
The man in the hat is coming back.

Like many Yanks, my first exposure to Russell Brand was via the 2008 Jason Segel rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where he stole the movie every time he popped up onscreen as the hedonistic rock god Aldous Snow. At the time, his particular... um, brand of "wild and crazy guy" shtick actually felt fresh and fun. But then it all-too-quickly became clear that it was Brand's default setting and the charm quickly wore off through sub-par movies (Get Him to the Greek, Arthur), annoying hosting gigs (various MTV awards shows) and his tabloid romance with Katy Perry. Instead of just playing the fool, Brand actually seemed to be a fool and that made him infinitely less appealing.

After an excellent sophomore season, the third installment of Louis C.K.'s Louie begins tonight. If you haven't jumped on the Louis C.K. bandwagon yet, now is the time. FX sent out press screeners of the first five episodes of Season 3, and while this evening's episode, "Something Is Wrong," is by no means a series highlight, it's a great introduction to the universe of Louie. What's better is that there's no continuity left over from last season -- though that will be a letdown to Pamela fans, I'm sure -- making it easy to jump right in. Here's what you'll learn from watching the premiere, and what you'll see if you stick around to watch more Louie:

Everyone's favorite (well, my favorite) Criminal Minds profiler will continue to hunt down serial killers next season on the CBS drama.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for SOAPnet fans.