ABC

CHICAGO – With lobbyists controlling the nation’s capital and the middle class perched on the edge of poverty, an increasing number of American viewers are seeking modes of escapism. And what better way to escape than watch a wronged girl wreak havoc on a cultish clan of rich snobs? Creator Mike Kelley (“Swingtown”) has the current economic woes to thank for making his new ABC drama serial, “Revenge,” all the more enticing.

CHICAGO – I had some serious issues with the first-season premiere of “Body of Proof,” a modest hit for ABC that they’ve decided to give another shot at developing into a major one with a second season. Having not watched an episode since Matt Fagerholm’s 2-star review (one which I agreed with wholeheartedly and echoed on my weekly WGN-AM radio segment), I was curious to see if they had fixed the problems with the show. Would tonight’s season-two premiere be an overhauled, new-and-improved version of what we watched six months ago? Nope.

CHICAGO – The new season of ABC’s hit “Castle” picks up right where the stunning cliffhanger of season three left off. Kate (Stana Katic) has been shot. Castle (Nathan Fillion) has confessed his love for her in the emotion of the moment. And we race with everyone to the hospital as they try to save Kate’s life.

CHICAGO – Do you want the good news or the bad news, TV fans? The good news is that the upcoming crop of new Fall programs from the five major networks (totaling 27 new shows) is not as bad as last year’s incredibly-horrible debut slate. The bad news is that it’s still pretty bad. There is no “Lost,” no “Glee,” no “Modern Family,” no instant stand-outs of any kind.

CHICAGO – Disney and ABC Studios are releasing waves of DVDs in the coming weeks that are designed to allow you to catch up before new episodes of your favorite shows premiere or, as is the case with two of the first titles, remember the days when they were still on the air. The most recent seasons of “Brothers & Sisters” and “Off the Map” hit stores this week, August 23rd, 2011, followed by “Cougar Town” and “Desperate Housewives” next week, August 30th, 2011.

CHICAGO – SyFy fans can officially start a countdown of episodes remaining for of the network’s biggest shows. While plans were seemingly moving forward for the network to renew the sixth season of their hit show “Eureka” after SyFy ordered six new episodes to be made last week, reconsideration has brought about the cancellation of the show.

CHICAGO – I’m critically torn regarding the ridiculousness that is ABC’s “Bachelor Pad,” the “Celebrity Rehab” of dating shows. Getting together the most obnoxious and ludicrous contestants from the last few seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” has a certain brilliance to it on a production level, but it’s also hard to fully defend the silliest thing on network TV right now.

CHICAGO – The first ten minutes or so of ABC’s new reality competition series “Take the Money and Run” is relatively promising and entertaining. Then it all gets very, very silly.

CHICAGO – Is there a script doctor in the house? ABC is in dire need of one. How could the network possibly greenlight “Combat Hospital” in light of its recently botched, strikingly similar effort, “Off the Map”?

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on May 21, 2011 to discuss TV news including the announcements of all five of the network schedules with a focus on the shuffling at CBS, the aggressive new lineup at ABC, and the return of old TV stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Tim Allen.