Although I derive a fair bit of entertainment from surfing the Internet and playing video games, I still enjoy watching television. As bad as this may sound, I probably spent way more time watching TV growing up than I did studying for school or doing my homework. I grew up with cheesy sitcoms like Saved by the Bell and Full House, Saturday morning cartoons like X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and random other shows like professional wrestling.

Last year, I wrote about the TV shows that I would be watching, as well as shows that I’d be avoiding, so I figure it would be a good idea to do this for the 2008 television season too. You’ll notice that a couple shows from last year’s list made the cut for this year as well.

Heroes
Mondays at 9pm, NBC
The second season of Heroes was not nearly as enthralling as the first, but a good deal of the blame can be placed on the writer’s strike. They had to quickly close up the storyline and the result ended up being quite muddled. Some people gave up on Heroes as a result, but I’m remaining optimistic. Maybe I just have a soft spot for supernatural superpowers, despite the show’s innumerable characters and their inter-connecting lives.

House
Tuesdays at 8pm, FOX
I’ve never really been into hospital dramas, so I never watched ER, Chicago Hope, or other similar programs. As a result, House never caught my interest when I first heard about it either. As I watch more episodes though, I’m starting to get pulled in further to Hugh Laurie’s title character. He’s charismatic and the episodes are actually quite interesting. House is a medical drama, but part of it speaks to my psychology background and determining a proper diagnosis.

Fringe
Tuesdays at 9pm, FOX
It’s funny, because I caught the series premiere of this show by accident. Susanne was just flpping through the channels on a Tuesday night and then we saw some pretty funky things. JJ Abrams grabbed my interest with Cloverfield and he’s done it again with Fringe. Pseudo-science is a lot of fun to explore, because it borders on science fact rather than science fiction. Telepathy? Precognition? This is the same reason why Michael Crichton novels appeal to me. Fringe could be the surprise hit of the fall.

The Office
Thursdays at 9pm, NBC
Despite my limited experience in cubicle culture, I am immediately drawn to programs that satirize this environment. I enjoyed the Office Space movie and I liked the Dilbert cartoon while it lasted. The Office is equally insightful, hilarious, and stupid, all at the same time. Steve Carell‘s brand of deadpan humor is simply terrific, but Dwight Shrute (Rainn Wilson) steals the show.

Family Guy
Sundays at 9pm, FOX
Sunday nights on Fox have traditionally been dominated with “mature” cartoons and they’re continuing this tradition this year as well. The Simpsons are still somewhat funny, but Family Guy is the better show these days. There are moments that feel incredibly forced and obnoxiously stretched out, but the clever moments make up for them. Who can forget Chris Griffin’s “Take On Me” segment from a few years ago?

This list of TV shows, of course, is nowhere near exhaustive. Some other shows that I try to catch on a regular basis include The Price is Right, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Ellen (yes I admit it), and My Name is Earl. What are you watching these days?