TVSquad

(S01E12) Look at this picture. Why did they leave poor Rebecca out? Is it because the little harlot cheated on precious Jaime? I thought perhaps the picture was just supposed to be the groom's family but that doesn't explain why Ellis Samuels is there.

Okay, I'm sidetracking already. But, I'm finished now. Cane was very dramatic and action-packed tonight. At 9 p.m. we had a hurricane and at 10 p.m. we had a huge fire in the cane fields. The Duques just can't catch a break.

(S01E09) So, is it just me or is Cane a little all over the place? I was convinced last week and in the few weeks before that that Ellis Samuels was genuinely interested in Frank Duque and really wanted to be parted from her despicable father. But this week (because now it's convenient for Alex's character) she is back on the other side with Daddy dearest.

I seem to remember Ellis confronting her father about the death of Lucia Duque. The look on her face said everything: she was in shock and deeply disappointed to discover her father ordered the death of a little girl. Then, her father threw her under the bus with the Cuban land deal. He even rudely ignored her while playing cards with his buddies. It was clear they were not in cahoots.

(S01E05) Last night on Cane things continued to heat up for Alex Vega. He had some close calls with the law. How much longer can he cover his tracks with his involvement in Quinones's murder? Plus, Senator Barnes had to resign because he was found with a male hooker. (Is that the right term? I think Joe Samuels helped would say so.) Guess there's no ethanol deal. Bad news for Alex. Good news for Cane fans. We get to watch him try to clean up this fine mess.

(S01E04) I was pleasantly surprised yet again this week by last night's Cane. The narrative is really starting to gel in both the overarching plot of the season and within individual episodes. Maybe it's wishful thinking but this show could be the Dynasty or Dallas I have been waiting for. Okay, maybe that assessment was premature (I don't want to put that kind of pressure on the Smits), but this episode was great. The show is finally doing a good job of balancing the all the different storylines and making most, if not all, the characters interesting in their own right. For awhile there, it was just Jimmy Smits and his interactions with everyone else.

(S01E03) So I was beginning to have really mixed feelings about this show. I loved the classic themes and plots which allow for so many storylines and conflicts. And of course, no one can argue with this ensemble cast. But I felt like the story wasn't pulling me in and Alex's character wasn't believable or appealing. (I know it's TV so "believable" is a huge demand, but I mean that brand of TV believable.) I watched last week and had this sense that something was just missing. Maybe it has too many characters. Maybe it has too many storylines. Maybe CBS keeps these storylines a little too PG for a show that's slated for 10 p.m. (HBO could turn this plot and this cast into the just-can't-miss-it television that populates the Sunday night time slots.) But tonight, all my mixed feelings about Cane started to disappear...

(S01E02) Last night on Cane Alex started his new position as the head of the Duque rum and sugar empire but things aren't business as usual: Alex continued to deal with brewing opposition from his "brother" Frank and had to clean up some loose ends from the murder of Quinones.

Some people might say that this show is just Dallas remixed but I love me some classic rich family drama (this drama is spicier because it includes Jimmy Smits and an array of nice suits). Smits certainly makes a good front man for this cast which also includes Hector Elizondo and the incomparable Rita Moreno.
For more on last night's episode, click continue reading below.

(S01E01) CBS made a lot of noise when they premiered their new schedule. The stodgy old network was finally going to leave the safety and security of "take no chances" programming they have built their recent successes on and try something new. Moonlight, Viva Laughlin, and Swingtown are certainly a step in a new direction. And then we have Cane, which I think of as their safety show.

Rum, sex and scandal? What's not to love? I'm betting the pitch meeting went something like this:

"It's the Latino Godfather."
"Can we get Jimmy Smits?"
"Yes."
"Who do I make the check out to?"

What CBS has ended up with is a little less Godfather and a lot more Dallas, but it's still got TV heavyweight Jimmy Smits at its center. That may just be good enough to score CBS a hit.

After the executive session, CBS continued immediately with its jam-packed day of press tour, introducing four new shows and taking a look at returning hits Shark and How I Met Your Mother.

First up, the all-star cast of Cane, a prime time soap that's been compared to The Sopranos and Dallas, starring Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno, takes the platform.

Smits, who also serves as co-executive producer, stars as Alex, a man who's married to his "sister" (Alex is adopted), prompting executive producer and perpetual funnyman Jonathan Prince to call creator/e.p. Cynthia Cidre -- "Woody."

CBS is on a good run, being the most watched network for the last five years, but they have taken a bit of heat for the formulaic way they have gone about doing it. Not arguing with success, the whole family of CSIs, and their crime based cousins, will be back, but the network is trying to branch out with some edgier programming. Most notably, Swingtown, Viva Laughlin, and Moonlight.

Returning: The Amazing Race, Cold Case, 60 Minutes, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Unit, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Survivor, CSI, Shark, Without A Trace, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, 48 Hours Mystery.

New: Viva Laughlin, Swingtown, Moonlight, Cane, Big Bang Theory, Power of 10, Kid Nation

Out: King of Queens, Jericho, The Class, Close To Home

Moving: Without A Trace moves back to Thursday at 10. Shark heads to Sunday at 10.

(S01E22) Before we get started, I need to get something out of the way.

"A boy like that. He'll kill your brother."

Who wants to live in America? Rita Moreno does! I'm just one big fag haggis experiencing her inner theater queen. We all know that there's a Betty musical episode in the works, but I think we might be in for a preview next week. The episode is called "East Side Story," guest stars Kristin Chenoweth and is timed perfectly for Justin to save the day for middle school-aged thespians everywhere. Until then, let us reflect on tonight's mystical Mexico tour.

In a press release sent out earlier today, ABC announced that legendary actress Rita Moreno will guest star in the Ugly Betty season finale as Aunt Mirta, a Suarez family member.

Moreno, who won countless of awards along the years including an Oscar, has starred in numerous TV series and movies. Recently, she was seen as Frances Goran in two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on George Lopez as Luisa Diaz.

Joining Moreno in the Ugly Betty finale are Six Feet Under's Justina Machado, as Cousin Clara, and Vanished's Rebecca Gayheart, set to play someone from Alex(is)'s past.

Actress and singer Rita Moreno, who has won every major entertainment award in the industry, is returning to television as the mother of Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I fondly remember Moreno from The Electric Company, but recently she's appeared on television in guest roles on other Law and Order series SVU and Trial By Jury, and also played Sister Peter Marie on the HBO series Oz. No word on whether her role will involve a lot of singing and dancing and teaching the detectives on the series about words and spelling, though if any writers for the series are reading this, feel free to use that suggestion.

If you were a kid during the early 1970s, those were your salad days for children's programming. If you weren't getting up before your parents on Saturday mornings to watch Scooby-Doo or Superfriends, you were up before your parents on weekday mornings to watch Captain Kangaroo or your local kid's show.

Also likely, since you only had about four channels to choose from back then, you were spending some time watching your local public television station. If you were really little, you would probably be watching Sesame Street, which was just hitting its stride with all of the preschool set (we called it nursery school back then, dangnabit!). If you had already learned all of your letters and numbers, and Susan was losing some of her allure, you were probably watching Sesame Street's older brother -- The Electric Company.