THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 4, Episode 18 aired May 14, 2001

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Letters from the viewing audience
3. The poll
4. Brad's views on Boston Public
5. Don't Miss
6. TV Trivia
7. Favorite quotes of the week
8. A totally unrelated link
1. Intro

There's all sorts of big news breaking this week.

The biggest one is that Shannen Doherty has announced that she's leaving the WB show that she's starred on for the last three seasons, Charmed. Rumors of trouble on-set have plagued this show all season, most of it centered around animosity between reknowned trouble-maker Doherty and former Who's the Boss? starlet Alyssa Milano. Oddly enough, Holly Marie Combs, who plays the middle sister on the show, seems to play the same role in real life, and mostly stayed out of the fray. Wanda at E!Online has been predicting for months that one of the actresses would be leaving the show, but she thought it would be Milano who was reportedly fed up with Doherty's self-importance and ridiculous demands.

Now that Charmed has been renewed for two more seasons on the WB without the former 90210 star, we're all left wondering how the show's writers are going to work with this. The premise of the show is that these sisters are the Charmed Ones, and their magical strength comes from their power of three. Will they now just have the power of two? Will another long-lost sister or cousin come to take Prue's place? Or will the show simply recast the role of the eldest sister? I, for one, can't wait to find out.

The rest of the week's news centers around the networks announcing their line-ups for next season in the fall of 2001. I have seen preliminary schedules for NBC, ABC and the WB, all of which will be announcing officially either today or tomorrow. The notables on the shows we know and love are this (keep in mind that what I saw could have a few changes before the official announcement):

Three cheers to NBC for canning the pathetic DAG and The Weber Show.

ABC didn't cancel their fabulous 40-something drama Once and Again, but they're moving the show to the time slot of death on Fridays at 10pm ET.

ABC thankfully put The Geena Davis Show out of its misery and had the chutzpah to renew the controversial comedy, The Job.

ABC couldn't bring themselves to renew Gideon's Crossing, no matter how much critical acclaim it got.

The WB has cancelled their teen/alien drama, Roswell, but UPN might be thinking about picking it up.

The WB has cancelled their genius satirical comedy Grosse Pointe, despite large amounts of soap having been sent into the network by rabid fans. It looks like The Oblongs are on their way out as well, although the WB has yet to make a final decision on the fledgling animated comedy.

Gilmore Girls survives on the WB, and moves to Tuesday nights, while Angel, now Buffy-less, moves to Mondays at 9pm ET after 7th Heaven.

Jack & Jill was cancelled by the WB, but Felicity will again be sharing its Wednesday 9pm ET time slot, this time with a new drama.

The WB's Popular is a goner. Although I enjoyed the show, it had outlived its usefulness.

I'll report on the other three networks next week and on new shows in the following weeks. Until then, enjoy guest writer Brad Laidman's views on David E. Kelley's latest show, Boston Public.

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2. Letters from the viewing audience

From Spraguefam:
Is anyone else surprised by what happened on last Sunday's episode of The Practice? People at work said they saw the shooting coming. I didn't. I don't even remember any mention of the murder case with Jackie as the defendant. I don't remember Jackie at all. I also thought, once the shooting began, that Richard was going to be wounded, not killed. Did he want to leave the show, or what?
Letters from the viewing audience are always welcome. Please email any opinions, questions, comments, or random thoughts to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "letters." Letters may be edited for length or content.

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3. The poll

Wow, so people are really passionate about which shows they want to save from being cancelled. This past week's poll got the biggest turn-out yet. Over 50% of you would most like to see Felicity saved (and I'm thinking you're going to get your wish). Once and Again came in a strong second with almost 25% of the vote and Dark Angel followed with close to 17% of the vote. That's Life got just over 5% of the vote, and The Weber Show trailed in last place with less than 1% of the vote (only 1 person voted for it).

Personally, I would love to see the top three voted shows come back next season. I enjoyed That's Life, but I won't miss it greatly if it doesn't return. The Weber Show should rest in peace.

This week's poll is TKTV specific, and could actually affect which new show site TKTV launches next. Which show do you think needs coverage from TKTV?

As always, the TKTV weekly poll can be found right on the front page of the site.

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4. Brad's views on Boston Public

Okay people, you know I love all of you (except maybe that sixteen year old girl who said all of my Friends reviews were "stupid"), but don't be calling me up on the phone between 8 and 9pm on Monday nights unless you're randy, female, lonely, gorgeous, brilliant, and wearing a Catholic high school uniform, because I love my Boston Public! I latched onto this wonderful stew of nonsense the second I saw that student council presidential candidate trading fellatio for votes in the back hallway and I haven't missed a second since. I'll watch pretty much anything that takes place in a high school, be it The White Shadow, Room 222, Head of the Class, even a Molly Ringwald episode of Facts of Life, as long as no one else is in the room, but Boston Public hits my sweet tooth harder than a Mr. Goodbar.

You have to give it up for David E. Kelly. When you and I watched the Columbine fallout, we said a little prayer and wondered what the world was coming to, but not Kelley. I envision our friend Dave turning over in bed one night and saying, "Y'know, Michelle, every week or so I read my USA Today Life section and some crazy thing has happened at a high school somewhere in the United States. Do you think it would be pushing things too far to have a nighttime drama where every single one of those things happen in the same urban Boston school district?"

Maybe Michelle Pfeiffer even rolled over and said, "Hey, you're right, but just to make sure let's make all the teachers hotties, and swirl their sex lives together with twice as much abandon as the last couple of seasons of Melrose Place! Everyone will get laid in this high school except for the vice principal, because heaven knows just about everyone in the country has been to high school and every vice principal is a lonely despicable sadist. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be a little sympathetic, but the day he gets laid all the rules of plausibility cease to exist."

Genius.

You disagree? Fine, but let this potential SAT question roll around your mental cavity for a while.

What is the scariest thing we've seen on Boston Public this year?
  1. The math teacher drops dead in the hallway.
  2. The Blob drops dead at center court, but not before doing a semi nude shower scene.
  3. Tyronn gets gunned down at the bus station.
  4. Fyvush Finkel sings.
  5. Marla forgets to take her Zoloft.
  6. Jeremy's abusive mom comes to school looking for vengeance.
  7. Sheryl Holt's internet cartoon of Milton Buttle and Lisa Grier.
  8. Harry Senate fires a gun in class and makes his terrified students sit on the floor.
  9. Student wets himself after getting caught stealing shower videos of Miss Davis.
  10. Student takes Miss Davis hostage.
  11. Student spits in Miss Davis's face.
  12. Student hits Miss Davis in the eye with his girlfriend's breast implant.
Or my personal choice:
  1. Vice Principal Scott Guber asks Principal Steven Harper to accompany him on a singles cruise.
I ask you sincerely, was Welcome Back Kotter ever this amusing? And that's without even mentioning the student stripper or the too-hot-for-the-regional-finals cheer-leading squad.

Let's have some fun on those message boards! What else could possibly happen at Winslow High before our brave teachers get the summer off?

Of course, the best thing about the show is that no matter how hard those poor teachers try to help, everything blows up in their face. I'm not saying that I want our kids to think that asking a teacher for help with their personal problems will lead to death, but it sure is entertaining!

TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK with the subject of "guestwriter."

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5. Don't Miss

Season finale overload... For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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6. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: Kathleen Turner will be guest starring on an upcoming episode of Friends as one of Chandler's parents. Who plays his other parent?

First prize goes to Shane C. Congratulations!

Honorable mentions go to Ken S. and Carrie L.

The correct answer was, of course, Morgan Fairchild, who will be appearing in the Friends season finale this Thursday.

This week's question is: which actor recently announced that she will be leaving her second Aaron Spelling show before the end of the show's run?

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia. Winners will be chosen at random from all the correct answers.

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7. Favorite quotes of the week

From Dawson's Creek
Theo: A city like New York, where everything's moving all the time, has a constant driving pace. It's like a living organism, breathing and changing, and over time your relationship to it becomes like this incredible romance. At first it's intoxicating, irresistable, and then slowly it becomes comfortable and safe. You have this cellular connection to it, as if you've known each other forever, like your oldest happiness, and sometimes you're on the outs, and sometimes you're making up... and every now and then you catch yourself in this transcendent moment when you think to yourself, "Oh my God, I'm madly in love with you, and I always will be."

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8. A totally unrelated link

Muderize.com - Satire for a bitter generation

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Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe. -Jackie Mason