The Fall 2006 TV Season

When it comes to television I have to admit that I am your typical male - a sports junkie. That said, I have been known to frequent the four networks and Comedy Central to follow a program that I really like. That short list has been static for some time with "24", a long since declined "The Simpsons", "Scrubs", "The Office", "The Daily Show", "Colbert Report" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" among the shows I follow on a weekly basis.

That has all changed this year with one program in particular, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". The show was hardly a longshot given producer Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing") and high profile stars such as Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry. It had been hyped for months and I was eagerly anticipating its debut a couple of weeks ago. Suffice it to say the show is a winner.

"Studio 60" captures the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations of an "SNL" type late night sketch comedy show. The writing and acting is great, the dialogue is rapid fire a la Sorkin's "West Wing" and "Sports Night" and the hour just seems to fly by when I am watching it. I was not a big fan of "Friends" but have to say that Matthew Perry is fantastic on this show. It is a side of him as an actor - more edgy and narcissistic - that I have never seen and I like it.

I also caught the series premiere of "Friday Night Lights" this past Tuesday. Inspired by the 1990's H.G Bissinger book of the same name and the recent feature film directed by Peter Berg, the show documents big time Texas high school football through various people and events related to the fictional Dillon Panthers. Despite what you might think, you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy this show. It works as a drama, a documentary on the culture of big time high school football and yes, as a show about sports.

The show uses a lot of hand held cameras and quick cutting to create a cinema verite effect that makes it a lot more real and powerful. It seemed much more like something I'd see on an HBO movie/documentary than on a major network, and that's a compliment. Initially hooked in by the subject matter, I gave this show a shot and was very impressed with the pilot episode. Check it out next Tuesday on NBC.

Amongst the new shows I wanted to see but missed is "The Nine" on ABC. If anybody saw the season premiere and wants to talk about it by all means do so. I am also looking forward to the new Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin show "30 Rock" even though it is based on the same premise (i.e. behind the scenes of a TV show) as "Studio 60". However, it looks like this will be more of a sitcom as compared to the more dramatic nature of "Studio 60".