nursejackie

After a few weeks off (my fault... don't ask), we're back in the swing of things, talking about everything going on this March on TV. This week, Jason Hughes, Danny Gallagher and Allison Waldman join me to talk about:

• All the new shows that have started this month. 'Parenthood,' 'The Pacific,' 'Justified' and 'Minute to Win It' are discussed (we're especially flummoxed at why 'Parenthood' isn't at all funny),
• How Leno returned to 'The Tonight Show' and no one cared,
• What we think the Conan tour is going to look like,
• The return of 'Breaking Bad,' 'United States of Tara,' and 'Nurse Jackie,' (Warning: spoilers abound during this discussion),
• Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:07:14.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As always, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.



By the way, the audio problems we had in the last podcast have fixed themselves. Enjoy the non-robotic-sounding voices!

Drugs on TV have had a strange history. There have been after-school movies, very special sitcom episodes and even entire dramas based around illegal substances.

Sometimes, drug abuse on TV is used to teach the audience a lesson, while other times writers have characters develop an addiction as a way of making them more human in a flawed sense.

One of the most recent drug abusers comes to us in the form of Edie Falco's title character on 'Nurse Jackie.' The medical drama is back with a vengeance (Mon., March 22 10PM on Showtime), and to celebrate the return of our favorite no-nonsense RN, we're taking a look at TV's other famous pill-popping characters we've come to love (despite their issues) over the years.

We're not endorsing drug abuse of any kind, but it's a fact of life for some people, including these TV characters.

Find out who made our list after the jump.

Now that the Olympic drama of icebound athletic competition (and tearjerking backstories) is over, TV is ready to resume airing real drama. And by real drama, we mean, of course, fake drama, scripted by writers and performed by actors.

It seems like most of television went into hibernation during the Olympics, with only 'Lost,' 'American Idol,' and a handful of other shows daring to take on the unstoppable might of Bob Costas. Now that the games are over, however, March will see the long-awaited return of some favorite series and the premieres of some anticipated new shows.

There are some big events this month, including the return of Jay Leno to 'The Tonight Show' (tonight on NBC), the Oscars (March 7, ABC), and March Madness basketball (starting March 18 on CBS). There are also reliable old favorites returning, including 'Gossip Girl' (March 8, the CW), 'America's Next Top Model' (March 10, the CW), 'The Celebrity Apprentice' (March 14, NBC), 'South Park' (March 17, Comedy Central) and 'Dancing With the Stars' (March 22, ABC). You can see a list of the whole month's notable TV premieres, finales, and specials here. Among these are a handful of new and returning shows we're especially looking forward to in March.

Whether due to the Olympics or simply the doldrums of winter, there's no doubt that the last few weeks of TV DVD releases have been painfully slow -- the less said about last week's 'Small Wonder' set, for instance, the better. But this week, things are finally turning around. And the mega hit that has arrived to lead us to the promised land? Why, it's 'Jersey Shore,' of course.

Okay, so maybe 'Jersey Shore' isn't everyone's idea of high culture, but let's face it: When you're curling up on your couch under a Snuglee with a bag of Smartfood clutched in one hand and half a six pack of Diet Pepsi in the other, you're probably not looking for a Ken Burns documentary. And have no fear: The tanning, gym and laundry of 'Jersey Shore: Season 1 Uncensored' are about as far away from PBS as you can get.

British actress Julia Ormond has been quite active on the silver screen lately, appearing in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' 'Kit Kittredge: An American Girl' and the 2009 thriller 'Surveillance.' And she's slated for a three-episode stint on the upcoming second season of Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie.'

But before that, she'll appear on the Lifetime Movie Network this Sunday (Jan. 17 at 8PM ET) as the lead role in 'The Wronged Man.' The story centers around Janet "Prissy" Gregory, (Ormond) a paralegal who worked for 22 years to overturn a wrongful conviction in Louisiana of Calvin Willis (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali).

Inside TV spoke with Ormond about channeling "Prissy and her upcoming role on 'Nurse Jackie.'

Happy New Year!!

2009 was an amazing year for TV fans -- and definitely a wonderful year to be The Show Girl -- but 2010 is looking like it might just top it.

Looking back at the best TV this past year, you can't forget our favorite new pill-popping medical professional (sorry 'House'!), a hilarious 'Modern Family' and the most lovable high school Glee club ever.

But 2010 promises us an 'UneXpected' twist on life, more of Mr. Nice Spy 'Chuck,' 'Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham's big return to primetime and (sniff! sniff!) the end of 'Lost.' Will you be watching? I know I will ... after all, it is my job.

And yes, it's a crazy fun job, but I couldn't do it without you guys. So if you want more TV scoop about your favorite shows, just email me your questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com. And, as always, happy TV watching!

Former 'Sopranos' star Edie Falco is no stranger to people suddenly getting whacked. But she probably didn't expect it to happen to one of her co-stars.

According to the Ausiello Files, Haaz Sleiman, who had been one of Falco's most prominent co-stars on her current Showtime series 'Nurse Jackie,' has been abruptly dismissed from the series. Considering the popularity of Sleiman's character, gay nurse Mohammed "Mo-Mo" De La Cruz, the move comes as a surprise from the drama, which returns for its second season on March 2.

The "Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column or in TV Squad's APB Podcast.

To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them to asktvsquad@gmail.com.

This week, I've decided to offer you a little hunt game titled "Ask TV Squad Visitors." After the jump, you will find three questions that were sent to us and for which I have not found the answers yet. Will you be able to find the answers and help fellow TVSquad.com's visitors?

Share your wisdom by answering in the comments section the questions about an unknown show, a prop on The Big Bang Theory and a pendant on Nurse Jackie.

Lock those medicine cabinets: Showtime announced that 'Nurse Jackie' will return March 22, 2010, at 10PM.

Now in its second season, the Edie Falco-driven dramedy follows the exploits of Jackie Peyton, a nurse at New York City's All Points Hospital. The show got off to a hot start last year with Showtime's highest rated debut -- more than one and a half million viewers tuned in for the June 2009 premiere. By bumping it up a few months, Showtime seems to be thinking 'Jackie' has more potential than a summer series.

Controversy arose after the premiere, when subsequent plots revealed a lead character who often violated ethical codes for her patients. At the same time, it depicts a woman who struggles with her own prescription pill habit, and the less than admirable ways in which she obtains drugs.

(S01E12) "I've never been a fan of movies where idiots talk to people in comas." - Mrs. Akalitus to a comatose Mr. Nutterman

Well, things didn't go as wrong as I thought they might have, with the whole Eddie hanging with Kevin at the bar business. Yeah, it wasn't good, and Jackie downing three vials of morphine was just ... not sure what to think of it. Was she trying to kill herself, or just numb the pain from everything?

My favorite part of the episode was Zoey and her sweetness at wearing the gray scrubs and being all mopey after getting sacked from dealing with patients. I was glad when she put on the bunny scrubs again, but things don't look good for movie critic guy losing his memory. "Oh my god, I broke him," she says.

This week on TV: First shift ends for 'Nurse Jackie,' a 'Royal Pain' of a love triangle and Vince calls in the security big dogs on 'Entourage'

MONDAY, AUGUST 24
'Nurse Jackie' (10:30PM, Showtime) 1st season finale
The good news, of course, is that the series, one of Showtime's most successful premieres ever, will be back for a second season. But sadly, we have to bid a temporary adieu to Jackie (Edie Falco) and her shenanigans, as she ends the season in trademark chaos. While she tries to juggle her schedule to meet Kevin for a little romance and be there for O'Hara when her mother arrives, there's also a problem with Eddie, who gets drunk – at Kevin's bar! – and comes to the hospital to throw a hissy fit.

(S01E11) Nothing really jumped out at me about this episode ... well, ok, the spider scene. And the end scene. That opened up a big can o' worms for Jackie that I'm sure will have big consequences for her one way or another. And I appreciated seeing Victor Garber as the movie critic patient, and the mess Zoey made while caring for him.

But that's how Nurse Jackie operates. There usually aren't any major "wow" scenes; the episodes just sort of float along, one playing off of the other in more of a real-life fashion.

In case anyone hasn't seen the episode yet, I'll get into more details after the jump.

(S01E10) "Just for the record, I'm officially questioning your judgment." - O'Hara to Jackie

This episode of Nurse Jackie drove me a little nuts. All through my notes are little messages to Jackie, like I think she's going to see my notes and take my advice -- before she ruins her life even further.

I mean, I've commented before how difficult it must be keeping her personal life completely separate from her work life, and this episode was like a time bomb waiting to go off.

You just know that sooner or later, she's going to be so fried that she'll forget who knows what, and say something to reveal her secret -- just like she almost did to Mo-Mo when she started talking about the mother-daughter tap dance class.

I watched the feature film In the Loop the other day, a documentary-style comedy that looks behind the scenes of the British and U.S. governments. James Gandolfini plays Lt. Gen. George Miller, and all I could think was, "Hey, there's Tony Soprano in a U.S. military uniform." I think his character may have even said something along the lines of, "I'll break your kneecaps if..."

I know James Gandolfini has done a lot of projects since The Sopranos, but Tony Soprano is so cemented in my mind, I wonder if I'll ever see him as anything else. I have the same reaction when I see Steve Schirripa playing Leo on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. "Hey, that's Bobby Baccalieri!"