TV shows took risks, but only some worked

'The Office'
With executive producer Greg Daniels vowing not to play the "will-they-or-won't-they?" card too long, NBC's "The Office" took the plunge by putting beloved pair Jim and Pam together. At the same time, Ryan the former temp moved to Dunder-Mifflin's corporate office in New York and became Michael Scott's boss. Each move served the show tremendously for very different reasons.

Fans were glad to have Jim and Pam finally together, and while challenges may come their way they're unlikely to get "Ross-and-Racheled" on this smart show. Jim and Pam bring just the right amount of sanity to an otherwise insane workplace. Meanwhile, newly stubbly Ryan's promotion, innovation, and ultimate downfall was one of the greatest sub-sub-subplots on TV this season, and it was wrapped together wonderfully with his arrest for fraud being posted on YouTube. Loved Oscar's final quip that Ryan's real crime was the beard.

'CSI'
In its eighth season, "CSI" remains TV's most dominant crime procedural. But the Vegas edition of the show is now suffering the loss of some longtime and favorite characters. Jorja Fox's decision to leave "CSI" and take the character of Sara Sidle with her was the first and the apparent murder of Warrick (played by Gary Dourdan) in the season finale was the second big blow.

The procedural format gives the writers more flexibility to work characters in and out. Star William Petersen has taken off weeks at a time for theater commitments and is scheduled to do it again in coming seasons, and Fox could return for guest spots — but the long-term loss of Fox and Dourdan could prove to be a pivotal turn in the course of the franchise's original-recipe version.

'My Name Is Earl'
After a fantastic debut season, "My Name Is Earl" has become decidedly less confident about its identity. The second season faded a bit on the quality scale and in the third season the show tried a couple of tricks that made for a split reaction.

At the end of the second season, Earl took the fall for a crime ex-wife Joy actually committed, starting the third season off behind bars. What could have dragged down the show instead made for a terrific combination of character and place. Earl knows a lot of folks in prison, and his efforts to continue working on his list while in the hoosegow were a lot of fun.

But then the show tried a less-successful twist, having Earl slip into a coma and begin dreaming that his life was a 1950s sitcom. This theme was about as unfunny as the laugh track that accompanied the 1950s scenes. A show this funny shouldn't need gimmicks to stay afloat.

Victor Balta is a regular contributor to msnbc.com.

MORE FROM TELEVISION OPINIONS

40 years of diversity on ‘Sesame Street’

40 years of diversity on ‘Sesame Street’ Is Leno’s 10 p.m. experiment nearing an end? TV snobs are wrong about ‘Two and a Half Men’ For ‘Big Bang’s’ Sheldon, the nerd is the word Sykes and late night TV’s new color barrier Proudly un-hip, ‘NCIS’ still tops ratings Monty Python the original kings of gore ‘Glee’ has rabid fans, but they deserve better Newsweek: Is 'FlashForward' the next 'Lost'? Newsweek: 5 flagging TV shows that need to end   Add Television Opinions headlines to your news reader: