During the recent Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, I gathered a group of my fellow critics and turned on the cameras while we talked all about the best and worst of fall TV.

And here it is: Our fifth and final critics roundtable chat, showing a little love for our favorite returning shows.


If you missed any chats this week, there's best new comedy, best new drama, worst new show and star we're happiest to see on TV. This one might be the most interesting because it's about shows you already know and love, too ... but it also highlights just how tough the competition will be for the new shows we've discussed, good and bad.

So now, join me and HitFix.com's Alan Sepinwall, Melanie McFarland from IMDb TV, Damian Holbrook of TV Guide Magazine and AOL TV's own Mo Ryan as we chat all about the returning shows we're most excited for.

Updated May 18
As finale time approaches, it's time to check in on the status of our beloved shows.

Which shows are canceled? Which shows are on the bubble? How many shows have been renewed already? We've got your up-to-date guide on all things renewal for the five major networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW.

Check out the full lists below, broken down into six categories: renewed, likely to be picked up, on the bubble, too early to tell, as good as dead and canceled.

Be sure to bookmark this page, we'll be updating as more news breaks.

Your assignment: say that headline five times fast.

TV used to be a lot easier. We'd have TV from, say, September until May, and then the reruns would kick in. Sure, there have always been summer shows, but now it seems that the months of June, July, and August form a major TV season themselves. In fact, some of the best shows on TV right now actually start in the summer, not the fall. 'Mad Men' immediately comes to mind.

There are a lot of good shows on Syfy too, and they've announced when they're going to debut this summer.

As a holiday bonus, we have a super-sized podcast this week. The reason? Rich Sommer of Mad Men called in and gave us a solid half-hour of talk about the season just past, what he thinks is in store for his character of Harry Crane, how people used to yell at him for almost breaking up Pam and Jim on The Office, and how he loves doing commercials.

Rich's interview starts around the 37-minute mark. Besides the interview, Jason Hughes, Bob Sassone and I talk about the following:

• The insane TV coverage of the Tiger Woods story,
• A discussion of shows that are returning in January (24, Idol, Lost) as well as those that are taking a break until spring (Glee, V, FlashForward),
• Our Comment of the Week! This is where listeners find out that we do not represent everyone in the TV industry,
• Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 1:31:26.

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

I thought last night was tough, with The Emmys joining new episodes of Mad Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the series premiere of Bored To Death, but it was nothing compared to tonight. We have the season premieres of How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami, Dancing with the Stars, Castle, Heroes, and House, along with new episodes of Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, and The Jay Leno Show and the series premiere of Accidentally on Purpose. Whew.

I think all of our DVRs are going to explode around 8:59 PM.

What are you watching? Are you going to give Heroes another chance? Are you anxiously awaiting Jenna Elfman's new show? Does Nathan Fillion make you all tingly?

Can you believe it's August 12 already? The summer seems to be flying by. Kids will be back to school soon (if they aren't already!) and The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon is only a few weeks away.

There are a bunch of new shows coming up this fall that TV Squad will be covering, as well as a lot of returning shows (of course). So my question is this: what returning show are you most looking forward to seeing again and what new show are you most looking forward to seeing?

Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.

Okay, that statement may be a little flowery, but the sentiment is still there. After a very long dry period a good many of our favorite comedies and dramas are returning to the television landscape. We've had a taste of it these last few weeks with the return of shows like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, The Riches and Smallville. That was just a preview of what is to come. Over the next few weeks we will see the return of The Office, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, all of the CSIs, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost, among others.

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Tired of trying to figure out the status of your favorite shows post-strike? Well, if you're a fan of CBS's lineup, you no longer have to: the Eye Network released a list of shows, when they're likely to come back and how many episodes they have left. I'll reproduce the list for you after the jump.

It looks like some of the shows -- most notably, three of the network's big four Monday comedies -- are going to have close to a full complement of episodes for the season (for instance, there will be nine more episodes of the only show on this list I care about, How I Met Your Mother). It looks like fans of The Unit, Cane, and maybe Shark will be out of luck until fall. And Swingtown, the risque drama about swinging couples, will resume production, meaning that we'll finally see this series the network announced way back at last year's upfronts.

It was nice of CBS to do this. Let's hope the rest of the networks follow suit.

Hollywood is the most impatient entity in the entire galaxy. Industry experts and execs are already worried that the new season isn't living up to expectations.

Please note that we are one week into the new season.

There are only two new shows so far that have shown any strength: Bionic Woman and Private Practice. Of course, they've only had one episode each, less than a week ago, so who knows if those numbers are even solid? Returning shows, such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and CSI: Miami are still big ratings-getters, but even their numbers are down. ABC, CBS, NBC are down in the 18-49 demo too

As you might expect, we here at the Squad are more than ready for the fall season to start. After hearing about the new shows at the upfronts, watching the preview copies of the pilots, reading about the changes to various shows, and listening to the producers and actors promote new and returning shows to the hilt at both the TCA and Comic-Con, we all want to see the networks finally unfurl their schedules.

But out of all the shows that are either debuting or returning, there are only a few that each of the Squadders are really looking forward to seeing. Which got us curious: what are you, our kind, generous, and creative readership, looking forward to seeing this fall? We'd like to know. If you feel like sharing, use the comments to leave your list of the new and returning shows that you're so eager to see return that it hurts. If you feel like leaving an explanation, all the better.

By the way, after the jump, you'll not only see the shows I'm looking forward to seeing, but a list of shows that we plan on covering this fall. If you list something in the comments that we don't have on our review list, we may just add it. Oh, and if you want to make a case for a show, you could always call in to our online radio show tomorrow at 10 and let us know why we should add it to our coverage.

In case you've missed it -- perhaps you were busy hiding from your bookie after losing your Emmy bets -- here are some highlights from the last week at TV Squad:



Breaking News

• Is Rosie going to be in a Nip/Tuck spin-off?
• Mos Def arrested for ad hoc performance outside VMAs.
• Ellen DeGeneres OK after car accident.
• Animator Ed Benedict dies.
• Here's the winner of Who Wants to be a Superhero.
• UK TV movie to portray fake Bush assassination.
• UK Office cast won't appear on US version after all.
• NBC switches slots of 30 Rock and Twenty Good Years.
• Who's the guy who crashed the VMAs?
• Lauren Graham to play herself on Studio 60.
• Trump fires Carolyn, hires daughter.
• GM drops sponsorship of Survivor.
• Joseph Stefano dead at 84.
• Glenn Ford dead at 90.
• Amy Poehler says she's still doing "Weekend Update."
• Has the Rock Star winner been leaked?
• Kyra Phillips of CNN goes to the bathroom with mic still on.
• NBC expresses regret for Emmy plane crash skit.
• Many people didn't like that sketch after Lexington plane crash.
• Jimmy Kimmel Live gets renewed for a fifth season.
• Vieira says The View has become a joke.
• Emmy Award results, tallied live by Bob.

Discussions

• Who is this celebrity?
• The story of my conference call with Todd Bridges.
• Katie Couric gets electronically slimmed down by CBS.
• Here's a look at the Bones press kit.
• Here's a look at the Happy Hour press kit.
• Anna is ticked that she missed Pirates to watch the Emmys.
• What are the ten most outlandish series concepts?
  

Opinions

• My review of the Diff'rent Strokes movie.
• Rich takes an early look at Happy Hour.
• Keith takes an early look at Heroes.
• I think Opie & Anthony did OK on Letterman.
• Bob takes an early look at Smith.
• Keith has an early review of BSG season 3.
• Mike C. looks at The Wire season 4.
  

Retro Squad

• The Prisoner: "Once Upon a Time"
• Sports Night: "How are Things In Glocca Morra?"
• Seinfeld: "The Letter"
• The Simpsons: "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"
• Angel: "Five by Five"
• Futurama: "Fry and the Slurm Factory"
  

Episode Reviews

• Big Brother: Two eliminations, a nomination, and a veto
• Project Runway: "High Flying Fashion"
• Blade: "Hunters"
• Rock Star: Supernova: Week 9 Elimination
• Justice: "Pilot"
• Bones: "The Titan on the Tracks"
• Eureka: "Blink"
• Rescue Me: "Beached" (season finale)
• Celebrity Duets: Premiere
• Kyle XY: "Endgame" (season finale)
• The Closer: "No Good Deed"
• Prison Break: "Otis"
• The Dead Zone: "The Hunting Party" (season finale)
• The 4400: "Fifty Fifty" (season finale)
• Entourage: "Sorry, Ari" (season finale)
• Deadwood: "Tell Him Something Pretty" (season finale)

So the long, hot summer has begun (yeah, I know it's still spring "technically," but it's in the 80s here, humid, and I had to open my window today), and that means repeats, repeats, repeats. Sure, the networks show more new programming in the summer than they used to (even if it is mostly reality), but the real return of TV watching doesn't start til late August.

The Futon Critic has a really detailed list of all the returning shows, and what days they will be coming back. They have the premiere dates for fan favorites like Lost, House, and Family Guy, but also for cable shows like The 4400, 30 Days, and Monk.

This list also confirmed that there is a show on WE called Bridezillas, and that Breaking Bonaduce is coming back for another season. Amazing.