TV: Fall Season 2006 Reviews

Well, I guess I've blundered into committing myself to reviewing all of the Fall season's new TV shows again (even if that commitment is only to myself). I swore I wouldn't do this again, after last year's Herculean effort -- I didn't even bother watching a couple of this year's early Fox debuts -- and now here I am, five reviews down, right back in the thick of it.

I've added the list of new Fall shows (minus reality shows, of course; there's only so much punishment I'm willing to take) to the sidebar, broken down by network, and as each review goes live, I'll be adding a link to the review to the sidebar as well. Already up there are Men in Trees, Happy Hour, Justice, Standoff, and 'Til Death.

As for those new Fox shows whose premieres I skipped -- I caught the third episode of Justice, which, as a fairly standard, self-contained legal drama, should be as representative of the series as a whole as any other episode. The other show is Vanished, one of those "serial" shows you're hearing so much about these days. I don't think it would be quite as fair to judge that show by one random, out-of-sequence episode. Which means, barring a mini-marathon of the first episodes some time in the near future, I've got no good entry point to the show. Therefore, in the tradition of last year's Criminal Minds, I'm giving myself a Free Pass. I'm off the hook for Vanished! Ah, it'll probably be cancelled by December anyway. But that means I've used up my one Free Pass before things have even really started. Oh noes! If a scheduling conflict crops up, whatever shall I do? (Give myself another Free Pass, probably. Hey, I'm the one making the rules here.)

Last year, I covered 27 new shows. This year, it looks like it'll only be 23 (22, after the Free Pass). I can do this! I can!!

I know a lot of you don't much care about all these television entries. But I do, and I know there's a solid, if small, group of readers out there who get a kick out of it, too. So here's to you! Hooray, TV!

Look for two more new reviews late this evening or early tomorrow, and a plethora of others in the busy week to come. I'm ready, and I'm raring to go. Bring it on, TV! Bring it on!!