fred savage

Now that 2005 is behind us, we can look forward to new and returning favorite shows all this month on television. What will you be watching?

South Beach (Wednesdays, UPN) Two hot, New York City working-class bachelors leave the big city behind to follow one of their girlfriends to South Beach, FL, only to discover that she has a new boyfriend. They get mixed up with the rich and famous in the club scene. After viewing a sneak preview on UPN's website, it looks like a guilty pleasure like The O.C., except with more sex and no high school. Jennifer Lopez is the executive producer and it co-stars Vanessa Williams as a club owner and mother to one of the main characters. South Beach premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 8 pm.

I am going to limit this rant to Law and Order since it is the primary offender when it comes to putting guest stars on its many, many shows. It's as though the writers can't help but make every single celebrity guest star the guilty person! Do they know it is a dead giveaway to the viewers? If I see Dean Cain, Fred Savage, or Dana Delany as a seemingly minor character in the beginning of the show, I know they'll end up on trial or at least be the guilty ones by the end of the episode. Last night, I was watching a rerun of Criminal Intent where Lee Tergesen from Oz appeared as a minor character in the beginning. Guess who ended up being guilty of murder? Surprise, surprise. I remember Julia Roberts being on the original Law and Order during season nine, does anyone remember whether she was guilty?