UnListed

I finally got around to watching the one episode run of Fox's The Rich List last night, and while it wasn't the horror show I expected, I can't say I'm going to miss it.

I did like the premise - two teams of two strangers each "bid" on the number of entries they can correctly provide for a list (such as "Tom Cruise movies"). The team whose bid is accepted by the other team must then meet their bid. Failure to do so gives a win to the other team, the team that wins two out of three goes on to the actual Rich List, where for every three items they can name from a list, they get a certain amount of money (with an error earning you nothing).

So while the premise was fine, everything else was either derivative, actively annoying, or both. In the former case I'd put the set, the music, and the lighting, which was all taken from the new game show playbook of space age over-dramatic hyperkinetic nonsense.

Falling in the both category was the host and the contestants. The host, an Anglo-Irish presenter named Eamonn Holmes, had an Irish accent of someone who is trying not to have one. He'd have been better off in full brogue. His attempts to inject drama into the proceedings fell flat, though that was only partially his fault.

Which leads us to the contestants, who fall into that slightly dopey category that's all the rage now. This works on shows like Deal or No Deal because of the time spent talking to and working on the contestant. It's easy to milk drama out of contestants when you spend time messing with their head, and then introducing family, friends, and celebrities to do the same. When you've got minimal chatter along those lines, the dopiness of the contestants stands out. This is a problem when the show is more knowledge-based.

Anyway, if you didn't see it you didn't miss too much. Though it'd still be better than the continued foisting of The O.C. on the public.

Tritter is the new Vogler

I can't say I'm particularly thrilled about the current House plot line where police detective Michael Tritter (played by David Morse) is investigating House for his practices relative to Vicodin. To me it's playing off very much like the first season story Edward Vogler story line. Or at least an attempt to do that story line better.

There are some differences between Tritter and Vogler. Tritter has the power of the state to back his menace; the ability to freeze Wilson's bank accounts or send House to prison take things up a notch from getting fired. Tritter is also much more of a House-like character, between the overuse of medication (nicotine gum rather than Vicodin) and the shared belief that everybody lies.

I suppose this should make me more interested, in that we get to compare House battling a law enforcement variant of himself. But to me, it's playing more like the bully versus bully confrontation that marked the Vogler plot. I know that they need to run stories like this to give some foil to House that he can't run roughshod over, but I'd like a little more nuance.

(Unrelated note: David Morse is from Hamilton, Massachusetts, one town over from where I grew up. He may be the most famous Hamilton native ever.)

Lost getting lost

Given the slow pace with which Lost forwards its plot, it's hard to have more than a week off between episodes, as the momentum built over time by new episodes dissipates quickly.

You can imagine, then, how things are going to go after tonight, as the next new episode will air in February 2007. In its place (for now, at least) ABC is airing the new Taye Diggs drama Day Break, which is like the movie Groundhog Day, but with more homicide and shots of the lead not wearing a shirt.

I know ABC is hoping that Lost's audience will be interested in this novel show, and follow it to wherever its new home will be, but is it smart to take one of your top shows off the air for months when there are other nights whose programming is languishing (hello, Monday).

There's also the problem of the shrinking Lost audience, which is down significantly from this time last season. After waiting all summer for new episodes that only started airing last month, will viewers tolerate what amounts to an Indian summer for the show? I will, because I'm a sucker. ABC better hope there are plenty of suckers in the Lost audience.

New on TV: 1 v. 100

New from the folks who brought us Deal or No Deal is this game show that takes a variant on the whole "wisdom of crowds" thing. One contestant answers trivia questions, and if they answer correctly, they get money for each member of the "mob" - the 100 people referenced in the title - that got the question wrong. The money - and theoretically the question difficulty - goes up by round. Contestants also have two "helps" - one allows the contestant to see how many people in the mob gave the same answer, the other allows the contestant to talk to two individuals in the mob, one of whom picked the right answer and one who did not.

The contestant can opt to walk after each round, and if they get a question wrong, the money they earned is distributed to all the remaining mob contestants. Folks in the mob get to carry over from contestant to contestant, creating an opportunity for a mob member to become a semi-regular. Ken Jennings was in the mob last week (and I assume will be in there tonight); make sure to tune in next week when King of LaPlaca James Dinan will be in the mob!

No one is going to mistake this show for Jeopardy! or Millionaire. The questions seem secondary to playing on the emotions of the contestant (and even the mob, which is quite excitable), which underscores its ties to Deal or No Deal. My concern is that I'll have the same reaction to this show as I did to Deal - initial interest followed by apathy when the episodes get repetitive.

Bob Saget is fine as host. Can't say much more than that.

All in all, it's a decent hour of entertainment for Friday night. I'd be happier if it were on another night, but I'd rather not have NBC use it like Deal, so I'll live with it.

New on TV : Six Degrees

The title pretty much gives you the premise of Six Degrees - a sextet of New Yorkers have their lives intertwine in ways unexpected and (in some cases) unknown as the living embodiment of the "six degrees of separation" between any two people. What it doesn't do is explain how implausible this set up can get.

For example, take the new friendship of Whitney (Bridget Moynihan) and Laura (Hope Davis). They meet at a nail salon, discover that they both attended the same concert over a decade ago, and now they're BFF. I don't doubt that some sort of relationship can come from this sort of chance meeting, but what they've developed in one or two episodes would, in real life, take months.

I have a similar issue with most of the new connections on the show, to varying degrees. The budding romance between a public defender (Carlos, played by Jay Hernandez) and a former client (Mae, played by Erika Christensen) seems the most normal, while the working relationship between Whitney and the recently dried out photographer Steve (Campbell Scott) is bizarre at best. The individual story lines don't suffer from this that much, and a couple are quite interesting, such as the frosty relationship between limo driver Damian (Dorian Missick) and his thug brother.

But it's all acted pretty well, so if the writing can make better sense out of these relationships I think there's room to improve. Given how badly it's bleeding viewers out of Grey's Anatomy, it had better improve soon.

New on TV: Heroes

After watching the pilot, I had to agree with the points made in the TeeVee review of the show. I am happy to say that the show has improved over the last couple of episodes, as the show has becomes less expositionally-focused and the characters have become more fully developed.

That doesn't mean I've become that much more interested in them. I still find Milo Ventimiglia's character irritating, and I'm fairly bored with Ali Larter's character. The revelation that one of the heroes is the adopted daughter of the guy who is hunting the heroes has spiced up that story line a bit, though as the TV Without Pity recapper has noted, there's a little bit too much subtext in their father-daughter relationship to sit comfortably.

Hiro, the Japanese time-and-space bending office worker is still the most enjoyable of the bunch. I was pissed at the show for putting what might have been the most ham-handed product placement in TV history in his story-line, but we've moved through it for now (though I assume several glamor shots of said product in future episodes). The mind-reading LA cop has also become a fave, and for pretty much the same reason as Hiro. He's confused at his new ability, but he embraces it - perhaps a little too much, as it seems like he's gotten himself into some trouble.

I'm still not quite on board with some of the overblown narration, which is very reminiscent of Revelations (not surprisingly, as some of the staff from that miniseries is on this show). I'm hoping this will become more sensical as we move forward, but I'm steeling myself for an entire season of proto-mytho-scientific mumbo jumbo to open and close episdoes. I'm trying not to take it out on the narrating character, Mohinder Suresh (the son of a professor who was trying to create an algorithm to find and track down people with heroic changes), but it's hard. His new, chrirpy sidekick isn't helping, either, nor will the eventual discovery that she's working for the bad guys.

Anyway, for X-Men lite this isn't a bad show. Just a little dour for the start of the week.

Did anyone notice?

I didn't notice this, but the CW has more or less swapped their Sunday and Monday night line-ups. Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends, and The Game move to Monday, while Runaway and 7th Heaven will follow the America's Next Top Model re-run on Sunday.

I don't think this will make a tremendous difference. I'm not sure if the sitcoms will make a dent opposite the tough CBS line-up, and the dramas move into one of the tougher two hour blocks on TV. What will make a difference will be better programming, though I think that's going to be a long-term issue.

New on TV: Jericho

I was home on Columbus Day, and while flipping around discovered that CBS had episodes of various shows for viewing through Comcast's On Demand service. The only new show on offer was Jericho, and they thoughtfully had all three episodes available. So, like a sucker, I watched them.

This isn't a very good show. It's not the fault of the actors, nor is it for lack of a good (if derivative) idea. They could very easily have come up with a solid if unexciting drama in the vein of NCIS or The Unit.

But what keeps Jericho down is some very stupid writing. For example: in a town of 5000 where everyone seemingly knows everyone else, how is it that a main character doesn't realize that the two guys in the sheriff's car are bascially strangers? And why is pretty much everything that happens telegraphed by some character (for example, a guy who says "I hear something!" when there is a very audbile something happening that was planned for in a previous scene)? And why does Pamela Reed, an actress of some repute, only get to repeat the same three lines and hug family members?

There is room for some complexity with the characters, but we mostly get stereotype, from the prodigal son returned (Skeet Ulrich doing his best Jack Sheppard impersonation, minus some of the rage) to the city slicker stuck in town to the loser teenager in love with a pretty, popular girl. They'd better start developing some backstory to these people, otherwise it's going to get duller in a hurry. As annoying as the flashbacks can be on Lost, you get a clear indication of their usefulness when compared to this show, where conflicts and feelings have, to date, been depicted in one dimension.

Not that I'm going to stop watching. I'm a sucker for shows like this. Heck, I'm still watching Vanished, so you can see the depths of my problem.

(Full disclosure: I worked on and off with the mother of Sprague Grayden (who is in the cast) when I was substitute teaching. Though based on what I've written, I think the idea of a conflict of interest is pretty well shot.)

New on TV: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

It's got an all-star cast, strong writing, top-shelf directing, and is likely the tightest show on TV, never mind among new shows

So why am I still on the fence about Studio 60?

There are some minor things - I'm not a huge Amanda Peet fan, for example - but I think it boils down to three things:

1. The hyper-focus on religion. While I have no doubt that religion is a major issue in the TV industry, the three episodes that have aired so far have been very focused on religious issues, from the sketch that precipitated everything ("Crazy Christians," which we never get to see) to the resultant problems with affiliates that seem to have righted themselves by the second episode helmed by Matt and Danny (the writer and director played by Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford). The focus even spreads into other sketches that we see, such as "Science Schmience," a game show parody about the clash of science and religion. Which leads to my second point:

2. The show within a show doesn't seem that funny. We don't get to see to much of the actual Studo 60, but what they've shown is less than appealing. Take the sketch mentioned above; it has six contestants in order to include all major religions, but when have you seen a Jeopardy-style game show with six contestants? It doesn't help that the host is basically giving science lessons while asking questions. It's over-written and not worth the laughs the audience is giving.

Then there's the cold open from Matt and Danny's first show, a rewriting of some Gilbert and Sullivan. While I'm glad that Aaron Sorkin was able to get his G&S fixation out of the way early, it wasn't all that funny. It was amusing, which I suppose is fitting for G&S, but not the sort of funny we're built up to expect. There's also a new recurring sketch based on commedia dell'arte, which just seems strange.

3. I'd like more about the actual show and its cast and crew, and a little less about the NBS executives. Steven Weber does a good job as the network chairman, and even though I don't care for Amanda Peet, she's doing a decent job as the new NBS president (even though she was a little too omniscient in the pilot). But I'd rather have more development on plot lines involving the cast and crew. We're getting some of this - one of the leading cast members is Matt's ex-girlfriend, and there's a rift between Matt and the show's less quality-focused writers (though that seems to be coming to an end), but I'd like more. I suppose that will come with time.

I'm going to stick with the show, as there is a lot going for it. I just hope Sorkin et. al. make the show a little less focused on issues and more on the people.

New on TV: Ugly Betty

I wasn't planning on watching this, but the wife wanted to, and it is on before Grey's Anatomy. So we tuned in, and the best I can say is that the show has some promise.

America Ferarra does a nice job as Betty, staying just enough to the right side of the line where her clueless optimism is both funny and endearing. Vanessa Williams is appropriately over the top as a vindictive magazine exec gunning to take down Betty's boss (the mag's editor in chief). I'm also a fan of Betty's fashion-loving pre-teen nephew, just because his interest in fashion is so unusual. There's also a good recurring cameo by Salma Hayek as an actress in an actual telenovela.

The show keeps several touches that point to its beginnings as a telenovela, and for the most part balances soapiness with humor. What I didn't care for was the fairly predictable plot - the magazine needs an idea for a major cosmetics ad, and guess whose idea saves the day? - though if the show keeps going, I'd expect things to get better here. At least I hope it does, as the wife liked it and I guess we'll keep watching.

New on TV: Vanished

I finally got around to watching the first episode of this new Fox drama that combines Without a Trace and The DaVinci Code when a US Senator's wife disappears, and the last person she was with - a guy posing as a concierge - is found dead with a cryptic tattoo on his hand that was inked after he died. Spooky!

The pilot was sufficiently engrossing, though I did have a nit to pick regarding the FBI agent in charge. He's on his first big case since losing a kidnapping victim; the captor was shot by a sniper, and rather than run to him to make sure he didn't release the button that would set off the victim's explosives-laden vest, the agent runs towards the victim. With predictably firey results. That doesn't make the guy seem like the super-agent he's supposed to be.

I have a more significant issue with Rebecca Gayheart's reporter character. I assume she's supposed to be annoying, but perhaps not that annoying. I can only hope she takes it down a notch in future episodes. I'd be OK if she disappeared altogether.

I'll keep recording episodes, but don't feel compelled to watch them in any hurry.

New on TV: Standoff

The Fox plan worked: I hung around after House to watch Standoff, a drama about a pair of hostage negotiators who are partners in more ways than one.

The leads are good - Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt actually have some chemistry together - but the supporting cast is very one-dimensional, from the hard-ass boss to the Hostage Rescue Team leader who has unblinking faith in peace through superior firepower. There's even a Chloe O'Brien knock-off, who is sadly less socially awkward. It doesn't help to have this show on after House, given how it pales in comparison.

I'm not sure how long they can keep up the main conflict in the show - the problems that arise when you're emotionally attached to someone with whom you are supposed to have an objective work relationship - and if the promos are any indication, they may be trying to get around this by blowing a lot of stuff up in future episodes. I'm also not sure if there's enough variety in hostage situations to make for compelling watching each week. But I'll probably stick around, at least for a while.

One review I read said this would be the first drama cancelled this season. Not sure it's that bad, and being on after House should help with ratings (it did last night, as Standoff won its timeslot, though it only retained about 75 percent of the House audience and wasn't up against much). There's some talk that Vanished may be the first to go, which really makes me want to get started on the four episodes I've got on my DVR.

Bringing Out the Dead

Now that the entries are set and the new shows are set to begin in earnest, here's how I went for my entry into the Alison LaPlaca Open TV dead pool:

Happy Hour - It's been the virtually unanimous leader in "show most likely to get the first axe" among all the things I've read, and with its anonymous cast and very vague plot description, it seems like a sure goner. So much so that I put it in my top spot, where I'd get the most points for it being cancelled.

The Class - Probably a little risky to put it here, given how the Monday lineup on CBS can buoy an otherwise crappy show - hello, Out of Practice - but with The King of Queens returning in January, there will five shows and only four slots. What are the odds that this show, with its bizzare plot device of an elementary school class reunion, will take out How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, or The New Adventures of Old Christine?

Men in Trees - It's quirky, but I'm not so sure that quirky will work on Friday nights. And I'm not sure that many people are sold on Anne Heche.

What About Brian - Not only does this show have the longing to be cancelled The Bachelor as its lead-in, it also has to go against the most hyped show of the season, Studio 60. I can't help but think of this as Jake in Progress 2.0.

King of Queens - I'm under the impression that the show is ending this season, but wasn't able to find a lot of corroborating evidence. So I'm hedging a bit by putting it in the middle of the pack.

Justice - The way I look at it, there are enough lawyer-type shows out there that at least one has to fail. For all of the talk that Justice will give us the behind-the-scenes look at state of the art criminal defense, it has an incredibly generic title, ads, and only Victor Garber for star power. Which, in comparison to James Woods in Shark and most of the cast of Boston Legal, isn't much. And did I mention that it's up against Lost?

According to Jim - In the 2001-02 competition, two shows thwarted me by not getting cancelled. One was Reba, whose treatment by the nascent CW makes me wary. The other was According to Jim, whose continued first-run presence is a little mind-boggling. I figure the time is ripe for it to go. I'm also hoping that the combination of House, Gilmore Girls, and the family-friendly Friday Night Lights will help.

Notes From the Underbelly - I'm normally against chosing shows that will debut in mid-season, as there's no guarantee that they'll see the light of day. Given that this show was supposed to debut in the fall, I went with it as the change suggests that the show isn't good enough to start now, but is on some level considered good enough to air. Just so they don't improve the show enough to avoid cancellation.

Help Me Help You - I feel badly about going with this one, as I still give Ted Danson a bit of a free pass due to Cheers. I'm also a little leery that this will go all Becker on me and air for at least twice as long as necessary. On the other side, I take some solace from the network not feeling like the show was strong enough to start the hour.

Twenty Good Years - This rounds out my entry, and I'm not sure about choosing this at all given the odd mystical power John Lithgow's overacting seems to generate. I don't particularly think that Arrested Development fans will seek out Jeffrey Tambor, and I think the demographic for this show will work against it. But I'm still nervous.

Five of my shows (Happy Hour, The Class, Men in Trees, What About Brian and Notes from the Underbelly) were among the top 10 overall selections from all entrants. And the five shows I didn't choose that were in the top 10?

Til Death, the newlywed versus oldiewed Fox sitcom starring Brad Garrett. Fox has hyped this show tremendously, and I don't think they're going to let go too easily. But it wouldn't shock me if it got the heave-ho at the end of the season.

The Knights of Prosperity, formerly Let's Rob..., which is a sitcom built around a bunch of guys who are going to rip off Mick Jagger. It was hard to pass this show up based on premise alone, not to mention the lack of success for shows based around thievery, but I figured it was just different enough to sucker people in. I mean, if According to Jim can go six seasons, this show can go two.

Brothers and Sisters, the troubled ABC drama starring Calista Flockhart. If it were going anywhere but the post-Desperate Housewives slot, I'd think Dead Show Walking. But it may just eke out enough viewers who are waiting for their significant others to finish with Sunday Night Football.

Jericho, the CBS drama where a town tries to sort our where they stand after seeing a mushroom cloud go off in the distance. It wants to pull of a Lost vibe, but may turn out to be more like Invasion. Not sure if the time slot will help or hurt - if it can survive Dancing With the Stars it may just make the season and beyond.

Ugly Betty, the telenovela-derived ABC show backed by Salma Hayek. I'm not sure this wil work, either, but it's leading off ABC's Thursday power play. Getting to be the show before Grey's Anatomy suggests a certain amount of confidence, as does moving the show from Friday.

Oh-fer

The Emmys were handed out last Sunday, and my viewing ended when Conan O'Brien's Billy Crystalesque romp through current TV shows ended. I actually watched more day-after coverage on Inside Hollywood than actual awards show (not sure how I got stuck watching that much Inside Hollywood, either).

In any case, I went back and checked out my Emmy wish list and found that not a single choice I made actually won an award. If this were keno, I think I'd win something. Not that my choices were particularly scientific, but you'd think I'd blunder into one win.

Wasn't surprised that The Office won, but was suprised that 24 did. I do like the show, but I'm not convinced it's the best drama on TV (looking back, it was the lone nominee I didn't mention when I was talking up House). As for the major individual awards, meh. Tony Shalhoub is the new David Hyde Pierce, apparently.

Bring Out Your Dead

Please hie thyself over to the 2006-07 Alison Laplaca TV Dead Pool. Deadline is the end of the month. Which reminds me, I need to get my entry in...

Welcome to the new season

The new TV season officially kicked off last night, as Fox started Prison Break and Vanished on their 2006-07 campaigns.

Not that I watched either of them. I never got into Prison Break, and recorded Vanished. So no report on the latter show until tomorrow at least, as they've got another episode on tonight.

One new show (from the summer) that we've been watching is Property Ladder on TLC. I'm not sure how this is different from Flip This House!, having not watched that show, but I think it's the people doing the flipping, who on Property Ladder are generally not professionals.

You can imagine how that goes. In all the episodes I've seen, the people doing the work go over budget, past their deadline, and have to skimp in at least one area that they planned to change (thankfully, it's usually landscaping or outdoor improvements rather than, say, replacing rotten beams). The host is apparently a veteran flipper, and she's kind of a jerk. Her advice is usually spot-on, though, but she's a little too smug for my taste.

The episodes I've seen have all been for houses in California or Florida, so if you're looking to buy in either state, you may want to see if your house has been on the show. If it was, odd are good the plumbing was put in by the dope who flipped it and his minimally-qualified drinking buddy.

Worldwide Leader in What?

I've now had the chance to see two of the ESPN-created tournaments that they were hoping would extend the viewership brought on board by their World Series of Poker coverage.

The first involved dominos. ESPN Deportes has apparently been showing tournaments for a while, and someone in Bristol thought it was time to see if the practice would work for non-Hispanic viewers. It didn't, which isn't surprising given that the game isn't exactly a mainstay of Anglo households. There was also little time to show each player's rack and discuss strategy, which would be really helpful. About the only thing of interest was the possibility of violence between teammates when one blew a play.

Not that anyone came to blows, but they were rare shows of emotion.

Then there's the World Series of Dart, whose artifice is underscored by the lack of competition between the pros who've come over from Britain and the amateur Americans. Not that some of the Yanks aren't good, but when there's an obvious talent gap it makes for less than stellar TV. Heck, even the color guy and the on-site announcer were Brits. Still, it's a little more accessible than dominos, given that most people have, at some time in their lives, played darts.

Sadly, my favorite ESPN-created event, the Great Outdoor Games, is on hiatus for 2006. The network is giving it the once-over and plans to re-launch in 2007 with dazzling new events and such. By which I assume they mean sucking the life out of it.

And while I'm on the subject of ESPN's programming genius, word came today that Harold Reynolds got the hook from the network, and thus leaves Karl Ravech as the last sane man on Baseball Tonight. No word on why he got the gate, but if Michael Irvin could keep his job after his troubles, what did Reynolds have to do to lose his?

Update: according to the folks at Deadspin, the unofficial reason for HR's canning was sexual harrassment. Which isn't cool. But if you can get caught with blow, plea out, and still keep your job, you'd think the bar would be set much, much higher for getting fired.

This is why I don't generally care about the Emmys

So this year, new rules were put in place during the process of selecting Emmy finalists, in the hopes of making the nominations more open and less prone to the "nominee for life" status that seems to follow some actors and shows.

The result? There were some nominees that we would likely have not seen - Denis Leary for Rescue Me and Kyra Sedgewick for The Closer stand out - but for the most part, there was a sad familiarity to the acting nominees.

Part of this comes from shows taking their final bows - The West Wing, Malcolm in the Middle, Will & Grace, and Six Feet Under were all well-represented shows that have closed their doors. Stockard Channing managed a nod for her work on Out of Practice, though I think voters may have seen her name and just assumed she was up for The West Wing.

Combined with the return of The Sopranos and some new-found love for 24, the biggest losers this time around were Desperate Housewives and Lost, neither of which was tabbed for outstanding show and only generated one regular acting nomination for Alfre Woodard's directionless turn as Betty Applewhite on Housewives.

Not that either show lived up to its first-year performance/hype. But it's still pretty surprising.

Not that the news was all bad for ABC - Grey's Anatomy picked up 11 nominations. And while I keep saying I don't really care about the Emmys, I will be vexed beyond repair if Chandra Wilson doesn't win. Miranda Bailey completely kicks ass.

So who else would I give Emmys to, based on the nominees?

Supporting Actor, Drama - Gregory Itzin, 24. His Nixon for the 21st century was a fantastic melding of megalomania and insecurity.
Supporting Actor, Comedy - Will Arnett, Arrested Development. This isn't even close for me, though not watching Entourage means I can't assess Jeremy Piven's performance.
Supporting Actress, Drama - Chandra Wilson, fools!
Supporting Actress, Comedy - I can't think that Woodard's performance was the best on here - not her fault, really - so I'll go in the unexpected direction and go with Jaime Pressly on My Name is Earl.

Lead Actor, Drama - A win for Denis Leary and Rescue Me would be nice. Lead Actor, Comedy - Steve Carrell, The Office. To be fair, it's the only show for the nominees that I watch regularly.
Lead Actress, Drama - Allison Janney, The West Wing. For all my carping earlier, I still loves me some C. J. Cregg. Sorry.
Lead Actress, Comedy - Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback. Because, really, with the other choices, I'll take the HBO show I've never seen.

Outstanding Drama - House. It has no shot, between a possible send-off award for The West Wing, the buzz for Grey's Anatomy, and the return of The Sopranos, but for me House is the best of the five (though again, no HBO makes me less than an authority on The Sopranos). It's just a shame that Hugh Laurie didn't get a nod.

Outstanding Comedy - Arrested Development. Yup, I've drank the Kool-Aid. I can only hope that, if it does win, the orchestra plays "The Final Countdown" while the cast ambles to the stage.

The Long Hot Summer

Even with the great increase in first-run summer TV programming, I find that I'm sticking to some familiar shows rather than trying the new (such as NBC's much advertised Windfall) or getting into returning shows like Rescue Me or The Closer. Rather, we've been focusing on similar troika as last summer:

* Last Comic Standing, which I care even less about now than I did during their ill-advised third season (which pitted finalists from the previous two seasons against each other). Out of the 12 finalists picked by a judging panel of Garry Marshall, Tim Meadows, and the rebarbative Kathy Griffin, I think I agreed with 3 of their selections.

It didn't help that they went from 40 semifinalists to 12 finalists in just two shows, showing 20 comics an episode. Even with the short interview segments, I can't say I built much interest in any of the finalists, even the ones I liked.

* The Gordon Ramsay double-dip of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America and Hell's Kitchen on Fox. I sincerely hope there are more than the four episodes shown in the first run of the former show, as it's much more entertaining than the "reality" of Hell's Kitchen. Though that's entertaining enough, even if this year's crop of wannabes isn't quite as interesting as last summer's group.

* So You Think You Can Dance?, which is collateral damage from the wife's viewing. I've taken a NASCAR approach and watched mainly for the dancers who screwed up, which will be sadly reduced now that they've set their final 20. More time on the computer for me.

I've also taken in some of The History Channel's The Revolution, which is OK (it'd be better if it incorporated more graphics, like Battlefield Britain, and less of the re-enactment with voice-over that's the mainstay of History Channel shows). Otherwise, it's been World Cup, the Tour de France, and random catching up with DVR stuff (where I learned that I had seen the pilot for How I Met Your Mother and that The Apprentice finales are getting worse, which I may discuss in more detail if I can get motivated to do so this long after the fact).

Rating Next Season

So I went to give an ordinal ranking for each of the networks for their upfronts, and came to discover that I couldn't name a number one.

There were a couple that stood out as not winning. NBC would have come in last given how they changed everything around scant weeks after their original presentation. Fox was also on my lower end, as I wasn't keen on their new shows and they apparently had the worst presentation ever (as reported by Aaron Barnhart over at TV Barn).

I had the CW in the middle, given that they're only premiering one new show, and it seems like a decent fit. Putting Everybody Hates Chris on at 7 and sticking a re-run of America's Next Top Model at 9 is a cop-out, though (thanks to King of LaPlaca James Dinan for pointing that out).

For all the mocking, I do have ABC as one of the better upfronts given that they seem to have the more interesting new shows. It's just that there are so many other, less interesting ones in their new lineup as well. CBS gets lumped in here, too, as they've put together a good new night on Sunday and have some interesting new show ideas, even if they aren't particularly original. I don't know if a mushroom cloud or James Woods will differentiate Jericho or Shark from Lost or any of the lawyer shows, but they've at least got a hook.