SMALLVILLE
From ridiculous season finales that featured 12 minute music montages leaving virtually every single character’s life hanging in the balance, to our intense dislike of Lana Lang, the past few seasons of SMALLVILLE have been anything but super. Luckily for the CW — our kryptonite is the likes of special guest stars Laura Vandervoort and Keri Lynn Pratt. Both of whom brought us back into the fold this season, where we not only can’t help but be impressed by the epic fashion the show has handled Lex Luthor’s absence, but the even cooler way in which every episode of the season thus far has inexplicably ended with an iconic nod to the Superman mythos.
90210
What’s the only thing more unexpected than Annie getting off with a glorified slap-on-the-wrist and a month or two of house arrest for a hit and run in which she killed a man, ran away from the scene of the crime and covered it up for the better part of a year? How about the fact that the CW’s poorly conceived 90210 reboot has not just gotten good, it has gotten really good. And while we’re hesitant to say that the third year series has reached the heights of its predecessor just yet (Again, are we the only ones completely confounded as to when Liam got a stalker?) the show has completely turned a corner this season by mastering what made the original series so addictive. Mixing the fun (as in Monday’s surprisingly smart “Undies-achiever” party) with the not-so-fun (like Naomi’s rape and Teddy’s coming out, both of which have been handled remarkably well thus far.)
GREY’S ANATOMY
Now here’s a phrase we never thought we’d say, a crazed gunman shooting up a hospital may have been the best thing to happen to Seattle Grace since Katherine Heigl’s exit. Seriously, talk about your wake up call. Characters seem more interesting, and stakes more dire, to the point that we’re just about willing to forgive Shonda Rhimes for “Ghost Denny.”
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Never send a woman to do a man’s job. Or at least that’s what we’ve come to conclude when it comes to this resurgent season of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. No really, think about it. After six seasons of failing to introduce a mystery anywhere near as compelling as the original one surrounding Mary Alice Young’s murder, creator Marc Cherry finally did. And all it took — with apologies to Alfre Woodard, Dana Delany and Drea De Matteo — was a little testosterone in the form of the unexpected return of uber-creepy Paul Young, who is back and better than ever. And by “better than ever,” we of course mean up to no good and loads of fun to watch.
BROTHERS & SISTERS
Our feelings on this fantastic fifth season of BROTHERS & SISTERS can be summed up in two simple words: Team Scotty! 