A Television Viewer's Diary: 1/15-1/21: 24

WARNING: This edition is a little quick and dirty, as I am way behind and still want to get this out there for you. Hopefully, I will nail down a better schedule to put this together.

Best show I watched this week: 24
Worst show I watched this week: Four Kings

Sunday 1/15.

• 24 (Fox 8pm). The non-stop season 5 starts here! And what a start it is. The first ten minutes feature a cleaning house of sorts, and goes a long way to setting up the season. The action is first rate, and you will be on the edge of your seat until; the final moments. Jack is back in superhero mode, Chloe is her old self (maybe a bit tougher), President Logan reveals himself to be something of an idiot, and we get to meet a new CTU agent played by a hobbit. ****
• Desperate Housewives (ABC 9pm). The best part of the episode was Bree's drunk driving arrest after a bad date with a detective. We also get to see Susan have a fun date which leads her to the arms of a young doctor. Plus the Scaavo kids get the chicken pox, making Tom spend some time outside. I like the series, but my interest is dropping. **.5
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC 10pm). George is treating a young girl who turns out to be a hermaphrodite in the best part of the show. Cristina is dealing with the limited work hours, and Derek visits Meredith's mom. Fun series, but again, not sure how long it will remain a flavor of the month. ***

Monday 1/16.

• WWE: Monday Night Raw (USA 9pm). Sadly, my recollections of the show have already slipped away.
• 24 (Fox 8pm). Much like Sunday's 2 hours, we get 2 more here. Great way to start a season with what amounts to a 4 hour block of black tar heroin. I can't get enough! ****
• The Golden Globes (NBC 8pm). No real surprises here. It does set the stage for an Oscar ceremony dominated by Brokeback Mountain and Walk the Line.

Tuesday 1/17.

• Scrubs (NBC 9pm). Dr. Cox is forced to deal with his past when his religious sister comes to visit. Turk, on the other hand, is trying to find ways to spice up baby-making sex. This is followed by a second episode where Turk and Elliot chase a phantom pain while JD has to work with a patient who does not wish to die, despite him thinking so. I am so glad this series is back, not many shows can capture emotional poignancy and slapstick humor in such a great balance. ***.5
• Supernatural (WB 9pm). Dean is hurt by a creature and is dying, Sam, in an effort to save him, takes him to a healer. It turns out the healer is inadvertently exchanging one life for another through the use of a trapped Reaper. Dean feels bad for being the cause of death for another and sets out to stop the abuse, even if it means the death of someone he has growing feelings for. This has been a surprisingly strong series. ***
• Law & Order: SVU (NBC 10pm). A baby is found abandoned, in the trash. The search leads to a young woman who denies being pregnant. Further investigation shows that this was not the first time she had done this, and the father was a close blood relative. ***

Wednesday 1/18.

• Lost (ABC 9pm). This episode finds Michael on the run into the woods, looking for Walt. Locke, Jack, and Sawyer head off after him. While in the woods, they meet Zeke, one of the guys from the boat that took Walt. This confrontation led to the reveal that Kate had followed them, and had been caught. Michael is still in the woods. ***
• Invasion (ABC 10pm). Tom has taken the kids on a trip without telling anyone, sparking some problems since we do not know exactly what Tom is. Then there is some mistrust in the odd relationships of Russell with his current and ex wives. My interest in this show has been bouncing, not sure how long to last. **.5

Thursday 1/19.

• Smallville (WB 8pm). A disturbed deputy holds Lex and Lana captive as he searches for the Kryptonian ship. Plus Jonathan and Martha argue over the campaign funds from Lionel. This series has always been good, I just wish they used this cast for the film. ***
• CSI (CBS 9pm). I remember watching this, but the only thing I seem to recall from the episode is Nick listening to a tape of his abductor, and drawing closer to the reality about it.
• Everybody Hates Chris (UPN 8pm). Chris wants to get a leather jacket, but needs money, so he gets a part time job working with his father. His siblings are having a dare contest which lands Keisha in the hospital. Funny show, one of the better sitcoms around. ***
• Four Kings (NBC 8:30). Barry gets setup with one of Ben's co-workers. Barry does his best to screw that up due to his insecurities. The other guys are trapped in a game of hitting each other in the chest, which leads to problems at work. This is mildly amusing, but I don't really see it lasting. **.5
• My Name is Earl (NBC 9pm). Earl has to get the gang back together for one more heist. This involves getting a vendor's hot dog cart back, but Ralph is sure to screw things up. Another winner. ***.5
• The Office (NBC 9:30). Michael reveals Jim's secret crush on Pam to the office. This leads to problems for Jim and confusing feelings for Pam. Meanwhile, Dwight is investigating a sick call, and discovers something else, but does not seem to notice it. ***.5

Friday 1/20.

• WWE: Friday Night Smackdown (UPN 8pm). Always watch the rasslin', always forget the details. I don't get it.
• Stargate SG-1 (Sci-Fi 8pm). Some sort of space/time screwup makes SG-1 a focal point for gate travel from neighboring dimensions. Various pair ups of SG teams get together to work on a way to get everyone home. This ends up with the Asgard helping out to set off a bomb. **.5
• Stargate: Atlantis (Sci-Fi 9pm). There is a bomb on Atlantis, tied to the ZPM. This means there is a Goa'uld spy in their midst. Everyone is a suspect, until an actual Goa'uld is found in one of their scientists. Fortunately they find the bomb just in time to re-cloak the city to hide from a pair of Wraith cruisers. ***
• Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi 10pm). Boomer's baby is ordered to be terminated by the president, an order being enforced by Adama. Baltar is being urged by Six to find a way to save the child, by using his looming presidential power. Baltar does save the child, but in a different way, he discovers something in the blood, unique enough to need alive, and special enough to save the president. This came a close second to 24 for best of the week. ****

Saturday 1/21.

• TNA: Wrestling Impact (Spike 11pm). Better wrestling than WWE, I wish these guys had a 2 hour show! ***

To be dropped from the "To Watch" list:

Shows on the bubble:

That is all for this week.