SueTube – Let’s talk TV with critic Susan Young

Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.

As previous reports had predicted, NBC has found a way to keep the lights on.

(For David Bianculli’s podcast with Kyle Chandler, go here.)

NBC Entertainment honcho Ben Silverman told writers on a conference call today that if he had to sit next to somebody on the plane telling him this was their favorite show and not to cancel it, he couldn’t take it.

See? You don’t have to ship tons of peanuts to an executive. Just book the same flights he or she is on and make them want to scratch their eyes out.

What wife hasn’t looked at her husband just like this when he’s been making a horse’s hind-end out of himself. The fabulous team of Connie Britton as Tami Taylor and Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor make “Friday Night Lights” one show that shouldn’t be missed. NBC Photo: Bill Records

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It looks as if the picket signs will be taken down and the writers will be back to work on Wednesday. You can check out the details on Nikki Finke’s fine blog Deadline Hollywood or the most recent Bloomberg report.

That’s just two days before the “drop-dead deadline” to preserve the remainder of the season and allow some bit of a pilot season. The fact that it also saves the Oscars is just an added bonus that makes the writers and actors happy. It’s one thing to miss out on the Golden Globes, that bloated tribute by a small group of foreign press. It’s quite another to miss out on your Uncle Oscar.

Jon Stewart won’t have to cross any picket lines when he hosts the 80th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 24. This is the second time Stewart has hosted the Oscars. Photo: Bob D’Amico/ABC

Oddly enough, on the eve of the strike vote three months ago, I was in the middle of e-chatting with Bryan Fuller of “Pushing Daisies” and again today we spent part of today e-talking.

Bryan’s a fabulous person. But as noted in an earlier post, even with the strike being over, some shows won’t be back on the air this season. And that includes “Daisies.” In fact, this coming fall season looks more like a restart of this past fall. Shows like “Daisies,” “Chuck” and maybe even “Reaper” could get a second shot this fall.

There are a lot of shows on the fence, but it looks like lights out for shows like “Bionic Woman” and “Friday Night Lights.” “FNL” was the passion project of NBC’s former entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who is now Fox’s entertainment honcho. He was replaced by veteran producer Ben Silverman. (“The Office”) and Marc Graboff.

While there has been talk of “FNL” going to one of NBC’s cable siblings like USA or Bravo, that hasn’t been announced, nor does it seem likely. Last March, the series aired unspectacularly on Bravo.

On the season, or series, finale last Friday, Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor, Connie Britton as Tami Taylor and Peter Berg as Morris “Mo” McArnold — NBC Photo: Bill Records

And the jury is still out on “Jericho,” which returns this week after fans threw mountains of nuts at CBS execs, causing them to rethink the show’s cancellation.

But last summer, viewers tuned out in droves to a repeat of the series. We can only hope that they will come back on board with the slate of new episodes.

Things heat up in the kitchen when “Jericho” returns on Tuesday. Emily (Ashley Scott) tries to make Jake’s (Skeet Ulrich) mother feel better mourn the loss of her husband by baking her favorite cake, on the second season premiere of “Jericho” at 10 p.m. Tuesday on CBS. Photo: Mitch Haddad/CBS ©2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Meanwhile, it’s all good news about Hollywood getting back to work. Now that sure beats candy and flowers, doesn’t it?

It was a bittersweet hour on Sunday when we had a fresh episode of “Desperate Housewives” only to know that it probably will end up being the season ender.

And if that happens, at least viewers were given answers to the Who died in the tornado question and a couple of juicy new storylines like Carlos being blind and Katherine’s secret out, at least to her husband and her daughter.

Of is Dylan really her daughter?

And even a spankin’ new episode of “Friday Night Lights” couldn’t woo viewers. We love this show, but as Bonnie Raitt warbled, “I can’t make you love me if you don’t…”

Here’s the list of 94 primetime network shows and how they ranked for the week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6 and their rating:

1 NBC NFL PLAYOFF GAME 2 9.0
2 NBC NFL PLAYOFF PRE-KICK2 8.3
3 AFC WILDCARD POST GAME 7.5
4 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 6.9
5 60 MINUTES 6.4
6 LAW AND ORDER 4.7
7 DEAL OR NO DEAL 1/3 4.7
8 CSI 4.6
9 EXTREME MAKEOVER 4.4
10 LAW AND ORDER:SVU 4.3
11 DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED 4.3
12 TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL 4.2
13 AMERICAN GLADIATORS 1/6 4.2
14 AMAZING RACE 12 4.2
15 FEDEX ORANGE BOWL 4.2
16 NCIS – SPCL 4.1
17 ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL 4.1
18 APPRENTICE 7 3.9
19 COLD CASE 3.8
20 CASHMERE MAFIA SP-1/6 3.7
21 WITHOUT A TRACE 3.7
22 BIGGEST LOSER 5 3.7
23 DEAL OR NO DEAL 1/6 3.6
24 E.R. 3.3
25 DEMOCRATIC DEBATE-ABC 3.3
26 NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN EVE ’08 3.2
27 SUPERNANNY SP-1/2 3.2
28 SUPERNANNY 3.1
29 WIFE SWAP 2.9
30 1 VS 100 2.9
31 WITHOUT A TRACE – 8P SP 2.9
32 AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS 2.9
33 SIMPSONS 2.8
34 SHARK 2.8
35 CRIMINAL MINDS 2.8
36 WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB 2.7
37 ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL-PRE 2.7
38 20/20-FRI 2.6
39 ANALYSIS 1-ABC 2.6
UNIT, THE – SPCL 2.6
41 LAS VEGAS 2.5
42 ABC MON MOVIE OF WK-12/31 2.5
43 KING OF THE HILL 2.4
44 ANALYSIS 2-ABC 2.4
45 GHOST WHISPERER 2.4
46 48 HOURS MYSTERY 2.3
47 HOUSE-FRI 9P 2.3
48 POWER OF TEN 2.3
49 ROSE BOWL-POST GAME 2.3
50 CSI: NY 2.3
51 TWO AND A HALF MEN SPCL 2.3
52 FAMILY GUY 2.1
53 GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM 2.1
54 NUMB3RS 2.1
55 48 HOURS MYSTERY -SPECIAL 2.1
56 BONES-FRI 8P 2.0
57 AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK 2.0
58 COPS 2 2.0
59 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 1.9
60 CSI: MIAMI SPECIAL 1.9
61 CBS MOVIE SATURDAY 1.9
62 AMERICAN DAD 1.8
63 ACCORDING TO JIM SP 1-1/1 1.8
64 UGLY BETTY 1.8
65 MOONLIGHT 1.8
66 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES-1/3 1.8
67 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT SP 1.8
68 ACCORDING TO JIM SP 2-1/1 1.7
69 COPS 1.7
70 BOSTON LEGAL SP-1/1 1.7
71 JUST FOR LAUGHS SP-1/1 1.7
72 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 1.7
73 AMERICAN DAD SP-1/6 7:30P 1.6
74 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER SP 1.4
75 GREY’S ANATOMY-FRI 8PM 1.4
SNL 90S POP NATION 1.4
77 FOX MOVIE SP-NY EVE 8P 1.4
78 BIG BANG THEORY, THE SP 1.3
79 AMERICAN DAD SP-1/6 7P 1.3
80 LAW AND ORDER:SVU 12/31 1.2
81 SMALLVILLE .8
82 GOSSIP GIRL .8
83 SUPERNATURAL .7
84 CROWNED .7
85 EV HATES CHRIS-NYEVE .5
86 CROWNED-NY .4
87 ONE TREE HILL-NY .4
88 ALIENS IN AMERICA-NYEVE .4
89 GAME, THE-NYEVE .3
90 GIRLFRIENDS-NYEVE .3
91 CROWNED-ENC .3
92 LIFE IS WILD .3
93 ALIENS IN AMERICA-SUN .2
94 CW NOW .2

You can toss them off as just a small group of foreign correspondents throwing a party, but those guys have a good track record for forecasting Oscar and Emmy nominees.

In the television categories, they’ve done a good job except for snubbing “Friday Night Lights.” And let’s face it, besides a solid group of critics and supporters, they aren’t the only ones. Fans have tuned out in droves to this spectacular drama, which is all the more reason why the Globes should have honored it.

Couldn’t you just give one of these guys a nod? (l-r) Jesse Plemons as Landry Clarke, Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor on “Friday Night Lights.”

Another series overlooked by the foreign press was HBO’s “The Wire,” a gritty drama that captures inner city life like nothing else on television. When the new season was shipped to TV critics recently, everyone from TV Guide’s Matt Roush to Philly Daily News critic Ellen Gray spent the weekend poring over it. Since this is a blog, I’ll note I did the same. Fantastic.

The final season of “The Wire,” with Dominic West and Bobby Brown, begins Jan. 6. photo: Paul Schiraldi

And really people, William Shatner again? Has he been buying rounds of drinks for you people at all the local bars or what?

You could choose from Kyle Chandler or Dominic West, yet you go with the Shat?

Shame, shame.

Best Television Series – Drama
“Big Love” (HBO)
“Damages” (FX Networks)
“Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
“House” (FOX)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“The Tudors” (Showtime)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Patricia Arquette – “Medium”
Glenn Close – “Damages”
Minnie Driver – “The Riches”
Edie Falco – “The Sopranos”
Sally Field – “Brothers & Sisters”
Holly Hunter – “Saving Grace”
Kyra Sedgwick – “The Closer”

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Michael C. Hall – “Dexter”
Jon Hamm – “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie – “House”
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – “The Tudors”
Bill Paxton – “Big Love”

Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Californication” (Showtime)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“Extras” (HBO)
“Pushing Daisies” (ABC)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series –Comedy Or Musical
Christina Applegate – “Samantha Who?”
America Ferrera – “Ugly Betty”
Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
Anna Friel – “Pushing Daisies”
Mary-Louise Parker – “Weeds”

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”
Steve Carell – “The Office”
David Duchovny – “Californication”
Ricky Gervais – “Extras”
Lee Pace – “Pushing Daisies”

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
“Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” (HBO)
“The Company” (TNT)
“Five Days” (HBO)
“Longford” (HBO)
“The State Within” (BBC America)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Bryce Dallas Howard – “As You Like It”
Debra Messing – “The Starter Wife”
Queen Latifah – “Life Support”
Sissy Spacek – “Pictures Of Hollis Woods”
Ruth Wilson – “Jane Eyre” (Masterpiece Theatre)

Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Adam Beach – “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”
Ernest Borgnine – “A Grandpa For Christmas”
Jim Broadbent – “Longford”
Jason Isaacs – “The State Within”
James Nesbitt – “Jekyll”

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Rose Byrne – “Damages”
Rachel Griffiths – “Brothers & Sisters”
Katherine Heigl – “Grey’s Anatomy”
Samantha Morton – “Longford”
Anna Paquin – “Bury My Heart At Wounded – Knee”
Jaime Pressly – “My Name Is Earl”

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Ted Danson – “Damages”
Kevin Dillon – “Entourage”
Jeremy Piven – “Entourage”
Andy Serkis – “Longford”
William Shatner – “Boston Legal”
Donald Sutherland – “Dirty Sexy Money”

I couldn’t wait to watch all three of the new episodes sent out for review, and I love the show.

But I’m a little concerned about this new twist involving Landry and Tyra and I think the producers were a little quick to shut down the romance between Matt and Julie.

Pictured: (l-r) Adrianne Palicki as Tyra Collette, Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen, Jesse Plemons as Landry Clarke — NBC Photo: Bill Records

But what do you think?

In the meantime, here’s the SueTube vodcast I did with sports writer Dennis Miller, who gives his opinion on why people may not be watching the show.