Cool Web Site

Every so often I throw my screenwriting experiences onto this blog.

For those of you who ever thought of penning your own TV script, have I got a Web site for you: http://tvwriting.googlepages.com/

On that site are actual sample scripts and some show bibles to dozens upon dozens of TV shows, some still in production, some defunct. Most of the scripts are saved in .pdf formats and are easily accessible.

For the average TV fan, it's an interesting way of looking at how your favorite show is filmed by putting the shooting script out there to be compared to the final episode that hit the airwaves. For the budding writer, it's a good way in hearing "the voice" that producers of the show use to create their product.

Even if your favorite show or writer isn't listed, who couldn't learn something from reading the likes of Aaron Sorkin or David Milch?

MONDAY RATINGS: Maybe reality/game shows aren't the instant moneymakers people thought they were. While "Dancing With the Stars" easily won its time Monday night with 18.27 million viewers, the return of "American Gladiators" got dunked into a water tank, pulling in only 4.9 million - a 37 percent dip from what "Deal or No Deal" drew in the same timeslot.

"How I Met Your Mother" got another Britney Spears bump, pulling in 9.02 million, surpassing lead-in "Big Bang Theory" (7.88 million) and almost equalling "Bones" (9.4 million). Meanwhile, "The Bachelor" finale (9.18 million) edged "Medium" for second place at the 10 p.m. hour, behing some 13 million for "CSI: Miami."

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Of course, a dip in the ratings doesn't mean the networks will stop putting reality/game shows into primetime. The aforementioned "Deal or No Deal" (NBC, 8 p.m.) occupies two hours tonight before a new "Law & Order" at 10 p.m.

"American Idol" (Fox, 9 p.m.) cuts from three finalists down to two, following new episodes of "Til Death" and "Back To You."

"Criminal Minds" (CBS, 9 p.m.) and "CSI: NY" (CBS, 10 p.m.) are both new, as is "Boston Legal" (ABC, 10 p.m.)

Barbara On 'Oprah'

Two titans of the talk show world meet up today when Barbara Walters of "The View" goes on "Oprah" (WMAZ, 4 p.m.) to promote her new autobiography that also hits bookstores today.

I've never really been a huge Barbara Walters fan -- I don't like "The View" and I always skip the "Barbara Walters Specials" on ABC -- but she is something of a TV pioneer as the first femae co-anchor of the evening news in 1976.

The book has already drawn a certain amount of notoriety because it details Walters' affair with U.S. Senator Richard Brooke, the first African-American elected to the Senate. Though I'm not a fan of adultery by any means, I actually have more of an issue of a journalist sleeping with a public figure she's supposed to be covering. Compromising objectivity downgrades the whole profession.

Walters, however, can't complain about the advance publicity for her book. In addition to the "Oprah" appearance, she is also getting a one-hour special on ABC Wednesday night at 10 p.m. called "Audition: The Barbara Walters Journey."

ELECTION COVERAGE: A few weeks ago, I said the networks should limit themselves to one network covering key political events, and that it should rotate around.

Interestingly, since we're in the sweeps period, none of the networks are covering the Indiana and North Carolina primaries live, instead opting for original programming. (Although I'm certain they will be interrupting the shows with news breaks and a crawl giving constant updates). So you'll have to tune into one of the cable news networks for the running totals in these key primaries.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: If you are fine with limiting your political knowledge to the news crawl and limited news breaks, there's plenty of new stuff around the dial.

It's hard to believe, but "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.) has already reached 100 episodes, and will be running back-to-back episodes tonight, followed by a new "Women's Murder Club" at 10 p.m.

That "other" music reality show, "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.), is down to its final four contestants and is followed by "Hell's Kitchen."

CBS has new episodes of "NCIS" and "Shark" beginning at 8 p.m., while NBC has a new "Law & Order: SVU" at 10 p.m. "Reaper" (CW, 9 p.m.) is also new.

Finally, a couple of documentaries of note. "American Experience" (PBS, 9 p.m.) examines the presidency of the first President Bush, while "Bud Greenspan: At The Heart Of The Games" (ESPN2, 9 p.m.) details the life and experiences of the great Olympics filmmaker.

It's A Strike, And They Are Out!

There's an ancient curse that says: "May you live in interesting times."

Unfortunately in Hollywood, things just became more interesting.

To the surprise of perhaps no one, the Writers Guild of America made good on its strike threat, hitting the picket lines this morning.

As a viewer, you should start seeing the effects almost immediately, as late-night talk shows such as "The Tonight Show" or "The Late Show With David Letterman" will be forced to switch into rerun mode. This will actually affect the studios in two ways: Not only will they have to air reruns of these shows, but they won't be able to use the shows to promote the various movies coming out this holiday season.

Almost as immediate will be daytime TV, with things like soap operas only having a week or two of new episodes, at the most.

As for prime-time TV, the effects are a little more hazy. Most of the network shows have enough episodes to make it through January. So, will networks try to stretch those episodes out by sprinkling in some reruns, or will they continue to burn them off, hoping for a quick resolution to the strike?

And what about shows on the ratings bubble, such as "Journeyman," (NBC, 10 p.m.) for example? The strike may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise for fans of ratings-challenged series, because NBC is more likely to burn off the remaining new episodes in the can than yank the show because of its poor ratings.

Several shows that were planned as midseason replacements already have several episodes in the can, so they can also be used to fill air time for a while, but some shows, like "24" or "Lost," that have complicated, season-long story arcs probably won't get launched in the winter as planned, because the networks won't want to start those seasons, then suddenly yank the show when the episodes run out.

Of the shows currently on the air, "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is among the most affected: Not only has NBC postponed plans for the "Heroes: Origins" spinoff (a series of six, one-shot episodes featuring a character unrelated to the show's main story arc, written and directed by some big-time Hollywood names like Kevin Smith), but the producers also announced that if the writers went on strike, the Dec. 5 episode would have an alternate ending that would wrap up the current storyline (if that means getting rid of the Wonder-less twins, then strike writers, strike!)

But what it will mean most of all is more reality-style TV. Not just shows like "Survivor" or "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.), but prime-time game shows, news programs, sports and music specials.

People hoping for a quick resolution to the strike are in for a disappointment. Both sides are sticking to their guns, not for greed, but for necessity. (Check out last week's blog for the issues they are striking over).

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Enjoy the fresh episodes while you can. "Chuck" (NBC, 8 p.m.) leads things off, followed by "Heroes" and "Journeyman."

You may want to watch ABC to get a preview of life during a writers' strike. After an extended "Dancing With the Stars," "Samantha Who?" kicks off at 9:45 p.m., followed by "The Bachelor" at 10:15, so be aware those of you with VCRs and DVRs.

I'm hoping the strike will give struggling shows like "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.) a chance to catch on.

Sadly, it won't affect "Prison Break," (Fox, 8 p.m.), which airs a two-hour episode tonight. "PB" is scheduled to go off in January, to replaced by "The Sarah Conner Chronicles" on Mondays, then return in April. Yes, of all the dramas out there, "PB" is probably the most safe of any show during the strike. That's just wrong.

Finally, enjoy the lineup of CBS sitcoms, followed by "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) Considering how often "CSI" reruns are shown anyway, will people notice if the network starts airing repeats regularly?

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Welcome to the best week of the year - fall TV premiere week.

You've got new shows galore and old favorites returning. Which ones will fail? Which will succeed? Which shows are you rooting for?

Of course, last week saw the premieres of two Fox shows, "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.), but this is the week that pretty much everything is new.

As I've posted previously, right now, NBC has the most interesting slate of new shows, followed closely by The CW. Of all the new NBC offerings, I believe "Chuck," (NBC, 8 p.m.) has the broadest appeal. Following the misadventures of a geeky store clerk, Chuck (Zachary Levi) finds himself having the entire American intelligence network downloaded into his brain by his former college rival.

Now operatives from both the CIA and NSA want the knowledge in his head and are keeping a close eye on him.

What makes "Chuck" different is that we actually get insight into the protagonist's home life. We're not just pulling for Chuck to not get killed, we're also pulling for him to get that assistant manager's job at work.

Oh, and "Chuck" also has perhaps the best-ever Ninja-vs.-geek combat sequence.

"Chuck" leads off an entire night of fantasy-based shows for the Peacock, with the season premiere of "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) and "Journeyman" (NBC, 10 p.m.) For more insight into "Heroes," you can check out this week's edition of "Entertainment Weekly," which has a great cover story on the show.

"Journeyman" is a show a lot of viewers may find confusing at first, but I think that's partly deliberate from the show's writers to reflect the confusion the lead character Dan (Kevin McKidd) is experiencing. Dan, a journalist, suddenly finds himself bouncing around through time, following the life experiences of a single family Dan accidentally meets. By the second episode, things get a bit clearer for Dan, though obviously how and why he is bouncing around through time will remain the season's big mystery.

There are plenty of other highlights tonight for a wide range of viewers. CBS kicks off its lineup with the season premieres of returning comedies "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.), with guest stars Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglesias, "2 1/2 Men" (CBS, 9 p.m.) and "Rules of Engagement" (CBS, 9:30 p.m.), followed by the premiere of "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m. The Eye also premieres the new comedy, "Big Bang Theory" at 8:30 p.m. Feel free to skip it.

ABC goes the so-called reality route, with the season premieres of "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.) - go Wayne Newton! - and the 11th edition of "The Bachelor" at 9:30 p.m.

UGLY COUCH TIME: On Tuesday morning's edition of "Live With Regis & Kelly," (WMAZ, Tues., 9 a.m.) former Maconite Christina Stefano Wood will appear as a finalist in the national Ugly Couch Competition.

MORE VIRAL MARKETING: A couple of items e-mailed to me from helpful publicists may interest you. If you want to check out the season premiere of one of TV's best shows before it airs in "Friday Night Lights," it is currently running on Yahoo! at: http://tv.yahoo.com/falltv2007/friday-night-lights/show/38958/videos/4151897.

Also, for fans of MTV's "Jackass" (I don't count myself among that group), Dr. Steve-O is getting his own show on USA. You can check out a preview at the official Web site, http://drsteveo.com/.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: There's not much I haven't already listed, but I should point out that the excellent "The War" (PBS, 8 p.m.) is continuing tonight. There are also new episodes of "Weeds" (Showtime, 10 p.m.) and "Californication" (Show, 10:30 p.m.)