TV Tues - The Season's In Full Swing Now

Think I'll continue my format of reporting on previous week's viewage followed by list of the upcoming week's planned viewing schedule which, if nothing else, helps me keep track of what I want to watch and what I need to review.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

TUESDAY Sept 16

Fringe (Fox, 8:00) - Second episode held my interest fairly well; the lead still needs to develop more of a personality, but watching the crazy father and snarky son dynamic play out more than makes up for a lackluster lead.

Wipeout (ABC, 7:00) - Extremely disapointed in the season finale, which was basically just another clip show. Plus, the thing about the hosts running the course? Totally a gag. Oh, well; maybe they're get enough complaints that they'll force Jill and the two Johns to do it in season two.

Privileged (CW, 8:00) - After a really strong first episode, the second ep was a bit of a let down. Still enjoyed it over-all, but felt like both Laurel and Megan made some boneheaded moves defied their characters actual intelligence.

WEDNESDAY, Sept 17

UFC Fight Night (Spike, 7:00): Taped, but haven't watched yet

Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (Spike, 9:00): Man, did Clay Guida's brother come off as a dope or what? And while Junie seems to be right on the border between "annoying" and "entertaining," I'm really glad he beat the crap out of Mr. "I should have lived during the time of Napoleon, Gengis Khan, Alexander the Great, I should be out there pillaging and #$*&#, y'know, straight up gangster." Anyone who makes a speech like that deserves to get beat down; the fact that he gave up in between rounds when his head had stopped ringing long enough for him to realize he was getting his butt stomped made it even better. And Junie's comment on it -- "I was hoping he'd go another round so I could work on my cardio" -- tipped him slightly onto the "entertaining" side of the line for now. Oh, and I agree with Nogueira and Mir: foot stomping sucks*

MONDAY, Sept 22

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox 7:00) : Yes, I'm finally caught up on this show; we'll see how long that streak lasts once Chuck comes back next week. Enjoying this season quite a bit so far, especially the idea that Cameron is a little damaged in the CPU, which makes for some interesting moments.

Heroes (NBC 7:00) : Will keep this as spoiler free as possible: the identity of the shooter took me totally by surprise, but a very interesting twist, as was the "return" of two supposedly dead characters. Not so surprising, however, was the fact that I still hope that the next time they promise a character's going to die, it'll be Mohinder; every time I think he's as annoying as humanly possible, he finds new depths of aggravating behavior to drive me to distraction. I was also pretty peeved at how Hiro reacted to what he saw in the future; I know he can by myopic at times, but come on!

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00) : So glad this is back. Sheldon rocks; doped up Sheldon rocks even harder.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30) : Yeah, don't quite agree with the "be willing to lie about liking something just to appease your crazy fiance" philosophy, but other than that, an enjoyable enough ep.

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00) : Nice to see Rena Sofer running around, after she was so critically under-utilized as Nathan's paralyzed wife on Heroes; too bad her character probably won't be coming back. And how about Jake, all tall and deep voiced and stuff? Puberty's coming at him hard, and sadly it seems like he's entered the awkward phase . . . I mean in terms of his acting. The same thing that's happened to tons of child sitcom stars over the years; once the hormones hit and the cuteness factor declines, you suddenly find it much harder to overlook their inept line readings.

Worst Week (CBS 8:30) : Got to the part where the main character urinated on the meal meant for his future father-in-law's birthday dinner and decided I'd had enough.


THE WEEK TO COME

TUESDAY Sept 23

WATCHING

Fringe (Fox, 8:00) tonight's ep has psychic phenomena and fossilized corpses; who could ask for anything more?

Privileged (CW, 8:00)

The Mentalist (CBS, 8:00): New procedural about a former fraud psychic who now uses his observational skills to help solve crimes; sorta like Psych meets CSI. Has gotten some fairly positive reviews so far so I'll probably give it a try, although why it has to be on at the exact same time as the only other two show I'm watching on Tuesday is beyond me.


WEDNESDAY, Sept 24

WATCHING

Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir (Spike, 9:00)

NOT WATCHING

Knight Rider (NBC 7:00): Unless I hear from reputable sources that this show kicks major butt, I shall be giving it a pass

Gary Unmarried (CBS 7:30): New sitcom starring Jay Mohr as a single dad.

THURSDAY, Sept 25

WATCHING

My Name Is Earl (NBC 7:00, 7:30): Back-to-back episodes are supposed to bring the show back to its original mission statement after last year's jail-driven detour. The 7:00 ep will feature Seth Green as a former Make a Wish Foundation kid who had his wish ruined by Earl.

Survivor: Gabon (CBS 7:00, 2 hours): Can you believe we're up to season 17 of this now? Craziness.

The Office (NBC 8:00, 1 hour): The main plot revolves around the office crew taking part in a weight watchers program, which should be fun; also looking forward to seeing how the Dwight/Angela/Andy triangle plays out.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 8:00, 2 hours): Here's hoping that Shonda Rhimes' promise that those promos where Rose tells Derek she's pregnant with his kid are full of crap is true.



SUNDAY, Sept 28

WATCHING

The Simpsons (Fox 7:00)
King of the Hill (Fox 7:30)
Family Guy (Fox 8:00)
American Dad (Fox 8:30)


MONDAY, Sept 29

WATCHING

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox 7:00)

Chuck (NBC 7:00): Chuck's back! Woo-hoo! And he asks Sarah out on a date! And Michael Clark Duncan is the episode's villain!

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00) : Next week's ep features the return of Sara Gilbert to the show, which has signed her on as a regularly recurring character this season.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30)

Heroes (NBC 8:00)

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00)


NOT WATCHING
Life (NBC 9:00): I never saw any of this show last season, but Li'l Random was a big fan, so I'm sure it's got to have something going for it. But having missed all of season 1, won't be jumping into season 2.

NOT WATCHING NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAID ME

Worst Week (CBS 8:30) : Seriously: guy urinating on a cooked goose is a deal-breaker for me.


*The toenail on my left big toe is still messed up from a particularly vicious foot stomp from The Lovable PigPen a couple of months ago.