TVSquad

(S01E07) "You can check my University of Phoenix online degree. Go Cardinals." - lawyer Moz

The previews for this fall finale promised there would be an ending that we'd never see coming. That's usually a huge help in actually figuring out what the "surprise" ending is to a TV show. If we don't expect it, we know what to not expect and we can often figure out what happens. I didn't see this ending coming at all. I mean, I knew that the guy we thought was the bad guy wasn't really part of the solution. That was just a red herring. But I didn't expect who was at the door and who was in the chair in the final scene.

Thank God this show is coming back next month and not in March like so many other shows seem to be doing.

"I am Spartacus!"

Okay. No, I'm not. But if Starz's Spartacus: Blood and Sand is any good, it could reintroduce a new generation of fans to the legend of a slave taking on an empire. The original Stanley Kubrick-directed classic is an immortal part of entertainment history, but it's one of those films that you don't see on TV much in the age of DVDs.

According to a network release, Starz will premiere their take on Spartacus in 13 one-hour episodes kicking off Friday, January 22nd at 10 p.m. If you see previews for the series and get flashbacks to 300, you're not imagining things. It's clear the producers tapped into that stylized, graphic novel style for the show's visuals.

Shot in New Zealand, the show employs CGI, digital imaging tricks and other cinematic effects to sweeten the show's look.

(S02E06) In our last episode, our hero Echo was tied to a table and getting her brain fried by the evil and deranged Bennett Halverson. And now, part two ...

Admittedly, the "two parts in a single night" works well with this show and its current penchant for cliffhanger endings. Plus we don't have to wait until next week to see how our heroine Echo gets out of her current trap.

Tonight we also discovered a new application for Dollhouse technology: the ability to experience other people's memories without actually taking their personality.

It was bound to happen. We even wrote about it this past July. While a reunion show probably won't happen, it's always news when two cast members from the former hit sitcom Friends appear on screen together. In this case, it's Lisa Kudrow who will be guest-starring on Courteney Cox's sitcom, Cougar Town.

Of course, as a twist, they will not be friends in Kudrow's visit, but rather enemies. Kudrow plays a dermatologist that Cox's character goes to see. Will this be any different than Jennifer Aniston's appearance on Dirt playing a rival of Courteney Cox on that show?

It'll be a feast for the eyes for anyone who loves to watch doughy, puffed up, bombastic old men when Rush Limbaugh sits down with William Shatner on the Biography Channel series, Raw Nerve.

Airing this Sunday after taping last summer, the Shatner Vs. Limbaugh clash touches on everything from family background to health care. But the exchange looks like a couple aging members of a country club debating stock tips at the 19th hole.

I have no interest in the inevitable political jibber-jabber headed our way Sunday. But, I'd love to see these two square off over who gets the last piece of lasagna. The fatty grunts alone would blow out your TV speakers.

(S02E05) This was truly an excellent episode of Dollhouse. The show has improved leaps and bounds, and I can't wait to see the developments Joss has waiting for us next season ... oh. Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

Despite the imminent cancellation, this was an excellent episode with so many twists and turns you'd think it was the SR1 in California. Okay, Daniel Perrin is a Doll (sort of) and his wife is his handler (making her more of a fake than him). The mysterious Bennett in the D.C. Dollhouse has a past with Caroline, Echo's original personality. And it all ends in a cliffhanger making this the perfect night for a two-parter.

When Echo (as Bree) and Perrin had their scenes together, I couldn't help but flash back to several scenes from the Buffy and Angel series which had Wesley together with Faith. Faith tortured Wesley in one of those, I recall. Fortunately, no grudges were held between series.

Did anybody else notice that Kilo was played by Maurissa Tancharoen, who is engaged to Jed Whedon (Joss' brother) and was one of the co-writers of Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog? If you didn't, then you should have. She's also a writer for this series and co-wrote the last episode.

(S08E16) The pressure of writing the last episode must be tremendous. Especially for a long-running show like Monk. The writers have to tie up loose ends, satisfy viewers' desire for the characters, and leave fans with a sense of closure. Closure, in fact, is the word Dr. Bell used with Adrian. Monk was looking for it and so were we.

But the ending is tough. There have been some shows that have stumbled badly at the end. Seinfeld, for instance, was a real stinker. But the memory of Newhart, which harkened back to The Bob Newhart Show may be the best-ever. Now, in the broader scheme of things, Seinfeld was a much better series than Newhart; in every way but the ending. Which brings us back to Monk. How did the writers navigate the Monk finale? Follow me after the jump and I'll tell you all about it.

(S01E10) "You put ordinary people under enough stress, I think you'll find they're capable of anything. – Dr. Rush

While watching this episode of Stargate Universe, I kept thinking of the "Court Martial" episode of the original Star Trek series. Captain Kirk is tried for the wrongful death of a crewmate, but Spock discovers via a 3D chess game that the computer's system has been tampered with and presents the evidence at the trial. Yes, I'm that geeky.

Ok, so that's about all these episodes have in common, and there's only so much you can do with the "trial in space" story. It boils down to the characters, and in this instance, the battle lines were drawn even further in this compelling little murder mystery.

As an early Christmas present to loyal TV Squad Podcast listeners, we will be having Rich Sommer on to talk about the fantastic third season of Mad Men. Sommer plays media analyst Harry Crane, and at the end of season three, he somehow managed to get his character in a very good place.

But you never know what's in Matthew Weiner's head for season four: Will we advance in time? Will everyone be working where they did at the end of season three? Who's coming back? Who isn't?

We'll have some fun with Rich as we make our guesses about it (he likely doesn't know any more than we do), and we'll talk to him about some of his other roles (like when he almost broke up Pam and Jim on The Office a couple of years ago).

Have questions for Rich, about Mad Men or anything else? Leave them in the comments and we'll relay them to Sommer during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast on Tuesday at around 2 PM ET will be eligible.

It's hard for me to get excited about something like Alice, Syfy's twisted new take on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. NBC and Syfy seemingly produce these modern versions of classic tales for the same reason Hollywood studios push out stale remakes and sequels – because they already have a built in audience. And the producers don't have to worry about coming up with an original story. All they have to do is force some contempo quirkiness into the age-old text and be done with it. (Make the flamingos flying machines! Turn the caterpillar into a hookah-smoking Harry Dean Stanton!)

Similar to Syfy's Tin Man, its dark and tedious Wizard of Oz redo, Alice offers a bizarre retread of its classic source material. But writer-director Nick Willing (the brains behind Tin Man) smartly sets his tale in a futuristic version of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. And he's created a brand new Alice too. She's a tough twentysomething brunette who teaches martial arts and high-kicks bad guys in the face.