Gail: Hi, everybody. Welcome to this special "Brrrr!" edition of our TV chat. My fall clothes are feeling neglected because I never got to wear them before pulling out the winter stuff, but I promise a warmup before next Thursday's chat. And in any case, we always have hot topics, right? So let's get started.

Charles_Williams: Gail, I watched "Cougar Town" last Yhursday night. It was immature and badly overacted. But I kept watching. What's wrong with me?

Gail: Badly written, too. Juvenile and crude. Maybe you watched because you felt sorry for Courteney Cox, working so hard with such bad material? Well, don't; she also helped create the show, so she's responsible. Maybe you kept watching because you're also juvenile and crude? No, wait, I know that's not the case. So I have to assume you kept watching because you lost the remote and have two broken legs.
Lots of people are watching, too, even if they don't know why either. "Cougar Town" has already been picked up for the full season.

April Lindsey: Hey Gail!

What was up with Pete's coughing fit on MM? He led with saying, "This will be the death of me" or something similar and then spent the entire shoot coughing.

Gail: The evil Lucky Strike guy made Pete, who doesn't smoke, take a puff of the product. His determination to control everyone and everything, even that, set up the encounter with Sal and its extremely sad aftermath.

Bert: So, I know the creator/writer of The Shield is incredible. I loved the Shield, and his new show, Sons of Anarchy, might be even better. I thought I read in one of your columns that he's also taking over creatively for another show. Am I remembering right? What show?

Gail: I just talked to the wonderful Shawn Ryan this week. After "The Shield," actually during, he moved on to executive produce "The Unit" with David Mamet. Now he's the showrunner on Fox's "Lie To Me," and FX just picked up his new series, "Terriers," a dramedy about private eyes.
But he doesn't have anything to do with "Sons of Anarchy." That's Kurt Sutter's show. Sutter's wife, by the way, is Katey Sagal, who stars in "SoA."
Shawn Ryan also didn't create "Glee." That's Ryan Murphy, with whom he's often confused. Ryan Murphy also created "Nip/Tuck."
Wow, you got a lot of answers for your money.
Look for more from Shawn Ryan in my Sunday story on the A&E cover about TV insiders on Twitter.

Ann: Regarding NBC's cancellation of Southland - My Mom and I both liked this show and were looking forward to a new season; we had saved your column about all the shows as a reminder about when Southland's new episodes were scheduled to begin. We both enjoy your columns - thanks for keeping even those of us who still like reading the newspaper in hard-copy format informed. I sent an email to NBC this evening, it was probably more therapy for us than a persuasive argument for NBC to reconsider it's decision but at least we tried to be a voice for viewers.

Gail: It never helps to write to a TV network, but it can make you feel better. In the case of "Southland," NBC reportedly told producers that the new season's episodes were too dark for 9/10 p.m. I don't know if that's true. Ratings had plummeted after NBC picked up Season 2 last spring, and the top management of the network has since changed.
Thanks for BUYING the paper! I like holding it in my hands to read it, too.