Kona told you recently that Benjamin Bratt is coming back to Law & Order for a short time. S. Epatha Merkerson's Van Buren character has been diagnosed with cancer, which always gives shows a chance to bring back old characters. But it also gives a show a chance to bring on new characters, and that's what's going to happen starting this Friday.
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.
Law and Order has been taking real-life cases for their show for years. Sometimes they take them so much that it wanders into "lazy writing" category and not "inspired by" category. But tonight's episode, "Reality Bites," could be interesting.
There's a murder (duh) but it involves Larry & Joy, who have a ton of kids and are part of a reality TV show. And there's a twist involving another woman who has a lot of kids. Hmmmm...
Here's how you know that Leno isn't very funny: he puts himself into his sketches.
Now, this sketch below, which parodies cop/doctor/lawyer shows, isn't that funny to begin with. It's one of those ideas that's funnier on paper than actually executed. But it's made more unfunny by Leno putting himself in the sketch -- in not one but two different roles. It takes you right out of the sketch.
Oh, and I'm sure fans of TV drama won't be laughing at all, since Leno takes up the time slot in which a lot of NBC dramas could be airing.
While a lot of shows seem to be thriving in cable, in the last couple of days, two series have bitten the dust. TBS dumped The Bill Engvall Show after three seasons, and now A&E Network has canceled The Cleaner, opting not to give the drama series another year. Hmm... does that mean Benjamin Bratt is available to return to Law and Order?
Probably not. Been there, done that, you know. But the TV pro is now unemployed although I doubt that'll be for long. The Cleaner just never really clicked for A&E. It was as intense as the network's hit reality show, Intervention, but it wasn't nearly as compelling.
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You might think that you're watching a variation on Law & Order when the first few minutes of The Good Wife commences. It's not just that Chris Noth is in the scene, looking every bit like Mike Logan. It's more that the scene is ripped from the headlines. Disgraced politician -- Elliot Spitzer, David Vitter, Jim McGreevey -- caught in a sex scandal. His innocent, good wife, standing beside him.
As Alicia Florrick, the wife of a Chicago prosecutor who was caught sucking the toes of prostitutes and forced to resign, Julianna Margulies masters the shell-shocked, distant gaze. Her eyes, in fact, fixate on a stray thread on his suit. But the fog lifts quickly and away from the podium, reality comes in the form of a smack in the face. She delivers the smack, and from that moment, you're on her side. Maybe it was a cheap trick, but it worked.
If a show is good enough to get nominated for an Emmy, why not watch it for hours on end while you forget forever what the sun looks like?
USA Networks has announced that it's reaching around and patting itself enthusiastically on the back for its Emmy nomination collection with a marathon event of Monk, House and Law & Order: SVU. The chain of would-be red carpet winners runs Friday, September 4 through Sunday, September 6 and includes the episodes of each show up for awards.
Monk is all USA's baby and garnered 16 total Emmy nominations including seven nominations and three wins for Tony Shalhoub (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series).
House is Fox and SVU is shared with NBC. But it's one big happy Emmy family for USA.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jeff Goldblum's disappointing start on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. My basic point was that he hadn't really found his character yet - that he hadn't gelled with the series - and he wasn't getting any help from poorly written episodes like the atrocious "rock star" opener.
After watching this week's episode, I have to say, everything was much improved, all around. Granted, the poetry was just as bad as the rock music from Goldblum's debut episode; they managed to force Goldblum playing piano into the plot yet again, and the ending confessional was overly dramatic.
But the bad poetry wasn't quite as distracting as the music in the first episode, the piano playing was at least tangentially related to the plot (although still a stretch), and fans of the series in all its forms must have learned to forgive the dramatic confessions years ago as part of the show's style.
When Chris Noth left Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Jeff Goldblum was announced as his replacement, I was kind of excited. I'm a fan of Goldblum's, and he's always entertaining, whether he's a guest on a talk show or doing something decidedly strange like his guest spot on Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
So far, not so good. Last night's episode, which tried to weave together the stories of a washed-up celebrity chef, a hip hop mogul, and a flighty socialite, still didn't provide the punch I was hoping for. It was better than most of his episodes so far - and a good deal better than his first episode. And there are some elements I like; Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols can't seem to keep from correcting his co-workers, seemingly with no ill will, but irritating them in the process.
It's always great to hear the fall premiere dates for shows. It reminds you that, yes, eventually the summer is going to end and the fall will be here. Here are the dates when the new seasons of your favorite old NBC shows (and new ones) will launch (more dates to come).
Sunday, September 13: Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football Monday, September 14:The Jay Leno Show Tuesday, September 15: The Biggest Loser Thursday, September 17:SNL Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community Monday, September 21:Heroes Wednesday, September 23:Parenthood and Law and Order: SVU Friday, September 25: Law and Order and Southland Saturday, September 26:Saturday Night Live Monday, September 28:Trauma Thursday, October 15:30 Rock
Kona told you recently that 
At 7:30, Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
While a lot of shows seem to be thriving in cable, in the last couple of days, two series have bitten the dust. 
IFC has a marathon of The Prisoner all night.
(S01E01)
You might think that you're watching a variation on 
If a show is good enough to get nominated for an Emmy, why not watch it for hours on end while you forget forever what the sun looks like?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about 
When Chris Noth left 
It's always great to hear the fall premiere dates for shows. It reminds you that, yes, eventually the summer is going to end and the fall will be here. 
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