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Television--- Earlier this week I ran down the network TV shows that have their season premieres in September. Now here are a half-dozen shows that premiere in October and November that I highly recommend to every man, woman, child, and conjoined twin fetus.

-Just Shoot Me on NBC- new timeslot (Tuesday at 8:30 PM, debuts on October 1)
This show is funny and highly-rated year in and year out, which makes it all the more mind-boggling that NBC pulled it from its long-held Thursday timeslot in favor of the ridiculously bad-looking new show "Good Morning, Miami." To add insult to injury, Just Shoot Me wasn't even deemed worthy of getting the 8:00 PM lead-off timeslot, or the 9:30 PM post-Frasier timeslot.

-According to Jim on ABC- new timeslot (Tuesday at 8:30 PM, debuts on October 1)
You would think that ABC would be a little more happy about According to Jim's ratings success given that it was only one of three ABC shows that debuted in 2001 and didn't flop (with the other two being Alias and My Wife & Kids). Also, how did it work out that Brad Grey Television produces a total of three TV shows (According to Jim, Just Shoot Me, and The Sopranos), and now two of those three shows have been put head-to-head in the Tuesday at 8:30 timeslot? I'm sure the people at Brad Grey Television were thrilled when they heard that news...

-The George Lopez Show on ABC- same timeslot (Wednesday at 8:30 PM, debuts on October 2)
This show only aired six episodes last season as a mid-season replacement, but it's a very well-written and funny show, and it did well enough in the ratings to warrant a another season order from ABC. My only problem with the show is that it portrays Latinos in a very stereotypical manner. Its lead-in, My Wife & Kids, is what the networks call a "minority show," and it's not insultingly stereotypical.

-24 on Fox- same timeslot (Tuesday at 9:00 PM, debuts on October 29)
Fox had no choice but to renew 24 and let it keep the same timeslot due to the fact that it's the most critically-acclaimed TV show of the past decade. The first season of 24 had decent ratings overall, and great ratings in the coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic. In my opinion, 24 is the best show of any kind on any network. That includes anything on HBO, and it also includes the precious fanboy oddity Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

-The Simpsons on Fox- same timeslot (Sunday at 8:00 PM, debuts on November 3)
It's still the most-watched show on Fox, and for good reason. It's still funny after all these years, although I do think that the 1999-2000 season with Mike Scully as the executive producer was funnier than the 2000-2001 season with Al Jean as the executive producer.

-Malcolm in the Middle on Fox- new timeslot (Sunday at 9:00 PM, debuts on November 3)
The breakout hit of the last couple years for Fox, in terms of both ratings and critical acclaim. Many times it's even more funny than its former lead-in, The Simpsons. Still, one has to wonder how many years the magic can last after the teenager characters are no longer teenagers in real life and the kids are no longer kids. If it were in any way possible (and it's probably not), I would double-shoot seasons, so that you're filming two seasons' worth of episodes for every one year that passes on the calendar.

Labels: Television (Non-MMA)

posted by Ivan Trembow at 10:06 AM

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