FX Fall Premiere Dates

FX has announced the premiere dates for two of it's returning series this fall and tentative plans for another. To kick off their new season, Shakespeare in leather drama Sons of Anarchy will be returning for it's sophomore season of gang warfare, drugs, biker babes and massive amounts of alcohol. And Henry Rollins.

The biker drama did pretty well in it's first season last year, and deservedly so. Nothing really in the way of awards but ratings where good in the hoped for demographics and critics really dug the show. This season will feature Henry Rollins for at least six of the seasons thirteen episodes. Not sure what the part is, other than he's some sort of threat to the gang. I call pretty good casting here!

In other casting news for the show, Ally Walker will be back as Agent Stahl, a real thorn in the side of Sam Crow and Mitch Pelliggi will be returning as the head of Charming's local white supremecist gang, The Nordics. He'll also be joined by a new supremicist, Adam Arkin. Once again, DVR Life would like to call good casting!

Not returning this season is Drea de Mateo who played Wendy, Jax's former junkie lover and baby mama. DVR Life hasn't had a chance to post this yet, but de Mateo will be making her way to ABC's Desperate Housewives in the 2009 season. So there ya go, we reported it.

Somewhat too-quirky for DVR Life comedy It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia will also be returning and will reportedly have a new partner - another half hour comedy - sharing the 10pm hour.

Finally, Nip/Tuck, the oft-mind blowing, usually disturbing, plastic surgery dramedy will be premiering it's sixth and final season in October. No firm date has been set, though just the return is pretty big news as we weren't expecting it until 2010. Word is the final season will be cut in two and we'll be treated to ten episodes in the 2009/2010 season and then the final nine in 2011. Way to drag it out, FX.

Sons of Anarchy returns Thursday September 8th at 10pm, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia premieres September 17th.

Update: EW has just announced that FX's Damages will be returning in 2010. No other info yet. If I recall correctly, the previous two seasons premiered in January, so I'll assume things won't be much different for season three. Here's hoping they realize season two was just a bit too vague and confusing, even for people like who tend to like vague and confusing in a good mystery/drama.

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Showrunner Musical Chairs

Fox announced yesterday that Lie To Me will be returning for a second season and it has a new showrunner: Shawn Ryan. Ryan's resume is short but sweet: FX's former gritty and ultra violent cop drama The Shield and CBS' slick and more mainstream The Unit.

The two shows are polar opposites, which is not something you see much of - usually a writer/producer has a certain set style that they stick with but Ryan's two shows don't have much in common. Obviously The Unit leans more towards the usual CBS fare, which tends to be geared towards middle-agers while The Shield was more in your face, fast paced ala 18-39 crowd. David Mamet was The Unit's other showrunner, but the show doesn't really match his super talk-laden playwrite style either, so who know's where The Unit gets it's style from.

I'm interested in seeing if Ryan pushes Lie To Me into dirtier territory or not. Keeping in mind that it's on Fox, which means either an 8pm or 9pm slot, he can't start cursing and slaughtering like in The Shield. Remember, though, that FX and Fox is the same parent company so they may permit him some leeway that CBS may not.

Ryan has another project with CBS for the 2009 season called Confessions Of A Contractor based on a book about an LA contractor working with wealthy clients and falling in love. The deal is for a put pilot (that means the network will have to pay heavy penalties if the pilot is not picked up) but is cast-contingent (meaning the network has a say in casting). In January the network announced that, because they couldn't find a lead actor for the series, it was being pushed to mid-season.

Another showrunner shuffle occurred last week at CBS: Executive producers Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander will be leaving CBS family laugher Gary Unmarried. The show is about to wrap up it's first season with consistantly so-so ratings and there's no word if there'll even be a second season yet. "Creative differences" was the reason given.

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