Television

TV critic David Bianculli previews three shows with season openers this Sunday: Extras and Rome on HBO, and the popular Fox TV series 24.

This season's new trend in boxed sets of television series on DVD is something that ought to be called the "megaset." These aren't just single-season collections of TV shows. They are compilations of every episode in a series.

Ricky Gervais appears in the new film Night at the Museum, in which insects come to life after a spell is cast at The Museum of Natural History. Gervais is the creator and star of the British TV comedy series The Office, which has been adapted into a hit show starring Steve Carrell. He's won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and three BAFTA Awards. Gervais also writes the Flanimals series of children's books.

Writer and producer Ed Burns draws on his experience as a former Baltimore detective to create the acclaimed HBO series The Wire, now in its fourth season. It's a crime drama with a central theme of surveillance technology used to capture drug dealers.

Three new prime-time TV series premiere this week: scripted dramas on ABC and CBS, and a new quiz show on ABC. This week also brings the season finale of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, and lots of other activity involving first-run weekly television shows. Our TV critic says that all this action is related -- and little of it is cause for celebration.

TV and film director John Rich has directed some of the most well-known shows in TV history, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke, All In the Family, Barney Miller Good Times and Newhart. His film credits include Wives and Lovers and Roustabout starring Elvis Presley. Rich's new memoir is Warm Up the Snake: A Hollywood Memoir.c

Helen Mirren introduced the character of British police inspector Jane Tennison in the first Prime Suspect miniseries, imported by PBS 14 years ago. This weekend and next, the PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theatre presents the last entry: Prime Suspect: The Final Act.

Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling work on the hit NBC series The Office, starring Steve Carrell. Kaling also plays Kelly on the show. Daniels has a history of TV comedy writing. He has worked on Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and The Simpsons. Kaling had a role in Carrell's The 40-Year-Old Virgin and appeared on an episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

David Bianculli reviews a new episode of the popular British crime series, Cracker. The program was originally produced in the 1990s, and Robbie Coltrane returns to star as Edward Fitzgerald, an abrasive criminal psychologist. The new two-hour show, Cracker: A New Terror, airs at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

The hit show 'Lost' began its third season Oct. 4 in a year that has, so far, been dominated by the 'CSI' franchise. The success of these crime shows isn't surprising, says critic at-large John Powers, who finds that the difference between the two kinds of shows says a lot about current TV.

Film critic David Bianculli reviews 30 Rock the new NBC sitcom created by and starring Tina Fey, former head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor on Saturday Night Live. It's the second NBC show about a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late-night live variety show.

In Dexter, the new Showtime series starring Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under fame, a forensics expert investigates serial killers by day and turns into one at night, stalking and murdering criminals.

Our television critic reviews the new drama series Brothers & Sisters, which airs on Sunday night in the ABC time slot previously occupied by Grey's Anatomy.

David Bianculli offers a look at new shows arriving this season

Actor Jeremy Sisto, best known for his role as Billy on HBO's Six Feet Under, is now starring in the new series Kidnapped on NBC. It premieres next Wednesday.

Our TV critic and (guest host for this show) previews the third season premiere of the HBO series Deadwood. The show returns to the air this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET.

C.C.H. Pounder is best known for her portrayal of Detective Claudette Wyms on the FX TV show The Shield. Recently, her character got a much deserved promotion to captain. Pounder was raised in Guyana, and schooled in Britain. The Shield is one of this year's recipients of the prestigious Peabody Award, being handed out Monday night.

Up until recently, Joseph R. Gannascoli played mob captain Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos. Then he got whacked. Before that, Gannascoli's character was "outed," having been spotted dancing in leather chaps at a gay bar. Now he moves on to his writing career: His new crime novel, A Meal to Die For, is about a mobster and gourmet chef who has been summoned to prepare a feast for a boss who is about to be sent to jail.

The popular NBC White House drama The West Wing wraps up seven years on the air on Sunday night with a final episode. Our TV critic has a retrospective of the series, and we feature previous interviews with some of the actors.

The late actor John Spencer was best known for his character Leo McGarry, the president's chief of staff, on The West Wing. Spencer's and McGarry's lives ran parallel: Both were recovering alcoholics and both had driven personalities. McGarry suffered a heart attack on the show, and Spencer died of a heart attack. Spencer was previously a regular on "L.A. Law" and began his career on "The Patty Duke Show." This interview originally aired on April 5, 2000.