USA Network

CHICAGO – The creative roll of the USA Network continues tonight with the debut of another quick, clever, mystery-of-the-week series that should satisfy fans of their hits like “Monk,” “Psych,” “Burn Notice,” and “Royal Pains”. “White Collar” doesn’t break any molds, almost fitting too predictably into the USA dynamic, but it’s an entertaining program for the end of a long week and looks likely to be another slam dunk for one of the most successful cable networks of the ’00s.

CHICAGO – For seven years, USA Network’s “Monk” has consistently delivered quality entertainment. It’s never been a show that set out to break the rules or even do anything too interesting within them, but it has rarely faltered at all in its ability to entertain, something that can be said about very few series that have been on this long.

CHICAGO – Very few sophomore seasons have ever ended as strongly as USA’s very good “Burn Notice” did earlier this year. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) learned that the people that burned him may also have been protecting him.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – USA Network’s “In Plain Sight” was one of the best new shows of 2008, another hit for the highest-rated network on cable, USA. The first-year series still needs to iron out a few things to truly live up its potential but the excellent Mary McCormack continues to rock on one of the few must-see basic cable shows this season.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The revolving door of casting in the world of “Law & Order” continues this month when Jeff Goldblum joins the cast of USA Network’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” as the new partner for Detective Megan Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson). The season kicks off with a well-paced and intriguing episode featuring the old cast on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 and the new member joins the squad a week later.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “In Plain Sight” may not get the buzz or press of other cable hits like “Burn Notice” or “The Closer” and the show still needs some ironing out to truly live up to its potential but I watched every episode of this USA Network action drama when it aired and anxiously look forward to the new season (which we’ll review here on or just before its April 19th premiere) for one reason, Mary McCormack.

CHICAGO – Tricia Helfer would have been famous just for her sexy and stellar work on the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” but she’s also become an essential part of the hit USA Network show “Burn Notice” as the mysterious and deadly Carla, the woman who holds the secrets to Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) past and future.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Who’s ready for a summer diversion in the middle of the winter? USA hopes you are. When the very good “Burn Notice” left the air at the end of last summer, it had scored ratings that would make it the #1 scripted show on cable for the entire year in the coveted 18-49 demo.