(S08E15) If you were thinking that the penultimate episode of Monk, the next to last show, would be a gag fest filled with sight gags and spit takes, you were wrong. I can't remember a more serious Monk episode in eight seasons. Also, for those of you who have wondered about Monk's mourning of Trudy, here was a show that would address the issue head on. For that and other matters of life or death, read on and remember, this is only part one of the two part finale so spoilers will be shared... after the jump.

It looks like Kevin Smith is really getting his feet wet in the TV business this year, isn't he? Not only did he direct the very funny pilot to the CW's new series Reaper and write and direct the first episode of Heroes: Origins, but it now looks like he will also be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica during its upcoming final season, as well.

Smith revealed that little tidbit to our friend Angel Cohn at AOL's TV Tattler, where he spoke about how he came on board all three of his upcoming TV projects, as well as a couple of details about his non-TV work. But, for right now, the most important part of the interview will be the details about his BSG episode...

Digital Spy is reporting that Scrubs star Zach Braff thinks his time on the NBC comedy is coming to an end. "My guess is that this will be my last season," he told Premiere magazine. "Whether or not they continue without me, I don't know. I have had this amazing run on the show and I love it and I'm so grateful, but I want to make movies full time."

Sigh. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge Braff his burgeoning writing and directing career; I enjoyed Garden State, and am looking forward to seeing how he and Bill Lawrence do a new version of Fletch. And I think he'll make a great romantic comedy lead. But since the show is told mostly through the thoughts of Braff's character J.D., it seems unlikely that the show would survive without him. I don't even want to see Lawrence make the attempt; he tried doing something like that when Michael J. Fox left Spin City, and the show became a shell of its former self. I guess six years was more than any Scrubs fan could have hoped for, but I hope that Braff reconsiders and rides the gravy train for an additional year or two.

Industry people are becoming more and more concerned that the "newsmagazine" format is slowly starting to fade away. Some are saying that shows like Dateline and Primetime have abandoned real news for infotainment, often using the programs to cover series and celebrities from the network's entertainment division. That's not unheard of, but it makes those shows less and less relevant as such "fluff" pieces are already covered by shows like Entertainment Tonight and the like. Dateline may be especially vulnerable. however, and some are speculating this could be its last season. The show has been suffering in the ratings, and its Friday addition was recently taken off the schedule to make room for Conviction, a new drama from Dick Wolf.

[via Lost Remote]