Aussie thesp Anna Torv as a femme FBI agent who tackles cases involving spooky unexplained phenonena with the aid of an out-there scientist and his neer-do-well genius son. Yes, it does sound like "X-Files Redux" but because "Lost" is perhaps the Greatest Show Ever we'll give Team Abrams (whose fearless leader is pictured at left) the benefit of the doubt that they can put a fresh spin on the genre.

"Fringe" pilot was penned by frequent Abrams' collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and helmed by Alex Graves.

Speculation is that "Fringe" will be Fox's Big New Fall Launch series while Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," which already has a seven-episode order, will be the Big New January Launch series. With these two shows plus "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" returning, there's gonna be a lotta reality-bending going on at Fox next season.

Earlier today, Fox handed pickup to animated comedy "Sit Down, Shut Up," from Sony Pictures TV  and 20th Century Fox TV, insiders said. "Sit Down" is exec produced by "Arrested" maestro Mitchell Hurwitz and features the vocal talents of "Arrested" thesps Jason Bateman (pictured right), Will Arnett and Henry Winkler, along with comic Nick Kroll. That greenlight comes on the heels of Fox's order dispensed late Friday for live-action comedy "The Inn," whose pilot Bateman directed.

"Sit Down" is based on a live-action Oz comedy and revolves around the dysfunctional faculty at a high school. Pickup had been expected. Toon vets Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein were already recruited as showrunners last month (Daily Variety, April 28).

No official word yet on anything from Fox, but it's understood that in addition to "The Inn," Fox has have given the nod to a third season of Sony sitcom "Til Death" and has pinkslipped the Kelsey Grammer-Patricia Heaton starrer "Back to You" after one season.

Meanwhile, CW execs are expected to make their official pickup calls later today. It's a no-brainer that the spinoff of "90210," from Rob Thomas and CBS Paramount Network TV, gets the go-ahead. Warner Bros. TV's young femme-friendly drama "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls" is also considered a safe bet.

"Inn" stars Niecy Nash (pictured left) and Jerry O'Connell in a multi-camera comedy set in a hip Gotham hotel. It hails from scribe Abraham Higginbotham (who is yet another "Arrested Development" alum), 20th Century Fox TV, Reveille and Principato-Young Entertainment.

Meanwhile, rumblings from the Fox screening room is that execs very much want to be in biz with Bernie Mac (pictured right), whose Warner Bros.TV  project "Starting Under" has a 13-seg commitment, but they were only lukewarm about the execution of pilot, revolving around a down on  his luck guy who's forced to move in with son, by comedy vet Bruce Helford.

So the project still seems likely to get a greenlight but it will undergo some major renovations, perhaps with another scribe brought in to work alongside Helford.

Biz watchers today are also intently focused on ABC and what it may or may not be announcing Tuesday ayem as it moves into the leadoff slot normally occupied by NBC (which already lifted the curtain on its sked last month).

Chatter late Friday was that the fate of a renewal of David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" was still wrapped up in the prospect of Kelley and 20th Century Fox TV reaching a deal with ABC Studios to move the Kelley cop pilot "Life on Mars" from 20th to ABC Studios under the direction of new showrunners Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec.

Drama "Women's Murder Club" appears to be officially K.O'd after one season, but as of late Friday there still seemed to be some hope for renewals for ABC midseasoners "Eli Stone" and "Miss Guided."

It's a very weird year. That's what everyone in town keeps saying over and over again as the biz gears up for the annual upfront ritual, which will be a little less ritualistic this year.

Gone in this Very Weird Year is the time-honored way in which reporters get big hints on what pilots are getting picked up -- by tracking the talent that is being flown in to New York.

As we all know, there are a whole lotta pilots that have not yet been shot and are just now setting casts. Most of the chatter, good and bad, about 2008-09 hopefuls this week has centered around the projects that the nets have in hand as pilots or presentations, or at least have significant thesps attached, a la ABC's "Never Better," which landed Damon Wayans (pictured right) as its lead last week.

So with the caveat that it is all spin and conjecture at this moment in time, let's review the buzz out there.

ABC's the hardest to read when it comes to new stuff.

On comedy front, Cedric the Entertainer (pictured left) vehicle (ABC Studios) seems to have traction -- or not, depending on who you talk to!

"Bad Mothers Handbook" (ABC Studios), about three generations of femmes living together, has not lensed but has the benefit of Alicia Silverstone (pictured right) and another high-profile name in the offing.

"My Brother's Hot and Other Dilemmas" (ABC Studios) about a girl attracted to her new step brother, has Alyssa Milano (pictured left). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that either a Silverstone or Milano comedy vehicle could be a nice companion for ABC's frosh hit "Samantha Who?" -- assuming that either pilot satisfies the larger obligation to actually be funny.

"Never Better" (ABC Studios) shot up on the radar after Wayans signed on and Marc Buckland signed on to direct.

Drama-wise at ABC ... I just don't know.

Only "Life on Mars," offbeat time-travel cop drama, is in the can. David E. Kelley and Tommy Schlamme have bowed out of that project, they're looking to move this from 20th Century Fox TV to ABC Studios and retool it under prospective showrunners Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg.

There's been a lot of chatter in the biz that "Life on Mars" shuffle granted a reprieve to Kelley's "Boston Legal" for another season. (Biz watchers with long memories will recall that two years ago, the same thing happened when ABC was hot for Kelley's "Mars.") But I'm hearing that "Boston Legal's" fate also has a lot to do with Kelley and how involved he intends to be going forward, among other factors.

It seems a safe bet that "Women's Murder Club" is headed for the morgue, though ABC is said to be anxious to stay in biz with star Angie Harmon. Midseason drama "Eli Stone" is said to be 50-50 for a sophomore year. And surprisingly, ABC is said to be considering a pickup for midseason comedy "Miss Guided." Can't swear to this but I heard the actors' options have been extended for a few more weeks.

At CBS, it's always a dangerous game trying to predict what Team Moonves is going to announce at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday. But some chatter about returning shows seems to be firming up.

Joss Whedon was a goner. He had no intent of going back to the smallscreen, and in fact was trying hard to sort out his options for a pre-strike feature writing offer. Then he got a ring from his faithful friend and former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" colleague Eliza Dushku, who was looking for some advice on how she should make the most of the development pact she'd signed with Fox and 20th Century Fox TV during the summer.

In mid-September, the two went to lunch at Santa Monica's at Ivy at the Shore, and over a meal, almost by accident, Whedon came up with the concept for "Dollhouse," as Variety's Michael Schneider details in his report on the seven-seg commitment that Fox and its studio sib 20th have given to Whedon's idea for a show about a super-secret (what else?) world of folks who are walking tabula rasa -- blank slates who are programmed with different personalities each time they're dispatched for a mission.

"It was a mistake!" Whedon says. "I sat down with her to talk about her options, and acted all sage, saying things backwards like Yoda and laying out what I thought she should do. But in the course of doing it, I accidentally made one up. I told it to her, and she said, 'That's exactly what I want to do.' "

At the moment Eliza beckoned, Whedon was at work on his fantasy-thriller "Goner," for producers Mary Parent and Scott Stuber at U, and he was fielding a whole bunch of options for a pre-strike feature writing project. Although Whedon didn't have such a grand time during his last hitch at Fox in 2002-03 with "Firefly" (which begat the 2005 U feature "Serenity"), times change and so do networks.

Whedon gamely took a meeting with Fox's Peter Liguori and Kevin Reilly, and walked out with a sizable commitment for a project the net hopes to have in production by the spring -- in an ideal, strike-free world. Fingers crossed.

(Pic of Whedon and Dushku at a 2003 "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" charity event by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

From Variety.com's new blog Season Pass, tracking the highs and lows of the new season. If you haven't checked it out yet, click here.

The screener for the first proper seg of "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice" arrived in the mail on Thursday. I'll leave the reviewing to the professionals (Brian Lowry, coming soon). But for my broad-strokes reaction (remember that the Season Pass ratings for this show were based on the two-hour backdoor pilot "Grey's Anatomy" seg that ran in May), I'll say that I can definitely see why creator/exec producer Shonda Rhimes made the call to recast Audra McDonald in the key role of Naomi Bennett (originally played by Merrin Dungey), best friend to Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery (and her excuse for heading down the Pacific coastline from Seattle to Santa Monica) and recently divorced wife of Taye Diggs' brilliant-internist character, Sam Bennett.

This seg overall is watchable, and beautifully shot, but there's still something that feels a bit amiss here. I can't quite put my finger on it but I keep coming back to the thought: Do we really need this spinoff? But I digress....

Opening moments deal of the seg deal effectively with Addison's resignation from Seattle Grace hospital  and set up the new ensemble of doctor characters that she'll work with at the Oceanside Wellness Group, a touchy-feely non-hospital facility with touchy-feely Westide L.A./BevHills/Santa Monica clients. There's a nice inside-TV reference early on in the seg to Addison feeling the need to sally forth and "throw my hat all the way up in the air." (Think classic TV opening sequence for a show with a femme lead and killer theme song.)

Of the supporting ensemble, the most intriguing to me (as an actor and as a character continues to be Amy Brenneman, who plays the mixed-up shrink Violet Turner. (Is there any other kind on TV?) So all in all, I don't love it as much as I did the first batch of "Grey's Anatomy" segs, but it stays on my Season Pass list.

They met a few years ago in the trenches at MGM. Meredith worked as an assistant to MGM Pictures prexy Michael Nathanson; Marcie was on the desk of Elizabeth Ingold, the Lion’s exec veepee of production.

As both of them were bright and bubbly, young and ambitious in similar ways, the laws of workplace physics dictated that Meredith Lavender and Marcie Ulin would become friends. They ate lunch together most days, hung out in their spare time and developed a circle of mutual friends, many of whom were similarly employed in lower-rung showbiz jobs that offer Skybox views of the industry they seek to conquer.

Meredith and Marcie just happened to get there a whole lot faster than most, even in a town known for its accelerated career development.

Been thinking a lot about why primetime TV is in such a superhero-loving moment. No, it wasn't brought on by the onset (onslaught) of Comic-Con this week. It was Television Critics Assn. press tour and all the yak yak yak during the past fortnight about the upcoming season's new shows.

I was struck by the superhero-mania by realizing that that even high-end, Emmy-winning drama types a la writer-producer Kevin Falls and director Alex Graves are working in the genre (sort of) with NBC's "Journeyman." Our hero in this show is a San Francisco newspaper reporter who can travel through time and change the course of people's lives. Falls and Graves during the TCA sesh on the show took pains to stress that they were going for "grounded sci-fi," and that the show would hinge not on time travel but on relationships.

"It's a a time-travel show made by people who don't believe in time travel," assured Graves, whose past  credits include "The West Wing," "Sports Night" and "Ally McBeal." Still, "Journeyman" has a mandate, one that he doesn't quite understand, to change people's lives for the better (and to keep viewers from changing the channel). Sounds superhero-ish to me.

It was NBC's own "Heroes," of course, sparked the most recent mania for supernatural storytelling with its breakout sizzle this past season. (BTW, the two pics posted here are from the soph season opener of "Heroes," tantalizingly titled "Four Months Later," set to air Sept. 24. Not many clues revealed in them but I figured they were a nice touch for anyone interested in this column's topic.)

In the coming season we have variations on the superhero theme in not only "Journeyman" but NBC's "The Bionic Woman," Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," and to a lesser degree (more about people with special powers than save-the-world-itis) in CW's "Reaper," ABC's "Pushing Daisies," from "Heroes" alum Bryan Fuller, and Fox's "New Amsterdam."

So why all the interest in characters with power to bend Newton's laws?

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

The dark gloom of Seattle skies turn bright this season for Shonda Rhimes (pictured left), as she brings her "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff to Los Angeles in the form of "Private Practice."

The overcast weather analogy seems appropriate for the past season of "Grey's" in many ways. The tone of the series was ominous in a bunch of episodes, including arcs on the tenuous relationship between Meredith and McDreamy, George's by-the-threads marriage to Callie, Richard's divorce and Burke's ultimate dismissal of Dr. Yang as a life partner.

And that's just the on-screen tumult.

Of course, nothing got bigger headlines than Isaiah Washington's meltdown and anti-gay remarks, which ultimately led to his dismissal off the show.

(When asked about Ben Silverman's comments, that NBC had talked to Washington about a possible role on "Bionic Woman" while he was still under contract to ABC Studios, Rhimes answered, "I wasn't aware of any conversations." And when prodded for a response on his arrival at the Peacock primetime lineup, she rose above the fray, answering, "He's very talented and I hope he and the show do well, but not as well as 'Private Practice.'")

"It was a dark journey," said Rhimes of the past year, who added later on that it was a "dark season, but I want to get back to having fun."

On Wednesday, ABC topper Steve McPherson agreed, having said "Grey's" would arrive this fall with a slightly lighter tone.

"There was a lot of difficult stuff and emotional stuff going on for a multitude of characters. And I think we're going to get away from some of that  just because of the nature of the storytelling that she (Rhimes) is going to do," he said.

That's not to say Rhimes wasn't happy with the how the stories turned out. She remained on the creative course she set out from Day 1.

"We started with Meredith helping Izzy out of her wedding dress and ended with Meredith helping Christine out of her wedding dress," Rhimes said in bookending the season.

And, yes, she was aware of the unhappiness of some of the hard-core fans — though she didn't necessarily agree with them — those who followed the show to Thursdays from Sundays in a risky programming move by ABC that paid huge dividends.

"I read the blogs," she explained. "I take very seriously what the fans say. They care about the show."

POSTED BY JON WEISMAN

In whimsical ABC fall entry “Pushing Daisies,” romantic leads Ned and Chuck  are forbidden to touch. So, how will the young lovers played by Lee Pace and Anna Friel (pictured left) endure what Friel called “the longest foreplay ever?”

At TCA on Wednesday, series creator and exec producer Bryan Fuller mentioned that auds would see “Saran-Wrap kisses” and “dancing in beekeeper suits” after floating a much more provocative suggestion for an 8 p.m. show.

“Mutual masturbation,” Fuller said. “It’s very now. We’re trying to bring masturbation back.”

That would certainly help get a show launched.

But even without the afterplay, “Daisies” will be one of the most talked-about shows of the upcoming season, having won over the hearts and minds of a great many critics. Expert pie-baker Ned has a unique ability to bring dead folks back to life with a single touch – only to kill them for good if he touches them a second time. Resurrecting the love of his life puts Ned in what Fuller calls an “impossible romance.”

Any sesh with writer-producer Amy Sherman-Palladino is always a treat for the ear, and eye if you share her hat fetish. She talks as fast and with a rapier wit; she is her own best character. Amy and her husband Dan Palladino are up for the big second act following the WB Network's beloved "Gilmore Girls" in the coming season with the new Fox half-hour "The Return of Jezebel James," starring Parker Posey as a successful book publisher who hires her slacker younger sister to carry her baby after learning that she cannot conceive.

It's hard to believe that anyone could channel Amy's spirit and words as well as "Gilmore's" Lauren Graham, but Posey surely does with her own trademark sweetly goofy free-spirit. Posey, known as the queen of indie film, said she'd never seen "Gilmore Girls" but was taken with the "Jezebel James" script when she read it in a laundromat in Albuquerque, New Mexico while filming the upcoming feature "The Eye." Posey had no experience in series TV but she's found she likes the rhythms of the work on the Gotham-based production. It's in the get-it-done spirit of indie pics done on a shoestring budget.
"I like to work," Posey said. "This work is tight...clear...calm...assertive...like (dog trainer) Cesar Millan. I don't want to go in my trailer and be all moan-y all the time. You get bored when you're working on big movies and not doing anything. I really like this" shooting sked, Posey said.

You loved her in "Roswell" -- now she's all grown up and has intimacy issues to boot. USA Network confirmed during its TCA presentation Sunday that it has given a 12-seg order to the Shiri Appleby starrer "To Love & Die" from Lorne Michael's Broadway Video Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. Series is set to bow next year. Revolves around Appleby (pictured) as a young woman, Hildy, who becomes convinced her misadventures in dating will never end until she makes peace with the father she's never really known. Tim Matheson plays that AWOL dad; Frances Fisher plays Hildy's overbearing mother who's on husband No. 7 at the time her daughter begins her quest for dad, who happens to be a professional hit man. USA Network programming guru Jeff Wachtel bills it as a light-touch drama about a "high concept character with a slightly twisted soul." "Love and Die" hails from tyro creator/exec producer Sara Goodman (Fox's short-lived "Reunion.")

POSTED BY MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

The most-anticipated session in all of this summer's TV Critics Association press tour happens tomorrow. Monday, 9 a.m., the Beverly Hilton: It's Ben Silverman, along with partner Marc Graboff.

To quote NBC circa 1984: "Be there!"

To paraphrase NBC circa 1996: "It's must-see TCA!"

To whet our palate, Graboff made a brief appearance at the tour Friday, to discuss the state of Guild negotiations and labor questions (along side Warner Bros.' Bruce Rosenblum and AMPTP's Nick Counter).

When asked about the Peacock's strike contingency plans, Graboff scored a few chuckles with this quote:

"I'm not going to get into the details of what our schedule will look like just for competitive reasons. We are committed to providing quality entertainment programming. You are not going to see a test pattern, although maybe on NBC a test pattern in some cases would be OK."

NBC has traditionally (and I've always found this unusual) been the most self-deprecating of the broadcast networks. Even when it was top-rated, the Peacock would open its Upfront presentations with some sort of comedy routine or video that mocked the web -- be it Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or a video starring the entertainment president of the moment. Now that it's in fourth place, those jokes may hit a little too close to the bone -- but expect at least a few moments of gallows humor at Monday's executive session.

-- Michael Schneider

Mr. T says, "Be there, fool!"

He grew up yearning to write for “Playhouse 90” and “The Twilight Zone.”

Unfortunately for Matthew Weiner, he was born about 35 years too late, and as it happened, his break as a TV writer came in sitcoms, not high-end dramas.But Weiner was nevertheless determined to pursue his vision for a series that would capture all of his fascination with American culture in the finger-snapping era of Camelot and the Cuban Missile Crisis, of skinny ties and steel-tipped bras, of the Rat Pack and Sputnik.

By day, Weiner was working on the CBS sitcom “Becker.” By night, with the added motivation of the approach of 35th birthday, he poured himself into penning the pilot of his period-dreams. That was seven years ago. On Thursday, after many a twist and turn his Weiner’s life and that of his pilot script, his baby is set to make a splashy entrance on the heels of effusive reviews and a big marketing push from AMC. The film-centric basic cabler picked Weiner’s “Mad Men,” from Lionsgate TV, last year as the show to lead  the channel into the scripted series realm.

“No network quite got this show until AMC,” Weiner says, and that’s in keeping with the spirit of the show. “This show is all about misconceptions, and our contemporary culture’s misunderstanding of this period in American history and how it influenced who we are today,” Weiner says.

CONTINUE READING TO WATCH A VIDEO CLIP OF "MAD MEN" CREATOR MATTHEW WEINER DISCUSSING THE PERIOD SETTING OF THE SHOW.

POSTED BY STEVEN ZEITCHIK

Showtime is a step closer to airing a series from Steven Spielberg.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

HBO may have lost "Sex and the City," but its still feeling frisky.

Cable will launch "Tell Me You Love Me" on Sept. 9, a nine-episode Sunday night series that focuses on the relationship of three couples -- in their 20s, 30s and 40s. From creator Cynthia Mort, skein moves from the therapist office to the bedroom, and doesn't shy away from showing the inner sanctum of each.

In other words, there's lots of screaming, crying and sex.

"We're not porn stars, we're actors," said actress Michelle Borth to the TCA throngs who were definitely more interested in the authenticity and realism of the sex scenes than they were on the credentials of Jane Alexander, who plays the show's therapist.

Added actress Sonya Walger: "It's uncomfortable. These scenes have no dialogue but each has a lot to say."

"Our decision wasn't to push the envelope but be honest about the intimacy," said HBO programming topper Carolyn Strauss. You can't tell the story about intimacy without having sex in your tool kit. If you want to do it honestly, you have to tell that story."

-- Stuart Levine

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Vic Mackey would get along very well with Patty Hewes.

Hewes, as played by veteran actress Glenn Close, is FX's latest anti-hero. In "Damages," which preems July 24, Close plays a calculating and manipulative attorney who feels no remorse breaking the law to win a case. The series will have a 13-episode run.

Close has had an astonishing film careeer and only dabbled in television. She's been nominated for five Oscars but her one-season appearance on "The Shield" made such an impression that when given the chance to come back to TV, she jumped at the chance. That, and the fact there are very few movie scripts that interest her.

"I turn down more scripts that I accept," Close said at the show's TCA panel Thursday at the Beverly Hilton. And the fact that "Damages" was filmed back east, and she could be with her family, was instrumental in her decision as well. "It was very important that it was shot in New York."

The through line of "Damages" details on Close trying to convict a corporate powerbroker (Ted Danson) who has allegedly defrauded his employers.

FX is throwing plenty of marketing muscle behind the show, hoping it connects in the way that the network's other signature shows -- "Nip/Tuck" and "The Shield" -- have. The pilot, which hints at how  Hewes' personal and professional relationships have shaped her career, asks viewers to go along for the season-long ride. Writers use as storytelling device that looks ahead, and where we see a Hewes employee (Rose Byrne) running nearly naked and bloodied through the streets of Manhattan sometime in the not-to-distant future.

Questions will be answered. Maybe not in episode two but certainly by No. 13, and then, promises writers Daniel Zelman, Todd Kessler and Glenn Kessler, new mysteries will be added if the show sees a season two.

For Danson, "Damages" represents a nice dramatic change. The actor who became an icon in "Cheers"  has struggled the last few years in sitcoms and began to, professionally, go through the motions.

"I feel excited about acting again, rather than going into another comedy," Danson said.

"Damages" seems to be a perfect fit for FX, which has worked hard at establishing and earning its hard-edged brand. The network has been extremely successful launching dramas of late. Both "Dirt" and "The Riches" are coming back for a second season.

Early positive reaction to "Damages" would indicate Close might be making a long-term transition to TV, with the series possibly going a few seasons long if viewers find themselves agreeing with the buzz at TCA.

With examples such as Holly Hunter, who's starring in TNT's upcoming  "Saving Grace," there's little argument that thesps looking for quality projects often wind up on the small screen.

"I have always been seduced by good writing," she said. "Early in my career I decided to go where the writing is."

Call it destination fulfilled.

-- Stuart Levine

Here we go again. The summer Television Critics Assn. tour is upon is. Ken Burns is the big draw at the Beverly Hilton today, talking up his 14-hour mini "The War," which looks at World War II from the homefront perspective of four American hamlets: Waterbury, Conn.; Mobile, Ala.; Sacramento, Calif.; and the tiny farming community of Luverne, Minn. "The War," produced and directed by Burns and Lynn Novick, has been six years in the making. It's also been the project that put Burns in the unfamiliar position of fielding some pretty harsh criticism for his take on history, from Hispanic and Native American advocacy groups who claimed his mini overlooked their contributions to the war effort. (According to the AP, Burns addressed this issue during his TCA sesh, saying he's added nearly a half-hour of material featuring Hispanic and Native American stories to the doc.) I just got my screener copy on Monday and am eager to set aside some time to watch it. If nothing else, Burns is meticulous about his research and has surely turned up some amazing images to tell this tale, like the one at left from somewhere in the South Pacific in 1944. PBS is bolding going to "War" during the thick of fall premiere week, rolling out the series in seven parts across two weeks beginning Sept. 23.

After PBS wraps up today, the wired-world takes over on Thursday for four days of cable-iscious fun. The presentation sked to the best of my knowledge is:

THURSDAY: Lifetime; FX, National Geographic Channel; Hallmark Channel; HBO, which outta be very intriguing given that it's the first major public event for the post-Albrecht regime.

FRIDAY: MTV Networks; BBC America; Discovery Networks; E! and G4

SATURDAY: Disney-ABC Cable; ESPN; GSN; Sundance Channel; Showtime

SUNDAY: Turner nets; BET; Rainbow Networks; History Channel; NBC Universal Cable

As of MONDAY, the broadcasters take over starting with two days of NBC, which also outta be interesting with the new Ben Silverman-Marc Graboff regime taking the stage for the first time.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY is all about CBS, which as usual is coming off another season of stability, making it hard for the scribe tribe to find much to grill entertainment prexy Nina Tassler about, other her love for musical theater and how it led to the pickup of "Viva Laughlin."

FRIDAY belongs to the CW. Co-toppers Dawn Ostroff and John Maatta probably have a bet going as to how quickly the "so why didn't you grow by leaps and bounds in your first year?" question is lobbed.

SATURDAY is a day of rest and awards, as the TCA's annual honors will be handed out to worthy programs ("Friday Night Lights," anyone?) and individuals, no doubt. (Click here for noms.)

SUNDAY-MONDAY ought to be good too as Fox, not to be outdone with NBC, brings out its new regime of ex-NBC-er Kevin Reilly and newly promoted Peter Liguori. Those two probably have a bet going as to who gets the first "how long can 'American Idol' keep it up?" question.

And finally, after a day of rest on Tuesday (July 24), the network that comes first alphabetically heads up the final two days of the tour, WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY (July 25-26), a cruel slot that no network with a show as good as "Lost" and a pilot as charming as "Pushing Daisies" should have to endure. But if anyone's got the spine to fend off back whatever a group of cranky critics have to throw at him, it's ABC Entertainment prexy Stephen McPherson.

So let 'er rip! Look for a steady stream of TCA dispatches here from yours truly plus my talented TV colleagues at Variety, including two, Mssrs. Zeitchik and Learmonth, who have winged in from Gotham just for the occasion.

And please, oh gods of auto-congestion, let the self-park garage at the Hilton not be too clogged...There's nothing like inching your way down those steep ramps when all you really wanna do is get back to the real world.

Craig Erwich was a loyal soldier to Fox Broadcasting Co. for a dozen years, through the programming regimes of John Matoian, Peter Roth, Doug Herzog, Gail Berman and finally, Peter Liguori. On Monday, amid the news of the arrival of Kevin Reilly as entertainment president and Liguori's promotion to Fox Entertainment chairman, Erwich (pictured left) decided it was time to move on (though he may yet stay within the News Corp. family, as Variety reports).
In the last four years of his tenure at the network, friends and colleagues say Erwich handled the always-tricky job of serving as No. 2 to the head of programming with great skill and good humor.
Ask anyone who's served in the executive vp programming role (or its equivalent) at a major network. You're in charge of development, but....credit has a way of flowing upward in success, while blame and tsk-tsking trickles down when things go wrong. But those who know him well say Erwich played an important role in bringing to fruition most of Fox's scripted successes during the past few years, particularly "24," "House" and "Prison Break."

"He's an incredibly good executive. He's smart, responsive and always very clear about his point of view," says Imagine TV prexy David Nevins, who worked closely with Erwich at Fox when Nevins was in the exec vp role and Erwich was head of drama development. It was Nevins and Erwich who first took the pitch from Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran on their unconventional idea for a drama thriller series that would unfold in real time, one hour at a time, during the course of a season. He rode the "24" thrill ride all the way to its Emmy win for drama series last year.
Before joining Fox in 1995 as director of current programming, Erwich worked at Stephen J. Cannell Prods. and as an assistant at CAA.

The news about the recasting of Merrin Dungey (pictured left) in one of the lead  roles in the "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice" raises the question of how producers plan to handle the launch of the series this fall since its pilot was actually a two-hour seg of "Grey's Anatomy."

It might've made sense to repeat that episode, or even a cut down version of that seg, in advance of the first episode of "Private Practice" proper this fall, but not now that Audra McDonald (pictured right) is stepping in to the role of Dr. Naomi Bennett, the college pal of Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery. I'm told there'll be no reshooting of anything done this past spring. "Practice" will start with a fresh seg that finds Addison relocated in L.A. and into her new life at the Santa Monica wellness center populated by a host of quirky doctors. Necessary backstory can be easily filled in with dialogue in the opening moments.

So why the Dungey-McDonald swap? I'm told that it was partly a chemistry thing between Dungey and Taye Diggs, who plays Naomi's estranged husband Sam, and that some were having trouble buying them ever having been a couple. McDonald, a four-time Tony winner and a Juilliard-trained singer, is known for exuding a natural strength common to great stage actresses. But the decision to make the switch couldn't have been easy for Shonda Rhimes, creator-exec producer of "Grey's Anatomy" and its spinoff. Merrin Dungey is the sister of Channing Dungey, an ABC Studios executive who oversees "Anatomy" for the studio and is known to be close to Rhimes.

For Bryan Fuller, it all started many years ago, on a hot summer's day in his home town in eastern Washington state, during one of his first attempts at T-ball.

His team was up, and Fuller was caught between first and second base, with no hope of being anything but an easy out for a cocky second baseman. So young Bryan pulled a Kobayashi Maru, long before he knew there was a name for such a maneuver (for the uninitiated, see "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."). He ran into the outfield. And when the umpire hollered "out," Fuller was incensed.

"I figured if the person who has the ball has to tag you, they should have to chase your ass wherever you go," Fuller recalls, shaking his head. "Why do you have to be locked down to just one way?"

From that long-ago injustice came a good deal of his motivation to build a career on coloring outside the lines, bending the rules of space and time to his own delight as a storyteller. In just a few years Fuller has developed a loyal following among a certain breed of TV junkies and a growing reputation in the biz as the writer-producer behind such stylish drama series as Showtime's "Dead Like Me" and Fox's "Wonderfalls." Fuller spent most of the past season as a staff scribe on NBC's "Heroes," except for when he was off developing his latest creation, "Pushing Daisies," for Warner Bros. Television, which landed the Wednesday 8 p.m. berth on ABC's fall sked.

Been slowly making my way through the pilot screeners that have been piling up on my desk for the past two weeks. In all good conscience, I won't violate the sacred not-for-review covenant of not weighing in too heavily on the understanding that these pilots are still works in progress that undoubtedly will be tweaked, nipped, tucked and in some cases, recast, before the fall season starts. But some big-picture observations are starting to come together on what I've seen so far.

First off, Jim Parsons is a TV star. He's way-charming as the off-lead buddy opposite Johnny Galecki in CBS' Chuck Lorre sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." "Big Bang" is breezy fun, thanks in large part to Parsons (pictured left), even for someone who wasn't particularly in the mood for a geeky bud-com at the moment that I popped the disc in. But as usual, Lorre delivers the goods, starting with the names of his lead characters, "Sheldon" and "Leonard." (This town doesn't pay enough homage to the late producer Sheldon Leonard, a giant of the TV biz who helped birth "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "I Spy" and other gems.)

"Big Bang's" supporting cast is good too, particularly Simon Helberg as one of Sheldon and Leonard's geeky friends. Galecki's character (pictured right) is definitely channeling the J.J. Abrams geek-hip look. But Lorre's not just poking fun at others. Helberg's character is fer sure satorially inspired by the Lorre look (Davy Jones moptop hairdo, dark turtleneck sweaters) of the late '80s.

Call them the Young and the Restless. Greg Berlanti, (pictured), of "Dawson's Creek" and "Everwood" fame, and Josh "The O.C." Schwartz appear poised to join the club of showrunners who sacrifice their lives for their art by having multiple shows on the schedule, based on the pickup buzz swirling around this pre-upfront weekend. (Who do we have to blame for scheduling upfronts to coincide with Mother's Day!?)