Vaughn's Dead?! Ephram's back! And it's a 'Mad World' on 'CSI!'

So, I said last week that last Thursday's scheduling craze was just a fraction of what the following Thursday's would be, and yet, I still wasn't fully prepared. I managed to catch Alias, Everwood, and CSI, but Without A Trace will have to wait a few days, and I wasn't able to catch the fabulously funny Everybody Hates Chris. Seriously, the networks are out to get us. Three exciting shows last night, which can only mean one thing - another jam-packed edition. So, lets dive right in with the season premiere of Alias. This is another show that literally picked up exactly where it left off. I totally didn't see the false agent thing coming. I didn't trust the guy and I thought he was out to get Vaughn, but I didn't realize he was a "ghost," and no longer working for the government. When Vaughn got shot, I kept thinking that it was some sort of set-up, so I refused to believe he would actually die. Then, he had the surgery and woke up and spoke with Sydney, so I thought I was right. Even though I had heard the rumors, I truly didn't believe that they would kill Vaughn. Now, Syd is left alone and pregnant. It was a really tragic moment, and I just found myself in shock. Michael Ausiello from TV Guide, spoke with series creator J.J. Abrams at the Emmys a couple of weeks ago. Abrams promised that nothing is over until "the fat lady sings." For more on his comments about Vaughn, click on over to TV Guide. I really enjoyed the premiere, and I think it set up a very interesting storyline for the season.

I am so happy that my Everwood is back. I seriously heart Everwood and all its wonderful, complicated characters. How many of you totally thought Nina married Andy, and then thought she married Jake? I know I'm not the only one. They did an awesome job of keeping you guessing about the big wedding. I love the way this show tells a story. We start by hearing the wedding announcement read aloud, then see the reception (with Nina and Andy dancing together and Jake looking on in sadness), and then we journey back a week before to show how everyone got to the point they were at when the show started. Amy's haircut is adorable, and I was happy to see her in better spirits. She seems to have moved on after the whole Ephram debacle. The med student is gay (maybe) and also Bright's new roommate. Hannah is back, braids and all. And Ephram is finally back as well. Is it wrong that I still want him to end up with Amy? I just love these two, and I think they'll be perfect for one another someday. I feel bad for Andy. Despite what Nina said, I think he really does love her. I still don't trust Jake (the pills incident from last season), but he treats Nina and Sam very well. Tough choice, and I wouldn't want to be in Nina's shoes. I still hold-out hope that she and Andy will end up together in the end (which better not be for a long, long time considering I want this show to last forever). Poor Amy, trying to help her mom, but somewhat overdoing it. And then there's Harold and his hysterical quest to build the perfect centerpiece. Loved it! It was sweet to see Irv and Edna finally have a nice wedding. They're a fun couple, and deserved a nice affair. And is it just me, or did Delia mature a lot over the summer hiatus? Maybe it's just the bangs, but she seemed so much more grown up. Overall, an awesome start to the season.

So, we started off with Gary Jules' beautifully haunting and poignant (albeit arguably over-used) "Mad World" on CSI last night. I love this song, so the show started out on the right foot as far as I was concerned. I see the Bruckheimer shows are on a split screen kick lately. Cold Case employed a four-way split screen for the flashback scenes in last Sunday's premiere. It took me a while to get used it, but then I realized that I wasn't missing anything by not watching all four screens at once because they were all just different angles of the same scene. The same was not the case on CSI last night, and it annoyed me because I did miss some things. I'm not sure why they chose to use this little editing tactic when the two cases had nothing to do with each other. I couldn't help but laugh when the actor's death was blamed on autoerotic asphyxiation because of an episode of Cold Case last year. Vera went to a seminar and the instructor's answer for every death was "autoerotic asphyxiation," and it became a running joke with the squad. It's also a popular topic on Law & Order: SVU. I wonder how many people in real life die this way? If you go by television, it would seem that a lot do. I thought the immigrants from Laos storyline was more interesting. It was nice to see Gil and Catherine working a case together again. I love the way they play off each other.

About Last Night... CBS was the predictable winner, and the eye network dominated all three hours of primetime last night. At 8, Survivor easily won the hour, followed by the combination of Joey and the live premiere of Will & Grace on NBC, and Alias landed in third on ABC. At 9, CSI brought in the night's largest numbers, followed by an improved showing of NBC's The Apprentice. ABC stayed in third with its premiere of Night Stalker. The premiere of Everwood on the WB landed in fifth. The final hour of the night belonged to the premiere of Without A Trace, followed by ER on NBC, and ABC's Primetime. For more details on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

Premiering Tonight!!! This is going to be the last day of this feature. It's taking the rest of the season off since most shows have premiered by now (although it might return during mid-season if there are a lot of premieres) . It will be replaced by a new feature starting next week, so be sure to tune in on Monday and all week long to see the newest feature on Pass the Remote! There's only two premieres this weekend (and now you see why the feature is going on hiatus). NBC rolls out the season premiere of Saturday Night Live with host Steve Carell and musical guest Kanye West tomorrow night. Sunday night, ABC premieres America's Funniest Home Videos.

QUICK CUTS

*Look for The 4400 to return next summer. Cable network USA has ordered 13 episodes of the sci/fi drama. The show follows the lives of the 4400 people who disappeared at different times, but all returned at the exact same time without aging a day. New episodes will begin in summer 2006.

*Michael Vartan's character may have died on Alias last night, but that doesn't mean you won't be seeing him on the tube anytime soon. Vartan will make a guest appearance on his former co-star Bradley Cooper's new show Kitchen Confidential. He'll play a scheming French chef who steals Cooper's character's menu to use at his own restaurant. The episode begins shooting next week, but no air date is set yet. Kitchen Confidential airs Monday nights on Fox.

*Former American Dreams sweetheart Brittany Snow is set for a multi-episode arc on the hit FX drama Nip/Tuck per TV Guide. She'll play a white supremacist who becomes romantically involved with Matt (John Hensley). Her first episode airs November 22nd on the cable network.

*And finally, former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis is getting his own sitcom. Kelsey Grammer's production company will produce the show for ABC. No word on the title or Maroulis' role yet.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in on Monday for Cold Case, Without A Trace (finally), and Desperate Housewives. Plus all the latest television news! And don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts on last night's TV!