LITTLE ROCK — The big news on TV today is the annual Emmy Awards at 7 p.m. on CBS.
Neil Patrick Harris, the former Doogie Howser who is now a fan favorite playing Barney ("Suit up!") Stinson on CBS' How I Met Your Mother, is the host. Check out the major nominees and my picks for most deserving in today's TV Week.
Meanwhile, regular TV marches on starting Monday, and some of it is the good stuff.
I heard from a woman the other day who wrote "TV is stupid. I don't miss a thing."
I quipped back, "There is no such thing as stupid TV, only stupid TV viewers."
I spent about 15 seconds congratulating myself for an exceedingly clever turn of a phrase, then I felt stupid myself. Of course there is stupid TV. I don't mean to imply that viewers are stupid for watching stupid TV.
This is America. It is our God-given right to watch stupid TV if we want to. We should not judge.
Here is the "all-new" stuff debuting Monday. Some of itis stupid:
House, 7 p.m. Fox. Do not miss this episode. Hugh Laurie turns in some of the finest dramatic acting on broadcast television in the two-hour sixth season premiere.
You'll recall that all that pill poppin' had finally scrambled House's brain and Wilson drove him to Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.
As you might expect, as soon as House gets over the shakes, sweats and dry heaves, he starts plotting his escape. But if he wants to ever practice medicine again, he must play by their rules.
It's a test of wills and the ending may surprise you. It did me and left me wondering, "Where do we go from here?"
Dancing With the Stars, 7p.m. ABC. The network is unrolling a three-night premiere event. Who's your favorite? Is it young singer Aaron Carter or old singer Donny Osmond? Is it former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) or former Dallas Cowboysstar Michael Irvin?
Dancing will air two hours at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and an hour results show at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Heroes, 7 p.m. NBC. Heroes lost me as a viewer after a brilliant first season. I didn'thave the time or energy to keep up.
It's not that I didn't want to like it. It just gave me a headache. Viewership for Season 3 started around 10 million viewers and slowly eroded to about 6 million. Never a good sign.
The fourth season kicks off with a two-hour premiere. I'd attempt a synopsis, but my headache would come back.
How I Met Your Mother, 7 p.m. CBS. Season 5 begins with the big revelation on who the titular mother is. Psych! Just kidding. Once we learn who she is, the show's over.
Accidentally on Purpose, 7:30 p.m. CBS. We all loved Jenna Elfman in Dharma & Gregg. She was cute and quirky and fun to watch. Sadly, her latest comedy is a waste of her talent.
The sitcom is about a single woman who finds herself pregnant after a one-night roll in the hay with a much younger guy. She decides to keep the baby and the guy (platonically) despite his frat boy ways.
The pilot just tried too hard, but I'll watch a couplemore episodes to see if it grows on me.
The Big Bang Theory, 8 p.m. CBS. The series looked like a one-trick pony in the beginning, but it has turned into one of TV's sharpest sitcoms. This is thanks mainly to the droll comedic timing of Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper.
Two and a Half Men, 8:30 p.m. CBS. It's Season 7 for the sitcom and cute little Angus T. Jones, who turns 16 on Oct. 8, isn't a "half man" anymore. The show has been TV's top sitcom for four years. That's a sad comment on the state of TV comedy.
Castle, 9 p.m. ABC. What!? You like this detective series featuring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic and they didn't cancel it? Wonders never cease.
CSI: Miami, 9 p.m. CBS. David Caruso and his sunglasses are back for Season 8.
Canceled: ABC has quietly pulled the plug on Defying Gravity. Nobody was watching.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
Style, Pages 56 on 09/20/2009