We're working overtime here at Talking TV headquarters to double your pleasure this week. We've got two podcasts for you, and both of them feature special guests. My talk with 'Burn Notice' creator Matt Nix is here, and if you don't have time to listen to the whole thing, I excerpted some highlights from our chat on that post. Ryan McGee and I also recorded a podcast with special guest Alan ...

When I heard that William Shatner was going to be guesting on 'Psych,' I did a little nerd jig of joy, and not just because I'm a 'Star Trek' nut. 'Psych' is one of my turn-my-brain-off, escapist pleasures, and seeing the Shat bring his inimitable brand of ham to the proceedings sounded like an excellent idea. The episode itself, which airs Nov. 30 and has Shatner playing Jules' con-man father, ...

['Sons of Anarchy' - 'Call of Duty'] Last week's 'Sons of Anarchy' was an intense and often gripping hour, and there's no way this week's episode could have matched it. Given that many final showdowns are no doubt being saved for the last couple of episodes of the season, the number of confrontations was certainly way down this week. This episode offered a variety of amplifications and ...

The news that 'Community' has been benched for an indeterminate amount of time came like a punch in the gut on Monday. Wait, what? Why am I, of all people, lamenting this very dark timeline for the low-rated NBC comedy? I'm not known to be one of 'Community's' most vociferous advocates. Because the best part of this job is tapping into people's passions, and when I wrote about how much I ...

This week's Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan podcast has a different format: Ryan was out of town, so, on my own, I spoke to 'Burn Notice' creator and executive producer Matt Nix for over an hour. (Don't worry, we'll have a regular podcast, probably with a different special guest, later in the week.) Forgive me for my enthusiasm, but I really think parts of this podcast could be of interest to ...

My colleague Mike Hogan wrote about last night's 'Homeland' here and I recommend his weekly review, but I couldn't resist adding a few comments about the Showtime drama's outstanding Sunday episode. If you're not watching 'Homeland,' you really need to catch up on this gripping drama (which I reviewed here). I already thought 'Homeland' was the best new show of the year, but Sunday's hour was ...

What the heck is up with Morgan? Why is the 'Chuck' character sporting truly unfortunate hair? Mysteries abound when it comes to the Bearded One. Ever since the former Buy More clerk had the Intersect downloaded to his brain, he's become more and more of a jerk. In this clip from 'Chuck Versus the Frosted Tips,' Friday's episode of the show, former Intersect Chuck Bartowski takes his best ...

The first thing you need to know about 'Revenge' is that it's a verb. Emily Thorne is in the Hamptons, stirring up trouble by REVENGING all over the place. She is REVENGING her dead father, who died after taking the fall for a bunch of venal rich people who committed a crime. Such infamy must be REVENGED. (Oh, that's another thing -- when you speak of the ABC drama, your tone of voice should ...

Ryan McGee and I had lots to discuss in this week's Talking TV podcast. As we are doing every week until the end of 'Sons of Anarchy's' fourth season, we discussed the latest developments in Charming and what these shocking events may (or may not) mean for the show's future. We also delve into the current seasons of two dramas with strong followings: Fox's 'Fringe,' which we're both somewhat ...

['Sons of Anarchy' - 'Hands'] In my years of writing about 'Sons of Anarchy,' I don't think I've had the opportunity to write these words yet: This episode belonged to Maggie Siff. Don't get me wrong, I've always known what a good actress she is, but 'SOA' is mostly the story of the SAMCRO guys, with a few subsidiary stories for Gemma and, to a lesser extent, Tara. Those stories are usually ...