Joshua Molina

Last night during 'Burn Notice,' there were promos for 'In Plain Sight' and it got my heart pumped just to hear Mary McCormack's voice again. Hooray, Mary's back. And so is 'In Plain Sight,' one of the most improved series on cable in its sophomore run last season. The new season kicks off on March 31 on USA Network, and 'In Plain Sight's' lined up some big stars as guests.

The top of the list is Allison Janney. They're not saying if it's more than a single episode -- here's hoping -- but Allison will be a playing a "newly appointed U.S. Marshal who clashes with Mary." If you remember Janney and McCormack in the last couple of seasons of 'The West Wing,' this should be a great reunion.

After viewing the frighteningly accurate parody of Studio 60 that MADtv performed I got to thinking (which is always a bad thing). I can't remember a producer/creator of any television show in recent history who has carried so many of his or her trademarks from one program to another. I guess you could say Dick Wolf does this from show to show, but the Law & Order series is probably considered a franchise. Aaron Sorkin has produced three different shows that have had similar structural elements, including actors and actresses. When viewers watch these shows they anticipate those features and are disappointed when they don't see them.

So, with that in mind, here are the five trademarks that Aaron Sorkin puts in his shows.

The walk-and-talk: Others shows have people walking and talking all of the time, but usually slowly down a straight hallway. Aaron has taken this concept and perfected it, making it all his own. His walk-and-talks feature characters going up-and-down stairs, through security gates, behind bleachers, and around corners. He sometimes makes these strolls seem like a relay race: two people will talk for a while, then one person will tag-out and a new conversation will begin with another character. Meanwhile, as they walk they begin and end conversations with so much information that you need to record the show so you catch everything missed. And, speaking about those conversations . . .