TVSquad

After watching The Oprah Winfrey Show today and hearing her teary announcement about her decision to end her syndicated talk show, I had one thought in my head. Oprah Winfrey is doing a Johnny Carson. She's writing her own script (no pun intended). Oprah is leaving while she's still wanted, while she's still strong, and by setting the date 18 months down the road, she's giving herself a victory tour.

This is very much like Johnny Carson's decision to leave The Tonight Show. The difference, of course, is that Oprah's show is not an established landmark entity like The Tonight Show, which had Steve Allen and Jack Paar as hosts before Carson. No, Oprah was/is The Oprah Winfrey Show. She will not leave it behind for someone else to inherit the throne. She's taking the throne with her.

• At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, followed by new episodes of Medium and Numb3rs.
• NBC has a new Law and Order at 8, then new episodes of Dateline and The Jay Leno Show.
• The CW has a new Smallville at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• The season finale of DietTribe airs on Lifetime at 8.
• Nickelodeon has a new episode of The Troop at 8:
• Also at 8: Disney has a new Wizards of Waverly Place, then a new Suite Life on Deck.
• At 8:30, Cartoon Network has a new Ben 10: Alien Force, followed by a new episode of The Clone Wars.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new White Collar.
• Syfy has a new Stargate Universe at 9, followed by a new Sanctuary.
• Food Network has Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Disasters at 9.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of Ghost Adventures at 9.
• BBC America has a new Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• STARZ has a new Crash at 10.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Chuck will be returning to the airwaves on NBC on Sunday January 10th at 8 PM. The third season will start with a two-hour premiere and then the show will be on again the following night in its regular timeslot right after Heroes. This is three hours of Chuck over two days.

The pity is that Chuck is actually a good show and Heroes hasn't been as such since the first season. Perhaps Heroes should be the lead-in for Chuck? With the boost in the number of episodes and the guest-stars galore slated for the coming season, it's a very exciting time to be a Chuckaholic like me. This could also be a sign that NBC is giving more support for Chuck and less for the dying Heroes.

Zachary Levi is great in his role and Yvonne Strahovski is much fun to look at, but what really makes the show is Adam Baldwin. Perhaps John Casey should get his own show? Nah. He's better as a foil for Chuck Bartowski.

As December rolls around, your kids will want to watch the usual line-up of holiday specials. But, I'm guessing they wouldn't mind watching a T-Rex hunt down and tuck into a Triceratops, whatever the time of year.

Discovery Channel will put cutting-edge imaging technology to bring giant lizards to life inside and out with Clash of the Dinosaurs. Premiering December 6 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), the four-part series looks inside the body of a dinosaur to with cinematic photo-real 3D graphics.

According to Discovery's announcement, consulting anatomy and paleontology experts help to peel back the skin, muscles and bones of the creatures to show how they thrived. So, on second thought, maybe the kids should stick with A Year without a Santa Claus.

Looks like the island wasn't the only thing that got moved.

Mark your calendars, set your DVRs, and don't make any plans. The two-hour season premiere (it's called "LA X") of the sixth, and final, season of Lost has been scheduled to air on Tuesday, Februrary 2nd at 9 p.m. ET according to Executive Producer Carlton Cuse via Twitter. Cuse also confirmed that Tuesdays at 9 would be the regular time-slot in subsequent weeks.

There really isn't much to say here except wow. It feels real now, doesn't it? With only 18 hours left in the series' run, there are still so many questions left that need answering and hopefully we'll get some serious debriefing come 2/2/2010.

With the holidays fast approaching, it's good to know that Adult Swim is thinking of you. According to their online schedule, Aqua Teen Hunger Force will return on December 13th at 11:45 p.m. ET with an episode elusively referred to as "ATHF Xmas."

In true Adult Swim fashion, there's been absolutely no indication as to what this episode might be about, however it's likely that it somehow ties into the recently released Aqua Teen Hunger Force Christmas CD, Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas. If you haven't bought it yet, do yourself a favor and get it now. Trust me when I say that you haven't lived until you've heard Meatwad croon his own version of "Silent Night" or Carl cackle his way through "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

Anyway, regarding the episode, it's the only one listed on the schedule, so it's probably not the new season premiere, but it'll hopefully have some sort of performance aspect with songs from the album. That and maybe The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future will show up. Please let the robot turkey be there.

• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist.
• NBC has a new Community, followed by new episodes of Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and Fringe.
• The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural.
• At 9, Spike has a new TNA Wrestling.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Current has a new SuperNews at 9.
• Also at 9: History Channel has two new episodes of WWII in HD.
• At 10, Lifetime has the season finale of Project Runway, followed by the season finale of Models of the Runway.
• FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, then a new episode of The League.
• At 10:30, Current has a new Rotten Tomatoes Show.
• At 3AM, FOX News has a new Red Eye.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

In last week's TV Squad Podcast, I mentioned how I liked Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It was a show with a ton of flaws, but it was also well-written and had a ton of potential. After it ended, Sorkin fans (even the ones who didn't like the show) were wondering "what will he do on TV next?" Well, we might have our answer.

Over at TV Guide magazine, Sorkin says that his next show will once again (like Studio 60 and Sports Night) be set in the world of television, a behind-the-scenes look at...something. He doesn't say what the show will be, but when Studio 60 ended there was talk that he would do a show set at a fictional cable news channel. Considering that all of Sorkin's shows have had some sort of news and/or political side, this seems like a natural. He'll be able to talk about all of the things he wants to talk about in a setting like that.

Sorkin says that he will start working on the show when filming of The Social Network, the big screen movie about the start of Facebook, is over. I can't wait.

• At 8, CBS has a new Old Christine, followed by new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Mercy at 8, then new episodes of Law and Order: SVU and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by a new Glee.
• The CW has the season finale of America's Next Top Model at 8, then a new behind the scenes episode of America's Next Top Model.
• Cartoon Network has a new Destroy Build Destroy at 8.
• At 8:30, ABC has a new episode of The Middle, then new episodes of Modern Family, Cougar Town, and In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts.
• At 9, DirecTV 101 has a new Friday Night Lights.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• History Channel has two new episodes of WWII in HD at 9.
• Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, followed by a new Ghost Academy.
• Fine Living has a new Whatever, Martha at 9.
• Showtime has a new Inside the NFL at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• Comedy Central has the season finale of South Park at 10.
• There's a new Top Chef: Las Vegas on Bravo at 10.
• TBS has two new episodes of Meet the Browns at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• Current has a new Vanguard at 10.
• Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Gretchen Mol, who was last seen in last season's short-lived American television version of Life on Mars and in the feature An American Affair, will be going to HBO for the series Boardwalk Empire. She's scheduled to have a recurring role as a showgirl. The series is being produced by Martin Scorsese.

Gretchen Mol was on Life on Mars with Michael Imperioli, who was also on The Sopranos on HBO and was in Scorsese's Goodfellas. Boardwalk Empire star Steve Buscemi also appeared on The Sopranos. In short, all these people know each other and it's definitely a case of cast inbreeding. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Seriously, Gretchen Mol is a terrific actress and was fantastic in The Notorious Bettie Page. Given the talent already behind Boardwalk Empire, it was likely to be a fantastic series. Now its volume just went up to 11.

• At 8, ABC has a new V, then new episodes of Dancing with the Stars and The Forgotten.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, followed by new episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife.
• NBC has Merry Madagascar at 8, then new episodes of The Biggest Loser and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new, two-hour So You Think You Can Dance.
• The CW has a new 90210 at 8, followed by a new Melrose Place.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Frontline.
• AMC has the finale of The Prisoner at 8.
• At 9, Syfy has two new episodes of Scare Tactics.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9, followed by a new Ghost Lab.
• BBC America has a new Dragon's Den at 9.
• At 10, FX has a new Sons of Anarchy.
• Spike has a new ECW at 10.
• Lifetime has a new Sherri at 10.
• Bravo has a new Tabatha's Salon Makeover at 10.
• MTV has a new episode of The Hills at 10, followed by a new episode of The City.
• Also at 10: A&E has a new Parking Wars.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Sundays have always been a good night for CBS. It's been a good day for years, thanks to the NFL. Traditionally, the football games bleed right into prime time, which commences at seven o'clock because of 60 Minutes. Even in the days when CBS broadcast Sunday night movies, the network has done well on that night of the week.

However, the advent of the NBC Football Night in America has put a dent in CBS's strength. Also the ABC lineup and Fox's animation domination are no slouches either. So, CBS is going to do something to bolster Sundays. Three Rivers and Cold Case will switch time slots.


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This is the game where we show you a picture from something TV-related and you have to guess what the heck it is.

This is from the opening of a TV show from many years ago. I tried to get a good clip that would give you some letters to work with too. Answer later tonight!

Spoilers are a hot topic here on TV Squad. Nary a day goes by when we don't hear something -- good or bad -- from readers about spoilers. And it's been going on a while; Isabelle wrote this post on spoilers back in 2007.

What is a spoiler? Should they be included in titles? Should we always put them after the jump? Are casting announcements spoilers? What about short posts that only fit on the front page? What if the info is common knowledge?

Let's take a closer look at spoilers, what they are, and how we can run a great web site and all live together with these precarious bits of info known as spoilers.

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, then a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother, followed by new episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Heroes, Trauma, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new House at 8, then a new Lie to Me.
• The CW has a new One Tree Hill at 8, followed by a new Gossip Girl.
• AMC has Part 2 of The Prisoner at 8.
• Food Network has Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Turkey at 8, followed by a new Dear Food Network: Top 10 Thanksgiving Problems Solved and a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8, then two new episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 and a new Cake Boss.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Cartoon Network has a new Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack at 9.
• At 10, Lifetime has two new episodes of Rita Rocks.
• E! has a new The Soup Presents at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Million Dollar Listing, followed by the series premiere of Chef Academy.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.