Show: Californication (Showtime)
Episode: “Slip of the Tongue” - Season Premiere (Season 2)
Premiere Date: Sunday, September 28th, 2008
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 Stars

Quick Synopsis: It’s not a good idea to get too excited.

Long Synopsis: The story picks up a little while after where the first season ended, with the Hank, Karen and Becca living together at Hank’s place, but planning on returning to New York. Hank also goes in for a vasectomy. Events transpire and the happy family doesn’t seem so happy.

Review: Californication seems to have been built to showcase all the things you can get away with on the premium cable networks. For me, many of these things get in the way of what is an interesting story of a severely dysfunctional family.

Acting wise, it’s very good. Everyone on the show is very good in his or her parts. Especially, the daughter Becca, played by Madeleine Martin. The character is a bit odd, but she gets some great lines.

Comedy wise, it can be funny, but more times than not it just ends up being dirty. But, I guess given the title of the show that shouldn’t be too surprising.

Overall, Californication is bit too far over-the-top for me, but it does have an underlying storyline that is interesting. But, it also has a lot of competition in the third hour of primetime. On the network side, it is up against Brothers & Sisters on ABC, The Unit on CBS, and Sunday Night Football on NBC. And, other cable shows at the same time are Mad Men on AMC, Entourage on HBO, and Army Wives on Lifetime. For me, it would be the last thing to get watched in this time period.

Californication premieres tonight, Sunday, September 28th on Showtime after the season premiere of Dexter.

Show: The Unit (CBS)
Episode: “Sacrifice” - Season Premiere (Season 4)
Premiere Date: Sunday, September 28th, 2008
Rating: 3 out of 4 Stars

Quick Synopsis: The US and the Unit are under siege.

Long Synopsis: A secret service agent is compromised, leading to attacks on the president, vice-president and president elect. The team just having completed a mission successfully is on their way home, when they are diverted to the scene of the attack on the president elect. He has gotten away into the woods. The team attempts to track him down and get him to safety. But, some section of the Unit may have been compromised as well. Leading to the team’s families needing protection.

Review: The Unit has always been one of the more realistic portrayals, at least in my estimation, of what it may be like for special forces soldiers and their families. Sure, they ratchet things up for entertainment purposes, but it never feels fake.

That is exactly the case in this episode. While multiple coordinated attacks on the president, vice-president and president elect, some of which are successful, may push the boundaries of realism given the ultra tight security around them. Yet, in this day an age, does anything really seem all that far-fetched?

Another thing pushing the boundaries for some is the addition of Nicole Steinwedell (Dawson’s Creek) as a member of the team. But, when you see her in action in the first episode, I don’t think you will care. For me, anytime you can add another beautiful woman to the show and she can also kick some ass, it’s never a bad thing.

The action sequences are always well done and it is no exception in this episode. But, the show is not all about action, it is also about family and this episode is particularly gripping in this aspect as well.

Overall, The Unit is great television, but not in the best of time periods. It has a lot of competition in the third hour of primetime. On the network side, it is up against the also great Brothers & Sisters on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC. But, over on the cable side, it has to deal with Mad Men on AMC, Entourage on HBO, Army Wives on Lifetime, and Californication on Showtime. This makes it about the third or fourth best option, but yet will continue to be watched by me for as long as it remains on the air.

The Unit premieres tonight, Sunday, September 28th on CBS after the season premiere of Cold Case.

Show: Cold Case (CBS)
Episode: “Glory Days” - Season Premiere (Season 6)
Premiere Date: Sunday, September 28th, 2008
Rating: 3 out of 4 Stars

Quick Synopsis: Football in the 1970s was killer.

Long Synopsis: Back in 1973 the star fullback for a college football team was found dead. New evidence comes to light that he may have not died at the time originally reported. The squad reopens the case and starts poking into the past of the football star and those who were closest to him at the time of his death.

Review: Cold Case is a solid procedural, but one told in a very interesting way.

The historical aspect of the show is what sets it apart from similar shows. The way it is weaved in an out of the story is always well done, flashing back and forth between now and then. The attention to detail is amazing, including the casting of both young and old versions of characters and the use of music.

There are also always a lot of twists and turns throughout an episode, which gives you lots of suspects to the crime. It is usually well into an episode before you are pretty sure who it is going to be, which is never a bad thing.

And, both of those things continue to be the case in this episode. But, as usual, the best thing about this episode is the thoroughly watch-able Kathryn Morris, who plays disheveled Det. Lilly Rush. Whether it is her look, a glance or a smile, she has the ability to convey so much about a case or her life with the smallest of gestures. This is readily apparent in multiple scenes of this episode.

Overall, Cold Case is always worth watching. Its competition in the second hour of primetime is Desperate Housewives on ABC, Easy Money on The CW, Family Guy and American Dad on FOX and Sunday Night Football on NBC. But, that’s just on the network side. Over on cable, you have True Blood on HBO and Dexter on Showtime. For me, it’s the third best option in this time period behind Dexter and Housewives, although I haven’t watched the Easy Money premiere yet.

Cold Case premieres tonight, Sunday, September 28th on CBS after the season premiere of The Amazing Race.

Show: Criminal Minds (CBS)
Episode: “Mayhem” - Season Premiere (Season 4)
Premiere Date: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 Stars

Quick Synopsis: SUV explodes and the team continues their investigation.

Long Synopsis: The story picks up where the show left off last season, with the explosion of one of the SUVs the team was using. The process they put in place actually comes back to hurt them after the explosion. The terrorist group seems to be a step ahead. The tech team is scouring the camera feeds and may have discovered one of the culprits. But, what is the real reason behind this attack? Could there be something more? The team races to figure it out before it’s too late.

Review: Criminal Minds is a solid show and this is another solid episode. I’d say that it’s just about what we’ve come to expect from this show. But, there were a few things that bothered me.

We’ve been waiting all summer to find out whom lives and who dies and, well you’ll have to watch to find out. When you do, you’ll find out one of the things that I didn’t like about the episode. I wish I could say more without spoiling it.

The best part of the show for me is Mathew Gray Gubler’s Dr. Spencer Reid, but he is little used here. So is much of the cast, as well, with the bulk of the story revolving around Hotch and Morgan.

The episode suffers a bit from predictability. I don’t like it when you figure things out way ahead of a group of characters that are supposed to be the best profilers the FBI has to offer.

Those three things are why it didn’t get a higher rating.

Overall, it is the best you can do in the second hour of primetime until Private Practice returns next week. Then it’s pretty much a coin flip as to which is the better option. At any rate, it’s got to be better than watching The CW’s upcoming Stylista and is definitely better than watching FOX’s duo of ‘Til Death and Do Not Disturb or NBC’s Deal or No Deal.

Criminal Minds premieres tonight, Wednesday, September 24th on CBS after the season premiere of The New Adventures of Old Christine and the series premiere of Gary Unmarried.