TV So Far

I've seen a fair sampling of several shows this year; so many new shows that are "must watch" that I've given a try, on top of the shows I'm already locked in on. Some may make the cut for continued watching, others may not.

SUNDAY

The Simpsons, in its 17th season now, had a few episodes before the baseball playoffs began and they have not been very good. The commentaries on the last couple of DVD sets have made passing mentions to Fox's cutting down the episode times for more commericials, thereby limiting what the creators can do--and shame on Fox for that--but not funny is not funny. I've defended the show for many seasons, because it still offers some laughs and some quality episodes now and then, but the kickoff to this season has been disappointing. When Family Guy comes on later, the contrast between the shows is clear because I find myself laughing a lot compared to the silence that I have greeted "The Simpsons" with so far.

The other Fox comedies on Sunday The War At Home and American Dad have showed promise at times but still haven't achieved must-see episodes. Both shows have some fairly good jokes now and then, especially "American Dad," but I can't see "The War At Home" being a classic anytime soon.

MONDAY

Prison Break indeed has a ludicrous plotline, a man purposely committing a crime in order to go to a jail to break out his brother whom he believes is innocent. There's a conspiratorial mystery at works behind the scenes with scary government agents. But what has been offered so far has been very good. The details that Michael Schofield (Wentworth Miller) has considered makes the show fun when it comes down to his strategy. I just don't know how you make a show with this title make sense after the prison break actually occurs and it goes to future seasons. It has also brought in a new, hot face for the season in Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies).

How I Met Your Mother has been a decent show, carried mostly by Neil Patrick Harris, who isn't the main character. But Alyson Hannigan and "Undeclared" regular Jason Segel also lend some good support. Our main character Ted (Josh Radnor) has been so pathetic and normal compared to the rest, though, that the show gets a little bit crippled by it. Another hottie on this show, Cobie Smulders, plays Robin. It's good enough to keep watching for now, but it could slip.

Arrested Development is still the funniest comedy on television, but Fox will never make this a hit show because most people have a hard time getting into the style. I'd say most sitcom viewers like their characters to have some sort of emotional center, getting into situations that create conflict, and easy-to-digest one-liners ensue. "Arrested" continues to take irony and play-on-words and mix them into a blender, and if you pay attention you will be rewarded. But it's not going to be for most people...ever. This show should be on HBO.

Kitchen Confidential is another one of those shows that's been a little shaky now and then, with some decent humor. Former "Alias" star Bradley Cooper leads the cast. This is a show that could use a little more kick.

Occasionally, I'll give Las Vegas a look, but it's one of those shows that I can't religiously watch.

TUESDAY

My Name Is Earl is my favorite new show of the season, anchored by Jason Lee and his supporting cast of Ethan Suplee, smokin' hottie Nadine Valazquez, and way-better-than-you-ever-expected Jamie Pressly, along with Eddie Steeples, who plays "Crabman" Darnell. With this kind of premise, where the main character explores practicing good karma, and the show's adherence to the rules with great comedic effect, this is a show I'm committed to watching for the rest of the season.

The Office can be good, but sometimes way too dry. It's best when it "interviews" the workers, which from the little I've been able to catch of the BBC series, was not the main source of its humor. Steve Carell is always funny. It's a little bit hit or miss.

House is its usual good self--I'm getting tired of the promos featuring every wisecrack House is going to make in the episode, and as for the show, I'm getting a little leery of the "If we do this, the patient is going to lose his/her (insert body part here)" and House replying, "If we don't do this, he/she is going to die." We can't blame "House" for going for its tried and true formula, but I do think the show needs an infusion of something different. Like every week, I don't think, needs to be some new patient with some crazy condition...maybe like the episode last year where House teaches a class--we see more episodes where the concentration is on the secondary aspects of his life--more clinic duties, or the team has to think out a problem without House. A little shake-up. So far, no complaints. Just looking to the future.

Bones is the biggest surprise of the year for me. I didn't think that this show would entertain in the least bit. But Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz have a unique, lively chemistry. I love Deschanel's character, completely unpretentious, logical-minded, and funny. The show's procedural is your usual construct-a-solution, complete with 3-D models, and it can be interesting but isn't the best part of the show. I'm looking forward to watching how the season progresses.

Nip/Tuck is the FX crazy-ass plastic surgeon show, which has amped up even more during this season. I've caught a great many of the first two seasons, and they are trashy guilty pleasures. Atmospheric and different. I like this show a great deal. I can miss it now and then, but it's fun.

WEDNESDAY

Lost begins Season 2 with a great opener and now that the mystery of the hatch's contents have been revealed, we have a whole new mystery concerning the pressing of a button. Is it necessary for humankind, or is it a sick experiment by a seemingly shady scientific organization? We now know there are other survivors on the plane, and we know that in the future we're going to see "The Others." I've already seen backlash on this season, people not satisfied that there aren't more answers and calling this a rehash of the mistakes made by "The X-Files" and "Twin Peaks," a concern that I might write a whole blog about one day. Right now, the show still makes me curious, and that's enough for me. So far, it's a tad underperforming compared to last season, but it's not much.

Invasion is a show that has been lavishly praised by critics. 4 episodes in, I'm not hooked. I tape this show as an afterthought to "Lost," just because there's no reason not to at this point. But what the show seems to be missing, for me, is not enough of an otherworldly presence. We see this is a normal community and we see that there is something boiling under the surface--people acting strange, weird glowing things in the water, and that fine character actor William Fichtner going around acting creepy and not letting on what he knows. But where "Lost" instantly sucks you in with a mysterious allure, "Invasion" mostly spends time being a family drama in the swamp. I'll continue to give it a chance, but I haven't seen the greatness yet.

THURSDAY

Alias began, two episodes in, being a show in which I was committed to a show I seriously considered dropping. With Jennifer Garner pregnant, she is reduced to being a talking head. Now, however, you can see the direction that this show wants to go, and it's possibly worth checking out, but it depends entirely on many things falling into place. Rachel Nichols is probably going to play "the new Sydney" as Rachel Gibson, an agent who, like Sydney, has been duped into working for an organization just like SD-6. There's a new Sloane, too. He's Gordon Dean (Tyress Allen). And there's a new Vaughn, now that they've killed off Michael Vartan's character--Thomas Grace (Balthazar Getty) is a less-slick, but still-good agent who is probably not showing off all his chops right away. Marshall (Kevin Weisman) is still Marshall, Jack (Victor Garber) is still Jack, but it looks like the show is really starting over now. Question is, is it worth it? By the way--please for the love of God get Dixon (Carl Lumbly) in on some ass-kicking missions. He's been freaking wasted in this show.

I knew from the moment I saw Night Stalker, it would barely be worth mentioning in this sentence.

Still watching The O.C., although it seems to have lost some of its fun. If the show could just focus a little more on the appealing Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody, then having to suffer the Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Marissa (Mischa Barton) drama would be tolerable. Right now, though, just before the baseball playoffs, the show looks to be more dirty soap than sunny drama. It's another show that might get the axe, from me.

Watching the first couple episodes of Reunion has been OK, but it starts to grate quickly. This show needs a little something more to stay on the list.

Maybe I should just watch CSI.

FRIDAY

Numbers is a good Friday treat, but like "House" has that same formula over and over. And every case now seems to contrive a way to involve mathematician Charlie (David Krumholtz) that stretches a little bit of credibility. It's almost like you wonder how the FBI ever worked without him. But it's a good show, one that I can tape and watch during leisure time.

Shows I'm still missing: Veronica Mars, playing in the "Lost" timeslot while I'm at work, all the CSI's (a show that kind of wore me down after awhile, although I recognize it as entertaining), the Law & Orders of the world, Supernatural (is that any good?), Everybody Hates Chris, which comes on Thursdays and might be a decent sub for the shows that are on my chopping block. I watched a little of the most-watched new show, Commander-in-Chief, but something about it annoys me a little. Not the woman being president angle, just...something else. I still can't really get into Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy.

And you might say, "Chris, you don't need to watch anything else." That's true, for sure. That's why many of these shows are being evaluated for possibly missing them in the future. Right now, I'd say give me Lost and My Name Is Earl, along with Arrested Development and House, and I think I'd be happy just watching those.