TVSquad

The good folks at the New York Television Festival have been nice enough to give us four full festival passes to give away this week! These passes will not only get you into all panels and pilot screenings (except the Industry Day panels on Monday the 15th), but will also get you into all of the premiere screenings and after-parties (21 and up only) that will be held that week, complete with the stars and producers of each show. Among the shows that will have premieres that week: Fringe, Life on Mars, Life, and Worst Week. The Festival will be held from September 12-17 at New World Stages in midtown Manhattan.

To enter, leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Tuesday, September 9 simply telling us which of the premieres you most want to see. As always, we'll randomly choose four winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

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.

NBC has issued a press release with the premiere dates for all their fall shows. This way, you know when to set your DVR.

The full press release includes descriptions for each of the shows. New shows are in all caps.

Heroes will be the first scripted show to return with a two-hour premiere on September 22nd. The first new scripted show will be Knight Rider on September 24th (although I don't know if you could count it as new since they already broadcast the two-hour pilot).

Complete schedule after the jump.

NBC unveiled their new schedule today, weeks ahead of all of the other networks, and here are some highlights of their "52-week schedule".

New shows: My Own Worst Enemy, with Christian Slater as a spy (Monday at 10); the island adventure series Crusoe (Friday at 8); the Molly Shannon sitcom Kath & Kim (Tuesday at 9:30); and the remake of Knight Rider (Wednesday at 8). The new drama The Philanthropist will air in the My Own Worst Enemy's time slot in the winter. Two other dramas will also debut in the winter: Kings (with Ian McShane) and Merlin, as will the reality show America's Toughest Jobs.

Returning: 30 Rock, Medium, The Office, Celebrity Apprentice, Life, Chuck, Heroes, Dateline, Deal Or No Deal, My Name Is Earl, America's Got Talent, Last Comic Standing, Nashville Star, The Biggest Loser, American Gladiators, SNL, ER, Law and Order, and Law and Order: SVU.

Gone: Scrubs (probably moving to ABC), Bionic Woman, Amnesia, 1 vs. 100, Journeyman.

To call 2007 a stellar year of TV would be a mistake, because it was a very bleh year in many respects. Shows that had previously riveted us to our seats made missteps and mistakes. New shows were either mediocre or just unmemorable. A writers' strike made people anxious and depressed all at once. And the aspects of the TV world that have generated low expectations continued on their merry lowbrow way (I mean, who expected Tila Tequila's search for love to be anything but a skankfest)?

But in a year of abject mediocrity, some highlights and lowlights poked through. Like last year, I'm going to make up categories instead of doing traditional "Bests" and "Worsts." It hurts my brain less...

• At 8, CBS has a new Kid Nation.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Deal Or No Deal at 8, followed by a new Life.
• The CW has new episodes of America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl.
• Discovery has Rise of the Video Game at 8, followed by a new Mythbusters.
• TLC has Million Dollar Christmas at 8.
• G4 has two new episodes of X-Play at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new Private Practice, then a new Dirty Sexy Money.
• TBS has four new episodes of House of Payne starting at 9.
• Food Network has Rachael Ray's Holiday Feast at 9.
• Also at 9: History Channel has a new Lost Worlds, then a new MonsterQuest.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Project Runway.
• HBO has a new Inside the NFL at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Could this be the end of NBC"s Life?
• Jaime Weinman introduces us to some Italian versions of TV theme songs, including Mork & Mindy, The Dukes of Hazzard, and the original Bionic Woman.
• A look at Teller's house in Las Vegas.
• Five things you should know about Keith Olbermann.
• Will there be a Gilmore Girls reunion movie?
• William Shatner still not happy about not being in that new Star Trek movie.
• Who was named People's "Sexiest Deep Thinker?"
• Which TV celebs made Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 Top Stars of 2007?

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• NBC is moving Life to Mondays at 10...at least temporarily.
• Jane Espenson on writing comedy and drama for television.
• The script for every single Kitchen Nightmares that will ever be made.
• TV and film execs are worried about these things called "books."
• Nancy Grace is out of the hospital.
• Stephen Colbert is the Comedy Rambo.
• Salon names Mad Men's Jon Hamm the Sexiest Man Alive (not dead).
• Mo Rocca, Kyle MacLachlan, John Gibson, and Leonard Nimoy are Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Phenomenon, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back To You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Food Network has a new Good Eats at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9, then a new MonsterQuest.
• HGTV has a new Deserving Design at 9, then a new Design on a Dime.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new "Fall Harvest" episode of Paula's Home Cooking, followed by a new Dinner: Impossible with guest Priscilla Presley.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park.
• The new season of Project Runway gets underway at 10 on Bravo.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here's a weird possible benefit for some TV shows: the strike could actually help some shows stick around longer.

Why? Since production on many TV shows has shut down, the networks might be a little antsy about wasting what original programming they have. So a show that might otherwise be on the edge of being put on hiatus or even cancellation might get a bit of a reprieve and stick around longer.

Sweeps period is not only important for networks but also for TV viewers. Sweeps periods are when some of the biggest events in a TV series happen: deaths, explosions, extra special guest stars, etc.

To prepare you for November sweeps, I've combed through the networks' sweeps press releases and official episode descriptions and extracted what seems to be the juicy information for almost all scripted series on the five major networks.

All spoilers listed after the jump are actually spoilers the networks want you to know!

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, followed by new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Phenomenon at 8, then a new Life.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• AMC has Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at 8, followed by Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.
• Bravo has a 100 Scariest Movie Moments marathon all night.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters, then a new Storm Chasers.
• The History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9, about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, followed by MonsterQuest, about the search for Champ, America's Loch Ness Monster.
• HGTV has new "haunted house" edition of Deserving Design, then a new Design on a Dime.
• FX has Halloween H20 at 9.
• At 10, HBO has a new Inside The NFL.
• At 11, Lifetime has two Halloween eps of Will and Grace.

Check your local TV listings for more, and check out special guide to all the Halloween shows on tonight.

• At 8, FOX has the first game of the World Series.
• ABC has a new Pushing Daisies at 8, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS new episodes of Kid Nation, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has the series premiere of Phenomenon at 8, then new episodes of Bionic Woman and Life.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• AMC has the original Halloween at 8.
• Also at 8: Lifetime has the new romantic comedy Nature of the Beast, about a guy who turns into a werewolf.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters.
• History Channel has a new Lost Worlds at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, followed by new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• FOX has a new Back to You at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8, followed by a new Gossp Girl.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• Food Network has a new Emeril Live at 8.
• At 9, Hallmark has the TV movie Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses, with Dick Van Dyke.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• HBO has a new Inside The NFL at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Better Half.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Kid Nation at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal, Bionic Woman, and Life.
• There's a new Back To You on FOX at 8, then new episodes of 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares.
• PBS has a new Wired Science at 8.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has new Ghost Hunters.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, Bravo has the Top Chef reunion show.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.
• Also at 10: HBO has a new Inside The NFL.

Check your local TV listings for more.