Television

Justified – Thick As Mud

If there’s one aspect of Justified that stands out from the rest, it’s the show’s simplicity. There are no terrorist attacks to thwart, no world crises to avert — It’s just a show about a badass US Marshal and the criminals he puts away. These criminals come in all shapes & sizes, but if I had to choose one of them to be my drinking buddy, it would have to be Dewey Crowe. It was about time that Justified gave us a purely Dewey-centric episode, since I believe the more we see Damon Herriman the better. However, despite our initial excitement, “Thick As Mud” felt a little underwhelming.

Alcatraz – Paxton Petty

“Paxton Petty” was a much better written episode than all of those that came before it, but it still delivered a lukewarm viewing experience because of a couple of choices in the series present-day storylines: the particular handling of violence and the way Emerson Hauser is depicted.

TV Casting News from True Blood to Falling Skies

Peter Mensah, who plays Oenomaus on the STARZ network’s Spartacus: Vengeance has been cast in a recurring role on HBO’s True Blood. He will play Kibwe, the chancellor of the vampire authority in Season 5 of the show, which will return this summer. James Wolk, star of the short-lived series Lone Star, has been cast in Greg Berlanti’s newest venture on the USA Network, Political Animals. The six-hour political drama series will be his latest project after his recent guest appearances on Shameless & Happy Endings.

Spartacus: Vengeance – The Greater Good

Now that’s more like it! After a week of bellyaching about how Spartacus: Vengeance has lost its charm & luster, “The Greater Good” quashed all potential rumors about the show’s competence and gave us the best episode of the season so far. Last night’s episode had the spark we were looking for, not just from the actors, but from the writers as well. This was premium television at its best, and it was damn fun to watch!

Henry Ian Cusick To Guest Star On Fringe

Desmond Hume is coming over to Fringe! Scottish-Peruvian actor Henry Ian Cusick, most famous for his role as Desmond Hume on Lost will guest star on an episode of FOX’s Fringe. Cusick, who was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series for his role on Lost was last seen as a guest star on Law & Order: SVU. On Fringe, he is set to play an FBI agent assisting the Fringe Division with a case & will reportedly guest star in episode 19 of the 22 episode season. Speculation is rife about which universe he will be representing, but since the FBI doesn’t exist in the alternate universe those rumors may soon be appeased. 

This will be the second time that Cusick will be working on a J.J. Abrams project after receiving tremendous praise for his role on Lost. Fans will be disappointed to know that his role on Fringe is expected to be brief as he has already filmed seven episodes of the upcoming ABC series Scandal opposite Kerry Washington & Columbus Short as a main cast member. Fringe is currently in the middle of its fourth season & rumors of its potential cancellation have not been well received. Cusick’s appearance towards the end of season four could possibly indicate his involvement in a major storyline that is yet to materialize.

Fox Announces Spring Schedule

Fox has announced its spring schedule via press release. It features the return of Bones and Breaking In, as well as a few other less glamorous things. See the full schedule below. 

J.J. Abrams News: Alcatraz, Fringe, and New Projects

Fox has released its spring schedule with some changes for J.J. Abrams’s series. Alcatraz will run back-to-back episodes on March 5 and then move to 8 p.m. on March 12 until its finale on March 26. Fringe will be off for the first three weeks of March, and will return on March 23 with all-new episodes for the remainder of the season.