Good news for people who like quality television: FX has renewed its legal thriller Damages for not one but two additional seasons. The news comes nearly three weeks after season 1 ended, and those interested in more adventures of unscrupulous lawyer Patty Hewes and Associates will be in store for at least 26 more intense episodes.

The critically acclaimed series never had the same ratings success as fellow FX dramas Nip/Tuck or Rescue Me, but that hasn't stopped the network for giving it the greenlight. While cable channels like HBO are in a state of flux without marquee programs like The Sopranos, FX has built an arsenal of some of the finest television you're likely to see.

The first season of Damages dealt with lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and her attempt to bring down corrupt CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson). The two played a calculated game of chess, using associates and other people involved in the case as pawns. Those included fresh-faced lawyer Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), whose journey throughout the first season led from being happily engaged to the prime suspect in her fiance's murder.

The season 1 finale left some questions open and paved the way for an exciting future. Frobisher caved when a video tape surfaced that destroyed his credibility, and after settling the lawsuit, he was shot in the middle of an open field he'd recently purchased by one of his disgruntled former employees. Frobisher's fate was left unanswered, and there's still no word on whether Danson will return for the next season.

Elsewhere, Ellen was acquitted of murdering her fiancé thanks to the help of Patty Hewes, though Ellen still had to deal with an attempt on her own life. While viewers assumed Frobisher was behind that attempt, the final episode revealed that it was actually Patty herself, trying to dispose of Ellen because she knew too much about her own corruption.

The first season ended with Ellen agreeing to work for the federal government, which had been developing a case against Hewes for her many illegal actions. The set-up for the second season is beautifully Shakespearean: Ellen is working to take down the woman who tried to have her killed by pretending to be her friend.

The second season could go into production early 2008, though obviously the writers' strike will play a key role in the timing. Byrne, Close and Tate Donovan, who plays fellow lawyer Tom Shayes, are the only three cast members confirmed to be returning.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: TV Guide
(Image courtesy of FX)