SiftPop

It’s September, which means I’m putting my DVR through it’s last chance workout getting ready for all the new television that’s getting ready to head our way.  It also means it’s time for my annual 21 hr. challenge!  Since 2007 I have taken each fall to cull down the cornucopia of network television to 21 broadcast hours per week.   Each day this week I will run down the network schedule and identify three types of shows.  In green are the shows that made the cut for me, in blue are shows I don’t mind but don’t have time for, and in red are the shows that I wouldn’t watch even if I were The Doctor and could take my Tardis back and reclaim the wasted time.  At the end of the week, I will add up the total and make any final cuts needed to get under the necessary 21.  I will also select one show each day as the “must”, meaning I think it’s likely to be the one show not to miss on that night.

Tuesday:

Might as well call it new-sday.  No? Ok.  But no fewer than 7 brand new shows pepper the Tuesday night network line-up.  Another example of the transitory nature of the modern network show. I’ll be checking out Selfie, Forever, and The Flash, the last of which might be an interesting endeavor considering I never got into the show it’s spun off from, Arrow.  I’ll also be continuing on with the other Superhero extravaganza for the evening, Agents of SHIELD, which started out slow but finished really strong last year. There’s just something really intriguing about the way it ties in to the Marvel universe.  Maybe we will see some Guardians crossover.   I should also mention “About A Boy”  which found a way to keep the heart and humor of the movie and still tell decent stories on a week to week basis.

Elsewhere on the schedule CBS continues it’s move to become N(C)IS(BS) by adding yet another city to the roster.  I’ve been pronounced dead to straight crime procedurals since CSI:Miami turned into self parody and reminded how boring they are without the puns and sunglasses.  I also gave up on Person of Interest finding any sense of energy late last season and haven’t really missed it, so I won’t be catching up with it either.  Especially considering I’m two days into the week and already at double digits in total hours.  YIKES!

The rest of the week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
The Weekend

MUST:  Agents of SHIELD

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC – Selfie (New)
CBS – NCIS
CW – The Flash (New)
Fox – Utopia (New)
NBC – The Voice (Results)

8:30PM

ABC –  Manhattan Love Story (New)

9PM

ABC – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
CBS – NCIS: New Orleans (New)
CW – Supernatural
NBC – Marry Me (New)

9:30PM

NBC – About A Boy

10PM

ABC – Forever (New)
CBS – Person of Interest
NBC – Chicago Fire

Tuesday’s Total: Three 1 hour dramas, Two half hour Comedies, One 1 hour Realities, 5 hours

Overall Total:  6 hours drama, 1 hours Comedy, 3 hours Reality, 10 hours