Okay. This is my favorite time of year. I love new tv. I was telling a friend the other day that the way a lot of people feel about the beginning of baseball or football (or hockey or yachting or whatever) season, is the way I feel about the beginning of TV season. Right now, I'm all caught up on my TV viewing and while I know this won't last since the late-bloomers of the season really kick off this coming week. A lot have started in the last two weeks but there are still a few to go (not to mention shows like The O.C. which isn't starting until November...thanks to the aforementioned and accursed baseball season). But, so far so good and I'm sticking to that.
Here's what I've watched so far:
LAX - after two episodes (the first of which was better than the second), honestly I can't stop looking at Heather Locklear. She's definitely the bright spot of this show. I'm hoping for development over time but I'm a little skeptical. The guy who played Darlene's boyfriend David on Roseanne was the guest star this week. But really, as far as I'm concerned, Heather Locklear on TV is a good thing. And I"m sticking to that too.
Joey - two episodes later and this show is growing on me. More Joey-isms. As long as the writers can keep coming up with clever malapropisms this show will stay fresh. I'm hoping for some more development for Drea de Matteo (oh poor, dearly-departed Adrianna) and for the guy who plays her kid (and Joey's new roomie) but I think that'll come soon enough. It kind of has to. If it doesn't this show will not be around too much longer.
Jack & Bobby - there have been two episodes of this but since one of my VCRs is crap, I missed the second one. The show has Christine Lahti, the kid who played the young Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect and the guy who played Dennis Martino on Ed. I've always liked Christine Lahti and she's definitely the highlight of this show. The story is interesting but the flashbacks, designed to keep us guessing which brother goes on to be president, are not very useful. In fact they're mostly just annoying. But I'm liking it a little and I'll keep watching it for a while.
Medical Investigation - two episodes. This show has the blonde guy from the now-cancelled Boomtown (that was a total shame and everyone knows it). I thought the show was pretty good but then I read a thing that made me realize how much like all the rest it really is (especially the rematerializing of people in empty spaces a la without a trace (which I can't stand any more, with all due respect to Anthony Lapaglia).
Veronica Mars - I was pretty skeptical about this show (and I'm not sure I'm over it yet), but I just watched the first episode and while I didn't find it riveting the whole way through (I find I seldomly do with one hour show pilots (see the next selection for an exception)), when it came to an end I have to say I was thinking good things. And not just because between the flashbacks and the "present tense," the titular character cut her hair which made her way cuter.
Lost - one episode. Okay, okay, so I'm really glad to see Matthew Fox back on TV (and Bailey's on Everwood which I know makes everyone happy). This show was good. It grabbed me immediately and I was fast-forwarding through commercials as fast as possible. From the guy who does Alias but not spy-y at all. I'm not sure why you have to have a plane crash on an island AND have said island have some mystery creature (?) thing too but I'm sold and I'll keep watching.
They're back:
Everwood - Okay, okay (again) it's good to see another Party of Five-r back on TV (Scott Wolf) and that's not even as cool as just the fact that this show is back. Ephram, Amy, Bright and the whole gang are back to entertain us for another season. As long as they work this whole Madison/baby thing out quickly then I'll be happy and we can move on to bigger and better small town drama.
Gilmore Girls - Luke and Lorelei are still together and Rory and Dean is still complicated. Loving Lane and the band (especially, still, guitarist , you know the guy from ) are still a hoot although I'm kind of hoping for more Lane and her mom stuff this year. Also Rory's dad will be back (especially since I'm With Her got canceled - which I'm bummed about since I like Teri Polo, and that show) but that doesn't happen yet. Anyway, still fantastic. Still loving it.
Third Watch - talk about cliff-hanger endings. This show gets minimal to no love and that's unfair. I'm a big fan of this show. It's got the guy who played Jenny McCarthy's cokehead boyfriend Collin on 90210. But that's not what makes it great. The show just deals with all aspects of rescue services: police, fire department, paramedics. And it does it well. And mixes in the personal drama too. And it's exciting. This should be the show you start watching this season (especially since there's no more Boomtown).
Las Vegas - Eye candy. But really good eye candy. Nikki Cox = really hot. And it's also got the girl who played Gina on 90210, Molly Sims, Josh Duhamel and James Caan (the dudes aren't so much part of the eye-candy for me but James Caan is good in this (as he is in everything)). The show is simply fun.
Smallville - I'm getting pretty tired of the whole Jor-El comes around, Clark gets a little Kal-El mojo, Jonathan (or Martha) Kent goes into a coma, then it all gets tossed around and as soon as Clark is better the parents pop out of it. I'm glad Chloe might not be really dead. But more than that, I'm intrigued at how they'll involve Lana in the story. And how Lois will fit in. And...well, you get the picture: I'm hooked again.
The Mountain - Oliver Hudson helped make the end of Dawson's Creek good again and he's doing what he can for this show. Barbara Hershey as the mom (and Mitch Paleggi as the slimeball who wants to buy said mountain) don't hurt. This show wasn't as bad, at least for the first 45 minutes, as everything said, but it did take a turn for the worse at the end. I'll keep watching for a while but it better get better.
Eve - From the bounce-da-dounce (don't ask, I'm not even sure where this came from) of the Missy theme song to co-star Ali Landry, this show is good. It's got the Australian dude from Off Centre (that show with Fitch from the American Pie movies and the Asian guy from Harold and Kumar) too. I just think this show is funny. I think a bunch of the shows on UPN are good but, you know, I don't have enough TVs and VCRs to tape everything.
Two and a Half Men - This first episode of the second season, despite featuring a stretch with Sean Penn, Elvis Costello and Harry Dean Stanton (if there had been a Duckie joke, this would have been WAY funnier) as Charlie Sheen's "support group," just didn't live up to my expectations. Here's hoping for the laugh-out-loud stuff that came last season. This show is produced by Chuck Lorre, the same guy who did Dharma & Greg (which is now like my tape filler, I'm addicted to the reruns - and Jenna Elfman), which is great solely for the vanity cards at the end of the show (tape it and press pause - it's good stuff).
That '70s Show - missed the actual first episode of the season which upset me a little bit but it's back. Blonde Donna. Gotta love it. And I think that while Ashton Kutcher gets a little more annoying Mila Kunis gets even hotter and Wilmer Valderamma gets a little wierder and Danny Masterston gets funnier. And the dude who played Venus Flytrap on WKRP is Hyde's dad. It's all good in the '70s again.
The rest:
Shannen Doherty is trying to breathe new life into North Shore. Not sure it'll help much but since she's not on Charmed any more, you take what you can get.
I'm also looking forward to that Kevin Hill, Life As We Know It, House and Desparate Housewives. And the returns of American Dreams (more than most, I think), ER, What I Like About You (Jennie Garth, Amanda Bynes and Leslie Grossman - too funny. But the guy who plays Gary is the thing to watch.) and Grounded For Life (this show is funny, take my word for it). I'm also waiting to pass judgement on Dr. Vegas.
With all new TV shows (okay not all, I generally stay away from "reality" shows, with the exceptions of High School Reunion and The Surreal Life), I generally give them four to six episodes (and I'll ocassionally come back again later) to see if the show develops. Some I just don't watch though. I stay away from anything with the words (or letters, as the case may be) Law & Order (yes, I used to love the original and after watching reruns on A&E four times a day for three years, I think I've seen enough) and CSI.
