I adore TNT. For me, they seem to have come out of nowhere when Leverage boomed onto the scene (I know, I’m a late bloomer), but I’ve been keeping a good eye on them since then, and every decision they have made has been a winner.

Before Leverage, TNT was going strong with The Closer and Saving Grace, two unique series driven by strong women. Nothing bad about that angle! Since then they’ve realized their original programming is kind of kick-ass, so they’ve debuted Dark Blue and HawthoRNe. It’s like watching a good game of poker, as Kenny Rogers said: “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em (Leverage), know when to fold ‘em (Trust Me), know when to walk away (Saving Grace being allowed to finish out), know when to run (*cough*Trust Me*cough*)….”

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It should come as a surprise to approximately no one that I, above all else, positively worship Tina Fey. That woman is a comedy genius, and 30 Rock brings a light to my life that is only rivaled by puppies and newborn babies.

So why does NBC insist on holding out this show on me every year?

Look, I understand that 30 Rock has pretty low numbers, ratings-wise, but I absolutely fail to understand how starting the season later helps matters. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that people want things to start all around the same time? I can’t help but think that the late starts are actually hurting 30 Rock in the long run — people look at a late-starting show and go “oh, I don’t need another thing to start watching” once their schedule is made. Meanwhile, long-time fans like me often miss the premiere by accident or go crazy waiting.

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As new shows continue to premiere in the upcoming weeks, I can’t help but think about the new show coming out that I’m most excited about. Unfortunately, this show isn’t coming out in the next couple months, or even early next year. I’m talking about A Game of Thrones, the HBO adaptation of the series of epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. They follow two families, the Starks and the Lannisters, through the wars, politics, and adventure in the fictional land of Westeros. The show hasn’t even filmed the pilot yet, but excitement is running rampant amongst big fans of the novels, like myself.

Even if you’ve never heard of the novels, I think I can entice you with some of the casting (particularly if you’re a fan of genre TV)….

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I’ve been mulling this post for a while, but all of this Defying Gravity business finally broke my indecisiveness. The good ole Cancellation Watch is one of my favorite fall pastimes. This year, there are some pretty good candidates. As you’ll see after the jump, a lot of the team are hating on the NBC medical shows I’m actually looking forward to. Sitcoms, too, seem to take a beating.

What do I think? I’m not seeing a big future for FOX’s Brothers … CCH Pounder, what were you thinking? If not Brothers, then I’m thinking The Forgotten. I just don’t think Slater’s late addition to the cast is going to be enough.

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Multiple media outlets, starting with, as far as I can tell, aceshowbiz.com, have reported that Defying Gravity has been canceled. The show, as Brett has continued to make fun of me for report, has not done well in the ratings, quickly losing the 3.88 million or so viewers it had on its premiere. In light of that, I don’t really fault ABC for its decision (unofficial as it is at this point) to axe the show, but what I’m most curious about was the choice to pick up the show in the first place, and when they scheduled it for.

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Looking over the list of returning shows coming back this month got me thinking. I realized something very peculiar: none of my favorite shows are starting back up again this month. Is this just me? Or is this just another sign that the traditional TV “season” of years past just doesn’t hold up anymore? Sure, there are a bunch of new shows coming out that I have high hopes for, but when it comes to the shows that I consider my personal favorites, they are nowhere to be seen. Heck, the thing I’m looking forward to most is the final season of Lost, and that doesn’t even start until next year.

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For the next few weeks, we’re going to have to do these on a daily basis. There are just too many premieres to keep track of, unless you all want a 10,000 word opus on all the new and returning shows each week. I know I don’t want to write them!

Highlights

• Jason Bateman goes Inside the Actors Studio tonight. Since Arrested Development, this straight man has seen a well deserved career resurgence. (8pm, Bravo)
• Go inside the all too sobering reality of modern America with the factory workers at a GM plant in Ohio, as they prepare to close the plant, on The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant. (9pm, HBO)
• ION gets into original programming — sort of — with this import from Canada: Durham County. After his partner is killed, Mike Sweeney heads to a quiet suburb with his family. Unfortunately, it proves not so easy to get away from, as Mike begins to suspect his new neighbor of the murder, as well as the deaths of two teenage girls. (10pm)
• You know, all the late night talk shows are in repeats right now except for Craig Ferguson. Check out The Late Late Show in HD! Tonight, he’s got Juliette Lewis, and Alex O’Loughlin. Oh, and did I mention he’s the best late-night host on television? (12:30am, CBS) Read the rest of this entry »