[Televisionary]

One of the most eagerly anticipated (and constantly buzzed about) pilots of this current development season is NBC's legal dramedy, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer , which stars former Doctor Who star David Tennant as the titular non-attorney. Given Tennant's stature and his popularity coming off of Doctor Who , expectations are running high for Rex , which had been rumored to be under contention for a March launch on NBC... but is now said to be in the mix for a possible slot on the Peacock's fall schedule. (Or is, off the table, should you believe what an unnamed insider told Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello earlier this week, though that has been unconfirmed.) Regardless, I had the opportunity yesterday to sit down to read the pilot script for Rex Is Not Your Lawyer , written by David Lampson and Andrew Leeds, and was pleasantly surprised to encounter a quirky and compelling legal dramedy that juggled both a procedural element (the familiar case of the week) with an...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Looks like the Final Battle isn't over yet. The Hollywood Reporter 's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Titus Welliver ( The Good Wife ) and Mark Pellegrino ( Supernatural ) will return for Season Six of Lost . Welliver will reprise his role as the mysterious man in black during the second half of Lost 's final season while Pellegrino will return as Jacob in at least six episodes of Season Six of Lost . ( Hollywood Reporter ) [Editor: Meanwhile, also be sure to check out Part Two of Maureen Ryan's fantastic and in-depth Q&A with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse here .] Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that NBC has yet to make a decision about the fate of legal drama pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, starring David Tennant ( Doctor Who ). But while the pilot's sets are being dismantled this week, the project isn't dead. "The sets are on fold-and-hold," an unnam...

NBC made the right call in trotting out Jeff Gaspin to answer questions alongside Angela Bromstad at this morning's NBC executive sessions here at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena. While critics were eager to get some answers on the still-developing schedule changes afoot at the network (which would have Jay Leno potentially moving to a half-hour timeslot at 11:35 pm--after the local news--and Conan moving The Tonight Show to 12:05 am, followed by Jimmy Fallon at 1:05 am), there wasn't the same baying for blood that marked the August appearance of Bromstad and reality czar Paul Telegdy. Anticipating the need for concrete information about the Leno-O'Brien situation, Gaspin began the session by stating unequivocally, "I can confirm that, starting February 12th, Jay Leno will no longer air at 10 pm." He also confirmed reports that the current proposal has Leno shifting to 11:35 pm, Conan retaining The Tonight Show title and moving t...

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Heroes ' Sendhil Ramamurthy has departed NBC's David Tennant-led legal dramedy pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer , allegedly due to scheduling conflicts. (The project was in second position to his role on Heroes .) Ramamurthy's role, that of a good-natured lawyer who falls in love with the fiancee (Abigail Spencer) of his best friend Rex (Tennant), has now been recast with Jerry O'Connell ( Carpoolers ) coming on board the project. Also cast: Lindsay Kraft ( Southland ) and Cleo King ( The Hangover ); Kraft will play Rex's assistant, an aspiring singer/songwriter while King will play a private school bus driver coached to represent herself by Rex in the pilot. Project, from Universal Media Studios, also stars Jeffrey Tambor and Jane Curtin ( Hollywood Reporter ) Meanwhile, David Tennant has dispelled rumors that there are any plans for a Doctor Who feature film. "I don't think there is a Doctor Who movie,...

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Minnie Driver ( The Riches ) has landed a plum guest role on ABC comedy Modern Family , where she will play "a friend and former co-worker of Claire’s (Julie Bowen). The two reconnect after years of being out of touch and things are not exactly how they remembered." Driver's episode is slated to air in January. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Jeffrey Tambor ( Arrested Development ) will star opposite David Tennant in NBC's legal dramedy Rex is Not Your Lawyer , where he will play the psychiatrist of the panic attack-prone titular lawyer (Tennant) who is described as "a specialist in anxiety disorders who himself suffers from them and who also becomes romantically involved with Rex's mother." David Semel will direct the pilot, written by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson. ( Hollywood Reporter ) ABC is said to be close to handing o...

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Looks like the TARDIS has deposited the Doctor on our shores. Outbound Doctor Who star David Tennant has signed on to topline NBC's legal dramedy pilot Rex Is Not Your Lawyer . Tennant, who departs from Doctor Who at the end of the year, will play the titular character, Rex Alexander, a Chicago lawyer who suffers from crippling panic attacks who begins coaching his clients on how to represent themselves in court. Project, from Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun, is written by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson and will be directed by David Semel, who executive produces with Barry Schindel, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, and Gene Stein. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Lost 's Naveen Andrews will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit . Details on his role are being kept firmly under wraps, though it's known that his episode is slated to air in January. ( TVGuide.com ) FOX has ordered rough...