TV Show Previews

With the guys of Entourage gearing up to "hug it out" yet again in an all new season starting Sunday night, actor Jeremy Piven revealed that we may be seeing cut-throat agent Ari in a new light during the episodes to come.

"I think the audience will see other sides to him that I've always thought existed," says Piven. Beyond getting a better sense of Ari's complete dedication and love for his family, the actor also revealed an upcoming episode where Ari takes shrooms in the desert and unearths more of his buried qualities. "He's completely lost, and without Lloyd he'll never make it home. That's one of the greatest moments I've ever been able to play in my life — I've done a great deal of research," joked the actor (we think).

As far the dynamic between the guys, the audience can expect Ari and the guys to remain very close, despite how harsh honesty can be in the business. "It's a bunch of guys with a New York sensibility where they speak the truth to each other and it can be tough love," says Piven. "No matter what your status, they're going to give it to you straight, and I think there's something endearing about that."

But playing the sharp-tongued Ari isn't the only project Piven has in the works. The actor is taking his talents to Broadway. "All my energies are going into my new show, Speed the Plow," says Piven. "This is the moment every actor waits for. It's basically my Olympics, I'm doing eight shows a week. I just want to be the Jewish Michael Phelps." — Gina DiNunno

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! As Season 4 of the HBO hit Entourage closed, its stars were losing their shine. "Medellín," the posse's passion project about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, ended in a barrage of boos at the Cannes Film Festival, knocking Vince (Adrian Grenier) off his axis and a $75 million deal off the table. It was, to say the least, a humbling moment. And for creator Doug Ellin, it was also a bit of a mistake. "We spent more time on 'Medellín' than I would have liked," he says. "It was time to get going on other stuff."

Season 5 opens with the gang standing just left of success, trying to make things right. After hiding out for several months in a Mexican paradise he can't afford, Vince returns to Hollywood to get his career — and his life — back on track. ("I really wanted to deepen Vince, to show people that he actually cares," says Ellin.) But Vinnie faces one major obstacle: How to make it happen. "A lot of actors in this town have been through that moment where if the next [film] doesn't work, they really have issues," Ellin says. "Vince is in that moment now."

Meanwhile, his manager, Eric (Kevin Connolly), and agent, Ari (Jeremy Piven), are at a loss on how to seal new deals. Fast-talking Ari will even face some career issues he can't hug out, and Eric will be busy trying to bolster his fledging business with new blood. Expect tensions to rise on Team Vince when, against Ari's advice, E signs a pair of gun-toting scribes — LB (Lukas Haas) and Nick (Giovanni Ribisi) — whose screenplay "Nine Brave Souls" becomes his latest long-shot obsession. "This script will really come into play and be a strong centerpiece of the season," Connolly says. "They're talented guys. And he sees the fact that they're so far on the outside of Hollywood as an opportunity to sort of create and mold these writers and show them the ropes."

As for Vince's big bro, Drama (Kevin Dillon)? The elder Chase will still be gaga over his pretty French love, Jacqueline (Julia Levy-Boeken), and their romance will have repercussions on his burgeoning TV career — and on the set of his hit series, Five Towns.

But it won't be all doom and gloom for Vince and Co. Vince's fiercely effective publicist, Shauna (Debi Mazar), will return to get involved in his job hunt. Vince's troublemaking friend Dom (Domenick Lombardozzi) will also be making a comeback. But best of all, expect to see a new, and decidedly less lazy, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) as he finally starts asserting himself outside the confines of the crew. If that isn't enough, there will also be a potential love interest for the hip-hop fiend, and a chance that we'll finally learn Turtle's real name. "It's something that Doug and me have joked about," Ferrara says. "But I don't think it's so much about his real name, but where did he get the nickname from? I think that's going to be the big reveal." Either way, we'll be watching. — Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn

"I don't usually look like this," Anna Paquin says with a laugh, ushering a visitor into her modest dressing room on the set of True Blood, HBO's eagerly awaited vampire series. She's referring to the giant shiner — an impressive black-and-blue masterpiece courtesy of the makeup department — that covers her left eye. But there's an even more striking change. Paquin, 26, a familiar big-screen face since her Oscar win at age 11 for The Piano, is no longer her well-known, wan brunette self, but a spray-tanned, bleached-blonde bombshell.

Just as the X-Men star doesn't look quite like herself, True Blood, which marks the return to TV for Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball, doesn't resemble a typical blood-sucker saga. On the show, set in the near future, vamps have "come out of the coffin," so to speak, and are even campaigning for a Vampire Rights Amendment. "They've made their presence known to mankind," Ball says. "They're struggling for equal rights and assimilation." A new synthetic beverage, Tru Blood, meets their nutritional needs, and finally allows them to see humans as friends, not walking juice boxes. It comes in a handy four-pack available in refrigerator cases everywhere.

But not everyone in the good ol' USA is as sympathetic to vamps as Paquin's character, Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress at Merlotte's roadhouse in backwater Bon Temps, Louisiana. "She's an average girl next door — except she has abilities to be in other people's minds," Paquin says. This talent for telepathy has left her somewhat ostracized, giving her empathy for all kinds of outsiders. It's also stunted her love life. (What are men really thinking? You don't want to know.)

That is, until tall, dark and technically dead Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) walks into Merlotte's. "He's immediately attracted to her 'otherness,'" says the British-born Moyer (The Starter Wife). "He's spellbound by her, and she by him, because she's not able to hear him." Vamps don't have brain waves, so Bill's thoughts remain private, which Sookie finds soothing.

But the 173-year-old Bill soon finds himself the victim of a scheme by some local skanks who try to drain him for his "v-juice," which is sold on the black market and is as addictive to humans as heroin. Sookie saves his life. "We could question whether he allows that to happen," Moyer hints. The two begin a romance that's frowned upon by most of the townies.

Definitely not digging the match is Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), a stud who spends most of his time bedding women. "My first day on set, my only wardrobe was a sock," Kwanten says. But Jason soon gets caught up in his own vamp/human conflict, when he's implicated in the murder of a "fang-banger" — someone who likes to do the dirty with vamps — and local law enforcement can't decide whether to pin it on him or a bloodsucker. In reality, Ball reveals, "There's a serial killer on the loose."

Based on a series of modern Gothic novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood will saturate the airwaves with gore, but bedroom scenes get equal time. "There's a lot of sex in the books — I wouldn't say it's graphic, but it's intense in that romance-novel sort of way," Ball says. "There's a pulpy feel to it. It's a sexy show."

And scary. Yet the most frightening thing about True Blood isn't all the death and violence. "The show is about the terrors of intimacy," Ball says, "about how dangerous it is to open yourself up."

In other words, even in a world full of vampires, falling in love is still the scariest thing that can happen to a person. — Kate Hahn

Will they or won't they? That's the question on the mind of many a Bones fan hoping for a Brennan-Booth hook-up. And maybe they will get one this season — in one form or another. But first, the duo will jaunt across the pond, where the Fox series filmed tonight's two-hour season opener.

"It was a bit chaotic and crazy in London," David Boreanaz, aka Booth, tells TVGuide.com "There is definitely a following with the show [so] when I would leave my hotel room or go out for a run, it was a bit nuts. But other than that, it was OK."

Visiting the U.K. to speak to Oxford and Scotland Yard, respectively, Bones and Booth get pulled into a murder mystery concerning an American socialite. They are invited to share their expertise by their British counterparts, the twist being that the FBI agent is female, while the forensics pro is a bloke. As Bones and her peer talk shop, a romance sparks. That leads to moments where Booth tries to subvert his "rival's" bid to bed Bones.

Asked to assess the Bones-Booth romantic tension, Boreanaz proudly says, "We honor and we really support the character work which kind of makes us different from other procedurals out there. We balance it out with the procedural [aspects] and the case. Again, the characters will get closer... and then far away."

OK, let's talk for a moment about the closer possibilities. "I know [series creator] Hart [Hanson] has some ideas for fantasy episodes and getting [Booth and Bones] in bed to some extent," Boreanaz teases. But turning to reality, he says this season also will show the partners "really supporting each other, and maybe go into Booth’s past a little bit, seeing where he came from and how that affects his relationship with [Brennan]."

Specifically, Boreanaz says we will see where Booth is living this year "and how he lives." Ideally, the actor hopes to explore how "Booth is, on the outside, very charming — he has all of his shields up — but he was an Army ranger. A sniper. It would be nice to see how he gets ready in the morning, how difficult it is for him. Because when you do see him, he’s always on the move." — Matt Mitovich

Related:
• Mega Minute: "Earth-Shattering" Bones Sex and More!
• Bones Exclusive: Inside Zack's Killer Comeback!
• VIDEO: What's "Most Important" to Bones' Booth?
• VIDEO: Will Bones and Booth Pursue Romance?
• Also watch videos of Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor (plus one from TCA) and John Francis Daley

Is Sons of Anarchy, premiering Wednesday at 10 pm/ET, too hot for even FX to handle? Revolving around a band of outlaw motorcyclists, the edgy fare would seem in line with the Vic Mackeys and Tommy Gavins of the world. But Katey Sagal's Gemma Teller — the mother of Sons' central character (played by Undeclared's Charlie Hunnam) and a matriarch figure to the rest — goes to immoral extremes that would make Patty Hewes blush.

"She's vicious... ferocious... a hard-ass," Sagal says of her character. "I look at her as a survivor. Whatever her history is, it has made her a fighter."

And one unafraid to pull any punches. "What we can expect," says the actress, "is that if she is at all threatened by any potential break-up of her family or harm to her son, she will go to any lengths to protect that."

Any lengths? This is where dog-killer Patty might take pause. Defending Gemma's hardcore actions, Sagal says, "People who do things that seem nefarious to other people sometimes don't really feel that they are [doing bad things]. They have reasoning and motive. So I think that she sees what she does as what she has to do."

Gemma and her dark side come courtesy of Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter — aka Sagal's real-life husband, who is said to have penned the role just for her. (Hellboy's Ron Perlman plays her on-screen mate.) "When Kurt says that he tailor-made it for me, I'm not quite sure what he means by that!" she says with an wry laugh. "When he told me he had written me a part, he didn't actually say what it was. And once you see Gemma, you kind of think, 'Huh?' She is a fiercely loyal mother... and I'm a fiercely loyal mother, but I don't practice the same ways and means that she does."

And boy is that a relief.

Does Sagal then have any qualms about portraying such an ethically questionable queen bee? How does she reconcile Gemma's values set with her own? "I've faced that issue a lot with parts I've played," says the Married... with Children alumna, "asking, What are my values as opposed to my character's? But I don't get involved in that.

"My job is to interpret the writers' vision," she maintains. "My morality doesn't figure into it." — Matt Mitovich

Watch video:
• Sagal and Sutter preview Sons of Anarchy.
• Will Maggie Siff be a biker chick?

Here in Part 3 of our in-depth look at the new season of One Tree Hill, series creator Mark Schwahn previews returns both official and possible, and then weighs in on the big rumors surrounding the show — including the biggest buzz of all. — Matt Mitovich

TVGuide.com: Brooke's mom is returning, I hear.
Mark Schwahn: Yes. Daphne Zuniga, as Victoria, does a great job as a villain, and we'll see her return in the first episode, and for more than one episode. What I love about Victoria is that in the episode where Lucas was in New York because Peyton didn't accept his proposal, Victoria walked in on what she thought was a proposal between Lucas and Brooke. Well, what if they're really engaged? What's the fallout of that? At the same time, all the stakes regarding Clothes Over Bros will get played.

TVGuide.com: In addition to Lindsey and Victoria, any there any other returns to watch for? Perhaps Danneel Harris as Rachel?
Schwahn: I love me some Danneel Harris. She's such a cool girl. She's sweet and beautiful and she plays that character really well. I'd love to see her back. We haven't filled in all the blanks, but that's something we'd definitely be interested in doing. And I think she'd be interested. I've been bugging Bryan Greenberg [most recently of October Road] about coming back as Jake. I don't know if that will happen because he's doing movies and some other things, but he loves the show and we're close friends. Id love to make that happen, especially if this were the last year of the show.

TVGuide.com: That's a perfect segue into my last batch of questions, addressing the assorted rumors floating around. Rumor No.1: Is this One Tree Hill's final season?
Schwahn: I'll be completely honest with you. I would tell you if I had heard or I knew that it was, because I think the fans deserve to know. I'm actually in the middle of negotiating to make sure that I protect the show next year and come back to it if it comes back. I don't think the studio or network would pay lip service to that if they didn't think it was [possible]. That being said, we don't know if the show will be successful this year creatively or in the ratings. The [cast members'] contracts are an issue. When you get a large cast that isn't under contract, that's always an issue. There was a time at the end of Season 5 where we assumed that if we did another season it would be the last, but I don't feel that energy right now. And creatively, I wrote [this season's] first three episodes out of the gate and I think they're great, the cast thought they were great, and the crew and the studio is buzzing about them. I think everyone reappraised again. I'm still enjoying writing this world, and I'm happy to do it if they — the studio, network and cast — want to. I'm optimistic about it. There may be a conversation that's been had between the studio president and network president that I don't know about, but I don't think that's the case. People are saying that this show has been "refaced" with the four-year jump, and a lot of people including Peter Roth and Dawn Ostroff look at this show as being in its second year as a "new" show. Everyone who's important to the continuation of the show on an executive level has said to me, "How long do you think the show can run?" I said, "It's a 'new' show, it can run another five years," and they said, "We think so, too." Whether or not the business of television takes over, I don't know. We'll see.

Rumor No. 2: "Psycho Derek is coming back."
Schwahn: It's possible. Psycho Carrie could be coming back.... [Laughs] I'm happy to say that psychos usually return, because they're psychos. We haven't seen Derek in a long time, so I've always said it'd be interesting if he came back and he was balanced and trying to be a decent human being, but everyone was really skittish around him. We could do a lot with that. When stalkers disappear, that means they're out there.

Rumor No. 3, courtesy of Chad Michael Murray himself: You're "killing a couple people" this season.
Schwahn: Yeah, yeah.... I think Chad [during a recent red-carpet interview] meant "killed" as in "We don't see them this year." We're a show that has been creatively adventurous and risky. It's hard to have a major character kill another major character like we did with Dan and Keith, and yet you still feel that Dan is relevant, if only in a reprehensible way. It's very risky television. You can't just boil through your cast. [Laughs] At the same time, we're still taking chances in the sixth season, more so than we've been given credit for. So, I don't really want to comment on what Chad said. I will say that this season is a bit complex and adventurous, and not in a "Jump the Shark" sort of way. This is a brave season for us. I haven't said that to anyone else, but that's a great way of putting it.

More from Mark Schwahn:
• Season 6 Preview, Part 1: Lucas and His Ladies
• Season 6 Preview, Part 2: Of Love... and Death?

One Tree Hill Set Visit Videos:
• Hilarie Burton: No More Tears for Peyton?
• "Bonus" Burton: Hilarie Shows How to Play "Who's Coolest?"
• Sophia Bush: Is Brooke Still in a Dark Place?
• James Lafferty: Good Lovin' Ahead for "Naley"?
• Bethany Joy Galeotti Wants to Kick Psycho Carrie's Butt!
• Lee Norris on Mouth's "Interesting" Love Life
• Young "Jamie" Reveals His Cast Mate "Crush"
• Meet Ashley Rickards, Tree Hill's New Troublemaker

The man who gave TV such memorable dramas as Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law has a new story to tell. It involves a group of stalwart public defenders — led by Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By the Bell) and Gloria Rueben (ER) — and the other legal types (including Malcolm mom Jane Kaczmarek as a judge to be reckoned with) who inhabit their world. Does TNT's Raising the Bar, premiering tonight at 10 pm/ET, fill a need that TV viewers may not realize they have? TVGuide.com invited Steven Bochco to preview his new drama. — Matt Mitovich

TVGuide.com: Whenever the idea for a new legal drama pops into your head – and I have to imagine that happens every now and again – do you ever think, "Does TV really need another one? Is there anything new we can do here still?"
Steven Bochco: Absolutely. First of all, I don’t think that there are a lot of legal dramas on television. A lot of what passes these days for "legal drama" — and historically what has passed for legal drama — are really murder mysteries, set in a courtroom. I can't really think of many legal dramas that are genuinely about the legal system and the fundamental flaws in the system, the inequities of the system. I can't recall seeing a show that’s essentially grounded in the urban criminal justice system at the low end, where people don’t have the resources to reach out to high-priced legal advice. Instead, they're in the hands of public defenders.

TVGuide.com: And one has to wonder what motivates a public defender. It's certainly not the paycheck.
Bochco: It's passion and idealism. David Feige, who I created this show with, was a public defender in the Bronx for almost 15 years and he never made a dime. He lived, and still does, in a tiny cramped apartment on the West Side of Manhattan. These guys don’t care about money. They're motivated by a love of the law and a real sense of indignation about the way people at the low end of the socioeconomic spectrum are treated by the system.

TVGuide.com: Mark-Paul's character serves as a good mouthpiece for that message.
Bochco: Yeah, it's interest — [public defenders] sort of get radicalized. What I hope we've been able to accomplish with this show – what I believe we've been able to accomplish with this show – is to not just make it about an idealistic young public defender. I wanted to do a show about the entire flawed criminal justice system and represent, legitimately and dimensionally, all the points of view that it entails. Public defenders, prosecutors, judges, court officers, etcetera.

TVGuide.com: Which Raising the Bar role was the hardest to cast?
Bochco: Well, we really got lucky. We got Mark-Paul right away – I always had him in mind for this thing, but I had to twist his arm a bit because he has never played anything quite like this. He wasn’t sure, but my feeling was that’s exactly why he should do it. Then we got really lucky with Jane [Kaczmarek], and we really got lucky with Gloria [Reuben]. People were attracted to the potential of the material. On cable, we work on pretty tight budgets, so everybody took a pay cut to do this thing.

TVGuide.com: But there's a certain cachet these days in working for TNT. They're putting out some excellent dramas.
Bochco: We certainly found that to be true, because everybody committed pretty quickly to this thing. There has been just real delight at doing substantive work. Coming to work every day on a show that’s about something, that’s interesting, and has vivid characters was really fun.

TVGuide.com: Will there be an array of other "colorful" judges outside of Jane's Trudy Kessler?
Bochco: A couple, each one of them played by really wonderful character actors.

TVGuide.com: But Jane's is the one that always gives the defenders pause when they head into the courtroom.
Bochco: Yes. She's the essential judicial voice of the series.

TVGuide.com: One of the most interesting characters, I think, is Charlie, Judge Kessler's law clerk (played by Jonathan Scarfe). He seems to be toeing all sorts of lines....
Bochco: That’s right. He really is an interesting guy in that there's a duality to his character. Not to mention that he works for a judge who has tremendous animus for one of his friends. That sets up some interesting lines of conflict.

TVGuide.com: What is your own favorite procedural or legal drama, current or recent?
Bochco: Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of those kinds of shows. They leave me sort of cold. I'm much more attracted to real character-driven kinds of stuff, and there's not much of that out there these days.

TVGuide.com: What might people be surprised to know that you do like?
Bochco: Larry David kills me. He's twisted, but in a wonderful, skillful way. When you look at his episodes – and this is true of Seinfeld as well as Curb Your Enthusiasm – all of his stories are brilliantly structured. Most folks probably don’t pay too much attention to it nor should they, but as somebody who pays his rent being a writer, I think he's a master at setting up stories.

TVGuide.com: Do you wish your Commander in Chief experience had panned out differently, that the show had fulfilled its promise? [Bochco, who himself took over for series creator Rod Lurie, was replaced as show runner after four months on the job.]
Bochco: I do wish it had worked out differently. That was a show that wanted to be a hit, but you know what they say: a camel is a horse designed by committee. Unfortunately, the thing turned into a camel.

Related:
• Mark-Paul Gosselaar video Q&A

We're just as excited as you all are about the new 90210 (premieres Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8 pm/ET, CW), but like all members of the media, we've been unable to preview the pilot episode, so we have just as many questions as you do. Here's what we do know. —Mickey O'Connor

How exactly is this new 90210 a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210?
Well, it kind of isn't; calling it a remake is probably more accurate, in that the character archetypes and plot (Midwestern siblings move to California and befriend a nerd, a goofy girl, a hunk and his girlfriend) are similar. The catch: It also includes characters from the earlier series. Though one draft of the pilot script revealed Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez, the offspring of Andrea and Jesse, to be the head of the high school's TV station, it's Erin Silver (Jessica Stroup) who will carry the next-generation torch on the CW series.

Wait, who? Remember at the end of Season 2 of Beverly Hills, 90210 when Kelly's mom and David's dad improbably got married and had a cute little towhead named Erin? Well, Erin is now a teenager, a quasi-celebrity blogger who will play best pal to Annie Wilson, the new "Brenda."

Which actors from the original series will appear on the remake?
As of press time, only Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), Joe E. Tata (Nat) and Ann Gillespie (Jackie Taylor Silver, Kelly and Erin's mom) have signed on to appear on the new series. Kelly is now a guidance counselor at her alma mater. Brenda, now a successful actress on the London theater scene, comes to town to guest-direct the high school's production of Spring Awakening -- as successful London theater actresses are wont to do...

Good old Nat still owns the Peach Pit, but it will look significantly different than the 1950s-style diner fans remember from the Fox show, as it's now a soigné coffeehouse. Recovering alcoholic and drug addict Jackie Taylor Silver will appear on the show long enough to fall off the wagon, forcing Erin to move in with her big sister Kelly and 4-year-old nephew (more on him later).

Tori Spelling backed out of the show when there were reported salary disputes. Original Brandon Jason Priestley has expressed interest in directing an episode or two of the show. Luke Perry, Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green have all stated that they wish the new show luck, but aren't interested in cameos. Thus far, Gabrielle Carteris hasn't gone on the record about the new show.

So then who is going to play the mystery dad of Kelly's son?
On the new 90210, Kelly Taylor has an adorable, blond, 4-year-old son named Sammy. Which begs the question: Who's the daddy? At the close of the original series in 2000, Kelly and Dylan reconnected at Donna and David's wedding, but since Sammy's birth would have taken place four years after that, it's really anyone's guess. Producers have said they haven't decided on Sammy's paternity yet, but the sentimental favorite seems to be Luke Perry's Dylan.

Why are the Wilsons moving to Beverly Hills in the first place?While the Walshes changed zip codes because dad Jim got a new, higher-paying accounting job, the Wilsons move to Beverly Hills to take care of family matriarch Tabitha Wilson (Arrested Development's Jessica Walter), a faded 1970s TV star -- and an alcoholic -- who can no longer take care of herself.

How do we put this? In the original series, Brandon and Brenda were fraternal twins. But the new siblings are, er...
Harry and Debbie Wilson (Rob Estes and Lori Loughlin) have a 16-year-old daughter named Annie (Shenae Grimes, who appeared on Degrassi) and a 16-year-old adopted son, Dixon (The Wire's Tristan Wilds), who is African-American. The producers emphasize that Annie and Dixon are best friends who will weather the adjustment to their new home together.

Who will date whom? Is there a love triangle of any sort planned?
Dustin Milligan, who plays Ethan Ward, kind of a Steve-Dylan hybrid, has confirmed that while he is dating Naomi Clark (Nip/Tuck's AnnaLynne McCord) in the pilot, new girl Annie will also catch the lacrosse star's attention. Early rumors have young English teacher Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold) either pairing up with guidance counselor Kelly Taylor or -- gasp! -- one of his students.

These days, doesn't Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, The O.C.) have this beat covered?
Nobody will deny Schwartz's talent for tapping into the teen zeitgeist, but 90210 has its own secret weapons in the form of co-executive producers Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs. This talented pair also co-produced Judd Apatow's critically loved Freaks and Geeks, which was an unorthodox, unflinchingly honest look on the abject cruelty of one's high school years. Plus, it was smart, well-scripted, and very funny. Who better to ensure that the new show's cheese levels remain under control? Because, let's face it, at times the original's earnestness reeked of Velveeta.

Who will our favorite character be?
After watching Jessica Walter tear up the scenery on Arrested Development, we just know that any scene with the melodramatic (and hopefully drunk!) Tabitha Wilson is going to be a little slice of trash-TV heaven. In the fantasy 90210 of our dreams, Tabitha is some delicious amalgamation of Piper Laurie as Sissy Spacek's Bible-thumpin' nutjob mama in Carrie and Joan Collins' from Dynasty. Dirty pillows... and shoulder pads!

Check back on Wednesday morning for our episode recap of the big night. In the meantime, if you have any other burning questions about 90210 Nuevo, send them to Mickey and Matt at mega_scoop@tvguide.com.

Watch our 90210 Preview Videos:
• Tristan Wilds and Shenae Grimes on the new 90210
• McCord and Milligan are the hot new king and queen of 90210
• Will Jennie Garth stay on the new 90210?
• Meet the hot new mom on 90210, Lori Loughlin

Canadian actor Dustin Milligan, who plays star athlete Ethan Ward in the CW's 90210 remake (premieres Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8 pm/ET), is a pretty chill dude. Despite the Rocky-Mountain-high expectations for the series' success, Milligan is, thus far, enjoying the ride, telling us about his character's upcoming love triangle, what it takes to look like an athlete on TV and what role, if any, he played in the Jennie Garth-Shannen Doherty détente. — Nina Hämmerling Smith

TVGuide.com: Tell us about your character.
Dustin Milligan: Ethan Ward is the star athlete at West Beverly High School. Lacrosse is his game. It's the new football; football is so cliché. Which is ironic, because lacrosse is, like, the national sport of Canada.

TVGuide.com: And you are Canadian...
Milligan: Yes.

TVGuide.com: So it's a natural fit for you.
Milligan: Um, well, I have never played lacrosse. I did a show a few years ago [the CW's Runaway] where I was the captain of the lacrosse team, but I only play it on TV.

TVGuide.com: Do you consider yourself athletic?
Milligan: I don't do a lot of organized sports: I skateboard, surf, snowboard and I go to the gym. I just have to look like an athlete, I don't have to actually be one.

TVGuide.com: As in the original 90210, there is a fairly prominent love triangle, this time among you, Naomi and Annie.
Milligan: It's more like a love octagon! I wish. In the first episode, Naomi and Ethan are dating, and there are some sparks between Annie and Ethan, at least in these first few episodes.

TVGuide.com: Were you a fan of Beverly Hills, 90210?
Milligan: You know, I wasn't. I was pretty young. My sister watched it so I would catch an episode every now and then. I've seen some reruns at 4 in the morning. Of course, I watched a few after I got the job. The sideburns and haircuts! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Do you feel pressure to live up to the original?
Milligan: I don't know if the actors feel that kind of pressure — I think it's more on the producers and writers. I don't really feel responsible for the entire final product of the show. We're all just trying to do the best for our characters, to deliver a rich and realistic point of view to them. I think there's a lot of hype, a lot of exposure, you could look at it as pressure, right now I'm just looking at it as a great opportunity to have my work examined by perhaps the widest audience I've ever had.

TVGuide.com: OK, so then how do you top the original?
Milligan: It's funny. People are always talking about how you can't top the original because it was so good. At the time, it was groundbreaking, one of the first American shows to show teen angst, a teen soap. Gossip Girl, Dawson's Creek — they all essentially came from 90210. I'd say that the original 90210 had more of a family vibe, it was a little lighter. I think with [Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, of Freaks and Geeks fame] at the helm, this version brings even more realism and some authentic, contemporary details. I think it's going to push some boundaries in different areas than the original show did. Hopefully, it's going to be groundbreaking, just in a different way.

TVGuide.com: Have you worked with Jennie Garth at all?
Milligan: No, but we chat every now and then. She's really nice. It's always a relief when famous people are nice.

TVGuide.com: Is it important to have the original cast on the new show?
Milligan: I think there's no doubt that the reason for bringing back the show is to bring back original fans as well as create new ones. So I definitely think it would be awesome to have as many of them back as possible for the old, er, original fans. I'm really looking forward to working with whoever is coming back from the original.

TVGuide.com: Back up, did you say "old fans"?
Milligan: I keep saying "old fans" in every interview and I just feel bad.

TVGuide.com: I guess compared to you they are old...
Milligan: I just turned 23 and I am feeling old.

TVGuide.com: How is that possible?
Milligan: I feel it. You're officially not even close to being a teenager anymore, you're almost in your mid-20s, which is when it's pretty much over. In your mid-20s, you might as well be 45. If you're 45, it's all free-wheeling from there, you've got nothing to lose. [Pause] Naw, I'm just being a jerk.

TVGuide.com: There is so much hype around this show -- how are you all dealing with it?
Milligan: Yes, well, it's pure magic. I don't know; it's a lot of fun, I'm actually surprised at how well everyone is getting along and how smoothly things are running at this point. [Pause. Whispers] Oh my God, Shannen Doherty just walked by!

TVGuide.com: Wow! Have you worked with her yet?
Milligan: No, I have not. I don't really know if we're ever going to have any scenes together actually.

TVGuide.com: Is this her first day on the set?
Milligan: Yes, this is Day 1. And she's in the trailer next to mine.

TVGuide.com: You'll have to go over and hit her up for some stories from the glory days.
Milligan: Yeah, I don't know. I've heard a few stories, so I don't really know. But we'll just leave it there... I definitely want to shake her hand or something.

We've gotten to know Rich Sommer as the likable (if sometimes forgettable) Harry Crane, a media buyer at Mad Men's Sterling Cooper advertising agency. But on the season premiere of The Office (Thursday, Sept. 25 at 9 pm/ET, NBC) Sommer will be punching in with Michael Scott & co. at Dunder Mifflin. We chatted with Sommer about his Office role, Harry Crane's promotion on Mad Men and what it is about shooting the AMC hit that brings him to tears each day on the set. — Adam Bryant

TVGuide.com: You landed an upcoming role on The Office. What can you tell us about it?
Rich Sommer: It started on the writers' strike lines. I met [Office writer/actor/producer] Mindy Kaling, who is a fan of Mad Men. And somehow, it just happened that about a month ago I got an e-mail for a part.

TVGuide.com: Any chance of it becoming a recurring gig?
Sommer: I can't really say anything about what the role is or how it incorporates into that world, but it’s been phenomenal. What it's going to be beyond the premiere, I'm not sure. That's up to Greg Daniels and the guys over there, but I will happily help them out in any way I can. I've done guest spots before, but never on a show that I was invested in. It's been a complete dream come true. It's been heady and surreal and awesome.

TVGuide.com: Did being such a fan affect how you decided to play the character?
Sommer: The good news for me is that my sense of humor is completely derivative. I've stolen everything I've ever said that I thought was funny from The Office or The Simpsons. My sense of humor has been built on their work, so it wasn't hard for me to hit the ground running with those guys.

TVGuide.com: Did you ever expect Mad Men to catch on the way it has?
Rich Sommer: When we shot the pilot two years ago, it was this little secret — we knew it was going to be something special. I'm not sure we knew it was going to be quite as spectacular as it ended up being, but we knew it was something good.

TVGuide.com: Last season, Harry had an affair. What happened between him and his wife between seasons?
Sommer: Well, I guess Harry worked things out with Jennifer, which is good. The off-season was so funny because everything was kept secret to us as well as to the audience. We find out only about a week before we shoot each episode what's going to happen next. So when I got the first script and saw that Jennifer was pregnant, I was relieved, because I didn't know if they'd even be together.

TVGuide.com: Guess it's better to be an expectant father than divorced….
Sommer: Yeah, it's nice. Fortunately, Harry Crane is well-adjusted, at least relative to the rest of the men of Sterling Cooper. He seems to know how to handle conflict. He's a good husband, and I think Harry and Jennifer make a good team. If not for her, I don't know that he would have gotten that raise after opening the wrong paycheck.

TVGuide.com: Will we get any flashbacks to that 14-month gap, or will viewers have to fill it in for themselves?
Sommer: Relatively little is left to be imagined. A lot of the questions on people's minds — though it doesn't happen quickly because nothing is handed to the audience on a silver platter — will be answered, whether it's about things from last season, or mysteries already created this season.

TVGuide.com: Are you glad Harry is becoming more than the guy in the bow tie and glasses?
Sommer: During the hiatus, I did a panel discussion with some of the cast and with [creator] Matt Weiner, and I said something about how I didn't feel Harry was content. And Matt quickly corrected me and said, "No, Harry is ambitious." He does seem to have stepped out of his shell and is doing what he can to live up to this position he essentially created for himself.

TVGuide.com: So, will we see him flex more muscle as the "Head of Television"?
Sommer: The title definitely means something to Harry. He's not just a media buyer any more, and he's trying to live up to that. Historically, this was a time when TV was exploding, so I think that will eventually be reflected.

TVGuide.com: Why didn't he fight harder for more of a raise?
Sommer: You can take Harry out of the Crane household, but you can't take the Crane household out of Harry. I don't think he was even prepared to ask for that raise, but Sterling opened a window and Harry jumped through it. He's clearly not a strong negotiator — if I were negotiating I would have shot a little higher than $10 above what I knew someone else was making — so when Sterling comes back at him with a raise at all, I think it's black and white for him. It almost didn't matter what it was. He's just excited and doesn't want to push his luck.

TVGuide.com: How do you think having a child will affect Harry at work?
Sommer: That's a good question. Clearly, Harry's a career man, doing what he can to move up in the ranks. But the baby is also kind of sealing this guy's fate as a family man. And I hope he won't do with his baby what others in this world seem to do: disregard it as much as they disregard their wives. I think Harry's got a good Midwestern head on his shoulders, and that he's just out to make things good for his family.

TVGuide.com: Having worked at Sterling Cooper and Dunder Mifflin, which office would you rather actually work in?
Sommer: [Laughs] I think I've actually worked in both of them in my real life. I was a temp, hopping from office to office for about three years in New York. I've seen people like Don Draper and Roger Sterling, and I've seen people like Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute. I don’t know if I could bear to work in either of those offices. I think I might end up washing dishes if it came to that.

TVGuide.com: At least there's more smoking and drinking at Sterling Cooper. What are you guys actually puffing and sipping on?
Sommer: I made the huge error in the pilot of smoking filterless cigarettes, and when we kept going with the show, it was set that Harry smoked filterless Lucky Strikes. Those are herbal cigarettes and are truly terrible. There is always a pre-shooting smoke that has to be done because if you smoke your first cigarette for the day on camera, you will most likely shed a little tear. At least I always do. I don't choose to, it's just a response to the horror that is entering my mouth. And we're never really sure of what we're drinking. It's either really watered-down cola or watered-down ice tea. It's always kind of a surprise — they never give it to you during rehearsal, so you just drink and hope no one on set is pranking you.

In Part 1 of our Q&A with Mark Schwahn, the creator of One Tree Hill ruminated on the big love "rectangle" and other plans for Lucas, Brooke and Peyton. Here in Part 2, Schwahn surveys what's ahead for the rest of the gang. Season 6 of One Tree Hill kicks off Monday at 9 pm/ET. — Matt Mitovich

TVGuide.com: What is Haley's No. 1 priority these days?
Schwahn: Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) has got a lot going on. The show demands that some have more going on that others, and this year Haley doesn’t have one through line; she's got like five. She's got the issue of being a musician — if she wants to pursue music, does that mean touring? Will she be happy just writing songs? Will she be happy teaching music? Will that take her away from her family in a way that she's not comfortable with? At the same time, she's really relevant as a teacher. And she's obviously relevant as a mom and a wife. If Nathan and Haley are going to pursue their dreams, can they do it differently or will it be history repeating itself? The first time [they tried that], it was very hard on their relationship. I hear from people a lot, "Aren't you ever going to let Nathan and Haley be happy?" And I feel like they are by far the most stable couple on our show! We throw a lot of obstacles their way, but so far they have been overcoming them together. So I think of them as being happy.

TVGuide.com: Is Nathan (James Lafferty) on track for a "miracle" recovery? How goes rehab?
Schwahn: He is on track for a miracle recovery, and we actually use the word "miracle" from the doctor. As he pursues getting back on the court, it's hard to say how far he can push it. He could end up back in the wheelchair again if he pushes it too far. What's he willing to sacrifice, and how patient and abiding will Haley be in this quest? What I love about Nathan, who has really matured despite having had no architecture to be a father or a husband, is that he's finding his way to some sort of peace in all of this. He still wants what he wants, but he considers everyone else in the equation more than he ever did. It's a journey that, if kids are taking anything at all away from One Tree Hill, they can learn from.

TVGuide.com: Is Nathan's mom still cavorting with Skillz (Antwon Tanner)?
Schwahn: Yes, actually. People thought it was absurd, but what I love about it is that there are scenes early on this season that had literally everyone around me saying, "Well hold on a second – these two are interesting together!" We play it for comedic effect, but there's some great human stuff behind all of it. Whether or not the relationship will continue — whether it can, in the face of friends family — is a big storyline. It's wacky sometimes... but it's also more than that.

TVGuide.com: Which is faring better for Mouth (Lee Norris) — his personal life or the professional?
Schwahn: Both are OK right now. Again, the story is "Can you have both? Can you be happy with both?" Before Millicent, Mouth became this guy who was floating around. He was with like 80 different girls the season before. Millicent was his perfect fit in many ways. But Mouth has history like everybody else — there's a clue in there — and he's also chasing his own professional aspirations.

TVGuide.com: He had to make some tough calls last season, professionally.
Schwahn: He's the worst employee in history! The guy has a different job every week, always quitting or coming back. Or, he's not running an important story because he's protecting his friends. There's a story coming up where he has a lead which could help one of his friends.... His heart's always in the right place. He's one of the few characters with a strong vision of what he wants for himself. Some people find that vanilla, but there's a place for characters like that on a show like this.

TVGuide.com: I'm supposed to see Paul Johansson during my visit to the set in North Carolina. I assume Dan is still alive-ish and kicking...?
Schwahn: Well... Craig Sheffer (Keith) has spent a lot of time on the show, and he was dead, so.... [Laughs] Look, every show needs a villain, and I think that Paul is essential to the show. But I never saw myself parting ways with Keith either. Most fans are waiting to see if he's still alive and if he is, who's he going to be. That’s all up for grabs.

Part 3 of our conversation asks Schwahn to weigh in on the big rumors surrounding the show, including the most pressing one of all: Is this Tree Hill's final season?

One Tree Hill Set Visit Videos:
• Chad Michael Murray Tells (Almost) All
• Hilarie Burton: No More Tears for Peyton?
• "Bonus" Burton: Hilarie Shows How to Play "Who's Coolest?"
• Sophia Bush: Is Brooke Still in a Dark Place?
• James Lafferty: Good Lovin' Ahead for "Naley"?
• Bethany Joy Galeotti Wants to Kick Psycho Carrie's Butt!
• Lee Norris on Mouth's "Interesting" Love Life
• Young "Jamie" Reveals His Cast Mate "Crush"
• Meet Ashley Rickards, Tree Hill's New Troublemaker

This Monday at 9 pm/ET, the CW's One Tree Hill kicks off its sixth season with, yes, the actual official and bona fide resolution to the great "Who Did Lucas Call?" mystery. But the outcome of that (and whether the resulting couple is a keeper or not) is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the drama ahead for the entire Tree Hill gang. "This season is a bit complex and adventurous, and not in a Jump the Shark sort of way," says series creator Mark Schwahn. "This is a brave season for us. I haven't said that to anyone else, but that’s a great way of putting it."

Schwahn spoke at length with me about what to expect. Here, in Part 1 of 3, he reflects on last season's time-jump, assesses the state of the "love rectangle," and details the stories in play for Lucas, Peyton and Brooke. — Matt Mitovich

TVGuide.com: How did the four-year flash-forward wind up working for you? Did it accomplish everything you hoped it would?
Mark Schwahn: It was better than expected, actually. It invigorated the show in a really great way, and it invigorated the cast and the writers. When you're in a fifth season and you see your ratings go up, that’s great. I'm happy to have time-stamped [the plot device] for Desperate Housewives and whoever else is doing it now. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: There are fans on the Internet who claim to have the Lucas cliffhanger all figured out. Apparently there are, like, long-lens photos of someone who looks like Chad Michael Murray with his arm around someone who may or may not be so-and-so — at least according to one extra's friend's hairdresser.
Schwahn: In the age of the Internet, you can't hide any of that stuff anyway. If I could, I would. And if I could have shot who shows up at the airport with all three actresses — which I considered doing because I knew there'd be a lot of extras — I would have. But we're like eight episodes ahead, so I was like, "What are we going to do – shoot all three storylines for eight episodes?!" [Laughs] If you want to get spoilers, you'll find them. Everybody can watch it the way they want to watch it, but I designed it to surprise the fans, and a lot of that goes away when you're only watching to see how it plays out. I don’t know how shows that are really based on mystery do it.

TVGuide.com: Very, very, very closed sets.
Schwahn: Yeah. Once in a while, if I have a big scene with a big reveal, I'll actually write it on set with two actors, because I know there are no extras, I know there are no sides [audition scripts]. When I type up the sides to hire a new guest star, from the time they leave my hand to the time they're on the Internet is always less than an hour. It's amazing. But some fans want to watch the show that way.

TVGuide.com: I understand that there is a flash-forward to show what Lucas' life is like, a year down the road, with the girl he chooses?
Schwahn: Yes, that's accurate. It's a way of keeping the mystery alive, to shake up the world without jumping the viewers [permanently ahead in time] again, which would be a little demanding.

TVGuide.com: Do you see this triangle lasting until the very end of the series?
Schwahn: In different ways. Not romantically, I don’t think. As the characters get older and more complex, how you love someone and what they mean to your life, that changes a bit. I think romantically, playing the love triangle – actually it's a rectangle, between Brooke and Lucas and Peyton and Lindsey – is probably done. Never say never on our show. They’ll always all be in each other's lives in some major way.

TVGuide.com: You got Michaela McManus to stick around as Lindsey?
Schwahn: Dick Wolf and his organization were nice about allowing her to continue with us. [Over the summer, McManus joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU.] It's going to be for more than one episode. I had wanted her to be a series regular — I wanted her to get to a place of that success — so it's all worked out really well. We'll see Lindsey throughout the year. If Lucas were to pick her, who's to say she's going to pick him back? And if she does, who's to say it's going to work out? That [uncertainty] is a staple of Tree Hill. A lot of people have eliminated her as a candidate because they know a lot about show biz, but I'm like, "Well, hold on a second...."

TVGuide.com: Will Lucas' suspension get lifted this season?
Schwahn: I think so. Whether that will last is part of the story. I think we'll see [the suspension lifted], but it might not play out exactly how the fans think it will. We're also going to look at Lucas and the publishing of his second book.

TVGuide.com: Taking the other characters one by one, starting with Peyton (played by Hilarie Burton): Is her biological dad going to surface?
Schwahn: The person that Mia met, who said they knew Ellie, is going to surface. All bets are on that it's her biological father. His name is Mick Wolf and he's played by John Doe from [the punk band] X. John's done a great job in playing this distant guy who is tight-fisted with his information. If he is her father and he has shown up, I'd say he's reaching out to her. But why show up and not admit you're her father? That’s what we're going to play.

TVGuide.com: Has Brooke (Sophia Bush) moved on from her maternal longings? Will she emerge from the dark place she went to?
Schwahn: Um... no. [Laughs] I don’t think so, and especially if she is with Lucas, she is going to want to have a kid. We have seen the seeds planted for Brooke's journey – what makes a family? And can she have a family, seeing as her parents were fairly antagonistic and anonymous in her life? Whether or not [her desire to be a mother] includes a romantic component is obviously the big question. If it's not Lucas, will it be someone else? And if it is Lucas, does he still want children? And how does it all shape her place as a designer and businesswoman? Brooke has a lot on her plate this year. As open as she has been with her heart, she's been kind of closed off, emotionally, for a while. It's interesting to peel those layers back and ask, "Why is it OK to be that way?" It's challenging material for Sophia, that’s for sure.

In Part 2: Mark Schwahn surveys the stories for Nathan, Haley, Mouth and other key players.

Coming Soon: Part 3 asks Schwahn to weigh in on the big rumors surrounding the show, including the most pressing one of all: Is this Tree Hill's final season?

One Tree Hill Set Visit Videos:
• Chad Michael Murray Tells (Almost) All
• Hilarie Burton: No More Tears for Peyton?
• Sophia Bush: Is Brooke Still in a Dark Place?
• Bethany Joy Galeotti: Love Scenes Ahead for "Naley"?
• Lee Norris on Mouth's "Interesting" Love Life
• Young "Jamie" Reveals His Cast Mate "Crush"
• Meet Ashley Rickards, Tree Hill's New Troublemaker
• Still to come: James Lafferty and a "bonus" Burton vid!

ABC Family's Greek resumes its semester tonight at 9 pm/ET with a batch of episodes that will, among other things, put Casey's interim ZBZ presidency in jeopardy, and largely due to the R-rated antics of pledge Rebecca. Dilshad Vadsaria, who plays the freshly disillusioned daughter of a disgraced senator, offered TVGuide.com a sneak peek at the drama to come — and what it all means for the Casey-Cappy shippers. — Matt Mitovich

TVGuide.com: It looks like we're kicking off the season with Rebecca causing some real headaches for poor Casey....
Dilshad Vadsaria: Yes, poor Casey. Again. [Laughs] Rebecca has definitely caused some problems for ZBZ, with the spring break episode, where she found out about her father....

TVGuide.com: And subsequently doffed her top at a bar and became a viral video sensation.
Vadsaria: Yeah. I think it's fun that the writers took it in that direction, because it's so true for the age that we live in. Whatever you do is kind of recorded right away.

TVGuide.com: Heck, you yourself probably have some compromising photos that could surface.
Vadsaria: No, no, no – I have all the pictures. [Laughs] They're in a safe deposit box.

TVGuide.com: Why does Rebecca not take too seriously Casey's threat of