TVSquad

Chuck will be returning to the airwaves on NBC on Sunday January 10th at 8 PM. The third season will start with a two-hour premiere and then the show will be on again the following night in its regular timeslot right after Heroes. This is three hours of Chuck over two days.

The pity is that Chuck is actually a good show and Heroes hasn't been as such since the first season. Perhaps Heroes should be the lead-in for Chuck? With the boost in the number of episodes and the guest-stars galore slated for the coming season, it's a very exciting time to be a Chuckaholic like me. This could also be a sign that NBC is giving more support for Chuck and less for the dying Heroes.

Zachary Levi is great in his role and Yvonne Strahovski is much fun to look at, but what really makes the show is Adam Baldwin. Perhaps John Casey should get his own show? Nah. He's better as a foil for Chuck Bartowski.

I love hearing stories about how certain stars auditioned for certain roles and didn't get them. What would the show/movie have been like if they were cast in it instead of the person who eventually got the role? For example, did you know that Danny DeVito was almost cast as Serena on Gossip Girl?

Here's another tidbit: Ugly Betty star Eric Mabius auditioned for the role of Peter Petrelli on Heroes. It's not really clear whether he didn't get the role because Milo Ventimiglia got it or if producers of Ugly Betty grabbed him for the role of Daniel Meade before Heroes producers could sign him up. Whatever happened, he's now playing the head of Mode magazine while Ventimiglia is absorbing people's superpowers.

The interview above is rather interesting. Mabius has moved back to Massachusetts with his family (he met his wife here while in college and wants to raise his kids here). He says he doesn't have a plan for his future, though he might have to get one. I have a feeling this might be the last season for Ugly Betty.

We're starting to see Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows, and Heroes is no exception. This Monday's episode ("Thanksgiving") has the Bennett family gathering for Turkey Day and it's...uncomfortable, especially since Mom brings a date (Doug) and so does Noah (Lauren).

But the question I have (and so will you) about this scene is: where the hell is Lyle?

[Watch clips and episodes of Heroes and other shows at SlashControl.]

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, then a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother, followed by new episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new House at 8, then a new Lie to Me.
• The CW has a new One Tree Hill at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• AMC has Part 2 of The Prisoner at 8.
• Food Network has Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Turkey at 8, followed by a new Dear Food Network: Top 10 Thanksgiving Problems Solved and a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8, then two new episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 and a new Cake Boss.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Cartoon Network has a new Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack at 9.
• At 10, Lifetime has two new episodes of Rita Rocks.
• E! has a new The Soup Presents at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Million Dollar Listing, followed by the series premiere of Chef Academy.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

So Heroes is probably on its way out this season or next, so how about a new series where a group of people find themselves with super powers?

Misfits is a British show about a group of teens who are struck by lightning and find they can do incredible things, including turn invisible, hear people's thoughts, control time (of course!), and send people into a sexual frenzy. Wow, all this time I've had a superpower and I didn't even know it (I'm talking about hearing people's thoughts). Here's a sneak peek, though it doesn't show that much. It premieres tonight at 8 on E4. It's Heroes + swearing!

[via HeatWorld]

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post about the shows that were "on the bubble," the ones in danger of being canceled. Now AOL TV has given the odds on what shows might not be coming back.

A lot of shows on the list won't surprise us: Hank, The Forgotten, Numb3rs, Gary Unmarried, and 'Til Death (each either gets low ratings or has been on for a while), but there are several that I think will actually make it to a another season, including The Good Wife and Parks and Recreation.

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother, then new episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new House at 8, then a new Lie To Me.
• The CW has a new One Tree Hill at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• ABC Family has the two-hour season finale of Lincoln Heights at 8.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8, then a new Jon & Kate Plus 8.
• At 8:30, ESPN has Monday Night Football, the Steelers vs. the Broncos.
• At 9, USA has anew Monday Night RAW.
• At 10, Lifetime has two new episodes Rita Rocks.
• TLC has a new Cake Boss at 10.
• There's a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network at 10.
• Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup Presents.
• At 11, TBS has the series premiere of Lopez Tonight.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 7:30, FOX has Game 5 of The World Series.
• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother at 8, then episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show.
• The CW has a new One Tree Hill at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• ABC Family has a new Lincoln Heights at 8, then the season finale of Greek.
• There's a new Good Eats on Food Network at 8.
• ESPN has a new Monday Night Football at 8, the Falcons vs. the Saints.
• At 9, PBS has a new American Experience.
• USA has new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 9.
• At 9:30, Lifetime has three new episodes of Rita Rocks.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• TLC has two new episodes of Cake Boss at 10.
• Bravo has a new Million Dollar Listing at 10.
• Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup Presents.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Sources are telling Airlock Alpha that NBC is asking Heroes producers and writers to come up with a finale for the show.

I think we all saw this coming. Ratings for the show have continued to slip since that magical first season, and I think the network (and many fans) have gotten sick of the "this season will be different!" promises.

Actually, I think the show has been good this season. Oh, the first couple of episodes meandered and were rather frustrating (Hiro time traveling again? Sylar wandering around again? Matt seeing visions?), but since they've shown how Samuel is involved in the Claire plotline and in the HRG plotline and Zachary Quinto is back full time, it has come together more.

Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.

10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.

It's no secret that Heroes has been slipping in quality and in the ratings since the end of its first season. Things have improved a bit this year thanks to Robert Knepper's fantastic turn as manscara-wearing carnival boss Samuel Sullivan. Watching Sylar torment Matt Parkman with some Tyler Durden-esque head games has been a hoot too.

But, as we TV critics like to bring up every now and then, the current season isn't nearly as good as that great first season. Maybe that's why Heroes is taking us back to season one, sort of, with the Nov. 2 episode, "Once Upon a time in Texas."

The ep follows Hiro as he travels back in time to try to change the events of season one's episode 8, in which he fell in love with Texas waitress Charlie, played by Glee's Jayma Mays. Fans of the show know that Hiro was unable to save Charlie from Sylar's clutches even though he tried more than once. Will he be able to change history this time?

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."

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
• NBC has a new Heroes at 8, then new episodes of Trauma and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by a new Lie To Me.
• The CW has new episodes of One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl.
• ABC Family has a new Lincoln Heights at 8, then a new Greek.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8, followed by a new Jon & Kate Plus 8 and two new episodes of Cake Boss.
• There's a new Good Eats on Food Network at 8.
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has a new Glenn Martin, DDS.
• At 8:30, ESPN has Monday Night Football, the Redskins vs. the Eagles.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 8.
• At 9:30, Lifetime has a new Rita Rocks.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• Bravo has a new Million Dollar Listing at 10.
• Fine Living has a new Three Sheets at 10.
• At 10:30, Lifetime has another new Rita Rocks.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.