The new Fall TV Season is upon us...

I have always loved TV. It was fitting that I got into the biz as a media buyer, and got to meet lots of B, C and D list celebs at network parties (a few A listers too, but very few.) I got to write our cable bill off for tax purposes because I was supposed to watch TV. Our ad agencies would get the full pilot episodes of the new shows and we could screen them through the summer so we would know what we wanted to watch. And in our 20's, in between going out, we had plenty of time to watch our favorite shows.

And then kids came along, and I got out of the biz. And then started watching less and less TV. And when kids started getting old enough to have a voice, off went Oprah and on went Martha Speaks. (It is only recently that they have refused PBS Kids for the cartoons on Nick, Disney and Cartoon Network. I draw the line at iCarly and Suite Life-type shows...Mia does not need another example to show her how to be sassy.)

So here we are, 2011, and I only have a handful of shows I consider appointment viewing. And I have decided now that Phil is traveling like a fool, I am going to start watching TV again. I took to the Internet and my trusty Entertainment Weekly and filtered through lots of previews and reviews. Below is my tentative schedule for fall viewing:

Daytime- Now that Oprah is gone, who do we turn to? I do like Ellen but sometimes I want topical, not funny. Enter Anderson Cooper, the silver-haired fox from CNN, with a daytime show that is supposed to be like the old Phil Donahue. LOVE.

Monday- Probably going to stick with the CBS comedies that night. I already really like How I Met Your Mother and am interested in how Ashton is going to make Two and a Half Men funny again. And after seeing Bridesmaids, I have to turn on Mike and Molly, which I missed last season. The new gem in this bunch is called Two Broke Girls and it looks a little Laverne and Shirley, an old favorite. It has Kat Dennings in it, and I really loved her in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Indie film darling = I'm in.

Although the casting is always interesting (and this year is no exception...Chaz Bono? Clooney's ex? Nancy Grace?) I don't watch Dancing with the Stars because I have no idea if the stars dance well. They all look pretty good to me and then the judges tear them apart. I watch a singing competition because I can tell if people can sing but I can't tell a waltz from a tango. Well, actually I could but barely. BUT- I'm not watching the Sing-Off either because 1. Nick Lachey is painful and 2. My friend Georgia almost got on with her a capella group but got cut, so I'm boycotting.

If I stayed up past 10, I would check out The Playboy Club on NBC for costumes and kitch, but it probably won't happen.

Tuesday- This is a FOX night, starting with Glee, one of the few shows I have watched from the beginning. It has meandered a bit this last season, but I still find the message a very good one and the characters are endearing. (see pic of twins above as tribute to Sue Sylvester.) The other new show on after Glee is New Girl with Zooey Deschanel, another indie-film darling. I am sensing a pattern here.

Am also curious about Ringer on the CW because I like Buffy but if I don't get hooked right away, I'm out. Too many shows, too little time.

Wednesday- The NBC comedy Up All Night looks very funny, with Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett. Great cast plus who cannot relate to this that has kids. I'm then back over to Modern Family on ABC at 9, it is so stinkin' hilarious and full of heart. I love all of those characters. That show is what a sitcom should be.

The other show getting lots of buzz is one at 10p on FX called American Horror Story starring super dreamy Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights. It's spooky and bizarre and created by the Glee guys, so I'm thinking it's worth a DVR. (10p is very hard! Do you know what time I have to be up every morning to wake these ungrateful kids!?!)

Will I sample The X Factor? Probably. It's hard for me to not watch a paired up Simon and Paula again, I have missed their dynamic. But I don't know if I will commit. We'll see.

Thursday- This used to be a big night for me, but I've stopped watching Grey's Anatomy about 2 seasons ago and all the other shows I used to watch that night moved. So, what's good now? NBC has their solid comedy lineup with The Office and Parks and Rec but I'm okay if I miss them, not really appointment shows. I like Big Bang Theory but the show after is a new one on CBS with Kevin Dillon and he really bugs me. I hate his character on Entourage and I think he is actually like Johnny Drama so no go. If I watch X Factor, I will probably turn on some of the results show. And the big new drama on for Thur night is called Person of Interest on CBS...created by JJ Abrams and also stars creepy Michael Emerson from Lost. It looks very good and is getting tons of buzz.

Friday and Saturday- do they even have shows on these nights?

Sunday- One show I will NOT be watching is The Amazing Race, who I am bitter against since they did not call Jamie and I for an interview after submitting a very funny audition tape. ha. I wish I watched The Good Wife from the beginning because so many people say it is one of the best shows on TV and I think Julianna Margulies is amazing and will probably win an Emmy. But I'm not starting now. If I'm in the mood for funny, the FOX lineup of cartoon sitcoms with the Simpsons and the new Allen Gregory, Jonah Hill's new show, are a sure bet. But as for new dramas, ABC has an intriguing Once Upon a Time, where a bunch of fairy tale characters have been trapped in a Maine town and cursed into forgetting their true identities. It's got lots of flashbacks like Lost and I'm a fan of that type of storytelling. And my DVR will also be set for Pan Am, another 10p show on ABC, that looks like Mad Med and stars indie darling Christina Ricci. Need I say more?

It's a pretty full TV schedule I have laid out for myself and about 150% more TV than I've been watching the past few years. But I'm up for the challenge. The laundry may pile up and the house may be cluttered, but come 8p those kids are going to be in bed and the remote will be in hand.

For my 10 readers, feel free to give me feedback...do you agree or disagree with any of these picks? Or let me know what you think of a show after it airs.

Happy viewing!