procrastinationchronicles.com

Well I just saw a promo for Gossip Girl and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed the campy trashy show. What else am I most eagerly awaiting? Funny you should ask.

• Bones (Fox, Wed 9/3) – Currently my favorite procedural because not only do they have fun cases with an anthropological science twist, but the leads Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are good on their own but their chemistry is great, and the the quirky supporting cast works so well, I’ll forgive them for the weak wrap-up of last year’s serial killer.
• Chuck (NBC, Mon 9/29) – Seeing Geek Squad Best Buy Nerd Herd Buy More employee, and accidental keeper of government secrets, forced into the spy world as well as the spy world stuck into Chuck’s life creates not only plenty of action but plenty of humor as well as a little potential romance with his CIA handler (the pretty one, not the hilariously stiff Adam Baldwin).
• Gossip Girl (CW, Mon 9/1)/Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, Wed 10/1) – Who can pick between the two trashy campy soaps? Good thing you don’t have to as we catch the richest of rich families, and their lawyer who is trying to help out and not get sucked in, to more trouble each week than most folks do in a lifetime, unless that is you’re a bunch of rich private schoolers, being fashionable and popular and deceptive is such hard work.
• Heroes (NBC, Mon 9/22) – Currently my favorite of the involved conspiracy shows, though it’s been uneven, we have followed our cast favorite regular folks who got special powers like time travel, indestructibility, and mind reading, and have to deal with other heroes, secret organizations, and of course saving the world, this season as they struggle with their own right and wrong actions it looks like they take on some real villains, but typically good and evil aren’t so clear cut.
• Pushing Daisies (ABC, Wed 10/1) – Every aspect of this show was magical and captivating as I somehow fell for two characters who are so sweet and in love normally I couldn’t stand them, but I lament every moment they aren’t able to touch because what brought her back to life would take her from him forever, so in the meantime he and his supporting cast run the pie shop and solve crimes, who better to help out than a guy who brings the dead back to life for a minute.
• 30 Rock (NBC, Thurs 10/30)/The Office (NBC, Thurs 9/25) – Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin just made me laugh a lot last season as they found a good rhythm with Fey running a late night sketch comedy show, her mess of a life, and keeping a crazy supporting cast together while the season finale of the Office made me appreciate how far this show has come from one that I saw more as a placeholder in the lineup to one I tune in for, because just when you think they’ve pushed the wackies too far in one direction they remind you to care.

Well we’ve had a week to wrap up the up fronts where networks tout their fall and onward tv seasons for advertisers, so let’s take a look at what looks like it will look like:

ABC

New:

• Life on Mars - David E Kelley’s version of BBC series where cop transports back to 1970s
• Opportunity Knocks – Game show where they knock on your door, or something

Returning: 20/20, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Boston Legal (final season), Brothers & sisters, Eli Stone, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?, Supernanny, Ugly Betty, Wife Swap
Midseason returns: According to Jim, The Bachelor, Lost, Scrubs (New from NBC)
Noteworthy not returning: Men in Trees, Miss Guided, October Road, Women’s Murder Club

CBS 

New:

• Eleventh Hour – Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest, adapting from the british 4 part sci fi series dealing with mysterious cases
• The Ex List – This one is based on an Israeli show where a psychic tells a woman she has already met her true love and so she revisits the exes
• The Mentalist – Simon Baker uses his powers of observation to solve crimes
• Project Gary – Comedy starring Jay Mohr as a recent divorce, and contractor which might explain the ‘project’ part
• Worst Week – This comedy of newly engaged couple is another BBC show made over american style

Returning: 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, Amazing Race, Big Bang Theory, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Ghost Whisperer, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, New Adventures of Old Christine, Numb3rs, Survivor, Two and a Half Men, The Unit, Without a Trace
Midseason returns: Rules of Engagement
Noteworthy not returning: Moonlight, Shark

CW 

New:

• 90210 – The next generation, as a new brother and sister move and start at West Beverly High, including pop bys by Jennie Garth as Guidance Counselor
• Surviving the Filthy Rich - With Reba’s JoAnna Garcia as nanny to rich kids, based on a book series
• Stylista – New reality from Tyra Banks where folks compete to work at Elle

Noteworthy note: Contracting out Sunday nights to production finance company Media Rights Capital who will be responsible for two dramas and two comedies and selling the ad time.

• FAT City, IM Valentine, Book of Murphy, Surviving Suburbia

Returning: ANTM, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Supernatural
Midseason return: Reaper
Noteworthy not returning: Aliens in America, Girlfriends, New Amsterdam

Fox

New:

• Fringe - JJ Abrams latest starring Joshua Jackson teaming up to investigate unexplained phenomena, I wanna say like the x-files
• Do Not Disturb – Comedy starring Jerry O’Connell working at one of NY’s uber hip hotels

Returning: American Dad, America’s Most Wanted, Bones, Cops, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, Family Guy, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, Moment of Truth, Prison Break, Simpsons, Smarter than a 5th Grader, Terminator, Til Death
Midseason return: 24, American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen.
Noteworthy not returning: Back to You

NBC

New:

• Crusoe – As in Robinson…
• Kath & Kim – Molly Shannon and Selma Blair in remake of Australian sitcom about mother and daughter living together again
• Knight Rider – If you caught the ‘hit’ tv movie you’re familiar with this remake
• My Own Worst Enemy – Christian Slater as a gov agent/normal guy whose two lives start to blur
• Thursday Night Live – Special SNL shows leading up to the elections

Returning: The Biggest Loser, Chuck, Dateline, Deal or No Deal, Heroes, E.R. (final season), L&O:SVU, Life, Lipstick Jungle, My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock
Midseason returning: Friday Night Lights, L&O, Medium
Noteworthy not returning: Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Las Vegas 

Additional Notes:

Tons of new shows scheduled for after fall, but we’ll chime in later once those become more solid, other than the fact that I should note there’s an Office spinoff scheduled as well as the new Joss Whedon show Dollhouse with Eliza Dushku, scheduled for midseason. I miss the Grr Arg.

And if you want to see the current stab at the schedule you can check it out at TV Guide.

As the strike continues some of you may be at a loss for what to watch. This might be a good time to catch up on early seasons of some good shows that you may have missed out on. Here are some of my favorites that are worth a look, or even a second look:

• Bones (Season 1 and 2) - Great chemistry between Bones and Booth and a fun supporting cast as the squints/lab kids help the FBI solve crimes through forensic anthropology, think of it as CSI/Crossing Jordan for the bodies that are just bones.
• Brothers & Sisters (Season 1) - A fun soapy drama about partly dysfunctional and totally loving family with a great cast, although uneven there’s always something interesting going on from matriarch Sally Field to newest Walker Emily Van Camp.
• Grey’s Anatomy (Seasons 1-3) - More soapy fun, and the best was the first season as we first meet our surgical interns and get involved in their work and romance, mostly romance at work,  I’m even ok with the fact that Meredith bugs.
• Heroes (Season 1) - The first season introduces us to our ‘heroes’ as they get their powers and their plotlines bring them together, somewhat uneven as they get rolling but engaging from the start and riveting by the end.
• House (Seasons 1-3) - Crotchety, drug addicted, medical genius is how he’s portrayed and you get to watch him abuse patients and coworkers as he tries to diagnose the undiagnosable patients and somehow pretty entertaining, mostly thanks to Laurie but good surrounding folks for him to play off of.
• Lost (Seasons 1-3) - This show has a faithful following partly because it’s really different and really well done with the interplay of on island action and back story character development, and partly because you really can’t miss an episode for fear of missing some big explanation.
• Prison Break (Season 1 - Season 2 also available) - I recommend this with a warning, I loved the first season fun, watching one guy’s plan to break his brother out of prison, and watching it mostly getting thrown for a loop, but was super annoyed by the second, I have yet to tune into the third.

Maybe you’re more of a 1/2 hour comedy sort of person? How ’bout:

• Girlfriends (Seasons 1-3) - Four sassy mostly professional gals deal with life and love and each other and their one guy pal through their different experiences.
• How I Met Your Mother  (Seasons 1 & 2) - Hopeless romantic Ted tells his tales of love, but its the ensemble cast that makes this work, as theoretically we eventually meet Ted’s true love.
• My Name is Earl (Seasons 1 & 2) - I find Jason Lee kind of endearing in general and enjoy his bad guy turned good, using his lottery winning to fix his karma by righting his wrongs, with the help, or harm, of his misfit friends.
• The New Adventures of Old Christine (Season 1) - Julia Louis-Dreyfus found a great format for her broad humor as she plays a hapless single mom hanging with her family and friends trying to get her act together.
• The Office (Seasons 1-3) - A painful office (based on the British series) at first pained me to think of why I’d want to watch at the end of a day at the office, but its oddball characters and biting humor won me over.
• Scrubs (Seasons 1-6) - Hospital comedy seen through the eyes of goofball JD as he and his buddies treat patients… well it’s kind of like Grey’s Anatomy but shorter and wackier.
• 30 Rock (Season 1) - This show took a little while to find its rhythm but when it does this behind the scenes look at a sketch show gets it super right with Tina Fey at the helm.
• Two and a Half Men (Seasons 1 & 2) - Kind of an Odd Couple, where the guys are brothers and one of them has a kid (at least shared custody), sometimes kind of a crass humor, but pretty good humor nonetheless.

So we’ve seen other’s picks for the top tv, but what about me? Well I think if you’ve read any of these posts you have an idea… But what you may not know is that although I seem to be comfortable spouting my opinion, if I actually have to quantify something as ‘The Best’ or ‘Top Ten’ I am immediately concerned that I have forgotten something or will change my mind the moment I write something down, which I often do, I mean tv does change with each episode… So I’m throwing down ten items in alphabetical order and I reserve the right to change my mind.

And of course one should recall that I don’t get real cable so my lack of endorsement for certain cable shows, well isn’t really a lack of endorsement.

• Chuck (NBC) - This show isn’t more than it is, a funny action romp, but what it is, it does really well and I find myself looking forward to it each week, it’s not so much about a regular guy being pulled into the spy world as it is the spy world being pulled into the regular guy’s life and the situations with spies and with the regular folks each tend to amuse and entertain.
• Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) - Again, I think folks tend to not give enough credit to a campy drama done well. These characters (and actors) are not only their stereotypes done to excess but also typically a subtle twist, I am entertained by the weekly trouble they get themselves into as well as finding out what who killed Dutch.
• Flight of the Conchords (HBO) - So an HBO show? Yes I was up to date since I was at an HBO watcher’s house when it premiered, and I really can’t do this show justice with a description but the New Zealand comedy satire folk singing duo trying to make it in New York, randomly breaking into music video song stylings is super funny.
• Heroes (NBC) - Well I warmed up to this show over the season last year and though disappointed with the start of this season, found myself yet again drawn into the cast that blurs the line between using their abilities for good or evil and how you can’t tell most of the time which is which as they try to save the world, or not.
• Lost (ABC) - It’s been so long since I’ve seen this that I almost didn’t put it on the list, but it continues to entertain with a formula that seemed impossible telling character stories through past and present, from an island that is as full of mysteries as it is new characters.
• Pushing Daisies (ABC) - The best new show of the year according to many, and I can’t not delight in it myself, I do give special credit for people who try to push things, and their 360 approach to the tone is wonderful, they’ve had some fantastic guest stars and episodic mysteries but managed to keep the right focus on the core cast with the ultimate can’t-be-together couple of Chuck and Ned.
• The Riches (FX) - Another unbelievable premise that just keeps me on the edge of my seat as this Traveler family pretends to be the Riches (folks who were killed in a car accident), and how they continue to keep afloat and keep out of the way of the other Travelers who wish them ill (to say the least) and their internal struggles along the way… it kept me tuned in.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - This is my favorite new comedy and with the dearth of funny out there I think that’s not only entertaining but important. It’s a combination of Christina Applegate really getting a vehicle that suits her great combination of funny, dorky, attractive, bitchy and sweet in her own special way and of course the writing and the great supporting cast don’t hurt with special shoutouts to Jean Smart and Sookie and surprisingly Barry Watson.
• Saving Grace (TNT) - You know I’m not sure this is actually one of the best shows but Holly Hunter and her screwed up character are like a car wreck you can’t look away from and her struggle with the angel trying to save her and her friends and family… well I just can’t look away.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - This show has edged out my previous vote of funniest show How I Met Your Mother (which I still find quite funny) and it found it’s place as the dysfunctional staff of a late night sketch comedy show spouts hilarity on more levels than I can catch if I’m not paying attention, and has been funny each and every time I sit down to watch.

I also didn’t officially list, but wanted to give a special shout out to two shows that I have adored that ended their run in 2007 Gillmore Girls and Veronica Mars, oh how I do miss these sassy gals.

Monday

• Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8pm) - In case you missed this last week, Whoopi also does a little behind the scenes of this holiday classic.
• Heroes (NBC, 9pm) Finale - This is the wrap up of the first of what were supposed to be three arcs, pending strike resolution, finale may be more accurate than intended.
• Saving Grace (TNT, 10pm) - She’s back and things are getting stormy, is it just the tornadoes hitting Oklahoma?

Tuesday

• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 8pm) - I think this is how we were told being different was a good thing, Rudolph is much more forgiving of childhood torment than most…
• Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (CBS, 10pm) - I’ve never actually watched one of these but I believe it’s models in underwear and maybe some wings.
• Beauty and the Geek (CW, 8pm) Season Finale - And the winner is…

Wednesday

• Santa Claus is Coming to Town (ABC, 8pm) - I really should make a new holiday animation or claymation special since they seem to fill the season.
• Life (NBC, Mon and Wed 10pm) - A special two part episode starts on Monday and ends in its regular slot, as our weird detective hunts down pieces in his own mystery.

Thursday

• Barbara Walters: 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007 (ABC, 10pm) - Every year she throws in a mix of folks with some popular entertainers and you know, they have a moment.
• ER (NBC, 10pm) 300th Episode - Peter Fonda guests on a tour through former patients while Luka and Abby deal with their own drama.

Friday

• Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (CBS, 8/8:30pm) - Really I need to get moving on this new holiday project.
• Movies Rock! A Celebration of Music in Film (CBS, 9pm) - Some song singing should be shown.

Saturday

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC, 8pm) - This one is the movie, though 2008 will be my year for claymation…
• Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Farrell (NBC, 9:30pm) - I do find Farrell funny in some of his stuff, but I think I dropped SNL during his years.

Sunday

• Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom’s ‘For One More Day’ (ABC, 9pm) - Washed up Michael Imperioli spends a day with dead mother Ellen Burstyn.

So as I started writing about Heroes and how I’m not in love with all the new characters and all the creative choices so far, I read an article in Entertainment Weekly where Tim Kring, the creator himself, summarized most of my thoughts better than I could.

So check out the article/apology and tune in tonight where we’re promised some answers on what happened after the end of last season and maybe where we go next.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20158840,00.html

My vote for new character killed off is definitely Maya, Sylar could snatch her power and her tortured brother could chase after him quashing the black tears of death, and maybe he could even get a better power. And I wouldn’t mind if Claire’s new boyfriend West got it…

This is the last week we seem to have new stuff so I’m throwing in some other items that may or may not be of interest…

Sunday

• Viva Laughlin (CBS, 10/21, 8pm) - This is the regular timeslot for anyone who made it through the premiere or doesn’t believe everyone that it’s just plain bad, it is.

Monday

• Heroes (NBC, 10/22, 9pm) - I’m actually behind on this, but this week Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars herself for those of you who missed my earlier notations) is starting her run and I’m dieing to know what her power will be, I’ve been avoiding all references to the show.

Tuesday

• Damages (FX, 10/23, 10pm) Season Finale - I did watch the first couple of episodes as they replayed on network and couldn’t get into it but some folks do, it’s been renewed for another season.

Wednesday

• Phenom (NBC, 10/24, 8pm) Series Debut - Ok, this is where Uri Geller and Criss Angel, two people that I really don’t get, look for more people that, what? do some sort of magic-like things.

Thursday

• Scrubs (NBC, 10/25, 8pm) Season Premiere - At the end of last season JD was stressing over fatherhood and Elliot was stressing over getting married, so as she and JD got cot cozy, we were left wondering will they or won’t they, again.

Friday

• Las Vegas (NBC, 10/26, 10pm) - Apparently TC and Rick from Magnum are making a guest appearance now that Tom Selleck has joined the cast, but where is Higgins?

And we’re also getting going on the World Series (Fox, 10/24, 10/25, 10/27, 10/28, 10/29*, 10/31*, 11/1* - check your local listings) I don’t actually watch or follow baseball, though I’m not opposed to drinking a beer at a game, but thought I’d throw this in the mix.

Well almost everything has started and until they cancel more stuff, move stuff around, or we get to midseason changes. Here is where things seem to be settling in for me for watching, or at least tivo backlog. (I do try to narrow things down to no more than two shows per time slot.)

Monday

• 8pm NBC - Chuck (CBS - How I Met Your Mother)
• 9pm NBC - Heroes (CBS - Two and a Half Men/Samantha Who?)

Tuesday

• 8pm Fox - Bones
• 9pm Fox - House (CW - Reaper)
• 10pm NBC - L&O SVU

Wednesday

• 8pm ABC - Pushing Daisies (CW - ANTM or in repeats Sun 9pm)
• 9pm CW - Gossip Girl (NBC - Bionic Woman)
• 10pm ABC - Dirty Sexy Money

Thursday

• 8/8:30pm NBC - My Name is Earl/30 Rock
• 9/9:30pm NBC - The Office/Scrubs (ABC - Grey’s Anatomy)

Friday

• 10pm CBS - Numb3rs

Sunday

• 5pm CW - (encore) Girlfriends
• 10pm ABC - Brothers and Sisters

And for a full grid of the current listings check out a couple of sites that I find helpful:

• http://epguides.com/grid/
• http://www.tvpicks.net/grids/fall-2007/
• http://www.tvguide.com/magazine/pdf/FallPreview.pdf
• http://tv.msn.com/tv/fall07/schedule
  

As we tune in ‘four months later’, I was trying to remember where we left off and I wondered how anyone who hadn’t been watching all last season had any clue at all. So I thought it might make sense for us all to take a moment to do a little catch up. Ok here’s what you need to know, if I remember correctly… 

Last season we started out with a few folks who discovered that they had special abilities (we’re using the term hero sparingly as they all come to terms) and as they dealt with their own new issues they learned that this wasn’t a new thing in the world. Not only were some of their own families specially-abled, or at least involved, but there was at least one whole secret organization intended to study or utilize or stop folks just like them. Oh and then there was Sylar, the serial killing power stealer.

So where are we now? Mohinder, the so far just human scientist, following in his fathers footsteps, is lecturing on the disease that’s plaguing folks with special abilities. We’ve learned his sister, in her youth was one of its victims. Mohinder is sharing custody of a plagued young girl Molly, whose ability is to locate anyone, with the mind reading Matt (Greg Grunberg of Alias and Felicity fame). Matt’s a cop who has been trying to advance his police career while saving his failing marriage, right now looks like he’s only succeeding on the cop front.

It turns out Mohinder is also working with Noah Bennet/HRG (horn rimmed glasses) who used to work for the secret organization. They lost him when he had to choose to protect his adopted daughter, Claire, the indestructible cheerleader who was given to him by the organization to raise. They are trying to do a little witness projection thing in a new town, though it looks like Claire’s new, unknown to her, flying friend may find out who she is.

Claire is still in contact with her real father who she found last season, flying man Nathan Petrelli. Nathan was being set up to win a senate race on the road to the presidency. Too bad he backed out of letting the whole of New York get blown up to do it. Nathan’s brother Peter (Jess of Gillmore Girls) can absorb others powers and had a little exploding issue and Nathan flew him up into the air to save the city. We now find that Peter is missing and presumed dead, though later found in a storage crate with at least a touch of amnesia and fortunately a new haircut. Nathan is now a scruffy alcoholic who is at odds with his mother, differently-abled of the previous generation, who is now apparently being targeted for death.

As is her former compatriot Mr. Nakamura (Sulu from Star Trek), who received a death threat as well, and at the end of the episode looks like the threat may have been succesful, as someone tumbled him off a roof. Sulu has been hanging out in New York waiting for his son Hiro (with Hiro’s partner in all things hero, Ando), Hiro, in being able to manipulate space and time, got tossed real hard in the battle with Sylar and ended up back in age old Japan. He meets the famed warrior (Alias’ Sark), who turned out not to be as heroic as the lore tells him to be, and Hiro inadvertently screws with the past.

We also meet a couple of new kids, Maya and Alejandro Ortiz, who are wanted for murder and fleeing from the Dominican Republic to the US for answers. We learned not to mess with them, ‘cuz however she, or they, do it, a whole bunch of guys ended up dead.

And what about Nikki, who uses her dead twin sister’s alter ego Jessica to tap into her super strength, and her family? Her husband DL, who can move through solid objects, was in bad shape after they were trying to save their son Micah, who can tap into and manipulate electronics. For that, as well as what happened to Sylar, who was last seen slipping down a manhole cover, I guess we’ll just have to check out chapter two.