And then, nothing until fall, as Reality Television conquers the airwaves. if I wanted to see reality I'd look out my car windshield.

by the way, kids, you may have to be of a certain age to appreciate it, but Lisa Edelstien (Dr. Lisa Cuddy) IS the sexiest woman on TV.

On the "Lost" finale, including the clip show, Jack Shepherd went from being a fluffy haired and charming Derek Shepherd ("Grey's...") to a scruffy and strung out Greg House in three hours. And they call "Heroes" derivitive.

Which Star Trek cast members would you like to see on "Boston Legal"?

I'll start. Let's get Yeoman Janice Rand in the courtroom and clear up those prostitution charges once and for all. {and has that anorexic chick that played T'pol been doing anything lately?)

And how about Sulu? George Takai's staged the comeback of the decade. And his punchline was the best thing on that Shatner Roast.

As for the Eric Foreman thing, it's something I had never thought about. Probably because no one really uses first names on House (for the life of me I can't remember Dr. Chase's first name).

Also, I wouldn't really call Heroes derivative. The first season was more like a really hot chick you meet in a bar. She teases you all night, then when you finally get her home and you're ready to close the deal she starts puking violently.

Originally Alan Shore was ruthless and borderline evil but willing to use his powers of bad to accomplish good. Actually the amoral lawyer willing to defend the guilty for money was the original Bobby Donnell story arc, but Alan Shore took it so far over the top he made Bobby look noble by comparison. Over the years Alan has become nicer and more diplomatic and compassionate... and slightly less perverse.

The show has also drifted from McBeal style "dramedy" to hour long sit-com at times. And it's burned through an awful lot of hot female cast members (Rhona Mitra, Lake Bell) and African American cast members in its run. And if there's any flaw the regular ensemble is a little too large to give all the main cast members something to do more than once a month or so.

And tonight we get this story about Denny and Alan defending two boys accused of killing their parents? Torn not from todays headlines but from a paper used to line a drawer a decade or so ago. "Case of the Century", just not this century. [I actually don't remember which year or century the 'Mendenez' Brothers case was from.]

And even as someone who agrees with most of the heavy handed political speechifying on the series, I still find it embarrassingly one sided sometimes. Though Brad's arguments about wearing his uniform for the wedding because someone has to stand up for the troops was rather moving.

If it seems like I have complaints, well, I have reservations, sure, but it's still one of my favorite non-sci-fi/genre programs.

Yes, the characters change and evolve, as does the show. The show gets more slapstick because Kelley's still struggling to find a direction and keep it afloat. I think he's still pissed over losing the Sunday time slot. Alan is a shadow of his original self, but then he was on such a self destructive path he had to turn himself around and become a decent human being or he would have been fired long ago. And Denny gets more comedic, but Shatner, at his age, is doing the best work of his career and if Crane's Alzheimers didn't actually progress and worsen, well, how realistic would that be?

I love this show and I'll step up and say so even if it only gets one talkback a year.

Hey, plus Gail "Donna Abondando" O'Grady back in her old NYPD Blue time slot, how hot is that? And what other show is giving us an elderly Shelley Berman as a senile judge? This is the series "Philly" and "Justice" failed to be and "Shark" wishes it was. Defense rests.

are two of my favourite shows. ive been edging to house recently as there needs to be more stabilty in the team makeup of BL they do burn though cast members quickly. im also tired of alan winning all the time. the cast on the whole is marvelous. its just lost some of that edge for me recently

house is brilliant. yes if formulatic (is that even a word?) but it still is rather good. hugh lauries steals the show, cuddy is a fine looking woman indeed. again the whole team is really good and play well of each other. i would however like to see more arcs. and we need to see stephen fry in that mix. if house is holmes and wilson is watson. ........................fry needs to be moriaty

This show is full of so much win.

But House is actually an ASSHOLE. A real ASSHOLE. He does not have a heart of gold. He does mean things to people for the sheer fun of it. He says horrible things to people who are in grief because a loved one is dying. He doesn't just skirt the edges of appropriateness, he says exactly the wrong thing to exactly the wrong person over and over again. He does drugs. The one person who is actually friends with him--Wilson--is the one that he is the most thoughtless to. He is racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-religious, etc etc. He truly embodies that much-talked-about ideal of not being prejudiced by being equally prejudiced to everyone.

So all that might be nice for a little shock value, but House keeps it fresh by making all of this rudeness and inappropriateness part of an ongoing conversation about philosophy. Sure, maybe it's pop philosophy at about the level of The Matrix, but I think using this group of characters to try to work out the show's primary question of whether people are ultimately motivated by altruism or self-interest is interesting and intelligent.

With all the STAR TREK guest appearances on BL, not including the Shat and Odo as regulars, I keep hoping Nimoy will turn up someday as well as Patrick Stewart or Jonathan Frakes. Takei would be awesome as well, but at least he's getting screen time on HEROES these days.

But it really isn't that kind of show. House is a prick, pure and simple. One of those brilliant people that takes it upon themselves to indulge in just about ever kind of destructive behavior they can just to spite the world.

Another thing I like is House is wrong sometimes, sure he will pull something out of his ass at the last minute and save the day. But many times that is only due to his abused staff doing or saying something that lights that bulb above his head. that is sort of the beauty of the show for me, if it wasn't for the poor doctors forced to work with House he would end up killing a lot of patents though his stubborn, arrogant behavior.

I would love to see Nimoy on BL, maybe as an old law school nemesis of Denny Crane. And let's get Avery Brooks to guest star too.

Remember how they did a "Practice/Boston Public" cross over episode once, and on a different episode of The practice a witness stated she knew it was almost 8:00 when she was walking her dog because she wanted to get home in time to watch the TV series "Boston Public"? Great moments in contradictory TV crossover history.

Originally Alan Shore was like a cunning reformed super-villain, capable of doing or saying anything no matter how ruthless or unethical, to achieve a good end. He was also one of the most sexually obsessed and perverse characters ever allowed on TV. He's been tamed and toned down because he would have been fired otherwords but he's still a wildcard and a rampant womanizer incapable of committing to a relationship.

And Denny Crane does get, well, worse or stupider or sillier as his Alzheimers progresses and the show becomes more comedic. It's still touching to see him in his lucid moments on the balcony, coming to grips with his struggle to maintain his dignity even as he knows he's losing it.

The series is a rollercoaster of changes in tone and direction, and i wish they weren't so casual about the cast changes - it seems vaguely desperte. But where else are you going to get characters like Clarance or "Hands" Espenson. Poole, for that matter. Or Alan Shore, Shirley "I'm Schmidt!" Schmidt or... well, DENNY CRANE!

The I spent some time in a hospital. Long story, but in spite of the surgery and needles, pleasant memories of living in bed, catered meals, daily whirlpool baths, visits from pretty, friendly nurses, etc.

When I got home I totally got hooked on "Diagnosis Murder", one of those simple old folks shows that are easy to understand when you're full of vicodin. I was also walking with a cane for a while.

So I'm totally hooked on "Grey's Anatomy" now and "Private Practice" later, but most of all "House, MD". A grizzly, sloppy dressing, gray haired crank popping pain pills and walking with a cane, intelligent and sarcastic but maybe not bright enough to realize how abrasive he is and how when he needs his friends he won't have any left.

How could I not identify? How could I not love this guy? Like him? I want to be him!

[Although I kinda thought giving him a motorcycle and a black leather jacket was a little too desperate a ploy to "cool" him up. Still, gotta make the actor happy sometimes.]

And oddly enough, it comes about due to a real world circumstance. Hugh Laurie naturally speaks with a pronounced British accent. When portraying Greg House, he not only has to memorize his lines and emote while delivering them, he also has to continuously concentrate on getting the inflection, pronunciation and American accent of Every Single Word correct. Now that's an impressive acting challenge.

Trying to think of a comparable example, I just imagined Rosie Perez trying to play a character with a Japanese accent and I think I hurt myself LOLing.

I must have missed that episode...

Now if Chase was hooking up with Paris Hilton on the other hand....

Anyway... I did not see that ending coming. Okay, House raises the dead and argues with God over the credit, nothing new there. I mean the subplotz. I naively expected them to somehow wrap up the "Foreman quits" arc this episode. Instead House fails to get Foreman to stay, fires Chase, Cameron quits and C&C get back together romantically. And much to Cuddy and Wilson's dismay, even though he's lost his entire team, he rather callously doesn't seem at all disturbed by it. Instead he gets a new guitar and sits back relaxed and distracted. Leaving the impression that the entire show could go ahead and pull a major overhaul with a new team supporting cast next season. Nope, I really did not see that coming.

And that scene with House and the patients husband relaxing, drinking liquor and smoking cigars, no way that wasn't a deliberate tribute to Boston Legal. Cute.

And they end with a half-hearted nod to the popular breaking the fourth wall gimmick they've kind of moved past lately. "I can't wait until next season" "I wonder what the future has in store?" The good news is, another year in the same former NYPD Blue time slot. It may not be Sunday with a hit show for a lead in, but it's comfortable and familiar. {Actually, since Fox still closes it's doors at ten after all these years, they do have a hit as a lead in: "House".)

I do watch House regularly, but could not really get into Boston Legal. But if I surf in and lil Constance is on screen, well, I linger a while. She is great in everything she does.

Hugh Laurie is an amazing actor, and House is the perfect character for him to play. Probably, I will never believe him in any other role, now, though. (like that dude who played Radar O'Reilly in M*A*S*H

I liked Constance Zimmer as the streak-haired surfer ex-nun on "Joan of Arcadia" and - big guilty pleasure - as "Penny" on the sit-com "Good Morning, Miami".

Fox has stood by The Simpsons for an incredible run - yes, I know the quality has varied - and is hanging in there with "King of the Hill", "Family Guy" and "AmDad", apparently having learned the errors of their way from the premature cancelations of Family Guy and Futurama and the way they mishandled The Critic.

I brag that I have never seen "Idol" but it keeps a lock on not only the #1 slot but often 1 and 2 whenever it airs. And Fox has also stood by "Cops" and "Most Wanted", which are by some regarded as TV's original 'reality shows'.

I'm told "24" is very popular, though reportedly season 6 was not a match for last years best season ever.

Sure, it's easy to gripe about the way Fox tossed aside Wonderfalls, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, a personal favorite of mine "The Loop and so on. But they were willing to lose money while waiting four years for Arrested Development to find an audience, gotta give them some props for that.

And they supported The X-Files for nine years, which I guess most people think was at least a couple too long.

House is probably in my top five current shows - maybe third behind Lost and Heroes, at least when there's no new "Venture Brothers". And House is probably my current favorite Fox series, edging out old fave The Simpsons and another crime procedural I enjoy a lot - "Bones". They go for the MullySculder vibe with Brennan and Booth, but the show is well written, fairly intelligent, often quite funny, with a good cast with good chemistry, state of the art gross out graphicness, and I've had a serious Michaela Conlin fan crush for the whole run of the series.

If I thought it would help I would implore Fox to switch the Bones time slot on next years schedule to avoid the log jam of Private Practice, Bones, Criminal Minds and The Bionic Woman. I can do the watch one/tape one thing, but that leaves me dropping Criminal Minds and leaving Bionica unsampled. Can't they look at the scheduling problem and do something about this?

And is Fox ALWAYS going to be a junior league make pretend TV network or are they EVER going to pick up a third prime time hour?

Oh, and be sure to click on "Submit" on the Partner Login: Authorized Access Only section. From there, you'll go to a series of file folders (Denny's actually says the words "Denny Crane" when you click on it). Be sure to check out the "To Do" and "Saved E-mail" sections. Fucking PRICELESS.

I hear you on Connie--I watched both those shows just to see her. Joan was a good show all around, though. Good Morning Miami had unrealized potential, but was missing the beat here and there. Connie was THE reason to watch, and THE reason to grieve when it was cancelled.

I hear you on Fox, sir. They have stuck by some things, as you mention, but the list of things they have dumped prematurely makes a strong case for their scattered random approach--which to me means I can never trust them to do a sensible thing.

Other networks cancel shows mid-way thru the first season less often, and usually it is not utterly incomprehensible, as it is with Fox. NBC canceled the remake of the BBC's Coupling real fast, and deservedly so. Andy Richter, Private Eye, though very well done and funny (I liked it) was a little too quirky to find a large mainstream audience.

Fox sort of stood by Arrested Development, and sort of screwed it over, IMHO. It was like they kept it close so they could abuse it longer! I gave up on it because I could never reliably FIND the damn show. I got the full dvd set instead.

Fox started out as the upstart, airing the shows the other networks would not dare take a chance on, but I guess they aged, and are sitting back in the rocking chairs on the front porch, living vicariously through others.

I'm a homeowner so I don't know for sure, but I assume a 221b apartment would be the upstairs aparatment, and 221a the downstairs. With his limp and his pain, I don't see Greg doing any more stair climbing than necessary.

http://tinyurl.com/28u5h4

"Epps: I will be back. Obviously, it will be different — but I don't think even the writers know how yet."

I don't think anyone but the writers saw the Chase firing or the Cameron resignation coming. So no one lined up to interview them in time to comment on the season finale developments. But this may not be the total recasting 'Game-changer' it appears to be and there may yet be ways to restore the shows status quo for another few seasons.

Either or, fine with me. I like the formula they have, but as long as we get a weekly fix of House making inappropriate remarks to Cuddy, with her patented blend of exasperated but tittilated indignant reactions, I'll keep tuning in.

Not to brag, but a 76 post talkback and I contributed 15 (plus four more with my 'name' in the headers - "Hi" back to Jamie Bamber - Do I know you?) - about one fifth or 20%. Has anyone so totally owned a single talkback like this? Like I said, silly thing to mention, forget I brought it up. But I'm going to hit 'post comment' any way.

Marylee asked: "How about Pirate Whisperer?" Well, the premise was that I was taking titles of Reality shows and replacing one word with "Pirate", but since there is a cable reality series called "Dog Whisperer" sure, why not?

And obviously I missed "America's Next Top Pirate", "The Pirate Life" and "Survivor: Pirate Cove". Oh, and "Who Wants to Have A Pirates Booty?" and "The Weakest Pirate," if we're blurring the distinction between reality shows and game shows.

I should also mention the two musical reality/game shows I actually watched: "Rock Pirate: In Excess" and "Keel-haul Me Baby, One More Time"

Laura suggested "Law and Order: High Seas" which doesn't actualy insert the word Pirate. Though I suppose since they do their 'ripped from todays headlines' stories they're nearly a reality show, unlike "CSI: Caribbean".

And someone at AICN also missed the reality show point but came up with a clever pirate themed medical drama: "E.Arrrr"

I took my list from the broadcast listings since I only have basic cable. I guess if we go to MTV, another source credited as "where it all started," we have "The Real Pirates" "Road Pirates" and "Pirat'd".

I don't know that many cable reality chows. "Miami Pirate Tattoo", "Pirate Chopper" , "The Surreal Pirates"...

Which ones have I missed?...

And that's five posts with my name in the header to two for you. thanx.

lost.rules: yes it does, but it was Karev who gave syphilis to Olivia who gave it to George (who hopefuly got it cleared up before he tagged in on Meredith, Callie and Izzie) On "Grey's Anatomy". Gotta keep your medical soaps and STDs straight.