TVSquad

I like Scott Bakula. I've liked him in just about everything I've seen him do. The latest news that Scott Bakula is joining Chuck as Papa Bartowski, Chuck and Ellie's long-lost dad, seems like great casting to me.

I can't imagine how the clever writers of the show -- that starts with creator Josh Schwartz -- will keep from referring to Quantum Leap and Enterprise in some way. In fact, knowing their penchant for weaving topical bits into the plot, there should be a slew of references.

(S10E19) Let's start with the April aftermath...

With April gone, Ollie feels it's do or die now in the Big Brother 10 house. He's played the game "sub-par" up until now. Renny feels great about her successful HOH reign. Her target left. Mission accomplished. Keesha is worried about how Ollie will react. And Dan, the swing vote, had some parting words for April who tried to buy him off: "Guess what, April? I'm not here for $5,000. I'm here for $500,000." So, Dan is there to win.

One thing we found out for sure tonight: Dan may or may not win Big Brother, but he is certainly there to play. A recap of last night's Big Brother is after the jump ...

(S10E18) "Anything else I could do for you, I would do for you." -April to Dan

Once again, Dan the Man with the Master Plan is the swing vote at eviction time. Renny nominated April and Jerry on Sunday, her target being April from Arizona. However, Dan has no personal reason to evict her. In fact, if Dan was playing the game strictly listening to his personal feelings, he should evict Jerry who called him a "Judas" last week and said that he "hides behind his cross." Furthermore, April offered Dan, the PoV holder, money on Tuesday before the ceremony.

Okay, what am I missing? Oh yeah, it's that April is a kick-butt player in the Big Brother 10 house who will pick them off one-by-one with her showmance Ollie at her side.

Find out what went down and who went home after the jump...

(S10E10) When we left the houseguests on Wednesday night, Angie had just been evicted and they were still battling it out for the next HOH. Michelle was sad to see Angie go but had no choice in her vote considering Jessie was on the block. Jessie is nervous for the competition because he didn't "kiss anyone's tail" last week. Memphis said more of the same and was ready for a fight. The three of them know that they are in trouble of Keesha's alliance gets HOH.

Let's find out what happened after the jump...

The eviction ceremony just aired over here in California. We left the houseguests as they stood on the edge of a big fake wall as if they were about to jump to their deaths off the ledge of a building.

And of course, obsessive as I am, I tuned in to ShoToo for Big Brother After Dark directly after the show. I have spoilers to share.

Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.

Okay, that statement may be a little flowery, but the sentiment is still there. After a very long dry period a good many of our favorite comedies and dramas are returning to the television landscape. We've had a taste of it these last few weeks with the return of shows like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, The Riches and Smallville. That was just a preview of what is to come. Over the next few weeks we will see the return of The Office, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, all of the CSIs, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost, among others.

Those of you who are lucky enough to own an HDTV should check out Planet Earth tonight on Discovery Channel. I keep seeing previews for it today as I absent-mindedly watch a marathon of Deadliest Catch and it looks stunning. The series is basically Earth Science, featuring all sorts of unique animals and plants, and examining various landscapes.

Besides the fact that it looks beautiful, the story behind it is almost as impressive. The miniseries took five years to make and photographers put their lives on the line more than once to document the extreme living conditions on this planet.

Barry Sonnenfeld (Addams Family, Men in Black) is executive producing the new ABC comedy Notes from the Underbelly, about a couple, Andrew and Lauren (Peter Cambor and Jennifer Westfeldt) who become pregnant and must deal with advice from their friends and family while also dealing with the pressures of giving up their once carefree lifestyle for a more mature one. See Joel's take on the series here (he didn't like it much).

The couple's friends include overzealous parents Julie (Melanie Paxson) and Eric (Sunkrish Bala); Cooper (Rachael Harris), an attorney who values her work over the idea of raising a family; and Danny (Michael Weaver), a womanizer.

It appears that all the stereotypes needed for a basic sitcom are in place, now it's just a matter of seeing if everything can come together to create something that's worth watching. I must say, though, that the premise alone doesn't sound all that exciting.