These are busy TV times, starting with some complicated news about AMC's dazzling retro drama "Mad Men."

First, though, a reminder that this Sunday (at 10 p.m.) is the season finale of the series that's so brilliantly written, powerfully acted and vibrantly staged.

This has been a darker, less-obvious season, and it seems the more we know these people, the less we understand some of them, yet it all remains addictively engaging. On Sunday, the Sterling Cooper ad agency is in play while the office scrambles without Don Draper. Expect drama.

Off the set, there's almost good news. AMC officially renewed the Emmy-winning drama for a third season, but Lionsgate, the studio that produces the show, apparently has not yet signed new deals with creator Matthew Weiner. It may also have to re-sign cast members like Jon Hamm and John Slattery.

Both little AMC and mid-sized Lionsgate are in new territory with "Mad Men," a massive cultural influence and a show getting enormous acclaim. Its viewship hovers at a bit under 2 million, which is very good for the cable net but not a huge commercial success.

So Lionsgate is trying to negotiate new contracts with Weiner and the others, and everyone involved knows there are lots of other networks and studios out there, including HBO or maybe FX, that would pay big to get the show or the people on board.

And what does that mean for "Mad Men" fans? Most likely, things will be worked out, as they often are in Hollywood, only after lots of agony. But the sense in the industry is the show's too good and too well received for AMC or Lionsgate to let it go anywhere.

This can't be real

And now, more of TV's further adventures into looniness. Today, we bring you the possibility the Emmy Awards may add a new category: reality show judges.

You would think, after the disastrous Emmy telecast last month with overfeatured reality show hosts, the TV academy would stay far away from more of that sort of thing.

On the other hand, when Ryan Seacrest is eligible for an Emmy, but the single most popular reality figure, Simon Cowell, is not, you know there needs to be some recalibration.

Representatives from the Academy of Television Arts and Science say nothing is final yet, but they do say, whatever happens, there will not be a category for reality contestants. So, see, the academy isn't totally out of touch.

For 'Medium' and 'L&O' fans

Because lots of people have asked, NBC's "Medium" still lives. It will be a midseason replacement and most likely will return to the lineup after the football season ends and NBC has more shelf space.

"Law & Order" is another NBC series coming back, most likely right after football ends.

'Battlestar Galactica' to fade

Sci Fi Channel announced the return and end dates for the final season of "Battlestar Galactica," one of TV's most underappreciated shows. It will come back for its last 10 episodes starting Jan. 16 (at 10 p.m., if any crazed fans want to set their recorders now), and it will conclude on March 20.

What'd They Do to My Show?

There's lots of action for What'd They Do to My Show? starting with the expected news that CBS has ordered a full 22-episode season for "The Mentalist," the only new fall series that could be called a hit.

The Tuesday night series is a solid, often charming procedural starring Simon Baker. It's been averaging well over 15 million viewers and is a reliable Top 10 show.

• On the other end of the quality scale is NBC's "Knight Rider, a stiff, slow, predictable show that feels like it was written by eighth-grade boys. It's averaging about 7.6 million viewers and is ranked 44th among network series.

Yet NBC ordered a full season of the series, which may be more a sign of how bad things are elsewhere at the network than any faith that "Knight Rider" will improve.

• Fox announced it's picking up a full season for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," although the show averages only about 6 million viewers. That decision is more understandable because "Sarah Connor" draws a decent percentage of the younger viewers that advertisers like, and it's actually a pretty good show.

• In another non-surprise, Showtime announced it is picking up two more seasons of the chillingly good series "Dexter." That means years four and five, both with 12 episodes, for star Michael C. Hall and the lively crew. Expect to see the next season most likely in summer 2009.

• ABC is dumping the game show "Opportunity Knocks." The network pulled it from the schedule, though it says it may air the six remaining episodes that have already been shot at some point later in the season. But when you get down to basics, consider it canceled.

A meeting on the digital switch

Finally, a reminder for people with questions about the coming switch to all digital TV on Feb. 17. There's an open informational meeting at 11 a.m. today at the Sacramento Urban League offices.

The meeting will feature people from the U.S. Commerce Department and will be in the Urban League multipurpose room, 3725 Marysville Blvd., Sacramento.

---

Call The Bee'