Movies & TV blog

What will you be watching on TV this fall?

By Tony Black | Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 09:12 PM

I like TV a lot. I don’t watch much of it during the summer since the only new programming is usually reality TV. But when fall comes around, I am a TV watching fool.

Here are my picks for shows to watch this fall using our photo guide to Fall TV plus a couple of shows not included in the guide.
WARNING: I will probably spoil the season finales to most of these returning shows if you haven’t watched them yet.

Be sure to share your picks for fall TV below.

Here’s what I’ll be watching (In premiere order):

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Premiere: Mon., Sept. 8 at 8 p.m.

Station: FOX

My 2 cents: I was skeptical about this show when the first season aired and didn’t watch it. The third Terminator movie was so bad I didn’t expect much from a TV adaptation. My friends, however, watched it and profess that it is worth a watch. I plan to Netflix the first season so I can catch up before the premiere but Netflix has it on a ‘Short Wait’ which means I won’t be seeing it for a while.

SNL (Saturday Night Live)

Premiere: Sat., Sept. 13 at 11:30 p.m.

Station: NBC

My 2 cents: I’ll admit that the show has been hit miss for several years now, but I just don’t care. My dream is to be a cast member on the show. Last season saw a definite increase in hilarity so I am hopeful for this next season. The season will premiere with Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps as the host (and you know they will write a skit that gets him into a Speedo).

Smallville

Premiere: Thu., Sept. 18 at 8 p.m.

Station: The CW

My 2 cents: As an avid Superman fan, I must say that this show should have ended long ago so they could stop butchering the mythos. On the other hand, I can’t stop watching it. I now look forward to the crazy directions they take Clark Kent on his journey to become The Man of Steel. The finale ended with Lex Luthor confronting Clark in his Fortress of Solitude and using a Kryptonian weapon to destroy him. I just know they’ll have Lex’s mind erased for the hundredth time in the premiere so everything can go back to normal

How I Met Your Mother

Premiere: Mon., Sept. 22 at 8:30 p.m.

Station: CBS

My 2 cents: This is one of my new favorite shows. The casting is phenomenal, the dialogue is hilarious and the plots are perfect. The show is a story a dad is telling his kids about how he met their mother. When we last saw Ted (the main character) he was proposing to his girlfriend. I doubt that she is his future wife. Neil Patrick Harris is also great playing a sex crazed swinging bachelor who is also kind of a nerd (he loves laser tag).

Heroes

Premiere: Mon., Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.

Station: NBC

My 2 cents: When we last left our heroes, things were boring and story lines were fizzling. Hopefully they can pick up the pace in the upcoming season. The first season was so amazingly different from everything else on TV (until the finale which sucked big time). Then the second season came a long and everything changed. Even the creator of the show, Tim Kring, was disappointed with it. Hopefully season 3 will keep me watching.

Ugly Betty

Premiere: Thu., Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.

Station: ABC

My 2 cents: This show is funny and heart-warming at the same time. The characters are way over the top but that is in no way a problem. Season 2 got a little crazy in the middle, but straightened itself out in the end. In the finale, Betty had to decide between 2 love interests but my money is on neither. I think she’ll decide to take a break from love and focus more on writing for the fashion magazine ‘Mode.’ But that’s just a theory.

The Office

Premiere: Thu., Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.

Station: NBC

My 2 cents: All I have to say is if Pam breaks up with Jim because he didn’t propose to her at the going away party for Tobey, I am done with this show. I will also be pissed off if Michael gets back with Jan but I can tolerate it.

Dexter

Premiere: Sun., Sept. 28 at 9 p.m.

Station: Showtime

My 2 cents: I only watched half of season 2 because he stopped killing people and that’s boring. I am watching a show about a serial killer so I can see him serial killing, not so I can see him go to addicts anonymous to try and fight his urge to kill. Of course he got over all that, but I never caught up with the rest of the season which is also in the ole’ Netflix queue but on ‘long wait.’ Sigh.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Premiere: Fri., Oct. 3 at 9 p.m.

Station: Cartoon Network

My 2 cents: Okay, so I hated the movie lead in to this TV show, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to watch the show. It’s Star Wars, I have to watch it. It’s in my nature.

My Own Worst Enemy

Premiere: Mon., Oct. 13 at 10 p.m.

Station: NBC

My 2 cents: This is one of the few new shows for NBC’s fall lineup and it has got me intrigued. Christian Slater plays a man with double identities which are polar opposites of each other. Neither identity knows about the other. If you watch Heroes, it sounds a lot like the Niki / Jessica Sanders character. Sounds interesting to me.

30 Rock

Premiere: Thu., Oct. 30 at 9:30 p.m.

Station: NBC

My 2 cents: This is one of the funniest shows on TV. The duo of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin provides endless laughs. I didn’t care much for the series premiere of this show, but I am so glad I hung on and gave it a second chance. My thoughts on season 1.

Reaper

Premiere: Mid- to late-October

Station: The CW

My 2 cents: The first season ended leaving you to believe that Sam Oliver (the main character) might be the son of the Devil (played by Ray Wise - perfect casting if you ever watched ‘Twin Peaks’). You also learn that the man Sam thinks is his real father has some big secrets (he was buried alive and survived unharmed). The series started off with a predictable formula to each episode but the hysterical dialogue and characters kept me watching. I think they finally stepped outside of their box towards the end of the season and I look forward to seeing that continue into the next season.

Related link

A complete photo guide to Fall TV on ABC, NBC, FOX, The CW and CBS

So, what TV shows are you looking forward to watching this fall? Is there a really great show that you know of that I should be watching? Tell me about it.

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