'Tis Lousy to Have Loved and Lost... : Another Pause in Our Programming

Well, another network down. We've learned this year that for the most part, NBC, under the watch of recently ousted entertainment president Kevin Reilly, took chances with some very peculiar shows, and for the most part stuck with them at least for a full season (or half-season in the cases of mid-season replacements). The casualties weren't as severe as ABC, nor as half-assed as CBS, or nearly the disaster that was FOX's last season (one, count them, one new show lasted to see another season, and it's not a very good one) and the future looks bright for NBC. I'll deal with their new shows later on when that times draws closer.

There were, of course, another handful of shows on NBC's canceled list about which I didn't write. This would either be due to the fact that I was on the road for four months starting in January (severely limiting the hours I usually dedicated to watching every damn thing the networks throw at me) or a complete lack of interest. As follows:

-"The Black Donnellys": Paul Haggis is sort of a hack, and while the concept mildly intrigued me, I wasn't going to watch anything he created on his own. I reserve my right to do this.

-"Crossing Jordan": During its entire run I have seen exactly zero episodes. I did, however, see an episode of "Las Vegas" where the two characters randomly appeared to solve a mystery at the Montecito. It was okay.

-"Grease: You're The One That I Want": I watched the first three weeks of this, and then work caught up with me (along with the fact that it was nigh-impossible to download any episodes of this). I appreciated the effort but wasn't ecstatic about it, and from what I knew of the contestants by the time I stopped watching, I was not satisfied with the winning couple. Still, an intriguing idea for a show that just didn't catch on. (You know, like "On the Lot" right now.)

-"Raines": I saw the pilot very recently, and thought it was really interesting, but I just don't have it in me to download the rest of the small season, especially now that it's canceled. Sorry, Jeff Goldblum.

-"The Real Wedding Crashers": One of the two shows that stole "Studio 60's" Monday at 10 spot, it fell under that series of reality television--i.e. dating shows and wifeswapping--I decided early on to avoid.

-"Thank God You're Here": A mediocre but slightly watchable take-off on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" that just didn't grab my attention during the first episode. All the episodes were available on NBC.com and still may be (along with "TBD" and "Friday Night Lights") and still very may well be, and I might visit a couple more before I say goodbye, but I'm fine without it. The hilarious Bryan Cranston, who appeared on the first episode, now has his own series coming up called "Breaking Bad." I'm looking forward to that far more.

As with ABC's "What About Brian?" I'm not sure if I'm ready to discuss the cancellation of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" for two reasons:

1) It is very dear to my heart.

2) They're still technically burning off episodes.

And as for "The Apprentice," it may not be on the fall schedule, and Trump may have threatened to quit, but current legal battles and flighty network executives haven't technically dropped this one yet.

CBS is next, and they've got some shit to deal with maintenant.

Fall TV Wrap-Up (just in time for Chanukkah!)

As the new title of this site suggests, I am indeed a media whore. Since I started using Comcast's DVR near the end of last summer, I have, of course, been able to watch basically a shit-ton of television. I started off with my regular shows (which completely unintentionally had a FOX bias after I counted the number of shows I truly truly watch on the Big Four), but I didn't feel satisfied. I started building an interest in more and more shows, and that took on the form of mostly new shows to the 2005-2006 season. This way, I deduced, I could get the most out of each show since I was with each and every one for the very beginning and didn't have to join in a show already in progress, which would defeat the purpose of my personal TV-watching habits. When February 2006 rolled around, I found that I had literally watched every single new damn show on the major networks (yes, even Courting Alex) and had suddenly become a connoisseur and student of what worked with the general American public and what failed to last from one season to another (or less!).

There are, of course, certain exceptions. I found myself perturbed by what was making it and, more importantly, what was not. (Sons and Daughters, I will rue your demise for years.) On the flip side, there were shows introduced last season that I decided to discontinue on my Season Pass Manager, the most notable of which would be CBS' genuine hit military show The Unit (although I did record the most recent episode as the teaser tickled my fancy).

When I moved back up to the Bay Area, and now using DirecTV's precious TiVo machine, I took it upon myself to do the very same thing with the 2006-2007 television season, this time starting with every single new show right from the get-go. This excludes the two new CW shows (Runaway, which is already cancelled, and The Game) and one FOX game show that lasted all of one episode (The Rich List).

Now that it's nearly Christmas, I thought I'd weigh in very briefly on the shows and what I think of them. This does not involve talking about which are "On the Bubble" and which are in trouble or even cancelled, but merely a ranking of each of the 26 new shows I watched this season. With the exception of allegedly four episodes of 'Til Death that I missed, I have literally watched every episode of these shows that were available on network television. (This excludes the burn-off online episodes of such shows as Kidnapped and Vanished, two shows that just happened to be about the exact same damn thing. It also excludes two very very good cable shows, the fresh TBS sitcom My Boys and the terrifying Showtime serial killer show Dexter, both of which I highly recommend.)

I will say this about the new season: there is only one show that I consider absolutely unwatchable. Luckily, it's on "ABC Hiatus." (For those not in the know, an "ABC Hiatus" almost never ever ever ends.) There are few true stand-outs, but I'm still greatly impressed.

Without any further ado. (Note the tie for first place.)

Rankings for New Shows 2006-2007

1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
1. Heroes
3. Day Break *
4. 30 Rock
5. Help Me Help You *
6. Friday Night Lights
7. Show Me The Money *
8. Justice *
9. Six Degrees *
10. Ugly Betty
11. Men in Trees
12. Jericho
13. Shark
14. Happy Hour *
15. Vanished *
16. Big Day
17. The Class
18. Smith *
19. Kidnapped *
20. 1 vs. 100
21. Standoff
22. Brothers and Sisters
23. 'Til Death
24. 3 Lbs. *
25. 20 Good Years *
26. The Nine *

* indicates either a cancelled show or one on "hiatus"