jurnee smollett

It's the second legal premiere of the night! And it's also the 1,807th legal show currently on TV, more or less. So the question for the pilot episode of 'The Defenders' (Wed., 10PM ET on CBS) is whether the courtroom series will be able to stand out from the pack.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

'The Defenders' is set in Las Vegas, and features Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as two lawyers who are poster boys for the Vegas lifestyle. In fact, they're literally poster boys -- as they play the type of attorneys who have a big tacky billboard with their 1-800 number posted prominently. The pair aren't upscale lawyers, they're basically scruffy ambulance-chasers. But on the premiere episode, they find themselves embroiled in a case that's a little more serious, involving a murder suspect who puts his life in our heroes' hands.

Most television shows set in high school go to ridiculous lengths to keep the characters together long past graduation day (see: 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Gossip Girl'). But when the time comes for the high school-ers on 'Friday Night Lights' to move on -- most of them actually do.

For season 4, which aired on DirecTV last fall and premieres tonight on NBC, 'Friday Night Lights' has introduced a new set of characters played by Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett and Matt Lauria. The three talked to TV Squad about joining the critically-acclaimed show.

Ratings for 'Full House,' which began its run in '87, were low at first, with critics panning the cheese factor of the San Francisco-set sitcom. For its second season, ABC moved the Tanners to the family-friendly TGIF lineup, and the show about a widower raising his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and best friend found its groove. (Cheese factor? What cheese factor?)

Running eight seasons, 'Full House' became iconic pop candy for Generation X. Just a taste of what it gave us: eye-rolling references for later dorm-room talks, John Stamos' "bad guys just need a hug" lesson -- and the Olsen twins, adorable-little-Michelle-turned-billion-dollar-empire-controlling entertainment tycoons. Name another sitcom with a track record like that ... Exactly.