In the world of sports, if a team is on the bubble, it usually means that there is no guarantee that the team will get a postseason berth. The term can be applied to television as well, as networks decide which shows will be returning in the fall (and which ones won’t).

Variety tackled this subject…

Most of broadcast’s comedies and dramas are in the midst of plotting their year-end finales. But for producers who still don’t have a clue about the fate of their shows, that creates a conundrum.

Do you tie up loose ends, and shoot a de facto series finale, just in case it’s all over? Or do you leave the viewers wanting more via a big, messy cliffhanger in hopes that execs will find it more difficult to cut things off midstream?

This year, the producers behind ABC’s “Life on Mars” came up with a third option: Persuade the network to announce the show’s fate right now in order to at least go out with a bang.

“The producers were really pushing for it,” said ABC Entertainment exec VP Jeff Bader. “Based on the ratings the way they are now, it didn’t look like it would be back.

So the producers of “Life on Mars” saw the writing on the wall and pushed for a quick decision. Now they can wrap up the show appropriately.

The whole article is worth a read. It discusses how each network is handling certain shows and how some networks are splitting up shows to air in into either the fall or the spring, but not both. The article mentions “Heroes,” which may only get picked up for 18 to 20 episodes. Few shows can truly stay fresh and entertaining for a traditional, 26-episode season. The shorter the season, the less fat/filler there can be. (Usually.)

Another good show bites the dust.

Granted, I wouldn’t put “Life On Mars” on the same level as last season’s time-traveling seriees, “Journeyman,” but “Life On Mars” has (had) a stellar cast — Harvey Keitel, Jason O’Mara, Gretchen Mol, Michael Imperioli — and a great premise. It debuted to strong ratings (8.2) but in recent weeks, ratings fell to the 3.0-3.7 range, which simply aren’t good enough to justify the expensive cast and production. (Coincidentally, “Journeyman” had similar ratings at the end of its run.)

The show will complete its 17-episode freshman-season order with an episode written as a series finale, wrapping the loose story ends, explaining how Tyler was transported back in time and perhaps bringing him back to his own time.

The show was a remake of a popular U.K. series that ran just 16 episodes (as planned). U.S. networks tend to try to bleed a hit for all its worth instead of getting in and getting out. Sometimes it works (”The Office”) and in the case of “Life On Mars,” sometimes it doesn’t. It turns out that the U.S. version will run one more episode than the U.K. version, so let’s hope that the creators have ample time to wrap things up. It looks like they do.

Once the writer’s strike was over, the television industry got back to business with a vengeance, offering up quite a lot of high quality material…so much, in fact, that my TiVo is STILL loaded down with shows I just haven’t had the time to watch. Seriously, I’ve got three episodes of “My Boys” that I’ve been sitting on since July. There just aren’t enough hours in the day…and I’m a full-time TV critic, for God’s sake! But here’s at least some of the stuff that I dug and despised during the course of 2008…and sometime around 2012, maybe I can offer up a complete picture of 2009.

1. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS

No other sophomore series came roaring out of the gate like this one. Fears that the show had already jumped the shark by getting Leonard and Penny together were dismissing before the end of the second-season premiere, the addition of Sara Gilbert to the cast was an added bonus, and the suggestion that Sheldon is a sex object to physics geeks is almost too funny for words. Mark my words: this is the year that Jim Parsons earns his first Emmy nomination.

2. “30 Rock,” NBC
There’s no truth to the rumor that you can’t be a member of the Television Critics Association if you don’t like “30 Rock,” but, really, what’s not to like? Tina Fey is both gorgeous and hilarious, Alec Baldwin can’t open his mouth without getting a laugh, and, come to think of it, there’s really no-one in this ensemble who isn’t funny. So why do they keep bringing on all of these guest stars? Beats me. But since they incorporate them so well into the episodes, it’s hard to complain.

3. “Life on Mars,” ABC
When I did my 2008 Fall TV Preview, I hadn’t yet seen the pilot for this series, but if I had, it would’ve beaten out “Fringe” for the top spot on my list of new shows I was most excited about. Rising above its “based on a British series” origins, “Life on Mars” has one of the strongest casts on television (Jason O’Mara, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol, and Jonathan Murphy), a great premise (a police detective gets knocked unconscious in 2008 and wakes up in 1973), and – perhaps most impressively – managed to survive its network’s recent purge of quality dramas. For God’s sake, don’t let it go the way of “Pushing Daisies.” If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s not too late.

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So what do you say when a show is simply gone too soon? The “final” episode of “Journeyman” was a pretty fantastic exit for an ongoing piece of entertainment that was just getting started.

The episode opened with Dan having traveled to a mental hospital not to far in the past – only September of ’07. There he meets Evan, a man who claimed to be a fellow traveler. Of course, since he’s in the looney bin, his assertions are questionable. He tells Dan that he’s there to help him escape and meet up with a beautiful woman in a photograph. Evan also tells Dan that he no longer travels due to the meds he’s on, which literally keep him grounded. After some convincing, Dan provides a distraction, Evan escapes and Dan immediately travels back to the present. There he discovers Evan was killed shortly after his escape by jaywalking. So it’s back to September…

Meanwhile, Jack is busy causing a stink with Elliot Langley, trying anything he can to connect with the guy and get him to admit that he knows Dan and something about his travels. Katie is getting bad marital advice from her sister and Livia’s just plain getting married.

The story of Evan was a tragic thing of beauty. All he wanted was to reconnect – even if only for a moment – with the wife he sacrificed during his travels. He sacrificed their entire marriage so that she could live a full life, while it turned out that the time line wasn’t so kind to Evan: he was destined to die on the same day no matter what Dan and Livia did to try to help him.

In the episode’s final moments, Dan and Langley finally have a confrontation of sorts. Elliot admitted to not only knowing Dan, but also knowing a fair amount about what was going with him and that it would be dangerous to continue on with an acquaintance. He also told Dan that the “system” was breaking down and that he was the last traveler. Dan replied, rather Yodaishly, “No, there’s another one.” He of course was speaking of Livia. He then went home to Katie and stood his ground, saying that even though through meds he too felt he could ground himself, that it wasn’t that path he wanted to choose. Rather ironic and sad that while the character of Dan Vassar chose to continue traveling, NBC is the meds that are going to keep him from doing so.

Is “Perfidia” an appropriate ending for “Journeyman?” Well, it wasn’t ideal and certainly had that feeling that there was plenty more story to tell, but since it’s the only ending we’re likely to get, it served its function and didn’t leave viewers hanging in any major way. One of the great little moments of the piece was Dan seeing himself traveling for the first time in the cab. It’d sure be great if someone would greenlight a “Journeyman” miniseries to give a proper ending to the story, although that’s highly unlikely.

It’s all beginning to feel a bit anticlimactic, isn’t it? Oh, not to imply that the show’s going downhill for its two-part finale, but rather the knowing that this is probably “it.” Good thing NBC found a place on the schedule for 1.13 as this would’ve been a dreadful place to stop.

In some ways, “The Hanged Man” was the strongest episode of “Journeyman” yet, because its premise was so simple and, at the same time, so powerful. What’s a time traveler to do when a minor mistake in the past erases one of the most important people in his life in the present – and replaces them with someone of equal value? That’s what Dan had to face when he discovered upon returning from a mission that his son, Zack, had been erased from existence and replaced with a daughter. And of course the timeline had changed to accommodate the rewrite for everyone else as well, including Katie, who was aghast at the idea that Dan might try to take away their daughter and replace her with a son she never knew. And Dan will now live the haunting memory of a daughter he only knew for a day and was responsible for “killing.”

Here’s the strongest example yet of Dan’s awareness of the changing timelines, while the rest of world is unable to see the major shifts in the world around them. And it’s a huge shame because through this episode it’s become all too obvious the lengths to which this series could go if only it got a chance to do so. The character of the psychic was also a noteworthy addition, because she was present and serving the same function in both timelines. And of course she dropped a major doozy when she spoke of Dan’s birthdate and how it tied into his special abilities – and that Livia’s birthdate was also special. And exactly how does a genuine, functioning psychic play into the “Journeyman” storyline?

In the end, Dan went to see Elliott Langley (Tom Everett) and we were left with a massive cliffhanger as Langley refused to speak with Dan and claimed to not even know who he was. Timey-wimey? Or just plain subterfuge? I guess we’ll find something out on Wednesday night, but whatever it is, I doubt seriously that it’s going to be a proper end to this series. We’re going to be left dangling with promises of what will never be.

That’s what the Hollywood Reporter would have you believe. Fortunately, however, we figured it’d be best to get the status of the show from the man who created it in the first place, so we dropped a line to Kevin Falls and asked if the series still had a pulse.

Will–

It’s not getting a back nine this year, but then I don’t know if any show will. It will be interesting to see if they let the actors go. They usually hold onto them for awhile. I would say life support is an apt description. But we do get to air our last two shows and it’s only going to make people more upset. They’re really good, “Journeyman” at its best.

So there you go.

Granted, as the show’s creator, it’s to be expected that Falls would be more optimistic than most…but, then, as a man who’s been around the TV block a few times, he knows the reality of the business, so let’s just do the equivalent of sitting by the patient’s bedside and keep tuning in for these next two episodes. After all, resuscitation still remains a possibility ’til the plug has officially been pulled.

Christmas episodes of most any series seem required to deliver a case of the warm fuzzy-wuzzies, and “Home by Another Way” was no exception. It also covered the loss of employment at the most critical time of the year, and by doing it through the newspaper business – a notorious high wire act as of late – it managed to make something of a statement. A third, almost minor storyline involved Livia being dragged away from a date back in the year 1948. Probably the episode’s greatest achievement is how it effortlessly strings together all of these elements as if they were lights on a tidy little tree.

Early on, Hugh informs Dan that the publisher of the paper is cutting 25% of the writing staff before the end of the fiscal year. Turns out Dan’s a casualty (seemingly due in part to the publisher’s awareness that his work hasn’t been up to snuff as of late). Before he knows it, the flash occurs and he’s back in 1979 – Christmas Eve, at the paper and a party is in full swing. He isn’t sure why he’s there though. Two events are going to occur within the next 24 hours: the paper’s publisher (the father of the guy in the present) will die before the night’s over under mysterious circumstances and also Dan’s father will leave his family on Christmas Day. Both men are of course at the party and Dan isn’t sure which is his mission. Enter Livia, looking stunning in a long, red dress.

Back in the present, Katie - with some help from Jack - is trying desperately to prepare a nice Christmas evening for family and friends while battling the ghost of Aeden Bennett, as well as Dan and Jack’s mother. Mom puts a pretty fine point on it when she tells Katie that no matter what her current marriage and child may mean, she hurt Jack once upon a time and she’s not about to forget that. Of all the elements in this episode, Grandma was probably the least effective and most clichéd.

Dan shows up briefly in the present – just long enough to enlist Jack’s help in discovering the details of the publisher’s death back in ’79. When he returns to the swingin’ party, he gets into a tiff with the son who will someday be his publisher, only for dad to dress down son in front of the entire gathering. And of course there was also the B-plot of Dan dealing with his father and trying to convince him that maybe he shouldn’t leave his wife and kids the next morning. And in the present Jack has found out his girlfriend in preggers, and in the past Dan discovers Livia’s got a guy back in the ‘40s.

Writing about “Journeyman” has become quite the task. Every time I sit down to recap, it becomes all the more apparent how well done the show is, given how many elements there are in every episode, and how they typically gel into something fairly easy to follow. In the end, Dan managed to save everyone’s jobs at the paper and also to convince his Dad to at least tell his sons that his leaving isn’t their fault. It’s great how the show manages to allow Dan to retain the knowledge of the timelines he alters; in the “new” present, Jack has a vivid memory of their father saying goodbye and telling them he felt like a freak in his own household. “Home by Another Way” was something of a calm before what will likely be next week’s two-part storm.

Here we are – two episodes away from what may be the end of “Journeyman”…or a pretty strong beginning.

Given that the TV season generally runs from September to May, it always feels a little strange doing a year-end wrap-up of the best in television, since you end up bringing in bits and pieces from two separate seasons. Still, between the second half of the 2006 – 2007 season and the first half of the 2007 – 2008 season, we’ve certainly been given plenty of material to work with. Six of our most prolific TV writers have provided their opinions of both the best and the worst that the small screen has had to offer, and while they do occasionally concur on a show, it’s a safe bet that no two people on the Bullz-Eye staff have identical season pass lists on TiVo.

Head over to the homepage by clicking here, but don’t forget to swing back by to offer your own opinions!

Ain’t It Cool News got the scoop, but we’re not complaining: we’re just happy to hear the news that NBC will indeed be airing Episode 12 of “Journeyman.”

Here’s what their missive from show creator / executive Kevin Falls said:

Journeyman Fans–

Kevin Falls

Awesome news. Now, let’s all tune in for every one of these last episodes, shall we?

For anyone who’s been following the past week’s off-screen “Journeyman” drama – much of which was inspired by our own Will Harris’ interview with creator Kevin Falls – this week’s episode probably packed an even bigger punch than usual. It was written by Falls himself, which alone seemed to rack the tension up above the norm. I wondered how many people may have tuned in for the first time last night after possibly hearing about the show this week? Or how many newbies may have tuned in because a friend made them watch it?

Even being the second half of a two-parter, the action felt fairly standalone once you realized the danger present in the form of Aeden Bennett, who shows up and promptly shoots Dan in the kitchen. But then Dan disappears…

He finds himself in 1980 at the house of a child. The promos pretty much gave away the identity of the child (a young Bennett) and while Dan wrestles with what he assumes is an abuse situation, back in the present, Bennett concocts a scheme to get Katie to the house.

Again, the show skillfully weaved back and forth between past and present and I think this is an episode that would come across even stronger on a repeat viewing. Back in ’80, Dan (still bleeding) makes it to a hospital and Livia appears to get him through that hurdle. There’s a tender scene between the pair in which she asserts that without her initial presence in his life, he and Katie would not be together, therefore, they’re “meant to be.” I’m wondering if Livia wasn’t jumping the gun a little there, because without Katie, the current Dan/Livia dynamic might not be as tight either. To quote Doctor Who’s “Blink” episode, “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey…”

Another great moment – Jack finally saw Livia! So no more can Jack be in the dark as to what’s going on. He’s in the time travel loop, so to speak. And what of Agent Garrity (Paul Schulze), who was also shot and seemingly killed by Bennett? Was that swept under the carpet or what? Is the guy still alive somewhere? I’m sticking with “if there wasn’t a dead body at the end, then he isn’t dead,” until I see differently. And is/was he indeed operating as a rogue FBI agent as Dan’s boss, Hugh (Brian Howe) seemed to discover? And isn’t a pizza sandwich about the nastiest thing you’ve ever heard of?

“Journeyman’s” taking next week off (I’ll still be here though, blogging Sci Fi’s “Tin Man” miniseries), but it will be back on Dec. 10th with Episode 11, “Home by Another Way.” Will that be all we’re going to get if NBC can’t find a place for 12 on the schedule? Hopefully, with all the commotion this week, NBC will figure out a way to play fair for all the fans. At this point they’d be silly not to. And who knows – we may even get a back 9 order within the next few weeks.

…but they’ve done wonders for followers of “Chuck” and “Life,” having announced the pick-up of full-season orders for both of those shows.

Of course, it’s almost certainly not a coincidence that both series are the sole property of NBC-Universal…unlike, say, “Journeyman.” Mind you, it doesn’t bode well for the future of “Bionic Woman,” given that that show is also the sole property of NBC-Universal but hasn’t gotten such a pick-up yet; it also isn’t terribly surprising, either, given the creative struggles the series has gone through. (Who would’ve thought that a concept as simple as that of a bionic woman, especially one which has already existed for a couple of decades, would prove so difficult to update for current TV audiences?)

What is surprising about the NBC press release to announce the lengthened lifespan of “Chuck and “Life,” though, is the included quote from Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

“‘Chuck’ and ‘Life’ stand out in a crowded TV landscape because they are smart, well-produced series with incredibly talented casts. Both shows are hitting their stride creatively, have developed loyal audiences and offer unlimited potential to grow throughout the season.”

Wow. Uh, that slapping sound you just heard was Silverman’s hand striking the actors and producers involved with “Journeyman” and “Bionic Woman.” Ouch. Surely there was some other way to praise those series without making it sound like the network’s other new shows are sub-par.

While I’m psyched that so many outlets have opted - either directly or indirectly - to pick up my interview with “Journeyman” creator Kevin Falls…

* Ain’t It Cool News
* Sci-Fi Wire
* TV Squad
* Abject Conjecture
* Slice of Sci-Fi
* All the Billion Other Moments
* Adventures in a Strange Land
* Televisionary
* The Moving Picture
* Life on the Bubble
* TV Tattle
* The Potato Report
* The TV Remote
* TV Is My Pacifier
* Supernatural News
* Dragon World
* SyFy Portal
* Unreality TV

…I’m a little disappointed that several of them - and I’m not naming names here - have avoided mention of Falls’ repeated comments that the series can still be saved and, instead, have opted to steer toward the suggestion that Episode 12 will be the last episode…if, in fact, it even airs.

Watch tonight at 10 PM, immediately after “Heroes,” and for the next two Mondays in the same timeslot. The show ain’t gone yet, but to use unabashed and blatant blackmail, if you don’t watch, it will be soon.

Paul Levinson, fellow TV blogger and the man behind the appropriately-named Paul Levinson’s Infinite Regress, is doing his part to inspire viewers to tune in to tonight’s new “Journeyman” episode by offering up a copy of his own time-travel novel, The Plot to Save Socrates, to the first person who can correctly answer his trivia question about the episode. (And FYI, even without the contest, there’s a lot of good reading to be had over at Paul’s site, so go check it out when you get the chance.)

If the only names that catch your eye during a television show’s opening credits are those of the actors, you probably aren’t aware that Kevin Falls is the creator and an executive producer (not to mention show runner) of NBC’s “Journeyman.” And if that’s the case, then you almost certainly wouldn’t have been aware that he’s also had a hand in “Sports Night,” “Arli$$,” “The West Wing,” “The Lyon’s Den,” “North Shore,” and “Shark” over the years as well. Given recent rumblings that Falls’ current gig isn’t nearly as secure as “Journeyman” fans would prefer, I jumped into action to give the show as much publicity as possible, starting with an attempt to secure an interview with the man who created the series. Things fell into place quickly, but after the established time of our conversation came and went, I got a little antsy. I needn’t have worried: Falls readily set up a new time for us to chat, and within moments of getting on the line, he had launched into an apology for the delay.

Bullz-Eye: Hello?

Kevin Falls: (Laughs) Hey, Will!

BE: Hey!

KF: I’m all yours! I’m so sorry about yesterday; there was a communication breakdown, and it was my fault. I just totally dropped the ball, so I apologize. But how are you?

BE: I’m doing good. How are you?

KF: Good!

BE: I think we met for about two seconds back in July, at the TCA Press Tour.

KF: Oh, right! I met a lot of people, but I think I do vaguely remember you. But it’s been a wild couple of months!

BE: I’m sure! Well, I’ll start off with some specific questions about the show before I move into the inevitable writer’s strike questions.

KF: Sure! And, hey, I checked out your site today, and it’s really cool! It’s kind of like a “Maxim”-styled website!

BE: Yeah, that’s usually the point of reference we give people, to kind of sum it up in a nutshell.

KF: Hey, man, that’s where I wanna live!

BE: Yeah, the bikini girls pay the bills, but they give us the opportunity to do whatever pop culture stuff we want to tackle on the site.

KF: That’s great! Well, I was flattered that you guys put us in your TV Power Rankings. That was a shot in the arm, and we really appreciated it.

BE: Absolutely. We love the show. Ross (Ruediger) is our resident blogger for the show, but there are several fans among the writing staff, including myself.

KF: Great. Well, that’s nice. Thanks!

BE: Well, when I was at the panel for “Journeyman” back in July, one of the big points of discussion was the comparison to “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” which led you to pointedly declare for the record that you’d absolutely never read the book… (Laughs) …but did those comparisons finally start to die down once critics actually had a chance to watch the show beyond the pilot?

KF: Yeah, I think once they started watching it…you know, certainly, early on, actually, when the issue was more of the domestic problem of time traveling and its impact on the marriage, I think we kind started there ‘cause we wanted it to start with how it would feel to a family, and then get into more of the mythology of it. But once we got deeper into it, all that stuff fell away. And the “Quantum Leap” (comparison) hung around for awhile, and then that fell away, and it seemed like everybody kind of realized it was its own show.

BE: So were you indeed influenced by any specific shows, or just kind of the concept of time travel in general?

KF: No, the whole genesis of the idea came from my agent. Every spring, I would meet with my agent, and he would ask, “What are you going to do for pilot season?” And I said, “I don’t know. I’m just out of ideas.” (Laughs) I didn’t want to a law show or a cop show, and I just didn’t know what to do. And he said, “How about trying something different and breaking into a new genre?” And that’s how we got into time travel. I’ve seen movies I’ve liked, like Malcolm McDowell in…what was that movie called?

BE: “Time After Time”!

KF: Yeah, “Time After Time,” which I thought was really good. And some other shows. And my brothers were the sci-fi geeks in my house, and I was always impressed but never converted. It was, like, my brothers were always smarter than me, so I felt like, “Okay, these guys get it, but I’m not worthy,” y’know? But I’ve always been someone who likes to do things over, whether it’s a bad date or a job or a rewrite. Whatever. But I’m definitely one of those guys who likes to look in the rear view mirror a lot.

BE: Okay, I should probably warn you that some of these questions might come off as a little disjointed, since they’re coming from a couple of different writers.

KF: No problem. I’m in a car on the L.A. freeway.

BE: So you’ve got all the time in the world, then.

KF: Yeah. And I don’t have a job at the moment. So it’s perfect.

BE: Well, there you go. Okay, so what challenges does the time travel part of the show present as far as story and continuity, and how do you go about tackling them?

Read the rest of this entry »

I wondered some time ago when Dan would botch his first job. While he didn’t necessarily screw up this week’s mission, he certainly went off on a tangent that’s going to haunt him next week (and maybe even beyond.)

For the second time in two weeks, Dan traveled into one hell of a party scene – only this time it was an early-90’s rave (boy, did that take me back…). Amidst the club kids dosing on ecstasy and acid, he sees Livia – but it’s Livia from ’92! When he asks her what they’re doing there, she’s blissed out and doesn’t even recognize him. Once he realizes that this a version of Livia that’s never even met him, he moves on to do his token sleuthing. He notices a brick wall that seems unstable due to the thumping rave beats. He quite easily knocks a few bricks out of place and sees a young girl on the other side.

Afterwards, it becomes clear (at least to Livia and the viewer) that the mission is to protect the young girl, Emily, who grows up to be played by Indigo of “Weeds”. It’s Dan’s job to keep her on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, back in the present, Zack is acting up both at home and at school. In one of the episode’s biggest leaps of faith, we’re asked to believe that Dan in turn acts out on his mission because of the way his son is acting up.

Anyway, Dan becomes convinced that this creepy realtor who holed up Emily will strike again. He enlists Jack in the present in his quest to put this guy away. Livia repeatedly warns him not play outside the Journeyman rulebook. He ignores her by insisting that he can do his mission and right this other wrong as well. He seemingly accomplishes both, but it all comes back to bite him in the ass in the episode’s final moments. In the present, the timeline has been altered: Jack has no memories of helping Dan and the creepy realtor guy has been released from prison and knows where Dan and his family live.

If it all sounds confusing, that’s because my recap didn’t do the episode justice. It played out in as uncomplicated a manner as one could imagine and delivered a true time travel mind fuck ending (although, admittedly, I kinda saw it coming). But certainly critics of the series who wonder about screwing things up in the past and the consequences they might have on the present should feel better after this episode. And the previews for next week – which showed Livia revealing herself to Jack – make “Journeyman’s” future look quite bright indeed.

And no – I’m not speaking of ratings…according to AICN, the show is on the precipice of cancellation (click here for this tidbit).

Keep an eye out here at Premium Hollywood for Will Harris’ upcoming interview with “Journeyman” creator Kevin Falls.

It was odd enough for “Journeyman” to cast John Schneider as the host of a ‘70s swingers key party…but to cast him in the part for only one scene? (Granted, I believe it was his voice that showed up later on the phone, but still…) What’s the deal with Bo Duke anyway? He’s going to be showing up on “Nip/Tuck” this season as a rather affluent porno empire owner as well. Isn’t this the guy who used to be squeaky clean and promoted family values and the like? Has Pa Kent finally realized that working in Rome requires doing as the Romans do? (Perhaps Kevin McKidd gave him some tips about working in “Rome”?) Not that I’m complaining. Schneider’s paid his dues — I say let him swing and peddle smut. You’ll get no complaints from me.

But Schneider the swinger wasn’t the real bomb dropped this week: Livia is from 1948! Her entire relationship with Dan was a fluke. I didn’t see that one coming, did you? Just when I thought I was starting to figure them out… And the mysterious Dr. Langley showed up again, and again he said nothing, but seemed to know everything. Actually he did indicate that the government had a very keen interest in his work, and that Dan needed to be careful in that regard. (He certainly wasn’t surprised by Dan disappearance.) But Dan’s getting it from all sides at this point, isn’t he? It’s starting to seem like Dan’s only comfort zone is when he’s traveling. Back home the FBI’s breathing down his neck about the Dylan McLeen stash — which he got rid of at least some of in this episode. Actually, that wasn’t entirely clear: did he give all the money to the girl, or just some of it? If not, then where’s the rest? And then there was a matter of a certain $20 bill from the present that looked counterfeit in the past that’s haunting him as well. And how exactly did Jack end up with that in the last scene? I expect to a big turnaround where Jack’s concerned here shortly. He was more for his bro than ever before this week.

After the intensity of last week, this was clearly a transitional/setup episode, designed to spin the action around in another direction for the last third of the known season. There’s been so much talk of new series getting the axe because of the writer’s strike and it wouldn’t surprise me if “Journeyman” ended up being a casualty. On the other hand, the optimist in me is thinking that there’s a lot of paranoia going on, and the networks would be silly to just cancel all the new shows at this point. It’s only been a week since this thing started and it’s already ballooning up into the end of TV as we know it! NBC needs to start rerunning “Journeyman” over from the beginning after this run completes. Or have a marathon. Or something. Many people simply didn’t get into this show and this point would likely be confused if they tried. But if the nets don’t have any other product, it’s something they should consider. I know there’s a bigger audience out there for this show than the ratings system is showing and I’m surprised by how frequently I discover people watching it that I never would have guessed would be into such a show.

NBC may not be King of the Nielsen Ratings just yet, but we know good television when we see it, and the Peacock has returned in full force with a dominating presence that includes the top three shows and five of the top six. HBO, on the other hand, is experiencing the opposite, with the departure of “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome.” Add to that the fact that our list features a whopping 10 new entries — five of which are freshmen — and you’ve got one heck of a Power Rankings shakeup. Much of this has to do with so many shows being on hiatus until next year, but whatever the cause, it’s nice to see some much-needed change to a usually familiar lineup. And, hey, don’t miss the list of our favorite shows which are currently on hiatus (and are therefore ineligible for the Top-20), our farewell to “The Sopranos,” and our stable of Honorable Mentions.

Check out the list here, then come back and let us know how we did…or if we missed any of your favorites!

Last week I bemoaned sweeps; this week I am grateful for them. This was easily the best episode since the pilot. The entire mythology of the series cranked up about 3 notches.

In 1999 Dan saved the life of a man who was set to testify against a gang, and in the process made his 1999 self a target of the same gang. So instead of his typical bouncing around from time to time in an episode, he’s forced to stay in one night to save himself – and his future marriage and child – with Livia aiding him for the evening.

What struck me as most noteworthy about this episode was the notion that Dan and Livia are far more suited to each other at this point than Dan and Katie. They understand one another and their lives have far more in common at this point than his “real” life, which is progressively becoming harder and harder to maintain. Katie would like to get back into the TV News game, but how can she with a child and the knowledge that Dan might disappear in a flash? Dan’s weekly assignments are to right the wrongs the timeline has massed up; what if “Journeyman” as a concept is all about righting the biggest wrongs of all? The loss of Dan and Livia’s relationship and the loss of Jack and Katie’s? For the first time in the series, I really, really liked Livia and she truly seemed to have Dan’s best interest at heart, especially in the scene where she ended up in the present, in his bedroom closet next to the moneybag – all while Katie and Jack argue footsteps away. What if Katie and Jack are actually supposed to be together? As was even demonstrated at the beginning of the episode, Jack possesses the potential to be a much better father than Dan is even capable of being at the moment. Jack’s a good man who simply doesn’t know what’s going on (although he’s getting much closer with each passing episode).

There’s something in “Doctor Who” called the Blinovitch Limitation Effect that posits “a dangerous energy discharge will result if two temporal versions of the same person come into contact”. I thought about this immediately when Dan kicked his own ass in ’99. Had this happened in “Who”, the universe would’ve exploded. Not that “Journeyman” is under any obligation to play by other time travel rules, but it was interesting to note that he was able to beat the crap out of his drunken ’99 self without too much fallout – well, um – other than screwing up his timeline anyway. The rest of the story saw Dan being forced to take the place of his ’99 self in a card game and thus he falls back into a night of gambling and drinking, all set to The Verve’s “Lucky Man”. The entire sequence punctuated by the arrival of ’99 Katie was the episode highlight.

But the FBI are closing in and next week things will get even stickier. Yes, the promise of this series is being delivered. By the way, “Journeyman” supposedly has 13 episodes in the can or at least nearing completion. No more have been ordered at the moment, but we should be good through at least the end of the year, what with the writer’s strike and all. I’m sure at the moment, studios aren’t placing season orders for anything.

This week’s installment of “Journeyman” was really hard to follow. There was so much going on, from pretty much every angle of the series as presented thus far, that unless you’ve been following the show from week to week, you’d have no idea what was going on. Yes, faithful viewers, the series has finally entered “The Continuity Zone.”

And that’s fine, because a series with a setup like this needs to go down these roads sooner rather than later. What’s frustrating is that the questions an average viewer has aren’t being answered: What’s Livia’s function?; Who’s behind Dan’s travels?; Is Dan restricted to traveling within the last 30 or so years?

The biggest problem with this episode was that it attempted to do so many things at once, and as a result left something of a hole in its core theme: The relationships between brothers. Dan found himself dealing with two brothers in the past that echoed the current gap in his relationship with his own brother, Jack. Aside from that, we saw references to the money stash last week, Katie trying to reignite her TV anchor career – which seems inexplicably ballsy given the life she’s been thrust into, and the assertion from a genius that time travel isn’t even possible. What does it all mean?

I did a little surfing and found an interview with creator Kevin Falls that was conducted last week. Go check it out by clicking here and then come back and see what I have to say.

Kevin Falls said: “Alex Graves and I are two guys who don’t believe in time travel, but we have a great respect for that genre.”

This hit me harder than anything else in the interview. Only the most involved of scientists and theorists are qualified to comment on the possibility of time travel, but I think the reason the genre survives is because of the romance that surrounds the premise. Why, as a showrunner, would you point out that you don’t even believe in the basis of your series? Do you at least believe in it insofar as the concept of the series allows? In qualifying your disbelief, does that inform viewers as to what they should expect as the series moves forward? I may be reading too much into Falls’ statement, but I can’t help but wonder what it means for “Journeyman” as a whole.

Kevin Falls said: “I think we owe it to the audience to find who Livia is, and who Dan is. I mean they were dating, and they are time travelers - why those two? That’s what we’re going to address in sweeps. You’ll know by episode 9, or actually 7 or 8 who Livia is. Then we’ll get into Langley and who he is up until episode 12, then god willing, towards the end of the season we’ll get into what this is all about in a global sense.”

So there’s a plan – a plan that involves the numerous elements we’ve been exposed to thus far. The Livia questions could be answered within the next two episodes. Langley, as I predicted, will be a major force. This is all great to know ahead of time, because there’s nothing worse than investing time in a series that ultimately fails to deliver. But frankly, statements about sweeps give me the cold shivers, even though I understand that’s how showrunners have to think.

Kevin Falls said: “I never watched ‘Quantum Leap’. I read the first 50 pages of ‘Time Traveler’s Wife’… “

Despite my constant comparisons to “Quantum Leap”, this doesn’t surprise me. But I think Falls and Graves could learn a lot by going back and checking out old episodes of THE series that did something of the same oh so successfully. My biggest criticisms thus far of “Journeyman” have been that I feel uninvested in Dan’s journeys outside of how they affect Dan and those close to him. Dan needs to be affected by those he comes into contact with and his journeys should mean more to him than “Another week, another leap”. That was always something “Quantum Leap” excelled at: You felt the weight of the travels on Sam Beckett’s shoulders.

Oh, don’t get me wrong – I love “Journeyman”, but you’ll not find a more critical time travel devotee than the guy who’s trying to guide you on these journeys [i.e. me]. When all is said and done, I expect this show will deliver, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried that it might not. Luckily, Falls seems to indicate that NBC loves the series, so here’s to hoping that they continue to stay behind it.

Last week’s “Journeyman” preview made this week look like it was going to be a heavy drama piece about Dan and his son, Zack. Turns out what was shown in that preview was mostly this week’s pre-credits sequence. Gotta love those marketing guys. Zack did play a bigger part than usual, but I’ll get to that later.

This was the first episode to really begin complicating things (well, not counting the pilot anyway) and at least a half a dozen noteworthy developments occurred throughout the hour. All of a sudden Dan’s actions from last week — running around a city street in a tux and brandishing a handgun — come back to haunt him when a police officer shows up at their door asking questions related to a robbery that night. Of course Dan isn’t home – he’s busy trippin’, so Katie’s forced to deal with the law.

Dan’s mission this time centers around a Vietnam soldier, a Cambodian refugee and his attempts to bring the two back together. It was a moving story and one of “Journeyman’s” more complex outings as far as this aspect of the series goes. So far, Dan has yet to fail, but I’m wondering, how long can this last? Surely he’ll sooner or later somehow botch a mission? Livia told him a few episodes back that he needed to get hold of some older currency for spending in the past. Thanks to this mission, Dan acquired a huge stash of ‘70s-era dough, so he oughtta be set for at least the rest of the season, if not the series itself. Speaking of the ‘70s, so far Dan’s journeys have been restricted to points in his lifetime (much like “Quantum Leap”) although I’m not sure it’s been qualified that these eras are the only times to which he can travel. Also, Dan first trip this time dropped into a foreign country, right? That’s a first. (Please feel free to correct me on any of this.)

And what is the deal with Livia, anyway? This dame always manages to show up at just the right time when he’s traveling about, and yet her function remains mostly a mystery. Perhaps Dan is so caught up in this new life that he doesn’t yet want to ask too many questions, or rather press her too hard for info. In 1976, Dan also met up with his father (the ‘70s-era newsroom was a scream!), who ran out him when he was Zack’s age, which mirrored Dan’s relationship with Zack in this installment. But now Zack knows of his daddy’s “magic”, which was a nice touch for the ending. Speaking of the ‘70s, I noticed ads for both “Jaws” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on the sides of buses, which was a nice diversion from the show’s usual marking of eras through music and fashion sense. (The “Rocky Horror” one went by so fast I almost thought I imagined it.)

But for my viewing pleasure, the episode’s greatest scene was when Elliot Langley (Tom Everett) showed up at the paper. This is the professor Dan contacted last week to find out more about tachyons – the guy who knew his father. The scene was as nebulous as it was tense, and said a lot while saying nothing at all. Is this guy good or evil or somewhere in between? Is it possible he’s even got something to do with Dan’s trips? Dan did talk to him on the phone in the ‘80s in last week’s episode, which is referenced here and then the two move on. I wish I had a transcript of their conversation because it was fascinating, and really amped up the sci-fi aspects of the show. This guy’s gonna be a big factor in the coming weeks.

That’s assuming we get to. “Journeyman’s” ratings haven’t been stellar and I’m not sure it’s building an audience (but I don’t think it’s steadily losing viewers either). Luckily it’s on NBC, the network which has been giving good shows more of a chance to build in recent years. If the show can just make it through season one and then get that season out on DVD, it should be flyin’ high. This isn’t a show about huge developments like its lead-in, “Heroes”. “Journeyman” is a quiet little series that is proving to require patience for payoff.

Finally, last week I called the ubiquitous cafe “SoLuna”. It’s just plain “Cafe Luna”…but there is a Mexican eatery a few blocks from my house called SoLuna, just so you know where I was coming from.