my so-called life

Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick are responsible for creating some of my favorite TV shows: thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again. They've influenced my writing and even my desire to write for TV probably more than anyone else in Hollywood. They've been absent from the TV landscape for a couple of years, and I've definitely missed them.

Luckily, Herskovitz and Zwick are back with a brand new series, called quarterlife. The series, however, will not currently be available on ABC or any other network. Herskovitz and Zwick are bringing this new series to life on the web. And in a recent L.A. Times item, Herskovitz explains why they've left traditional television behind.

Herskovitz believes "the business of television has become an exclusive club, closed to new members," which has some producers "turning to the internet to have a voice."

If you haven't entered our latest giveaways yet, here's a reminder that some are ending today. You've got until 5PM Eastern today to enter the Twin Peaks Definitive Gold Box edition DVDs and the Criss Angel Mindfreak season one DVDs. You've got until Monday to enter the CMA Awards iPod giveaway and the My So-Called Life complete series DVDs. Just head on over to the post linked above, read through the rules and make the applicable comment there (not here!) We'll notify the winners next week.

Good luck!

As if we didn't already have some incredible things to giveaway here already, here's one that just passed over the TV Squad desk late last night, and it couldn't possibly wait until next week. We've got three copies of My So-Called Life - the complete series on DVD, which is already available in stores today (review of the set coming here soon). All you've got to do is submit a comment below before 5PM Eastern, November 5, and mention why you'd like to own the series. We'll randomly choose three winners to receive the DVDs!

Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

*If you haven't watched the new episode of 24 yet, don't read any more, unless you want to find out what happened.*

Viewers are getting restless. And they're grumbling. Across the blogosphere. Among TV critics. And the buzz isn't good. People are hoping that things turn around for 24 and their boy Jack Bauer soon. 'Cause the most recent episode . . . well, 'twas disappointing.

Nonetheless, I'll try to be positive (and snarky) as I recap four select moments from this week's episode:

Quote of note: It's a Chloe O'Brian "quote of note" victory. Again. Three weeks in a row. "We all thought she was guilty. This is gonna be awkward," our gal Chloe said as Nadia Yassir prepared to rejoin her CTU colleagues after Yassir was briefly detained for suspected treasonous behavior.

MTV may finally be backing away from its plethora of reality programs, which are all beginning to see a decline in ratings. The network has given the greenlight to - gasp! - a drama. It's the first scripted series for the network in five long years.

The half-hour drama is called Kaya and it's about a teen-age girl who, along with her band members, becomes a rock star. This is a little more along the lines of the whole music television theme, unlike the mid-1990s teen angst drama, My So-Called Life. In case you were wondering, the last scripted series to air on MTV were 2002's Undressed and 2001's 2Gether.

Danielle Savre has signed on to star in Kaya. You may remember her as 'Jackie Wilcox' from her brief run as the cheerleader-who-got-killed-instead-of-Claire on Heroes.