psych-like

Psych

I was having a happy hour with friends (virtual of course) and mentioned that I was going to dive into Peacock to watch the latest Psych movie. I had recently binged the whole series and wanted to close it out. A friend said his mom has enjoyed Psych and was looking for similar shows to recommend, I think he also mentioned Chuck (which is also super fun) as another good example. So thinking fun, episodic, kind of capery,

I as per usual spaced on anything good. One of the reasons I capture lists in this blog is so that I don’t continually forget things. Another friend suggested Burn Notice which we all agreed was a good choice. But after some time Leverage was announcing a reboot, and I thought that too would be a good option. So with a moment to think here are a few of the shows I wish I could come up with off the top of my head, in alphabetical order of course. They might not all be for every Psych fan but there’s a little something here for everyone.

  • Bones* (Hulu, Prime) FBI agent and forensic anthropologist crack cases, and while the romance heats up between these opposites attract it’s really her team of scientists that give this a ton of appeal.
  • Bored to Death (HBO/Prime) Jason Schwartzman decides to become a detective when stifled by his writing, what could be better, well side kicks Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis as his friends who get dragged into the hijinks, great fun.
  • Burn Notice (Hulu, Prime) A spy recently disavowed by the U.S government uses his special skills and ragtag spy friends to save folks in trouble, funny, charming, and action packed.
  • Castle* (Prime Purchase) Another opposites attract/partners premise Nathan Fillion as crime writer turned consultant has enough charm to keep things interesting.
  • Elementary (Hulu) Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu make an updated version of Holmes and Watson consulting with the NYPD and make for a lot of fun solving an odd case or two.
  • Eureka (Prime) This one is a little more quirky genius scientists than a typical crime buster but the sheriff finds himself investigating one calamity after another that tends to have someone beyond the norm explanations which is good fun.
  • Firefly (Hulu) This one is actually a bit more space cowboys but take my word for it, it’s full caper fun as Nathan Fillion is on our list again as the captain of a ship filled with an odd group of passengers and crew that is as busy getting into trouble as evading those trying to find them.
  • iZombie (Netflix) This show is a bit Veronica Mars meets zombies, and while it is a zombie show our protagonist taking on the personality of the victim (yes through eating their brain) each week and helping solve the case is a delight.
  • Leverage (Prime Purchase) A team of criminals pull off an elaborate con each week, but all in the name of righting a wrong, as noted they’re rebooting this with Noah Wyle replacing Timothy Hutton, still a great team.
  • Mentalist (Prime) – So you can’t have this list without the comparable premised ‘psychic’ handling cases, but Simon Baker has enough charm to make this less campy version still a lot of fun.
  • Monk (Prime) Tony Shalhoub carries this former police officer turned police consultant as his character’s OCD, among other things, makes him unbearable but excellent at figuring out what others can’t.
  • Pushing Daisies (Prime) This piemaker can bring someone back from the dead with his touch, but only for a minute or someone else dies, and he uses it to solve murders along with a fab supporting cast including his love interest who he of course can’t touch.
  • Sherlock (Netflix) This isn’t quite as campy as some of the others but Benedict Cumberbatch’s detective is a ton of fun and while each season is more of an overarching story there’s just three extended eps per.
  • Terriers (Hulu) A little grittier than some of the other options but our unlicensed PI ex cop/recovering alcoholic and criminal buddies are such a pleasure to meet and watch then get as much into trouble as out of it.

I’m sure I’m missing some good ones, what would you add? And of course for more bingeable options check out the longer list. Availability as always subject to change. * Full transparency, while I really enjoyed each of these shows for a while I’m not sure I actually stayed with either until the end.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/16-7/22

The final week of the tour should be getting folks in shape for Olympic coverage coming next week…

Monday

  • The Batmobile (CW, 8pm) – Sadly I don’t know if we’ll see any Christian Bale in the evolution of the Batmobile.
  • Eureka (Syfy, 8/9pm) Series Finale – What will go wrong in Eureka next and will they live happily ever after, I’m kinda over this show but always kinda sad to say goodbye.
  • Market Warriors (PBS, 9pm) Series Premiere – Flea market fun.
  • Degrassi (Teen, 10pm) Season Premiere – More teen Canadian drama.

Tuesday

  • American Gypsies (NGC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Let’s follow along with some Manhattan psychic gypsies.
  • The LA Complex (CW, 9pm) Season Premiere – When Canadian teens want to make it big they go to LA, this was so bad it was good and then it just got bad, do I tune back in?

Wednesday

  • Mama Drama (VH1, 11pm) Series Premiere – Mothers and daughters together again.

Thursday

  • Project Runway (Life, 9pm) Season Premiere – We’re back from the All Stars!
  • Great Lake Warriors (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – Sailors operating tugboats on Great Lakes.
  • Sullivan & Son (TBS, 10pm) Series Premiere – A son returns to buy back his dad’s bar, and the actor is a comedian, so I think it’s supposed to be funny.

Friday

  • King of Dirt (DIY, 9pm) Season Premiere – Landscape away.
  • John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show (Com, 11pm) Season Premiere – More stand-up.

Saturday

  • 30 Greatest NBC Olympic Moments (NBC, 8pm) – USA, USA, USA!
  • Rove LA (TVG, 10pm) Series Premiere – Australian comedian interviews US stars.

Sunday

  • Tour de France (NBC, 10am) – The final week’s coverage on NBCSN rides into Paris for the glory lap and a final sprint stage, will the jerseys change hands before then?
  • Teen Choice Awards (Fox, 8pm) – Because our teen icons need to be honored.
  • Bar Rescue (Spike, 9pm) Season Premiere – Transformation of failing bars.
  • The Bachelorette (ABC, 8/10pm) Season Finale – I have at least one friend who still watches these, she picks and then they all talk…
  • Flip Men (Spike, 10pm) Season Premiere – Turning foreclosures around.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/5-12/11

Ho to the ho.

Monday

  • American Country Awards (Fox, 8pm) – Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth host.
  • A Sing-off Christmas (NBC, 8pm) – You say Christmas, I say a capella group.
  • Charlie Brown Christmas/Prep & Landing (ABC, 8/8:30pm) – Ho ho ho.
  • The Mortified Sessions (Sund, 8pm) Series Premiere – Celebrities share past moments, mostly embarrassing we believe.
  • T.I & Tiny (VH1, 9pm) Series Premiere – More following people reality style.
  • Candy Queen (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Because there aren’t enough dessert and event shows.
  • Lizard Lick Towing (Tru, 10pm) Season Premiere – So I didn’t watch this show but apparently one of them got stabbed so they’re bringing in some new blood.
  • Love Games (Oxy, 10pm) Season Premiere – Dating competition bad girl style.
  • Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets/Stalked (ID, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – Crimes revisited.

Tuesday

  • A Michael Bublé Christmas (NBC, 8pm) – I was thinking we needed a holiday variety show.
  • Eureka/Warehouse 13/Haven (Syfy, 8/9/10pm) – It’s the syfy holiday season.
  • Hidden City (Trav, 10pm) Series Premiere – Crime novelist Marcus Sakey digs up some real life untold stories.
  • Moonshiners (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – If you were moon-shining in Appalachia or law enforcing moonshine I bet you thought there wouldn’t be a reality series about you.
  • Teen Mom 2 (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – I think this is the second season about the second set of teen moms.
  • Storage Wars (A&E, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – What’s in your unit?

Wednesday

  • State of Play (BBCA, 10pm) Series Premiere – Murder and politics kicks off this miniseries.
  • Toddlers & Tiaras (TLC, 10pm) Season Premiere – I hate the idea of this show.

Thursday

  • The First 48/Beyond Scared Straight (A&E, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – A look at stuff and youngster gangsters.
  • The Great Big American Auction (ABC, 10pm) – Ty Pennington takes another step away from Trading Spaces.
  • Grimm (NBC, 10pm) – A special night and time investigating another fantastical criminal.

Friday

  • Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns/Yes, Virginia/The Elf on the Shelf (CBS, 8-10pm) – Ho, ho, ho.
  • Invention USA (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – Science experts check out amateur inventions.

Saturday

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/The Flight Before Christmas (CBS, 8/9pm) – Ho, ho, ho.
  • The American Giving Awards (NBC, 8pm) – Bob Costas hosts an award show honoring charities.
  • Republican Presidential Candidate Debate (ABC, 9pm) – Stephanopoulos and Sawyer moderate.

Sunday

  • Celebrity Rehab (VH1, 9pm)  – Season 4 revisited.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 12/6-12/12

TNT is bringing back some good stuff before we hit the new year, did I say new year?

Monday

  • American Country Awards (Fox, 8pm) – Trace Adkins hosts the country kids.
  • The Sing-Off (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – I actually kind of enjoyed this a capella glee-esque reality competition.
  • The Closer/Men of a Certain Age (TNT, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Will Brenda’s business change with a new chief and how will the men fare in business and in pleasure?
  • Next Great Baker (TLC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Pastry chefs compete.
  • Tabatha’s Salon Takeover (Brav, 10pm) Season Premiere – Hairy business.
  • True Life/The Vice Guide to Everything (MTV, 10/11/11:30pm) Season/Series Premieres – A look at ladies without sex and then lots of sex.

Tuesday

  • Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8pm) – Good grief.
  • Minute to Win It (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – More weird tasks for money.
  • Cupcake Wars (Food, 9pm) Season Premiere – Cakes, small but with wow.
  • Eureka/Warehouse 13 (Syfy, 9/10pm) – Holiday specials syfy style.
  • Ramsay’s Best Restaurant (BBCA, 9pm) Series Premiere – Because we need more Gordon Ramsay.
  • Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (Sund, 10pm) Series Premiere – Reality with a gals and gays grouping.

Wednesday

  • Fashion Forward (CW, 9pm) – Fashion, designers, celebrities…
  • MANswers (Spike, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Random dude stuff.

Thursday

  • Shrek the Halls/Prep & Landing/Barbara Walter’s Specials (ABC, 9/10pm) – Animation, Oprah, and… the 10 most fascinating people

Friday

  • Tom Brokaw Presents Bridging the Divide (USA, 7pm) – Civil rights, the economy, technology…

Saturday

  • Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns/The Flight Before Christmas (CBS, 8/8:30/9pm) – It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
  • Video Game Awards (Spike, 8pm) – Get your joysticks ready.

Sunday

  • Ax Men (Hist, 9pm) Season Premiere – Alaska logging at its finest.
  • Basketball Wives (VH1, 9pm) Season Premiere – Will someone offend someone else?
  • Leverage (TNT, 9pm) Season Premiere – Let’s get our con on.
  • Midseason Preview (NBC, 9:30pm) – What, more television?
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new summer show roundup

Though the summer isn’t bringing any break out shows that are a must to Tune In for , there’s enough new fluff out there for almost everyone to find something to occupy their time or at least Stay Tuned to see if it comes into its own. For the rest of you there’s always Netflix, or I guess you could turn off your tv and go outside… crazy talk…

  • 18 to Life (CW) Tune Out – Next door neighbors, young love, totally opposite families does not always equal hilarity, there just isn’t anything fresh about the situation or characters.
  • The Big C (Show) Stay Tuned – Aug 16, always worth checking out a new Showtime series, though clearly cancer is depressing, that rarely stops good drama.
  • The Bridge (CBS) Canceled – This latest Canadian import tried to bring us a sweeping drama of a regular cop taking care of police corruption, almost an interesting show but the over the top presentation of our hero and his moral choices just didn’t quite gel.
  • Children’s Hospital (Toon/Adult Swim) Stay Tuned – A web series import, has lots of perfect over the top comedy mocking all things medical drama, but what’re moments of hilarity may or may not make a sustainable series.
  • Covert Affairs (USA) Stay Tuned – She may not be the next Sydney Bristow but she’s close enough for me to tune in to see the latest caper, her support team who we may or may not trust, and of course the mystery of the lost love.
  • The Gates (ABC) Tune Out – Pull every cliched device, vampires, werewolves, witches, and of course murder, into a private community with a new big city police detective in charger and… apparently I’ll stop tuning in, not good enough or good/bad enough to be cheesy fun.
  • The Glades (A&E) Stay Tuned – Another fish out of water detective show, big city cop hits Florida and tells us he doesn’t play by the rules, but he closes cases and has a smarmy charm that no one is sure whether to buy or not, I’m engaged enough with the characters and the detecting.
  • The Good Guys (Fox) Tune Out – The latest odd couple buddy cops are almost interesting enough to keep me watching but the cases and the characters just didn’t do it, and I have to say the fine line between bumbling and successful is hard to walk, do these simple cases really turn into the big mysteries that they solve each week?
  • Haven (Syfy) Tune Out – It may be based on Stephen King’s Colorado Kid, but what it is seems to be the supernatural freak of the week mystery, of course set in small town up state New England, and the lead isn’t quite charismatic enough for me to care about her personal slant.
  • Hot in Cleveland (TVLand) Tune Out – The ladies from sitcoms gone by aren’t delving into any new territory or cutting edge laughs, but it doesn’t sound like anything more than that is needed, and the laughs are reportedly from a genuine studio audience.
  • Huge (ABCFam) Stay Tuned – I caught the first show of this and it’s not a bad family show, and I have to give it some extra credit for trying to show more than one kind of ‘fat’ kid, but it wasn’t either good enough or cheesy enough to make me tune back in, not necessarily a fault for an ABC Family show.
  • Louie (Fx) Stay Tuned – Louis CK does a Seinfeld-esque show, where he plays himself as a stand up comedian, showing some comedy and some slice of life, the difference is that both are dirtier and much more awkward than Seinfeld, he’s funny but after each show I can’t quite love it.
  • Melissa & Joey (ABCFam) Stay Tuned – Aug 17, this kind of looks like Who’s the Boss.
  • Memphis Beat (TNT) Tune Out – I’m a Jason Lee fan, and I do think he’s got the charisma to pull off one of these quirky detective roles, but the characters here and the show overall just couldn’t keep me engaged.
  • Persons Unknown (NBC) Stay Tuned – This series of folks kidnapped and trapped in a fake town, and their less interesting counterparts in the outside world trying to find out more, will undoubtedly be a mystery that is unfullfillingly resolved, but with the summer miniseries format I’m just hoping they resolve it.
  • Pretty Little Liars (ABCFam) Stay Tuned – I’m a sucker for a good cheesy soapy teen drama, and this one is cheesy and soapy enough to make up for the fact that it’s maybe not all that good, even though only half of the teens look young enough to be in high school, I keep tuning it to see whose secrets will be revealed next.
  • Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) Stay Tuned – The summer trend continues with more detectives, one is tough as nails detective and the other is maybe pays too much attention to her nails coroner, though not elevating the genre, Angie Harmon gets enough to do to keep it interesting.
  • Rubicon (AMC) Stay Tuned – This conspiracy series set in the world of code cracking is intriguing but enough on the slow side that I’m not sure whether I want to keep seeing where things are going.
  • Rookie Blue (ABC) Tune Out – Dubbed the Grey’s Anatomy of the detective world, I feel less safe on the streets with these rookies and since I also don’t care who is sleeping with whom I’m taking a pass.
  • Scoundrels (ABC) Tune Out – I like a good con family, but this family is not, good that is, in either execution or interest, as they try to go straight after the patriarch goes to jail.

And if the new shows aren’t doing it here are the somewhat fluffy returning series on my summer schedule:

Burn Notice (USA), The Closer (TNT), Drop Dead Diva (Life), Eureka (Syfy), Leverage (TNT), White Collar (USA).

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/5-7/11

Monday

  • The Bachelorette (ABC, 8pm) – I saw a promo and Vienna cries so the breakup talk must be serious.
  • Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Trav, 10pm) Season Premiere – Tasting travels.

Tuesday

  • Warehouse 13 (Syfy, 9pm) Season Premiere – Supernatural artifacts can be trouble in the wrong hands.
  • Primetime (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Family secrets.

Wednesday

  • Come Dine With Me/The Choir (BBCA, 9/10pm) Series Premieres – A competition to see who is the hostess with the mostess, or something, and then it’s like Glee but real.

Thursday

  • Big Brother (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – I still can’t believe this show is still going.

Friday

  • Eureka/Haven (Syfy, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – The quirky characters take their science to the next level and the sheriff who tries to keep them all in check, and then a new supernatural FBI agent series based on King’s Colorado Kid.

Saturday

  • The Bridge (CBS, 8pm) Series Premiere – I haven’t heard anything about this latest crime series, oh except it’s Canadian, I’ll check out an ep.
  • How Do I Look? (Style, 8pm) Season Premiere – The Jersey styling continues, or un-Jersey styling in this instance.

Sunday

  • Ochocinco/The TO Show (VH1, 9/10:30pm) Series/Season Premiere – Some guy from sports and Dancing with the Stars looks for love and then some sports guys deals with sports guy things.
  • The Glades (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – A Chicago cop is exiled to Florida, who knows which is the cop drama that’ll stick.
  • Children’s Hospital (Adult Swim, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – This Rob Corddry created web series is getting a run on cable including some new episodes, now I need to find out if I get AdultSwim.
  • Kid in a Candy Store (Food, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – A look at sweets wherever they may be.
  • Russel Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at the El Rey (Com, 11;30pm) Series Premiere – Comedy showcase.
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summer lovin’

leverageSo we’re not quite ready for Fall season, I think we’re calling anything through August as ‘Summer’. We have had a few summer shows that have started, and now that we’ve had a chance to take a gander, what did we like (excluding reality for the sake of brevity)?

  • Burn Notice (USA, Returning) – The cheesy start won me over as I grew to enjoy the weekly capers, the MacGyver-esque tech, and the growing characters.
  • The Closer (TNT, Returning) – I like Kyra as this driven head of a special detective squad questioning suspects into submission.
  • Drop Dead Diva (Life, Premiere) – This ridiculous plot of a tiny model woman dropped into the body of a not tiny lawyer woman is somehow sweet in that Legally Blonde sort of way.
  • Eureka (SyFy, Returning) – This town of science geniuses turn out problems that apparently the only nongenius member of the town can solve as the town sheriff holds them all together.
  • Greek (ABCFam, Returning) – The light and silly tone paired with surprisingly complex characters and situations almost makes me miss college.
  • InPlain Sight (USA, Returning) – Appealing enough as the lead is as abrasive as she is caring as she tries to help her witness protection participants and her nutso family.
  • L&O: Criminal Intent (USA, Returning) – Goldblum adds a nice mix to the remaining partners as we see the criminals and the detectives.
  • Leverage (TNT, Returning) – I just love a good caper show, and although this isn’t the best, it’s pretty entertaining with the mix of experts taking down the bad guys.
  • Monk (USA, Returning) – The cases aren’t masterful but the quirky detective and his posse are amusing as the show reaches its final season.
  • Saving Grace (TNT, Returning) – Grace still has a great mix of thoughtful and just plain crazy drama and detective work.

Show that I’ve tried but just didn’t have that thing that pushed them onto the Tivo queue:

The Cleaner (A&E, Returning), Dark Blue (TNT, Premiere), Defying Gravity (ABC, Premiere), The Goode Family (ABC, Premiere), HawthoRNe (TNT, Premiere), Hung (HBO, Series Premiere), The Listener (NBC, Premiere), Make it or Break It (ABCFam, Premiere),  Mental (Fox, Premiere), Mental (Fox, Premiere), Merlin (NBC, Premiere), Michael & Michael Have Issues (Com, Premiere), The Philanthropist (NBC, Premiere), Raising the Bar (TNT, Returning), Royal Pains (USA, Premiere), Ruby & the Rockits (ABCFam, Premiere), Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABCFam, Returning), 10 Things I Hate About You (ABCFam, Premiere), Warehouse 13 (Syfy, Premiere)

And maybe I’ll catch these cable shows on Netflix:

Being Human (BBC, Premiere), Entourage (HBO, Returning), Mad Men (AMC, Returning), Nurse Jackie (Show, Premiere), Psych (USA, Returning), Rescue Me (Fx, Returning), Skins (BBC, Returning), Torchwood (BBC, Returning), True Blood (HBO, Returning), Weeds (Show, Returning)

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next week 8/31

New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • CMA Music Festival (ABC, 8pm) – Do Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift make you want to tune in?
  • Greek (ABCFam, 9pm) Season Premiere – So glad to be heading back to school and not just for another chance for Casey and Cappie, you know his rejection won’t last for long.
  • Ultimate Cake Off (TLC, 10pm) – Arg, let the pastry chef’s bake off in the cake off with a pirate theme.

Tuesday

  • Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World (Trav, 10pm) Series Premiere – How bizarre will first stop Cuba be?
  • Rehab (Tru, 10pm) Season Premiere – I don’t know if this party at the Hard Rock hotel has anything to do with actual rehab.
  • Surviving Disaster (Spike, 10pm) Series Premiere – Will watching this show make me feel more or less fearful?

Wednesday

  • CBS Fall Preview (CBS, 8:30pm) – The cast of How I Met Your Mother hosts the display of what’s to come.
  • Glee (Fox, 9pm) – In case you missed the pilot at the end of last season tune in tonight (or tomorrow) to prepare for the season to come.

Thursday

  • Football (Fox, 7pm) – Tonight is repeatapalooza unless you want to watch some exhibition football.

Friday

  • Eureka (Syfy, 11pm) – In case you missed the start of this amusing show, you can tune in for the pilot and some marathon action to catch up.

Saturday

  • At the Movies (ABC, 6:30pm*) Season Premiere – The balcony is open again but this season former guest hosts NY Times AO Scott joins Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips as new regulars.

Sunday

  • Tennis (Sat/Sun, CBS, 8am) – The US Open kicks off on Monday but moves from ESPN2 to network for the Labor Day weekend, will it be favorites Federer and Serena?

*Check your local listings.

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my schedule

Well another year of television and almost everything has started. 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.  I wouldn’t recommend it all but it’s what I watch, or at least what I tend to tivo (I am still trying to narrow this down to no more than two shows per timeslot).

Monday chuck.jpg

  • 8pm: NBC – Chuck (CBS – The Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother) (CW – Gossip Girl)
  • 9pm: NBC – Heroes (CBS – 2 1/2 Men/ABC – Samantha Who?)

Tuesday

  • 8pm: Fox – House
  • 9pm: CBS – The Mentalist (CW – Privileged)
  • 10pm: NBC – Eli Stone (NBC – L&O: SVU)

Wednesday bones_main.jpg

  • 8pm: Fox – Bones (ABC – Pushing Daisies) (CBS – The New Adventures of Old Christine/Gary Unmarried)
  • 9pm: NBC – Life
  • 10pm: ABC – Dirty Sexy Money (NBC – L&O)

Thursday

  • 8pm: NBC – My Name is Earl
  • 9pm: NBC – The Office/30 Rock (ABC – Grey’s Anatomy)
  • 10pm: ABC – Life on Mars

Friday life.jpg

  • 9pm: CBS – The Ex List (CW – ANTM encore)
  • 10pm: CBS – Numb3rs

Saturday

  • Nothing

Sunday

  • 9pm: CW – Easy Money

But wait there’s more… known midseason and cable picks: Breaking Bad (AMC), Burn Notice (USA), Celebrity Rehab (VH1), The Closer (TNT), Dexter (Show), Eureka (SciFi), Flight of the Conchords (HBO), Greek (Fam), Lost (ABC), Project Runway (Bravo), Reaper (CW), Saving Grace (TNT), Scrubs (ABC), Sons of Anarchy (FX).

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next week 9/22

And the premieres are really cooking, get your tivos ready…. New and notable for the week ahead, procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Heroes (NBC, 8/9pm) Season Premiere – First we countdown, maybe that means they try to explain what the heck has happened in the first two seasons, then what’s normally an engaging but uneven series has some promising buzz as this year we meet the ‘villains’.
  • Dancing With the Stars (ABC, 8pm, second rounds Wed/Thurs) Season Premiere – Who will delight America this season and how long can we keep Cloris Leachman in the mix?
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – This show grew on me throughout last year, as the geeks and their straight woman/hot girl Penny make fun, super misfit Sheldon steals the show.
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – This show has a great ensemble and the Barneyisms are almost worth it alone.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – They’re back with more odd couple shenanigans.
  • Worst Week (CBS, 9:30pm) Series Premiere – Folks are saying this could be funny, but again, not sure about one mishap after another for a whole season.
  • Boston Legal (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Is this show still on? Is this show still getting emmy nominations?
  • CSI: Miami (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – I think someone shot Horatio, can anyone really stand David Caruso?

Tuesday

  • Opportunity Knocks (ABC, 8pm) Series Premiere – A game show where families win based on knowledge of each other.
  • NCIS (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – I admit I’ve never seen this navy investigation show.
  • Eureka (SciFi, 9pm) Season Finale – Maybe we find out what happened all those years ago and how their new fixer was involved.
  • The Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) Series Premiere – Simon Baker solves crimes after years as a fake celebrity psychic.
  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Luke Perry won’t do 90210 so catch him in this ep, will he be creepy?
  • Without a Trace (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – I used to watch this show but no longer catch the FBI’s weekly missing person drama.

Wednesday

  • Knight Rider (NBC, 8pm) Series Premiere – Unless there were significant changes from the made for tv movie/pilot this one’s a pass.
  • The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – I actually like this ridiculous show where JLDreyfuss and her gang are obnoxious but funny.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS, 8:30pm) Series Premiere – Jay Mohr deals with his divorced dad lifestyle.
  • David Blaine (ABC, 9pm) – I’m always a little wary of these ‘magicians’ who do something like hang from a wire for days.
  • Criminal Minds (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – I think we ended last season with an explosion, is all the team coming back?
  • CSI: NY (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – This one isn’t as annoying as Miami and is a decent procedural.
  • Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Of the identical average new chick shows of last season (the other was Cashmere Mafia) this one rolled over to this season, let’s hope they fine tuned things.

Thursday

  • Ugly Betty (ABC, 8pm) Season Premiere – I never quite appreciated this campy soap drama.
  • My Name is Earl (NBC, 8/8:30pm) Season Premiere – Last season’s coma didn’t quite work, let’s hope this season is back to its white trash misfit make amends roots.
  • Survivor: Gabon (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – So they’re in Gabon, wherever that is.
  • The Office (NBC, 9/9:30pm) Season Premiere – What’s in store this year for Michael and Pam and Dwight and that other main guy?
  • Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Now that we’re over most of the Mer/Der drama let’s get back to the rest of the gang.
  • ER (NBC, 10pm) Season Premiere – I recall hearing that this 15th season is the last and they’re trying to get as much of the gang back together as they can, Clooney is a long shot.

Friday

  • Presidential Debate (Various, 6pm/pst) – This election season feels like it has been going on forever but now we could really start to get down to it as Jim Lehrer moderates.

Saturday

  • Dirty Sexy Money (Soap, 9am) – Catch up on delightful season one with this marathon.
  • Chris Rock (HBO, 9pm) – In his Kill the Messenger special we see comedy from a few locations on his tour.
  • 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – I don’t know that I’ve ever watched this true-crime series.

Sunday

  • 60 Minutes (CBS, 7pm) Season Premiere – The stop watch still ticks.
  • Extreme Makeover: Home (ABC, 7/8pm) Season Premiere – I f I read this correctly a single mother of four took in her sister’s 10 children…. I can’t even take care of my plants, she deserves a house.
  • The Amazing Race (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – I understand this is one of the ‘good’ reality shows.
  • The Simpsons/King of the Hill/Family Guy/American Dad (Fox, 8-10pm) Season Premieres – The animation evening continues.
  • Desperate Housewives (ABC, 9pm) Season Premiere – As I understand it they’re refreshing things by skipping ahead five years.
  • Cold Case (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – Another one of those procedurals I didn’t keep up with.
  • Dexter (Show, 9pm) Season Premiere – Ok I’m still on season 3 on netflix but this one is addictive.
  • Brothers and Sisters (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – So if anyone missed it the now making out Rebecca and Justin are not really related, she only thought she was his sister for a while.
  • The Unit (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – When the team protects the vice and president elects, they could just paste a current candidates head on the actor’s bodies.
  • Californication (Show, 10pm) Season Premiere – Too easy to make a David Duchovny joke.
  • Little Britain (HBO, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – A fav british sketch show may take a few weeks to get its new american legs.
  • The Life & Times of Tim (HBO, 11pm) Series Premiere – Steve Dildarian former ad guy and fun painter creates this new animated series.
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