TVSquad

For fans of The Closer, the wait is almost over. Season four finally kicks off next week, knocking off the third of the five shows that I have anxiously been waiting for. Burn Notice and Stargate Atlantis premiered this week. The Closer and Psych go live next week. And Eureka returns at the end of the month. It's going to be a great summer for television.

The fine folks over at TNT were nice enough to send along a press kit, so I've just finished watching the premiere and reading up on a few of the things they have planned for the new season. Last year we spent a lot of time on family as Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and Fritz (Jon Tenney) moved forward with their engagement. That, of course, involved finally revealing the engagement to Brenda's parents (Frances Sternhagen, Barry Corbin). And we followed along as the two of them began to search for a new house. Season four picks up from there. After the jump, a look at the premiere and a few things coming this season. Possibly a couple very minor spoilers, but no big plot points.

And the Good Riddance Award goes to... Cavemen! Here to accept the award for Cavemen is... well... nobody. How awkward would that be? The Cavemen looking at me with their big crazy eyebrows. Me looking back with my big crazy beard. "Uh... here ya go... Try the shrimp." In the end, it was a close race back at TV Squad HQ. The boys from ABC just edged out the runner-up, Bionic Woman.

Alright, here we go. The readers, and team TV Squad, have spoken. It's almost a little depressing that there were so many shows that received consideration for the award. Clearly, this wasn't a banner year for the networks. But that's good though. With all of those shows sent packing, there's that much more room on the schedule next season. Here's hoping all that valuable space gets put to good use, and that someone learns from the following examples. After the jump, the nominees, and your chance to vote for the TV Squad reader award.

We've been discussing this a lot lately, the fate of NBC's Bionic Woman. There were rumors flying around during the writers strike that it had been canceled, then I heard from someone on the show that it had indeed been canceled, and then Joel reported that it was probably canceled. but there was never any "official" word from the network about whether it was coming back or not.

There still isn't.

However, I think we can take the word of the show's executive producer David Eick, who says that the show is gone. He tells Wired.com that even though he though Michelle Ryan was wonderful (*cough cough*), he thought "the process was frustrating" and they "just didn't bring it all together like we did with Battlestar." He even makes a point of saying that "some" of the writing was good, which means he knows that some of the writing was bad too.

• At 8, CBS has a new Kid Nation, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has Christmas in Rockefeller Center at 8, followed by new episodes of Bionic Woman and Life.
• ABC has the Christmas special Shrek The Halls, then the 40th Anniversary Special Edition of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, then new episodes of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money.
• FOX has a new 'Til Death at 8, followed by a new Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, then a new Gossip Girl.
• CNN has a Republican Presidential Debate at 8.
• At 9, PBS has a new Great Performances, with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Sheryl Crow, Bill Murray, and others.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• ABC Family has The Christmas List at 9.
• Hallmark has A Christmas Visitor at 9.
• Also at 9: Food Network has All Star Holiday Gifts.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Project Runway.
• HBO has a new Inside the NFL at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Phenomenon, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back To You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Food Network has a new Good Eats at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9, then a new MonsterQuest.
• HGTV has a new Deserving Design at 9, then a new Design on a Dime.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new "Fall Harvest" episode of Paula's Home Cooking, followed by a new Dinner: Impossible with guest Priscilla Presley.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park.
• The new season of Project Runway gets underway at 10 on Bravo.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E06) "I bet you haven't seen a movie made before 1983." - Tom, to Jaime

Does anyone else think that Jaime is sort of dumb? I mean, she's hot and can fight and seems to be an OK spy-type person, but there doesn't seem to be anything else going on up there. If she wasn't a spy, she'd be back at the bar, banging random dudes and drinking a lot and arguing with her sister all the time. The above quote from Tom illustrates that. I bet she's not really interested in anything and seems rather dull to me. Or maybe it's just the way Michelle Ryan is playing her. Did I mention she's hot?

• At 8, ABC has The Country Music Association Awards.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Phenomenon, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back To You at 8, followed by new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, then a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• At 9, Duane "Dog" Chapman talks to CNN's Larry King.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• The History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9, then a new MonsterQuest.
• Food Network has a new special at 9, All-Star Thanksgiving Recipes, followed by a new Dinner: Impossible.
• There's a new Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E05) "How's your British accent?" - Jonas, to Jaime

So I'm curious: did they have Michelle Ryan use her real British accent in this episode as a funny, insider-ish sort of joke, or did she just get tired that week and not want to fake an American accent? Regardless, it brings up the question, why is Ryan even faking an American accent? Can't she just play a Brit who lives in America? When she kept using her "fake" British accent while talking to Nathan on the phone, I thought it was a really lame mistake. Thankfully they had Nathan ask her why she's faking it even on the phone with him. It's good they explained that, but still...

• At 8, FOX has the first game of the World Series.
• ABC has a new Pushing Daisies at 8, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS new episodes of Kid Nation, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has the series premiere of Phenomenon at 8, then new episodes of Bionic Woman and Life.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• AMC has the original Halloween at 8.
• Also at 8: Lifetime has the new romantic comedy Nature of the Beast, about a guy who turns into a werewolf.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.