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

Now that "Grey's Anatomy" and its spinoff "Private Practice" have clocked in with their season premiere and first official episode, respectively, it's time to check their vital signs.

Yes, it's way too early to make any major pronouncements based on one episode, but since I had "Grey's Anatomy" on my "Hanging on by a Thread" list (bio) and "Private Practice" on my thumbs-down roster, let's consider this a preliminary diagnosis, awaiting further tests and close monitoring.

"Private Practice" was up first, on Wednesday night, and by my estimation may actually have been worse than the backdoor pilot episode in May that sent Kate Walsh's Dr. Addison Montgomery headed out the doors of Seattle Grace Hospital for the sunnier climes of Southern California.

I cringed at least three times during Wednesday's bow, including the sight of Amy Brenneman on her hands and knees in the store with the crazy counting lady and Taye Diggs and his ex playing out their separation issues over a dead sperm donor.

Worst of all was the realization in the final 20 minutes that the show -- which is ostensibly centered on a top-notch neo-natal surgeon -- will never afford Addison the chance to do what she does best unless circumstances so convoluted as to be phenomenal are called into play. Dr. Montgomery is a surgeon and there's no sterile room in the clinic she's now a partner in? Where does that leave the show's storyline prospects -- emergency procedures that catch everyone off guard week after week, or frequent transfers to a real hospital with the show's midwife trainee in tow ? Did no one over in producer Shonda Rhimes' camp ever stop to think that having six doctors in a joint practice that don't do anything really medical might not be a sustainable dramatic premise?

Those cringeworthy moments don't even touch on the godawful feelgood crackpot vibe that the entire office exudes. Tim Daly's the holisitic healer, but between Cooper, Violet and Sam all spouting New Age nonsense and pseudo-medical gobbledygook, and the surfer-midwife waiting to catch his big break, the whole bunch come across largely as kooks, not doctors.

The whole debut episode felt forced and ridiculous. Kate Walsh barely got two moments to do anything worthwhile -- and I don't think they can have her dancing naked every week.

How about the rest of you? Do you think this show may already be headed for life-support?

By contrast, "Grey's Anatomy" returned Thursday night looking decidedly healthier, given all the scars it incurred at the end of last season and over the summer break. It's not out of the woods yet, but there were plenty of signs that the purge of last season's baggage (both in terms of onscreen relationships and behind-the-scenes turmoil) may put the show back on track.

With George repeating his first-year internship, it's almost as if Rhimes and her writers acknowleded the need for a reset and are cluing viewers in that they plan to return to the sense of wide-eyed eagerness that defined the show's first season.

Likewise, the arrival of Chyler Leigh as Meredith's half-sister Lexie Grey brought a suggestion of youthful optimism that's been sorely lacking since Meredith herself went into somber mode halfway through last season.

Sure, there were clunky moments: Izzy's ministrations to an ailing deer, Meredith's "alone" talk with a patient and, most awkwardly, the hamhanded bag of "change" metaphor. But the closing five minutes definitely brought the show's core characters back to firmer ground and hinted at brighter prospects for the season.

This patient might pull through after all.

-- Brian Cochrane

With the 2007 Emmys behind us, the obsessed among us are free to wonder (and then seek psychological help thereafter) which actors from the crop of new network shows are most likely to grab nominations in 2008 .

Not an easy question to answer -- especially because the coming TV season will bring even more one-hours that could submit as comedy or drama, such as ABC's "Pushing Daisies" or CW's "Reaper."

For example, what happens with Lee Pace of the heralded "Daisies"? There are spots opening up in both the drama and comedy actor categories now that "The Sopranos" (James Gandolfini) and "Extras" (Ricky Gervais) have concluded their series runs. Putting aside the competition from returning actors who got passed over this year (ahem - Kyle Chandler), where would Pace best fit in? The show and his role might just be a 'tweener.

The most likely actor nominee from a new network series might be Peter Krause of "Dirty Sexy Money," another ABC show. If "Dirty" finds traction with viewers, Krause will benefit from a juicy role and his past nominee track record (three nods for "Six Feet Under," though no wins).

On the drama actress side, Edie Falco of "Sopranos" drops off the nominee list next year, but the category had an atypical six official candidates in '07, so that doesn't exactly free up a spot. Still, by stepping out of the popular but crowded "Grey's Anatomy" cast, Kate Walsh has the clearest path among network contenders to Emmy success via spinoff "Private Practice." 

Walsh's main challenges: The show needs to convince voters that it is better than de facto first episode last spring, and Glenn Close will carry big support from her towering presence on FX's "Damages." If "Practice" doesn't make perfect, perhaps Michelle Ryan of NBC's "Bionic Woman" will gain some voter momentum.

Among the laffers, there's no getting away from vets Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton of "Back to You" as the most likely to step into the '08 Emmy race. But keep an eye on Johnny Galecki from CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and, if it were to submit as a comedy, Anna Friel of "Daisies."

Obviously, there are many more worthy possibilites than listed here -- including those on midseason replacements -- but as we go from Emmys to season premieres, I couldn't resist thinking out loud.

— Jon Weisman