“I’m ready to do something else,” FOX’s Fringe star Lance Reddick, who plays Phillip Broyles on the J.J. Abrams show, told Celebuzz.

“The character is very different from the way it was the first season. It’s a little like I’ve been playing the same character for two years, so I’m ready to move on. My background is theater, where I was always doing something different. I kind of want to get back to that.”

Before Fringe, the 50-year-old Yale University-trained actor who is often cast as authoritative figures (probably due to his deep baritone, shaved head and 6”4′ height) was probably best known as Cedric Daniels on the HBO show, The Wire. (Clearly, Abrams likes him as this is the second show he’s done for the prolific producer. He also played Matthew Abaddon on the last two seasons of Lost).

“It’s definitely the thing I’m most proud of being on,” he said of The Wire. But it still clearly rankles him that the show, which was regularly lauded as one of the best series ever made, failed to rack up awards like The Sopranos and other critics’ darlings.

“The Wire was never nominated for any award show ever. Not a single actor nomination or best series,” he pointed out. “The writing was twice nominated, but never won.”

Unfortunately Reddick says racism is to blame and that roles continue to be elusive for actors of color. “I just feel so often if it’s a black role and it’s a predominately white TV series, they’re the token role and it’s not even considered that a black character could play the lead.”

The actor, who also appeared in the music video for Jay-Z and Beyonce’s ”03 Bonnie & Clyde” told us of one enlightening moment while joining a TV show’s castmembers, the director and producer for a late night drink.

“The producer was getting drunk and he was bemoaning how tough it was for writers in Hollywood. He said, ‘This is how little power a staff writer has on a TV show. They’re just above the black actress.’ This was a very powerful producer. My reaction was, ‘Oh, my God, somebody willing to tell the truth. But when I told someone white, they’d say, ‘That’s so offensive!’”

The Fringe series finale airs Friday at 8PM on FOX.

FOX’s The X Factor host Mario Lopez has some extra time to relax now that one of his hosting gigs, America’s Best Dance Crew, is coming to an end. MTV is canceling the Randy Jackson-produced dance show after seven seasons from 2008 to 2012. [THR]

E! has renewed Married to Jonas for Season 2. The show, which features Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle, is produced by Ryan Seacrest productions. The second season will follow Kevin and his brothers as they finish their new album and head back on tour. The series is set to return in spring of 2013. [E!]

ABC gave a nod to its much beloved new series, Nashville. The network ordered nine more episodes from the musical drama to complete its full season. The series is the highest watched of the network’s freshman dramas with an average 9.4 million viewers. [EW]

CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 is paying tribute to its predecessor yet again by filming an updated version of fan favorite episode, “Hookman.” The episode, which aired almost 40 years ago, won an Emmy in 1974 for Best Music Composition. Peter Weller will star on the episode as the title villain and is also set to direct the episode. [EW]

Fans of FOX’s Fringe , get excited. The Science Channel is about to broadcast the series in its entirety beginning next week on Tues. Nov 20. On Tuesday, the network will air the two-hour pilot and one episode then will air the first season in full on Nov. 23 and 24. Season 2 will begin airing the following Tuesday with three hours of Fringe every Tuesday from then on. The block of shows will include featurettes, entitled “Science of Fringe,” in which real scientists explain the phenomona tackled in the show. [EW]

Shirley Jones, the matriarch of the Partridge Family is coming to the Cul-de-Sac on TBS’ Cougar Town. Jones and her better half will buy the house next to Jules (Courtney Cox) on the condition that they are welcomed into the crew. Season 4 of Cougar Town kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 10 PM on TBS. [TVLine]

Bachelor Ben Flajnik is reportedly heading back to TV with a new series on E! The reality star is in talks with the cable channel for his own series. It will feature Flajnik and his co-workers at his Sonoma based winery, Envolve. His friends and family will also be a part of the show. [Wetpaint]

The voice behind Elmo, Kevin Clash, is taking a leave of absence. In a statement released by the Sesame Workshop, it was a revealed a now 23-year-old man approached executives in June with a claim that Clash engaged in a sexual relationship with him when he was 16. Though the company’s investigation “found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated,” they did find him guilty of using poor judgment and breaking internet usage policies. Clash denies all allegations and issued a statement to TMZ saying, “I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.” [TVLine]

ABC’s Once Upon a Time took a dive in the ratings Sunday night after three straight weeks of gains, falling a total of 23 percent with only 8.7 million viewers. Meanwhile the network’s freshman supernatural drama, 666 Park Avenue, remained steady but matched a series’ low. NBC won the night with Sunday Night Football and 18.7 million viewers. [TV Guide]

Though FX’s Louie won’t be back until Season 4, HBO has announced they will broadcast a new stand-up comedy special from Louis CK in 2013. The Emmy-winner’s special will be taped at one of his 16 stops on his sold out tour. [HBO]

Fans of FOX’s Fringe got a sneak peek into the fifth and final season of the epic series last season when the nineteenth episode of the year jumped forward in time over two decades to see what became of the world — and the Fringe team — when the Observers took over.

Naturally, though, such a brief look set up a number of questions and new relationship tensions that the series promises to play out in its shortened last run. With only 13 episodes in its last season, Fringe is wasting no time getting to the task at hand: defeating the Observers and taking back the future.

What can fans expect from the show’s final season?

On the season premiere, Olivia (Anna Torv) was finally reunited, not only with her team, but also with her family, seeing her daughter Etta for the first time since she was taken from her and Peter (Joshua Jackson) was just a little girl. Though Olivia and Peter — and Walter and Astrid — were preserved in amber for the past 20 years, Etta (Georgina Haig) grew up into a strong, self-sufficient woman.

But there isn’t much time to dwell on the oddities that come with working alongside your child that you just want to get to know and catch up on her life. Though Walter had a plan to take down the Observers, it appears lost in the maze that is his mind, starting a new mystery for the Fringe team to unravel.

What does Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, and John Noble think is most important for you to know about Fringe’s fifth and final season?

“Joel [Wyman] has talked a lot about treating this season as sort of a three act show,” Jackson explained the arc of Fringe’s final season when Celebuzz visited Warner Bros.’ Vancouver set for the series.

“So one through four is our first act,” he continued. “And something big happens at the end of four that launches us into the second piece [and] takes one of our characters in a direction that I think people will be pretty excited about but which is not good for that character. And then what is discovered is the laying in the end game for Fringe.”

To kick things off for the season, then, with that first act, so to speak, we saw Walter (John Noble) brought with him to the future a very special “Thought Unifier” tool in order to extract the various pieces of his plan to triumph over the Observers and reclaim our world from his mind. But after his intense interrogation, he has lost bits of his memories, with no clear indicator on if and when they will (consistently) return. While this is providing emotional character work for Noble himself, he previewed that it also serves as a device to move the plot along.

“I think the fascinating thing about this season as Walter is Walter has set this up by planting a series of clues, and it’s like a treasure hunt, in a way. The genius thing I think the writers have done this year—because we don’t want to do monsters of the week; we wanted something for the fans that was a bit more serial—we have to chase a clue of the week, really. That creates the beginning of the story of each week as we’re going after these really bizarre clues in strange places. Walter being Walter hid some of these things in some really weird, weird, weird places!” Noble laughed.

What is most interesting to Jackson about Fringe’s Season 5 is that in the off-screen hiatus, Peter and Olivia actually managed three happy years as a family with their daughter. A part of him has to wonder how that was ever even possible. But of course, now in 2036, their relationship is much different. When Etta was taken, Peter never stopped looking for her  – never stopped believing he’d find her again.

“Peter essentially committed the exact same sin his father did [but] what was so dynamic about the thing Walter did was wrong was I think just about any person — not just any parent — can understand why. He lost his child and was given an opportunity to have his child back. He would have to be Jesus to say no… Peter, in much the same fashion pushed everybody in his life away. I think he pushed Olivia away because he just couldn’t accept the idea that he wasn’t going to be able to fix this,” Jackson offered insight.

This tension was thus far part of the off-camera storytelling, but Jackson shared that it would be illuminated as the early episodes in the season unfolded and we saw how Peter and Olivia, as an “established married couple” relate to each other differently than they did when they were the “will they or won’t they” couple.

“Putting the family back together definitely goes towards healing the rift,” he continued. “[Peter and Olivia’s] story is, over the course of this year, putting back together the things that would have been torn apart by having that terrible thing happen to them. And you know, World War III happening in the background!”

Torv added that Fringe’s fifth season will touch on, even if not provide complete closure for, what actually happened when Etta was taken:

“The time for them hasn’t been that long because they were in this frozen state,” she pointed out. “They haven’t really had a chance to properly deal with grieving for their little girl, so they work through that in Peter and Olivia style. It takes them awhile.”

With such a profound common enemy in the Observers, though, Torv promised that despite any new personal complications, the Fringe team will remain a united front. There are certainly new trials and tribulations popping up even where you might not expect (“like what apples are made of in the future,” Torv smirked), but there are also some callback moments and returns to elements of the early part of the series you may have thought was just anecdotal at the time.

“If you’ve been watching [from the beginning], there are some good payoffs. People pop back up and cases and ideas. I’m glad that they did that because I think you want that if you’re invested,” Torv teased.

Fringe airs its fifth and final season on FOX on Friday nights at 9 PM.

How do you want to see the Fringe Team’s story wrap up? Let us know your thoughts and theories in the comments below!

– Danielle Turchiano

It’s coming. They’re coming.

The final season of FOX’s Fringe premieres this Friday at 9 PM and the Observers are officially here.

In a new trailer for the fifth season of the crazy, imaginative and excellent show, we see our favorite heroes coming back together to fight the Observers in 2036. Built like a movie trailer and approved by all members of the resistance, we’re given an epic sneak peek of what to expect as Olivia (Anna Torv), Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter’s (John Noble) stories come to a close.

So what does the trailer tell us?

We all know this final season will be taking place in the year 2036, with Episode 19 of Season 4, “Letters of Transit,” serving as a window into the world the fringe team is currently experiencing.

Beginning with Peter and Olivia’s nice day in the park, the trailer immediately shows the insanity which ensues at the arrival of the Observers as Peter yells for his daughter, Etta. The world is shown to have become unlivable.

The trailer also shows us that Walter has a plan to defeat them but the question is, will our favorite mad scientist/genius get to enact that plan? Seeing Walter bloody and bruised and being effectively mentally tortured by one of the Observers in the sneak peek makes us queasy and devastated.

Peter and Olivia’s daughter, Etta (Georgina Haig), is a big part of the trailer as well as we see her bond with her father and grandfather as well as her first look at her mother, encased in amber.

Will the resistance really be able to stop the Observers from destroying our world? We only have 13 episodes to find out and we can’t wait for this bittersweet ride.

We’ve seen the first episode of Season 5, “Transilience Thought Unifer Model-11,” and while we don’t want to spoil anything for you, we will tell you if you’re invested in the Fringe universe as much as we are, tissues are definitely a necessity.

Also, we are starting our Emmy 2013 campaign for Noble now.

If you haven’t seen Fringe, it’s still not too late for you to jump aboard this train before it makes its last stop. The ultimately most important episode to the final season, “Letters of Transit,” is available for your viewing pleasure on FOX.com and is all you really need to know to hop in.

The fifth and final season of Fringe premieres Friday at 9 PM on FOX.

Do you think the Fringe team can save the world? Give us your theories below.

Tina Fey will be taking her many talents to Springfield in the upcoming season of The Simpsons. The 30 Rock actress/writer will lend her voice to Ms. Cantwell, a teacher who picks on Lisa. She’ll even give her a “B” on a paper, that meanie. The episode, “Black Eyed, Please,” will air in the spring of 2013. [EW]

What will the team behind Fringe do next after the cult show finishes it’s final season?

With Fringe on its way out the door at FOX, the network has made a pilot commitment to creators J.J. Abrams and J.H. Wyman’s new show. The yet-to-be-titled show will feature human police officers paired with android robots in a future version of Los Angeles. Wyman will write the show while Abrams will join him in executive producer duties. [Deadline]

Roger Rees is set to enter the world of Sherlock Holmes in a guest role on the CBS drama, Elementary. Rees, known for stints on Warehouse 13 and The West Wing, will play an important person from Holmes past. While the role is set for only one episode, there’s a possibility the character could become recurring. [EW]

Grey’s Anatomy and 24 alum Kim Raver has landed herself a pivotal role in NBC’s new post-apocalyptic show, Revolution. Though the details are limited as to what the role is, reports indicate the recurring role is a big one. The pilot of Revolution, which takes place 15 years after the world’s power has stopped, can be seen now at nbc.com. [TVLine]

Wonder Woman fans, the TV powers that be are working feverishly to figure out how to bring the Amazon back to TV. After a failed attempt by NBC and David E. Kelley last year, The CW, Warner Bros. TV and DC Comics are delving into the heroine’s origins with the working title, Amazon. [Vulture]

It’s no secret that the annual San Diego Comic-Con has exploded into one of the biggest multimedia festivals in the world. And when it comes to television, there doesn’t seem to be any other place where small screen fanatics can find their favorite shows, producers, writers and hot actors in the same place at the same time.

Celebuzz already told you what we’re most looking forward to during the fest, but it never hurts to get a second, third or maybe fifth opinion from those in the know. So, we turned to some of our buddies who cover and write about television and entertainment and asked, “What are you most looking forward to at Comic-Con?”

Read on to find out how the TV experts answered our question.

Teen Wolf Panel, Thursday at 2:30 PM, Room 6A
“I’m looking forward to the Fringe and Teen Wolf panels, because they represent one show wrapping up its run and another that’s shaping into a long-running hit. The fact that Fringe is in Hall H is less about ratings and more about fan love, which is what Comic-Con is (and should be) all about. And Teen Wolf may be the newer kid on the block, but it is having a strong second season. And it is growing in buzz worthiness due to story by Jeff Davis and his writers as well as delicious eye candy!” – Jim Halterman, Entertainment Reporter, AfterElton.com

A Conversation with Bryan Fuller, Saturday at 1 PM, Room 7AB
“Definitely can’t wait to see the Bryan Fuller panel, “A Conversation with Bryan Fuller.” The man knows how to write character-driven stories with a complex ensemble cast. I’m curious to see more of what he’s got in mind with re-telling The Munsters, a classic television series, in the upcoming Mockingbird Lane while he also takes on the gritty Hannibal.” — Connie Allen, Writer and contributor, Blast Magazine

Fringe Panel, Sunday at 10 AM, Hall H
“What I am most looking forward to is the crowd at Fringe’s final panel on Sunday. The fans have been so amazing over the course of the show’s run, and I’ve heard that there’s a group planning a special salute to the cast when they take the stage. If they pull it off, it may be the one of the greatest Con moments ever.” — Damian Holbrook, Senior Writer, TV Guide Magazine

Supernatural Panel, Sunday at 11:15 AM, Hall H
“When Jeremy Carver left the Supernatural writing staff to executive produce Being Human, I mourned for months. So, I’m excited to see what he has in store now that he’s returned to the SPN fold as the new showrunner. The panel always boasts a hilarious preview of the show’s latest gag reel, and with Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Mark Sheppard and writer Ben Edlund in attendance with Carver, I’m sure the presentation will be both fascinating and nice to look at.” — Laura Prudom, Associate Editor, HuffPost TV

Tokidoki booth #4731, Special appearance and autograph session, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM daily
“I am most looking forward to my interview with the artist/co-founder of Tokidoki, Simone Legno. I’ve been a huge fan of his work for years and have been going to his signings. I love his collaboration with Hello Kitty, Sandy and some of the cutest, most amazing drawn characters he’s created. This is the first time I’ll be able to have a conversation after following his work for so many years.” — Joei Nguyen, Entertainment Writer, MSN TV

What are you most looking forward to at Comic-Con? Tell us in the comments section below.