Angie Harmon stars as Detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT's highly-rated detective drama 'Rizzoli & Isles,' which makes its midseason premiere tonight at 10PM ET and features a cameo from Bill O'Reilly. Harmon stopped by 'Live! With Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated on ABC) where she talked about the five-episode "winter season" that will conclude the show's second season, and the challenges of balancing her work and family life.

Harmon told Kelly Ripa and 'Live' guest-host Neil Patrick Harris how the mini-season came into being. "We signed on to do a certain amount of episodes... and because the show is loved ... they added five more episodes ... to which I was like, 'Yay! Wait ..." Harmon's ambivalence stems from the extra time she had to spend away from her family, who lives in North Carolina, while the show shoots in L.A.

Angie Harmon's Boston Police detective Jane Rizzoli was the proverbial tough-as-nails cop on season one of 'Rizzoli and Isles.' But she doesn't start off season two that way, and as Harmon said Monday on 'The View' (weekdays, syndicated on ABC), her character will get a little softening this season, which premieres tonight at 10PM ET on TNT.

A clip from the new season found Rizzoli sitting on a couch feeling anti-social, nursing an addiction to The Shopping Channel, and looking rather unlike a woman ready to go out and bust some perps. "The first season was all about Jane being sort of Boston P.D.'s own Rottweiler," said Harmon. "This season, season two, is all about, you know, she doesn't have all the answers, she is more vulnerable, there are cracks in the armor."

Before you know it, the summer will be upon us. For viewers, this is both bad and good news. The bad: The major networks resort to schedules filled with reality programming. The good: The cable networks rev up their schedules with original scripted programming. By the time July rolls around, AMC, FX, TNT and USA will be chock full of fan favorites.

For TNT, that means a new season of 'The Closer.' The network has just announced that season 6 will premiere on Mon., Jul. 12 at 9PM. Joining 'The Closer' on that evening will be the new drama 'Rizzoli & Isles.' Based on a series of Tess Gerritsen's novels, the show casts Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as a Boston detective and medical examiner, respectively, who team up to solve cases. The series also stars Lorraine Bracco as Harmon's mother.

TNT has always excelled with shows featuring strong female leads. As long as the acting and writing is up to par on 'Rizzoli & Isles' it should have a long life on the network.

Donnie Wahlberg's acting arc has been a positive one, moving from killers and thugs to detectives and heroes. His latest arc will take place on TNT's upcoming police series, 'Rizzoli & Isles.'

The series stars 'Law & Order's' Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander of 'NCIS' in a drama that revolves around the friendship between Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon) and her medical examiner friend Maura Isles (Alexander).

If you can't choose one, why not choose them all?

That's exactly what TNT did yesterday with the pickup of three new pilots: 'Delta Blues,' 'Rizzoli and Isles' and the still-untitled alien-invasion series from producer Steven Spielberg. Each show received 10-episode orders, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

'Delta Blues,' from producer George Clooney, stars Jason Lee as a Memphis cop who moonlights as a musician and still lives at home with his mother. The Boston-set 'Rizzoli,' based on a series of mystery novels by Tess Gerritsen, stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as detectives, with Lorraine Bracco playing Harmon's tough, but loyal mother.

TNT has some new dramatic shows on the horizon and believe it or not, they actually don't involve sexy cops or lawyers. Well, one of them does.

The cable network has picked up a new science fiction series about aliens overtaking humanity starring Noah Wyle, a detective series starring Angie Harmon and (surprise!) a cop drama starring Jason Lee.

The "untitled alien invasion series" (wouldn't it be a big bowl of hilariousness if that were the actual title?) will star Wyle as the leader of a band of human resisters who aspire to take back the Earth from an alien race that has laid waste to humanity. Since this is being produced by Steven Speilberg, how about calling it Close Encounters of the Ass Kicking Kind?

Roles requiring a thick skin? Check.

Roles dispensing advice? Check.

Experience as both a tough mom and wife? Check.

In other words: Lorraine Bracco definitely has what it takes to play her next role.

The 'Sopranos' alumna is the latest star to join TNT's new drama 'Rizzoli.' The show is based on the series of popular mystery novels by Tess Gerritson.

George Clooney learned a lot about television toiling away on The Facts of Life and E/R. The latter wasn't NBC medical drama that made him a star. I'm talking about the 1984 Elliott Gould sitcom on CBS that lasted a year, just 22 episodes.

But the point is this: he may be a major movie star today, but George knows and appreciates television. That could be why George Clooney's behind Delta Blues, a cop drama that TNT has just picked up.

I use the term drama loosely, because it's something goofier than a straight drama. The lead character is an Elvis Presley impersonator when he's not working for the Memphis Police Department. One more thing: Like Elvis, he honors his mother... and lives with her. Does that make him a mama's boy? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

• 'Party Down' fans can rest easy, as E! Online confirms that Jane Lynch will reprise her role as Constance Carmell in the upcoming season. Also along for the ride will be Kristen Bell, who appeared in the season 1 finale as Uda Bengt -- she'll be the love interest of Adam Scott's character, Henry Pollard. The Starz show is currently shooting and is scheduled to air in spring 2010.

More casting news after the jump.

When NBC did its upfront -- it wasn't really like the other networks, because they had leaked so much information -- one of the things the powers that be decided to do was split the season into two sections. Or two official seasons. It all seemed a bit strange, and now that NBC has gotten off to such a dreadful start, things are changing. One change seems to be that Chuck may be back before March.

Ever since Women's Murder Club ended last year -- after a way too short run, in my opinion -- I've been looking for appearances by Angie Harmon. Her own series would be great, but if not, I'll settle for whatever I can get. She's just signed to guest star in episode four of the upcoming season of Chuck.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Harmon will play a character named Sydney, a spy for the Ring who's looking to kill Ryan McPartlin's Captain Awesome alter ego.

Her character of Lindsay Boxer on Women's Murder Club was a badass detective who could beat the heck out of a perp while ordering pizza on her cell phone. I've been intermittent with my Chuck viewing, but I'll definitely be checking out this episode and hoping to see more of Harmon.

Other recent additions to the NBC show include Smallville's Kristin Kreuk and Superman's Brandon Routh. Any thoughts on this latest addition? And wouldn't you like to see Harmon in her own series again?

Emmy and Grammy award winner Harry Connick, Jr. will star in the Lifetime original movie called Living Proof. The movie, currently being filmed in Connick's hometown of New Orleans, is produced by Renee Zellweger, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron who all worked on Chicago together. The film is about Dr. Dennis Slamon, the UCLA doctor who developed a drug for breast cancer. Living Proof tells the true story of this doctor's struggle to keep the drug trials going and save the lives of thousands of women.

Harry Connick, Jr. is joined by Amanda Bynes (Hairspray), Angie Harmon (Women's Murder Club), Swoosie Kurtz (Pushing Daisies), Bernadette Peters (Boston Legal), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), Regina King (Ray), Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and my Shadows), John Benjamin Hickey (Flags of Our Fathers), Paula Cale (Providence) and Trudie Styler (Empire).

The film will air in October as Lifetime's centerpiece for the network's annual awareness campaign Stop Breast Cancer for Life.

The fate of ABC's Women's Murder Club has been determined...at least for the rest of this season. After a shake-up in the production team early this month which resulted in co-creators/producers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, as well and exec-producer R. Scott Gemmill, all being dispatched, Robert Nathan (Law and Order) has been named showrunner.

Nathan will produce three more original episodes this season to be aired as early as April. This is good news for fans of the femme detective series based on crime novelist James Pattersons' bestsellers. The hour drama premiered last October to generally poor reviews, but did well enough in the Nielsens to encourage ABC that they might have a hit on their hands. As the week's passed, the ratings dipped. The ten episodes that aired averaged a 6.1 rating/11 share; 38th place overall. Not gangbusters, but pretty good.

If there is any one show that can claim long-running success with a ever-changing cast of characters, it's NBC's Law & Order. For example, during its 16-year run (which will become 17 years starting next fall), the Assistant District Attorney's second-chair slot, which actor Richard Brooks left back in 1993, has been filled by five individuals: Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm (who departed earlier this last season) and Annie Parisse as current ADA Alexandra Borgia. Doctor Who didn't even regenerate this much in so little time!

Well, it looks like Parisee may be heading out the door this season, according to Zap2it. Of course, NBC is keeping mum about this rumored departure in order to maximize its ratings during May sweeps. The only mention of the final episode involves Borgia's boss, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson), who risks everything in order to nab two vicious criminals.

Parisee's Borgia replaced Rohm's Serena Southerlyn earlier this season when she was let go from the DA's office. In a bit of a departure from the L&O formula, which rarely steeps into a character's background, Southerlyn asked if she was let go because she was a lesbian. Who would replace Borgia? Well, if Conviction isn't renewed, there will be a whole mess of new ADA's to choose from. Maybe McCoy can team up with Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March).