'Cold Case' Returns Tonight

Lilly (Kathryn Morris) and Lt. Stillman (John Finn) try to find the body of a missing boy on tonight's new episode of COLD CASE (PHOTO: Mitch Haddad/Warner Bros. ©2008 Warner Bros. Television)

When I was a little kid, I had a favorite blanket that I called "Boppie" (don't ask because I don't have a clue). My Mom would rudely snatch "Boppie" away from me from time to time in order to throw him (yes, he had a gender) in the wash and I would miss him terribly, anxiously await his return, and worry that he might not be the same when he came back (the spin cycle can do horrible, unspeakable things to a raggedy old favorite blanket). I'm all grown up now and of course, still keep "Boppie" close no longer have "Boppie," but those old feelings of excitement and worry seem to be plaguing me on the day of my favorite show's return: Cold Case. Just mere months ago, I was convinced that new episodes wouldn't see the light of day until the fall. After all, the strike was lasting 3 months and no new scripts had been started let alone put into production. How would the creative force behind TV's best crime drama ever pull it together in time? I underestimated their magic because 5 brand-spankin'-new episodes begin their run tonight on CBS. And, they come packed with some interesting cases and a provocative personal story line for my dear Lilly (for specific spoilers, click over to PTR's Spoiler Post or check out TV Guide's article HERE).

Mixed with all of this excitement comes a little bit of that same anxiety that I felt ahead of "Boppie's" return from the dryer -- will these new rushed-into-production episodes be the same as the earlier ones? When we last left off, CC was having a frickin' awesome season complete with plenty of post-shooting drama, intricate cases, relatable victims, HILARIOUS moments between the CC detectives, and Lilly in therapy and having nightmares! Let's hope the strike didn't thwart the momentum that was building during the first half of the season. For the record, "Boppie" always returned in the same, albeit cleaner, condition that he was in when he left me. He just didn't smell like himself anymore. I'm going to trust this childhood lesson to mean that CC will return the same as well (minus the not-smelling-the-same issue). Here's a rundown of tonight's *ALL NEW* episode from the CBS press release (WARNING: Link contains some mild spoilers):

"Andy in C Minor"
AFTER NEW EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THAT A DEAF TEENAGER WAS MURDERED, THE TEAM SETS OUT TO FIND HIS BODY AND KILLER, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, MARCH 30


USA Today's Robert Bianco calls tonight's new outing a "strong episode." Be sure to find out for yourself tonight on CBS at 9 p.m. (DVR ALERT: May be delayed due to NCAA Tournament action earlier in the evening)