What I am watching this fall

Monday

Season Pass: House

Episode by Episode Probation:  Terra Nova

Guilty Secret: Castle

I really hope that this is the final season of House. Please let it end so that we can all be released from this endless cycle of abuse – Cuddy managed to escape why not us? The premise of Terra Nova looks interesting: dystopian future plus dinosaurs. So we’ll see how that goes. As much as I love my weekly hit of Nathan Fillion charm I don’t really want Castle clogging up my DVR so I watch it via On Demand.

Tuesday

Season Pass: NCIS

Guilty Secret: Body of Proof

NCIS is like a pair of really comfy furry Crocs that you know aren’t stylish and should throw out but you just can’t. I was going to watch Buffy in Ringer but I missed the first episode, and I think I can live without it as it sounds like a re-hash of an Agatha Christie story. Okay, Body of Proof isn’t a particularly innovative police procedural but it’s nice to see Seven of Nine boss Dana Delaney around.

Wednesday

Season Pass: Top Chef Texas

Got to wait till November for the next season of Top Chef with the shiny Tom Colicchio and glamorous Padma Lakshmi. I just hope that Anthony Bourdain will be guesting as a judge slash blogger as his acerbic wit is most needed (especially if foam rears it’s foamy head again).

Thursday

Season Pass: The Big Bang Theory & The Mentalist

Episode by Episode Probation: Person of Interest & Prime Suspect

Alex and I have fallen so far down TBBT rabbit hole that there is no return, and it’s one of the few shows worth watching live. I *loved* the season finale of The Mentalist and it will be interesting to see how they handle it. Even though I don’t think Prime Suspect needed to be re-booted I will give it a whirl since the cast is led by Maria Bello. I’m curious about Person of Interest – could be good (Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson and JJ Abrams) or could be a crap Minority Report style knock off.

Friday

Season Pass: Chuck, Fringe & Supernatural

Episode by Episode Probation: A Gifted Man & Grimm

Friday is genre programming night because only geeks and nerds (and the heavenly pregnant) don’t go out. Out of all the fall shows (new and returning) I am most exciting about picking things up in Fringe’s alternate time line. It’s the last few episodes of Chuck so that’s a must watch. Supernatural is on my personal bubble. I hated the ending of the last season, and what they’ve done to Castiel. They either need to shake things up or start winding things down. A Gifted Man sounds a little bit Joan of Ark-ish – not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Now Grimm I have a bone to pick with as I have a sneaking suspicious that this got picked up by NBC instead of Ronald D. Moore’s pilot 17th Precinct but I am curious about how they will blend the mythology of the Grimm fairy tales.

Saturday

Nothing! Netflix night.

Sunday

Season Pass: The Good Wife & Homeland

Episode by Episode Probation: Once Upon a Time

The new show I am most excited about is Homeland with the most excellent Damian Lewis. It sounds like it’s a combination of Band of Brothers and Life – w00t! The trailer makes it look really good. I’m not so sure about CBS moving The Good Wife to Sundays but hey what do I know about TV scheduling! Can’t wait to find out what happens between Alicia and Will, and Alicia and Eli. Alan Cumming is TV gold – he doesn’t need lines to steal scenes he just glares at the other actors. Once Upon a Time is another show blending fairy tale mythology and “real” life so curious as to how they approach it.

Things on Tuesday

Good

• Last night’s Chuck slayed it when Chuck disarmed a bomb with apple juice and Awesome’s pep talk to Mrs. Awesome
• Remembered choc cake in freezer (am turning into a squirrel ferreting food away)
• Caught up with two seminars so only one left to tackle tomorrow before essay time
• Chinatown lunch date tomorrow

Meh

• Day light saving has kicked my ass
• Might need to find a new chiro as I’ve got intermittent hip pain that wakes me at 4am
• Exam panic
• Why has The Event not been canceled?

Dog Days Are (Almost) Over

The dog days of summer are dragging on (it’s still too warm and my course materials haven’t shipped yet) BUT tonight kicks off the fall TV season. Who cares if we are still running the AC and it’s not yet hot latte weather we can slump in front of the telly and watch something other than Food Network. Last week we switched over from Comcast to FIOS and that means having to reprogram in all the season passes:

Monday: Chuck & House (8pm), The Event (9pm) & Hawaii Five-0 (10pm)
Tuesday: NCIS (8pm), The Good Wife (9pm), Caprica & Stargate Universe (10pm)
Wednesday: Nothing – I honestly can’t face the 400th season of Hell’s Kitchen
Thursday: Fringe (9pm) & The Menalist (10pm)
Friday: Supernatural (9pm) & Blue Bloods (10pm)

There are only three new shows (The Event, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods) that have piqued my interest. The Event has a solid cast and is intriguing but I have no faith in NBC, Hawaii 2.0 looks fun and has Boomer from Battlestar Galactica, and Blue Bloods has Donnie Wahlburg (the underrated Wahlburg brother in my opinion). Each show will be on parole and we’ll see who makes the cut.

Of the returning shows I am all a Comic-Con tingle about Chuck. Linda ‘Sarah Connor’ Hamilton is Chuck and Ellie’s mum, the Buy More has been taking over by the CIA, and SARAH CONNOR!!! Fringe left us on a knife edge with Olivia having been replaced by Alt-liva and the evil Walternate holding our Olivia. I’ve read that this season they will have alternating episodes between the two worlds. Fingers crossed. House seriously needs to up its game this season and please can we ditch Thirteen already. There doesn’t seem to be all that much love for the ‘Huddy’ entity but I am hopeful that it will shake things up (whether it works out or not).

I have a crush on everyone in The Good Wife. I love Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) for not being a stereotype and for her correct handling of fire arms. I love having Christine Baranski (Diane Lockhart) on primetime again and Alan Cummings. I love that Chris Noth doesn’t overshadow Julianna Margulies (Alicia Florrick). But most of all I love that Alicia is kicking ass and taking names. The Winchester brothers have been moved to Friday nights. Will this hurt Supernatural? It survived the last five seasons in a Thursday night death spot so I think it will be just fine with its niche fan boy following, but which direction will the new show runner take it in.

And finally, Caprica and Stargate Universe. These are dark, intelligent shows that need more people to watch them otherwise they won’t get much deserved second seasons.

Things just got a whole lot better

Not only is this my first weekend in about a month where I haven’t had to pack, de-clutter, clean and unpack but TV is hotting up again after the hiatus that was the Winter Olympics so the DVD is bursting at the seams again. Just in time to distract me from my impending exams (10 weeks and counting) me thinks.

Chuck is back, and the Superman alumni are not annoying or threatening to our triumvirate.  ‘Chuck vs. The Fake Name’ was fab especially because Casey was made, Chuck had to torture him and the mysterious ‘Alex Coburn’ back story. Is this a Casey alias? Though, Sarah revealing her real name to Shaw and not Chuck was heart breaking especially as he saw it all. Is there hope for our star crossed-spies?

I honestly did not think The Good Wife could get any better, until Alan Cummings started guest starring. He is smoking the rest of the players in “Camp Peter”, and playful enough to engage with Alicia without her clamming up. Lovin’ it. Talking of guest stars on Friday James Marsters started his story arc on Caprica. Spike from Buffy is playing a monotheistic crusader, and I cannot wait to see him go head-to-head with Sister Clarice.

Too many distracts!

Things on Tuesday: Winter TV

The Good

• Returning favorites: Chuck, Burn Notice & Psych. I loved the last 3 episodes of Chuck, though could do with more Casey (though not sure why a Col. is still  in the field that would have never happened in The Unit or in Bands of Brother). Clever handling of Intersect 2.0 so we get an upgraded but flawed Chuck but still waiting to see how they work in Subway.
• Fresh blood: Human Target, Caprica, Pacific & Spartacus. I was impressed by the Caprica pilot; it has big shoes to fill after BSG but with the strong cast and writing I think it could turn into a worthy prequel.
• I stopped watching 24 a couple of seasons ago as it just got too tired and predicable but am tempted to tune in this weekend as Jack will be tearing up NYC and Starbuck will be working CTU. Perhaps she can teach Jack about air-locking since water boarding is so 2009

The not-so-good

• I quite like White Collar but I thought we’d find out more about the grafting side of cons and each episode leaves me a little disappointed
• NBC has managed to create a hit drama with the fallout over late night chat show spots. Surely the simplest way to solve it would be create a new Law & Order franchise to run in the 10pm slot with all 3 late night talk show hosts.  Leno and Fallon can make up the experience-rookie cop partnership, and Conan can be the sharp tongued DA that we all prefer. That would leave Sam Waterson free to take over the Tonight Show

things on tuesday

Ho-ho-ho

• The Good Wife is ridiculously addictive
• Countdown to the holidays is underway
• Yoga at dawn
• I can now spell misanthrope, and if NBC hadn’t have canceled Life I wouldn’t be able to see Damian Lewis

Ba-humbug

• Not being able to spend Alex’s b’day with him
• Golden Globes once again ignore Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Life and all the cool shows I love
• I need to refrain from moasting
• Still have lots of things to mail for Christmas