next week 5/12

Stay tuned this week for the finales of many a show, does this mean it’s summer?

Monday

  • Samantha Who? (ABC, 9:30) Season Finale – Samantha’s birthday brings her family, buddies and romance together for some chaos.
  • Medium (NBC, 10pm) Season Finale – Being a medium and a mom is a challenge, or something.
  • The Bachelor (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – I hear it’s one of the most dramatic and romantic yet!

Tuesday

  • Beauty and the Geek (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – And I’m sure the beauties and the geeks have all learned a little about each other.
  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) Season Finale – One of the detectives is caught up in a case and becomes a suspect.
  • Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – The gals get involved in the pursuit of a the kiss me not killer.

Wednesday

  • America’s Next Top Model (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – The latest Top Model will be chosen.
  • Til Death/Back to You (Fox, 8/8:30pm) Season Finales – I don’t actually watch either of these comedies but I’m sure hijinks will ensue.

Thursday

  • My Name Is Earl/The Office (NBC, 8/9pm) Season Finales – Both these shows will air two part episodes as finales.
  • Smallville/Supernatural (CW, 8/9pm) Season Finales – There will be battles.
  • CSI/Without a Trace (CBS, 9/10pm) Season Finales – There will be murders and missing people.
  • ER (NBC, 10pm) Season Finale – And the special guest star is… Steve Buscemi.

Friday

  • Ghost Whisperer/Moonlight/Numb3rs (CBS, 8/9/10pm) Season Finales– Um, ghosts and vampires and fbi cases.

Saturday

  • Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30pm) – Steve Carrell and Usher join to round out the season.

Sunday

  • Extreme Makeover/Desperate Housewives (ABC, 7/9pm) Season Finales – Two hour episode of Makeover followed by housewives that are oh so desperate.
  • Academy of Country Music Awards (CBS, 8pm) – They came, they sang, they won, and lost.
  • Everybody Hates Chris/Aliens in America/The Game (CW, 8/8:30/9pm) Season Finales – Everybody… ok I don’t watch these shows either.
  • The Simpsons/King of the Hill/American Dad (Fox, 8/8:30/9:30pm) Season Finales – Animated shows need time off too.
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next week 4/14

Monday

  • Bones (Fox, 8pm) – Post strike return for our favorite squints and fbi agents, this week Bones and Booth go on a double date with Dr Sweets!
  • The Paper (MTV, 10:30) Series Premiere – I almost always ignore MTV reality but this show about a high school paper got at least one good review.
  • New Amsterdam (Fox, 9pm) Season Finale – If there’s only one more left maybe I’ll watch this guy and his past.
  • One Tree Hill (CW, 9pm) – Post strike return as the gang deals with some drama undoubtedly.
  • Rules of Engagement (CBS, 9:30pm) – Post strike premiere as the gang vacations at a time share.

Tuesday

  • According to Jim (ABC, 8/8:30pm) – Post strike return as Jim probably does something dumb.
  • Biggest Loser (NBC, 8pm) Season Finale – The losers have lost, and one has lost the most.
  • L&O: SVU (NBC, 10pm) – Post strike return as Olivia goes under cover.

Wednesday

  • Democratic Debate (ABC, 8pm/pst) – Gearing up for the Penn primary on the 22nd.
  • Til Death/Back to You (Fox, 8/8:30pm) – Post strike premiere for these ‘laughers’.
  • The Real World: Hollywood (MTV, 10pm) – If you can believe it this is the 20th season, I think I only caught NY and then what LA?

Thursday

  • Smallville (CW, 8pm) – Post strike premiere as Lex and Clark are at odds.
  • Eli Stone (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – Will Eli live? I would assume they didn’t kill him off, but then again I don’t know for sure.

Friday

  • Doctor Who (Sci Fi, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – I wanna say there’s time travel involved.
  • Canterbury’s Law (Fox, 9pm) Season Finale – Does she defend the right people?

Saturday

  • Torchwood (BBC, 9pm) Season Finale – Crime fighters and aliens and whatnot.

Sunday

  • John Adams (HBO, 9pm) Series Finale – And Paul Giamatti moves on…
  • Brothers and Sisters (ABC, 10pm) – Post strike return as the Walkers keep up with making a mess of perfectly good messy relationships.
  • Sweet Nothing in My Ear (CBS, 9pm) – It’s a Hallmark Hall of Fame with Marly and Jeff Daniels dealing with their child’s ability to hear.
  • Rock of Love (VH1, 9pm) – It’s the reunion show!
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next week 1/21

Monday

  • Wildfire (ABC Fam, 9pm) Season Premiere – It’s actually quite surprising how many original series there are out there on other cable channels, this is season 4 of this delinquent-but-good-with-horses gal gets another chance with a ranch family.
  • Democratic Presidential Debate: South Carolina (CNN, 5pm pst) – What have they got to say? Maybe nothing new, but maybe worth a look.

Tuesday

  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) Last episode due to strike – An embryo caper makes Olivia question her own timeline, too bad they couldn’t just time this to when Mariska was pregnant.
  • Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo, 11pm normally at 10pm) Series Premiere – Follow a matchmaking service with, yes you guessed it, millionaire clientele.

Wednesday

  • Criminal Minds (CBS, 9pm) Last ep due to strike – I tend to only watch this show in reruns, which is I guess next week, but I’m sure the BAU gang will find a serial killer.
  • Moment of Truth (Fox, 9pm) Series Premiere – This is the one where they hook the contestants up to a lie detector and ask humiliating questions for money, what will they think of next?

Thursday

  • Chuck (NBC, 8 & 10pm) Last eps due to strike – They’re kicking us out with a little double shot, where Chuck will get into some shenanigans with his friends, coworkers and spy guys.
  • Ugly Betty & Big Shots (ABC, 8 & 10pm) Last eps due to strike – I’ll be watching Chuck of course.
  • Winter X Games 12 (24-27th, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, Check your local listings) – Skis, snowmobiles, and snowboarders get gnarly in Colorado and it should include another round of Shaun White.

Friday

  • Garth Brooks: Live in LA! (CBS, 9pm) – It’ll be Garth, he’ll be singing, in LA, will it be live?

Saturday

  • Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials (CBS, 8pm) – This must mean the super bowl is coming up.
  • US Figure Skating Women’s Championships (NBC, 8pm) – Isn’t the winter Olympics coming up, no I guess that’s next winter.
  • Torchwood (BBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – They describe this as ‘part X-Files part Angel… where excitement comes before morality,’ hmm…

Sunday

  • US Figure Skating Men’s Championships (NBC, 7pm) – Well I mentioned the women’s…
  • Screen Actors Guild Awards (TNT, 8pm) – This one could be picket free and actually attended.
  • Shark (CBS, 8pm) Last ep due to strike – Always good to get into Sebastian’s dark past when he’s a target for murder.
  • The Russell Girl (CBS, 9pm) – Probably a typical cheesy Hallmark movie but I developed a liking for Amber Tamblyn since Joan of Arcadia.
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next week 10/29

In addition to just seeing folks dress up in cute Halloween costumes here’s a few things happening this week:

Monday

  • Chuck (Fox, 8pm) – Chuck meets another agent who reminds him of himself, let’s hope he’s as charming.

Tuesday

  • Nip/Tuck (FX, 10pm) Season Premiere – Ok, it’s another FX show that I don’t watch, but it’s in my Netflix queue.
  • It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (ABC, 8pm) – Tis the season, can’t beat the classics.

Wednesday

  • Criminal Minds (CBS, 9pm) – Since Mandy Patinkin left there’s been a void and this week Joe Mantegna picks up the reins of the BAU.
  • Gossip Girl (CW, 9pm) – Repeats already? But at least those of you who missed the pilot get another shot to see Serena rejoin her old friends.

Thursday

  • The Office (NBC, 9pm) – Jim’s ex in real life and on the show Karen comes back, but is it for Jim?
  • My Name is Earl (NBC, 8pm) – They’re doing another round of the gang on the show Cops, the last round was funny, parts 1 & 2 (8-9pm).

Friday

  • Men in Trees and 20/20 (ABC, 8 & 10pm) – They’re switching timeslots on these so MIT will go at 8:00….

Saturday

  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) – See where it all began, with the pilot rerunning.
  • Austin City Limits (PBS, Check your local listings) – If you haven’t caught this good series of live band performances check out this week with Wilco.

Sunday

  • Simpsons (Fox, 8pm) – The annual halloween Treehouse of Horrors, too bad it’s after Halloween.
  • The Amazing Race (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – I cut off reality shows before this came out but this one is actually critically acclaimed, showing pairs of folks traveling with challenges round the globe
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my schedule

Well almost everything has started and until they cancel more stuff, move stuff around, or we get to midseason changes. Here is where things seem to be settling in for me for watching, or at least tivo backlog. (I do try to narrow things down to no more than two shows per time slot.)

Monday

  • 8pm NBC – Chuck (CBS – How I Met Your Mother)
  • 9pm NBC – Heroes (CBS – Two and a Half Men/Samantha Who?)

Tuesday

  • 8pm Fox – Bones
  • 9pm Fox – House (CW – Reaper)
  • 10pm NBC – L&O SVU

Wednesday

  • 8pm ABC – Pushing Daisies (CW – ANTM or in repeats Sun 9pm)
  • 9pm CW – Gossip Girl (NBC – Bionic Woman)
  • 10pm ABC – Dirty Sexy Money

Thursday

  • 8/8:30pm NBC – My Name is Earl/30 Rock
  • 9/9:30pm NBC – The Office/Scrubs (ABC – Grey’s Anatomy)

Friday

  • 10pm CBS – Numb3rs

Sunday

  • 5pm CW – (encore) Girlfriends
  • 10pm ABC – Brothers and Sisters

And for a full grid of the current listings check out a couple of sites that I find helpful:

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more returning fall tv

So in addition to the fall favorites there are some other shows that tend to hit my tivo:

  • 2 1/2 Men – (CBS, Mon 9/24, 9:00) This sitcom sometimes errs on the crass side of comedy but for the most part they’ve made these somewhat stereotypical characters pretty funny, think Felix and Oscar as brothers only Oscar has a crude, lazy, maybe stupid kid.
  • 30 Rock – (NBC, Thurs 10/4, 8:30) A ‘comedic’ look at behind the scenes of a SNL type show, the characters and stories started to get a good groove toward the end of the season.
  • America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) – (CW, Wed 9/19, 8:00) Ok I admit it, this show is super cheesy, but it’s a pretty good mix of actual challenges and model judging with that unbelievable stupid crazy that reality shows (and probably reality) tend to find.
  • Bones – (Fox, Tues 9/25, 8:00) So maybe I tuned into this just because I would watch anything Angel moved on to, but he and his not yet romantic partner both have good characters and chemistry as she, a forensic anthropologist, and her team, help out the FBI.
  • Brothers and Sisters – (ABC, Thurs 9/30, 10:00) I still don’t love Calista, but again I found myself looking forward to this show. This soapy mess of a family deals with business and personal drama that they mostly create themselves, though much was initially triggered by secrets hidden by the recently deceased patriarch of the family.
  • House – (Fox, Tues 9/25, 9:00) I watch it, but I find the fact that since they are always dealing with a difficult disease in a short amount of time they basically look like they try a bunch of stuff that isn’t working for an hour until they land on the right thing mostly just in time. Also though the House character is too over the top, Hugh Laurie does do a great job.
  • My Name is Earl – (NBC, Thurs 9/27, 8:00) I just sort of like Jason Lee as the bumbling white trash small time crook trying to right his wrongs, with the crazy cast of supporting characters.
  • The New Adventures of Old Christine – (CBS, Midseason) Julia Louis-Dreyfus finally found a good vehicle to do her own brand of self deprecating and physical comedy while she deals with trying to reenter the dating world, among other things, with support from her family and friends.
  • Numb3rs – (CBS, Fri 9/28, 10:00) A relatively formulaic crime show, I guess I like the way they use math to solve the crimes, explaining complex algorithms with silly metaphors, and the family dynamic with math wiz, fbi guy, and normal guy dad.
  • The Office – (NBC, Thurs 9/27, 9:00) I was pained at first by watching annoying people in an office, I mean don’t we all get enough of that at our own offices, but this US version seems to have hit it’s stride with some added subtlety to the comic folks.
  • Scrubs – (NBC, Thurs 10/25, 8:30) This hospital comedy has a pretty good dose of ridiculous characters and scenarios but I think it works.

I do tend to hold some procedurals ’til summer reruns: L&O, L&O: SVU, and Criminal Minds with the occasional dash of CSI.

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