I can't keep up

It is Sunday once again and I find myself with too many shows and not enough time. Despite limiting my sleep schedule, I just can't fit in all the shows I want. I have 5 hours of backlogged shows on my DVR from just this week and those are the ones I can fit in the DVR schedule. There are still another 4 hours of shows that I would watch online if my schedule ever cleared up. Imagine where I would be if there weren't debates the last two weeks to put favorites into repeat mode or if I had movie channels.

So, here is the breakdown before My Own Worst Enemy and Crusoe premiere this week only adding to my dilemna.

Absolutely Can't Miss
Of course, Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men, Life, CSI Las Vegas (Last week's premiere was the best episode ever ), Brothers and Sisters, Greek, How I Met Your Mother (Sadly it is on as I DVR two other shows so I have to find an excuse to watch it upstairs (gulp) live. Good thing my hubby doesn't like to watch tv.) The Amazing Race and Survivor.

New favs.
Fringe. I am also really enjoying The Ex List. I didn't expect to but it is perfect Friday night fodder.

Sophomore Season Slump Eluded
Gossip Girl, Dirty Sexy Money, and Lipstick Jungle have managed to evade the sophomore slump. I would agree with the critics who say DSM has gotten better this season.

On the fence
Pushing Daisies and Chuck. I loved the first seasons of both these shows, but haven't seen anything new. The plot on both is getting repetitive (not surprising considering the premise on each).

Still Trying to Fit in the Premiere
Life on Mars, Eleventh Hour

Can't Find Time
ER (Will have to wait until repeats because I will watch the final season, I will.), Samantha Who, Privileged, Valentine, The Mentalist (I'm trying, but it's Psych without the funny), Kath and Kim, SNL Prime Time (though I really want to).

National What?!?!

ABC is promoting its National Stay at Home, Sit Lazily on the Couch, Eat all the Snacks You Want, all as long as You Have the TV on and are Tuned to ABC Week.  Ok, that isn't the offical title, but I don't see how this week is any different than any other week for me since I seem to do all those things with or without premieres.  Hopefully, this week will provide more enjoyable viewing than June, July, August and for that matter with the strike most of last season.  

What this week really means is that I need to start making choices.  My DVR can only handle two shows at a time.  I have to figure out what I am watching while it happens, recording to watch in the future, going to have to go online for, and most importantly what gets cut.  

On the top of my cut list Do Not Disturb. While I found myself laughing a few times during the two shows I watched, I feel no connection to any character on the show.  Nor do I have any desire to tune in again.  A successful 30-minute comedy needs both funny and attachment or it is gone. 

How I Met You Mother has successful found that middle ground.  Both shows have a womanizing suited up male in the lead role, but Neil Patrick Harris has developed Barney Stinson into a perfect blend of crass and vulnerable.  Whereas Jerry O'Connell's Neil Danner is still a flat one-dimensional character.  I think the biggest difference is HIMYM is a relational comedy about friendships with a really great down to earth guy as the lead who is friends with Barney.  There must be a reason Ted would like Barney and that makes him intriguing.  They aren't exactly opposites, so what is it that makes them similar enough to be friends. Whereas DND is a situational comedy with no one to even out Neil.  Colleagues are not on the same level as friends.  Being paid to work with someone and choosing to be friends with someone place those relationships on different levels thus making the positives of the people they interact with at different weights with the viewer.  Besides the workplace there are no obvious common threads.  This doesn't mean that it is impossible to make a 30-minute situational comedy work.  The Office and 30-Rock have both proven it is more than possible.  It just means that it is more work on the writers, directors, and actors to create a reason to connect which is easier in a relational comedy. 

I definitely find myself drawn to relational comedies.  NewsRadio is the biggest exception to the rule for me.  

So, that leads to my newest set of questions - What have been your favorite 30-minute comedies, were they situational or relational, why did you like them?

SNL Funny Again, Sort of

Of course, it took a guest appearance from Tina Fey, but the opening of Saturday Night Live was hilarious this past Saturday. Michael Phelps came on and not only was painfully not funny, but seemed to suck the funny from the whole show. These are the times I am especially grateful for online video. For those of you who missed it, or need a daily infusion of funny here you go:

I Don't Watch for Reality

Fringe premiered this week. My DVR once again conspired against me, this time a little more cruelly. It decided to record only half of the 2 hour premiere. I found the rest through Fancast that streamed through Hulu. Let me start by saying that I am highly impressed with the streaming through Hulu. It was seamless. I watched for an hour without any streaming issues. I have watched a fair amount of online shows and have never had it stream so well.

Now, on to Fringe. I loved it. I am chomping at the bit for the next installment. JJ Abrams created a $10 million movie of a premiere and it was amazing. It combined the excitement of Alias, the sarcasm and relationship development of Felicity, with a little Lost back story and intrigue. I was reading a completely unrelated article on Popular Mechanics (but one you should check out and digg all the same) this week that had a link to an article exploring the validity of any of what happened on this show actually being able to occur. I clicked the link, started reading, and realized I didn't care. In fact, I hope none of what was depicted on the show can happen.

What I realized was I don't tune into television for reality, not even the "Reality" shows I watch are reality. I sit on my sofa, turn on the television, and expect to escape. If I wanted reality I would watch the news, which I intentionally avoid. I don't tune into the History channel either. Television to me is a transport into world's that are not my own. I enjoy being a voyeur into other people's dysfunctional relationships, envisioning what the world might be some day, and choosing a competitor to cheer on for completely arbitrary reasons I couldn't judge others on in my own world.

Why do you tune in?

Redemption

Week one of premiere month and all I have to say is the CW is bringing back some of the WB and redeeming itself in the process. After Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars were canceled I didn't know if I could watch any "new" shows on the CW. Then Gossip Girl came along last season and I realized one day a week I could tune in.

Fast forward a year and this Monday not only did Gossip Girl deliver a stellar opening to its sophomore season (minus the cougar storyline), but then One Tree Hill started with not only a Coldplay led soundtrack, but also the right girl was at the airport (I am looking over the creepy Dan storyline that I will have to fast forward through).

The "new" 90210 premiered Tuesday and I was surprised to find myself spending the first two days of premiere month glued to the CW. Familiar faces and even more familiar names, enough extravagance to make me want to date again (but only hot guys with their own jets and don't kiss on the first date), and new characters and story lines that keep close enough to the original not to alienate those of us die hards who not only watched every episode the first time, second time, and third time, but still tune in to SOAPnet for more. Plus a little mystery.... whose child is that blonde curly mopped child Kelly introduced as her son?

So, right not it looks like the CW is going to win 1/3rd of my viewing week. How did it happen? A departure from the reality shows and a return to hour long multi-generational dramadies. All three shows I watch have solid story lines for high schoolers and their parents. It seems that other networks have abandoned shows that will appeal to high school aged viewers and left that programming to the CW and MTV. Even Fox which made its name on the original 90210 has left that aspect of broadcasting behind. When they got big enough, they rid themselves of what set them apart... and the WB and eventually the CW stepped in. Let's hope the CW doesn't outgrow its fans too.

My Father Was Right, But Don't Tell Him

My father insisted I check out Mad Men as the second season started this summer. Now, I need to state for the record that I had every intention of watching it the first season, but in the midst of growing another human being I somehow missed the premiere and the next 5 shows before realizing I had indeed missed them. I set my DVR to record them as they marathoned, as cable tv loves to do, but somehow always missed the first one. I decided to skip season one all together and jump in feet first to season two, and.... my father was right. You won't catch me uttering those words often, and even less often putting them in print for the world and (gulp) my father to see, but here they are posted in cyberspace. My father was right.

If you have yet to fall into the world of Mad Men do yourself a favor and tune in. Even if you haven't caught the previous season and a half you can catch up. My husband claims there is more sex on Mad Men than Swingtown. Did that catch your attention? I have blogged many times before about consistency and Mad Men goes well beyond the typical marks of consistency and takes you back in time without bringing you to the cliché 50's we are taught to revere. The only way this world would be more consistent would be to film in black and white, but it isn't needed. In fact, the color is used so well that it almost seems like it is intentionally NOT whitewashing by going back to the B/W we expect. Mad Men is refreshing in its honesty and open approach to looking at a time most look back on with rose colored glasses.

So, follow my father's advice and check it out. You might just feel urged to exclaim that my father was right too. Just please whisper it because I don't want his head to explode.

Welcome September

My ambitious fall schedule:

Monday

8:00 PM	NBC The CW	chuck gossip girl
8:30 PM	CBS	how i met your mother
9:00 PM	NBC	heroes
	The CW	one tree hill
	TNT	raising the bar (10pm in Sept.)* / the closer
9:30 PM	ABC	samantha who?
10:00 PM	MTV	the hills
	NBC	my own worst enemy*

Tuesday

8:00 PM	The CW FOX	90210* house
9:00 PM	ABC FAMILY	greek
	CBS FOX	the mentalist* fringe*
10:00 PM	ABC	eli stone

Wednesday

8:00 PM	FOX	bones
	ABC	pushing daisies
9:00 PM	ABC	private practice
	BRAVO	project runway
10:00 PM	ABC	dirty sexy money
	NBC	lipstick jungle

Thursday

8:00 PM	CBS	survivor
	ABC	ugly betty
8:30 PM	NBC	kath & kim*
9:00 PM	CBS	csi: crime scene investigation
	ABC	grey's anatomy
10:00 PM	CBS	eleventh hour*

Friday

9:00 PM	CBS	the ex list*
10:00 PM	NBC	life

Saturday - CATCH UP!!!!

Sunday

8:00 PM	CBS	the amazing race
	The CW	valentine*
9:00 PM	CBS	cold case
	ABC	desperate housewives
10:00 PM	ABC	brothers & sisters
	AMC	mad men

* New Shows