The Fall television season is in full swing, which is a welcome respite from reruns.  I don’t watch a ton of TV outside of sports, but there are a handful of shows that I follow regularly.  Thanks to HBO and TiVo, the quality of network programming seems to have been changed permanently and for the better, and I have no doubt that without them, more than a few of these shows would probably not exist:

1. Friday Night Lights, NBC

I shied away from Friday Night Lights at first, worried that it was going to be like The O.C., but with football and a Texas twang.  It’s so much more, a solid drama about family, relationships, and playing sports in front of one of the toughest crowds in America.  Coach and Mrs. Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton) are the most convincing married couple on TV.  If you happen to be a Direct TV subscriber, you have the added bonus of watching the new season in full on Channel 101 before it airs on network NBC.   

2. Castle, ABC

Nathan Fillion is good in everything I’ve seen him in, and this show about a mystery writer who consults with police detectives on their investigations is no exception.  Castle brings back that old Moonlighting vibe, though Fillion fills the roles of both David Addison (hip, wisecracking sleuth) and Maddie Hayes (pampered outsider slumming in the world of real-life crime).

3. Southland, formerly on NBC

I first heard about Southland when talking with Michael Cudlitz during one of my Surrogates set visits—he told me he’d just come from shooting some of the episodes, and he was excited about the show’s impending debut.  Michael seemed like a nice guy, so I gave the show a shot.  And I’m glad I did.  It’s a bit like NYPD Blue, but with a larger cast comprised of both detectives and uniformed cops.  Despite it being critically acclaimed, word recently came down that NBC has canceled Southland, so it’s looking for a new home.  Will you be its friend? 

4. Top Chef, Bravo

For the most part, I find the attraction of “reality TV” to be utterly baffling, if for no other reason than the fact that being followed around by a camera crew every waking minute is not at all like reality.  I do enjoy Top Chef, though, probably because I worked in restaurants when I was a kid, and I’ve always found them to be fascinating places.  It also portrays the competing chefs as genuinely respectful of—if not always liking—each other, so you don’t get too much of the infighting that often comes with other shows of the genre.  Plus, I like to eat.   

5. Hung, HBO

I’ve been an HBO loyalist since watching The Sopranos, which I got onboard with in the second season.  You can never go wrong with their dramas, but somehow their comedies always leave me cold.  Until Hung.  This story of a history teacher (Thomas Jane) who turns to a life of prostitution in order to *ahem* make ends meet is both funny and *ahem* touching.  I feel things are getting a little too suggestive, so I’ll just add that Hung is on hiatus now, but HBO is good about re-airing entire seasons of their shows.