This Week in TV:

Orphan Black season 3 adds five cast members; Showtime unveils an official image and story details for Penny Dreadful season 2; FX Networks announces season premiere dates for several shows, including The Americans, Justified and Archer; and the El Rey Network axes its original drama Matador after one season.

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BBC America's Orphan Black added five cast members to its season 3 roster, including James Frain (Grimm, Intruders).

James Frain cast in Orphan Black

Frain will guest star as a well-educated 'cleaner' named Ferdinand, who is further described as "a powerful player in a secretive, multi-national political faction that operates with questionable ethics and a ruthless approach." Often accompanying Ferdinand will be his silent, imposing and violent bodyguard Bulldog, played by Earl Pastko (Murdoch Mysteries).

Also set to appear in the upcoming season are Justin Chatwin (Shameless), Ksenia Solo (Lost Girl) and Kyra Harper (Warehouse 13). Chatwin will play Jason Kellerman, a "savvy drug dealer in the guise of a charismatic businessman." Meanwhile, Solo will portray Shay, a compassionate holistic healer who is destined to become friends with Cosima; and Harper will play Dr. Coady, a ruthless woman whose "maternal, nurturing manner conceals an agenda that even her superiors do not suspect."

After the shocking reveal of the season 2 finale, Sarah and her "sisters" already had plenty to deal with, but it appears that these new characters - some of them allies and some of them enemies - will add another layer of complication to their world.

Orphan Black season 3 doesn't have a premiere date yet, but expect to see it on BBC America in 2015. In the meantime, check out the season 3 teaser here.

Source: TV Line

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Showtime unveiled the first official still image from Penny Dreadful season 2, as well as some plot and character details. Scroll below for the goods.

penny-dreadful-season-2-jos

While the first teaser for the upcoming season certainly gave us some foreboding chills (in this case, the good kind), it didn't offer any real glimpses of what was to come in the series' next run of episodes. Now, we are getting our first look at season 2, and - along with some newly-released plot details - it seems to suggest a stronger connection between Vanessa (Eva Green) and Ethan (Josh Hartnett).

Here's what Showtime had to say about season 2:

"This season, Vanessa and Ethan form a deeper bond as the group, including Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton), Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and Sembene (Danny Sapani), unite to banish the evil forces that threaten to destroy them. Meanwhile, Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), the Creature (Rory Kinnear) and Brona (Billie Piper) are all waging battles of their own. Patti LuPone will guest star as a mysterious character of great importance in Vanessa’s past. Helen McCrory returns as Evelyn Poole (a.k.a. Madame Kali), the seductive spiritualist who will pose a unique threat to our protagonists this season, along with Simon Russell Beale, who is back as eccentric Egyptologist Ferdinand Lyle. Additional guest stars include Douglas Hodge as a Scotland Yard investigator; Sarah Greene as Poole’s powerful daughter, Hecate; and Johnny Beauchamp as a man with a singular past."

While there are still plenty of unanswered questions heading into Penny Dreadful season 2, we're sure to learn a bit more as the show nears its early 2015 premiere on Showtime, so continue to check in with us.

Source: Showtime (via Collider)

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FX and FXX announced several January premiere dates for hit shows - including season 3 of The Americans, season 6 of Archer and season 6 of Justfied - as well as new series Man Seeking Woman. See the complete listing below.

FX 2015 midseason premieres
  • Archer season 6 premieres January 8th @10pm on FX. See the season 6 trailer.
  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 10 begins January 14th @10pm on FXX. The new season will see the gang tackling challenges such as "beating Wade Boggs’ cross-country flight drinking record, getting their old friend Psycho Pete back to form, competing on a game show and conquering the world of online dating."
  • Man Seeking Woman debuts on January 14th @10:30pm on FXX. The new comedy takes a "sweet and surreal look at the life-and-death stakes of dating" and stars Jay Baruchel (This is the End) as a naive twenty-something on a quest for love.
  • The sixth and final season of Justified begins on January 20th @10pm on FX. Check out the latest trailer, which teases a climatic showdown between Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Boyd (Walton Goggins).
  • The Americans season 3 kicks off on January 28th on FX.

Tune in to FX and FXX in January to see the return of some of your favorites, as well as the debut of Man Seeking Woman.

Source: FX Networks (via Collider)

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Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network canceled its original action-drama series Matador after just one season.

matador canceled by el rey

Described as a Latino take on James Bond, the series - which centered around a DEA agent (Gabriel Luna) recruited by the CIA to go undercover as a soccer player - drew in satisfactory ratings within the U.S. market, but struggled to gain any traction internationally, where producers expected Matador to be a hit. Reportedly, the show was also expensive to produce, making the decision to axe the series a little easier for El Rey.

The network said in a statement:

“Ultimately it was a business decision but to be clear, we were very proud of the series on every level-creatively it hit the mark and we are gratified that it celebrated diversity in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. We want to thank everyone involved, from the extraordinarily talented cast and crew to the amazing production team. We appreciate all that they have done and look forward to the opportunity to work with them in the future.”

The Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman-created drama was the second original scripted series for El Rey. But you could say it was the first truly original show the network had, following the TV adaptation of From Dusk Till Dawn, which has already been renewed for a sophomore season.

Source: Deadline