Urban Thought Collective

FALL TV: IT’S ON NOW!
Summer is officially over and the new fall television season is rolling out! Let’s start with some of the old favorites; “House,” “Boston Public,” “Heroes,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Law and Order SVU”, “Smallville,” “Real Sports with Bryant Gamble, “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “Deal or No Deal” are all up and running. We also have the MLB playoffs coming and, YES, the NFL is in back! I feel like I’m on a sugar high.

“House” is steady. If you like the show, and I do, it picked up right where it left off. The one questionable decision that is still a thorn in my side is relegating the original cast to practically weekly guest stars on their own show. The new additions are all fine actors doing good work, but I don’t think they make the show better…just different.

I love “Boston Public”. David Kelly is brilliant. The show is in its final season and I’m going to miss it. They make policy discussions fun. All the while they don’t take themselves too seriously, so even when they get on a soap box, it’s ok. Plus, anyone who has the gumption to actually campaign for a new home on a cable channel, in the show, gets a pound from me.

“Heroes” has become NBC’s version of “Lost.” The first season was amazing. It was a fresh concept executed to perfection. The second season, not so much. So I was hopeful they’d right the ship. But now they’re all over the place. It seems like every character dies and then comes back to life. How can Claire’s father be the only one who can stop all the villains, when he’s the only one without ANY powers? How many times can we listen to him say it’s “too dangerous” for Claire and she needs to be “protected” when she’s INDESTRUCTIBLE? Suresh has been on a mission to “cure” everyone, and then he does a 180 to inject himself with powers? Now anyone can have powers with a shot? Hiro has gone from naive to just stupid. Remember in the first season when he was the one who showed up all serious to tell Peter to “save the cheerleader, save the world?” Now he’s become comic relief completely unaffected by all he’s experienced. He’s like Scully on the “X-Files.” After all she had seen, how could she still NOT believe in aliens? Once Hiro had seen the end of the

World, death and destruction and realized his power can cost people their lives, when you’re told “don’t open the safe”…don’t open it! Maybe I just can’t help applying the Black folk’s logic to horror films. When told there’s a psycho killer in the woods, don’t go in there, I say “ok.” End of story. All of the actors on “Heroes” are doing solid work and the production values are great. I hope the writers can find their way out of the woods.

For this season of “Dancing with the Stars” all I can say is Warren Sapp! He can’t win…but he has to win! He’s too much fun. Kim Kardashian, I know she sliced her toe in a hotel, but watching her dance all I can say is …ouch. Cloris Leachman, what the “bleep,” Maurice Green was fun and wilding out, I hope Toni Braxton isn’t killing herself, Brooke Burke is a mother of four (what?) and got down and there are far too many folks on this year. I’ll wait a couple weeks to get rid of rhythmically challenged who have no shot, and then we’ll get to the real competition.

“Real Sports” is excellent as always. Bill Maher’s “Real Time” has had good panels and with the election a couple weeks away, he couldn’t have come back at a better time. “SVU” and “Smallville” are equally consistent and worth the hour of your life.

October is almost here and Major League Baseball will bring us playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons without my Yankees. (A moment of silence please) However, it looks like we will have the Rays, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers and Angels but the Mets, Phillies, Brewers, White Sox and Twins are going down to the wire.

It’s as close to being Christmas in September with the NFL. What was life like before NFL League Pass? I don’t remember and I don’t care. For the record, I picked the Giants to meet the Jet Farve in the Super Bowl. My Jets look a little shaky but I’m on the wagon to the end!

Next week I’ll be looking at new shows and I’ll be reacting to the Presidential debates as soon as they’re over.

Let me get my remote!

Darryl Bell is an actor and Chicago native, best known for his role in classic TV series “A Different World” and Spike Lee’s “School Daze.” His unique television commentary is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.