TVSquad

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

If you blinked last year, you probably missed NBC's Crusoe. It's now on DVD, and it's one of those "season one" sets that also serves as a "complete series" sets.

If you're an October Road fan, the season two set contains a 10 minute bonus episode that acts as the series-ender. It would be great if more shows did that when they're canceled.

• The Adventures of Black Beauty - Series 1
• Bleak House - Special Edition and Blu-ray
• Boston Legal - Season 5
• Crusoe - Complete Series
• Dexter - Season 2 (Blu-ray)
• Doctor Who - E-Space Trilogy and Battlefield
• Earth: Final Conflict - Season 1

One of the stage managers from the crew of Lipstick Jungle has been hocking their props on eBay. As with its Sex and the City predecessor, they use actual suits and bags from Prada, Gucci, and all sorts of prominent name brands. I see them being sold on street corners in NYC all the time. They stuff goes for practically the same street value as crack.

That is one of the problems with a busy set. You never know who is bringing what to where and for what purpose. It's even worse for Lipstick Jungle since the props wouldn't look out-of-place being sold on the eBay alongside all the other resellers of various designer name brands. At least with certain shows like Star Trek, you could tell where the stolen props came from.

The lesson is this: if you are going to steal from a television production, make sure to skip the stuff that is crystal-encrusted and unique. Still, you have to wonder if the reason the man sold the props in the first place is that the show won't be needing them anymore due to imminent cancellation.

Good news for fans of Thursday night comedy: NBC has renewed both 30 Rock and The Office. The Biggest Loser has also been renewed (and Heroes is noted as 'very secure'), but the final verdict has not been reached for the low-rated Lipstick Jungle, Kath & Kim and Knight Rider. In other news, the sky is blue.

Seriously, this should come as no surprise to anybody who watches either show, as they are both brilliant. NBC seems to be trying to make Thursday nights into "Must See TV" again. As someone who enjoys The Office and is pretty much addicted to 30 Rock, I think they're succeeding.

At this stage, it is only known that the series is renewed, and not whether or not the shows will stay in their current time slots. I cover Smallville on Thursday nights. If they move either series to the 8 PM hour on Thursday, then I have to make sure my video recorders are properly working.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, then the season premiere of Flashpoint and a new Numb3rs.
  
• NBC has the premiere of Howie Do It at 8, then new episodes of Lipstick Jungle and Dateline.
• The CW has new episodes of Everybody Hates Chris and The Game.
• There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck at 8.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Friday Night Smackdown! at 8.
• Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold at 8.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Stargate Atlantis, then a new Sanctuary.
• USA has a new Monk at 9, followed by a new Psych.
  
• Cartoon Network has a new Clone Wars at 9.
  
• At 10, TLC has a new Miss America: Countdown to the Crown at 10.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
• Also at 10: Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

As we do every year, we here at TV Squad are reminiscing on the top TV news stories of the year. What has 2008 brought us? Well, while we were all complaining about the lack of quality shows that debuted this season, we may have missed the second-year shows going right down the crapper.

Let's start over at ABC. Three very promising shows premiered last season -- Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, and Pushing Daisies -- to praise from the critics and buzz from the viewers. Dirty Sexy Money, with the cast that could be someone's fantasy cast, started off strong. There was a mystery, unique and complex characters, and some integrity. With the writer's strike went the integrity and the ratings, and recently, we got the news that no more episodes of Dirty Sexy Money would be ordered.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.
• CBS has Frosty The Snowman at 8, then Frosty Returns and The Flight Before Christmas.
• NBC has the special Greatest Holiday Moments: Songs of the Season Countdown at 8, followed by new episodes of Lipstick Jungle and Dateline.
• There's a new Everybody Hates Chris on The CW at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• Alton Brown makes eggnog on a repeat Good Eats, on Food Network at 8.
• Nickeloeon has a new Fairly Oddparents at 8.
• Also at 8: Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck.
• At 9, The CW has The Family Entertainment Awards.
• Discovery has a new Survivorman at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie Recipe For A Perfect Christmas at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Stargate Atlantis at 9, then a new Sanctuary.
• VH-1 has Best Year Ever at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie The Christmas Choir at 9.
• E! has a Clay Aiken True Hollywood Story at 9, followed by a new episode of The Soup.
• At 10, USA has the season finale of The Starter Wife.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talkj show listings.

I read Brad's post about NBC keeping Jay Leno in the fold and I think it's the latest move by NBC to ruin TV. Can Jeff Zucker be impeached? I'm so fed up with the way he's be running -- ruining -- the network that I'm ready to bust. Seriously, is there anybody over there that still has any connection to what viewers want to see?

Basically, NBC is ready to try something completely radical and -- in my estimation -- ridiculous, even though it would keep Leno from being lured to another network.

Hoo boy! You fans of the NBC historical drama Crusoe are not going to like this news. Not at all. It will be so distressful that you're going to get up, board a ship, purposefully get shipwrecked, and live your life on a deserted island. That, or you'll just toss out your TVs in disgust and begin, dare I say it, reading or talking to your loved ones.

Ready? Here it is...NBC is moving Crusoe to Saturdays. You read right; the show is moving to the Dead Zone of primetime television. Why, do you tearfully ask, are they moving this show to a night that hasn't featured original programming in years? Well, it's to move Lipstick Jungle up one hour on Friday night in order to shore the program up. And, man, does it need shoring up. Last Friday, the show managed to eek out a 2.2 rating in its current 10 PM slot.

You know, it's almost refreshing these days when a network comes out and actually uses the word "canceled." It just happens so rarely these days. Over the last few years, shows have "shut down production," "gone on hiatus," and "filled their production order," but rarely if ever have they been canceled outright. That word is usually reserved for the truly horrible shows (Do Not Disturb) or ones that become spectacular failures (My Own Worst Enemy).

So it's not surprising that when news came out that Lipstick Jungle was going to take a pause in production, everyone -- including our own Isabelle -- assumed the show was canceled. However, a helpful staffer e-mailed us to set us straight (Isabelle updated her post with the info), saying that NBC was going to wait out the show's move to what is usually a Friday "death slot." Indeed, there seems to be a slight uptick in ratings in its new slot, and DVR viewing numbers continue to be solid, so NBC is playing a "wait and see" game with the show.

You would think that a TV network that just canceled two big shows and had to pretty much take over another big show wouldn't be too happy with the company's entertainment head. But that's not what's happening over at NBC.

The network just canceled the Christian Slater spy drama My Own Worst Enemy, and Lipstick Jungle looks like it might be done too. Both shows starred big names and the network were hoping they'd stick around for a while. Meanwhile, Heroes has seen a huge drop in ratings, producers are being fired, and the show is being overhauled for its (hopeful) fourth season. But Silverman isn't being blamed for these miscues. Exec Katharine Pope was in charge of those shows (and Bionic Woman) so she is the one being blamed, according to The New York Post.

Hello! My name is Isabelle and I watch watched Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy.

See the verb tense there? Yep, past. That's because NBC decided that in the near future, LJ and MOWE would not be part of my viewing schedule anymore.

All major entertainment websites report that NBC has decided to cancel both series. What they don't know, and that's because NBC ain't talking yet, is if the already-in-the-can episodes would see the light of a TV screen before the series retire.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Crusoe, and Lipstick Jungle.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? at 8, followed by a new Don't Forget The Lyrics.
• There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• TLC has a new Real Simple, Real Life at 8, followed by a new What Not To Wear.
• Also at 8: Cartoon Network has a new Secret Saturdays.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Stargate Atlantis, then a new Sanctuary.
• Discovery has a new Survivorman at 9.
• Cartoon Network has a new Clone Wars at 9, followed by a new Ben 10: Alien Force.
• At 10, CBS has a new Numb3rs.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
• At 11, HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

• At 8, CBS, FOX, NBC, MSNBC, BET, TV One, and Univision have The Barack Obama Show.
• ABC has a new Pushing Daisies at 8, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Time Warp at 8, followed by new episodes of Mythbusters and Prototype This!
• At 8:30, FOX has Game 5 of The World Series.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8:30, followed by new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8:30, then a new Lipstick Jungle.
• At 9, PBS has a new Great Performances.
• John McCain is the guest on a new Larry King Live, on CNN at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• Showtime has a new Inside The NFL at 9.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, followed by a new Parking Wars.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Chocolate News.
• There's a new Sons of Anarchy at 10 on FX.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Top Design.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

Does the return of Law and Order to the weekly NBC lineup strike a "welcome back" chord, or does it mean that the Peacock needs a boost in the ratings from a tried and true player? I think it's the latter, because just weeks into the new season, NBC is floundering in the Nielsens, prompting a change in the schedule.

First, Law and Order is returning this week. On Wednesday, October 29, NBC presents what could be called their crime-time line up -- Knight Rider at 8, Life at 9, and Law and Order at 10.

Clearly, with the pick up earlier this week for Knight Rider, NBC is committed to the show despite the weak ratings. Presenting this solid Wednesday block of cop shows will hopefully translate into better Nielsen numbers.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, followed by new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Knight Rider at 8, then new episodes of Biggest Loser and Lipstick Jungle.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and 'Til Death (two episodes).
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• There's a new Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi at 9, then a new Destination Truth.
• History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9, followed by a new Jurassic Fight Club.
• Also at 9, Showtime has a new Inside The NFL.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the season premiere of South Park, then the season premiere of The Sarah Silverman Program.
• FX has a new Sons of Anarchy at 10.
• TV Land has a new Myths and Legends at 10.
• At 11, Food Network has the series premiere of My Life In Food: The Chef Jeff Project.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.