Katee Sackhoff, known mostly as the female Starbuck in the revamped version of Battlestar Galacticawill be joining Jack Bauer to fight terrorists in the next season of 24.
I met Ms. Sackhoff once and she was quite nice, so I'm glad she's found another gig. It even makes sense that she's been cast, since 24 is very much like Battlestar Galactica but with less of a science fiction vibe (particularly if you substitute "Cylon" for "double-agent"). There is likely a lot of crossover appeal.
She is set to play a character named Dana Walsh, a CTU data analyst. Secretly I'm hoping she won't be stuck behind a desk decrypting computer files or anything boring like that and we'll be able to see her take down a terrorist or two (or whomever the enemy is next season).
This is a good casting choice and almost makes up for the show's casting of Freddie Prinze, Jr.
(S02E13) Cause and effect, random selection, grief, life and death... "My father is my hero, he's just decent." Breaking Bad covered all that and more in the season finale, setting up Walter White's life after successful surgery that bought him more time. The question was this when the end credits rolled, what will that life be for the New Mexico science teacher after all that's come before?
Anyone out there who thinks they know is lying because only creator Vince Gilligan has a handle on what's been going on and what's to come. What we do know after watching the season finale is this: Breaking Bad is as good as any other drama currently on television, and that includes Lost, Mad Men, House, 24 and the other potential Emmy nominees for Outstanding Drama Series.
Freddie Prinze Jr. will be joining the cast of 24 for the eighth season as a recently-returned marine and Jack Bauer-wannabe named Davis Cole. I think this is an example of Fox either wanting to expand or continue the franchise without Kiefer Sutherland.
Think about it. Sutherland is only getting older. He can't be Jack Bauer forever. Prinze is a younger, recognizable face (much as all of us want to forget the Scooby Doo movie franchise). This could be the set-up for one of three things: the retirement of Jack Bauer from 24, a spin-off series, or an opportunity to have more negotiating power for Kiefer Sutherland's next contract renewal. It could even be a combination of the three.
So the question to ask is: could the series continue without Jack Bauer, or would that be the beginning of the end? Since the name of the show is 24 and not Jack Bauer, I would think so.
This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have: Glee, 24, Melrose Place, Grey's Anatomy, Chuck, Scrubs and Fringe (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
(S07E23/S07E24) "You don't know what I've done." - Jack
When 24 first premiered back in 2001, we were all taken off guard. It was so different, innovative, and action packed - like nothing we'd seen on TV ever before. But do you remember why it worked so well? Sure, there was a vast conspiracy that enshrouded the whole day in darkness, but for the most part, it was all about Jack and his family. The Bauers were what made Day 1 so memorable.
You felt horrible when Jack held Teri's lifeless body in those final seconds, and it was because the season focus was weighted towards them and not Drazen or Nina. Because of that formula, the show took off and with each season from then on, 24 became bigger than itself and so did the conspiracies. Then the bubble burst with Day 6 when it all came crashing down - we'd seen enough nukes, bio-pathogens, and Middle Eastern terrorists. The difference? All of that became more important than Jack. After Day 7's stellar finale, I think we can all agree that 24 has found its roots again.
Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.
Returning Summer:Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, So You Think You Can Dance
Returning Fall/Winter:24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse,, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, 'Til Death (for some reason), So You Think You Can Dance (yeah, two separate seasons summer and fall)
Gone:Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill (though there's still episodes in the can which will air sometime next year), Prison Break (a 2-hour film is being produced that may air next year), Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
New:Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Glee (sneak peek tomorrow), Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show (late night Saturdays)
The schedule and some details on the new shows after the jump.
Everybody loves a good mystery. Well maybe not everybody if the ratings for Harper's Island are any indication. But mysteries and suspense have been a part of television since it's inception. It's one thing for the plot to be full of mysteries. Things like "Who shot J.R.?" can become a part of popular culture. But J.R. himself wasn't a mystery, we knew him pretty well.
But there are those characters we don't know much about. Think about Benjamin Linus from Lost when he first appeared as Henry Gale among the Flight 815 survivors. There were so many secrets and mysteries surrounding him that we couldn't take our eyes off of him when he was on-screen. Well Ben's story may be more or less told, though something tells me there's still more to be gleaned, but there are plenty of familiar faces on television with not so familiar back-stories. And while Ben didn't make the list, that doesn't mean Lost went unrepresented.
Since next week's finale is actually the last two hours of the season back-to-back, I think it's safe to refer to tonight's hour as Day 7's penultimate episode. As is so often the case with pivotal installments that precede a finale (especially with 24), going into it, I couldn't help shake the feeling that the bio-terror threat would be erased for good only to reveal one more crisis ready to spill over into next week. I'm not trying to say that it was predictable, but ... well ... nevermind. It was predictable.
Unlike Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't throw any punches. Literally.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sutherland was in attendance at an NYC club this past Monday night when fashion designer Jack McCollough "rudely bumped" into actress Brooke Shields while she was speaking with Sutherland. After McCollough refused to apologize - wait for it - Sutherland headbutted him!
Normally, this wouldn't be that big a deal. Celebrity makes a boo-boo, money exchanges hands out of court, problem solved. However, fans of 24 may recall that during production of the FOX drama's seventh season, Sutherland was busted for drunk driving. He served 48 days in jail but it never interfered with production because the writer's strike halted it.
After a run of so many good episodes, it had to happen sooner or later - the calm before the storm. Hour 21 wasn't much more than that. A lot of filler and only a little bit of action.
All the events that are going to play out over the season's final three episodes were set in motion, but it was done with such a deliberately slow pacing that you probably would have been fine just watching next week's "Previously on 24" clip.
(S07E20) "Another attack today is all we need to push this thing right over the edge." - Tony
Only four hours left. All the pieces are in motion and sides have been chosen. Following Tony's betrayal last week, things have progressed quickly - his cohorts aren't exactly the waiting type. As tense as the plot has become, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed. Essentially, the plan is exactly the same and Hodges has just been replaced with the dozen or so people in that bad guy summit ... not sure what else to call it.
I'm all for going green. And I love Mary Lynn Rajskub's Chloe on 24. In fact, I have missed her since she's been gone from the show for a few weeks. But that's no excuse for the horrific PSA she did to promote 24's new eco-friendly green initiative last week. It's taken me forever to wipe the stink of it off my eyes.
Who knew that an actress could be completely incapable of convincingly reading a short script in an even slightly convincing manner. It reminded me of when Saturday Night Live books politicians or athletes as hosts and then are stunned when they can't act their way out of a table read . Honestly, there's nothing more I can say about it that could fully explain the horror. You'll just need to see it for yourself (but it is 30 seconds you can never recover):
(S07E19) "I would think you'd know by now that no one can change my father's mind when it's made up" - Kim
Wow - talk about a complete 180°. A lot of this season has played it safe, but after last week's shocking final minutes, Day 7 has kicked into overdrive. During last night's episode, at times it felt like we were watching something out of season five. It was that tense. New conspiracies, new players, and confirmation of the one thing we've all assumed but couldn't bring ourselves to admit - Tony has been lying to Jack all day.
The TV is a weird beast. Your show can have ridiculously high ratings, receive greater critical claim than the Mona Lisa and achieve a cult following not seen since the People's Temple, and the network can still pull the plug on you.
TV Land doesn't work like Reality Land, if the Reality Land is in fact reality and not some bizarre reality land where meat-hungry producers are the gods of fate. TV has a different equation for success.
Here are the ten telltale signs that your new show will spend eternity shining in the pantheon of the cosmos and the rest of its life on Best Buy's DVD shelves.
Katee Sackhoff, known mostly as the female Starbuck in the revamped version of Battlestar Galactica will be joining Jack Bauer to fight terrorists in the next season of 24.
Freddie Prinze Jr. 
Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.
Everybody loves a good mystery. Well maybe not everybody if the ratings for Harper's Island are any indication. But mysteries and suspense have been a part of television since it's inception. It's one thing for the plot to be full of mysteries. Things like "Who shot J.R.?" can become a part of popular culture. But J.R. himself wasn't a mystery, we knew him pretty well.
Unlike Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't throw any punches. Literally.
(S07E19) "I would think you'd know by now that no one can change my father's mind when it's made up" - Kim
The TV is a weird beast. Your show can have ridiculously high ratings, receive greater critical claim than the Mona Lisa and achieve a cult following not seen since the People's Temple, and the network can still pull the plug on you. 
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
Tim Daly: The TV Squad Interview
Virtuality -- An early look
