Comings and goings

Fox announced Tuesday that Prison Break is coming to an end after four seasons. The show, which went on hiatus in December, will return April 17 with about a half-dozen episodes to wrap things up. I never got into it -- I got my fill of labrynthine plot twists and implausible action from 24 for too many years -- but it's nice they'll get a chance to shoot an actual series finale.

Life on Mars is getting a spinoff series on BBC America. Ashes to Ashes premieres March 7, and will feature a modern-day female cop who gets shot and transported back to 1981, where she meets Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), who was similarly-transported Detective Sam Tyler's boss in 1974. Two unrelated people bounced back in time due to a catastrophic injury? Sounds like a bit of a stretch, but it stars Keeley Hawes (who was great as Zoe in MI-5) and coming from the Life on Mars creators, it might be worth a shot. Oh, and of course, Ashes to Ashes is the title of an obscure David Bowie song, just like Life on Mars. Hmmm, maybe Bowie's behind the time-travelling. He always seemed inter-dimensional.

Speaking of Mars, seems like half the cast of Veronica Mars will be reuniting in creator Rob Thomas' new show, Party Down, on Starz. The comedy, about L.A. caterers who really want to be actors, premieres March 20. It'll star Ken Marino (slimy P.I. Vinnie Van Lowe), Adam Scott (creepy teacher Mr. Rooks), Jane Lynch (?) and Ryan Hansen (the immortal Dick Casablancas), with Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars) and Ed Begley Jr. (Dean O'Dell) appearing as guest stars. And rumor has it Kristen Bell wants to do a guest appearance as well.
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American cheese

OK, so maybe I'll admit to belting out a Kelly Clarkson song or two with the radio as I sped across pastureland in Iceland a few years back (long story). But that doesn't mean I'll be tuning in to American Idol tonight. But half of the country will be.

The ratings juggernaut returns to Fox for an eighth season, and this season will have a few changes in order to spice things up. Most noticeably, a fourth judge has been added: Grammy-nominated (Oooh, Freudian slip -- I originally typed "Granny") songwriter/producer Kara DioGuardi. Apparently the British version has four judges, so the show is sort of returning to its roots. The ever-acerbic Simon Cowell will take a back seat and be used when needed as a tiebreaking vote. They'll also show less of the trainwreck auditions and bring more semifinalists to Hollywood.

Yawn. Whatever. Regardless of the changes, the show will still run its generic, cheesetastic pop machine roughshod over America, further eroding a once great musical culture. In protest, I'll be listening to some old Replacements albums.

But for any Idol worshippers out there, here's a link you might want to check out. My colleague, assistant sports editor and senior old-person music editor Bill Pinella, will be blogging about his love affair with the show. I'm sure it'll be special.

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Starting all over again

This post comes about a week late, but if you haven't noticed yet, TV's midseason relaunch is in full swing.

Scrubs came back last Tuesday on a new network (ABC). It's been fun to watch this show mature (though I don't know it mature is the right word to use in this case). I've always been a believer that less is more when it comes to this show, and I hope they tone down the ridonkulousness level. Last week was encouraging, especially the second episode centered around the dying patient. That mix of humor and poignancy is what has made Scrubs great in the past.

Nip/Tuck was also back last week, but come on, is anyone still watching this show? It went over the edge loooooong ago. Have they tried a head transplant yet? If not, they I predict one this season.

Last Wednesday saw the Season 2 premiere of Damages. Sure, Season 1 took ridiculous twists and turns, but it has arguably the best cast on television (Emmys for Glen Close and Zelko Ivanek), especially now with the addition of Oscar-winners William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as well as Deadwood's top scowler, Timothy Oliphant. Throw in Rose Byrne and a career perfomance from Ted Danson and you've got magic. This season promises to be no less convoluted and suspenseful, and I'll be watching every minute.

Damages has a lot of company on Wednesdays though, with Top Scallop -- errr, Top Chef (sorry, Jamie, but Fabio hit that nail on the head) -- and Lost, which returns next week.

24 kicked off a the latest longest day of Jack Bauer's life last night, but I just can't do it. Sloppy writing, poor planning on story arcs and characters acting totally out of character ruined this show long ago. If this season turns out to be any good, I'll just catch up on the DVDs later.

The final season of Battlestar Galactica starts Friday night, with the human and Cylon survivors trying to make sense of the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once called Earth. And who's the final Cylon? All will be revealed, they promise. And rumor has it the Final One will be revealed sooner rather than later.

Also coming Friday is Season 3 of Friday Night Lights on NBC, just as the season's original run on DirecTV ends. I'm watching Season 1 now on Netflix, and I'm loving this show. How I managed to miss it until now baffles me, but it's definitely worth watching

Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords begins Sunday, and New Zealand's fourth most-popular folk/comedy band will release new songs from the shows every Monday in iTunes. That'll be nice for when you have a song like "Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenocerous" stuck in your head. Sadly, this might be the Conchords' last season. Apparently it isn't easy to write an original musical comedy series. And -- say it ain't so! -- the first episode deals with the band firing their hapless manager, Murray.

In a departure from its usual summer airing, Burn Notice is back next Thursday. Breezy, action-packed and smart, this show really deserves a bigger audience. Hopefully the sight of tropical Miami will draw in some snowbound viewers.

There's also a handful of new reality shows, but I'll get to those in a future post. Stay tuned.
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Something smells fishy at Food Network

Food Network is rolling out a new batch of shows, and they look very . . . familiar. Seems they've been bitten by the copycat bug. Don't believe me? Check these out:

There's a lot of hype for Chopped. Ted Allen's new show looks remarkably similar to Bravo's Top Chef, which -- coincidentally I'm sure -- he helped judge until last year. The premise looks like a mix of Top Chef -- putting up-and-coming chefs in pressure situations -- meets Iron Chef -- where they make a surprise dish. I liked Allen in his Top Chef role, but his first Food Network show, Food Detectives, is overly simplistic and uninteresting. Not to mention a rip-off of equal parts Alton Brown's Good Eats and Discovery Channel's Mythbusters. Well, minus the fun and interesting parts.

Then there's the new Will Work for Food, starring Next Food Network Star (now there's a self-fulfilling prophecy) Adam Gertler. Every week Gertler will go behind the scenes and risk life, limb and dignity at countless food jobs that the average person takes for granted -- from gathering honey from bees to digging a wine cave. Sounds like a great idea and a fun show. Too bad Mike Rowe has already been doing that for years on Discovery's Dirty Jobs.

New York Magazine illustration

Ultimate Recipe Showdown is back for a second season and hey, newest Iron Chef Michael Symon is on the judging panel! Oh wait, no, that's . . . Michael Psilakis. You can understand the confusion though, as Psilakis could be Symon's doppleganger. They're both tall, bald, have hip facial hair, archy eyebrowns, Greek . . . Here's the giveway -- Symon has the soul patch on the front of his chin. Psilakis' soul patch is on the bottom of his chin. It's enough to sucker in viewers who are casual Symon fans who don't know any better. The show, meanwhile, is more or less Top Chef with amateurs.

Come on, Food Network, is this really the best you can do? Pretty sad state of affairs for a once fairly interesting network. I suppose it could be worse -- we could be subjected to 24 hours of all-Guy Fieri.
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I'm back. With a list.

I know, much like Pushing Daisies, I seemed to have vanished without a trace. But I'm back. Blame job-hunting, Christmas madness and the lack of anything on TV worth commenting on.

The end of the year brings the inevitable Top 10 (or 20) lists, and they've been done to death, and really, I can't add to them. Like everyone else, I loved The Wire, The Shield, Lost, 30 Rock, blah blah blah. So what I'll offer is this: My 10 favorite, most mind-blowing, most memorable TV moments of the year.

1. Lost: The island disappears. The bad guys are coming, and Ben climbs down into the depths of the island and finds. . . a big switch? And ZAP, just like that, they're gone. What. . . . the . . . . hell? The most stunning moment in a season full of them.

2.The Wire: Omar's demise. It came out of nowhere, a sudden bust of violence from the least likely candidate that was shocking even for a show that made shocking violence commonplace. It's not often a scene makes me bolt upright and shout a Vader-like "Noooooooo!" R.I.P. Omar. You were a bad, baaaad man. In such a good way. And like Vic Mackey (see next), it was the only appropriate way to go out.

3. The Shield: Vic's new job. The series finale was full of heartbreaking and gut-wrenching scenes (Shane's family laid out neatly on the bed, anyone?), but the introduction to Vic Mackey's new workplace was jaw-droppingly awesome. The sight of Vic in an ill-fitting suit, being reminded to put his name on his bag lunch and to be sure to call building services to adjust the thermostat was stunning. The wild beast was finally a caged animal. Or so we thought, until he stuffed his gun into his pants and stormed out of the building in the final scene. A perfect ending.

4. Mad Men: Season finale. I didn't watch the show religiously, but when I caught an episode it never failed to be outstanding. And the finale, from Don's reconciliation with Betty with so much left secret and unsaid, to Duck's power play crumbling as he underestimated Don, to the poignant and reveltory conversation between Peggy and Pete, all taking place with the Cuban Missile Crisis and the possible end of the world looming, was as gripping as anything on TV in 2008.

5. Battlestar Galactica: This is Earth? In a season full of shocking surprises – Cylons revealed, uneasy alliances, deteriorating mental states – this was the biggie. After all that running around the galaxy for so many years, Earth was finally found. Only it was a scorched, post-apocalyptic landscape. No dialogue – the looks of shock, confusion and disappointment on everyone's faces said it all.

6. Sons of Anarchy: The hit gone wrong. You could see it coming, the plan to kill Opie for his (wrongly) perceived betrayal and the horrible switch between drivers. Opie and his wife switched cars for the most ordinary reason, and because she was driving the wrong car at the wrong time, and because Tig was too cowardly to look his victim in the face before killing him, she died in a drive-by shooting. One of those moments where you know nothing will ever be the same in that show's universe.

7. Top Chef: Season 4 finale. Forget about sourpuss Lisa, this was all about the two consistently best, most personable chefs in the season – Richard vs. Stephanie. It's rare on a reality show to have two such likeable people vying for the win, which only made it all the more nerve-wracking. Richard had an off night, and Stephanie didn't – and she took the victory. I'd eat in either of their restaurants any time.

8. The Office: The dinner party. Finally, a comedy makes the list. This was probably the funniest episode of the year, with Michael & Jan having Jim & Pam and Andy & Angela over for the most awkward dinner party ever. Which, of course, was crashed by Dwight and his babysitter/date. From the stinky candle room to the 3-hour wait for the main course to the teeny tiny plasma TV, this was The Office at its best.

9. Life on Mars: Finale. Technically not a 2008 show, but it aired on BBC America this year, so I'm counting it. After two seasons of wondering if Sam's world exists only in his mind, or if he's a time-traveler, all is revealed – he's been in a coma and it all was a dream. But what was even more shocking was what Sam did next, after waking up and being forced to live in a now-unfamiliar present day. (And don't worry, ABC says they won't end their series the same way, so this shouldn't spoil anything.)

10. Saturday Night Live: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. Tina Fey single-handedly made SNL relevant again with her spot-on impression of possibly the worst vice-presidential candidate in history. Really, a couple months after the fact, I'll bet more of us remember Fey's skits more than the real thing.
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Flipping Channels

Quick hits, thoughts and news . . .

•TNT premiers its newest show, Leverage, at 10 p.m. Sunday (it'll then move to its regular time of 10 p.m. Tuesdays). Timothy Hutton (the guy who had the crush on a waaaay-too-young Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls) stars as the ringleader of an Ocean's 11-type crew of con men who only rip off bad guys who deserve it. Sounds good, huh? Actually it was good, the first time I saw it . . . when it was a BBC show called Hustle. Though it doesn't bill itself as such, Leverage is just another Americanized version of a cool British show. Hustle is a stylish, breezy, caper show — similar to Burn Notice —well worth checking out. All four seasons are available on DVD, and you can catch reruns occasionally on AMC. It's almost certainly better than Leverage, and they speak with way cooler accents.

•The demise of Pushing Daisies may be good news for Heroes. But is it already too late? Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller is on the verge of signing a deal to return as an executive producer for Heroes, which he worked on in its brilliant first season. His return won't do much for the current season, which is already mostly written. But maybe he can help next season not suck so badly. The quickly sinking Heroes has already fired two co-executive producers this season, and it was only a month ago that Heroes creator Tim Kring called the show's remaining fans "saps and dipshits." It's not enough to draw back this sap, but the addition of Fuller sure can't make the show any worse.

•Sci Fi Channel this week green-lit 18 episodes of Caprica, a Battlestar Galactice prequel series. The two-hour pilot has been shot, and production on the season will start next summer. Look for the show sometime in 2010. And to quench your BSG thirst between the show's spring finale and Caprica, a standalone move called The Plan will be coming sometime in the interim. Modeled on last year's BSG standalone Razor, The Plan will focus on the Cylons' master plan and will take place between the series' first and second seasons. And starting Dec. 12, Scifi.com will roll out 12 webisodes leading up to BSG's premier on Jan. 16. Personal revelations regarding one character are promised.

•A pair of second-season premiere dates have been announced: The CW's the-devil-made-me-do-it-(no-for-real!) supernatural comedy Reaper will return on March 17, and HBO's Flight of the Conchords, following New Zealand's fourth-most popular comedy/folk band, is back Jan. 18. For a sneak peek at the entire Season 2 debut episode of Conchords, it'll be posted online at Funnyordie.com starting Dec. 17.
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Coming soon . . .

The fall season's winding down, and it's time to start anticipating the return of the two best remaining shows on TV.

Six weeks to the final chapter of Battlestar Galactica (Jan. 16).



Seven weeks until we're reunited with Lost (Jan. 21.).



I'm starting to get giddy.
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