Yet Another Media Blog

New Show of Note: First there was Kolchak, the Night Stalker, which was the inspiration for The X-Files. Now Frank Spotnitz, one of the producers on The X-Files, brings us a new Kolchack in Night Stalker (ABC, 9pm). Let's hope that it lives up to its ancestry.

Returning Favorite: Alias (ABC, 8pm)--after that shocking season finale last May, I've been on the edge of my seat all summer. Yes, things this season have shark bait written all over them: a pregnancy, a new girl, etc., but we have faith here that J. J. Abrams and crew will be able to pull it off. Plus, Lena Olin is back again, and that's always good.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Thursday at 8pm, which sees Alias go head-to-head with Survivor (CBS), Joey/Will & Grace (NBC), The O.C. (FOX), Smallville (WB), and the season's most criticaly acclaimed new comedy, Everybody Hates Chris (UPN). I mean really people, there are only so many ways to divvy up that demographic pie. I can pretty much guarantee that by the end of November sweeps, either Alias or Smallville will find itself on a different night.

Also New: Reunion on FOX (9pm). I don't care how cute Chyler Leigh is, after watching the pilot, which included the afterschool special double-whammy of both an unwanted pregnancy and drunk driving, I'm not sitting through 19 more hours of that. How they could take such an intriguing premise and screw it up so badly is beyond me.

Also Returning: Wait, ER (NBC, 10pm) is still on? Really? Huh. And ABC feels the need to counter-program with Prime Time Live. WTF? Hey, here's a free bit of advice, ABC: try putting either your critically aclaimed drama or your new drama on at 10pm, where ER is waning.