Over the last few seasons a number of shows -- 'One Tree Hill,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Lost' -- have used the concept of time jumping to generate public interest and open up new storylines. Now, 'Brothers & Sisters' will be making a small time jump between this season and next. Money was on this show, 'Gossip Girl,' or 'Phineas and Ferb.' to make the jump.

This, as usual, got us to thinking of other currently running programs that could use a time shift to freshen them up. Subsequently, this led us to put our thoughts down on the hyperlinked paged for debate and comment. After the jump are but a few examples and how a time jump could benefit them.

The most pressing concern for fans of Showtime's 'Dexter' at the show's Thursday night PaleyFest 2010 panel was touched on only briefly -- as if spending too much time on the topic was bad form -- or, worse, a jinx.

When series star Michael C. Hall took to the stage to a standing ovation -- it was impossible to miss his stocking cap. With the other stars and creators dressed to the nines across the Saban Theatre dais, that modest piece of headwear served as the uniform for an individual undergoing cancer treatment.

When it was pointed out to him that his reception might be the first "standing O" in PaleyFest history, Hall smiled, shrugged and pointed to his cap -- as if saying, "Well, it's the cancer treatment."

'Dexter' and 'Buffy' alum Julie Benz is heading back to genre TV with a role in the ABC drama pilot 'No Ordinary Family', says The Hollywood Reporter.

The show stars 'Shield' and 'Fantastic Four' vet Michael Chiklis as the head of a super-powered family. Benz will co-star as Chiklis' wife, a sexy scientist who develops super speed (the power, not the drug).

Despite the drab title, 'No Ordinary Family' is shaping up to be a must-see. Chiklis and Benz are two of TV's top actors, and the pilot is the brainchild of producer Greg Berlanti, a guy who knows a thing or two about creating compelling family drama (see 'Everwood', 'Dirty Sexy Money', 'Brothers & Sisters').

On Saturday night, the Writers Guild of America revealed the big winners for 2010, honoring the best in TV, movies and other media, but for our purposes, let's just stick with television. And as such, we can say the they rounded up the usual suspects.

'Mad Men' was tops in Drama Series and '30 Rock' was tops in Comedy Series. There was something new honored, Best New Series was 'Modern Family,' but seeing how the category makes new a requirement, it's not that shocking that it won.

However, in the episodic categories, for individual shows, there were was variance. The pilot of 'Modern Family' won in a tie with '30 Rock' for the episode 'Apollo, Apollo.' And the two part episode of 'House' -- 'Broken, Part 1 and Part 2' -- overcame all the 'Mad Men' nominees to take the WGA prize.

Julie Benz has been all over the place since her latest stint on 'Dexter' came to an abrupt and shocking end.

And apparently, no one was more shocked about her character than Julie herself! "Out of all the characters that I've played, I think she's the one I grieved for the most, just because it really came out of left field."

She recently sat down with our own Jane Boursaw for an interview at AOL Television (the only reason they wouldn't let me do it is because the majority of my dialogue would have consisted of drooling and repeating the phrase "Hamina-hamina-hamina").

She talked about her run on the acclaimed Showtime series, as well as her latest run on 'Desperate Housewives' as a stripper in reform and her rumored return to films such as 'Rambo V' and 'Saw VII.'

Since Julie Benz was written out of 'Dexter,' she found her way to Wisteria Lane as stripper Robin. Her original contract with 'Desperate Housewives' was to appear in three episodes, her first being the January 31 episode titled 'The Glamorous Life.'

However, due to her character being well-received and her promising storyline, she was offered to stay on 'Desperate' a while longer.

Spoilers coming up!

Michael C. Hall is 38 years old. He's at the top of his profession. His role as Dexter Morgan has brought him acclaim, awards and fame. Now, out of nowhere, Dexter star Michael C. Hall has cancer. He revealed that he's been treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, a treatable form of cancer. Thanks to the team of doctors in Los Angeles, Hall said that he is in remission and hopes to stay there.

This weekend at the Golden Globes, Hall will be there with his new wife, co-star Jennifer Carpenter. He's nominated for Dexter. If he wins -- and he's done amazing work on the show -- you can expect Hollywood to cheer for him. It will have double meaning.

I love Christmas. It is the best holiday. If all of the holidays grew asses, Christmas could kick every other holiday's ass by ripping off their ass and beating them to death with said ass.

It's perfect on every conceivable level. It aims to achieve total peace and tranquility of the human spirit and singularity of the soul through the selfless act of giving. Of course, in order for that to work, someone has to be on the receiving end and I'm more than willing to have my every dream fulfilled in the name of calming the cosmic waves.

So here's my wish list to Santa or Jesus or Buddha or whomever holds the universe in balance for things to suck less until the next holiday.

The winners of 2009 Satellite Awards were announced on Sunday in Los Angeles, and when you look at the winners on the television side, you have to like the choices. Most of these shows and actors have been on our year-end "best" lists, and if I were to guess, I think you'll see many of these names on the Prime time Emmy nomination roster.

The first thing that jumped out to me was Glee. The Fox musical dramedy was a winner in five different categories, including actors Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenoweth -- for her guest role -- recognized. And the show was named Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical.

It was a very loosey-goosey podcast this week, as Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about some of the goings on in TV:

• We talk about what we usually watch this time of year, whether it's holiday specials or just catching up on shows via DVD,
• The Golden Globes nominations came out last week, and we talk about how they got things (mostly) right,
• Something Danny has some experience with: When should you make like it's the 1990s and actually watch a show in real time to ensure you don't get spoiled (like the Dexter finale)?
• Ask TV Squad, Comment of the Week, our picks of the week, and more!

Run time is 1:11:23

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Note that we recorded the podcast last week, so my pick of the week -- Cowboys vs. Saints -- has already happened.

Every day it seems that we have nominations to announce. Yes, we are in award season and today it's the Screen Actors Guild's turn. On Saturday, January 23, 2010, at 8 p.m. on TNT and TBS, the winners of the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live from Los Angeles. Here's the nominees in the main categories and some thoughts on each:

Drama Ensemble: The Closer; Dexter; The Good Wife; Mad Men; True Blood

Interesting that CBS's The Good Wife made the cut, especially over Lost or House or Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy or Damages or Friday Night Lights. And I love The Closer, but the inclusion here is a surprise. I guess NCIS would be too big a surprise to get recognized.

Comedy Ensemble: 30 Rock; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Glee; Modern Family; The Office

Glee and Modern Family are freshmen, but clearly excellent ensemble comedies. And for Curb Your Enthusiasm, are they honoring the Seinfeld team all over again? Also, where's The Big Bang Theory?

On the seventh day of Festivus, TV gave to me... Seven shows a-thrivin'.

The 2009-2010 season is a great one to be on TV-- especially for returning dramas and new comedies. If we had 20 days of Christmas, I probably could have filled the list with shows that were either thriving right out of the gate or making a resurgence after being on the air for several years. As it is, we just have seven slots, so here are some noteworthy series that are thriving this year.

Dexter
I've always liked Dexter, but it's never been appointment TV for me. I've generally been content to wait until the season came out on DVD and knock all of the episodes out in a weekend. However, after a creative dip in season 3, I've found myself positively glued to my television every Sunday night that season 4 has aired. John Lithgow absolutely made the season as the creepy Arthur Mitchell. Plus the finale? I know some of you saw the big twist coming at the end, but I certainly did not. Who doesn't like to end a season with their jaw on the floor?

Round up the usual suspects. That would seem to be the appropriate line when you look at the nominees for the 2010 Writers Guild Awards. That doesn't mean that all these nominees are not worthy; they are some of the best 2009 television for sure. It's just that inevitably some shows are left out in favor of the tried old faves.

For instance, in the comedy category, can you really put Modern Family in and completely diss The Big Bang Theory? I can't. I'm not even happy about the annual goopfest for 30 Rock, a sitcom that I've grown tired of -- but that's just me. I'd prefer How I Met Your Mother to get some time, or United States of Tara or Nurse Jackie or The Middle. All four of those show have been superior to 30 Rock -- to me.

On the ninth day of Festivus, TV gave to me... nine on-air breakdowns.

Director Alfred Hitchcock once said, "Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it."

Yes, having a camera stuck in your face for an hour or more a day must take a toll on your sanity. Your privacy is virtually limited. Your every move is scrutinized and criticized by faceless meanies. Your therapist is one session away from owning his own fishing trawler.

It's only a matter of time before the grasp of sanity is clipped away like a loose thread on a homemade snowman sweater and you turn into a blubbering, snotty, incoherent mess for all the world to enjoy. These are the personalities who lost it and may or may not have gained whatever "it" is back.

Here comes some shocking news just as the crest of the Dexter buzz wave is starting to form.

Clyde Phillips, the show's long running showrunner, has decided that the fourth season of the show which ended Sunday will be his last.

Phillips said he made the decision during a long drive to his family's home in Connecticut and is leaving so he can spend more time with them. He described it as a "hugely difficult decision" and that he had "complicated feelings about it."

Frankly, the timing couldn't have been better. It ended on a climax that was so well done and gripping that my mind cannot even wrap itself around the possibilities of how to top it. It could, but it's giving me a headache like you would not believe.