More than a month into the season, TV schedule gets makeover

Before September rolled around, I was adamant on trying to watch as much television as possible. A couple weeks in, however, I found myself falling behind and struggling just to keep up with my rather ambituous schedule I set out to follow. This meant that I was forced to make drastic cuts, some due to the fact that I just can't keep up with the show anymore for expositional reasons and some due to lack of time and interest.

I've been following a couple critics and bloggers for the past few weeks and it seems as though they're having the same trouble. This fall season has to be one of the least anticipated seasons of the contemporary period, and that says quite a lot about how much the writers' strike affected the development and production of future series.

Just to give you all an idea to the dramatic changes to my schedule (prior to September 1), here is what it was before the fall officially began:

MONDAYS
8 p.m.: "Chuck" (NBC), "Gossip Girl" (CW), "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (Fox)
8:30 p.m.: "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS)
9 p.m.: "Prison Break" (Fox), "Heroes" (NBC)
9:30 p.m.: "Samantha Who?" (ABC)
10 p.m.: "CSI: Miami" (CBS), "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC)

TUESDAYS
8 p.m.: "House" (Fox)
9 p.m.: "Privileged" (CW), "The Mentalist" (CBS), "Fringe" (Fox)
10 p.m.: "Eli Stone" (ABC)

WEDNESDAYS
8 p.m.: "Pushing Daisies" (ABC), "Bones" (Fox)
9 p.m.: "Private Practice" (ABC)
10 p.m.: "Dirty Sexy Money" (ABC), "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC), "CSI: NY" (CBS)

THURSDAYS
8 p.m.: "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
9 p.m.: "The Office" (NBC)
9:30 p.m.: "30 Rock" (NBC)
10 p.m.: "Life on Mars" (ABC), "Eleventh Hour" (CBS), "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (FX)

FRIDAYS
9 p.m.: "The Ex List" (CBS)

SUNDAYS
8 p.m.: "The Amaazing Race" (CBS)
9 p.m.: "True Blood" (HBO)
10 p.m.: "Brothers & Sisters" (ABC), "Californication" (Showtime)

Clearly, I was way in over my head. Now, my schedule looks more like this (blue = DVR, black = watching live, red = on the cusp of giving up; shows that are completely off the list have been dumped):

MONDAYS
8 p.m.: "Chuck" (NBC), "Gossip Girl" (CW)
8:30 p.m.: "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS)
9 p.m.: "Prison Break" (Fox)
9:30 p.m.: "Samantha Who?" (ABC)
10 p.m.: "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC)

TUESDAYS
8 p.m.: "House" (Fox)
9 p.m.: "Privileged" (CW), "Fringe" (Fox)
10 p.m.: "Eli Stone" (ABC)

WEDNESDAYS
8 p.m.: "Pushing Daisies" (ABC), "Bones" (Fox)
9 p.m.: "Private Practice" (ABC)
10 p.m.: "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC), "CSI: NY" (CBS)

THURSDAYS
8 p.m.: "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
9 p.m.: "The Office" (NBC)
9:30 p.m.: "30 Rock" (NBC)/"SNL Weekend Update" (NBC)
10 p.m.: "Life on Mars" (ABC), "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (FX)

FRIDAYS
9 p.m.: "The Ex List" (CBS)

SUNDAYS
8 p.m.: "The Amazing Race" (CBS)
9 p.m.: "True Blood" (HBO)
10 p.m.: "Brothers & Sisters" (ABC), "Californication" (Showtime)

This schedule doesn't even include midseason premieres or returnees, such as USA's "Burn Notice" or "Psych," both of which I follow like a desperate little lemming. Even though I've cut my schedule substantially and am on the fence about a couple shows, I'm still incredibly behind on my TV. Oh, the life of a TV blogger ...

If there are some returning/new/future shows that you think I should cover more or start watching or keep an eye out for, please let me know. I am always open to suggestions, but knowing that I only have so many hours in the day and the fact that I have other obligations (work and school), it might be a teensy bit difficult to add but you never know! Pitch me your show and I'll certainly think about it!