CATEGORY: TV: Fall Season Follies

It's weird to think that this is my ninth (!!!) fall TV season since coming to the U.S. Damn, I'm old! Anyway, it got off to a pretty good start last night. For some reason, Fox thinks it's OK to start the race this early, and given the lack of good TV over the summer I'm not complaining. First show out of the gate was season 2 of Prison Break. I sort of enjoyed this show last year. It was preposterously written and had plotholes the size of Cleveland, as one smart TV Guide writer suggested, but it was still good, escapist fun. The season premiere smartly decided to ignore the dumbest ideas from last season and sort of reboot the show. Since they're out of prison, I guess that's OK now. There's a heck of a shocker in the last 5 minutes, and I think the show will be better for it. They've also brought on a very good actor, William Fichtner, as the FBI agent in charge of tracking the escapees. Sign me on for another season!

The second premiere of the evening was Fox's new serial drama, Vanished. It's about a Georgia senator's wife who goes mysteriously missing. The season will track just this one case. It's a good idea, but there are problems. For one thing, they made every single person on screen (other than the FBI folks) look suspicious. At this point, even the dog may be the mastermind of this kidnapping. I also have a problem with Gale Harold, who plays the lead. Nothing against him personally, but after watching him for five seasons on Queer as Folk doing nothing but having illicit man-on-man sex while doing copious amounts of drugs, it's hard for me to buy him as a manly FBI dude and family man. For now, this show is a 2-star (out of 5) thing. It might get better, but I'm not sure I'll be around to watch it evolve.