TVSquad

Some day I should probably type up an official list of the actresses who, by their mere presence, will guarantee I'll watch a series. The fact that I saw every episode of Freddie should serve as proof that Mädchen Amick is on that list. After following that up with Viva Laughlin, I think we can all agree that this latest role has her career moving in the generally upwards direction.

My Own Worst Enemy was already on my short list of new shows to keep an eye on in the fall. It's an interesting premise, has Christian Slater, and the previews look great. The addition of Amick just makes it that much more intriguing. She'll be taking over the role of Henry's wife that was originally played by Yara Martinez (The Unit). It's a bit of rough luck for Martinez. Before this she was set to appear in that ill-fated Spaced remake.

Would America be ready for an African-American president, which is now a 50-50 proposition with Senator Barack Obama the presumptive Democratic candidate, if actor Dennis Haysbert hadn't done it first on 24?

A lot of people have wondered if Haysbert's brave, commanding President David Palmer influenced the way people are thinking about Obama. Dennis Haysbert has now weighed in, and he believes that his role on 24 made a difference.

"My portrayal of David Palmer may have helped open the eyes of the American people," he told the AP.

"I mean the American people across the board - from the poorest to the richest, every color and creed, every religious base - to prove the possibility there could be an African-American president, a female president, any type of president that puts the people first," he goes on to say.

Are you anxiously awaiting news of who was in that SUV that exploded? Still fraught with worry over how Gibbs is going to get his team back together? Or maybe you are just excited that Survivor is finally going to be beamed into your living room in glorious HD. Well, you can start making plans for your fall scheduling now. The eye network has released the schedule of premieres for their new and returning shows.

I'm a little concerned about two things on the schedule. First, The New Adventures Of Old Christine and Project Gary lead into Criminal Minds on Wednesday nights. That's an odd pairing, and I don't think bodes well for either of the comedies. And second, The Unit gets shuffled off to Sunday at 10? NCIS and The Unit have done remarkably well paired up on Tuesdays. Good for The Mentalist, not so much for The Unit. The whole thing kicks off with Survivor on September 18th. The rest of the schedule is after the jump.

CBS doesn't announce its new schedule till tomorrow, but the news is spilling out everywhere about what's in and what's out. The New Adventures of Old Christine has been given a 22-episode commitment for a third season; Shark has been sunk. For fans of the James Woods legal drama -- and I know there are lots of you out there because you've posted here -- my heart goes out to you. It was a good show, but it seems that CBS has four new dramas on deck for next season (that we have heard they're announcing tomorrow), so something had to give. It's likely that the choice came down between The Unit and Shark, with The Unit getting the renewal.

As for Christine, I say "Yeah!" I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hamish Linklater (Matthew, her brother on the show) and would have been really upset if CBS let the show get away. If the network had passed on the sitcom, ABC was reportedly very, very interested in taking it on. They had visions of pairing Samantha Who? with Christine for an all-girl sitcom hour. That's not going to happen now because Julia is staying put on CBS.

Whether the show remains on Monday nights, however, is still to be determined. For the past year, it has mostly shared the 9:30 slot with Rules of Engagement, which has also been renewed. Some reporters are suggesting that CBS could be launching a second sitcom night.

Well, it looks like fans of How I Met Your Mother (me! me!) and The Unit (maybe my parents?) have some early good news ahead of CBS's upfront, which is scheduled for tomorrow: The LA Times' Show Tracker blog is reporting that both shows will be renewed (thanks to Greg for leaving a comment with the link last night).

The article talks more about HIMYM, of course, mentioning that Britney Spears' first appearance gave the show the boost it needed to carry it to a fourth season. I wish that wasn't true, but I'm pretty sure it is. As much as fans of HIMYM (me! me!) hated the distraction Brit Brit brought to the show, and really hated her wooden performance (especially last night, according to many of the commenters on my review of "Everything Must Go"), they have to admit that without the pop tart, the show might not have made it.

Sigh. Oh, well. Whatever gets the job done, right? I'll see if I can confirm the renewal when I speak to Carter Bays and Craig Thomas later today.

As a fan of the CBS series Moonlight, I've been keeping an eye on news about the show lately to know if it would be renewed or not. Lately, most articles made me optimistic since they said that the show had a good chance of getting a second season. Actually, some people said it was almost a done deal because the CBS Friday night lineup was doing very well. But, as people keeping tabs on the upfronts know, things can change in a split second.

Back in February, when CBS announced a bunch of renewals for next season as well as which shows would be back with new shows this season, one that was in limbo was The Unit. That led to many emails and questions about the Dennis Haysbert drama and whether CBS was going to stick with the military drama. It's with some hope that I tell you that things are looking up.

Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan reported that while the decision has yet to be made, and won't be made for a few more weeks, Shawn Ryan, The Unit's executive producer, is "pretty optimistic." He and his staff of writers have presented an outline for the fourth season explaining where the storylines will be going and how it'll play out. CBS's reaction was very positive. Ryan said things couldn't have gone any better. That's great news for the fans of The Unit who feel like they've been twisting in the wind waiting for word about the show.

There's news about CBS's Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, and from the sounds of it, this may be a real sleeper -- that's if you believe in the quality of the casting. Joining Mike in the show are comic Bob Odenkirk, actress Rachel Blanchard and former deejay Phil Hendrie.

Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, based on his stand up comedy, includes Blanchard (7th Heaven) as his significant other, an aspiring doctor and the sensible one of the couple. Phil Hendrie, best known as a popular radio talker but was also on The Unit in a supporting role, has been cast as Mike's abrasive doctor. But perhaps the best news for this CBS project is adding Bob O to the company as Mike's big brother. In everything I've ever seen him do, Odenkirk is a riot. He's a two-time Emmy winner for his comedy writing.

Shark will swim again -- at least for the rest of this season. The future, however, remains unclear. CBS today announced that Shark will return on April 29 in a new timeslot. The network is switching the L.A. legal drama from Sundays at nine to Tuesdays at nine, where it may benefit from the strong lead-in of NCIS. Chances are that if Shark holds NCIS's ratings -- or improves on them -- that could mean more Shark for fall. If the show stumbles, CBS will likely pull the plug.

Fans of Shark may need to get more militant if they want to keep the show on the air. In a recent story we did about CBS renewals, there was fervent outcries for bringing back Moonlight and The Unit, even Cane. Out of 40 comments, only two came to Shark's defense. It may be a small sample, but still...

• At 8, ABC has a new Duel.
• NBC has a new Clash of the Choirs and a new Biggest Loser.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Independent Lens.
• AMC has the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has Al Roker's Christmas in New York.
• At 9, CBS has a new episode of The Unit, then a new Cane.
• Lifetime has the movie On the 2nd Day of Christmas.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• FX has a new Nip/Tuck at 10.
• Bravo has a new The Real Housewives of Orange County.
• There's a new ECW on Sci-Fi at 10.
• The Travel Channel has Christmas to the Extreme at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

...Four TV shows you should be watching

Let's not beat around the bush -- television is a humongous, bloated wasteland. Granted, it's a humongous, bloated wasteland that I adore and worship any chance I get, but it is a humongous, bloated wasteland nonetheless. Due to the copious amount of crap that is placed on the airwaves many good shows are pushed aside, waiting for an unknowing viewer to tune into them and get hooked. Sometimes, these shows grab a few people, develop a following, and become a hit. Other times, they disappear down the television toilet, never to be seen again.

So, in order to save them from the Great Flush, here are four (plus a few more) shows that you should be watching.

• At 8, ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas (hopefully they'll show it again closer to Christmas), then the season finale of Dancing with the Stars.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, followed by new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has a new Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
• There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
• At 9, HGTV has a new Decorating Cents, then a new 24 Hour Design.
• Hallmark has John Denver in The Christmas Gift at 9.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, then a new Everest: Beyond the Limit.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County.
• At 10:15, TCM has The Hustler.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, followed by He's A Bully, Charlie Brown and new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor.
• CBS has a new NCIS, then new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has new episodes of The Biggest Loser and Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, then a new House.
• The CW has a new Beauty and the Geek at 8.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, followed by a new Frontline.
• Food Network has Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has The Bad and the Beautiful, then It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
• At 10, Sci-Fi has a new ECW.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• HBO has a new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbal at 10.
• At 11, TBS has the series premiere of Frank TV.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Caveman, followed by new episodes of Carpoolers, Dancing with the Stars, and Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has a new, two hour Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
• There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has two of James Ellroy's movie picks: Stakeout on Dope Street and Murder By Contract.
• At 9, Food Network has their All Star Thanksgiving, then a new Two Dudes Catering.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• At 10:30, Versus has a new Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller.

Check your local TV listings for more.

It's Day Three of the WGA Strike, and things are getting serious. Production on some scripted sitcoms and dramas is already coming to screeching halt -- despite the fact that completed scripts have yet to be shot.

Sitcoms which have already gone dark are: The New Adventures of Old Christine, Back to You, 'Til Death, and Rules of Engagement. And with Steve Carrell refusing to cross the picket line, The Office has shut down for business, as well.

Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice) and Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit) have publicly stated that they won't perform their showrunner responsibilities either. Without their showrunners, these high profile dramas will most likely cease production earlier than networks expected.