What to Watch – Fall 2006

So, all the Upfronts have been announced, and to be honest, I’m a little underwhelmed. With the anger fueled by the cancellation of Everwood (now made angrier by the fact that both cancelled 7th Heaven and lower-rated One Tree Hill survived), it sort of negated any excitement I had knowing Veronica Mars would be back (which we kinda clued off on from the finale anyways). Only ABC made big risks with their schedule, while everyone else (NBC, CBS, Fox, The WB) basically kept it the same.

So, here is a night by night look at what to watch for in the coming TV season, based solely on what I know of the new shows and what I like from the old.

Mondays

8pm – 9pm
You can completely discount NBC, ABC, and The CW. For me, it’s down between Prison Break on Fox and How I Met Your Mother and perhaps The Class on CBS.

9pm – 10pm
The New Adventures of Old Christine at 9:30pm on CBS and Heroes on NBC. Maybe tape Vanished (Fox) or Runaway (The CW) but I get them mixed up still, and I think viewers will too.

10pm-11pm
Well, I guess I’ll see if I’ll stick by What About Brian when I finish this season on tape. If not, bed time.

Most excited to see: Heroes

Definite highs: How I Met your Mother and The New Adventures of Old Christine

Tuesdays

8pm-9pm
The first dilemma. Watch Gilmore Girls on The CW for sure. Then? Either tape Standoff (Fox) and/or Friday Night Lights (NBC) although I’m more excited about the later, and maybe Dancing with the Stars if it has the same camp factor. Something will have to go and I think it’ll be Standoff with Ron Livingston.

9pm –10pm
No question. Watch Veronica Mars on The CW. Then? Tape House (Fox) and maybe Let’s Rob (ABC)(though I’m not excited about its comedic pairing Help Me Help You). Kidnapped (NBC) has a good cast and I hear it’s better than Ransom: The TV show but still not good enough show to pull viewers from VM or House.

10pm -11pm
Boston Legal (ABC) and Smith (CBS)

Most Excited to See: Friday Night Lights

Definite Highs : Veronica Mars

Wednesdays

8pm – 9pm
Bones on Fox. Now, Jericho (CBS) doesn’t sound that great to me but seems like there is buzz out there. So maybe. If not, Dancing with the Stars? But an hour long results show?

9pm-10pm
Lost (ABC). Do you even have to ask? I like the cast of Justice (Fox) with Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek) and Victor Garber (Alias) but the premise sounds boring… more lawyers? 30 Rock will be on the roster, if only for Tina Fey and friends. Let’s hope it’s good! And when midseason comes out… THE LOOP on Fox!!!

10pm – 11pm
The Nine on ABC. This is the show with Scott Wolf and company about the nine people held up in a bank robbery who forge a connection. The first 10 min of each episode apparently flashes back to the robbery as we piece it together over the season, and the rest of the ep I guess is what happens after.

Most Excited to See: The Nine

Definite Highs: Lost and The Loop

Thursdays

8pm-9pm
Will watch My Name is Earl and The Office on NBC, tape/flip over to Survivor (CBS). Now Big Day (ABC 8pm) and Happy Hour (Fox 8:30pm) look good to me but I think the buzz is now on the opposite shows (‘Til Death on Fox at 8pm and Notes From the Underbelly at 8:30pm on ABC). Guess we will have to see which will be taped and which will be dropped.

9pm-10pm LET THE SHOWDOWN BEGIN!
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) vs. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) vs. The OC (FOX) vs. Supernatural (The CW) vs. the king CSI (CBS).
WHY DO THEY MAKE US CHOOSE?
Luckily, I dropped CSI way back because there is only so much crime I can watch and if I miss it, it will run on syndication at some point at all times of the day for eternity anyways.
Supernatural is on of my favorites, but can it pull off a season 2 that was just as good as Season 1? and is it apointment television?
Now that on The OC, they (spoiler alert)…

got rid of Marissa, the weakest point of the show, can the show pull itself out of the slump to become fun again? For Seth and Summer’s sake, I tend to stick with this show.
Finally, will ABC’s big move to Thursdays hurt and help Grey’s Anatomy? Considering it’s the polar opposite show of CSI, I think it will do better than we think.

Now, with all that, will people even have time to give Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip a chance? I hope so, with the great cast and the people behind it. However, word is already coming that though the scripts are brilliant, dark and funny, it may be TOO much of an inside joke spoofing the entertainment industry for America to fall in love with (meaning, it’s a show people will respect but not necessarily watch every week).
The winner? Well, thankfully in Canada, I probably won’t have to decide since CTV carries 3 of those shows as of now, and will probably run The OC, Grey’s Anatomy and CSI back to back. Then tape Studio 60 and Supernatural. Covered! Whew!

10pm-11pm
Six Degrees on ABC. Done. It’s JJ Abrams and it has Hope Davis, Campbell Scott and Jay Hernandez amongst others.
Probably tape ER, which I still think is good but should have been killed off, though, with the addition of John Stamos, might be kinda enjoyable still.
I have NO interest in Shark on CBS.

Most Excited to See: Studio 60 on Sunset Strip and Six Degrees
Definite Highs: Grey’s Anatomy and The Office

Fridays

The only shows that might be worth watching for me is Betty the Ugly and Men in Trees both on ABC, and really, more the earlier than the later. America Ferrera stars in Betty the Ugly as Betty who joins a fashion magazine. You get the drift. It’s billed as an hour comedy and someone mentioned might be like Central Park West, only intentionally funny!

Most Excited to See: (isn’t it obvious already?) Betty the Ugly
Sundays

7pm-8pm
Everybody Hates Chris on The CW. Will people forget it’s on though at this time?

8pm-9pm
The Amazing Race on CBS.

9pm-10pm
Desperate Housewives on ABC.

10pm-11pm
Brothers and Sisters on ABC. No interest on Raines which I pegged as one of the worst sounding pilots, though it does have Jeff Goldblum, who could be irritating or funny. Not sure yet. James Spader works in Boston Legal (and The Practice) so that was a surprise.
Tape Without a Trace on CBS.

Most Excited to See: Brothers and Sisters
Definite Highs: The Amazing Race

So there you have it. The new sched for next fall. Busy busy. First I gotta finish THIS seasons shows. Though notice almost every new show has a HUGE cast? I guess if it worked for Lost, DH and GA, it'll work again. Plus it keeps enough actors dispensable to die on the show.