Mid-Season TV Roundup

Well, it's that time again. Most TV series take a holiday break at mid-season, and usually by this time, the shows that were going to get the ax have gotten it long ago. Let's get started. As usual, I'll list the series I started watching at the beginning of the season, along with some comments.

Monday night:

How I Met Your Mother, 7:30 pm, CBS - Well into its Sophomore year, this sitcom seems to be doing well, and I'm still enjoying it. CBS bumped this back a half hour to the 7 pm slot earlier this season. I now watch it on tape, since I don't get home from work until after 7.

Prison Break, 8:00 pm, FOX - I think this one can keep going for a while. The cons broke out at the end of last season, and it's been a manhunt so far this season. Good stuff. Prison Break is currently on a break.

Runaway, 9:00 pm, CW - Donnie Wahlberg cannot get a fucking break. First Boomtown gets cancelled in its second year, and this show couldn't even get off the ground before the CW pulled the plug. I thought it wasn't bad, and it was a hell of a lot better than most of the other shit on CW.

Heroes, 9:00 pm, NBC - I love this show. I think it might be the third best show on television (I'll get to my first and second best shows in a bit). Superheroes, for chrissakes. If you're not watching this show, get caught up and start. It's on hiatus right now, so you've got plenty of time.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 10:00 pm, NBC - While it was on shaky ground early in the season in the ratings, Studio 60 seems to have found its feet. I never watched either of Aaron Sorkin's other shows (Sports Night and The West Wing), but I think I'm going to have to check them out on DVD. Because this show rocks. This is my pick for the second best show on television right now.

Tuesday night:

Standoff, 8:00 pm, FOX - Yeah, I'm a Joss-verse fanboy. Gina Torres is the only reason I started watching this show, but it's pretty damn good. Tim Minear has since joined the show as a producer, which I really hope doesn't lead to it getting cancelled.

Veronica Mars, 9:00 pm, CW - If this show was the only show on television, I don't think I'd be disappointed. I don't know how anyone can't like Veronica Mars, and anyone who doesn't watch it is dead to me. By far, the single best show on television. I am supremely pissed that not only is it currently on break, but the fuckers at CW didn't even renew it for a full season, instead stopping at 22 episodes. If VM gets cancelled, I might have to go to jail for killing some executives.

Smith, 10:00 pm, CBS - I really don't know why they bothered with this one. "Yeah, so we've got a bunch of bad guys, and they're the focal point of the show, but there's no reason the viewer should care about them because they're all stereotypical assholes." Needless to say, it got canned after a handful of episodes.

Wednesday night:

Jericho, 7:00 pm, CBS - Post apocalyptic Mid-West, baby. This is a pretty solid show. Like with How I Met Your Mother, I'm taping this one and watching it later.

Bones, 8:00 pm, FOX - Another runaway hit for FOX last year, and it's still going strong. More Joss-verse peeps in this one, too.

Lost, 9:00 pm, ABC - I'm torn with this show. I still watch it religiously, but I don't think it's any good anymore. When it started, I thought the writers had an elaborate plot that would unfold with time. Now, I think they're just making shit up as they go along. People like me keep watching it, though, so this one will be here for a while, I think. It's on hiatus currently.

Day Break, 9:00 pm, ABC - Running as a replacement for Lost during the winter hiatus, Day Break has a solid premise, but the execution is a little sloppy. I've taped quite a few episodes, but haven't gotten around to watching them, mainly because I don't think it's going to last. I've been wrong before, though.

Kidnapped, 10:00 pm, NBC - Oh noes, a snotty rich family has their son taken and held for ransom! Who gives a shit? Fuck em, I say. That's what other viewers said, too, and this one went down the shitter.

The Nine, 10:00 pm, ABC - The Nine tells the story of nine people's lives after a two day hostage situation in a bank. I think this is another one of those Lost clones, but it's enjoyable so far. It's also on hiatus.

Thursday night:

My Name Is Earl, 8:00 pm, NBC - I can't say enough good things about Jason Lee. This show is simply fantastic.

The Office, 8:30 pm, NBC - Paired with Earl, these shows make up the best hour of comedy on TV.

Smallville, 8:00 pm, CW - The only reason I still watch this one is because it's Superman. But the show itself sucks out loud.

Supernatural, 9:00 pm, CW - Yet another runaway hit, now in its Sophomore year. Great show, right here. I got Justin hooked on this one, which, in his own words, is "scary as shit."

Six Degrees, 10:00 pm, ABC - Another Lost clone, but this one's not half bad. Also on hiatus currently.

Friday night:

Is a wasteland. There's nothing worth watching on Friday night at all. There's supposedly some good stuff on Sci-Fi, but I'll wait for the DVDs.