Micheal Ausiello

For Jim Parsons, taking part in Ryan Murphy's HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer's Tony-winning play, The Normal Heart, was a no-brainer. Parsons could've gone on collecting Emmys for his superlative work on The Big Bang Theory—he has three so far for outstanding lead comedy actor. And he had already played acid-tongued…

The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's Tony Award-winning semi-autobiographical play, chronicled the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York. After a Broadway revival in 2011—which featured Joe Mantello and Jim Parsons—small-screen visionary Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) took on the huge task of…

Michael Ausiello is Editor-in-Chief of TVLine. At a glance, this list of probable contenders for the drama Emmy will look a lot like last year's. AMC's Mad Men and Breaking Bad are back. So are PBS' Downton Abbey, HBO's Game Of Thrones and, of course, 2012's winner, Showtime's Homeland. But also included among the…

Game Change  is more than just the name of the polarizing HBO picture that's the frontrunner to take home the 2012 Emmy in the now-merged movie/miniseries category, it's also the underlying theme of the whole race. Until last year when PBS' Downton Abbey pulled off an upset, HBO projects had taken the gold for nearly…

The cast of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea — Chelsea Handler's new semi-autobiographical NBC sitcom — could probably use a stiff drink right about now. Sources confirm exclusively to Michael Ausiello of Deadline’s sibling site TVline that nearly half of the show's ensemble — including White Collar alum Natalie…

EXCLUSIVE: It's a case of good news/bad news for Glee fans courtesy of Ryan Murphy. First the good: Darren Criss (Blaine) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) have officially been upgraded to full-time series regulars, effective this fall with the start of Season 3. And now for the bad… Chord Overstreet's series regular…

This year's Emmy race for Outstanding Drama Series will continue cable's dominance in this most prestigious category. Cable claimed 10 of the 13 nomination spots over the past two years, and 13 of 19 since 2008. By contrast, cable earned a mere nine nods combined in the seven years between 2001 and 2007 when the…

Competition for Emmy nominations among this year's Outstanding Comedy Series contestants is no laughing matter. The showdown between two 20th Century TV hits is more intense than ever, with Modern Family showrunners Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd trying to score their second consecutive Emmy win, while Glee…

EXCLUSIVE: TNT is not ready to close the book on The Closer. We hear that the cable channel is contemplating ways to extend the hit crime drama starring Kyra Sedgwick, including ordering additional episodes with Sedgwick and continuing the show without her, with another character (Mary McDonnell’s Capt. Sharon Raydor…

EXCLUSIVE: CBS is about to find out how big a hit it has on its hands with Blue Bloods. I’m hearing the freshman Tom Selleck drama — which has been averaging a healthy 12.3 million viewers on Fridays at 10 PM — will get a four-week trial run on Wednesdays at 10 PM beginning Jan. 19. Fellow freshman series The Defen…

EXCLUSIVE: 24 vet Mary Lynn Rajskub has landed a guest appearance on Fox’s freshman comedy Raising Hope. The actress/comedian will play the never-before-seen wife of Cousin Mike (Skyler Stone). The twist? Rajskub’s character has three other husbands. The episode is scheduled to air in February. Fresh off his recurring…