Ahoy matey, we've come to plunder!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So the highlight of the past week was the South Park episode on Wednesday night. While there has been a lot of grief over this season's episodes, I didn't think they were all that bad as a whole. I enjoyed laughing really hard as Cartman forced the French overboard and really thought that the Somalians in the building were "fun" pirates.

Starting back with Sunday, I caught the full FOX lineup, which is something I normally don't do (I avoid that King of the Hill crap). Simpsons was decent, although overdone. And I can't believe Milhouse didn't squeal. The new Sit Down, Shut Up show was REALLY bad. Like, not funny AND stupid. I truly hope it's not the next KOTH. Family Guy was completely uneventful, to the point where I can barely even remember the plot beyond the opening jokes. American Dad was decent, but no real comments there.

Monday was disappointing, since both House and How I Met Your Mother were on hiatus, but I did catch up on Little People, Big World and saw the new episode of Table for Twelve (which I am not consciously trying to watch, but I believe I have caught every episode thus far). LPBW was okay. I'm kinda tired of these "long-lost episodes" and am still completely baffled as why we're still seeing episodes from LAST SUMMER'S VACATION. At least it seems to be September now, and I'm really curious to see what they're going to show about how the twins pick their college(s). Particularly, what sorts of priorities Zach is going to have in choosing a school. Table was about the kids all going to the dentist... very similar to the episodes where Jon and Kate take their brood, but since some of the kids are older, cavities and tooth-pulls are involved. I'm also interested in how they feature Rebecca in the show (the sextuplet with cerebral palsy)... so far it hasn't really been that inclusive, and I'm not sure what sort of message they want to send.

I did catch the Jon and Kate "Go Green" special, which was one of their most boring episodes ever. Yeah, I know the focus was on how they're improving their home and how that will save them $$ in the long run, but I watch the show for the kids and their interactions and the parenting styles. These were not prevalent in this episode, aside from the kids playing with the solar panel boxes and a couple shots with Shoka, one of the dogs.

As far as syndication goes, I caught a lot of second-season Beverly Hills, 90210 this week, including the episodes where Brenda lives with Dylan and when Brenda and Donna go to Paris. These storylines are a bit bland, especially since Steve does nothing but flirt, Kelly takes on this strange motherly role with infant Erin, and Brandon gets jealous of the guy dating Andrea. Seventh Heaven this week was plain, as was King of Queens. I did catch the episode of ER this morning where Doug Ross saves the kid from the sewer pipes and then takes a news helicopter to County General, which is good until you remember how the episode ends. Jeopardy! featured nothing too exciting this week, but I am still entering nightly in hopes of winning that Galapagos Islands cruise with Alex Trebek. Finally, Wheel of Fortune this past week has been ridiculous. Silly contestants = only one puzzle the entire week was solved by someone before I called out the answer (disclaimer: tonight's has yet to air).

No new Duggars. Lincoln Heights, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, The Secret Life of the American Teenager are all off-season. ER has stopped. There was a definite lull in television this week. I have been meaning to catch some Big Bang Theory in hopes of adding it to my weekly list, but it hasn't happened yet. If you have a favorite show that you think I'd love, suggest!