(No kidding folks, it was one of those days around the ol' Variety newsroom and I'm only now getting the time to peek at last night's ratings.)

While "Samantha Who?" ranked low on most Season Pass-ers list of new show picks, America disagreed, or at least there was plenty of curiosity to see whatever became of Kelly Bundy. The ABC comedy starring Christina Applegate premiered very well Monday in the 9:30 p.m. slot behind a 90-minute "Dancing With the Stars."

Laffer made the most of its strong lead-in to finish out with 14.4 million viewers and 4.5 rating/10 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, coming out of 19.4 million and 4.7/12 for "Dancing," per Nielsen.

Interesting to also see in the 8 p.m. competish that NBC's "Chuck" (8.4 million, 3.3/9) and CBS' 8:30 p.m. frosh "The Big Bang Theory" (7.9 million, 3.1/8) seem to have have found a comfortable level of respectable ratings -- even against the wild card factor of Fox's primetime coverage of the American League championship series between the BoSox and Cleveland Indians (go Cleveland!). Gee, maybe there's hope for broadcast TV after all...

--Cynthia Littleton

I went out on a limb for "Cavemen," and they cut it down on me.

Twice at Season Pass I have defended the show (albeit with faint praise), but last week's episode mocked my efforts. I was prepared to not laugh out loud, having been intrigued by an approach that emphasized dry wit over obvious humor, but the most recent airing lacked either. For the first time, I saw "Cavemen" as others have — as the worst kind of "Saturday Night Live" skit, all premise and no execution.

In particular, the descent into idiocy of the once-cunning and acerbic Nick from the unaired original pilot of "Cavemen" has torpedoed the show's promise. Now, there is no one to effectively challenge Joel's mostly conventional way of thinking.

Most people would suggest that I've given this show way, way too much thought. I don't regret giving "Cavemen" a chance, but it's no fun being wrong about a show's viability.

* * *

As for "Chuck," the NBC goof-drama that I slandered earlier this month by comparing it to "Cavemen" ... at the urging of my colleague, Josef Adalian, I gave it another chance by watching last week's third episode.  And I do agree that it showed me something. There were a few moments of delight in the show, and in general it was modestly entertaining and easy to watch. Joe, I officially recant my position that "Chuck" and "Cavemen" are equals.

Yet I still find myself escaping "Chuck" addiction. For one thing, "Chuck" continues to lag for me behind "Reaper," the CW's similarly structured fractured fairy tale about an unlikely world-saver.

I spent most of my time watching last week's "Reaper" trying to figure out why. I think part of it is has to do with the shows' villains. While the enemies on both shows fall on the cartoonish side, the ones on "Reaper" seem to have a more interesting backstory, in the tradition (though without the richness) of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

For the most part, I'm splitting hairs between the two shows. If "Reaper" didn't exist, I'd probably watch "Chuck" each week. But I don't need both — and in a world where I have unwatched shows backing up on my DVR, it's entirely possible that neither will stick with me long-term. (The only good thing about AMC's truly superior "Mad Men" ending its season this week is that it will free up another hour for me.)

— Jon Weisman

Most of my fellow Season Passers didn't care for the pilot of "Carpoolers." Five of nine SPers panned the show; three of us (including myself) offered guarded praise in the form of one thumbs up. Only Variety ratings guru Rick Kissell granted the show a full, double-thumbed vote of confidence.

After watching tonight's second episode, it must be said: Kissell was right. I really dig the "Carpoolers." So much so, I'm adding it to my Season Pass list (though my lame Time Warner Cable DVR calls it a "series recording".)

What some critics wrongfully dismissed as misogynist and dull-- the New York Times called it "'Bewitched' with tollbooths"-- is actually shaping up as the most unexpected surprise of the season. The four lead characters are all being fleshed out well, and are emerging as more than just cliches. All roles are well played by the cast, particularly the should-be-more-famous Fred Goss and the subtle Jerry Minor.

Most of all, "Carpoolers" has a loopy spirit about it that just makes it fun to watch. There's the adult son named Marmaduke. A woman who only dates married men. The guys belting out "Come On, Eileen" with abandon.

At its best, "Carpoolers" comes close to channeling the spirit of the late, great "Arrested Development" (really). Part of that stems from the fact that the pilots of both shows were directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who find a way to make even the most mundane shots interesting.

It's been a pretty pathetic season for new comedies. NBC didn't have the guts to try a single new sitcom, while CBS's "Big Bang Theory" and Fox's "Back to You" just haven't gotten me excited, despite their solid pedigrees and winning casts. CW's "Aliens in America" is very good stuff, but it's on the CW, which means I've got to try extra hard to remember it's on....and with "How I Met Your Mother" and "Chuck" airing against it, it's never gonna be my first choice for the night.

But with "Carpoolers," ABC got it right. One more episode like Tuesday's, and I might just be ready to declare it the best new comedy of the year.

--Josef Adalian

Josh Schwartz's two new hours-- NBC's "Chuck" and CW's "Gossip Girl"-- have gotten off to decent starts in the Nielsen ratings.  Apple's iTunes Store is a whole other matter.

Both shows have been iTunes smashes since they debuted, with each instantly landing in the top 5 list of most downloaded episodes. And as of just before 6 p.m. PT Friday night, there was no sign they were cooling down.

The teen-friendly "Gossip Girl" is proving to be one of the popular girls, with two separate episodes holding down the No. 2 and No. 4 spots on the iTunes episodic download list. "Chuck" is no slouch, either: The Oct. 1 episode is No. 6, while the pilot is No. 9.

While Schwartz's shows are the only newcomers in the top 10, Fox frosh "Kitchen Nightmares" and "Back to You" have cracked the top 20, ranking No. 17 and 18, respectively.

Hollywood types have been following the iTunes chart closely ever since NBC starting arguing that big iTunes sales of "The Office" translated into higher ratings. Whether the same will hold true for "Chuck" and "Gossip Girl" remains to be seen, but if early DVR data trickling in is any indication, don't be surprised if both skeins are more popular than early Nielsen data would suggest.

NBC's recent decision to dis iTunes didn't impact "Chuck," since the show is produced by Warner Bros. TV (which is still playing nice with Apple). But the Peacock's pullout is having an impact on the iTunes most-downloaded chart: "The Office," normally a staple of the top 10, is MIA. Ditto "Bionic Woman," which almost certainly would have been a fave of Apple's geek-friendly aud (though maybe not after the really awful second episode).

By the way, if you were a bit bummed by the second episode of "Chuck"-- I wasn't, but I know some people were annoyed by the decision to restate the pilot premise-- make sure to check out Monday's third episode, "Chuck vs. the Tango."  It's a great hour that cements Zachary Levi as a breakout star-- and "Chuck's" status as my favorite new show of the season.

--Josef Adalian

What'er the only two new shows to crack TiVo's top 50 Season Pass (no relation) rankings?

Surprise, surprise: "Private Practice" and "Bionic Woman." ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Practice" (pictured left) ranks No. 18 on TiVo's ranking of most its most popular Season Pass settings, in which the whiz-bang DVR grabs all original segs of a designated series."Bionic" (pictured below) ranks No. 43 on the list.

TiVo's Season Pass top 10, not surprisingly, closely corresponds to the Nielsen top 10: "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," "House," "Lost," "CSI," "Heroes," "American Idol," "24," "The Office" and "CSI: Miami." Pretty sad to see only one comedy on the list; god bless "The Office."

A little surprising to see ABC's big buzz show "Pushing Daisies" not make the top 100, particularly after last night's solid preem. NBC's "Journeyman" ranks head-scratchingly high at No. 54, followed by ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" (No. 55); Fox's "Back to You" (No. 65); CBS' "Cane" (No. 70); NBC's "Chuck" (No. 75); PBS' Ken Burns mini "The War" (No. 76); CBS' "Kid Nation" (No. 89); and ABC's "Big Shots" (No. 95).

Last fall the only newcomer to crack the top 50 was NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and we all know what happened there...

--Cynthia Littleton

Accelerating the end of my journalistic career, I will defend "Cavemen" not once, but twice.

It's a show that has left most critics scratching their heads, and I won't deny that it's a particularly strange program. But in Tuesday's official premiere of the show's alternative pilot, I continued to see redeeming qualities.

It's dry, even droll. It doesn't beg for laughs.  It's much more interested in character than joke, joke, joke — and the characters are interesting in their insider/outsider way.  And, despite its Geico ad roots, as far as sitcoms go, "Cavemen" is wholly original in its situation (which is half of "situation comedy," in case you've forgotten). 

A counterpoint to the show — and this is really going to get me in trouble — is something like NBC's "Chuck," which also has its upside but seems more interested in looking good than being good. Compared to "Cavemen," is "Chuck" really any funnier, any more dramatic, any more insightful or even that much more plausible?

In "Chuck" so far, the characters have been types.  The show is definitely easier on the eyes (although, not to commit the same kind of offense "Cavemen" takes a stand against, you could exchange Yvonne Strzechowski of "Chuck," right, with Kaitlin Doubleday of "Cavemen," left, pretty swiftly), and it's a more obvious good time, but I'm not seeing how "Chuck" isn't a more shallow endeavor.

Let me caution that "Cavemen" is nowhere near as good as the show I'm about to mention — not even close — but thinking about it this morning, the comedy that came to mind was "The Office." When that show premiered in the U.S., it was anything but a laugh riot; it was not at all clear what it was going to be. But there were signs it could be something, if it were given room to breathe. 

"Cavemen" could go either way at this point. As James Poniewozik of Time wrote today, some of the changes made from the original pilot were for the worse, such as the fact that "Nick, the militant postgraduate student, was especially defanged." In any case, it's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but in this day and age, what is? It will be interesting to see if Tuesday's adequate ratings hold up next week, providing an indication of whether "Cavemen" can be a niche success.

— Jon Weisman

The big winners of Monday: ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and NBC's "Heroes."

NBC's "Chuck" and CBS' "Big Bang Theory" (pictured left) qualify for OK starts -- not terrific but not terrible.

On the not-so-hot side, NBC's "Journeyman," which didn't make much of its "Heroes" lead-in. And CBS' "CSI: Miami" was surprisingly sluggish in its premiere, though it did still win its 10 p.m. time slot by a comfortable margin.

The 8-9:30 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" was the night's most-watched program with 21.2 million hoofers tuning in. "Dancing" was also second for the night in the adults 18-49 demo derby to NBC's "Heroes" ("Heroes" pulled 6.5 rating/15 share and 14.1 million viewers; "Dancing" scored 5.8/15 in the demo.)

"Chuck's" maiden voyage at 8 p.m. averaged 9.3 million viewers and 3.6/9 in 18-49. At 8:30 p.m. "Big Bang Theory" grew from its "How I Met Your Mother" lead-in to finish out with 9.6 million and 3.7/9, coming out of "Mother's" 8.3 million and 3.2/9.

"Journeyman" fell from its "Heroes" lead-in to 9.5 million viewers and 3.7/9. "CSI: Miami" was off its usual game in its sixth season opener with an average of 14.8 million viewers and 4.6/12.

Bragging rights for the night went to ABC in both key measures of viewers (15.4 million average for the night) and adults 18-49 (4.7/12, narrowly beating NBC's 4.6/11).

Click here for a complete rundown of Monday night ratings follies from Variety ratings guru and Season Pass contributor Rick Kissell.

--Cynthia Littleton

Good luck, "Chuck." Having seen the second seg of the NBC skein that bows tonight at 8 p.m., I can report that it's growing on me.

Show's been tagged an action-comedy by NBC, but it seems to lean more toward the comedy than the action, at least in the early going. Not gonna blow any of it for anyone who's yet to see the pilot, but the second episode is more fun if only because there's not as much set up needed and there's more time for the interplay between its sheepishly charming star Zachary Levi, aka Chuck, and secret agent Sarah Walker, played with style by Yvonne Strahovski.

NBC's assured of doing well tonight with the second season preem at 9 p.m. of "Heroes." (The prospects for the debut of "Life" at 10 p.m. is a whole 'nother story.) So here's hoping the "Heroes" tune-in halo extends far out enough to give a boost to a worthy newcomer.

--Cynthia Littleton

Here's a handy way to kill time at work. Yahoo's TV page is offering streaming vids of a smattering of new and returning shows. Most notably, they're giving people a sneak peek at the sophomore season opener of NBC's glorious "Friday Night Lights."

I'm a latecomer to "FNL" fanaticism but I've been hooked ever since Season Pass maven Kathy Lyford thrust the season one DVD set in my hand and said "watch!" I don't have the time to gush properly here about how fabulous the show is on every level: writing, cast (leads Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were robbed this year of Emmy noms, that's just a fact), directing, pacing, setting, tone -- I could go on. And on.

I can't wait to see the season opener but first I've got about five segs to go from last season. Kathy sez the opener is apt to be a little controversial among the "FNL" faithful, so click here to watch it via Yahoo, and if anyone has an opinion, let us know right here....

Other shows on Yahoo's free streaming vid menu include:

Aliens in America -- CW

The Big Bang Theory -- CBS

Blood Ties -- Lifetime

Brotherhood -- Showtime

Chuck -- NBC

Dexter -- Showtime

Life is Wild -- CW

--Cynthia Littleton

Readers in Gotham and L.A. don't have to take our word(s) for it. The Paley Center for Media (aka Museum of Television & Radio) is offering a sneak peak at fall's new shows through its pilot screenings series at its Manhattan and BevHills branches.

The TV party starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. in BevHills with a slate of Fox shows: "K-Ville," "Back to You," "Nashville" and "Kitchen Nightmares."

CW pilots unspool on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with "Reaper," "Gossip Girl," "Aliens in America" and "Life is Wild." NBC takes over at 6:30 p.m. with "Chuck," "Life," "Bionic Woman" and "Journeyman."

On Monday evening it's ABC's turn: "Pushing Daisies," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Samantha Who?" and "Big Shots."

CBS rounds out the slate on Tuesday evening with "The Big Bang Theory," "Moonlight," "Cane" and "Viva Laughlin."

Screenings have already been underway for a few days at the Gotham facility, but as of this posting TV junkies there can still catch the same slate of CBS pilots on Monday and the CW sked on Tuesday.

For further details click here for the Paley Center website. For clips of some of the above, scroll down to the Variety Video link on this home page, and check out On the Air blog's Clip Madness. 

(Pictured above: CBS' "The Big Bang Theory")

Welcome to Season Pass, Variety.com’s blog for dishing about fall’s new scripted TV shows.
We wanted to give readers a wide range of opinions on the fall fare so eight of us spent a good chunk of our summer watching all of it. We like to complain, but it was really kind of fun.

Each of us has rated all the shows using four categories:

Love it, setting a season pass now

Worth another try

OK, but not for me

Won't watch again

"Reaper" (below) was one show that took us all by surprise. I did not expect to like it and it ended up being one of my favorites

The shows that rated the highest (one or two thumbs up) among our group of TV junkies were: ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” (seven season passes), NBC’s “Chuck” (four season passes), the CW’s “Reaper” (six season passes), CBS’ “Big Bang Theory” (three season passes), the CW’s “Gossip Girl,” (one season pass), Fox’s “Back To You” (one season pass) and CBS’ midseason entry “Swingtown” (one season pass).

See the chart for more details.

Our opinions are meant as a guide only. We encourage you to give all the shows a try and see for yourself what shows speak to you.

We’ll be blogging after each episode to track the shows’ progress. And we’ll weigh in on topics related to the season.

Have fun and happy channel surfing!