Starting all over again

This post comes about a week late, but if you haven't noticed yet, TV's midseason relaunch is in full swing.

Scrubs came back last Tuesday on a new network (ABC). It's been fun to watch this show mature (though I don't know it mature is the right word to use in this case). I've always been a believer that less is more when it comes to this show, and I hope they tone down the ridonkulousness level. Last week was encouraging, especially the second episode centered around the dying patient. That mix of humor and poignancy is what has made Scrubs great in the past.

Nip/Tuck was also back last week, but come on, is anyone still watching this show? It went over the edge loooooong ago. Have they tried a head transplant yet? If not, they I predict one this season.

Last Wednesday saw the Season 2 premiere of Damages. Sure, Season 1 took ridiculous twists and turns, but it has arguably the best cast on television (Emmys for Glen Close and Zelko Ivanek), especially now with the addition of Oscar-winners William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as well as Deadwood's top scowler, Timothy Oliphant. Throw in Rose Byrne and a career perfomance from Ted Danson and you've got magic. This season promises to be no less convoluted and suspenseful, and I'll be watching every minute.

Damages has a lot of company on Wednesdays though, with Top Scallop -- errr, Top Chef (sorry, Jamie, but Fabio hit that nail on the head) -- and Lost, which returns next week.

24 kicked off a the latest longest day of Jack Bauer's life last night, but I just can't do it. Sloppy writing, poor planning on story arcs and characters acting totally out of character ruined this show long ago. If this season turns out to be any good, I'll just catch up on the DVDs later.

The final season of Battlestar Galactica starts Friday night, with the human and Cylon survivors trying to make sense of the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once called Earth. And who's the final Cylon? All will be revealed, they promise. And rumor has it the Final One will be revealed sooner rather than later.

Also coming Friday is Season 3 of Friday Night Lights on NBC, just as the season's original run on DirecTV ends. I'm watching Season 1 now on Netflix, and I'm loving this show. How I managed to miss it until now baffles me, but it's definitely worth watching

Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords begins Sunday, and New Zealand's fourth most-popular folk/comedy band will release new songs from the shows every Monday in iTunes. That'll be nice for when you have a song like "Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenocerous" stuck in your head. Sadly, this might be the Conchords' last season. Apparently it isn't easy to write an original musical comedy series. And -- say it ain't so! -- the first episode deals with the band firing their hapless manager, Murray.

In a departure from its usual summer airing, Burn Notice is back next Thursday. Breezy, action-packed and smart, this show really deserves a bigger audience. Hopefully the sight of tropical Miami will draw in some snowbound viewers.

There's also a handful of new reality shows, but I'll get to those in a future post. Stay tuned.