TVSquad

Generally speaking, the CSI franchise has been a ratings juggernaut for CBS. Still, this season the original CSI has been declining a bit. It started last season when Laurence Fishburne took on the role of Dr. Ray Langston, becoming the main man on the show with William Petersen exiting.

Well, in an effort to perhaps pump up Fishburne's popularity, CBS is doing something unique. For the first time, a CSI character -- Langston -- will crossover to the other two shows in the same week, all part of the same story.

Will it work? Probably. Crossover stunts are always fun and it'll give viewers who watch one of the CSI's or two, to sample the other. That's not as weird as it sounds. I only watch CSI, not NY or Miami.

It's not the most encouraging news about the long-term potential of the show, but at least Whedonites can rest assured that FOX will honor the entire 13-episode commitment they made to Dollhouse. Scheduling guru Preston Beckman said, "During [November] sweeps we might have to jack up the numbers a little [with other programming], but we plan on completing the order for this show."

Which means if they haven't already decided to yank the show for sweeps period, then they're about to. It doesn't bode well for the series at all, though it's still too early to say if the respectable DVR figures will help things at all. DVR usage is at an all time high, and Dollhouse leads DVR usage, increasing its demo ratings by a whopping 50% (still only to a 1.5).

It's a big deal but I still don't think networks know what to do with DVR numbers. Many of those viewers are skipping commercials, so it may not matter in that sense. But it's telling that the Friday shows are the most DVR'd. It's a sign that their fans want to watch these shows, just not on Friday night.

We'll have a lot of season premieres coming up in the next few weeks, but I would say that tonight is a big night, too. Not only do we have the season opener of Gossip Girl on The CW, we also have the long-awaited debut of The Jay Leno Show on N "we don't have scripted shows at 10 anymore" BC.

What are you going to watch? Lincoln Heights and Greek? Monday Night Football? One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl? Or are you going to watch something on cable or the news? Or maybe DVDs/DVR stuff you haven't watched yet? Will you give Leno a try?

Your TV is filled with burning debates that demand a serious answer.

Could the Dick York "Darren" kick the ass of the Dick Sargent "Darren," or vice versa, and without Samantha's help? Could KITT beat the car from My Mother, the Car if Top Gear's James May was driving him? Does anyone watch The Cougar and if so, is TV Land holding them hostage?

So here's another flaming question to throw on the mystery pyre: do you actually let your TiVo play its trademark sound effects?

With DVRs and iTunes and Hulu and other ways to time shift your TV viewing, it's not necessary to watch TV when the shows air live. But a lot of people still plan their TV viewing for the night and actually sit down in front of the TV when their shows are on. Two of my favorite shows, Chuck and Heroes, ended their seasons last week. Now I have to find something else to watch between 8 and 10.

If you're a Chuck/Heroes fan, too, what are you watching tonight?

Here's why: it now languishes on my DVR for days afterward. When it aired on Wednesday nights I would either watch it live or immediately after I put the kids to bed. It was appointment television for both my wife and me; something that we could get together for after a day of work and children and basic mayhem.

Now that FOX switched the show to Thursdays it doesn't have the same importance as it once did. Instead it gets superseded by the other "Must See" shows of the evening. Because there's so much to see that night the DVR gets loaded up with those shows as well, pushing Bones lower in the queue. Then Friday comes around and we watch the other shows, plus that night's entries. With Saturday and Sunday being so busy with life in general I don't get enough time to clear out the DVR queue. By the time the next new episode of Bones airs my wife and I haven't even watched the previous week's episode.

The networks are cold, heartless bastards.They want us to watch their shows in order to grab ratings and ad revenue; yet, they mess around with their schedules so much that it's frustrating. Eventually, it gets hard for us not to pick up the damn television and throw it out the window. Well, more like get a few people to pick it up and throw it out of the front door. Come on, those flat screens are heavy!

You're probably wondering what I'm ranting about, aren't you? Well, it involves tonight's primetime schedule during the 8 pm time slot. On CBS, we have The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, while FOX has a new House. The 100th episode of House, to be exact. Now, this wouldn't normally be an issue, since I could watch one network and record the other on my DVR. But, NBC decided to bring back Chuck tonight, as well.

It was only a matter of time. What was once the ultimate convenience for TV fans has now been labeled as an affliction. Brad Berens of iMedia, a company that analyzes the way advances in media impact people's lives, had identified the responsibility we feel when we TiVo or DVR a show or series and then don't get around to watching it in a timely fashion as "TiVo guilt."

I can't disagree. I don't know about you, but I'm always checking my DVR list to see what's stacked up that I still have to watch. It's not that I feel like I have to watch these shows -- after all I recorded them because I want to see them -- but there is a burden attached.

According to Berens, what I'm experiencing is called "opportunity costs," and my TiVo viewing has become -- believe it or not -- homework!

As we all prepare for the holidays, including lots of football, turkey, the Macy's parade, the tree in Rockefeller Center and umpteen viewings of A Christmas Story (I can never get enough of Ralphie's quest for the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle), it's a good time to pause and reflect for a moment about all that I'm grateful for...on TV, that is.

I'd like to give thanks to...

Neil Patrick Harris
It's not just how awesome he is as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, although that's quite awesome. It's also Dr. Horrible which proved to me that he really should do a musical, 'cause he's great. NPH also made me laugh with his Old Spice commercials and was wonderful in an episode of Dinner: Impossible (from 2007, but I saw a rerun). Is there anything he can't do? Believe me, he is already legen -- wait for it -- dary.

First of all, is that even the right phrasing? Is DVR also a verb? Is TiVo? Probably not. Maybe it should be "shows I always record but never watch" instead.

Anyway, Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog has a post about shows that we have sitting on our DVRs every single week but we never end up watching. I've been thinking about this and I don't really think there are any shows that I currently record but never watch. Every show I want to see I either watch live or watch later. There's nothing on right now that I take the time to record but don't watch. But there were shows in the past where I did this, including Traveler (I finally deleted the last several episodes, knowing I'd never get to them - I just read online what happened in the end) and Angel. The only current show I used to record is The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The first couple of episodes had me but then I lost interest. Now I don't even bother recording it because I know it's just a waste of time (I know, I know, it's a good show, blah, blah).

You must have shows that are still sitting on your DVR, right?

I usually hate reruns. Hate 'em. You've built some momentum watching a show, especially when the season starts, then suddenly you're faced with an episode from last year that you already saw. That can be especially incongruous when you're a fan of a show like How I Met Your Mother, which ended last week's episode with a number of monumental character developments.

However, reruns allow you to explore shows that you've wanted to watch but never get a chance to, even in this day and age of DVRs and online viewing. Take Chuck, for instance. I DVR HIMYM just in case I miss something when I watched it live and want to include it in my review. So I don't even record Chuck, a show I enjoyed last year and I've heard has gotten even better in its second season.

According to a study performed by NDS, the makers of DVR technology, DVRs within households actually save relationships. 79% of the users polled said the technology has improved their love lives. There are several reasons I find this interesting.

First, the study is done by the manufacturers of the product. While I have no doubt the study is genuine, it is somewhat suspicious that such a favorable report is produced by those who profit from it.

Second, the article does not state exactly how the DVRs help relationships. There could be several reasons, of course. DVRs in the house could lead to a lack of squabbling over the recording of favorite television shows. Since you could watch the shows whenever you want, it could make for couple-bonding time in front of a TV with a DVR.

Most importantly, it could lead to a lack of actual conversation between the couple which means it's less likely that something will be said incorrectly by one party or skeletons will come flying out of the closet to ruin the relationship.

Ain't technology grand?

The unexpected death of Tim Russert two weeks ago prompted numerous tributes and memorials from NBC and MSNBC, but because Russert was a news personality, they really couldn't re-air Meet the Press episodes or the night of the 2000 election to really show Tim Russert's substantive work.

The death of comedian George Carlin on Sunday was just as shocking -- and also attributed to a heart ailment -- but for Mr. Carlin there are many hours of his work available and relevant to rebroadcast. It'll give audiences a chance to re-appreciate his unique brand of comedy. In his long tenure with HBO, George starred in 14 comedy specials. Now, you'll be able to see a few of them one more time.

HBO is presenting a series of encore presentations, including his last concert, George Carlin: It's Bad for You, on Friday, June 27, at 9 o'clock (ET) on HBO (the main channel). The show debuted in March. But that's not all.

I was going to title this post "What are the most DVR'd TV shows?" but wasn't sure if DVR'd is a real word or not. And did I even spell it right?

Anyway, the list of the top 15 recorded shows for the past year has been released, and there are little or no surprises on it. Grey's Anatomy tops this list with 3.78 million viewers, while the Tuesday edition of American Idol comes in a close second with 3.73 million. Full list after the jump!

Let's face it, we get old. Some of us live a long and glorious life, dying happily in our sleep next to the 26-year-old Penthouse Pet of the Month who is just with our wrinkled old selves because we have money. Others live to the ripe old age of 30 and have a wonderful Lastday ceremony. It really doesn't matter...we get old one way or another.

Most of us try not to admit we are getting old. We use dyes, we have surgeries to move things around, and we pump ourselves with poison so our faces to retain that wonder wax museum sheen. Yet, there are those occasions where you hear about something that triggers that little part of your brain that makes you want to whip out the Bran Flakes and prunes. Here are just a few television-related events that may just have you looking for retirement communities in Florida.