TV Bits: Karen Gillan And Arthur Darvill Leaving ‘Doctor Who’, Plus: ‘Animal Kingdom’, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda, And More

It’s a sad day for Whovians as news breaks that Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will be leavingDoctor Whoin the next series, with a “heartbreaking end” planned for the couple. Thankfully, we’ve got some other bits that should help cheer everyone up, including a longer preview for30 Rockand a peek at HBO’s new comedyVeep. After the jump:

Gillan and Darvill have been with the series since the start of Smith’s run as the Eleventh Doctor in 2010. Feel free to share your favorite memories of the couple — or, alternatively, your rants about why you’re thrilled they’re gone — in the comments. [Daily Mail]

If you walked out ofAnimal Kingdomwishing you could spend just a little more time with Smurf Cody and her criminal brood, you must be made of tougher stuff than I am — and Showtime’s got good news for you. The cable network has begun developing a new drama based on the hit 2010 Aussie crime thriller, which like the original movie will follow “the tense battle between a criminal family and the police, and the ordinary lives caught in the middle.”

John Wells,Jonathan Lisco, andAndrew Stearn— all fromSouthland— are set to executive produce, with Lisco also writing; the film’s writer/directorDavid Michôdis also on board as an executive producer. [Deadline]

Earlier this week thefirst teaserfor Season 6 of30 Rockhad us wondering what could possibly be the big secret Liz (Tina Fey) is keeping from her colleagues. While we still don’t know for certain, a just-released longer preview offers some possibilities — including a very handsome, very non-Jack-Donaghy-approved new boyfriend played byJames Marsden.

30 Rockreturns 8 PM Thursday,January 12on NBC. [Vulture]

Earlier this week saw the release oftwotrailersfor Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham’sGirls, but apparently I was so busy being amused by those that I failed to notice the network had also released one for itsotherupcoming female-led comedy series,Veep. Created byIn the LoopdirectorArmando Iannucciand starringJulia Louis-Dreyfus, the political satire follows a senator who lands the job of Vice President of the United States, only to find that it’s nothing like she expected.Anna ChlumskyandTony Halealso star.

VeephitsApril 2012on HBO — as doGirlsand Season 2 ofGame of Thrones, which means I know exactly what I’ll be doing four months from now. [Screen Rant]Aaron Sorkin’s already collected quite a cast for the tentatively titledNewsroom, his new HBO series about the goings-on at a fictional cable news network, withJeff Daniels,Emily Mortimer,Alison Pill,Sam Waterston,Olivia Munn,Dev Patel, andJosh Penceall signed on to star. Now the latest addition isJane Fonda, who’s just been cast in her first major TV role as recurring character Leona Lansing.

The character’s name is a nod to former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing and businesswoman Leona Helmsley, but it’s her resemblance to Fonda’s ex, CNN founder Ted Turner, that’s got people talking: Lansing is the CEO of the cable news network’s parent company, described as “a titan and her corporate concerns often conflict with the reporting of the news outlet she owns.” [TV Line]

Leonardo DiCapriois getting into the TV business withBeat the Reaper, an upcoming drama project for HBO based onJosh Bazell’s novel of the same title.Brian KoppelmanandDavid Levien(Ocean’s Thirteen) are attached to write and direct the project, and will also serve as executive producers along with DiCaprio. The thriller follows a young doctor who crosses paths with a patient who recognizes him as a former associate of a notorious crime family. As the doctor struggles to keep his past buried, he must contend with old nemeses and unexpected revelations about his history.Beat the Reaperwas originally set up at New Regency back in 2009 as a possible starring vehicle for DiCaprio, but when Brad Weston became the company’s new president/CEO in August he deemed it a better fit for television. [Deadline]