Takeoff

Finally, time for fall - hope springs eternal to try out some new series, though still relying on some good standbys.

*The Simpsons Season 23 - is off to its usual uneasy start. One good episode, one mediocre episode. It's still the highlight of my Sundays, and will continue to be for at least a couple more years.

*Seinfeld Seasons 6 and part of 7 - The characters develop more of a mean streak in these seasons, which I do not enjoy as much. "The Sponge" was always a standout. And who can forget the infamous "Soup Nazi"? In those innocent days back before every political commentator uses the comparison and means it about the other party....

*Mad Men Seasons 2-4 - Honestly, it got a little tedious near the end re-watching this, although I did pick up on a few interesting little things I hadn't noticed before - how Freddy Rumsfeld clues Don in on Peggy's talent and Dr. Miller's apt prediction that Don would marry within a year.

*Project Runway Season 9 - Finally starting to pick up a bit now that it's narrowed down a bit, after two too many 70s challenges. The "Rolling Stone" episode was particularly terrible.

*America's Next Top Model All Stars - I watched a little bit of the new season for old time's sake, but it was even worse than I remembered it, and I just can't even watch it to laugh at it anymore.

*The Office Season 8 - I want it to still be good, but it's just not anymore. They should have called it quits a couple seasons ago.

*Parks & Recreation Season 4 - Leslie and Ron still make me laugh, but Ann's subplots leave something to be desired.

*Whitney - This came on just after the Thursday night NBC line up, so I gave it a shot. It was kind of funny for a minute, and then fell a bit flat. Oh well.

*Up All Night - I loved Maya Rudolph in "Bridesmaids," so I wanted to love this, but I couldn't. The parenting thing kills it. Why are there so many shows with cute, hip young couples trying too hard to make their lives interesting?

*Eastbound & Down Season 2 - I laughed so hard at the first season of this ridiculously offensive show, but they took a wrong turn down in Mexico and really lost their way. Maybe it's the sort of thing that's only funny for about one season.

*Colbert Report - Another episode with my favorite guest, Trevor Potter, this time with a Delaware shell corporation ready to be formed into a 501(c)(4) for Colbert SuperPAC's anonymous donations.

*Prohibition Episode 1 - I am not a history buff, but Prohibition is one of those fascinating stories and Ken Burns does a great job telling it. There's early women leaders, moral imperialism, unintended consequences, strange bedfellows, fear of immigrants - and that's all in the first episode.

*Frontline - Hands down, the best 9/11 coverage I saw anywhere about top secret America. The Man Behind the Mosque was somewhat interesting as well.

*Coverage of Occupy Wall Street - I couldn't bring myself watch much more than Jon Stewart's mockery of the 24-hour news media. This is the sort of thing that's best watched spin-free, in-person first hand. If you can't make it out, the PBS NewsHour did a good job here and here. There's also lots of good streaming coverage online.