How to Stop an Exploding Man...

Here's my review of the latest fall tv season. Ah, there were so many hopes.

Heroes. Back again and just as many commercial interruptions as at the end of last season. So far the storylines have been fine but what's with having approximately 38 minutes of show for a one hour block of television? Just how many Nissan Rogue commercials does NBC think I will sit through before I'll just TiVo the damn thing and watch it later, commercial free?

Chuck. Like it. Close to loving it, will give it a bit more time. Given that this has a handful less commercials than Heroes I have been finding it actually *more* entertaining than Heroes. No matter how much time goes by Adam Baldwin will always just be that kid from "My Bodyguard".

Journeyman. Okay I know its lame and everyone says its just recycled Quantum Leap (but hell, I never watched Quantum Leap). Again, I know its cheesy and I'm kind of surprised it hasn't been cancelled yet but for some reason I'm totally mesmerized by the fact that Kevin McKidd looks just like Anthony Michael Hall. Perhaps in a future episode he'll go back to the past and meet AMH. One never knows, and speaking of name acronyms, whatever happened to PMT? Anyhoo, its semi-sci-fi and generally not crime based. I like it.

Cavemen. At least there aren't any Geico commercials while the show is on. I like that Joel works at a thinly veiled IKEA. This show could actually be funny but surprisingly there aren't enough "caveman" jokes. Instead its just like they're a bunch of hairy guys living in San Diego.

Carpoolers. Is it just me or is Jerry O'Connell kind of funny looking? It's like his face is a mask or something. Anyway, the show kind of has potential. As the Husband has noted it occasionally has some funny lines. I'll give it some time, perhaps it will hit its stride, god knows riding on the coattails of Cavemen isn't doing it any favors.

Bionic Woman. Sorry Dave, I couldn't sit through it. It lost me with Isaiah Washington and a trip to Paraguay.

Kitchen Nightmares. So much better than "Hell's Kitchen". I do prefer the BBC America version, but this isn't bad. All I can say is thank god I had never eaten at that Indian restaurant they showed in the second episode.

Reaper. What the hell has happened to Kevin Smith's career? Okay, I guess this means that Clerks and Dogma were just flukes and Jersey Girl really was about all he's worth? I will give it this much-- watching a typical episode of Heroes you've got a commercial by minute 6. Reaper? No commercials in the first 15 minutes. Then again it is on the CW.

Pushing Daisies. Yada, yada, yada. Everybody raves. Again, the Husband hit the nail on the head-- it's trying to be an HBO series. What kills it? That fricking narrator. I can't take the narrator anymore. The narration is only made worse when, at the commercial break, the same guy does the voice over for the latest quit-smoking scheme (you know, the one with the tortoise and the hare). Yeah, same guy. Make it stop. Please.

Kid Nation. Why did I TiVo this in the first place? Will somebody send that little girl with the annoying southern accent HOME?

30 Rock. It's getting funnier. But the Office? Two weeks in a row now they've done "full hours" of The Office. Ugh. Steve Carrell- you're not Ricky Gervais and let's face it, the British version wasn't that funny either. Let's just put on Seinfeld re-runs instead and be done.

Antiques Roadshow. There, that's good prime-time television I can stand behind. Now, let's keep our eye out for the episodes with the third Keno brother!