United States of Tara

As a preview for season two of United States of Tara has teased, a new alter is coming to the show. Her name will be Shoshanna.

Why does she arrive on the scenes?

“Tara and her system of alters are in need of help, so Shoshana is a resourceful mentor of sorts,” creator Diablo Cody told TV Guide Magazine, adding that this alter will first appear in the fourth episode of season two.

It premieres on Showtime on March 22.

Star Toni Collette describes Shoshana as “a little more sophisticated than the other alters; a little more knowledgeable.”

She'll also have a direct relationship with Tara, unlike T, Buck or Gimme.

Cody said this is true to real-life Dissociative Identity Disorder, as patients often experience alters they're aware of and can actually communicate with.

“Tara and Shoshana talk," Cody said. "Tara is able to observe Shoshana’s behavior, so it is a total different dynamic than we’ve ever seen before.”

As the season progresses, more alters will appear to Tara as co-conscious entities. Consider us intrigued.

When United States of Tara returns for a second season on Showtime, it will feature a new alter ego for the show's main character.

Viewers will meet Shoshanna, who creator Diablo Cody describes as a "mentor" to the Gregson family.

But she's not the only new character to make an important appearance on season two: as previously announced, Joey Lauren Adams will recur on the comedy as Pammy, a love interest for Buck.

Following brief, one episode stints on Veronica Mars and Party Down, this will make Adams' first extended run on a series. Below, we've got your first look at her in the role of a bartender that serves Tara/Buck:

Move over, Buck, T and Alice.

The latest promo for season two of United States of Tara makes no secret that another alter is on the way.

We're not talking about Gimme, either, as there's no poncho anywhere in sight below.

Take a look at the preview and get excited for the show's return on March 22:

** Update: Creator Diablo Cody says the new alter's name is Shoshanna, and she'll serve as a "mentor" of sorts to Tara's family. She makes her first appearance in the season's fourth episode.

While it's a show known more for its quotes and characters than any significant plot developments, readers are still anxious to find out what happens next on United States of Tara.

When season one of this Showtime hit concluded, Tara seemed to have made progress with her alters. She fought off Alice and resurfaced as herself in her therapist's office. So, where does that leave things when season two premieres on March 22?

E! News reports that Tara is back on her medication when the show returns. Does this mean T, Alice, Buck and the poncho goblin are gone for good? Of course not.

When a neighbor down the street kills himself, Tara starts peering into his empty home. Her meds then stop working, but she keeps this to herself. Hard to believe that's a good idea.

It's been awhile since we heard anything from the cast of Showtime's United States of Tara.

Toni Collette spoke on season two in August and has been pretty much silence ever since.

But the series returns with new episodes on March 22 and the main cast members posed recently for a new promotional photo.

Pictured below: John Corbett as Max, Brie Larson as Kate, Rosemarie DeWitt as Charmaine, Toni Collette as Tara, and Keir Gilchrist as Marshall.

Showtime is yet to announce a premiere date for the second season of United States of Tara.

But star Toni Collette told E! News this week that the series will start to explore the basis for her character's disassociative identity disorder in the near future.

"They will reveal elements of what happened to her this season." Collette said, adding that producers are also working on bringing forth new alters, while creating relationships for the current ones.

"Buck is getting some. It creates all these conflicts, but Tara's not herself when she's Buck. Buck's got his own life, and he'll do what he wants to do."

Does this mean Buck and his new girlfriend, portrayed by Joey Lauren Adams, go to first base? At least, the actress said.

"Perhaps beyond first base."

Joey Lauren Adams has landed an unusual, recurring role on season two of The United States of Tara.

The actress, best known for her role in Chasing Amy, will come aboard the Showtime comedy’s second season as Pammy, a humorous and warm bartender that has a history of picking the wrong guys.

Her luck changes - or does it?!? - the day she meets “Buck,” Tara's male alter ego, and falls madly in love.

Adams will appear in at least three episodes of the show's second season, which will air in early 2010.

An Oscar nominee is coming to Showtime.

Viola Davis - who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Doubt - will appear in seven of the 12 episodes of the second season of The United States of Tara.

The actress will play Lynda B. Dozier, an unconventional artist that plays a major role in the lives of Tara and her daughter Kate.

The United States of Tara concluded its first season last night.

With the show having already been picked up for a second season, writer/producer Alexa Junge can tease upcoming storylines.

She recently did just that, answering Khorbi Ghosh's question about whether or not viewers will learn more about Tara's fourth alter next year:

Yeah, absolutely. Certainly over time. That’s one of the amazing parts of the premise, and it’s true to actual DID cases that people can have personalities that were with them for a couple of years and then basically move out, or ones they never knew they had. It’s a treasure trove from the writing perspective in that regard. And also because each alter serves a function in the system and in her system. The more you get to know about her, the more I think you start to understand how they’re all helping.

Click on the images below to relive a few moments from the show's first season:

Following that awkward one-armed guy hug last week on The United States of Tara, it appears as though Marshall and Jason are over.

This Sunday, on a new episode of the Showtime series, Marshall receives some inspired wisdom from his sister.

According to E! Online, on the occasion of his heartbreak, Kate tells her little brother:

"If you take a pill to make everything better, then you never know when things are f--ked up, and if you don't know when things are f--ked up, then you can't fix it yourself."

Amen, girlfriend!