Is it fall already? Yeah? Then I guess it’s back to being even more unproductive than usual! Kidding aside, I’m happy to see some of my favorite shows return, as some ended last season with some serious bangs. House hallucinates sleeping with Cuddy and checks himself into a psych ward?! But that’s the kind of crazy we should all be hoping for, isn’t it? While other shows just pissed me off to the point that I finally had to quit ‘em cold turkey (piss off, Heroes!!!)

In any event, I’ve been told my opinions are highly valued around these parts (whenever I decide to stay away long enough to write them down and post them!), and I’ve been asked to chime in on the new fall season.

House:
The first two episodes of the new season have been fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they deal with House’s rehabilitation. Not to mention Foreman going on a raging power trip in episode two. Hopefully the fool finally realizes he’ll never be as good as House, and maybe Cuddy will finally corner House and give him what-for. . . . horizontally!

Californication:
Californication just isn’t Californication without a dinner party where someone gets drunk (or high) off their ass, and/or winds up nekkid, and the season premiere doesn’t disappoint. It’s a stroke of good luck for Hank Moody, who ultimately gets offered a teaching job at a local university. Sexual hilarity is sure to ensue with not less than three of Hank’s students wanting to get in his pants, including Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick and Susan Surandon’s daughter Eva Amurri (Future Future Ex-Wife? Just might be!)

Bored To Death:
If Californication is one end of the spectrum when it comes to unfocused writers with a crisis of self, Bored To Death is the other. Quirky and brimming with dry wit, you almost have to wonder if Jason Schwartzman’s character his some mental defect. At the very least, he’s clearly neurotic, almost in a Woody Allen kind of way. This is being accentuated by the trendy New York locales. His belief in his ability to be an truly effective private investigator is both frightening and endearing.

Castle:
Vindication for Nathan Fillion? After finally realizing that maybe dealing with Fox may not be the best career move, he’s got a hit on his hands with Castle. And clearly, he’s what’s holding the show together, because honestly, without his inclusion, the show would be pretty bland. But Fillion is just a total charmer and has a such a gift for comedic timing, that it elevates other elements of the show.

Supernatural:
The best show on television that you’re not watching. Period. I wrote the show off in the beginning, but eventually came around and saw that it was one of the best horror shows to come on network television in ages. The storytelling has been top-notch over four seasons, and a lot of the action and gore is just nightmare-inducing. Season five seems to be shaping up quite nicely, as the Winchester brothers prepare to take on Lucifer in hopes of stopping The Apocalypse. Sounds like fun!

Fringe:
I don’t know if I agree with Shola’s assessment of the show being better than the X-Files, but it definitely has the potential to be. It’s already learning from that show’s mistakes, and hopefully won’t get as long in the tooth. The season two premiere was chock-full of “cotdamn!!!” moments, especially Olivia’s return to our reality, crashing out the windshield of her SUV, and onto a busy street.

So What Else Is On?:
Still loving Dexter and Flash Forward is off to a good start. I’m also hoping Dollhouse overcomes the obstacles Fox has put in its path. But certain shows, I’m really just watching out of habit at this point. Law & Order: SVU hasn’t really been a “must-watch” show for at least three seasons, but it’s still enjoyable when I do catch it. Smallville, I just want to see it die once and for all. At least last season was only functionally retarded. But dammit if they’re not going full-retard with season nine!