Britney's Video Debut

If you’re a Britney Spears fan, or if you’re just really curious, you’ll want to tune into “20/20” tomorrow night…

Britney’s new video, “Womanizer,” will debut during the news hour.

And yes, I agree. It’s a strange place for a video debut…

“20/20” airs Friday, October 10th at 10 p.m…

Photo Credit: MTV

The Early Winners and Losers

In my post from September 16th about CBS’s premiere schedule, I wrote:

Because of the Writers’ Strike, FOX was last season’s most watched network, ending CBS’s run. I hope that FOX enjoyed its time at the top because I don’t think it will happen again this year as CBS has put together a pretty strong schedule.

I love it when I’m right…

Now, granted, the TV season is not even a month old yet, but CBS is far outpacing its competition with both old and new shows.

And its #1 show, “CSI,” just premiered...

The biggest surprise has been the stalwart known as “NCIS.” Two weeks ago, it topped “House” in total viewers (although not in the coveted 18-49 demo) and this week it topped “Dancing With the Stars.” I’d like to think my promotion of it had a little something to do with it, but I’d be dreaming…

The success of “NCIS” has led to the success of TV’s #1 new show, “The Mentalist.” I really have no idea why the success of this one seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Good show, good leading man, good timeslot. What’s not to be successful?

CBS does have its problems, however. The new Wednesday night comedy block has not performed as well as the network would have hoped and “Worst Week,” has been leaking “Two and a Half Men” viewers like crazy, which has also caused a ratings drop for “CSI: Miami.” Plus, that pesky Tuesdays at 10 timeslot is still causing trouble as “Without a Trace” is down significantly from its numbers on Thursday; although it did manage to beat “Law & Order: SVU” last week.

But overall, I would have to declare CBS the winner at this early stage of the season.

So if CBS is the winner, who is the loser? That, my friends, would be the once proud network known as NBC…

Now we have to remember that NBC hasn’t even debuted most of its new series yet, but sadly, its returning shows have let them down in the meantime…

“Heroes” has consistently dropped viewers over the last two weeks and Monday night, it even had less viewers than CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” which is absolutely unheard of. “Chuck” also took a significant drop from its premiere, as did “Life.”

And the new show NBC did premiere has not done all that well. “Knight Rider” premiered to ratings nowhere near the success of the TV-movie that spawned it.

But in NBC’s defense, FOX and ABC both have their share of problems.

Of course, FOX had the first cancellation of the season—although they would never call it that—in “Do Not Disturb.” And “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles” returned to numbers that have many questioning its future. “Prison Break” isn’t faring much better.

On the plus side for FOX, “House” is still strong despite its new timeslot. And “Fringe” overcame its slow start to earn a full season order…

For ABC, its biggest problem is “Opportunity Knocks.” You may have noticed Ashton Kutcher’s presence in last week’s promos which is no doubt a strategy aimed at boosting dismal ratings (Kutcher is an executive producer.). But there is also concern for the returning shows as they have each premiered below last season’s premieres. In fact, “Pushing Daisies” was down a whopping 55%.

On the plus side for ABC is a still strong “Dancing With the Stars” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and the network stepchild, “Boston Legal” is enjoying solid ratings for its final season.

And although it has somewhat cooled, “90210” is still doing okay for The CW and its leadout, “Privileged,” even grew in numbers this week. “Gossip Girl” is also scoring well for the network. But there is some concern about the slowing numbers of “America’s Next Top Model”…

Friday will be an important day for all of the networks because that is when we will find out the ratings for “CSI,” “Life on Mars,” and “Eleventh Hour.” And it may not be an exaggeration to say that Christian Slater may be NBC’s savior if his drama, “My Own Worst Enemy” premieres well on Monday…

As always, Stay Tuned…

Photo Credits: Art Streiber/CBS & NBC & Karen Neal/ABC

Pick of the Week: The “Takeover” Comes to an End

I’m happy that “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” is back, but sadly it means that I have to say goodbye to one of my new favorites.

My Pick of the Week is the season finale of “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover.”

Tabatha is to hair what Tim Gunn is to clothes. She tells it like it is whether people like it or not—and they usually don’t.

During the season, Tabatha has confronted some of the most clueless people I’ve ever seen. Sometimes she was able to set them straight and sometimes she wasn’t. But regardless of the outcome, the journey was always entertaining.

I really hope Bravo is planning another “Takeover” very soon…

“Tabatha’s Salon Takeover” airs Thursday, October 9th at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/Bravo

This Week's Schedule...

This will be my last of these posts until November sweeps as the new fall premieres begin to wrap up…

Monday, October 6th
Chuck—8 PM—NBC
**John Larroquette and Melinda Clarke guest star. You can read my review here.
I Want to Work for Diddy—9 PM—VH1—Season Finale
VH1 Hip Hop Honors—10 PM—VH1

Tuesday, October 7th
Presidential Debate—9 PM—ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX
The Real Housewives of Atlanta—9 PM—Bravo—Season Premiere

Wednesday, October 8th
Criminal Minds—9 PM—CBS
**Luke Perry guest stars as a religious cult leader.
The Sarah Silverman Program—10:30 PM—Comedy Central—Season Premiere

Thursday, October 9th
Kath & Kim—8:30 PM—NBC—Series Premiere
**Read my review here.
CSI—9 PM—CBS—Season Premiere
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday—9:31 PM—NBC—Series Premiere
ER—10 PM—NBC
**Angela Bassett joins the cast.
Life On Mars—10:01 PM—ABC—Series Premiere
Tabatha’s Salon Takeover—10 PM—Bravo—Season Finale
Eleventh Hour—10 PM—CBS—Series Premiere

Friday, October 10th
The Starter Wife—9 PM—USA—Series Premiere

Saturday, October 11th
Really Awards 2008—10 PM—FOX Reality Channel
**Alonzo Bodden hosts this awards show that recognizes the most outrageous moments in reality TV from the past year.

Sunday, October 12th
Rock of Love Charm School—9 PM—VH1—Series Premiere
**Sharon Osbourne tries to teach manners to some “Rock of Love” alumnae.
Army Wives—10 PM—Lifetime
**Rumer Willis guests.
The Pickup Artist 2—10 PM—VH1—Season Premiere

Photo Credits: Karen Neal/ABC Studios and Robert Voets/CBS

“Kath & Kim” Review: ???

So I watched the premiere of “Kath & Kim” so I could review it for you.

But now I’m wishing I could get those 22 minutes back so I could do something more productive with them…

“Kath & Kim” is an American remake of an Australian comedy about a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. Kath (Molly Shannon) has found love with Phil (John Michael Higgins), the owner of a mall sandwich shop. But Kim (Selma Blair) has decided to leave her new husband, Craig (Mikey Day), because he wants her to actually do something around the house. So, Kim moves back home and disrupts Kath’s blissful life.

This is where hilarity is supposed to ensue. But it never does. In fact, even mild humor never does. I honestly can’t find the words to explain just how unfunny this show is…

Kath and Kim are supposed to be humorous because they are clueless and tasteless. But the jokes just aren’t funny. I only laughed once during the 22 minutes, and that wasn’t even out loud. Shannon and Blair are talented actresses capable of being very funny, so it’s almost painful to watch them trudge through this. More than once I asked why the two of them are slumming like this…

I have always been a fan of Higgins, but his character is completely annoying. He is meant to be quirky to clash with Kim, but he is just completely stupid.

Don’t believe me? Phil’s last name is Knight. Kath’s is Day. And don’t think they don’t bang that over our heads every chance they get…

Whenever I see a new show this bad, I always have to ask what the network was thinking by putting the show on the air. And in this case, I can’t help but ask, NBC let “Scrubs” go for this?

And with “Kath & Kim,” they actually re-shot the pilot. What in the world do they think they improved?

I can’t help but wonder if NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman isn’t just throwing a bone to the show’s production company, Revielle, the company he created.

He’s definitely not throwing a bone to the audience with this disaster. And if thinks he is, we need to throw it back…

“Kath & Kim” premieres Thursday, October 9th at 8:30 p.m. on NBC…

Photo Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

“Chuck”: Sold!

In my review of the season premiere of “Chuck,” I said the show had a lot of potential, but it wasn’t enough to sell me.

Well don’t look now, but I think they’ve sold me…

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see the second and third episodes and they both build on the momentum started by the premiere as the excellent cast is aided by the addition of some great guest stars. But what really hooked me is the story.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a star-crossed romance…

In the second episode, Chuck (Zachary Levi) must go undercover to get the Cipher (the key component to the new Intersect) from a sexy female spy (Melinda Clarke, “The O.C.”). But in order to do so, Chuck must learn the art of seduction from a master spy, Roan Montgomery (John Larroquette), who unfortunately, is not what he used to be. And Chuck’s mission is made even more complicated by his and Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) growing feelings for each other.

Meanwhile, back at Buy More, Lester (Vik Sahay) finds some creative ways to gain respect as the new Assistant Manager. And Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) makes a not so awesome move by taking Morgan’s (Joshua Gomez) romantic advice.

In episode three, Matthew Bomer returns as Bryce, Chuck’s nemesis and Sarah’s former lover. Chuck’s jealousy goes off the charts as Sarah and Bryce must pose as a couple. And even Captain Awesome gets involved to help Chuck out. Morgan has his own problems as he faces off against a bully played by former New York Giants great Michael Strahan.

These episodes are lacking a little in action, but I actually think that’s a good thing. The action sequences never have that necessary pop and the absence of them allows the show to play to its strength—comedy.

Even the supporting storylines are funny as I’m really starting to dig Anna (Julia Ling), who has a classic moment in the third episode.

But the real reason for me to watch is Chuck and Sarah. As Chuck starts to see a future as a normal person, he starts to see a future with Sarah. And she’s actually starting to see it too, which makes her job much more difficult.

I wouldn’t call “Chuck” the best show on TV by any means, but it’s pretty darn entertaining, and a real plus for NBC’s schedule.

And yes, I’ve just added it to my must-see list…

“Chuck” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on NBC…

Photo Credits: Andrew Taylor/NBC and Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

“Project Runway”: What a Copout

I was finally excited about this season of “Project Runway” as the single greatest development in the show’s history is about to occur.

But leave it to the show to rain on my parade with the biggest copout I’ve ever seen…

Last week, the designers were down to four—Korto, Leanne, Jerell and my nemesis, Kenley. Their challenge was to design an evening gown inspired by a photograph they took in the NY Botanical Gardens.

As is usually the case, the final challenge before Bryant Park was a little underwhelming. Leanne’s dress was gorgeous in the front but totally screwed up in the back. Jerell’s looked good from the waist up, but the rest was a mess. And Korto’s was uncharacteristically sloppy.

But Kenley’s was a full-on disaster. The dress was well-made, but it looked like a mermaid costume thanks to the scaly fabric and the feathers on the bottom. When Nina called her out for the dress not being elegant, Kenley responded, “I wasn’t going for elegant, Nina.”

An evening gown that isn’t elegant? What?! She completely missed the point of the challenge!

If this was “Top Chef,” Kenley would have been gone. She didn’t do what she was supposed to. Simple as that.

But this is “Project Runway”—and the most disappointing season of “Project Runway” at that. So, of course, they had to find a way to keep their villain around.

In the end, the judges decided to let all four designers design a collection for Fashion Week. They will then come back to New York for one last runway show to determine which three designers will compete for the win.

Kenley’s dress was the one they trashed the most on the runway, but during the discussion you could hear the judges backtracking and searching for justification to keep her around. I’m just glad they didn’t eliminate Korto—who I still consider the favorite to win—just to continue their drama.

At the end of the episode, Korto, Jerell and Leanne had a group hug with Tim as Kenley sat by herself. Tim encouraged her to “let bygones be bygones,” but she never joined the hug, still smarting after the other three showed their dislike for her on the runway.

That may have been her biggest mistake yet…

Why? Because Tim Gunn is going to be the guest judge for the finale. As I said earlier, it’s the greatest development in “Runway” history.

And we owe it all to Jennifer Lopez for dropping out at the last minute. Apparently a foot injury keeps you from being able to sit in a chair and judge fashion, but it does not keep you from running in a marathon. Go figure…

Although it puts Tim in a slightly awkward position since he has been the designers’ mentor all season, I am totally psyched about the possibilities. I’m hoping that Tim will be able to talk some sense into the other judges.

And maybe, just maybe, he’ll stop being such a nice guy and tell Kenley where to get off.

At this point, it’s really the only thing that could salvage the season…

The two-part season finale begins Wednesday, October 8th at 9 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credit: Barbara Nitke/Bravo

“Dirty Sexy Money” Review: Ummm…Part Two

As “Dirty Sexy Money” opened Wednesday night, I waited for the recap that would remind me where we left off last season…

But it never came. All we got were brief explanations of where the story went in the six months between this episode and the last as the current story unfolded.

Usually when a show doesn’t do a recap, it’s because they have changed a few things. And that’s absolutely the case with “DSM.” The question is whether those changes are for the better.

And the answer is?

Ummm…

Maybe it was just me, but everyone seemed a little off. You would expect some story problems since the Writers’ Strike pretty much forced a relaunch of the show. But I didn’t expect acting problems. William Baldwin, who was so solid as Patrick last season, seemed to forget how to act, and Peter Krause (Nick) seemed to be in a fog.

But worst of all was Donald Sutherland (Tripp). I don’t have to tell you guys what a fan I am of him, but he seemed completely off his game last night. In his defense, Tripp himself was completely off his game as the show has apparently decided to change him from a misunderstood, compassionate mogul to an ultra-devious, manipulative one. But at times Sutherland seemed to be trying to give Tripp some kind of accent. It was just a little bizarre.

Before the show aired, I was concerned about the addition of Lucy Liu to the cast, but she was actually rather intriguing. However, did we really need to see Seth Gabel (Jeremy) pull down her panties?

We get it, okay? The show is getting dirtier this season. Let’s move on…

Speaking of Jeremy, why did the show decide to revisit his and Lisa’s (Zoe McClellan) kiss? That happened ages ago with no fallout at all and then suddenly Jeremy starts stalking her for six months? I have to say, however, that it was pretty cool seeing Nick punch Jeremy out. He had that one coming…

Although in all honesty, I think Nick might need a good punching too. Or maybe that’s the writers. The Darlings are starting to corrupt Nick. We get it, okay? Let’s move on…

Brian (Glenn Fitzgerald) as his father’s hatchet man was interesting and seeing Karen (Natalie Zea) sink in deeper with Simon (Blair Underwood) for her dad (or is she?) is an intriguing—if somewhat confusing—story.

But the entire story with Patrick and his wife? Ridiculous. The Patrick-Carmelita coupling was the show’s strongest storyline as Patrick struggled between who he was (Carmelita was a transsexual.) and who his father wanted him to be. But turning his wife into a raging alcoholic who ended up killing herself while trying to kill him was crazy. And then having Tripp decide to dispose of the body by setting their country house on fire? If we had seen Tripp do that kind of thing before, I would’ve got it. But since he never showed that much deception last season it came off a little…well…bizarre.

I have no problem with Tripp being diabolical (Sutherland’s great at that, after all.), but I could have used a little more build-up. Sutherland has always played Tripp a little ambiguous, leaving the audience wondering whether he’s really good or bad. But this was just knock you over the head, twirl your mustache dastardly. And it just didn’t quite work as well as it should have.
So just as I was starting to believe that I had outgrown one more of my favorite shows, “DSM” threw in a huge twist…

As the NYPD boarded the yacht where everyone was celebrating Nick’s birthday, it appeared that Nick had done the right thing and called the police about Patrick’s wife. But instead, the police showed up to arrest Leticia (Jill Clayburgh) for the murder of Nick’s father and her lover, Dutch.

It came completely out of nowhere—just how I like my twists to happen. And in those 30 seconds, my faith in “DSM” was restored.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I was still disappointed with the show overall. But after that twist, I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt that the show will get things worked out.

I would really hate to cross another one off my list…

“Dirty Sexy Money” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC…

“The Ex-List” Review: Add It to Your List

The premise is the most charming of all of this season’s new shows…

A woman is told by a psychic that she only has a year to get married and that she has already met her future husband. So now, she has to revisit her old relationships to try and find her soulmate.

But does the execution live up to the premise? Thankfully, it does…

The woman is Bella (Elizabeth Reaser), a florist shop owner, who just ended an eight-year relationship with a man because he doesn’t want to get married. The visit to a psychic during her sister’s bachelorette party sends her world into a tailspin as the psychic tells her if she doesn’t get married in a year, she never will.

When Bella pushes for specifics about the man, the psychic tells her to read the signs. In the premiere, Bella follows the signs to a musician she dated seven years ago. In a flashback, we see what went wrong then to help us see what’s bound to go wrong now.

Of course, Bella’s search is probably for naught, since her soulmate is probably Elliott (Mark Deklin), the guy she just broke up with and who she shares custody of their dog with.

Bella is aided in her search by her housemates, Augie (Adam Rothenberg), Vivian (Alexander Breckenridge) and Cyrus (Amir Talai); and her sister, Daphne (Rachel Boston). Her father, Jimmy (William Russ), is also around to give her a hand with the shop.

The show is just as charming as it sounds with a good mix of comedy and drama—but mostly comedy. Reaser is adorable and the rest of the cast is good as well. Unfortunately in the premiere, Rothenberg and Breckinridge are saddled with a terrible subplot about Vivian’s creative bikini waxes. If it was aiming to be outrageously funny, it completely missed the mark. Hopefully, they’ll have better things to do in the future…

The real star of the premiere is actually Eric Balfour, who guests as Johnny, Bella’s musician ex. In the flashback, he’s an overly emotional and clingy guy who can’t stop writing songs about his “angel.” But in the present, he’s turned into a rebellious rocker. Balfour is fantastic playing both personalities and I really appreciate the show taking the risk to cast him (Balfour’s become a bit of a show killer.). If the rest of Bella’s exes are as well cast (and with Eric Winter leading them off next week, I’m guessing that they are), the show will be a real treat.

It’s Reaser, though, who needs to carry the show and I think she’s more than capable…

My biggest concern is that a dramedy like “List” is totally incompatible with its companions, “Ghost Whisperer” and “Numb3rs.” But when you’re the number one network, you don’t have a lot of open slots.

I just hope CBS won’t cross this one off its list anytime soon…

“The Ex-List” premieres Friday, October 3rd at 9 p.m. on CBS…

Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

“Ghost Whisperer” Review: Something’s Brewing…

It’s interesting that “Ghost Whisperer” and “The Ex-List” are airing back-to-back since they both feature women looking for signs.

But it doesn’t take a psychic to see that all the signs point to something brewing on “Ghost” and it’s not going to be pleasant…

I should say at this point that if you read “The Ausiello Files” on EW.com, you know what’s supposed to happen. But I won’t give that away here (even though the CBS promos kind of already have). However, you’ll have a pretty good hint after the premiere…

When we pick up Melinda (Jennifer Love-Hewitt) and her husband, Jim (David Conrad), they’re trying to get pregnant. But that’s interrupted by a fire at the university. Melinda is concerned for Professor Payne (Jay Mohr). He’s fine. However, Eli (Jamie Kennedy), a psychologist at the university, is not fine. After he’s brought back to life by Jim, he’s able to hear ghosts but not see them.

Of course, there’s a restless spirit that needs to cross over and Eli lends Melinda and Professor Payne a hand. But along the way, some other forces intervene that give Melinda a dark omen…

I’ve never been a fan of this show and the premiere did nothing to change that. But I have to admit it was a pretty solid episode with the right balance of drama and the supernatural.

It’s obvious, though, that the show will miss Jay Mohr (who left to do “Gary Unmarried”). Jamie Kennedy is okay, but he doesn’t add the same spark that Mohr did.

But if the reports are true, there’s a game changer on the horizon and nothing about the show will be the same anyway…

“Ghost Whisperer” premieres Friday, October 3rd on CBS…

Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

“Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” Review: Are You Ready For a Change?

I remember when season one of “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” was airing…

My mom and I were shopping at Kohl’s (our favorite store) and every piece of clothing we looked at I would say, “Tim Gunn wouldn’t like that. Tim Gunn says this. Tim Gunn says that.” I drove her absolutely crazy.

Of course, she finally had to ask me who in the world Tim Gunn was (Remember she didn’t have cable.). And I had to explain to her how he was the man who completely changed my view of fashion.

Don’t believe me? After the first episode, I completely cleaned out my closet and separated everything into three piles, just as Tim instructed. In fact, my closet was practically empty when I was done (which my mom actually appreciated since she ended up with most of it).

Of course, I’ve gone back to my old habits. But now that “Guide to Style” is back on the air?

Watch out closet. Here I come…

This season of “Guide to Style” is a little different and if you watched season one, you’ll notice the changes immediately. The closet is no longer separated into three piles and we no longer delve into the underwear drawer. Even Tim’s 10 Essential Items List has been tweaked a little.

And although I miss the client arguing with Tim about what goes in which pile and the look of horror on her face when Tim says they need to go through her underwear drawer, I have to say the changes are for the better…

By eliminating those sequences, it leaves more time for tips and that patented Tim Gunn snark…

In a recent conference call with reporters, Tim said, “We’ve accelerated the content and the volume of education in season two and I’m just going to say bluntly, I attribute that to Gretta’s presence.”

Gretta is Gretta Monahan, Tim’s new “fashion accomplice”—another of the changes as she replaces supermodel Veronica Webb. And again, it’s a change for the better as Gretta has more personality and has much better chemistry with Tim.

Also, as Tim said, Gretta is a lot more relatable because she’s “a real woman…[Veronica] was on a pedestal. It was kind of difficult.”

In the premiere, Tim and Gretta assist Meredith, who just moved to New York from Washington D.C. She needs a wardrobe change from her D.C. suits to New York fashion. Tim and Gretta guide her through a step-by-step lesson on creating her own personal style by going through her closet, taking her shopping and helping her see her true body type.

The tips were flying so fast and furious, I had to rewind the DVD a few times so I wouldn’t miss anything. And it’s good practical advice that everyone can use—no matter what your budget.

Another great addition in the premiere that I hope lasts for the whole season is a summary of the main fashion tips from the episode. It gives you one more chance to commit them to memory. And some of them could completely change your look.

I’m plotting what to throw out of my closet as we speak…

Plus, we get to see the inspirational transformation of a woman who really needs it…

If you’re happy with your look and don’t think it could use any improvement, stay away from “Guide.” But if you’re willing to change your entire wardrobe, be sure to check it out…

“Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” premieres Thursday, October 2nd at 11 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo provided by Bravo

Last Night’s “Dancing”: I Could Hear Robbie Williams Crying

Maybe I’m crazy, but I could’ve sworn there was a time when Jessica Simpson could actually sing.

That time was not last night…

It’s bad enough that Jessica butchered Robbie Williams’ “Angels” at all, but last night’s performance on “Dancing With the Stars” was atrocious.

Apparently now that Jessica is country, she has to try and countrify everything.

I think I could hear Robbie Williams crying…

Of course, if it makes Robbie feel any better, she butchered her own song too…

What did you guys think? Am I being too harsh? And what did you think of Kim going home before Cloris?

You can see Jessica’s “performance” here…

"Sports Night" DVD Review: Getting What It Deserves

In a recent interview with “GQ,” Aaron Sorkin admitted that he screwed up “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”…

“I made too many mistakes. I would give anything to go back and get another bite of that apple. Basically, to use a sports analogy, you can have the best team in football playing the worst team in football. But if the best team in football throws four interceptions, they’re not going to win.”

That may sound cocky, but let’s fact it. “Studio 60” should have been brilliant.

Why? Because Aaron Sorkin had already done a brilliant show that went behind the scenes of a fictional show—the gone too soon “Sports Night”…

Unfortunately for Sorkin; his producing partner, director Thomas Schlamme; and all of us “Night” fans, ABC didn’t understand the show at all, which was obvious from the dumb promos and the addition of that hideous laugh track (which Sorkin and Schlamme are still upset about). But in ABC’s defense, the show was unlike any comedy TV had ever seen before. It was a multicamera show that looked like a single camera one. The dialogue was rapid-fire and abundant. And because it was the first time Sorkin and Schlamme worked together, the show featured the birth of the walk-and-talk.

In all honesty, “Sports Night” was a good five years ahead of its time and ABC just didn’t know what to do with it…

Thankfully, the fine folks at Shout! Factory did know what to do with it—give it the DVD release it deserves with “Sports Night: The Complete Series 10th Anniversary Edition” DVD box set.

If you never saw it, “Sports Night” goes behind the scenes of a cable sports news show called “Sports Night” (Sorkin based it on “SportsCenter.”). Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) are the anchors who exhibit their quick wit both on and off the set. The show’s producer is Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) who takes no crap from the men around her. Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) is her right-hand woman as an associate producer. The nerdy Jeremy (Joshua Malina) is another associate producer and Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume) oversees it all as the managing editor/executive producer.

The heart of the show is not the sports, but the relationships between the characters. Casey is struggling to deal with his divorce, but also with his feelings for Dana. Natalie and Jeremy pair up fairly quickly and go through quite a bit in the show’s two seasons. And though we see Dan with a few women over the course of the show, it’s his relationships with Isaac and Casey that illuminate his character the most.

The cast was brilliant, as evidenced by their success in later projects. And even in his first TV show, it was obvious how good Sorkin would be at it.

The show was not perfect by any means, however. The Casey-Dana story was incredibly frustrating (something Sorkin unwisely repeated on “Studio 60”) and as in all his projects, Sorkin could get a little preachy. But overall, it was a brilliant piece of work that deserves to be remembered.

And this set goes above and beyond in doing that…

To say the set is comprehensive would be a major understatement. In addition to all 45 episodes, there are two full discs of bonus materials. There’s a great featurette with interviews with Sorkin, Schlamme, key crew members and the principal cast (with the exception of Sabrina Lloyd) that follows the show from beginning to end. There’s also a cool featurette that compares “Sports Night” to “SportsCenter,” an interview with Sorkin and Schlamme, a closer look at the technical aspects of the walk-and-talk and an extremely comprehensive gag reel.

As if that wasn’t enough, there are also eight commentaries with key cast and crew (this time including Sabrina Lloyd), and a booklet with interesting facts about the show and a great introduction from Sorkin.

If you have the old DVD set that was released in 2002 and are trying to decide whether an upgrade is worth the money, let me settle it for you. No “Sports Night” fan should be without this set.

But even if you’ve never heard of the show, I highly encourage you to check this one out. If it was on the air now, I think it would be successful…

IF you took out that horrid laugh track…

“Sports Night: The Complete Series 10th Anniversary Edition” is available now…

Image courtesy of ShoutFactory.com

"NCIS" Review: And the Point Was...?

If there’s one thing I hate to see shows do it’s introduce a pointless story just to attract ratings.

But when the show is “NCIS,” it’s hard to get really upset since the ratings ploy worked (It actually topped “House.”) and I really want this show to succeed.

That doesn’t make the story any less frustrating, however…

As you may recall, when last season ended, new NCIS Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) split up Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) team sending Tony (Michael Weatherly) to an aircraft carrier, Ziva (Cote de Pablo) back to Israel and McGee (Sean Murray) to the computer division.

When the premiere opened, Gibbs was still with his new team, while Abby (Pauley Perrette) begged him to get the old team back.

During an investigation, Gibbs’ team discovered a connection to Ziva, which led to Gibbs discovering his team was split up not as punishment, but so they could assist the director in other areas. And, Gibbs was given the new team because one of them was a traitor that needed flushed out.

Of course, in order to do that, Gibbs needed help from his old team, bringing them one by one back into the show.

After some investigation and a bit of a twist (Why does Palmer’s girlfriend have to be the bad guy?), the team was back together again, with the exception of Tony, who was still on the carrier.

So, what was the point? The story had zero dramatic value, especially since the team reunited so quickly. Ratings were the only reason.

But when you’re going head-to-head with “House” (and later “American Idol”), can you really blame them?

And since the story is giving us a Tony-centric episode this week, as he is forced to remain on the carrier, I can overlook it—for now…

“NCIS” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS…