This weekend I tried several times to sit down and watch the two-hour premiere of “Crusoe” – a show that I’m genuinely interested in watching. The problem is that the premiere is 2-hours long. I don’t have that kind of time. Honestly, I think most people don’t have that kind of time anymore.

It’s not that I’m an insane work-a-holic (although, I am), but what I mean is – I don’t have that kind of time because I’m interested in doing other things. I have a daughter I like to spend time with – and a wife that I also like to spend time with — so on the weekends we try to spend time together. There is a great big outside world that we like to venture out into. Plus, “Crusoe” is not exactly the type of thing that’s engaging to a 5-year-old – so we’re not likely to sit down and watch the thing together.

A great many shows on these days are so completely in appropriate for kids that we wouldn’t watch them together anyway…but you get my point.

2-hours is a massive investment of time. Between work, dinner, homework, bed-time routines, and getting a little exercise in every now and again – there simply isn’t time to fit a 2-hour show into my free time most weeks.

After you miss that first episode, then you don’t quite know what to do about watching the next week’s show…then you get two or three episodes behind…next thing you know – you’ve skipped out on the show entirely.

I’ll be eager to see if having a 2-hour premiere has negatively affected any shows this season. I know it’s the reason I didn’t bother with “Heroes” this year…we’l have to see.

What do you think?

Chuck – Chuck Versus The Helicopter – NBC – 8/7c

As Chuck continues to come to grips with his new spying life, tension builds between his recently appointed partners, and he must decide which of them to trust.

Prison Break – Call Waiting – FOX – 8/7c

Someone slides an envelope containing a photo of Sara and LJ under the door of Linc’s hotel room. It might contain clues to their whereabouts. The Company Operative (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe) in Panama City might help, too, but Linc must persuade her it’s in her best interest to do so. And at Sona, Michael gets to know Whistler (Chris Vance); Lechero begins to lose confidence in his ability to shape events; and Mahone, who is in increasing need of his medications, meets the lawyer who’ll defend him.

Heroes – Lizards – NBC – 9/8c

Claire’s efforts to keep her abilities hidden are compromised by someone with a secret of his own; Suresh is ordered to look for the Haitian; Niki and Micah leave Las Vegas; Matt makes a surprising request for help as he investigates the attacks on people with abilities.

We’re officially into the fall season!  Granted, we’ve only got a couple of FOX shows, but it’s great to see the wheels turning.

Prison Break – Orientacion - FOX – 8/7c

Michael Scofield escapes from Sona, a deadly Panamanian prison to find Whistler, a mysterious fellow inmate hiding within the prison’s sewer system, in order to break him out from a prison which has no way out. Meanwhile, Lincoln searches for missing Sara and receives troubling news about LJ.

K-Ville – FOX – 9/8c

Two hard-nosed New Orleans cops struggle to clean up the streets of the hurricane-ravaged city. While tracking down dangerous criminals, they also attempt to hold together their complicated personal lives.

 

The Simpsons - 9/8c – FOX

America’s longest running sitcom heads into its 19th season this year (take that,  ER!).  In the premiere, Lionel Richie and Stephen Colbert guest star.  Also this season, expect appearances by Alan Moore, Jon Stewart, Matt Dillon, Dan Rather, Keith Olbermann, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Steve Buscemi, Jack Black, and Topher Grace.

Family Guy – 10/9c – FOX

While I feel like Family Guy is occasionally racy just for the sake of being so, it’s still an incredibly smart comedy.  And…the pilot episode this season is a retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope, and from what I’ve seen on YouTube, it could be the funniest episode yet.

Viva Laughlin – 9/8c – CBS

The hook that attracts me to this show is the very thing that will be its undoing.  It’s a musical on primetime television, and, let’s face it, the American public is not going to accept a musical on primetime television (prove me wrong…please, prove me wrong).

Desperate Housewives – 10/9c – ABC

DH has been in a steady decline since it’s inaugural season.  The addition of Nathan Fillion is enough to keep me sticking around at least for a little while longer, though.  And, come on, let’s be honest.  What else are you going to watch…Cold Case?

 

Holy cow, we’ve got a lot of shows on Thursdays.  Here we go… 

My Name Is Earl – 8/7c – NBC

30 Rock – 8:30/7:30c – NBC

The Office – 9/8c – NBC

Scrubs – 9:30/8:30c – NBC

This could be the perfect comedy block.  Yell and scream all you want about CBS’s Monday night lineup, but this is where it’s at.  I really feel like 30 Rock and Officeare the two strongest comedies on television, and serve as a perfect tentpole for the almost equally great Earl and Scrubs.

Grey’s Anatomy – 9/8c – ABC

I know there are several TV snobs out there who think it’s beneath them to watch Grey’s Anatomy.  I’m not one of them.  It’s almost always the most consistently solid drama around, though, admittedly, last season faltered a bit here and there.  However, the producers know that a lot of fans were upset, and are taking steps to “fix” the show.

Big Shots – 10/9c – ABC

This was another pilot that I was really interested in checking out, but for some reason, when I searched for “Big Shots” online, I got a lot of…inappropriate…results.  There hasn’t been just a heck of a lot of news about this one, so the most I can really say is that it’s essentially a man’s Desperate Housewives.  Color me interested.

ER – 10/9c – NBC

Man, oh man…this show has been on for 14 years.  That’s crazy.  While it may have lost some of the flair it had back in its heyday, it still presents some very compelling drama.  There are many reports that this will be the last season, so prepare yourself for several “Tonight…on a very special ER” moments.

Pushing Daisies – 8/7c – ABC

Absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite pilot of all the shows I got to check out was Pushing Daisies. This is unlike anything that you’ve seen on television. With a simple touch, Ned can bring the dead back to life, but one more touch will send them back into the nether-realms again. Everything’s good until he runs into his childhood sweetheart, who just happens to be dead. He resurrects her, but doesn’t have the heart to kill her again.

Daisies is a totally unique show. It’s very absurd and random, but in a good way. The feel is very Burton-esque…in fact, in my review, I compared it’s general ambiance to the Burton film Big Fish. This is far and away the best pilot I’ve seen this year, and possibly even one of the best ever. Do not miss this show.

Private Practice – 9/8c – ABC

The demo pilot that ABC showed during Grey’s Anatomy this year was decent enough. There’s little chance that it will live up to its mothershow’s success, but it has a great chance at being a hit. Plus, it’s always nice to see Tim Daly and Taye Diggs working.

Read my review here.

Bionic Woman – 9/8c – NBC

The show is…alright. I’ve been holding off on my review for a while now, just to spread the love a little bit. Like I said in the review I posted today, there’s a heck of a lot of talk and not a lot of action. I really get the impression, though, that the show is spinning its wheels, just waiting to get traction. Once Bionic Woman picks up, though, it could be something great.

Dirty Sexy Money – 10/9c – ABC

Unfortunately, Dirty Sexy Money has seen a good bit of shakeups leading up to the premiere, which rarely bodes well for a show. I never managed to get my hands on the pilot, which is sad, because this was one that I was really looking forward to checking out. It has names attached to it like Bryan Singer, producer of House, Peter Krause of Six Feet Under fame and Donald Sutherland, who owns the screen in whatever he does.

Luckily, it looks like Tuesday will be my “thin” night.  Besides the results show for Dancing with the Stars, here’s what to look for.

Reaper – 9/8c – CW

Kevin Smith wrote and directed this pilot, and it definitely shows.  The humor is quirky and the performances are, for the most part, top-notch.  (Especially Ray Wise as the Devil, and Tyler Labine as Sock.)  Though I did have a few negative opinions about the pilot (read the review here), it serves as a great start to what could be a very entertaining show.

Boston Legal – 10/9c – ABC

Boston Legal is that show that I seem to forget how much I love until I’m actually watching.  William Shatner and James Spader have possibly some of the best chemistry on television, and bring some of the greatest spectrum-spanning performances around.  The show has seen some major shakeups over the summer break, so it will be interesting to see how the show looks this year.

There’s a lot to choose from on television this season.  With that in mind, I thought it would be prudent to post this special re-introduction of the ’What’s On’ section of TV Jab.  Here, I’ll take a look at what’s on each night, what’s worth watching, and what’s not. 

First up, what to watch on Mondays.

Dancing With The Stars – 8/7c – ABC

This has been my guilty pleasure for the past few seasons.  If you had told me two years ago that I would enjoy watching a show about ballroom dancing, I would have slapped you…in a totally manly way, of course.

Chuck – 8/7c – NBC

I got to check out the pilot early, and I’ve gotta say, the show has a lot going for it.  It’s kind of a geekified Alias, and it’s really quite funny.  Chuck should be one of the few new hits of the season.  Read my full review here.

Prison Break – 9/8c – FOX

I felt like last season really was too radical of a departure from what made the first season great, and I didn’t make it to the finale.  However, many signs are pointing to a return to form for the show this year.  If you’ve fallen off the wagon like me, now may be the time to get back on board.

Heroes – 9/8c – NBC

Heroes easily took the top spot last year.  Despite a somewhat lackluster season finale, its position as best new drama last year is indisputable.  Most of the gang is back, and we can expect to see some new faces, such as Kristen Bell as the new character Elle as well as David Anders in the role of Hiro’s mentor Takezo Kensei.

K-Ville – 9/8c – FOX

Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, this series follows the Felony Action Squad as they do their best to clean up the still-in-chaos city.  While I feel like it may be a bit too soon for something like this, K-Ville doesn’t really have the “milking it” vibe that I’d expect.

Kyle returns to the Trager household but agonizes over the secrets he must keep from the family; XX journeys outside the walls of Zzyzx.

The Closer – Homewrecker - TNT – 9/8c

Everybody seems to rave about Kyra Sedgwick’s performance in this show, but for some reason her voice just grates on me.  Ah, well…still a great show.

The team investigates the murder of a family; budget cuts force Brenda to choose between giving up one of her team to another unit or force one of them into early retirement.

Heartland – Pilot – TNT – 10/9c

The series description is:

The dramas at an organ-transplant center in Pittsburgh focus on an overworked transplant surgeon and his ex-wife, an organ-recovery coordinator.

And in tonight’s episode:

…a young female patient needs a heart; and Grant’s mentor (Dabney Coleman) falls ill as Grant vies to become the new chief surgeon. Series creator David Hollander wrote and directed the episode.

Big Love – The Writing on the Wall – HBO – 9/8c

Bill must rethink his advertising strategy; the family forgets Nicki’s anniversary.

Standoff – Backfire – FOX – Friday, 9/8c

With Matt at another hostage scene, Emily must negotiate with two suspected bank robbers holding 25 people hostage on a train.

The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards – CBS – Friday, 9/8c

“What?  The Emmys?  How did I not know about this?  Oh…oh, wait…that’s the Daytime Emmy’s.  Drat.”

^ My actual train of thought.

The 4400 – The Wrath of Graham - USA – Sunday, 9/8c

In the fourth-season opener, the NTAC deals with a new director and a high-school student who developed a special ability after taking promicin. Meanwhile, Tom (Joel Gretsch) visits Isabelle in prison and Diana searches for her sister, who took promicin.

The Dead Zone – Heritage – USA – Sunday, 10/9c

The sixth season begins with Johnny receiving visions of his friends in danger at a local festival. While it appears he successfully avoids disaster, a fire later claims two people, altering Johnny’s life and the fate of the world.

John from Cincinnati – His Visit: Day Two – HBO – Sunday, 9/8c

The sixth season begins with Johnny receiving visions of his friends in danger at a local festival. While it appears he successfully avoids disaster, a fire later claims two people, altering Johnny’s life and the fate of the world.

Entourage – Welcome to the Jungle – HBO – Sunday, 10/9c

The sixth season begins with Johnny receiving visions of his friends in danger at a local festival. While it appears he successfully avoids disaster, a fire later claims two people, altering Johnny’s life and the fate of the world.