the good wife

'Chase' fans, your show is in trouble. NBC has cut the order of episodes from 22 to 18.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the series has struggled in ratings and come January it will go against Fox's 'American Idol.'

The drama about U.S. Marshal Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish) and her squad of fugitive chasers has failed to deliver in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Its most recent episode brought in a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49.

In other TV news ...

• Rapper/actor Method Man is guest starring on 'The Good Wife.' CBS has teased the actor may play a prison friend of Peter Florrick (Chris Noth). [CBS]

• Jeremy Irons has been tapped by 'Law & Order: SVU.' The Oscar-winner will play a sex therapist who runs a sex addiction clinic. [TV Guide]

• The CW is preparing a drama based on the DC Comics character Raven. The character, known for her demon origins, has been a mainstay of 'Teen Titans' for years. Diego Gutierrez is writing the project and will serve as executive producer if the script order turns into a pilot. [Variety]

Narrowing down my yearly Top 10 list to only ten individual TV shows proved very difficult this year. There was just too much good TV, and thank goodness for that. None of the new shows that the broadcast networks debuted this fall made the cut, but no matter, there was still plenty of good drama and comedy to choose from.

So much, in fact, that I decided expand my list a bit. There are, as you can see below, ten entries in my Best of 2010 list, but a couple of entries mention multiple shows. I've got a new job and new editors, so why not try a new way of approaching the Top 10 list, right? All I can say is, it would have melted my brain and hurt my heart to leave any of the shows below off my list.

By the way, in the next week or so, I'll post a long list of runners up -- more than two dozen scripted shows that didn't quite make the cut here but which were nevertheless pleasing, compelling or noteworthy during the past year.

Without further ado, here's my list of the best television shows of 2010:

Alicia Florrick, prepare to go toe-to-toe with Louis Canning once again. According to Entertainment Weekly, Michael J. Fox will return to 'The Good Wife' early next year as Canning, the manipulative lawyer who gave Lockhart/Gardner & Bond one heck of a court battle.

"As soon as we saw the dailies of Michael playing Louis Canning, we started pleading with him to return," creators and executive producers Robert and Michelle King told EW. "Luckily he agreed. He's amazing in this role: unpretentiously brave and funny. It's good to have him back."

Fox played Canning in 'Poisoned Pill,' the sixth episode of the CBS drama's second season. Look for him in episode 13, competing with Alicia (Julianna Margulies) to reach homeowners for a class-action lawsuit.

In other casting news ...

• Eric Mabius is heading to NBC's 'Chase.' The 'Ugly Betty' veteran will play Justin Tate, a former cop who has become a fugitive and uses his law enforcement knowledge to prey on innocents. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were confirmed as two of the guests on Oprah's upcoming Sydney shows. The Australian episodes will be filmed on Dec. 14, and will also feature Hugh Jackman and wife Deborah Lee Furness, Baz Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin, Cate Blanchett and Jon Bon Jovi. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Mariana Klaveno, Lorena on 'True Blood,' will guest star on 'Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.' Klaveno will play Veronica, a spotlight-loving woman who is quite good an manipulating men. [Movieline]

Michael J. Fox handily incorporates symptoms of his Parkinson's disease into his role on 'The Good Wife' (Tue., 10PM ET on CBS). As attorney Louis Canning, Fox's character suffers from a "neurological disorder" that causes him to weave and shake. In the courtroom, Canning describes his condition -- and the pills that combat his symptoms -- to sway the jury in a class-action suit against a pharmaceutical company.

Canning says his symptoms "intensify when I become perplexed ... I don't want you to be distracted when my opponents are questioning--" Alicia Florrick quickly objects, realizing his devious strategy.

Florrick tells Canning, "You are guaranteeing that the jury will be watching you throughout our testimony, to see how you react." What will the judge's decision be?

Julianna Margulies of 'The Good Wife' plays a round of "Guilty/Not Guilty" on 'The Rachael Ray Show' (weekdays, syndicated), answering a series of rapid-fire questions.

Kalinda raised the stakes in her ongoing battle with colleague/competitor Blake on 'The Good Wife' (Tue., 10PM ET on CBS). The private investigator took to Blake's car with a baseball bat, first smashing just a single window in order to get inside the vehicle. She nabbed various items that could prove incriminating and perused some ammunition in the trunk.

Then she bashed in the rest of the windows and left a lipstick smooch on the rearview mirror. Message: Do not mess with Kalinda.

On 'The Good Wife' (Tue., 10PM ET on CBS), Alicia -- now a permanent attorney at Gardner & Lockhart -- can't control everything going on in her life. But when it comes to the courtroom, she's still in command. When Alicia questions Anya about a murder, Anya decides to not answer, pleading the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating herself.

The judge isn't satisfied with her answer and attempts to question the witness himself. Aghast, Alicia says sternly, "If you compel my witness to answer this question, I am moving for an immediate mistrial." "Denied!" he shouts.

"You are piercing the Fifth Amendment right!" says Alicia. The judge then tells her to "shut up" (!?), but Alicia will not shut up -- even under threat of being held in contempt of court. Go, Alicia!

Like any loyal viewer of 'The Good Wife,' I was full of my share of gasps and smiles during the season 2 premiere.

I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who Alicia Florrick would pick: Peter, the cheater husband trying to make good, or Will, the boss man without a plan. Well, she made her choice. Sort of.

Were you satisfied? Tell us after the jump!

PS: Here's your cautionary SPOILER WARNING.

Who should Alicia choose on 'The Good Wife'? Julianna Margulies was on 'The Early Show' (weekdays at 7AM ET on CBS) to talk about the new season of the show, which premieres tonight at 10PM on CBS, and gave a few interesting facts to host Harry Smith.

From what she's heard from fans, younger viewers tend to think she should go with her boss, Will (Josh Charles), while older people -- and all men -- think she should stay with her cheater husband Peter (Chris North). Everyone else thinks she should still be with Doug Ross.

She also talks about the upcoming guest appearance by Michael J. Fox, who will be playing a lawyer with Parkinson's.

Sometimes its hard to put your finger on where a show goes wrong, but when several things aren't working, it almost doesn't matter which aspect is most problematic.

The reverse is also true. Many things work very well in the second season of 'The Good Wife' (10PM ET, CBS), and perhaps the greatest pleasure of the show is that so many interesting elements are so expertly woven together.

The CBS drama has a large cast and there's a lot going on, but it never feels messy or threatens to spin out of control. 'The Good Wife' is well structured and and its characters feel specific; it can be thought-provoking and also a lot of juicy fun. In a season of mostly anemic pilots, it returns Tuesday to show the new kids how it's done.

Look for 'The Good Wife' to get a little naughty in season 2.

When the CBS hit returns Tue., Sept. 28 at 10PM ET, it will have a tremendous first season to live up to. Last year, 'The Good Wife' racked up both viewers (an average of 13.1 million per episode) and awards (including an Emmy nomination for Best Drama).

And the show aims to keep the momentum going by raising the stakes even more.

Miranda Cosgrove, star of Nickelodeon's 'iCarly' has booked a guest appearance on CBS's 'The Good Wife.'

According to Ausiello Files, Cosgrove will play Sloan, a pop star who hires Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) after being arrested and charged with a DUI.

"We're big 'iCarly' fans, so we really couldn't think of anyone better for this role than Miranda Cosgrove," Robert King, executive producer of 'The Good Wife,' said. "We were thrilled when she agreed to do it. It'll be fun to see her handle both the comedy and drama in the role, and we can't wait to see how she'll play across from Julianna."

Look for Alicia and Sloan to bond during the high profile trial. The episode is scheduled for Nov. 16. 'The Good Wife' premieres Sept. 28 at 10PM ET on CBS.

In other casting news ...

• Jon Seda is joining the cast of 'Treme.' The star of 'The Pacific' will play a venture capitalist from Dallas who has political ties. [Deadline Hollywood]

• 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' alumna Amber Benson will guest star on 'Grey's Anatomy.' Benson will play an estranged daughter of one of Cristina's patients in episode 7. [Ausiello Files]

If I had actually put down bets on my Emmy predictions, I would have lost my shirt, and maybe even my pants. And I still would have been pretty happy about it.

Why? Because when I made those predictions, I did them with the jaundiced eye of a guy who's seen the Academy go with the safe and sane too many times. For instance, in any world that made sense, Jon Cryer wouldn't have been my supporting comedy actor pick over Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Colfer and the 'Modern Family' trio. But the Academy loves repeat winners, so I was resigned to the fact that Cryer was going to win again.

So I was pleasantly surprised when Eric Stonestreet's name was called at the Emmy Awards last night. And I continued to be surprised as the the names of newcomers and first-timers were called for many of the major categories. Yes, new names abounded at the Emmys, and hopefully, it's a harbinger of what we might see in the years to come.

'The Good Wife' star Archie Panjabi cemented her status as the year's breakout television star with her surprise Emmy win in the Best Supporting Drama Actress category.

She beat out heavy hitters like her 'Good Wife' co-star Christine Baranski, 'Mad Men' nominees Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks and TV veteran Sharon Gless.

"When I started in the business in England, just getting a job was a dream," she said while accepting the trophy. "And to receive an Emmy now is just beyond my wildest dreams ... Working on 'The Good Wife' for me is like a dream come true."

She went on to thank "Angelina," whom USA Today confirmed to be her 'Mighty Heart' co-star Angelina Jolie.

Panjabi won for playing the tough, mysterious investigator Kalinda on 'The Good Wife'; it's her first major American TV role. She's best known for her roles in 'East Is East' and 'Bend It Like Beckham.'

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by e-mailing us at tvsquad@gmail.com. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have spoilers for: '90210,' 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Castle,' 'Chuck,' 'Cougar Town,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Glee,' 'Gossip Girl,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'Smallville,' 'The Big Bang Theory,' and 'The Good Wife.'