new and noteworthy tv: 5/13-5/19

the-office-tv-show-2

Not quite done with this year but not quite ready for summer series…

Monday

  • 90210 (CW, 8pm) Series Finale – And the people who aren’t Brenda and Brandon and Dylan and Kelly and… are done. 

Tuesday

  • So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Dance it up. 
  • Crowd Rules (CNBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Elizabeth Chambers discusses specialty foods.

Wednesday

  • South Beach Tow (Tru, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – Take it away. 

Thursday

  • The Office (NBC, 9pm) Series Finale – It should have ended with Michael but whatevs…

Friday

  • Summer blockbuster?

Saturday

  • X Games (NBC, 1pm and ESPN/2 starting Thurs) – Making it happen in Barcelona.
  • The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (HBO, 9pm) – Donna Summer in action. 

Sunday

  • Billboard Music Awards (ABC, 8pm) – What are you singing this summer?
  • Tim McGraw’s Superstar Summer Night (CBS, 9pm) – Oops I mean what are you singing this summer?

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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my schedule

We’ll see if anything changes and I’m always pretending I’ll be a bit more ruthless with some cuts, but here’s where things are netting out for now.

Monday

  • 8pm – How I Met Your Mother (CBS) / Bones (Fox)
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC)

I’m kind of over all of these shows but feel dedicated to see them through for their resolution and still glimmers of my past appreciation.

Tuesday

  • 8pm – Ben & Kate (Fox) / Hart of Dixie (CW)
  • 9pm – Happy Endings/Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23 (ABC) / New Girl/The Mindy Project (Fox) / Go On/The New Normal (NBC)
  • 10pm – Parenthood (NBC) / Vegas (CBS)

My biggest competitive slot at 9… Ben & Kate aren’t rock solid yet so we’ll see where it goes, but the rest of the funnies, assuming Endings and Apt 23 come back in good form, are pretty solid, capped off with some good family drama and a so far kind of intriguing Vegas.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Suburgatory (ABC)
  • 9pm – Modern Family (ABC)
  • 10pm – Nashville (ABC)

More funny, and I’m only one in but enjoyed the drama of the Nashville songsters and the actual and subjective politics surrounding them and the pretty catchy tunes.

Thursday

  • 8pm – The Big Bang Theory (CBS) / 30 Rock (NBC)
  • 9pm – The Office/Parks & Rec (NBC)
  • 10pm – Elementary (CBS)

When’s the last time I was enjoying so many comedies, though hoping Office will go out on a good note, and then the enjoyable latest iteration of Sherlock and Watson.

Friday

  • 8pm – Community (NBC) / ANTM (CW)
  • 9pm – Grimm (NBC)

So Community isn’t back yet, but whenever and wherever it hits I’ll check it, I have somehow been sucked back into ANTM hijinks, and still digging the silly and sometimes grisly weekly fairy tale mystery.

Saturday

  • Day of rest or frolic

Sunday

  • 9pm – The Good Wife (CBS)
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS)

A good dramatic lineup to cap off the week with my favorite network drama Wife.

And still working in my less time slot specific cable entries of It’s Always Sunny (FX), The League (FX), Major Crimes (TNT), Sons of Anarchy (FX), The Walking Dead (AMC) and tentatively American Horror Story (Fx).

What’s in your queue?

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/17-9/23

Had forgotten that my TiVo died so it’s a restart on season passes…

Monday

  • CMA Music Festival (ABC, 8pm) – Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry host.
  • Bones/The Mob Doctor (Fox, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premieres – Will Bones unhide from the FBI and will this new doc be able to keep her debt to the mob in check?
  • Revolution (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Definitely willing to give this post power world a shot.

Tuesday

  • 20/20: Best In TV (ABC, 9pm) – Fan-chosen tv faves.
  • Hot Set (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – Hollywood production designers compete.

Wednesday

  • Survivor (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – Philippines, including Facts of Life actress Lisa Whelchel.
  • Rake (Dir, 9pm) Season Premiere – Eight part legal series.
  • South Beach Tow /Operation Repo (Tru, 9:30/10pm) Season Premieres – Repossessions happen.
  • How Booze Built America (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Mike Rowe explores booze back in the day.
  • The Challenge (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Battle of the seasons.

Thursday

  • SNL: Primetime Election Special/Up All Night/The Office/Parks & Recreation (NBC, 8/8:30pm) Season Premieres – Bringing the new funny, and I’ll give the latest Office shakeup one more shot.
  • Tamar & Vince (WE, 10pm) Series Premiere – Following the singer and producer.
  • Bling It On (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Over the top dressmaker designs.
  • Prom Queens (Life, 10:30pm) Series premiere – Don’t mess with Texas.

Friday

  • NCLR ALMA Awards (NBC, 8pm) – Eva Longoria and George Lopez host.
  • Haven (Syfy, 10pm) Season Premiere – Oddest events ever?
  • Secret Princes (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Actual princes pretend to be regular guys to meet a gal.

Saturday

  • Day of backlog?

Sunday

  • Emmys (ABC, 8pm) – Red carpet heats up as early as 4.
  • $24 in 24 (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – The food’s all within the budget.
  • Treme (HBO, 10pm) Season Premiere – Back to 2007.
  • House Hunters Renovation (HGTV, 11pm) Series Premiere – Starting with a little Cape Cod style.

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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returning fall favorites

The fall season is starting to trickle in… Until we get the full lay of the land of the new stuff, let’s take a look at what I’m looking forward to that’s coming back.

  • Community (NBC, Oct 19) – They’re able to do a crazy good job with random theme episodes and ongoing arcs that leverage the characters as well as pop culture.
  • The Good Wife (CBS, Sept 30) – Still one of my favorite dramas, I am somehow interested in all the aspects of the people, cases, relationships and politics.
  • Happy Endings (ABC, Oct 23) – This is my fave buddy/relationship comedy as each of these characters have evolved into their own random peeps.
  • Hart of Dixie (CW, Oct 2) – My new favorite fluffy small town rom-com, I want to see if Summer Zoe is still rocking the shorts at her medical practice.
  • The Mentalist (CBS, Sept 30) – This procedural has maintained the most of my interest, mostly due to Simon Baker being a likable wackadoodle.
  • New Girl (Fox, Sept 25) – This show too had some growing pains in the first season but I like that Jess has found a better balance of innocence and reality and the supporting cast has become more well rounded.
  • Parenthood (NBC, Sept 11) – What will befall the Bravermans this season, they get into some stupid situations but usually treat them with the right amount of humor and heart.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC, Sept 20) – I almost wanted this show to end with the council election because it was just so perfect but am thrilled to see the return of these misfit government workers.
  • Sons of Anarchy (FX, Sept 11) – Every season I wonder how Jax and the crew will get out of their latest fix and am eagerly anticipating their new season of good bad guys.
  • The Walking Dead (AMC, Oct 14) – I finally caught back up and am ready for a new season of relationships strained to the max as they fight for their survival of the zomb-pocalypse.

Honorable Mentions (On the TiVo): 30 Rock (NBC, Oct 4), The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Sept 27), Bones (Fox, Sept 17), Castle (ABC, Sept 24), Dexter (Show, Sept 30), Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23 (ABC, Oct 23), Grimm (NBC), Hot in Cleveland (TVL, Nov 28), How I Met Your Mother (CBS, Sept 24), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, Oct), The League (FX, Oct), The Middle (ABC, Sept 26), Modern Family (ABC, Sept 26), Suburgatory (ABC, Oct 17).

Debatable but may check in: American Horror Story (Fx, Oct), America’s Next Top Model (CW, Aug 24), Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Sept 26), The Office (NBC, Sept 20), The Voice (NBC, Sept 10).

Chime in with comments on what you’re looking forward to or other questions on returning faves.

Shows listed in alphabetical order and all premiere dates are of course subject to change.

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my schedule

There still may be some rearranging but here’s where I’m at…

Monday

  • 8pm- How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
  • 9pm – House (Fox) / Hart of Dixie (CW)
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC)

Hart of Dixie is the new addition to this evening, not an incredible show but I like Rachel Bilson and the Gilmore Girls-esque town, it makes me happy. House has been hanging by a thread on my schedule but I’m always interested if not entertained by the supporting cast shakeups.

Tuesday

  • 8pm – Glee (Fox)
  • 9pm – New Girl/Raising Hope (Fox) / Ringer (CW)
  • 10pm – Parenthood (NBC)

New Girl is one of two new enjoyable sitcom additions with a nice quirky feel that I hope they’ll grow into well, and it brought Raising Hope, which I sort of enjoy, back from being abandoned by me. Ringer is hanging on by a thread but I keep wanting to give Buffy a chance and see where it’s going.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Suburgatory (ABC)
  • 9pm – Modern Family/Happy Endings (ABC) / ANTM (CW)
  • 10pm – L&O: SVU (NBC)

Sitcom addition number two, Suburgatory, is another nice dose of quirky fun made better than average by the lead. ANTM all star edition is getting me back on board with this, and the new cast may not be enough to keep me on board with SVU.

Thursday

  • 8pm – The Big Bang Theory (CBS) / Community/Parks & Rec (NBC)
  • 9pm – [Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)] / Person of Interest (CBS) / Bones (Fox) /[The Office (NBC)]
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS) / Prime Suspect (NBC)

Prime Suspect may not be getting great ratings but it is coming into its own, while it’s clearly the 9 o’clock hour that’s a problem. Grey’s is always borderline on schedule, but I can pick them up online if need be while PofI isn’t the most awesome new show I might be more interested than the no longer in its prime Office.

Friday

  • 8pm – Chuck (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grimm (NBC)

I was a little over Chuck’s family drama over the past season(s) but hoping their final year and rogue spy troupe is back to basics and giving the new fantastical procedural a go.

Saturday

  • Day of rest or frolic

Sunday

  • 9pm – The Good Wife (CBS)

She’s still good.

And not forgetting cable I’ve got Sons of Anarchy (Fx), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fx), Walking Dead (AMC) still in the queue and am still on board but not sure how much I love the new totally bizarre but working it out American Horror Story (Fx).

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/19-9/25

So my TiVo might be maxed out this week…

Monday

  • Dancing with the Stars/Castle (ABC, 8/10pm) Season Premieres – I don’t do dancing but still enjoy Castle and his muse.
  • How I Met Your Mother/Two and a Half Men/2 Broke Girls/Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, 8/9/9:30/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Still find enough to laugh at on Mother which kicks off with an hour and then willing to give Ashton and the Broke Girls a watch, 5-0 is maybe going to retire from my schedule but we’ll see how the night goes.
  • The Sing-Off/The Playboy Club (NBC, 8/10pm – PBC replays on Bravo 9/25) Season Premiere – I might not stick with it but I actually kind of enjoy these singing things and Ben Folds as I recall is a great judge, and I don’t know about the bunnies.
  • American Underworld (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Mark Allen Johnson pursues dangerous stories.

Tuesday

  • The Biggest Loser/New Girl/Raising Hope (NBC, 8/9/9:30pm) Season/Series Premieres – I don’t do the feel good of loser but willing to give Girl a go and maybe a second chance to Hope which I kind of dropped last year.
  • Dancing with the Stars/Body of Proof (ABC, 8/10pm) Season Premiere  – Meet the cast then results followed by Dana Delaney in a show that I found too poorly done.
  • Glee (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – This show is uneven but when it works it’s wonderful.
  • NCIS/NCIS: LA/Unforgettable (CBS, 8/9/10pm) Season Premieres – I don’t really do Navy but am willing to give the supposedly forgettable show a once over.
  • Tosh.0/Workaholics (Com, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – More of this funny.

Wednesday

  • The Middle/Modern Family/Revenge (ABC, 8/9/10pm – Revenge replays 9/23) Season/Series Premieres – Two funny comedies get an hour each and then it looks too cheesy to stick with but maybe once.
  • The X Factor (Fox, 8pm) Series Premiere – I actually want to watch this but the two hour time slot is filled up, perhaps just a drive by to catch the judges in early audition rounds.
  • Criminal Minds/CSI (CBS, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Get your crime on with returning CM cast and Ted Danson joining the lab.
  • Harry’s Law/L&O: SVU (NBC, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Cast shakeups on both shows are worth a look though maybe not continued watching.
  • The Ultimate Fighter (Spike, 9pm) Season Premiere – 32 new hopefuls compete.

Thursday

  • The Big Bang Theory/Person of Interest/The Mentalist (CBS, 8/9/10pm – POI replays 9/24) Season/Series Premiere – The funny guys are followed by some pre crime fighting and what happens to our protagonist after taking out Red John?
  • Charlie’s Angels/Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8/9pm) Series Premiere – The angels aren’t supposed to be good so may be muscled out of this time slot for me, though I’m still sticking with Grey’s.
  • Community/Parks & Recreation/The Office/Whitney/Prime Suspect (NBC, 8/8:30/9/9:30/10pm – Prime Suspect replays 9/24) Season/Series Premieres – Hoping that the new boss on office and whitney can hold up the funny, though Whit is rumored to not, and intrigued by Bello as the latest lady detective.
  • Prison Diaries (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Confessions from death row.
  • Sweet Genius (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – Another sugar packed competition.

Friday

  • A Gifted Man/CSI: NY/Blue Bloods (CBS, 8/9/10pm) Series /Season Premieres – Willing to take a look at the surgeon with a ghost but skip the rest of the crime night.
  • Kitchen Nightmares/Fringe (Fox, 89pm) Season Premieres – Pass.
  • Nikita/Supernatural (CW, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – Pass.
  • Dateline (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Pass.
  • Ghost Adventures/The Dead Files (Trav, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere -Not my kind of travel.

Saturday

  • Bang for Your Buck/Dear Genevieve/The Making of (HGTV, 2:30/5/7pm) Season Premieres – Spa bath, master bath, and the making of the magazine.
  • 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – Newsy.
  • Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:29pm) Season Premiere – Alec Baldwin hosts with Radiohead.

Sunday

  • 60 Minutes/The Amazing Race/The Good Wife/CSI: Miami (CBS, 7/8/9/10pm) Season Premieres – It’s all about the wife.
  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition/Desperate Housewives/Pan Am (ABC, 7/9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Will give the retro flight show a shot.
  • The Simpsons/The Cleveland Show/The Family Guy/American Dad (Fox, 8/8:30/9/9:30pm) Season Premieres – I don’t really do these.
  • Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 9pm) Season Premiere – The empire continues.
  • Sister Wives/Long Island Medium (TLC, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Wives and a psychic.
  • Dirty Soap/Kendra (E!, 10/11pm) Series/Season Premieres – More reality.
  • IRT (Hist, 10pm) Season Premiere – More deadly roads.
  • Storm Chasers (Disc, 10pm) Season Premiere – More storms.
  • Watch What Happens (Brav, 11pm) Season Premiere – More late night talk.

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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returning fall favorites

The drought is almost over, and as I wait for the critics to chime in on what’s worth a watch of the new crop of shows, we can take a look at what I’m most looking forward to returning.

  • Bones (Fox, 11/3) – Of the procedurals this still is probably my fave, like all the characters, and curious to see how the Booth/Bones baby will play.
  • Community (NBC, 9/22) – Embracing pop culture and media to the hilt, way more hits than misses with our pack of misfits.
  • The Good Wife (CBS, 9/25) – They’ve done an excellent job making each character and each storyline dimensional enough that I’m intrigued by it all, this season will the good wife be a little bad?
  • Modern Family (ABC, 9/21) – This show is a little uneven for me, but when it’s on, it’s on and the mix of family characters makes me laugh.
  • Parenthood (NBC, 9/13) – I had written this show off early but after a marathon I ended up falling a little bit in love with the Bravermans and their family drama, and Lauren Graham and Peter Krause don’t hurt.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC, 9/22) – This show has really found its stride with the small town politics and their quirky crew, adding Rob Lowe and Adam Scott was also surprisingly a great move.
  • Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9/6) – It’s just too fun to watch these bad boys try to do good, and sometimes try to do bad, a hunky lead and complex family and motorcycle club relations keep me coming back for more.
  • The Walking Dead (AMC, 10/16) – I am thoroughly intrigued as to how they’re going to keep the story of these survivors of the Zombie-pocolypse going after a short season intro, although I’ve learned not to watch before bed, I can’t wait for season two.

Honorable Mention (TiVo Season Passes): ANTM (CW, 9/14), The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/22), Castle (ABC, 9/19), Chuck (NBC, 10/21), Dexter (Show, 10/2), Glee (Fox, 9/20), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9/22), HIMYM (CBS, 9/19),  House (Fox, 10/3), It’s Always Sunny (FX, 9/15), L&O: SVU (NBC, 9/21), The Mentalist (CBS, 9/22), The Office (NBC, 9/22).

Shows listed in alphabetical order and all premiere dates are of course subject to change.

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looking beyond summer…

The fall upfronts are done. ‘The what?’ Some of you may be asking… This is when the networks start pimping their fall shows to advertisers.

Personally I try not to get too invested in anything new. Most of the pilots aren’t finalized and certainly aren’t reviewed so things can change dramatically between now and then (and even go away). Though I am admittedly not immune the hope of a high concept show (Charlie’s Angels), the return of a favorite talent (Sarah Michelle Gellar in Ringer), or creators with a somewhat proven track record (Once Upon a Time from the creators of Lost and Spielberg’s Terra Nova).

What I tend to pay a little more attention to at this point are shows that have been canceled (see notations below) and shows in a schedule shootout. Every fall there is at least one time slot where something gets kicked to the curb that would normally make the cut. I do like to watch new shows at least once so thank goodness for a couple of replays and online viewing to ensure the right picks are getting the season pass. Here’s what it’s looking like for me for now:

Monday

  • 8pm – How I Met Your Mother/Two Broke Girls (CBS) vs. Terra Nova (Fox) vs. The Sing-Off (NBC)
  • 9pm – House (Fox) vs. Hart of Dixie (CW) vs. Two and a Half Men (CBS) – willing to give Ashton a try
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC) vs. Hawaii Five-O (CBS) vs. The Playboy Club (NBC)

Tuesday

  • 8pm – Last Man Standing/Man Up (ABC) & Glee (Fox)
  • 9pm – Ringer (CW) & New Girl (Fox)
  • 10pm – Unforgettable (CBS) & Parenthood (NBC)

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Suburgatory (ABC) vs. The X Factor (Fox) vs. Up All Night/Free Agents (NBC)
  • 9pm – Modern Family (ABC) vs. ANTM (CW) vs. Harry’s Law (NBC) vs. The X Factor/I Hate My Teenage Daughter (Fox) – I admittedly can’t endorse 2 out of those 4 but I do watch
  • 10pm – Revenge (ABC) & L&O: SVU (NBC) – say goodbye to Stabler

Thursday

  • 8pm Charlie’s Angels (ABC) vs. Big Bang Theory/How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) vs. X Factor Results (Fox) vs. Community/Parks & Rec (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grey’s (ABC) vs. Person of Interest (CBS) vs. The Secret Circle (CW) vs. Bones (Fox) vs. The Office/Whitney (NBC)
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS) & Prime Suspect (NBC)

Friday

  • 8pm – Chuck (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grimm (NBC)

Saturday – Nothing

Sunday

  • 8pm – Once Upon a Time (ABC)
  • 9pm – The Good Wife (CBS)
  • 10pm – Pan Am (ABC)

And for a look at your own schedule check out TV Guide’s fall grid and for what’s been canceled (and sticking around) check out The Futon Critic’s scorecard. New shows are in italics.

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my schedule

Until mid-season or the schedules shake up again I’ve mostly settled in to a lineup. So far here’s how things shake out. Though there aren’t any new breakout hits for me I have added a couple new picks.

Monday

  • 8pm – Chuck (NBC)/How I Met Your Mother (CBS) [House (Fox)]
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC)/Hawaii Five-O (CBS)

I’m still tempted to drop House but I get into this mental state where I feel like I’ve invested so many seasons into it so I kind of want to see how things play out. Other than that old favorites Chuck, HIMYM, and Castle are joined by fluffy fun enough so far 5-0.

Tuesday

  • 8pm – No Ordinary Family (ABC)/Glee (Fox)
  • 9pm – Raising Hope/Running Wilde (Fox)
  • 10pm – The Good Wife (CBS)/Parenthood (NBC) [Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC)/Sons of Anarchy (Fx)]

So far NOFamily is a nice mix of family drama and super skills [though this isn’t a bad show I found I wasn’t engaged enough to keep it on the listings] while the uneven Glee still keeps me coming back. Keeping SofA on the schedule is not a problem since FX replays stuff repeatedly, but debating on what to do about wanting to add 1-8-7 to my already booked hour. Since both Hope and Wilde are on my chopping block I wish I could move one of these up an hour.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Better With You (ABC)/America’s Next Top Model (CW)
  • 9pm – Modern Family/Cougar Town (ABC)/Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
  • 10pm – The Defenders (CBS)/Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC) [Terriers (Fx)]

Am losing interest in ANTM and the Law & Orders but keeping them in the running with the comedies. Better w/You isn’t quite funny but the episode about living in a fire house kept me interested just because I’ve always wanted to live in a fire house (or light house) but it may go soon. Terriers is probably my favorite new show so keeping that on the agenda isn’t a problem while Defenders is so far sort of charming enough to keep me tuned in.

Thursday

  • 8pm – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)/Bones (Fox)/Community/30 Rock (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)/The Office (NBC) [Project Runway (Life)]
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS)/It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fx)

Another tough first hour as I’m not willing to give up Bones, Big Bang or Community though the rest of the night seems to fit in fine. Holding out to see if Office picks up or drops off, especially with Michael’s scheduled departure.

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returning fall favorites

Though I learned from Alan Sepinwall that fall doesn’t officially start until September 20, I think anything after Labor Day is fair game.  The tv season is in fact starting and what, you might wonder, have I missed most? Well since you asked:

  • Bones (Fox, 9/23) – Still a favorite among the procedurals, Booth, Bones, and the rest of the lap techs are fun characters with cases that bring out the best balance of science and humanity in everyone.
  • Chuck (NBC, 9/20) – They’ve done a really good job of having Chuck evolve as a spy without losing the total humor of the situation and the great supporting characters keep bringing the geek and the spy skills.
  • Cougar Town (ABC, 9/22)/Community (NBC, 9/23) – These two comedies both started out pretty dumb, but both situations of misfits bonded together by proximity (and characters forcing the bond), really grew into their characters and their funny to make them two of the highlights of my week.
  • Dexter (Show, 9/26) – No season has been as good as the first, and I still think I hate all the women, but I still long to find out what happens to Dexter and how he gets into and out of trouble and murder (or justice) each week.
  • Glee (Fox, 9/21) – This show is uneven for sure but there is enough heart and originality and of course fun musical numbers to make this show must see tv for me.
  • The Good Wife (CBS, 9/28) – Maybe the best show introduced last year, the tragic politician’s wife story brings a subtlety and drama to each of the characters and situations that make me as interested in the ongoing character stories as the weekly procedural.
  • Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9/7) – Tonight! Probably my most anticipated and favorite show to watch, the motorcycle gang and their families are violent and scheming and unmerciful as they protect their business and each other.

Honorable mentions (other fall stuff on season pass): ANTM (CW, 9/8),  The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/23), Castle (ABC, 9/20), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9/23), House (Fox, 9/20), How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 9/20), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9/16), Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9/22), The Mentalist (CBS, 9/23), The Middle (ABC, 9/22), Modern Family (ABC, 9/22), The Office (NBC, 9/23), Parenthood (NBC, 9/14), 30 Rock (NBC, 9/23).

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