by Renzie Baluyut

You've probably been waiting for it all year- the third volume of Heroes finally made its premiere last night. I caught it myself, and liked it. I'm sure a lot of my friends did too. But in the business of television, buzz is good, but ratings ultimately matter. The question is: was the NBC drama able to hold up well enough against the fierce Monday night competition?

Not quite heroically enough, according to a report on TV.com. In fact, according to figures from The Hollywood Reporter, viewership of Heroes: Villains is rather disappointing- down 25% this season, based on ratings of the third season premiere last night, pulling in only 9.9 million sets of eyeballs.

Which meant one in four who saw the second season premiere last year was probably watching something else, leaving it up to the DVR to record the show, or just busy doing other stuff. Heroes overload, perhaps?

We had three hours' worth of Heroes last night: a 1-hour clip show at 8pm, which pretty much just brings us up to speed with what went down the past couple seasons, then you had Episodes 1 and 2 of the "Villains" volume: "The Second Coming" at 9pm and "The Butterfly Effect" at 10pm.

Understand, however, that in my case, I also want to catch my other favorite Monday night shows- specifically: Gossip Girl (on The CW, at 8pm), How I Met Your Mother (on CBS, at 8:30pm), The Sarah Connor Chronicles (on FOX, at 9pm). So thank Bob for DVR's.

Now that's just MY demographic. What about the rest of Monday night primetime-viewing America? It seemed that ABC's Dancing with the Stars pulled in 21.1 million viewers- more than twice the number of Heroes' viewers- at 9pm, and then CBS kicks NBC's ass at 10pm with David Caruso's screaming hot shades with CSI: Miami's 16.9 million viewers.

The biggest draw for Monday night however, seemed to have come from Monday Night Football, with the return of Bret Favre, so all around, even the other Monday night shows got hit: The Sarah Connor Chronicles only had 5.8 million viewers, Prison Break (also on FOX) also took a slight dive, and so did Gossip Girl, which saw 20% less viewers compared to last week.

Possibly impressive: comedy newcomer Worst Week garnered more than 11 million viewers last night- still at least a million more viewers than the Heroes season 3 premiere.

I'm still hoping that our heroes (and villains) would rally by next week. Sure looks like the Petrellis have some hustling to do.

Cheers, everyone!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the new shows for the Fall Season are upon us. Yes, your favorite shows- at least most of 'em, anyway- are back to entertain you once again. So get your eyeballs ready- there's lots of great stuff coming out of primetime TV these next few months!

Week of Sept 01 to 07

• Gossip Girl comes back with its second season on The CW, Monday, September 01.
• An all-new Prison Break returns to FOX, with a 2-hour fourth season premiere on Monday, September 01.
• The brand new 90210 premieres on The CW on Tuesday, Sept 02
  

• Yet another cycle of America's Next Top Model- we're on season 11, btw- comes back on The CW on Wednesday, Sept 03
• A brand new HBO original series, True Blood, premieres on Sunday, Sept 07.
• Entourage on HBO returns with season 5; new episodes begin on Sunday, Sept 07.

Week of Sept 8 to 14

• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, returns with all-new episodes on FOX, the second season premieres on Monday, Sept 08
• Fringe, the new J.J. Abrams drama comes out on FOX with a special 2-hour episode on Sept 09

Week of Sept 15 to 21

• House, now on its fifth season, comes back on Tuesday, Sept 16.
• Smallville is back with new episodes for season 8 on The CW; Thursday, Sept 18.
• An all-new Supernatural returns to The CW with its fourth season on Thursday, Sept 18.
• Everybody Hates Chris season 4 comes back with all=new episodes starting Friday, Sept 19.

Week of Sept 22 to 28

• Heroes on NBC. With a 60-minute clip show preceeding the third season premiere. Sept 22.
• How I Met Your Mother returns with its fourth season on CBS; Monday, Sept 22.
• The new Knight Rider premieres on Wednesday, Sept 24 on NBC.
  

• Season 5 of CSI: New York comes back on CBS on Wednesday, Sept 24.
• The third season of Ugly Betty premieres on ABC on Thursday, Sept 25.
• My Name is Earl is back for its fourth season; new episodes start on Thursday, Sept 25 on NBC.
  

• It's a special 2-hour premiere for season 5 of Grey's Anatomy; comes back on ABC on Sept 25.
• The Office returns with new episodes on Thursday, Sept 25, with a special one-hour episode premiering on NBC.
• The Simpsons is now on its 20th Season- with all new episodes starting Sunday, Sept 28 on FOX.
  

• The Amazing Race is back on CBS for its 13th season; it's another race around the world on Sunday, Sept 28.
• It's the fifth season of Desperate Housewives; brand new episodes on ABC on Sunday, Sept 28.
• Showtime's Dexter is back for season 3; premieres on Sunday, Sept 28.
  

• ABC's Brothers and Sisters is on its third season, returning on ABC on Sunday, Sept 28.
• Little Britain also comes back on HBO, on Sunday, Sept 28.

Week of Sept 29 to Oct 5

• The second season of Chuck comes back on NBC on Sept 29.
• Life, also on its second season, comes back on NBC on Sept 29, but moves to Fridays on Oct 10.
• Pushing Daisies is also on its second season on ABC; premieres on Wednesday, Oct 01.
  

• The Grey's Anatomy spinoff, Private Practice, is back for another run. Second season premieres on Wednesday, Oct 01 on ABC.
• A new Sci Fi original series, Sanctuary, premieres on Friday, Oct 03.

Beyond the first week of October

• CSI: Las Vegas is back on CBS; season 9 premieres on Thursday, Oct 9.
• NBC's 30 Rock returns with all-new episodes for its third season; airs Thursday, Oct 30.

So there we have it, ladies and gentlemen. Whether you choose to clear your schedules or set your digital recorders- here's to a great Fall Season for TV!

Some pics from Wikipedia. Your favorite show isn't on this list? Then go to TV.com's Fall Guide 2008 for more.

Cheers, everyone!

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover ABC.


Returning Favorites on ABC

Definitely top-draws "Grey's Anatomy", "Lost", "Ugly Betty", "Dancing With The Stars", "Pushing Daisies" and "Desperate Housewives" are coming back with brand new seasons.

"Scrubs", now on its eighth season, moves to its new home from NBC. Surprisingly for me, "Private Practice" has been given another shot. Let's hope Addison pulls through this time.

Also coming back are "According To Jim", "America's Funniest Home Videos", "The Bachelor", "Boston Legal", "Brothers and Sisters", "Dirty Sexy Money", Eli Stone", "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", "Primetime: What Would You Do?", "Samantha Who?" "Saturday Night College Football", "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap"

Wow, looks like they kept a lot this season.

Cancelled Shows

One of the biggest disappointments was the cancellation of "Cavemen". I haven't even had a chance to see it, but a lot of people say it's good. Have to check out the DVD when it comes out then.

Also gone are "Women's Murder Club", "Oprah's Big Give", "October Road", "Notes from the Underbelly", "Miss/Guided", "Men in Trees", "Just for Laughs", "Cashmere Mafia", "Carpoolers" and "Big Shots".

New Shows

Not much in the way of new shows. There's this animated comedy from Mike Judge (dude who gave us "Beavis and Butthead" and "King of the Hill") called "The Goode Family".

Also new are "Life on Mars"- a remake of the BBC drama, and two Ashton Kutcher projects: "Opportunity Knocks" and a still-untitled collaboration with Tyra Banks.


Keep track of your favorite shows for the coming fall season on my continuing coverage: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- our next posts will be covering FOX, CBS and The CW. We've already covered NBC earlier on.

Cheers, everyone!

One of the things that keeps "Grey's Anatomy" interesting for me this season is the addition of the character of Lexie Grey- Meredith's younger half-sister, played by the cute-as-a-button Chyler Leigh.

What I didn't know was that at age 23 (she was born 10 April 1982, btw), she's already been a part of at least 9 different TV series:

• "Reunion" (2005)
• "North Shore" (2004)
• "The Practice" (2003)
• "Girls Club" (2002). She played lawyer Sarah Mickle.
  
• "That '80s Show" (2002). Her character was a punk rocker, June Tuesday.
  
• "7th Heaven" (2000)
• "M.Y.O.B." (2000)
• "Wilder Days" (2000)
• "Safe Harbor" (1999)
• "Saving Graces" (1999)
• "Kinetic City Super Crew" (1997)
• "Hall Pass" (1996), a syndicated news show
  

Of course, none are as memorable (or as big of a hit) as "Grey's Anatomy". In the latest season (Season 4) of the ABC medical drama, Lexie joins the staff of Seattle Grace as part of this year's batch of interns. Naturally, there's drama going on between her and Meredith, and later on with other characters- that's about as far as I go to keep things spoiler-free.

No surprise: Chyler did some modeling before her acting career took off. In fact, she's been in front of a camera since age 12, doing the round of magazines and catalogs. Even landing gigs on national ads for Coca-Cola and Wendy's, among other projects.

Chyler Leigh also had film roles. In 1997, she made her film debut in Kickboxing Academy. No I haven't seen it, but according to her Wikipedia entry, her love interest in this particular movie was her real-life brother (Christopher Khayman Leigh- who, incidentally, played a Power Ranger in 3 Power Ranger series). Which was weird, because there are several scenes in the movie where the two actually kiss.

Anyway, in 2001 she snagged the lead role in the Columbia/Tri-Star comedy Not Another Teen Movie- which, I have to admit, I have to check out again- just to catch a little more of Chyler. In the meantime, feel free to drool over her on this hot photo right here:

Other bits about Chyler Leigh: If you're a Marilyn Manson fan, you may recall seeing Chyler in the "Tainted Love" music video as well. She was ranked #65 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. The following picture was taken for Stuff Magazine, the issue that came out in January 2002, to promote Not Another Teen Movie. That's Chyler with co-star Mia Kirshner.

You can continue seeing more of Chyler as Dr. Lexie Grey on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"- check out your local listings on when you can catch it. Great show.

Also, check out Chyler's rather comprehensive profile on IMDb.com- where you can also find more photos, bios and other trivia about Miss Leigh.

As long as TV keeps coming up with delicious eye-candy, this blog's feature on "Favorite TV Chicks" will be on hand to get to know more about our fine female performers who make our TV shows a little bit more interesting. Only on "Too Much TV: Renzie on TV!"

Cheers, everyone!

Too bad a lot of our shows had their number of episodes cut this season. Nevertheless, get ready as your favorite shows leave you hanging at the edge of your seats, answer some questions, or leave you with even more questions.

Let's check in on our most-watched shows as they wrap up in time for summer!

30 Rock (NBC). Jack lands himself a new job, Liz gets a pregnancy scare, and Tracy's porn-video game masterpiece is just about complete. We need more 30 Rock! Season 2 just ended last Thursday, May 8.

America's Next Top Model (The CW). Haven't we had enough top models already? Cycle 10 ends on Wednesday, May 14.

American Idol (FOX). The two Davids battle it out, but for some reason, I'm just not too excited about it this season. Season finale on Wednesday, May 21.

Battlestar Galactica (SciFi). We hit the episode 10 mark on Friday, June 13. No official word on when it's coming out, but the second installment of 10 episodes wraps up not just Season 4, but the entire series.

But hey, word is, we'll be getting the spin-off Caprica soon, and there might even be a BSG movie coming up!

CSI (CBS). Warrick finds himself in hot water in CSI's eighth season finale. This Thursday, May 15.

CSI: Miami (CBS). The entire Miami team is in danger, but Horatio is around to save the day. Find out what happens on the sixth season finale on (Monday) May 19.

CSI: New York (CBS). A bank heist goes terribly wrong- but you know the New York team is going to pull through as always. Could be fun! Season 4 wraps up on Wednesday, May 21.

Gossip Girl (The CW). The promos are hot, and as far as we can tell with the past few episodes, the first season finale is sure not to disappoint. Catch it Monday next week, May 19.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC). It's gonna be a 2-hour season finale, and you know there's gonna be lots of Seattle Grace drama going on. Fourth season wraps up on (Thursday) May 22.

The Hills (MTV). If you're a fan of Heidi, Spencer and Lauren, then you definitely wouldn't want to miss The Hills' third season finale! Airs on Monday, May 12.

House (FOX) is on its 4th season, and the two-hour finale airs this Monday, May 12.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS). We're almost at the end of Season 3, and we still don't know exactly how he did. Are we finally going to get some answers on (Monday) May 19?

Lost (ABC). Brace yourself for a two-hour season finale. More answers this time? Or just more questions? Check it out on (Thursday) May 29.

My Name is Earl (NBC). Earl must make a choice: his wife, or the list. The one-hour season finale airs this (Thursday) May 15.

The Office (NBC). Toby says goodbye and heads off to Costa Rica, and in comes his HR replacement. How does Michael Scott deal this time? Find out on Thursday, May 14.

One Tree Hill (The CW). I haven't watched a single episode, but I know a lot of my friends who do. The fifth season draws to a close on (Monday) May 19.

Reaper (The CW). It's Sam versus an entire army of demons as we wrap up the first season. Question is, will Reaper be back for Season 2? Airs on Tuesday, May 20.

Scrubs (NBC). Word is, they're moving to ABC next season. But not before the entire Sacred Heart staff winds up in a twisted fairy tale conjured up by Dr. Cox. Season 7 just ended last Thursday, May 8.

Smallville (The CW). What has Braniac been up to this time? Also- Clark faces off with Lex, Lana wakes up from her coma, and so much more going on as Season 7 of Smallville wraps up on (Thursday) May 15.

Supernatural (The CW). Dean has just 30 hours left until his pact with the demon Lilith expires. Can he, Sam and Bobby pull through? Season finale airs on Thursday, May 15.

Top Chef (Bravo). Just needed an excuse to put host Padma Lakshmi's picture up here. Season 4 has been really fun, and we may have some six episodes still on the way- which means we'll be seeing our top 2 chefs slug it out on (Wednesday) June 18.

Ugly Betty (ABC). Sorry, I don't watch this show, but my friends do. Season finale happens on (Thursday) May 22.

So there you have it- make sure you don't miss your shows! Stick around as we cover the fall line-ups soon. We'll get official word from the networks in a few days.

Cheers, everyone!

Thank YouTube for bringing back all those childhood memories, I always say. It's been decades since I actually saw anything Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, so featuring the clips here is really such a trip.

"Electra Woman and Dyna Girl", as I remembered was a live-action superhero (or, more appropriately, superheroine) series, which played a lot off on the popularity of the Adam West/Burt Ward "Batman" series. The show was actually part of "The Krofft Supershow", a variety show for kids, together with "Dr. Shrinker" and another old favorite, "Wonderbug".

Dierdre Hall of "Days of Our Lives" stars as Electra Woman, with Judy Strangis as her sidekick Dyna Girl. While not fighting crime, they're Lori and Judy, reporters for Newsmaker magazine.

Instead of utility belts, they each have a bulky wrist-mounted ElectraCom- which, by default, serves as their way of changing into their superheroine costumes, as well as acting as a 2-way communication device with Professor Frank Helkin (who invented the ElectraComs, btw), who's constantly monitoring their progress in the Electra-cave.

With the addition of certain cartridges, the ElectraCom can do just about anything from emitting a variety of beams, generate force fields, freeze targets, etc. depending on the mission-of-the-week.

They also have their own vehicle, the ElectraCar, which also transforms into the ElectraPlane.

70sVidKid shares with us the funky opening theme for the show on YouTube. Check it:

Also on YouTube are episodes of the show in bits and pieces. Special mention goes to spottymax for putting these up online for fans to enjoy.

• "The Sorcerer's Golden Trick". Our crime-fighting duo takes on an evil spellcaster and his plans to clean out Fort Knox. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
  
• "Glitter Rock". Glitter Rock plans to control the country of Touremberg with his mind-controlling music. Naturally, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl are around to save the day. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
  
• "Empress of Evil". More evil spellcasters, more traps, and more Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
  
• "Ali Baba". Dyna Girl lets out her dark side on this one, as the evil Ali Baba subjects her to the power of the Metamorphosis Formula! Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
  
• "Return of The Sorcerer". The Sorcerer is back with a vengeance, and this time he plans to steal the crown jewels of England. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
  
• "The Pharaoh". It's mayhem in a museum as The Pharaoh steals the key to unlimited power. Just about the only episode spottymax missed putting up on YouTube.
  
• "The Spider-Lady". Okay, so this time, it's a rip-off of Spider-Man, and made into a female villain. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
  
• "Return of The Pharaoh". The very last set of episodes of Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

In 2001, The WB commissioned a pilot for a new version of the show, this time with a more contemporary twist set 25 years after the original series. Supposedly, Electra Woman is already retired, but a fan somehow convinces her to get back into the crimefighting scene, and ends up being the new Dyna Girl.

The pilot was never picked up, but is available on YouTube (courtesy of spottymax once again) for you to check out. Here's Part 1, and here's Part 2. Enjoy.

Also, you can check out the "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" profile on IMDb, or read up more on the show on TV.com, or their entry on Wikipedia.

"Crap From My Childhood" is a special feature on old cartoons and kiddie shows from the 1970s and 1980s. Read all about it on Renzie's personal blog on all things television: "Too Much TV!"

Cheers, everyone!

Finally, Jericho fans will be getting what they paid for in truckloads of nuts! A new episode comes out on Feb 12. So if you feel like doing some homework just before the new season premiere, you still have time to do some surfing or even watching the last few episodes all over again- which is what I'll probably be doing.

While we do have some shows to tide us over for now- The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Project Runway, The Apprentice and Lost, I'd sure like to get some resolution done for the whole lot of shows left midway through their respective seasons.

So here I am, still keeping tabs on the shows I usually watch. There are actually a lot of people asking me if a certain show has new episodes out, or if I know when a new show is coming back- so I thought I'd do everyone a service by posting a quick update on some of our favorite shows right here.

• 30 Rock last aired Episode 10 of Season 2 last Jan 10. It's been weeks since we got anything new.
  
• Bionic Woman aired Episode 8 "Do Not Disturb" last Nov 28- still no news on when we're getting more Jamie Sommers.
  
• Battlestar Galactica comes back with a fresh new season on April 4. Time to watch the earlier 1970s series?
• Chuck has already come back from Christmas break, airing two new episodes on January 24, but hasn't come up with new ones since then. We have 13 Chuck episodes so far.
  
• Gossip Girl came back on January 2, but hasn't aired another episode since January 9. We're also at 13 episodes for Gossip Girl for now.
  

• Grey's Anatomy came back with "Lay Your Hands On Me" last January 10- but that was it. Nothing new from the guys since then.
• No word from Heroes yet. Their last episode was last Dec 3, "Powerless".
• Nothing new from the guys of "How I Met Your Mother" since the last December 10 show, "The Platinum Rule".
• Earl and the gang of My Name Is Earl came back last January 10 with "Bad Earl"; we have yet to hear from them after that.
• We have word from the boys of Reaper- they'll be out with a brand new episode on March 6.

• Scrubs last went on with "My #1 Doctor" last December 6. No word yet when the guys will be out with a new episode.
• Smallville already came back with 3 new episodes since the break: "Persona" last Jan 31, "Siren" last Feb 7 and "Fracture" out this week.
• So far so good for Supernatural- they've come back from the holiday hiatus, with last week's "Dream a Little Dream of Me", and "Mystery Spot" out this week for Valentines' Day.
• I miss the guys from The Office- the last episode we saw from them was last November's "The Deposition".

Man, I really hope these producers and studios work it out with the writers soon. There's just so much show to be shown- and they're not showing us show-lovers anything. Everybody needs to get back to work, you know?

In the meantime, I got me some DVDs to tide me over. But they can only get me so far, right? We all need our shows back!

Okay, lemme whet your appetites a bit. Here's a little teaser from TV.com:

They thought they had met the enemy. They thought they had seen evil. They thought wrong. As the new season begins, the feeling that rescue is close at hand, the survivors don't know whether or not to believe Charlie's final message that the people claiming to liberate them are not who they seem to be. As unlikely alliances are formed, those they thought could be trusted may turn against them, as the enemy of their enemy becomes their friend. But who can be trusted? Is rescue really as close as it seems?

How does THAT grip your shorts? In any case, it's great to finally have some new shows on TV. So thank Bob for J.J. Abrams and his crew, the good people of ABC, and the guys behind Lost.

I got my eyes once again on the series for this season- let's hope it's a good one!

Cheers!