TVSquad

"I guess obviously you've downsized. You had to sell the desk." -- Robin Williams

Leno's had a couple of nights now to get a feel for what kind of show he wants to do, and figure out how to stay relevant in prime time. Most of the feedback that I've seen from people who saw it hasn't been very positive. They're disappointed that it feels so much like The Tonight Show.

If one of the ways he's trying to differentiate himself is by having longer comedy bits and fewer guests, then I think that's backfiring a bit because every single comedy video he's shown has gone on way, way too long. It's as if they're trying to create internet viral-worthy videos like Saturday Night Live has with their "Digital Shorts," but they're missing the mark.

Anyone who's interested in the Leno/Letterman relationship, the feeding frenzy in the late 70s and early 80s when networks were sweeping up stand-up comedians and changing their lives overnight, and the importance and mechanics of getting a spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show needs to read William Knoedelseder's new book, I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era.

The centerpiece of the book is the labor discontent between comedians and the Comedy Store that kicked up in 1979, when comedians saw the money coming into the venue and started to wonder why some of the working comics there had to borrow money for breakfast. It's a compelling and unexpected story, and it collects names big and small from television history along the way.

According to the UK Telegraph (and I always have trouble believing anything from the British media, but bear with me), none other than Robin Williams has offered himself up to play Susan Boyle in any planned movie of her life. Apparently, he's been doing impressions of the breakout singer for celebrity friends.

This could very well lead to Robin's second Oscar (his first for a non-supporting role). If he pulls this off, he could be as impressive as Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. Of course, if he can't pull it off, it would look like a sad attempt at repeating Mrs. Doubtfire.

However, unless they start work on the movie tomorrow, this will likely be chalked up as an interesting and amusing rumor. While her story is interesting, Susan Boyle's star has been dimming somewhat and it wouldn't surprise me if she was relegated to Celebrity Big Brother in the near future.

I wanted to write about this panel last night. However, the cumulative effects of my afternoon sojourn to In-n-Out Burger to have a double-double and fries, both "animal style," and the evening Food Network party that included a roasted pig, gourmet grilled cheese and other chef-created delicacies, caused me to collapse into a food coma at around 11 PM.

But l couldn't let two of HBO's panels go without comment. One was for the new comedy Bored to Death, based on the writings of Jonathan Ames. Joining Ames on the panel were Jason Schwartzman (via satellite), Ted Danson, and the hot comedian of the moment, Zach Galifianakis. The other was Robin Williams, who was promoting his new HBO special, Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction, which is set to air in December.

It wasn't surprising that Galifianakis' weird sense of humor dominated his panel; anyone who's seen him on the Comedians of Comedy tour or in The Hangover would have expected that. The surprise was that, in his panel, Williams was more reflective and pensive than manic.

It's always great to see Don Rickles on TV. He's rarely out of form, and he has a knack for sailing some great zingers past the censors. Which means his appearance on last night's My Life on the D-List was a perfect opportunity, a place where he could be a bit more loose.

We got a taste of that from him, walking around Kathy Griffin's house, but we also got a glimpse of the guy I have heard about from comedians who've met Rickles - the old softie who is ever willing to talk shop with other comics. It was a great moment when Griffin and Rickles talked about how both of their mothers would try to tell them not to pick on people so much, with Griffin's mom providing a bit of the dialogue. Meeting Rickles was on Griffin's mother's "bucket list."

I thought I'd use the occasion to take a look around YouTube to find some of Rickles' best TV appearances. He seems to have been everywhere, from The View to cable.

Question: is there anyone out there who still thinks that Robin Williams is funny?

I ask this because he's the very first guest (well, after the adorable niece and her drawings) on The Bonnie Hunt Show, the new talk show from the veteran actress/comic, and he pretty much ruins the episode. The first half anyway. The guy just can't shut up, and I suppose that would be rather great if he was funny, but with Williams, quantity doesn't equal quality. There are very few moments to breathe when Williams hits a talk show couch, and I think the only reason I get through his segment was because halfway through Joe Mantegna showed up with pizza for the audience.

When Law & Order: SVU returns on September 23, it's bringing a trio of guest stars with it. Luke Perry (90210), Sara Gilbert (Roseanne, 24), and Julie Bowen (Ed, Lost) are all set to make appearances. Perry and Bowen play a couple accused of abusing their foster child. Gilbert is on board to play the child's biological mother.

In addition to the main foster-child abuse storyline, the premiere is going to deal with Benson's (Mariska Hartigay) attempted rape a the end of last season, as well as Fin's (Ice-T) possible transfer out of SVU. The premiere also marks the debut of the new ADA played by Michaela McManus (One Tree Hill).

Television has often been a benchmark of current popular culture. Whether it's clothes, cars or furniture, people have always looked to TV to help them decide how to look and how to live. Here are ten great examples of how TV characters have "helped" us look our best.

Daisy Duke's Daisy Dukes (The Dukes of Hazzard)
No one knew it at the time, but when Catherine Bach slipped on those ultra-short denims, she was making an impression on more than the teenage boys who were watching. Years later, a brand new and very different generation embraced the Daisy Dukes, much to the delight of those teenage boys who were now old enough to know better.

As AOL Television continues their look at the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever with their Top 10, we here at TV Squad are also looking at television comedy, but with a slightly skewed difference. Last week, we took a look at the Saturday Night Live cast members from 1996 to 2006 that made it to the big time. This week, we get a bit more serious.

There are those in the industry who say that it is easier to go from acting in a drama to acting in a comedy than it is the other way around. Yet, as you will see from the list we've compiled after the jump, there are plenty of comedic actors who have jumped from the world of comedy films, stand-up comedy, and television sitcoms into the more serious world of drama. In many cases they have had even greater success than they did on the other side of the tracks. There have even been instances where they stayed in the drama genre and never went back to being funny.

The failure of Secret Talents of the Stars has had ripple effects on the CBS prime time schedule. With Big Brother coming to an end and Secret Talents unable to make it past one episode, the return of Shark, which was going to come back on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., will now return on Tuesday at 9 p.m. for three broadcasts beginning April 29. Had Secret Talents worked, CBS wouldn't be scrambling on Tuesdays.

The CBS Tuesday lineup for next Tuesday, therefore, will be NCIS, Shark and a rerun of CSI. Then on May 6, it'll be NCIS, Shark and a CSI: Miami rerun. On May 13, NCIS, Shark and a Criminal Minds rerun.

What'll be interesting for Shark fans -- and TV geeks in general like us -- will be to see exactly how well the James Woods legal drama performs with a strong lead in like NCIS. Even the reruns scheduled to follow the three episodes are all strong support. Will this Tuesday hammock experiment be advantageous to Shark, securing the kind of Nielsen numbers that will be a deciding factor in the show's renewal for next season?

(S07E29) Well, this is what you've all been waiting for, right? What's that? Finale? Yeah, I guess that'll be cool, too. But if you've listened to Ryan all season then you know TONIGHT is really what it's all about! If you're looking to find out who got eliminated by vote last night you're going to have to wait until tomorrow. But if you're looking for two-and-a-half hours of entertainment chock full of celebrities and song and charity, then you're looking for "Idol Gives Back."

Last year's inaugural edition was very good, and Kristin's report of the Idol Gives Back taping from this past Sunday was also very positive. We don't have any pesky (non) eliminations to deal with like last year, so just kick back, donate and enjoy. And, if you want, join us online and chat about it in real-time with other giving Idol fans.

You can join the chat starting just before 7:30/6:30pm CDT by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

(S02E04) Originally aired on January 6, 1994

It's been named one of the top 100 shows of all time by Time. You can't have a conversation about cop shows without mentioning it. Stacked up against other classics such as Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, the Law & Order franchise, The Shield, and The Wire, it often meets and sometimes exceeds. It's arguably one of the top three police dramas ever made. And this was the episode where people really started to talk about Homicide: Life on the Street.

It feels like a sweeps moment -- a big name star guesting on a long-running show. But it's not set for sweeps. It is, however, a special occasion and a reason to do something festive. So, on April 29, Robin Williams will make a guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU in part to celebrate the 200th episode of the intense NBC crime drama.

The Oscar-winning actor (for Good Will Hunting) is no stranger to television, as we all know. Till the day he dies, he'll be Mork. Na-noo, na-noo. As an alien from the planet Ork, Robin Williams was catapulted from obscure comic actor to overnight sensation thanks to the Garry Marshall sitcom Mork & Mindy. It was the beginning of a stellar career.

I'm hoping this story is some horrible mistake. Maybe they mean British singer Robbie Williams?

But it looks like it's true. The comedian will open The Late Show with David Letterman when the CBS show comes back from its strike hiatus this Wednesday night. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Williams will talk really fast and make a lot of funny noises with his mouth, and maybe even do some impressions of foreign people. He's a genius!

It must have been hard to put a set together for a show like The Tonight Show. It's not the type of show you can do by season (way too many episodes), and Johnny Carson was host for 30 years (1962-92). A set like this is bound to disappoint some fans. But you know what? The set is just individual DVDs that have already been released in another form, and now they're packaging them under the Definitive DVD Collection title. That might tick off some fans who already bought the discs, but the set is well-done and has a variety of material to recommend it.