This is going to be a little spoilerish, so let me get to the point first. Damages has been renewed for two more seasons. That's right — two.

Now, to give those of you waiting for the season on DVD or not yet caught up with your DVR a chance to skedaddle, here's another look at one of the best promotional photos ever.

**Did I mention spoilers ahead?**

I have to say that even with Damages' ups and downs over its first season, I think it's one of the best shows to come along in years. And not just because Glenn Close in a power suit is as close to perfection as a mere human will ever be. … continue reading

So, are you watching Nip/Tuck? I am, but often through my fingers — and not because of the plastic surgery scenes. I want to see Portia de Rossi and Joely Richardson as often as possible (who wouldn't?), but every time they show up, I wince and fear mishandling of the story line.

[Warning: Mild spoilers]

Last week, I really liked Julia's heart-to-heart with Sean. She seemed like a woman who's not really embracing or rejecting anything just yet. And she was kind to her ex-husband, which is always a breath of fresh air on a show that has come to rely on exposure (of every sort) and betrayal for drama. It wasn't always like that — the first couple of seasons of Nip/Tuck were richer and more complex, still soapy but not always taking the easy way out.

And the easy way out is what worries me. Right after Julia's forthrightness warmed the cockles of my heart, Sean and Christian played cock of the walk, tossing around epithets and bravado until I felt sick. So I don't know whether to be optimistic about the Julia/Olivia relationship — well, I know I shouldn't have high hopes for a happy ending, but will we even get to enjoy a few short weeks of romance and hotness? I'm a fool to believe, and Liz (Roma Maffia) would be the first to tell me so. … continue reading

So, was it good for you? Damages ended its first season last night and those (sadly, few) of us who sat through every twist and turn of this exquisitely twisty, turny legal thriller finally got to see all the pieces of this complex moral jigsaw puzzle fit into place. Stepping back and looking at the finished whole, I have to say wow.

***Spoiler alert, so if you haven’t finished watching, what are you waiting for?*** … continue reading

It's been a bumpy first season for Damages. I've eagerly anticipated every episode, and I've even felt reasonably satisfied each time the credits have rolled — especially if I've been treated to a gratuitous shot of Glenn Close strutting in her perfectly tailored trousers.

So I'll be sad to see it go, but I'll be really, really glad to get some answers. Did Patty Hewes get her hooks into absolutely everyone, including Rose Byrne's character's husband's stalker? (Ouch, sorry about that.) Does Patty have any kind of moral center? Has Ellen Parsons become just as heartless and evil? And above all, what the hell are they going to do next season?!

The finale is tonight on FX — it airs twice back-to-back, so watch it and then watch it again. You know, for the eye candy if nothing else.

So, you’re watching Damages, right? Right? Well, if the drama has somehow slipped your radar and you fear jumping in now might render you hopelessly, helplessly lost, you’re in luck. On Monday (otherwise known as Labor Day for us U.S. Americans), FX will run the first five episodes of the season season from 3-8 p.m.

The marathon is the perfect opportunity to get caught up on all the twisty, turny treachery in the world of high-stakes litigation at Hewes & Associates. I’ve been riveted since the first episode, and not just by the exquisite cut of Glenn Close’s power suits (though, gosh, they are awfully nice).

… continue reading

Sure, some of the twists and turns have been, shall we say, a little unusual. (A hand grenade, really?) But overall it’s the show’s timeless central question that keeps me coming back week after week. That question being, simply, “Who can you trust?”

Like most good lesbians, I started watching FX's Damages because of Glenn Close. Then I couldn’t stop watching because of, well, Glenn Close. But all along, something has seemed familiar about Australian actress Rose Byrne, who plays first-year associate Ellen Parsons at the firm owned by Close’s character, Patty Hewes.

I checked out Byrne’s IMDb profile and there it was — she was Dormé, Queen Amidala’s handmaiden, in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones.

OK, I’m not really that much of a Star Wars geek, but a few years ago I worked on the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game and had to watch the movies over and over. Yes, I’m one of the ones you curse if you play that game. But I digress. … continue reading

Byrne actually has been in a number of films, including 28 Weeks Later, Wicker Park and Sunshine.

by Sarah Warn

FX has ordered 13 episodes of a new Glenn Close legal thriller Damages, to debut this summer. The drama stars Close as Patty Hewes, one of America's foremost litigators going after corporate titans. Her co-stars include Rose Byrne (Marie Antoinette, Wicker Park), Ted Danson (Help Me Help You), Tate Donovan (The O.C.) and Zeljko Ivanek (Hannibal, Black Hawk Down).

According to FX Networks president and GM John Landgraf, Damages is "a very well-written, well-acted thriller, a legal show that never goes into the court room. It's very unusual relative to any legal shows you've seen."

Hmmm. I might have more faith in FX if they weren't also considering renewing Dirt (according to the article), and "bullish" on their new show The Riches, which like Dirt, started off okay, then went downhill pretty quickly. On the other hand, a series starring Glenn Close is at least worth checking out.

But if FX thinks Damages is going to compete with TNT's The Closer as my favorite summer show, they're going to have to seriously step up their game. An hour of Kyra Sedgwick bringing down the bad guys while wearing those glasses? Thank you!