TVSquad

After the executive session, CBS continued immediately with its jam-packed day of press tour, introducing four new shows and taking a look at returning hits Shark and How I Met Your Mother.

First up, the all-star cast of Cane, a prime time soap that's been compared to The Sopranos and Dallas, starring Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno, takes the platform.

Smits, who also serves as co-executive producer, stars as Alex, a man who's married to his "sister" (Alex is adopted), prompting executive producer and perpetual funnyman Jonathan Prince to call creator/e.p. Cynthia Cidre -- "Woody."

(S01E22) Billy Campbell is back as Wayne the serial-killer, now in the middle of an O.J., If I Did It, -style book tour. Larry King, playing himself for the umpteenth time in a crime drama, interviews Wayne, albeit with eyes glued to cue-cards. Larry asks the kind of pointed challenging questions here that only the fictional Larry King is even know to ask. This cameo affords the most fun moment of the night, however: Stark after arresting Wayne during a commercial break in the interview, and never one to pass by a camera, sits down to join Larry for the final segment.

(S01E12) After the last episode's hyper-ballistic antics, I looked forward to seeing Shark's return to good old psychological terror. Billy Campbell (The 4400), still sporting most of the beard and flowing Jesus-locks he grew on his round-the-world sailing trip a year or two ago, guest stars as serial killer Wayne. He is a more formidable villain than we've seen Stark face before. Don't even talk to me about that fizzle of an international arms dealer: the unfortunately-named Khan.

Anyway, sociopathic Wayne chooses to defends himself at trial, which puts his single surviving victim in the terrible position of being cross-examined by her own tormentor. That has happened in a few notable real-world cases, and probably a dozen Law and Order episodes, but it's an intense dilemma worthy enough of a go-around here.

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article pondering the demise of The O.C. It lost 26% of its audience when season two started up. Then 15% more disappeared (myself included) for season three. And, now in season four, The O.C. lost a whopping 39% of its crucial, age 18-49 viewers from last season. It's in so much trouble that the network has even launched an online effort to save the show. (Or gauge viewer interest)

Why?

The article includes a very frank interview with The O.C. creator, Josh Schwartz, who admits some mistakes. He says, opening up the series during season two to include storylines for the parents was too much to juggle. When it started to get stale, he killed off Caleb Nichol. Smart move, he says. But, he wonders whether it was such a hot idea to kill off Marissa Cooper's character at the end of last season.

(S01E09) Anyone not too stuffed on turkey and passed out by early-evening got the chance to see Sebastian Stark search for the murderer of one of his own, when an A.D.A. is gunned down, alongside a woman not his wife.

When he gets the call, err ... the text message, Stark is out trying to convince his daughter Julie to let him buy her a $2000 dress for some event Julie's not that shallow, but it does beg the question: how is Stark managing to maintain his lifestyle on a Los Angeles County salary? Ah, never mind, Stark's hardly the first television character to live beyond his means. Maybe he invests well.

Boston Legal is a unique program. Not in terms of its subject matter, or its cast (although, it does have a pretty star-studded cast), but in the fact that it has such a huge connection to the various incarnations of Star Trek. No, I'm not saying that the show takes place in the legal offices of the United Federation of Planets. What I'm pointing out is the fact that it stars or has featured several actors who have been part of that legacy. Here is a breakdown of the five (plus one) Star Trek actors who have graced the David E. Kelly program.

William Shatner (Denny Crane): Of course, we all know Mr. Shatner as the brave and bold Captain James T. Kirk from the original run of Star Trek. And, in some ways, Shatner's Denny Crane is a future version of the Captain. For instance, Denny is tough, abrasive, direct, and extremely horny. If you have seen the show, you know that Denny will have sex with anything that isn't tied down, including life-like inflatable dolls that have a uncanny likeness to law firm partner Shirley Schmidt. Other than the inflatable doll, how much of what I mentioned describes Kirk?

(S01E08) Henry Simmons returns as Isaac finally, and it's probably a good idea that they delayed bringing him back until now. For whatever reason this was done, it did give some of the other series regulars a chance to establish themselves.

Stark likes him, seeing in Isaac someone like himself maybe. Impulsive, but smart and committed. Since Stark's first job offer, Isaac's been working security for a wealthy rapper who happens to be a total jerk, so after Isaac inquires about the county's dental plan, he's on board with Stark.

(S01E05) Little by little, this show is growing on me, especially the last couple weeks when they've decided to stretch out of the initial formula a bit more. Stark has the stones to call in a football bet to his bookie before actually jumping into the case of the three (maybe two) college football rapists, which was a characteristically accurate touch for this lawyer for whom winning is everything.

(S01E04) The Russo of the title is Harry Russo, an shady private eye and former associate of Stark, who becomes the focus of a murder investigation. Stark's boss Jess Devlin (Jeri Ryan) hates Russo. Stark seems to have a grudging respect for him, or at least him sees the situation as more complex than his boss does. For some reason we have to be told twice, in two close-together scenes, that "every lawyer in town -- not just Stark -- hires private eyes." That's important evidently.

The great William Forsythe, classic bad-guy character actor, guest-stars as Russo. He and James Woods perform well together, and have good chemistry. Russo even makes at joking-stab at getting Stark to get him on the county payroll, but that's dicey given Russo's separate grand jury and murder investigation troubles. I'm still holding out hope that Stark's still keeping that position open for Henry Simmons.

(S01E03) The wife of a prominent heart surgeon goes missing and Sebastian Stark's "High Profile Crimes Unit" is on the case. Jeri Ryan as D.A. Devilin is discovered to have sweeping legal powers, when we see her vouch for Stark, who's allowed to set off the metal detector at the courthouse without being searched by deputies, or even take off his big fat Rolex. She'd be handy to have around at the airport.

(S01E01) The premise here is that a high-priced defense attorney grows a conscience and heads up an new unit of the prosecutor's office to convict high-profile (read rich and/or famous) criminals. This set-up is dispensed with in a couple short scenes so we can get on with it. I appreciated that. There's also a subplot with Sebastian Stark (James Woods) learning to feel and become a better father to his daughter. Squeeze in a couple scenes to establish Jessica Devlin (Jeri Ryan) as a no-nonsense D.A. who is doubtful about having Stark in her department. Then add in four or five difficult-to-distinguish attractive young associates to complete Stark's team, and even before we get to his first case, the one-hour pilot is packed full of character types we've seen in prime time many times before.

When I first considered doing 'The Five' for the women of Star Trek it seemed simple enough. After giving that some thought though, I realized it's just not possible. Over the hundreds of hours of television and movies that comprise the Trek universe, there have just been way too many beautiful women to boil it all down to just five. I mean, just in the original series you have the likes of Yeoman Tamura (Miko Mayama - pictured), Lt. Landon (Celeste Yarnall), T'Pring (Arlene Martel), Mea Three (Barbara Babcock), Drusilla (Lois Jewell), and Andrea (Sherry Jackson). And that's just to start. So, while I have chosen five of my favorites after the jump, I realize that there are easily another fifty that could make the list. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments. I'm curious to see what the TV Squad faithful think.

Well, not the real Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager, because that would be just silly. I mean, do you know the financial costs of traveling back in time from the 24th century? They're astronomical! Plus, if she manipulates the time stream we could all be living under the iron thumb of . . . gulp . . . Canada!

No, I'm talking about Jeri Ryan, who appeared as Seven of Nine, and recently worked with David E. Kelley, creator of ABC's Boston Legal, on the FOX series Boston Public. Ryan will be appearing in the two-hour season finale of Boston Legal that will air on May 16th. She will appear as host of a fictional reality series who is charged with attempted murder after shooting at a member of the paparazzi that was stalking her.