Grade: B | Genre: Reality
Summary: New York proved a solid audition stop on the tour thus far. There were plenty of outrageous characters and a few gems that could make a serious run for the crown.

Season 6 of American Idol is off to a rousing start. After slogging through the waste of four cities, we have truly seen some of the worst excuses of talent that America has to offer. You'd think a friend, family member, or concerned pet would pull these poor souls aside and gingerly tell them that they have no talent. Its only right to put these suckers out of their misery in the privacy of their own lives rather than allow them to put their warbled voice on display as the world cringes. We tune in week after week to watch this collective train wreck unfold that leaves a litter of American Idol wannabes in its wake. So far, we have encountered a girl who was under the impression that she was the cowardly lion of Oz. We've seen the most hilarious rendition of the "Don't Cha" ever caught on film. We've even seen Simon scrap any form of political correctness, calling a guy a bug-eyed jungle creature. What other avenues of fun can we expect as the traveling circus settles on the Big Apple? Wednesday night's episode showed that the land of Broadway and crazy cabbies isn't immune to painful Idol auditions.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Drama
Summary: What was at best a 'B-' episode was saved during the last 10 minutes with the passing of Denny. It was his time to go and for Issie to stand at her medical crossroads.

With a three-hour season finale that spanned two evenings, there is a lot of Grey's Anatomy to talk about so let's waste no time by giving you a quick synopsis of Sunday night's action. Finn (Chris O'Donnell) sheds some dark clouds over Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) concerning their dog Doc. It seems he's developed bone cancer, and its not looking promising. Derek still looks like someone peed in his Cheerios after eyeballing Meredith in Finn's t-shirt the morning after. That ugliness is spilling over to cut into his conversation with Meredith. Callie hits George (T.R. Knight) with the L word, and this new level, their fledgling relationship has ratcheted up to, takes him aback. Burke (Isaiah Washington) is steaming under the collar after Christina decides to catch a few winks while he's busy hiding the salami. Christina (Sandra Oh) is protesting about marathon hours, but they fall on deaf ears. Denny's back in that familiar hospital bed as his condition worsens, pushing Izzie (Katherine Heigl) to the breaking point. Burke goes to get a donor heart, but it proves a cruel hoax. A second heart becomes a battleground as Burke faces off against his old med school chum. Izzie decides to take Denny's deteriorating condition into her own hands, bringing him to edge of death so he might pull ahead in the race for the heart. Burke's helicopter touches down at Seattle Grace and wham! Capped by a crazed fast food worker gone nut job.

Grade: A | Genre: Comedy/Mockumentary
Summary: This was grade-A choice comedy. The Dwight-Jim feud has never been funnier, and Michael's zany mediation suggestions almost toppled the entire office, showing just how incredibly daft he is.

When the Office first made the brave leap across the pond, making its big debut on ever struggling NBC, I was more than a bit skeptical. Other BBC imports have failed the transition miserably, trying to dampen English humor for American audiences (Coupling anyone?). How could the extremely politically incorrect Rick Gervais-inspired Office hope to retain its clever sting? NBC's season one struggled to find its footing, but season two has rocked tha' house, becoming the best comedy series on television. It has escaped the BBC's long shadow to the point where the series is on par, if not better, than the original. The characters are more full and wily, the interactions more electric and you can just see your droll cube farm existence unfold to comic delight. This week, we have an old fashion cage match, Michael Scott style. Michael (Steve Carell) puts every problem every person in the office has with one another on the table for review. Pass the popcorn.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Drama
Summary: This was one of the better episodes we've seen in a while. Hurley is one of the more neglected characters in this reality, so it's good to see him step front and center to uncover some of his inner mysteries.

When you're stuck on a deserted island, it should be expected that a few individuals would go coo-coo for cocoa puffs. We saw it with baby wrangler Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) and now we have hefty bag Hurley (Jorge Garcia) one sandwich short of a picnic. I guess if you're seeing polar bears pop up in tropical jungles and Others are trying to rotiserrize you over their campfire, neurons firing correctly are the least of your problems. Now the Hurley crazy factor was hinted at within his back-story earlier in the series. We know he got his cursed lottery numbers from his compadre in the mental ward. The exact 'why' he was institutionalized was a revelation kept in its wrapper for another day. Well that day is here as we get a free pass to go spelunking through the caverns of Hurley's mind. Bring your appetite.

Grade: A- | Genre: Drama
Summary: 24 is a compelling drama, and these latest episodes prove no exception. This split frame storytelling interlaces punch after punch of action as the tension swiftly snowballs, keeping you completely enthralled.

My television viewing has been getting rather dim of late. With quirky cool Arrested Development busy searching for a new home and my new favorite Love Monkey let out of its cage, I've got some nice gaping holes in my weekly viewing schedule, aching to be patched up. I thought it was high time to turn my attention to one of television's most talked about dramas, 24, to see if its really all that and a bag of chips. After three odd weeks and five hours of non-stop tension, I can safely say I'm hooked on Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and his stealth counter terrorism unit. Its like Alias if Alias were good. Its like Sleeper Cell with clear coat of slick veneer; digestible for the masses. I never realized so much could happen in the span of one day. It makes me feel so unproductive.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Comedy
Summary: The chaos just fed on itself until the family lunacy hit fever pitch. While it was far from the best I've seen from Arrested, it was a quality set of episodes that aptly closed out this series of innovative comedy.

Quality television and ratings bonanzas rarely collide in the television cosmos. For each Lost and Desperate Housewives that prop up this universe, you have the Scrubs and Arrested Developments of this world, hording just as many Emmys while battling tooth and nail simply to make sure they have a time slot from week to week. It's hardly a fair system, but it rests on the almighty advertising dollar so its not going to change no matter how blue in the face we get. Truthfully, it's high time we relocate all the grade-A television to the cable tier of the dial anyway, giving the writers and producers the creative flexibility to push the outer bounds of fun and decency. Such is the situation devilishly funny Arrested Development finds itself after three embattled seasons at Fox. The network has finally pulled the plug on its best series after jerking its fans around all season by putting the comedy on extended hiatus and even crunching the series finale up into four episodes and planting it on a Friday night of all places. If it weren't for my priceless DVR box, I probably wouldn't have caught a single episode of season 3. Enough huffing and puffing about the evils of Fox, let's take perhaps our final look at Arrested Development.

Grade: C- | Genre: Drama
Summary: This was a really disappointing episode. If I wanted to watch E.R., I'd watch E.R.

Ever since the dawn of time, television shows have been fighting tooth and nail for the coveted slot of being the dessert for all those hungry Superbowl fans. This year ABC decides to leave its latest golden boy, Grey's Anatomy, in its usual time slot to show those blood thirsty pigskin followers where they're favorite pummeled quarterback gets shipped after the game. It seems the usually steady writers of Grey's felt the need to get a flair for the sensationalistic as this week's episode morphed into E.R. Maybe it's just me, but there is a reason the medical dinosaur E.R. is 15th in the ratings while fresh Grey's is consistently lodged in the top 10. If anyone should be smuggling away the magic formula it should be E.R. from Grey's. So this week's over-the-top drama explosion is a tad bit inexplicable, and a colossal let down for that once in a lifetime ratings coup.

Grade: C+ | Genre: Drama
Summary: This episode was a shade better than average. It was fun seeing Charlie become completely derailed, but the tension was rather slight.

It had to happen sooner or later. You have a plane swan dive into the Pacific, mythical monsters look to make shiskabobs out of you and improbably hot women prance around on the beach in front of you all day. Somebody was bound to go crazy sooner or later. So the island's resident lunatic is none other than Charlie. Now I'm sure a lot of you are thinking our scruffy ex-rock god just fell back under the spell of that heroin witch, but you would be wrong. The temptation is certainly ever present since he hid that mitful of Virgin Mary statues before Eko could light them up. But Mr. Clean steps in at the fateful moment of choice. Will Charlie turn the beach camp into charcoal? Will he sacrifice Claire's baby to the island gods? Will he reform Drive Shaft with Hurley on drums and Sawyer on lead vocals to tour the local islands? Read on my Lost fanatics.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Drama/Comedy
Summary: Love Monkey is a solid drama with the comedic bite we've come to expect from Cavanagh. While it's really too early in the game to be making sweeping predictions, I'm excited about the possibilities Love Monkey brings to the table. It is a sharp, funny dramedy that takes on the single man's quarter life crisis with wit and style.

The horses are officially out of the gate, and the offerings of the new television season have been busted up thoroughbreds at best. They are employing lots of formula, much aping of what has attracted advertising dollars in the past, and pretty much lacking any semblance of vision or heart. Granted asking the big 5 networks to be innovative is like asking Oprah to swear off chocolate cake. Everyone knows that cable networks are truly where it's at for savvy, cutting edge programming. Don't believe me? Look at Fox ditching its one great show, Arrested Development, because they don't know how to market it. All the while, Showtime sits in the wings, licking its chops, purged in wait to pounce on the quirky comedy. It's truly a pathetic state of affairs. It's tough to go into Love Monkey with anything other than a healthy touch of skepticism. Loosely based on Kyle Smith's novel, bearing the same name, Love Monkey stars Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as single guy Tom Farrell who has hit on a rancid streak of bad luck. Within the span of a day, he fumbles his job and loses the naked rights to his girlfriend. Now granted, he worked for a soul stealing, lecherous major record label, and his girlfriend was fruitier than one of Gwyneth Paltrow's children, but sometimes it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. Ah but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Grade: C- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: While there are a handful of laughs that will catch you when you need it, the setup of these four single guys lends itself for a ridiculous comedy that never pays off.

So after a feeble attempt to pull the old switcheroo of goofy Joey for the immortal Friends, NBC has decided to take a serious attempt at resurrecting "must-see" Thursday nights, fueled by last season's sleeper hit My Name is Earl and quirky critic darling, the Office. Evidently, they weren't aware that while they were refilling their drink at the bar, television's most popular drama CSI and surprise late bloomer Smallville moved in on their girl. Regardless, you have to give NBC credit for trying to hold on to the soap in this grimy prison shower. So to fill out their comedy line-up, they have brought in four single guys living in New York to remind us of Friends before they started pairing off. These gents are boyhood pals that all move in to their friend Ben's apartment that he inherits from his grandmother who has recently passed.

Grade: B | Genre: Comedy
Summary: While its still early in the game, I think its worth hanging around the bar for a few more episodes to see if Emily can take shots with the big boys, or if she's destined to be wasted under the table with a cocktail napkin glued to her forehead.

You've got to feel for ambitious, single women. They are constantly fighting to be independent and taken seriously professionally, yet always keeping an eye peeled for any errant knight in shining armor that might saunter into the local Starbucks. Sex and the City was the show that came along and spoke their language, airing out all their problems and the delicious frustrations with men. Then one day they wake up, and their voice is silenced, only to show up neutered on TBS. The closest thing they have to eternal bliss is a bunch of wickedly Desperate Housewives. What's a girl to do? Well ABC thinks it has the answer with its new star vehicle for Heather Graham entitled Emily's Reasons Why Not. While it may smack as a cheap designer knockoff of Sex, it is a return to the City for the single ladies everywhere who are not quite ready to settle down in the kettle of desperation, brewing in suburbia.

Grade: B- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: Scrubs is officially off to a decent start. I think its fate still remains a huge question mark, but the true fans will love to watch Braff, Faison, Chalke and the crew attempt to top their own unbridled wackiness.

All the Scrubs fanatics can quit their hyperventilating to catch a collective sigh of relief. After a painfully long hiatus, Zach Braff and company are back, and they're zanier than ever. Quit your cackling. It is possible I say. For instance, how many hub caps would one have to loose off their mental jalopy to have J.D. and Turk come together to play a multi-ethnic Siamese doctor? What about Eliot becoming known to her prestigious fellowship colleagues as the bank farter. And why does Bambi have a driving sock peeking out the top of his pants? See, I rest my case. It seems the Emmy winning comedy, who felt like he was taking cousin Edna to the prom due to NBC's horrible neglect in its fall scheduling, is giving the collective finger to just about anyone who is gullible enough to turn around and look. They are going to be as crazy as they want to be, and if it means cancellation, well bring it on sister. The docs of Sacred Heart don't have time to pussy foot around with those sensitive souls who might get offended or who watch J.D. trip for the four hundredth time and still don't get it.

Grade: B- | Genre: Drama
Summary: So the season closer unveiled our masked stalker with little surprise. I thought the clever writers of Tuck would throw us a last minute curve ball to serve up another juicy cutter.

For a season plus, the Carver has stalked the beauty enhanced women of Miami on the FX drama Nip/Tuck. With the end of season 3 finally bringing itself to a close with its two-hour shebang, it is time to unmask the creator of grotesque smiley faces. With every character in the Nip/Tuck universe missing enough screws to open a Home Depot, the possibilities are endless. Will it be the fuming femanazi Liz? Has Matt's shuffling father figures and newfound white supremacist ways pushed him to cut? Maybe, Bobolit survived the do-it-yourself facial transplant surgery and is exacting revenge on Kimber and Christian. Of course, what discussion of the Carver would be complete without everybody's favorite bi surgeon from Hot-lanta Quentin? It's time to unmask every psychologists dream patient and end one of television's hottest mysteries.

Episode: B+ | Season: A | Genre: Reality
Summary: First there was O-Town, then Da Band, and now Diddy is at it again with this season of Making the Band 3. Ladies and Gentlemen we have a band! Sean "Diddy" Combs has announced the winners from the Making the Band 3 competition. If you didn't watch this season, you missed a treat.

I must admit this Season of Making the Band 3 was my favorite. After last season's show ended without a band, the show basically started over. They held auditions around the country and chose an entirely new cast, except for three girls who were invited back from the previous season: Aubrey, Aundrea, and Malika. Once again, the girls were moved into a New York apartment. Only this time, they were not in the lap of luxury. The apartment had been remolded and looked more like army barracks than the Diddy inspired creations of past episodes. Nevertheless, the girls worked very hard, Diddy even made them run 5 miles and then treated there aching muscles with a little dance rehearsal at the Alvin Ailey Dance studio. Throughout the season, we have met some very dedicated and talented girls; some we loved and some we hated, but many who we simply admired.

Grade: A | Genre: Drama/Suspense
Summary: Sleeper Cell is the best new drama of the year. It is a cutting edge series, providing a haunting portrait of a subject all of us know and fear yet most know painfully little about.

Since the 9/11 attacks, the word terrorist triggers that pit to form in America's collective stomach. We've learned that nothing is safe and all of us are targets for no other reason than for the country we call home. This generalized fear has been deftly exploited by our politicians at the highest level of government and even plunged us into an unjust war. The fear is nameless and shapeless, and we are held hostage by something we can't grasp. Even if we could define it, I think most of us are afraid to take a really long look at exactly what 'it' is. It could be our neighbors, our colleagues, even our family. What separates the terrorists from the people we come across in our everyday isn't as radical as we would like to believe. Extremist ideals are often covered over by little league games and family picnics in the park. Showtime's cunning new series Sleeper Cell takes our gravest enemy and sticks him in our living room. We're asked to watch him eat, play with his children, and find his way in life -- putting a face on the terror that seeps into our nightmares.

Grade: A | Genre: Drama
Summary: Desperate Housewives does it again. This latest installment reveals just enough information and introduces the right new situations to keep its hooks in you. There is no way you can stop watching now.

While reflecting on the state of mankind, Dr. Jekyll said, "All human beings... are commingled out of good and evil." This statement, made by Dr. Jekyll in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, has never been truer than in Sunday's episode of Desperate Housewives. With all of George's skeletons out of the closet, Lynette's impulsive retaliations, Susan's father's ornery disposition, and Carlos's not-so-holy nun, you can see that evil is alive and can be found in some very unexpected places.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Drama
Summary: Rome is a highly delectable treat. The acting is top rate all around as we would expect for an HBO/BBC feature drama. The costume and set design have spared no expense, looking like they are the result of some mega-million dollar Hollywood blockbuster. The story is full and the suspense is executed with delicate grace.

Ever since Six Feet Under sadly dug its plot in the bone yard last August, I've been wondering what cutting edge programming HBO was going to rest in its place. The answer came in the form of two new series: Extras and Rome. Extras is the new dry comedy from the politically incorrect, Brit genius Rick Gervais (BBC's The Office). The series follows around a pair of extras on the set for a couple of days as their megalomaniac Hollywood stars, playing twisted versions of themselves, spin low-key hilarity. On the opposite end of the television spectrum, Rome is the lavish historical drama that spies on Caesar and his cohorts as they rule the dawn of enlightenment. After heavy procrastination all season, I've decided to duck in on the last act to see if Rome has the goods to be the greatest thing since Gladiator, or if its more akin to a pale one act Shakespeare play given by the local junior college.

Grade: A- | Genre: Comedy/Drama
Summary: Boston Legal is one of the finest hours of television, and this week's episode did not disappoint. With this bunch of lawyers, you never know what to expect.

You can always count on Boston Legal for discussion topics around the water cooler at work. True to form, this week's episode, gave us just that. Let's take Alan (James Spader) for instance. Here is a man in definite need of some serious therapy. Last week, he was afraid of clowns, and although silly, not a totally unconceivable thought. I mean after Stephan King's It and Poltergeist, not to mention the mere fact that clowns hide their identities and wear those stupid red noses that make that awful squeaking noise, I can definitely understand why some people are afraid of clowns. But, I digress.

Grade: B- | Genre: Crime Drama
Summary: Trying to follow in the footsteps of movies like Silence of the Lambs, the new CBS television drama Criminal Minds follows a team of FBI agents as they create profiles, using them to catch criminals. Though at times it is reminiscent of other TV dramas, it still has lots of potential.

With a name like Criminal Minds, I was definitely intrigued. With all the puzzle-like drama shows that I am addicted to, I thought, why not take a gander at Criminal Minds. After I saw the 1991 hit Silence of the Lambs, I was hooked on anything having to do with the mind of serial killers. Based on the Thomas Harris novel of the same name, the film centers on rookie Detective Clarice Starling of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BSU) quest to stop a serial killer by tapping into the mind of the nefarious Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Trying to follow in those footsteps is the CBS television drama Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds follows a team of BSU agents as they create profiles and trap the unlawful. My expectations were to get a glimpse of the inner workings of some very dubious characters, as well as the methods agents use to catch such characters. A lot of my expectations were met, but others fell short.

Grade: D- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: Curiosity alone will probably force you to halt your mindless channel flipping to ogle the sexy Pamela Anderson. Just as you learned with Barb Wire and your brilliant plan to eat a box of Twinkies for dinner in high school, simply because it fills the space doesn't mean you can escape feeling all empty inside afterwards.

So have you ever wondered what a show would look like that focused solely on a pair of breasts? Ladies, that was largely a guy question in case you were caught in the crossfire. Well wonder no more because Stacked is exactly that, and Pamela Anderson has been gracious enough to contribute her global endowments to this worthy cause. It's not going to spark an end to world hunger or anything, but we all have to do our part to make the world a better place. So Stacked follows around Pamela's breasts, and various other sensual body parts, in a Barnes and Noble-type joint filled with dweeby book employees, letting the hilarity try to be contained like Pamela's bra puckering at the seams. I mean Pamela Anderson and walls upon walls of books go together as naturally as peanut butter slathered on jelly. Why hasn't someone slapped this ingenious mix together before? All horribly veiled sarcasm aside, Stacked makes for incredibly dull television. The laughs are empty, the sitcom formulaic, and the heaving ex-Boobwatch beauty is starting to lose a bit of spin on her serve with the escape of years.

Grade: B | Genre: Drama
Summary: After starting the new season off with a whimper, they genuinely seem to be getting back to the explosive plot twists, socking us with the unthinkable developments, to sink the hooks of addiction ever deeper.

It's been three painstaking weeks since Lost left us stranded in the television ether. Of course in true Lost fashion, they had to leave us salivating with a doozy of a plot hangnail -- the death of one of our castaways is imminent. Will it be Sawyer (Josh Holloway) whose rancid arm seems sure to spirit his grumpy ass off the isle any second? Will it be one of the ever-dwindling number of south side survivors of Flight 815? Or will it be some random guy who goes out for a morning swim and gets caught up in the undertow? Blub, blub, blub. The possibilities for death in this place are endless. For the time being, we'll stick with what we do know. The character we're asked to focus our attention on is none other than the sizzling college coed Shannon (Maggie Grace). It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

Grade: B+ | Genre: Animation
Summary: The Boondocks may be a tough dose to swallow, as it is certain to offend many with its borderline abrasive approach, but its biting wit and underlying message make it a compelling watch.

The opening 30-seconds of the Boondocks, the newest addition to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Sunday night line-up, tells you everything you need to know. You see this group of white people rioting, just tearing each other apart. Huey, a young African American teenager, is rudely awakened by his grandfather piping the words, "Umm Hmm. You were having that dream where you make the white people riot, weren't you?" Black Power my brother. If you're not offended, you're not paying attention. The Boondocks has leapt off the funny pages in slick style. The top-notch animation is in da house, the severely politically incorrect jabs are fully representin' and the culture shock is off da hook. In case you were wondering, yes I very well could be the whitest person on the face of the earth.

Grade: B | Genre: Drama
Summary: The live debate on the West Wing proved that politics are wasted on the politicians. Smits and Alda were lively sparring partners, attempting to seal the deal on their fake presidency.

On the way into work this morning, I spied a bumper sticker campaigning the Santos/McGarry ticket for the White House in '06. After watching the debate last night on the West Wing, I think either candidate would be preferable to the choices we had during the real Presidential election this time last November. Maybe we should let the cast of the West Wing run the country? I mean do you really think they could do much worse than the team of monkeys pulling the switches in the current administration. Hey, desperate times spur the call for radical solutions. Last night marked an interesting spin on the faux election unfolding on the West Wing. They broadcasted the debates live to give the show an air of spontaneity, similar to the real deal. I have to say that was a debate. It was a heated and spirited exchange by the candidates: Texas Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and California Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). So the question eating away at everyone, the day following the mutual tongue lashing, is who won the debate? Here is the blow-by-blow analysis of the verbal jousting.

Grade: D+ | Genre: Comedy
Summary: Colbert is still funny and has his moments, but he just doesn't have what it takes to be the leading man.

It's a good time to be a correspondent on the Daily Show. Lewis Black is burning up the stand-up circuit with a new book and CD, thanks to his weekly ranting on the "Back in Black" segment. Steve Carell, not only has the starring role in the British-import comedy The Office, but he's also been propelled to 'A'-list comedian after spearheading the summer box office hit The 40-Year Old Virgin. Now we have Stephen Colbert, or the Frenchman as Bill O'Reilly is kindly referring to him, being pushed out of the nest to take on his own nightly Comedy Central show, following his old pals at the Daily Show. You'd think Jon would be a little "hey, that's my success; that should be my name flashing on the box office marquee." No way. On the lead-ins for the Colbert Report, Jon looks like a proud new poppa, bursting at the seams with pride at the success of his protege. I still think he should be collecting a fat royalty check from all these careers that he's helped launch off his show.

Grade: A | Genre: Drama
Summary: This week's episode was priceless Nip/Tuck. The drama hit fever pitch with the continuous onslaught of revelations, stacking the already loaded deck of low opinion against Christian, to plant the seed of doubt in our head until you start to think, "maybe Christian is the Carver."

Ever since the waning moments of last season, Nip/Tuck fans have been forced to wrestle with their curiosity, wondering who is the man behind the Carver mask. Is it Sean with his out of control anger issues? Is it bi-Doc from Atlanta who seems to conveniently pop up whenever the Carver attacks? Is it Kimber attempting to model her real life after her visions behind the porn camera? Well quit your aimless speculating because the sizzling sexpot Detective Kit McGraw (Rhona Mitra) has her man, and it's none other than Mr. Christian Troy. Sociopathic tendencies, misogynistic undertones, total self-centered bastard -- Christian is a serial slasher. So whip out those shiny handcuffs and prepare to get your fingers soiled in ink because this week we're throwing the book at our favorite ambassador of cool.

Grade: B | Genre: Drama
Summary: The episode was a balancing act of the professional versus the personal lives of surgeons. It was a solid start to the new season and managed to wipe clean the stale cobwebs lingering from last season so our interns can start fresh.

After the sweltering summer break, ABC's smash new drama Grey's Anatomy returns to pickup our surgical interns embroiled in personal drama while trying to squeeze a little learning in. When we said good-bye last season, Christina (Sandra Oh) was pregnant as a result of afternoon quickies with Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) and heavily pondering abortion to save her medical dreams. O'Malley (T.R. Knight) socks the insufferable, pretty boy Alex (Justin Chambers) after indirectly contracting syphilis from him. Last but certainly not least, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) finds out that Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey), who she's been swapping bodily fluids with for months, is actually still married. Nothing can brighten your day like a smart surprise.

Grade: A- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: Everybody Hates Chris is the Cosby Show from the other side of the tracks, complete with Wonder Years' awkwardness and inner monologue. Chris Rock shows us that only through suffering can you truly know what laughter really is.

I just finished watching The Longest Yard, and what a steaming pile of crap. Was there really a time Adam Sandler made A-grade comedies like Big Daddy and the Waterboy, or was that just my fruitful imagination in overdrive? Instead of rehashing the hundred and one ways that film blew, I thought we'd take a hard look at a man who hasn't lost his comic edge, Longest Yard co-star Chris Rock. Rock's latest comedy Everybody Hates Chris is debuting on the small screen and is the freshest, most funny comedy of the new season. Everybody Hates Chris is the Cosby Show from the other side of the tracks, complete with Wonder Years' awkwardness and inner monologue. Chris Rock shows us that only through suffering can you truly know what laughter really is.

Grade: C+ | Genre: Drama
Summary: This episode had some classic Nip/Tuck moments, but it was a bit sub par on the whole. Whenever they stray from their core formula, the episode usually suffers.

It's been quite a while since we checked in on Sean McNamara and Christian Troy. When we last left them, the beauty slasher known as the Carver was slicing and dicing Christian's perfect mug while Sean was busy healing from the physical and emotional scars our knife happy friend had already inflicted. With season 3 kicking off this week, questions abound. Will Christian start things off with a bang by packing his bags for the heavenly shag fest of the hereafter? Will Sean win Julia back now that he's finished diddling porn star Barbie? Will Matt finally overcome his Elektra complex and date women his own age? Actually making sure they are honest to goodness women would be a good start. I've got all your answers and more as television's most consistent drama preps you for a fresh season of bigger breasts and plummeting waste lines. Number 5 scalpel blade please.

Grade: B- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: Unfortunately, My Name Is Earl isn't as quirky as it tries to be. The show's dry eccentricities lack a certain "pop" that make favorites like Scrubs, The Office, and Arrested Development so addicting.

There's not much good about this old boy, but Earl is a charmer who can use his ignorant and unambitious sensibilities to warm the coldest of all over-achievers. He's a hick by every sense of the word and lives up to every generalization society has stamped on his red neck. So what else is there to do but put give Earl his own primetime show? Chasing Amy's and Almost Famous' Jason Lee is perfectly cast as the title character and plays the role so genuinely well that you'd think he's been living in a trailer all his life. My Name Is Earl is one the most hyped shows to come out this fall and looks to take television out of Reality TV hell and into the trailer park.

Grade: B- | Genre: Comedy
Summary: So my first impression of Arrested Development is of a slyly, clever comedy, juggling a family hemorrhaging in chaos. Each character is a festival of neurosis and a certifiable breeding ground for rich comedy.

Last month, two of my favorite series folded to a close (Six Feet Under and Queer as Folk) so instead of dressing up in Goth while spiraling into a prolonged state of depression, I've decided to spruce up my addictions with a few new drugs. After quickly dispensing with 5-disks of the bulky season one set of Lost, I can definitely say that gem will be a can't-miss (look for the review next week on this feverously compelling DVD set) so I'm now interviewing for another date to fill my evenings. The only way you could have missed the shower of acclaim for Arrested Development is if you have been living amongst the Amish for the last several years. The quirky, ratings challenged comedy seems to always find their head fastened to the chopping block yet pulls a Houdini to squirrel itself back onto Fox's schedule each season. Tonight, I see if these pounding waves of praise are really worth the lip service or if it's just sand in your shoes.