Paging Dr. Sexy: Let's talk about 'Supernatural's' enjoyable 'Changing Channels'

Welcome, veteran commenters, newcomers and fellow "Supernatural" fans of all kinds! Let's discuss "Changing Channels," Thursday's episode of the CW show.

For information about upcoming episodes of the show, look here. For all my stories on "Supernatural," look here.

Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer stage 'Battlestar' takeover of CBS comedies

Near the end of this post, you'll find a photo of Katee Sackhoff in the Nov. 23 episode of "The Big Bang Theory." If you hadn't heard about her appearance on the fine CBS comedy, here's my story about  Sackhoff's upcoming "Big Bang" visit, as well as my general thoughts about the show's pleasing third season.

I've put the photo and the episode summary below in case you don't want to see the circumstances of the appearance by Sackhoff, who is most famous for playing Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar Galactica" and is a series regular on the upcoming season of "24."

Her "Big Bang" scene promises to be pretty fun. One of the show's characters is pretty much living the fanboy dream in that episode.

Sackhoff isn't the only "Battlestar" alum to appear on CBS this month: On the Nov. 16 "Two and a Half Men," Tricia Helfer plays Gail, Chelsea's hot college roommate, who comes for a visit after a bad breakup. Charlie (Charlie Sheen) is pretty much like Baltar on "Battlestar": So many hot ladies around make him a little mental. 

Another Helfer photo and the Sackhoff picture are below.

Got questions for the Watcher? Leave them here

Quite a few reader queries piled up in my email in-box last week when I was on vacation.

So in a few days I'll be posting a "Mo Answers Your TV-related questions" column. I thought I'd give folks another chance to submit questions here.

Please make sure they're TV-related. You don't want me giving you life advice. OK, maybe you do, but not on these here Internets. That sort of thing is better done with a wineglass or coffee mug in hand.

More 'Party Down' to arrive in spring (plus Megan Mullally's other comedy gig)

I know the headline above is a little on the boring side, but I was trying to avoid the obvious "Let's get this party started -- again!" headline. And I couldn't come up with something more creative on short notice.

In any case, don't let the rather blah headline make you think I'm not excited about the return of "Party Down." The show, which returns to Starz in April, is a delight. I anxiously await more adventures with the cater-waiters of the Party Down crew.

The one downside to the new season is that Jane Lynch's new gig on "Glee" -- where she's consistently one of the best things about the show -- prevents her from being a series regular on the second season of "Party Down." She will make a guest appearance in Season 2 of the Starz show as the perennially optimistic Constance Carmel. 

"Glee" fans, when the first season of "Party Down" comes out on DVD, get your hands on the "Party" DVDs as soon as you can. If you like the acerbic with of "Glee," you'll probably enjoy the smart and skillful comedy of "Party Down," which comes from "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Paul Rudd and Dan Etheridge.

A Starz rep said that no release date has been set for the Season 1 DVDs, but that set should come out around the time Season 2 premieres, so I'd guess you can look for it around March or so. I'll keep you posted if I get a release date for the "Party Down" DVD set.

Not that anyone could replace Lynch, but the show will add a series regular so that the Party Down crew isn't short-handed. In Season 2, Megan Mullally of "Will & Grace" will play "middle-aged refugee Lydia Dunfree, who leaves a small town life to move to Hollywood where her 13-year old daughter Escapade hopes to make it as an actress." Escapade. I love that.

Returning cast members include "Ken Marino as Ron Donald, the aggressively pious leader of the Party Down Catering company; Adam Scott as Henry Pollard, the one-time actor who has returned to the life of cater-waiter; Martin Starr as Roman DeBeers, the team’s self-proclaimed sci-fi visionary and all-purpose intellectual; Ryan Hansen as Kyle Bradway, who’s an actor, model and front-man for an earnest alt-rock band when not working Hollywood parties; and Lizzy Caplan as Casey Klein, a pretty, smart, funny, and insecure comedienne who happens to make ends meet as a cater-waiter."

I'm very curious to know how Ron's Soup Or Crackers franchise fared -- if indeed it ever got off the ground.

Kristen Bell will guest star again as the taskmaster who leads the crew from Valhalla, a rival catering team. Other Season 2 guest stars include J.K. Simmons, Joey Lauren Adams, Steve Guttenberg and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

No Paul Rudd yet? Darn. I do hope Rudd, one of the show's creators, manages to fit in a guest appearance on the show one of these days.

One more thought: If you haven't been watching "Parks and Recreation," do watch Thursday's outing if you can. Mullally does a great job as Ron Swanson's witchy ex-wife, Tammy. I hope the character returns to torment Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) soon.

In any case, this show has improved enormously from its rocky start. I'm still not convinced the show is using Paul Schneider, Chris Pratt and Rashida Jones to their full potential (story lines involving those characters tend to be weaker), but the characters played by Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Offerman and Aubrey Plaza grow more amusing by the week.

Though Mullally's quite entertaining in her guest role on the NBC comedy, the best thing about this week's "Parks and Recreation" is that it's a showcase for Offerman, who is in real life married to Mullally and whose work as Swanson is a continual treat.

Starz's Season 2 "Party Down" press release is below.

Things TV is never allowed to do again, ever

Heads up: I'm appearing at the Hideout Nov. 11 as part of this Funny Ha-Ha event. I'll be doing a reading of some kind, and though I've got some material together, my plans aren't set in stone.

I'd thought about reading verbatim excerpts from the most angry/vitriolic comments or emails I've ever received via the Watcher site, but another idea had occurred to me. 

I could compile a List of Things TV Is Never Allowed to Do Again, Ever. Here are a few suggestions off the top of my head to get things started:

• No one is ever allowed to write a scene in which things go very badly and then characters say, "That went well."
• No one is ever allowed to write a scene in which an African-American or Hispanic police lieutenant says, "Detective, you're out of line!"
• No one is ever allowed to create a show in which Hispanic characters are only maids and gardeners. Come on!
• No one is ever allowed to create a show in which the lead male character gets all the funny/charming lines and the lead female character is humorless and uptight. Not. Amusing. Ever.
• No writer is allowed to let characters start talking about an interesting and complex issue or situation, and then end the scene abruptly with one character saying, "It's complicated." Yes, I know that. I'm not dumb. How about plumbing those complexities instead of tossing out those two words and having characters brood at each other for a second, then cut to commercial? 
• No one is allowed to create a show involving anyone named Gosselin.
• No show is allowed to tease, very strongly, that two characters are attracted to each other and may get together and use that chemistry to get tons of press coverage from that relationship and then ... never actually get the characters together or get them together so late in the show's run that it's entirely unsatisfying. Call this the Rule of Gilmore.
• I could go on, but you get the idea.

Leave your suggestions for the List of Things TV Is Never Allowed to Do Again, Ever below in the comment area.

First look at Mark Sheppard on 'Supernatural' (and a few thoughts on Thursday's fun episode)

Below is the first picture of Mark Sheppard, who plays a key role in the Nov. 19 episode of "Supernatural."

UPDATE: I've added more pictures below from the Nov. 12 and the Nov. 19 episodes.

I've put the picture a few paragraphs down because what Sheppard's character is holding... could be considered a spoiler. Dun-dun-dun!

"Abandon All Hope...," the episode in which Sheppard appears, is the final "Supernatural" episode of 2009. And now we know exactly how long we'll have to go Winchester-less: The show will return Jan. 14 with new episodes.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Sheppard (who played Romo Lampkin on "Battlestar Galactica" as well as a billion other roles on TV) will bring to that "Supernatural" outing. (And be aware that, as part of the Mark Sheppard Full Employment Act of 2009, he will also appear on the Nov. 12 "CSI," which hosts Part 3 of an all-"CSI" crossover extravaganza.)

For a few details on "Abandon All Hope...," look below.

But before you get to those (mild) spoilers, here are a couple of thoughts on "Changing Channels," Thursday's episode of the CW drama (and I've made this brief writeup as non-spoilery as I can, but there are a few little facts about what occurs in Thursday's "Supernatural").

Wait, did I write "CW drama"? Well, when you tune in to the episode, you may think you're watching a sitcom. The comedic episode finds the Winchester brothers trapped in a variety of TV formats (one scenario has them meeting a guy called "Dr. Sexy." I'll just leave you to ponder that). I'd love to drop hints about the other scenarios but it'll be more fun to just see them unfold. 

Rest assured, the whole thing is quite amusing, and some scenarios were so funny that I had to stop the DVD that the CW sent so I could get the guffaws out of my system. The opening credits to the episode are still making me giggle. But as Fancast's Matt Mitovich says in his write-up of the episode, some interesting dramatic developments transpire in "Changing Channels" as well.

For pictures and an episode summary for "Changing Channels" and for the Nov. 12 episode, which has the boys traveling to a "Supernatural" fan convention, look here. Don't forget to come back to this site Friday morning so we can all discuss "Changing Channels." In that Friday post, I'll also share a few thoughts on the excellent Oct. 29 episode of the show, which aired while I was on vacation.

OK, the picture of Sheppard in "Supernatural" is below.

'V' aliens say they come in peace. Sure! A review of the compelling sci-fi series

Some new shows fly under the radar, but not "V" (7 p.m. Central Tuesday, ABC; three and a half stars).

Of course, those giant alien ships may have something to do with "V's" high profile. (Note: The review that follows does not contain spoilers. The video clip below contains the first 9 minutes of the "V" premiere.)

If you've seen any of the ABC promos for "V," you've probably seen a glimpse of one of those ships hovering over a city, or you may have seen a commercial in which the aliens' alluring spokeswoman says that the folks in those gigantic ships come in peace. They're here to help. Everything's going to be fine.

Sure it is!

Of course, as we all know from decades of sci-fi television and films, alien invasions rarely go well. Yet no matter how many times that scenario goes awry, we can't get enough of that oldie-but-goodie "they're here!" story. And as we saw over the summer with the TV miniseries "Torchwood: Children of Earth" and the film "District 9," in the right hands, it's possible to re-tell that clash-of-species story with verve and relevance.

So is "V" any good? That's a question I've gotten frequently in the past few months. There's a slight edge of fear to the queries, as if people were almost prepared to accept the idea that those who've re-made the 1980s TV series got it all wrong.

(And let's face it, we sci-fi fans are a frequently disappointed lot. ABC hasn't quite managed to quite recapture the magic of "Lost" with any of its subsequent genre-flavored offerings. "FlashForward" still seems like a show that is more about its concept than its characters. And the other notable fall genre offering, Syfy's "Stargate Universe," is a boring, poorly plotted, lamentably sexist mess.)

Re "V," here's the positive news: The pilot for this drama is good. I have a few quibbles with it -- some of the character drama is a bit clunky -- but overall, I found the first hour of the show to be solidly entertaining and suitably suspenseful.

But here's the caveat: I have no idea whether "V" will keep up this level of quality as the show progresses. It's relatively easy to introduce a powerful menace and rachet up the tension about what that mysterious entity might do. It's harder to start doling out answers in a satisfying way, build a compelling mythology and -- most important of all -- create characters whose fate actually matters to the audience.

And despite the show's good pace and the fine performances from actors such as Morena Baccarin ("Firefly") as the smooth-talking alien leader, Joel Gretsch ("The 4400") as a doubting priest, Scott Wolf ("The Nine") as an ambitious journalist and Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost") as a federal investigator with suspicions about the newcomers, there are a few reasons for concern.

First of all, ABC has given the show an unusual schedule: It will air four episodes during November, then bring the show back in March, after the Olympics. What if "V" doesn't do well this fall and never finishes out its run? Well, first of all, let's not get ahead of ourselves: Even though it has struggled creatively, "FlashForward" is still on the air and doing OK in the ratings. So "V" may do well enough to re-invade our TVs this spring.

But if "V" is canceled, and if we've invested in the show, we'll probably feel like Charlie Brown after Lucy takes the football away (fans of ABC's "Daybreak" will recall that "Foiled again!" feeling). And we'll hope that ABC puts the remaining episodes up on its Web site in a timely fashion.

The other causes for concern don't have me all that worried, but they're worth noting. Production on "V" was shut down for a time so that the writers could fine-tune upcoming scripts. That's a fairly common occurrence, especially for first-year shows, and the break may have given "V" the time it needed to find its feet.

Also, "V" has a new showrunner: Scott Rosenbaum ("The Shield," "Chuck") has taken over that position, a Warner Bros. TV representative confirmed. Writer Jeffrey Bell, who'd been working on "V," is expected to leave, although the previous showrunner and executive producer, Scott Peters ("The 4400") is expected to remain on the "V" staff and write for the show. (USA Today broke the news about Rosenbaum joining "V" Tuesday). I'm a fan of the shows that Rosenbaum worked on previously, so I'm hoping this is good news.

I'm also hoping that the break -- and this is purely speculation on my part -- didn't give nervous executives a chance to meddle creatively and water down the genre aspects of the show. That would be disappointing, to say the least. This is a show about aliens coming to Earth, for goodness' sake. When a drama backs away from the freaky concept at its core -- as "Dollhouse" did it its early days -- it ends up satisfying no one.

Yes, "V" has to be a fairly mainstream character drama in order to work on a broadcast network (and let's hope it is a more subtle one going forward), but to stifle the mythological storytelling or tamp down the political and cultural allegories on the show would hamstring "V" and turn it into just another generic ABC prime-time drama. Nobody needs "What About Brian" with space ships.

Part of the message of "V" is that it can be wrong to blindly place one's trust in any entity or person; handled wrongly, that message could start to feel like an anvil to the skull. But, as some of the show's characters realize, it's also a mistake to make snap judgments based on appearances.

So I'll close by saying that, at first glance, "V" seems quite compelling. But we'll have to wait to see whether the show's intentions and ambitions live up to our expectations.

Let's talk 'Mad Men': 'The Grown-Ups'

The following post discusses "The Grown-Ups," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

Coach Taylor faces a challenge as 'Friday Night Lights' returns

Coach Eric Taylor of “Friday Night Lights” (8 p.m. Central Wednesday, DirecTV's 101 Network; three and a half stars) has had his share of ups and downs, but Season 4 of the show finds him as down as he has ever been, professionally speaking.

Even when things weren’t going well for the Dillon Panthers, the high school football team he led with sternness and compassion,  Taylor (Kyle Chandler) still had excellent facilities and an extensive staff at his disposal. Money wasn’t really a problem for the Panthers, a perennial powerhouse in Texas football.

Of course, “Friday Night Lights” has always been about much more than football: This fine ensemble drama has used sports as a vehicle for telling nuanced stories about race, class and family. Though the Panthers, occasionally get their moments in the sun, Dillon is usually a place of reduced expectations and limited options.

So it comes as no surprise that the new season of “FNL” sees Taylor going through the kind of involuntary retrenching that many Americans are experiencing. The nice stadium, the lavish equipment budget and the extensive staff are gone. Thanks to redistricting and some maneuvering by his detractors, this season Taylor is coaching the East Dillon Lions, a poorly equipped and unskilled squad. 

You can judge Taylor's contentment level by how much he stalks around with his jaw clenched, and there's a lot of sideline stomping as the season begins. But as usual, Kyle Chandler makes the charismatic Taylor's frustration compelling. And the question of the season, as always, isn't limited to whether Taylor can make the team competitive. It's also about whether he can turn undisciplined boys into men. Dramatically speaking, it's all to the good that the coach has his work cut out for him.

Taylor's wife, Tami (Connie Britton), has her own set of challenges -- as principal of Dillon High School, she receives an avalanche of criticism about the redistricting (parents see East Dillon as a second-rate high school). As if that's not enough to deal with, prominent Panther boosters think they run the Panther football program. Despite her down-home friendliness, the shrewd Tami isn't about to allow that.  

It'll be interesting to see how "FNL" manages the post high-school era for several of its characters -- a transition that has often led to choppy, disjointed stories on other shows that have featured characters navigating those years. This season, both Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) and Matt Saracen (Evanston's Zach Gilford) are still kicking around Dillon, where their prospects seem less than exciting.

"How does it feel to be the guy who used to be Tim Riggins?" a high schooler asks the former Panther star, who seems unmooored without Taylor's guidance.

Saracen decided to stay in Dillon and care for his grandmother rather than attend art school in Chicago, and dealing with the outcome that choice is proving difficult. But then Saracen's life, especially, has consisted of tough choices and a narrow range of options. Four seasons in, I still find myself wanting the world to give this hangdog kid a break.

Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) and Landry (Jesse Plemons) are still in high school, and a new roster of young characters joins the cast this season. If a few of them prove as memorable as Riggins or Saracen, "FNL" will be in good shape.

The show certainly has a lot of ground to cover in its 13-episode fourth season (which is set to air next summer on NBC). This year, the challenge is to create fresh, interesting story lines for new and returning high school characters, integrate the post-high school crowd into the show and mix the stories of the East Dillon team with those of the Panther players. It’s a tall order, but in the early going, the show seems up to it.

Besides, haven’t we learned that “Friday Night Lights” is usually pretty good at pulling off the underdog win?

Photos: Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor; Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins; Panther fans. 

Sponsored Link: Amazon's Friday Night Lights Store

'The League' takes a pass at depicting the world of fantasy football

Speaking of football, a new comedy on FX depicts a group of friends who may be as sports-obsessed as the most loyal Dillon boosters on "Friday Night Lights."

I’d been looking forward to “The League” (9:30 p.m. Central Thursday, FX; one star) which is set in Chicago and depicts the antics of a group of men in a fantasy football league.  My husband has been playing fantasy football for a decade and I could only imagine the humor to be mined from the obsession with stats and the delicious torture of picking the right roster of players each week.

But instead of heated conversations about minor rule changes or the amusing depiction of draft rituals, “The League” offers jokes about pornography and humorless wives (ha ha!). I wasn’t really prepared for a show this aggressively raunchy. And if I wanted jokes about shrill wives who deny their husbands sex or act inappropriately in unrealistic ways, I could have watched a lame traditional sitcom.

Unfortunately the male characters  on the show are almost as one-dimensional. All in all, it would be easier to give the macho, frat-house vibe a pass if the jokes were funny, but much of the humor in the first two episodes falls flat.

As for the cast, the most effective performer is Paul Scheer, who plays a wealthy doctor who clearly hasn't studied his fantasy football magazines well enough. And Nick Kroll has a funny scene in which his character grills the neighborhood fantasy-football savant -- a young boy with encyclopedic knowledge of gridiron stats.

Still, not much about this show rang true to me, except the moment when the league commissioner begged players to get their fees in on time.

Let's talk 'Mad Men': 'The Gypsy and the Hobo'

The following post discusses "The Gypsy and the Hobo," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

'In Treatment' to return to HBO

HBO announced Friday that it has ordered a third season of the drama "In Treatment," which stars Gabriel Byrne as therapist Paul Weston.

A third season had been in some doubt, as Byrne has said in interviews that he finds the role (which he plays very well) quite challenging. That's understandable; his character is in almost every scene and much of his work involves reacting to and working through thorny issues with the sometimes challenging patients in his care.

The show is changing head writers again, as it has done every season so far. Anya Epstein of HBO’s “Tell Me You Love Me” and Danny Futterman (“Capote”) will take over from Season 2 showrunner Warren Leight.

The show goes into production early next year in New York.

HBO's press release on the renewal is below.

What's to come on 'Supernatural': The sweeps edition

UPDATE Oct. 23: I've added a clip from the Oct. 29 episode.

The CW has released information regarding its plans for sweeps. (It's also dismissed two actors from "Melrose Place," neither of which will be missed much.) Anyway, Lady Gaga stops by "Gossip Girl" Nov. 16! Heather Locklear stirs things up at the new "Melrose Place" Nov. 17! Vampires bite! Whatever! Let's just get to what's happening on "Supernatural," shall we?

Spoilers ahoy.

Charming 'White Collar' just loose enough to be comfortable

There are several good reasons to watch “White Collar” (9 p.m. Central Friday, USA; three stars). Two of them reside on either side of Matthew Bomer’s nose, just below his forehead.

USA apparently thinks so much of Bomer’s arresting blue eyes that it has designed this likable cop-caper’s ad campaign — and maybe even the show’s palette — around his peepers. “White Collar’s” visuals are full of cool blues, grays, whites and blacks, and the director of photography never wastes a chance to focus on those cornflower-blue orbs.

The good news is that there are more than two reasons to like “White Collar,” a crime-caper show with a “Catch Me If You Can” vibe. Bomer, who played a similarly resourceful character on NBC’s “Chuck,” supplies suave charm as Neal Caffrey, a counterfeiter who has the skills and the dazzling smile to get away with almost every scam he attempts.

Tim DeKay (“Tell Me You Love Me,” “Carnivale”) plays by-the-book FBI agent Peter Burke, who investigates white-collar crimes and finds himself in need of Caffrey’s specialized knowledge. In DeKay’s hands, Burke’s hangdog perseverance is entertaining, and the square FBI agent’s intelligence is quietly convincing. After all, Burke is the only man to have sent the slippery Caffrey to prison.

The uptight cop with the loosey-goosey partner — it’s a familiar mismatch not only in the TV realm but in countless action movies. But cable networks — and USA in particular — have been adept at churning out capable variations on classic television genres. “White Collar” should be no exception to USA’s successful string of original series, which are mildly quirky but aimed squarely at the mainstream.

The best thing about “White Collar” is DeKay and Bomer’s chemistry; DeKay in particular is able to wring subtle comedy from Burke’s irritation at Caffrey’s ability to get something for nothing. Caffrey’s apparently effortless approach to life could be grating, but Bomer imbues him with an element of a sweetness and even longing (a missing girlfriend will be an ongoing story thread). And the lessons Caffrey teaches the slightly nervous Burke about enjoying life may be more or less expected, but they’re delivered with a relatively light touch.

Much of Caffrey’s advice for Burke concerns Burke’s marriage, and that’s where the show falters. Tiffani Thiessen is miscast as Burke’s wife; the actors have a distracting lack of chemistry, and those two just don’t seem like a believable couple.

But the rest of the supporting cast is extremely capable. Natalie Morales ("The Middleman") turns up in the second episode as a junior FBI agent assisting Burke, and she fits right into the show's unforced vibe. Willie Garson ("Sex and the City") does his usual great work as Mozzie, a skittish fellow scammer Caffrey knows.

For now, “White Collar” can skate by on charm and humor, but so far the show’s stories tend to rely on the characters’ good luck and Caffrey having just the right underworld contacts. Perhaps over time, the slight but enjoyable “White Collar” will develop the deeper appeal of USA’s “Burn Notice,” which at its best has both tight plotting and an undeniable emotional pull.

And by the way...

A couple of notes about “Monk,” which airs immediately before “White Collar”: Fans of Adrian Monk’s original companion should tune in to Friday’s episode, which features the return of Sharona (Bitty Schram). Also, USA has announced that the long-running “Monk” will end its run Dec. 4. Virginia Madsen and Melora Harden (“The Office”) will guest star in the series finale.

Photos: Bomer; Morales and DeKay.

Effective 'Endgame' depicts the last days of apartheid

One of the dangers of making a film about a historical event is that the outcome is already known.

The creators of “Endgame,” (8 p.m. Sunday, WTTW-Ch. 11; three stars) a Masterpiece Contemporary film about the last days of apartheid in South Africa, neatly avoid this trap by focusing on lesser-known players in the events.

The most famous character in the film is Nelson Mandela, but “Endgame’s” deft depiction of the political maneuvering regarding his eventual release proves interesting. And it’s a pleasure to watch actor Clarke Peters (“The Wire”) play the former political prisoner (who became president of South Africa after the events depicted in this film) with a combination of dignity and savvy intelligence.

The film begins in 1985, when Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), an executive for a gold-mining conglomerate, tries to begin back-channel talks between the then-outlawed African National Congress and those who might have some influence on the government of then-president P.W. Botha. The film vividly depicts the atmosphere of terror and repression that gripped the nation, and in its early going, “Endgame” conveys the sense that a massive conflagration could erupt at any time.

With Botha’s government refusing to talk to the ANC and South Africa stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of violence, events had reached an impasse.  Eventually Young’s efforts begin to bear fruit. But everyone  involved in the negotiations, which were supposed to be secret but were tracked by intelligence agents, justifiably feared for his life.

The South African accents heard in “Endgame” can be a bit of a barrier, but the way the film obscures what  is going on in the first 40 minutes or so is a bigger issue.

It’s one thing to ramp up the tension by not revealing all the characters’ motivations right away, but “Endgame” errs a little too far in that direction. The film’s first half is suitably tense, but it’s also confusing given that certain events and conversations lack context. Inserting exposition into a script must be the hardest part of a screenwriter’s job — it’s probably the “eat your vegetables” part of the endeavor — but there’s so little in the first half of “Endgame” that the occasional lack of clarity detracts from the film’s momentum.

The second half of the film is much more straightforwardly enjoyable once the conflicting motivations of all the players are known. The enterprise that Young put in motion comes off as a high-stakes game of poker — one that could get the players at the table killed.

“Endgame” offers wonderfully subtle work from Miller, William Hurt as a South African professor, Derek Jacobi as Young’s boss and John Kani as the ANC’s Oliver Tambo. Special mention must be made of the charismatic Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays ANC official Thabo Mbeki. It’s worth watching “Endgame” just for the presence and quiet soulfulness Ejiofor brings to his role.

The phrase “unlikely heroes” comes to mind while watching this film, but that phrase implies a mawkishness that “Endgame” resolutely avoids, while allowing the characters’ doubts and fears to come through. The film ultimately shows how seemingly ordinary people, drawing on extra reserves of courage at a difficult time, can change history.

Photos: Clarke Peters as Nelson Mandela; William Hurt as Professor Willie Esterhuyse; Chiwetel Ejiofor as Thabo Mbeki.

Geek frenzy: 'Battlestar's' Katee Sackhoff to guest on 'Big Bang Theory'

UPDATE: I've added a clip from the Nov. 2 episode of "Big Bang Theory."

"The Big Bang Theory" has been so delightful this season that it doesn't need to do much more to win me over. It's already evolved into one of the most enjoyable comedies on the air.

But if the nerd-tastic CBS comedy is going to keep offering up "Battlestar Galactica"-related goodies, I'm sure not going to stop them.

I can exclusively reveal that Katee Sackhoff, formerly Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar," will have a small role in the Nov. 23 episode of "Big Bang Theory." Sackhoff, who is a series regular on the new season of "24," will play herself in a cameo in the episode. Scroll down to the end of this post for more details on her appearance. 

I'll give Starbuck fans out there a moment to absorb the good news.

What's that, you want even more Cylon-related fun? OK then. 

The Nov. 2 episode of "Big Bang Theory," "The Cornhusker Vortex," centers on Sheldon (!) teaching Leonard all about football. But there's also a scene in which Sheldon (Jim Parsons) fixes himself a snack with the help of his trusty Cylon toaster. (The Oct. 26 episode of "Big Bang Theory" is a repeat. This paragraph has been updated with the correct information.)

Below is a clip that proves that our Sheldon sure does love his Cylon toast (and for the non-"BSG" fans out there, the mechanized Cylons were nicknamed "toasters" on the Syfy show).

As "Battlestar" and "Big Bang" fans know, this isn't the first connection between the two shows (aside from the general adoration that the show's characters have for all things sci-fi). Michael Trucco ("Battlestar's" Sam Anders) played a love interest for Penny (Kaley Cuoco) last season.

And just to prove that somebody at CBS digs the Cylons, Tricia Helfer, who played Number 6 on the Syfy drama, will soon guest star on "Two and a Half Men" as a friend of Charlie's fiance. (Just as an aside, there's another place to spot various "Battlestar" alums soon. "The Plan," a "BSG" standalone film, comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday.)

But back to "Big Bang Theory," which is what prompted this post in the first place. I can't point to any particular thing the show is doing differently this season, but it's just executing on every level in a very pleasing way (and the ratings reflect that: "Big Bang Theory" has gotten its highest-ever ratings in its third season). The characters have become humanized and multi-dimensional, their relationships are believable and well-sketched and the one-liners and jokes are consistently funny.

I especially enjoy the fact that there are different flavors to the comedy. Some of the humor is quite whimsical or even silly, and plots don't always go where you think they're going to end up. I quite liked the fact that Wolowitz's recent blind date with one of Penny's friends went from epic fail to total win once he and his date bonded about having overprotective mothers.

Something else to like: The show hasn't made a huge deal of the fact that Leonard and Penny are now dating. That aspect of "Big Bang Theory" hasn't taken over the show, but it has become a dependable source of relationship comedy that, thankfully, isn't overly contrived or generically "sitcommy."

Stuntcasting is often detrimental to finely calibrated sitcoms, but Wil Wheaton, the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actor, turned in an effective guest performance in the Oct. 19 episode of the show (which taught is that Wil Wheaton is evil! Evil, I tell you! OK, he's not, really. And the affable actor/author/Internet lord writes about shooting that episode here).

But "Big Bang Theory" needs to go further. I would like to use this opportunity to promote, once again, my ongoing campaign to have Leonard Nimoy guest star on the show. A Sheldon-Spock mind-meld? Who doesn't want to see that?)

Even without high-profile guest stars, the cast is so strong that even subplots about Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) work well. Though Parsons' terrific work as Sheldon has been justifiably singled out for praise, all the actors, including perennial (and skilled) straight man Johnny Galecki as Leonard, turn in dependably good performances. This cast functions like a well-oiled machine.

Not unlike a Cylon!

More details on Sackhoff's role on "Big Bang Theory" are below. Spoilers ahoy.

Tune-in alert: 'Dollhouse' is touching (and delightfully twisted) in coming weeks

Update: The Friday, Oct. 23, episode of "Dollhouse" will air as planned. However the show will not air episodes in November and will return in December. Details here.

At this point, you may be thinking, "Ryan, shut up about 'Dollhouse' already. Write about 'Desperate Housewives' or 'CSI: Des Moines' or something."

Well, no such luck. I'm writing about "Dollhouse" again, even though I have a ton of work to do because I'm taking next week off. When the next two episodes of the Fox show landed on my doorstep Tuesday, I thought I might be able to watch them. But I was doubtful I'd have enough time to write about the episodes.

But I watched "Belonging" and "The Public Eye" Tuesday night and I just had to post a few thoughts about them (and I've tried to make what's below as spoiler-free as possible). The episodes are fantastic. They're up there with the best episodes "Dollhouse" has ever made. 

"Belonging," which airs Friday, is one of the most emotionally compelling hours the show has ever done. Writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon give Dichen Lachman, who plays Sierra, a lot to do in this episode. Lachman does simply fantastic work, but every cast member brings his or her A-game.

I have to single out Fran Kranz, who gives Topher layers that you may not have thought could or would ever emerge from the show's resident tech genius. The moral education of the once-cocky Topher may emerge as one of the most interesting aspects of the show.

Director Jonathan Frakes does a sensitive job of bringing out the emotional nuances as well as the suspenseful aspects of "Belonging." And Keith Carradine is his usual quietly commanding self as a top Dollhouse manager who's not pleased about the fact that Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) just cannot seem to get her house in order.

From Day 1, one of the most promising aspects of the "Dollhouse" premise was that the show could be a different mini-movie every week -- a mystery, a thriller, an action-adventure hour, etc.

"Belonging" is an hour that plunges headfirst into the moral quandaries and compromises that reside at the heart of the Dollhouse. It doesn't shy away from the queasier questions about what the dolls are doing during their working hours. It asks pointed questions about who has power, how that power is used and the consequences of using power.

But at its heart, "Belonging" is an episode that serves as an "origin story" for Sierra, and as such, it's very affecting.

"The Public Eye," on the other hand, is a rock 'em, sock 'em slice of twisty mythology. The episode, which airs Oct. 30, is a conspiracy theorist's dream, and it promises even more enjoyably messed-up developments to come. I really don't want to say much more, because giving anything away about the episode would be a crime against God and man.

I can say that Alexis Denisof, Miracle Laurie and Summer Glau guest star in the episode, and star Eliza Dushku, who doesn't appear much in "Belonging," has material that is well-suited to her talents in both episodes. (More good news: Nov. 6, Ray Wise guest stars as a Dollhouse bigwig. Look here to see the excellent actor who guests on Nov. 20.) 

I do love this show, because it entertains as it gives me something to think about, but I fully acknowledge that there's a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" aspect to watching "Dollhouse," at least in the Watcher household. My husband and I have taken to shouting "Refund alert!" whenever things start to go wacky on the dolls' engagements, which is, let's face it, almost every week.

Yes, there are the occasional "But wait a minute..." moments, but I'm quite willing to live with those aspects of the show, because when "Dollhouse" is working, as it does in these episodes, it works so very well. I used to nitpick "Chuck's" premise in its first season but the fact was, the rest of the show just wasn't quite doing it for me. In season 2 of "Chuck," the characters and the storytelling were so enjoyable that the urge to nitpick just kind of faded away (most weeks). Similarly, when "Dollhouse" is journeying into the heart of character-driven darkness and/or amping up the mythology with head-snapping twists, I pretty much forget about Adelle probably having to dip into the Dollhouse coffer to furnish refunds. 

In a canny move, however, "The Public Eye" does acknowledge, to some extent, that things at the Los Angeles Dollhouse are quite often careening almost out of control. But there's a bigger story at work. And the scenes with Summer Glau introduce a new layer of delightful weirdness to the show. No doubt the message boards will be lighting up with theories and conjecture about her character, Bennett.

I think it's quite likely that "Dollhouse" will be done for good after the 13 episodes of its second season air (and Fox has promised to air them all). I'm not cheering that development (the thought of not seeing where things go between Sierra and Victor [the great Enver Gjokaj] over several seasons is just one reason to be glum about that). I'm just acknowledging the very probable reality.

What's clear, at this point, that we're in for quite a ride before the show is done. Better to burn out than fade away, right?

• For more thoughts on "Dollhouse" and an interview with Jed Whedon, look here. He talks a bit about "Belonging" in that interview.
• To find out more about upcoming episodes of "Dollhouse," look here. Spoilers ahoy.
• Look below to see pictures of Ray Wise and Summer Glau in upcoming episodes of the show and for one more Fun Fact about "The Public Eye." I'm not sure if people would consider it spoilery, so I've put it below in case you do.

Oprah to interview Sarah Palin

Oprah Winfrey will interview former Alaska governor Sarah Palin on her talk show on Nov. 16. Winfrey will get the first interview that the former vice presidential candidate is giving to promote her new book, "Going Rogue."

"[F]ollowing her decision to step down as governor of her home state of Alaska, and on the eve of the release of her first book, Palin will speak first to Oprah in a world exclusive interview," a statement from Oprah's production company said on Tuesday.

You may recall that there was a kerfuffle when a report emerged in September 2008 that Winfrey, a prominent backer of President Barack Obama (who was then a candidate for president), said she thought it best not to have Palin on her show until after the election was over. In November of 2008, a report emerged that Winfrey's show had extended an invitation for Palin to appear on the show.

poll by twiigs.com

The full release from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is below. Read more on The Swamp.

Jason Momoa and other casting confirmed for HBO's 'Thrones'

Another day, another round of "Game of Thrones" casting.

Over the weekend, as I noted in this story, news emerged that "Stargate Atlantis" actor Jason Momoa has been cast as horse lord Khal Drogo in the epic saga "Game of Thrones." "GoT" began filming its pilot in Northern Ireland this week (other locations include Scotland and Morocco).

HBO confirmed the casting for several other roles in the drama today:

• Jamie Campbell-Bower (of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon") as Waymar Royce
• Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
• Richard Ridings as Gared
• Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
• Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin
• Ian McNeice as Ilyrio Mopatis

As I've noted in previous stories about the project, Lena Headey will play Cersei Lannister, a member of a powerful family in the "Thrones" saga. Other cast members include Peter Dinklage as Cersei's brother Tyrion, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Cersei's twin, Jaime, Sean Bean as the aristocrat Eddard "Ned" Stark, Jennifer Ehle as his wife Catelyn Stark, Mark Addy as King Robert and Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, the son of Eddard Stark.

For a great photo array of the entire cast, check out Tower of the Hand. Other excellent sites covering "ASOIAF" news and the making of the "GoT" pilot in detail include Westeros and Winter is Coming.

The HBO pilot has already drawn a lot of interest from fans of "A Song of Ice and Fire," an acclaimed book series by George R.R. Martin (I discuss what the novels are about here; suffice to say I find Martin's detailed tapestries grand and epic as well as personal and poignant). "Game of Thrones" is the first book in Martin's ongoing series, and if the pilot is picked up to series, Season 1 of "Game of Thrones" would cover what transpires in that first volume. 

Am I 'Blue'? Let's talk about last night's 'Mad Men'

The following post discusses "The Color Blue," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

Think of the 'Children'! Let's talk about last night's 'Supernatural'

The following episode discusses "I Believe the Children Are Our Future," last night's "Supernatural" episode.

And now for something completely excellent: A history of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'

Even if you don't like Terry Gilliam's films, if you're a comedy fan, you owe him a huge debt.

In one of the most spectacularly shortsighted decisions in television history, at one point the BBC decided to erase the master tapes of "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Of course, "reuse and recycle" is an admirable idea, but I shudder to think of the loss to comedy if the penny-pinching BBC had deprived us of the dead parrot, the silly walks, the lumberjacks and the Spam-loving Vikings spawned by the landmark British sketch show.

Someone from the BBC who thought Gilliam might want to hang on to the animation segments he created for "Monty Python" let Gilliam know that the destruction of the tapes was imminent. He took them home and stored them in his attic.

That's just one of the interesting nuggets in "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)" (four stars), an excellent 40th-anniversary documentary that airs on IFC over six consecutive nights starting 8 p.m. Central Sunday. There are illuminating interviews with the Pythons' friends, co-workers, bosses and associates, but the core of the documentary comes from interviews with the five surviving members of the English comedy troupe (Graham Chapman, who died in 1989, is heard from in archival interviews).

The Pythons are still in fine comedic form, and their self-deprecating anecdotes are even more fun than their still-palpable delight in goading each other (John Cleese deadpans that the Welsh member of the group, Terry Jones, could never accept that "the Welsh are a subject people put on Earth to carry out menial tasks for the English.")

As is often the case with these kinds of retrospectives, there are a lot of stories about how things went terribly wrong or almost never happened in the first place. For instance, the making of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which the very dissimilar Gilliam and Jones directed together, sounds fairly hellish, though there's a twinkle in Giliam's eye as he recalls the dawning realization that he could not treat actors the way he treated the pieces of paper he used for his animations.

Carol Cleveland, an actress who appeared in the "Python" TV show and films, put it more succinctly: "They were both loony."

They may have all been loony in very specific ways, but without that particular mixture of whimsy, silliness, surrealistic tendencies and razor-sharp wit, we wouldn't be repeating "Python" lines 40 years later. Showing what each member of the group brought to "Python" is one of this documentary series' most admirable accomplishments. For instance, I'll never think of Gilliam's animations as enjoyable stopgaps again; they actually allowed the Pythons to ignore or otherwise get around the problem of giving sketches a proper ending.

And for all Graham Chapman's problems (he spent many of the troupe's busiest years in an alcoholic haze), he brought an absurdist streak to the writing of sketches and had an appealing vulnerability as a leading man in the "Python" films. For those reasons, the other Pythons tried to overlook the fact that he was only really capable of working for about 90 minutes a day.

What's coming up on 'Supernatural': Video goodness and episode summaries

UPDATE Oct. 17: I've added pictures from the Nov. 5 episode below.

"Supernatural" fans, there are some goodies below for you.

Look below for summaries of the next three episodes of the CW show, including Thursday's installment, as well as the killer "Coming Soon" video clip that aired at the end of last week's epidoe.

The "Coming Soon" clip is a compilation of moments from the episodes listed below.

Spoilers ahoy.

'30 Rock' gleefully bites the hand that feeds it as Season 4 begins

As it returns for its fourth season, “30 Rock” (8:30 p.m. Central Thursday, NBC; three and a half stars) may just set a record.

Not for Emmy wins, though the show, which won its third best-comedy Emmy in September, isn’t doing  too shabby in that department: It picked up a record-setting 22 nods when nominations were announced in July.

No, the record that creator and star Tina Fey appears to be going for concerns the number of real-life references and insider jokes that one half-hour comedy can make. “30 Rock,” which is set at a fictional NBC sketch comedy show, has always featured a lot of meta-jokes about its network and timely barbs about current events, but the season opener takes particularly audacious aim at boneheaded network decisions, corporate greed and celebrity stupidity.

The cast of the fictional “TGS” is told their program doesn’t connect enough with mainstream America, and comedy writer Liz Lemon (Fey) takes exception to this pronouncement. But, true to “30 Rock’s” modus operandi — which often has the comedy celebrating its chosen targets even as it ridicules them — the episode mocks Middle America as the home of junk food-loving yokels as Liz tears into her favorite new snack, artery-clogging Cheesy Blasters.

Through “TGS” cast members Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Jenna (Jane Krakowski), “30 Rock” skewers the kind of pampered celebrities who can’t exist without assistants and who command regular folk not to look them in the eyes. These jokes are weaker, given the obviousness of the clueless-stars target, but those gibes are offset by the show’s fondness for surreal moments and by the always hilarious performance of Jack McBrayer as Kenneth the Page and the ever-amusing deadpan of Alec Baldwin as network executive Jack Donaghy.

“30 Rock’s” ratings have never set the world on fire, but just as Lemon’s awkward nerd charm allows her to say almost anything to the world-weary Donaghy, the low-rated show’s status as an awards magnet means it can get away with biting the hand that feeds it. The results may not hit the mark every time  (stories about Jack, Liz and Kenneth usually work, while those concerning Tracy and Jenna are hit or miss), but there are enough pointed, smart and effective barbs to make this show a must-see comedy even as it enters its fourth season.

The 'Games' afoot: HBO's 'Game of Thrones' gears up

HBO says the official start date of production on the pilot of "Game of Thrones," one of the network's most hotly anticipated projects, is Oct. 24.

Principal photography begins in earnest the following week in Northern Ireland. Other filming locations reportedly include Scotland and Morocco (HBO has not confirmed those locations, but George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series on which "Thrones" is based, has said he plans to go to Morocco for the filming of part of the pilot). 

The network also confirmed that Isaac Hempstead-Wright has been cast in the key role of Bran Stark, the son of Eddard Stark, a powerful lord. Bran is a child as the epic "Thrones" book series begins, but his role becomes increasingly important to the story as it progresses.

HBO's "Thrones" pilot, which has not yet been picked up as a series, is based on the first book of Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels.

I reported in September that Lena Headey has been cast as Cersei Lannister, a member of a powerful family in the "Thrones" saga. Other cast members include Peter Dinklage as Cersei's brother Tyrion, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Cersei's twin, Jaime, Sean Bean as the aristocrat Ned Stark, Jennifer Ehle as his wife Catelyn Stark and Mark Addy as King Robert. 

An HBO representative said that the role of Khal Drogo, another key role in the book series, has not yet been cast.

UPDATE Oct. 17: Westeros and Winter is Coming, two essential "Game of Thrones" sites, have posted reports from a convention that say Jason Momoa of "Stargate Atlantis" has been cast as Khal Drogo. If I get confirmation of this casting from HBO, I will post that here.

UPDATE 2 Oct. 17: HBO has confirmed the casting of Momoa as Khal Drogo.

UPDATE 3 Oct. 17: I just want to give full credit for the breaking of the Momoa story to ABitLikeTrying on Twitter, who tweeted the news about his casting from a convention Oct. 16. She also noted that Momoa will have a nude scene and said that the actor has hired a trainer to see about bulking up for the role.

The Twitter page of actor Jamie Campbell Bower ("Twilight New Moon," AMC's "The Prisoner") says that he's headed to Belfast, and fan speculation has him cast as "Thrones'" Waymar Royce, but that has not yet been officially confirmed by HBO (if I get confirmation, I'll update this post).

Good news for 'Modern Family' and 'Dollhouse'; possible good news for 'Chuck' and 'Southland'

Let's peruse some recent TV news regarding "Dollhouse," "Modern Family," "FlashForward," "Chuck" and a few other shows, shall we?

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Fox has promised to air all 13 episodes that the network ordered for "Dollhouse's" second season. This feels like deja vu all over again -- in a good way. Last spring, the network renewed "Dollhouse," despite its low Nielsen ratings (the fact that "Dollhouse" got a huge viewership boost when DVR, online and iTunes views were added in worked in the show's favor). DVR numbers for the show also helped it this time around, but the honest fact is, its Season 2 ratings were very bad to start with. So this news is fairly miraculous, in my view.

It's often the role of the media to point out when networks do something wrong, but I think it's also just as necessary to point out when a network does something right. As I said last spring when "Dollhouse" was renewed, Fox is not a network that makes decisions based on sentiment. The network's in-house studio makes "Dollhouse" and perhaps the thought is that DVD sales and other revenue sources will make completing the second season a sound financial decision.

Whatever reasoning Fox used, I have to once again praise the network for supporting a challenging show. As I said in this piece, "Dollhouse" is not perfect, but it isn't like anything else out there, it's intriguing and it's bound to get more twisted and interesting as the season progresses. I, for one, am glad that creator Joss Whedon will be able to give Echo and the other dolls some closure, or at least leave us with some compelling questions at the end of the second season.

The preceding statement implies I don't think there will be a third season. I don't think that's possible. I also don't think that Fox will suddenly decide to order more than the 13 hours it has already commissioned. Continuing to air the show is the most generous thing Fox could do, given "Dollhouse's" poor ratings.

I saw some grumbling on my Twitter feed yesterday about from those who think this 13-episode guarantee means that "Dollhouse" is done when these episodes are finished airing. Well, before it began, my hope for Season 2 was that all 13 episodes Fox ordered would air. In my mind, that was the best-case scenario (getting more than 13 episodes always seemed like a pipe dream to me; it just didn't seem realistic, given its low Season 1 ratings and its terrible Season 2 lead-in). When the show returned to disastrous ratings, I thought it might get canceled at any time and that Season 2 would be cut off at the mid-point. That was the worst-case scenario.

I don't know about you, but I count myself lucky to be watching the best-case scenario play out.

• More good news: ABC's "Modern Family" has been picked up for a full season. It's still my favorite new show of the fall, by far. I just love this comedy. Shelley Long turns up in Wednesday's episode as the mother of the show's extended clan, and it's a very funny half-hour. Below is a clip from Wednesday's episode.
• Other ABC comedies getting full-season pickups include "Cougar Town" and "The Middle."
• Fox's "Glee," the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" and CBS' "The Good Wife," all of which are doing well in the ratings, have also gotten full-season orders. "NCIS: LA" is doing so well that, as Alan Sepinwall put it, once CBS "is done working on its 'Criminal Minds' spinoff, don't be surprised to see 'NCIS: Puget Sound.'"
• "FlashForward" has been picked up for a full season as well. I don't think the show is quite there yet -- last week's episode contained more than a few implausibilities and sticky time conundrums, and I've yet to feel that the character drama aspect of the drama has gelled, but I'm sticking with the show. It's a show about time, and it needs a bit more to show us what it may be able to do. One more reason to stick with it: Dominic Monaghan's character joins "FlashForward" in Thursday's episode.
• Rumors are swirling that "Chuck" could come back before its planned March return, especially if "Trauma" continues to do badly in the ratings. I am not at all sure it's a good idea for NBC to bring the show back in late October (this EW story suggests that there's a chance that may happen). According to a story in The Wrap, even NBC insiders realize that's not enough time to give the show the promotion it needs. But I wonder if waiting until March is such a great idea. The idea is for NBC to use the Olympics to promote the show, but who knows how effective that will be and by then, almost a year will have passed since Season 2 of "Chuck" ended. Truth be told, I am not sure what I want for the show, except that I want it to be successful enough in its third season -- whenever that begins -- for NBC to order additional episodes beyond the 13 it has commissioned. Let's hope that somehow, the right decision gets made. NBC hasn't made a ton of great decisions in the past few years, but on "Chuck's" behalf, my fingers are crossed. I don't want to have to start using a "Save 'Chuck'" Twitter icon before Christmas, 'cause that would just be very sad.
• As for NBC canceling "Southland" before the show even returned for its second season, well, what can be said? Every time you think NBC has hit bottom, it finds a new low. However there is some possible good news for "Southland": There are reports that TNT might pick up the show. Keep checking my Twitter feed or TV Tattle for the latest updates on this show and other pickups and cancellations.

'CSI' sends Ray Langston on a three-city, crossover odyssey

CBS is planning a "CSI" extravaganza for November sweeps -- star Laurence Fishburne (Dr. Raymond Langston) will appear in all three scene-of-the-crime shows in one week, and the whole thing wraps up on the flagship "CSI" on Nov. 12. Mild spoilers about the episodes follow.

Langston will first visit "CSI: Miami" on Nov. 9; he travels south in an episode titled "Bone Voyage" to investigate a case with ties to Las Vegas. Fishburne and "CSI: Miami" star David Caruso are pictured at left; perhaps Langston and Horatio Caine are talking about cool sunglasses, which Langston is still sporting when he arrives in New York on Nov. 11 (Fishburne and "CSI: NY" star Gary Sinise are pictured at right).

In that "CSI: NY" episode, "Hammer Down," according to CBS, "a big-rig accident results in the discovery of an interstate trucking ring that specializes in human cargo and black-market organ harvesting, and sets off a race against time to save a hostage."

The three-part crossover concludes on Nov. 12 on "CSI." In that episode, viewers will learn more about what Langston is investigating: "a nationwide human trafficking network that abducts young girls forces them into prostitution," according to David Weddle, who penned the episode with his writing partner, Bradley Thompson.

Ubiquitious guest star Mark Sheppard, who played Romo Lampkin on "Battlestar Galactica" (a character who knew a thing or two about shades), has a guest role in that Nov. 12 "CSI" episode. Sheppard, who has a credit list as long as your arm and apparently by law must appear on every scripted show in existence, also appears on USA's new show "White Collar" Oct. 23 and "Supernatural" on Nov. 19.

'Mad Men,' 'Wee Small Hours': Let's talk about the episode

The following post discusses "Wee Small Hours," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

'Supernatural's' 'Fallen Idols': Let's talk about it, plus news of an 'epic' episode

The following post discusses "Fallen Idols," Thursday's episode of "Supernatural." At the very end of this post (and you'll get a spoiler warning first), there's casting news about a November episode of the show.

'The Office' wedding: A shindig worth the trip to Niagara Falls

Well, that was a pretty fun wedding.

I think Philadelphia Daily News critic Ellen Gray put it best: "Thought the hype had killed 'The Office' wedding for me. But I'm all choked up."

Agreed. I don't know about you, but I teared up at the end. And that's kind of miraculous, considering that two things have been overexposed this year. One was "The Office" wedding (and yes, I realize that I added to the hype with my article and tweets, but I was genuinely excited about seeing Jim and Pam tie the knot, and now I know the episode definitely met all my expectations and then some).

Another overexposed thing: The "dancing down the aisle" wedding from Youtube.

Despite the potential that big TV weddings have for being dumping grounds for cliches, despite the fact that we all probably thought we never wanted to see or read about that video again, "The Office" writers were very clever and the whole thing ended up not only funny but heartfelt. (More of my thoughts about the wedding are below this video clip.)