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This year’s fall TV season is the strongest I’ve seen in a long…there are so many new, decent shows on that I’m finding myself watching *way* more TV than I really should. Thank god for MythTV or 25% of my life would be wasted on commercials.

Here’s a list of what I’ve seen that I like and a few of the things that I don’t like:

Ugly Betty (ABC): I don’t like to watch people get into embarrassing situations, and this show seems to be entirely about that. I gave this show 3 minutes, which is about 3 minutes more than I should have.

Six Degrees (ABC): The pilot episode seemed decent enough. There was enough of a hook to keep me interested throughout and some decent (for TV) storylines that could go places. I’ll give this one a few episodes and see if it’s still interesting.

Brothers And Sisters (ABC): Emily and I watched the pilot on this mostly because we were in front of the TV when it started and the cast list looked really deep. So far, I think Emily likes it much more than I do, but we’ll see. I also like Rachel Griffiths’ character in this show much better than I ever liked her in Six Feet Under, and they seem to be setting her up to be the anchor of the family.

Lost (ABC): I was starting to develop a love/hate relationship with Lost, as they seemed to be introducing new mysteries faster than they solved them. The end of the last season coughed up a lot of information and gave quite a few new twists, so the new season should be something to see.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): I don’t know what draws me to this show, since I’m in no way part of the target demographic. I am drawn to the characters, though, and since Emily’s parents also watch it, it gives me something to talk about with them.

How I Met Your Mother (ABC): I’m not sure how a 30-year-old man grows older and starts to sound like Bob Saget, but that’s probably reality I should suspend. I wonder if we’ll actually figure out how Ted meets his kids’ mother or if we’ll never find out before the show is cancelled. That would be unfortunate.

The Class (CBS): Cheesy and corny, with one of the lamest premises for throwing eight people together you’ll ever see. I did think some of the ensemble were intrguing, so I’ll give this one a few more episodes to see if it “finds it”.

Jericho (CBS): I liked the pilot, and damn them for making me want to know what’s going on and whether they’re the only people left or not. I guess it’s a little like Lost, but without a plane or an island and with more nuclear explosions.

Numb3rs (CBS): I really like this show. The cast works well together and it’s fast-paced enough to keep it interesting. I like the dynamic of the two brothers and the dad and how they get along, even though the show really isn’t about that. You have to get past the rushed, oft-pulled-out-of-the-ass mathematical explanations, but that stuff doesn’t really get in the way unless you let it.

Heroes (NBC): I’ve been waiting anxiously for this pilot since we saw an ad for it at the theater a few months ago. The pilot had a lot of setup to get through, considering the number of characters, and I was all set to be disappointed by the dearth of examples of all their super powers, but they redeemed themselves by the end and I’m all set to find out how Mr. Teleporting Japanese Guy is going to help save the world.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC): I loved The West Wing for its dialog and its intelligence, even after Aaron Sorkin left the show after the first couple of seasons. We’ve seen a couple episodes of Studio 60 now and it features much of what we loved about The West Wing, sans politics. Also, Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry really work well together.

30 Rock (NBC): The pilot for this show hasn’t aired yet, and everybody is wondering why NBC is putting basically the same show in the fall lineup twice, but it’s Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, and I’ll give them a chance any day.

Kidnapped (NBC): This season is the season of the serial drama, which is primarily the fault of Lost and its success. I started to watch this show and despite featuring Timothy Hutton (where’s he been?), I just couldn’t watch another serial show about a kidnapping when I’m already watching Vanished.

My Name Is Earl (NBC): This show is hilarious. I’ve been a big fan of Jason Lee from his work in Kevin Smith’s movies, and I’m glad he’s garnering a mainstream audience.

ER (NBC): I watched this show in the beginning, then stopped for a few years and started again just before Maura Tierney joined the cast. I like ER because I like the characters. I just really wish they’d stop screwing with Abby and Luca. They’ve been through enough, thank you. Screw with Morris, now that he seems to have developed an inkling of a personality.

Prison Break (Fox): The first season of this show was pretty good, when it was actually about breaking out of prison. I can’t shake the feeling that the show’s creators didn’t think it would last an entire season, and now they’re just killing time. I mean, how long are they going to be on the run and how long will running away from the pill-popping FBI agent be interesting to watch? It is good to see “John Doe” back in a recurring role - I’m still bitter about that one.

Vanished (Fox): I think that if I had a choice, I’d watch Kidnapped over Vanished, but I’m too far into Vanished to switch without a part of me wanting to know what’s happening in Vanished. Unfortunately, this show probably won’t make it past the first season. Fox does that.

Standoff (Fox): I’ve read that a lot of people think this show isn’t very good. I happen to like the chemistry between the main characters, of course, Fox ruins the shows I like, so I’m trying not to get too attached.

House (Fox): *Love* this show. Hugh Laurie is awesome. This is the one current Fox show that if Fox ruins, I’ll hunt them down. Naturally, this is likely and I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened.

Bones (Fox): I’ve been a big fan of David Boreanaz since Heather convinced me to watch Buffy and Angel. Plus, I like the quirky characters.

Justice (Fox):  This show is supposed to be “House” with lawyers.  It’s not even close.  I’ll give this show another episode or two to redeem itself before I pull the plug and free up 45 minutes of my time.

See? There’s too much TV to watch. Fortunately, Fox will ruin its share of shows and some of the others will fade away. Unfortunately, Fox will ruin the shows that I happen to like…it’s inevitable.  Sense a theme?  Fox bankrolls a good number of interesting shows and then makes terrible decisions about which ones to keep.  I hate Fox.