[Televisionary]

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Hollywood Reporter 's Borys Kit and James Hibberd are reporting that Warner Bros. Television is in the process of acquiring television rights to Neil Gaiman's DC/Vertigo comic series "Sandman" with the view of adapting it as an ongoing television series. Among the contenders to tackle the project: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. It's not the first time that Hollywood has courted the mythopoeic comic series: HBO nearly had a version in development at one time with James Mangold attached; Roger Avery attempted to get a feature film version off the ground in the mid-90s. It's still early days for the project as Kripke is said to be cautious about treading on such hallowed ground and attempting to translate the deeply complex and layered narrative for television. [Editor: Personally, I'd rather that Kripke and WBTV didn't: the plot of "Sandman" isn't a strict narrative in the traditiona...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Following yesterday's brutal cancellation of Party Down , Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall talks to Party Down executive producer Rob Thomas about the cancellation of the Starz comedy. "No one on our side is particularly shocked by the news," Thomas told Sepinwall about the cancellation. "Frankly, the waiting has been excruciating, and there's a certain amount of relief in knowing and being able to move on." Thomas indicated that the series was heading towards a third season renewal before newly installed entertainment czar Chris Albrecht was brought in. "There's little to no doubt that we were going to get one until Chris came in," said Thomas. "But I do think if we had done better numbers, Chris would've kept us. I don't think Chris wanted to come in and clean house. I just don't think he had quite the emotional attachment that people who had been at Starz through the birth of...

Looks like it's the end of the road for Party Down . Despite critical acclaim and cult-like status among viewers, pay cabler Starz has cancelled Party Down after just two seasons. Deadline's Nellie Andreeva broke the news of the series cancellation this morning, reporting that Starz had opted not to review Party Down and fellow Friday night lead-out Gravity , the latter of which aired for a single season. "While the off-beat comedy has become an instant cult classic, I hear at the end of the day its appeal was deemed not wide enough to keep the show beyond its recently concluded Season 2," writes Andreeva, who goes on to say that Starz may make an official announcement later today about the fates of both series. Sadly, it seems as though Party Down is in fact a goner, a decision that I believe to be myopic, foolhardy, and heartbreaking in equal measure, particularly as the series was starting to catch on with viewers thanks to Netflix's Instant Viewing functio...

I have a hard time imagining a world without Party Down . While Starz's critically adored by ratings-challenged comedy has only been on for two seasons (the second of which wraps its run tonight), Party Down has served as a beacon of hope, particularly in light of watching the crop of comedy pilots ordered to series for next season. Tonight's season finale of Party Down ("Constance Carmell Wedding") arrives at a time when the future of the series is even more uncertain than when the season began back in April. Starz hasn't picked up the series for a third season and many of its cast members--including Adam Scott and Ryan Hansen--have signed on to star in other shows. (You can read my feature on The Daily Beast from April about the situation here and the outtakes from my interview with Scott--in which we talk about Parks and Recreation and Party Down --here .) In its twenty episodes, Party Down found the pitch-perfect balance between sweet and sour and between...

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Showtime's Dexter is on a casting role. Variety 's Stuart Levine is reporting that Jonny Lee Miller ( Eli Stone ) is the latest to board the serial killer drama, signing on to appear in a multiple-episode story arc on Season Five of Dexter . Miller will play "a mysterious man who ends up tangled in a storyline with Julia Stiles, who is beginning her first season on the skein." ( Variety ) Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jordana Spiro has exited NBC's midseason romantic anthology series Love Bites . Spiro's participation in the series was always in second position to her role on TBS comedy My Boys , which returns for its fourth season next month. "Although the odds appear slim that TBS will renew the show for a fifth season (season 4 premieres July 25), it was a risk NBC apparently wasn’t willing to take," writes Ausiello. "It’s unclear if her role will be recast....

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. NBC has given a series order to spy dramedy Undercovers , from executive producers J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims, the first series pickup for the 2010-11 season. Series, which revolves around the exploits of a married couple who both work in espionage, stars Boris Kodjoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Carter MacIntyre, Gerald McRaney, and Ben Schwartz. “Having J.J. on our creative team is a great reason for celebration,” said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios, in a statement. “In Undercovers , J.J. and Josh have found a breakout couple that is rich in character and brimming with romance and action. We feel he’s found the perfect cast.” ( Televisionary ) MEGA-SPOILER! I won't be clicking over to read these (and would ask that you not discuss them in any specific detail here ) but Italian blog Macchianera has obtained six script pages from the Lost series finale, schedule...

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that ABC is said to be considering renewing nighttime soap Desperate Housewives for two more seasons, which would then wrap up the series' run on the network. "There have been indications that ABC may go for a straight two-year pickup, including making deals with key writers on the show. Creator/executive producer Marc Cherry already has a deal in place with producing studio ABC Studios for three more years," writes Andreeva. "If Desperate Housewives indeed ends its run after eight seasons, he is expected to focus on development in the final year of his deal." She also reports that Patrick Dempsey may not want to continue on Grey's Anatomy after next season... ( Deadline.com ) Good news for Brittany and Santana. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Glee 's Heather Morris and Naya Rivera, who play Cheerios/New Directions doub...

There's no danger that Adam Scott will ever be the guy known only for a catch phrase in a beer commercial. The boyish-looking 37-year-old actor stars in Party Down , which returns tonight for its second season after receiving critical adoration for its first season, and he'll next be seen in NBC's Parks and Recreation beginning with the final two episodes of the season. (He then segues to a series regular role on the Universal Media Studios-produced comedy next season.) I talked to Adam Scott last month for a feature that ran earlier this week on The Daily Beast about Party Down (which can be read here ). While that feature article focused entirely on Party Down (and also featured quotes from co-creator/showrunner John Enbom and ex-Starz executive Bill Hamm), I thought I'd bring you more details from my lengthy interview with Scott a few weeks back, during which we talked about Party Down and his role on Parks and Rec , and he extracted a piece of dried apple from h...

The employees of Party Down Catering seem to fall into two categories: those who continue to dream big and those whose dreams have gotten thrown on the ground, stomped on a few dozen times, and then set on fire for good measure. Season Two of Starz's deliciously droll comedy Party Down , created by Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, returns tomorrow for another season of scathing satire, trenchant observation, and dark comedy. (You can read my feature article on the series here .) Despite its presence on an up-and-coming pay cable network that doesn't boast the reach of HBO or Showtime, cable's big guns would be lucky to have a comedy that's this hilarious, biting, and emotionally resonant, often all at the time same. Set nine months after the events of Season One, Party Down finds its caterers heading once more into the breach as they cater the backstage after-party for rock metal god Jackal Onassis (guest star Jimmi Simpson). Changes are afoot: Hen...

Is Party Down over before it's even had a chance to grab a larger audience and cross over into the mainstream? That's the question I ask in my latest feature for The Daily Beast, entitled "Is the Party Over?" I speak with co-creator John Enbom, star Adam Scott (who will soon be seen in his new gig on NBC's Parks and Recreation ), and former Starz development executive Bill Hamm, who was let go from his position just days after speaking with me. With the cast being snapped up by other networks and no Season Three renewal in sight, one can't help but wonder if Starz has squandered Party Down 's significant potential. But the fact remains: if you want more Party Down , subscribe to Starz, buy the DVD, and get as many people to watch Season Two--beginning tomorrow--as possible. Party Down returns for its second season tomorrow night at 10 pm ET/PT on Starz.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. Nathan Fillion fans, rejoice! ABC yesterday announced that it had ordered a full third season for procedural drama Castle , picking up the Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic-led series for a full season of 22 episodes. The pickup came a day after Castle hit a ratings high (14.5 million total viewers and 3.7/10 in the key demo) and as well as broke a record for scripted series at ABC on Mondays at 10 pm ET/PT and its best key demo ratings in the timeslot since 2001. (via press release) Meanwhile, The Wrap's Josef Adalian has a quick Q&A with ABC chief Steve McPherson about Castle 's renewal. "We all believed, on both the production side and the network side, we believed in the creative on this show from the get-go," McPherson told Adalian. "We loved the casting, we loved Andrew (Marlowe, executive producer) and the work he was doing on the story-telling. It's a great story of patience. It's good to se...

Looking for something to watch this spring? Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest piece, "15 Reasons to Watch TV This Spring," where I round up fifteen new and returning series airing this spring--from Doctor Who , V, Nurse Jackie , and Fringe to Treme, Peep Show, and Top Chef Masters , among others--as well as some major events like the end of ABC's Lost in May. What are you most looking forward to this spring and what's caught your fancy as your latest television obsession? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. While FOX and 20th Century Fox Television won't comment, Variety 's Michael Schneider is reporting that it appears that Day Eight of 24 will be the series' last. A final decision on the fate of the Kiefer Sutherland-led serialized drama will be made in the next day or so but it's not looking as though 24 will continue for a ninth season, at least at FOX. "The studio is said to be considering shopping 24 to other nets -- but given the thriller's age and pricetag, it's believed interest from other outlets will be limited," writes Schneider. "Yet even as the bell tolls for 24 in primetime, the franchise is far from dead. Sutherland and the 24 team have been keen on adapting the show as a feature film, and have made major strides in recent months toward making that long-term goal a reality." ( Variety ) In quite possibly one of the best pieces of casting news around, Keri Russell ( Felic...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Good news for Fringe fans: the Pattern will be continuing next season. FOX has officially renewed the drama series for a third season this fall. " Fringe tapped into a deep creative mine this year that built momentum throughout the season and helped give us our first real foothold on TV’s most competitive night,” said Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, in a statement. "The entire Fringe team – from the producers and writers to the cast and crew – has taken smart storytelling and top production quality to a whole new level. The rest of this season is mind-blowing, and we can’t wait to get started on the third installment of this amazing journey." Meanwhile, Fringe resumes with eight all-new episodes on Thursday, April 1st. (via press release) The Guardian 's Simon Hattenstone has a huge profile of new Doctor Who star Matt Smith, who takes over the mantle of the Doctor from forme...