There's been a lot of talk in the last week or two about women and science-fiction and fantasy.

Let's not rehash that debate here. Let's simply pay tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who proved in four decades' worth of terrific work on 'Doctor Who,' that women and genre fare go together just fine.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the late '70s, I watched Sladen, the plucky companion on 'Doctor Who,' not just help defeat all manner of aliens but also hold her own with two different incarnations of the Doctor, feisty specimens played by Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. She played the sidekick role with such unquenchable energy and undeniable fizz that Russell T Davies, who revived 'Doctor Who' several years ago, created a new spinoff, 'The Sarah Jane Adventures,' just for her.

"I absolutely loved Lis," Davies said in a statement from BBC America. "She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis."

(S04E12) Russell T. Davies seems to include everyone and the kitchen sink in this episode. Appearing in the parent program are Captain Jack, Ianto and Gwen from Torchwood and Sarah Jane and Luke Smith from The Sarah Jane Adventures. Also making appearances are Martha Jones, Martha's mother Francine, Harriet Jones (former Prime Minister...yes, we know who you are), and British celebrities Richard Dawkins (real-life husband of former Doctor Who companion Lalla Ward) and Paul O'Grady as themselves. Oh, and Rose is back.

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Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.

Okay, that statement may be a little flowery, but the sentiment is still there. After a very long dry period a good many of our favorite comedies and dramas are returning to the television landscape. We've had a taste of it these last few weeks with the return of shows like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, The Riches and Smallville. That was just a preview of what is to come. Over the next few weeks we will see the return of The Office, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, all of the CSIs, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost, among others.

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In the No Duh News category, Sci Fi Channel has reported that they've acquired the fourth series (or season) of Doctor Who for air beginning in April. What's great additional news is that they've also picked up The Sarah Jane Adventures as well. The latter series focuses on Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane, one of the most popular and famous "companions" in Who History, as she battles to keep Britain and the world save from alien encounters and invasions.

Sarah Jane is aided by a small group of children in her quest. And while the series has a lower budget than Who and is geared more towards a children's audience, I still found it to be tremendously fun. And any opportunity to see K-9 is worth it in my book!