Strike-related Stuff

One of the plans the networks had in place in case of a writers' strike was to show more TV news programs, such as "60 Minutes" or "20/20."

Ah, the best-laid plans of mice and men...

CBS is in the midst of waiting to see if its various radio and TV news reporters will join the WGA on the picket lines. The union covering those workers is expected to vote today and Friday in favor of a strike.

The networks' broadcast news divisions have suffered for years through cutbacks and low ratings, not to mention various controversies and scandals, and a strike certainly wouldn't help matters.

Considering that "60 Minutes" is one of the few news programs on the air that's a consistently strong performer in the Nielsens, and considering all of the money CBS has thrown Katie Couric's way, not having writers and producers to put together news programs could be devastating to the network.

Meanwhile, over on Broadway, theaters are quiet as a walkoff by the stagehands union has shut down 27 productions, perhaps most notably the debut of Aaron Sorkin's new play "The Farnsworth Invention," starring Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons) as Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television. (Sorkin, the creator of "SportsNight" and "The West Wing," has been trying to do some sort of Farnsworth bio for years).

It's perhaps a little ironic that people are criticizing the WGA for putting electricians, key grips and other below-the-line labor out of work in Hollywood; on Broadway, the exact opposite is true. The stagehands union includes the electricians, the sound and lighting guys and so forth, and the actors, writers and producers can't mount their productions without them.

At least on Broadway, the warring parties are set to return to the negotiating table this weekend. No such word on what's happening in Hollywood.

CORRECTION: I posted yesterday that "Star Trek: The Menagerie" was scheduled to run Tuesday and Wednesday, because that's what it said in our "Out & About" section. Well, someone had something wrong, because I skipped poker and drove all the way down to Centerville to find out that it wasn't showing Wednesday, but tonight. So, good news for those who want one more chance to see it, bad news for me. The showtime is 7:30 p.m. at the Galleria Cinemas in Centerville.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: A bunch of comings and goings tonight. Goran Visnijc is set to return to "ER" (NBC, 10 p.m.) tonight, less than an hour after former "ER" star Jorja Fox leaves "CSI" (CBS, 9 p.m.) for good, apparently. Having not watched either show in a few years, I really don't know what this means dramatically, but the networks have been promoting the heck out of them, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Enjoy these new episodes while you can. Preceding "ER" are the NBC comedies, all of which are new this week, but are being yanked next week - for Thanksgiving, not because of the strike.

ABC will be showing a new "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 8 p.m.) next week, one of the few bits of first-run programming during the holiday. It's followed tonight by "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m. and a special showing of "Women's Murder Club" at 10 p.m.

Helen Slater reprises her role as Lara on tonight's "Smallville," (CW, 8 p.m.), followed by "Supernatural" at 9 p.m.

Finally, while there has been a marked dropoff in quality all season, I should note that tonight is the season finale for "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" (FX, 10 p.m.)

It's Always Funny In Philadelphia

Tonight marks the return of one of TV's most innovative sitcoms, "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" (FX, 10 p.m.)

In the past, I've previously compared this show to "Seinfeld," with Gen-Y performers in the traditional roles. Because what makes these people so funny is the awful things they do and awful way they act. We've seen the guys check out simultaneous pro- and anti-abortion rallies cruising for women; siblings Dennis and Sweet Dee get addicted to methadone in order to collect checks from the government; Charlie and Mac trying to sell the war memorabilia of Dennis' grandad — a Nazi; and so forth.

I was worried that when Danny Devito joined the cast last year as Dennis and Dee's dad, it might throw off the balance of the show, but the writers (also the male members of the cast) never missed a beat.

"Sunny" isn't going to be for everyone, but once you get hooked, you'll stay that way.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: Of course, the downside of "Sunny's" return to TV is that it's on at the same time as new installments of two of the summer's best shows, "Mad Men" (AMC, 10 p.m.) and "Burn Notice" (USA, 10 p.m.)