State of TV: Wednesdays

Wednesday. Please, please don't call it hump day.

I'm sure some kind of hump/"America's Next Top Model" joke can be made (involving, no doubt, Fergie), but I'm just too tired to come up with it. So let's instead talk about Tyra's huge ego. Seriously, girl needs to get over herself. It's especially amusing when she gives the girls modeling advice like, "You're smiling, but you're dead in the eyes. You need to be less like this-" opens her eyes and stares ahead, "and more like this-" opens her eyes and stares ahead. Yeah. Thanks Tyra. You're brilliant. And I think anything else I have to say about the show I say every week with my locals recap on SFist.

Also at 8pm is "Jericho" one of the only new dramas to get a full season order, meaning it's a hit. And for the life of me, I can't understand why. We're what--four? five?--episodes in and we still have no clue what went down with all those nuclear explosions, and instead have been stuck in a Kansas city town with a bunch of locals who are dealing with nuclear fall out and radiation poisoning. How fun! And these people just don't act like people would if nuclear Armageddon had broken out. The local teens hold a keggar, and the local adults almost take up arms when the possibility that the town saloon's generator may run out of gas. OK, sure, maybe this is the way real people would act, but the show doesn't manage to do it convincingly. No one seems that...concerned about what's really gone down. I can understand the desire to drink oneself silly if the nuclear bomb was dropped on a nearby city, but I think I'd either be sobbing, or completely slap-happy while doing it. I'd hope I wouldn't be a total bore like every last resident of Jericho seems to be.

"30 Rock" kind of tanked in the ratings, and the critics didn't seem to like it much either, which has me flummoxed. Of course I've only watched one episode so far, but I still think that one episode was funny. I really hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Which brings us to "Lost," which has also been losing viewers and pissing off critics. Me, I'm happy with the way it's played out so far. I like that this season has introduced a new set of characters, just as season two did with the Tailies. And I'm intrigued enough by the Others' shenanigans to remain hopelessly addicted to the show. I will say I'm disappointed they brought the "it might not be Jin's baby" plot into play. I don't like how that makes Sun a liar (well, more of a liar) and possibly removes the supernatural (or Other) explanation for her pregnancy. I also can't stop thinking about how there are only six episodes (three more to go!) before the show dissapears for months. Can they possibly give us (and especially viewers who are leaving) a good enough finale and/or cliffhanger to get us to come back in February? My faith remains in the show, but that doesn't mean I won't worry.

Following "Lost" is "The Nine" at 10pm, the drama about nine people who survive a bank robbery. While the nine tend to be more interesting than the inhabitants of Jericho, Kansas, they still aren't compelling enough to actually get me excited about the show. I keep watching because I want to see what happened in that bank and see how it plays out over the season, but something tells me the payoff is going to be disappointing. I also really dislike Tim Daly's character, which is a shame since his story has been getting more play than the others. But then when I do think about the other characters, I actually can't think of any I'd want to see more of, so I guess that criticism isn't really valid. I will say I thought the ending to last week's episode, with the teenage girl's realization about the 911 one call, was very effective. But it remains a small part of a bigger mystery that is, at this point, just not that riveting.

Finally, for one more week (meaning tonight) we've got "Project Runway." I'm glad to say that this reality show remains the best reality show on TV, and this season can only end up being better than last season's, since none of the designers is showing signs of having a collection as horrendous as last season's winner, Chloe Dao's. (Oh, the "Dynasty" nightmares those dresses gave me!) For the record, I'm rooting for Laura. She has a boring aesthetic I find quite pleasing. (And I think the previews showing jerkwad Jeffrey's breaking down crying are probably his crying with relief that he hasn't been disqualified for cheating. Although I'm kinda hoping he does get busted for something. He's just so ick.)

Following the finale of "Runway" is the premiere of "Top Chef," which was suprisingly good last season. Unlike "Hell's Kitchen" that other reality cooking show, the chefs on "Top Chef" have to have actual talent to win, and not just the ability to put together generic menus while someone screams at them and calls them donkeys. Unfortunately, the show is taking place in LA this year, instead of San Francisco; part of the fun of the show was seeing the local eateries and neighborhoods being featured each week. But maybe if this season does well they'll bring it back to SF for season three.