It's time to meet Walden Schmidt's mom on 'Two and a Half Men.'

According to Deadline, Mimi Rogers will guest star on at least two episodes of the hit CBS comedy.

Rogers will play the mother of Ashton Kutcher's billionaire character and Deadline reports her character is a noted primatologist. We bet some hijinks will ensue.

In other casting news ...

Jenna Elfman and 'Spartacus' star John Hannah are joining Ryan Phillippe in Season 5 of 'Damages.'

According to Deadline, Elfman will play an investment bank employee who becomes troubled by her company's behavior. Elfman's character approaches Channing McClaren (Phillippe), the founder of a Wikileaks-esque web site.

Look for McClaren to turn to Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) for help. The Season 5 case pits Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and Ellen up against each other.

Ryan Phillippe is joining the cast of 'Damages.'

According to TVLine, Phillippe has booked a major role in the upcoming fifth season of the Glenn Close-fronted legal drama. Details on his role are being kept under wraps.

Last season, John Goodman, Dylan Baker and Chris Messina joined the cast.

Previous guest stars include Ted Danson, Lily Tomlin and Martin Short.

John Goodman covered a good portion of his career, past, present, and future in his interview on 'The View' (weekdays, syndicated on ABC) Wednesday. He talked about his current role on 'Damages,' whether Roseanne Barr would make a good president, 'The Big Lebowski,' and a 'Monsters, Inc.' sequel.

Sherri Shepherd said 'Damages' creators wanted him for the role of Howard T. Erickson, CEO of a military contractor, because he was both "cuddly" and "fierce." She asked if he agreed with that assessment, and Goodman laughed. "Like one of those imported Chinese pandas stuffed with cotton and auto parts and drain cleaner," he said.

There's an old adage in show business that advises actors to never to work with animals or kids. Well, on 'Damages,' Glenn Close plays lawyer Patty Hewes, who is kind of an animal. And on season four, which kicks off Wednesday on DirectTV, Close works with a kid when Hewes is left to take care of her granddaughter. Close previewed the new season Wednesday on 'Live With Regis and Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated).

Regis and Kelly wanted to know if having a little child around would soften Hewes. "I think in some ways, yes," said Close. "Because if anybody knows her back story, she did, she had a little girl that she lost. So I think that has to bring up, you know, some thoughts."

Any fan of 'Damages' knows the show is propelled to riveting dramatic heights thanks to the relationship between Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), but behind every great woman, there's a few good men. 'Damages' Season 4 is no exception.

John Goodman, Chris Messina and Dylan Baker join Close and Byrne for a new kind of case -- this season (premieres Wed., July 13 at 10PM on DirecTV's Audience Network), the ladies are exploring the military and private defense sector.

Goodman plays Howard Erickson, the CEO of a private military defense company, the target of Ellen and Patty's case. Messina plays a decorated solider and contractor under Erickson and Baker plays Jerry Boorman, an associate of Erickson's who is described by DirecTV as a "shadowy opportunist."

'Damages' (10PM ET Wednesday, DirecTV's Audience Network) is on a new network -- its fourth season will air only on DirecTV, not on FX -- but some things about the show never change.

Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is still an expensively clad, unrelenting near-sociopath, and her former protege, Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), still thinks she can imitate Patty's moves and not end up exactly like her. As always, there's a time puzzle that is introduced in the first episode of the season: We see events in the present day and a few months down the road, and eventually we'll see how those various occurrences weave together to form one narrative.

Some things do change on the show. Each season is anchored by a different ripped-from-the-headlines story, and -- this is big -- Ellen wears her hair down for much of the new season. Byrne's more confident performance is of a piece with Ellen's ever-so-slightly sassier hairstyle.

But the one enduring thing I like most about 'Damages' is that it's basically summer camp for character actors.

MONDAY, JULY 11

'Adventure Time with Finn and Jake' (8PM ET, Cartoon Network) season premiere
The colorful kids' animation returns for its third season on Cartoon Network, continuing the adventures of Finn and his four-legged friend Jake as they traverse the mystical land of Ooo. In the season premiere, Finn and Jake find their tree house invaded by King Snuggadoodle and the Huggaboopies (yes, really).

'Eureka' (8PM ET, Syfy) summer season premiere
After a six month break, 'Eureka's' fourth season resumes with an unscheduled launch that causes havoc for the gang, while Carter finds himself in an awkward situation after S.A.R.A.H. and Andy's nuptials hit a speed-bump.

There are plenty of law-abiding characters on TV, but we're particularly fond of the ladies who wield badges and shout "objection!" in courtrooms to keep our airwaves safe.

With the return of 'Rizzoli & Isles' (Season 2 premieres Mon., July 11, 10PM ET on TNT) -- where stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander battle Boston bad guys as a detective and medical examiner team -- we salute those cops and lawyers who help maintain law and order (some of them are even on 'Law & Order') on TV.

Of course, all of the current TV cops on our list have some iconic legal ladies to thank, including 'Police Woman''s Pepper Anderson (Angie Dickinson); Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) on 'The Shield'; and the dynamic duo of 'Cagney & Lacey' (Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly), just to name a few.

And we can't forget their legal counterparts either, with beloved barristers like Susan Dey's Grace van Owen on 'L.A. Law'; Sarah McKenzie (Catherine Bell) on 'JAG'; the ladies of 'Boston Legal,' 'The Practice' and 'Ally McBeal'; Markie Post's Christine Sullivan on 'Night Court'; and Harmon herself, as 'Law & Order''s ADA Abbie Carmichael.

These pros all helped pave the moral way for what's now one of the most popular professions for women on TV. Here, 11 of our current favorite female TV cops and lawyers.

Miss 'Damages' Season 1-3 and want to watch Season 4? No problem!

Thanks to this video, you can get caught up on the epic relationship between Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons via a rap in under 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

While it doesn't truly convey the drama and "wow!" factor 'Damages' delivers nearly every episode, it does give you the basics on the court cases and the ups and downs of Patty and Ellen.

The show deserves a watch (or a rewatch), but if you're really itching to see new episodes of Glenn Close in her Emmy-winning role on DirecTV's Audience Network, then this video will catch you up.

Chances are, if you didn't know who Rose Byrne was before, you do now after her tour de force summer.

Between the smashing successes of her films 'Bridesmaids' and 'X-Men: First Class,' and the return of 'Damages' (Wed., July 13 at 10PM on DirecTV's Audience Network), there's no escaping this talented Aussie -- and no reason you should want to!

When viewers last saw Byrne's Ellen Parsons, she was walking away from Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). It's now been three years in the world of 'Damages' and a lot has changed.

"She's had a lot of time away from Patty," Byrne told AOL TV. "She's sort of been given her space and I think space from what she wants from the law. She's working at a completely different law firm. When [Patty and Ellen] meet again, it's on much different terms."

She's ruthless, cunning, manipulative ... and a doting grandma? What has become of Patty Hewes since viewers last saw her?

I took that question directly to series star Glenn Close at the premiere of 'Damages' Season 4 (Wed., July 13 at 10PM on DirecTV's Audience Network).

"She's at the top of her game, she has this huge suit against an international pharmaceutical company and she's going to win it -- and she knows she's going to win it," Close told me.

'Damages' begins three years after viewers last saw Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) and Patty together, and boy, how things have changed. Ellen has been picking Patty's brain about a huge case against Howard Erickson (John Goodman), the head of a private military defense organization.

"She and Ellen have been having these coffees and one thing leads to another," Close said. "She's kind of moved on."

'Damages' has a new lease on life thanks to DirecTV, that's no secret. The show was picked up for Seasons 4 and 5 after FX passed on the critically-acclaimed drama, but many assumed these two extra seasons would serve to wrap up dangling threads.

However, according to the creators of the Glenn Close-fronted series, they're not done planning for Patty Hewes (Close) and Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).

"The show isn't necessarily ending at Season 5, we're not sure about that," 'Damages' executive producer and co-creator Todd A. Kessler told AOL TV at the 'Damages' premiere. "In terms of the Patty and Ellen storyline, there is a story to be told."

The main story for Season 5 is still being figured out, but the wheels are churning for even future seasons. "The show has a great life and great potential even beyond the fifth season," Kessler said. "There could be a Season 6, with Patty and Ellen."

Last night's 'Weeds' saw our protagonists flash forward three years in the future, with pot-dealing housewife Nancy Botwin moving from prison to a halfway house in New York City. And on Sunday's 'True Blood' premiere, the residents of Bon Temps skipped ahead an entire year -- a major jump for the series, considering the first three seasons took place during the same month.

All that time-jumping got us thinking about other shows that have pulled the "skip forward" move to avoid awkward plot points. You know, like that time 'One Tree Hill' escaped those clunky college years, or when Melinda had a baby on 'Ghost Whisperer' that was suddenly five years old.

After the page jump, join us in a discussion of time jumps and whether or not they actually worked. (And before you comment-yell at us, this list does not include shows that routinely employ time travel, like 'Doctor Who' or 'Quantum Leap.')

Rob Lowe and Kaley Cuoco will star in 'The Drew Peterson Story,' a new Lifetime movie.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 'Parks and Recreation' star will play Drew Peterson, a police officer charged with the death of his third wife after the disappearance of his fourth wife. 'Big Bang Theory' star Cuoco is set to star as Stacy, Peterson's fourth wife who mysteriously disappears.

The movie is based on the nonfiction book 'Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Drew Peterson,' and has a notable Lifetime movie pedigree: Judith Verno ('The Craigslist Killer,' and 'Natalee Holloway') will executive produce and Teena Booth ('Natalee Holloway') will write.

In other TV news ...