We all know about the writers' strike. It happened. It's over. Our shows have finally come back to us, and regardless of the shortened seasons, we're grateful. So why is it still relevant?

Well, besides the lingering financial impact it's having on crew members, the strike also seems to be hampering the ratings at every network. ABC, CBS and NBC have seen sharp double-digit drops in their viewership over the past month, and not even May sweeps can save them.

No one is immune from the decline. Not only did highly rated shows Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty see their lowest ratings ever last week, but usual ratings juggernaut American Idol is feeling it, too. Despite holding the top two spots in weekly ratings consistently, Idol is not bringing in viewers like it did in the past. AOL News reports that Idol producers are even surveying viewers to determine which changes they would like to see in the program in an effort to give it a much needed makeover before Season 8. … continue reading

So remember that TV show about a bunch of quirky but lovable romantics living in Alaska, who approach the ups and downs of life and love with an affable sense of humor? No, I'm not talking about the long-dormant Northern Exposure; I'm talking about ABC's Men in Trees, starring Anne Heche.

Photo credit: ABC/Michael Courtney

Earlier this week, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reported that ABC has officially canceled the series, which suffered from oft-shifting time slots. It has aired on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, at various times, over the course of its two seasons since it premiered in September 2006. It was also pulled from ABC's prime-time schedule several times (once to make room for October Road, and more recently due to the WGA strike), leaving large gaps between new episodes.

Not surprisingly, ratings for the show have been uneven. I admit, Men in Trees is not the most revolutionary show on television, but I found myself liking it and liking Anne's character, Marin Frist, a big-city relationship expert (she writes self-help books) who relocates serendipitously to small-town Elmo, Alaska.

Yes, there were some annoying (and sometimes offensive) characters on the show, but overall the episodes that I saw were heart-warming and cozy, and I mean that in the best possible way. I freely admit that I have a big soft spot for romantic comedy, and Men in Trees did it pretty well. The relationship between Marin's biggest fan, Annie (Emily Bergl), and Patrick (Derek Richardson) was a little bit odd and a little bit sweet. … continue reading

Consider, if you will, the dearly departed Michigan J. Frog's network, the WB.

Did you sort of zone out? Me, too. A mere year and a half after the network — in combination with rival UPN — morphed into the CW, the WB is a vague memory. But in its heyday, the network aired some of our favorite soapy series: Charmed, Popular, Roswell, Gilmore Girls, Smallville and … let's see, what am I forgetting? Oh, yeah — a little show about a vampire slayer.

The WB was something of a guilty pleasure for me. I never admitted to watching Felicity or Dawson's Creek, but magically knew every detail of every story arc. … continue reading

While the fate of several of my favorite "young" television shows hangs in the balance, I revel in the fact that some of my other favorites are still going strong. Case in point: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will air its 200th episode tonight.

Photo credit: NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

SVU will become just the third current network prime-time drama to reach the century mark twice, joining the original Law & Order and ER in that category.

Though I tend to celebrate birthdays and landmarks with behavior unfit for print, the bigwigs at NBC ring in this Very Special Episode with an A-list guest star: Robin Williams. "Authority" will feature a ripped from the headlines story in which Williams plays an engineer named Merritt Rook who scams a restaurant manager (Scott Adsit, 30 Rock).

When asked about working with the Oscar-winner, SVU star Mariska Hargitay told TV Guide: "I think about some of the guest stars we've had, and it really is a milestone working with such a genius. It makes me so proud that he wanted to do our show. Look how far we've come!"

In addition to current (Hargitay, Diane Neal) and past (Tamara Tunie, Stephanie March, Michelle Hurd and Judith Light) series regulars, the show has a knack for attracting exquisite female guest stars. While fellow AfterEllen.com blogger Ace may disagree with me, I love seeing the fresh faces each week. … continue reading

So, I guess we'll find out if Cameron makes it out of that Jeep after all. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been renewed for a second season. A whole new season of Lena Headey and Summer Glau running around in tank tops with shotguns while saving the world? Hell and yeah.

The show's strike-abridged nine-episode first season ended on a big bang of a cliffhanger (which, if you haven't seen yet you should stop reading now, but — gosh, that was like a month and a half ago so what's the hold up?). Cameron went kerplewie after starting the family Jeep while on a cake run for John's birthday. The car bomb was planted by internet café owner/sneaky owner of The Turk Sarkissian. So, looks like she is going to need that recipe for fake Terminator skin that Cromartie cooked up earlier this season.

The series has earned a 13-episode pickup. The extended season is good news and means they can flesh out (puns!) the show's deeper themes about identity, duty, technology and the very nature of the human soul. And, given its prevalence, Lena's scowl might as well have its own subplot. … continue reading

When I read that HBO was running a Monday night documentary series this summer (beginning June 9), my first thought was that they'd be having a slate of earnest, humorless programming — which I suppose I should like, being a lesbian and all. Then I wondered why I had that stupid knee-jerk reaction. I mean, whether or not you like Michael Moore's self-importance and self-indulgence, there's no denying that he's made documentaries a commercially viable form of entertainment.

And documentaries are not inherently about dry, boring topics. In fact, they're as likely to be about sex, drugs, violence or McDonald's as any other type of programming. And even when they are about drier, sciency subjects, they get popular artists to record Academy Award–winning soundtracks and thank their lesbian spouses at the Oscars.

Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

If you take a look at the HBO slate, the movies hit a wide range of subjects. (You can find the list and a short description of each one here.) A little depressingly, I suspect the big hit is going to be Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal. … continue reading

Eliza Dushku finally has all her new playmates for her Dollhouse. The principals and recurring roles have been cast for Joss Whedon's ambitious return to television. They include a familiar face from the Buffyverse, as well as lots of new additions. As if that wasn't enough, critics have gotten their first look at the pilot script for the identity implanting/erasing sci-fi series, and the reviews are pretty much the definition of glowing.

The series follows the burgeoning awareness of Eliza's character Echo, one of a house full of living dolls who are imprinted with personality packages — from memories to physical abilities and more — for assignments. While we imaged a dream cast when the roles were first revealed back in March, the actual cast looks pretty impressive. First, returning under Whedon's wing is Amy Acker, aka Fred from Angel. Amy will play the recurring role of Dr. Claire Saunders, the woman who looks after the physical well-being of the dolls.

Dr. Saunders is described as having an acid wit and physical scars from a razor attack in her past. Well, we know Amy can play smart, since Fred was the big brainiac of Angel's gang. At 31, she falls on the low end of the casting call's description of a woman who is "30-60, attractive, smart and a little sad." But if Amy can pull off blue skin and tight leather as the demon goddess Illyria, I think sad with a couple scars should be no problem. … continue reading

It seems as though the Law & Order franchise is having a hard time keeping its actors these days. The Criminal Intent series has had three different female detective counterparts for Chris Noth's character since 2005, and last spring the original series lost Fred Thompson to his failed (phew!) presidential campaign. Then, in late February, RENT alum Jesse L. Martin announced that he was also leaving the series after eight seasons. Now, TVGuide.com is reporting that Diane Neal, who plays Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will be stepping down at season's end.

Photo credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Citing "new opportunities," Neal will be leaving her post as the second ADA on SVU after five seasons. She came onto the show in 2003 following the staged death of Stephanie March's character, Alexandra Cabot. It has not yet been revealed how Novak will be written off the show, but I sincerely hope she isn't killed off. If I am denied the possibility of her coming back — even for one episode — I will be one very unhappy lesbian.

When thinking of Neal's character, one particular episode from season 7, "Blinded" comes to mind. While prosecuting a schizophrenic rapist, Novak's hard exterior softens because of the history with her former fiancé's schizophrenia. Near the end of the episode, Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) realizes what she has done and confronts her; Novak shows no remorse. … continue reading

If you follow American Idol even half as close as I do, then two things must be true: you have a lot of free time, and you are already aware how much the men have been overshadowing the women this season. I have been trying to avoid talking about the guys too much because, frankly, I don't want any of them to win. But, alas, it seems unavoidable this week.

Photo credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Idol has now endured its first true “ shock ” elimination as Michael Johns left the competition last week. But, I have a problem with the use of that word whenever someone undeserving receives the least votes. Let's face it, folks, all but one contestant will eventually be eliminated; there is no “shock” value in that fact. Michael, as good as he was, was not going to be this season's Idol, so I don't think a week or two's difference here or there in the elimination process makes much of a difference.

But, onward to those who are still in the competition. As promised, Mariah Carey came back this week as the mentor, and I was thoroughly disappointed in the song choices by most of the contestants. Perhaps it was deemed “safer” to avoid some of Mariah's most popular singles, but I still wanted to hear them. Where was “Dreamlover” or “Against All Odds?” Oh well.

Photo credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Starting off the show by singing one of the few recognizable songs was David Archuleta with “When You Believe,” and he was totally rockin' some leather (pleather?) pants. Simon gloated about knowing that David would choose this song, and I can't decide if that's a good thing for him or not. Regardless, it was definitely one of the best performances of the night. (Watch it here.) … continue reading

I hate writing this post. Or more accurately, it makes me sad that speculation about Katie Couric's tenure at as anchor of the CBS Evening News is one of the hot topics in the news these days.

Photo credit: John Paul Filo/CBS

If you haven't heard the story by now, Couric, her agent, the president of CBS news and the chairman of CBS met in late February and discussed Couric's future at the network. The CBS Evening News' ratings were low when she got there, and her presence and performance have not had the desired effect of elevating them. Consequently, her tenure at CBS — already referred to as "the Katie experiment" — is not really expected to last much longer than the 2008 presidential election. Sigh. … continue reading

My love for Amy Poehler goes almost as far as my infatuation with Tina Fey (though I don't think I have quite reached the level of Dorothy Snarker's adoration). Thankfully, there has been no lack of political material for Poehler and the cast of Saturday Night Live to parody lately, and it looks as though the NBC execs plan on taking full advantage of that fact.

Taking a cue from the mass media coverage of their politically based skits in recent weeks, NBC has announced that it will add a 30-minute show, entitled SNL Thursday Night Live (creative, no?), to follow The Office during the three weeks leading up to the election. Here's what NBC had to say in its official statement:

Dubbed "TV's funniest and most influential political player" by Entertainment Weekly, SNL expands its "Weekend Update" coverage to Thursdays in primetime for three live half-hour shows beginning October 16. With all of the excitement and attention around Saturday Night Live during the presidential primaries, the anticipation for the show's take on this Fall's election will be at a fever pitch, SNL Thursday Night Live will keep the momentum — and the laughs — going. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

On the surface, this seems like a brilliant move. Saturday Night Live is cashing in on the ongoing Democratic primary in the best way — with humor. Whether you think their coverage is biased toward Hillary Clinton or that Fred Armisen was a poor choice to portray Barack Obama doesn't really matter to those at SNL. The bottom line is that the sketch show hasn't been talked about this much in a very long time. … continue reading

Kathie Lee Gifford is known for a lot of things. She was the Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson. She was a vocalist on Name That Tune. She's the wife of Frank Gifford and the mother of Cody and Cassidy. She was an unwitting sweatshop labor beneficiary. And of course, she was the perkier half of Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.

Now, however, she's getting ready to be known for a new gig: Beginning next Monday, she'll joining the crew of the Today Show.

Sort of. She won't actually be on the air with this crew most of the time. She'll be on the relatively new fourth hour of the show with co-host Hoda Kotb. … continue reading