Watching Sitcoms

I’m so excited cause Big Bang Theory will be back on Monday, September 22, 2008. Finally a sitcom I can watch and talk about instead of all these other shows I’ve been reviewing, cause, well, I have to talk about something, right?

Not only is Big Bang Theory back starting at 8:00 pm ET, but CBS is also following with the season premieres of How I Met Your Mother, Two and Half Men and the series premiere of Worst Week. I know where I’ll be Monday night.

This is actually a big week for the sitcom, as Wednesday night, September 24, marks the season premiere (also on CBS) of The New Adventures of Old Christine at 8:00 pm ET, and the series premiere of Gary Unmarried at 8:30 pm ET. They are joined on Wednesday nights by the already started Til Death at 9:00 pm and Do Not Disturb at 9:30 pm on FOX.

Then on Thursday, September 25, we have the season premiere of My Name is Earl on NBC at 8:00 pm ET, followed by another new episode of Earl at 8:30 pm ET, and then the hour-long season premiere of The Office at 9:00 pm ET.

I know people keep saying the sitcom is dead, and maybe that’s true of the good old fashioned family sitting in the living room with their TV dinners watching together kinda sitcom, but perhaps there’s a new form of situation comedy for now.

Another new show that’s premiering this week, which is not a sitcom, but I wanted to mention anyway, is The Mentalist, which airs on Tuesday, September 23 at 9:00 pm ET on CBS. Apparently, its the story of a former fake psychic who uses his heightened observation abilities to assist the police in solving crimes. Can you say Psych, anyone?

Well, we are leaving the cottage to go home in the morning, and although we’ve had a wonderful week, I’m ready to go home. I’m pretty excited about seeing all the shows I DVR’d for one thing. Oh, and I miss my puppies, too. The weather has been perfect all week, but its a little rainy today. Although, it is really warm.

Since I had a few minutes before we go to dinner, though, I thought I’d try to get together a list of shows I plan on watching next week. Along, of course, with all those shows I have waiting for me from this week.

Both Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe start up this week, on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. I’m not sure if I plan on watching Sarah Connor this year. I might give it another chance. I just want for it to be good and it wasn’t. I’m super excited about Fringe, and I hope that it doesn’t let me down.
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As I mentioned before, FOX also has two new cartoon comedies airing this year,  these are The Cleveland Show and Sit Down, Shut Up.  I don’t really think of cartoons as adult entertainment, even after 20 years of The Simpsons, so I’m not going to discuss these more than just telling you they exist.

All but one of the remaining comedies on FOX are also cartoon comedies, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons.

The only returning sitcom is Til Death.  For some reason, I never could get into this show.  I remember watching the first ep, eagerly, expecting a lot.  We were actually on vacation at the time, and I stopped what I was doing to see it.  I was pretty disappointed and I really never went back.  Oh, I’ve caught bits of different eps, here and there, but I just don’t get it.  Maybe I expected Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond.  I don’t know.

So along with Outnumbered and Do Not Disturb, this is all FOX has to offer by way of sitcoms this year.  Apparently, FOX, a network that I’ve mentioned many times before loves to kill off shows, is now planning to kill of the sitcom.

I guess I should give in and just accept that cartoons are also sitcoms, but I just can’t.  First of all, I think cartoons are stupid.  I just do.  Years and years ago, I used to read Life in Hell by Matt Groening, and I loved it.  I never could get The Simpsons, though.  It always seemed so whiny and self-indulgent to me.  I know people are gonna attack me for that opinion, but its just what I think.

So FOX is delivering us a slate of cartoons, which, from my point of view, clearly shows the dumbing down of America.