September times

September brings one of my least favorite times of the year, in Oklahoma, and one of my favorite times of the year, in general…

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University of Oklahoma students are back in class, OU football is underway, and people here don’t know the difference between Texas, the state, and Texas, the university. Maybe it’s because there’s only one big university in Oklahoma, and Okies think that’s the way it is everywhere. (For the record, Oklahoma State University may be a “big” school, but only the most die-hard Cowboy fans don’t recognize that OSU is the redheaded stepchild in Oklahoma.)

When I first moved from Texas, I heard “Texas sucks” all football season long and saw it on t-shirts everywhere I went. I told myself they were referring to UT, not the state, and for a while it worked, but as the second and third football seasons passed, I figured out that I was wrong. People here do not, or cannot, separate the two, and that’s hard on a Texas girl. I’m not a UT fan and don’t care who thinks Texas, the university, sucks, but I am here to tell you-- Texas, the state, does not..

So now the crimson-colored t-shirts are back and as obnoxious as ever, and radio stations are blaring random “Texas sucks” between songs, and I’m back here, in denial, telling myself that it’s just the school they’re referring to because for them, ignorance is bliss. For me, these days, it’s a survival tactic.

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I love the new fall TV schedule that September brings. And this is the time of the year when my mom would always ask what new TV shows I thought she might like and what she should avoid. She didn’t always take my advice, but those were always fun conversations, because I love TV, though my viewing is a fraction of what it was before my daughter was born a year ago.

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My favorite returning show is Bones, a humor-driven procedural that is, at times, flat-out hilarious. My other current favorites include Chuck, Heroes, Brothers & Sisters, House, and Grey’s Anatomy. 

I’m also looking forward to a few new shows, namely My Own Worst Enemy and Life on Mars. I watched the premier of Fringe this week, which will be aired again Sunday night, and I have mixed emotions about it. I think it has the most potential of all of the new shows, because it’s the product of executive producer J.J.Abrams’ mind, and I’m a big fan of his, but it didn’t make me care much about the heroine. FYI, he also created Felicity, Alias, and Lost. (I was a huge Alias fan, and wanted to be Sidney Bristow when I grow up.) Really liked Pacey-- I mean Joshua Jackson’s character though (actually, I liked all of the main male characters), and I’m hoping that we’ll get some creepy X-Files-type episodes. Besides, how many times have you seen a cow pass through the halls of Harvard? My faith in J.J. will keep me tuned in, at least for a while.

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These days, of course, there are also new mid-season and summer TV schedules, but fall is my favorite And though next year the midseason will bring a few more of my faves: BSG; Lost; Friday Night Lights; 24; Rescue Me, and Damages, there’s plenty to watch now, and my DVR will be busy.

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I’ve mentioned before that I love lists. This week ew.com posted their list of the 20 Greatest Sci-Fi TV Shows.

When I saw the title of the list, my first thought was, “Ooh, wonder where Battlestar Galactica, will rank?” It’s one of my all-time favorite shows. Then I wondered if, other than BSG, I would have any interest in the list, because I’ve never really considered myself I “Sci-Fi fan.”

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The ew.com list:

20. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981)

19. The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978)

18. The Jetsons (1962-1963)

17. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989-1999)

16. Alien Nation (1989-1990)

15. The Prisoner (1967)

14. Outer Limits (1963-1965)

13. Babylon 5 (1993-1998)

12. V: The Miniseries (1983-1984)

11. Heroes (2006- )

10. Max Headroom (1987-1988)

9. Doctor Who (1963- )

8. Quantum Leap (1989-1993)

7. Firefly (2002)

6. Lost (2004- )

5. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

4. The X-Files (1993-2002)

3. Battlestar Galactica (2003- )

2. Star Trek (1966-1969)

1. Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

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As I first looked over the list, several things came to mind: memories of watching Quantum Leap and Star Trek: The Next Generation occasionally with my mom; and dissecting The X-Files with my dad after most every episode. Firefly is one on the funniest shows ever, and it’s a shame it lasted just one season. I like Heroes, love Lost, and have been thinking about tuning in to the British hit Doctor Who. But mostly, my mind filled with: BSG is number three, and I want to be Starbuck when I grow up!

Hey— what do you know? I am a Sci-Fi fan! I’ve just never categorized the shows I watch by genre.