The TV Season That Was - Part 1 - Returning Shows

Before getting into the new TV season, I thought I would throw a few thoughts out there about the old one. Let's start out with some of the shows from last year that weren't in their first seasons.

CSI - It continues to be one of the best shows on the air, although I have to confess that I did skip it a few times in favor of The Apprentice.

CSI: Miami - Continues to be a weaker show than the original, but I found last season was an improvement over its first one.

Third Watch - This show just continues to get better despite what seemed like an endless stream of cast changes throughout the season. The season ended with one of the better cliffhangers that I've seen in a long time.

ER - This is a show whose time is past to the point that I think it may just be time to stop watching. In the past, you could count on ER for week after week of amazing writing and intense drama. It's gotten to the point where I wonder why certain episodes ever even made it to air. Don't even get me started on the completely idiotic way they killed off Dr. Romano.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent - How the hell can anybody watch a show starring a detective so smart that he pretty well has crimes solved before they ever happen? That's the extent of my thoughts on that show since I can't stomach more than a couple of minutes of it at a time.

Law & Order: SVU - It remains the far less entertaining spin-off that it has been since day one. I watched the first couple of years; I've since pretty well given up. Of the couple of episodes that I did catch last year, I found them to be pretty bland.