TV Tues - Return of the Zeljko Ivanek Effect, Featuring Zeljko Ivanek

THE WEEK THAT WAS

TUESDAY Sept 23

Fringe (Fox, 8:00) Three episodes in, and the show keeps getting better; a good sign.

Privileged (CW, 8:00) A slight improvement over the weak second ep, but still not quite up to the quality of the pilot. Still an enjoyable show, don't get me wrong, but there's just something missing.

The Mentalist (CBS, 8:00) : I've mentioned a few times before my "Zeljko Ivanek Effect" theory, wherein I find it easy to predict the culprit on a procedural due to casting; sure enough, when the credits of the series premiere of The Mentalist featured the eponymous Zeljko, I knew who would be going off in handcuffs by the end*. Didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the epsiode, however; liked this show a lot.


WEDNESDAY, Sept 24

Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (Spike, 9:00): I kinda hope the huggy guy gets on Mir's team, just to see how that plays out.

THURSDAY, Sept 25

My Name Is Earl (NBC 7:00, 7:30): Loved Seth Green's large array of hand signals for awesomeness; the show feels like it's back on track after its meandering third season.

Survivor: Gabon (CBS 7:00, 2 hours): Well, they got rid of the most annoying person on the show right off the bat, which is nice; here's hoping the rest of the annoying people go next. But, as this is Survivor, there's no way in the world I'll be that lucky.

The Office (NBC 8:00, 1 hour): I really like Holly; hope she's around for a while, it's nice to see someone who could be conceivably compatible with Michael and yet still be likable.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 8:00, 2 hours): Glad the Rose sub-plot got finished off right quick and in a hurry, and it was fun seeing the former Journeyman star staple his own wound closed. Pretty promising start to the season, although I hate that the Alex/Izzy friendship is back in the gutter.

MONDAY, Sept 29

Chuck (NBC 7:00): Love Casey, love Anna, love Morgan, love Captain Awesome, love pretty much everything about this show, so glad it's back with a full-season order.

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00) : I'm going to have to start coming up with new ways to say "Sheldon is one of the greatest characters of all time," because, y'know, he is, but me saying that every week is going to get old. I do like that his interaction with Penny has evolved. And Sara Gilbert cracks me up.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30): The various descriptions of how much each person loved their burgers were the highlights of the episode for sure.

Heroes (NBC 8:00): Despite some moments which had me stretching my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point in terms of character motivations, I found myself enjoying this episode quite a bit more than the two hour premiere and couldn't really put my finger on why -- not, that is, until I saw the ad for next week's show which will feature Mohinder prominently and I realized that this one had been a Mohinder-and-Maya free show; explains a lot. Oh, and that opening bit with Mama Petrelli's "gift" to Sylar: awesomely frightening. Remind me not to get on her bad side.

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00): Felt like a bit of a "been there done that" plotline, but the scenes with Herb made it worth watching.

TUESDAY Sept 30

Fringe (Fox, 8:00) The opening sequence which introduced The Observer: golden. Some hits and misses along the way in the rest of the episode, but I'm still on board. Was also glad that they finally had a case which didn't directly tie into Global Dynamics.

Privileged (CW, 8:00) Have the wide-eyed and more naive sister being the more sexually experienced was a nice touch.

The Mentalist (CBS, 8:00) : So far Simon Baker has been able to walk the fine line between cocky-entertaining and cocky-obnoxious; hopefully he'll be able to keep that up as the series progresses, but I can see how his smug behavior could wear on me after a while . . . as could Robin Tunney always doubting his hunches and conclusions, even though he always turns out to be right.

THE WEEK TO COME

WEDNESDAY, Oct 1

Pushing Daisies (ABC 7:00): I've read quite a bit about some of the plans for this season, and am eagerly looking forward to them; there's even supposed to be a semi-Wonderfalls cross-over at some point. Man, do I miss Wonderfalls.

Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (Spike, 9:00): Now that the fighters are moving into the house, we expect the real drama to begin.

THURSDAY, Oct 2

My Name Is Earl (NBC 7:00, 7:30): Another hour's worth of Earl, but not Office this week thank's to the V.P. debates.

Survivor: Gabon (CBS 7:00, 2 hours):


MONDAY, Oct 6

Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (Fox 7:00) Yes, I'm behind on this again, but yes, I'm still watching it and enjoying the heck out of it.

Chuck (NBC 7:00): John Larroquete as a spy come to train Chuck in the ways of seduction so that he can make the move on Melinda Clarke, a.k.a. The O.C.'s Julie Cooper.

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00) : Penny becomes obsessed with online gaming; a sure recipe for fun.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30): Oh, look, Ted's fiance and possible titular character will be showing up again; how nice.

Heroes (NBC 8:00): A trip to yet another alternate future, although this one looks like it might be more Kingdom Come or Earth X than Days of Future Past. Not that Heroes has ever cribbed anything from popular comic book story arcs before . . .

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00): Jake + alcohol = comedy gold? We'll see.

*Honestly, every time I see his name in credits I cry out "Zeljko!" in delight. But that's mainly just because I like to say "Zeljko!" C'mon, try it, it's fun. "Zeljko!"