On Thursday, I sat in on a conference call with Lucy Lawless about "Vampire Bats," a CBS movie she's co-starring in. It was not heavily attended. In these calls, you punch in a code to get in line to ask a question; I punched in well after other people had had a chance, so things would be rolling before I began talking, and still ended up second in line. The reporter who was first in line sounded very surprised to be there. And while such calls start with a warning that you should ask one question and one follow-up, it was possible to ask a bit more — since it was clear there weren't many people waiting, and Lawless's conversational style pretty much invited more back-and-forth.

I did the conference call mainly because I needed a few quotes for a TV-book cover I'm doing on the movie, but also because Lawless is well known among TV critics as a good sport. The sense of humor that was evident in "Xena" is there in real life,too, and it's good to have one, since she still has to deal with "Xena" questions even though she moved on years ago.

The press conference had its serious spots: "Vampire Bats" was shot in the New Orleans area at first, but the production team had to flee as Hurricane Katrina belted the area; Lawless was shaken by the experience and saddened by the devastation.

But there were also lighter times. Praising "Vampire Bats," Lawless sounded as if she was less fond of "Locusts," the earlier movie in which she played the same character. When I asked if that was the case, she began an answer that felt like a struggle to be tactful — then just laughed and told me not to box her in.

I thought one of her most interesting answers came when asked about Brett Butler. The former "Grace Under Fire" star has a small role in "Vampire Bats," and it looks as if she is lining up more onscreen work. Lawless said she hoped that "Vampire Bats" will be "a coming-out party" for Butler, leading to more roles.

"She was such a pleasure," Lawless said. "What a good woman." She said that Butler had been a hero of hers. "She and Roseanne showed that big girls can make it," Lawless said, adding that both women were smart and funny — and "dangerous." You got the feeling that Lawless would like to be thought of in the same way.

Also, for those you wondering who writes this stuff, I have posted a biography. Just click on "About Beacon TV."

This arrived in today's e-mail, from NBC:

"Weekend Update" co-anchor Tina Fey will return to her post as fake news anchor this Saturday on "Saturday Night Live" (live on NBC, 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM).

Fey, who had been on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter Alice on September 10, rejoins partner Amy Poehler on the show's signature news parody segment. 

"I had to get back to work … NBC has me under contract; the baby and I only have a verbal agreement," quipped Fey.

The October 22 episode will also feature Academy Award(r) winner Catherine Zeta-Jones as host and music from hot Scottish band Franz Ferdinand.

And why is this good news? Because Weekend Update without Fey has been really lame. No knock on Horatio Sanz, who was filling in with Poehler, but he has not been well served as an anchor. Poehler and Fey fit together very well.

In fact, the show generally has been less than dazzling in recent weeks, which makes me suspect Fey has not been much of a presence in the writers' room, either. The show can be up-and-down within a season as well as from one season to the next, and this fall has mostly been down.

I was looking at an upcoming re-release of "Sex and the City" on DVD when I noticed a significant change in one episode. Samantha, a social outcast after a prominent matron caught her with the matron's husband, redeemed herself by making contact with John F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy himself did not appear in the episode, being presented instead as a figure in a shining light; it was a funny little bit.

But we all know that Kennedy came to a sad end, and "Sex and the City" took that into consideration. Kennedy's name was later edited out of the episode, and Leonardo DiCaprio's substituted. It's the revised version that is preserved on DVD.

And it made me cranky.

TV shows on DVD should preserve the programs as they were first shown. They often do not, notably by substituting music from the original telecasts, or by distributing episodes as they were edited for syndication, which means that shows have been trimmed to make room for more commercials. The "Sex and the City" cut is another way of reshaping a show for the historical record, and one that makes the series less a part of the time in which it was made.

Should the show also, then, take out all references to designers and shoemakers from the show's heyday, replacing them with chic names of the current moment? Should Leo's name now give way to a shinier, younger actor?

The following comes from the folks at the Parents Television Council, and I pass it on for your information. I'll have a few comments after the release.

The Parents Television Council announced its choices for the Top Ten Best and Worst Shows for family viewing on prime time broadcast television for the 2005-2006 season and found that the top three worst shows for families – The War at Home, The Family Guy, and American Dad – are packaged as family shows.

“We provide this analysis as a guide for parents because it’s very difficult to monitor all the shows that are appropriate for family viewing and those that are not,” said L. Brent Bozell, president of the PTC.  “We were alarmed to find that the three worst shows on prime time broadcast television are being marketed as family-friendly when, in fact, these shows are none other than wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

…

This analysis is the PTC’s ninth ranking of the best and worst series on broadcast television from the perspective of family audiences.  The lists are ranked based on the content of the program and the appropriateness of the show for children.  The criterion for this annual ranking includes not only the frequency of foul language, sexual content and violence but also the time slot, target audience, themes and plotlines of the programs.

The Top Ten Best and Worst Shows for family viewing on prime time broadcast television are:

BEST                                                              WORST

Me again: I do have to say that any careful viewer should know by now that Fox's comedies should be considered edgy and targeted at adults unless proven otherwise, and that "Family Guy" has never pretended to be a family show.

Also, it's interesting that PTC could not come up with a 10th best show for families. No love for "Everwood"? "Gilmore Girls"? "Veronica Mars"? "The Amazing Race" — hey, it's having a family edition right now (which one of my colleagues refers to as "the Disney version" of "Amazing Race.")

A couple of calls have come in this morning from people wanting to donate books to a library that "Three Wishes" helped set up in Mineral City. (I have a story about it in today's Beacon Journal, which you should be able to see here.)

It made me feel good about going to the library opening, and writing the story. Sure, the big credit goes to Nicole Donant, the girl whose work inspired "Three Wishes," and to "Three Wishes" itself. But I'm happy for my small role.

I admit that I choked up a smidge when Nicole arrived at the library, greeted by camera crews and hundreds of well-wishers, many of whom had been standing the sun for hours. (As I went in the library later, Amy Grant smiled and said, "Enjoy the shade.")

It was a made-for-TV event, as I describe in the story, with orchestration and retakes along the way, but it still had a good purpose and a happy ending. A TV cameraman I chatted with said he was happy to be covering the story, too, that it was a nice change from crime and death.

One of the landmarks in local TV history will be celebrated yet again, as the following release from Cleveland's WEWS (Channel 5) reveals. I wonder if Don Webster will dip into his fabulous turtleneck collection — or even buy a new one.

NewsChannel 5 announces a special, one-night-only return of Upbeat, hosted by Don Webster, on Saturday, October 29^th through a live concert at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  The concert will be simulcast on WEWS NewsChannel 5 from 8:00pm-9:00pm on October 29^th, sponsored by Westfield Insurance.

Scheduled to appear are: Martha Reeves (Heatwave,) Ron Dante of The Archies (Sugar, Sugar,) Billy Preston (Nothing from Nothing,) Terry Sylvester of The Hollies (The Air that I Breathe,) Nelson (Love and Affection,) Eddie Holman (Hey There Lonely Girl,) Andy Kim (Rock Me Gently,)  Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad (Some Kind of Wonderful,) Candi Staton (Young Hearts Run Free,) Joey Molland from Badfinger (Come and Get It,) and Michael Stanley (He Can’t Love You.)  Don Webster, the original host of Upbeat will host the event.

From 1964-1971, the WEWS studios were home to Upbeat, one of America’s premier television shows.  The weekly music program, hosted by Don Webster, featured a host of superstars, up-and-comers, and one-hit-wonders.  From the first TV appearance of Simon and Garfunkel, to the last by Otis Redding, virtually every major rock, soul, jazz, country and pop artist performed on Upbeat.

The Upbeat concert is serving as a benefit for Partners for Potential, a local charity which seeks to assist the most promising urban youth, grades eight through twelve, to overcome personal and environmental barriers that have prevented them from growing into successful community and business leaders.  Tickets can be obtained at www.partnersforpotential.org or by calling 440-995-6194.

As I was getting ready for work this morning, my wife called to say that on her way to work she had seen a handsome man's face on the Beacon Journal's new clock tower.

My wife obviously loves beyond all reason.

The face in question was mine. The tower displays mug shots of various folks who work here. My mug had finally found its way into the display.

It's easy to grumble about that sort of attention as unseemly, since we should aspire to be great writers and reporters, not celebrities. And, when you see your face displayed like that, it can momentarily feel as if you're looking at your own tombstone.

But I'd be lying if I said it didn't tickle me, too.  In fact, I took a camera to work and snapped a photo of my picture, both for posterity and for e-mails to family. I just hope the sight of me doesn't frighten small children — or get mistaken for a Halloween promo.

Back in 1980, Charles Rocket was set to be the next big star to come out of "Saturday Night Live," a combination of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. It didn't quite work out that way. Instead, to the extent that he is remembered at all, he is remembered for saying the f-word on live TV.

Rocket died recently. A report on his death is here. That story notes his "SNL" notoriety; it's also in several histories of the show, including Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad's fine book "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of 'Saturday Night Live.' "

I wasn't crazy about Rocket in his brief "SNL" tenure, although I saw him in later works where he proved he was a reasonably funny actor. You have to look at him first of all as being hugely unlucky.

He joined the "SNL" cast after the last of the original players had departed, and their accomplishments had already moved from acclaimed to legendary. As the "Saturday Night" book notes, the show's new producer, Jean Doumanian, saw Rocket as "the performer most likely to become her first major star." (In fact, Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo would eclipse Rocket and the other new performers.) But the comparisons to Chase and Murray "had an ominous undertone," Hill and Weingrad wrote. Comparisons to the old cast would not always prove favorable.

The show is widely considered to have been a disaster that year, mostly badly written, ineptly produced and — Piscopo and Murphy aside — lacking in star power. The experience appeared to unhinge Rocket, "Saturday Night" notes; then, at the end of one show, he dropped the f-word into an ad-lib. Although an apology eventually followed, Rocket's run on "SNL" basically ended in that moment. And so did any chance he had of becoming a big TV star, let alone one in the movies.

I won't pretend to know what Rocket knew or felt at that time, but it had to be extraordinary. You're presented with a glorious gift, a rope to climb to even greater success. Then the rope starts to slip through your hands, until you let go entirely — and fall.

Here's ABC's official announcement of the "Nightline" lineup after Ted Koppel steps aside:

Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden, and Terry Moran have been named co-anchors of “Nightline,” ABC News President David Westin announced today.  The three will assume anchor duties Monday, November 28, 2005 with Mr. Moran in Washington and Ms. McFadden and Mr. Bashir in New York.

. Ms. McFadden will continue to anchor and report for ABC News “Primetime,” where she has had a role since 1996, and Mr. Bashir, who joined ABC in 2004, will continue to report for the news magazine “20/20.”  Expanding its format to multiple news topics each night, “Nightline” will be produced live from its studios in Washington and ABC’s Times Square Studios in New York.

    Ted Koppel, who has been anchoring the program since its inception in 1980, departs ABC on November 22^nd after 42 years at the network. “Building on the great legacy of ‘Nightline’ as we go forward to the next era is both a challenge and an exciting opportunity.  Cynthia McFadden, Martin Bashir, and Terry Moran bring the combination of intelligence, experience, and perspective that can ensure that Nightline’s future is every bit as bright as its past,” said Mr. Westin.

         "I am delighted and honored to be working with such an accomplished team of journalists,” said “Nightline” executive producer James Goldston.  “These are three of the most talented journalists working in television. They will bring an incisive and distinctive edge to our journalism in the great tradition of ‘Nightline’.”

Terry Moran, ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent since 1999, is currently the anchor of “World News Tonight Sunday.”  As White House correspondent, he reports on all aspects of the Bush administration for ABC News platforms and has traveled widely covering President Bush’s domestic and foreign trips.  As a key member of the ABC team covering the events of September 11^th, Mr. Moran has continued to report on all aspects of the war on terror, and in November, 2003 he traveled to Baghdad to report on the U.S.-led occupation and the insurgency against it.  In covering Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign, Mr. Moran also reported on the subsequent legal battle for the White House.

Cynthia McFadden joined ABC News in February 1994 as the network’s legal correspondent and two years later was named a correspondent for “Prime Time Live,” for which she has been a co-anchor since September 2004.  Throughout her tenure at ABC, Ms. McFadden has reported several news-breaking stories, including a first-hand look at the process leading up to a man’s execution on Louisiana’s death row, and just this month two reports for “Nightline” on the U.S.government’s attempts to secure loose nuclear materials and weapons domestically and abroad.  In the wake of the London Bombings last July, Ms. McFadden traveled to Pakistan for an exclusive interview with President Musharraf, which aired on “Nightline” and other ABC News platforms.  For “Primetime” also last summer, Ms. McFadden reported and anchored on the lives of children in America with a groundbreaking documentary on the phenomenon of grandmothers raising their grandchildren.

Martin Bashir joined ABC in September 2004 as a correspondent for the newsmagazine “20/20” for which he has reported international news-breaking stories including the investigation of BALCO founder Victor Conte.  He is also well known for the landmark documentary, “Living with Michael Jackson” and other investigative reports for the BBC and ITV in Britain, including one for an in-depth investigation of one of Britain’s most notorious racially motivated murders. His many honors include a BAFTA Award and two Royal Television Society Program of the Year awards.

"Do you have a piece of paper?" a blond kid asked me as I was walking away from an interview with Amy Grant.

The kid wanted to get her autograph. I gave him a sheet of paper from my network, then asked if he needed a pen. He did, so I fished a spare one out of my pocket.

I don't know if he ever got the autograph. I saw him a little later, still in a cluster of people trying to get near her, but then I lost track of him. I'd like to think he got the autograph. He probably didn't get that close to celebrities very often.

This all happened earlier today in the New Philadelphia, Ohio, town square, where "Three Wishes" had set up its wish tent. Regular viewers of the show know that's where people come to ask folks to grant their wishes.

A note about that tent: There really is one, white-topped, with clear plastic sides, and some of the wish-making does take place there. But the tent was as much a rallying point as a place. With the sun out, and the weather fine, "Three Wishes" stars and producers took people from the line to other parts of the town square, where the cameras recorded them making their wishes.

As I said for a story in tomorrow's Beacon Journal (which you should be able to find on www.ohio.com), there was a festive quality to the occasion, even as people with painfully sad stories came to gain a little help and hope. I spent a lot of time at the "American Idol" auditions in Cleveland; their huge crowds and resulting regimented approach was far from as pleasant as this "Three Wishes" event. And I couldn't imagine the "Idol" judges matter-of-factly wandering through a town. Even if it becomes successful, I hope "Three Wishes" can hold onto its folksy, approachable feel.

But there was also a lot of work going on. By the time I talked to Grant, she had been around the town square; I first caught a glimpse of her coming out of a local diner, camera crew moving ahead of her. I knew she was in the diner because fans, some with cameras, were clustered outside. And when Grant came out, she was trying to walk back to the square, as the TV cameras recorded it, and to talk to people along the way.

There are a lot of people-to-people elements in the show, both on-camera and off. Carter Oosterhouse, who co-stars on the series, was especially good with fans, asking people's names as they posed for pictures with him; he may look like a Hollywood star, but he's quick to point out that he's from Michigan and he's happy to be outside the glitter dome; he talked about driving around to different parts of the state, and how he liked the small towns, and how what people wanted in the wish tent demonstrated real differences from one place to the next.

Anyway, here's how my morning went. I drove down from my house to New Philadelphia, Mapquest directions close at hand, and arrived there about 9:30. The wish tent wasn't supposed to be open until 11, but the NBC publicist told me the stars would be available to talk before then, and I wanted to get a feel for the place.

I wasn't sure exactly how many people would show up, since "Three Wishes" is a new show, and on Friday nights, when a lot of people aren't watching TV. (Even a lot of the people in the town square had missed Friday's telecast, notably because they had gone to a local football game where "Three Wishes" had also done some taping.) So when I turned onto Broadway, I was comforted to see not only that the road was blocked off ahead, but that there was a line of people on the other side of the roadblock.

I parked and walked around a bit, getting a handle on the crowd. Then I talked to some people at the front of the line, several of whom had been there since 4 a.m.

After that, I started looking for the NBC publicist, which put me in with a group of other reporters looking for her. Most of the other reporters knew each other, and were from in and around New Philadelphia, and so had followed the "Three Wishes" visit very closely; I listened to them and waited. Then the publicist came around, and we were shown to another part of the square where the stars would come for individual interviews. And so it went with Oosterhouse and Diane Mizota, affable folks, doing one brief interview after another, making each sound as if they had never been asked a question before, and posing for pictures with some reporters who asked. (I didn't.)

After that I wandered down the square, saw the group waiting for Grant, them followed them back to the interview area. I was lucky enough to get the first talk with Grant. She was very thoughtful and passionate about the show, but the interview was also a little odd. Out of the corner of my eye I could see not only the other reporters waiting for their turns, but people waiting for a moment of her attention. Oosterhouse also had his fans — especially women — but Grant had a serious, devoted following; you could feel their connection to her, and she tries to give it back. She said she is still in touch with the people she's done big wishes for.

Some time after that, the wish tent officially opened. I went back to see some of the people I had talked to in line as they told their wishes, and talked to them about how it went. I also talked to the mayor of New Philadelphia. And I walked a block or so away, to see a house one of the wish-makers had told me about; it looked as bad in reality as in the pictures he had of it. I talked to Andrew Glassman, the executive producer, whom I had met before when he was producing "Average Joe." He thanked me for a recent Beacon Journal story about the show, and I confessed I had not written that one.

I also tried to pick up more details: At a Christmas scene, where children were asked to tell their wishes, someone from the show gently asked some kids, "Which one is a big talker? … Which is going to go shy on me?" A large sign warned everyone that by being in the square, they were agreeing to have their pictures taken, and "no compensation will be paid." Grant, having done radio and print interviews, moved on to TV chats, with two NBC affiliates from the region in atrendance.

By about noon, it seemed as if I had more than enough of a story. In fact, by the time I got back to the office, I knew I had far more than I could use. The story turned out to be one where I spent about as much time trimming it as I did writing it through the first time; it was still rather long, and it had a small sidebar.

I still felt good about the day. A lot of the time, when I hear people talk about "reality TV," they say it with a sneer. But there are shows like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Three Wishes" that try to say something positive about people. And I liked being in place where people's hearts were full.

Fox's carrying the baseball playoffs and World Series has bumped a lot of its regular series off the air (and forced baseball fans to sit through promos that boil down to "please remember that our shows are coming back"). But a promo is no substitute for an actual episode. Maybe the following ideas will help more.

– "Arrested Development": The first two season are now available on DVD. And besides giving you a chance to catch all the details you missed the first time, deleted scenes give you a fresh laugh.

– "Bones." Use the available time as an excuse to do some reading. The series was inspired by mystery novels by Kathy Reichs, and by Reichs herself. The books' main character has the same name as the TV show's, Temperance Brennan. Beyond that, though, the book Temperance is very different — but the books have an entertaining blend of science, mystery and characters. And if that doesn't do it for you, maybe you should just record "CSI" and only watch the scenes with Jorja Fox or Marg Helgenberger.

– "House." If you're watching for an edgy look at medicine, try "Bodies," the dark and depressing hospital show now airing on BBC America. (You can find out more at www.bbcamerica.com. ) If you're watching for Hugh Laurie, well, he may be playing an American doctor but he's a Brit. So you could still watch "Bodies." But if you watch because "House" can also make you laugh, try "The Young Visiters," a strange little comedy co-starring Laurie, which is available on DVD.

– "Kitchen Confidential." Another reading assignment: Find Anthony Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential," which inspired the series but is more outrageous.

–"Prison Break." As I said in a previous post, cable's FX will replay the first seven episodes in a marathon from noon to 7 p.m. on Oct. 23, the day before the show is scheduled to return. But that doesn't do you much good now. How about a Stacy Keach marathon, courtesy of the DVD sets of "Titus" and "Mike Hammer"?

In fact, I've had the "Mike Hammer" set sitting near my desk for some time, to remind me to write about DVD paths to current TV stars' pasts. (Other candidates: "T.J. Hooker," for fans of "Boston Legal's" William Shatner, and "Doogie Howser, M.D.," for people rediscovering Neil Patrick Harris on "How I Met Your Mother.")

But back to the topic at hand.

– "Reunion." Get those old, embarrassing clothes out of the back of your closet (you know you have them), start thinking about every miserable thing that happened when you were young, and load up the CD player with "Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally)' and "Whatever: The '90s Pop and Culture Box."  Warning: For the "Reunion" effect to be complete, you must be very, very good-looking.

– "The O.C." I could suggest the DVDs of the first two season, not least because the first season is much better than what has come since. But you may also want to think about this, as described on Television Without Pity (www.televisionwithoutpity.com ): " 'Seth Cohen Starter Pack — Rehab Edition' for Kirsten, which contains books by Chuck Klosterman, Craig Thompson, and Motley Crüe's autobiography, because when it comes to getting over your addiction to alcohol, nothing helps like a book with a huge bottle of Jack Daniels-y looking liquor on the cover."

  I know, we're talking here about addiction to a TV show, not to alcohol. But when your viewing need is great, that's tomato/to-mah-to.

– "The Simpsons." Donut run.

Feel free to post your own suggestions in the comments section.

Having just spent a lot of energy on comparisons between "Survivor's" Stephenie and the Boston Red Sox, I'm remembering a conversation I had with a co-worker in late September.

I was talking TV with someone, and this guy said, "Aren't you a big baseball fan? … How are you watching everything?"

The answer was, I tried really hard. I caught the regular TV series that I felt were worth catching, and I watched as much baseball as I could. It was a great time to be watching baseball, too, with exciting playoff races (said excitement once again undercutting Bob Costas's complaints about the wild-card system). And, since I have loyalties to both the Red Sox and the Indians, I had a lot of different ways to feel excited and anxious.

Then the regular season was over. Goodbye, Indians. Then the playoffs saw the swift departure of Boston. And not long after the Yankees, watchable because you can root so ardently against them, also cleared the field. So what was left to watch?

Now, under certain conditions, I can be fully engaged in a game or a playoff involving two teams I have no history with or strong feelings about. Sometimes a game just feels important. Or you know a sport is dramatic; I fell briefly in love with NHL hockey based on huge sudden-death overtime games. Or you can work out elaborate rationalizations for watching: The White Sox should get some love because they're from the same division as the Indians, or the Angels are cheerable because they beat the Yankees. Or — well, there must be some way to root for a National League team, I just can't think what it is.

But maybe I've hit one of my sports walls, because I have only seen bits of playoff games, and not even the best parts of those. (The controversial call in the second Angels-White Sox game is in my visual memory bank only because I saw a dozen or more replays on ESPN.) I may come out of my semi-doze for the World Series, especially if it looks like Chicago's chance to end its long curse. But right now, I'm more like, "Wake me for spring training."

It has been increasingly easy to believe that Stephenie really does have one of those little clouds over her head, especially given the way the reward challenge went in tonight's episode. It was a wipeout so thorough, it was like her cumulative experience from "Survivor" rolled into a single challenge. She didn't even get a chance to show her grit and rally her tribe — the sharp stone was in someone else's hand.

But when immunity came around, and her motley crew managed to win (and to demonstrate the sort of teamwork so necessary for success at this point in the game), it was at once a pleasure and disappointment. A pleasure because Stephenie was at least momentarily uncursed — not unlike the Red Sox in 2004. A disappointment because she is once again just another player, not someone whose terrible fortune provided a dramatic thread that "Survivor" badly needs right now.

Again, she's like the Red Sox. Their tragic currents made them a thing apart, with each loss an addition to their Sisyphean burden. When they were eliminated this year, it wasn't such a big deal because they had a championship in recent memory. I said awhile back that Stephenie felt more like a typical player this year, and only a string of unimaginable losses could change that; a win like tonight's just keeps her in the ordinary pool.

Anyway, she managed to avoid another tribal council. So it fell to that other fractured, blended tribe to pick a victim — and Blake was bid adieu. Editing made it unsurprising, with repeated sequences of his foolish babble, and the vote wasn't as close as the pre-council discussion hinted. Of course, that's the way this disappointing season (which included another tepid challenge tonight) has gone. Even when it seems that things might get interesting, they don't prove to be.

I wasn't much impressed with "Commander in Chief" when I saw the pilot, but I saw enough good things that I decided to watch more and on Wednesday checked out two more episodes. In the interim, the show has become a nice hit for ABC and even sparked discussions about the way the show might help a presidential campaign by Hillary Clinton.

I don't buy into that idea. "The West Wing" has a caring Democrat in the White House; the two presidential elections during the show's run have both been won by George W. Bush.

Of course, that Democrat and his associates have been allowed to fail, while "Commander in Chief" does not consider failure an option for its chief executive. That alone makes me understand why many people would like the show; if you accept Geena Davis's character as the good guy, then the good guy gets to win. A lot.

It's implausible. In fact, the show can be downright unbelievable. But it's reassuring.

Still, I haven't fallen under the show's spell. Yes, there is a terrific supporting cast, including Kyle Secor, Harry Lennix and wily old Donald Sutherland. There is also a problematic leading lady, Geena Davis; am I the only one put off by the way only the lower part of her face moves when she talks?

Yes, there are good dramatic moments (I liked the two children talking in the White House) and ongoing stories (I'm a sucker for political intrigue). But, as I said, there are other things that don't ring true. Big things like the way she's solving problems, little things like reporters applauding at a press briefing, in-between things like the president's inconsistent knowledge about how news media work.

I'm not done looking at "Commander in Chief." But I'm not enjoying it either.

Nice one tonight. I get so caught up in the questions about the story, I sometimes forget that "Lost" can also be quite touching. It certainly was tonight, by putting Hurley at the center; as even one of the characters acknowledged, he's probably the best-liked character on the show. Even his flaws are benign. So having his crisis over the food lead to a moment of collective joy — well, it was nice. Not entirely believable, of course; in a group that large you have to figure a couple of killjoys would demand either outright rationing or at least an equitable distribution of the goods — not some handing out of gifts like "Night of the Meek."

But even as that moment was being cherished, we got the even better revelation about Rose's husband — one that defied a lot of speculation about who her husband was, based almost exclusively on race. "Lost" can make us guess a lot. And it can make us feel. And tonight, it also made us think.