Ricky Schroder was once the TV kid everyone wanted to be, riding his indoor train surrounded by cool video games on 'Silver Spoons.' He's also been the kid no one wanted to be, crying at the end of 'The Champ.' Schroder, who goes by Rick now, took a look back at his career on 'Good Day LA' (weekdays, 9AM PT on Fox) and also talked about replacing Jimmy Smits on 'NYPD Blue' and his new CMT movie 'To the Mat.'

"At 9, 'The Champ' came out," he said. "And that's when everything changed in my life." They showed a series of stills from his various projects, including 'Lonesome Dove,' which Schroder credited as a turning point in his career, along with 'NYPD Blue.' "In 'Lonesome Dove' I went from a boy to a man, literally, in the movie" he said.

While 'NYPD Blue' helped Schroder to be taken more seriously as an adult actor, he had the added burden of having to replace the popular Jimmy Smits on the show. "Jimmy Smits was so loved," he said, "and when I got cast as taking over after he left, um, I think a lot of the fans were kind of skeptical, and luckily, I won them over."

Is it just me, or does the phrase "A Sci Fi Original" kind of make you cringe? They use it a lot when promoting the very special Saturday night movies, and let's be honest, a lot of them are really bad. Rick Schroder is hoping to change all that. He's signed on with RHI Entertainment to direct Hellhounds. Scott Elrod gets the starring role. He'll play Kleitos, a Greek warrior, who leads his men in a battle against the hellhounds of Hades in an effort to rescue his bride from the Underworld. It appears they nixed the idea to have S.S. Doomtrooper make a cameo.

The gig makes a lot of sense for Schroder. He's been slowly building up his directing resume with music videos and the feature Black Cloud. He also has a long history with RHI. They were the ones behind Lonesome Dove. I don't know if it's resentment over the cancellation of Stargate Atlantis, or if I have finally just seen one too many bad movies on Sci Fi Saturday, but I have trouble giving this one the benefit of the doubt. The best thing I can say about it at this point is that it sounds like a better idea than Aztec Rex, but then, that's not saying a whole lot. That said, I'll still probalby end up watching it. I just can't look away from Sci Fi Saturday. So here's hoping Schroder can buck the trend.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection 3
• BeastMaster - The Complete Collection
• Ben 10 - Season 4
• Charlie and Lola - Vol. 8
• Code Monkeys - Season 1
• Doctor Who - The Time Meddler, Black Orchid, and the Five Doctors 25th Anniversary Collection
• Family Ties - Season 4
• Foyle's War - Set 5
• Get Smart - Season 1
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Vol. 3
• Laredo - Best of Season 2, Part 1
• Lonesome Dove - Collector's Edition
• Masters of Science Fiction - Complete Series
• Robin Hood - Season 1 (Blue-Ray) and Season 2
• Star Trek - Season 2 (Remastered)
• Sunset Tan - Season 1

Also: The Smothers Brothers - Best of Season 3 (Time-Life) was released last week.

When I first saw the commercials for ABC's Eli Stone, I didn't recognize Jonny Lee Miller. Then, after watching the first episode and liking him, I decided to find out who he was. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I had seen him, multiple times, in a variety of roles. And he was British! I was duly impressed and intrigued. Jonny Lee Miller was a helluva an actor, a chameleon who could be as convincing as a junkie named Sick Boy in Trainspotting as he was a San Francisco lawyer named Eli.

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