Catching Up With American TV

Spoilers Ahoy, as we dive into the currently-due-to-finish-if-not-actually-done-for-the-year shows which are cluttering up my television. Since there seems to be more show-culling going on than in previous years, let us break the shows down by their conservation status:

Not At Risk
Lost - Having long-since abandoned any effort to bring new viewers on board, the weirdest show on telly kicked off the season with the castaways bouncing through time, and the remainder with them split over two (and occasionally three or more) decades. Great, but mad, fun. One season to go...
Fringe - The new show from JJ Abrams, which shares a great deal with the first season of X-Files. It has monsters of the week, it has sinister conspiracies at work, and it's damn good. Hopefully, it won't go downhill as quickly as the X-Files did. Roll on the season finalé!
30 Rock - The little show that could chugs on. This season saw the lovely Salma Hayek guest-starring, which made a great show even better. 30 Rock seems to have plateaued, somewhat, but it's plateaued at a very high level, and never ceases to be the funniest show on tv. And amazingly, it's still not been cancelled yet.
How I Met Your Mother - The second funniest show on tv. Still a bit like Friends at times, but unlike Friends, it hasn't got that whole obsession with inter-character romance. Well, except for Ted and Robyn. And Barney and Robyn. And Marshall and, well anyway, it's not gone off the boil like Friends did. Lang may it reek.
Numb3rs - This was introduced to me by a friend at work, and I've fallen into watching it, even though police dramas aren't really my bag. I enjoy the clever bloke, and his clever bloke pal, and his FBI brother, and his sage old father, and that gives me a reason to sit through what are often head-scratching detective mysteries.
Desperate Housewives - I keep expecting to grow tired of this show, and somehow I never do. It can be a bit schmaltzy at times, but it manages to be just daft enough to make up for that. Plus: Teri Hatcher!
The Office - Another show which shows no sign of losing my attention, and which shows signs of running and running. Between them, Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson continue to provide more bang for my entertainment buck than anyone can reasonably expect, and the diversion of the Michael Scott Paper Company managed to not derail the season. Which was nice.
24 - It's back, and remarkably, it's no better than it was last season. Which, when you consider they had the best part of 2 years to "retool" the show, is a major disappointment.
Mad Men - Highly rated by every media outlet out there, I've given it a try, and I'm not yet drawn in, so much that I still have half the second season unwatched. It's not bad, by any means, but it's just not "speaking" to me. Is it me?
Brothers & Sisters - A show I started watching to fill the void created by the loss of a couple of other shows. It's got a good cast, and an occasionally engaging plot, but again, it doesn't seem anything special. I'm only halfway through the first season, so we'll see if it picks up.
Sons Of Anarchy - Too long ago since the season of this wrapped up for me to remember why it was so good, but I'm pretty sure I'll be back for Season 2.
Dexter - Still not sure if I'm going to be carrying on with the next season. We'll see.

Endangered
My Name Is Earl - This show, having raised its game, to the extent that the most recent show took the piss out of the arse that the producers made of last season, hasn't yet announced whether it'll be back next season. Fingers crossed.
Scrubs - And this show, having jumped networks at the end of last season, and having managed to retain the quality from its old home, doesn't know if it's coming back either. Still, if not, at least it pulled off a decent finalé.

Critically Endangered
Terminator : The Sarah Vonnor Chronicles - a great little show that's been dying on its arse, ratings-wise, and which I'll be amazed if the plots from the end of this season get picked up. Dammit.
Dollhouse - It took a while to get my attention, but it got there in the end. And now it's on hiatus. Oh well.

Extinct
Life - Usually a decent show, often a really good one, and occasionally a great one. Damien Lewis' character may not have had as much to do this season, but he did what he did well. So, it's a shame to see this show killed off.
Prison Break - Unlike this show, which should have finished two years ago, and which needed to die, badly, since the enforced continuation of the show past the point where it should have ended has done a lot to spoil my memory of what was, at its best, an unmissable show.
ER - Another show which was past its best. Bringing back lots of old cast members did a little to raise the show's profile, but really, this show should just have stopped half a dozen years ago. Nice last episode though.

And of course,
Dead (to Me)
Heroes - I gave it two and a half seasons, but really, this show's never really done a lot for me, and I finally got to the point where I couldn't be bothered spending 42 minutes a week watching it. Which, given that I am (a) a comic fan, and (b) a hopeless completist, is a bit of an achievement.

And that's it for tv. Coming soon: comics!