tv

looking beyond summer…

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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

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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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new and noteworthy tv: 9/20-9/26

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Its a big week. My main conflicts are Monday and Thursdays at 8, let’s just hope I don’t need to add much else new. Procrastinator picks are underlined, and I’m always game to try something new at least once, and of course you can always check out thoughts on returning favorites and intriguing new shows.

Monday

  • Dancing with the Stars/Castle (ABC, 8/10pm) Season Premieres – Palin, Situation, old person, sports person, another reality person, etc and then the fun case comaraderie of our favorite fictional author and his detective partner.
  • House/Lone Star (Fox, 8/9pm, LS repeats Sat at 11pm) Season/Series Premiere – I’ve been sticking with House for years but the battle of the time slot my take it as a casualty, hearing good things about Lone Star’s grifting ways.
  • Chuck/The Event/Chase (NBC, 8/9/10pm, Ev & Ch repeat Sat 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Chuck delights me and I’ll at least check in to see what Event and Chase have to bring.
  • How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Two and a Half Men/Mike & Molly/Hawaii 5-0 (CBS, 8/8:30/9/9:30/10pm, 5-0 repeats Sat at 8pm) – Season/Series Premieres – Still a HIMYM fan, I wish I could time block it differently, will check in with M&M and 5-0.

Tuesday

  • Glee/Raising Hope/Running Wilde (Fox, 8/9/9:30pm, RW repeats Sat at midnight) Season/Series Premieres – Excited to see what Glee will bring and giving the new sitcoms a shot.
  • The Biggest Loser (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Too heartfelt in the reality fare for me.
  • NCIS/NCIS: LA (CBS, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – Never quite got into the Naval version of the criminal investigation.
  • Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Willing to see what Michael Imperioli brings to the detective world.

Wednesday

  • Hell’s Kitchen (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Mean chef.
  • The Middle/Better with You/Modern Family/Cougar Town/The Whole Truth (ABC, 8/8:30/9/9:30/10pm, BwY/WT repeats Fri at 8:30/9pm) Season/Series Premiere – Enjoyed the comedy block last year, we’ll see how well BwY fits in and TWT wraps things up.
  • Undercovers/Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 8/9pm; UC repeats Thurs on USA) Series/Season Premiere – Definitely going to be checking out the new spy couple and then still sticking with but not all that invested in SVU.
  • Criminal Minds/The Defenders (CBS, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – Don’t go out of my way for the serial hacker of the week but willing to make a run with the latest Vegas lawyers.

Thursday

  • My Generation/Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice (ABC, 8/9/10pm) Series/Season Premieres – Generation is getting some of the worst buzz, so due to scheduling won’t make a pass, but will check back for Grey’s before tuning out of ABC again.
  • Bones/Fringe (Fox, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – I still dig Bones but Fringe’s drama never quite hooked me.
  • Community/30 Rock/The Office/Outsourced (NBC, 8/8:30/9/9:30pm) Season/Series Premieres – The start of this night makes me laugh though rumor has it Outsourced doesn’t round things out well.
  • The Big Bang Theory/$#*! My Dad Says/CSI/The Mentalist (CBS, 8/8:30/9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – One of the funnier shows paired with what is supposed to be the worst show, I’ve never gotten into the CSIs but do tune in for Simon Baker.

Friday

  • Smallville/Supernatural (CW, 8/9pm) Season Premiere – I’m not really doing these freak of the week shows.
  • Medium/CSI: NY/Blue Bloods (CBS, 8/9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – Blah, blah, then worth a shot.
  • The Good Guys (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – I just didn’t think the guys were all that good.
  • Dateline (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – News-ish.
  • 20/20 (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – News-ish.

Saturday

  • 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – News-ish.
  • Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:29) Season Premiere – Amy Poehler hosts with Katy Perry.

Sunday

  • America’s Funniest Home Videos/Extreme Makeover Home Edition/Desperate Housewives/Brothers & Sisters (ABC, 7/8/9/10pm) Season Premieres – Some funny, some drama, but not enough of either for me.
  • 60 Minutes/The Amazing Race/Undercover Boss (CBS, 7:30/8:30/10pm) Season Premieres – News-ish, Amazing-ish, Bossy.
  • The Simpsons/The Cleveland Show/Family Guy (Fox, 8/8:30/9pm) Season Premieres – Animation takes control.
  • Dexter (Show, 9pm) Season Premiere – What will he do this season?!?
  • Bored to Death/Eastbound & Down (HBO, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – No HBO for me.
  • Sister Wives (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – The real life polygamists.
  • Nature (PBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – Cuba.

Since scheduling come fall gets difficult and networks sometimes rerun pilots I’ll try to note repeat airings for new shows, all times are typically PST.

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returning fall favorites

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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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new and noteworthy tv: 5/17-5/23

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I could talk about the one new show and Lost, Lost, Lost, but I guess we can talk about finales, what will they bring?

Monday

  • House (Fox, 8pm) Season Finale – Can House save another?
  • One Tree Hill (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – Are those kids still living in One Tree Hill?
  • Gossip Girl (CW, 9pm) Season Finale – Will Georgina’s return bring more drama?
  • Castle (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – Will Castle declare his love for Beckett?

Tuesday

  • 90210 (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – Drama? Romance? Arson?
  • V (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – What are those Vs up to?

Wednesday

  • The Good Guys (Fx, 8pm) Series Premiere – Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks give the odd couple buddy cop show another avenue, the series premieres in its regular timeslot on 6/7.
  • The Middle/Modern Family/Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30-10pm) Season Finales – Did Cougar Town actually become one of my favorite comedies?
  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) Season Finale – Will Sharon Stone be the next ADA to leave?

Thursday

  • Bones/Fringe (Fox, 8/9pm) Season Finales – Will we continue to see creepy death and just plain creepy?
  • Community/Parks & Recreation/The Office /30 Rock/The Marriage Ref (NBC, 8-11pm) Season Finales – Will Community keep up the goodness? Will the other comedies return to goodness? Will I ever watch an ep of Ref?
  • CSI/The Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) Season Finale – Will death hit close to home? Will the psychic detective solve another?
  • Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9pm) Season Finale – What good could Mandy Moore bring to Grey’s?

Friday

  • Ghost Whisperer/Medium/Miami Medical (CBS, 8/9pm) Season Finale – If they don’t survive Miami Medical will one of the ladies talk to their ghosts?
  • Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 9pm) Season Finale – Will the Chef ever stop yelling?

Saturday

  • Golden God Awards (VH1 Classic, 10pm) – Metal awards?

Sunday

  • Lost (ABC, 7/9) Series Finale – Will Jack wake to find it was all a dream?
  • Brooks & Dunn (CBS, 8pm) – Whatever.
  • The Simpsons/The Cleveland Show/Family Guy (Fox, 8-10pm) Season Finale – Will animation domination be funny?
  • The Apprentice (NBC, 9pm) Season Finale – Will anyone care who wins?
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procrastinator picks – top tv of 2009

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So we’ve seen what the critics gave their shout outs to, but what about me? Following are my top ten-ish tv shows for 2009. Now these may not all be the ‘best’ shows on the air but they’re the ones that I look most forward to or finish with the most joy (or anticipation for the next episode).

So here goes:

  • Sons of Anarchy (Fx) – A motorcycle club with layers and layers of drama and plenty of violence, I can’t turn away and I can’t wait to tune in to see what Jax and the others will do next season.
  • Chuck (NBC) – A wonderful balance between the spy capers, the geeky humor, and of course the romance, I’m thrilled to see Chuck 2.0 next season.
  • Glee (Fox) – My favorite newcomer, although the first season was a bit uneven (we were all so over the wife) the humor, the mix of poignant moments, and yes, the songs, made me keep coming back.
  • Bones (Fox) – Still my favorite crime solving pair, will FBI Sealy Booth and Forensic Anthropologist Temperance Brennan ever get together?
  • The Good Wife (CBS) – Another new addition to the lineup, so far it’s a great balance between the case-of-the-week and Margulies struggling with her family and potentially corrupt cheater husband, there’s more politics afoot than we know.
  • The Mentalist (CBS) /Castle (ABC) – These two guys are worth tuning into no matter where they are but both are set up as great characters with fun casts and of course the case-of-the-week.
  • Dexter (Sho) – No season has been as good at the first but it doesn’t stop me from yelling at the tv when Dexter is doing something foolish, juggling job, family, friends, and being a serial killer is a tough balance.
  • Dollhouse (Fox) – Another uneven addition to the list but as the season has progressed we see what the show could have been with its corrupt organization and complex issues of identity, too bad there are only three more.
  • Modern Family (ABC)/Community (NBC) – So I still laugh at 30 Rock, The Office, HIMYM, Parks & Rec, but the shows I was most excited to watch were the new ones, MF takes us into the new form of funny families and Community just puts together some weirdos, I don’t know, I am amused.

Special shout outs  for some of the cable fluff that I tended to watch first that even I’m not tempted to make the case that they’re ‘the best’: Drop Dead Diva (Life) – the dumbest premise made the cutest show, Leverage (TNT) – I love a good caper show, and this was good enough, Burn Notice (USA) – cheesy but Macgyver of this generation shouldn’t be skipped, and Greek (ABCFam) – fun plots and characters are all you need to keep you tuning in.

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ready to proceed

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thegoodwifepicI was recently talking to a friend discussing the merits of our favorite procedurals (her’s Castle, mine Bones). And of course different people like different things, another tv discussion showed that the forgotten which I dropped for being too schmaltzy had a sweet personal side to it that was liked by another. Then what do I find in this week’s Entertainment Weekly article on the continuation of NCIS but a notation as to some of the best procedural features. Best Writing: House; Best Ensemble: Castle; Best Cases: CSI; Best Gore: Bones; Best Sherlock: The Mentalist.

For my take on some of the ones I watch and why:

  • Bones (FOX) – This one is first in my book because I think the two lead characters Booth (FBI Agent) and Bones (Forensic Anthropologist) are both equally interesting and have great chemistry playing off their complementary approaches, having Booth brought into the world of science and the supporting cast of the ‘squints’ is fun with the some dark humor from the quirky cast and some fun science in the lab to solve the cases.
  • Castle (ABC) – I adore Nathan Fillion and I think this is a good role for him as charismatic mystery writer who forces his way into a detective unit, he does have good chemistry with his cop partner, and I like his family as supporters, but the cases are pretty standard and the supporting police detectives so far don’t quite distinguish themselves.
  • The Good Wife (CBS) – I’m still on the fence as to whether this will continue to fall in the procedural camp or move more toward the political drama but so far I am liking Marguiles character as a wife trying to reenter the working world to support her family after her politico husband leaves job and family in scandal, though he may be in prison for now the drama keeps going.
  • House (FOX) – There’s no question that Hugh Laurie is great in this role as personally damaged medical diagnostic genius, and I still like his relationship with his ‘best friend’, but I’m over the general format of getting an unsolvable case and guessing and almost killing the patient repeatedly until House figures it out at the last minute, and the supporting cast has also suffered from the initially intriguing shakeup up of his team leaving original support players underutilized but still standing by.
  • Law & Order (NBC) – This is what I sort of think of as the most standard procedural of the shows I watch, there’s very little character development with a very standard case-of-the-week but they’ve landed on a decent version of the rotating cast with two key detectives (law) and two key attorneys (order), though I tend to forget about each episode almost immediately even with the continued ‘ripped from the headlines’ approach.
  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC) – This one is a little more focused on the law aspect of things and a little more emphasis is on the relationship between the two lead detectives and I’m not quite as enamored with Benson and Stabler as everyone else is but Munch and Tutuola are good and the ‘special victims’ slant with a little more emphasis on the psychology of the victim and perp give the show a little more oomph.
  • The Mentalist (CBS) – I like Simon Baker maybe as much as I like Nathan Fillion and his character’s ability to notice what others don’t and stir the pot in a way to get things done is what makes this show interesting, I also have always liked Robin Tunny (Cherish was a delightful flick) but her character’s straight arrow-ness sometimes leaves me a little cold though I like the supporting detective players.
  • Numb3rs (CBS) – I tend to treat this show as a good solid backup, always engaging enough as we have spent a few seasons with the brothers who were never close until they realized the math genius and the FBI cases could actually bring them together, along with dear old dad and some supporting academic and FBI folk, they manage to entertain with their unique approach to solving the latest case.

And for a few that I’ve dabbled and just can’t add to the queue: Cold Case (CBS), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSIs (CBS), the forgotten (ABC), Lie to Me (Fox), NCISs (CBS).

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my schedule

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Looks like fall shows have launched and now that I’ve given it a look or two, with my goal as always to keep shows to two per time slot max, until they cancel, reschedule, add, or I just get over something, here’s where I’m at:

Monday

  • 8pm – House (Fox) / How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
  • 9pm – Gossip Girl (CW) / Big Bang Theory (CBS 9:30)
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC)

House is one of those shows I wish I could give up but somehow don’t (Laurie is good but they just almost kill a person until they save them every week), Gossip Girl is a quality guilty pleasure, and Castle has Nathan Fillion who is great enough to pull off this relatively formulaic weekly crime drama; although I do occasionally catch 2 1/2 Men I would love to redo the schedule and put HIMYM and BBTheory in the same hour, both are good fun. I’ve been catching Trauma on Saturday repeats.

Tuesday

  • 9pm – Melrose Place (CW)
  • 10pm – The Good Wife (CBS)

Melrose has just been so bad I can’t quite turn away, mostly because there is no competition for me on this night (I hope the cheesiness is intended) but I’ll probably tune in until Heather shows, and have found Julianna and supporting cast to be interesting in the mix of personal drama and weekly lawyerness on Wife.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) / The Middle (ABC) / Mercy (NBC)
  • 9pm – Glee (Fox) / Modern Family (ABC)

Christine is finally paired with something that might be kind of funny, too bad it’s on another network, let’s hope they don’t mess up my time blocks, unless they pair Middle with Modern which so far is good; Glee is my favorite new show of the season, and I don’t know why so far I keep watching Mercy it’s not actually good. Have been getting SVU and ANTM on repeat nights.

Thursday

  • 8pm – Bones (Fox) / Community / Parks & Recreation (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) / The Office / 30 Rock (NBC)
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS)

I still dig Bones and am happy that Community actually seems to be funny paired with P&R which I still find a little uneven but funny. I am almost over Grey’s (I’m never excited to watch but still seem to enjoy the episodes) and still enjoying Office and looking forward to return of 30Rock; oh yeah and Simon is still good on the Mentalist.

Friday

  • 8pm – Law & Order (NBC)
  • 9pm – Dollhouse (Fox) / ANTM (CW)
  • 10pm  – Numb3rs (CBS)

L&O is always a good staple but I don’t so much care, Dollhouse is still a little uneven but I love the way they explore the themes of identity, and I really want to be over ANTM (the less of Tyra the better); Numb3rs is a show I just keep on the list just because I kind of like the math FBI brothers and their dad.

Saturday

  • 9pm – Trauma (NBC)
  • 10pm – Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

I don’t know if I’ll stick with Trauma but we’ll see, and if I miss an ep of any of the L&Os I don’t really notice but keep them in the queue.

Sunday

  • Day of rest.

But what about cable? Fortunately those shows I’m still getting tend to repeat in the off hours so I can catch at random times, currently I am mostly catching Sons of Anarchy on FX and am going to have to check online for the final eps of Greek and Monk until I decide on a cable commitment (I’ve got some Dexter waiting for me one someone else’s Tivo as well).

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next week 9/21

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

Monday

  • Heroes (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – I just couldn’t take it anymore so I have no idea what they’re up to and I’d like to keep it that way.
  • House (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – I am not entirely sure why I still watch this show, every episode they almost kill someone until they save them and House is an ass, but now I just need to see if he’s an insane ass.
  • Dancing with the Stars/Castle (ABC, 8/10pm) Season Premiere – I don’t watch the dance but I am taken in by Fillion on Castle.
  • How I Met Your Mother/Accidentally on Purpose/Two and a Half Men/The Big Bang Theory/CSI: Miami (CBS, 8-11pm) Season/Series Premiere – Accidentally is supposed to be a stinker but Mother and Big Bang are pretty consistently funny, and I never watch Caruso on CSI.
  • Brick City (Sund, 10pm) Series Premiere – First of a five-part series on Newark NJ.
  • Misadventures (Trav, 10pm) Series Premiere – First Brazil and then Burma.

Tuesday

  • NCIS/NCIS: Los Angeles/The Good Wife (CBS, 8-11pm; GW repeats Sat 9pm) Season/Series Premieres – First the original which I’ve honestly never see, then LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell head up the latest spinoff, does this mean CSI: L&O: NCIS: Boston is next? But wait, Wife is supposed to be a great mix of drama and cases.
  • The Forgotten (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Christian Slater heads up volunteers helping to fight crime.
  • The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck (Oxy, 10pm) Series Premiere – More reality fare on the menu as they follow a chef and her team.
  • Table for 12 (TLC, 10/10:30pm) Season Premiere – I think this is the one with more kids and no tabloid divorce.

Wednesday

  • The New Adventures of Old Christine/Gary Unmarried/Criminal Minds/CSI: NY (CBS, 8-11pm) Season Premieres – First some laughs and then some murder, not to give anything away.
  • Mercy/L&O: SVU (NBC, 8-10pm; Mercy repeats Sat 9pm) Series/Season Premiere – The lives of three nurses and then back to the special victims.
  • Modern Family/Cougar Town/Eastwick (ABC, 9-11pm; MF/CT repeat Fri 9pm) Series Premieres – With this chunk of new shows let’s hope for a winner, rumor has it Family is the best on this block.

Thursday

  • CSI/The Mentalist (CBS, 9/10pm) Season Premiere – I’ll pass on CSI but I do like Baker’s charms.
  • Flash Forward/Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8/9pm; FF repeats Fri 8pm) Series/Season Premiere – First the blackout that is the premise for at least one season and then George is out and Izzie is in, except for the break Heigl takes to shoot her movie, would that be at the same time Mer is out maternity leave, damn me for still watching this show.

Friday

  • Brothers/Dollhouse (Fox, 8/9pm; Brothers repeats Sun 7pm) Series/Season Premiere – This new show isn’t supposed to be all that but tune in to see what the latest capers Echo and the crew get into.
  • Smallville (CW, 8pm) Season Premiere – Clark continues.
  • Ghost Whisperer/Medium/Numb3rs (CBS, 8pm) Season Premieres – Don’t tune into the two visions shows but do tend to catch the crime math.
  • L&O (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – And the longest running drama series is back.

Saturday

  • 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – I’m not even sure why it’s 2 days.
  • Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30pm) Season Premiere – Megan Fox hosts with U2 in the musical guest spot.

Sunday

  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition/Desperate Housewives/Brothers & Sisters (ABC, 7/9/10pm) Season Premiere – Construction, soapy drama, whiny drama.
  • The Simpsons/The Cleveland Show/Family Guy/American Dad (Fox, 8pm) Season/Series Premiere – Animation all night long.
  • 60 Minutes/The Amazing Race/Cold Case (CBS, 7/8/10pm) Season Premieres –  News, racing, and an old crime set to old music.
  • Dexter/Californication (Show, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – I don’t get this channel but make someone else save Dexter for me, what will the season bring.
  • My Fair Wedding (WE, 10pm) Season Premiere – Something about a wedding.

Repeat times noted for new series on traditional network channels, please always consult your current local listings.

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returning fall favorites

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mentalistWith Sons of Anarchy starting this week I am starting to get excited about some of the shows that are coming back. What shows you say, well let me tell you:

  • Bones (Fox, 9/17) – Booth and Bones and the rest of the squints have just kept up the good chemistry while doing science on the stiffs.
  • Castle (ABC, 9/21) – Nathan Fillion finally found a good role where he could work his charms, and be called out by new partner when they border on smarmy, on admittedly not cutting edge crimes.
  • Chuck (NBC, 2010) – Sad to see I have to wait even longer for the great mix of comedy, action, and of course romance on this spy show.
  • Dexter (Show, 9/27) – I may get mad at Dexter for letting people into his life and jeopardizing his serial killer secrets but I can’t wait to see what mess he’ll get into next.
  • Dollhouse (Fox, 9/25) – I would follow creator Joss anywhere but Dollhouse really started hitting its stride last season as Echo takes on new personalities each week while she and others take on the secrets.
  • Gossip Girl (CW, 9/14) – Still my favorite trashy pleasure with the gang that gets into tons of drama and tons of great clothes, what will life post high school have in store?
  • The Mentalist (CBS, 9/24) – Simon Baker is another favorite, and his role of overly observant tortured crime fighter suits him, though who knew California had a Bureau of Investigations.
  • Sons of Anarchy (Fx, 9/8) – The boys are back, with the women who love them, dealing with crime and family, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
  • How I Met Your Mother/Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/21) – These two gangs made me laugh.
  • 30 Rock/The Office (NBC, 9/17) – Work can be funny too.
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