Season Premieres

Many of you know that I work in television. As a result, and also because I want to, I watch a lot of television. I'm not a big fan of most reality television though there are a few reality shows I've enjoyed, like The Mole and of course So You Think You Can Dance. So I don't watch a lot of reality TV, but I'll give just about any scripted show a chance, which means in the fall I watch almost everything at least once. I enjoy it, and I find that it helps a lot with my writing and directing. But as the season goes on, I usually pare my viewing down to just a few shows. And I don't have HBO or Showtime, though I doubt I'd watch anything there anyway (except Flight of the Conchords).

Anyway, judging by what I've seen so far, this year doesn't look like such a promising season of television. Both new and returning shows seem to have struggled in their first week. There are a few shows that have yet to premiere for the '08-'09 season, so I'm holding out hope that we'll see some real gems.

But here's my breakdown of what I've seen so far:

FOX:

• Fringe: A new show from J.J. Abrams. This has got to be great, right? Eh. It's okay. I've given it three episodes because I really want to like it, but I just don't know. And the second episode was just plain gross. But it did get picked up for a full season.
• The Sarah Connor Chronicles: I dropped this show last season after the pilot.
• Prison Break: This and Lost are my two favorite shows on television, and this season premiere did not disappoint. Now I think five weeks into it's season, this show is still as good as it was at the beginning.
• House: Solid premiere with a great ending, and the subsequent episodes have been even better. I love this show.
• Bones: I dropped this one after the first two episodes, years ago. I think this show is just obnoxious.
• Do Not Disturb: The worst new show of the season!!! Absolutely awful, everything about it. Honestly, I could only give this one ten minutes then it was history, and apparently it's already been cancelled.
  

The rest of Fox's schedule is made up of reality shows and comedies that I don't watch.

CBS:

I don't watch a lot on this network, because its lineup is comprised mostly of crime procedurals (which I usually don't care for) and reality shows. So here's a list of the CBS shows that I don't watch: The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Survivor, Ghost Whisperer, Amazing Race, Cold Case, The Unit, CSI, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, CSI: Finland, CSI: Mars, etc.

I used to watch The Unit and it's a pretty decent show, but I don't want to sit in front of the TV for hours a day, so I have to cut stuff out and The Unit was at the bottom of the list. Sorry, David Mamet.

Which leaves only a few shows to watch:

• The New Adventures of Old Christine: Maybe the best season premiere of the season. This show is hilarious!
• Gary Unmarried: Only got through about fifteen minutes of this generic, unfunny sitcom. I'm done with it.
• How I Met Your Mother: This one's been on the chopping block with me since it started, and I honestly couldn't tell you why I still watch it. Neil Patrick Harris, probably. But it's probably gone this year after an abysmally unfunny season premiere that just left me feeling uncomfortable.
• Worst Week: Not a great pilot, but when we got back from vacation there were 2 episodes on the DVR so I gave it another chance. The second episode was better, but still not that good. Since it's only a half hour I'll give it one more before I make my final decision.
• The Mentalist: Gave it a half hour; it was bad. I didn't have the patience to stick out the episode to find out who the killer was, but I'm pretty sure I'd already figured it out, since the clues were pretty obvious.

Numb3rs and The Ex-List premiere tonight, so I'll post an update on those along with other new premieres in a couple weeks.

NBC:

NBC shows I don't watch anymore: Heroes, Knight Rider, Lipstick Jungle, My Name Is Earl, ER, Law & Order: SVU, and any reality/game shows.

• Life: I love this show! And the season premiere did not disappoint. What a great way to usher in the second season. I just wish it hadn't been moved to Friday nights, which is usually a death sentence.
• The Office: Another of my favorite shows. The season premiere was pretty good but not one of their best episodes.

Haven't watched the Chuck premiere yet, though I liked the first season. And we're still waiting for 30 Rock, Kath & Kim, and My Own Worst Enemy. Really don't know what to think about those two new shows, we'll see.

ABC:

ABC shows I don't watch anymore: Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, and any reality/game shows.

• Dirty Sexy Money: I thought this was a pleasant surprise last season, and I called it the best new show of 2007. The season 2 premiere was all right, but it just wasn't quite as good as the first season.
• Pushing Daisies: An okay season premiere. Good, I guess. I like this show all right, but I don't love it.
• Boston Legal: Not a great way to kick off its final season, but the show's been so good over four seasons that I have faith the rest of this one will be better.

Still waiting for: Eli Stone, Life on Mars, and Samantha Who? And Lost isn't back until January!

Not a lot of new shows this season because of the writers' strike last season, but that's probably a good thing since the new shows this year haven't been great. We'll see what midseason replacements the networks dish up.