Gail: Hi, everybody. I've had an exciting day so far; while I was in the shower, Oliver ("Bad Kitten") pried open the laptop and opened 17 programs, including a folder of pictures of himself and that search feature with the little dog wagging his tail. It was such a mess, I had to shut down by pushing the button, annoying Windows. I've learned an important lesson, though: Close the laptop completely and, possibly, shop for cat handcuffs, size medium. In any case, I'm safe at the office now, and except for the stuffed shark that just arrived from the Hallmark Channel, no animals are in sight. So let's chat.

brandon: i was just wondering how do the tv networks base their rating on. are there still nielson boxes in house or since everything is digital now is that how they figure them out

Gail: Nielsen is deliberately mysterious about how it acquires its ratings sample. Some houses still have Nielsen boxes. But during sweeps months, they also still send out paper diaries for people to fill out. If you've ever seen one of those diaries, you'll wonder even more about the accuracy of ratings, because I can't imagine anyone actually filling them out completely. Yes, everything is digital now, and technically Nielsen could probably get viewership info from cable and satellite companies that would be way more accurate -- but there's a privacy issue. Do you want big brother (not "Big Brother") knowing everything you watch, and telling?

Patti: Hi, Gail! Have you heard if "Aliens in America" or "Reaper" have been cancelled?

Gail: No word yet on either one. I would renew them both, but I'm not a network programmer, and it's hard to predict what the CW will do. In particular, ratings for poor "Aliens in America" have been pretty low.

suzyjax: With the writer's strike over, I was curious about Law & Order CI. I assume they are making new episodes, is that right? Also, will the new ones premier on NBC or USA? I also notice that Monk and Psych are moving over to NBC. Will that be new episodes or just "new to NBC"?

Gail: NBC announced that it would air "Monk" and "Psych" this summer, but that will be reruns -- and actually, I haven't heard anything about the plan lately. With reality and game shows doing so well, NBC could still drop the plan altogether. I haven't heard that "CI" will return to the network from USA except as repeats.

Carrie: I was very upset to learn that October Road is going to be cancelled! This is a GREAT show. It is funny and intelligent and poignant and just juicy enough to keep you wanting more without being tacky. I really want to know if Hannah smartens up before she marries Ray and if Nick finds out he's Sams dad. I am originally from the Boston area and I also really appreciate the fact that no one tries to do a Boston accent. Tom Berenger slips a few words in here and there, but he's not too far off. (Unless you are Matt Damon, Ben Affleck or Mark Wahlberg no actor should try to do a Boston accent because they can't pull it off.) I really feel like this show has never had a fair shot. As an end of the season fill in last year it was opposite ER and now this year it started later in a season that was screwed up to start and put opposite Medium. I love Medium too, but every week I taped October Road and missed Medium if I had to make a choice.

I know I probably don't have a chance to change things, but I and several of my friends who also love this show would love to be able to write the network an tell them how we feel. I was hoping you might have the appropriate address at the network for us to write to.

Gail: Every show, no matter how low-rated -- well, maybe not "Viva Laughlin" -- has people who thinks it's great and the best show on TV. In the end, though, a network may think it's time to cut its losses with a show like "October Road," which got a second season even though ratings for the first run were low. I don't get involved with "save our show" campaigns because I think they're 99.9 percent futile, but if you want to join one, you should try an online search and find out what you're supposed to mail in this time.

terri: What about October Road??? Do you think it will be renewed??? PLEASE let me know!

Gail: Maybe you and Carrie can get together. I had never heard from one "October Road" fan until recently.

Rams747: That is so funny about Oliver. He just wanted to look at photos of himself. ha

Gail: I need to write a book called "Bad Kitten."

Tom: Why is it no one seems to care that Carly Smithson has been signed to a major label in the past. It gives her a big advantage. Plus her explanation was weak at best, MCA is still in business as far as I know. I didn't know this was a show for professionals.

Gail: I have honestly not paid any attention to this controversy because I know nothing about the recording industry. The producers say the rules don't eliminate her (although America almost did this week), and if that's unfair -- well, it was also unfair for Stripper Boy to get to stay in when Frenchie Davis was tossed out.

ShieldFan: Gail, do you know when the Shield is going to return for what I believe is their final season ? I have checked the net but cannot find anything. Thanks.

Gail: I've heard that the final season (13 episodes, I think) was completed before the strike -- the finale was shot during the strike, with creator Shawn Ryan absent -- but won't air until fall or later. There was a quote from Ryan about it in either TV Guide or EW.

Lisa: Why did Lifetime cancel "A Side Order of Life"? I thought it would be back for sure after the writer's strike, but everything (and all of the comments) I've read on their website lead me to believe it's gone for good. It was one of the few shows that I enjoyed on that station.

Gail: Cable networks have lower expectations for their series' performance, but even for them, ratings can sink too low -- or there can be other problems, behind the scenes or in front. If you've been reading websites, you probably know more than I do about what befell "Side Order of Life." I actually had to think twice to remember it wasn't the Lili Taylor one. Viewers may have been put off "Side Order" because of the cancer diagnosis in the premiere. I know that didn't make me want to return.

Tyler: Its Always sunny in philly...is this coming back for a 4th season?

Gail: Yes, in the fall -- and the three creators are also making a pilot for Fox. It will probably cost a bit more than the couple of hundred dollars they spent on the "Sunny" pilot.

john in maryland heights: Is Shark coming back? If so, when? If not, do you know why not?
thanks

Gail: CBS hasn't announced a return date for "Shark" -- which seems ominous considering how many CBS shows are already back or will return soon, and how many others have been picked up for fall. By the way, my chart of when each show will be back is still available on STLtoday.com/TV, although it keeps disappearing and we keep having to retrieve it.

Lorena: It was horrible the way the CW dumped "Girlfriends" and their fans with no warning. The least they could have done was give us a series finale. Will they give us another season of "The Game" or will "Everybody Hates Chris" become the only African American show left from the UPN days?

Gail: I've heard there will be a retrospective, but that won't provide much closure. The CW reportedly decided putting the show back into production after the strike, to shoot final episodes, would be too expensive. I think you're right that the days of the African-American comedy on network TV are numbered. Two factors: the percentage of African-Americans in the population as a whole is relatively small, and black viewers watch more TV, the most of any ethnic group. so they're easier for advertisers to reach. Networks want a crossover audience and think they can get it better by diverse shows -- i.e. ensembles with white, black, Asian, gay characters.

Deanna: Did Jericho do any better this season, and do you think they'll be back?

Gail: No, not really. If I had to guess, I would say next week's season finale is the series finale, but it will depend on how much other stuff CBS has in the pipeline and whether Nina Tassler is out of peanuts yet. I was reading a recap on TVGuide.com, where many recaps get thousands of comments, and the one on "Jericho" had just 25. That doesn't seem like a sign of huge, continuing interest, but I know there will be another outcry if it's canceled again. By the way, the plot has gotten so dark and convoluted that I couldn't even follow it from the recap.

Pat Howell: Gail, this really isn't a TV related question, but I bet you know the answer....Where is Dana Loesch's column lately?

Gail: I don't know who that is.

Julie: I've searched everywhere!
What happened to "Pushing Daisy's"?
It was sooo great.
Thx.

Gail: "Pushing Daisies" won't return this spring but has been renewed for fall. Keep upppppp.

Shauna: A colleague wants to know if Cashmere Mafia has been cancelled. Given that it's got "your kind of show" written all over it, I figured you would know its fate. Seriously, whatcha know?

Gail: My "kind of show"? Oh, no -- although I didn't think it was as hideous as "Lipstick Jungle." "CM" hasn't been canceled, but I'd think that was inevitable.

Amy H.: Do you know when the "Deadliest Catch" will start its new season on Discovery? My husband got me hooked on this show and now I can't miss it.

Gail: This is a show about deep-sea fishing -- yes, fishing -- that a lot of people are hooked on. So to speak. I just got a release that the new season starts April 15.

Margaret: I heard something yesterday about Clinton of "What Not To Wear" making an appearance in Saint Louis. Do you know anything about it?

Gail: Clinton Kelly is going to be in the Petites department of Macy's West County at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12. "Following the fashion presentation, one lucky guest will win an unforgettable shopping spree, with Clinton serving as her personal stylist, as she selects a stunning $500 fall wardrobe from the Petites Department."

P.T.: Gail: Is that Greg Evigan who plays the helicopter pilot on Lost?

Gail: No; it's Jeff Fahey. I didn't know the guy's name off the top of my head, but (not to make myself irrelevant) I found it by Googling "who plays helicopter pilot lost." Came right up.

Micki: Do you know when Ugly Betty will be back? I don't watch much TV, but I did enjoy this show. Thanks!

Gail: April 24 -- and see my previous note to Julie.

Myron: WHAT TYPE OF STORIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE ONE OR NOT. THANKS.

Gail: I'm looking for stories about TV. And you're welcome.

Jerry: My wife and I have a question for you that Dear Abby wouldn't be able to handle: Who are the Oceanic Six? ABC was promoing the fact that the sixth member of the Oceanic Six would be revealed last week. Somewhere along the line we missed member No. 5. There's Jack and Kate (1 and 1A). And Hurley (3). And Sayid (4). And Sun (6).But who's No. 5? (And don't say Albert Pujols.) And when was No. 5 revealed? And where was I? (And don't say Lost.)
What a great show!!! As long as they tie up all the loose ends eventually.

Gail: If Jin is buried in Korea, he had to get off the island, so that makes him one of the Oceanic Six. That's how I'd heard the list all along: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, Jin. It broke my heart to learn that Jin was dead! At least he's still alive on the island.

Tom R.: "Secret Talents Of The Stars"? Did I hear right, and this is circus acts?

Gail: TV has come up with a lot of bizarre reality-competition shows lately, but this one is a doozy. "Celebrities" show off their hidden talents, which could be singing or dancing, but a lot of them are circus acts. And the list of "stars" is particularly bizarre -- from Clint Black and Sheila E. to Marla Maples and Cindy Margolis (whose only credit seems to be as a finalist on "Celebrity Cooking Showdown"). We may have to tune in, though, to see Danny Bonaduce learn to ride a unicycle.

Dick: Where is Boston Legal? Has it been canceled or is it just not airing because of the strike?

Gail: It's supposed to have new episodes in April. I think "Boston Legal" is becoming our new "Judging Amy" -- a question about it every week.

M. Boccia: Basic cable television, costing over $50 each month and delivering 75% programs not worth watching, in order to get the few of some consequence, leaves us without two new series that we would truly love to see - John Adams and the Alexander McCall Smith series. Isn't HBO meant for people who only want to look at the most recent movies? The powers in charge, responsible for this, should know we are NOT HAPPY!

Gail: Let me see if I have this straight: HBO makes some of the best programs on TV, raising the bar for every other network. And you're "not happy" with them because you don't subscribe? They'd be laughing if they knew this. The whole point of this quality programming is to attract subscribers; nobody would subscribe to a premium cable channel these days to see movies, because there are so many other ways (Netflicks, Red Box) to see just the new movies you want. And by the way, not to shill, but HBO is having a special where you get it and Cinemax for a year for $10 a month. My friends Jackie and Steve just signed up, and they're thrilled with "John Adams."

Jim: I found the show Kyle XY over a year ago and have enjoyed its on going mysterious plot ever since, but I wonder if you have seen it (ABC Family) and if you have, what is your review. I don't recall seeing anything in your column on this show but there was a favorable report about it in the TV Guide.

Gail: "Kyle X/Y" -- a series for teens and tweens about a boy with no belly button or memory of who he is -- debuted in 2006 on ABC Family. I'm not really the target demographic, but I think it's a nice show, and the Television Critics Association gave it an award for best children's program last summer.

Lisa: You were pretty hard on The Bachelor in your column this week. Did you watch the season premiere and if so have you had a change of heart? I think you know what I mean.

Gail: Do I know you? Because I was just having this same conversation yesterday with Diane, who sits next to me. She mentioned my scathing comments about the "Bachelor" franchise after I told her I'd watched the premiere and would definitely be watching this season. My flip-flop? As I'm sure you realize, it's due to my getting a look at the new "Bachelor," Londoner Matt Grant. He is really, really attractive. I remain horrified by the willingness of the women to degrade themselves, however. And did that one "lady" really think getting drunk and groping him was the way to this guy's heart?

Charlie: Regarding Jerry's question about the Oceanic 6, Aaron, and not Jin, is the sixth member. Jin did not make it off the island. The date of death on his tombstone was 9/22/04, the date the plane crashed. If Jin had made it off the island and later died, the date on the tombstone would have been later. The Oceanic 6 "story" is that all the other people on the plane died upon crashing, so anyone who did not get rescued would have 9/22/04 on their tombstones to signify dying in the crash. If someone wants more info, check out Jeff Jensen's Lost columns on EW.com.

Gail: I still say Aaron wasn't on the plane.

Gail: That's it for today. Please come back next week with more great questions.