Without Press Tour, however, think of all the wrangling they’d have to do when major TV news implosions occur. Phones would be ringing off the hook. Reporters would be jockeying for position and screaming if they don’t get the story angles they want when they want it. Mass hysteria.

Tour is also something of a mixed blessing for TV writers. Entertainment business news is breaking all the time, but it certainly seems to go nuclear when most of us are brought together in a hotel ballroom. Often the news is very inside baseball, such as the sudden resignation of ABC Entertainment head Steve McPherson on the first day of Tour, followed shortly by trade reports that he was the subject of a sexual harrassment probe. Critics care because McPherson’s the guy we talk to about ABC’s lineup, and as such, some of us like to imagine we have something of a relationship with him.

So things of this nature happen, we express shock! (Not really.) Alarm! (Actually, executives get spectacularly booted all the time. Right, Ben Silverman?) Then we sharpen our knives for the network’s executive session. Sadly, the word is that ABC isn’t having one. (UPDATE: On Friday ABC announced that ABC Family’s Paul Lee had officially been named as McPherson’s successor, so there will be a short  session on Sunday after all.)

This news has very little impact on the typical viewer. As such, it was quickly swept under the rug when Fox’s (highly orchestrated?) “Idol” bombshell exploded late this afternoon in the form of a Variety story announcing Ellen DeGeneres‘ sudden and not altogether surprising exit, either by choice or by force. That, people care about.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.  “Idol” dominated the early evening news, but Showtime opened the day with four panels, three of them actually worth our time.

The day started with a tour of “The Big C,“  which stars Laura Linney and officially premieres August 16, although you can watch the pilot right now. In the half-hour dramedy, Linney plays a woman who receives a cancer diagnosis and decides to take what time she has left and live it to the fullest.

Whether the show becomes a hit depends largely on how much people are willing to spend time with a character who may be outlandish and hilarious, but is dying before their eyes.  It’s a tough sell. But there’s no denying the cast’s chemistry and the absolute luminosity of Laura Linney. The entire panel was something of an eat-pray-love fest as the stars talked about the beauty of living in the now. After Oliver Platt asked, “Why do we start to live beautifully when we get a death sentence?” and Gabourey Sidibe pointed out, “whatever plan you have for your life, you are wrong a lot of times,” it was hard not to commit for at least a few installments.

Once that panel’s high wore off, though, I remembered a vexing truth about Showtime comedies: they’re not particularly funny. “Comedy” seems to be a term the premium cable channel uses because it’s more succinct than “half-hour oddity,” or “30-minute award nomination bait.”

Happily we were reminded of that by watching the clip for “Episodes,” an upcoming comedy about a disastrous American remake of a nice British series.  The clip reel was genuinely hilarious, and what exchanges we saw between series star Matt LeBlanc and his British co-stars Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan were gut-busting.

Executive producers and writers David Crane (“Friends”) and Jeffrey Klarik (“The Class”) consistently made us giggle as they described the horrific sausage making process a series goes through as its churned through the Hollywood machine, which is precisely what “Episodes” is about. It’s a shame we have to suffer through a slew of substandard comedies this fall while we wait for it; “Episodes” premieres in January.

Keep reading for more details on “Dexter” and a breakdown of the CW panels.

Before “Episodes,” key cast and producers from “Dexter” took the stage and told us absolutely nothing about the numerous guest stars set to appear this season, a list that includes Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, Peter Weller and Katherine Moennig. But what they did say is a) this season is about “atonement,” b) Julie Benz will be back in some capacity, but not as a ghost because Harry is the sole owner of that territory;  lastly,  c) Dexter’s fellow cops are getting very suspicious of him.

In short, Showtime continues to be worth the extra charge on our cable bills. With time, its series may get bigger ratings than some of their network counterparts…well, at least the ones on The CW.

This is not to imply the tiniest network is set for a middling fall. It’s premiering two new shows, and each stand a good chance of finding an audience.

“Nikita” has enjoyed positive buzz since critics received the pilot a few weeks ago, and Maggie Q’s friendliness pretty much completed the seduction. In fact, many were so charmed by Miss Quigley that they were able to forgive and forget the fact that series executive producer McG, who professed an affection for empowering female characters, was the man responsible for giving The Pussycat Dolls a TV show that lasted for two cycles.

This could have something to do with the fact that in the posters for “Nikita,” she’s holding a gun and wearing a tight bodysuit that shows off a tattoo on her hip. A real tattoo. That touched off about ten minutes of conversation about her tats and what they mean, which is what happens when a gorgeous model-slash-action-star gets a decent pilot nobody wants to bad mouth.

“Hellcats” also could be largely critic-proof because the pilot that looks and feels like a standard CW show, and should be helped along by the fact that it stars Ashley Tisdale, aka “High School Musical’s” Sharpay. Good fit is everything with this boutique network.

The main piece that everything else seems to hang off of is “Gossip Girl,” which opens the season with a two-episode Paris fling that pulls Clemence Poesy in for a guest star stint. Executive producer Stephanie Savage also said that Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) is returning, and we will be seeing more of her “in more ways than one.”

As we were settling into “Gossip” bliss, BAM! The “Idol” tweet went out.

So, as in life, Fox trumped The CW yet again…and that network’s turn isn’t until next week. However, “Idol” has a long tradition of giving gossipy gifts to Press Tour, and Fox publicists had hinted that several key announcements about the judges panel would be made on Monday.

As Day 2 came to a close, other “Idol” morsels leaked into the press, including the far from surprising report that Kara DioGuardi also got cut, and that the new panel would consist of Randy Jackson and…Jennifer Lopez? And Steven Tyler?

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter to get TCA news as it breaks.

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This year, however, there was more cheering than griping. Some would say this is not necessarily a “new” idea, since the tides seemed to turn our way last year — meaning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences voters’ tastes may have at long last aligned with critics and the public’s.  Let’s give an example:  A few years ago, most people would have expected Emmy voters to snub “Lost” in its final season. Perhaps the thought would be that it was too complex for its own good or, having won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama in 2005, that its moment had already been acknowledged.

But “Lost” will get its shot in the category once again, alongside CBS’s deserving new series “The Good Wife,”  HBO’s fan favorite “True Blood” (which began to soar, creatively speaking, in its second season), Showtime’s “Dexter,” and AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men,” a two-time winner already.

Nominees for Best Actress in a Drama include the usual suspects ( as in  “The Closer’s” Kyra Sedgwick, “Damages’” Glenn Close, and “Law & Order: SVU’s” Mariska Hargitay), the easily predictable but deserving nomination for “The Good Wife’s” Julianna Margulies…and hello, January Jones! “Man Men’s” Betty Draper showed a variety of colors last year, and Jones took the storyline and ran away with it.

Our next gift-wrapped present: Fox’s “Glee,” a welcome addition to the Outstanding Comedy mix (just one of its 19 nominations) and another one of those no-brainers that probably would have come up empty on past nomination rounds.  ABC’s “Modern Family,” on the other hand, was a shoo-in,  and joins past winners “30 Rock” and “The Office,” both on NBC, as well as Showtime’s dark half-hour “Nurse Jackie” and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Among “Glee’s” nominations were individual nods for Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison in actress and actor categories.

Also very much expected was the nominations avalanche for HBO’s “The Pacific.” The premium cable channel’s latest World War II epic racked up 24 nods, nearly a quarter of HBO’s total of 101. That also means that for a straight decade, HBO has led in total nominations.  (Since HBO has had a pretty good year, we’re not yawning this time.)

A complete list of Emmy nominees is, of course, available here.

This is not to imply that everything’s rosy in TV Land today. The voters are getting more things right these days, but Emmy being Emmy, there are enough snubs each year to make TV fans groan loudly and painfully. Here are but a few.

Katey Sagal in "Sons of Anarchy"

1. No Best Actress in a Drama nod for “Sons of Anarchy’s” Katey Sagal. Now, while this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with Emmy’s habits — we’ll elaborate in a moment — Sagal gave a beautifully multifaceted performance as SAMCRO’s matriarch Gemma Teller Morrow. We won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the second season yet, but Sagal took an incredibly difficult plot twist and a controversial treatment of its aftermath, and handled it with dignity, fragility and in the final moments of the season, a sense of controlled power.

The problem is that the second season opener of FX’s “Sons” was overwhelmingly difficult to watch, even for diehard fans, because of what happened to Sagal’s character. The way she dealt with it in subsequent episodes may have rubbed people the wrong way. Emmy voters tend to behave more cautiously than the average viewer. In other words, Katey probably knew she would be sleeping in this morning.

2. No nomination for “Modern Family’s” Ed O’Neill. Given the above snub, we’re wary about mentioning some alleged “Married with Children” curse, but someone should give this kind of omission an official name. How about, the  Eva Longoria Parker Snub? As in, the kind of snub where everyone else in the cast gets nominated, but you come up empty?

Not that we’re quibbling with the nods for Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Plus, whenever Sofia Vergara says “cop-cake,” this writer giggles. (I am not the giggling type, so that has to be worth something.)  But honestly — why not show Ed some love?  We all love Duckie, but did Jon Cryer really need to get nominated again?  Discuss.

3. “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” — denied! “Survivor” is another past winner and frequent nominee in the reality competition category, but this season was arguably one of the best in the show’s history. Even if you want to debate that point,  one thing you’d be hard-pressed to defend is Emmy’s choice of “Project Runway” over “Survivor.”  Did “Project Runway” ever deserve an Emmy? Of course. Does the most recent season deserve it? Uh…no.

4. No love for any of the leads from “The Pacific.” Yes, the miniseries led HBO’s pack in terms of total nominations. Yes, the odds that viewers watching the Emmys telecast will get the chance to see Jon Seda, James Badge Dale and Joseph Mazzello on the stage at some point are rather high. That does not lessen the sting for anyone who watched these men make us gasp  and tear up for 10 episodes. Additionally, while it’s hard to feign surprise that Rami Malek was left out of the supporting actor mix, we sure think he deserved to be acknowledged.

5. Ditto for anyone from the cast of “True Blood.” Again, Emmy voters, thanks for acknowledging the show. But maybe next year you’ll have seen enough to realize that what makes it so addictive are stellar performances from the likes of Alexander Skarsgård and Nelsan Ellis.  That’s OK, we’ll wait.

But let’s give credit where credit is due. There are some snubs that we’re completely fine with.

Thank you, Emmy, for leaving Katherine Heigl out this time around, giving someone who actually appreciates having a job on a good TV show a shot at some hardware.

Bless you, Emmy, for giving the Heisman hand to Jay Leno in favor of a nod to “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.” Surely that scored big points with Team Coco.

We are also completely fine with you denying major category recognition to Charlie Sheen, “24“, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Family Guy” and, although it seems odd to credit you for doing so, “Jersey Shore.” Admit it, voters. You know you thought about pandering to the kids.

Your turn: Were you satisfied with this round of Emmy nominations?

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Aly Michalka, Robbie Jones and Ashley Tisdale star in "Hellcats"

As promised, here is the official schedule The CW released yesterday. We made a few predictions as to how it would shake out on Wednesday, and it looks like a couple of our wild guesses actually came to pass.

The development I am the most curious to discuss with fellow viewers is The CW’s decision to  move “Supernatural” to Fridays.  “Smallville” seemed to do OK there during the ‘09-10 season, so it’s not the worst thing to happen…still, this Winchester fan is a tad concerned. (Not to mention a bit miffed to have to sacrifice her Friday nights due to her allegiance to Sam and Dean…darn.)

All times are ET/PT. New series are in bold. Descriptions taken from the network press release follow.

MONDAY

8 PM    “90210″

9 PM     “Gossip Girl”

TUESDAY

8 PM    “One Tree Hill”

9 PM    “Life Unexpected”

WEDNESDAY

8 PM   “America’s Next Top Model”

9 PM   “Hellcats”

THURSDAY

8 PM     “The Vampire Diaries”

9 PM     “Nikita”

FRIDAY

8 PM   “Smallville”

9 PM    “Supernatural”

New series descriptions

“HELLCATS” is a coming-of-age story about Marti Perkins, a young, pre-law student at Lancer University in Memphis, Tennessee.  Marti is cool, hip and alt, but her world flips upside down, literally and figuratively, when she loses her scholarship, and realizes the only way she can stay in school is by reigniting her dormant teen gymnastic skills to win a place on Lancer’s legendary cheerleading team, The Hellcats.  Against her every instinct, Marti goes for it and makes the squad, and is thrust into a world of camaraderie, backstabbing and the intersection of sports, backroom academia and big money.  Marti’s new roommate, Savannah Monroe, a petite, peppy Texan, is among the diverse cast of athletes, undergrads, family and friends, all set on the sprawling campus of a powerhouse college football program in the deep South.

“NIKITA” When she was a deeply troubled teenager, Nikita was rescued from death row by a secret U.S. agency known only as Division, who faked her execution and told her she was being given a second chance to start a new life and serve her country.  What they didn’t tell her was that she was being trained as a spy and assassin.  Ultimately, Nikita was betrayed and her dreams shattered by the only people she thought she could trust.  Now, after three years in hiding, Nikita is seeking retribution and making it clear to her former bosses that she will stop at nothing to expose and destroy their covert operation.  For the time being, however, Division continues to recruit and train other young people, erasing all evidence of their former lives and turning them into cold and efficient killers.  One of these new recruits, Alex, is just beginning to understand what lies ahead for her and why the legendary Nikita made the desperate decision to run.

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Jessica Lowndes, AnnaLynne McCord, and Jessica Stroup return in "90210."

The CW will not officially reveal its schedule until Thursday morning, which is when yours truly will be on a plane. Not to worry; the blog will be updated with the official schedule soon after it is released.  Besides, enough information has trickled into the trades for us to talk about a few important details and make some educated guesses as to where new series will land on the schedule. Or, we should say, the first version of its schedule, because almost every network tweaks its lineup once the upfronts come to a close.

Before we get to the new stuff, here’s a round-up of the current news: “One Tree Hill”  was officially picked up earlier this week, joining previously announced CW renewals “90210,” “Life Unexpected,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Supernatural,” and “Smallville.” Additionally, the CW confirmed today that “Smallville’s” 10th season will be its last.

Gone from the schedule (thereby proving there is a Higher Power that cares for us all) are “Melrose Place,” “High Society,” “Fly Girls” and this season’s “here today, gone tomorrow” prizewinner, “The Beautiful Life: TBL,” which barely made it out of the gate. Their departure from the TV landscape will doubtless be mourned by…someone.

On the other hand, if they hadn’t been cleared away, The CW wouldn’t have any place to put its new additions, “Nikita” and “Hellcats.”

“Nikita” is a reboot of the franchise that began with Luc Besson’s (freaking awesome) cult action film “La Femme Nikita,” which was remade for American audiences as the awful “Point of No Return” starring Bridget Fonda.  The character of Nikita resurfaced in a Canadian-produced action drama that ran for about five seasons on USA Network, and was played by Peta Wilson. Maggie Q takes over the role in the new version, which also has her going rogue.

The first TV version of “La Femme Nikita,” it must be mentioned, was part of a late-’90s, early ’00s girl power trend on television that included “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,”  and “Alias.” Considering that we live in a time in which Paris Hilton, the Kardashians and  “Girls Gone Wild” are celebrated pop culture fixtures, returning “Nikita” to TV is — in concept — a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand, it’s on The CW. If someone doesn’t screw it up, there’s still the question of whether it’ll pull the ratings to survive. With McG as an executive producer, there is hope.

“Nikita” is joined on the schedule by “Hellcats,” a drama about competitive cheerleading starring Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale. If “Nikita” is a nod to what The CW used to be (in its previous incarnations, UPN and the WB), “Hellcats” seems to fit in perfectly with what the tiny broadcast network is now.

Question is, where will they appear on the schedule? Currently there are two obvious opportunities, one on Wednesday nights, and one on Fridays, where “Smallville” has been able to hold on to its audience.   The CW’s schedulers have been known to slide veterans into different timeslots in the hope of finding a perfect pairing so really, it’s foolish to guess what the network’s lineup will look like. But why should that stop us?

Keep reading after the jump for our scheduling guesswork.

MONDAYS

The one-two punch of “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill” seemed to work out just fine this season in spite of creative problems with the former’s story arc. “OTH” is a veteran whose audience has grown up and stuck with it, and the trend-setting “Gossip Girl” is now as acceptable among adults as it is with tween and teens. We doubt the network will mess with this.

TUESDAYS

Since “Life Unexpected” was a late addition to this season’s schedule, it’s highly possible that it will move to Wednesdays in order to team up “Hellcats” and “90210.”

WEDNESDAYS

On the other hand, if “Hellcats” is as bitchy as it sounds, coupling it with “America’s Next Top Model” wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Bloody lust is so sexy. Paul Wesley stars in "The Vampire Diaries."

THURSDAYS

Here’s where things get a bit dicey. “The Vampire Diaries” is this season’s clearest hit, not only among new shows but in the context of the schedule at large. It finally gave The CW a real presence on Thursday nights.  At the same time, it’s probably popular enough to take its audience with it if it were to move. The obvious destination for it would probably be Friday.

Please. Not going to happen.

“Supernatural” is another veteran series that paired beautifully with “Smallville” on Thursdays in season past. One should not be surprised if The CW decides to reunite old friends  — especially considering that the repeats of this past season’s episodes will air at 9 o’clock Fridays this summer. “Supernatural’s” audience probably won’t be too excited to see its show move to Fridays next fall, but they’re (we’re!) passionate, and most of them (us!) will follow.  That leaves 9 o’clock Thursdays open for “Nikita” to slide in,  and with potent “Vampire” as its lead-in, “Nikita” would have one of the best slots on the CW’s schedule.

FRIDAYS

On the flipside, “Smallville” fans could already be familiar with “Nikita’s” mythology, so the network could opt to create an end-of-the-week destination for action genre viewers.

Now it’s your turn.  Have any guesses as to how the deck will be shuffled?

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(If you haven’t seen last night’s “Lost” episode, please stop reading now.  Really. We mean it.)

Confession time:  I am not one of those people who scours each “Lost” episode for hidden meanings, Easter eggs and the rest of that frimfram sauce. I would rather munch on cookies and watch it in peace, then read all the various comb-throughs of said episode the next morning.

Lots of people have been thinking deep thoughts about this show for several seasons now and frankly, they’re much better at spotting the hidden meanings and symbolism and frimfram sauce ingredients than I am.   So if that’s the kind of “Lost” post you’re looking for, I recommend reading this column, or this blog post, or this one. Or read this one for the entertainment value.

I will say this, however: “What Kate Does” was an interesting episode not because of the action between Kate and Claire in the parallel universe, or the idea that Claire has assumed Rousseau’s role on the island.

(Keep reading, or scroll to the bottom to go straight to our recaps.)

I was not even blown away by the revelation that Sayid might not be “Jacob Uploaded” but has probably been “claimed.”  That I kind of expected, especially having noticed the look on Miles’ face after Dogen and Lennon broke the news that Sayid was dead.  I’m assuming Miles either didn’t hear Sayid say anything, which surprised him, or he did hear something, but what he heard was so unbelievable he’s keeping it to himself.

Or it could be that entire line of thinking is a dead end and Ken Leung was merely “being in the moment.”

God…I’m doing that thing I said I wouldn’t do, aren’t I?

At any rate, what intrigued me about last night’s bridge episode was not so much what Kate did, or what she does (which has interesting implications about the connections between the two storylines…swear to God, I’ll stop) but the portents of what Sawyer is going to do.

Even when Sawyer was at his most heroic and loving, “Lost’s” writers never let us forget that the man has a dark soul. This does not mean that he can never be the hero; he has played the savior several times since we’ve known him, and we’re expecting significant heroics from him before the end. But my heart sank when Sawyer revealed the engagement ring he was going to give to Juliet before throwing it off of that Dharmaland Bay dock, because that ring seemed to represent his last glimmer of hope and faith in anything good.

As we saw in the teasers for next week’s episode, Dark Locke will be taking advantage of Sawyer’s sorrow. And that ain’t good.

“Lost’s” end will be painful now matter how you look at it, but that pain is sharpened by the fear that James Ford will not get the happy ending many of us want for him.

Oh yeah, and one other thing: Hey, how nice to see Mac from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” make a reappearance! (BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!) Whoops, sorry he couldn’t stay. See you back at Paddy’s, Rob McElhenney!

Here’s the IMDb’s “Lost” recap in addition to the rest of our Tuesday night synopses.

“Lost”: What Kate Does

“NCIS”: Jack Knife

“American Idol”: Hollywood Round, Part 1 (Ellen is in the hizz-ouse!)

“The Biggest Loser” Working Out with Olympians

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Chuck and Sarah: A couple worth (show)killing for?

Those who keep up with the daily happenings in TV Land are likely aware of  the “Chuckopalypse.”  If you’re not, check out our recap of the episode (“Chuck vs. the Mask“) or continue reading after the jump for a brief explanation.

The rest of our Monday night recaps are linked at the end of this post if you’d rather skip the conversation about the “Chuckopalypse.”  And you can always find the IMDb’s round-up of TV recaps the day after an episode airs by scrolling about midway down the IMDb homepage.

Ready? Here we go:  A significant portion of “Chuck’s” devoted viewership is up in arms — on the verge of mutiny, really — at what they consider to be a major pollutant to the delicate Chuckosphere.

These folks, who some would call “shippers” (i.e., people who believe a series flies or dies based on what happens in a central romantic relationship, usually of the “will-they-or-won’t-they” variety), believe that the producers betrayed them by having Chuck (Zachary Levi) and his usually-off-but-only-on-for-a-tantalizingly-short-time love interest Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) pair off with other people.

It’s perfectly fine for Chuck’s eyes to wander, mind you; he tried to make it work again with his ex-girlfriend — alas, she was a spy! — and another the girl at the mall’s sandwich shop, but he always came back to Sarah.  To a nerd like Chuck, Sarah is the ultimate unattainable girl: sexy, smart, skilled with weapons and hand-to-hand combat.  Why on Earth would she be interested in a Buy More employee? Doesn’t matter; she just is.

The sticking point, Sarah has been keen to remind Chuck, is that they’re both spies and co-workers; ergo, they can’t do anything about it.  Sarah has said it dozens of times: Spies do not fall in love. Therefore, Sarah must remain unattainable, and if anyone is to do the attaining, it must be Chuck.

A couple of weeks ago Chuck meets nice girl Hannah on a plane, they hit it off, she finds him in Burbank, and sparks fly.  Fine so far. Where things get problematic, in the eyes of some fans, is that Sarah appears to be ready to pair off with fellow super-spy Shaw, who is not only her superior but has often reminded her not to fall in love with her charge, Chuck.

(Once also can’t help noticing that those upset fans are perfectly fine with Chuck getting busy with others while Sarah isn’t allowed the same perk. Hello, and welcome to the Buy More! My name is Double Standard. How may I assist you today?)

It does not matter that Chuck and Sarah’s distractions happen to be played by the adorable Kristin Kreuk and handsome Brandon Routh. The problem is that Chuck and Sarah are supposed to end up together, dammit.  That was the implied promise, understand. Three seasons in, Chuck and Sarah have almost had sex and almost ran away together.

The complaints don’t just in there. Chuck is almost a spy but can’t quite give up the training wheels; the adventures of Morgan, Jeff, Lester and the Buy More gang are almost baked to the point that they can stand alone each week;  and the series almost seems to have hit its stride but this season’s episodes haven’t quite cleared the bar between solid and outstanding.  All this, and an Olympics-forced hiatus, too.

That’s a lot of “almosts” to put up with, and the extended tease appears to have pushed some fans to the breaking point. Next-day viewer reaction has ranged from the merely peeved to really ticked off to “let’s stop watching to force the producers to write the show we want” (see comments in that last link) tough talk.

Let’s put that last idea to rest right now, especially if you happen to be one of the viewers who worked very hard to save “Chuck” last season. “Chuck” has never been one of the shiniest examples of the Golden Age of the Scripted TV Hour and, frankly, you’ll find better espionage action over on USA during an episode of “Burn Notice.” But what it is, and has always been, is the kind of good fun that’s in short supply on network television.

If you stop watching it, there will be no script rewrites. There will only be a cancellation announcement.

As NPR’s Linda Holmes reminds us (via an effective metaphor) in her blog post on this topic, “When you like a show, you’re effectively on a bus with everyone else who likes it, and you’ve got to let the driver do the driving…But if you get up there with everybody else on the bus and start trying to grab the wheel, you will find yourself tumbling down the side of a ravine, and at the bottom of that ravine, there will be nothing to watch except ‘Deal or No Deal‘.”

Sure, you might not have love love LOVED “Chuck vs. The Mask“  and yes, the Chuckster left us in a tough place to wait until March 1,  but can we please refrain from calling for the head of Mr. Bartowski?  Honestly, did you stick around to watch the mess that went down after that “Chuck” episode?

I agree with Holmes and our pals Alan Sepinwall and Mo Ryan, whose various calls for calm on the subject are far more eloquent than this one.

And, in case you need a reminder of what a truly bad episode of television looks like, we have plenty of episodes of “Heroes” available on for viewing on IMDb. That includes the season finale, which would work perfectly well as a series finale in my opinion.  (Just an observation.)

Now consider that NBC could be quicker to renew that hot garbage than give Casey, Sarah and Chuck a fourth season of missions if  “Chuck’s” post-Olympics ratings take a dive. Yep. That’s right.

So please…simmer down, my friends. Simmer down now.

The full recap of the “Heroes” finale is below along with the rest of our Monday night coverage.

“Heroes”: Brave New World (Season finale)

“How I Met Your Mother”: Rabbit or Duck

“House”: 5 to 9

“The Bachelor”: Meet the Families

“The Big Bang Theory”: The Large Hadron Collision

“Damages”: Flight’s at 11:08

“Secret Diary of a Call Girl”: Fantasy vs. Reality

“24″ Day 8: 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m

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Different as “Lost” and “Supernatural” may seem to most, there are actually a number of thematic parallels — as our good friend Mo Ryan, aka The Watcher, points out in this post.

There’s really no excuse for any genre fan not to have seen at least one episode of this show.  Honestly, folks, it’s on TNT every weekday.  In fact, the only thing that gets me to the gym in the morning is knowing I can switch on those “Supernatural” repeats while I do my cardio.  Gotta prepare for the coming zombie apocalypse, right?  Next goal: Limber up!

But this is not a discussion about “The End.” Rather, it is a short take on what to expect from this week’s episode “The Song Remains the Same,” previously titled “Back to the Future II.”

The new episode (airing Thursday at 9 ET/PT) marks the return of Anna Milton (Julie McNiven), the fallen angel who recovered her grace with the Winchesters’ help. As part of the adventure, Dean and Anna had a “last night on Earth” romantic encounter that was scored to a rock ballad so awful it could peel paint.  Anyway, Anna evaded capture for several episodes but sadly, she was being hauled heavenward last time we saw her.

This time,  according to the official episode summary,  Anna jumps through time to Sam and Dean’s past. Her purpose: to hunt down the young versions of the boys’ parents, John Winchester (Matt Cohen) and his wife Mary (Amy Gumenick), and make sure Sam never comes into existence.  Let’s see, time travel and seeking to change the past in order to alter the present.  Hmm — are we sure this isn’t “Lost”?

Click on the photo at left to see a tasty video clip from tonight’s episode, or go here.

We have plenty of photos from “The Song Remains the Same” available here,  and check IMDb’s homepage on Friday for the recap.

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Matthew Fox. Photo courtesy of ABC.

Dear Mr.  Fox: First off, congratulations to you and the rest of the “Lost” cast and crew for making six seasons of a drama that will leave the TV landscape noticeably poorer when it ends. Not every actor can say he was part of such a revolutionary experience.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can we talk about this “I’m done with TV” business?

Granted, any person can understand your desire to take a break from the TV industry. The production schedule is  grueling.  The publicity merry-go-round, probably quite draining. We know you appreciate your fans,  but you seem like a guy who dreams of the day he can peacefully enjoy a meal at a diner somewhere in Oregon.  We’d want to pull out of the Hollywood scene too if we were as famous as you are.

But publicly declaring that you’re done with TV and ready to try films? Please. One would think you would have learned from the walking lesson in hubris that is David Caruso.

Here’s the thing, Matt: We get the sense that the movie cameras won’t appreciate you in the same loving way that the small screen does. Your career was born on TV and, provided you want to stay in the entertainment industry after this, you will likely hear the boob tube jungle calling to you once more someday.  When that happens you should turn to your loved ones, tears in your red-rimmed eyes and yell,  “I gotta go baaaack!”

Of course, this all depends on what you mean by trying films.

Are you hoping to become the next George Clooney or Bruce Willis? Nope. Not going to happen overnight. Might not ever happen. Keep reading for a few reasons why:

We have yet to see that certain je ne sais quoi in you. All Hollywood’s children are especially lovely one-of-a-kind snowflakes, but there’s a reason Clooney and his kind sparkle more than others: There’s a bubbly layer of mystery and mischief present in almost everything he does, even his most serious roles. That’s why he can easily transition between playing a haggard CIA operative in “Syriana” and smooth criminal Danny Ocean (“Ocean’s Thirteen”), and throw in a stint in his goofy misfire “Leatherheads” for good measure.  That’s also why women of all ages still swoon at the sight of him.

You haven’t used your TV spotlight to carve out a character territory that is uniquely yours. Before Bruce Willis was an action star,  he was a multifaceted man-of-action – and  a very funny one at that – as David Addison, Jr. on “Moonlighting.”  Willis’s detective could have remained a one-dimensional, wise-cracking meathead, and the actor could have allowed producer Glenn Gordon Caron’s writing to carry him. Instead, Willis made the most out of the dramedy’s soft, serious moments and ran off with the laughs as well.

Contrast that, Mr. Fox, with your two biggest roles: Charlie from “Party of Five,” and “Lost’s” Jack.  They aren’t terribly different (although we have to say, you really nailed conveying Jack’s plight in last night’s “Lost” premiere). Granted, those roles also made you perfect material for  “We Are Marshall,” but a string of films like that won’t set your career on fire.  If they could, you’d be smelling the smoke right now…bringing us to our next point…

If you were huge movie star material, you would have starred in a huge movie by now. Clooney stuck with “ER” until the reviews were in and box office receipts counted for “Out of Sight.”  Mere months after his last episode came “Three Kings”…and he was off. Willis hit the jackpot slightly earlier, snagging the lead in a little flick called “Die Hard” a full year prior to “Moonlighting’s” cancellation. Mind you, it’s certainly possible to transition into a successful film career without having starred in a blockbuster movie.  I mean , look at Mr. Caruso. Oh, wait…

Do not lose hope, Matt, because there’s always a place for you in the indie kingdom.  If we were your managers,  here’s what we’d be telling you to do right now.

Hook up with edgy directors who can create a challenging role tailor-made for you. Try Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, or Guy Ritchie – somebody who sees shades in you that TV audiences have not.   Even David O. Russell could bring out some unexpected colors. You might end up wanting to punch him, but give him a call!

Go local. Call us biased, but the Northwest has a thriving film scene that could use a well-known face to bring it back to the pop cultural fore. Call up Gus Van Sant! We’ve always thought “Gerry” needed a sequel.

No More Mr. Nice Guy. Impose a ban on doctors, football coaches, or thoughtful big brothers.  Enough with the heroes, already.  You already showed that you can play the part of the burnout with nothing to lose very effectively so…go bad, Matthew.   We mean crazed-killer-cracked-out-soldier-turned-mercenary-abusive-pervert bad.  And try to throw a sense of humor in there along the way.

Play up your strengths.  According to our trivia, you’ve been horseback riding since you were six years old. Why haven’t we seen you on a horse?  Surely there’s a Larry McMurtry story out there what needs updatin’, and heaven knows you have the stubble for it.

Pick up an accent. The All-American guy act will only take you so far.  Want us to take you seriously? Get a coach and master a Slavic accent or a heavy brogue. Then revisit our third suggestion.

Make no mistake, Matt, we’re pulling for you, and we’re sure you’ll make plenty of films. We’re just betting they’ll be for arthouses — or HBO, Showtime, AMC or Lifetime.  Here’s hoping that you embrace those TV opportunities when they present themselves.

Otherwise, see you in CBS’s 2015 fall lineup.

IMDb Editor Michelle Bryant contributed to this report.

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Last night, however, our old pal Golden seemed hung over before he even hit the door.  The telecast felt like the longest three hours in the history of broadcasting and – here’s saying something – may actually have been outdone by the most recent Emmys telecast. There’s something very wrong when an Emmys show, even one hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, outshines a Globes telecast hosted by Ricky Gervais.

Indeed, Gervais is bound to take some of the blame here, which is what happens when an awards show that has been host-less for many years decides to make a ringmaster out of a guy whose claim to fame is an especially  uncomfortable brand of humor. We still love Gervais to bits, and we’re definitely going to check out his new HBO series.  Even so, Gervais may not have been the best fit for Hollywood’s annual orgy of high-spirited self-congratulation and drunkenness.  Mind you,  he didn’t detract horribly from the night, but he didn’t add a whole lot to it either.

The acerbic Brit got in a few great jabs after a shaky opening monologue, no question — and the pint of beer he half-heartedly tried to hide behind the podium only emboldened him. The high point came when he stopped pretending to hide his booze and introduced a presenter by observing,   “I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is Mel Gibson.”

But even those of us who have matters more pressing than worrying about Paul McCartney’s divorce settlement cringed mightily when Gervais made that joke about the Beatle spending a lot of money last year.  And introducing Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler as “Rachel from ‘Friends’ and that bloke from ‘300,’” came off as a little arrogant and lazy.

Then again, what could we expect from The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards telecast other than a good share of discomfort? It appeared on a network in the midst of a PR quagmire, and was hosted by a guy who a) clearly doesn’t care about being hired for the job again, and b) recently came down decisively on the side of Conan O’Brien, NBC’s problematic red-headed stepchild. The evening was destined to be beset by weirdness even if everything came off without a hitch, and even if “Avatar’s”  Best Picture win in the Drama category hadn’t caused a small uprising on Facebook .

“30 Rock’s” Tina Fey acknowledged that on the red carpet moments before the show kicked off when she explained away the drizzle by quipping,  ”It’s not rain, it’s just God crying for NBC.”

Having said all of that, the Globes telecast had its share of golden moments, including a few of our favorites listed below. (The complete list of winners can be found here. )

Say what you will about the telecast, but there’s just no taking away from the evening’s best acceptance speeches.  Listening to “Up” director Pete Docter cite his family as inspiration for the soul-stirring elements of the storyline was simply beautiful, as was “Up in the Air” director Jason Reitman calling his wife  “the fuel to my creative fire.” Mo’Nique, however, set the bar high with an acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for “Precious,”  that simultaneously touched our hearts and enabled us to forgive her for agreeing to star in “Phat Girlz.”

We cannot decide if Chloe Sevigny decided to gather anemones from a reef to make her dress, or if the Juniper Creek Quilting Circle fashioned her something out of their finest Sunday napkins.

–We also appreciated the lesson in Hollywood hierarchy. The orchestra allowed the great Meryl Streep to go on and on (at least she used the time to say loving words about her mother and favorite charity), but being Ivan Reitman’s son will get you nowhere; Jason’s speech was cut short.  The executive producers of “Grey Gardens” deserve credit for talking over the playing-off strains long enough for their “thank you” speech to be deemed a musical number.

George Clooney can pull off a beard at black tie functions. Jon Hamm cannot. Shave, Mr. Hamm…please shave.

Drew Barrymore has an underdog complex.  Clearly she didn’t expect to win for “Grey Gardens” although anyone who saw her performance  would tell you that she completely deserved that award. But her long, rambling stammerfest became as odd (sweet too,  but stilll…) as it was inscrutable after about 10 seconds.

–And, can we talk about that dress? What was it with that spiked growth on her shoulder? On Twitter the fabulous Lizz Winstead theorized that it was just evidence of Drew being sensible: “It’s awesome that Drew can go home, take off the dress and scrub the tub with it,” she tweeted.

–Julianna Margulies, who won for her performance on “The Good Wife,  thanked CBS, Les Moonves and Nina Tassler for believing in the 10 o’clock drama. That’s what you get for launching her career on a 10 o’clock drama on your network, NBC.

Could someone please tell me if Cher’s dress sparkles unnaturally in the sunlight and has an obsessive attraction to Kristen Stewart?

Three cheers for “Glee” breaking the apparent stranglehold that “30 Rock” was assumed to have had on the Best Comedy category.  To drive home creator Ryan Murphy’s dedication of the award to “anybody and everybody who  got a wedgie in high school,” every single member of the cast wore flawless gowns and suits.  Nicely done, Gleeks!

–Yours truly is not a Beatles fan (I know…don’t kill me….) but even I wanted to spend time with Paul McCartney, who became the de facto elder statesman of the telecast after Harrison Ford did his best to force America into a coma while presenting.  McCartney was darn charming in the audience, and he genuinely made us laugh when he reminded us that “animation is not just for children. It is also for adults who take drugs. ”

If only the Globes were animated.  Oh well…on to the Oscars!

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Zac Posen to model-in-waiting: "Wait...wait...never mind, show's over."

Oh Mischa Barton, we were so looking forward to seeing you on our TV screens again.  Just not in this tragedy.

The CW decided to spare us more episodes of “The Beautiful Life,” the Ashton Kutcher-produced series about models pursuing their big break. That makes “TBL” the first casualty of the 2009-2010 season, and makes me glad that I didn’t put money into an office pool.  Having seen Fox’s “Brothers,” which makes its hideous debut this evening,  I thought for sure that it would win that honor. But alas, “TBL” couldn’t even survive long enough for other U.S. viewers to make that discovery for themselves.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Wednesday night’s “TBL” episode, its second (and last), only attracted about 1 million viewers. Now, in seasons past, low opening numbers weren’t enough to make The CW cancel a show so early on…but Kutcher has nearly 3.7 million devoted followers on Twitter. Clearly the math was never going to add up. The announced pick-up of “Fly Girls,” the reality series following Virgin Air flight attendants, and a docu-soap following the life of celebutante Tinsley Mortimer,  didn’t help “TBL’s” situation either.

Besides, the network’s higher-ups appear to be throwing their mojo behind the “Melrose Place,” which is  struggling in the ratings as well.  But as of this week, the new “MP” hooked Heather Locklear for a guest star arc that starts November 17, in the midst of sweeps.

Other late-breaking news on Friday: Vincent D’Onofrio confirms that he’s leaving “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

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