Why TV DVD box sets are a terrible gift idea
"The DVD box set is the newest and most terrifying form of ritualistic abuse we inflict on one another," says Grady Hendrix. Television, as Hendrix notes, "should be a glorious time waster, but being given three seasons of Lost on DVD is like being given a prison sentence. You slog through the first season, and not only is the hefty second season waiting around the corner, but it has brought its friends: Seasons 3, 4, and 5. Boxed sets have transformed television from light entertainment into homework."

Jay Leno's failure debunks the death of scripted TV
NBC's 10 o'clock Leno decision was, in fact, TV's equivalent of that famous "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline, says Mary McNamara, pointing out that scripted shows had been declared dead all summer. "This is what happens when you panic — you leave your combat buddy for dead only to find he wasn't, and then he comes back for revenge," she says. "Network TV — it's aaalllliiiivvvee."

This week's "Flashforward" leaked on BitTorrent, thanks to Aussie viewers
Australia got to watch this week's episode last week.

Eric Bana may star in Australia's "Sopranos"
The big-time movie star is rumored to be up for an Italian gangster role on the 4th season of "Underbelly," a drama about the real-life mobsters Down Under.

"Damages" actor to sue over "The Unusuals" injury
Charles Buckley, 57, says he was unable to continue on "Damages" as Patty Hewes' limo driver after he was injured while filming a stunt in which he was bodyslammed to the ground seven times for a scene for "The Unusuals."

When will "Sons of Anarchy" break into the popular consciousness?
As the Wall Street Journal notes, "Sons" has yet to break into the mainstream like cable sensations "Mad Men" and Kurt Sutter's former series "The Shield." "I don’t want to do a show that nobody sees," says Sutter. "It’s a lot more fun performing for a full house. But I learned this on “The Shield.” We realized no matter how good it is, because of the nature of the show and the tone of violence, it could never make that leap to the next level. I understand that shows that are this dark in tone are hard for people to pencil time in to watch. Quite honestly, I’m amazed by the numbers we have."
Sutter didn't set out to "tap into female viewers" with strong female characters
Katey Sagal: "This season I had to keep asking myself, 'Who IS she, vulnerable?'"

"Scrubs" reboot: It's not awful
The new characters have actually revived "Scrubs," at least to "some degree," says Matthew Gilbert. But he adds: "Warning: I’m not saying the show has recaptured its early glory. Not by a long shot … At this point, 'Scrubs' has turned its original style into a formula; the fantasy sequences are more predictable, the earnest denouements are automatic. It’s a good formula, but one that’s no longer vibrant."
Spinoff is a deadly, deal-driven mistake // All about the new "Scrubs"
"Scrubs" is better off for following the "House" model of reinvention
Sort of funny, sometimes hilarious // Somewhere between "After MASH" and "Frasier"
Bill Lawrence: "You’ve got to view this show as ‘Frasier’ was to 'Cheers'"

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