More thoughts on the fall chunk of the television season:
Wednesdays. I think I've watched every episode of Jericho, and I'm done with it. Looking back, I can't figure out why it took me so long to quit it. It's like the writers of Judging Amy took Lost apart, put it back together to their own taste, then handed it to a bunch of junior high kids. Lost, meanwhile -- how many episodes did we get this fall? It feels like about three. And seriously, nothing happened. The stuff with the Others is pretty good and Elizabeth Mitchell and her breasts are good additions to the show. Aside from them, Jack, Kate and Sawyer, no one has had much to do so far. I'm not sure what to expect when it returns from hiatus (in February?), except that it's going to be bumped back to 10:00.
Thursdays. The big story this fall was the 9:00 timeslot battle between CSI and Grey's Anatomy. I forget who won -- I'm watching The O.C., about which I've already written a lot. At 8:00, I missed most of what was apparently one of the best seasons of Survivor, choosing instead to watch Ugly Betty and record The Office. Ugly Betty gets better, week by week. America Ferrera is one of the best things on television -- that was apparent in the premiere -- and as we move along, the rest of the cast has proven itself nearly up to her level. The current unsung hero is Becki Newton, who plays the bitchy, drunken, binge-eating receptionist, Amanda. Newton came almost out of nowhere. I hope she gets a lot more work from this. She deserves to be a big, big star. The Office seems to be doing really well -- merging the Stamford branch in was a good move and has introduced a lot of funny bits. It still feels a lot broader than last season, but it's hard to complain when it's as funny as the Christmas episode.
Friday was a really good night this fall. The first half of the third season of Battlestar Galactica was really strong. The New Caprica stuff was so great it's overshadowed the stuff that's gone on since they all got back on their ships, that stuff has mostly worked as well. The creepy rock opera bits on the Cylon basestar are a real highlight. When it returns next month, the show will be on Sundays -- not sure how I feel about that. Friday's only other show worth watching was Doctor Who, which ended last week. I only half-watched this season, but I liked what I saw and I really liked the finale, like a lot. Probably worth renting on DVD when it becomes available next month, if you missed the Sci Fi broadcasts. -- Peter
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