2 Shows New 2 Me! Plus Friday Fun, a CBS Summer Schedule Shake Up and a New 'L&O' Prosecutor

Since it is rerun season, I have had the time to discover two delightful "New 2 Me" shows that many of you have been buzzing about for months. Yes, I know I'm a little behind the buzz train, but there are only so many primetime hours in my week people, and too many of them are already filled with crime dramas. Every time I swear I'm not going to add any more shows to my already crowded schedule, I end up breaking it. I figure adding these two is OK, though, and totally doesn't count since it's summer. Of course, this still doesn't solve why I watch so many damn crime dramas! The thing about The Closer and Bones is that they're crime dramas, but they have enough originality to distinguish themselves from the pack like the other crime shows I watch.


I finally gave in to the constant shameless publicity for the season premiere of TNT's The Closer Monday night. Star Kyra Sedgwick was on a local radio station here and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. So I tuned in to the commercial-free premiere, and I liked it! I liked it enough to add it as a Season Pass on TiVo and I went straight to Netflix and added the 1st season DVD set to my queue. I've heard the show compared to Cold Case in the past, but the only similarity that I saw was the fact that both shows are centered on a female lead (although, we could all argue the finer points on the latter). You guys know that I'm a die-hard CC fan and nothing's going to change that, but I think that The Closer does one thing better. It seamlessly balances the crimes with Brenda's personal life so well that I never felt like one was overtaking the other. I think it's because the show is less formulaic, and therefore, has more breathing room for the personal side. Of course, I've only seen the one episode, but I will be tuning in every week to watch how the show continues to maintain the balance without getting too personal. The Closer airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on TNT.


I just sort of stumbled upon Bones a few weeks ago. We had just gotten our new HDTV, and I was totally into watching programs that were in HD. I was flipping through the channels a little after 8, and stopped on Bones. I was hooked immediately and wound up watching the entire episode (it had to do with a murdered call girl who had so much plastic surgery done that they couldn't ID her). The problem is, Fox hasn't aired another rerun yet! They keep running 2-hour editions of So You Think You Can Dance in its place. Bones is a fun show that reminds me of a better version of Crossing Jordan. Both shows revolve around female crime solvers with an interesting cast of supporting characters and both females have their sexual tension law enforcement official by their side. Jordan has Woody and Brennan has Booth. In both cases, the women are more specialized than their male counterparts and both pairings have that "I Hate You Because I Love You" syndrome, but as I stated above, Bones just does it better. I know the finer points that make up the differences between a medical examiner and a forensic anthropologist are better left to those in the know, but I find the latter to be absolutely fascinating. So, I'll be watching Bones all summer, as long as Fox puts the reruns back on that is. Bones (supposedly) airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on Fox.


FRIDAY FUN: SUMMER STYLE
We've done the Trivia Question and the Fun Fact, so now it's Quote Time! Here are a few funny and fabulous quotes from some Pass the Remote fave stars.

"I don't want it to be like a site about me because that will get old really fast. And let's be honest, no one's going to buy like a Zach Braff calendar." Scrubs' Zach Braff (underestimating his appeal) regarding the vision for his new site on his first video post.


"It's totally unexpected and really cool, and [the critics] have been so important to the success of the show and to me in particular, so I'm really thankful." Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham on her first Television Critics' Association nomination for Individual Achievement in Comedy to TVGuide.com's Mike Ausiello.


"You would never catch me in velour sweatpants that have a brand name across the butt." Cold Case's Kathryn Morris (demonstrating her sheer awesomeness) on her fashion choices to OK! Magazine.


QUICK CUTS

*CBS is shuffling its summer schedule next month. The network will move the weekend edition of its summer reality series Big Brother from its Saturday night slot, where it spent the last few seasons, to Sunday nights at 8 p.m. The move, which is designed to set the stage for fellow reality show The Amazing Race's move to the slot this fall, will bump Cold Case back an hour to 9 p.m. beginning July 16th. Cold Case was scheduled to move to 9 p.m. this fall anyway to make room for Race. Without a Trace will join the pair on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. in an effort to get viewers acclimated to its new fall slot. Big Brother's Tuesday and Thursday editions will not change. In other CBS scheduling news, NCIS and The Unit will move to Friday nights at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively, beginning July 7th and How I Met Your Mother will get bonus episodes on Monday nights beginning July 10th. The New Adventures of Old Christine will return August 7th. Here's a look at CBS' new summer schedule (including the 90-minute Rock Star: Supernova premiere on July 5th):

CBS's Revised Lineup for Tuesday, July 5
8:00-9:30 PM ROCK STAR: SUPERNOVA (Premiere)
9:30-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI (R)

CBS's Revised Friday Lineup, Effective July 7
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM THE UNIT
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS

CBS's Revised Monday Lineup, Effective July 10
8:00-8:30 PM THE KING OF QUEENS
8:30-9:00 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
10:00-11:00 CSI: MIAMI

CBS'S Revised Sunday Lineup, Effective July 16
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM BIG BROTHER: ALL-STARS (New Time Period)
9:00-10:00 PM COLD CASE (New Time Period)
10:00-11:00 PM WITHOUT A TRACE (New Time Period)


*Actress Alana De La Garza is joining the cast of NBC's Law & Order. She'll play the new assistant district attorney to replace Alexandra Borgia (Annie Parisse), who was killed in the season finale last month. De La Garza was last seen on CBS' CSI: Miami where she played Erik Delco's (Adam Rodriquez) sister and Horatio Caine's (David Caruso) short-lived wife. NBC and series creator/executive producer Dick Wolfe are not commenting on the story.

*Everwood creator/executive producer Greg Berlanti says that there isn't much hope for his critically acclaimed show to return to the television line-up. He tells E! Online's Kristin Veitch that it's past the point of no return. "I feel like the logical thing to say to everyone is, again, we’re so grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm and that they all love the show as much as we did. That’s been tremendously rewarding, but the reality of the situation is, at this point, I don’t know under what circumstance we would be able to put the whole cast and the writers back together," he tells Veitch. Berlanti also says that he's proud of the show and the way it ended. "My sort of general sentiment about Everwood is, look, for four years we got to be a great show, and we didn’t go out on a whimper. We went out with a bang and we went out creatively strong and with a lot of the same audience that was there from the beginning and I think in syndication and on DVD, there’s a real chance that we’ll last." He also thinks that getting seasons 2, 3 and 4 on DVD is the next big step. He says:

But this fan enthusiasm is so appreciated and I would love to sort of redirect it, if I could, to getting the show released on DVD. You know, we got season one released on DVD, and over time, it’s done OK, but initially, it didn’t do well enough for them to slate another run of any of the additional seasons. That’s something that I’m working on and the fans could be of great help with any kind of campaign that they want to do. I’m not going to tell them to do it, but I certainly wouldn’t stand in the way if they were so inclined to redirect their enthusiasm to Warner Home Video.

If you would like to help Everwood in any capacity, click on over to Everwood Online for information on Project Ferris Wheel.

*And finally, I told you about a fantastic new campaign to get all of the seasons of Cold Case on DVD yesterday. Well, the official site of the campaign (www.ColdCaseDVDs.com) is now up and running! Click over there today to learn what you can do to help this fabulous series get to DVD. Wouldn't you love to add Lilly and the gang to your own personal DVD collection? This group of fans is spearheading a simple postcard campaign to make it happen. Click over to ColdCaseDVDs.com to help.

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 Monday for thoughts on this Sunday's episode of The 4400. 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.

SIR: 'Cold Case!' Plus 'Gilmore' Interviews and the Truth Behind Lily's Death on 'The 4400'

SEASON IN REVIEW: COLD CASE... Along with promising you continuing summer coverage of Veronica Mars, I also promised the same for another Pass the Remote favorite - Cold Case. Today, we're going to take a look at the crime drama's third season to discover what worked, what didn't and what we can't stop talking about all summer. It was certainly a season of change, but those changes didn't always sit well with all of the show's viewers. Unlike Veronica, Cold Case has a large audience, but it's still missing something very vital. We'll exam that at the end, and I'll let you know what you can do to help the show get it. All of the pictures and screen caps in this edition are courtesy of Kathryn Morris Online. It's a great comprehensive site housing the web's largest and most complete photo gallery of the show's magnanimous star.


Cold Case's third season will probably go down as its "Polarizing Season." More light was shed on Lilly's personal life, but it was met with mixed results. Many fans felt confused by the Lilly that we saw at midseason with her former flame Ray, while others embraced the change as a different side of her multi-faceted character. I liked the idea of the story, but thought it didn't work so well in practice. I bought that Lilly was trying to make changes to her life, and in doing so, began reflecting on "the one that got away." So, she met up with him again only to learn that time had changed her far greater than it had changed him. They were two completely different people with different goals and lifestyles, and it became quickly apparent to Lil that she and Ray weren't going to be in it for the long haul. I liked this part of the story a lot because it was real. She was trying to recapture something that wasn't there, and may never have been in the first place. Where the story stumbled a bit was when Lilly opened her door to him again after realizing that their relationship wasn't going anywhere. I suppose she decided to just enjoy the moment with Ray knowing that it wouldn't last, but it seemed un-Lilly like, especially since the show dropped the story after that episode. Things simmered down in the fanbase after that encounter, but soon heated up again with the season finale - perhaps the show's most polarizing episode yet. A stronger and slightly more open Lilly decided to listen to her heart for once and find some happiness. Unfortunately, it got her into some hot water at work. Simply put, there are two camps going into the long dreaded summer rerun season: those for the Lilly/Joseph story and those against. When the dust settles once again and the story gets ironed out with the benefit of next season, I think we'll all fall into it just fine. For now, the debate rages on. Being the romantic sap that I am, we all know I'm all for the story. I'd love to see Lilly try to balance a meaningful relationship with her work intensive career.


I think we saw some of the strongest cases of the series this season. Season 1 was criticized for having obvious doers and Season 2 tried too hard to fool us from guessing the doer to the point where the resolution left us scratching our heads, but Season 3 seemed to strike the right balance. Sure, there were still the "head scratchers" like the case with the debutante who was pushed down the stairs by the man who loved her ("Debut") (although I still LOVED this one), the Negro League baseball player killed by his close friend with his own bat ("Colors"), and the 1920s case involving the rich family and the young girl killed by a member of the family's staff for no apparent reason ("Beautiful Little Fool"), but overall, the cases made sense and the doers were plausible. The stories were intricate without becoming too involved and each of the characters' personal struggles this season was well played.


The season's two biggest missteps were rectified as the season drew on. The first, adding the character of Josie Sutton, caused the show to feel bulky and greatly decreased Lilly's involvement in the cases. A quick resolution to the problem led the writers to cause sparks between Josie and Scotty, which sent her packing. It was cliched, but I didn't mind because it meant the show was moving forward without a character that wasn't adding much, but taking away too much. The show decided to add Kat instead, but her arrival was much more subtle. She didn't overshadow the other characters or cause Lilly to take a back seat to the investigations. In fact, she and Lilly teamed up a lot and played off of each other very well. During the case with the murdered drug mule ("Sanctuary"), the two interrogated a suspect together while in the Cabaret episode ("Willkommen"), Kat tormented Lilly with show tunes, and then there was Kat's help in the season finale ("Joseph"). She understood Lilly's attraction to Joseph and waved her on to go talk to him after he came down to police headquarters. Maybe Kat will become the confidant that Lilly so desperately needs, and if so, the show will be better for adding her.


The second biggest misstep was ignoring the George effect from Season 2. Lilly went from an emotionally draining experience in the second season finale that culminated with her shooting and killing serial killer George Marks to simply throwing out the newspaper housing the article about his burial in the third season premiere ("Family"). I expected to see more from Lilly and the show on the George front, but we were left empty handed. Then during the all night case ("One Night"), Lilly finally let some of her closely guarded emotions simmer over a bit as she interrogated the dying suspect. The revelation that she lost the sense that she would live forever the night that she stood facing George with a gun pointed directly at her face, was surprising and different. It was a rare window into her head and it played out very well. And even though we didn't get much in the way of effects during the first part of the season, Lilly did seem "off" from seasons passed, perhaps her way of dealing with what happened up in that attic only months before.


I thought that Season 2 was a tour-de-force season for Kathryn, but she seemed to outdo herself this season. She slowly evolved Lilly from a depressing, almost sickly state to a more content Lilly to finally someone who was ready to try the whole opening up thing, and she made it all believable. I've always said that Kathryn's greatest strength is her subtlety, and she continued to impress me this season with it as well. She's not one to have Lilly sobbing over the loss of her sense of mortality because she can make one expression, sometimes with only her eyes, and it's enough for us to know exactly how Lilly is reacting. It's an incredible feat, and one that we don't usually see. That scene where Lilly's former flame rolls up on his motorcycle at headquarters right in front of Scotty has Lilly going from "Oh crap!" to all smiles with Ray in a matter of seconds ("Dog Day Afternoons"), and it's a classic example of her abilities. She further impressed me in the episode where the single mother lost four of her five sons to an argument carried on for years over a scooter ("Saving Patrick Bubley") when the show flashed back to a younger, more naive Lilly. Obviously, no actual time had transpired to film the flashback, but Kathryn made you feel certain that it had. She gave Lilly a less seasoned feel while still making her the same Lilly that we love. And Kathryn wasn't the only one turning in impressive performances this season, the entire cast never failed to impress. Season 3 may have brought about a lot of changes, some popular, some not, but between the first rate acting and storytelling Cold Case's third season had the same quality and grace that makes it television's best crime drama. Can't wait for season 4! In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to Pass the Remote for more Cold Case coverage all summer. Beginning next week, I'll be adding a new CC-themed weekly feature (along with a new Veronica Mars - themed one as well).


So, you love Cold Case and you're sure to catch every episode, but there still seems to be something missing, right? Perhaps that sinking feeling could be the lack of a DVD set from any of the show's three seasons. Thankfully, TNT runs the old episodes every Tuesday night at 11 p.m., but if you're looking to own your very own set of Cold Case DVDs, you're out of luck (NOTE: image is a mock-up from coldcasedvds.com). Warner Bros., who owns the distribution rights for the series, has yet to release any because of the show's expensive music rights. So, some of the show's fans from all around the world have come together to start a postcard campaign to let Warner Bros. know that there's a lot of interest out there for this show to go to DVD. If you or anyone else that you know would like to have your own CC DVDs, then take a few moments and participate in this latest campaign. A new web site (www.coldcasedvds.com) will launch in a few days with all of the details on what to do and where to send your postcard of support. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for all the latest details and the launch date. And be sure to spread the word about the new campaign and its official site!

QUICK CUTS

*My good friend The TV Addict has an exclusive interview with Gilmore Girls' David Sutcliffe, a.k.a "the other man." In it, Sutcliffe discusses what it's like to be one of Stars Hollow's most hated residents. In this year's finale, Lorelai ended up in bed with his character after fighting with Luke. It was an ending that upset a lot of Gilmore fans, but Sutcliffe says that he understands. "Viewers have a lot at stake. They’re invested in the show emotionally and they want the relationship between Luke and Lorelai to work out," he tells The TV Addict. To read more with the actor, click HERE for the exclusive interview. TV Guide's Mike Ausiello has an exclusive interview with star Lauren Graham where she discusses her new movie, next season without Team Palladino and that shocking season finale. Click on over to The Ausiello Report to read her interview as well.

*The decision to kill off Lily in the season opener of USA's The 4400 was business and not creative according to the show's executive producer Ira Steven Behr. He told SCI FI Wire that the original plan was to have Lily (Laura Allen) in the third season that kicked off last Sunday night, but plans changed and the show had to adjust. Without going into specifics about the actress' departure, he tells SCI FI Wire, "It was not a creative decision, ultimately. It was a business decision. And, as I was saying, there's ... just so many things that I'm sure you hear all the time from people on shows. They're just money decisions and business decisions, and there's a lot of people with a lot of say in all these things." The opener was rewritten and Tippi Hedren was brought in to play an older Lily who died during the show's 2-hour premiere. Behr does concede that it's possible that Lily would have aged regardless, but it would have led somewhere else. "One of the stories we had for her did involve her getting older, so that was going to be in there, but that was going to be an arc that was going to end in a slightly different way," he explains. The 4400 airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on USA.

*And finally, ABC is bringing back Extreme Makeover after a 1 year absence from its schedule. The reality make-over show will return to the net's line up on August 6th and will air a handful of episodes on Thursday nights. ABC is also adding a second dose of Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights. Starting July 6th, the medical soap will air reruns in its current slot on Sunday nights and Thursday nights at 9 p.m. to prepare for its big move to the time slot this fall.

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 thoughts on 2 shows that are "new to me" and another installment of Friday Fun: Summer Style. 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.

Best Episodes of '05-'06 Season Kicks Off! Plus AFI's Inspiring Movies and 'Closer's' Big Numbers

Pass the Remote's

Best Episodes of '05-'06

It was an awesome year of television, wasn't it? So awesome that I had a difficult time deciding which episodes of your favorite shows would make the cut and become a part of the 1st Annual Best Episodes of the Season Countdown. I ended up with 31 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. Before we start with the first set, let's take a moment and go over the rules for making the 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! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, I will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Wednesday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 31-29.


31:"There's Something About War" - Desperate Housewives
Sure this season was campy in a 80s nighttime soap kinda way and nowhere near as funny or as quality as the first season, but that didn't mean that all of the episodes were a wash. About halfway through the season, this little gem took to the airwaves and restored my faith in this show and all of it funniness. Too bad this episode wasn't a sign of better things to come, but the sheer fact that it had me rolling and made me feel good about a few of the characters is enough to make it stand out. This episode had a Dynasty-style catfight between Gaby and Sister Mary Bernard that had them rolling all over the church aisles instead of the fabled Dynasty swimming pool, Lynette trying to sabotage Tom's interview at her firm, Bree and Betty Applewhite keeping each other's dirty secrets and Susan deciding that she wasn't going to jump through hoops anymore to keep a guy after she told Dr. Ron that she didn't want him doing her spleenectomy. The antics in this episode were funnier than the entire season combined, which is why it earned the final spot on this year's list. Written by Kevin Etten and directed by Larry Shaw.



30:"25 Days, 50 Cities, and More than 600 Consecutive Hours as a Family" - The Amazing Race: Family Edition
Say what you will about the family edition experiment gone wrong, but it sure went out with one of the most thrilling finales in the franchise's history. The remaining teams struggled to navigate through the French-speaking Montreal, got lost in that city's Underground City, flew from a trapeze without the greatest of ease, learned all about the sport of Curling, sailed in Toronto and raced through a boating task that took them over the border to the United States and the single most exciting final moments of any episode of this series thus far. With the Linz family and the Bransen family neck and neck coming off the boating task, both teams had to complete the final Roadblock. One team member had to put together a giant puzzle of North and Central America and then place pictures of the tasks they completed on the race in the right location. Both teams struggled and kept it very close, but the Linzes wound up on top and walked away with the $1 million. For those who stuck around for this slower version of the Race, two intense hours that culminated in a heart stopping finale was our reward.


29: "The Shed" - Alias
This was the final season of the cult favorite Alias, but its best episode came early on and not in the form of a finale. With Syd's (and her portrayer Jennifer Garner's) pregnancy benching the high flying spy for most of the season, the show had to come up with a "replacement," if you will. Enter Rachel Gibson, a young protege with a similar backstory as our very own Sydney. Seems she was duped too, but by the newest badass group led by the evil Gordon Dean. When Syd and co. inform Rachel about the duping, she's eager to dismiss it. But, Syd shares her story and the gang offers up some proof (via Marshall's technology display), so Rachel gets onboard and helps APO steal Dean's encryption key in a very intense scene at the rogue group's office. Peyton is wise to the antics, and she gets herself and Dean out before blowing up the office and leaving Rachel banged up, but no worse for the wear. The episode was pivotal because it proved Rachel could hang with the big kids. Written by Breen Frazier and directed by Tucker Gates.

So, there's a look at the first set of episodes on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in next Wednesday for #28-26 on the list.

QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: CBS counts down the American Film Institute's 100 most inspiring films of all time on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers (8-11 p.m.). Which movie will top the list? Seabiscuit? Rocky? It's a Wonderful Life? Tune in tonight to find out with special guest stars ranging from Jessica Alba to Sidney Poitier. Commander in Chief ends its run on ABC (1o p.m.) with the series finale.

*And finally, TNT's The Closer is celebrating today after record numbers for its second season premiere Monday night. The Kyra Sedgwick crime drama pulled in more than 8 million viewers the other night, making it the largest audience ever to view a scripted program on ad-supported cable according to Nielsen Media Research's preliminary data. The show also outperformed programs in its slot from ABC, NBC, Fox, UPN and WB. The Closer airs Monday nights on TNT. Meanwhile, Sunday's premiere of The 4400 on USA brought in more than 4 million viewers, which was good enough to claim the top scripted series on basic cable trophy for the week (which ended Sunday).

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 season review edition. This time, we'll take a look at Cold Case's interesting third season. 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.

SIR: 'Veronica Mars.' Plus More Premieres and Lifetime Takes to the Web

SEASON IN REVIEW: VERONICA MARS... I promised during its Finale Blowout edition that it wouldn't be the last you would hear from Veronica Mars for the summer, and today, I'm going to make good on that promise. We're going to revisit the show's sophomore season and talk about what worked, what didn't and what overall impressions were left when the season's closing moments wrapped up. First, it's truly exciting that we're going to get another season of this wonderful show, but the fact still remains that it needs more viewers, so we'll also take a look at what you can do to help the show reach the audience it deserves.


I've heard the rumblings across the Internet that Veronica's second season wasn't as strong as its first, but I think that's a tough comparison. The show's first season was a masterpiece that turned out nothing but first rate episodes. I can't think of one throwaway episode, character or scene from season 1 because it was incredibly strong from top to bottom. It was a freak of television nature, and not something that any show is likely to repeat. Those are some really huge shoes to fill going into a sophomore season, especially when most fans of quality shows have their expectations piqued too high entering second seasons. Having said this, Veronica Mars' follow up season was just a hair below the first in quality, an impressive feat. We still had consistent episodes that steered away from throwaway story lines and characters, and we also had a gripping mystery that turned in a chilling resolution with a shocking culprit. Sure, the bus mystery may not have been as compelling as the "Who Killed Lilly Kane" mystery of season one, but it was damn close. The show's only weakness this season (other than the interruption of flow, but that was due to network scheduling) was the way it seemed to lose sight of the bus mystery for the entire mid section of the season. When the mystery finally picked up again, we were thrown right back into it and it felt a little rushed. While I was watching episode 18 "I Am God," I couldn't help but think that it would have been better for the show to allow us to get to know each bus crash victim throughout the season instead of all at once in Veronica's dreams during that episode. We knew Meg, but we really didn't know most of the other victims like we did with Lilly Kane via season one's flashbacks. When the show lost sight of the bus crash mystery midseason, it could have given us more on each of the victims as a way of keeping it going.


Despite the lag in the bus crash story midseason, Veronica's second year was impressive and still miles ahead of most shows on television. This season saw flawless performances from both Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, who both managed to top their season one outings. Season 2 was filled with hilarious scenes like the one in the elevator at the alternative prom or the many scenes between Sheriff Lamb and Veronica and Lamb and Keith, but it also turned out some of the show's most moving and dramatic. The scene on the roof of the Neptune Grande with Veronica and Beaver was one of the most emotional, intense and overall awesome scenes that I have ever seen. When Veronica thought that she had witnessed her father's death as the planeblew up in the night sky above her head, it was so intense and upsetting that I think my head almost exploded! Finding him alive the next morning was just as emotional and it had shades of season one's scene where Keith told Veronica that he was 100% her father. Watching Veronica fight back tears as she walked away from Logan's hotel suite after discovering him with Kendall was another emotional scene as was the discovery that Meg Manning's parents weren't exactly parents of the year. There were so many moments this season that managed to surprise us, to make us laugh out loud, to completely shock us, to make us cry our eyes out and most of all, to make us proud to be a part of the crazy VM fandom. It was a great ride and I can't wait to get back on this fall!


If you would like to help Veronica Mars secure more viewers, and in doing so help secure its future, click on over to Cloud Watchers to learn how you can participate in the DVD Campaign and other fun things that they have brewing. You can also score some fun VM merchandise from their store, with all the proceeds benefiting their VM campaigns. Also, you can spread the wealth by letting people know about VM and its new home on The CW on Tuesday nights after the popular Gilmore Girls. Most people don't realize that they're missing out on one of television's best shows, which is why it is our duty as fans to let them know. Happy campaigning!

COMING IN 1 DAY...

Pass the Remote's
Best Episodes of '05-'06

It's the kick off of the summer-long countdown of the best episodes of the 2005-2006 television season!! Find out which episodes from your favorite shows make the cut beginning tomorrow only at Pass the Remote! Tune in all summer to see which episode is number 1!!


QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: Fear Factor returns from hiatus tonight (8 p.m. NBC) and CBS rolls out its new Desperate Housewives-inspired reality show Tuesday Night Book Club (10 p.m.). It's not so much about a book club, so what is Tuesday Night Book Club? From the press release:

TUESDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB, produced by Jay Blumenfield, is a highlight of the CBS original summer programming line-up. It’s a tantalizing glimpse at the suburban lives of a close knit group of everyday all-American women. TUESDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB is a one-hour series which follows the lives of a group of real women, and uncovers surprising elements of life in suburbia -- from sex, to spouses, to their inner-most conflicts.

*And finally, cable network Lifetime is developing a new series that will further blur the line between television and Internet. The network will produce a TV movie starring The Wonder Years' Danica McKellar that will turn into a series of webisodes, episodes only viewable on the web. The movie, dubbed Inspector Mom, will deal with McKellar's character balancing her career solving mysteries with her two young children at home. The movie will introduce the character and set up for the 5 webisodes that will debut this fall. Later, Lifetime will air a second movie that will launch another set of 5 webisodes. Each webisode will feature a different mystery.


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 the kick off of Pass the Remote's Best Episodes of the 2005-2006 TV Season. Tomorrow, I'll unveil #31-29 (yes, I know there are 31 total best episodes, but I couldn't eliminate one, so we're stuck with 31) in week one of the countdown. 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.

Strange Happenings Start Off New Season of '4400!' Plus Tonight's Premieres and Vote for Your Fave Shows

It's back! USA's The 4400 had its third season premiere last night, and it was packed with surprises and twists, just as we've come to expect from this wonderful summer diversion. The first thing that I realized last night was that I should have watched the catch-up special that covered everything that transpired over the last two seasons because I didn't remember as much as I thought I did. It slowly came back to me as the stories unfolded last night, but the refresher would have been helpful. We learned last season that all of the 4400 have promycin in them that allows them to use their abilities. NTAC had been giving them an inhibitor that suppressed these abilities, but when the premiere, the 4400 were off of it because a regulatory board had stepped in. Meanwhile, a new rogue group of 4400s, calling themselves Nova, was on the loose and taking out everyone responsible for the inhibitor. Of course, the show also picked up with Isabelle all grown up and her mother Lily suddenly 50 years older than when we last saw her. To make matters worse, Lily was dying from different "old age" ailments faster than Shawn could heal them. Maia was having a hard time dealing with the return of her psychic abilities, so Marco suggested that Diana put her in a school designed for 4400 children. At first like Diana, I wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but my opinion changed when Maia seemed to like the idea. Although, I am a little hesitant still. And so, we were off and running on the third season.


I was so bummed when we learned that Lily had aged 50 years and Tippi Hedren had taken Laura Allen's role in the process. Nothing against Hedren, in fact, I thought she was fabulous, but I miss Laura Allen. Richard and Lilly's story was always my favorite, so it was so disappointing to see that we won't be following it anymore. I'm not 100% convinced that Lily is really dead, but it sure appears to be that way for now. Did anyone else think that Isabelle seemed robotic? That's not a dig at the actress, Megalyn Echikunwoke, but an observation about the character. I know she aged about 20 years in the span of a few seconds, but she seemed unaware of basic human emotions and nature that it made me wonder if she was actually a "real" person. She can't die, except with a shot of some mystery substance and she was conceived in the future, so she must hold some sort of important purpose. This is why I don't believe whatever Ross told her about her past and future and its involvement with evil. And then there's this Nova group and the mystery surrounding their bizarre antics. Are they good or bad? Like the Others on Lost, the answer isn't clear. They did use their powers to kill all of those responsible for the inhibitor, but how can we be sure that this wasn't the right decision? After all, the future sent each of the 4400 back with a special ability that was to be used to ensure the survival of our species, so inhibiting that ability could be doing a lot of damage. The big event on October 19th turned out to be a wheat field in the African dry lands, but is this act for good as the future had planned, or evil as Tom suspects? If this group is able to change the face of the African landscape, what else are they capable of? What amazes me the most about this show is its ability to constantly present fresh story lines, especially when it was originally intended as a limited series two summers ago. I'm looking forward to seeing where they take us this year. If you were enjoying the ending tune on last night's 2-hour episode, it was a song called "Into the Fire" by 13 Senses. It's off of their album The Invitation. For information on how music producer Elliot Lurie chose this song and others, click on over the The 4400 Music Blog. What did you think about the premiere of The 4400? Are you excited for the new season or missing Lily and Kyle too much? Leave me a note with your thoughts.

Pass the Remote favorite Kristen Bell was a presenter at last night's Tony Awards on CBS. She was looking fabulous as usual. Check her out in these pictures from Getty Images:


QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: Plenty of summer TV premieres tonight across the board. Fox rolls out the second season of Hell's KitchenThe Closer (9 p.m. TNT) is back with a commercial-free premiere as does the series premiere of Saved (10 p.m. TNT) and ABC rolls out it dating help show How to Get the Guy (10 p.m.). To see what else you can catch tonight on the tube, visit the TV Listings section of PassTheRemote.net.

*Zap2it's TV Gal is calling for your categories for her annual Amy Awards! The yearly event looks for creative categories such as "I Don't Love to Hate You, I Just Hate You or Worst Character." Click on over to her column at Zap2it to submit your categories. And then check back next week to see which categories made the cut and to submit your nominations. While we're on the awards kick, you can also vote for your favorite shows in Kristin Veitch's annual Tater Top Awards over at E! Online. Be sure to click over there for a chance to vote for shows like Everwood, Veronica Mars, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, The Office and much more.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the first season of Medium to hit store shelves tomorrow along with Cheers (season 8), Coach (season 1), The Dead Zone (season 4), Dharma & Greg (season 1), Frasier (season 8) and Walker, Texas Ranger (season 1). For a list of all of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

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 a Veronica Mars season 2 review! Plus, all the latest television news. And coming Wednesday, it's the kick off of the summer-long countdown of the best episodes of the past season! Which episodes of your favorite shows will make the cut? Which one will be number 1? Tune in this Wednesday to see the beginning of the countdown!!


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.

Ode to Fallen Shows! Plus Project Ferris Wheel, Friday Fun and a New Reality Cat-egory

Yesterday, we talked about the cruel summer that lies ahead of us despite all of the new programming that the nets are giving us during the down season. Well, it was also a pretty cruel TV season for a lot of popular shows. Many long-time favorites like Will & Grace, The West Wing, Malcolm In the Middle, Alias and That 70s Show signed off for the final time. There were also high profile casualties in the race for ratings including Commander In Chief, Love Monkey and Invasion. And of course, there were the shows that got left out in the cold when The WB and UPN decided to shut down and form the unified CW network. Most notable was Everwood, but everything from Related and Pepper Dennis to Charmed and What I Like About You was left without a home when the dust settled. We jumped for joy when bubble shows Veronica Mars and What About Brian were saved from the network ax, but we were also mourning those that weren't as fortunate. Most of the summer we'll discuss shows that are coming back, so today's edition is devoted to those that will not. Here is my ode to the fallen shows:

Out of Our Hands (Network Scheduling)

(sing to the tune of The Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)")

I never knew
I never knew that all my favs were falling through
That Everwood was waiting on a cue
To return and run
But all Dawn needed was an excuse

But that's how it's got to be
Otherwise Alias and Reunion
Would still be thrilling me
I'd rather run the other way
Than stay and see
Surface and Invasion
Ending when it isn't clear

Every fan knows it's
Out of our hands
Out of our hands
With eight slots left in schedule time
Canceled on a dime
Canceled on a dime

They rearrange
So Chief becomes in danger
And then disengaged
Say that we disagree
But nets never change
Cancel a lot
Until all we've got is crime

But that's disarray
So you find another show
And they discard it
As they lose the good ratings
In another minute
Charmed, Related
Gone as the networks come together

Every fan knows it's
Out of our hands
Out of our hands
With eight slots left in schedule time
Canceled on a dime
Canceled on a dime

And suddenly
Malcolm's a part of your past
Along with Development
That didn't last
And losing them
Is so hapless now

Will & Grace
Broke lots of ground
But now it's not around
Never thought that NBC wanted
To bring West Wing down
VH1 won't let Monkey go down
'Till we've seen all the eps

Every fan knows it's
Out of our hands
Out of our hands
With eight slots left in schedule time
Canceled on a dime
Canceled on a dime

So there you have it - a sorry excuse for a tribute to some wonderful shows that left the TV universe forever this season. Which shows are you going to miss the most? Leave me a comment with your thoughts on all of this season's cancellations and series finales. And coming next Wednesday, it's the beginning of the summer-long countdown of the best episodes of the 2005-2006 television season including some from the now ended series!! Which episodes will make the cut? What will be #1?? Tune in next week for the big kick off!

PROJECT FERRIS WHEEL

Fans of the wrongly canceled Everwood are making a last ditch effort to save the critically acclaimed show, and you can help! The fan site Everwood Music is organizing a campaign to rent a Ferris wheel and place it outside of new CW president Dawn Ostroff's office for a set period of time. In order to rent the Ferris wheel, secure the necessary permits and run ads about the event in the trades, the group needs monetary donations. You can donate securely through PayPal. Any left over funds will be donated to the charity of the fans' choice. This is a great way to show The CW that Everwood has a loud, strong fan base and that we want to see the show return for another season. Click HERE to donate to the fund now. If you don't want to donate money, you can also click on over to The TV Addict's store and pick up some of his Everwood swag. All of the profits from the sale of his Everwood products are going to Project Ferris Wheel. Be sure to click over there and check out his awesome Everwood merchandise including shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, bags, hats, pillows, stuffed animals and even underwear! So far, the combined efforts of the show's fans have raised more than $3,000, but there's still a way to go. Save Everwood!!!


FRIDAY FUN:
SUMMER STYLE
Last week's edition involved a trivia question, but this week is all about a fun fact and a cool new link.

FF: The hilarious NBC comedy Scrubs takes place in a hospital as the young doctors tackle tough cases and even tougher superiors. But did you know that the show is actually shot in an old hospital? NBC leased and refurbished the closed North Hollywood Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley just for the show. No Hollywood studios or soundstages for this comedy, just bed pans and wheel chairs. [source]

The show's star Zach Braff just launched a brand new web site that includes his blog, a video post and an exclusive first look at his new movie The Last Kiss, which hits theaters in September. According to his video post, he would like to hold a mini-film fest in the future where his fans could submit short films. It's a great site for any Zach or Scrubs fan. Check it out!

QUICK CUTS

*TV NOTES: USA Network rolls out the third season premiere of The 4400 Sunday night (8-10 p.m.), HBO's Deadwood and Entourage begin their third seasons as well Sunday night (9-11 p.m.) and ABC brings The Evidence back to burn off the remaining episodes (Saturday 10 p.m.).

*And finally, 10 cats will duke it out for the top prize in the latest reality show. Yes, I did say "cats," as in felines. The 10 contestants will live in a New York house where they will vie to win an executive-level position with Meow Mix cat food. Call it The Apprentice meets Big Brother. The company chose the cats from animal shelters, and a Meow Mix spokesperson calls the contest "very tongue-in-cheek." Animal Planet will show the "episodes" in 3-minute segments every Friday night for 10 weeks during its 9 o'clock hour. The "episodes" are actually a slick marketing tool that Meow Mix calls "a program within a program" rather than commercials, but they are also designed to raise awareness for animal adoption. The first segment premieres next Friday, June 16th on Animal Planet.

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 Monday for thoughts on Sunday's 2-hour premiere of The 4400! 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.

Getting Through the Cruel Summer with '5 Takes!' Plus NBC's 'Windfall' and More Shows to iTunes

In the immortal words of the lyrical genius that is Ace of Base, "It's a cruel (cruel) cruel summer" for all of us TV fans. Sure, the summer series are starting up, but trying to replace your favorite characters with new ones is the same as trying to replace your favorite pair of jeans when they get too ratty to wear in public without being indecent with a new pair - neither feels right. So, you turn to the summer's wasteland of reality shows, but you can't stomach Big Brother and Rock Star: INXS Supernova seems too much like American idol, which leads you to start simmering again over the fact that Chris Daughtry got robbed! All hope is lost, right? Not if you're watching the Travel Channel's spectacular 5 Takes. It's The Amazing Race meets National Geographic with a little bit of Survivor thrown in for good measure. It's a reality show that plays out more like a documentary with interesting characters and incredible sights. And the most interesting part of the show is that it's interactive. Viewers, through the show's message board, help the participants choose what they see and do while they visit exotic locations. I promise it's less complicated than it sounds.


The show consists of five travel journalists, or "TJs," who document their journeys and experiences with their own cameras, laptops and a camera crew while traveling a designated itinerary (in this season, it's the Pacific Rim). Each TJ is given $50 a day, and they have to make it cover their lodging, food, transportation and activities. The show chooses its TJs based upon their areas of interest. Those interests range from music and food to local art and culture to extreme sports and nightlife, so the show presents a broad range of experiences, hence the title 5 Takes. The TJs usually stay in backpackers' hostels and shop around for the best deal on meals (which sometimes means cooking for themselves) because of their tight budget. They try to spend the bulk of said budget on activities that fall within their areas of interest, but sometimes, they fall short on cash. On last week's episode in Queenstown, New Zealand, TJ Tiffany wanted to go sailing in the beautiful harbor, but she and fellow TJ Josh didn't have $80 each to go on the adventure. Instead of giving up, Tiffany called one of the sailing companies and bartered a sailing trip for her and Josh for $50 for both of them in exchange for the two TJ's manual labor on the boat after they sailed. The entire group got the cost of their hostel down by working jobs at it.


There's a quick turn around between when 5 Takes episodes are shot and when they air, so viewers actually get to help the TJs decide what to do at each location. Right now, they are preparing to travel through Thailand, and just this morning, TJ Gabe posted a request on the show's message board about Thai Lukthung music in the city of Bangkok. In the message dated 6/8/06 2:37 a.m., gabe writes:

HEY EVERYONE I NEED YOUR HELP......

I really want to check out some live Thai LUKTHUNG music....I am having trouble finding where to do that in Bankok....can anyone help me out with some suggestions...we will be in town this sunday night...and will be filming for 5 days....basically till thursday....I need venues or wherever you find this....maybe some local to teach and have a cool beach acoustic session...etc...

Thanks in advance!!
Cheers!
Gabe

Viewers can then respond on the message board to help Gabe find the music he's looking for in the area. He'll check the boards during the show and use people's suggestions to find his interests. It happens every show, and each time, the TJs get advice from viewers who have traveled through the region. Viewers also got to choose which city the TJs visited last in Australia and which country will serve as their final stop in Asia. All of these viewer suggestions lead to some awesome adventures. In Queenstown, the group bungee jumped while in Auckland they took a ride in a Zorb. While visiting Darwin, Australia, the group participated in an Aboriginal ceremony in an isolated Aborigine village. It's the "Off the Beaten Path" moments like this one that really separate the show from other adventure series and documentaries. It also stands out because there is no prize, no fighting, no eliminations and no reality show tricks. But it does have five interesting participants who show you different perspectives on places that you'll want to travel to after you see them. They’re able to do all of this by surviving on their limited budget. The TJs travel to Singapore tonight on 5 Takes, and then they'll head to Hong Kong and Taiwan before they finish up in Cambodia/Thailand. The show airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. and encores on Sunday mornings at 10a.m. on The Travel Channel, and the great news is that you can jump in at any time. For more on 5 Takes, including some more great pictures, visit the show's official site.

QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: NBC rolls out its summer scripted series Windfall tonight at 10 p.m. The show looks at what happens after 20 friends win the lottery together and become overnight millionaires. MTV airs the 2006 MTV Movie Awards with host Jessica Alba at 8:30 p.m.

*And finally, I think CBS may be listening to me. I’m kidding, of course (I KNOW they’re listening to me ;-)), but the good news is that the Eye network is adding some of its biggest hit shows to iTunes. Numb3rs, all three CSIs, NCIS and Survivor are now available for download on the popular music download site. Each episode is the standard $1.99 each and all of the shows, except CSI: Miami, are available to purchase as complete seasons. CBS plans to make more shows available this fall the day after they air on its network.

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 a tribute to this season's cancelled shows. Plus, another round of Friday Fun: Summer Style that features one of TV's funniest comedies and 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.

It's Season Wrap Up Time! Plus ABC Shows Us 'The Evidence' and More Stars Get 'Nip/Tuck'

**Sorry for the late edition guys. Blogger has been down since 1:30 p.m. (eastern) today! Grrr…**

It seems like it was just September, doesn't it? We were all filled with the excitement that a new television season brings. We had waited all summer for answers on some of the season's biggest cliffhangers, and we were anxious to see what new shows would stick and which would falter out the gate. Well, that promising TV season has now officially come and gone and it brought many amazing moments, but there were also the moments that didn't shine quite as bright. Today, in the wake of the last finale of a Pass the Remote favorite, it's time to take a look at the season's ups and downs with the 1st Annual Pass the Remote Season Review Awards. And the "winners" are...

MOST COPYCATTED TREND: Delving into the world of the supernatural proved to be a big mistake. After the freshman season success of Lost, most of the networks tried their hand at their own Lost look-alike. CBS had Threshold, NBC had Surface, ABC had Invasion and The WB had Supernatural. Out of those four, only Supernatural survived to spook us for another season. Even worse, only Invasion and Supernatural finished out a full season, leaving fans with more questions than answers. It seems that you can have too much of a good thing.

WORST NETWORK DECISION: There are so many to choose from that I don't know where to start! Everything from Fox's decision to pull Reunion before revealing the killer to NBC's mishandling of Scrubs to ABC's multiple Lost hiatuses could easily walk away with this category. But, the biggest network fumble of all goes to the new CW network. It isn't even on the air yet, and it has captured this year's crown for making an 11th hour decision to pick up the tired 7th Heaven over the critically acclaimed Everwood. I know it might seem like I'm biased because I'm a HUGE fan of the latter, but this mistake is so ridiculous that even non-Everwood fans are crying foul. Why pick up a show that already said goodbye and only has one season left over a show that has lots of life still to breathe? Oh, that's right - 7 million people watched the Heaven "series" finale. Perhaps because they thought, foolishly apparently, that the show was really going off the air.

BEST NETWORK DECISION: Fox's scheduling of its medical drama House after its hugely popular American Idol. House was already a bona fide hit after an impressive first season and first half of its second season. But, things really heated up when the network gave it the slot right after Idol's performance show on Tuesday nights. The show jumped up 29% in viewers this season over last, landing it on the Top 10 list consistently.

MOST IGNORED SHOW: Cold Case. It seems to get drowned out by its more flashy siblings the CSI trio and Without a Trace. It's a Top 20 show that wins its tough Sunday timeslot more weeks than not, but it still doesn't get the noise that other shows get. This season did bring its first TV Guide cover, but little else. Maybe it's the show's penchant for staying away from sweeps stunts and big name guest stars or the fact that it has always had "quiet" finales that don't bring about monumental changes. If this is the case, then I'm happy to let it take a back seat to its more ostentatious siblings because all buzz isn't necessarily good buzz.

BEST FANS: This one easily goes to Veronica Mars. This season, the show started out strong against Lost, but lost steam after UPN kept it off the air for an extended period of time during midseason. The show wound up on the bubble for renewal, but the "Never Say Die" fans made sure the show made the move to the new CW by organizing loads of campaigns. One campaign had a message-carrying airplane flying over both UPN's and the new CW's headquarters during rush hour traffic. The banner on the plane read "Renew Veronica Mars! CW 2006!" They even got the attention of star Kristen Bell who said, "I heard that a whole group of fans rented an airplane... And they flew it over the CW... Whose show does that? Our show! We have the best fans in the world." The campaigning paid off because Mars became the lowest rated show to get another season.

MOST OVERHYPED SHOW: Grey's Anatomy, especially after its Super Bowl airing. I've said before that I don't get the appeal of this show, but I understand that about 22 million of you do, so it deserves media attention. BUT, every time I turned on my television, glanced at the newsstand or tried to listen to the radio, it was EVERYWHERE! Not to mention the almost every-other-week TV Guide covers (Do we really need to know what Ellen Pompeo does every second of her day?). I get that the show's popular, but can't other deserving shows get some more coverage as well?

THE "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING" AWARD: Lilly Rush's hair. If you don't watch Cold Case, then you might not be aware that it's actually about a team of detectives who solve cases that have never been solved, so called "cold cases." I know it says it in the title, but most of the "hype" around this show has to do with the main character's hairstyle. From the moment it first premiered 3 seasons ago, star Kathryn Morris has endured endless scrutiny over her character's messy updo, so she and the show decided to take it down this season, more than likely believing that it would quell the hair storm. No such luck as the hype moved from her messy updo to her relaxed down style. It's particularly irksome for me because I feel that if she were male, her hair would never even enter into conversation. The whole "controversy" is a classic example of not pleasing everybody all the time, but it also seems that they can't win either way. Pass the Remote says that she looks good either way!

MOST ORIGINAL NEW SHOW: Prison Break. While everyone was trying to solve a supernatural themed mystery or the crime of the week, Michael Scofield was busy trying to get himself, his brother and a few of their closest co-conspirators out of jail free. It wasn't an easy task, but thankfully, Michael had the prison's blueprints tattooed onto his body. With a cast of interesting characters and plenty of suspense, Prison Break easily captures this year's most original crown. The only question is, where will they go next year now that the concept has somewhat changed? With originality like this, I don’t think it will disappoint.

MOST TIRED TREND: Crime shows. I know, I know I watch them - 4 of them to be exact, but we're definitely at that saturation point. This season, CBS rolled out another Jerry Bruckheimer crime drama, Close to Home, and it failed to find an audience on Tuesday nights. The network moved it to Fridays where it did much better and earned a second season, but TVGuide.com is reporting that the show will undergo some big changes over the summer because viewers aren't watching. Then there was NBC’s latest Dick Wolf crime show Conviction, which faltered in the ratings and wound up on the chopping block along with ABC’s entry The Evidence. There are certainly outstanding examples from the genre, but do we really need any more?

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: Everwood. This season brought plenty of meaty story lines for the residents of this fictional Colorado town, and each actor handled his/hers beautifully. From top to bottom, Everwood had the strongest cast of the season. Whether it was Merrilyn Gann's Rose fretting over a possible cancer relapse or Gregory Smith's Ephram counseling a young piano prodigy or Sarah Drew's Hannah having her heart broken by her first love or Scott Wolf's Jake dealing with an addiction to prescription drugs to Debra Mooney's Edna secretly suffering after the loss of her second husband and everyone in between, the cast of Everwood never had a weak moment.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Scrubs' John C. McGinley. As Sacred Heart's cantankerous doctor with heart, McGinley's Dr. Perry Cox is one of the best reasons to watch this hilarious comedy. McGinley's deliverance is so well honed that it feels like only he could say the lines with as much comical punch. This season he had to take Perry through a rough time after losing three patients at once. McGinley never let the character lose his sarcastic edge, but he also made us very aware that he had let the deaths affect him too deeply to pull himself out. Without McGinley, the show would still be TV's best comedy, but with him, it sails to new levels.

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Michael shoots Ana Lucia and Libby on Lost. In a slow moving episode that seemed to sum up the entire series, the last few minutes drastically changed the landscape of the island and storytelling norms that we thought we had figured out. Suddenly, Michael took Ana Lucia's gun and proceeded to shoot and kill her as she sat on the couch in the hatch. Libby came in after hearing the shots, and she too took some bullets, which led to her death the following episode. Most viewers were so shocked that they simply sat there, mouth agape after the show faded to black. Whether you like the turn of events or not, you have to admit that it was good television and certainly the most shocking moment of the past season.

WORST KEPT SECRET: Vaughn's not dead on Alias. We knew for months that Vaughn was coming back to reunite with Sydney. It was even in the previews! Think how much better the scene in Tibet where we see Vaughn for the first time would have been if the cat hadn't been let out of the bag months earlier. The only surprise here was that Syd knew that her future husband wasn't six feet under. It's surprising that the twist got out because Alias is known for keeping secrets and surprising its viewers.

WORST SEASON FINALE: CSI, but only because of the closing scene. The rest of the 2-part finale was well done with the team rallying around Captain Brass after he was shot in a hostage situation. Luckily, he survived, but it wasn't enough to save this season's ender from the worst list. Pairing up Grissom and Sara was something that I always feared this show would do, and now that they have, I'm even more icked out over it than I thought I'd be. It has nothing to do with age, but rather, the way the characters have been written. Sara is always looking to Grissom for advice and help, like a father, and Grissom is always happy to lend a hand. I never saw them as romantic interests for each other because of their somewhat father/daughter relationship. And with the inference in TV Guide from the show's producers that things will heat up between Catherine and Warrick next season, it seems that they need to change the title to CSI: 90210. Bring back my crime drama!

BEST SEASON FINALE: This one goes to Lost. The 2-hour season send off managed to surprise (The plane crashed because Desmond didn't enter the numbers in time!!??), puzzle (Why where there two men monitoring magnetic activity on a ship in frigid weather?) and leave us hanging (What will happen to all the characters whose lives hang in the balance?). It was much more satisfying than last year's more-questions-than-answers season ender. Most of all, it was a gripping, riveting two hours of television that left me on the edge of my seat for days following.

So, there's a look at just some of this season's best and worst. Overall, it was a memorable season that brought us big changes to our favorite shows. It was also the curtain call for some long time favorites and some new ones as well. The network comedy was redefined by people like Earl and Chris. Many of us went digging for Bones or inside Criminal Minds, while others learned How I Met Your Mother and all about Grey’s Anatomy. Those famous housewives ended up just as Desperate, but more boring, and less of you decided that you needed to get Lost. But most of all, we were given well told stories and interesting characters that we’re all counting the days to get back to this fall. What did you think of the 2005-2006 TV season? Was it thrilling or chilling? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. And coming in one week, it’s the beginning of the summer-long countdown of this season’s best episodes! Which episodes of your favorite shows will make the list? What will be #1?? Tune in next Wednesday to see week 1 of the countdown!

QUICK CUTS

*ABC will air the remaining episodes of its now canceled crime drama The Evidence. There are four episodes that the network did not air while the show took over Invasion’s timeslot this spring. The first unaired episode will start this Saturday night at 10 p.m., with subsequent episodes the following Saturday nights. The move displaces reruns of Grey’s Anatomy that ABC had slated to fill the slot.

*FoxNews.com is reporting (via TVGuide.com) that Annabella Sciorra is leaving NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The actress joined the crime drama last season along with Chris Noth, and the pair have been switching off episodes with series stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe NBC has not commented on the report.

*And finally, Larry Hagman, Kathleen Turner and Brooke Shields will guest star on the new season of FX’s Nip/Tuck. The announcement comes after news that actress Sanaa Lathan would be in a recurring role next season. Hagman will play Lathan’s wealthy husband in a recurring role as well. Turner will also get a recurring role. She’ll play a phone sex operator who’s concerned that her voice is failing her. Shields will guest star in the fourth season premiere only, but she’ll play Christian’s psychologist. The fourth season will kick off later this year on FX.

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 an introduction to a brilliant show that you're probably not watching (And you can catch it now during summer reruns!). 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.