Television: teacher, mother, secret lover ...

It's fall, so along with good movies the entertainment industry is also popping out a crop of new TV shows. After skimming some lineup previews, here's a few shows I'm planning on checking out:

1. Chuck – This show is capitalizing on the "Geek Chic" trend that’s permeated the culture in the past few years, and like Harry Potter and the Internet, this is one fad I can get behind. Give me Topher Grace over Bruce Willis any day. Throw in the fact that the show also has some kind of crazy spy-fi plot and I’m on board. It’s about a guy named Chuck who looks a bit like Jim from The Office and works for a fictionalized version of the Geek Squad. He somehow gets wrapped up in international espionage and action/hilarity are supposed to ensue. Provided they do, I think it looks like a cool show.

2. Reaper – A lot of my pics are based on early critical buzz and any time I hear a show is “Buffy-esque” I have to check it out. The premise of this is a bit bizarre (21-year-old slacker finds out his charmed life is due to the fact his parents sold his soul to the devil, and now he has to help the Prince of Darkness keep his hellions in check) but from what I hear, the oddball subject matter is kept afloat with humorous dialogue and good characters.

3. Pushing Daisies – Another odd one I’m checking out largely due to critical buzz, with the key modifier I've heard being “Burton-esque.” It’s about a guy who can wake the dead by touching them, but when he touches them again, they’re dead for good. He mostly uses his gift to solve murders (Zap! Who killed you? OK. Zap again!) but he used it once to bring back the love of his life, only to realize he can’t touch her now. Oh, the pathos! It also has Swoozie Kurtz, who holds a special place in my heart for being on the show Sisters, which I used to watch with my Mom. (Shut up! Our mother-daughter bonding was few and far between, I took what I could get).

4. Private Practice – I have low expectations for this show, but as a big Grey’s Anatomy fan I’m obligated to check it out. Even more so because this spin-off focuses on Dr. Addison Shepherd, one of my favorite Grey’s characters. The persistent rain of Seattle keeps a much-needed damper on the Grey’s Anatomy zaniness; something tells me the LA sunshine will bleach the life out of this. But sometimes low expectations lead to an enhanced viewing experience. Or at least a fun guilty pleasure.

5. Gossip Girl – Speaking of guilty pleasures … This is supposed to be a devilishly fun teen soap in the vein of the movie Cruel Intentions. It probably won’t hold my interest, but since Kristen Bell is doing voice narration, I have to at least give it a shot.

6. Dirty Sexy Money – Who doesn’t love Peter Krause? People without souls, that’s who! Another one with good advanced buzz about the attorney for a very wealthy, very dysfunctional family. In addition to Nate from Six Feet Under, it’s also got Donald Sutherland as the patriarch of said family. I see the potential for good times.

7. Bionic Woman – I had zero desire to see this when I first heard about it, but then I heard it’s got overtones of Alias (an amazing show – at least for it’s first two seasons) so now I’m going to give it a try. I also saw a long preview for it in a movie theatre and it peaked my interest.

8. Moonlight – I have this thing with vampire stories: I like the idea of them, but I’m almost always disappointed in the result. (Buffy and the original book Dracula being two exceptions). So I will watch this show about Vampires - which co-stars Veronica Mars alum Jason Dohring - but my expectations are guarded.