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Sarah Connor was dead. Or was she? Well, yes, according to 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines – but death can’t compete with TV. It was 2006 when Josh Friedman, who had co-written Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds, was approached by Warner Bros. Television to write what would become The Sarah Connor Chronicles. A series picking up from where James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day left off, it followed Sarah (Lena Headey) and her prodigious son John (Thomas Dekker) as they, along with Cameron (Summer Glau), a protector Terminator, continued to battle Skynet and evade murderous cyborg stalkers. Launching in January 2008, it enjoyed two seasons until it was, in April 2009, abruptly… well, terminated.

Fifteen years on, we speak to Friedman about legacy, cancer, and Shirley Manson disguised as a urinal.

When you were hired to write this show, Terminator 3 had come and gone. Is it fair...

The nominees for the 29th Annual Imagen Awards, honoring portrayals of Latinos and Latino cultures in television and film, have been announced and Diego Luna's "Cesar Chavez" is up for four awards:

Best Picture Best Actor (Michael Pena) Best Actress (America Ferrera) Best Actress (Rosario Dawson) The awards will be presented at a gala black-tie dinner on Friday evening, August 1st, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, airing as a one hour special on PBS SoCal.

The complete list of nominees is below:

Best Primetime Television Program: Drama or Comedy

The Bridge (FX Networks/Shine America and FX Productions) Chicago P.D. (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) The Fosters (ABC Family in association with Prodco, Inc.) Law & Order: Svu (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) Switched at Birth (Prodco, Inc. in association with ABC Family) Best Primetime Program: Special or Movie-of-the-Week

Historias Detras Del Diamante: Yasiel Puig (Time Warner Cable Deportes) John Leguizamo's Ghetto Klown (HBO Entertainment in association with Silver Lining Entertainment, Insurgent Media and Rebel Films) The 2013 Nclr Alma Awards (Big Vida Entertainment) Best Actor/Television

Demian Bichir, The Bridge (FX Networks/Shine America and FX Productions) Raul Castillo, Looking (HBO Entertainment in association with Fair Harbor Productions) Ian Gomez, Cougar Town (TBS) Danny Pino, Law & Order: Svu (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) Best Actress/Television

Edy Ganem, Devious Maids (Lifetime/ABC Studios) Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, The Fresh Beat Band (Nickelodeon) Ana Ortiz, Devious Maids (Lifetime/ABC Studios) Dania Ramirez, Devious Maids (Lifetime/ABC Studios) Judy Reyes, Devious Maids (Lifetime/ABC Studios) Roselyn Sanchez, Devious Maids (Lifetime/ABC Studios) Best Supporting Actor/Television

Frankie J. Alvarez , Looking (HBO Entertainment in association with Fair Harbor Productions) Nestor Carbonell, Bates Motel (A&E/ Universal Television) Al Madrigal, About a Boy (Universal Television) Joe Minoso, Chicago Fire (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) Mel Rodriguez, Getting On (HBO Entertainment in association with Anima Sola Productions and BBC Worldwide) Jon Seda, Chicago P.D. (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) Best Supporting Actress/Television

Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine Nine (Universal Television) Constance Marie, Switched at Birth (ABC Family/ ABC Studios) Hayley Orrantia, The Goldbergs (ABC) Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation (Universal Television) Monica Raymund, Chicago Fire (NBC/Wolf Films/NBCUniversal Television) Emily Rios, The Bridge (FX Networks/Shine America and FX Productions) Catalina Sandino Moreno, The Bridge (FX Networks/Shine America and FX Productions) Best Young Actress/Television

Paola Andino, Every Witch Way (Nickelodeon in association with Cinemat) Amber Montana, The Haunted Hathaways (Nickelodeon) Fatima Ptacek, Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon) Bella Thorne, Shake It Up! (Disney Channel/ It's A Laugh Productions) Best Young Actor/Television

Mateo Arias, Kickin' It (Disney Xd/ Poor Soul/ It's A Laugh Productions) Benjamin "lil-p-Nut" Flores Jr., The Haunted Hathaways (Nickelodeon) Fabrizio Zacharee Guido, Welcome to the Family (NBC) Adam Irigoyen, Shake It Up! (Disney Channel/ It's A Laugh Productions) Xolo Mariduena, Parenthood (Universal Television) Best Children’s Programming

Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon) Every Witch Way (Nickelodeon in association with Cinemat) Best Documentary/Film or Television

America ReFramed: Deputized (American Documentary, Inc.; World Channel) El Boxeo (El Boxeo Productions) Mendota (Espn ) Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle (City Projects, LLC; Latino Public Broadcasting) The State of Arizona (Camino Bluff Productions, Inc.) Valentine Road (HBO Documentary Films Presents a Bmp Film in association with Eddie Schmidt Productions) Best National Informational Program

LatiNation (Latv Networkds) Latino Americans (Weta; Bosch and Co., Inc; Latino Public Broadcasting; In association with Itvs) mun2 News Special: Hecho en America (mun2) Oprah's Next Chapter (Own/Harpo Studios) Pati's Mexican Table (Weta/Follow Productions) Best Local Informational Program

#LAPrepa (Time Warner Cable Deportes) CBS2/KCAL9 News Special (CBS) Kvcr Now (Kvcr TV (PBS)) Latino Americans of NY & NJ (Wliw) Vista L.A. (Kabc - TV/ABC7) Best On-Air Advertising

"Premio lo nuestro " Award Show On-Air Promotion (Univision Network) Combate Americas (mun2) Friends for Change (Riverstreet and 7ate9) PBS SoCaL Community Champions (PBS SoCal) Best Variety or Reality Show

Brain Games (National Geographic Channel) Cesar 911 (Nat Geo Wild) Combate Americas (mun2/Bunim-Murray Productions) I Love Jenni (mun2/Blank Paige) The Voice (Mark Burnett's One Three Inc. and Talpa Media USA in association with Warner Horizon Television) Best Picture

A Miracle in Spanish Harlem (DigiNext/Vista Clara Productions) After School (True Form Film and Plus Entertainment) Cesar Chavez (Canana Films) Coyote (Toe Pictures/Gravitas Ventures) Sleeping with the Fishes (Unikki Productions, LLC) Best Director

Carlos Melendez, After School (True Form Film and Plus Entertainment) Jeffrey Travis, Dragon Day (Burning Myth Films/Entertainment One) Christopher Landon, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (Paramount Pictures/ Blumhouse Productions) Nicole Gomez Fisher, Sleeping with the Fishes (Unikki Productions, LLC) Best Actor/Supporting Actor - Feature Film

Jorge Diaz, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (Paramount Pictures/Blumhouse Productions) Mauricio Mendoza, After School (True Form Film and Plus Entertainment) Adrian Moreira-Behrens, After School (True Form Film and Plus Entertainment) Diogo Morgado, Son of God (20th Century Fox Film) Michael Pena, Cesar Chavez (Canana Films) Carlos Pratts, Coyote (Toe Pictures/Gravitas Ventures) Best Actress/Supporting Actress - Feature Film

Rosario Dawson, Cesar Chavez (Canana Films) America Ferrera, Cesar Chavez (Canana Films) Priscilla Lopez, Sleeping with the Fishes (Unikki Productions, LLC) Ana Ortiz, Sleeping with the Fishes (Unikki Productions, LLC) Gina Rodriguez, Sleeping with the Fishes (Unikki Productions, LLC) Michelle Rodriguez, Fast & Furious 6 (Universal Pictures) Best Theatrical Short or Student Film

Chub (Yb Project) Dirty Laundry (The Other Sock Productions) El Toro (Juan Ramirez) Madrugada quebradiza: The Break of Day (USC School of Cinematic Arts) Mediation (Top Rebel Productions) You're Dead to Me (PBS) Best Web Series: Drama

Caribe Road (Helu Films) Encounters Web Series (Angel Flight Media in association with True Form Films) Fixing Paco (Mendez National Institute of Transplantation) Best Web Series: Comedy

Fixing Paco (Mendez National Institute of Transplantation) Larry Hernandez: El Presidente (mun2) Saved by the Pole (Blame it on Rios) Best Web Series: Reality or Informational

Fixing Paco (Mendez National Institute of Transplantation) Big Shots, Los Angeles Magazine Online Web Series (Giselle Fernandez Productions for Los Angeles Magazine) Newsbreaker en Español (Ora TV) Street Knowledge 2 College (Specific Pictures, Latino Public Broadcasting)...

History has tapped actor and comedian Christopher Titus as the host of “Pawnography,” the gameshow spinoff of its hit reality show, “Pawn Stars,” TheWrap has learned. Titus will host the show while the stars of “Pawn Stars,” Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell compete against others in three rounds of trivia with actual objects from Harrison's prized collections at stake. Also read: ‘Pawn Stars’ Regular Danny ‘The Count’ Koker Gets Spinoff Series on History Viewers will remember Titus as the star of his own Fox series in the Early-2000s. His other TV credits include “CSI: Miami,” “Big Shots,...

CBS has cast Dylan McDermott in its drama pilot "Hostages," teaming him with Toni Collette.

"Hostages" is a thriller about a surgeon (Collette) who's chosen to operate on the president of the United States and gets caught up in a conspiracy when her family is taken hostage. McDermott will play an FBI agent who has a central role in the conspiracy.

If it's picked up, "Hostages" will be McDermott's first broadcast-network role in five years (ABC's "Big Shots" was the last one). He most recently starred on FX's "American Horror Story."

Other pilot castings:

- Virginia Madsen has joined NBC's modern-day "Hatfields & McCoys." The "Sideways" Oscar nominee will play a member of the McCoy family who helps restart the ages-old feud between the two families after her husband is murdered.

- NBC's "Bloodline" has cast Skyler Samuels ("The Nine Lives of Chloe King") in its lead role. The show centers...

Dylan McDermott will join Toni Collette in "Hostages," a CBS drama pilot about a family caught in a vast political conspiracy. The star of FX's "American Horror Story" will play Duncan, a righteous FBI agent at the center of it. Collette, the star of Showtime's "United States of Tara," was cast last month as Ellen, a surgeon chosen to operate on the President. When her family is swept into the conspiracy, she has to save her husband and children. McDermott has previously starred on shows including "The Practice," "Big Shots" and "Dark Blue."...

By Ryan Sartor. After a rough decade on television (“Big Shots,” “Dark Blue”) and an even rougher one in film (“Texas Rangers,” something called “Unbeatable Harold”), things are finally turning around for former “Practice” heartthrob Dylan McDermott. He’s currently starring in the FX series “American Horror Story,” and has now snagged a role in the Will Ferrell/Zach Galifianakis political comedy “Dog Fight” (formerly-titled “Southern Rivals"), playing a political consultant running Galifianakis’ campaign. This will be McDermott’s first chance to flex his onscreen comedic muscles since way back in 1999, when he seduced Neve Campbell—and the world—in the romantic comedy “Three…...

Though there are scores of memorable moments in the American Horror Story pilot, the greatest of all are those that involve Dylan McDermott’s bare backside.

The memory of that visual proved rather distracting, however, as I stood speaking to the ruggedly handsome actor at Fox’s TCA cocktail party last month. McDermott leaned casually against the bar at Malibu institution Gladstone’s, giving off a dapper “old Hollywood” vibe. It took a pretty intense bit of focus to keep his cheeks off my brain.

“You dream of that director that gets you,” said McDermott of working with series creator Ryan Murphy, who directed the pilot. “I’ve suffered from people not really getting me. …And I feel like Ryan is the guy who got me, who finally was that one guy, that one great director, that I needed…[so that] people will look at me in a different light, and not [as] the guy from The Practice.

It's been a really long road for Jed Weintrob's Scar 3D. From numerous delays to everything in between, the finish line is finally in sight for all those involved.

Phase 4 Film has announced that the film, starring Angela Bettis (Girl, May, "Carrie"), Devon Graye ("Dexter," Husk, Lure), Christopher Titus ("Big Shots"), and Kirby Bliss Blanton ("Hannah Montana," "Entourage," "Zoey 101"), will finally be available on Blu-ray and DVD on March 29th, 2011.

Dig on the cover art below.

Synopsis

"In the small town of Ovid, Colorado, Joan Burrows (Angela Bettis) awakens in the basement morgue of Ernie Bishop, a local undertaker who secretly tortures, mutilates, and kills teenage girls. Before becoming Bishop’s latest victim, Joan manages to kill him and escape with her life. Sixteen years later and still bearing the scars of her torment, Joan returns to her hometown in time to see her niece, Olympia, be crowned Prom Queen.

"No Ordinary Family" tries to be a couple different things in its premiere episode: a show about a family that's come undone and a superhero origin story. One works better than the other, but there's potential for a pretty strong, all-ages-welcome series in there.

The ABC show, which premieres at 8 p.m. Et Tuesday (Sept. 28), has a seriously fun vibe as the family -- and particularly parents Jim (Michael Chiklis) and Stephanie Powell (Julie Benz) -- figures out their new powers. The family-drama portion of the show feels a little (occasionally a lot) less fully formed than that, but as a way into the hero stuff, it's at least a slightly different approach than other TV series (we're looking at you, "Heroes") have taken.

Jim, a police sketch artist, is worried that his family is drifting apart, so he insists that he and his teenage kids (Kay Panabaker and Jimmy...

Last week, we reported that Mandy Moore will be guest starring on Grey’s Anatomy’s two-hour season finale on May 20. Little is known about her character or role.

However, we can now tell you that she’s married to a guy played by Ryan Devlin!

EW reports that the ex-Veronica Mars and Big Shots actor has been cast as Bill, the husband of the patient played by Moore’s character, Mary. Again, not a lot is currently known about the Anatomy of the story, except that Bailey will serve as Mary’s doctor.

The Grey’s Anatomy gig continues a busy stretch for Devlin, who in addition to snagging a lead role opposite William Shatner in the CBS pilot S–t My Dad Says, has been recurring on ABC's Cougar Town as a love interest to Busy Philipps’ Laurie.

Ryan Devlin is set to visit Seattle Grace-Mercy West.

A critical new detail has emerged about Mandy Moore's role in Grey's Anatomy's two-hour finale on May 20: She's married to Ryan Devlin! Sources confirm to me exclusively that the ex-Veronica Mars and Big Shots actor has been cast as Bill, the husband of the patient played by Moore's character, Mary. Little else is known about the story, except that Bailey will serve as Mary's doctor. The Grey's gig caps a busy couple of months for the in-demand Devlin. In addition to snagging a lead role opposite William Shatner in the CBS pilot S-t My Dad Says,...

What do Jon Hamm, John Stamos, Sarah Silverman, John Cho, Allison Janney, Hank Azaria, Fred Willard, Michael Vartan, Dulé Hill, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jeffrey Ross, Ken Marino and David Wain have in common? They all cameo as themselves in Backwash, a 13-episode web series written by and starring Joshua Malina (Sports Night, The West Wing) debuting on Sony's Crackle.com this summer. The series, directed by Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle's Danny Leiner, follows three eccentric losers (pictured, from left to right, Malina, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Panes) who hit the road in an ice cream truck...

Joe Manganiello is suddenly a very busy guy.

Manganiello, who will play the key role of Alcide on "True Blood" this season, has also booked one of the lead roles in "Livin' on a Prayer," a CBS pilot from "How I Met Your Mother" creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.

The latest round of pilot casting also includes Poppy Montgomery and Marc Blucas in an ABC drama and Eugene Levy in another CBS comedy.

"Livin' on a Prayer" is about a group of friends living in Pittsburgh; Bays and Thomas have described its characters as being one step further along in life than the "Himym" crew.

Manganiello, who's guested on several episodes of "Himym," will play a former high-school football star turned husband and father, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bays and Thomas co-created the pilot with "How I Met Your Mother" writers Kourtney Kang and Joe Kelly.

The rest...

"The Shield" star Michael Chiklis is moving back to broadcast television with a lead role in ABC's drama pilot "No Ordinary Family."

Chiklis, who starred in "The Commish" and "Daddio" for ABC in the 1990s, will play the father of a family that's discovering it has special powers. He'll also be a co-executive producer of the pilot, the showbiz trade papers report.

"No Ordinary Family" comes from Greg Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters") and Jon Harmon Feldman ("Big Shots"), who worked together on "Dirty Sexy Money."

Chiklis has previously played a superhero in the "Fantastic Four" movies. We're going ahead and assuming he won't be turned into a rock-man like The Thing in "No Ordinary Family."

In other pilot casting news:

- "Friday Night Lights" star Zach Gilford has signed on to ABC's legal drama "Matadors," which centers on a feud between two families of lawyers. He will play a third-generation defense attorney at a prestigious firm,...

"The Mentalist" is getting a new supervisor.

Aunjanue Ellis is joining the cast of the CBS drama in what's described as a "heavily recurring" part. She'll play the new head of the California Bureau of Investigation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ellis, who's slated to make her debut on the show in the spring, is stepping in for Gregory Itzin, who's headed back to "24" to reprise his role as former President Charles Logan. (His "Mentalist" character, Virgil Minelli, announced his resignation in the Nov. 20 episode.)

Ellis' credits include "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," NBC's "E-Ring" and a few episodes of "True Blood."

- "Cougar Town" is welcoming a new younger man to its fold -- but he won't be hooking up with Courteney Cox's Jules.

Ryan Devlin ("Veronica Mars," "Big Shots") will have a recurring part on the ABC comedy later this season, the Hr says. He'll...

I was going to write an entire review for TNT's new undercover cop drama Dark Blue, which launches tonight at 10 pm Et/Pt, but I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for what manages to be an oppressively dreary and hopelessly formulaic take on undercover cops operating in the seediest of seedy underbellies in Los Angeles. Created by Doug Jung (Big Love), directed by Danny Cannon (CSI), and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Dark Blue stars Dylan McDermott (Big Shots), Omari Hardwick (Saved), Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler), and Nicki Aycox (Supernatural) as members of a special undercover police task force committed to ridding Los Angeles of violent criminal scum. McDermott is the team's haunted linchpin Carter Shaw, a relentlessly determined cop who is prone to wearing aviator sunglasses and making pronouncements like, "This better be good; I haven’t seen 7 a.m. since 1992," just to show how doggedly put off he...

  If you take ABC's short-lived "Big Shots" out of the equation (as ABC did after only 11 episodes), Dylan McDermott has concentrated his TV attentions on working with some of the medium's most powerful figures.  On "The Practice," he spent eight seasons working with David E. Kelley, earning an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for his work as passionate attorney Bobby Donnell. On Wednesday (July 15) night, McDermott begins his run on TNT's "Dark Blue," a new undercover police drama from Jerry Bruckheimer. "Much of the time, as an actor, you sit around waiting. Most of your life...

It’s been said that the new upcoming ABC series called FlashForward won’t be a rehash of the novel of the same name by Robert Sawyer. In fact it’s being said that it may not be what you expect at all.

FlashForward is about a moment in time when everyone on Earth blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. During that time, people experience visions of where they’ll be on April 29th, 2010, or 6 months into their future (That could be creepy.)

The mass black out does have its tragic side effects - People are doing everyday things when the black out happens and this creates what is described as a semi-apocalyptic moment as planes, trains and automobiles crash with unconscious people at the controls. It’s here that the FlashForward pilot kicks in, introducing the main characters of the show.

Impressions And Thoughts

Reported first impressions of a...

Filed under: Celebrity Interviews

He's been a spy guy in 'Alias,' a hottie English teacher in 'Never Been Kissed,' a corporate honcho in 'Big Shots' ... and now Michael Vartan's a doctor -- well, he plays one on TV -- in TNT's new drama 'HawthoRNe' (premieres June 16, 9Pm Et). The ... Read more

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After his role on ABC's short-lived Big Shots, Alias star Michael Vartan is giving the small screen another go.

Vartan has been cast as Jada Pinkett Smith's costar in TNT's medical drama, Time Heals, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

The series, set to debut later this year, centers on Pinkett Smith's Christina Hawthorne, a strong but caring nursing director at a North Carolina hospital. Vartan will play ...

Read More >...

Michael Vartan has been tapped to co-star opposite Jada Pinkett Smith in TNT's upcoming series "Time Heals."

The Sony TV-produced "Time Heals," set to premiere later this year, centers on Christina Hawthorne (Pinkett Smith), a strong but caring director of nursing at a North Carolina, N.C., hospital.

"Alias" alum Vartan will play Tom Wakefield, the director of medicine at the hospital. Tom and Christina care about each other, possibly as more than colleagues.

Vartan replaces Jeffrey Nordling, who played the role in the pilot.

On TV, Vartan recently starred on ABC's dramedy series "Big Shots."...

Dylan McDermott didn't need The Practice for this one. The actor's divorce from his fashion-plate wife of 13 years, Shiva Rose, has been finalized, according to court documents filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. (View the documents.) The paperwork did not indicate what sort of custody arrangement the two arrived at concerning their two daughters, 12-year-old Colette and 3-year-old Charlotte Rose, but McDermott's original petition stated that he wanted joint custody. Indicating that he would be acting as his own attorney in the proceedings, the star of the short-lived Big Shots filed for divorce in May, about 10 months after he and Rose separated. The standard irreconcilable...

Dylan McDermott of TV's The Practice finalized his divorce from his wife of nearly 13 years on Tuesday, court papers show. The 47-year-old actor filed for divorce from Shiva Rose, 39, last summer, citing the legal boilerplate of irreconcilable differences. While the judge signed off on the split, McDermott doesn't become officially single until Jan. 2 after the legally required six-month waiting period. The L.A. Superior Court papers don't reveal the custody status of the pair's two daughters, ages 12 and 3. In the original divorce filing, McDermott had sought joint custody. McDermott, who most recently appeared on Big Shots, and Rose, an actress,...

Some of our best TV shows may be dead and gone but the actors who played the great characters are still around. They're popping up in feature films as well as TV shows like Medium, Burn Notice, Valentine, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives.

We're keeping tabs on talented TV show veterans like Julie Benz (Hi Honey, I'm Home!, Dexter), Sean Patrick Flanery (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles), Billy Connolly (Head of the Class), Judd Nelson (Suddenly Susan), Lauren Hutton (Falcon Crest), Glenne Headly (Monk), Gary Cole (The West Wing, Family Affair), David Duchovny (The X-Files), Tracy Pollan (Family Ties), Joshua Malina (Big Shots), Kevin McKidd (Journeyman), Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under), Amanda Seyfried (Veronica Mars), Leslea Fisher (Surface), Todd Grinnell (Four Kings), J.D. Walsh (Dharma & Greg), Vince Vieluf (Love, Inc.), Laura Allen (Dirt), Dean Cain (Clubhouse), James Tupper (Men in Trees), and Allison Hossack (Falcon Beach).

To start, Julie Benz (Hi Honey,...

Ever wonder what happened to the actors and actresses from your favorite cancelled shows? They're keeping busy on TV shows like Heroes and According to Jim, on web-only projects and movies. Here's where you'll be able to find performers like Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler), Dylan McDermott (Big Shots), Nicki Aycox (Ed, Supernatural), Justin Baldoni (Everwood), Seth Green (Four Kings), Brekin Meyer (King of the Hill), Justin Long (Ed), Josh Charles (Six Degrees), Christina Ricci (Ally McBeal), Eric Estrada (CHiPs), Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man), Kevin Falls and James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek), David Denman (Angel, The Office), David Faustino (Married with Children), Corin Nemec (Stargate Sg-1), Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Brad Garrett (Til Death), and Jonathan Lipnicki (Meego).

To start off, Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler) and Dylan McDermott (Big Shots) have signed on to The Line, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced pilot being made for TNT.

Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long have come on board Fox's midseason animated comedy "The Cleveland Show."

Meanwhile, Camille Sullivan and Sarah Glendening landed the two remaining leads on Lifetime's drama pilot "Mistresses."

"Cleveland" is a spinoff from "Family Guy" centered on Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry). Lathan ("Raisin in the Sun") will voice a single mom and Cleveland's love interest. Long ("Big Shots") will voice her rebellious teen daughter.

Based on the BBC series, "Mistresses" revolves around four thirtysomething college friends (Sullivan, Holly Maria Combs, Brooke Burns and Rochelle Aytes) and the younger sister of one of them (Glendening). Sullivan's character is a doctor reeling from the death of a patent.

The near future cleared for two CBS series, the comedy Rules of Engagement and the drama Shark, which received orders Tuesday for six and four additional episodes, respectively.

Meanwhile, there are more clouds ahead for ABC's freshman drama Women's Murder Club. Three executive producers on the show, co-creators/co-showrunners Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain as well as R. Scott Gemmill, have been let go. ABC has yet to decide the fate of the drama, which has faded after a hot start, but if more episodes are ordered, they will be produced without the trio.

Not expected to continue is another ABC freshman drama, Big Shots.

Meanwhile, there still is no resolution on the final six episodes of Scrubs, as NBC has not yet ordered fresh episodes of the departing series.

As for Rules and Shark, Rules had been competing with The New Adventures of Old Christine for the Monday 9:30 p.m. slot, while Shark's future for the rest of the season was put in doubt after CBS scheduled Dexter in the drama's Sunday 10 p.m.

When the writers strike was in full swing, the networks were hesitant to cancel any of their series, no matter how poor the ratings were. They needed whatever original scripted content they could get.

Now, with the strike expected to end tomorrow, the networks have some tough decisions to make. Based on past ratings, which shows should be put back into production? Is it more economically feasible to relaunch an existing show with a big marketing campaign or start from scratch with a new series?

We'll know more in the next couple weeks but, for now, it looks pretty certain that these shows won't be coming back:

Big Shots -- The ABC drama received poor reviews and lousy ratings in its post-Grey's Anatomy timeslot. Of the 13 ordered episodes, only 11 were completed and aired.

Bionic Woman -- NBC had high hopes for this series but the ratings seemed to drop...

The poster for the Sex and the City movie has been released. Does Joshua Malina think that Big Shots is finished? The Power of 10 is pulled but Drew Carey is returning to primetime anyway. A new book on Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock is on the way. The writers strike may be good for Battlestar Galactica fans. Burt Reynolds will give an Evening Shade co-star an award and, The Bob Newhart Show's Suzanne Pleshette is put to rest.

American Gladiators is back in a big way. At age 90, McHale's Navy's Ernest Borgnine is up for an award this weekend. Ice Cube is warming up to the idea of acting in The A-Team movie. A new chapter in the Highlander series is heading to stores. Big Shots returns tonight but will it stick around? There's apparently more to tell about Sex and the City and NBC gives us a better look at the new Knight Rider.

ABC is making another bold move on Thursday night, launching the hit drama Lost in the most valuable piece of primetime real estate -- Thursday at 9 p.m.

The eight produced episodes of the action-adventure series will begin airing Jan. 31 against NBC's Celebrity Apprentice.

The decision to move Lost from Wednesday night, where it had run since its premiere in 2005, was prompted by the network's desire to keep its dominance in the high-profile Thursday 9 p.m. hour during the strike when the slot's regular occupant, Grey's Anatomy, is in repeats, ABC's scheduling chief Jeff Bader said. The move is reminiscent of ABC's decision last year to transplant Grey's from Sunday to Thursday.

"It's an incredibly important time slot, and 'Lost' is an incredibly important show," Bader said. "It seemed like a great opportunity for 'Lost'."

Grey's will continue to air in its Thursday 9 p.m. slot in January, with the medical drama's last original episode on Jan. 3 leading into the premiere of the new Sex and the City-flavored drama Cashmere Mafia. Cashmere will then move to its regular Wednesday 10 p.m. slot, with freshman dramedy Big Shots returning to the Thursday 10 p.m. slot for its last three original episodes.

Landing the cushy post-Lost Thursday 10 p.m. slot is the midseason legal drama Eli Stone, which also premieres Jan. 31.

"It's light and funny -- not a hard show to follow 'Lost' -- that hopefully will have the broad male appeal that 'Lost' has," Bader said.

ABC's previous attempt to launch a new drama behind Lost with the critically praised Invasion was unsuccessful in part because Invasion was deemed as intense as its lead-in.

After a brief return to ABC primetime, Big Shots has been dropped from the schedule once again.

In a typical season, this move wouldn't come as much of a surprise as Big Shots has consistently lost a significant percentage of its Grey's Anatomy lead-in audience. But this season, with the dwindling amount of original scripted programming, the networks have been leaving shows on the air that might otherwise have been cancelled.

Big Shots ran for seven consecutive weeks, was replaced for two and then returned for one. The November 29th return attracted a weak six million viewers; a 2.6 million drop from the previous episode.

For the remainder of December, ABC is replacing Big Shots with repeats of Private Practice. Considering that Practice is a spin-off of Grey's, the network is likely expecting to see better numbers for the reruns than original episodes of Big Shots.

ABC's January schedule hasn't been announced as yet.

In a surprising move given the raging writer's strike, ABC has benched freshman dramedy Big Shots.

The network has pulled the remaining three original episodes of the series starring Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina.

The network will air repeats of another freshman series, medical drama Private Practice, in the Thursday 10 p.m. slot on Dec. 13, Dec. 20 and Dec. 27.

This could be a tryout behind Grey's Anatomy, the series that spun it off.

Shots, which landed the coveted post-Grey's time slot in May, was greeted with mixed reviews and a cold reception by viewers.

Still, given the dearth of original scripted programming the networks are facing with the strike stretching into the new year, the nets so far have tended to keep scripted shows that under normal circumstances would have been canceled.

Shots, along with fellow rookie drama Women's Murder Club, have not been picked up for a full season. The other three ABC freshman one-hours, Practice, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies, have received back-nine orders.

NEW YORK -- CBS won a repeat-laden Thursday primetime, with Survivor: China rising to the top in viewership and the adults 18-49 demo.

Both 9 p.m. heavyweights Grey's Anatomy and "CSI" were in repeats, as was NBC's The Office. So it was Survivor: China (13.8 million, 4.5 rating/12 share in adults 18-49) that was the most-watched program of the night, according to preliminary data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research.

CBS won 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., thanks to a repeat "CSI" (12.3 million, 3.4/8) while NBC's "ER" (8.6 million, 3.4/9) split 10 p.m. with a repeat Without a Trace (9.9 million, 2.5/7) over ABC's Big Shots (6 million, 2.4/6).

Fox did well in counter-programming with an hour of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" (9 million, 2.4/6) and an hour of Don't Forget the Lyrics (8.6 million, 2.8/7). NBC came in second place at 8 p.m. with My Name Is Earl (6.6 million, 2.6/7) and 30 Rock (5.8 million, 2.5/6), while Scrubs (5.9 million, 3.1/7) improved on a repeat The Office (6 million, 3.0/7).

CBS (12 million, 3.5/9) prevailed in primetime against ABC (7.1 million, 2.5.6); NBC (6.9 million, 3.0/8); Fox (8.8 million, 2.6/7); and the CW (2.3 million, 0.9/2).

Fans of the ABC series Big Shots will be happy to know that the dramedy is returning this Thursday night. But for how long?

The series has been struggling in the ratings almost since the beginning of its run, losing almost half of Grey's Anatomy's audience. As a result, Big Shots was pulled from the schedule for the all-important November sweeps period (when advertising rates are set). The drama-comedy is returning this week but will be gone again next week when it's preempted by a Barbara Walters special. Big Shots is scheduled to return again December 13th with the series' ninth episode. After that, who knows?

So, is the show cancelled or not? When filming was shut down in early November, the crew was reportedly told that production would not resume when the strike ended. But, series star Christopher Titus told Hollyscoop from the picket line, "Big Shots has not been cancelled.

Warner Bros. Television president Peter Roth will be honored by the ICG Publicists as the 2008 Television Showman of the Year, officials said Monday.

Roth will be feted at the professional group's 45th Annual Publicists Awards Luncheon, set for Feb. 5 at the Beverly Hilton.

"Peter Roth has an exceptional record," said Henri Bollinger, the ICG Publicists' awards committee chairman. "Under his leadership, Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Television are producing a combined 31 programs for the 2007-2008 season."

The tally includes 25 broadcast network shows and six for basic cable, Bollinger noted.

Among Warner Bros. Television's new broadcast network programs are one-hour series Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Gossip Girl, Big Shots and Moonlight, as well as the half-hour comedy The Big Bang Theory.

Previous award recipients include CBS Corp. topper Les Moonves, CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and others.

NEW YORK -- ABC won head-to-head with Grey's Anatomy but CBS won the war in primetime Thursday with a narrow victory in the adults 18-49 demographic and a wider one in viewership.

Grey's (19.3 million, 8.1 rating/18 share in adults 18-49) was the easy winner at 9 p.m. against "CSI" (21.3 million, 6.4/15), with both shows about even week-to-week in the demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research data released Friday.

Meanwhile, The Office (8.8 million, 4.8/11) was up week-to-week, while Scrubs (6 million, 3.2/7) was about even.

CBS won at 10 p.m. with Without a Trace (14.5 million, 4.1/11), which was understandably down sharply from last week's crossover episode with CSI. But it was still enough to keep it ahead of "ER" (9.5 million, 3.8/10) and Women's Murder Club (8.9 million, 3.3/9). "ER" was ahead of last week while Women's Murder Club did better than Big Shots a week ago.

CBS had no problem winning at 8 p.m. with Survivor: China (14.8 million, 4.8/13) against ABC's Ugly Betty (10.7 million, 3.5/9) and NBC's My Name Is Earl (9.3 million, 3.6/10) and 30 Rock (6.5 million, 3.2/8).

ABC is moving some shows around for the November sweeps period and, as part of that, is pulling freshman drama Big Shots.

Big Shots follows the lives of four businessmen who are successful in business but whose personal lives are a bit of a mess. The series stars Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, and Joshua Malina. Big Shots debuted on September 27, 2007 and six episodes have aired thus far. The premiere attracted a mediocre 11.6 million, losing about nine million from the premiere of Grey's Anatomy that preceded it. The ratings have been slipping ever since and the most recent episode attracted just 7.3 million. (Numbers based on overnight ratings.)

Its no surprise that ABC is pulling Big Shots for at least part of the November sweeps. Women's Murder Club will take its place for a special Thursday night airing on November 15th. Then, on November 22nd, October Road will kick off...

The raging wildfires that forced the evacuations of a quarter-million people in Southern California are disrupting the production of several TV shows and prompting local TV stations to pre-empt network programming for continuous coverage of the disaster.

24 was scheduled to film scenes featuring star Kiefer Sutherland at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine on Monday and Tuesday. Sutherland was on the set in one of the base's hangars when filming was canceled at 7:30 a.m. Monday because of health reasons; the cast and crew had blurry eyes and difficulty breathing and were coughing from the smoke.

The show's producers scrambled to get other actors not scheduled to work Monday to go to the show's stages, where they were joined by Sutherland and the crew to shoot shorter scenes that don't require extensive preparation.

"By 1 p.m. we're back here and had shot two other scenes," line producer Michael Klick said. "When the dust settles, we probably lost five hours worth of work, and we have to reschedule the two days we missed."

It was not clear if the missed scenes would be filmed at the base or someplace else.

CBS' Cold Case was among several other series that suffered minor fire-related production glitches. Its sets in Simi Valley were blown over by the strong winds Sunday, so the producers had to select another location.

ABC's Big Shots scrapped a cycling sequence it was planning to shoot Tuesday in Malibu.

FX's The Riches filmed in the Santa Clarita area Monday as scheduled. The production was to have used Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies for traffic control, but after they were pulled away to help fire crews get to blazing areas, the Santa Clarita Film Commission worked with the crew to rejigger the shoot so that deputies wouldn't be needed.

NEW YORK -- The premiere of Viva Laughlin failed to carry a tune, but CBS still managed to come within a tenth of a point of tying ABC for the lead in the adults 18-49 demographic.

The Hugh Jackman-Lloyd Owen musical drama, which follows a fictional Nevada casino, had the best lead-in on television in CSI. But Viva Laughlin (8.8 million, 2.4/7) came in third place at 10 p.m. against a veteran ER (10 million, 4.0/11) as well as ABC's freshman Big Shots (8.3 million, 3.3/9), neither heavy hitters by any measure.

Grey's Anatomy (17.7 million, 7.1/17) won in adults 18-49 against "CSI" (20.8 million, 6.4/16) at 9 p.m. Grey's was down 10% week-to-week while "CSI" rose 5%. The Office (8.5 million, 4.4/11) dropped 6% from last week.

Fox's coverage of Game 5 of the Boston Red Sox-Cleveland Indians AL championship series averaged 11.6 million viewers and a 3.3/8 in adults 18-49, though the ratings are likely to be adjusted later Friday.

The 8 p.m. hour was won by Survivor: China (13.4 million, 4.3/13), which was down 6%, while Ugly Betty (9.7 million, 3.1/9) fell 11% and both My Name Is Earl (7.2 million, 2.7/8) and 30 Rock (6.3 million, 2.6/7) were down.

Paul Blackthorne has joined the cast of NBC's midseason series Lipstick Jungle, playing the husband of Brooke Shields' character.

Lipstick, from Universal Media Studios, stars Shields, Lindsay Price and Kim Raver as trio of successful professional women in New York. Shields plays a movie studio president and a harried wife and mother of three. Blackthorne will play her husband, a regular role that was recast. Chris Wiehl played the part in the pilot.

Blackthorne, who most recently played the lead on Sci Fi Channel's The Dresden Files, is recurring on ABC's new drama Big Shots. He is repped by SDB Partners, Seven Summits and attorney Dale De La Torre.

CANNES -- The Hollywood heavyweights are hoping that foreign TV program buyers get as pumped up about Pushing Daisies, Big Shots and Cane as they did in the past several years about such global winners as Grey's Anatomy, Prison Break, Heroes and House.

Starting Monday at MIPCOM in Cannes, Warners, Disney, Fox, CBS Paramount, Universal and Sony will get an inkling of the enthusiasm abroad for their latest shows.

If the program buyers fork out the kind of cash that's been paid in the past five years for American series, then the six major Hollywood studios can breathe a little easier, sensing that their revenue from foreign TV, both free over-the-air and pay, will remain robust.

At any rate, that overall haul is on target in 2007 to top out slightly above $6.5 billion. (The exchange rate with the euro, pound and yen doesn't hurt either.) Whether the eye-popping pricing for U.S. series holds up is the crucial question as some 12,000 TV execs trek to the French Riviera for the annual sales bazaar that runs through Friday.

"The demand for our content continues to be strong and in many places around the world our shows continue to be placed in primetime or other high priority slots," said Armando Nunez, president of CBS Paramount International Television.

"We're convinced that the quality of our shows has never been better so I think MIPCOM is likely to be an upbeat affair for us," one top American seller said.

During the five-day event, thousands of TV shows from around the world are bought, sold, swapped, packaged, funded, formatted or fashioned from scratch at 500-odd exhibitor booths in the convention hall or at the bars and restaurants lining the resort town.

A quartet of actors have joined three freshman drama series as recurring.

Law & Order alum Elisabeth Rohm and Ryan Devlin have come aboard ABC's Big Shots, Jordan Bridges is doing NBC's Bionic Woman, and Brando Eaton has been added to NBC's Journeyman.

On Big Shots, Rohm will play Alex Mason, a TV stock analyst and love interest to Amerimart COO James Walker (Michael Vartan). Devlin will play Zack Wells, a new intern at Reveal Cosmetics who sparks the interest of Cameron Collinsworth (Peyton List).

Rohm, who played assistant district attorney Serena Southerlyn on NBC's "Law & Order" for four seasons, is repped by UTA and Evolution Entertainment. Devlin, who had a recurring role on Veronica Mars, is repped by Innovative Artists and Grant Management.

On Bionic, Bridges will play Tom, an unassuming teacher's assistant at a prestigious university who also works for the CIA and is a potential love interest for Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan).

Bridges, who co-starred on NBC's Conviction, is repped by Fortitude and MJ Management.

On Journeyman, Eaton will play the younger version of the time-traveling lead character Dan Vassar (Kevin McKidd).

After months of uncertainty, the fantasy/mystery series has been cancelled and won't be returning for a second season.

The Dresden Files was based on a series of novels by Jim Butcher and followed the adventures of Harry Dresden, a wizard who helped the police solve cases. The show debuted on the Sci Fi Channel on January 21, 2007 and ran for 12 episodes. Though the series' ratings weren't very strong, a loyal fanbase had hoped that Dresden Files would be renewed for a sophomore year. That didn't happen and Sci Fi has now confirmed that the series is done.

Perhaps not coincidentally, this news comes on the same day that its been announced that Dresden Files star Paul Blackthorne has joined the cast of new ABC drama Big Shots. Blackthorne will play a high-powered CEO that draws the envy of characters played by Joshua Malina, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, and Michael Vartan.

Jessica Collins is joining NBC's legion of Heroes, while Paul Blackthorne is joining the club at ABC's Big Shots.

Collins will be recurring on the Universal Media Studios-produced Heroes, playing Sophie, a mysterious woman with powers who works at the organization that is tracking all heroes.

Collins most recently co-starred on ABC's critically praised drama series The Nine and on CBS' drama pilot The Man. She is repped by ICM and manager Emily Gerson Saines.

The upcoming drama Big Shots revolves around four high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be (Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina) who socialize at the same exclusive golf club. In a recurring role referred to as "the fifth CEO," Blackthorne will play a sophisticated, iconic tycoon that the four aspire to be.

Big Shots, from Warner Bros. TV, landed the plum post-Grey's Anatomy slot on ABC's fall schedule.

Blackthorne, who most recently played the lead on Sci Fi Channel's The Dresden Files, is repped by SDB Partners and managed by Seven Summits.

Charles McDougall has been tapped to direct the NBC one-hour pilot The Watch.

The project, from Sony Pictures TV and Pariah, was picked up to pilot in January. It subsequently was put on hold with a director contingency.

With McDougall on board, the contingency has been lifted and the pilot is going into production.

Watch, from There's Something About Mary writers Ed Decter and John J. Strauss, revolves around a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry.

On the pilot, McDougall also will serve as an executive producer alongside Decter, Strauss, Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses.

McDougall, who directed the pilot for ABC's hit Desperate Housewives, helmed the ABC drama pilot Big Shots this past development season. The project recently was picked up to series by the network, landing the coveted post-Grey's Anatomy time slot.

McDougall, whose recent credits also include Showtime's The Tudors, is repped by Endeavor.

Carrie-Anne Moss has signed on to star on ABC's drama pilot "Suspect".

Meanwhile, Marissa Jeret Winokur has been tapped to star on CBS' comedy pilot "Fugly", William Baldwin has joined ABC's drama pilot "Dirty Sexy Money", Christopher Titus has landed one of the leads on ABC's untitled Jon Feldman drama pilot, Madchen Amick is set as the female lead on CBS' one-hour pilot "Viva Laughlin!" and Eric Christian Olsen will play the male lead on ABC's untitled D.C. comedy pilot.

Additionally, Leslie Hope has come aboard Fox's drama pilot "The Apostles", Brian Benben has been cast in NBC's comedy pilot "The Mastersons of Manhattan", Swoosie Kurtz has joined ABC's drama pilot "Pushing Daisies", while David Alan Basche, Julian Sands and David Norona have joined NBC's "Lipstick Jungle".

"Suspect", from Sony Pictures TV and 25 C Prods., is a fast-paced procedural drama uncovering a crime's perpetrator by tracing the suspects in a lineup. In the pilot directed by Guy Ritchie, Moss will play a police lieutenant, the boss of the department who is tough on the outside and warm and caring on the inside. Moss, star of such films as the "Matrix" trilogy and "Memento", will next be seen in "Disturbia" and "Fido" and is slated to begin production on "Fireflies in the Garden" in March. She is repped by WMA, Manager Elizabeth Hodgson and attorney Robert Lange.

Also cast in "Suspect" are Erik Palladino and Kathleen Munroe. "ER" alum Palladino will play a detective who grew up in the streets. Munroe ("Beautiful People") will play the squad baby.

"Fugly", from 20th TV and Greg Garcia, revolves around three siblings -- identical twin sisters and a brother -- who buy one sister an extreme makeover and move to Hollywood to cash in on her good looks.

Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has landed the lead in Fox's Lasse Hallstrom-directed drama pilot New Amsterdam, to which David Mason has come on board as executive producer/showrunner.

Meanwhile, Alias star Michael Vartan has been tapped to topline ABC's untitled Jon Feldman drama pilot, which is being directed by Charles McDougall, and Gabrielle Union is set to star in another ABC drama pilot, the Bryan Singer-directed Football Wives.

Amsterdam, from Regency TV, Scarlet Fire Films, Sarabande Prods. and Laha Films, centers on John Amsterdam (Coster-Waldau), a man cursed with immortality who works as a homicide detective in New York. On the pilot, Mason (FX's Thief) will executive produce alongside Allan Loeb, Christian Taylor, Hallstrom, Steven Pearl and Leslie Holleran. Coster-Waldau's English-language feature credits include Wimbledon, Black Hawk Down and Firewall. He is repped by Endeavor and Jill Littman at Handprint Entertainment.

The Feldman project, from Warner Bros. TV, revolves around four high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be who are all friends. Vartan will play the new CEO of a large corporation who is described as the moral center of the show.