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my schedule

November 1, 2011 No Comments

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).

new and noteworthy tv: 10/3-10/9

October 2, 2011 No Comments

My TiVo storage is already up to 9% (did I mention I have awesome storage?)…

Monday

Top Gear (BBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – More fast cars?
House (Fox, 9pm) Season Premiere – As discussed I am tired of him almost killing a person until they are cured but starting in prison is supposed to be a nice new twist.
Pop Up Video (VH1, 12am) Season Premiere – Stoked this is back and wondering what videos they have in store.

Tuesday

Mad Fashion/Fashion Hunters (Brav, 10/10:30pm) Series Premiere – Runway’s Chris March takes on the costumey fashion and then some time with a fashion consignment store.
Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E, 9pm) Season Premiere – She says yes.
Onion News Network (IFC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Don’t be fooled by faux news.

Wednesday

American Horror Story (FX, 10pm) Series Premiere – There’s been lots of buzz about this family picks up an old Victorian house cheap for good reason, the show pushes the styles but do they succeed?
South Park/Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time (Com, 10pm) Season Premieres – The kids are back and then some parodies.
Penn & Teller Tell a Lie (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Can you tell which story is a lie?

Thursday

The This Old House Hour (PBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – Starting with a 300-year-old farmstead.
Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution (Com, 10pm) Series Premiere – Funny?
The League (Fx, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Seth Rogan joins the guys for another season of fantasy football funny.

Friday

Say Yes to the Dress (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Kelly Ripa helps a bride pick a dress, for some reason.
Top Secret Recipe/Trick My What (CMT, 9/10pm) Series Premieres – Can they recreate KFC and then trick out a tree skidder, whatever that is.
Sanctuary (Syfy, 10pm) Season Premiere – Some timeline type show.

Saturday

Rules of Engagement (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – This comedy series gets another season in no-mans-land Saturday night.
Free Agents (BBC, 11pm) Series Premiere – A look at the original Brits.

Sunday

Keeping Up With the Kardashians (E!, 8pm) – Kim’s fairytale wedding.

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.

returning fall favorites

September 6, 2011 No Comments

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.

shows on probation…

June 1, 2011 No Comments

E! recently asked readers what shows they were retiring from their schedules (aka DVR DOA). This of course led me to wonder about my own personal cancellations. Aside from shows that have in fact been canceled I don’t know that I officially retired anything from my lineup but a few are definitely on probation, and let me tell you why:

American Idol (Fox) – This is the one show that I actually am planning to retire, but we’ll see how desperate I am mid-season after checking out X Factor, I find the week after week performances a bit redundant, the more interesting talent (good and bad) gets eliminated earlier than the bland but likable, and the judges lack of judging has caused my fast forwarding to become too much.
America’s Next Top Model (CW) – I have skipped a couple seasons and think about dropping this every year, the model wannabes and their challenges are actually entertaining, and annoying, but again the week after week format with my not actually caring (or remembering) who wins is right on the brink.
Chuck (NBC) – This show has been on my favorite list for many years because of the sharp wit of the juxtaposition of the spy world and the nerds of Buy More, as well as some genuine good chemistry, but I so tired of the family mythology… with that wrapped up and it extended for a final season I’ll check out the final 5 eps on TiVo (and still probably ride out the final season).
Hawaii 5-0 (CBS) – The problem with this show is that it just isn’t that good, I like the joking between the leads, mostly thanks to Dano, but mostly don’t really follow the case of the week or care about the characters, though most weeks I’m game enough to see them romping through paradise chasing some scum balls, though if the TiVo backs up enough I still may delete all.
House (Fox) – I get it, he’s curmudgeonly, and not in a ‘but he’s really a good guy’ kind of way, but he’s also a genius, but watching he and his staff almost kill or let a person die each week until they figure out the puzzle with a House a ha moment has gotten a bit redundant, with him kicking his self destruction up a notch and Cuddy exiting we’ll see if the dynamic intrigues.
L&O: SVU (NBC) – This will be the last of the bunch and while I have tired of Olivia and Elliot, as well as some of the ripped from the headline sexual stories, I’m intrigued as to the change in dynamic that will come with Elliot not returning, hopefully a little more time with Munch and Tutuola.

Any other casualties out there?

looking beyond summer…

May 24, 2011 No Comments

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.

my schedule

October 14, 2010 No Comments

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.

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

September 18, 2010 1 Comment

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.

returning fall favorites

September 7, 2010 1 Comment

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).

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

May 16, 2010 9 Comments

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?

ready to proceed

October 20, 2009 1 Comment

thegoodwifepic I 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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