“Two and a Half Men”: Season 3
In the third season of “Two and a Half Men,” the usually sensible Alan (Jon Cryer) ends up dating someone young enough to be his daughter, as well as a senior citizen old enough to be his mother.
Category: TV
“Crossing Jordan” — Season 1
Jill Hennessy stars as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a brilliant medical examiner with issues. Still haunted by her mother’s unresolved death and enabled (to a certain extent) by her police detective father’s drive to solve crimes, Jordan spends as much time outside of the lab with the police officers as she does dissecting her dead clients.
“Friday Night Lights” — Second Season
Friday Night Lights is deeply entrenched in the world of football and teamwork, but the series transcends sports and delves into rich, human relationships that at times are heartbreakingly real. A compelling drama, the show also features one of the strongest (and best looking) ensemble casts. The second season fulfills the promise of its debut. Full of drama, heart, and superb acting, the series is set in fictional Dillon, Texas–a town where everyone lives and breathes football.
An organized, healthy lifestyle is the key to Marilu Henner’s positive attitude
Phoning from her California home after her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” was completed, Marilu Henner is in a chatty mood. Born and reared in Chicago, the actress best known for her work on “Taxi” gives a verbal high-five to her interviewer, whose accent she immediately recognizes as one from her hometown.
“Sense & Sensibility”
Lush, dramatic, and beautifully acted, the BBC’s three-part miniseries “Sense & Sensibility” captures the languid urgency that resonates throughout the Jane Austen novel on which it is based. The miniseries begins with a seduction scene: As a young girl cautiously gives herself to a man, she asks, “But when will you come back?” He answers ominously, “Soon… very soon,” and gallops off into the night.
“Wings” — Season Six
Set in Nantucket, “Wings” focuses on a group of people who work at the same small airport and like each other so much (or are so bored) that they are constantly meddling in each other’s business. The sixth season of the sitcom includes preparations for not one, but two weddings. Not to be outdone by Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen’s (Crystal Bernard) engagement (finally!), busybody Roy (David Schramm) decides that he, too, wants to get married and sends away for a Russian mail-order bride.
“Girlfriends” — Season Three
Like “Living Single” and “Sex & the City,” “Girlfriends” captures the warm camaraderie (and competition) between good friends. Succinctly balancing comedy with real-life issues, the sitcom returns for a strong third season. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Toni (Jill Marie Jones) are all back and they are as sassy and conflicted as ever.
“General Hospital: Night Shift”
Spawned from the Emmy Award-winning day-time drama “General Hospital,” “General Hospital: Night Shift” ran for one season in 2007 on the cable network SOAPnet. Taking some of the young, sexy favorites from the original soap opera and adding in a few new characters, the nighttime soap focuses on Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough)–an HIV-positive physician who is impeccable at her job but troubled when it comes to love.
“Perfect Strangers”: Seasons 1 and 2
Relying on the tried-but-true odd-couple set up, “Perfect Strangers” focuses on the comical lives of Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot).
“Third Watch” — Season 1
Equal parts “ER,” “Rescue Me,” and “Law & Order,” “Third Watch” received critical raves when it premiered in 1999 on NBC. All 22 episodes from that first season are included in this 6-disc box set, and the episodes (many of which reflect political issues of the time) stand up well. The third watch refers to the 3 to 11 p.m. shift of firefighters, police officers and paramedics who risk their lives to keep New Yorkers safe.
“The Simple Life”: Season 5
There are plenty of actresses who aren’t particularly good thespians, but they have a likable presence that makes them pleasant to watch on the screen. There is none of that here: Neither Nicole Richie or Paris Hilton are good enough actors to make the viewer believe that any of this is real.
“Two and a Half Men”: Season 2
Take a pair of bickering brothers, a precocious child, an ex-wife, and a meddling mother and you’ve got “Two and a Half Men.” In the sitcom’s sophomore year, which aired during the 2004-2005 television season, siblings Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and Alan (Jon Cryer) have their living situation somewhat under control.
“Rob & Big”: Seasons 1 and 2
Less asinine than “Jackass” and more “real” than “The Hills,” MTV’s reality series “Rob & Big” is an entertaining diversion that mixes friendship and a few crazy stunts into each episode.
“CSI” — Seventh Season
The seventh season of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is as solid as any of the series’ previous years. The stories are strong, the actors share potent chemistry, and the characters are believable because they are flawed human beings. This year, “CSI” delves into the complicated romance between head investigator Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and his underling Sara Sidle (Jorga Fox). The two are reticent to let their colleagues in on their relationship, and the season finale offers a gasp-inducing prospect of their future together.
“I Love New York”
“I Love New York” is as trashy as the role Pollard plays. Unlike ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” which at least goes through the motions of picking suitable contenders, VH1 has stacked the deck against New York (and, let’s face it, the men). Their nicknames (Token, Trendz, White Boy) are more interesting than they are.
“Wings” — Season Five
Despite some outdated clothes and hairdos, “Wings” has a timeless quality that makes repeat viewings of the sitcom worthwhile. A comedy with heart, the show–which originally aired during the 1993-1994 season–is filled with humor, great acting, and a cast that shares genuine chemistry. At its core, “Wings” is about the relationship between the Hackett brothers.
“CSI: Miami” — Season 4
A marriage, a murder, and a mole all play relevant roles in the fourth season of CSI: Miami. Easily the most stylistic show in the CSI franchise, the series stars David Caruso (NYPD Blue) as Horatio Caine, the lead investigator with the Miami Police Department. With his black clothing, Caine stands out in a sea of pastel-clad colleagues that include ballistics expert Calleigh Dusquene (Emily Procter), underwater recovery whiz Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), and medical examiner Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander).
“CSI: Miami” — Season 5
The fifth season of CSI: Miami begins with revenge: Lead CSI Horatio Caine (David Caruso) and underwater recovery whiz Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) travel to Brazil to avenge the murder of Horatio’s wife Marisol (who was Eric’s sister). While there, Horatio also helps his sister-in-law and nephew after his brother is murdered by drug lords. (Never mind that the crime-fighting duo seem to have carte blanche to do as they like in a foreign country.) The scenes are beautifully shot and the rhythm of the first few episodes are reminiscent of classic Miami Vice.
“Veronica Mars” — Third and Final Season
Equal parts “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Nancy Drew,” “Veronica Mars” is smartly written and well-acted. This third and final season of the critically acclaimed (but viewer-challenged) series ends as all good shows should–by leaving viewers wanting more and wondering how their favorite characters will fare in the future.
“NCIS” — Season 4
The fourth season of NCIS begins with one of the investigators being charged with assassinating an Iranian prisoner. Former Mossad intelligence agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who was introduced last season, has been framed, and there’s only one man who can clear her name. Unfortunately, lead investigator Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) has retired to Mexico. But since Harmon is the star of the show, Gibbs returns to the United States to help out his colleague.