The TV Addict 

Way too much to watch tonight, God Bless my PVR! Tonight, I’ll be tuning into JERICHO at 8PM in the hopes of learning more about that mysterious ‘nuclear cloud’ that has wrecked havok on the small town of Jericho? As long as it’s not a cloud of nano-bots I’ll be happy! Following JERICHO, I’ll be spending the 9PM hour with the coolest lawyer on TV, Victor Garber (aka Ron Trott) with the last new episode of JUSTICE until November (due to baseball). Folks, if you’re bored with the endless episodes of LAW & ORDER, do me (and Victor) a favour by tuning into JUSTICE – it’s the most entertaining legal procedural on television. Following JUSTICE is NBC’s KIDNAPPED. I thought last week’s premiere was interesting enough for me to tune into episode 2, let’s hope the writers don’t disappoint. Also on my PVR’s agend is episode four of WEEDS, sadly in Canad we’re behind, as well as the season premiere of ONE TREE HILL.

Before I run out for the evening, I just wanted to throw in my two cents about last night’s season premieres. Firstly, JERICHO. I’m completely sucked in and curious. My only concern is that I hope the show has some happy and uplifting moments. The premiere was a pretty big downer (nuclear holocaust and all), and considering that I generally tune into TV to escape CNN’s constant ‘terror alerts’ I hope it lightens up.

Now on to KIDNAPPED, again, another entertaining hour of television. Like every pilot this season (sorry, with the exception of VANISHED), the show sets up the series perfectly. I’m hooked, intrigued and definitely curious as to how the writers are going to keep this premise going all season long (obviously there is much more to this ‘kidnapping’ then meets the eye). My only complaint with the pilot were these three points.

1) I can’t stand when a show ends on a music montage – way too overdone.

2) The kid (aside from having the highly pretentious name of ‘Leopold’) is obviously one of those too smart for his own good TV kids. Generally those characters can get annoying fast (see: Wesley Crusher, Malcolm), so hopefully they’ll tone that down a bit.

3) Finally, the whole Brookly Apartment building explosion being a set-up was obvious from the get-go. Let’s hope the writers give the audience a little more credit then that.

Tonight is a busy night of season premieres. On my MUST WATCH list are JERICHO (CBS 8pm) and KIDNAPPED (NBC 10pm. Also premiering, but not on theTVaddict’s must watch list are CSI: NY (CBS 10PM), CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS 9PM), THE BIGGEST LOSER (8PM NBC).

Also of note, ABC is airing last season’s incredible two-hour finale of GREY’S ANATOMY. Prepare yourself for television’s best drama, premiering tomorrow night, but catching up tonight.

Following in ABC’s lead, NBC will showcase their new fall shows with an ad-supported video service called NBC 24/7. According to an NBC press release:

The ad-supported model will allow viewers to watch episodes of their favorite NBC primetime shows on NBC 24/7, NBC Universal’s video player which will re-launch on October 1st with a new enhanced high-resolution, large-format version.

Shows included in this program will be KIDNAPPED, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, 30 ROCK & HEROES.

theTVaddict.com is thrilled to welcome a new contributing editor onboard, Richard Michaels. Richard is theTVaddict’s newest TV Insider, a man so ‘in-the-know’ that he’s already seen most of the Fall 2006 TV pilots. That said, here’s the first of his Fall TV Previews for 2006.

You’ve seen the ads. You’ve heard the hype. Now there’s only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we’re going to give you the scoop on some of the most highly anticipated shows coming down the pike. Which will be the next Gilmore Girls or Lost? And just as importantly, which will be the new Joey? This week, we sneak a peek at the new NBC drama, KIDNAPPED.

When it’s on: Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC, Premieres September 20, 2006

What’s it about: Um… a kidnapping (duh!)

Who’s in it: Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under), Dana Delaney (Pasadena)

The twist: The 15-year-old victim must may be smarter than his kidnappers

Hit or miss: This serialized drama is incredibly similar to FOX’s Vanished, at least on the surface. But while that show tends to throw too much at audiences in the pilot episode, Kidnapped does just the opposite by not delivering enough suspense. In fact, there’s a surprising lack of tension in the wake of the central kidnapping. While dramas such as 24 and Without A Trace have taught viewers that every second counts when lives are on the line, it is not only the final moments of the pilot that this drama seems to really kick in. Worse, the episode seems to end without a discernable cliffhanger (other, of course, than “can they get the boy back?” which hardly counts, as that’s the singular theme of the season). Dana Delaney shines bright as the ‘napped kid’s mom, as does young Will Denton as the teen at the center of the drama. Sisto – playing basically the same character that Gale Harold takes on in Vanished – is appealing and plays brooding rule-breaker Knapp with a certain world-weary quality that works. But will an audience that has grown accustomed to edge-of-the-seat suspense in this format wait to see what develops?

The competition: The time-slot is crime-drama heavy, with CSI:NY likely to maintain it’s top-dog spot. That leaves Kidnapped to duke it out with ABC’s life-after-a-bank-robbery drama, The Nine, for second place. Perhaps the most interesting question is this: Will viewers be willing to invest in a long-term investigation and risk having it be cut short should by premature cancellation, or will they get their procedural fix by tuning into the more self-contained CSI?