Welcome back to another installment of The Morning After here at TV or Not TV. We’re taking a look at the television shows I was actually able to watch for Tuesday, September 23 and I won’t be holding back any info or any punches, so you have been warned.

SCIFI – Eureka: I’ve been a big fan of this quirky show since its inception two seasons ago and I’m very happy to say that the third season has been a real treat. Unlike the first two seasons they had a far less conspiracy laddened arc, the show was easy to follow, and you didn’t feel lost coming in at any point during the season. There was no mysterious “Artifact” that interfered with anything, no one travelled through time, and the heavy we thought we had in Eva Thorne was actually just a character trying to put the past to rest while trying to protect the present. What I am trying to say is the Eureka did what it does best; keeping a semi-jubelent spirit in the face of its typical dire “save us from disaster” story line.

CW – 90210: Yes, I originally watched the pilot because I was a part of the generation that saw the birth of the original. Yes I kept watching because it had elements that made me curious. Yes I wish I could blame my wife for the fact that we watched this last night, but sadly I’m the one that started it playing.

The great thing about this show is just how unreal it is compared to real life. The musical that is being put on is clearly something that 1) would never be performed in a public school and 2) had production values far above any high school musical you’ve seen in high school.

The drama is typical teen drama that has had an extreme boost of steroids. It’s so roided up I’m surprised the show isn’t falling apart from roid rage. At least that is what I choose to believe because I just want to believe that teens this days aren’t this evil and devious.

CBS – The Mentalist: I did not watch The Mentalist this week because I wanted to, I watched it to be fair as I’ve given it two not-so-glowing unseen commentaries. I’m very happy to say that, at least based on the pilot, we’ve got a very entertaining crime drama that surprisingly has heart.

To catch you up, Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker) is a former phony psychic who clearly gained fame and fortune from utilizing his very keen sense of perception and insight into human behaviour. When we meet the character he is smug, he has an air of superiority about him, and we aren’t really sure if we want to like him or dislike him for what it is he can do.

This sentiment carries throughout the entire show and doesn’t distill until the final moments. As with any story where you find that someone who had it all and seems to have given it up to help catch the bad guys, we discover an injured and empty man and we are provided with an answer as to why he is how he now is. It turns out that Jane said some very negative things (while he was still a “psychic”) about an un-caught serial killer (Red John) on national television and his wife and daughter paid the price for these comments. The final moments of the show reveal to us that Jane now lives in the same home that his fame gained him, but all luxeries from that former life are gone. All he has is a place to sleep, a roof over his head and a constant reminder of what happened and why he must go on.

I admit that I was wrong about The Mentalist and I predict that I’ll probably enjoy it in the weeks to come. Hopefully you will too.

FOX – Fringe: I’m drinking a lot of coffee today because I just couldn’t go to sleep without watching Fringe. The show is extremely well structured and the characters are just so well played and balanced that I’m compelled to watch in the same way that I want to try to peek at my Christmas presents when they are under the tree. I’m still surprised, most of all, by the performance turned in every week by Joshua Jackson (formerly of Dawson’s Creek). This show helps fill the gap that X-Files left for me even before the show went off the air (oh, those last two seasons… ugh). Fringe is still very high on my recommendation list so if you havn’t watched it yet and you have time to kill get yourself to the FOX web site to get caught up on this show.

NBC – The Biggest Loser: Reviewing The Biggest Loser the day after will get repetitious to say the least, so I only mention it as I did actually watch the show. The only thing that I wish the network would do is stop making it a two hour event on a single night of television. It’s too much for my DVR and my watching schedule to handle! Split it up already, will ya?

DVR’d But Not Yet Watched: Thanks to the two hours of The Biggest Loser I’m going to have to wait to watch Law and Order: SVU. Thank goodness for weekends.

So there it is, the shows I watched and what I thought. Take from them what you will, and I’ll catch back here tomorrow.

– Will Wilkins really hopes it isn’t true that TV rots your brain.

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