TV

Usually the new season of TV leaves me cold. I usually give about 3 shows a test run. I watch the pilot and if it grabs me I'll stay with it. Otherwise, I just don't have the time to devote to another show in my schedule. Conversely, I am so done with "ER" but I've been watching it for so long now that I have no choice but to sit through it every Thursday. Occasionally I actually enjoy it and the guest spots are usually dazzling. But overall I'm ready to lose it.

This year, ABC got me but good Monday nights.
8:00 is DEAL OR NO DEAL. This is the dumbest, simplest game show ever and Howie Mandel has the easiest job on the planet. But it's gripping as hell and a lot of fun.

9:00 is HEROES. Put 4 parts X-Men movies into 1 part LOST and that's pretty much what you've got. It's basically a superhero story, but done relatively realistically. It DOES come with a fairly high geek factor, so be aware of that. If you can get past that, you'll really enjoy this one.

10:00 is STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. This is the first of two SNL-based series this season. It's written by the guy who did THE WEST WING, so it's got rapid-fire dialogue, high-pressure situations and intricate relationships. It's so well done I can't believe it. After the pilot, I was not only prepared to watch it again next week, I was excited to! Matthew Perry does a swell job of not being Chandler Bing and a very good job at the character he's playing (I'm terrible with character names).

The second SNL-based show is called 30 ROCK. It premieres tonight, and I'm taping it, so I'll watch it sometime this weekend, probably. It's funny. It's called 30 ROCK. A number of years ago there was an unrelated show called 3RD ROCK (FROM THE SUN) and now there's 30 ROCK.
Next, maybe there'll be a sitcom about these Middle Eastern astronauts who fly to Mercury, but get caught in the Sun's gravitational pull. They swing around and come back towards Earth. The first two astronauts die, but the survivor crashes back to Earth. The show could be all about his take on the Iraq war with the perspective of having seen the whole Earth as one entity from space. It could be called 3RD IRAQI FROM THE SUN.

Or maybe that will never happen.