the T to the Vizzy

So with Lost on hiatus until next year (Holy cat crap, Batman! Can that be right?! [checks the beloved internets] It is. WTH?) and us living somewhere where we actually get TV reception, I've been trying out a few "new" (for me at least) shows. I feel like I'm at a buffet, picking at stuff I've always been curious about, but not wanting to have to commit a whole meal to. I am free! So, here's what's on my plate:

Veronica Mars (CW, Tues. 9/8C) - Wow. I really like this show. After hearing the critics (and Stephen King in EW) get all glowy about this show, I was curious, but not entirely sold. I was wrong. I am man enough to admit that now. Now admittedly, I'm picking up in the third season (we just got season 1, disc 1 via the beloved Netflix, however), I was definitely smitten. The dialogue's snappy (Whedon-esque, if you will... though I was never all that into Buffy. I just like adding "-esque" to th eends of words. It's a very Big Red Robot-esque thing to do), and with the unfortunate demise of that other CW show and Big Red Robot fave (and I don't care who knows it), Gilmore Girls, I need me some snappy dialogue. Watch it.

Boston Legal (CBS, Tues. 10/9C) - I will admit this only once: I dig Shatner. And he's hilarious here. I'm not one for legal dramas (they bore m, really. If it were at all interesting, I'd be typing this in a law office rather than a design office) but, this is decent entertainment. It's got Candice bergen in it and James Spader (he's looking a little old, isn't he?) and the guy who played Stevie's dad on Malcolm In the Middle as a bunch of quirky lawyers. For what it is, it's worth it, as long as nothing else is on.

Traveler (ABC, Wed. 10/9C) - File this under: "great idea poorly executed." The set-up for this show is great (two friends are framed for a terrorist act by their friend who, somehow, never really existed), and it has some really cool moments, but it ends up stumbling over hoary old clichés at every turn. The characters are stock, the twists are stock, the dialog is stock. There's just nothing there that's at all special once you get beyond the high concept (which is where this differs from Lost, which could easily have been a much less interesting show had it not had the talent it has at the helm). It has one more episode and if it fails to elicit any impression, I'm out. I could use the extra sleep, anyway.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS, Mon. 8:30/7:30C) - I really want to love this show, really I do, if only to prove that the cast of Seinfeld isn't cursed, but it's at best, a marginally decent sitcom. Skippable.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS, Mon 9:30/10:30C) - It's funny and the cast is great (Jason Segel is genius, surprising no one), but it careens far too often into Crudetown, which is unfortunate. Watch it, but put the kids down first.

Creature Comforts (CBS, 8/7C) - It's cute, but sort of just one joke over and over. Still, it's funny stuff and the claymation's pretty impressive. It's still a little, I dunno, British, in its pacing, which may not be a good thing for lowest-common denominator American audiences. Worth keeping an eye on.

On the Lot (Fox, Tues. 8/7C) - Great premise and, I think, fairly accessible for a culture where film is our dominant art form. We've seen enough films to know (for the most part) good work from bad work (though a cursory glance at box office receipts might just kill my precious little theory dead) . Still, the whole American Idol, let's see how many hours we can milk out of one show by showing the films one episode and then having the results show the next episode thing tires me. Just tell me who won, 'kay? Let's not milk this thing forever. It's a great idea for a reality competition, but come on, don't drag it out. If it's on, and nothing else more interesting is competing, check it out.

NBC's Thursday night lineup (Uh, NBC 8-10/7-9C) - My Name Is Earl, the Office, 30 Rock and Scrubs? I guess I know where I'll Thursday nights. The weak link here is Scrubs but it's normally entertaining enough to warrant a watch. It's in nno way as cute as it would like you to believe it is, but hey, at least it tries, right? The other three are some of the best series on television right now that don't feature an island full of crazy/awesome stuff. you must watch this or suffer the indignity of being branded an outcast by society at large.

And here's some shows I've watched and will rip to shreds:

According to Jim - Another entry in the "Obnoxious fat guy with good-looking wife" genre (I feel it fair to note that I am a fan of King Of Queens, which falls firmly and unashamedly in this camp, but it's the genre done well - that's the difference here), this is just not at all funny. It's like there's a warehouse full of these scripts and once one of these shows get canceled, they cast a new one on a different network. Okay, we get it, it's the Honeymooners for our time. Enough already.

Two And A Half Men - This show is comedy cancer. It will make you die if you watch an entire episode. And, what the heck is up with Charlie Sheen's chin? Did he get , like a chin implant or something? Because he looks horrible. He looks like Skeletor wearing a flesh mask. [shivers] Yeesh. Gives me the creeps. Also, did I mention thsi show is atrocious? Because it is.

Anyway, so that's television. Did I miss anything? Keep in mind we just have rabbit ears. I know it's weird. Work with it.

Updated! We also never miss America's Funniest Home Videos, because you never can see enough crotch-hits, and I watched most of an episode of Studio 60 and man, them people can talk, can't they?