10 posts tagged “cbs”

With that rebel Jeff Zucker behind the monster truck wheel at NBC, the peacock network released it's lineup for the 2008-2009 season this week, a good six weeks before the traditional upfront presentations that Zucker has decided to shun (he's calling it an "infront," har-har). And since entertainment chief Ben Silverman is his navigator, that means there's some good, a lot of bad, and definitely some ugly on the roster. Aw, come on, it's been a while for the GBU, I can't help myself.

The Good
Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can't lose! For real, ya'll. NBC's deal with DirecTV is official for Friday Night Lights. As much as I knock Silverman, he did make season three happen. Kudos, Benji. Next season, thirteen episodes featuring the Dillon Panthers will appear on DirecTV's subscriber based 101 channel in the fall and then on NBC in 2009. Jason Katims hopes to get writers to work as soon as possible with production slated to begin in July. Well, barring a SAG strike. But this is good news, so let's not visit the recent breakdown between AFTRA and SAG.

ER will say goodbye after fifteen seasons. Finally.

Ian McShane is set to star in Kings, a show about "exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle." It will be strange to see Swearengen not swear on the telly.

Donal Logue is joining Life when it returns. Damien Lewis and Donal Logue. Redheads Rule! (not that I'm biased or anything)

Heroes and Chuck are still partnered as the pitch perfect antidote to my Monday blues.

Silverman's fave 30 Rock got a full season renewal. It even won a Peabody this week, so added to the awards it has garnered already this is not a real surprise, just good news.

The Bad
Knight Rider got a pickup. Consider kudos retracted, Silverman.
 
Scrubs is done at NBC after this season. That's a little sad but not the big bad. The badness actually concerns rumors that ABC may pick it up. I love Scrubs (watched so much I know dialogue) but isn't it time to end? Unless the remaining episodes at NBC can't send it off properly, just let it flatline already. Please, before I lose all luh-ove for it. Not even pitch perfect Dr. Cox and Turk can balance out the annoyance that has become JD any more. Doesn't Braff have a movie to direct with an "adult contemporary alternative" soundtrack featuring at least one whiny British dude, loads of acoustic guitar, and Imogen Heap? (And I say that as someone known to indulge in the guilty pleasure of whiny British dudes, acoustic guitar, and Imogen Heap).

A new mother-daughter sitcom called Kath & Kim starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. Does Molly Shannon look old enough to play Selma Blair's mom? That can't be their relationship, right? Eh, not generally a fan of either, especially Blair's wooden delivery.

Thursday Night Live, an extra special dose of political satire leading up to the elections. Really, the time we already spend together not laughing isn't enough? Let's take a guess as to what we'll see. Lots of Darrell Hammond doing spot-on impressions. Plenty of  Amy Poehler. Seth Meyers trying to crack wise. And an extra dose of Samberg's SNL Digital Shorts. Yeah, only if there is a change in the balance of Kristen Wiig and Kenan Thompson appearances. She is a comedic goddess. Can't say the same for Good Burger.

Camelot? Merlin? Crusoe? Why does "original" programming seem to be such a turn-off for NBC?

The Ugly
Lipstick Jungle was renewed. I caught a repeat of it on Bravo late one Sunday night while trying to fall asleep. Twenty minutes and the Zs came easily. Not even for the love of Andrew McCarthy would I watch it again. And after I saw Pretty in Pink when I was eleven, I spent an entire Sunday night dinner at my grandparents staring at his picture in Teen Tiger Bop Beat Magazine. I also saw Fresh Horses and Mannequin in the theater. That's some stalkerific tween devotion right there.

They are planning a spin-off of The Office. Why? Duh, to mess with a good thing, of course! So do they consider the spin-off of a remake "original"? If you're interested in details, including a Will Arnett rumor (NBC, you evil bastards!), here you go. I only skimmed because I refuse to acknowledge it exists until production starts (lalalalala, I can't hear you!). Avoidant much?
 
In other telly news . . .

A little while ago, I read that Rob Thomas was developing a pilot for ABC in addition to Cupid Redux and writing the Recycling 90210 pilot (maybe "creative conservation" is an unclear-on-the-concept effort by the networks to go green). It is a go, according to E!'s TV Diva Kristin Dos Santos. This one is the remake (three makes you Remake Rob, my friend) of an hourly from New Zealand called Outrageous Fortune. The big news, though, is that Kristen Bell is in talks to star. Yeah, yeah, what about Heroes and Gossip Girl? Well, she isn't signed for too many episodes as Elle next season and she can literally phone in her XOXOs, right? In addition to KB, Rene Russo is rumored to be up for the role of her mother. Love her, she's smart, sometimes goofy, and can kick serious ass. Hmm, that sounds like casting perfection. Okay, Remake Rob, once again, I am your bitch, which is a good thing since it seems you are fighting for primetime domination.

CBS greenlit another series starring the lovely Simon Baker. Well, I guess being canceled twice doesn't mean squat when it comes to a contract. First The Guardian and then Smith, two CBS shows I enjoyed and not just for the Australian eye candy that is Simon Baker. (We won't mention how many times I've caught Something New on the HBOs or how I wish there was video on-line of The Daily Show interview during his scruffy summer hiatus talking about how he doesn't wear deodorant because he drinks so much water his super-hydrated sweat doesn't give off toxic fumes and I didn't bat an eyelash at the absurdity of it because his grin hypnotized me). Jonny Lee Miller was in Smith, too, heh. Anyway, The Mentalist is about a guy "who uses his special gifts to help the police as an independent detective." So a little like Psych without the yuk-yuks, I'm guessing. And Owain Yeoman. Sure, fine, whatever, I dig mysteries and, from time to time, like to wade in the shallow end (will it be paired with Moonlight?), so I'll check it out.

And with the end of the writers' strike comes pilot season. This tidbit came across in TVtracker.com's little piece of marketing e-mail sent to lure me into subscribing. Still not sold on a sub, but gee thanks, I love free stuff!

Seems Diane Ruggiero (executive producer for Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas' go-to-gal, and scribe of my favorite episodes) is attached as Executive Producer/Showrunner to a CBS "pilot pick up" called Mythological X (20th Century Fox). Jonathan Levin is also listed with an EP credit.

Logline: A dramatic series based on an Israeli series about a woman who tracks down all of her exes after a psychic tells her that she has already met the man she is going to marry."

A quick search of the wide world of webs turned up nothing but here's a link to details about the original Israeli series. Not sure if it's my kind of show, and it really depends on who is cast, but if it gets picked up and Ruggiero is still running the show, I'll definitely check it out.

02/28/08 ETA: Zap2it reported this today, not really any more details about Ruggiero's project. There are details about a few other CBS pilots including an adaptation of a UK show called Ny-Lon that originally starred Rashida Jones

I read rumors that NBC might shop Friday Night Lights around a bit, maybe shove it onto another network like they did with L&O:Criminal Intent to little brother USA. This is the first legitimate mention I've seen about that possibility though. Still seems like a stretch, especially with the networks that execs are supposedly reaching out to.

NBC Looks to Keep 'Friday Night Lights' Burning

But then Taylor Kitsch just took a role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Riggins getting his Marvel on as Gambit doesn't bode well for the show's immediate future.

Oh, and evidently the big boys at VH1 halted the campaign that Best Week Ever started to keep Friday Night Lights from getting NBC's boot in the ass.

Did VH1 Brass Kill Best Week Ever's 'Save Friday Night Lights' Campaign?

I usually don't participate in these campaigns. I still can't believe the peanuts drive worked for Jericho, although CBS may be thinking the same thing right now with recent ratings. I might sign a petition, send an e-mai, letters are very rare. But I will promote these campaigns so that others can participate if they wish, which is why I posted about it earlier. And I'm keeping the shiny light bulb in my sidebar. I like it.

But why block BWE from cheering for FNL? Viacom is still a member of the CBS family, so is it out of loyalty to Moonlight and CBS? Yeah, FNL was a true threat to CBS' Friday night ratings. Then there's the theory Defamer suggests that BWE and FNL both air on Friday nights. But not in the same time slot, so again, wha? I think it's cool and relevant that a show about pop culture would take an interest in, you know, pop culture.

The whole thing just reminds me of an e-mail rant a while back after trying to find a clip to send some friends of Patton Oswalt's hypothetical conversation with George Lucas as he conceived the Star Wars prequels (shovel to the head!). Long story short, I was peaved about having to find the clip on Comedy Central's site because my slow-ass connection hates their video format, yet loves the YouTube, and particularly loathes the commercials one must watch to get to the funny. Which lead to the writers' strike and the dispute over new media residuals. Then diverged to VH1 and MTV and their brand of reality show suckage. And finally me blaming Viacom for inflicting Heidi Montag, Queen of the F**kwits, on the world. Truly, an atrocious crime against pop culture. If only there was a High Court of Pop Culture, the world would never have been exposed to Heidi's homemade music video directed by Spencer Asshat Pratt. If only . . .

I have been in car repair hell for the past few weeks. Totally distracted by it and other crappiness of life which is why I haven't rambled lately, or finished and/or made a ramble public.

- Did you hear the WGA Strike ended? Yeah, I am so behind that I didn't even post a proper huzzah for the picketing scribes last week. Is a late huzzah better than no huzzah at all? If a huzzah falls in the blogosphere and nobody hollas a huzzah back, um, who cares. Word of the day: huzzzzzaaah. And, no, I am not committing am HUI, huzzah under the influence. Just like the word. Anyway, it's over and time will tell if the writers are truly happy with their deal, but I'm most stoked for all of those below-the-line crew members who can now step away from the Top Ramen with the production frenzy.

- With the strike over, a few of the networks were itching to announce happy news of the renewal-kind:
 
    CBS: Yeah, I don't really watch the eye network which is why I'm sadly not surprised shows like The Big Bang Theory or Ghost Whisperer were renewed. And that's why I don't watch. The cheestastic Moonlight was not picked up but is going back into production. Same for How I Met Your Mother, the only other show I sometimes catch. Scratch that, I also have been charmed by the underrated The New Adventures of Old Christine from time to time (such a great cast). Obviously, execs will wait to see if Jericho's fans really can bring the ratings to keep it from facing the chopping block again. Liked it, didn't love it, but I wish any show with a devoted fan base much luck. Always root for the underdog!

    NBC: Well, NBC decided to give newbies Life and Chuck another shot. Excuse me for a sec. Hell YEAH, Bartowski! And it will be lovely to see Damien Lewis get another chance too, ahem. Surprise, surprise they also picked up their only ratings hit, Heroes. As for Friday Night Lights, things look dim (never pardon my puns) for one of the best shows on the telly roster. But televisionaries Ben Silverman and Jeff Zucker know what they're doing, right? American Gladiators, Knight Rider, and Bionic Woman are the future of television. But those remakes, um, wouldn't that be, aren't they, is there such a thing as a re-future? Bionic Woman didn't work out so well, huh? Rewarmed 80s shows might not be the future after all. But then American Gladiators is a hit and gets another season (sigh). Way to uphold that shiny reputation, Silverman. Did we just update our spring wardrobe to the Sonny Crockett collection too?

    ABC: The alphabet network renewed the usual ratings grabbing suspects: siblings, housewives, slutty surgeons, and flight 815. Newcomers include Dirty Sexy Money, Samantha Who?, and Pushing Daisies. Not a surprise that the Piemaker and his merry band of darlings will return, but I am interested to see if the show can continue to be charming without being gimmicky.

    CW: Not to be outdone by the big boys, the CW announced when new episodes will air of its current shows. Wait, what? Did I miss the announcement? Other than the cancellation of CW Now, anything else, former-frog-now-just-green network? New episodes soon, alrighty.

-There are two online petitions to save Friday Night Lights. Click on the shiny light bulb at the bottom of my sidebar to head over to Best Week Ever's blog devoted to saving the show and sign their petition. They have tons of suggestions for showing your support as a member of the Dillon Panthers Booster Club (what will the assistants at NBC do with cases of light bulbs?). The folks at Save Friday Night Lights also have a petition and are raising funds for customized mini footballs to send to the network.

- Joel Surnow left 24. The show was its worst last season (hell, I can't even remember most of it) so maybe it's time for a little new life to creatively revitalize it. Probably the best for Surnow and the show. Wonder what it will be like without the ultra-conservative steering the wheel? Time will tell, dink dank, dink dank.

- Ausiello's strike chart is now being regularly updated as a post-strike chart for the RETURN of shows to the telly. Five new episodes of Gossip Girl.Oh, Little J, feel the wrath of B.

-Coming Soon: my Pro/Con list for watching Rock of Love II: Barbie Hair and Botoxxx Club for Middleaged Dirtbag and Women With Rock-Bottom Low Self-Esteem. Spoiler: much like the bimbos on this show, the Pros lose.

Just a few things found on my trip through some newsies today.

• CBS ordered four more Moonlight scripts [Zap2It]. Not a complete surprise even though it is getting trounced by Women's Murder Club (really? really!) because CBS also ordered scripts for Cane and Big Bang Theory (really? really! really). It's still not a full-season pickup and it won't mean jack if scripts can't be completed before the looming WGA strike happens. Thankfully, CBS put us out of our misery and put Viva Laughlin down. Guess whatever Hugh Jackman must have had on Les Moonves to get a greenlight wasn't that bad after all.
  

• Boy, CBS is a busy network. Today, their lack of a contract with news writers for the past two years inspired them to check yes on a separate WGA strike authorization [The Hollywood Reporter]. Guess CBS will be the home of reality TV. The last writer's strike made way for a plethora of news magazine shows, and we already have the blight of reality TV, so what non-scripted studio innovation will we get this time? Hope it's something that can help out below-the-line crew and staffers. Studios and writers won't be the only ones hit in the wallet by a strike.

• Pushing Daisies got the back nine from ABC [Variety]. Well, that deserves a squeeeeee! The darling critical darling has held it's own with viewers and proven to be worthy of a full-season. Private Practice is the only other newbie to get a pick-up from ABC so far.
  

• So, David Chase says that the end of the Sopranos [Yahoo!/AP] really was just a family bonding over onion rings and Journey. And why did he tell us Tony wasn't whacked by Mr. Members' Only now? His book The Sopranos: The Complete Book hits bookstores this week. Eh, I never thought Tony got two to the back of the head anyway.

• This is an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the season finale of Damages on F/X. I actually caught up on Damages this Saturday with some of the F/X marathon. Honestly, I had forgotten all about it, but now I'm interested to learn Ellen's fate.
  

I'm going to give this whole brevity thing a whirl, but don't expect miracles overnight. So this one may be shorter, but it's Friday and Sunday, not the biggest nights for the networks. Here we go:

Friday

The New Kids

Luckily, Moonlight debuts on CBS a week earlier than Friday Night Lights. I feel that Joss Whedon's Angel took the Forever Knight-ish concept in such a fabulous direction, there was no need to revisit it so soon. Moonlight screams canceled-after-four-episodes disaster. Retooled, recast, rescheduled, and promoted with a cheesy faux-interview with a vampire (wink-nudge, get it? Marketing genius, I tell you!), critics only very recently got to review the new pilot. The news, she ain't good. David Greenwalt took over and promptly ditched showrunner duties due to "exhaustion." Caused by "ginormous headache and general pain in the ass"? The-sneaky-bastards-that-be (looking at you, Joel Silver.You know you love it.) hooked the VM audience by bringing in Jason Dohring as a fanged one with supreme wealth. Please, give him loads of worthy snark. In interviews, Dohring invoked (by way of publicists, I'm sure) the name of Logan Echolls, one of my favorite characters created for television. Dirty trick, dude (give the publicist a raise.) So that's a long meandering way of me saying I expect it to disappoint, don't hold much hope it will get better, but I am still going to check it out. And engage in my own MST3K-style commentary.

On ABC, Women's Murder Club. Well, I know nothing other than Angie Harmon and Dead Like Me's Laura Harris are in the cast. Ugh, Brett Ratner is executive producer. Oh, right, Joe Simpson, the man responsible for Jessica and Ashlee still getting work and being hounded by the paparazzi he alerts, also has some connection that garnered a production credit. That should be enough.

The Old Gang

I did not want to watch Friday Night Lights but dammit-to-hell,  Bravo! sprang a marathon on me one Saturday afternoon last Spring. Hello, we've met, I'm a marathon whore. It's charming, what can I say. Sorry, Dohring, but Kyle Chandler won me over many moons ago as Jeff on Homefront so he's got seniority. Plus, I have to see how the college players respond to his mood ring-like follicles of extreme emotion. A show that centers around Friday night football airing on Friday nights during football season seems riskier than a two-point conversion though.

I just cannot believe Ghost Whisperer is on season three. Just had to say that. Hey, maybe Moonlight does have a shot on CBS then?

Sunday

The New Kids

Nada. Besides the musical produced by Hugh Jackaman on CBS, Viva Laughlin, in late October. Speaking of shows that spell disaster. . . Still grateful Rob Thomas didn't take the gig to run this baby. My loyalty is shaky as is, bud.

The Old Gang

Dexter. Dexter. Dexter. Not as overlooked as The Wire, true, but why do the Emmy voters not see how amazing Michael C. Hall is? That's criminal. He was so damn good as David on Six Feet Under, but Dexter is in a whole other league. The promos featuring INXS' "Devil Inisde" are kind of a weird way to link it with Brotherhood, though. 

I may have thrown up a little when I heard Nathan Fillion joined Desperate Housewives. I haven't watched since mid-season one after the hype-smoke cleared to reveal irritating characters and stupid stupid plotlines. At least he's hitched to Dana Delaney, and I hope will only hang out with the Scavos. Maybe at least one scene with the new gay couple on Wisteria Lane? When I watched daytime schlock many many moons ago, One Life to Live was a flavor of the month and Tuc Watkins (Beggars and Choosers, you deserved a longer life) and Nathan Fillion's characters had such an entertaining hate-hate relationship.

VM Count: 2; For the week: 9. Oh hell, let's make it an even 10. John Enbom, another VM writer and half of the Klembom writing team, is working on The Sarah Connor Chronicles which FOX  pushed to early 2008 now. Yeah, that works. Okay, I'm done with those now. Promise.

Let's just cut to the chase and see what Wednesday and Thursday have on their TV-trays for Fall 2007 Again, check out Futon Critic's guide for scheduling details.

Wednesday

The New Kids

ABC's Pushing Daisies is the show that seems to be on everyone's must-see list. Critics either like it or love it. Those who only like it say it may be too quirky and stylized. Promos remind me of Dead Like Me meets Edward Scissorhands. Or even Big Fish. All have a special place in my heart, so consider me prepared to be fully twitterpated next week.

An hour after Daisies, following the Shondafication of Hump Day (why isn't Grey's on Wednesdays too then?), is Dirty Sexy Money. Originally, I was only interested in this show because my favorite VM scribe Diane Ruggiero got a gig with it, but she's since jumped over to Big Shots. Well, here's hoping Peter Krause can make me forget my Six Feet Nate-Hate and remember my Sports Night Casey-Love. This may be my cheesy-soapy-goodness show for the season. 

Bionic Woman. Sigh, NBC, I'm still not sold on it enough to watch it live, although it sounds like Michelle Ryan gives one hell of a performance. Following is Life. I will admit, Damien Lewis on my TV every week is quite the effing draw, but it will be recorded for the weekend.

Gossip Girl also repeats on Sundays. It's not on my A-list by any means, but I will probably catch the soap again.

The Old Gang

The second episode of ABC's Grey's spawn, Private Practice, is supposedly worse than the pilot that aired last Spring. Wow. Marti Noxon as showrunner makes it tough to say no; Kate Walsh's hypnotic auburn locks that turn me red with envy could trick me into catching a few minutes; but for the love of Paul Adelstein, Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, and Chris Lowell (I adore this kid and think he got the shaft on VM, shoehorned into a tragically awful love triangle mooning over Miss Mars instead of getting to be a real, live boy), it's probably just-say-no time for me. Sorry, Amy Brenneman.

Thursday

The New Kids

ABC brings Michael Vartan back to the telly with Big Shots. Vartan, people.  But reviews of the pilot are so bad that TV Guide's Michael Aussiello even invoked the word "abysmal" for it in this week's spoiler chat. I will probably give it a whirl once the season progresses because many of the VM peeps are working on it, including Rob Thomas as a consulting producer and, as previously mentioned, Diane Ruggiero. Also, Charisma Carpenter just signed on for a recurring stint. Here's to her stealing scenes from the boys as the delightfully devilish bitch she portrays so damn well.

The Old Gang

Old habits are hard to break and NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup is one of mine. Once they all became single-camera shows with no laugh tracks, this sitcom snob couldn't resist. I needed more chuckles in my diet. This week, there are one-hour episodes of My Name is Earl and The Office. 30 Rock slowly grew on me, although I still rarely watch an entire episode and find Tracy Morgan annoyingly unfunny. Scrubs will be back in a few weeks for its final season, which, although I do love it, wish had happened last season.

Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy return in the same time slots to battle NBC's lineup. Ugly Betty is fun, but I really don't get the hype. America Ferrera, hell yes. The show, not so much.

Smallville returns for season seven with Clark and Lex as enemies, no more of that frenemy bullshit, bitches. And thanks to promos, we know that Super Girl stops by for a visit. Yeah, I never watch it, but I know people who do.

And then we have Supernatural. I'm no fangirl, and I don't always catch this show, but I do love it and will probably try to regularly watch it. The Winchester Boys, Demons, and Metallicar, outstanding combination.

 

VM Count: Only 3!

Okay, Fall, you and I do not have a good relationship. Your arrival means the farewell of my bestest buddy, Summer, as well as shorter days, dead leaves, and drab colors that I cannot wear. (Just because pumpkins are harvested this season, must we dress like them?) And you're pals with Winter, which does you no favors because it gives me cold days, no leaves, no flip flops, and seasonal affective disorder. But Fall, you do also bring newbies for the small screen. And provide an excuse to eat candy and watch horror flicks called Halloween. For those gifts, I cannot hold a grudge.

Since the upfronts last May, shows have been retooled and recast, scheduled and promoted. And in the next few weeks, based merely on a handful of viewers that actually have Nielsen boxes, some will be declared a screaming success while others may struggle to get a full season pickup or, worse, get the axe. And as well all know, quality is not always a deciding factor. At least this season I don’t have to hold my breath to see if Veronica Mars got decent numbers in it's target demo. Sigh. (Let's see how many times I manage to bring it up this week. Count at the end!).

This season I am on the hunt for a new favorite. I also retired Grey's Anatomy as my cheesy-soapy-goodness, and  Private Practice is definitely not in the running. Hmmmm, so many shiny new shows (check out the Futon Critic's guide, it rocks). I didn't even watch any online because I want to see the debuts live. Let's take a look at what Monday and Tuesday offer.

Monday

The New Kids

ABC's amnesiac comedy Samantha Who? has some great actresses in its cast including Christina Applegate (Samantha), Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, and Melissa McCarthy. Chicks with serious comedic gifts. When it premieres in October, it doesn't have an easy time slot against Heroes. I'll probably record to watch later.

Have you heard about Chuck? I haven’t seen a single ad for it. In the last two minutes. NBC is really promoting this bad boy. Josh Scwhartz created it, Zachary Levi stars, and VM's Phil Klemmer contributes his talents to scripts. Oh, and Adam Baldwin too. Yeah, I'm there. This is supposed to be a breakthrough role for Levi. I don't doubt it. His Kipp and Andrea Parker's Lydia were the only reasons I rarely tuned in to Less the Perfect even though Sara Rue is incredibly charming. Speaking of charming, I read an interview with him during Perfect that confirmed why I adored such a snitty character; it's the actor. So I'd watch it even without the hype.

The peacock network's time traveling Journeyman doesn't grab me but I am intrigued. Eh, that's alright. I really don't need or want to watch three hours of telly in one night.

Big Bang Theory on CBS. Kaley Cuoco got another primetime gig. Nope.

K-Ville debuted last week and the buzz is not good. Reviving the buddy-cop show in the era of procedural crime dramas. Setting that show in an area that is still in such turmoil two years after a devastating disaster. That adds up to quite the programming gamble. But I just found out a friend of a friend got a callback for it so here's hoping FOX doesn't yank it after only a few episodes. coughDrivecough. Such a nasty habit, FOX.

The Old Gang

Heroes was renewed. With the skyrocketing ratings and the mostly deserved hype, it really was touch and go for a nanosecond. Whew, I'm glad I caught up on the show before last season's finale. Kristen Bell and Alias' David Anders joined the cast for season two's superpower hijinks. And even though they will not be sharing scenes (based only on casting info.), Veronica Mars and Sark on the same show! Sneaky, sneaky, NBC. Because although I really enjoy Heroes, I still don't get the hype, but now resistance is futile.

Prison Break, you completely lost me at T-bag's severed hand reattachment at a vet's office. Oy. Best of luck in your Panamanian prison adventures, boys.

I like How I Met Your Mother. It's not appointment TV, but I dig it from time to time. In the season premiere, Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglasias guest as Ted and Robin's respective rebounds.

Tuesday

The New Kids

Cavemen. Carpoolers. Cashmere Mafia. Fact: I will not watch ABC on Tuesday nights.

Cane. Sorry Jimmy Smits and Nestor Carbonell,  I only have room for one cheesy-soapy-goodness drama and your soap about a family of Cuban-American sugar moguls is most likely not it. I prefer some crazy with a dash of funny to be key ingredients so I'm betting on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money instead, but more about that in the next installment.

The CW's Reaper has gotten the stamp of approval as best new comedy from critics. Kid's soul was sold to the Devil by his parents before he was born. Turning twenty-one means kid must fulfill his destiny as Satan's bounty hunter. The premise could go very wrong, so it impresses me that it evidently has done the opposite. Kevin Smith directed the pilot. Bret Harrison gets to show off his comedic chops as the lead, Sam. And Twin Peaks' Leland Palmer, Ray Wise, is expertly cast as the Devil. Even without my Tuesday Mars Fix, it looks like it will be the same bat time, same bat channel on Tuesdays for me. Sneaky, sneaky, CW bastards.

The Old Gang

Here's the rundown on those returning that I will not be watching:
Bones. Despite David Boreanz, I just can't watch Emily Deschanel.
House. Despite the fabulous Hugh Laurie, I've been over the formula since season two.
L&O: Special Victims Unit. Despite Christopher Meloni, I'm two blocks past over for L&O anything.
Nip/Tuck. Despite devilish Julian McMahon, I stopped caring three seasons ago.
NCIS and The Unit. Despite, well, nothing, never seen them, don't watch CBS much.

So Tuedays will actually be a free night to get actual things accomplished with a little Reaper break. Good to know. That's why I plan ahead. Because it looks like Wednesdays are a goner. . . .

VM count: 4

CBS pulls Dohring into Moonlight

Well, hell. I hadn't even thought of watching Moonlight because, as I said before, I've seen a show about a vampire detective already. It was called Angel. I can't imagine the premise being done without the wry, cheeky trademark wit of Joss Whedon. If in the wrong hands, it's a show that could take itself too seriously and end up being terribly cheesy. David Greenwalt coming on board as showrunner didn't change my mind. I think it is odd that a producer/director for both Buffy and Angel is going to be showrunner. I guess the-powers-that-be figure he has experience with the subject? Umkay.

They are shaking things up at Moonlight. A little retooling, most likely for a different audience. Last week, Shannon Lucio was replaced by Sophia Myles as the female love interest/reporter. I liked Lucio on The O.C. before I tuned out completely during season two. As for Myles, I only remember her from the twenty minutes I watched of Tristan & Isolde.  But yesterday, it was announced that Josef  would no longer be an elder vamp mentor played by 60-year-old Rade Serbedzija. Nope. Instead, he will be a "young, mischievous hedge-fund trader" played by Jason Dohring, best known for his usually pitch perfect portrayl of jackass extroadinaire Logan Echolls on Veronica Mars. Dam-dam-dammit.

I now will tune into a show I didn't intend to watch on a network I rarely watch. Well played, CBS. Although unhappy with season three, I still mourned the loss of Veronica Mars. Honestly, I knew I would miss seeing my old pals from Neptune most when the Fall season starts. Kristen Bell's in Hawaii making Apatow-produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Jason Segel. As for TV, Enrico Calantoni is playing Rene in the Celine Dion story (gotta see that!). Chris Lowell will be disrobing on Private Practice. I can always catch Tina Majorino, Kyle Gallner, and Amanda Seyfried on Big Love (all so awesome). Hell, Gallner pops up on every crime-ish show lately as good-guy-suspected-killer-of-the-week (dude found a niche).

But Dohring appearing on the small screen again is fantastic. It's acutally not terribly surprising considering this is a Warner Bros venture with Joel Silver as an executive producer. Same team for VM (maybe others will show up, how's Francis Capra's health?). What wicked fun Dohring will have playing a young Gordon Gekko with fangs. Please let there be snark! That boy gives good snark. Actually, his acting talents have raised the bar for this show now. Hope it measures up.

I guess I don't watch CBS. I realized that when looking at the Fall 2007schedule. I'm not a fan of taped-in-front-of-a-live-audience sitcoms. And I got over CSI back before Caruso's return to catchphrase television via its spinoff. I don't watch reality shows, although I did catch CBS' RockStar both summer seasons because I just couldn't help myself. (Where is Jordis Unga?). Anyway, that said,  this should be short and sweet.

What's new?
Only five new shows for CBS. I will probably check out Viva Laughlin!, produced by Hugh Jackman, once just for the hell of it. It's either going to be horrendous or fabulous. Or so horrendous it's fabulous. Zap2It summarized it as a "musical thriller about gambling." Yeah, I may need to see it to believe it. Hasn't Wolverine heard of Cop Rock? Evidently, Rob Thomas was approached to be showrunner but turned down the gig. Thank you, Rob. I'm a loyal gal (dude, you gave me Cupid and Veronica Mars!) and would've checked it out just for that reason, but now I don't feel like I have to.

Some might be surprised that I am not excited about Moonlight. A vampire detective series sounds like my kind of show. And it was. When Joss Whedon did it with Angel. I've been there, done that, and loved it already.

What's old?
Well, with only five new shows, that means CBS is renewing a lot of their current schedule. Jerry Bruckheimer's worn out CSI franchise remains, shocker. Shark was renewed for another season. How I Met Your Mother did get picked up after all. I've found it charming although not consistently funny, but, well, see previous statement about CBS sitcoms. And Jennifer Love Hewitt will continue to have paranormal chats in tight outfits on Ghost Whisperer.

What's gone?
Close to Home (really, it is still on the air); Jericho (intriguing premise but like Invasion, could not hold my interest); The Class (I got nothing). The quirky New Adventures with Old Christine will most likely return mid-season.