TVSquad

With Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice starting new seasons, I decided to refresh my brain with the previous seasons of these two ABC shows. So this week's Jane After Dark was all about the dreamy doctors.

I've been on board with Private Practice since the beginning, and was especially interested to see what happened with Violet and her baby in the season three premiere. Happy ending there, thank goodness! And while Grey's Anatomy has certainly ebbed and flowed since it began in 2005, I've stuck with it because I've grown to love the dysfunctional characters with all their baggage. It makes my life seem just that much better.

Grey's Anatomy, Season Five

There were parts of this season that drove me a little nuts, like Izzie having "mind-boggling sex" with dead Denny. That whole storyline made me want to jump off a roof, but there were plenty of highlights to the season, as well...

Shooting of Season 6 of Grey's Anatomy has already begun which means only one thing: spoilers are leaking to the web!

Are Izzie and George dead of alive? Will Meredith be pregnant since actress Ellen Pompeo is? Who is returning to the show? Are they introducing new characters? These questions and more are answered in this Grey's Anatomy update!

Warning! Spoilers coming up.

Earlier this week, I let you know of the ten shows I thought should be renewed. Now it's time to reverse the question and think about the shows that shouldn't be renewed. Yes, there are some shows that should end now, either because they have annoying characters (*cough* Meredith Grey *cough*), are not treated properly by their network (insert here pretty much all shows on FOX), have been on TV for too long and have a hard time being original (I'm talking about you Survivor), etc. ER would have been a prime candidate for this list, but NBC finally made the right decision and ended the show a few weeks ago. Note that my list includes some shows that have received early renewals. Still, I think they should be canceled asap. So what other shows, besides ER, I think should bite the dust? Let's find out!

If you just want the list, click here.

If you are like me and use a RSS reader to keep tabs of the TV news of the day, you were probably overwhelmed by the number of articles claiming that T.R. Knight asked to leave ABC's Grey's Anatomy. In order to make my RSS reader a tad more crowded with this news, I decided to join in on the fun and blog about it!

The reason for Knight's request? He is unhappy with his storylines. Now where have we heard this reason before?

You have to admit that the actor has a point since he hasn't been doing much on the series so far this season and from the look of spoilers, it seems that no huge storylines are coming his way. Actually, he has been so underused since the season premiere that writing him off would not hurt the series at all. And you know what? I don't care if he stays or if he goes.

As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

Hey Miss Heigl,

How's it going? Good I hope! You must be enjoying the off-season, huh? I bet you can't wait to get back into production for Grey's Anatomy though. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I think you're a really good person. You seem awfully nice and it's very admirable the way you stand up for things you believe in.

You held your own against Isaiah Washington and stood up for your friend T.R. Knight when Washington's hateful words stunned us all. You even spoke out against the sexist undertones of Knocked Up, a film you starred in no less!

Since you seem so nice, I'm wondering if you could do me a small favor. I need a few thousand bucks to cover some recent medical costs. See, I sprained a muscle in my neck real bad a few days ago. How'd it happen you ask?

From craning to get a glimpse of your self-righteous mug way up on top of that high horse of yours.

At this point, it just feels like we're watching Isaiah Washington self-destruct. Since being fired from Grey's Anatomy, he has said some pretty stupid stuff. But this one takes the cake.

Washington gave an interview to the Houston Chronicle, his hometown newspaper, where he says that actor T.R. Knight is the one who should have been fired from Grey's Anatomy. Sure, Washington is the one who practically got into a fistfight on set with co-star Patrick Dempsey after Washington used a derogatory gay slur referring to Knight. But, Washington says, Knight went on to have the nerve to be offended by it and ended up creating a negative work environment.

There probably comes a time in every controversy where the person involved should just...stop...talking.

Fired Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington is now comparing himself to Malcolm X and Paul Robeson. He isn't happy about getting canned from the show after he apologized, went to "rehab" and did everything the network asked him to do, and now he wonders if it's because of who he is and not what he did.

It's official: Isaiah Washington isn't coming back to Grey's Anatomy.

According to E! Online (who confirmed the story with ABC Television Studios), Washington, who portrayed Dr. Preston Burke, was informed yesterday that his contract will not be renewed. The actor's statement was succinct: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."

Recall that Washington caused an uproar around the Grey's set and in the entertainment industry when he called co-star T.R. Knight a "faggot" late last year. Knight publicly came out of the closet after the incident, and Washington had to spend the rest of the season in damage control, going to "rehab" and meeting with representatives from GLAAD, among other forms of restitution. Apparently that incident, combined with an overall difficult attitude, sealed Washington's fate.

[thanks to Dorv and Jillian for the tips.]

A few of the actors on Grey's Anatomy have said that they're not sure whether their characters will be returning for next season. In the case of T.R. Knight, his character George O'Malley failed the intern exam in the season finale, which left his fate hanging in the balance. Viewers were also left with a cliffhanger regarding Isaiah Washington's character, Dr. Burke, who appeared to have fled Seattle in the season finale. And, Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzie, has been in heated contract negotiations for some time now.

It appears things have changed... but in case you don't want spoilers, I have put the information after the jump:

Will Grey's Anatomy soon be George-less? MSNBC.com's The Scoop reports that a source says T.R. Knight is upset by how the network/show handled the aftermath of co-star Isaiah Washington's uses of a homophobic slur.

According to the source, Knight was asked to keep quiet about the initial incident, which happened on set. But then, Washington caused a furor by using the word again at the Golden Globes while trying to deny he'd ever used it in the first place.

Isaiah Washington sure is involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities lately, thanks to his unstoppable mouth. He's working hard to save his job as Dr. Burke on Grey's Anatomy, after pissing off co-workers and offending gays everywhere with his derogatory comments about co-star T.R. Knight.

After visiting with gay activists last week and agreeing to be in PSAs (public service announcements), today he announced that he has entered counseling to deal with his bigoted view of the world anger toward homosexuals. In a statement, Washington said, "I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally." Grey's producer Shonda Rhimes released her own statement, applauding Washington for taking corrective action for his "behavioral issues", which makes it sound like he has a whole laundry list of issues.

The New York Times is reporting that ABC and Disney execs are "mulling the future" of Isaiah Washington. He's in hot water with fans, critics, and his own co-stars for using the word "faggot" to describe gay co-star T.R. Knight. His use of that word may be in violation of Disney's corporate antidiscrimination policy (plus, there's an online petition to get him canned).

Let me sum up: He got into a verbal and then physical argument with Patrick Dempsey on the set of Grey's last year, in which Washington used the f-word to refer to Knight. It all simmered down until Golden Globes night when Washington told a room full of reporters that it never happened and he repeated the f-word. Co-stars Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight went on different television shows blasting Washington. Since then, Washington has apologized, claimed he's "getting help", fired his publicist (why? because he's the bigot?), and hired a crisis management team. Yesterday, he met with gay activists.

Leave it to somebody not even remotely associated with a controversy to have a solution for it.

You've probably heard (here and elsewhere) about Isaiah Washington's use of a certain word to describe co-star T.R. Knight during a fight on the Grey's Anatomy set between Washington and Patrick Dempsey. And you've heard about Washington's denial that he used the word, his co-star's outrage that he denied using it, ABC's outrage at Washington in general, GLAAD's outrage over the entire incident, and now news that Washington has agreeed to meet with gay leaders and seek help (whew...hope you followed all that). Now musician John Mayer has come up with a way to solve the entire crisis without kicking Washington off of the show.

Make his character gay! As he says, "What better way for an actor to get to the roots of his discrimination than by portraying the very the subject of his own ire for the remainder of his contract? That'll learn ya!"

[via TV Tattle]