MCF's 2010 Watchlist

It's that time of year again, when new shows premiere and old favorites return. It's hard to navigate the television week as technology has really changed the landscape. Now we get new episodes of some shows during the Summer, and with all the options available beyond TV, from VCR to DVR to online to DVD, times and days are meaningless. There was a time when we lived our lives by the network schedule, because if we missed an episode, we'd have to wait for a rerun. And that second airing might be edited down to fit more commercials. Also, missing a show meant not being in on the conversation at school/work the next day with your classmates/coworkers.

Last year was an interesting year, one that wiped a large part of my inflated viewing slate clean. LOST and 24 each came to an end after respective healthy runs. Other shows, like Heroes, Dollhouse, FlashForward, and Happy Town were simply canceled. Heroes made it to four seasons before being put out of its misery, while Happy Town didn't make it past one 8-episode season(I think the last 2 or 3 episodes were only available online).

I haven't heard a lot of buzz about new shows, and there are only 2 or 3 that I might check out. So I think my viewing schedule might be leaner, and there certainly aren't any shows like LOST or Heroes for me to follow obsessively. Fringe is probably the best of the surviving dramas I watch, while Community worked its way up as my favorite comedy, if only because The Office and How I Met Your Mother are starting to get a little tired. I'm genuinely excited about the final season of Smallville, and that surprises me. It's come a long way from a freak-of-the-week formulaic teen drama, and in the last two seasons resembles the comic book source material on a more epic scale. It took ten years to improve and get here, and I hope for a good payoff. Supernatural came to an epic conclusion after five seasons, but its popularity gained it at least another season beyond the planned five. Let's hope it can still maintain the same level of quality. And straddling the line between comedy and drama is Chuck, which is not only consistently entertaining, but actually gets better and better. Chuck and Fringe are probably the two shows I'm most looking forward to. As for new shows, I'll be checking out No Ordinary Family, The Event, possibly Nikita(whose premiered I've already missed), The Cape(which I don't think starts until January), and Undercovers(which wasn't even a blip on my radar until I read it was a J.J. Abrams show). I might fit The Walking Dead into my rotation too, either online or on DVD. That's at least six new shows I'm curious about; time will tell if I stick with any of them.

Television Without Pity published their list of see/skip/DVR/watch online picks, which I found to be a handy guide in mapping out my week. As with last year, there are some days which are completely dead, and others which have numerous conflicts. My VCR, DVD player and my computer will all be getting a lot of use this year. You can check out their more extensive list of the options that will become available in the coming weeks; here's what I'll probably be watching:

Mondays:
Chuck (8-9 PM)
How I Met Your Mother (8-8:30 PM)
The Event (10-11 PM)

Tuesdays:
No Ordinary Family (8-9 PM)
Stargate: Universe (9-10 PM)

Wednesdays:
Undercovers (8-9 PM)

Thursdays: (The busiest night of conflicts)
Community (8-8:30 PM)
30 Rock (8:30-9 PM)
The Office (9-9:30 PM)
Parks and Recreation (9:30-10 PM, hopefully later in the season depending on how newcomer Outsourced fares)
Fringe (9-10 PM)
Nikita (9- 10 PM)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10-10:30 PM)

Fridays: (The 2nd busiest night of conflicts)
Smallville (8-9 PM)
Supernatural (9-10 PM)
Human Target (8-9 PM)
The Good Guys (9-10 PM)

Saturdays:
Absolutely nothing. A good catch-up night for all the shows that are on at the same time as other shows during the week. Or to, you know, actually go out.

Sundays:
The Simpsons (8-8:30 PM)
The Cleveland Show (8:30-9 PM)
Family Guy(9-9:30 PM)
The Walking Dead (10-11 PM)

And what's on your watchlist this year?