Now that we're getting closer to the strike-ridden Spring 2007 season, I thought I would follow up on what will be covered by Critical Myth between January and May, based on the current projections, and when the reviews are likely to be posted:

In very general terms, I am maintaining the three-tier system: high priority, middle priority, low priority:

High Priority

Battlestar Galactica (Monday)
Lost (Thursday)
Supernatural (Friday)

This designation means that these reviews are the absolute minimum. Even if things get crazy, I intend to keep things going at Critical Myth for those shows, releasing reviews on the days of the week provided above.

Middle Priority

Prison Break (Tue/Wed)
Ghost Hunters (Thu/Fri)
Ghost Hunters International (Thu/Fri)
Smallville (Fri/Sat)
Moonlight (Sat/Sun/Mon)
Stargate: Atlantis (Sat/Sun/Mon)

This designation means that these reviews should come out within 1-3 days of first run for new episodes. Assuming my schedule remains open enough to keep these on the schedule, then these reviews get written as time allows after the High Priority reviews are completed. Obviously, the days given above are just guidelines.

Low Priority

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Tues?)
New Amsterdam (Wed?)

This should be obvious. I get to these as I get to them, and a lot is going to depend on popularity and success. Strong shows will move into the Middle Priority column quickly.


If my schedule remains relatively open, I suspect the reviews will come out as per the following weekly routine (in order of my priority):

Mondays:
Battlestar Galactica, Moonlight, Stargate: Atlantis

Tuesdays:
Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Wednesdays:
New Amsterdam

Thursdays:
Lost, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International

Fridays:
Supernatural, Smallville

Obviously, many of these shows will not overlap, so it looks a lot more substantial than it is. The loss of "24" and a half a season of "Lost" is a big part of that.

In addition, I will be watching other shows that will not be reviewed: Jericho, Torchwood, Psych, Kyle XY, Paranormal State, The Amazing Race, and a ton of shows and films on Netflix!

TENTATIVE UPCOMING REVIEW RELEASE SCHEDULE

Covering the schedule through the end of 2007:


Monday, November 19:

Battlestar: Galactica: "Razor"
Moonlight 1.7: "The Ringer"


Tuesday, November 20:

Heroes 2.9: "Cautionary Tales"
Stargate: Atlantis 4.7: "Missing"
Moonlight 1.8: "12:04 AM"


Wednesday, November 21:

Journeyman 1.9: "Emily"


Monday, November 26:

Stargate: Atlantis 4.8: "The Seer"
Moonlight 1.9: "Fleur de Lis"
Pushing Daisies 1.7: "The Smell of Success"


Tuesday, November 27:

Heroes 2.10: "Truth and Consequences"
Bionic Woman 1.7: "Trust Issues"


Wednesday, November 28:

Journeyman 1.10: "Blowback"


Thursday, November 29

Pushing Daisies 1.8: "Bitter Sweets"
Bionic Woman 1.8: "Do Not Disturb"


Monday, December 3:

Stargate: Atlantis 4.9: "Miller's Crossing"


Tuesday, December 4:

Heroes 2.11: "Powerless"


Monday, December 10:

Stargate: Atlantis 4.10: "This Mortal Coil"


Friday, December 14:

Supernatural 3.8: "A Very Supernatural Christmas"
Smallville 7.9: "Gemini"


Monday, December 17:

Moonlight 1.10: "Sleeping Beauty"

TENTATIVE NOVEMBER REVIEW RELEASE SCHEDULE



Monday, November 5:

Stargate: Atlantis 4.6: "Tabula Rasa"
Moonlight 1.6: "B.C."


Tuesday, November 6:

Heroes 2.7: "Out of Time"
Prison Break 3.6: "Photo Finish"

(NO NEW REVIEWS THROUGH 12 NOV)


Monday, November 12:

Supernatural 3.6: "Red Sky at Morning"
Ghost Hunters 3.18: "Waverly Hills Live Reveal"


Tuesday, November 13:

Heroes 2.8: "Four Months Ago"
Prison Break 3.7: "Vamonos"
Prison Break 3.8: "Bang and Burn"


Wednesday, November 14:

Journeyman 1.7: "Double Down"
Journeyman 1.8: "Winterland"


Thursday, November 15:

Bionic Woman 1.6: "The List"
Bionic Woman 1.7: "Trust Issues"
Pushing Daisies 1.6: "Biches"


Friday, November 16:

Supernatural 3.7: "Fresh Blood"
Smallville 7.7: "Wrath"
Smallville 7.8: "Blue"


Monday, November 19:

Stargate: Atlantis 4.7: "Missing"
Stargate: Atlantis 4.8: "The Seer"
Moonlight 1.7: "The Ringer"
Moonlight 1.8: "12:04 AM"


Tuesday, November 20:

Heroes 2.9: "Cautionary Tales"


Wednesday, November 21:

Journeyman 1.9: "Emily"


Monday, November 26:

Battlestar: Galactica: "Razor"
Pushing Daisies 1.7: "The Smell of Success"

Critical Myth Podcast #057

John steps up to the plate and delivers his moment of Zen after watching three new episodes!

Listenership is not, alas, going up. John is sad.

Ghost Hunters 3.14: "The Spirits of San Francisco"
Possibly one of the best of the season thus far!

Bionic Woman 1.2: "Paradise Lost"
Has some of the structure of the series already been lost?

Pushing Daisies 1.1: "Pie-lette"
The heir to "Dead Like Me" has finally arrived!

Recorded 03 Oct 2007

The summer season is usually my time to unwind a little.  It's a veritable wasteland of reality TV with a few choice cable network gems.  There are some exceptions, of course, and I'll be taking a lot of time to catch up on DVD viewing and my Netflix queue!  Here's what I'll be watching and covering this summer, review-wise (in CAPS), and the day the reviews should be posted (in parenthesis).

Mondays

Kyle XY (Season 2)

I'm watching the first season now, and it's fun.  I can't see myself wanting to review it, though.  I'd rather just take this and enjoy it.


Tuesdays

Eureka (Season 2)

Ditto what I said above.


Wednesdays

GHOST HUNTERS (Season 3, Thursdays)
Destination: Truth (Season 1)
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (Season 2)
Rescue Me (Season Whatever)

"Ghost Hunters" is a given, and I'll enjoy having a little more time to explore my thoughts on the episodes.  "Destination: Truth" looks like good brain candy.  "Superhero" was a hoot the first time around, and I hope they keep it fun.  The spousal unit like "Rescue Me", so why not?  She's also going to make me sit through "Grey's Anatomy" DVDs…


Thursdays

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP (Burnoff, Fridays)
Pirate Master (Season 1)

Yep, burn-off time.  Supposedly Sorkin was smart enough to give the series an ending, so I'm going to reserve my judgments on the series as a whole until I can see that for myself.  On the complete other end of the spectrum…dude, pirates!


Fridays

STARGATE SG-1 (Season 10, Wednesdays)
STARGATE: ATLANTIS (Season 3, Wednesdays)
Doctor Who (Season 3)
Psych (Season 2)
Flash Gordon (Season 1)

Time to finish out the "Stargate" shows, which gives me time to consider the finales properly.  "Doctor Who" and "Psych" are always worth the time, and represent good TiVo fare.  And despite my best instincts, I'm deeply intrigued by "Flash Gordon".  Probably not enough to review it, but I'm intrigued!


Saturdays

Hex (Season 2)

I loved what I saw of the first season (British and sexy!), so once I catch up on the DVDs, I look forward to watching the second season.  I'll be waaaay behind on the US broadcast, but that's what TiVo is for!


Sundays

THE 4400 (Season 4, Mondays)
THE DEAD ZONE (Season 6, Tuesdays)
The Sopranos (Season 6)

This are the big guns, the two shows other than "Stargate" that keep me busy over the summer.  I'm excited to see where each show goes after vastly different results last season.  "4400" has high praise to live up to, and "Dead Zone" has the chance (first time in years) to revamp itself into a new and better incarnation.  Once "The Sopranos" is done, it's goodbye to HBO for me.  It's far cheaper to wait for the DVDs and go with Netflix.

I have to wonder…what happened to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"?  Or "Rockstar"?  Or even "Big Brother"?

So, this is a fairly light schedule (6 shows), and much of it is only around until the end of June.  Clearly, the headliners are "4400" and "Dead Zone"; they last the entire short season.  And the first couple weeks will be dominated by my seasonal post-mortem on each show, especially the cancelled ones.  I have to revamp the website a bit and make it look a little better.  But most of all, I intend to relax and enjoy myself.  There's at least a week of vacation in there somewhere!

According to the current upfront announcements for the five major networks, and what we know about the cable networks, here is the projected fall/spring Critical Myth review schedule:

FALL 2007

Mondays

Prison Break
Heroes
Journeyman

Tuesdays

New Amsterdam

Wednesdays

Pushing Daisies
Bionic Woman

Thursdays

Smallville
Supernatural

Fridays

Moonlight


That amounts to 4 returning shows and 5 new shows, 9 in total. That's not much more than what I was already covering. The real question is going to be how those new shows pan out and how many of them survive into the spring. Keeping that in mind, the new shows will not receive their own dedicated pages/blogs when the season starts. Instead, all the new shows will be covered in one blog until either the new shows pan out or I decide which shows to continue reviewing.

That being the case, "Heroes" and "Supernatural" will be getting heavy coverage, essentially what is happening now. "Prison Break" and "Smallville" will get a bit less coverage (at least I say that now), and the new shows will get whatever coverage I'm inspired to give. And I reserve the right at any time to drop a new show if I'm too busy or quickly losing interest.

That said, here is the project spring schedule (keeping in mind that the networks could change their plans dramatically):

SPRING 2007

Mondays

Prison Break
Heroes
24
Journeyman

Wednesdays

Lost
Ghost Hunters
Pushing Daisies
Bionic Woman

Thursdays

Smallville
Supernatural

Fridays

Stargate: Atlantis
Moonlight
New Amsterdam

Sundays

Battlestar: Galactica
The Sarah Connor Chronicles


That amounts to 9 returning shows and 6 new shows, 15 in total. And that is a massive increase over the current slate, with most of difference being the new shows. Since I expect some attrition with the new shows, this only seems to be incredibly daunting.

Unlike this season, "Heroes" will be the priority over "24" on Monday nights. Monday night material will spill into Tuesdays. "Lost" will continue to dominate Wednesday nights; the effect of "Ghost Hunters" will be minimal, given how they schedule things. Thursday nights will be untouched, and Fridays will be covered much as they are now. "BSG" will dominate Sunday nights.

In very general terms, I am establishing a three-tier system: high priority, middle priority, low priority:

High Priority

Heroes (Tuesday)
24 (Wednesday)
Lost (Thursday)
Supernatural (Friday)
Battlestar: Galactica (Monday)

This designation means that these reviews are the absolute minimum. Even if things get crazy, I intend to keep things going at Critical Myth for those shows, releasing reviews on the days of the week provided above.

Middle Priority

Prison Break (Tue/Wed)
Ghost Hunters (Thu/Fri)
Smallville (Fri/Sat)
Stargate: Atlantis (Sat/Sun/Mon)

This designation means that these reviews should come out within 1-3 days of first run for new episodes. Assuming my schedule remains open enough to keep these on the schedule, then these reviews get written as time allows after the High Priority reviews are completed. Obviously, the days given above are just guidelines.

Low Priority

Journeyman
New Amsterdam
Pushing Daisies
Bionic Woman
Moonlight
The Sarah Connor Chronicles

This should be obvious. I get to these as I get to them, and a lot is going to depend on popularity and success. Strong shows will move into the Middle Priority column quickly. Weak shows will not. The gold standard here is "Heroes"…it quickly became a Middle Priority early in the season, and for its second season, it's a High Priority. So this is the beginning of a fairly adaptive system that will be necessary moving forward.

With the fall season now well-established, there's only one thing left to cover: the Summer 2007 season.

The fifth and final network upfront is out, covering CW's fall schedule.  Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate I will be covering in one degree or another next season.  The following is the schedule released by the network on 17 May 2007:

Following is The CW's 2007-2008 prime-time schedule.

Monday
8-8:30 pm Everybody Hates Chris
8:30-9 pm Aliens in America
9-9:30 pm Girlfriends
9:30-10 pm The Game

Tuesday
8-9 pm Beauty and the Geek
9-10 pm Reaper

Wednesday
8-9 pm America's Next Top Model
9-10 pm Gossip Girl

Thursday
8-9 pm Smallville
9-10 pm Supernatural

Friday
8-10 pm Friday Night SmackDown!

Sunday
7-7:30 pm CW Now
7:30-8 pm Online Nation
8-9 pm Life is Wild
9-10 pm America's Next Top Model


Monday

"Aliens in America" looks like cannon fodder.  Then again, so does most of the CW schedule.

Tuesday

I'm sorry to see "Veronica Mars" moving on; I liked having a regular dose of Kristen Bell in my life.  "Reaper" has me severely torn.  On the one hand, I like to support genre television, but this feels less like "Supernatural" and more like a poor man's version of "Ghostbusters".  I hate to say it, but "New Amsterdam" strikes me as more promising.

Wednesday

"Gossip Girl".  I really, really have no interest, and the night is already spoken for.

Thursday

This is exactly what I was hoping for: the preservation of my current schedule.  Obviously, "Smallville" and "Supernatural" will retain their stranglehold on the night, especially since this will probably be the last season for both shows, realistically speaking.

Friday

Do I really need to comment on this night anymore?

Sunday

CW adds nothing to this night, even with all the new programming.


So 12 shows will be reviewed out of the current list: "Heroes", "Journeyman", "Bionic Woman", "Lost", "Pushing Daisies", and "Moonlight", "24", "Prison Break", "New Amsterdam", "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Smallville", and "Supernatural".  Compared to the previous season, that's a net gain of +4.  That still feels like a lot, but in the next post, that will wrap things up for my thoughts on the fall season, I'll demonstrate why this may not be much of a problem.

The fourth of the network upfronts is out, covering FOX's fall schedule.  Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate I will be covering in one degree or another next season.  As usual for FOX, it's confusing and ultra-tentative, but I'll try to address it as is.  The following is the schedule released by the network on 17 May 2007:

FOX Prime-time Schedule Fall 2007:

Monday
8 pm: Prison Break
9 pm: K-Ville

Tuesday
8 pm: New Amsterdam
9 pm: House

Wednesday
8 pm: Back to You
8:30 pm: 'Til Death
9 pm: Bones

Thursday
8 pm: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9 pm Kitchen Nightmares

Friday
8 pm: The Search for the Next Great American Band
9 pm: Nashville

Saturday

8 pm: Cops
8:30 pm Cops
9 pm America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
11 pm: Mad TV
12 am: Talk Show with Spike Feresten

Sunday
7 pm: The OT (NFL post-game)
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm King of the Hill
9 pm Family Guy
9:30 pm American Dad

FOX Prime-time Schedule Beginning January 2008:

MONDAY
8:00 K-VILLE (January)/PRISON BREAK (Spring)
9:00 24

Tuesday
8 pm: American Idol
9 pm: House

Wednesday
8 pm BACK TO YOU
8:30 'TIL DEATH
9:00 AMERICAN IDOL

WEDNESDAY (Spring)
8:00 BACK TO YOU
8:30 THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES (working title)
9:00 AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:30 'TIL DEATH

THURSDAY
8:00 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00 CANTERBURY'S LAW

FRIDAY (Spring)
8:00 BONES
9:00 NEW AMSTERDAM

SATURDAY
8:00 COPS
8:30 COPS
9:00 AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS
BACK
11:00 PM MADtv
MIDNIGHT TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY (Spring)
7:00 KING OF THE HILL
7:30 AMERICAN DAD
8:00 THE SIMPSONS
8:30 FAMILY GUY
9:00 THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES


Mondays

In the fall, "Prison Break" returns, so that's a given.  And there's "24" in the spring.  "K-Ville" holds no interest for me, so up to this point, Monday nights are more or less the same as I thought they would be.

Tuesday

In a surprising move, FOX actually offers something on Tuesday nights that might make it more than a catch-up evening.  "New Amsterdam" has potential.  On the other hand, this is FOX we're talking about, and this would add yet another new show to the list.  So I'm tentatively putting this on the review list for the fall.

Wednesday

This night holds nothing for me in terms of this network, which is a good thing.  It's already got two new shows on other networks.

Thursday

Nope.  CW continues to dominate this night for me, thanks to a remarkably boring attempt by FOX to fill the night with reality TV tripe.

Friday

And even more of nothing, at least until spring, if "New Amsterdam" survives that long (unlikely on this network) and actually gets moved into that timeslot.  So "Moonlight" has the night to itself, until and unless "Stargate: Atlantis" returns to Fridays on SFC.

Sunday

In the fall, it's more of the same, so it's pretty much an open night at this point, at least until spring.  And then it will be "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", another show with a promising pedigree that will probably get canned in a matter of weeks, especially in that timeslot.

With "New Amsterdam" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", there's the obvious question: why bother when they are likely to be cancelled?  The answer, in my mind, is very simple.  If we stop supporting genre shows because of the high casualty rate, then the networks will feel justified in avoiding the genre altogether.  And more press, even for a little while, keeps the genre in the public eye.

So, with that in mind, FOX is adding a ton of material to my schedule: 10 shows will be reviewed out of the current list: "Heroes", "Journeyman", "Bionic Woman", "Lost", "Pushing Daisies", and "Moonlight", "24", "Prison Break", "New Amsterdam", and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".  Compared to the previous season, that's a net gain of +4.

Depending on the CW schedule, however, that might change.

The third of the network upfronts is out, covering CBS's fall schedule.  Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate I will be covering in one degree or another next season.  The following is the schedule released by the network on 16 May 2007:

CBS TELEVISION NETWORK 2007-2008 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
8:30 The Big Bang Theory
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 Rules of Engagement
10:00 CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 The Unit
10:00 Cane

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Kid Nation
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 CSI: NY


THURSDAY
8:00 Survivor
9:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10:00 Without a Trace

FRIDAY
8:00 Ghost Whisperer
9:00 Moonlight
10:00 Numbers

SATURDAY
8:00 Crimetime Saturday
9:00 Crimetime Saturday
10:00 48 Hours: Mystery

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Viva Laughlin
9:00 Cold Case
10:00 Shark


Monday

This night was busy enough between NBC and (resumably) FOX, so I'm not upset that there's nothing really to review.  I'll be watching "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Big Bang Theory" for laughs, but like most off-review shows, it'll be whenever I get to them.

Tuesday

I used to watch "NCIS" and "The Unit", but it's getting deleted from TiVo more and more as time escapes my desperate grasp.  So maybe an episode here and there.  "Cane" looks interesting, especially with that incredible cast, so I might sub that in for block viewing.  Nothing new to review, though, and since I was wrong about "Lost" moving to Tuesdays, this is back to being my catch-up night (unless one of the other networks tosses me a surprise tomorrow).

Wednesday

No "Jericho", so that show is officially this season's "Invasion".  Appropriately, it renders the new Wednesday night schedule for CBS unwatchable.

Thursday

"Survivor" is a guilty pleasure staple for others in the household, but otherwise, my CW Thursdays are secure.  Thank you, CBS, for making things easy by maintaining the CSI franchise and freeing up so many hours of the week for me!

Friday

"Moonlight" has promise, considering that it sounds an awful lot like "Angel", so we'll see.  I consider this to be the replacement for "Jericho".  I also don't expect it to last very long, though it could be a good match for "Ghost Whisperer".  And with SFC gutting the excellent Sci-Fi Fridays, what else will I have to watch on weekends?

Sunday

Note I still don't acknowledge Saturday nights.  CBS' schedule is a good example of why.  At any rate, CBS might as well not exist on this night anymore.

This is the one network with an intriguing mid-season, though.  They have me with "Amazing Race" for sure, but there's a show called "Swingtown" which is all about hot, sexually adventurous couples in the 1970s.  I'm not sure why this is on a network instead of cable where it belongs (this really begs for mature audiences, doesn't it?), but it may be worth a look.  No reviews, of course.

In terms of the reviews, here's the current tally.  6 shows will be reviewed out of the current list: "Heroes", "Journeyman", "Bionic Woman", "Lost", "Pushing Daisies", and "Moonlight".  Compared to the previous season, that's a net gain of +2, since "Jericho" and "Studio 60" are in the Loss column.  And most of the new additions are interesting, but likely short-timers.

Tomorrow brings the final stretch, with FOX and CW announcing their schedules.  Most shows are coming back, so the review schedule will fill in a hurry.  The real question is: will either network add to the New Show List?

The second of the network upfronts is out, covering ABC's fall schedule.  Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate I will be covering in one degree or another next season.  The following is the schedule released by the network on 15 May 2007:

ABC's fall prime-time schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern, with new shows in bold):

MONDAY:
8:00 pm Dancing with the Stars
9:30 pm Sam I Am
10:00 pm The Bachelor

TUESDAY:
8:00 pm Cavemen
8:30 pm Carpoolers
9:00 pm Dancing with the Stars the Results Show/Lost
10:00 pm Boston Legal

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 pm Pushing Daisies   
9:00 pm Private Practice
10:00 pm Dirty Sexy Money

THURSDAY:
8:00 pm Ugly Betty
9:00 pm Grey's Anatomy
10:00 pm Big Shots

FRIDAY:
8:00 pm Men in Trees
9:00 pm Women's Murder Club
10:00 pm 20/20

SATURDAY:
8:00 pm Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY:
7:00 pm America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 pm Desperate Housewives
10:00 pm Brothers & Sisters


Monday

Much like the last couple of seasons, I couldn't care less about Monday nights on ABC.  My time will be spent between NBC and (presumably) FOX.

Tuesday

Well now.  Let's start with the obvious.  If this information is correct, "Lost" will be on Tuesdays at 9PM starting in February.  That's a huge change for me.  Consider the fact that Mondays will be jam-packed; having "Lost" on the very next night might require some changes!  (Never mind the mind-numbing comedies on the schedule; they will be waaaay off the map for me.)

Wednesday

"Pushing Daisies" sounds too good to last, but I'll very likely give it a shot.  Considering that "Lost" was the only ABC show on my review schedule this season, this is another pickup.  If "Jericho" is done, then this could be the replacement.  Then again, since "Lost" is delayed until spring, it's probably a wash.  "Private Practice" means nothing to me.  "Dirty Sexy Money" means even less.

Thursday

Another night without ABC.  Thursday is CW night for me, pure and simple.  (Unless, of course, shows move around.)

Friday

The only new show for ABC on Friday is related to a hack's work, a writer who puts his name on books written by other people.  So, just on principle, not a chance.

Sunday

If only "Desperate Housewives" would be put out of our misery.  And I say that because I'll be forced to sit through much of it.  That said, ABC has nothing for me on this night either, in terms of review fodder.


ABC didn't really change things for me much, did they?  Most of the shows are going to be DOA, in my opinion, but I can't help but give "Pushing Daisies" a try, especially since "Lost" is off until February.

In terms of the reviews, here's the current tally.  5 shows will be reviewed out of the current list: "Heroes", "Journeyman", "Bionic Woman", "Lost", and "Pushing Daisies".  Compared to the previous season, that's a net gain of +2.  Only two of those are a sure thing, and as I've said before, with a lot of shows waiting until the spring to run without interruption, I'm not overly concerned about the addition.

Tomorrow brings the CBS schedule, which could bring some surprises!

Well, the first of the network upfronts is out, covering NBC's fall schedule.  Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate I will be covering in one degree or another next season.  The following is the schedule released by the network on 14 May 2007:

NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2007-08

*New programs in CAPS (with the exception of "ER")

MONDAY
8-9 pm Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm Heroes/HEROES: ORIGINS
10-11 pm JOURNEYMAN

TUESDAY
8-9 pm The Biggest Loser
9-10 pm CHUCK
10-11 pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm Deal or No Deal
9-10 pm BIONIC WOMAN
10-11 pm LIFE

THURSDAY
8-8:30 pm My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 pm 30 Rock
9-9:30 pm The Office
9:30-10 pm Scrubs
10-11 pm ER

FRIDAY
8-9 pm 1 vs 100/THE SINGING BEE
9-10 pm Las Vegas
10-11 pm Friday Night Lights

SATURDAY
8-9 pm Dateline NBC
9-11 pm Drama Series Encores

SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 pm Football Night in America
8-11 pm NBC Sunday Night Football

SUNDAY (January 200
7-8 pm Dateline NBC
8-9 pm Law & Order
9-10 pm Medium
10-11 pm LIPSTICK JUNGLE


Monday

Of course, Monday will continue to be a logjam, because it wasn't enough fun last season!  Here we have an effective swap-out.  "Heroes" (and its mid-season, hiatus-busting spinoff "Origins") will dominate the night and get top priority moving forward.  (Is it me, or does the spinoff sound like a metafictional version of "Who Wants to Be a Superhero"?).  "Journeyman" has a great pedigree, coming from people attached to "West Wing", and I loved Kevin McKidd on "Rome".  This swaps out with "Studio 60"; hopefully it will fare better.

Tuesday

As usual, Tuesday still appears to be the relief night coming out of Monday, giving me time to catch up.  "Chuck" is interesting with a great cast, but I'm not sure that I'll bother reviewing it.  Something tells me that it's a short-timer.  I might pull a "Veronica Mars" and watch it sporadically.

Wednesday

This is a tough one.  "Bionic Woman" has the pedigree, but I just don't know if it will take with the masses.  I'll probably add it to the review schedule.  So that's an additional show above and beyond what was on the schedule this past season.  "Life" is non-genre, so it won't be reviewed, but I may be tempted to check it out, if only for the ever-gorgeous Sarah Shahi (who has been a favorite since her days on "Alias".)

Thursday

Not a blessed thing has changed, and nothing will be reviewed.  I'll be watching "The Office" and "My Name is Earl", but really, who needs to review those shows?  They speak for themselves.

Friday

Also, nothing on this network will be reviewed.  Fans of "Friday Night Lights" will no doubt be disappointed, but my schedule is full, and I plan on catching this down the road on DVD anyway.  Considering what usually happens to shows on Friday night, I wager that'll be how everyone watches the second season.

Sunday

I've long since dropped "Medium", so that deadly move is of little consequence to me.  And the less said about "Lipstick Jungle", the better.  Really, doesn't it sound like a vain attempt to lure the "Desperate Housewives" crowd?  Sorry…they're busy waiting for that show to return to some semblance of its former glory.


In terms of any lingering thoughts about this schedule, I note with disgust that the promised abandonment of the 8PM to reality TV has indeed come to pass.  That leads to a dearth of new dramatic programming, though the absence of "The Apprentice" is something to be thankful for!

In terms of the reviews, here's the current tally.  3 shows will be reviewed out of the current list: "Heroes", "Journeyman", and "Bionic Woman".  Compared to the previous season, that's a net gain of +1.  With a lot of shows waiting until the spring to run without interruption, I'm not overly concerned about the addition.  Frankly, I expect one of the two new shows to struggle and falter before things heat up in January.

I didn't even turn on the TV or start the computer until just now.

I can't believe this happened at my school. Seriously. I had courses in that room. Even now, more than 10 years later, I remember walking those halls. Every camera angle matches one in my memory. All I can do is give my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the dead and wounded. The administration and law enforcement will have a lot of very specific questions to answer, and the answers are going to have to be a hell of a lot better than what we've heard so far.

As tragic as this is, the thing I can't get out of my head is that my alma mater will no longer be remembered for its excellent engineering school, Corps of Cadets, champion football team, or the thousands of things that I remember from my five years there. It is now overshadowed my death and fear. The stigma of this day will be a burden on us all.

I've been sitting on this news for a couple of weeks now, as all the details were ironed out and the systems were put into place.  But everything seems to be running smoothly now, so I can start spreading the news!  Starting this month (October 2006), a number of my reviews will be featured in Media Blvd Magazine.  This is a publication with online and printed components, covering celebrity interviews, reviews, and opinion pieces on various genre and non-genre television shows.  So far, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive!

One aspect of the agreement that works for me (and ultimately for you, the reader) is my continued ownership of the material.  I still hold all the rights to my work; they are effectively reproducing the reviews with my permission.  The net effect is that I fill a gap into their overall coverage, while I get a solid reference and wider readership.  And because this is a legitimate publication, the reviews are now included in the Google News service.  As of 12 Oct 2006, that aspect of the deal went live.  So now, when people search on a TV show or episode, once the magazine runs it online, it comes up on the search!

I've already heard from some people who found me through the service, so this is having an immediate effect.  Of course, I now feel a little more pressured to get the reviews out in a timely fashion, but the editors are willing to follow my schedule as is, which works out well.  Also, they are intrigued by my (tenuous) contacts with the principals of shows like "Ghost Hunters", "Haunting Evidence", and "Dead Famous", and if I can schedule an interview, they might be interested in running that as well.  Needless to say, this is quite an opportunity, especially since there are some items brewing on the paranormal research front that could overlap tremendously with this particular endevour.

So I urge everyone to jump on over to

http://mediablvd.com/magazine/ and show them support.  They have tens of thousands of subscribers and a lot more in the "casual readership" column, so add that to the thousand or so people who visit this site a day, and it's definitely a big step in the right direction.  Also, for what it's worth, I'm using my professional name for the reviews posted on Media Blvd, so there may be some cosmetic changes moving forward.  Rest assured, I won't forget the people who helped me get this far, and the archive site will continue to be the primary archive for everything that I produce.