What follows is a rundown of what we're watching these days (or plan to watch) as well as some reviews of new shows (both those that we will continue to watch and those that have been scratched off)
Sundays
The Simpsons/American Dad/Family Guy -- The FOX "Animation Domination" needs a fourth show to make it a real two hour block (cause The War At Home just plain sucks and I don't know how it made it to a second season). The rest of the lineup remains as funny as ever (even if The Simpsons are a bit long in the teeth and American Dad is still finding its feet). They're unfortunately off until the end of the World Series, but we at least got a good taste of them.
Desperate Housewives -- Starts its third season with a nice mystery Now let's hope things stay good instead of devolving into the mess that the end of last season tended towards. I already miss Alfre Woodard who was underused and then arrested by season's end.
Mondays
Prison Break -- Remains a well written and fun show (even if it pushes the logic boundary on occassion -- T-Bag's severed hand comes to mind).
Vanished -- I didn't want to like this show because we're trying to cut back and I figured this would be crap. It isn't quite crap, but it is fun. Its a bad Robert Ludlum novel (imagine if he'd written The DaVinci Code) with decent TV actors running things. It also gets kudos for possibly offing the lead before the halfway point. That takes balls. It returns after baseball on Friday nights (when we'll learn the fate of Agent Kelton)
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip -- So far, hands down in a tie as the best new show of the season. One minor "stumble" was the end of episode two with the big musical number opening the first live show of Danny & Matt's reign. It wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be (more cute than anything else) based on the descriptions and development leading up to it. But I'll forgive it because everything else about this behind the scenes look at a Saturday Night Live-type show is pitch perfect. Plus episode 3 showed us the actual show in a much better light.
Heroes -- This is the other best new show of the season. While there isn't much new here (a bit too much borrowed from J. Michael Straczynski's wonderful comic book Rising Stars), it's told in a great way and I'm along for the ride wherever its heading. This is one worth investing the time in.
Tuesdays
House M.D. -- Nothing's changed here. It remains a great show.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- Anabella Sciorra, Jamey Sheriden and Courtney B. Vance are all gone and have been replaced by Eric Bogosian and Teressa Randle. They don't really add anything to what has become the Logan, Goran & Eames show...but thanfully all of that still works.
Boston Legal -- Okay...this is becoming the strangest show on TV as Denny Crane's dementia seems to be breakingh the fourth wall more and more with comments like "I haven't see you all episode" and "You can't be the new guys, you would have been in the season premiere". I hope all of this is heading somewhere or it's all kind of pointless.
Smith -- Ray Liotta starred in what looks to be the first casualty of the season. He's a normal husband by day and an expert thief with a team by night. Well done, but couldn't CBS have found a different timeslot to try it in. Maybe it would have done better. Oh well.
Eureka -- The Sci Fi Channel's version of Peyton Place has been renewed for a second season to start next summer. Hopefully, we'll have finished watching the first season by then. We enjoy the show a lot, but with everything else right now we've got 7 episodes parked on our Tivo.
Standoff -- Recorded the first three episodes, decided I didn't care, found out my parents really like the show and erased them all. In the end, I just didn't have anything saying "You gotta see this" to me.
Help Me Help You -- Ted Danson returns to TV in this funny sitcom about a therapist with his own problems. Well...the first episode was funny...haven't gotten to episode 2 yet because Tuesday nights are the busiest for shows and it gets recorded in the basement.
Veronica Mars -- Not sure I like what they've done to the theme song...or that they offed Charisma Carpenter in the season premiere (she was not just eye candy)...and it'll be interesting to see how they work Weevil back into the show...but so far, it's a good as it has been and the new mystery (or should that be mysteries) is captivating.
Wednesdays
Criminal Minds -- Let's face it, it's the top notch cast led by Mandy Patinkin that keeps this procedural show even watchable because without them, it'd be just like every other crime drama on TV.
Bones -- While I think the addition of a former flame for Boothe is essentially a shark-jumping tactic, we're still watching -- for now.
Justice -- Still watching this law drama because it's not bad and Lost hadn't started yet. But now that its moving to Mondays after Prison Break, I'll keep watching.
Kidnapped -- Another show I didn't want to like, but found myself engrossed in. It's a better version of Vanished for two reasons. A) We know who's behind it from the start (even if we don't really know who he is or why he's doing it) and B) The A List cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo (whose addition made this feel like Ransom: The TV Series at first, but thankfully it quickly moves away from that). Unfortunately, it is also the first casualty of the season as NBC told the producers to wrap everything up by episode 13, which may work out better for them in the end (unlike Smith which got their notice after this show, but was just cancelled outright). A tighter show for a brief season is better than a long meandering one that will need a new hook to continue further seasons. Moves to Saturdays to die the slow death it doesn't quite deserve.
Lost -- I think The Soup's Joel McHale put it best when saying the new season started and it remains stuck between "Wha??" and "What the hell??" Asking more questions than it has answered, the third season premiere, while cool, is not getting things off to a good start. Let's hope further episodes start answering a few questions.
South Park -- Starts a new run of episodes with a yawn inducing look at online gaming...after episodes skewering more worthy topics, this seemed like a lame start.
Thursdays
Til Death -- Didn't like the pilot much, but stuck around for two more episodes before banishing it forever.
Happy Hour -- see the review for Til Death and subtract an episode. I expect this'll be gone soon after its return from the Baseball hiatus.
My Name Is Earl -- Takes the title of best sitcom on TV with all the other well done ones (like Malcolm in the Middle) having ended.
Shark -- While I like James Woods, this show went the same way as Standoff (see my review of that above).
Six Degrees -- See my review of Shark.
Smallville -- While the quick resolution to last year's cliffhanger was satisfying, I still wanted more. Luckily, that more has come in the form of adding Oliver Queen to an already bursting cast of CD Comics characters. Look for the billionaire to put on his Green Arrow togs and bring back guest heroes from past seasons.
Fridays
Law & Order -- Old and long in the tooth...but still watching.
Doctor Who -- Thankfully, the Sci Fi Channel picked up and aired the 2nd season a lot quicker than the first. This wonderful show should be watched by all and hopefully we'll get the 3rd Season (which airs in the UK in March or April 2007) even sooner (like March or April 2007).
Battlestar Galactica -- While the 3rd Season has just started, I can't say much yet because I'm watching this show in mini marathons...but I expect it to be as good as it has been.
Saturdays
Legion of Super Heroes -- While I miss Justice League Unlimited and was never a big fan of this team in comic books, I have to admit I'm enjoying the show and getting to know heroes I'm not too familiar with.
The Batman -- This show has always been hit or miss with me. Didn't care much for the first season and some of the reinterpreted characters, but I got used to them and enjoyed the second season more. The third season was a huge step back. Now it seems as if the fourth season is recovering from that stumble with the addition of Robin.
Fantastic Four -- It's not a bad show, but there's nothing great about this cartoon based on "The World's Greatest Super Hero Comic" (as the good is self titled). Don't quite agree with the bitchy characterization of Susan Storm.
That's all for now. Look for upcoming reviews of The Nine, 30 Rock, 20 Good Years and The Knights of Prosperity as well as returns of 24, Scrubs, Medium, The Loop, Monk, Psych, The Dead Zone, Rome, Entourage, and The Sopranos.
Until then...be seeing you.
