My DVD player is getting too much of a workout. I am sick of my husband asking, "What's on tonight?" and having to answer "(sigh) nothing."
The first of the NBC shows came back Thursday, "My Name is Earl." Paris Hilton was on. It was awful. The show, that used to be a charming little lesson about karma, has lost its way. I don't even know if I'll watch it this week.
But there is good news on the horizon. "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Scrubs" are back this week. NBC has announced its 2008-09 season, and it looks pretty good.
Below is a rundown of NBC's next season. New fall shows have a line explaining the premise. But first, a couple of notes:
There will be an "Office" spinoff, debuting after the Super Bowl. No one is talking about the premise, the cast or anything else yet.
"30 Rock" and "Friday Night Lights" have both been renewed, but everyone should be prepared for this to be the last of these shows' runs. They just haven't caught on with viewers.
"Scrubs" was booted off the NBC schedule and promptly picked up by ABC. Reportedly there will be some cast changes, but Zach Braff is back for sure.
"Merlin," (Robinson) "Crusoe" and "Knight Rider" are all on the schedule, so little kids who like fantasy should be happy.
Christian Slater is finally coming to network TV. Wha?
Are you looking forward to any of this?
Sunday
6 p.m. Football Night in America ("Dateline NBC" and "Merlin" in the winter)
8 p.m. Sunday Night Football ("Medium" and the new "Kings" in the winter)
Monday
7 p.m. Chuck
8 p.m. Heroes
9 p.m. My Own Worst Enemy: Christian Slater stars as a man with two identities - efficiency expert and spy. ("The Philanthropist" in the winter)
Tuesday
7 p.m. The Biggest Loser
8:30 p.m. Kath and Kim: Australian import comedy about a mom (Molly Shannon) and daughter (Selma Blair) who move back in together.
9 p.m. Law & Order: SVU
Wednesday
7 p.m. Knight Rider: The TV movie was a modest hit when there was nothing else on, so now we get it every week. Makes perfect sense on the network that keeps canceling "Scrubs."
8 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. Lipstick Jungle (another show that underperformed when it had no competition)
Thursday
7 p.m. My Name is Earl
7:30 p.m. 30 Rock
8 p.m. The Office
8:30 p.m. SNL Specials leading up to the election - guess they really took that Entertainment Weekly cover seriously. "The Office" and then "The Office" spinoff fills in after the election.
9 p.m. ER
Friday
7 p.m. Crusoe: As in Robinson Crusoe. ("Deal or No Deal" moves here in the winter)
8 p.m. Deal or No Deal ("Friday Night Lights" returns in the winter)
9 p.m. Life
Saturday
7 p.m. Dateline Saturday
8 p.m. Knight Rider (encores)
9 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (encores)
I was afraid "My Name is Earl" was going to run thin on some story lines because of the theme of the show, but hopefully last week's stunt with Paris Hilton was just an anamoly.
Then again, Hilton tends to linger longer than she should.
They have got to get Earl out of that coma. Stat.