Thursday, September 11, 2008

What I'm Tivoing This Season, 2008 Edition

It's that time of year again. Time to set up the DVR to record all of the must see TV. Some of the network shows have already begun, some are yet to air their new episodes. Like I did last year, I'll be making note of the TV shows I'll be catching this time around. It will be interesting to see which ones last and which ones go the way of Viva Laughlin! or Journeyman.

The Big Bang Theory - I started watching this last year when it first premiered. Mostly because it shares the hour with How I Met Your Mother. It turned out to be okay, but not great. Yet, I'll still continue watching it because it still shares the hour with HIMYM.

How I Met Your Mother - Season 4 looks like it will be pretty good. I was less than thrilled with the use of Britney Spears last year, so I'm honestly hoping she won't be around this season. But she brought ratings, and that's all that matters. I still think this is one of the funniest shows around these days. The chemistry of the main cast is almost as good as the cast of Friends once was. And I love a good mystery. Each episode, whether it's true or not, feels like I'm one step closer to finding out who the title character really is.

Chuck - This is one that premiered last season that I absolutely love. However, due to the writers' strike, the first season was cut tragically short. Thankfully, NBC has given it another chance to sprout legs and find an audience. You should check it out if you didn't see it last year. Basically, this nobody kind of guy working at a Best Buy kind of store finds himself drawn into a world of espionage and intrigue. How can you go wrong with this mix of action, laughter, and drama?

Heroes - I don't even think I need to explain myself on that one. It's like someone found a way to take pure awesomeness and make a show out of it. Sure, season 2 was a little rough. I like to blame the writers' strike looming overhead. But with the upcoming season focusing on villains, there promises to be more conflict than Sylar alone could dish out in the first two years.

Prison Break - This is a pretty good show that just keeps finding ways to reinvent itself. By the time the fourth season arrives, you can't help but ask, how many different times can these guys break out of prison? Well, this year isn't so much about breaking out as it's about breaking in. The first three years were filled with conspiracies that will seemingly be brought to light this year.

My Own Worst Enemy - This is a new show that I'm going to give a chance for at least the first couple episodes. From what I can gather from ads, Christian Slater stars as a man with a split personality. One is a mild-mannered family man and the other is some sort of secret agent. Not sure if it will last, but it's worth a shot.

House - This guy cracks me up. Last year was great with the constant competition of who would be Dr. House's new medical team. By the end of the season House had picked the best of the best (or at least the ones he felt he could control the best) and this year they should be off and running.

90210 - I know, I know. It's another one that I'm going to give a chance. We'll see how long I last with it. I watched the pilot. It wasn't horrible. But this isn't the 90210 that I knew from the 90s. Not that I ever watched that regularly. Chances are I'll quit watching this one after the first few episodes.

Fringe - There's been a lot of hype behind this show, just because it's a J. J. Abrams show. Everyone expects that since he created Alias and Lost, everything he touches will turn to gold. Anyone remember What About Bryan? Okay, I do, and I enjoyed it, but it just didn't catch on. But I watched the Fringe pilot and, I'll admit, I'm hooked.

Privileged - Okay, this might not be something I watch on a regular basis. I watched the pilot the other night and thought it was cute, but not exactly the best new show of the season. It's the kind of thing that's been done before. Odds are it won't last past the first month.

The Mentalist - Now, this comes on at the same time as Fringe and Privileged. But it looks much better than Privileged. So I'll probably make switch over to this show when it starts later this month. Those pesky DVRs only record two things at once. Tough choices.

Knight Rider - I saw the TV movie that came on in the spring. It was okay. How will the show do? I think I read somewhere that you have to go into it pretending that the movie didn't happen. What was the point of making the movie then? The Bionic Woman reimagining didn't work out. I'm not so sure that this will fare much better.

Bones - I like it better when this and House came on back to back. Oh well, I guess Fox will get me for two nights in a row. Oh yeah, three nights. Anyway, the relationship between Booth and Bones makes this show worth watching by itself. For a murder-mystery type show, it's actually a lot of fun to watch.

Private Practice - Okay, I still kind of have a thing for Kate Walsh. This is another show that was cut short due to the writers' strike last year. The episodes that aired were pretty good. Not as good as the Grey's Anatomy of the past, but still interesting enough to watch for awhile.

Smallville - I hang my head in shame as I continue to watch this show. Lex is gone. Lana is gone. Clark is the only Kent left on the show. And they're bringing in some guy named Doomsday this year. But it's not the enormous monster that killed Superman in the comics 15 years ago. No, it's some mixologist with anger management issues. Yet I keep coming back again and again. At first I watched the show because I've been a life long Superman fan. Now I watch because I want it to end, but I'm too curious to see how they'll wrap everything up. How can you explain it all when you've made as many mistakes as the writers on this show have made.

The Office - I am looking forward to this show almost more than anything else this season. There's nothing about this show that I don't like. It's awesome and hilarious and keeps me hanging on every week. It's another one of those funny shows that I'll watch over and over again. And when I see the reruns, I laugh just as hard as the first time.

Life - Once again, this is a show that was cut short by the strike. And, like Journeyman, I was afraid this wouldn't get the second chance that Chuck got. The lead, whose name escapes me at the moment, is a very interesting character. He was framed for a brutal murder which he didn't committ. After spending 15 years of a life sentance in prison, the ruling was overturned and he rejoined the police force in LA. His perspective is unique to say the least.

The Amazing Race - The Greenes got me addicted to this one towards the end of last year's race. I figure this time I'll catch it from the starting line.

Desperate Housewives - Two words: Teri Hatcher.

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