BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- FX president John Landgraf reminded TV critics that it was seven years ago this month that the network ordered the first season of "The Shield." Now the series is preparing to bow out as its final season premieres Sept. 2.

Series creator Shawn Ryan said he's paid attention to how other series have ended in recent years and promises a conclusion that's true to the spirit of "The Shield."

Actress CCH Pounder, who plays Claudette Wyms, was more effusive: "I think it's the greatest finale you will see anywhere, hands down. It will knock your socks off. I'm not a fan of watching 'The Shield'; I'm a cringy person and a bit of a chicken even though my role is so huge and un-chicken-like. This finale is what Vic Mackey deserves."

Hmmm, was that a spoiler?

Star Michael Chiklis said whether Mackey gets his comeuppance "is in the eye of the beholder.

"The writers have been able to continually do something I marvel at," Chiklis said. "They come up with twists and turns that, when they happen, are so surprising and stunning, and when you look back at it, you go, that makes perfect sense. [With the finale], you will not see this coming, yet when you look back at it, you'll go, 'Holy cow. That's exactly right.'"

But it's not just "The Shield" that has made FX the most critically acclaimed basic cable network. "Damages" will return for its second season in January, continuing the story of corporate lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and her protege, Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).

In season two, Ellen cooperates with federal agents investigating Patty while getting counseling for what she experienced in the first season. In group therapy she meets a new character played by Timothy Olyphant ("Deadwood").

Also new to the show is actor William Hurt, whose character has a past with Patty and needs her help again. Marcia Gay Harden joins the cast as another corporate attorney. Ted Danson will return as Arthur Frobisher.

"He's not terribly healthy at the moment, but he did survive," Landgraf said.

Close said Patty is more tentative as season two begins.

"What she went through was highly traumatic and made her lose control to the extent that she put out a hit on Ellen," she said. "She still has a lot of very unresolved issues going on that I think take more energy to cover up than before."

Byrne said Ellen is extremely broken but more of a warrior than she was in season one.

"She has no vulnerability because that vulnerability got her in trouble," Byrne said. "She's made of steel a little more."

Landgraf said a decision about renewing "The Riches" has not been made.

"It's always a question of, do you hold onto the past or spring toward the future?" he said. "We just haven't made a decision yet on the future."

He announced that "Nip/Tuck," which begins a new season in January, will come to an end in 2011. Denis Leary's "Rescue Me" will return for a new season next spring with Michael J. Fox guest-starring in four episodes as a wheelchair-bound boyfriend for Tommy's ex, Janet (Andrea Roth). "Sons of Anarchy," a promising drama about a motorcycle gang from one of the producers of "The Shield," debuts Sept. 3.

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will continue to roll out new episodes through at least 2011, with a new season premiering Sept. 18. "Testees," a new comedy about two thirtysomething guys who earn a living as medical test subjects, premieres Oct. 9.

Petersen leaving 'CSI'

Entertainment Weekly reports that "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star William Petersen, who stars as lead investigator Gil Grissom, will bow out of the series midway through the upcoming season. But Petersen will return for occasional episodes and will retain his executive producer credit on the show.

The EW report also revealed that Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) will be back for multiple episodes this fall to help ease Grissom out the door. To take Grissom's place, the show is looking to add a high-profile older star to play a professor with a background in pathology who will first turn up in a two-part episode, assisting Grissom on a case.

'24' back on the clock

It's been more than a year since an original "24" episode aired, and before the new season begins in January, a two-hour TV movie, "24: Exile" (8 p.m. Nov. 23) will debut.

Season seven will begin four years after the sixth season ended, with "Exile" set about six months before season seven begins. Aside from a brief prologue, the two-hour TV movie occurs in real time.

Set in a fictional African country and filmed over three weeks in Capetown, South Africa, "Exile" follows Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and his mentor, Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle, "The Full Monty"), as they battle an international crisis. At home, a new president is inaugurated as other government officials scheme, setting the stage for the events in season seven. The new season will also feature a return-from-the-dead reappearance by Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who appears to be a bad guy.

A year ago at this time, the "24" writers were plotting to start the seventh season in Africa but ultimately abandoned the idea. After the writers' strike pushed the season back a year, it opened up the opportunity to revive that story for a prequel film.

"Anyone in any artistic medium, don't ever throw out any scrap of material," advised "24" executive producer Howard Gordon. "This will tee up the season proper once we get to it."

The plot of "Exile" involves the plight of children and genocide, a nod to current events.

"'24' lives in this very metaphorical place," Gordon said. "It's not a show that's meant to be literalist," but it does involve children as soldiers and events like those in Rwanda and Darfur without saying those names.

Back in the U.S., the first female president (Carnegie Mellon University alumna Cherry Jones) takes office.

"Her greatest flaw is her idealism," Gordon said, noting some similarities to President David Palmer, who was featured early in the show's run.

Shameful 'Truth'

Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly was asked oh-so-delicately if he is "satisfied with the content" of "The Moment of Truth," the slimy lie detector game show that has a tendency to destroy the relationships of some of the not-smart-enough-to-avoid-it participants.

"I'll just say this about 'The Moment of Truth': This is Fox. I think one of the things I love about Fox is we never give up our DNA."

Reilly said he intends to continue to make quality scripted shows, but the network is also free to attempt, uh, less ambitious programming.

"Fox is free to do those kind of things, and we're going to do them," he said. "So no excuses for it."

Channel surfing

Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons," said there are no immediate plans for a second "Simpsons" movie, but, he added, "We'll get to it, I'm sure, eventually." ... The premiere of CBS's "Flashpoint" was No. 1 in its time slot Friday, drawing more than 8 million viewers.