TVSquad

Billy Zane (pictured) has done some TV over the years -- Twin Peaks, Boston Public, and Charmed, for example -- but I think of him more as a movie star. In fact, he has four movies in the works right now -- 4Chosen; Mama, I Want to Sing!; The Hessen Affair; and Love N' Dancing.

But hold the phone, because like so many other movies stars, Zane has signed on for a TV pilot. He'll star opposite Teri Polo in ABC's Finnegan. The show revolves around the organized crime/vice unit in Los Angeles, led by a tough female detective named Finnegan (Polo). Zane will play Deputy D.A. Brian Clark. Because, you know, we don't have enough crime drama shows on the air right now.

Teri Polo, meanwhile, has also done plenty of TV and movies. You might remember her from Northern Exposure, Felicity, The Practice and The West Wing. Upcoming movies include Two:Thirteen, Material Lies, The Beacon and Little Fockers (the third installment of the Focker franchise).

Just like writers, I guess it's good for actors to diversify and not have all their eggs in one basket. Gigs come and go, and the acting world is one heck of a fickle business.

• At 8, FOX has a new episode of Cops.
• TLC has a new Moving Up at 8.
• Nickelodeon has two new episodes of Ned's Declassified starting at 8.
• CBS has March Madness coverage til around 9 or so.
• At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
• CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show at 9.
• Also at 9: Hallmark has Teri Polo in the new movie Love Is A Four Letter Word.
• At 10, TLC has a new Trading Spaces.
• HGTV has a new Design on a Dime at 10.
• At 11:30, NBC has a new Saturday Night Live, with Peyton Manning and Carrie Underwood.
• At midnight, FOX has a new Talk Show With Spike Feresten.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E01) I was all ready to dislike The Wedding Bells, even though it was created by David E. Kelly and Jason Katims. I mean, it looked like a 'chick show' and the promos for the just didn't seem that interesting. Add to that the fact that it was on, you know, FOX, which is notorious for taking shows off the air during a commercial break.

However, after watching the pilot episode I found that I didn't dislike the show. Heck, I actually found it quite charming and a bit amusing. Granted, being it is a pilot there was some unevenness (which I will mention later). Yet, for the most part I enjoyed the hour that I spent watching the program.

(S03E12) Good start for 2007 here. This is the type of Numb3rs episode I'm talking about when I say this show could easily carry its weight on another weekday night. Edgy topic, great guest casting, and a tense story. It was all there.

It was great to see Deadwood's W. Earl Brown (aka Dan Dority) too. Once again, the cast of Deadwood strikes on a CBS drama. This is maybe the fourth time I think? Beyond that, Joshua Malina reprised his role as U.S. attorney Howard Meeks and Teri Polo guested as another investigator. Nice little West Wing reunion right there. This show is really pulling in some recognizable faces lately, huh? Not too shabby.

(S01E21) You know, when you get right down to it, there's nothing sadder than a man in love, waiting for his woman, holding a bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers, and an old abacus.

Dan has a special night planned for Rebecca, but she's thinking about going back to her husband. Meanwhile, Casey is still freaked out about last week's bomb scare and still ticked at Dana for bailing on the show to go to dinner with Gordon. And Jeremy is still broken up with Natalie. At least he thinks so. Natalie is telling him and everyone else in the studio that they are still together. Maybe Jeremy's obsession with a cricket (the sport, not the insect) story will make him forget how maddening she's being.

(S01E19) It must be hard as hell to do an episode of a show where something bad happens to one of the characters that actually happened to the actor in real life. In this episode, we find out that Isaac had a stroke after returning from a vacation. Actor Robert Guillaume had a stroke in real-life too. It's a tricky thing for a show to write in a real-life incident into a show, but because of the way this show is structured - a seamless blend of comedy and drama - it actually works.

Before they find out about Isaac, the staff is getting ready for special March Madness coverage. They're working on a Saturday, Bobbi Berstein is coming in to co-anchor (which thrills Dan, since she still thinks they slept together in Spain), and Dan is wondering why Rebecca's ex-husband Steve is in her office. On a Saturday. He thinks it's like "Eli's Coming," the classic Three Dog Night song, that something bad is about to happen. But as Casey reminds him, the song isn't about that, it's about a womanizer. No matter, Dan still thinks it's going to be a bad day.

(S01E18) At this point, the show is rather complex, with many storylines going on and continuing from episode to episode. There's even a "previously on Sports Night" clip at the beginning, though it's kinda odd. They show a scene with Jeremy telling Natalie that his parents are getting divorced, but I don't remember that from a previous episode.

Jeremy is going to see his parents about the divorce, and Natalie is upset because he hasn't called her in a few days. Meanwhile, Dan is trying desperately to get Rebecca interested in baseball.

(S01E17) Basically, it's all Pete Sampras' fault.

That's what everyone thinks in this, one of my favorite episodes. Pete Sampras is in the middle of a U.S. Open match with a guy he should be beating easily, but the nobody is actually making a comeback against the world's #1 player, which means that Sports Night is delayed (side note: I'd love to find out how CSC got the rights to the U.S. Open). It also means that Dana might have to cancel her date with Gordon, Rebecca won't be able to see her first live broadcast of the show, and Dana might have to hand the show over to Sally's 2am show.

But it gives Jeremy time to write a letter to his sister Louise, who's in college but is thinking about quitting because of boyfriend problems.

(S01E14) While Dan and Dana are having relationship problems (Dan isn't sure if he should ask out a woman that Natalie introduced him to in the elevator and Dana is worried that Gordon is going to break up with her because she works too much), Isaac is upset about a Wall Street Journal article that says that station owner Luther Sachs isn't too happy with him (stemming from that on-air defense of the football players a few episodes earlier) and isn't sure if he can trust J.J., Luther's go-between.