TVSquad

A love triangle, a hidden pregnancy, Josh Charles, and a quickened plot is what awaits viewers who tune in to Six Degrees when it returns tonight on ABC at 9 pm. The series was pulled from the scheduled way back in November when it wasn't holding on to the Grey's Anatomy audience on Thursday nights. Created by J.J. Abrams, the drama is about six New Yorkers and how their lives intersect. The ensemble cast includes Bridget Moynahan, Campbell Scott, and Erika Christenson.

Only, in my opinion, it was slow. And boring. And apparently ABC thought so too, because it gave the executive producers a few mandates for the next seven episodes.

I don't watch Grey's Anatomy. I refuse to a.) get involved in a yet another continuing medical drama, and b.) I refuse to watch a show where there are characters named McDreamy and McSteamy. So I had no idea that the title of the show, while having a double meaning (including the medical/anatomy one, with a different spelling) was also referring to the lead character from the show, played by Ellen Pompeo, named Meredith Grey.

I learned this from reading Verne Gay's column about the show here in Newsday. How did I not know this earlier?

What about other shows I don't watch? Is "Miami" the name of David Caruso's character on CSI: Miami? Is Judge Judy's real first name "Judge?" Is "Philadelphia" the name of one of the characters on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia? Or is it "Sunny?"

[via TV Tattle]

NBC brings us the Golden Globes tonight, and this is the last in our series of preview posts looking at the television categories. Sandy will be blogging live updates of the show here on TV Squad, so if Jack and 24 already have your attention, keep a browser open to play along. That said, let's look at the award for Best Television Series - Drama.

Inertia is a powerful thing. And it is one of the big problems with Emmy nominations. Too often the same show will get nominated year after year because that's just what they do, while newer, more deserving shows, are overlooked. The Golden Globes doesn't fall into that particular trap quite as often, but they have their own issues. The Globes have a tendency to favor shows with a lot of buzz, or big ratings, whether their quality is up to snuff or not. I think it's something we see again in the list of nominees this year.

Just got a press release from ABC announcing that Eric Dane is joining the cast of Grey's Anatomy on a full-time basis. Of course, every Grey's fan knows that Dane plays Dr. Mark Sloan, otherwise known as "McSteamy." Remember that Addison Shepherd (Kate Walsh) cheated on her husband Derek (Patrick Depmsey) with Sloan, prompting Derek to move to Seattle, where he met a certain skinny blonde intern.

Anyway, we saw Dane at the end of last night's episode, coming out of the bathroom in Addison's hotel room, right after she realized her marriage to Derek was truly over. Guess we'll see the two of them be a couple for a while now. Anything that keeps Walsh on the show is fine with me.

This is the second cast addition of the year; recall that Sara Ramirez (who plays Callie) also became a permanent cast member before the season started. The press release is after the jump.

During Tuesday's fall schedule presentation, ABC did some pimping of Grey's Anatomy and it also played a clip making fun of the hit show (it's currently up on YouTube). The clip is a spoof from a scene during the big Grey's episode that aired after the Super Bowl. You may remember, in that episode, Dr. George O'Malley has a fantasy about Meredith, Cristina and Izzie taking a shower together. The spoof video is of Patrick Dempsey, Isaiah Washington, and James Pickens Jr. taking a steamy shower together-- it's somebody else's fantasy and you find out who at the end of the scene.

The video is after the jump and the McSteamy shower scene is about 3 minutes in.

Now that Grey's Anatomy is over and has officially been picked up for a third season by ABC, it's  time for me to make a decision about whether or not I want to finally bite the bullet and catch myself up with this show.

I've been hearing from several people -- TV Squaders included -- how great this show is, that I just have to watch it, that I'm missing out. So, why have I been putting this off for so long? Why haven't I just sat down and watched the show? Even just one episode? I'll tell you why.

Last night on Grey's Anatomy, karma was biting everyone back. And I know most of you feel so badly for George, because Meredith used him, because he's the victim. And you're feeling bad for Izzie. She's the one who walked in on Alex with Olivia, so she deserves the sympathy, right? And Addison. Everyone loves to hate Addison, who cheated on her husband, who's been approached by Sexy McSteamy, her old love interest, and you know what we're all thinking: is she going to sleep with him again?

You've got all this righteous anger, against Meredith over her treatment of George, Alex over his romp in the hospital bed with the hottie nurse, and Addison for just being there. And if you're anything like me: your anger pulled a switcheroo on you, diffusing, spreading out over the whole cast until it wasn't anger any more, really, but sympathy and sorrow and this little, sad hope.

But before we continue on with the major themes of the show I have to send out a hearty, loud, mama-rific cheer to the writers for their portrayal of Bailey. Oh how I love you, writers. You made her leak. As I'm deep in the throes of my second experience with breastfeeding, I've had those twin milky spots on my nice work shirt oh, so many times. And the way she plays it is priceless, in an especially emotional conversation with Addison: "Please don't cry! You're going to make me... (holds breasts in a motion to which I totally relate) lactate!" I would have jumped off the couch and done a little dance of joy over this realistic and funny portrayal... but I was breastfeeding my 10-month-old.

It's amazing that even in this day an age where information is easily searchable, TV writers still think we're morons that will accept whatever's on the screen as what can happen in real life. Take, for example, the tried-and-true TV convention of lawyers and doctors visiting another state to ply their trade. A friend of a cousin of a golfing buddy is up on murder charges in Chicago? No problem; Ben Matlock will fly out from Atlanta to defend him. Your husband's boss' dogwalker's cousin from Seattle has bony tumors in his head that make him look like a lion? Simple; recruit the plastic surgeon from New York who just happens to be there that day to perform the procedure to make him look normal.

Does the last scenario sound ridiculous? It sure does, but it was also a major plot point on the last episode of Grey's Anatomy. "McSteamy" was all ready to perfrom the facial surgery on Sheppard's patient, but the kid died before that part of the operation could start.

Yesterday..ooh, doesn't seem so far away with tonight's Grey's Anatomy. Hard on the heels of an emotional, long-held-secret-revealing Desperate Housewives, I thought I would burst from the sheer amount of raw emotion thrown at us. It's all laid out, there on the table tonight, and, wow, we're really opening up old wounds (and I'm laying on the double entendre a little thick, hmm?).

I feel like a total heel for saying so, but McSteamy - a.k.a. Mark, Dr. Shepherd's best friend and wife's lover - he's totally hotter than Derek. I am so not surprised that Addison fell for him! And his introduction, just one of a series of witty yet emotionally charged scenes, shows that the Grey's writers aren't taking a pass after last week's awesome episode. Was this one better? Nah. But it wasn't at all a disappointment, with a little surprise around every corner and a shocker at the end. Let's just say, all you George fans out there? You got a little bit of yours today.