Surely fans saw this coming. USA Network has announced that sophomore crime dramedy In Plain Sight will return to the small screen for a third season. This news follows closely on the heels of the network’s decision to pick up fellow dramedies Burn Notice and Royal Pains for additional seasons, as well.

As The Hollywood Reporter accurately notes, the In Plain Sight development and probable Law & Order: Criminal Intent pickup means that USA Network has renewed each and every one of its currently airing series, “an impossible feat” for either a broadcast or cable network.

Good for USA Network and the shows. There’s a reason why I and many others watch all of them, and the proof is in the series’ excellent ratings.

How’s this for a good match-up? USA Network announced today, July 31, that Burn Notice‘s August 6 third-midseason finale will feature an extended sneak peek at Quentin Tarantino‘s latest flick Inglourious Basterds.

The highly anticipated movie starring Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Kruger, and Mike Myers — just to name a few — will hit theaters nationwide on Friday, August 21. For those who don’t know, the film follows The Basterds, a group of Jewish-American soldiers stationed in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, who are put on a mission to slaughter Nazis and scare the frak out of the Third Reich. Cool.

As for Burn Notice, the Season Three summer finale “Long Way Back” pits Team Michael against a mysterious dude from Fiona’s past named Thomas O’Neill. The bad guy is played by most-excellent English actor Paul Blackthorne (Lipstick Jungle, Big Shots, The Dresden Files, 24), pictured above with Gabrielle Anwar‘s Fiona in a seriously bad situation.

When O’Neill arrives in Miami out of the blue with deadly misdeeds on his mind, Michael works with Fiona’s equally kick-ass brother to bring him down and save Fiona. Check out the episode and the special Inglourious Basterds preview next Thursday, August 6, from 9pm to 10pm ET.

I’m so glad to see television casting people taking advantage of the opportunity to snatch up Christopher Gorham whenever he becomes available. The former Ugly Betty and Harper’s Island star — to name just two of his most recent shows — will next assume a lead role in USA Network’s latest pilot, the action drama (or is it yet another dramedy?) Covert Affairs.

USA Network announced today, July 30, that Covert Affairs stars Coyote Ugly actress Piper Perabo as Annie Walker, a CIA trainee who is “mysteriously summoned to headquarters for duty as [a] field operative. While Annie believes she’s been promoted for her exceptional linguistic skills, there may be something or someone from her past that her CIA bosses are really after.” Ooohhh… Sounds suspenseful!

Gorham will portray the blind character Auggie Anderson, a CIA military intelligence agent who lost his sight on the job during an assignment. He’s now tasked with mentoring Annie as she copes with her new position, including all of the excitement, intrigue, and inevitable red tape it entails.

Whether or not the pilot will eventually get picked up as a full-fledged TV show remains to be seen, but the premise and current cast certainly seem like a solid foundation for another entertaining USA Network original series. Today’s announcement didn’t mention a development time line, however, so stay tuned for additional details.

If you were a fan of the short-lived serial crime drama The Nine and you happen to have access to satellite network DIRECTV, then you’re in luck. Starting tonight, July 29, at 10pm ET, the network will begin presenting the last four episodes of the show, which never aired during the series’ 2006–2007 run on ABC.

The Nine follows the experiences of nine seemingly unrelated people who develop an unexpected bond after they survive a botched bank robbery that includes being held captive for 52 hours. DIRECTV started syndicating the entire 13-episode series on Wednesday, May 27, leading up to the previously unseen episodes that fans can watch beginning with tonight’s installment, “The Inside Man.”

Keep reading for details about all four episodes.

The Inside Man | July 29

After Egan (John Billingsley) makes a surprising statement on national television, the lives of the nine are thrown into turmoil. Kathryn (Kim Raver) must now consider the political implications of her continued association with the others, and Nick (Tim Daly) tries to use knowledge that only he possesses to satisfy a nagging suspicion.

Man of the Year | August 5

While Malcolm (Chi McBride) struggles with whether or not he deserves an award for his many years od civic service, his hapless brother visits unexpectedly. Lizzie (Jessica Collins) remains troubled by romantic dreams of Lucas (Owain Yeoman). And Felicia (Dana Davis) digs deeper into her memories of the bank incident.

Legacy | August 12

Nick asks Malcolm for guidance in coping with an old promise of revenge for his father’s death. Egan proves to be a valuable asset in Kathryn’s campaign. And Felicia confronts Malcolm about something she remembers from the robbery.

Confessions | August 19

Kathryn is drawn dangerously close to Nick. Burdened by his sins, Jeremy (Scott Wolf) makes a shocking confession. And Lizzie faces a crisis of conscience regarding Lucas.

Oh, yeah! The sophomore season of TNT’s immensely fun crime dramedy Leverage launches on Wednesday, July 15, at 9pm ET, and I can’t wait.

If you’ve never watched before, the series stars Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator who becomes the mastermind behind a merry gang of extremely effective corruption-busting crooks after corporate greed leads to the unnecessary death of his young son.

Joining Nate in his perpetual fight against all manner of despicable self-important bastards are:

Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman, Coupling), a grifter who uses her acting skills to weasel her way into the inner circle of her marks, although she can’t act to save her life when it comes to genuine, straight-up acting gigs.

Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane, Angel), a so-called “retrieval specialist” with a quick temper and impressive fighting skills to match.

Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge, Friday Night Lights), a technology geek extraordinaire who knows how to get the ball rolling when it comes to intel, communications, and other high-tech stuff.

And my personal favorite, lovely oddball Parker (Beth Riesgraf, My Name Is Earl), an ace thief who can get into and out of almost anywhere.

TNT uploaded a two-minute sneak peek for the upcoming second-season premiere “The Beantown Bailout Job” just a few days ago, as well as a 2½-minute rapid recap for the first season. Check ‘em both out below.

I’m thrilled to see the team still looks ready to rumble. It’s going to be fun following what they get into this time around, and, of course, I’ll have a review of the Season Two premiere before it airs.

Since The Practice vet Dylan McDermott‘s last TV-series venture — the quickly canceled, man-centric ABC dramedy Big Shots — didn’t fare too well, there’s no doubt the actor is hoping for better results with his latest show. That would be the upcoming TNT crime drama Dark Blue, which premieres on Wednesday, July 15, at 10pm ET, right after the sophomore hit Leverage.

McDermott stars as lead character Carter Shaw, the head of a covert team of police officers who go so deep undercover that many of their colleagues don’t even realize who they are. Since Shaw has lost his wife and the life he once knew, thanks to his devotion to his job, he’s also a troubled individual.

Helping Shaw carry out complex take-down investigations are his team members:

Ty Curtis (Omari Hardwick, Saved), a newlywed who has a difficult time coping with his undercover identities.

Dean Bendis (Logan Marshall-Green, The O.C.) a reckless cop whose irresponsible behavior makes his colleagues question whether he’s still on the right side of the law.

And Jaimie Allen (Nicki Aycox, Supernatural), a rookie patrol officer admitted to the team because of her shady backround and ability to lie with the best.

Take an advance look at TNT’s newest original drama in the sneak peek below, a segment from the beginning of the pilot, which I’ve already seen. I’ll follow up with an early review of the first episode and an interview with star McDermott before the big premiere. I think I’m gonna like watching Dark Blue.

Talk about a perfectly planned promotional tie-in — it seems ABC’s entertaining Nathan Fillion crime dramedy Castle is about to get its own book. Those who watch the show know Fillion’s character, Richard Castle, is a famous crime author, so a real-life novel to go with the show is a nice development … if fans actually read and buy it.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the forthcoming publication will have the title Heat Wave, as in the Nikki Heat detective series Castle is working on on the show, which never fails to irk his TV “partner,” NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), on whom the fictional protagonist is based. The stand-alone real-world book is predictably a mystery that features familiar details and characters from the ABC series.

The first chapter from the future Hyperion publication, attributed to author Richard Castle, will appear on ABC’s website (ABC.com) beginning August 10 to help build anticipation for the dramedy’s currently scheduled September 21 second-season premiere. Additional chapters from the first half of the book will then debut online weekly for the next ten weeks, followed by the publication of the complete novel on September 29.

Sounds like a great promotional idea to me. First a renewal and now this. The future is certainly looking good at the moment for me and my fellow Castle fans. I’ll definitely be reading along, too, both online and when the book makes it to print.

FX released part of its fall schedule today, and fans of the biker series Sons of Anarchy should be thrilled. The show returns to launch its 13-episode sophomore season on Tuesday, September 8, and oddball sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia won’t be far behind since the comedy kicks off its 10-episode fifth season nine days later on Thursday, September 17.

The basic-cable network also indicates that a new original sitcom is in the works to serve as a companion for It’s Always Sunny, although no further details were provided. Finally, Nip/Tuck will return in October for a 10-episode sixth season, the next to last season left for the medical show.

Guest stars lined up for Sons of Anarchy include Adam Arkin (Life) and Henry Rollins (The Henry Rollins Show), while Nip/Tuck will host Barry Bostwick (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Mario López (The Bold and the Beautiful), Gilles Marini (Sex and the City: The Movie), Rose McGowan (Charmed), and Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement), among others. Nice!

Already the star of TNT’s hit Librarian action-adventure franchise and 1999 movie Pirates of Silicon Valley, ER veteran Noah Wyle is next set to star in a DreamWorks Television pilot all about alien invaders from outer space.

I know — been there, done that, many times over. Still, this particular project has a lot of impressive talent behind it, ranging from Saving Private Ryan Academy Award nominee Robert Rodat, who will write the pilot script for the currently untitled program, to co-executive producer Steven Spielberg of feature-film fame. The story for the prospective series came from the minds of both men.

Wyle will star as the lucky human who leads a diverse group of soldiers and civilians flung together to thwart the takeover plans of an alien force. The action begins right after the malevolent visitors arrive and destroy most of Earth’s inhabitants, and the resistance movement forms as the invaders get busy gathering up any survivors.

Says Wyle: “I am overjoyed to continue my association with TNT on this new project. We have a longstanding relationship spanning four projects, and I couldn’t feel more at home. I also have the pleasure of re-teaming with Steven Spielberg, who was behind the creation of ER, my home for the last 15 years, and look forward to working with the DreamWorks Television team.”

Says Spielberg: “It is a privilege to be starting a second series with Noah. The first didn’t do too bad.”

Says TNT executive vice president and head of programming Michael Wright: “Noah Wyle is an incredibly talented actor and also an extraordinary person, so we’re proud to work with him again. It’s also great to collaborate with an amazing production team headed by Steven Spielberg on what is certain to be a compelling and provocative series.”

Says me: “I’m looking forward to this already. Hurry up and get it ready for primetime, please.”

And on a side note: With popular series like The Closer and Leverage under its belt, as well as movies like the three Librarian installments, it seems TNT is seriously trying to take the crown as basic cable’s preeminent network. So far, not so shabby.

Tonight at 8pm ET, Fox will debut the long-anticipated two-hour movie Virtuality. A science-fiction thriller that incorporates both outer space and virtual reality, the project was written and executive produced by familiar Battlestar Galactica creative inspirations Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor and directed by Peter Berg of Friday Night Lights acclaim.

The plot goes like this: A crew of twelve astronauts are onboard Earth’s first starship called the Phaeton when they must collectively decide whether or not to pursue a historic ten-year journey that could mean the difference between the survival and the destruction of life on Earth. Once they begin the journey to a distant solar system located millions of miles away, however, they won’t be able to turn back around.

Adding to the weight of that decision is the bug in the virtual reality system available to the astronauts during their service. The technology allows the crew members to de-stress and remain sane by assuming imaginary avatar identities that participate in whatever situations are desired.

The virus that invades the virtual reality system eventually spawns puzzlement first and then mutual suspicion among the crew members. Yet, when things get violent, the ship’s commander takes action and shuts down the system.

Unfortunately, the damage has been done. So, as the crew continue with business as usual, they’re saddled with questions about the possibility of a hidden saboteur on the ship determined to derail their mission, and whether or not the adversary is a fellow crew member or a foreign entity.

And if all that drama isn’t enough, the spaceship has surveillance cameras throughout to film events for a reality show on Earth.

Starring are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (New Amsterdam) as Commander Frank Pike, Kerry Bishé (Royal Pains) as Billie Kashmiri, Joy Bryant (ER) as Alice Thibadeau, Jose Pablo Cantillo (Standoff) as Manny Rodriguez, Ritchie Coster (The Dark Knight) as Dr. Jimmy Johnson, James D’Arcy (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) as Dr. Roger Fallon, Clea DuVall (Heroes) as Sue Parsons, Gene Farber (Law & Order) as Val Orlovsky, Sienna Guillory (Criminal Minds) as Rika Goddard, Erik Jensen (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) as Dr. Jules Braun, Nelson Lee (Blade: The Series) as Kenji Yamamoto, Omar Metwally (Munich) as Dr. Adin Meyer, and Jimmi Simpson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Green-Eyed Man.

Sneak a peek at Virtuality in the behind-the-scenes preview clip with cast members below. I think I’ll give the actual movie a look-see tonight, too, but I’m not holding my breath it will double as a backdoor pilot for a future series. The Friday-night, summertime premiere speaks volumes about Fox’s intentions.