As part of the Showtime portion of the TCA Press Tour, President of Entertainment David Nevins took some time to talk about current and upcoming shows for the network, and the end game for a few of their long-time series.  During the interview, he talked about how he felt about the creative direction of Homeland for Season 2, whether he’d consider continuing the series without Damian Lewis, how Dexter is progressing, that the contemporary genre thriller The Vatican (from Paul Attanasio and Ridley Scott) will go into production in April, how John Logan will be writing every episode of Penny Dreadful with the hope that Sam Mendes will direct, that it will be a psychological and highly erotic story set in Victorian London, what fans can expect from The Borgias, when Californication might end, the plan for when Episodes will return, what makes Masters of Sex a compelling series, and the epic feel of the multi-episode event documentary Years of Living Dangerously, from James Cameron.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Showtime has announced the premiere dates for its 2013 original series.  Here’s a brief look at the schedule:

• Shameless – Season three premieres January 13th.
• Californication – Season six premieres January 13th.
• Inside Comedy – Season two premieres February 11th.
• Nurse Jackie – Season five premieres April 14th.
• The Borgias – Season three premieres April 14th.
• The Big C – The final season premieres April 29th.
• Dexter – Season eight premieres June 30th.
• Ray Donovan – Series premiere June 30th.
• Homeland – Season three premieres September 29th.
• Masters of Sex – Series premiere September 29th.

Hit the jump for more details on all of the aforementioned series.

Showtime has released a one-two combo of images and trailers for their upcoming debut shows Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan. Starring Lizzy Kaplan and Michael Sheen as real-life pioneers of the study of human sexuality, Masters of Sex follows the lives of Virginia Johnson and William Masters as their work sparks the sexual revolution and catapults them into fame.

Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber in the title role as a problem-solver for the rich, famous and powerful in Los Angeles. When his father (Jon Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison, he and his family find themselves in the cross-hairs. Hit the jump to check out the new images and trailers for both Showtime series.

Since the release of the first film, the Twilight phenomenon has just continued to grow exponentially. With the highly anticipated final installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, hitting theaters on November 16^th, fans will finally get to see the conclusion of the romantic epic that has entranced millions worldwide.

At the film’s L.A. press junket, actor Michael Sheen (who plays Volturi leader Aro) spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how much fun it was to play the all-out crazy side of his character, how much they shot that was cut out of the film and that he hopes will make it on the DVD, finding the level of theatricality for his performance, how he thinks Aro might have been as a human, and what it’s been like to be a part of this worldwide phenomenon, especially having a daughter that gives him perspective on it.  He also talked about what attracted him to the Showtime drama series Masters of Sex, about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution, in which he’s playing Dr. William Masters.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

One of the biggest surprise hits of this year was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, about seven cash-strapped seniors who decide to retire to a resort in far-off India, where they find friendship and romance in the most unexpected ways.  In fact, the film did so well at the box office, that there have been recent talks about developing a possible sequel.  From director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) and screenwriter Ol Parker, the film stars Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel.

With awards season gearing up, and Fox Searchlight hoping for something in one of the major categories, director John Madden spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how it felt to have the feel do so well at the box office, how slow the industry has been to notice that older audiences are viable, whether or not a sequel could really happen and if he’d want to be involved, and what all of the awards season hoopla is like for him.  He also talked about how excited he is that Showtime has ordered Masters of Sex to series (he directed the pilot) and that he hopes to stay involved, and that Murder Mystery, with Charlize Theron in the lead role, will be his next film, once he finishes casting.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

The outrageous comedy Frankie Go Boom, from writer/director Jordan Roberts, tells the story of Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam), who tells himself that he’s holed up in the desert to write, but in reality is just hiding from his family, namely his brother Bruce (Chris O’Dowd).  A reckless but charming addict, Bruce has always enjoyed secretly filming Frank in all sorts of compromising positions and sobriety isn’t making their relationship any better.  And as much as Frankie tries to move on with his life, family just keeps sucking him back in.

At the film’s press day, actress Lizzy Caplan – who plays Lassie, a young woman at a crisis point in her life, that finds a connection with Frankie – spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about what attracted her to this role, playing with the levels of emotion with her character, the sweetness of the relationship between Frankie and Lassie, having to wear an edible bra, and the most challenging scene for her to shoot.  She also talked about her upcoming Showtime drama series, Masters of Sex, with Michael Sheen, and just how far it will go.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

As part of the Showtime portion of the TCA Press Tour, President of Entertainment David Nevins took some time to talk about the status of a number of their current shows, as well as a couple of their upcoming projects.  During the interview, he confirmed that Season 8 will likely be the last for Dexter, the status of Episodes, the future of The Borgias and Californication, what they see for Homeland, and why they’ve chosen to wrap up The Big C with four one-hour episodes. Nevins also talked about the tone of Masters of Sex, and the development of the Aztec drama Conquest with Ron Howard.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Showtime already has a fine line-up of programming with Dexter, Shameless and The Borgias holding strong, not to mention freshman series Homeland snagging some great awards nominations recently, but that line-up is looking to beef up a bit with the addition of two new series to the pay cable channel. Showtime has just announced a series pick-up for both Ray Donovan, featuring Liev Schreiber in his first series regular role, and Masters of Sex, featuring the spectacular Michael Sheen and the stunning Lizzy Caplan. The two series couldn’t be more different. Details on each after the jump!

The dramedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, from acclaimed and accomplished director John Madden, follows seven retirees from the U.K. in need of a transformation, who find themselves spending their golden years at a rundown hotel that does not quite live up to the lush amenities pictured in the brochure.  The hotel’s naive young owner, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), inherited the once sophisticated building from his father, hoping to turn it into a high-end luxury hotel.  Instead, the water and electricity are iffy at best, and India’s overwhelming contrasts are both intoxicating and frightening for these seven newcomers, who are unsure about what the future might hold.  The film stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, director John Madden talked about why this premise was so attractive to him, determining what aspects of India to capture, the fact that he didn’t anticipate quite how much this entire experience would change everyone involved with making the film, and assembling such an incredibly talented cast.  He also talked about what attracted him to directing the pilot for the Showtime drama series Masters of Sex, about Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan), the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Though Paul Bettany was originally slated to lead the 1960′s set series Masters of Sex, the actor has since fallen away from the project. But now Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) has stepped up to the plate to play the human sexuality pioneer William Masters. In addition, he will be joined by Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) playing his better half Virginia Johnson, a more dramatic role for the actress. Michelle Ashford (The Pacific) has written the series based on Thomas Maier’s book Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love which chronicles the lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson, whose research touched off the sexual revolution. Shakespeare in Love director John Madden will be at the helm of at least the pilot which begins production next month. Bettany is a great actor, but I’m interested in seeing Sheen taking a big lead series role like this too. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Paul Bettany is headed to cable. The Legion actor has been set as the lead in Showtime’s new pilot Masters of Sex. The series will revolve around sexual education researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson. THR reports that Bettany will play Masters in his first foray into series television. Masters and Johnson pioneered human sexual response research, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders and functions. The two met in 1957, marrying years later in 1971. Their research continued up through the 1990s, until their divorce all but ended their professional partnership.

The Pacific and John Adams writer Michelle Asford wrote the pilot and will executive produce. Showtime is currently home to the ever-popular Dexter, but it’s their freshman series Homeland that’s getting all the attention. The Claire Danes-starred series is like a deliciously smart version of 24, and I’d be so bold as to say it’s the best thing currently on TV. Ratings have been consistently impressive, and critics have taken quite a liking. If you get Showtime and haven’t seen it, I highly suggest you check it out.

More new series are already heading into development even though the new fall season is still about a month away. This time it’s Showtime that has picked up a few new projects as THR reports the cable network has lined up three new pilots. The first is a half-hour docu-comedy called Gurland on Gurland from The Last Exorcism writer Andrew Gurland who will also direct and star in the series which chronicles his own life and focuses on the challenges associated with entering the next phase of his career. I’m not sure if this will be more like a mockumentary style show on the inside of show business, but it sounds interesting at least.

Details on the other two new pilots Showtime has greenlit after the jump.