Question: Perhaps it's too soon, but do you have any idea which new series will be airing on PBS' Mystery! this summer/fall? As one of the few who choose to report on the quality television airing on PBS, you tend to be my source for this information every year. I, for one, hope there are some new Inspector Lynley Mysteries on the horizon! Thanks for your help.
Answer: You're in luck. I checked, and PBS was ready to release the titles for their "Summer of Mystery!" Starting June 3, here's what to look forward to: two new episodes of Jericho (the Robert Lindsay series, not the postapocalyptic thriller on CBS) and four new episodes each of Foyle's War (one of my faves), Miss Marple and, yes, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries ...
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Adam's back from Bali (his non-honeymoon) and everyone's together for a friendly BBQ... well, until Brian shows up. As if we couldn't see where the video game was headed. Tension... elbows... tackle... didn't I predict punches? Anyone could have.Nothing's like coming into the office with a black eye. And to a desk full of pictures of random women. Strike one for Jimmy for not even taking the Marjorie pictures out from behind the new ones. Kind of defeats the purpose, if you ask me.Meanwhile, in another office, Suzanne's got her hands on more than just business ideas. Could she be more risky during a huge meeting? I wasn't even listening to the discussion, because her sneaky stares and ridiculous IMs to Dave were make me roll my eyes incessantly.Deena nudges Nic where it hurts. "You're just not a baby person." Ouch. For someone waddling her big belly around, that's not something you exactly want to hear on the verge of childbirth. But the ladies work it out at a concert while Dave op...
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Here's some exclusive prattle with a few random thoughts tossed in for added flavor:* The West Wing's Josh Malina is joining the cast of Numbers as a whip-smart, crusading federal prosecutor known for his persistence in going after tough cases. He'll debut in Episode 9 and will likely recur. * CBS has picked Jericho up for a full season. Thanks Kim Jong II! * NBC, encouraged by Law & Order: Criminal Intent's ratings on Tuesday night, has ordered a full 22 episodes, up from 18. * Do we want to live in a world where Criminal Minds beats Lost in the ratings? From a just-released CBS press bulletin: "Criminal Minds beat Lost in households for the first time ever and finished in a near dead heat with Lost in viewers in the 9-10 pm hour and attracted more viewers than Lost from 9:30-10 pm." That Tasti D-Lite shop is starting to look really good right about now. * Everything you've read about the Grey's Anatomy kerfuffle is 100 percent true.* Kidnapped is shooting across the street fr...
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Wednesday's Dancing results show was (yawn) the 8 pm winner, with an audience of 15.6 million, while CBS' Jericho held steady with another week of 11.4 mil viewers. Bones placed third with 7.7 mil.At 9, Criminal Minds surged 800,000 heads from a week prior to claim an audience of 16.45 million, followed by Lost's neat li'l clip show (9.9 mil) and Justice, which enjoyed a solid upswing to 7.1 mil. The return of One Tree Hill was welcomed by 3.65 mil, a tick higher than the show's previous season-opener.CSI: NY ruled the 10 pm slot with 16 million to 20/20's 13.3 and Kidnapped's 6.3 (down 1.2 mil from its already disappointing premiere).
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If the new TV season boasts a Prison Break-esque, insta-popular newcomer, that show has yet to announce itself. To date, no new series has finished higher than second in its time slot, leaving the title of "Next Big Thing" still up for grabs. While NBC's otherwise-excellent Kidnapped has the dubious distinction of being the lowest-rated premiere thus far, Jericho, Variety notes, is perhaps the strongest-performing newbie, giving CBS a 42 percent improvement in key demos in the Wednesdays-at-8 hour. Still as yet to hit the airwaves: NBC's Heroes (bowing tonight at 9 pm; see related feature) and Friday Night Lights, and ABC's The Nine, Ugly Betty and Help Me Help You.
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Wednesday's Dancing with the Stars results show won the 8 o'clock hour with an audience of 14.9 million, followed by the debut of CBS' Jericho (11.4 mil), Bones (7.4 mil), and the season premieres of The Biggest Loser (6.4 mil in its first hour) and America's Next Top Model (christening the CW with 4.9 mil). At 9 pm Criminal Minds led with 15.6 million viewers, followed by the first of two Grey's Anatomy repeats (10.6 mil) and Loser's back end (7.9 mil). In fifth, behind Top Model's second hour, Justice drew 5.6 million, down almost two mil from the previous week.CSI: NY premiered at 10 pm to 15.9 million viewers, trailed by no, not the debut of NBC's Kidnapped, but the second Grey's encore (10.5 mil). With a sampling audience of 7.5 million, Kidnapped bowed in third.
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Here now, the rest of mine own fall forecast:WednesdayThe Nine, ABC: A fun little cast of familiar faces (24's Audrey! Bailey Salinger! The shadowy Prison Break dude!) and a far-out premise make this serialized drama more than worthy of a long hard look. But the crux of the show ? What exactly happened to the nine people involved in a seemingly life-altering 52-hour bank hostage situation? ? could prove frustrating if the mad-cryptic flashbacks are only parceled out mere seconds at a time. Jericho, CBS: As I told the show's publicist, I was loving this pilot, about a small town isolated from the rest of civilization after some sort of nuclear assault on major cities, until the very final scene, which in my opinion rang illogical. Blocking that moment out, however, I'm excited for this series. Justice, Fox: Alias' Spy Daddy (Victor Garber) as the most cunning of cunning, high-priced defense attorneys? I'm so there. Plus, I like the gimmick of showing us, in the coda, what really happ...
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Question: Which are the top five new shows you would recommend this fall? From the previews I have read, I am most looking forward to The Nine, Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Jericho and Ugly Betty. Six Degrees sounded intriguing to me when I read the premise, but critics have bashed it, so I'm uncertain. Although it does have J.J. Abrams involved, so I'm hoping.
Answer: I'll give you a top six: my three favorite new dramas and my three favorite new comedies (the latter is almost by default because there are so few of merit). Dramas, in no particular order: The Nine, Studio 60, Friday Night Lights. Comedies, in no particular order: 30 Rock, The Class, Ugly Betty. There are a handful of shows I'll be tracking that fall on a second tier, but I can tell you that Heroes and Jericho will not likely be among them. (I know that because I write this particular column on the Internet, I'm supposed to gush on and on about any show with an element of fantasy — call it the Comic-Con factor —
...
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Question: I think it's really interesting how Psych became such a hit on USA. The same with Saved's success on TNT (although I find the show a dull Rescue Me knockoff). Some channels (both cable and network) have found certain formulas that really work, and then stick with that brand. Psych, for instance, fits seamlessly into the USA brand by being a cross between The Dead Zone and Monk. In fact, I want to further compliment USA on the best ad campaign I have seen in years. I actually stop fast-forwarding on my DVR to watch those hilarious USA ads featuring their wonderful array of characters. My wife and I love them! But my question goes back to the failure earlier this year of Love Monkey (also a wonderful show) on the stodgy, serious CBS network. CBS puts on this wonderful, sweet and quirky show and it fails; so they go back to their dull formula with the ridiculous The Unit, and it's a ratings smash. Do you feel that networks and cable channels (after a scenario like this for CBS) ...
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Question: Which fall pilots would you deem worthy of my time?
Answer: I finished watching the last of the pilots over the weekend and I have fantastic news: For the first time in recent memory, the good fall shows easily outnumber the bad ones — at least based on the pilots I saw. As Desperate Housewives taught us, the second and third episodes tell us much more about a show's creative bones than a season premiere. With that said, here are the fall offerings that have the most FauxVo potential.
* Vanished (Fox) and Kidnapped (NBC): Among the things these two thrillers share in common: They both&
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