New Season Of TV

So, the fall season of TV kicked off in full steam this week, which is both a good and a bad thing - good because I want to know what happens in a few cliffhanger shows and bad because I'll be watching far too much TV daily now. But I digress. The reason for this post is the plethora of TV shows which have begun before this week, are beginning this week, or are yet to come. 

First, we begin with shows that have been running for a couple weeks now.  At the top of that list: Breaking Bad.  If you don't watch this show, well, you really should.  The acting involved in it is top notch, the story lines are captivating, and the seasons never get dull.  In fact, though this is the 4th season, I don't think there's been an episode yet that I have thought was even remotely boring.  That is not the case with all AMC shows - no matter how good - (ahem, MadMen).  And in the past few episodes, Gus' character has really come to life.  He is showing himself to be the mastermind he always clearly was, even though the show had never really delved into it.  Furthermore, he's showing that he has some serious nerves.  I kinda love/hate Gus.

Also currently running - Project Runway.  Interesting season so far.  Pretty tame, collectively for the show.  But there are some interesting characters on it, and as things continue to progress, I really do think they have the true talent still in the running - which is generally not the case with that show.

Weeds.  I consider this the tame Breaking Bad.  If you want a similar storyline, but don't want the intensity of the other show - watch Weeds.  There's a little bit of something for everyone in this show.  For me...Andy is probably the biggest reason to watch it.  He's hilarious, constantly coming up with some sort of hijinx, and some of his one liners are amazing.  Kevin Nealon is great too.  Very funny show. 

On to returning shows for the season.  Show's I'm most excited about: Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, The League, and The Good Wife.   Certainly there are others that I love to watch, but these are shows that I watch immediately whenever they are aired.

As far as I can tell the best days for TV as far as I'm concerned are in this order:  Sunday (Breaking Bad, Good Wife, Downton Abbey); Thursday (Big Bang, The League, Archer, Community, Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist); and Monday (HIMYM, Weeds, 2.5 Men).  Followed somewhat closely by Tuesday (NCIS, NCIS LA, Parenthood, Glee). 

I'm not going to go into much detail on shows already aired this week - so those who TiVo'd their first episodes won't be upset with me.  I'll just say I was happy with the way that HIMYM ended the hour - seems the show may be getting back on the right track.  Also Modern Family had a great opening episode, I thought both NCIS's got off to a decent start, and Archer is irreverent as always.  Oh, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, while totally crossing the line as always, had some of the funniest moments I've seen on TV in a while in their season opener last week. 


NEW SHOWS:

Here are some new shows I've watched so far which you may or may not want to look out for:

New Girl:  This is funny TV.  In the past couple years a lot of sitcoms have come out with male/female friends living in an urban setting that feel very much like some sort of Friends ripoff.  This is not one of them.  Zooey Deschanel is hilarious, the comedy seems fresh and relevant and overall it's very funny.  I'd suggest watching. 

Unforgetable: The first episode was anything but what the title suggested to me.  Maybe it will take shape in a few more, but it seems like it's just another cop show that doesn't have a quirky character like Bones to keep it interesting. 

Up all Night: I wanted to like this more than I did.  Will Arnet is basically playing GOB, which I don't mind at all.  There was just something off.  I will watch a couple more episodes and report back.

Free Agents: I did not like this show.  And it's a shame.  I generally do like Hank Azaria - this was just not the best work I've seen him do.  I won't be tuning in again. 

I'm sure there are plenty of shows that I'm forgetting right now, but I'll no doubt get to them later.  This should give you a healthy idea of what is new this season and what to look out for in the coming weeks.  For now, all my sights are set on the Big Bang premiere happening tonight - there's a reason Jim Parsons keeps winning that little Emmy award...

Until the next episode...
Chris