British invasion

It's been quite a week for Lucy Davis - not only did she say three words or so on "Studio 60," she also was on "Ugly Betty." Which features the hilarious Ashley Jensen, Maggie on "Extras," as part of the main cast. So it's kind of a female lead on Ricky Gervais sitcom bonanza over there. Maybe I should actually, you know, watch "Ugly Betty."

Speaking of "Extras," I finally caught the first episode of season 2, and it was, predictably, great. Orlando Bloom as the latest celebrity playing an exaggeratedly hilarious version of himself was a treat, especially the dogged pursual of Maggie and his disdain for Johnny Depp. People who were put off by the first season since it wasn't "The Office" or was kind of boring at times should find this go around a little more accessible, I think, especially with the running plot of Andy's sitcom and the various ways it's going wrong - which in turn is a kind of interesting play on how "The Office" could have gone wrong if it wasn't, you know, so great.

If you feel bad about using...less than legal...means to obtain the new season before it hits HBO (hopefully early next year), you can always support Mssrs. Gervais and Merchant by downloading some podcasts.

SHOW-WITHIN-A-SHOW RANKINGS:

1) "All My Circuits"
2) "Itchy and Scratchy"
3) "FYI"
4) "Jerry"
5) "Wrench"
6) "Terrance and Phillip"
7) "Scandalmakers"
8) "When the Whistle Blows"
9) "Wake Up San Francisco"
10) "30 Rock"
11) "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
12) "Tool Time"