TV Tues - By the Time You Read This, I Should Have Cable Again

Yes, after weeks of many stumbling blocks and much procrastination, we finally have cable back. With luck, we'll have Internet up and running by tomorrow. And now, on to my reviews, which should be up to full strength by next week.

**Mon. Oct. 9**

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:00): Yes, this is a review of the episode from last week, not last night; I won't get to last night's until next week. Fun, no? Anyway, I know that I had to have been really, really tired not to have realized that "Ted Mosby --Architect" was really "Barney Stinson -- Liar" earlier than I did.

The Class (CBS 7:30): Again, last week's, not last night's. This one continues to grow on me, although I didn't like the fact that Jason Ritter's character was so shallow towards the elephantine eared blind date.

**Wed. Oct. 11**

Lost (ABC 8:00): Every time I watch this show, I wind up saying "Curioser and curioser" to myself over and over again. Looking forward to tomorrow night's ep focusing on Locke and Eko and the aftermath of the hatch explosion; wonder if we'll finally find out how Locke got in the wheelchair? I'm enjoying the mystery of The Others, and can't wait to see where it leads next.

Six Degrees (ABC 9:00): The whole "Puncher" thing was great, although PigPen was a little too enamored of it; if there are sudden reports of a random guy going around puching complete strangers in the greater DFW area, I'll just be waiting for the eventual call for help with bail. As for the show, I'm glad they didn't drag out the "doesn't know her fiance's a philanderer" or "dad can't see his son" storylines any further; those were going to wear me out quickly. This show has its moments, but I'm not totally sold on it yet.


**Thurs. Oct. 12**

My Name Is Earl (NBC 7:00): Think this was probably my favorite episode of the season so far, which had a little to do with the always excellent Amy Sedaris, and a lot to do with it being a Randy-centric ep.

The Office (NBC 7:30): So many great moments in this one that it's hard to pick any one to discuss. Laughed my butt off through the whole ep; so glad NBC gave this show a chance to develop.

Ugly Betty (ABC 7:00): The over-the-top makeover was almost too over-the-top for me; I realize Betty is supposed to be a fashion victim, but come on! Still, the show's campy humor hits more than it misses, so I'm sticking with it for now.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC 8:00): Meredith on morphine was great; Bailey being ignored by McSteamy was great; Alex telling Addison off was great; Derek actually stopping to consider the consequences of his actions was great. What wasn't great was the string of dumpings in the ep, although I think the resultant McSteamy/Callie hook-up will make for much fun when George finds out.

The Nine (ABC 9:00): Such a great cast, but still undecided on this one. Has promise, but has yet to fully engage me.

**Mon. Oct. 16**

Heroes (NBC 8:00): The super-powered aspects of the show: very cool. The character motivation and actions aspects: not so much. Okay, that might be a bit of a sweeping statement: there are some characters who I like (Claire, Hiro, Greg Gunberg), but there are others who are driving me crazy (Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventimiglia, the doctor's son).

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC 9:00): Was I the only one majorly disapointed that Sting actually got more dialogue than Lauren Graham? At least it looks like she'll be in the next ep as well, actually interacting with folks outside of the show within a show context. Although I'm still enjoying it, the show just doesn't have the same energy as the first couple of eps anymore, which is disapointing; also, by this point I wish I had a little better handle on the personalities of the cast outside of Matt, Jordan, and Harriet. The others are either ciphers or just broadly defined. I'd like a little bit more meat in the characterization. Oh, and if they could make the Studio skits actually, y'know, funny, that wouldn't hurt.

And finally, playing a bit of catch-up on a new series.

Jericho (CBS, 7:00 Wednesday): The Anti-Cap'n had been taping this one, but we hadn't gotten around to watching any of the episodes. But after talking to my dad on Sunday and hearing him rave about the show, I figured it was about time to get caught up. Due to the cable mishaps, we missed out on the third episode, making for some confusion while watching the fourth (Tanks?), but even that break in my usual "must watch every episode in sequence!" routine didn't distract from my enjoyment of the show. Sure, there were a few "are these people morons?" moments, but so far this post-apocolyptic drama has me hooked.