More Returning Shows

Entourage (pictured; June)
''We're doing 20 [episodes] for season 3 and then going into [production on] season 4,'' says creator Doug Ellin. ''HBO is like, Do as many as you can do.'' So, this can-do season: Aquaman gets released, Eric (Kevin Connolly) gets in deeper with Sloan (Emmanuelle Chiriqui), and Drama (Kevin Dillon) gets...a job!

Deadwood (June)
Match Point's Brian Cox goes West as a theatrical producer/performer who is a ''major element this season,'' says creator David Milch. Should we expect this year to be just as profanity-laden as the first two? ''I'm afraid even more so.''

The Wire (Fall)
No mere procedural, this: Season 4 is about the Baltimore education system and its impact on four students. ''We step back and look at the notion of equality,'' says creator David Simon. ''Layered over the top is a prolonged police investigation.''

The Closer (June)
Crime, shmime. Will Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) eschew the JCPenney attire for something cuter? ''No,'' says creator James Duff. Damn. And her food issues? ''You're going to find out why she's so quirky with food.'' Thank heavens, and TNT.

Rescue Me (Summer)
Denis Leary is bringing some estrogen back to FX's firehouse in the form of Tommy's (Leary) new, um, flame. ''She's a neighborhood girl who became an upscale Manhattan girl, which makes her even more attractive,'' says Leary, who hopes to cast Marisa Tomei in the role. Also, look for the likely return of now dance-tastic Tatum O'Neal as Tommy's sister, Maggie.

Weeds (Summer)
Showtime's drug-edy returns with Nancy (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker) contemplating an end to dealing. ''Look at the [season 1] finale as the pilot for this season,'' says creator Jenji Kohan. ''The theme is 'the big score': One last huge score and [Nancy's] out.'' The other score: She romances a DEA agent (Martin Donovan).