TVSquad

Upon seeing the headline that TNT is going to be doing a new version of the UK series Cracker, I suspect I had the same reaction as many of you: Wasn't this show already remade for U.S. audiences? Yes, it was. It happened in 1997 and starred Robert Pastorelli and an unknown Josh Hartnett. They even managed a guest spot for the star of the original, Robbie Coltrane. Unfortunately, it never really caught on, and struggled to make it through that one season.

Granada America still thinks the show can be a success stateside. More specifically, they think it can be a success on cable. As senior VP Julie Meldal-Johnson puts it, "We thought the timing was right and that American cable, edgier and more open, would be a better venue for it than broadcast." And that's the bit that, kind of, sells me on the idea. Cable does offer certain freedoms and TNT does have a pretty good thing going with The Closer and Saving Grace. We'll just consider that Heartland mess a learning experience, for now. Despite failing once, Cracker remains a great story, and I'm willing to give yet another incarnation a go.

I didn't watch the first season of Saving Grace, but over the weekend, I had an opportunity to screen the second season premiere, titled 'Have a Seat, Earl.' The show is gritty and heartbreaking, and it's shooting to the top of my Must-Watch List.

First of all, let's get this out of the way: I want Holly Hunter's body. The girl just turned 50 in March, and her body is as fit and toned as a 20-year-old triathlete. Only better, because she's got all the wisdom of a 50-year-old soul.

OK, on to the story. I won't give a blow-by-blow of the episode, which premieres July 14, 10/9c on TNT, but I will talk about key plot-points, so if you're averse to spoilers, you'd best quit reading here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Here are the cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Well, this is shocking (sarcasm): Camp Rock is number one this week! Disney can pretty much guarantee the top (or near the top) slot if they put the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana in a new movie. They could just keep doing this forever. Have the brothers go up against Hannah in a dance off, using the music of High School Musical, and have Zac Efron guest star. Oh, and throw in a guest appearance by someone from American Idol and maybe a subplot involving the gang from CSI. Instant hit!

1. Camp Rock (Disney)
2. Sprint Cup - Sonoma (TNT)
3. Monday Night RAW (USA)
4. Monday Night RAW (USA)
5. U.S. Open (ESPN)
6. Law and Order: CI (USA)
7. In Plain Sight (USA)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
9. Wizards of Waverly Place (Nickelodeon)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Natalia Cigliuti has joined the cast of Raising the Bar, a new legal drama from TNT. She will play public defender Roberta "Bobbi" Gilardi. Joining Cigliutti are Mark Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Teddy Sears (Ugly Betty), Melissa Sagemiller (Sleeper Cell), Currie Graham (Boston Legal), J. August Richards (Conviction) and Jonathan Scarfe (Into the West).

Cigliuti will co-star with Gosselaar. Her character Bobbi, a Brooklyn native, is brought in to help with the strenuous workload at the public defender's office. Gosselaar flirtatiously calls her "Bobbi from Brooklyn" and takes an interest in his new co-worker.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

I'm always a little surprised to find Anderson Cooper 360 in the top 10 ratings. Shouldn't there be another cable news show in the top 10, like O'Reilly? Not sure why he's not represented, though I'm sure the primary coverage last week helped CNN.

USA is happy that their shows (In Plain Sight, Law and Order: CI) continue to do well. But bring on Burn Notice!

1. Sprint Cup Racing - Pocono (TNT)
2. Monday Night RAW (USA)
3. Law and Order: CI (USA)
4. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
5. Army Wives (Lifetime)
6. In Plain Sight (USA)
7. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

The big news I guess is that this week, in between all of the NBA Playoffs and the usual slots taken up by SpongeBob and wrestling, is that the debut episode of USA's In Plain Sight hit number 6 in the ratings. With the NBA Finals on ABC, next week's cable ratings should look a lot different.

1. NBA Playoffs - Lakers/Spurs (TNT)
2. NBA Playoffs - Lakers/Spurs (TNT)
3. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
4. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
5. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Pistons (ESPN)
6. In Plain Sight (USA)
7. The Andromeda Strain - Part 2 (A&E)
8. The Andromeda Strain - Part 1 (A&E)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. Monday Night RAW (USA)

Back in April, Allison reported that Ray Romano was working on a pilot for TNT. Romano is playing the lead, and now Andre Braugher has been added to the cast of Men of a Certain Age. The series, a dramedy along the lines of Sideways, focuses on lives of three middle-aged friends. Braugher will play Owen, a car salesman and family man. Ray Romano and Mike Royce (Everybody Loves Raymond) are writing and producing the show together.

I've been an Andre Braugher fan since Homicide: Life on the Street, and I'm excited to see him get a promising role like this. Braugher is more of a dramatic actor, but he's definitely capable of getting some laughs. No word yet on who's playing the third friend. The character has been described as an aspiring actor.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

OK, we get it, everybody in the country watched basketball last week, except for the hardcore wrestling fans who assured that Monday Night RAW got into the mix again under enormous pressure (and both hours!). I also find it cool that SpongeBob manages to get into the top 10. The guy has more power than Oprah and Donald Trump combined.

1. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (TNT)
2. NBA Playoffs - Cavaliers/Celtics (TNT)
3. NBA Playoffs - Cavaliers/Celtics (ESPN)
4. NBA Playoffs - Cavaliers/Celtics (TNT)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (ESPN)
7. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (TNT)
8. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (ESPN)
9. Monday Night RAW (USA)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

When I got a knock on the door yesterday morning from the FedEx guy, I got all excited because I thought it was a pair of Cubs tickets that I bought for an upcoming trip I'm taking to Chicago. But when I looked down, I saw a black box. When I turned it over, the box had the label you see above. It's a press kit for TNT's returning hit The Closer, and it shows star Kyra Segdgwick guiltily nibbling on a bunch of cookies. The tag line on the label is "Everyone has something to confess..." Hmm. Interesting. Obviously this label held some strong clues as to what I would find in the box. So I cut the sealing tape, opened it up, and found what I suspected would be in the package...

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Hey, did you hear there were a few basketballs games last week?

The NBA Playoffs - various teams against each other on two different networks - dominated the cable ratings. Monday Night RAW got the board too, while SpongeBob squeezed his way into the last spot.

1. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (TNT)
2. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (TNT)
3. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (ESPN)
4. NBA Playoffs - Celtics/Cavaliers (TNT)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (ESPN)
7. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (TNT)
8. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (ESPN)
9. Monday Night RAW (USA)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

So the networks have given their upfront presentations. It's not easy to pick which shows look the best. Sure, we can base our judgments on what "type" of show we usually like anyway or a producer that's involved or someone who is in the lead. But we're still just basing it on a description (or a snippet from each show). It really comes down to the writing and the execution in general.

Having said all that, here are the shows that look great to me, based on the upfront description, the cast and crew involved, and how my tastes run in general.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

OK, I know that everyone is really excited about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I'm still surprised that a repeat of an almost 30 year-old movie grabbed the number one slot in the cable ratings this week. Not only that, but the sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, got the number six slot. Hasn't everyone seen these movies a gazillion times already?

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (USA)
2. NBA Playoffs - Hornets/Spurs (ESPN)
3. NBA Playoffs - Cavaliers/Celtics (TNT)
4. Monday Night RAW (USA)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (USA)
7. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (TNT)
8. NBA Playoffs - Hornets/Spurs (ESPN)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. NBA Playoffs - Jazz/Lakers (ESPN)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Looks like everybody was chasing Zoey this week, and not just the paparazzi. The Nickelodeon show got the top two spots in viewers (a movie and a regular episode of the show), knocking Monday Night RAW down a bit. TNT did really well with the NBA Playoffs.

1. Chasing Zoey (Nickelodeon)
2. Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon)
3. Monday Night RAW (USA)
4. NBA Playoffs - Suns/Spurs (TNT)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. The Hills (MTV)
7. NBA Playoffs - Lakers/Nuggets (TNT)
8. NBA Playoffs - Spurs/Hornets (TNT)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. NBA Playoffs - Hawks/Celtics (TNT)

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Wait, no SpongeBob SquarePants this week? Actually, two episodes of the show just missed making the top 10. Probably because a certain cranky doctor named House decided to go on a rampage this week and take up three spots. The NBA Playoffs are rather popular too.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. NFL Draft (ESPN)
3. Monday Night RAW (USA)
4. NBA Playoffs (TNT)
5. House (USA)
6. House (USA)
7. House (USA)
8. NBA Playoffs (ESPN)
9. NBA Playoffs (TNT)
10. Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon)

My first thought when I heard about TNT's Truth In Advertising, which has just received the go ahead for 13 episodes, was "oh, they're just doing that because of the critical success of Mad Men." And who knows, that might be true, but this show by itself sounds awfully intriguing.

I mean, come on, look at this cast: Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), Tom Cavanagh (Ed, Eli Stone), Sarah Clarke (24), Monica Potter (Boston Legal), and Griffin Dunne (Law and Order: CI, 3 lbs.). And it's from the same people who bring us The Closer, so you know it's going to be of some quality. And it's really great to see Cavanagh and McCormack back on weekly TV again (oh, when oh when is Ed coming to DVD?).