If you're one of the fortunate few who make it big in the television biz, shouldn't you take the opportunity to use that cushy cushion you have built for yourself and take a big risk on something exciting and new? Not if you're one of these big television producers.

Big shots like Shawn Ryan, David E. Kelley, and Shonda Rhimes all have pilots in the can that don't seem to stray much farther from the shows that made them the big shots that they are today.

For instance, Ryan, creator of the groundbreaking FX cop drama 'The Shield,' has another cop drama premiering with Fox called 'Ridealong.' Kelley, the writer/producer behind 'The Practice' and 'Boston Legal,' has created a reality drama for NBC called 'Kindred.' Even Rhimes, the woman behind ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy,' has another medical drama show for ABC called 'Off the Map.' Is ABC looking to create an all-medical soap opera cable channel in the coming year?

Remember how Sharon Stone first made her claim to fame? No, I don't mean her imitating Cybill Shepherd in the comedy Irreconcilable Differences with Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore. I'm talking about Basic Instinct, of course. As Catherine Trammell, she had perhaps the most famous crossed-knee move ever in the movies.

Well, now the star will be returning to the crime genre. Sharon will be appearing on NBC's Law and Order SVU later this season.

Stone will be appearing in a four-show arc, playing a former cop who's become a prosecutor, an assistant district attorney. That means instead of answering questions, she'll be asking them.

Recently, we were inspired by 'Parks and Recreation' to write a feature listing TV shows that overcame a rocky launch. Sadly, the reverse seems more common: shows that start strong but finish weak.

Our latest inspiration is the ongoing death spiral of 'Heroes.' (This week: Mohinder does something stupid! People's powers go awry at inopportune moments! Adrian Pasdar, pictured, looks like he'd rather be anywhere else!) Here's a once-inspired show that seems to be going down in flames after having run out of ideas.

Other times, shows peter out because of casting changes, bad writing or bizarre creative decisions. In each case, however, the audience feels betrayed and often deserts the show, leading to ratings death and what-went-wrong autopsies. Here's what went wrong on nine other good shows gone bad.

It's not easy winnowing more than 50 years of small-screen gems into a list of 50.

But AOL TV's picks of the top TV dramas include the most brilliant doctors and lawyers, the angst-iest teens, sci-fi series that transcend their genre molds, family dramas that both warm and break your heart, terrorist- and mobster-fighting heroes ... and a show that combined the best of family and gangster drama into one unforgettable series.

Click through to see all 50 of the best TV dramas of all time.

TNT knows drama. That's their logo, their mantra, their promise to viewers, and with The Closer, for instance, they've delivered. Now they're prepping another new drama, this one with some major experience in front of the camera and behind it.

It sort of reads like a dream team. Dylan McDermott starring in a Jerry Bruckheimer drama called The Line for TNT. Only it's not a dream. It's a pilot for 2009.

Instead of sharing this one with CBS where his shows dominate the line up -- CSI, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Eleventh Hour, Cold Case, Without A Trace, The Amazing Race -- Jerry Bruckheimer has decided to share the wealth a bit. He's moved this one over to TNT. However, he's bringing in CSI vets Jonathan Littman (six-time Emmy winner) and Danny Cannon to produce and direct, respectively.

After more than twenty years at 20th Century Fox TV, Emmy-winning writer-producer David E. Kelley is packing his bags.

One of the longest and most succesful collaborations in television history is coming to an end as Kelley announced that he is entering into a three-year partnership with Warner Bros. TV.

(S04E20) "Shirley, it was good that we oppose." - Carl Sack leaving himself wide open.

Shatner and Spader's celebratory dance upon learning they were accepted into the Coast Guard may have been the best acting I have seen out of the two of them all season.

When I read the synopsis of the season finale I really didn't know what to think. At first glance, of course, the idea of one city seceding from the United States seems ridiculous. However, this being Boston Legal I knew there had to be more to it.

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(S01E06) The secret is out. After hiding his condition from his boss, colleagues and clients for two months Eli Stone has finally come clean. Now, the world (or at least San Francisco) knows. Reaction is mixed. Some, like Eli's ex-fiancee and his brother, are glad that it's all out in the open now.

His colleagues' reaction? We know at least one person's opinion --more on that later. As for his boss and mentor, Jordan Whethersby...well, needless to say there's an extreme cold front coming between him and Eli. But, we'll discuss that in detail after the jump. For now, let's talk about Eli's decision to fess up.

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Congratulations to Mariah, Cameron, Graig, Jeff and Eric on each winning a copy of the Kitchen Confidential series on DVD set in our last giveaway.

This week we've got not one but two DVD giveaways! We're giving out five copies of The Practice season one DVD set and The Outer Limits - The Original Series, volume one DVD set. We'll give one copy away to ten randomly chosen commenters to this post. Just post a comment below stating which DVD set you'd rather get. We'll randomly choose ten winning entries from all eligible comments, five for each set depending on the preferences mentioned.

Some basic rules and clarifications:

- To enter, leave a confirmed comment below stating which of the two DVD sets you'd rather get.
- The comment must be left before June 15, 2007 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
- You can only enter once.
- The winning entry will be chosen completely at random.

And now we present you with the legalities of the contest. (Read them. Please.)

It's that time of the year. People are being cast in pilots left and right and some interesting stuff has been announced. At ABC, Christopher Titus (Titus) has landed one of the lead roles in an untitled project from Warner Bros. The show focuses on CEOs and also stars Dylan McDermott (The Practice) and Michael Vartan (Alias). McDermott and Vartan as CEOs is an easy sell. But Christopher Titus, Senior VP Harvard graduate? That's different, and something I look forward to checking out.

Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) is set to star in ABC's Suspect. The show is a procedural that will solve crimes by tracking suspects through a lineup. She's joined by Eric Palladino (ER) and Kathleen Munroe (Beautiful People). The ABC track record for procedurals is less than impressive, but the addition of Guy Ritchie (Snatch) as director is intriguing enough to give this one a look.