My Top Ten Shows of 2009

As the year is coming to a close, many websites are touting their "Best of the Year/Decade" lists, and I've read enough of them to know that the best list is always your own list. Looking back on the countless hours of television that I've watched and how much I loved certain things for very different reasons, I can see why critics spend weeks on their lists - they're lots of fun to compile because you get to re-experience all the wonderful stories, but you get into serious debates with yourself, constantly second guessing and rearranging.

After so many changes of heart, you finally have to accept that it's impossible to get it perfectly right. I'm pretty happy with mine. I left off some shows that I love because they either didn't have great seasons this year, or because they are new and I don't feel like I've seen enough episodes to judge yet. Then there are a few that I left off because I haven't seen them yet--after reading the lists of my favorite tv critics, Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune and Alan Sepinwall from the Star-Ledger, I have now moved Torchwood and Parks & Recreation up to the front of the line on things I need to watch.

10) Bones- Giving Booth a brain tumor and a coma dream in which he was married to Brennan gave a new burst of life to this show. Before that, things had fallen into a bit of a lull in which the interactions between the two main characters had become a cycle of life lessons. Now, however, their relationship has become the central focus of the show because Booth is keenly aware and dealing with his love for his partner on a daily basis, just as she is reaching a place where she is starting to realize her love for him. Someone could make a montage of all the emotion you can see in Booth's eyes when he looks at Bones--it would be the most romantic thing ever.

9) The Office- I love these characters so much after 5 years of awkwardness, hilarity, and sweetness, that I will continue watching for a long time. I recognize that the constrained setting means that storylines will be constrained as well and not always be at the same quality level as they once were. But the end of Season 5 was absolutely brilliant, interesting, and funny, as Michael, Pam, and Ryan formed the Michael Scott Paper Company. The beginning of Season 6 has had its ups and downs, but those Spring episodes remain one of my favorite parts of the entire show.

8) Mad Men- Season 3 was the year I fell in love with this show. I had always appreciated the exceptional writing, acting, and vision, but it was more of a fascination with what the characters would do than a deep desire to find out. Beginning with "Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency," all of that changed. With the finale "Shut the Door. Have a Seat," my obsession was sealed.

7) Chuck- Sure, I sometimes get annoyed with Chuck for not manning up. But at the end of the day, this is probably the show I have enjoyed the most over the past couple of years. It's well-made and fun, when it usually seems to be one or the other. After the Season 2 finale--"Guys...I know kung fu."--I knew what a wasted opportunity it would have been if the show didn't return. Luckily, I never had to deal with that. The show was renewed for a third season, which begins in January, and I rejoice.

6) Sons of Anarchy- The premise itself was intriguing enough to make me watch Season 1. Motorcycle club that serves as "The Law" in the small town of Charming, CA. Young man gains a new perspective on life when his son is born and he discovers his dead father's memoirs. All very loosely based on Hamlet. It was pretty great, especially in later episodes. Then Season 2 premiered in September, and I was excited to have something to watch on Tuesday nights. Little did I know that the end of the season premiere would shake me up and leave me in an emotional knot for the next 3 months. I've already written about how mind-numbingly amazing Katey Sagal was. It's worth repeating. She was incomparable.

5) Dollhouse- Aside from the final 3 episodes airing in January 2010, this show's life began and ended this year. It took a little while to find its footing, but it did--just as I knew it would--and it has since developed into as smart and engaging a show as Joss Whedon has ever done. We got to know the Actives (Echo, Sierra, Victor), the Clients (various), and the Dollhouse (Adelle, Topher, Boyd, Ballard, et al). Nothing was as simple as who was right and who was wrong. What this show presented was the idea that, no matter what heights technology reaches, you can't erase a soul.

4) Friday Night Lights- With its return to form in Season 3, fans have learned to forget that the abysmal second season ever happened. In 2009, FNL regained its clear eyes and full heart, and just as the saying goes, it couldn't lose. Tami became the principal at Dillon High School, Julie realized what a fool she had been for letting Matt go, Riggins had the

first healthy relationship of his life with the first girl he had ever loved--Lyla, and Coach Taylor had to deal with an even more annoying booster than Buddy Garrity--Joe McCoe, father of gifted freshman quarterback, JD. One of those limits of making a tv show that deals with high school is that you have to figure out the exact ages of your characters, and then acknowledge that you will have to let some of them go, no matter how talented they are. With "Hello, Goodbye," and "New York, New York," FNL gave beautiful sendoffs to Smash Williams and Jason Street. Then with the finale, a show-changing thing happened when Eric was fired from the Panthers and offered the head coaching position at the newly-redistricted East Dillon Lions. Season 4 would be no longer see our beloved coach at a well-established program, with funds and talent in abundance. Everyone loves a good underdog story. Friday Night Lights itself is one such story.

3) Battlestar Galactica- With the series concluding in March of this year, BSG had a lot of ground to cover in the ten episodes of Season 4.5. Who was the Final Cylon? Where would the fleet go now that their dream of Earth had been shattered by the discovery of a radioactive wasteland? What the heck was wrong with Starbuck? All of these questions, and more, were addressed, if not fully answered (but really, nobody wanted that--it would have taken away all the mystery). The highlights of the end of one of the greatest tv masterpieces of all time: 1) The Zarek-Gaeda coup. This is when characters were tested and true loyalties revealed. I loved seeing Starbuck and Apollo jump into action for Adama. 2) The Cylon history lesson in "No Exit." 3) The deterioration of Galactica, concurrent with the decreasing health of Laura Roslin. The performances of Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos were tragic and deeply moving. 4) The gathering of the fleet in "Daybreak." There's a line. Pick your side.

2) LOST- Every episode of Season 5 was full of momentum and tension. It took a while to get used to the time traveling, but after "316" (the episode in which Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, and Ben returned to the island), it was clear that LOST was approaching its end. We knew that the show was no longer about getting off the island. The Oceanic 6 had come back, each for different reasons, but knowing that it was where they belonged. With the season finale and the possible "RESET" that happened when Juliet hit the bomb, people are concerned that all the character development over the past 5 years will mean nothing if she changed time and made it so that Oceanic 815 never crashes. That won't happen. Without having seen more than a couple of intriguing alternate reality commercials and some cryptic hints from EPs Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, I feel confident that 2010 will bring a phenomenal conclusion to one of the most complicated, but rewarding, viewing experiences I have ever had, and will ever have.

1) True Blood- So much of this year was about True Blood for me. Because of this show, I got some really great opportunities that have brought me closer to my dream of being an entertainment journalist. I got to interview Charlaine Harris twice. I started writing for my first website, and now True Blood has become part of my daily routine. I love the characters and the story. I think the cast, crew, and writers have managed to create something that's bizarre, funny, scary, emotional--and completely addicting.

Upcoming posts:

-Six Feet Under. I finished the fifth and final season about 2 months ago, but I haven't written about it yet, which is probably a good thing. It was kind of a soul-draining experience that I can only now talk about with any real sense of clarity.

-New Year's Resolutions, by which I mean the shows that I will watch in 2010.

Greatest TV Relationships, Part II

I've written before about my favorite couples on television, but this is a slightly modified list. I wrote it for my newspaper, so I tried to pick a variety of couples, and excluded a few that I personally love but aren't necessarily the best choices for a list of the greats.

"A few weeks ago, The Office cordially invited us to the wedding of Jim Halpert & Pam Beesly. Of all the romantic relationships that have been portrayed on television, few are as genuine or as full of love as the one between the adorable salesman and the soft-spoken receptionist. The phrase “made for each other,” which is perhaps overused, definitely applies to Jim and Pam.

Currently in its sixth season on NBC, The Office has been building to this point from the beginning. Remembering the sweet journey that brought Jim and Pam to getting married, the groom himself put it best in his rehearsal dinner speech: “Four years ago, I was just a guy, who had a crush on a girl, who had a boyfriend. And I had to do the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do, which was just to wait. Don’t get me wrong—I flirted with her. For a really long time, that’s all I had. Little moments with a girl who saw me as a friend. And, a lot of people told me I was crazy to wait this long for a date with a girl I work with, but I think, even then I knew that…I was waiting for my wife.”

In thinking back over the relationship between Jim and Pam, I started to make a mental list of the best television couples. Then I wrote the list down. Here it is:

Eric and Tami Taylor, played by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights. In a show so real that it transcends television, these two have a marriage that is a true partnership. Sure, they have arguments and struggles—over money, over raising their teenage daughter, over problems at work—but you never doubt that they will get through it together, with honesty and love. You need only watch the Season 1 finale, “State” to understand why the Taylors are included on this list.

Buffy Summers and Angel, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They were a human/vampire couple before it was cool to be a human/vampire couple. In fact, they resisted their relationship until they were powerless to stop it. She was the Slayer, the Chosen One whose life mission was to fight the forces of evil, and he was one such force of evil. But he had been cursed with a soul. He was a vampire tormented by all his monstrous acts, seeking redemption by helping those in need. Buffy and Angel faced demons and apocalypses on a daily basis, and that was the easy stuff for them. The obstacles: he lost his soul, she had to send him to a hell dimension, he moved away because he could never give her a normal life, she died for a few months… Viewers saw the depth of their love by how much pain they felt over each other, but what’s more—viewers saw their love was eternal because, in the midst of their messed up lives, being together brought them the greatest happiness they had ever known, or ever would know.

Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn, played by Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan, Alias. When a double agent falls in love with her CIA handler, things are never going to be easy. It took more than a year of unresolved sexual tension for these spies to finally come together. They had the cutest relationship ever, only to have their joy stolen away by an enemy terrorist organization. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?! Sydney was abducted, and her death was faked. Two years later, she awakened with no memory of what happened to her, expecting to return to the comforting embrace of her boyfriend, only to find that Vaughn had married someone else in her absence. Of course, his wife turned out to be a traitor to America, and they killed her. When Sydney and Vaughn did resume their relationship, they were a more world-weary couple with all their new baggage, but they did not allow it to harden them. Their love was as strong as ever, and they went on to find peace in marriage and in a son and daughter.

Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes, played by Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson, Gilmore Girls. For the first four seasons of this show, the timing was never right for them. One would have feelings for the other, one would be in a relationship with someone else, one would do something that created major tension in their friendship. It took a self-help book and decisive action to make them wake up and realize that they were in love. Annoying plot contrivances in later seasons drove them apart for a little while, but the whole world could see that the Luke and Lorelai relationship would last when they were eventually reunited.

Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls, played by Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, Veronica Mars. They hated each other at first, but somehow, in spite of themselves, they became friends and developed an undeniable attraction. Logan could be immature and overprotective, and Veronica had some serious trust issues. They still make this list because they brought out the best in each other, and their love was strong enough to keep them connected even when they were broken up. They have some fundamental character flaws that keep them apart, but they’re still young and have the capacity to change. The show has been cancelled for a couple of years now, but fans continue to hold out hope that in the continuing fictional world, these two will end up together.

Temperance “Bones” Brennan and Seeley Booth, played by Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, Bones. The non-couple couple of the list because it’s only a matter of time before they get together and live happily ever after. Theirs is a partnership in which completely opposite personalities complement each other to make an effective crime-solving team. She’s a brilliant forensic anthropologist who can tell you everything about a set of bones but lacks social skills with people who are alive. He’s an alpha male FBI agent with an innate talent at reading people. Booth and Bones have grown so much as human beings because of their work together. They have risked their lives numerous times to save the other, and demonstrated that they value their partnership more than anything. They might not be in a romantic relationship (yet!), but their chemistry is magical, and their love is no less than if they were an actual couple.

Chandler Bing and Monica Gellar, played by Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox Arquette, Friends. Ross and Rachel are considered to be the great classic couple in all of sitcom history, possibly in all of television history. Over the course of 10 seasons, those two were either on, off, or in a transition period. But in a far more nuanced storyline, Monica and Chandler became the stable couple of the show. A woman with OCD and a man with a fear of commitment, who were never more than friends, hooked up at a wedding and never looked back."

Epic Post

Apologies for my absence over these last few months! I know it was deeply upsetting to my readers--all 3 of you (Hi, Mom/Claire/Tina)--not to have me rambling about my television obsessions. Well, you asked for it - and now you're gonna get it! (Nobody "asked" for it in the literal, out-loud sense, but hypothetically speaking...whatever! You're gonna get it whether you want it or not!)

True Blood- Waiting for Season 3 has been very painful. To cope, I have rewatched Seasons 1 & 2 approximately 47 times. Also, I am still writing for TrueBloodNet.com, so I am not in complete withdrawal from the show. The actors returned to work last week, and news has been coming out about casting for new characters. I'm excited when I read these because it gives me things to speculate about instead of just freaking out over the unknown, like what the hell happened to Bill?!?!?!?!?!

Mad Men- Season 3 was outstanding, especially the second half. Normally MM is subtle, and viewers can glean from small moments of character interactions what the 1960s were like in terms of gender roles and social norms. Well, with "Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency" (S3, episode 6), a secretary ran over someone's foot with a John Deere lawnmower, and things never slowed down from there. Don had an affair with Sally's school teacher. Sal got fired. Joan smashed a vase over her jerk husband's head. Don secured an account with Conrad Hilton for his hotel chain. JFK was assassinated. Betty discovered Don's secret drawer, and all the lies upon which their marriage was based came crashing down. She ended up leaving him for a man she barely knew. As if that weren't enough, PPL, the British company that bought Sterling Cooper at the end of Season 2, was preparing to sell the agency to a rival ad firm. Rather than let that happen, Don joined together with Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, and Lane Pryce to start their own firm. The finale was probably my favorite episode to date. Written and directed by executive producer Matthew Weiner (new television genius who joins the ranks of "People whose work I would watch no matter what"), "Shut the door. Have a seat" featured Don and his new partners trying to persuade certain employees to join them. Before any of this could happen, Don had to put aside his differences with Roger and admit that he needed Roger's people skills/client relationships or they would never have enough money to operate. From there, they got Pete Campbell through flattery--Head of Accounts. They got Harry Crane by saying 'join us or we'll lock you in the storage closet'--Head of Television Media. And they got Peggy Olson as their Copy Writer because Don was finally willing to tell her how much he valued her work and needed her help. "What if I say no? You'll never speak to me again." "No. I will spend the rest of my life trying to hire you." My favorite acquisition for Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce--Joan as Office Manager. She's the one who will keep things running smoothly. She may be a glorified secretary, but it's a lovely truth to realize that without Joan, those guys would be completely lost. They set up shop in a hotel suite for the time being, and Season 4 will be about this new business. I am looking forward to Mad Men more than I ever have before.

Dexter- Season 4 has been pretty mediocre in my opinion. On the list of things that interest me: 1) John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer. He has repeated the same pattern of kills in cities across the US for 30 years. Each death represents a member of his family. So creepy, but so fascinating. 2) Seeing Dexter adjust to marriage and fatherhood has been interesting insofar as I was curious to see how he would indulge his "Dark Passenger" when he had a family to take care of. It hasn't presented any major obstacles. 3) I was glad to see Keith Carradine return as FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy, but he was killed when he got too close to discovering the true identity of Trinity. 4) Jennifer Carpenter's performance in the aftermath of Lundy's death was stellar. I have come to expect greatness from Michael C. Hall, and that greatness always overshadows the supporting cast. In the episode "Dirty Harry," I don't even remember what happened to Dexter, but Debra's emotional breakdown at losing the man she loved left a deep impression on me. Unfortunately, the list of things I care nothing about is much longer: 1) Angel's relationship with LaGuerta. 2) Anything having to do with Quinn. 3) Rita's flirtation with her neighbor. 4) Ghost Harry's useless advice. I really like James Remar, but his character has become superfluous. I understand that he is there to function as a sounding board for his son's killer thoughts, but he no longer brings about important character developments for Dexter like he used to. 5) Trinity's home life. I find it highly unbelievable that Arthur Miller would be able to keep up the elaborate act of being a deacon at his church, a volunteer house builder, and a devoted father and husband, when he is so crazy and has an explosive temper. I also find it highly unbelievable that there have never been any security cameras at his kill sights that would get him caught. Seriously, he beat one dude to death in an office, and another time he kidnapped a kid from an arcade. If that happened in real life, he would never make it as a serial killer eluding capture for decades. 6) The fact that Dexter killed his first truly innocent man. He broke The Code. He didn't check his facts enough, and it ended up costing a man his life. Perhaps I would feel more strongly about this if Dexter did, but it hasn't even phased him. So overall, not a great season for me. Although there was a big twist last week that shocked me, and I hope to see more surprises in the final two episodes.

Sons of Anarchy- I wrote about SOA in the newspaper article I posted on here a couple weeks ago, so I'm going to abstain from writing anything more right now. With Season 2, it became one of my favorite currently airing shows, and I fully believe it has the potential to become one of my favorites ever. For that reason, I am going to devote an entire post to it soon, in which I will talk about the implications of the finale and why this cast (especially Katey Sagal) is doing some of the best acting around.

How I Met Your Mother- Only halfway through the fifth season, and they have already ended the Barney-Robin relationship. If it never reemerges, that's going to be very disappointing. My favorite episodes this season have been "Duel Citizenship," (in which Barney spends the entire half-hour making fun of Canada, and Ted, Marshall, and Lily take a roadtrip that highlights the ways that friendships change when someone becomes super couple-y) and "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap," (in which Marshall unites the group with the 4th slap of the infamous slap bet). I have high expectations for the latter half of Season 5 because of the special 100th episode (a musical edition!!! NPH + music = yay!), and because I am hoping that Ted makes some significant progress in finding the Mother, now that we know he is a professor at her school.

The Big Bang Theory- I went back and watched all the episodes of this show for a couple of reasons. Because I needed more comedy in my tv-watching schedule, and because I am unashamedly a huge geek. All the Battlestar Galactica and comic book references fill me with joy, as do the super-smart, socially awkward boys because they remind me of my own guy friends. I am basically obsessed with Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons. Now that Leonard and Penny are in a relationship, the story is kinda secondary, but that doesn't bother me in this show. The characters are well-developed, well-written, and make me laugh on a consistent basis.

Castle- Nathan Fillion is still being his charming self and making this show one of the highlights of my week. Season 2 has been just as fun as the first, and I was so pleased that ABC ordered the back 9 episodes, increasing it to a full season. The chemistry between Castle and Beckett remains as engaging as ever, and the father-daughter relationship between Castle and Alexis is so adorable and strong that I don't feel like I'm exaggerating to compare it to Veronica and Keith Mars (which, if you've seen VMars, you know is high praise).

Dollhouse- Like SOA, I can't do justice to DH in one paragraph. There are only 8 episodes left in Season 2, and then this little series about the Active that could will be gone forever. Joss Whedon has made it pretty clear that he's not leaving it open-ended for a movie or comic book continuation. So I am appreciating every moment that's left, and continuing to marvel at the spectacular abilities of the writers/directors/actors. More praise to come in an upcoming post.

The Office- Season 6 has been kinda hit-or-miss for me. Episodes like "The Lover" and "Murder" had me rolling on the ground in fits of laughter, while episodes like "Mafia" and "Scott's Tots" had me sitting on the couch feeling confused and uncomfortable. I like new receptionist Erin--I think her eagerness to please Michael is a funny contrast to the way we saw Pam act for 4 years, and I enjoy watching Andy try to ask her out. I like seeing Jim as co-manager with Michael because it wouldn't have made sense for him to go on avoiding work as a salesman and playing pranks on Dwight forever. He has a wife now, with a baby on the way, so his ambition and sense of responsibility has kicked in. He thought the job would be easy because he had seen a fool like Michael do it for so long, but it has presented more obstacles than he expected. For one, Dwight keeps trying to plot to remove him. Another problem is the impending financial collapse of Dunder-Mifflin. Nobody knows if or when they are going bankrupt, so a good solution is to play a murder mystery theatre game to keep everyone's mind off of it. Hilarious. For the rest of this season, I would like to see more of the supporting characters (especially Kelly, Angela, Oscar, Andy, Erin, Creed), AND PLEASE BRING BACK DARRYL (Craig Robinson).

Bones- Season 5 has focused on Booth readjusting to life after having surgery to remove his brain tumor. He's forgotten things about himself, like his garish socks and "cocky" belt buckle, and the fact that he hates clowns. He also lost skills he once had, like how to do his own plumbing and how to shoot a gun with accuracy. But more importantly, he has been affected by the memory of his coma dream. He emerged from it completely in love with Brennan. When Cam and Sweets found out, they told him: Don't tell her unless he's sure because she will never recover if he breaks her heart. The rotating interns continue to be a source of comedy sometimes and annoyance at other times. I only like Wendell, Mr. Nigel-Murray, and Fisher. I can't stand the rest. I don't want Angela to be with Wendell even though I think he's a sweetheart. She needs to get back with Hodgins yesterday. They belong together! The Christmas episode, "The Goop on the Girl," promises to be wonderful. It has a lot to live up to since the Season 3 mistletoe kiss, but with Zooey Deschanel guest-starring as Brennan's cousin, Ryan O'Neal guest-starring as Brennan's dad, and Booth stripping down to his boxers (his clothing is evidence, it has to be done!), I feel certain I will find plenty to enjoy.

Friday Night Lights- Season 4 is knocking it out of the park. Or, should I say, scoring touchdowns (Hehehe......puns used to be the highest form of humor). Coach Taylor and some former Dillon Panthers like Landry find themselves stuck at the rundown East Dillon High School after redistricting divided the town into, essentially, the haves and the have-nots. Tami has stayed on as the principal at West Dillon, but she is no better off than her husband. After she sent the Panther's star player, Luke, to East, Joe McCoy and the boosters were none to happy with her. Football fans are calling in to sports radio to complain about her. They see her as the enemy, and it's tough to see a character I love be so hurt by the hateful things being said about her. She was only doing her job. Meanwhile, Eric is trying to build a new football program with the Lions. They lack discipline and experience, and it will be a while before they win a game, but they have some true talent in RB Luke and another new character, Vince. Offensively, defensively, the boy can do it all. I thought it would be awhile before I felt loyalty to this new team, but it only took a few episodes for me to get the Lion pride. It helped that Panther QB J.D. McCoy has transformed into a total jackass. Life without Lyla and Tyra has been strange, but they aren't gone forever. Soon, we will be losing Matt Saracen, too, and his sendoff has been even more emotional than the touching goodbyes for Jason Streete and Smash Williams. Matt's father was killed in Iraq, and Zach Gilford gave a performance that has many critics calling for his Emmy nomination next year. It felt completely real to the experience of losing someone, and stayed true to his character.

Grey's Anatomy- This season has been hectic and overdramatic, but what else is new? I'm still really into the Owen-Cristina relationship, and I think that merging Seattle Grace with Mercy West Hospital has shaken things up in an interesting way. Sure, I dislike some of the new doctors, but the conflict created by the situation has felt organic. We knew in Season 5 that economic difficulties were plaguing Seattle Grace, so this solution that Chief Webber came up with to keep his job made a lot of sense. It also allowed Shonda Rhimes to deal with her actors' conflicts (Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave, Katherine Heigl's time off to work on a movie), by adding new characters without sacrificing screen time for the people we know. McDreamy hasn't had any major storylines this season, but at least Patrick Dempsey has remained a solid presence. Honestly, I don't really care what he does, as long as he's there for me to look at. He's pretty. My favorite characters have been the same for a couple of years now. Lexie, Mark, Owen, and Cristina. I just think that those actors--Chyler Leigh, Eric Dane, Kevin McKidd, and Sandra Oh--are giving really dynamic performances that keep me invested. It's by no means one of my favorite shows anymore like it was in Seasons 1 & 2, but I can't let it go yet. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, which have become casualties of their own ridiculousness.

As for my new shows--V, The Good Wife, Modern Family, and FlashForward--(all of which I wrote about recently), they are going on the Christmas hiatus along with the rest of the television shows. The issue here is that the networks are scheduling their 2010 returns for strange times. I am referring to V and FlashForward, both of which ABC doesn't intend to bring back until March. That seems almost like a death sentence to me! How can they expect a new show to retain whatever audience it has managed to establish thus far in its first season, when they are not putting it on the air again for 3 or 4 months? I find it hard to imagine that either V or FlashForward will get renewed for a Season 2 with that poor placement. It would be a shame to lose both sci-fi newbies. Although, Glee is getting pushed off, too, with FOX keeping the second half of Season 1 until April, and I feel pretty confident that it will survive. I guess nobody knows at this point what will happen. At least Modern Family and The Good Wife appear to be performing well for ABC and CBS, respectively, and will be coming back with new episodes in January.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY MIDSEASON PREMIERES, LOST, CHUCK, CAPRICA, AND BURN NOTICE!!!<--See, I couldn't help myself but to write in all capital letters, so you know how excited I am! Chuck Season 3 begins on January 10th; Burn Notice Season 3, Part II, on January 21st; Caprica Season 1 on January 22nd; and LOST Season 6 on February 2nd. I predict awesomeness from each of them. Obviously, I haven't seen Caprica before (except for the pilot/movie), but with Jane Espenson writing it and a foundation in BSG lore, how can it go wrong?

I don't know why, and I'm certainly not complaining, but TNT will also have a few new episodes for their original series over the next couple of months. The Closer airs for 3 weeks, starting December 7th, during which time Beau Bridges and Mary McDonnell will be guest starring. I've got my fingers crossed for my prediction to come true, which is that Brenda and Fritz will adopt a child. I am always astounded by how patient and loving that man is--he so deserves to be a father! Leverage has several more Season 2 episodes to air, starting on January 13th. This show is another recent acquisition of mine, and one that I am drawn to because I like heist stories and playful banter. Timothy Hutton leads the cast as Nate, "The Mastermind" of the vigilante team, which also includes Parker ("The Thief"), Sophie ("The Grifter"), Hardison ("The Hacker"), and Eliot ("The Hitter"). They do con jobs to help people who can't help themselves. It's like Burn Notice combined with Ocean's 11. Lots of fun.