My TV Watching Schedule: Fall 2011

All of the networks have unveiled their 2011-2012 schedules, and now it's time to figure out which shows I'm willing to dedicate some time to. Obviously, things will change between now and when the fall line-ups hit the airwaves, but this is all for fun anyway, so no big deal.

Mondays
Even with Chuck moving to Fridays, Mondays still have the chance to be my busiest TV watching night since How I Met Your Mother, Castle, and Hawaii Five-0 are all staying put.

8pm/7c: How I Met Your Mother & Two Broke Girls
Despite my displeasure over the last three and a half seasons of How I Met Your Mother, I'm so pot-committed that I'll probably come back for Season 7. I may abandon the show early on, but with Chuck out of the 8pm hour, I'll need something to watch. Two Broke Girls is one of the few new sitcoms that have interested me, so I'll be sticking around after HIMYM bums me out.

9pm/8c: Hart of Dixie
More than likely I'll probably either catch up on other shows during this timeslot, but I'll give Josh Scwartz's new show, Hart of Dixie, a few shots. Rachel Bilson's too cute not to give her the opportunity to win me over.

10pm/9c: Castle
I'm still a little surprised that Castle is coming back to Monday nights, but the show's really hitting its grove, picking up viewers, and getting decent ratings, so I can see why ABC wouldn't want to mess with a good thing. Castle will always come first. It's just that simple.

Online Catch-up: The Sing-Off, The Playboy Club, Hawaii Five-0

Tuesdays
Tuesday nights will be the most consistent for me since Glee's once again kicking-off things for FOX, and it's being followed by two appealing sitcoms. After that, I'm not sure what I'll be checking out, but I might have to turn to cable or Hulu at that point.

8pm/7c: Glee
Yes, Glee's second season was flawed, and maybe the finale will change my mind on the show (doubtful), but it's still one of the most entertaining hours of television despite and sometimes because of its inconsistencies. When it comes to Glee, I'm still going to keep things simple: make me laugh, have some fun musical numbers, and let Heather Morris dance every once in a while. If I get those three elements, then I'm happy.

9pm/8c: New Girl & Raising Hope
Much like Kat Dennings from Two Broke Girls, Zooey Deschanel is so freaking cute that I'll watch her in almost anything (especially after 500 Days of Summer). Based on the trailers, New Girl won't be groundbreaking, but it seems charming enough. One of the few surprises for me last season was Raising Hope, which was a lot funnier than I imagined, so I'll be coming back for Season 2.

10pm/9c: To Be Determined
Tuesday nights might end early for me, which I'd be OK with. I lost interest in both Body of Proof and Parenthood, but if I catch up over the summer, I might give them another shot in the fall.

Online Catch-up: Ringer

Wednesdays
Once again Wednesday nights will probably be the lightest night for me when it comes to watching network TV. None of the new shows really jump out at me, which frees up plenty of time at the start of the night.

9pm/8c: Modern Family and Happy Endings
Like most second-year shows this year, Modern Family had an uneven season, but it was still one of the funniest shows on TV, and I'll definitely be coming back. Like I mentioned earlier, Happy Endings has grown on me, and hopefully its new time will help build its audience.

Thursdays
Along with Mondays, Thursday nights will once again be one of the busiest nights to watch TV. I'll mostly be watching returning shows, but with so many moving around Thursdays in 2011 will be different than they were in 2010.

8pm/7c: Community and Parks & Recreation
Somewhere along the way, Community replaced The Vampire Diaries as my must see Thursday night show (The Big Bang Theory was out of the running early on), and now that it's back with Parks & Rec, the 8p/7c time slot is a no-brainer.

9pm/8c: The Secret Circle
I'll give The CW's new witch drama a few weeks to win me over. It it doesn't, I might have to switch over the CBS' Person of Interest or go back to FOX's Bones.

Online Catch-up: The Vampire Diaries, Charlie's Angels, Bones, Person of Interest

Fridays
For some reason, Friday nights went from having nothing but reality and news shows on to one crazy night...for geeky fanboys and girls. Every genre show with small but passionate audiences have been sequestered to Friday nights where expectations are a heck of a lot lower than other nights of the week, which will lead to some tough choices.

8pm/7c: Chuck
I've been on the Chuck bandwagon since episode 1, and a move to Friday nights is not going to change things. Season 4 wasn't the show's best outing, but things started to look up with the finale, and Season 5 could be one of the best yet.

9pm/8c: Supernatural
It's tough to pick between Supernatural and Fringe, and even though the former is long in the tooth, it's still slightly more entertaining than its competitor due to its humor. Fringe is good, but not that funny.

Online Catch-up: Nikita, Grimm

Sundays
8pm/7c: Once Upon a Time and 10pm/9c: Pan-Am
ABC's two new dramas have piqued my interest enough to watch a few episodes. I'm thinking I'll be tuning out quickly, but you never know.

Time will tell how good this developmental season was, but there are more new shows on my TV watching line-up than I thought there would be. Sure, most of my nights will be dominated with returning shows, which is to be expected, but I'm also finding myself to be genuinely intrigued by some of the new offerings. Let's just hope they're worth the time and effort.