White Collar's about as good as USA's light-entertainment stable gets.  Although the schemes / capers / takedowns are probably influenced more by Ocean's 11 and other con movies than MI, now that I've had some time to think about it.

Well, Star Trek's continued success comes from any number of sources - you have to start crediting Eisner, George Lucas, and who knows who else for the Phase 2 / TMP mess / success.  The series as a Desilu entity was a syndication hit, but Paramount did most of the work in turning it into what it became in later years.

Yes to Leverage, but Alias… no.  Just no.

"And if he decides not to accept the mission — whom is he going to tell, and how?"

Agreed.  That ending was terrible for the series as being connected to the original.  What makes it worse is that they've now had a revolving door of authority types that positively SCREAMS for a Phelps character to link it all together.

It's also funny that Steven Hill's definitive role had the same lack of screen time as MI, as it basically amounted to him grunting "get a deal" at Moriarty or Watterson.

No love for the revival? I thought it was quite good in its own right.

Too bad it couldn't have been last week for Doctor Who, since that was one of the most deliciously old-school episodes of the entire new series.  No annoying companion mystery arc plots, no fairytale elements… just the Doctor, companion, and a bunch of cannon fodder trapped in an enclosed space with a monster.

If it's just focused on Koreatown, it's going to make me even madder about that whitewashed Toronto episode of The Layover.

Moffat's definitely overcomplicated things from a plot perspective.  The arc narrative now drives the show at the expense of telling good individual stories.  The whole "there's a man, a box, his friend, and they get out and start running away from a different monster every week" feel has pretty much been lost, much…

No, you're right, it's a talent competition rather than some grand career-launching vehicle.  Which is fine - it's like asking how chefs do after winning Top Chef.  Who cares about that?

I don't know, that guy who said he was choosing her because of his wife seemed to have things backwards (my wife immediately called bullshit on it).  I figured most guys would want to be around her because… I mean, crap, those videos aren't THAT old.

That's the interesting thing about Usher, who has launching Bieber on his resume.  You really do get the sense that contestants are thinking about that now.

I think everyone stops watching after the swivelling chairs.  But this part of the season is just SO MUCH BETTER than anything Idol produces, largely because everyone's having fun.  If the Idol judges talked more shit to each other that show might be worthwhile; the Voice has turned into a bunch of guys goofing on…

Yup, and he's added in "if you're too young for me, I can hook you up with Bieber if needed."  Adam's outgunned and flustered, and it's pretty awesome to watch him finally have to work to scoop up all the PYTs he was effortlessly adding in the first few seasons.

I've gotta say, as someone who hates Idol with the heat of a thousand suns, this show is surprisingly tolerable.  Heck, this was even better because the shit-talking was turned up with Usher being more willing to engage in give-and-take with the other guys (whereas Cee Lo was too passive).  Shakira also has an…

Destro and Baroness were too fucked up by Sommers' disaster to use again.  As it is, it looks like Chu's pulled off a miracle and turned CC into a semi-respectable bad guy (at least if the generally positive early reviews are any indication).

Sounds like one of those late-era Gruenwald stories where Cap ages into an old man because… well, because Gru was out of ideas after like 150 issues, that's why.

" before mentioning that she’s starring in “movies” now, maybe he’s heard of them."

At least GI Joe will have the courtesy to make the President Zartan.