So how was premiere week?

This was television's unoffical premiere week and boy, did it leave me overwhelmed. I still haven't watched everything I wanted to...I think I watch entirely too much tv...

So what was I watching this week? Let's take a look...

Sunday night: The Emmys. Boring, boring, way too long, and boring. How can a show that celebrates television and how wonderful it is be so painful to endure and make me want to throw my television out the window?

Monday night: The Big Bang Theory - this isn't a must-watch for me, but if I have time (and how do I ever have enough time? Gotta figure out what life experiences I'm missing out on when I'm watching tv instead...), then I check out this show. It's about two nerds who are neighbors with a hot chick and one of the nerds has a crush on her. Cliche. But the reason I like it is the hot chick, even though she doesn't get the nerds, is friendly with them anyway. The laughs don't come from her being mean to them. Not cliche.

How I Met Your Mother - one of the funniest shows ever, and the season premiere does not disappoint. Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious. For that reason alone I would watch the show. But this week also worked for me because just like Stella, my best friend has never seen Star Wars, and just like Stella, I have a boyfriend for whom Star Wars is the Best Movie of All Time. I enjoy it as well but I think it's probably Just Okay. But I would never tell him that...moving on...

Heroes - I watched half of the premiere, read the rest in recap. I think I want to like this show more than I actually like it. I'll continue to follow it, and I've heard it's on an upswing from last season, but for now, this show is not must see, but something to be caught up on.

Worst Week - I had heard rave reviews about this show, based on a British show. I love Britcoms. You'll hear all about that one day. But Worst Week was not my cup of tea, British or American. So many bad things happened to Sam but instead of being excrutiating but funny, they were just excrutiating to watch. I can find humor in other people's embarrassment (see The Office, both British and American), but I thought Worst Week was predictable and boring. Sometimes I'll give a show one more ep after the premiere to hook me, but unless I start hearing raves about this show, I think this'll be it for me.

Tuesday night: House - I gave up House for a few seasons, but I think I am now totally back on board. Love seeing the new dynamic between House and ex-best friend Wilson, and love the quirky PI House hired to spy on Wilson. Of course, I'm a huge Michael Weston fan from his stints on both Scrubs and Psych, but I thought he was believably wacky and a great foil for House.

90210 - loved finding out that last week that Dylan is the father of Kelly's baby (even though I'm a huge Brandon fan, I'm still a sucker for history!), but this new version just doesn't do it for me. Plus, Shenae Grimes and Jessica Stroup are so scarily skinny, it's distracting from the lame storylines. Maybe it'll get better. I hope so. I love Rob Estes and Jessica Walters.

Fringe - I think I could really love this show if it's given a chance to find it's footing. I'm not completely on the J.J. Abrams bandwagon, but I like the fringe science ideas on this show and I like the characters, especially Walter Bishop. Plus, hello, Pacey! I love me some Pacey...I like that there seems to be an overarching storyline (who or what is behind the Pattern), so I'll keep watching for now.

Privileged - cute in a Gilmore Girls kind of way. Discovered it by accident and am enjoying it way more than the way more hyped 90210. Don't know how long the CW will stand behind it, but it's light and it actually makes me chuckle, so it's still on my list.

Wednesday night: Bones - I watch this show mainly for David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel. The mysteries I find run-of-the-mill, I thought the Zack as Gormagon storyline from last season eyerollingly awful and contrived, I love John Francis Daley's super young psychologist and wish they could find a better way to fit him into the show if they wanna keep him around. Not a must watch for me, and this week was no exception - I didn't get to this episode until Saturday night, but I do like the Boreanaz and Deschanel banter and relationship.

New Adventures of Old Christine - Barb and Christine got married? Kinda silly. But I still think this show is hilarious, even when Christine is over-the-top in her self-centeredness. But the rest of the actors/characters make me laugh, and more often than anything else, that's a show that will keep me hooked. I think this show is still on it's game, although it could probably ride my viewership for another season based on the episodes where Matthew can't find any of his med school classes and with his first trip to Home Depot (mainly because, like Richard, I love Home Depot, and like Matthew, I probably would've picked out a flower, too).

Project Runway - this whole season has been somewhat boring but this week I really wanted to see Kenley go. Nobody's jumping out at me this season, personality-wise and talent-wise. And I think we've reached the Real World threshold. That's the point when a reality show, like The Real World, has been on the air for so long that the new cast grew up on the show and were fans of the show and know what kind of "characters" and "storylines" make the show work. I want my reality shows to be real. And have a purpose. And involve talent. Although if you get to Sunday on my list, you'll see that that's not really true. I'm so ashamed...but more on that later...

Thursday night: Oh yay, my Thursday night glut of shows is back! Coordinating my DVR/online viewing/live viewing on Thursdays (and 30 Rock and Scrubs aren't even back yet) is already giving my a nervous tic in my eye, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

My Name is Earl - last year was kinda rough. My Name is Earl went from Must Watch to not even really something to catch up on. But with Earl back to his list, the show seems to be back to form, and I really enjoyed the premiere. This show has a great supporting cast and great use of recurring townie characters, so we'll see if this show is back on track this season.

The Office - I love The Office. I've loved it since it was British. I actually did not love the American premiere because it was word-for-word exactly like the British premiere, and as we all learned with the American Coupling (which sucked, and I only discovered afterward that the British version is hilarious), word-for-word, even though we both speak English, doesn't translate from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Anyway, my love reblossomed after that one misstep. This premiere was pretty good. Classic Office. Michael Scott was a dork. And a jerk. And put his foot in his mouth. And embarrassed himself. But he actually acted like a human being around Amy Ryan's character, which is funny in itself to see, not the least because she's playing a female Michael Scott. Jan's baby -eh. Don't really care. Pam at art school in New York? We'll see if that works better than Jim working in the Stamford branch, but I love that they didn't save his proposal for sweeps, I love that it was simple and messy and pretty much completely normal. This show is best when it's focusing on the absurdity of the normal, when you can point to a character and say, "I know someone like him in real life." I'm so glad this show is back...

Grey's Anatomy - this show has become unbelievably soapy but I can't stop watching. Even with the George/Izzie misstep last season. (Misstep? Complete understatement...). Anyway, Meredith still has issues. George unbelievably has another woman in love with him. He's cute and dorky, but he's not heartthrob. Still, it's Lexie, and I think she's cute and dorky, too. Best thing about the premiere? Kevin McKidd. Huge fan of him from HBO's Rome but there was just something about his take-charge, no-nonsense, actually acting like a doctor that was super sexy and a breath of fresh air. And, he made me not hate Cristina. For that alone, I can't wait for him to come back. Plus, you know, the sexy...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - yet another hit and miss this week with the two episodes. The first one was okay - it's always funny to see Dennis trying to convince everyone else he's as good-looking as he thinks he is, and Frank had some funny lines, but the rest kinda fell flat for me. The second was definitely better, with all the fighting over who's actually the best friends out of their group of three and Charlie and Dennis thinking Mac is in love with them. I always tell people this show is like Seinfeld on crack (the same group of self-absorbed, ignorant, egotistics except ramped up 200 percent) and I guess they can't be on their game every single ep. Will of course keep watching because even mediocre Philadelphia, like mediocre any of the sitcoms I watch, still better than a lot of the crap out there.

Friday night: Thank God, a night off! Miss watching Psych, but even this tv-loving chickie needs a night out in the real world with real people. Or, you know, catching up on all the shows she couldn't watch during the rest of the week because she had to spend her time doing other things, like watching other shows and, you know, going to work...

Saturday night: It's Saturday Night Live! I actually watched it Saturday night, though I watched it delayed on my DVR. This show is too hit-or-miss, mostly miss, to actually watch it live. Luckily for us, it's a huge politic year, and not only that, there's all sorts of new and interesting political twists, like a black presidential candidate and a female vice presidential candidate, to make fun of. I think SNL is at its best when its satirizing politics. Will Ferrell's George Bush, Darrell Hammond's Al Gore and Bill Clinton, Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton, even Norm McDonald's Bob Dole, are some of the funniest characters from the more memorable skits from the last few years. This season is no exception. It's great to see Tina Fey back to play Sarah Palin, and this week's cold open with Fey and Poehler as Palin and Katie Couric was just as funny as the season premiere's cold open with Fey and Poehler as Palin and Clinton. Other than that, this ep, like all SNL eps, was eh. Weekend Update is usually pretty good. Don't know what'll happen to it when Poehler leaves, though. I think it might be time for another cast shake up. You can't have a funny show without funny comedians. Darrell Hammond is great and Will Forte is pretty funny, but Poehler's leaving, Jason Sudeikis is okay (unlike on 30 Rock, where he's hilarious)...we need to see more of Kristen Wiig, but she needs to play more of her weird characters and fewer of her annoying ones.

Sunday - Ah, Mad Men, how I've missed you! Even though you were only gone for a week because the craptastic Emmys were on. This is why I watch television. This show is an experience. The flawed, real characters. The fictional lives set amidst a real historical setting...this week's was the death of Marilyn Monroe. And just the way it's filmed, the sets, the lighting, the make-up, the costumes. I feel like I'm not only watching a show set in the 1960s...I feel like I'm watching a show made in the 1960s. I know Christina Hendricks and Vincent Kartheiser and John Slattery and January Jones from other roles, but everyone else, I think I would feel weird seeing them playing contemporary characters or even being themselves because they are the 1960s. Even those I named. Love it. Love that Don and Betty's marital problems have not yet been resolved. Can't wait to find out what happens with Joan finds out about Roger and Jane. Love Peggy's uneasy rising star in the ad world. Wish there had been more Ken, only because he was so brilliant in "The Gold Violin" episode. This show actually makes me glad when it's Sunday...

Brothers and Sisters - had to make a choice between Mad Men and the premiere of this new season, and it was a tough call. Will try to get to it today.

I Love Money - yes, I have a problem. For some reason, I cannot stop watching this trainwreck. I think everyone needs a guilty pleasure, an escapist show, something you watch and think, "My God, these people make me look like a good person with a good life." For some people, that show is Jerry Springer. For me, well, I can't even say it out loud...I think the reason this show doesn't grate as much as other scripted reality shows is that finally, the contestants are being honest about their motivations. They're not there to find true love. They are there for the money. They are fame whores and money whores and whore whores and they will do anything to be on camera and win a lot of cash. I can appreciate the honesty. And I actually can't wait to see the finale. And oh my God, I just realized I was dreaming about this show last night, which is just beyond embarrassing and almost makes me want to quit cold turkey. Almost...

Coming up tonight! (Because the television viewage just never ends!) - in addition to everything else I have to watch, it's the season premiere of Chuck, definitely in my top five, possibly top three favorite new shows from last season. I've already watched it. It's great. Check it out!