Thursday , March 28 2024
It's time to talk about Thursday, Friday, Sunday shows and a good old happy dance.

Another Look at My Fall Viewing Schedule

Earlier this week you and I discussed my fall viewing schedule… in part.  We'd already, as I'm quite sure you recall discussed Mondays, and now we've taken care of Tuesday and Wednesday as well.  Those were pretty easy days, because, for some reason, the networks have decided that my wants and desires are wholly irrelevant.  Wholly irrelevant, I don't understand why, but I am on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thursday, apparently, I'm back in their good graces.  There's My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, and Kitchen Nightmares.  There is also the potential for my watching Life on Mars, Kath & Kim, and ER

I know what you're thinking – "ER?!?  You're contemplating watching ER… again?  You gave up on that show like a season and a half ago, and now you're thinking about watching it again?  Why?  Why would you do that?  Are you some sort of glutton for punishment?"  Outside of the fact that I am (a glutton for punishment, I mean), NBC is airing these promos for the series that feature Noah Wyle.  Noah Wyle is back.  John Truman Carter III is heading back to the emergency room.  I haven't looked yet to find out (mostly because I'm afraid to know the answer) whether he's back for good or whether he's just going to be doing another handful of episodes this season.  Plus, it's the show's last season, and I watched it for so many years that it feels right to watch it all end.

On the other hand, and, let's not kid ourselves, there's definitely (still) another hand, the show has been so disappointing for the past few seasons that if I tune back into it, I'm probably going to just remember the reasons I expunged it from my TiVo.  They were legion.  The reasons I deleted the Season Pass were myriad.  My anger and disappointment with the show towards the end of my time watching it knew no bounds.  For years, I thought it was the best show on television, I even defended it once it started to go downhill.  I told people it was still worth their time right until it became all too clear that it wasn't.  But, Noah Wyle.  He's coming back.  What to do?  What to do?

I know!  Let's move on, and not to Kath & Kim, because if I end up watching that I think it'll just be because it's on after The Office.

Life on Mars.  The show has had some pre-production issues, there's been reshooting, recasting, and a few firings and hirings here and there.  Usually that spells serious trouble for a show.  On the other hand… well… it's based on a British series and I'm a big fan of those British series.  And, truth be told, the idea is kind of interesting – there's this present-day cop that gets knocked unconscious, and finds himself living back in the 1970s.  Is he really there?  Is he just unconscious in a hospital back in this day and age?  Will the viewers ever find out before the show gets cancelled? 

And then there's Friday, the beginning of the end of the TV week (unless you go by Nielsen and their kooky Thursday to Wednesday week).  There, I'm thinking there's only Crusoe, NBC's Robinson Crusoe reimagined dealie-o.   Worth it?  Who knows, we'll find out, plus that island show that ABC airs is really good.

Now, just for completion's sake, there's Sunday night.  I have no idea what they're thinking with this whole leap into the future on Desperate Housewives, but I'm absolutely going to find out.  It's either the last gasp of a desperate series trying to reclaim its former glory, or a brilliant scheme cooked up by the show's producers that will pay off in spades.  Plus, The Simpsons are still on, so I'll be watching them.

Looking back on my TV schedule for the fall, I'm completely unenthused.  There are shows here and there I'm excited about, but there's nothing that makes me want to do a happy dance.  And, yes, I like to do happy dances. 

Sigh, at least there's still Top Gear, that always inspires a happy dance.

About Josh Lasser

Josh has deftly segued from a life of being pre-med to film school to television production to writing about the media in general. And by 'deftly' he means with agonizing second thoughts and the formation of an ulcer.

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