Amazon Prime Instant Video is extending their relationship with Jill Soloway. The streaming service has handed out an early third season renewal to Soloway's groundbreaking series Transparent, months before the second season has even aired. In addition, Amazon Studios also inked an overall deal with the veteran writer/producer. 
In what can only be described as a remarkable sign of confidence, USA Network has handed out an early renewal to their newest drama series Mr. Robot. The series, which premiered last night on USA, will return for a second season in 2016. The exact size of the order for season two has not yet been set, but it will be at least 10 episodes. 
James Frain, who is best known for playing Paul Raines on the fourth season of 24 and Thomas Cromwell on the Showtime series The Tudors, has joined the cast of Fox's Batman prequel Gotham as one of two new villains, filling the void left by the departure of Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) in the season one finale. He will be a series regular. 
Lifetime is not moving forward with a second season of their drama series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, which was a spin-off of the TV movie Lizzie Borden Took An Ax. 
Empire star Jussie Smollett has landed a guest-starring role on WGN America's upcoming drama series Underground, from Misha Green, Joe Pokaski, Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios. He will play Josey, a wild-eyed runaway who doesn’t trust anyone, not even those stationed along the way who would try to help him. 
HBO has handed out a pilot order to Us., a romantic drama from Parenthood creator Jason Katims, his production company True Jack Production and Universal Television. 
Several months after word first leaked out about the project, ITV, Shaw Media and Fox have confirmed that they are teaming up for a 10 episode drama series titled Houdini & Doyle, which hails from House creator David Shore and is being toplined by Episodes star Stephen Mangan and Six Feet Under's Michael Weston. The 10 part series, which is set to enter production in Manchester and Toronto this Summer, will air on ITV Encore in the UK, Fox in the United States, and the Shaw Media owned Global network in Canada in 2016.