Season four of the Emmy Award-winning, critically acclaimed legal thriller, DAMAGES, starring Emmy Award winner Glenn Close and Emmy Award Nominee Rose Byrne, will premiere exclusively on Wednesday, July 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the Audience Network. Season four, which marks the series' highly anticipated move to DIRECTV, focuses on the exceedingly controversial subject of private military contractors in Afghanistan, catapulting characters into a world of corruption and deceit, where nothing is as it seems and justice is served outside of the court room. DAMAGES, from Sony Pictures Television in association with FX Productions and KZK Productions, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), the nation's most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator, and her bright, ambitious young protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). Emmy Award Winner John Goodman and Emmy Award Nominee Dylan Baker join the cast as series regulars and, in keeping with DAMAGES' tradition of featuring what is arguably the most impressive roster guest stars of any series on television, season four will feature Chris Messina, Judd Hirsch, Fisher Stevens, Griffin Dunn, Julie White, Bailey Chase and Derek Webster in recurring roles. The show was created and is executive produced by KZK and co-executive produced by Mark A. Baker. The fourth season of DAMAGES finds Patty and Ellen embroiled in a wrongful-death suit against a private military contractor, Howard T. Erickson (John Goodman). Erickson has made a fortune supplying the U.S. Government with security forces in Afghanistan and is protected by his connections within the highest echelons of power in Washington, D.C. Chris Sanchez (Chris Messina), a decorated soldier who now works for the security firm, is drawn into the web of intrigue when Ellen and Patty set their sights on his corrupt employer. Complicating matters is Jerry Boorman (Dylan Baker), a shadowy opportunist with ties to both Erickson and the Middle East who is intimately involved in the season-long conspiracy at the heart of the lawsuit.

Executive producer Glenn Kessler says DirecTV is "encouraging us to take things even further than we did on FX," and the military plotline gives ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) a reason to be more authentically potty-mouthed. "You know she's been waiting to do it; you can see it in her eyes," he says.

The budget will be slightly reduced but is being spread across fewer, longer episodes (10 instead of 13 in previous seasons, and an ad-free hour, up from 43 minutes on FX). "We're not looking to have it picked up and then have it be a minor-league version of the series," says executive producer Todd Kessler.

And by continuing production, studio Sony Pictures Television can sell Damages on DVD and internationally, where the show is popular.