Wednesday, October 15 was a momentous day for digital media. With streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime giving networks a place for past episodes (and in some cases, new episodes day after air) of their series to live on and gain new viewers, there was a seismic shift that was felt throughout the lands of Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner and other cable providers when HBO announced it would launch its own stand-alone streaming service in 2015.

HBO currently provides HBO GO for cable subscribers which includes a library of movies, and complete series both new and old, including Game of Thrones, Veep, The Sopranos, Girls, The Wire and more. Amazon Instant members also have access to HBO programs, but only past seasons (current seasons will take up to three years to land on Amazon). The new streaming service will not require a cable subscription and will include basically the same content as cable subscribers get with HBO GO (sister channel Cinemax content may also be included). It’s rumored Showtime will follow suit at some point in the near future.

And that future may not be too far away with today’s announcement that CBS (Showtime is a corporate sibling) is also going to offer its own exclusive subscriber streaming service. As far as streaming content goes, CBS has been notoriously stingy in offering new episodes of its current season shows on any platform save for its own mobile app and website (and even there, finding complete episodes of your favorite shows is a dicey proposition although the network does offer current episodes of Under the Dome and Extant on Amazon).

CBS All Access is a new pay service that gives subscribers access to most of the network’s current programming and classics from its vaults. For $5.99 a month, users have access to full current seasons of 15 CBS primetime shows, including The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, CSI, Elementary, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, The Mentalist, NCIS, Person of Interest and Survivor, with new episodes available day after air. (CBS is the one major network that does not offer new episodes of its shows on Hulu Plus.)

You also get the ability to live-stream your local CBS station (initially in 14 markets with more to be added, and some sporting events will not be available), full past seasons of 8 CBS shows including The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, and Survivor (with more to come), 5,000 episodes of “CBS Classics” including Cheers, Twin Peaks, Star Trek, and CSI: Miami, and Big Brother 24/7 live feeds. Extra content for special events like the Country Music Awards and The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will also be available.

With more options becoming available to stream just the shows and networks you want, are the cable companies in danger of becoming obsolete, or will this force them to drop prices to keep subscribers plugged in? The new streaming options, of course, won’t kill cable — just yet — but they will certainly force the companies to re-examine their current models. With subscribers cutting the cord and relying on OTA local network channels, streaming services, Roku, Apple TV and Google Chrome, the cable companies are going to have to start offering something other than their tiered packages.

One popular solution, something demanded by cable subscribers in general, is an ‘a la carte’ option, allowing customers to choose what channels they want to pay for and not be forced to pay for channels they never watch. So far, though, cable companies and content providers have been less than enthusiastic about that option simply because it would cost them millions. But with many cable channels offering their programming online (hardly any of the big ones like HGTV, Lifetime or Discovery offer current programs on Hulu Plus like the major networks do), cord-cutters could force them to re-evaluate their own streaming strategies, especially those that do require a cable subscription log-in (like MTV and TNT) to access their shows. If subscribers start to flee cable en masse, those networks will have to adapt to survive.

With CBS All Access priced at $5.99 a month, Hulu Plus at $7.99, Netflix at $8.99 (and that recent $1.00 price increase really hurt their bottom line), Amazon at about $8.25 a month and the HBO service projected to cost perhaps as much as $15 (totaling less than $50 a month), would you be willing to ditch cable and watch everything streaming and over the air in the case of local channels?

It’s a big week for TV on home video as the new fall season starts to roll out. This week, you have the opportunity to catch up on several of last season’s shows before the new season starts, including Arrow, About a Boy, Awkward, The Big Bang Theory, Bones, Castle, Grimm, Hannibal, Hawaii Five-O, Sleepy Hollow and South Park. For those whose cable systems don’t yet carry Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey channel, the first season of From Dusk Till Dawn makes its home video debut, while streaming series Alpha House and Burning Love also get home video releases. Classic TV fans can now get The Carol Burnett Show Ultimate Edition from retailers other than Time Life, and Highway to Heaven and Tour of Duty also get new season releases. For kids and families, there’s Ben 10 Omniverse, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Dragon Ball Z, Marvel Knights, Slugterra and more. For a look at the September 16 highlights, check out our alphabetical shopper’s guide after the jump. Click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.

CBS has announced its fall schedule, and with the network having the most returning new shows from the previous season, they really didn’t have too much to change. Until the network acquired Thursday Night Football and spin-offs from the popular CSI and NCIS franchises. In fact, a good portion of their returning programs are benched until football ends its run.

With the Thursday schedule disrupted and the new additions taking old favorites’ time slots, The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, Undercover Boss, and newcomers Battle Creek and The Odd Couple won’t be seen until 2015. Other shows like The Amazing Race and The Big Bang Theory are moving to make room for the new additions. CBS’ biggest change is the end of its 2-hour Monday comedy block, something that’s been in place since 1986! The 9 PM hour now belongs to new thriller Scorpion while the troubled 10 PM spot hopefully gets a boost from NCIS: Los Angeles.

Monday will now lead off with The Big Bang Theory, which will return to its Thursday slot after football (and then 2 Broke Girls will return to Monday), with Mom moving to 8:30. CBS did not pick up HIMYM spin-off How I Met Your Dad. Tuesday starts off with NCIS which leads into the third hour of NCIS shows on the network, this one taking place in New Orleans. Wednesday adds Kevin Williamson’s psychological thriller Stalker starring Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q. Thursday’s new addition is the comedy The McCarthys, about an Irish Catholic, sports-crazed family and the gay son who just doesn’t want to spend that much time with them. Friday welcomes The Amazing Race to the 8 PM timeslot, which should make fans of the show very happy. Why? Because the show will now always start on time! No more football and golf delays (makes setting a DVR so much easier).

Saturday sticks with the Crimetime/48 Hours block, and Sunday sees Madame Secretary, with Tea Leoni, Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth, take over the 8 PM slot, and CSI moves to the 10 PM slot until the spin-off CSI: Cyber takes over later in the season. And in case you’re wondering, CBS has confirmed that this will be the final season of Two and a Half Men. The one positive outcome of football disrupting the fall schedule is that the network will have enough original programming to cut down on or eliminate reruns throughout the season. CBS seems to be in a good position heading into fall with a roster of hit shows, newcomers that follow the CBS crime drama formula (so should be successful) and has more powerhouses waiting in the wings. Here’s what the fall schedule looks like:

Monday
8 p.m. — The Big Bang Theory/2 Broke Girls
8:30 p.m. — Mom
9 p.m. — Scorpion
10 p.m. — NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday
8 p.m. — NCIS
9 p.m. — NCIS: New Orleans
10 p.m. — Person of Interest

Wednesday
8 p.m. — Survivor
9 p.m. — Criminal Minds
10 p.m. — Stalker

Thursday
8 p.m. – Thursday Night Football

Thursday (after NFL)
8 p.m. — The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. –The Millers
9 p.m. — Two and a Half Men
9:30 p.m. — The McCarthys
10 p.m. — Elementary

Friday
8 p.m. — The Amazing Race
9 p.m. — Hawaii Five-O
10 p.m. — Blue Bloods

Saturday
8 p.m. — Crimetime Saturday/48 Hours

Sunday
7 p.m. — 60 Minutes
8 p.m. — Madame Secretary
9 p.m. — The Good Wife
10 p.m. — CSI/CSI Cyber

So here’s what’s going to happen in this post:

You might learn a few things about me. Maybe some revealing, eye-opening things. It might help explain why I like some of the things I like. At least … I think it will. You may not agree. And that’s okay. I can’t please everyone. And I can’t put stuff out there that makes sense to me but might confuse you. I figure so long as there’s that basic  understanding — possible revelations which may not make sense to you — then I’m pretty certain you can at least wrap your head around some of what I’m going to say.

By nature, I’m not a comedy-watching kind of guy; that might come as a surprise. I shy away from comedy films and I routinely avoid comedy television programs. The Big Bang Theory? Puzzles me to no end. I don’t get it. Brainiacs who make fools of themselves or who find themselves out of their element socially. Not funny to me in the least. Adam Sandler films? Will Ferrel movies? I don’t watch them and wouldn’t voluntarily go to one. You couldn’t entice me to one of these men’s flicks with free popcorn, soda and Jujubees. They’re inane and pointless to me. (The films, not the Jujubees.)

Comedy I like? Hit me up with The Blues Brothers. Sixteen Candles. Dark Star. Bob’s Burgers. Even the Charlie Sheen years of Two And A Half Men in small doses. (I don’t care what anyone says about Sheen or the show back in those days; there was some smart writing goin’ on.)

I like dark humor, too. Six Feet Under. Leaving Las Vegas. Breaking Bad. Classic humor I like: Young Frankenstein. Laurel & Hardy. The Marx Brothers. Robert DeNiro in Midnight Run, Jeff Bridges in Starman. Comedic plays such as Man Of La Mancha.

And I know what you’re saying right about now: “Michael? I happen to know you’re a funny guy. Don’t give me guff and don’t make me put on boots to wade through your bullshit. You like comedy! ” I am funny. And I do like comedy. But I don’t like watching comedy as a rule. “Hogwash! You reviewed the entire first season of New Girl a couple years ago! If that’s not comedy, what is?!?” And you would be right. I stepped out of my viewing element (and I called myself out for doing so many a time) and watched that premiere season. I’ll admit: It had its moments. I was completely on board with The Douchebag Jar. I was hit and miss (often “miss”) with Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, mostly on board with Jake Johnson’s Nick and often vacillated with Max Greenfield’s Schmidt. But after a season of the show, I was done. I don’t believe I’ve watched a single episode of New Girl since. And I don’t feel as if I’ve missed anything in spurning it.

I’d like to like a comedy television programs … really, I would. A lot of friends (no comments from the peanut gallery, Ivey) and associates say there are some worthy things out there in TV Land. I would dig giving myself whole-heartedly to something guffaw-inducing, slapstick-ish or sly. But picky me, I haven’t found anything yet.

Now? Here comes FOX’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

And — surprise wowzah! — with one of my favorite actors, Andre Braugher! Loved, loved, loved his underlying snark in Homicide: Life On The Street. Dug him (mostly) in Men Of A Certain Age. As an actor of stature and command, I was thrilled to tune in to the too-short Last Resort with Braugher as the obstinate Captain Marcus Chaplin. And in House as Dr. Darryl Nolan? You betcha. (There’s another show with dark and not-so-dark comedy elements I enjoyed.)

But, sorry to say, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is lacking in some basic elements … “comedy” being one of them. At least, sustaining comedy by its star that will weather it through an initial season. There’s of course the mandatory set-up to get us familiar with the characters, but it feels forced, like someone is shoving it down our throats or waved before our eyes when it doesn’t need to be. Especially in the case of Saturday Night Live‘s Andy Samberg (as extremely smart/smart alec Detective Jake Peralta) who steam rolls along in the pilot, any obstacles in his way be damned. And it doesn’t sit well within the context of the show. Instead of letting Peralta sway us with his charms while tossing yucks at us, we’re force-fed sarcasm and shenanigans when there is no need for them. And it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. The viewing audience isn’t dumb, for Pete’s sake … why do the producers of Brooklyn Nine-Nine feel the need to bombard us as if we need an 800-pound gorilla hovering over us making sure we get the joke? Samberg overplays the role. For example: When we see Peralta giving in to his new captain’s demand that ties be worn by the men of his command, it’s just dumb to see Samberg lift his shirt, his tie wrapped around his mid-section. It’s so contrived it isn’t even funny. In fact, it’s stupid … and not in a good way. It’s not even “good” stupid comedy. It’s just dumb.

Much more appealing is the easily swallowed Captain Ray Holt (Braugher). His demeanor is infinitely more comfortable than Peralta’s. It comes effortlessly without the in-your-face bombast. It helps that all Braugher has to do is shoot a look someone’s way and you know exactly what he’s conveying. Comedy without words. The show’s writers should know better, being they’re obviously doing this for Braugher.

Yet … there’s hope. Hope in that the rest of the cast gels together to overshadow some of the daftness Samberg showcases. Their “straight man” roles help soften the harsh edges of Samberg’s character and give me at least a little optimism that the current circus doesn’t revolve around the stark and glaring clown-star. (Stephanie Beatriz‘ strong Detective Rosa Diaz is a welcome relief.) There’s hope in Braugher reining in some of the stupidity of Samberg’s antics and working an uneasy but better pairing of the two. This could yield a more cohesive comedy that doesn’t rely completely on dippiness for laughs. Because right now? Out of the gate? It’s not working.

So … did you learn anything about me? Maybe that my comedy likes are too high-falutin’? Too picky? (Nah. Hello! Blues Brothers! Two And A Half Men! Bob’s Burgers!)

Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe my love for Andre Braugher comes with blinders and a notion of hopeful trust that smartness will eventually come out of this new show instead of an insipid 24 minutes of slough. As with my previous New Girl “adventure” a few seasons back, I’ll stymie my judgment and go along for the ride and see what comes out the other end.

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To subscribe to the below schedule in iCal, copy this link and paste into the “Subscribe…” menu item in iCal. You can also just click it to open iCal or even click to add to your iPhone calendar. The same link will work in a Google Calendar as well! Or see the calendar as a web page (also embedded at the bottom of this post). The calendar will update as new shows are added/changed.

* All times are in EDT PM, unless otherwise mentioned.
* New series premieres are in Bold Italics

SERIES PREMIERES/RETURNS

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 3

10:00 Cold Justice (TNT)

10:00 Luther (BBCA)

10:00 Tosh.0 (Comedy)

10:00 We’re The Fugawis (History)

10:30 Brickleberry (Comedy)

Wednesday, September 4

9:00 Inside the NFL (Showtime)

10:00 Ghost Mine (Syfy)

10:00 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX)

10:30 The League (FXX)

11:00 Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (FXX)

Thursday, September 5

8:30 Sunday Night Football (NBC)

Friday, September 6

10:00 20/20 (ABC)

Saturday, September 7

8:00 Cupcake Wars (Food)

Sunday, September 8

9:00 Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Monday, September 9

8:00 The Million Second Quiz (NBC)

Tuesday, September 10

10:00 Sons of Anarchy (FX)

12:00AM The Heart, She Holler (Adult Swim)

Wednesday, September 11

8:00 The X Factor (FOX)

9:00 Restaurant Stakeout (Food)

10:30 Thieves, Inc. (Food)

12:00AM Derek (Netflix)

Friday, September 13

10:00 Haven (Syfy)

10:00 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Sunday, September 15

10:00 The Great Santini Brothers (History)

Monday, September 16

8:00 Bones (FOX)

8:00 Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

9:00 Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

Tuesday, September 17

8:00 Dads (FOX)

8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

9:00 New Girl (FOX)

9:30 The Mindy Project (FOX)

10:00 The New Atlanta (Bravo)

Wednesday, September 18

8:00 Survivor (CBS)

10:30 Key & Peele (Comedy)

Friday, September 20

8:00 Last Man Standing (ABC)

8:30 The Neighbors (ABC)

9:00 Shark Tank (ABC)

Sunday, September 22

11:30 China, IL (Adult Swim)

Monday, September 23

8:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8:00 The Voice (NBC)

9:00 2 Broke Girls (CBS)

9:30 Mom (CBS)

10:00 The Blacklist (NBC)

10:00 Hostages (CBS)

10:00 Castle (ABC)

Tuesday, September 24

8:00 Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

8:00 NCIS (CBS)

9:00 The Goldbergs (ABC)

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:30 Trophy Wife (ABC)

10:00 Chicago Fire (NBC)

10:00 Fangasm (Syfy)

10:00 Lucky 7 (ABC)

10:00 Person of Interest (CBS)

Wednesday, September 25

8:00 The Middle (ABC)

8:00 Revolution (NBC)

8:30 Back in the Game (ABC)

9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00 Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

9:00 Modern Family (ABC)

10:00 CSI (CBS)

10:00 Nashville (ABC)

10:00 South Park (Comedy)

Thursday, September 26

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:00 Parks & Recreation (NBC)

9:00 The Crazy Ones (CBS)

9:00 Glee (FOX)

9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

9:00 The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC)

9:30 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

10:00 Elementary (CBS)

10:00 Parenthood (NBC)

Friday, September 27

8:00 Masterchef Junior (FOX)

8:00 Undercover Boss (CBS)

9:00 Dateline (NBC)

9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

10:00 Blue Bloods (CBS)

Saturday, September 28

10:00 48 Hours (CBS)

Sunday, September 29

8:00 The Amazing Race (CBS)

8:00 Once Upon a Time (ABC)

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)

8:30 Bob’s Burgers (FOX)

9:00 Family Guy (FOX)

9:00 The Good Wife (CBS)

9:00 Homeland (Showtime)

9:00 Revenge (ABC)

9:30 American Dad (FOX)

10:00 Betrayal (ABC)

10:00 Eastbound & Down (HBO)

10:00 Masters of Sex (Showtime)

10:00 The Mentalist (CBS)

10:30 Hello Ladies (HBO)

Monday, September 30

8:30 We Are Men (CBS)

OCTOBER

Wednesday, October 2

9:30 Super Fun Night (ABC)

10:00 Ironside (NBC)

10:00 Top Chef (Bravo)

Thursday, October 3

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)

8:30 The Millers (CBS)

8:30 Welcome to the Family (NBC)

9:00 The Originals (CW)

9:00 Sean Saves the World  (NBC)

10:00 Scandal (ABC)

Sunday, October 6

9:00 Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)

9:00 The Paradise (PBS)

Monday, October 7

8:00 Hart of Dixie (CW)

9:00 Beauty and the Beast (CW)

Tuesday, October 8

8:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC)

9:00 Supernatural (CW)

Wednesday, October 9

8:00 Arrow (CW)

9:00 The Tomorrow People (CW)

Thursday, October 10

8:00 Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)

Sunday, October 13

9:00 The Walking Dead (AMC)

10:00 Talking Dead (AMC)

12:00AM Comic Book Men (AMC)

Tuesday, October 15

10:00 Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET)

Thursday, October 17

9:00 Reign (CW)

9:00 White Collar (USA)

10:00 Covert Affairs (USA)

Saturday, October 19

10:00 Dancing on the Edge (Starz)

Tuesday, October 22

9:00 Ravenswood (ABC Family)

10:00 Awkward (MTV)

Friday, October 25

8:00 The Carrie Diaries (CW)

9:00 Grimm (NBC)

10:00 Dracula (NBC)

NOVEMBER

Sunday, November 3

8:00 It Takes a Choir (USA)

Monday, November 4

8:00 Almost Human (FOX)

Friday, November 8

9:00 Raising Hope (FOX)

9:30 Enlisted (FOX)

Saturday, November 23

10:00 Atlantis (BBCA)

Monday, November 25

9:00 Major Crimes (TNT)

Tuesday, November 26

9:00 Boston’s Finest (TNT)

So the first season of King of the Nerds on TBS just ended. It was a reality competition show between “nerds” to determine who was the greatest nerd of all (from among the candidates accepted, that tend to be a bit more … photogenic for TV purposes). It was successful enough that there will a second season (accepting submissions, if you’re brave enough).

I was initially a bit wary of this show, due to problematic portrayals of nerds in other media (like The Big Bang Theory, which I got mad at earlier this year — although this show was created directly to capitalize on the ratings success of TBBT on TBS). Would this just be filled with attention seeking fakers and wannabes, with not a single contestant who knew the difference between Gregor and Sandor Clegane (they’re murderous brothers, and one is much worse than the other) or the primary weapon of Cloud Strife (it’s a really absurdly big sword)? Or would there be real nerds: people with unironic appreciation of something past the typical fan or a particular appreciation for a nerdy pursuit (like science, fantasy, or gaming).

As it turned out, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The contestants were actually all quite nerdy, with various levels of the social awkwardness expected for nerdy people. Were there some unusually attractive people? Sure. Were they all? Nope! There was actually a decent mix of appearances, although there weren’t any ugly people — but hey, it’s television, right? But these people were still clearly weird and into nerdy things — that’s good enough for me! The competition itself had both legitimately nerdy contests and silly reality show ones. For every trivia contest or debate about the morality of superheroes, there was a silly physical contest with nerdy “aspects.” While entertaining to watch, these were not useful in really gauging the nerdiness of anyone. Sometimes it was all about luck.

The contestants did not all have a chance to become interesting to the viewer, especially those first kicked out. There was also a bit of drama with backstabbing lies, and the typical sort of reality show nonsense — although there was definitely a level of non-faked anger and confusion by these contestants that fell into the roles they thought they had to fill and weren’t sure about their actions in the long run. When Joshua sent Danielle to the “Nerd-off” (the end of episode contest to determine who gets eliminated) after telling her he wasn’t voting for her, she was furious and saddened, and he thought he was just playing the game. This element of humanity, manufactured and edited though it was by the show, added something real to this show. These nerds may have often played to the cameras, but they weren’t actors. They were real. This seemed like a real set of actual, nerdy people. A plus.

SPOILER WARNING for those who haven’t seen the season — read no further! I’m about to get into a bit of an analysis of the finale.

(This post contains 2 pages. Please visit the website to continue reading. Thank you.)

Julia: I’m not sure what I expected from Community, but all the months of waiting and drama I feel like I wanted more than what I got from that first episode back. Is it just me?

Katie: About two days before the show aired, I started getting nervous that it really was going to be bad. So I had actually mentally prepared myself to be disappointed. Thanks to being a pessimist, I was mostly OK with the episode … even though there were some missteps.

Julia: See, I’m an optimist, so that could be my problem. I just felt like it was a little bit of a directionless episode, like there were some good ideas but not a lot of cohesion.

Katie: I agree. There were a lot of funny jokes (“Why does this feel good?” made me laugh on the way to work the next day) and I appreciated how they wrote Jeff to really care about his friends — that he’s at the point where his loyalty to them is a given. But it did feel like too many storylines and not enough of them together.

That being said … Community Muppet Babies? Amazing.

Julia: Troy and Britta in the fountain was good, though the Muppet Babies bit was lost on me, because I didn’t have cable young enough to watch that. I liked them taking potshots at laugh track sitcoms in general – specifically The Big Bang Theory, which has been on my shit list forever. But I’m used to Community taking a more subtle approach to meta, and this was a clunky, like they were trying very hard to make a point but lacked the old, dare I say Dan Harmon-ian finesse to do it with.

Katie: The snark during the Big Bang potshots were palpable. i think the Harmon-ian finesse really comes down to the lack of cohesian. I will say that I read an interview with Andy Bobrow where he admitted there were some issues with the first episode and it was pretty much what we’ve been saying — too many storylines, not enough bringing the group together, maybe a little too much of the meta-“we’re going to be OK” thing. I guess at this point I’m thinking that most of the missteps can be avoided going forward.

The only two things that I thought were actual mistakes were 1). having Troy and Britta go canon and 2). having the Dean move next to Jeff. I love the Troy and Britta dynamic, but for me they work better as friends attracted to each other. And the Dean … I mean, they spent the whole episode telling us that they weren’t going to become the cliched wacky sitcom and then they end with the nutty Dean moving next to the guy he has a crush on.

Julia: Yes! I hate Troy and Britta together romantically. It just makes no sense to me for them as characters, not to mention it clears the way for Annie/Jeff, which I unreservedly loathe as a pairing. (They bring out the worst in each other! I will repeat this going into my grave.) And I think more than anything this episode just convinced me those pairs didn’t work together more than that they did? Which may have been the point, I’m not sure.

I feel like the Dean is a tricky character to critique on traditional sitcom grounds, though, because he is so firmly in a traditional whacky sitcom role. What makes him good is how much farther they’re willing to take the character than most sitcoms would, so I hold off reservations or judgment on the neighbor Dean development until I see where it gets taken.

Katie: I don’t agree with some other critics that are saying the premiere was bad and the show is ruined, etc. For me it had a rough start, but the characters were still themselves and there were really just a few tweaks that could have made the episode better.

Julia: I’d definitely say that the calls of a ruined show are premature. There were plenty of good character moments and humor (the Hunger Games montage was delightful) we don’t get from anywhere else. A bad Community is still a good episode of any other show.

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Once upon a time, there was this show called The Big Bang Theory with very obscure nerd references and over-the-top nerd stereotypes as primary protagonists. Sure, the show also had Penny, a female character that primarily served as three roles: 1) the straight, “normal” character who didn’t get the references, 2) the object of lust by everyone except the not-interested-in-sex Sheldon Cooper and 3) an idiot who struggled to keep up. At first, Leonard was the main character, utterly boring and milquetoast, basically an average version of the stereotypes inhabited by the other characters.

Sheldon was the “Asperger’s without explicitly calling it that” amoral, overly rational one, only concerned with science and obsessions. An exaggeration in some ways, but in others the most consistently realistic and consistently funny character.

Howard was the offensive self-hating Jewish nerd stereotype, smart but not as smart as the others, lustful and perverted to nonsensical degrees. But the only endlessly unfunny aspect was the inclusion of his off camera mother, never seen but with a horribly, ludicrously offensive portrayal of an overbearing Jewish mother. I will never forgive the show for that.

Raj was the token nerd of color, eschewing the more predictable East Asian (meaning Japan, China, and Korean primarily) for an Indian nerd, albeit one literally unable to speak to women without being intoxicated. At first this character quirk was amusing, albeit cartoonishly unrealistic, although the idea of a shy nerd is certainly a real thing. But it became literally a psychosomatic disorder, as Raj could speak to women when he merely thought he was drunk (but had only consumed non-alcoholic drinks).

And then there was dear Leonard, the point-of-view character who was the most “normal,” in that he was relatively decent, realistically awkward, and smart but not inaccessibly so. And his pursuit of Penny as a romantic interest — while problematic in a manner of ways, which I’ll get into in a minute — was the driving character and plot arc for the beginning of the show’s run.

As the show continued, two things happened. Female characters who were also intelligent (unlike Penny) were introduced, and two (Bernadette and Amy) were actually fleshed out more as characters (in a manner of speaking). And all nerd related humor and jokes became flattened and normalized, changing from something like an obscure Star Wars reference (like a joke about Mon Mothma, who is a minor character never named onscreen) to a generic one (like mentioning Chewbacca or C3P0). The former change was a good one, because it helped move away from the dated, sexist nonsense with the “dumb blonde” archetype. The latter change certainly helped the show appeal to a broader audience, but it lost its unique nerdy charm. It became just another sitcom. The ultimate goal was now the common societal one of “guy and girl physically getting together.”

Have there been problematic elements continuously? Sure! The homophobic humor centered around Raj and Howard. The “this would be considered anti-Semitic if the show’s creator wasn’t Jewish” relationship between Howard and his mother. Howard with everything other than his relationship with Bernadette. Slut-shaming Penny and “nerd-shaming” the guys. The weird religious jokes about Sheldon’s background. But at least Sheldon was never wavering from his pride in what he cared about and lack of concern over what other people thought. Leonard was always ashamed, at least a little bit.

But then things got … worse.

Even from the beginning, the guys were portrayed as the “other,” negatively compared to the “normal” people, but at least we were meant to empathize with their struggles and the show didn’t demean their love of games, comic books, and sci-fi movies. It didn’t before but now it totally does. This has culminated in last week’s episode “The Bakersfield Expedition” which was worse because it was actually trying not to do what it did. The guys are off to some random convention, and plan to dress in pretty accurate Star Trek: the Next Generation costumes. This was the best part of the episode, those couple of moments where the guys engaged in a non-ironic love of a meaningful television program about future spacemen flying around with robots and aliens. Love of something, regardless of how popular or mainstream it is, shouldn’t be considered negative. Unfortunately, the episode then proceeded to make me madder and madder.

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To subscribe to the below schedule in iCal, copy this link and paste into the “Subscribe…” menu item in iCal. You can also just click it to open iCal or even click to add to your iPhone calendar. The same link will work in a Google Calendar as well! Or see the calendar as a web page (also embedded at the bottom of this post). The calendar will update as new shows are added/changed.

* All times are in EDT PM, unless otherwise mentioned.

* New series premieres are in Bold Italics

SERIES PREMIERES/RETURNS

JANUARY

Tuesday, January 1

9:00 Dance Moms (Lifetime)

9:00 Dual Survival (Discovery)

9:00 Emily Owens, M.D. (CW)

10:00 Parenthood (NBC)

10:00 Storage Wars: New York (A&E)

10:30 Double Divas (Lifetime)

Wednesday, January 2

8:00 Whitney (NBC)

8:30 Guys With Kids (NBC)

9:00 Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

9:00 NOVA (PBS)

10:00 Chicago Fire (NBC)

10:00 American Horror Story (FX)

Thursday, January 3

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

9:00 Person of Interest (CBS)

10:00 Buck Wild (MTV)

10:00 Elementary (CBS)

Friday, January 4

8:30 Need To Know (PBS)

9:00 CSI: NY (CBS)

10:00 Bering Sea Gold (Discovery)

10:00 Blue Bloods (CBS)

10:00 Merlin (Syfy)

10:00 Over/Under (USA)

Sunday, January 6

8:00 Mob Wives (VH1)

8:00 Once Upon a Time (ABC)

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)

8:30 Bob’s Burgers (FOX)

9:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC)

9:00 Downton Abbey (PBS)

9:00 Family Guy (FOX)

9:00 The Good Wife (CBS)

9:00 Rachael Vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off (Food)

9:00 Revenge (ABC)

9:30 American Dad (FOX)

10:00 The Mentalist (CBS)

10:00 Happy Endings (ABC)

10:30 Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (ABC)

11:00 Watch What Happens: Live (Bravo)

Monday. January 7

8:00 Antiques Roadshow (PBS)

8:00 The Bachelor (ABC)

8:00 Switched at Birth (ABC Family)

9:00 Bunheads (ABC Family)

10:00 Deception (NBC)

10:00 Vanderpump Rules (Bravo)

10:00 Castle (ABC)

Tuesday, January 8

8:00 Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (NBC)

8:00 NCIS (CBS)

8:00 Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

8:00 Raising Hope (FOX)

8:30 Ben & Kate (FOX)

9:00 Go On (NBC)

9:00 The Lying Game (ABC Family)

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:00 New Girl (FOX)

9:30 The Mindy Project (FOX)

9:30 The New Normal (NBC)

10:00 Africa (Discovery)

10:00 America’s Supernanny (Lifetime)

10:00 Chopped (Food)

10:00 Cougar Town (TBS)

10:00 Frontline (PBS)

10:00 The Joe Schmo Show (Spike)

10:00 Justified (FX)

10:00 Million Dollar Decorators (Bravo)

10:00 Private Practice (ABC)

10:00 Snooki & JWoww (MTV)

10:00 Vegas (CBS)

10:30 The Burn With Jeff Ross (Comedy)

Wednesday, January 9

8:00 The Middle (ABC)

8:30 The Neighbors (ABC)

9:00 People’s Choice Awards (CBS)

9:00 Modern Family (ABC)

9:30 Suburgatory (ABC)

10:00 Barter Kings (A&E)

10:00 Nashville (ABC)

10:00 Washington Heights (MTV)

Thursday, January 10

8:00 30 Rock (NBC)

8:00 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (CW)

8:00 Last Resort (ABC)

9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

9:00 The Killer Speaks (A&E)

9:00 Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo)

9:00 The Office (NBC)

10:00 Kathy (Bravo)

10:00 Property Wars (Discovery)

10:00 Scandal (ABC)

Friday, January 11

9:00 Fringe (FOX)

Saturday, January 12

10:00 Banshee (Cinemax)

Sunday, January 13

7:30 The Cleveland Show (FOX)

8:00 Golden Globe Awards (NBC)

9:00 Girls (HBO)

9:00 Shameless (Showtime)

9:30 Enlightened (HBO)

10:00 House of Lies (Showtime)

10:30 Californication (Showtime)

Monday, January 14

8:00 Bones (FOX)

8:00 The Carrie Diaries (CW)

8:00 Continuum (Syfy)

8:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

9:00 2 Broke Girls (CBS)

9:00 Being Human (Syfy)

9:30 Mike & Molly (CBS)

10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

10:00 Lost Girl (Syfy)

Tuesday, January 15

8:00 Hart of Dixie (CW)

8:00 Pioneers of Television (PBS)

9:00 Face Off (Syfy)

9:00 The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents (History)

10:00 Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET)

10:30 Second Generation Wayans (BET)

10:30 Total Blackout (Syfy)

Wednesday, January 16

8:00 American Idol (FOX)

8:00 Arrow (CW)

9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00 Ghost Hunters (Syfy)

9:00 Supernatural (CW)

10:00 Bobby’s Dinner Battle (Food)

10:00 CSI (CBS)

10:00 Ghost Mine (Syfy)

10:00 Workaholics (Comedy)

10:30 Kroll Show (Comedy)

Thursday, January 17

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)

8:30 Parks & Recreation (NBC)

9:00 Anger Management (FX)

10:00 Archer (FX)

10:00 Suits (USA)

10:30 Legit (FX)

11:00 Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (FX)

12:00AM Newsreaders (Adult Swim)

Friday, January 18

8:00 Nikita (CW)

10:00 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Saturday, January 19

9:00 Ripper Street (BBCA)

Monday, January 21

9:00 90210 (CW)

9:00 The Following (FOX)

Tuesday, January 22

8:00 The Taste (ABC)

8:00 The Ultimate Fighter (FX)

10:00 White Collar (USA)

10:00 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (BBCA)

Wednesday, January 23

10:00 Necessary Roughness (USA)

Thursday, January 24

9:00 Beauty and the Beast (CW)

9:00 Glee (FOX)

9:00 Project Runway (Lifetime)

Friday, January 25

9:00 Spartacus: War of the Damned (Starz)

Sunday, January 27

8:00 Screen Actors Guild Awards (TNT, TBS)

Monday, January 28

9:00 Dallas (TNT)

Tuesday, January 29

9:00 Top Gear (History)

10:00 Southie Rules (A&E)

10:00 Ultimate Soldier Challenge (History)

10:00 The Americans (FX)

11:00 Nikki & Sara Live (MTV)

Thursday, January 31

10:00 Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell (Food)

10:00 Do No Harm (NBC)

FEBRUARY

Friday, February 1

8:00 NAACP Image Awards (NBC)

8:00 Undercover Boss (CBS)

Sunday, February 3

6:30 Super Bowl XLVII (CBS)

Monday, February 4

8:30 Rules of Engagement (CBS)

10:00 Monday Mornings (TNT)

Tuesday, February 5

9:00 Smash (NBC)

10:00 Body of Proof (ABC)

10:00 Tosh.0 (Comedy)

Wednesday, February 6

9:00 The Spies of Warsaw (BBCA)

Thursday, February 7

8:00 Community (NBC)

11:30 Brand X with Russell Brand (FX)

Friday, February 8

8:00 The Job (CBS)

8:00 Touch (FOX)

10:30 The Jenny McCarthy Show (VH1)

Sunday, February 10

8:00 The Grammy Awards (CBS)

9:00 Bar Rescue (Spike)

9:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (Syfy)

9:00 The Walking Dead (AMC)

10:00 Car Lot Rescue (Spike)

11:00 Talking Dead (AMC)

Monday, February 11

11:00 Inside Comedy (Showtime)

Tuesday, February 12

8:00 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (USA)

Wednesday, February 13

8:00 Survivor (CBS)

10:00 Southland (TNT)

Thursday, February 14

8:00 Zero Hour (ABC)

9:00 Comic Book Men (ABC)

9:30 Freakshow (AMC)

10:00 Immortalized (AMC)

Sunday, February 17

8:00 The Amazing Race (CBS)

Tuesday, February 19

9:00 Cult (CW)

10:30 The Jeselnik Offensive (Comedy)

Sunday, February 24

8:30 The Academy Awards (ABC)

Tuesday, February 26

10:00 Golden Boy (CBS)

10:00 Robot Combat League (Syfy)

Wednesday, February 27

9:00 Boston’s Finest (TNT)

9:00 Haunted Collector (Syfy)

10:00 Psych (USA)

10:00 Stranded (Syfy)

MARCH

Sunday, March 3

9:00 The Apprentice (NBC)

9:00 Red Widow (ABC)

10:00 Vikings (History)

Friday, March 8

8:00 Fashion Star (NBC)

9:00 Grimm (NBC)

Monday, March 18

8:00 Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

Tuesday, March 19

8:00 Celebrity Diving (ABC)

Monday, March 25

8:00 The Voice (NBC)

10:00 Revolution (NBC)

Saturday, March 30

9:00 Orphan Black (BBCA)

Sunday, March 31

8:00 Ready for Love (NBC)

9:00 Game of Thrones (HBO)

9:00 Mr. Selfridge (PBS)

(All times below are Eastern, because we’re up earlier than all the rest of you!)

7:20AM – 11:20AM

• Hall Pass – $1.96
• Hot Tub Time Machine – $1.96
• Bad Teacher (Unrated Edition) – $1.96
• Battleship (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) – $8.96
• King Kong (Full Screen Edition) – $1.96
• Battlestar Galactica: The Complete 2004 Series – $99.99
• Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] -$109.99

11:20AM – 3:20PM

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 [Blu-ray] -$3.96
• The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (Single-Disc Edition) – $1.96
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) – $1.96
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• The Complete Inspector Lynley Mysteries – $69.99

3:20PM – 7:20PM

• Die Another Day [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Fight Club (10th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Contagion (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) – $4.96
• Unstoppable [Blu-ray + Digital Copy] – $3.96
• Brave (Three-Disc Collector’s Edition: Blu-ray / DVD) -$8.96
• Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series (Deluxe Edition) – $299.99

7:20PM – 11:20PM

• Safe House (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) – $8.96
• Colombiana (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Fast Five (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) – $7.96
• 2 Fast 2 Furious [Blu-ray] – $3.96
• Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season -$9.96
• Spartacus: Seasons One and Two [Blu-ray] – $32.99
• Sherlock Holmes: Complete Collection [Blu-ray] – $34.99

Other deals and stuff:

• Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – $3.99
• Farscape: The Complete Series – $40.99 (73% off)
• The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season – $19.49
• Despicable Me (Single-Disc Edition) – $9.49
• The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season – $18.99
• Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection – $33.49
• Firefly: The Complete Series – $9.99
• Community: The Complete Third Season – $9.99
• Fringe: The Complete Third Season – $16.99