MAD MEN
For us every-day TV Addicts who let’s face it, don’t always pick up on the subtle subtleties of every look, nuance and intricate line of dialogue that are packed into each and every hour of the Matthew Weiner masterpiece, Sunday’s game-changer of a finale that had Don leading Roger and Bertram (Sterling and Cooper respectively) in a coup d’état in an effort to take control of their own destiny by secretly starting their own agency was plain and simple mad mad fun. Now, if only we had some assurances that we haven’t seen the last of Ken, Paul and Sal!

90210
After almost a season and a half, this week’s installment of 90210 finally delivered that missing piece of the puzzle. The spark of genuine friendship between our leading players upon Liam finally revealing to Dixon, Teddy and surfer chick Ivy the reason why he looks like he’s ready to ‘Hulk smash’ at a moments notice. Seriously. All that was missing from this next gen gang’s vow to help Liam take Naomi’s duplicitous sister Jen down was an iconic Brandon/Steve/Dylan fist-bump.

GLEE
Just how good was this week’s highly anticipated return of GLEE? So good that the defying-gravity-diva-off between Rachel and Kurt that we’ve been counting down the hours for wasn’t even the episode’s highlight. Don’t get us wrong, our current iTunes play count on Defying Gravity is at a solid 66 plays and counting in less than a week. But when an episode manages to humanize Sue Sylvester, provide Artie with a much-deserved moment in the spotlight and allow for Tina — who quite frankly we were starting to worry was quietly becoming the GLEE equivalent of FRINGE’s Astrid — to deliver not only what was easily her largest amount of dialogue to date, but a shocking reveal to-boot, there’s a good reason why we have yet to stop believin’ (or talkin’ about) this show.

DEXTER
Oh No Dexter Didn’t! Oh wait, he did. Break Harry’s code that is. And now that he’s killed what we presume is his first innocent man — the big, scary, question that remains is will we as fans ever be able to look at what was once America’s favorite serial killer the same way again? Stay tuned.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Predictable, cheesy, call it what you will. But Buddy “Clear eyes, full hearts can’t lose” Garrity’s denouncement of the Dillon Panther Boosters was one of those rare TV moments that PVR’s were made for.

90210’s Shenae Grimes
What started out as an interesting way to handle a poorly conceived character that never really connected with viewers continues to get well less so, after yet another week went by with Shenae Grimes’ Annie Wilson on the outside looking in. Seriously, we can’t recall the last time (if ever) a character that started out the series front-and-center was pushed so far back into the periphery. Hey 90210 EP Rebecca Rand Kirshner, care to explain?

The handling of Barney and Robin
After a season of build-up, anticipation and hype, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’s  Barney and Robin are officially (spoiler alert!) no more. And while disappointment may not be exactly how we’d characterize the relationship that we believe is at least partially to blame for HIMYM’s somewhat less than stellar start to the season, we can’t help but be somewhat surprised that the same writers who gave us the genius that is the ’slap bet,’ ‘Robin Sparkles,’ and one of the cleverest sitcom hooks in recent memory (See: The mystery surrounding the titular mother) handled the pairing up of ‘Robney’ so poorly.

The controversy surrounding Monday’s GOSSIP GIRL
Popular USAToday Blogger Whitney Matheson took the words right out of our mouth when she tweeted, “I can’t believe folks are crazed over the ridiculous Gossip Girl threesome. Next to Skins, that show looks like Dora the Explorer.”

The People’s Choice Award Nominees
Yesterday’s announcement touting the nominees for January’s People’s Choice Awards which include Blake Lively for TV Drama Actress, THE HILLS and THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER for TV Obsession, HEROES for TV Sci-fi, THREE RIVERS and THE FORGOTTEN for New TV Drama, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, HANK and BROTHERS for New TV Comedy has this TV Addict wondering, People’s Choice or Network Marketing Executive’s Choice Awards? And by that we mean, HANK, seriously?!

Thank to yet another stellar outing, this TV Addict is officially ready to crown 90210 the season’s most improved player. But in lieu of a crown — which alas, this little-blog-that-could most definitely can’t afford — we hope the CW and new showrunner Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair will accept something far more valuable: A mea culpa. After-all, when we’re wrong, we’re wrong. Which is why we’re willing to admit that in-spite of stars Annalynne McCord and Trevor Donovan looking like they’re 17 going on 30, we currently find ourselves growing surprisingly attached to them both. Particularly McCord, whose desperate attempt to weasel her way into California University last night by morphing from Naomi Clark into Naomi Klein had us in stitches. Meanwhile, Shenae Grimes’ Annie Mills is not only far less annoying this season, she has us genuinely concerned for her safety. And by that we mean, is it possible for new friend Jasper to give off anymore of a creepy Beaver Cassidy Casablancas Neptune High circa 2006 vibe? (RIP: VERONICA MARS) Call us crazy, but we’re starting to wonder if Jasper’s Uncle may have been dead before Annie drove away from her personal prom nightmare!

And while we’re on the subject of killing, it’s killing this TV Addict that more of you aren’t jumping on the MELROSE PLACE bandwagon. Do you know how embarrassed Ella must feel knowing that a mere 1.6 million of you showed up to her birthday last night. What’s worse, only 900,000 advertiser friendly good-looking 18-49 years old bothered to attend? Which means the millions of you that weren’t nodding off to NCIS: LOS ANGELES missed: A very revealing flashback that had a thoughtful and caring Sydney Andrews take a young and naive Ella Simms under her wing (Or as Syd put it, from Uggs to Manolos!), an increasingly adorable Riley and Jonah and most exciting of all, med student/lady-of-the-night Lauren Yang get in bed (Not literally of course, that desperate storyline has already been reserved for HEROES) with Hollywood Madame Wendi (Played by who else.. NIP/TUCK’s Kelly Carlson). It was a hoot (and kinda hawt), so why not drop by next Tuesday at 9PM on the CW (10PM on GlobalTV in Canada)

And finally, in this world of Lindsays, Britneys and that freaky youngest brother from HOME IMPROVEMENT, it’s nice to know that not all child stars go bad. Which is why it was such a treat to see Spencer Treat Clark (Gladiator, Unbreakable, Mystic River) doing a fine job playing a murder suspect on last night’s GOOD WIFE. Take note young cast members of MODERN FAMILY and THE MIDDLE. Not all roads have to lead to VH1’s CELEBRITY REHAB.

1. The COMMUNITY series premiere. [iTunes Link]
2. The PARKS AND RECREATION season premiere. [iTunes Link]
3. The 90210 season premiere. [iTunes Link]
4. The MELROSE PLACE series premiere. [iTunes Link]
5. The BORED TO DEATH series premiere. [iTunes Link]

As advertised, 90210 did in fact offer up a “New Beginning,” cleverly repositioning the series around the trifecta of talent that is Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord), Silver (Jessica Stroup) and Adrianne (Jessica Lowndes, sporting some much needed lush new locks!). Leaving sullen Shenae Grimes’ Annie Mills flying solo towards a dangerous downward path of booze, sex and public humiliation (Which gets much worse next week, just wait!) Just how much fun was last night’s 90210? Put it this way, between the much-improved dialogue (That “woosh” you just heard was the Viki Kristina Barcelona reference flying completely over our head), and the hilariously-wicked-yet-still-likeable Naomi Clark, we barely cared that the new theme song is a massive dud, Navid (Michael Steger) and Dixon (Tristan Wilds) are so boring that we’re praying that their next to join Ethan in Montana, and, try as they may, newcomer tennis hottie Teddy (Trevor Donovan) still looks 35.

As for MELOSE PLACE… Murder! Prostitution! Blackmail! And the delicious Katie Cassidy (”I love love, I just hate monogamy”), what’s not to love? Okay, so Ashlee Simpson Wentz didn’t exactly light up the screen as wide-eyed newcomer Violet Foster, and David’s extra-curricular art-thievery is about as believable as well, Simpson Wentz’s nose. But nonetheless, MELROSE PLACE lived up to its status as the ultimate guilty pleasure. And like all good pilots, has us asking, what’s next?

Your turn.

Upcoming 90210 guest star Rumor Willis (pictured above) doesn’t believe she owes her ‘acting career’ to her famous parents. No really. [GabbyBabble]

From iconic big screen superhero to CHUCK guest star, you know what’s not so super? Brandon Routh’s career trajectory. [EW]

Laura Linney thinks Cancer is funny. Clearly, somebody didn’t see Funny People. [Variety]

Good News: The cast of SWINGTOWN is back working. Bad News: On other shows. [Staying In]

Apparently new 90210 showrunner Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair wasn’t kidding when she promised last spring that 90210’s second season would be ’significantly different’ from its first.

In fact, upon closer inspection of the show’s upcoming season premiere (airing September 8 at 8PM on the CW and Global in Canada), appropriately titled “To New Beginnings”, this TV Addict can’t help but wonder if a more appropriate title might have been “To New Directions.” How else to explain the single less-than-glamorous shot of the show’s once-central-character Annie Mills among the sixteen (Count ‘em, 16!) publicity stills released to the media? Is it possible 90210’s creative team finally came to their senses and realized that the re-boot needs to focus on characters viewers actually care about (See: the Taylors — Jackie, Kelly and Silver). Or, is this simply a happy coincidence? Post away with your theory in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Photo: Michael Desmond/The CW ©2009

Good News: FOX has signed a deal with publisher Deep Silver to give PRISON BREAK the video game treatment. Bad News: Like the series itself, expect the game to start off on a high note, only to quickly fizzle out and frustrate viewers thanks to various implausible plot twists and a ridiculous story-line. [Source]

Good News: Tonight’s BETTER OFF TED season finale features a guest appearance by Twilight’s Rachel Lefevre. Bad News: Somebody forgot to alert ABC’s marketing department, who in turn neglected to inform the millions of Twihards. [Source]

Good News: You can watch the second-funniest new comedy of the Fall — COMMUNITY on facebook right now! Bad News: Unless of course you live outside of the US, and not before you’re prompted to spam your friends with an invitation to ‘Become a Fan’ of COMMUNITY. [Source]

Hot off the heels of Reason #425 Why We’re Nervous For 90210’s Sophomore Year comes Reason #426: Rumer Willis — who according to Access Hollywood — has signed on to guest star on 90210 as Gia, a punky cute lesbian who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and will work alongside Navid, Adrianna and Silver at the Blaze News.