Premieres and Notables; Sept 22-28, 2008

And the big premiere week of the Fall Season begins...

Monday, 9/22

Yo Gabba Gabba!; Nickelodeon. 10:30 am CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
The Office's Melora Hardin makes an appearance on the show that makes The Teletubbies look sane.

Trivial Pursuit: America Plays; Syndicated. 1 pm. Series Premiere.
A gameshow where viewers send in video questions.

The Big Bang Theory; CBS. 7 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
One of the best comedies of the past few years returns with the fallout of Leonard and Penny's date. Recommended

Dancing With the Stars; 7 pm CST. 7th Cycle Premiere.

Heroes; NBC. 7 pm & 8 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.
A one-hour recap before the two hour premiere of the "Villains" storyarc.
Sounds like the creators realized the mistakes made last year and looking to atone for them this year.

How I Met Your Mother; CBS. 7:30. 4th Season Premiere.
My favorite network comedy the past two years returns with what could be an actual move towards revealing the mother of the title. Plus, let's not forget: Barney may actually have fallen in love with Robin, so expect that to be a major plot point for a while. Highly Recommended

Two and a Half Men; CBS. 8 pm. Season Premiere.

Worst Week; CBS. 8:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Bumbling boyfriend Sam Briggs gets into increasingly bad situations while trying to do the right thing. I've heard good things about this show. Sounds like star Kyle Bornheimer is a real find, and he will be the reason this show succeeds if it does. Co-star Kurtwood Smith will keep him on his toes. Everyone's saying this sounds like a Meet the Parents rip-off, but it's actually a remake of a British series of the same name. A show, by the way, I enjoyed quite a bit. And a lot of that had to do with the cast.
I'm going to highly recommend this show. I've got a good feeling about it. I will warn you, though, the British series relied quite a bit on ever-increasing ridiculous situations, but the cast held it all together. This cast needs to prove it can do the same, but I'm willing to bet it will succeed. Give it a try. It looks like it could be a laugh riot.

Boston Legal; ABC. 9 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
Now this is a ridiculous show that's held together by its cast (and great writing). The final (and I believe shortened) season begins tonight. If you've got an open mind for left-leaning characters and can handle silly banter, then I recommend it.

CSI: Miami; CBS. 9 pm. 7th Season Premiere.
H got shot? Dang!


Tuesday, 9/23

NCIS; CBS. 7 pm. 6th Season Premiere.

Opportunity Knocks; ABC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
A new gameshow where knowing your family could earn you big prizes.

The Mentalist; CBS. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Simon Baker stars as a former psychic (he faked it) who now wants to go legit to solve crimes. I've heard decent things (especially about star Simon Baker's performance), but the premise sounds overdone.

Without a Trace; CBS. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
New co-star Steven Weber. I like him, but I doubt I'll start watching because of him.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; NBC. 9 pm. Season Premiere.


Wednesday, 9/24

Knight Rider; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
The made-for-TV movie last season was pretty silly, but then, let's be realistic and remind ourselves that the original was even sillier. Could be good for some brainless fun...

The New Adventures of Old Christine; CBS. 7 pm. 4th Season Premiere.
First CBS doesn't give it anything like the respect it deserves (it's very good), and then they open up a new comedy block and uses this show as its anchor. I just hope what follows doesn't drag it down.
Anyway, like I said, I like this show. It's gotten better every year, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss can sell the most silly situations. But this year Christine is supposed to work on getting married to Barb to keep her from getting deported.
I like how a show is throwing a same-sex marriage storyline out there now that California legalized it (props to the grown-ups in CA-- let's hope other states come to their senses and give equal rights to everyone), but since this is a marriage of convenience and not a serious one for the characters, I'm not sure if it'll be a good thing this early in the process. I have faith in the show, but it's gonna be a tough storyline. Recommended.

Gary Unmarried; CBS. 7:30. Series Premiere.
Jay Mohr plays a recently divorced dad who tries to date again while juggling the kids and his ex.
I like Mohr, but I don't think a show this standard is going to help his job any. He's more edgy than this thing is bound to be. (Check out Action on DVD if you get the chance-- that's a perfect role for him.) I
'm not excited for this show, but it does co-star Paula Marshall, who is a show-clincher for me (whatever she's in, I watch). I love Paula Marshall.

CSI: NY; CBS. 9 pm. Season Premiere.

Lipstick Jungle; NBC. 9 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.


Thursday, 9/25

My Name is Earl; NBC. 7:00 & 7:30. 4th Season premiere.
After a few side trips last season, Earl goes back to the original premise: trying to right the wrongs he did in his past.

On Smallville (CW; 7 pm), the guy that will be Doomsday on this show makes his first appearance. I don't want to be a hater-- especially since I haven't followed the show-- but I really don't think that's a good idea. But the creators insist they'll link this guy to the creature that killed Superman in the comics. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (especially when I read they're working closely with DC Comics), but...

Survivor: Gabon; CBS. 7 pm. 17th Cycle Premiere.
CBS is promoting this installment as the first in HD. Could be a beautiful series...

Ugly Betty; ABC. 7 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.
The production of the show moves to New York, so expect a more authentic feel. I believe Henry is out (he got another gig), and I've read another guy could enter Betty's life. Hmmm. Three loves in three seasons. Betty sure can work that ugly...

Grey's Anatomy; ABC. 8 pm. 4th(?) Season Premiere.
Now with a new doctor, played by Rome and Journeyman's Kevin McKidd. I resisted watching this show, but I'll be tuning in for McKidd.

The Office; NBC. 8 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
Michael's still pursuing Amy Ryan's HR Rep (who will be around for at least 6 eps), and Jim misses Pam, who's in art school. And the fallout of Angela and Dwight hooking up after Andy's proposal is supposed to be dealt with.

ER; NBC. 9 pm. 15th Season Premiere.
This is it, people. Last season.


Friday, 9/26

Suite Life on Deck; Disney. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Zack & Cody on a ship.


Saturday, 9/27

Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger; HBO. 8 pm. Special
Rock's fifth HBO special promises to be a great one.

48 Hours Mystery; CBS. 9 pm. Season Premiere.


Sunday, 9/28

Amazing Race; CBS. 7 pm. Season Premiere.

The Simpsons; FOX. 7 pm. 20th Season Premiere.

Cold Case; CBS. 8 pm. Season Premiere.

Desperate Housewives; ABC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
The five-year jump shown in last season's finale is very promising. I'm looking forward to seeing these women in different situations.

Dexter; Showtime. 8 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.
With new cast member Jimmy Smits. Hopefully, he'll give me someone to care about because I found the first season lacking in that regards.

Family Guy; FOX. 8 pm. Season Premiere.

Brothers & Sisters; ABC. 9 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.

Californication; Showtime. 9 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
I think the first season finale made a good series finale, but it'll be interesting to see what direction the show goes in since the premise was turned on its head at the end of last season. But, like Dexter, I didn't find much to like about the characters. I understand "edgy", but a show has to be able to hook viewers. The best way to do that is to make at least one character likable-- or at least give the unlikable ones a compelling reason to be that way.

The Unit; CBS. 9 pm. 4th Season Premiere.

Little Britain USA; HBO. 9:30 pm. Series Premiere.
This BBC show jumps the pond to try its humor on America. I have heard the first ep is weak, but it's supposed to get better in the 2nd ep, so hold on. I watched the show some when it was on BBC America, and I found it amusing-- but not enough to keep watching. Hopefully this will be more my cup of tea.