TV Quick Hits: ‘Shameless’ season 7 premiere online early; ‘Bates Motel,’ ‘The Simpsons’ scoop

Do you got a little spare time on your hands, and consider yourself a fan of “Shameless”? Then we’d consider this first item in today’s TV Quick Hits especially notable.

You can see the entirely of the season 7 premiere of advance via YouTube prior to the actual premiere coming on Sunday, October 2. This is a common occurrence for Showtime to upload premieres early, since it encourages viewers to check out their series and potentially subscribe down the line. Note that there are some slight edits that are done to these shows because of content restrictions for YouTube, but there is some strong language and you should be aware of them before checking ’em out. This is Showtime we’re talking about here!

As for some other news of the day…

“Bates Motel” casting scoop – With the fifth and final season on the horizon, A&E continues to be kind when it comes to sharing some casting intel. Per TVLine, “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Brooke Smith is going to joining the series in the critical role of Dana, the poor soul who has the responsibility of trying to keep law and order in White Pine Bay. Given what we have seen of this town so far, odds are this is not going to be easy. The site also confirms that despite Alex Romero being in prison, Nestor Carbonell is also going to be returning as a series regular in his own right.

“The Simpsons” and their latest Treehouse of Horror – Here’s a crazy tease from the annual special airing this year on October 16: Lisa’s imaginary friend Rachel is jealous of Lisa’s real friends, and as a result of that, starts killing them. Also, another storyline could be inspired in part by “The Hunger Games.”