The Weigh In 68

Although it is still roughly 500 degrees outside, cable and basic cable are wrapping up their summer lineups just in time to make way for the new network fall lineup. Let’s see if we can guess which of these will last less than four episodes. It’ll be fun.

Be prepared to set your TIVO to overload because here is your:

Complete guide to the big networks new fall season:

(*television shows that I enjoyed last year and new shows that sound like they are worth checking out. I am sure after a few weeks it’ll be easy to weed these down to only a few)

All times EST because I hate to break with tradition and God forbid I should actually have to think about what I am writing

FOX
Vanished (Monday 9pm)-A wealthy socialite’s wife is missing and this series will take you on twists and turns as you try to figure out the mystery behind the woman and the family.
Standoff (Tuesday 9pm)-A team of expert hostage negotiators get into hot water when they reveal that they are all sleeping with each other. They have to be able to balance their jobs and an increasingly tense social situation.
*Justice (Wednesday 9pm)- A drama from the creators of CSI about a high profile defense team that uses every piece of technology and cunning to defend their clients.
‘Til Death (Thursday 8pm)- A sitcom starring Brad Garrett about one newlywed couple and one couple married for quiet a while.
Happy Hour (Thursday 8:30pm)- A straight arrow from Ohio moves to Chicago with the promise of a new life and a new job only in the space of a day managing to lose his job and apartment. Stuck in the middle of Chicago he meets a new set of friends who help him put his life back together.

Shows that made it back for a new season:

Prison Break (Monday 8pm)
*House (Tuesday 8pm)
Bones (Wednesday 8pm)
The O.C. (Thursday 9pm)
Nanny 911 (Friday 8pm)
Trading Spouses (Friday 9pm)
The Simpsons (Sunday 8pm)
American Dad (Sunday 8:30pm)
Family Guy (Sunday 9pm)
The War at Home (Sunday 9:30pm)


NBC
*Heroes (Monday 8pm)- A group of regular individuals wake up one day with super powers. This show chronicles how they meld with society and why they received the powers they have.
*Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Monday 10pm)- Starring Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) and Matthew Perry, this is the story of a sketch comedy show going down the tubes and a behind the scenes dramatic look at its participants. Created by Aaron Sorkin.
*Friday Night Lights (Tuesday 8pm)- Set in Dillon Texas from the director of the film of the same name, chronicles a new coach and his attempt to carry a team that is expected by the town to go all the way.
Twenty Good Years (Wednesday 8pm)- Basically touted as the Odd Couple with retires trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Starring John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor.
30 Rock (Wednesday 8:30pm)- A comedic behind the scenes look at the making of a sitcom, from SNL’s Tina Fey and starring Alec Baldwin.
*Kidnapped (Wednesday 10pm)- A new drama where a family’s son is kidnapped and they have to avoid the police and FBI while working with a detective to find out who has their son, starring Jeremy Sisto, Delroy Lindo, Dana Delaney, and Timothy Hutton.
*Sunday Night Football (Sunday 8pm)- taking over ESPN Sunday Night Football.

Shows that made it back for a new season:

Deal or No Deal (Monday 8pm and Thursday 9pm)
Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Tuesday 9pm)
*Law and Order SVU (Tuesday 10pm)
The Biggest Loser (Wednesday 9pm)
*My Name is Earl (Thursday 8pm)
*The Office (Thursday 8:30pm)
ER (Thursday 10pm)
Crossing Jordan (Friday 8pm)
Las Vegas (Friday 9pm)
Law and Order (Friday 10pm)


ABC
What about Brian? (Monday 10pm)- An ensemble comedy about a group of married couples and their one last single friend. Being single with a group of married couples makes him examine his life and past loves.
The Knights of Prosperity (Tuesday 9pm)- Donal Logue stars as a workaday everyman who one day wishes to open his own bar. Inspiration strikes while watching television and he decides to get rich by getting together a group of friends to rob Mick Jagger’s house.
Help Me, Help You (Tuesday 9:30pm)- Ted Danson runs a group therapy session and we follow him as he realizes that he may be just as nutty as the people he is trying to help.
*The Nine (Wednesday 10pm)- Tim Daly and Chi McBride star in this social case study of a series about 9 people trapped in a 52 hour hostage situation and the affect it has on these seemingly random people’s lives. A twist, each episode will include flashbacks to the hostage situation.
Ugly Betty (Thursday 8pm)- An ugly duckling goes to work at a fashion magazine and is forced to deal with outside beauty all day.
6 degrees (Thursday 10pm)- A dramatic series based on the idea that everyone in the world can be connected in a chain by no more than 6 people, six people are followed and we watch as even their most mundane actions have an affect on the other five.
Men in Trees (Friday 9pm)- A famous author finds out her fiancé is cheating on her while on a book tour to Elmo, Alaska, and after finding out the ration of men to women in this town 10 to 1, she decides to stay and write a book about men and maybe find love.
Brothers and Sisters (Sunday 10pm)- Brothers & Sisters is a compelling, new one-hour primetime drama from executive producers Ken Olin, playwright Jon Robin Baitz and Marti Noxon about the California-based Walker family. In the series, we meet a collection of incredibly intertwined and somewhat damaged adult siblings who embrace one another unconditionally while striving to reflect the perceived perfection of their role model parents. In the days ahead, they will navigate waves of temptation, deception and grief. (courtesy of ABC.com). I actually cut and paste this description directly from ABC’s website because after reading it 4 or 5 times, watching the trailer, and looking around the net about it, I still had no clue what in the hell it was about.

Shows that made it back for a new season:
Wifeswap (Monday 8pm)
The Bachelor: Rome (Monday 9pm)
Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday 8pm)
Boston Legal (Tuesday 10pm)
Dancing with the Stars: Results Show (Wednesday 8pm)
*Lost (Wednesday 9pm)
Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday 9pm)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Sunday 8pm)
Desperate Housewives (Sunday 9pm)


CBS
The Class (Monday 8pm)- this comedy explores the 20-year reunion of a group of students that went to third grade together. Brought to you by the creators of Cheers, and Friends.
Smith (Tuesday 10pm)- Ray Liotta plays a no-nonsense career criminal with a crew that goes around the country pulling off major heists. He has to learn how to blend his career with an attempt to go straight.
*Jericho (Wednesday 8pm)- When a baffling explosion occurs outside Jericho, Kansas, the town is isolated and forced to either band together or fall apart at the seams. Starring Skeet Ulrich.
Shark (Thursday 10pm)- Hard-edged attorney (James Woods) Sebastian Stark uses his sharp legal mind to form a team of attorneys who battle the rich and notorious of the world.

Shows that made it back for a new season:
*How I Met Your Mother (Monday 8:30pm)
*Two and a Half Men (Monday 9pm)
The New Adventures of Old Christine (Monday 9:30pm)
CSI Miami (Monday 10pm)
*NCIS (Tuesday 8pm)
*The Unit (Tuesday 9pm)
Criminal Minds (Wednesday 9pm)
CSI New York (Wednesday 10pm)
Survivor: Cook Island (Thursday 8pm)
*CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Thursday 9pm)
The Ghost Whisperer (Friday 8pm)
Close to Home (Friday 9pm)
Numb3rs (Friday 10pm)
The Amazing Race (Sunday 8:30)
Cold Case (Sunday 9pm)
Without a Trace (Sunday 10pm)

I went ahead and notated with an asterisk which shows I enjoyed that are coming back and the shows that look like they might have a possibility of being enjoyable. I know it is a lot so here is a quick list of a few of the shows that you must see, the rest are just gravy, along with a few shows that sound like they will stand out.


My must see tv list:
Lost, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, My Name is Earl, NCIS, House

Sounds cool enough to Tivo at least the first few episodes:
Justice, Studio 60 on the Sunset Lot, The Nine, Friday Night Lights

I hope this little guide will help you sift through the flood of new and returning shows that are coming out this fall. Looking back at the list there is probably at least one of these that sounds like it was written by a crack addicted monkey but will be touted in a few years as the next great show. I am going to take a look back probably right after November sweeps and look at which shows survived, which look pretty good, and maybe do a little reprogramming to the TIVO.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the new fall season. Drop me a line at DPlace76@yahoo.com.


This weekend at your local multiplex (9/1/2006)

Crank: Action
Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Efren Ramirez, Dwight Yoakam
Plot: Chev Chelios (Statham) is a hitman who, in an effort to get away from his current life, lets his target get away. He wakes up the next morning to find out he has been poisoned and has one hour to live. In order to slow the poison he must keep his adrenaline pumping.
Buzz: I dunno, although I am not a big fan of anything Jason Statham, something about the total simplicity of this movie makes my wallet itch to let loose of some green.

The Wicker Man: Thriller
Nicolas Cage, Leelee Sobieski, Ellen Burstyn, Christa Campbell
Plot: A police officer goes to a desolate island to track down his girlfriend’s daughter and finds himself falling deeper and deeper into the ancient traditions of the island and learning the secrets of the Wicker Man.
Buzz: A remake of a film made famous by a naked Britt Ekland. I personally am hoping that it is Leelee Sobieski that stays true to the original and not Ellen Burstyn.

Crossover: Drama
Anthony Mackey, Wesley Jonathon, Wayne Brady, Kristen Wilson, Eva Pickford
Plot: Two friends who are also excellent basketball players grow apart and their lives take separate tracks. One goes off to college with hopes of the NBA and the other goes to jail, tries to get his GED and tries to win a local streetball tournament. Their lives collide when they fall in love with the same girl and are forced to go on a trip together.
Buzz: I really haven’t heard anything about this movie but Wayne Brady does have his fans.


This week on DVD (8/29/2006)

Fellowship of the Ring (se)
The Zodiac
The Two Towers (se)
Trilogy of Terror
The Sentinel Desperation
Take the Lead
American Gun
Akeelah and the Bee
The Andy Griffith Show (season 7)
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Ellen (season 4)
Friends with Money
Lonesome Jim
Romancing the Stone (se)
Will and Grace (season 5)
The Jewel of the Nile (se)
Karate Dog
Pretty in Pink (se)
Tap (se)
Some Kind of Wonderful (se)
White Knights (se)
Arrested Development (season 3)
TMNT (vol 5)
The Chuck Norris Collection
South Park (season 8)
Desperate Housewives (season 2)
Nip Tuck (season 3)
The Tick (season 1)
Darkwing Duck (volume 1)
Brother Bear 2


As always be sure to send your love and adoration to DPlace76@yahoo.com. You can read about my innermost thoughts and dreams at http://bigdpimpin.livejournal.com/. You can also read about what the Stumblebum guys will be up to next at www.myspace.com/stumblebumstudios.