TVSquad

Kona told you recently that Benjamin Bratt is coming back to Law & Order for a short time. S. Epatha Merkerson's Van Buren character has been diagnosed with cancer, which always gives shows a chance to bring back old characters. But it also gives a show a chance to bring on new characters, and that's what's going to happen starting this Friday.

Ernie Hudson is joining the show for several episodes. He'll play a guy that's "the love of her life."

I started watching Law & Order during the Briscoe and Green days, so I don't know a whole lot about Detective Rey Curtis, Briscoe's former partner from '94-'99. What I do know is that Benjamin Bratt is pulling a Chris Noth and returning to the show that gave him his big break.

Bratt, whose A&E series, The Cleaner, was just canceled, is reprising his role as Detective Rey Curtis on the original Law & Order. However, it doesn't look like the current crime-fighting duo of Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Bernard (Anthony Anderson) have anything to worry about: Bratt is only signed up for one episode.

Almost a year ago, it was announced that there would be a movie sequel for the hit TV series Sex and the City. It took years for producers and actresses to agree to a first movie, but a few months to decide a sequel was needed. Then again, with the popularity of the Sex and the City movie, it was inevitable that a sequel would follow.

Production is underway for the movie, set to be released at the end of May 2010, which means spoilers are leaking on the web! As expected, all four main ladies are back. But what is in store for them? Who, besides the ladies, will star in the movie?

Spoilers coming up!

(S01E01) You might think that you're watching a variation on Law & Order when the first few minutes of The Good Wife commences. It's not just that Chris Noth is in the scene, looking every bit like Mike Logan. It's more that the scene is ripped from the headlines. Disgraced politician -- Elliot Spitzer, David Vitter, Jim McGreevey -- caught in a sex scandal. His innocent, good wife, standing beside him.

As Alicia Florrick, the wife of a Chicago prosecutor who was caught sucking the toes of prostitutes and forced to resign, Julianna Margulies masters the shell-shocked, distant gaze. Her eyes, in fact, fixate on a stray thread on his suit. But the fog lifts quickly and away from the podium, reality comes in the form of a smack in the face. She delivers the smack, and from that moment, you're on her side. Maybe it was a cheap trick, but it worked.

Generally speaking, CBS had a strong 2008, developing one bona fide hit drama -- The Mentalist -- even though shows like The Ex-List never found an audience or a critical plaudit. Ironically, I liked The Ex-List based on the screener I reviewed last summer, so go figure. Sometimes a preview can inform you about a show's potential and sometimes it's just the best it'll ever be.

CBS has shared previews for the new season and we've had a chance to take a look. There are star vehicles for Jenna Elfman, Alex O'Loughlin and Julianna Margulies, which would seem logical based on the success of Simon Baker as The Mentalist. CBS is counting on familiar, popular TV stars to win over audiences. Will the strategy work? It's probably too soon to tell.

The first Sex and the City movie wasn't just a hit. It was a big, big hit. The worldwide box office was $400 million, which even in today's inflated dollars is an awful lot of cash. Therefore, it was no surprise that New Line has green lighted a sequel to the feature based on the HBO series for release in 2010.

Debra wasn't thrilled with more Sex features, but I have faith in Michael Patrick King. However, there is another issue; while all the ladies are inked for the Sex and the City sequel, Chris Noth is not, which may -- or may not -- be a "big" deal.

Hot off the news that NBC ordered sixteen new episodes of the show, Law and Order: CI has added Jeff Goldblum to the cast. And that means Chris Noth is out.

Goldblum will share lead duties with Vincent D'Onofrio on the USA Network show (new episodes air Sunday nights), and I'm not sure which actor is going to out-act the other. Both Goldblum and D'Onofrio are both well known for their rather quirky and/or intense acting styles. D'Onofrio does intense and explosive well, while Goldblum does strange and quiet well. No word on why Noth left.

I tried and tried to get into Sex and the City, but two things stood in my way. One, I have testicles, and two, I just don't think the narrative was that strong. I thought I'd like it because it was about NYC and had sex and women in it and the main character was a writer, but it just never happened.

Of course, we now have the big screen adaptation of the series coming on May 30, and people who have never seen the show, but plan on seeing the movie (not sure who that would be, but maybe there are some), and fans of the show who haven't watched it in a while might need a primer. Well, BuzzSugar has taken care of that for you. They list the 12 essential episodes you have to watch before you see the big screen flick. There are two episodes from season one, one from season two, three from season three, two from season four, one from season five, and three from season six (this is in addition to the first and last episodes).

How many of you are planning to see the movie?

Last night, USA Network invited some of their favorite advertisers -- and a few reporters -- to their upfront presentation, held at The Modern, a sleek restaurant and lounge located at New York's Museum of Modern Art. It was an opportunity for USA and NBC Universal executives to crow about the network's continued success as well as let advertisers know what's coming up in 2008 and how they can combine their advertising message with the unique "characters" that USA offers.

All that's well and good -- be ready for more product placement and ad pods that other networks have recently adopted -- but the best part about an upfront presentation are the stars that the network drags out to schmooze and booze with those advertisers. And USA brought the big guns, including Tony Shalhoub from Monk, Debra Messing from The Starter Wife, Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell from Burn Notice, Dulé Hill, James Roday, and Corbin Bernsen from Psych, Kathryn Erbe and Chris Noth from Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the WWE's Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and Mary McCormack from the network's new show In Plain Sight. I got to speak to a few of them; audio of those interviews is after the jump.

Unlike Adam, who first reported back in April that Sex and the City was heading to the bigscreen, I have no opinion about the former HBO comedy. I didn't watch the original run on HBO (except the very last episode) and never watch an episode of the watered-down, syndicated version. I also would not like to have children ice skate across my face. Rollerblade across it? Fine. Just not ice skates. Those things hurt!

My non-opinion doesn't stop me from reporting that Chris Noth will be reprising his role as the dashingly rich Mr. Big in the movie adaption of the show.

Writer and actor Eric Bogosian is joining the cast of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. He'll take over for Jamey Sheridan (who is leaving the show) as the police captain.

Bogosian is an acclaimed playwright, most famous for Talk Radio (the play and the movie), plus the plays Drinking In America, Suburbia, and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. Besides roles in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Ararat, and Blade: Trinity, Bogosian played the bad guy in Under Siege 2 and the nasty record exec in the short-lived Love Monkey earlier this year.

This could be an interesting casting choice. Bogosian is always good for a quirky performance, and maybe he'll spice up his own dialogue a bit.

The third successful spin-off of the original Law and Order series is about to reach its 100th episode, a milestone for any television show. This Sunday's all-new Criminal Intent features the original cast members, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, who have been alternating episodes with new detectives Chris Noth and Annabella Sciorra. The episode is called Slither and it was written by executive producer Rene Balcer. The episode is about a European gang leader who likes to kill tourists. By the way, I think the word 'slither' is meant to be a description of the main criminal because the show description doesn't mention anything about snakes. The episode also features Olivia D'Abo, a character whom viewers voted to keep alive during a poll in the show's fourth season. Criminal Intent airs Sundays at 9 pm on NBC.

Best:
5. The Backyardigans A preschoolers' show I'd watch if I didn't have kids. Yes, when you drove past my house the other day, that was me dancing along to "I love being a princess!"
4. Law & Order: Criminal Intent  I thought I couldn't watch the show without Vincent D'Onofrio. But Chris Noth and Annabelle Sciora have the kind of vulnerable-yet-professional chemistry that I never dreamed possible between Chris and Sarah Jessica Parker or Annabelle and James Gandolfini.
3. Grey's Anatomy  It's kooky, it's outlandish, and all the characters, I can't help but love 'em despite their annoying peccadilloes. And who knew I'd fall in love with Dr. Bailey?
2. Medium  I'd watch it just for the family drama. But the mysteries are fantastic, the writing eloquent and witty, the twists always fool me until 52 past the hour.
1. The 4400  Sci fi that transports, characters that draw me in, and it's coming back in 2006. Hurray!

Worst:

5. Saturday Night Live  My husband still gets excited about Saturday nights. Until I remind him, honey, it's just not funny!
4. ER  I'm so sad that I hate Thursdays now. I used to love Thursdays.
3. 7:30 p.m. timeslot  There's nothing good on at 7:30 p.m., not even on the Food Network. I hate 7:30 p.m.
2. Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade Cooking  Make it from scratch or buy it from the store. And either way, aren't we all old enough now to admit whether we can, or cannot, cook?
1. Out of Practice  Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, what have ye wrought?