Fall TV Part 3: Sept 27-Oct 3 – PACE YOURSELVES

Luckily, this week gives us a chance to catch our breath after last week, which was, quite frankly, a little bit bananas.  All the new stuff has to start in the SAME WEEK?  You can’t space it out a little?  Make it last?  Whatever, networks.  Band-Aid rippers, clearly.

There are only a few new shows this week, but before I get to them, let me give you the quick skinny on what I’m giving a second chance and what I’ve already booted from my schedule.

Gets a Take-Two:

Hawaii Five-0 — First episode almost killed me with its cheese. That final scene where the camera slo-mo’d Grace Park smiling and twirling in her cute li’l outfit?  Puke-aroo.  But it wasn’t terrible and I like the actors (though, Alex O’Loughlin is not terribly impressive thus far — smack them acting chops into shape, Alex, I’ve seen you do a lot better than this).  And, what’s more, I like the setting.  It’s sunny and warm there.  That’s not worth nothing when you’re heading towards winter in Seattle.

Detroit 1-8-7 — MAJOR issues with this one already, like, for example, the new homicide detective who pukes at his first dead body scene, despite the fact he’d clearly been a beat cop for years and surely had seen much worse than that.  Really?  Please to not believe your audience is so dumb thanks.  Also, what gives with the fairly solid beginning and, as a friend called it, the “Jerry Bruckheimer” ending?  Pick one, guys.  Preferably this week.

The Whole Truth — It’s not great, but it didn’t suck, either.  I watched the whole thing, unoriginal as it was.  I like Maura Tierney and her new hairdo, and while Rob Morrow seemed a little unsure of how much to play up the New York/New Jersey thing, he might settle in, mellow out.  It’s nice to see him be a bit of a goof for a change, at the very least.  But it’s going to need better storylines if it’s going to hold my attention.

Outlaw — SURPRISE!  I’ve seen the first two episodes of this one and I’m really enjoying it.  Jimmy Smits is doing a good job in his role as an ex-Supreme Court justice who has returned to the lawyer side of the bench.  And the Arizona cop vs. racially-profiled Hispanic case was timely without having the feeling of a “ripped from the headlines because we’re out of our own ideas already!” thing.  I also thought the writing was pretty sharp — good banter.   So far, best new legal show of the year, in my opinion — though admittedly, that is not saying much.

Dumped:

Blue Bloods — I watched the whole episode, and a mere three days later, I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about it.  Not a good sign.
Lone Star — Still waiting on my DVR, which is also not a good sign.  Can’t muster requisite enthusiasm for this one’s story.
The Event — Did not go there.
Chase — Bored in under 8 minutes.
The Defenders — Also bored in under 8 minutes, though I hear it got better after that so I might try again.

And now, coming up this week:

Tuesday, September 28

Returning:
The Good Wife – CBS, 9pm
Stargate Universe – SyFy, 9pm

New:
No Ordinary Family – ABC – 8pm — You know I love Michael Chiklis.  The problem is, I’m burned out on superheroes after the whole Heroes debacle.  What a disappointment.  If it ends up being the hit show of the year, though, I’ll be in for a DVD catch-up this summer.

Wednesday, September 29

New:
Law & Order: Los Angeles – NBC – 10pm — I was going to be all, “No way in hell” when it came to this one.  We need another Law & Order?  No.  No, sir, I’m pretty sure we don’t, in fact.   But then I ran into three problems:  Skeet Ulrich, Alfred Molina, and Terrence Howard.  Well, hell, NBC, if you’re gonna go all Terrence HOWARD on me . . . Damn.

Friday, October 1

Returning: Human Target – Fox – 8pm

Sunday, October 3

Returning:
American Dad – Fox – 9:30pm
CSI:Miami – CBS, 10pm

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Fall TV Part 2a: The Onslaught Begins (Mon, 9/20 to Wed, 9/22)

The TV Avalanche is upon us!  DUCK AND COVER!

I’ll be breaking this week’s TV post into two installments — here’s Part A, which covers Mon-Wed.  Part B will come out Thursday and catch you up on the end of the week.

Also, I’m breaking shows for each night into two categories:  Returning and New.  If a returning show has an asterisk next to it, it’s one I’m planning to watch.  Other than that, I won’t take up your time by commenting on the old stuff.

Monday, September 20

Returning:
Chuck – NBC – 8pm
Dancing with the Stars – ABC – 9pm
* House – Fox – 8pm
How I Met Your Mother – CBS – 8pm
Rules of Engagement – CBS – 8:30pm
* Castle – ABC – 10pm (Lick, lick on Nathan Fillion’s nose, slurrrp!)

New:

The Event – NBC – 9pm
Okay, look, I just can’t do it.  I cannot get sucked into this show.  I know what’s going to happen to this show (boot!) and I refuse to play along.  If Joseph Fiennes couldn’t keep people watching Flash Forward, what makes NBC think Jason Ritter and Laura Innes can do any better?  I mean, they’re nice and all, but they’re not exactly big draws.  And they’re certainly not big enough to conquer the wariness people have about these long-range-plans shows.  Invest lots and lots of time and bam!, you will be rewarded with no ending whatsoever.  THANKS FOR NOTHING, NETWORKS.  Forget it.  I’m out.

If The Event thrives and becomes the talk of the nation the way Lost was at first, I’ll consider catching up on DVD this summer and launching in full-steam ahead for season two.  Otherwise, I’m just going to ignore the whole thing so I don’t get burned YET AGAIN.

Lone Star – FOX- 9pm
This series, about a con man who has meticulously constructed two different lives for himself (two different jobs, two different families, two enormous piles of lies), might be worth watching for Jon Voight and David Keith.  Plus, con stories can be fun.  But this show has the potential to go in a sappy direction (apparently, he really loves either one or both of his marks), and that could be pretty lame.  I’ll give this one a couple of episodes and reassess later.

Mike & Molly – CBS 9:30pm
Two working class Chicago singles find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting in this sit-com.  I’m not a big sit-com watcher and am unlikely to bother with this one, but at least it sounds like it might have some good body-positive themes to it.  Let me know if you like it and I’ll give it a shot.

Chase – NBC – 10pm
This one’s about a female U.S. Marshall in charge of a team that includes your standard tough guy, intelligence guy, weapons/tactics lady, and more.  Cole Hauser co-stars, which is why I’ll be tuning in.  I’m sure this is just going to be standard crime drama fare, and it’ll have to be extremely well-written if it’s going to hold my attention.  But if it’s snappy, smart, and creative?  I’ll sign up for the long haul.  Kind of like these teamwork shows — lots of room for different types of characters and growth.

Hawaii Five-0 – CBS – 10pm
Oh, you know I’ll be tuning in for this one.  How could I not?  If nothing else, Alex O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, and Scott Caan provide an awful lot of eye-candy.  That alone might keep my interest piqued at least for a few episodes while the show gets a bit steadier on its feet (I’ve read the pilot is a bit of a disappointment, but most pilots are, right?  All that set-up work getting in the way of the fun stuff?).  If this is good, it’ll be really fun.  The question is:  will it be GOOD?  I’m game to find out.  At least for a few weeks.

Tuesday, September 21

Returning:
The Biggest Loser – NBC – 8pm
Glee – Fox – 8pm
*NCIS – CBS – 8pm
NCIS: LA – CBS – 9pm

New:
Raising Hope – Fox – 9pm
Sit-com about a 23 year-old guy who still lives with his parents.  Looooooser.

Running Wilde – Fox – 9:30pm
Sit-com starring Will Arnett from Arrested Development, as a rich, immature playboy trying to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Keri Russell).  This could be funny, if only because the cast is good, but again, I’m not much of a sit-com fan and probably won’t bother here unless reports are overwhelmingly glowing.

Detroit 1-8-7 – ABC – 10pm
Another “gritty crime drama” this time set on the streets of Detroit.  It’s got a great cast:  Michael Imperioli from The Sopranos, James McDaniel from NYPD Blue, and Aisha Hinds from True Blood, but the description on the web site kind of makes it sound like every other “gritty crime drama” ever made (also, Hinds’s character is described as “sexy, edgy, and beautiful” which has me bored already).  I’ll tune in for 2-3 episodes (my standard for trying a new series — one cannot judge a new show by its pilot alone), but please, Detroit 1-8-7, kick some ass for me, would you?  Let’s see what you can do when you’re in charge of a whole show, Cristahfah.

Wednesday, September 22

Returning:
Hell’s Kitchen – Fox – 8pm
The Middle – ABC – 8pm
*Criminal Minds – CBS – 9pm
*Law & Order: SVU – NBC – 9pm
*Modern Family – ABC – 9pm
Cougar Town – ABC – 9:30pm

Just a quick note on tonight’s returning shows:  I don’t know why I’m still watching Criminal Minds or SVU.  Don’t ask me.  I just can’t stop.  Even though they are terrible. Terrible!  TERRIBLE!  Argh.  Torment.

Modern Family, on the other hand, is an absolute DELIGHT and is the only sit-com I’m watching regularly these days.  I came into it late last season, dismissing it initially as being yet another sit-com about dysfunctional families.  But no — this show is hilarious and sweet and so, so good.  I laugh out loud all the time.  Wednesday night cannot come fast enough for me!  I need a good Dunphy chortle, and I need it ASAP!

New:
Undercovers – NBC – 8pm
This is the newest series by J.J. Abrams, which is excuse enough to tune in.  It’s about two CIA agents who get married, quit the spy game, and open a catering company instead.  But when their best pal, a fellow spy, disappears, they decide it’s time to go back to what they do best — espionage — to try to rescue him.  I love a good spy show, and I’m hoping this one qualifies — my only concern is the incredibly lame double entendre of the title, which makes me worry this may be not as sharply written as, say, Alias was.  Dorksville, USA, writers.  Don’t make that kind of schlock a habit, yes?  Fingers crossed!

Better With You – ABC – 8:30pm
Sit-com about two sisters whose lives are on very different paths — one is unmarried but in a long-term relationship, the other one is recently engaged to a guy she’s only know for seven weeks.  Hilarity ensues.  I guess?  Blah. Yawn.

The Defenders – CBS – 10pm
This lawyer drama is about two Las Vegas defense attorneys, played by Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi.  One is serious and focused, the other crazy about fast cars and hot ladies.  Watch them butt heads on cases!  “Hey, live a little!”  “Hey, buckle down!”  I can see where this one is headed, and so can you, but with Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell involved, it might be an entertaining ride at least.  I may or may not bother — I’m going to fly by the seat of my pants on this one.

The Whole Truth – ABC – 10pm
Former law school classmates turned bitter rivals, New York prosecutor Kathryn Peale and hotshot defense lawyer Jimmy Brogan square off in high-profile cases.  You just know they’re gonna fall in love.  Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney are the two draws for this one — it’s a little hard for me to picture them having any chemistry, but I do love Tierney’s new hair (post-chemotherapy).

Possibly worth a shot, but man, can’t anybody think up anything new anymore?  I feel like I’ve seen every one of this week’s premieres a hundred times already.  I sense this is going to be the Season of Yawn for network television.  Creativity gets punished on the networks (Pushing Daisies, for example) — is mediocrity really the only thing that sells anymore?  Take some risks, for pity’s sake.  I’m bored over here!

IN ANY CASE, come back here Thursday for what’s happening the rest of the week, and hitten zee comments for discussion.  *mwah*

Fall TV Boyfriend Alert!

McMagnumy

It’ll be a few more weeks before I get serious about Fall TV, but since I skipped summer TV altogether (current favorite, by the way, is Louie on FX), I thought I’d at least send out a teaser about some exciting coming attractions.  Namely, a whole heap of new shows slated to start in a month or two that feature ex-Boyfriends of the Week!

Head’s up, people!  There’s some serious cute coming your way this fall!  Detailed descriptions of all these shows coming soon when I dive into the Fall TV swimming pool for reals.

McVampirey

Monday nights, for example, will be bringing us Lone Star, starring ex-Older-Boyfriend David Keith, as well as the Hawaii 5-0 remake featuring Alex O’Loughlin.

Tuesdays will have No Ordinary Family with Michael Chiklis, though I will confess I saw an ad for this show recently and it looks like an ABC Family version of Heroes — meh, will likely skip this one.  Thinking ’bout it.

McBrowdery

Wednesdays include The Defenders with Jerry O’Connell, who I hope has eaten a few cheeseburgers since I last saw him without his shirt off on Crossing Jordan (yeesh, Skeletor!).  And I absolutely cannot WAIT for Hellcats as it will star the delightful Ben Browder (dang — see comments for correction of this). Then we’ll have Undercover (the new J.J. Abrams series) with Gerald McRaney (ooh rah!), or (good lord), yet ANOTHER Law & Order, this time in LA, featuring Skeet Ulrich (yippie!).  All in all, Wednesdays look pretty delicious.

Nada much on Thursdays in the way of ex-Boyfriends, but Friday’s got three old beaus:  Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, and Outlaw with Jimmy Smits.

McCrinkly

Also, just in case you were wondering who’d try to snag him next, James Tupper of the crazy-gorgeous eye crinkles, will be doing a few-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy.  Here’s hoping McCrinkly gets a season pass — he’s had some practice now with the medical jargon, after all.

Are you ready?  Man, I am SO READY.

MOVIE: Whiteout (2009)

One of the first things I do when I sit down to draft a movie review is write out the cast list that I put at the bottom of each one, and then go grab links to old Boyfriend write-ups where relevant.  Which is why I’m going to start off this particular review with the following exclamation:

Tom Skerritt hasn’t been a Boyfriend of the Week yet?!   I’m fired!  I fire myself!

I’m way overdue for the new Boyfriend write-up, by the way, in part because it’s the first one of the year, and that is a write-up I try to give just a tiny bit of superior significance.    I’ve been struggling to figure out which of the SIX I have in the hopper should be the one that kicks off 2010.  I’m pretty sure I now have my answer.  Unfortunately, this means an even longer wait, while I go rewatch 800 of my all-time favorite Tom Skerritt movies.  Luckily, there are far, far worse things than having to go rent The Turning Point for the 86-bazillionth time, so I’m not too upset about this.  I hope you aren’t either.

In the meantime, let me tell you about Skerritt’s latest flick.  This movie is about a U.S. Marshall, Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale), stationed in Antarctica and about to head out on a plane back to the states after a couple of years of wintering over.  She’s got a troubled past, and she fled to the gig in the South Pole in part to recover from it.  But after a few years of repeat-all, day in and day out, she’s ready to return to the real world and go back to tackling some serious crime.  Her plans to head out are put on ice (ha ha!) when a dead body is found frozen solid not far from the base.  The body leads Stetko, and a UN investigator sent to help her solve the case (ostensibly because Antarctica is a global possession and therefore, crime there has international implications), to a buried plane that had crashed in the area fifty or so years ago.  A deeper look reveals the recent theft of something from a broken lock box on the plane, and the more Stetko and her new partner dig in, the more bodies start piling up.  Skerritt plays the base doctor, who, as the only resident with any medical training, ends up also having to stick around to help Stetko autopsy the bodies.  Eventually, we’re left with a group of only about four or five people, one of whom we  know has to be the killer.

The plot is pretty much as predictable as it sounds and the acting isn’t all that great either (not really much of a Beckinsale fan, I will confess), but I still enjoyed watching this flick, primarily because of the setting.  Antarctica is an interesting place, and I’ve always been fascinated by stories about the people who choose to live there — I’m thinking specifically of two at the moment: Icebound by Dr. Jerri Nielsen (a memoir about her own winter at the Pole as base doctor, which didn’t involve murders but did involve having to treat herself for breast cancer — unfortunately, that same cancer came back and took her life last June) and Dark Winter by William Dietrich (a murder mystery of much greater complexity than this one, and one I highly recommend).

Actually, I’ve always kind of gravitated to stories about people who live in isolated or closed communities — stories about convents, private schools, islands, mysteries set in mansions, etc.  There’s something very intriguing to me about the way people interact in those close-knit settings.  And so, in that regard, I found this film intriguing enough to want to keep watching.  If what you’re after is a smart thriller, I’m afraid you’re going to have to look elsewhere.  On the other hand, if what you’re after is a snowy setting, Tom Skerritt with an absolutely dashing beard (as per usual, only it’s even dashinger now that it’s white), and Alex O’Loughlin with his shirt off, you need go no further.

[Netflix it | Buy it]

Genre:  Action, Mystery
Cast:  Kate Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt, Alex O’Loughlin, Gabriel Macht

TV Timekilling Post (New Boyfriend in the Works This Week!)

Just to let you know, things will be somewhat quiet here this week, as I’m scrambling around like pan o’ breakfast trying to get the new Boyfriend of the Week write-up posted before October expires.  (Not just because I’m trying to get at least one lame write-up posted every month (although, that too), but because he needs to make it up BY HALLOWEEN, or else there goes all the fun.  That’s the only hint yer gettin’, so don’t try for more, my peoples.)

While we’re waiting, though, let’s have some conversation.  Everybody tell me in comments which of the new Fall TV shows you are still watching and enjoying?  Here’s what’s still on my list:

Glee — I’m behind by three episodes, but I WAS behind by six until this past weekend and then I started to get caught up and got all sucked in again.  That said, I confess nothing gets my dander up like a subplot involving a faked pregnancy being used to trick an unhappy husband into staying in an awful marriage.  Newsflash to men everywhere:  Most women would never, ever consider doing something like that.  I promise, we wouldn’t.  We. Would. Not.  In any case, this is a subplot that I feel is not only grossly cliché and completely out of place in the show itself, but one I think we women ought to be downright offended by.  If you’re not offended by it, rest assured that I am offended on your behalf.  Wrap that shit up, Glee, and give me more songs by Journey or I may bail before the year’s out.  You’re on alert, yo.

The Forgotten — I recognize that this is not a good show.  That said, you know what?  I’m enjoying it anyway.  I really like Christian Slater; I can’t help myself.  And even though everybody starts off dead and so there is never a happy ending, I kind of like the concept behind this series — a show about a group of volunteers with various sorts of skills who spend their free time working as amateur sleuths.  I love sleuthing — it’s why I became a librarian, in fact.  In any case, while I haven’t been overly impressed so far with the plots, it MIGHT get better.  It COULD get better.  I’ll hang in a little while longer.

NCIS: Los Angeles — Oh, please, I KNOW this one is not a good show.  I’m still watching this one just because every episode is so amazingly stupid and bad, it is absolutely hilarious.  I laugh out loud no fewer than 8 times per episode, which is more than The Daily Show gets out of me half the time these days.  Oh god, I love this one.  I LOVE IT.  I have never seen a show this ridiculous.  It’s totally awesome.  Plus, I will never get tired of looking at L. L. Cool J’s butt, no matter how old I get.  Or how old he gets.  May we grow old together, in fact, me and L. L Cool J.  And L. L. Cool J’s butt.  All three of us, old.  Together.  Forever.

Flash Forward — I’m behind by three episodes, and I think it’s because. . . meh.  I mean, I like the concept of this series, and I fully intend to get caught up (this weekend, even).  But I haven’t gotten sucked into it that solidly yet.  Not like I got with Lost, certainly.  I never fell behind on a single episode of Lost until season three, come to think of it, but I started falling behind on FF on EPISODE three.  Probably not a great sign.  That said, I’m still IN.  I’m just not IN all the way.  I’m sort of hokey-pokey-in.  One foot, one hand, shakin’ it all about.  What do you guys think of this one?  If it lasts long enough, Joseph Fiennes or John Cho for Boyfriend of the Week?  Both?

Three Rivers — It’s terrible, I know it.  Stop, I know it.  But still.  Of the three new medical shows (Mercy and Trauma being the other two), it’s the only one I watched a second episode of, and even though I haven’t then watched any more, I’m letting them pile up on the DVR for a rainy day and am even sort of looking forward to the day that rainy day finally arrives.  Incidentally, I recently went to the ER myself and guess what was playing on the TV while I was there — Mercy and Trauma. I motioned to the TV set and said to the doctor, “Really? Isn’t that kind of like playing Castaway on an airplane?”   And he laughed and said the nurses liked it.  Personally?  I think health care reform needs to start RIGHT THERE.

I think this is it for me and the NEW shows this year.  I’d love to hear what you guys are watching (is anybody still watching Eastwick, for example?  How’s it going?  Did you guys end up loving The Good Wife?  What did I miss that I ought to check out?  Any of the new sit-coms good?).  Hit the comments and chat us all up and together, we’ll make it to the next Boyfriend of the Week write-up, due FRIDAY come hell or high water.  (Or, more likely here in Seattle, a hell OF high water.)

Fall TV Premiere Week . . .Wait, Which Week is This?

First, a quick recap of the new shows I’ve seen so far:

Flash Forward is a maybe for me, but it’s a strong maybe.  I found the pilot intriguing, and it’s full of great actors (loving John Cho and Joseph Fiennes), but segues to commercial breaks that feature an ominous voice telling me to do things like  “pay attention to the kangaroo — it might be important” kind of make me want to kick someone in the shins.  Don’t tell me what to do, you creepy bastard.  If I want to pay attention to the kangaroo, I’LL PAY ATTENTION TO THE KANGAROO.  (And if that’s not a Facebook status update of pure gold, I don’t know what is.)

NCIS: Los Angeles: [THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS A SPOILER] I love you, LL Cool J and Linda Hunt.  And okay, you too Chris O’Donnell, if I must.  However, your show is an absolute disaster.  I must have laughed out loud 15 times watching your pilot, and only 2 of those times were because you let LL Cool J tell a joke.  Plus, you know how at the end of the first episode, the bad guy is about to shoot “G” (O’Donnell) in the head, and just as he’s about to pull the trigger, G’s phone goes off,  and so the bad guy is all, “No, no, go ahead.  I’ll wait”?   Really?  I mean, REALLY really?   Also, poor, broken orphan who never had a first name, only a first initial?  And don’t even get me started on the rack of $300 designer jeans paid for with our tax dollars.  Bah.  One more episode and then I’m out.

The Forgotten:  Same song, different verse — it’s actually just Cold Case all over again.  I really liked Slater in this, but everybody else is a total throwaway so far, and the plots are going to have to get WAY, WAY more interesting if this show wants to survive longer than mid-October.  My money’s on one more episode and then the boot.

Eastwick, Mercy:  I didn’t make it through their pilots, I’m afraid.  I’m out, and I bet the networks will be shortly out as well.

Let me know what you guys thought?  I still haven’t seen The Good Wife, but will try to catch that one this week.  So far, in terms of returning shows, Supernatural is still kicking everybody’s ass, by the way.  If you aren’t watching that series and you like smart, funny, clever, creative writing, DUDE.  Is all.

Monday, 9/28

Lie to Me (FOX) — 8pm.  I watched this series last year and mostly enjoyed it, but it needs a lot of work if it’s going to keep me intrigued enough this year to keep going.  I confess the part I like the best is that I feel like I am learning skills I can apply whenever I suspect someone is lying to me.  Frankly, if they could just skip the character drama and turn this show into a TV-based training course in kinesics instead, I think I’d like it a lot better.  Sorry, Tim.  Maybe you can narrate?

Trauma (NBC) — 9pm.  Another show tries to fill the void left by ER.  But you know what, shows?  We don’t really need you to fill a void.  We sort of need you to do something new.  This one is about EMTs and trauma surgeons, and maybe, MAYBE the EMT stuff might be sort of interesting.  We’ll see, sigh.   The cast has a few familiar faces (dashing-Kiwi Cliff Curtis, guy-who-creeps-me-out Jamie Sheridan), but for the most part don’t look terribly inspiring.  Can you tell I’m really struggling to muster up ANY degree of enthusiasm for this one?  Yeah, that.  Go ahead, Trauma, make me eat my words.  DOUBLE-DOG DARE YOU.

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Tuesday, 9/29

Hell’s Kitchen (FOX) — 8pm.  You know what’s really weird?  Watching this show and then watching Gordon Ramsey’s British shows like Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word.   Why do we, as Americans, need to convert that guy into such an incredible jerk in order to make him entertaining and marketable here? I boggle, as does my mind.

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Wednesday, 9/30

Hank (ABC) — 8pm and The Middle (ABC) — 8:30pm.  Whatever.

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Thursday, 10/1

Private Practice (ABC) — 10pm.  This is still on?  AND EYES GOT CANCELED?  I hate you, ABC.  And yes, I will hold that grudge for all of eternity, thanks for asking.

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Friday, 10/2

Til Death (FOX) – 8:30pm.  Watched half of season one of this one, actually — I know, surprise, right?  Yeah, it. . . meh.

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Sunday 10/4

Three Rivers (CBS) —  Dammit, CBS, don’t fail me on this one, would you?  Of the three medical shows starting this fall, this is the only one that actually has a chance of being relatively not-that-sucky.  But here’s the problem — this series is about organ transplant doctors.  Remember that OTHER series about organ transplant doctors — Heartland?  The one with Treat Williams?  That show was a veritable croque monsieur of cheese.  This show needs to NOT BE LIKE THAT SHOW.  And that’s really the only advice I can give at this point.  Come on, Alex O’Loughlin, you mad-crazy hunkaroo, SAVE ME.

Five More ex-Boyfriends Headed for TV!

Okay, so we already knew about Paul Gross in Eastwick (ABC, Wednesday, Sept. 23), Tim DeKay in White Collar (USA, Oct.), Alex O’Loughlin in Three Rivers (CBS, Sunday, Oct. 4), Chris O’Donnell on NCIS:LA (CBS, Tuesday, Sept. 22), and Timothy Olyphant on Lawman (FX, 2010) (okay, okay, he’s not an ex-Boyfriend YET, but he will be soon enough).

BUT I just found out today that five more ex-Boyfriends will be starring or co-starring in shows coming to cable and network television this fall/winter.  Man, I might have to quit my day job just to keep the DVR from exploding.  Life is good.  (p.s. Know of any other new shows coming soon that star old Boyfriends of the Week?  Hit the comments!)

We’ve got:

James Marsters playing terrorist leader Barnabus Greeley in SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica prequel series, Caprica. (Jan. 2010)

John Hawkes playing a new character on ABC’s Lost — some kind of businessman described as “scruffy, edgy, and charismatic.”  You had me at “scruffy,” ABC. (Jan. 2010)

Chris Noth co-starring with Julianna Margulies in CBS’s The Good Wife, a series about a stay-home mom who finds herself reentering the workplace after her husband’s very public sex and political corruption scandals land him in jail.  Sounds terrible.  Sign me up.  (Tuesday, Sept. 22)

The delightfully-voiced Clancy Brown co-starring in ABC’s new lawyer drama, The Deep End, which will focus on a law firm and its fresh-faced recruits.  While I’m definitely sick (and tired) of lawyer shows, those are two adjectives I’ll likely never apply to my feelings about The Clance (which sounds like an STD but isn’t; if it were, I’d be happy to contract it, though), so clearly I’m on board. Plus, Tina Majorino!  Yay!  (TBA, Fall)

And last, but certainly NOT least,

James Tupper, humina humina, coming to NBC in Mercy, a medical drama told from the perspective of nurses and described as having “a totally unique point of view.”  You know, except for all those other shows on TV right now about nurses.  Oh really, like we care if this one’s unique.  As long as nobody tries to tidy up his hair, I’m in.  (Friday, Sept. 23)

(By the way, I was going to reduce this photo of JT a bit.  But then I decided life’s too short for cropped photos of James Tupper.  You’re welcome.)

Alex O’Loughlin returning to primetime TV!

Today in good Boyfriend site news: Alex O’Loughlin has landed a role in a new series for the Fall 2009 TV season.  The show will air on CBS and is entitled Three Rivers. It’ll be about the various people involved in organ transplants, from the medical team to the patient to the families of the donors.

Today in bad Boyfriend site news: That’s the same concept behind the 2007 Treat Williams series Heartland (on TNT) which got the boot after only nine episodes.

Look, I worry.  It’s just what I do.

Today in good Boyfriend site news: I’m halfway done with the next Boyfriend of the Week write-up.  You know, the one I said would be up two weeks ago?

Today in bad Boyfriend site news: But I’m about 3 books behind in book reviews, and 2 movies behind in movie reviews.

Ah, Mondays.

CURSES! Die, Network Executives, Die!

Man, in terms of TV news, this week is really starting to bum me out!  First, I learned yesterday that both Men in Trees (WHAAA!) and Women’s Murder Club have not been renewed for next year (but Sarah Connor Chronicles was?  Really!?).  And today, Moonlight has officially gotten the boot. 

First of all, let me state for the record that I will never forgive ABC for what it did to Men in Trees, which was a well-written, clever, and thoughtful show that didn’t deserve being shafted the way the network seemed to so enjoy shafting it.  Also, it starred one of the hunkiest men to grace primetime television since MACGYVER, people.  And is that worth SO LITTLE in this day and age?  I argue not!

ABC network executives, you are either total buttheads or complete idiots.  You may pick one or the other.  Or both.  In fact, both works for me quite nicely.  As Donald “Duck” Dunn in The Blues Brothers so aptly put it, “If the shit fits. . .”

Also, yes, I know Women’s Murder Club was kind of bad.  Okay, it was kind of pretty really bad.  But you know what?  It wasn’t UNWATCHABLY bad.  It was better than half the crap you know ABC is going to put out next season.  I was enjoying it!  Way more than I have ever enjoyed, say, Private Practice.  WHICH GOT RENEWED!

Is there no justice in this world?!

And as for Moonlight, bah.  Yes, that’s right, I say BAH to you, CBS!  But instead of complaining, I’m just going to go reread my write-up on Alex O’Loughlin and alternate cursing like Tony Soprano with crying silently into my lunch.

Bugger all.  Today sux.