MONDAY
House - The premiere of its seventh season brought with it the long-awaited reveal of Huddy, which made for an "aww"ful hour of adorable moments between the new couple, with a side of witty commentary from our favorite cranky doctor. The highlight of the episode was probably Wilson getting stuck in House's kitchen window while climbing into his apartment to make sure House hadn't gone back to his pill-popping ways. But a close second was House spelling out "I LOBE YOU" to Cuddy with Scrabble tiles (he didn't have a "V"). Also, blah blah, medical puzzle, blah. House didn't care, and neither did we.
Gossip Girl - This week, Nate and Dan had a plaid parade (see above photo) while they let some sketchy blonde woman (who, by the way, has "ulterior motives" written all over her) screw up their lives. Let's be honest here, people. We really don't care about these random extraneous plot lines. We only watch the show for Chuck and Blair. Everything else is just filler.
The Event - If you enjoy mind-bending serialized dramas that create mysteries as fast as they solve them, The Event might be for you. I can't say the comparisons to Lost are necessarily justified just yet (although both shows involve plane crashes, a blatant disregard for the laws of physics, and more questions than you can shake Mr. Eko's prayer stick at), but it shows promise, and I think it's safe to say it's only going to get more enthralling after the first episode.
Lone Star - What could have been the next great drama on network television will likely become another underrated show canceled by Fox after just a few episodes. It will take something of a miracle for this intriguing nighttime soap about a Texas con man leading two separate lives to make it until Christmas.
Castle - Is there anyone who didn't love seeing Becket arrest Castle?
Hawaii Five-O - Same theme song, different show. And dare I say this might be a remake that actually works, unlike most other attempts to reboot successful shows (ahem, Knight Rider). Alex O'Loughlin is as gorgeous as ever as an officer out to avenge his father's death. Scott Caan has a kind of effortless, sloppy charm that complements his grouchy demeanor. Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park round out the main cast fabulously, plus Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters guest stars in the pilot.
TUESDAY
Glee - I can't help but feel Glee may have lost a little of its spark. Consider my outlook wary, bordering on optimistic. I'm hoping they can get their groove back next week with the much-buzzed-about Britney Spears themed episode. I did, however, enjoy the "Telephone" scene in the ladies' room between Rachel and Sunshine (guest star Charice). Even better than watching Lea Michelle looking like she might actually eat Charice's face was Sue busting in on them and telling them to shut up. Finn's absurd and pathetic attempt at trying out for the Cheerios was another highlight of the episode.
Raising Hope - Cute. Quirky. Funny. Heartfelt. This new sitcom from the creator of My Name is Earl has some of the same hilarious-but-touching family dynamics of Modern Family, but with a more offbeat sense of humor. Cloris Leachman gives Betty White a run for her money as TV's most popular senior citizen, playing the crazy grandmother who occasionally walks through the living room without a shirt on.
Running Wilde - Two words: Mini. Horses. That running gag alone had me laughing out loud, plus the fact that Will Arnett's character is like a cross between Michael Scott and GOB Bluth, the character he played on the late, great Arrested Development. The supporting cast could be so funny if they were more honed and well-crafted, like those of The Office and 30 Rock, but those shows have had years to perfect their comedic chemistry, so it hardly seems fair to judge Wilde by its first episode. I will, however, judge the obnoxious and unnecessary narration by Puddle, the daughter of Keri Russell's character. I can't quite explain why, but I despise when child narrators, unless they're really, really adorable and charismatic, like Macaulay Culkin.
WEDNESDAY
Survivor - Any season following the epic "Heroes vs. Villains" season is going to seem inadequate, but this new season is even more sub-par than was expected. The tribes are divided by age (again). The Older Tribe (which includes famous football coach Jimmy Johnson) is extra crazy this season, and the Younger Tribe is extra annoying. Separating the tribes by age makes the differences in casting particularly obvious, namely the fact that every single member of the Younger Tribe looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch model. They do make twenty-somethings who are over a size 2, you know. Standout contestants include Fabio (a nickname he acquired on the show for his luscious blonde hair and general dim-wittedness); Shannon, a misogynistic pest control worker (ironic, seeing as he's a pest I'd like to have controlled) from Louisiana; Jimmy T., who seems a bit testy and/or paranoid (I have to wonder if he's a smoker suffering from Nicotine withdrawal); and Jane, a dog trainer who's really good at building fires. If nothing else, this season should prove to be an entertaining train wreck of idiocy and pointless bickering.
Cougar Town - I love this show so much. The cast is brilliant, even when Jennifer Aniston doesn't guest star (as she did this week). Jules' (Courteney Cox) group of wacky friends and neighbors reminds me of my wacky friends and neighbors, only they're way better at playing movie mash-up and stalking their therapists.
THURSDAY
Bones - "I am the linchpin" is the new "I am the walrus." In the sixth season premiere, the gang's all back from their various adventures, and they didn't return empty-handed: They've got new girlfriends, new fetuses growing inside them, and new goatees to go with their new French hats. All in all, it was an enjoyable episode, if a little uneven at times.
Community - I could write 2,000 words on why the second season premiere of Community was amazing, but I'll try to keep it brief. First, the way they handled the Britta/Jeff romantic ellipsis situation was sheer brilliance. A lot of people were afraid the show would turn into a touchy-feely soap fest, dragging out the will-they-won't-they romantic drama throughout the coming season, but Community took a hilariously original route in coming to terms with the events of the season one finale (Britta's profession of love for Jeff and his apparent rejection), while managing to stay true to the tone and comedic genius that we saw in its first season. Also, Betty White does an Anthropology rap with Troy and Abed that segues into Toto's "Africa." Need I say more? (Watch the clip here.)
30 Rock - Matt Damon wept like a child, and we found out Liz Lemon has Life Alert. How much more awesome can you get?
Outsourced - Kind of offensive, kind of funny. The show tries to poke equal fun at Indian culture and American culture (examples include the Pussycat Dolls and the ever-classy mistletoe belt buckle), but some of the jokes are just more cringe-inducing than funny, like the classic "Americans eat hamburgers, while Indians consider cows to be sacred" joke. Despite all the controversy and general hatred from TV critics, the premiere got pretty okay ratings, so it might actually stick around for a while. Unlike...
My Generation - What is there to say about my latest hopeless cause? I've become attached to yet another one of ABC's sorry attempts to launch a promising new show in the über-competitive Thursday night time slot. Like its predecessors (most recently FlashForward and The Deep End, two of my favorite new shows from last year) things don't look good for My Generation in the ratings department. But in case you're still interested, the documentary-style drama follows a group of high school friends ten years after graduation, all with promising plot lines laid out, which I fear we will never see resolved. It kind of feels like a gritty Breakfast Club, only ten years later. By now they've all married the wrong people or followed a different career path than they expected (twist!). I think it's a really interesting and potentially great new ensemble drama, but ABC probably won't take that into account when they decide to cancel it in three weeks.
Well, that's about it for your rundown of Fall premiere week. Fortunately for you, I didn't recap every single show that I watch, or this entry would have been even more egregiously lengthy. Don't forget to pick an endangered show that I mentioned and tell all your friends to watch it.