Speaking of “Project Runway,” the Paley Center for Media is back with another great offer for Season Pass readers.

The first three readers to post a comment correctly naming the winners of the show’s first three seasons will win two tickets to the Center’s screening and Q&A on Tuesday evening.

For those unaware of the premise, “Project Runway” revolves around up-and-coming designers who must create garments on the fly in a series of wacky challenges. The show is hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum (pictured).

Style guru Tim Gunn mentors the out-there contestants, while guest judges rotate in with regular judges Michael Kors, fashion designer, and Nina Garcia, fashion journalist.

Following a screening of an upcoming episode, guests Klum, exec producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz and memorable former contestants Santino Rice, Kara Saun and Andrae Gonzalo will discuss the production of the show, its impact on popular culture, and the burning question: “Where’s Andrae?”
Additional panelists to be announced.

The contest starts now. You’re either in or you’re out. Good luck!

This strike is a real momentum killer.

Three of my season pass shows of the new season continue to earn my love week after week — “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Big Bang Theory” and “Pushing Daisies.” (“Reaper,” while still enjoyable, has not lived up to the promise of its pilot, but I’m still watching. And "Gossip Girl" is a little too "Cruel Intentions" for me.)

And several of my returning favorites are peaking creatively, in my opinion: “Ugly Betty” has never been cuter and funnier and the sublime “Friday Night Lights” still takes my breath away every week, despite the questionable and shaky murder storyline. And “House” continues to be one of the more entertaining procedurals out there. Even “Desperate Housewives,” which had been on shaky ground for me for a while, seems to be back on track.

But with holiday preemptions upon us and original episodes dwindling due to the strike, there are fewer and fewer shows to watch. That’s why I’m so thankful for the return of “Project Runway,” which you can catch almost any time of the day or night on Bravo. Episode 3 is tomorrow and I can’t wait. They had me at episode 1.

I haven’t bothered to learn their names yet but I’m loving (and fans of the show will know who I mean) the portly fellow (left), the former runway model stuck in the 80s, the bald guy and the French Stewart look-alike who enunciates perfectly. And I’m loving to hate the cocky kid with the Flock of Seagulls haircut and the spitter (both pictured at left). You just know the producers will hang on to that duo for a while. The other contestants are one big blur so far.

The judges, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, are as sharp as ever and host/judge Heidi Klum gets better every year. I nearly died laughing when she said the spitter’s dress in challenge one made the “model look like she was poo’ing fabric.” And while Tim Gunn has lost a bit of his charm, due to overexposure, the show wouldn't be quite the same without him.

Thank God for top-notch reality shows like this one and CBS’ “The Amazing Race.” At least we have something to look forward to for the next couple of months if the strike drags on. Just don't expect me to embrace "Big Brother."

So Austin Nichols segues from "John from Cincinnati" to "Friday Night Lights," playing a teacher that is either well-meaning and stimulating or someone who is well-meaning but stimulated —  by exactly the last student he should dare to get stimulated by, Eric and Tami's daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden). 

"FNL,"certainly, isn't shy about taking on melodrama and seeking out the high road within, but the show's real strength is exploring the nuances of normal relationships, such as Eric and Tami's marriage. How nice would it be if "FNL" devoted this new storyline to Julie finding herself as a person through a good and upstanding teacher — yes, they do exist —  and a nascent interest in crusading journalism, rather than through another ill-fated infatuation that you can find anywhere else on TV.

It's fine that Julie has a crush. It's even fine that Nichols' Noah has a crush (whether or not he realizes it). But maybe this time someone could hold back on their impulses. Maybe this crush doesn't have to wipe away everything else. You can be hopelessly infatuated with the opposite sex and still have a life.  Can't you?

— Jon Weisman

Whoa, what is this? Regular news in TV land?

After a week of talk about unpaid hiatuses, force majeure, production shut downs, etc., it's nice to suddenly be told of a good ol' fashioned "back nine" pickup.

ABC announced Friday that it had given a full-season order to "Dirty Sexy Money," the quirky drama about a filthy rich, eccentric family (led by family patriarch Donald Sutherland) and the sane personal attorney who tries to keep them all together (Peter Krause).

"Dirty Sexy Money" is turning into quite a sleeper sensation, and its consistent quality is starting to wow critics -- including some who initially didn't pay much attention to it.

As for giving a back nine greenlight in the middle of a strike, yes, it's a bit unusual. After all, no one knows when those episodes will ever be shot.

But ABC believes in the show, and it sends a message that it will still be around post-strike. Plus,  it's also a nice sign that once the strike ends, life will (hopefully) go back to normal, TV shows will once again have episodes to produce and viewers will once again have original, scripted TV to enjoy.

-- Michael Schneider

ABC’s soap “Dirty, Sexy Money” has become my favorite fall drama. One of its strengths is the ensemble cast, which is getting better by the episode. Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh were stellar out of the gate but the others are catching up. While most of the characters were almost cartoonish in the pilot, the writers and actors have succeeded in adding more depth. Sure, the twins are still annoying, but hey, you can’t have everything.

But I find it odd how the show chose to quietly replace some supporting characters.

Elle Fanning (pictured left), the adorable tot who played Peter Krause’s character’s daughter Kiki in the pilot, has been replaced by slightly older moppet Chloe Moretz (pictured right). I assume that’s because Fanning has six upcoming films and was maybe a bit too busy for the series grind.

Meanwhile Brooke Smith, who played Rev. Brian Darling’s ex-mistress and mother of his child in one scene in the pilot, has moved on to become a series regular on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Erika Hahn (Smith is pictured as Dr. Hahn below right). (You may also recognize Smith from one of her earliest roles as the young woman held prisoner by psycho Jame Gumb in “The Silence of the Lambs.”) When the character of Andrea reappeared in Wednesday’s “DSM” after a six episode absence she was played by Sheryl Lee.

And before the pilot aired, Bellamy Young took over the role of Ellen Darling — wife of Sen. Patrick Darling (Billy Baldwin) — from Kiersten Warren, who was originally cast.

Many pilots go through casting changes but this seems excessive on one show. ABC reshot plenty of scenes between the early version of the pilot sent to the media and the version that aired in September — namely the dinner party and the exit of young Nick George’s mother. So it’s curious that they didn’t also reshoot the few scenes involving Smith and, particularly, Fanning, whose character appeared in episode two. I half expected the old soap opera m.o. where a narrator intones “The role of Kiki George is now being played by Chloe Moretz.”

And while I’m being nitpicky, how did blue-eyed young Nick George (played by Chandler Frantz in the pilot) grow up to be brown-eyed adult Nick George (Krause). Just askin’, still love the show.

— Kathy Lyford

I'm not as unabashed a fan of "The Big Bang Theory" as some of my colleagues, but there is definitely something beguiling about the show, even when it's not laugh-out-loud funny. As goofy as the show's four braniacs are, there's a winning sincerity about them.

And though praises have been thoroughly sung for Jim Parsons as Sheldon, the actor who keeps me tuning in is Johnny Galecki as Leonard, who so charmingly yearns for something more in his life without ever abandoning his friends or even his own identity.

But I don't think any episode made me feel more upbeat about the "Bang" than this week's, when a single sip of alcohol* unleashed Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar), who for the show's entire run had been unable to utter a word to any woman. The way he suddenly opened up to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) was just the kind of unexpected comic surprise you hope for from a show that occasionally telegraphs its jokes a bit too much.

The clever twists didn't stop there, as Sheldon, without even being aware what he was doing, unexpectedly wooed Rajesh's date, foiling the marriage that Rajesh's parents were attempting to arrange. Without it even being the main part of the show, we got a glimpse of how Sheldon might actually connect with someone and how funny that could be.

While Leonard's relationships with Sheldon and Penny have been plenty nifty throughout the run of "Bang," other aspects of the show, such as Penny's one-note exchanges with the rest of the cast, were starting to feel like dead weight. Monday's episode renewed hope that there will be more "Bang" for the buck — assuming that the labor dispute sidelining its writers can ever be solved.

— Jon Weisman

*Speaking of vices, "Aliens in America" had its best episode in weeks as well, keyed by Raja's affinity for smoking (as well as a smart twist on the Veterans Day holiday). It was nice to see "Aliens" get away from the rut of pitting Raja and Justin against each other.

I didn't grow up in a small town, but I suspect that the fictional Dillon, Texas, embodies much of what it's like to live in a small town -- both good and bad. And it's fitting that Friday's episode was titled "How Did I Get Here," since the series looked like it might have veered off the road a bit from its season-one perfection.

That's mostly due to the out-of-left-field turn that had Tyra and Landry whacking her stalker (yikes) then dumping the body (huh?) and Landry lying to his father, a local sheriff (double yikes) -- elements that felt more like, well, regular TV than the dead-on realistic characterizations that have defined the show.

Yes, the Tyra-Landry-Dad plotline continues to take some befuddling turns (Sheriff Dad is now helping his son cover up evidence? I hope that's not common in any jursidiction, regardless of the heartfelt motivation.), but credit Jesse Plemmons (pictured at right) and Glenn Morshower for bringing nothing but real emotion and richness to a relationship that in most TV shows would be rendered as sullen son vs. authoritarian father.

Apart from that ongoing plot uncertainty, however, the rest of the episode was absolutely pitch-perfect, with all the major characters questioning their past choices and where that leaves them on the Dillon map.

Jason, Lyla and Riggins driving back home after their Mexico trip, still friends despite the gaps in goals and beliefs that divide them, is everything you hope smalltown bonds might be. On the flip side, Jason's uneasy reacclimation to a place that still views him alternately through his past glory and his current wheelchair-bound state touches on the yearning that anyone from a small town must at some point feel to define themselves beyond the boundaries in which they live.

Better still for the "FNL" world view, the introduction of two new characters -- Tami's sister Shelly and girls' soccer coach Bobbie -- brought a sharp and funny dose of outside perspective to the paths chosen by the coach and his wife.

The utterly single Shelly is an instant reminder of all the things Tami's given up in her current life, including even the simple option of stepping out to see a Dixie Chicks concert. Bobbie's in-your-face introduction to Coach Taylor (in his new role as Dillon H.S. athletic director) was a great bit of humbling perspective on the consequences of his choice to leave Dillon and then hastily return ... at half of his former pay.

This is a show that lives and breathes in the small moments between its characters. On most shows, it'd be tempting to overwrite the dialogue to hammer home themes and story points. Fortunately, "FNL's" producers and writerrs continue to put complete faith in the show's stellar ensemble to find their own beats.

This episode finds the show firmly back on course, and the final scene -- with Jason, Matt, Riggins, Smash and new prospect Santiago working out their conflicts and future relationships on the field while Coach Taylor lobs in a few words of wisdom and a jumbo jet takes off in the distance) -- was as good as TV gets.

-- Brian Cochrane

In strike-tinted hindsight, one of the more interesting programming decisions of the 2007-08 season was NBC's choice to start off "The Office" with four hour-long episodes.

Putting aside the critical debate over the 60-minute segs (some adored them, others thought they were bloated — though I expect they'll hold up quite nicely once they're divided up into half-hour segments for future airings), the effect was to rob "The Office" of a month's worth of first-run content pending a writers' strike that, of course, is no longer pending. With this week's shutdown of the show's production, instead of six weeks of "Office" remaining, there are only two. It's like TV's groundhog saw its shadow or something.

Still, the programming gimmick may yet pay dividends for NBC. It helped "The Office" establish a presence at its new 9 p.m. Thursday timeslot, with the series solidly in the top 20 among viewers 18-49 despite running against "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI." Meanwhile, "The Office" also lends itself well to repeat viewing, compared with those programs that will head straight for DVD-land or oblivion once they've aired their first-run fare.

For fans of the series, the thought of having to wait untold weeks or months for the next great "Office" episode is a major strike casualty. At the same time, for fans of the series, seeing an "Office" episode just once is never enough.

— Jon Weisman

The strike is claiming its earliest victims with sitcoms "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Back to You" (pictured below), "’Til Death," "Rules of Engagement" and "The Office" already shut down. And of course the latenight shows immediately went dark. For more details see the story from our TV gurus (and fellow Season Passers) Mike Schneider and Joe Adalian here.

After this morning's rally by showrunners, who convened outside ABC, there should be several more shows going dark as more folks at the helm of shows realize they can't, in good conscience, picket the companies as writers and then turn around and work for them as producers.

"Ugly Betty" exec producer-creator Silvio Horta explained the dilemma succinctly saying “The perfectionist in me wants to participate, the Norma Rae in me wants to support my union.”

For more reactions like this, see the story above and Variety's new strike blog, Scribe Vibe.

Buckle up folks, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

— Kathy Lyford

Though I haven't gotten much enjoyment from the show this season, I'm still surprised by how many mea culpas "Heroes" showrunner Tim Kring offered in this interview with Entertainment Weekly. He falls on his 17th-century Japanese sword about the pace of the show, the way some new characters were introduced and choices of storyline, even suggesting that the show can't really do romance. I think this is what they call "a funk."

In one sense, I think Kring is over-apologizing. Not all the faults he mentions were such a big deal. In another, I think he's under-apologizing, because he doesn't mention what seems to be the longest-running problem with "Heroes": How bland the characters (and in turn the acting) can be.

Even when exciting things happen, they happen to unexciting people. Brows furrow, threats get spat out in "this time we really mean it" fashion. But there's very little emotional complexity and even less joy.

Saving the world has consumed the characters. On the surface, that makes sense — wouldn't you drop everything if life itself were in jeopardy? Yet with few exceptions, this has robotized the characters (Is there a line one would say that another wouldn't deliver the exact same way?) and leaves the show entirely dependent on the quality of the save-the-world stories, and as Kring admits, those have been hit-and-miss.

In contrast, even though "Lost" has its own set of major stakes, it has rarely failed to nurture the personal sides of its characters.  Even when it's life-or-death out there, life goes on.

Compounding the problem is that the primary "Heroes" characters who do get a semblance of a personal life, such as Hiro and Claire, haven't had very interesting ones. Even Peter and Caitlin have shown little connection in their budding romance outside of their shared life-or-death stakes. As for Noah, Matt, Nathan, Niki, Mohinder: Can't these kids have any fun at all?

In its efforts to ramp up the show's pace (putting the WGA strike aside for a moment), I would hate to see "Heroes" get even more intense. What's the point of saving the world if you can't smell its roses?

— Jon Weisman

Still love the show.  Still love Landry and Tyra.

But deep into the hide-the-homicide plot of "Friday Night Lights," I'm still bumming.

It's not that showrunner Jason Katims and his crew, once they forced Landry and Tyra into crisis mode with his killing of her stalker/rapist, have done a poor job with the story. The first time Landry's cop father confronted Tyra about her interest in Landry was among the best scenes the show has had in its sophomore year. But not even the finest moments have kept me from mourning the loss of the real relationship the two high-schoolers had been building.

What's most frustrating for me is the way "Lights" is erasing the memory of Tyra's initial attraction to Landry, which was borne out of an unlikely yet sincere connection between the two — a priceless reminder that looks and status needn't be the determining factors when it comes to having the hots for someone. Frankly, I'm a little insulted by the possibility that we weren't supposed to believe that what they had was solid.

Instead, the Landry and Tyra story will always be about how they overcame (or didn't) this tragedy.  It's quite a tale, but it's not a tale to cherish, the way the rest of "Friday Night Lights" so typically and so amazingly is.

— Jon Weisman

The potential length of the WGA walkout has created an unwritten category for TiVo owners: strike rations.

Those are the shows that you programmed with a Season Pass during more optimistic times but stopped feeling compelled to make time for. Normally, they build up until — depending on the size of your DVR — there's a festering (5) or (10) next to the show's episode count, or TiVo deletes them to make room for new programming.

But the possible shortfall of first-rate, first-run TV during the WGA strike is compelling many of us to pay closer attention to hanging onto the would-be discards.  Just as an example, here some the strike rations I may be turning to for sustenance:

"Men in Trees": After watching every episode in its first season and feeling it slip as it progressed, I put off returning to "Trees" this year.  But they're there on the TiVo, waiting to fill a light drama hole.

"My Name Is Earl": An example of a comedy that rarely makes me laugh out loud but is mostly pleasant. I tend to watch these in bunches anyway.

"Reaper": One of my favorite 2007-08 pilots fell into "I'll watch it when I have time" status after about three or four episodes. I still like the characters and the energy, so I actually look forward to checking it out again.

The strike will also preserve some Season Passes for shows that I've been watching more out of compulsion than actual joy, such as "Heroes." But for those looking for a silver lining in the strike, revisiting past favorites could be the ticket.

— Jon Weisman

Season Pass will continue to blog about the new scripted shows — for as long as they last. The writers strike has thrown the new season into turmoil. One longtime TV writer-producer told me last week that the strike will damage broadcast television as we know it… permanently.

Most shows have only enough completed scripts to carry them through about the next month. The L.A. Times website has a comprehensive and helpful list of where each show stands and we will keep you apprised as we learn more.

The first casualty of midseason is ABC/Sony TV’s “Cashmere Mafia” (pictured left) which was set to launch Nov. 27 at 10 p.m., behind the final episode of “Dancing with the Stars,” before moving to its normal Tuesday at 9 p.m. slot the following week. Instead, the show will now remain on the bench and serve as a utility player, in case ABC needs more scripted originals later in the season. For more on this and other updates, visit Variety.com’s new strike blog

— Kathy Lyford and Michael Schneider

Come for the scenery, stay for the show. The Paley Center for Media has graciously offered five Season Pass readers the chance to attend its “Las Vegas” event on Monday, Nov. 5.

At 7 p.m.  the Center will screen an unaired upcoming episode of the fifth-year series about the elite surveillance team at one of Sin City’s largest casinos. Then you’ll join TV’s sexiest cast and members of the creative team as they discuss putting together this high-rolling series.

To receive a pair of tickets to the event, be one of the first five to click on the comments link and tell us why you love the show and if you’d like to join the fun. I’m guessing a lot of those responses will be something like “Josh Duhamel!”

Scheduled to attend are stars Josh Duhamel (pictured left), Vanessa Marcil and James Lesure along with exec producers Gary Scott Thompson (who created the show), Kim Newton and Matt Pyken. Additional guests will be announced later. As soon as we know, you’ll know.

— Kathy Lyford