I know it’s popular to deride the wasteland that is television, but as I’m gearing up for the fall season, I feel overwhelmed.
A list (must see, have great faith)
Lost, The Wire, Dr Who (come spring), Veronica Mars, Boston Legal, NCIS, Criminal Minds, BSG, Torchwood.
B list (will continue to follow, have faith)
Studio 60, C.S.I. (local version of American) Idol, Eureka, Prison Break, 24, House M.D.
C list (enjoy, but not essential)
Bones, Supernatural, Cold Case, (the other) C.S.I. (shows), Numbers, The Unit.
And there are other shows that seem to get a lot of attention here: Monk, My name is Earl, Scrubs, Housewives…
There simply aren’t enough free hours in a week to catch all. I think.
We have TiVo gridlock on Thursday and Friday now. Thursday is when we TiVo *Smallville * and My Name Is Earl/The Office. *Ugly Betty * is on then too, so it’s the odd man out. ABC Family is supposed to show *Ugly Betty * again on Friday nights, but we already have *Doctor Who * and Battlestar Galactica and my husband can’t live without his damn WWE Smackdown. I guess I’m going to have to tape *Ugly Betty * using the VCR in the bedroom.
We’ve also got Heroes, Veronica Mars, Studio 60, and a bunch of other stuff. But I’m not complaining – I’d rather have too much good TV than not enough.
Someone’s done something right this fall (about this time last year I was stabbing my eyes out to Twins). The stuff I’m so-so on (Brothers and Sisters, Kidnapped, Standoff) is still way better than the crap that’s usually put out. Even the bad stuff is still pretty good. Okay, maybe not 'Til Death.
I’m noticing this this year, too (and “24” and “BSG” haven’t even started yet!) I sat down and figured out when stuff was on and programmed the VCR’s yesterday - about 4 hours on two VCR’s (i.e. eight hours total). And we’re not even big tv watchers! We’re fairly selective with our viewing hours (unlike my sister who watches, at rough estimate, every single show that is broadcast.) I’m afraid to even watch new shows for fear of them being as good as, say, “House,” and getting hooked on yet another program.
So what you do is you buy a whole bunch of blank tapes, and tape half of what’s on and not watch it, so that you can watch it during the other nine months of the year when there’s nothing new on. 
Feast or famine, man.
I believe our long national nightmare (of evil! reality show clones) is over.