Law and Order

"Folie a Deux" was also the name of one of my favorite X-Files episodes, the one where the telemarketing boss was also an evil creature (as someone who worked a few telemarketing jobs, that episode seemed more like a documentary to me).

This was a Goren/Eames episode. Is it just me or does D'Onofrio look more and more unhealthy/disheveled? I know, I know, it's part of his character arc, but still...

If Jay Leno isn't the answer for NBC prime time, perhaps the network should think about booking President Obama. NBC News devoted two hours, on Tuesday and Wednesday night, for Inside the Obama White House and the ratings were strong. Better than the insipid I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, which acted as a lead-in. Of course the season finale of Law & Order: SVU on Tuesday didn't hurt the news production.

Having watched the two hours, NBC should sign the president ASAP. There's always the curiosity factor when a viewer is being given access behind the scenes, and that's what Inside the Obama White House did. It was a look at the real West Wing, which reminded me a lot of the fictional, Aaron Sorkin West Wing creation, and that was quite cool. President Obama still fascinates me, and it's well past 100 days.

I haven't warmed up to Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson, but I still like the second half of the Law and Order team. This season finale was ... convoluted. I was lost about 20 minutes into it, even after McCoy went to the board and literally drew a graphic for the audience to explain what was going on. In short, an S&M murder case led back to Tom Everett Scott's governor character and his wife, and hinted at an interesting race next season (which will see the show on at a new day and time, Friday at 8 PM).

What did everyone else think?

"You always made me feel safe, John."

Perfect. Beautiful. That line was delivered by Carol Kane to Richard Belzer on last night's season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. A bit of history. Kane played Gwen Munch, the conspiracy-minded ex-wife of Belzer's Detective John Munch. The last time the two of them played those roles was more than a decade ago, not even on the same show.

When last Detective Munch fans saw the pairing, it was in 1997 on Homicide: Life on the Street. And they picked one hell of an episode to bring her back. Fans of Belzer know he was having fun with the black helicopter crowd before he brought that particular obsession to his character, and last night's episode was tailor-made for him, even if he wasn't really in the forefront of the plot.

Wow, I gotta say that this was a great season finale. I wasn't really familiar with Stuckey, but what happened still shocked me (though I guessed what was going on halfway through). It was rather Bones-ian, in a way.

This could turn out to be the last episode of Law and Order: SVU for Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, since they are holding out for more money and NBC is thinking of replacing them. Of course, I don't think that's going to happen. Sure, all of the Law and Order shows have had many cast members over the years, but I'm betting that the duo will be back for another season.

So...are you a D'Onofrio (Goren) fan or a Goldblum (Nicols) fan? I'm wondering if this "Goldblum this week, D'Onofrio next week" format is irritating longtime fans, or if longtime fans like having Goldblum in the mix too. Will they ever have Goldblum investigate a case with Kathryn Erbe?

Last night was a Nichols/Wheeler episode, with the duo investigating the death of a con man's partner.

I figured they would do this, for nostalgia's sake if nothing else. It seems pretty likely that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is going to outlast the parent that spawned it (because let's face it, sex sells!). Still, it was nice of NBC to renew Law & Order for a 20th season, allowing Dick Wolf to match Gunsmoke at twenty seasons.

Of course, now he's going to be angling to surpass the series next year. Even more ambitious would be a push to outdo Gunsmoke in episodes. With word coming down that L&O got a 16 episode commitment, it's just falling further and further behind.

NBC has been leaking like a sieve for weeks, so other than a few on-the-bubble cancellations, there aren't any huge surprises in their official upfront announcement. The big change is that they're doing two official seasons. A lot of the networks have been doing this unofficially, but NBC seems to be one of the few that is putting a label on it.

Returning: Heroes, The Biggest Loser, Law & Order: SVU, Saturday Night Live, SNL: Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Law & Order, Southland, Dateline NBC

Returning mid-season: Chuck, 30 Rock, The Celebrity Apprentice

Gone: Life, Medium, My Name is Earl, Kath & Kim, Kings, Knight Rider

New: Trauma, The Jay Leno Show, Parenthood, Community.

New for mid-season: Day One, 100 Questions, Mercy, The Marriage Ref

Not reflected on the schedule, but will be returning in the summer: America's Got Talent, Friday Night Lights (which will once again be aired first on Direct TV).

Watch this space for more details on the new shows...

More on the schedule and comments after the jump.

If there's a seven-figure penalty clause attached to your pilot if the network doesn't pick it up for series, how much does it have to suck ass if the net says, "Yeah, we'll pay the penalty rather than put that piece of crap on the air." That's what Warner Bros. is hearing as NBC has passed on Legally Mad.

This is David E. Kelley's much ballyhooed next legal drama starring Kristin Chenoweth and Loretta Devine. See that's good talent right there and still they'd rather pay millions than put it on the air? Damn!

Whoa, there's a confusing headline. Is it Law and Order: CI or is it In Treatment?! It's Law and Order: CI with an episode titled "In Treatment." Damn you, confusing episode title-makers! I can't wait for a show to have an episode titled "Open Thread." This was the second Jeff Goldblum episode (he's trading off each week with Vincent D'Onofrio - I still want to see both of them investigate a case together). What did everyone think?

Earlier this week, I let you know of the ten shows I thought should be renewed. Now it's time to reverse the question and think about the shows that shouldn't be renewed. Yes, there are some shows that should end now, either because they have annoying characters (*cough* Meredith Grey *cough*), are not treated properly by their network (insert here pretty much all shows on FOX), have been on TV for too long and have a hard time being original (I'm talking about you Survivor), etc. ER would have been a prime candidate for this list, but NBC finally made the right decision and ended the show a few weeks ago. Note that my list includes some shows that have received early renewals. Still, I think they should be canceled asap. So what other shows, besides ER, I think should bite the dust? Let's find out!

If you just want the list, click here.

There weren't a lot of surprises at NBC's "In Front" presentation this morning. As already leaked, Parks & Recreation, Heroes, and Southland have been renewed, joining the already announced 30 Rock, The Office, The Celebrity Apprentice, Friday Night Lights, The Biggest Loser and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

There's still no word on Law & Order's bid for a 20th season, nor did they clarify the fate of Chuck, though insiders feel confident both will be back. Back on the bubble is Medium, which was leaked as renewed last night, along with My Name Is Earl. Their fates are a bit more murky, especially Earl considering NBC is giving Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" a prime-time berth, apparently launching NBC's Thursday night.

A plea to those writing one-hour television dramas - please stop writing scripts that feature musicians trying to "make it" as rock or hip hop stars. Writing as someone who covers music, as a friend of musicians, and at some lowly level a musician myself, it's almost always painful to watch an episode about aspiring musicians, with all the cheesy, clumsy, brittle stereotypes.

I was looking forward to seeing Jeff Goldblum's debut on Law & Order: Criminal Intent last night. Then came the extended cold opening where a musician was walking down the street with his friends, talking about how he doesn't want to deal with all his other problems, he "just wants to play," complete with air guitar. I was hoping he would just stumble upon the dead body and that would be the end of it.

So, what did you think of Jeff Goldblum's first episode? Was it worth waiting through the endless delays? I thought it was ... pretty good. I wasn't thrilled with the introduction of Goldblum's OH SO QUIRKY character (the bagels at the crime scene, the disclosure that he vanished from the force for a long time, etc), but it got better as the episode went along (still haven't warmed to Julianne Nicholson, though). However, I think the Nichols character would come off better if we hadn't already had several years worth of the odd line readings and head tilts of Vincent D'Onofrio. I think if the two investigated a case together it would be way too much.

What did you think?

I really didn't mean for that to rhyme. After what seems like years on hiatus, Law and Order: CI finally returned to USA last night. It wasn't one of the new Jeff Goldblum episodes (they start next week), but it was a new episode, as Goren and Eames investigated a murder (surprise!). What did you think? Or are you not watching it until Goldblum's character shows up? Discuss!