News Brief

Contra Costa Times: "Friday Night Lights" rapist weighs in on murder storyline. Matt McTighe says of playing "Mike the Rapist": "When you're playing a creep, you think, 'Wow, I hope nobody thinks I'm like this in real life.'"

New York Magazine: Football has been removed from Friday Night Lights in the same way that sex is removed from R-rated movies that run on television. The event and the ramifications of it are still represented, but we don’t get to enjoy any of the details. The second game of the Panthers’ season was dispatched in a rapid-fire montage, just long enough to convey one important message — that Coach McGregor is a one-dimensional dunderhead loath to make midstream adjustments to his game plan. Which, it turned out, was all that was required for Buddy to succeed in his scheme in deposing the new coach and reinstalling Coach Taylor. Man, that was fast — and borderline implausible. But at least McGregor didn’t go down without kicking a crotch or two. The scene where he goes to Taylor’s home and accuses him of complicity in the scheme was the best of the season so far. “I’ve got a family, too,” McGregor said, which is socking Taylor right where he lives.

The Star-Ledger : Early in tonight's "Nip/Tuck" season premiere (10 p.m., FX), our plastic surgeon anti-heroes are getting a tour of a TV show in need of some medical consultants when they witness the show's star throwing a tantrum over a script for a musical episode. "That's the kind of desperate schlock you don't do until your fifth season!" he screams.

Soapdom: Mykel Shannon Jenkins joins the cast of "The Bold and the Beautiful" in the contract role of “Charlie Baker,” Executive Producer and Head Writer, Bradley P. Bell announced. “Charlie” is the son of “Lt. Baker” (Dan Martin) and has recently made detective rank within the police department. “Charlie” is introduced on canvas in the aftermath of “Eric’s” (John McCook) resurgence as owner of Forrester Creations and is an integral part of B&B’s hottest and most suspenseful story-arc of the year.

Now Magazine Online: "EastEnders" favourite Sid Owen – aka Ricky Butcher – is set to return to the BBC soap. Patsy Palmer is back in Albert Square next March as ex-screen wife Bianca and now the actor has signed a deal to reprise his role as dopey mechanic Ricky. 'I'm over the moon they have asked me to come back,' says Sid, 35. 'I'm looking forward to working with Patsy again, although not to her nagging me by shouting Ricky's name.'