Ok the clock is counting down and although I’m always excited about new shows there’s nothing quite like a returning favorite, and here are a few of my most anticipated:

• Heroes – (NBC, Mon 9/24, 9:00) A random group of folks suddenly realize they have special abilities, from time travel to reading minds to who knows what. They have to navigate their own lives and of course a big conspiracy plot and of course more people with special abilities. I wasn’t sold on first watch but I found myself looking forward to it each week as it grew nicely into its ensemble and its story arcs. I still think it has some uneven parts and characters but I like the fact that the characters are flawed and at different stages of struggling with their newfound powers and that good and evil are often not all that clean cut. Oh and did I mention Veronica Mar’s very own Kristin Bell is joining the ensemble for at least a little while?
• Lost – (winter/spring) After Gilligan’s Island no one really thought the deserted island thing would fly, but when the plane crashed the survivors had more than cracking coconuts to deal with. They’re uncovering the mysteries of the island, it’s previous and current ‘Others’, as well as dealing with each other. The heavy use of backstories is a great tool to keep character development fresh and give us some time in the real world. I am of course as frustrated as the next person that they seem drop in more mysterious happenings without really ever explaining much, I mean what’s up with the smoke monster? New viewers would be confused, but then again so are the rest of us, but I stilll can’t resist it.
• Grey’s Anatomy – (ABC, Thurs 9/27, 9:00) So surgical intern Meredith Grey starts in a Seattle hospital and we follow her, and her fellow interns, and other medical staff, through the traumas of medical care, but more importantly the dramas of their personal lives. And yes its all overdone enough to be unrealistic so you just have to give it a dose of soapy suspended reality. I still have a slightly Ally McBeale-esque visceral disdain for the title character, but the ensemble really ended up working.
• How I Met Your Mother – (CBS, Mon 9/24, 8:00) This show made me laugh out loud last season more than any other. The episode with Robin as Canadian popstar and the slap bets alone raised the bar on this series. What started as a schmaltzy unrequited crush show turned into a great use of an excellent ensemble. Though I still can’t help but wondering if it would be better without the whole How I Met Your Mother premise.