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).

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.

New Shows- Part 1

I have been trying to get in as many pilot episodes as possible, at least those that actually peak my interest. Here are my initial thoughts:

Back to You- An aging group of actors in a totally not funny show. Jerk anchor returns to a small network news show to join a crew of people who didn't like him all that much to begin with. Then the big twist at the end, which doesn't end up being a comedy situation at all... actually turns this sitcom into a dramedy which is exactly what is not needed in a 30-minute slot. This is obviously supposed to appeal to an age demographic that I do not fit in. I wasn't expecting much and the show delivered even less.

Big Bang Theory- I wasn't even going to try this one out, but then I heard the theme song by Barenaked Ladies and decided it deserved at least one shot. One shot is all it will be getting. I am not sure what demographic this is supposed to appeal to since it seems that the "intellectual" jokes that they made mostly target an audience that would spend more time online gaming or solving theories than watching a sitcom. The only two females on the show were presented as rude and dumb yet hot, not how I want to encourage the networks to portray my gender by giving them my viewership.

Bionic Woman- For the stunts and premise alone, I am glad I watched the pilot episode of Bionic Woman. As for the acting, just because parts of you are computerized doesn't mean the acting needs to be. Michelle Ryan was so/so as the new bionic woman. Katee Sackhoff's acting, as the previous bionic woman, was a catastrophe. Overlooking the acting, I will give this one a shot . It is reminiscent of the best of Alias, which is definitely worth a try.

Cane- After watching the promos I really wasn't interested in this show. I decided to give Jimmy Smits a shot since he has a proven track record of fantastic shows. The show was overall better than the promo led me to believe. I am still not sure it is a keeper, but willing to hang in for a few episodes to see if it hooks.

Chuck- The complete opposite of Journeyman in the fact that I immediately felt connected to the characters on this show. Great writing, well cast, a good mix of action and story. This is a must-see show. Thoroughly entertaining.

Dirty Sexy Money- Loved the premiere. I am amazed at the cast that was assembled for this show. Without this stellar cast though, the show would not hold its weight. Peter Krause on network tv again was enough cause for me to watch. This is definitely staying on by DVR schedule.

Gossip Girl- I was entertained by this show from beginning to end. I admit I get sucked into a good high school drama and that is what this is. I enjoy the continued narration throughout the show and am interested to see if that was more prevalent for the pilot than it will be for future episodes. With the loss of The OC and One Tree Hill on extended leave there is a empty niche that Gossip Girl will easily fill.

Journeyman- I really wanted to like this show. I sat through the hour hoping it would get better, and it sort of redeemed itself at the end, but not enough for this to become a top 10 or maybe even top 20 for me. The biggest problem was that I didn't particularly like ANY of the characters. I felt no attachment, sympathy, connection to anyone so I could care less whether the main character disappears for days, except that I have to watch more encounters with characters I have no investment in. I doubt this will end up on my watch list.

K-ville- I was going to watch this show. I set the DVR, it recorded, I scanned through it for about 10 seconds and realized I had ZERO interest in watching the show. It is cut.

Private Practice- While much improved from the intro. given through Grey's Anatomy last season, I am still sorely disappointed in Kate Walsh's performance. I have no interest in seeing her dance naked around her room. It was set up so poorly that I wanted her to get caught in an embarrassing situation so she could act her way out of it and she couldn't. Without the rest of the stellar cast holding up the show, I wouldn't be watching. Here's to hoping Shonda realizes the rest of the cast far excels Kate and focuses more stories on them.

The Reaper- This show is a paradox, both in premise and in whether I actually want to watch it again. Sam learns on his 21st birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was conceived. He decides to work for the devil as a spiritual bounty hunter collecting souls that have escaped from hell. This is seen as being for the greater good since these escaped souls take on their previous bad habits such as burning down firehouses. I wasn't quite sure if I enjoyed it. The characters were at times likable, but then would have some strange quirk that made you question why you thought you might like them in the first place. I am holding judgment (hee hee) for a few more episodes.

What a Way to Go - R.I.P. Veronica Mars

Tonight was the season series finale of Veronica Mars. Had you not been following the upfronts coverage from the last two weeks and known that Veronica Mars had in fact been canceled and that Kristen Bell had a new series, albeit the role of voice over, Gossip Girl for the CW next year, you might have missed the finale part of the series finale. This comes down to the writers only in part. The CW kept Veronica Mars in limbo until the last moment. The finale had been shot, edited, and in the can for weeks by the time the news came.

Word just a few weeks ago was the creators wanted to come back next season with it being 5 years in the future with a very different cast showing what Veronica became. They weren't given that shot, nor were they given the opportunity to say a proper farewell. I might have even dismissed that if the CW had at least given the traditional farewell through a cheesy montage of moments throughout the years and a thanks for watching after the credits rolled. There was nothing, NOTHING indicating this was the end.

Now don't get me wrong here. The episode was actually pretty good. It was good for a mid-season let's come back next week to resolve this, or possibly even a season finale... but not a SERIES FINALE! As a fan, I am disappointed, no not just disappointed, I'm angry and let down. I kept looking at the clock thinking are there really only 12 minutes left and nothing is tied up, certain, FINAL. The credits rolled and my b.p. kept rising. Then a commercial. Really, a commercial. Seriously, a commercial. At least with Gilmore Girls which was a so/so finale, but at least a finale, there was the heartwarming montage and thanks at the end. With Veronica Mars there was nothing. Have I said yet that there was nothing finale about the Veronica Mars finale?

Honestly, I am not a big fan of the cheesy montage, but the CW is and that is why I am so surprised it wasn't there. I didn't watch the season finale of 7th Heaven, but I would just about stake my television on there being a thanks for watching tagged onto the ending.

I asked before what we would like to see from the writers in a finale. Should they give us the ending we want, etc... Tonight the question goes to the network. What is their responsibility to the fans? If they can't give the show a heads up enough to write a proper series finale, what should be do to appease the masses? Should the cast and crew been given a shot to put together a proper finale aired at a later time?