Here is the greatness of "Lost."

In the climax of the season premiere that aired tonight, Hurley shocks us by saying he's not going to follow Jack to await (questionable) rescue, and gives an impassioned speech explaining how the valiant, pre-drowning actions of Charlie compel him instead to follow Locke back to the barracks. Hurley's words are completely moving, and not at all unconvincing.

Then in the epilogue, taking place in the future (with Hurley back in a mental institution), Jack hears Hurley admit he was wrong, in just about as moving a fashion. It's a complete reversal, but the link in the two scenes is the anguish Hurley feels each time.

For three seasons and now starting a fourth, "Lost" has made me care about what happens to characters like Hurley. It's not because of the mysteries of the island. It's because of the lengths the show has gone to establish these characters' backstory and humanity in the context of the island. Hurley and friends are way more interesting to me than Jacob.

Extraordinary things have happened, are happening and will happen. But in the end, "Lost" isn't about those things alone. It's about the people. And so while tonight's episode didn't have the jawdropping moments of last season's finale, it offered the promise of many more adventures, not only in exploring the island, but in exploring these characters. 

In short: very cool.

Highlights: Almost everything Hurley does in carrying the episode (his moment breaking the Charlie news to Claire shouldn't go unmentioned, either), and the effect Hurley's actions ultimately have on Jack.

Also, the appearance of Lance Reddick of "The Wire" (devilishly purporting himself to be your friendly neighborhood Oceanic Airlines Asylum Hospitality Coordinator) and Ben's continued mind games with Jack.

Lowlights: Jack's naivete in assuming that Naomi could only have gone the most obvious direction, and Hurley's all-too-wistful desire to do a cannonball just at the moment he's about to get the bad news about Charlie.

Truths I'm willing to wait to find out, that you're probably on your way to figuring out: Dead Charlie - figment of Hurley's imagination, or something more?

And, the Oceanic 6??????

— Jon Weisman

(Remember, folks - no spoilers about future episodes!)

They give us aerial shots of Miami and Gloria Estefan, just to get us in the mood. Not in the mood for South Beach, but for more crappy music. Man, this is getting tedious.

THE GOOD

God bless you, Brittany Wescott (top left) and Corliss Smith (below left). After the dismal showing in Omaha, these buxom gals are a treat — they’re both fun and talented. After making a beefy Seacrest sandwich in the lobby, they knock it out of the park in their dual audition with renditions of “Take Five” and “My Guy,” respectively, while trying to court the Randy (Corliss prefers a little meat on her men) and Simon (Brittany likes ’em skinnier). OK, so that’s one strike against them.

THE BAD

Julie Dubela. We hate this girl (below right). Her parents spent her entire life telling her how special she is, and now she’s got a superiority complex on par with Dwight Schrute and Joseph McCarthy. The former “Junior Idol” (anyone even remember that show? Anyone?) contestant “dazzles” hopefuls with her stale 20th-place winning performance, then throws a tantrum when faced with her own mediocrity. Oh, go home and practice that pouty face in the mirror some more. Ten years from now, she will be opening malls in the fly-over states by performing the same tired routine of yesteryear while wearing that neon netting thing. Folks, say hello to the new and improved Baby Jane, sans the letter from Daddy. “Junior Idol” is destined to be the highlight of her life, no matter how long she lives.

And, oh so any others:
Shannon McGough, the butcher/belcher (below left), whose burping was more melodic than her singing. I don’t think we need to elaborate.

Fabienne Hyppolite, who plugged one ear while singing in a language I’m not sure was English. Simon wisely advised her to plug both ears.

Richard Valles and his horrible Rascal Flatts imitation

THE UGLY

Brandon Black (below left). For a moment there, I though I was being treated to the antics of a crazed homeless person who accidentally got caught up in the “American Idol” line while looking for a place to bathe. Sadly, he took off the wig and it turned out he was a third-rate funnyman, who looks like a young Russell Simmons and sounds like an old Richard Simmons. My heart stopped when he began taking off the jacket. “Please, no. Please, let it end there.” Thankfully, he didn’t strip any further. He also didn’t impress, didn’t make anyone laugh and didn’t sing very well. 

SOB STORIES

Suzanne Toon (left), the stunner who got knocked up while attending a high school for performing arts. A common plight. Now she’s a 21-year-old single mom with a 3-year-old, blah, blah, blah, who hasn’t sung for three years. Wait, does giving birth render one unable to sing? I’m confused.

Syesha Mercado, whose dad is a drug addict/alcoholic. Another tired sob story, but there you go. I automatically dislike people who try to sell me on their positive-thinking way of life. You know what? I like being bitter. My bitterness gets me out of bed in the morning and through the day. When my resentment is in full force, my cheeks glow and my eyes sparkle. Also, I don’t scream like a banshee and call it singing. Re-reading this makes me realize that I should probably go out and get more cats. Like, a dozen of them. Then once I start chasing the neighborhood kids off my lawn while holding a beer and/or rake, my transformation will be complete.

That was Erin. Don’t piss her off. I (Kathy), actually like to believe in the power of positive thinking. However, I am also a realist and know that there are some things The Secret cannot give me: Longer legs, more childbearing years, $1 million… and a singing voice worthy of being heard in public. Syesha hasn’t learned this life lesson yet. Although scream-singing has made a career for Jennifer Hudson so maybe Syesha isn’t so misguided after all.

THE CRAZY

Paula. Like a four-year-old, she stuck her fingers in her ears and chanted in an effort to ignore Simon after the audition of Ghaleb “Inigo Montoya” Emachah (below left, doesn't he look like Antonio Banderas’ less attractive brother?) While his audition was just peachy, Simon’s comments on Paula’s future scandal were nothing she wanted to hear. After wandering around the table for a bit, she finally said yes to the Latin lover and sort of made out with him. Just ewww.

On that note, I think Randy and Simon have been drinking out of Paula’s glass this season. Most of the folks that have made it through the auditions would have never even gotten to see the holy trinity three seasons ago. There have been more costumes, gimmicks, dead parents and single mothers than ever, but nothing that has blown my hair back. Don’t get me wrong, there is talent, but nothing that made me say, “Oh, hell yes. This person is going to do some damage in the finals.” What do you think, Kath?

Well Erin, I can only hope that we have not yet seen the best. Beyond Kristy the horse trainer from Oregon and your future Australian husband Michael, there’s nobody I really want to see move on past Hollywood. Are all the good singers in Atlanta (Tuesday’s city)? Are the producers saving them for the best-of the auditions episode (Wednesday)? Or are we being made to wait until the top 24 round again this year? Or, God forbid, is there no talent to be had this year?

— Erin Maxwell and Kathy Lyford

Are people going to be so hyped up for the return of "Lost" tonight on ABC that they'll not have it in them to watch tonight's premiere of "Eli Stone"?

My experience has been that many "Lost" fans race to the Internet to chat about any new episode as soon as it's over. I wouldn't guess that pattern would change tonight (and to that end, Season Pass will have a "Lost" post up as soon as the show finishes airing on the West Coast, so be sure to head back over here).

Of course, viewers watching "Lost" live might be lured by ABC promos to watch "Eli," a whimsical-spiritual show about a lawyer with visions of dubious reliability. And there is that group that isn't on the "Lost" bandwagon and will be just killing time until "Eli premieres. But I can't help thinking that a host of viewers will, at best, record "Eli" for later viewing, however interested they may be in the new series.

So is "Eli" worth watching?  You can read the review from Brian Lowry of Variety here and see the positive vibe from the Season Pass crew here. For my part, it started out all too goofy, but got better as it went along, so I'm going to take a look at least the second episode before rendering a verdict.

But I have to mention that I previewed the pilot with my brother-in-law, who claims his tastes are so mainstream that anything he likes tends to be a hit — and he really liked it.  So even if it's overshadowed by "Lost," don't be surprised if "Eli Stone" sticks around for a while.

— Jon Weisman

It was peculiar of "In Treatment" to do a third episode operating on a similar premise as the second – namely, a patient coming in for an initial visit wanting an immediate evaluation, rather than having the intention of actually engaging in therapy. 

Like Blair Underwood's Alex, Mia Wasikowska's Sophie, an Olympic hopeful in gymnastics, is a high achiever, albeit younger and more insecure. And as with Alex, a traumatic event has pushed Sophie toward Dr. Paul ever so reluctantly. I guess they like going to that well.

There wasn't much fun in Sophie's debut – not that fun was the goal. Disarming a resistant patient, filled with anger, is not a pretty thing.  Still, the notion that Sophie's mother was trying to push her away from competition, like a Little League parent in reverse, and the questionable relationship Sophie has with her coach (who drew a picture of an amply endowed mermaid on Sophie's arm casts, without, say, the usual long hair draped over the nipples) give Paul a lot to address, and Sophie's baggage doesn't end there.

My favorite moment in the episode was when Paul told Sophie that everyone thinks about death – that her thinking about death wasn't a sign of anything in and of itself. It's the kind of quiet insight that actually speaks volumes.

"In Treatment" isn't going to worry about making its characters likable.  That's going to make it tough to retain some viewers, even if they're willing to make the big time commitment to the show.  I can't say I like Laura, Alex or Sophie so far. But I'm interested in their stories, almost despite themselves.  And I do like Paul.

By the way, this will expose me as a total TV nerd, but I spent half the episode wondering who Wasikowska reminded me of, before I came up with Crystal McKellar, who played Becky Slater on "The Wonder Years" (and is the sister of math whiz Danica McKellar, who played Winnie Cooper).  Becky was the girl who punched Kevin after he broke up with her.

– Jon Weisman

We’re in the heartland, specifically Omaha, where someone plowed the “American Idol” logo into a field of corn. And by “someone” I mean Nigel Lythgoe or the Fox marketing team. Or maybe it’s crop circles created by little green men, since everyone involved in the show seems to be in alien territory. I mean, really, they acted as if Nebraska’s biggest city is a two-horse town. At any rate, Omaha is evidently the West Hollywood of the Midwest (Midwest Hollywood?), or at least that’s what the show’s editors would have us believe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Let’s talk about Paula, shall we? After weeks of almost perfect behavior, the train wreck finally pulled into the station. In this episode, Paula not only missed a good portion of the episode due to travel delays, but she had issues with bodily functions as well. Her questionable beverage hidden behind a Coke logo finally got the better of her as she hiccuped her way through Johnny Escamilla’s audition, pulling attention away from his retina-burning shirt (below).

Side note: When Abdul finally arrived, Simon greeted her with a lascivious “Paaw-la, come to Simey.” We’re pretty sure our colleague — also named Paula — has already set this sound bite as her new ringtone.

THE GOOD

We got nothing. It’s a full 31 minutes into the hourlong episode before we get to anyone who’s merely acceptable and then it’s a quick montage. And nobody hit the wow factor. We see none of these people going very far. So, let’s look at…

THE CUTE

Chris Bernheisel and Leo Marlowe made adorable bookends for the episode.

Chris (left), who comes bearing gifts of stuffed animals and photo albums to the judges like he's welcoming the new messiah. Chris is a Kelly Clarkson “fan.” Actually, he appears to be somewhat of a stalker. Although he would be the most benign stalker in history. His audition goes off the rails as he stops auditioning for a spot as a singer (thankfully) and instead sets his sights on Seacrest’s job (not a bad idea). The judges give him the OK to name-drop at his local affiliate, and Chris acts as if he was just asked to grand marshal the WeHo parade.

Wrapping up the hour, Leo gives the judges a good dose of modesty and humor and, thank God, a decent singing voice. If he makes it to the top 12 he’d be the first out and proud “Idol” contestant. You know where I'm going with this. After being invited to Hollywood, Leo offers to help Paula stand up (he called it “hugging”).

THE PAINFUL

Jason Rich, who forgot the lyrics to his song and required four takes to get back on track. I think Simon must be medicated. I've never seen him so patient with someone who hasn't learned the song they've chosen. It’s always fun when the people who mess up on the lyrics are horrible to begin with, but this boy showed talent. I scooted so far back onto the couch in horror I think I permanently destroyed a throw pillow. At the end, he pulled it together. He won’t last past the next round.

THE SCARY

Nope, not Lady Morgue (right). I found the name, the makeup and the pro-wrestling moves pretty subdued for a Goth. But if they ever bring G.L.O.W. back, they need not search for a new Matilda the Hun. (Don’t ask me why I remember this crap. I’m pretty sure I’ve pushed necessary information out of my brain to make room for it. Like long division). On top of all that, she sang like a Red Bull-riding Disney extra.

Actually, Rachael Wicker terrified both of us. I think women who go around challenging people to arm wrestle are a scary bunch on their own, but throw in the inch of foundation she has caked on her face, and you have a woman with a past. She covering an awful hurt in her life, hiding behind a mask of Covergirl and a tough demeanor.

Yes, I like to make up my own back stories for the contestants. It’s my thing.

SOB STORY?

Angelica Puente, (below) whose surname Simon charmingly pronounces “punt.” Oh, that wacky Brit.

There’s some sad tale about Angelica's dad, I’m not sure what. I know he’s “a good guy”, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what’s going on there. Did he leave? Forgot to get cell phone batteries? Kathy, help me out here…

Weren’t you listening Erin? She lives with Grandma because her dad is “strict” and wants her to “have a better life than he had.” He sounds like a real bastard, alright. He solidifies that status by congratulating her profusely over the phone after her successful audition, calling her “baby” and telling her he’s “proud.” Jerk.

Regardless, Angelica sang just like the she-male “Dealertainer” version of Celine Dion that performs at Imperial Palace in Vegas.

Tonight, Miami. Please let there be some talent there.

— Erin Maxwell and Kathy Lyford

Good give and take between Paul (Gabriel Byrne) and Alex (Blair Underwood) in Part II of the week-long series premiere of "In Treatment" on Tuesday.

The session's main victory was to take a character that almost none of us could relate to at the start of the episode – an elite Navy fighter pilot who espouses no remorse over the fact his mission led him unknowingly to bomb a school and kill 16 children – and break just enough of him down to reveal that his issues might intersect with us everyday Joes. We're talking about issues of control, of vulnerability.

Underwood handled this transition and these nuances rather deftly. He was able to be confident, businesslike, occasionally thoughtful but not too thoughtful, which was right for someone in a fair amount of denial. His impatience was a virtue. And the plotting provided a strong finish. We all have places to be, but Alex had something huge and potentially devastatingly self-destructive in mind.

There were few false notes in the episode, though one that comes to mind was when Alex talked about losing consciousness, then compared that directly to his father viewing everything in terms of profit and loss.  That's the kind of overly conscious overwriting I worry about when I said earlier that "therapy scenes are dangerous."

But Underwood seems like someone who we can trust in the face of danger.  And Byrne, through two airings, seems to have his role down pat ... which is to say he's no robot. He doesn't ooze confidence – he clearly struggles to form his next question sometimes – but when he sees an opening, he goes after it hard. There are moments where I think his character talks too much and others where I think he doesn't talk enough, but overall the good doctor is keeping things moving at a fine pace.

– Jon Weisman

Turning an old prisoner plot on its ear by making the guy you're rooting for the captor instead of the captive, the second episode of "Breaking Bad" didn't disappoint after a promising pilot.

The show is unafraid to get dark and gruesome — not for gratuitous purposes, but rather in service of a larger story examining our morals in challenging times. Good guys doing bad things and all that. Credit for this starts with showrunner Vince Gilligan, but Gilligan could not have done better in finding someone to anchor the show than Bryan Cranston, rocking the house in the role of chem teacher/meth maker/cancer sufferer Walter White. 

White is equal parts hero and weakling — it's as if we're catching him amid an aborted transformation, and it's kinda fascinating. His Odd Couple interplay with Jesse (Aaron Paul) crackles without seeming contrived.

There are still a couple of quirks with the show. Scenes in which White uses his chemistry knowledge in hardcore, real-life situations work much better than the scenes in White's classroom, where his attempts to make chemistry seem meaningful feel on the nose (and where signs of an impending collapse seem all too obvious).

Also, Walter's relationship with his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn, working awfully hard to seem interesting) is strained creatively. There have been some headscratching scenes between the two. Marriages can run hot and cold, but the hot and cold in the White marriage doesn't always seem connected — there needs to be more of a thruline that relates the mood swings. Nevertheless, we're only in the second episode, leaving plenty of time for this to be ironed out.

AMC producing two quality drama series feels a bit like the Pittsburgh Pirates making the NBA (that's not a typo, that's the joke) finals.  But with "Mad Men" and the less fantastic but still worthwhile "Breaking Bad," AMC continues to score big with its transformation.

— Jon Weisman

Therapy scenes are dangerous.  Given the opportunity to let characters open up in ways they generally wouldn't, writers run the risk of overwhelming the dialogue with craft and significance. And the result just feels leaden.

The reality is that conversations between therapists and clients can be as roundabout as any other.  Revelations don't come out of a machine like gumballs, after all.

Not everyone fell in love with HBO's "Tell Me You Love Me." For some, the pace of the show was too slow and/or the characters were generally too despicable. But the therapy sessions were given room to breathe — you really got to see the struggle — and viewers who stuck with the show, I believe, generally felt rewarded.

Beginning Monday, HBO upped its counseling ante considerably with "In Treatment," which will offer five 30-minute therapy sessions a week. (Though HBO sent out numerous episodes to critics for an advance look, we won't get ahead of ourselves at Season Pass.) The show opened on a somewhat disconcerting note for me, as the session with Laura (Melissa George) felt filled with calculated melodrama. Certainly, you want something dramatic to capture the audience's attention, but there's a fine line between getting involved in a character's problems and wanting her to just get over herself. That was an issue during parts of "Tell Me You Love Me," and the "In Treatment" premiere skirted that line.

Still, there was some electricity by the end of Laura's session, and viewers tuning in were left with reason to think the show could go either way: the rewardingly dramatic or the off-putting melodramatic.

— Jon Weisman

R.I.P. Proposition Joe.

We lost the big fella in last night's episode of "The Wire," as well as the return of Omar, Daniels becoming police commissioner and McNulty and Lester searching for dead bodies.

For a full recap, check out Stuart Levine's deconstruction on Variety's On the Air blog.

The auditions move to Charleston, SC, and our expectations are sky high since five of six "Idol" winners and half the runners up have hailed from the South. Our hopes are quickly dashed as the city (boy, does it look pretty!) is heavy on the confident but untalented singers and light on the future top 12 contestants. We would also have enjoyed more sob stories and freaks, but it wasn’t to be. Here’s what we did get:

THE GOOD...ENOUGH TO GO TO HOLLYWOOD BUT REALLY NOT ALL THAT GOOD

Amy Catherine Flynn, high school fun-killer who speaks out against sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, yet dresses a little like a hoochie. I guess you’d call her the ultimate tease. The abstinence-preaching cheerleader (left) really needs to hone that no-sex-before-marriage pitch if she wants to get through to hormonal teens. "Why not just wait six more years until you get married?" isn’t really going to work. Simon declares that a lot of people will find her annoying. Count us among them. He also predicts that she will change her tune once she lands in Lalaland. We're actually thinking college, probably at her second frat party after a keg stand, while wearing her Sparkle Motion uniform. We can picture the YouTube video already.

Michelle and Jeffrey Lampkin, the cute brother-sister team who display a disturbingly inappropriate chemistry while singing "I'll Be Your Angel." Jeffrey — a sort of flamboyant Fat Albert — is the more talented sibling. Big sis stands in his massive shadow. Erin likens Jeffrey (right) to a Rerun/Ruben hybrid and hopes they do well but Kathy predicts neither of them will make it past Hollywood.

SOB STORY (Just one!)

London Weidberg whose dad died three years ago.

THE BAD

Raysharde Henderson, who calls himself the "black Clay Aiken." I don't even know where to go with that. He's so bad he gets the Simon double whammy insult: "very cruise ship and cabaret." Ouch.

DeAnna Prevatte (don’t forget the capital "A," damnit!), the bitter, bordering on psychotic, waitress from Kellie Pickler's hometown. We'd tell you how bad she was but we're afraid she'll hunt us down and kill us. DeAnna (left) will probably see a dip in tips after the churchgoers get wind of her potty mouth.

Joshua Boson, who upon his unanimous rejection declares the show "fake and rigged," which pisses Simon right off and prompts him to call Joshua "rude and deluded." It might have gotten uglier but Joshua stomped out of the room

Lyndsey Goodman, the Air Force pilot. She doesn’t make the cut and we're so disappointed because this top gun chick rocks in every way except the one that matters most in this competition. We blame the song choice. Once again, a siren from the South feels it necessary to bust out "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles, which rears its head at least twice a season on "Idol." The "Idol" licensing fees have probably been keeping Ms. Myles' rent from exceeding past due for several years.

Aretha Codner, (right) the fashion-challenged, overconfident namesake of the Queen of Soul. There are at least two things about her that resemble the buxom Motown diva. Her voice isn’t one of them.

Oliver Highman, who continues the weird trend this season of contestants having their auditions thwarted by impending offspring. Remember Antoria Gillon from Dallas who missed her audition to give birth and then named the poor tot Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan? (There they are, pictured below).

At least Highman (who probably endured years of mockery during roll call) wasn’t the one giving birth this time. But he actually dragged his poor wife to the audition hours after the big event. She should have considered telling him he wasn’t good enough while they were still at the hospital. He was pretty adorable and a very nice guy, but we’ve seen the last of him. We think the judges were a big too harsh on the lad. If anything, the last name only deserved a pity vote.

THE UGLY

Paula’s hideous gray arm warmers.

The montage of (mostly male) contestants singing Carrie Underwood’s "Before He Cheats."

Crystal Ortiz and Randy Stark (left), the couple who met on the AmericanIdol.com message boards and had their first face-to-face encounter by a garbage can. He doles out audition advice on the message boards and evidently many in South Carolina took his words to heart. The duo sings a truly awful original song about how they are all wrong for each other. Simon once again says what we're thinking and tells them to get a room. Blech.

— Kathy Lyford and Erin Maxwell

For all the fans who still can't get enough of "Buffy," here's your chance to renew vows with Willow, Xander, Spike and the rest of the gang.

At the upcoming Paley Fest (March 14-27), the cast and producers will gather for a "Buffy" reunion to talk about the good times, the network-changing times and what it's like to be stalked by fans who can't let it go.

No word yet on who'll be on the panel, but it's hard to imagine a "Buffy" get together without Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan (hey, with "How I Met Your Mother" not taping now, what else does she have to do?) and James Marsters. And one would have to think creator Joss Whedon is a sure thing to show up as well.

Other shows that were announced today to be feted at the Paley fest include "Mad Men," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Chuck" and "Dancing With the Stars."

The full lineup will be announced Feb. 4.

— Stuart Levine

“American Idol” rolls into sunny Southern California with its first-ever stop in San Diego. The network wisely decided to go with a more tightly edited one-hour version this time. I'm not sure even the “Idol”-obsessed among us could take many more two-hour over-padded editions of the audition round.

THE GOOD
Michael Johns, the saucy Aussie (pictured below) whose awesome, soulful voice is overshadowed by the sheer power of how hot he is. Seriously. I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m already coming up with the signs I’m going to hold in the audience if he makes it to the finals. As a wise man once said: “It’s not stalking if you’re going to marry him.” Yes. I’m pathetic. Don’t judge me.

Michael, sweetie, that was Erin talking. Let me know if you need help getting a restraining order. Call me, 'kay? Love, Kathy. P.S. You are this season’s Ace Young.

THE GOOD (with sob stories!)

Carly Smithson, the tattooed lassie from Ireland (pictured below) with the over-inked, “Carnivale”-extra hubby and an amazing voice. She tried out and made it to Hollywood a two years ago, but was disqualified over greencard issues. But now she’s legal (presumably tattoo boy is an American) and ready to try again. Well, she’s off to Hollywood again.

Perrie Cataldo, a single dad who inflicts his tragic hairstyle choices on his adorable moppet son. He does a good job with a horrible song (“I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz to Men).

David Archuleta, the 16-year-old who survived a bout of “vocal paralysis” only to suffer through Paula making goo-goo eyes at him. The adorable teen sang John Mayers’ “Waiting On The World To Change.”
Erin: I would make fun Paula further, but I’m too busy trying to choose the color of my “Will You Marry Me?, Michael Johns” t-shirt. Paula, for once, I understand. Live the dream.

Samantha Musa, whose Simon obsession seems to run in the family.

THE BAD

Valerie Reyes, (pictured left) who thinks she sounds just like Mariah and who mocked the parade of social misfits in the hallway while chatting with Ryan. She butchered a Mariah song and was greeted with an "Oh. My. God." from Simon. Then, in the best moment of the episode (well, maybe not for Erin) she celebrated what she thought was praise from the Brit by pumping her fist and whispering “YES.” What a shock for her that she got three “no’s.” She took the rejection surprisingly well, unlike…

…Monique Gibson, who thinks she sounds just like Whitney. She doesn’t. Monique couldn’t quite decide whether tears or indignant outrage would get her more camera time.

Christopher Baker, Monique’s equally untalented sidekick, who used the old “wrong song choice” excuse.

THE UGLY (with the world’s most supportive moms)
Alberto Hurtado, the scariest contestant of all seven seasons. His Howard Hughes-esque fingernails, homemade fans and furry tendencies toward eagles pushed him beyond the point of odd to frightening. All that, and he was foolish enough to “make his own song.” His mother says he’s “very artistic.” That will come in handy during arts and crafts sessions at the institution he’s bound to end up in.

Blake Boshnack, who’s been living out his mother’s dreams by auditioning 11 times now in seven seasons. Last year he showed up dressed as the Statue of Liberty. His attempt to redeem himself this time around was destroyed by show's editors who located the old clips. His normal person costume couldn’t hide his secret shame. I got 10 bucks saying that the Liberty costume is still in the trunk of his car.

Question: Who is this amiable Brit judge and what has he done with Simon? Our resident grump is unusually sweet-natured this year. Part of me appreciates it and part of me misses his scathing wit.

— Erin Maxwell and Kathy Lyford

Partway into the third and probably final episode I'll watch of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," the memory of another show – some would argue the worst show of all time – wormed its way into my head.  And it's not that "Terminator" is that bad, not nearly, but the fact that I was thinking of this other show was not a good sign.

That classically awful program was "Small Wonder," a syndicated half-hour series from the 1980s. (Note the look of concern on the face of "Terminator" actress Lena Headey as she is forced to travel back in time to watch the show.)

"Small Wonder" featured a family whose young daughter Vicki was actually a robot. She walked like a robot. She talked like a robot.  And she was about as entertaining as a robot. The entire enterprise was like a bad "Saturday Night Live" parody come to life.

Well, Vicki has a descendant on "Terminator" – in fact, she has two.  There's Cameron (Summer Glau), who despite seeming completely normal and charming when we first meet her in the pilot (before we are supposed to know she's a machine) now speaks without any inflection or personality. And there's Sarah herself, who despite being human also speaks without any inflection or personality.

And so even though there was a theme in tonight's episode that was worth exploring (whether or not to destroy something potentially evil before it becomes evil), and even though there's a serialized arc that could possibly be of interest, "Terminator" remains mostly such a joyless experience that it just doesn't seem worth pursuing. 

Just to cite one of many examples: In a voiceover at one point, Sarah recalls the tale of Moe Berg.  Berg offers one of the more colorful stories of the 20th century - an actual major league baseball player who became an actual U.S. government spy. But the writers have made Sarah so plain, so deadly serious in telling the story that all the life is drained out. Yes, these are serious times because the fate of the world is at stake.  But if we're supposed to care about saving the world, shouldn't it be a world we'd enjoy living in?

As I suggested earlier, the episode did have some saving graces. But when a guest appearance (Brendan Hines as Andy) offers not just an enjoyable performance, but the only enjoyable performance, then there's trouble in Terminator Town.

I mean, it's not as if I kept watching "Small Wonder" either, but at least it had kitsch value.

– Jon Weisman

Even if the second season hasn't quite lived up to the first, it really has been a gift in this strike-plagued season to have had this many episodes of "Friday Night Lights" — and still a few more to come.

Rather than spend this post rehashing the most recent episode, I thought I'd do a spot-check on how things are going for the myriad "Lights" characters.

Eric (Kyle Chandler): All in all, Eric has found a nice equilibrium since returning from his short-circuited assistant coaching venture at TMU. The past two episodes all but brought peace to his and Tami's household, with sister-in-law Shelley ankling the household, toddler Gracie finally settling in at daycare and daughter Julie in one of her calmer phases. This could mean that Eric's football world is ready for some drama. As promised by showrunner Jason Katims last summer, the games have gotten less attention on "FNL" this season. That, in a sense, has given Eric some cover — but for how long? After all, the defending state champion Dillon Panthers have lost at least two games, maybe three, if I'm counting correctly. The team hasn't been playing solid football, and the community wouldn't figure to be tolerant of that forever.

Oh, he's a dog, that Scott Templeton. A pompous dog. On the heels of last week's fabrication of the wheelchair-bound 13-year-old kid who was heartbroken (cue the violins) after failing to get into the Orioles' opening day game, Templeton's back in the fiction biz this week in the third seg of "The Wire," "Not for Attribution."

Click here and here for the on-the-record rundown on the latest from "The Wire" on Variety.com's On the Air.

The best way to think about the auditions portion of "American Idol" might be to compare it to a scripted improv show, like "Curb Your Enthusiasm." For the HBO comedy, Larry David sketches out an outline with certain story beats he wants to get to.

The challenge and the fun are in how David's cast improvises their way from A to B. Similarly, the producers of "Idol" aim to hit certain beats — the rural hayseeds who can sing, the physically unhealthy with a heart of gold who can't, the montage of truly egregious performers compelled to butcher the same song — on their way to the final celebration of those who made it to Hollywood. But you never know exactly how they're going to get there.

For the first two nights of "Idol" in 2008, the quality of the scenes in this sketch musical-dramedy was refreshingly strong. Within the show's familiar formula, the unscripted interaction between the contestants and the judges has been not trite but entertaining. The truly cringeworthy moments, such as Wednesday's session with the fingernail fetishist, have been kept in check. The fate of the endearing smalltown singer, Drew Poppelreiter, evoked genuine suspense.

And the concluding scene with this year's William Hung, Renaldo Lapuz, actually evolved into a tour de force moment by "Idol" standards — a multidimensional homage to all that is great and grotesque about the show. This week, "Idol" displayed a — dare I say it — certain sophistication. The cast and crew seem less driven to be nasty and more willing to just enjoy the good and the bad of the show. The feeling is a bit contagious. This may not elevate "Idol" to more than guilty pleasure, but at least the pleasure is there.

— Jon Weisman

"Idol" went back to Dallas — where Kelly Clarkson auditioned — for the first time since season one. We’re only one-third done with the audition rounds and I’m already tiring of the freak show. I made the mistake of watching live last night. Don’t ever do that. Once you lose the ability to fast-forward, you slowly lose your mind.

Of note last night…

The Good

Pia "Zpia" Easley (left), who channels many, many levels of awesome. Complete with faux hawk and Gladys Knight song in tow, I want this one to do very well. I fear she may falter in the later rounds when they have to sing the least offensive Barry Manilow song they can find.

Kady Malloy. She does singing impressions, intentionally, but really shines when she’s being herself.

Honorable mentions: Kyle Ensley (below), who reminds me of a politically motivated and healthier Chris Sligh… Nina Shaw, who's gorgeous and has a voice just good enough to take her pretty far…and Alaina Whitaker.

(My early pick is still Kristy the horse trainer from Oregon. Just want that on the record. KL)

The Bad

Paul Stafford, the park groundskeeper/roller-coaster enthusiast who sang an Elliot Yamin song. When will these kids ever learn? DON’T SING FORMER IDOL CONTESTANTS’ SONGS!! He did bust out the laugh-out-loud quote of the night however by saying “Simon goes down on everybody.” He meant to say Simon criticizes everyone, which isn’t even true this year. It’s as if our grumpy Brit has been shot with a tranquilizer gun. He’s kinder, gentler and hasn’t been unnecessarily rude to anyone yet. It’s refreshing.

Angela Reilly. She’s a bad singer but already a winner because she’s got the world’s most supportive husband — who also happens to be a model. Angela’s hit the jackpot.

Tammy Tuzinski, a walking ad for depression medication.

Rocker Kyle Reinneck (right) who likes to wear makeup. Not that there’s anything wrong with a man in makeup. It works for Pete Wentz. But Kyle needs to get himself down to the Dallas Sephora for a lesson on the application of cosmetics because the way he’s doing it now makes him look like a ventriloquist's dummy.

The Ugly

Brandon Green, who peels his fingernails and collects them in a Ziploc bag. I had to fast-forward to get past that without gagging, but than realized I might miss his audition, and ended up having to watch it twice. Just...yuck. We’ll see more of him in Hollywood. Goodie.

Bruce Dickson. Like "Enchanted," but different. The 19-year-old manboy who, on advice from of good old dad, is searching for his soulmate that will share true love's first kiss. Seriously. I think the guy who collected his fingernails was slightly less unnerving. Also loved that Ryan felt the need to announce the he had kissed a girl… today, in fact.

Douglas Davidson, whose dad hates him for singing. After the audition I think most people agree with Dad. He was sweaty and babbling and had to be escorted out by security, presumably right into a straitjacket.

Renaldo Lapuz (who is 44 and makes me wonder why they have age restrictions in the first place. Apparently, if you want to audition, all you need is a costume and the ability to feel no shame.) He landed here on planet Earth and has identified Simon as our king. And it's sad that he's not completely incorrect. Lapuz pays tribute to the limey bastard with "We Are Brothers Forever," which sends the remaining Idol cast to their feet and joining in.

Sob stories

Former meth-head Jessica Brown, who tore a page from the Fergie handbook on how to better yourself after a crank addiction.

Kayla Dawn Hatfield, who was scarred from a car accident but is perhaps the perkiest person on the planet. She got through to the next round based solely on personality.

One contestant never made it to her audition because she went into labor while waiting. And she named the baby Idol. Nuff said.

Best non-televised quote of the night:

From Erin’s mother after watching the cavalcade of losers: "By the way, in case I never mentioned it before, if you or your sister ever do this to me, I'll personally cripple you."

— Erin Maxwell and Kathy Lyford

For Phil Gallo's take on last night's episode, see Variety's Set List blog

"American Idol" is back. Thank God. My sad little Tivo has had nothing to offer me in weeks. The audition rounds aren't our favorite but they did a better job this year at least of balancing the freaks with the kids who might actually have some talent.

THE GOOD
Kristy Lee Cook, the horse trainer/cage fighter from Oregon. I see her as a top 12 contestant. If she doesn't make it in the Hollywood round of "Idol" at least her skills would qualify her for a job at Medieval Times.

Beth Stalker, the G-rated, Red State-living mom who did a bang up job with "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered." I really, really want her to win, then have her corrupted by the evils of Hollywood, like in "Welcome to the Jungle." Then she can sell her story to Lifetime.

THE BAD

Anyone wonder what Jorja Fox has been up to since leaving "CSI"? Well, I think she changed her name to Christina Tolisano (left), dressed up like Princess Leia and auditioned for "AI". Duh.

Tour guide James Lewis, who reached new levels of bad with "Go Down Moses." Once when I was a kid, I accidentally knocked my Fisher-Price record player to the wrong speed while it was playing "Disco Sesame Street." At first I thought it was annoying, but now I realize it was a premonition of things to come.

The UGLY
Milo Turk, who took time out of his busy schoolgirl stalking schedule to audition with a song called "No Sex Allowed." I look forward to seeing him again when the authorities find all those dead hookers under his house.

IN A CATEGORY ALL HER OWN
Temptress Brown the teen linebacker (pictured below). She managed to fight the good fight against stereotypes associated with stripper names and sing her poor little heart out...badly.

Her sad story and obvious lack of talent gave the judges a chance to show that they can coo and coddle with the best of them. Even Simon. To a point. Best moment of the two-hour preem was Temptress announcing that she would sing “I’m Not Going Nowhere” by Jennifer Hudson. What she really sang (sort of) was “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Holliday.

MOST CONFUSING MONTAGE
Rather than the usual grouping of people by bad costumes or lack of talent, American Idol judges went with alphabetical as they enjoyed the song stylings of Jonathan, Jose and Junot. 

SOB STORY TALLY
Temptress Brown - sick mom
Angela Martin - sick daughter
Kristy Lee Cook - sold her pony
Melanie Yema - sang backup for Taylor hicks
James Lewis - has job that requires him to wear colonial costumes
Joey Catalano – lost over 100 pounds but still no Jordan Catalano
Alexis Cohen, Milo Turk, Benjamin Harr, Paul Marturano - undisclosed mental issues ranging from glitter addiction to really, really, really liking Paula. Simon comparing Alexis to Willem Defoe was classic. Take a look at the photo on the right and see if you agree with Simon.

— Kathy Lyford and Erin Maxwell

For Gallo’s recap see the Set List blog. For ratings news see Variety's ratings story and the On the Air blog.

The frothing over "The Wire" continues over on Season Pass' sibling blog, On the Air. Check out the discourse on episode 2, "Unconfirmed Reports," by clicking here, and for a newbie's perspective on the show, click here.

Hidden amid the embarrassment of the modified Golden Globes was the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press actually made some great choices in the TV categories.

That roar you heard Sunday night was Season Pass cheering the wins for AMC’s rookie drama “Mad Men” and its charismatic star Jon Hamm. Also very deserving were Glenn Close for her role as the cutthroat attorney in FX’s uneven drama “Damages” and Tina Fey for her role in Season Pass fave “30 Rock.” Kudos also to the HFPA for choosing the least obvious choice for its top comedy series with HBO’s “Extras.”

Too bad these folks didn’t get their moment in the sun. Oh well, most of them have the chance to repeat as champs at next year’s back-to-the-glitz Globes ceremony.

— Kathy Lyford

Scripted series aren't dead!

Just two weeks after "American Gladiators" debuted to the season's best ratings for a new show, Fox's wordily titled "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" has bowed to even bigger numbers.

With a big assist from the NFL, "T: SCC" drew more than 18 million pairs of eyeballs and notched a whammo 7.6/18 in adults 18-49, according to prelim national Nielsen numbers. All that, and great reviews, too. (Although the opinions of our Season Pass panel were decidedly mixed.)

It was great news for Fox, which has struggled to come up with scripted hits in recent years. Also doing a happy dance (the Robot, perhaps?) were the folks over at Warner Bros. TV. Studio has been on a roll this season, with a series of successes ("Big Bang Theory," "Pushing Daisies," "Chuck," "Gossip Girl").

Variety has the complete ratings 411 here. The question now is whether those who watched will say "I'll be back" when "T:SCC" settles into its regular Monday slot tonight.

--Josef Adalian

Perhaps many series thought to cobble together a wholly unexpected episode ending that would also serve as an apt metaphor for the labor strife that has consumed the entire television industry, but as far as I know, only Thursday's "30 Rock" succeeded.

The last remaining original episode of the series until the Writers Guild strike is settled offered the usual craziness — a little of it redundant, as when Kenneth sank deeper and deeper into a coffee-induced haze (will he be the next guest on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew?), but most of it brilliant. For years, I've been pretty impressed with myself for asking out a girl during a history final in college, but I have to say that Jack (Alec Baldwin) topped that by arranging a date with C.C. (Edie Falco), while testifying on C-SPAN, to see "Fred Claus."

The Jack-C.C. denouement, combined with Tina Fey's dual Liz stories of trying to buy an apartment and a German television station, kept the episode sailing along. (The latter was a savvy follow-up to the 10 seconds in the first season of "30 Rock" that showed Liz speaking German without a second thought.) But nothing quite prepared us for the finale, a seamless transition into a full-blown, completely plot-approriate rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia."

It's funny: I still think "The Office" is the deeper, more rewarding comedy. But "30 Rock" goes wit-to-wit with it, and certainly has provided the most memorable comedic moments of the cut-down 2007-08 season.

— Jon Weisman

It was probably the closest thing to normalcy the TV industry had seen in months.

Fox gave "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" the royal treatment on Wednesday night, celebrating the launch of the new series in the midst of what's hardly a celebratory time for the biz.

But for a moment, execs, scribes, talent and others were able to forget their industry woes and party (together!). The set up rivaled any other premiere event: Copious spreads of semi-exotic foods, a decadent desert table, gallons of open-bar beverages, boom-boom-boom music, heat lamps, mood lighting and the din of excited chit-chat and congratulations.

The premiere party for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" took place on the roof of the ArcLight Theater parking structure, and was packed. (So much so that late arrivees couldn't find a parking spot in the ArcLight's massive garage.) The sense of urgency to reclaim a bit of the normal routine of premiere parties, award shows, receptions etc. (we are a party-going people, after all) was palpable. Instead of the usual three or four contortionists, the dance floor was packed.

There were reminders of the civil war that's raging on the ground. At least a dozen attendees sported "WGAW" lapel pins, and strike-talk was the dominant topic of conversation.

It was not an easy call for "Sarah Connor" exec producer/showrunner Josh Friedman (pictured at 2006's "Black Dahlia" premiere) as to whether he would, or should, attend the party. He spoke to WGA leaders about the event in advance, and he made a special trip to the guild's Third Street HQ today to make sure he had plenty of pins for his scribes. In the end, Friedman made the decision to come in support of the cast and crew, because he is proud of the work they've all done did on a show that was not easy to pull off. Friedman explained his reasoning as he collected congrats, handshakes and back slaps that were a bit bittersweet, under the circumstances.

"Sarah Connor," which bows Sunday and Monday, has nine of its 13 segs in the can, but Friedman hasn't seen any of the episodes since they were in post-production on the second ep. His experience is just one more small example of the fallout from the studios' intransigence and unwillingness "to come back to the table and negotiate with us," he said. "All we want is a fair deal."

All the finger food in the world can't make up for that.

(Pictured above right: Fox's Peter Liguori, "Sarah Connor" star Lena Headey, wearing a WGAW pin, and Fox's Kevin Reilly)

--Cynthia Littleton

Which is the greatest sports television series of all time: "Friday Night Lights" or "The White Shadow"? As much as I adore "Lights," I still lean toward "Shadow."

A small but significant part of my fascination with that show is the directorial talent that came out of the Carver High gym. Eric Laneuville and Tim Van Patten each picked up Directors Guild nominations today, bringing to 12 the number of DGA noms received by former performers on the series.

Thomas Carter (Hayward): one nom, one win

Kevin Hooks (Thorpe): three noms

Van Patten (Salami): four noms, one win

Laneuville (Gordy - guest role): four noms, two wins

The group has also combined for 15 Emmy directing nominations and three Emmy wins.

But back to my original question: What's the greatest sports series of all time? Any other Shadowers?

— Jon Weisman

Yup, it's that time of year again.

Time to find ourselves face to face with those narcissistic posers, self-righteous egomaniacs, and, on rare occasion, someone who actually knows something about what it takes to create a winning song. And those are just the judges.

"American Idol," in all its pumped-up glory, returns Tuesday and Wednesday night and so the seventh season begins. The auditions, the insults, the crying, the tears, the guest performers, "Idol Gives Back," a trip to Hollywood, a final 12 and, when it's all over, another champ standing among the confetti at the Kodak.

Fox arranged a conference call with Simon Cowell Wednesday morning to discuss the new season, his reflections on last year and whether Paula is as crazy as she seemed in her Bravo reality show.

"Yes, she's an emotional girl," Cowell said, "but things were exaggerated in the edit."

Cowell affirms last season was a bad one, in terms on the quality of the competition, but believes this new group of contestants are a cut above from what he's seen at the nationwide auditions.

"This is a much better season. If it was worse, we'd have a problem. We can't guarantee to find a superstar but we're at the mercy of who turns up at the auditions. … I think it's going to be one of the strongest years in a long, long time. The talent is younger, more current and more interesting. I'm going into this season more optimistic than last year. Paula and Randy said last year the bar was risen, but I didn't believe it. I think it's going to be a big year."

Where "Idol" always arrives in January as the 800-lb. gorilla on the TV landscape, this year it's gained a few pounds. There's little, if any, scripted competition and viewers could be salivating for the real-life drama that "Idol" provides.

Cowell discussed this season's heightened ratings expections set against the lack of scripted programming, but the Brit said those raised expectations are nothing new.

"That's happened the last two or three years. We're in the same position as we were last year and the year before. The show has got to look better and be more fun," he admitted. "If it is, people will watch but it absolutely comes down to the content we provide the viewers."

As for his relationship with Paula and Randy, Cowell says that after being together for so long, there's bound to be fights and disagreements. But that's all part of the natural course of things.

"After seven years, you get on each other's nerves. We're not robots and you can become a bit argumentative or emotional."

Emotional isn't a term one might use to describe Cowell, who seems very calculating in his comments to impressionable would-be stars. Especially the ones who can't sing a lick and are deserving of his wrath. But even Cowell admits there have been instances when he's been unnecessarily harsh.

"There are certain times when you watch a show back and you hate yourself for what you said at the time," he explains. "You don't know their backstory before they walked in the room. Maybe their dog just died. You see their backstory and feel horrible."

"And sometimes you get very bored, but at the end of the day every person has seen 'Idol' and they know what they're in store for."

Not just the horrific singers, but audiences too. We know what to expect as well.

Let the hysteria begin.

— Stuart Levine

"Samantha Who?" — People's Choice Award winner Tuesday for top new TV comedy, got three positive votes out of nine from your intrepid Season Pass crew at the start of the 2007-08 season.

"Moonlight,"  People's Choice Award winner for top new TV drama, went 0 for 9, with comments including:

"Alex O'Laughlin could be a star, but not in this vehicle."

"Pointless."

"Couldn't care less about the subject matter."

Critical and mass popularity … the battle continues.

(On a side note, who had Yomarie Tejada winning Crest & Scope's Spotlight Shining Smile award in their PCA pool?)

— Jon Weisman

In his review of the upcoming Fox series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (premiering Sunday), Brian Lowry of Variety alludes to a violent shooting scene in the pilot that takes place at the school attended by John Connor (Thomas Dekker). "After toying with excising the scene last summer because of the Virginia Tech shootings, cooler heads prevailed, and it's back mostly intact," Lowry says.

While I don't want to argue that the scene should have been cut, I've watched it twice now, months apart, and each time found it shocking and unsettling.

There's a lot of gunfire.  A lot.  More than I think I've seen on a TV show in some time.

Though it might be unreasonable to expect the pilot storyline of "Terminator" to stop and think about the psychological and emotional consequences of such violence, it felt disturbingly cavalier to me that the show cared so little about it. It was all I could think about during the scene and in its aftermath. I realize that ultimately, the fate of the universe is at stake in the story of Sarah and John Connor, but it was hard to escape the immediate feeling that their lives were a sideshow compared to the bullets whizzing past schoolkids.

Episode two brought less unmitigated violence to the screen, easing my concerns that I would be waging these internal battles each time I watched "Terminator," which (as much as it has failed to make me feel passionately about the lead characters) has provisionally hooked me as a viewer. Nevertheless, I'm still more uneasy about the treatment of those teenagers than I am about the fate of "Save the Young Leader, Save the World."

Maybe that says more about me than the show. Even in an escapist fantasy, I'm drawn to the blunt reality. When you see the scene, let me know if you think — no pun intended — that the violence was or wasn't overkill.

— Jon Weisman

Sunday night's preem of "American Gladiators" on NBC bowed to big numbers. (Curse you, Ben Silverman!). According to Variety's ratings guru and Season Pass panelist Rick Kissell:

“American Gladiators” averaged a 5.9 rating/14 share in adults 18-49 and 12 million viewers overall, winning its 9-11 p.m. slot in key demos and becoming the highest-rated series preem of the season on any net in 18-49. It’s also the best non-sports result in the time period for NBC in three years.

ABC didn't fare so well with its new scripted series "Cashmere Mafia":

“Cashmere Mafia” garnered a 3.8 rating/9 share in 18-49 and 10.7 million viewers overall for its preview in the 10 o’clock hour, retaining a little more than half its demo lead-in from an original episode of slot-leading “Desperate Housewives” at 9 (prelim 7.2/16, 19.8 million).

And although “Mafia” won its time period among women 18-49, it was beaten out among women 18-34 by “Gladiators.”   

So my question is this: If the networks can get better ratings by shoving crappy reality down our throats than they do with the crappy scripted shows they're offering, what motivation, exactly, do they have to make a deal with the WGA to end the strike and get scripted shows back into production?

Just asking.

— Kathy Lyford

Well, at least there wasn't a voiceover.

Sunday's premiere of "Cashmere Mafia" exuded smarm, and about the only thing that could have made it worse would have been to have some Sarah Jessica Parker/Ellen Pompeo-style monologue wax profound about the most obvious situations.

Nevertheless, we still spent the first hour of this series with four characters who were almost all style, no substance and almost wholly unsympathetic. (Not exactly "The Wire.")

When Mia (Lucy Liu), the go-getter who will stop at nothing to succeed, loses her fiance, who happens to be another go-getter who will stop at nothing to succeed …

When Zoe (Frances O'Connor) is too stupid to realize that the saccharine, sorority-girl nanny who is making demands for premium cable channels in her room is probably going to be a problem down the line …

When Juliet (Miranda Otto), the COO who is all facade, learns that her husband is cheating on her, and decides to fight back by openly planning to cheat on him …

… are we supposed to feel bad, much less surprised or entertained?

Now, there was almost a real moment in the pilot. Career heterosexual Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) has just had her first kiss with a woman (Lourdes Benedicto). Catilin gets in her car, trying to make sense of what just happened, and cackles. The cackle feels a bit contrived, but at least it projects some aspect of excitement about the unknown, of a journey toward self-discovery (on a level perhaps one step above "Rochelle, Rochelle").

And that kind of journey really represents the only hope, faint as it is, for "Cashmere Mafia," because every storyline seems ripped from the headlines of Superficial People Magazine. Without stripping away the characters from their prototypes and examining what makes them the way they are, the show has little chance of becoming watchable.

— Jon Weisman

The Wire" is justly praised to the skies for its writing and near docu-style direction.

But what jumps out at my from this opening episode is the sheer number of fine actors in this cast. It's a big cast, and it can be overwhelming at first. But to the credit of the actors and writers, these characters are so well-defined that it doesn't take long at all for the viewer to get a sense of their distinct personalities.

One who has only a few minutes of screen time in the episode (written by series creator David Simon and Ed Burns and helmed by Joe Chappelle) but makes his mark is Reg E. Cathay (pictured right), who plays political strategist Norman Wilson to Aidan Gillen's youthful Mayor Tommy Carcetti (pictured above).

To my mind, Wilson has the best line of the episode when he chides his boss for being so politically minded as to refuse a $50 million bailout for the city's fiscal troubles from the state's Republican governor simply because the nakedly ambitious Carcetti, a Dem, wants to be the next governor and it would make his campaign more difficult. Instead, Carcetti scrambles to juggle the bills, starving the police department (despite campaign promises of raises, new equipment, etc.) to scrape together pennies to funnel to the schools. As it stands, Carcetti now is "just a weak-ass mayor of a broke-ass city," Wilson tells him.

There are two types of people in this crazy, mixed up world. Those who get "The Wire" and those who don't.

(Actually there's a third type, those who can identify Little Walter's "My Babe" by within a nanosecond of hearing the first note, and those people also usually fall into the category of "Wire" fanatics.)

To make the most of the HBO drama's fifth and final season, which bows Sunday at 9 p.m., Variety's resident "Wire" nuts -- including Cynthia Littleton, Brian Lowry, Stuart Levine and any others who care to join in -- will be ruminating and riffing here on each of the upcoming 10 segs. Although we've have had the luxury of screening the first seven episodes (thanks HBO), we're going to be mindful of spoilers, so we'll take go one seg at a time, the Monday after their premiere telecast.

As always, we'd love to hear from readers in this space too about the series that has never been a major ratings success for HBO but does have its fiercely loyal cadre of viewers. "Wire" has always revolved around the life of drug dealers, cops and others in tough neighborhoods in Baltimore, but at its best, it's been more than a gritty slice of life -- it's a unrelenting look at the hypocrisy of the social order, the corruption, bankruptcy and decay of the civic institutions that were once America's pride. To my mind, the upcoming season is more plot-driven than the others, and it's a wild, wild ride, so buckle up.

Click here for more "Wire"-ana, Q&As with creator/exec producer David Simon, Nina Kostroff Noble and cast members Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Andre Royo and Dominic West.

Not again.

A month after its most recent airing, I finally finished catching up with "Reaper" early this morning.  Talk about coming back from the dead, or near-dead.

At one point, I had five episodes on hold at my DVR, and I can't say I didn't think of ditching them entirely. After a highly entertaining pilot, the show seemed to treadmill itself.

So call this one that the WGA strike saved for me. With few other options — and even after reading a book or three — I returned to "Reaper," and found that in its most recent few episodes, it had discovered how to evolve. It became a show more about its characters than its plots, always a good sign — not that there haven't been clever twists in the storylines. The banter between the main players became particularly seamless, and sidekick's sidekick Rick Gonzalez (Ben) truly developed into much more than a third wheel. It's an ensemble show without half the typical self-consciousness.

I'm really eager to see what happens next.  I just hope the crew gets the opportunity to shoot even more episodes sometime this century.

— Jon Weisman

I used to be a dedicated "Law & Order" viewer, back before I came to feel years ago that if you've seen 100, you've seen them all. But with most shows on hiatus and Jeremy Sisto joining the cast, I actually set my DVR to record Wednesday's season premiere.

After about five minutes, I left the TV and went upstairs to waste time online. I just couldn't hack it. 

There wasn't anything wrong with what I saw. I just wasn't able to bring myself to settle in with its general dreariness, its all-too-familiar tone. The Sisto infusion meant almost nothing.

After a while, I feel, it's hard to repair disenchantment with long-running shows. However rational or irrational my feelings toward "L&O" are, there's no escaping it: I've moved on.

And so it will be for me tonight with "ER," another can't-miss show from another era that's a must-miss for me now.  Gloria Reuben — a face from my heyday with the series — returns for a special appearance tonight, boosting a cast that already features three favorites of mine (Maura Tierney, Linda Cardellini and Parminder Nagra). And yet, I know I just won't be able to sit through an episode, or even an act.

Sometimes, when you fall out of love, there's no going back. Know what I mean?

— Jon Weisman

Our friends at the Paley Center for Media are giving away five pairs of tickets to Season Pass readers for the world premiere of CBS’ Western miniseries “Comanche Moon.”

Based on the book by Larry McMurtry, the six-hour miniseries will air Jan. 13, 15 and 16. The prequel to “Lonesome Dove” follows Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae (Steve Zahn) and Woodrow F. Call (Karl Urban) in pursuit of three outlaws.

A screening on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. of part one of the miniseries will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s cast and creative team including screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and stars Val Kilmer, Steve Zahn, Adam Beach, Keith Robinson, Linda Cardellini and Ryan Merriman. Additional panelists to be announced.

The first five to click on the comment link and answer the following question correctly, will win tickets:
What 2005 film did Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana share screenwriting credit on?

(Pictured above Karl Urban, Val Kilmer, Rachel Griffiths and Steve Zahn)

— Kathy Lyford

Is this the image of "American Idol"?  Should it be?

This missive is surely coming too late to make an immediate impact -- the season premiere of "American Idol" arrives Jan. 15, packaged within an inch of its most effective life. But I'd like to toss a request out to the "Idol" braintrust, which has shown sometimes amazing ability in past years to adjust on the fly. 

With the endless parade of stumblin', bumblin' psuedo-singers (like Ian Bernardo, left) in the preliminary rounds becoming all too tedious, with Sanjaya Malakar's wailings in particular last year still curdling our stomachs, how about tweaking the approach in 2008?  How about shifting the focus in the early rounds from the execrable to the excellent?

The absurd has long been a hallmark of "Idol" -- how many dollars did the toneless William Hung inject into the 2004 economy -- but last year, "Idol" truly seemed to cross the line into freak show. In a typical two-hour telecast during the first month, you might get two minutes of truly excellent singing.  Though this may reflect the talent pool at the tryout stage, the talent-free talent show becomes a turnoff, figuratively and literally.

Consider that there are going to be hundreds of televised hours devoted to the 2008 Olympic Games this summer. Would we really want to see the majority of those on any given day devoted to pole vaulters who impale themselves? An hour a night would be plenty. I mean, when it comes to self-inflicted performance wounds, a little goes a long way.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of semifinalists and finalists in 2007 who didn't see a lick of airtime until they were singing in sudden-death mode in Hollywood. Not only do they deserve better, but it would make sense to get audiences invested in them sooner.

"Idol" hardly needs any ratings help, but there's certainly room for it to be taken more seriously -- without losing the fun.  Why shouldn't it do something truly outlandish for once, and actually embrace more quality singing from the beginning of the season? There have to be better heartthrobs out there than this guy ----------------->.

— Jon Weisman