Elisabeth Shue
Out with the old, in with the Shue.
Wednesday's CSI began the process of replacing Marg Helgenberger's Catherine Willows. It did so with the introduction of Elisabeth Shue as Julie "Finn" Finlay, a blood-spatter expert brought in by D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) to sort through a particularly grisly and confusing crime scene. And one thing's for sure: These two have complicated history.
Marg Helgenberger says goodbye to CSI
Although Finn initially rebuffs Russell's invite to consult for the CSI team...
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Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson
Those writing about the inexorably declining ratings of American Idol will have to stand down for at least a day as the amateur talent competition stayed even with last week in the industry-prized 18-to-49 demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen figures.
Now, we'll have to see if the cliff-hanger involving the hopeful who fainted and fell off the stage gooses the ratings for Fox. (By comparison, fair or not, NBC's The Voice grabbed 17.69 million viewers with a 6.6 demo rating Monday night on its first regularly scheduled airing.)
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Kiefer Sutherland
They can obsess about these numbers on Touch: Wednesday night's preview of the series that begins March 19 pulled in the second-biggest audience of any prime-time drama premiere this season.
It was second only to ABC's Once Upon a Time, which reeled in 12.79 million viewers and a 4.0 rating among industry-prized 18-to-49-year-olds on Oct. 23, and Kiefer Sutherland's TV comeback surpassed the debut of two other ballyhooed Fox shows this season, Alcatraz (9.97 million/3.3 on Jan. 16) and Terra Nova (9 million/3.1 on Sept. 26), according to preliminary Nielsen figures. Of course, Touch had the benefit of following American Idol, which was the night's most-watched show by far (despite its relatively lagging numbers), and kept 61 percent of its lead-in's viewership.
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Marg Helgenberger
"There comes a point in one life in which one feels compelled to make a change. I have been offered another job... with the FBI. And I have decided to take it."
And with that — as well as copious tears and hugs from her CSI family — our beloved stripper-turned-criminalist Catherine Willows left the...
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David Mazouz and Kiefer Sutherland
This mid-season, we're being asked repeatedly to take giant leaps of faith with shows that dare to be different, that refuse to settle for the same old TV formulas, despite all of the risk that entails. Risk is the operating principal behind shows like NBC's Smash (Feb. 6), a dazzling but dauntingly inside (theater) baseball look at the making of a Broadway musical. Ditto ABC's The River (Feb. 7), a terrifying supernatural quest into an exotic heart of darkness in the Amazon jungle that's not for the faint-hearted. Later in the season, not yet scheduled, NBC will offer up Awake, a gripping but grim psychological drama about a grieving man trapped between two possible dream worlds.
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Marg Helgenberger
It's not every job where having your boss call you "the perfect ex-stripper/cokehead" could be considered a compliment, but for 12 seasons now, that's exactly what CSI exec producer Carol Mendelsohn has thought of her departing star, Marg Helgenberger. "Some actresses might shy away from playing a part like Catherine Willows, but Marg turned all of Catherine's negatives into positives. I miss her already." Helgenberger exits the series this week after a dozen...
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Glee
Our top moments of the week:
15. Best Clean Slate: New year, new look for Walden (Ashton Kutcher). Though he's initially upset that Zoey wants him to shave and look presentable for a corporate shindig on Two and a Half Men, Walden finally gives in and does away with his hirsute hobo look. Later, however, Zoey comes over to apologize for forcing him to change and is stunned to see her clean-shaven and much younger-looking beau. You know Ashton couldn't have hidden the pretty for much longer.
14. Most Substantial Goodbye: After Agent McQuaid and her friend Laura are...
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Marg Helgenberger
Before ABC's Revenge came along to revive the prime-time soap in all of its shamelessly melodramatic splendor, there was an irresistible British potboiler called Mistresses, a sort of Desperate Housewreckers about four glam chums with a knack for making a mess of their torrid relationships. Of which they've had plenty.
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Marg Helgenberger, Julie Bowen, Cote de Pablo
Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
I am so sad to see Marg Helgenberger leave CSI. What can you say about Catherine's exit? — DeAnne
ADAM: I'd say it'll be pretty poetic, if you read between the lines — and I know you all do! While Catherine is working with the FBI on a case involving an old friend (guest star Annabeth Gish), she'll start to realize her value. "These FBI agents shine a mirror on how good she is at what she does," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn says. "I think Catherine is looking at the next job. As a woman, Catherine feels she's hit a glass ceiling at CSI. It's something that's been weighing on her, and she sees a door to a new life." But she could presumably come back to consult, right? "It's not a 'for always' goodbye," executive producer Don McGill says. "There's always an open door."
Got any scoop on Modern Family? — Jeremy
NATALIE: Remember how Claire mulled running for city council earlier this season?
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So You Think You Can Dance
Send questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow me on Twitter!
Question: I heard somewhere that Fox will be canceling So You Think You Can Dance after this season and that this season will be shaved down a bit. How can this be true? This is one of the very best "reality" shows on TV. It's classy, inspiring, emotional, and I keep being amazed ...
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