Two New NBC Shows (Must See TV)

I have found that my early adoption of a TV show is the kiss of death. Last year I liked the early episodes of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "The Black Donnellys". Both of which were cancelled before they even finished their first seasons. However, shows that I discover after the 1st or 2nd season seem to do better. "Seinfeld" and "The Office" are two good examples.

This season I was excited about two new shows. On Mondays at 8 PM EST is the show "Chuck" which is kind of a gamers fantasy. The premise is an underachieving Big Box Electronic Retailer's technical manager (Nerd Herd) is teamed with a gorgeous CIA spy because he has downloaded all of the world's secrets into his brain. I have yet to watch any episode on regular TV but I have gone to the NBC's website (Chuck Online Episodes) and watched all three episodes. So far the shows move fast, the characters are well developed and the sound track is excellent. Hopefully they can keep up the pace as the season progresses. I am not sure if I will stick around for "Heroes" which I have not warmed up to. I will probably try to head for the gym at 9 PM instead.

"Life" starring Damian Lewis is on Wednesdays at 10 PM EST on NBC as well. I was a big fan of the HBO series "Band of Brothers" and Mr. Lewis was one of the stars. I think Mr. Lewis is the go to guy to play stoic characters. I was travelling on the West Coast and I missed the first half of the pilot but I have since been able to watch all of the shows again on NBC's website. So far this is my favorite show of the new season.

The characters are complex and again the soundtrack is first rate. The plot revolves around a wrongly accused LA police officer who is exonerated and released from prison. As part of a settlement with the City and State Mr. Lewis character Charlie Crews is allowed to return to the police force as a detective. However, after 12 years in maximum security he is a changed man. However, Officer Crews is not the only character struggling with past demons.

I am not sure that either of these shows will be able to keep the quality up for more than a year or two but in the mean time they are both fun to watch. Hopefully, I be able to get further than I did with either "Studio 60" or "The Black Donnellys".