New season of TV

There are a lot of new programs I thought I'd start watching this season. I started with just trying the entire NBC Monday lineup: Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman. Chuck wasn't too bad, and I watched the second episode, mainly for Adam Baldwin. I made it through half that episode before giving up. My main issue actually is something I'll bring up in a bit. Heroes may or may not be able to make up for a slightly lackluster finale, but I have to see where this all goes, whether Ali Larter's character will finally die the death she deserves and leave. And we need more Hiro. We always need more Hiro. I made it through about half of Journeyman before I gave up. And for someone who loves time travel jokes, it's hard to say that the newest time travel show just isn't any good (based on the amount I made it through). Although it has both Kevin McKidd and Reed Diamond (from Rome and Homicide, respectively), the rest of the cast isn't particularly good, the two main women are just annoying, and the thing that made me turn it off was when his ex-girlfriend (fiancée? who cares, I couldn't pay attention) didn't actually die in the plane crash but also was going through time like him. What the hell?

Tuesday was only Reaper, directed by Kevin Smith, is an amalgam of Buffy and Dead Like Me, so, of course, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ray "Leland Palmer" Wise was awesome as the devil, Bret Harrison wasn't annoying (unlike a certain star of another tv show about a slacker working in a big box store and gets "superpowers"), and it also has Missy Peregrym (from the vastly fun Stick It), so it is actually enjoyable. That it actually gets the geek somewhat right is what makes Chuck pale in comparison. I'll still end up watching Chuck until it gets cancelled or they do something that so utterly pisses me off that I stop watching, but Reaper is a "This show will get cancelled unless you start watching now, so I'm going to tell everyone to watch it" show, so please watch, maybe?

Bionic Woman and Life were both disappointing, although for different reasons. I was only watching Life because it has Damian "Dick Winters" Lewis. Turns out it also has Adam Arkin (who gets respect for his last name alone) and Robin Weigert proving that Calamity Jane was mainly costuming and makeup. Not that she's that pretty, but she's not hideous. Life needs to get considerably better, even if I did like his obsession with fruit. I'm not quite that obsessed with fruit, but I do love fruit. Bionic Woman, on the other hand, was exec produced by David "Battlestar Galactica" Eick, and includes Katee "Starbuck" Sackhoff, Aaron "Chief Tyrol" Douglas, and Mark "Romo Lampkin" Shephard (let alone "Firefly"'s Badger) all from Battlestar Galactica. There's also Miguel Ferrer and Thomas Kretschmann (two of those guys, if not more), so the cast is quite good. If only the script were better. Or say, any good. The second episode was far better, but still, you know, not actually good. Also, not nearly enough Battlestar Galactica actors. I will try one more week on Bionic Woman, but I have given up on Life during the second episode. Too typical, even with the fruit thing.

Pushing Daisies finally premiered, and I finally got to watch it. Having Lee Pace and Bryan Fuller together again is awesome, after the short-lived but long-lamented Wonderfalls (and of course Bryan Fuller's Dead Like Me), and the show has more whimsy since Amelie. As I loved that film, I have no problem with it all. It's also nice to see Chi McBride doing more with the undead, and the people who can speak with them, like in The Frighteners. Kristin Chenoweth is slightly annoying, but she's really the only thing at all wrong with the show. This is also an "This show will get cancelled unless you start watching now, so I'm going to tell everyone to watch it" show, but this one did not do that poorly in the ratings.

Those are the only new shows I started watching this season. I do want to say that Dexter is quite enjoyable, and the first season was very enjoyable. I wonder what the season long arc will be this time. Tell Me You Love Me is actually quite annoying, with the only reason to watch is to see just how explicit they're going to go with the nudity this time. And what kind of prosthetics they're going to use. But the most recent episode was actually far better. There's always a chance. Curb Your Enthusiasm is still hilarious. I also started to watch the American version of the Office on DVD, to catch up asap. The first season actually got considerably better after it stopped aping the British one so much. And by halfway through the first episode of the second season, I completely and utterly regretted not watching past the first episode when it first aired. Because it is extremely funny. As is The Sarah Silverman Program, if only for the historical abortion montage to Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). Not as good as Tab, but still funny. And you can't go wrong with Kenneth, Tracy, Jack, Liz, and all the rest of the cast of 30 Rock. And the utterly ridiculousness of the entire plot. I missed the show so much. When the hell will MILF Island air?