TVSquad

I started watching Law & Order during the Briscoe and Green days, so I don't know a whole lot about Detective Rey Curtis, Briscoe's former partner from '94-'99. What I do know is that Benjamin Bratt is pulling a Chris Noth and returning to the show that gave him his big break.

Bratt, whose A&E series, The Cleaner, was just canceled, is reprising his role as Detective Rey Curtis on the original Law & Order. However, it doesn't look like the current crime-fighting duo of Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Bernard (Anthony Anderson) have anything to worry about: Bratt is only signed up for one episode.

I haven't warmed up to Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson, but I still like the second half of the Law and Order team. This season finale was ... convoluted. I was lost about 20 minutes into it, even after McCoy went to the board and literally drew a graphic for the audience to explain what was going on. In short, an S&M murder case led back to Tom Everett Scott's governor character and his wife, and hinted at an interesting race next season (which will see the show on at a new day and time, Friday at 8 PM).

What did everyone else think?

Bad news for fans of both Jesse L. Martin and Law and Order: the star is leaving the NBC show.

Reports say that Martin will film one more episode of the NBC show before leaving. He had originally signed to do 13 episodes this season but the writers strike interrupted those plans. He will be written off the show, but there's no word yet on exactly what that means (quitting the force, getting killed off, abducted by aliens, whatever).

And if you're thinking about auditioning for a role on the show, you're out of luck: they've already found a replacement.

... Six welcome returns.

Every fall season I get stoked about all the new shows, with cool new premises ("A guy travels through time trying to make right what once went wrong!"-- Journeyman not Quantum Leap), and all the big changes in store for existing shows. But it's equally exciting to see which beloved actors will be returning to television. Brad Garrett coming back to television in 'Til Death last year? Cool! Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer both coming back to television ... together? That's gotta be awesome, right? Jerry O'Connell on Carpoolers ... well ... ? I like the guy, but I'm not scheduling a 'Welcome Back' shindig for him.

Half the fun of a new television season is the return of great actors and actresses to the small screen. And while I could have easily done 10 or even 20 of these, I've narrowed it down to the six talents who were most welcome back in my house on a weekly basis this past year. I've even been so bold as to rank them. Feel free to agree, disagree and present your own lists in the comments.

Just when I thought it was another field trip.

Rather than load all 200 plus members of the TCA on a plane to New Orleans, Fox decided to have a N.O.-themed party at Les Deux, a trendy restaurant in Hollywood in honor of its new series K-Ville, which has cast Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as cops in a post-Katrina Louisiana.

There was only man who could give me the full scoop on this series and what it will mean to New Orleans -- Times Picayune TV columnist Dave Walker

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly answered inquiries from TCA members on Sunday about a big name exiting the network -- only the network was NBC and the departure was Reilly's own.

Reilly poked fun at the standard reasons found in press releases that are used to explain a person's leaving a top gig. "No one is ever really fired in Hollywood are they," he rhetorically asked, adding, "You can pick whatever trade euphemism you want [to explain my exit from NBC]. 'I segued.' 'I thought about it over the holidays.' I want to spend more time with my family, which I did for three days.'"

Then, Fox hired him to work with Peter Liguori, the network's entertainment chairman.

Fox really only has a handful of new pilots to premiere next season because it's holding on to mega ratings-getters like American Idol, House, Prison Break, and 24... to name a few. It's replacing last season's stinkers such as Standoff and Justice.

At its upfronts presentation last month, the net announced two new reality shows, three new comedies and five new dramas. Of those, we have seen all the comedies and dramas except a drama called Nashville, which Fox has not yet released for preview.

(S07E19) Anthony Anderson has been playing a lot of heavy characters these past two years, and I'm not talking about his wait weight. Ba-Da-Dum! Thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

Seriously, Anderson is known for his comedic roles in television shows such as All About the Andersons and movies like Scary Movie 3 (and 4) and Harold & Kumar go to White Castle (hilarious scene). I mean, he was in Kangaroo Jack for crying out loud. However, we have seen Anderson's serious side over the past two years. Last year and this, he portrayed villain Antwon Mitchell on the FX show The Shield. On this episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit he portrays Lucius Blaine, Elliot Stabler's (Chris Meloni) replacement partner.

Wait, where's Stabler's original partner, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay)? Well, jump on through and we'll catch you up.

Guest stars. Think of them as spiking the punch. Sure, it's bright red, tasty, and fun to drink already. But dump in that flask of rum and it gets even better. Of course, the type of rum makes all the difference. You start playing around with the cheap stuff that comes in the non-descript plastic container and costs less than a gallon of milk, then you're begging for a headache and hangover. But if you suck it up, mortgage the house a second time, and fork over the newly acquired funds for a juice-box sized bottle of the spiced stuff from an unpronounceable coastal Puerto Rican village... well, you're gonna have a good night.

That being said, five guest stars who didn't give me a headache and a hangover:

1.) Bob Saget [Himself, Entourage] - Saget guested as one of Vince's new neighbors midway through the second season. If we're to believe that Saget's part as himself was true to life, then he's a woman-loving, sex-crazed, brothel addict. As Turtle so wisely put it, nothing is more embarrassing than being "cock-blocked by Bob Saget".