TV: Season Premieres

Smallville

Thoroughly enjoyable, and even moreso with a group of friends. "Kal" goes bad, Lex goes crazy, and Pa goes super. A little more mythology, and a little more development. Plus, the opening shot of the Daily Planet Globe was just perfect. My biggest complaint is that since this is a two-parter, and the season finale was a two-parter, the result is a 4-part story, and I want some resolution.

Scrubs

I waited so long for this, especially since NBC aired the season finale back in April, and chose not to premiere it with the rest of Must-See-TV last week. And frankly, I was a bit disappointed. It felt like they were trying too hard for the jokes, and there wasn't as much of a heart to the episode. The radiologist was particularly grating. It was still funny, but I hope this was just a fluke.

The West Wing

Despite all the raves this show has received over the years, and despite my love for Sorkin's "Sports Night," I've never watched this regularly, and I finally realized why. Under Sorkin's pen, conservatives were practically evil, and it's difficult to watch a show where you're the bad guy. That said, the first two eps of this season were pretty good. The slant is still there, but at least it's kinder to my POV. I doubt it'll make it on my weekly schedule, but it was worthwhile.

Alias

Yet another show I haven't watched before. But despite having seen only last year's post-Superbowl episode, I managed to catch up with the show's plot quickly, and it really grabbed me. Lots of intrigue and scheming, and lots of questions to be answered in upcoming episodes. I did think Sydney's rebuke of her ex was awfully harsh, though. This may well make it on my schedule now, but it'll be tough, as it's opposite both "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."