TVSquad

Welcome to our new feature, TV Squad readers. How well do you know what you think you know about television? Play our little trivia game, Fact or Fiction. We'll state the premise, then tell you the reality, i.e. the fact or the fiction. By the way, if you have ideas for Fact or Fiction, or questions you'd like us to figure out, share with us in the comments.

Fact or Fiction: When Chuck Lorre originally created The Big Bang Theory, the boys were dominated by a nasty neighbor named Katie.

Fact! Chuck Lorre told Watch magazine's Jim Colluci that a year before The Big Bang Theory was picked up by CBS, the first pilot had a female character named Katie. She manipulated the guys. "It was like shooting fish in a barrel. It didn't work," Johnny Galecki told Colluci. The problem was that Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard were and are essentially innocents and without maliciousness. The idea of a woman taking advantage of their innocence was not only mean, it wasn't funny. The writers went back to the drawing board -- so to speak -- and, thus, the character of sweet, gentle Penny was born.

(S04E01) "William was a cheater. He had this bottle-blond tramp across town..." - Nora's mother to Holly

The dysfunctional Walker clan is back, and it didn't take long for the squabbling and worrying and break-ups and tragedies to surface. Things open right away with Nora's feeling of foreboding, and with this family, it's usually warranted. There's generally a nice mix of comedy and drama in Brothers & Sisters, and this episode followed suit.

Dear Nora,

I know it must be hard looking after all those brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and lovers. And while I truly do appreciate how you welcomed your dead husband's lover and their child into the Walker fold, I really think it's time you grew up and started making some decisions for yourself.

Ok, so maybe moving to Washington, D.C. with Isaac wasn't the right decision, but it seemed like the one thing that kept you in California were those four words uttered forlornly by Kitty: "I need you, Mom."

Kitty's a grown woman with a career and a husband. She can take care of herself, as can the rest of the Walker clan. OK, so I'm a little undecided as to whether I'd want my entire family there to watch me puke and get the shakes, as was the case when Justin was de-toxing. Then again, drug addiction isn't pretty any way you look at it, so ... go Walkers.

(S02E03) My TiVo didn't start taping this episode on time, so I missed about the first three minutes of the show when I was putting my kids to bed. If I missed something significant, please forgive me (and let me know in the comments!).

Tonight was a more Tommy-centric episode, and was also uniquely, for Brothers and Sisters, devoid of slapstick. I know, I know. I take this show too seriously. It's a soap opera. It's supposed to be melodramatic. But I really enjoyed the fact that they played this episode straight. Though, I will admit that when I saw that next week promises more "antics," I was also a bit relieved by that because this episode was really intense.