[Televisionary]

While all of the networks scurry to put the final touches on their fall lineups before the upfronts later this month, many in Hollywood continue to guess (and second guess) the fall schedule of one network in particular: the CW. While many have dismissed the idea of combining struggling netlets UPN and the WB into a single network entity, others--myself included--can't help but watch with a sick fascination, trying to make heads or tails of which shows will be saved and which shows will end up on the scrap heap. CW President Dawn Ostroff certainly has her work cut out for her, but she also has the plum position of being able to pick and choose programs from among two (defunct) network schedules... and maybe order one or two pilots to series as well. The New York Times today offered a behind-the-scenes feature on the goings-on at the CW and spoke with CBS head Les Moonves as well as CW czar Dawn Ostroff about which shows might make it onto their new network's fall lineup. CW is...

I knew the janitor had something to do with it! Well, okay, I didn't, but Veronica Mars doesn't often pointedly introduce a character in an episode just to have them fade back into the ether. Like, say, for example, Neptune High's tarnished golden boy, Lucky, who was last seen sweeping the halls of Veronica's school. Since his first appearance, I've been wondering when we'd see Lucky--the Neptune Varsity player turned injured soldier turned high school janitor--again. And it ends up that he's not only stalking Gia Goodman, the daughter of decidedly crooked Mayor Woody Goodman, but he's also tangled up with Meg Manning's evangelical and abusive father... and quite possibly the bus crash mystery as well. Which would be exciting in and of itself, but if the UPN promo department is to be believed, next week's episode appears to depict an armed Lucky terrorizing Neptune High. And it's quite possible that his rampage might very well have a victim....

Is it just me or can you not get enough of Veronica Mars ' Kendall Casablancas (Charisma Carpenter)? Spoiled, catty, and icily beautiful, Kendall is like Buffy 's Cordelia on crack: a few years older, far more cunning, and certainly more dangerous. Originally introduced early in the season as a former pro-cheerleader and minx--one who was cuckolding husband Dick Casablancas with Veronica's ex-boyfriend Logan, Kendall has morphed into something else altogether in recent weeks and has become more of a femme fatale than the eye candy she originally appeared to be. Kendall spent the first part of the season sleeping around behind her real estate mogul husband's back and then, when he fled the country to avoid prosecution for some real estate fraud (uncovered by Veronica, natch), she somehow managed to avoid being indicted for the fraudulent deals she helped her hubby carry out. And then before you know it, Kendall somehow managed to become a front for a corporate venture st...

Dear Jackie, I can admit when I've made a mistake. It's difficult for me to say this, but I may have misjudged you. And, yes, I did make a snide comment about you in yesterday's What I'll Be Watching section, but what can I say? You've definitely grown on me since your initial appearance on Veronica Mars . I used to think that you were a callous, uptight, spoiled little brat who loved to torment Veronica and twist her BFF Wallace around your little finger. You thought you owned Neptune High. But hard times can change the best of people and you've changed since your baseball legend dad Terrence Cook was (wrongfully) arrested for the mass murder of a dozen people in the bus crash. In fact, it's been wonderful to see you acting downright human for once. Could it be that you've grown a conscience? Okay, that was a little harsh. I didn't mean to imply that you didn't have a conscience before, but maybe it was buried under all your posturing. Like the ...

As if I didn't love Veronica Mars enough. Rob Thomas, writer John Enbom, and the entire Veronica crew not only turned in a simply fantastic episode last night ("The Rapes of Graff"), but also managed to snag Arrested Development 's Alia Shawkat (Maeby Funke) and Michael Cera (George-Michael Bluth) in guest starring roles. Which was especially comforting to me coming on the heels of yesterday's official announcement from 20th Century Fox Television that production would not be resuming on a fourth season of Arrested Development . So it was a particular pleasure then to see Arrested 's kissing cousins George-Michael and Maeby on Veronica Mars last night. Michael Cera was wonderful as affable-yet-bumbling Hearst College tour guide Dean and it was fabulous to see Alia Shawkat in a dramatic turn as rape victim Stacy. Theories abound on whether or not she actually shaved off her magnificent mane, but I can't see Shawkat allowing herself to be sheared; it ha...

Zap2it is reporting today that UPN is moving mystery series Veronica Mars (and one of my personal fave programs) out of its Wednesday night berth and back to its original home Tuesday evenings at 9 pm, essentially moving the show out of direct competition with American Idol (and Lost as well). Beginning as early as next week, Veronica Mars will now be sleuthing on Tuesdays while UPN will air repeats in the show's former Wednesday night timeslot for the next two weeks anyway. What will happen after that is anyone's guess. Unfortunately, relocating the show to a new night also removing the show's strong series lead-in in the form of America's Next Top Model , which had given the series a bit of an uptick in the ratings department. The move comes at a dangerous time for the show as UPN and the WB decide their combined fall schedule for the new CW network. While Veronica 's name had been thrown about as a strong possibility for making the jump come autumn, this mov...

I woke up this morning to discover something truly shocking and upsetting: due to the dismal performance of the dreadful drama South Beach , UPN is pulling the new episodes of Veronica Mars until the next cycle of America's Next Top Model starts up again in March, providing the show with a stronger lead-in. The news upsets me for two reasons: (1) now I have nothing to watch after Lost tonight and (2) those of us wise enough to realize that Veronica Mars is the best damn drama on television won't get any new episodes for nearly a month... Far too long to find out what is going on in Neptune. I will admit that I was, er, skeptical when I first heard about the show two years ago. A teenage P.I.? On UPN of all places? But I sat down to watch a copy of the pilot with very low expectations and instead found myself sucked in immediately to Veronica's world. I was instantly hooked. And instantly smitten. And two years later, the plots continue to come fast and furious, the myst...