TVSquad

The "Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column or in TV Squad's APB Podcast.

To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them to asktvsquad@gmail.com.

This week, I answer questions about TV shows on DVD.

This is probably an odd thing to say in a post at a TV blog, but you probably shouldn't look at the video below. It's not exactly a spoiler in the strictest sense, but it does show what will definitely be a very special moment in the history of Scrubs. It really does feel like a series finale, not a season finale, so I'm curious to see how they handle things if the show does return for another season.

I'll admit that I'm not too thrilled with TNT's new drama Trust Me yet. I want it to be much better than it is.

Of course, the key word there is "yet," because we all know that TV shows can get better as they go along in their first season, and even into their second. Unfortunately, we now live in a fast-paced TV world where shows have to pretty much be a hit from the get-go. Sure, shows on premium cable networks like HBO andf Showtime often get a longer honeymoon because there's less ratings pressure, but for the most part, shows either have to be a big hit early, show growth over the weeks (in general or in a certain demographic), or have to have a lot of "buzz" that cancels out (at least temporarily) any notions of a cancellation (like Gossip Girl).

But Trust Me? The ratings are in free fall.

(S01E01) Have you ever had one of those shows that you wanted to truly love, because you've always liked the stars and you're into the premise of the show, but you end up only liking it? That's how it is with me and Trust Me.

Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good show. An entertaining hour. But it's also an hour that is filled with so many obvious flaws that can't be overlooked.

I will guess that a lot of people think that the reason why we have another cable drama set in the world of advertising is because of the success of AMC's Mad Men. And while the honors that the 60s-based show probably gave TNT execs an extra reason to look at Trust Me and put its production into overdrive, the show has actually been in the works for a while.

The comparisons are going to come though. The shows are very different. Judging from the first two episodes, they're not only different in setting (2009 Chicago vs. 1960 NYC) and tone (faster paced, with more obvious humor than Mad Men), they're not really going for anything deep or tackling any big issues.

One of the greatest guest stars in Scrubs, nay, in television history will make his triumphant return soon.

Tom Cavangagh told TV Guide he will make another guest appearance on Scrubs as J.D.'s older brother Dan before the final season's hourglass runs out of mortality sand.

Cavanagh confirmed the news by saying the "chances are 100 percent" that he'll get to go back on the show this season. Cavanagh will also star in the TNT show Trust Me with Will & Grace star Eric McCormick and Scrubs regular Sarah Chalke.

Can two cable shows about the advertising world co-exist? Of course they can. With 12 Law and Orders, 9 CSIs, and 57 reality shows where sexy people live in a house, I think we can have two shows about advertising.

Trust Me is the new name of the TNT series Truth in Advertising. It stars Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) as Mason and Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as Connor, best friends who also run an ad agency. Unlike Mad Men, it's set in the present day. Also unlike Mad Men, it's set in Chicago. See? Two big differences right there.

(S01E10) The title of this episode was called "Heartbeat" because Eli's case involved a heart transplant -- two actually -- but "Reflections" might have been more appropo. Eli awakened in Nate's body and continued to find himself reliving his brother's life ten years before. And not on just any day, but the day that their dad died.

Overall, this was a particularly interesting episode because it seemed to lay the groundwork for where Eli Stone is going. Since it's likely that the show is going to be renewed -- deservedly so -- the prospect of Eli getting that surgery which may correct the aneurysm that's causing his visions, may not be happening after all.

My first thought when I heard about TNT's Truth In Advertising, which has just received the go ahead for 13 episodes, was "oh, they're just doing that because of the critical success of Mad Men." And who knows, that might be true, but this show by itself sounds awfully intriguing.

I mean, come on, look at this cast: Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), Tom Cavanagh (Ed, Eli Stone), Sarah Clarke (24), Monica Potter (Boston Legal), and Griffin Dunne (Law and Order: CI, 3 lbs.). And it's from the same people who bring us The Closer, so you know it's going to be of some quality. And it's really great to see Cavanagh and McCormack back on weekly TV again (oh, when oh when is Ed coming to DVD?).

(S07E03) Based on the first two episodes, I was tentatively hopeful that the final season of Scrubs was going to be a good one. Now, after this third episode, my confidence in Bill Lawrence and company is almost fully restored after last season's awkwardness and inconsistency.

What worked this week? Well, having Tom Cavanagh come back to play J.D.'s older brother Dan always helps. But, like last week, we had a refreshing lack of insanity, punctuated by some funny situations that came out of the characters' personalities instead of zippy lines.

In case you haven't heard, there is the possibility of a writers strike in early 2008, and TV networks have started to buy more and more scripts ahead of time just in case.

ABC has Section 8, which is described as being about "everyday people with exceptional neurological abilities recruited to work for a secret branch of a government agency" (again? *sigh*). NBC passed on the show because it was too much like another show they have about ordinary folks with powers (hmmm...The Biggest Loser?)

We've speculated about this many times here at TV Squad, but now we have word from Ed himself, Tom Cavanagh, that season one of the show is coming to DVD.

In an interview with Collider.com, Cavanagh says:

"Yeah, I guess they're talking about it. Last I heard was they were close on season one. The stumbling block as it's like a lot of the time is the music rights. They were fortunate enough because of the clout they had as Letterman's producers to get a lot of great music as one-offs. Of course, when you put those on a DVD that becomes a whole different thing."

Various things I've been thinking about lately.

1. I don't know why I didn't notice this before, but the guy who plays Horn-Rimmed Glasses Man on Heroes, Jack Coleman, is the guy who played Steven Carrington on Dynasty in the 80s! I didn't recognize him at all. Not that I watched Dynasty. I was a Knot's Landing guy. Great hair though.

Tom Cavanagh, known for his goofy-but-sweet roles in Ed, Love Monkey and Scrubs, is going all nerdy on us! He's going to host six episodes of a backstage pass-type show for the Smithsonian Institution.

Last year, the Smithsonian announced it is creating a television channel with Showtime that will launch in April. There are at least 60 programs planned, with a few already in the works. One of those few is Cavanagh's Stories from the Vaults. The premise of the 30-minute series is that Cavanagh gets to take viewers behind-the-scenes to check out some of the Smithsonian Institution's coolest and oddest artifacts.

The Smithsonian programming is being offered to cable and satellite profiders as an on-demand channel. Many of the other programs will focus on Smithsonian research, which is not as well-known as its artifacts. So far, no television providers have picked it up.

I was bummed when the show was canceled so quickly by CBS, and really happy when the show was picked up VH-1 (well, the episodes already in the can), so why did I forget to watch it last night? I have to remember, it's on VH-1, Tuesdays at 9. VH-1, Tuesdays at 9. VH-1, Tuesdays at 9!

Luckily, the networks repeat everything a lot now, and this episode (titled "The Window") will be repeated this Thursday at 11am. I'm going to set my DVR just in case. The Price Is Right is on at the same time.

Don't you hate it when you're looking forward to seeing something, but you get busy and it slips your mind and you miss it?