What AJ is Watching: Fall 2009 Updates

***Click the image to enlarge. Key: Red = new shows; Blue = shows that will start soon; Black = on previous schedule; Highlighted Black = ending before January.***

It feels like just yesterday I was planning my lovely fall 2009 schedule and posting it here. And now there are already so many changes that I felt it necessary to provide an update.

I removed Drop Dead Diva, Psych and Mad Men from the schedule. DDD and Psych ended already (although Psych will return in January) while Mad Men is scheduled to air its second season finale on Sunday November 8 (thank goodness).

And I've added a couple new shows to the schedule, including a few returning favorites like Scrubs and The Closer and some new shows like USA's White Collar, which premiered last Friday. The pilot was shown with limited commercial interruptions, which meant it was longer than your average 42-minute episode so those of us who watched were able to get into the show a bit more than what is expected from a pilot. It was quite charming with entirely lovable characters. The tone and mixture of comedy, drama and action fit right in with the rest of USA's family of shows. The chemistry between Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay is perfection. I love them as a team at first sight. White Collar is definitely not anywhere near a rip-off or copy of TNT's con artist series Leverage, but it is proving a nice distraction from that show's absence. I'm glad I tuned in to the pilot and will definitely continue to watch. Even if it is just to see Willie Garson's face.

Also new on the schedule is ABC's new sci-fi series, V, which is scheduled to premiere Tuesday November 3 . V will include a couple of familiar faces (AKA reasons to watch) like Firefly's Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell*. The show is based on Kenneth Johnson's 1983 two-part miniseries of the same name. V tells the story of aliens called The Visitors who claim to come to Earth in peace, but are really trying to take over the world as Mitchell's FBI agent character Erica Evans soon finds out. It's a got a little BSG and a little Terminator in there, thus I'm so stoked I can use the word stoked sincerely!

Another show set to premiere in the coming weeks is the brilliant fantasy series created by Evil Dead director Sam Raimi called Legend of the Seeker. The show is based on Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series (books, people, books). I am actually in the process of watching the show's first season on Netflix Watch Instantly (I'm four episodes in as of press time). Over the summer, I kept hearing all about Legend of the Seeker and thought that 1. it was a British import and 2. that it has been around for a long time. I figured I would check it out eventually. Then a couple days ago I read that the show was only going on its second season AND that the new season hasn't started yet! So, I jumped at the chance to add it to my schedule. So far, so awesome! The show is literally gorgeous (they shoot in New Zealand and the cinematography is just breathtaking). And it's definitely soothing my Merlin* withdrawals with its heartwarming adventure stories and AMAZING ACTION SEQUENCES. Legend of the Seeker is nationally syndicated, so broadcast networks and air times vary across the country. Click here to search for listings in your area. You can enter in your zip code and cable provider. This is an alternate link for finding local listings, which I found less helpful for rural areas.

Finally, in December TNT's original series Men of a Certain Age will premiere. This show stars Ray Romano, who I really didn't love at all during the Everybody Loves Raymond years, but this show looks really fantastic. He's co-starring with Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula. It's a little Desperate Housewives/Golden Girls, but about middle aged men. It looks smart, funny and genuine. So, I'll be there! Plus, I pretty much give anything TNT has to offer a try (Saving Grace and Trust Me being its only failures so far, in my opinion).

On the side, I totally gave in a couple weeks ago and watched the first disc of Ally McBeal season one. Nothing was on and I didn't want to go to sleep and it was sitting there looking so watchable! I haven't made significant progress, but it is so good to be watching this show again. I am still in awe that it was finally released on DVD let alone that the complete series came out right away and that I have it here in my home! Calista Flockhart, you.are.exquisite.

That should cover things until January! Sound off in the comments section about what you're watching, what you're not watching, what you wish you were watching!!!


*Note: As I have yet to watch Lost (summer 2010, people!), I know Mitchell as Dr. Kim Legaspi from ER.

*Note: The second season of Merlin is currently airing in Britain, but it won't come here until the summer. Hence the withdrawals.