There's something else I noticed about Studio 60 this week that kind of bugs me.

They occasionally slip into the speedy no-pauses conversational style you usually only see in crime and political shows.

And every member of the cast is so well-read and philosophical it occasionally tests suspension of disbelief.

I've decided Heroes is by far the best new show of the season. More original than anything on network TV right now. Ranks with Lost, 24, and Veronica Mars as one of the best shows on television.

30 Rock would be second, but a distant second. It's good, but not good enough to make me have to watch it on a regular basis.

Right now, NBC is leading the pack as far as new shows I have been enjoying. Leading this pack is Heroes, my overall favorite new show. But Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock are not far behind. I have a feeling I'll like Studio 60, but I haven't actually watched an episode yet. They've been TiVo'd because I watch CSI: Miami, which I basically view as a live action cartoon.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PRG,

I haven't been able to bring myself to watch 30 Rock, because I think SNL was god-awful the years Tina Fay was head writer. It's on at 9:30 on Thursday now, right? Maybe I'll finally watch an episode of it...

Maybe I'll give Heroes another chance now that I hear the characters are coming together in a more cohesive storyline. (I think it and Ugly Betty are the only new shows whose ratings seem to be going up, rather than down.)

Speaking of Ugly Betty, I watched an episode of it on ABC's website. It has charm up the ass and out the other end, and that made it a pleasure to watch. But, the writing is kind of lame, so I decided I wouldn't be interested in watching it consistantly, even if I find all the satire about the fashion industry hilarious.

You have to check out 30 Rock if for no other reason than Tracy Morgan's character. Alec Baldwin is good too, but like I said in another thread, I basically laugh whenever Morgan speaks. As far as Ugly Betty, I agree with your comment on its charm.

Well, I started out watching these NEW shows of the 2006-2007 season:

Sunday
Brothers & Sisters

Monday
The Class
Heroes
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Tuesday
Help Me Help You
Smith

Wednesday
30 Rock
Jericho
Kidnapped
The Nine

Thursday
Six Degrees

Friday and Saturday
NADA

I quickly bailed on Jericho. When Gerald McRaney gave his "let's work together" speech, I flipped to something else.

I really liked the original pilot for Smith (the one with limited commercial interruptions and lots of little details that really made the characters three-dimensional) and watched it until CBS yanked the plug. I was into Kidnapped, but it too was quickly yanked by its network.

Brothers & Sisters and Six Degrees had interesting ideas, but they never seemed to gel. Now, Six Degrees is toast and Brothers & Sisters is apparently a top 20 hit. I just can't shake the feeling that Brothers & Sisters is a poorly-written mess compared to the brilliant (and little-seen) 1996-1997 Marshall Herskovitz/Ed Zwick/Jason Katims family drama Relativity which shared some similar plot points (i.e. mixed religion families, death of a parent, sibling rivalry, etc).

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip...well, the less said the better. But here goes anyway: Annoying, self-important, quasi-intellectual, unfunny, and about as subtle as Crash.

After the network execs got through putting shows on "hiatus", I was left with 3 of my original watchables: 30 Rock (which is turning into one of the best shows on-air - despite this last week's TERRIBLE episode; I preferred "The Rural Juror" when it was a small unpronounceable aside in a brilliant episode from earlier this season), Heroes (which is the best surviving new drama), and The Class (which was wonderfully off-beat and Soap-ish in its initial post-pilot scripts, but has become less endearing and more grating with each new episode).

Two things happened mid-season that changed my watchables list though: 1) Men In Trees turned out not to be a total stinker, but in fact a frequently hilarious and more down-to-earth, gender-reversed take on Northern Exposure's premise, and 2) The Nine, my pick for the best new drama of the season, got put on hiatus. The Nine was a show that had everything: quality writing, a top-notch cast, and a narrative timeline that was clear and observant.

its a shame that only one person listed the office. rainn wilson, john krasinski and ed helms should all win emmy's. oh and steve carell. how could i forget. the most talented comedian in the world right now. most comedians of his caliber stick to movies, but with he graces us every week with another downright hilarious, annoying performance, yet all even while our sides are being split, we want him to get out of his predicament. more people should watch this show. the low number of people tuning in is proof of one thing only : america is stupid

Friday Night Lights has become my favorite new show of the 2006 season. While it would be easy to focus on the football, the strength of the show is really its commitment to the chracters and the examination of their lives in 360 degrees. The football is always there, but it's just hovering off screen until the games are played. They deftly show that football may not be ultimately as important as the characters think it is.