[Televisionary]

While I am usually loath to self-promote, this time I can't help it. You can check me out in this weekend's edition of USA Weekend (available in more than 600 local newspapers around the country) or online right now as E Online's Kristin dos Santos interviews me and fellow TV bloggers Kathie Skerry of Give Me My Remote and Kimra McPherson of BuzzSugar as we talk about our favorite returning series this fall. Just which series did we collectively choose as our top must-see TV picks? Find out by reading "Fall TV: Who's got buzz?" (And also check out my comprehensive guide to What I'll Be Watching This Fall .) Do you agree with our picks? Do Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock , and The Office top your lists of fave returnees? And which series are you most looking forward to watching again this fall?

What is The Pattern? If you watched the launch of FOX's new drama Fringe --from creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci--you might be asking yourself just that question. Hopefully, you tuned in tonight to watch as Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) finds herself sucked into a world that she didn't know existed.... one that is comprised of the very limits of science itself: mutation, astral projection, reaninimation (heh), teleportation, and other phenomena yet discussed. I've been talking about Fringe for nearly a year now, ever since I first read the pilot script last year and I gave the pilot episode a glowing advance review back in May . (At the time, I called it "eerie, gripping, and still haunting even after the final credits have rolled" and "spellbinding.") Now that you've had the opportunity to watch the pilot episode for Fringe yourself, I am more than a little curious. What did you think of the opening installment? Were you su

Honesty upfront: I'm not in the target demo for the CW's newest drama offering Privileged , having both a Y chromosome and a few more years behind me than the net's typical viewer. However, I sat down to view the series premiere--which launches tonight on the CW--with an unbiased opinion. I'll admit that it was difficult to do so. After all, I had seen the netlet's pilot presentation for Privileged last May, which featured a truncated storyline and some bizarro casting (Marsha Mason was since replaced by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 's Anne Archer) and I found it to be a mess of a pilot, save for the adorable JoAnna Garcia ( The Captain ) turning in a winsome performance as the adorably put-upon Megan Smith. While Garcia is absolutely charming, I did find it somewhat difficult to accept Megan as a Yale graduate who escaped her Palm Beach roots to try to make it big as a Manhattan writer... only to end up right back where she started out. And that's

I've been going on about HBO's True Blood for nearly two years now. (Yes, seriously, it's been that long since I first read the pilot script.) You read the advance review of the original pilot that I wrote in May ... as well as my advance review of the revised pilot and second episode of True Blood written a little while later. But, thanks to the magic of pay cable, you've now seen the premiere episode of True Blood for yourself, if you (A) subscribe to HBO and (B) tuned in last night for the first episode of the Southern Gothic vampire dramedy, based on the novels of Charlaine Harris, and written and executive produced by Alan Ball, creator of HBO's Six Feet Under . You've listened (or read, anyway) to what I had to say about the series, so I'm curious to turn the stand over to you: What did you think of True Blood ? What worked for you and what didn't? Do you agree with Entertainment Weekly 's Ken Tucker, who said that Ball "has never seen

I've had a love-hate relationship with HBO's Entourage for the past few seasons. Whereas once I lovingly tuned in for every installment of the bros-before-hos comedy in the beginning of the series, my interest has waned considerably of late. For one, the series seems to have lost a little of its luster (and a lot of its humor) over the past two seasons or so and the antics of its lead characters aren't quite so fun and amusing now that they are considerably older than when the series first launched. I wasn't sure what to expect when taking an advance look at the series' first two installments. HBO is launching the series' fifth season, after a considerable delay (due to the writers strike) this Sunday evening and I sat down to watch "Fantasy Island,"only slightly curious to see what Vincent Chase, E, Drama, and Turtle were up to these days. The stench of Vincent's last botched pic, Medellin , hovers over the action. Vince has gone into seclusion o

Cue those familiar guitar chords that have echoed in our heads for the last, oh, umpteen years. Yes, folks, I am talking about the CW's 90210 , which launched last night and brought the denizens of one of the world's most famous zip codes back to the airwaves. Of course, a lot has happened since the original Beverly Hills 90210 went off the air back in 2001 and the hallowed halls of teen drama heaven have been joined by such series as MTV's The Hills , FOX's The O.C. and the CW's own Gossip Girl ... which seems to have better captured the excess and scandal du jour of the jet set better than this new 90210 , which felt more than a little cheesy and trying way too hard to be hip. One tipoff was the use of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" in the opening scene. Had this aired prior to Coldplay's latest debuting back in June, I would have given the musical director snaps for choosing such a brilliant song, but here it feels a little dated, as did the refere

America's Next Top Model has never been a bastion of high-quality entertainment; there's always been a guilty pleasure aspect to watching the series, which pits a group of naive (and often aggressive) girls against one another as they live in a plush house (which never seems to have enough bedrooms) and compete for a Cover Girl cosmetics contract and an agency deal with Elite Model Management. And yet throughout the many cycles of this reality competition, host/executive producer Tyra Banks has managed to make the series a platform for her talk show host persona, one which embraces the differences in people (i.e., Heather) while also holding up some of the very same stereotypes she wants to shatter (telling a plus-size model that she's too thin). I do have to give her credit for being a shrewd producer and for celebrating diversity among the model wannabe population. This cycle of Top Model has made headlines because of its inclusion of the series' first transgender

I'm off today on what promises to be a sweltering Labor Day Monday (after the grey clouds dissipate, anyway) here in Los Angeles, but just wanted to let you know that you should check out my annual feature, What I'm Watching This Fall , which--while also following through on the promise of the title to reveal which series I'm tuning into this autumn--has launch dates for all of those mentioned. Additionally, I got a number of emails from concerned readers who were confused as to why series such as Joss Whedon's Dollhouse , Lost , Flight of the Conchords, Damages , and Big Love didn't make the list. The answer, gentle readers, is simple: all of those series will sadly not launch (or return) until sometime in 2009, making this Televisionary a little wistful for last summer, when we had brand-spanking-new episodes of Conchords , Damages , and Big Love . But, alas, we'll have to wait a while to catch Eliza Dushku kicking some butt in Dollhouse , find out what happe

Ah, autumn. With it comes the end of horrific LA heatwaves, comfy sweaters, and the advent of the fall season, with its new series and returning favorites? Is there really any better time of year? It's with that thought that I take a look at what I'll be watching this fall. While I can't guarantee that I'll stick around for more than a few (or even one additional) episode of many of these series, below are the new and returning shows that have at least piqued my interest, based on their pilots. And for more on my thoughts about returning series, check out the September 14th issue of USA Weekend , where I'm interviewed by E's Kristin Dos Santos about my top picks for returning series this fall. monday 8 pm: Chuck (NBC) As if there were any doubt in your mind, I am already salivating with anticipation for the return of action comedy Chuck to the airwaves. Season Two brings all sorts of changes for the Nerd Herd employee/reluctant spy Chuck Bartowski and a host o

Once again, the Paley Center for Media is offering a week-long series of screenings of new and returning series this year. The premiere episode screening series, kicking off in Los Angeles on September 5th (and in New York on September 4th), will feature network-oriented screening nights and small panel discussions. The schedule for the Beverly Hills-based location of the Paley Center is as follows: Friday, Sept. 5th: Fringe, Do Not Disturb (FOX) Saturday, Sept. 6th: Privileged, 90210 (CW) Monday, Sept. 8th: My Own Worst Enemy, Kath & Kim, Crusoe, Knight Rider (NBC) Tuesday, Sept. 9th: Gary Unmarried, The Ex List, Worst Week, The Mentalist (CBS) Wednesday, Sept. 10th: Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Eli Stone, Life on Mars preview (ABC) While I've already seen nearly all of those above (though I'd be kidding if I said I wasn't salivating over the Pushing Daisies premiere), I probably won't be rushing to the Paley more than once for what promises to be a SRO

I'll admit that, while I fell under the pratfall-laden charms of Ugly Betty last season, I had grown a little tired of the series' forced sentimentality by the time the season finale had rolled around last May. Or, to be more precise, of the sullen mawkishness Ugly Betty seemed to employ more often then not in lieu of the over-the-top comedy the series claims to be. So, it was with a certain curiosity that I sat down recently to watch an advance screener of Betty 's season premiere ("How Betty Got Her Grieve Back"), which kicks off tonight on ABC. Would the maudlin tone of last season's finale continue over into this season? Or would it actually be a bright, shiny new start for Betty Suarez and Co? Let's find out. What did I like? The telenovela-influenced dream sequence that opens tonight's season premiere, complete with attempted murder, jilted lovers, and one hell of an outfit was the perfect way to begin the new season, tongue-in-cheek and campy

Several of new fall series launched last night, including dramas Bionic Woman , Dirty Sexy Money , and Private Practice . Now that you've seen the pilot episodes of all three series, what were your reactions to these new series? I'll admit that Dirty Sexy Money 's pilot was a full head and shoulders above the original network cut I saw in early May and lived up to the promise of the original script. As for my full feelings about the campy series, you'll have to wait until next week when I discuss the pilot episode and the series' third installment. But one note to producers: no more transsexual hooker storylines; it's been done to death already. As for Private Practice , I'm not a Grey's Anatomy fan, so this isn't normally my cup of medicine-laced tea. That said, I thought that Kate Walsh was as adorable as ever and Tim Daly very charismatic; still, I'm hoping that Addison and Taye Diggs' Sam Bennett hook up (not that I'll be watching).

Ah, autumn. With it comes the end of horrific LA heatwaves, comfy sweaters, and the advent of the fall season, with its new series and returning favorites? Is there really any better time of year? It's with that thought that I take a look at what I'll be watching this fall. While I can't guarantee that I'll stick around for more than a few (or even one additional) episode of many of these series, below are the new and returning shows that have at least piqued my interest, based on their pilots. monday 8 pm: Chuck (NBC). I'll say it now. I'm already in love with Chuck . If they can keep up the winning combination of humor and action that the pilot had in spades, this will be one of my favorite new series (and may make the hurt of Veronica M ars ' cancellation sting a little less). While I've already reviewed the pilot episode at considerable length, I will say this: Chuck will make the rush home from work on Mondays even sweeter. When was the last time

Ah, the days of vertical corporate integration. Makes you nostalgic for when companies only had that one broadcast platform. But lately, it's been that media conglomerates seem to have entire portfolios of channels to manage and spread their programming (especially when it's created in-house from their wholly owned studios) across multiple networks. Such is the case with NBC, which announced that it would schedule weekly second windows for new series Bionic Woman and Life on Sci Fi and USA respectively. Bionic Woman will reair its Wednesdays at 9 pm episode on Sci Fi on Fridays at 7 pm, beginning September 28th; Life will encore at midnight ET, early Monday mornings, after its initial bow on NBC Wednesdays at 10 pm. If that weren't enough, USA and Bravo will air special blocks of programming on October 6th and 7th, offering viewers another opportunity to catch their dramas, including Journeyman and Chuck , which don't come from studio sibling NBC Universal: USA: Sa

CBS musical-mystery series Viva Laughlin (based on the superlative BBC skein Blackpool ) has received a rare infusion of fresh blood in the form of a former Joss Whedon staffer. Steven DeKnight ( Angel ), late of Smallville , and Tyler Bensinger ( Cold Case ) have joined the staff of Viva Laughlin as showrunners and executive producers on the series. According to The Hollywood Reporter , there had been rumblings that Sony, BBC, and network CBS that they would insert another producer or two to run Viva Laughlin alongside executive producer Bob Lowry. Lowry will himself stay on board the genre-melding series, which stars Lloyd Owen, Madchen Amick, Melanie Griffith, Carter Jenkins, Eric Winter, Ellen Woglom, D.B. Woodside, and Hugh Jackman. Personally, I think the series needs some major improvements and quickly. I was a huge fan of the original Blackpool but this US remake feels awfully forced and not incredibly likely to catch on with mainstream America. Can DeKnight turn this sinki