This fall has been crazy TV-wise. Even with my MythTV box I’m still not able to keep up. Here’s what’s on my virtual plate right now:
- Monday
- Prison Break
- Season 2 of the continuing story of a bunch of cons who escape from prison. It’s a 24-type story where you have to keep up with each episode to know what happened, none of that silly episodic type storytelling where each episode is free-standing. I got sucked into this partway through season 1 simply because of the cool hook that the main character has a fully body tattoo which hides maps of the prison, codes, times, places, sizes of keys, etc.
- Vanished
- This is yet another continuing-story show about a senetors wife who disappears. I’m already 3-5 episodes in (however long since the start of the season) so I’m dug in… However, this show/time conflicts with…
- Heroes
- Also on at 9 on Monday, though thankfully easily bittorrentable, this is a show where a bunch of ordinary people become aware that they have superpowers. One guy can fly (or at least, thinks he can fly), another can teleport / bend time and space (he’s my favorite), a cheerleader who can’t be hurt, a painter who paints the future, and the like. Sort of a combination of x-men (genes and mutation) and Unbreakable (but way less dark and with way more talking). There’s another plot to do with a murdered scientist who was searching for proof of this and his son who is following in his footsteps, and a mysterious man connected to it all. Not really sure of where it’s going as far as plot, but man, it kicks ass even at only episode 2, and IMHO it’s a definite must-watch. Hey, people with superpowers, what more can you want!
- Tuesday
- NCIS
- Another CIS-type show. Smarmy folks in there, and some good in-jokes. I catch this when I can, since there’s nothing else on at this time on this night. This conflicts with the next show, House, but this is what my PVR is for.
- House
- Starring Hugh Laurie, who played the overly-chipper George in Black Adder. Witty, hilarious, smarmy, and well written. Even my parents watch it. Need I say more?
- Standoff
- Not bad, hostage negotiators with a relationship twist. Some interesting plots here, at least it’s slightly different from the Law&Order/CSI type shows.
- Wednesday
- America’s Next Top Model
- Leave me alone ok! I watch this purely for my interest in becoming a professional photographer!
- Criminal Minds
- Another slightly different take on a cops and robbers show. This one with Mandy Patinkin of Princess Bride and (recently discovered for me anyway), Dead Like Me fame. Nice that at least this one is episodic so I can miss it and not worry too much.
- Thursday
- Survivor
- I was sucked into this a few years ago when an office pool won me $100 and haven’t escaped yet. However this conflicts with the new show…
- Ugly Betty
- I have yet to actually watch this. I’ve heard it’s good from some people and bad from others. I watched a couple of snippets last week and it looked a bit over the top as far as caricatures of people (the over-sexed exec, the fashion crazy pretty people, the evil businessman, etc). Maybe it works in the context of the show though.
I’ve never gotten into Smallville which is also on in this timeslot, which is lucky for me.
- CSI
- The original, much preferred by my household to the Miami and New York versions.
- Friday
A day of rest (and catching up on all the recorded shows from the previous week.As James reminded me Battlestar Galactica Season 3 starts this Friday. Remember everyone to catch up with The Story So Far so you know what’s going on. Or better yet, re-watch season 2 before Friday. Come on, you have 3 days!
Hopefully someday the networks will realize that the stupidity of complaining about people downloading TV shows off the internet if they put their popular show on with some other popular show on a rival network. People like choice, and it’s getting easier and easier to get things like TV shows off the net. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before this is legitimized like Apple’s iTunes store did for the evilness of digital music.