The Countdown Rolls On! Plus Press Tour and More 'Law' Cast Changes

Pass the Remote's

Best Episodes of the Season

We're up to week 5 of Pass the Remote's Best Episodes of the Season Countdown. The weeks are just rolling by, which means we'll be at number in no time! Which episode will top the list? Stay tuned each week as we get closer to that answer. For those who are new to the countdown, here's a refresher on the rules I employed for selecting the 31 episodes that make up this list. All of the shows and their episodes are from NETWORK television only, meaning that I did not take any cable series into consideration (since I only watch a few and felt that it would be unfair). All episodes aired between September 2005 and June 2006. Each episode that made the final list moved me in some way; either by making me laugh out loud, cry my eyes out or just left me with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! This is a summer-long countdown, so I will reveal a few episodes each week all summer until we reach the #1 episode of the past season. Be sure to tune in each Wednesday to see the next set of episodes to make the list. Today, we're going to look at #19-17.

19: "911" - Law & Order: SVU
This is SVU's second entry on the list so far, and it's another episode that had viewers talking. This edge-of-your-seat outing featured a race against time as Olivia and her fellow detectives worked to discover whether a young 911 caller was telling the truth. The girl claimed to be a prisoner held captive by a dangerous child molester, but she was missing just enough facts to make her story questionable. Once detectives were able to get more information about the supposed victim's identity, they were able to locate a picture of her from a birthday party. Olivia asked the caller to tell her what she wore to that birthday party. The caller answered correctly, and the race was on to find her before her kidnapper returned. Olivia found the pedophile and gave him a nice beat down, but the little girl was nowhere to be found. Olivia was able to find out that the kidnapper had buried her, so she and Finn desperately searched until they found her grave. They began digging until they found her lifeless body. Olivia performed CPR and the young girl suddenly began breathing again. What made this episode work so well was the fact that it was difficult to know whether the caller was who she claimed to be, or just someone messing with the police. It was an emotional rollercoaster that we didn't get off of until after the closing credits. Written by Patrick Harbinson and directed by Ted Kotcheff.


18: "My Transition" - Scrubs
This season finale packed plenty of surprises, laughs and tender moments just as we've come to expect from every episode of Scrubs. Carla's baby shower was one of the funniest scenes of any comedy this year. Elliot, being Elliot, went way overboard with the shower to make sure every detail was perfect. She even set up a baby games station that no one seemed interested in other than her and poor Keith (whom she forced into playing the games). There was also a hilarious discussion about whether or not Carla and Turk's baby could "grab [him] down there" in utero. And then there were the shocking pregnancy revelations: one really surprising and the other not as much. Jordan and Perry are expecting their second child and JD's latest girlfriend is also pregnant. Is the baby JD's? Is New Girlfriend telling the truth? We'll have to wait until next season to know for sure, but we do know that this show knows how to end a season in style. Written by Kevin Biegel and Aseem Batra and directed by Bill Lawrence.


17: "Donut Run" - Veronica Mars
We're finally up to an episode of Veronica Mars, and the timing couldn't be better because this one just reran last night on UPN. This episode made the list over some other excellent Mars outings because of its shocking outcome. I remember sitting on the couch in shock after it aired over the events that had just transpired. First, I bought the Duncan/Veronica split hook, line and sinker. I loved the way they had Veronica dealing with the "breakup" by listening to the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides. I also bought that Veronica knew nothing about Duncan's whereabouts, so imagine my shock when both points turned out to be false. But this episode saved its most shocking moment for the end. Duncan used Sheriff Lamb to transport him across the Mexican border without Lamb knowing! Once in Mexico, he reunited with his baby daughter and the two set off together on a journey that we later learned took them all the way to Australia. I couldn't believe that Duncan was gone and Veronica managed to pull the wool not only over Keith's eyes, but ours as well. Written and directed by Rob Thomas.

So, there's a closer look at #19-17. What did you think about them? Do you agree? Disagree? Drop me a comment with your thoughts. If you missed #31-20 or just want to revisit them, click HERE. Next week, we'll crack the Top 15 with science versus faith, the cons of playing the lottery and a budding relationship.


QUICK CUTS

*PRESS TOUR DIARY: Today, TVGuide.com's Mike Ausiello takes us through the ABC session at the TCA Summer Press Tour. Entertainment President Stephen McPhearson says that replacing Commander In Chief's showrunner Rod Lurie was a mistake, Desperate Housewives suffered a bit creatively last season, but it will be back in season 1 form with showrunner Marc Cherry being 100% involved and last season's executive producer no longer with the show, Lost will air 6 consecutive episodes in the fall before it's temporarily replaced by a new show until the spring when it will return with 16 consecutive episodes, he believes that it's Grey's Anatomy that's the Thursday underdog not CBS' CSI, and J.J. Abrams will direct some episodes of his hit show Lost this season. During the individual show sessions, Ausiello learned that John Billingsley's Terrence Steadman character on Prison Break will be recast because Billingsley is now starring in the new show The Nine. America Ferrera (right), star of the new sitcom Ugly Betty, told reporters that she "didn't know how fat and ugly [she] was until [she] started going on auditions." To read about all of the antics from ABC's session, click on over to Ausiello's Press Tour Diaries.

*And finally, Law & Order: Criminal Intent is making more cast changes. Actor Eric Bogosian is replacing Jamey Sheridan as the new head of the major case squad. Sheridan left the show earlier this year after five seasons. Meanwhile, actress Julianne Nicholson is replacing Annabelle Sciora. Nicholson was last seen in NBC's now cancelled/fellow Dick Wolf drama Conviction. These latest changes follow Monday's news that actress Nona Gaye will replace Courtney B. Vance as the show's assistant district attorney. Vance had been with the show since its inception.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another Cold Case Flashback Edition. This week, we'll revisit an episode that strayed from the stalker norm. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.