State of TV: Thursdays

Thursday! The most crowded night on television!

The 8 o'clock hour brings us "Ugly Betty" on ABC, one of the only new shows that can be called a hit. It's cute and it's for girls! My only fear is we've had three episodes so far, and they've been pretty much the same, storywise. Betty's happy about her job, her co-workers make fun of her, then Betty's sad about her job and wants to quit, then Betty saves the day and her boss's ass, and loves her job again. Yeah, we kind of get the she's-an-outcast thing. Maybe do something a little different with it? Also, for a show about fashion, the fashions on the show aren't that great. Still, it is charming, and not really like anything else on TV right now, so I'll keep watching.

Over on CBS, "Survivor" continues after teasing us with a "race war" and only giving us two weeks of it. I think I have the rest covered over in my locals recap, so let's move on...

To "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office." Earl continues to be amusing, but if Jamie Pressly wasn't on the show, I think I'd have to stop watching. As for "The Office," I'm not too happy with the way Jim and Pam romance played out, but I've expressed my annoyance at the old "gotta keep the people meant for each other apart! It's more dramatic!" convention before. For once I'd like to see those people just end up together and be happy. But then again, I can't imagine Jim and Pam ending up together and remaining as workers in that office, that would just be kind of sad, so I suppose there just isn't a choice here. Perhaps they'll just save the romantic resolution for the series finale, (or reunion, as the original series did). Aside from all that, the show is still pretty darn funny.

Come 9pm it's "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI." "CSI" remains the only "CSI" I watch, and I still enjoy it, but I have to admit I don't really pay that much attention to it when I watch it. Since about 15 minutes of the show is devoted to some kind of lab work musical montage, I'm not missing too much, and I tend to get the gist of the mysteries involved. "Grey's Anatomy" continues to annoy me, or more specifically, Meredith continues to annoy me, but thankfully there are plenty of other, less annoying characters to watch, so I just go and do the dishes or wash my face or nap whenever Meredith and McDreamy are on screen. Yes, he's still pretty dreamy, but he's becoming just as annoying as Meredith, and I'd really like the show a whole lot more if each episode began with them sneaking into a closet to do it, where they'd remain, unseen, for the remainder of the episode. Then at the very end, they could come out looking sheepish, and the credits could begin. Perfect!

Finally, at 10pm we have "ER" and "Six Degrees." "ER" is obviously taking some clues from "Grey's Anatomy" and playing up the personal angle more than the ER angle. Even more than that, they've started using obscure pop songs during montages, which is pure "Grey's." It must be working as the show has seen an uptick in the ratings, and has even kept me watching when I was sure I'd call it quits this season. In all honesty, I think it's a better show than "Grey's Anatomy," but "Grey's" is just easier to watch, and a lot less intense.

It could be argued that "Six Degrees," another entry into the "many strangers, some connection" genre, is the weakest of those entries, as so far, there's nothing much bigger than coincidence connecting these people. No nuclear explosions, no bank robbery. Just...coincidence. And I kind of like it that way. Some would call the show boring, but I continue to watch week after week, and am more interested in these screwed up New Yorkers than I am in those Armageddon survivors in Kansas, or those bank robbery survivors in...LA? I care so little about them that I don't even know where they're supposed to live. There's no doubt where "Six Degrees" takes place; New York is practically a character in itself. I also think it helps that the show has some really good actors, like Hope Davis and Campbell Scott, and they manage to keep it more interesting than it might be with a bunch of the usual TV talent. I really can't argue with anyone who says the show doesn't seem to have a point; it doesn't. But when the acting is good, and the storytelling is good, sometimes, that's enough.