The winter of 2008 will be an interesting one for television. With so many current shows at or approach the end of their seasonal run, due to the staring contest known as the writers’ strike, the schedule is going to look a bit different. Not only will it be filled with more reality shows, but...

TV Land has a Beverly Hillbillies marathon all night. HBO has an Entourage marathon all night. Sci-Fi has The Twilight Zone all night. Discovery has a Mythbusters marathon. At 8, PBS has a new habitable From Lincoln Center, with Joshua Bell and the New York Philharmonic. AMC has a Planet of the...

We are just days absent from the presidential primary season (Thank God!) and there seems to be a late entry into the race for the White House. No, it’s not Michael Bloomberg (although they say he wants to), Al Gore (although they really want him to) or Rosie O’Donnell (they really say nothing...

I’m hoping this story is some horrible mistake. possibly they mean British singer Robbie Williams? But it looks like it’s true. The comedian will open The Late Show with David Letterman when the CBS show comes back from its strike hiatus that Wednesday night. I’m going to go out on...

Sometimes when things seem so perfect, that’s when all goes kerflooey. That’s often how it goes when I watch reality television shows. I’ve learned by the years not to become too attached to the teams I’d like to see win. Or, to try not to cheer a team on too much, to be just...

The letter I got that week called for me to do a little digging but I eventually found the reply… “Dear Paul, I was wondering whether you knew which building exterior was used as “The Center” on “The Pretender” - it is a HUGE building. I hope you can help me - you...

At 7, NBC has a new Football Night in America, followed by the Colts/Titans game. ABC has The Sound of Music at 7. The CW has a new CW Now at 7. At 8, CBS has a new episode of The Amazing Race. ESPN has the PetroSun Independence Bowl at 8. Lifetime film Network has Finding John Christmas at 8,...

If you read any of the 200 books written about The Brady Bunch or seen any of the TV movies or “behind the scenes” exposes, you know that Robert Reed wasn’t a big fan of the show’s scripts. In fact, he had battles with the producers on the show many times and even refused to...

At 8, every station in the universe has the Patriots/Giants game. ESPN has football too at 8, the Valero Alamo Bowl. TV Land has a mini marathon of The Andy Griffith Show starting at 8. At 9, FOX has a new America’s Most Wanted. CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show at 9. Lifetime has the film...

As I was surfing the web that AM, I came upon a casting shout for The CW’s Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants. Even whether that reality competition is not the best reality TV show on the block, it seems that The CW thinks it did good suitable to potentially grant Crowned a moment season. thereupon...

First, let me confess that I did not watch CBS’ Jericho beyond the first episode. I had various reasons not to watch it beyond the premiere, one being that I simply can’t produce moment for all TV series in my schedule, even whether said series are gems. That out of the way, I just watched...

Here’s who’s sitting down on the sofa on the late night shows. Charlie Rose: William F. Buckley Jr. and Naomi Klein The Late Show with David Letterman: Alec Baldwin and Shakira (repeat) Jay Leno: George Clooney, The Zimmers, and Rihanna (repeat) Jimmy Kimmel Live: Seann William Scott, Dan...

And soon after there were none. David Letterman has struck a deal with the Writers Guild of America, and both his show and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (both produced by Letterman’s Worldwide Pants) will return next Wednesday, January 2. The other shows are coming back on that day too,...

At 8, NBC has a new Singing Bee, followed by a new Dateline. The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8. PBS has a new NOW at 8, followed by new episodes of Washington Week and Bill Moyers Journal. Disney has High School Musical 2 at 8. At 8:30, ESPN has The Emerald Bowl. At 9, Sci-Fi has the film Elf. At 9:20,...

A few days ago I happened to catch an episode of the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives that my wife was watching. Hey, don’t look at me that way! My wife is a fan of the show. Oh, certain, I used to watch it during the Shane/Kimberly/ Patch/Kayla/Frankie/Jennifer heydays of the late 80’s,...

A few days ago I happened to catch an episode of the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives that my wife was watching. Hey, don’t look at me that way! My wife is a fan of the show. Oh, certain, I used to watch it during the Shane/Kimberly/Patch/Kayla/Frankie/Jennifer heydays of the late 80’s,...

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers. It’s funny, when I was typing that out, I had a strong sense of deja vu. I had to keep on checking to see whether that was the ratings from a month ago or the ratings for that week, but it is indeed right. Monday Night RAW and SpongeBob...

When you take in the name “Shonda Rhimes” what words come to intellect? I’m pretty certain those words are “Grey’s” and “Anatomy.” But what you may not know is that before writing gripping TV series such as Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, Rhimes...

You remember the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies, don’t you? It tells the story of how poor mountain man Jed Clampett was out looking to shoot himself some dinner when he came upon some bubblin’ crude. Well, before you knew it Jed was a millionaire ($25 million, to be exact). Of course,...