AMC debuted a new reality show Thursday (May 23) called "Showville." The theme song should tell you all you need to know:

"All across America there's people who should be famous. And now they're gonna get that chance to show us, entertain us. Each week a new town we go to, a dentist, farmer, could be you."

Alec and Lisette are performance coaches who travel to small towns and find people to perform in a talent show, after being given coaching from the said performance coaches. The acts they find are ... creative, certainly.

The first episode took us to Holland, Mich. and it made us think of "America's Got Talent" meets "Waiting for Guffman." There's a man named Doug who sings about the "mime in [his] head" and married couple Randy and Darlene -- Randy works in pest control -- who play the Irish pennywhistles.

You can't make this stuff up, folks.

Each episode is capped off with the actual talent show that the chosen acts perform for the townspeople. The audience votes for a winner and that act receives $10,000 and a trophy.

The premiere episode talent show was pretty hilarious -- the acts gave it 110%, with Maciek the magician taking home the prize. Randy of the pennywhistles said it was well deserved, as Maciek is "a peach of a guy."

Will you be returning to Showville?

There's an inherent risk in naming your show something that critics and viewers can turn into a joke, but Anne Heche's new NBC comedy went ahead and did it anyway. Several times throughout the premiere of "Save Me" on Thursday (May 23), I found myself muttering the title -- something I'd imagine Heche did more than once while filming.

There's such a weird tonal dissonance during the series' first episode, which sees Heche's Beth spared from choking to death and resolving to change her drunken, messy ways. Shortly after, she begins to hear God speak to her, though the audience never does, which allows for the show to avoid having to clarify whether Beth is insane, suffering a brain injury, or truly a prophet. It's worth noting that "God" only speaks to Beth twice in the premiere; once to tell her that her daughter is fooling around with a boy, and another to tell her that an old friend needs to give her husband more oral sex. (Ugh.)

The first half-hour tries to cram in as much as possible: Beth's husband Tom (Michael Landes) is cheating on her with Carly (Alexandra Breckenridge) and wants to divorce Beth. Beth's daughter Emily (Madison Davenport) hates her mom, but needs boy advice. Beth's neighborhood friends hate her, as well, but Beth is determined to win them over. In fact, her new self is determined to win everyone over.

It would be enough to set up the family situations in the quick 30 minutes, but stuffing the friends in, on top of Carly's bits, feels like just too much. And, as such, the show has to take several leaps to get to the certain story points it wants to reach -- meaning no conclusions feel earned or logical. They all just happen because some writer wrote them that way.

Heche, who's had a history with hearing voices in her personal life, seems game for poking fun at her past, but she deserves a better vehicle. Everything about "Save Me" feels half-baked, like it's a script that would've been written to air on Showtime alongside "Weeds" and "United States of Tara," but sat on the shelf unfinished, until NBC decided it wanted to adapt it for network television. The fact that the show didn't even premiere until late May proves that NBC couldn't rescue this one.

What did you think about "Save Me"? Should it be put out of its misery?

CBS has finally released full trailers for most of the network's new fall shows. While previously released videos relied heavily on cast interviews and making-of footage, these new trailers show only footage. These were, in fact, the videos shown to advertisers and reporters during the CBS upfront presentations.

First up, we have the comedies.

"The Crazy Ones" has Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar and James Wolk doing advertising in a much funnier way than "Mad Men."



It may be the presence of Kelly Clarkson that inspires it, but everyone sings. Like everyone. Yay!

"The Millers" starring Will Arnett, Margo Martindale and Beau Bridges.



There is much more of Martindale and Bridges in this version. This is a good move on CBS' part. A less-good move would be the ever-prevalent laugh track. It's hardly necessary. Then there's the best move -- Arnett and Martindale reenacting "Dirty Dancing."

"We Are Men" stars Jerry O'Connell, Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn and Chris Smith as a bunch of men.



Finally, there is "Mom," a new Chuck Lorre comedy starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney.



CBS also released one drama trailer, for "Hostages," with Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott.



Potential assassination, a family held hostage, ambiguous characters and more. This is on CBS?

(Note: Apologies to those who wanted to see more of the Josh Holloway drama, "Intelligence." CBS hasn't released that one yet.)

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Tamra Barney is getting her own show on Bravo. Barney confirmed the wedding special, which will co-star fiance Eddie Judge, via Twitter Thursday (May 23)
The currently single "Housewife" spoke to Us Weekly about her plans. "I'm so excited to share my wedding with the viewers," she tells the mag. "They watched every transition I've made and am happy to be giving the opportunity to share our wedding too."
Tamra says she and Eddie may actually have two weddings, the extravagant televised event with hundreds of guests, and a private family wedding in Mexico. If that's the case, she better start thinking about hiring a wedding coordinator. "My days right now are insane, planning a wedding, filming, running C.U.T Fitness, 'sweating for the wedding' and most importantly, being a mommy," Barney says. "I couldn't be happier and am thankful to have found Eddie."
The bride-to-be asked her Twitter followers for help coming up with a name for the special. "Sweating 4 the Wedding," "Tamra & Eddie Are Finally Ready," and "Third Time's a Charm" were some of her own ideas. Barney's divorce from second husband Simon Barney played out in previous seasons of "RHWOC."

Kelly Clarkson is a no for judging "American Idol" Season 13. Despite reports that "Idol" was considering Clarkson and other former contestants to fill the judges' table next season, that is looking much less likely now.

A rep for Clarkson told The Hollywood Reporter directly that Clarkson was not going to judge Season 13. In addition to this, Adam Lambert -- also named as a possible "Idol" returnee -- has not even heard from the show's producers.

With the alumni panel looking less likely, we're likely to start hearing celebrity rumors again. Keith Urban, a Season 12 judge, has said on more than one occasion that he would love to return for Season 13. There are also sporadic reports about bringing back Jennifer Lopez or adding a frequent "Idol" guest like will.i.am.

And don't forget the absolutely insane and probably cost-prohibitive idea to get Justin Bieber, Pink and other pop stars.

Why is this such a big deal? With ratings down significantly this past season, "American Idol" has to do something if it wants to stay even remotely relevant. Unfortunately, the most desirable music stars are also the busiest -- fitting in a few months of "Idol" doesn't really work well around a tour schedule.

We probably won't hear anything final before late summer.

Another veteran of "The Shield" is making her way to "Sons of Anarchy."

CCH Pounder, who earned an Emmy nomination for playing Detective Claudette Wyms on the former FX drama, will have a recurring part on Season 6 of "SOA," EW reports. She'll first show up in the season's second episode.

The casting reunites Pounder with "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter, who was a writer and producer on "The Shield." Much of the regular cast of that show, including Walton Goggins, Jay Karnes, Benito Martinez, Kenny Johnson and David Rees Snell, has since appeared on "Sons."

On "Sons of Anarchy," Pounder will play a prosecutor who crosses paths with SAMCRO.

Pounder currently has a recurring part on "Warehouse 13" and co-stars in the movie "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," which is due in theaters in August.

"Sons of Anarchy" begins its sixth season on FX in the fall.

DirecTV has announced the all-star cast for their upcoming drama "Full Circle" from award-winning screenwriter and playwright Neil LaBute, and its clear the satellite cable provider has hit the mother lode.

Signed up for LaBute's television debut are Tom Felton ("Harry Potter"), Minka Kelly ("Friday Night Lights"), Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"), David Boreanaz ("Bones"), Keke Palmer ("Akeelah and the Bee"), Devon Gearhart ("The Wait"), Billy Campbell ("The Killing"), Kate Walsh ("Private Practice"), Noah Silver (The Borgias"), Ally Sheedy ("Welcome to the Rileys"), Cheyenne Jackson ("Behind the Candelabra"), and Robin Weigert ("Sons of Anarchy").

The 10-episode series will examine the human condition and relationships through a series of conversations between 11 people whose lives, unbeknownst to them, are intertwined. Each episode will take place in a restaurant and feature a conversation between two characters, with one of the character's shorelines carrying over into the next episode through a conversation with a new character and that character then being featured in the following episode. The process continues until the finale episode. Head spinning yet?

Characters passing the torch from one episode to the next include Tim (Felton) an exchange student from England and his love interest Bridgette (Kelly); Bridgette's husband Stanley (McMahon), a charismatic and intense entertainment lawyer; Stanley's client Jace (Boreanaz), a famous comic known for his outlandish behavior; Chan'dra (Palmer), whose life was irrevocably altered as a result of a joke that Jace took too far; Cliff (Gearhart), a classmate Chan'dra secretly has a crush on; Cliff's father Trent (Campbell) and his wife Trisha (Walsh); Peter (Jackson), an aspiring singer who intrudes on a special night between Trent and Trisha; Robbie (Silver), Trisha's student who purports an unusual connection to his teacher, and his mother Celeste (Sheedy), with whom he shares an unnerving bond. The final episode brings the characters together, with the unexpected addition of one (Weigert), for an explosive ending that is sure to change all of these characters lives irreparably

"Full Circle" is set to air on DirecTV's Audience channel in fall 2013.

Back in March, three young women in white captivated the Game Show Network (GSN) audience with their bubbly personalities,spoon-flipping skills and biblical knowledge.

Members of the Roman Catholic religious order Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, from Ann Arbor, Mich., professed Sister Maria Suso, and novices Sister Evangeline and Sister Peter Joseph, became surprise stars on season two of GSN's "American Bible Challenge," with host Jeff Foxworthy, and won a spot in the show's finale, airing tonight (Thursday, May 23).

In addition to what they won in earlier rounds, the sisters hope to win the $100,000 grand prize -- and if they also top the online voting for fan favorite, an extra $10,000 -- all of which will go to support aging and retired sisters in the order.

The tallest of the trio is Florida State University alumna Sister Maria Suso, who says that her Prioress General, Mother Assumpta, first proposed the idea of the sisters going on the game show and asked about which ones were the most well-versed in Scripture.

"Because obedience is such a big part of our lives," Sister Maria Suso tells Zap2it, "we believe that when our superior asks us to do something, it's God's will. So we very joyfully accepted that as God's will and went out to Los Angeles.

"One nice part of this is being able to show that Catholics do and should know our Bibles."

While the sister says that faithful Catholics don't necessarily memorize their Bibles chapter and verse, as many Evangelicals do, they are very familiar with its content and stories. But, there is an increasing movement to improve biblical knowledge and literacy.

"Also," she says, "I've noticed that a lot of new churches or churches with young pastors are having Bibles in the pews."

It's no accident that Sister Maria Suso is well-versed in Scripture. Raised by parents who practiced their faith but weren't necessarily passionate about it when she was a child, Sister says that, as a 14-year-old, something changed radically within her.

"I had everything going for me," she says, "in terms of good grades, friends, all that kind of stuff. But I was very unhappy."

In talking with another Christian friend, she realized she needed to know more about the person of Jesus Christ.

"I wasn't in a relationship with Him," she says. "Then I started Confirmation class, and they gave me a Catechism and a Bible. Primarily through reading the Scriptures, I came into a place where I started praying daily. I can't even account for those few months, but God really took over, because, by the time my Confirmation came around, I was very enthusiastic.

"I experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a very intense way, that made me realize that I couldn't keep living the same life I was living, and I couldn't keep doing all the things I was doing that were wrong. I basically had to give up my friends, because they were bad influences on me, and start over.

"But it was such a grace, because I had time to get to know God, because I didn't have all the distractions."

Asked why a 21st century American woman, with practically unlimited opportunities in a variety of fields, would choose religious life, Sister says, "The big answer is that you can have all of the options in the world, but if you're called to marry Jesus Christ, none of those options can compare at all.

"I have family members that challenged me because I was entering the convent, basically, at 23 and said, 'Don't you want to go see the world? Don't you want to go explore other things?' And I said, 'If I met the man of my dreams and said I wanted to get married, you would not dissuade me, but that's what happened. I met the man of my dreams, and his name is Jesus Christ. I want to be completely His and serve His Church.

"That is the greatest blessing and privilege that I could have, and God still calls people to that."

While the Sisters of Mary are a relatively young (in median age) and growing order, being on a nationally televised game show does present unique opportunities to women who wouldn't normally be in the public eye.

"This was very unexpected," says Sister Maria Suso, "and not obviously part of anything that I ever dreamed I would be doing, and the others as well. We're grateful for whatever God wants to do with it. It seems He's doing a couple of things with it.

"One is bringing greater attention to the fact that religious life is alive and growing in the Church, and that it's still very real. And too, one thing people on the show have mentioned is that we appear very joyful and peaceful, and that's an attractive thing.

"My hope is that when people see that they will say, 'OK, these women are living authentic Catholicism, and maybe authentic Catholicism can also give me joy and peace.' But ultimately it's not about us, it's about helping people to meet Jesus."

And for those who wonder how the sisters can tolerate wearing their distinctive white habits (which they sew themselves) every day, Sister Maria Suso says, "I remember when we were trying on our tunics, which is the main part of the habit, for the first time, I thought, 'If everyone in the world knew how comfortable this is, men and women alike would be beating down doors, trying to put this on.'"

Whether it's on "American Bible Challenge" or out in the world, the sisters' attire speaks for their faith without them having to use words.

"The religious habit," says Sister, "is a really clear sign that we belong to Christ, and that we've given up everything for Him. When we walk into a room, everyone thinks of God immediately."

Fans have spent the seven years since FOX canceled "Arrested Development" waiting for the Bluths to return, and in just a couple of days they'll get their wish. Netflix will start streaming all 15 episodes of Season 4 at 12:01 a.m. PT Sunday (May 26).

It has been a long, winding road to get to this point. How long and how winding? Very, as you'll see with this timeline of significant events in the life, death and resurrection of "Arrested Development."

Summer 2002: Ron Howard pitches an idea to his fellow Imagine Entertainment executives for a comedy series that's tightly scripted but filmed to look like a reality show or documentary. Imagine meets with a couple of writers, one of whom is Mitch Hurwitz, who was coming off "The Ellen Show" at CBS and had also worked on "The Golden Girls" and "The John Larroquette Show."

RELATED: Zap2it's "Arrested Development" Rewatch -- catch up with the Bluths

Fall 2002: Imagine sells the show to 20th Century Fox TV and the pilot development process begins.

Spring 2003: The cast is assembled and a pilot is shot, with executive producer Howard serving as the show's narrator.

May 2003: FOX picks up "Arrested Development" for the 2003-04 season and places it on Sunday nights. Initial reaction to the teaser FOX shows at its upfront is mixed at best; Zap2it is down on the show at first, saying it "will need to find a focus and some sort of through-line sensibility."

Summer 2003: After seeing the full pilot, critics start to unite behind the show. Zap2it puts it among the best bets for fall: "The show is quick and different and at times brilliant, and we hope the TV gods smile on it so it doesn't go the way of previous FOX gems like 'Undeclared' and 'Andy Richter Controls the Universe.'"

Nov. 2, 2003: The series premieres to an audience of just under 8 million viewers and a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49, fairly mediocre figures for the time. Its lead-in, "Malcolm in the Middle," draws 10.3 million viewers.

November 2003-May 2004: Ratings are low but relatively steady week to week -- the season ends up averaging about 6.2 million viewers. Nervous fans wish it were three years later so they could express their love for the show on Twitter.

January 2004: The show picks up a Golden Globe nomination for best comedy series (it would lose out to the British version of "The Office" on Globes night).

May 20, 2004: FOX announces its schedule for 2004-05, and "Arrested Development" is part of it, once again airing on Sunday nights. "It was one of those things that when we got into the scheduling room was really a foregone conclusion," then-network head Gail Berman says. "It's not often that you have a piece of material that everyone feels so strongly about -- its creative integrity and its groundbreaking nature are all things that we look for on FOX."

Sept. 12, 2004: "Arrested Development" wins the Emmy for outstanding comedy series, one of five Emmys it would take home this year (the others are for writing, directing, casting and single-camera picture editing). Other Season 1 honors include a pair of Television Critics Association Awards, three Golden Satellite Awards, an AFI Award as one of the TV programs of the year and the "Future Classic" trophy at the TV Land Awards.

Nov. 7, 2004: Alas, there is no Emmy halo in the ratings. Season 2's premiere episode, "The One Where Michael Leaves," draws 6.61 million viewers. Fan nervousness begins anew.

Jan. 16, 2005: Jason Bateman wins a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy series, and the show is once again nominated for best comedy, although the red-hot "Desperate Housewives" takes home the award.

April 17, 2005: Season 2 closes with the episode "Righteous Brothers," which draws just under 6 million viewers. The season as a whole averages 5.94 million viewers.

May 16, 2005: Against long odds, FOX renews the series again, this time putting it on Monday nights. Network head Peter Ligouri says he's hoping for growth from the show in its third season.

Sept. 11, 2005: Although it was nominated for 11 Emmys, the show takes home only one this time, for writing in a comedy series (Hurwitz and Jim Vallely's "Righteous Brothers" script).

Sept. 19, 2005: Season 3 premieres to just 4.6 million viewers. Fans rend garments, ritually burn themselves on homemade Cornballers.

Nov. 11, 2005: After five episodes of Season 3, FOX pulls "Arrested" for the remainder of November sweeps and announces it has cut the episode order from 22 to 13. The end is nigh.

Jan. 2, 2006: After three airings in December, "AD" returns (on a Tuesday night) with "S.O.B.s (Save Our Bluths)," an episode stuffed to the gills with references to the show's plight and possible ways to save it. It doesn't work.

Feb. 10, 2006: The final four episodes of "Arrested Development" air in a two-hour block on a Friday night opposite the Winter Olympics. The show goes out in style, though, with the finale "Development Arrested" featuring numerous callbacks to earlier points in the series. In one final meta moment, Maeby (Alia Shawkat) pitches a TV series about her family to Howard (playing himself). He's skeptical of the idea, but closes the series with the line, "Maybe a movie."

March 28, 2006: Amid rumors that Showtime has offered to revive the show, Hurwitz says he's tapped out: "As showrunner, I've gone as far as I can go." He does, however, hint at the possibility of a feature film.

March 28, 2006-November 2011: The cast and crew of "Arrested Development" can't go out in public without being asked about where the movie stands. The typical response is, "I'm pretty sure it's happening, but I don't know when exactly."

Aug. 29, 2006: Season 3 is nominated for best comedy series at the Emmys but loses to "The Office." Will Arnett is nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy, and the show also is nominated for editing and writing (Vallely, Chuck Tatham, Richard Day and Hurwitz for the finale).

Fall 2006-spring 2007: Hurwitz and Day work with Christopher Guest on an adaptation of the BBC comedy "The Thick of It" for ABC. The pilot doesn't make the network schedule.

April 19, 2009: "Sit Down, Shut Up," an animated series created by Hurwitz and starring Bateman, Arnett and "Arrested" semi-regular Henry Winkler, premieres on FOX. It lasts just four episodes in primetime; the remaining nine shows air in late night on Saturdays the following fall.

May 2010: FOX picks up "Running Wilde," co-created by Hurwitz, Vallely and Arnett, who also stars (David Cross has a recurring role.) "Arrested Development" movie talk temporarily dies down as the show goes into production.

November 2010: After six episodes, "Running Wilde" is pulled for the remainder of November sweeps. It returns briefly in December before being canceled; the final few episodes are burned off in the spring of 2011 in late night.

November 2010: Arnett fuels movie speculation by saying that it will probably happen "sooner rather than later" and that the ideas Hurwitz has for a script are "super hilarious."

Oct. 2, 2011: Hurwitz announces at the New Yorker Festival that he plans to do 10 new episodes of the series before working on a feature film. Netflix mentioned for the first time as a possible home for the show.

Nov. 18, 2011: Netflix and 20th Century Fox TV announce a deal for new episodes of "Arrested Development" to be released in 2013.

Aug. 7, 2012: After months of figuring out the actors' schedules and other details, "Arrested Development" goes back into production.

Jan. 9, 2013: Hurwitz shows TV critics a first look at the new season during the TCA winter press tour, and it kills. (The clip, an outtake featuring Tony Hale and Jessica Walter, is released publicly a few months later.) He also explains the anthology structure of the season, with each character starring in his or her own episode(s).

April 4, 2013: After weeks and weeks of saying the new episodes will debut "in the spring," and a few more weeks saying they'll premiere on an unspecified date in May, Netflix nails down the May 26 launch date for Season 4.

April 10, 2013: Character posters!

May 12, 2013: An official trailer!

May 13, 2013: The banana stand goes on tour!

May 26, 2013: It's "Arrested Development." Again. At last.

Even though "The Office" is ended its run this month, fans of unique workplace personalities and drama will still have a place to get their fix -- and in real life. The new FOX reality series "Does Someone Have to Go?" premiering Thursday, May 23, gives employees at "dysfunctional" companies 48 hours to switch places with their boss/owner and call the shots, often leading to what executive producer Cris Abrego calls "one big therapeutic session."
Abrego says his production sought out companies "where they were having some level of dysfunction, or some level of toxicity in the workplace. ... It has nothing to do, in a sense, with financial dysfunction. In fact, the companies we are featuring in this first series are all thriving companies and very successful in their own right. It's about the employees, and are they overvalued or undervalued?"
Part of the agreement made with participating companies was that the owners would do their best to honor the final decisions of the employees. And as employees work on these decisions, they are made privy to information that normally only the boss/owner would have. Including one another's salaries.
"There's a ton of tension," Abrego admits to Zap2it. "A lot gets revealed. ... People find out what each of them do and what their role in the company is, and they have to figure out if they bring value to the company in their position."
If "Does Someone Have to Go?" sounds slightly familiar, you may be recalling "Someone's Gotta Go," which was picked up by FOX three years ago but did not make it to air, perhaps mainly due to its frankly harsher requirement.
"In every episode," Abrego recalls of that earlier concept, "somebody had to be let go within the group. ['Does Someone Have to Go?'] is not that concept. This show is very different because it's really about employee involvement. ... I think the biggest thing to take away from this is that a level of transparency within the workplace will do wonders for companies. When these guys started to find out what others were making, and what they actually did and what their role was, and they talked about it, it really became a very positive thing."

FX is ready to cross "The Bridge."

The cable network has announced Thursday (May 23) that its newest original drama series will premiere on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 p.m. ET. "The Bridge" is a present-day crime thriller that explores the tensions on the US-Mexico border, starring Diane Kruger ("Inglorious Basterds") and Demian Bichir ("Weeds").

When an American judge known for her anti-immigration views is found dead on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, Sonya Cross (Kruger) from El Paso PD must work with her Mexican counterpart from Chihuahua State Police, Marco Ruiz (Bichir), to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the border. The case quickly pulls the charming and cunning Marco and strict, off-putting Sonya into a string of murders on the border, a scene already consumed by illegal immigration, drug trafficking, violence and prostitution.

Co-starring Ted Levine ("Monk"), Annabeth Gish ("Pretty Little Liars") and Thomas M. Wright ("Top of the Lake"), with Matthew Lillard ("Scream") guest-starring, "The Bridge" is an adaptation of international hit series "Bron," which was set on the border of Denmark and Sweden. 

Even after three years on the beat, rookie cops still can have a lot to learn.
That's evident right from the start of Season 4 of "Rookie Blue," the Canadian-made drama that's now a well-rated summer programming mainstay for ABC. The show resumes Thursday, May 23, with what was set up by the previous round's last scene: Officers Andy McNally and Nick Collins (Missy Peregrym, Peter Mooney) are in the thick of the dangerous meth-related sting operation they've gone deep under cover for.
The loves they left behind, Sam Swarek and Gail Peck (Ben Bass, Charlotte Sullivan), and other colleagues from 15 Division search for them when they suddenly fall off the radar. Dov Epstein, Traci Nash, Chris Diaz, Oliver Shaw and Sgt. Frank Best (Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, Travis Milne, Matt Gordon, Lyriq Bent) also are back and in on the hunt, joined by new training officer Marlo Cruz (Rachael Ancheril). Rookie Chloe Price (Priscilla Faia) is another fourth-season character addition.
"It's always a tricky dance to start back with your first new episode," Tassie Cameron, a "Rookie Blue" creator and executive producer who's also the series' head writer, admits to Zap2it. "I always feel like it's a bit thankless. You have to get all the balls back up in the air and remind the audience who everybody is, but this one was fun. And we got to move it six months ahead, instead of the usual couple of months ahead, so we were able to explore our theme for the season: If you want to stay in the game, you have to be willing to adapt.
"The seasons' themes end up reflecting very much where we're at as a show," Cameron adds. "That goes from 'fake it till you make it' in Season 1 -- where [the rookies] didn't feel like they knew what they were doing -- to now, where they have to be willing to change, to stay surprising and relevant. And to stay honest. That's the most important thing."
Peregrym agrees, though she notes she's "so happy" to depict Andy immersed in impersonating someone else as "Rookie Blue" returns. "It's nice that you see us after we've already been there for a while," she says of the point she and co-star Mooney first are seen at. "To jump into the season playing that we'd been living together for six months, it was fun.
"Sam and Andy obviously got very close because they worked together. Any time you're in a crazy situation and you survive it, there's just a bond that's there ... but it's a very different dynamic between Andy and Nick, so deeply friend-based. I don't think it's anything that Andy has experienced before."
At the same time, though they've been separated for months, Andy and Sam's story continues despite a huge new wrinkle revealed by the end of the season's opening hour.
"There's just this thing with Sam and Andy that kind of happens every time," Peregrym confirms. "It'll just never go away, as much as Andy really would like it to. As much as she'd like to believe that she's OK, that will always be there for her."
"Everwood" alum Smith deems his "Rookie Blue" alter ego Dov to be OK, after the officer spent much of Season 3 recovering from fatally shooting a robbery suspect, then became involved with the dead man's sister.
"He still carries that experience with him," Smith says. "The character is so different than he was in Season 1, I have a working theory that's what keeps a show fun. The audience grows with the character, just as we all change in real life."
Indeed, Smith has added director to his resume during his "Rookie Blue" tenure. He guided an episode last year, and he was given a big assignment for Season 4: He called the shots on the first half of the season finale.
"I'm very, very happy with it," he reports of having filmed it already. "I can't say much about what happens, but last year, they made me really light as an actor in my [directing] episode. Tassie said, 'Do you want us to do that again?' And I said, 'No. Bring it on.' It was one of my heavier episodes of the year, and it was crazy, but I loved it."
Cameron knows it's a gamble to introduce new regulars into an ensemble that fans are so familiar with. The move was successful with Mooney last year, proven by how pivotally he factored into the season's end game, and she believes it's the same with the two actresses being added this time.
"They both seamlessly blended into our gang," says Cameron, "which is a top consideration. Obviously, we're looking for the best actors we can find, but we have a pretty good handle on who's going to work with our core team. It's really important that the chemistry is there. We have such an awesome cast, if we're going to add to it, we want to make sure [a newcomer] is going to be as great as everyone else."
Upon starting work on Season 4 of "Rookie Blue," Peregrym had just completed another big venture: "Cybergeddon," last fall's made-for-Internet series from "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" mentor Anthony E. Zuiker that ended up earning her a Streamy Award for best female performance (drama).
"It was great to come back to the show," Peregrym reflects. " 'Cybergeddon' was such a different project, obviously, with a different crew and just a totally different vibe. It was really nice to come back and feel like I was home. I have such a bond with all of these people. I try not to think about it, but it's going to be really sad when this thing is over. I'm just so grateful to be a part of this group. I really am."

Welcome to "Arrested Development" Rewatch. Leading up to the release of Season 4, Zap2it will be taking a look back at the 53 episodes that made "AD" one of our most beloved TV comedies. Watch the first three seasons of "Arrested Development" on Netflix. Today we're covering the elevanth episode of Season 3, "Family Ties," which premiered Feb. 10, 2006.

Plot: George Michael and Maeby learn that their marriage is real. Tobias and Lindsay make plans to improve themselves so that they might be more sexually attracted to each other. Michael continues his search for his mysterious older sister, Nellie. Turns out Nellie isn't his sister -- she's actually a prostitute, pimped out by Gob. Gob starts dating George Michael's ex, Ann. Buster (still faking his coma) falls in love with his day nurse, who is only into guys in comas.

GIF-worthy scene:

Bluth Company status: "I know this looks bad, but it's just my father trying to erase the hard drives to avoid conviction. The company is fine," Michael tells the worried employees.

Notable guest stars: Jason Bateman's real life sister, Justine Bateman, as Nellie -- who he thinks is his sister, and hasn't realized is a prostitute.

Recurring jokes worth remembering: A "Veronica Mars" reference, 'censored by FOX,' when George Michael is trying to make his marriage to Maeby work by suggesting a cozy night by the DVD player.

Allusions to Tobias being gay: Tobias falls for his bodybuilding trainer, Michael... who he believes to be a woman. He is mistaken.

Best narrator commentary: "George Michael was interested in the subject of marital love because earlier that day, he discovered that the recent mock wedding he had acted in with his cousin was in fact as real and binding as the rice pudding the disoriented patients had thrown at them."

Next on "Arrested Development": Buster's fake coma is put to the test when a Baby Buster lover crawls into bed with him.

When "Vampire Diaries" fans saw the pilot for "The Originals" spinoff, they were shocked to learn that Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) is pregnant.

When she and Klaus (Joseph Morgan) had a drunken encounter -- fueled more by boredom than by any actual interest in each other -- they never expected to need protection, since vampires can't get sick, and can't procreate. Turns out, though, hybrid vampires can procreate.

Oops.

It was surprising to the actors as well as the fans, but Tonkin is taking it all in stride. "I didn't know I was going to play a pregnant woman! I'm excited, I'm going to eat ice cream, get into character," she jokes.

There's an old saying warning actors to avoid working with children and animals on set -- but Tonkin has her fingers crossed that there will be a toddler hanging out on "The Originals" stages in Atlanta. "I want a little kid running around! I can babysit and hang out," she says. "I was a nanny, so I feel like it's my element, having a child on my hip."

She's not expecting any domestic bliss with Klaus, though. In fact, as a fan of "The Vampire Diaries" herself, Tonkin is hoping he ends up with someone else entirely. "Can I go, first, on the record, and say Team Klaroline," she says. "Please. I'm on the team. I'm on the team!"

As Julie Plec told us, Tonkin reiterates that Klaus and Hayley aren't going to fall in love while changing diapers. "I think that Hayley and Klaus got together not thinking it was going to go any further than that one night situation, and that's life. Things come up. I think they're going to deal with that, but I think it's more about the child, and the issue of the pregnancy, as opposed to them being together in a relationship. I don't really see that happening. But there's a lot of other characters, and I'm sure Hayley will find someone to help her look after the child."

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Good news, fanfic writers!

Well ... maybe good news. Alloy Entertainment and Amazon.com are teaming up not only to encourage fan fiction writers, but to get them paid. On Wednesday, Amazon announced Kindle Worlds, which will publish derivative works from fanfic authors and pay those authors a percentage of sales. (Fanfic writers will receive 35% of sales for stories of 10,000 words or more, and 20% for shorter stories between 5,000 and 10,000 words.)

Thus far, Amazon has licensed "Gossip Girl," "The Vampire Diaries," and "Pretty Little Liars" from Alloy. They do have some guidelines -- for example, no NC-17 stories, no excessive use of brand names, and no "offensive content," whatever that means. Additionally, Kindle Worlds and Alloy may retain ownership of any original characters or concepts in your stories.

That last clause is likely there to protect Alloy (and the writers and producers of their ongoing series), not to screw the fan fiction writers. For a long time, executive producers have been urged not to read fan fiction (or even spec scripts based on their own shows) for fear that the authors of the derivative works could claim copyright infringement should any similar concepts ultimately pop up in the shows/books.

Authors and creators of content have long had complicated relationships with the fans who write fan fiction -- fictional tales based on TV, book, or film characters (or real people!) that already exist. "Harry Potter" scribe J.K. Rowling took issue with some sexually explicit fan fiction based on her characters, but generally supported more G-rated stories about the Hogwarts crew. Meanwhile, writers like George R. R. Martin ("Game of Thrones") and Anne Rice ("Interview With A Vampire") strongly oppose fan fiction.

Then there are people like E.L. James, who changed the names in her "Twilight" fan fiction to publish "50 Shades of Grey," which became the best-selling book of all time.

It should be noted that Alloy is a book packager, so the three available properties aren't the brainchild of specific authors, but of a sort of brain trust of creative types and marketing geniuses. Alloy has a team of people who sit down and come up with plot ideas that they believe will make profitable franchises, mostly directed at young women. Then, they hire an author to write their previously outlined stories. This means that Alloy retains the creative rights to the "world" in which the books are set, because Alloy came up with it, which makes something like Kindle World a lot easier. Whether this sort of system would work with content that emerged in a more traditional way -- from the mind of one writer or producer -- is yet to be seen.

Kindle Worlds certainly poses some interesting questions. First of all, would you pay for fan fiction, which has always been shared by fans, for fans, for free? Is selling your fan fiction on Amazon a legitimate stepping stone into a writing career? How will fandom and fan fiction communities change now that the work could be a commodity, as opposed to a hobby?

Additionally, we have yet to see what Amazon deems "offensive content." Will slash fan fiction writers be welcomed into the Kindle Worlds fold? Will the "Pretty Little Liars" fan fiction writers have to avoid the murders and assaults that pepper the TV show?

Nick Cannon is eager to put "Soul Train" back on track.
The singer, host of NBC's "America's Got Talent" and husband of Mariah Carey aims to put a reboot of the late Don Cornelius' iconic 1971-2006 music show into production by the end of the year. And Cannon's own entertainment history has given him an appreciation of the program from the inside looking out.
"That's my passion project right now, the thing that I'm the most excited about," he tells Zap2it. "It's been under wraps for the past couple of years -- I don't know how it got out there -- but it's really exciting to be able to be a part of something that's such an amazing legacy for our culture.
"A lot of people don't know it, but at the age of 15, I was a 'Soul Train' dancer. That was the first time I was ever on national television. To take the reins and carry on the amazing brand Don built, in a respectful way, is my plan and my mission."
Cannon recalls the imposing, famously deep-voiced Cornelius as an "outstanding" person.
"There was even a time when Mr. Cornelius pulled me to the side and asked me to host a television show for him. I couldn't do it at the time because I was contractually tied up in a bunch of other stuff; now, to be a producer as well as a host -- in the same capacity he did it, as a great businessman with the brand -- is what I plan to do."
"America's Got Talent" starts its eighth NBC season Tuesday, June 4, with new judges Heidi Klum and Mel B joining returnees Howard Stern and Howie Mandel. Cannon says the recent judging-panel "drama" involving wife Carey and Nicki Minaj on FOX's "American Idol" has left him even happier about his own show.
"Ours is drama-free when it comes to the judges and how things are set up," he reflects. "The producers, as well as the network, treat us wonderfully ... and we treat each other with the most respect, so we don't get caught up in any of the fabricated drama that can go on.
"It's the host's job to constantly remind the audience why they're there," adds Cannon (whose "Wild 'N Out" sketch-comedy series also relaunches Tuesday, July 9, on MTV2). "Because our show is so focused on talent of all ages, it's a fun, family feeling. And it's easy to keep everyone on the right track."

In just two and a half days, "Arrested Development" will return for its long-anticipated fourth season. The show has been off the air for seven years, and series creator Mitch Hurwitz would like less time to pass between the Season 4 premiere and whatever comes next.

"Jason Bateman used to always say, 'We should do ['Arrested Development'] like the Michael Apted films and do them every seven years.' I like that idea because you only get somebody seven years in your life, which you realize as you get older," Hurwitz says during a recent conference call with reporters. "Maybe it's every three years, you know? Every two years? Something like that. ... I think it would be a great thing to find some way to get [more], if this is successful. I hope it will be."

Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor were also on the call, and Walter pipes up, "You're talking to two of your older cast members. I'll go for two years."

The plan to make a follow-up to "Arrested Development" began in Season 3's final episode when Ron Howard's character suggests of the Bluth family's story, "Maybe a movie." The trouble with actually following through on that idea came because the timing was never right.

"By the time we sat down to work on the movie, enough time had passed that somehow a different story emerged," Hurwitz says. "That kind of gave birth to the television show. Our hope is that it still leads to a movie or some mechanism of doing more content about this family."

Season 4 will act as a reunion for the Bluth family, but Hurwitz warns fans not to expect it to be like anything else they've seen. His team made a concerted effort to make "Arrested Development's" fourth season feel fresh instead of just being an homage to what came before.

"It doesn't feel like the kind of reunion shows that we've seen in the medium," Hurwitz says. "That everyone kind of comes back a little infirm and tries to trot out the new jokes. We really are trying to do something different with this."

Though parts of Season 4 will be told out of chronological order, Hurwitz, Tambor and Walter say fans must watch the 15 episodes through in the order they're provided on a first viewing. After that they can go back and see what they missed, but Hurwitz doesn't want people to get confused by watching the episodes out of order initially.

Hurwitz also is steering people away from powering through all 15 episodes in one sitting. Bateman apparently only plans on watching four a night, and Walter says she won't be able to start watching them until the evening of May 26.

"It is comedy. I think if you watch them all back to back, you'll gain something and you will lose something," Hurwitz says. "The thing that we've done to try to help with that is ... it's fun to rewatch comedy. ... I do think there will be some fatigue that sets in."

Walter adds, "People should be prepared for withdrawal when it's over."

Some fun facts learned during the call are that Tambor never knew there was an actual ImOscar.com (now ImStillOscar.com), the Banana Stand was inspired by Hurwitz' cookie business with his brother in Orange County called The Chip Yard and that Bateman never realized the "Workaholics" actors were stars, which is why he tweeted that picture from the first day on set. Hurwitz reveals that "in the past couple of days, I started getting nervous" about the premiere of Season 4, and says he's unsure how he'll gauge how well "Arrested Development" does when it returns.

Walter doesn't seem have any concerns about the success of the show, though. "I feel confident I can say to people now, 'You're going to love it and it's better than ever,'" she says.

"Arrested Development" Season 4 premieres on Netflix in its entirety on May 26 at 12:01 a.m. PT. If you need help catching up on "Arrested Development's" first three seasons, check out Zap2it's "Arrested Development" Rewatch.

When actors have a new movie coming out, they typically do a myriad of interviews to promote it, which we would imagine gets pretty tiring.

So much so, in fact, that Morgan Freeman actually dozed off during his interview with Seattle's Q13 Fox affiliate. Watch the above video. While "Now You See Me" co-star Michael Caine talks about the movie, Freeman slowly falls asleep right next to him.

Freeman is 75 years old, we suppose. But still, maybe he should have some more coffee before he goes on TV in the future. Also, we kind of figured it would be the other way around -- Caine falling asleep while Freeman talks, because Freeman does have that soothing, soporific voice of his.

"Now You See Me," the magician-heist movie, opens nationwide May 31.

After a preview episode on Monday, "Motive" premieres in its official timeslot Thursday night (May 23) at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Brendan Penny stars as Det. Brian Lucas, a cop who is new to the homicide game.

"He was nine years in financial crimes," Penny tells Zap2it about his character. "So obviously he's fantastic at doing research and computer work. Bit by bit [throughout the season], he does progress and become a lot more savvy, but it's a slow progression."

"He's the guy who does a lot of the grunt work," laughs Penny. "But he does get more involved throughout the season, interviewing people, trying to solve the crimes as well."

The hook with "Motive" is that the killer and victim are revealed right at the start of each episode and the trick is figuring out how they are connected, which Penny says really attracted him to the show.

"What I really liked about the twist is I kept turning every single page. I wanted to know more and more more," says Penny. "The way you know the killer and victim right away, you're hooked instantly and you really want to find out how they're intertwined and what they're relationship was to each other."

So, what's an upcoming killer/victim combination Penny can tease for us to look forward to? An episode titled "Framed," where Nicholas Carella plays Owen Reader, a bit of a mama's boy.

"I really like the one with Nicholas Corella and [Mary Pat Gleason], who plays his mother," says Penny. "That episode is really, really nice. Hilary Jardine is the victim. It's just really well done."

"Motive" airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. "Framed" should air at the beginning of July.

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The 2012-13 TV season (as measured by Nielsen) ended with a CBS victory, thanks to the two-hour season finale of "Criminal Minds."

The crime drama was off significantly from last year's finale, but it did improve a little on its numbers from a week ago. The season finales of "The Middle," "Modern Family" and "Nashville" were all up a bit for ABC. "Law & Order: SVU" ticked up with its finale on NBC, but "Chicago Fire" slipped from last week. "Masterchef" opened its season to decent ratings on FOX.

CBS finished the night with just under 9 million viewers and a 5.8 rating/10 share in households. ABC (6.9 million, 4.5/7) came in second, a little bit ahead of NBC (6.3 million, 4.4/7). FOX took fourth with 5.2 million viewers and a 3.2/5. The CW drew 1.1 million viewers and a 0.8/1.

ABC and CBS tied for the lead among adults 18-49, with each posting a 2.2 rating in the demographic. FOX was right behind with a 2.1. NBC delivered a 1.6 and The CW a 0.3.

Wednesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

ABC: "The Middle" season finale (7.5 million viewers, 4.8/9 households)/"Modern Family" rerun (5.6 million, 3.7/6)
NBC: "Dateline" (6.2 million, 4.4/8)
CBS: "Two and a Half Men" rerun (5.3 million, 3.5/6)/"Mike & Molly" rerun (5.4 million, 3.5/6)
FOX: "Masterchef" season premiere (5.1 million, 3.1/5)
The CW: Movie - "Love Happens" (1.2 million, 0.8/1)

18-49 leader: "The Middle" and "Masterchef" tied at 2.0

9 p.m.

CBS: "Criminal Minds" season finale (10.6 million, 6.8/11)
ABC: "Modern Family" season finale (9.9 million, 6.2/10)/"How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)" (6.3 million, 3.9/6)
NBC: "Law & Order: SVU" season finale (6.7 million, 4.8/8)
FOX: "Masterchef" season premiere (5.4 million, 3.2/5)
The CW: "Love Happens" (1.1 million, 0.7/1)

18-49 leader: "Modern Family" (3.6)

10 p.m.

CBS: "Criminal Minds" season finale (11 million, 7.1/12)
NBC: "Chicago Fire" season finale (6.2 million, 4.1/7)
ABC: "Nashville" season finale (6.1 million, 4.1/7)

18-49 leader: "Criminal Minds" (2.9)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

More ratings at Zap2it