The New Season: Busy Enough for You?

• Sep 25, 2007 03:50 PM ET
• by Matt Roush

Already playing catch-up on only the second day of the official TV season. Geez, how will we ever survive Wednesdays and Thursdays? (Pause here for a silent prayer to the powers that protect my DVRs.)

Anyway, the biggest news on Monday was how Heroes would bounce back from a first-season finale that disappointed many (I was not among them, but then, my expectations for this uneven show haven't always been all that high). I was mostly enthralled, once I got over yet another tedious Mohinder speech to kick off the season with more blah-blah about destiny and the plague that threatens to eradicate these evolutionary wonder-heroes as "the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance." Seriously, they talk that way all the time on Heroes, and don't I wish Mohinder would just put a sock in it.

But then the story kicks in, and by the end, I'm even in awe of Mohinder, who's in league with Noah Bennet (formerly HRG) to infiltrate The Company and bring them down. Of course, Mohinder is in Cairo, Noah is in small-town Southern California disguised as a copy-paper drone (loved how he took out his officious punk boss!), and Matt Parkman is back in Mohinder's Manhattan digs caring for a nightmare-prone little Molly. Heroes has a way of going all over the map, including a climactic reveal inside a storage crate in Cork, Ireland (hi, Peter, we knew you weren't dead!), and while I worry that the last thing this show needs is to get even more complicated and diffuse, this first episode did convey a steady sense of wonder - and, at times, dread. (Peter's mom and Hiro's dad get marked for death, and Mr. Nakamura appears to take a fatal fall - but does anyone really die on this show? Beats me.)

We meet a brother-sister act as they flee Honduras for the U.S., where they hope to get answers about the girl Maya's strange power, which apparently makes people bleed from the eyes and ears as they die. (This happened to the slimy coyotes extorting them to the border, but unfortunately to the innocent immigrants in the back of the truck as well. Maya clearly needs some Heroes training.)

All well and good, but what we really wanted was more Claire, facing down a snotty head cheerleader at her new school (where she fails to, per her dad's instructions, be "entirely unextraordinary") and meeting a hot lab partner who goes all Clark Kent-airborne in his extracurricular time. How long before he sweeps her off her feet?

And the icing on the cake? Hiro, as usual. Transported to 17th-century Japan, where he discovers that his hero of legend, Takezo Kensei, is actually a mercenary English scoundrel ( Alias' David Anders, having a ball) whose exploits Hiro inadvertently interrupts, effectively altering one of the essential Kensei myths (something having to do with a swordsmith's daughter who looks more heroic than either Hiro or Kensei right now). No wonder Hiro is muttering curses subtitled in Japanese.

All in all, a strong if overcluttered start. NBC will be my first-position go-to network for the first two hours on most Mondays, with the delightful Chuck providing a light appetizer for Heroes. Journeyman, on the other hand? A complete waste of time-tripping time. I've seen two episodes now, and it makes absolutely no sense. Unlike Quantum Leap, it isn't even remotely fun. I'm no champion of CSI: Miami, especially after last night's ho-hum start, but Miami deserves to clobber this one. (Personally, I'll be using the 10 pm/ET hour most weeks to play back stuff I was recording earlier.)

What I love about Mondays is the variety of programming. There's something for just about every taste, and there should be room for most to coexist.

ABC kicked off its powerful Dancing with the Stars season with another reminder of why the show is just one big, long grin: feel-good TV at its most painless. Jane Seymour at 56, despite her bad back, still has that TV-star magic. Marie Osmond, though no longer a spring chicken either, still has the showmanship that made her and her brother icons back in the day. And where did that Cheetah Girl come from? She could be this season's Joey Fatone. The guys step up tonight, and I can't imagine the fan base not turning out. I'll be surprised if Dancing isn't a serious spoiler on Mondays and Tuesday this season. I worry most about the impact on the lovable but vulnerable Chuck.

CBS' mainstream comedies should do OK. How I Met Your Mother got off to a strong and funny start, as both Marshall and Lily fell for Robin's hot rebound guy (Enrique Iglesias) and Ted found solace, and a "tramp stamp" tattoo, with party girl Mandy Moore. Added bonus: A hint that Ted's future intended (the "mother" of the title) is out there, just a few random twists of fate away, under a yellow umbrella. Otherwise, I miss The New Adventures of Old Christine (heck: I'm sorry The Class didn't get a second chance), but The Big Bang Theory could fill the gap nicely. At the very least CBS has discovered a new comedy star in Jim Parsons, the fussier of the two genius neurotics (Johnny Galecki is his roomie) who welcome a gorgeous dim bulb in the neighboring apartment. Broad, silly, sometimes crude: nothing wrong with that. But it's no Christine.

Over on Fox, there's still a following, I suppose, for the overheated Prison Break, which at least has the benefit of being in a prison again in this third season. But it's hard to imagine, given all of the competition, that many will choose to keep returning to the gloomy streets of New Orleans for the routine crime drama of K-Ville.

And next week, the CW (I almost typed UPN) kicks in with its comedy lineup, led by the underappreciated Everybody Hates Chris and the promising teen-misfit sitcom Aliens in America.

Like I said, something for just about everyone.

Which brings me to Tuesday, another amazingly busy night. I've seen Fox's one-two punch of Bones and House season premieres, both terrific and worthy of carrying the night. Bones introduces a season-long serial-killer mystery (worked for CSI last season), and House hilariously finds our crabby doctor trying to work without a team. If I were heading into this night without benefit of advance screeners, I'd go with Bones, House and a nightcap of Damages on FX, followed by fast-forwarding through men's night on Dancing with the Stars for a lark.

Very much worth recording for watching later: the CW's combo of Beauty and the Geek (tonight introducing the male beauty and female geek, which hopefully won't wreck the dynamic of what has been one of the more charming reality concepts) and the very funny horror-comedy Reaper. While I've always enjoyed Bret Harrison's light-comedy touch (from Grounded for Life to The Loop), the real breakouts here are Ray Wise as the dapper devil and Tyler Labine as a scruffy sidekick called Sock. Perfect cult fun.

The only other series premiere tonight is CBS' ambitious Cane, which hopes to revive the Dallas-style family saga with some Cuban-American flavor. I've watched the pilot twice hoping it would catch fire with me, and I'll watch it a few more times to see where the story goes. But despite the star presence of Jimmy Smits and an attractive cast, I found the family intrigues less than involving and all the yammer about sugar, rum and ethanol a sleep-inducing narcotic.

In Cane's 10 pm/ET hour, I expect Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will dominate as usual. And don't be surprised (given the show's track record) if Cynthia Nixon earns a guest-actress Emmy nomination for her arresting performance as a troubled woman with multiple personalities. Speaking of Emmy winners, John Larroquette joins the cast of ABC's Boston Legal tonight in an expanded 90-minute episode. (Oh joy.) Given his success with David E. Kelley as one of the more memorable adversaries on the much superior The Practice, Larroquette's arrival amid such seasoned hams as William Shatner and James Spader will no doubt be catnip to the show's fans.

Me? I'm sticking with the twisted antics of Glenn Close, Ted Danson and gang on Damages until its season wraps mid-October.

Happy viewing.