My TiVo: Fall 2006

It's that time of year again; a new season of television is on the horizon. Here's a look at what I'll be watching this fall.

The first show to return is Fox's Prison Break (Aug 21). Probably the biggest success out of last year's new shows, Prison Break built a sizable audience with its compelling tale of a young man deliberately putting himself in prison to break his electric-chair-bound brother out. With some charismatic performances and a twisty plot, this show seemed well on its way to joining the likes of 24 and Lost with all its maddening turns. However, by the end of last season the wheels started spinning as the show's creators repeatedly (often ludicrously) disrupted the escape plan so they could save it for the season finale. Like The OC last year, Prison Break is high up on my DVR cut list based on the decline in quality it suffered after its extended break in the winter. The big finale left me especially cold when the carefully deliberate plan they spent the entire season constructing gets tossed completely out the window in favor of a backyard scramble. There were questions about how this show could continue after the inmates broke out, and despite the addition of Invasion's William Fichtner to the cast (my big Emmy snub this year), those questions must be answered rather quickly if I'm going to find room for this show in my already packed viewing schedule.

Fox continues its jump-start on the competition with House (Sept 5). I have almost as intense an aversion to procedurals as I do to reality television, but thanks to consistently fantastic writing and Hugh Laurie's nasty wit, this show transcends its genre like none other. Lulling us into a rhythm with a standard story structure, House occasionally breaks the mold with fantastic episodes, that are often some of the best of any show on television. House is always entertaining and occasionally, as in season one's "Three Stories" and last season's "The Mistake" and finale "No Reason," it's exquisite.

We'll have to deal with Prison Break and House until the deliciously disturbing Nip/Tuck (Sept 15) returns to F/X. One of the shows I caught up with on DVD this summer, I was immediately drawn into this morally repugnant, yet impossibly involving drama about two plastic surgeons. Fascinating for all the reasons it should be repulsive (graphic surgeries, deviant sexuality, outrageous plotting), Nip/Tuck hides a well-acted, well-written, psychologically complex show behind a screen of vanity and gloss -- just like the topic it skewers.

The next week will be big, with the return of ABC powerhouse Grey's Anatomy (Sept 21) on its new night Thursday. Joining the party will be My Name is Earl and The Office that both debut on the same night. Grey's Anatomy continues to surprise me with its emotional depth and wonderful writing. Though I'm leery of returning to the McDreamy/Meredith drama, this show has consistently managed to treat hackneyed storylines with remarkable care and refreshing creativity. Meanwhile, the only two comedies on my list thanks to the departure of Arrested Development and the delay of Scrubs, I was introduced to these two marvelously smart shows thanks to my job at an NBC affiliate -- the studio crew goes into lockdown when The Office and Earl are on the air. Though I'm hoping to catch-up on the DVDs before they start -- I've only caught a handful of episodes in reruns -- they're worth mentioning in this list.

Finally the newly formed CW makes its debut with Smallville (Sept 28). Smallville continues to grow up as the stakes get higher and higher for our Man of Steel in training, and the influences around him get darker and darker. With a war with Zod on the horizon, Lex going full-blown evil, and the debut of the Green Arrow and Jimmy Olsen looming, there is already plenty to look forward to this season.

We'll have to wait a bit longer for Lost (Oct 4). After a somewhat meandering sophomore season, Lost's final four episodes wrapped up with so many revelations it left viewers' heads spinning. Much like the first season, I found myself questioning whether the writers had any idea what they were doing, but after reviewing several episodes following the finale's stunning revelations I'm once again ashamed of my doubt. There's no show I'm looking forward to more than Lost. With the honorable Desmond and the chilling Henry Gale joining the cast as regulars, there's even more incentive to watch. My only concern, based on season two's issues, is that the cast will get so large that many characters will be slighted for long periods of time (Sayeed being one of the most egregious). Another thing worth mentioning, because of the complaints regarding Losts repeat issues, the suits at ABC have decided to cut the season in half. This fall we'll get a six episode mini-season (with an agonizing cliff-hanger in November), and then Lost will disappear until January, when it will return with 16 uninterrupted episodes. I'm very much in favor of this, if only to give myself more time to catch-up on other shows.

Finally, a revamped Veronica Mars (Oct 3) goes to college. After the somewhat convoluted mystery in season two, the creators have decided to break the show up into smaller, more concise mysteries for season three. This will hopefully help the rating-challenged show gather some steam on its new network, The CW. It got an initial order of 13 episodes, and hopefully this new format will allow it to gain some new viewers and expand that order as the season moves along. We don't know much about this season, other than it will see Veronica heading to higher education and may involve a serial rapist we learned of in season two.

I guess I should mention The OC (November), though it looks like this year's Alias, what with the declining ratings, reduced episode order, and desperate cast realignments. I'll keep my eye on this one, but it really hurts watching a show I used to love in its death throes.

So those are the returning shows. Here are the new ones I plan on giving a shot:

Vanished (Aug 21) involves the disappearance of a Senators wife.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Sept 18) marks the return of Aaron Sorkin to television. I hope this show finds an audience if only so I can relish in the symphony of words that is a Sorkin script. With Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford leading the cast, on paper this is a dream show for me.

Kidnapped (Sept 20) follows the abduction of a rich kids son. Consider it Ransom-redux. Great cast. Slick look. But will the mystery grab hold? And will people be able to keep it straight with Vanished?

Six Degrees (Sept 21) separate six strangers in a new drama by the producers of Lost and Alias. Good cast. Good pedigree. Worth a look.

Heroes (Sept 25) jumps on the serialized mythology bandwagon with a handful of ordinary folk discovering they have super powers. Again a good cast with Alias' Greg Grunberg and Remember the Titans wunderkind Hayden Panettiere, but I've grown skeptical of this show over the summer. Apparently the creator doesn't have a plan for where the show will ultimately lead and the show is oppressively downbeat. No plan and no sense of humor = short commitment from yours truly.

Friday Night Lights (Oct 3) will likely be the biggest hit of the new fall crop. That's my prediction anyway. This show drips Americana. If it matches the tone of the book and film, keeping it away from the Varsity Blues frat-boy nonsense, it should have the broadest demographic of any show this year. Anxiously awaiting this one.

The Nine (Oct 4) follows a group of people who survive a hostage standoff in a bank. Like Lost, each episode will reveal ten minutes of the standoff. Marks Tim Daly's return to TV after a charming turn in the disappointing Eyes. Hopefully this one will give him a little more to do.

Other notes: A new season of Battlestar Galatica can't come soon enough. Same for The Shield. I'm going to try and get through Supernatural on DVD, so that might get added to the list. Plus Scrubs and 24 will be coming next year.