TV Tues - My Fall Schedule

It's that time of year again, when the broadcast networks trot out the bulk of their new and returning shows. After seeing Television Without Pity's "Watch, DVR, or Skip" Fall Preview, I thought I'd do something similar to show what my TV viewing schedule is starting to look like.

MONDAYS

7:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS, definite), Heroes (NBC, iffy)
7:30 Accidentally on Purpose (CBS, iffy)
8:00 Two and a Half Men (CBS, definite)
8:30 Big Bang Theory (CBS, definite)
9:00 Castle (ABC, definite)

DEFINITE: Much like last year, my Monday nights will be dominated by the returning CBS comedies, which shouldn't surprise anyone. I'm also looking forward to the return of Castle, which I haven't talked much about; this one is carried past its so-so premise by the strength of Nathan Fillion's personality.

IFFY: I'm not too hopeful for the new comedy, Accidentally on Purpose, but I'll give it a shot if for no other reason than it's shoehorned into the 7:30 time slot now that Big Bang Theory is being moved to 8:30, although that reasoning doesn't compel me quite as much now in the DVR age. As for Heroes, well, odds are good that I'm going to keep watching it out of a combination of inertia, morbid curiosity, and a never-ending hope that they will finally wise up and bump off Mohinder, but my patience with the show was pushed nearly to the breaking point last season, so we'll see if I can stick it out all season.

MID-SEASON HOPE: This Spring will see the return of Chuck, which should wipe out all the bad taste left behind by Heroes.

TUESDAYS

7:00: Nothing
8:00: Nothing again
9:00: And yet more nothing . . . oh, wait, no, thanks heavens for cable! Sons of Anarchy (FX, definite)

DEFINITE: TopGun and I recently plowed through the entire first season of Sons of Anarchy, and I can't wait to see how the internal strife of the club manifests this season. Plus, Katey Sagal kicks all kinds of butt as the manipulative motorcycle mama Gemma, and the show is worth watching for her alone.

IFFY: Okay, I might have been a bit harsh above; I suppose there's a chance that the Christian Bale procedural The Forgotten or the Juliana Margulies legal drama The Good Wife might be worth watching, but the first sounds pretty forgettable (pardon the pun), and the latter is only on my radar because its cast includes Christine Baranski.

MID-SEASON HOPE: The Spring will bring the return of Better Off Ted (allow me to do my dance of joy at this show's renewal yet again) and the re-vamped Scrubs, of which I am cautiously optimistic.

WEDNESDAYS

7:00 Hank (ABC, iffy)
7:30 The Middle (ABC, hopeful)
8:00 Glee (Fox, definite), Modern Family (ABC, definite)
8:30 Cougar Town (ABC, hopeful)
9:00 Eastwick (NBC, iffy), The Ultimate Fighter (Spike, definite)

DEFINITE: Only one returning show on my radar here; really looking forward to the new season of TUF if for no other reason than to see how Kimbo Slice does. I watched the sneak preview of Glee when it premiered a while back, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it did get "Don't Stop Believing" stuck in my head for months. Meanwhile, the ads for the new sitcom Modern Family have consistently cracked me up, and all of the positive critical buzz has earned it a firm spot in my viewing schedule before having seen a single full ep.

HOPEFUL: Although in many ways new sitcom The Middle feels a bit like a Malcolm in the Middle clone, the online preview did make me chuckle a few times, and I feel obligated to support Neil Flynn in his first big post-Scrubs project. Along similar lines, although I haven't been wowed by the ads for Cougar Town at all, it's generated some good advance reviews, and the fact that it's created by Bill Lawrence, the mastermind behind Scrubs, I'll definitely give it a shot.

IFFY: The previews for new Kelsey Grammer vehicle, Hank, did little for me, but since all the scenes came from the pilot, there's a possibility that the show could grow, right? As for Eastwick, well, you should know by now that any SF/Fantasy/Horror themed show will get at least a token viewing by me, as bland as the premise sounds . . . unless it's The Ghost Whisperer, of course

MID-SEASON HOPE: In the Spring, Glee will be replaced by The Human Target, a comic book adaptation starring one of my fave actors, Mark Valley.

THURSDAYS

7:00 FlashForward (ABC, hopeful), Survivor (CBS, definite), Vampire Diaries (CW, iffy)
8:00 Grey's Anatomy (ABC, definite), Fringe (Fox, definite), The Office (NBC, definite)
8:30 Community (NBC, definite)
9:00 Private Practice (ABC, iffy), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, definite)

And, if you're thinking "wow, that's a lot of TV shows for one night," you aren't alone; have a feeling some shows are either going to drop off the schedule, or get relegated to online only viewing.

DEFINITE: The Office is a no-brainer, as is Fringe, my favorite new drama of last year. Yes, 9 years and 18 season in, and I'm still hooked on Survivor. And while Grey's has its ups and downs, as long as Yang and Bailey are on the show, and have not had total personality transplants, I'll keep watching. As for Community, I thought the pilot was brilliant, and can't wait to see where it goes from here. And, finally, TopGun has got me watching It's Always Sunny, and I am hooked.

HOPEFUL: Although vastly different from the novel which inspired it, I think FlashForward shows a ton of promise.

IFFY: Private Practice was *this* close to losing me last season; the promise of a Bailey-centric Grey's crossover could be all that keeps me in the loop on this one. And while I wasn't planning on giving The Vampire Diaries the time of day, I've actually heard enough positive things about the pilot that I'll give it a try.

MID-SEASON HOPE: Partway through the season, 30 Rock will return, which will bump Community to 7:00.

FRIDAYS

7:00 Nothing, especially not the horribly painful new sitcom Brothers. *shudder*
8:00 Dollhouse (Fox, definite), Stargate: Universe (SyFy, hopeful)
9:00 Sanctuary (SyFy, definite), Psych (USA, definite)

DEFINITE: I wasn't sold on Joss Whedon's new series Dollhouse for the first several episodes, but as the show progressed and its mythology grew, I became a much bigger fan, especially after seeing the unaired episode "Epitaph One" on the DVD. I recently watched the first season of Sanctuary on my laptop thanks to Netflix streaming video, and enjoyed it enough to want to see where it heads. And while Psych does sometimes make me uncomfortable, on the whole it makes me laugh more often than not.

HOPEFUL: I was a big fan of Stargate: SG-1, and a sorta-fan of Stargate: Atlantis, so I will most definitely give the newest addition to the universe a try, while attempting not to make the inevitable Star Trek: Voyager and BSG comparisons.

MID-SEASON HOPE: Come January, we have the highly anticipated BSG prequel series, Caprica; having loved the pilot, I can hardly wait for the series to get here.

SATURDAYS

As always, Saturday is not really a banner day for TV watching outside of college football and the occasional MMA match.

SUNDAYS

7:00 The Simpsons (Fox, iffy)
7:30 The Cleveland Show (Fox, iffy)
8:00 Family Guy (Fox, definite) Dexter (Showtime, definite)
8:30 American Dad (Fox, iffy), Bored to Death (HBO, hopeful)
9:00 Nothing

DEFINITE: Family Guy is one of those polarizing, love/hate sort of shows; I fall on the "love" side. And although I still need to get caught up on the last season of Dexter, there's little doubt that I'll be watching the new season as soon as I do.

HOPEFUL: The ads I've seen for Bored to Death have me pretty intrigued with its quirky cast and premise; hope it lives up to my expectations.

IFFY: It's been years since I've really enjoyed The Simpsons on a regular basis, and American Dad never gelled for me; both of these shows fell off my radar while I was at Benjiman Street, but they might get a reprieve thanks to the DVR. As for The Cleveland Show, I've seen some ads which I've really liked, and others which have left me less than impressed. Will have to wait and see.

MID-SEASON HOPE: Between HBO and Showtime, I'm sure there will be plenty of new programming to keep the DVR busy on Sunday nights.