TVSquad

(S01E04) I am so excited for the return of the infamous bong lamp, but wow, does it cause some major trouble. Last week, we saw Lux sell Baze's pride and joy to help cover his bar rent. Two weeks ago, the offending lamp was also one of the reasons Baze was denied full custody of Lux. This week, it's the reason she gets suspended from her fancy-pants public school. Stupid lamp, can't do anything right.

We're ratcheting up the drama here this week. Lux's illusions of family life crumble a bit more as she and Cate, in the grand traditions of mothers and daughters everywhere, clash something awful.

(S01E03) Heartstrings were pulled again repeatedly on this episode of 'Life Unexpected,' were they not?

After minor meltdowns from Lux, Baze and Cate last week, the three of them seem to be moving into something of a routine now, having gotten past the sketchy friends and threatening to move out portion of their relationship. Last week, we dug a bit deeper into Lux's life, and this week, we meet Cate and Baze's respective families, who are loud, obnoxious, annoying and intrusive ... which seems pretty much par for the course as far as families go.

(S01E01) If you've been waiting for something to fill the family drama void left by the end of Gilmore Girls on the CW, Life Unexpected will do nicely. The mid-season drama is a well-paced, funny and, yes, freaking heartwarming story about high school ex's reunited with the daughter they gave up for adoption.

What makes Life Unexpected a treat is that it's so different from the regular CW fare. Unlike Gossip Girl and 90210, this show (hopefully) won't be billed as OMFG TV. No rich teens getting drunk and playing sexual games. This just has one spunky foster kid, Lux, with street smarts and a good head on her shoulders that won't make you want to weep for the future. That in and of itself is a good reason to keep watching.

The CW's TCA panels today were full of beautiful people. It seemed like all the shows were about young pretty things in scandalous situations. Even the highly-anticipated Vampire Diaries didn't look much different, except some of the over-sexed high schoolers were vampires. But one show shined through the pretty clutter in the CW's new slate. Too bad we won't see it until early 2010.

That show is Life Unexpected, which CW programming head Dawn Ostroff described as "Juno meets Gilmore Girls." After seeing the pilot, I can agree with that description. It's sweet, warm, even a little bit hokey. In fact, it feels like a show that would have been on the old WB network. What the heck is it doing on the CW?

Even before I caught Twilight on the big screen, I was comparing it to Roswell, the great teen sci-fi/romance series that aired on The WB (and later The CW UPN) from 1999-2002. The Twilight ads and trailers seemed to tell the same story Roswell told more than nine years ago: A sensitive girl is saved by a supernatural hunk who makes it his mission to protect her at all costs. The two fall in love, but the relationship is complicated by his other-worldly circumstances.

It's not exactly the most original story in the world. This sort of thing goes back to Bram Stoker's Dracula, (and probably further back than that). Still, after watching Twilight, I was a bit shocked by its similarities to Roswell, especially since Roswell wasn't half as popular as Twilight. I haven't read the Twilight or Roswell book series, so I can't tell you if the similarities persist in print (but my friend Stephanie can). I can only compare the big screen and TV versions.

From major plot points to character motivations, these two franchises have a lot in common, but one clearly stands above the other. Let's compare, and you'll see what I mean:

(S01E07) This tale was penned by newcomer Kelly Kennemer; his only prior writing credit was the acclaimed film Music Within. It was directed by America Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page's Mary Harron. The plot is like Superman and Lois Lane moving into suburban hell to start a family. I know the general plotline of a couple moving into an idyllic community that turns out to be anything but has been done before, but I'm not thinking of any specific examples (I expect you'll fill me in with your comments). The Stepford Wives has the same tone, but obviously there are some distinctive differences. Here, there were some clever moments to be sure, but the suspension of disbelief was even greater for this extended story than in most horror stories.

ER has a new group of interns ready for their final season. Chief among them for me is Shiri Appleby. I still have fond enough memories of Roswell that I'm interested to see her cast for that reason alone. She'll be joined by Julian Morris. The two will play siblings Daria and Andrew Wade, a pair that have decidedly different work ethics. Also eager to learn at County General will be Emily Rose (Brothers & Sisters, Jericho) as the ambitious, controlling, Tracy Martin. Rounding out the quartet of interns is Viktor Rasuk (Stop-Loss) as the nervous Ryan Sanchez.

In other casting news, Paul Campbell (Battlestar Galactica) is set to be the new head research tech at Knight Industries on Knight Rider. A casting move that should give the show some much needed help. On The Sarah Connor Chronicles Leven Rambin (All My Children) will take on the role of Becky, a potential love interest for John. And over at Numb3rs, Sophina Brown (Shark) will try to fill the spot left when Diane Farr's Megan Reeves left the team at the end of last season. Her role as a junior agent is said to be recurring, with the possibility of becoming a regular.

The USA network has ordered two cast contingent pilots. First, To Love And Die In L.A. stars Shiri Appleby (Roswell, Six Degrees) as a young woman with abandonment issues. She convinces herself that the solution to her problems is tracking down the father she never knew. Things take a drastic turn when she finds him, only to discover that he is a hit-man. It does give her some clues about her relationship issues, and may open up the door to a new career.

Burn Notice takes us inside the world of a fired spy. Jeffrey Donovan (Touching Evil, Monk) stars as Michael Weston. While on a mission, Michael gets the news that he has been fired, a "burn notice", and is now untouchable. Having no idea who or what caused this, he sets out to find the truth. With no job, and none of his normal contacts at his disposal, he takes work helping those that the system can't, or won't, to fund his personal investigation. It's very one man A-Team sounding.