Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Series premiere of Chuck (NBC, 7pm; also Sat at 8pm; and on the Sci-Fi channel on Sun at 10pm)
Season premiere of How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7pm)
Season premiere of Heroes (NBC, 8pm; also on Sat at 7pm)
Series premiere of Journeyman (NBC, 9pm; airs again on Thu and Sun on Sci-Fi)
New Weeds (Showtime, 9pm, lots of additional airings)

Primetime Grid

News & Notes

Here we go, folks– the new Fall season starts in earnest this week. I’m happy to field your questions and hear your comments and will do my best to tell you what you need to know.

I’ve been in rather poor health this summer, which is part of why I didn’t get a big fall preview done this year (There are a lot of those by now, not like when I first started out, so I figure my take isn’t as needed). I hope the fall grid and links proved helpful over the summer. Sorry I didn’t get Sunday covered. Thanks to all of you who have written to say thank you and to those who’ve made donations– you guys rule. I received more donations this month than I did all last season, which made it hard for me to keep up with posting a running tally (that’s why I took that down) (We’re up to $165 now).

Daytime

All of Us debuts in syndication 5-days-a-week, check your local listings to see if it’s airing in your area.

Judge Judy, Hayden Panettiere (of Heroes) on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jimmy Smits (of Cane, The West Wing, NYPD Blue), U.S. Senator and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Zachary Levi (of Chuck) on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

David Spade, Jane Seymour and her dance partner Tony Dovolani (who are there to plug the new season of Dancing with the Stars), and a pair of 90-year-old newlyweds on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Tim Gunn (of Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style) and artist Julie Dunbar in an episode all about sewing on Martha (syndicated, check your local listings).

A new “mystery taster,” and also fitness guru Bob Greene on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Martina McBride, Star Jones on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Did Bipolar Disorder drive a mother to kill her child?” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). No, she didn’t kill her child on the show– you know what I mean. Guests include Maurice Bernard (of General Hospital) and actress Jenifer Lewis.

I’ve given up on posting listings for Dr. Phil because his website is hideous and it’s a pain to track down listings. If you really care to hear what he’s on about each day, you can head over to drphil.com and find out (though you may then see why I don’t want to visit the page any more).

Featured Pick

Series premiere of Chuck (NBC, 7pm; also Saturday at 8pm; and on the Sci-Fi channel on Sun at 10pm).

Chuck is my favorite new show of the Fall season so I hope you’ll check it out tonight. It’s got humor (including rather geeky humor), cool fight scenes, and a whole lot of heart. If you aren’t sold on the show based on the first episode, just wait– the next two episodes are truly great. Pilots are tough, they’re designed to sell the show to a network while introducing the premise and characters. The pilot for Chuck sets things up admirably, but the next episodes kinda made me want to cheer (perhaps because I’ve mostly been underwhelmed by the new shows this year).

Josh Schwartz (creator of The O.C.) proves he really does know geeks, as if the character of Seth Cohen wasn’t proof enough. The title character is a twenty-something guy who works for the “Nerd Herd” at “Buy More” despite being a smart guy with good college degree; he’s played by Zachari Levi who played “Kipp” on Less Than Perfect, but I didn’t even recognize him at first because this character is so different. Chuck is more of a computer geek, whereas Seth Cohen was into music and comics more so than computers. Chuck plays video games with his friends who work at Buy More with him and he still pines for the girl he dated in college.

Chuck’s older sister is played by Sarah Lancaster (she was “Marjorie” on What About Brian and Madison on Everwood); she throws Chuck a birthday party in hopes that he’ll hook up with one of her friends. Chuck lives with his sister and In later episodes, their relationship develops into a nice believable family dynamic (of the happy sort, that is).

Chuck’s life changes dramatically when he opens a simple email from an old college friend and the seemingly ridiculous premise is introduced: secrets from all of the federal agencies are downloaded into his brain. And then Adam Baldwin shows up as an NSA assassin (ridiculous, yes) and Yvonne Strzechowski as a beautiful C.I.A. agent who is also after Chuck.

I know. Silly. Goofy. You just gotta go with the over-the-top premise because it’s just so much fun. Adam Baldwin is great, as usual; he was “Jayne” in Firefly and was also in both The Inside and Day Break in recent years (two shows I liked a lot, but which didn’t survive past their first seasons). Yvonne Strzechowski is a relative newcomer, but she’s fabulous as a spy with a secret who quite likes Chuck.

Chuck’s friends and other coworkers are a fun group, the rare supporting players who add a lot to the show. But then I’m predisposed to like geeky sorts, I guess.

Don’t confuse this show with Reaper, which has a vaguely similar premise and will debut later on the CW. In that show, the characters work at a Home Depot knock-off, not a Best Buy knockoff. And the supporting players on that show are pretty darn annoying (one in particular). That show is cruder and ruder, though fun at times (in the first one, I haven’t seen additional episodes yet). This show has more to it and should appeal to a broader audience (assuming they can take a chance on it and just go with the premise).

These are the spies of Spy Kids or She Spies or something rather cartoonish. Tony Todd shows up as one of the bosses of the spies.

Chuck knows things no one else knows and so he needs to be protected or destroyed: obviously they end up protecting him, for as long as the show airs, at least. I don’t want to give too much away here. Trust me when I say you should give this show a chance. It manages to be laugh out loud funny, moving, exciting, and just plain enjoyable. Something for everyone, I think. Or at least something I like a bunch and know most of my friends will like.

For another take, check out Jason Snell’s review over at TeeVee.

The series premiere of Chuck airs tonight at 7pm on NBC.

You will be able to buy and download this episode and future episodes of Chuck as an Amazon.com Unbox download. People with Windows PCs and some TiVo DVRs can access the downloads from Unbox.

P.S. Traveler fans may get a kick out of seeing glimpses of Matthew Bomer (as a spy) in the first episode of this show.

Primetime

Series premiere of Chuck (NBC, 7pm; also Saturday at 8pm; and on the Sci-Fi channel on Sun at 10pm). Highly recommended; see “Featured Pick” above.

Robin returns from vacation with a new boyfriend (played by Enrique Inglesias) in the season premiere of How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7pm). Ted and Robin are still trying to recover from their breakup and things are a bit awkward . . . and funny. Barney, of course, wants to be Ted’s wingman for a night on the town. Mandy Moore also guest stars.

Michael has to do some quick thinking to find Whistler and then keep him from being found by others (who want to kill him) in this new episode of Prison Break (FOX, 7pm; airs again on FX at 3pm on Sunday). I found this episode entertaining and I almost feel like tuning in to the show this season– we’ll see how long that lasts. If the first episode of this season got you hooked, this is probably a best bet for you. If you missed the season premiere, it will air again on Sunday on FX at 2pm and be followed by a rerun of this episode.

Season premiere of Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 7pm – 8:30pm). Twelve stars will be dancing this season, with the six women in the spotlight tonight and the six men get their turn tomorrow. Dolly Parton will perform on the results show on Wednesday. The stars who will be competing in this round are: Melanie Brown (a.k.a. Scary Spice), Sabrina Bryan (of The Cheetah Girls), Helio Castroneves (an Indy 500 champion), Mark Cuban (entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks), Jennie Garth (of Beverly Hills 90210), Josie Maran (a model/actress/entrepreneur), Cameron Mathison (of All My Children), Floyd Mayweather (World Boxing Council Welterweight Champion of the World), Wayne Newton, Marie Osmond, Albert Reed (model), and Jane Seymour (of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman).

Series premiere of The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:30pm). Um. An attractive young woman moves in across the hall from a pair of extremely geeky geeks. The sort of geeks who have formulas written on whiteboards in their apartment and who really don’t relate well at all to anyone (but fellow geeks). Hijinks ensue. From Chuck Lorre, the creator of Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men.

I wanted to like it, but found the whole thing rather painful to watch. My husband had to leave the room he found it so bad, but he’s darn picky and doesn’t watch many shows (he does sometimes watch and enjoy Two and a Half Men, as do I, so it’s not that we don’t care for sitcoms of this sort). We joked that probably the only thing we’ll like about this show will be the Chuck Lorre vanity cards at the end of the episodes. I’ll probably give the show another chance or two to win me over, in case it improves on the pilot. For more about the show (and something of an opposing view), check out the page for it in the TeeVee/TV Barn Fall Preview.

The events of the season premiere of Heroes (NBC, 8pm; also airs on Saturday at 7pm) take place four months after the events of last season’s finale. Though I’m thinking Hiro is actually in a different place in time, but it gets confusing when I start to think about whether he’s also in “four months later” land or if because he jumped back in time he’s not. I remain hooked on this show and can’t wait to see the premiere (darn NBC for not sending it out, but I think they wanted to keep even critics in the dark on this one). If you haven’t seen season one, you really shouldn’t jump into this show mid-stream. David Anders (who was “Sark” on Alias) begins his guest stint on the show; with him joining the show as well as Kristen Bell (of Veronica Mars, there’ll be a lot of squeeing out there by fanboys and fangirls. I don’t think Bell is in this episode, but she’ll show up before too long. I do not see any listings to indicate that any episodes from this season of Heroes will air on Sci-Fi (at least not in the next couple of weeks).

There’s a prison break in this new episode of K-Ville (FOX, 8pm) and it’s a pity it’s not a crossover episode with Prison Break– I’m just saying, is all. The cops go after the fugitives, of course. Guest stars include Amanda Righetti (who was Kirsten’s sister on The OC and then went on to many failed FOX shows) and Milena Govich (who was a regular on Law & Order last year and on Conviction before that).

Charlie and Alan try to prepare Jake for his first year of junior high in the season premiere of Two and a Half Men (CBS, 8pm). I’m sure everything goes swimmingly. Or, um, not.

Season premiere of Rules of Engagement (CBS, 8:30pm). I can’t believe this show is still on the air. David Spade is so annoying on this show, that’s reason enough not to watch. I guess someone’s terrible snoring is a major plot point in this episode, somehow I’m guessing sleep apnea won’t be brought up.

Season premiere of The Bachelor (ABC, 8:30pm – 10pm). Regular timeslot will be 9pm – 10pm. I can’t believe people watch this and I figure I don’t have to cover this show given so many talk shows (on radio and TV) spend what seems like an endless amount of time on it.

Series premiere of Journeyman (NBC, 9pm; airs again on Sci-Fi on Thursday at 6pm and on Sunday at 11pm). Go forth and check out the description in the TeeVee/TV Barn Fall Preview and then come back here for my take.

Journalist travels through time and finds that confusing at first (and maybe always?). His wife is less than pleased that her husband just up and disappears for days at a time and everyone thinks he must have a drug problem or be having an affair or something. Reed Diamond plays his police detective brother (you probably know Diamond best as “Kellerman” on Homicide, but maybe that’s just me).

I liked the first episode well enough, though it didn’t knock my socks off. Interesting take on time travel with a mystery of sorts thrown in (why does he keep seeing his now-dead fiance when he time travels? Why is he traveling through time and what causes it?). Good cast, premise with potential. It’s not just about the time travel itself, but about the dynamics between him and his brother (who used to date his wife) and his wife and the rest of his family and that darn dead fiance. Sci-Fi, mystery, romance, adventure, drama. Could work, could falter. I’m desperate for a network show that airs on Monday night at 9pm which isn’t CSI: Miami or a reality or news show and this may very well fit the bill.

New episode of Weeds (Showtime, 9pm, plenty of additional airings).

A hostage situation results in a murder and Horatio removes his sunglasses on the season premiere of CSI: Miami (CBS, 9pm). The case may be a bit personal for him.

New episode of Californication (Showtime, 9:30pm, with plenty more airings).

Late Night

John Bowe on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Thomas Friedman on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Jamie Foxx, Jimmy Smits (of Cane), will.i.am on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dennis Kucinich, Diana Krall on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Bob Costas, Jim Gaffigan (of My Boys), Rilo Kiley on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

50 Cent, Emily Deschanel (of Bones) on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Kanye West, Jeff Garlin on a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Emma Stone, Avril Lavigne on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Tuesday Daytime

Jamie Fox, Peter Krause (of Dirty Sexy Money, Six Feet Under, Sports Night), an ugly couch contest on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jenny McCarthy, Joey Fatone on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Taye Diggs (of Private Practice, Daybreak, Kevin Hill), Brian Gaynor (of So You Think You Can Dance), and James Blunt on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Best Bet: Amy Sedaris (of Strangers with Candy), gardening expert Roy Kiehm, how to plant peonies on Martha (syndicated, check your local listings).

Shemar Moore (of Criminal Minds), and a look at what you can do to slow down the aging process on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Are You Doomed for Divorce?” on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“237 Reasons To Have Sex” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). Once again, they aren’t recommending that people have sex on the show or the woman– that’s the topic of the show. It’s a look at “what’s really going on in America’s bedrooms” (and they aren’t talking about America Ferrera either).