On NBC’s new dramatic thriller The Firm, which takes place 10 years after the events in the film of the same name, actress Juliette Lewis plays Tammy Hemphill, the feisty, sexy receptionist for Mitch McDeere (Josh Lucas) and his law firm, as well as the on-again, off-again girlfriend of Mitch’s brother, Ray (Callum Keith Rennie). Always able to adapt to any situation and never one to conform, Tammy is leery when Mitch accepts a deal to partner with a top law practice.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, done at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, Juliette Lewis talked about how this TV role came about for her, why she loves her character, how much fun she’s having with the wardrobe, the challenge of working with different directors who are all trying to execute the same vision, how much she loves her co-stars, her evolving interest in the type of projects she wants to do, and the roles she’s hoping to do while on hiatus, including a remake of the Fellini film Nights of Cabiria. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

NBC has released their midseason schedule, and there’ve been quite a few shakeups. The much-derided Whitney moves to Wednesdays, Up All Night will settle in as part of the Thursday night comedy line-up, and gone is the Maria Bello-starred cop drama Prime Suspect. It appears that NBC has finally given up on the drama series, which has been struggling ratings-wise for quite a while. My biggest complaint, though, is the complete absence of Community. The show, which is one of the smartest and best shows on television right now, is nowhere to be seen on the schedule. While the series hasn’t exactly been a ratings juggernaut, it’s captured the hearts of critics and fans alike as one of the most innovative (and at times rather strange) comedies to grace our TV screens. Hit the jump for much more.

On the big screen it was Tom Cruise who stepped into the role of Mitchell McDeere in the adaptation of John Grisham’s novel The Firm. But as we recently learned, NBC was looking to take the novel to the small screen, and now Deadline reports Josh Lucas (Glory Road) will play McDeere in the TV series that begins ten years after the events of the film and novel. After taking down the Memphis law firm of Bendini, Lambert and Locke, a front for the Chicago mob, Mitch found his life uprooted by spending time in the Federal Witness Protection program. But now he and his family decide to come out from hiding and get back the lives they once had only to find that danger from the past hasn’t completely disappeared and there might be new threats just around the corner.

This will be the first regular TV series gig for Lucas who recently starred in another legal drama in the form of The Lincoln Lawyer. Whether or not Lucas has the same commanding presence as Cruise in the role remains to be seen, but we won’t find out until next year since NBC is putting The Firm together as a midseason series. More casting for the series is likely on the way to stay tuned.

NBC has released the first clips for all their new 2011-2012 dramas: Prime Suspect, The Playboy Club, Smash, Grimm, Awake, and The Firm.  Based on initial impressions, Awake is the one I am now most looking forward to.  The clips promise terrific entertainment for a structure geek like myself, splitting screen time between two realities.  The 1960s-set The Playboy Club and modern fairy tale Grimm both have interesting premises, but the clips look too silly out of context.  I hold out hope the subject matter makes for a better series.  Prime Suspect looks like a kickass role for star Maria Bello — pencil her in for an Emmy nomination.

Click through to the links for the official schedule announcement and the complementary clips for NBC’s new comedies.  Hit the jump for the preview clips and official synopses for all new dramas.

NBC has officially announced their schedule for 2011-2012.  The network ordered six new dramas (The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Grimm, The Firm, Smash, Awake) and six new sitcoms (Up All Night, Free Agents, Whitney, Best Friends Forever, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Bent).

The network is programming Fridays fairly aggressively.  Chuck will air its fifth and final 13-episode season on Fridays, paired with the new fairy tale drama Grimm and Friday staple Dateline NBC.  NBC will hold 30 Rock for midseason to accommodate star/creator Tina Fey’s pregnancy.  The Thursday night sitcom block will be cut back to two hours with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Whitney leading into the Maria Bello-led Prime Suspect remake.

Click through to the links to watch preview clips for the new dramas and the new comedies.  Hit the jump to check out the new schedule.

It’s been twenty years since the book was published, and nearly as long since it was turned into a feature film starrring Tom Cruise. Now John Grisham’s novel The Firm looks to be heading to TV as EW reports NBC is negotiating for a full season order (that’s 22 episodes) to adapt the book into a legal drama series. Apparently the adaptation has been in the works for awhile, and was once set up at CBS, but never got off the ground. Law & Order producer Lukas Reiter is behind the project, and Grisham will executive produce (though he won’t be writing). Seems impressive for a new series to get a full season order right out of the gate with no pilot. For those unfamiliar with the novel or the film, we’ve included a synopsis after the jump.