TVSquad

Ratings for NBC's Heroes are falling each and every week. The most recent episode was down 11% from the previous week's numbers.

I gotta tell ya, I don't get it. I'm really loving this season, but TV critics left and right have given up on the show. Sure, it's completely ridiculous and over the top, but if you remember the first season wasn't exactly a PBS documentary. The show has always been comic-book crazy, so I wonder if the writers strike had a bigger impact on the show than we all thought. Or maybe people have just gotten tired of the show, not because of any massive drop in quality but just because they're watching other things, not into sci-fi as much anymore, or don't want to follow another show with a continuing storyline and a lot of characters. I don't know, but I do know that the show is a ton of fun to watch, and even if there is a lot going on, it's a great ride.

It probably doesn't help that the ratings for the lead in show, Chuck, are down 15%. Wow, if these two shows go away, what other hour-long shows will there be left to watch on NBC? I'm not sitting through The Biggest Loser or Knight Rider, sorry. I wonder how My Own Worst Enemy will do in the Monday at 10 time slot when it premieres next week?

(S02E02) "His liver must look like camouflage." - Chuck Bartowski

As amusing as he is, I can't say that I'm excited about Lester becoming a douchebag now that he is assistant manager. Haven't we already seen this on shows like The Office? Of course, everyone still defers to Chuck on anything important, but a complete lack of discipline was what made the Buy More a great place to work, wasn't it?

Did the producers copy my iPod when I wasn't looking? Once again, Huey Lewis is the perfect musical choice.

• At 5, TBS has the Rays/White Sox game, followed by the Red Sox/Angels game.
  
• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, then a new Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, followed by new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Worst Week, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Chuck, Heroes, and Life.
• FOX has a new Sarah Connor Chronicles at 8, followed by a new Prison Break.
• At 8:30, ESPN has Monday Night Football, the Vikings vs. the Saints.
• Also at 8:30: Food Network has a new How'd That Get On My Plate, then a new Unwrapped.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• At 10, TNT has a new Raising The Bar.
• Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• MTV has a new episode of The Hills.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

You know the one I'm talking about. After the writers strike ended last year in February, most of the networks made the interesting decision to just go ahead and shelve most of their freshmen series for the season, even if they'd picked up their "back nine" orders. Instead, they thought they'd launch the shows to big fanfare this fall, almost as if they were new again. Unfortunately, it looks like this plan backfired on them tremendously.

Across the board, those sophomore series that went on hiatus for more than six months are way down in the ratings. Apparently, absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder when it comes to the television landscape. It makes the instant gratification generation forget you existed. And stop caring.

(S02E01) "Welcome to Thuderdome!" - Morgan Grimes

I'm curious if there is anyone who watched this season premiere and found the opening recap helpful at all. Are we to believe that there are people who watching the premiere who didn't see any of last season?

I was glad to see that they jumped right into the elimination of Chuck. Last season's finale made me afraid that the entire second season would be about Chuck trying NOT to get killed by Casey.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, then a new Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, followed by new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Worst Week, and CSI: Miami.
• FOX has new episodes of Sarah Connor Chronicles and Prison Break.
• NBC has the season premiere of Chuck at 8, then a new Heroes and the season premiere of Life.
• There's a new Gossip Girl on The CW at 8, followed by a new One Tree Hill.
• At 8:30, ESPN has Monday Night Football, the Ravens vs. the Steelers.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 9.
• At 10, TNT has a new Raising the Bar.
• Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives at 10.
• MTV has a new episode of The Hills at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

Want the scoop on some of TV's biggest guest stars? Well, most of them are on NBC's Chuck (second season premieres Monday, Sept. 29 at 8PM EST), so we went straight to the source.

Star Zachary Levi dished to us all about the famous faces that are coming to play this season, including Michael Clarke Duncan, John Larroquette, Nicole Richie, Tony Hale and ... Alf?

Also, find out the fellow NBC star he's most mistaken for, why he called himself a douchebag and what possible (OK, totally improbable) future storyline he let slip about a team of midget ninjas. No kidding.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

Lots of good stuff for TV Squad readers this week, from season one sets for Chuck, Pushing Daisies, and Private Practice to a new Seinfeld season one set and Cybill.

I have the Ozzie & Harriet disc but since it's Christmas-oriented, I'll probably wait a couple of months to review it.

• The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - Christmas with the Nelsons
• Alvin & The Chipmunks - Alvin!!! Edition
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3 Collection
• Chuck - Season 1
• Criminal Minds - Season 3
• Cybill - Vol. 1
• Dirty Sexy Money - Season 1
• Duckman - Season 1 and 2
• Father Knows Best - Vol. 1
• Gimme A Break! - Seasons 1 and 2 (Canada)
• Goosebumps - A Night in Terror Tower, Monster Blood, and One Day in Horrorland
• Inside The Actor's Studio - Robin Williams
• Meerkat Manor - Best of Season 3
• Private Practice - Season 1
• Pushing Daisies - Season 1
• The Red Green Show - 2000
• Seinfeld - Season 1: The Very Beginning
• Torchwood - Season Two
• Will & Grace - Complete Series and Season 8

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we'll supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479 - your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have: Bones, Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Greek, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, House, Lost, Private Practice, Scrubs, Smallville and Supernatural. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

Remember that slogan NBC had in the 80s, "NBC let's all be there!" They'd run commercials with it and you'd have stars like Philip Michael Thomas pop up in a box and point his two index fingers at you. I think that "be there" philosophy is gone for good at NBC, at least when it comes to stars being on certain shows.

Last week, the now-on-ABC show Scrubs filmed the probable series finale, which will air next spring. The epic episode will feature many of the guest stars that have appeared on the show over the years, but two of them are now on NBC shows and the network won't let them appear on it, even though both wanted to appear. The two stars in question are Masi Oka from Heroes and Sarah Lancaster from Chuck.

I'd love to hear NBC's side of this story, but if true, it seems like another of the dumb moves that NBC seems to be making nowadays. You would think that the network would just say "fine, you can be on the show," since it seems like a really trivial thing. Maybe even to just look good. I guess there's real animosity between NBC and creator Bill Lawrence.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we'll supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479 - your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have: 24, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, Chuck, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Ghost Whisperer, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Private Practice, and Pushing Daisies. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

I was really bitter towards CW for canceling Veronica Mars, so I was planning on not watching Gossip Girl out of spite. However, as a fan of (at least the first few seasons) of The O.C., the idea of another Josh Schwartz show intrigued me. Okay, that, and the fact that I loved Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (shut up), and the realization that my one-woman boycott wasn't going to bring VM back, all led me to the show.

When I tuned in, I really thought it would be The O.C. East, but Schwartz and the rest of the writers did a good job of making it its own show, I'm sure in no small part due to the fact that they had a series of books to work with. In fact, last night's 90210 premiere reminded me more of The O.C. than Gossip Girl ever has. So when I read that an O.C. alum was making her way to the Upper East Side, I wasn't exactly thrilled.

Casting spoilers ahead.

We really do live in a very different television landscape.

NBC has decided to put five of its shows online a week before they even premiere on TV, to build buzz. The network has decided to use Hulu to show the first episodes of new show Knight Rider and returning shows 30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle, Life, and Chuck.

Of course, putting episodes online is nothing new. All of the networks do it (sometimes they even "leak" the shows themselves to create buzz), but this seems to be a true attempt by NBC (which needs the help) to change the way they schedule, promote, and debut shows, a change in the way they program.

If you're of the belief that actions speak louder than words, than this move by NBC is proof positive that the network has great faith in Chuck. NBC has given Chuck an early full-season pickup.

The term is called a "back-nine" order, which means that the adventures of a geek-turned-reluctant super spy, will be on NBC for all of 2008-09. The vagaries of the demographics and Nielsens notwithstanding, NBC is betting on Chuck.

The comedy-adventure is entering its sophomore season, returning on Monday, September 29, at 8 E.T. Apparently, the powers-that-be at NBC -- Ben Silverman -- have liked the shows that are currently in the can.

Assuming they're right, Chuck will pick up right where it left off last year with sharp characters, funny stories and the right blend of action and laughs. It's not an easy mix, although when it works -- like Chuck and Burn Notice -- it makes for terrific TV.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we'll supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479 - your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have: 24, 90210, Burn Notice, Chuck, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Lost, NCIS, Reaper and Smallville. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)