TVSquad

Cartoon Network's Star Wars: The Clone Wars just might be the best action/adventure show on television. Come to think of it, it might be the only true action/adventure show on television.

But, as the show ramps up the action content and significantly sweetens its visuals, its increased intensity might be driving away some younger viewers.

As The Clone Wars moves through its second season, the war is growing -- both in scope and violence. Viewers are seeing more dead Clonetroopers, more crashed vehicles and more beloved characters in deadly jeopardy.

Its ratings continue to cruise in hyperspace (especially for males), but I wonder if the darker tones of season two could drive younger kids and their parents away from the show.

ABC has cast some familiar television faces in an ambitious family-oriented pilot called Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. The West Wing's Janel Moloney (yes, she's done other stuff, too, but to me she's still Donna) and Patrick Breen (who's been on lots of shows like Eli Stone and The West Wing, too), will play the adopted parents of Gwen Malloy, the star of Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. Jodelle Ferland, a 13-year-old veteran has landed the Gwen role, and the show will revolve around her. Ferland is a vet, having appeared in features like Tideland, a Terry Gilliam film, Dark Angel and The Collector. On TV, she was in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital.

Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is being talked up as a Harry Potter meets Pan's Labyrinth, although the plot also has elements of Nim's Island in there, if you ask me. Gwen is an adventurous kid who discovers a magic atlas. The atlas is the key to a secret world beneath our own reality.

Jerry Bruckheimer may be taking over yet another hour of programming over at CBS. His production company is already responsible for the CSI franchises, Without a Trace, Cold Case, and The Amazing Race. Now the network has ordered a pilot for another Bruckheimer drama about a team of treasure hunters. The series tracks the treasure hunters as they travel all over the world to play Indiana Jones. It kind-of sounds like CSI meets The Amazing Race, doesn't it?

The writers said they want to update Indiana Jones and make it exciting and cool. I can already picture the musical montages as the adventurers unearth and restore their treasure.

(S06E10) Winter break is over folks, and Smallville is back with ... Tori Spelling? Yes, you read (and probably saw) that right. Miss 90210 herself has broken out of Beverly Hills and made her way to Smallville. She brings Clark yet another double L connection, playing snarky gossip columnist Linda Lake who tries to blow the lid on Lex Luthor and Lana Lang (butting heads with Chloe SuLLivan in the process), and Lois Lane thinks that OLLie Queen might be the Green Arrow. Leapin' lizards, there's probably a whole crate of extra Ls being ordered by the production team in order to keep up with everything.

So, with Lana still reeling from Lex's marriage proposal, she's hoping to "revisit her past" to seek answers. Which is female code-word talking for "I'm going to see if there's someone better that I might regret not going out with again, so just hang on for an answer." Of course, poor Clark has to read it on the Daily Planet gossip page, which makes me wonder whatever happened to Perry White and The Inquisitor. This sort of drudge is much more suited for their pages, not for the newspaper of Metropolis.

As I mentioned before, a live-action movie based on the beloved children's cartoon Underdog is currently in development. At the time they didn't have a voice for Underdog, who will be played on screen by an actually dog. Dane Cook was apparently being considered, but it looks like it will actually be Jason Lee of My Name is Earl providing vocals for the crime-fighting, rhyming canine. Besides being live-action, the movie will also differ from the original series in other ways. Instead of Underdog existing as a self-sustaining hero, he'll be adopted by a young boy. As much as I loved the original Underdog, nothing I've heard about this movie so far is making me want to rush out and see it. I'll reserve judgment until it comes out, but I'm pretty sure I won't be proved wrong.