(S02E18) I miss the pit. It's been a while since we've heard anything about it, so it was nice to have it mentioned again. Even though Leslie may not have her favor with the mayor's office (I guess she'll just have to live with an un-laminated bus pass), I'd like to see something happen with the now-filled-in giant hole in the ground.

Leslie clearly has more important things on her plate, like possum-wrangling. The whole task force thing could have been just ridiculous, and don't get me wrong-- it was, but there was one thing that saved it: the fact that there was an actual possum running around on Andy's neck. How he didn't just vomit to death, I'll never know. Chris Pratt deserves a raise though.

'Meerkat Manor'
(8:30-10PM, Animal Planet) 4th season finale
This three-episode mini-marathon concludes with an installment called 'The Darkest Day,' and if you read the rumors that popped up online in June, you know that title refers to yet another sad meerkat death.

No spoilers for those who don't know, but suffice it to say that it always seems like the fan favorites are among the furry little 'kats who take the hardest hits.

Elsewhere in the Kalahari, Wilson and Phillippe try to get their grooves on with the ladies, Rocket Dog gets ready to bring her second litter of pups into the world and Zorro, the Commandos' dominant male, goes MIA. Never a dull moment in desert ...

'Gone Country 2' and 'Outsider's Inn'
(8PM & 9PM, CMT) premieres
Lorenzo Lamas or Jermaine Jackson, boot scootin' boogiers? The soap star and the Jackson 5 singer are among the seven new B-listers trying to break into the country music scene in 'Gone Country's' second season.

The rest of the wannabe line-up includes 'N Sync-er Chris Kirkpatrick, 'Fame' singer Irene Cara, Skid Row hair band star Sebastian Bach, 'American Idol' cast-off Mikalah Gordon and actress Sean Young, whose penchant for tabloid behavior should provide some reality fireworks.

Meanwhile, Maureen 'Marcia Brady' McCormick has roped fellow season one alums Bobby Brown and Carnie Wilson into helping her run a B&B in rural Tennessee on 'Outsider's Inn.' But unlike Tori and Dean before them, Bobby and Carnie don't seem to be 'inn love' with the idea.

Growing up as a child of the television generation, I was always mesmerized by any shows having to do with nature or animals. I'd glue myself to the set as Marlin Perkins and Jacques Cousteau took me on fantastic adventures far removed from my own life of domesticated animals.

But I always loved the domestic animals as well. Dogs and cats have always been a part of my life and I'm enriched by their presence in our world. What I didn't have when I was growing up was an Animal Planet exploring the world of animals from pets to deadly predators. From sentimental to educational to outright odd and scary, Animal Planet explores both the worlds of the wilds and the inner cities -- as long as there are animals involved. And, it's not just for kids.

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Would you play a Meerkat Manor video game? I sure would--I would love to play as Flower leading her massive group of offspring around. I'm sure the fight scenes would be good too. Those meerkats have some pretty sweet moves.

Well, if you love Meerkat Manor and you love video games, you're in luck because Activision (the same people who brought you the immensely-popular Guitar Hero 3) has teamed up with Discovery Communications. The two companies are in talks to produce a series of video games based on cable network's shows.

They decided on Meerkat Manor for the first game (it is Animal Planet's highest-rated show) and more titles will be released in early 2008. I wonder what other shows they will turn into video games? Discovery Communications has several cable networks so they have a wide array of shows to serve as the basis for a multi-media project (i.e. Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel). I have a few suggestions: Man vs. Wild (or Survivorman if you like him better), Orangutan Island and Deadliest Catch.

Breathtaking vistas? Wild animals? Vibrant culture? Life Is Wild, the new fish-out-of-water drama on the CW promises all these things, and yet, doesn't quite deliver. It's more of a "Life Is Mild" -- a generic family drama set in a lush South African locale -- that strips all the color out of the scenery by weighing down its story with bland characters played by nondescript actors stuck in unoriginal situations.

For real excitement and back-stabbing familial drama in the South African wild, check out the spectacular Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. My family may be late to the game (Meerkat Manor is now in its third season), but those meerkats have us absolutely riveted. And maybe that's why I had a hard time getting excited by Life Is Wild. There's no real sense of danger. Unfortunately, this fictionalized African drama just can't compete with the real life-and-death struggles of those photogenic meerkats.