Jimmy Fallon will be introduced online as Conan O'Brien's replacement this fall according to the NYT. Fallon will not be doing an entire hour-long show, but rather, 10 minute mini-shows that might or might not feature guests and skits. NBC is attempting to get a jump start on the changes that will be made in late night TV next year on NBC with Jay Leno leaving and Conan O'Brien taking over the "Tonight Show". Fallon......

Season four of "the #1 ad-supported cable series of all time", aka TNT's "The Closer" returns to TV tonight. I've always had a problem with this series, whether it was the annoying music, Kyra Sedgwick's overpainted lips and weird accent, or the fact that her character, LAPD Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, has somehow attained the status of Deputy Police Chief despite being "hopeless at LAPD politics". Still, the series is well-funded, looks decent......

Tim Roth is set to star in a drama on Foxthat will be broadcast early in 2009 going along the lines of other film stars who are making forays into television (Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, etc.) - the drama, titled "Lie to Me", is based on the work of a real-life scientist who is able to read the human body and voice to determine if someone is being truthful. Fox is so behind this project......

Oops, so there is something more to look forward to this month on TV: the July 17th premiere of "The Gong Show" on Comedy Central. The show will be hosted by Dave Attell and judged by (among many others): Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Brian Posehn, Adam Carolla, Kate Walsh, Andy Dick, Ron White, Dave Navarro, Greg Giraldo, Jim Norton and JB Smoove. 7:00pm Tom Jones TCM - (1963) With Albert Finch as Tom Jones,......

With nine hours left in their contract, the TV Junkie is really wondering what will happen with the Screen Actors Guild situation. Our guess is that the SAG will blink first since somehow, even just discussing talent receiving additional percentages of DVD sales is simply off the table for producers. Looks like TV is for old folks folks as the LA Biz Observed is highlighting a summary of a report from Broadcasting & Cable noting......

Tomorrow the 10 day countdown of the SAG contract expiration begins. Reuters reports that the TV studios are already bracing for a strike even though the SAG has yet to vote to strike. Some TV shows have 2 or 3 shows for the upcoming season in the bag already but most do not. Even if the SAG chooses not to strike, because there is no contract signed as of today, there will be some effect......

Late last week The Hollywood Reporter noted that Jon Voight has signed on to be Jack Bauer's nemesis in the upcoming season of "24" (shooting now in South Africa). Do you think it's enough or is "24" so stale now that no addition of talent can save it? 8:00pm The Middleman ABC Family - Series Premiere. "A young woman is recruited by a secret agency to fight evil." Lord help us. 9:00pm Dirty Jobs: Brown......

Last season on Showtime's "Weeds" Nancy Botwin poured gas on the furniture and burned her 'little box' down. Now she and her family jumped in their van to head south. On June 16, we will finally get a chance to see where they all end up. LAist asked "Weeds" creator, Jenji Kohan, about the fresh take on the show, the new cast members, and if Kat will be making an appearance in season 4.......

In contrast to the wildly cute meerkates to the right (yes, they're back), some seriously big numbers have been issued by the prestigious Milken Institute has put out an impressive study of the impact of the writer's strike. In summary: - 37,700 jobs lost - $2.1 billion in lost output through the end of 2008 The cascading effects of the strike are what reportedly tipped the state into a recession in early 2008, but......

How dope was it that Jack was listening to the Pixies on the "Lost" season finale last night? Word has leaked out that NBC Universal and investment partners have put a $3.5 billion bid on the table for The Weather Channel. Way to jump on the climate change bandwagon. Did the writers at Letterman have an idea this was coming? Here's their Top Ten Signs There's Trouble At The Weather Channel from May 7th. $3.5......

Kind of a weak selection until you get to Sunday evening. HBO has been pushing Recount on all the talk shows and some Democrats have been howling about it because we are in the middle of what could be yet another tightly contested election. Let's think about this for a second, would such activists for the Democratic party, like Kevin Spacey, Ed Begley Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, etc. participate in a piece of work......

Great story on NPR this morning about the failure of BET to provide decent programming for the community it originally targeted (and secured funds from, hat in hand). Tonight 8:00pm America's Funniest Home Videos ABC - Season Finale. The three finalists compete for the grand prize. 9:00pm Man vs. Wild: Indian Ocean DICSOVERY - Bear Grylls has to survive a week on a deserted island in the Indian Ocean 9:00pm Man Bites Dog IFC -......

The LA Times has a write-up on the demise of local public Channel 36. Somehow the City of LA can't/won't come up with a measly $500k to keep local broadcast of "school sport events, public policy talks, and long-distance for-credit college classes". While it's true that there is another city-funded public channel (#35) that one seems to be a megaphone for whichever politicians are in office. Surely the megalopolis of LA is big enough to......

The following post is from our advertiser, This American Life on Showtime. This American Life, the Showtime Original Series based on the celebrated Ira Glass radio show, is back with an all-new season. Funny, dramatic and surprising real-life stories from the most extraordinary ordinary people in America come together in what Newsweek proclaims “a jewel of a TV series.” From a stand-up comedy camp for kids, to riding stables in a North Philly ghetto; from......

This weekend it's all about BBC America's programming with new seasons of "Robin Hood", "The Graham Norton Show", and "Wire In The Blood". I've seen previews of "Robin Hood" and it's a more than worthy replacement for "Torchwood" whose season (dramatically) ended last Saturday with the (supposed) deaths of at least two main characters. Of course, you'll have to be able to emotionally handle the incredible switch from science fiction to fantasy in order to......

The TV Junkie is in New York City and will be at the above SNL taping! Tonight 9:00pm Miss USA NBC - Donnie and Marie host the event, if only they would make out like in that SNL sketch 10:00pm Battlestar Galactica SCIFI - Nerds and those with inner nerds rejoice! [I count myself in both demographics]......

Did anyone see the plastic surgery disaster that is Renee Zellweger on Letterman last night? The skin was stretched so hard over her face I thought her skull was going to pop out. OK so maybe it isn't plastic surgery, Botox anyone? What is wrong with her?? Tracey Ullman has her dead on in "State of the Union". Also, in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, there's an article about NBC's new 52-week, wait, now "65-week" lineup,......

In short: tonight brings us the conclusion of HBO's In Treatment, tomorrow Torchwood on the BBCA at 9pm provides us an opportunity to geek out, and on Sunday a lot of newly patriotic folks await part 4 of John Adams on HBO at 9pm. The big story this weekend is Showtime's Sunday lineup. Season 2 of The Tudors starts up and while it might not lure away John Adams fans immediately, it should be noted......

Other than college basketball, we don't have a lot to go on for this weekend. Can't wait for next weekend when Showtime unleashes The Tudors and Tracey Ullman's State of the Union. 9-11:00pm 20/20 ABC - For some reason, I can't imagine what, 20/20 has been inspired to provide a 2-hour special on prostitutes. 9:20pm That Mitchell and Webb Look BBCA - Pink jumpsuit superheroes. 9:30pm Jack and the Beanstalk TCM - (1952) Abbott &......

A shy Will Ferrell covers his shame | Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema I'll go on the record and say that I think Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is the funniest movie in the last ten years. Will Ferrell's subsequent pictures--most of them amusing to varying degrees--have never lived up that early, brilliant standard. Semi-Pro is his latest picture and if its previews are any barometer of its quality, it looks like......

OK so the Oscars a week from Sunday are what we're building up to but as an enthusiastic follower of Dexter on Showtime, I'm intrigued to see how it will translate to its network debut on CBS at 10:00pm this Sunday. At first I was concerned that the end result would be a heavily edited, several minutes shorter, vapid and empty shell of its former glory. Not so according to my Showtime contact. Evidently when......

There's something similar about Weeds on Showtime and today's marijuana bust in the Santa Clarita Valley. If you watch the TV show and know the SCV, you know that it is filmed there (opening credits are very much the neighborhood of unincorporated Stevenson Ranch). And now today, via the Santa Clarita Sheriff's Station's Blog/RSS feed (see, SCV can be hip too), we find that "detectives discovered a substantial indoor marijuana grow estimated to contain more......

As Reuters mentioned yesterday, CBS is going to broadcast the entire first season of Dexter starting in February. The network is also considering borrowing Weeds from its sister network Showtime. Other networks are considering similar reshuffling of shows from their cable-only partners. It took me a day or so (I know I'm slow) to dwell on this. Initially I was very pleased that more people will have the opportunity to see this gem of a......

You know it's a light week when I lead off with the DVD of a TV series. The Tudors wasn't great television, but it was pretty good and Natalie Dormer was fantastic as the doomed Ann Boleyn. Am I the only one who confuses Shoot 'Em Up with Smokin' Aces? War is Jet Li's last martial arts flick...until the next one. Weird Science lasted two whole seasons? Amazing. Consumer alert!: Indie Sex is mostly......

A couple things on tonight but Saturday's a wasteland, go play in the sand or snow. Sunday is finale-city, check it out below. Have a great weekend. Tonight 7:00pm Attack of the Show G4 - Totally rad 1987 edition tonight!! (Repeats at 11pm) 9:00pm The Next Great American Band FOX - Because I know some of y'all watch this. 9:00pm Friday the 13th IFC - Uncut! 10:00pm The Soup E! - Listed mainly because it......

I hope you've got a bunch of stuff Tivo'd because there's nothing on until Sunday. You tell me that there is stuff on tonight? What, you mean Friday Night Lights, NUMB3RS, or Las Vegas? Please. Tomorrow, there's no reason to turn on prime time TV unless it's for Citizen Kane on TCM at 8:30. The Big Story is Sunday, check it: Sunday 8:00pm Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project HBO - Special. Don Rickles is......

The WGA and the producers are back at the negotiating table, hopefully they will catch the breaks that they need so that the collapse of Western civilization is averted. In a desperate attempt to avoid family time over the holiday, I managed to watch season one of Showtime's Dexter and my optimism for the future of mankind was restored. I missed Dexter when it premiered last year but was happy to cover the zany stunts......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

Although it might be "understood that Hollywood sells Californication", the boys who wear tube socks on their magic johnsons are headed to court to argue that you can't just steal it. Showtime has found itself on a little roll with "Weeds", "Dexter", and now the sexy/dickish David Duchovny series "Californication", but someone forgot to ask the Red Hot Chili Peppers if it was kosher to use their word for the show. The Hollywood Reporter's......

Tuesdays are a slow day for the networks. Dancing With the Stars will soon require someone to pass out every week in order for the show to remain interesting and House seems like it jumped the shark a while ago. For satisfaction we'll have to delve deep into cableland or pay-TV. 8:00pm TCM Crime Drama Marathon TCM - Starting out with The Lineup and following on with Armored Car Robbery, and Follow Me Quietly 8:00pm......