SiftPop

Welcome to the 4th annual 21 hours of TV Fall preview. Everyday this week we will look at the current day of the week and what will be on that night (Friday, we will look at the weekend). It’s my self imposed task every year to limit my TV viewing each week to 21 hours (14 without commercials, just so you understand I’m not as addicted as you think.). In going through the daily schedules I will rate each show red, blue, or green. Green means I will be watching (at least initially), blue that I won’t but I won’t hold it against you if you do, and red that I refuse to believe anyone of sound mind could be interested. At the end of the week I will add my total hours up and cut what I need in order to get down to the required 21, which won’t include the 3 hours every week I suffer through my Detroit Lions disemboweling the sanctity of the NFL.

Oh one more thing.  I’ve added the “two hours of must” this year to indicate the two hours of television that night that should be an automatic DVR add for all members of the human race.

One thing you will notice right away is how different the schedules look this year.  There is a glut of new programming (due to the abysmal failure of the Jay Leno experiment last year) and networks are shifting around many of their staples. Big Bang Theory on Thursday?!, Survivor on Wednesday?!, CSI Miami on Sunday?! Sunday Night Football on Tuesday?!  OK, I made the last one up, but it kinda feels like an anything goes kind of year.  Not that any of this matters except that they don’t put three of your favorites on the same night at the same time when your DVR only can record two of them.

Monday’s stalwarts include Dancing with the Stars (not real stars, not real dancing, and yet you watch… sigh.),  House (still amazing and Hugh Laurie continues to be the best actor on TV),  and Two and a Half Men (comments withheld for risk of snark overdose) .  In addition to House, I’ll also be checking out Chuck (which may have had it’s best season last year), Castle (which my wife and I digested 2 full seasons of over the summer and LOVED it.), and newcomers The Event and Hawaii Five-O.

The color coded breakdown:

8PM
ABC – Dancing with the Stars

CBS – How I Met Your Mother

CW – 90210

Fox – House

NBC – Chuck

CBS – Rules of Engagement

CBS – Two and a Half Men

CW – Gossip Girl

Fox – Lone Star

NBC – The Event

CBS – Mike & Molly

ABC – Castle

CBS – Hawaii Five-O

NBC – Chase