Jamie Bamber, Jennifer Finnigan
Last week, NBC's ludicrous insta-flop Do No Harm (about a Jekyll-Hyde neurosurgeon) pushed TV's medical genre beyond its melodramatic limits. Taking the completely opposite tack, and likely to get a much longer leash (this being cable), TNT's Monday Mornings (Monday, 10/9c) is a surprisingly mellow drama set at a hospital, about doctors forced to face up to their shortcomings, with an ensemble led by (trend alert?) gorgeous and flawed — though decidedly not bonkers — neurosurgeons, played by Jamie Bamber and Jennifer Finnigan.
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David E. Kelley
TNT has ordered 10 episodes of the David E. Kelley medical drama Monday Mornings, the network announced on Tuesday.
Based on the eponymous book by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the series chronicles the professional and personal lives of five Portland, Ore., surgeons. The title refers to the hospital's weekly morbidity and mortality conference, when doctors gather with their peers for a confidential review of complications and errors in patient care.
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Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox, Ted Danson
The addition of Ted Danson to the CSI cast won't be the only change taking place on the veteran CBS drama in Season 12.
Danson's character, D.B. Russell, is a family man who was raised by hippies and has a healthy relationship with his work. As such, producers suggest that the new season will feature a sunnier tone. "Last season we were chasing a serial killer ... that arc has come to an end," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said at CBS' fall TV previews. "With the introduction of our new CSI supervisor who has his own process, I think you can say it's a lighter season."
Danson replaces the departing Laurence Fishburne, whose character was last seen ...
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CSI
CSI's Ray Langston may finally have his shot to end Nate Haskell once and for all.
Finale Preview: Get scoop on 39 season-enders
Thursday's finale (9/8c, CBS) finds Langston (Laurence Fishburne) face-to-face with Haskell (Bill Irwin) inside the notorious Dick and Jane Killer's childhood home. Haskell has lured Langston there by kidnapping his ex-wife, Gloria (Tracee Ellis Ross), and Haskell hopes to prove once and for all that he and Langston are two sides of the same coin.
"Haskell and Langston are reflections of each other, at least in Haskell's mind, executive producer Carol Mendelsohn tells TVGuide.com...
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Cee Lo Green
Glee (Tuesday, 8/7c, Fox)
Too much isn't always a good thing for this erratic yet always exuberant series, but with Lady Gaga music as the hook (including "Born This Way," which doubles as an episode title), this week's outing expands to 90 minutes. With prom looming, Quinn aims her sights on the title of queen — but so does the super-sized Lauren. Meanwhile, Mr. Shue is using the Gaga playlist to teach the glee club more musical life lessons in self-acceptance and embracing what makes each of them special.
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Louise Lombard will return to CSI for one episode, TV Line reports.
The former series regular, who left in the eighth season, will reprise her role as Sofia Curtis during the CSIs' hunt for escaped serial killer Nate Haskell (Bill Irwin) in a May sweeps episode. Curtis, who's now a deputy chief, will meet Langston (Laurence Fishburne) for the first time, but they ...
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Jeopardy!
Because social and personal (Happy Valentine's Day!) obligations kept me away from the TV more than usual this week, I'm going to boil down this week's wrap-up to my version of a "Hot Topics" list, with a few odds and ends thrown in for fun.
OF IBM AND MEN: Man your buzzer if you really thought either Ken Jennings or Brad Rutter could topple supercomputer Watson on Jeopardy! in that fascinating three-part exhibition stunt. I got more caught up in seeing what Watson didn't know or how it was misinterpreting clues — including the first Final Jeopardy, which somehow led Watson to...
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Laurence Fishburne, Bill Irwin
Cheers to CSI and Lights Out for putting Bill Irwin in touch with his dark side.
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A graduate of Barnum & Bailey's Clown College, Irwin was best known for...
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Justin Beiber
Jeopardy! (Syndicated, check local tvguide.com listings, Monday-Wednesday)
We'll take "The Future Is Now" for $1 million, Alex. In a stunt that pits man against machine, TV's smartest quiz show challenges two of its most celebrated champs — Ken Jennings of the longest winning streak (74 games) and biggest money earner Brad Rutter ($3.2 million) — to go up against the IBM supercomputer known as "Watson" (and the subject of a recent PBS Nova documentary).
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Holt McCallany
With Lights Out, a gripping new series about a middle-aged boxer who may not be as washed-up as he seems, FX continues to redefine the notion of a TV hero. Far from a Rocky road to redemption, with the forced uplift that implies, Lights Out goes much darker, so much so that at times you may feel you need a flashlight to watch.
If it weren't for bad luck, there would be no series. At least that's the impression you get upon first meeting Patrick "Lights" Leary, a former heavyweight champ who's been out of the ring for five years at the urging of his wife. (We first see him suffering the effects of a concussion, face pounded like ground meat ...
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