The new tv season is upon us...

I remember growing up (back when there were three networks plus public television, and we had to walk barefoot 10 miles uphill in a snowstorm – each way! – to get to school) that the new season started on the same September day on every channel, and by the end of that one week you had all the new series you were going to get until January at the earliest. Nowadays the new fall lineup takes at least two months to roll out, and you need a scorecard and the power of the internet just to keep track. Luckily, TiVo has been kind enough to put it all together for us in one comprehensive list. Behold!

Of course I'm fired up for the season premiere of Lost (October 4th?!?) and the return of My Name Is Earl and The Office. This might even be the season that I finally start watching Grey's Anatomy (I know, I know). But there are two new shows that I really have my eye on: Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Heroes is constructed as an ensemble serial drama seemingly not unlike Lost meets M. Night Shyamalan's brilliant and underrated Unbreakable. There's an “official/unofficial” website for the series with a well done comic book feel to it, which is a nice counterpoint to the hyper-realistic feel of the series. Writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale are both directly involved in the show, so I'm expecting good things.

Studio 60 is Aaron Sorkin's first new show since leaving a magnificent four year run on The West Wing back in 2003. The man has had some well-publicized personal weaknesses, but he's a titan when it comes to writing. Combine that with the show's top-flight ensemble cast (Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, and Timothy Busfield to name just a few) and you've got a strong formula for success. Personally I don't care much about the backstage happenings at Saturday Night Live, but if Sorkin's interested then it's gonna be the smartest show on television.