Jenna Elfman, best known as half of 'Dharma and Greg's' title couple, will guest star in the second season finale of Showtime's 'Shameless.'

The drama, which stars William H. Macy as the patriarch of a struggling Chicago family and Emmy Rossum as his eldest child, returns Jan. 8, but we'll have to wait until the twelfth episode of the season to meet Elfman's character.

The actress plays Jill, "a woman with a dangerous past and an awkward present," according to the network.

When the new season of the show begins, the Gallagher clan is sweltering through a hot Chicago summer and Fiona, Rossum's character, is working at a trendy nightclub while her siblings Carl (Ethan Cutkoski) and Debbie (Emma Kenny) run a day-care center out of the family home. (That sounds like a terrific idea for the chaotic Gallagher household, right? More people on the premises?)

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.

'Two and a Half Men' viewers went into a tizzy when Thomas Gibson and Jenna Elfman popped up as potential buyers of Charlie Harper's pad in the Season 9 premiere, seemingly reprising their 'Dharma & Greg' characters. But were they really playing Dharma and Greg?

"I don't think it really was Dharma and Greg," Gibson told AOL TV. "It was a Dharma and Greg-like couple perhaps."

So was it more of a wink at the audience than an actual reunion? Gibson explains the uncertainty: "Well, you see actually because 'Dharma & Greg' was a 20th Century Fox show for ABC and 'Two and a Half Men' is a Warner Bros. show for CBS."

There are certain perks to being a movie star, and Jenna Elfman has been very lucky to enjoy one of the big ones. "I get to make out with awesome guys a lot," she said on 'The Late Late Show' (Weeknights, 12:37AM ET on CBS).

Luckily, her husband of 20 years is also in the acting business, so he understands. As strange as it is that Elfman says she tells her husband, "I'm gonna go make out with him today," about whoever her co-star is, at the same time it makes for a good level of honesty in their marriage.

"Am I supposed to pretend that I don't like making out with all these cute boys when I come home?" Elfman asked Craig Ferguson. "I cannot live with those secrets."

That statement probably has a lot to do with why her husband is so okay with what she does. She's so completely open and honest in their relationship, how could he not trust her implicitly?

Showtime's first lady of comedy, Nancy Botwin, will be back with all new 'Weeds' episodes starting Mon., June 27 at 10PM. She's not alone: Laura Linney will be back in her Golden Globe-winning role on 'The Big C' the same day at 10:30PM.

Deadline Hollywood reports both programs will have 13 episodes. 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' will return for an 8-episode final season on April 7 at 10:30PM and reality series 'The Real L Word' returns June 5 at 10 PM for 9 episodes season)

Among the series premieres is Lisa Kudrow's 'Web Therapy' on July 19 at 11PM and 'Gigolos' on April 7 at 11PM.

In other TV news ...

• Ashley Judd has officially signed to star in ABC's 'Missing.' Judd will play Becca Winstone, a former CIA agent who travels to Europe to track down her missing son. [Deadline Hollywood]

• 'Deadliest Catch' will premiere April 12 at 9PM. Season 7 will see Josh and Jake Harris try to prove to the crew that they can handle operating the Cornelia Marie. Watch a NSFW trailer at the source. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Christina Hendricks will appear on Bravo's 'Top Chef Masters.' The 'Mad Men' actress will be part of a 'Mad Men'-themed challenge. [Entertainment Weekly]

It's finally happening. Billie (Jenna Elfman) is going into labor on 'Accidentally on Purpose' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on CBS). But Billie is still having trouble with the whole pregnancy thing, and she desperately wishes that she could hear some music while giving birth. Zack (Jon Foster) responds by singing her a song. The song he chooses is... 'Push It' by Salt-N-Pepa. Interesting selection! Although it is kind of appropriate, considering what Billie is trying to do.

Watch the video after the jump.

What's the best way to get out of a speeding ticket? On 'Accidentally on Purpose' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on CBS), the preferred method is to... fake labor pains during a pregnancy. Billie (Jenna Elfman) and Zack (Jon Foster) get pulled over by a cop after driving too fast, and then the very pregnant Billie spills her soda all over her lap. "Did your water just break?" the confused cop says to Billie. "...Yes," she says.

Watch the video after the jump.

What to do when a sexy nurse suggests a threesome with you and your friend? Would you be prepared? How would you handle it? On the most recent episode of 'Accidentally on Purpose' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on CBS), guest star Olivia Munn appears as Nicole, a nurse hired to help out Billie (Jenna Elfman). But Munn has more than nursing on her mind. "So do you guys want to do a three-way?" she says to Davis and Ryan (Nicolas Wright and Pooch Hall). And now, Billie's two male friends have a difficult decision on their hands.

Watch the video after the jump.

CBS Monday night comedies have been doing pretty well so far this season, as far as the ratings are concerned. The Big Bang Theory is challenging Two and a Half Men for top Nielsens for a sitcom; How I Met Your Mother is doing as well or better than last year, and the new kid on the block, Jenna Elfman in Accidentally on Purpose, has benefited by being smackdab in the middle of all that established comic success.

CBS has ordered five additional episodes of Accidentally on Purpose. It's not a ringing endorsement, but it does give the show a chance to improve on what it's done thus far.

This season, some of TV's heaviest hitters have resurfaced with new roles and new shows. How will it pan out for our small-screen darlings? Will it be a full-fledged comeback (Alec Baldwin), a nice way to make a living for a few seasons (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) or a mere blip (Matthew Perry)? Here's my handicap.


Patricia Heaton returns in 'The Middle'
(Premieres Wednesday September 30th, 8:30 pm, ABC)

Type Cast? Heaton plays a flustered, harried mom in small town America, with a husband who helps out mostly with cutting remarks. And yet, this role is a big improvement over Debra on 'Raymond'.

Some of you may think that TV Squad is filled with cheerleaders, that we all love TV so much that we rarely pull out our swords and skewer a show. Well, this should change your mind. I tuned in to Cougar Town last night and, I have to say, I was appalled. I thought I had seen what is likely the worst sitcom of the season -- Accidentally on Purpose -- but Cougar Town has surpassed it in badness.

Let me preface the rest of this criticism by saying that I was a loyal viewer of Friends. I liked Bruce Springsteen's video Dancing in the Dark. Scream was a hoot! I've been following Courteney Cox's career for years and I think she's terrific. She's funny and pretty and self-deprecating. I went into Cougar Town with high hopes. In other words, I have good will for Courteney Cox, like Jenna Elfman.

(S01E01) Watching Accidentally on Purpose, thoughts of Seth Rogen danced in my mind. Not Seth, actually, but the film Knocked Up. This is the second year in a row that CBS seems obsessed with that film. Last season, it was Worst Week, with a schlubby Kyle Bornheimer channeling Rogen's goofy lack of grace. It didn't work and Worst Week bit the dust. Now we have Jenna Elfman in the Katherine Heigl role, knocked up by accident after a one-night stand, albeit with a twist. Instead of a schlub, Jenna's fling is a boy-toy named Zach.

And there you have the premise of Accidentally on Purpose. Are you ROFL? Will you LOL? Read on after the jump.

Jenna Elfman is returning to TV with a new sitcom, 'Accidentally on Purpose' (premieres Mon., Sept. 21, 8:30PM ET on CBS). Elfman plays Billie, a single woman who finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy.

AOL TV got the dish on the new show, straight from Elfman, including whether she thinks the pregnancy was an accident or planned, if she's anything like free-spirited Billie and what YouTube video makes her smile.

Watch the video interview to find out all about the new show.

On her new CBS sitcom, Accidentally on Purpose, Jenna Elfman plays a woman who picks up a guy, has a one-night stand and winds up pregnant. It may be a case of being overly practical, but in real life Jenna Elfman has gotten pregnant because, as she put it, "My character's pregnant the whole first season, so I said, 'It's a good time to have another baby, because we won't have to hide it."

Isn't that a good reason to have a baby? Elfman, who's married to actor Bodhi Elfman, is already a mommy. She and Bodhi have a two-year old son named Story. Hmm, you think they're ever tempted to sing, "Here's the story of a kid named Story..."?

Generally speaking, CBS had a strong 2008, developing one bona fide hit drama -- The Mentalist -- even though shows like The Ex-List never found an audience or a critical plaudit. Ironically, I liked The Ex-List based on the screener I reviewed last summer, so go figure. Sometimes a preview can inform you about a show's potential and sometimes it's just the best it'll ever be.

CBS has shared previews for the new season and we've had a chance to take a look. There are star vehicles for Jenna Elfman, Alex O'Loughlin and Julianna Margulies, which would seem logical based on the success of Simon Baker as The Mentalist. CBS is counting on familiar, popular TV stars to win over audiences. Will the strategy work? It's probably too soon to tell.