With the 2010 Fall TV season upon us, here is the Videot's guide to nightly viewing. 1
Mondays
The Old: “House” is still holding its own, and now has thrown in a new twist as House and Cuddy have finally managed to succumb to their attraction. Whether this mellows House or causes a problem with his naturally antagonistic relationship to Cuddy as his boss should make for fun. “How I Met Your Mother” is still worth checking out. While “Two and a Half Men” has grown tired, it is still worth checking out one more season.
The New: “Lone Star” appears to be one of those night time soaps that Fox has enough confidence to use “House” as its lead in. Anyone afraid of getting involved and then losing out to early cancellation should note that ”House” was an early ratings loser, saved by eventually being tag teamed with “American Idol.” “Hawaii Five-O,” a take on the 70's hit, looks great in previews and has both the tag line (“Book 'em Danno”) and the greatest them song in TV history. This is bound to be a hit with the typical over-50 CBS crowd, but may work with younger viewers as its cast has been "re-imagined" as hot sex symbols. Finally, the Videot can't help but fall into “The Event,” if for anything to find out what "the event" is (something promised to be revealed this season, as opposed to 5 frigging and ultimately pointless "Lost" seasons).
The Plan: DVR “Hawaii Five-O” and a single block of “House” and “Lone Star.” Watch “The Event” and the sitcoms On Demand.
Tuesdays
The Old: “Glee” is a must see, and it is doubtful that a show having this much fun can fade or fumble in only its second season. Same is true for both “The Goodwife” and “Parenthood,” although “The Goodwife” from the start seemed a limited premise that has so far surprisingly surpassed that expectation. Thank you NBC for sticking by “Parenthood” based on its younger (than “The Goodwife”) demographics. Sorry Gleeks, “Parenthood” is the best show on Tuesdays, with a terrific cast and well paced issues.
The New: Hey, we have never hid the scifi geekdom of the Videot and therefore “No Ordinary Family” is a can't-miss. Great casting (Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" and the Thing from “The Fantastic Four;” Julie Benz of “Dexter” and Darla of “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) should save this series that is clearly a derivative of both “The Fantastic Four” and “The Incredibles.” It might also be a show that the entire family can and will want to watch together.
The Plan: No DVR conflicts mean all is well and all can be recorded as individual events.
Wednesdays:
The Old: A light night for The Videot as only “Modern Family” holds interest. Apparently, the Emmy awards agreed. The Videot gave up on the “House” imitation “Lie to Me” half way through last season.
The New Maaaybe “Undercovers.” Since this is a show from JJ Abrams, are we going to see another Alias (good show with sci-fi elements and a continuing storyline) or Lost (good show that initially ran from its sci-fi basis until you could tell that the creators could not - and ultimately did not - resolve the convoluted plot in any satisfactory way). While I trust Abrams for the “Star Trek” reboot and the “X-Files” clone “Fringe,” the Videot will most likely take a see and wait position on this one. Plus it’s on NBC which, “Parenthood” aside, usually dumps and run at the time you get fully invested in a show.
The Plan: DVR the two holdovers and “Undercovers.” This is also a good night to catch up on shows recorded Monday and Tuesday.
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1 Be aware that the Videot has Comcast, an HD DVR and tries to avoid commercials. While Comcast exaggerates its HD On Demand "choices," which include a plethora of unwanted movies, they do successfully mount On Demand for both ongoing TV series for both CBS and NBC. Assuming that practice continues, On Demand use and heavy reliance on the DVR maximizes what can be watched on any given night. The Videot watches programming on a computer only when desperate or traveling.
