It's rare when you hear about a casting and just say to yourself, "Oh, perfect." Well, that happened today. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Beau Bridges is going to be Dermot Mulroney's father on NBC's new 'The Rockford Files.' It's not just that Bridges, older brother of Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, is a terrific actor; he's really right for the role.

In the original 'Rockford Files,' Noah Berry, Jr. played Rocky, Jim's father, who served as both Jim's buddy and foil. They hung out together and understood each other. Rocky had been a truck driver and had a no-nonsense, clear vision of things.

He'd give Jim advice or just voice his opinion, often in a wry way. Presumably in NBC's version, which 'House' creator David Shore is overseeing and also involves 'The Office's' Steve Carell as executive producer, Beau Bridges as Rocky will be the same kind of guy.

File this under good casting news: 'Firefly's' Alan Tudyk has reportedly joined the cast of NBC's upcoming 'Rockford Files' reboot, which stars Dermot Mulroney as the titular character, Jim Rockford. Tudyk, who also appeared on 'Dollhouse' and 'V,' will play Det. Dennis Becker, the only cop who seems to get along with Rockford's "slightly crumpled" and "cynical" personality. 'House's' David Shore wrote the pilot. [Hollywood Reporter]

More casting news after the jump.

Alan Tudyk, best known as the pilot Wash in the television series 'Firefly,' will be taking the role of Detective Dennis Becker on the upcoming revamp of 'The Rockford Files.' The new series is being developed by 'House' creator David Shore. The role of Becker was originated by Joe Santos in the 70's series.

Tudyk is an excellent actor, but the poor guy seems to be stuck as either a villain or a supporting role. In 'Firefly,' his character was so disposable (spoiler alert!) that they killed him in the movie. In 'Dollhouse,' he was the Joker (or at least a Joker-like villain). In 'V,' he was an evil alien. On the other hand, he's working. In this day and age, it's impressive simply to be a working actor whose name is known.

He plays both the villain and the sidekick well. Here's hoping some success for the remake of 'The Rockford Files.'

(S02E08) We get double the guest stars in this episode with both Alan Tudyk returning as Alpha and Patton Oswalt returning as Joey Miner. Did anybody else notice that Alpha seemed to be acting just like the Joker, particularly with the mismatched purple ensemble? I'm referring more to the Heath Ledger version than the Jack Nicholson or Cesar Romero versions.

Patton Oswalt is a returning guest and a former engagement of Echo's, but were the others, as well? I suspect so. I think the one that got blown up real good was the motorcycle rider from the pilot episode. I think. It was interesting how one person became so addicted to the Dollhouse that he blew all his money on it. This is your brain on Dollhouse.

(S01E04) Well, that's it until March 2010. The most important thing that V could do this week was to leave us hanging on the edge of our seats as to what's coming next. If the idea was to give us a sense of sheer hopelessness in the face of the power of the Visitors, then that's what we did.

More importantly, we got to see the genesis of the Resistance movement led by Jack, Ryan and Erica. It makes an even more powerful figure when you consider that at this point there are exactly four people -- at least that we're following -- taking on 29 Visitor ships with technology and power almost beyond our imagining.

Everyone loves a scrappy underdog, and you couldn't ask for much more than that. But it was great seeing them take some of their first strikes against the Visitors as a unit. This is the struggle, against near impossible odds, that will keep us glued to our seats.

(S01E03) When you're mounting a resistance against an alien presence that way outclasses you in technology, and even outclasses you in propaganda and being good-looking, you're going to need help, and preferably of the "inside" variety. With V scheduled to go on a long hiatus after next week's episode, it's important that the resistance come together by then.

While we made good progress this episode, and learned some more good information, I fear they won't get us to a compelling hook before they go into hibernation for the winter. People will forget about this show if we don't get hooked in good next week. Unless ABC wants to promote its relaunch like another new series, they need to grab us by the jowls and sink their teeth in ... or at least unhinge our jaws and cram a guinea pig of awesome down our gullets.

When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those. Firefly was Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.

Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie, Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.

I don't know how many of you caught the G.I. Joe movie this past weekend that is based on the cartoon and toy franchise of the 80's. I didn't, but even without seeing it, I think this sketch from Funny or Die called The Ballad of G.I.Joe is far better. Even the costumes are more accurate (if a little, but not much, cheesier).

Of course, there are quite a few television and movie celebrities making up the cast: Tony Hale, Olivia Wilde (pictured as the Baroness), Alan Tudyk and Julianne Moore, to name a few. And whatever you do, stick around for the end of the song to see a special guest star that SHOULD have been in the movie.

I remember watching the cartoon while I was a young lad, and it seems obvious that the creators of this cute sketch knew the show, possibly even more than the people who made the movie. Video is after the jump.

I'm almost to the end of Firefly, my Jane After Dark readers' choice for this week. I really love this series, from the quirky characters to the general theme of a band of renegades burgling their way through the universe.

But even though it's set 500 years in the future, Firefly isn't your typical sci-fi space series that includes all manner of aliens and weird creatures. They're on a spaceship, and yet they rob trains. How cool is that?! It's like Alias Smith and Jones meets Babylon 5.

As with the other Whedon shows I've watched – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – the stories are fun and deep and fanciful (yes, I said fanciful), but it's the characters and their interactions that make the shows.

A lot, surprisingly. Unfortunately, ABC's V remake won't take place in a universe packed with space cowboys who curse in Chinese, but it will star two Firefly alums, Alan Tudyk (Wash) and Morena Baccarin (Inara). Plus, the V pilot will feature digital effects by Zoic, the effects house that worked on Firefly.

Like most Whedon fans, I think the best things about Firefly were the characters, the dialogue, and the inventive stories. But the digital effects were just as amazing, especially for TV. They might not have been blockbuster movie good, but the ships and space chases always looked elegant and really specific to the show's quirky style and themes. That's what good visual effects are all about. Lets hope Zoic can create the same kind of magic for V, which is awaiting pickup by ABC.

(S01E11) So apparently, Echo/Caroline is Briar Rose. The big twist is that Ballard didn't end up being the Prince. Alpha did.

So now we know Alpha's face (and with that knowledge, my Ballard-as-Alpha theory gets blown to Hell in a handbasket), but we're still missing a lot. We don't know his motivation or his connection with Alpha. We do know that while masquerading as Stephen Kepler, he acts a lot like Topher (whom he may have used as inspiration for his facade) and when he reverts to character he acts a lot like Heath Ledger's Joker (Alan Tudyk is a brilliant actor).

Many law firms take on pro bono work to help those that can't afford legal help. I can only conclude that the Dollhouse has a similar service (or perhaps Topher does a little on the side), which is why a care center for abused children can afford a Doll that has been programmed to act like a grown-up, therapist version of their most abused patient.

That ability to actually create fictional personas based on postulations on how people will emotionally mature would be an interesting concept to explore if the show gets future seasons.

Joss himself has promised that Friday's episode of Dollhouse is a game-changer. It's a pity that the episode is competing with the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. What follows is a major spoiler for Friday that I'm leaving until after the jump.

Those of you who do not fear spoilers, click away...

Let me start this out with a big WAHOO! Alan Tudyk, who played the endearing character of 'Wash' on Firefly, may be returning to television as early as this fall.

He has been cast in a starring role for an ABC comedy that, as of yet, does not have a title. The show is being created by Max Mutchick and David Kohan, the creative team behind long-running sitcom Will & Grace. Their new show (which we've mentioned in the past) is about two writers, one gay and one straight, who are in business together. Tudyk will play the gay writer, named Charlie (according to his IMDB profile).

I may have just died and gone to heaven. I'm only speculating here, because The Hollywood Reporter didn't exactly say for sure, but it's a pretty good bet that Alan Tudyk and Joshua Jackson have been cast in the same drama that's being created for CBS. Earlier this month, I reported on Jackson landing the lead in a Carol Mendelsohn law drama about a young lawyer whose career takes a turn when he takes a death row case. The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that Alan Tudyk (aka 'Wash' in Firefly) has been cast "in CBS' untitled Carol Mendelsohn drama". It describes the show as being about brilliant legal minds and that Tudyk will play "a competitive and arrogant Ivy League graduate." That sounds like the same show to me. Now, if only David Duchovny would join the cast.