The Hardest Part

Back before DVDs and VCRs and cable, the new TV season used to mean something. Now, September seems like just another month on the tube. Perhaps some of the news shows will be good, but there are none, so far, I'm excited about.

There are a few returning shows I'm waiting for, but even that's changed. Let's look at my favorite sf/fantasy shows Heroes, Lost and Battlestar Galactica.

Heroes had some great episodes, but the finale was so weak, and the reboot so unpromising, that they're going to have to woo back viewers.

Meanwhile, the other two won't even be on until 2008. Both look promising because they now have a clear endpoint so the writers can make each episode matter. Battlestar Galactica, even though it has less episodes per season than a network show, had too many stand-alone plots last year that didn't move the overall arc forward. Hopefully that's over.

Lost, which had a great third-season finale, has had a similar problem. There were times the writers seemed to be treading water, not being sure how many episodes they'd have to spin out. But now that they know the exact number--48--they can make sure each one counts.

Alas, there'll only be 16 per year from now on, but I guess if The Sopranos could get by with even less, I'll take what I can get.