The new fall season is almost here. Starting next week, the cable and broadcast networks will be begin rolling out new episodes of all the shows that survived the writers-strike-afflicted 2007-2008 season, giving us the chance to get acquainted with some old friends -- and reacquaint ourselves with more than a few characters who we met only fleetingly last fall. Here, then, are the top ten returning shows that were most looking forward to seeing.
Look, we know: it's the same show every week. Somebody gets sick, their bf/gf/spouse demands "the best," House gets called in and promptly insults them, then he tortures his underlings spitballing cures -- three of which wind up to be wrong -- and then at 9 minutes to the hour, somebody says something offhand about something totally unrelated to the mystery malady but part of some sort of personal confession, causing House to stare just off-camera and eureka-ize us into the denouement. Der. We already knew that.
Here's what we don't know: why do we keep watching? Is it really just that Hugh Laurie is so magnetic week after week? 'Cause there aren't *that many* hotties on the show, and the jokes aren't all that great.
Seriously: we need to know the answer. Any chance we can get Dr. House to solve that little mystery?
House (Tuesdays at 8PM EST) premieres September 16 at 8PM on Fox.
TOP TEN RETURNING SHOWS FALL 2008
#1. "30 Rock" & "Terminator"
#2. "Dexter"
#3. "Gossip Girl"
#4. "Pushing Daisies"
#5. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
#6. "Heroes"
#7. "Dirty Sexy Money"
#8. "House"
#9. "Entourage" / "Californication"
#10. "The Shield"