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Monday, September 09, 2002
 
Television--- Tonight is the first season premiere of any network TV show that I watch, as The Drew Carey Show debuts in its new timeslot on ABC. I have to question the wisdom in ABC's decision to put Drew Carey up against King of Queens head-to-head, given that King of Queens is a critically-acclaimed comedy and is every bit the ratings powerhouse that The Drew Carey Show used to be... but then again, that's ABC for you. Every possible bad decision that ABC could have made last year, it did.

I generally don't take the time to watch every single episode of any given TV series unless I feel that it's one of the best on TV, so here are five network TV shows that I can whole-heartedly recommend to any man, woman, child, or conjoined twin fetus, complete with season premiere dates and timeslot info.

-The Drew Carey Show on ABC- new timeslot (Monday at 8:00 PM, debuts on September 9)
Not as funny as it used to be, nowhere near as watched as it used to be, but still a funny show any way you slice it. Unfortunately, it probably won't be around after this season unless ratings go back up.

-King of Queens on CBS- same timeslot (Monday at 8:00 PM, debuts on September 23)
This has been a break-out hit in the ratings for CBS, and it's no surprise given the show's high quality. Funnier than new timeslot competitor Drew Carey.

-My Wife & Kids on ABC- same timeslot (Wednesday at 8:00 PM, debuts on September 25)
In a year full of mistakes and disasters for ABC, My Wife & Kids was the one shining critical and ratings success for ABC in 2001.

-Friends on NBC- same timeslot (Thursday at 8:00 PM, debuts on September 26)
Last season Friends became more of a drama than ever and less of a comedy than ever, but it still had its funny moments. I expect more of the same in this ninth and final season.

-Scrubs on NBC- new timeslot (Thursday at 8:30 PM, debuts on September 26)
The best new comedy on TV last season gets the coveted post-Friends timeslot, which has actually been nothing but a death knell for shows if they don't retain a certain percantage of Friends' lead-in audience. In other words, Scrubs' ratings will be good, but will they be good enough for NBC?

This summary has only included network TV shows that premiere in September. A separate update later this week will run down the shows that premiere in October and November.

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