rachel griffiths

(S02E08) "Well, I'm a democrat, and I lost my virginity to "She's Got Legs."-- Sarah Walker

Did everybody lose their virginity to a song? I don't remember whether I did or not, but if you want to share yours, feel free. I loved it when Robert walked in and Nora asked him what song was playing when he lost his. And then when she revealed that her first time wasn't with their father. And that is all very well and good, but I personally have never found Chevy Chase (Stan Harris) to be particularly attractive. However, I am willing to put that aside and say that I thought he did a wonderfully understated turn as Kitty's Nora's (thanks, Jamie) first love, Stan Harris.

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(S02E07) "Well, who'd chain you the radiator and poke you with a stick?" Sarah, knitting.

Meh. This episode was fine. It wasn't special. It was just kind of... filler. And I don't mean to cast aspersions on the show at all: That is what shows do leading up to November sweeps. They can't have anything really important happen right now. I hesitate to say anything negative about the writing these days because I fully support the WGA strike. But this episode felt forced. They totally set it up a few weeks ago when Justin started taking pain killers again, and they gave themselves a convenient family "crisis" to deal with now.

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(S02E06) "I didn't want this baby."-- Robert McAllister

I am starting to regret every time I have criticized the show for being too prone to hijinks and slapstick, because after the past two episodes, I would love to have Robert's crazy family show up again so they can all jump into the pool. The best way to describe this episode is maudlin. No wonder Justin is taking more pain meds. This is some pretty depressing stuff, and it doesn't look like it's going to get happier anytime soon. Is this the writers' way of dealing with the impending strike? A little doom and gloom for everyone? And is Tommy growing a mustache, and could someone please call his agent and tell him to shave it?

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(S02E05) "That shrimp smells rancid."-- Kitty Walker

Oooh, this was a painful episode to watch. In a good way. The writing was absolutely spot on for this episode, and it was just beautifully played. Some things happened that I expected and some things that I didn't, which I will get into after the jump. It was the obligatory Halloween episode, but nicely downplayed also. I loved the fact that the minute Nora's back was turned, Justin and Rebecca dove into the candy bowl like a couple of little kids. It was a good juxtaposition to pair Robert's debate with Halloween instead of focusing on the Walkers engaging in a big costume party, as might have happened with this crazy bunch.

(S02E05) I tend to separate Brothers and Sisters episodes into light and dark episodes these days, even though every episode certainly has elements of both. Last week was pretty dark, and this was a relatively light episode, though, thankfully, they kept the slapstick to a minimum. This episode definitely explored the nature of relationships, or, as we get from the title, unions, namely: Nora's with her and her children, and the romantic nature of all of the siblings with their significant others. If you can say that Justin's significant other is Rebecca... And the show is definitely exploring what happens when siblings meet as adults and go from strangers who could have dated under different circumstances to instant family members.

(S01E01) I had an early look at this one a couple weeks ago, and finally premiere day is here. The Brothers & Sisters writers face a tough problem with the launch of the show. There is just so much information to convey to give the viewer an idea of who all of these people are. It leads to what sometimes feels like a rushed episode.

This also means that most of the happenings around the family in this episode are set-ups for future arcs that will involve the characters. Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) and Tommy (Balthazar Getty) discovering the financial shenanigans of Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin), Justin's (Dave Annable) hangups from his past, and Kitty's (Calista Flockhart) relationship with her mother (Sally Field) are all clearly things that we will be looking at closer as the show moves along. For me though, the highlight of this episode was the confrontation between Kitty and her mother.

Bravo has the exclusive rights to air all 63 episodes of the HBO hit series, Six Feet Under. Bravo says it'll start airing the entire series sometime this year, possibly this fall, although the announcement doesn't give an exact date. HBO refuses to say exactly how much the syndication deal is worth but this report puts it at $15 million, or $250,000 an episode. HBO originally pimped out Six Feet Under for $450,000 but that was a little too rich for other networks' blood. As with Sex and the City, HBO has given Bravo the go-ahead to clean up the language and video.

Now that pilot season is wrapping up, it's casting season in L.A., where mega-stars or yet-to-be-discovered actors sign on to all sorts of new shows in hopes that the networks will pick them up for the fall line-up. There are a lot of big names this time around. Check it out:

• Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under) will star in the ABC drama pilot Brothers & Sisters, a soap-style drama about adult siblings.
• Heather Locklear is in negotiations for a leading role in the ABC comedy pilot, Women of a Certain Age. Locklear would play a recently widowed woman who starts a new life with her two best friends.
• Ron Livingston (Sex and the City, Office Space) is one of two leads in a FOX drama called Primary, which is about a male and a female hostage negotiator who balance their love lives with their jobs.
• Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) has agreed to star in CBS' Waterfront, as the charismatic and "ethically-challenged" mayor of Providence, R.I.
• Steven Culp, previously known as Rex Van De Kamp on Desperate Housewives, will appear in the ABC drama, Traveler, about three Yale graduate students who become a national security risk when one of them frames the other two for an art museum bombing.
• Swoosie Kurtz will take on a supporting role in the CBS comedy, Play Nice, which stars Timm Sharp and Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) as a brother and sister who run a toy company.
• Jonah Lotan, who has been playing Spenser Wolff this season on 24, will take on a role on the FOX thriller, Beyond, which is about the space race.

[Via The Hollywood Reporter]