Sorry, gang, I've been away for awhile so everyone stand back while I dump a big pile of casting news all over the floor (try not to get any on you):

John Michael Higgins will star in the new ABC comedy pilot The Thick of It, and by "new" I mean it's yet another remake of a British sitcom. It's being helmed by Arrested Development creator and will also star Oliver Platt, Alex Borstein (Family Guy) and Michael McKean. The pilot is being directed by Christopher Guest.

Also, on ABC, Mark Moses of Desperate Housewives has joined a comedy pilot as a senator whose daughter (Michelle Trachtenberg) falls in love with a staff member (Eric Christian Olsen) of his rival.

Alright, I stand corrected -- there now may be hope for me to find the dean of Hearst College more than mildly interesting. Fellow Mars fanatic Michael Ausiello of TV Guide has landed some juicy details about who's taken the role, now that Michael McKean has had to turn it down -- none other than fellow improv-erific Ed Begley Jr.. Begley's appeared in A Mighty Wind, just as McKean has, though you've no doubt known him for his roles in Arrested Development, St. Elsewhere, and too many more to mention. OK, I feel better now.

[Thanks Karen M. O'Shea for the tip!]

Ah, the Venture Bros., one of the finer half hours in the Adult Swim lineup, and a show its fans should be glad is still around, since according to creator Jackson Publick (a.k.a. Christopher McCulloch), the show was not a huge breakout hit its first season, and Adult Swim was waffling over whether or not to renew it. It was, however, mildly successful, and fans swarmed the Adult Swim messageboards to sing their praises for a show that manages to channel everything from James Bond to Johnny Quest to '60s sci-fi kitsch and still maintain its own unique identity. Oh yeah, and if you're a fan and wondering what's up with Hank and Dean, Publick ain't sayin'. The second season kicks off on June 25.

[via ToonZone]