[Televisionary]

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf Is it just me or was that a Top Chef season finale showdown for the ages? Last night's finale was so tense, so filled with suspense and anticipation, nerves and anxiety, that I actually found myself nauseous from stress watching it. After dozens of Quickfire Challenges and Eliminations, broken dreams and chances of redemption, which of the final two chefs would walk away $200,000 richer and be crowned the winner of the first all-stars edition of Top Chef ? Would it be visionary Richard Blais, whose expansive skill set, precise palate, and dazzling creativity are the stuff of Top Chef legend? Or would it be dark horse Mike Isabella, who returned to the competition energized, refreshed, and determined? I don't think many of us thought that Mike would make it this far or offer such a huge obstacle for Richard to overcome, but he's managed to surprise throughout this season,

Every now and then comes along a supremely smart, compulsively addictive serialized drama series that hooks you from the very first moments. Welcome to The Killing , AMC's newest drama offering, which begins on Sunday evening (look for a review of the first three episodes before then) and is based on the hit Danish series Forbrydelsen . Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature , in which I talk to executive producer Veena Sud and cast members Mireille Enos ( Big Love ) and Billy Campbell ( The 4400 ) and explore the show's thematic similarities to another addictive mystery, Twin Peaks , and compare it to the disturbing trend of "murder porn" in most American television crime procedurals. The Killing premieres with a special two-hour launch on Sunday at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC. You do not want to miss out on this remarkable new series!

It's always rewarding--and exceedingly rare--to see a show have such a sense of itself right out of the gate and to continue to mine its central premise and its characters for new depths (and highs) as the seasons pass by. Showtime's dark and hysterical dramedy Nurse Jackie returns tonight for a sensational third season with its sense of self firmly intact. Revolving around in-denial drug addict Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco), her family, and her memorably offbeat emergency room co-workers, the show is a winning blend of emotional highs and lows. Jackie still can't function without the assistance of prescription painkillers, but the walls have closed in on her after the intervention at the end of last season, thrown on her by husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and best friend Dr. Eleanor O'Hara (Eve Best). But rather than get the help we all know she needs, Jackie lashes out at those who would help her; there's a lesson inherent within her reaction that we can only help th

Hot off the heels of the announcement that Fringe will be returning for a fourth season , FOX has unveiled a new promo for the science-fiction drama that seemingly offers a clue to the coming danger facing the Fringe Divisions of both universes. You can review this new promo--which I am referring to as "Where Will You Be?"--in full below, but I'm extremely curious to know just what everyone makes of the odd 6:02 am that appears at the end of the promo? Is that when the doomsday device is triggered? Is that when the universe(s) could come to an end? The time they bleed together? Just what does the time code mean and what conclusions are the producers pushing us towards? Head to the comments to share your thoughts, theories, and conjectures... Fringe returns with new episodes on Friday, April 15th (with an episode entitled, naturally, "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide") on FOX.

It's safe to say that Community will never give you exactly what you think you're getting. In this case, this week's brilliant and moving episode of Community ("Critical Film Studies"), written by Sona Panos and directed by Richard Ayoade (of The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh ), seemed to be a spoof of Pulp Fiction . It looked and sounded--from the promos and the information being sent out by the publicity and marketing teams--like Pulp Fiction , so it had to be a spoof of Quentin Tarantino's landmark film, right? Wrong. While there were elements from Pulp Fiction in play for Abed's PF -themed surprise party at the diner where Britta works, the episode itself was an astute yet emotional homage to Louis Malle's 1981 film My Dinner with Andre , which is essentially a conversation between two men (Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory) about the nature of reality, of fabricated theatre, and of true and honest experiences as opposed to robotic reactions to p

Season Six of Doctor Who might not kick off until next month, but Auntie Beeb is offering a sneak peek at the first episode ("The Impossible Astronaut"), written by head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat, with the first of three prequel clips heading your way in the next few weeks. You can view the first prequel clip below, which depicts U.S. President Richard Nixon receiving a rather eerie phone call while he's seated in the White House's Oval Office, a message that urges him to "look behind" him, even as he claims that "there are no monsters in the Oval Office." We'll see about that... Check out the prequel clip below and be sure to catch the start of Doctor Who 's sixth season in April. Season Six of Doctor Who begins Saturday, April 23rd at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

The impossible is indeed possible where Fringe is concerned: the sci-fi drama has been picked up by FOX for a fourth season. Executive producer Joel Wyman broke news of the renewal via Twitter, writing, " Fringe was picked up!!!! Thanks Fringedom!" A FOX spokesperson confirmed the renewal to me via email, which means we can officially take Fringe off the endangered series list, as it's officially been renewed for the 2011-12 season. No word on how many episodes will be ordered for next season (though several sources seem to indicate that it will be a full 22-episode season) or on the timeslot, so stay tuned. UPDATE: Fox has now also confirmed to me that Season Four will consist of 22 episodes! How happy are you about Fringe renewal? Surprised? Elated? Discuss! UPDATE #2 (March 25th): Fox has now issued a press release with quotes from Kevin Reilly and the executive producers, which can be read below... FOX RENEWS “FRINGE” FOR FOURTH SEASON – IN BOTH UNIVERSES   FOX