Top TV Obsessions for 2009
(in no particular order)

Friday Night Lights
Now on its fourth season, Friday Night Lights continues to be amazing. Despite moving on from old characters such as Lyla and Tyra, Smash and Street, the show proves that it could reinvent itself by splitting Dillon into two sides — East and West. Viewers now find themselves rooting for a whole new color, a whole new team… the East Dillon Lions.
This particular shift in the story gave us new and interesting characters as well as a lot more drama caused by the rift that the re-districting created. So far, not a single disappointing episode has come out… with Zach Gilford’s performance in “The Son” as a definite highlight.
With half a season left, I couldn’t wait to see what else the show has in store next year.

Chuck
When the show promised a game-changer by the end of season two, they definitely delivered everything they’ve got. The old Intersect is gone in Chuck’s brain; but Intersect 2.0 proves to be much more interesting than the first one… with Chuck doing kung-fu at the drop of a hat.
A long hiatus is not helping things, however. When the season ended in April, it was set to return March 2010. Thankfully, the season premiere has moved up to January 2010; but it is still a long wait from the awesome second season finale. Hopefully, 2009 brings more good things for Chuck, with guestings from Kristin Kreuk to Brandon Routh in the horizon.

Modern Family
This show is just so much fun to watch. I decided to check this out after its glowing review on Entertainment Weekly’s Fall TV Preview (my annual bible for what’s new that’s worth watching); and I wasn’t disappointed. Episode after episode, the family just keeps on giving the laughs. From Phil Dunphy to Manny Delgado, everyone has something funny to offer each and every episode. It’s definitely one of the best shows to come out this year.

Dexter
Though the Jimmy Prado storyline didn’t provide as much sparks for the show last year, Dexter bounced back quickly with the Trinity Killer in tow during the recently concluded season. John Lithgow’s amazing performance brought on the suspense we always expect from the show; and Michael C. Hall continues to pull his own weight as the Dexter who wants to have it all.
We have yet another long wait to see what happens next; but the finale offered up yet another game-changer that will surely make the next season interesting.

The Big Bang Theory
This show is honestly kicking How I Met Your Mother’s butt recently. I still love HIMYM; but TBBT is much higher on my comedy favorites now. I find myself constantly laughing at joke after joke.
Sheldon, as usual, is the revelation that keeps this show entertaining. Still, credit has to be given to the other characters because they pull their own weight when it comes to comedy… with Howard’s Jewish mom and Leonard’s mom (I loved the Christine Baranski episodes), even Penny and Raj provide enough laughs that are sustained throughout each and every episode.

True Blood
The show definitely officially became a hit this year, with ratings catching up to records set by The Sopranos by the end of the second season. Despite a disappointing finale, True Blood’s sophomore effort is still one that I got completely obsessed with. Sookie’s trip to Dallas, Eric’s obsession with Sookie, Jason’s new friends in the Fellowship of the Sun, and Lafayette’s personal journey since being held captive in Fangtasia kept things interesting. Forget about the Maenad and Tyra… those were forgivable given the other, more fun stuff the show offered.

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Thanks to The TV Addict‘s March 2009 TV calendar, we know exactly what to expect this month. There are a number of sweeps stunts coming our way (Please refer to our crash course # 1 to understand what "sweeps" is. Plus, an answer to why it’s March sweeps this year and not the usual February sweeps.). Also, there are a couple of series and season premieres on the horizon. Here are some of the highlights:

March 3
Reaper returns to The CW for a second season!
I really missed this show. The latter part of the first season has gotten really interesting; and my brother and his wife are just getting into it. So there’s really no choice but to get the latest episodes.

March 5
[edited]
We meet the 12 finalists of American Idol season 8.
After this Wednesday’s results show, Thursday will be the Wild Card Round. Each judge gets to pick 2 contestants from the Top 36. They will perform and the final three finalists will be chosen by the judges on the same night. Exciting!

March 9
Summer Glau guest stars on The Big Bang Theory as herself.
The geeks are gonna go crazy over this Terminator star and I can’t wait to see what happens!

March 15
It’s the series premiere of Kings.
I’m not so sure what this show is about; but there’s some buzz. I’m just being the usual TV drone that I am.

March 16
Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill return.
It’s been a long couple of weeks since we last saw a new episode. I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Seriously. Everyone’s been asking me where the new episodes are. They’re finally back!

March 18
Better Off Ted premieres on ABC.
I’ve seen the promo; and I think it’s a good, quirky comedy that probably won’t be appreciated by most Americans (i.e. Arrested Development). Still, I love these kinds of shows; and I’m hoping audiences will wise up and watch it.

March 20
It’s the series finale of Battlestar Galactica.
I know I haven’t gotten all caught up; but this means I can buy the complete series on DVD soon (original, of course!).

March 30
Greek returns for a new season!
I missed this show a lot. It’s one of those light and fun shows that I really enjoy. Plus, last season’s cliffhanger really threw me. I have to know what happens next.

March 31
Cupid premieres!!!
It’s finally here! Rob Thomas’ second chance at making his old creation a hit… I really hope it’s as good, if not better, than the original. Please!