Welcome To The New Stuff

It's appropriate that with Labor Day marking the end of summer and the beginning of fall, several new and returning shows are hitting the air tonight.

Perhaps the most intriguing is "Raising the Bar," (TNT, 10 p.m.), which will be taking over "Saving Grace's" timeslot for a few weeks.

It stars Mark-Paul Gosselar ("NYPD Blue") as a public defender and Gloria Reuben ("ER") as his boss. Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm In The Middle") plays a judge.

The series was created by Steven Bochco, who has produced some of the great TV of our time ("NYPD Blue," "Hill Street Blues") as well as some of the most forgettable ("Cop Rock"). Where will "Raising The Bar" fall on the Bochco scale? Early reviews have been mixed, so we'll wait and see.

COMING TUESDAY: The Telegraph's Charles E. Richardson reunites with Kenny Burgamy for the debut of the "Kenny B. and Charles E. Show" on WPGA-FM 100.9 from 6 a.m.-9 a.m., with the first hour of the show being aired live on WPGA-TV.

The talk show will provide a contrast to WMAC-AM 940's recently debuted talk radio program, hosted by Chris Krok.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: I gave up on "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) at the beginning of last season as the show went ridiculous beyond even its own standards, but evidently someone is still watching it, so he or she will be up for tonight's two-hour debut. I'm still wondering how they will explain away how Michael's decapitated girlfriend is back to being a series regular.

A new "Saving Grace" (TNT, 9 p.m.) leads into "Raising The Bar."

To give equal time, I should note that the Republican National Convention kicks off tonight. You can catch the action at 8 p.m. on PBS and cable, or the key speeches at 10 p.m. on the networks.

Check last week's postings for "Reel Fanatic's" review of the season premiere of "Gossip Girl" (CW, 8 p.m.), followed by the season premiere of "One Tree Hill" (CW, 9 p.m.) as the network looks to get out of the gates early.

Finally, CNBC didn't do a good job of promoting it when it debuted last week, but "The Apprentice UK" (CNBC, 8 p.m.) airs its second episode as contestants face off for the opportunity to get a job with British tycoon Sir Alan Sugar. If you want a better version of "The Apprentice" franchise, check out the BBC America series "Dragon's Den" on Thursdays, in which would-be entrepreneurs seek backing for their projects from five UK millionaires. It's a much more interesting format than the artificial tasks contestants are given on "The Apprentice."

The Other Boleyn Biopic

While "The Other Boleyn Girl" is currently on the big screens in theatres around the country, I've been catching up with "The Tudors" on Showtime. As a history buff, it's nice to see series like "The Tudors" and HBO's "John Adams" receive such lavish treatments. (Maybe someone could something on the Norman invasion of England; hm, that'd be a thought).

"The Tudors" (Showtime, Sun., 9 p.m.) returns to the air this Sunday with its second season. It's an interesting series, to be sure, though it moves a tad slowly for me. Also, the writers take some liberties with actual history, which I'm never a fan of.

But what makes "The Tudors" worth watching is the performances. Jonathan Rhys-Myers is solid as the young Henry VIII, and Natalie Dormer is a rising star as the conniving Anne Boleyn. The supporting cast is very strong, with Sam Neill (not back for Season 2), Jeremy Northam, and others, plus is adding Peter O'Toole. But for me, the real revelation has been Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, an Emmy-worthy performance if I've ever seen one.

"The Tudors" does a good job of trying to explain the complicated politics of dealing with both the church and the state, and Season 2 will deal with the fallout of Henry's divorce in Season 1.

Meanwhile, I've found "John Adams" (HBO, Sun., 9 p.m.) to be pretty satisfying, thanks to its terrific cast of Paul Giamatti in the title role, the always-terrific Laura Linney as Abigail Adams, and a scene-stealing Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin. I confess I haven't read the biography that the series is based upon, but the miniseries is a good insight into the formation of this country.

WHY CAN'T DEAD PEOPLE JUST STAY DEAD?: As I've stated in this blog a lot, my biggest pet peeve is when writers and directors insult the intelligence of viewers by basing plots around the implausible.

Hence, I bring you "Prison Break," a Fox show that was exciting for its first season, had wasted potential in its second, and is now just a caricature. How can I say that after I stopped watching two episodes into Season 3? I can because of the news that Sarah Wayne Callies, whose character was FRAKKIN' DECAPITATED this season, is back. Full-time. Not in a flashback. I'm not making this up.

You can read TVGuide.com's Michael Ausiello's interview with PB's showrunner here: http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Ausiello-Scoop-Prison/800036399

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: OK, so the mystery of "Canterbury's Law" has been solved. It's been moved to Friday's at 9 p.m. on Fox, not a good sign for any series in terms of survival. But tonight's episode should be new.

Stoked for next week's "Battlestar Galactica" season premiere? (If you aren't, you're probably reading the wrong blog.) Anyway, Sci-Fi is airing a half-hour recap of the first three seasons tonight at 10 p.m., followed by a behind-the-scenes special at 10:30 p.m.

On Saturday, "Torchwood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.) is all-new.

On Sunday, if you aren't into historical drama (and why aren't you?), there's a new "Simpsons" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "King of the Hill," while CBS delivers its first new post-strike "Cold Case" at 9 p.m., followed by "Dexter" at 10 p.m.

After The Tudors, Showtime is also debuting Tracey Ullman's "State of the Union" at 10 p.m.

Finally, the NCAA basketball tournament is running throughout the weekend on CBS, while the Braves and the Nationals kick off Sunday Night baseball on ESPN, beginning at 8 p.m.

No, Really, My Dad's The Best!

One of the casualties of the WGA strike is the viewer, who has to put up with the likes of "My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad," in which various dads battle it out in an "American Gladiators"-meets-"Fear Factor" type format.

I'm not really sure if the winner will be the best dad in America so much as the one who can withstand the slime and complete all the physical tasks required of him.

It follows a "Deal Or No Deal" in which 13 of the 26 cases are now filled with $1 million. Given that the odds are now 50-50, how can someone not win $1 million?

All I can say is, the return of regular programming can't come soon enough.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) wraps up its third season tonight as the gang tries yet another escape, followed by a new "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" at 9 p.m.

"October Road" (ABC, 10 p.m.) is all-new, following a two-hour "Dance War." CBS has new episodes of the awful "Welcome To The Captain," at 8:30 p.m. and the always-entertaining "Old Christine" at 9:30 p.m.

Allison goes deaf on "Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.) Once again, if she's that good a psychic, wouldn't she see this coming?

On cable, "Kyle XY" and "Wildfire" are both new on ABC Family, beginning at 8 p.m., while Lewis Black hosts a special, "The Greatest Joke Ever Told," (History Channel, 9 p.m.) Hopefully, this isn't the Monty Python joke where everyone dies after hearing it.

Finally, my favorite frontiersman, Kit Carson, is the subject of "American Experience" (PBS, 9 p.m.)

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?

It's Official: There Are No Good Ideas Left

Perhaps with a certain bit of unintended irony with a week to go before the announced writers' strike in Hollywood, my brother sent me a link to a story yesterday that rocked the very fiber of my being. If I hadn't seen it reported at multiple places, I would have thought he was pulling my leg.

But no, this is real: Fox has ordered a script for a "Prison Break" spinoff called "Prison Break: Cherry Hill," which would center on a female prisoner named Molly.

Because a show that has come off the rails and is bleeding viewership needs a spinoff. Perhaps CBS should consider a "Viva Laughlin" spinoff.

Supposedly, the character of Molly (yet to be cast) would meet Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) at the Sona prison in Panama. She's a middle-class American housewife who has (naturally) been framed for a crime she didn't commit. How a housewife would survive in Sona for more than an hour after tough-guy prison guard Bellick is forced to walk around in a diaper in the same place is only one of the issues I have with this concept.

But really, the main problem with "PB: Cherry Hill" (I thought the Cherry Hill referred to the city in New Jersey, which feels like a prison itself, but really, it apparently refers to an infamous prison in Massachusetts) is that everyone is already making the women-in-prison jokes. This should be a series on Cinemax, not a network.

Honestly, what's the point of having a series about women in prison if there aren't long shower sequences involving hot women prisonders? (If Cinemax teaches us anything, it's that all women in prison are hot and like taking showers).

I think I'd rather Fox give the hour on the schedule that is being reserved for "PB:CH" to reality czar Mike Darnell for his latest monstrosity than waste the time on a pointless spinoff to a show that has long since passed its prime.

AROUND THE DIAL: Other news from Fox sees freshman sitcom "Back To You" get a full season order. ...

Meanwhile, ABC is set to bring back "October Road" on Nov. 22, following "Grey's Anatomy" for one time, then shifting the show to Monday nights at 10 p.m. ABC has also ordered more episodes of "Samantha Who?" ...

If you missed NBC's "Phenomenon" last night, here's a clip from a rehearsal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cjfMy25BfA. They sent me another clip involving Russian Roulette, but since my blog is attached to a family newspaper, it's probably not a good idea to run it.

THURSDAY'S BEST BET: What's been a good week (despite the reports of "Prison Break" spinoffs) gets better tonight with the return of one of TV's best sitcoms, "Scrubs" (NBC, 9:30 p.m.) The show is in its final season, but after seeing the season premiere last night, let me tell you it shows no signs of age or slowing down. The episode centers around JD (Zach Braff) and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) pondering their separate relationships, the Janitor's (Neil Flynn) new girlfriend and the world's friendliest patient.

A by-product of "Scrubs" return is that "The Office" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is back to a more-comfortable half-hour. Tonight's installment is directed by my new bud Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking"), which alone makes it worth watching.

While "PB" has declined pretty much every episode over the last three years, "Supernatural" (CW, 9 p.m.) has gotten better each week over the same period of time. Between the episode two weeks ago involving Dean's possible son and last week's centered around the rabbit's foot from Hell, the writers are doing a great job of having a lot of fun. I can't wait to see what they've cooked up this week. It follows a new "Smallville" at 8 p.m.

CBS is new with "CSI" and "Without A Trace," beginning at 9 p.m. After watching "Viva Laughlin" last week, I never thought I'd be happy to see "Without A Trace" back in its familiar timeslot.

ABC's big night of "Ugly Betty" at 8 p.m. and "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m. are also new, as is "Big Shots" (ABC, 10 p.m.), which now has sole possession of the worst-show-on-TV crown, thanks to the cancellation of "Viva Laughlin."

Finally, Game 2 of the World Series is tonight (Fox, 8 p.m.) as is the matchup of Boston College and Virginia Tech (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.) in the loony season that is college football.

'Hero-ic' Effort?

The current issue of Entertainment Weekly blasts "Heroes" for what having what it describes as a sub-par season, and even many fans of the show are anxious for something eye-popping to happen.

As I pointed out a few postings ago, "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) was blasted by some last year because it had so many diverse plot threads that only came together after a full season. The writers seem to be taking the same approach this season.

That being said, the writers need to speed things up just a bit. It's hard to care about new characters when we are only seeing glimpses of old ones. We've barely seen Niki (Ali Larter, who spent part of the summer filming "Resident Evil," so she probably wasn't available) this season, and Hiro (Masi Oka) and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) were completely absent from last week's installment.

Meanwhile, the show seems pre-occupied shoving new, uninteresting characters down our throat. Enough with the brother-sister plague carriers, already. Other than serving as a plot device for getting Sylar (Zachary Quinto) back to New York, they've detracted more than they've added. And Micah's cousin (Dana Davis), who has one of the more lame superpowers ever in duplicating whatever she watches on TV? (I'm curious, if she were watching "Heroes" and saw someone use their powers, such as Nathan flying, would she be able to fly as well?) But at least I know who to call when I can't operate my George Foreman grill.

Tonight could be a pivotal episode for "Heroes," since it marks the introduction of the lovely and talented Miss Kristen Bell as Elle, a mysterious woman with a mysterious power who seeks out Peter. Certainly, bringing in the likes of Bell is something that's going to be exteremely exciting for a lot of fans, but will the producers drag out her introduction as well so we can have a few more quality moments between Claire and her boyfriend?

Don't get me wrong, "Heroes" is still must-see TV for me, but the producers need to get us back to the characters we spent a season rooting for first, then introduce other characters into the mix (unless it's Kristen Bell, then they can give her as much screen time as they want).

I do find it interesting, though, about how impatient viewers are these days. TV isn't a two-hour movie; writers should get a few episodes to establish storylines and characters. Take a look at "Chuck," (NBC, 8 p.m.), which some people said was slow out of the gates. I disagree; "Chuck" took its first two episodes to set up the series and characters, then kicked it into overdrive by putting Chuck (Zachari Levi) into full-time spy situations. The result has been that "Chuck" is one of the more pleasant surprises this season. Ditto for "Journeyman," (NBC, 10 p.m.), which some viewers complained about being "confusing," when that is precisely the point. Our confusion mirrors Dan's (Kevin McKidd), who suddenly finds himself in different eras, seeing his dead fiancee. Who wouldn't be confused by that?

As always, it's all about finding the right balance, something not always easy to do on the TV landscape.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the premiere of "Samantha Who?" (ABC, 9:30 p.m.) last week. It fulfilled the primary function of a sitcom - it made me laugh, something ABC sitcoms really haven't done in years. How long the premise of a woman re-discovering herself after amnesia may end up getting stretched thin, but it's hard to believe the same network that's given us this also gave us "Caveman" and "Carpoolers." But then, it's hard to believe the same network that has given us the god-awful "Big Shots" also airs "Pushing Daisies." So, what do I know? But given "Samantha's" timeslot between "Dancing With The Stars" and "The Bachelor," expect it to last a while.

What do I know, indeed? I find "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.) to be the best sitcom of the night, arguably the best on TV right now because I'm not enjoying the full hour versions of "The Office," yet "HIMYM" is the lowest rated CBS comedy, losing out to the likes of "Big Bang Theory," "2 1/2 Men" and "Rules of Engagement." But maybe the success of those shows, combined with "CSI: Miami," will keep "HIMYM" around for a while longer.

Speaking of great sitcoms, thank goodness for diminished expectations, because "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.) has been a riot, though no one seems to be watching. It follows "Everybody Hates Chris," and is followed by "Girlfriends" and "The Game."

Finally, I gave up on "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.) weeks ago, and haven't missed them. While a lot of "PB" fans were angered over the death of Dr. Sara, I've always hated what I thought was one of the dumber-written characters on TV. (How this woman got her M.D., I'll never know.) But "PB" is an example of trying to milk a show too much instead of finding a natural ending.

Some Reviews

Long-time contributor Jonathan asked for some reviews, especially of returning shows, last week. Now that I've caught up (mostly) on previewing the new shows on the schedule, it's ask-and-ye-shall-receive time. I'll look at the Monday shows today, with this being Monday and all.

Probably the biggest divide of any show out there is "Heroes," (NBC, 9 p.m.) Picking up a few months after last season's finale, we see old favorites (Parkman, Hiro, the Bennets) in different and unfamiliar situations as showrunner Tim Kring continues to introduce new characters.

Some people have criticized "Heroes" for being slow out of the gates, and perhaps there is some validity to that (we don't even catch our first glimpse of returning characters like Niki and Sylar until tonight), but if anyone remembers Season 1 of this show, Kring & Co. spend a lot of time setting up plotlines, usually with big payoffs later in the season. Clearly, a lot of "Heroes" is going to revolve around the company, and the trio of Parkman, Bennet and Mohindar trying to take it down. How does Hiro being in feudal Japan, or Peter having no memory, or the newly introduced Mexican twins play into that? I have no idea, but I have enough faith in the writing staff that there will be a payoff at some point this season. Meanwhile, the comic timing of Masi Oka and David Anders in feudal Japan has been nothing short of brilliant.

Also still on top of its game is "How I Met Your Mother." (CBS, 8 p.m.) The sub-plot of vacation Robin vs. New York Robin was well-executed, as was the death letters Marshall and Lily left for each other. How this show draws lower ratings than "Big Bang Theory" is really beyond me.

"Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) continues to sputter, and I finally gave up on it after two weeks. I mean, the show has bordered on the ridiculous for a while now, and introducing new conspiracies while not adequately wrapping up the old ones isn't the way to solve the show's problems.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Chuck" (NBC, 8 p.m.) has been one of the pleasant surprises of the new season, and the show gets even better this week now that the writers have established the premise. Chuck (Zachari Levi, one of the breakout stars on TV this season) must help track down one of the world's most dangerous terrorists, and to do so, he must learn to tango. Enter Captain Awesome! Meanwhile, Chuck continues to battle for the assistant manager's job at work. It's followed by "Heroes" and "Journeyman," (NBC, 10 p.m.), a show which I've liked but is struggling ratings-wise, most likely because of its confusing nature.

I've never been into "2 1/2 Men" nor "Rules of Engagement," which fill up CBS' 9-10 p.m. slot, and I don't think I'll start now, but the ratings have been pretty strong. It's followed by an all-new "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m.

Giving up on "Prison Break" also meant giving up on "K-Ville" (Fox, 9 p.m.) Despite a solid premise and a good cast, this show never lived up to the hype, devolving into car chases and standard '80s-fare cop melodrama.

Meanwhile, I eagerly await the second episode of "Aliens In America" (CW, 8:30 p.m.), which follows an all-new "Everybody Hates Chris." "Aliens" may be - arguably - the second-best pilot produced this year, only behind "Pushing Daisies."

Finally, I failed to mention it last week, but HBO is running a new miniseries mystery co-produced with the BBC called "Five Days," about a family that is abducted in the U.K. It had a very solid opening which re-airs tonight (HBO, 9:30 p.m.) before Part 2 airs Tuesday.

Emmy Aftermath

Well, the Emmy voters have spoken.

And they said, "Boy, we have no clue what we're doing!"

James Spader?!? Seriously?!? (Taking a deep breath...)

OK, except for the bewildering selection of Spader, I can't say the Emmy voters did a terrible job. Of course, I should, since I went 2 of 10 for my predictions. But I qualify my choices by pointing out that trying to read the mind of the average Emmy voter is nearly impossible. (And, in the last Oscar pool, I only missed two picks in the ENTIRE list.)

More importantly, the Emmy voters weren't representative of the fan choices in my rather unscientific poll. Here are the results:

DRAMAS
Best Drama
Winner: The Sopranos
Prediction: The Sopranos
TV Guy choice: Heroes
Fans' choice: The Sopranos (38%)
The only reason why I didn't pick The Sopranos was because of the uneven final season, and the pop culture impact of Heroes.

Best Actor
Winner: James Spader
Prediction: James Gandolfini
TV Guy/Fans' choice: Hugh Laurie (49%)
No comment. Why anything from Boston Legal earned a nomination is beyond me. Laurie's vote total was the highest in any category from you guys.

Best Actress
Winner: Sally Field
Prediction: Edie Falco
TV Guy pick: Falco
Fans' choice: Kyra Sedgwick (35%)
In hindsight, I was just dumb. I should have remembered than any voter in any award show likes Sally Field, really likes Sally Field. And my heart breaks for Edie for yet another year.

Supporting Actor
Winner: Terry O'Quinn
Prediction: Michael Imperioli
TV Guy pick: Michael Emerson
Fans' choice: T.R. Knight (37%)
OK, so I overestimated the love for The Sopranos. Didn't realize the blog has so many Grey's lovers. ...

Supporting Actress
Winner: Katherine Heigl
Prediction: Rachel Griffiths
TV Guy/Fans' choice: Heigl (25%)
This one really pleasantly surprised me, with so many Grey's actresses in the field.

COMEDIES
Best Comedy
Winner: 30 Rock
Prediction: Ugly Betty
TV Guy choice: Ugly Betty
Fans' choice: The Office (30%)
Right instinct on the voters going with something new, just the wrong choice.

Best Actor
Winner: Ricky Gervais
Prediction: Alec Baldwin
TV Guy choice: Ricky Gervais
Fans' choice: Tony Shalhoub/Charlie Sheen (27%)
In this case, you readers thought more like the average Emmy voter than the average Emmy voter did. Go figure. Glad to see the win for Gervais, obviously. I think Baldwin might have been hurt by his off-camera drama with his ex-wife and daughter. That shouldn't be a factor in voting, IMO, but on the other hand, off-camera stuff probably cost Isiah Washington a shot at an Emmy nomination, so I guess it evens out on a karma scale.

Best Actress
Winner/Prediction/TV Guy & Fans' choice: America Ferrera (32%)
This one was close to a mortal lock, though the field was pretty strong.

Supporting Actor
Winner: Jeremy Piven
Prediction: Rainn Wilson
TV Guy/Fans' choice: Neil Patrick Harris (42%)
I can't really argue the Piven pick, but it's hard to pick an actor when they are going against a co-star, no matter what the category.

Supporting Actress
Winner: Jamie Pressley
Prediction/TV Guy pick: Jenna Fischer
Fans' choice: Vanessa Williams (33%)
In this case, I was more surprised by the readers than the voters. Pressley should have won last year, so it's nice she got it this year.

I'd have more to say about the Academy's voting, but a' la Ray Romano during the Emmy telecast, it'd just get bleeped out.

MONDAY'S BEST: I don't know if you can consider tonight the official start of the fall season or not, but Fox is all-new tonight with the ridiculous "Prison Break" (Fox, 8 p.m.) followed by the underwhelming "K-Ville" at 9 p.m.

"PB" seriously over-reached last season with its ridiculous conspiracy plot, and by getting rid of Sarah Wayne Callies, it leaves itself open with some major plot holes. Plus, Michael breaking his crew out of another prison seems a bit repetitive.

I reviewed "K-Ville" several posts ago, so you can look that up, but the short of it is the pilot seemed too familiar and awash in cop show cliches despite the potentially very interesting setting of post-Katrina New Orleans.

Donald Trump puts in a guest shot as the banker on "Deal or No Deal" (NBC, 8 p.m.)Hopefully, he doesn't try to fire Howie Mandel midway through the episode.

Finally, "Saving Grace" (TNT, 10 p.m.) is all-new.