Television's quiet gray revolution

For years the all-consuming emphasis on reaching adults under 50 has imposed dictatorial constraints on TV casting, prompting a "Logan's Run"-like effect that expunged older performers. Look closely, though, and you'll notice a new wave of dramas is producing what amounts to a mini grey revolution, virtually waged on the sly. The boldest practitioner of grey power might be the second season of FX's "Damages," which with the stellar additions of William Hurt and "The Wire" alums John Doman and Clarke Peters -- joining Glenn Close and Ted Danson in pivotal roles -- features what amounts to an all-star cast of people close to qualifying for Social Security, or at least already receiving AARP magazine. And damned if those new arrivals -- as well as Marcia Gay Harden, a relative child, albeit on the perilous edge of the 18-49 demographic -- haven't made the show considerably richer and more absorbing.