When I opened my mailbox earlier today, I was at first excited to see the new issue of "Entertainment Weekly" waiting inside (it was a day late), but my happy feelings evaporated immediately upon seeing the cover. The entire issue -- a double issue -- was devoted exclusively to the new "Sex and the City" movie.

You might assume that my negative reaction is because I disliked the HBO series. That's not the case. In fact, while my subscription to HBO came and went during the show's run, whenever I had the channel in my lineup I was a regular viewer. Sure, it wasn't my favorite show, and my sometimes prudish tendencies clashed with Samantha's sensibilities (not to mention Carrie's infidelity with Big while dating Aiden), but I watched and enjoyed the show on a regular basis.

Instead, my disappointment upon seeing EW's theme issue stems from the fact that I don't want a SATC movie. I don't want any changes to the happily-ever-after series finale. After 94 episodes of D-R-A-M-A, the show ended on an up note for all four ladies, but most of that happiness seems poised for evaporation, all for the sake of milking the SATC brand name for cinematic glory. Judging from the movie's ads and trailer, something derails Carrie and Big's wedding, Samantha appears to have strayed from live-in boyfriend Smith, and Steve has done something to betray Miranda. Sigh.

Sometimes stories need to end, no matter how much we may miss them. I don't want "The Sopranos" to cut back from black. I don't need to find out what happened after Jerry and the gang got out of jail on "Seinfeld." And I hope I never find out for sure whether Marlo Stanfield stayed out of the game for good on "The Wire." HBO didn't cancel "Sex and the City." The show's creative team was given the opportunity to end things on their own terms, and they did so in fine fashion. In 2004. Anything after that is unnecessary.

Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen countless movies and television shows about people dying from any number of horrible diseases, overcoming numerous physical and emotional obstacles to attain happiness, and sacrificing their own comfort and well-being to help those less privileged than themselves.

Yet, I don't think I've ever felt more genuine empathy for a fictional character than I do right now for "The Sopranos" Vito Spatafore. The man is a creepy, murderous mobster, and for the last two week's I've cringed in pain watching his whole life fall apart.

Should I seek professional help?

I have to admit that I endured the first season of HBO's "Entourage" rather grudgingly, particularly because I didn't like any of the characters. Movie star Vincent Chase was spoiled, super-agent Ari Gold was a prick, and everyone else was a freeloader. When the second season premiered, I didn't even bother scheduling my TiVo to record it until about 90 minutes before airtime. And even then I swore that if the first episode was no better than the previous season, I was giving up the show for good.

Thank God the season premiere was good, because if it hadn't been, I would have missed out on a second season that has become something of a masterpiece. Sure, Vincent is still spoiled, and Ari is definitely still a prick. Hell, everybody else is still freeloading like there's no tomorrow. But with several characters facing major crises this year, both professionally and personally, the show has delved much deeper into the twisted world of Hollywood "relationships."

Oddly enough, that cold, superficial first season is a big reason why the show's second year has been so exceptional. If viewers hadn't had a whole season to witness how shallow Hollywood and its inhabitants are, we probably never would have appreciated (or even noticed) the brief glimpses of humanity that have appeared from time to time this year. In addition, the writers have wisely shifted much of the show's focus from wide-eyed Tinsletown newcomer Eric (Kevin Connolly) to cynical insiders Ari (Jeremy Piven) and Vincent (Adrian Grenier).

"Entourage" wins the Comeback Show of the Year award, and it's easily the best 30 minute show currently on television.

The second season finale of "Entourage" airs this Sunday night on HBO.

The best show on TV, HBO's "The Wire," wrapped up it's third season tonight with a satisfying conclusion to the Barksdale/Bell storyline that has dominated the entire run of the series. HBO has yet to commit to a fourth season for the show, saying that it may be mid-January before a decision is made about its future. A promo that aired last Sunday advertised tonight's episode as the "Final Episode," but by late in the week it had been altered to replace that ominous phrase with a more comforting one: "Season Finale."

As it departs from the Sunday night schedule, whether for a year or forever, it leaves behind a huge hole. "Carnivale" returns in early January, and it's a fine show in it's own right. "Six Feet Under" and "Deadwood" also have new seasons coming in 2005. But as good as they are, none of these shows come close to meeting the standard set by "The Wire." The best comedy on television, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," won't even begin production on its new season until next month. With FX's slate of original programming all on hiatus and "The Sopranos" on hold until sometime in 2006, the only options left for a TV junkie like myself are the ones offered by network television. And of those, only "Lost" and "Veronica Mars" provide anything that resembles originality.

If I want good TV, maybe I'll just dig out my DVDs of "Homicide: Life on the Street."