[Televisionary]

"Sometimes in life, you can't help which way you fall." There was a moment in the third season premiere of BBC One's trippy genre-busting drama series Ashes to Ashes that had me jump for joy: the gorgeous shot of a sheet being sucked backwards off of Gene Hunt's cherry red Audi Quattro before he and Alex took off into the streets of London to the tune of Eurythmics' 1983 hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." It was a period-appropriate sequence that gleefully summed up everything I love best about this winning and mind-bending series, now entering its final season in the UK. In the hands of co-creator Matthew Graham, we're given a season opener to Ashes to Ashes that is at once dazzlingly operatic and provocatively bleak as the final endgame to a mystery that began all the way back in the first episode of Life on Mars finally comes to a head this season. That mystery, of course, being: Who is Gene Hunt? It's a tantalizing one that's a

For the survivors of the European flu, things have not been going so well lately. During Saturday night's season finale of BBC America's Survivors , members of the group were alternately kidnapped, shot, and forced to participate in a child thief gang that would have felt quite at home in Charles Dickens' Oliver . In other words: things couldn't really get much worse. And yet... In tonight's gripping second season premiere, the loose band of survivors discovers that things can in fact get a lot worse, as they face their toughest challenges yet and continue to become increasingly splintered by outside forces. Tonight's episode pushes them to the brink of death itself, as several characters find themselves trapped in untenable situations from which escape seems futile while one of them makes a selfless sacrifice in an effort to earn her place among the group. Survivors has thrived by offering a heady blend of post-apocalyptic suspense and a meditative exploration

"Sorry you had to see me that way." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you reveal the solution to a mystery six seasons in the making. Lost has been criticized in the past by some (not me, fortunately) for stringing viewers along with a series of new mysteries while never quite offering answers to the story threads already long dangling. But this is, after all, the final season of Lost and showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse wisely decided to take an approach of beginning to answer questions right from the start this season. Last night's two-hour sixth season premiere of Lost ("LA X"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender, was a phenomenal start to the season, offering yet another narrative device employed by the duo and pushing the story along while also offering some more of the series' now trademarked serpentine mysteries. So what did I think of the episode and the latest plot twists being thrown at the aud

Everything is disposable. That applies, apparently, to mobile phones, $3,000 Chanel handbags, and indeed corpses; everything eventually ends up in the trash to be picked over by modern society's answer to the Victorian rag and bone man: the destitute scavengers of Manhattan, picking through the trash and collecting the refuse into the reusable, the resellable, and the useful. The lawyers of FX's Damages are no strangers to digging through the trash but last night's third season premiere ("Your Secrets Are Safe"), written by Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman, and Todd A. Kessler and directed by Todd A. Kessler, took this to a whole new level, rendering Season Three's financial scandal storyline into a class-oriented drama that fused together Charles Dickens and David Lynch. (Think of it as "Bleak House" or "Little Dorrit" by way of Mulholland Drive .) You had the chance to read my advance review of the first two episodes of Season Three of Damag

Hard choices and tough consequences would seem to be the overarching themes of the two-hour season premiere of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Pink Slip" and "Chuck Versus the Three Words"), which picked up the dangling plot threads of last season's cliffhanger and wove them together into a strong forward-moving plot that touched on not only the solitary nature of being a spy but also the weight of the profession's responsibilities. Chuck's new Intersect 2.0-derived abilities might make him potentially more valuable in the field but, once again, his emotions get the better of him. Not just in the adrenaline-pumping sense of being in mortal danger but also that his feeling for Sarah Walker can cloud his judgment. And clearly the reverse seems to be true as well for Sarah. Despite the fact that the opening two-hour installment is actually comprised of two separate episodes--the first written by Chris Fedak and Matt Miller and the second by Ali Adler and Scott Ro

Some baggage can't be left behind. It was a particularly harsh lesson for the Henrickson clan to grasp in last night's sensational season premiere of Big Love ("Free at Last"), written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer and directed by Daniel Attias, which also featured a new opening title sequence and a new theme song ("Home" by Engineers). As the fourth season opens, the polygamist family is closer than ever to achieving its dreams of financial security in the form of the casino deal that Bill brokered with the Blackfoot tribe. But the opening hour isn't just about the corporate but also the celestial, as Bill presides over a new storefront church, paying off the ending of Season Three in which he received a testimony to call together his own congregation. However, even as the family looks towards a brighter future, their first steps towards claiming control of their own destiny are overshadowed by reminders of the past they've lef

Oh, (real) America, have you missed 30 Rock as much as I have? Tina Fey's biting comedy series returned last night with a brightly sharp fourth season opener (entitled, rather efficiently, "Season Four"). You had the opportunity to read my advance review of the first two episodes of 30 Rock 's fourth season but now that the the first episode has aired, I'm curious to see what you thought of the season premiere. Has 30 Rock lost any of its savage wit after four seasons? Or is it just as wickedly funny (and deliciously absurd) as it always has been? What did you think of Jenna's off-season tennis promo song (complete with meth references) for Real America? Or Jack being concerned about GE's corporate woes and Kenneth's decision to strike after seeing Jack's bonus check? Or Tracy's efforts to connect with the common man? What other series could fit in references to Rabbi Shmuley and "Comrade Obama" in the same episode? (Answer: none.)

It's crazy to me that I'm reviewing the fourth season opener for NBC's deliciously absurd comedy 30 Rock. After all, it seemed as though the hyper-intelligent brainchild of creator Tina Fey would be canceled only a few weeks into its initial run, but now the possibility of such talk seems foolhardy at best as 30 Rock has blossomed into one of the most articulate and savvy meta comedies ever to grace the small screen. Proving that the pen is mightier than the sword, Fey and her crack team of writers offer a weekly dose of savage humor, quirky characters, and bizarre situations on the set of show-within-a-show TGS . That the biting wit of the series is often directed at network NBC is one of the joys of this self-aware series. And that hasn't changed in the first two episodes of 30 Rock 's fourth season, which were sent out for review. The season's first episode ("Season Four") contains some of the most pointed and acidic comments towards the Peacock y

Just a few quick words about Friday night's season premiere of Dollhouse , which saw the series return for a miraculous sophomore season, only to plummet to its lowest ratings yet. You read my advance review of the second season opener of Dollhouse ("Vows") , written and directed by Joss Whedon, but now that the episode has aired, we can talk about some of the specific plot points from the installment. And, in this case, it's the premiere's storyline involving Amy Acker's physically and emotionally scarred Whiskey/Claire Saunders that has piqued my interest more than any other, despite the appearance of Battlestar Galactica 's Jamie Bamber as shady businessman Martin Klar and Whedonverse alum Alexis Denisof as Senator Daniel Perrin. I'm still not entirely sure why Adelle would allow Paul Ballard to use Echo on an engagement to entrap Martin Klar or how Ballard was able to pay for the engagement. Or why Klar was such a powerful emblem of the failures h

Looking to discuss the two-hour season premiere of CBS' fantastic reality series The Amazing Race ? Head over to my piece, entitled "The Amazing Race: I Survived a Japanese Game Show," on the Los Angeles Times /Show Tracker site , where you can read my take on the season opener, wasabi bombs, duck herding, anger-prone contestants, the poker players' scheme, and much more. (The piece itself is a post-air story that follows up Friday's piece about five reasons why you should tune in this season to The Amazing Race .) Sound off in the comments section.

I was largely on the fence about the freshman season of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse . Conceptually, I felt that there were some fascinating ideas about identity and perception embedded in the series' overarching concept but I felt that these concepts were often let down by some fundamentally flawed execution on a weekly basis. In other words: I wanted to love the series but I found time and time again that I couldn't. Perhaps it was the regular occurrence of plot holes large and numerous, making Dollhouse resemble something akin to Swiss cheese. The unaired thirteen episode of Dollhouse 's first season, entitled "Epitaph One," did manage to change my feelings about the series; it offered a much darker and edgier version of Dollhouse and imbued the series with a strong throughline and narrative purpose. Given that the episode never aired in the US (and is still only available to screen on the Season One DVD boxset or on iTunes), it will be interesting to see as t

Looking to talk about Curb Your Enthusiasm ? You can head over to the Los Angeles Times /Show Tracker site to find out my thoughts on last night's season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm ("Funkhouser's Crazy Sister"), where I'll be discussing each week's installment every Monday morning. This week's piece can be found here .

I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the first few episodes of NBC's single-camera comedy series Parks and Recreation , when the series initially debuted earlier this year. The first few episodes seemed like a stilted knockoff of creator Greg Daniels and Mike Schur's own fellow NBC comedy The Office , populated by cartoonish characters, and an unnecessary mockumentary angle that didn't offer any nuance or develop the characters or their situations. But then something rather miraculous occurred: the series improved in the last batch of episodes in its freshman season, toning down the hidden camera/talking heads format and transforming its leading character, Pawnee's Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), into a more three-dimensional and complex individual, rather than a bumbling female Michael Scott type. I had the opportunity last week to watch the first two episodes of Parks and Recreation 's second season, which launches later this week, and I have to say tha

No, we're not talking about Fringe . Viewers were left on a hell of a cliffhanger ending when Bones wrapped its fourth season in May. Just what was going on between Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel)? How much of it was real, how much of it was Booth's inner fantasy life, and how much of it was Bones' new book? Hmmm.... Bones returns next week with a fantastic fifth season premiere ("Harbingers in the Fountain") that deals with that cliffhanger head on while also taking the relationship between the seemingly star-crossed romantic leads in a new direction. Creator Hart Hanson and the writing staff of this stylish and smart romance-tinged crime procedural wisely realize that one of the strengths of the series is the palpable and smoldering sexual tension between Deschanel and Boreanaz and the premiere rather cleverly deals with the fallout from the events of last season in an interesting and compelling way. So what did I think o

Just curious to see how many of you tuned in last night to watch the series premiere of FOX's musical dramedy Glee . While you read my advance review of the series premiere ("Showmance") , now that the episode has aired, I'm curious what you thought of the episode. Did it live up to the hype? Did you enjoy the mix of music, comedy, and soapy shenanigans? Was it tonally balanced with a good mix of light and dark or did you find it inconsistent? What did you think of the three big musical numbers: "Gold Digger," "Push It," and "Take a Bow"? (Were you as amazed as I was that Matthew Morrison could pull off Kanye West's "Gold Digger" with such aplomb?) Did you find the show endearingly cheerful and optimistic or frustratingly peppy? And, most importantly, will you be tuning in again next week? Talk back here. Next week on Glee ("Acafellas"), Will forms the Acafellas, an all-male acapella singing group and gets a visit

Just a quick reminder to be sure to tune in to tonight's fantastic series premiere of Glee on FOX. If you enjoyed the pilot episode when it aired back in May (or a few times last week as well), you'll fall head over heels in love with tonight's installment ("Showmance"), which features a fantastic rendition of "Gold Digger" by Matthew Morrison that had me in awe. I had the opportunity to watch tonight's episode a few months back (you can read my spoiler-light advance review here ) and I don't think any of you rabid Gleeks out there will be disappointed. Here's how FOX is describing tonight's series premiere: the Glee Club has their first performance in front of the whole school; Quinn realizes Rachel has feelings for Finn; Will's wife reveals some unexpected news that forces him to make some changes in his life; Will learns he must recruit more people for New Directions in order to qualify to compete at Regionals. Glee premieres ton

Just curious how many of you tuned in to watch the series premiere of the CW's updated version of nighttime soap Melrose Place . I reviewed the pilot episode of Melrose back in early June (you can read my advance review here ) but now that the first installment has aired, I'm curious to see what you thought of the new take on that famous Angeleno address. Did you love seeing Laura Leighton back in the apartment complex as Sydney? Or were you too weirded out about the whole she-faked-her-own-death-only-to-return-to-her-former-home-and-take-over-as-apartment-manager scenario? Did you think that the new characters were engaging or one-dimensional? Did it offer just the right amount of suds or was it trying way too hard to please? And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week? Talk back here. Melrose Place airs Tuesday nights at 9 pm ET/PT on the CW.