Hues Prevues - TV Tonight (October 4, 2005).

Let's see what's worth rotting our brains out to tonight.  Bolded are the series I'm watching (which really means TIVOing and watching later so I can scan the commercials... and by later I mean I just watched the second episode of FOX's Prison Break last night, so it may be a bit before I get to it.)  Timely, I am not.

The Format
Network - Series Title (Season # / Episode #)

8/7c
ABC - According to Jim (05/04) | Rodney (02/01)
It's the second season premiere of Rodney.  Admittedly, I've never watched the show, though I've enjoyed his comedy on The Bob & Tom Show, notably remembering him for the country-comedy songs he does ("Momma's Got Her Boobs Out," and "Dear Penis" come to mind).  Still, I should try and pick this up.  Jim is a poor man's Everybody Loves Raymond, and with it and Still Standing and The King of Queens and every other schlub husband hot wife domestic comedy, I can't tell them apart.  So I just avoid them all.  And yet, it's on it's fifth season now and the rest just keep on trucking.

CBS - N.C.I.S. (03/03)
Three episodes into it's third season, wasn't this a spin-off of JAG (which did ten or so seasons itself).  Somebody must like this.

FOX - MLB Playoffs
I'm sick of the Yankees always getting the prime-time spotlight.  I understand it's about ratings and demos and advertiser rates and all that crap, but coming from St. Louis, it would be nice to not have to be at work during all the early rounds of the playoffs because all of our games start at noon so that Derek Jeter can be seen in Prime Time!  Still, I'll be at least monitoring this throughout the night.

NBC - The Biggest Loser (02/04)
After The Swan, I'm a bit jaded on makeover-type reality shows.  I know this one is more uplifting and is about working hard and positivity, but there's only so much time in tv-watching land.

WB - Gilmore Girls (06/04)
One of the most critically acclaimed chic flicks on TV, I've yet to catch an episode.  Another victim of too much tv and too little time.

9/8c
ABC - Commander-In-Chief (01/02)
TIVO'd this one, but haven't watched the premiere yet.  I like Geena Davis, I like the concept and the timeliness, with Hillary Clinton still standing as the most viable contender that I can see to actually get a woman in the White House within the next 10 years.  Not to say that she can do it, but she's got a legitimate shot.  With solid writing and characters, and if the constituents can buy into a President Davis, this could take over where The West Wing wilted a few years back.

A&E - Dog The Bounty Hunter (02/19)
I caught one of these, and it is what the title says it is.  Compelling in the same way COPS still is after all these years.

CBS - The Amazing Race (08/02)
I hate to say it, because I love The Amazing Race, that this "Family Edition" version turned me off from the moment of announcement.  I just don't think this watered down version will work, and from what I've seen of it, it won't.  This is good though, as this is the single-most competitive hour on television for my watching eye.  Hopefully something will move or get canceled before January when a real TAR starts.

NBC - My Name Is Earl (01/03) | The Office (02/03)
I have to admit that I'm not as hooked to Earl as everyone else seems to be.  It seems fun enough and the writing and quality are there, but it's just not as funny to me as The Office, Everybody Hates Chris and even How I Met Your Mother.  Worth watching though.  That said, The Office is the under-rated show of the year, as it is fantastically mudane and uncomfortably hilarious!  It's one of those shows I love that will never make it and I know that none of you will watch it because it's just beyond what you're looking for in a television show.  Kind of like Arrested Development, which I fear is in it's last season as well.

UPN - Sex, Love and Secrets (01/02)
This one's already heading to the land of cancellation.  Even UPN expects more than a paltry million and a handful in viewers.  Have to admit nothing about this show piqued my interest.

WB - Supernatural (01/04)
And thus you can see my conundrum.  Baseball will be on and there are no less than three shows in this time slot I want to watch, not counting The Amazing Race, which will make it four once it gets back on track and House, which is on hiatus until November.  Thus far, I've been luck as Supernatural has earned Easy-Views on Saturdays, Bravo has been picking up reruns of The Office and Earl, while ABC itself reran the pilot (at least) of Commander on Saturday.  Thus far, I've not missed out on any of the three, but how can my luck hold out.  Good news, though, is this is a mostly episodic show, so I can miss episodes, catch them in reruns or whatever and it won't bother me.  House has fallen to the wayside, but like Supernatural it tends to run more episodic and not suffer as much for missing it here and there.  Still, somebody needs to fix this for me!

10/9c
ABC - Boston Legal (02/02)
This is a one-time deal for me because James Spader and William Shatner have dominated the Emmy's for these characters the past two years.  There must be something to that, and I have always gotten a kick of Shatner in his over-the-top glory, and my understanding of his character is that the guy is borderline coo-coo, so he should be fabulous about it.

BRAVO - Great Things About Being Brave (Part 2 of 5)
Yeah, I got nothing and know nothing about this.
CBS - Close To Home (01/01)
So, they've been promoting this with ads showing houses and rooftops and feel good music.  So I guess it's like 7th Heaven?  I have no idea and they didn't sell it to me like that.  No idea who's in it, and as much as I've followed the upfronts and read about all the upcoming shows, it's sad that I don't remember a thing.  But the ad made me just not care enough to even find out.

ESPN - Bound For Glory: The Montour Spartans (01/03)
FX - Nip/Tuck (03/03)
I remember watching this in the first season and finding it very good.  Anymore, FX does not throw out many lemons when it comes to dramas.  I may watch more from this network than I do on the major networks.  I know this was the case before the new season started (there's more interesting stuff this season to the likes of me than there has been in a long time.

MTV - The Real World: Austin, Texas (16/16) | The Reality Show (01/04)
I think I'm finally too old to have any interest in this crap.  It's the same thing, only know it's all about gaining pseudo-celebrity, so I don't think they ever "start being real."

NBC - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (07/03)
Procedural shows tend not to interest me.  But this spinoff is on Season 7 and going strong, so they interest someone.  That said, I like the angle of this one a bit as it focuses on a line of crime that is sometimes not considered fully for how horrible it truly is.

So what are you going to watch, and what should I be watching?  Will Close To Home be the breakout hit of the season and topple Desperate Housewives and CSI from the top of the ratings charts?