TVSquad

The fall season of The Amazing Race is set to premiere on Sunday, September 28, at 8 PM ET/PT. Although it seems to be a bit early, CBS has already announced the teams. Looking at them, it seems my pre-season spoilers were indeed spot on. The aged hippies exist!

Phil Keoghan returns as the host of this Emmy-winning race around the world and I'm looking forward to another season of whirlwind excitement. You can check out the new teams in the gallery below and read on past the jump for more about them.

When All My Children snared veteran head writer Chuck Pratt Jr. to take the reins and "write" the S.S. Pine Valley, the scribe promised swift action. With a look toward kicking up the soap's ratings more than a notch or two. Pratt, whose credits include Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Melrose Place, Life Goes On and Santa Barbara, among others is certainly capable.

I liked ABC drafting Chuck for All My Children, but I'm thinking that the announcement yesterday, an open casting call for an Iraq war veteran to play an Iraq war veteran, is a publicity stunt. The executive producer, Julie Hanan Carruthers, said in a press release that casting a real life soldier will heighten the experience for viewers. Excuse me, but I think that's utter hogwash. All My Children doesn't need an actual veteran of the war in Iraq to create a great soap opera storyline. That's why they brought in Chuck Pratt, Jr.

One of the fun games to play when it comes to TV shows is "What If." What if Mickey Rooney had been cast as Archie Bunker on All in the Family? What would have happened to the show (and to Rooney)?

That's one of interesting revelations (though that one has been known for quite some time) in the new book Mickey Rooney as Archie Bunker and Other TV Almosts by Eila Mell. It lists a bunch of actors and actresses who almost got roles we know and love. For example, Jenna Fischer (The Office) tried out for the role of Sydney Bristow on Alias, but was deemed not sexy enough for the part (as we told you about before). Whitney Houston didn't want the role of Bill Cosby's daughter on The Cosby Show so the role went to Lisa Bonet. And Leonardo DiCaprio almost played David Hasselhoff's son on Baywatch (the role went to Brandon Call and later Jeremy Jackson). That one isn't surprising at all, considering DiCaprio did work on Growing Pains and other shows.

As Jane wrote a couple of weeks ago, CBS was hot on the heels of landing a big name star to fill the void when William Petersen leaves CSI later this year. The names bandied about included Kurt Russell and John Malkovich, and one other major motion picture star, Laurence Fishburne. Today, the network announced Laurence Fishburne will indeed be the new addition to CSI.

His character is a forensic scientist, like Grissom, but don't expect him to have Gil's fascination with insects. No, Fishburne's man has other bugs: he's a former pathologist and college lecturer who's focused on why people commit acts of violence. It should be interesting to see how his preoccupation with the why integrates with the other CSI gang who are all Grissom-trained and generally obsessed with how a crime is done and who done it.

Fishburne will be introduced in the ninth episode when his character meets members of the CSI team during a murder investigation and ends up joining them.

There will be some major star power in the new season of Eli Stone. No, I'm not referring to Katie Holmes' stunt casting. I'm talking big-time star wattage. Sigourney Weaver will guest on Eli Stone as a psychologist. Eli, who is in desperate need of figuring out what he's been experiencing is the result of the brain ailment he's suffering from or something else.

Since he had brain surgery -- or so we think -- at season's end, will Eli still have the visions? Will he fulfill the imperative to Live Brave and become a leader -- prophet -- or was that not a look at the future but something else?

It's all very mysterious, and just the fact that he's going to see a shrink is positive development. Casting Sigourney Weaver is a positive as well. She's a three-time Oscar nominee and carries with her innate integrity and class.

Some day I should probably type up an official list of the actresses who, by their mere presence, will guarantee I'll watch a series. The fact that I saw every episode of Freddie should serve as proof that Mädchen Amick is on that list. After following that up with Viva Laughlin, I think we can all agree that this latest role has her career moving in the generally upwards direction.

My Own Worst Enemy was already on my short list of new shows to keep an eye on in the fall. It's an interesting premise, has Christian Slater, and the previews look great. The addition of Amick just makes it that much more intriguing. She'll be taking over the role of Henry's wife that was originally played by Yara Martinez (The Unit). It's a bit of rough luck for Martinez. Before this she was set to appear in that ill-fated Spaced remake.

Comedy Central is giving some alumni of Stella and The State another crack at a show. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter will be the co-stars of the half-hour pilot Michael and Michael Have issues.

The premise is a show-within-a-show, with segments from the stars addressing issues that the Michaels have with "themselves, each other and the world at large."

I missed The State, but I did catch episodes of Stella (also starring David Wain), which was another attempt by the same comedians to create a show that blurred the line between reality and fantasy (such as having character with their actual names. You know, the old Jerry Seinfeld trick).

I liked Stella, but didn't think it would last more than a season (and it didn't) because the humor is very abstract and cerebral (sort of the anti-According To Jim). My gut instinct is the same for this show even though I want it to succeed. Is it better to have a good show that lasts one season or a mediocre-at-best show that lasts eight? I vote for the former.

It's not unusual anymore when a primetime star suddenly makes the jump into daytime. Recently, Michael Gross has signed on to The Young and the Restless. Patrick Duffy is a semi-regular on The Bold and the Beautiful, Bruce Weitz is a Mafioso kingpin on General Hospital, and if you tuned in yesterday you got to see John James terrorize half a dozen Oakdale residents on As the World Turns as a deranged doctor. If you're keeping score, they were previously the stars from Family Ties, Dallas, Hill Street Blues and Dynasty, respectively. So, really, a primetimer coming to daytime is SOP (standard operating procedure) these days.

However, when a daytimer goes to primetime and then returns to daytime, that can be interesting. Sarah Brown's return to GH qualifies and so does this one: A Martinez is joining One Life to Live. For the last decade, A's been a regular guest or regular on Viva Laughlin, Raines, CSI, Huff, JAG and Profiler. All good roles, but nothing to match his daytime experience.

Recently, we told you about James Brolin appearing in a guest role on Law & Order: SVU, as a man from Elliot's past. Now, there'll be even more development for Christopher Meloni's character when Ellen Burstyn shows up on SVU to play Stabler's mother.

Oh, and she's not your button-downed, upright all together mom. She's bipolar, which is to say that she has a serious psychological disorder.

TVGuide.com reported that it learned that Ms. Burstyn's guest role will be very dramatic -- "explosive" -- and is slated for one episode. Thinking about what's been happening on SVU, the major storyline for Elliot has been revolving around his wife Kathy having another child.

The baby has brought the Stablers back together after a separation. Could Elliot's mother be coming to New York to see her new grandchild and something else go wrong? Hmm...

NCIS has to be the #1 show that no one I know watches. I don't mean anything by that, I hear great things about it from readers here. It's just interesting that it's incredibly popular (always in the top 20, often in the top 10) and yet it's one of those shows that no one talks about (see also JAG).

As regular viewers know, the entire team was split up in the season finale, and then word came that Rocky Carroll had been made a series regular. Now comes word that the show has added three more cast members (no word on if they are in for the long haul or just this season), and one of them is a familiar face and name.

(S01E9) "He's looking at me all pervy, isn't he?" --Wendy Watson about Middleman 69

Well, if anyone was going to bring the leather catsuit from the Avengers inspired intro sequence into the show proper, it would be a Middleman who'd been frozen since 1969. It was cool how the Middleman from 1969 was such a different, more hedonistic personality than the goofily straight-laced Middleman of our era. He carried himself more like James Bond ... well, more like Austin Powers, really. The casting of Kevin Sorbo in this role was just inspired as he really threw himself into the zaniness of the Middleman Universe.

It looks like the sexual innuendos are going to continue as there were again a few lines more explicit than you'd think ABC Family would be comfortable with ("I'm looking for some hooch!"). That said, the show is still relatively clean fun and there's a level of quality amidst the silliness and snappy dialogue that is sorely missed on most shows. The depth of the characters and the world they inhabit just continues to grow after each episode.

This is going to please Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Seth Green, who played Oz on Buffy and currently is one of the brains behind Robot Chicken, is joining NBC's Heroes this season. He'll have a multi-episode storyline with fellow Robot Chicken-er Breckin Meyer. They'll play two comic-book aficionados who cross paths with one of the heroes, though it's not certain right now which of the heroes they'll interact with, in what way, or what their character names are going to be.

Is this good news for the show, or are we already starting to see too many new characters for the show so soon after new characters were introduced in the strike-shortened, fan-hated second season? I agree that it's an awfully large cast right now as it is, but I also understand that as the seasons go on and new plots develop, new characters are necessary. And having a fan favorite like Green (playing someone geeky) might be fun.

The CW's new version of 90210 isn't premiering until next month, but there's already behind-the-scenes drama. The new series, which is said to basically be the CW's last chance of survival, has been a hot topic since it was announced back in March. Soon after news of the spinoff broke, came the chatter of original cast members coming back to Beverly Hills High. However, one previously confirmed cast member may not be making it back for the reunion. Tori Spelling is said to have dropped out of the production.

Spelling was originally slated to reprise her role as Donna Martin (who is now a boutique owner) in the pilot but dropped out, ostensibly because she was giving birth to her second child. Now, despite publicly saying that she would probably appear later in the season, Spelling looks to be completely out. According to sources, it's not diaper duty that's keeping her away, it's cold hard cash.

Most people don't turn in to Fine Living Network for laughs, but all that's about to change on September 16, at least for as long as a new comedy series called Whatever, Martha! runs. Imagine, if you will, an entire clip show culled from The Martha Stewart Show.

Now, picture a couple of chicks sitting around and making fun of said clips. That's the concept for Whatever, Martha!, and if this idea reminds you of Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- sans puppets -- that's a good thing.

Fine Living has gotten Martha's blessing for the show. Heck, she's leading the laughs by allowing the clips to be used. Also the two women who'll be presenting the show and mocking her every half-hour are close to her: Alexis Stewart, her daughter, and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, whose father -- Charles Koppelman -- is the chairman of Martha's media empire.

So, this is all in the family for the Stewart camp, and whatever jokes, cracks and observations made by the women will be with the Martha Stewart seal of approval.

Look, I don't know what it is, but I'm kind of obsessed with Regis Philbin. Maybe it's the way his hair doesn't look like it's moved since 1956, or the way he doesn't even bother to hide the fact that he has no idea who half the people are who he interviews. The point is, I get really excited any time I come across some Regis news, so I'm totally psyched that he's set to guest star on How I Met Your Mother.

Philbin is going to play himself on the sitcom's second episode of the season. Apparently the gang runs into him at Marshall's favorite NYC burger joint.

While having Regis Philbin on the show may not earn them quite the record-breaking ratings that Britney Spears did, it does offer a distinct advantage: The possibility of one of Neil Patrick Harris' famous Regis impressions. Harris, who has filled in for Philbin on Live With Regis and Kelly on several occasions, is known for doing one of the best "Reeges" out there, and that, to me, beats staring at Britney's extensions any day.