Television

Time has run out for special agent Jack Bauer, the hero of Fox's real-time drama, 24. Executive Producer Howard Gordon reflects on the past eight seasons -- explaining how the show became more politicized and why Jack Bauer never once went to the bathroom.

Dorothy Sayers' genteelly dapper detective, portrayed by Ian Carmichael in the '70s BBC miniseries, returns in a newly released DVD set. Critic John Powers reviews the first two episodes of a murder-mystery collection whose success on American TV paved the way for a PBS's popular Mystery franchise.

David Lynch's mysterious, groundbreaking serial drama premiered on April 8, 1990. Twenty years later, critic John Powers looks back at the cult series, which he says "smuggled avant-garde into prime time."

David Simon and Eric Overmyer met when they worked on the TV series Homicide: Life on the Streets. They also worked together on Simon's acclaimed HBO series The Wire. Now they have a new series called Treme — about the musicians and other locals rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina.

After profiling Baltimore's citizens, politics and problems in the HBO series The Wire, David Simon heads south to New Orleans — to look at the city three months after Hurricane Katrina. TV Critic David Bianculli reviews the series, which he says is "like a haunting piece of jazz from the French Quarter."

Chances are you've seen Australian actress Toni Collette in more roles that you realize. Collette has starred in Muriel's Wedding, The Sixth Sense and Little Miss Sunshine and currently plays several roles on Showtime's United States of Tara.

The bawdy, crudely animated sitcom South Park is about to celebrate its 200th episode. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone go behind the scenes of some of their favorite episodes and explain how they come up with the weekly parodies.

The AMC seres Breaking Bad and the new Discovery Channel nature series Life premiere on Sunday night -- and Showtimes' Nurse Jackie and The United States of Tara are back Monday. TV Critic David Bianculli reviews all four -- and tells you which ones are worth watching.

Starting tonight on the FX cable network, Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant is back playing another man with a badge -- this time in Justified, a modern-day Western based on stories by Elmore Leonard. TV critic David Bianculli review the new series for Fresh Air.

After producing Band of Brothers in 2001, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg return to World War II with The Pacific, a 10-part historical miniseries beginning Sunday night on HBO. TV Critic David Bianculli review the series, which examines the Pacific theater of operations.