September 2, 2009

2009 fall schedule: tuesdays

Tuesdays have been sorely neglected by networks in recent years and, save for a couple promising newbies, the 2009 fall season is no different.

NBC

The Biggest Loser: It's crazy that NBC essentially only has one show on Tuesday nights now. This was the long time home of SVU at 10pm, but this is a new era at NBC. I enjoyed Biggest Loser for many seasons, but have missed the last couple. It's just such a long 2 hours - there's so much they could cut! I'm sure it's still good television, but I just don't have the patience for it anymore. (premieres Sept. 15)

The Jay Leno Show: Every week night starting Sept. 14

ABC

Shark Tank: Part of ABC's renewed effort to throw a hat in the reality ring. They're looking for their Deal or No Deal. God help us. This features entrepreneur contestants who pitch their business ideas to a panel of experts. I can't help thinking that Eli Stone should be in this slot. Sigh. (premieres Sept. 6)

Dancing with the Stars Results: This slot will be filled by a combo to Scrubs and Better Off Ted when the DWTS season ends. (premieres Sept. 22)

The Forgotten: Christian Slater is giving it another go after the unfortunate My Own Worst Enemy (on NBC for a minute last year). There was no mention of Slater when I wrote about this show during the upfronts. His involvement was announced in July. He'll replace British actor Rupert Penry-Jones, who played the lead in the pilot. Reiko Aylesworth (Lost) was also replaced by Heather Stephens (Saved) this summer. The premise - a team of amateur crime investigators working on cases involving unidentified victims after the police have given up - still sounds a little stale to me, but I'll probably tune in just to see if Slater can redeem himself. (premieres Sept. 22)

CBS

NCIS: Still don't see the appeal of this show, but I guess I'm just missing something because it even has a spin off now... (premieres Sept. 22)

NCIS: Los Angeles: Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J are tempting, but I'm still not adding this one to my schedule. (premieres Sept. 22)

The Good Wife: This is the near the top of my list of interesting new fall shows. Partly because of a (finally) fresh spin on a drama plot - wife of an imprisoned politician at the center of a corruption and sex scandal needs to pick up the pieces and support her family - but mostly because of the cast, which includes Juliana Margulies, Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, Josh Charles and Matt Czuchry. I may finally have a CBS drama on my schedule (aside from the occasional foray into Criminal Minds and my summer fling with The Mentalist). (premieres Sept. 22)

FOX

So You Think You Can Dance: I finally got into SYTYCD over the summer. I still wasn't able stay tuned for the entire season, but now understand why so many people are crazy for this show. I'm glad they're giving it a go during the regular season. Since Tuesday is pretty light for me, I'll probably watch. (premieres Sept. 9)

CW

90210: I really wanted to like this show. But the nostalgia for the original just wasn't enough to make the poor acting and uneven plot worth it. I really tried, and the only reason I haven't given up entirely is the final 5 episodes of last season are still lingering on my DVR. I will watch them and give the second season about two episodes to hook me, but I'm not hopeful. (premieres Sept. 8)

Melrose Place: New print ads for the series feature the characters in various stages of seduction with the headlines "Tuesdays are a Bitch" (a play on the original series tag line "Mondays are a Bitch"), "Tuesday's the New Hump Day" and "Menage a Tues". Head of marketing for CW, Rick Haskins, had this to say about the ads: "We have an absolute drop-dead gorgeous cast, we have a fun show where everybody is dating everybody else, and we wanted a scandalous kind of soap opera." I'm not a Puritan, but between that and this quote, I'm kind of over this show already. We get it, you're all about the sexy. You still need a good plot and talented actors - even soap operas know that. We'll see if they can deliver. (premieres Sept. 8)
UPDATE: I meant to include this yesterday.
FX
Sons of Anarchy: I've always been intrigued by this show, but never caught an episode. After strong reviews and a growing fan base during their first run, the second season is back this fall. In case you haven't heard of it, the premise is a drama/dark comedy about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club (MC) trying to maintain its livelihood as well as peace in its small town. MC runs a legal automotive shop that masks an illegal arms business. The cast includes Charlie Hunman (Queer as Folk, Undeclared), Katey Segal (Married...with Children), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and Maggie Siff (Mad Men) among others. I plan to check this one out online this fall. (premieres Sept. 8)

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