Showtime Sets Premiere Dates for New, Returning Series

Peter O’Toole to Play Pope Paul III in The Tudors; Premium Cable Network to Produce Tim Robbins Pilot

By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/13/2008 4:33:00 PM

Showtime unveiled the premiere dates for many of its new and returning series at a press event in New York Wednesday.

President of entertainment Robert Greenblatt noted that the network was undergoing a “British invasion” with the acquisition of comedy Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the return of Tracy Ullman to American TV and the return of The Tudors.

The network will pair hit comedy series Weeds with newcomer Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which it acquired in December.

Showtime picked up 13 episodes of Weeds for its fourth season, which will debut June 16 at 10 p.m. Secret Diary of a Call Girl, already a smash hit in the United Kingdom, will premiere at 10:30 p.m. The network picked up eight half-hour episodes of the British import.

The Tudors will return for its second season March 30, featuring legendary British actor Peter O’Toole as Pope Paul III.

Fellow Brit Tracy Ullman will make her Showtime debut with Tracy Ullman’s State of the Union following the Tudors premiere at 10 p.m. March 30.

The network also announced plans to produce a pilot with actor Tim Robbins. Dubbed Possible Side Effects, the drama will follow a family in charge of a pharmaceutical company.