TV Tuesdays, Episode 1

Hi, my name is Todd, and I'm a Television addict. The audiovisual monkey on my back encompasses most genres: sitcoms, procedurals, primetime soaps, cartoons, SF, reality TV, and so on.

Some of the shows on my "gotta get a fix!" list are:

Gilmore Girls
Arrested Development
Lost
Scrubs
Battlestar Galactica
Amazing Race
Medium
The Closer
Over There
Veronica Mars

Shows that put me in anaphylactic shock:
The Bachelor
CSI: Miami
The Simple Life
Punk'd
Hope and Faith

Shows that I was forced to quit cold turkey because "The Man" cut off the supply:
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Futurama
Eyes
Angel

This is, of course, a TV junkie's favorite time of year, as all of the old favorites come back with new product, and there's a glut of new shows to sample. From what I've read so far, the new shows that seem most likely to hook me are:

Threshold (Fridays on CBS, premiering this Friday (9/16)): A new SF series (and can I give a quick shout out to Lost and Medium for setting the stage for this season's preponderance of new network SF shows?) about a government task force trying to stop an alien invasion. While the plot might sound bland, the cast is anything but: Brent Spiner (a.k.a. Data from ST: TNG), Robert Patrick Benedict (a.k.a. Richard from Felicity), and Peter Dinklage (a.k.a. the "angry elf" in Elf). I'm counting on the quirky (not to mention talented) cast to elevate the subject matter.

Supernatural (Tuesdays on WB, premiering tonight (9/13)): Another SF/Fantasy series starring a couple of WB veterans, Jared Padelecki (Dean on Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Jason on Smallville), as brothers traveling the highways and byways of the U.S battling urban legends come to life. Lots of positive buzz surrounding this one, although pairing it with Gilmore Girls seems like an odd choice.

Kitchen Confidential (Mondays on Fox, premiering next Monday (9/19)): Sitcom featuring Bradley Cooper (Will Tippin on Alias) and Nicholas Brendan (Xander on Buffy), and Jaime King (Goldie/Wendy in Sin City) as the staff of an upscale New York restaurant.

How I Met Your Mother (Mondays on CBS, premiering next Monday (9/19)): Sitcom featuring Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie!) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow!), about . . . oh, heck, who cares, it's Doogie and Willow!

Bones (Tuesdays on Fox, premiering tonight (9/13)): New procedural with David Boreanaz (hey, look, another Buffy vet!) and Emily Deschanel (Zooey's sister) as a no-nonsense FBI agent and a forensic anthropologist, respectively. Another show that has me watching just because of the cast.

Invasion (Wednesdays on ABC, premiering next Wednesday (9/21)): Another SF show about an alien invasion. But while Threshold is focused on the feds, Invasion focuses on the inhabitants of a small Florida town. With its focus on character, it should be a good pairing with its lead-in of Lost.

I've already sampled a couple of Fox's new shows, Prison Break and Reunion, neither of which has particularly blown me away as of yet. I think Prison Break has shown a bit more potential so far, benefiting from the lack of the soap opera structure which hindered the Reunion pilot (although the stupid girlfriend-falling-for-slick-player-because-she-wants-a-baby storyline from last nights Prison Break is pushing it). However, I'm hopeful that as Reunion starts its journey forward in time its high concept will even things out.

Don't forget, season premiere of Gilmore Girls and season finale of Rescue Me tonight. Will Luke say yes? Will Rory and Loreli patch things up? Has Tommy suffered enough, or is it all about to go even further downhill? Inquiring monkeys want to know!