TMI as 'Law & Order' makes another cast change

Over sharing can be an awkward situation.

Suddenly in the middle of a conversation with a friend/co-worker/family member, they share too much information (or TMI as the kids say. Do the kids just say that or am I awkwardly trying to appear hip?). And you think to yourself, "You know what? I would have been fine living the rest of my life without knowing that."

That's kind of how I felt watching this week's episode of Law & Order (Wednesday at 10 p.m. on NBC). Jesse L. Martin. who has played Detective Ed Green for nine seasons, is departing the series this week.(By the way, doesn't it seem like just yesterday that we learned that Ally McBeal's boyfriend was going to be on Law & Order? TV time can really fly.)

Law & Order is not a show made for telling the viewers about the character's personal lives. Therefore this episode, which throws the viewer into the deep end of Detective Green's personal life, is jarring. It's a little like add water, instant back story. It's clunky and it doesn't quite work.

That being said, I'm going to miss Martin's smooth style on the series and I like the fact that his exit leaves the door open for him to return to the Law & Order franchise (hey Chris Noth eventually came back and I'm holding out hope that Martin will too). And I'm thrilled that Anthony Anderson is joining the cast as Detective Kevin Bernard. Anderson is easily one of my favorite actors. I've been particularly partial to him ever since he played the nefarious Antwon Mitchell on The Shield. I think he's really one of the most versatile actors on TV today. And he was definitely the best thing about K-ville so I'm delighted that he's so quickly reappeared after that show's cancellation. He's going to be a great addition to Law & Order.

Now let's talk about the other changes in the 18th season of the series. I've heard from many of you who have not been happy with Sam Waterson's reduced screen time now that his Jack McCoy is the District Attorney. I agree we see a lot less of him but I think we see just about as much of him as we have of the show's previous District Attorneys. And how are you feeling about Linus Roache's Michael Cutter? My friend, Nancy, still complains of his "with the times" style of constantly being on his blackberry. He's definitely one of the more abrasive characters the show has had but I still kind of like him.

What do you think of Law & Order this season? Talk about it below. And after you watch this week's episode, definitely let me know what you think.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for April 21-27

Gossip Girl is back with new episodes Monday at 8 p.m. on the CW. When we last left Blair she had been seriously dethroned and now must begin her plot to regain her rightful spot in the Upper East Side hierarchy. Meanwhile Jenny does just about anything to be popular. In a rather odd move, the CW has pulled the streaming video of the episodes and now the only way you'll be able to watch them is on TV. Thankfully, the episodes will repeat every Sunday at 6 p.m. and there will still be content on cwtv.com including post episode interviews with executive producer Josh Schwartz. Click here and here for a preview of this week's episode.

Come on everybody, let's go to the mall. Robin let's the gang know there is another Robin Sparkles video out there on How I Met Your Mother (Monday, CBS, 8:30 p.m.). James Van der Beek (that's Dawson to you and me) guest stars as Robin's former boyfriend (pssst Robin, you should so totally choose Pacey). This series has been on a roll since returning from the strike so I have high hopes for this episode.

Steve and Tony are back on Reaper (Tuesday at 9 p.m. on the CW) and they have a plan to destroy the devil. Check out a preview here and here.

Patrick gets a job with Jane's company and Cash is discharged from the hospital on Men in Trees (Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC). Fans of Men in Trees let me know about a really interesting campaign they did to show their support of the show. The Plant it Forward campaign donated 7,000 trees to impoverished countries through an organization called Trees for Life. Find out more about the campaign here.

Thursday nights have never been so stressful so you might want to sit down. We've got all new episodes over at NBC, all new episodes happening on CBS, the return of brand new episodes of Supernatural and all new episodes on ABC. So take a moment, breathe deeply and go ask your boss to take Friday off because you are going to need that day to catch up. The Winchester boys are the stars of a new reality show called "Ghostfacers" at 9 p.m. on the CW. Jayma Mays is back as Charlie on Ugly Betty (Thursday, ABC, 8 p.m.) and she's ruining Betty's 24th birthday. Derek is dating Rose on Grey's Anatomy (Thursday, ABC, 9 p.m.). And Locke's camp is under attack on Lost (Thursday, ABC, 10 p.m.). Like I said we've got a lot to deal with this week. You actually might want to take Wednesday off too just to prepare.

Don't forget that Eric Winter, Robert's brother Jason on Brothers & Sisters, begins his guest star turn as Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Talbot on a new episode of Moonlight Friday at 9 p.m. on CBS.

That's all for today. I'll be back on Wednesday with this week's familiar faces (we all heart Richard Schiff) and much more. Have a question, seen a familiar face, want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com.

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon