[Televisionary]

Stop all the clocks, as W. H. Auden once said. Production has once again been delayed on FOX's real-time thriller 24 , according to The Hollywood Reporter . Shooting was slated to begin on the seventh season of 24 on August 27th but has been pushed back until September 10th in order for the writing staff on the series to stockpile a number of scripts. It's the second delay for 24 this season (production was originally meant to resume in late July) as the series' producers jettisoned a storyline that would have been set in Africa and have scrambled to find a new overarching plot for Jack Bauer. (What is certain, however, is that there will be no CTU this season .) Stay tuned as this story develops, but it's not a good sign for a series to scramble like this (even when the launch date isn't until January), especially following a season that critics and viewers alike agreed was seriously lackluster .

I always love the "Restaurant Wars" installation of Bravo's famed culinary competition series, Top Chef . After all, it might force the contestants into a rather uncomfortable situation--opening a restaurant from scratch in less then 24 hours--but it also gives the judges a real-world proxy with which to view these budding Bouluds. The results are always shocking to me. Sure, the judges don't give the two teams much credit in way of throwing together a menu, decor, and concept for a restaurant so quickly, but at the same time I am always surprised by the lack of quality and understanding that ends up coming from the chefs. It's as if they're secretly bristling at working together that they never really see the big picture. Last night's episode of Top Chef ("Restaurant Wars") did show some better teamwork than we're used to seeing for this challenge, but I was really let down by a lot of the dishes the individual teams served and--in the case

Who here laughed their heads off last night when Patty tried a Ding-Dong and then asked Ellen and Katie what it was, only to turn around and say that it "tastes like a Ho Ho"? It's moments like that which only make me love this smart series even more. I'm talking about last night's little gem of an episode of FX's Damages ("Tastes Like a Ho Ho"), which focused mainly on the character of Katie Connor (Anastasia Griffiths), a consummate liar whose constantly shifting version of the events in 2002 in Florida have kept me on the edge of my seat. We had known that Katie lied about her timeline, concealing a one-night stand with a mystery man named Gregory (Peter Facinelli) and an abortion she had as a result of their tryst. What we didn't know though was how far gone Katie was and that she entered rehab after their meeting. So why didn't baby brother David know about any of this? That's the mystery... and just who payed for her rehab stint? K

Um, ouch? It looks like it's time for the scrap heap for Painkiller Jane . Cabler Sci Fi has announced that it has canceled the action series, which will wrap its first (and only) 22-episode season, on September 21st. The series starred Kristanna Loken as a woman with the ability to feel no pain who is conscripted into a top secret organization that tracks down criminals with superhuman abilities. Sixteen episodes of Painkiller Jane have aired to date. While no reason was given for the cancellation, the series has been plagued by low viewership, a situation compounded by the (relatively) high numbers for the launch of Sci Fi's latest drama Flash Gordon . Could the move mean that Sci Fi will stop foisting low-budget, low-quality dramas on an unsuspecting audience? Or just focus on "better" low-budget series? Only time will tell... What's On Tonight 8 pm: Power of 10 (CBS); Most Outrageous Moments (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); According to Jim/Accord

I cannot believe that there are only two episodes left of Big Love but I also can't believe that, given those parameters, HBO would shift the drama back to Sundays beginning next week. Then again, maybe there's a reason I'm not a network programmer. In this week's episode of Big Love ("The Happiest Girl"), things definitely built to a head not just for the Henrickson clan but for all of the disparate characters and the multiple secrets they've been hiding from one another. What other series could wring such drama out of a gaming convention or the preparation for a party? (Answer: none.) And that's the beauty of Big Love , that it derives such pleasure from the mundane and ordinary and manages to create a taut drama with an added dose of unexpected humor. Barb. I wouldn't be surprised if Barb decides to break free from the Henrickson clan by the end of the season. Given her distaste of Weber Gaming and her frustration with Bill and her sister wive

Yawn. I have to admit I didn't really care which one of them won in the end. Isn't that a rather scary thing to say about a reality series? But it's true. This season especially, Hell's Kitchen has proven itself the television equivalent of boxed macaroni and cheese, bludgeoning its viewers with endless repetitions of things we've just seen not three minutes before and striving to create false drama where there is precious little. Sure, I've stayed with the series this season but it wasn't easy and, as has already been discussed endlessly, Hell's Kitchen pales in comparison to the far superior (not to mention just better produced) Top Chef on Bravo. But enough about that. Last night's season finale presented Rock and Bonnie with the opportunity to impress Gordon Ramsay with their mastery of cooking (though they did precious little of it) and with their leadership abilities at the hot plate, expediting orders and overseeing the kitchens of their ne

HBO's drama John From Cincinnati may have wrapped its first season last night but that hasn't stopped the pay cabler from enacting a swift blow to the series. That's right, folks. John From Cincinnati is dead. Just don't expect the convoluted metaphysical surfing drama to rise from the dead any time soon. HBO has confirmed that it has canceled the series, which failed to connect with critics and viewers alike. In the meantime, the pay cabler hasn't yet decided whether it will renew comedy Flight of the Conchords for a second season. On that front, I have to beg for some mercy and only hope that HBO sees the merit of keeping the quirky comedy around for a while longer. Pretty please? What's On Tonight 8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-9:30 pm); Gilmore Girls (CW); Just for Laughs/Just for Laughs (ABC); On the Lot (FOX) 9 pm: Big Brother 8 (CBS); The Singing Bee (NBC; 9:30-10 pm) ; Beauty and the Geek (CW); Primetime (FOX); House (FOX)