BOOB TUBE SCOOP: What’s hot, what’s not on TV

“Fringe” : Sci-fi meets “Alice in Wonderland”
New sci-fi drama “Fringe” combines the science and chemistry of “The X-Files” with the mystery and characters of “Alice in Wonderland.”

As Agent Olivia Dunham (Australian Anna Torv) delves into The Pattern behind these events, she’s helped by a slightly insane doctor who experiments with the seedy side of science — called fringe science — and his son (played by Joshua Jackson) who begrudgingly plays the caretaker to his father.

Already, this most recent J.J. Abrams and Co. show is one of the best new shows on television. The mythology of the overarching show is carefully integrated into well-written standalone episodes — meaning you can start watching “Fringe” now and still understand it.

9 p.m. Tuesdays, FOX

“Chuck”: Tech speak translated
Beginning its second season, “Chuck” is the beacon of hope for all tech nerds.
Chic geek Chuck Bartowski is a big-box techie turned superspy when all of the top secret information in the U.S. is literally downloaded into his brain.

Now it’s up to Nerd Herd head Bartowski (played by Zachary Levi) to save the world, one episode at a time. He’s helped by hot blonde spy Sarah Walker (newcomer Yvonne Strahovski) and national assassin John Casey (sci-fi alumnus Adam Baldwin).

“Chuck” is one of the smartest comedies on TV. Check it out if you speak tech or even if you don’t.

8 p.m. Mondays, NBC


“ER”: The end of an era
For most television shows, a five-season run is a good life.
“ER,” the show that rewrote the drama genre, is now in its fifteenth and final season and has remained in its primetime Thursday slot for the entire run. Developed by Michael Crichton, the drama was never supposed to make it to television.

Now, with the return of past cast members Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle and even Noah Wyle, “ER” is looking back on those who have made the show the icon it is today.

With its intrapersonal relationships intertwined with realistic medical procedures, the precursor to “Grey’s Anatomy” has always managed to tug on the heartstrings of a nation.

After spending more than five seasons in the top-five viewer ranked shows, “ER” created stars such as George Clooney and forever changed the face of the medical drama.

10 p.m. Thursdays, NBC

“House”: Calling Dr. House
Everyone loves a curmudgeonly, Vicodin-addicted, brilliant diagnostician, even when he’s brash, abrasive and fervently believes everyone lies about everything.

Dr. Gregory House is the opposite of everything you think a good doctor should be. And he’s that much better for it.

Along with his three fellows, Drs. Kutner, Taub and “Thirteen,” House (Hugh Laurie) attempts to solve the ills of the world, one mystery at a time.
“House” is a smart, scientific social commentary of a dramedy.

As “House” and its titular doctor navigate the world of lies by telling more lies, House never gets any closer to figuring himself out, despite pleas from his “friends” to do so.

Watch every week, as House and his team solve a new mystery and hope to get one step closer to solving the plight of humanity.

8 p.m. Tuesdays, FOX

“Ugly Betty”: Proving that true beauty is more than skin deep
Already in its third season, “Ugly Betty” is truly the little show that could (and has!). Latina actress America Ferrera shines in the title role, and it’s not just her braces that gleam. Ferrera manages to be likeable in every episode, as she maneuvers her way through plots that have actually gotten better over time, unlike some other ABC shows (see the “Grey’s Anatomy” blurb). As much as Ferrera captivates the cameras as Betty, in her mismatched, obscenely bright ensembles and her naïve sweetness that always prevails over the fashion world evil, the duo that has me tuning in every week are Marc and Amanda. Played by Michael Urie and Becki Newton, respectively, the duo demands laughs playing a good-hearted assistant who gets into shady shenanigans (Marc) and a dim-witted, vanity-obsessed receptionist (Amanda) at the magazine where everything goes down, Mode. Another reason to tune in? Betty’s ridiculously boisterous sister, Hilda, whose outfits and accent scream, “I’m the Queen Bee of Queens.” Based on the Columbian telenovela “Yo soy Betty, la fea,” “Ugly Betty” is a comedic relief with zany storylines that take you to Bettyworld, which isn’t an ugly place at all.

8 p.m. Thursdays, ABC

“Grey’s Anatomy”: The plot is growing as sickly as its patients
I was the hugest “Grey’s Anatomy” fan in the beginning. I got into it via DVD and devoured seasons one through four in a matter of one weekend. But it’s this season, season five, that’s got me feeling ill. The plot lines have gotten way out of hand: Interns are running around the hospital cutting each other open to perform illegal surgeries, one of the residents is having a romantic relationship with her dead fiancée’s ghost and the couple that could never be together is finally together and they’re an absolute bore (the impossibility was so much more exciting than boring bliss). The plots that had me hooked from previous seasons must have died and in their place are new ones that are difficult to watch. What is really starting to get to me is how much the doctor’s talk during their time at work. So much intense conversation takes place over a triple bypass. I’m thinking that this isn’t good for the patients at Seattle Grace Hospital. The romantic entanglements that the show was known for seem to have fizzled, too (unless you count Izzy’s relationship with said dead fiancée, Denny). “Grey’s Anatomy” needs to be resuscitated quickly before even the most loyal viewers finally tune out. Five years is a pretty good run, anyway.

9 p.m. Thursdays, ABC

“Gossip Girl”: It’s like a car wreck, I just can’t help watching
At the end of every episode of the CW’s new uber-popular teen drama, the narrator, Gossip Girl, signs off by saying “You know you love me.” This statement really best sums up how teenagers feel about this grotesquely captivating show that revolves around high schoolers with lots of cash and lots to talk about. “Gossip Girl” has quickly become a cult classic amongst the 15 to early 20 set, to no one’s surprise. And it’s only in its second season. I don’t know if it’s the impossibly glamorous private school uniforms the characters wear, the oddly good-looking men who star or the gratuitous teen sex that draws them in, but whatever it is “Gossip Girl” has really got a hold on our youth. I mean, it’s kind of sad to think that what teens want to watch is a group of ridiculously spoilt Upper East Siders who cavort around Manhattan in designer clothes and can somehow get into bars and clubs when they’re only supposed to be 16 years old. Alas, we’re talking about a world I’m none too familiar with. The storylines are a bit provocative for the youngsters, but “Gossip Girl” has a steady grip on the MySpace generation with its tech-savvy characters (everyone texts/e-mails/looks at the “Gossip Girl” blog in each episode) and scandalous hook-up scenes (remember when Chuck and Blair hooked up in the pool? If not, it’s splattered on billboards and busses around town). I guess we do live in a gossip-fueled world after all, and sadly the show is addicting.

8 p.m. Mondays, The CW

“Heroes”: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?”
I’m not quite sure how anyone can not like this show. I think it has a brilliant plot, albeit the whole superhero plotline has been used a zillion times, but honestly, I just never get tired of it. This third season of “Heroes,” even though many critics give it mixed reviews, is just as titillating as the previous seasons. This time around we learn that the evil Sylar is actually not as bad as we thought. He’s been transformed from a sociopathic murderer into a more complex character who is learning to use his ability to take on other special peoples’ powers and help them instead of well, you know, cutting their heads open. Of course, Hiro, the lovable Japanese time-traveler is still trying to unravel the mystery of how and why the world may end, and curiously enough it has a lot to do with Nathan and Peter Petrelli’s father who was assumed to be dead, but has suddenly reawakened and appears to have his hand involved in the future demise of civilization. The last few episodes, in case you missed them, answer the cryptic message that has been repeated in each of the three seasons: “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” The beautiful Claire Bennet, known as the self-healing cheerleader, is apparently a catalyst for the powers that each character has and somehow unites them all. Stay tuned; this show is sure to be a series that will continue to draw sci-fi geeks such as I into its complex world each Monday night.

9 p.m. Mondays, NBC

“30 Rock”: Tina Fey is the funniest woman of the 21st century
Yeah, that’s right, I said it. Tina Fey is the most hilarious person on television by far and not only that: She’s a woman. Her portrayal on “Saturday Night Live” as the vapid Sarah Palin was deemed the saving grace of “SNL,” has been said to have swayed the 2008 Presidental Election and reeled in more viewers to the show, as many people had grown weary of the sub-par comedic skits that rarely got a chuckle from even the most avid “SNL” fans, like me. Even more hilarious than watching her take on the Palin-esque hairdo and Alaskan twang, is her hit show “30 Rock.” This season has seen Jennifer Aniston star as that crazy girl we’ve all known in our personal lives, some way or another, who enjoys making everyone’s life a painful drama. Even Oprah has graced the show in an episode where Fey takes some weird sleeping pill on a plane and hallucinates that Oprah is coming to her studio at work to do a workplace counseling session. Come to find out, the person Fey was actually chatting with was a 13-year-old girl, but thankfully all’s well that ends well. Each episode this season has been funnier than the next and for those of you who have yet to watch, start now, this show is a winning combination of excellent acting, perfect comedic timing and a fantastically entertaining plot.

9:30 p.m. Thursdays, NBC