It’s a jam-packed pair of days with news of new and returning shows on the FOX and FX networks. First up is the highly-anticipated new series from “Lost” producer J.J. Abrams, “Fringe,” reality show “Secret Millionaire” and the returning “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

FX presents the new motorcycle club drama, “Sons of Anarchy,” starring Charlie Hunnam (photo, right). There’s also news for the next season of Damages and the final season of “The Shield.

We discuss the scene and hit some of the highlights, including Style Network’s “Ruby,” TNT’s “Raising the Bar” and “Leverage,” the return of AMC’s “Mad Men,” Fox Reality’s “Long Way Down” (featuring Ewan McGregor) and the long-awaited HBO vampire drama “True Blood” starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer (photo, left).

Follow us on Twitter here:
Eric
Brill

In our final installment of ’08 Upfronts coverage, we have the low down on six new shows scheduled for next fall and midseason on FOX, as well as three new shows which could join the schedule. The rather comprehensive and sensible lineup includes the buzzworthy new J.J. Abrams (“Lost”) series, “Fringe” (photo, right) and Joss Whedon’s overdue return to TV, “Dollhouse,” starring Eliza Dushku. There are also two animated series, an interesting reality offering and a some comedies that actually may turn out to be funny. And nearly every one of them somehow has ties to the still-missed FOX comedy “Arrested Development.”

Despite the setback of the writers strike, CBS presented several scheduling changes and six new shows: comedies “Worst Week” and “Project Gary,” dramas “The Mentalist” (photo, left), “Eleventh Hour,” “The Ex List,” and midseason suspense/horror series “Harper’s Island.” [Click links to view video clips.]

Meanwhile, a couple B & E faves get another chance, while one fan fave gets staked.

We do double duty tonight with coverage of two networks’ worth of upfront announcements. ABC announced only five new shows for next year, but those include some interesting offerings such as an adaptation of the BBC’s “Life on Mars,” “The Goode Family,” a new Mike Judge animated series, and two reality shows sprung from the daring mind of Ashton Kutcher.

The CW, meanwhile, resurrects the “90210″ franchise (see the new leads in the photo, right) and turns over an entire night of programming to the mysterious Media Rights Capital financing company.

Yes, dear listeners, we’re finally back for the first in a week’s worth of podcasts covering the networks’ announcements of their schedules for the next year. NBC kicked things off, announcing several new shows including the dramas “Merlin,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” and “Crusoe” and the comedy “Kath & Kim”. Also in the lineup: the new “Knight Rider” series (photo, left), based on the TV movie which was based on the ’80s series.

We’ll be back tomorrow with announcements from ABC and the CW.

That’s why you haven’t seen or heard from us recently. Our copious amount of TV-viewing has been severely curtailed since when he does have a couple of free hours we want something fun (”Torchwood”) or stupid (”American Idol”). Plus, since we’ve barely seen each other over the past month, we’re getting along famously so our patented bickering isn’t up to snuff.

This, of course, can’t go on forever and servicing you guys is high on our priority list of what we need to get accomplished (that and our taxes). Basically, what I’m saying here is that you have not been forsaken.

Oh, and I will be Twittering throughout the Oscars tonight if anyone wants to keep me company.

While many fans became disillusioned with “Lost” over the past two seasons, the show’s producers had high hopes that a plan for three more seasons of 16 episodes shown without interruption or repeats would help set the pace for the journey to the end.

Despite being limited by a network request not to discuss certain topics, we give our impressions of the season premiere and second episode. Whether those who gave up on the show will return remains to be seen, but we provide a taste of what they can expect if they do.

Bonus: We also have clips of several cast members giving their takes on what lies ahead in season 4.

Check out Zap2it’s “Lost” photo gallery.
The Zap2it Guide to “Lost”

We also touch on some of the changes made at B&E Watch TV recently and the move to combine blogging and podcasting. You can now find more reviews, news and commentary on brillandericwatchtv.com.

This news fired up our friend Chris (a card-carrying WGA member with several excellent ideas for pilots in his own arsenal) so much that he quickly beat us to the punch in responding.

“Sometimes you see the world from a different perspective when you’re flat on your back,” Zucker says in what we assume is supposed to come across as self-deprecation. “At NBC Entertainment we’ve been flat on our backs for the last few years.”

Gee, we don’t know Jeff. When wer’re flat on our backs pretty much all we can see is a tiny patch of ceiling. We’re firm believers in the adage that you have to spend money in order to make money. While the pilot process might be due for a makeover, we hardly think scorched earth is the best starting point.

Here’s hoping the other networks have the sense to not jump on NBC’s bandwagon, which appears to be headed over the edge of a cliff.

ERIC: A few weeks ago we reviewed Lifetime’s “Matched in Manhattan,” and had several complaints. The show made it seem like every woman is one makeover away from true love, which I just can’t buy into. Also, the half-hour episodes didn’t give any follow through with what happens to the clients. The hour-long “Millionaire” takes a very different approach. As well as the basic match-ups and first dates, we get some pretty interesting behind the scenes looks at the business and how Patti lords over her staff, who I’m convinced are woefully underpaid. That’s mostly based on their wardrobes.

BRILL: Patti is a real pistol. She diagnoses the millionaires’ dating problems, gets her team working on fixing them and develops a plan to set them up with Miss Right. Sometimes she even gives them what they think they want — instead of what she knows is right for them — to teach them a lesson about unrealistic expectations.

In the first episode, we meet Harold, a 46-year-old trying to buy the kind of woman he’s wanted to date for the past 20 years but couldn’t attract and Dave, whose online sex toys business keeps him from meeting the kind of gal he says he wants to settle down with. In episode two, there’s Jeff, an aging software exec who thinks he’s a rocker and Julien, a guy so skittish about letting people in that he has developed several bizarre personality traits to keep them at a distance. And they certainly appear to be working; the guy is just creepy in a sad and pathetic kind of way that made me feel really bad for him by the end.

ERIC: It makes me feel better about not being a millionaire. Not great, but better. All the ones on this show are either douchebags or losers. It’s easy to see why they need help, but I’m curious about the motives of the women in the Club’s dating pool. They aren’t allowed to ask for money, gifts or other favors, and there’s a “no gold digger” policy. So these are the kind of women eager to meet and marry a millionaire who aren’t gold diggers? I hope Patti also offers a pre-nup service.

BRILL: I put it down to an LA thing. Guys all want hot. Gals all want rich. You know how we hear about the disappearing middle class? In this city it’s all about the disappearing dating class.

ERIC: Well, the Club does have a strict “no sex unless you are in an exclusive, committed relationship” rule. And she has a pretty specific definition of what constitutes sex. No shenanigans whatsoever!

BRILL: I don’t call being ok with rolling around completely naked “no shenanigans,” but my people are from the South. Patti does have a good line about how when you have sex with a guy too soon you ruin it for the next girl because he feels like it’s okay to expect it. Honestly, I don’t know a woman alive who is worried about what she leaves for the next girl. I think it’s more likely Patti wants to make sure she can never be accused of running an escort service.

ERIC: Bravo is saving that reality show for the summer.

Though playing her mother, Shannon (Kath) is a mere 11 years older than Blair (Kim). That’s actually a leap from the Aussie original (photo, left), in which Gina Riley (Kim), was a year older than the actress playing her mother, Jane Turner (Kath). We think this somehow works in the same way that water flows down the drain in the opposite direction down under and their summer is our winter.

There’s also the problem of the writer’s strike, which wasn’t even a twinkle in a labor organizer’s eye back in October, ’06. Maybe they can take the original Aussie scripts and just replace “Melbourne” with “Missoula.” Then again, we think that’s how the “Coupling” scripts were “adapted.” Fortunately, the pilot was penned by “South Park” alum Nancy Pimental who, we should note for no particular reason other than it’s kinda hot, also has a degree in chemical engineering. “Freaks and Geeks” co-creator Paul Feig is on board as director.

We kick off with a review of “Breaking Bad,” the new AMC series starring Bryan Cranston (photo, right). “Bad” premiered Sunday, 1/20 but we’ve seen the first three episodes. The first one will likely be repeated during the week, so check your listings.

ERIC: AMC really set the bar high with their first original series, “Mad Men.” Scoring a couple Golden Globes, including Best Drama and Best Actor for John Hamm, with their first show was a pretty impressive feat. And it was totally deserved. Like “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” is a genre-buster, but that’s where the similarity ends.

BRILL: I liked it, but it may become too much of a downer to be must-see viewing for me. It’s touted as a “dark comedy” but it was much more dark than comedy. Bryan Cranston, best known as Hal from “Malcolm in the Middle,” plays a high school chemistry teacher on the verge of a major mid-life crisis who’s struggling to make ends meet. He discovers he’s got inoperable lung cancer and has, at best, a couple years to live. He comes a bit unhinged and decides to provide for his wife and teenage son by cooking up the purest crystal meth in New Mexico.

ERIC: He teams up with a former student who’s a local drug dealer. Needless to say, not all goes as planned and complications quickly arise. Unlike the other cable drug dealer show, “Weeds,” this is really about one guy’s descent into depravation and desperation. Also, while it took a couple seasons for the violence and more dangerous criminal aspects of the drug trade to show up on “Weeds,” it’s pretty immediate here.

BRILL: You know how critics will often say someone gives a “brave performance” and you have to wonder what’s so brave about it? Example: Tea Leoni in “Spanglish.” What’s brave about crying a lot and having extreme onscreen PMS? Well, Bryan Cranston actually gives what I’d call a brave performance. It’s raw and ugly and he doesn’t shy away from it at all. When men having their mid-life crises imagine what they’ve become, Bryan Cranston is actually that. The embodiment of every man’s worst fear. Sad, ineffectual, paunchy and well past his prime.

ERIC: Um… yeah. I fear that. All of it. I’m not even quite middle aged yet. And I hear 40 is the new 30.

BRILL: You’ve been having a mid-life crisis every three years since I met you.

ERIC: Uh… Back to “Breaking Bad,” you said that he comes unhinged, but in some ways he’s seeing things more clearly than he had in years. He suddenly has a purpose, but at the same time it’s all built on the knowledge of his impending death and his horribly impaired judgment.

BRILL: In fact, it goes bad so quickly I have to wonder if this show has legs. I mean, the guy’s dying. He passes out at least a couple times in the first three episodes. It’s not like he turns to macrobiotics or anything like that—he starts making meth. He may go at any minute.

ERIC: Well, the one other thing I like about the show is how he uses his knowledge of science to solve several of the problems come his way. But it’s somehow less forced than on a show like “Numb3rs” and less gimmicky than “MacGyver.” It’s quite clear that chemistry can’t solve all his problems. And sometimes just makes things worse.

BRILL: Crappier living through chemistry!

NBC’s Entertainment Co-Chair Ben Silverman refused to let the “nerdiest, ugliest, meanest kids” (aka the WGA) cancel his “prom” (aka the Golden Globes), but it definitely wasn’t the event of the season. We dissect the cobbled together “Dateline NBC” special, the cranky and ill-informed “Access Hollywood” anchors and our personal takes on the TV winners, including Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” (photo, left).

We also dip into the reader mail to share one fed-up listener’s plea for Eric to get over himself concerning a certain Top 10 sitcom.

Next week we’ll be back to our regular format with a review of AMC’s new dark comedy “Breaking Bad” and Bravo’s latest reality offering, “Millionaire Matchmaker.”

This week, we review the first two episodes of the new season of “Medium.” Things are up in the air for the mostly-psychic DuBois family but they may get some much-needed guidance from new cast member Anjelica Huston (photo, right).

Thanks to the WGA strike, many shows are having to wrap up their seasons early, including freshman CW series “Gossip Girl.” We give our take on the show’s finale without revealing too many spoilers and provide our take on how the show improved and where it landed at the end.

In news, we ponder the fates of the 2008 awards shows, in particular, the Golden Globes and the Oscars. We also have other noteworthy happenings on the tv schedule (yes, there is still plenty to watch on tv). Plus, Eric does a really weak Garrison Keillor impersonation. Who could ask for more?

A new year means new shows. ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia” (starring Lucy Liu, photo, left) gets restyled from its pilot, but can it possibly escape the inevitable “Sex and the City” comparisons?

Midseason reality shows are raining down on us now. The new season of “The Biggest Loser” adds adds yet another twist to the familiar formula. Bravo hopes to do for modeling what it’s accomplished for chefs and fashion designers. Lifetime employs two men to help women feel better about themselves so they’ll dress—and date—better.

Proving once again that “Law & Order” can keep on trucking no matter who stars on it, former “Kidnapped” co-stars Jeremy Sisto (photo, right) and Linus Roache join the cast as New York’s newest detective and ADA, respectively.

In news, starlets of the past and present get in trouble for DUI; USA Network cancels two popular old shows to make way for new ones; and all the late night talk shows are coming back, but only David Letterman and Craig Ferguson will have writing staffs to do the heavy lifting.

In news, some late night shows start to find their own solutions to the strike. We aim our crystal ball and try to predict what the future will look like if the strike goes on. Meanwhile, awards season begins with the Golden Globe nominations. Whether will cross the writers strike picket lines to attend remains to be seen.
Few shows have successfully made the movie-to-TV leap, but “Sarah Connor Chronicles” (starring Lena Headey, photo, left) has potential beyond its action/sci-fi movie origins.

We’ll be off next week for the holiday, but will return the first week of January with more previews of midseason shows.

Yes, the writers’ strike is marching on and continuing to dominate the news. The good news is that non-cable subscribers will be able to see (an edited version of) “Dexter” on broadcast TV. The down side: Many viewers’ nightmare scenario is starting to come true as mediocre reality programming gets a second chance on upcoming schedules. Plus, we’re robbed of our chance to hobnob with the execs and stars in January.

We dig into two new reality shows (both planned well before this strike mess): The CW’s mother/daughter pageant, “Crowned” (hosted by the multi-titled Shanna Moakler, photo, right) and A&E’s “Paranormal State.” While the former is rather predictable, the latter presents some troubling and bothersome surprises.

Apologies for the late post this week. A laptop meltdown prevented us from updating the new podcast, which was recorded days ago. Thanks, as always, for your patience!

Stay tuned … .

We’re back after a longer-than-anticipated holiday vacation and we’ve got news concerning the fates of several new series, including “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Life” and “Chuck.” The future is less clear for “Bionic Woman” and “Journeyman.”

Then we take a trip to the O.Z. to try to peek at the man behind the curtain with a review of “Tin Man,” starring Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming (photo, left). Is it a remake, a re-imagining, or something else altogether?

As the WGA strike enters its third week, the studios start playing hardball. NBC Universal stuck it to the actors this week by invoking force majeure and putting cast members of such shows as “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Bionic Woman” on half pay for the next five weeks.

Sci Fi Channel offers up a holiday treat in the form of “Battlestar Galactica: Razor” (starring Stephanie Jacobsen, photo, right), a two-hour event that not only tells the tale of the Battlestar Pegasus before it met up with Galactica, but portends much darkness for the show’s upcoming final season. Bring it!

Finally, “Weeds” polishes off its third season by setting up its fourth. Will it be a new beginning for the Botwin family or more of the same?

The Hollywood writers are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’re taken to picketing outside the networks and studios while upsetting our TV viewing habits for the forseeable future. We’ve got anecdotes, comments and strike-related news.

Unscripted programming offers some respite. “Project Runway” (photo, left) unleashes another group of designers with healthy egos on us and Comedy Central resurrects “Kenny vs. Spenny,” upping the gross out factor and proving that not all Canadians are kind and gentle.

Plus: a rare behind-the-scenes look at B&E Watch TV, our first blooper!

Eight years after debuting on FOX, “Family Guy” (photo, right) finally manages to put its centennial episode in the can for future DVD immortality. “Stewie Kills Lois” promises a lot, but we discuss if it delivers.

Unencumbered by all the sentimental trappings of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we take a moment to appreciate Halloween episodes, this week’s very special “Bones,” and the need for shows to jump at the annual opportunity to sex up and slut out their female cast members

We give “Moonlight” another viewing and wonder if it’s managed to get any better.

Plus, we use the power of the Shout Out to try and stave off a writers strike and have news about a possible “Prison Break” spin-off, “Viva Laughlin’s” unsurprisingly quick demise, sharing our ongoing love of “Pushing Daisies” with 11 million others, Sci Fi’s upcoming dramedy “Warehouse 13″ and “Grey’s Anatomy” cast additions.

How can the show get both Elliot (Sarah Chalke) to mature, JD to man up to his impending fatherhood duties with Kim (Zach Braff and Elizabeth Banks, photo, left) and still keep it funny?

In news, George Lucas tries to scrape even more out of the “Star Wars” mine, ABC, CBS and FOX pick up more shows and The CW discovers that people don’t want to spend part of their Sunday evenings watching TV about what’s on the Internet. Plus, how much of “The Office” is too much of a good thing and a zombified shout out.

“Nip/Tuck” makes the move from Miami’s South Beach to Los Angeles’ Malibu shores, bringing new faces and dynamics to the show’s fifth season. We review the first two episodes. Resident narcissist Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon, photo, right) appears to be headed for an epic wake up call.

Can John “Goo Goo” Rzeznik, Sheila “Glamorous Life” E. and Ian “Dicko” Dickson keep us entertained until Randy, Paula and Simon return in ‘08? We doubt it, but some of “The Next Great American Band” band names might do the trick for a couple of weeks. Plus: How many bands are there named “Dharma Initiative?” We’ve found five so far.

On the news front, the CW’s “Gossip Girl” is the first new show granted a full season, but NBC and CBS have a couple of likely contenders too. Chevy Chase and Seth Green get more TV work, while the latest casting announcement has “Lost” theorists hitting Google.

If you use another service or feed aggregator and the new episodes do not appear in the feed when refreshed, try deleting the feed and re-added it. This seems to have worked for Ann, the helpful listener who tipped us off to the problem.

The feed address:
http://www.brillandericwatchtv.com/blog/wp-rss2.php

As always, we apologize for any inconvenience. Thanks for listening!

In news, we discuss film actors with TV projects in the works for Showtime and FX as well as “Lost” co-creator JJ Abrams’ new big budget pilot for FOX.

A weekend brunch encounter with Nicole Richie (picture, right) leads us to a discussion on the natures of TV and movie celebrity status and what makes one more special than another. Finally, Eric walks a lonely road by himself… or is that George Clooney at his side?

Following last week’s lengthier-than-usual podcast, we keep it brief this week. First, we check in on early ratings for several new series. Then we have news of two new shows in development for FOX and FX from “Nip/Tuck” creator Ryan Murphy. Finally, there’s great news for fans of one of our bygone faves, “Kenny vs. Spenny” (photo, left).

The Fall TV Season is off and running and we’ve seen new episodes of many returning shows. We discuss how things are shaping up for several popular shows and even add one to our regular viewing (for now) based on its premiere. Along the way, we review CBS’s troubled vampire drama, “Moonlight,” (photo, left), the most heavily rejiggered of all the new shows.

In news, we translate ratings reports to make sense of the network spin on last week’s debuts, including “Gossip Girl,” “Kid Nation,” “Nashville,” “K-Ville” and “Back to You.” Plus, NBC’s online strategy continues to fragment.

We discuss the “HIMYM” premiere, which we’ve seen, in Brill and Eric Watch TV 229.

Visit the Slap Bet Countdown page.

We also give our take on the “How I Met Your Mother” season premiere, ponder the fate of NBC’s sitcom “The IT Crowd,” and have good news for fans of “My Boys” on TNT and Showtime’s “Californication.”

Plus, casting news for Alyssa Milano and two “O.C.” vets, and an old favorite signs up for “Family Man” with William H. Macy.

The downloads are available in either Windows Media format or for your Tivo. Video iPod and iPhone users are out of luck until NBC and Apple settle their differences.

For those following at home, the B&E Watch TV take is that “Bionic Woman” showed potential and may develop into a better show than the premiere seems to indicate. “Journeyman” also has promise and more good than bad going for it with strong performances and a nice twist at the end. We really enjoyed “Chuck,” an all-around fun and entertaining show. “Life” may be an early season casualty as it doesn’t seem to offer anything really new other than a hook-y premise that may not have legs. And while Brill was initially forgiving of “Big Bang Theory” and its many flaws, it’s not on her “must watch” list for the season.

Visit the Amazon Download page.

Apple’s iTunes is offering a free download of the premiere of the new CW show “Gossip Girl.” We chimed in on the show’s pilot back in June (Brill & Eric Watch TV 208) and expanded on that during Press Tour in August (Brill & Eric Watch TV 220).

We’ll be discussing “Gossip Girl” and all the other new shows in this week’s Fall TV Preview.

Download Gossip Girl on iTunes.

Though they may not be as fun as the Golden Globes or as cheesy as the People’s Choice Awards, Emmys remain the top honor for most TV shows. We stick to the major categories but there’s plenty to discuss with some interesting nominees and some unfortunate oversights.

Agree with our picks? Think our prognostication is off the mark? Or that we’re just plain wrong? Drop us a line and let us know. Tune into the Ryan Seacrest-hosted awards show on FOX Sunday, Sept. 16 to find out who won (or just to watch the “Family Guy” Brian and Stewie musical number before catching up on shows on your DVR).

The talk of July’s Press Tour, “Tell Me You Love Me” gives viewers a heavy dose of explicit sex to go along with with its rather bleak depictions of relationships. We weigh in on what you can expect to see, whether it’s real or fake and, most importantly, whether it’s worth watching at all.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (photo, left) returns its first new episodes since 2005. We review the season premiere and offer some conjecture based on a rumor from a very reliable source … four times removed.

Plus, ABC employs two Spice Girls, celebrities vie to prove they’re smarter than a fifth grader — or at least Miss Teen South Carolina — and NBC gets too greedy for Apple.

Season three of FX’s “It’s Always Sunny …” (photo, right) reunites Philly’s most misanthropic miscreants but it’s not easy to follow up episodes like last year’s “Mac Bangs Dennis’ Mom” and “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare.”

Gearing up the the fall season, the Big Five networks start flexing their marketing muscles in TV, print, online and other media. ABC and NBC are off to a promising start, with the competition aimlessly lagging behind.

“K-Ville” has already inspired discussion and debate among the people of New Orleans. We provide a glimpse of their varied reactions to the show’s first episode and season it with a little perspective of our own.

In news, “Heroes,” “Lost” and “24″ build their casts for next season, the “Kid Nation” legal inquiry heats up, “Anchorwoman” takes a dive and the least-loved show of next season gets new leadership late in the game.