NBC's Criminal Intent Preview for tonight:

TRU LOVE
9pm 2006-09-26 ALL NEW!

A DAD'S WOMANIZING WAYS UNCOVER A HIDDEN LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN A TEACHER AND A STUDENT -- Keith Cooper (guest star Anton Yelchin) is no stranger to his dad's womanizing ways, but when Dr. Grant Cooper winds up dead after his motorcycle is found sabotaged, Detectives Logan (Chris Noth) and Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) find a private collection of the Doctor's personal conquests. When Keith's high-school teacher, Danielle (guest star Anne Dudek) shows up on one of tapes, the Detectives assume her jealous husband is to blame. But the case takes a major turn when the Detectives find Danielle in the arms of her under-aged student. Eric Bogosian also stars. TV-14

Criminal Intent Season Premiere Workrate Report

WHAT WORKED

--The overall story. Very intense and different from your standard CI story, but still ultimately still a CI story.

--Eames’ escape. It was nice to see her not just play “damsel in distress,” which would go against her character. Plus she got all MacGuyver in untying herself, shorting out the lock, and scaling a wall while wearing heels.

--Eric Bogosian. The new captain looks like he’ll be fun, as he won’t defer to Goren as much as Captain Deakins did. But they do have to tread lightly, less he turn into the stereotypical “grumpy boss.” Plus why would he have a problem with Goren’s methods, when he’s solved something like 100 cases in a row?

--The acting. Very nice job from the cast, plus guest stars John Glover and Martha Plimpton. D’Onofrio (who usually chews the scenery so much he should wear a bib) was excellent, especially in the scene with Jo’s confession.

--The final scene with Goren and Eames. Awwwww…

--Logan saying “I’ve never had a partner with freckles before” in next week’s preview. That killed me.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

--No ADA. Didn’t appear in the show, or even the opening credits. I miss Ron Carver saying “We don’t have enough evidence to prosecute.”

--The mystery. I figured out Jo was the killer pretty early on. I know CI isn’t about the “whodunit” as much as the “whydunit,” but Jo’s motivations were pretty clear from the start.

--The cheesy “stalker-cam” in the opening. Dumb and it had no place in CI.

--The opening credits change. Usually the last image is you see before the logo and the cast power walking is Goren and Eames standing in front of an older woman and two police officers, with Goren holding a pair of handcuffs (from the season 1 episode “Smothered”). Then it goes “negative” and we see the logo. It’s a great image. Now we just have Goren and Eames standing in a field or something. Lame.

TV Party Tonight!

Tonight's Law and Order: Criminal Intent's season premiere preview:

BLIND SPOT
9pm 2006-09-19 ALL NEW!
A STRING OF MURDERS LEADS TO AN APPARENT SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE AS A MEMBER OF THE MAJOR CASE SQUAD IS KIDNAPPED-- When the body of a former Ambassador's daughter is found brutally murdered in her uptown home, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) question a jealous ex-boyfriend. But when another body shows up with a similar crime scene, Detective Goren's old mentor (Guest Star John Glover) and his daughter (Guest Star Martha Plimpton) suddenly return to warn of a past serial killer back on the loose. The search gets personal as a member of the Major Case Squad is kidnapped. Eric Bogosian also stars.

This should be interesting. With the big cast changes and change in producers, I'm curious to see if the show changes at all. And with their season order cut to 18 episodes, this may be the last hurrah for the Major Case Squad. Back tomorrow with thoughts.

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the sea change in this year’s NFL programming (Monday Night Football moving to ESPN from ABC, and the Sunday Night Game moving from ESPN to NBC) is the loss of NFL Primetime. Primetime, the venerable recap show hosted by Chris Berman and Tom Jackson (with occasional help from a variety of others, including Robin Roberts and the immortal Pete “The Ax” Axthelm) was a staple in our household for years and years. When I was in school, it didn’t matter if I had a term paper or mid-term the next day, I would make time and watch NFL Primetime with my dad.

But with the new deal, NBC has procured the rights to show highlights of Sunday’s games, and launched their own recap show, Football Night in America. It sucks.

First of all, what kind of name is Football Night in America? It sounds like a show from the 1950’s.

Second, you have a panel of Bob Costas (who I don’t care for), Chris Collinsworth (hate him), Sterling Sharpe (OK, can get tiresome), and Jerome Bettis (OK). They have this real high tech studio they tout, but really, who cares? Aren’t the games the story?

Berman and Jackson would catch flack from fans, some of it deserved. But damn, these guys had recapping games down to a science. Not only would they hit highlights, they’d show things other shows gloss over. On a big play, maybe they’d focus on a key block a tight end made, or a route a receiver ran that tricked the free safety, freeing up another receiver for a big score.

I tried week 1 of Football Night in America and lasted 20 minutes. They started out with using local reporters to talk to players in various games. Total waste of time. Has anyone ever learned anything from one of these post-game interviews (“We’re glad we won. Our opponents are a tough team. We have more work to do. It’s nice to have a win.”)? Then they just run through your basic Sportscenter highlights and it’s very uninspiring.

I suppose it’s unfair to give a show so little chance, but these men are professionals who have done a lot of work together before. We expect and deserve more.

Berman and Jackson have a segment on the 11 PM Sportscenter, but it’s really not enough. Couldn’t the powers that be realize this is a backwards move for sports fans? Doesn’t anyone take these things into account?

All I could think while watching the Bills/Dolphins game was…NO ONE circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

I spilled a cup of ice water on my lap this morning. This was bad for two reasons: (1) spilling cold liquids on your extremities is no fun, and (2) it looked for all the world like I had peed my pants.

I did avert disaster, however, by sneaking down to the gym and using the hair dryer to dehydrate my trousers, with no one the wiser. I call that a triumph.

I finished Moby Dick last week. It’s a baffling book. Not much happens in the way of plot. But there’s plenty about whales. Chapters devoted to the anatomy of whales, how to hunt whales, how to get oil from whales, how to prepare whale to eat, good painting of whales, bad paintings of whales, etc. It’s a combo story-encyclopedia-how to manual.

It’s also not an easy read – it’s something you’ll have to read a few times to really get. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday. But I have read it.

I wonder what takes its pace as The Book I Really Should Have Read But Never Did. Probably “The Sound & The Fury.”