TV is My Drug

Fall TV 2010 is here. For us TV aficionados, our favorite shows are back and some new ones are here too. Life is good again. With so many choices, it's a wonderful gift to have a DVR and the Internet, that way we don't ever have to worry about missing good shows due to overlapping time slots. I really do think that the DVR is a necessity nowadays. There's just too much awesomeness going on in television you don't want to miss, right? Thankfully, watching everything we want to watch is virtually possible.

I have to say: this is the first season I haven't been interested in anything new. So far, I'm glued to everything I was into last year. After reading a bit about all the new shows on tvguide.com, nothing sounded appealing. That's all OK, though. Many say I watch too much TV anyway.

Here's a list of the shows I watch and my thoughts on the new season so far. What are you watching?

Tuesday

Glee - So far we're off to an amazing season. Episodes 1 and 3 rocked. It's a wonder how such a show can inspire, influence, make me cry, and make me laugh all in one hour. I wasn't fond of the Britney episode but I can forgive Glee creator Ryan Murphy for one mistake, especially after the amazing episode on religion. We just don't see that on TV anymore. A.

Wednesday

America's Next Top Model - This is my current guilty pleasure. The show isn't even amazing anymore but I can't get enough. I think the only issue I have are the ridiculous challenges these wannabe models are forced into doing. They're subjected to lots of embarrassing situations. It really makes no sense sometimes. If you watch the show, you know what I mean. I'm sure this show is going to get canned soon enough since the ratings have dropped. That's bad news to me because while it's a bit trashy and exploitative, it's oh so fun to watch! Team Kayla for the win. B.

Modern Family - Winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy, and for many, many, many, many good reasons. This is by far my favorite show of these listed here. Every character on the show contributes to the awesomeness, even the children. I cannot get enough. A+.

Cougar Town - Oh, poor Courtney Cox. I feel like she really isn't taken seriously. Although the show is critically acclaimed and has a respectable amount of viewership, this show is worthy of so much more praise. It's really, really, really funny. The second episode was hysterical and proved that Courtney Cox is nothing short of amazing. Period. The rest of the cast rocks too. If you don't love it, seriously, slap out of it! A-.

Law & Order: SVU - Christopher Meloni. If you've seen him on HBO's Oz, then you know that this guy is packing major, er, acting chops. He's delicious and I love to watch him. The two hour season premiere was crazy! There were so many twists. Joan Cusack's guest appearance was a delightful bonus. I hear this is the final season. I hope that's not true. The stories on SVU are important and we need them. They're also really entertaining. A.

Thursday

Vampire Diaries - oh. my. god. Hi, my name is Evan and I have a vampire fetish. But, of course, who doesn't these days? Damon. Stefan. It's so hard to choose! Elena is lucky. Aside from the great writing that keeps me at the edge of my seat, there's so much amazing eye candy here. Kevin Williamson is a genius. I just hope he writes in a gay character soon. Maybe Elena's brother Jeremy, played by the super sexy Steven McQueen? My God, I'd give anything to have his babies. A.

Grey's Anatomy - I only watch because I feel I have to. I've been a committed viewer since its early days and although I feel as though the show has lost its touch, I haven't stopped watching. With all the cast changes in recent years, I'm annoyed. I think that the show's handlers don't really care what the viewers want. There's always a new edition to the cast, which takes away screen time from those characters we've grown to love and want to see. Even though millions and millions still watch, it's obvious this isn't the Grey's Anatomy from years before. I wasn't thrilled with the premiere and I don't know how much longer it'll be before I stop watching. I don't think I'll last the full season. C+.

Private Practice - Kate Walsh is super classy and I want to be her. This is definitely an adult show full of some seriously outrageous story lines. As we watch the doctor's struggle with ethical medical dramas, we're forced to wonder: oh my god, what if I were in that situation? What would I do? So far, the first few episodes this season have been great. In last week's episode a transsexual cut off his own penis because his psychiatrist wouldn't clear him for genital surgery. Isn't that crazy! A-.

Is TV Gone?

It has been a rocky season. With all the shows returning, and new ones trying to make a name for themselves, I haven’t been touched or inspired by any of it this year. This is a huge surprise. Of the television shows I watched last year (Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, and Private Practice), I’m down to only three. I used to be such a television buff. Nowadays, I find myself drawn to the Internet and the written word. I don’t think I’m alone either.

This year, almost all shows have seen their audience shrink -- some by extremely freaky decreases. With last years strike out of the way, there hasn’t really been much interest in television like before. Remember those days when everyone talked about Grey’s Anatomy and we all wondered what would happen come next week? Or how about those days we laughed out loud and waited anxiously for the latest Ugly Betty episode? Gone baby, gone.

If anything, I think last years strike did nothing but destroy television. We were all forced to find different outlets for our amusement. Now it’s just harder to go back and dedicate time to a show which doesn’t seem promising anymore. I think, like me, many of us are mad. Last year, we were all left hanging. And now, we’re being forced to catch up and enjoy shoddy writing and messy episodes.

Those selfish strikers. In truth, I do believe they had every right to voice their disapproval. In fact, I do believe writers are largely mistreated and taken for granted. But their strike, this great tragedy that killed TV last year, made everything worse. They should have waited. They should have brought out the best damn writing ever and completed last season on a high note. Then, they should have went ahead with a strike. I would have rather had a full season last year, complete with well crafted and finished story lines. All this instead of the mess that is going on right now. There were so many questions left unanswered last year! I would have preferred a glorious finish instead of a rushed and sticky start. You know what I mean?

Consider this:
Grey's Anatomy - premiere down 18% from last year
Ugly Betty - down 15%

Two of the most celebrated and respected shows on TV—going down.