We’re a couple of weeks into the TV season now, so it’s time for a TV rundown. I can’t be quick about these things, so I’ve put my ramblings after the jump.

Let’s start with the new shows. Reaper has a charming cast that works well together as an ensemble, and Ray Wise as the devil is so fabulous that I want to be his girlfriend. The problem with this show is that the storylines, for the first three weeks at least, are simplistic and repetitive. I was really hoping that this show would appeal to the Buffy fan in me, but each week all that the lead character has to do is get the “vessel” from the devil, find the bad guy — usually wearing some outrageous costume for “protection” — and point the vessel at the demon to capture it. Too easy, not enough excitement or mystery. There’s hope here, as I really like the characters, but they need to introduce some interesting themes and stronger, over-reaching action or it’ll just flame out.

Chuck is almost exactly the same show as Reaper (and is also the third show we are now watching Mondays at 8pm — thank goodness for time shifting!). They both feature a 20-something nerdy dude who works in a big-box store, who suddenly finds himself with secret powers for fighting bad guys. Sometimes I even get the two mixed up! Like Reaper, the cast on Chuck is charming and works well together. Plot-wise, there’s been more interesting things going on over at Chuck, and a big mystery — why Chuck was sent the secret CIA images that now live in his brain — was introduced in the pilot to take them through the season. It still needs more weight if we are to actually come to care for Chuck and his friends — right now it’s just too lightweight and, like Reaper, each storyline wraps itself up too easily and neatly within the hour. But at least Chuck has better action and also Adam Baldwin to recommend it.

Definitely the best new show that we’re watching is Dirty Sexy Money on Wednesday nights. It’s so trashy and soapy, but I just adore it. Peter Krause is great as the lead, but I also find myself really enjoying Donald Sutherland for the first time ever, as the head of the Darling family. The show has just the right mix of drama and silly humour, and it works its large cast together well. It’s escapist fun and I love it.

Also on Wednesdays, we’ve been recording Private Practice, but so far, it just hasn’t grabbed us. It’s definitely a chick show, and is more than ready to cut it loose. I think it’s still struggling to find the right tone, and also, although I like all the individual actors, I don’t find they are coming together as a group. In particular, I don’t like Tim Daly’s character — it’s an interesting idea to showcase alternative medicines on a medical show, but I hate the way that EVERY SINGLE WEEK it’s like, Hey, check out the crazy alternative idea! Oh wow, it worked! They need to make his inclusion in the show more seamless, and less After School Special. This one is definitely on the cusp of being dropped.

In other new-show news, Sir Monkeypants likes the Bionic Woman, and we still haven’t gotten around to watching the premiere of Women’s Murder Club, which was on last night.

And now, for a not-quick-at-all discussion of the returning shows we are watching.

I’m still sticking with Prison Break. I like the set up for this season, plus they’ve added William Fichtner as a regular character and I love that guy. T-Bag is back in prison, so he can stop freaking me out so much, and the new guy on the inside, Whistler, has a very attractive accent. The only thing I still dislike about this show is the character of Bellick — the actor does an excellent job, but I hate the fact that the character only seems to exist on this show so he can be degraded time and time again. It’s just grossness for grossness sake, and I’m tired of it. But I’m still with the show for a while, at least.

Heroes still hasn’t been able to draw me in like last season. Just about the only storyline I’m interested in is the murder of Hiro’s father, and the threat against Peter’s mother. Oh, and Sylar is still fascinating. I might actually be considering giving this one up, except for the fact that Kristen Bell should be showing up any time now, and that makes me so excited I could barf. So, it stays.

House is a show I was kind of iffy on last season, and when he fired his staff in the season finale, I thought it was a huge mistake for the show. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It’s been better than ever — Wilson is absolutely hilarious, House is as interesting as ever, and the new kids auditioning for a job in diagnostics have injected a lot of life into the show. I’m actually looking forward to this one every week and it’s the first show I reach for on the PVR when I get a few free minutes. In fact, you can probably judge how much I like a show by how many back-episodes are kicking around on the PVR, and there’s never any of House if I can help it. I don’t usually care for procedurals but somehow the formulaic nature of House is totally offset by the great acting and good writing.

Lastly, we have Grey’s Anatomy. I know just can’t see the draw of that show but man, I love it so much. I’m a chick, it’s a chick show, what can I say? I’m addicted, I’ll never give it up, even when it gets 90210-last-season awful.

And in other news, comedies How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock continue to deliver the goods. I laugh out loud at both these shows every week. And, I never thought I’d say this, but 30 Rock has totally changed my opinion of Alec Baldwin, previously one of my Unholy Trinity Of Hollywood. I used to find him too slimy and smug in his movie roles, and never enjoyed his so-called legendary appearances on Saturday Night Live. But man, is he brilliant as Jack Donaghy. I’m so happy he didn’t quit the show, as he threatened last year — he’s definitely the show’s MVP. I also must mention that the season premiere featured Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon, eating an entire steak in less than a minute (and then blaming it on an invisible dog), which confirms without a doubt that Liz is based on the life of .