I am – Hercules!!

NBC decided this week it’ll be sticking the Irish mob drama “The Black Donnellys” (from Paul Haggis, co-creator of both “Crash” and “Walker, Texas Ranger”) in the “Studio 60” timeslot, effective next week.

If “Donnellys” does poorly in the post-“Heroes” slot, “Studio” will maybe be back in that daypart by season’s end. If “Donellys” does well, “Studio” will likely finish out its first season in another slot.

To anticipate the question? NBC has obviously not set the date of “Studio 60’s” return, but I imagine with six new episodes still in the can it should be back by April.

Here’s AICN’s regular Canadian “L-Prime” with the lowdown:

This is our last Studio 60 for the foreseeable future. As I said before, out of the available self-important Hollywood writers, I, and maybe plenty of you, can only hope that Sorkin wins out over Paul Haggis in the battle of NBC Monday drama series’.

What’s it called?
“4 AM Miracle”

Who’s responsible?
Story by Mark McKinney, teleplay by Sorkin.

What does TV Guide say?
“Harriet works on her movie while Matt suffers from writer's block, but it's the sexual-harassment lawyer (Kari Matchett) who is the real distraction. Meanwhile, Jordan and Danny compete to see who would be a better parent.”

TV Guide not telling us anything?
Not really. The Macao/FCC thing is completely MIA, as is Steven Weber. The A, B and C plots are basically the stuff above, without anything extraneous.

Last week went pretty heavy into the drama — same deal?
Not really. Whether or not the McKinney factor meant for lighter fare, or if Sorkin et al had it arced out all along, the emphasis on humour was much appreciated.

Any movement on the relationship front? Matt and Harriet seemed pretty out of it last week.
Yet more twists, mostly taking place on the set of Harriet’s movie. Danny and Jordan provide some cutesy comic relief with a robobaby, but Tom and Lucy do not cross paths.

Meta much?
Funny you should ask. At one point, a discussion between Matt and hot lawyer Mary brings up the single most interesting statement thus far in the show: “Ratings have gone down for the last four weeks. Ratings are tied to writing, aren’t they?” On one hand, we have Sorkin seemingly truly believing that good writing is tied to good ratings, a fact seemingly disproven by the existence and continued status of the very show we’re watching here. On the other, we have Sorkin playing out the debate that has been carried on here and everywhere else since the show premiered: the idea that his private torch for Kristin Chenowith both fuels the core of the show, and that it could affect the public perception of said show. Both fascinating and a little bit unsettling.

What’s good?
“If I was a little younger, a little less famous, and made a little less money…”; “This is so weird.”; Suzanne the temp generally fun; “I wasn’t here, I was stealing a screenplay from five different people.”; “Sit your fine, fine ass down at the other end of the table.”; “I was getting there.” “You were taking a little while.”; “What’s the full title of Kubla Khan and who wrote it?” “Gene Roddenberry.” “Not The Wrath of Khan!”; “Did I say it in the same creepy little voice you just used?”; “It just told me I stuffed it in a Prada bag!”; “You don’t drive the baby, ever.”; “She told you to buy this thing? She sell them by any chance?”; the excellent dressing down Luke gives Harriet; “Does smacking the mother ever help?”; “That’s the way we do it downtown.”; “Regular flirting, though I’ve got some game so…”; “I’ll lose my job, I’ll lose my house … I’ll lose my Lincoln Navigator.”; Danny passing off the baby, and the immediate reaction when he leaves the room; “You like that car, don’t you?” “I do.”; the entire baby v. guillotine bit, with predictable results; “I should call her.”; “OK, I heard every word of that, you’re out of our mind.”; two words: exploding baby; “And I take the points back!”; “Now we know not to put the baby in the guillotine.”

Not so good?
Y’know what? Not a hell of a lot. Given our time with this thing is over for the time being, I’m going to have enjoyed it for what it was, that being one of the finer hours on TV right now. Luke turns on a bit too much of a dime for my full liking, but that’s minor. My biggest plot nitpick would be the abrupt shift we get in the Matt/Harriet bit, though it does grow decently out of real character concerns. Also, the random legal plot smacks of another ‘ripped from the Hollywood headlines’ tale — specifically that writer’s PA/assistant who sued the staff of Friends for making her feel uncomfortable with the sex talk in the writer’s room.

Rating for 1.15 (out of five)
****1/2. Again, I’m gun shy on the five stars, from the Christmas Show, but this episode managed to leave all pretense aside (or at least as much as Aaron Sorkin is thereby capable) and lets these people breathe, and bounce off each other in ways this show should have been doing all along. And in a patriotic bout of promotion, it really, really feels like the best of Slings and Arrows, the behind-the-scenes of a Shakespeare festival set up here in snowy Ontario (and Mark McKinney’s previous masterpiece), and for anyone unhappy with Studio 60, check out Sundance Channel, as I hear it’s starting it’s new season there nowish. Now let’s hope we get this thing here back before too long.

10 p.m. Monday. NBC.

Ack!! Season-Sets Winging Furiously Toward Us!!
Batman Beyond 3.x * Bosom Buddies 1.x * Bullshit! 4.x * Columbo 1989 * The 4400 3.x * Justice League Unlimited 2.x * Hawaii Five-0 1.x * The Larry Sanders Show: Not Just the Best Of * The Loop 1.x * Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Vol. 1 * Michael Palin: Around The World In 80 Days * Moonlighting 5.x * NewsRadio 5.x * Northern Exposure 6.x * The Odd Couple 1.x * The Rockford Files 3.x * The Rockford Files 4.x * Secret Agent AKA Danger Man Complete Collection Megaset 2007 * The Shield 5.x * South Park 9.x * Twin Peaks 2.x * The Venture Bros. 2.x * WKRP in Cincinnati 1.x

Lions Gate’s $16 Sale:
$15.97 ALF: Season One
$14.97 ALF: Season Two
$15.97 ALF: Season Three
$16.47 ALF: Season Four
$15.97 Boomtown Season One
$14.97 Buffalo Bill: Seasons One and Two
$15.97 Dead Zone: Season One
$15.97 Dead Zone: Season Two
$14.97 Dead Zone: Season Three
$15.97 Dead Zone: Season Four
$14.97 Moonlighting: Seasons One and Two
$16.47 Moonlighting: Season Three
$15.97 Moonlighting: Season Four
$15.97 Saved by the Bell: Seasons One and Two
$16.47 Saved by the Bell: Seasons Three and Four
$15.97 Saved by the Bell: Seasons Five
$15.47 Weeds: Season One
$15.97 Wildfire: Season One
$15.97 Will & Grace: Season One
$15.97 Will & Grace: Season Two
$15.97 Will & Grace: Season Three
$15.97 Will & Grace: Season Four