tv

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

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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

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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…

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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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new and noteworthy tv: 5/16-5/22

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The season is wrapping up enough that I might be able to catch up on some movies…

Monday

  • Off Limits (Trav, 9pm) Series Premiere – A look at another side of Los Angeles.
  • The Real Housewives of New Jersey (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – More of the women who are potentially wives with houses.
  • The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Food, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Favorite food pairings.

Tuesday

  • Tosh.0 (Com, 10pm) Season Premiere – Daniel Tosh returns to his internet shenanigans.

Wednesday

  • ANTM (CW, 9pm) Season Finale – Who will be America’s Next… woman who gets some prizes?

Thursday

  • The Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) Season Finale – The two hour finale gets to the bottom of the Red John case, ok at least who the red John mole is.

Friday

  • VH1 Storytellers (VH1, 11pm) – How sad is it that I am remotely interested in Cee Lo Green now that he’s a coach on a reality show?

Saturday

  • Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30pm) Season Finale – With Justin Timberlake hosting we’re sure to get a new music video.

Sunday

  • Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (CBS, 9pm) – The next in the series of Parker books come to TV, Tom Selleck is so good at being a bummer of a dude, while crime solving and all that.

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

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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: 3/29-4/4

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Monday

  • 10 Things I Hate About You (ABCFam, 8pm) Season Premiere – Maybe they cover a thing a season.
  • Pawn Star$ (Hist, 10pm) Season Premiere – What’s for sale?
  • Saving Grace (TNT, 10pm) Season Premiere – We edge into the final season as Grace continues her drama and her chat with her angel.

Tuesday

  • My First Home/Little Chocolatiers (TLC, 8/10pm) Season Premieres – Homes and chocolate, who could ask for more?
  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent (USA, 10pm) Season Premiere – Goran, Eames, and their lieutenant are counting down to their departures.
  • V (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – The aliens are back.

Wednesday

  • In Plain Sight (USA, 10pm) Season Premiere – Mary and Marshall together again.
  • The Ultimate Fighter (Spike, 10pm) Season Premiere – Let the competition begin.

Thursday

  • Bones/Fringe (Fox, 8/9pm) – They’ve taken a break but now they’re back.
  • Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) – Will his powers of perception and persuasion work at an earlier timeslot?
  • Fugitive Chronicles (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Real life infamous manhunts brought to life, I love a good reenactment.

Friday

  • Wife Swap (ABC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Tv sanctioned family torture is back.
  • Stargate Universe/Merlin (Syfy, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Alien and magical worlds return.
  • Miami Medical (CBS, 10pm) Series Premiere – Another take on the medical drama, the trauma unit finds expert surgeons and an adrenaline rush.

Saturday

  • Maybe I should review my Netflix queue.

Sunday

  • Sunday Best (BET, 5pm) Season Premiere – The gospel competition kicks off in Nigeria.
  • Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom (AnPl, 7pm) – Bears like food!
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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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