TV Mad Man

Live to Dance – 8/7 on CBS

Paula Abdul is back and will soon be competing against her former home on FOX. However tonight, her new dance competition series which allows any type of dance imaginable, gets a head start on Idol, with auditions from the nationwide search. Not to much has been released on the new competition but I for one will be tuning in to see what crazy stuff she does on CBS!

No Ordinary Family – 8/7c on ABC

I doubt you are watching No Ordinary Family as the ratings don’t reflect it but it is one new show this year worth checking up on, the cast has gelled, the show has found its tone and beat, and the stories are fun and exciting. Tonight, the family of superheroes are greeted by Ricky Schroder and Annie Wersching (24), who Jim saves and becomes fast friends, with a motive? Next week, Rebecca Mader (Lost) joins the cast as a recurring player at Stephanie’s work.

Southland – 10/9c on TNT

This is a COP SHOW. This is the way you do it. Gritty, real, confrontational, not spiced up, not dull downed. Southland returns for an unexpected season 3, the first full produced by TNT. I have seen the premiere which is just a prime example of what the show can do with a group of LA cops from detectives to patrollers and the day-to-day lives and bureaucracy they go through. Make sure to tune in because this is what Law and Order: LA should have been.

Also back tonight is the last 4 episodes of Parenthood on Tuesday nights (10/9c, NBC), it moves to Mondays in March, and ABC’s Detroit 1-8-7 (10/9c)

Happy New Year! Here are some notable returns and premieres for tonight….

Castle – 10/9c on ABC

Nikki Heat time! In the first installment of the New Year, Castle and Beckett are greeted by Laura Prepon who plays the women portraying Det. Heat in the film based on Castle’s Heat Wave. Needless to say, she is not Castle’s first choice and her relationship to Beckett distracts and upsets Richard.

Hawaii 5-0 – 10/9c on CBS

Supposed regular Taryn Manning takes front seat as McGarrett’s sister when she is taken, and he must race to save her with or without the help of the Governor (Jean Smart). I for one am excited to see how newly introduced Wo Fat (the chairman on Iron Chef!) plays into this.

Pretty Little Liars – 8/7c on ABC Family

My #1 guilty pleasure is back and there is no reason you should feel guilty about it. Pretty Little Liars launches its second half of the first season tonight and picks up just after Hanna’s run in with a car. The show is finding its own world and embracing it from the parents to the mystery of A, and I cannot get enough. The premiere is largely their to set-up the second half, placing the characters in certain positions to go from and I am excited to see where they go.

In the final day of what is staying on my television, I decided to put Fridays and Sundays together because well, I don’t watch much. Do you? I don’t see much on to grasp my attention, and I am curious to see what you say.

On Fridays, I am only watching two new series, NBC’s about to be canceled School Pride, which has a wonderful message just a mediocre execution, and Blue Bloods on CBS, which is one hell of a cop drama. Blue Bloods, as I have said before mixes an almost right level of procedural to family, similar to watch they do on The Good Wife, and its quality has stayed in tact throughout. My only wish, lets get some more family drama in here to give some depth to the secondary characters.

On Sundays, The Amazing Race is waning, which is quite a shame after 17 seasons, and I almost feel that the upcoming spring addition should be its last. I cannot believe I am saying this, but we have traveled the world with Phil for long enough. On ABC, Brothers and Sisters, has had somewhat of a resurgence, getting its creative juices flowing with Rebecca’s departure for Justin as well as giving new life to Kitty but most of all Nora. Sally Field has breathed new life into the matriarch, and after saying this should be its swan song, I am singing the praises.

Are you watching anything more? Still sticking with Desperate Housewives or FOX comedies? Sound off below.

Thursdays. Oh, Thursdays, easily the busiest night of all of TV and there are some really great stuff that makes it even harder to decide. Let’s see what I am still watching and see if it matches up to you?

I am going to go network by network this time because there are so few things I don’t watch. Starting with cable, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is one of the best installments of this series since New York. Good women, doing crazy stuff, nothing better. On the CW, The Vampire Diaries is one really smart show, and the best thing about it: it is a smart show for teens that uses vampires in a great way. I always look forward to TVD, especially along with Nikita which has done nothing short of approve every single episode.

At FOX, I have never been a Bones fan (I hope to catch up one day on DVD) but I do love me some alt-Fringe, that is for certain. This season has creatively been on fire, with each episode alternating between worlds seamlessly and Anna Torv really proving herself as n actress. The only thing that is lacking, the ratings. Get them up, while at CBS, the ratings are great, where Big Bang is still funny and working and The Mentalist a stable performer on Thursday night.

The best shows however on Thursday nights are on NBC and ABC. I look forward every week to a new 30 Rock, which I can’t say about the past two seasons. Its lead in, Community is funny, damn funny, but I can’t say I am as on-board as some other people in the TV universe, while The Office is slowing improving in the waning days of Michael Scott.

On ABC, Grey’s Anatomy is having its best year since maybe even season 2, delivering smart, original stories, while placing the characters in new and harrowing situations following the traumatic shooting. As you know, last week I gave so much praise to it’s spin-off which is just magnificent in the days of Charlotte King, you must watch, and read the article here.

So, what are you watching Thursdays, and how are you handling it. Sound off below.

Moving on to the middle of the week, where Wednesday presents a wide array of choices for me from reality to serious drama to the best comedy on television, but what are you watching?

ABC is the king on this night for me with all 4 of its comedies making me laugh, some more than others. The Middle, which is quickly becoming the season’s biggest half-hour behind Modern Family, has also grown creatively, getting out of the Patrica Heaton is the star mode to a real show for all of the family where Sue and Brick quickly take the lead as the best characters. The show is getting back to the roots of family comedy from the 90s but in a 2000s vibe of single camera.

The multi-cam comedy that follows Better with You, is starting to grow but it is limping along due to limited plots. The comedy could become something great as Friends did (it shares many of the same writers) if it introduces some new characters as well as gets out of the house and out of family stories. At 9/8c, Modern Family still and always will make me laugh week in and week out, while the real star of this hour for me though is Cougar Town. This is one hell of a comedy. The chemistry between everyone, the sharp writing, and pop culture references put this above the rest but down in the ratings. You need to watch.

On the other networks, I am still watching Survivor, but I think just because I am waiting for something interesting to happen, which hasn’t yet. Lack of characters are really pushing this season down while next season sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, if you do not know what I am talking about. Look it up. Over at NBC, SVU continues to be a staple while LOLA is peddling along nicely. How good was Rebecca Mader by the way a few weeks back? She needs her own show.

Are you still watching ABC on Wednesdays, are you excited to get a new Shonda Rhimes drama on this night come January, and are you watching Top Chef: Just Desserts? Those people are pretty crazy, no. Also, to my surprise, Gail Simmons is a pretty great host. Sound off below.