I should feel terrible about "The Wire" but I can't shake some exhilaration, since the finale was so good and so right. But hasn't "The Wire" always been about grand art made from despair? …

I caught up with the finale this morning via HBO On Demand. More about why in a bit. But it was a fine piece, content to show us the future (bleak though that future may be), comfortable in letting so many of the bad guys win (drug dealers, politicians, a conscienceless reporter and editors), leaving us with some questions. What will McNulty do now, for one? And is Marlo really out of the life, or does he love the blood on the streets too much?

And yet, in the middle of all that, "The Wire" allowed, if not victories, at least the idea that people are still trying to improve themselves and the world around them. Choked up when Bubbles finally got out of the basement. McNulty is still a do-gooder, even if he has lost his old pulpit. Bunk and Kima are still on the job. And Haynes can still look at his newsroom — or at some distant county beat — and know that people are still able and willing to do good, honest work.

So, yeah, the scum floats on top. But the world is not quite lost yet. The greatest sadness is that we have lost "The Wire," but it was able to last a long time with minimal compromise and lovely accomplishment. The finale was loaded with lines that should be inscribed somewhere, like the McNulty "eulogy" and the one about the absence of nostalgia (with an ensuing, non-nostalgic payoff). And the story is so dense, the characters so many, that — like a big, beloved book — I can see myself going back to this thing again.

Not that I would object to a "Wire" movie in a couple of years. Wouldn't want to lose track of McNulty.

It's not entirely fair to turn to "Canterbury's Law," which premieres on Fox tonight, after contemplating the splendor of "The Wire." Where the latter show is one of television's all-time greats, "Canterbury's Law" is, on first viewing, a watchable if less than extraordinary legal show, and one that owes a considerable debt to "The Practice." Well, at least to "The Practice" before it went completely nuts.

On the plus side is Julianna Margulies as Elizabeth Canterbury, a no-holds-barred lawyer with a messy personal life. I know, we've seen that sort before. (Anyone want to reminisce about "The Trials of O'Brien," with Peter Falk? Or "Shannon's Deal," with Jamey Sheridan?) But Margulies makes Canterbury more intriguing than what's on the page — sexy, smart, even a little unpredictable emotionally. What's a little too predictable is the plotting, which in the series premiere leads to a courtroom confrontation that is long before telegraphed, and surprising only in its forcefulness.

On the plus side, this is a decent character piece, not only because of Canterbury. There's also Russell Kraus, an associate of Canterbury's played with chilly, I-don't-care-if-you-like-me authority by Ben Shenkman. And "Oz's" Terry Kinney has a fine turn in the premiere as a prosecutor rival of Canterbury. There's a scene with him and Shenkman that almost sings.

As I said, it's not a great show but it's watchable. In fact, Fox sent out a disc with the pilot and with a second episode that airs well down the line. Since it was clear from the opening of the second episode that a lot will happen in telecasts between the premiere and that latter show, I decided not to watch the later program. I'd rather see how the show gets to that point first.

The sun was out again this morning, as it was on Sunday, and I'm beginning to feel as if there's a world out there. Or I will as soon as they plow my street enough that it's not like riding on bumpy concrete.

But Saturday was madness. By afternoon we had given up trying to stay even with the snow (16.5 inches high in the front yard by then), and had settled into the house for indoor chores and some relaxation. ("The Italian Job" on Blu-ray, very nice looking indeed. And an enjoyable movie even on repeat viewing.)

Recorded "Saturday Night Live" for viewing Sunday, and was not thrilled. Would have expected better material for Amy Adams, who is a fine and funny actress, but it was a flat show full of jokes that were weak on their face, or sketches that had no real ending. Even the digital short's direction was obvious, the only redeeming funny lying in how very, very many times the superhero was punched. As the show wore on, found myself fast-forwarding through far too much. The one thing I did like: Kenan Thompson's insanely apt, French variation on "Def Comedy Jam."

By Sunday evening the roads were passable enough for us to get to the Akron-Kent State men's basketball game. In one respect, it was meaningless, since the MAC has a championship tournament and this just wrapped up the regular season. But it was also a chance for Akron to show it could play with Kent, and that the tournament was up for grabs.

Akron lost, and trailed badly through most of the game, then put on a rally that briefly put the outcome in doubt. (Had they celebrated a little less after tying the game, they might have stopped Kent State's winning score.) But it was interesting to go home and watch the end of the game on TV, since I had also recorded the FSN telecast. And as dramatic-seeming as it was on TV, it wasn't anywhere near what it felt like in the arena. It wasn't as loud, for one thing. And no TV is going to make you feel how hard the seats are shaking from the crowd on its feet.

The great HBO show is back tonight. I have seen seven of the 10 episodes that will wrap up the series, and it is unbelievably good. More, some of it spoilerish, after the jump …

There's a scene in one of the later episodes where, without giving away too much, two characters are talking with others in a room. Each character is sitting on a huge lie. As the discussion goes on, one of the characters recognizes the other's lie, while the other is left to wonder whether his lie has become the truth. Making it even more complicated, each lie benefits not only the liar but the other guy. So that, as well as the presence of the other people in the room, means that no one is going to be outing anybody. In fact, in that moment, both lies have become grand things, and will set great forces in motion.

I know, pretty vague. But you will know the scene when you get to it. And you will smile, both because of that moment and all that has gone before it. "The Wire" is brilliant that way. And just about every other way, too.

But I need to back up. In this fifth season, "The Wire" is still in its bleak landscape of crimininals and crime-stoppers, of politicians and agendas and all sorts of things that repeatedly keep justice from being done, that sink its setting of Baltimore even deeper into urban despair.

Within that framework, "The Wire" has also included ruminations on the big issues of our time. Last season, it was modern education. This time, it's the news media, especially the newspaper business embodied by the real-name-but-fictionally-portrayed Baltimore Sun, where "Wire" creator David Simon once worked.

The Sun is a paper with an urban crisis of its own in the form of ownership demands for better profits, which means staff cutbacks and a search for ways to bring back readers and advertisers. This is a story of just about every contemporary newspaper, not just the Sun's, and many of the details ring true. (For example, the newspaper bosses in "The Wire" keep referring to "doing more with less," a catchphrase that many a modern newshound has choked on.)

The newspaper scenes have prompted some debate among journalists, but I think a lot of them ring very true. Still, they are just part of the larger story of "The Wire," a morass of moral ambiguity that is riveting, if often demanding, television.

Of course, it most benefits those viewers who have watched the four previous seasons (all available on DVD, by the way). But with a little effort, you can fall into "The Wire" without a scorecard. And the reward for doing so is considerable.

Fox has made another scheduling announcement. At this point, I am so confused by their changes — which includes an invasion of Thursdays by "American Idol" — that I'm just going to add the raw feed after the jump.

Also after the jump, a few notes about "National Treasure 2," the latest revision of "Blade Runner" and "The Wire." If you're looking for my comments about tonight's return of "Law & Order," there's a previous post about that. And I expect to write about the return of the late-night hosts after I watch them tonight.

And so to the jump …

My attempt to catch up on Major Motion Pictures continued on New Year's Eve when the bride and I saw "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." It was a 6:40 p.m. showing — or, more precisely, a 7:02 p.m. showing preceded by 20 minutes of trailers for other movies and a Goofy cartoon. Still, it was a pretty good crowd for a celebratory night, and indicated that the movie's box office power remains strong. (According to Box Office Mojo it has taken in more than $143 million as of Jan. 1.)

I thought the first "National Treasure" was reasonably amusing, though hardly my favorite movie, especially in the way it blended action with history. There's more of the same in the second film, only it didn't satisfy nearly as much. In fact, it seemed slow overall and the big cave journey that capped the movie went on forever. Fun to see Helen Mirren, of course, and she played nicely with Jon Voight, but the movie overall was a disappointment.

Not at all disappointed by "Blade Runner," now on DVD in a newly re-edited version from director Ridley Scott. Any changes from the earlier director's cut seemed fairly minor (although I haven't done a close comparison) but it still works. And the spruced-up version looked fabulous. (Gear note: I watched the standard DVD through an HD DVD player, on an HD set.) The details of the nightmarish landscape were more visible, the lighting sharper, the whole thing still powerful and influential. Younger Son, who had not seen it before, immediately sensed a similarity to "A.I.," for instance.

Now, I've been in love with "Blade Runner" since BEFORE the first time I saw it. A trailer using the Ink Spots' "If I Didn't Care" (which did not make it into the final movie) got my attention in a theater some 25 years ago. And I liked the original theatrical version, even with the since-dropped voiceover and attempted happy ending, and I liked it even more when those things were taken out. So I'm hardly an unbiased observer of the latest cut. But I still felt exhilarated by it.

And thrilled as well by the new season of "The Wire." I want to do a longer post about it once I have gotten a couple of more episodes in. But the two I have seen are as rich and uncompromising as the show has ever been. Since the new season deals partly with the role of the news media, I was wondering if the show could treat that subject as well as it does some others. And then there was a scene in the second episode, a character-illuminating but not plot-heavy bit, where I was muttering, "Been there." I'll explain later. For now, note that the series returns at 9 p.m. Sunday, or you can go ahead and see it now on HBO On Demand.

Well, you can if your HBO On Demand works. I've spent too much time watching the little spinning thing leading into a note explaining that it can't access what I want.

Now here's the Fox stuff:

New drama series NEW AMSTERDAM and CANTERBURY’S LAW will air Mondays on FOX. NEW AMSTERDAM debuts Monday, March 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with special previews of the first two episodes airing Tuesday, March 4 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, March 6 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), respectively, on FOX. CANTERBURY’S LAW starts making its case Monday, April 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). And new comedy THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES will premiere Friday, March 14 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) following a sneak preview airing after AMERICAN IDOL on Wednesday, March 12 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT).

All-new episodes of BACK TO YOU will air Tuesday, Feb. 26 and Wednesday, Feb. 27 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) following extended 90-minute AMERICAN IDOL episodes. On Wednesday, March 19 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT), BACK TO YOU makes its time period premiere, then returns one week later on Tuesday, March 25 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) with an all-new episode following a new extended AMERICAN IDOL (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT). ‘TIL DEATH also kicks off all-new episodes when it makes its time period premiere Friday, March 14 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT).

In addition, ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? will air an original episode after AMERICAN IDOL on Thursday, Feb. 21 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). HOUSE will now encore on Mondays at 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT beginning March 10 and encore episodes of BONES move to 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT – the show’s time period premiere – on Friday, March 14.

Due to the STATE OF THE UNION address on Monday, Jan. 28, PRISON BREAK will now have its season finale Monday, Feb. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES will end its season with an explosive two-hour finale Monday, March 3 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Additionally, NEW AMSTERDAM will air its last episodes of the season during a two-hour finale Monday, April 7 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

[Editor’s Note: The previously announced WHEN WOMEN RULE THE WORLD (wt) will premiere at a later date.]

RECAP – FOX WINTER/SPRING SCHEDULE

(All times ET/PT except as noted)

MONDAY

Monday, Feb. 18:
8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK (Season Finale)
9:00-10:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Monday, Feb. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
9:00-10:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Monday, March 3:
8:00-10:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (Two-Hour Season Finale)

Mondays, beginning March 10:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (Series Premiere)

Monday, April 7:
8:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (Two-Hour Season Finale)

Mondays, beginning April 14:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM CANTERBURY’S LAW (Series Premiere)

***************************

TUESDAY

Tuesday, Feb. 26 & March 25:
8:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM BACK TO YOU

Tuesday, March 4:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (Series Preview)

Tuesday, March 11 & 18:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL

Tuesdays, beginning April 1:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)

***************************
WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Feb. 27:
8:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM BACK TO YOU

Wednesday, March 12:
8:00-9:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES (Series Preview)

Wednesdays, beginning March 19:
8:00-9:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM BACK TO YOU (Time Period Premiere)

***************************
THURSDAY

Thursday, Feb. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?

Thursday, Feb. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS!

Thursday, March 6:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (Series Preview)

Thursdays, beginning March 13:
8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00-10:00 PM DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!

***************************
FRIDAY

Fridays, Feb. 22, 29 & March 7:

8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE

Fridays, beginning March 14:
8:00-8:30 PM ‘TIL DEATH (Time Period Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES
(Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES (Time Period Premiere)
***************************
SATURDAY (AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED, NO CHANGES)
***************************
SUNDAY (AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED, NO CHANGES)

Had some ongoing technical difficulties yesterday afternoon and evening which stalled my live blogging. Also, the bride and I went to the University of Akron's annual SAMS (Students Against Multiple Sclerosis) Rock Alike lip-synching contest. Always enjoyable. (Brian Dominguez!) But, aside from checking the results for "Dancing With the Stars" last night and watching about half of "Reaper" this morning, I'm behind on my viewing. Still, a few notes for those of you who did watch "Dancing," after the jump. …

Midnight Idled

If you read my post from Monday's performance show, you know I have absolutely no problem sending Wayne Newton home. With a group that is in many respects good, and certainly hard-working, Wayne stood out in so many wrong ways.

That said, I'm not sure why Floyd Mayweather keeps getting dogged. I won't pretend he's the best dancer in the current group — one where Helio Castroneves and Sabrina Bryan still look like a terrific final two — but he wasn't bottom two this week.

As for that DVD announcement, here's some of the official news about the fourth season of "The Wire":

One of the most critically acclaimed programs on air, HBO's Peabody -winning series The Wire continues to challenge viewers with a "cop show" unlike anything on television. Now HBO Video brings the show back in a 4-disc set when The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season is released in stores, December 4, 2007. The 13 episodes focus on the experiences of four young boys — Michael, Namond, Randy and Dukie — through the theme of education, leading viewers to consider the world that awaits them, and to consider further the American commitment to equal opportunity. …

Six audio commentaries with cast and crew:
— Episode 1: David Simon (Creator/Executive Producer) and Ed Burns (Producer)
— Episode 4: Actor Jim True-Frost (Prez), Karen Thorson (Producer) and Kate Sanford (Editor)
— Episode 6: Dan Attias (Director) and William F. Zorzi (Writer)
— Episode 11: Actors Robert Chew (Proposition Joe), Julito McCullum (Namond Brice), Jermaine Crawford (Dukie Weems), Maestro Harrell (Randy Wagstaff) and Tristan Wilds (Michael Lee)
— Episode 12: Joe Chappelle (Co-executive Producer) and George Pelecanos (Writer)
— Episode 13: David Simon (Creator/Executive Producer) and Nina Noble (Executive Producer)