More favorite shows

Actually got one in the mail today! It's so... 20th century.

MB - "My favorite new TV show, without question, is 'Heroes.' Could it be the one-of-a-kind storyline? Perhaps. Could it be the everyday characters with their everyday problems combined with their secret powers, that one could only dream of possessing, that draws me in? Maybe. Or is it that I actually have to pay attention and think during this show, instead of being bombarded with mindless chatter, that has hooked me? Sure. All of these are great reasons, but they do not come even close to the main reason... my teenage boys. The other night, while I was watching 'Heroes,' my sons (ages 15 and 17) were doing their nightly ritual of cruising the fridge when they stopped by the couch, watched a few seconds, and plopped down and watched the entire episode with dead old boring Mom and Dad. No cell phones, Game Boys, headphones, Ipods, laptops or locking themselves in their rooms for the night. They stayed right there and (gasp) even discussed the plot during commercials. When it was over, they casually mentioned that they would like to see it again next week! That, my friends, is why 'Heroes' is my new best friend on Monday nights; family time with 'overbooked' teenagers. You can keep your Dr. McDreamy, I'll keep the 'humans' who walk through fire and fly anytime."

BM - "One of my favorite shows this season is Friday Night Lights. As you stated, the acting and writing are both outstanding. I love the camera work and the fact that it seems like each episode takes place over a week. What a shame that the ratings are suffering because it's up against (gasp!) Dancing with the Stars. I can't believe that so many people would choose that abomination over such a well rounded TV show. I'm sorry, but the rumba and the waltz don't have anything on the drama of football in Texas. Hopefully NBC won't jump the gun on this show and will move it to another time instead. If they keep it in that time slot it's going to go up against American Idol in January so it's still going to suffer."

BL & EL - "Our favorite new t.v show is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. PLEASE, by all means keep this show on the air. Its presentation is something new and fresh. Its rapid fire scenes are totally unique to television. It shows a slice of American life that actually exists. Thank you."

RF - "First, as far as surprises among the new shows, "The Class" really waylaid me. Critics or viewers notwithstanding, I have had very little use for even the most popular of the CBS Monday night sitcoms for the past year or so. But "The Class" has the unenviable task of juggling a relatively large cast in a story told in 22-minute chapters in a sink or swim environment. And I think it's swimming.

Great lines like, "You never know how much sister you have until you have to give her a sponge bath" are frequent enough to watch the whole episode. And as much as we all loved John Ritter, I think people are pulling for his kid to succeed, too. Another reason to watch. There are lame moments, to be sure. Only so much humor can be derived from failed suicide attempts. But there's material on which to build."