Sci Fi Wire’s article “Heroes Finale Details Leaked” features numerous comments by Kring that give away some more-or-less unanticipated information. Avid viewers have likely already heard the company line about no actor being guaranteed that their character will survive in the future when it was made public before February 19′s pivotal episode “Unexpected” that a major character who had been with the show from the beginning would die. Of course, Simone Deveaux (Tawny Cypress) was accidentally killed by her estranged boyfriend Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) in the installment.

I personally thought that revelation about the death of a “major” character was a bait-and-switch tactic to drum up viewer interest because, although Cypress has been a regular cast member since day one, Simone in no way figured or figures as heavily in the overarching plot as the other principal characters, including Ando (James Kyson Lee) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto), both of whom are technically only guest stars (unbelievable, right?). Prior to her demise, I sometimes wondered why Simone was even there, and other times I wished she and her annoying disbelief would just take a hike. I guess I kinda got my erstwhile wish then.

Blatant Spoilers Ahead—Proceed with Caution or Not at All

Having said that, the details that Kring revealed about the remainder of the season are as follows:

• The final two episodes are named “Landslide” (which is in production now) and “How to Stop an Exploding Man” (which starts filming next week and will air on May 23).
• The season finale will actually consist of a three-episode story arc that builds up to all of the characters with powers arriving in New York and one or possibly more of them dying. Remember, however, that this is science fiction. Dead doesn’t necessarily mean completely gone from the series, just no longer alive in the traditional sense.
• Other characters besides those with powers will die, as well (Duh!).
• The season finale will serve as a precursor to season two—or “Volume 2” in Heroes speak—giving viewers a small (I’m sure) indication of what is to come after the summer break.

These interesting tidbits certainly supply Heroes fans with something to ponder during this seemingly interminable hiatus. Yet, if Kring and company intend to lead viewers on in this season’s last episodes with more of those unresolved, cliffhanger-type plots that will force the audience to wait all the way until Fall 2007 to see how they unfold, NBC might find itself in the most unfortunate position of directly causing a ratings decline for its hottest new scripted show in ages.

NBC’s Heroes returns from hiatus on Monday, April 23

Heroes photo courtesy of NBC

The series follows the celebrity and her actor spouse as they attempt to establish a successful bed & breakfast near Southern California’s wine vineyards, financed by the recent $800,000 inheritance from her father. At the time of filming, Tori was eight months pregnant, lending a greater sense of urgency to the whole “escape from your old life” vibe that underscores the changes the couple experience as they try to adapt to a new life away from Hollywood, while also maintaining their individual entertainment careers. In the first episode, “Dump Everything You Can Dump!,” the pair get rid of their excess belongings at an estate sale to produce yet more capital to fund their B&B dream.

Says The Hollywood Reporter‘s Ray Richmond in his March 19 review:

“Tori & Dean: Inn Love” is roughly as banal as one might expect the opening installment of a series focusing on how Spelling is blowing her $800,000 inheritance to be. She: shallow, materialistic, spoiled, annoying. He: put-upon, feckless, devoted, clueless. Together, they prove a prince and princess of unabashed entitlement, and the urge to strangle them both oft proves overwhelming.

It’s all very lighthearted, lightweight and lightheaded, which is hardly a news flash. More surprising is the fact it’s executive produced in tandem with master documentarians Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, who clearly are slumming between real gigs.

Ouch. I’m not really into reality TV that revolves around quasi celebrities, but you’ve gotta give points to Tori for allowing herself to be followed around incessantly on camera when she looks like she’s about to burst at any moment. I do wonder, however, what was on her mind when she decided to plop down over three-quarters of a million dollars of her own money to create what is essentially temporary housing for a revolving lineup of guests. Good luck with that … and the TV show. [On TV: Tuesday, 20 March 2007, Oxygen, 10:30pm EST]

---

Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight

• Independent Lens—STOLEN: Documentary-style examination of two lone men’s 1990 theft of thirteen invaluable art works from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. [PBS/10:00*]
• Iraq in Fragments: Director James Longley’s winning documentary at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival offers three perspectives—Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni—from residents of war-torn, U.S.-occupied Iraq. [Cinemax/7:00]
• Spider-Man 2: Spidey takes on Tentacle Man, also known as Doc Ock, less than two months before his third adventure arrives on the big screen. Beware of the three-hour length with commercials included, however. [FX/7:00]
• The Whitest Kids U’Know: Only watch the latest musical sketch-comedy concoction from Jim Biederman, who also executive produced the TV version of Canada’s The Kids in the Hall, if you can fully appreciate the New York comedy troupe’s odd and ribald humor. [Series Debut/Fuse/11:00]
• Work Out: Trainer-to-the-stars Jackie Warner returns for a second six-episode season focused on her professional and personal affairs, including the sundry hardbodies that slave away in her high-class Los Angeles gym. [2nd-Season Premiere/Bravo/11:00]

*PBS times may vary—Check your local listings to verify them
  All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time

  Tori & Dean: Inn Love photo courtesy of Oxygen

Following at 10:15pm, British director Michael Winterbottom and co-director Mat Whitecross‘ 2006 docudrama The Road to Guantánamo explores the complicated predicament of three British Muslims of Pakastani descent: Ruhal Ahmed, Asif Iqbal, and Shafiq Rasul. During a 2001 visit to Afghanistan, the so-called “Tipton Three” were taken prisoner by the Northern Alliance in a sweep of suspected enemy combatants and terrorists, transferred to the United States’ infamous prison camp at the Guantánamo Bay Naval base in Cuba, and subsequently held for almost three years without charges or legal representation and under constant interrogation and torture. Sundance obviously aims not to sugarcoat the present situation, an admirable stance given the number of soldiers and civilians from all around the world who remain caught up in the continual violence and despair of the Middle East’s unrest. [On TV: Monday, 19 March 2007, Sundance, 9pm & 10:15pm EST]

---

Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight

• Dancing with the Stars: The highly anticipated fourth season of the celebrity dance-off starts with a roster of fresh faces from the entertainment and sports industries, in addition to a bevy of enthusiastic trained dancers. [4th-Season Premiere/ABC/8:00]
• Deal or No Deal: Oh, yes, it’s ladies night on NBC’s hit game show, a special two-hour edition made even better for female viewers by the 26 hunky firemen who’ll replace the customary briefcase models. [NBC/8:00]
• Everybody Hates Chris—EVERYBODY HATES DJs: You’ve got that right, especially when you mess up your mom’s favorite album while filling in for one, opening the doorway for guaranteed painful punishment. [The CW/8:00]
• I, Robot: Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith stars in yet another entertaining, action-packed big-screen flick, this one loosely based on the science fiction works of author Isaac Asimov. [FX/7:30]
• The New Adventures of Old Christine—STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: It looks like Old Christine will finally meet her match in the form of a polar-opposite political activist-slash-foe, played by razor-tongued actress-comic Sandra Bernhard. Uh-oh… [CBS/8:30]
• ‘Til Death Do Us Part—THE AIRPLANE MURDER/FUNERAL PARLOR MURDER: B-movie legend John Waters plays the Groom Reaper—Get it? Grim versus groom?—in Court TV’s first-ever original scripted series, which uses dramatizations and Waters’ omniscient commentary to enact tales of marital mayhem and murder. [Series Debut/Court TV/10:00 & 10:30]

All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends photo courtesy of Focus Features

One of the show’s greatest champions in the entertainment industry, E! Online’s TV gossip columnist Kristin Veitch, has been staying on top of the situation. She recently reported in Watch with Kristin that there are now three options for the series, namely cancellation (which seemed most likely just a few days ago), renewal in its current format, or—in a late-breaking development—renewal in a new format that involves the series jumping forward four years into the future and Veronica working as a FBI agent! The last possibility sounds pretty darn interesting. In fact, Veitch also writes that Mars creator Rob Thomas has already started filming a five-minute featurette to promote the FBI-themed alternative to CW executives.

This is where viewers come in. The CW claims that the decision to renew or cancel Veronica Mars will be officially revealed at the May 17 Upfronts, two months from now. What can you do to help persuade executives, as well, other than continue to faithfully watch each broadcast? It’s simple. Show your love and support for the series by penning a personal postcard or letter to the Powers That Be at the following address:

Dawn Ostroff
President of Entertainment
The CW Television Network
4000 Warner Boulevard
Building 168
Burbank, CA 91522-0002

If you care about television shows that are genuinely well-written and compelling, you’ll be glad you decided to join the cause to keep one fine example around for a little (or, hopefully, a lot) longer.

Veronica Mars currently airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST on The CW

Veronica Mars photo courtesy of The CW

Last year’s Primetime Emmys worked under a then new two-stage process. A blue-ribbon panel alone determined the final five nominees in the major acting and series categories, after an Academy-wide vote first established a preliminary group of fifteen (for performance categories) or ten (for outstanding comedy or drama series categories) candidates. All categories will have only ten first-stage nominees this year. Since the latest change introduces greater diversity to the final list of nominees, it should theoretically and ideally produce a field of candidates that represents a wider spectrum of preferences, while simultaneously providing a built-in safeguard against inappropriate nominations. Anything that gives a larger number of deserving contenders the ability to win is all good.

Explanatory Essays

Television actors and producers will now have the ability to explain their submitted work in a written essay of up to 250 words.

Requiring explanatory essays seems like a productive change, as well, because it will give those involved in serial-type and less transparent programs the opportunity to make the premise of their series and/or role clearer to voters who may not be familiar with the extended and underlying storylines. This also places the onus on actors and producers to pick and choose what information they believe is most relevant to voters. In other words, if you aren’t nominated, don’t complain that the voters didn’t understand your show well enough since it’s now your responsibility to wise them up via the essay.

Guest Stars

Guest-star nominees can now appear in more than six episodes of a series, as long as they are listed in the credits as a guest star.

This change is possibly problematic because it creates the potential for one-time guest stars to find themselves competing against performers who are designated the same, but occur frequently enough in a series for viewers to perceive them as recurring performers on a par with supporting/recurring performers or even series stars. Two visible examples from the current voting year that come to mind are James Kyson Lee and Zachary Quinto, who play Ando Masahashi and Sylar, respectively, on NBC’s hit sci-fi serial Heroes. Although both are technically billed as guest stars, no knowledgeable viewer would dispute that each actor is as integral to the series’ plot and success as the regular cast members, if not more so in Quinto’s case since he portrays the arch villain of the show.

Moreover, Lee has appeared in a total of nineteen episodes, the same amount as the series regular who has appeared in the highest number, Hayden Panettiere (self-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet). In fact, until very recently, Lee had appeared in the most episodes of any performer on the show, regular or not. Something is therefore clearly amiss when such frequent and essential performers are not only relegated to nominations in the same category as performers who appear in just one or a few episodes, but are also ineligible for the supporting performer categories that seem most appropriate given their prominence and large amount of screen time.

Minimum Screen Time

To counteract the fallout from last year’s nomination of Ellen Burstyn for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie based on her performance in HBO’s Mrs. Harris, a telefilm in which she appeared for only fourteen seconds and had just two lines totaling thirty-eight words, the so-called “Ellen Burstyn Rule” requires that miniseries and movie supporting performer nominees appear onscreen for at least 5 percent of the work’s total length.

Anybody who argues against the direly needed Ellen Burstyn Rule has to be confused or unaware. This one needs no clarification or commentary other than to again wonder how in the world Burstyn—who, make no mistake, is an extremely talented thespian and an American treasure in the entertainment field—was nominated in 2006 in the first place. Any modification that will prevent such a questionable outcome from occurring again is very much welcomed.

Miniseries Criteria

In an obvious response to last year’s lead and supporting actor nominations in the Miniseries or Movie category for Thief, a canceled crime drama on basic cable’s FX network, all miniseries nominees must now have a single theme or storyline that is presented under one title and resolved within the work in a single awards year.

The stricter definition for a miniseries will certainly prevent a repeat of last year’s Thief nominations. Yet, what will happen to anthology programs—for example, TNT’s eight-episode Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King presentation—traditionally promoted as miniseries despite containing distinct episodes with different themes? Foreseeable situations such as this must be addressed for the new rule to hold water.

Public Performances

Public performances that were not produced specifically for the medium of television—for example, halftime events during sports programs, awards shows like the Oscars and Tonys, and such taped events as concerts and Broadway plays—will no longer fall into the umbrella Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category. Instead, they will go in a separate, new, non-competitive Special Class Programming category that may have no winners or more than one. In addition, programs in the new category are not eligible for nominations in the directing, performance, and writing categories anymore.

Of all the changes, the last one is probably the one general television viewers will care about the least. My lone bone of contention is the related development that nominees in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category will now be selected by an Academy-wide vote only instead of last year’s blue-ribbon panel vote only. Why not make this area—not to mention acting nominations in longer programs, namely miniseries and movies, which are currently chosen by Academy-wide vote alone—a two-stage mixture similar to the major acting and series categories? Again, diversity of opinion would likely produce a more representative field of nominees. Perhaps if a dud selection arises from this year’s new rule, next year will see the instatement of a mixed two-stage vote here, too.

Nominations for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Thursday, July 19, at 5:35am PT

Emmy award photo courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

In reference to the massive travel problems that the storm caused in the Northeast due to the unfavorable snowy and windy conditions, Gibson’s opening remark to viewers noted:

“Up in the sky, it might be a bird, but it’s not a plane.”

Now that got a good, long laugh out of me, especially since I had experienced my fair share of “cold snow right smack dab in the eye no matter which way you turn” syndrome when I went out earlier near the beginning of the storm.

Air Date: March 16, 2007

World News with Charles Gibson currently airs Monday–Friday on ABC at 6:30pm EST

Charles Gibson photo courtesy of ABC

During the first two seasons, Intervention presented the experiences of individuals plagued with varying types of addiction, ranging from the expected drug problems to less prevalent or publicized conditions, such as compulsive shopping and self-mutilation. Tonight’s third-season premiere focuses on an addict of the former type, namely Ryan, a California resident and once promising musician whose consuming OxyContin abuse has put his family in crisis. Will Ryan be moved to agree to treatment after his family and a specialist confront him about the increasingly destructive results of his opiate dependency? Let’s hope so. [On TV: Friday, 16 March 2007, A&E, 10pm EST]

---

Friday | March 16

• Identity: The guess-who-I-am game show hosted by Penn & Teller’s Penn Jillette returns from hiatus after a very successful debut last December. [NBC/9:00]
• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship—FIRST ROUND: Illinois and Virginia Tech play live in Columbus, Ohio. [CBS/7:00]
• Real Time with Bill Maher: Politics talking head Maher chats with a slew of guests, including Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander, CBS news icon Dan Rather, and fellow comedian Chris Rock, whose new flick I Think I Love My Wife opens today. [HBO/11:00]
• The Wedding Bells—WEDDING FROM HELL: Executive producer David E. Kelley’s latest dramedy airs in its regular Friday-night time slot with an episode featuring more wedding-inspired shenanigans and crises. [Fox/9:00]

Saturday | March 17

• 21st Annual Soul Train Music Awards: Presentation of the March 10 event, hosted by R&B singers LeToya and Omarion. (Special/WGN/11:30)
• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship—SECOND ROUND: Teams and venue to be announced. [CBS/8:00]
• The Riches—PILOT: If you missed the debut episode of the new dramedy about a clan of thieving gypsies who take up residence in the posh digs of a deceased couple, here’s the chance to catch a repeat of British stars Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver in action. [FX/10:00]
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2007: Nearly instant replay of the March 12 ceremony inducting Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, and Van Halen into the renowned Hall for 2007. (Special/VH1/9:00)
• Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: The latest poet lineup includes Big Poppa E, Bassey Ikpi, Alvin Lau, Saddi Kali, Liza Garza, Lamont Carey, Brian Dykstra, Vanessa Hidary, Basikknowledge, *and* George Clinton (!). [HBO/12:00am]

Sunday | March 18

• Battlestar Galactica—CROSSROADS, PART 1: In the first installment of yet another riveting two-parter, duplicitous Gaius Baltar (James Callis) finally goes on trial in shocking proceedings aboard the Galactica. [Sci Fi/10:00]
• Christopher Titus: The 5th Annual End of the World Tour: The former star of Fox’s Titus sitcom spreads humor during one pit stop on his ongoing End of the World comedy tour. The special represents the first recording in Titus’ recent four-record deal with Comedy Central Records. [Special/Comedy Central/10:00]
• I’m From Rolling Stone—NATIONAL LAMPOON/ROLLING STONE OR ROLLING HOME: One lucky winner receives a prestigious position as a contributing editor at the title music rag. Nice. [1st-Season Finale/MTV/11:00]
• The Manchurian Candidate: The 2004 diabolical political thriller starring Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, and Meryl Streep is nowhere near as chilling as the 1962 original featuring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury, but it’s an intriguing, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining film nonetheless. [TNT/9:00 & 10:30]
• The Winner—HOT FOR TEACHER: It’s the season finale for Fox’s capable new comedy, and the episode’s title leaves nothing to the imagination. The hot teacher in question, incidentally, is the one and only Katey Sagal of Married with Children fame. Nice. [1st-Season Finale/Fox/9:30]

All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted
Intervention logo courtesy of A&E
The Riches photo courtesy of FX
Gaius Baltar photo courtesy of the Sci Fi Channel

Mild Spoilers Ahead—Proceed with Caution

Poor younger Sammy, however, is becoming sappier and sappier—and more and more adorable, of course—with each episode. Right about now, he’s so empathetic and in tune with his complex emotions, he could make the most sensitive guy a smidgen uncomfortable. At one point, Dean even jibed him about how much he was channeling “J. Love Hewitt” while attempting to reassure Helfer’s character Molly, distraught over her husband’s disappearance after a bizarre car accident with a bloodthirsty spirit.

I should’ve known then what was coming because, sure enough, the final 15 minutes of “Roadkill” were as close to an episode of Ghost Whisperer as I’ve ever seen, and that’s including in Jennifer Love Hewitt‘s horror-light CBS hit itself. Interestingly, Supernatural pulled the heartwrenching “goodbye into the bright white light” shtick off infinitely better, primarily due to the fact that the plot contained a compelling and genuinely macabre build-up to the final sobfest.

If Ghost Whisperer could find a better balance of frightening and poignant, as demonstrated in Supernatural‘s “Roadkill,” the series might manage to break out of its redundancy rut and regain its appeal to viewers who enjoy a few authentic scares before the waterworks come gushing on. But what do I know? Ghost Whisperer is making such a killing in the ratings during its regular Friday-night time slot, viewers must prefer the maudlin storylines. Cheers to Supernatural anyway for showing how to do “humane horror” right. Now let’s just keep a dry eye and hold off on any additional weepy episodes for a season or two, dudes.

Supernatural currently airs Thursdays on The CW at 9pm EST
Ghost Whisperer currently airs Fridays on CBS at 8pm EST
Supernatural photo courtesy of The CW
Ghost Whisperer photo courtesy of CBS

I, for one, have found it difficult to tolerate Clark’s extreme fear of revealing his “secret” to Lana, the one character in the show who has either witnessed or personally experienced almost as many kryptonite-fueled freak incidents as the Boy of Steel himself. Lana has been possessed, drugged, manipulated, virtually killed, and thrust in the middle of deadly circumstances so many times, if she were a real person, she’d likely be loony tunes or really dead and gone. Yet, with each bizarre ordeal, she has only grown stronger and more open-minded about inexplicable phenomena. In other words, she’s the perfect person to confide in about your weird superhuman powers. If Clark’s childhood confidant Chloe (Allison Mack)—who has not been directly subjected to anywhere near as many abnormal and deadly situations—can accept the truth, Lana sure as hell can, too.

As a result of his chronic inaction and overthinking, Clark can place much of the blame for the present surreal state of affairs on his own hunky shoulders. I bet if he dared to speak the truth to the woman he’s always loved more than any other, she’d roll her eyes in disbelief that all of the grief they’ve both endured over each other was due to something that inconsequential. After all, if it wasn’t for Clark’s special abilities, Lana wouldn’t even be around to marry his former best friend because no one else would have been capable of saving her from imminent danger and death only like a billion times.

On the upside for fans of the angst-filled Clark-Lana partnership, it seems that other factors besides the historically ineffectual budding superhero (at least in matters of love) may intervene to possibly preclude the dreaded creation of Mrs. Lana Luthor. No spoilers here, but it doesn’t take much imagination to guess that some involve the bun baking in Lana’s oven. However the predicament unfolds, one thing is certain: tonight’s “Promise” episode of Smallville will be a pivotal installment that may very well change the direction of the series forever henceforth. This one is definitely a must-not-miss for fans. [On TV: Thursday, 15 March 2007, The CW, 8pm EST]

---

Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight

• Andy Barker, P.I.—PILOT: Former Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter gives sitcoms another try, this time in a case of mistaken identity that has his accountant character pretending to be a private investigator. [Series Debut/NBC/9:31]
• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship—FIRST ROUND: Duke and Virginia Commonwealth play live in Buffalo, New York. [CBS/7:00]
• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship—FIRST ROUND: Gonzaga and Indiana play live in Sacramento, California. [CBS/9:30]
• October Road—PILOT: When a successful author (Bryan Greenberg) under pressure to produce a second bestseller experiences writer’s block, he returns to his Massachusetts childhood hometown after ten years away to recover his mojo, only to find that many of the residents are not exactly thrilled about the unfavorable way he depicted them in his popular novel. [Series Debut/ABC/10:01]
• Raines—PILOT: Jeff Goldblum plays Michael Raines, an unusual Los Angeles police detective who uses his vivid hallucinations of crime victims to help solve their murders. [Series Debut/NBC/10:01]
• The Showbiz Show With David Spade: The return of David Spade’s snarky, satirical entertainment news show includes not only guest appearances by Patrick Warburton and Oliver Hudson, his co-stars in the freshman CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement, but also an undercover segment featuring short-ish, thin, white, male Spade “disguised” as tall, curvy, black, female Tyra Banks. I’m watching just to see the latter. [3rd-Season Premiere/Comedy Central/10:30]

All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
Smallville photo courtesy of The CW

The forbidden romance seems finished almost as soon as it starts, however, when Roman is accused of murdering Julia’s father. Although he’s eventually acquitted, during his legal struggles, Julia becomes involved with the son of a deceitful businessman who ultimately plans to bring down both families in order to establish his own supremacy over the region’s profitable hotel industry. Throw into the mix the questionable priest who infiltrates the Martin family, as well as Robin Givens‘ performance as a prominent interior designer unafraid of pursuing any man she wants, and the stage is set for much intense drama.

Now that MyNetworkTV has pared its individual telenovela schedules down to a more manageable and practical weekly two-hour episode, fans have every incentive to catch the last of a dying breed on U.S. television that never really had the chance to flourish in the face of anemic ratings. The one consolation for dispirited telenovela enthusiasts is MyNetworkTV’s commendable commitment to airing Saints & Sinners‘ entire 65-episode répertoire, which was completed before the network’s decision to phase out prime-time soaps, resulting in a projected September finish. [On TV: Wednesday, 14 March 2007, MyNetworkTV, 8pm EST]

---

Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight

• Blue Planet: Seas of Life—MAKING WAVES: This episode of the nature series gives viewers a front-row peek at how filmmakers and marine scientists collaborate to produce each segment. [Animal Planet/8:00]
• Bones—BODIES IN THE BOOK: Life copycats art when it appears that two murders are identical to their fictional counterparts in Brennan’s (Emily Deschanel) latest novel, causing our brainy forensic anthropologist major worry since there’s a third murder in the book, too. [Fox/8:00]
• Conversations with Michael Eisner: In his latest one-hour group interview, former Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney honcho Eisner talks shop with film and television executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer (who’s been involved with just about every crime procedural on CBS, including all three CSIs, Cold Case, and Without a Trace), writer Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post political weblog, and former AOL/Time Warner CEO Jerry Levin. [CNBC/9:00]
• Halfway Home—HALFWAY NARC: Nobody ever said the life of a former jailbird is easy, as the five ex-con characters in this new improvised half-hour comedy clearly demonstrate while residing at Crenshaw House, courtesy of the Los Angeles Bureau of Prisons. [Series Debut/Comedy Central/10:30]
• Most Shocking—HIGH SPEED CHASES: While this installment might not live up to the shocking claim in the title, it will most definitely prove exhilarating to watch three idiots, I mean criminals, flee from the law enforcement personnel chasing them. [Court TV/8:00]
• Sit Down Comedy With David Steinberg—JON STEWART: The Daily Show‘s head talking head occupies the hot seat in host Steinberg’s newest one-hour chatfest. [TV Land/10:00]
• ‘Til Death—CLAY DATE: Some actors sure do get around. First, Frasier‘s Dan Butler, better known to viewers as Bulldog, showed up in Monk‘s season finale on March 2, and now he returns for another essential guest appearance in ‘Til Death‘s first episode following its recent hiatus. Nice. [Back from Hiatus/Fox/9:30]

All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
Saints & Sinners photo courtesy of MyNetworkTV