U.S. cable network

Season 2 of 'Dexter Early Cuts' online

Los Angeles -- The U.S. cable network Showtime says it has posted online the second season of its animated Web series "Dexter Early Cuts: Dark Echo."

The webisodes can be seen at sho.com/earlycuts. They are drawn by illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz and author/artist David Mack, and voiced by the TV series' star and executive producer Michael C. Hall.

The online episodes are intended to offer fans of the popular, live-action TV series an early look at the titular serial killer with story lines that predate the show, Showtime said.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).

Showtime orders Kudrow's Web series

Los Angeles -- U.S. cable network Showtime says it will air a minimum of 10 half-hour episodes based on Lisa Kudrow's online comedy series "Web Therapy."

The announcement was made Friday by Showtime Networks' President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt.

The episodes are expected to include additional new material to be shot.

In the online series, which is now in its third season, Kudrow plays "a self-professed psychotherapist who treats patients via Web-cam in hilarious sessions that are way too brief to ever make any material progress in her clients' lives," Showtime said.

Weather Channel nixes smooth jazz

Atlanta -- U.S. cable network the Weather Channel has announced an end to the smooth jazz playing in the background of its "Local on the 8s" segments.

Geoffrey Darby, who joined the network as executive vice president of programming in February, said the segments will now feature soft rock songs instead of the smooth jazz that has accompanied the local weather segments for years, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.

"I think we've been doing an injustice to our viewers playing, for the lack of a better word, elevator music on the segments for all these years," Darby said.