MTV Orders Prank Show 'Jerks With Cameras' From 'Jersey Shore' EP (Exclusive)

More than a decade after MTV aired The Tom Green Show, the cable network is going back to the prank well.

The Viacom-owned cabler has handed out a series order to Jerks With Cameras, a fast-paced half-hour "unhidden" camera prank show, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

STORY: MTV's Susanne Daniels on Future of 'Awkward,' 'Real World,' Scripted Plans

The 10-episode series hails from Jersey Shore executive producer SallyAnn Salsano's 495 Productions and will feature a team of quick-thinking comedians -- aka "the jerks" -- who are sent out onto the streets by the show's host with one mission: Mess with everyday people.

The comedians will travel the country for the best pranks to bring back to the studio to share the laughs with viewers and vie for the top spot with the best "jerk" prank. 

MTV's Jackie French, Dan Caster, Janay Dutton and Nick Predescu will oversee for the network. The series, which does not yet have a formal host or comedians attached, will bow in 2014.

STORY: Rob Dyrdek Show, Virgins Docuseries Among Four MTV Unscripted Pickups

The series marks Salsano's most recent addition to MTV's schedule. In addition to the upcoming third season of Snooki & JWOWW, the net recently picked up The Ex and the Why, a half-hour daily entry featuring former couples getting a second shot at love -- or closure.

The pickup marks the latest unscripted addition at the network, which on Aug. 5 added four new offerings to its lineup. The orders come after MTV programming president Susanne Daniels told The Hollywood Reporter that she's looking to add six to eight new reality series for next year, with each entry high on heart.

Jerks comes more than 10 years after MTV aired Green's self-titled show that became notorious for the host's pranks and stunts that included man-on-the-street interviews with a microphone covered in feces.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit

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Minnie Driver Signs With UTA (Exclusive)

Minnie Driver has signed with UTA, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. She was previously with CAA.

The actress will star opposite David Walton in NBC’s new single-camera comedy About a Boy, based on the novel by Nick Hornby. The series is expected to debut midseason.

PHOTOS: NBC's 2013-14 Season: 'Blacklist,' 'Ironside,' 'About a Boy,' 'Believe,' and 'Sean Saves the World'

Driver was previously nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for FX's The Riches.

After well-received starring turns in Circle of Friends, Sleepers and Grosse Pointe Blank, the London native broke out as Matt Damon’s free-spirited love interest in Good Will Hunting, for which she received Academy Award and SAG nominations. Driver has gone on to star in a diverse slate of comedies and dramas, most recently Barney’s Version, Conviction and I Give It a Year, now in limited release in the U.S.

Driver continues to be repped by the U.K.’s Ken McReddie Associates and Untitled Entertainment.

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Lauren Graham's Book Adaptation Lands at CW With Script Commitment

Lauren Graham is returning to The CW.

The youth-skewing network has picked up the script for an adaptation of Graham's debut novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Based on The New York Times best-selling novel, Graham will pen the script and executive produce the drama for Warner Bros. Television. Ellen DeGeneres, who regularly has her friend and Parenthood star Graham on her show as a guest, will executive produce the project with Jeff Kleeman through their A Very Good Production banner.

PHOTOS: The CW's 2013-14 Season: 'The Originals,' 'Tomorrow People' and 'Reign'

The drama -- a fictionalized story about her experience acting during the 1990s -- centers on a young woman with six months left on her three-year plan to make a career as an actress in New York City.

The news comes two months after word leaked that Graham was developing her best-seller as a potential TV series and returns the actress to the network where she starred on The WB -- and later The CW's -- on Gilmore Girls, one of the series that helped jump-start the young network. The project also reteams Graham with Gilmore Girls studio Warner Bros. Television, who produced all seven seasons of the series that co-starred Alexis Bledel.

Graham is repped by ICM Partners, John Carrabino Management and Hansen Jacobson.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Perform Gay Rights Anthem 'Same Love' at MTV VMAs

Continuing its rapid-fire pace of announcing performers, MTV announced Friday that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Bruno Mars have joined an already star-studded lineup that includes Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke for the 2013 Video Music Awards.

PHOTOS: MTV Video Music Awards 2013: The Nominees

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, up for six Moon Men at this year's ceremony, will perform their gay rights anthem "Same Love," while making history as the first artists to perform at all three of MTV's major televised events (mtvU Woodies, MTV Movie Awards and the VMAs) in a single calendar year.

Mars, up for four trophies, will debut his brand-new single on the VMA stage.

The VMAs are set for Aug. 25 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The show will air live on the East Coast at 9 p.m. with a tape delayed broadcast for the West Coast.

E-mail: Sophie.Schillaci@THR.com
Twitter: @SophieSchillaci

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THR's Must-Reads of the Week: Keith Olbermann's Return to ESPN, L.A. Lakers' Jeanie and Jim Buss

Between industry dinners, premiere parties and countless meetings, here's what you may have missed this week in entertainment news.

Cover Story: In this week's issue of The Hollywood Reporter, TV editor, east coast Marisa Guthrie reveals the dramatic story behind Keith Olbermann's return to ESPN -- including who he apologized to, and what he really thinks about Al Gore. Also appearing on the four covers shot for this week's Sports Issue are L.A. Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, Olympic athlete Lindsey Vonn and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.

Emmy Season: THR's staff editors talk to eight nominated showrunners and writers in the drama and comedy categories who tell THR about the scenes that kept them up at night. THR's awards analyst Scott Feinberg centers on the nominees up for Supporting Actors and Actresses in a Drama.

L.A. Lakers Dynasty: Since Jerry Buss' death in February, his son and daughter Jim and Jeanie Buss speak out for the first time in a profile that highlights their complicated relationship and the plan to reboot the legendary team.

Female Sports Reporters: From Fox College Saturday host Erin Andrews to ESPN's Hannah Storm, female sports reporters discuss how it's never been easy getting into the industry, but it's always been worth it.

TV Review: THR's TV critic Allison Keene writes that Syfy's Heroes of Cosplay "does an excellent job of explaining in detail the processes and motivations of its nine costumers, who represent a range of ranks within the cosplay world."

Film Review: THR chief film critic Todd McCarthy describes Lee Daniels' The Butler as "a sort of Readers' Digest overview of the 20th century American civil rights movement centered on an ordinary individual with an extraordinary perspective."

News in Review:

STORY: Why 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' Has 41 Producers

EXCLUSIVE: Robin Thicke Sues to Protect 'Blurred Lines' from Marvin Gaye's Family

EXCLUSIVE: Fox TV Studios Won't Produce NBC Hillary Clinton Miniseries

TV in Review:

EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Oh to Exit 'Grey's Anatomy'

STORY: Laura Prepon Exiting Netflix's 'Orange Is the New Black'

STORY: Tina Fey-Matt Hubbard Comedy Sparks Network Bidding War

Film in Review:

EXCLUSIVE: Vin Diesel Teams with 'Grace of Monaco' Writer for 'Soldiers of the Sun'

STORY: Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson Joining 'Expendables 3'

STORY: Did the Dark Knight Secretly Kill His Archenemy 20 Years Ago?

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Bill Maher's Basketball Games, Jerry Bruckheimer's Hockey Club: Hollywood's Amateur Sports

Maher (center) with his eye on a rebound, and (clockwise from lower left) Reid, Weinberg, Federman and Lowenstein were photographed by Austin Hargrave on Aug. 3 at Maher’s house in Beverly Hills.

This story first appeared in the Aug. 23 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

"Don't hit the actors in the face; don't hurt the writers' fingers" is the No. 1 rule for an insiders-only flag football game run by TV writer Jason Gavin (Touch), one of many events around town in which the industry's weekend warriors quench their competitive thirst, do some networking and have a little fun.

PHOTOS: THR's Sports Issue: Exclusive Portraits of the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, Olympian Lindsey Vonn

Gavin's game was started about 10?years ago by writers and crew on the UPN animated comedy Game Over and continued after the short-lived show was canceled, later merging with a game played by improv actors including Keegan-Michael Key. The highlight of the players' year is a pre-Super Bowl tournament in a rented college stadium in Valencia, Calif., that has drawn assorted entertainment figures from Justified writers to names like Damon Lindelof. The competition is serious stuff: A few years ago, one team brought in a ringer from the Atlanta Falcons.

When it comes to hockey, two Hollywood players lead off-duty contests. CAA sports agent Pat Brisson established a weekly Monday night game 21?years ago that takes place at the Los Angeles Kings' practice facility in El Segundo. Regulars include Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Bernard and 3 Arts partner Michael Rotenberg. "It's for fun, but still …" Brisson says about a game that's been known to include NHL pros in the off-season. Bruckheimer himself hosts a Sunday night game and an annual Las Vegas tournament. Those lucky enough to receive an invite to the "Bad Boys" club, including Cuba Gooding Jr. and producer Barry Josephson, get a hockey equipment bag with a logo themed each year to one of Bruckheimer's movies; this year's, the 19th, features Tonto's profile from The Lone Ranger. Many of Bruckheimer's and Brisson's players also participate in NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille's charity game played during the Sundance Film Festival the past six years.

STORY: Keith Olbermann Defaces A-Rod; Reveals Apologies, Drama, Behind ESPN Return

An even more time-honored tradition is the pickup basketball game. Bill Maher hosts a regular weekend game on the court at his Coldwater Canyon house. Before that, he played in Garry Shandling's long-standing Mandeville Canyon game with David Duchovny, among others. A recent Saturday found writers Wayne Federman and Eric Weinberg and singers Chris Reid (of Kid 'n Play fame) and Jaron Lowenstein (Evan and Jaron) trading jokes and jumpers at Maher's house. Others who have played include Sarah Silverman and Woody Harrelson. It's a pretty informal game. Maher has a list of friends he e-mails when he's in town, and "whoever's around shows up," he says. They're all good players, but he keeps things loose. "Anyone who took it too seriously would probably get kicked out," says Maher, adding that there are two requirements to take part: "If you don't have a jump shot or can't tell a joke, you're out."

Additional reporting by Jade Chang

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'Once Upon a Time' Casts JoAnna Garcia as Little Mermaid

The search is over for Once Upon a Time's Little Mermaid.

JoAnna Garcia has landed the role of the Disney princess in the upcoming third season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.

For now, Garcia is expected to appear in two episodes. TV Guide Magazine first reported the news.

It was revealed at Comic-Con that the Little Mermaid would be making an appearance in the new season, which kicks off Sept. 29, with a teaser revealing Ariel/Little Mermaid. As is ordinary practice on the ABC fairy tale drama, expect the Little Mermaid to have a slight twist from the 1989 animated feature classic.

Garcia's casting comes weeks after Once Upon a Time cast Rose McIver in the role of Tinker Bell, with executive producer Adam Horowitz hinting that she will have a "surprising connection" to a main character.

Garcia, repped by WME and John Carrabino Management, most recently starred in NBC's short-lived comedy Animal Practice and was a regular on The WB's Reba. She has also recently recurred on Royal Pains and starred in ABC's Better With You.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube

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'Breaking Bad' Composer to Score Fox's 'Wayward Pines' (Exclusive)

A scene from last Sunday's episode of "Breaking Bad"

Breaking Bad composer Dave Porter has signed on to score Fox's new event series Wayward Pines.

Pines, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Blake Crouch and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, will run for 10 episodes on Fox in 2014. The Twin Peaks-esque thriller stars Matt Dillon as a Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two federal agents in Wayward Pines, Idaho.

PHOTOS: 'Breaking Bad's' 20 Most Shocking Deaths

Pines was created and written by Chad Hodge, whose previous credits include The Playboy Club and Runaway. The series is produced by FX Productions and its executive-producer team includes Donald De Line, who worked on Green Lantern and The Italian Job, and After Earth's Ashwin Rajan. Shyamalan will direct the premiere episode.

Porter scored all 62 episodes of Breaking Bad, the final eight of which are airing now, with the series finale slated for Sept. 29.

Porter is represented by Maria Machado at the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency.

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Katie Couric Explains Kim Kardashian Remark: 'I Didn't Mean to Hurt Her Feelings'

Rather than fan flames of what could've been a social-media feud, Katie Couric said she wasn't trying to upset Kim Kardashian when she remarked of her family, "why are they so famous?" 

Earlier this week, the ABC host was asked about the Kardashian phenomenon by a celebrity magazine reporter. "I don’t understand -- why are they so famous? I think it’s mostly teenage girls that are interested," she told In Touch Weekly.

STORY: Kim Kardashian Breaks Silence About Motherhood 

Kardashian responded by posting a photo of Couric's baby gift congratulations card given to her and her boyfriend Kanye West.

The reality TV star, who welcomed a baby girl, North West, in June, hashtagged the image: "#IHateFakeMediaFriends  #MayIHumblySuggestYouNotSendGiftsThenTalkS--t." She also posted the note to Twitter, where it was retweeted over 1,000 times. 

Later in the same day, Couric replied in a statement to E! News that she was merely answering a question posed by a reporter.

"I was responding to a reporter's question, and explaining how I'm intrigued by the public's fascination with her family. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. The gift is genuine, and I'm happy for Kim and Kanye," read Couric's statement to E! News. 

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Warner Bros. Sets Release Date for 'Winter's Tale'

Warner Bros.' Winter's Tale is headed to the big screen on Feb. 14, 2014 in the U.S.

On Friday, the studio announced the release date for the drama, which stars Colin Farrell as a thief named Peter Lake who falls in love with a dying girl played by Jessica Brown Findlay. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly also star in the film set in a mythic New York City.

PHOTOS: Top 10 Highest Grossing Valentine's Day Rom Coms

The film, which marks Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman's directorial debut, will be released by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.

Goldsman is also producing with Marc Platt (Drive), Michael Tadross (Sherlock Holmes) and Tony Allard (Showtime’s The Baby Dance).

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Fox Sports 1's Launch Week: Lebron James, Mike Tyson and Plenty of Regis Philbin

Get ready for the "Foxification" of cable sports.

Beginning Saturday, two new round the clock national sports channels, Fox Sports 1 and 2, are being launched. They aim to bring "Fox attitude" -- that edgy, show biz or no biz, let’s turn everything into an event mindset -- to a wide range of programs.

For opening day, one "event" is an interview on the signature daily show Fox Sports Live with LeBron James of the Miami Heat, who will be interviewed by columnist Bill Reiter. Mike Tyson will be a guest later in the week.

It remains to be seen whether the new Fox Sports national channels can ever command the same advertising rates, sub fees from cable systems or level of ratings enjoyed by ESPN. But 21st Century Fox’s newest venture arrives with a strong team (in front of and behind the camera), a lot of major sports rights and a cable subscriber count that rivals -- but still doesn’t equal -- the Disney/ABC sports powerhouse.

STORY: Erin Andrews and Hannah Storm on Rampant Sexism and Fashion Faux Pas

Fox Sports 1, which is a brand new channel, is available at launch in about 90 million homes. Fox Sports 2, taking the position on cable systems previously held by Fuel TV and in some cases the Speed network, is in about 37 million homes.

That compares to the 98 million basic cable TV homes ESPN says both ESPN and ESPN2 can be seen in at present. There are also three other smaller ESPN sports networks.

However, the Fox channels are available in more homes than other rivals from major broadcasters. CBS Sports Network is on air in about 49 million U.S. TV homes (but reaches into over 90 million, if those other customers would elect to see it); and NBC Sports Network, about to be renamed NBCSN, is in 80 million homes, according to the network.

If Fox Sports is successful, there is a huge upside. Fox was receiving about 20 cents per month per sub from cable operators, according to SNL Kagan statistics. The latest carriage deals are reportedly for about 80 cents per sub. And if FS1 meets even minimum goals, that could easily jump to $1.50 per sub in the future. ESPN reportedly gets over $5.54 per sub and brings in over $9 billion per year.

Fox Sports also has a much bigger footprint to offer advertisers seeking national exposure than the Fox regional sports networks. It has already brought aboard Ford, already the exclusive auto sponsor for the NFL Sunday Pregame. Ford also is a sponsor on FBC’s American Idol and on many other entertainment and sports shows.

Other advertisers on FS1 from day one include GEICO insurance and the Yum Brands fast food restaurants.

Fox is not a newcomer to sports, of course. Fox Broadcasting Company carries National Football League and Major League Baseball games, as well as many other sporting events. Fox also has the Fox Soccer Channel, Fox College Sports, BTN (co-venture with the Big 10), the FX Network, which has carried some sports, as well as its own sports statistics information provider STATS Inc.

In addition, Fox has FSN and 22 regional sports channels spread out from California to the Carolinas, from Wisconsin to Florida.

Fox is also ramping up its digital sports operations. On Aug. 15, Fox Sports Digital announced the acquisition of Fanhood, a digital sports start up, and the hiring of its team, including founder Brandon Ramsey. Ramsey will develop personalized products for Fox Sports, based in San Francisco at the Fox Sports Digital technology center.

Fox has also hired new on air talent and announced plans to bring existing stars to FS1 like its heralded football announcing crew that includes Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Troy Aikman.

If there is an example of how Fox likes to bring showmanship to sports, you will see it on Monday when Regis Philbin, 81, returns to TV as host of a daily afternoon sports talk show called Crowd Goes Wild. It will air on FS1 at 5 p.m. ET. He will be surrounded by a regular crew of commentators and will host guests who in the first week are expected to include Oscar De La Hoya; golfer Rickie Fowler; and NBA player Metta World Peace.

In the lead up to the launch of Fox Sports 1, the network has been acquiring even more costly rights including amateur golf, auto racing, boxing, horse racing, UFC, soccer, high school and college football and more. The biggest events will go on FBC, many other on FS1 or FS2 and some, if it is geographically appropriate, on Fox regional networks.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks said one of the driving forces behind formation of the network was the need for a bigger platform that would provide more money and leverage in sports rights negotiations. In the past few years, as sports has been recognized as one of the few forms of programming people watch live, the cost of rights have rapidly escalated.

An example was the recent amateur golf deal Fox concluded – which includes the U.S. Open – that raised the license fee from about $36 million a year to a reported $100 million a year.

Fox will have the 2014 Super Bowl, a powerful advertising and promotional platform, but doesn’t have any NFL games it can put on FS1. Under its $9.9 billion NFL package all those games are to be aired on FBC, while ESPN has pro football on Monday nights during the season.

Besides Monday Night Football, ESPN’s power line up of sports rights includes the majority of NBA regular season games and some playoffs and finals games; regular season Major League Baseball games; most of the big college football bowl games; the golf Masters, British Open and until 2015 the U.S Open (which then moves to Fox); Nascar; Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in tennis, among others; and the 2014 World Cub soccer qualifiers.

NBC Sports lineup includes Olympics every two years, NFL on Sunday; National Hockey League games; Major League Soccer; IndyCar; the horse racing Triple Crown; boxing, MMA and more.

CBS Sports has college basketball (four conferences), college football (three conferences, Army and Navy); Arena Football, pro bull riders, beach volleyball and major league lacrosse.

Of course, the CBS network also has lots of NFL football.

CBS also just announced that the sports network is moving up on DirecTV from channel 612 to channel 221.

STORY: Fox Sports Follows NASCAR Pact by Signing United SportsCar Racing Deal 

The new Fox networks have also hired a lot of people both to handle technical and craft duties and as on-air talent. An announcement boasts that FS1 will present 5,000 hours of live events, news and original programming annually.  And that is before the new major league baseball deal kicks in next year when they will be able to carry regular and post season games on FS1. 

What Fox doesn’t have is ESPN’s ratings for its sports-only networks. According to Nielsen, ESPN for the year to date (through July 21) averaged 1.2 million viewing homes at any given time. Overall in 2012, adds Nielsen, ESPN averaged 1.7 million viewing homes in primetime.

NBC Sports, by comparison, averaged 273,000 homes; and Fuel, when it existed, averaged only 39,000 viewing homes.

There are also about two dozen other networks with national reach, large and small. Some are broad and others very specific. They include the Golf Channel, NBA TV, MLB TV, NHL Network, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, The Ski Channel, World Fishing Network and the WWE Network.

Beginning Saturday, we will find out just how competitive Fox Sports will be with ESPN and the rest. Let the games begin!

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Box Office Report: 'The Butler' Tops Friday With $8.3 Million; 'Kick-Ass 2,' 'Jobs' Falter

Marking a victory for Lee Daniels and his high-profile cast, The Butler won the Friday box office with an estimated $8.3 million as it raced ahead of three other new films -- Kick-Ass 2, Jobs and corporate thriller Paranoia.

The Weinstein Co.'s The Butler, returning Oprah to the big screen after a lengthy absence, is headed for a $24 million-plus weekend after nabbing stellar reviews and an A CinemaScore. The movie tells the true story of Eugene Allen (Forest Whitaker), a butler who served in the White House through eight presidential administrations. Oprah plays Allen's wife.

RELATED: Homegrown Films Are Beating Tentpoles at Overseas Box Office

Oprah has thrown her marketing weight behind The Butler, which is already considered an early awards contender.

Heading into the weekend, most thought Universal's Kick-Ass 2 would win the weekend with a $20 million-plus debut because of younger fanboy moviegoers. The sequel, however, is lagging, grossing an estimated $5.8 million on Friday for a projected $15 million-plus weekend. That could put it No. 3 behind The Butler and We're the Millers.

Kick-Ass 2, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz and Jim Carrey, won't match the success of the original Kick-Ass, which debuted to just under $40 million in spring 2010. The sequel, rebuffed by most critics, received a B+ CinemaScore.

Jobs, the independently produced Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher, and the corporate thriller Paranoia are faring even worse.

Made for under $15 million, Jobs took in an estimated $2.6 million on Friday for a projected $7.5 million to $8 million weekend, putting it at No. 6 or No. 7. The Open Road release was produced and financed by Five Star Films, with Endgame Entertainment partnering on the marketing. Jobs' performance is likely hurt by dismal reviews and a B- CinemaScore (Sony and Aaron Sorkin have their own Steve Jobs film in the works).

VIDEO: 'Kick-Ass 2' Stars Address Jim Carrey's Comments 

Trailing even farther behind is Robert Luketic's $35 million film Paranoia, starring Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford. The title was produced and financed by IM Global and Demarest Films.

Paranoia, receiving a C+ CinemaScore, grossed an estimated $1.3 million on Friday and may only earn $4 million, putting it outside the top 10 at No. 11.

Among holdovers, We're the Millers is enjoying a strong second weekend and should boast a domestic cume of nearly $70 million by through Sunday. The New Line comedy stars Jason Sukeikis and Jennifer Aniston.

Neill Blomkamp's Elysium is slipping to No. 4 in its second outing, and should finish the weekend with a domestic total of roughly $55 million.

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Emmys: 'Downton Abbey' Stars Reflect on the Bloody, Deadly Third Season

This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter's August Emmy stand-alone issue.

To see castmembers and producers from PBS/Masterpiece's Downton Abbey clad en masse in slick, L.A.-ready garb is a little like seeing Scarlett O'Hara traipse down Rodeo Drive in skinny jeans.

On a humid spring morning in Beverly Hills, the show's creator, Julian Fellowes, executive producer Gareth Neame and four of its castmembers -- Elizabeth McGovern, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier and Emmy nominee Michelle Dockery -- have ditched their post-Edwardian costumes and class division to enjoy a bit of a casual conversation across the pond. From newfound fame to their dream guest-star gigs (Mad Men and Homeland are top picks) to -- in the words of Fellowes -- "the alternative lives" that eluded each of them, these six Brits are every inch the class acts and pictures of poise their addictive series celebrates. With none of the stuffy pomp and circumstance.

VIDEO: 'Downton Abbey' Cast on Shock, Backlash of Matthew's Death

GARETH NEAME
Executive producer

It was inevitable that Mary and Matthew would be an iconic TV couple. I think it's true that people see these characters as an extension of their own families. And the episode [where Matthew dies] played in the U.K. on Christmas night! Imagine somebody that you feel is a part of your life is suddenly killed in front of your eyes at 11 o'clock, when you've just finished opening your presents! People were devastated. But it is the shocks and the surprises in this show that give it so much dramatic rocket fuel that we need to keep it compelling. And we can't have too much external influence, should I say, or opinion makers about the scripts. Julian couldn't write all these scripts and have 40 people giving notes. It just wouldn't work. Lots of shows obviously work with a big staff and therefore can cope with the fact that you have multiple broadcasters, studios and umpteen producers. That isn't the way we make the show.

I like to think that it's one of the things that may have led to success of the show; we all back Julian's vision. Our broadcasters back our vision. And they frankly leave us alone to get on with the script. We would never get them done if they did. Working outside of Hollywood is significant, I think, particularly when we are in production and you have your pages to learn; that's your focus. And it's very easy to forget the fact that there are over a hundred million people in the world that watch the show and in over 200 countries. That's quite hard to grasp!

STORY: PBS Chief on 'Downton Abbey' Delay: If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It

JOANNE FROGGATT
Anna Bates

I've been acting since I was 16, and I've never done anything else, and honestly I can't do anything else. I would be pretty useless! But I've always been interested in people and their lives and what makes people tick. So maybe I'd be a psychiatrist if I weren't acting? I'd also love to guest star on Mad Men or Homeland. Or The Following.

The biggest change for me since being on the show is really just coming out to the States more frequently. Fame-wise … I don't feel I'm instantly recognizable! I definitely don't have people stopping me in the street every five minutes. As an actor, you do whatever you need to do for the role to make yourself believable in the role. In the beginning of [season] one, I did a bit of research and read a book about servants. Also, our historical adviser, Alastair Brewster, is just a mine of information. After I understood where this character would be as a woman in this time, I was ready to play her.

STORY: Emmys: 8 Showrunners and Writers Reveal the Emotional Hurdles in Their Nominated Episodes

ELIZABETH McGOVERN
Cora Crawley

As the outsider on the series, someone who grew up and cut her professional teeth in Los Angeles, there is something just absolutely extraordinary about the discipline and commitment of this group of actors. Every day I'm in awe of it! They're so prepared. And none of the [media attention] phases them. It is truly about the work in their ego-less way. That would be a hard thing for us to duplicate if we worked in Los Angeles. There's sort of a cultural approach to the work in England that is, I suppose, based on years of a theatrical tradition. It's just in their DNA.

I actually just discovered the book that Julian read before he wrote Downton Abbey. It's called How to Marry an English Lord, and I read it about two weeks ago. I thought, "My God, I better read this. … Four years into the show!" Either way, moving forward, I don't have the luxury of knowing what is ahead for my character. I never know. I find it exciting. I don't think any of us can wait till that next episode hits the doorstep. It's a bit like life. You don't know what's going to happen, do you?

If I weren't acting? I'd be opening for Sting at the Montreux Jazz Festival with my band, Sadie and the Hotheads. Oh wait, I did! I play guitar and write songs. And because of Downton Abbey, we've really gotten some momentum, and we're performing a lot more. It's very exciting.

STORY: Emmys: 21 Nominated Actresses Talk On-Set Rituals and Character Quirks

MICHELLE DOCKERY
Mary Crawley

We knew quite early that Dan [Stevens] was leaving, but we certainly didn't know how the story would pan out. Now going into [season] four, there is definitely more focus for me on Mary being in a very, very dark place. But it's strange, even though so much as happened since we started, I feel as an actor that the mood and tone has stayed the same as it was when the series began.

I've thought about what I would be if I weren't acting, and I'd probably have been a dancer, I think, because that's what I started out doing. I auditioned for musicals when I was 16 or 17. And I didn't get any!

ROB JAMES-COLLIER
Thomas Barrow

This is one of the first show I've done where we actually had a few weeks' rehearsal before we started. That's always huge. Something special is always born out of a rehearsal that you maybe wouldn't have time to do on the day of shooting -- like me kissing another man, for example, came out of that! Doing Downton has afforded me a certain amount of security, which you rarely get as an actor. You hope that for six months of the year you're going to be in employment. The show also makes it easier to get a mortgage. The bank manager looks on me more kindly than he used to.

STORY: Emmys: Scott Feinberg Handicaps the Drama Leads (Analysis)

JULIAN FELLOWES
Creator-writer

Sybil, Sybil, Sybil! We decided to calmly kill her [Jessica Brown Findlay] off in the fifth episode, which would give people three episodes to recover. Then they would have the Christmas special, and everyone could move forward. We could have essentially a whole episode of her dying. But when the news came through that Dan was also leaving the show, we couldn't very well do it again. So that was a bit testing, wasn't it? Fans are people who aren't in the TV business; they didn't understand that Matthew's fate wasn't our choice. It was Dan's choice to go. Every show sets up its own reasonable expectations; Game of Thrones sets up certain expectations, and Downton inevitably sets up very different ones. It's not as though a serial killer is on the loose! It just wasn't what fans thought they were going to get from the show. That's what we were up against really.

My favorite fan interaction was actually just after Matthew's death. I got a letter from this guy, and he said, "I've got some recommendations on how to save the show. What we have to do is remount [Matthew's] death at the beginning of the fourth episode. And this milk [truck] will come along, get jolted and fall all over Dan. Then it does something to his face and he wakes up as a different actor." Then, at the very end of the letter, he said, "I reread this letter, and I am not so sure about the milk."

Funny, I always feel the career that escaped me was the law. I went and spent the day in the [lower courts]. And I remember thinking, "Wow, this is really interesting." And I certainly could have imagined and loved being a divorce lawyer because I love soap opera. All those dramas of people sobbing and screaming and insulting each other. I would have adored that.

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