Weekly Watchings

You are free to make your own decisions, but here are my recommendations.

Monday
Big Bang Theory; How I Met Your Mother; 24; The Bachelor; Gossip Girl; One Tree Hill; Daddy's Girls

Tuesday
NCIS; Biggest Loser; 90210; The Mentalist (love, love, LOVE this show); Privileged; Without a Trace; Leverage (almost like a modern day A-Team): Dirty Jobs; Wreckreation Nation (premiere); Real Housewives of Orange County; Nip/Tuck; Chopped (Food Network)

Wednesday
Knight Rider (I think I'm about to give up on this one); American Idol (2 hours, baby!); Criminal Minds; CSI NY; Law & Order; Top Chef New York; Real World Brooklyn; Damages; Man vs. Food (on Travel Channel - highly entertaining)

Thursday
Bones (new night!): Ugly Betty; The Office; 30 Rock; CSI (Grissom is leaving, Laurence Fishborne is coming); Eleventh Hour (one of the best new shows of this season); Private Practice; Supernatural; Sober House (premiere); The Beast (premiere)

Friday
Ghost Whisperer; Wife Swap; Flashpoint; Friday Night Lights (Premiere - unless you have DirectTV - one of the BEST shows on TV); Monk; Psych; NUMB3RS

Saturday
Not too much going on - Saturday Night Live has Rosario Dawson and a band I've never heard of before.

Sunday
The Mentalist (special episode! Yahoo!); Desperate Housewives; Brothers & Sisters; Confessions of a Teen Idol; Rock of Love Bus; Tool Academy; The L Word; Big Love; United States of Tara; Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Weekend Highlights

At some point over the weekend, I'll do the listings for next week, but with new episodes starting tonight, I wanted to give you a weekend update. There are certainly plenty of options, but these are my picks.

Friday
CBS - Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint and NUMB3RS are all new; NBC - Lipstick Jungle; ABC - Supernanny; USA - Monk and Psych

Saturday
ABC - The Bachelor (repeat but I know someone who knows one of the bachelorettes so I need to take a look); NBC - Saturday Night Live; VH-1 - May catch up on Rock of Love Tour Bus and Confessions of a Teen Idol (whatever - don't judge); Bravo - Real Housewives of Orange County marathon (and I do love me a marathon!)

Sunday
CBS - Cold Case and The Unit; NBC - Golden Globes (as I mentioned, drunk celebrities!); Fox - 24, bitches!; ABC - Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters; VH-1 - Teen Idol and Tour Bus (really? again with the judging?); Travel Channel - a trio of shows is on deck - Deep Fried Paradise, Steak Paradise and Bar Food Paradise - haven't seen them yet but they sure sound promising!

Weekly Watchings

Same disclaimer as always - there are definitely other things on TV, but here's what I'll be checking out this week.

Monday
Dancing with the Stars - sad to see Ted McGinley gone already. Hoping this week it's Kim or Cloris going home; Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; Chuck (premiere) - really happy this show is back; Big Bang Theory; How I Met Your Mother; Two and a Half Men; Worst Week; One Tree Hill; Prison Break; Heroes; Boston Legal; CSI: Miami; Life (premiere) - this show will be airing new episodes on Monday and Friday for a couple weeks; The Hills

Tuesday
NCIS; 90210; House; Biggest Loser: Families; Dancing with the Stars - results; The Mentalist; Privileged - this show is definitely growing on me; Fringe - I thought I was out but the last 2 minutes of last week's show sucked me back in - we'll see how it goes; Without a Trace; Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
Through some poor planning on my part, I'll be at a show on Wednesday night instead of parked in front of my TV to catch the ABC line-up. It'll be the first thing I cue up on my DVR when I get home.
Pushing Daisies (premiere); America's Next Top Model; Bones; Knight Rider - the premiere episode didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but I'm a still intrigued to see where it goes; New Adventures of Old Christine; Gary Unmarried; Project Runway; Private Practice (premiere); Criminal Minds; Dirty Sexy Money (premiere); Top Design; Lipstick Jungle - thought the premiere was a little disjointed but it was still very good

Thursday
Ugly Betty; Survivor; Supernatural; Vice Presidential Debate

Friday
Ghost Whisperer (premiere);Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader; The Ex List (premiere); Supernanny; Life; NUMB3RS

Sunday
Amazing Race; Desperate Housewives; Cold Case; Brothers & Sisters; The Unit; Mad Men; Army Wives; Dexter; Entourage

Weekly Watchings - Part Deux

Yeah, I missed yesterday's listings. Sorry about that. Hopefully you managed to soldier on - there were plenty of options for you. The rest of the TV week is jam-packed too. Here are my recommendations.

Wednesday
Dancing with the Stars (Jonas Brothers perform?); New Adventures of Old Christine; Gary Unmarried; America's Next Top Model (will re-run on Sunday); Knight Rider (I'm scared it's going to be unwatchable, but think I need to watch); Bones (extra gore-filled this year); Criminal Minds (a member of the team dies, I think); Project Runway (LL Cool J!); Do Not Disturb (after last week, I'm officially in - it's mindless, but fun): CSI: NY; Lipstick Jungle; Top Design (not sure if Rick Schroder's wife is still on, but if she is - she's kind of a bitch)

Thursday
Ugly Betty (filmed in New York this season - partially in my neighborhood!); Survivor (2 hours); Grey's Anatomy (2 hours); Supernatural; Kitchen Nightmares; The Office (1 hour, yay!); CSI (last season's finale); Tabatha's Salon Takeover

Friday
The Mentalist (re-run of last night's episode); Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; Presidential Debate

Saturday
Saturday Night Live (Anna Faris and Duffy!)

Sunday
Amazing Race (yay!); Desperate Housewives (5 years later); Cold Case; The Unit (new night); Brothers & Sisters (search for a new sibling); Entourage; Dexter (premiere - Jimmy Smits joins the cast this season)

Weekly Watchings - Part I

It's is officially ON this week and by "it" I mean the fall TV season. Sure, a few shows have been trickling in here and there, but this week most networks bring out their big guns starting tonight. New TV on every major network tonight - most notably 2 hours of Dancing with the Stars and 3 hours of Heroes. I'd detail every show, but seriously - new episode of something on every major network during all primtime hours tonight. In addition to what I mentioned already, CBS has their comedies and CSI: Miami; Fox has stressful action dramas that I love; and the CW has their teen dramas. My DVR cannot handle it all. ABC wasn't kidding when they named this "National Stay at Home" week.

More detailed listing about what's stressing me out for the rest of the week later tonight.

Weekly Watchings

Yes, there are other shows on TV, but here's what I'll be watching this week.

Monday
Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; One Tree Hill (a death? - yet again); Prison Break (it is GOOD this season); The Closer; The Hills; Raising the Bar (still not sure on this one); Weeds

Tuesday
Wipeout; 90210; Fringe (premiere - Pacey's back!); Biggest Loser: Families (couples versus parent/child teams); Privileged; The Cleaner; Million Dollar Listing; Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (Makeovers!!!!!!); Bones; Do Not Disturb (eh); Project Runway; Top Design; Sons of Anarchy

Thursday
Hole in the Wall; Kitchen Nightmares; Flashpoint; Burn Notice

Friday
Nothing noteworthy.

Saturday
Saturday Night Live

Sunday
Emmy Awards; True Blood; Mad Men; Army Wives; Entourage

Weekly Watchings

Yes, there are other shows on TV, but here's what I'll be watching this week.

Monday
Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (premiere); One Tree Hill (wedding plans - yet again); Prison Break (it is GOOD this season); The Closer; CMA Music Festival; The Hills; Raising the Bar (still not sure on this one); Weeds

Tuesday
Wipeout (2 hours! someone loves me); 90210; Fringe (premiere - Pacey's back!); Privileged (premiere - heard it described as Gilmore Girls meets Gossip Girl, we'll see); The Cleaner; Million Dollar Listing; Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (Benny Ninja!!!!!!); Bones; Do Not Disturb (premiere?); Project Runway; Top Design; Sons of Anarchy

Thursday
Hole in the Wall; Kitchen Nightmares; 102 Minutes that Changed the World; Flashpoint; Burn Notice

Friday
2008 ALMA Awards (shout-out to all my Latino/a readers); Gym Teacher: The Movie (featuring Chris Meloni - it's on Nickelodeon so I'm guessing no dead bodies or child molestation - must have been a nice change of pace for him; Monk; Psych

Saturday
Saturday Night Live (Michael Phelps - that's going to be so awkward, I fear)

Sunday
Fringe (re-run); True Blood; Mad Men; Army Wives; Entourage. It's also worth noting that ABC Family is running a marathon of the Bring It On movies/sequels.

Reminder - Weekend TV Listings Posted

You can find them here.

Fall TV Analysis: Weekend

Combining the weekend analysis into one post. Nothing new happens on Saturday nights (except Mad TV and Saturday Night Live which both premiere on 9/13), so I'm not bothering to cover. As always, my picks are marked with an asterisk.

Friday's Analysis

CW
Everybody Hates Chris (10/3)
The Game (10/3)
Top Model repeats

Fox
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (9/5)
Don't Forget the Lyrics! (9/12)

ABC
Wife Swap (10/3)
Supernanny* (10/3 - I love to sit in judgement!)
20/20

CBS
Ghost Whisperer* (10/3 - you know I love me some J. Lo. Hew.)
The Ex List* (new - 10/3 - looks cute so I'll give it a shot)
Numbers* (10/3)

NBC
Crusoe (10/17 - new - um, I'm not sure but you know I watch anything once)
Deal or No Deal
Life* (9/29)

Sunday's Analysis

CW
Valentine (9/21- new - Greek gods bringing soulmates together - could be cute if it's anything like Xanadu...)
Easy Money (9/21 - new - drama about loan sharks)

FOX
The Simpsons (9/28)
King of the Hill (9/28)
Family Guy (9/28)
American Dad (9/28)

ABC
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (9/28)
Desperate Housewives* (9/28)
Brothers & Sisters* (9/28 - cannot recommend this show enough)

CBS
Amazing Race* (9/28)
Cold Case* (9/28)
The Unit* (9/28)

NBC
Sunday Night Football (9/4)

Cable
Entourage* (HBO - 9/7)
True Blood* (HBO - 9/7 - new - about vampires living as regular people - I think the creator of Six Feet Under is working on this show so I'll give it a shot)
Dexter* (Showtime - 9/23)
Californication (Showtime - 9/23)

Fall TV Analysis: Thursday

Thursday night has some good solid entries - something for everyone. My picks are marked with an asterisk.

CW
Smallville (9/18)
Supernatural* (9/18)

Fox
Hole in the Wall (new - Japanese game show import - 9/11)
Kitchen Nightmares (9/11)

ABC
Ugly Betty* (9/25)
Grey's Anatomy (9/25)
Life on Mars* (new - British drama import with a great cast - I'll give it a shot - 10/9)

CBS
Survivor: Gabon (9/18)
CSI (10/9)
Eleventh Hour* (new - unusual scientific happenings! I'll give it a shot - 10/9)

NBC
My Name Is Earl (9/25 - one hour premiere)
Kath & Kim (new - Molly Shannon and Selma Blair - 10/9)
The Office* (9/25 - one hour premiere)
SNL Weekend Update Thursday (new - I think primarily election coverage - 10/9) (30 Rock returns on 10/30)
ER (9/25)

Weekly Watchings

I should note that the Republican National Convention is on all week, in case election coverage is your thing.

Tuesday
Big Brother (I got bored this season, but you might not be); Wipeout (big balls! love it!); 90210 (Rob Estes, Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty (eventually) and an entirely new group of kids - definitely going to check out this two-hour premiere); Million Dollar Listing (thanks to Jason for the heads-up on this one - the guys on this show are supreme douchebags, but it's fairly addictive just the same); The Shield (final season); Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Janice does not disappoint!)

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (an actual tranny is on the show this year - looking forward to Tyra handling that with her usual dignity and grace); Bones (field trip to London!); Project Runway; Sons of Anarchy (new show); Top Design (season two premiere); Run's House (really love this show and this family)

Thursday
Big Brother; Kitchen Nightmares (in case you're not getting enough bleeped out dialogue, Gordon Ramsay is back!); NFL Football Kick-off (Giants and Redskins - and possibly Usher in the pre-game show? I don't know); Tabatha's Salon Takeover (Bravo's reality obsession continues - there's a good chance for some more bleeped out dialogue); and repeat of 90210's premiere

Friday
Stand Up to Cancer (on all three major networks); Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; Monk; Psych; Swingtown (not sure how many more chances you're going to get to savor Grant Show's mustache so you better get while the getting's good!)

Saturday
Nothing noteworthy.

Sunday
Big Brother; True Blood (new HBO show); Entourage (premiere); America United: In Support of Our Troops (concert special); Army Wives; Mad Men; 2008 Video Music Awards; and repeats of Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and America's Next Top Model premieres

Happy Labor Day!

I think it's safe to say that most readers of this blog currently work for THE MAN, or at least did once upon a time. So, you likely already know that Monday is a day off for the lowly people - and also the unofficial end of summer.

But even more important than that - it's the premiere of Gossip Girl, bitches! Set your DVRs accordingly.

And enjoy your day off. I know I will!

Fall TV Analysis: Wednesday

Wednesday might be my favorite television night of the week. I am really LOVING ABC's line-up - it really didn't get a fair shake due to the writer's strike so I'm really hoping it's more successful this season because I do not want any of those shows (Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, or my favorite - Dirty Sexy Money) to get canceled. Once again, my picks are noted with an asterisk.

CW
America's Next Top Model* (9/3)
Sylista (new - 10/29 - competing for a job at Elle) (I might check it out)

Fox
Bones* (9/3 - Two hour premiere)
'Til Death (9/10)
Do Not Disturb* (new - 9/10) (Niecy Nash and Jerry O'Connell mean I'll give it a shot, but we'll see)

ABC
Pushing Daisies* (10/1)
Private Practice* (10/1)
Dirty Sexy Money* (10/1)

CBS
New Adventures of Old Christine* (9/24)
Gary Unmarried (new - 9/24)
Criminal Minds * (9/24)
CSI: NY

NBC
Knight Rider* (new - 9/24) (The TV movie used to reboot the series was less than stellar, but I need to give it a shot)
Deal or No Deal (8/25)
Lipstick Jungle * (9/24)

Cable
Friday Night Lights (DirecTV - 10/1 but will be on NBC in January) - I absolutely positively cannot wait for that premiere because this show might be one of the most fantastic shows on television. Don't let the football theme throw you off. I almost didn't watch it because I thought it was too football and that would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

Fall TV Analysis: Tuesday

Once again, my picks are noted with an asterisk.

CW
90210* (new show who wisely chose to cast Rob Estes – 9/2)
Privileged (New drama about rich teens maybe? – 9/9) (will give it a try, but no promises)

Fox
House* (9/16)
Fringe* (New show by J.J. Abrams with Pacey – 90 minute premiere on 9/9)

ABC
Opportunity Knocks (new game show – 9/23)
Dancing with the Stars*
Eli Stone* (10/14)

CBS
NCIS (9/23)
The Mentalist* (new drama with Simon Baker as a private investigator – 9/23)
Without a Trace* (9/23)

NBC
The Biggest Loser: Families* (9/16) (time to stock up on cookies!)
Law & Order: SVU* (9/23)

Cable
The Shield (FX – 9/2)

Fall TV Analysis: Monday

The most wonderful time of the year officially kicks off next week. No, it's not Christmas - though I do enjoy that (aside from the fact that Christmas generally means reruns). No, it's time for the new fall tv season. Now, most shows won't premiere until late September or early October, but we should all take a minute to give thanks for the CW and Fox who say eff that noise and start their seasons next week.

I think I'm going to mount my attack on this monster in a day-by-day approach. However, if you're anxious to see how everything is going to shape up and can't wait for my expert analysis (or perhaps your TV tastes differ from a 14-year-old girl), then feel free to jump over to my sources. But prepare to be bored on my blog for the next week or so.

Day-by-Day Schedule
Premiere Calendar
Shows A-Z

And now for the good stuff! My picks are noted with an asterisk.

Monday's Analysis

CW
Gossip Girl* (9/1)
One Tree Hill* (9/1)

Fox
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles* (9/8)
Prison Break* (9/1 - Two hour event)

ABC
Dancing with the Stars* (9/22)
Samantha Who?* (10/6)
Boston Legal* (9/22)

CBS
Big Bang Theory* (9/22)
How I Met Your Mother* (9/22)
Two and a Half Men (9/22)
Worst Week (New) (9/22)
CSI: Miami (9/22)

NBC
Chuck* (9/29)
Heroes* (9/22 - Three hour event!)
My Own Worst Enemy* (new - with Christian Slater) (10/13)

Cable TV
Californication (Showtime - 9/22)

Schedule Swap

So, this week CBS is swapping Swingtown and Flashpoint. You'll find Flashpoint tonight at 10 Eastern and Swingtown is now sizzling up Friday nights at 10...

TV Update - Belated, But You Can Catch Up (Mostly)

So, I've been neglecting summer television listings because there generally hasn't been much to report. That's changed greatly since my last update.

The Closer (TNT) - Started this week, but will be rerun a couple times before the next new episode on Monday.

The Cleaner (A&E) - A new series starring the yummy Benjamin Bratt. That alone is worth the price of admission (which is free because it's on TV, but even if you had to pay, he's worth it). Tuesday nights.

Flashpoint (CBS) - Friday night series starring the pink Power Ranger (you might know her from Felicity) and Enrico Colantoni. I think it's about Toronto hostage negotiators or SWAT or something. I missed the first episode (last Friday) but I think it's on CBS.com if you want to catch up before the next one airs on Friday.

Shear Genius (Bravo) - this started a couple week's ago, but it's Bravo. You should be able to catch a marathon at some point and be all caught up.

Project Runway (Bravo) - just started last night. You'll definitely be able to catch up. The first challenge involved being innovative at the grocery store.

Burn Notice (USA) - Sort of like a one-man A-Team which started its second season last week. And the lead character is so steamy hot, he makes Benjamin Bratt look homely.

Big Brother (CBS) - First eviction was last night, but it's only two episodes in. If you want, you can catch up.

Run's House (MTV) - kind of just a regular feel-good show. About really rich people.

Monk (USA) - New episodes start this Friday

Psych (USA) - I cannot recommend this show enough. New episodes start this Friday.

Japenese Game Shows and The Amish

ABC is all about new shows tonight with the premieres of Wipeout, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, as well as a look into Rumspringa on Primetime!

What is Rumspringa, you ask? Well, according to Wikipedia (thanks, Wikipedia!), Rumspringa (also Rumschpringe or Rumshpringa -- derived from the "Deitsch" (Amish dialect of German) term for 'running around'. -- generally refers to a period of adolescence for members of the Amish religious denomination - a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement - that begins around the age of sixteen and ends when a youth chooses baptism within the Amish church or instead leaves the community. Not all Amish use this term (it does not occur in Hostetler's extended discussion of adolescence), but in sects that do Amish elders generally view this time for courtship and finding a spouse.

So, basically, how I've spent the past month.

New Thursday TV!

Finally - something worth mentioning will be on television on Thursday night!

We'll see the return of My Boys (TBS) - an excellent sitcom, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo) and Swingtown is back with a second episode (and hopefully, Grant Show's mustache - I am a sucker for that thing!).

I'm so excited!

Weekly Watchings

Monday
The Mole (never watched previous seasons, but slim pickings mean I'll give it a try.); Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search For Elle Woods (With your host, Haylie Duff!)

Tuesday
Moment of Truth (I can't bring myself to watch, but allegedly they are moving away from all the questions about cheating); Hell's Kitchen (Rock is back! Yay!)

Wednesday
So You Think You Can Dance (still auditioning?); Under One Roof (Flava Flav!); Men in Trees; Top Chef (part one of the finale - off to Puerto Rico!)

Thursday
Jimmy Kimmel (special episode for NBA Finals); So You Think You Can Dance (20 finalists are finally announced); NEW SHOW ALERT!!! Swingtown (Grant Show is a swinger. Hallelujah! Maybe he can move to Astoria...)

Sunday
Million Dollar Password; Jimmy Kimmel (NBA Finals); Army Wives (Get the tissues ready for season two! It's worth it though - this show is good.); In Plain Sight