"Eddie loves doing interviews!" is the bubbly e-mail that came to me as I was trying to arrange a date and time for the following interview with comedian Eddie Izzard. That part didn't surprise me; I've read interviews before where Izzard was engaging and expansive on all sorts of issues. The surprising thing was who the PR person e-mailing me was representing: Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Yes, that's right: Everyone's favorite longshot Presidential candidate has Izzard in his corner as he tries to retain his House seat this week. In fact, this afternoon, Izzard will be interviewing Kucinich at a campaign fundraising event in Cleveland (tickets can still be purchased for the 3 PM ET event). We've heard before that Izzard is interested in politics; but how in the hell did he get involved in Kucinich's congressional campaign? I talk to Izzard about that, and The Riches movie that he seems to think should happen, after the jump.

The Riches was one of those shows that suffered from the p-word: potential. With an interesting story -- a family of Travelers settle into a stolen life as an upper-middle-class suburban family -- and excellent acting performances from Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, the show had the same breakout potential as any of FX's other dramas.

But the show's potential was never realized, either creatively or in the ratings. The show always had trouble balancing dark comedy and intense drama, and it strained to make the audience care about the Malloys, who were dealing with the consequences of stealing the American Dream. At the end of its aborted second season, FX had not committed either way to bringing the show back. Well, now we know: Mike Ausiello of EW confirmed yesterday that The Riches has been cancelled.

HBO has found the lead for one of their roughly 658 new "Hey, remember how we used to have good TV shows before we started giving you crap like John From Cincinnati? Huh? Do ya?" pilots.Thomas Jane (The Punisher) has been tapped to star in Hung, a one-hour dark comedy about a middle-aged high school basketball coach who figures out a way to use his best asset. Now, I'm no expert, but I'm guessing that the title doesn't mean that his best asset is his ability to tie a wicked hangman's noose.

Hung is a top priority at HBO, as new entertainment president Sue Naegle has made the spec script her first major purchase and first pilot pickup. Written by the creator of The Riches and directed by Oscar winner Alexander Payne (Sideways), Hung marks Jane's first regular TV role. He has, of course, previously made TV appearances, including a stint on wife Patricia Arquette's series, Medium.

It seems that everything comes to HBO eventually, and now they're proving once and for all that size really does matter.

In development is Hung, a series revolving around a well-endowed guy who figures out a way to use his sizable assets. A former high school sports legend, now he's slogging through middle age as a dad and high school basketball coach. Things start looking, uh, up when he creates a scheme to add some zest into his life.

Although further details are sketchy at this point, I keep thinking about Weeds, only in this case, maybe it's about a dad who ventures into adult-oriented territory to keep food on the table and pay the bills. Anyone have further intel? It's HBO, so anything is possible.

• At 7, WE starts airing Kate & Allie (two episodes).
• At 8, CBS has the series premiere of Creature Comforts.
• NBC has the Ducks/Senators game at 8.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• The History Channel has two new episodes of Cities of the Underworld at 8.
• Some private eye shows on American Life at 8: Harry O, 77 Sunset Strip, and Surfside 6.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus is interviewed on a new Inside The Actor's Studio on Bravo at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new Ex-Wives Club.
• The new season of Hell's Kitchen starts on FOX at 9.
• Larry King interviews Jack Kevorkian on CNN at 9.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• At 10, FX has the season finale of The Riches.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Bachelor.
• CBS has new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has a new Deal or No Deal at 8, then new episodes of Heroes and The Real Wedding Crashers.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then a new All Of Us and a new, one-hour Girlfriends.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• TNT has two NBA playoff games starting at 8.
• At 9, FOX has a new 24.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Unwrapped.
• At 10, Discovery has a new Stunt Junkies.
• Food Network has new episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and The Secret Life Of...starting at 10.
• FX has a new ep of The Riches at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new episode of The Bachelor.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal, then a new Thank God You're Here.
• FOX has a new Drive at 8, then a new 24.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Also at 8: American Life has Harry O, followed by 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye.
• At 8:30, CBS has a new Old Christine, then new episodes of Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, and CSI: Miami.
• At 9, PBS has a new America At A Crossroads.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new ep of The Riches.
• Discovery has a new Stunt Junkies at 10.
• HBO has a new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new episode of The Bachelor.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, followed by the premiere (two episodes) of Thank God You're Here.
• CBS has new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, King of Queens, and CSI: Miami.
• TLC has the two hour season premiere of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Emeril Live, then a new Unwrapped.
• At 9, FOX has a new 24.
• Lifetime has the new moviev Judicial Indiscretion at 9.
• There's a new Monday Night RAW at 9 on USA.
• At 10, FX has a new episode of The Riches.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E04) With episode four we were treated to a nice balance of the season long arc and the single episode story. I'm really looking forward to seeing Dale come knocking on the Riches front door, hopefully looking like Nicholson in The Shining, but we all know we are going to have to wait for that. That's fine though, because there are plenty of other tales to tell.

Jolinda, for instance. This was good, although it didn't go down at all how I expected. Having seen it hinted at in the promos for weeks, I was pretty sure that she was going to show up to meet Doug in person. And almost convinced of it when Hugh pointed out to Wayne that ex-wives always find you. Having Wayne and Dahlia head that one off at the pass actually worked out even better though.

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

Last week's winners:

3rd place to Fred: "So, uh, when do Dave Foley and Phil Gordon get here?"
2nd place to Chris W: Mike: "Aren't our women nuts?!"
Carlos: "Tell me about it!"
Orson: "Actually, I'm a bit crazier than Bree..."
Tom: "Don't you think we would all be better off gay?"
All: "..."
1st place to CaptKahunah: "Uh, shouldn't have one of us brought playing cards?"

This week, a scene from the season premiere of The Riches:

Hola, mi muchachos and muchachoettes! It is I, Schedule Boy, back from wherever the hell I was. I'm here this time to present a comprehensive list of upcoming season and series premieres and finales for you, my adoptive TV Squad family.

What a crazy season its been! Shows that had so much potential (The Nine, Studio 60) struggled to stay on the air, while others (Ugly Betty, Friday Night Lights, Jericho, 30 Rock) surprised us with their growing fan bases and popularity. Then there were shows like ER that made a sudden comeback and ones like Gilmore Girls and Scrubs that didn't seem to find their way for the first half of the season. Well, at least we could be confident that hits like Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, 24 and Lost would carry us through the season. Then again, maybe not. Like I said, crazy season.

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this fine presentation, presented in color with limited commercial interruption. You can find the list of premieres and finales (as well shows returning from hiatus) after the jump. Remember, dates are subject to change, so we'll be updating as time moves forward.

The numbers are in and The Riches is off to a nice start for FX. The 3.8 million viewers more than doubled the best Monday night at 10 the network has ever had. That was also slightly better than the premieres of Nip/Tuck and Dirt, but fell short of The Shield, Rescue Me, and Over There. In the 18-49 demo, the news was even better. The Riches ranks as the number two premiere, trailing only The Shield.

Of course, it remains to be seen how things hold up moving forward. I thought the premiere was very good, but it didn't match the advertising that led up to it. The show had a much darker, more serious tone than those commercials where we saw Wayne and Dahlia walking down the stairs pondering their new life. I'll be interested to see if that turned off any of those 3.8 million viewers.

(S01E01) If there's anything close to a certainty in this wacky world of 3,000 channels, it's this: When a new show premieres on FX, chances are it's going to be pretty damned good. Even the less-than-stellar shows are more daring, creative, and entertaining than most of what you might see on a broadcast or basic cable network. And The Riches is no exception; in fact, it is one of the most well-done new shows of the year. The pilot, which aired earlier tonight, was nearly as riveting as that of The Nine, wich was almost universally lauded before the fall season started. But unlike The Nine, The Riches knows where it's going. And it looks like it's going to be a pretty fun ride.

The Riches (Mon., 10PM ET, FX)
With its provocative premise, deep characters and balance between drama and comedy, this new show is reminiscent of Six Feet Under. The Malloys are your average, loving, dysfunctional family -- except they're itinerant con artists who scam people for a living. Even the three kids get in on the act. But when a car accident gives them the chance to live the American Dream, father Wayne (Eddie Izzard) and mother Dahlia (Minnie Driver) decide to take it.

American Idol (Tue., 8PM ET, Fox)
Is Votefortheworst.com affecting the outcome of Idol? Because I can't figure out how else Sanjaya is still in the competition. Either the tween set can't get enough of the shaggy-haired singer, or the web site has truly achieved its nefarious goal. Hopefully, as the top 12 start performing, talent will prevail. There are some truly gifted singers, like Lakisha and Melinda. But the most successful Idols also had unique styles, so that's why I'm betting on Blake. Disagree? Take our poll!

FX continues to roll out edgy new dramas and comedies. Next up is The Riches, which premieres Monday at 10PM ET. But you can watch the entire pilot now at AOL Television.

The show stars Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver as the parents of a family of con-artist grifters. It starts off with Minnie Driver's character, Dahlia Malloy, getting released from jail after two years. The Malloys roam around in their RV, looking for ways to scam "buffers" (regular people), until an accident gives them a chance to live the American Dream.

Now after the missteps of Dirt, I was initially wary of The Riches. But the pilot is very promising and reminds me of Six Feet Under in some ways.

Check back to TV Squad for a review of the premiere sometime soon.