David Bianculli

The fifth and final season of the acclaimed HBO drama The Wire has its season premiere Jan. 6. Fresh Air's TV critic has a preview.

David Bianculli, Fresh Air TV critic, shares his picks for the best television of 2007, and what he'll be watching in 2008 — he's looking forward to the upcoming seasons of ABC's Lost and HBO's The Wire.

Bianculli is the author of Teleliteracy and Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events. He recently launched the Web site TVworthwatching.com.

Marshall Herskovitz and his working partner Edward Zwick created and produced the critically acclaimed shows thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again. Their new collaboration is Quarterlife, a show aired in 8-minute segments on the Web site of the same name. It's about a group of 20-somethings coming of age in the digital world, but it's not just a show: Like most every Web-entertainment venture launched these days, if offers user forums and functions as a social-networking platform.

There's nothing like binge-watching a season or three of first-rate television. Herewith, holiday gift suggestions for the serious TV-watchers on your list.

Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, creators of Thirtysomething and executive producers of My So-Called Life, are making news again with a new series.

It's called Quarterlife, and it's airing not on TV, but in short, six-to-an-hour episodes on the Web. Some pundits are touting it as an alternative for audiences during the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike.

Critic David Bianculli, who's working on the Web himself now at TVWorthWatching.com, has a review.

Fresh Air's TV critic finds his attention drawn this week to three lavish DVD box sets from three high-impact network TV shows: David Lynch's deliciously eccentric Twin Peaks, the legendary '90s comedy Seinfeld, and the cult-classic teen drama My So-Called Life.

Each is crammed with bonus materials, including lost and deleted scenes, documentaries, and other features.

Co-executive producers Barry Sonnenfeld and Bryan Fuller of the new comedy/drama “Pushing Daises” on ABC. The show combines romance, fantasy and mystery and is about a guy who can bring the dead back to life with a mere touch. Fuller created the series and also created the TV series “Dead Like Me” and was a writer and executive producer on “Heroes.” Sonnenfeld directed the “Men in Black” films and the “Addams Family” films. He also was executive producer of the TV show “The Tick.” (THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY DAVID BIANCULLI).

Fresh Air's TV critic reviews the fall season. New shows include the sitcom Aliens in America, premiering Oct. 1 on the CW Network, and ABC's comedy drama Pushing Daisies, making its debut Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Actor Ray Wise (Good Night, and Good Luck) portrays the devil in Reaper, a new series from Clerks writer-director Kevin Smith.

The show centers on a 21-year-old slacker, Sam, who discovers that his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was born. Sam must now serve as the devil's bounty hunter, helping return evildoers to hell.

Reaper premieres on the CW network on Sept. 25.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews The War, the new documentary series about World War II from filmmaker Ken Burns (The Civil War). It premieres Sept. 23 on PBS.