Fall 2009 TV: Premiering Tonight – Sept. 24

The premiere of FlashForward, CSI, Grey’s Anatomy and The Mentalist head this Thursday night’s primetime lineup. Let’s run down what’s on to tonight in hopes of easing the pain that Thursday night DVR’ing can bring.

What’s New?

8:00 PM

ABC – FlashForward: “No More Good Days”
Everyone on earth blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds and sees a glimpse of their future, but they must decide if they will accept their destiny or do anything they can to change it.

I was able to watch the entire pilot and I wasn’t exactly impressed with what I saw. Will I watch it? Yeah, but that doesn’t always mean I’ll like it. It does have a Lost vibe to it in that you’re intrigued about what’s going on, but you also know it’s going to take many seasons before the pay off comes.

Another odd thing about this show is that you’ll notice many familiar faces popping up during the pilot. Some of them good, some of them bad, some of them really interesting. Family Guy’s Seth Macfarlane belongs in the interesting category. (I enjoyed him in this show; Even if it is brief.)

I don’t trust ABC with time-related shows. After they canceled Daybreak and screwed up Life on Mars (see the British version), I refuse to become attached until I know there’s going to be a payoff. That’s the problem with shows like this. If nobody watches it, they’ll cancel it and we’ll never find out what’s going on. If everyone watches it, they’ll extend it and ruin whatever the original plans were for it and we’ll have to wait years and years for a conclusion (see Prison Break). So, despite promises by the show’s creators that FlashForward has a carefully plotted beginning to end, it seems that we, the viewers, could end up left at the crossroads.

Check out our sneak peak on FlashForward where you’ll also be able to watch the first 18 minutes from the pilot. (If you’re interested in what the producers are looking to do with this series, check out our coverage of the FlashForward panel from Comic-Con.)

What’s Returning?

9:00 PM

CBS – CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: “Family Affair”
The CSI team, with the unexpected but welcome return of Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), comes together to investigate the death of a famous young actress killed in a dubious traffic collision.

I’ve had quite the disconnect with the original CSI. After Grissom (Peterson) left and was replaced by Langston (Fishburne), the entire show changed. It was less interesting to me and things started to feel long and drawn out. It doesn’t help that Fishburne’s delivery as Langston is monotonous. Still, there are diehard fans out there and I’m sure you’ll be turning in to it. Especially with the return of Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle. I don’t even know how they’re going to play that, considering the whole reason of Grissom leaving was to be with her. If she shows up, where’s Grissom? They better not play the angle of, “Oh, he’s stuck in Memphis” or something equally as unimaginative. I’ll tune in tonight because I’m interested in seeing Sara again, but the rest of the season might be stay on my DVR until I’m in the mood to watch it.

ABC – Grey’s Anatomy: “Good Mourning” & “Goodbye” (two-hour episode)
In the first hour, entitled “Good Mourning” (9:00-10:00 p.m.), the hospital staff is left to deal with the aftermath of George’s passing. Hitting the staff hard, they all find unique ways to get through the various stages of grief. George’s mom returns, faced with the difficult task of deciding what to do with his organs. In the second episode, entitled “Goodbye” (10:00-11:00 p.m.), time has passed… Everyone is struggling after losing one of their own and are turning to any distraction they can find. Meredith and Derek seem to be consummating their marriage anywhere and everywhere, while Cristina and Owen have been instructed to abstain from sex by Dr. Wyatt.

This is another show that I never really got into. I understand that it’s really popular and something really crazy happened last season and everyone can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. I wish I could add more, but I’m out of the loop on this one.

10:00 PM

CBS – The Mentalist: “Redemption”
Jane and Lisbon learn that the Red John case has been reassigned to a new CBI team led by the straight-shooting officer Sam Bosco (Terry Kinney).

For me, this show has sort of fallen in with Everybody Loves Raymond and Two and a Half Men in the fact that it’s one of the most popular shows on television, but I don’t know anyone that watches it. I originally started watching it when it premiered last year, but never got into it. I always felt that this show was kind of a rip-off/mash up of USA’s Psych and British mentalist, Derren Brown (Google him. Seriously. You won’t regret it). I know a lot of people love this show and many more love Simon Baker and his hair, so I’m sure to get some flak for this.

What Else Is On?

With Thursday night being one of the most episodic filled evenings, not everyone is clamoring for Grey’s Anatomy or The Mentalist. So, here’s a rundown of everything else that’s on tonight.

8:00 PM
FOX – Bones: “The Bond in the Boot”
NBC – Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday
The CW – The Vampire Diaries: Friday Night Bites

8:30 PM
NBC – Parks & Recreation: “The Stakeout”

9:00 PM
FOX – Fringe: Night of Desirable Objects
NBC – The Office: “The Meeting”
The CW – Supernatural: “Free To Be You and Me”

9:30 PM
NBC – Community: “Spanish 101″

What will you be watching? Are you interested in FlashForward? Excited for Grey’s Anatomy? Going to watch Supernatural twice? (Yes, I am.)

Let’s hear it!

Source: The Futon Critic

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