TCAs: Philip Seymour Hoffman joins Showtime comedy pilot

Beverly Hills -- Philip Seymour Hoffman - who does TV about as often as I star in celebrated Oscar-winning movies - is coming to the small tube, in a new Showtime comedy; arrival date to be determined. Details of this have been leaked to various websites in recent weeks, but this afternoon, Showtime officially confirmed and larded in many additional details, including the name of writer and creator, Shalom Auslander, who doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of TV credits but is a well-regarded writer and contributor to  "This American Life."

Titled "Trending Down," herewith the outtakes from the press release - and yes, this appears interesting, indeed, and sounds like it will be as acidic as "Nurse Jackie" (first season, anyway) or "House of Lies." Clearly, Showtime is thinking "Emmy" all the way here, too: