Polly Walker on The Mentalist & Once Upon a Time season premiere

Once Upon a Time and The Mentalist are among the shows returning with new seasons tonight (if anyone needs a reminder about Dexter, Homeland, The Good Wife, The Simpsons and Revenge - they're also back tonight), and there is also a new episode of Hell on Wheels at 9/8c on AMC.

Polly Walker has a recurring role on The Mentalist this season, and will make her first appearance in the premiere tonight at 10/9c on CBS.

Synopsis:

“The Crimson Ticket” — While Jane tries to decipher Lorelei’s connection to Red John, the CBI team is forced to partner with the FBI to solve the murder of a hotel employee, on the fifth season premiere of THE MENTALIST on Sunday, Sept. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) returns as Lorelei Martins, Polly Walker (“Rome”) guest stars as Senior FBI Agent Alexa Schultz and Ivan Sergei guest stars as FBI Agent Gabe Mancini.

And another bit from EW:

The CBI’s New FBI “Colleagues.” Season 5 will see the CBI squad working — and clashing — with a trio of FBI agents also chasing Red John. Polly Walker from Rome plays the group’s boss; Ivan Sergei (Jack & Jill, Gravity) and Drew Powell (Southland, Straw Dogs) play a “lovely bizarro world version of Rigsby and Cho.”

The season two premiere of Once Upon a Time airs at 8/7c on ABC. Jane Espenson is still on the writing team and her first episode airs next Sunday. Speaking of, watch this puppy if you haven't:

And back to Once, BSG's Keegan Connor Tracy returns as Mother Superior/Blue Fairy in the premiere.

Here is what to expect this season:

In the premiere episode, "Broken," reality and myth begin to merge as the fairytale characters awaken from Evil Queen Regina's broken curse and remember who they were. But to their dismay, they aren't transported back to fairytale land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin - aka Mr. Gold - in an effort to gain the upper hand in his power struggle with Regina, has introduced magic into the town. In fairytales magic has its place, but in our world it can have unfathomable consequences. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land, Prince Phillip awakens his sleeping beauty, Aurora (Sarah Bolger, "The Tudors"), but discovers that he and his traveling companion, Mulan (Jamie Chung, "Sucker Punch," "The Hangover Part II"), will soon have to face a deadly foe, on the Season Premiere of "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Promo:



And a BTS featurette:

Winston Rekert, R.I.P.

Very sad news today.

Winston Rekert lost his battle with cancer yesterday. He was 63.

He played Obal Ferras in Caprica ("Unvanquished"). Before that, he appeared in a couple of episodes of Battlestar Galactica as the priest who swore in Baltar ("Lay Down Your Burdens, Pt. 2") and Roslin ("Collaborators") as presidents.

He is best known for starring in the Canadian shows Adderly (1986-87) and Neon Rider (1989-94), and for his theatre work in Vancouver.

Earlier this year, he received the Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement Award for his "accumulative outstanding body of work in the industry."

The Vancouver Sun has a great article about his life and work.

And this is from The Province:

Rekert, 63, is best known as the star of the B.C.-filmed Neon Rider TV series in the late 1980s and 1990s, for which he also did some writing, directing and producing. The Vancouver actor won Gemini awards for his roles in Cold Squad (2001) and Blue Murder (2003). Rekert also starred alongside Jane Fonda, Meg Tilly and Anne Bancroft in the 1985 feature Agnes of God.

He and his childhood friend, producer Danny Virtue, created the syndicated series Neon Rider together in 1989.

"He got half the town started in this business," Virtue said. "He was cherished by a lot of people. I’ve known him and loved him since we were kids."

The show, which starred Rekert as a therapist who ran a ranch for troubled teens, ran for 64 episodes and helped launch Vancouver as a film and TV production centre. Details of a celebration of Rekert’s life were being worked out.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans.