Well I'm gonna be extremely and uncharacteristically frank on this one. I am in dire need of two good shows to add to my pain-stakingly molded "regular line-up" of TV programs. The problem is, I keep a very tight lease on what I watch and try to keep it as diverse (in terms of both genre and network) as possible. I don't let shows in through the gate very easily. With "Heroes," "Nip/Tuck," and "24," those were no-brainers.
But with some of these other shows, I'm gonna need a little help. Recently, I've checked up on a number of today's shows, and based on both overall popularity with fans as well as critical ratings, I've now come up with these following shows as the "finalists" in my search for better TV programming.
Not wanting more than two programs from the same network as well as an overload of programs of the same genre or nature (such as multiple hospital dramas), these turned out to be the final shows from which I plan on choosing two:
House (FOX Tuesdays)
Grey's Anatomy (Thursdays on ABC)
Entourage (Sundays on HBO)
The Shield (Tuesdays on FX)
Halfway Home (Comedy Central Wednesdays)
Psych (Fridays on USA Network)
Prison Break (FOX Mondays)
Any input would be greatly appreciated and acknowledged.
These following shows were all "considered" as well based on their popularity as well as ratings but eventually ruled out by yours truly before any decisions were made (don't be offended by an critical remarks on my part if you DO watch any of these shows):
The 4400 (USA Network) - From what I've watched, this show feels like a crappier, episodic-instead-of-serialized version of "Heroes." Plus with Monday Night RAW on USA every week, it leaves little room for anything else.
One Tree Hill (The CW) - Even though OTH is currently the most popular and highest rated drama on The CW, unless Supernatural or Friday Night Smackdown! bites the dust, I think I'll hold off.
Lost (ABC) - I put Lost on this list, but the truth is, I just got sick of the show. I got sick of the pacing, the messy storylines, the characters that I no longer care about, all of it. I usually don't refer to standalones as "fillers," but with Lost I did.
The Office (NBC) - Desperate for a good primetime sitcom, this was one of the many comedies I had considered before giving up completely on the ones currently on the air. I realized that The Office is one of those shows that only tricks you into thinking it's funny, due to the peculiar setting and atmosphere of the show, and not because the dialogue is actually funny in nature.
The Closer (TNT) - Heard great things about this show, but to me I've already used TNT way too much in the past for syndicated reruns of dramas like The X-Files, Charmed, Angel, and ER.
Jericho (CBS) - Even more desperate for a good CBS drama (which I've determined now that there are none), I tuned in to the series premiere of this show with a rather poor premise, and tuned out just as easily. Frankly, right now the only good CBS programming for me is Daytime Guiding Light.
Dexter (Showtime) - The only show with a higher rating on TV.com than this is "Heroes" (currently the ONLY program with a 9.5/10, the highest rating of any show), so I knew I had to check this series out for myself. Not a bad show, but I'm not looking for "not bad." I gotta say I really don't understand the insanely high critical acclaim.
Ugly Betty (ABC) - Hey, who doesn't wanna see Vanessa Williams on TV every week? Unfortunately, her appearances are too far and few between to make this otherwise mediocre dramedy worth watching on a regular basis. Even though Desperate Housewives has been suffering lately without Marcia Cross, she'll be back, so I'll stick with it. Plus there's Power Rangers OO, although I guess technically I could also consider it a Toon Disney show.
Right now I kinda feel like I'm Borat in a cultural learning of America for making benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan ...
