(S01E11) There was a double episode of Cane last night. I suppose that was because Cane was not on last week. But whatever the reason, I just wanted to point out before I start talking about "Hurricane" that I have reviewed both episodes. I linked to the review of "The Perfect Son" at the end of this post.

Firstly, why did the people in the convenience store start panicking and rushing out like that? I rewound that dialogue a few times to see what Alex said right before the people went nuts. He just told his son to be calm. So, was the uproar because that thug had a recognizable gang tattoo? Or did people start panicking because of something with hurricane?

• At 8, NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal, then a new Biggest Loser.
• Cartoon Network has Billy & Mandy Save Christmas at 8.
• BBC America has the two-hour season premiere of Life on Mars at 8.
• At 8:30, ABC has Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too.
• At 9, CBS has two new episodes of Cane.
• Lifetime has the movie All She Wants For Christmas at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie Meet The Santas at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new Boston Legal.
• There's a new Nip/Tuck on FX at 10.
• Discovery has a new Everest: Beyond the Limit at 10.
• ABC Family has The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E10) Firstly, let me say that I was a little worried when Cane didn't show any previews for next week. I wonder if it's been affected by the writers' strike. Maybe because of poor ratings they are just taking it off the air. I wouldn't be surprised--they are fine with taking good characters off the show without warning (hello? Santo?). I would be upset if Cane got canceled though. The show really has so much potential and it would be such a waste of an excellent ensemble cast to cancel it.

Now let's get to the review. Tonight's episode was good. The parallel stories were clever. Alex / Jaime are both confronted with morally gray situations (i.e. a hooker in the hotel room and strippers at a bachelor party). Both, however, stay true to their wives.

• At 8, ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas (hopefully they'll show it again closer to Christmas), then the season finale of Dancing with the Stars.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, followed by new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has a new Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
• There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
• At 9, HGTV has a new Decorating Cents, then a new 24 Hour Design.
• Hallmark has John Denver in The Christmas Gift at 9.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, then a new Everest: Beyond the Limit.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County.
• At 10:15, TCM has The Hustler.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E09) So, is it just me or is Cane a little all over the place? I was convinced last week and in the few weeks before that that Ellis Samuels was genuinely interested in Frank Duque and really wanted to be parted from her despicable father. But this week (because now it's convenient for Alex's character) she is back on the other side with Daddy dearest.

I seem to remember Ellis confronting her father about the death of Lucia Duque. The look on her face said everything: she was in shock and deeply disappointed to discover her father ordered the death of a little girl. Then, her father threw her under the bus with the Cuban land deal. He even rudely ignored her while playing cards with his buddies. It was clear they were not in cahoots.

• At 8, ABC has A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, followed by He's A Bully, Charlie Brown and new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor.
• CBS has a new NCIS, then new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has new episodes of The Biggest Loser and Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, then a new House.
• The CW has a new Beauty and the Geek at 8.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, followed by a new Frontline.
• Food Network has Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has The Bad and the Beautiful, then It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
• At 10, Sci-Fi has a new ECW.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• HBO has a new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbal at 10.
• At 11, TBS has the series premiere of Frank TV.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E08) "There was a time I was especially fond of you." Ellis to Alex

What does that mean? Did Ellis and Alex have a deeper relationship that we will find out about? Now that would be a good twist in this conflict between the Duques and the Samuels. From their conversation last night, I couldn't quite gauge whether Ellis just meant that she used to like Alex as a friend and business peer or if she was referring to a past romantic relationship.

Another good episode of Cane--it is truly getting better. Sadly, CBS still hasn't changed the time slot and sadly, Santo was not in this episode. I sincerely hope they are not doing away with him. But, on the bright side, some much needed developments happened last night.

• At 8, ABC has a new Caveman, followed by new episodes of Carpoolers, Dancing with the Stars, and Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• NBC has a new, two hour Biggest Loser at 8, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
• There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has two of James Ellroy's movie picks: Stakeout on Dope Street and Murder By Contract.
• At 9, Food Network has their All Star Thanksgiving, then a new Two Dudes Catering.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.
• TLC has a new Miami Ink at 10.
• At 10:30, Versus has a new Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E07) "You've got to stop this vendetta. It will destroy your family" --Pancho

Now, why would Alex stop trying to get revenge on Joe Samuels when things are just getting really good? This episode was great. And that's the first time I said that. As I watched the previews for next Tuesday, I was, for the first time, excited to see what happens next on Cane.

I need to make one comment before I start the real part of my review though. I think this show would be more popular if it was on at 8 or 9 p.m. I say, get rid of the musical acts (it's not The O.C.) and move to an earlier time slot.. CBS could have a show with the same success and longevity as Dallas.

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Sweeps period is not only important for networks but also for TV viewers. Sweeps periods are when some of the biggest events in a TV series happen: deaths, explosions, extra special guest stars, etc.

To prepare you for November sweeps, I've combed through the networks' sweeps press releases and official episode descriptions and extracted what seems to be the juicy information for almost all scripted series on the five major networks.

All spoilers listed after the jump are actually spoilers the networks want you to know!

(S01E06) "It's not who you are, it's what you're becoming" --Pancho Duque to Alex Vega

Pancho says it all with this quote from next week's episode of Cane. What is going on with Alex Vega? He's a dedicated family man who adores his wife. He's a smart business man who has innovative ideas for Duque Rum. And he's a wrathful man who will exact revenge on anyone who threatens his family. All this in one person. I just don't know if this is believable sometimes.

CBS wants to see where a few of its under-performing shows are going before deciding their fate. The network ordered four more scripts for both Moonlight and Cane. Moonlight, a series about vampires in Los Angeles, is the net's lowest-rated show on Friday nights (it's in the 10 pm time slot). And Cane is ranked 8th on Tuesday nights.

While I can't say much about Cane, I can say that I was mighty disappointed in Moonlight. I'm a big fan of Jason Dohring from Veronica Mars, but I found him horribly miscast as "the oldest vampire in LA" (or maybe he'll always be Logan Echolls to me).

(S01E05) Last night on Cane things continued to heat up for Alex Vega. He had some close calls with the law. How much longer can he cover his tracks with his involvement in Quinones's murder? Plus, Senator Barnes had to resign because he was found with a male hooker. (Is that the right term? I think Joe Samuels helped would say so.) Guess there's no ethanol deal. Bad news for Alex. Good news for Cane fans. We get to watch him try to clean up this fine mess.

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• At 8, ABC has a new Cavemen, then new episodes of Carpoolers, Dancing with the Stars, and Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new NCIS, followed by new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
• NBC has a new Singing Bee at 8, then new episodes of The Biggest Loser and Law and Order: SVU.
• There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
• ABC Family has a new Lincoln Heights at 8.
• AMC's Monsterfest has The Frighteners at 8, then Hellraiser.
• At 9, PBS has a new Frontline.
• CNN has the special Planet in Peril at 9.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs special at 9, with best of clips, bloopers, and more.
• A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter at 9, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
• At 10, FX has the season finale of Damages.
• TLC has a new L.A. Ink at 10.
• At 10:30, Food Network has a new Two Dudes Catering.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E04) I was pleasantly surprised yet again this week by last night's Cane. The narrative is really starting to gel in both the overarching plot of the season and within individual episodes. Maybe it's wishful thinking but this show could be the Dynasty or Dallas I have been waiting for. Okay, maybe that assessment was premature (I don't want to put that kind of pressure on the Smits), but this episode was great. The show is finally doing a good job of balancing the all the different storylines and making most, if not all, the characters interesting in their own right. For awhile there, it was just Jimmy Smits and his interactions with everyone else.