Consensus seems to be that Desperate Housewives had itself a pretty good season, possibly because the writers' strike forced the brass to tighten things up. Things become a little less tight with the season finale (ABC, Sunday, 9 p.m.), which is being stretched to two hours.

The big question all…

When it comes to storytelling, there is one rule I have that matters more than every other rule combined ...

Give me the unexpected.

Whether it's an audacious cinematic structure like what's found in Pulp Fiction, a twist ending that rocks my world like the final moments of Planet of the Apes, or…

The announcement of the fall TV schedule generally means less to Fox than to the other networks, because its real season doesn't get under way until January, when American Idol returns. And Fox has less work to do in any case, as it programs seven fewer hours a week than ABC, NBC, and CBS.…

Oh no! Dynamite on the freighter? Are we gonna lose everyone on the boat? I mean, obviously Sun has to jump into the ocean with the baby, or something, so that she won't get blown up and get on that plane to Honolulu. But Michael? Jin? Desmond? (Oh, not Desmond...) When almost all the anonymous…

It took me all of 10 minutes to break off a seven-year relationship. This was not a rash decision. I had thought long and hard, probably ever since The Sopranos finale, about making the change. Two weeks ago, I finally went for it ... I switched from HBO to Showtime.

The debut of the second season…

The venerable CSI -- I think it's been around long enough at this point to be deemed "venerable" -- ends its eighth season tonight (CBS, 9 PM) with a final showcase for Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown, who we first met as a brilliant investigator with a troubled past and who now has an even more…

If you haven't been watching Top Chef, you're missing out big-time. It has, as far as I'm concerned, become one of the most volatile - and thus, entertaining - reality shows on television. Every week, cheftestants seem poised to start swinging on one another thanks in large part to the antics of…

It's been a while since I wrote on America's Next Top Model, mostly because I think the show has reached an all-time low this cycle. I don't think it's me, either, since last night, during the tenth cycle's finale, I realized Tyra and the rest of the judges actually didn't like their three…

CBS has some issues. While superficially the network remains strong -- it's likely that the disruption of the strike, and the fact that it didn't affect Fox and American Idol, is all that kept CBS from another season ratings…

The sophomore season of Ugly Betty hasn't been quite as buzzworthy as last year. I don't think anything will ever be able to really top the first season's reveal of the bandaged mystery woman as Alex/Alexis. Since the post-strike return, however, things have been heating up for Betty and crew.…