Justified, Downton Abbey, Shameless, and More: What to Watch on TV This Winter

With the return of Justified, Downton Abbey, and Shameless, and the launch of Touch, Luck, and others, I take a look at what’s coming to your TV this winter over at The Daily Beast, in my latest feature, "What to Watch on TV This Winter." (To get right to my thoughts on the 18 shows included and bypass the intro, you can click here.)

January brings some fresh opportunities for the broadcast and cable networks to try and lure you back with new and returning programming. Among the highlights: costume drama fiends will be lined up for the Jan. 8 return of British drama Downton Abbey; FX’s Justified returns for a third season of Kentucky shootouts on Jan. 17; HBO’s cult comedy Eastbound and Down returns on Feb. 19; auteurs David Milch and Michael Mann unite for HBO’s Luck, launching Jan. 29; and Kiefer Sutherland returns to television with Fox’s Touch, which will get a preview broadcast on Jan. 25. (It officially premieres on March 19.)

Absolutely Fabulous, the outrageous British cult comedy that gave the world the fashion-obsessed Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), will celebrate its 20th anniversary with three brand-new specials this year, the first of which airs on both BBC America and Logo on Jan. 8 at 10 p.m. ABC will offer the globe-spanning espionage/revenge drama Missing, starring Ashley Judd as a former CIA agent in search of her son, who vanished in Europe, and Game of Thrones’s Sean Bean, beginning March 15. In the not-soon-enough category, Mad Men’s long-delayed fifth season is expected to turn up on AMC sometime this spring, possibly as early as March.

Elsewhere, the usual slew of reality shows—Fox’s American Idol (Jan. 18), NBC’s The Voice (in the coveted post–Super Bowl slot on Feb. 5), and CBS’ The Amazing Race (Feb. 19)—returns with new cycles, while AMC gets into the unscripted business with the Kevin Smith–produced Comic Men, launching Feb. 12. And ABC may have a contender for the worst television show of all time with Work It, a cross-dressing “comedy” starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco that already has GLAAD up in arms. (It uses male anxieties, unemployment, and a relentless misogyny to wring jokes out of a stale, Bosom Buddies–like premise.)

Continue reading at The Daily Beast...

Channel Surfing: "Hex" Star Lands FOX Pilot, First "Melrose Place" Casting, Seinfeld Sells Reality Series to NBC, Cassar Quits "24," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Former Hex star Christina Cole has been cast as the lead in FOX's untitled Ian Biederman drama, where she will play a female surgeon who suffers from adult-onset schizophrenia; Cole Hauser (K-Ville) will star in CBS drama pilot Washington Field, where he will play the squad's supervisor; Michael Nouri (Damages) has been cast in ABC drama pilot Empire State, where he'll play the wealthy father of a girl involved in a star-crossed romance with a blue-collar worker; and Anthony Carrigan, Michelle Borth, Bob Stephenson, and Rochelle Aytes have been cast in ABC's untitled Jerry Bruckheimer drama pilot (formerly known as The Unknown). (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered reality/comedy hybrid series The Marriage Ref, from executive producers Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Rakieten, in which celebrities offer advice to real-life couples battling "classic marital disputes." So far there is no launch date for the series, nor has a timeslot been announced. "Jerry called us up and told us he had an idea," said NBC's Ben Silverman. "He flew in to sit down with us, and he and Ellen pitched the show. We were laughing the whole time as they went through the concept. As Jerry noted, some of the greatest comedies in history have been about marriage." (Variety)

Michael Rady (Swingtown) is the first actor to be cast in the CW's remake of Melrose Place; he'll play Jonah Miller, an aspiring filmmaker who pays the rent by working as an event videographer after relocating to LA with his fiancée a year ago. Comparisons are already being made between the character of Jonah and Andrew Shue's Billy Campbell from the original FOX series. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other casting news, Derek Luke (Notorious) has landed the lead in NBC drama pilot Trauma, where he will play a trauma doctor who struggles to be a devoted husband and father. Also set to join the cast: Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights), Cliff Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), and Jamey Sheridan (Law & Order: Criminal Intent). (Hollywood Reporter)

Executive producer Jon Cassar has left FOX series 24 after six seasons after he and the studio failed to come to terms on a new contract. "I will not be involved with the upcoming eighth season," Cassar told Michael Ausiello. "Although that's sad for me to leave after six years, it's also very exciting to be back in the marketplace working with different people and facing different challenges." Next up for Cassar: directing CBS drama pilot Washington Field. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FOX has renewed animated comedy The Simpsons for two additional seasons. Under the terms of the deal, The Simpsons will reach its 22nd season, making it the longest-running primetime series. (Variety)

CBS is said to be close to ordering two additional cycles of long-running reality series Survivor, the series' 19th and 20th, for the 2009-10 season. The CBS reality staple has seen a ratings upsurge this season and could be on course to celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. (TV Week)

BBC Three has renewed supernatural drama Being Human for a second season of eight episodes. The current season, which is set to air Stateside on BBC America later this year, concludes this Sunday. (BBC)

FOX has rolled comedy pilot Walorsky, about a former cop turned security guard at a Buffalo, NY mall, to next season after the network faced problems casting the lead role. Move marks the fourth pilot, after Confessions of a Contractor, Funny in Farsi, and Planet Lucy, to be rolled over. (Hollywood Reporter)

Lauren Conrad has told Seventeen magazine that the next season of MTV's The Hills will be her last. "My biggest thing with the show was that I wanted to walk away from it while it’s still a great thing," she explains. "I always want to remember it that way. I gave MTV a deadline and said, 'This is as long as I can do it and stay sane.'" (via People)

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including Patrick Stewart, Levar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, and Jonathan Frakes, will lend their voices to an upcoming episode of FOX's Family Guy, slated to air next month. The episode, entitled "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven," follows the Griffins as they head to the annual Trek convention. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

FOX has brought on former My Wife and Kids co-creator/executive producer Don Reo as showrunner on the fourth season of 'Til Death; he'll work alongside series creators Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC Family has acquired rights to the final season of the WB/CW series Gilmore Girls, which it will air beginning in June. The cabler now owns rights to all 153 episodes of the series. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: FOX to Get "AbFab," Jane Espenson Will Be Showrunner on "Caprica," Lauren Graham, Pilot News, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

FOX has handed out a pilot order to a US remake of BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, which follows the boozy exploits of PR magnate Edina Monsoon, her magazine editrix best friend Patsy, and Edina's uptight daughter Saffy. US version will be set in LA and the script written by Christine Zander (Less Than Perfect), who will executive produce with Jennifer Saunders, Ian Moffit, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum, and Kim Tannenbaum. Project will be produced by Sony Pictures Television, Tantamount, and BBC Worldwide Americas. (Variety)

Battlestar Galactica's Jane Espenson will serve as an executive producer on BSG prequel series Caprica and will eventually become the showrunner on the series, slated to air on Sci Fi in 2010. Espenson, whom many fans will know from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, will take over the reins of Caprica's writers' room from co-creator Ron Moore later this year. Production on Caprica--which will also feature BSG writers Michael Taylor and Ryan Mottesheard, production designer Richard Hudolin, composer Bear McCreary, and special effects supervisor Gary Hutzel--is scheduled to begin in July. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Lauren Graham talks to Michael Ausiello about her upcoming run in Guys & Dolls on Broadway, the likelihood of a Gilmore Girls movie (slim to none), and her new ABC pilot--about an embittered self-help guru--which she says is a much "darker" comedy than Gilmore and features a character who is "deeply flawed." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other pilot news, ABC has ordered a two-hour pilot for mystery Happy Town from writers/executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg (October Road, Life on Mars). Project is said to be in the same vein as Twin Peaks and is "set in the hamlet of Happy Town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime." (Hollywood Reporter)

As expected, NBC has given a pilot order to medical drama Trauma, from writer/executive producer Dario Scardapane, that is said to be a "a high-octane emergency medical procedural that takes place out in the field." Project, from Universal Media Studios and Film 44, will also be executive produced by Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey. (Hollywood Reporter)

Disney has renewed syndicated fantasy drama Legend of the Seeker for a second season on Tribune-owned stations. (Variety)

As anticipated, series 30 Rock and Mad Men, and mini-series John Adams swept the television categories at the SAG Awards last night and House's Hugh Laurie and Brothers & Sisters' Sally Field took home individal awards. (Hollywood Reporter)

Shortly after upgrading Sara Gilbert from recurring to series regular status on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, the former Roseanne star has now been bumped back down to recurring on the comedy series. The reason for the about-face is said to be due to the fact that the series' writers couldn't create enough story for her and Johnny Galecki's Leonard. "They couldn't write for her, so they changed her status to recurring," a source told Michael Ausiello. "It's a little mystifying." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lauren Allen (Dirt, The 4400) will appear in a two-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play the ex-girlfriend of Kevin McKidd's Dr. Owen Hunt. [Editor's note: the story says ER, but they clearly mean Grey's Anatomy.] (Variety)

Executive producer John Wells is writing the series finale for NBC's ER, which is wrapping its run on April 2nd after fifteen seasons. "You want to try and find the essence of the series," said Wells about writing the finale script. "You want to find the thing that people actually identify with in the series and do something that leaves them feeling satisfied for having spent X number of hours of their lives devoted to watching your ongoing narrative." (Los Angeles Times)

CBS has ordered a pilot presentation for Missing You, an unscripted crime series which follows missing persons investigators as they take on various cases each week. Project will be executive produced by Shaun Cassidy, Ned Nalle, and James Bruce. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has signed a deal with American Airlines to provide the carrier with in-flight entertainment. Under the terms of the exclusive two-year deal, NBC Universal will replace CBS and provide American with four 90-minute programs each month beginning March 1st. Content won't be limited to NBC, as the studio will draw from the Peacock as well as Bravo, Sci Fi, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, films from Universal, and programs from NBC News and NBC Sports. (Variety)

Starz is developing a comedy series based on online series Tom and Sam Are Stuck, from creators Tom Saunders and Sam Laybourne, about a man and his uncle from the future who find themselves trapped in the present day when their time machine fails. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Lawsuits Aplenty with "Gilmore Girls" and "Two and a Half Men," Cassidy No Longer "Privileged," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. I'm still recovering from the, er, excesses of the past holiday week and still have a stack of screeners to get through before the New Year.

Paging GOB Bluth: Will Arnett is ready to reunite with his Arrested Development co-stars for the big screen debut of the Bluth clan as Ron Howard and Mitch Hurwitz rally the troops. "It’ll be fun to get back together with everybody and work on it,” says Arnett. “It’s been so long now, we almost have to do it. It’s like we have to finish the joke.” Arnett meanwhile offers his trademark comedic spin on the Arrested film in an amusing jab at the state of the economy. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Dexter's Lauren Velez will guest star in a multiple-episode story arc on ABC's Ugly Betty this season; she'll play Elena, a nurse who becomes entangled in the lives of the Suarez clan. POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING: Details are sketchy but there is word that she is involved in a plot twist that could involve the death of a major character. Say your goodbyes to Ignacio now. (Hollywood Reporter)

Due to budgetary and creative reasons, Michael Cassidy will leave the CW's freshman drama Privileged after the series' fifteenth episode, in which Cassidy's character, Charlie, will return to college. "Charlie will be leaving town," creator Rina Mimoun told Michael Ausiello, "but not until some hot and heavy kissing goes down." Ratings on the series are up by double-digit gains after the netlet scheduled Privileged after Gossip Girl, but there's no guarantee of a Season Two. "Right now, I'm more concerned about Privileged returning for a second season than just Charlie," said Mimoun. "If everyone wants both, then I think we have a shot!" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The CW's Gilmore Girls is back in the news again but, sadly, not because of anything good: former executive producer Gavin Polone's company Hofflund/Polone has filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television, claiming that Warners has "colluded to defraud the originator of hit Gilmore Girls television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." The company claims that Warners has defrauded them by stating that Gilmore Girls ran at a deficit through all seven of its seasons; Hofflund/Polone was guaranteed a percentage of the "modified adjusted gross" in a 2000 agreement and a 2002 amendment. (Hollywood Reporter)

That lawsuit comes just a few days after Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit of their own: against CBS, the home of the Warners-produced comedy Two and a Half Men. The studio has filed a $49 million lawsuit against CBS, claiming that the network has refused to reimburse the studio for production costs ("deficit recoupment") for the first four seasons once the comedy became a ratings hit, under the guidelines of their license fee. (TV Guide)

And in other lawsuit news, a federal court has rejected Lifetime's bid for a change of venue to move its current legal battle over the future of Project Runway out of a New York state court. (Variety)

HBO's Flight of the Conchords sophomore season premiere racked up 250,000 streams in its first ten days on FunnyOrDie.com, in addition to thousands of streams on HBO.com. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Los Angeles Times has named Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett, who stars in FOX's upcoming midseason drama Dollhouse, as a face to watch. Penikett refuses to get stressed about fans' fears about Joss Whedon's upcoming series. "I don't like panicking," said Penikett. "I'm also old enough now where I try not to stress over things too much." (The Los Angeles Times)

BBC Three has commissioned six episodes of supernatural drama Being Human, which aired its pilot earlier this year on BBC Three as part of its pilot season. The series, which stars Russell Tovey (Doctor Who), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush), and Aidan Turner (The Clinic) as three flatmates--a werewolf, ghost, and vampire respectively--who live together, was created by Toby Whithouse (Torchwood) and will air in 2009. (BBC)

Stay tuned.

The WB to Return as Online Site

Feeling nostalgic for a time when Lorelai and Luke sparred over a morning cup of coffee, Felicity Porter had not yet cut her trademark locks, or Buffy was still an only child, a mini-skirted naif whose destiny was thrust onto her?

Such nostalgia has gotten a little easier with the news that Warner Bros is relaunching The WB, home to such series as Gilmore Girls, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... not as a linear television network, but as a web site.

The ad-supported site, which has wb.com as its working title, will serve as an online home for all Warners-produced WB series that ran on the network during its brief lifespan from 1995 to 2006, including Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and What I Like About You. (It's still, sadly, unclear whether that will eventually include non-Warners produced titles like the aforementioned Buffy or Felicity, but fingers crossed.)

It will also include original short-form series, all targeted at the WB's signature demographic of women 12-34.

While I certainly don't fit into that demographic, I am slightly overjoyed by the fact that these series are coming back together under the WB banner, which for a while was on a real hot streak. After all, they were the first to embrace the genius that was Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams.

And, if you need your fix of some 90s era teen angst like you need an afternoon Snickers, there are far worse places to go to achieve those ends. Especially when they afford you a trip down memory lane as WB.com is likely to do.

The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a beta launch will take place beginning next month, with a rollout planned for autumn.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); The Bachelor: Where Are They Now? (ABC); Canterbury's Law (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW); October Road (ABC; 9-11 pm); New Amsterdam (FOX)

10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS); Medium (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

It's another chance to catch up on the teen soap. On tonight's repeat episode ("Victor/Victrola"): Nate confronts his father about his drug problem; Jenny uncovers a secret her parents had hoped to conceal; Chuck wants to invest in a burlesque club; Dan and Serena contemplate taking their relationship to the next level; and Blair finds comfort with an unexpected suitor.

9:30 pm: Old Christine.

On tonight's episode ("House"), Christine attempts to be happy for Richard and new Christine when they buy a house she has always dreamed of living in. Ouch.

10 pm: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel.

It's a brand new season of No Reservations on the Travel Channel; follow enfant terrible chef Anthony Bourdain as he returns to the kitchen of Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan as we attempts to work a double shift. Seriously, I cannot wait for this episode.

Scary Mother-Blankers: A Look at TV's Meanest Moms

Sure, there are more than a few television mothers who are forces for good: paragons of maternal instincts, positive role-models whose children are well-behaved and look up to them or misunderstood martyrs who are just plain unappreciated.

But let's be honest: the TV mothers that are the most memorable tend to play their roles in a no-wire-hangers Joan Crawford kind of way. These moms, sometimes as eeevil as can be, are usually a hell of a lot more fun than their Pollyanna counterparts.

So who made my list of TV's most memorable meanie moms? Let's take a look.

Name: Julie Cooper (The O.C.)
Actress: Melinda Clarke
Likes: Power, money, powerful men with money, decorating large mansions, blackmail, her daughter's cast-off boyfriends, manipulating everyone around her, Newport Living.
Dislikes: Ryan Atwood, downsizing, no-fault divorces, getting jilted, being blackmailed, Chino.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Sleeping with daughter Marisa's high school sweetheart Luke, nearly murdering husband Caleb, persisting in calling Kirsten "Kiki," divorcing Jimmy after discovering his financial problems, discarding husbands like used Kleenex, turning a blind eye to Marissa's blatant alcoholism, sending younger daughter Kaitlin away to school and then promptly forgetting all about her.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 8. This Real Housewife of Orange County is as nasty a mutha as they come.

Name: Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)
Actress: Jessica Walters
Likes: Gin, keeping Buster under her thumb, adopting Korean children, abusing Lindsay, abusing Lupe, soup, yachts, the amorous attentions of her husband's twin brother Oscar, being zipped up.
Dislikes: Lucille Ostero, Klimpy's restaurants, her driver's license picture, au pairs, her children forgetting her birthday, pool food.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Adopting Annyong to make Buster jealous, forcing that same son to take part each year in Motherboy competitions, attempting to run over someone she thought was eldest son GOB and then pinning the ensuing accident on Michael.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 7. Her mother's milk of kindness dried up long ago.

Name: Lois Henrickson (Big Love)
Actress: Grace Zabriskie
Likes: Being where the action is, fur coats, smirking, turning her sons against each other, turning her sons against her husband, turning her husband against her sons, the smell of laundered money.
Dislikes: Hubby Frank, being neglected by her family, sister wives, smiling, pumping gas.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Committing daughter-in-law Wanda to the "booby trap," turning to granddaughter Sarah for help only to rat her out to her parents, attempting to coerce Wanda into shooting the district attorney, admitting on several occasions that she wishes she had strangled son Bill during infancy.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 8. Extra points for also playing hellishly scary mom to Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks.

Name: Lianne Mars (Veronica Mars)
Actress: Corinne Bohrer
Likes: Booze, booze, and more booze. Also: extramarital affairs, unicorn music boxes, grand theft, dive bars, sneaking vodka into water bottles, Jake Kane.
Dislikes: Celeste Kane, standing by her man, people taking surveillance shots of her daughter, rehab.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Sleeping with both hubby Keith and high school sweetheart Jake Kane so that the parentage of baby Veronica was in question, running away without so much as a by-your-leave, using Veronica's college fund to enter rehab and then dropping out before completing treatment, running away with a $50,000 check intended for Veronica.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 7. A music box is no replacement for a mommy.

Name: Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)
Actress: Kelly Bishop
Likes: Cocktail hour, Friday night dinners, her beloved DAR, pearls, guilt trips, trips to Europe, Chilton Academy, redecorating the pool house, anything and everything that granddaughter Rory does.
Dislikes: Unwed mothers, subpar servants, Pennilyn Lott, hospital pillows, the state of Lorelai's life, mushed banana on toast.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Blackmailing daughter Lorelai into Friday night dinners in exchange for Rory's tuition, repeatedly springing blind dates on Lorelai, backpedaling on the issue of Rory dropping out of Yale, attempting to break up Lorelai and Luke and push Lorelai and Christopher together, firing every maid she's ever employed.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 4. Despite her overbearing ways, she really does want what's best for Lorelai and Rory.

Name: Atia of the Julii (Rome)
Actress: Polly Walker
Likes: Torturing her enemies, status, gossip, sex, self-preservation, manipulating others into doing her bidding, ritually bathing in the blood of animals.
Dislikes: Servilia, honesty, weakness, charity, the taste of ashes and iron, Marc Antony marrying her daughter, her children committing incest, not being the center of attention, that "pigspawn trollop" Cleopatra.
Acts of Treachery and Wanton Evil: Paying to have humiliating graffiti of Servilia and Caesar appear on streets around Rome, hiring Titus Pullo to take son Octavian to a brothel, ordering Timon to publicly strip and beat Servilia and later ordering her kidnapping and brutal torture.
Joan Crawford-O-Meter: 10. Not since Livia Soprano has there been a worse Roman matriarch; Atia virtually wrote an ancient text on bad parenting.

What other villainous matriarchs do you think should have made it on this list? Which one of these malevolent mothers is truly the wickedest of them all? You decide.

Missing Luke? Patterson to Investigate "Aliens in America"

Ah, recasting. Tis the season, apparently. Did you see the massive turnover at Boston Legal? You could have enough confetti for a parade from all the pink slips being handed out there alone.

Today, however, good news for the severely Gilmore-deprived among the readers, who can finally put aside their hatred at the CW for taking away their weekly Luke fix.

Scott Patterson, who played coffee shop proprietor/on-again-off-again love interest for the elder Gilmore girl for seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, has signed on to star in the CW's new fall comedy, Aliens in America.

Aliens in America follows the relationship and cultural misunderstandings between a 16-year-old malcontent in Wisconsin and his Christian family's Muslim exchange student. Patterson will play the family's spendthrift father. He replaces Patrick Breen, who originated the role in the pilot.

There, Gilmore fans. Are you happy now?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The New Adventures of Old Christine/The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); The Real Wedding Crashers (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Age of Love (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (CW); Extreme Makeover (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Supernanny (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: Big Love on HBO.

HBO's polygamist family drama Big Love is back. On tonight's episode ("Rock and a Hard Place"), Rhonda threatens to blackmail Nicki into letting her stay; Bill, Don, and Eddie meet with the owner of a polygamy-friendly video poker business; Brynne and Ben celebrate their 3-month anniversary with Margene; and Sarah tries to persuade Heather to accompany her to a movie with Scott. I can't wait!

9 pm: Hell's Kitchen.

No, I don't know why I am still watching this train wreck of a culinary competition. Nor do I know why anyone in their right state of mind would ever CHOOSE to have their wedding at Hell's Kitchen, but that's just what happens tonight as the seven remaining chefs have to present a meal for a wedding reception at the restaurant. Chaos? Tears? Angry brides? It's all here.

"Gilmore Girls" Gone for Good... Officially Now

Gilmore Girls has been cancelled... officially, that is. Longtime readers of this site know that I reported the cancellation weeks ago, based on information passed along to me from an insider who worked on the production.

Fast forward to today. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the May 15th finale planned for Gilmore Girls will in fact be the series' last episode, which will wrap its run after seven seasons. As a former fan of the series, I can say that it's a relief that the series, which long outstayed its welcome in the face of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's departure (and a tense, creatively weak Season Six) as well as the fantastically awful tenure of David Rosenthal during the series' weak Season Seven.

As for those rumors in recent weeks that the CW and Warner Bros Television had been in discussions about a truncated 13-episode Season Eight Run? The deal didn't pan out in the end (no surprise) and the show will now end at the end of the month.

The CW and Warner Bros. Television offered the following statement:

"Announcing the final season of Gilmore Girls is truly a sad moment for everyone at The CW and Warner Bros. Television. This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television's most memorable, lovable characters."

Is it sad? Not really. A little bittersweet, however, given how much I adored Gilmore's first five seasons. But in the end, that's what DVD and syndication are for. In the meantime, it's been long time that Lorelai, Rory, and Emily Gilmore were retired from primetime television.

So long, girls, and thanks for my rosy memories of the early days.

Go Go "Gilmore Girls": Graham and Bledel to Leave Stars Hollow

Carole King once said, "Where you lead, I will follow," but I think we've reached the end of the road with those two girls called Gilmore.

According to a source inside the production, there will not be an eighth season of Gilmore Girls, which will wrap up its run this May.

While there have been rumors of a possible eleventh hour contract renegotiation with stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (who, according to reports, have only decided to sign their contracts if the other does as well), purported (and disastrous) Season Eight storyline plans, and petitions to save the show, it seems that it's not in the stars (hollow or otherwise) for any future seasons of Gilmore Girls.

According to my source, staffers on the Warner Bros. Television series have been told that the series will not be going forward and have begun to look for other employment next season. The same holds for the actors: Melissa McCarthy, who plays chef Sookie, recently signed on to co-star opposite Christina Applegate and Jean Smart in ABC comedy pilot Sam I Am.

Hell, Gilmore Girls' showrunner David Rosenthal is allegedly looking for work as well.

For fans of the show, at least we got five fantastic years with these girls and two not-so-good ones (you all know which ones I'm referring to), but I wouldn't trade those pop culture-laced memories for anything.

Shooting Stars Hollow: Is This The End for "Gilmore Girls"?

Hmmm, apparently there's something in the air. Following my post yesterday about why I think Lauren Graham would be perfect for Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's new comedy pilot, The Return of Jezebel James, trouble seems to be brewing on the Stars Hollow set of Gilmore Girls.

According to a report by TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, the fate of the series lays in Alexis Bledel's pretty little hands and the younger Gilmore girl doesn't want to return for an eighth season on the CW dramedy. However, Ausiello claims that the network has a Plan B. (Now beware, ladies and gentlemen, purported and probable SPOILERS lurk ahead, so be forewarned.)

Should Bledel not commit to Season Eight, the CW will reportedly look to refocus the series on "Lorelai, Luke and their new baby, with the occasional sweeps-month guest appearance by Rory."

Ouch.

That's a truly horrifically bad idea, especially as my fear is that Lorelai and Luke will conceive a female baby, changing the focus of those titular girls from Lorelai and Rory to... Lorelai Plus One. (Shudder.)

Meanwhile, over at E! Online, Kristin has some info of her own that appears to discount Ausiello's story completely:

"Well, according to my sources—who are highly placed within the Gilmore family—the plan of a Roryless eighth season has been firmly rejected for one very good reason: Lauren Graham is sticking by her onscreen daughter (you gotta love that) and has made it clear that she will not continue the show without Alexis on board."

Which means that no Alexis Bledel, no Gilmore Girls. Should Bledel decide not to make another trip to Stars Hollow, Graham won't either. (You've got to love solidarity among co-stars.) I can't say that I blame Graham, especially as the two of them are the heart and soul of the show, even if they barely appear in scenes together anymore.

Still, Kristin claims that the CW (and network president Dawn Ostroff) is willing to do "whatever it takes" to keep Bledel and Graham around for another season, including "turn the show around creatively." (I'd have to agree with that; it's been unwatchable this season.)

Personally, I think it's time for Gilmore Girls to take a bow and exeunt stage left at this point. They started out as a little tiny show on a little tiny network on Thursday nights and no one initially gave a thought to the fact that it could even make it past one season, let alone seven.

Gilmore Girls will always have a very special place in my heart but it's sad but true to say that it feels like it's going through the motions at this point and I'd much rather see Bledel, Graham, and the entire GG cast go onto newer and better things than languish for another, protracted season.

That's just my opinion. But at least I have my DVDs.

Why Lauren Graham's Agent Should Get Her the Lead on "Jezebel James"

I might be sounding like a bit of a broken record at the moment regarding Amy Sherman-Palladino's new comedy pilot The Return of Jezebel James, but I just can't get Lauren Graham out of my head.

Mainly because Graham would just be so insanely perfect for the lead role of Sarah Thompkins in ASP's latest project and I'd love to see Graham and Sherman-Palladino reunite on a different project, one that didn't involve a certain formerly beloved mother-daughter relationship going ever so unsubtly off the rails in recent years.

Indispensable industry resource TV Tracker today released the first installment of their patented Track Vision (a boon during pilot season for overworked and overwrought buyers like yours truly) and listed Gilmore Girls as an "expected cancellation."

Rumors have been swirling for months about the fate of this WB/CW dramedy staple, but after seven seasons and increasingly mounting production costs, it seems like this May will be the end of those girls from Stars Hollow. (And, sadly, it's coming a little too late for this former GG addict.)

Which would mean that Graham needs to get out there and sign up to do a pilot for next season. If only to do something television-based that pushes her a little bit away from Lorelai Gilmore. Sure, Graham is developing a few projects with her Warners-based production shingle, but I don't believe that any of them have been picked up to pilot.

Plus, who better to write breakneck, witty, sassy banter for our gal Graham than the writer who infused Lorelai and Rory's conversations with such brilliant pop culture-infused repartee?

The script for Jezebel James describes Sarah as "a young adult book editor. She is mid to late thirties, bright, sunny, an eternal optimist and the most determined lady you could meet."

If that's not Graham, I don't know what is.

Graham needs a vehicle that would allow her to shine and still give her whip-smart dialogue, a three-dimensional character, and a unique on-screen relationship to explore. And Jezebel James would offer her a bit of variety in the fact that, unlike Gilmore Girls, it's a half-hour comedy on a network that has a bit more cache (and cash) than newbie netlet the CW.

Plus, how great would it be to see Graham reunite with her former on-screen flame Scott Cohen, who has already been cast as Marcus in the FOX comedy?

Meanwhile, I was discussing the character of Coco, Sarah's rambunctious, alternative, and aggressively estranged sister, with my friend Di, who writes industry newsletter The Surf Report, and both of us immediately wanted to cast Mean Girls' Lizzy Caplan. (I mean, come on, it would be an absolute miracle if CBS renewed The Class at this point.)

Lauren Graham. Scott Cohen. Lizzy Caplan. Amy Sherman-Palladino. The Return of Jezebel James.

Think about it.

As for those rumors of bad blood between Amy Sherman-Palladino and Lauren Graham during the last days together on the Gilmore Girls set, what better way to bury the hatchet than to start anew?

P.S. If you're wondering about The Return of Jezebel James' title and who exactly that's referring to, wonder no more: the titular character is a fictional character in a series of young adult lit books that Sarah edits. It's also the name of Coco's childhood imaginary friend. Coincidence? I think not.

Casting Couch: Scott Cohen Reunites with Amy Sherman-Palladino on FOX

Because I've gotten so many emails asking me if I knew about this latest bit of pilot casting news, I figure I might as well share it with the rest of you out there.

Scott Cohen has signed on to star in Amy Sherman-Palladino's comedy pilot The Return of Jezebel James for FOX.

For those of us that follow such events, it's a blessed marriage and the reunion of two TV greats. Scott Cohen, of course, memorably played Lorelai's doomed lover and almost-husband Max Medina on Gilmore Girls.

The two met at Rory's private school Chilton where Max was a tweed-wearing teacher and he and Lorelai nearly tied the knot (he proposed with 1000 daffodils in the days when there was an Independence Inn on the show), but she jilted him and instead took a road trip to Harvard with Rory. Ringing a bell?

As previously reported, Amy Sherman-Palladino's comedy The Return of Jezebel James has been ordered to pilot; it's about two estranged sisters who reunite when the elder sister Coco asks her younger, kooky sister Sarah to carry her child.

Enter Scott Cohen, who has joined the cast of Jezebel James, where he'll play Marcus, a confirmed bachelor AND Sarah's boyfriend. (Tricky, that.) One can only imagine how he'll take the news of Sarah's pregnancy scheme...

I think the casting is brilliant, but it only heightens the fact that, no matter how hard I try, I can't help but read the script and imagine Lauren Graham playing Sarah.

If only...

"Gilmore Girls" Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Returns to Comedic Roots with "Jezebel James"

While there are a number of pilot and series orders worthy of keeping one's eye on during this busy pilot season--The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Canyons, and The Bionic Woman being the first three to come to mind--every now and then there's a certain project that comes along that you can't help but root for, especially when it comes from the fertile minds of one of your favorite television creators.

Especially when said creator has let you down a wee bit by leaving the series that made them a mythic name around the Televisionary household after sort of sinking the show a bit.

If you couldn't guess who I was talking about just from that sentence above (or if you don't bother reading the title, I suppose), here goes. Fox has ordered a multi-camera pilot from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino with the working title of The Return of Jezebel James.

First of all, I'm extremely curious to see how Sherman-Palladino will handle a traditional half-hour multi-camera sitcom, albeit one with a modern twist. The story revolves around two estranged sisters, with a vast age difference, who come together after one agrees to carry the other's baby. Because of the difference in their ages, these two barely know one another and are, obviously, forced into a relationship.

"They never forged any relationship at home, and now they're forced into a situation where they're not only negotiating over the carrying of the baby but also over who they are," Sherman-Palladino told The Hollywood Reporter. "The catalyst of the relationship is them finding out who they are to each other."

Sherman-Palladino will write, direct, and executive produce the comedy, which harkens back to her early multi-cam sitcom days as a writer on Roseanne.

The news of the pilot order comes just a few days after Sherman-Palladino's appearance last week at the Hollywood Radio & Television Society's Hitmakers luncheon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire (where, yes, she was wearing one of her trademark hats, referred to by MC Jimmy Kimmel as a "magician's top hat"). At a panel discussion with fellow series creators Greg Daniels (The Office), Damon Lindelof (Lost), Anthony Zuiker (CSI), Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), and Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), Sherman-Palladino blasted the industry's insistence that the comedy genre was dead.

"I don't begrudge the existence of reality shows," said Sherman-Palladino. "I think it's a shame that their existence has become a crutch and an excuse for not creating great shows."

Sherman-Palladino went on to say that the Big Four Networks should be doing more comedy. "They have the biggest audience and the biggest budgets," she continued. "Comedy used to make money, but everybody turned their back on it because it's just too easy not to trust good writers."

Sherman-Palladino's decision to reinvigorate the traditional sitcom definitely intrigues me, especially as the only multi-cam comedy I can watch nowadays is CBS' Old Christine. (Meanwhile, my TiVo is constantly overflowing with single-cams like The Office, Everybody Hates Chris, 30 Rock, Scrubs, and My Name is Earl. Hell, I still can't bring myself to delete episodes of Arrested Development off of it.)

I do think it's somewhat frightening that a quick glance of the networks reveals less comedy now than, say, five or ten years ago. Even comedy stalwarts like The King of Queens and According to Jim are feeling the burn; both were renewed by their respective networks, albeit with reduced episodic orders. Filling that void are typically cheap-to-produce reality programming, which Sherman-Palladino bemoaned at the panel as being forgotten five minutes later. Say what you want about NBC (I usually do), but they at least seem committed to the idea of the single-cam comedy, anyway, with their reinvigorated Thursday night lineup.

Still, Sherman-Palladino believes she can stem the tide of both networks and viewers switching off comedies. "I'm sorry it's become the wasteland and people are turning their backs on it," Sherman-Palladino told The Hollywood Reporter. "It doesn't have to be this way."

Let's just hope that with The Return of Jezebel James, Sherman-Palladino proves to be as tenacious (and obstinate) as her TV creations Lorelai and Rory. Especially on a network as trigger-happy as Fox.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The King of Queens/The King of Queens (CBS); The Biggest Loser (NBC; 8-10 pm); Next Top Model: British Invasion (CW; 8-10 pm); Show Me the Money (ABC); Bones (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Day Break (ABC); Bones (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Medium (NBC); Primetime: Basic Instinct (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Next Top Model: British Invasion.

Okay, Top Model might be over and CariDee was crowned the victor, but I need my ANTM fix... Fortunately, the CW is giving us a highlights package of the Blighty version of Top Model. So sit back, relax, and prepare to unleash your inner model.

9-11 pm: The Lost Room on Sci Fi.

On the final installment of Sci Fi's latest epic mini-series, Joe Miller (Peter Krause) must use everything at his disposal to find the Prime Object, his last chance of rescuing his daughter Anna (Elle Fanning) from the Motel Room.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

It's the second season of Bravo's culinary competition Top Chef. On tonight's episode, it's supposedly "party season" (despite it being the dead of summer when the show was filmed) and the remaining contestants have to cater a party, but this being Top Chef tempers flare and the knives are drawn, particularly when Cliff becomes a little too bossy. Uh-oh. All this and Queer Eye's Ted Allen? It's synergistic hilarity waiting to happen!

The Long Morrow: Has "Gilmore Girls" Returned to Form?

It was with some trepidation that I sat down last night to watch the season premiere of Gilmore Girls. After all, creator Amy Sherman Palladino and hubby Daniel Palladino are gone now and their departure cast a rather large pall over this once mighty series and I hadn't exactly had a lot of confidence in their replacement, David Rosenthal, whose two episodes to date had left me cold. Could this be a fresh start for the Gilmore Girls that I knew and loved? Perhaps.

I'll admit that I was a little concerned during beginning of the Girls' seventh season premiere ("The Long Morrow") last night. The opening scenes seemed weak, ineffectual, and clunky and, even worse, they seemed vaguely similar to the frustrating, hot mess that was Season Six. (Look, it's Amy and Daniel... and they're running out the door and taking any narrative sense with them!) We've seen Lorelai sleep with the wrong guy and then sulk and pout before, we've seen Sookie babble on endlessly, we've seen Michel... have nothing to do. So there was definitely a sense of been-there-done-that that made me feel more than a little uneasy.

But then something happened.

The characters started to behave like themselves again, in a way that they hadn't for most of last season (if you can't already tell, I'm a huge Gilmore fan who was crushed by the lack of cohesion and, well, common sense of last season). Lorelai was Lorelai again: quixotic and spunky, with a fierce inner spirit and an absolute failure at cooking (I loved the riff on not having any ice in the house). Rory was Rory, completely bonded with her mother, at ease with one another, headstrong and intelligent. And both were filled with the spirit of that dearly departed wit, Dorothy Parker, who would have been proud at the zingers and bon mots casually tossed off by these two intelligent and stylish women.

If you couldn't tell, I might just be falling in love with my Gilmore girls all over again. I absolutely loved the racquetball scene between the two of them: both the sitting on the floor of the court and gabbing and the actual 5 second racquetball game, which promptly ends when the opening stroke ricochets right into Lorelai's face. The dialogue, as written by newly minted Gilmore Girls showrunner David Rosenthal, was filled with a lightness and verve sorely missing of late. It was fast and furious (but not overly so), filled with some pop cultural references (I never thought I'd hear the words "Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift" uttered on the show), but never overwrought or overdone. Simply put: it made sense, it made me laugh out loud (something I haven't been able to do in quite some time whilst watching Gilmore Girls), and it didn't reinvent the wheel. It stuck to what the show does best: plot the relationship between Lorelai and Rory, their kooky neighbors in Stars Hollow, the current men in their lives, and remain tartly sweet and smartly savvy.

I thought that the red light traffic cam installation scene was right on the money. Any more and it would have been over the top, but as is, it was just zany enough to work. Same with Luke's reaction after Kirk crashes Taylor's beloved T-bird into the diner's wall. I half expected him to begin freaking out and ranting about Lorelai and how this has broken down the walls around him (the metaphor was beginning to make me a little uneasy), but Rosenthal pulled it off by making it more about everyone forcing Luke to make a decision. It was also helped by some fine acting on Scott Patterson's part and not once did he never mention Lorelai by name. So, bravo, for pulling off something that could have been hokey and fondue-like and instead having it fit in with the tradition of bizarro Stars Hollow stories on the series and ring true to their characters and their situations.

I liked Rory and Logan's long distance interactions and the rocket ship gift he sent to her (I love when the girls attempt to solve relationship-related mysteries) and was especially pleased with the twist that, while Logan is sending her a plane ticket to London, Rory won't be seeing her beau until Christmas-time. At least, unless she has anything to say about it. I love how Logan can be so savvy and so stupid at the same time and so utterly clueless about Rory's feelings. Which is why I love their current situation. Will Logan wait "40 years" for Rory? And better yet: will Rory do the same for him?

Additionally, I'm especially glad that Lorelai didn't elope with Luke (though glad that the big lunk finally proposed to her) and that Lorelai didn't conceal the fact that she slept with Christopher from him. His reaction was right on the money, both for Luke and men in general. Personally, I'm happy to see Luke and Lorelai apart for a while, even though I was rooting for them for many years, as I think that she and Christopher are actually a really good couple. He's matured significantly in the last few seasons and is finally as adult as Lorelai but their shared past and, um, shared daughter, make them a good fit. It will be interesting to see where this goes in the next few episodes, but the scenes for next week do make it seem as though we'll be seeing Lorelai and Chris as a couple. At least for a little while, anyway.

So, was it a return to the glory days of Gilmore Girls? Well, it's definitely a step in the right direction. And while it's still way too soon to tell whether the show will keep on the path it's on or whether it will again lose its footing, I do have to say that I am impressed with how much I enjoyed the episode and the direction under the previously much maligned David Rosenthal. As for the future of Gilmore Girls, there's a part of me that's cautiously optimistic about this season. But at the same time, there's another side of me that just can't wait to get back to Stars Hollow again next week.

Next week on Gilmore Girls ("That's What You Get, Folks, for Makin' Whoopee"): Lorelei tries to cheer up Rory, upset about calling off her trip to Asia with Logan, by transforming the house into the Stars Hollow version of, um, Asia, in this episode written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Jericho (CBS); The Biggest Loser (NBC; 8-10 pm); America's Next Top Model (CW); Dancing with the Stars (ABC); Bones (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); One Tree Hill (CW); Lost (ABC); Justice (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Kidnapped (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Jericho.

I'm really on the fence about this series, which is just way too maudlin and depressing for me to tune into on a weekly basis. Plus, I've got enough stress from Lost at 9 pm. On tonight's episode ("Fallout"), Jake discovers that the fallout shelter is unusable... an hour before fallout from the blast is about to hit the town. Day-um.

9 pm: Lost.

Yes, it's yet another Lost recap show ("A Tale of Survival") before next week's third season premiere. Will I tune in or will it just wind up sitting on my TiVo's hard drive for the next few weeks? Only Desmond knows...

10 pm: Kidnapped.

It's the second episode of NBC's fall kidnapping drama (not to be confused with FOX's). On tonight's episode ("Special Delivery"), the Cains receive a package that implies that their other children might be in danger, while Knapp (Jeremy Sisto) heads to Brown University to search out missing daughter Aubrey. Unless the ratings improve for this drama, something tells me that the only thing missing will soon be this series from the schedule...

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

On tonight's episode, it's finally down to the final four contestants. (Yes, really, this time.) Who will be booted off the runway next? Just please don't let it be Michael.

Channel Surfing: 8.2.06

Fox Chases "Gilmore" Girl

Only a few weeks after leaving the series, outbound Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino has set up her next series project at Fox, according to a report filed by Variety.

The project, written by Sherman-Palladino (who may also direct the pilot), is a half-hour dramedy that will focus on two estranged sisters who come together when one agrees to carry the other's baby.

No studio is currently attached to the project, which is a put pilot at Fox.

The news comes after Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino, a fellow Gilmore Girls scribe/producer, departed the series in April after failing to reach a deal with studio Warner Bros. Television. Sherman-Palladino's replacement as showrunner on the CW dramedy series is Gilmore Girls writer/producer David Rosenthal.

While I doubt that Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel will be playing those sisters (though wouldn't that be great?), I do suspect that the pilot will feature Sherman-Palladino's trademark whip-smart banter that we've grown to love from Gilmore Girls.

Best of luck, Amy!

Warren Ellis' "Dead Channel" and Others Fill AMC's Original Slate

Following the success of the channel's Robert Duvall-led Broken Trail, cabler AMC has announced its first development slate of original series, according to Variety.

Current projects in development at the net include an untitled "hybrid family-horror drama set in suburbia" from Adam and Seth Gross (DOA: Dead or Alive) and executive producer Richard Kelley (Donnie Darko), a noir-ish detective drama from Monster's Ball writer Will Rokos, and an American adaptation of British series My Life in Film from Boston Legal scribe Phoef Sutton.

Additionally, AMC has signed deals to develop a 1970s New York period drama from executive producer William Finkelstein (NYPD Blue), modern horror story a la Rosemary's Baby or The Shining from writer/exec producer Steven Katz (Shadow of the Vampire), a supernatural drama from Peter O'Fallon (Blade: The Series) and writer Dan Sinclair about "what happens with dreams and desires are fulfilled," and a sci-fi series set in the Midwest from Rohan Gavin (Company Man).

Also revealed is the title of the previously reported Warren Ellis-created half-hour dramedy Dead Channel, which is set in a fictional entertainment industry. (Given the horrors of what actually goes on in this industry, Ellis should have a veritable field day.)

The announcement comes as AMC has made particular strides into the scripted series world, acquiring and airing British drama series Hustle and co-producing the 1950s-set advertising drama Mad Men with the BBC. (Expect an imminent greenlight and an announcement regarding the U.S. studio behind the latter, although having seen the original pilot, I'm not all that impressed... but it is good to see Angel's Vincent Kartheiser in a more adult role.)

Missed Joss Whedon at San Diego?

The Comic News Insider's Joe and Jimmy have a podcast interview from San Diego's Comic Con with uber-writer Joss Whedon and his Astonishing X-Men penciller John Cassaday. (Also available via the Music Store on iTunes as well.)

Cue the podcast to around 24:30 to catch Messieurs Whedon and Cassaday at the "geek igloo" of the Marvel booth (though beware of the massive background noise) and catch a few tidbits about the status of Wonder Woman, Goners, the Buffy Season 8 comic, and the possibility of Joss returning to television. ("I'd love to do TV again, I miss it very much.")

Joss will write the first four-issue arc on the Buffy Season 8 comic and then oversee various writers from the series and other media on their individual arcs. The comic will follow the lives of Buffy and her friends "after she has made every potential slayer in the world a slayer and changed the rules... and changed the world literally and she has to deal with what comes next."

I'm so there.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Rock Star: Supernova (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); Blue Collar TV/Blue Collar TV (WB); George Lopex/George Lopez (ABC); House (FOX); America's Next Top Model (UPN)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); One Tree Hill (WB); Lost (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX); All of Us/Half and Half (UPN)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Primetime (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

It's here, it's finally here! Tonight's episode of my new reality fix, Project Runway, features the dramatic booting of a would-be designer before the elimination challenge. Looks like someone bent (or broke) the rules and now Tim Gunn is swinging the axe. So who is it? As long as it's not Kayne or Michael or Allison, I'm okay.

Television Critics Question the "Gilmore Girls" and "Veronica Mars"

Yesterday's Television Critics Association event in Pasadena featured the first press session with the newly minted netlet, The CW (a phoenix rising from the ashes of the WB and UPN). And, while the network and president Dawn Ostroff trotted out all of the network's returning and new series, most critics' attention was sharply drawn to two of the network's returning series, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars.

Let's talk about Veronica Mars first as the news shared there excited me far more than anything teased at the Gilmore Girls panel.

The most important announcement: Mac is back.

Actress Tina Majorino, who plays Veronica's computer geek gal pal, has been locked as a series regular for next season. But don't expect the duo to be roomies. Among other characters making an appearance next season will be Stosh Piznarski, a roommate for Wallace (Percy Daggs III), and an as-yet-unnamed roomie for Mac. Creator Rob Thomas said of Mac's roommate, "She will be bubbly and effervescence and listen to a lot of Nellie Furtado in the room. And they won't hit it off right away, but she'll have a heart of gold." (Veronica will be still living at home with dad Keith.)

But no worries, Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen) will also be attending Hearst College next year, as will Wallace and Logan (Jason Dohring). (Whew.) Kendall Casablancas (Charisma Carpenter) will make "at least [one]" appearance on the show, but don't hold your breath for Duncan to make a cameo. According to series creator Rob Thomas: "We had two romantic possibilities for Veronica, and one sort of dominated the fans' interest. And it became clear that one suitor won out." (One guess who.)

The mystery surrounding the briefcase that Kendall brought to Keith will be resolved in the first two episodes of the season.

However, expect a much more streamlined third season of VM as Rob Thomas realized that this past season's mysteries were way too convoluted. The season's first mystery will consist of nine episodes, which will run straight through without pre-emptions or repeats, followed by a seven-episode mystery arc, and a final six-episode mystery. Um, doesn't that add up to 22 episodes? "That's spoken with the confidence of a man who thinks he's going 22 episodes," said Thomas.

Speaking of which, Veronica Mars is only currently picked up for 13 episodes this fall and has yet to receive an order on the back nine episodes.

What does that mean? If you're a fan of Veronica Mars, make sure that everyone you know is watching the series this fall, buy DVDs of the first two seasons for your friends, and speak loudly and articulately about how brilliant and well-written this series is whenever you get the chance. Veronica will only make it through the full season if it reaches the ratings requirements that Ostroff and the CW anticipate for it.

So get out there and spread the gospel of Veronica...

Over at the panel for Gilmore Girls, there was a lot of controversy and more than a little tension.

The behind-the-scenes drama was more interesting than the actual series announcements. Or that's the opinion of several entertainment journos who attended the event, including the San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Goodman (he of The Bastard Machine column). So says Goodman with typical acerbic wit in his post, "The Gilmore Girls Are Dead, Long Live Veronica Mars":

"Gilmore Girls is on this planet for one thing only - to drive viewers to the better show, Veronica Mars. More people watch Gilmore Girls than Veronica Mars so this is sound programming sense. But the cold hard facts are that Gilmore Girls hasn't been very good for - being generous here - two seasons, the stars desperately want off the show (which they will be granted after the season) and the only reason Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel came YET AGAIN to another press tour is because the people who created the show in the first place and then ruined it are now gone, and the stars want to give new executive producer David Rosenthal a chance, despite his somewhat kooky and worrisome past. [Editor's note: that link will just drive you right back here, where I broke the Rosenthal history piece several months ago.]

Their session here was dismal. Graham couldn't hide her distaste for twists and turns her character has taken recently, though she fiercely defended Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator and writer whose artistic control of the series faltered so badly late in the game and who led Graham's character down a crooked path of false behavior. Bledel's disinterested approach to the proceedings reaffirmed long-held critical beliefs that her best personality trait is one someone else writes for her. Rosenthal? He did little to disprove the notion that he's been hired to steer the series away from the cliff it's approaching and into one of those freeway dividers filled with sand, which will contain as much damage as possible so that the show will finish the season and continue to funnel viewers to Veronica Mars.

Honestly, it was that bad. In summation: Two actresses who looked like they were trapped, one producer hired to put a tourniquet on a horse's head he found in his bed and a network that knows the end is near but would really love the haggard old veteran to help the spritely new kid."

Ouch.

But Goodman has got a point. While I am a longtime fan of the Girls, this past season was so painful, so ineptly crafted, that I'm rather considering turning my back on my beloved Gilmores. Can Rosenthal turn the rapidly sinking ship around? TV Guide's Michael Ausiello interviews the inbound Gilmore Girls showrunner here.

One tidbit from the Ausiello-Rosenthal interview:

"Ausiello: Are you aware of all the anti-Gilmore sentiment out there?

Rosenthal: I'm aware of it. I do pay attention to it, but I try to keep my eye on the ball. I try to keep focused on the long term and the arcs for the season and where we want to take these characters... and keeping the show alive and growing so that that it can go more than just this season. So this won't have to be the last season of Gilmore Girls, 'cause I do feel like there's a lot more life left in the show, but I think it's up to us, the writers, to make that a reality."

What do you think, gentle readers?

The CW will kick off its launch on September 20th with a two-hour season premiere of America's Next Top Model. Gilmore Girls is set to premiere on September 26th at 8 pm ET/PT; Veronica Mars will start its third season on October 3rd at 9 pm ET/PT.

What I'll Be Watching This Fall

With the network upfronts completed and the fall schedules all in order (for now anyway; NBC is rumored to be already looking to move Studio 60 out of its tough timeslot), I decided to sit down and look at what shows I'll be watching this fall.

While I can't guarantee that I'll stick around for more than a few (or even one) episode of many of these series, below are the new and returning shows that have at least piqued my interest. Though as the pilots start making their way to my office, this list could begin to change drastically. (In fact, it already has. Since I started writing this, I watched the pilot for Heroes and, well, let's just say... you should look for my review on Monday.)

monday
9 pm: Heroes (NBC)
Take one part Lost, one part Uncanny X-Men, and two parts Rising Stars and you sort of get the idea behind this serialized drama about ordinary people who suddenly discover they have extraordinary powers. It has an amazing cast, including Milo Ventimiglia, Adrian Pasdar, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter, and a whole host of others.

9:30 pm: Old Christine (CBS)
I'll TiVo Old Christine to watch at 10 pm. Hands down the best traditional, multi-camera sitcom on the air right now. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is amazing as divorcee and single mom Christine and has finally escaped the legacy of Elaine and Seinfeld. The supporting cast is top-notch and the writing witty and understated. Rarely ever a false note.

tuesday
8 pm: Standoff (FOX; left)
It's got Ron Livingston and Gina Torres (GINA effing TORRES!) as hostage negotiators. The mere fact that Gina is in it means that I've got to check out the first episode at least. (And let's face it, when it moves to Mondays at 8 in January, there's absolutely nothing else on in that timeslot.)

8 pm: Gilmore Girls (CW)
Despite the fact that this past season was completely sub-par and Amy and Daniel have really left Stars Hollow for good, I'll give Gilmore Girls another chance next season. We've had many good years together and--while this isn't the Gilmore Girls of yesteryear--maybe, just maybe, new showrunner David Rosenthal will surprise me with his take on the brilliant Girls. Maybe.

9 pm: Veronica Mars (CW)
As any longtime reader will know, I have an special soft spot in my heart for whip-smart teenage sleuth Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell). Murder, mayhem, mysteries, and a perky blonde gumshoe: this drama has everything that adds up to the perfect modern-day noir drama. The show is so smart and engaging, you'll scream at the television when each episode ends. Thank you, CW, for giving us another season of Veronica, Logan, Mac, and a whole lot of new mysteries.

9 pm: Kidnapped (NBC)
I've already seen the pilot (click here to read my review) and am I definitely intrigued enough to watch the next few episodes (or at least TiVo them while I watch Veronica Mars). With a top-notch feature film-quality cast (including Jeremy Sisto, Dana Delany, Timothy Hutton, Delroy Lindo, and Linus Roache), taut (if somewhat predictable) pilot, and a serialized storyline that actually makes translates well to the small screen, Kidnapped might just make my TiVo Season Pass list if the second episode builds strongly on the set-up of the pilot.

wednesday
8 pm: Jericho (CBS; top)
Like last season's now-doomed Invasion, I'm not sure how CBS's Jericho can keep the story going for very long beyond the first season, but then again Lost has managed to keep the plot twists coming over two seasons now and shows no signs of letting up, so maybe CBS is on to something here, in this drama about a small Kansas town after an apocalyptic event leaves the town shocked, isolated, and wondering if anyone else in America is even alive. The series stars Ashley Scott, Skeet Ulrich, and Gerald McRaney. I'll check out the first few episodes of Jericho to see if it piques my interest; it could be a great appetizer before sinking your teeth into Lost.

9 pm: Lost (ABC)
I'm glad that ABC decided not to move my beloved series, but the wait for new episodes in October is going to be an arduous one. (The network decided to hold off and then air Lost in two larger blocks of episodes, with the show taking a break after seven episodes and then returning mid-season for an uninterrupted run until the season finale.) Sit down with your favorite flavor of Dharma Initiative brand potato chips and get lost in this lush and mysterious character-driven sci-fi/action/drama hybrid.

9:30: 30 Rock (NBC; left)
While NBC's similarly-themed Studio 60 may have captured a lot of the buzz, I'm actually looking forward more to Tina Fey's half-hour comedy, 30 Rock, about the backstage shenanigans at a late-night sketch show. The series also stars Alec Baldwin, Tim Meadows, and Rachel Dratch and in a nifty bit of corporate synergy the show-within-a-show's sketches (of which the audience will only see a few seconds) will be shown in their entirety on NBC's relaunched website group. And while 30 Rock might be on opposite Lost, it just means that my beloved TiVo will get a workout.

thursday
8 pm: My Name is Earl/The Office (NBC)
NBC has moved My Name is Earl and The Office, easily the best hour of comedic television, an hour earlier to an 8 pm timeslot and they might have well just used a carrot on a string to get me to follow. My Name is Earl returns in the fall with a new batch of mishaps as Earl, aided by lovable mug Randy, toxic-yet-hilarious Joy, goofy-but-profound Darnell, and hot-as-hell motel maid Catalina, tries to make up for all of the bad things he did before he discovered karma. Meanwhile over on The Office, what will the fallout be from Jim and Pam's kiss in the season finale? Will uptight Dwight ever get a clue? And will boss Michael Scott ever get the girl?

9 pm: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. (NBC)
Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme return to TV with this dramedy set behind-the-scenes at a late night sketch show that sounds suspiciously like Saturday Night Live. The top-notch cast includes Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, D.L. Hughley, Sarah Paulson, Evan Handler, and Timothy Busfield. While the buzz has been mixed (people either seem to love it or hate it), I'll check it out, even if only because it's on right after Earl and The Office. (Though as of yesterday already, NBC was considering shifting Studio 60 to another, less competitive timeslot.)

10 pm: Six Degrees (ABC; upper left)
This hour-long drama from producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Felicity, and, uh, Mission Impossible 3)'s Bad Robot production company follows the intersecting lives of six New Yorkers, who go about their days unaware of the impacts their movements are having on others around them. Is coincidence bringing these strangers together, or is it fate? Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Jay Hernandez, Erika Christensen, Bridget Moynahan, and Dorian Missick star. Let's just hope it's better than Bad Robot's last television foray, What About Brian...

sunday
7 pm: Everybody Hates Chris (CW)
While Chris might claim that everybody hates him, I adore this imaginative and hilarious 1980s-set family comedy. The premise is winning, the writing smart and funny, and the actors--yes, every single member of the cast (a rarity in a sitcom)--are pitch perfect and brilliant. I just wish that the CW would have done Chris a favor and put the show on during normal primetime hours. We don't want him to think that his very own network hates him, now do we?

8 pm: The Amazing Race (CBS)
The single best reality series on television. Host Phil Keoghan returns for another season of bickering, road blocks, and language barriers in a race around the world for a million dollar prize. I'll be tuning into the series in its new family-friendly timeslot, which is a definite improvement over the Tuesdays at 10 pm slot of earlier this season.

10 pm: Brothers & Sisters (ABC; above left)
I was a little concerned about the advance buzz going into the upfronts that series lead Calista Flockhart tested poorly, but I'll be getting the pilot soon enough to find out for myself. I'm intrigued by this multi-generational family drama for its interconnected plotlines, family dynamics, and more importantly its stellar cast, consisting of Flockhart, Balthazar Getty, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, Betty Buckley, and Patricia Wettig (among others). The post-Desperate Housewives timeslot (vacated by Grey's Anatomy) should give this new drama a huge level of visibility. Let's just hope that the plotlines aren't as contrived or zany as Desperate's... and that there's no one locked in the family's basement.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: A Dr. Phil Primetime Special: Escaping Danger (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Bend It Like Beckham (WB; 8-10 pm); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC; 8-10 pm); X2: X-Men United (FOX; 8-10 pm); MLB Baseball (UPN)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Conviction (NBC; 9-11 pm); 20/20 (ABC)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: Doctor Who on Sci-Fi.

On this week's installment of Doctor Who ("Boom Town"), Rose and the Doctor encounters an enemy from the Doctor's past when they attempt to take a vacation. Meanwhile, the Welsh city of Cardiff is home to an alien plot to build a nuclear power plant. Only two episodes of this season remain after this one and I for one am seriously going to miss both Doctor Who and Christopher Eccleston.

10 pm: The Thick of It on BBC America.

The American premiere of the British political series that the Los Angeles Times dubbed "The West Wing meets The Office." In tonight's episode, the newly-minted Minister for Social Affairs feels overworked.

Upfronts Scorecard: The CW

Sniffle. Welcome to the very last day of network upfronts week! It's with a little sadness that that we come to the end of the line as the last of the networks finish making their announcements about their fall schedules today.

No fall schedule has been as scrutinized or been the subject of as much guesswork and conjecture as the CW's. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of the WB and UPN netlets, the CW has emerged as a blend of the two fallen networks and has had the arduous task of combining two very different lineups into one cohesive package while also adding some new programs into the mix. So, have they succeeded? Find out below...

The CW's OFFICIAL SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2006-2007

MONDAY
8-9 pm: 7th Heaven
9-10 pm: RUNAWAY

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: Gilmore Girls
9-10 pm: Veronica Mars

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: America's Next Top Model
9-10 pm: One Tree Hill

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: Smallville
9-10 pm: Supernatural

FRIDAY
8-10 pm: WWE Friday Night Smackdown

SUNDAY
7-7:30 pm: Everybody Hates Chris
7:30-8 pm: All of Us
8-8:30 pm: Girlfriends
8:30-9 pm: THE GAME

9-10 pm: America's Next Top Model (repeats)

For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the CW schedule stacks up.

Returning Series:
WB: Gilmore Girls, Beauty & the Geek, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, Smallville, 7th Heaven, Reba* (despite being cancelled, it's now been renewed)
UPN: Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends

New Series:
The Game, Runaway, Hidden Palms (fka Palm Springs)

Midseason Launches/Returns:
Hidden Palms, Beauty & the Geek, Reba

Cancelled:
WB: Everwood, Related, Bedford Diaries, Blue Collar TV, Reba, Living with Fran, Modern Men, Pepper Dennis, Survival of the Richest, Twins
UPN: Eve, Cuts, One on One, Half & Half, Love, Inc, Get This Party Started, South Beach

Reactions:
Pretty much expected from the rumors that have been flying over the last few days. (Yay, Veronica!) The CW has more or less taken the strongest elements from the WB and UPN and fused them into the fall schedule on one network. (But One Tree Hill? Seriously? Over Everwood? Bizarre.)

The schedule rather resemebles the current WB schedule, with a few UPN additions. Pairing Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (their traditional homes) was a no-brainer as the shows seem to complement one another and seem a natural fit. Likewise for 7th Heaven and Runaway, whose family drama genres seem a perfect combination for a family-friendly double feature on Monday evenings.

It makes sense to keep UPN's urban-themed sitcoms together in one block and even pair them with a second window of America's Next Top Model. Not sure Sunday is the best night for that (I think Mondays would have been better, but then you'd lose the real estate traction of 7th heaven), but I think it's a good idea to form a programming block. But Everybody Hates Chris on Sundays at 7 pm?!? That's way too early. Great plan, CW, to eliminate what audience you've built so far. (That's the definition of foolhardy.) I'd rather you flip the ANTM repeats to 7 and shift everything an hour later.

All in all, rather what I anticipated beforehand but I am still on cloud nine that Veronica Mars made the cut that I'll overlook the fact that they only ordered two new series for fall (Runaway and The Game) and that neither of them interests me in the least.

Did I mention how thrilled I am about Veronica Mars?

Despite Presence of Entertainers, "Gilmore Girls" Fails to Entertain

Amy and Daniel have officially left the building.

I have to say that I was completely underwhelmed by last night's season finale of Gilmore Girls ("Partings"). Perhaps part of it was my own fault for having built up the 62-minute episode, which served as the last to be written and directed under the guidance of Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband writer/producer Daniel Palladino, into some monumental occasion. I have been dreading this moment since I heard the news that they wouldn't be returning with the show next season when Gilmore Girls moves over to the new CW network.

On the other hand, Gilmore Girls season finales tend to be emotional, heart-breaking affairs... and this wasn't really either of those things, especially compared to last season's cliffhanger finale (with Rory dropping out of Yale and moving in with Richard and Emily). What it seemed like instead was an excuse for Amy and Daniel to invite all of their friends over to participate in what could have been any other regular episode of the series. Yes, it was great seeing Sam Phillips and Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo, et al, playing would-be town troubadours after their own town singer (the amazing Grant Lee Phillips) hits it big. But too much time was spent on the singers, um, singing and Taylor's reaction, rather than on our main characters and their situations. And the troubadour storyline never paid off in any way--much less a meaningful one--for it to warrant so much precious screen time.

It also robbed us of any reaction shot from Luke after he turns down Lorelai's demand that they elope and Lorelai storms off into the night. Should we have seen that very important, crucial shot rather than a lingering shot of the incandescent Sam Phillips singing her song, "Taking Pictures"? This season has been building to a confrontation between the two of them, especially as Lorelai has uncharacteristically kept her mouth shut about everything that's been pushing them apart. She finally stands up for herself and says that Luke's newfound daughter April needs to fit into their lives and not the other way around... and if Luke can't commit to her right now, then there's nothing left between them. We see Lorelai's pained, desperate expression but Luke's is left up to the imagination of the viewer. Does he run after Lorelai? Does he storm back into the diner and slam the door? Does he stand there, sadly, realizing that he's lost the best thing in his life?

We'll never know... until at least next season. But by then he'll have learned that Lorelai slept with Rory's dad Christopher, a development that Lorelai didn't seem so sure was a good thing, judging from her vacant expression at the end of the episode (an echo of the one from the finale's opening shot). While I've come around to Christopher once again since he's matured and grown up, Lorelai doesn't seem to be so certain. I've grown apathetic towards Luke after his awful behavior this year and I think that Lorelai and Christopher could finally be happy together; they're finally nearly equals.

Rory tearfully kissed Logan goodbye as he departed for his indentured servitude--I mean, a year in London running one of his father's newspapers. I understand that Logan has to grow up and mature--no more wearing gorilla masks and jumping out of airplanes as Mitchum put it--but my only fear is that Logan will become his father. After all, that shot of Logan standing in the elevator made him look too eerily like Mitchum to ignore the similarities in their situations and countenances. (I also told my girlfriend that, if I were leaving for London for a year, that I'd rather spend the evening with her than 100 of my closest friends at a hastily thrown together yet exceptionally elaborate British-themed party.)

Usually Amy's episodes are funny in the first half and emotional in the second, but I didn't really feel that either was true last night. The scenes with Emily and Richard attempting to fix Christopher up with Caroline (guest star Melora Hardin of The Office) were far too on the nose and weren't as humorous and whip-smart as I would have expected. And the second half of the episode felt oddly static, as though not very much had happened. There was no resolution of the fact that Emily printed a wedding announcement in the paper for Lorelai's supposed June wedding and that their entire family was still under the impression that the wedding was on. And what of Richard and Emily's plans to buy Luke and Lorelai a house as a wedding present? No mention whatsoever, aside from a comment from Lorelai to Emily that Luke was "working" and things were "fine."

What's happened to this show? I feel cheated by the lack of any meaningful resolution or even a dramatic cliffhanger in this season finale. (We've all sensed for several episodes now that Lorelai would sleep with Chris, so that was hardly a shocker of an ending.) I don't have high hopes for next year and, after this rather mediocre season, the finale didn't lead me to believe that things would improve without Amy and Daniel at the rudder.

So for now, we bid adieu to Stars Hollow and the Palladinos. And at the very least, I can sat that I have my Gilmore Girls DVDs to keep me company. I just wish that were enough...

"Girls" Interrupted

Last night's Gilmore Girls ("Super Cool Party People") brought us the first episode written by inbound Gilmore Girls showrunner David Rosenthal since the announcement that he would be taking over for departing showrunner/executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. It's also his second writing credit on the show to date. So how did the new showrunner do?

I really, really tried to go into "Super Cool Party People" with an open mind. But was it just me or did the episode feel as awkward as the beginning of April's birthday party? The way that David Rosenthal wrote the episode reminded me of how Luke was barking out orders and rules to those poor girls attending newly-discovered daughter April's fete: he wanted them to have fun and have a good time but in the end only made everyone miserable. Poetic justice?

I was completely baffled by the scene in which Luke and Lorelai finally begin to even talk about the awkwardness that is their relationship regarding April, especially as it seems to spring from Luke's insistence that he buy a weird kitty-covered bathroom set for April as a present. (Also bizarre: Luke talking about how he enjoys shopping with Lorelai? Not buying it at all.) As Luke seems to descend into madness over the joys of purchasing soap for little April, he finally admits the reason why he's been keeping April at arm's length from Lorelai: he's afraid that April would like Lorelai better than him because Lorelai is as fun as a "cartoon character" and he'd lose her. First off, if someone called me a "cartoon character" I'd be offended, but--putting that remark aside--the scene fell flat. This is a crucial character moment that we've been building towards for the second half of the season, where Lorelai finally confronts Luke about his mishandling of their relationship. Instead what Rosenthal gave us was a bizarre whimper of a scene that never delved into what Luke's confession says about his unease around April and his jealousy of the relationship between Lorelai and Rory, one he can never replicate with April.

So far, I've loved April's mom, Anna Nardini (the incandescent Sherilyn Fenn), but last night Anna came off as nothing more than a raving lunatic. Angrily confronting Luke after she discovers Lorelai's involvement in April's party-turned-sleepover, Anna is furious that parents could find out that April and her friends spent the entire night with a strange woman (Lorelai) whom none of them know and screamed at Luke for some time about how unreliable he is. Um, excuse me, but apparently Anna would have been fine if everyone thought the girls spent the entire night sleeping in the same room as Luke, himself a strange man, April's long-lost dad, and the owner of the diner where April's party was thrown? That would have been a better scenario for her to explain to the kids' parents? And who exactly did she think was going to keep an eye on the girls all night when April called to tell her about the slumber party? The big, hairy guy whom the kids have nicknamed Hagrid?

And then there was the entire Rory and Logan storyline, which lacked any real sense of urgency or emotion. I never once felt that Rory was actually concerned with Logan nor when he became conscious that this was a young couple in love. Plus, what was up with Rory calling Logan's dad Mitchum and screaming at him to get down to the hospital? Especially when we didn't see that same phone call from Mitchum's perspective, though we were forced to watch both sides of an unnecessary Rory-Honor phone call (and Rory-Paris and Rory-Lorelai, etc.). And then when Mitchum does finally show up, it's with nary a word between him and Rory (or any dialogue at all), and then goes into see his injured son, a scene that we had to hear about from Logan rather than see. My only consolations is that I hope producers paid actor Gregg Henry quite a lot for his silently-walking-across-hall performance in this episode.

Finally, another scene that really got under my skin was that between Lorelai and Anna, when Lorelai goes to apologize to April's mom for the party. Rosenthal mines the very obviousness of the similarities between Anna and Lorelai and their situations (i.e., single-motherhood) instead of mining this further in a less direct way. Again, Anna comes across as a tyrant, refusing Lorelai any contact with April, and stinging her with a zinger about engagements not being the same as marriages ("Lots of people get engaged," she says. Ouch.). And Lorelai looks a complete doormat for not trying to call Anna out on this. Is this what a relationship with Luke has done to Lorelai? Made her into a wallflower afraid to stick up for herself or speak her mind? Is this what's become of our tough Gilmore girl?

(Another nitpick, though not really Rosenthal's fault, is that no one has even mentioned the fact that Lorelai's entire family seems under the impression that her June wedding to Luke is still on; it's a rather disturbingly dangling plot thread that, while not Rosenthal's fault, nonetheless irks.)

Only two episodes of Gilmore Girls remain before Amy and Daniel walk off into the sunset and after watching "Super Cool Party People" I am definitely concerned by Rosenthal being in charge of the creative path that this show will take next season, especially since he doesn't really seem to "get" these characters. In the meantime, we've got two episodes of Palladino goodness left, which from the looks of it, will be quite a race to the finale: an elopement, a possible pregnancy (judging from the red hair, I think it's Luke's sis Liz rather than a Gilmore girl), and an emotional goodbye as Logan departs for London... and the Palladinos leave Stars Hollow for good.