studio 60 on the sunset strip

Just in time for tomorrow's series finale on NBC at 10pm comes this announcement from Warner Home Video that they will release Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - The Complete Series on October 16.

The set will not only include all 22 episodes from it's first and only season, but there will be a new behind the scenes featurette and episode commentaries by creator Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme (hopefully cast members will join in too).

Either the following is an extraordinary coincidence, a homage to another NBC drama, or another plot rip-off by Aaron Sorkin. One of the storylines that is running through the remaining episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the problem pregnancy of Danny Tripp's (Bradley Whitford) new fiance Jordan McDeere. When we last left Danny, he had learned that she was facing placenta accreta as well as disseminated intravascular coagulation (please don't ask me to explain what they are). And, while the doctor said not to worry there was quite a bit of concern.

(S01E20) Program Note: Tonight, the role of Jay Black will be played by Rich Keller.

Aaron Sorkin in a creature of habit. If you watch one of the shows that he's produced over the last decade or so you see a lot of stuff that's familiar between them. For instance, the patented walk-and-talk, the fast banter between characters, and the recycling of actors from one show to another. He also likes the flashback. Correction, he loves the flashback! Especially when they take place during a dramatic turning point in the show's storyline.

Thinking I'm just a hater of all things Sorkin right now? Well, I have proof. I present as evidence the first two episodes of the second season of The West Wing. Those were the episodes right after President Bartlet and Josh Lyman were injured during an assassination attempt. While both characters went into surgery the other members of the West Wing staff began to recall how they joined the Bartlet for President campaign years before. What happened next? Flashbacks!

Television and I don't see much of each other during the summer months, even during this era of year-round original programming. One reason why is, well, it's summer. I spend enough time cooped up in a small cubicle staring at a computer screen that I use summer to stretch my legs a bit. The other most likely reason is that I still have the mentality that there's nothing good on television to watch during the summer. Chalk that up to years of never-ending repeats while I was growing up.

Still, there are a few shows that I will watch on a regular basis, and there are some new outings that look interesting. So, without much fanfare, here is what I'm going to be watching this summer.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

With the 2006-07 season now just a fading memory in our short attention-span universe, it's a good time to sit back and reflect on what came to pass. The beginning of it was full of excitement and promise. The end of the season was pretty much the same as others before it: some good (and not-so-good) stuff survived, the bad stuff didn't, and stuff that we thought was good went down in flames fairly quickly. There were some surprises in the freshmen class and some resurgences in older fare. In the meanwhile, American Idol remained the show killer.

Summer TV now and summer TV ten years ago are two entirely different things. There's actually stuff (good stuff) on in the sunny months. It's no longer just re-runs, corny clip-shows, and over-used made for TV movies. Networks, especially cable ones, now give us plenty of reasons to tune in instead of going to the beach and the following shows are sure to keep me pale and tanless this summer.

Rescue Me [Premieres Wed. June 13 on F/X] -- This is by far my favorite summer show. It's the one I look forward to more than anything and frankly, I'd be fine letting go of everything else on this list if I got to keep Rescue Me. Fortunately, I've already been able to screen the first three episodes of season four and it's shaping up to be the best one yet. Tommy Gavin really is America's favorite a-hole.

News about NBC's fall schedule continues to trickle out, this time from Bill Carter over at the New York Times.

Looks like the network is going to pick up five dramas: Lipstick Jungle (from Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell), Chuck, Life, Journeyman, and The Bionic Woman. The network has not made a decision on Law and Order or Law and Order: CI yet, but it looks like Friday Night Lights is coming back for a full season.

The shows being canceled? No surprise that Studio 60, The Black Donnellys, and Crossing Jordan are gone, but it's a little bit of a surprise that Scrubs isn't coming back. There's been talk that ABC might take the show, but no official word on that yet.

NBC's upfront announcement is this Monday.

Update: Nikki Finke is reporting that Scrubs has been picked up by NBC, but no other info is available about it.