TV Goodness

And even bigger yay:

Show Me the Monkey. Attempting to keep her mind off Logan (Jason Dohring), Veronica (Kristen Bell) takes a job helping animal researchers track down a monkey missing from their laboratory. In order to find the missing animal, Veronica and Mac (Tina Majorino) go undercover as members of an on-campus animal rights group, believed to have freed the monkey. Meanwhile, Mindy O’Dell (guest star Jamie Ray Newman, "E Ring") asks Keith (Enrico Colantoni) to investigate Dean O’Dell’s (Ed Begley, Jr., who does not appear in the episode) death because she believes he was murdered. Percy Daggs, Francis Capra, Michael Muhney, Ryan Hansen, Chris Lowell and Julie Gonzalo also star. Nick Marck directed the episode story by John Ebrom and teleplay by John Enbom and Robby Hull.

Let’s hope the animal rights activists are painted with a more subtle brush than the feminists of the last arc. And also that the show’s chances for another season aren’t signaled by what will apparently be an 8-week hiatus following this arc for some reality show called Pussycat Dolls.

Finally, new television:

Godsend. Matt reveals himself to his wife. HRG confers with Mohinder. Now that she knows the truth, Claire tries to make sense of her life. Hiro seeks the sword that he is destined to own. Niki must face the consequences of her decision to turn herself in to the police. Simone and Nathan are worried about Peter, who has been in a coma for two weeks. A new hero is introduced who meets Peter and offers him a different view of the recent changes in the human evolutionary process. Micah visits his mother.

Looks like an action-packed one.

See also: The Watcher covers The Heroes presser.

to forgive Amy Sherman-Palladino if this is as good as it sounds:

Ausiello: Well, it sounds like you’re headed back to work. Tell me about the new show.

AS-P: It’s called The Return of Jezebel James, and it’s basically a sister buddy comedy. It’s about a very successful, very driven, very problem-solving kind of woman who’s a young-adult book publisher. She has her own imprint. And she decides to have a baby on her own, and the doctor says, "Whoops, you’re not going to be able to do that by yourself. Sorry, sweetheart!" And she winds up tracking down her younger, much-less-focused sister, who’s the polar opposite of her. And she says to her, "I will cut you a deal and pay you to carry my baby for me. But you have to move in with me, so that I can watch you and make sure it doesn’t come out with three heads." And the younger sister, having very limited options, agrees, and that’s where our series takes off. But the pilot is these two women reconnecting and cutting a deal.

And tonight (before the rerun season sets in):

Fallout. The heroes struggle to come to terms with the Texas tragedy; more is learned about the nuclear bombing predicted in Isaac’s painting; Matt and Audrey (Clea DuVall) pursue a new lead in their hunt for Sylar; Niki makes a difficult decision, which will allow her to keep her family safe. Sandra Bennett: Ashley Crow. Zach: Thomas Dekker. The Haitian: Jimmy Jean-Louis. Ando: James Kyson Lee.

This better be good. I’m still mad about Charlie (and the "brain tumor").

And tonight is:

Six Months Ago. This episode shows the heroes six months ago. Chandra Suresh, Mohinder’s father, arrives in New York looking for special people. He meets up with an individual that embraces the chance to be unique. Peter graduates from nursing school. Nathan plans to prosecute a case that could cause complications for the Petrellis. Niki receives a visit from her fathers which brings out the worst in her. Hiro tries to alter the future for someone important to him. Claire discovers her abilities right after joining the cheerleading squad, and her father meets up with someone special.

Also, after talking to Ted about it over the weekend, we’re considering getting a Playstation 2 so we can fight giants and play Katamari Damacy. (Yes, in our copious amounts of free time.) This seems suitably geeky in topic to pair with the Heroes chat, so thoughts on the concept are also welcome here.

This looks to be a good one, and judging by the title, we’re back to the Pi Sigs.

Lord of the Pi’s. Selma Rose (guest star Patricia Hearst), the wealthy grand-daughter of the founder of Hearst College and a member of the Hearst College Board of Trustees, mysteriously disappears the night before she is to cast a swing vote that will determine the fate of the Greek system on campus. Keith (Enrico Colantoni), with Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) help, is hired by Dean O’Dell (guest star Ed Begley, Jr., "Arrested Development") to investigate the disappearance. Meanwhile, Veronica has been rehired as a photographer at the Hearst Free Press, but she and Logan (Jason Dohring) fight over her involvement in the rape case. Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen, Michael Muhney, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell and Julie Gonzalo also star. Steve Gomer directed the episode written by Diane Ruggiero.

And tonight’s episode is:

Homecoming. As H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) tries to protect his daughter by any means, Claire’s (Hayden Panettiere) high school homecoming turns into a frightening night. Meanwhile, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Simone (Tawny Cypress) work together to find Isaac’s (Santiago Cabrera) painting for Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) — but this key to the future could lead to tragedy. Elsewhere, Hiro (Masi Oka) travels back in time to right an upsetting wrong and as Niki (Ali Larter) puts a goal in sight, Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) spends time with his dad (Leonard Roberts). Still experiencing strange dreams while in India, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) learns of a boy that might pull him back into his father’s research. Greg Grunberg also stars. Nora Zehetner ("Everwood"), Sakina Jaffery ("Third Watch") and Jayma Mays ("Entourage") guest-star.

And tonight’s ep is:

Yeah, I know we’re all watching returns, but we’ll need a break. Tonight’s ep:

Hi, Infidelity. Veronica (Kristen Bell) is accused of plagiarizing her paper for Professor Landry’s (guest star Patrick Fabian, "Joan of Arcadia") criminology class. In trying to clear herself, she discovers that her mentor is not who she thought he was.

Wallace (Percy Daggs III) is pardoned by Dean O’Dell (guest star Ed Begley, Jr., "Arrested Development") for cheating on his exam, but makes a decision that could affect his college career. Piz (Chris Lowell) invites Veronica to a night of bowling and she decides to bring Logan (Jason Dohring) and Parker (Julie Gonzalo), unaware Piz wanted the evening to be more of a date. Enrico Colantoni, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra and Tina Majorino also star. Michael Fields directed the episode written by John Embom.

Encouraging, yes? From The Watcher (where, natch, I get all my TV info these days):

There’s a bit of good news regarding “Veronica Mars.” According to a source at the show, the Tuesday-night CW drama has received an order for three additional scripts, and directors have been hired for those scripts. As is standard with most TV shows, “Mars” got an initial order for 13 episodes in the spring, when it was picked up for a third season. However it is not yet known if “Mars” will get the additional episodes it would need to fill out a 22 episode season, or the “back nine,” as its called in TV parlance. The CW is expected to make a decision regarding back nine for “Veronica Mars” this week.