Big Finales

Two of TV's more interesting serialized shows - heading in vastly different directions - wrap up tonight.

"Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) has been one of TV's most sublime efforts, a show that started strong and has raised its game every week. Part of the reason for its success is that the show moves at a rapid pace, setting up big plot themes then bringing along fairly quick resolutions. For example, the "Save the cheerleader, save the world" theme that marked the first half of the season had a definite resolution, and three weeks ago we learned why it was so significant in the first place (so that the show's villain, Sylar, didn't steal Claire's power and become invulnerable).

Tonight's finale is supposed to resolve nearly all of the plotlines (Season 2 will have a new arc). With a number of key deaths this season of full-time characters - including a couple last week - who survives and who doesn't is very much up in the air. Perhaps no other show on TV has been better with coming up with better plot twists. VCR ALERT: "Heroes" is supposed to run about five minutes or so longer, so you may want to let your VCR/DVR/TIVO record into the next program.

On the other end of the spectrum is "24," (Fox, 8 p.m.) which is even being bashed by the show's most fervent fans. I've never made a secret of the fact I've never been a huge "24" fan, but at least in previous years the show was entertaining. This year has been something I wouldn't have thought possible - dull.

Tonight's two-hour finale will presumably have some sort of confrontation between Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) and his dad (James Cromwell), the apparent mastermind for everything bad the past couple of seasons. In addition, there will be more White House intrigue centered around the Vice President (Powers Boothe, who along with Peter MacNichol, has been among the few bright spots this season).

"24's" producers have been pretty much tuned in to the fan pulse by following along on the Internet, so hopefully they will listen to some of the suggestions thrown out there by moving the show out of L.A. and changing up things a bit.

"JERICHO" WRAP-UP?: As TV Guide first reported, CBS president Nina Tassler has apparently listened to fans of the show "Jericho," who complained that the show was cancelled with a cliff-hanger ending that won't be resolved.

This was posted at CBS.com:

To the fans of Jericho:

We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show -- both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too.

Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment

What that closure is remains a mystery. "Jericho's" low ratings at the end (the show was crippled by CBS's idiotic decision to split the season into halves and put a two-plus month break in the middle, killing its momentum) probably don't justify a TV movie, and doing an online-only episode would probably be cost prohibitive.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Now that summer is here and few of the shows on the air are new, I won't be posting the nightly Best Bets section as often.

ABC is all-new and all-reality, with a new "Dancing With The Stars" at 8 p.m., followed by the two-hour finale of "The Bachelor," in which another couple will get together in a doomed relationship. Seriously, almost none of the "Bachelor" couples have stayed together.

On NBC, "Deal or No Deal" is new at 8 p.m. Normally, I wouldn't highlight a game show, but the contestant tonight is real-life NYC subway hero Wesley Autrey Sr., which is kind of cool. After the "Heroes" finale, "Law & Order: CI" ends tonight with a 10:05 p.m. start time. In an unusual bit, "L&O:CI" moves to USA next season for first-run episodes, which will then be repeated on NBC. Since I used up my initials quota in that last sentence, that wraps things up today.

Network Upfronts V: CW

So, here we are, last and probably least, the CW.

The product of a shotgun wedding between the defunct WB and UPN networks, the CW managed to do even less ratings than either.

It's not as if the cupboard at the CW was completely bare coming in. I'm a big fan of "Veronica Mars," "Smallville" and "Supernatural," and shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "7th Heaven" had their own followings.

But, for whatever reason, the network just hasn't caught on, and I don't think there's much in the upcoming fall season that's going to change that.

As I posted yesterday, the CW ended "Veronica Mars," and it's unlikely the proposed spinoff of having Veronica become an FBI agent with a new supporting cast is going to happen. The network did say it wanted to do projects with both star Kristen Bell and series creator Rob Thomas, but it likely will not be anything involving our plucky teen detective.

But for me, Thursday's upfronts were a time to celebrate. "Supernatural," another CW with a cult following that was on the bubble, was officially renewed. Since I had already written off "VM," and since I think "Supernatural" is a more consistently entertaining show anyway, it was actually a pretty good day.

As for the new stuff, decide for yourself:

-"Aliens in America" (Mondays, 8:30 p.m.) is about a teenager who gets a Pakistani Muslim exchange student as his new best friend. It promises to explore issues of tolerance while presumably making us laugh.

-"Reaper" (Tuesdays, 9 p.m.) sounds like it would have been perfectly paired with "Supernatural." It's about a young man who finds out his parents sold his soul to the Devil and he must now serve as Satan's bounty hunter, capturing escaping demons.

-"Gossip Girl" (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.) is supposed to be the next guilty pleasure, in the vein of "The O.C." Based on the series of popular teen books, it focuses on the kids at an upscale Manhattan prep school.

-"CW Now" (Sundays, 7 p.m.) is an "Entertainment Tonight"-styled show that focuses on the youth market. Doesn't everything these days?

-"Online Nation" (Sundays, 7:30 p.m.) may be the CW's most innovative idea. It culls the best of homemade videos and serves as a kind of weekly YouTube.

-"Life is Wild" (Sundays, 9 p.m.) is based on a BBC series about a family that moves to South Africa. The series is shot entirely on location.

-So far, the CW has made its bread-and-butter some really awful reality series. In addition to the return of "Pussycat Dolls" in midseason, the network is also offering "Farmer Wants a Wife," which sounds pretty self-explanatory, and "The Mother of All Pageants," in which mother-daughter teams compete in a pageant.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: This one is almost worthy of its own blog posting. ABC is trying to find the next craze that will match Texas Hold 'Em. Unfortunately, all the network suits could come up with is "National Bingo Night," (ABC, 9 p.m.), quite possibly one of the dumbest ideas in recent memory. Of course, these were the same suits that decided to yank "Lost" for two months in favor of "Daybreak."

Supposedly, "Bingo" will have a few tweaks and a more interactive element so that someone who is not in the studio audience might actually watch. Why don't the networks get it? Poker has certain elements, certain strategies, that makes it watchable at home; in bingo, all you're waiting for the little ball to roll out and say "B-12" and for someone to show bingo.

CBS continues to celebrate veteran TV personalities by honoring Walter Cronkite at 8 p.m., followed by a Dr. Phil special and the season finale of "Numb3rs" at 10 p.m.

"Law & Order" (NBC, 10 p.m.) also wraps up tonight.

On Saturday, "Robin Hood" (BBC America, 9 p.m.) begins a two-part season finale. Also, you can catch up on one of TV's best new and talked-about shows with a marathon of "Heroes" on the Sci-Fi Channel beginning Saturday morning. It will give you enough time to catch up before Monday's season finale.

On Sunday, I'm actually looking forward to the adventures of Jack Bauer. No, not the "24" season finale, but rather Kiefer Sutherland's guest star role on the 400th episode of "The Simpsons" (Fox, Sun., 8 p.m.)

Network Upfronts IV: Fox

Technically, I have the upfronts for both Fox and the CW today, but I'll just focus on the former today and the latter tomorrow. (Sneak peek for tomorrow - "Veronica Mars" is 99.9 percent dead.)

Say this for Fox. It knows its audience. The networks upfronts show probably the broadest mix of shows that will be added to a pretty strong roster (ratings wise) already.

Fox being Fox, the new shows contain a higher mix of reality-based shows than the other networks, but considering Fox's bread-and-butter is "American Idol," this probably doesn't come as a shock.

Among the new reality shows is an "AI" spinoff, tentatively titled "The Search For the Next Great American Band" (Fridays, 8 p.m.), getting an odd timeslot considering the audience it's targeting. One would have presumed it would be in "AI's" slots, but hey, what do I know? It will be joined by "Nashville," (Fridays, 9 p.m.), from the producers of "Laguna Beach," about presumably very good looking people trying to make it on the Nashville music and social scene.

Gordon Ramsay will have a second show with the network, called "Kitchen Nightmares," in which he tries to turn around struggling restaurants.

On the scripted front, Fox has one of the more highly anticipated sitcoms for next year, "Back To You," starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as newscasters.

Drama-wise, Fox is offering "K-Ville," (Mondays, 9 p.m.) starring Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as cops in post-Katrina New Orleans, and "New Amsterdam," (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.) about an immortal detective in New York, produced by Lasse Hallstrom.

Fox has probably done a better job than most networks in dividing up its fall and midseason schedules. After getting killed early on, Fox was able to ride out "AI," "24" and others to ratings victories. In fact, its midseason replacements look more intriguing than the stuff this fall. Among those shows are:

-"Canterbury's Law," starring Julianna Margulies as a win-at-all-costs defense attorney. The show is produced by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico of "Rescue Me" fame, so I have a lot of high hopes with this one.

-"The Sarah Connor Chronicles" picks up in the timeline between "Terminator 2" and "T3." Lena Headey ("300") takes over in the Linda Hamilton role.

-"Return of Jezebel James" is a comedy starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as sisters.

-"Starting Over," starring Rashida Jones of "The Office" is a sitcom produced by the Farrelly brothers.

On the bright side, Fox isn't foisting any more shows like "Vanished" upon us.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: Season finales galore tonight.

ABC leads things off with the final episodes this season of "Ugly Betty" at 8 p.m., followed by Christina and Burke's wedding on "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m. At 10 p.m. is the intriguing "Lost: Answers" in which producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindleof attempt to answer some of the shows questions before next week's finale. My guess is that very little will be revealed.

"The Office" (NBC, 8 p.m.) wraps up its season with an hour-long finale. Two endings were filmed with this one, so don't necessarily believe anything you read about it on the Internet. It's followed by the season-finale of "Scrubs," in which presumably J.D. will choose between Kim and Elliott. "ER" also wraps up at 10 p.m.

"Smallville" (CW, 8 p.m.) wraps up its season on an awesome note, bringing back the Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris), while "Supernatural" has been awesome all season, so I expect nothing less out of tonight's finale.

CBS continues the Bob Barker celebrations by looking back at his 50 years in TV at 8 p.m., while "CSI" finishes up tonight at 9 p.m.

Network Upfronts III: CBS

I'm pleased to report absolutely legendary news, that CBS will renew "How I Met Your Mother" for next season.

For me, the show is in a tie with "The Office" as TV's best sitcom, so this is great news.

As for the rest of the network's new fall lineup, it will look much the same as last year's. Notable cancellations include "The Class" and "Jericho," which started out to strong ratings but was killed by the network's stupidity with a long break of over two months between the first and second halves of the season.

Other bubble shows that survived the cut are "The Unit," "The Amazing Race" and "New Adventures of Old Christine."

CBS will likely have the fewest changes of any of the networks. There are only five new scripted shows and two reality/game shows.

Most notable among the new crop is "Viva Laughlin" (Sundays, 8 p.m.) Executive produced by Hugh Jackman, who will occasionally appear in the series (similar to Salma Hayek and "Ugly Betty"), the show is based on the BBC musical series "Viva Blackpool." It's a musical-romance-mystery, about a gambler who buys a casino. Jackman plays the gambler's main rival.

CBS' other big drama is "Cane," (Tuesdays, 10 p.m.) starring Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo in a multi-generational story about a Cuban-American family and their sugarcane business. It also stars Rita Morena, Nestor Carbonell and Polly Walker.

Other shows announced by CBS:

-"Moonlight" (Fridays, 9 p.m.) is the tale of a vampire who uses his powers for good by battling other vampires, starring newcomer Alex O'Loughlin. I liked this show the first time around - when it was called "Angel."

-"Big Bang Theory" (Mondays, 8:30 p.m.) is CBS' lone new sitcom, about two geniuses who lack social skills. I've been told that I could be classified in such a way, though not so much with the genius part.

-"Swingtown," starring Molly Parker, is a midseason replacement about the swinging lifestyle in a suburban neighborhood in 1970s Chicago. Sounds like a premise that would work better on HBO or Showtime, but we'll see.

-"Power of 10" is a game show hosted by Drew Carey, in which contestants battle for a $10 million prize by guessing statistical facts about the average American.

-"Kid Nation" sounds like "Survivor" crossed with "The Twilight Zone." Forty kids will be sent to a New Mexico ghost town and be given six weeks to turn the town around by running it completely - no adults are present. They must cook, clean, govern, run the businesses, etc.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Though Bob Barker isn't retiring until the summer, the venerable game show host gets a big sendoff tonight with "The Price Is Right Million-Dollar Spectacular" (CBS, 8 p.m.) One can only hope Neil Patrick Harris makes a cameo, in case you missed the instant classic "How I Met Your Mother" three weeks ago. It's followed by the season finales of "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: NY."

In case you haven't caught up on "Lost" (ABC, 10 p.m.) yet on your DVR, I won't spoil last week's killer (pun intended) ending except to say we won't find out the fate off that specific character this week. Make a note, though, that TV Guide has reported that four characters are supposed to die at some point before the end of the season. I'm just saying...

"Bones" (Fox, 8 p.m.) wraps up its sophomore year with another case, and more importantly, the wedding of Hodgins and Angela. It was kind of ingenious how the writers diverted the attention between a Booth-Bones romance by shifting gears with these two characters. It's followed by the "American Idol" voting results show, in which fans of the show get down to the final two.

NBC airs the series finale of "Crossing Jordan" at 9 p.m. and the season finale of "Medium" at 10 p.m.

Finally, "Hustle" (AMC, 10 p.m.) is also all-new.

Network Upfronts II: ABC

Sorry for the late update, I had newspaper work to do. Then I saw what ABC is presenting for next season, and I didn't feel so bad.

Of course, the big hope for the network is "Private Practice" the spinoff to "Grey's Anatomy" that was introduced as a backdoor pilot two weeks ago. It focuses on Dr. Addison Shepard (Kate Walsh) and stars the likes of Tim Daly, Amy Brennaman and Taye Diggs. Interestingly, ABC is using the show to establish a strong beachhead on Wednesdays, giving it the 9 p.m. slot that has been a black hole for the network since it moved "Lost" out of there.

"Private Practice" will be joined by two other new shows on Wednesdays: "Pushing Daisies," about a kid who can revive the dead (one-upping Haley Joel Osment), and "Dirty Sexy Money," a prime-time soap opera.

Besides "Private Practice," the other series that is drawing a lot of attention is "Cavemen." Based on the Geico commercials, it's about Cro-Magnons in modern-day Atlanta (must...resist...urge...to...make...joke...here...). It's hard to think of another series for next fall that got as much panning as "Cavemen," but I suppose I could have missed one. ABC pretty much axed all of its other comedies, except for "According to Jim," which hasn't gotten a decision either way.

In a good news/bad news scenario, "Lost" won't be returning until midseason as ABC continues to kill a golden goose, but at least it will air uninterrupted over the course of next season.

Other shows on the schedule this fall:

-"Big Shots" stars Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus and Josh Molina as dysfunctional CEOs who are also all buddies.

-"Eli Stone," about a lawyer who suffers a brain aneurysm, then starts to have visions.

-"Carpoolers," a sitcom focusing on four men from different lifestyles who bond together on the way to work.

-"Cashmere Mafia," about four women professionals in the "Sex & The City" model. NBC is also trying to rip off that formula.

-"Women's Murder Club" is based on James Patterson's books. It's about four women (a cop, a D.A., an M.E. and a reporter) who work together to solve murders. I guess if the "Sex & The City" gals were moved to "CSI," it'd look something like this.

-"Miss/Guided" is a sitcom about a former geek becoming the guidance counselor at her old school, where she must work beside her former nemesis, the popular cheerleader who is now a teacher.
-"Sam I Am," starring Christina Applegate, is about a woman with amnesia who finds out she was a lousy person in her former life.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: "Gilmore Girls," one of the few signature shows from the old WB that made the leap to the CW, ends its run tonight with the series finale (CW, 8 p.m.) The bad news is that it breaks the hearts of "GG's" small, but fanatic followers, but gives hope that "Veronica Mars" (CW, 9 p.m.) may stand a better chance of being renewed.

"American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.) gets down to the nitty-gritty with its final three. Incidentally, "AI" is holding a charity auction beginning Monday in which its hosts and famous alums are donating clothing to charity. Visit www.clothesoffourback.org for more details. It's followed by a new "House" at 9 p.m.

Before turning to cavemen, ABC will air two hours of "Dancing With The Stars" at 8 p.m., followed by a new "Boston Legal" at 10 p.m. Continuing with a musical theme, you can catch the Country Music Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.) tonight.

Last, and certainly not least, "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) is all-new. It's one of the few shows you can make a case for that has never suffered a drop in quality in any season.

Network Upfronts I: NBC

No network this season came through with better quality programs than NBC - and none had more blow up in their face.

"Kidnapped," "Studio 60" and "The Black Donnellys" were just some of the shows the network had high hopes for, only to see them fizzle out with the ratings. Even some of the new shows that did make it, such as "30 Rock" and "Friday Night Lights," were more critical successes than commercial. Only "Heroes" qualifies as a genuine bona fide hit for NBC.

As the network announces its new shows for next season today, the questions are, will the quality still be there? And, can NBC find some ratings success this season?

With NBC, it's hard to tell. I thought "Kidnapped" and "Studio 60" would be the next big things for the network, and neither was a ratings smash.

On the drawing board for the Peacock are:

--"Journeyman," which gets the post-"Heroes" timeslot Monday. Starring Kevin McKidd ("Rome"), it centers on a reporter who travels back in time to help people. (Insert "Quantum Leap" allusion here.)

--"Chuck," which will air Tuesday at 9 p.m., is a lighthearted look at a techie who accidentally becomes a spy.

--"Bionic Woman." Snicker all you want about remakes of 1970s TV shows, but look at well "Battlestar Galactica" has turned out. It's being produced by BSG's David Eick and "Kidnapped's" Jason Smilovic, so I actually have high hopes for this.

--"Life" (Wed., 10-11 p.m.) stars Damian Lewis of "Band of Brothers" as a cop wrongly jailed for seven years returning to the force.

--"Lipstick Jungle" is the newest opus from "Sex & the City's" Candace Bushnell, airing Sundays at 10 p.m. It could, in theory, pick up some of the post-"Desperate Housewives" crowd from ABC.

--"The IT Crowd" is a remake of a British sitcom focusing on tech guys in an office. NBC tends to be real hit ("The Office") and miss ("Coupling") when it remakes Britcoms.

--Also on the schedule are a worldwide dance contest show from "American Idol's" Randy Jackson; "Singing Bee," a game show in which the contestants must sing the lyrics to popular songs; and a project from Jerry Seinfeld. In addition, "Heroes" will expand to 30 episodes with a project called "Heroes: Origins," in which people can go to nbc.com and vote in new characters and backstories for familiar ones.

NBC is also either very likely, or already has, renewed "Scrubs" (yay!) and the "Law & Order" franchise for additional seasons.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: TV's current longest-running sitcom takes a final bow tonight with the final two episodes of "King of Queens" (CBS, 9 p.m.) It follows what may be the series finale (hopefully not) of "How I Met Your Mother" at 8 p.m. and "2 1/2 Men" at 8:30 p.m. "CSI: Miami" is also new tonight.

George Takei returns as Hiro's father in the penultimate "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.), which will be followed by a new "Law & Order: CI" at 10 p.m. "24" (Fox, 9 p.m.) is also new. How can we go on without Milo?

"The Riches" (FX, 10 p.m.) is nearly done with its first season, but has already been renewed for a second one.

Finally, "American Experience" (PBS, 9 p.m.) profiles Alexander Hamilton, who I personally think is the most fascinating figure in American history, though most people seem to prefer his rival, Thomas Jefferson.

Get To The Whacking, Already

Mob shows, like the men they portray, ought to go out with a bang and not a whimper.

Yet as we hit the midpoint of the final season of "The Sopranos" (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.), the show seems to be trotting to the finish line rather than sprinting.

After starting off the season with a very underrated and strong episode focusing on Bobby selling his soul to Tony, the rest of the season has been pretty uneven. I enjoyed the Junior-centric episode about life in a mental hospital and how fall Junior had fallen, but did we need an episode devoted to Vito Jr.'s Goth phase?

There are only 10 episodes for the show's final season, and half have been squandered to an extent by centering on A.J.'s failed romance with a divorced woman and his subsequent moping. There was some potential last week between Paulie and Christopher and the feud that has been brewing between them, but I'm guessing that came to end when Chris chose another target to take out his frustrations upon (why does Hollywood always have nasty fates for screenwriters?)

Hopefully the show gets back on track this weekend with the promise of some conflict between Tony and Phil Leotardo. It's time for some whacking.

'LIGHT' IT UP!: This week's Woo-Hoo! award goes to NBC, which will give the critically acclaimed "Friday Night Lights" a full order renewal for next season, multiple sources reported Friday.

"Lights" is arguably TV's best new drama this season, and despite mediocre ratings, NBC elected to do the right thing and opt for quality, something it owed the public after foisting "Real Life Wedding Crashers" upon us.

Now, we just have to wait to see if Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton get the Emmy nominations they so richly deserve.

GRACE ON 'THE VIEW'?: Rumors from The New York Daily News have Maconite Nancy Grace replacing Rosie O'Donnell on "The View." More on this as it develops.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: CBS winds down its season with new episodes of "Ghost Whisperer," "Close To Home" and "Numb3rs." On NBC, it's another two-hour "Dateline," followed by "Law & Order" at 10 p.m.

Yet another pitch for "Robin Hood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.), a ripping good yarn about the old legend, and new Fox animation episodes on Sunday.

Traveler Blues

I'm really not sure about the marketing strategy over at ABC. They certainly seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

Take the new series "Traveler" (ABC, 10 p.m.), which sat on the shelves at the network for nearly a year. It's got a similar premise to the fugitive. Two friends are framed for a terrorist bombing. While on the run from the law, they must find their third friend, who apparently is the one who set them up. The show follows the serialized nature of other shows like "Lost."

Despite its long time on the bench, "Traveler" couldn't ask for a better debut spot: Right behind new episodes of "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy." But after tonight, "Traveler" returns to the bench for a couple of weeks and doesn't air its second episode until the end of the month. Part of the reason is that the series underwent a lot of re-shoots.

Still, ABC seems to have learned nothing from the damage it did to "Lost," or what CBS did to "Jericho" by scheduling long breaks between episodes, thus killing any momentum for the show.

I don't know if "Traveler" is worth an hour of your time (ABC doesn't send me preview DVDs), but just be warned, if you get hooked tonight, it's going to be a wait for Episode 2.

DRIVE FINALE: In the latest "What's the point?" move from Fox, Ain't It Cool News is reporting the final two episodes of "Drive" will finally air - on July 4. Yup, speaking of serialized shows and waiting time, that's over two months to air two episodes. What, Fox couldn't throw them up on a Friday or Saturday and just get rid of them? Even fans of the series will have a hard time remembering what is going on if they have to wait until July to see the episodes.

Of course, this is the same network that couldn't even be bothered to air the final episode of "Tru Calling" a couple of years ago. One final episode, and it sat on the shelf in lieu of some rerun. Nice, Fox.

'BAND' AID: Speaking of Fox, the producers of "American Idol" are expanding their repertoire by launching a new show that will do for bands what AI has done for singers.

Fox announced the new series will air over the summer as judges scour the country and accept DVDs of would-be contenders. For more information, visit www.americanidol.com.

Frankly, I'm surprised no one came up with this idea before, given the success of "AI." Searching for a great band seems like the next logical step.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: Another week of Jeff Zucker's legacy - NBC airs more super-sized episodes of its Thursday sitcoms, beginning with "My Name Is Earl" at 8 p.m. and followed by a new "Office" at 8:39 or whenever the heck it's supposed to start. "Scrubs" starts around 9:20, I think, followed by a new "ER" at 10:01 p.m. It's not that I don't appreciate a few extra scenes among my favorite group of sitcoms, but it really is annoying.

CBS airs its all-new lineup of shows in one-hour allotments, beginning with "Survivor" and followed by "CSI" and "Without A Trace."

Fox can't find an hour to air "Drive," but it's giving "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?" a two-hour block tonight as someone goes for $1 million.

Finally, "Battlestar Galactica's" Tahmoh Penikett guest-stars as a super soldier on tonight's "Smallville" (CW, 8 p.m.) and is followed by a new "Supernatural," which has been awesome the last few weeks.

'Lost' Is Finishing, Not Ending

By now you've heard the announcement from ABC that "Lost" will conclude in the 2009-10 season.

Some fans of the show are in a panic, and some critics point to declining ratings as a reason for the announcement. But the truth is, the show's creative staff have always said the show would end with a natural conclusion after roughly five seasons.

I see the announcement as good news. As much as I don't want to see the show leave, knowing how many episodes are left gives the writers a way to outline exactly how they will finish telling their story. There won't be any sort of "X-Files" dragging it out for yet another season, never answering the questions the show puts out there.

The only downside to the announcement is that ABC is giving the show an order of 16 episodes for the next three years, not the usual 22. The upside is that the network will air the episodes consecutively, so we won't have sit through a six-week gap while the network foists another "Daybreak" on us.

Meanwhile, rumors of "Lost's" demise have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, the show's ratings are down, but the Nielsens have found it's one of the most recorded shows on the air, which significantly alters the so-called audience loss that has been reported much of the year. Many of those viewers are simply recording the show on DVRs or VCRs and watching at their convenience.

Tonight's episode, entitled "The Man Behind The Curtain" (ABC, 10 p.m.) gives the origin story of Ben Linus (Michael Emerson), leader of The Others. For Emerson's thoughts on being part of the series, you can click on my interview with him, cleverly entitled Interview With Michael Emerson, on the right hand side of the page. Emerson's real-life wife, Macon actress Carrie Preston, appears in the flashback sequence as Emily, Ben's mother.

Speaking of renewals, NBC announced it is renewing "Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.) for another year. Seriously, has anyone met anyone else who actually watches "Medium?" Just curious.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Perhaps "Lost's" ratings would be better if ABC didn't air sitcoms the likes of "According To Jim" and "Notes From The Underbelly" ahead of it. But hey, they're all new as well.

CBS counters with its all-new episodes of the ratings-challenged "Jericho" at 8 p.m., followed by "Criminal Minds" (another head-scratcher of a hit) and "CSI: NY," in which John McEnroe is supposedly a suspect, in case you believe the ads. I'm going out on a limb and guess he didn't do it.

NBC offers "Thank God You're Here" and "Crossing Jordan"; the former is a likely renewal candidate, the latter, not so much.

"Bones" continues a strong second half of its sophomore season with an episode that allows viewers to follow tonight's case online for clues. Check out fox.com. "Bones" precedes the "American Idol" voting results show.

"Hustle" (AMC, 10 p.m.) is also all-new.

The Showrunner Must Go On

CBS made it official this week, announcing series creator Don Bellisario will be leaving "NCIS," effective immediately, several media outlets are reporting.

Bellisario and series star Mark Harmon reportedly weren't seeing eye-to-eye about how the show was being run.

It's kind of an interesting situation. Bellisario has had a long TV resume, creating the likes of "Magnum, P.I.," "Quantum Leap" and "JAG" before creating "NCIS," (CBS, 8 p.m.) one of the network's better procedurals in a network full of procedurals.

Harmon revitalized his career leading his team of agents as LeRoy Jethro Gibbs, the no-nonsense ex-Marine. What made the situation on the set interesting was that the Gibbs character was written out briefly at the end of last season, and wise-cracking senior agent Tony DiNozo (Michael Weatherly) filled in ably as the team leader. The show, in theory, could have gone on without Gibbs, so it was interesting the network chose to replace Bellisario.

Don't feel too bad for Bellisario, however - he has two series in development right now. "NCIS" will continue to be run by the show's remaining producers.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: "Gilmore Girls" (CW, 8 p.m.) fans only have a couple of episodes left before the May 15 series finale. That show's cancellation hasn't really increased the chances of "Veronica Mars" (CW, 9 p.m.) to return, however.

In full ripped-from-the-headlines mode, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 9 p.m.) offers its take on the Anna Nicole Smith case, with guest star Kristy Swanson in the faux Anna role. It's followed by "L&O: SVU," because I really like typing initials.

It's down to four on "American Idol," (Fox, 8 p.m.) While she is still with us, catch all of the "AI" post-game analysis on Maggie Large's music blog, Amped. A brand-new "House" follows at 9 p.m.

ABC rolls out two new episodes of "George Lopez" at 8 p.m., followed by Nelly Furtado appearing on "Dancing With the Stars" and a new "Practice."

And, saving the best for last, "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) is all-new tonight as well.

Mother vs. Christine Death Match

CBS hasn't come out and said anything one way or the other, but it's looking as if the network will only keep either "New Adventures of Old Christine" or "How I Met Your Mother" next season, but not both.

Both shows are solid, but unspectacular in the ratings, and neither approaches the numbers of "2 1/2 Men" or "Rules of Engagement." Since CBS seems to be limiting its comedy offerings to Monday nights from 8-10 p.m. and the rest of the time devoting itself to procedurals, there is very limited space for a sitcom to make it with them.

It's a shame really, since both "Christine" and "HIMYM" have a lot to offer and are two of the better sitcoms on TV. "Christine" offers the inimatble Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who deservedly earned an Emmy last season, with a solid supporting cast. The structure of the show is vaguely reminiscent of early "Frasier," with the supporting cast playing off the featured star.

But "HIMYM" has now moved into a tie with "The Office" as my favorite sitcom. When the show first came out, I thought the producers made a mistake by introducing the Ted-Robin romance early on, only to throw in the twist that Robin was the titular mother the show is supposed to be about.

The show, however, deftly handled the romantic complications of the main couple while building a terrific supporting cast that soon evolved into a "Friends"-like structure. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the show is the pop culture status it's attaining through certain plotlines - Robin Sparkles, the slap bets, the Barneyisms.

CBS was kind enough to send me the season finales for both shows, and each is in rare form. Christine faces the consequences of sleeping with her ex-husband, while Marshall and Lily's wedding on "HIMYM" attempts to take place despite numerous glitches. And the Ted-Robin romance undergoes a significant change.

"Christine's" finale feels like a season finale, as if the show could return next season. "HIMYM" acts as both a season finale and a series finale in case the show isn't renewed. If it is the end, it would be a shame, because there is a lot of territory for these characters to explore.

Here's a suggestion for CBS: Keep them both. If there isn't enough room on the fall schedule, air one and let the other serve as a midseason replacement. With the year-round programming the networks now face thanks to the challenges presented by cable TV, neither CBS nor anyone can afford to dump a quality show even with a full schedule.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is going to have a hard time topping last week's trip to the future, but I have faith in the producers to keep the show as riveting as it has been all season. It's ironic that the one complaint I hear about this series - that it's giving away too many answers too early - is the exact opposite complaint of "Lost." Make up your minds, people.

"24" (Fox, 9 p.m.) continues to stumble its way through the season, with its producers already promising sweeping changes for next season. We'll see.

Interview With Lost's Michael Emerson

I always thought Michael Emerson was a good actor and a great villain ever since he joined the cast of "Lost" as Ben Linus, leader of The Others.

But Emerson is a better actor than I thought. If you expect him to be creepy and evil like his alter ego, you couldn't be more wrong — he's a very pleasant fellow with a good sense of humor.

I spoke with Emerson because his wife, Macon-born actress Carrie Preston, will appear in the May 9 episode of "Lost," in which she plays Emily, the mother of the Ben character in a series of flashbacks. My full interview with Preston can be found at macon.com or in Friday's edition of The Telegraph.

But I took advantage of the opportunity to speak to Emerson about what it was like to be a member of the cast of one of TV's most talked-about shows, especially since he started out as a guest star whose part grew and grew.

Emerson got the role in part because of his Emmy-winning work in 2001 on "The Practice."

Though Preston was reluctant to do an interview initially because she was worried she might reveal too much of what happens, Emerson was more comfortable talking about the show, although he said revealing something is also in the back of his mind.

"It's hard to tell," he said. "I'll say something, then I always wonder, 'Can I say that?' But I've never heard of a big reveal anywhere."

Perhaps part of the way the producers of the show ensure its secrecy is by keeping the rest of the cast as in the dark as the viewers. Emerson said he and the other stars have no idea what is coming up next, and often spend as much time trying to figure out the show's meaning as do the fans.

"It's very much a mystery to the cast," he said. "We only know what is going on when we get the script in our hands. We don't know what is going to happen in two or three or four episodes. The writers might give you a clue, but they tease you with it. They'll say something cryptic like 'Be ready for a big change.' You get greedy to get your hands on a script, because you want to see if you live or die."

Death has been a big part of the series during its three seasons, killing off castaways Boone, Shannon, Mr. Eko, Ana Lucia, Libby and Arzt. TV Guide is reporting four more deaths this season on "Lost" following the killing of Locke's father this past Wednesday night. Is Emerson worried about Ben's survival?

"Luckily, the season finale is pretty much in the can," he said with a laugh. "Anyone who is alive in the finale will probably live on into next season."

Just because the finale is shot, however, doesn't mean that what will happen still isn't a mystery to Emerson. He said only the actors involved in the final scene know how the season ends for sure - the rest of the cast has a blank page on their scripts.

"Only the regulars involved know," he said. "We're sitting around trying to figure out what is going on. I can say there is a big revelation in the final episode this season, but only the actors involved have seen it. I'm going to have to tune into the season finale!"

Emerson and Preston met 12 years ago working in a production of "Hamlet" together as part of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. As a couple, they worked together in "29th & Gay," which Preston directed, and "Straight-jacket." Other movies Emerson has done include "Saw," "Unfaithful," and "The Laramie Project." On the TV side, he has had guest roles on "Law & Order: SVU," "Without a Trace" and "The X-Files."

Emerson said he and most of the cast try to avoid reading the various Web sites and message boards devoted to "Lost."

"I think most of the cast tries to keep their distance from that," he said. "It kind of blurs the boundaries a little bit. If you go there, you have to use your e-mail address, and suddenly you're a pen pal to the world. It raises some privacy issues. Most of us have friends who check on things.

"One of the reason I don't look at the chat spaces is that even if you look at just one, it can be annoying or discouraging. There might be a thread saying, 'Is Michael Emerson the second- or third-ugliest man on TV?' Who needs to hear that?" Emerson added with a laugh.

The only problem with Emerson's success on "Lost" is that it ties him up for long periods of time, making it difficult to do other work.

"It's interesting to have a stable job after having an unusual life as a gypsy actor," he said. "The show shoots in the mid-Pacific, away from other opportunities. It's all 'Lost,' all the time. It's a little bit of a tradeoff."

But for Emerson, playing Ben has its own rewards. Even though the character is shrouded in mystery, he is able to take a straight approach into playing him.

"I'm surprised such a thing has happened for me," he said of Ben's popularity. "I knew it was a good character from the first time I read it. But I was surprised the way he took off.

"(The writers) came up with a good thing, because they had not put a face on the enemy. It was something people craved. ... I play pretty much everything straight. The story is the context on how they apply the mystery."

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: Sorry, a little bleary from catching a midnight showing of "Spider-Man 3." AWESOME, by the way. If you want to refresh your memory of the series, you can catch "Spider-Man 2" (FX, 8 p.m.) tonight before you hit the theatres this weekend.

If you missed the backdoor pilot for the Addison spinoff on "Grey's Anatomy," (ABC, 8 p.m.) you can catch it again Friday night.

CBS is all-new, with "Ghost Whisperer," "Close To Home" and "Numb3rs." On NBC, "Dateline" is two full hours tonight, followed by a new "Law & Order."

Saturday's highlights include my weekly pitch for "Robin Hood," (BBC America, 9 p.m.), a ripping good yarn. I've had some people ask me when BBC America is re-running the series, because they missed the beginning. I'll post here when they do.

Sunday includes the wrap-up of "The Amazing Race" (CBS, 8 p.m.).

Addison's Anatomy

"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 9 p.m.) fans will get a sneak peek at the new untitled spinoff for next season that will feature Kate Walsh's character of Addison.

Since the rumors of this project first came out a few months ago, things have developed very quickly. Big-time actors like Taye Diggs and Tim Daly have been added to the cast, and it should get a plum time-slot on the schedule when ABC announces its new series for next season in a couple of weeks.

Tonight's episode is a two-hour affair that will continue "Grey's" normal plotlines, but also contain what is called a "backdoor pilot." Addison will attend a reunion where she will meet up with the other characters of the new series, which is to be set in L.A. and revolve around a private plastic surgery practice.

While ABC is expecting the spinoff to bring in big numbers, thanks to the "Grey's" audience, spinoffs are kind of hit and miss in the annals of TV. For every "Frasier," the brilliant spinoff of the classic "Cheers," there's a lot more "Joeys," the disaster that came out of the megahit "Friends."

"All In The Family" was the king of spinoffs, producing "Archie Bunker's Place," "Maude," "Gloria" and "The Jeffersons" for CBS. Though none of them ever reached the popularity of the original, all were solid shows that had decent runs.

Today, networks are looking to come up with franchises, which is why there have been four "Law & Orders" and three "CSIs." Arguably the most successful spinoff on the air right now that isn't part of a franchise is "NCIS," which emerged from a backdoor pilot from the TV series "JAG."

The Addison spinoff is probably coming at the right time for ABC, which I'm guessing will air it with "Grey's" and "Ugly Betty" on Thursdays next season until it establishes its own audience, then likely move it to another night to establish a beachhead there.

IS YOUR FIFTH GRADER SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE AMERICAN?: Fox's hit game show, "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" has been one of the surprise hits of the season. The show, hosted by Atlanta comedian Jeff Foxworthy, is looking for new fifth graders as presumably the current crop is graduating to the sixth grade. There will be tryouts all over the country, including Atlanta. For more information, go to http://fox.com/AreYouSmarter.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: CBS was kind enough to send me tonight's season finale of "Shark" (CBS, 10 p.m.) It's a pretty strong finish to what's been an entertaining if uneven freshman year for the James Woods hit. In tonight's episode, psycho murderer Wayne Collison (Billy Campbell) returns. The episode features some great work from Woods, Campbell and Jeri Ryan, whose character of D.A. Jessica Devlin was criminally underused this season as she shows tonight. The ending is something you won't see coming. It's preceded by a new "Survivor" and "CSI."

NBC is supersizing everything again, which means extra minutes from your favorite shows while extra work for your VCRs. With weird episode lengths of 37 minutes for the sitcoms, you may want to let your tapes run long or record the following program if you have a DVR. If you tune in just for "ER," note that it will start at 9:53 p.m. tonight. Supersizing episodes has to be one of the more annoying trends in recent memory.

"Ugly Betty" (ABC, 8 p.m.) is also new, preceding the "Grey's" two-hour event.

"Smallville" (CW, 8 p.m.) is built around a fantasy sequence set in the 1940s; they did something like this a few years ago when they did a 1950s episode, so we'll see. "Supernatural" follows.

COMING FRIDAY: The TV Guy interviews Michael Emerson, who plays the villainous Ben Linus on "Lost."

A Soupçon Of This & That

Just a brief update today, loyal dozens, but I promise to make up for it with a really cool exclusive I have from the "Lost" set that will run in some time this week in The Telegraph and macon.com.

A&E appears to be getting back into the quality drama game with its announcement of a new adaptation of Michael Crichton's "The Andromeda Strain." The miniseries will be produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott and directed by Mikael Salomon. Production is set to begin this summer.

Meanwhile, TBS and TNT announced the return of their original programs for this summer. The Golden Globe-winning "The Closer," starring Kyra Sedgwick, returns June 18. It will be teamed with the new drama "Heartland," about a transplant surgeon, starring Treat Williams and Kari Matchett.

TNT will debut "Saving Grace," starring Holly Hunter as a detective in Oklahoma City who meets an angel that helps her put her life back together, on July 18. Perhaps the most interesting project from the network is "The Company," starring Michael Keaton, Chris O'Donnell and Alfred Molina. It's a miniseries that looks at the CIA during the Cold War. It debuts Aug. 5.

TBS' newest comedy is "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," which arrives June 6, and will be joined by "The Bill Engvall Show," starring Engvall and Nancy Travis, on July 17. "My Boys," a very clever comedy that got better each episode, returns on July 30.

R.I.P. TOM POSTON: The veteran comedy actor and Emmy winner died Tuesday from an undisclosed illness at 85. Poston was a master at playing goofy, clueless, loveable characters, most notably on "Newhart." He made his TV debut on "The Steve Allen Show," and had notable roles on a number of sitcoms over the years.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Fox really hasn't done "Bones" a whole lot of favors, constantly yanking it for "American Idol." Two weeks here, three weeks there, with long interruptions. I didn't mind the pulling of the original episode two weeks ago in wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, but the rest of the time it's been really annoying. Anyway, it's all-new tonight (Fox, 8 p.m.), followed by "AI," which features guest star Jon Bon Jovi.

Speaking of "Lost" (ABC, 10 p.m.) tonight's is new and is Locke-centric, always a good thing. By the way, the story I'm writing focuses on next week's "Lost."

CBS is airing a new "Jericho" at 8 p.m., a show that is really on the bubble last I heard for next season, followed by "Criminal Minds" and "CSI:NY," which are both safe bets to return. NBC is also all-new, with "Thank God You're Here," "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium."

As always, I must plug the best of the British stuff with a new "Hustle" (AMC, 10 p.m.) although I must say this series just isn't the same without Adrian Lester.

He Was A Contenda

If you were a fan of the late Marlon Brando, then this is a good week for you.

Turner Classic Movies is airing a documentary entitled "Brando" in two parts tonight and Wednesday at 8 p.m. The network is also showing several Brando films this week, including "The Men" at 9:30 p.m.

Brando is the quintessential American actor, and his performances still serve as an inspiration to many performers today. Whether it's "Streetcar Named Desire," "On The Waterfront," "The Godfather" or "Apocalypse Now," everybody seems to have a favorite Brando moment. (Mine is "The Freshman," co-starring Matthew Broderick, in which Brando parodies his Godfather role).

People interested in acting as a craft or in the history of great cinema should check out the documentary.

"HEROES" RECAP: DON'T READ THIS SECTION IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE YET.


YOU'VE BEEN WARNED



SERIOUSLY, WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?


OK, so how cool does "Heroes" continue to be? Last night's episode was a thrilling hour, full of the little twists and turns that has made this show so good since the beginning.

But perhaps what has made "Heroes" so special when similar genre shows like "Lost" have been struggling is that "Heroes" gives answers fairly quickly - but not too quickly - to the questions it raises.

Early on, the theme was "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World," but even after Claire was saved, we didn't understand why she was so significant. Now we know. With "Heroes," there is very little wasted time or action. The characters are constantly propelling the storyline forward.

Of course, you knew that last night's episode was just a possible future, showing Hiro and Ando what will happen should they fail in their mission. That doesn't mean the episode didn't rock, however. The dialogue of the two character, spoken in Japanese and presented as subtitles, continues to be one of the best things about the series.

Possibly more than any show on the air right now, "Heroes" is what I look forward to each week.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Huzzah! "Veronica Mars" (CW, 9 p.m.) returns for its final five episodes of the season, possibly forever. To be honest, it's been so long since the last "VM" episode, I can barely remember where the writers left the story. "VM" is about as on the bubble as you can get for renewal, and if it is renewed, it may not be back in the same form, since there is talk that next season might advance the show four years into the future, with Veronica (Kristin Bell) in the FBI. "VM" is preceded by a new "Gilmore Girls" at 8 p.m.

CBS may also have some changes in its Tuesday night lineup for next season. Rumors posted on TVGuide.com say "NCIS" (CBS, 8 p.m.) star Mark Harmon may walk after this year, reportedly because he is unhappy with producer Don Bellisario. While the loss of Harmon could be a bad thing, the show proved it was still able to be creative when Tony (Michael Weatherly) ran the team at the beginning of this season.

Also, "The Unit" (CBS, 9 p.m.) is kind of on the bubble for next year. For me, this was a series that had a lot of potential when it first started but never lived up to it.

One thing that won't be changing on Tuesday's next year is Fox's powerhouse combo of "American Idol" at 8 p.m., which features Jon Bon Jovi as its guest tonight, and "House" at 9 p.m., starring the inimitable Hugh Laurie.

ABC knocks off one pair of dancers on "Dancing With the Stars" at 9 p.m., followed by a new "Boston Legal." NBC airs new "Law & Orders" from 9-11 p.m.

Finally, as always, the pick for Tuesdays is "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) in which Shane reveals the truth about Lem's death to someone close to him.

Cyber Bullies

Matt Roush's Q&A column online at TVGuide.com raised an interesting point about something that has bugged me for a while.

Namely, this whole Internet thing may not be good for the creative vision of TV producers.

To wit, many TV producers on many hit shows, such as "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy," are reading the fan boards at various Web sites all over the place and letting the comments of fans influence how storylines develop.

On the one hand, there's nothing wrong in listening to your viewers. In pre-Internet days, people often wrote TV show producers with comments about their favorite shows. No doubt it was the fan backlash against characters like Ana Lucia last season and Nikki and Paulo this season that got them killed off "Lost." (Though in Ana Lucia's case, a great deal also was likely due to actress Michelle Rodriguez's off-the-set behavior.) If a storyline or character isn't working, producers know to change it.

On the other hand, whatever happened to the writer having a creative vision and sticking with it? Shows like "Studio 60" damaged themselves creatively because it seemed as if creator Aaron Sorkin was constantly changing the tone and structure of the show to answer critics. Characters on "Grey's Anatomy" seem to hook up or break up based on fan reaction to the various relationships (though a tremendous outpouring from the fans couldn't save ill-fated character Denny).

The Internet is becoming a far-too-influential, in my opinion (or is that IMHO), in the creative vision of TV shows. One of the reasons why a show gets picked up by a network in the first place is that a writer had a specific vision that he or she pitched and sold to the network. So why not stick with it?

I like to delude myself into thinking this blog reaches the entertainment types in Hollywood, but I wouldn't want them basing their decisions about how they go about their shows based on this and other fan Web sites. Part of the beauty of TV over movies is that the writer is in charge and has the final word. Let's hope these showrunners remember that.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is the pick tonight, as the series goes five years into the future in which Pres. Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) and Linderman's (Malcolm McDowell) deal with the events that stemmed from the destruction of New York City. I really dig alternate future/time travel episodes in various fantasy series, so I'm eager to watch this tonight. It's followed by the "Real Wedding Crashers," which you couldn't pay me to watch.

CBS is all-new, with "How I Met Your Mother," "New Adventures of Old Christine," "2 1/2 Men" and "King of Queens," followed by a new "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m.

If you are tuning into Fox tonight for "Drive," you are out of luck, since the series has been canceled, and Fox is unlikely to air even the two remaining episodes; a "House" rerun airs instead at 8 p.m., followed by a new "24" at 9 p.m.

Feeling A Draft?

Back in the old days when I was a sports writer, I covered the NFL draft from the Carolina Panthers' headquarters the year the team drafted Tshimanga Biakabutuka and Muhsin Muhammed.

It was one of the most mind-numbingly boring days imaginable.

Carolina held the eighth pick overall that year, and drafted Biakabutuka, a tailback from Michigan, about three hours after the draft started. Muhammed, a second-rounder, was even later in the afternoon.

I mention this because ESPN and ESPN2 will be showing about 20 hours worth of draft coverage or so this weekend, beginning noon on Saturday.

Now, I'm all for the NFL draft interest. I want to see who is going where, when the Georgia guys get drafted, who the Falcons get, etc. But good God, every pick is a 15-minute highlight film combined with Mel Kiper Jr. commentary and insipid interviews with the guy chosen and that team's coach or general manager.

I mean, really, we pretty much know that either Calvin Johnson or JaMarcus Russell will go to Oakland at No. 1 (unless there's been a trade), since ESPN has told us so for the past month. So let Roger Goodell announce the pick, throw up some stats, then move on. It's not as if these teams need all this time to make the picks; they pretty much have mapped out their draft for a month.

The irony is, the later round picks are often flashed upon the screen when we actually could use some analysis, since most people haven't heard of a lot of those guys. Yet they are treated as an afterthought.

I'm all for the NFL draft, but just don't make me watch it.

FRIDAY'S BEST BETS: Very little is new tonight, except for CBS' lineup of "The Ghost Whisperer," "Close To Home" and "Numb3rs," while NBC presents a new "Raines" (guest-starring Cynthia Watros of "Lost") and "Law & Order."

30 Rock-ed?

"Extra" ran a report saying "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin has told producers he wants out of the show, in part because of his recent custody battles with ex-wife Kim Basinger.

Baldwin was in the news last week after a cell phone message, in which he berates his daughter Ireland, was leaked to the media. He just fired his agents, the uber-powerful Creative Artists Agency.

Whether the report is true or not could have a direct impact on the future of not just "30 Rock," (NBC, 9 p.m.) but "Scrubs" as well. Both shows are on the bubble at NBC, and only one is expected to be picked up for next season. "Scrubs" has the advantage of a longer run and the fact that ABC will likely pick it up if NBC drops it, since ABC's Touchstone produces the series.

"30 Rock" had the advantage of Baldwin, whose comeback performance as a network executive had merited Emmy talk. But without Baldwin, or even with him after his recent media disaster, will NBC want to continue with the show with its middling ratings?

"DRIVE" STALLS: Fox will pull the plug on "Drive," marking the fourth series with Tim Minear to get an early yank off the grid. The ratings for the Nathan Fillion-vehicle never surfaced. Fox will air "House" reruns in that Monday timeslot, and burn off the final two episodes this summer, though, this being Fox, I wouldn't count on it.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: In addition to new episodes of "Scrubs" and "30 Rock," NBC leads off with new installments of "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" at 8 p.m., and wrap up with a new "ER" at 10 p.m.

ABC is also all-new, with "Ugly Betty" leading things off, followed by "Grey's Anatomy" and the perplexing "October Road," which is actually on the bubble for next year despite some of the worst reviews of the season.

CBS' all-new lineup includes a new "Survivor" at 8 p.m., a new "CSI" at 9 p.m., and a new "Shark" at 10 p.m.

The CW brings us an all-new "Smallville" at 8 p.m. and a new "Supernatural" at 9. "Supernatural" is going to have a tough time topping last week's Hollywood laugh-fest, but the good news is that Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as the late John Winchester, will definitely return for the season finale.

Ring Around The Rosie

Breaking news here, Rosie O'Donnell and "The View" are done.

According to AP reports, O'Donnell and ABC couldn't agree to a new contract, so she's out in June when her current deal expires.

Let me be the first to say Huzzah! Though I never watch "The View" at all, have little interest in it, I feel like I watch it all the time because of all the outrageous stuff O'Donnell says on it that then gets reported. Denying her a national platform is a step in the right direction.

But if you are a producer of "The View," it's a glass-is-half-full kind of deal. I'm sure she was a pain to deal with on the set, and I'm sure the producers cringed at a lot of the stuff she said, but on the other hand, there's no such thing as bad publicity in show business, and she did bring in ratings and attention.

This is likely not the end of the story. ABC needs Rosie for the ratings, and she can't give up such a high-profile platform, so this will likely be nothing more than a negotiationg ploy.

But one can dream, can't they?

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND: A couple of great news items from the Mother country. Sci-Fi has announced Season 3 of "Doctor Who" (or Season 28 if you are counting the old way) arrives in July on the U.S. airwaves. I suppose if you have a satellite feed, you can watch it on the BBC right now, but the rest of us have to wait.

Additionally, there is a good news/bad news report out of last week's Times of London. Doing a terrific feature story on whether or not the British police need men like the fictional Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) of "Life On Mars," the paper reports that show wrapped up production after its second season (which should air on BBC America some time in late summer).

Though I'm disappointed we won't have more adventures of what was TV's coolest show after its second season airs, the good news is that BBC is already set to produce a spinoff focused on Hunt. This time, the setting is 1981, and Hunt has a female partner in London set in the early Margaret Thatcher years.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: To celebrate being in a British mood, we note that tonight marks the second episode of "Hustle" (AMC, 10 p.m.), produced by the same people who make "Life On Mars."

Tonight's installment of "Lost" (ABC, 10 p.m.) focuses again on Juliet, which have made the best episodes this season. I'm totally crazy for Elizabeth Mitchell, and will shamelessly use this space to get her the Emmy nomination she so richly deserves.

"Jericho" (CBS, 8 p.m.) is new tonight. Despite strong ratings early on, this is one of the shows that is considered to be on the bubble for next season, so if you are a fan, you may want to encourage your friends to watch. It precedes a new "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: NY."

I've yet to check out "Thank God You're Here" (NBC, 8 p.m.), but Jonathan Heeter of the Bringing the Heet blog on macon.com is a big fan, which is just a huge endorsement. It's followed by new episodes of "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium." I have no idea what Heeter's feelings on those shows are.

It's also a good news/bad news deal on "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.) which is continuing to raise money to fight poverty but is also knocking off a contestant.

TV Turnoff Week

In case you didn't know, we are in the midst of something called TV Turnoff Week, brought to you by the we're-so-holier-than-thou-we're-actually-quite-smug-about-it group of concerned parents. (OK, that's not their real name.)

TV Turnoff Week is when people are urged to not watch TV for a week. The average American spends way too much time watching TV, and going cold turkey for a week is supposed to help cure them of that.

As TV pundit George Will might say, "Piffle!"

TV, like anything else in life, should be done in moderation. There is no correct number of hours or set of programs one should or shouldn't watch. If kids are watching too much TV (and most do), they should better regulated by their parents in what and how they watch.

These are the same sort of parental groups that criticize half the shows that are on the airwaves for being too violent or racy or not promoting "family values," whatever the hell that means. If you think there is a show that your kid shouldn't watch because of a sex and violence, don't let them watch. But don't try to get the show boycotted off the air.

I think "The Shield" is some of the best stuff on TV, but I wouldn't let my kids watch it (if I had kids). On the other hand, "Friday Night Lights," a show that showed some frank depictions of teens drinking and having sex, is a show I would watch with my hypothetical kids precisely because it shows a lot of the issues teens have to deal with. Yet this show drew a lot of criticism from parental groups, even though it had the single best scene I've ever seen between a fictional mother and daughter talking about teen sex.

I wonder had TV Turnoff Week happened last week during the Virginia Tech tragedy, would these groups tell us not to watch the news coverage, or would they have made an exception? And if you start making exceptions, doesn't that negate the original point in the first place?

I'm all for having quality TV on the air - I think that's been the point of this blog - as well as controlling what kids can watch.

My own kids, that is.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Assuming you aren't turning your TV off this week, the aforementioned "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) is back with a new episode.

Also new this week is two-thirds of CBS' lineup, "NCIS" and "The Unit."

"American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.) is doing a special, two-part giving back program, in which the contestants, previous "AI" stars, and well-known pop acts are performing to raise money to fight poverty. I tend to bash "AI," but I think this special can actually do quite a bit of good. It's followed by a new "House" at 9 p.m.

A new "Gilmore Girls" (CW, 8 p.m.) precedes the final "Pussycat Dolls," before the return of "Veronica Mars" next week. (Hallelujah!) Feel free to join the parents groups and turn off "Pussycat Dolls" all you want.

'Hero-ic' Return; 'Crash' And Burn

Finally.

After too many weeks of "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m.) withdrawal, the series returns tonight with its final five episodes of the new season.

On a commercial level, it's been the network's lone new success among dramatic series in a year where shows like "The Black Donnellys" and "Studio 60" failed to deliver numbers. On a quality level, all of NBC's other attempts (e.g. "Kidnapped" and "Friday Night Lights") have delivered the critical praise, but failed to pick up the necessary numbers. Kidnapped didn't even make it a full season on the tube, while "Lights" is probably 50-50 to return next year, at best.

But back to "Heroes," which for me has been the most entertaining new show of the new season, at least in the action genre. Beyond its original concept, what has made the show work so well is creator Tim Kring has learned from the mistakes of shows like "Lost" and "The X-Files" by giving the viewers answers quickly to some of the show's mysteries, then moving on. Other shows of similar nature have often dragged out the answer process, or given half-answers that only lead to more questions.

Over the rest of the season, viewers should get a resolution over whether or not the characters can save New York, more insight into HRG's mysterious organization, and a look at the characters five years into the future.

For some still and video images of the cast at work and at the wrap party, click here

From the sublime to the ridiculous, NBC is debuting something called "The Real Life Wedding Crashers" at 10 p.m. From the producers of "Punk'd" the title is pretty self-explanatory, in which actors apparently crash weddings, rehearsal dinners, etc. and cause all sorts of hi-jinks.

I truly can't come up with a concept more appalling than trying to do practical jokes at someone's wedding (I guess a funeral would be worse), and I'm sort of glad the normally reliable NBC promotions department didn't send me an advanced copy of this.

I WAS TRUMPED: *******SPOILER ALERT******* OK, so I was half-right in "The Apprentice" finale. I said Trump would go with two picks this time out, to put a twist on things, but he only picked one, corporate attorney Stefani, whom I said deserved to win all along. As always, the final live episode was self-indulgent and boring, but at least they took a corporate litigator off the streets.

I was, however, completely stunned by the extra non-elimination round of "The Amazing Race." It's good to see Danny and Oswald hang on for one more week, and good that Eric and Danielle managed to survive despite their run of horrendous luck, although the non-elimination round did cut some of the dramatic tension away from Eric and Danielle having to wait during their 30-minute time penalty.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: People, "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 8 p.m.) isn't the slam-dunk to return it ought to be, so you are hereby ordered to watch tonight's rerun, arguably the best episode of any sitcom this season - the Robin Sparkles episode. Though a rerun, it kicks off a whole new group of first-run episodes tonight on The Eye.

"Drive" (Fox, 8 p.m.) has stalled ratings-wise, but there is still time to get going on this quirky, weird "Lost"-like series, especially with the likeable Nathan Fillion in the lead role. It's followed by a new "24" at 9 p.m.

ABC continues to run its 90-minute reality shows, "Dancing With the Stars" and "The Bachelor" beginning at 8 p.m. Um, not really a whole lot more to say about them.

Who Is Fired, Who Is Hired

Sunday night marks the wrap-up for yet another season of the reality show, "The Apprentice."

In front of a live studio audience Sunday night, Trump and his kids will pick among four finalists for the right to oversee one of his many projects.

Of course, the twist this time around is that there are four finalists, rather than the normal two, and that the four were divided into teams of two for the final task. Since it's very difficult to separate the contributions of the individual team members in this tast (which was to produce a commercial for an air freshener), I'm guessing the other twist is that Trump will pick two apprentices for the first time.

That was almost the case two seasons ago, when Trump chose Randal as his apprentice, then offered him the chance to give the other finalist, Rebecca, the opportunity to take the open position Randal rejected. Randal, in his moment to be a mensch, famously said no, offering the logic "The show is called 'The Apprentice,' not 'The Apprenti.'" (It seems that the 20 degrees or whatever it was Randal had earned gave him the right to add words to the English language.)

This has been the weakest season of "The Apprentice." For one thing, Trump's kids are poor substitutes for the departed executives George and Caroline as his advisors. For another, Trump and co-creator Mark Burnett put in a lot of stupid faux twists into the show, like having the winning team's project manager keep the job until he or she lost, while having the losing teams stay in tents.

Also, this year's cast of finalists (with the exception of Stefani) is the least impressive crop Trump has produced. It's hard to imagine turning one of his projects over to the likes of Frank, for example.

Perhaps it's time for NBC to tell Trump, "You're Fired!"

Sayonara, Sanjaya

Well, Sanjaya, you kept "American Idol" interesting, lasting far longer than anyone with your appalling lack of talent probably should have. But apparently, the voting of prepubescent girls and Howard Stern fans only goes so far.

Last week, I posted about how the skewed voting totals of Sanjaya Malakar, which knocked out far more worthy competitors, could have posed a serious problem to "AI's" future had wild-maned teen with the big grin and lacking voice had gone on to win the whole competition. Had he won, if the vote had been just one big joke thanks to Web sites like votefortheworst.com, what kind of future did that leave for the show?

But, apparently Fox's deal with the devil to have the No. 1 rated show on TV includes a Sanjaya clause, and the show is left with a half-dozen competitors of varying degrees of talent who have a better shot at a legitimate musical career.

I've already said in this blog I really don't watch much "AI," though whenever I flip through the channels, I always seem to manage to catch Sanjaya pulverising a song from an act I like, such as the Kinks, or Bonnie Raitt this week. So, for me at least, karma won out.

But Sanjaya's remarkable run to get as far as he did created a lot of buzz for "AI," and his departure may mean the show becomes a little more ordinary.

Maggie Large can give you much better insight on the remaining "AI" competitors on her music blog, Amped.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: In a show based on Superman, it's Wonder Woman who takes the spotlight on tonight's "Smallville." (CW, 8 p.m.) Well, sort of. Lynda Carter, TV's "Wonder Woman" from back in the 1970s, guest stars tonight as Chloe's (Allison Mack) mom, who has spent the previous several years in a mental ward. Speaking of Wonder Woman and mental illness, did anyone ever catch the Wonder Woman sketch on the old "Dr. Katz" cartoon on Comedy Central years ago? I'm sure it's on the Web somewhere, and worth a look.

A new "Supernatural" (CW, 9 p.m.) follows as the Winchester boys take a more lighthearted turn tonight on a movie set.

ABC rolls out a new night, featuring the return of "Ugly Betty" at 8 p.m., followed by "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 p.m. A new episode of "October Road," the Sanjaya of TV programs, airs at 10 p.m.

NBC is all new, with the exception of "The Office" at 8:30 p.m. CBS has new installments of "Survivor" and "Shark," sandwiching a rerun of "CSI."

Do The 'Hustle'

First off, let me apologize for putting the tune of the '70s disco staple in your head. I'm sure you will be hearing it all day.

Tonight marks the return of one of TV's best, if most unheralded, programs. If you liked "Ocean's 11" for its sense of coolness, the big con and tongue-in-cheek flavor, then you will love "Hustle" (AMC, 10 p.m.), one of the cleverest programs on television.

Returning tonight for its fourth season, "Hustle" follows a group of con artists who specialize in the long con - which usually involves using the mark's own greed against him. This group of merry men steal from the rich and give to themselves, but they only con really bad people, so it balances out.

The team used to be led by the suave Mickey Bricks (Adrian Lester), England's top con man, but Lester is sitting this series out, so it remains to be seen how the series fares without him. However, the rest of the cast - veteran con man Albert (Robert Vaughn), the sultry Stacy (Jaime Murray), tech wiz Ash (Robert Glenister) and not-quite-as-clever-as-he-thinks Danny (Marc Warren) - is back. Tonight, they try to sell a mark (guest star Robert Wagner) the Hollywood sign. Hey, they already sold London Bridge in Season 1, so anything is possible.

"Hustle" is from the same production team that brought us to other fantastic U.K. series already much-praised in this blog, "Life On Mars" and "MI-5," so the pedigree is there. "Hustle" may be the most accessible of the three, bringing a lot of charm and humor with it.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: As reported yesterday, tonight's episode of "Bones" (Fox, 8 p.m.), originally a first-run episode about the death of a college basketball star, has been yanked because of the Virginia Tech shootings. In its place, however, is a rerun of what was the series' finest episode, when Bones and Hodgins were buried alive in a car. It's followed by the "American Idol" results show, featuring a performance by Martina McBride.

Internet site mania.com is reporting "Jericho" (CBS, 8 p.m.) will be renewed for another season, though no official word from the network has come out yet. Regardless, it's new tonight.

ABC is airing new episodes of "According to Jim" and "Notes From the Underbelly" tonight beginning at 8 p.m., with a new "Lost" at 10 p.m. At 9 p.m., the network is re-running last week's terrific installment of "Lost" that featured the fabulous Elizabeth Mitchell once more. Mitchell should earn an Emmy nomination for her work this year.

New sketch show "Thank God You're Here" (NBC, 8 p.m.) settles into its regular timeslot, replacing the already-missed "Friday Night Lights." New episodes of "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium" follow; those, I can miss.

Breaking In For News

There's an article in today's Washington Post highly critical of the networks for not interrupting last night's regularly scheduled programming in lieu of the horrific Virginia Tech shootings.

On the one hand, it's an extremely important story that everyone was talking about, far more important than the entertainment shows that were broadcast.

On the other hand, as the network executives point out in the article, after the initial flow of information, all the networks would have been doing is regurgitating the same stuff over and over.

Network news, which used to be the means in delivering breaking stories for the U.S., has become somewhat obselete. With the 24-hour news channels like CNN, MSNBC and Fox delivering news on a constant basis, it's difficult for networks to compete with a mere half-hour broadcast.

There is a small portion of the country that doesn't have cable/satellite or internet access, so network news is still important for them, but as I pointed out during a previous posting on the State of the Union address, most people can access the information through other means besides the networks.

Still, not putting up some sort of news broadcast seems rather callous. NBC ran a special at 10 p.m. in lieu of "My Name Is Earl" reruns, but didn't interrupt its original, first-run episodes of the night. The other networks didn't even do that.

The Post also reported that Fox has made a concession to the shooting, pulling the first-run episode of "Bones" on Wednesday, which deals with a college shooting.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: As I say pretty much every Tuesday while it's on, Tuesday's top pick is, and will always be, "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.)

Country music star Martina McBride is the guest talent this week on "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.), followed by an all-new "House" at 9 p.m.

A new "Gilmore Girls" (CW, 8 p.m.) airs tonight after lots of reruns, followed by some reality thing that isn't "Veronica Mars."

ABC runs its own reality with two hours of "Dancing With the Stars" at 8 p.m., followed by a new "Boston Legal," in which William Shatner may or may not dance.

Cleaver Fever

For those of you who are "Sopranos" fans, you should already know that Christopher's movie, "Cleaver" had its premiere. But HBO is not just limiting itself to the episode.

The network, which often goes behind the scenes for upcoming blockbusters, has put together a mockumentary looking at the making of "Cleaver" (HBO, 7:45 p.m.) Included are interviews with the fictional "Sopranos" characters who made the movie.

Speaking of "The Sopranos," last night's was a little uneven. It's funny, all of the reviews I have seen were harsh on the season premiere while praising the second and third episodes. I thought the premiere was fantastic, especially watching Tony's brother-in-law Bobby being forced to give up his soul after defending his wife's honor. Bobby has been the most likeable of the gang, a nice guy with no mob ambitions who never killed anyone until getting in a fistfight with Tony and being forced to do his boss' bidding as his penance.

Last night's episode was rather uneven, setting up various plotlines for the rest of the season. The movie stuff was pretty good, but the Johnny Sac moments seemed at first drawn out, then rushed at the end. The Peter Bogdanovich moment was sheer brilliance, however.

MONDAY'S BEST BET: "Drive" (Fox, 8 p.m.) settles into its regular slot after its 2-hour premiere Sunday night. I think it wins the "Weirdest New Show" award, but it's worth another look. It's followed by a new "24."

CBS is all new with the exception of its best show of the night, "How I Met Your Mother." ABC is also all-new with its reality shows "Dancing with the Stars" at 8 p.m. and "The Bachelor" at 9:30 p.m.

NBC gives us new "Deal or No Deal" and "Thank God Your Here" while pulling "The Black Donnellys" in favor of "My Name is Earl" reruns at 10 p.m.

People should be aware that the networks may break into their regularly scheduled programming with news updates from the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Driving On Painkillers

For those of the more fantasy-inclined among us, a couple of new series debuting this weekend should pique some interest.

Tonight marks the debut of "Painkiller Jane," (Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.) based on the comic book series of the same name. Starring "Terminator 3" sexy cyborg Kristianna Loken, the show has been described as "Heroes" in reverse: This time, it's the lone super agent - who is completely invulnerable - working for a shadow agency who is being used to hunt down people with powers.

Though "Jane" has gotten mixed reviews thus far, Sci-Fi has a solid track record with its original programming, so it may be worth a look. (Loken herself is worth many looks).

Also hitting the air is "Drive" (Fox, Sunday, 8 p.m.), one of the weirder concepts to hit the airwaves in a while. Think the cast of "Lost" running "The Amazing Race," and you have a bit of an idea of what this show is about.

Created by the always-terrific Tim Minear ("Angel," "Firefly," "Wonderfalls"), the show involves many people who find themselves caught up in a cross-country race sponsored by a mysterious organization (is there any other type of organization on TV these days?) for a prize of $32 million. But many of the racers have other motivations to drive, such as lead star (the always-likeable Nathon Fillion), who is trying to rescue his kidnapped wife (the even-more-delightful Amy Acker).

Minear has tended to get the short end of the stick from Fox with his other series, so hopefully this one will get a chance to get some breathing room. Hopefully, Minear has taken a page from the "Heroes" playbook and will answer some of the mysteries of the show at a regular pace rather than drag it out.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: A pretty quiet night on Friday, filled with mostly reruns. The only new drama tonight is "Raines" (NBC, 9 p.m.)

Here is yet another pitch for "Robin Hood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.) a ripping good yarn that has a lot of fun with the famed legend.

It was disheartening to see my favorite team of Uchenna and Joyce get knocked off last week's "Amazing Race" (CBS, Sun., 8 p.m.), particularly because of an airline snafu. (Boy, teams have really taken their lumps because of the airlines this season). Hopefully, Danny and Oswald will win out.

"The Apprentice" (NBC, 9 p.m.) wraps up its season with a two-hour challenge, apparently tweaking things this time with a four-person finals. (Steffani is so ridiculously ahead of the pack, it's not even funny, but watch Trump pick James). Of course, most of the other tweaks Trump has done this season (the winning project manager keeping the job until he/she loses, having the losing team live in tents) have sucked big time, so who knows how this will turn out. At least it won't be like Season 2, in which Trump spent three hours totally screwing over a former schoolmate of mine on live TV.

False 'Idol'

As "American Idol" watchers know full well, wild-haired, no-talent Sanjaya survived yet another vote while leggy Haley Scarnato was voted off, bringing the total of contestants left to seven. (The male patrons at the establishment where I was playing poker last night were particularly disappointed to watch that.)

The unprecendented success of Sanjaya has demonstrated a flaw in the process that has existed with "AI" since the show began, namely, the unscientific voting process makes what is supposed to be a talent show into a popularity contest.

Now, with Web sites and people like Howard Stern encouraging fans of the show to vote for the worst singer instead of the best, Sanjaya has a genuine shot at winning this thing. Imagine if fans voted during the auditions: William Hung might have won the "AI" title.

For people who hate or are indifferent to "AI," they feel the mega-popular ratings champ is getting its comeuppance. But really, it exposes a potential long-term problem for the show. If the Sanjayas of the world are advancing along instead of the more-talented singers simply because fans can artificially inflate the vote totals, then what is the point of watching?

Had this happened a few years ago, former winners-turned-superstars like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson might not have won their seasons and thus not launched their careers. "AI" has already flirted with disaster before, when seemingly dodgy vote totals gave Ruben Studdard the title in Season 2 over Clay Aiken. It hasn't helped that Aiken has become a star while Studdard has seemingly entered the witness protection program.

The problem for producers of "AI" is that there is no easy solution to this problem. It's not like they can take the vote away from the fans - that's the basis for the show. But if the voting process continues to be skewed, it poses a real threat to "AI's" popularity.

R.I.P. ROSCOE LEE BROWNE: The veteran character-actor, who had one of the most magnificent speaking voices you'll ever hear, died Wednesday at 81 after a long bout with cancer. Browne won an Emmy for a guest stint on "The Cosby Show" in 1986.

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: ABC launches its new comedy, "Notes From The Underbelly" at 10 p.m. tonight with back-to-back episodes. The network, which hasn't had a successful sitcom seemlingly since "Happy Days," is putting on clip shows of "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy" ahead of "Underbelly," not exactly giving it the best launch.

"Underbelly" focuses on a couple, Andrew and Lauren (Jennifer Westfeldt, Peter Cambor) seeking to get pregnant. As they enter into this decision, they find themselves influenced by their friends. One couple is already pregnant and gung-ho about it, while Lauren's other best friend, Cooper (Rachael Harris) is dead set against the concept.

"Underbelly" has gotten mixed reviews so far; I haven't seen it, what with ABC keeping me off its screeners' list and all.

Last week's episode of "The Office" (NBC, 8:30 p.m.), in which Michael (Steve Carell) referred to getting his negotiating strategy off Wikipedia, caused that entry to get so many hits that the Webmasters had to limit how many people could add to that entry. Whether or not Michael learns his safety training off the same site is another matter, but that's what tonight's installment is built around. It's preceded by the first new "My Name Is Earl" in a while, and followed by new episodes of "30 Rock" and "Scrubs," as well as a new "ER" at 10 p.m.

CBS is also all-new, with "Survivor" at 8 p.m., followed by "CSI" and "Shark."

Rolling the Dice-K

Every few years in baseball, there comes along a phenomenal pitcher that captures the nation's fancy.

I vaguely remember Fernando-mania in 1981, when then-rookie Fernando Valenzuela took the nation by storm, but I was caught up in the ride the young Dwight Gooden gave the Mets three years later.

The current successor to this trend is Daisuke Matsuzaka, who makes his home debut tonight (ESPN, 7 p.m.) against the Seattle Mariners. The first batter he will face? Fellow Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki.

After reading "Sports Illustrated's" terrific cover story and hearing of Matsuzaka's near-legendary status in his home country, I am eager to see if the man known as Dice-K is worth all of the hype. There have been many false phenoms, such as Kerry Wood of the Cubs among others, who have never lived up to their billing, but after Dice-K's 10-strikeout performance in his debut, he is looking like the real deal.

There's nothing better in baseball than when certain pitchers take the mound, and you get that sense that something special may happen when he gets the ball. Is Dice-K one of those pitchers? I can't wait to find out.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: If sports isn't your cup of tea but great drama is, then I urge to tune into the season (but hopefully not series) finale of "Friday Night Lights" (NBC, 8 p.m.), TV's best-written new drama. Some viewers were turned off by the football aspect of the series, but this show has as much to do with football as "The Office" does with selling paper products. Of course, the fictional Dillon High School is going for the state title tonight, so all I can say is Go Panthers! It's followed by new episodes of "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium," which have even less to do with football.

CBS is also all-new tonight, with new installments of "Jericho," "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: NY."

"Lost" (ABC, 10 p.m.) picks up right where it left off last week, as Jack, Kate and Sayid bring Juliet to their camp. Are they going to run into a kinder, gentler Sawyer?

After continuing to burn off new episodes of its only successful new comedy "Til Death," at 8 p.m., Fox delivers the new results show on "American Idol" at 9 p.m., which will include a performance from Jennifer Lopez. For more discussion on the merits of who is left on "AI," checked out Maggie Large's music blog, Amped, on macon.com.

MySpace? My Goodness!

It seems like I'm the only person under 40 without a MySpace page. Somehow, I'm managing to survive.

But the TV powers-that-be are embracing the new Web culture. Two of my favorite series, "Heroes" on NBC and "Bones" on Fox, are using MySpace for new promotions.

"Heroes" already has a preview page running at the site: http://www.myspace.com/heroesofficial, which apparently has clips for new episodes for the series. But NBC isn't just limiting its promotion of its most successful new drama to that Web site. It's still running full episodes of the first 18 shows at nbc.com (for the time being; if you haven't caught up yet, do so now, because they are apparently taking them down soon.) In addition, "Heroes" fans can win a trip to L.A. and a tour of the set of the show by logging in at ItsTimeToSavetheWorld.com.

"Bones" is getting even more interactive than "Heroes." Viewers will be able to pick up key clues and try to solve a murder before Bones and Booth do by visiting either MySpace or Fox's Web site.

In an episode that is directed by series star Emily Deschanel's father, Caleb, viewers will be able to follow the episode on the Web by visiting the characters' MySpace pages. (Who has a weirder home page, Hodgins or Zack?)

From Fox's press release on the episode: Brennan and Booth (David Boreanaz) are called in by Homeland Security to investigate potentially radioactive remains, which are emitting a green glow at the crime scene. Brennan’s team at the Jeffersonian joins her and Booth in pursuing the murder mystery, which leads them to a group of friends who are shocked to discover that one of their own is the victim. During the course of the investigation, the characters’ MySpace pages become a virtual tool for the Jeffersonian team’s search for answers.

In-depth MySpace pages on characters will include personal blogs referencing the episode’s storyline, as well as photos and videos that reveal details about the characters’ relationships and insights into their personalities. These profiles will enable viewers to immerse themselves in the characters’ world and gather clues as to the identities of both the fictional victim and the murderer.

On the one hand, I applaud the networks and the producers of both series for trying new, innovative uses of the Web to make the series more interesting. It certainly shakes things up and expands the creative visions of the writers.

On the other hand, it seems like a heck of a lot of work, especially if you don't have a high speed connection. I haven't checked out any of the MySpace Web pages, so I don't know if you have to be a member or not to look at the pages, but the danger in doing so much stuff on the Web is that less-savvy internet users are in danger of being shut out.

Still, cross-promotion between the internet and the tube is something that will be growing in the future and not a momentary trend, so get used to it.

RICHTER SCALED BACK: The final two episodes of Andy Richter's new sitcom, "Andy Barker, P.I.," will air this Saturday night from 8-9 p.m. on NBC. Low ratings, caused by a clueless public that also doomed Richter's previous show, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," caused NBC to make the switch. "Scrubs" will appear in that Thursday timeslot, flip-flopping with "30 Rock." Though this is likely the end of the sitcom, I encourage you to catch the final two episodes.

TUESDAY'S BEST BET: From the sublime to the, well, not-so-sublime. Last week, "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.) fans were treated to Tony Bennett. This week? Jennifer Lopez. At least with Tony Bennett, there was the chance I'd watch "AI," but with J-Lo, not so much. It's followed by a new "House" at 9 p.m., in which the titular anti-hero is forced to treat an outbreak of meningitis on a plane ride. Wow, being stuck with House on a plane while suffering from meningitis? Talk about torture.

Someone uses McGee's new novel as a template for murder on "NCIS," (CBS, 8 p.m.) Sharp-eyed readers of this blog will note that this plot device also appeared on "Bones" a few weeks back, but I expect "NCIS's" tongue-in-cheek approach to keep the material fresh. It's followed by a new "The Unit."

NBC gives us a "Dateline" that looks at catching car thieves, which seems way less exciting than catching online predators (though those episodes make those MySpace cross-promotions more awkward). It's followed by a bunch of new "Law & Orders."

After sacrificing two mediocre sitcom reruns to the 8 p.m. timeslot, ABC comes back at 9 p.m. with a new "Dancing With the Stars" which will eliminate a new pair. It's followed by a brand-new "Boston Legal."

Of course, why would anyone be watching "Boston Legal" when "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) is airing? If you missed last week's absolutely phenomenal season-opener, well, you have no excuse because I even posted last week whilst on vacation to make certain people would know it was on. Anyway, it's new this week, it's got Forest Whitaker again, and it's the best-written show on TV right now, so watch it or I'll send the Strike Team to your address.

Thank God I'm Here

Wow, I went away for a week, and it took me three times to get the password to get into Blogger correct.

For all who haven't been able to make a TV decision over the past week because of my quasi-vacation, both of you can rest easy now. Hopefully, you were able to catch the season premieres of "The Sopranos" and "The Shield" as well as other favorites.

I realized after I left that I failed to plug The Masters all weekend, so I hope no one missed the golf tournament on account of this blog.

Anyway, the title of today's posting isn't so much that I'm happy to be back at work as it refers to the new NBC comedy show "Thank God You're Here" (NBC, 9 p.m.) Hosted by David Alan Grier ("In Living Color") and Dave Foley ("Kids In The Hall"), the show involves improvisational sketch comedy.

With pretty big names like Bryan Cranston, Jason Alexander and others, the guest comic is introduced in the comedy sketch with the line "Thank God You're Here." The comic has little clue as to his/her role in the sketch, so they have to hit the ground running. At the end of the night, Foley gives the winning comic a trophy for the best sketch. The show is getting a brief tryout in the "Heroes" timeslot on Monday before moving to Wednesdays in place of "Friday Night Lights."

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: TV's current longest-running sitcom, "The King of Queens" (CBS, 9:30 p.m.) celebrates its 200th episode tonight as the show winds down with its final few episodes before disappearing into the world of syndication permanently. It anchors a night of first-run broadcasts with "How I Met Your Mother," "New Adventures of Old Christine" and "2 1/2 Men," as well as a new "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m.

"24" (Fox, 9 p.m.) also airs tonight. I'm trying to lay off the criticism of this show, I really am, but even most critics and die-hard fans are finding the plots to be wearing thin. Take last week. They go to all of the trouble to wake Pres. Palmer out of a coma to stop a nuclear strike; after a tense session that involves a challenge to his Presidency, which he wins, Palmer decides to go ahead with the strike anyway. Say what?!? (Never mind the fact that 10 minutes out of a coma, Palmer is able to resume his duties. My mom was once in a coma and it took her a month to get out of bed. Guess she was just lolly-gagging).

The other thing that struck me about last week's episode was that the Russian terrorist CUTS OFF HIS OWN ARM to get rid of the bug that CTU has implanted in his arm. He manages to do said act in about five minutes, then starts running around an amusement park. He does said action in order to help the other terrorists in his gang. But five minutes and countless pints of blood later, he GIVES UP the other terrorist. One would have thought he might have betrayed the other terrorist before cutting his arm off, but hey, that's just me. (BTW, my dad had his leg amputated last year and it took longer than five minutes. And my father, the big wuss, needed anaesthesia and was laid up for several weeks afterward. Evidently, my parents would make lousy "24" characters.)

Reality TV strikes in a big way on ABC, first with "Dancing With the Stars" at 8 p.m., followed by the new series of "The Bachelor" at 9:30 p.m.

"The Riches" (FX, 10 p.m.) is also new, though I have to admit, I gave up on this series last week.

Best Of The Best

For my money, frame for frame, TV's best show is "The Shield."

Never has there been a TV character wrapped in shades of gray like Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), who constantly does the wrong thing for the right reasons. Machiavelli has nothing on Mackey.

Whether it's killing a member of his own team (who was a spy), skimming money and ripping off drug dealers so that he can pay for therapy for his autistic children, or allowing lesser drug dealers to stay in charge (so long as they answer to him) in order to keep the piece in his Farmington section of L.A., Mackey is a master manipulator and one of TV's best-ever characters.

What makes "The Shield" so great is that the rest of the cast is up to the challenge. Be it his former captain-turned-mayoral candidate (Benito Martinez), straight-laced Det. Wyms (CCH Pounder), Mackey's duplicitous right arm, Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins), or the fantastic guest stars the show has brought in, including Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson and Forest Whitaker, "The Shield" has been compelling viewing the moment it hit the airwaves.

It finally returns tonight (FX, 10 p.m.) picking up where it left off a season ago, with Internal Affairs lieutenant John Kavanaugh (Whitaker) tried to bring down Mackey and his team. The interplay between Whitaker and Chiklis was among the best on TV a season ago, and Whitaker was shamefully robbed of an Emmy nomination.

The show picks up with Mackey trying to find out who killed his teammate Lem (Kenneth Johnson), unaware that he himself unwittingly inspired Shane to do it. Of course, Kavanaugh thinks the deed was done by Mackey. With his back against the wall, that's when Vic is his most dangerous.

On a network that consistently has brought out TV's most interesting shows, "The Shield" has been the cream of the crop.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Assuming you aren't in the midst of your Passover seder (the reason why God invented the VCR), you've got a pretty good slew of new stuff.

Incredibly, I'm recommending "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.) for the second time in three weeks, simply because the inimitable Tony Bennett is the guest. It's followed by a new episode of "House."

CBS is airing new episodes of "NCIS" and "The Unit," while "AI" rival "Dancing With The Stars" (ABC, 9 p.m.) returns.