Have I shied away from talking about the television season as of late? I haven't meant to, but have the feeling that I may have and consequently have spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly why that may be the case.

The first question I asked myself — the most important question — is whether the issue lay with me or with television. Quite clearly, I'm not the problem, how could it possibly be me? No, the problem lies with television — as excited as I was for the new season to begin, as excited as I am about some of the shows that are currently airing, there feels like there is less there this year than in past years.

Some of that is easily explained away with the simple fact that there is less. Jay Leno takes up five hours of prime real estate in primetime, hours that I used to spend watching stuff like ER, My Own Worst Enemy, Southland, and Law & Order. I didn't always like those shows and what they delivered, but (save for the latter seasons of ER) I always watched.

I think, though, that fewer options actually feeds into the real problem — I just haven't found that new show to watch, that new show in which I get so heavily invested that I feel compelled to praise it to the heavens or trash it mightily week after week.

Don't mistake that, however, for my not really enjoying some of the new programs airing. I was highly anticipating ABC's Wednesday night lineup (everything but Hank anyway), and while I may have dropped Eastwick from my schedule, I really am enjoying The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town (and dying to see tonight's episodes). I stated on Screen Time last night that while Cougar Town was initially my favorite, last week's Modern Family was absolutely brilliant — a great bit of television and I'm embedding the episode below so that you can marvel in its hilarity. I think ABC's risky proposition of an all-new Wednesday night lineup, one populated with a two-hour sitcom block, is working brilliantly, at least from 8:30 to 10:00. What they're going to do with the rest of the night I'm not quite sure.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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